Shuriken Found

So, I found a shuriken in my back yard recently:

A bit rusted, but not too bad after a year in the mud.

No, it wasn't a random ninja attack. Last spring (2011) I lost it when I completely missed the target we were using. Yes, my shuriken-fu was weak that day.

Let me tell you, we did quite a thorough job looking for it, but it was nowhere to be found. Then recently I happened to be working in that part of the yard, thinking I'd really like to have my shuriken back, and voila! there it was.

I think the garden gnomes were hiding it.

Don't let that innocent look fool you!

Doily of Doom

This is a doily I made years ago for my best friend's kitchen table:

Looking at it now I think I did a pretty decent job on it, but with one major flaw; it should have been 16 inches in diameter but my gauge was so tight that it's only about 12 inches across. As with most things I crocheted long ago, I didn't know much about gauge (okay, nothing about gauge) and held the thread so tight it dug into my fingers. Now, I would probably get a lot closer to the proper gauge but I haven't been adventurous enough to try any major crochet projects.

Lacy Scarf and Mitts

These were knitted for a co-worker who's been a lot of help to me since she started with us almost a year ago. It's nearly assistant's day or whatever they're calling it now, so I thought I would knit her something in her favorite color. There was some variation in the yarn colorway so the stripes don't match exactly: 

These were made with SMC Select extra soft Merino, color 5284 (100% Merino wool), size US5 circular needles (3.25mm), using "Lush Fingerless Mitts" (pattern by Susan Mills, Classic Elite Yarns). 

The scarf is not part of the original pattern; for that I adapted the cabled portion of the mitts using 3 repeats; one in the center of one side and two at the our edges of the other side:

 

The toughest part of this was getting my gauge consistent for the mitts; I developed tendonitis in my right elbow in late January, so as the condition of my arm changed, so did my gauge. I ended up knitting the mitts four times to get two the same size. As a result, this one gets the "scurvy yarn projects" label.