Help! I'm stranded!

No, I'm not stuck somewhere--I just finished my first stranded knitting project! I did the Daisy Mittens pattern on Ravelry. I'm really excited about how well the mittens came out. I found a couple of irritating math errors in the pattern (like telling me to add six stitches to 54 and  then knit a chart that was 58 stitches around with no uncharted stitches), but other than that, it was pretty straightforward, and a good first stranded project. It took me a little while to start getting comfortable with the process of holding one color yarn in each hand and knitting with both. In the beginning, I was twisting my continental stitches. Once I got that straightened out, though, it wasn't too bad. I got accustomed to the rhythm of it.  The tension could probably be better, but it's not awful. There's some stretch, and things aren't horribly puckered.

My mother has now requested a pair of mittens, and she assures me that unlike a shawl, the mittens are something she'll actually wear. OK, I'll do that for her. She might not be able to wear them until next winter, but that's fine. I'm going to see her the first weekend in March, the weekend after her birthday, and I'll talk to her about colors and patterns then.

I've cast on for another South End Knitter's Hat. I was so dismayed when I dropped the one I'd made previously on the red line! I just hope that it managed to make its way to someone who needed a nice cozy hat, and who really enjoys that one. The one I'm making now is light grey with silver sparkles, made from two strands of Knitpicks Stroll Glimmer. I hope that the gauge will end up OK. It's fine if the finished product is a little smaller than the last one. I think this color will be really nice for wearing with my peacoat or my long wool coat, when I want to look a little more smartly dressed and it's not utterly frigid. The Fur Hat of Doom still reigns for the frigid weather.

Also on the to-knit list is a baby sweater. One of my friends from high school is pregnant and due in June. It's their first baby, so I really want to make sure to knit her something nice. I might even go so far as to try a pattern with some stranding! I need to pore over patterns this weekend. I know she really wants a girl, but she's also definitely NOT the powder-puff-pink type. I'll probably stick to the safe bet of bright cheerful colors. My friend is Indian, and most of the Indian folks I know appreciate bright colors. I might have to see if there's anything particularly geeky I can do. A baby TARDIS sweater? I'm sure such a thing must exist somewhere.