Time out knitting

Every once in a while I hit a real knitting slump. Either I don't knit at all, or I try making knitted things that don't really engage my brain at all. During the next-to-last bout of this, I cast on a 72 stitch garter afghan square, and then, after knitting about 10" of it, discovered I'd made a funky something way down near the cast on, and needed a crochet hook to address it. That square, instead of merrily beginning the "eat up all the stash and make a blanket while you're at it" effort, is now languishing in a bag in time out.

Meanwhile, even though I'm being pretty good at not buying yarn, more yarn came to my house. In a bag. From a friend. Not much, and I moved the stuff I wasn't thrilled with right out of the house, but just enough to make some wee baby things. I figured, my wonderful niece deserves a little spring hat, no? And I, the dorky knitter, deserve to knit something that is soothing and repetitive, and easy enough that I don't spend my usual 30% time ripping and re-knitting. Every project I finish is usually about a 130% project.

At any rate, check this out. The amazing cuteness of the wee baby face makes up for every silly thing about the hat. I must immediately knit more things, so her cutie-fu spreads to more knitted items, no?