Noolie Knits

Imagine That!

I'm actually going to post some knitting content.  I know; I can hardly believe it myself!

I finished Acer last Wednesday.

Pattern: Acer by Kristen Kapur
Yarn: Cascade Yarns Eco + in colorway 7072
Needles: Size 8 (for first 5 rows) & Size 9

Mods: After reading some comments from others who have made this sweater, I decided to use a smaller needle for the neck than the pattern called for. This still left the neck plenty wide enough. The only other mod I made was to add some length to the body.

The pattern is well written and easy to follow. It's a top-down sweater, which means no seaming; when the knitting is done, all that's left is to sew on the buttons and weave in the ends.  I took a break between sleeves and sewed the buttons on so when I was done knitting, all I had to do was weave in a couple ends and I was done.

Does the fact that I've already worn it twice tell you how I feel about it?  I LOVE this sweater!

I really like the Cascade Yarns Ecological Wools; I've used both the natural color (for my Swing Coat) and now this Eco + and have been very happy with the results.  So much so that I am planning my next sweater using some red Eco +.   I haven't made a final decision on what that sweater will be, but I am leaning heavily towards Wisteria.  We'll see; I have one project that HAS to be finished before I can even think about it.

What is that other project and why the urgency?  It's another pair of Bella Mittens and they are going to be worn to the midnight showing of New Moon tomorrow night (technically, Friday morning).  I showed you the first pair a couple weeks ago and then decided I'd like to make a pair for Samm's friend as well.  Gretchen has been Samm's friend for years; she's one of the girls Samm went to Costa Rica with for a month (and stayed in a tree house) about 5 years ago.  I love Gretchen, and since they are going to the movie together, I thought it'd be nice for her to have a pair as well.

I do have one more FO to show you.

A baby hat knit for a hat drive that one of the workers at the shop is doing.
I used less than 1/2 ball of Cascade 220 Superwash to make this little hat. It's just a plain ole rolled brim hat over 66 stitches on size 7 needles. I added a little basketweave on the bottom and an i-cord loop on the top for some interest. This was a really quick knit and I think a cute little hat.

That's it.  That's all I have for you tonight.  Now I'm off to eat some dinner and get to work on the Bella Mittens.  Have a great night!

It's a Wrap

Ooops, it's been almost 2 weeks since I posted the picture of my Crocus Bud wrap soaking and waiting to be blocked.   I guess it's about time to show you the finished pictures.  I'm sure many of you have seen these already on Ravelry, but for those of you who haven't, here they are:

 

Yarn - my handspun from Louet Northen Lights  in the colorway "Burning Bush" Pattern:  Crocus Bud Wrap Crochet Hook size J Size before blocking:  13" x 60" Size after blocking:  19" x 66"  

This is my first big project with my own handspun and I'm incredibly happy with how it turned out.  The size is exactly what I wanted; long enough to wrap around my shoulders and rest on my arms, but not so long as to get in the way.  It's also just the right width to keep my shoulders and arms warm in a cool room.  My plan is to wear this with a brown dress to my niece's wedding in September.   

I have one more FO to show you today.   This one is a much smaller project.  I'll be attending the Granite State Knit-in at Loon Mountain in a couple of weeks.   We have been asked to bring a teddy bear dressed in a handknit sweater.  These will be given to kids in emergency situations to help comfort them.  Here's mine:

Pattern: Wee Wonderfuls Stockinette Cardigan
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft color Rubine Red (yes it is that bright and yes, it is pink, not red!)
Needles: Size 9
Mods: I did seed stitch edging instead of garter and used 2 buttons instead of 4.

Both the bear and the sweater are very soft.  I thought the bright (to put it mildly) pink on the black bear would make some scared little girl very happy; I hope it works.

Teeny Tiny Hats and More

Although you wouldn't know it by my last couple of posts, there has been knitting going on around here.  Actually, make that knitting and crocheting going on. 

CROCHET:

I posted a couple of weeks ago about the first preemie hat I made for the K3tog Preemie Hat Knitalong.   I had anticipated making several more when all of a sudden, I looked at the calendar and realized that the month is almost over!  How did that happen? 

I had been crocheting a little hat in the style that my friend's grandmother taught me 100 years ago when I was in high school.  It should have taken me only a couple of hours to do, but because of my inattention to the calendar (and apparently to the hat) it took me over a week!  Well, since I cannot send just two itty bitty hats, I decided I'd look for a quick crochet pattern and whip up a few more itty bitty hats.

 

These hats all use leftover acrylic yarns - Caron Simply Soft, Bernat Softee Baby, Plymouth Jelli Beenz and size "H" crochet hook.

Clover personally tested the hats on her baby:

She approves.

I did crochet one extra one for her baby to keep; I didn't get a picture of that though.

KNITTING:

Hubby mentioned recently that he'd like some more hand knit socks, so I went stash diving and found the perfect yarn for some mansocks .  I told hubby that these would take awhile because I have some other projects I really want to get done but I've been working on them a bit here and there.  I brought them to the doctor's office with me yesterday and when the doctor appologized for making me wait, I told him it was fine because I got some knitting done.  I don't know about you, but I don't mind waiting in the doctor's office as long as I have my knitting with me; I actually kind of like it.

 

 
Cascade Sassy Stripes (superwash) yarn Size 2 dpn's    

The Replacement Sweater is coming along nicely. I've tried it on and believe it will be a nice fit; a little loose but not huge.

Yarn: Cascade Ecological Wool
Needles: Size 9 circular Pattern:  Knitting Pure and Simple Swing Coat

Of course Clover had to inspect it:

She's withholding judgement until it's complete.

Small FO Report

I have a couple of small FO's to show you. 

You might even call this first one a tiny FO.  This is a preemie hat that I knit for Jeanne and Chell's Preemie hat drive (Ravelry link).

Yarn: Plymouth Jelli Beenz
Needles: size 4 dpn

This was a very quick knit; I just cast on 68 stitches, did 6 rounds of k2p2, knit for a few inches and started the decreases.  Easy Peasy.   I'm hoping to get a few more done before the deadline of February 5th. 

Next up - "The Mayor":

Check out the striping on the top:

Pattern: Waffle Hat by Gail Bable
Needles: size 8 circular
Yarn: My handspun

As I said on Monday, the fiber (Fat Cat Knits, Falkland wool) was gifted to me by Colleen's son, The Mayor, for Christmas.   I decided that the best use for the finished yarn would be a hat for him.  I just hope it fits him!

I have one more FO, Clover's Ruffle Sweater, which I finished on Sunday morning.   I'm waiting to get a picture of Clover in it though, so that one will have to wait.

Have a great day!

Time to Spare

I finished Clover's Christmas sweater with time to spare.  I finished it Saturday evening; sewed the buttons on and everything!  Well, I guess not everything; I still need to sew a tag in it.

(I know this is a lousy picture; I will get better ones tomorrow when she's wearing it.)

Pattern: Yankee Knitter Pattern #23, Basketweave Cardigan Needles: Size 5 & 6 Yarn: Lion Brand MicroSpun in Lily White  

Mods: I used seed stitch for the bottom, cuffs, and button band instead of k1p1 rib. I also used only 3 buttons on the top instead of buttons all the way down the front.
I love how this sweater came out and it fits Clover perfectly. I think she loves it too as she carried it around a bit, rubbing it against her cheek, after trying it on. Yes, it's that soft!

I finished a few other small projects this past weekend.

Squares for the Afghans for Pine Ridge  project:

I used Berocco Comfort left over from the Monkey Blanket and a size I hook; the pattern is the Plain Jane square. I'll be mailing these before the end of the month; I'm hoping to send at least 2 a month throughout the next year.

A couple of Christmas Ornaments for Clover:

Again, the red is left over Berocco Comfort and the white is left over Microspun from Clover's sweater.

Patterns: Santa Baby Ornament and Mini Mittens

I plan to make Clover two ornaments every Christmas; you may remember that last year I made a mini sweater and mini stocking from her Sweet Clover yarn.  Now, if I could just find those ornaments, it'd be great.  Guess I'll have to do some digging through all the Christmas stuff from last year.  We only have a teeny tabletop tree this year, so I didn't even get into the Christmas boxes.

Fear not, I'll find them!

Let's Talk Squares

First though, let me say a great big thank you for all the birthday wishes for Clover.   It's so hard for me to believe it's been a year already!  She had pizza for dinner, which she loved, and birthday cake (I'll show you tomorrow - too funny) for dessert.  She was exhausted by the end of the day!

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On with the squares:

I read on April's blog about a need for 6-inch afghan squares for the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.  Please go read April's post about it; she sums it up much better than I could. 

She's even offering up a prize just for joining the Ravelry group devoted to this project (she's extended the deadline to December 15th).  You don't even have to make a square to win a prize (although it'd be great if you could).

Please consider helping out.  It's a way to give to those less fortunate than you that doesn't have to cost anything but a little postage, some scrap yarn, and a very small amount of time.

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More squares:

I finished the Monkey Blanket.

Pattern:  Li'l Monkey Blanket from The Happy Hooker Yarn:  Berocco Comfort Hook:  Size I  

I'm pretty happy with it; I hope Clayton and his Mommy will like it.

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Have a great day!

Helping Out and an FO

As many of you know, Mel is a vet who works at an emergency clinic.  As you can imagine, he deals with a lot of extreme cases.  Sometimes those cases involve injured wildlife.  Where does he take the wildlife once he has done what he can at the clinic?  He takes them to the Center for Wildlife which is located in Cape Neddick (a part of my town - York), Maine.  The people at the CFW do a wonderful job.  We have had to bring some critters up there from time to time.  One unfortunate time was when hubby was doing what we thought was the humane thing, and used a Havahart trap to capture a groundhog and released it on the other side of the river. A couple of days later, 3 of the tiniest, most adorable little groundhogs were found in our yard.  They weren't the least bit afraid of us and walked right up to our feet and looked into our eyes.  OMG, our hearts just broke because we realized we had taken their Mommy from them.  Hubby took them up to the CFW where they could be cared for and released back into the wild.  (We no longer even try to get rid of the groundhogs; they have free range in our yard.)

You may be wondering why I am bringing this up (but I'm guessing you can figure out that it involves you helping out).  Mel is having a Raffle for the Critters to raise funds to help the Center for Wildlife with its work.  He is offering up a lot of yummy, fibery prizes too.  For each $5 you donate, you get a chance to win.  Go on over and read about it and then donate if you can.  I've also put a link in my sidebar that will bring you to the donation page.  Then just send Mel an email and let him know that you donated.  Easy Peasy. 

Now for the FO; Clover's Garter Cardi:

Pattern: Garter Cardi #168QK by Jil Eaton
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Worsted
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony size 8

I knit a size 2 so that it'll fit her for the entire winter; she's growing like a weed. The sleeves need to be rolled up right now, but I think it looks pretty good on her.
  (It wasn't easy to get a modeled shot; the girl is very busy!)

Final Four

I've finished four more hats which completes my goal for the 300 Hats Project. 

Details of the Final Four  (click pics for bigger):

Hat #10  

Noodle Cozyby Laura Wilson-Martos

Yarn: Ironstone Yarns Harmony

Needles:  Size 9

Mods: I wanted to make a child’s size hat, so I started with 84 stitches and then I had to adjust the decreasing a little.

 

Hat #11

Pattern:  Ball Band Toddler Hatby Tina Edgar

Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Taos

Needles: size 6

 

Hat #12

Pattern:  Dulaan Avalanche Hatby Peggy McCune

Yarn:  Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky

 

Needles:  Size 13 and 11

 

 

 

Hat #13

 

 

Pattern:  Just your basic roll brim hat knit in the round

Yarn:  Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky

Needles:  Size 9

 

    It'll feel good to put these in a box on Monday and ship them off to Colleen.
   
     I think I'm done with hats for a little while :-)

Crazy Hat Lady

I've been known for a long time as the "Crazy Cat Lady"; I'm thinking that may change soon to the "Crazy Hat Lady". 

Presenting hats #8 and #9 for the 300 Hat Project(also #3 & #4 towards my summer goal of 8 additional hats):

Pattern:  Amanda Hat
Yarn:  "Handspun by Laurie" (a local spinner)  100% Romney Wool Needles:  Size 8 Luckily, a nice long soak in Eucalen softened this up nicely!
 
Pattern:  Ball Band Toddler Hat
Yarn:  Paton's Classic Merino, color- Regency
Needles:  Size 6
This hat was started yesterday afternoon and completed last night.  Now that's a quick knit!  (note: if you make this hat, cast on 76 instead of 78 per the errata)

You might think that I'd be getting a bit sick of knitting hats at this point, but I'm not.  I'm really enjoying it.  I think it's because I'm not making the same pattern more than twice and most of the hats have some sort of patterning so that even though its all fairly mindless knitting, it's not boring knitting.  Plus it's for a good cause.   Next hat up:  Noodle Cozy

It hasn't been ALL hats ALL the time here at Noolieville though; there's actually been a little progress made on the Lisha Lace Scarf(another 20 row repeat) and there's been spinning.  Joining the 10 Minutes a Daygroup was the best thing I've done for my spinning. 

Tune in tomorrow for pics of finished yarn and what I'm spinning now.

How About an Update?

 

Edited to add:  It's Kristie's  birthday today; go on over and wish her a Happy one!

Since its been about a week since I've updated you on anything of the fibery nature, how about I do that today?  Here's what I've managed to accomplish in the knitting and spinning department lately.

300 HATS PROJECT:

~~Apparently, I can't count.  Last week I told you I had finished Hat #8 and was going to begin an Amanda Hat for Hat #9.   Make that Hats #7 and #8. 

~~Speaking of Hat #8 (the real #8), I did not finish it Tuesday night at Chicks with Sticks as has been my MO of late.  I'm about 60% finished.  I think it has a bit to do with the fact that the yarn is not so fun to knit with; I'm really hoping that a good soaking will soften it up a bit. 

~~Here's where it stands right now:

~~Hopefully, I'll finish it tonight.

'LISHA' LACE SCARF

~~Not a heck of a lot of progress here either.  I have completed just shy of 2 repeats.

I'm loving knitting this.  The yarnis scrumptious and the pattern is wonderful.  I should be much further along than I am, but I just can't seem to get in much knitting time these days.

~~I guess it could have something to do with the fact that I'm lazy and no longer get up and knit for 1 1/2 hours before work in the morning.  Even when I am up early, I'm not knitting; I'm drinking coffee and vegging in front of the computer or t.v.

10 MINUTES A DAY

~~I've done pretty well with this; there was only one day last week when I didn't actually spin, but I did read about spinning, trying to learn a little, so I'm counting that.

~~Most of my spinning this past week has been  with the cotton candy fiber.  I finished the last two of four bobbins of singles and decided this would not become a sweater for Clover.  The third bobbin was really not very good and the fourth bobbin was a bit thick.  So, I decided to wing it and see what would happen if I plied the two good bobbins with the two not so good ones. 

~~Not too bad.  I still have a bit to do, but I think this yarn will make some pretty little girl hats for Clover and her two cousins. 

~~I think I need a bit more practice before I spin sweater yarn for  Clover; it has to be perfect for my perfect granddaughter ;-)

~~Notice the jumbo flyer?  I just got that the other day.  I never even thought about the fact that it'd come unfinished.  I don't care about the bobbins and the flyer, but I'd kind of like the maiden to match since it replaces the other one.  Guess I'll be looking for something to finish it with soon.

GOOD NEWS:  

~~Chris was offered, and accepted, a job!  He'll probably be starting a week from Monday; just have to wait for a credit and security check.  Can we get a Woo and also a Hoo!!
 

 

WNBP (Wednesday Night Bullet Post)

• Another week, another hat. This time it's the Banana Republic Hat Knockoff.
  

• Mine is done in Lamb's Pide Bulky in the Pistachio colorway.
  Needles: Size 8 for the seed stitch band; Size 10 1/2 for the rest of the hat.

• It's an easy and enjoyable hat to make. I'm one of those people who likes doing seed stitch, so the band was my favorite part.

• This is my 8th hat for the 300 Hat Project and my 2nd hat towards my "8 more hats this summer" goal.

• This morning, I cast on for hat #9 The Amanda Hat  in the handspun yarn given to me last week by a friend and coworker.

• It will now be set aside until next Tuesday night because when I finish this post, I'm going to begin this , Lisha Lace Scarf.  I'll be using the gorgeous cashmere yarn which was a birthday gift from Gina. I'm pretty excited to get going on this.

• You may have noticed that both these patterns were designed by Gina; she's one very talented woman!

• At some point tonight, I'll also get in at least 10 minutes of spinning. This may end up being the only night that 10 minutes really is only 10 minutes. After all, there are just so many minutes in a day, you know.

• I finished a third bobbin of the cotton candy the other night, but it was kind of a nightmare. I was spinning away, happy as could be, when suddenly I realized I was WAAAAAYYYY over spinning it. It was terrible! I remembered Amy telling me that when you do that you can run it through in the opposite direction being careful not to take out too much of the twist.

• Can you guess what happened? Yep, took out too much of the twist. Sent it back through again and think I finally got the twist pretty much okay.

• It was like I hadn't ever spun this fiber (or any other fiber for that matter) before in my life - never mind the fact that I'd been spinning this fiber for the last week and 1/2. Oh well; whatcha gonna do, huh? I have one bobbin left to spin and then a decision to make about plying.

• ~Kristie brings up a good point about using the singles; she mentions I might want to avoid that if they aren't nice and balanced. HA! I guess we know how this is going to turn out, don't we?

• Since tonight is Wednesday (as noted by the WNBP), that must mean last night was Tuesday and Chicks with Sticks. It was a smallish group, but a lively one.

• The Sheep came down for her weekly S.O.C.K.S. Program (2nd paragraph). I like to give her grief for having summers off, but really I'm glad she does. Otherwise there would be no S.O.C.K.S. Program and no Tuesday night Sheepie visits. That would just be sad.

• What was sad, was that Patti couldn't be there again last night. She was in San Antonio at a conference. She's expected home tonight though and that's a good thing. I miss my friend     :-(

• Speaking of Patti, last word I heard was that her Dad had taken a bit of a turn for the better. This is good news, but he still needs lots of your good thoughts and prayers sent his way, if you can spare them. He has a long road ahead of him.
  
  

WNBP

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for some randomness in the form of a Wednesday Night Bullet Post!

• Yesterday, I received yet another Birthday present in the mail.  This one was from Dana and Dianne.

(photo shamelessly swiped from Dana)
It's a gorgeous pendant made by Sonya Forte'.
Thank you so much, Dana and Dianne; you know how much I LOVE it!

• Yesterday was Tuesday, which means last night was Chicks with Sticks at my favorite LYS.  I look forward to CWS all week.  It's always a good time with good friends.

• Not only is CWS fun, but sometimes a person might even learn something new.

• I learned something new last night. I'm probably the last knitter on earth to learn this.  Did you know that if you are using interchangeable needles (like my new Harmony needles) that are assembled with the little metal thingy (yes, that is the technical term) that you stick through the hole to tighten the cable to the needle,  you can thread a lifeline through that hole and knit it right into your row?  No stopping to thread a needle and having to be extra careful to make sure you go through every stitch and yarn over.

• I was close to the end of a repeat on Twinings, so I finished up the couple of rows I needed to this morning and tried out that new little bit of knowledge.  It was a little difficult getting the lifeline through the tiny hole, but I just used the little metal thingy to shove it through and guess what - it worked!  YAY! 
  

• Speaking of Twinings, I am now back to where I was before having to rip it out; three measley repeats complete.  I just don't know where my time is going, but I don't feel like I'm getting in the knitting time I want (and need).

• Yesterday, I knit another hat for the 300 Hats Project.  Everyone knows that I am not capable of knitting lace at CWS, so that has become my night to knit hats.  I arrived last night with the stitches cast on and the first row knit and finished this in the few hours that I was there:

Avalanche Hat

• That was Yesterday. 

• Today - well, let's just say that some days it'd just be better to stay at home with the people you love - know what I mean?
  

• I really need to just win PowerBall and be done with it.

 

 

FO, WIP's, & 300 Hats

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted about anything I'm working on, hasn't it?  There really has been a bit of knitting going on around here, even some crocheting.  Spinning, on the other hand, has not been happening lately.  I'm going to have to fix that.  But for now, let's take a look at what's been on the needles (and hook) and what's come off.

Samm said that Clover needed some more bibs, so I made this one for her.

"Baby Bib o' Love" by Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne
Yarn:  Lily Sugar'n Cream, colorway:  Playtime
Size 8 needles.
Mods:  I  put a snap on it instead of a button, and I'm really not very pleased with it.  I think I'll replace it with some velcro.

I have a lot more cotton yarn, so I'll be making a couple more soon.  Because working with this cotton is so hard on my hands, it takes me a few days to make one and then it takes a while before I feel like doing it again.


Have you noticed the lack of socks around here this year?  Yeah, me too.  What's up with that?  I do have two socks on the needles; not a pair, 2 single socks. 
    


Samm's Sweet Clover socks (which are actually almost ready to begin the toe) and my Sockotta socks.
 Both plain ole stockinette, top down socks. 

Nothing difficult, so why can't I seem to finish even one?  No big deal, though.  Remember, I decided to stop putting pressure on myself with the knitting.  Knitting is my enjoyment and relaxation and I'm not letting it get stressful.  No matter how much I want to finish some socks.

I've started another lace project. This is The Twinings Stole by Anne Hanson

I'm using some Fino that I won quite a long while ago from Kelli. This is the first project I've actually knit with laceweight.  I've only completed 2 repeats of the 16 row lace pattern, (actually, I almost completed 3 repeats but had to frog back a bit) but I think it's coming along nicely.  My plan is to complete this shawl before tackling the Flight of the Honey Bees. 

Samm bought a new camera and naturally it's just enough longer than the old one that it doesn't fit in the case I made recently for her.  That's okay though, because I like that one better than the one I made for myself so I'm using it. I crocheted Samm a new one today.  Here it is before felting (sitting next to the one that I'm now using).

I used Lion Brand Wool in "Flower Garden" and a size K crochet hook. I just crocheted until I thought it was big enough and then felted it. It is drying right now; I'll have a completed picture in a couple days.

Okay, I've shown you an FO, a prefelted FO, and some WIP's.  You may be wondering what the 300 Hats in the title is all about.  You know I have NOT knit 300 hats in the last couple of weeks.  As a matter of fact, I haven't finished even one hat in quite a long time.  I did, however, begin a hat today for Colleen and the 300 Hat Project.  The quick details are that Colleen's friend, Kristy, will be traveling to the Ukraine in September and working with several orphanages.  She'd like to bring 300 hats with her and Colleen has offered to be her East Coast Connection.  She'll collect hats through the end of August.  Please click the link for more details.  Oh yeah, there will be prizes too!

Here's my first hat for the project: It's not much yet, but I've only just begun. I plan to knit hats all summer, in between other projects. Won't you join me? 

(Remember to come back tomorrow for my contest!)

WNBP

It's Wednesday and that means it's time for the Wednesday Night Bullet Post, so let's get right to it, shall we?

• As you all know (because I won't stop telling you) I am still fairly far behind on my blog reading.  Because of this, I hadn't read my friend Debby's post about her "Get Your Guts in Gear" fundraiser before posting about helping friends yesterday.  Debby's husband, Chris, suffers with IBD and her lovely spokescat from last year, Charlie, had IBD.  Sadly, Charlie passed away from IBD-related leukemia last fall (apparently this can happen in cats, but not people). Chris is going to be riding in a 210 mile/3 day bike ride to raise awareness and funds for patients suffering with these diseases.  Please read Debby's post here and help if you can.  She's even offering prizes including some yarn dyed in memory of Charlie - it's gorgeous.

• It seems that Wednesday (in our part of the country at least), means it's not only time for the WNBP, but it's also time for more effing snow/sleet/rain and just plain crappy weather. I'm trying very hard to believe that winter really will end sometime (and not just on the calendar), but I'm finding it harder and harder with each storm.  There's no accumulation today, but I'm so sick of the wet and dreary weather I could just scream!

• I'm dreaming of the days of floating in my pool, with the bright, hot sun beating down on me, and a nice Stoli orange vodka & tonic in the cup holder on my float.  Please tell me those days will be here eventually.

• Just as I had hoped, Patti brought her spinning to Chicks with Sticks last night and I was able to get a couple of pictures. 

 

• Can you believe how nicely her yarn is coming out?  She's a natural, I tell ya.  She even mentioned that she'd like a lesson on my back deck with Alice in the Summer.  Of course, she said the summer of 2010, but I know she meant summer of 2008!

• I had hoped to be able to show you a finished Neverending Sweater today, but alas, it truly is never ending.  Actually, I only have about 2 inches left to knit on the hood and I'm hoping to be able to stay awake long enough to knit that tonight.

• Speaking of being able to stay awake; just a couple of days after telling you that I thought I was catching up on my sleep, I took a turn for the worse in that department.  Not that I wasn't getting enough sleep; I've been sleeping really well through the night lately (sometimes going to bed as early as 7 or 8) and I haven't even had any help from sleeping aids for the last week or so.  The problem now is that even though I'm sleeping ALL.THE.TIME (at least it feels that way), I'm still exhausted by lunchtime.  I was scheduled for a recheck with the doctor next week, but have been having some pain in the front of my neck for about a month now, and hubby convinced me to push the appointment up.  Seems I may have an issue with my thyroid (doesn't sound serious); I'm going for some blood work tomorrow.

• Samm got an adorable tattoo yesterday; it's a 4-leaf clover on the inside of her ankle.  It's beautiful!  She wants it to heal completely before I can get a picture to show you, so you'll just have to wait a little while.  Shouldn't be too long.

• There have been rumors of a Dunkin Donuts going in very, very close to my house (not in my town; we're too snobby for chain restaurants), but only about 3 minutes away in the neighboring town.  I checked with my Assessor friend there yesterday to find out for sure, and YIPEEEEEEE; it should be opening in May.  (Why yes, I do like the DD coffee; why do you ask?)  I think I'll be changing my route into work ever so slightly in a couple of months :-)

• Speaking of coffee, I've still been very good about no late afternoon or evening coffee unless I have to teach a class at night (which has only been once since limiting the coffee) and on Tuesday nights so that I don't fall asleep at Chicks with Sticks.  I buy my last coffee on my way back to work after lunch (12:30) and sip it for about an hour or so and that's it.  Any of you who know me, know what a HUGE accomplishment that is.

• Hopefully, my car will remember to turn on my road on the way home from work instead of going straight for another couple of miles once DD opens :-)

I guess that's enough of the random for one night. 

Have a good one!

Helping Friends

I have found that when you're feeling down, a sure fire way to boost your spirits is to help someone else.  So, today, I'm going to tell you about a couple of opportunities to boost your spirits (whether you're feeling down or not).

Two of my Manchvegas friends are trying to raise money for some worthy causes. 

First, there's Ericka;  she's going to be walking in the MS walk next month in New Hampshire and is looking for support.  Please go here  and read her very personal story and then, if you can, go here  to donate.

Then there's Heather,  who, while watching Oprah's Big Give, discovered that a high school friend had started up a charitable organization called Can-Do.   She does a much better job of telling the story here.   As many of you know, Heather is quite an artist with the yarn and the dye.  She has created a new colorway called (can you guess?) "Can do!"  and $10 from the sale of EVERY skein will go directly to Can-Do.  Go buy some; you know you want to :-)

Have a great day everyone!

BIG FEET, tiny head

As I told you yesterday, I have my first WIP of '08 and my first FO of  '08 to show you.

I started a pair of Felted Slippers on the 1st; I finished knitting the first one on the 2nd, and am half way through the second one.  Here's the completed one (pay no attention to the ends still hanging around):

 
Pattern:  Fiber Trends Felt Clog (AC-33)
Yarn:  Lamb's Pride worsted in Sable and Oatmeal
Needles:  size 13

and the reason for the first part of today's title:

Of course, this is pre-felting.
When I was almost finished, I asked Samm if she thought this new slipper would fit me.  She looked at me like I had three heads.  hehehehe I'm easily amused :-)

So, that's the first WIP; you want to see the first FO (and the reason for the second part of today's title)?  I started it on Thursday night and finished it yesterday morning (total time was only a couple of hours).

It's a teeny, tiny preemie hat knit on size 2 needles with Bernat Baby Softee yarn.  Here it is on the top of a coffee mug - can you believe how tiny this is?

Jeanne and Chell are having their 4th annual k3tog Preemie Hat Knitting Extravaganza!  Their goal this year is to send 150 knitted preemie hats to Children's Hospital of St Paul.  Want to help them?  If you do, you will not only feel good about warming an itsy bitsy baby head, but you will have a chance to win prizes! So, what are you waiting for?

I'll end today's post with a little chuckle for you.  Click here.

KAL Updates and Pay it Forward

Knit-alongs:

and    

I didn't do as well as I had hoped with these 2 knit alongs.  Three pair of toddler mittens for charity; that's it.  Pretty pathetic, I know, but I guess it's better than nothing.  I had hoped to do more, but I just don't feel like I've been very productive lately.

Pay it Forward:

I saw this on Terry's blog last week and thought it sounded fun.  Yes, it's another exchange, but it's a bit different than most swaps you see.  Here's the deal:

The idea of the exchange is I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on this blog post requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet, and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog - this means you must have a blog, sorry blogless readers.

Doesn't this sound fun?  I promise to follow through with this and ask that those of you who sign up, promise to do the same.

I have a lot to show you; some new purchases, a couple FO's, and a little something Samm made, so come back tomorrow for a little show and tell.

Have a great night!

WARNING - Long Post Ahead

Today is Hubby and my 25^th Anniversary. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS!  How did that happen?  We have been married for more than half of my life – WOW.  Shouldn’t I be sipping a drink with an umbrella in it on a tropical beach somewhere right now? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to be doing on your 25^th anniversary?  Instead I’m sitting here in my heavy wool sweater, watching the snow fall outside my window. Just doesn’t seem right.

I know I haven’t posted in several days; sorry about that. I’ve really meant to; as a matter of fact, I’ve actually composed at least one post each day in my head. They just never made it to the blog.  So, what have I been up to? Let’s catch up, shall we?  Bear with me; this is where the title comes in:

I spent last night trying to get some good photos of Samm’s jewelry for her etsy shop. I got some of her necklaces done (although I need to try to get some better ones) and still have to do all her bracelets, watches, and earrings.  Hopefully, she’ll have the shop updated by this weekend.  Right now there are 6 of her necklaces listed; if you check them out, just keep in mind that they are really quite a bit brighter than the pictures would indicate. They are quite lovely; I’m very proud of the work she does!

 Friday was spent at a meeting all day in So. Portland, at SMCC. The morning session was spent listening to exciting speakers tell us all about State regulations concerning gravel pits and what to look for when assessing them. Doesn’t that sound exciting? I know you are all jealous that you didn’t get to be there. The afternoon session was a rehashing of a new tax law.  It was worth it though, because not only did we get lunch served by the Culinary Arts students, but I finished a pair of Toddler mittens for the Knit Unto Others and Month of Mittens knit-alongs.

Reynolds Odyssey Yarn
size 6 dpn's
Basic Mitten Pattern from
The Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns

I got home with just enough time to change and get to work at the gym at 5.  I started a hat for my BIL while at the gym, but I have no picture.  It’s not really anything to look at yet.  I left my house at 7am on Friday and didn’t get home for the night until after 9pm. I was a wee bit exhausted! 

Saturday was spent running all over Nashua with a friend of mine. We take this trip every fall, stopping at all the same stores and eating burritos and drinking Margaritas at Shorty’s.  It’s always a fun day, although this year it really wiped me out.  I’m not yet over the stupid cold from hell (working on week 3 here!) and I tire very easily these days. There was minimal knitting on Saturday; I was able to complete a toddler mitten cuff in the car on the way to Nashua, but that’s it.

Up at 4:30 am on Sunday (well I guess after hitting the snooze it was more like 4:45). I have to get up this early to be at the gym to work for 6am.  I finished another pair of mittens while at work though.

Stats same as above except I used some very old Bernat washable wool from the stash.

I also started a pair of fingerless gloves/mittens for my BIL for Christmas.  Yep, I made him socks; I'm making him a hat; AND I'm making him some fingerless gloves.  One of the benefits of doing Holiday Headstart this year is that I have more time to knit now without all the stress. Here's what the glove/mitten looks like as of this morning:

The color is more accurate in the picture of the socks from this post. 
Yes, as a matter of fact, I am making matching socks, hat, and gloves.
I know; I'm a weirdo, but I'm hoping he'll like them.

Sunday evening was spent with Alice; I haven’t done any spinning for a while and it was really nice to get back to it. I’m spinning some gorgeous and wonderfully soft fiber that Manise gave me when she delivered Alice to me.  I’m not sure what the fiber is (Manise?) but I do know that it is sooooft! It’s a real pleasure to spin, too.  It is just the most luscious shades of blue with shades of green thrown in.

Manise, I am really enjoying spinning this.  Thank you so much!

Sometime  last week I loosely spun some yarn for the felted fish I wanted to make for Clover’s room. Well, it turned out much smaller than I expected (BEFORE) felting, so Samm and I decided that I should felt it and make it a catnip toy for the kitties.  Here it is as it sits now; I still haven’t felted it.

Okay, I think we are caught up and I’ve bored you enough for one day. If you’ve stayed with me this far, thank you! I keep telling myself that I’m going to post more often so that I don’t end up doing these long-ass posts, but alas, I just don’t find the time.

Have a great day and be sure to tune in tomorrow for WTF Wednesday.

Knit Alongs

This post is all about knit alongs.

I finished the Bob Socks this morning.    These socks fulfill my requirements for two knit alongs; SAM4 and Holiday Headstart.

Pattern:  Garter Rib
Yarn:  Paton's Classic Merino
Needles:  Size 5 dpn's.

Good timing too, considering today is the start of .  Carole and Margene are hosting this knit along for the third year.  The idea is to spend some time over the next couple of weeks knitting for those less fortunate than yourself.  Click the button to read more about it.  This knit along coincides with another one I’ve had listed in my sidebar since the beginning of the month (but haven’t mentioned because I haven’t done anything with it yet).  Gina is hosting (again, click the button for details). 

Can you guess what my next project will be?  Yep, some mittens for charity.  There are several patterns linked on the KUO blog; why not knit a pair or two or more?  Did I mention, there are prizes for both knit alongs?!

What are you waiting for?  Go raid the stash and start some mitten knitten knitting.

Where has the week gone?

Can it really be Thursday already?  The last several days have just flown by!  I've meant to post; really, I have, but there just aren't enough hours in the day.  I'm also incredibly behind on my blog reading and e-mails.  I thought that with two weeks off work I'd be able to keep up with things.  Wrong! 

So, what have I been doing with all my free time?  Well, the weather has been absolutely perfect for several days now so I'm sure you can all guess where I've spent a good amount of my time.  Yep, the pool.  It's been great, very relaxing.  I've spent a couple of hours each afternoon just floating and reading a very good book.

I've also completed some projects and started some new ones.

I crocheted a couple of granny squares for Colleen; she's putting blankets together for her local children's hospital.

I started a new sweater for Clover on Tuesday; I was just feeling a very strong need to make her a sweater NOW.  So while at Chicks with Sticks, I picked up some yarn in a really pretty mint green color with flecks of pink to make the Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting.  I took a picture of my progress so far, but it is a really crappy picture so I don't think I'll post it here.  This is such a quick knit, I should be able to show you the finished picture real soon (unless I've just jinxed myself by saying that!) 

Speaking of Chicks with Sticks, Mel and The Sheep were unable to attend and both were really missed :-(    We did have a special, first time visitor this week, though.  Mel's partner, David, joined us; it was great to finally meet him and hopefully he'll join us again.

Yesterday, I finally finished the test knit I've been working on; it's currently drying on the blocking board.  It'll be a couple of weeks before I can show you pictures, but believe me when I say, it'll be worth the wait.  I am very happy with this FO.

This one's for you Patti; also finished yesterday:

School Socks

(this is a strange picture; guess I won't stand the socks up to take pictures again)

Yarn:  Soctoberfest by Scout
Needles:  Crystal Palace size 1 1/2 dpn
Pattern:  Plain ole stockinette on 64 stitches

These are my August socks for SAM4; finished just in time.  The first sock only took 2 days of classroom knitting to complete; the second sock took almost a month!

 

That brings us to today.  I got a new hairdo this morning (no pictures until after the cold sore from hell is gone).  Spent a couple of hours in the pool this afternoon and then spent some time with Alice on the deck.  After my lesson with Cheryl and Manise on Saturday, I put Alice away until the test knit was complete.  Now that I've finished that, I can spend some time getting to know her better.  I sat on the deck spinning for about 1 1/2 hours; I must have looked pretty funny sitting there in my bathing suit spinning away.  Good thing I have a nice private back yard.  Here's what I accomplished:

(Apparently, I'm a lousy photographer; the colors are actually more purple than this photo shows.)
The fiber is some BFL I got from Amy in a "Learn to Spin" spindle kit that I bought back in the fall.  This is about one ounce; there's a total of 4 to spin.  I think I'm doing pretty well, although there are some overspun and underspun bits.  I think I'm getting the hang of it though. 

That brings us up to date; I'm hoping to spend some time tomorrow and over the weekend catching up on some blog reading and e-mails.   

I'll try to be better about posting, too.  No promises though :-)

Yes, This is Still a Knitting Blog

You may not be able to tell from my last several posts, but I have been knitting.  I'll update you on what's on the needles and off the needles and also one project that I can't decide what to do with.

I brought a big bag full of yarn and my spindle with me to school; I always think I'll get more knitting time in when I go away than I actually do.  I was only able to knit during two of my classes, and in that time I started and completed one sock.

I'm calling this my "School Sock" for obvious reasons. This is the third time knitting with this yarn; when I say that, I mean it's the third time with this same skein of yarn! I cast on for two other patterns with it over the winter, but they just didn't work - one was too small and one was just not the right pattern for the yarn. Third time's a charm; this sock fits perfectly and I like the yarn in the plain ole stockinette stitch. I've cast on for the second sock and this will be my "to go knitting"; nice, easy, mindless knitting. The yarn is Scout's Soctoberfest yarn and I'm knitting this pair on size 1.5 dpn's over 64 stitches.

While in Waterville, I visited Yardgoods Center, the LYS (no website that I can find).  The store has kind of a cluttered feeling; I think I'm spoiled by my LYS and have difficulty finding something to buy in a cluttered environment.  I was just about to leave when I spotted an adorable stuffed bunny rabbit.  Samm had asked me if I'd make a stuffed bunny for her friend's daughter's first birthday (which was this past Sunday) and I thought this would be perfect.  I bought the pattern and the yarn and made the bunny in two evenings in the motel room; it's such a quick and easy knit taking only about three hours of actual knitting time. I sewed the eyes and nose on when I got home and it was ready in plenty of time for the party.

Pattern: "Magic Friends" by Barbara Boulton

Yarn: Stylecraft Charleston

Needles:  size 10 1/2

The pattern also has a kitty and a teddy bear; the only difference is the shape and size of the ears.  This is knit in one piece with no seaming except to close the hole at the top of the head when you're done stuffing it.  I've already bought some yarn to make the kitty for Jay's niece's first birthday, which is in a couple of weeks.  I see more of these in my future; easiest stuffed animal ever!

That was the exent of the knitting while away.  Since I've been home, I've made a washcloth for Rabbitch's drive, a baby washcloth for Clover, started a bib (from Mason-Dixon Knitting), and have finished the body of the Simple Knitted Bodice.

Washcloth for Rabbitch using Peaches & Cream cotton

Washcloth for Clover using Bernat Cotton Tots

I haven't taken a picture of the progress on the SKB yet; I'm not sure I will.  Believe it or not, that is the project I'm not sure about.  I think I made it too big and I'm just not happy with it but I'm not yet ready to admit defeat.  I'm picking up the neck stitches and I'll decide whether or not to finish once I see how that looks.  It's a mighty expensive knit to make any rash decisions.

Before leaving for school, I finished my July Holiday Headstart project.

Pattern: Yankee Knitter Fisherlad Guernsey

Yarn: Plymouth Encore, Color 0405

Needles: Addi Turbo sizes 5 & 7

There has been no spinning in the last couple of weeks; I'll have to remedy that pretty soon!  I have some news on that front too, but I'll save that for another post.

I have MANY projects that I'd like to start soon, but the next two will be my August Sockamania socks (once the School Socks are done) and a test knit for Lark which I plan to start this weekend.

I guess that's enough for today; I was planning to tell you about my afternoon with Sara and Cheryl, but this post is long enough as it is.  That'll be next.

Have a great day!

Picture Post (mostly) and NEWS

This is my brother, Tony and his new wife, Karlene.  Don't they look happy?  They were married Saturday, 07/07/07.

My nephew, "little" Tony and my neice, Heather

(This is the most accurate picture of what the sky looked like)

This is where they were married.  I was a wimp and skipped out on the ceremony (and 2 hour sail) on the boat and just went to the reception.  I was afraid I'd get sea sick or make myself sick worrying that I'd get sea sick.  The reception was held here; drinks and hors d'oeuvres overlooking the harbor.  It was a very nice time.

Although you wouldn't know it from my last few posts, I have been knitting, crocheting, and spinning (not enough spinning for any pictures though).

I've knitted quite a bit on the lace portion of the Simple Knitted Bodice. What's that? You don't think it looks like much knitting? There was quite a bit more knitting done than shown in the pics; it's pretty hard to show the rows that had to be tinked! There were several of them. At least as many as you see completed in the picture. It's stupid really; it's an incredibly easy 4 row repeat (and 2 of those rows are all knit). Apparently, I just can't keep my mind focused for 189 stitches in a row. Oh well, only about 2 or 3 more repeats to go; shouldn't take more than a month or two ;-).

I crocheted 3 Fish Baby Washcloths last night when I got home from Chicks with Sticks (well, I finished the 3rd this morning).  I first saw these done on Vickie's project page on Ravelry and marked them as a favorite.  I was so happy when she asked me if I'd test her pattern.  How could I resist? Not only am I going to be a Nonni (grammy) in December, but Samm wants to do the baby's room in an ocean and fish theme! I can see some of these as decorations and stuffed toys.  I made the top one using a size H hook and some Peaches and Cream cotton; the middle one is in Bernat Cottontots using a size J hook, and the bottom is done in Cotton Fleece with a size I hook.  I love them all.  This is a fantastic quick and easy pattern; Vickie did a great job!  She'll be posting the pattern soon. 

A "Spare Square" for Colleen's blanket drive.

8inch diagonal knit square - 10 rows garter, 5 rows seed

size 8 needles

One strand each: Plassard Layette, color 209 and Lion MicroSpun in white.  It's very soft.

A sqaure for the Rebuilding Greensburg project.

Another 8inch diagonal knit square, this one in garter stitch

size 8 needles

Reynolds Odyssey, color 409

Since we're on the topics of washcloths and squares, this would be a good time to direct your attention to Rabbitch's latest do-gooder project. She is collecting washcloths for the Women's Information Safe House; read about it here.  I'll be making a few; how about you?

AND NOW FOR THE BIG NEWS:




Meet Clover !

My New Knitting Spot

For months and months I've been wanting a glider chair and rocking foot stool to go with it; but not enough to buy a one new.  My boss/neighbor, Rick, deals in antiques and used furniture (and anything else he can make a buck on) so I asked him to keep an eye out for one.  A few months ago he came in and told me he found one that I could have for $300.  No thanks, I could buy a new one for that.  So I waited and waited and figured I'd be knitting in my worn out corner of the couch for the rest of my life.  Until Saturday evening when I heard a knock on my front door.  It was Rick; he had just picked up a glider with the foot stool and I could have it for $20!  That's more like it.  I quickly gave him the 20 bucks before he could change his mind and sent hubby across the street for the chair.  It came out of an old woman's house and kind of smelled like it, but after giving the cushions a bath in the tub (twice), there's no smell at all.  I did a bit of rearranging in the living room and here is my new knitting spot:

Everything I need is nice and handy. I did switch the printer and the laptop after taking this picture; the laptop is on top of the book case and the printer is on the shelf below it.  It's just easier to move the laptop back and forth from the top (yes, I'm incredibly lazy).  I also have all my reference knitting books next to the laptop and my knitting magazines on the bottom shelf (the rest of the stuff on the bottom shelf are Samm's beading supplies).  Next to the bookcase in the plastic set of drawers is where I keep all my active WIP's and knitting supplies.  What you don't see in this picture is my other bookcase which is filled with the rest of my knitting books; that's on the wall in front of the chair, not too far away.  So, I've taken over about 1/3rd of the living room for my knitting (not to mention a big closet downstairs and a spare room upstairs, but like I said, we won't mention those). My daughter told me I look like an old lady rocking and knitting in my new chair; I told her, "At least I'm a happy old lady." :-)  Who'd have thought that something so little could bring so much pleasure?

Okay, enough of that.  I've got some knitting to show you (not much, but some).  I finished the Magic 28 socks I was working on last week.  This is pair #4 and my favorite so far.

Pattern: Magic 28
Yarn: Reynolds Odyssey, color 409 (left over from this sweater)
Needles: Brittney Birch size 5 dpn

I k2p2 for 2 rows then k a row for the length of the leg. I don't usually enjoy doing ribbing, but with the knit row to break it up, I enjoyed doing this. And it gave me an idea for my Sockapalooza pal's socks.  I'm not going to knit them quite the same; I'm going to purl the 3rd row for my pal's socks. She said she doesn't want anything lacy and she prefers a thicker sock, so I think this will work out perfectly. I haven't decided definitely on the yarn yet. It's between the February STR club yarn and the May Spunky Club yarn; both are colors that she likes. Of course, I love both so I'm having trouble deciding.  I'm leaning toward the STR because it's a heavier weight yarn (medium weight), but I still have time to decide.  I figure I'll have to get started on them by the beginning of July to make sure they are ready to be shipped on August 2nd. This will give me plenty of time in case I run into any issues, I don't expect to, but if I wait until the last minute, something is sure to happen to hold me up.

I started the June socks for the Sockamania KAL last week but wasn't able to work on them much until yesterday. This is a great pattern. I'm using Tofutsies in color #793 and Crystal Palace size 2 dpn's. This is my first time using the Tofutsies, and even though it is a teeny tiny bit splitty, I really like it. The colors are beautiful and it feels sooooo nice.

I've finished another 16 row repeat since taking this picture.  The colors in this picture are pretty accurate (at least on my monitor). I am really enjoying this pattern; it is easily memorized but not so easy that I don't have to pay attention.  The only thing I will do differently on my next pair is to use a smaller needle for the leg. It's just a bit loose in the leg, but not so loose that I won't enjoy wearing them.

Okay, that's it for today. Have a great one!

Randomness again

I received an e-mail at work from hubby this afternoon that read "Water is going in the pool starting now."  WooHoo!!!!  Unfortunately, I don't think it's going to be much of a pool kind of weekend.  Maybe I can squeeze in a little time on the floating lounge chair on Sunday afternoon if the temps reach the higher end of what's being predicted.  Keep your fingers crossed for me; you know how much I love my pool and the sun!

Check this out:
I'm winning the battle! I know it doesn't really look like much, but I really am getting more comfortable with the spindle spinning and am actually starting to produce something that resembles yarn. It's getting a little more consistent, too; no more huge chunky sections followed by lace weight. It's starting to look more like a heavy worsted weight. This is a real accomplishment for me. Thanks for the "park and draft" tip, Amy; it's making all the difference. I'll keep working on this a bit each most nights and before long, I may even spin some useable yarn.

My crochet bag is coming right along. I have about 2/3rds of the body done and then it's on to the straps. I toyed with different ideas for the center section to give it some texture, finally deciding on a section of half double crochets and bobbles. I think it works; what do you think?


I packaged up the Dulaan knits and sent them on their way yesterday.
Thought I'd take a little break from the charity knitting once that was in the mail but remembered that I am teaching a sock class tonight. I need a sock that's at the start of the heel flap so I can demonstrate how to do the heel. You tell me; what's quicker than a little Magic 28 to accomplish that? Here's the cuff of sock #1 of pair #4 ready to to start the heel.

For this pair, I'm using some leftover yarn from a sweater I made last year. I love the subtle changes in color and the yarn is very soft. I decided to shake things up a bit and knit a ribbed cuff. I get too bored doing plain ole rib, so I did a 3 row repeat of K2, P2 for 2 rows, then knit a row. I know there's a name for the pattern, but don't ask me what it is.

I don't even want to think about how many WIP's this makes; seems I've been starting an awful lot of projects lately and have precious few FO's to show for it. Oh well, such is the life of a knitting addict :-)

A Handy Tip

When you are driving down a road and see that a cop has pulled someone over, and you know that you'll be returning on that same road in  just a few minutes, be sure that on your return trip you are going the speed limit!  Sheesh, I really am getting old.  I went for my lunch time trip to get an iced coffee, saw a car pulled over and said to myself, "Self, make sure you are not speeding on the way back."  I continued on, got my iced coffee, and promptly forgot all about the cop.  Another tip:  it really is helpful to admit why you were stopped when said cop asks, "Do you know why I stopped you today?" and act like you are sorry (even though the only thing you're sorry about is that you are old and forgetful).  Thankfully, I only got a warning.

On a happier note, let me show you the decadent purchase I made last night while at Chicks with Sticks:

Tilli Thomas
This is, without a doubt, the softest yarn I have ever had the pleasure of fondling and now it's mine, mine, MINE! 

Oh, you want to know what I'm going to make with it, do you?  I've been thinking about this pattern for a while and bought it yesterday:

It's the Simple Knitted Bodice by Stefanie Japel. Isn't it lovely? Of course I won't make the V-neck quite so low (sorry, Roger) :-)  I can't wait to cast on for this, but I have forbidden myself from casting this on until after I finish the May Holiday Headstart project and my MayDay socks for the Sockamania and SAM3 KAL's and the blankie portion of the monkey doll/blanket.

I've done a little on the blankie; and I do mean A LITTLE! 

Notice the arm reaching in there; Peaches is trying to claim this as hers.


"It's mine, I tell ya; all mine!"

She also tried to nab the silk.

"What, you can fondle it, but I can't?"

I'm telling you, ever since she started knitting, I really have to fight for my own yarn!

Finally, I decided if she really wanted to help, I'd put her to good use modeling the Spare Square I made for Colleen's blanket project.

"Can I model the silk top when you finish it?"

Dream on!

Catch Up Post

Betty's blanket was delivered yesterday afternoon.  Unfortunately, I had to deliver it to her in the hospital; she was admitted again yesterday for pain.  I was happy to be able to bring a little sunshine into her day with the blanket, though.  She was so touched that so many would take the time to help make this blanket for her.  I only stayed for about 15 minutes or so, and the whole time I was there she was rubbing the blanket and admiring it.  I didn't ask to take a picture because I didn't think it was appropriate since she was in a hospital bed.  Thank you for helping me to give a very special person a little bit of joy on a day when she really needed it!

Now, let's catch up on what I've been up to. As you know, there hasn't been a whole lot of knitting of late, but there has been some.

I started, and almost finished, this pair of socks for Dulann a week ago Sunday and only just got around to finishing them this morning.

Pattern: Norma's Magic 28 Yarn: Paton's Classic Merino, Leaf Green Needles: Brittney size 5 dpn This is only my second pair of Magic 28 socks; 26 to go. Good thing there isn't any time limit on this!

I'm teaching a Booga Bag class at The Yarn Sellar. The first class was last night. There were 5 students in the class and they all did really well. It's fun to see how the different colorways of Noro Kureyon work up. Here's my bag so far:

 

I'm using color #90 (don't you just love the creative color names Noro uses?).  I plan to have this felted for next week's class; the studens should be finished knitting the bag portion and be working on the 5 to 6 FEET OF I-CORD at that point. It's a two week class, though, so I want to be able to explain the felting process and the finishing process. That means I'll be knitting exclusively on this until it is done.  This also means the two kids' sweaters are still on hold. No problem; I'll get back to them soon.  Notice the gorgeous stitch marker on that bag?  That was a gift from the wonderful Heather a while back.  She makes beautiful stitch markers and dyes gorgeous yarn; you should really go check out her store.

Recently, I won a contest over at Susan's blog and the prize package came in the mail last week. Check this out:

 

Claudia Handpainted yarn in the most incredibly gorgeous colorway and some adorable stitch markers. I love them. Thanks, Susan!

Have you seen that Rabbitch has opened up her online store? Is it wrong that I made sure I ordered what I wanted before telling you about it?  She just opened it up today and will be updating it daily for a while; go check it out.  I bought the set of fridge magnets designed by her very talented husband.

 

The Sheep is going to be walking in circles to help fight cancer and is doing a bit of fundraising (she's giving away prizes, too).  She's real close to reaching her goal; how about you go on over to her fundraising page and help her if you can (and maybe win a prize).  Go, Sheepie, Go!

Okay, that's the end of the catch up game; have a wonderful day :)

Pick a Title (cuz I've got nothing)

The weather seems to have taken a turn away from winter around here.  We saw temps in the high 70's on Saturday!  It's been beautiful weather ever since.  We do expect to see a change back to more "normal" temps by the end of the week, but that's okay.  I think (hope) we have seen the last of the winter weather for a little while.

So, what have I been up to?  Well, before we get to that, let me tell you a bit about what Samm's been up to.  She has been making some jewelry to sell and plans to give 10% of all her sales to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of Betty.  Isn't that sweet?  She makes me so proud.  We plan on setting up an Etsy store for her soon (where I may add some things too), but in the meantime I've posted a link to her finished jewelry in the left sidebar.  I think she does very nice work; check it out.

On to what I've been doing.  I finished the Garter Cardi for my great-neice on Friday night (except for buttons).  I went looking through my Lamb's Pride stash to see what I had to use for sleeves that would look nice with the pink body of the sweater.  I found some deep purple that I love and I think it looks great.

All it needs now are 3 purple buttons and it can go in the FO column and I can post it on the Holiday Headstart blog as my April project. Do you know how hard it is to find just the right color purple buttons? Not easy! I spent a good portion of Saturday searching for buttons with no luck. I decided why not crochet some buttons out of the leftover purple yarn; didn't work. I made a very nice button, but Lamb's Pride is just to heavy to make a small enough button for this sweater. I had to teach a class last night at the Yarn Sellar, so I looked at their buttons; nothing in the right color. I checked out all the purple yarn looking for some lighter weight purple in the same shade; I never realized how many different shades of purple there are!  I left empty handed and discouraged.  Then, this morning, just as I was getting ready to leave for work, I remembered that I had lots of leftover yarn from the Christmas stockings I made.  Success!  There was some purple Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in the EXACT shade of purple I need.  It is worsted weight, but it's a much lighter worsted than Lamb's Pride so I plan to give it a shot tonight.  Wish me luck.

I also finished the Mason-Dixon felted boxes.  I ended up cutting pieces of cardboard to put in them while they dried so they wouldn't droop and lose their shape.  I think they came out pretty good.  Hopefully, the intended recipient will think so too.

Here they are stacked. I've been pretty lucky lately with the felting; these stack just the way I was hoping they would.  

I have just one more FO to show you.

 

Some Magic 28 socks.  This is a great little toddler "sock recipe" by Norma.  She's started a blog ring to "Stamp out cold feet".  Check it out; it's a low pressure knit-a-long for charity.

I was able to start and complete this pair during my 6-hour shift at the gym (in between cleaning and helping customers).  Fast, easy, and for a good cause; these are going in the Dulaan pile.  I used left over scraps of Patons Classic Merino from the felted boxes  for these.  1 down, 27 to go :)

I have started another sweater for another of my great-neices; it's the Mock Cable sweater by Yankee Knitter.   I'm just about done with the back, no picture yet. I think I'm going to do the cardigan version, but I haven't made a final decision yet. I'm using some DK wool yarn that I bought from an estate sale a few years ago.  I think it's probably from the 70's.  It is a really pretty shade of light blue.  It's not the softest wool, but I'm hoping that a soaking in some wool wash will soften it up.

Well, that's about all I've got for you today. Have a wonderful day!

A Post With Knitting!

Can you believe it?  It seems like it's been a while since I've posted any actual knitting content.

It's still rainy and nasty outside, but nothing like the past couple of days.  Kevin tells me the storm is going to pull out of here by tomorrow and be warm and sunny Friday and Saturday. YAY!  I could stand a little sunshine :-)  Enough about the weather, let's talk knitting.

There has been some knitting going on around here.  Wanna see?

• Two Dulaan Cupcake Hats

 Pattern courtesy of Norma.  This is a great, fun, and fast pattern.  I think it took less than two hours a piece to make these.  I see more cupcakes in my future (at least these cupcakes won't make my pants tighter than they already are!).  These, of course, are going in the box for the Dulaan Project.

• Rainbow Ripple socks

 

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock

Needles: Crystal Palace size 2 dpn

This pair of socks is a gift; can't say who they're for yet because she has been known to occasionally check out the blog.
I have a confession to make about these socks; I didn't really knit them.

Peaches did. And she was some pissed when she caught me trying to take credit for her knitting!

 

• There has been progress on the Minnowknits Garter Cardi

Do you see the problem I've run into though? One sleeve and a collar left to knit and very little yarn left. I bought this Lamb's Pride yarn 2 or 3 years ago and thought I had more than enough to knit this sweater. Hmm, I think I was wrong. So, what am I going to do? I had some very good suggestions from Brenda and Patti. Brenda suggested removing the cuff of the sleeve and reknitting it in a contrasting color and then knitting the other sleeve the same and using the contrasting color for the collar. Add a flower or something in the contrasting color to the bottom edge of the sweater and it'd pull it all together. Very good idea which I was all set to do until I took a really good look at how much yarn I had left. Nope, not enough to knit the main part of the sleeve even with the yarn from the cuff. I showed Patti last night at Chicks with Sticks and she made another very good suggestion which requires a little more work, but not much.  Frog the completed sleeve and knit the main portion of the sleeves in a contrasting color and knit the cuff in the pink.  Then knit the collar in the contrasting color and use buttons in the same contrasting color.  So, I guess that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully this will be an FO by the weekend.

•   Felted Boxes from Mason Dixon Knitting.  This is the mid-sized one, pre-felted:

I've also finished the smaller one and plan to make the large one tonight. These will also be a gift.

I was going to show you the squares I've received so far for Betty's blanket; I took pictures the other day.  But then I received SEVEN additional squares yesterday and haven't yet taken pictures.  I'm going to try to get pictures tonight or tomorrow and then I'll post them for you.  They are absolutely gorgeous!  I can't tell you how much this means to me.  This is going to be one very special blanket which I know wil bring a lot of comfort to Betty.   

I have to take a minute right here to apologize to those of you who have sent squares and haven't received a thank you e-mail from me yet. It certainly isn't for lack of appreciation, more like lack of any ability to be organized. I'm so far behind in my e-mails; I promise to catch up in the next day or two. I know, I'm lame.

I'm also way behind in my blog reading.  I've only managed to read a few posts a day.  So, if I normally comment on your blog and haven't for a while, please don't take it personally.  I'm trying to catch up!

 
I had a lot more to talk about, but I think I've rambled on enough for one post, so I'll close here.
Have a great day, everyone!

A Real Weekend!

I can't remember the last time I had both Saturday and Sunday off without being out of town.  As you know, I work Sunday mornings at the gym; anytime I've taken a Sunday off, it's been because I was going away for the weekend.  It feels very strange (a good kind of strange) to have 2 days off without any plans.  I could easily get used to it.  So, what have I done with my 2 days?  Not a whole heck of a lot :)    After the Sock Madness stress, I really just wanted to do some mindless, relaxing knitting.  My opponent finished her socks before I left work on Friday and knowing I was officially out of the race was kind of a relief.  I haven't touched the Round 3 sock all weekend.  I like the pattern and I like the yarn; I do not really like the yarn with the pattern.  I think I'm going to take it out and use a lighter colorway for the pattern.  I didn't feel like starting the second Lorna's Laces sock either.  So, what'd I do?  I'll show you in a minute; first, look what I received in the mail on Friday from Colleen:

A square for Betty's blanket. Isn't it beautiful with the Hugs and Kisses cables? The color is actually more yellow than the gold the picture shows. It's so soft too, made from Cascade 220 Superwash. Thank you, Colleen!

After receiving her square, I decided that Betty's square would be the first thing I did for the weekend. I looked through my 365 Knitting Stitches A Year calendar and decided on the Diagonal Garter Ribs stitch.

I used Berroco Ultra Alpaca and size 8 needles over 42 stitches.

After completing Betty's square, I was still in the mood for squares so I got out a crochet hook and the final bits of Plymouth Encore left over from a baby sweater and crocheted a granny square for Colleen's Spare Square drive.  

I was still feeling like doing simple, mindless knitting after completing the squares, so I decided to make a couple more hats for Dulaan:

On left: Dulaan Avalanche Hat made with some more of the yarn sent to me by Ryan. The pattern calls for size 13 needles, but I used size 11 and it came out plenty big enough. This is one warm hat! Very quick and easy pattern, too. On Right: Another hat made with 3 different strands of dk on size 11 needles over 56 stitches. Again, a very quick knit.
That was it for Friday and Saturday knitting.

I got up this morning and decided to start my Holiday Headstart project for April. This is what I got done on it this morning;

just the garter stitch bottom of the back. I had to put it down and get some stuff done around the house; much as I'd like to, I can't knit ALL the time. I'll work on it some more tonight. I've made this pattern a couple of times before and really love it. It's Minnowknits pattern, Garter Cardi #168QK. I'm using Lamb's Pride worsted weight in a deep pink (I know, it doesn't look pink at all in this picture; it's the best I could do). This is going to be a Christmas present for one of my great-neices.

Now, I'm going to go take a nap before hubby gets home from work.  I hope everyone had a great weekend!

I spoke too soon!

Yesterday I said that I thought Spring was finally coming to Maine. WRONG!  Today was a lovely, sunny, relatively warm day.  The forecast for the rest of the week, not so much.  For crying out loud, it's April.  I kept waiting for the weather man to laugh and say "April Fools", but it never happened.  Oh well, that's Spring in Maine.

If you ever get the opportunity to see Loretta Laroche, you really have to do it.  But be warned, you want to make sure you use the bathroom right before the show starts; if you don't, you are sure to pee your pants from laughing so hard.  She is absolutely hysterical.  Hubby and I went to the Music Hall in Portsmouth last night to see her. This is the second time we;ve seen her and I'm telling you, we have never laughed so much as we did at her shows.  My face still hurts today.

I promised you some knitting content and that's what you're getting (like it or not). 
First up, my Holiday Headstart project, a set of felted stackable bowls:

These were based on the pattern in One Skein. I adjusted the needle size and yarn weight for the small one and knit the bigger ones longer than the pattern called for so that I could roll the top down. I'm very pleased with how they came out. Look, they actually even fit inside each other!

I haven't decided who is getting these; I have a couple people in mind.  I definitely plan to make more of these bowls, in different sizes and shapes.  This book is a great little book; I've made a few of the patterns already and plan to make a few more in the future.


I finished another Dulaan hat on Thursday.
I used one strand of Lamb's Pride worsted weight in pink and one strand of purple Knit Picks Wool of the Andes held together on size 11 needles. Another very quick knit.

This is another Dulaan knit. I received a box of "Avalanche" yarn from Ryan on Friday and cast on for the Avalanche Vest Friday night. I finished it (except for buttons) around 2:00 yesterday afternoon. It'd have been done even sooner if I didn't have to knit, rip, knit and rip the button band and the edges of the armholes. I just couldn't seem to pick up the right number of stitches to make it lay flat. I ended up getting out a size K crochet hook and doing a row of single crochet around the armholes and 2 rows on the buttonband. I finished off the button band with a row of slip stitches to give it a more finished look. Now, I just need to find some appropriate buttons and I can call it an FO. You'll be seeing some more Dulann knits made from the Avalanche yarn; Ryan sent me 9 skeins and this used about 3 1/2.

I didn't get a whole lot of knitting done today. I went to work from 6-12 then came home and (sit down, Missa Louise) did laundry and dishes and other domestic type things all day. I'm beat; I'm not used to that! The only knitting I did was this Rainbow Ripple sock I started as a gift (can't tell you for who as she might read this). I got the leg and 1/2 the heel flap done.
I'm using Lorna's Shepard Sock on size 2 Crystal Palace dpn's.

Now, I think I'm going to just sit back and knit for a little while then go to bed.
Goodnight.

The Cat and the Hats

I finished Betty's hat Monday morning; just in time to give it to her when I drove her to her treatment that afternoon.

That's Phoebe posing with the hat; isn't she a cute model? I put some crocheted curly-Q's on top of the hat so it wouldn't be boring. As soon as I gave it to Betty, she put it on and wore it in for her treatment. She looked so cute in it. Please keep the good thoughts and prayers coming for Betty; she really needs them right now. I've shared some of your comments with her and it really touches her heart that you all care so much.

As today's title would imply, I have more hats to show you. I made two more for the Dulaan project. April gave me this yarn (scroll down; it's the crayon yarn) and I promised to use it for Dulaan.  The yarn is dk weight, so I combined it with some old gold colored dk weight wool that I had in the stash and made the hat to the left of our supermodel. I used size 9 needles over 70 stitches and did a k1p1 rib for a few rows then just simple stockinette. 

For the hat on the right, I used some red Cascade dk weight with the crayon yarn for the rib and crown and used the red, gold, and crayon yarn for the body of the hat. For this hat, I used size 10 1/2 needles over 63 stitches.

I think I have enough (1 1/4 oz) to make one more hat with this yarn. I'll have to use it just for the body of the hat and use something else for the rib and possibly the crown.

This brings my Dulaan total up to four.  I hope to get several more knits done for Dulaan by July.

In my post the other day about the Chicks and Manchvegas knitters, I neglected to mention the goodies I was gifted! Gina was so sweet and brought me some of her handspun yarn and hand-dyed roving in my favorite color - green.

73 yards of handspun wool blend with sparkles and 100 glass beads; color-Honey Dew

Phoebe approves:
This is 3 oz. of hand-dyed 100% merino; color-Woodland Forest.This beautiful roving is going to have to wait until I either win my battle with the drop spindle or have taken some spinning lessons.  It's just too pretty to take a chance of ruining it. 

As if that weren't enough, Heather also brought me a present. Man, am I spoiled! She made these beautiful stitch markers and I just love them! I've already put one to use with the Dulaan hats.

I have just one more picture for you; this came in the mail the other day. This is the Spunky Club yarn for March. It's so bright and cheerful; just what I need right now while waiting for Spring to really arrive here in Maine. It's the Skinny Sock yarn in "Dandy Lion" colorway. I can't wait to get this on the needles. Perhaps for Sock Madness round 3?

Have a great day!