Noolie Knits

FIVE DAYS?!

How did this happen? There are only five days left until Christmas. We celebrate with the family on Christmas Eve (during the day), so I guess you could say I only have four days left. YIKES. How are all of you doing? Me – I’m further behind than I ever am at this point.  Thank Goodness (Marcia) for Holiday Headstart or I'd be stressing out even more right now. I did most of my big (if you can call baby and toddler sweaters big) Christmas knitting throughout the year.  But the shopping - haven't done nearly as well with that!

I am taking tomorrow afternoon off to finish up the rest of my shopping; I tried to do that last Saturday but I got frustrated very early on. I don’t do well in crowds or in lots of traffic. There were quite a few words coming from my mouth while driving that weren’t what you’d consider to be in the “holiday spirit”. I gave up fairly early and went home, figuring I’d do a little each night. Wrong. Here I sit with only four days left to finish, and I’ve barely accomplished anything.

I have done a bit of knitting on Jay’s socks (well, actually on Jay’s sock). Here’s a picture as of yesterday morning:

Berroco Ultra Alpaca yarn on size 5 needles; 48 stitches, Garter Rib.
(the blanket this is sitting on was knit for me by my then boss when I was pregnant with Samm; Clover uses it now)

 I didn’t accomplish a heck of a lot more on it last night; just finished up the gusset decreases and called it a night. If I continue at this rate, Jay will have just one warm foot on Christmas morning.  Samm looked at me like I was crazy when I told her that I might have to put just one sock in his stocking. Obviously, she’s not a knitter.

 I finished spinning the blue/green singles I’ve been working on.

  Since taking this picture, I have plied half of it. I find the plying to be the most difficult part of spinning; am I alone? I’m hoping to finish this up tonight. It’s making a really pretty yarn!

And speaking of pretty:

What do you think she’s dreaming about that’s making her so happy? Dry diapers, maybe?

Knitter Down!

The good news is - I’m done Christmas knitting. The bad news is – it’s not by choice. I woke up during the night with my right hand throbbing and barely able to move my thumb. By the time I got up this morning, my fingers and thumb on my right hand were terribly swollen and sore. It looks like I broke my thumb but I didn’t ; I’m guessing it’s a flare up of my arthritis.  I can barely grasp anything, so I’m thinking knitting is out of the question.

Luckily, last night I finished Cheyla’s (Jay’s niece) hat.  I had finished Alyssa’s hat the other day. Here are the two hat and mitten sets:

Yarn:  Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush Paint, Color 8818
Needles:  size 5 for all

I started a pair of socks to put in Jay’s stocking as soon as I finished the hat, I may still be able to finish them if my hands get better (they’re worsted weight), but I’m not going to stress over it; I can finish them later.  I had planned another pair of worsted socks for my BIL and a pair of fingerless mitts for a co-worker, but those are definitely out. I’m hoping I’ll be able to spin, but maybe a break for a day or two would be a good idea. I could use that time to catch up on my blog reading – I’m so far behind!

And now, I’ll leave you with a picture of the cutest cheerleader around:

Clover Grace – 5 days old (last Saturday night)

She looks really big in all her pictures, but she's really a peanut.   A very cute peanut :-)

A Bit of Knit

I'm falling behind - on the Christmas knitting, on the spinning, on the blog reading and commenting.  But really, can you blame me?  If you had the choice between reading blogs, knitting, spinning, or holding the world's sweetest baby, what would you do?

I have managed to get a bit of knitting and spinning done, though.  I finished a pair of mittens for Jay's 8 year old niece, Cheyla:

Yarn:  Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush Paint
Needles:  Size 5 dpn
Basic Mitten Pattern - Ann Bud

That picture is a bit bright and this next one is a bit dark.  Truer color is on this post.

This is how I was able to get the mitten sized correctly; Jay had her draw him a hand Turkey on Thanksgiving day.  Pretty clever, no?

I also started a hat for Alyssa (Cheyla's one year old sister).

Yarn: Same as above
Needles:  Size 5 Addi Turbo
Pattern:  Basic roll brim hat

There has been more knitting on this hat since the picture was taken; I'm just about ready to begin the decreases.  I'll make another hat like this for Cheyla and they'll have matching hats and mittens for Christmas.

I was able to get in some spinning time last night; I finished the first bobbin of this.  I really hope to get another bobbin done soon as I have plans for this yarn.  I better start finding more time to spin!

Well, that's gotta be it for tonight; it's already after 10:30 and I have to be up at the hideous hour time of 4:30 in the morning.   

Goodnight all.

Project Update

I think I've gotten into a bit of a small project rut but I don't see anything changing until after the holidays.  I thought I was pretty much done with  Christmas knitting, but as it turns out, I can always find just one more gift I want to make (or two or ten)!  This is okay because I'm knitting for people I really want to knit for, but I'm craving a challenge!  Oh well, there'll be time after Christmas. 

Until then, I'll just plug away at the small projects:

Another pair of Toddler mittens
for KUTO and Month of Mittens KALs

Yarn:  Trekking XXL color 126 (doubled)
Needles:  size 6 dpn    
Pattern:  Basic Mitten Pattern - Ann Budd


Bob Hat

Basic 84 stitch hat on size 8 circulars
1.5" K1, P1 rib
Yarn:  Paton's Classic Merino


The "Bob Mitt" has been renamed "Mitt". 

I got to this point before accepting the fact that it was going to be way too small.  It fit me, and even though I don't have the smallest hands around, I don't think mitts that fit me will fit a man.  Oh well, they are now on the back burner for a while and I've begun new mitts for Bob.  I'm trying a different pattern; actually it is a mix of a few different patterns.  Here's where I am so far:



Jay's Boot Socks

Yarn:  Lamb's Pride Worsted, Sable
Needles:  size 5 dpn's
(oops, the picture looks upside down)


Felted Catnip Fishie


This got mixed reviews:
(click pics for bigger)


Ralph isn't sure at first, but eventually succumbs to the nippy goodness.


Rico loves the fishie!


Peaches Loves it; Ruby - not so much


Moogie and Ruby discuss the fish and decide - Nope, not for them.

Have a great day everyone!

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.

One Finished, Another One Started

Heaven forbid I should finish up everything on the needles before beginning something new!  I finished my Sockapalooza Pal's socks on Friday night as I'd hoped, and instead of getting busy finishing my Simple Knitted Bodice, I cast on for another project.  In my defense, I hadn't yet made anything in July for the Holiday Headstart project.

First, the socks:

 

(The cuffs really are the same length even though they don't look it in this pic)
Pattern: Waffle Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

Yarn:  Socks that Rock medium weight, "Monsoon" colorway (Feb. 07 Club yarn)

Needles:  Crystal Palace size 1.5 (size 1 for the heel)

I'm pretty happy with them.  At first, I was a bit disappointed with the pooling in the gusset; but have decided that I actually kind of like it.  I don't think there's anything I could have done about it anyway, except maybe use an afterthought heel.  I didn't even think about that until the socks were just about done and there was no way I was ripping both back to the cuff and reknitting all that!  Besides, I've only used the afterthought heel twice and that was on felted Christmas stockings.  I'm not confident enough in my ability yet to use it for gift socks. 

Next up, the new project:

Finished front and beginning of back of Yankee Knitter's Fisherlad Guernsey. This is for my great-neice, Ella. This is a really quick knit; I hope to finish it in the next couple of days.

I finished spinning the fiber for Clover's mittens, now I need to ply it. There's a lot more there than it appears; hopefully, it's enough for the itty bitty mitties :-)

I still haven't even started the July Sockamania socks; I'm hoping I can finish Ella's sweater and get going on the socks before the end of the month. I'm thinking if I could knit a pair in less than 2 days (as I had to do for Sock Madness), I should be able to get this pair done. Only time will tell, I guess.

That's it for today. Have a great one!

One FO

I haven't got much to show you today; just one itty bitty FO, but it's a good one :-) 

Remember this?

  My first spindle spun yarn that I finished a couple of weeks ago?  Well, after finding out Wednesday that Samm is having a girl, I went home and turned it into this:

Clover's First Hat.
I figured my first knit for my first grandbaby should be made using my first handspun. I'm really very pleased (and more than just a little surprised) with how it came out.

I've begun the second sock for my Sockapalooza Pal, but I've only got about 20 rows of the 60 row cuff done. I really need to get moving on that; I'd like to finish those and still have time to make the July Sockamania socks (I've barely even looked at the pattern yet). Not to mention the SKB and a Holiday Headstart project for this month. I was hoping to make another of the Fisherlad Guernsey sweaters for my great-neice, Ella (Colin's sister), this month but I'm thinking that might not happen. Maybe next month for that. I picked up some really pretty mint green Encore to make hers with; Colin's is in the dark green. I thought it'd be cute for them to have the same sweaters in different shades of green.

I think I need to clone myself so that the clone can go to work for me and I'll have time to get everything done that I want to! Not only do I have all of the above on the "list", but there are at least 17 gazillion baby items I want to knit before December :-)

That's it for today, folks. Have a great day!

SAM3, Sockamania, Holiday Headstart

What do these all have in common?  This is what:

Pattern: River Valley Socks by Anni Design
Yarn: Tofutsies, color 793
Needles: Crystal Palace size 2 dpn

This one pair of socks fills the June requirements for three Knit Alongs; Sockamania, SAM3, and Holiday Headstart. Whew! I finished them just in time. (I just have to weave in the ends on one sock)

Seeing as it's Saturday, here's my Saturday Sky:

Don't forget to enter the contest; you have until midnight tonight.

Now, I'm going to go float in the pool; have a wonderful day!

Lazy Blogger

Wow, I've certainly been neglecting the blog this past week.  It's not that I've not been doing anything.  I have a lot to share with you; too much for one post, so I'll spread it out over the week.

Today I'll show you the knitting (and crocheting) I've been up to.

I finished the sweater for my Holiday Headstart May project.  This will be for my very handsome great-nephew, Colin.

This is not the best picture, but it does show the color accurately. You may have noticed that the color of this sweater seemed to change each time I posted progress pictures. Who knew that dark green could be so difficult to capture with the camera.
Pattern: Yankee Knitter's Fisherlad Guernsey (child's size 6)
Needles: Addi Turbo sizes 6 and 8
Yarn: Plymouth Encore, Color #1234

I thought I had finished the knitting at Chicks with Sticks last Tuesday night and did the seaming when I returned home. Wednesday morning I looked a little closer and realized that the last cuff I knitted was much bigger than the other (it fit loosely on my wrist; way too big for a 3 1/2 year old!). I not only forgot to switch to the smaller needle size, but I also forgot to decrease 8 stitches before beginning the ribbing! I ended up taking the seam out up to a couple rows above the cuff and reknitting it. Oh well, at least I finished it in time to count it for my May project :)

I finished the first sock of my first pair of toe-up socks. I decided to go with the heel called for in the directions for the Sherman Sock given to me by Mel. I have to admit, I didn't think I'd like that heel, but I really do. Now, to start the second sock.


Next up:


Pattern: Magic 28 by Norma
Yarn: Cascade 220, lost the band ages ago, but suffice it to say the green is MUCH BRIGHTER than the picture depicts (believe it or not). I could have used some sunglasses while knitting these.
Needles: Brittney Birch size 5 dpn's
This is pair #3; 25 to go.
This pair of socks ends my Dulaan knitting for this year's shipment; I'll be packing up the knits and shipping them off sometime this week.


There has been a bit of progress on the "Monkey Blankie" but it's nothing to look at yet. I really don't know why I haven't finished it; it's a teeny tiny mini-blankie, but I just can't seem to stay interested in it. I better get going on it though; my co-worker's baby is due very soon!


I started a crochet summer bag yesterday. I'm designing the pattern as I go. I'm using Plymouth's Fantasy Naturalle mercerized cotton yarn in a light green color (I'm too lazy to get up and look at the label right now). I haven't been able to get good pictures yet, but I'll give ya what I've got:

This is a really lousy picture of the outside; it doesn't really reflect how the finished bag will look, so I really don't know why I'm bothering to post it. It does, however, show you how much I did yesterday. (It also explains why my hands hurt today; crocheting is much harder on my hands than knitting.) Here's another picture for you:

This is the inside, bottom of the bag. I think hope this bag will turn out nice and if it does, I'll post the pattern in case anyone would like to make one.

That's what I've been working on over the past week while I've been lazy about blogging.

I've also been doing a couple things for my health. Actually, doing one thing and not doing another. Today marks the beginning of DAY 9 of no cigarettes!!!! I'm telling you, Chantix is a miracle drug! I took it for one week while continuing to smoke and then quit on day 9 (you're supposed to quit on day 8 but I had plans that I knew would make it too hard to quit that day). I'll continue to take it for a total of 12 weeks and then decide if I need it for another 12. I haven't had any physical cravings at all; although I have had times when I've thought "I'd normally have a cigarette now" and that felt strange at first. I'm getting used to not smoking, and I know that I am through with it.

I've also gotten back into a regular workout schedule. Thanks to Patti who has agreed to be my "gym buddy". It's harder to blow off the gym when someone is expecting to meet you there. I went three times last week and will go 3 or 4 times this week. Now I just have to get my eating under control; I'm thinking it's time to get back to Weight Watchers.

Well, I've got to go get ready for work.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about our trip to Amy's (some yarn may have followed me home).

Have a great day.

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!

Sweaters

This weekend was spent working on a few sweaters.  Little people sweaters. 

I finished the buttons for the pink/purple sweater.  Can I just say, I don't think I'll be crocheting little buttons with dark purple yarn again anytime soon.  My old eyes just can't take it!  The stitches were nearly impossible to see, but I managed and now I'm done.  I think they are perfect for this sweater. 

Minnowknits Gardi Cardi in Lamb's Pride pink and purple.

This is my April project for Holiday Headstart and will be for one of my great-neices.  I'm so glad I joined this KAL; I'm really getting a good headstart on my Christmas knitting. 

(Is it weird that I felt a little bit bad hanging Ted from the wall to take this picture?)

Next up, I finished the back of the Mock Cable sweater I started last week.

This is another Christmas present for my other great-neice.

I've put that aside while I knit this:

Yankee Knitter's Child's Fisherlad Guernsey in Plymouth Encore. The color is really a darker, deeper, beautiful green. This will be for my great-nephew for, you guessed it, Christmas.  See that little section of sleeve?  It was an almost finished sleeve around dinnertime last night.  As I was measuring it (10 of 10 1/2 inches done, by the way) I thought something didn't look quite right.  I looked closer and realized that I had knit the stupid sleeve inside out!  It's picked up from the sides of the sweater, which I did correctly, and then there are several patterned rows before starting the stockinette section that look the same on the right and wrong side.  I didn't even notice that I started the stockinette with the knits on the wrong side until I was almost done.  I was not a happy camper!  I ripped out the offending sleeve and put the sweater in timeout for the night.

While the sweater was thinking about what it had done, I started a dishcloth for Carrie's contest.  I'm making the Garterlac dishcloth found here, in some very bright Sugar'n Cream yarn.  I completed all but the last layer of top triangles; picture next time.  I really love the way this looks, but I'm not sure how soon I'll be doing it again - my hands are killing me!

I know I promised pictures  of the squares for Betty's blanket, but I'm lame and didn't get them taken yet.  All the squares I've received  so far are blocked and ready for the hard part of deciding how to arrange and join them.  There are still a few squares in the mail, but I think I can start to get an idea of how to arrange them.  I plan to start the process of joining them Wednesday or Thursday and hope to finish it by the end of the weekend.

That's it for today.  Have a good one :)

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 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.

Coconut Chicken

There has been more practicing for the "Around the World" Banquet.  Today's dinner was Coconut Chicken prepared by Samm.  She asked me to buy a whole chicken so she could practice cutting it apart - she did a damn fine job.  If it were me, there would have been very little that was useable when I was done with it.  She only needed the breasts for the recipe, so the rest was cooked in the oven.  I have just one word for tonight's practice Coconut Chicken - YUMMY! 

On the knitting front - I've finished one WIP and started a new one.  Not going to knock those numbers down that way, am I?  That's okay; I think I have a reasonable amount of WIP's going with varying degrees of concentration needed for each.  As long as I finish one before starting another, I feel comfortable with the number of projects I have going.

First up, the finished elephant:

This was to be a baby shower gift for Samm's friend.  She didn't end up going to the shower and will give a gift when the baby is born, but not this.  She likes it; she thinks it's cute.  There is just one problem; Mr. Elephant seems to have a woody (sure it's on his face, but it's a woody just the same)!  She can't bring herself to give this gift to this particular baby because she works with the parents and they are the type who will not let her live it down that she gave their baby an elephant with a woody.  Not a problem, the elephant has just become my February Holiday Headstart project as I have no problem giving it to my great-neice.  I'm hoping her mom won't immediately think of a woody the minute she sees it :-)  Now, I just have to make another baby project in the next couple of weeks before this baby arrives.  Shouldn't be a problem; baby knits are generally fast knits.

Faina's scarf has been put on hold until tomorrow night; I've been using the written directions instead of the charts and it's really hard to keep my place.  I need to bring the pattern to work and enlarge the charts on the copier.  I am loving the look and feel of this scarf; I'll give you a picture when there is more to see.

I started what has affectionately become known as the Big Balls Sweater (actually it's the Chunky Everyday Cardi by Amy of Spunky Eclectic, using Big Ball Sweater yarn).  Gina and I are knitting this together (well at the same time).  I started it Friday morning and completed most of the first sleeve Friday evening.  I finished that sleeve and did most of the second sleeve at work yesterday morning.  I finished the second sleeve after work today and began the body.  Here's a picture of the finished sleeves (there's not enough of the body for a picture yet):

I have to say, I like that the sleeves are done; it didn't seem so bad knitting them first.  I always dread the sleeves when I knit them after the body - doesn't really make much sense, but there you have it.

This morning's "at work" project was the sock I started last week at SPA.  I hadn't touched it since last weekend and figured I better get moving on it before it turns into an UFO!  Can't have that, since this pair of socks is slated to be a birthday gift next month.  I managed to knit the heel, and get halfway down the foot.  No picture; no need to bore you with another in progress sock picture.  It'll be done soon and I'll take a picture then.

There has not been a single stitch knit on the leg warmers since Chicks with Sticks, Tuesday night.  I should probably make this my morning before work knit.  I usually knit for an hour before getting ready for work each morning.  Since I can't really handle more than an hour or two doing round after round of k1p1, this would work out perfectly.

I'll leave you with another kitty picture:

Ralph - sound asleep in the sun.

He really should learn how to relax!