Noolie Knits

WOW!

It's really been a long time since I last posted anything that I've been working on!  I was scrolling back through my posts to find the last thing I shared with you, and was shocked to realize that it was all the way back on July 2nd!

Since this is supposed to be a blog about my fibery pursuits, how about I show you what I've been working on?  Don't get too excited though; I haven't done all that much in 5 1/2 weeks.   

I can't remember the last time I knitted anything that wasn't a sock; I do know that it was before Summer of Socks '09 began.   My poor Cabled Yoke Pullover still sits with just one sleeve left to be knit before I can move it over to the FO category.  I don't see that happening anytime too soon.  Probably not until SOS'09 is over on September 1st.

Now that I've shown you what I haven't been doing, let me show you a couple of FO's:

Pair #5 for SOS'09:

Spring Savasana Socks
Dream in Color Classy in Pansy Golightly
Started July 11th - Finished July 20th

These were a gift for my sister; I gave them to her when I visited her in the hospital after her surgery. She loved them.

This is the second pair of Spring Sasavana Socks that I've knit and won't be the last. (As a matter of fact, I already picked up some yarn for the next pair!)

 

 

Pair #6 for SOS'09:

Slip Stitch Heel Basic Socks I used my handspun (Spunky Club Fiber Soul Windows) Fiber content: SW Corriedale w/10% nylon Started July 3rd - Finished July 22nd  

I'm very happy with these; not only do they look good (IMHO) but they feel wonderful.

This is my first adult sized pair of socks using my handspun; my first handspun socks were for Clover using the same handspun.

 

That's it for FO's.  Do you want to see my current WIP's?   You might as well say yes because I'm gonna show you anyway.

Pairs 7 and 8 for SOS'09 (Hey, I told you it was all socks all the time around here these days.)

Toe-up, Short-row heel, plain ole stockinette stitch, sewn bind off.
Mountain Colors yarn in the colorway "Ruby River". Started July 22nd One sock down - one to go.
This yarn is incredibly soft - kind of makes me wish I were knitting this pair for myself instead of Hubby.  He does deserve them, though.  He has 2 pair that are wearing out. Anyone who loves their handknit socks to the point of wearing them out deserves more; don't you agree?

Gusset Heel Basic Socks
(This is the progress as of yesterday morning; I've done a couple more inches since then.)

I'm using the remainder of a skein of TOFUtsies sock yarn that I used for another pair of socks back in June of '07.  One skein of TOFUtsies goes a LONG way. I split the remainder in half and am just going to knit each sock until I run out of yarn. I expect they'll be fairly short socks, but we'll see.

That's enough projects for today, don't you think?  I have been doing a little bit of spinning and I'll try to get some pictures and share that with you soon (soon being a relative term).  

I was away at Property Tax School last week and did bring my wheel and had really hoped to get more spinning done than I did.  I pretty much vegged out in the evenings - didn't keep up with the blogs; didn't get much knitting done, got very little spinning done.   What a waste of alone time!

 

This & That on Thursday

How about a bit of the random today?

 ~It's now July and it's STILL raining!  Will it ever stop?

~It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't also COLD.  Yesterday was July 1st and we broke records in these parts for the coldest high temperature since 1976!  Enough already; I wan't to start breaking temps for the hottest low.

~Hubby got my pool set up early this year. 

~I was in it for a couple hours one day about 3 weeks ago (it really wasn't warm enough but at that time I was already sick of the rain and took advantage of a sunny day).

~This is our busiest time of year at work.  We are preparing our final tax assessments and need to get things ready for bills to be printed.

~Our computer server is having fits with our assessing software and keeps kicking us out of our program or not letting us get into it at all.

~It's been a long couple of days at work and today looks like it's going to be more of the same.

~Looking on the bright side - I can now spare a couple of minutes to write this post.

In knitting news:

~I finished my Crazy socks last night.

SOS'09 Pair #3 Yarn: Austermann Step 6, color #111 Herbst
Needles: size 2 1/2 dpn's
Pattern: top down, afterthought heel, stockinette stitch on 48 stitches

~Surprisingly, I was even able to match up the colors! 

~I'm not crazy about the Crazy Socks, but they'll be warm and my feet can use some warm (see above).

~Finishing this pair leaves me with just one WIP.

~The Cabled Yoke sweater is nearing completion - just one sleeve to go. 

~That neck looks a little wonky in the picture, but it's really not. 

~The "just one WIP" thing won't last long - I'm hoping to cast on for my next pair of socks tonight.

In Spinning News....

~I've got nothing.  I've done no spinning since the Spinning Bee.

~That'll change tonight because tonight is Chicks with Wheels night.

~That's all the random I have for you. 

~Have a great day.

Socks, Socks, and More Socks

Now that I'm participating in two sock knit-alongs, there's been quite a bit of sock knitting going on around here.

This first pair qualifies as my June socks for  SAM7.   They also qualify as my first pair finished for SOS'09  (even though they were a WIP at the start of SOS'09).

Yarn: TOFUtsies
Needles: Size 2 dpn's
Top-down, plain ole stockinette stitch on 60 stitches

This teeny tiny pair of socks is my second pair finished for SOS'09.  I knit most of one sock on Friday night, finishing it up on Saturday, and the second sock last night.

 

Yarn:  my handspun Spunky Club April 09 Fiber - corriedale/nylon

Needles:  size 2 dpn's

I knit this pair of socks from the toe-up using short roe toe and heel and a Russian bind off.   I followed Wendy Johnson's easy instructions in her new book "Socks from the Toe Up" 

They may be a bit funky - not really matching at all, and they may actually be a bit too teeny tiny, but I still consider them a win.  Why?  Well, first because Clover loves them and second because I accomplished a few of my goals in this one little pair of socks.  All that and I still have enough of my handspun left to knit a pair for myself.   I'll knit those toe-up as well.

I knit most of this next sock on Saturday.  I was with friends when I finished the knitting on the first teeny tiny sock and knew I needed to be alone to read the directions for the bind off, so I started a mindless top-down sock.  I finished it yesterday afternoon before starting the second teeny tiny sock.

Yarn: Austermann Step 6, color #111 Herbst
Needles: size 2 1/2 dpn's
Pattern: top down, afterthought heel, stockinette stitch on 48 stitches

I'm not really sure how I feel about the colors on this sock.  They looked better in the ball,  I think.  Can you see how long that color repeat is?  From the top all the way down almost to the toe.  It's going to be pretty difficult to knit a matching sock without wasting a lot of yarn!  I do like matchy matchy socks, and I'm sure there's plenty of yarn, so I'll probably give it a try.

Well, that's it for today.  Have a good one (and if you're in this neck of the woods, try to stay dry!)

MORE HATS

Yep, you read that right; I have more hats to show you.  You must be getting a little sick of seeing hats everytime you come here; I'm getting a little sick of them myself :-)

First, the hat I promised Jay:

The Seaman's Cap (Pompom requested by Jay and made by Samm)
Yarn:  Paton's Classic Merino, Dark Gray Mix
Needles: Size 7 and 8

Jay was very pleased with it; he put it on and kept it on even though it was not cold in the house!

Next up is the wonderful Amanda Hat which I knit as part of the "Do the Amanda" knit along.  Gina designed this beautiful hat and I really enjoyed knitting it.  I used the suggested yarn, Malabrigo, and I'm glad I did.  This pattern is the perfect showcase for the variations in color of this incredibly soft yarn. 

   

I love the way the top looks.

The only modification I made was to continue the top decreases until 6 stitches were left on the needles.  This is a great pattern; the lace pattern is easy enough to memorize quickly yet it is not boring.  I knit most of this hat while at work at the gym on Sunday morning, and finished it up when I got home.  I used just the teensiest bit over half a skein of the yarn and am now working on some Maine Morning Mitts with the remainder.  Keep your fingers crossed that I'll have enough to finish both mitts.  I'm almost done with the first, and I'm guessing I'll have plenty but (I know this is going to shock some of you) I have been wrong before.

I do have another FO, but you'll have to wait for a picture.  I finally felted the slippers I made and they are currently drying.  Boy, are they ever fuzzy!  I think they'll need a bit of a shave once they are dry.

I also managed to squeeze in a little bit of spinning over the weekend, but have no pictures for you yet. 

There are four projects waiting to be cast on and they are all fighting to be first.  There's the Forest Canopy Shawl, the Trellis sweater, a hooded sweater for Samm, and the felted fish for Clover.  Trellis has to be done very soon as it's a shop sample for a class I'll be teaching in March.  I'm thinking I'll end up casting on for the three bigger projects and dividing my time between them.  The fish will probably have to wait just a bit longer, but not too much longer!

That's it for today - have a good one!

 

Remember Me?

Sheesh!  I complained in my last post that the weekends are too short and the weekdays are so long and what happens?  All of a sudden an entire week has passed and I have no idea where it went. 

So, what have I done since we last "talked"?

I haven't spent much time on the computer which explains why Bloglines says I have over 200 posts to read. 

I also  haven't done any spinning (still), but that's going to change beginning this week.  Brenda and I are taking a spinning class with Amy in a few weeks and I need to have a couple of bobbins of singles spun before the class.  Sometimes, I just need a deadline to force me to make the time to do the things I mean to. 

Okay, so that's what I HAVEN'T done since we last talked; here's what I have done:

Preemie Hat #4
Yarn:  Bernat Satin Sport
Needles:  Size 2.5 dpn's


Preemie Hat #5
Yarn:  Caron Simply Soft Baby
Needles:  Size 4 dpn's


Clover's hat (to match her cousins' hats)
Yarn:  Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush Paint
Needles:  size 7 dpn's


Samm's Hat
Pattern:  Thorpe
Yarn:  Paton's Classic Merino in Bright Red and Dark Grey Mix
(double strand throughout to get gauge)
Needles:  size 9 circulars & size H crochet hook

Are you sensing a theme here?  It's been all about the hats here in Noolieville.  Since the beginning of the year (all 14 days), I've completed 8 projects (9 if you count the slippers that are just waiting to be felted) and 7 of those projects are hats!

Just to break things up a bit (and because I wanted to make Clover's Nana, Jay's Mom, a birthday present) I crocheted a scarf this weekend.  I started it Saturday night and finished it this morning.  It would have been finished yesterday if I didn't have to fight with a skein of yarn that decided to get all tangled up - it took me a couple of hours to untangle it!  I'm kind of proud of myself for sticking with that; normally I would have thrown it in a bag and grabbed another skein; I have plenty more of the same yarn.  Anyway, here's the scarf:

   and a close up:

"Birthday Scarf"
Yarn:  Berrocco Softwist Bulky (I can't believe they call this stuff "bulky")
Color: True Teal
Hook:  Size J
Pattern:  My own, based on the afghans my Nana used to make. 

I love the way this came out - the color is gorgeous, the yarn is soft, and I really like the texture the pattern gives it.  I hope she likes it.  I will be writing up the pattern eventually in case anyone would like it.  It is crocheted on the diagonal and would look great with some self patterning yarn.

I made a yarn trade with Tempe last week, I sent her some Noro Kureyon and some TOFUtsies sock yarn and she sent me FIVE balls of Jojoland "Melody" in a lovely variegated green and purple mix. 

(I shamelessly swiped this picture from Tempe's blog). 

I think I definitely got the best part of this deal!  I have been wanting to knit the Forest Canopy Shawl for a while and think this will be the perfect yarn.  I cannot wait to start it. 

But first I have two projects to complete; can you guess what they are?  Yep, hats!   I promised Jay I'd make him the Seaman's Cap and I've joined the "Do the Amanda" knit along.  Check it out; it's a beautiful hat pattern  designed by Gina using Malabrigo yarn.  I'm planning to make this hat for myself! 

Change of subject - weather:  we are getting blasted with a shitload of snow here today.  I'm pretty tired of it, but I guess I should get used to it because I hear we're getting another big storm on Friday.  I sure hope we have an early spring and a long summer after this nasty winter!

Well, that's it I guess.  Have a great day!

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!

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!

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.

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!

THURSDAY EDITION

Where does the time go, and how is it that the work days seem to drag on FOREVER, but the evenings just fly by?  I fully intended to use the Sheep's WNBP (Wednesday Night Bullet Post) format for a post last night, but by the time I was ready to sit down, it was already 8:45!  WTF? How did that happen?  I hadn't knit a stitch or read a single blog yet, how could it be that late? 

But it was, and I had to choose between writing a WNBP, reading blogs, knitting on the Sockapalooza sock, knitting on the Simple Knitted Bodice, or doing some spinning I've been wanting to get to.  The spinning won out (the fact that I want to use the resulting yarn for Clover probably influenced my decision a teensy bit).  I had some of the same fiber I spun for her hat left over and am hoping I can spin enough to make a teeney tiny pair of baby mittens.  I'm spinning a whole lot finer now and will have to ply this. (I really don't have a clue how to do that, but I'll figure it out.)

Check out how thin this is compared to the first batch. It's also a LOT more consistent.  After spinning for about 1 1/2 hours, I took the remaining fiber and pre-drafted it so it'll be all ready for the next spinning session.  Here's what I have left.

Fuzzy Balls :-)

I did finally finish the cuff of my Sockapalooza pal's 2nd sock this morning.

The plan is to knit the heel and at least through the gusset decreases tonight and try to finish it tomorrow night.  I really don't know what is taking me so long to knit this pair of socks.  Well, that's not really true; I do know.  I seem to have a bit of ADD lately and can't stay focused on only one thing.  There are just so many things I want to knit, then there's Ravelry, and blog reading, and planning baby knits.  I need to focus! 

Speaking of blog reading, Bloglines has done something really screwy to me.  One minute it said I had something like 70 blogs to read, and the next minute it said 20!  I do not read that fast folks; it just willey nilley marked a bunch of my feeds as read.  I am not a happy camper!

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!

Shamelessly Stealing Ideas

It's Wednesday (for about another hour) and I've decided to steal the idea follow the lead of the Sheep and do a WNBP (Wednesday Night Bullet Post).  Here goes:

• Today was a holiday here in the U.S. - Independence Day, better known as "the Fourth of July".  Most people celebrate with BBQ's and fireworks; not me.  What'd I do today?  I went to the gym with Patti first thing this morning, came home and floated in the pool for a couple hours, took a nap on the couch for a couple hours, had takeout from "York's Best Roast Beef & Seafood Rest." (that's really the name) for dinner - YUMMY, knit for a while, and now posting on the blog.



• I know you are all wondering how I can stand all the excitement, but to me, this was a perfect day.



• I finally posted the Haymarket Bag pattern.  There's a link in the sidebar. (If you make it and find a mistake, please let me know)

• I started my Sockapalooza pal's socks on Sunday and finished the first one tonight. 

Yarn:  Socks that Rock, medium weight, Monsoon colorway (Feb 07 club yarn)

Pattern:  Waffle Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

• We had a great "Chicks with Sticks" night last night at the Yarn Sellar. Mel and Annie were there, as well as Doug (whose in town for a few weeks). It was really a good time. Annie, Patti, and I ended up staying for quite a while afterward just chatting.  It was a really good night and I only had to rip out a few rows of the sock.  I guess I can't do anything more complicated than straight stockinette when I'm gabbing.



• I reserved my room for SPA 6 today.  It's going to be in Freeport in February.  Hurry and make your reservations if you're going (and you definitely should be going if at all possible)!



• Amanda is having a contest; all you have to do is answer some questions (all the answers are in her previous posts). 



• My first spindle spun yarn:

(sorry the pic is so blurry)

I finished this on Saturday and soaked it and hung it to dry overnight.  I'm not sure how much there is, certainly enough for a baby hat or something small.  I still have more of the same fiber to spin.  I love the colors and I'm pretty happy with the yarn (although you can definitely tell which part is the beginning!).

• Bloglines tells me I have 147 posts to read.  I had planned on catching up today, but was busy floating and sleeping and eating.  Guess I'll have to catch up tomorrow.



• I am taking vacation time tomorrow and Friday; my plan was to float in the pool, but given the forecast, I don't think there'll be much of that.  Oh well at least I won't be working :-)



• It is now almost Thursday so I guess I'll stop here and go to bed.

Goodnight.

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!

Busy!

Sorry I haven't been posting as regularly as I should or responding to all the comments like I should.  I feel like I have no free time anymore and I can't figure out why.  I can blame Ravelry for some of it; but since I've only been on that for a week, that's not really it.  Do you ever have times in your life like that, when it feels like you'll never have enough time to do all the things you want to do?  Oh well, I'll just keep doing what I can and try not to worry about the things I don't have time for.

Another thing taking up my time is the spindle spinning. I've been doing quite a bit of it lately. I've pretty much filled up the spindle with my first real spinning (even though it is a bit thick and thin) and I've been working with my new spindle and the fiber Gina gave me.  I brought it with me to Chicks with Sticks last night so I could show off my new skills.  Can you guess what happened?  That's right; I couldn't spin without the yarn breaking to save my life.  I blame it all on Roger; he put a jinx on me (just kidding, Roger; I still love you. But don't tell Patti).

This new spindle is quite a bit lighter than the other one, and I've been able to spin some pretty fine yarn; fine as in skinny, although I think it is mighty fine looking too :-)

I've also gotten quite a bit done on the Simple Knitted Bodice. I'm at the garter ridges before beginning the lace section. I tried it on when I joined it and it seems like it'll be a good fit. The garter ridges and lace portion are knit in a smaller needle size (of course I didn't do a gauge swatch for the smaller needle size so keep your fingers crossed for me).



The V-neck turned out a bit lower than I wanted, but not quite as low as the pattern called for. I guess I'll have to wear a cami under it after all. Although, with the lace section in the middle, I probably would have anyway.

The second River Valley sock for Sockamania hasn't seen much action lately. I've completed 2 1/2 pattern repeats in the cuff (nothing picture worthy) and will be ready to turn the heel after I finish the third repeat. I don't really need a lot of time to finish this; I just need to pick it up again. Perhaps tonight.

That's it for today. Be sure to tune in tomorrow; I'll be announcing a contest!

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!

Lots of Random Stuff

·        Samm’s Etsy store is finally up; I've put a link in the sidebar.  She’ll be updating it later this week with some more earrings, a few necklaces, bracelets, and at least one watch.  I’ll keep you posted when she updates in case you’re interested J

·        We had a beautiful long weekend; the weather was perfect all three days.  I went to dinner with a friend in Portsmouth on Saturday night and we ate outside by the water, had a couple Margueritas, and did some shopping.  It was the perfect weather for it.

·        I’ve almost completed the Fisherlad Guernsey that I started way back at the end of April.

 

Since taking this picture, I’ve knit to the cuff on that last sleeve; just a few rows of k1 p1 ribbing to go and then seaming up the sides.  I’ll finish this up tonight at Chicks with Sticks.  It’s always good to bring something mindless J

·        I’ve given up on my May Day socks for Sockamania.  While I love the pattern and I love the yarn and the way it’s working up in this pattern, I keep making stupid ass mistakes.  Also, for some stupid ass reason, I cast on for the small size (knowing full well that my size 8 ½ feet are not small).  I kept telling myself that they were going to fit.  Ha! Joke's on me.  When I got this far, I decided to try them on.  That was the final straw; the sock is in time out.  I’ll frog it and reknit it after I do the socks for June.  Not a very good start to this knitalong!

/

·        I started another pair of socks yesterday while sitting in the sun.

 

You are not imagining things; I am knitting a sock toe-up!  Mel gave me directions to the Sherman short row method and showed me how to do it a while ago when he came to Chicks with Sticks (I promised him I wouldn’t call him a dick, so the name must remain the same).  This method is so easy and very, very neat – no holes!  I’m going to try the heel flap for toe-up socks that Chris suggested for this pair of socks.  Getting pretty adventurous, aren’t I?  (I'm using Cascade Fixation on size 3 dpn's)

·        I received this beauty in the mail last week 

 

It’s the May Spunky Club yarn;  Spunky Eclectic Tough Sock,  Superwash Wool/Nylon blend, “Nightshade”.  Pretty, yes?

·        Being the big ole copy cat that I am, I ran right out to Kinko’s yesterday, after reading Auntie Ann’s post, and got my copy of this book spiral bound:

Now that it’ll stay open, maybe I’ll use it more.

 

The End J

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!

Saturday Sky on Sunday

This is pretty much what our sky has looked like all week. I'm just about sick of it and am more than ready for some sunshine! We are supposed to get some tomorrow, just in time to go back to work.

I haven't really done much this weekend; yesterday was spent lazing around the house all day. I did make a silly monkey head, though.

Just the head (with huge mouth); no body. I'm going to make a little mini-blanket to attach to this head. When Samm was a baby, she received a little mini-blanket with a teddy bear head and she loved that thing. It ended up being called Spot Bear because she always had to find the good spot (the stinky baby breath spot) to sniff and rub on her cheek while she sucked her thumb. One time when she was about 5 years old, she wanted to tie dye the blanket part. The directions on the tie dye kit said to iron it after dying it and the damn blanket part just sizzled up and died when the iron touched it. OMG; it was so traumatic. But we saved it by sewing the edges (which didn't burn and which just so happened to contain the "good spot") to the head. She still has that silly thing. Anyway, I've made a few animal heads with blankies attached for people having babies and this one is for my co-worker, Luke, whose wife is due in a couple weeks. He specifically asked for it (well, not the monkey, just an animal head with the blankie).

I've also been working on my "May Day" socks for the Sockamania Knit-a-long. I started these last Sunday at work and completed one 24 row repeat of the pattern and I finished the second repeat this morning at work. I'm ready to start the heel. I need to finish this pair by the end of the month for this knit-a-long and they'll also count as my SAM3 May socks. I had a little trouble with the pattern last week, but discovered it was because I was doing my Make one purlwise wrong. I was making it much more difficult than it had to be. I've got it figured out and it's going pretty smoothly now.
I'm using Trekking color #126. I ordered this yarn on e-bay the day I saw the socks Carole made with it. It makes me think of ice cream. I love it.

The Booga Bag is dry and ready to be assembled. I won't assemble it until tomorrow night at class, but here it is unassembled.

The color is most accurate in the big picture without the straps.

Now I have a confession to make: I didn't make it a full 24 hours without smoking. I'm not giving up though, and I'm not too proud to ask for help. So I called my doctor and got in for an appointment to get a new drug I've been hearing about. Apparently, this is pretty much a miracle drug. It is specifically for helping with quitting smoking. It blocks the nicotine receptors in the body so that the nicotine doesn't have the effect it normally does. I started taking it yesterday and am supposed to take it for a full week while still smoking and then quit on day 8. I'll continue taking the medication for a full 12 weeks (at which time I can decide if I want to do another 12 weeks). Supposedly, I should have no withdrawal symptoms once I quit. The doctor said it has been extremely successful and my sister told me about a friend of hers who has tried to quit multiple times over the years and was able to with this. She said that towards the end of the first week, she didn't really want a cigarette but had to continue until her "quit date" on day 8. She hasn't smoked in 10 or 11 weeks and never once craved one. I am so ready for this to work that I know it will. I'll keep you posted. Friday is my last smoking day; Saturday is day 8 - quit 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!

Saturday Sky (and other stuff)

Today's crappy Saturday Sky

Here's a picture of what I woke up to this morning:  

Hubby had to force the door open to get inside to get the snow brush and ice scraper:  

Hmmm, where am I while they're all out there shovelling? Inside staying warm, of course.

I finally finished my Dad's birthday socks this morning. His birthday was Thursday, but he was busy then anyway so it's okay that I didn't finish until today. He loves thems (good thing considering all the grief they caused me).

Details: Yarn: Regia Bamboo color #10604

Pattern: Top down stockinette over 64 stitches on size 2 dpn's

I managed to put the right zipper in my Big Balls sweater on Thursday night. It's not perfect, but it's a good as I can do. I love this sweater!

I don't, however, love having my picture taken. What a stupid look I have on my face. Just look at the sweater, okay.

Details: Yarn: Spunky Eclectric's Chunky Big Ball Sweater Yarn in the Vineyard colorway.

Needles: size 10 addi turbos

Pattern: Chunky Everyday Cardi by Amy King 

It feels really good to have two more projects off the needles! Perhaps the Faina's scarf will see the light of day again. That might be nice since I'm supposed to be doing this as part of a knit along. I think I'll work on it for a while today and maybe start a baby sweater tonight for some mindless knitting. Faina takes complete concentration so she can't go to work with me tomorrow. I'd totally screw it up if I got interrupted in the middle of a row.

I've got a couple other pictures for you:

Jay, Rico, and Samm.

Aren't they cute? Rico really does love that little t-shirt. He'll walk around all day in it. Cindy wants to know why she doesn't get a t-shirt (or maybe she's wondering what's wrong with Rico that he likes wear t-shirts, especially peach colored t-shirts).

Did I Make It?

I won't know for sure until tomorrow morning; but I think I may have finished my socks in time to move to the next round of Sock Madness! 

Pattern: Mad Cow Socks by Jennifer Booker Young (for Sock Madness competition)

Yarn:

Brown-Fortissima Socka

Multi-Spunky Eclectic's Skinny Socks 

Needles: Crystal Palace size 1.5

Started Saturday, 3/10

Finished Monday, 3/12

This pair of socks counts not only for Sock Madness, but also as my March socks for the SAM3.

WIP's

I've started yet another project so I've decided to use today's post to show you all my WIP's (and one UFO).

First up, all the knitting I accomplished over the weekend at SPA:

This is it - one 9 1/4 inch sock cuff - plain ole stockinette on size 2's - from Friday night through Sunday at noon. Pathetic, no? I brought the sock because I knew I'd need something mindless; knowing full well that I'd be doing a lot of gabbing. Honestly though, I thought I'd get more than this done. This pair of socks is for my Dad's birthday next month. I have put it aside for now though; I think I'll work on it in little spurts. This yarn, Regia Bamboo, sucks to knit with. The white running through it makes it look blurry and it was driving me nuts (I know, short trip) all weekend. It's also very splitty. If the knitted fabric wasn't so soft and the colors weren't so perfect for my Dad, this sock would be history.

The elephant for Samm's friend's baby shower:

All the knitting is complete; I just have to make some eyes (I'm planning to cut some blue felt eyes and sew them on because I CANNOT embroider a decent circle), stuff him, and seam him up. He's kinda cute, I think. Little, but cute. He's just made from some old gray wool from the stash. 

Samm's leg warmer. The colors are even brighter in "person"; they are neon pink and neon green. The yarn is some Simply Soft acrylic I had in the stash; yep, I had it in the stash. She picked it out; she loves these bright colors right now. I can remember when she wanted NOTHING to do with anything even remotely pink; now the pinker, the better. I am going to make the mate with the colors reversed. I can only handle knitting this in small doses so I think it's going to take a while.

And the new project I cast on for this morning?

Faina's Scarf. The knitalong started last Wednesday and I'm just finally starting. The color in this picture is pretty accurate (surpisingly so). The yarn is Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino. Sooooo yummy soft! The pattern seems fairly straight forward so far and the wrong sides are all purl (except 5 stitches in seed on each edge). Soft yarn + easy to follow pattern = enjoyable knit!

I have just one other project on the needles but I haven't touched it since September, so I guess it qualifies as an UFO. It's the only one I have, so that's not bad is it?

So, what's on your needles?