Noolie Knits

WIP Wednesday

This poor blog has been neglected long enough!  I've decided that it's time for me to get back into the swing of things and post more often.  I figure a WIP post is a nice easy way to ease back into it (especially since there are only two of them!)

Wisteria

I started this sweater at the beginning of December with the hope that I could finish it in time to wear for Christmas - HA!  I forget what derailed me in December (think it could have had something to do with all the craziness that accompanies the holidays?), but it obviously did not get finished in time.  It didn't help that every time I pick this sweater up, I lose my ability to count!. 

Once I gave up that silly dream, I thought that I could certainly finish it in time to wear to SPA.  Again - HA!  I'm leaving tomorrow for SPA, and as you can see by the picture, there's not a chance in Hell that I'm going to have it finished by then! (although I have knit about 1/3 of a sleeve since this picture was taken.)

I really have no ide why I've had such a time with this sweater; the pattern is well written with  easy to read charts.   I can't tell you how many times I had to rip out rows and redo them! 

I'm not sure if I dare to hope to finish it in time to wear at least once this season; after all, I still have to be able to count while doing the bottom of the sleeves.

Some close ups:

Cauchy

This is supposed to be my February pair of socks for SAM9.  I only have four days left and this is the first sock; do you think I'm going to make it?  I know I can finish this sock tonight and I'll probably get the ribbing done for sock #2 tonight as well.  Finishing a sock in 4 days is certainly possible, but whether I'll actually do it or not remains to be seen.

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

WNBP

Hey there.  Long time no post, eh?  I have no (good) excuses so how about we just pretend I've been here all along and I'll do a Wednesday Night Bullet Post?  Okay, here goes:

• Last time I posted, I mentioned that I was going to have nine days off work (that included 2 weekends).  Sounded good, didn't it?
• I ended up having ten days off.  Sounds even better.
• It wasn't.
• I started my time off a day early and spent the first four days sick in bed (or on the couch).
• I was not quite myself for most of the time I was off work.
• I'm better now.
• Of course, I'm back at work now too.  Oh well.

• I've had what feels like A.D.D. lately; I can't concentrate on anything.
• I've fallen so far behind in my blog reading that I'll never be able to catch up.
• I think I'm going to have to hit the dreaded "mark all read" button and just start over.
• I HATE doing that; I don't like missing out on any news from my blog friends.

• My poor farm on Facebook is in serious need of some attention.
• I don't even want to look at my "Happy" Aquarium; I fear it's not very happy.

• Samm and I took Clover to see Santa one day last week.
• She liked him fine and even talked to him a little.
• She drew the line at sitting on his lap though.

• We also took her to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch the same day to see how she liked it.
• Luckily she's not afraid of the big mechanical puppets on stage because she's having her birthday party there on Sunday.
• Yes, she's having another birthday already.
• I know; I can't believe it either.

• I've done a little knitting.
• Very little.
• I'm working on Wisteria right now using Cascade Eco + in red. 
  
  
   
• I whipped through the neck and thought I'd breeze right through the rest of the patterning in no time.
• Wrong.
• I knit every patterned row two or three times for several days.  (see A.D.D. comment above)
• Thankfully, I have been able to knit each row just once for the last two days.
• I have just 12 rows to go before switching to plain stockinette.
• I was hoping to have this sweater for Christmas (for myself) but I'm not counting on that anymore.

• I started crocheting a scarf the other day for the Red Scarf Project  using Cascade 220 Superwash. 

  

• It really isn't wider on the top than the bottom; it's distorted in this picture.
• The project is running seriously short of scarves this year.
• If you can, please knit or crochet one (or more).  Guidelines are here.
• The deadline is December 15th.

I think I'll end here before another night gets away from me.  Have a good one!

 

 

WNBP

Thank goodness for the Wednesday Night Bullet Post.  If it weren't for this opportunity to post a bunch of random things, I would probably post even less than I do now.  It's kind of freeing to not have to worry about transitioning from one subject to the next.

So, let the random begin!

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~~I voted today. 

~~No, it's not election day; I voted by absentee ballot.

~~I won't be absent on election day, but that doesn't matter.  The State of Maine wants to make it easy for everyone to vote so we're allowed to vote by absentee for any old reason.

~~Even if that reason is that I'm just too lazy to go to the polling place.

~~I can get my ballot right at work, so can you blame me for not wanting to drive the 2 miles to the polling place?

~~Of course I voted NO on  1

~~Speaking of voting and NO on 1, don't forget about this and this. 

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~~When you see your cat in a position like this, what is the first thing any sane knit-blogger (is there any such thing) would think to do?

~~Take photos of course, and add a WIP for good measure.

Pattern: Plain Ole Stockinette Stitch, Top Down, Heel Flap sock
Needles: Size 2 dpn
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill (colorway unknown - label lost a long time ago)
Cat: Rico (I guess I did disturb him; he moved his legs up)

~~I've knit a bit more on this sock since that photo session yesterday morning; I'm a couple inches down the foot now.

~~Did I mention that this is a mansock?

~~Men have big feet.

~~Mansocks take a loooong time to knit.

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~~I started a new sweater for myself - Acer by Kirsten Kapur

~~I've only done a few inches and haven't taken a picture yet.

~~I can show you the yarn I'm using though:

Cascade Yarns Eco + in a beautiful purple

~~Yes, I know that's way more than I need.

~~I'll probably use the rest for something for Clover.

~~Maybe another little dress.

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~~I still haven't been doing much spinning.

~~I have a couple of bobbins with 2ply yarn that needs to be wound off.

~~They've been on the bobbins a couple of weeks.

~~I really should do something about that.

~~I also have two bobbins of singles that I need to ply.

~~I think I'll do that tomorrow night at Chicks with Wheels.

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~~Have I mentioned recently how far behind I am in responding to comments?

~~I thought I was getting all caught up Monday morning before work.

~~I went through a bunch of comments, hit the reply button, composed nice personal notes, and hit send.

~~I felt good about my progress and figured I'd respond to the rest during the day at work.

~~It hit me sometime mid-morning.

~~I was replying to the blog, not the individual commenter.

~~I quickly opened Typepad and looked for my comments.

~~They didn't seem to be there.

~~Luckily, they were all marked as spam and not visible on the blog (not that I write anything bad, but some of them had more than just a response to the comment itself).

~~I deleted them all and have no clue who I owe responses to anymore.

~~I hate the changes Typepad made to how we reply to comments. 

~~Yes, they "fixed" the major problem, but I just can't remember to change the email address everytime I hit reply so that it doesn't go to the blog.

~~I guess I'm getting old.

~~I'm going to do my best to respond in a timely manner from now on (and will hopefully remember to change the "to" address in the reply!).

*****************************************************

~~That's all I've got.

~~Have a wonderful evening!

Little Knitting

Example:

This is the beginning of Clover's Christmas dress.

Even though I measured her little chest at 19" and the dress is supposed to be close fitting, the more I knit the more nervous I got.  So, once I finished the bodice last night, I put it on some scrap yarn and measured it:

 

>>
That's close!

Now I know it'll grow a little with blocking, but I was still too nervous to go on so I put it aside until I could try it on her.

I was able to do that when I went home for lunch today and all I can say is -

That child is a peanut!

The dress fits her perfectly so far.  Phew!

Pattern:  Oriental Lily (with some mods)
Yarn:  Cascade 220 Superwash
Needles:  Size 6

Sitting on my Butt

I had a crazy busy weekend, but a good deal of it was spent sitting on my butt.  Kind of sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?  It's not.  I went to a BB King concert on Saturday (it was awesome!) which involved sitting in the car for the 2 hour drive to the hotel, on my butt at dinner, on my butt in the hotel relaxing before it was time to go, on my butt at the concert, and more time on my butt in the car on Sunday morning to get home.  Then it was right back into the car (and on my butt) for a 2 1/2 hour drive(which should have been 1 1/2 hours) to go to my niece's bridal shower, more butt sitting at the shower, and again on the way home.  Man was I tired by the time I got home!  Who would've thought you could get so damn tired sitting on your butt?!

I'll tell you all about the weekend in another post, but for now I'll update you on the other things I've been doing.

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Spinning:

  "Spring Leaves", 4 ounces, 335 yds, fingering to sport weight, 2 ply.

This beautiful Merino Silk fiber was hand dyed  and gifted to me by the wonderful Gina.  I truly enjoyed spinning this and am really going to enjoy knitting it - it is VERY soft and the colors are gorgeous!  Thank you so much, Gina!

8 Ounces Alpaca/Merino/Silk roving purchased at the Spinning Bee back in June.  I spun the singles a bit thicker than usual hoping for a dk or light worsted weight 2 ply.  The singles are still on the bobbins so we'll have to wait to see if I was successful. 

My current spinning project is the June installment of Spunky Club Fiber:

I'm almost 1/2 way through this 4 ounces.  The colors are spinning up beautifully.   

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Knitting:

I finished the TOFUtsies ankle socks.  

 

This is pair #6 for Summer of Socks '09 (apparently I can not count because I thought I've been working on pairs 7 and 8 but after going back and checking, I see it's only  6 & 7).   This pair also counts as my August socks for SAM8.

Pair number 7 is nearing completion.  I have no picture of the progress, but as you might expect, the second sock looks just like the first.  Once this pair is complete, I'm going to get back to work on my long neglected sweater. 

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It seems Hubby has been getting a little nostalgic lately; look what he dug out the other day:

 

1986        and       1993

 

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Seen in the backyard on Friday morning:

Sorry for the blurry picture; here's a better shot of one of the babies:

Cute, isn't it?  

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Have a great day!

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.

WNBP

It's been awhile, so how about some Wednesday Night Bullet Points tonight? 

~~First things first - you still have time to enter my contest; I'm taking entries until I wake up on Friday morning (6am).

~~Check out this link and be sure to roll over the image :-)  

~~This past weekend was very busy, but very fun.

~~Patti, Sharon, Carol, and I left Friday afternoon and headed to Patti's timeshare condo at Loon Mountain.  The plan - a weekend of spinning and knitting together and attending the Granite State Knit-In on Saturday.

View from the condo

~~A couple of our other friends, Eileen and Eileen (no, that's not a typo), were supposed to come with us but couldn't make it.   That was the only downside to the whole weekend. 

~~We missed you 1.0 and 2.0!

~~I was only able to attend one of the classes at the Knit-In, but it was an awesome class.   Suzanne Federer, who used to teach at The Yarn Sellar and whose classes I've taken in the past, taught Intro. to Fair Isle knitting.  

~~She only had 2 hours to teach us, but she did a great job and I do believe I got the hang of it! 

~~I'm now contemplating what my first Fair Isle project will be.

Suzanne and Sharon

~~The weekend also included me taking a side trip on Saturday to Acton, Maine to attend my niece's graduation party.  (This would be the reason I was only able to attend one class.)

~~Said side trip involved an hour and forty minute drive each way - much of which was driving the Kancamagus Highway.  

~~I would have loved the scenic drive through the mountains had I been the passenger - as the driver, not so much.  

~~I'm a wimpy driver.

~~My niece is worth the white knuckle drive though.

Jena, the RISD grad, and her boyfriend, Andrew

~~The time spent at the condo with the girls was awesome.  The condo was spacious and comfy with enough room for us to leave our spinning wheels set up and not have to move them around if we wanted to take a break and sit on the couches.

Patti, Carol, Sharon                              Sharon, Patti, Me

~~I started my May Spunky Club fiber last Thursday night at Chicks with Wheels and finished spinning it on Friday at the condo. 

~~No picture yet because it's still sitting on the bobbin.

~~My Rainbow Tofutsie socks have gone from this:   

~~to this:   .

~~Some day I'll learn to listen to that little voice in my head when it says "It's not working; it's too small". 

~~After that failure, I decided to make plain stockinette stitch socks with the TOFUtsies.

~~My Cabled Yoke Sweater is moving along quite nicely.

~~All that remains to bed done is to knit are the sleeves, which are straight stockinette - YEEHAW!

~~That's it for now.

~~Have a great night!

A Picture Post

Another picture of Clover and Samm. Samm thought I deliberately cut out her tattoo in the last post so I thought I'd show it to you today.   
 

I finished a pair of socks...

Yarn: Marks & Kattens Clown
Pattern: Stockinette Stitch, top down socks on 60 stitches. Eye of Partridge heel.

 

...and started another:

Yarn: TOFUtsies     Pattern: Rainbow Ripple  

 

Over the past week, I've received more goodies from some very good friends - I'm so spoiled (and I love it)!

 

From the wonderful Dana and Dianne - a souvenier from the festival they work so hard to put together, The Sedalia Spring Fiber Festival: 

A Nana Sadie Rose bag!
With crazy black cats on the outside and pawprints inside (along with many pockets for needles and things) - Perfect!

I'm saving my pennies so that I can buy my own souvenier next year.
2010 Sedalia or Bust!  Right Marianne?

More birthday goodies from Patti and Roger:

Goes perfectly with the rest of the birthday gifties they bestowed upon me.

 

Wait, I'm not done yet.  Even more birthday goodies arrived in the mail on Friday. This package came from the sweet, sweet Gina.

Chalice Cable Handwarmers pattern by Alison Green Will,
the yarn to knit the handwarmers - Rowan Felted Tweed,
and some scrumptious Jojoland Cashmere laceweight yarn!
Don't you love the wrapping paper? And that card is too cute! (click here to see it larger so you can read it)

Thank you all so much - you're all too good to me!

I received one more goodie package in the mail on Saturday - this one wasn't a gift; it was my May Spunky Club fiber:

"Pansy" 4 ounces of Romney
Gorgeous isn't it?  

Clover thinks so!

I have just a couple more photos to share with you before I end for today:

 

This is how hubby spent yesterday morning.
You KNOW that made me happy!!!

WIP Wednesday on Thursday

It's my crazy busy time at work and will remain that way for a couple more months.  Add to that the fact that I'm also very busy in my non-work life - knit night, spinning night, watching Clover on days Samm works (after I get home until Jay gets home from work), or just plain playing with Clover.  This makes it really difficult to blog regularly.  I've decided not to stress too much about it and stop apologizing for it,  but I would really like to get in at least one fiber related post a week. 

This week's post was meant to be a WIP Wednesday post, but I didn't finish it in time (see above) so you're getting it today. Just pretend for a moment that it's Wednesday as I show you my current WIP's. (The ones I'm actively working on anyway; like most of you, there are plenty more that have been stashed away to take a timeout and which may or may not be ressurected at some future date). 

SPINNNIG:
 

Sereknity "Beach Glass" 4 ounces of lucious Alpaca/Merino/Silk  

I'm loving the way this is spinning up.  I split the fiber only once lengthwise to get nice long color repeats.  I intend to navajo ply in order to keep the beautiful colors intact.  The singles should be finished tonight at Chicks with Wheels. 

KNITTING:

  This is the completed back of my Cabled Yoke Pullover.   

Since taking this picture, I've completed the front up to the point where I need to begin the patterning.  It's now on hold until I finish this next item:

 

   Spring Savasana Socks (Ravelry link) by Gina House  

This is Gina's newest sock pattern (the one she gifted me last week).  While doing a partial stash organization on Sunday, I rediscovered this yarn that Patti gifted to me quite some time ago.  It is Dream in Color Classy and it is perfect for this pattern.  It's very soft and squishy and feels wonderful on my foot.  The pattern is great; it's very easy to remember the 4 row pattern repeat and it's quick.  I started this first sock Sunday afternoon and finished it on Monday!  I've started and completed the ribbing on the second sock and plan to finish that by the weekend. 

CROCHETING: 

Warning - Very Bright Photo Ahead - Use Caution when Viewing!

I haven't shown you any progress on my Crocus Wrap for a while and since it was a beautiful sunny afternoon after work yesterday, I decided to snap a picture on the deck.  Immediately after taking the picture below, my camera battery died.  Had it not died, I would have attempted to get a better photo for you.  

Crocus Wrap
My handspun Louet Northern Lights yarn in the Burning Bush colorway (which is much pretty than the picture would lead you to believe; check it out here.)

I'm enjoying crocheting this wrap;  I don't need it until mid-September so I'm just taking my time and working on it when the mood strikes.  It doesn't look so hot unblocked, but when I stretch it out to get a preview of how it might look when finished, I'm very happy.  Now I just need to lose enough weight to fit into the dress I want to wear with it!
(I should be able to do it - I've lost 11 1/2 pounds since mid-February;  just have to keep my motivation up to lose another 10.)

This and That on Thursday

How's that for a clever title?   Lame, I know.   I meant to post a WNBP last night but never managed so I have a bit of the random for you today.

~~NANTUCKET BAGG CONTEST

Lisa is having a contest and giving away two Nantucket Baggs.  All you have to do is leave her a comment on the contest post (by April 3rd) with your guess of when the pile of snow near her office will melt.  Have you seen these bags?  They are awesome.  They are so awesome that I can't believe I'm telling you about the contest.  Perhaps it's because by mentioning the contest, I get an extra chance to win.  You too can have an extra chance if you post about it.  Go read her post for all the details and to see pictures of the snow pile in question; it's really more of a snow mountain!

~~Wii
I bought a Wii system this past Saturday. The plan was to get a Wii Fit with it, but the store was all out. I went ahead and bought the system and went home and ordered the Wii Fit, which arrived yesterday.

I have a few thoughts to share about the Wii games.

  1) Wii is addictive!  I am not usually a person who gets into the video games, but this is so different.  I LOVE it!
  2) Samm may be stronger than me in real life, but I kicked her butt in boxing the first night. (We won't talk about the next time we boxed.)
  3) I hate baseball in real life, and I suck at it in Wii life.  I won't give up though; I will hit that ball if it kills me.
  4) The sports games are really good exercise; I have the sore muscles to prove it.
  5) My Mii is kind of freaky - it really looks just like me.

I also have a few thoughts to share about Wii Fit.

  1) Wii Fit and Mii are not off to a good start.
  2) Wii Fit is mean and called me fat (okay, so it called me "overweight" but we all know that means "fat").
  3) Wii Fit told me my Wii age is 54!
  4) 54 is not old.
  5) Unless you're 48!
  6) At least Wii Fit didn't make my Mii look too round, just a bit rounder than I'd like..
  7) I think I'll like Wii Fit better in a couple of months.

Which brings us to my next topic.

~~SPRING INTO SUMMER

After coming home from buying the Wii and ordering the Wii Fit, I started trying to catch up on some blog reading and read Kathy's "Spring into Summer" post.

This is a seasonal challenge to get into shape (or at least better shape) during the 12 weeks between Spring and Summer.

I think her post was written just for me.  I have been working hard trying to lose weight since mid-February.  As I said, I had just ordered Wii Fit, and it just so happens that I was measured that morning, so I just HAD to join.

I'm hoping the added motivation of working with others towards the same goal (bettering our health and fitness) will be just what I need to continue going in the right direction.

~~FIBERY PURSUITS

The spun yarn you saw on the new toy.
8 ounces 2 ply 2 skeins - ~140 yards and ~125 yards
Romney/Border Leicester "Shannon & Annie" from Brimstone Hollow Farm   ^


The beginnings of a new sweater (I plan to shorten it quite a bit).
I'm using Lamb's Pride worsted in "Blue Magic" colorway
I've just begun the patterned section.  

Crocus Bud Shawl progress using my handspun.
Notice that crochet lace looks as much like ass preblocking as knit lace does.

There's been progress on the sock I picked back up the other day; I have just a few rows to do before beginning the toe.  I won't bore you with that photo until the sock is finished. (Then I'll bore you with a single sock.)

Well, I think that's enough this and that for this Thursday (say that 3 times fast!).

Have a great day!

Monogamy is Boring

Monogamy in knitting, that is.  Especially when said monogamous knitting is a plain ole stockinette stitch sock.

Hubby told me back in January that "if I wanted to, I could make him some more socks".  I took that to mean "I'd love it if you would make me some more socks."  That's exactly what he meant, but I was in the middle of a few things at the time so I told him that yes, I'd be happy to make him socks (he doesn't ask for much and he really does love his hand knit socks) but that they'd have to wait until I finished the projects I had going on at the time.  I started the first one in January and worked a little on it here and there (key words being "a little"). 

Finally, I finished the first sock the other day.

  (click for bigger)

Check this out - I worked my first afterthought heel (which is really just another toe where the heel goes).

  Yarn:  Cascade Yarns Sassy Stripes Color 714 (such a clever color name) Needles:  Size 2 Crystal Palace dpn's

I was a little unsure how hubby would like the feel of the "toe-heel", but he really likes it and I really enjoyed doing it.  I love how the striping pattern doesn't get interrupted.

 

I started the second sock on Monday evening and did the ribbing so that I could just knit in circles at Chicks with Sticks on Tuesday night.   I've told myself that I will not start anything else until I finish this second sock.  While I enjoy knitting socks (although you wouldn't really know it if you were to judge me based on last year's output of ONE pair), knitting nothing but one pair of socks with nothing more challenging to turn to every now and then is kind of boring.  Boring, but productive; I am now nearly ready to knit the scrap yarn where the heel will be.  I'm hoping to finish this sock by the end of the weekend.

 

Have a great day!

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.

Has this ever happened to you?

You're ready to knit yourself a sweater that you've been wanting to knit for months.

You've settled on the yarn and you've even done a gauge swatch (or four).

You settle down and start knitting.

After several inches, you notice the sweater seems a little bit small.

You get out your ruler and double check the gauge.

You stretch the knitting just the teeniest bit to get the right gauge and continue knitting.

You stop every couple of inches and measure again, telling yourself it'll be fine; it's only half a stitch off. (Can you see where this is going?)

You knit the entire back of the sweater before you decide to ask your friend what she thinks.

That's when this:

becomes this:

I've already cast on for another sweater, Knitting Pure and Simple's Neck Down Swing Coat, using the yarn from this failure.

I still plan to make the Drops sweater.   I just couldn't bring myself to start it over just yet.  I'll find a different yarn and I'll remember that sometimes gauge swatches do lie!

WIP's

As I mentioned on Sunday, I really have been doing some knitting and crocheting (spinning too, but I'll save that for another post).  I have a few projects that are currently occupying what little knitting/crocheting time I have managed to find. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Samm has a friend who just had a baby boy on Monday.  She asked me a while ago if I would make something for the baby, and since his Mommy loves monkeys, I thought the Li'l Monkey Blanket (Ravelry link) from The Happy Hooker book would be perfect. 

I am not using the yarn called for (Bernat Softee Chunky), instead I'm using Berroco Comfort.  It's a smaller gauge so I have to crochet more rows to get the correct size squares, but I think it's a much nicer yarn.  Here's a picture of about 1/2 the squares needed.

  And the squares with the monkey faces on them.

Go ahead and laugh; I can take it. Just ask my friend Eileen; she got an awful lot of entertainment out of these monkeys at Chicks with Sticks last night.

I have finished several more squares since taking those pictures; I have just two to go and then I'll join them and crochet the border.  I'm planning (hoping) to be finished by the end of the weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next couple of projects I have to show you are using yarn that I bought while in Vermont for a knitting weekend a few weeks ago with Patti and our Manchvegas knitting friends. 

The yarn and pattern for this sweater was chosen after seeing the sample sweater at The Knitting Studio in Montpelier. 

Pattern: Child's Ruffle Sweater by Vermont Fiber Designs
Yarn: O-Wool Balance in Ruby (a lovely blend of organic wool & organic cotton)
Can you guess who I'm making this for?   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   The Reader's Wrap: (Ravelry link) The yarn was purchased at a wonderful little shop called The Vermont Yarn Shop at Plainview Farm in Plainfield, VT.  Several of our group picked up some of this yarn (we took all she had).  It's an amazingly soft cormo/silk blend from This and That Farm.  This project is currently on hold while I decide if I can really stand to knit 60 inches (20 inches wide) of almost all stockinette stitch.  I'm thinking I may pull this out and add a little patterning to it; nothing fancy, just enough to hold my interest.  We'll see; any suggestions? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~      

Actual Knitting Content

It's been a while since I've talked about actual knitting here, hasn't it?  Well, today you're going to get an FO, a WIP,  and  even a look at what I've been spinning.

The FO:

The Fogbuster Beanie Pattern by the wonderfully talented April
Yarn handspun by The Sheep

 

This was an easy and well written pattern that produces a great hat!  I'll definitely be making more.  Annie's yarn was a real pleasure to work with and produced a very soft hat.  How nice to knit a hat that was designed by one friend using yarn spun by another friend.  It's great to have such talented friends :-)

The WIP:

Metro Pullover
Just a sleeve and collar to go.

I'm hoping to finish this by the end of the week, but don't hold your breath waiting.  Seems I don't get in as much knitting time as I used to.  I blame Clover; she's just too much fun.

The Spinning:

I've spun about half of the 4 ounce bump that I bought from White Barn Meadows at SPA back in February.

I haven't been doing so well getting in my 10 minutes a day; as a matter of fact, last week I only spun on Thursday with my spinning group. Gotta do better.

My plan with this fiber is to Navajo ply it once I'm done spinning the singles. I know I won't get a whole lot of yardage that way, but I'm hoping it's enough to make a neck warmer. Only time will tell.

Have a great day!

WNBP

It's time for another Wednesday Night Bullet Post.

Knitting:

~ The majority of my knitting time has been spent on the Metro Pullover I'm knitting for myself.  The weather has turned a bit chilly here and I find that I am sorely lacking in sweaters that fit me comfortably.  Progress so far:

~The left front neck shaping and a couple of sleeves are all that's between me and a new sweater.

~Well, that and a "bit" of blocking to change this from a close fitting sweater to a comfy sweater.

~It reallly is a good idea to check gauge before beginning a knitting project.  Just saying.

~The Fogbuster hat is about half done and it's looking good.

~You'll have to take my word for it as I have no photographic evidence.

Spinning:

~I finished spinning Brian's singles last Thursday night at spinning group.  As a matter of fact, I finished it much quicker than I thought I would and had nothing left to do but gab for the last half of the time there.

~As planned, I used Alice with the jumbo flyer & bobbin to ply the singles together.

260 yards - heavy worsted to bulky weight (forgot to do wpi)

~It's much darker than the pictures indicate; it's really almost black like this photo.

 

~I lost several yards of Brian.  There was quite a bit left on one of the bobbins and I tried to Andean Ply it.  I've never used that method before and apparently I did not wrap it correctly because it knotted all up!

 

~Brian isn't going to stay with me long; I'm sending him to a friend.

 

Contest:

 

~Thanks to those of you who jumped through all the hoops to vote for Clover in the Great American Photo Contest. 

 

~Anyone who hasn't yet voted but would like to (and can handle the stress of clicking through MULTIPLE screens), you have until the end of the month. 

 

~There will be a prize drawing on November 1st and I promise it will be a very good prize.

 

Flickr/Clover:

 

~Samm and Jay have asked that I make Clover's flickr sets private (friends and family only).  I will still be posting her pictures here; we just think it's better not to have the Flickr photos public.

 

~I've sent e-mails to many of you, but I'm sure I've missed some of you.  If you'd like to be able to see Clover's sets and haven't received an e-mail, please let me know.

 

~If you notice pictures missing on old posts, it's because the links will be broken when I change the sets to private.  I plan to fix the links, but it'll take some time.

 

 

Politics:

Clover likes to stay informed.

I'm Doing Brian and Damn is He Good!

Get your mind out of the gutter; I'm talking about this Brian. 

We had our first Spinning group get together last Thursday night at The Yarn Sellar.

Starting in front of the door and moving right, we have Patti, my empty chair,  Brenda, Sharon, Carol, and Eileen.  It was a really fun group; I can't wait to go again tonight.  It's amazing how much spinning you can get done while yakking it up with friends!

 

Since I had finished the Campfire yarn, I needed something to spin.  I decided that I'd like to try Brian for two reasons: 1) I've never spun Coopsworth before, and 2) it didn't need any pre-drafting and I wanted to spend my time spinning, not pre-drafting.  I'm enjoying spinning this fiber; it pretty much spins itself.  I filled a bobbin with one of Brian's 4oz. balls in just a few days and have started on his second ball. 

 

I'm hoping for a 2 ply light worsted weight yarn when I'm done. I'm not sure what I'll make with it, I guess that depends on how much yardage I get out of 8 ounces.

A coworker of mine  happens to enjoy woodworking and offered to make me a bobbin for Lucille.  This was really good timing since I was planning to order a couple more bobbins anyway.  He finished it just as I was ready to begin the second bobbin of Brian.

 
Isn't it pretty?

 

Hopefully, this will be full very soon and I'll be ready to ply it.  I plan to use Alice with the Jumbo flyer to ply it. 

 

There has been a bit of knitting going on around here, too.  Don't get too excited though, it's not a lot, but it's something.

 

Look at this, I started a sweater for myself!

 

It's the Metro Pullover from Oat Couture

I'm using Plymouth Galway Colorneps Yarn and I'm really happy with this choice.  I'm  making one teeny weeny modification to the pattern; I'm knitting it in the round because I don't want to finish the knitting and then have it hanging around for days weeks because I don't feel like seaming it, which is exactly what would happen!

The other project that I'm actively working on is a hat.  

Fogbuster Beanie by April

I know it doesn't look like much in this picture, but I've completed another couple of inches and hopefully, mine will resemble the one in the pattern when I finish it.  I'm using some beautiful yarn that was handspun by my favorite Sheep and was gifted to me when we first met in person.  It's been waiting for the perfect pattern and this seems to be it - what better use for a yarn spun by one friend than a pattern written by another? 

I think this post pretty much catches us up on what has been happening around Noolieville lately, and I'm darn near caught up on blog reading.  Anyone want to place bets on when I'll fall behind again?

Have a great day!

Wednesday Night Bullet Post

~~Last night was another fun Chicks with Sticks night.  Most of the usual crowd was there and we had a visitor, Aricka who was a lot of fun.  She had stopped in the shop earlier in the day and saw the shop sample of my Tulips Scarf and Hat.  She wanted to buy it or learn to make it.

~~Turns out she did both!  Patti didn't have a copy of my pattern in the shop, but it's so simple I was able to write it out and show her how to make it.  She had crocheted in the past, so I really just had to give her a little refresher.  She used a beautiful rose  color of Ultra Alpaca and got quite a bit done while there.  She did a great job and she seemed quite pleased, which pleased me.  I just love it when someone gets so excited over a project, especially when it's my design :-)

~~Several of the regulars of CWS have recently taken up spinning.  Since there doesn't seem to be a local spinning group, we decided to start our own.  Patti offered to host it at the shop and we'll be getting together once a week to spin.  I can't wait; it's a great group of friends and it's nice to have an excuse to meet a second night each week :-)

~~I started another sweater for Clover the other night.  I knit a few inches on it thinking I was using the size 8 needles that I'd just finished using on her other sweater.  Granted, they didn't look like 8's, but that was the size I had put in my knitting bag when finishing the other sweater.  I wasn't liking how tight it was knitting up and decided I'd try a size 9.  I took out my Harmony tips and that's when it hit me - I had ripped out the Lisha Lace Scarf  the night before (we will not speak of this other than to say the pattern is great; I just can't count) and threw those needles (size 5) in my knitting bag.  The size 8's had already been put away.

~~No wonder it was tight!  Needless to say, I ripped out and restarted the sweater using the size 8's.  That was yesterday afternoon before CWS.  Here's where it's at after CWS (just a couple inches left on the back):

I've given this the very imaginative name of "Watermelon Pullover" Am I clever or what?

~~I bought this yarn from Zonda about a year or so ago when she mentioned that she had extra and wouldn't be using it.  It's Freshisle Fibers Suffolk Wool.  Along with the watermelon self-striping, she also had the solid watermelon red (which I used on the seed stitch border) and the solid watermelon pink, which I think I'll use for the sleeves.

~~I'm hoping that tonight I'll finally finish spinning the singles of the Campfire fiber I bought from Heather last month at Fiber Revival.  I really can't believe  how long it's taking me to spin.  It seemed like I was really moving along quickly there in the beginning.

~~It may have seemed that way because after spinning for a while, I weighed the fiber I had left and thought that I had already spun 2 1/2 of the original 4 ounces.  I thought it went pretty fast and the bobbin didn't look all that full but I changed bobbins and began spinning the "second half".  

~~A couple days later, Samm wanted to see what I had for fiber so I went into my fiber closet and guess what I found.  Yep, the actual "other half" of the fiber was in the closet.  I had only spun 1/2 an ounce on the first bobbin - DUH. 

~~Why yes, I am rather brain dead at times, why do you ask?

~~Go ahead, laugh at me.  I can take it.  I'd laugh if it were you instead of me.

Monday Already?

Why do the weekends fly by so fast?  Perhaps the fact that I took two 5-day weekends in a row has a little something to do why this 2-day weekend felt so short.   I could easily get used to 5-day weekends!

Didn't do a whole heck of a lot this weekend.  I slept until 9:30 on Saturday; that's like sleeping the day away for me!  It did feel pretty good though.  Poor little Clover didn't have a very good start to her weekend; she had her first bout of actual puking on Saturday.   It was awful!  Poor little thing was scared.  She threw up three times (the last time was on me, but that's okay).   How all that came out of such a tiny belly is a mystery to me!  In between bouts, she seemed to feel fine and was even smiling.  She's okay now; she wasn't sick with a bug or anything.   Let's just say it isn't a good idea to feed mac & cheese to a baby on soy formula.  Ooops.

Sunday was a much better day.  Patti came over and we spun and knit for a while on the deck.  I don't think I've mentioned that she bought a Ladybug recently and, dare I say, is enjoying spinning on her new wheel.  She resisted as long as she could, but now she's come over to the dark side.  Muwahaha!  She's doing a great job, too.  I wish I had been smart enough to get out my camera so I could show you, but alas, I'm getting old and forgetful.  Next time.

I spent a couple hours in the pool after she left; sadly that's probably the end of the pool for this year.  It really wasn't a great summer for the pool, I'll tell ya.   

Did I tell you that I started another sweater for Clover?    I'm making the Garter Cardi by Jil Eaton (Ravelry link) using Lamb's Pride in a beautiful turquoise color.

I've completed the back and most of the left front since this picture was taken.  I've knit this pattern a couple of times for my great-nieces and I love it.  It's a very simple, yet pretty knit.  I'm making the size 2 (the green sweater is a size 18 months and won't fit her for long).  The pattern goes up to size 6 so she'll probably get one each year for a while.

Finally, a silly kitty picture for your enjoyment:

Wednesday Night Bullet Post

Since it is Wednesday, I'll give you an update of what I've been doing in a WNBP format.  Here goes:

~"Grinch" 

I finished spinning and plying this while at school a couple of weeks ago, but haven't gotten around to posting about it yet.:

Spunky Eclectic  Falkland in "Grinch"
266 yards 4 ounces
This is between fingering & sport weight (the thinnest I've spun so far)

~~Spinning for Fish

I spun this to knit and felt fish for Clover.  (I'm still working on the spindle spun fiber for felted fish; that project is turning into a lifelong project.)

65 +/- yards of single ply worsted weight
Sample pack of felting wool from Spunky Eclectic

~~Bunny Fiber:

 
This is the bunny blend I picked up at SPA back in February; I'm spinning it on the new spindle I picked up at Amy's (Spunky Eclectic) during my last visit.  I've spun about 1/2 an ounce so far; 1 1/2 to go.  This is some seriously soft fiber and a very enjoyable project.  Unfortunately, I've forgotten the name of the vendor I purchased this bunny blend from.  

~~Campfire:  

I spent some time this afternoon spinning the Campfire Merino/Silk fiber while sitting out on the back deck. I had planned to spin for about 1/2 an hour, but it was such a beautiful day that I spun for well over an hour. I finished the first bobbin and will begin the next tomorrow. I didn't bother with a picture; just imagine more of  this .

~~Knitting:

As you've probably noticed, there hasn't been a whole lot of knitting around  here for a while.  I have been working on Clover's Fish Toy and you wouldn't believe how many stupid mistakes I've made.  It's crazy; It's just knitting in the round with increases or decreases.  Pretty simple, right?  Apparently, my brain is dead because I had to start the stupid thing three times before getting it right.  Then last night while at Chicks with Sticks, I started the tail.   After a few rows, I looked at it and counted the stitches and something was wrong.  It took me a few minutes, but I finally realized that I was decreasing instead of increasing - DUH!  At least my stupid mistake provided some entertainment for a certain Sheep that we all know and love.  I am back on track with it now and hopefully I'll be able to complete it without anymore stupid mistakes!

 

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 Short Version

I don't have much for this week's Wednesday Night Bullet Post, so I've added a little something silly for you at the end of this post.

• Last night was Chicks with Sticksand I'm sure you know what that means (at least what that means this summer). Yep, another hat for the 300 Hat Project. This one is crocheted:

Pattern: Skater Beanie(Ravelry link) Yarn: Cascade 220 (maroon) & Lamb's Pride (yellow) Hook: Size H

• This is the reason I didn't find ten minutes to spin on Monday. I had planned to just get it started so that I could bring it on Tuesday to CWS, but I got a bit carried away and worked on it instead of spinning. It's not that I spent a lot of time on it; but by the time I sat down to do anything, it was already pretty late.

• I made up for the spinning I missed on Monday before going to CWS last night, though. I sat down with the intention of doing about 15 minutes and next thing I knew, I had been spinning for half an hour and all of my pre-drafted fiber was gone and I had finished the first bobbin of Cotton Candy. No picture of the full bobbin; you'll just have to take my word for it :-)

• I did start another hat when this one was complete. I managed an entire 2 rows of the rim. This is going to be the Banana Republic Knock-off hat, using Lamb's Pride bulky in Pistachio. I'll probably finish the rim and then set it aside until next Tuesday night.

• Clover went for her 6 month check up today (even though she'll be 7 months next Thursday). We were guessing that she weighed 18 pounds and we were pretty darn close. 17 pounds, 14 ounces and 27 inches long! I've been thinking she looked like she was growing a lot in length recently; guess I was right. She's a big girl. 75th percentile in weight and a little higher in length. She had her vaccinations and all is well with her. She's a happy, healthy girl.

• And now for the chuckle I promised you:

   

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!)

Wednesday Night Bullet Post

It's that time again; time for the randomness of a WNBP.  Let's just get right to it, shall we?

• Remember the sweater my friend Mary made for her great-nephew?  Well, to everyone's surprise, she actually got it packaged up and mailed before he graduated from high school (just teasing ya, Mary).  Check out how handsome the little guy looks in it.

What a doll!
 

• More kids in knits:  my great-niece, Ella, and great-nephew, Colin, in the sweaters I made them for Christmas.  Aren't they just the cutest kids?  I'm so happy that the sweaters fit them so well and yet there is enough room in them that they should still be able to wear them for at least the beginning of next winter.

• The wrap I'm knitting as a booth sample for Lark is almost finished.  Just a couple inches left, a picot edge on each end, a trip to the blocking board, and I'm done.  No progress picture yet, it looks just like the last picture only longer. 

• I've really got mixed feelings about finishing this.  On the one hand, I can't wait to see how it looks after it's blocked.  On the other hand, I'm going to be really sad to package it up and mail it off.  But, I'm really happy with my work on this project and I hope Lark will be happy that she chose me to knit it for her.

• I have enough of the Luminesence yarn in the color Redwood to knit one for myself, and that's exactly what I plan to do.  I'm thinking I'll wait until either late summer or early fall, though.  Can't knit the same pattern two times in a row.  It's a rule.  I wouldn't want to become known as a rule breaker ;-)

• Last night was Chicks with Sticks night, which requires a mindless project (at least for me).  I brought the crochet shawl I showed you yesterday and managed to add a couple of inches to it. 

• Weight Watcher's is still going well, for both myself and Samm.  I'm down 20.8 pounds!  I'm kind of surprised at how fast the weight is coming off this time around.  I'm not complaining though.

• Speaking of weight, when is it ever appropriate for a coworker to tell you that you were "not at your sexiest when you were at your thinnest" and then go on to say "you kind of started to look like a boy"?  Yep, you read that right, and yes, it was a male coworker.  How do you respond to that?

And the most important "bullet" of this WNBP:

• Please send lots of good thoughts hubby's way tomorrow.  He has an interview for a dispatcher's position at a nearby police station.  This is just the second step in the hiring process; he had to take a test about a month ago, and if he does well in the interview tomorrow, there will still be a background check and a lie detector test.  It's quite a lengthy process.

 

Yes, I'm Still Here

Apparently when I write, "I'll give you a real post this weekend," it really means "I'll give you a real post eventually."  But you knew that, didn't you? Let's catch up a little, shall we? 

Last Monday was Patriots' Day, which is a holiday here in Maine and also in Massachusettes {and no Patti, it is not to celebrate the football team ;-)}.  I decided to take the Friday before it and the Tuesday after as vacation time so that I would have a nice loooong weekend; kind of a mini-vacation.  I figured I'd sleep in every day and I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish.  So, what did I do?  I woke up every morning by 6 or 6:30 (even 4:30 one day!), but at least I wasn't waking up to the obnoxious sound of the alarm clock.  I didn't do a single thing that was on my list either. 

In other words, I did what I felt like, when I felt like it.  It was WONDERFUL!

I started my mini-vacation by taking a trip with Patti to Yarn and Fiber for their Friday Night Knitting Club led by the wonderful Gina.

What a great way to kick off a vacation; it was a really good time.  Of course, knitting with a group of friends is always a good time; knitting with this group of friends always makes my face hurt from all the laughing.  Here are a few pics:

 
The Gang
(Sorry Ericka & Chris; I seem to have only captured the backs of your heads)

 
Lora (with her gorgeous new do) & Heather with Stitches
    


Melissa brought Rusty and he actually let me take his picture!  Any other time I've tried to take his picture, he's run away from me.  I guess that means he likes me now :-)


Of course, he had no choice about this  picture; after an evening of romping around the store with Stitches, he was pooped right out!

Naturally, there was yarn purchased.  I went with the intention of picking up some yarn to crochet another shawl like this one.  For that, I picked up some Silky Wool.

  The yarn feels wonderful and it's just the color (or lack thereof) that I was looking for.  I started the shawl that night and have only worked on it at Chicks with Sticks on Tuesday night.  There's not much done yet, but here's a shot of what there is.

I also picked up 2 balls of Kauni Effektgarn

(Yes, the one on the right really is that bright!) I'm thinking smallish wraps or shawls out of both of these.  Time will tell.

That's how I began my mini-vacation; can you guess how I ended it?  Why, by knitting with friends on Tuesday night of course.  Tuesday was an extra special Chicks with Sticks night.  It was school vacation week here in Maine and when it's school vacation, a certain Sheep must knit with others (really, it's the law).  Not only was the Sheep there, but Melissa joined us again and Mel was also there (while Mel is a regular, he has been very busy lately and we haven't seen much of him, so it was a treat to see him).  Melissa, of course, brought Rusty who amazed us all with his drinking water from a bottle capabilities.

(Too bad my camera wouldn't cooperate and take a clear picture; sorry about the blur.)

So, I started and ended my mini-vacation with good friends and spent the time in between spending more time than usual with the world's sweetest baby, 

 

 

and enjoying just doing whatever I wanted to do (or doing nothing). 

What could be better?

Sit Down...

...because I'm going to show you some knitting, and it's actually MY knitting!  I know, I know; you didn't think I really did that anymore; I'm sure you all thought I was just telling stories when I said I was working on a couple of things but have had no pictures.    I've tried to distract you from my lack of production, by focusing on the FO's of my friends.  Yep, I've been an FO user; but no more. I have an FO and a WIP of my own to show you. 

But first, let me show you the stitch markers that Samm made for me.   

Aren't they gorgeous?  They are made using Bead for Life beads and swarovski crystals or seed beads; there are also a few made with glass beads and crystals.   

Now for my knitting:

First, an update on the wrap I'm knitting for Lark.  I finished the first Chart this morning.  I'm so very happy with how this is working up.  Another thing I am happy with is the fact that I've put in a life line every 10 rows.  The lace work is only on every other row, so I decided that it wouldn't hurt too badly to have to rip out 10 rows if the need arose.  Don't ask me why, but for some reason I actually had to use that life line.  This is not a difficult lace pattern, but you do have to pay attention and apparently I wasn't at one point.   Where do you think I was when I discovered the error of my ways?  I was on row 8 of the 10 row life line cycle!  So, I'm sure you don't really care about all that; you want to see the photographic evidence of knitting, don't you?   

So, what do you think?  Of course it's unblocked lace, but I think you can get a good idea of what it'll look like blocked.  The border is worked along with the center, which is pretty nice.  That's a provisional cast on you see at the beginning; I used the crocheted chain type of provisional cast on.  I find it to be pretty simple and easy to take out when it's time to pick those stitches back up for the picot border.  The color is fairly accurate on my screen.  I'm anxious to get started on the next chart (which I have to repeat 11 times!), but I decided after finishing this section, I would finish the neckwarmer I've been working on for Hubby.

 

Initally, I started this as a hat and I was going to surprise him with it.  I'm glad I decided to ask him what he thought as I was beginning it; he said he'd rather have a neck warmer.  Okay, no big deal; I had already cast on stitches for a hat and was a little worried it wouldn't be big enough anyway.  So, I decided to just do a k1p1 rib for about an inch and then stockinette for a couple inches.  He wanted it long enoug to go under his coat, so I did some increases over the next several rows and ended with another inch of k1p1 rib.  It fits him exactly how he wanted and he's very pleased with it.  I still have quite a bit of the yarn left; there's actually a little more left over than what it took to knit this neckwarmer.  I think I may have under-calculated how much yarn there was to begin with.

I have had a great day today.  As most of you know, I work at the local gym on Sunday mornings from 6 to noon, which means I need to get up around 4:30ish on Sundays; but today I was able to sleep until 7:30.  Why? Because a while ago, Hubby asked me if I'd let him take over my Sunday shifts.  At first I wasn't sure why he was asking; it wasn't going to bring more money into the house, but duh, he wanted to give me a break.  Here he is, through no fault of his own,  at home every day while I've been working 6 days a week.  (We're certainly not alone in this situation).   I was reluctant at first to let him; when you've been working the same shift for years, you make friends and look forward to seeing them each week.  Finally, I decided it might be a good idea; but I didn't want to totally give up my shift.  After discussing it with my boss who said to do whatever works for us (he's great!), we decided that I'd work every third Sunday, so that I'd still get to see my Sunday morning friends and I'd also get some much needed rest.  Last week he came to work with me and I showed him what needed to be done and stuck around until around 9 and went home and took a nap until he got home at noon.  Sleeping in today felt so good :-)

WNBPOTM

Wednesday Night Bullet Post On Thursday Morning.  No excuses; just didn't get it finished in time for Wednesday night.  I have a totally random list of stuff to share with you; more so than usual.  Here goes:

• First, thanks to all of you who commented on Mary's first sweater in the post of a couple days ago; I forwarded every comment to her and I think you guys really made her day :-)  In case you didn't see it, here's a comment she left for you.
  

  "To all of you lovely knitters.....
  Thank you for your encouraging words and kind comments....I couldn't have done it without Noolie! The card will read "Made with love by Aunt Mary and Noolie Julie Schramm" LOL
  Now I have to start a pink one for my first granddaughter, Olivia, who was born on February 13th. I think I'll make a size 4T....sorry Jules, here I go again."

• I hope I didn't offend anyone with the mole-rat post; I was going on the assumption that you guys don't offend easily or you'd have left me a long time ago.  It's just that when I received it in an e-mail from Patti, I HAD to share it with you.  I also had to share it with my two male coworkers, but for some reason, they didn't laugh nearly as hard as I did.  Go figure. 

• The only one who really seemed offended was Samm; so much so that she left me a comment for the first time ever.  Yes, it's true; we used to have rats as pets as she mentioned. Let me tell you, they really did make wonderful pets.  They are such snuggly little guys; you can't help but love them (once you get over the tail, that is).  Oh yeah, and the boy rats - well, let's just say there was no mistaking that they were boys; they drag their balls behind them, they're so big. The difference between our cute little ratty friends and the naked mole-rat is fur; our rats had fur and didn't look anything like a dick :-)

• Speaking of balls, you might not know this, but Patti used to have some pretty big balls.  Not anymore though.  Now she has this:
  

• Isn't that a gorgeous sweater?  Of course the pattern is Amy's Big Ball sweater pattern and the yarn Patti used was in the colorway "Riverwalk".

• Samm made some gorgeous stitch markers last night; I woke up this morning and there was a baggie with a ton of them on the stove with a note from her.  I, of course have no pictures yet; I'll have to show you tomorrow.

• I also have no pictures of the two new projects I've started (who can start just one at a time?).

• I started a neck warmer for hubby from my handspun (because Brenda says you need a plan for your handspun, so that's what I planned). I really like the way it's coming out.  I'm just kind of winging it as far as a pattern goes.

• I started the lace wrap for Lark.  Truth be told, I started it a couple of times.  First I cast on with Addi Turbo's and did a few rows, fighting every ssk (there are a lot of ssk's).  Then I thought to myself, "Self, didn't you use bamboo when you made that lace vest and you didn't have such a problem with the ssk's; why not try those."  So I switched to the bamboo needles and did a couple rows.  Not only did I still have a problem, but somewhere along the way, I had dropped a stitch and it fell all the way to the first row (all 6 rows, big deal).

• What a difference the right needles can make!  I got myself some Addi Lace needles and started again last night.  OMG, I have to tell you;  it's like knitting an entirely different pattern.  Those ssk's are a piece of cake!

• The pattern and the yarn are both wonderful to work with, and now with the lace needles; I'm thinking this wrap is going to be a true joy to knit!

• I'll have pictures of my projects for you soon; promise.  Neither are anything to look at yet.

• I'm still having a huge problem keeping up with my blog reading.  Do you think it's even possible at this point?

Well, I guess that's enough randomness for one day.  Have a great one!

Progress

There is progress being made at Noolieville; nothing huge, but progress nonetheless.

I'm slowly but surely making progress on catching up on my sleep; even the change to DST on Sunday didn't through me over the edge.  Sure, I was pretty damn tired while at work at the gym (where we open at 6 and no one showed up until 7:15!), but I was only there until noon and took a 2 hour nap when I got home.  I went to bed early that night and, thanks to hubby for having to have a medical procedure done on Monday morning and needing a driver with him (routine testing, nothing serious), I was able to sleep an extra hour and not wake up to the obnoxious sound of the alarm clock.  I'm continuing to cut out the coffee in the late afternoons and evenings (unless I have to be out at night in which case I still need it) and that, along with the meds, seems to be helping me get better quality sleep.  The black circles under my eyes are now just a lovely shade of grey :-) 

I've made a bit of progress on the Never Ending Sweater for Samm; I'm about 1/2 way through the second sleeve:

I had her try it on (but neglected to get a picture) and it fits her perfectly; as if it were made for her (hee hee, I crack myself up).  She's been very anxious for me to finish this sweater, and I was kind of hoping that once she tried it on, she'd decide it'd be good without a hood.  Nope, no go; she wants a hood (even after I told her how great it looked on her without one - she wasn't buying it).  So, I guess I have about half of a sleeve and a hood left to knit on this.

There's been progress made on the spinning front, too.  Friday night, Alice and I spent a couple of hours together and I spun this:

This is some Falkland wool I bought from Heather  at the Fiber Revival last August. I don't remember the color name and I'm too lazy to get the band and look right now, but I can tell you it's gorgeous pink and green.  I don't have a lot of this; I bought 4 ounces and spun 2 ounces of singles to bring with me to my spinning class with Amy  last month.  I ended up making a cabled 4 ply out of the first 2 ounces, so I guess I should do the same with the rest.

I've done some spindle spinning too, adding a bit to the spindle with the Clown Puke fiber:

I also added a bit to the fiber I'm "Spinning for Fish"  for Clover; not enough to take another picture though.

So, it'd seem I'm beginning to get my mojo back; I was getting a little worried for a while there.  I'm still not knitting or spinning as much as I was, but I fully expect that once I'm completely caught up on the sleep (damn, it takes a long time to really catch up, doesn't it?), I'll be knitting in the mornings again and knitting every evening as well. 

Whew, finally a post with some fiber content; I'm sure you were beginning to wonder why this blog is titled Noolie Knits. 

Have a great day!

Two Days

Until SPA.  Not that I'm counting down the days or anything.  Not that I've done ANYthing to prepare either.  What's the rush?  I have Friday off and we won't be leaving until the afternoon so I have all morning to get ready.  I am the Queen of Procrastination!  I haven't yet decided what to bring with me for knitting; I'm thinking maybe I'll start a sock with my Sweet Clover sock yarn for Samm (I'd like to make a pair for her and for Clover with this very special yarn).  Any knitting that I do bring will have to be mindless knitting.  I plan to bring my spindles and Alice.  I'll bring fiber for the spindles (2 already have some on them), but I think I'll wait until I get there and buy something to spin on Alice. 

Knitting Update:

Samm's Hoodie

Guess I didn't quite reach my goal of having it finished by the end of the long weekend, did I?  As a matter of fact, I barely knit on it all weekend long.  I did finish one thing though:

Clover's Sea Turtle (before and after felting). 

It's about time, wouldn't you say?  This silly little knit took me FOREVER to finish.  (I started it January 28th!) It's not like it was difficult or anything; it just couldn't seem to hold my interest for very long.  Weird.  It's just the first sea creature for a mobile I want to make for Clover.  At this rate, I may finish it in time to gift it to her for her high school graduation.

Last night's Chicks with Sticks was a particularly fun one.  Since it is  school vacation week here in Maine (a time in which teachers and sheep are able to stay up past their normal bedtimes), a certain Sheep (complete with her pretty blue hands) decided to come to York and knit with us.  It's always entertaining when you're in the company of The Sheep, especially when topics such as childbirth and menopause are discussed ;-) 

Have a great day!