Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that you all enjoy the day today, that your plate is covered with delicious foods, your table is packed with your closest family and friends, and your heart is full of love and peace.
I'm thankful for my family, and for precious time spent with them this holiday. Best wishes to you and yours!

Making My List.......

You know it's bad when your mother complains that she misses your blog posts. I think she might be the only one. Ah well, I'm still here. I'm still knitting. If I hadn't been knitting, I might not have survived the last couple of weeks. Rather than bore you with the mundane details of my life, here's some pictures of some of my knitting for your viewing pleasure. I'm mostly engrossed in knitting gifts for Christmas. While this sometimes produces boredom (as I often knit the same pattern two or three times), I find immense pleasure in giving hand knits for Christmas.
Without further ado (some projects are not quite completely finished, as I have to weave in ends, and such).....I present Knitting by Kristin, photos by scary, crazy lady with a Kodak EasyShare camera....sigh.

Winter Windows Scarf for my hubby's grandmother (Tilli Tomas Disco lights).


Another Windowpanes Scarf for my hubby's aunt (Tilli Tomas Disco lights).

See what I mean about repetition? It's often hard to find the right gift for these ladies, and they are always admiring my knitting, so this year I thought, well, why not? Why not indeed? So they shall receive hand knits at Christmas this year. I only hope that they deem these scarves as a worthy present. Maybe if I divulge the cost of the yarn.....(kidding, ahem, maybe only slightly kidding).

My brother asked for a hat when I gave his wife her hat and scarf set. He will be the recipient of this Jared Flood design. It's the Turn a Square pattern.


And lastly, a simple garter stitch scarf for my teenage cousin (her sister will be receiving a matching one, only in a different colorway of yarn). Simple garter stitch with bulky wool, big needles, and then braided fringe. I knitted it during the World Series games, when my attention span was short, and my brow furrowed, as I watched the Phils lose....:(



So, that's some of the knitting I've accomplished. I'm also working on socks for my Dad, an Ishbel for my SIL, and more hats for the little ones! Oh, and I may make dish clothes for coworkers. I may be knitting into the New Year........
What are you knitting for Christmas?

Mum's the Milkweed

I'm frantically running around, trying to finish packing for our trip tomorrow. The clothing is all packed. The toiletries are pretty well finished, except what I'll need to use tomorrow morning. The knitting and reading....well, that's a different story!
I'm taking a bit of a break now from packing. This week I did finish my Shawl that Jazz project. It's packed to go on vacation. I also managed to block this shawl.

Pattern: Milkweed Shawl
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter, SMF (Silk, Merino, Fingering Wt)
Needles: Size US#4
Time frame - around 2-3 weeks intermittently.

It was a very nice first lace project. I will probably knit it again, when I have time. Right now, it's back to packing.

PS - I'll try to post pictures and things on vacation. It's an all girls vacation. My mom and I are headed to Tennessee tomorrow to visit with my Aunt, and then the three of us are traveling to Asheville, NC in the middle of next week to attend SAFF and poke around the Asheville area.
I'm torn between being exhausted (just worked 6 days in a row, and today was spent at doctor's appointments, flu shots for kiddos, and grocery shopping), and I'm feeling just a tad guilty about leaving my children. I love them so. I know their Dad will take good care of them, but I will miss them all (Daddy too).
But I'm so longing for some time away from it all.

So, if you see me at SAFF, Mum's the word. Especially if I'm carrying a boat-sized load of yarn to the car......:)

Fall Has Arrived

I don't have anything noteworthy to say in this post. I'm knitting a lot lately. I haven't been posting, because, well, the knitting is taking up the time. I need to be better about photographing my projects to document them, at the very least.
This is a scarf I started for my SIL's birthday. Her birthday was in June, ahem.
To my credit, I also knit her a matching hat. I didn't photograph that. So now that football season is among us, and fall weather has finally set in (YEAH), she can enjoy the warmth of some super squishy wool.

Jess's Scarf
Pattern: Scrunchable scarf (free on Ravelry).
Needles: US #8
Yarn: Malabrigo worsted in the Hummingbird Colorway.
Time: Too long. This was my car project for a long time. The thing about car projects.....they only work as such if the knitter is not the driver. Usually I'm the driver in my car.....will have to work on this aspect of car projects in the future.

Another post to come this week (I hope). I finished a Shawl that Jazz this weekend, and I need to block my Milkweed shawl. I've also finished a Turn-A-Square hat, and a Simple Yet Effective Shawl.
And the big news......I'm leaving for vacation (just me, mom, and my aunt) in less than one week. And we are going to SAFF!
Stay tuned for more finished objects and vacation plans!

Lap of Luxury

Just the right gift.....it alludes me a lot of times. This year I purchased some Tilli Tomas Disco lights in hopes of knitting something that money just can't buy. Here's the first of my knitted gifts. A simple, but easy pattern that shows off the yarn fantastically.

Winter Windowpanes Scarf by Margaret Radcliffe
Pattern found in "101 Designer One Skein Wonders"
Size US #5 Needles (Signature needles with stilletto tips = one fabulous product).
1 skein of Disco lights by Tilli Tomas in the "Atmosphere" colorway.
A gift for my MIL, who really loved it! Squee....I like to see people enjoy their knitted gifts.

This yarn is 100% spun silk, that contains two strands, one being the silk, the other a small thread that contains many sequins. If I hadn't knit this particular yarn (or any pattern in this yarn with a K2tog, for that matter) with my signature needles, I would have gone crazy. It takes a little while to get used to the feel of the sequins on your needles. And the yarn and sequins can easily split. Thank heavens for the Signature needles. Their nice sharp points helped me execute the K2tog stitch beautifully. Signatures are definitely worth the price. They are truly in a league of their own. And if knitting with Signature needles is living in the lap of luxury, Tilli Tomas yarn just adds to the glory. Disco lights is a beautiful yarn, so soft and wonderful. Of course, this would be my first experience knitting with 100% silk. But I've vowed to knit with it more often, as budget allows (ahem).

So, if you're looking for a relatively quick knit with big results, I highly recommend this yarn and pattern. And oh yeah....at least try the Signature needles. You won't be sorry. I'm off to wind up another skein of Tilli Tomas and to continue the process of knitting Christmas gifts. Have you started Christmas knitting yet?

Anniversary Ampersands

On September 11th, we celebrated our wedding anniversary. When we got married in 1998, I thought I would pick a day he couldn't forget (9/11), and then it became a day we all remember.

And even though there is sadness to the day, we do celebrate. We had a nice dinner (no children with us). He gave me a dozen yellow roses, my very favorite. I gave him:

Ampersands (Ravelry pattern)
A quick and dirty pattern that produces nice results with hand-painted yarns.
Size US #2 needles, magic loop method
Yarn: STR medium weight in the color, Treehugger
I personally love the heel flaps!


The best present was watching him put them on last night before bed...I love to see recipients wear their knitted gifts. It's been 11 years since we were married, and I can say that I'm still one lucky woman! And he's a man with some sexy socks!

To Blog or Not to Blog......

Why do I blog? Let me count the ways. I blog, therefore, I am. Nah...doesn’t seem appropriate for this blog, since I rarely write or post anything. Speaking of blogging....is that a verb (I’ll blog about that next week), a noun (Come view my blog), or an adjective (I heard about that from my blogger friends)? Has anyone every researched it in the dictionary? I know I haven’t.

As you can see I’ve got more than knitting ADD at this time. My job is in limbo, as our little community hospital announced its decision to sell us (home health division) to another company about three months ago. We still don’t know who will be buying us or anything specific. Work is unusually busy (we are short-staffed of course), and I’m worn out. I’ve been on-call 4 out of the past 6 nights, and I’m in dire need of sleep. I can’t seem to focus on one thing too long these days. But, onward with this post…..

On the knitting front, I realized how many projects I needed to finally finish. The number was simply staggering. I do declare that starting a project is much more interesting than finishing one. Especially one that I’m slightly as interested in as much as I like to watch the weeds grow in my flower beds....


So, first up in my line of finished things:
Rainbow socks from Woolgirl’s Wizard of Oz club.
Yarn: Zen String Lotus Toes in “Over The Rainbow” colorway
Needles: Size US 1.5 (2.5 mm), done using Magic Loop Method
Pattern: “Over the Rainbow” by Lisa Dykstra
(mods - I did a toe-up version, instead of cuff-down, switching the pattern’s garter stitch heel and toe to a stockinette stitch heel and toe).
Stay tuned for more escapades regarding the finished knitting. I might post my to-knit list as well. It might make you laugh, if you know me well enough! :)

Over Half of the Rainbow

Over the Rainbow socks.....a pattern and yarn from the Woolgirl Wizard of Oz sock club. Her kits and sock clubs are amazing!
Pattern: "Over the Rainbow" by Lisa Dykstra
Yarn: Zen String Lotus Toes Sport (yummy). It's really not a sport weight yarn though. I'm knitting a nice fabric on US #1.5 (2.5 mm) needles. That's fingering weight, IMHO. But I love Zen String yarn - it's squishy, knits a firm fabric, and comes in awesome colorways.

I made some slight modifications to the pattern. This pattern is written from the cuff down. I switched it to a toe-up version. I also did not knit the garter stitch heel or toe, but kept the stockinette stitch heel and toe for a little more fluency. The foot of this sock is meant to be plain stockinette stitch, and I like how the yarn stripes and never pools.

Normally, I'm not wild about this many colors in one skein of yarn. But this pattern actually works with multicolored yarn. These are probably the most colorful socks that I've ever knit. And I've come to the conclusion that sometimes color is good. It gives you a lift, cheers you.

And to prevent SSS, a picture to prove that I've already cast on for the second sock. Hopefully I can finish it over the long weekend, when I am so NOT working!
Have a great holiday!

This and That.......

I know. I know. It's been another two weeks since the last post. The lack of action on this blog is pitiful, but please know that I've been knitting. I just haven't posted lately.
So, for all you knitting fans....the latest pair of completed socks. I finished them a couple of weeks ago, but have been negligent in photographing anything of late.

Duckie socks (free pattern on Ravelry)
Size US #2 needles
Yarn: Sportweight Yarntini in the Gimlet colorway (LOVE YARNTINI)!

This pattern is perfect for sport weight yarn. The simple 4 row pattern repeat keeps it interesting, but doesn't drive you crazy. It's a great traveling project, and the results are spectacular. I'm definitely knitting this pattern again.
I have a few patterns I want to conquer before I do this pattern repeat though!

I'm currently working on the "Over the Rainbow" sock kit from Woolgirl's Oz sock club. It's a very easy knit in the gorgeous Zen String yarn. I'm doing the socks toe-up, and the first sock is almost finished. I'll post about it soon. Really, I promise!

Lastly, this weekend we went to visit my brother, who lives near Pittsburgh. These are some pictures of the city from Friday night, probably close to midnight. Todd and I drove out after work on Friday night. We were all exhausted, but we still managed to "bring the crazy" to my brother's house - something like 15 people in one house, having a big ole' slumber party. It was nuts, but it was fun.

And as you can see, we (the siblings three) are a little left of center as usual. On the left is my youngest brother, Jeremy. Me in the middle (the oldest), and my brother Greg on the right. We are still attempting to correct that dang genetic thing that makes all of our noses veer to the right. Seriously, the ENT doctor once asked me if I had fractured my nose.....nope. Just genetics. REALLY!

Have a great week!

MIA

In an attempt to MONITOR (yes, that's it, monitor) my teenager's activities.......I have one word to offer you as an excuse for my absence on this blog.....
FACEBOOK.

See you later this week. I have some FO's to post!

Three Days Off

This is my first three day weekend (that I didn't have to use vacation time for) in over a year. Today started with a bit of vertigo (go figure), and it still lingers tonight. But I managed to finish these happy socks on Friday night. They are for my youngest daughter.

As you can see, they appear a bit different in the leg, but they are knit from the same skein of Claudia Hand Painted Yarn.
Stats:
Red Wagon Socks
3x1 Ribbing on a US #2 needle
Time - about 2 weeks, intermittently.
Yarn - Claudia Hand Painted Sport Sock; Colorway, Red Wagon.

Easy, peasy pattern. I've cast on some Duckies in Yarntini last night. I'm almost done with the first leg portion. Yarntini makes all my knitting a pleasure! Have a great week!
PS - the Phillies beat the Yanks 2 out of 3 games, and we aren't talking about the other game (Brad Lidge).

She's A Lady!

My February Lady Sweater was finished on May 1st, just in time to wear to Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival the next day. I finished it (sewed on buttons and wove in the ends at the hotel in Maryland) on Friday night. Everyone knitting in the lobby of the hotel made me model it, and of course, this made me feel extremely self conscious. I'm not exactly happy with my body image. I feel incredibly uncomfortable in my own skin lately. Probably because I have never, ever, weighed this much in my entire life. Not even pregnant. YUCK.
But I will say this. A lot of people stopped and checked out my sweater at Maryland. I got a lot of nice compliments, and I was forever grateful. But again, I could see that many people were staring at me (really uncomfortable, but they were actually staring at the sweater), but they were all polite. One very sweet lady at Tess's booth gave me a discerning eye, and I thought to myself, oh boy, here it comes, a nasty criticism (I always have a positive outlook), and she said something that made me cry. She said, "I've seen a lot of people knit those sweaters, but your sweater is the nicest one I've ever seen." And then she petted it, and smiled. I felt like crying with gratitude. This is my first adult-sized sweater. I've knit for my children and for my nieces and nephews. Never any sweaters for me. I felt like a queen after her compliment. I don't consider myself a talented knitter, but her kind words made me have more confidence in my knitting. Maybe now I will try different and harder things. This sweater, although not hard to knit, was a challenge for me. Mostly I was afraid that it wouldn't fit, and bottom line, I was scared to model it for all of you.
So without further ado - some pictures of the finished FLS. These photos were taken by my youngest daughter. I couldn't pin down the hubby long enough to photograph me with his fabulous camera. So, the Kodak Easy Share it was.

Finished sweater - a bit dark here, and oh, sorry about the flip flop in the bottom half of the picture - I thought I had cropped that out.

A close up of the buttons (somewhat blurry, but color of the yarn is pretty close).

And finally, a picture of how it fits. It's a comfortable, soft sweater. Just perfect for church today, when it was a bit breezy and cold.

Stats:
February Lady Sweater - cast on in February, 2009
Finished May 1, 2009.
A little over 3 skeins of STR Heavyweight in Thraven colorway.
Size made - Large, but I did not have gauge, so I suspect it's more of a medium size. When, not if, I knit this again with a worsted weight wool, I will definitely knit the medium size.
PS - This sweater grew a lot in length with blocking!
PS #2 - Thanks for all the support from all of your blog folks. You are the best at with all your encouragement!

The 401S

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival has come and gone. This causes a litany of emotions within me. I spend a lot of time gearing up for this festival (planning what to purchase, packing, making reservations, requesting off from work, budgeting, imposing yarn purchasing diets, etc.), and then it seems as though I blink, and it's over. I wonder if this weekend of work will be that way, probably not.
But I digress. This year, Mom and I traveled to Columbia, Maryland, and stayed over Friday and Saturday nights. That was a pretty smart decision, if I have to say so myself! The weather was not all that conducive to traveling, with pouring down rain that slowed us down a bit, but we arrived safely at the Hampton Inn in Columbia in time for a nap before dinner (gotta love that).
Our goal this year was to meet more knitters/crocheters/spinners/fiber fans. And oh, did we hit the jack-pot on that one. Our hotel lobby hummed with the excitement of the festival this year. Every evening we overtook the breakfast area with our enthusiasm, our needles, spindles, hooks, and oh yeah, our 401S.
What's a 401S you might ask? We met a festival virgin on Friday night (oh how exciting it is to see it all anew, through eyes that have not seen). She was so excited (okay, we all were), and everyone shared secrets and favorite vendors to see and visit. She told us about a yarn shop that she had visited on vacation, and how the yarn store owner had told her not to feel guilty about her recent stash enhancements, as she was only adding to her 401S - or 401(stash). Everyone in the lobby found this amusing. I had never heard this "turn of phrase" before, but I completely love it. As I sadly watch my 401K drop (okay, I'll be honest in that I tend not to look at the reports too closely anymore), my 401S remains healthy and alive, brimming with possibility. Maybe we should have knitters infiltrate Washington?
So the bottom line - here's some of my newest 401S. And should I be blessed enough to grow old (er) some day........many people will have cheery socks and scarves in my retirement years!

Ellen Cooper - Yarn Sonnet

Brooks Farm
Acero

Tilli Tomas - Rockstar in Morrocan Blue

Creatively Dyed Calypso Sock Yarn - a massive 500+ yards/skein!

PS #1 - the camera decided not to work in Maryland.
PS #2 - The FLS had its debut on Saturday at Maryland....more to follow, and possibly photos, if I can bribe DH and the weather cooperates.
PS #3 - More Maryland 401S to follow!

Slacker

It sounds as though this post might be the title for a new heavy metal song and considering that I've been listening to Seether lately, anything is possible. Seether is more up my hubby's alley, but lately I like listening to heavy metal at times. Other times, you will find me driving down the road with NPR playing. I'm nothing if not eclectic.
Contrary to this post, I have been knitting, and reading about knitting. I do read your blogs, and my latest magazines and books.
But we can talk about that later....

Here's my latest finish, which really isn't anything great, but it's an FO!
Lettuce Knit Socks
STR Medium Weight (in the Lettuce Knit Colorway)
Garter Stitch Rib (nice and mindless)
Needle size #2 (2.75mm)
Made for me, size 7 feet.
I hope it's cool enough to wear them at Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend.

Maryland Sheep and Wool - can it be that time of year already? :) It certainly is! I can't wait! I have a long weekend off from work - 4 days in a row. I have not had this much time off of work since last fall. My mom and I are traveling to Maryland on Friday night, and coming home Sunday afternoon. I'm taking Monday off of work to recover, and hang out around the house. It's in some desperate need of attention!

In other news.....look for another post this week. I've finished the FLS - I just need to weave in ends, sew on the buttons, and I'm finished, finished, finished!

Don't mind my weeds.....I'm not a gardener, and neither do I aspire to be one. There's just not enough time in the day, and I do enjoy my sleep!
Have a great week!

Four Square and One Month Ago....

Four square and one month ago, this knit blogger brought forth her work on a Log Cabin blanket, made out of Noro Kureyon. Its initial progress was stalled, due to many circumstances, the least of which, being the dead of summer heat. I took this project out of hibernation after reading Morticcia's blog post about her log cabin project, about a month ago. I promptly knit four more squares on mine, and it has again been placed in hibernation, probably until this summer! HA!

I know that many of you are waiting to hear about our fabulous trip to Florida! Sadly, no pictures yet, as DH took them all, and he has yet to download them to the computer. He has given us actual prints though, which doesn't help those of you in cyberland who don't get to see me in person. Please know this. If you are thinking about a new charity to donate your time or money to, consider the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It was a truly fabulous trip, and one we will never forget. Starting with a limo ride (over 3 hours long) to the Philadelphia airport, fabulous accommodations (spa/resort right on the beach in Clearwater), and first rate treatment at the ball park (picture of Cole Hamels), including seeing my daughter throw out the first pitch of the game. We were all truly excited and exhausted, as I had worked the five days preceding the trip, and the five days after the trip, including overtime, and on-call hours. It was insane. I still feel tired!

My next "little" trip is of course, Maryland Sheep and Wool - always the first full weekend in May. Mom and I have our hotel room booked, and I'm stoked (there's an 80's word for all of you). I have taken a long weekend from work (4 days off in a row - a real treat). I'm completely looking forward to some time away, and some time with my mom and other fiber fanatics!


PS - I hope to have the FLS ready to go for this event - one more sleeve! :) It seems to fit (the sweater), if not a smidge big. But, and I'll admit this now.....I'm knitting with sport-wt yarn, and my gauge was a tad bit off. So I did what every smart knitter does (ignored gauge and knit the larger size). Someday I might grow up to be a reponsible knitter. For now, ignorance is bliss.

What have you been knitting this past month?

When You Wish....

I can't remember when I first started wishing.....probably as a young child. My first really big wish was when I was pregnant with my first child. I was extremely young (a whopping 21 years old) and nervous. I really wanted (and wished for) a daughter, and of course, a healthy one. Well, I got a daughter, but the "healthy" aspect of my wish alluded me. My daughter was born with a really rare, genetic disorder. So rare, that she was only the second known, American patient with the disease. I was devastated. My college career came to a screeching halt. I had to care for my handicapped child, attend therapy sessions, attend doctor's appointments, attend college, and my marriage - well, it failed. I felt terrible. That's when I found out who my friends were, how great my family was, and how big my God was. I found immeasurable grace in the ashes of my life.
The road was and has not been easy. Some days are better than others. Lauren is now sixteen years old. I cannot believe that I just typed that sentence. The gutsy part of me wants to shout at the top of my lungs with joy for all the little things that she has accomplished over the years. These little things have really been huge to us, especially with the bleak diagnosis that we were initially given (she wasn't supposed to live to be a year old). We have been asked by several people why we had never done a program like "Make A Wish" in the past. Some of my friends with children who have special needs have done this program with great success. I always held back. Admitting that Lauren has a terminal diagnosis (whenever terminal may be) was a hard thing to do. I really didn't feel that we would qualify. But my ex-husband did. And last year he pursued this avenue. I am grateful that he did.
Which leads me to the point of this post. Next week, well we are going here. You see, my daughter is the BIGGEST Phillies fan you could ever imagine. And her wish was to meet the team.......just so happens we are meeting the team at Spring training....in Tampa, Florida. There are many surprises in store for Lauren (and I expect us, as well). The generosity of this program is amazing. All parents and all siblings are included in the wish. I have some secrets just bottled up inside waiting to tell you all, but they will have to wait until after our trip. I promise, I'll make DH take some fabulous photos. I am so excited for Lauren. And mostly I'm excited and proud to have a daughter who believes that wishes (and miracles) can come true. To read more about Lauren's story, please visit here.

The Sweet Life

It's been a very busy week (including sickness), so here's some yarn pictures for you all to enjoy.
All Sweet Georgia yarn, as promised in the last post. Most of the yarn is sport weight, but the two blue skeins at the bottom are fingering weight. I wish I could remember the colorways, but alas, I cannot. The yarns aren't marked with the colorways either.
I like Sweet Georgia's slogan, if you will. Unapologetic color. It truly is amazing color. Soft and squishy yarn too. It's too bad that I can't take decent pictures for you. I really should start to bribe the hubby into taking my knitting photos, and/or making me a light box.

I have a surprise to share with you next post. I can't wait to share it! No, it's not a completed FLS, or even anything to do with knitting....but it's wonderful, and I can't wait to tell you about it. Stay tuned, and
enjoy the weekend! We're having a touch of warmer weather here, for which I am eternally grateful.

Mindless Knitting

I'll admit it. I am cheating on the FLS. Last night, after spending all day with my sick daughter, and then having a pager attached to my side (it's attached until 8:00 am this morning), I needed something mindless to do with my hands. I don't consider the gull lace pattern of the FLS to be mindless. While it's certainly not the most intricate lace pattern I've ever knit, it does beg my full attention. So, last night I cast on for a scarf for my SIL. I had promised her the one that was being knit in Yarn Pirate fingering wt yarn, but it's another 16 row repeat of lace, and not mindless either. So, I cast on for this lovely in Malabrigo. It's the Hummingbird colorway. This colorway is very pretty, and it has the lime green in it that will match her winter coat (it's also hard to photograph, but most everything is for me). The pattern is the very effective, Scrunchable scarf pattern. Quick. Easy. Simple. Just what I needed. And Malabrigo..........mmmmm......one of my favorites!

Moving Right Along

Moving right along with the FLS. I'm finally past the sleeve division (for the second time). The picture is pretty dark (surprise, isn't it), but the colors are fabulous! Thanks to Blue Moon for putting two of my favorite colors together tastefully! The colorway I'm using is "Thraven," and it's considered one of their Raven colorways (meaning it has its roots in the color black).
I'm currently working on the body, I'm hopeful that I'll be able to knit at least 2-3 lace repeats each night this week.
Here's hoping you have a great week! Later this week, I'll try to post some pretty Sweet Georgia yarn that I was lucky enough to procure last week in her latest update (a minor miracle of sorts).

TINK

TINK = To unknit, to unravel. Or IMHO, to pull out your hair when you realize you've done 24 repeats of two rows, instead of actually reading the pattern to see that it says, do a TOTAL of 24 repeats (which means actually doing 23 repeats). I spent 2.5 hours TINKING (see above knitter's definition) 2 rows of garter stitch to unknit 8 stitches from my count (please note there were 291 stitches instead of 283 at the end of my increase rows - UGH). So.............I'm almost finshed with yoke.
No pictures today, but I can reccomend watching "The Secret Life of Bees." You can read it too, which I did a long time ago. The movie is a pretty darn good adaptation of the book, and I was pleasantly surprised with the chosen cast of characters. Rent it or buy on blue ray or DVD today! :)
Next post with pictures, I promise!

Third Time's A Charm

Confession time.
I have never knit an adult garment (ok, an adult sweater). I tried to knit one this fall, and it's still on the needles. This confession has been rather hard for me, as I don't consider myself to be an advanced knitter, but I should be able to knit an adult sweater, even a stockinette stitch one.
I got to thinking about trying new things, and how I usually stick within my comfort zone. And then I saw the February Lady Sweater (FLS) KAL on Ravelry - specifically with STR heavyweight. I had this in my stash. I figured now must be the time. It is, afterall, the month of February.
So, February 2, 2009, I cast on for the sweater. Once. This is good, usually you just cast on a project once, and knit the project. Nope, not me. I failed the buttonhole miserably.
Enter February 3, 2009 - I cast on again, but this time I armed myself with practice sessions in knitting buttonholes. I knit the one shown in the tutorial on the FLS sweater pattern. It's actually published by Maggie Rhigetti, in her famous chapter entitled, "Buttonholes are Bastards." I must say, that while I disapprove of the language, I agree wholeheartedly that buttonholes are difficult and can be fiddly.
I knit to almost 10 repeats of the garter stitch yoke - you know, the one that goes on forever, when I realized that my stitch count was a bit off - so I frogged back again (only, guess what - the stitch count wasn't off. I was).
Enter this morning - I cast on for the third time, and have sailed past that first buttonhole.
My STR is hard to photograph (ok, most things are hard to capture for me, but I have a Kodak Easyshare, so give me a break). It's the Thraven Colorway. It's black with a small amount of a teal color. Gorgeous! I love knitting with it too.
But, I tell you, if this sweater does not fit me, I will not post about it. So, if you see a finished FLS, you know I was successful. And if not......well, there's always socks! :)
PS - Working the next 6 days in a row. Is it Tuesday yet? That's my next day off work!

SSP for a SS Daughter

Stats:
Super Secret Project for a Super Special Daughter
Claudia's Handpainted Sport Weight in the Steelers Colorway
Needles: Size US #2 Addi Turbo
Started: 1/24/09
Finished: 1/31/09.
I finished just in time for the big game tonight.
You see, my oldest daughter is a sports phanatic. She loves to watch football and baseball especially. We originally thought it might be an exciting thing to have two Pennsylvania teams compete in the Super Bowl, but the Eagles, well, we don't talk about that around these parts anymore. It would have been a great year for a Pennsylvania Super Bowl, with the Phillies already claiming the World Series Title.
Anyway, back to the socks. I think, or at least hope, that she has no clue that I've knit these for her. I ordered the yarn right after the Steelers secured their position as one of the Super Bowl teams. The yarn arrived just in time for me to start them last weekend. I was seriously disturbed with myself when I hadn't finished the first sock by Thursday (work is really busy). But alas, I finished it, and spent some late nights knitting, and working on the second sock pretty much non-stop. There is a lot to be said about knitting monogamy, because I haven't touched another project all week. Last night around 10:00pm, I managed to finish the second sock. I might add that I put in 3 hours of work yesterday, a major trip to the grocery store, and played 6 games of volleyball in between the knitting. Thank heavens for a fabulous husband who did our laundry this week!
For those of you not familiar with my oldest daughter, she is indeed super special. She was born with a rare, genetic disorder. She's the second diagnosed American patient with this disorder. When she was first born, doctors predicted that she wouldn't live to be a year old. Today, she is sixteen, and most times, a joy to behold. She is quite small (I keep telling her that good things come in small packages), and has quite a laundry list of special needs, including learning disabilities. As a parent of a second child where things come a bit easier and quicker, it sometimes seems as though life is not fair (even though the second child started out as a peanut too, weighing a whopping 1.5 lbs at 24 weeks gestation). It's been a bit hard to balance the different needs of each child, even when special needs are not involved.
So, Lauren, the oldest child of my heart, these socks are for you. I said a prayer for you with each stitch I knit. You are an inspiration to me. You touch so many lives with your love. I'm proud to be your Mom.
PS - GO STEELERS!

Happy Hour

As I've mentioned earlier this week, I've gotten some beautiful yarn lately. This lovely arrived yesterday, with the sleet and snow. It's the inaugural installment of Yarntini's Happy Hour Sock Club. It was like happy hour when I found out that I was able to participate in this club, as I love Jesse's bright colors and yarn base! YUM!

As I continue work on the super secret project, please enjoy the view of "Mint Chocolatini." This is surely a sock yarn that practically begs to be knit!
PS - Is it Friday yet?

Super Secret Project

I love secrets! For me, that's one of the best things about the Holidays. It's great keeping secrets about gifts bought, or things done anonymously for people.

This super secret project (which is somewhat identifiable from the photograph), is for someone very special. Someone who lives in my house. I think this person will love this project. My only qualm about knitting this project is that there is a pretty short deadline. I'm hoping that last statement won't give it away. I realize that this person sometimes reads my blog, so I'm not saying anything more. But I'm taking this project everywhere. I knit on it underneath a blanket today while watching "Dances With Wolves" for the 20th time.

I have one last thought about this project. Have you ever noticed that it's super hard to knit a super secret project for someone who lives in your house? The recipient has a way of coming upstairs quickly, nearly catching me in the bathroom winding the skein (the only private place in our home), or even waking up at night to go to the bathroom when I'm knitting in bed. WHEW! Hopefully I can keep this project a secret and finish it in time for the deadline. Wish me luck (and a lot of free time).

Here's hoping everyone has a better week this week! Last week seemed to be pretty difficult for most people, in reading your blogs. It's near the end of January, and I'm excited about exodus of another winter month. I'll try to post mid-week this week, if possible. It's time to share some recent yarn aquisitions. I've gotten lots of yummy yarn lately!

Lettuce Knit

Here's a quick shot of the first sock of 2009 (notice I didn't say the first PAIR of socks). I've already cast on for the second sock, and hope to finish it sometime this week, or maybe this weekend. (Garger Rib Stitch in STR Lettuce Knit colorway, medium weight - for all you fiber folks). I love the foot of the sock. The striping is really pretty nice there.
We've been busy as a family, having strep throat (youngest), hosting birthday parties (for the youngest, work done by the elders), working overtime (again the eldest - hint, that's me), taking mid-terms (eldest child), playing volleyball (the eldest - we started our league on Saturday night), and just generally being tired (all of us). I'm pretty sure I'm one of those fair-weather people who favor warmer weather. Although, winter is just great for knitting, and showing off all of one's hand-made items!
Today's bright spot was sponsored by my hubby. He brought home a surprise today - Wii Fit! I'll let you know how we like it. So far, it's a little slow, but then again, I'm a little hyper. The yoga will do well by me, I'm sure. By a little slow, please don't think that I'm in great shape. I'm just used to more contact sports and fast paced things when I exercise. The Wii Fit will be good for muscle toning, which I so desperately need!

Well, knit on my friends! I've been enjoying your posts, sleepily gazing at your gorgeous projects (I usually read blogs early in the morning or late at night). You all inspire me to keep on going, even when my head hits the pillow! Lettuce knit onward and upward! :)
Happy Monday!

New Year, New Projects

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking for now (Come on, you didn't think I'd be totally silent, did you?). I've only got another half an hour left until a beeper is permanently attached to my side for 72 hours, and any free time is shot to pieces.
Here's what I'm currently working on:


A pretty scarf for my SIL - It's Yarn Pirate in the Neptune colorway (Booty club colorway), and I can't recall the name of the pattern, something like falling water lace. I know, the colorway is bold, and it's obscuring the pattern a bit, but my SIL has a fabulous green coat, and I am done fiddling with patterns trying to make this work. Anyway, it's my foray into lace knitting. It has 32 stitches across, and 16 row repeats. I have decided to do one set of repeats each day, which for me takes about 1/2 hour. Hopefully, in twenty days, I'll have a scarf, and my sanity as well. Lace knitting still frightens me. I'm too much of a perfectionist to leave many mistakes in my work.


Another Noro Silk Garden Striped Scarf. My last one was so enjoyable, and I've ordered quite a few skeins of this yarn for scarves. The in-laws loved them so much, they've asked for them as presents. I figure I can start working on them for next year. It's a nice take along project, and mindless knitting at its best.


And lastly, after the big barn sale at BMFA - I had to cast on some STR. This is Lettuce Knit in a simple garter stitch rib sock destined to be mine, all mine. I don't know about anyone else, but STR always seems to pool for me, even in different size needles, patterns, etc. However, that's its only downfall, and I really love the tight twist of the yarn. Tina's colorways are just fabulous.

Here's hoping that your New Year is filled with many blessed things. I'm off to commit myself to the beeper. Here's hoping it's quiet (I'm trying not to laugh). We've got a pretty good-sized snow storm predicted for tomorrow. Of course, that's when everyone will page the on-call nurse!

Wii, Wii, Wii, All The Way Home

A pictureless post. I know. I detest them too. But the problem is this: Santa brought us a Wii (albeit, we're just a year late), and nobody seems to want to do or talk about anything else. My oldest got the Guitar Hero, World Tour. Need I say more? My youngest is smokin' me on tennis serves. My body aches, and I wake up each morning singing at the top of my lungs. My husband claims to the people still talking to us, that his wife has gone to the dark side (as he begs me to play "No Sleep 'Til Brooklynn" again).
Why or why didn't somebody warn us? :) PS - my nephews got the PS version of Guitar Hero, Legends of Rock, and we played that all Christmas afternoon. My SIL reported to my DH that I didn't nap on Christmas afternoon, not one wink. This is a Christmas miracle of sorts. No nap at all! YIKES!

On a serious note (not a musical one), I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas! I'll post knitting contect shortly. Blogging has been the least of my priorities (as you can tell), and I need to catch up. I did gift a lovely baby sweater to my youngest neice. I took a picture of it with my eldest daughter's new camera. She promptly deleted said picture, but I think I'll make that pattern again. It was a Victorian Baby Tee. Maybe my SIL will post a picture of her wearing it!
Happy Christmas (just a few days late)!

Insane Love

I'll admit it. I've succumbed to knitting with the masses. Sometimes knitting with the masses, or knitting a popular pattern is loads of fun! Who am I kidding? I love knitting with the masses. Peer pressure does wonders for my startitis problems. Sigh.
It's really all HER fault. She's the one who posted all the pretty pictures of her scarf on her famous blog. She vamped up the popularity of these scarves again, first made popular by Brooklyn Tweed.
Now, I find myself knitting a 1x1 ribbed scarf (PS, did I mention that when I'm knitting socks, I pretty much loathe the 1x1 ribbing of the sock), and loving every minute of it. It's addictive. It's probably sinful, how much I love knitting this scarf. The changing colors of the stripes keep me entertained for hours. The only downside of this scarf is that I'm not a continental knitter, and a lot of yarn throwing goes on.

PS #1 - Did I mention that I've ordered more Noro Silk Garden to knit some more of these beauties? Yesterday, everyone at my in-laws house stated they wanted one for Christmas. Not this year, I explained. But I may take them up on the idea for next year, as I do not see my love for these scarves (and their knitting appeal) waning any time soon.

PS #2 - I know this post was supposed to be about cowls. I'm still knitting them, but I couldn't wait to show you this scarf. And if you find yourself digging through your stash, or ordering some Noro Silk Garden, don't say I didn't warn you!

Happy Holidays! Get out those one-skein books for some final quick Christmas knitting. Less than a month left to go!

The First Time

I have accomplished it! I have knit my first pair of toe-up socks! I don't know why I was so wary about accomplishing this milestone in knitting. It was pretty straightforward. I knit a simple 2x2 ribbing so that I could concentrate on the construction of the sock itself.

The toe was remarkably simple. I'm not sure what cast-on method I used, but I learned it at the LYS. Basically you hold both needles (I knit my socks via ML method) as you would for a long tail cast-on. I place my needles beside each other, and made one of them a little higher in height. I think I wound around my bottom needle first (or you could use a slip knot), and then just transferred the cast-on to the upper needle, and cast-on for the long tail method as I normally would, alternating between needles being the only difference. It was amazingly easy, and I promptly scolded myself for never trying this method before this knit.

The foot of the sock seemed to breeze by, and before I knew it, I was at the heel. As usual, expecting the worst, my heart began to beat faster, my palms became a bit sweaty, as I glanced and reread the pattern. I am a bit anal (as if you couldn't figure this out by reading the blog) about making mistakes. So before knitting the heel, I wrote the pattern out long-hand, just to make the knitting easier. It was very straightforward, and once I wrapped my head around the P3 tog TBL, I was soaring along! My pattern for short row heels doesn't require any wrapping and twisting, which, in itself, seems confusing to me, although I may try to conquer that fear in the near future. The first heel went remarkably well, as did the second.
And I marveled at how I did not need to pick up any stitches after knitting the heel, as you would with a top-down sock.

Finally, I did a new bind-off as well. My first bind-off was too tight (can you imagine?). I quickly researched bind-off methods, and decided on Elizabeth Zimmerman's sewn bind-off. Here's another new skill that works like a charm. It gives just enough stretch to wear the garment on the appropriate body part, without making the bind-off too loose!

So here's the final product, my first-toe up socks.
Stats:
Started October 2008, Finished November 2008
US #2 ML Harmony Wood needles (40 in) from Knit Picks (a gift from Morticcia). PS - love them!
Yarn: Scarlet Fleece in the Olives and Pimento Colorway, no major pooling - YEAH!
Pattern: 2x2 rib, 56 stitches, generic toe-up pattern


I couldn't be more pleased! This yarn is not the softest I've ever knit, but the fabric that it knits into is altogether lovely. It has 20% Nylon, which I think must be important in toe-up socks. My concern with this heel construction is that it might wear poorly, not having that nice reinforced heel flap as top-down construction does. Anyone want to weigh in on this factor?
Next post, maybe I'll feature the cowls that have been piling up for Christmas giving!
PS - yesterday we got between 4-6 inches of snow, and it was lovely, even if I did have to drive in it!

Phinally, some FO's!

I'm back. However, I have too much content to cram into one blog post. It's been very busy this past month. I have been doing a fair amount of knitting, but the excitement to photograph and publish blog posts is waning. I cannot offer an explanation for this, but I've sensed that several people are suffering from this particular malady.
The title of this post is in honor of the Philadelphia Phillies, and their amazing win in the World Series. My eldest and I watched with bated breath until the last pitch was thrown. What an exciting end to the game! YEAH PHILLIES! And the pun is, "Phinally, a World Series Championship, the first since 1980!" The funny thing is that I remember watching that World Series in 1980!
Okay, onto some knitting content....


These particular socks have been finished for weeks. I can't even use the "no good weather for photography excuse," as my photography always stinks. What do you expect with an old Kodak digital camera? It was good in its time, but I don't have the super mega pixels that my DH's camera boasts.
Reenie's Socks
Start - ? August 2008
Finished - early October 2008
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport
Pattern: - My own (by accident of reading the pattern incorrectly), a 3x1 rib combo.
Lorna's has incredibly great yardage, softens with washing/blocking, and generally creates a nice sock. The colorways are usually pretty nice.

Kate's scarf:
This particular scarf has been on the needles since August of 2008. I remember just starting it, when we visited Boston Children's Hospital (and Morticcia). I also finished it at least two weeks ago, and have started another one in Wollmeise. YUM!
I've also switched needles, from Clover Bamboo to Knit Picks straights. WOW - you have got to get yourself a pair of these needles, or maybe the whole set that they offer! I'm currently using the Harmony Straights. The point of the needle is just right for knitting the K2together stitches. The glide is smooth and perfect, making them truly a really pleasure to knit anything with, let alone the prized Wollmeise.
Kate's Scarf Stats:
Started - August 2008
Finished - October 2008
Yarn: Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel, fingering weight
Pattern: Wendy Johnson's Feather and Fan (easy, peasy).
Mods: None - I knit until the yarn was nearly gone. I must admit to loving the merino/tencel yarn combos. I'm not sure how they would wear for knitting socks, but they make lovely scarves. Sometimes the yarn was a bit splitty, but I didn't knit this scarf with the new Knit Picks Harmony either. I'm interested in starting another merino/tencel scarf after the Wollmeise is done. This project is so easy, it is usually my take-along project.

This scarf, being a bit amiable in nature, sometimes becomes prideful, and poses itself in the most unflattering positions on my chair.

I'm working on some new projects for your viewing pleasure (well, actually they are for my knitting pleasure, but you will probably see them in progress or as finished objects). I'm almost finished with my first toe-up sock. I've also caught some sort of disease that has me looking at cowls and digging through my stash for my meager offerings of Malabrigo to knit said cowl patterns. Could someone enlighten me about this particular disorder? Is it curable?

Well, all said, have a great week! We're Christmas shopping tomorrow, just me and the hubby. We usually spend a day in the toy stores, playing like kids, without the kids in tow. It's one of my favorite days to spend with him.
And of course, we're voting! Are you?