Knitting Kris

Hats Off to a New Year

2012-01-22T22:29:00.003-05:00

Slightly late, but better late than never....

Hats off to a New Year.

Rosebud

Rikke

Project details on Ravelry.

When You're Not Looking

2011-11-06T12:55:00.014-05:00

Life happens whether you're looking or not.....
This late summer we enjoyed some grapes at a local winery....the girls just wouldn't stomp them though, no matter how much we encouraged them to do so....
They did settle for posing for this picture with me (they still like me enough to do that, thankfully).

We had some unexpected things happen.....Some pleasant and beautiful.

Some, while not unexpected, brought complications that were. Thankfully, we're closing the whole premature birth chapter in our lives, with this closure of the feeding tube fistula, post-operative infection, and fainting episodes when little girls are cleared too early for regular activities.....

I've had time to knit, and it has been a simple pleasure that's provided much comfort during these crazy and uncertain times.
Summer Wind

Guernsey Wrap

All the Water

Turn A Square

Yarntini Hat

Sugared Violets

All project details can be found here.

No matter the journey, it's always evolving, changing. Sometimes so quickly, we can't keep pace.
It's then that we need to slow our hearts and minds, take a deep breath, and close our eyes.
It's all under control. Even when we're not looking......

For the Love of the Game

2011-07-17T21:00:00.004-04:00

For the Love of the Game
Pattern: Dream Stripes, Raveled.
Needles - US #8
Yarn - Madelinetosh DK in Tern and Tart

It's a lovely knit, and I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Photos courtesy of my loving husband, who has amazing talent.

Striping It

2011-06-29T20:03:00.002-04:00

It's all shawls here, all the time. The latest one on the needles:
For the Love of the Game, so named because I started it at my daughter's softball game this weekend.
It's a simple striped shawl with a lace border - go ahead. Click on the link. I'll wait.......and the bonus - it's a free pattern!
It has nice design features, with my favorite center increase - the M1R and M1L surrounding the center stitch. I only like this increase when there is a purl back row, as in the photo below. Beautiful.

The yarn is the exquisite Madelinetosh DK, so it's thicker than the previous shawls I've been knitting (not that you've seen them). The colors are Tart (Red) and Tern (gray). The amazing amount of depth in the dyeing process never ceases to amaze me, and this shawl pattern showcases this yarn feature well.
I also broke out the new signature needles in size US #8 - circular. I really didn't think signature could improve on their older versions (three of which I purchased last year at Maryland Sheep and Wool festival), but they did - this cable is amazing. So flexible, and well, those stiletto points are amazing.
So, I'm off to continue working on this shawl. It's been a bit addicting, and yet, relaxing as well......and my porch is calling me too!

2011-06-08T18:56:00.006-04:00

It's an emotional week, with my oldest graduating from high school. To add to all of that emotion and work, I decided to knit a baby gift instead of buy one for a baby shower at work this week. I felt like I had a homework assignment, albeit a good one. I'm not sure why I impose these kinds of deadlines on myself.
So without further ado, and very quickly, I might add, PRESENTING:
Sophisticated Baby (Baby Sophisticate....Raveled).
Yarn: By some strange chance of luck I found an acrylic (oh my goodness, my hands twinge at that word) yarn at Michael's. I'm not sure what I'm doing in the yarn section at Michael's, but that's another story for another day. When gifting my knitting, I'm also never sure whether the parent would appreciate a wool sweater that wasn't knit with superwash wool, so I knit this in, wait....I can hardly wait to tell you. I hate this advertising scheme....but it was.....Vanna's Choice - in the Harbor Mist color. It ALMOST resembles hand-dyed yarn, and it's super soft, without the wacky, scratchy feel of Red Heart. I used less than 2 skeins for the larger size, and the only modifications I made were to change the method of the raglan increases. I used a knit-into-the-front-and-the-back of the stitch instead of the backwards loop cast on. Much nicer and easier to complete the yoke.
The buttons were a great find at.....Walmart. $1.50 - amazing!

Needles: US #8 Addi Turbos. Love them!
The other beauty - I knit this sweater, wove in ends, sewed the buttons, in... three nights, with some nights not really knitting that much at all. So it's quick, and I'm a slow knitter.....you figure it out. Most people knit this little beauty in two nights.
There are complaints on Ravelry that the finished object runs a tad small, and I tend to agree. The larger size yielded me a sweater I'd consider to be about 3-6 months, maybe a little larger. I didn't do gauge, as it's a baby sweater, and well....I am nothing if not lazy at times with my knitting.
So, as I send MY baby off into the big wide world, it's bitter sweet for me to knit a baby sweater for an expecting Mom who is just beginning her journey.

Kickin' Cancer to the Curb

2011-05-22T11:31:00.004-04:00

You've heard me talk about my friend (my age, which you all know now is 40 years old, although I think she may still be 39), who is battling breast cancer. She has completed her treatments and is now on her way to a brand new life. A life, I might add, that she is not taking for granted, and one that she lives to the fullest.
Last night she had a fund raiser event for the Avon Breast Walk, in hopes of someday finding a cure for this horrible disease.
Breast cancer affects approximately 1 in 8 women in their lifetimes. My grandmother is a breast cancer survivor.
Part of my right to passage when I turned 40 years old, was to get my first mammogram. It was a bit scary, and a bit complicated, but I'm here to say that it's SO important to have it done yearly. Don't neglect your mammogram because you are scared (even if you have a valid concern, like a lump). There's always someone who will go with you to get your mammogram done. Don't neglect your mammogram due to cost. There's lots of free clinics out there that provide mammograms at no cost to women. And remember to check your breasts monthly. Know your own body! Let's kick breast cancer to the curb, not only for our generation, but for the next to come!
FIGHT LIKE A GIRL!

Stats - Hooter Hat (knit with the owl cable as the focal point).
Size 8 bamboo and addi turbo needles.
Yarn: Debbie Stoller's Bamboo Ewe - in Pink of course!
Pattern: Heavily modified form of a combination of hat patterns. Contact me if you want the exact formula I used.

Milestones

2011-05-19T19:04:00.004-04:00

Milestones....I've reached a few in the past months while I've been away from the blog.
I've turned 40 years old. Just typing that number makes me cringe a bit. Saying that you are 30-something never bothered me in the least, but 40? It bothers me a bit. People start saying things to me, like, "Well you don't look like you're 40!" What exactly do they mean? People whose children play sports or sing in concerts with my children haven't turned 30 yet. This is amazing to me. It's not as if I feel any older with turning 40. For Pete's sake, it's only a couple of days over 39. But the mental stigma of turning 40 is throwing me for a loop, and I find myself questioning myself and my life more and more.
But then we move onto the next milestone that has me feeling older than....well....39 years old.
My oldest daughter is graduating from high school. This year, my "I'm not wearing a dress, or anything that doesn't involve pants and a t-shirt-type of gal, surprised the socks off of me (unfortunately, they weren't wool socks), and went not only to the homecoming dance (in a dress, no less), but also took a date, who was a friend of hers, to the Senior prom. Shocking. To celebrate this most momentous occasion....I thought she needed a knitted accessory. Now, in case you haven't been reading this blog long at all, you may realize that I'm not good at knitting deadlines. Work deadlines- no problem. Knitting ones....yikes. I'm almost always knitting something last minute on Christmas Eve. Well, this was different. My baby was going to the prom, she had a thin-strapped gown that though she loved, I could tell made her a little bit uncomfortable.

SO....after she decided that she wanted to participate in the prom, we went dress shopping. True to her form, she chose the first dress she had tried on. I should just listen to her when she says, "This is the one, Mom." Instead, we searched for a couple of hours,sighed way too much, and grouched a bit throughout the mall hallways. It all ended with, "I told you that was the one, Mom." So, we got the dress. I came home and dug through my pink yarn for the precious knitted accessory I was dreaming about. Now, lest you think I'm an organized knitter, and stash all of my pink yarn in one place.....I shall put you at ease. There's pink yarn (and yarn of any color) stored just about everywhere in my house. But fear, not! I suddenly remembered that I had bought some sale yarn (who doesn't love sale yarn) at a shop in Tennessee years ago (probably about 4 years ago), and decided it might be a perfect fit. It even had some silver in it (There was also silver in my daughter's dress - go ahead. Click on the photos, I'll wait - find the little circles of silver in the material?). It was not the softest yarn I've ever knit with, but by gosh and by golly, it did match her dress pretty well, and to its credit, it did soften just a smidge with washing.
Then came the horrible decision of what design to knit for my jeans-wearing, t-shirt-loving gal.....I searched my patterns....now again, lest you think all of my patterns are in one place, rest assured, they are not. I searched and found this pretty butterfly tattoo shawl that I posed (graceful way of stating that I showed it to her without getting my hopes in an uproar) to her. She loved it.
So I gregariously began knitting her shawl. I finished it way before the prom, but neglected (as per my usual) to block it until the week of the prom. The night before the prom, it still felt damp on the blocking boards. I guess this isn't the time to tell you about the three shawls just waiting to be blocked in my living room closet? Nope, I didn't think so either.
Back to the prom....she wore the shawl (It had dried nicely on its own), as evidenced by the photos in this post, and I couldn't be more proud of my daughter, who has grown from a t-shirt-loving, jeans-wearing, black-sneakers-only, please, little girl, into a sweet young woman.
I'm totally smitten with her, as any mother would be. Even a 40 year old one!

Two on Tueday

2011-02-08T18:09:00.002-05:00

Two pictures on Tuesday, and two posts in a week (obviously, I'm starting the week out on Sunday).
First of all, let's give a big hats off to the Packers for their big win on Sunday. It's exciting to see a new team win something big every now and then. I'm not much of a football fan, so I wasn't really into the game that much. In fact, after the first quarter, my friend and I spent the rest of the night booking our beach house for our summer vacation. :) YEAH!

But onto the knitting, because if you're one of the few people who read this blog, you are probably here for the knitting, right?
This is a picture of my Balustrade project (unblocked). It's a super large cowl knit in the pretty, pretty yarn of The Plucky Knitter.
It's knit in superwash merino wool, and I used almost all of the 410 yards in the two skeins. It's a fabulous dark gray color (it's hard to capture anything, especially color, on camera this time of the year). I'm unsure of how to block this cowl - leave me some suggestions in the comment section if you're able to recommend anything at all.
This knitting was pretty fast, but I got distracted a lot by other projects. The lace on this project was not hard to knit, but I did have to pay attention, especially during the middle section. The outer portions of lace were easy to memorize. I even found myself correcting an error with a yarn-over involved, and I don't think I batted an eyelash. That's progress for me (and of course, insurance that I will screw up royally on my next project, and be unable to fix it, what with knitting karma and all).

In the wings, my husband has been patiently waiting for a hat and fingerless mitts out of this yarn. The yarn is Madeline Tosh (old worsted) in the Field colorway. I think the hubby wants to blend into the winter background with it. The color of the yarn matches the blueish/gray of the past week or two here in the woods. I'm not minding the weather so much this winter, possibly because I'm so busy with my new job and trying desperately to keep up with the family's activities.

So, we've come to the conclusion of my Two on Tuesday post. Enjoy your week.....I'll try to show you blocked pictures of the cowl at some point, and I've got another Two on Tuesday surprise awaiting you - I've finished two pair of socks! YEAH ME!

The Sunday Afternoon Post

2011-02-06T15:36:00.003-05:00

Nana's scarf, a project from long ago. I finally finished it these last couple of days. It's knit in Brooks Farm Merino wool, so it's nice and soft. Nana picked the colors, and I knit this simple pattern from the Yarn Harlot.. This pattern seems to work really well with variegated yarn, and handspun.

I can't stay long, as it's Super Bowl Sunday, and we have a bunch of people coming over to watch the game. Me, I'm just looking forward to the friendship and the food!

Here's wishing you all enjoyment during the game tonight! And as a Pennsylvania resident, I feel compelled to shout - "GO STEELERS!"

Stalled

2011-01-25T18:05:00.002-05:00

I can't decide.....start a new project, or finish some of the myriad projects on the needles? Wouldn't it be great to finish the two (or maybe three) pair of socks on my needles? How about those two, whoops, three lingering scarves? Wouldn't I like to finally finish that Noro blanket?
Hubby is begging for his hat and gloves.....Mittens - I gotta have a pair. It was -3 degrees on the way to work yesterday. And there's that shawl pattern I wanted to cast on yesterday.
And I have to block three, possibly four finished shawls, and a cowl.

Oh, I give up. I can't focus on the knitting. Apparently I have knitting ADD.
But, I need a picture for this post......so how about a photo of my salad? This was Friday night's dinner last week. Tonight - Chicken breast stuffed with broccoli and cheese, and I'm going to make a knitting list (after the laundry, the dishes, the kids' homework, yada, yada, yada......)!

It's That Time of Year

2011-01-14T17:53:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year when I'm spending a lot of time in the bowling alley, ~~watching paint dry~~, supporting my children in their activities. Knitting helps to get me through these events, but it's got to be a bit of mindless knitting. The mindless knitting takes awhile to finish, as it only gets attention in the car (when I'm not driving), and during events like this, or at the doctor's office, etc. I marvel at those ~~crazy~~ talented people who can knit when they are driving. That's kinda impossible here, where traffic lights are 15 miles away, and farm equipment and snow plows dominate the back roads.

So here's a photo of my current mindless knitting (taken at the bowling alley, no less)......aka the Striped Noro Scarf.
This one is being knit to match my black coat, and to give me a little infusion of bright color on these long winter days.

Do you have mindless knitting on your needles now?

First Finished Object of 2011

2011-01-08T07:52:00.003-05:00

Snow is softly falling outside my window this morning. The house is quiet, and I've got a nice cup of coffee sitting next to me. Welcome Saturday morning!

I've finished my first project of the New Year last week. It's an iPad cozy for my Aunt. She opted to forgo the button closure, because she didn't want the button to scratch her screen. I can't say that I disagree with her at all, but IMHO, I think it might resemble a water bottle without that button......ah well. She likes it, and that's all that matters. I enjoyed knitting it too!

IPad cozy - pattern here
PS - Pattern is free!
Yarn - Nature Spun Worsted in Stone colorway (my oldest stash).
Size US #8 needles.
This pattern taught me a lot of things.....
Judy's Magic Cast On for knitting in the round.
Cabling without a cable needle (okay, this is my second project utilizing this technique, but it's still new to me).
Use that stash yarn! This is probably the oldest yarn in my stash. I'm glad it's finally getting put to good use!

I've not made goals or resolutions for myself lately, because I usually fail miserably at them, but I have made a firm decision.
I want to be a prolific knitter. In order to do this, I must spend more time knitting. I already knit quite a bit, but often times, I don't record my projects in Ravelry, and I don't take the time to photograph (however measly my attempts) my projects. This is something I would like to make a conscious effort to do this year.
Hmmm....that sounds an awful lot like a New Year's resolution to me!

Welcome 2011

2011-01-01T21:50:00.003-05:00

Welcome 2011! Today was so gray and dreary, a perfect day for lounging about, which we did! But yesterday was a different story. I got a chance to get some very quick outside photos of a shawl that has surprised me to no end!

The pattern held no surprises. It's a straight forward knit. I was afraid that the variegated color of the yarn would obscure the results, but I like it. I like it very much! I think I'm keeping it. Yes, indeed I'm keep this one for me.
Pattern: Wandering The Moor
Needles - US#6
Yarn - Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga - colorway - Frog-Legged Leaf Beetle (gorgeous color).

Serial Hat Knitter

2010-12-28T21:36:00.001-05:00

It appears as though I might be a Serial Hat Knitter.
It all started with this.......

And this gorgeous pattern from Ravelry (modified just slightly by me).

Yarn - Handspun yarn from the wonderfully talented Ceylan of Plied Together on Etsy. I may have knit two chunky berets as well, for my college-aged cousins. There may have even been some knitting during Christmas gatherings to finish those berets. In fact, one of them was knit entirely during our Christmas family gathering. I finished in the nick of time!

Since I missed Christmas here on the blog, I'll move onward. Here's to a happy and healthy New Year for all!

Blue Christmas.......

2010-12-11T15:29:00.004-05:00

A Blue Christmas hat for me!

Stats:
Diamond Beret, Free pattern on Ravelry.
Size US#7 needles
Yarn - Dream in Color, Classy (worsted weight yarn) in the Night Watch Colorway.
The pattern is great, the yarn, well......kinda meh about it. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. It's a superwash yarn, and it feels "treated." It's definitely not as soft as the other yarns I've been knitting with lately (their cashmere content doesn't help with this comparison). If you are looking for a nice, standard yarn for knits that will get a lot of wash and wear, this might be the yarn for you.

The hat enjoyed its inaugural debut on our Christmas tree trek. Please don't comment on the lack of matching accessories. I am going to crank out something more "matchy, matchy" after the Christmas knitting is done.
What's in your queue?

Mumbo Jumbo

2010-11-03T18:24:00.007-04:00

My brain feels a bit mushy lately, so hang in there for a thoroughly scattered post.

Another hat for my friend who has breast cancer. She and I graduated from high school together. She makes me smile every time I visit her, and her courage is inspiring. Breast cancer is such a scary disease. I find myself thinking more about my own mortality lately. My friend blesses me each time I visit with her. She sent me a message on facebook this weekend saying that she'd shrunk the first hat (I think she forgot it was wool) I made for her. I'm happy to knit my friend hats, as she has lost her hair at this point. So, I knit her two more.
This is the first one I delivered on Saturday night. It's a Honey Hat, which is really a child's hat by Hannah Fetig (Knitbot). I just made it larger by increasing the pattern by two repeats. Ta Da - adult hat, but modeled here by a willing youngster. I used Inca Alpaca to knit this. I figured it would be soft against her head. I gave her some Soak to use to wash the hat, and told her that I would demo wool care for her next time.

Now, I'm onto knitting with some lovely handspun yarn from Plied Together, a great little Etsy shop that I found from fellow blogger/Raveler, Zonda. I'm officially spoiled rotten, and love knitting with this handspun. I may be ruined for commercial yarn forever (not quite, but it's tempting). The only problem with handspun yarn? Expensive. But a little treat now and then never hurt a girl!

A Little Lost

2010-10-27T19:28:00.003-04:00

I'm a little lost lately......a lot of changes are happening quickly in my life. We've moved to a new house this summer, and we've finally got buyers for our old house....now it's just finishing the loose ends before closing (at least we hope). I'm starting a new job in early November. I'm hunkering down and getting a mammogram for the first time in my life. I'm helping my parents celebrate 40 years of marriage! Yeah for Mom and Dad!
Life is full and busy, and I'm blessed. Truly. But I'm feeling a little bit lost right now. It's hard to explain.
Amidst all these confusing emotions, knitting has been my one constant. Thank heavens for the repetition it provides.

Plummy Purl Ridge Scarf
Size US #7 needles
The Plucky Knitter Superwash Merino, in Polly's Plum Passion Colorway

Letter to October

2010-10-02T12:33:00.003-04:00

October,
You came too quickly. Yet, you didn’t arrive fast enough. How’s that for a paradox? I love the months of September and October. Your mere arrival is joyous, save the fact that you precede the Winter months.

So, October, I’m looking to you to help me revive my sock knitting mojo. I’ve lost it, you see. Somewhere amidst the shawls, the hats, and Ravelry. I used to be so passionate for sock knitting. I always looked forward to knitting socks. I’ve always been enamored with the frivolity associated with knitting socks. Who needs knitted socks, I mean really? They are a decadence, pure and simple. Knitting them has always been pure joy. But how do I explain the socks on the needles that have been languishing for months now? I can’t. The mojo has just gone.

By now you may be asking yourself what’s so special about sock knitting and October? What about the month of October is going to magically inspire me to knit socks again? Kristen Kapur, the lovely lady of Through The Loops Designs, organizes a mystery sock KAL (knit a-long). It starts on October 1st. Each week she introduces a new clue or part of a pattern for participants to knit. The pattern is free! So, to recap......I’ll start the socks, only be able to knit so far on them each week until the next clue is released, and then hopefully I’ll finish them at the end of the month. I think this KAL has enough pizazz to kick start my sock knitting again.

And if that can’t do it, maybe knitting the socks with this amazing yarn from Madelinetosh will get me into gear! It’s their superwash sock in the fabulously Fall colorway of Copper Penny. It’s really not a Fall colorway, but it reminds me of Fall with its amazing shades of Autumn colors.

In closing, October, I'm enamored. You already knew that. I hope you inspire me to knit something amazing today.
Fondly,
KnittingKris

Almost Autumn

2010-09-20T14:21:00.005-04:00

Almost Autumn in Pennsylvania....
Cooler, almost crisp temperatures, clear blue skies, hints of leaves turning vibrant colors here and there. You can almost smell it in the air. It's my favorite time of year.
The road leading to our house......

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

Busy!

2010-09-14T16:21:00.004-04:00

Busy, Busy, Busy! We're busy with school, soccer, finishing the move (The realtor for our old home takes the realm tomorrow), and busy with life in general. Knitting time has been scarce and precious.

But I did cast on for this project at a baseball game the other week. Who needed to watch the Yankee's play their minor league game anyway? :) If you recall, we are all about the Phillies around here.
In the knitting realm, I'm all about the Madelinetosh Yarn lately......
Here's a Chickadee Cowl in Mansfield Garden Party colorway, sport weight yarn - destash from Zonda, and paid for with my Yarntini destash. Gosh, I love yarn swaps! :)
Pattern: FREE - Chickadee Cowl by Kirsten Kapur - modified to fit sport weight yarn.
Needles: US#8 Bamboo
Yarn described above.

The only problem with this project is that I'm a yarn "thrower", and there is a lot of wasted hand movement when I'm knitting this project. But the fabulous color and woven effect of the linen stitch make it all worth the while.

I'm really enjoying the cooler, almost fall weather we're having this week in PA. It' s my favorite time of the year. I hope you're enjoying your knitting where you are too!

Instant Gratification

2010-09-07T21:35:00.002-04:00

I'm a bit too tired and just "out-of-sorts" to write about anything major here. But a little instant gratification always does wonders for the soul.
Cove Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West of Westknits.
Yarn: Madelinetosh Vintage Worsted Weight in the Cove colorway, hence the name of the project.
Needles - US#7 - Signatures circulars. LOVE THEM!
Great pattern, great needles, great yarn. And a gift for a Great (as in wonderful, awesome, rockin') Aunt, who is more like my sister. Happy Birthday, Adrienne!
This knit's for you.

Daft

2010-08-30T18:05:00.006-04:00

I have always been a fan of a British accent. I have always found English accents to be charming for the most part, and I find myself gravitating to their vernacular in ways that seem odd for an American citizen. I love it when they say, "Bugger," and "Bloody" with such passion. I realize those statements might be a form of swearing, so I'm not really sure I should be holding them in such a high esteem for the use of those words in particular. Sometimes it's just fun to say that I took a "snap," or I have to go to the "Loo." And I'm totally fascinated with the whole tea thing.
Hmmm....where is all of this leading and how does it relate to knitting? I'm sure you are wondering, as I'm not truly convinced that I know most of the time either. But there is a British word or turn of phrase that describes my current state of affairs in regards to a baby blanket in question.....

DAFT. I must be DAFT to think that I'm going to finish this blanket by 9/11/10. But then again, stranger things have happened. The blanket is not hard knitting - it's only garter stitch. It's finding the time to knit and not feeling guilty about it. That's the key. How do you make time for knitting? Is it ever a guilty pleasure for you?

You Had Me.....

2010-08-23T20:16:00.002-04:00

Dear Dream In Color Yarn,
You had me with the Tulip Cardigan. Really, you did. Only then I didn't know what the sex of THEIR baby would be (please note use of possessive). And I had such a passion to order your yarn (please note that I didn't USE it immediately, as I was saving it for the RIGHT baby). Now I know of said baby, so knitting must commence.
I'm really impressed with the feel and "squoosh" factor of your yarn. And really, your colors are fabulously bright for a neat baby project. But not knowing the sex of said baby at the time of purchase of this yarn, I did not choose the Tulip Cardigan pattern. Yes, I know, you do make the cardigan pattern in "masculine" colors and styles now. Your marketers should get a raise. But, I digress yet again. That's not what we're here to talk about. It's your re-skeining that stinks. I'm not sure if you do it manually, or if you have a machine. Either way, you had better take a hard look at this component. Because when a knitter decides on a project, as I have done......., she usually likes to wind up the yarn and cast on for said project immediately. Now we may have a different definition of the word, "immediately," but I'd say in most cases it means in 5 minutes or so (from a knitter's standpoint). You can't work in the fiber industry and not know about the siren call of new projects and the excitement of working with such beautiful yarn.
Anyway, my point is, I uncurled the hanks. I placed them on my swift, and fired up the ball winder. The first two skeins had me loving you even more than I have already professed. They wound up so nicely. But then the trouble started. I fought with the Blue Lagoon as we were winding away, but she was able to stay on the ball winder and swift. But Lipstick Lava made me almost cry. He needed to come off the swift in a hurry. Needless to say, I spent more than 30 minutes with him wrapped around my neck, trying desperately to get him onto the ball winder. Beach Fog threatened his head too, but I gave him "The Look," and he settled down quickly. And finally, at long last, I can show you my stack of cakes. Now the problem is that it's time for bed. Will I have any energy left to start this new project? I better well have, as the finished project needs to be done by 9/11. Irony? I think not!

Sincerely,
Knitting Kris

Project:
Rocketry Baby Blanket
Needles: Size US #7
Dream in Color Yarn in the following colorways, from top to bottom: Strange Harvest, Beach Fog, Blue Lagoon, Visual Purple, Happy Forest, and Lipstick Lava.
Cast on date: Tonight, if I have any energy left.
Happy Monday!

Just Another Manic Monday

2010-08-16T20:25:00.004-04:00

Here at Mountain Woman Central, it's life as usual - maniacal and crazy. I'm playing the Bangles as I write this post.....are you all old enough to remember the Bangles? They were/are a typical 80's group. I find it amusing that I can listen to all these great old songs on the Internet. Can I just say that we love our DSL? We had just advanced to DSL about 3 months before we bought out new-to-us house, and then the panic set in about whether it would be available where we were moving to, with the location being somewhat more remote. So, I called the company, and they of course threatened, "No service available Ma'am." I almost cried. Wait, I did cry. It's so easy to use the computer with it, and the thought of satellite or worse yet, dial-up, was too much to bear.....But alas, some strange man named Jonathon (no last name) from the West Coast, called one Saturday before we moved, and lo and behold, there is service available. After a lot of whooping, general jumping around, and acting maniacal again, I calmly thanked him, and kissed the phone when he hung up......long story short. Here at the base of the mountain, we have DSL. Yes, yes, we do!
But I digress......you're here for knitting content. So here's the latest shawl....

Hamamelis shawl by Kirsten Kapur of Through The Loops.
Yarn - The Plucky Knitter, 50% silk, 50% Merino Wool in Fingering Weight.
Needles - Size US #6
I wore this shawl with my little black dress to my nephew's wedding in June. Wow, that makes me sound ancient doesn't it? I have a nephew that's married! However, I counter with my best defense, a nephew that is a mere 6 years old. Ha!
Seriously, I hope that this week gets better as it progresses. I have only 6 more working days (and two on-call nights) until a little break. I have decided that if you can't fight it (the whole control issue that alludes me these days), just turn up the Bangles and sing like a mad woman, or man if that be your gender......
Have a great week. Knit on!

2010-08-08T21:43:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post, for I'm tired and recovering from bronchitis and sinusitis (in August, no less). Tomorrow I head back to work, with a pager attached to my hip, no less.

Pattern: Ripple Hat by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Merino/Alpaca/Silk blend in worsted weight from The Plucky Knitter
Needles: US size 7
Finished in March, after only a couple of days of very intermittent knitting, but only photographed now. Have a great week!

Back in the Saddle Again

2010-07-30T06:58:00.004-04:00

A flying trip to Boston Children's Hospital for a yearly visit left me with some knitting time in the car. I have not been able to summon the energy to knit with the house move, and the lack of knitting has taken its toll on my sanity. I have since decided that my sanity is important enough to regain, so knitting has commenced again this week.

Even though we still have moving to do, and boxes to unpack (that's really making light of everything), I'm taking the time to knit now. I think everyone in my family will agree that I'll be better spirited. And you know that saying......"When Mama's happy, then everyone's happy!" I find it to be pretty true.
Here's some photos of my latest WIP.

Pattern: Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter MCN Fingering in "Stargazer"
Needles: US#6 Signature circular needles
Knitter: Extremely happy, to say the least. More relaxed to everyone's enjoyment.
Have a great weekend!

Moving

2010-06-02T16:35:00.005-04:00

We are embarking on what we hope will be an exciting year for our family. We are moving to a new (to us) house, and packing up 12 years of memories (and junk, who am I kidding) in our old home, and moving a whole 1.1 miles to our new house. The new house is tucked away and more private than where we currently reside. Everything seems to be moving so quickly now, it's scary. I'm trying to cope with not only packing and cleaning, but keeping my family in some sense of order as we progress through softball games, days of laundry, work, and completing summer employment applications for my eldest daughter. Today, we celebrated the last day of school for the 2009-2010 school year. Next year, my eldest daughter will be a senior in high school. Where did the time go? We have an appointment with the photographer next week for senior portraits. Such an exciting time, and yet, kinda scary too!
During this time, I've been knitting simple projects. It's all I can do to knit some stockinette stitch at the end of the day. I've also taken a hard look at my yarn stashing habits with packing "stuff" for the move. I'm embarrassed to say that I've got yarn hoarding tendencies.....but you all knew that, didn't you? :)
We are all busy, tired, and yet happy. Many days I rely on grace to get us through this. Change.....it has a funny way of stretching us to our utmost limits, even if the change is for the better. Speaking of change.....I'm off to pack another box or two.

Maryland

2010-05-02T19:38:00.005-04:00

Just back from Maryland Sheep and Wool this weekend. It was fun, but completely TOO warm. I had an excellent time with my mother, who was my companion for the weekend. We arrived home early this afternoon. I'll try to post later about the things I brought home with me.
Of course, I couldn't leave you without some picture in this post, could I?

Our Chase, as a young puppy. He's 5 months old now. He has an appointment with the groomer this weekend for his spring haircut. Thanks heavens!

Perspective

2010-04-11T21:27:00.003-04:00

I've never been a huge lover of gifts of flowers. It's probably because I consider flowers to be a bit extravagant. Don't misunderstand me. I love it when someone gives me flowers. It's just that my brain processes things a bit differently. I tend to think......"Hmm.....instead of those flowers, we could have done..........x, y, or z."
Yesterday however, my daughter came running full tilt across our yard with a fistful of flowers from our neighbor's yard. These weren't just any flowers. They were a massive amount of dandelions. Now, most of us look at these flowers as pesty nuisances in our yards. We do our best to inhibit their growth. But yesterday, I wouldn't have traded them for anything in the world. They were stunning, as my daughter gave them to me with a giant smile on her face. "Look Mommy! I picked all of these for you!"
When I saw those flowers, I didn't once consider what we could have done without them. I happily placed them in water and proudly displayed them on my counter.
Sometimes, it's a matter of perspective. Why do I consider purchased flowers an extravagance, when my daughter clearly spent quite a bit of time picking these flowers with her own hands? That's more extravagant that the most expensive roses. I think from now on, I'll quiet my little brain when someone gives me flowers, and just enjoy the moment. I'm missing too much joy........are you?

Random Shots

2010-04-08T20:01:00.003-04:00

Knitting has been slow these days, so how about some pictures of Christmas knits that I never posted....
Sounds good to me. And well, if you're here and you're reading, guess you'll play along with me.

An Ishbel shawl for my SIL, Kate. Yarn - Blue Water Times MCN Fingering by The Plucky Knitter

A Simple Yet Effective Shawl for my SIL, Jess (this is the fingering wt yarn version). Yarn - Noro Kureyon Sock Yarn

One of the cutest female hat models I've ever seen....my niece, Charity. Yarn - Yarn Pirate, DK in Zinnia. Those gorgeous eyes, a product of Jeremy and Kate Inc. (not to be confused with John and Kate, dear my).

And my brother, Greg (middle) with his sons (and my nephews), Bailey (left) and Brody (right). Yarn - A bunch of different colors of malabrigo, including Lime/Blue and Ravelry Red.

All knitwear made my yours truly. I've seen them wear these items after the obligatory day or two, so I know that they are well loved.

Up next, after I finish the never-ending Citron........another shawl. I seem to have lost my sock knitting mojo. If you see it, could you send it my way?

We Interrupt This Knitting Blog....

2010-03-28T21:30:00.006-04:00

I haven't been able to blog (or knit) for the past week.
As you can see, we've been a little bit busy.

Sleep deprived and tired doesn't even come close to how I feel tonight. I've been vertical since 3:30am this morning, and it's starting to catch up with me. We took a really early flight home from Orlando to BWI this morning. We spent the past week at Disney, Discovery Cove (Awesome), and Sea World.
We met lots of new (and famous people)....at the Phillies game in Clearwater, FL.

We loved Discovery Cove, where we snorkeled with Sting Rays and tropical fish, ate ourselves silly, and generally had a fabulous time! We even wore wetsuits all day, although only some of us are posing for your viewing pleasure.

All in all, it was a very busy, but good trip. All I have to say is that I'm very happy that we are home safe and sound. I've been blessed with a great family and wonderful friends!

My Next Knitting Project

2010-03-19T16:39:00.003-04:00

With the advent of DSL, I've been able to see all kinds of knitterly things. I've decided this should be my next project!
AMAZING!

Let me know what you think!

Green with Envy

2010-03-16T18:16:00.007-04:00

My eldest nephew is getting married in June. I have a nice little black dress that needs a little something in the pizazz department. Queue Citron!

I've wondered how I was going to knit with this yarn, it being so vibrantly green and whatnot.

It's so green, it makes my teeth hurt. But hey, I figured everyone needs a little green to celebrate St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, right?

Pattern: Citron (small shawl - my newest knitting addiction). Free pattern on Ravelry!
Yarn: Wollmeise Sockenwolle - 80/20 Twin, colorway - Wasabi
Needles - US size #6
Start date - 3/13/10
Finish date - to be determined, but definitely before June 26th!

A True Olympic Finish

2010-03-11T18:15:00.006-05:00

I finished my projects for the Olympics right on time, I just didn't get a chance to post them. Sometimes life gets in the way!
Here's my finished shawlette (small shawl). It's knit from The Plucky Knitter's 50% silk, 50% merino, in a worsted weight yarn. It's lovely! I love the drape of the knitted fabric.

And lastly, my Pretty Thing cowl. It's also knit in The Plucky Knitter's yarn. It's her 4-ply cashmere yarn in the colorway, Wild Violets. I basically knit this object in 2 days, and it was a stretch to get it done, but I love it! The yarn is so soft.

For those on Ravelry, you can view my project information there. I'm trying to be better about posting it to that site, if for no other reason than to keep a journal of sorts for myself.
I'm off to give the dog some much needed loving. He's sitting on my lap as I post this entry. He got his first hair cut this week. We can finally see his eyes! I hope that you're all having a good week! I'm SO looking forward to this weekend, when I'm SO not working!

Oh, and we've got DSL now, and wait for it................an iMac!

In True Olympic Fasion......

2010-02-27T15:50:00.005-05:00

I'm sprinting to the finish line with my last project for Ravelympics. This last project gave me quite a fit. I ripped back to the starting line over six times. I stopped counting how many times I frogged the project after that. It isn't a difficult project for me, but I think my attention was zapped this week at work.

Until I get new photos of my Olympic projects, please enjoy another WIP of mine - Cotty socks. I love Carrie's pattern, and how it works with both colorful yarns and solid yarns! If you're a sock knitter, consider this pattern for a future project.

I'll see you at the finish line with my Ravelympic projects. GO TEAM USA! I hope that we win the medal count!

Falling....

2010-02-21T12:01:00.004-05:00

Falling behind on knitting, cleaning, and life in general. I'm even falling behind on viewing the Olympics. For shame. I've got to get cracking. Today marks the first day of three days at home, no work. This comes after seven consecutive work days in a row, so I don't mind. But I do think I need to put a little spring into my step, and color into my gray days.

How about this sock to take away the winter doldrums?
Pop sock (please notice the lack of plural status). This is the first one. I have yet to knit the second one. After the Olympics, I say!

These crazy self-striping yarns make me smile all day long. And my navy uniform may have to make way for some crazy socks in the next couple of weeks. I think it may be necessary for my very survival during these long winter months!

Fighting.....

2010-02-18T05:53:00.003-05:00

I'm fighting with Blogger. It takes forever to upload photos on my dial-up connection. I spend more time in front of the computer just waiting than ever before. BUT - there is light at the end of the tunnel. We now have DSL available in our area! It's coming to us very soon!
So, hopefully the photo will work this time. This is the picture that belonged in yesterday's post.
Enjoy!

What are you "fighting" this week?

Tired on Tuesday

2010-02-16T19:31:00.004-05:00

Enjoy the photograpy courtesy of my hubby.......I'm too tired to compose anything about knitting today. But I will say this, apparently we need to send the ice and snow North to Canada, as they are experiencing technical difficulties on most of the venues.....

2010-02-15T16:30:00.004-05:00

I'm beginning to realize how little I have to say, with posting every day, instead of every month! So..........how about I just let the pictures do the talking?

A Brooks Farm Yarn Scarf - Colorways from Brooks Farms are never marked with names, but they are gorgeous all the same.
The yarn is 50% Merino wool, 50% silk, worsted weight. This project was actually my first finished object (FO) of 2010. I just need to block it to increase its length.

One of the interesting things about this scarf is that it employs what I believe to be the "knit-one-below" stitch in the pattern. It makes quite a lovely change to the knitted fabric. This pattern is a repeat of two simple rows. But if you are a knitting thrower like I am (the technical term is English style), those two rows can go on indefinitely, until you feel that you want to pull your hair out.......and then the scarf's complete. And suddenly you think you might want to knit another one. Knitting is a disease, I tell you!

Now off to get supper started and actually knit something today! I'll soon run out of things to post if I don't keep knitting!
PS - Great Olympic moment for Canada in men's moguls yesterday!

A Retro Valentine

2010-02-14T12:15:00.006-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! May you take the time today to let those you love know how much they mean to you. Instead of chocolate today, I've given my girls the gift of reading. They each received a book for Valentine's Day. And we also gave them the gift of rest, since we've been battling colds for the past couple of days. We slept longer than usual today for some much needed repast. I am working the next eight days consecutively. Rest is essential.

Since I'm being lazy today, lounging in my PJ's for far too long, I'm just posting some work in progress shots of my Saroyan scarf/shawlette.
The yarn I'm using is 50/50 Merino wool/silk. The color is called Retro Mint (one of my loves this Valentine's Day). This yarn has beautiful stitch definition. The stitches simply pop, looking crisp and clean and even (which is what one means when they refer to stitch definition). The ever-so-slightly shaded yarn is perfect for this project.

For those who don't know what a "shawlette" is........allow me to enlighten you.
Shawlette - a small shawl that can be worn around the neck as a scarf or neck warmer. Not to be confused with the ever popular cowl, which is a tubular item worn around one's neck. Shawlettes can also be worn around the waist, but if you've seen my hips in person, you know that they need no further attention called to them by something else swaying near that area......

I realize that on the increase rows, this Retro Saroyan Scarf appears a bit thong-like (albeit a really pretty thong) in nature. Future pictures will show the straight sections, where no increasing is made, and thong-like thoughts disappear.

And in Olympic history, America cashes in for their first gold medal. Hannah Kearney of the US (a knitter as well, go read her bio), took the gold medal in women's moguls! Go team USA!

An Olympic Event

2010-02-13T08:18:00.003-05:00

Last night millions of Americans and folks from all over the world watched as Canada put on an Olympic event that took our breath away. I always love the opening cermonies. Everyone is filled with hope and the spirit of good competition. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the sadness that touched the world last night as everyone remembered the lost life of Georgian luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili.

The Olympic games hold a special place in my memories. I can remember watching the Olympics as a child. I must confess that I'm an official Olympic junky. I will spend the next two weeks walking around in a stupor from lack of sleep.

This Olympic year, I thought I would be different. I'd join with the thousands, literally thousands, of knitters across the globe for THE, (wait for it) KNITTING OLYMPICS. I can see that many of you are laughing now. I know there must be a chuckle somewhere. It sounds crazy, I know. But in the spirit of the games, knitters cast on knitting projects in various categories, challenging themselves with different techniques, deadlines, finishing that long lost sweater from years ago..... You name it, and there's a category for it. I'll expound on these categories some more in upcoming posts. I promise to post, really I do. It's also kind of a goal of mine to post daily during the Olympics. Considering that I'll be working 8 days in a row next week, this might be an Olympic event all in its self.

In an attempt to make my Olympic ~~addiction~~ viewing time productive, I joined the thousands of knitting "athletes" last night. We all cast on for our projects during the opening ceremonies. For my first project, I'm using this yarn to complete a beautiful lace scarf/shawlette. It's The Plucky Knitter's Merino/Silk aran weight yarn in the color Retro Mint.

The yarn has even gotten into the spirit of the games, fashioning itself in the shape of a "P" for team Plucky. Yes, there are knitting teams, just as there are teams in the tradional Olympic games.

I'm also knitting a Cowl out of The Plucky Knitter's 4-ply Cashmere in the color, Wild Violets.

My goal is to knit these projects in the 17 day time frame that the Olympics are being broadcast. More laughter? I know it seems crazy. Then again, I never claimed to be anything close to normal!
PS - don't worry that I will bore you with slowly progressing project pictures. We'll chat about other things too!

New Addition And........A Hat

2010-01-22T21:59:00.003-05:00

Knitting time will be precious indeed these next few weeks. Work is very busy, the kids have lots of activities, and we have a new addition to our family. Without further ado, please meet Chase Edward!

He arrived at our house tonight, sporting his new coat (he's almost too big for it already), and with only the tiniest of whimpers on the ride home (and no accidents if you know what I mean). He had a lot of loving all the way home though. My youngest daughter is camped out beside his crate tonight with her sleeping bag. It's the cutest sight. She picks him up and carries him everywhere.

And because this is a knitting blog, here's some knitting content.

Wood Hollow Hat - (Pattern by Kirsten Kapur)
Needles - US #7
Yarn - The Plucky Knitter Aran Cashmere, Colorway - Golightly
I love this colorway. It's named Golightly after Holly Golightly in "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Great movie!
Here's hoping you're having a great weekend!

Holy Cowl!

2010-01-13T20:56:00.003-05:00

I know it's not an original title for the blog post, but oh well. You can't expect much from me after working this weekend, and being on-call for the past 4 out of 5 nights. The on-call rotation is my least favorite part of the job.

But since this is a knitting blog........
Here's a cowl that I knit for my youngest daughter. She thinks it's a bit too big for her, so until she "grows into it," I think I'll use it!
Specs:
Pattern: Burnished Leaves Cowl by Chrissy Prange (Ravelry link).
Yarn: The Plucky Knitter in MCN (Merino, Cashmere, Nylon) in Sport Weight.
Needles: US #5, or 3.75mm
Mods - I cut back by one pattern repeat, and it's still a little large. I consider myself a tighter knitter (I blame it on the "angst" factor), and it's still pretty roomy, even with fewer pattern repeats. Keep this in mind if you knit it!

BTW, you wouldn't believe the trouble I have obtaining pictures of my knitting anymore. I have the worst camera in the family. I also don't have any photography assistant, so self portraits are prevalent. I know that I look absolutely terrible in this picture with the dark circles under my eyes (see first paragraph of this post about on-call status). But honestly, I can't complain, because in this day and age, I have a job, my family is warm, fed, and healthy. And I have enough money to occasionally buy my yarn. And The Plucky Knitter yarn is like my new crack.......so gorgeous and tempting! Stop by for one of her updates soon on Etsy!

A New Year

2010-01-05T08:15:00.007-05:00

A new year usually prompts many to take stock in their lives in various ways. Often times, reflection occurs, either personal or task-oriented. Resolutions are made, goals are set, and there is overcrowding at the local gym (ask me how I know).
I have been subject to this annual quest for quite a few years now. But this year is different. I’m not setting myself up for failure. The perfectionist in me won’t allow lower or smaller goals, because what is the point? This year I’m giving myself permission. Permission is a different monster entirely. By its mere definition, one can see the difference between permission (formal consent; leave; license) and goal (an object or end that one strives to attain; aim, keep score). Permission, in my mind, is the acceptance of something that you would not normally allow. Goal-setting requires effort and work. Its very nature is active.
This year, permission is key. I’m giving myself the license to knit what I please. I will not be driven to knit an object out of obligation. I want to knit for the mere satisfaction that the process brings me. I want to knit while I watch TV. I want to gift my knitting, and enjoy the smile it brings to the recipient’s face. I want to knit for people who don't expect anything from me. I want to knit with the pretty one-of-a-kind yarn that I’ve been hoarding for so long. What good does allowing the cashmere to languish in my stash do for anyone, I say? I’m embracing the spirit of knitting this year.

And if that sounds like a goal to you, well, don’t say anything to my perfectionist self. It thinks that I’m only permitting it to be on hiatus this year.

And now, because this is supposed to be a knitting blog, please enjoy two of my favorite Christmas gifts, gifted to my SIL’s. An Ishbel

A little close shot of the lace........It's knit in the lovely Plucky MCN fingering in "Blue Water Times"

And a Simple Yet Effective Shawl in Noro sock yarn. I alternated the skeins to make the stripes. This ia a great travel project, and the pattern works well for sock yarns that pool or stripe.
Happy Knitting in the New Year!

A Tree with Hattitude

2009-12-09T19:28:00.011-05:00

I've got a bit of a problem this year. I can't seem to stop knitting hats. Hats are everywhere in my home (some are not even pictured here). It seems as though everyone in my family is receiving hats for Christmas this year. And before you know it, those hats, well, they all jumped onto my Christmas tree. Talk about hattitude!
Onto the knitty gritty......pun intended. First of all, thank heavens for Jared Flood's Turn A Square hat pattern! I think it's the best thing going for men's hats, even if you don't make the stripes on the pattern model.
There's Malabrigo in Blue/Lime.

Malabrigo in Ravelry Red (looks very festive hanging on the tree branch if I do say so myself).

Noro certainly can't be left out of this gig. Knots and all....sigh.....

Some of the Noro wanted to see if you could find it on the tree....

Let's not forget the pretty pinks for the little ladies on my list.

I spy some yarn that's waiting to become a hat before Christmas.

And who stuck that sock in there? Poor guy must be having an identity crisis.
Here's hoping that you are enjoying this season of giving and knitting! Keep on knitting, only 14 days to go! :)

Thankful

2009-11-26T05:34:00.006-05:00

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.......

2009-11-16T18:54:00.008-05:00

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

2009-10-16T19:50:00.003-04:00

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

2009-10-11T19:46:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-28T06:02:00.007-04:00

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

2009-09-20T09:25:00.003-04:00

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......

2009-07-29T20:57:00.006-04:00

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

2009-06-30T16:54:00.007-04:00

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.......

2009-06-22T21:46:00.003-04:00

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

2009-06-10T07:11:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-24T19:28:00.004-04:00

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!

2009-05-17T11:20:00.007-04:00

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

2009-05-08T05:50:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-27T19:45:00.004-04:00

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....

2009-04-06T16:47:00.006-04:00

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....

2009-03-05T19:37:00.005-05:00

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

2009-02-26T20:04:00.008-05:00

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

2009-02-19T05:48:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-16T06:07:00.005-05:00

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

2009-02-11T05:56:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-04T19:56:00.004-05:00

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

2009-02-01T11:32:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-29T05:59:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-25T20:34:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-19T19:18:00.011-05:00

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

2009-01-09T15:43:00.007-05:00

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

2008-12-27T06:44:00.005-05:00

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

2008-11-28T10:58:00.004-05:00

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

2008-11-22T08:59:00.006-05:00

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!

2008-11-03T14:45:00.005-05:00

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?

The End of The Week

2008-10-10T15:08:00.008-04:00

Thank you for Friday (this week)....
Here's what happened today:
1) My patient load was significantly reduced. I'm talking I only had to work 3 hours today. Wonderful! What a nice break. I decided to do some shopping at the new shopping complex that has sprouted in our area. Ok, it's really 35 minutes away from me, but so is the nearest grocery store of any significance.
2) The new complex, or "Market Place", as it is referred to, has a Target, among other stores. I am not a big Target shopper, namely because there simply are not stores in our area. But today, I became a Target shopper. I did manage to pick up some needed things (I'm the snack mom this weekend for both soccer games....so snacks and juice abound, as do 7.58 lbs of bananas). I also found some things we didn't need - leave it to me to continue shopping in poor economic times, for the girls. I bought Christmas outfits, and the CUTEST red pea coat for my youngest! It's fabulous, and I'm sure a hug will await me when she lays eyes on it! The girls are also recipients of some cute Halloween tee-shirts!

3) Said Target has a STARBUCKS. I know, most of you aren't impressed, but would you be if I told you the nearest Starbucks is 1.5 hours away? Yes, I had my caramel macchiato today. YUM!
4) I stopped briefly at the "real" mall, and purchased my Estee Lauder make-up and some White Linen powder for my Nana, who celebrated her 84th birthday last weekend! You Rock, Nana! Happy Birthday! I got a free gift from Estee Lauder (OK, it's not free - have you seen the cost of that make-up? But it's the best brand for my skin)!

5) I arrived home to unload the car, and I received a package of the most coveted yarn in the mail in a swap from a fellow Raveler. I have been yearning for this yarn for months. Here it is in all its glory! It's Wollmeise sock yarn - 100% superwash, in the Flower Power Colorway. I'm not sure why this color speaks to me. It's not my usual colors at all. But every time I look at this skein of yarn, I smile. I'm not sure yet what it's destined to be. I'm thinking something other than socks....have any suggestions or ideas? Drop them in the comments section.

6) I started another fingering weight scarf for my other SIL for Christmas. Don't ask. This is knit with the Noro sock yarn. I'll report on it more as it advances in length. I love the colors of Noro (and I love the Knit Picks Harmony needles). Smooth and nice and stabby, without hurting my hands! Not loving the yarn so much.

7) Lastly, this is the view from my backyard. How about that? God has His paintbrush out these days....isn't it the most beautiful canvas!

How was your Friday?

A Day In the Life

2008-10-03T20:56:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was my day off work. It was a delicious sort of day. I slept (well, I combed hair, rearranged outfits, handed out $5 in my half-awakened state) until 8:30 am! It was amazing. I took a nice, long, uninterrupted shower, and then made a cup of Starbucks and did my errands. The countryside here in PA is slowing becoming a beautiful canvas of autumn hues. The afternoon brought a nice little nap, after viewing the end of "The Holiday." I even went to the gym to work out after supper!
In all the glory that was yesterday, this weekend belongs to work, as I'm totally trying to become one with the beeper yet again. I keep telling myself that this is the last complete on-call weekend until January, but it's still unnerving.

To take my mind off the unsettling feeling of the beeper on my hip, I finished one sock on my "to-do" list! I'm not sure what to name this pattern. Here's the silly story. I knit myself a pair of socks in this same pattern last year, but I goofed whilst knitting said pattern. The end result came out completely different than the original pattern. But I liked the result (and didn't want to tink back that far), so I kept on knitting. Well, our good family friend saw said pair of socks, and asked for a pair of her own. Sadly, her request was made a YEAR ago. YIKES! So, Reenie.....here's the first singleton of your pair of socks. I've yet to come up with any names. It's basically a spin-off of a 3x1 rib pattern. Any suggestions? I'm not selling the pattern or anything. I have no delusions about my creativity with knitting or lack there of!
Anyway, it just felt good to finish it tonight. I wove in the ends, and now I just need to create another one! The yarn is Lorna's Lace's Sport in the Sand Ridge colorway. To break up the monotony of knitting the second one right away....I might try a new fingerless mitt pattern, but then again, maybe not! I'm too afraid of inviting SSS! Okay, muggles - translations shall abound - SSS = Second Sock Syndrome! It is a curious disease which plagues knitters across the globe. It seems that knitting one sock sometimes cures the knitter of the desire to knit another one just like it. New methods of knitting socks have been invented as cures for this mysterious syndrome. But, alas, it is still prevalent in many knitting households.
So, in closing.....Happy Weekend! I'll be cheering for Tuesday (which is my next day off work)!
PS - No, Reenie doesn't have giant feet, my sock blockers are just small!

Happy Fall!

2008-09-22T14:38:00.004-04:00

Happy first day of fall! It has been ions since my last post. I feel very guilty about that (obviously not guilty enough to post though)! It seems whenever I think of taking a picture of my project(s) or contemplate a subject to write about, well, I lose the momentum. Somehow I have lost the UMPH to get me going with most things in my life right now. But, so as not to scare you away, we'll just discuss the knitting.
My knitting life is in such a rut! Have you ever experienced this? I have numerous projects (many more than I care to admit) currently on the needles, and really, not one of them is calling my name, which is very unusual! I am stumped! I hate this quality in myself....namely, the inability to finish things. Sometimes I start a new project like gang-busters and it's barely on the needles (BSJ) by the time it's finished, but then, some projects languish around for 45 days or more, just biding time until they get a little attention from me....for shame! Yarn acquisition has not stopped, I read my favorite knitting blogs on a regular basis (thank you for your inspiring knitting and funny anecdotes), so you'd think I'd be happily knitting away! I'm knitting, but it appears that I'm knitting and knitting, and no progress is being made. It feels like a big, black hole. I hate holes in knitting! I have tried ignoring the knitting (I can't do this. I'm poor at being patient, and knitting calms my nerves), starting a new project (this only feeds the inability to finish the ones already started), and continue to constantly read about knitting. I have bought new yarn to excite, and alas....I cannot allow myself to begin one new project without finishing some of the old.
I have decided the best approach to this "problem" is to knit through this period. Just keep knitting, knitting, knitting. I'm limiting myself to working on two projects at any given time until at least one of them is done. I've discovered that project monogamy is a sure-fire way to see some definite progress, but I can't limit myself solely to a mammoth project, such as a big, log cabin blanket or a sweater, because the garter and stockinette stitch will bore me to death. Although yesterday, while watching the A&E version of P&P, I knit solely on my sweater. It does not appear that I made much progress at all (see big black hole lament above). I might add that I did take a little, wee nap as well. OK, maybe it wasn't a wee nap! :) But I did only knit on that sweater yesterday. It's a lovely sweater. The yarn is nice to work with, and I know I'll appreciate the finished project. It's the very first sweater I've knit for myself. I suspect that I'm afraid to take it off the needles as I'm afraid it won't fit (never mind that I've frogged it once already for size issues). Could this be affecting my desire and funk? Don't even mention the gauge monster, as I had the specified gauge measurements on the first try, and it proved to be too small. PS - I even took my measurements, FPS!
Well, in all efforts to stay positive...today is the first day of fall. I love fall! It's my favorite season! Its only downfall (no pun intended) is that is precedes winter, which is my least favorite season. Its many attributes outweigh the one downfall. The colors are starting to come alive here in PA. So, to celebrate fall, I'm going to promise to post more often, and about more positive things, even if I feel like I'm in a funk ('cause who wants to read more whining), knit through this "black hole" period, and generally start to cut through the crap. Life's too short.
How are you celebrating the advent of fall?

Some Rest At Long Last

2008-09-01T09:55:00.008-04:00

This Labor Day weekend was just that for me - a string of Labor Days....I've worked 10 hours of overtime since Friday night. I'm exhausted. I hate to admit it, friends, but I was too tired to pick up the needles. I'm looking forward to a nice break from work today and tomorrow. Actually, although our work schedule looks busy for the next couple of days, I'm only working 5 days between now and next Wednesday, when we leave for a trip to Vermont. I'm so excited! :)

I'm a bit too tired to post much that would be coherent, but here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Yarn Pirate Merino/Tencel blend in the "Kate" colorway. This is a Christmas present for my sister-in-law. This yarn is perfect for her fair skin and blond hair (so different from my family, it should add some pretty color to her already pretty face), and it will go beautifully with the beautiful tan suede coat my parents bought her last year. Incidentally, my sister-in-law's name is "Kate." Go-figure!
It's a simple lace repeat pattern that you can find on Wendy's blog. It's a great traveling project.
And YP merino/tencel is THE perfect yarn for a nice lacy scarf.

Lastly, some socks I cast on last week in a fit of boredom. I became tired of knitting socks that had simple patterns. These are Friday Harbor Socks by Nancy Bush, knit in STR in the Love in Idleness Colorway. It's pooling a bit as most STR does, but I like it, and the pattern is challenging, and goes so quickly. I've learned that sock patterns that make me think, rearrange stitches, etc., actually seem to be quicker knits - hmmmm..........
I do have to admit to this being the most difficult sock I've knit so far. If they turn out like I hope they do, I may try a Firestarter, but will definitely knit a toe-up, no particular pattern, sock first. I may be tired, but I'm not senseless....YET! :)

Happy Labor Day!

Truly Blessed

2008-08-25T17:24:00.010-04:00

How many days, let alone MONDAYS, end with something like this?

A beautiful package from Morticcia sent to thank us for our visit to their home a couple of weeks ago! Imagine - a gift from the hostess! Generosity indeed! Included in this lovely package (that took me all of 10 seconds to tear open - hey, it was packing tape) are two skeins of squishy Felici yarn for making the most cheerful socks, a lovely 40" circular needle (Harmony wood), a beautiful butterfly stitch marker, and some chocolate covered cranberries! Morticcia, your generosity is unsurpassed! I was admiring her Harmony needles during our visit, and she sent me a set! You know the best part? She's the kind of person who listens, I mean really listens to you when you talk, because these needles are the exact length that I always knit with (40" circs) to do magic loop! Kindness itself, I daresay! Thank you so much, Morticcia! What a lovely and unexpected surprise! :)

Lastly, I have to tell someone, but I certainly don't want to ruin anyone's day...Oh, what the hey, I WON the lottery for the Wollmeise sock club! I could scarce believe the paypal invoice sitting there in my e-mail message box. But there it was, and it's paid. I'm blessed twice, well, actually more than that today. It was a tough day, patient-wise, and tomorrow looks pretty tough as well, with many miles to travel, and many sick people to visit....but with friends like you supporting and cheering me on...well, it makes living in this crazy world a lot better! My English teacher is seething now, because I think I created the longest run on sentence in the history of blogging....

A special shout out to my daughters today....it was their first day back to school. As I kissed them this morning, I felt a surge of pride at how far we've come, and how much they've grown. They make me proud to be their Mama. All day today, I said prayers for their safety. It's scary sending your children out into that big world.

PS - some actual knitting in the next post, I promise!

We Interrupt This Blog....

2008-08-20T21:16:00.004-04:00

Attention Please!
We interrupt this blog to let you know that the author is thoroughly consumed with viewing the 2008 Summer Olympics (and her job), and the fact that she now has a 16 year old daughter (whose test results from Boston are sending them to yet another pediatric specialist)! She continues to knit (not as part of Ravelry Olympics) various projects, so do not fear. She has frogged and restarted the worsted weight sweater once now, and hopes this time it will fit a bit better. She even knit a swatch for said sweater, and had appropriate gauge. Her advice - BE A REBEL! This was the first time she knit a gauge swatch. She's done with the swatching for now. She thinks it's time to start knitting some more difficult socks. She continues to make good progress on the log cabin blocks, having over 12 completed out of 20.

Perhaps when she reveals some photos of the various knitting projects in the future, she will refer to herself in the first person, and all will be well again in her world.

Until then.....well, knit on! Keep posting on your blogs.....she's reading, albeit with one eye open, the other shut to try and catch up on some sleep!

Priceless vs Insanity

2008-08-07T18:59:00.005-04:00

It is shameful how I've neglected all of you, and this blog. What can I say? Well, let's fashion this like the mastercard commercial. Play along, won't you?
Live performances of "Sandbag, Stage Left, or One Dead Dolly" on 8/1/08 and 8/2/08. $5/ticket, but hours spent rehearsing and blocking, and acting. I met new people. I extended my horizons. But one day before our trip to Boston. It just should have been at a very different part of the year. It's been over 20 years since I've been on stage - that's a long time! INSANITY!
Trip to Boston, MA on 8/3/08 for my DD#1's annual check-up at Boston Children's Hospital - I was blessed to visit with Morticcia at Chez Yarn. She was every bit the gracious hostess. Her home was an oasis of comfort in a strange city. The best part was surprising her with some Wollmeise! I think it was more joyful for me to give it to her, than for her to receive it! Thank you, Morticcia from the bottom of my heart. It was wonderful to meet you in person, and your warmth and hospitality will never be forgotten! This category is priceless!
Visiting Fenway park with your DD #1, who is an AVID baseball fan, and watching her regurgitate her breakfast in the press box during the $40 tour. Hmmmm....she was a bit nervous about the ensuing MRI and blood work, so we rested for most of the day afterwards. Priceless....how many people puke in a press box at the oldest baseball park in the country? Right, not too many....priceless indeed. Poor kid!
A good report from your DD#1's doctor. Priceless indeed.
Arriving home to a day off where I did absolutely nothing, but unpack. No laundry, no nothing (Ok, I did exercise and knit). Priceless.
Arriving back to work with a schedule that indeed locks in my job security....priceless in today's economy! Terribly tiring when I start at 6:50 am.
Knitting a heavy worsted weight sweater (Brown Sheep's Lanaloft) in the middle of summer - INSANITY.....but fun!

What's priceless or insane in your life right now?

Can We Be Honest?

2008-07-27T17:03:00.007-04:00

Can we be brutally honest? It's very hard to put my personal feelings or anything at all very specific about my life on this blog, because, well....basically anyone can see it, and that makes me a little nervous! I worry that if I reveal too much about my children, something lousy will happen (there are demented people out there, I know it). I worry that if I reveal too much of myself, people will think I'm a bit crazy....(OK, more people than those that already know I'm a tad anal).
But for right now, I'm going to be brutally honest....I'm in over my head with the details of life right now. I have done it again, and tried to please everyone with doing everything that's expected of me. Is this smart - definitely not. Is it adding to my happiness, apparently not, as I'm typing this with tears in my eyes. Is it adding to my interactions with my family, no sirree. Definitely not. They are seeing way less of me, and when they see me, let's just say, they don't get "the best ME" that there is. Shameful, I know.
In my haste to please everyone, I am doing the following this week.....
1. Play practice every night from 6:30pm until ? Performances on Friday and Saturday night (probably at least 2.5 hours with intermission).
2. Work - 40 hours (although they are potentially giving me off tomorrow for lack of work - very unusual, but I'm taking it as a sign from above).
3. Normal everyday life like laundry, and cooking.
4. Major trip to Boston Children's Hospital for yearly check-up (although our first to Boston) for my eldest daughter. It's a BIG deal. We used to go to St. Jude Children's Hospital, and that's a long story. We have transferred our care to Boston, not at our own choice, but thankfully, someone is willing to oversee her rare disease.
5. An annual work review this past Friday by my supervisor, who had never seen my work as a nurse before (it's kinda hard to take her along with you on visits in patient's homes). She accompanied me to a visit that lasted 1.5 hours in the patient's home. This time doesn't include charting, which she will be reviewing after it's complete (which is pretty much is).

I think this may be it, but I'm sure I'm forgetting something. Oh, yeah....hey the house that we bid on recently fell through (only we bid on houses in a recession). They turned down our offer over three weeks ago....but the Real Estate agent called again today, and will be calling tomorrow. Apparently, the house isn't sold. I'm not sure how to feel about this with all of the other things on my plate.

And to this I ask you, WHY, WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF? I'm a sheer wreck (mostly for the silly play, which is fun at rehearsal time, but is striking mere panic through me at the thought of a live performance). Didn't I know there would be live performances when I signed up - of course I did. I wanted to raise of awareness of live theatre in our small community. It's just not the best time to be doing it. But can I leave them high and dry with a week to go - NOPE. So I will do it, and I will enjoy it. I've got to put a positive spin on this for my emotional health.
The trip to Boston? We are at the mercy of the doctors. It was scheduled after the commitment to the play was made. BUT, again on a positive note - Morticcia has dangled an oasis of comfort. More later about that.
Work - I like my job. I hope that the slowness doesn't mean lack of job security. Last week, I was unbelievably busy, so I doubt it. There is one thing you can count on in health care. People get sick. That's a horrible bottom line, but there it is. I only hope that I'm an asset to their organization, and that somehow, my meager offerings as a nurse will make a difference in people's lives, one by one. Very Hallmarky, but terribly true.
The whole new house thing - I'm putting that off until after Boston - I just can't comprehend it now. I've resigned myself that if it's meant to be, it will be. And if it's not, well then God has something better in mind. I'll keep you posted.

God....I don't share a lot about my faith on my blog posts. This causes me severe angst at times. Mostly because I don't feel worthy to be sharing, as I'm pretty imperfect myself. But I can say this. It's not going to be my sheer power and force alone that will get me through this next week and a half. I will be relying on my family, my friends (you all included), and my God, whose grace is sufficient for even paranoid and worried little me. If you get a moment this week....keep us in your thoughts....

And how about a little knitting to close? The two pics attached to this post are of the log cabin squares for my wall hanging. I think I have 9 or 10 finished, and I need 20. There's some progress!

And this yarn....it's amazing. I'm knitting a sweater for myself for our trip to Vermont this fall. I had better get cracking!
And that blue vest? What blue vest? I think it's hangin' with the frogs or about to take a dip in the frog pond! :)

Have a Happy Week!

Only Knitting Can Make One So Delusional!

2008-07-23T19:34:00.006-04:00

Yes, only knitting can make one so delusional. That "one" is actually me. When we were at Maryland Sheep and Wool, we passed the famous Designer Tess booth. It boasts very colorful gorgeous yarns and patterns. There is always a line at the checkout area, and well, bottom line....I didn't resist the draw this year. I scouted out their patterns. It was hard to do in May, looking at worsted weight yarn for a sweater or some heavier garment. But I managed! Ha! Ha! I picked a pattern for a vest. I know. You read it correctly. I wrote "A VEST." I am not usually the "vesty" type of person, I simply don't wear them. But I thought this looked pretty simple, and it had that simple selling line. "One skein makes this beautiful, easy vest!" Can you see the 1950's advertisement for it in your mind? I can, and I did. I was sold. Especially on the color (the dichroic bead hanging from a necklace displayed with it may have drawn me in slightly more as well). I bought the yarn and the pattern. It is the most gorgeous shade of blue. I love me some blue. I got it home, and low and behold. The only size that calls for one skein is a size...........wait for it...........SMALL. Now, maybe 10 years ago, I could have shoved my rather "blessed" self into a small, but no way, no how now, Mama. So, I, encompassed by the yarn fumes, figured, well, I'll e-mail the company. The display model surely would have fit me, and I asked what size that was. Of course the answer was...........wait for it again, please.........."oh, it's a SMALL." I am beginning to hate the "small" word. Again, empowered by overwhelming yarn fumes to cast this project onto some needles, I did what any sensible knitter would do. I started knitting with said yarn, and then I measured gauge. Yes, you read it correctly again. I actually checked my gauge (albeit, after the knitting commenced, but still), and was paying attention, and really trying to knit loosely on those size US #7's. I GOT GAUGE. Yesterday, on my day off, I was happily knitting away on the vest, watch "Pride and Prejudice" in between throwing softball with the youngest, outdoors, in the afternoon heat....where was I? Oh yeah, happily knitting away on the back of the vest, coming down to the decrease rows, when I held it up and REALITY hit me. Truly, I felt the smack of it on my cheek (of my face of course). There was NO WAY I was fitting into this vest. No way, no how. I think I have enough yarn to EEK out a medium. It will be close, but the yarn cake left is still pretty size able, and I have maybe 30 rows to go yet. I think I might give it a whirl. Why not? The yarn fumes seem to be powering my delusional thinking that a small would fit.....why not see if I can knit the medium with one skein of the worsted weight yarn?
Dang those yarn fumes......they sucked me into the play next week too! Where's the chocolate?

A Lesson on "How to Say YES!"

2008-07-10T18:04:00.005-04:00

More aptly, this post should be entitled about a lesson on learning how to say, "NO!"
I'm not good at that, you know. Saying, "NO" to things I really can't handle, what with the responsibilities of house and home.
But alas, I'm committed to doing the following: I've got a pretty size able role in a community play that's opening on August 1st (of this year). Yes, you read it correctly. I'm doing a theatre production in the beginning of August. Granted, it's community theatre, and we've thrown this thing together since the beginning of last week, but I'm hopping to practice 3 nights a week for two or more hours at a shot, and trying to maintain my sanity. I've got my children looking at me funny as I launch into monologues (while cooking supper) that I have been trying desperately to memorize. The whole memorization bit is a tad harder the older I get, I must confess. Yet, at the same time, it's undeniably satisfying and fun. The play is entitled, "Sandbag, Stage Left (or, One Dead Dolly)," by John Antony. It's a courtroom scene and set, but the characters are really the showpieces in this parody of "January 16th."
Personally, I love live theatre. I've always been a fan (I studied music education for 3.5 years in college before I became a nurse, and I was surrounded by the dramatic) of live theatre. There is a local group that does seasonal productions each year, and for a mere $6/ticket, you can watch a live theatre production, albeit in an ancient "thrust-stage" theatre with 70's style cushions. Wait, maybe they are from the 60's - who knows....there are so many orange flowers one could never correctly tell, what with the dimmed lighting, but I digress. I would much rather see a live production than a movie any day. But don't get me wrong, I love movies too, I just prefer the live audience and the live performance, because you never know what's going to happen. And that, readers of my blog, is precisely what I'm afraid of. I'm terrified I'm not going to learn my lines, or if I do, what about those peri-menopausal moments when my mind goes blank on good days, when I'm my own person, let alone me impersonating a prosecuting attorney (my role in the play).
So, it's off to play practice now, as I cruise along, listening to my new Beatles album - singing at the top of my lungs, with my window down....aging diva (HA! What a joke) that I am!

Enjoy this view, the knitting has been sparse. This is a budding grape vine, shot earlier this spring. If you look at it closely, you'll see the tiny buds of grapes appearing. Also note that the picture is a lot better than my usual. That MIGHT be because I didn't take it. My hubby did. He's great!
BTW..........Did I mention that I'm in charge of the music for bible school in two weeks, and have about 5 knitting projects on the go, a trip to Boston in early August, 2 doctor appts for my eldest daughter next week, a full time job, a bid on a new house, and sleep to fit in there? My, my, my.........did I say, "NO WAY?" Impossible.......I must have said, "YES, I'M FREE!" How about you? Where are you over committed?

All In The Family

2008-07-05T20:18:00.005-04:00

In this post, I feature the handiwork of my eldest daughter! She is not typically my "crafty" kid, but she has sure surprised me this summer by finishing this latch-hook kit that she started about two years ago. She made significant progress on it this summer, and as you can see, it's finished as of this week.
I'm extremely proud of her! She's my "tom-boy," and doesn't like frills and such. Crafting really hasn't been her thing either. But she has done well with this kit, and has moved onto another one. She has even inspired her younger sister to start one! I guess my love of crafting is contagious, or maybe genetic.
I'm already mentioned that I'm very proud of my oldest daughter, as she has many special needs, but works hard to accomplish things. I'm proud of her, not only because she can complete a project that requires some endurance, but she is also doing some volunteer work at a local hospital this summer. She is a candy-striper (that's what they're called here in PA), and she works in the inpatient pharmacy two days a week. She travels to the hospital with my dad, who also works there (obviously not as a volunteer). I had to laugh at her tenacity this week, when she approached the head of the pharmacy, and told him that next year, she thought she should be considered a part-time employee for her work. Got to love her boldness!
As for me and my knitting, well, startitis is rampant. I've got the following on the needles.....
1. Log Cabin Blanket - currently working on square #7 out of 20.
2. Jaywalkers in YP Killer Bees for DH - they are resting....yes, that's what they are doing, they are RESTING!
3. Just cast on for a Easy Breezy Vest with yarn from Maryland Sheep and Wool. The project is made with Tess Designer Yarns and I'm loving it, and it's just mostly stockinette with some simple increases and decreases.
4. Just cast on for the lace KAL. I'm knitting the Creatures of the Reef Shawl. I must be out of my mind, but I cast on the 437 stitches and knit the set-up row tonight. WOW! I'm taking it one row at a time, and spending some serious time reading charts and researching life-lines. No, I don't mean like phone a friend or anything! This is my first, serious lace project. I'll let you know how I make out with it. I'm knitting with DIC's Baby. It's a nice yarn so far, and I like it very much. I'm knitting it in the Beach Fog colorway. Wish me luck!
If DH will let me download his pictures from his camera, I could share some fireworks photos from last night - they are really cool! How did you spend Independence Day?

Hip To Be Square!

2008-06-28T19:24:00.004-04:00

I know...I'm dating myself with the Huey Lewis and the News song title for this post. Weren't the 80's fab though? I love the music, and I guess it's a sign of my advancing age that I don't routinely listen to much "popular" music on the radio these days. I went to a retirement bash for my band director in high school, and he was a great Beatles fan. I found myself singing "Paperback Writer," "When I'm 64," and many other greats from his time for the following week! I've got to find myself a great Beatles collection to put on my iPod.

Back to the knitting at hand. I'm loving every minute of this Noro Log Cabin blanket. I figured out that I would just eliminate the last column that the original block pattern called for, and then center the three middle columns, and work a border around them. I think it's still appealing. Even my hubby has commented on how he likes the project. I think he's just impressed that I am sticking to it. Especially in this heat! I really should be working on his socks and starting some new socks. It's a strange time where there's only one pair of socks on the needles!
Oh, and did I mention that I joined a lace KAL - what was I thinking? I received the pattern in the mail today. The charts are on 5 pages. I must be nuts. I've never knit lace in my life! The only good thing that I see so far about the whole thing, (besides maybe someday wearing the finished project) is the fact that the even rows are knitted instead of purled! YEAH! And two other chicks with sticks are knitting the exact pattern with me on Ravelry, so new friends!

Oh, and I may have done a little shoe shopping....and picked up this incredibly comfy pair of Privo's. Do you own any? May I recommend them to you? They are great!
And so I leave you with some song lyrics to close.......
Don't tell me that I'm crazy.
Don't tell me I'm nowhere.
Take it from me.
It's hip to be square!
Knit on Huey! It is SO hip to be square in this case!

Plain Vanilla, My Foot!

2008-06-22T18:40:00.004-04:00

Here's a picture of the Sunfish Socks (colorway of the yarn) that I finished before we left for vacation two weeks ago. This is their photography debut, and a pitiful one at that.
Stats:
Autumn House Yarn in the Sunfish colorway
Started - ? I can't remember, so that's not a good sign.
Finished - June 2008.
Needles - Addi Size 2
Method - Magic Loop.
Pattern - Stockinette Stitch with traditional heel flap.

I have a couple of musings on these socks. I sorta have a pet peeve about calling stockinette socks, "Plain Vanilla" socks. Lots of people use that "nickname" for the knitted sock done in stockinette stitch. I think I may have used this term myself in the past. But I am trying to correct myself each time I do use it, because here's the thing.....owning a pair of knitted socks is a luxury, IMHO. Even if they are done in stockinette stitch. When I slide my foot into a pair of hand-knitted socks, the warmth comes through, the squishy feel of the yarn feels nice on the soles of my feet, and I just get an all-over good feeling about life in general. A pair of hand-knitted socks are never plain, and somehow, they never smell like vanilla either! :)
Please don't misunderstand me. I would not want a wardrobe of stockinette stitch socks. In fact, sometimes I find them harder to finish than socks with a pattern....anyone else have this problem? I think they tend to lose my attention somewhat in the thick of things, but they are nice socks to knit on-the-go, where you don't have to concentrate on a pattern. For example, the second sock was knit primarily at tee-ball games this year.

Also, please notice that the stripes in these socks don't really match, and I'm really okay with that. The sock on the right looks a bit smaller too, but I assure you that it's not. The sock on the right was knit second, and I wonder if I didn't tighten up my stitches just a bit. I also put the sock on the left on my foot quite a bit, so it may be more stretched. But they fit my feet to perfection, and should the temperature not be in the 90's, I would be wearing them today.

And lastly, I can't end this post without mentioning how horrid that green carpet (behind the socks) is that we still tolerate in our living room. It's got to be from the 70's. UGH! Oh well, hope you all have a great week!

A Little Bit Short......

2008-06-17T20:56:00.004-04:00

I have a BIG love for this blanket! Now, we can sit here and philosophize about how I'm not a stealth knitter, and we can ruminate on how even sweaters intimidate me. And then we can talk about the time that I found this blanket on Ravelry. I'm not even sure how I came upon it. But I saw it. I saw two of them. They made me weep. They were so beautiful. And then my LYS had a sale on Noro - I bought all her orphan skeins - it was only a total of 6 or something like that. They were $6 and then if you bought one skein, you got the second for $4. It was meant to be.
But alas, I'd been postponing this project, because seriously....who wants to knit Kureyon in the middle of the summer. Apparently I do.
I cannot go any further without discussing Kureyon. I normally don't care for the texture of the actual yarn. IMHO, it feels like what the whole muggle world thinks wool should feel like. It's a bit scratchy at first, but does soften with washing. But the whole selling factor with Noro is this, hands-down, they are masters of color. I can hardly wait to see how the colors blend with the next color change. And that my friends is my opinion of Noro in a nutshell. Oh, an afterthought.....sometimes it breaks, you know, the yarn. Just saying, you know, if you happened to be a tight knitter, and something stressful happened, like you were trying to create a thumb gusset or something like that, and the yarn broke, and some expletives escaped your lips that haven't been uttered for literally years...... NOT that I would know from personal experience or anything. Nope, not at all.
So, last night I started the first block in colorway 154. It's beautiful. BUT, and this is a BIG "but" - I ran out of yarn for the last 5 rows. UGH! So in looking at the patterns on Ravelry, I'm thinking I need to revise my version a bit. Will I frog the whole block....not sure yet. I do have another skein of 154, I'm not sure why....but for some reason I just do. I think I'll keep this one, and see what happens with the next one. Thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated. Oh, and you want to see a picture of this, do you? Here it is! Notice the left edge - that's where I'm just a bit short.

It's Been a Long Time....

2008-06-13T18:40:00.004-04:00

It's been a long time...we were away for a week of camping. No computer (cell phone service, but no TV, no computer). My plans, oh my plans....they were to knit up a storm. It's USUALLY perfect weather here this time of year. Nice and cool at night (perfect for sleeping), and warm enough during the daytime (80's) with low humidity. Just perfect for a little summertime knitting.
We were camping in a little cabin, not made of wood, but of concrete block with linoleum floors. My whole family comes to this event - there are several cabins in a row, along a local river, where we all stay, and there is a HUGE yard, and fun for everyone....there is running water, showers, microwaves, ovens, campfires with wood provided, fishing, boating, just peaceful times. It's all nestled in between Amish farms in a neighboring county about 35 minutes away from my home. This year....we had horrendous heat and humidity. The floors of the cabin were wet when we arrived. I mistakenly thought - "Oh, how nice, they've freshly mopped our floors for us." I promptly mopped them again, left them to dry, unpacked most of our things, and headed to the local grocery store. I came back to bigger puddles. I have thus learned that concrete and humidity make MOISTURE, and the condensation on the floors was just unbearable to me. So, the cabin was shut during the daytime, and fans were circulating 24/7. No air-conditioning there, and no place to even put in a window unit, due to the small and obscure windows. Luckily, the humidity broke by Tuesday night, and things improved, but my energy was zapped!

I can bet that you are guessing what happened to the knitting - this was no time for wool. No sirree. No time at all. The first couple of mornings, I awoke early, but by 10:00 am, knitting was impossible. Here's my pathetic knitting for the whole week - the start of a Jaywalker sock in Yarn Pirate's Killer Bee sock club colorway. I'll be perfectly honest. I missed the inception of this sock club, and joined for the second 3-month offering. This was the first skein of yarn I received. I had owned some other Yarn Pirate yarn, but have never knit with it.
I really did not care for this colorway, and for awhile, I dreamed of trading it. But when my DH saw it, I think he was so amused by the colorway, he said...."If you make me socks from that yarn, I'll wear them." Considering that he has never asked for anything knit by me (I'm feeling quite hurt - he has refused wool socks several times), I jumped at the chance. I am using the Jaywalker pattern with it, and it's working well, striping nicely. The pattern is easy enough to memorize, and I hope it will be a nice, take along sock. Oh, and I'm using KP's fixed circular needles. I have become such an Addi Turbo snob, and have neglected these beauties! Try them if you are at all interested in 2 circs or Magic Loop. They are wonderful. And sadly enough, Addi Turbo's don't come in the 2.25 mm size. But KP has them, and they are at least 1/3 the price! The join on these babies is really nice. I'm quite fussy about that, and the wire is nice too. They are also nice and pointy to do some lace knitting if you so desire.
And as for the rest of the week.....thank heavens for Sara Gruen and "Riding Lessons" and "Flying Changes." They were a God-send. That and the pool/water slide at a local state park! Now if someone would just be kind enough to put some aloe on my back! :)

Finishing the Task at Hand

2008-06-01T10:44:00.008-04:00

Startitis. An age-old problem with knitters, I'm sure. Then again, maybe not. I'm fortunate that I don't HAVE to knit my socks to keep my feet warm and dry. I don't NEED to knit that wool sweater to stay warm (yet - with rising oil prices and an older home, it's looking like we'll be spending over $1,000 with each oil tank fill next winter - YIKES! Wool sweaters for family warmth may not be a just a fact from history).
I'm trying really hard to get through the projects that are already started before I cast-on for a new project using the stash from Maryland Sheep and Wool. It's been very hard, I'm not going to lie. The task was made even harder yesterday when I went through my whole stash, and organized it again. Seeing all the yarn brings out the pattern books, and the mind reels with all the possibilities. I think someone should study the brain at this point, and make some sort guess at all the synapses happening at the same time. It must be overloaded! I love creativity at work!
So, I finally have a somewhat FO. Here's another BSJ - knit with really old stash yarn. I need to do the shoulder seems, weave in the ends, and sew on the buttons. You see, not only did I clear out the "nice" stash (nice stash is wool, sock yarns, etc. Basically, my snob yarn), but I cleaned out the old yarn in the attic. Yes, it's mostly from Walmart, and the late 80's and early 90's. The dishcloth phase. I'm certainly not against knitting with yarn from Walmart, or really any type of fiber. To each, his/her own. I just prefer the wool. There are some tasks though, that call for other fibers than wool. Dish clothes are usually done in cotton, and I stumbled across this cone of Sugar and Creme yarn. I had already knit a dishcloth from it, and I thought, well why not try a BSJ with it? It will certainly be washable, and it was nice to knit with a worsted weight yarn again.
So behold....the cotton BSJ. I have no idea what the color is called. It's not listed on the inside of the cone. But the yardage is very ample indeed. This yarn sells for around $7.00 a cone, and makes a nice, inexpensive sweater that took a little less than 2 weeks to knit (and I frogged 30 rows at the beginning, and worked a holiday weekend)! The size of this sweater is pretty ample too - maybe a 2T - 3T? I plan on giving it to one of my nieces, but I'm not sure which one. I'll try it on them next week!

Now I'm off to finish a second sock, and then I'm allowing myself to cast on with some new STR and possibly a sweater/vest from the Maryland stash! :) Oh, the happiness of startitis!

And We Have A Winner Folks!

2008-05-27T13:23:00.003-04:00

The luckly random generator chose............

Morticcia! I'll be contacting you for your address soon to send you some goodies! Thanks for playing along everyone! I appreciate the advice regarding the blocking. I admit to being busy working all weekend, and just crashing today! I've been knitting on-and-off on a new BSJ in cotton. Pictures to follow in another post!

Have a great day!

A Clap and a Contest!

2008-05-20T16:25:00.006-04:00

I've finished the clapotis! YEAH! It's actually a mini version, but here's a photo of it. It's been very rainy and dreary here, and unseasonably cold. I sat at a ball game last night with a hooded sweatshirt and a fleece blanket. Thank heavens the coaches were merciful, and cut the game a wee bit short. It still lasted an hour and a half! Anyway, I'm tired of waiting on nice weather to photograph the thing. How's that for attitude! Here's some more. The nice weather is predicted for this weekend, and I'm working. All three days of it! I just pray I'll be a blessing to someone on the holiday weekend!

Clapotis
Started - I really can't remember. Maybe February, March? I started so many times! GEEZ!
Yarn - Wollmeise 100% Sockenwolle Superwash in Dornroschen colorway (Translates to Sleeping Beauty) - less than 1 skein.
Needles - US #4
Pattern modifications - nothing much. I added one more section of straight rows, and I probably could have added two. I have a small ball of the yarn left. But definitely enough yardage for another 12 rows, which is the length of the increase section.
Thoughts on the pattern/yarn: Wollmeise is lovely to knit. I highly recommend it! Of course, its rarity is a problem. The pattern was really, very simple. The hardest thing was to let go of my inhibitions, and just drop the stitches when I got to the straight rows. After I lost my fear of the dreaded dropped stitch, I found myself looking forward to those particular rows that called for dropping stitches. I think there may be a lesson in this somewhere, but I'm not going to go there in this post.
I guess I should comment on the size of this scarf/stole. It's pretty small, compared to other clapotis patterns I've seen in person. It's more along the lines of a scarf. But I knit it with fingering weight yarn, which made it just a nice size for a wider scarf. I think I'll knit up some more of these for Christmas gifts? Where did that thought come from? I know...I tend to dream big. I should probably start knitting now, if I'm planning that. But seriously, if you're not really into knitting scarves, this pattern holds your interest a bit longer than most, and yet remains relatively mindless at times.

Back to the finishing and the CONTEST.....
I've yet to block a piece of my work (shhhhh....don't judge). Tell me your favorite quick and dirty way to block this FO, and win some yarny goodness. Oh, and because I'm being a little cautious with money, you can post a comment at will, but the prize will be selected from a random generator, and I will only mail domestically, to the continental US.....Thanks for understanding and playing along! Leave a comment by Friday, the 23rd of May, for your vote/recommendation to count.
Here's to finishing knitterly things (this is called an FO - a finished object - for all you muggles), and to new beginnings (my favorite)!

And Some More Maryland Pictures

2008-05-16T05:49:00.004-04:00

Because I feel the need to defend myself, I'll make this next statement. I have been knitting, and yes, this is still a knitting blog. BUT, I've also been busy every night with tee-ball and soccer games, and then little league games, and just, well, very busy. I'm trying to knit during all of it, but sometimes, it's nearly impossible. How can you miss the team when it's their turn to bat, and that great hit by your child or nephew? How can you not partake of the hotdog fresh from the grill after you've been sniffing the wonderful smell for the last hour, or the chance visit with your friend that you haven't seen for a month? Well, the bottom line is this: sometimes I succumb to a couple of rows of knitting instead of a couple of hours. At least my needles are still clicking, albeit a bit slower. At this pace, the turtle could outknit me! BUT, I have never claimed to be a process knitter. No, I have not! I dream about it at times, but I have never staked any claims. I am, however, feverishly trying to finish up a few older knitting projects, so that I can begin knitting with the new yarn from Maryland. I'd like to think that's an "adult" thing to do, but to tell you the truth, I'm dying to knit with the new stuff!
So, without further musings....here are some more photos....

First up, a lovely hand-woven bag. It was a present for my birthday from my Mom and Dad. Of course, I gave my mom a HUGE hint about how much I loved the bags, so on Saturday afternoon of the festival, she said the magic words. "Let's go back to the main exhibit hall so that you can pick a bag!" YEAH! I loved all of them, and I probably spent more than a half an hour trying to decide which bag I liked best. They were all unique and beautiful in their own way. I loved this style because it has a TON of pockets. And of course, the colors were beautiful!

Next up, and destined to become my next clapotis - 4 skeins of worsted weight yarn from Brooks Farm. It's their 50% wool, 50% silk blend in worsted weight, and get this, it's called Four Play! I love it! It's an absolutely lovely yarn, so squishy and soft. I can't wait to knit with it, but as I'm currently finishing up the clapotis in Wollmeise, I think I'll try my hand at another pattern and yarn first to mix things up a bit. And as summer is coming, I tend to gravitate towards smaller projects, and put away the worsted weight things away until fall.

The last picture in today's post is of a sweet market lamb. The girl of about 12 years old keeping him "in-line" for the showing, didn't know what breed he was, but he had a sweet little face, and I felt so sorry that he had just lost his fleece. Shouldn't there be a nursery rhyme for that? Not little Bo Peep who lost her sheep, but poor little sheep, who lost his first fleece....

Well, on that note, I'm glad today is Friday. I'm looking forward to the weekend!

It's Been A Long Time

2008-05-10T09:50:00.005-04:00

It's hard to believe that last week at this time, I had already made most of my major purchases at Maryland Sheep and Wool. I was a lady on a mission, and this year, I had a plan! I remember standing in one of the check-out lines at Maryland with a lady, and she said that being surrounded by all the yarn and fiber just made her so happy! I have to say, that I echo that sentiment! It was fabulous to be around people who understood why that one particular skein of yarn could bring such a goofy smile to ones face!
If you've never been to a fiber event of this scale, it's a bit daunting at first. Where to go? What to see? What to purchase? Last year, I felt pretty overwhelmed and amazed. It's almost as if I'd been hit with a stun gun, really. The brain becomes a little fuzzy, you try to focus, and then you are distracted by another site.
This year, I had a plan. I made up a map with a list of all the vendors to see, places where I thought I might make my purchases. It turns out, that all of my purchases, with the exception of maybe one, were purchased at those planned stops! YEAH for lists and planning!
To start off the weekend, I was just SO excited, I had trouble sleeping Friday night. Considering that my alarm was set for 3:30am on Saturday, this was a terrible thing! I think I managed to get 2 and 1/2 hours of sleep total! I sometimes take longer naps than that during the weekend! I picked up my Mom at 5:00 am. We hit the nearest Starbucks for some reinforcements (I must tell you that the nearest Starbucks is at least an hour away). We arrived at the festival at 8:00 am, and that was just perfect. Mom made a bathroom stop, and I high-tailed it to the Fold's booth (STR). I know. I can order it on-line, but I must say, it's so impressive to see it all hanging there together. And so, we bought some STR, and stood in line to pay, less than 15 minutes - awesome! :) Later, the line for payment at The Fold was over an hour long, and wrapped a good way up the main street of the fair (STR pictures to follow in the next post). It paid to get there early, and I got some great colors, ones that I might not have purchased by viewing the pictures on-line.

So, I can't reveal all pictures/purchases in one post, so, I'll show you some purchases here.
This fabulous yarn above is from Dancing Leaf Farms. She has beautiful yarn there, and her sense of color is fabulous. Her farm is located pretty close to the Fairgrounds.
This yarn (the main skeins) are called Waltz, and it's 50% wool, and 50% Alpaca. The bottom skein is Peace Fleece to add some highlights. It's destined to become the Ballet Wrap Cardigan from IK.

The next picture up is from Tess Designer Yarns - my typical colors! The big blue skein on the left is destined to become a cute little Easy Breezy Top from one of their original designs. I thought I might start small first. I've never knit an adult sweater before, and thought that a vest-like pattern might be a good start. The skein on the right is a skein of their sock yarn, and destined to become a sweater for my niece who is yet to be born! I've got to start knitting it pretty quickly!

Lastly, we visited a lot the sheep barns on Sunday morning. Here's a picture of two beautiful Blue-faced Leisters......poor man's cashmere from their fleece! Aren't they sweet?
Stay-tuned for more pictures, and a contest! Happy Weekend - at last!

Are We There Yet?

2008-05-01T20:24:00.004-04:00

With all the excitement of the upcoming wool festival, I'm having a lot of ADD lately. I think the wool fumes are migrating a couple hundred miles to PA! Actually, I'm a little under the weather too. I'm not sure how to make it through work tomorrow - it's a pretty average day on my schedule, but sometimes those days turn into nightmares! YIKES! I'm so looking forward to Friday afternoon and leaving work! :) And to update you....thank you all for your good thoughts. I am not required to work this weekend! :) So, to make up for it, I'm thinking of working Memorial Day to thank them. The lady who broke her ankle, was scheduled to work Memorial Day, and now they need someone to work. I'm already scheduled to work that Saturday and Sunday, so why not Monday too? And the pay will be at the overtime pay rate. It just might pay for the yarn spending from this festival!
Tonight, I'm in the middle of packing. It's hard to decide what to take! It's just an overnight stay, but my list looms very large. I've never been a good packer. I do make lists and just throw things in from there, but I usually leave things until the last night before trips and such. I'm very jealous of those who can pack a week or more in advance. I just can't comprehend that concept.
I have two lists started, actually. One list is for the personal items like clothing, toiletries, etc. The other is for vendors and yarn requirements for items I'd like to knit. This is my attempt at TRYING to be organized and not overwhelm the budget. I fully expect to overwhelm the budget, but I'm trying to be organized and not play into the frenzy of it all (that last statement cracks me up, because I'm in a frenzy as I type, just thinking about all the possibilities. Gosh, can I just say, that I love being a knitter?).
I will try very hard to take lots of pictures for all of you, and I think there will be a surprise contest/giveaway upon my return. It's time, don't you think? And next week is my birthday - what better way to celebrate than to spread a little yarn love? Have a great weekend! Maybe I'll see you in Maryland????

PS. Can I add that I am SO excited that I get to spend the whole weekend with my Mom? I love it that even though I'm a thirty-something mother of my own children, I still love my Mom time! And my Mom loves yarn....how cool is that?

Admitting defeat

2008-04-28T19:44:00.003-04:00

I'm admitting defeat for the moment about having the Clapotis done for this weekend. I'm almost done with the straight repeat section, but that's just a little past the half-way point for the whole scarf/shawl. It is an easy knit, and very relaxing. I'll probably knit it again, but first I'd like to finish this one, without the pressure. I really need the time to make sure the laundry is done and to clean up the house a bit before this weekend.

Life has gotten in the way of blogging and knitting lately. Oh, these are not bad distractions at all, I think it's probably a phase, as the weather was so cooperative last week for these things. Soccer, tee-ball, friends, church, and work....all competing for the same time. And then there's sleep too! Sadly, even though I usually knit a little each day, it seems as though I'm not accomplishing much. However, you must simply take a peak at this yarn.

It's the sport weight version of Yarntini! Colors (from left to right) Merlot, Pure Fall, and Ice. Aren't they lovely? I'm excited, as I've never knit with Yarntini before, and I didn't know that she had a sport weight version of her yarn - YEAH! It feels amazing too! Please forgive the overuse of the exclamation point, but if you had this yarn in your hands, there would be some shouting too.....

Which brings me to my last paragraphs. This weekend is the annual Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival (SHOUTING heard in the background)!!!! Mom and I are heading to the festival early on Saturday morning. We have booked our hotel room and are staying until Sunday. I promise to take lots of pictures, and inhale plenty of fiber fumes for you. I'm sure I will be inhaling much more than that, as it's a very country-type fair/festival. But it is so much fun! We are planning on going to the Ravelry party Saturday night too - I think it will be a great time! I'm a little nervous about meeting new people, but I'm sure we will make fast friends! So, I have been spending a lot of time researching vendors, getting directions, looking at times for shows and competitions, and such.

Here's hoping the weather holds out for this weekend. It was am extremely rainy day here today. I came home from work and took a nap - YIKES! The nap might have been brought on by the extremely stressful moment when my boss called to ask if I could work this weekend, as the nurse who was working for me (planned since December of last year) broke her ankle last night. Oh my gosh! My heart started pounding. Was I going to be asked to miss the weekend with my mom and all that fiber? I was speechless (this is hard to imagine if you know me at all), and then I gathered my courage, and said, "I'm sorry I can't work. I have a hotel reservation in Maryland." Then I held my breath (weekend time is sacred in nursing), and the powers that be, said they would figure it out, and they understood that I had a life outside of the office! WOW! but that negative part of me (how I hate it) is still holding my breath for this weekend....wish me luck!

Distractions

2008-04-23T06:01:00.004-04:00

There have been a lot of knitting distractions lately, but all good ones!
Check out this picture. This lake is less than a mile away from my home. Who wouldn't want to take their canoe out of its storage place to spend a couple hours in peace? It was beautiful!

There are other distractions too, friend's birthdays at the local tavern with all you can eat wings in 30 different flavors, baseball games where the hot dogs are fresh and the whole town visits with their sweet babies, as proud grandparents watch on as their grandchild gets his first hit of the season, older movies like "Great Expectations" that you didn't catch the first time around, freshly steamed shrimp and clams as well as steak at a picnic with friends, other "regular" distractions like work, sleep, laundry, you know, the usual things. Notice that all distractions don't necessarily involve food, but somehow the best ones seem to!

Have a great week!

Just Drop It!

2008-04-17T20:06:00.004-04:00

The dreaded dropped stitch. In some patterns, dropping a stitch is enough to make any knitter cower in the corner in tears....OK, in any pattern that I'm knitting, I cry like a baby over those dropped stitches. I'll be honest, I'm not great at fixing my mistakes, like dropped stitches (I wonder if this has anything to do with being a perfectionist....maybe that's another post). I just can't quite seem to fix things very well. Sometimes I manage, but to be honest, if I end up fixing the mistake, it's usually by sheer dumb luck. No actual skill involved. Not on my part, no siree. I'm still an infant in this part of knitting.
So you can imagine my chagrin when I'm cruising along finishing the last of the increase rows on my clapotis (not many days left until Maryland Sheep and Wool, and I'm starting to feel the pressure), and realize that row 8 of the straight rows requires me, the scared, paranoid, perfectionist little knitter, to drop a stitch ON PURPOSE! Is Kate Gilbert crazy? Just an FYI, Kate Gilbert wrote the pattern for the clapotis. Ok.....it was so gut-wrenching for me, this thought of dropping stitches, that I saved this portion until tonight. Considering that I have the on-call beeper tonight, maybe not the smartest move. I'm a bit jumpy yet with the beeper. A lot of responsibility. So, I decided to head into the knitting when the house was empty, and I had already received one beep.

Here you see the clapotis, all pretty and such (if I do say so myself), and it's just waiting for the dropped stitch row. I visit Ravelry, the life vest that has saved my sanity many times. There is a Clapotis group there, and there is a discussion thread about dropping stitches, and there are step-by-step instructions for those like me. Amazing! Yeah Ravelry!
So, I gather as much courage as I can.....look, even the beeper is gathering courage and resting on the beautiful Wollmeise!

And I sucked it up, and did what the pattern said. I dropped the stitch, on purpose. And let me tell you, it was enlightening. Then, the dropped stitch has to drop to the bottom of that particular row.....I used my DPN to unravel those pesky little stitches that wouldn't unravel right away. Why, when I drop stitches by accident, do they seem to drop down rows much quicker? I don't know if there's an answer to this question that could satisfy even my infantile knitting mind. But anyway, I feel loads lighter....having dropped the stitch, and I'm off to knit some more. Hopefully this weekend, I can put a major dent in this project. But the weather, oh, it's been so beautiful. It's hard not to be outside! Maybe some porch knitting? Where's your favorite place to knit while enjoying the great outdoors?

All the Hype

2008-04-14T17:23:00.003-04:00

Okay. I have finally figured out what all the hype is about when knitting with Wollmeise yarn. It's almost as if one is knitting with a yarn that is partial silk, when in reality, it's a 100% superwash wool base. I'm not sure where Claudia gets her yarn base, but it is fabulous! I did enjoy knitting with the 80/20 Twin yarn (the one that has some nylon content in it), but it wasn't quite as soft and silky as this yarn base. Knitting with this is pure heaven. Which begs the question...why on earth don't I have more knitting done on this project? Will this clapotis be finished in time for Maryland Sheep and Wool festival on the first weekend in May?
Well, the answers are not always as simple as they seem. Throw in a little nice weather, a vertigo spell on Saturday morning, and volleyball games on Saturday night, and tee ball and soccer practice for the DD's. Not a lot of time for knitting. And then throw in the new librarian, who actually has taste in books, and orders things from the BIG library (BIG is very relative where I live) for me on a regular basis. Hmmm.....it does not leave much time for knitting.

Did I mention a couple of new movies too? I finally got to see "Freedom Writers" which was fabulous, but has totally ruined my infatuation with Patrick Dempsey. His character didn't have any character or back bone. When it came down to it, he was simply a cad. And that, my friends, is SAD indeed. It's a sad day when a husband cannot support his wife's dream.

And the other movie - "The Holiday" - a total chick flick, but I liked it anyway. I happen to think Jack Black is very comical in this silly, predictable film about love gone wrong, and then made right again. The best part for me was the small English house that's called Rose Cottage. Beautiful. Wish I could live there for awhile! Short ceilings and all!

Happy Monday! What's taking you away from knitting these days? Or are you hard at work, finishing the last of those worsted weight sweaters before the lazy days of summer?