Block Party

Here are my latest Mason-Dixon Carknitting bibs. Plus a house motif dishcloth. I had decided it was time to mix up the pattern a little. So for one of the green/blue/yellow bibs I did a garter border (5 sts each side) with a st st interior and then embroidered the sun in the corner. This was all because I love, love, love the flip flop button! The pink/lavender/white bib has an eyelet border. The purple/blue/white was done with a beginning that I may try again. I cast on extra sts and then on the first row would bind off four stitches every fifth stitch, or something like that. Anyway, they were fun and Sundays are for gift knitting and these had been knit for awhile and just needed to be finished.

The car knitting is now dedicated to burp cloths--in Pink Lemonade.

Happy knitting.

If You Have More Totes,

you can have more projects.

Here's the story behind the new tote. My sister from Washington is visiting this week and we needed to hit the scrapbooking stores since there is a severe lack in WA as compared to Utah. I thought I'd be safe from spending money since I'm in a knitting phase and not a scrapbooking/cardmaking phase. But what to my wondering eyes should appear? This wonderful scrapbooking tote. It is the perfect size for a take-along knitting project. Such as anything (except blanket) baby sized, dishcloths, socks, etc. The part coming out of the bottom of the tote is actually a removable organizer, almost like a drawer. It would be perfect for knitting notions. Or take it out entirely and use the bottom pocket for your wallet. I bought it in the pink/brown colorway. I did actually take a pic of it, but my picture didn't do it justice. Right now mine contains my next dishcloth.

And on to dishcloths:

These are the ones from the August KAL on Yahoo Groups. I actually think they would have looked better in two solids vs. solid and ombre. The difference in color actually photographed better than these look in real life. The sage one has already been gifted to my Washington sister along with the dragonfly cloth.


Actively on the needles are still the Trekking sock, a Koigu sock (now ready to go on the back burner so I can finish Trekking #2), the Eyelet Cables out of Lush, and a Pure and Simple side to side cardi--this is my computer knitting. And of course, the car knitting which always consists of either bibs or burp cloths from Mason Dixon Knitting, because knitting at red lights doesn't get easier than those!

Miscellany

Just in case you were wondering what happened to Trekking Sock #2--look! There it is. It's actually further along than that now. I finished the entrelac section so that it can now replace the Koigu sock in my purse.

The shawl: Oh it is so much prettier in person. It's Mountain Colors Wool Ribbon in sage, which is not pastel by any stretch of the imagination so I have no idea why it photoed that way. Gorgeous! The world's simplest shawl ever; let the wool ribbon work its magic. You cast on four sts (size 15 or 17 needles) and then increase at the beginning and end of every row. And work in garter stitch. It was supposed to use only one skein of the fiber, but I wanted it a little larger so invested in the second skein. I'm not overweight, I just like my shawls to really wrap around and be generous.

And why did I wait so long to make the circular needle organizer from the book Stitch and Bitch? It was so easy and so worth the time. I figured working with the transfer paper and the computer to make the size labels was not going to work for me so I rubberstamped the sizes on white fabric, heat set them, and then sewed the labels on. The holder velcros over a hanger, so I decided to run one of the tabs through my metal needle sizer/gauge measure so the needles and sizer are always together. That's so that when I put the needles away I can be sure I'm sizing them correctly. I have found that the organizer doesn't really work well for the shorter circs so I still have them in a plastic container.

Happy knitting!

Sundays are for Gifts

Back when I was a SAHM I used my Sundays to do charity knitting--preemie hats for a local NICU that tends to be neglected because we have a much larger Children's Hospital locally. So this week I decided that Sundays would become gift knitting days. The two dish cloths are for clients who will be closing on their homes next week--it will add a little personal touch to the not-so-personal gift card I usually give. It's hard to tell, but the close up was an attempt to capture the log cabin design knit into the cloth. It's way cute in real life. The lavender face cloth and matching soap sack, Bathing Beauties, will go in the gift box with other stashed gifts. The soap sack is actually seamed at the wrong end! I mistakenly seamed the lace edging and secured that seam so well that there was no going back. And I found the perfect soap to put in it. At a local nursery if you can believe it. The soap is a rose scented soap and smells just like fresh cut roses. You will definitely be seeing more of the Fiber Trends bath accessories in the future. In the very near future as a matter of fact.

Rip It, Rip it Good

One of the most useful things reading other knitting blogs has taught me is that there is no shame in realizing something can be done better so it's okay to frog an item and start over! After knitting up one whole skein of the Patons SWS I thought it might be more feminine-looking to use a yarnover increase for the Multidirectional Scarf. So I frogged (rippit, rippit) using the swift and then rewinding the ball. But guess what? There isn't much difference in how the yo looks vs the Kfb increase. Maybe it will look better in the blocking. By knitting up one whole skein I realized that I will want the scarf to be three skeins long so it was back to Michaels this morning. One other good thing that came of starting over is that now I'm using my Lantern Moon Destiny circs. The first time I used Addi Turbos and this yarn is a little too slick for the polished nickel.

I had to go to a LYS to purchase some handmade soap for a gift and of course walked out of there with three new patterns and some Lamb's Pride to make a Buttonhole Bag from the Mason-Dixon blog. I've really, really got to go on a yarn diet!

Those Enablers

On the left is the major S. E. X. I have indulged in this week thanks to the "Progressive Yarn Sale" my LYS is having this month to make way for the new fall yarns. I have scored 15 balls of Zara (Filatura di Crosa) in hot pink. This is 100% merino--23 sts/4". I have no definite plans for it yet, but it was just too luscious to pass up. The butter colored yarn is Linenisle by Plymouth Yarns--it's destined to become a summer top for next year. The grey/lavender/green is Paint Box by Knit One Crochet Too and is going to be Knitting Pure and Simple's Side to Side Cardigan. I bought all 18 balls the LYS had and it should be plenty to do the cardi and also have lots left over for other projects--maybe a felted bag or two. The two balls of Koigu were not part of the progressive sale but I had to flaunt them. They are my purse knitting and are Glampyre's Jaywalker socks which can be found at MagKnits.com.

The other yarn, worthy of its own photo, is a new (at least to me) yarn found at Michaels. It's called SWS by Patons. The SWS stands for soy wool stripes. The yarn is 70% wool and 30% soy and knits at 17 sts/ 4" on size 9 needles. This colorway is Natural Pink. It was the only color in stock. I can't wait to see the other colors. These two skeins will be Multidirectional Diagonal Scarf.

The scarf will be my new "mindless" project when my mind and hands need a break.

And now to the "enabling" part: The Zara was purchased earlier this week while the yarn was 20% off. The 30% wasn't supposed to start until tomorrow, Saturday, but I went in this a.m. thinking the new markdown started the 18th and it didn't. But the sweet LYS owner told me I could have the discount a day early. This is not the only thing this dear lady has done to endear herself to me, but let me tell you that I will be a loyal customer!

Dishcloths

Here are pics of some of the cloths I've done recently. The flamingo and the palm tree went to my sister in a neighboring town. She has a "thing" for flamingos so anytime I can find anything flamingo related, she gets it! I've done shadow work flamingos and even smocked flamingos. I also have the Fiber Trends pattern for the felted flamingos, but felting is a winter project for me. But she'll definitely be getting one or two!

I have been really, really trying to be project monogamous, but sometimes it just doesn't work. Part of my S. E. X. this week was the purchase of some Zara and some Koigu. The Zara I can wait to start knitting since I really don't have anything in mind for it yet. But the Koigu! I let the Little Guy wind it for me last night and took it with me to get my haircut. And of course I had to cast on for Glampyre's Jaywalker socks--found at MagKnits. This is a wonderful pattern. So many people have done the pattern and I can't resist the temptation anymore. And since it's only a two row pattern repeat it's easily memorized. So now those are what's in my purse. I'm doing them on two circs and I've discovered myself a clever little trick. Needle one is wood and needle two is metal. So I can tell right away which is the beginning of the round. Of course, when my KnitPicks needles get here I'll have to try those out and then both needles will be the same and I'll have to use a stitch marker. Anyone out there have any comments on the KnitPicks needles? The price is too good to be true. And they have free standard shipping on orders of $40 or more.

What Got Done and S. E. X.

Scribble, Nina, and one sock got done before the menfolk got home! And more would have gotten done--maybe even the second sock-- if I hadn't wasted so much time moving stuff around and cleaning just to have it all undone by them when they got home! But Mr. C is in Australia for two weeks now so I have much knitting time.

The "Yarn P*rn" is what I bought on my one and only S. E. X. during the menfolk's trip. It's Lush in a dusty rose color and Anne in a fantastic colorway.

This is the pattern I will be using the Lush for:













And here is a closeup of the cable detail.

Marathon Knitting

Okay, here are the projects in the line up.

The Nina Shawl from Mason-Dixon Knitting was at 30 inches when I started the marathon. I'm adding some extra sections because the finished size is 60 inches which I don't think will be long enough to wrap around myself comfortably.

The sock is past the gusset and into the foot. This, however, is sock #1 and I suffer horribly from Second Sock Syndrome. Let me tell you that Trekking is a dream to use.

The Scribble Scarf (also from M-D ) is frustrating me to no end! The other night I decided to work on it and realized I had lost a stitch somewhere. When I saw how far back the lost stitch was I frogged it! Probably 5 inches. Then I realized I probably could have "hooked" it back up. That's how out of it I am these days. So it took about 1.5 hours for me to get back to where I had had to frog. Do you think this happened because I worked it out of order? I'm loving the look of this scarf but it has not gotten into a rhythm for me yet. I'm not liking the cable on the needles I'm using, but these were the only ones I could find anywhere with points sharp enough to use. The yarns being used are Lion Brand Incredible (the ribbon) and crochet cotton size 10.


This is the Dish Cloth KAL for August. I was so sure I knew what it was by day 2--I thought it was going to be a spider or bee. It was worked from the top down so I thought those rays were legs and/or part of the wings. The top of the lighthouse did look to me like a stinger. About Day 4 I caught on.

Why Do We Need a Man Exactly?

This has the potential of being a bitter post, so I'm going to try to keep it light.

I have the next 9 days to myself due to the fact my 24 year old married son in Florida told me I was not welcome to come visit him. Yet Mr. C, my husband, still took the other three kids for the visit. Let's just say that Mr. C is no longer the good guy in most people's eyes. What kind of man won't stand up and emotionally support his wife? Previous to this, I'd been the "difficult" party. It just goes to prove that if you have patience, the truth will prove out. And I now have a plane ticket I can use at another time to go someplace I'm welcome! Probably to see my sister in another state.

They left behind a lot of things which needed to be attended to and this was not a spur-of-the-moment trip--it was planned for months. But since they would rather go shopping and fishing last night than do the things that needed to be done.

But it has empowered me! Here's a partial list:

1) The dishwasher kept falling out of its space. Now I'm not into nagging anymore, realizing that it does not get things done any faster if at all and doesn't make me feel better, so I mentioned it once. It didn't get done. You want to hear what I learned? I can go to the hardware store and they will hook me up with what I need and reassure me that I can do it! And if for some reason I couldn't do it there are people who are paid to do these things! And I realized that if a MAN can do it, so can I.

2) My, not our, bedroom door needed a key lock. Guess what???? It only takes a Phillips head screwdriver and five minutes to change it. It was so easy and actually so much fun (rewarding?) that tomorrow I'm doing the bedroom door which leads to the patio. And only I will have the keys. Who me, Bitter?

3) If the 18 year old doesn't mow the lawn like he's supposed to (and believe me it was already overdue and they won't be back until August 13) I can hire a neighbor boy to do it. And I paid the neighbor 2.25 times the going rate and am deducting the 18 year old's allowance by that amount. Bet he doesn't "forget" again! And, um, why didn't Mr. C remind him? Because he's the FUN parent.

4) There will major room and roommie reassignments when they get home. This involved buying new beds--two twins. I was hesitant about this because how would I get the beds home? Would I be able to put them together? How would I move the other furniture out? The furniture place does all this for--are you ready for this?--Thirty-five Dollars! It doesn't matter if it's one piece or twenty--it's the same price. That's less than it cost to have the lawn mowed.

And this will all be done by Monday evening and then I can knit.

I thought about doing my own version of the Knitting Olympics, but decided this might be more rewarding: I am going to see how many UFOs I can finish up by the 13th. Tomorrow I will post the starting pics. Things I'll be working on, in this order:

The Nina Shawl from Mason-Dixon Knitting
Scibble also from MDK
Trekking socks of my own design

Car knitting is exempt from the monogamy rule.

If I get these done I'll find some more UFOs or maybe reward myself with a new project.

And since they're deep sea fishing, eating southern barbeque, doing Epcot and Disney World, riding the waves, I intend to engage in some major S. E. X. (Stash {yarn} Enhancement Expeditions for you non-knitters).

Gotta love it!

What A Boy!

My Little Guy and I have an arrangement: He doesn't make me fish and I don't make him knit. So we get along great. He lets me drive him to the nearby wetlands park and he lets me sit and knit. Sometimes he even "lets" me drive him up the canyon to an even bigger lake and harder hike! Am I lucky or what?



Since he's quickly getting as tall as me, am I going to have to have a new name for him? 

Oy Vey!

These are knit cloths for my niece's little girl who turns three this week. I guess she'd be my grand (great?) niece, but aren't Great Aunts 80 years old?;) The yellow one didn't photograph well, but it's an elephant and the lavender is, of course, a butterfly. These are two of her favorite things right now. The flower is just because I wanted to try it and that where we get to "Oy Vey!" This was an incredibly quick knit until the finish work. Twelve ends to weave in--no lie! But it's so worth it! I think it would be great done in cotton chenille also.

These patterns are from Knitwits Heaven. I can't say enough about this company. I go to their website, choose my patterns, click on the cart button and within a couple of hours the patterns are e-mailed to me. You'll definitely be seeing more of their work from me--some are finished and just waiting for a future blog entry.

By the way, I don't just knit cloths and towels, but right now I'm into instant gratification and stuff doesn't get more instant than some of these cloths!

All Dishcloths, All the Time

What happens when you buy a colorway which doesn't live up to your expectations? The entrelac cloth on the left is done with the color Gumdrop. I tried a Mason-Dixon bib from it and frogged before I got very far; I didn't like the way it was turning out. And then found a link to a cloth called Garterlac and there was my solution. The cloth on the right is done with the color Over the Rainbow which I love no matter how it's knit up. I haven't washed a gartlerlac cloth yet so I'm not sure how the shrinkage or biasing will be. But if it doesn't mis-shape I will probably adapt it for a kitchen handtowel.

The other dishcloths are from Mason-Dixon book and KAL. The ninepatch can be found on Ann and Kay's blog. The ballband one is from their book. In the future I will save my too-small-to-do-anything-with scraps of dishcloth cotton and make the Ninepatch.

Finished Knits!

Here is Soleil done in Elann yarns Sonata, tarragon color. It was a fairly easy knit and I love the way it fits. The color is darker than I would have liked, but it will be a good year round wear with a Tshirt underneath.

This multicolor tank is W from Knitty.com and I really like the look of it, but not how heavy it is. I used "dishcloth" cotton and it made a very heavy article. It might be fine with nothing underneath, but I would need to wear a Tshirt. So I'm not sure this one will get any wear.

And, finally, a better picture of the buttons on my new nephew's bibs. Aren't instruction manuals a wonderful thing?