It's All About the Handknits

; (

2010-05-10T18:49:00.002-06:00

Well, I bought this candy bar:
To send to my sister after her doctor's appointment.

Guess I'll be putting it in the trash.

Can We Say Free Upgrade?

2010-05-10T15:47:00.003-06:00

The guy at Hertz (Burbank Airport) was getting ready to put me in a Nissan Versa when he took a look at my ID. He didn't say why, but he upgraded me to this little baby. Oh yeah! When I came to California last Oc tober, Enterprise upgraded me to a PT Cruiser, but don't you think this is soooooo much better?

It wasn't totally free: I had to buy a scarf ($4.35) to tame the hair.

Go, ME!

It's a Lemon

2010-05-10T15:30:00.006-06:00

This is a Onesie dress I made for Penelope. I used a yellow striped Garanimals brand snap t-shirt from Wal-mart and some really cute lemon and lime fabric from Joann's.

Here are some close ups of the detailing:

After I narrow roll hemmed the length, top and bottom, of the fabric on the sewing machine (if you don't have a narrow roll foot I suggest you invest in one and learn to use it--it's amazingly easy and neat), I used crochet cotton size 10 to do a blanket stitch around the bottom hem.

Then I did a crochet trim around the bottom. The first row was the foundation row of a single crochet in each blanket stitch all the way around. Then it was a shell stitch around that. Easy, and quick. It's too bad the New Mrs. Moulton and I don't live close enough to collaborate on these projects; she's an awesome crocheter and I'm just so-so.

Then it was just the standard sewing on of the skirt to the "onesie". Fun and quick. What I love about this Garanimal "onesie" is the gathered detail at the neckline.

This is the hair bow I made to match the dress. I just "winged" the crochet medallion and sewed the lemon button (which was surprisingly hard to find) onto the center. Then hot glued it to the clip which I had covered with green ribbon.

Happy Knitting/Sewing/Whatever!

Rant

2010-05-03T15:31:00.002-06:00

If you need to renew your Driver's License in Utah there are many hoops to jump through now so check out the website for renewal. One of the items needed is your birth certificate or a passport. If you need to obtain your birth certificate DO NOT USE vitalchek.com. They are expensive and hard to get hold of. According to their website, my birth certificate was shipped via FedEx on April 22, it is now May 3 and I have not received it and cannot get any response from VitalChek. I wasted a lot of money and STILL have to go to the Health Department to get my birth certificate.

I am posting this information everywhere I can. DO NOT USE vitalchek.com

Lame!

2010-04-14T17:08:00.003-06:00

This is how a date with a movie critic goes:

Me:

"Have you seen . . ., oh! Of course you have."

"Did you like. . ..of course not!"

Duh! Pam!

But it was a lot of fun dissing the Nicholas Sparks movies! Everyone I work with loves Nicholas Sparks so I really have to keep my mouth shut at work. I guess I'm just not that into a "death bomb" in every-single-movie.

No, really I had a great time, I'm just a lame conversationalist. And he doesn't really hate every movie.

Aprons!

2010-04-14T16:21:00.014-06:00

Here are two aprons I made last week. One is for my niece's little girl, Yar-Ya (the other one I made her was too small) and the other one went to my DIL to either save for Emily or to gift to someone.

I learned some interesting techniques on these.

This is how to more easily apply bias to a curved edge. The sewing books recommend you shape your bias before attaching. This is to allow the curve to have no tucks or buckles in the final stitching. I used prepared bias on both these aprons--single fold 1" and single fold 1/2". I pressed the curve into both, but found that the narrower bias really could have been sewn on with no curve pressed in. So here is how it's done:

Even though I will be sewing the bottom of the bias strip right on the juncture of the pink and green fabric I put the top of the bias strip along the seam line. I placed lots of pins following the curve of the fabric. Be sure you allow some extra to hang off the edges of your apron (where you'll be hemming the sides). After pinning the bias I then pressed the unpinned edge lightly stretching it. After it has cooled I remove it and get ready to apply it for real this time. See how neat the bias is:

On Yar-Ya's apron I wanted to apply some tatting I had made. Please check out how close I called it. Maybe I should have measured the apron?

I sewed the tatting on by using a very narrow zig-zag stitch. Now I'm going to apply the bias covering the zig-zag. Applying anything on top of anything is most easily accomplished with Wonder Tape. This awesome stuff is double sided 1/4" tape. And it washes out! And it doesn't gum up your needle. Watch Joann's for it to go on sale 50% off when the wall notions are on sale--and then stock up. Here's a picture of how it works:

I put it right along the top of the tatting. Then I put my bias tape on that and edge stitched it.

When the apron was "finished" I wanted more embellishment (it's the old lady in me because the tatting just wasn't enough old lady) so I decided to "sprinkle" the cupcake applique and to embroider "Yum" on the bias tape. Here are the close ups:
I love my niece and I love my DIL so when I sewed on all those beads I tied a knot after each bead before moving on to the next. I didn't cut the thread, but each one is knotted so if the thread breaks only one bead is going to roll.

Here is a close up of the other apron. I hadn't made tatting for it and just wanted to get it done so I figured using a blanket stitch on the bias tape would do. And I wanted to do it on the machine with rayon thread (shine!). Here's an example of why one should always do a practice piece:

Look how you can see the green between the stitches. Yuck! I had used my edge foot for that row and as you can see it was a much better line up (with that stitch) just going with a regular presser foot. So here's how I fixed it because it was impossible to pick out those stitches:

And once again the Wonder Tape bailed me out!

And because we all need a little baby peek:

And now a little "something-something" from my calendar called P@rn for Women:

You gotta read the caption.

You can click on any picture to make it larger.

It's All About the Shoes

2010-04-07T23:56:00.009-06:00

I purchased these shoes at Ross for $3.99 awhile before Emily was born. I decided I needed to make something to match them. The colors really do match in real life. There are some interesting things I learned on this item. One was that I decided to make my own yardage to make my own piping. It would have been so much easier to just buy a print; but not nearly as fun. Also when making that yardage it's probably a good idea to go ahead and use the water soluble stabilizer instead of printer paper. The printer paper didn't wash out and it made the fabric very bulky. Also it took one whole spool of thread of each color to do the machine embroidery. But all in all I think it was worth it. A fun trick I learned was when making piping is after ironing the bias strip in half open it back out and run a line of glue stick (water soluble) down the fold and then lay the cording on that. It makes it so much easier to keep that cording in the fold.

Here is picture of the yardage before I sewed it into piping:

You can see why it took so much thread and so much time to make this.

Here is another fun trick/technique I found and implemented:

You take your sleeve pattern and make a new pattern of just the part of the sleeve that's gathered. You then lay this pattern on the bias fold of a square of organza (or fine netting) and cut it out. (Hobby Lobby only had sparkle organza and I was too lazy to drive to Joann's.) Treat the sleeve and the organza as one. After the sleeve is inserted into the bodice pull the sleeve and the organza apart. This keeps the sleeve puffy. Another trick I've heard about regarding ironing puffed sleeves is to just blow a blow dryer into the damp sleeve. Another trick is to put those mesh dish scrubbies in the sleeve while it dries. Another trick: Hire someone to do your ironing ;)

And for the curious as to what I looked like after my chemical peel, this picture is just a few hours later:

Swollen and red. Like a sunburn. Ignore the bad hair; it was clipped back for the duration of the peel which took about 70 minutes. The next day, Saturday, my skin was very, very tight and dry. Sunday I could barely move my face because of the tightness and when I did my face cracked and started to peel like a sunburn. That's the desired process. Today is Wednesday and I have just a little residual peeling around the hairline and in hyperpigmented areas. Nothing was particularly painful except when I used Mack's Cetaphil face wash not realizing it was the one for oily skin. OUCH! I am very happy with the results. My pores are much diminished and my skin is so soft. An added benefit: I didn't have any sweets in my house and I was way too scary looking to go anywhere to get any and so I may have kicked my cravings.

And speaking of soft: I get to see Emily tomorrow (Thursday). I can hardly wait. I haven't seen her in 9 days!

And I do occasionally still knit. I plan on taking some to work with me on Friday.

ETA: Pictures of bias tape makers. I have both kinds and love the Singer since it's automatic. Yes, there is a fine line between laziness and shortcuts. It's $89.99 at WalMart. Unfortunately, I didn't know that and bought mine at a quilting store.

The Onesie Dress

2010-04-06T12:33:00.005-06:00

This is Emily's Easter dress that I made for her last week. You can click on the picture to make it really big. I wasn't going to make an Easter dress (Melissa had purchased a really cute one already), but I saw this bunny and egg fabric on clearance at Hancock's and bought some for next year. But at the last minute I decided to add a 1/4 yard to the purchase and make a Onesie dress. I bought the contrasting fabric at JoAnn's. I found the idea for the dress at Lila Tueller Designs. She uses elastic thread wound on the bobbin and I tried, really, really tried to make it work for me. But it didn't. So here is what I did instead:

I used Lila Tueller's length measurement for the skirt and made my strip of bunny fabric and the two contrast fabrics. I used the full width of the fabrics. I cut a strip of the peach fabric twice as long as I wanted the band to be and then ironed it wrong sides together--look Ma: no hem! I sewed the peach fabric strip to the bunny fabris wrong sides together and then ironed the seam towards the peach. The green strip I ran through my bias maker even though it wasn't cut on the bias. This folded the two edges into the center (if you don't have a bias maker you can of course iron it and burn your fingers while you're at it ;). I then laid the green strip over the seam and edge stitched it in place. Then I narrow hemmed the top of the bunny fabric. Then the side seam. I was going to French seam it but it's really hard to French seam over the bulk of the bands. So I just serged it.

Using your seam as one side seam fold the skirt in half and mark that point, fold it half again and mark your center front and center back. Now we're going to gather: Ordinarily you would do your gathering stitch with the right side of the item facing up since you'd be pulling the threads on the wrong side. We'll be pulling the threads on the right side side so sew your gathers with the right side of the fabric down. I gathered at 1/4" and again at about 5/8". Stop your sewing at each side seam, and then start over. It will be so much easier to gather with only having to pull your threads this shorter distance.

Now for the onesie: Mark a line under the armholes--I did it about 1/4-1/2" away. That's going to be the sewing line you're aiming for. Mark the center front and center back of the onesie. And here comes the part where you really need to be careful so you don't have to unpick the skirt (I learned this the hard way). Pin the skirt to the onesie matching your markings. Now follow that "line" down the skirt and the onesie and pin the skirt to the onesie there also in a few more spots. This will help keep the onesie from creeping up into the stitching line and ending up with lots of the body in the wrong place. Pull up the gathering threads to size and pin, pin, pin, pin. You can't have too many pins.

Now set your machine for a narrow and fairly long zig zag stitch so that the fabric will have some stretch. Slip your onesie over the arm of your machine and carefully sew between the gathering threads. Remove your gathering threads and you're done! Easy Peasy.

The flower is just a strip of fabric folded in half and then the raw edges were handsewn to gather. I then sewed a button in the center to hid the raw edges. Since raw edged flowers are so popular it would be really fun to gather the folded edge and then you wouldn't need the button. The leaf was a circle cut free hand. Then it was folded in half and pressed. Then the folded edges were folded to meet in the center, this makes a tear drop shape. Gather the rounded edge and you've got your leaf. Or just go buy a matching flower.

One of Lila Tueller's variations uses fat quarters. Fat quarters are on sale for 99 cents each at JoAnn's April 11-17 for their Daffodil Dash Sale. Also keep a look out at quilting shops; they often run specials on fat quarters--like buy five get one free. And guess what? Lila recommends six fat quarters for her design.

The matching shoes are from a pattern I purchased at The Material Girls Quilt Shop. They were a lot of fun.

I found "imitation" onesies at Dollar Tree for, you guessed it, one dollar. Keep in mind they run really small and shrink up even more. This dress is so easy and fun to make that you don't need to worry about the durability of the outfit since you won't have a lot of time invested in the creating. Plus babies outgrow things at an alarming rate. For which I'm really thankful for because that means more sewing! The 6-9 month size shrank up to (Gerber/Carters) newborn size. I've purchased a pack of Carters onesies and am going to try dyeing a couple of them.

It can't be said enough: Prewash everything. If it's going to be a gift, subject the "raw" materials to the worst laundering you can imagine. Like hot water and a hot dryer.

Now go forth and create and email me your take on the design.

My Sister's Spring Break

2010-04-05T16:20:00.003-06:00

My poor sister, Laura. She broke her ankle last fall and it never healed so on March 17 she had to have surgery. I went down there last week to take her a little gift and to sign her cast. And for her to take me to dinner. Yeah, big sisters are cool like that. Here's the dishtowel I embroidered for her. You can't really tell but it's draped over a flamingo pink cast. I would expect nothing less of Laura.

Baby Blessing

2010-04-05T16:11:00.002-06:00

Emily Paige Moulton received her name and a blessing on Sunday, March 28, 2010 (which happens to be my parents' wedding anniversary). I had the privilege of making the blessing dress and slip. The dress was smocked and the slip was shadow embroidered--well, the M was. While struggling with the date I could finally see the value in those embroidery machines. I'm sure it's not my eyesight.

Emily was so lucky to have so many of her out-of-the-are family there. Her Great-Grandma Elaine Moulton came down from Twin Falls, Idaho; her Aunt Laura and Uncle Mel came from Provo; her Uncle Brian and Aunt Cindy came from Cache Valley; her Grandpa Kim and Grandma Linda and Uncles Mack and Chris came from California.

Cameron and Melissa had a brunch after: biscuits and sausage gravy. MMMMM

Just A Little

2010-04-05T16:07:00.004-06:00

There was just a little Christmas knitting. And the only thing I got a picture of was these mittens I made for my sister, Christine. Come to think of it, it may be the only thing I knit for Christmas. She saw the idea and sent me the link. The original idea used purchase mittens. I thought it would be soooo much better to super size them. Yep, huge.

I'm still not tired of coloring my words.

Shower of Gifts

2010-04-05T15:54:00.005-06:00

Emily's Baby Shower was in January. It was an Open House and mom and I went. I was so happy to see the new Mrs. Kim Moulton, Linda, there. She'd made it up from California to do double duty as wedding dress shopping with her daughter and to go to Emily's shower.

Here are the things I made for Emily.

I couldn't resist the monkey flannel even though it's blue. Melissa likes monkeys and it was the cutest monkey flannel I've seen. The brown and pink sweater is from Mason-Dixon Knitting--the Baby Kimono--I used Bernat's Cotton Tot yarn. The dusty pink sweater is a Mary Tripplet pattern purchased at The Unraveled Sheep in Sandy, UT. The orange knitted blanket (yarn is Encore purchased from Unraveled Sheep) was so fun. I'd been waiting a long time to find a reason to purchase that colorway. And of course matching burp cloths.

I was pretty proud of my crocheting (not my favorite craft) until I saw Linda's. That woman can crochet and her stitches are so even and neat. But she doesn't sew or knit or tat. So I'm still "ahead" of the game in an area or two. I'm just saying. Like I know it's not a contest or anything.

Guess who learned to color her fonts?

Wow!

2010-04-05T15:34:00.006-06:00

I can't believe it's been that long since I blogged. So much has gone on here. I found out in October that Cameron and Melissa's baby is a girl. You can imagine how excited I've been. Emily Paige Moulton was born on February 21, 2010 at 7 lbs. 12 oz. And she photographs much chubbier; as her proud daddy says: The camera adds 10 ounces.

Here are some of the things I've purchased or made for her: The first things I bought were those shoes; girls' shoes are sooo much cuter than boy shoes! Emily wore the white ones on her blessing day. The two nightgowns I mailed to her. Her name in care of Cameron and Melissa. I wanted her first mail to be from me!

Guess What I'm Becoming?

2009-08-31T21:02:00.001-06:00

Come February call me Grandma!

Gone, Baby, Gone

2009-08-08T18:09:00.004-06:00

The empty house has a different empty feeling than when Big Guy has just gone to visit his dad. These 3.5 weeks away from him are the longest I will have ever not seen him--must get that web cam working. Even when I left I still picked him up from school almost every day. I've never gone more than 8 days without seeing him. My heart is broken.

And He Changes His Mind

2009-08-01T22:21:00.003-06:00

Big Guy is going to California after all. He was afraid his dad and brothers would make him change his mind (so was I) and they did. It's sad that his brothers want him to move three states away rather than be with me. I've never felt so hated before. I hope the big brothers miss Big Guy more than they ever imagined.

Gotta Have Faith

2009-07-31T12:28:00.006-06:00

Well, it's entirely different news than before.

Once everything was packed up and a new school being faced on August 10, Big Guy has decided to stay in Utah with me!! It finally dawned on him that he'd be leaving behind everything he ever knew and didn't want to go. We're playing it by ear right now; he says he may decide to go to California once he officially starts high school.

I have to admit: My sisters were so right on this matter! Aren't older sisters the bomb!!!???? Thank you dear sisters. I love you!

Okay: Here's some knitting content.

Meet Mr. Crabs:

He was knit for Big Guy while he was on Scout Camp at the beginning of July. I was kind of worried Big Guy would think he's too old for a knit stuffed toy, but both he and his older brother pronounced it "Awesome!" It is a fun and quick knit. The pattern is a row by row pattern (so no measuring) and so it can be sized up very easily by just using bulkier yarn, or sized down by using thinner yarn. Big Guy's is made of worsted weight and is about 12 inches claw to claw. I am planning on making this again for gifts.

When I took Mr. Crabs to work everyone fell in love with him. I had this great idea that I should knit one for the office and whoever was feeling crabby that day would get to keep him on her desk. But then I realized Terry and I would be fighting over him every single day. (Tongue in cheek there).

Now my mood is vastly improved I will be knitting much more! Here's to my sisters being right!

Happy Knitting!

ETA: Little Guy turned a milestone birthday so he is now known as Big Guy

First Place

2009-06-29T19:27:00.002-06:00

Being the third child I've always wanted to be first at something. Well today I got it.

My attorney has never seen a case where one parent (Mr. C in this instance) has so totally alienated the children from their mother be awarded custody. The custody is temporary, to be reviewed in December after all of us having individual counseling. The evaluator could not say anything I had done wrong, but reamed Mr. C a new one for having alienated me (during the marriage and since the divorce) and then said "Little Guy misses his dad." She thinks Mr. C deserves another chance. Not even a court order has kept him from disparaging me in front of Little Guy. So let's sacrifice my last child. At the age of 14, in Utah, the minor child's wants weigh more heavily than anything else.

I kept asking my attorney: "What did I miss? What did I do?" There is no answer.

Looks like there's going to be a trial in my not-too-distant future because I am not giving up.

I am still in shock.

For all of you who think Mr. C is "the bomb": I wish you could have been in the conference room today to hear the real story. Think about it: who would leave "such a great guy"?

Oops!

2009-06-22T20:56:00.001-06:00

Really, I have been knitting. I could take a picture of the things that need to be sewn together, but that would be incredibly boring.

But soon!

Happy Knitting!

There's a Reason It's Not Covered in the Etiquette Books

2009-05-13T15:55:00.004-06:00

And it's called Common Sense. One does not send wedding announcement/invitation to your ex-wife's family.

Give me a break. But it's provided some comedic relief for me!

I'm trying to decide who would feel more awkward: the future Mrs. C or the former in-laws? And here's the easy answer to that: The former in-laws are sensitive enough to all parties to know better.

Happy Knitting!

Race for the Cure

2009-05-09T22:02:00.006-06:00

From top to bottom:
The felted purse for the top fundraiser for Race for the Cure--Teri, the only other knitter in the office, won it.

One of the fifteen dishcloths I knit for the gift bags.

One of the sixteen felted Noni Forget-me-nots I knit and felted and glued pin backs on for the female team members. Plus three more for the felted bag.

I'm too tired/lazy to go find the Noni pattern to relate the story behind the forget-me-nots, but it goes something like this: The Noni designer was asked to design a flower for a woman to use to decorate her bra to wear in the UK equivalent of our Race for the Cure. Proceeds from the pattern sales go to cancer research. I thought that was such a good thing I decided to do one for each team member. I only wish I could have gotten someone to agree to wear a bra exposed with me, I would have covered our bras in these flowers. I love the office where I work, but sometimes the other workers can be a little staid. I did get one nurse agree that if she ever runs she'll do the bra thing with me. Rest assured, we will be wearing the decorated bras on the outside of our t-shirts. You know, to keep the disgust factor to a minimum!

It will be our team tradition and each year we'll add a new forget-me-not, but a different color each year. Blue was the default color because I had so much left over from a bag (yet to be finished) I had felted.

TEAM PHOTO!!!
Happy Knitting!

The First Curse Word on This Blog

2009-04-28T23:36:00.005-06:00

And just when I thought I was numb:

Just when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse, I found out tonight that my second child and his wife bought a house. I'm a realtor. They didn't use me. I am a little hurt by it, but figure they lost out since my closing gift to them would have been my commission (minus what I have to pay in taxes and to my broker). On a $150K house (I don't know what their purchase price really is) that would have been a closing gift of $2160 (cash). Hmm, wonder if their agent (if they used one) will match or beat that. Think not!

A little back story here: I spoke with this child twice on my b-day last Saturday. And my child Number 3 was here for 48 hours straight this past weekend. And Big Guy knew about the house. Apparently it's a big secret from Mom.

But what really hurts (and it took me a couple of hours to realize this) is that the future Mrs. C (on Big Guy's phone as Future Mom) knows about the house.

I wish the children could see that there was another side to this divorce. However, one parent has chosen to keep the children out of it. And it wasn't Mr. C.

It's been a really sh*tty 10 days and I don't see it getting any better.

No happy knitting. Only a broken heart.

Dad's X-Wife

2009-04-19T22:35:00.003-06:00

That's how my phone number is identified in the new cell phone Mr. C bought for Big Guy.

And just when I thought my feelings couldn't be hurt any worse than they already had been.

Baby Wrap and Other Things

2009-04-15T14:42:00.007-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to post this! This sweater was done last year for a niece's daughter, Brynley, who was born in December. It's from Cool Knits for Kids and made from Cotton-Ease. The baby is in a warm climate (think Christmas with 70 degree temps except this winter when my sister, the baby's grandma, took the snow with her down south) and also the third child so Mom needed something easy care. I made some modifications such as actually knitting the front band on instead of knitting separately and then sewing on.

This scarf is One Row Scarf from The Yarn Harlot. It was a very fun, fast, and easy knit. When I took it to work to show off it matched a co-workers sweater so it became hers. This was stash yarn and it was written in Japanese so I have no clue what it was called, but it sure is pretty!

These are hats I did for charity. One of the ladies at the office was getting a knitting class together for the LDS Humanitarian Project and I offered to do a couple and to donate some kits for the ladies who participated. The yarn is just acrylic baby yarn and the pattern on the left is from Cottage Creations book Projects for the Community. The one on the left is just a basic hat pattern.

This hat and bootee (spell check wants it spelled this way) set didn't photograph very well. The actual hat color is brown with lavender trim! The hat is from Knit Baby Head & Toes. And the booties are from Cool Knits for Kids. I made these to match an outfit an office worker's daughter had bought for her daughter. I wish I had paid more attention to the color of the photograph and gotten it correctly because it really is a striking color combination.

Check out the counters on the sidebar. I'm the team captain for The Stream Team (Race for the Cure). If you want to pretend we're The Stream Team because we're so streamlined feel free to do so. But the truth is the Urologist I work for is sponsoring our team and he named us. So the stream refers to something totally not so pleasant! You will be seeing some knitting related to The Race for the Cure. More about that later.

The other counter is for weight loss. Duh.

Running will be found here from now on.

Dish cloth knitting will be found here.

Happy Knitting!

Heart Felt Sunday

2009-04-05T22:11:00.005-06:00

Today I made this rose! It's a needle felting mold from Clover. It was amazingly easy and took only about an hour--not bad for the first attempt. The reason I titled it Heart Felt is because it's three different sizes of felted hearts made into this rose corsage. I've done lots of felting (fulling) in the washing machine but this was my first attempt at needle felting. I can hardly wait to order the hedgehog mold (probably not 3-D). It think it will be so cute on a tote. Go check out the Clover site.

Check out what Millicent (the cat) did to my laptop mouse. She chewed it up. Last spring she chewed through a wire on my electric blanket after I had put it in storage. Luckily she's smart enough not to chew on anything plugged in. And that's amazing considering she fell off the bed not once but twice the other night while she was chasing her tail. That dang tail gets so wound up at bedtime.

And this is Kyler's Kardigan from Cottage Creations. It was made for my niece's daughter, LaLa. And her Aunt Kate picked out the buttons. The yarn is Paton's Decor. This sweater has an option for a zipper and the mom is probably going to wish I had used a zipper since these buttons are a little "catchy" on the buttonhole.

On the "running" front, I am gearing up for the Race for the Cure on May 8. I'm hoping to be able to run the whole 5K, but will still be happy if I have to walk part of it. A year and a half ago I finished a 5K running program, but once I got to where I could run 25-30 minutes at a time I was done. I'd accomplished my goal--but not run a race. But now one of the women I work with is a runner and it's inspired me to try again.

Happy Knitting

What Did YOU Pack for Christmas?

2008-12-27T15:01:00.005-07:00

I went to my mom's for Christmas Eve and came home on the 26th. The bag on the right held my clothes and makeup. The other two bags were my necessities: My Knitting! Yes, more knitting than wearables. And a good thing too since we were pretty much blown in. The wind blew so long and hard on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day that there was no way I was driving home in my lightweight PT Cruiser, aka Voodoo.

This blanket is Moderne Baby Blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It's for my new grand niece--Brynley. The yarn is Lion Brand Baby Soft in pistachio, lemon drop, white and lavender. I couldn't decide what to do with the edging. I really liked the look of I-cord (check the one on Ravelry), but didn't want to put that much time into it. So I did six rows of st st and let it roll. Gave the look with none of the hassle.

More about Christmas knitting in another post--gotta run to a wedding dinner.

Happy Knitting

Will I EVER Get it Right?

2008-12-22T23:55:00.002-07:00

My second attempt at Yarn Harlot's Unoriginal Hat. This time I made sure I had yarn which could achieve gauge (Brown Sheep Bulky in Cranberry Swirl). Two hours of knitting and it doesn't fit! Way too small for me. Luckily I have a daughter-in-law who is absolutely tiny.

I'm going to attempt the pattern again. But maybe not for a few days.

Happy Knitting!

More Christmas

2008-12-22T02:14:00.003-07:00

Apparently I'm turning into a posting machine.

Here are the Christmas gifts for my officemate and her husband. The dark gray pair is Dashing from Knitty.com and the multicolor is Fetching from Knitty.com and the beanie is my own design to match Fetching. I used Cascade 220 Handpaint for the multicolor and Cascade 220 for the gray. (click for big, you can actually see the cables!)

Happy Knitting!

Very Unoriginal

2008-12-21T23:27:00.002-07:00

This is The Unoriginal Hat by the Yarn Harlot (link on sidebar). Very, very easy. I used Lemongrass Wool-Ease Thick and Quick, size 10 needles. It was pretty tight knitting since WETQ is not the gauge needed for this project, so I was fighting it all the way. But it was fun and it's only 36 rows! What can be more instant than that???? Even with the cables slowing the knitting down?

Happy Knitting!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-19T19:46:00.008-07:00

Long time no posting again. I'll be better in the new year!

This first picture is the three Cottage Creations Babies and Bears sweaters I did for the three grandsons of women I work with. I truly love this pattern and wish I'd kept track of how many I've made over the years. When my children were younger they called this the magic sweater because it in no way looks like a sweater while being knit.

A pumpkin hat for Jayden, the son of the Physician Assistant in our office. He looked pretty cute in it!

Bats! From a pattern (purchased) that I found through Lime and Violet's Daily Chum. Anyway, these are a quick knit and so fun. I did the fangs with glow in the dark yarn by Bernat (from Michaels, but they got rid of it). Again, one of these went to Jayden.

A turkey hat--one of three that I did. Also found through Lime and Violet's Daily Chum and this one was free. I did one for Jayden (that kid is starting to hate me I think), one for a coworker's grandson, and one for my niece's one year old, Lala. This was a fun hat but after doing six turkey drumsticks I was ready to be done!

Okay, not knitting but still a project. A smocked gown for a baby who wasn't supposed to live. I couldn't let her be buried in a gown done by someone impersonal. The baby lived!

Eight pairs of Evangeline, eight pairs of Fetching, one pair of Dashing. All free patterns (do a search on Ravelry and/or Knitty.com). For office workers. They were a big hit. I used Cascade 220 superwash wool and I could get two pairs (not the Dashing) out of one skein. I even added 2 extra rows on the Fetching and one extra pattern repeat on the Evangeline. Only with the camel color did I really run short on yarn. Very fast knit and very economical.

Happy Knitting!

Smiling So Hard My Cheeks Hurt

2008-09-15T21:08:00.002-06:00

A looooonnnnngggg time since the last post, hunh? I didn't knit for quite awhile, but I'm back in the groove--pictures soon to follow.

Why am I smiling so hard? Mr. C has moved to California and I've been awarded temporary custody pending a custody evaluation. I've had Big Guy full time since July and more than half the time March through June. It's been fantastic. I realize things can turn on a dime, but right now I'm enjoying the extended time with Big Guy. He's doing so much better in school--there is something to be said for a parent being through with work (outside the home--since work is really never done for a parent) in time to be there after school. Right now I've got the best of both worlds. And I do realize how fortunate I am.

And since Big Guy loves to fish it gives me lots of time to knit while sitting on the edge of the lake/pond and having him tell me about the fish and how to catch them. Very informative. He even lets me reel one in occasionally!

Big Guy is a great help around the house. He loves to fix things and hang things, etc. Plus he's learning a little cooking. Last week he grilled one of the best steaks I've ever had. Tonight he grilled shrimp.

Happy Knitting!

Finished Projects!

2008-05-06T17:13:00.005-06:00

I can't believe I finally finished this. It was knit more than a year ago for a friend's birthday. But when I went to line it I couldn't find the knit part. Then I made the lining but couldn't find the handles. Then I moved. Then I found the handles, but couldn't find the bag and lining. This past weekend I decided it was do or die on this since it was a year overdo (a really good friend to be so patient). I bought new handles. Then I couldn't find the bag and lining. I could picture which sack it was in, but couldn't find it. I went through every box and yarn container in my basement looking for it. I finally decided I would just have to reknit the bag and suddenly I remembered where I had put it--in the container next to the sofa so that I could finish it. And the handles were there! But I like the new ones better. Details: Ticker Taper "yarn" by Moda Dea, color Sunset, one skein. I don't remember what size needles. The pattern is Chinese Charm Bag from Stitch and Bitch. It was actually the second one of these bags I've done for gifts.

This year's b-day gift for the same person. I gave her both presents today and she was so sweet about the one being over a year late and this one being 2 weeks late. Like I said, a good friend. This is Bathing Beauties by Fiber Trends, Grace (Patons) cotton yarn. Size 3 needles. A quick and fun knit.

Okay, I'm dang proud of these socks. I started them May 1 and finished them today, May 6. Here's why the dedication to getting them done. Unraveled Sheep in Sandy is having a sock knitting contest and I really, really wanted to be the first person to get an entry in and I was. They are Leaf Lace Socks by Fiber Trends. Sleeping Dragon yarn in Mossy Frog. Size 0 and 1 needles--next time I'll use 1 and 2. These are the socks I was knitting when I broke the circular needle.

Big Guy is still sick so I've gotten lots of knitting (and ironing done).

Happy Knitting!

Broken Hearted

2008-05-05T19:17:00.004-06:00

I was at the pediatrician's office this afternoon and knitting away on a sock when look what happened to my needle! I've never had one break like that before. I must have been tugging too hard when I pulled the stitches through. Even though I have "emergency knitting" in the car, I didn't want to leave Big Guy to run out to the car. I was reduced to reading about vaccines while I waited for the doctor. Big Guy has a virus which presents a lot like strep. Nothing but time will make him feel better. I'm very sorry he's not feeling well, but being a Knitter I look on the bright side: lots more knitting time!

Look who was in Salt Lake yesterday. The Yarn Harlot! She gave a great presentation as always. The King's English Book Store even had copies of her books for purchase. That was really nice since I hadn't been able to find her most recent one anywhere.

Almost every Friday night for the past two months I have had dinner with several well known, well recognized local media people. I've never been tongue tied or stumped for an answer around them. Yesterday while waiting for the Yarn Harlot to start I was returning to the auditorium from the restroom. One of the library employees was walking with a woman. He directed me to the front entrance of the auditorium, when I turned to thank him I realized who he was escorting--Stephanie Pearl-McPhee aka The Yarn Harlot. Words totally failed me. I could not remember her name, my manners, or even my name. This was my clever statement: "OH! Hi (long pause). It's you I'm here to see." (DUH!) Maybe the local media should take up knitting and I'd be quiet.

The Unraveled Sheep in Sandy is having a sock knitting contest (among other contests) this summer. So guess what there will be a lot of on this blog?

Happy Knitting!

Catch Up

2008-04-30T22:10:00.005-06:00

Here are the bowls post felting. I'm really pleased with how they turned out--especially after all my false starts. I learned something when I was felting them: Don't use the mesh laundry bags and towels. The bowls ended up with lots of lint. I had to refelt them using jeans. I think I'll get a pillowcase and add a zipper for future projects. These were April's present for my sister in Washington.

Socks from Meilenweit. These were car knitting and I had to finish them by April 30 because Unraveled Sheep is having a sock contest for the summer and the socks have to be made with yarn purchased from US on or after May 1, 2008. So to the shop I go tomorrow after I cash my paycheck! These socks were just basic garter rib. Easy-peasy.

Evangeline (from Magknits.com-no longer in service) and Fetching from Knitty.com. You know, the usual that I'm doing monthly so that the Christmas rush isn't quite so rushed. However, I was very rushed to make the deadline--just finished the last one this evening. Which means I knit three of these in a little over 24 hours. But, hey, meeting the goal is what's important.

No pictures of this month's most popular items: eight dishcloths for a friend who moved to Florida. This woman has everything she could possibly need, but everyone needs more dishcloths right? So I knit a Utah one, a Florida one, a palm tree, a flamingo, and four textured cloths. All in incredibly bright colors. Wish I'd thought to look for an alligator one since Gators are a FL football team. I did luck out and did a two color cloth in green and orange--the Gator colors. I didn't know those are the Gator colors. I almost frogged the cloth because it was so garish.

Happy Knitting!

I'm In Love!

2008-04-21T11:46:00.006-06:00

Meet Millicent, my new addition! Big Guy and I received her from a friend. We are really loving having a kitten around. Millicent is almost 7 months old and personality plus, but not really frisky which is a good thing in my book. I do have to remember to put the knitting in a safe place. She's already chewed up one circular needle (luckily a cheap one) and chewed on some yarn. She is so much fun.

Here are some catnip mice I knitted for Millicent and a friend's cat (link is on the side bar). Notice the extremely elongated mouse. That's what happens when I don't read the directions completely. I kept thinking: This is taking so much longer than the ones I knit last summer. That should have been my clue that something wasn't quite right.

Felted bowls (before fulling) based on a pattern from One Skein by Leigh Radford. I did them bottom up so that I could utilize every bit of the Noro Kureyon. You can see how little I had left. I actually knit the smaller bowl three times because I kept messing up my increases. I'll post a picture of the finished product next time.

The lack of posts has been due to my mom being so sick. Five weeks ago she had a stroke, the following week she had a heart attack, and since then it's been one doctor's appointment after another. She's gone from being a very active person to someone who can barely get out of bed. And then complications from a cardiac ablation. Luckily one of my nieces had just moved to Utah and is now living with my mom; what we would be doing without Kate is just not possible to think about. She's been a godsend. Like I said in an earlier post: mysterious ways.

Happy Knitting!

Some Cooking with the Knitting

2008-03-12T12:44:00.006-06:00

This is what's left after three of us had dinner. It's Parmesan Gourgere with Chicken Filling.

It wasn't the quickest chicken potpie I've made, but it's definitely the best and worth the extra few minutes. A gourgere is the same dough as the dough for cream puffs, but you add cheese(s) to the dough before baking. Yummy! Let's face it: I made it and it turned out so it really can't be hard or time consuming.

This the the gift I did for my sister in January. It's a takeout hot drink cuff (I'm sure there's a real name for it out there). It's a free pattern on Knitpicks website.

This could be considered my $2 sweater. Made from Wool-Ease purchased at Fred Meyer years ago when they had it on sale for two skeins for a dollar. Obviously mismarked in the ad, but they honored it and I bought close to $50 worth of yarn that day. I started this sweater late Christmas Eve and finished it in January. It was a night I couldn't sleep (isn't menopause a joy and coupled with the ex stress) and I had to start something new. We all know that it doesn't matter how many projects are on the needles there are times when nothing but something new will do. The pattern is Lacy Cardigan from Blue Sky Alpacas.

These are felted buttonhole bags I made at Christmas--one to give away one to put in gift stash. Pattern from the Mason-Dixon website.

These are hats I made for Big Guy and one of his friends. The yarn is Araucania Nature Wool in an olive green color. Looks almost like camouflage. I thought the two hats would take two skeins but they only took one. So the extra skein made a hat for Son #3 and the rest will be a hat to go to the gift stash.

Willie Warmers in Fun Fur and Wool-Ease. 'Nuf said.

Happy Knitting!

Back, Again

2008-03-10T12:23:00.010-06:00

Lots of knitting content ahead.

First of all check out the socks which took me forever to finish. They were the ones I carried as emergency car knitting. My MO for the socks-in-the-car is that it takes forever to complete the first one, but then I get excited and finish the second one much more quickly.

This is Sunday Best Cardigan from The Little Sublime Handknit Book. It's a gift for a friend's baby due in May. I didn't make it to the baby shower (went to see Menopause: The Musical) but the sweater did. And my wonderful officemate who had hosted the shower brought me leftover food the next day. Yum, yum. Atkins Who?What?

I have set a goal this year that every month I will send my sister in Washington a little something handknit. For March I did dishcloths. The pics aren't great but they are (clockwise starting with noon) a palm tree, a dragon fly, the state of Washington (it's upside down--I didn't notice when I photoed late last night), and the February mid month dishcloth KAL.

These are Fetching (from Knitty.com) knit from Cascade 220 Superwash. The pair with the ribbon was the February gift for my sister. The other pair goes into the gift stash.

The green ones are Fetching and Evangeline (Magknits.com). Going into the gift stash. Another goal I have this year is to knit one skein of Cascade 220 Superwash into two pairs of fingerless mitts each month and put into the gift stash.

Another goal is to knit one dishcloth every Sunday--so far so good on both goals.

Okay, it looks like Blogger is tired of this post and isn't cooperating with me anymore (I'm sure it's not my impatience!) so I'll end the knitting content now. But there is a lot more knitting to blog about.

Things are going better in my personal life. Mr. C has been traveling a lot so I've had Big Guy (he's almost as tall as me now) with me quite a bit during the week. It's so much fun having him for days on end and having a real life with him.

Happy Knitting

Mysterious Ways

2007-12-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

I no longer pretend to believe as I once did, but I do know there is a God and He moves in mysterious ways. Occasionally when I look at Little Guy I wonder if I made a mistake leaving Mr. C. I look in LG's sweet face and can't believe I am not seeing that face and kissing those cheeks everyday. That's when God steps in and Mr. C does something which brings me back to reality. Mr. C's latest not-so-little action has astounded even his Bishop. It is so absolutely unconscionable that it just reaffirms my decision. My only regret is leaving the children with him. Which due to his recent actions may be a moot point soon. It is hard to believe this man was sustained as a man of God in a church. I should have gone with my instincts: grabbed the child and fled a year ago. One thing I do hold true is that Mr. C did give good and wise counsel to his congregation. It's just too bad he has never been able to apply it in his own life.

Now on to Knitting! Look at those cute hats. They are for my 3 year Grand Nephew who lives in Washington. My niece couldn't find any hats which fit so she sent me his measurements and I knit these (from WoolEase) to take a break from packing. They were a welcome distraction. Niece says they fit perfectly, but pics of him wearing them haven't arrived. I hope they did fit and she's not just trying to humor me!

Next!
.Tree Jacket. I'm too lazy to find the link, but it was an online (instant download) pattern on the internet. Google if you're interested. It was fun (except for the purling in the round), quick, and inexpensive. I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Taupe. I finished while waiting for the Thanksgiving Turkey to cook. The knitting kept me from hogging the new grandniece who is cute, cute, cute. That's not my new house in the background, by the way.

Now on to Cooking! Check out these cookies LG made this weekend. We made sugar cookies (stars), but he wanted fish shaped. I have a fish cookie cutter, but he wanted a muskie. So he downloaded a pic from the web and made a template (that's what's at the top). Awesome job.
There has been more knitting going on. I made a large felted tote bag for a gift, but forgot to take a picture of it before I gave it away. GRRRRR. And I've made two buttonhole bags from the Mason-Dixon blog and did remember to take pics, but when I went to post them I realized I still need to take a picture of the finished product. GRRRR again. Next post.

Happy Knitting and Merry Christmas!

Oh, Juliet!

2007-11-15T21:46:00.001-07:00

Juliet is finally finished and already gifted. It turned out great all around and the recipient loves it and had to show everyone around the salon her first 2007 Christmas gift and the only clothing item ever knit just for her. It was tremendously gratifying. I can't wait to make one for myself, but it will be awhile. Major packing is in the works for my upcoming move!

Happy Knitting!

The Weekend

2007-10-29T14:32:00.001-06:00

Big Guy was such a tremendous help at the Halloween Party that I rewarded him by buying myself a new airplane. Of course it was too windy to fly so he had to fly it for me. We really had a lot of fun flying it. Next weekend I will really learn to fly, but it's just as much fun to watch him fly as it is for me to attempt flight. But while watching him fly I realized I need a blanket to keep in the car.

One of the things I left behind at Mr. C's house was an afghan I crocheted over the course of several years. It was made with leftover yarn from projects and then some yarns which I just liked the colorway but wouldn't ever want to make a project. I could ask for this back, but I've asked (and have in the divorce decree) some other things I'd like and he hasn't produced them so I don't hold out much hope for the afghan. So I decided to make a new one along the same principle (yarns I like) but knitted using the Rambling Rows Afghan from Cottage Creations. Okay I really didn't need to start another project, but want and need are different. But after looking at yarn, Red Heart, I decided on a colorway: Monet by Red Heart. Yes, this acrylic is not fun to work with, in my opinion, but the cost and the ease of care far outweigh the acrylic issue. Plus I really, really like the colors! And since there is no dye lot problem, except with the multicolor, I can buy the yarn on an as needed basis and when it's on sale. I have three blocks done already.

And now that I'm in an afghan knitting mood (that could change any second) I've decided I need a handknit afghan for my new home. But I'm going to wait until I have the keys in my hand before I buy the yarn. The yarn will probably be my Christmas gift to myself. And it won't be Red Heart!

Just a disclaimer here: I'm not really dissing on Red Heart, I've made plenty of projects from it and the color selection is hard to beat.

Check out our new ice cream maker: You freeze the bowl (takes a couple of hours) but then you have ice cream in 20 minutes. Yum-O! No cranking, no ice, no salt.

Happy Knitting!

Moving Along

2007-10-25T17:23:00.001-06:00

On Monday I drove out to the new house to see what's been done (okay, I'll admit it, I drive out almost everyday! who wouldn't?) and the painting was finished. It's actually a little darker than it looks in the pic, but the color is Tequila by Kwal Howell. I was so worried it would be too dark since they paint the ceiling the same as the walls--just the trim and the doors get the white paint. But the color is perfect!

Today when I went out and checked the main floor flooring was being laid. It was almost done and looks great. I was too embarrassed to take a picture, but will try to get one over the weekend.

It still doesn't seem real that this house will be mine. I worry that something will happen and jinx it. Today I had to ask Mr. C to get a copy of the refinance of our old house to prove that I was no longer on the loan. I hope he'll be cooperative and get my lender a copy.

Off to knit.

Happy Knitting!

Sick Day

2007-10-24T22:01:00.001-06:00

I had too bad of a head cold to do much of anything today. After I ran into the real estate office to drop something off for the receptionist, I came home and spent the day and evening knitting. I finally finished Roza's Socks, a pattern from Interweave Knits. These socks were my car and emergency knitting, but I realized today I could finish them and so did!

The booties are Saartje's Bootees (yep, that's how the designer spelled them) and they are the cutest things ever! And so tiny. These are the larger of the two sizes and you can tell how tiny they are. They're made from the leftover Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock yarn from my Pomatomus socks. I still have 76 yards left and since these booties took only 60 yards I can get another pair from the yarn, but will probably choose a different pattern. I can't wait to see my new grand-niece in these.

I kind of went overboard on the purchase of books and patterns this week. The new Itty-Bitty Nursery is so adorable. There are so many projects I want to make from this book, but it looks like the pacifier tethers (clips?) will be my first project. And there is a really cute sweater with a flower--the stem forms the button loops--which will be another project from this book. I'll be using the Cotton-Ease which I'm frogging from a failed sweater for me!

Happy Knitting!

Some Finished Objects and Some UFOs

2007-10-22T13:19:00.000-06:00

Most of these have been finished with the knitting just waiting for buttons, ribbons, ends woven in.

The hooded sweater is the Babies and Bears Sweater from Cottage Creations. This is by far my fave baby sweater to knit. It's fast, I can do it in 2-3 evenings, it fits like a dream, and it's way fun to knit. I wish I had kept track of how many I've done over the years; I'm sure at least a dozen.

Then there are two baby kimonos from the Mason-Dixon knitting book. This is such a fun carry-around project. Takes very little thought, but provides much relaxation. As a matter of fact the pink one (almost exactly like one posted earlier--I had bought way more yarn than needed so made a duplicate) was worked on during the "down" time of divorce mediation. The Mediator and my attorney were quite impressed with my relaxed attitude! Hey! I knew what I was entitled to and if Mr. C wanted to argue it out with his attorney and the mediator at least I got something done. The yarns: the pink one is the twist version of dishcloth cotton and the multicolor one (it looks like Play-Doh) is from Bernat.

The green one was a really fun knit and designed by local designer Mary Triplett. It's called Baby Sweater Puzzle and I purchased the pattern at The Unraveled Sheep. I just used the new dishcloth cotton which has long color repeats; I think it's called Stripes by Sugar and Cream, purchased at Joann's.

The bolero is for me! Summer Sky at Magknits.com. I used Bunny Hop by Crystal Palace. I had a lot of adjusting to do on this pattern--I wanted it longer, less fitted, and with longer sleeves. I wore it the other day and received so many compliments it was well worth the many times I frogged it and started over. The linen stitch provides a nice contrast with the stockinette stitch and the multicolor yarn really plays up the contrast. Love it!

I think I may be becoming project monogamous. Which is a really good thing because that's how things actually get finished. Not to say there is only one project on the needles, but just one for each type of knitting. Do you know what I mean? A really easy project which doesn't take much thought, a sock (that's my emergency car knitting), something more complicated, and finally a long started project which needs to be finished.

With the move and the need to start packing stuff, I really have to decide what I'll be wanting to knit on for the next 8 weeks and have just those things on hand. I feel like I'm losing my security blanket since I won't be able to just go downstairs and pull out yarn, books, patterns and start something new. Yes, this will be a good thing.

Happy Knitting!

Blank Slate

2007-10-15T21:26:00.001-06:00

This is what I've been working on! A new (town)house. Today I ordered all the finish work and should be able to move in mid to late November. Needless to say I'm very excited.

Choosing the options is so much faster when there is only one opinion to be considered--my own! Of course, now that everything has been ordered I'm starting to second guess my decisions. Yes, that's normal so I really can't think about it too hard. The place is much larger than it looks from the outside: 2000 sq. ft. with 1422 of it being finished. I'm very, very excited. Of course this means I've been knitting new kitchen towels and cloths. Fun!

I actually have quite a few finished objects to show, but it's too late tonight to upload and blog about.

Happy Knitting!

First Night

2007-09-29T23:55:00.001-06:00

Tonight was my first social function as a divorced woman. The divorce decree was signed by the judge about 8 days ago and tonight was a birthday party for the doctor I work for and his wife. I've been to activities alone while still living with my ex and since separating, but this was the first one as divorced. And it did feel different. Weird. Plus it was the first time I'd met the dr.'s wife. As odd as the evening felt I still say it's better to actually be alone than FEEL alone with another person. Does that make sense? And the one saving grace was this was the first party I had attended with this employer so I wasn't known as half of a couple. That would have felt even more strange.

And this is what I wore:
It's the Carrie Cropped Cardigan from Fitted Knits by Stephanie Japel. However, mine isn't cropped since I had way more yarn than I needed. Check out the "button". I couldn't find anything on the button aisle that I liked so decided to check out the craft area and found this fastener in the jewelry making section. I love it!

This sweater was originally intended for a party with the real estate company a couple of weeks ago, but the party was cancelled due to bad weather (it was supposed to be up the canyon). Tonight's party was casual so I wore it. It was a very quick knit--2 sts/inch. It only took me a weekend to knit, but took three days to dry after I wet blocked it. Anyway I love it!

Happy Knitting!

It's Been Sooooo Long

2007-09-24T13:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, it's been a long time since I last posted. Is there anyone still out there?

The summer just flew by. I spent a month housesitting in my old neighborhood so I could be close to Big Guy. I didn't get to spend nearly as much time with him as I'd like because the other parent was not cooperative. But it was still great being that close to him and I was also close to my mom and stepdad so it was great being there. The catnip mice and the dishcloths are for the woman (and her cat!) whose house I watched. There was also a dog to tend, but pics of pig's ears (apparently dogs love them!) don't make for good blog posts.

The baby kimono is from Mason-Dixon Knitting (or whatever the name of it is). I used the newish twisted dishcloth cotton purchased at Hobby Lobby, but Michael's has it now too. It's not as bulky as the regular dishcloth cotton so it's much easier for me to attain gauge.

The alpacas were at a fiber fest I went to last weekend.

Still running, but in air conditioned comfort at a local fitness center. I didn't achieve my goal of getting trained in time for the fall 5Ks, but have great hope for the spring ones. I should have listened to the trainer and been training on a 2% incline since treadmills do most of the work for you! I was running with a 0% incline and it just wasn't going to translate to outdoor street running. But I do love the "high" which running gives me.

Happy Knitting!

It's Been A Long Month

2007-07-09T17:06:00.000-06:00

These are the key decorations for June and July.

And below are pictures from Mother's Day gift knitting. I started the shawl for my mom the Friday before MD and finished it right before she and her husband showed up for dinner. Thank goodness Little Guy (who is now 12 and will now be known as Big Guy) wanted to do lots of flying which translates to lots of knitting time for me! Look at how little yarn I had leftover! I didn't even cut it that close with the pumpkin hat in October. The flower things are pins I picked up on clearance at JoAnn's. They can be used to "dress up" the shawl closing.

The card is a handmade one I made for my mom. It was based on the one which one of my daughters-in-law made for me! I shamelessly copied it.

The green knitting is a prayer shawl I did for a friend's mom who had just been diagnosed with colon cancer.

Happy Knitting!

Tired

2007-05-31T21:32:00.000-06:00

Three weeks with no posting. I've just been overwhelmed and busy. Some knitting, but that will be another time.

This divorce thing is really getting me down. Apparently there are people out there who are saying "I can't believe she gave up her kids." "She's so selfish." I didn't give up my kids. And I wasn't selfish. It was the MOST unselfish thing I've ever done. Only one child is a minor and he wanted to stay with his dad. I could have gotten full custody of him in a heart beat. I still could. I was the SAHM for 24 years. I was the one who was room mother; a weekly volunteer in the classroom; went on ALL the field trips; etc. But the divorce and separation were going to be painful enough for everyone. At least let the child stay where he wanted to be. H*ll, if I had been treated with the same respect the kids were I'd have stayed. The hardest thing I've ever done was leave those children behind. I prayed they'd want to be with me. But they're boys, they're hurt, I was the disciplinarian. And I'd been told for years by Mr C that I'm a terrible mom, a horrible housekeeper, and had no friends. You hear these often enough you begin to believe them.

Also being said by Mr. C is that he's devastated by the events and really wanted it to work. Let's take a look at how hard he was willing to try to make the marriage work: There was no forgiveness or understanding on his part. Our oldest, who the family was to visit last July, said I wasn't welcome in his home (since I wanted a divorce from his dad). Mr. C, who says he wanted the marriage to work and loved me, didn't stand up to that adult child and took the other three boys and went to Orlando and left me at home. He told me the kids didn't want me on vacation with them; that I ruin everything. The last chance he had to make the marriage work was to stand up for me. But he'd never done that. Another instance of how badly he wanted the marriage to work: On his last business trip while I was still living in his house he brought home gifts for everyone including the niece's daughter who lives 40 minutes away, but didn't bring me anything. And then had to talk at a family dinner with my mom and stepdad about all the gifts he'd brought back. Gee, he wonders why I wanted out. I don't care that there was no gift, it's never been about that, it's just the constant hurt. There were many, many more instances, but I'm really trying to move on. Yes, I hurt him and hurt him bad was willing to try and work things out, but things got worse and worse. He even managed to turn my mom against me for many months. Wouldn't you love to be married to such a kind loving man?

We won't even go into his latest trick of trying to make me look like a bad mom.

And let's not forget this little fun fact: When I told him I was filing for divorce I asked him if he wanted me to serve the papers or have him served at home or at work. He wanted more time and I offered to wait, but agreed that when I had him served I'd give him a heads up and do it myself. Next thing I knew, I was being served at my office. Loverly. And he wanted the marriage to work? And he's devastated? Puhleeze.

Now on a lighter note: I have taken up a training program to run! Yes, for real. A few years ago I bought a book for women over 40 who wanted to start running. Well, like so many exercise plans, the book got shelved and brought out once in awhile. Have you realized that self improvement books only work if you put the principles into practice? Putting them under the bed or on the shelf or just ignoring them doesn't really work! Several years before my last baby was born (he'll be twelve in a month) I was a runner. But as soon as I got to where I could do a mile, I quit. The past few weeks I've come to the realization I can do anything I set my mind to. And so I decided I was going to do this running thing. Not just attempt it, but actually do it! Tonight I wasn't able to sprint for the distance as I had been, but at least I attempted. The torn muscle from the fall last January isn't responding as well to the training program as I'd hoped. To compensate I went twice around the park for a total of 3 miles of walking. It's a chance to clear my head and really think. If the hip and groin don't let me run at least I can become a fitness walker. But I'm not giving up on the running yet. Mr. C would decide after months, or even years, to take up running and he could just take off and do five miles right off the bat, no working up to it or anything like that. I still envy his ability to do that. Too bad he couldn't do that for our marriage.

The park I walk/run at is beautiful and has a lot of good memories for me. There is one bend that I come around where I have a view of our beautiful valley and it just brings such joy to my heart to see it. Tomorrow evening Little Guy and I will be walking the park together and I'm going to point out that sudden, spectacular view.

The first three weeks of this training period are just getting out 30 minutes three times a week and walking. When ready I'm to choose a landmark to jog/run towards and do that. Then walk again until I catch my breath, repeat until the 30 minutes are through. Subsequent weeks are about walking for so many minutes and then jogging, repeat. I look forward to programming my ipod with music that matches the times because I just don't see how I can coordinate using a stopwatch while trying to exercise.

There will definitely be knitting in the next post which will be soon.

Happy Knitting!

If a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood . . .

2007-05-07T13:14:00.000-06:00

Well, guess what? It wasn't a beaver after all. Duh! That wasn't a paddle shaped tail and beavers don't have furry (contrary to the girl at Sonic) tails even in the winter. It's apparently a woodchuck and a huge one at that. However, the beaver makes a better story.

Look at that pathetic face. I somehow didn't bend down far enough getting in my car last week and the sunglasses (being worn at the time) collided with the car door frame and made a perfect split of my skin. I couldn't tell if it needed stitches and there was a two hour wait at InstaCare so the soon-to-be-ex came over and superglued the skin back togther. A week later and I can hardly see it. But it still hurts! Don't you just know that Voodoo (scroll down) had to do something since it's gone more than six months without an accident?

While sorting and organizing stuff at home I came across school pics of Little Guy; an overwhelming sadness took over me. I miss that little man so much. I miss the other kids too, but they're adults and pretty much living their own lives. I was very surprised the 18 yo chose to stay with his dad. Everyday I wish there was some way children could be with both parents in a divorce situation. My attorney told me it's not too late to get him fulltime with me and it's very doable and I'd probably win. But LG wants to be with his dad and that's what's important. Hell! I'd like to be with his dad if his dad treated me as well as he treats our kids.

All righty then. On to knitting content. I started a prayer shawl for a friend's mother who was just diagnosed with colon cancer. The pattern is from the novel Back on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber.

As far as the knitting time on the way to the family party: The knitting didn't happen. I was way too carsick to knit even stockinette. Bummer. By the time the medicine kicked in I was too spacey to knit. But after a nice nap I accomplished a lot of knitting and a lot of organizing.

Happy Knitting!

Wild Thing

2007-05-04T23:49:00.001-06:00

Check out what the kids and I saw at Sonic Drive In this evening. It's a beaver with its winter tail. One of the employees told us that it had jumped out from under the hood of a truck about three hours before. The poor thing looked so frightened.

The key for May.

My mom and one of my sisters and I are going to a birthday party for my mom's 90 year old aunt tomorrow. It's in a town about 30 minutes away. This means I'm getting some uninterrupted knitting time in the car since my sister will be doing the driving. I'll be working on a blanket for my niece's soon to be born baby (September 20). Luckily I chose cream for the blanket color as the baby is still hiding its gender from us.

Happy Knitting!

Happy Birthday

2007-05-02T12:29:00.000-06:00

Last week was my birthday and it was it was a great day. The little guy got me a grill (wahoo!) and he put it together and fixed himself a ham steak right away. Since then he's used it to make popcorn and to cook lots of marshmallows. The 18 yo got me a gift card to Barnes and Noble and I used it to purchase the new Interweave sock book. The 22 yo and his wife got me a movie (Notting Hill--love me some Hugh Grant) and steaks to cook on the birthday grill. Much cake, laughter, and good times was had by all!

Happy Knitting!

Knitty

2007-04-23T14:32:00.000-06:00

This is the baby blanket and sweater I made for my niece's new baby boy. The pattern for the blanket is from Oat Couture and I will probably never make it again. Even after blocking it I couldn't get it to lie flat. The sweater is Trellis from Knitty.com. I loved doing the cables. The baby blanket is mostly short rows and the sweater (for me) next in line was a short row but I'm a little tired of doing short rows so it's on hold for awhile.

This week starts a new "program" of knitting for me: Mondays will be for finishing up projects. Let's see how well it works or how long I can do it.

Happy Knitting!

April

2007-04-19T13:10:00.000-06:00

And here is April.

I can't believe it's more than halfway through the month already. I have in mind a May and June key decoration, but it involves paint. Something I don't really enjoy doing, but will do. Look for it!

The never-ending baby blanket will be finished today along with the sweater. The babe was born a few days early back in March so I had used the excuse that since I hadn't finished it before the baby was born I really didn't need to bust my bum to finish it. And then due to the tumultous personal life I lost my kniting mojo. After my mini breakdown (at least I didn't fall apart while the child was having his crisis) my mojo disappeared. It is back now! And just in time since the baby's blessing is this Sunday.

Tomorrow gets to be a really fun super knitting day so I need to find just the perfect project to start. The dr. I work part time for is out of town so we have a very light day tomorrow. I was told to be sure and bring something to work on or to read. It is going to be every knitter's dream: to be paid to knit something for themselves!! The only way it could be better would be if I hadn't had to pay for the yarn. Now: what to work on? An existing project or start a new summer item. I'll let you know.

Happy Knitting!

Life

2007-03-28T21:47:00.000-06:00

Here is March's key decoration. I did put it up at the first of the month, but I've been a bad blogger.

There still isn't any knitting going on. The hand is still sore and we've also had a family matter which is so stressful knitting isn't an option right now. I know knitting would help relieve/lessen the stress; yet the same stress is making it too difficult to concentrate enough to follow a pattern. Maybe a burp cloth or dish cloth would be mindless enough?

I don't mean to be vague but I'm just not ready to write about it. One thing going on is just trying to deal with the feelings of leaving my husband and leaving the kids there with him. I don't think people who haven't been through it don't realize how absolutely devastating it is to make such a decision knowing it will have such a negative impact on the children. And I can't tell my side without dissing the dad and I just can't do that anymore. But I wish the kids could understand that it was so awful that I had to make that decision. But contrary to recent events I feel the kids are in great hands with their dad. One thing I hope my kids will take away from this horrible event is that one's spouse should be their equal and the most important person (even above their children) and should be one's best friend. Your spouse should be the safe place to go; safe from judgement, safe from criticism, safe to be yourself. I wish there is some way the children could be with both of us, but that's not possible. And one thing I really don't understand is that if the kids think I was such a horrible mom and wife why aren't they happy I left? All I've ever wanted is to be first with someone. I wonder if I'll ever have that in my life?

Okay, enough with the depressing thoughts.

Happy Knitting!

Crafty Again

2007-03-26T12:33:00.000-06:00

The eighteen year old and I put together a very cool desk for my home office/craft area. I am so excited to have it finished so that I now have a place to make cards and scrapbook. There is no way I could have finished the desk without his help of brute strength. And let's not mention how screw/bolt/nail challenged I was before this project. Due to a hand injury suffered a week ago at the start of the desk project I have not gotten any knitting done. But soon!

The desk is from Office Max and a really good price. At least I thought so until the 18 yo pointed out that it's just leftover saw dust pressed into shape. Oh well. It's still pretty.

Here is the 18 yo's reward for assembling the desk:

And here is a picture of the three of us between desk assembling sessions:

Aren't my boys handsome?

Happy Knitting!

Wedding Bells

2007-03-12T12:50:00.000-06:00

There are the bride and groom! Married Saturday, March 10, 2007. These two have known each other since kindergarten. We had decided that if he didn't marry her, we were going to keep her in the family anyway! The wedding and reception were lovely and it was so much fun to see people we hadn't seen for so long. Why does it take weddings and funerals for old friends to get together?

This is the groom after an hour of picture taking. Think he's a little tired of the whole procedure?

Happy Knitting!

Quick Knit

2007-03-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

This is one of the mini cardies from Stephanie Japel's book Fitted Knits. It called for Wool-Ease Thick and Quick which happened to be on sale at a local craft store. I started this cardigan on a Monday night and finished Tuesday night. There was very little of the green yarn left--less than two yards. But on the other hand it took one whole skein less of the blue than called for! I'm going to use this pattern as a basis for a next-winter knit. But back to the book, this one is well worth the cost. There are so many cute patterns and she gives instructions for making sure the knits fit perfectly.

Happy Knitting!

Fix That Shower!

2007-02-26T11:18:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I found out that not all wrenches are the same. See the one on the left? It came in the awesome tool kit Little Guy gave me for Christmas. Guess what? It isn't the kind to remove a shower head. So a trip to Walmart and a pipe wrench (on the right) is purchased.

This is the shower head I put in the master bathroom. And this is the weird thing: the shower worked the first time I used it back in November, but the shower button wouldn't hold after that. I would retry every few days to no avail. A few weeks ago I realized I would have to bite the bullet and replace the tub spout so the shower would work. I decided to try one last time and it worked! So off to Home
Depot to buy a decent shower head.

This shower head was in the unused downstairs bath. I decided Mack might like it for his bathroom and he does!

There is nothing quite like doing your own home improvement/fix it projects to give an ego boost!

Happy Knitting!

Looky, Looky

2007-02-23T13:08:00.000-07:00

This is Pinup Girl from Stitch and Bitch. I used Louet Sales Gems Topaz in lavender. The body shot is the true color. And guess which socks I get to wear with this? Pomatomus! The weather cooperated (it snowed!) so it was cold enough today to wear handknits. Yesterday it was almost 60.

And here are the two dishcloths from the February Dishcloth knitalong.

Happy Knitting!

Good Help is Easy to Find When You Have Boys

2007-02-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

My third oldest son visited me overnight last weekend and did some handiwork around the house for me. I have a clock which needed to be hung where I couldn't reach. Well, the manchild is 6'3" and so he hung it for me and in addition put the laundry room door back on its pins and mounted it for me. I know the kids are mad at me for leaving their dad and I wish I could tell them my reasons, but they already have one parent dissing on the other, they don't need two. Maybe when they're older they'll be willing to see my side.

But it was great having him with me. It was the first overnight he'd spent. We went to a movie, Bridge to Terabithia, then to Barnes and Noble, and to my place to make pizza. He decided to spend the night and it was so fun. It was the two youngest and me. Not exactly like old times, but better in some ways. We had a good talk; wish there was more time! Healing is taking place I hope.

I have neglected to post this month's key decoration. These hearts I found at Michael's Crafts.

Lots of knitting going on which will soon be completed. I have a baby blanket to be finished by March 5 (baby is being delivered by C-section no later than that date), plus the baby sweater to go with the blanket. And a sweater from Stitch and Bitch which is all finished except for the finishing. So tonight ends get woven in and pieces get blocked. So hopefully by next week I'll have a FO to show and wear. I may be the only person in SLC hoping for one more good snow storm. You KNOW it's all about the handknits right?
And this is a baby sweater I knit for a coworker's baby. The shower is Sunday, but the sweater has been done for over a month. When Little Guy was sick and I had him for almost a whole week I knit this in addition to the pirate hat! The sweater pattern is pattern CH33 Baby Brights from Fiber Trends and the hat is one I just winged using the sweater stitch for the base of the hat. The yarn is Patons Canadiana. (you can click on any picture for more detail)

Happy Knitting!

What I did on my Valentine's Day

2007-02-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

Check out what I did on Valentine's Day. It's the Bead Soup Bracelet from this way cool video podcast called Let's Knit 2gether. It was so easy to make; maybe took an hour to knit and 1/2 hour to string the beads. These may end up being the gift of choice for birthdays in '07. (click on the picture to see a more detailed view)

This was the first Valentine's Day in my adult life that I spent alone. And by choice! Two trips to Michael's Crafts and one to Massage Envy comprised of my social interaction for the day. And believe me, it was the best I'd felt in a long time. Sometimes being alone is a really good thing.

Check out Crazy Aunt Purl's Valentine's Day post (click on her link in my sidebar). And go back and check out her previous years' posts. She's come a long way. If you're not reading her blog on a regular basis, you're missing out.

Happy Knitting!

Pirates

2007-02-08T17:01:00.000-07:00

This is a pirate beanie I did for Big Guy. He was sick/injured for almost a week and while taking care of him I managed to knit the beanie for him. I got the pattern online, but didn't bookmark it and the printout didn't have the web address so I can't link it :( Sorry about that. I used Encore DK for the white and some black DK I had bought long ago and no longer remember why. Isn't stash yarn great? I'm still working on knitting only from my stash and it's going great. I can even go into a knitting store and visit and not be tempted. Although the Karabella Aurora calls my name everytime I enter the Red Sweater yarn store in Sugarhouse. Must resist.

Happy Knitting!

Ahhhhhhh

2007-01-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Look what is finally finished! Isn't it a beauty? The Eyelet Cable Wrap Pullover from Knit and Style October 2006. I used Lush from Classic Elite yarns and am totally in love with this yarn. It's 50 angora and 50% wool and is so soft and cuddly. Yum. This sweater fits perfectly but I will have to wear a camisole to avoid flashing cleavage, but oh! That's a black velvet ribbon laced through the last row of cable knots. The worst thing about this sweater was the sewing up. Not counting how long (an hour? maybe more?) it took to sew the neck cable band on, the seaming of the sweater took over 2 hours. Yuck. I like to sew and I love to knit, but I hating sewing my handknits, but am too cheap to have the LYS do it.

And I also finished these socks over the weekend. They are Monkey from Knitty.com. Has anyone noticed that my last three pairs of socks, Monkey, Beaudelaire, and Pomatomous, have been designed by Cookie A. for Knitty? She has the most innovative patterns, and fun to knit, that I've come across. The yarn is from Knit Picks called Memories. The colorway is Hawaii. I, however, think it looks more like Playdoh ice cream. It is not a color I would have chosen had I seen it in person instead of ordering off the 'net, but it turns out I love the way it worked up in this pattern.

Happy Knitting!

Measure Up

2007-01-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

Look at this cool toy. It's a yarn meter. I originally purchased it so I could divide single skeins of sock yarn into two (hopefully) equal skeins. But it's proving to be invaluable for leftover skeins also. This way I know how much yardage I have and don't have to guesstimate. And doubly lucky for me I have a not-so-little guy who absolutely loves to use the ball winder. Adding the yarn meter has apparently doubled the fun.

Happy Knitting!

A Sense of Community

2007-01-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

The little guy and I hang out at a hobby shop near my home. We sometimes spend hours there, our record is 2.5 and probably would have been longer but they were closing up for the day. The staff has come to know us and encourage me to sit and knit while LG roams the aisles and dreams of what he'll spend his allowance on or save up for or what he'll get for a gift. When he's not doing that he's using the remote control glider simulator honing his skills so he can fly his plane more skillfully.

While sitting there knitting I am listening to the conversations taking place between the staff (all men) and the customers (usually men). The staff knows all the projects the customers are working on. And they take great interest in the progress and the finished product (model railroads, trains, planes, slot cars). It reminds me so much of a knitting store. There are a couple of differences: the talk stays on the project and the conversation is short. At a knitting shop the proprietor would not only know the project(s) but also tons of personal information about the customer. And the conversation would be long and detailed. We women like this sort of thing. But the men, they still have a sense of community.

And the staff did ask where the socks were that I had been knitting the day before, they were quite surprised to see them on my feet!

Here is my current project for the hobby store knitting; one trip to the shop resulted in 21 inches of ribbing.

Happy knitting!

Oat Couture Vest

2007-01-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the vest I knit on the trip to my ex-father-in-law's funeral. I knit the whole vest on the trip to and from Idaho (obviously I wasn't the one driving!) in November, but dragged my feet on putting in the zipper. I like to sew and I love to knit, but I hate to sew my knits. But putting in the zipper was not nearly as difficult as I had built it up in my mind. I basted it in and then sewed it using the sewing machine. Not difficult or even time consuming.

This pattern is by Oat Couture and I purchased it and the yarn (Encore Chunky) many years ago to do on a knitting getaway and never even started it. I had even swatched and had the needles stuffed in the page protector with the pattern for all that time. I will probably do this pattern again, but with some modifications. One thing I would do differently is to do ribbing all the way to the armholes just on the sides where the side seam would be (except I changed it to knit with no side seams). I think this would give it more shaping and be more fitted. This pattern has changes for three weights of yarn--a real plus. This pattern is so basic that it's a good basis for creative license.

Happy Knitting!

Blue Fish

2007-01-06T00:45:00.000-07:00

Pomatomus, the genus of the blue fish. These socks were a very fun knit. The pattern never clicked while doing the first one, so I put it away for months. But Thursday night I got out the pattern and the yarn and started the second one. And got through the gusset before I decided I should go to bed. And Friday night I finished it. With the second sock the pattern clicked immediately-maybe it needed the months to percolate? I love the way they look, the way they fit, the yarn, everything about them. The biggest mistake? I only did two repeats on the legs instead of the three called for. Next pair, and there will be a next pair, I will do all three repeats.

Specifics: Pomatomus from Knitty.com. Lorna Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Georgetown.

Happy Knitting!

Finished Objects

2007-01-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Take a look at the finished objects! Actually only one of the dishcloths is a finished object for 2007, but the socks and the slippers are FOs for this year. The slippers are a pattern from the KnitList and the socks are Baudelaire from Knitty.com. Dishcloths are various patterns and adaptations (ie mistakes). The link to the entrelac one can be found in my sidebar: Garterlac. The slippers are RedHeart yarn--why do I always forget how difficult it is to knit with all acrylic, especially the really inexpensive kind? But we had to have camo slippers! Baudelaire is done with Regia Silk--a silk/wool/polymid blend which is a dream to knit with. I love how the Baudelaires fit and how they look. They were my first successful toe up socks.

Here is January's decoration for my key hook at the top of the stairs. It was surprisingly hard to find snowflake ornaments at the after Christmas sales. But JoAnns provided and at only 60 cents each!

Happy Knitting!

Fetch!

2007-01-03T13:45:00.000-07:00

I finally jumped on the bandwagon and made the fingerless gloves, Fetching, from Knitty. The gold pair are made from Aurora 8 by Karabella yarns. This blogger has raved about the Aurora yarn (100% merino) so much I had to try it for myself. It lived up to its reviews. It took over just one ball of the Aurora 8. The navy pair is made from Ecco by Zitron--100% superwash merino. The navy pair turned out lighter weight and finer than the gold because of a different gauge (and took less than one ball). However, both pairs fit beautifully. The ribbing gives a great fit. The navy pair was gifted to a gal in my office who is always cold. I'm not a fast knitter, yet I managed to finish one pair in one evening.

These were almost the last knits for 2006, but on New Year's Eve I manage to knit a few dish cloths for my soon to be daughter-in-law. You know you're a real party animal when you spend New Year's Eve knitting at your mom's house and are in bed by 12:30. You know that wild single night life isn't all it's cracked up to be ;)

Happy Knitting!

It's (finally!) Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2006-12-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is the extent of the holiday decorating I've done, but it sure made a difference in the holiday feel in the house. Putting up the tree was very interesting. The bottom tier is not there. It would have filled the living room. So it looks like a new, slim tree will be next year. By not having the bottom tier to decorate I ended up with lots of extra ornaments which worked out great for a table decoration. And my favorite decoration? The poinsettia decoration my big guy made for me. It's front and center on the fridge.

I've given up on the Christmas knitting. What got done, got done. Maybe more next year. Isn't that what most of us say? "Next year I'll start earlier." Every year I promise myself I'll do at least one Christmas project per month. Doesn't happen for me! But maybe next year!

Happy Knitting!

Strike a Pose!

2006-12-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

And here is my darling, darling two year old nephew in his penguin sweater. He's actually my niece's baby, but that would make me a great-aunt and we all know great-aunts are 80 years old, right? So instead, I'm a great! aunt. The little guy lives in Seattle and we all miss him so much. And of course, we miss his parents also, but they don't do as many cute things as he does. Or change as quickly.

Lots of knitting, but have given up on trying to get handknit items for the holidays. I've done a few and will post them soon.

Happy Knitting!

Penguin Baby

2006-12-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

I made this sweater and hat for one of my niece's little boy. The sweater is from Patternworks and made of Wool-Ease for easy care. The hat is from one of those craft mags you find at the checkstand of grocery stores and big-box stores. The little guy lives in Seattle and is about to turn two. The hat will fit for several years, but the sweater fits him perfectly now so it probably won't make it through the winter.

Check out this kitchen set! I knit the handtowels and dishcloths for my new place. They will, hopefully, match the dishes when I get new ones-soon--just waiting for the dishes to go on sale! And check out that button. Close enough to a knit stitch for me.

Happy Knitting!

There Be Pirates

2006-12-04T10:36:00.000-07:00

I started this pirate sweater two years ago for my youngest. It's a top down raglan and since it seemed like it was going to be too big I put it away for awhile. I finished it at the end of September and he's worn it lots. I used Wool-Ease for ease of care. I prefer Encore for wash and wear, but had this in my stash.

I've pretty much given up on Christmas knitting since I've been busy moving and working out custody and divorce arrangements. But this is a knitting blog. I have been working on dishcloths because they take so little concentration and result in a quick FO. I've also done a really cute, if I do say so myself, penguin sweater for a neice's son's second birthday. I'll post pics soon.

Happy Knitting!

Pumpkin

2006-10-24T11:51:00.000-06:00

Take a look at this pumpkin hat! It's made of Lion Wool from Lion Brand color Pumpkin. Check out how little of the yarn I had left.

Fits a man sized head
104 stitches
Size 6 needles
7 x 1 broken rib
Rolled brim

Happy Knitting

Twizzle

2006-10-23T13:21:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love these socks and this yarn. It's Twizzle by Mountain Colors. It's a wool and silk blend with 6 sts/inch on size 4 needles. The color is Alpine. I used the Knit Night pattern from Mountain Colors. These were so fast to knit and since it's a larger-than-normal-gauge-for-socks it was a good late at night project for when my hands and eyes get tired. I like this yarn so much I went and bought it in the colorway Northern Lights and am doing spiral rib socks. One warning on the yarn (at least the Alpine) I wore the socks without washing them first and ended up with dyed blue feet. Well, at least it was a real reason to get a pedicure!

Happy Knitting!

Who? Me Superstitious?

2006-10-15T00:33:00.000-06:00

Voodoo Car Strikes Again!!!!!

Would you believe that on Friday, the thirteenth, a delivery truck backed into my car???? This is the fourth accident in exactly 12 months. And then add in the theft a few weeks ago and we have five bad incidents in one year. My Cruiser used to be called "Gutless Wonder" but I have renamed it Voodoo. Of all the things that have happened to this car none, absolutely none, have been my fault. One accident was Mr. C's fault (he rode over two cement curbs and broke a bunch of stuff on the wheel), but the rest have ALL been people hitting me. But thankfully they have all had insurance. And at least my knitting wasn't a casualty this time.

I really like this picture though. The car appears to be so clean you can see the reflection of the mountains. In actuality I was in desparate need of a car detailing. Now thanks to the delivery company I'm getting a free one. Anyone want to see pictures of the rental car? Have I mentioned Enterprise upgrades me for free since I'm a "frequent flyer"? I hope they'll still upgrade me.

Happy Knitting!

Koigu

2006-10-11T15:33:00.000-06:00

My first pair of Koigu socks! Aren't they great? I used the Jaywalker Pattern and it was so easy and went quickly. I did, however, get carried away with the knitting and made the legs long enough that I didn't have enough yarn to finish the toes and the LYS didn't have anymore of that colorway so I bought purple for the toes. I actually am happy with this "accident". I am now addicted to the "sproinginess" of merino wool--like I wasn't already.

Happy Knitting!

More Dishcloths

2006-10-03T12:23:00.000-06:00

Yep, nothing beats a quick fix faster than dishcloths. The two at the top are the mid month KAL I belong to and the ones on the bottom are the Ballband from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I love the tessalating leaves on the KAL cloths and am going to look for a sock pattern with this stitch. Or maybe even adapt it myself! Yes, I believe it can be done. There is actually more knitting going on than just dishcloths, but my life is in such upheavel right now I need "mindless" projects to get a feeling of accomplishment. I actually finished my Koigu purse socks and have started a new pair of purse socks--I will post those soon.

Happy Knitting!

Happy Birthday

2006-09-20T14:51:00.000-06:00

Here are the gifts I did for my office mate's birthday. Notice the close up of the charms. The purse is from Stitch and Bitch and the washcloth and soap sack are from Fiber Trends. I used Stork from Dale; this is such a nice cotton yarn usually used for baby clothes.

Happy Knitting!

Sleeves are Done

2006-09-15T10:48:00.000-06:00

The sleeves are finished. WaHoo! I decided last night that nothing was going to get in the way of finishing them. I even remembered to figure out how many extra rows I'd have to put in the sleeve cap to match the armscye. For some reason my stitch gauge was right on but my row gauge wasn't (on my swatch) so at least I've remembered to make the row adjustments throughout the sweater. All that is left is to sew the pieces together and make the neckband.

Now I can start on the Simple Knitted Bodice.

Happy Knitting!

Sleeve Purgatory

2006-09-13T12:08:00.000-06:00

So many knitters refer to the knitting of sleeves as being stranded on Sleeve Island. I feel it's more like Purgatory. An island can be pretty and surrounded by water. Sleeve Purgatory just feels like what it is: One step from H*ll. I can't even bear to take a picture of the sleeves for my eyelet cable sweater; I'm afraid they would show no progress. I am (finally!) less than one inch from starting the armhole decreases so there is an end in sight; at least an end to the relentless double Irish moss stitch and no shaping. The saving grace? At least I'm knitting the two sleeves at once. So I really have to look at it as though I've done more than 28 inches of knitting instead of less than 15. See, I can be positive.

Happy Knitting!

Who's The Boss?

2006-09-12T11:58:00.000-06:00

This yarn apparently is! I've heard other knitters talking/writing about yarn wanting (or not wanting) to be something specific. I had never really run into that problem. Until Sunday. This yarn is beautiful and I wanted it to be this scarf. It, however, wants to be something different. I tried a ribbed pattern and another diagonal garter stitch pattern and none of these worked. So the yarn is going into the stash until it learns to behave or decides what it wants to be.

So this yarn is now being promoted to the Sundays are for Gift Knitting and will just be a garter stitch scarf. Even I can realize that that's what it will be with all the little "flags" of ribbon sticking out. Even though yesterday was Monday and I wasn't supposed to be knitting because of a broken blood vessel in my hand, I did cast on and work four rows. Just to see if I could. And if the yarn would behave. I was really worried I had lost my knitting mojo.

Here is the new car knitting bag. Perfectly clear and just the right size for the projects I keep in the car. It's actually a makeup bag from Wal-Mart.

Happy Knitting!

The Yarn Harlot

2006-09-10T15:49:00.000-06:00

Friday night the Yarn Harlot was in Salt Lake City. She is so funny and such a quick wit. Her presentation was one of the funniest things I have ever had the opportunity to sit through. Especially funny was her story about knitting at the hospital while waiting for a friend. I think that story is told on her blog somewhere. A friend went with me and we had the best time. As a matter of fact at church this morning she said to me, "This guy isn't nearly as entertaining as Stephanie." Yep, church attendance would be much higher if all the speakers were as entertaining as her. If she's going to be near your town, and I mean even in the same state, go see her. Even if you have to stay in the town overnight it's worth it. She is so charming. I'm excitedly waiting for her post about SLC and hopefully the pictures she took of the shawl at Silver Lake.

Here is my favorite new knitting "tool"--my new Homedics Foot Spa. Life doesn't get much better than knitting with my feet sitting in a hot bubble and jet bath. I highly recommend this way of knitting. Now if I could just find someone to massage my feet while I knit. Oh well, this is the next best thing.

And here is September's KAL dishcloth. Yes, I've resorted to doing two at once because 7 rows a day just isn't satisfying enough. I do have other projects I work on daily, but there is just something about the dishcloths that calls to me. Maybe it's the quick fix for this junkie.

And for all you sock fans, Lime and Violet have a free sock pattern on their current blog page. See the link in my sidebar. If you haven't listened to their podcast I would suggest you do. They are so funny it's unbelieveable. It's too bad they have to work at real jobs instead of podcasting everyday.

Happy Knitting!

Voodoo Car

2006-09-07T11:46:00.000-06:00

After reading this blog I've been thinking maybe someone out there has a voodoo doll of my car. I won't bore you with all the details of my poor PT Cruiser's short life, but let's just say I spend a lot of time with rental cars and none of it my fault. Yesterday my car had a broken passenger window and I figured the demolition guys had done it (they started demolition before we moved our cars and with no warning). It appeared nothing was missing. My wedding ring, my bluetooth headset, the camera battery charger, the CDs, they were all there. Nothing appeared to be missing. Until I was stopped at a redlight. Then I realized my knitting tote was gone. Just three inches of a burp cloth knit with dishcloth cotton. But the Addi Turbos, I'm going to miss those! Until I can get to the store to replace them. I'm just really, really thankful my Lantern Moon Destiny needles were in a project at home.

Hello, Kitty

2006-09-05T13:58:00.000-06:00

Here is the kitty bed and the catnip mouse I made for my office mate's cat. I used Brown Sheep's Naturespun worsted, double stranded, and some fun fur. All stuff I had left over from other projects. The catnip mouse was such a quick knit--less than 1/2 hour not including the stuffing and tail. I had actually learned to cable without a needle from watching Annie Modesitt on Knitty Gritty. It is so much faster than using a cable needle. Of course I've had a lot of practice what with the Eyelet Cable out of Lush. Which is well on the way to being done! Hopefully I can get it done before the Sexy Knitters Club KAL starts. So there are more late nights for me.

Here is the Paton's Soy Wool Stripes scarf finished. It will be a Christmas gift for someone as yet to be determined. I forgot to measure the scarf, but I bet it's somewhere in the range of 6 feet long and about 6-8 inches wide. Three skeins of SWS with maybe three yards leftover. The Patons website says this yarn can be fulled (felted) so I'm going to take what little is left, make a swatch and try it out.

Happy Knitting!

It's Not a Puppy

2006-09-03T22:45:00.000-06:00

These are Socks That Rock from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.

I ordered the skein on the left (Lagoon) and it came; and also in the same mail delivery, but different box, came the other two skeins (Highway 30 and Country Clare) which I hadn't ordered, but had been delivered to me by mistake. And this is where the puppy comes in.

This is me on the phone with Blue Moon the next day: "Can I please, please keep the extra two? Just charge my debit card please. Please. Can I keep them?" And they let me!!!! Afterwards I realized I sounded like a kid begging to keep the puppy/cat that followed him home. I absolutely cannot wait to knit these up.

And here are my Trekking socks, finally finished. The second one's entrelac section turned out larger than the first one and not nearly as neatly knit. I have no clue what I did wrong, so these will be worn only with pants--no skirts. I do love the colorway. And in sad sock news, I made my Koigu Jaywalkers too long in the leg area and ran out of yarn just before the toes. The store had had one last skein of the color just a few days before, but when I went in to purchase it, it was gone. So the toes will be purple. I don't feel guilty buying another skein of Koigu because I have a darling baby hat pattern which uses just over 1/2 skein of Koigu, so I'll be getting a baby gift out of my mistake. Pictures when the second sock is done.
Here is the S. E. X. for the weekend--minus the Koigu. I attended my first ever Fiber Fest. It didn't even tempt me to learn to spin which looks way too complicated for me. And too many steps--spinning apparently isn't the end of it, the stuff then has to be plied. But the yarns available! The pink yarn and the green yarn on top of the pile are Nature's Palette by Hand Jive. The vendor told me it's a good substitute for Koigu. The dusty rose happens to be just the color of the Eyelet Cable sweater I'm knitting. The multicolor is Wildefoot. The dark mauve is Cotton Fleece and the tan is Bulky Lamb's Pride. I definitely am going to be setting aside some money for next year's local Fiber Fest so that I can stock up on more of the specialty yarns none of the local stores carry. I can see now why everyone who has attended one of these events goes home with a trunkload of fiber.

Happy Knitting!

Block Party

2006-08-29T15:23:00.000-06:00

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,

2006-08-23T14:54:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-22T16:19:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-21T21:14:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-19T17:38:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-18T20:48:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-16T22:44:00.000-06:00

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.

2006-08-16T14:32:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-08T17:44:00.000-06:00

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?

2006-08-05T21:56:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-08-03T23:13:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-08-03T22:31:00.000-06:00

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

2006-08-02T17:58:00.000-06:00

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!

2006-08-01T16:14:00.000-06:00

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?