Friday Nights...

It's Friday night. I'm at work. It's a 2-day seminar on Pain Management for some of our advanced nursing students.

Twisted mess of Fluffy Scarf Yarn

Tomorrow, I start a 2-day training on the art of teaching yoga therapeutics. That will be interesting. In the meantime, I'm sitting here, knitting on the Fluffy Scarf and muttering under my breath because it looks like this. It's knotting up and about every 4 rows, I have to twist and turn to get it straightened out and pulled apart a little bit.

Yeesh. I hope the next couple of balls are better than this.

Knitting...

Went to Le Mouton Rouge Knittery again. And yes, I bought more yarn. Sock yarn, to be specific, though one hank will be set aside for a shawlette. It's Madelaine Tosh, and it was specially dyed for LMR in her colorway. She said she was extremely happy she got it, because when she described it, she wasn't certain they'd give her the tones she wanted. It looks fantastic and I can't wait to knit it up.

It's a fantastic shop and I always, ALWAYS find something I want there. Unfortunately, right??

This weekend, after the yoga training, I continue on with the assembly of the Charity Afghan. I've got about 1/4 of it done. It's coming along ok. I just hope it looks ok when I get it done. It's certainly giving me lots of practice in weaving (not sewing) different pieces of needlework together. Some are knitted; some crocheted; some Tunisian crochet. All of them are different, and there are the crocheted inserts. I'll take a picture of what I've got done; plus, of course, the yarn I've purchased; and I'll get them in this blog somewhere. 

I consider that I achieved a victory today. When we were at LMR, my friend J saw me grab the MadTosh special-dyed and she just drooled. And she bought the worsted weight. She has no idea what she'll knit with it. She NEVER buys "stash" yarn. Except for sock yarn, but everyone knows that's not strictly stash because if you know how to knit socks, you've usually got at least one pair on the needles.

Then she bought several hanks of Cascade Superwash for baby jackets. She has my pattern for those simple ones I did for the twins, and she wants to do some to set aside. Her grandkids are growing up and she said she'd like to have something "stashed" for them in the event they marry and have kids of their own. She's my mom's age, and she said she wonders if she'll be knitting in 20 years, and wants her kids to have something of hers. Good plan. 

...Speaking of "having something" in an heirloom, though I loved Baby Prince George's christening gown, didn't they even receive a hand-knitted shawl for this baby??? Just sayin'...


Random Irony...

White Powerade - what's wrong with that?

On our kitchen table, it's a mess. Just a mess. Like it's a major dumping ground. So Kid #2 has a couple of bottles of power-drink stuff. He uses it when it's summertime because there's no A/C and he doesn't want to keel over when it's nearly 100* outside. Imagine. Well, I asked him if he'd put the stuff in the pantry, and then we got to talking about something else. I noticed that this bottle was sitting on the table still and I made a comment about it. He said, "Oh, I'm not drinking that. I bought it because of the irony."

What irony?

He said, "Who markets a drink called "white power ade"???"  I don't know - my sense of the absurd was tickled. I think perhaps their focus group might have thought about that one - or at least someone in marketing should have been paying attention. Or maybe they should hire unemployed English majors so that these things can be caught before they hit the stores...

Politics...Or "MORE" Random Irony...

So now, Ted (Canadian/Cuban) Cruz is speaking out against the 1%. Yes, please pick up your jaw. Read it here. Yup. Of course he's in Iowa "just because it's there." Right? 

So Mr. "I get MY health insurance through Goldman Sachs" Cruz is now saying that there's a divide in the haves and have-nots. Hang on - I have to see if there's a SECOND full moon this month. 

Food...

Hubby made a lovely chicken and rice soup the other night. Yes, I did heat up my pre-frozen potato soup. And no, it wasn't prepackaged...I had made it last year and we put several of the containers in the freezer. It was very good. Nice and comforting. 

I slept like a rock. 

Tomorrow, what with the yoga training, it'll either be an apple and a cheese stick or a smoothie. I just can't eat when I practice yoga - it's very uncomfortable to me. 

Note to self: Get back on the cleaner diet, and stop drinking pumpkin spiced chai latte!!!

Random Picture...

Snowmen

I know. They're snowmen. I have all 12 months. This is a selection of the first 3 - well, December, January and February. I have March ready to stitch, but it's a matter of when. Maybe during my Christmas holiday? You never know. I have to dig out the floss, though. I've taken to quilting them instead of framing them. They're cute. And the patterns are all out of print now, so I'm kind of on a mission to do those. They're done by Curtis Boehringer, and done in Flower Thread, which is not DMC 6-strand floss. You can do them in the floss, but the flower thread is more delicate. I've usually added beads or buttons or something just to make them my own creation. The December one has metallic floss in his hat. January has buttons on the quilting and regular buttons down her front, and February has beaded hearts. 

And my mother's angel. That's a whole post in itself, and I should probably take a picture of THAT and get myself going.

Hubby, being his ever-helpful self, pointed out to me, in front of my mother, of course, that if I did 60 stitches a night on it for a solid 365 days, I could have it done. Nice. He's right, which makes it more infuriating. 

But it's a Lavender and Lace angel, and there's about 200 colors in it. And I'd have to put it in the frame and LEAVE it up. So I need to put it in one spot. Not sure how that'll happen in the current configuration of my living room, but I really have to do it. 

I take comfort from the fact that if I ever retired early or lost my job, I have plenty of stash yarn and stash projects to complete...

Oh, CRAP....

The worst has happened. I was hoping to avoid it, but it happened. Man, this could get ugly...

Hubby has finally discerned the entire quantity of "The Stash." I'm screwed. And on an immediate "yarn diet."

I had said, over this long weekend, that I would like to "clean out the corner" of my office because we'd stuffed a lot of stuff into the office/yoga space/voiceover studio/guitar room/sewing room. You get the idea: the "multi-purpose room" gone amok.

Toiletry bags for rape kits

So we didn't get it done, but I actually DID finish up the rape kit bags. I'm just finishing up stringing ribbon in the last 2 of them. I did 25 and my mom did another 25. My friend Deanna is going to do some for me, too. Our women's group is doing larger kits with clothing, etc. These bags go in those kits for the shampoo, toothbrush, etc. We're doing this project through the year, so we will be able to not only deplete our stash of fabric, but we'll be able to give these women something a little more attractive than a zipper bag filled with stuff.

Realistically (as I go off on a small tangent), we know they're likely to pitch everything that would remind them of the incident, but at least for a moment, they have something that isn't "institutional" feeling. 

But, back to The Stash...

I did get a few other things done: we bought a "mini-me" truck for me (traded in the sedan) and I started on the lace pattern for the sock. Knitted a bit on the Yellow Sweater. Pulled out Silent Night to get working on it for Midnight Mass (yes, I do know it, but it'll take that long to build up the calluses I filed off to knit).

And today, Hubby pings me and says, (in tones I can *tell* are ominous) "You have an INSANE AMOUNT OF YARN!!!" He went out to buy totes, and no, I'm not telling you how many. But apparently The Stash exceeds the amount of totes he purchased.

The good news is that it was all in bags (specific tote bags) and those bags are now in totes. And I have a floor.

But...but... He KNOWS the extent of The Stash. This is bad. I don't knit for a living, but according to his note to me, I may as well, because I certainly have the yarn to do that.

Oh man. This is bad. I was hoping to only gradually introduce these projects as I was knitting on them. And as soon as I finish the knitting for the babies coming this spring, I was going to start doing these other projects. (sigh)

He'll get over it, because he has a similar stash of electronic stuff and tools. And I tell him that yarn is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy cheaper than therapy.

I don't think he believes me...

Hats and Stuff...

As I said, I am posting pictures of the hats and the headband I'm now working on.

(left is for Kid #1, right is for Kid #2)

I took them off the blocking board and they're just what I wanted. I think each kid will be pleased with them, and I think each colorway reflects the appropriate kid.

As I worked on Kid #2's hat, I figured out some things I would change, which were then implemented in Kid #1's hat. In the picture on the pattern, the braiding looked "beefier" and more masculine. In Kid #2's hat, it's a little skimpy, even though I used EXACTLY the yarn and number of strands they specified. Maybe, if I do this again, I'll beef it up myself.

So for Kid #1, I did I-cord for the ties and braids at the top. And the downside of that I-cord is that the braids were easier to attach! I also contemplated a picked-up I-cord border, but when I was at that point, the LYS was closed and I couldn't even get The Google to show me how to do that!! So his edging is the same. I am afraid he will just have to live with it.

Here's a shot of what the crown of #2's hat looks like. I like the fact that the blue bands pull out the blues in the variegated yarn. I am not completely pleased with the "jog" in the color changes, but the next time, I'll have time to work on the "jogless join" technique.

 

Frankly, even though the pattern said "easy" I wasn't completely sure how long these would take to make. Honestly? Even though I'm somewhat of a slower knitter, they took me less than a month, which means for a knitter who is at "normal" speed, probably 2 weeks if you have a full-time job and knitting gets stuck in where you can. For the speed knitters, perhaps a long weekend? I'll never know that! LOL

 

So here's a shot of the more subtle colors for #1. The grey/cocoa color doesn't really pull out any of the variegated tones, but it all blends nicely. Kid #1 is kind of quiet; he prefers subtle. Kid #2 teaches high school, so you know he's got to have a "larger" personality! I have enough of each of the variegated + the other colors to do sideways scarves for each kid, too. I'm not sure if men do matchy-matchy, but I figure I have to use up the yarn somehow. I can also make the wrist warmers they've been asking for.

 

Or, I could do the hats, just reversing the colors - and give them to charity. The yarn is Cascade Superwash, and if I had my knitting notebook here, I'd give you the colorways. Just suffice to say that Cascade Superwash is great stuff. It's not overly bulky, but it'll be very warm for them. And if it gets tossed in the wash, it won't be a "Barbie hat" -- they do their own laundry, and sometimes things get a little confused! (Pink jockey shorts, anyone??)

 

Here is the "hat" or headband I'm making for the GF too. It's out of the yarn from The Sweater...but a different color. She's a light blonde, so this will look very nice on her. (OK, as a side note, WHY is Blogger switching my settings every time I post a picture? It's VERY annoying!!)

The green color is springy - this isn't a winter hat. It's more of a headband and it showcases a provisional cast-on (that blue part at the bottom. You work this part to about 9.5" and then do the shaping, adding an I-cord. Then you pull out the provisional, and pick up the stitches to shape that side. At first, I was a little boggled, but it occurred to me that it all made sense about 2 a.m. one morning. Yeah, I know - I really need a full night's sleep sometime soon!

 

The headband is in a nice rice stitch, and the side detail is interesting. For the RS rows, WYIB, you slip 3 stitches, then start your K1, P1 row. For the WS rows, WYIF, you slip 3 stitches, then start your P1, K1 row. Always slipping the stitches purlwise works out to this lovely rounded border you see. This yarn is hand washable, and as long as she doesn't wear globs of goop in her hair, it shouldn't be something that needs to be tossed in the washer or the Woolite every week. I may actually get her a bottle of "Soak" and put that in the gift bag. Soak is what my LYS carries instead of Eucalan. Same principle: soak the stuff, wring and block or lay flat. No rinsing required. And the Soak comes in several nice scents.

 

One thing for sure, this project is working out nicer than The Sweater. I love the touch of "sparkle" in with the spring-ish tones of the greens. It will stripe, but then, it's not like anyone ever said, "Oh, horizontal stripes on my hat make my head look fat!"

 

I have the afghan squares at work; I decided that they would make a great "lunch" project, and frankly, work will be the only place I actually get them done. I have to lay out what we have already and figure out what we need and also if we're too heavy on some colors. It's for elkhound rescue, so if it's a lot of grey - what can you say? They're grey dogs!

 

After the headband, I can start one of the sweaters or one of the shawls I have planned. I talked it over with Hubby, who's now *almost* aware of the extent of my Stash (yeah, I know - but we're cool with it because HIS stash of electronic equipment staggers the mind). Anyway, we thought that it might be good to just pull one project and work it from start to finish, regardless of how long it took. I was aiming toward "work on a project for a month, then pull another one out of stash" -- and I can still do that if it looks like it's going to take longer than I'll be alive to get a dent in The Stash. Like one of my quilter friends said, "I have enough fabric for now, said no quilter - ever." Substitute yarn for fabric and you've got me covered!

 

Well, I'd better get myself to work and clear off a spot on my desk. I'd rather be knitting. But I have to pay for The Stash somehow!

 

 

 

 

 



The Bolero Project

I have finally had it with baby blankets. Nobody else can reproduce for at least a year. Seriously.

And I hate, hate H-A-T-E my Knit-along sweater. I haven't even assembled it because I'm still disgusted. I mean, my mom will have a lovely sweater. That part I don't mind, but I kind of do mind, because I made this thing for me, and it wouldn't fit me if I gave up eating...

That being said, I did dig a little in the stash pile and found the Yin Yang Bolero by Knit One Crochet Too. You should check out their patterns; they're very cute. I have their "Blueberry Tee" that's in the stash, about 1/2 done, but I thought the bolero would be a nice change.

They made it in two distinct colors (each side is a different color) but I chose two of them that were kind of close together. I have a totally fun fish button for it, and I plan to wear it by the end of this month.

Here's what I have so far. I've started on the back - you knit each side from the bottom up, and then join them at the back, knitting across.

You can see that the yarns I have, color 672 and color 631, are rather close together. There's enough purple and blue in each to make them sort of look like they match. I didn't want to do the green they suggested, though the 631 was one of the pattern colors.

It's going to be short, in spite of me adding 4 rows at the very bottom, prior to starting the increases. But that's ok. I can wear it with an un-tucked t-shirt or a turtleneck if I want. I've recently found my waistline and I think this won't look too boxy.

I had a little trouble with the "joining" in the back because the instructions weren't exactly clear. And what I did was just knit the 2 colors together. I don't think it'll look odd; so far it seems to just be a little "tweedy" at that point. And if you're that close to my back? We'd better know each other!!

The buttonhole they had was a yarn-over and it absolutely was not going to fit the fish. Here's the fish. I wanted a colorway that was kind of "beachy at sunset" looking, and I wanted a fun button. The fish is a wooden one, so it's going to be hand-washed or using a dryer product just so the button won't get ruined. The yarn is 100% cotton, and surprisingly heavy.

So, I changed the length a tad, changed the buttonhole, and along the way, learned a new skill: the vertical buttonhole.

Now I've done yarnover buttonholes...most of the time they've been mistakes! But this buttonhole thing was serious, and I did a little looking around to see what I liked. I ended up with this one out of a knitting book, I think Maggie Righetti's "Knitting in Plain English" but I can't remember. Anyway, it was easy, once I got over the thought of breaking yarn and knitting it up that way. But it wasn't that big of a deal. The pattern calls for 2 balls each of the colors, and luckily, ball #2 of the appropriate color started on the colorway I was in the middle of! Whew!

So this is my buttonhole. I'm rather proud of myself.

I also learned "Work as for left front, reversing all shapings." Yikes...That took a little bending of my mind. I thought, "Oh, I'll just do another left front." Not really. I had to think that all the shapings which initially were done on the right side of the work were now to be done on the wrong side. Luckily, the pattern is entirely knitted, so it's rather mindless when you come down to it.

As usual, it's all in my knitting journal. One of these days, if I'm lucky enough to see the Yarn Harlot in person, I hope to bring her at least one of my knitting journals and have her sign it for me.

Knitting journals are weird things. Some knitters (not me) can just knit a pattern and keep a few scribbles on the pattern itself. Some can do it all in their heads (!) and don't have to write anything down or keep track of what row they're on or what they've modified. That would not be me.

I write things down. A lot. In detail. Excruciating detail, some might say. But I can't seem to function otherwise -- I mean unless it's a scarf or something. And I keep a ball band and a scrap of the yarn in the journal, too. It's like a diary of where I'm at as a knitter.  Or as ample record of my anal-retentive characteristics. Or a record of the fact that I need instructions to do the same thing twice!

Either way, the journals are helpful. I have about 3 of them in current circulation, plus some paper from my old Franklin planners that I have attached to patterns. Those will make it into the appropriate journal at some time. Or perhaps it'll just be stuck on the pattern and the pattern put back into the binder. You never know. If I actually do make the same thing twice (it's happened - the Liberty Wool mitts are on version #3 for MIL - I didn't like the second pair to give to her, but that's another blog entry), this is a good way to track what I did, particularly since sometimes little quirks develop.

The hash-mark row counting was what I learned from my second knitting teacher. My first, my grandma, could count in her head. I didn't stick with knitting long enough for that to work its way into my brain, and my second teacher (a now-deceased talented knitter named Dorothy) was a fan of "hashing" - she didn't even like the katchas (mechanical row counters). So I got into that habit. And with Sonda, knitting teacher #3, it just stuck. Sonda actually used my notebooks as an inspiration to a knitter who'd had a stroke and was having trouble.

The woman was one of those "in my head" knitters and she was horribly upset about being unable to do that after the stroke. I remember Sonda picking up my notebook, and telling the lady, "Look -- she does it and she hasn't had a stroke. You have to do what works for you now and then go from there."

So. The journals work for me now. Hopefully, the bolero will come out on time and fit ok. It all comes together eventually, I suppose. And if the bolero DOESN'T work... well, it'll fit my sister.

Meandering Monday...

OK, so I know I should ("should") be blogging more often, because I know I have wanted to say stuff, but I'm just pffffffth lately. So here goes with a really random list of things I've wanted to say.

1.  Penn State: Sorry, not enough. The NCAA should've invoked the "death penalty" on them. The students/coaches at SMU did something rotten to earn theirs, but not NEAR as rotten as allowing a pedophile virtually unlimited access to children. Sure, invoke the fines, pull back scholarships and delete their presence from bowl games -- and YES, move the statue of "St. JoPa" - but more importantly, a "death penalty" will give people pause and give them lots to think about.

2.  Health issues: I'm feeling pfffffffffth because (a) it's hotter than a convection oven today and has been for a while -- and I'm not "lizard" like my mom. Not liking the heat. And (b) the medications I'm taking so far lower my heart rate, keep my blood pressure down, and thin my blood. And I'm still having the "joy of Mother Nature's visits" so I'm probably somewhat anemic. Tired much? I swear I have the stamina of a newborn and it's really annoying me.

3.  Health update: I have an appointment in August with a specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital about the ablation procedure. They're doing a "cryo-balloon ablation" as opposed to a "radio-frequency" procedure. One is hot (RF) and one is cold (cryo). One is 6 hours on a table (RF) and one is about 2 hours (cryo). While I know there are risks on every procedure, to me - the fact that you spend less time "under and out" makes the cryo more appealing, but I've got lots of questions to ask. The ultimate goal, of course, is to fix my heart while it's still in good shape and get me off the meds that make me feel "pffffffffth."

4. Knitting update: I absolutely HATE the sweater!!! It's wrong. The gauge is wrong. The measurements are wrong. It looks like a sweater that would fit a 1o-year-old. And I knitted it according to the "XL" size on the pattern. I'm sure (ahem) that there's some knitter-issue there, but I've heard from some of the other KAL knitters that the yarn was a stinker to work with. I have one skein left, and I'll probably trade it for another color (pink or salmon) and make Kid #1's girlfriend a headband. She's a blonde, so the ivory yarn would just melt into her head.

5.  Politics: Does it strike anyone else that Mitt's going to LONDON to hold fundraisers? Yes, they'll be soliciting "American donations" but those folks work for Barclay's Bank. Conflict much? The Citizens United decision is stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. And for SCOTUS to have the gall to claim that there would be "no inherent conflict or corruption" means that those folks need to get out more.

6.  Knitting 2: I've started a bolero out of Knit One Crochet Two cotton. It's pretty. And yeah, I've already frogged and started over. Knitting = relaxation, right??? Auggggggggh!!! But it's coming along and I hope to have it done before Convocation, which is our big "start the fall semester" celebration at work. It'll be cute. If it's not 100* in the shade!! It's cropped AND short sleeved, so I'm hoping I can wear it.

7.  Tippi's Therapy Work: Well, the Tipster is working out quite nicely at Child Advocacy Center. We have a gig tomorrow that's THREE appointments! I believe she'll do well, as long as we get a break mid-way through for her to eat and decompress a bit. And we start the work at the main campus for "Tuesdays with Tippi" in September. She'll be a busy girl! We'll have that TDIX certification in no time! Not bad for a rescue dog.

8.  Knitting 3: Yeah, lots of knitting today. I'm trying to get organized and do a NO MORE SHOPPING approach till I get some projects done. Please, stop laughing!! I'm serious!! I've decided to bag up my projects (those not started and the WIPs*) and pull one out a month. Work on that project for a month (socks don't count if I can get them done quickly) and get some of this whittled down. *WIP is "manufacturing speak" for Work-In-Progress. The other common term is UFO (Un-Finished-Object).

9. Knitting 4: So the boys found "ear-flap" hats they want for Xmas. Blowing a slight hole in my "empty the stash" project... Yes, the yarn is purchased. Yes, they're bagged up. Will start THEM after the bolero.

10.   The Garden: So it looks like Hubby's persistent watering has done some good. We have our first batch of tomatoes, and the herbs are weathering the drought. We have a nesting pair of Ruby Throated Hummingbirds, and they visit the feeders regularly (as do the wasps, but we have traps out...). The shallots are done and need to be pulled up, and the carrots are coming along swimmingly.  I do, however, have a severe problem with a soil-bound fungus which is totally screwing up my roses. Unfortunately, the only cure is to pull them up, pour on neem oil and then never plant roses in that area again. Bummer. But I think we'll shift over next year to a butterfly-and-hummingbird-friendly garden. I also have a Memorial Garden set up for our dogs who're passed on with solar gazing balls and little monuments. It's a rock garden, and we have St. Francis there. And my Cubs gnome.

11.  Ron Santo: Sorry, I was only going to do 10... But Ron Santo was finally (FINALLY) inducted into the Hall of Fame. Could you all have waited any freakin' longer??? The man is dead. He LIVED for Cubs baseball. And he had a pre-steroids record, including him being a diabetic, that should make most younger players hang their heads in shame. I'm so glad he's finally there, but jeeze....You're talking about inducting Sammy Sosa and the other 'roid-heads that are already there, and you leave Santo out in the cold till after his death? Heartless morons. His wife and family were very gracious. And actually, I'm thrilled. Just annoyed at the way it all came down.

The Finished Mitts

As I promised, here is the finished product. A pair of Liberty Wool "Chevron Lace Mitts" for your enjoyment. FYI, the spelling is correct. A "mitt" is a woman's glove that does not cover the fingers. I looked it up. And again, this is a free pattern. My LYS is doing a program where if you buy a certain yarn (they change up every time), you get a free pattern with it. I have yet to post this on Ravelry, but it'll happen eventually.

Blocking

Here is a shot of the blocking on the right-hand mitt. OK, they're designed for "either hand" but since I have one wonky thumb, the one thumb hole is a little larger than the other. So there... You can see how the colors lay out. What I did wrong was that when I blocked mitt #2, I didn't measure them correctly. And also, per directions, you block after you sew them up. I blocked flat, which wouldn't make a difference had I measured them so that each flat mitt was equal.

I really like this chevron lace. I'm thinking I'm a "lace person" after all. The next shot shows the lace up close. It is quite subtle, and there's a definite "wrong" side to it. As you will see in the closer shot, the "right" side of the lacework shows the texture quite nicely. These would be equally as lovely in a solid color.

Chevron Lace

The other thing I might do if I do these again is that I'd make them a little longer. They hit right at my watch, just up my arm from the base of the wrist. They're very "square" and don't hug the wrist much; so if I made them a little longer, they'd be a tad warmer, I think. It's an easy fix.

I have some lovely alpaca/merino in a soft pink; this would be a nice pattern on which to experiment. What you can do to give your knits a little "shape" is to make a "waist" by knitting those rows on smaller needles. That way, you don't necessarily have to do decreases but it gives it a very subtle shape. I will probably try that with the pink yarn; it'll give it a little "snug" at the wrist. You could also do a plain knit mitt and do yarn overs for a couple of rows to make holes, and then run a ribbon through - that would also snug them up a bit, but I like the idea of the smaller needles so I don't go all girly on the ribbon. I have my standards!

Here is the "topside" view. Remember, now...this is Liberty Wool self patterning. These were knit from the same ball of yarn. Hubby took these shots this morning; I couldn't quite figure out how to take the pictures while wearing the mitts!! See how short they are? But this isn't bad; it's a good length for the summer and the A/C vent that's at the right side of my desk. I really feel it on days like today because it's sunny outside but the HVAC can't decide if it's spring or still a little chilly outside.

You can see the longer thumb hole on the left hand. This is the neat thing; you can kind of adjust where your thumbs are and even if you want the mitt a little shorter or farther up your palms, you do have a little wriggle room.

Bottom side

Here's the backside of the mitts. Notice, again, the color changes. The mitts are actually reversible - you can wear them on either hand. I like that, and I like that the Liberty Wool is superwash; I can dip these in some Woolite and lay them out to dry with maybe a little towel inside to help the drying along.

The stitch definition is really nice on this yarn. I'm not sure I'd do a whole sweater out of it -- maybe the solids, but definitely not the stripes! Or a cardigan, though...that would be nice if you had the striped yarn on the button band and collar? It could work. I just have to add that to my "Knitting Bucket List."

I have bought a pinks-and-greens yarn for my mother-in-law and I will try to finish hers (in size small) for Hubby's visit over Easter. I have no clue what the center of this pinks-and-greens ball holds; as you can see, the purple-to-grey ball went to taupe and red! Luckily, she's easy to please. As soon as I get a chance, I'll take pictures of the work-in-progress and you can see how they're coming along.

In the meantime, knit. It's good for your mind and your soul.

The Never-Ending...

...baby blanket. (sigh) It's finally done!!!

Ok. Whew. I was just so excited to finally be done with it. I have to admit, I was getting tired of it; it weighs a ton, and the kid will have to be 18 before she's able to lift it off herself; but it's really bright and adorable. Even though I had to raid my stash to finish it.

I'm going with "it's a variation on a Fibonacci design" ... The stripes aren't as I envisioned them (i.e. EVENLY spaced), but overall - - I can live with it. Here it is: and yes, it's huge.

It's also very cushy and I really enjoy the colors. Even that odd bit of yellow-and-white that I had to scramble to grab out of my stash to finish it.

OK, my math -- or HUBBIE'S math -- was way off. I should've stuck with the original pattern, but instead, I went with the number of yards per ball and tried to extrapolate. Oh well. It's not the worst thing. Here's a better shot of the afghan, so you can see the whole impact of the color. You can see the little bit of lace on the edge which is produced by a yarn-over before the last few stitches. My friend called it "The Gigantic Wash Cloth" because this is often used as a pattern for those learning to increase and decrease!

I think the New Mommy will love it. And she'd better, because this is my LAST baby blanket for someone who's not directly related to me. I'm taking my friend's advice and stashing some hats and maybe a car-seat-sized blanket or two. And simple sweaters. I just can't do this anymore because I'm burned out.

This blanket was done with Berocco's Comfort yarn, doubled. I used yellow and white for the background and alternated the teal and periwinkle within. You could use any combination - you could just use 2 solid colors. But I bet this thing cost me close to $80 to do...for acrylic!!  Luckily, New Mommy does appreciate these things.

Of course, I'll do it for my own kids and my nephews, as needed, but for others? Not so much.

So here's what I'm working on now. Finally. Fingerless mitts for me. In Liberty Wool. I like the colorway (Berry) but I don't like that it splits easily. It's superwash, though, so it's worth the material.

This is part of a new concept our yarn shop owner is doing. There is going to be a featured yarn; and when you buy that, you get a free pattern, too. The new owner has called the shop Elemental Yarns and she has some interesting new fibers in there. They're slowly making their way in the community. She has her own style of doing things, and maybe it'll loosen up as she gets herself settled. But so far, things are going ok.

What I like about the Liberty Wool is that it surprises you. You end up with something yummy even though you look at it and think, "Ok, this is purple and grey." There are shades of hot pink in here, dark grey... just lots of surprises. Here's another shot of what I did; I have more done, but I'm not at the photo stage yet. That'll come. The chevron lace is gorgeous, and with what I have leftover (because I think I'll have a good bit left) I would like to do ONLY the chevron lace and make a foofy little scarf. Just for fun.

A bunch of the gals made the "Molly Scarf" and as you can see by the picture when you click on the link, the colors are extraordinary. It's a bunch of short rows and I figured I'd rather do something else, so I chose the mitts. Which, as you may remember, I've been dying to do for like forever and I couldn't settle on a pattern. For free, I can settle. And I think they're interesting, because it's side-to-side construction, not knitting in the round. Which was a little confusing at first, but now it's just 16 rows, repeated 5 times for the large size.

I may do some of these for my mother-in-law, if I can find out her favorite color!

A Respite...

...from the news, politics, and the Never-ending Baby Blanket. (Sorry, little one, but you're going to be 18 before you'll be able to lift this blanket!!) I have decided I needed a little "instant gratification," so of course, I was tempted beyond reason at the LYS.

I ended up with 1 ball of Liberty Wool. This is a lovely super-wash wool in simply amazing colorways. You look at the ball and say, "well, I think this might be ok" and then as you work with it, the colors unfold in many and marvelous configurations, giving your knitting a hand-painted look. Without the price!

So I'm doing a freebie pattern of simple chevron-edged mitts. Right up my alley, right? Here's the project in progress: As you can see, I don't bother with a "katcha." I use paper. :) And I actually did a partial gauge swatch. I am hoping that this appeases the Gauge Gods and they turn out ok, but if they're a little off, well -- they're mitts. Not a sweater.


The yarn doesn't look like much, does it? Well, guess again. Look at the picture. THAT is the colorway I got. Yes, hidden amongst the greys and drab are glorious spikes of purple, periwinkle and hot pink. Just what I want to chase away the boring and dull March weather we're having now.

While I don't normally do it, I'm trying the "pm" command (place marker) as they've indicated. With this very simple lacy pattern, I don't think I'll need it, but it gives me (a) a way to use my nice girly stitch markers; and (b) practice in using a marker mid-row and having to move it.

Here's another shot at what the yarn and the first 7 rows looks like. For some reason, the flash on the Crappy Red Camera wasn't firing, but you can still see the yarn against the white desktop. And even the cutsey pink marker. Gotta love glitz, right?

I figure after this, I can complete the Never-ending Baby Blanket (slated for this weekend - I have about 30 rows left, and it's all decreasing from here). And then I move on to the car seat blanket, in progress, and the charity afghan square -- of which I have 4 to do.


Then, maybe... I can finish the blueberry t-shirt, start the cocoa brown one, and finish (well, hang on - gotta FIND IT) the yellow shell. It's supposed to be spring and then summer, after all, and it would be nice to have something to wear that I've knitted with my own hands.

In the meantime, I'll look out at the 34-degree weather and watch the wind blowing snow flurries sideways, and observe that there are about 20 robins in the field next to me, industrially poking about for worms. If they can plug along, so can I.


Back to that set of mitts and the rest of the WIPs in my stack.

New Year, New Project...

OK, you know you're a knitter when you lose your knitted hat and instead of going out to buy one, you cast one on!! So Hubby and I were shopping and we looked at the hats; nothing struck me. They were all too furry, too clunky and too "something" for me.

So I took the blue hand-dyed sock yarn and started to cast on the "Sockhead Hat" from Bohoknits by Kelly McClure. The pattern says it's "for that one skein of sock yarn that you just can't bear to put on your feet." Which is cool.

Sockhead Hat - the start

But do you know how many stitches there will be in this thing??? I swear, the 2x2 ribbing alone has a MILLION stitches, and this thing should ultimately be a 4" rib and a 9" body before you start the decreases. Here's a shot of what I have so far.

It looks a little "Les Miz" so I may actually shorten that body length. There's about 5oo yards of sock yarn here, a blend of merino and alpaca with a little nylon. So if I shorten the body of the hat, it will not only fit me better (hey, I'm 53 - this is just too much "flop" for me!) but I can also maybe do some wristlets or a small scarf. This yarn would look gorgeous with a simple cable though I may be pushing my luck trying cables on size 2 needles. LOL - I may be setting myself up for something interesting.

Check out Kelly's other patterns. I've seen this hat knitted up. Not only did our LYS owner do one, but another of our knitters did it and it's really cute.

Keep On Movin'....

OK, for a quick weight loss diet during the holidays, have your deviated septum fixed on December 23.

I guarantee that you'll lose weight. Initially, I'd lost nearly 7 lbs., but then my appetite came back so the net loss is about 5 lbs. Not bad, considering that most people ADD at least 9 lbs. during the holidays.

Of course, I was in extreme pain for about 36 hours, had plastic splints shoved in my nose, had to sleep upright for nearly a week and had to breathe through my mouth.... And the worst was the night I awoke in a state of panic thinking I'd swallowed at least a yard of cotton batting. Which I hadn't, but since I was mouth-breathing, my entire oral cavity was dry as a bone and I couldn't swallow.

On the other hand -- there was that 5 lbs. lost... and not having to deal with crazy relatives over Christmas, since I truly couldn't have made it to any celebrations on the 24th or the 25th.

The post-op migraine was a bear. And no matter what the pharmacist tells you, please do not take your pain med WITH your migraine med. I don't think I'd make a good addict; I was so loopy and out of my normal controlling-type-A behavior that I was feeling like my world was all a-kilter.

My ENT, however, is a total hoot. I guess if you work with "snot" all day, you get a unique perspective. He took the splints out on Wednesday of this week, and while I'm still a little stuffy, it's all healing well, and I don't need him to "power wash" my nose. I can and do use a neti pot, so he's cool with everything. His parting line: "I have patients who'd pay big bucks for a nose like yours; now it's straight INSIDE as well as on the outside!"  OK, I guess that's good!

Knitted Easter Eggs

Drumroll here, please!! The eggs are DONE! I finished the last one yesterday and here's a shot of them. They're a baker's dozen. So the bunnies are done, eggs are done...just waiting on the tree.  I grouped them by the skeins I used, mostly. From the top row left, I did 2 out of a navy blue yarn, emulating the original Pysanky, which are usually finished in a dark color. Next up are the "garnet to grey" with sparkles. At the end of the row is a sock yarn I had intended for hacky sacks, but now I'm itching to knit SOCKS (go figure) with it. It's all blue-to-grey, but there are shots of red and yellow in it - can't wait to see what that looks like in a sock! Can you believe that these 2 eggs were even knit from the same ball of yarn?

Bottom row, left: a dessert-colored yarn; next to that is a red-to-brown, then a yellow-blue-white combo, then the "Easter pastel" - those two are knitted one right after the other, and look at how different they are!

The bottom center is Sonda's hand-dyed. This is a gorgeous superwash merino with a touch of nylon in a yellow-to-orange colorway. After lots of deliberation, I think I'll make socks out of the remainder of this yarn. I hate to "waste" it on my feet, but the color is really not suited for my complexion, and I don't want this just sitting in stash. (Did I just commit knitting heresy??) I want people to see and admire Sonda's work, since this and the periwinkle are the only bits of her hand-dyed I have.

I'm working on the March Baby Blanket... Which I thought was the only one, but I got fantastic news! My friend Janet told me her son and DIL were going to have a baby. The reason I'm so excited? Well, they were told about 2 or 3 years ago that because of several medical conditions, Leona would "never have children." Hmpfh. While they had indeed reconciled themselves, this is certainly a startling and happy bit of news.

So while the March Baby Blanket is going well (a bias knit using double strands of Berroco Comfort), I got some self-patterning yarn for the Summer Baby Blanket. And no, I don't have any idea what I'm going to do. I just know that like the March blanket, this one will NOT be traditional colors!!

The March Baby Blanket is a variation on the "Easy Baby Throw" out of Lion Brand Yarns. I changed the yarn, changed the needle and changed the colors... I'm using yellow, white, teal and cornflower. The yellow and white are the "carrying colors" - I'm doing the following sequence of colors:

Yellow + teal
Yellow + cornflower
White + cornflower
White + teal

And it's a bias pattern, so it's increasing to a set number, then decreasing. The yarn-overs add a touch of "lace" to the pattern, and the non-traditional colors mean that it can be used well beyond "baby" years.

I'll post a shot of the work-in-progress soon. For now, I figured y'all would be as excited as I am that the eggs are "done" and ready to hang.

This is a good harbinger to the new year; lots of projects scheduled and I'm just planning on keeping moving. And I'm also planning NO MORE CHRISTMAS SURGERIES! Though that 5-lb. loss is sooooooo nice...  LOL

Order out of chaos...

Lots of things are coming together, and some things have ended. Our LYS has closed. That's the sad news; the owner has an inoperable cancer and she's decided that while knitting has been a huge part of her life, she'd rather spend her time with kids, spouse, and grandkids. And I'm actually happy about that.

I love it when people have the ability to determine - inasmuch as any cancer lets you have any control - how they want to spend their days. I appreciate her making a very tough decision, and making it with grace.

So the yarn shop is being sold and will be re-opening with a new owner sometime in early 2012. It will be interesting to see how this works, and what the new owner will do. I hope that the community that was established (a) comes back; and (b) lets her make HER mark on the shop. It would be sad if the knitters had 'founder's disease' and never let this gal make her shop her own.

'Founder's Disease' is an ailment known by its chief symptom: "We've ALWAYS done it this way." So we'll see what this new person makes of the shop and life will go on.

Our yarn community is not "dissolving." It's actually "reconstituting" as people make plans to find other places to knit, gather in different groups, and keep in touch; I'm hoping we do keep in touch, because several of us have become good friends, bound by fiber and love of creating.

"Chocolate" Bunnies

On a good note: The bunnies are DONE!! Here's a shot of them. I took a suggestion from one of my knitter buddies and visited the local Fannie May candy store. I plopped them on the counter and said, "White chocolate, dark chocolate, and milk chocolate. Think I could buy some ribbon?" They loved them. They gave me the ribbon. What do you think?

I ended up with pearlized heart buttons for their fluffy tails, and then shirt buttons for eyes. Since these are not toys, the buttons are only secured enough to stay on when they're sitting on a display. If I had created them for toys, they'd have no eyes - I'd have embroidered them using duplicate stitch.

So, on the last day the shop was open, I asked for a smidgen of yarn that she'd dyed herself for an egg. Yep, I'm on egg #9 and working toward a baker's dozen. This is what I got handed. "If you can find the end, take what you want."

Hand-dyed sock yarn

This is what we'd classify in knitting as a "total disaster" - and it would only be a "total and COMPLETE disaster" if the yarn was a mohair or eyelash or something like roving.

This is about 500 yards of superwash merino sock yarn. Now, the shop hours were 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. I got handed this hot mess at about 1 p.m. I worked on it, since I'm a pig-headed person, from 1 p.m. till 10 p.m. that evening, and then was back at it the next day.

I spent about 16 hours unraveling this mess. I have lived with this ball of yarn. I have grown attached to it. Even though it was handed to me, I will mail my friend a check for the yarn. I believe they thought I wasn't going to do it. It's only because she'll never dye any more yarn that I spent that kind of time with it. It's not even a color that looks good on me. However, I see some sort of shawl or shrug or something in its future. It's too pretty to make into socks that might wear out, though I may do that, too.

Order from chaos

This is what it looked like after I got done with it. Plus the egg.

Once I get the eggs done, Kid #1 is finishing up the tree for the eggs. The bunnies are done. I have to figure out how to display this whole thing; and then I'm done in time to photograph and enter it into our contest.

Along with the order from chaos that was this yarn, I also completed the 2011 Ornaments. As you may remember, I do ornaments for the kids each year. Each kid in the family gets 18 ornaments. This year is the smallest year in decades! Here are those ornaments. Of course, OUR kids still get the ornaments. What? I can't play favorites with my own kids? Be serious!

2011 Ornaments

So it's harder and harder to find these plaster ornaments. I'm going to have to suss out a new supplier, since the local big box craft stores don't have much of a selection. Someone suggested I knit them. Thanks. No.

What I could do is take the remnants from the sock yarn eggs and do little granny squares or small swatches and use those as ornaments! Or knit a verrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyy long I-cord for a garland. OK. I'll calm down.

Just to top off our Christmas, I am again having surgery. I have a very deviated septum - which would explain over 5 years of allergy shots that still leave me unable to breathe through one side of my nose! At any rate, I can now be around your cats without a "croup-like" cough. If you're not old enough to know what "croup" is - please look it up. Hard to explain until you have had one.

Surgery is December 23. My mother says I'll do anything to avoid the crazy relatives on Christmas. Hmmmmmmmmmm. She may have a point!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Solstice! And I'll hold off on Kwanzaa, since it starts after Christmas, and I may be back to the keyboard by then!

Whew! One More Done...

Well, almost 2 if you count the wristers I may or may not finish for Kid #1's girlfriend...

I finished the scarf for my male student worker. I don't have the pattern here, but I believe it's called "Cruisin' Altitude." It'll be on my Ravelry page as soon as I can update it. I did it in Encore Chunky, since the pattern called for a "bulky" yarn.

The pattern called for about 300 yards, so I bought 3 skeins of the Encore, knowing I'd have some left over. But all it took was a ball and a bit of the 2nd one for a scarf a bit over 5' long, which according to Hubby and Son #2, is "manly length" for a kid the size of my student worker. A 5-foot scarf wouldn't do for Son #2 at 6' 2", but Jimmy's about 5' 7" and that should fit him fine.

Here's the scarf as a WIP. The Encore Chunky is Color 1444, Chocolate. It's a tweed-ish yarn with flecks of gold and dark blue every once in a while. It makes up nicely, being 75% acrylic and 25% wool. The wool makes the stitches pop and the loft of the yarn is amazing. This is a surprisingly bulky scarf.

I have a 3rd ball left, so I get to make myself a pair of socks with it!! The yarn makes socks on size 7 DPNs (yes, I know you size 1 sock-knitters are thinking, "Good Lord, the woman is knitting on TIMBER!" ); but size 7 works well with this and makes a cozy sock for around the house and with my Birkenstocks.

For what it's worth, I got the pattern on a card in the "back of the store" bin for 99 cents at Hobby Lobby. And it had been sitting with some white acrylic (which I may use for the wrist warmers for The Girlfriend...) with about 2 rows knitted. I pulled that puppy loose, and then figured that this pattern was "manly" enough for Jimmy. Actually, it's a nice pattern for either gender: just adjust your yarn and pick a "girly" color if you want to do this for a girl. Frankly, this would look awesome in a hot pink!

Here's a picture of it all finished. I've beefed up the size so you can see the stitch definition and the blue and gold tones in the yarn.

I can't say enough about Encore, available at your LYS (hopefully) or at www.patternworks.com or through Plymouth Yarn, www.plymouthyarn.com - where at least you can take a look at it. I've used regular Encore and the Chunky and done everything from socks to baby gifts with this. It is easy to knit with; holds a pattern like crazy, as you can see.

And.... it holds up to wear!! It washes well, doesn't pill, and it doesn't feel "too" wooly or "too" acrylic.

So now, what's next on the list? Well, I have my mom's cowl to finish. I did actually DO a pair of wristers out of some "unknown" yarn. My friend Joan handed me two partial-balls and said, "Here, we can't sell them - take them and see what you can do." I have no idea as to content or anything, but it's fine yarn, so I doubled it, did a "purse stitch" and ribbing and made some poufy wristlets. Not quite long enough to go over the thumb, but enough to cover the gap maybe between glove and sleeve, or help with a slightly short sweater. Not sure if I'll give those to The Girlfriend, or if I'll use the white acrylic and do some proper wrist/fingerless glove thingies. Maybe if I work it out right, I can do them with a nice lace pattern down the back of the hand! Or - wowza - a cable!!

That will end up my Christmas knitting unless I stash-bust and find some yarn suitable for wrist warmers for the boys. With those long arms, they can use a little extra help in the winter and they said they'd wear them. We'll see.

What Project List??

I'll admit it. I'm an anal-retentive planner. I like lists. While I don't always FINISH (or start?) what's on the list, having the list makes me feel secure.

And I had a list. Now blown slightly sideways by a request of my mom's. She called me and said, "I have this picture - and I need to know if you can knit this because I need a scarf."

"What about the scarf I made you for Christmas last year?" I asked.

"It doesn't match my coat."

Ok. Well, she wasn't sure what yarn she wanted, but "I don't want wool - it itches." So I told her to come to the LYS and she could feel the yarn and figure out what she wanted. Only caveat was that "I don't do mohair" because if you've ever knitted with that and had a mistake, you will know exactly what I mean. It's expensive. Lovely. A bugger to take apart if you've made a mistake. And anyway, it can itch. I'm not spending that kind of money and time if "it itches" and the scarf never gets worn!

She came to the shop and talked to her friend. They went around and petted the yarn. I looked at the picture. It's from a catalog - where you can buy this thing. It's sort of a cowl, but not really. It's crocheted in cotton. And it's holey. As in "how does this thing possibly keep your neck warm??" holey.

Start of the crochet sorta-cowl

After they cruised the shop, she picked this:

It's wool. Seriously, can you believe this? I was laughing because she told her friend, "I don't do wool - it itches."

Her friend said, "That's because you've only seen crappy wool."

This is Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash - find it at www.cascadeyarns.com and check out color number 817, dye lot 6974. It's a gorgeous creamy white that has "snow" tones not some of the "cream-to-beige" tones you can sometimes see. The yarn is 100% superwash and has a lovely hand to it. It was around $10 at the LYS (I got the only ball without a price tag on it!) and it's 220 yards - wayyyyyyyy long enough to do this.

So click on the picture and see what I've done. The original pattern was in a double-crochet. I didn't like it. I'm doing something called "Urchin Stitch" using a size N crochet hook.

The "Urchin Stitch" is from The Complete Encyclopedia of Stitchery by Mildred Graves Ryan. It's old. Like, older than Kid #1... so we're talking a book that's nearly 30 years old and still something I reference when I want to look up a stitch for a project.

The Urchin Stitch is super-easy. Google it and see what you can find, since I don't want the copyright police coming after me. It's a no-brain, crochet while you wait, crochet while you're bored, almost don't have to look at it kind of pattern.

The original cowl had a button. My mom says she has a button, so I'll just crochet along, wedging this in between the White Chocolate Bunny, the blueberry tee shirt (that almost has one side done and I was planning to wear yet this fall), and the baby afghan I have to start for a March baby. And the knitted Easter eggs I'm trying to get to just in case the pysanky don't work out! And I still have "wristers" that the kids want me to make, since they both have really long arms, and these wristers can be an "addition" to the gloves (why don't they make mens' gloves with longer wrists?).

It'll all get done. It'll all get done. It'll all get done.