Back on Track

So I did finally finish something and get back on my list.  So far so good!  Knitters repentance, I guess. Here is the finished comfort shawl.  I'd planned to drape this around me when I'm chilly, like on Saturday mornings when its cold.  Except it was 74F on Friday and well, I may not get much use out of this thing.  But its pretty and it is my colors.

Comfort Shawl:

I made another pair of Mitts.  My stepmom called after Christmas and ordered two pairs (like I'm some kind of online store, lol).  She said, "I need a pair that matches my hat....and a pair I can smoke in."  So, OK, here is a pair for her to wear outside to smoke in. The ones to match the hat next month, I think, if I don't get ahead of myself which I am wont to do!!!

High Meadow Mitts:

Lastly, I tried felting, which to my surprise went remarkably well.  I guess i didn't realize how easy it is to felt something.  I did follow the instructions and if you've read any of my posts I am not necessarily a "reader" of instructions.  I'd say I am more of a"viewer" of instructions.  If it has nice, instructive pictures then I'm all set!

Felted Needle Bowl

Before felting:

 After felting:

Strangely enough, they take a whole lotta yarn!!!!  But I'll have to make more since I have more needles to store.  Also, I think I need to make it a tad taller.

A friend of mine said I should add the pattern links to my posts.  So if you'll notice above, I've linked to my Ravelry page.  So if there is a pattern that I've purchased, bought, borrowed, or drawn upon, it will take you there.  If I've come up with it myself or heavily modified it, I usually will put this in the notes or if not, just ask, I'll share with you what I've done.

When did I have time?

So its been almost a month since I've written in my blog.  I have been so busy since I started work I have had little time to sit down and write.  Of course, I am still knitting and doing my church things (which always multiply at the holidays).  I have actually finished almost all of my christmas knitting.  I am still finishing up a few scarves and I am still hoping to get my sons sweater done but that is not looking too promising.

I am not sure where I left off.  Let's see...there's the "Glamour Girl" set for my step-granddaughter:

Then there's the "First Year" Gryffindor scarf for our daughter:

The plan is to finish the "Georgia" scarf next for my brother-in-law and then a Hufflepuff "First year" scarf for our youngest son.  I also have a sweater in work for him.  Last and if I have time, a Gryffindor "Third year" for our next oldest son. You can tell we like Harry Potter at our house.

I spent a large portion of today wrapping all the things that I've knit so far this year.  I am happy to say that I have so many things knitted up that only my poor husband doesn't have a knitted something for christmas.  Maybe I'll have to plan a little something for him. Oh well, I'll have to think of something after I finish 3 more scarves...Yipes, time is ticking. 

Back to Work

Tomorrow morning I start my new job.  I have to get up especially early and leave the house by 6 AM in order to get through the Dallas "Mix-Master" by 7 AM.  Seems crazy to have to drive so far to and through so much traffic after this past year of working from home. I am a little nervous. 

Also, the woodworking shop out back is now being furiously renovated by a cornucopia of plumbers, concrete guys, AC/Heating guys, etc.  We also have the guy who sprays (green) chemicals around to kill the 5 million or so crickets that we get every year.  The cat kills 400-500  crickets but the this guy gets the rest.  The shop will become my mother's new residence once finished.  So they are building the bath, kitchen, and a closet for the hot water heater and washer/dryer.  Its amazing how we went from zero to massive change in just a day.  Everything is upside-down.

So this past week has been a little crazy.  Not too crazy to knit though.  I've added many new things to the Christmas pile.  Lets see....

 OK this one is mine.  Its actually a long scarf but I wrapped around the neck twice to get this nice woolly, fuzzy, cowl-like thing.  I call it the Sherpa Scarf and its really cozy! Also, its crocheted.  I chained 67 and then SC into 6th Ch from the end, Chain 6, SC into next st, repeat down the initial chain.  Turn and then going down the other side of the initial chain, repeat the Chain 6, SC into next stitch. With this yarn I could only do the two sides of the chain.  The original pattern required going up and down the initial chain 3 times.  I guess with thinner yarn that's the idea.  I used a "Q" hook.

 These mitts match the hat I made my sister and therefore, these are for her. I still haven't worked out the scarf to go with the hat and mitts.  The yarn is very slick even though it looks pretty fuzzy.  Very bamboo-like.  So hmmmmm.

 This hat is really special.  The picture doesn't do it any justice (probably because my photographer skills are non-existent).  I also found this really cool antique button to put on the side. Looks like old-time costume jewelry. I made this for my step-mom.  She is the nicest person.  I miss her more than my dad.  I need to come up with a matching scarf for this as well. I've interviewed 6 patterns but haven't come up with anything.  Time is running short...

Again, these are mine.  I've made 6 pairs of fingerless mitts and I have really been wanting a pair for myself.  So these match the Sherpa scarf above and I'm working on a matching hat now.  Its the Sherpa yarn and the Patons classic wool together.  I think it will be pretty cute too.

The Mitt Marathon

In my Christmas list are five pairs of fingerless mitts.  I had such a success with the gray striped ones for my mom that I've decided that the nieces (4) and my daughter are getting a pair for Christmas.  This number may jump to seven: one for my sister and I wouldn't mind having a pair for myself.  I noticed another Ravelry sister had added an additional little charm to the Montgomery mitt:  She added the beginning section pattern again at the wrist.  I am also thinking that on the mitts for my nieces, I'll even add a little fun fur in the wrist section.

So what I've decided to do is have a mitt marathon:  7 mitts in 7 days.  Can it be done?  Let's face it, if you've known me for more than a day you know my attention span is not substantially greater than a second grader. Frankly, I am betting against me.  It would involve starting Thursday, November 3 (which is today) and completing by Wednesday, November 9. Gee, I also need to hem four pairs of pants in there somewhere...yes, I'm short.

First to collect the items:

Then to make a schedule:

Giftee	Yarn Color	Yarn type	Pattern Variation	Due Date
Lexi	Pink Camo	Bamboo & Infatuation	None	Thursday
Lauren	Deep Blue	Acrylic & Fun Fur (wrist only)	add the eyelet at the wrist	Friday
Megan	Purple Vari	Acrylic & Fun Fur (wrist only)	add the eyelet at the wrist	Saturday
Elle	Hot Pink	Acrylic & Fun Fur (wrist only)	add the eyelet at the wrist	Saturday
Kelly	Red Black	Red Angel with black fur at wrist	add the eyelet at the wrist	Monday
Sissy	Red Black	Red Angel with black fur at wrist	add the eyelet at the wrist	Tuesday
Me	Burgundy	Something with no label	None	Wednesday

Next, to stick to the schedule (eep)!

On Another note, I've added a new blog to follow (see the list to the left).  Its called The Lovely Crow.  If you like crochet (especially for children) then check her out.  She has some really beautiful patterns.  I am so excited about some little baby Christmas Mary Janes. I plan to make a pair for my friend's daughter (the one I made the baby surprise sweater for) but not until the mitt marathon is over.

Wish me luck!

Knit Therapy

I am finding that knitting soothes the soul even more now than when I began almost a year and a half ago.  I had to sit on a plane for two and a half hours to Chicago and two and a half hours back to Dallas yesterday.  I was cramped, my legs ached and by the end of it I was thoroughly exhausted.  But I continued to knit, cast on another, knit, cast on another and knit.  I had a very productive 18 hour day.  I hope in the end that the job I went to Chicago to interview for is going to be offered to me.  I guess we'll see.  I know there was another candidate.

So I began the trip with the crown of the Black Angel hat already cast on and started. When I finished it, I cast on a Mille Colori hat to match the scarf I'd made out of the same yarn. Finally, I cast on another Black Angel which is 75% done. 

Also, this weekend I finished a couple other things:  The Soldier's Watchcap and my mom's Fingerless Mitts.  Ordinarily I would not have gotten these two done but I committed an injury to myself which put me on bedrest for two days.  Yes, I'm an idiot.  If I'd had shoes on like a normal person the injury would have been slight or non-existent.  I was putting some shoes into nice boxes and then stepping up on the step stool to put them on the shelf and I was barefooted at the time.  I didn't "center" my foot on the stool and flipped off of it while attempting to step up.  So I sprained my big toe and cracked a nice bruise to my shin.  We put ice on it but a friend of mine said to just go to the ER and have it looked at.  Not broken (good), severly sprained (not so good). Must keep it elevated above the heart and iced down for 48 hours.  So and hence my good knitting fortune.

So the gray pile now looks like this (with a little Mille Colori added in):












This is a good thing.  Still so much to do.

First Mitten

So this is my first mitten.  I am not sure why I waited so long to try this.  Its been a breeze really.  I wasn't going to write about the mitten until I'd actually completed it but I think this is substantially complete.  Just 5 or 6 more rows and the bind off/weave in ends. I bet the hardest part is making the second one.

While knitting this I practiced not looking at the knitting.  I figured its like typing.  So sometimes I did pretty good and sometimes I just had to look.  I am surprised at how easily I picked it up.  Not that I'm great at it but with some practice....

This mitten (and hopefully its identical twin) will match the beret I made last month.

I also realize that I haven't written about the ice pack pouches yet.  I had frogged a sweater that was aweful but saved the pieces because they were fairly rectangular.  Earlier in the summer I had made a friend some wash clothes and she commented that they were perfect for wrapping an ice pack in (when here daughter had the wisdom teeth taken out) and so super soft, except they needed to be enclosed on the ends.  So if any of that makes sense, this is what I did for her:  Made two ice pack pouches out the sleeves of the frogged sweater. Yipes, I don't know that I understand it either.

Another Item that I finished is the "Kisses" hat.  I initially made this for my step-grand-daughter but I am rethinking this.  I may give it to my little cousin who is 7.  I'll have to work that part out.

So that's it for now.  I really need to focus on my outstanding projects.  Some of them I am no longer interested in.  I think as soon as put an item on a list meant for completion it becomes a "not gonna do it" project.  /sigh.

My Sister's Hat

I have made my sister a hat for christmas.  I think its pretty good.  Last Christmas I made her a shrug and she didn't seem pleased with it at all.  I am hoping this one goes over better.  It feels great (its mostly wool and nylon) and sooooo soft!

The Red Hat:

 

I

I've been trying to come up with a scarf that goes well with this.  I've started and frogged the scarf 5 times. So far all I have is this and it doesn't lay flat so I am thinking its not going to fly either.  Hmmmmm...



I would also like to add a memorial to a young man who passed yesterday.  He will be sorely missed.  British IndyCar driver Dan Wheldon died from injuries after his car went sailing through the air during a 15-car wreck at the Las Vegas Indy 300 on Sunday.

 

Be at peace, Dan (1978-2011)

Cloudy Skies

We've been having some rain here lately.  It didn't rain two drops this past summer but all weekend we had a lovely, steady rain.  I have the proof of it:  my hair is really a humidity gauge.  As soon as the himidity started to rise, my hair started to curl.  Here's to good hair days again, Hurrah!!!!

If I could be any busier, I can't imagine how.  I've been knitting, reading,  and interviewing for jobs.  I went out an bought 2 suits last night for interviewing.  Just need to take them to the tailor for adjustments.  Yes, I could do it myself but I'm too busy! And that's a good thing.

So today I have bunches to do but here is a sample of the current Christmas in Process:

I now have to consider putting sleeves on the Swathe sweater from last year....Knit on!

Christmas Part Un

I have Christmas presents in full production.  I have the hats done except for one which I'll do later.  I can't decide if I want to add scarves and gloves to this package or not.  I guess I'll need to see how time permits.  Since I have four nieces, I have to think in multiples of 4s!!









For the "gypsy" side of the family I thought I'd make lucky dice bags for my aunt, uncle and grandmother's favorite dice.  I'd need three, so one down, 3 to go.  Yes, I can count, I have to make one for my mom too.  She gets one of everything!!!

Now this little treasure is made from German wool.  It is so pretty, the picture doesn't do it justice.  Of course, I'm giving this to my sister.  She's a bit hard to please and doesn't think too much of hand knit thingys.  Maybe she'll change her mind...???

So this you've seen before but I still haven't finished it.  For my step-mom.  I think a matching hat to go with it.

This is a boa scarf I started a while back.  Just completed.  Not sure who I would give it to.  Maybe my sister-in-law, Elaine if she lets me give her something!

 I mentioned before that I didn't have a winter coat.  It really doesn't get that cold here but I did make myself one.  This involved getting out the sewing machine and finding thread and what not. And the fake wool skin made enough fluff to make a sheep, no kidding, baaaaah....

...and I needed a hat to go with it, for me.

Hat Frenzy

Just this week, I realized that Christmas is nearly here and I've made absolutely nothing for my family.  Now, I know that you're thinking, "Didn't your knitted gifts go over over like a lead zeppelin last year?" Well, um, yes, but I was there with them, this year I won't be there so I won't have to see their reactions to the knitted items.  I can just enjoy making the items and then "poof" like magic they are all gone to new homes.

So with this in mind I have gone into hat frenzy.  I've made 5 hats of which I showed you two but I have two more finished, one on the needles and three more to make.  Its all very exciting!  I love the fun fur yarn (LBY) and the colors are great:

Oh and I definitely made a big hit with this black and red boa yarn.  My daughter's school colors, she loved it! and really it is pretty cute, so I'm making myself one in hot pink for October, Susan G Komen breast cancer awareness month. I also have enough boa yarn to make several more of these.

I did stop by the Woolie Ewe today and I bought some beautiful yarn: Berroco Souffle'.  It looks like it would be so heavy but it is light and airy.  I am quite excited about it.

Cheers!

Lunatic Fringe Hat

 

I have had a really productive weekend.  The new stash items I bought have been put to good use. So first I tried a hat out of Fall 2011 Knit Simple magazine.  It has a crocheted top and knitted sides.  I did 7 hours of crochet/knitting on saturday. The hat looks just like the picture but something isn't right with it...can't figure it out.  Maybe I should have made the large version. I have it blocking now.

The Second thing I tried was the Wasabi Cowl from the Ravelry site.  This turned out really great and I found a great shell button for it.

The last thing I tried was another hat but one I'd made before that was too small.  So I tried the larger hat, it is bright and cute! I'm calling it the Lunatic fringe Hat.  I had to add a wig to my styrofoam model so the hat wouldn't slip down over the eyes.

So I'm off to get back on my larger projects and possibly finish something there!



Yarn Addiction--Just About

I haven't been sleeping well until last night.  I actually had REM sleep and two dreams.  Normally I don't dream or don't remember them anyway but these were exciting.  The first one involved 3 peculiar ants in a planter just outside my "yarn room."  They were about 1 to 1.5" (2.5-4.0 mm) long, stood up on their back legs and were knitted with the tiniest yarn I've ever seen.

The second dream involved a pair of socks that I'd apparently made the night before. I woke up (in the dream) and had a pair of knee-socks that I'd knitted in one night.  The right sock was twice as big as the left. When I actually woke up this morning and realized those were all dreams, all I could think was, "Love that sock yarn, where can get some?" Duh, Lori, that wasn't real. That sock yarn doesn't exist.../sigh. 

The funny thing is for several hours this morning I've pondered how on earth I could make a pair of socks in one night and how on earth can get some of that non-existent yarn.  I notice that buying yarn that one doesn't really need or have a project for is just part of the knitter's persona but I seem to think about it just about all the time.  I have planned today around going to Dallas to buy some slubby yarn that I saw at the yarn store there a few weeks ago.  Let me remind you (or tell you if you're new) that I am not working, I shouldn't be buying anything non-essential.  Normally, my fastidious and frugal self would kick in and place a control marker on the behavior and straighten me out.  Since the yarny in me keeps rising to the surface I can only conclude that I have a serious case of yarn addiction!

I said I would stop when my wall bins were full, I didn't.  So I decided to go around the room and find all the hiding places that reveal the yarn problem...

 <==The main stash and public presentation 

  

<==There is always a few yarn balls here and there about the house

Then there's the stuff that doesn't get all used up in the knitting process but can't be thrown away...I may need it sometime to, um...something...==>

<==This is the main "bucket" that I am currently working from as I need additional balls and if I open the drawer on that little dresser there's a few hidden in there...

What's in here? All the Sock Yarn in those pretty decorator boxes? ==>

 These are the projects I am currently working on less one or two ==>

 <==This little stash was just bought last week and is hiding behind my work chair and I look at it all the time just to make sure its still there. its right in front of the closet.

If we peek in the closet, hmmm, what's this?

Hmm, a good sized bucket of pretties hiding beside the sewing machines...



Open a little further and some more there, hiding behind some quilt tops that need to be quilted...

Just when you think there isn't anymore...I discover my Nashua Handknits yarn hidden under some fabric under my work table.  Aha! There you are...

Sadly, there are two more smaller bins with cotton yarn and yarn I had before I started knitting.  I think that accounts for it all. Well what can I say, I think I have proved to myself that I love yarn at least as much as knitting itself.