Back to Normal?

We took a few days off to drive to the funereal services for DH's Grandmother. It was a time to reflect on the impact she had on our lives, and to share the sorrow and happiness as a family. Now, we are back home, and back to work.

I just wanted to provide a quick update on my knitting progress at this time. The most prominent is the February Lady Sweater. I have completed the body and bound off on one sleeve. I've tried it on several times and it fits but the neckline is more loose than I like. I learned recently that the way to tighten up a neckline on a top is to run a thread around the neckline and kinda cinch it up to fit better. I will try something similar on the sweater and then add some interesting buttons. It will be nice for when the temp drops again tomorrow.

With the socks for my son, knit in stretchy sock yarn with a  ribbed cuff and leg, I have turned the heel and am now working on the gussett. Black yarn is very difficult to work with unless the light is really good so this is a slow going project.

The other project on the needle is the Chinook scarf in the Knit and Fiber Creations. It's longer than the picture below. I've been thinking about taking it out and trying to use both ends of the ball to avoid the pooling of colors. Leslie (Knit Girllls podcast) say that is the best way to take care of pooling in handpainted yarn.

That's all for today.

Happy Knitting!!

A Tribute

Today I would like to steer away a little bit from knitting to offer a tribute to Ellie Forrester of Atlanta, Georgia.

She was my husband's paternal Grandmother, and was in my opionion a most amazing woman. She passed away last night (Jan. 21, 2013) at the age of 100. 

She was a woman of amazing class and style. As a true southern belle, she was always dressed immaculately.  She also possessed an amazing strength. Widowed in the 60's, she lived a good part of her life making all of her own decisions at a time when that was rare, while never forgetting that she was Henry's wife. She worked a job until forced to retire and then still found useful things to do with her time and energy.

She mothered 2 children, enduring the sadness of standing by the grave of her son on the day he was buried. She loved her grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren with a wonderful tenderness never forgetting birthdays, or Christmas.

She possessed a sense of humor that was charming, endearing, and completely hilarious!! She talked a mile a minute and it was hard for us mere mortals to keep up. Kindnesses were spoken loudly, while criticisms were whispered.

She had more physical strength than you would have thought possible in such a frail looking body. She recovered from not one or two, but three major surgeries in her 90's, each time confounding doctors.

I will miss her more than I can say, because she became my grandmother too.

Spinning

My post on Wednesday reminded me of how much fiber I have been purchasing so I pulled up my wheel and starting spinning some of it yesterday. I had mentioned previously about my spinning progression from a homemade drop spindle to the purchase of my first wheel which is a traditional Ashford. I bought it at the Fiber in the Park event in Earlville, Illinois. It was wonderful to learn how to use this wheel. I attended a workshop at the Bishop Hill Fiber Guild Spin-In event that was held in Blackhawk College to learn more about my wheel. It isdifficult for me to work with though because of the singel treadle. I thought I had kept in properly oiled but....

Someone I know who raises alpaca told me that he just threw the fiber away or donated it because he doesn't own a farm and doesn't sell the fiber so has no need for it, told me he would bring some to me. In preparation for that fiber, I purchased a new double treadle wheel called a Babe Starter wheel. It turned out that he was just a "nutty professor" and no fiber arrived. I have a picture of my wheel to share on the next post but I found one from a website that sells them.  I don't want to violate any copyright or design property laws, etc so I won't show a close up of the mechanism but anyone who is mechanically inclined could probably make a wheel like this. It is so much easier to use and care for but it still takes some physical conditioning to be able to spin for very long. Just a couple hours yesterday really tired me out but if I were to spin daily, I would probably be in shape to spin longer at a time.

I decided to begin spinning the Cranberry Chutney BFL/Tussah Silk blend I got from Hiwassee Creek Dyeworks. I have about 1.5 ozs done so far. I have a scale that was meant for a diet but works great for fiber. I weighed the fiber before I started spinning. My scale will allow me to zero the scale with something on it so I will put an empty bobbin on it and zero the scale, then put the bobbin with fiber on it and get the weight of just the fiber. This way when I ply the singles together, I will have the same amount (or just about) on each bobbin and not waste any singles that can't be plied. But the Knit Girllls show how you can navajo ply any single left on a bobbin to use for any purpose that requires just a small amount of 3 ply.

That covers my spinning for today.

Happy Knitting!

Day Off

I am fortunate in that I am able to work a 4 day work week most of the time. I work in the billing office for a small private college with limited parking available. A few years ago the administration decided to allow employees to work shorter weeks to free up parking spaces. It wasn't a very successful effort but I have continued to take advantage of the offer. I usually take Wednesdays off to break up the week. It gives me a chance to decompress. Sometimes I have to be flexible so this week I have today (Thursday) off.

Today I thought I would post an update on the February Lady Sweater, i'm knitting in Caron Simply Soft acrylic worsted weight in white on size 8 needles. It is a top down pattern and I have completed all the increases and I think I'm at the point where I'm about to separate out the sleeves. The needles I am using are the Knit Picks interchangeable circular needles. I actually am using one wood needle and one nickel needle cause I have misplaced the other set! But the  cable is only12 inches long, expecting it to hold 349 stitches. Duh!! Last night I changed to a 36 inch cable so it's much easier to knit. I can also able to check the fit since the stitches set better on the needle.

A few days ago I said I would share my thoughts on a book that I got for Christmas. It's titled Super Stitches Knitting by Karen Hemingway. The book says it is a dictionary with over 300 stitches.  It begins with general information and instruction and then segways into the section called the Stitch Library. The stitches are divided into groups such as textured, knit and purl, cables, eyelets, and lace. They are demonstrated in an innovative way and are easy to see with well written instructions for each pattern. This is a wonderful book for anyone who needs a little stitch assistance to do their own designing. Since my background is in afghans these stitches fit well into designing a blanket. I wish listed this book on Amazon and that is where the above link connects.

Well, that will do it for today.

Happy Knitting!!

Favorite Etsy

Since I have so many WIPs going, there is no way I can possibly have anything updated to share since yesterday...so I thought I would tell about some of my etsy shopping experiences on etsy and who are my favorites so far.

I'll start by saying the 35-40 years ago when I first started knitting (yes, I came out of the womb with needles and yarn!! ) knitting gifts was an inexpensive way to make something special for people you cared about. It was also a way to convince my husband that I wasn't wasting money by buying yarn and needles. So all of my early purchases were acrylic yarns, always worsted weight because I concentrated on making afgans, both knit and crochet. My needles were straight metal needles. And for many years that's how I rolled :)

About 4 years ago, via YouTube, I discovered spinning. I made a spindle and got some cheap fiber from Hobby Lobby and started learning to spin. Then I started attending local fiber shows and fell in love with higher end fibers and blends. My love of sock knitting developed out of that since these fibers are more expensive and socks don't use much yarn.

I had signed on to Ravelry in 2009 but wasn't involved with groups and then I began attending school so knitting was for fun and not for more adventure. Recently, I have renewed my interest in Rav and begun to follow some podcasts (The Knit Girlls is my favorite) and I began to check out some of the Etsy stores they recommended.

In my Etsy wanderings in relation to independent dyers I think my favorite is Never Enough Thyme. Jayne is the owner and her customer service is fabulous. She ships the orders almost immediately and they get here so fast. Again, I'm in Illinois and she lives in Maine. I have ordered both fiber and yarn from her. The prices are very reasonable and her colorways are beautiful. Check our Never Enough Thyme Yarn on Etsy.

Another dyer that I liked is Hiwassee Creek Dyework. I purchased fiber in a colorway called Cranberry Chutney. It's a BFL/Tussah silk blend. I haven't been able to spin yet but the color is gorgeous.

Another is Dyeabolical Yarns. I ordered more fiber...a polwarth/silk blend in Kara colorway which is teals, gray and white. Very pretty. This is my first experience with this wool breed and its a short staple and is a bit more difficult to spin. I still have more to finish when spinning time becomes available.

There are a few more vendors that I have purchased from but my all time favorite is Never Enough Thyme.

That's it for today.

Happy Knitting!

Start-Over

I wanted to update some of my WIPs and thought I'd start with my start-over for today. I posted yesterday that I was making a pair of socks for my son out of Paton Stretch Sock. After I had ribbed about 1 1/2 inches I looked at it closely and thought it wasn't going to work to fit on a man's leg so I tnikked it and started again with larger needles. I don't have a free pair of 1's so I'm using size 2. The picture is on the smaller needles.

The start-over is a wonderful part of knitting and crafting in general. Too bad more of life doesn't give you a start-over!

My next wip is a progress pic on the Chinook Scarf by Ali Green in the Knit and Fiber Creations Bella's Wedding Day colorway. Fingering weight lux blend with superwash merino, cashmere, and nylon. This is such a lovely yarn and the scarf should end up  be wonderfully soft and warm. This is the first time I have ever used a yarn containing cashmere. It really wasn't that expensive either so check out the Knit and Fiber Creations shop on Etsy. Tammy is offering 15% off  her yarns and yarn clubs.

Next is the February Lady Sweater that I am knitting in Caron Simply Soft worsted weight in White. I wish I had chosen another color but I think this will be nice too. I really hope this one fits. I found 6 sweaters in my closet today that I have knit for myself and not one of them fits right. It may have something to do with the yarn choices or how I understand the sizing to work. I have heard that there is some amount of ease added to patterns and so the finished size allows for more movement but I don't understand completely how that works. I need to find a website, or a book that explains that better. It's a really shame to have wasted the time and yarn to make garments that don't fit.

Lastly, is the Athos socks by Caous Coffee. These are a superwash merino/nylon blend fingering weight in a pretty pink colorway. There are on size 1 needles so it will take a bit of time to complete. This is a suggested texture pattern for the Sock Knitter's Anonomous December KAL.

That's it for today.

Happy Knitting

FO-Piper's Journey

Good Morning!!

I finished Piper's Journey this weekend, washed and blocked it just in time for a cold snap. My craftroom is the basement which gets very cold in the winter. I have a heater going but its still very cold. This morning we woke up to 11 degrees, so I put the scarf around my neck and it really makes a difference!!

This weekend was a lot of starting projects. I began the sweater I wanted to make February Lady by Pamela Wynne out of Caron Simply Soft acrylic yarn in worsted weight. Its a top down pattern which I really like. I can try it on as I go to make sure it will fit. I have had the worst luck with sweaters over the many years I have been knitting. In a drawer I have a sweater of simple stockinette that I knit a few years ago that would fit 2 of me! I don't usually swatch and that sweater is the result. I swatched for the February Lady and didn't get gauge exactly so I went up a size on the pattern.

I also started a pair of socks in a pink yarn that I bought at the Fiber in the Park fest in Earlville, Illinos this last September. It's a superwash merino/nylon blend in a really pretty pink colorway. I didn't save the label so I'm not sure who the merchant was but it wasn't her yarn anyway. I thought I would try one of the textured patterns I found for the December Sock Knitter's Anonymous KAL. Its called Athos-Musketeer Socks by Caoua Coffee. I just have the ribbing and 1/2 of the pattern repeat finished. Just as a side note: if you have never been to the Fiber in the Park event you should go. I live just west of Chicago and Earlville is about an hour's drive from my house but it is one of my favorite events.  Its in a  park in the middle of corn fields with a concrete sheltered area where the vendors set up their tables. The local church hosts a food set up for a charity and a variety of local musicians play-mostly country music. It is just such a country, hometown feel and I don't mind the drive to experience it. That's the place where I bought my first wheel, and another attendee at the time helped me set it up and figure out how to use it.

I had ordered more yarn to make socks for my son. I found some Paton Strech Socks, a cotton/wool/nylon/elastic blend in black. The color might create a challange so I'll only knit when the lighting is good.Its really stretchy yarn. I'm using a size 0 needle so it will take a while to finish them. I'm doing a 2x2 rib, heel flap, and gusset pick on these socks. This style seem to fit him better.

I had ordered some yarn from an indie dyer called Knit and Fiber Creations. I got a lux blend with superwash merino, cashmere and nylon. Its so soft! Its called Bella's Wedding Day from her Twilight inspired colorways. It is mostly white with browns and reds.

 I wanted to make a new scarf for myself called the Chinook Scarf by Ali Green. I knit 2 of these for Christmas gifts for my daughters and they love them.

Well, that's it for today.
Happy Knitting!!

Project Bags, Con't

I finally got pictures taken of the bags that I made:

They aren't perfect but are usable. As I make more, I'm sure I'll get better at it. I printed the pattern from a blog I found and I can't remember where it was, so I searched and found a really nice tutorial here. She calls it a dopp kit which she says is a traditional term for a toiletry bag. This bag is not lined, so try this one if lining is important to you. You can modify the size according to the zipper you have and square off the sides and still have a box like bag.

WIP
Here are some pictures of my works in progress:
First is Piper's Journey.

This is a very easy, and pretty fast shawl. The body is knit in garter stitch and the lacy edging is added to the body. I was at the point of adding the edging before I knew it, and the edge pattern is simple to memorize. I like this colorway and its a sport weight yarn so it will be warm. I'm using Knit Picks Felici Sport in the monochrome colorway on size 5 needles.




The next WIP is the blanket I have been working on for my new great nephew due on 1/15.

The yarn is Lion's Brand worsted in the Denim colorway and I'm using size 8 needles. I'm not really using a pattern, just found the specs for a diagonal pattern that will be a rectangle. I would rather that the blanket was more than just a square. I'm about 1/3 of the way through this one.


That's the update on knitting. Just a quick personal note, my son will be returning to his ship tonight ( U.S.S. Nimitz) and we probably won't see him again until November when he is released. Long discussions with him yesterday really made it clear to me how difficult is it to be a young man today. But, he keeps moving forward and I am extremely proud of him.

Here's EM3 John S Forrester: United States Navy

Project Bags

I am a huge fan of the KnitGirllls podcast. Laura (aka LaLa) and Leslie (aka udontcallmeles) are so down to earth and honest about their knitting successes and failures,  and their lives that it has really given me a good perspective on my own knitting life/obsessesion. When I discovered the podcast, I took a few weeks and watched all the old episodes so I would be up to date with them. One of the etsy shops that they loved was Piddleloop project bags. I put one on my Christmas list based on their recommendations. I'm not saying that its not cute, cause it is but as you can see from my hand in the picture below, its rather small. I can fit a  2-50 gr balls of yarn and a sock on DPN's wip inside it. That is fine for a pair of socks but the cost was $23. The constuction is nice. It's lined and has some interfacing for support. There's a zipper and the handles are ribbon but....$23?

So I went online and found a pattern for a similar bag and for a drawstring bag (which I did wrong but who cares, and another bag that is longer) that uses just under 2 fat quarters. I paid $.99 each for the fat quarters and the zippers I have on hand from when JoAnn's Fabrics moved their store a couple years ago, I think I paid like $.50 ea for them. Now that I know how simple it is to make the project bags, I don't think I'll buy them again. I'll get some pictures of the bags I made to post soon.

Also for Christmas I asked for a couple books that I will review as soon as I have had the chance to really look at them. One is a book of knitting stitches that is awesome, and the other is of baby knits. I'll try something in there for the new great nephew coming any day.

That's what I have to share for today. Happy Knitting!!

Happy New Year!

It's starting to feel as tho things are beginning to get back to normal. Our family Christmas was held on Dec 30 to accomodate our son's leave from the Navy. It was a wonderful day, as most of our Christmas' are. We have 2 new additions this year: Dave is my oldest daughter's new boyfriend. Very nice young man who is well liked by the family. The second is our youngest daughter's boyfriend, Justin. They have a very sweet story. Justin has been our son's best friend since middle school. In high school they were together all the time so it was common for Justin to hang out at our house to play video games, etc. Our daughter had of course developed a crush on him some time ago but last summer when Justin was invited to her graduation party, a relationship began to develop. They have been dating exclusively now for 3 months. Justin is really already a part of our family.

The day after Christmas was New Year's Eve which was a busy night for us. Neighbors joined us and we had a fabulous time playing Farkle. I do have to say that I felt like I had been cooking and washing dishes for days and days!! Things have calmed down but since our son is still home, we have a few more days before the normal quiet sets back in.

I got the kids to stand still long enough for pictures yesterday so here are my kids, their special people and our youngest grandson Luke.

Nice looking crowd!!

So, on to more important things: Knitting

I wasn't able to get pictures but my holiday knitting was good. I finished the hats for the big boys, 2 Chinook Scarfs for my girls, the Advent scarf for my mother, socks for Mom and the youngest daughter. I had to IOU the afghan for Justin, not enough time.

I just finished a pair of socks for my son- a superwash/nylon blend sock yarn from Hobby Lobby knit on size 1 needles in a ribbed pattern, turned heel.  I wanted him to be able to take them back to the ship when he leaves this week.

I have a niece due to have a little boy next week (yes, I'm behind) so I started a diagonal blanket in a Lion Brand worsted denim blue yarn on size 8 needles. The yarn is wonderfully soft so will make a nice blanket for him. I will have to really get busy and then get it mailed to Las Vegas where they live.

I had started a child's sweater before Christmas for the World Vision group on Ravelry that I would like to get going. Below is where I left off. I'd like to make several sweaters to send.



I have ordered a lot of sock yarn so that is in my future and I really wanted to knit a sweater for myself soon. I have in my library on Rav the February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne. It's an older pattern but I think it will work nicely with my body type and my needs. I'll have to look at my stash to see what worsted weight yarn I have available.

Well, I guess its time to get to work so here's wishing everyone a great day and Happy Knitting!!

Back in the Swing

It has been a couple difficult weeks in my household so I have been lax in posting my efforts. But, as Christmas approaches and illnesses have diminished, I can once again begin with my blog and keeping up on events and knitting progress. I don't have photos to share but I will describe what I have accomplished (or set aside) and set a few goals for the coming weeks.

Just as many Americans are doing now, I have been in the midst of Christmas preparation. Handmade items are being completed and wrapped to give as gifts. The crocheted afghan for my daughter's boyfriend has been tabled because I have to make it fit such a large person. He is 6'3" so I had planned on making it 54 x 72. I made 4 squares of a modified log cabin pattern and then put them together-2 on each side- with alternating rows of 2 colors. Then I started to frame that whole section in a 3rd color. But time is running out so Justin will get an IOU for a afghan and a store bought blanket until I can get that one finished.

I found myself infected again with another illness, possibly flu, so I got behind on the Advent Scarf KAL from the Ravelry group. But in the last few days I have almost caught up and should have it finished tonight. I'll wash and block it for wrapping for a Christmas gift. The daily quotes that came with the patterns will be bound to go along with the scarf. I hate to speak ill of anyone but I have to say that I am disappointed with the pattern for this KAL. There were several days of patterns that  were written wrong or had to be modified to fit stitch count. I would have thought that the test knitters would have picked up on the mistakes. If this was a free pattern, I wouldn't say anything but I paid for it and some people even purchased yarn from the shop to knit it. It seemed like the pattern instructions and recommendations just weren't right for this pattern and many of the people in the group found they had to change things like recommended needle size and yarn requirements. But, even so, the scarf is pretty and I think my mother will enjoy it.

I am on the 2nd sock of the short sock pattern that I have been making for my youngest daughter. Originally I have intended to make it toe up with an afterthought heel, but time constraints for Christmas were not condusive to so many new techniques at once. So I went back to the tried and true top down, and gusset pattern. I'll work on learning the afterthought heel when time allows.

There are just a few rows to go for the hats that I had started some time ago. Then 2 more gifts will be completed. All the dishcloths have been completed and gifts given to co-workers. I ended up with a callous on my index finger from knitting with the cotton. I really didn't enjoy knitting with cotton so I won't do such a large project again.

Another event last week really affected our family and left a bit of a hole. My oldest daughter who was about 16 weeks pregnant suffered a miscarriage on December 10. It is really amazing how quickly a child becomes an intregal part of your family and all future plans include the expected addition. We have had to rethink and replan to adjust for the changes. Life does go on but this baby will always be remembered. She will in my heart be my first granddaughter.

As the final days for Christmas are counted down, so many things still need to be done. Baking, gift wrapping, house cleaning, etc. But as always the time with family is the most important part of the holiday. I love the joy the kids all share with opening gifts. The best Christmas is when the paper flies!! If I don't have the opportunity to get back to my blog before Christmas, I want to wish everyone a safe and happy day. Keep those who have experienced such tragedies in your thoughts this holiday season.

God Bless!!

It's Monday again!

Another week has passed and I have been so focused on work, and the items that I am knitting, that I have not taken the time to add to my blog. But work is not caught up and I did complete some things over the weekend.

The 24 dishcloths that I knit have now be added to the soap that I molded into pink hearts, with the candy cane mouse and the beaded candy cane ornament (kits from Oriental Trading Co). I will add a few pieces of candy and thats the gift for office people.

I also finished 4 of my Christmas Washclothes that I started earlier in the week. Those are gifts for my direct co-workers along with items from Bath and Body Works.

I still have to catch up with the advent scarf. I had trouble with the stitch count on day 6 and haven't started back up. There was an error posting so I will give it a try again.  Today is day 10 so I have a good bit to do.

I have worked some of the modified log cabin afghan. I'm almost done on the 2nd square with 4 more to go. I hope I'm able to finish before Christmas. Still have the hats, fingerless gloves and the short socks to finish. As usual, I have bitten off more than I can chew. I read on Rav where a person posted that having the deadline of Christmas for gift making ruined her knitting mojo for months afterward. The truth is that the people I give handmade gifts to do not really appreciate the time, effort and money that goes into making them, but I really love sharing. So I think I should resolve to either make fewer items or start earlier in the year!

Here's to a wonderful week of knitting!!
Happy Knitting all!

I'm Back!!

I have to apologize for my extended absence from my blog. We had a trip over the Thanksgiving weekend to Atlanta Georgia for a celebration of my husband's grandmother's 100th birthday.
Here's a pic of this incredible woman:

From our house, it is a 13 hour drive. We rented a bigger vehicle so the grandkids and our  daughters were with us and drove through the night on 11/21. We had a wonderful time visiting with family and sharing the incredible occasion, but I also came down with a cold. Most people wouldn't have the problems with a cold as I do (I suffer from lung disease) but my cold became a 10 day ordeal. Traveling probably didn't help. So though I had planned to return to work on 11/29, I didn't until 12/3 so work is a little behind as well.

But tho I was ill, it didn't stop me from knitting!! I finished 24 dishcloths to give as gifts to the folks who work near me:

I have also started the advent scarf---3 times now. The patterns are wonderful, I just can't seem to find the yarn I would like to use. First was in a sport weight Hobby Lobby yarn that was soft but just didn't have enough body. Then I used a superwash/nylon sock weight but it wasn't soft enough. Now I'm using  Knit Picks stroll in the Frosting handpainted colorway. Here's what I have done so far:

I also am working a pair of socks in a the Knit Picks Felici yarn (self striping) in a toe up, afterthought heel pattern on 2 circular needles for a short sock. The whole process is new to me because I always do top down, long top,  gussett socks on DPN's. It's a Christmas gift for my youngest daughter.

I also have a pair of socks on the needle, the 2nd square top hat, a simple pair of fingerless mitts, and a modified crocheted log cabin pattern afghan. All have to be finished for Christmas! I am nothing if not ambicious!!. I also was hoping to have the time to make a couple monsters for my grandsons as gifts too but I'll wait until I have the rest of my projects completed before I try.

So that is my update for today. Thanks for you patience with me.

Happy Knitting!!

Holiday Monday

This is Thanksgiving week meaning a short week at work for me. Additionally, we will be traveling this week to see my husband's grandmother who will celebrate her 100th birthday on Friday. We also have our 35th wedding anniversary which falls on Thanksgiving Day this year.

On to knitting....I finished the Hermoine's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder in the Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted Lily Pad Multi colorway. I really like how they turned out. They still need to be washed and blocked.

I started on the SKA November sockdown Moody Stockings also by Erica Lueder, mystery sock which is a wonderful pattern. The yarn I was using was too busy of a colorway for the texture to really show through so I will start again with a more neutral yarn.

One new skill I am trying to learn that I heard about from The Knit Girllls podcast is the afterthought heel for socks. I understand that this is an Elizabeth Zimmerman method but its new to me. I got a stripping yarn from Knit Picks, Felici in the Minty colorway which is best shown off with an afterthought heel. I was having some issues with figuring out how to get the right measurement for the heel to the toe from where I put the waste yarn for the heel. So, I tried a toe up sock, which I don't do very well, so that I could figure out how the foot was constructed. First I put on too few stitches for the toe, I like it to be 12 across on each needle and then the increases weren't working right. But I think I have it ok now. Will put up a picture when I get a little father.

I received the fiber from Never Enough Thyme Yarn. Jayne Chouinard is the owner and she got my fiber in the mail immediately. Its a beautiful braid of superwash merino/bambo/nylon blend. I haven't had time to work with it but I can't wait.

I received the order I had placed with Knit Picks as well. I purchased 100gr balls of Blue Yonder Stroll and Kindling Stroll Tonal, and 2-50 gr balls of Frosting Stroll. The Blue Yonder is, of course, blue; Kindling is brown; and Frosting is a soft pink, brown and white. The Frosting will be a shawl for me, blue will be the Advent Scarf for a gift and the brown is great for socks.

That's the weekend update. During our travels, I will be taking some Bernat cotton to knit the washcloths I will be giving as gifts. I might take the top up/afterthought heel socks too.

Happy Knitting all!!

November 16, 2012

Not only is it Friday...it's good Friday. That means payday. Not that there's a lot of cash left over but I should stop for a moment and be thankful that I have a job, and that our family was able to weather the country's financial upheaval rather well.

Here's the picture I promised for the Turn the Square Hat

 They are knit in the Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn. This one in Barley,

And this one in Denim Mist. Its a very soft yarn and is pretty easy to work with.








The fiber I ordered from Dyeabolical came in the mail yesterday. It's Polworth in the Kara colorway. Really pretty and soft. If it spins well I might get some good yardage out of it. Would make a nice shawl.

I'm making good progress with the second SKA November sockdown sock. I'm making Hermione's Everyday Sock in the Knit Picks Stroll Handpainted Lily Pad Multi colorway. I should have it finished this weekend and maybe have the fiber spun too.
I have a "date" with Jayme to see a play at Willowbrook High School Saturday night which will be fun. And on Sunday we will celebrate my daughter's new boyfriend's birthday. So a fun, family/friend weekend ahead!

Happy Knitting!!

November 15, 2012

Happy Day!!! The lost skein of sock yarn has been found! I'm so glad because starting again and having the lone sock was just a sad prospect. {Doing the Happy Dance}!!!

While I was lamenting the lost yarn, I decided to start a hat for a Christmas gift and it turned out nice. The hat is called Turn a Square by Jared Flood. I used a worsted weight Vanna White yarn that is nice and squishy. The pattern calls for 2 colors of yarn which I didn't do, but that pattern makes the coolest square on the crown of the hat. I started another one but because these are going to wool uneducated people, I have to use machine washable yarn. I'll post a picture soon.

I am becoming a glutton for fiber. I have ordered 2 more braids of fiber from etsy shops even tho I have a lot of yarn and unspun wool at home. One is from Dyeabolical that I talked about the other day, the Polworth/silk in the Kara colorway. Still waiting for the shipment but its on the way.

The new fiber that I purchased is from https://www.etsy.com/shop//NeverEnoughThymeYarn. I got a merino/bamboo/nylon blend, 4 oz, in the Wild Blossom colorway. Jayne Chouinard is the owner, and she had this order in the mail today. That is customer service!! I'll post when the braid comes.

The good news is that it is Thursday and the Odeum Autumn Festival starts today. Rose and I will be going tonight to avoid the strollers and crowds. Looking forward to this evening.

Happy Knitting!!

November 14, 2012

Tragedy struck my craft room yesterday!! I finished the first sock for the SKA November Sock down the Hermione's Everyday Socks in Knit Picks Lily Pad Multi

I love the pattern and the finished sock was fantastic. Very excited about an FO (1/2 of one anyway) I went in search of the next skein to start the second sock and....it is nowhere to be found!!!
I'll take another look tonight but I'm afraid I may have to start all over again. So annoying!!
I did get a picture taken of the blanket I'm knitting out of the Sensations
Black Rainbow Boucle Multi,

but the picture doesn't do it justice. The colors just pop against the black background. I think I will need to concentrate on this afghan and the crocheted ripple afghan I am making for Christmas gifts. I also plan on knitting wash cloths for all the people who work in my building. Sounds like a lot but its just 28 to make and they are a quick knit. We will be traveling next week for a Thanksgiving weekend celebration of Grandma Forrester's 100th birthday!! Can you imagine? Anyway, its a 13 hour drive to Atlanta Georgia so lots of knitting time ahead.

That's about it for the day. Thanks for the compassion about the lost skein of sock yarn :)

Happy Knitting

November 13, 2012

Morning!!

It's Tuesday and I am enjoying my day off by knitting socks and catching up on The Knit Girllls podcast. I really enjoy their videos. I have learned a lot but mostly it helps me not feel so alone in this passion of knitting and fiber. This blog does that as well.

I wanted to do an update on the Sock Knitters Anonymous KAL for November. I had originally cast on the Amble by Alison Clayton. It was really a struggle to begin the pattern. I knit the cuff and lost my way so I tinked back to the ribbing, and tried again. No go, so I rip it back completely and redid the ribbing and still lost the count. So, because this is supposed to be a challenge and not frustration, I have exercised my option to change my pattern!! Yesterday I cast on Hermione's Everyday Socks by Erica Lueder instead. I absolutly love the way that the colors of the yarn are working with the texture of this pattern. All in all it turned out to be a good choice. Also, this is a pattern that I can finish this month without it interferring too much with my Christmas list.

I worked just about exclusively on the socks so didn't get very far with any of the other things that I have on the needle. One thing I'm working on is an afghan for a gift out of Sensations (Joanns) Black Rainbow Boucle Multi. I'm knitting it in just a garter stitch on size 9 needles. The boucle of the yarn would not allow for any kind of pattern but it will be a light cover for winter and the colors are awesome. It is mostly black with random pops of all kinds of colors. I'll post a picture soon.

I still have the hitchhiker on the needle. I needed the needles that I was using for the scarf so I put the end caps on the cable to use the needles. That is the wonder of the interchangeable needles from Knit Picks. I have the entire set of the nickel plated needles and I have the size 4 and 6 of the acrylic set and I have the size 7 on order. I really like the Zephry needles that just knit like the wind!!

I wanted to quickly make a correction from yesterday. I mentioned that Spin Monkeys had included some fiber samples with the fiber I had ordered. I said that one of them was Polworth when in fact it is Falkland which I learned this morning from The Knit Girlls is not a breed of sheep but is a combined fiber from sheep that are raised in the Falkland Islands.

This is a shorter blog today cause I'd really like to get back to knitting!!

Happy Knitting!

November 12, 2012

Happy Monday All!!

I'd like to start by thanking all military personnel, past and present, in honor of Veteran's Day. I am grateful for your sacrafices. My son John, is currently serving in the Navy, stationed on the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Nimitz. Veteran's Day is a special day for us because this year it marks his 3rd year away from home. Of course we see him when he is on leave, but he is stationed in Washington state and we don't see him often.

I've had a very busy fiber weekend. First of all I finished the 2nd Chinook scarf, and washed and blocked it. It was knit on size 6 circular needles out of Knit Picks stroll Handpainted, in the Pony Ride colorway.

This is a very fast knit. I weighed the yarn before starting to knit, follow the pattern until half of the yarn is used then begin the decrease until the yarn is gone. It will make a great gift for Rachal.

I received the fiber that I ordered from Spin Monkeys, 100% merino wool in the Aquamarine colorway. I purchased it with the idea that I would spin it to use on the Advent Scarf KAL that I will be part of in December. Here's what the fiber looked like:

And when it was spun, it looked like this:

There is only 242 yards which is not enough for the scarf but the fiber spun so soft and squishy that it will be great for a hat or fingerless gloves. Along with the shipment Spin Monkeys sent me a couple samples of some of her other fiber which was very nice. There is a small lock of polworth fiber that has a really long staple. She also sent a nice little sample of a merino, silk, nylon blend.

Here's what it looked like:

It's so helpful because it gives me an idea about new fibers that I haven't tried before.

So I need to find a different yarn/fiber for the scarf. I ordered some fiber from dyeabolical.etsy.com , Polworth Silk blend in the Kara colorway. It is a very beautiful teals and gray combination. It totals 4 oz which isn't enough for the scarf either. I bought from this shop because The Knit Girllls raved about her colors on their podcast.

Well, that will do it for today.

Happy Knitting!!

November 9, 2012

Happy Friday!!

This is my 2nd most favorite day of the work week. I say the second because, believe it or not, Tuesday is usually the best day for me. The reason is that I have Wednesdays off work so Tuesday is my "1st Friday" of the week and somehow it comes sooner (at least in my mind) and I enjoy it so much better than the last Friday of the week. Just a glimpse into how my mind works!!

Last night was very quiet in my knitting world. I worked exclusively on the Chinook Scarf for my daughter for Christmas. It is knit in the Pony Ride handpainted colorway from Knit Picks stroll. Its a very easy knit and I have begun the decrease part of the scarf. I am using the Knit Picks Zephyr needles size 6 to knit this scarf and I love them. I am so surprised at how smooth they are and how smoothly the fabric glides on them. I had gotten an interchangable set of the nickel needles for Christmas a couple years ago so occasionally I buy a set of needles (cause the others just might be buried in a WIP that is forgotten!!) and this is the first time I've used the acrylic needles. I really appreciate these needles and how smooth the join is with the cables.

In the midwest we are in the midst of the holiday craft show season. This weekend is a new one to me, small but should be fun. There is a building, called the Wilder Mansion, that is a historic building which once housed the library but is now being used for weddings and other meetings. It's located here in Elmhurst Illinois (western Chicago suburb) which has always been an upper class community. I wanted to go to this show really just to see the house! I image some knitting will be accomplished around this event tho.

Next weekend is the Autumn Festival Arts and Craft Show at the Odeum Center in Villa Park (Nov 15-18). This is a really big one which I attend every year. I try to find Christmas gifts and sometimes I do, but its more an opportunity for my friend and I to spend some time together. Here's a link for a $1 off coupon to this event if you will be attending.
The weekend of Nov 30-Dec 2 is the Lamb's Farm Holiday Lights Gift and Craft Fair at the Arlington Park Racecourse and this one is hugh!!! They have 500 vendors slated for this show. It is an all day experience. I love it! If you are in this area, you should really try to attend.

Have a great Weekend all!!

Happy Knitting