Cricket Knits a Bit

A Peaceful Morning

2012-01-28T07:56:00.001-05:00

I'm starting my Saturday in a lovely mellow state, having begun by listening to James Horner soundtracks on my Zune and sipping a delicious cup of coffee. I'm actually waiting for it to get a little later in the morning so I won't disturb my neighbors by doing noisy household drudgery.

My only concern currently is that I am so content and relaxed that I might find it difficult to haul myself out of this recliner and do some actual WORK.

Hmmmm....my knitting basket is within reach. Maybe one more cup of coffee and knitting a few rows before starting housework. Sounds reasonable, right? :-)

Happy Saturday, everyone!

2012 Begins

2012-01-09T18:26:00.000-05:00

This evening I noticed that my KnitMeter currently says "I haven't knit any this year." That's not true. I HAVE knit this year. I just haven't FINISHED anything yet this year. *LOL*

I have, as usual, several different things on needles. But this weekend I had to be out of town due to a death in the family (a dear cousin who lost a hard-fought battle against esophageal cancer). None of the projects I had on needles were a good size to pack for travel, so I started a small cowl to work on during spare moments at the motel. I didn't get much done on it, so I now have one more WIP.

That's okay. It's January. :-)

Christmas Eve Eve

2011-12-23T13:36:00.001-05:00

It's my favorite kind of pre-holiday afternoon. The weather is cool and overcast, all my holiday knitting is done. Gifts are all wrapped and either delivered or under the tree. All the holiday cooking I can do ahead of time is finished. Except for a few minor items (a couple of loads of laundry, putting the kitchen to rights, ironing the holiday tablecloth) all I have to do the rest of the day is relax, knit and watch holiday movies while letting Roomba do the vacuuming.

What am I knitting? Well, since I'm sort of taking the afternoon off, I'm knitting Granny's Favorite Dishcloth, also known as the "Idiot's Dishcloth" since it was published in "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting & Crocheting". When I finish this post, I'm going to finish up my few little chores, then kick back and knit until I nap.

I send each of you all my hopes for a holiday season full of peace and contentment!

Deck the Halls

2011-11-29T17:01:00.001-05:00

Had I ever told you that I sing with a madrigal group during the holiday season? It's lots of fun! We begin rehearsals in late August, meeting one evening a week to learn the music we'll perform at various locations during early December.

In fact, right now I'm killing a few moments waiting to go to rehearsal. I heard a little earlier that it's spitting snow in my part of the world, so it will seem extra-Christmassy this evening when we begin singing holiday songs with snow drifting lazily past the glass doors of the studio. I just love this time of year, don't you?

My holiday knitting is nearly completed. I actually thought I was finished, but thought of a couple more quick projects I need to complete. In fact I have one of them in my messenger bag with my madrigal music, so maybe I'll mosey on over to the studio and knit for a few minutes before rehearsal. :-)

TGIF....REALLY....

2011-11-04T20:03:00.000-04:00

Ever have a day that's fairly crummy, but not because of anything that happened to you personally? I had one of those today.

My day wasn't so bad for myself, but my dear daughter had a perfectly awful day. While in the hospital recovering from thyroid surgery and wanting to go home, she learned that one of her beloved cats had been struck by a car and killed. To top it off, it's her birthday. And she lives in Australia, too far away for me to give her a hug.

It's just a sad, sad evening. :-(

Best Laid Plans

2011-10-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

I was on leave last week....a whole week away from the office! I was so glad to have some time for doing just what I wanted to do for a change!

It didn't work out quite like I'd planned.

On Day One (Saturday) I did some laundry and household drudgery with (naturally) some knitting tossed in here and there.

On Day Two (Sunday) I went to visit my parents. Mom had an upper respiratory thing going on which was distressing, but otherwise it was a good day.

On Day Three (Monday) I went to a local park and spent a lovely day exploring their nature center and walking the lakeside trail, snapping digital photos of beautiful fall color.

On Day Four (Tuesday) I woke up sick. Can you believe it? I'd caught Mom's cold. Is my luck crappy or what??

So here's the good news: Mom's much better, and I was well enough to return to work today. And my brief illness caused me to have to stay in the apartment and rest. Which I needed. REALLY needed.

One day I didn't feel well enough to knit, but the other days were filled with mugs of hot tea, an Alka-Seltzer Cold medication buzz, and lots of yarn.

All in all, not a bad week. :-)

A Week.....A WHOLE WEEK!!

2011-10-09T08:46:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time there was a knitter known on the internet as Cricket54. Cricket was a fairly new knitter fumbling her way through learning how to knit with help from friends and the wonderful informative sites she found online. She had some problems in 2009 due to a back injury and gives knitting full credit for helping her keep her sanity during the long wait for surgery that fixed the problem.

This year, knitting saved her sanity again (except for the fact that she's suddenly begun to post her blog in the third person for no apparent reason....*ROTF*) by helping her deal with an extremely stressful year at the office.

Okay, back to first person. I'm ON VACATION THIS WEEK!! *happy joyous dance* With any kind of luck whatsoever the most strenuous thing I'm going to do is knit and drink copious amounts of coffee (my drug of choice). I have several different projects on needles at the moment and hope to make some progress this week. I'm not putting any pressure on myself about it, though. Nothing has to be finished this week. NOTHING. I plan to knit while relaxing, and if I get tired, I'll quit.

This is my week to chill out and recharge my batteries. My motto for the week: "The dustbunnies have waited this long, they can wait a few days longer!!"

Hope your week is as restful as I plan for mine to be, dear knitterly friends!

A Month??

2011-09-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

Hard to believe that it's been nearly a month since I posted here last....this month just got away from me!! There's been a lot going on at the office, but I've been able to keep my sanity by knitting. Hooray for knitting!! *LOL*In the past month I've finished a few projects and worked on a few more:

Soap Socks - I've been knitting these up for Christmas gifts. Cute, fun, quick!
Christmas Lights - I knit a set of these last year to decorate my office, but gave them away. So, I'm knitting another set for my office.
Zimmerman's Surprise Jacket - Adult Sized - I've knit several Baby Surprise Jackets and decided to treat myself to one.
"Plain Vanilla" Socks - my favorite socks to knit....simple K3P1 rib on top of the foot, stockinette on the sole, good durable heel flap, and K3P1 rib on the leg. Two-at-a-time, toe-up. Simple, small enough to carry in your purse. I finished one pair and started another. Winter's coming, and I love my warm wool winter socks!
Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth - I keep a couple of these on a circular needle all the time. Not only are they good sturdy dishcloths, they also make nice gifts. Everyone always appreciates them!

So that's what I've been up to, friends....now I'll close and pick up my Surprise Jacket and knit a few rows before getting back to household chores.

Have a great Sunday, everyone!

Sunday Evening

2011-08-28T19:08:00.004-04:00

I've been battling a virus all weekend, not desperately ill, but just feeling crummy. I've felt too guilty to gripe, though, since so many folks on the coast have been dealing with a hurricane and my biggest problem has been a low-grade fever and achy joints.

So this evening I'm contenting myself with watching "Julie and Julia" on Lifetime, sipping iced coffee (yum!) and knitting a market bag. I started the market bag last weekend as a Christmas gift for one of my co-workers and have been working on it off and on during the past week. Just a row here and there. Amazingly enough, I think I'll finish it before bedtime tonight. I'm now working on the top band just before starting the handle.

This is the third of these market bags I've made; it's a great pattern, pretty easy knitting, and makes a neat gift. If you're on Ravelry.com (and if you're not, you SHOULD be!!) you can click here to see the Grrlfriend Market Bag. It's a free download, and you can knit it up from just about any kind of yarn you have on hand. I knit the first two from a cotton/linen blend of yarn I had, and I'm making this one from the same type of cotton yarn I use for dishcloths. It's working up really nicely....I'm very pleased!

And so, friends, back to "Julie and Julia", my iced coffee, and my market bag, all of which are patiently waiting for me to finish this blog post. :-)

Have a great evening, everyone!

Cricket's a Year Older!

2011-08-17T19:53:00.001-04:00

Yes, today's my birthday! I'm not going to try to hide my age, because it's probably pretty obvious that the "54" in Cricket54 is my birth year. *LOL*

It's been a good birthday, even if I did have to go to the office today. My friends at work gave me lots of lovely cards, gifts, and congratulatory e-mails. My Facebook friends showered me with birthday wishes. And I treated myself to a wonderful birthday dinner from Cracker Barrel.

So now, stuffed full and happy, I'm going to settle into my recliner with my knitting (nearly finished with the gusset on my socks) and watch one of my birthday gifts: the anniversary edition of "The Big Lebowski".

The Dude abides.

Geek/Knitter Moment

2011-08-15T19:07:00.001-04:00

This evening I'm enjoying a total geek/knitter moment. I bought myself a Roomba and can now knit and vacuum at the same time. *LOL*

You gotta love technology!

A New Knitter

2011-08-15T18:09:00.001-04:00

Saturday I went to the reunion of my Dad's side of the family. I don't know how your family reunions go, but ours involve a large crowd of relatives, (usually) hot weather, and TONS of delicious food! There are plenty of good cooks in the family, and it always shows at a reunion.

Ever since I started knitting I carry a project bag to the reunion. I don't play the outdoor games at the reunion because it's too dang hot, and the indoor games are usually cake walks or bingo which are more fun to watch than to actually do. So I knit and visit with relatives.

By Saturday afternoon the heat had taken a toll on several of the kids who'd been playing outdoors. At that time I was sitting on the porch of the Ruritan building where we were having the gathering, knitting some dishcloths I'd been working on for Christmas gifts.

A very polite young girl named Cara (or Kara, I'm not sure how she spells it) who turned out to be related to me by marriage through a second cousin came and sat on the bench beside me and began asking questions about what I was doing. I spent the next few minutes giving her a very broad overview of knitting: "just making loops of this cotton yarn with these metal needles". When I saw that she was really paying attention, I handed her the dishcloth I was knitting and taught her a knit stitch. She picked it up quickly, and I showed her a purl stitch. It was such fun to watch her face light up when she saw that she was actually KNITTING! Now I know why teachers enjoy their work when they have attentive students.

When the time came for her to get ready to leave, I bound off the triangle of knitted material she'd been working with and gave it to her for a souvenir. Her mother came to thank me for teaching her, and I told her in all honesty that it had been as much fun for me as it had for her.

A good Saturday!

Knitting Socks: Sanity Saver!

2011-08-01T18:03:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was a particularly rough one. Friday evening my dear little 70-plus aunt took a particularly nasty fall; she broke her nose and wound up being airlifted from her home (about two hours driving-time away from me) to the hospital only 3 miles from my apartment. I'll get to the important part first: she lost a frightening amount of blood (she's on blood thinner), she's terribly bruised and awfully sore, but she's back home now and the doctors say she's going to be okay, thank goodness!

Oddly enough, fate had prepared me better than normally. My little car was full of gas, I had plenty of cash on hand (well....plenty for me, anyway), and my Kindle was in my purse. As I ran out the door to try to beat the helicopter to the hospital, I grabbed a partially-knitted pair of socks from the basket beside my recliner and dropped them into my purse.

Because the socks I threw into my bag were my favorite "plain vanilla" socks, I was able to stand outside the trauma room while waiting for procedures to be done and knit away. (Knit 3, purl 1 on top of the foot, plain knit on the sole.) Round and round, over and over. The repetition helped center me, and I was able to be calm and reassuring when I spoke with my aunt.

Circumstances were such that she had to be transferred to another hospital; I stayed with her all night and until late Saturday afternoon. Knitting helped keep me awake and available at a moment's notice each time she needed anything. It had been YEARS since I'd pulled an "all-nighter", and knitting those plain socks was unbelievably helpful. As I told a nurse in the wee hours of the morning Saturday, knitting is cheaper than therapy. Not to mention the fact that you get some pretty interesting socks in the deal!

I'm strongly considering keeping a project bag in the car from now on, just in case of an emergency. As much as I love my Kindle (in fact, I keep tons of knitting patterns on it), reading wouldn't have been an option during a lot of the situations we dealt with over the weekend. I could knit and carry on conversations with my parents, nurses, and doctors. In fact, the knitting actually started several conversations with people, as it always does when I'm knitting in public.

If you've never knitted in public, please try it sometime. Not only is it fun and productive, you meet lots of interesting folks who are either:

knitters,
crocheters,
would-be knitters or crocheters,
folks with friends or relatives who are knitters or crocheters, or
folks with memories of mothers or grandmothers who were knitters or crocheters.

And so, fellow knitsters, I leave you with this advice: Knitting is therapeutic, cheap, and non-fattening. Who can ask for anything more?

Shawl Finished!

2011-07-20T18:36:00.003-04:00

Well, not completely....but pretty close! I finished the knitting last night, but still need to hide the ends and then it will be ready to block! *happy dance* As soon as I finish this blog entry, I'll get the ends hidden. I might even get it blocked tonight. Or maybe not. Just depends. *LOL*

I've ordered yarn to knit myself the adult version of Elizabeth Zimmerman's "Baby Surprise Jacket". I've knit four of the baby-sized ones and decided the next one would be for me. :-)

Now, what should I knit next? I really need to get to work on the rest of my Christmas knitting, so I guess that should be the next thing I finish up.

Okay, enough typing about knitting....gotta get those ends hidden on the shawl!

Shawl Update and a Bunny

2011-07-14T18:18:00.000-04:00

The shawl/shawlette is progressing nicely. I'm really happy with the way the colors are developing and am anxious now to finish it so I can block it and see what it REALLY looks like. That's the only thing I don't care for with knitting lace....I never know what it's going to look like until it comes off the blocking pads!

Last Sunday, though, I needed a brief respite from the shawl and decided to use some of the yarn I'd found at Hobby Lobby (more about that in a moment) and knit a toy for my great-niece. I'd found a pattern on Ravelry several months ago for a "Bunny Blanket Buddy". Say that fast five times! Even though I'm a slow knitter, it worked up in just 3 or 4 hours and is cute as ... a bunny! *LOL*

Now, about my trip to Hobby Lobby for yarn. I'd had lunch with a friend Saturday and was very near Hobby Lobby, so I decided to drop in to check out their supply of yarn. I was very disappointed to find that it was down to HALF of what it had been the last time I was there. I managed to find some sock yarn and some baby yarn for toys, but all in all I was just plain disheartened.

Trips to my LYS result in my spending MUCH too much money, so I guess I'll have to resort to my old standby, KnitPicks, even though I've read some less-than-great reviews recently on the web about their quality. The good news is that their customer service has always been great, so I'm sure if I order something I'm unhappy with that they will be helpful in getting it replaced.

It would just be so lovely to be able to go to a local shop to buy good yarn at discount prices. I've never understood why Wal-Mart doesn't understand that some of us need more choices than Red Heart and Peaches 'n Cream. *mournful sigh*

Oh, well. I guess I'll just have to content myself with finding projects to use up some of my stash. But let's face it, even if we HAVE plenty of yarn on hand, sometimes it's fun to just go shopping for MORE YARN!!

Darn Near Perfect

2011-06-24T19:25:00.002-04:00

This evening is darn near perfect. The work week is done, I have a Netflix movie to watch, and I'm working on a knitting project I'm really enjoying!

I wanted to knit something for a friend who's retiring soon. I had two gorgeous balls of yarn that I'd been saving for some special project that were a colorway that I knew my friend would really like.

So, what could I do with 440 yards of fingering weight yarn? I knew the yarn would make a beautiful scarf, but I had knit a scarf for her for Christmas last year. Hmmmm. How about a shawl?

Happily I hopped onto the internet and searched Ravelry for something appropriate. I found lots of beautiful patterns, but most of them required at least 600 yards of fingering weight yarn. Phooey. I would need another ball of this yarn, and I've had this yarn long enough that the odds are against getting another ball of it at this point.

I narrowed my search to the yardage I have available. Nothing really struck my fancy. I perused the patterns I had on hand. Again, nothing really grabbed me.

Then it occurred to me that maybe I could work a feather and fan pattern into a shawl. Sure, why not? Just start with three repeats of feather and fan, and increase it each row until it's the width I want.

So far I've worked about six inches from the beginning, and I've increased enough on each side of the "center 3" repeats of feather and fan to make another repeat on each side (a total of 5 repeats now).

I've used about half of my first ball of yarn, so this may turn out to be a "shawlette" instead of a shawl, but it's looking really pretty. I'll give you updates as it goes along.

As for now, I'm going to pop in my Netflix DVD and get back to my sticks and string. Happy Friday, everyone!

Semi-Normal

2011-06-11T07:08:00.003-04:00

At long last, life at the office is back to semi-normal. The workload is still terrible and the new computer system is still a nightmare, but at least my hours are back to 40 hours a week. I must confess that the past few months have taken a toll. Hopefully now I can begin to get my life back in order.

For awhile I was forced to cut my beloved knitting back drastically. I was just too exhausted after work to even pick up the knitting needles. As the hours gradually approached a near-normal work week again, I actually FORCED myself to pick up a fairly mindless project for at least a half-hour in the evenings. It helps quiet my mind and center my emotions. Thank goodness for the "granny dishcloth" pattern. Nothing to think about, busy hands, quiet mind, useful end product!

There have been many times in the recent past that I've been grateful that I learned to knit. To paraphrase the Yarn Harlot, I don't knit because I'm patient, I'm patient because I knit.

I've also started knitting some grocery bag dispensers (early start on Christmas gifts). I adapted the pattern from several other patterns I found on Ravelry and other internet sites. I've posted my version in the "freebies" section (see the link on the right) if you'd like to try one. It's a simple project that knits up quickly. Sometimes it's good to work on an "instant gratification" project. :-)

Have a great weekend, fellow knitsters!

Mental Health Day

2011-05-15T18:39:00.001-04:00

I used to work with a guy who took what he called "Mental Health" days off work. He wasn't really sick, but needed a day off to avoid losing his mind. I've been working tons of extra hours lately (the Hindenburg Computer System Conversion continues), but today has been, happily, a day completely OFF from the office. And boy, did I need it.

I've spent it watching things I'd TiVo'd but hadn't had time to watch, watching "The King's Speech" on DVD (which I really liked....Colin Firth makes me tired heart go pitty-pat), and knitting a bit on some socks I've been working on a little at a time for ages. The day's nearly over....because it's been rainy today, dark will come early. And I don't even care. I'll happily go to bed at a ridiculously early hour, Kindle in hand, and read myself to sleep after a page or two.

Sometimes you just gotta take a Mental Health day. :-)

Finally!!

2011-04-23T08:59:00.002-04:00

After all the overtime I've worked in the past few weeks, I finally get two days off IN A ROW! Saturday and Sunday...I never dreamed that getting a weekend off would feel like such a treat!

So what am I going to do with this lovely "regular" weekend? Well, this morning I've done a few (very few, admittedly) household chores and have Netflixed a bit. As soon as I finish this post I'm going to knit for an hour or so, then go visit my parents for a bit. I've been so covered up at the office that I've not visited them in the past couple of weeks.

Tomorrow I'm going to catch up on some more of my housework, then settle happily into the recliner with coffee, remote, and knitting. *happy dance*

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Two Long, Ugly Weeks

2011-04-17T11:22:00.001-04:00

The computer conversion at the office continues to dominate my little world. *phooey* I must confess that these 70+ hour weeks are wreaking havoc with my abilities to sleep, knit, and chase dust bunnies.

Today's my first day off since April 9th, and so far today I've done practically nothing. My plans for the afternoon are pretty much the same....practically nothing. I need to finish knitting one small birthday gift, but it will require very little time. Then I intend to curl up in the recliner with a cup of rich, hot coffee, some mindless knitting, and the remote control. If there's nothing good on TV and there's nothing I've TiVo'd that appeals, there's always Netflix to stream through the Wii. Not to mention the prospect of a cozy nap sometime this afternoon.

I'm worn out, friends....keep your fingers crossed that this total disruption in my life ends SOON!!!

I heart Sundays

2011-04-03T09:19:00.001-04:00

Good morning, fellow knitsters! I've been away a long time, and I apologize, but I honestly do have a pretty good reason. That computer conversion at the office that I mentioned back in February has caused a HUGE increase in my workload. In fact, today is my first day off in the past two weeks.

Needless to say, I've barely had the energy to feed myself, much less do my blogging. My knitting has suffered terribly, too. I've managed to finish a few dishcloths and Swiffer cloths for birthday gifts, but that's been about it. I hope to spend some quality relaxation time today with my recliner, a mug (or five) of coffee, my knitting, and Netflix.

I was on Amazon.com (with whom I have a nearly-first-name relationship) a few minutes ago ordering a gift for a friend and needed to add a bit to get free shipping. I popped onto my Wish List to see what might get me over the minimum and (even though it cost more than I needed for free shipping) ordered myself Mason-Dixon Knitting. It had been on my Wish List for nearly two years, and I've always heard wonderful things about it. So now I'm looking forward to receiving it; I've needed to treat myself to something for awhile, and this seems like a good choice.

Well, friends, if I'm going to spend some knitting time this afternoon, I guess I'd better get a few household chores out of the way. I hope you all have a glorious Sunday!

When I Grow Up

2011-03-01T19:35:00.000-05:00

I was just reading today's entry on the Yarn Harlot's blog, and in it she mentions that Sock Camp is open to the general population. Curious, I clicked the link to see what Sock Camp is.

I learned that Sock Camp is one of those things for which I'd love to have the time and money. It's four days of sock knitting fun, and oh boy, would I ever love to be there! Not only would I love to have the opportunity to learn more about sock knitting from real experts, but the camp is being held at a BEAUTIFUL resort in Port Ludlow, Washington.

Unfortunately, I just don't have the time or the money for such a trip. My job (which I must keep because I've come to enjoy having food, shelter, and sock yarn) is unbelievably busy right now. I have scads of leave available, but just can't get away for awhile. Phooey.

Oh well, maybe I can content myself with finishing up some socks I'd started back last fall and had to put aside to do my holiday knitting.

Gotta say, though, that the Yarn Harlot sure makes that sock camp look GOOD! When I grow up and retire, I want to spend all my time going to knitting camps that I don't have time for now!

Some Days It's Just Not Worth Chewing Through the Restraints

2011-02-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned that we're going through a computer system conversion at work? It's kind of taken over my life, to tell the truth. By the time I get home from work and do the few things I absolutely HAVE to do, I'm too exhausted to even pick up the "mindless knitting" I keep in a basket by the recliner. And I mean MINDLESS. Knit in your sleep kind of things. But I'm too tired to even pick up the needles, much less knit.

Here's an idea of how tired I've been: one night last week I fell asleep while eating dinner. HONESTLY!! Anyone who actually knows me knows how unlikely it is that I'd fall asleep during a meal! *LOL*

Today has been an unusually trying day, so while eating my sandwich for lunch, I decided that this will be the after-work plans today:

Stop at Mickey D's for a salad.
Go home.
Call Mom.
Take a long hot shower and put on flannel jammies.
Eat salad while watching something mindless on TiVo. Maybe Gilmore Girls.
Make a big mug o' tea.
Log TiVo podcaster into KnitPicks podcasts I've not yet heard.
Knit something mindless while catching up on podcasts.
Repeat step 8 until dozing.

It's a gray, rainy day; I love rainy days. They pull the tension out of my body like a warm bath. So this should be a perfect evening for the "activities" I've planned for myself. I'm in definite need of some yarn therapy!!

What The Heck Was WRONG With Me?

2011-01-29T09:37:00.002-05:00

I haven't knit a stitch in nearly two weeks. Now THAT's unusual for me. Especially since the weather in my neck of the woods was cold, snowy and nasty all during the month. That's usually wonderful knitting time for me, but for some reason I just didn't feel the urge.

Today is different. The sun is shining through the windows, I have housework to catch up on, and my plan is to clean awhile, knit awhile, clean some more, knit some more. It doesn't even matter what I'm knitting. I just want to feel wool in my hands.

It's nice to feel normal again. Whatever "normal" is. *LOL*

Sick of Snow and Cold Weather in General!

2011-01-09T08:43:00.003-05:00

Yes, I know, I'm the one who's normally really excited about getting a snow day and having more time to spend in the recliner knitting. But DANG, I'm getting tired of winter!! The hot water bottle cover I knitted last year has come in handy LOTS recently.

Okay, enough grousing, let's do a little catching up since it's been nearly a month since I've visited with you! First and most importantly, Mom's aneurysm repair on December 20 went beautifully! They kept her in ICU overnight as a precaution, but released her the next morning without even moving her to a regular room. We had her back home by 10:00 am, and according to her follow-up visit with her surgeon this past Wednesday she's doing just fine, thank goodness.

Our Christmas was quiet, but lovely. To keep Mom from trying to do too much, I stayed with her and Dad Christmas Eve so I'd be there early to try to keep her from doing much for Christmas dinner. She was still in the kitchen, but hopefully I took some of the work off her. It's tough to keep her still, THAT's for sure. :-)

All who received knitted gifts from me for Christmas seemed to really enjoy them. I love knitting for folks who appreciate it!

I knitted a lot while I was off work for the holidays, but a lot of it was dishcloths. I'd given a lot of them away as small gifts, so I wanted to start building up a little stockpile again. Also, they're good mindless knitting to do at the hospital and while talking to visitors.

I'd also purchased two skeins of lovely yarn on sale at my LYS some time ago, thinking they'd make a lovely Baby Surprise Jacket. I started that a week or so ago and it's going to be really nice. I'm going to take it along on a visit to Mom and Dad this afternoon (between winter weather systems...*SIGH*), so I plan to make some pretty good progress.

And so, my knitterly friends, I hope your holidays were filled with peace and love and that your new year is filled with health and prosperity!

I wish you the best from the frozen mid-Atlantic states!!

A Perfect Knitting Day

2010-12-12T10:28:00.001-05:00

Today is a perfect knitting day! I've put a paper log in the fireplace, and as the song says "The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful!"

And trust me, the weather outside IS frightful. This morning started with a rain/snow mix which is now switching over to snow. The temperatures are predicted to drop all day today, and by tomorrow afternoon we're expecting a total snowfall of 2" to 4". Makes you feel like Christmas is coming, alright!

I have some gift wrapping to do, then I intend to settle into the recliner with something Christmassy on DVD (I'm thinking "Christmas Vacation" maybe), a steaming mug of coffee, and some knitting. Maybe I'll finish up my Scrunchable Scarf then work some more on my Eggstra Special Socks.

Don't you just LOVE days when the biggest decision you have to make is which knitting project to pull out of the basket?

Confession Time

2010-12-09T21:28:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make....I've not been knitting much in the past week. I know, that's pretty unusual for me, beccause generally when I'm sittin', I'm knittin'.

But, a new toy has been getting in the way for the last few days. I bought myself an early Christmas present: a nifty little netbook! And, as you know, it takes awhile to get a new computer set up to suit yourself. It's been fun deciding what programs I wanted to download, which ones I probably wouldn't use, d
eleting the bloatware that came with it, upgrading the RAM. Fun!

So, by the time I had it pretty well set up the way I wanted, a terrible cold caught me unaware and I've been feeling just generally yucky. I've knit a bit on a pair of plain vanilla socks and a bit more on a scrunchable scarf I keep in the basket by my recliner.

But mostly I've sipped Alka Seltzer Cold tablets on the rocks and dozed in the recliner after work until time to go to bed. What an exciting life I lead! *L*

I did want to tell you, though, a little tale about one of the things I knitted recently.

Yesterday was our Christmas luncheon at the office. It's always a nice party, always held at one of the nice local establishments. One of the annual traditions is a "Mean Santa" exchange where we take something funny or hideous (preferably both!) and draw numbers to decide in what order the gifts are to be selected. It's always fun, and we have a good time.

I hadn't planned to attend the luncheon this year because we were waiting to get a surgical schedule for Mom's AAA repair at the time they were getting the guest list together. I'd had a little item tucked away in the closet to take to the Mean Santa exchange, but figured I'd just save it for next year.

As it turned out, Mom's surgery got scheduled for the 20th, and the event organizer had kept me on the list just in case it worked out that I could go. However, since I didn't know until yesterday morning that I was going, my hideous little Mean Santa gift was at home in the closet. So, I looked around the office for something to take for the exchange.

I looked up at my knitted Christmas lights hanging from my bulletin board and decided those would be great. (Gifts don't have to be hideous; cute is okay, too. *LOL*) My friend said that I shouldn't take them because they were too cute to give away.

I said, "You know it's funny about knitting things for myself. Sometimes by the time I've finished knitting them, I've looked at them enough!" So I asked if she happened to have a gift bag I could stick them in. She rummaged in a drawer and came up with a birthday bag in a spring-like theme that even had a piece of yellow tissue paper tucked into it. I said that the rustic wrapping would make it "mean" enough for the exchange.

Happily, the co-worker who got it was a crocheter/knitter who'd already admired the lights when they were hanging in my office and realized they were hand-knitted and was very appreciative of them. In fact, another co-worker who had a later number in the exchange "robbed" them from her! They were a HIT!

And even though I must now knit myself another set before next holiday season, I know that my hand-knit Christmas lights have a good home.

Of course, I remembered this evening that I'd never photographed them for my Ravelry page. Oh, well. They were cute. Trust me. :-)

Don't Call Me Shirley

2010-11-30T00:10:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that Leslie Nielsen is gone. Sure, if I'd thought about it I'd have realized that the man had some age on him. I'd been a fan for at least 40 years, so that should have told me SOMETHING. But I just didn't expect to hear that he was gone. *sad*

So, what's been going on in my little corner of the world? Well, this evening I've been playing with my Christmas gift to myself, a netbook. In fact, I'm drafting up this blog entry on it, using WriteMonkey to keep myself from being distracted. And we all know how easily distracted I am. "YARN!" *LOL*

Last Saturday I attended a 100th birthday celebration for my great-aunt. She's a terrific lady, still sharp as a tack and living in her own home. She's a crocheter, has been for many years. She also knits, sews, and is otherwise crafty, but mainly crochets now. She looks at my sock knitting, shakes her head, and says, "Oh, those stitches are soooooooo little."

Her family gave her a wonderful reception, and everyone had a great time. There were 125 guests expected, and I believe most of them were there. She received lots of lovely presents, and really enjoyed herself.

I'd knitted her a Scrunchable Scarf (HOT PINK!) and she really seemed to like it.

100 years old....oh, the things she must have seen in that century. She's told me about having trouble finding fabric during the war to make clothes for her children. She found a used coat in a thrift shop , bought it, and cut it apart to use the fabric to make two coats for her youngsters. What a talented woman!

Well, I suppose I've played with my new baby computer long enough for tonight. I really must get to bed, since I have to work in the morning. Like Scarlett said, "Tomorrow is another day." :-) 'Night, Friends!

I-Cord and More I-Cord

2010-11-19T12:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a very busy week, so I'm behind on my blogging again. (BAD blogger!) Last Friday night I did finish up my arm warmers, and I am very, VERY happy with them. I'll try to get some photos of them sometime this weekend.

Because the holiday season is upon us, I immediately started knitting the christmas lights I mentioned in my last post, and they're turning out really cute! I've finished knitting the bulbs and have started on the i-cord. Seven feet of i-cord. Sheesh, can anything be more mind-numbing that seven feet of I-CORD? *LOL*

Oh, well, it's good TV knitting at least.

Last Saturday I dropped off the Regular Guy Beanies I'd knitted for the homeless at a local charity that does good works. I hope they'll help someone who needs a big of warmth this winter. I'm going to continue knitting them, of course. I decided a long time ago to devote two hours each week to knitting for charity, and this seems a good productive way to spend my charity-knitting time.

Okay, lunch break's nearly over, so I'll hush for now. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Ever Have One of Those Days?

2010-11-12T12:14:00.000-05:00

Did you ever have one of those days where you're knitting before you leave home to go to work and are reaaaaaaaally close to finishing up a project, and you think (just for a moment, mind you) "Boy, I sure wish I could stay home this morning and finish this up"?

This morning was one of those mornings. Because of the switch from daylight savings time to standard time, I'm going to bed even earlier than usual and waking up really early. So, at 5:00 this morning I was in the recliner, watching a National Geographic documentary on Netflix, and knitting happily away on my arm warmers.

Much to my dismay, when the time came that I had to stop knitting and get in the shower, I had only FIVE ROWS left to finish up my arm warmers. FIVE ROWS. *beats head on monitor* I guess the good news is that it won't take me long to finish them up after work today, but I really hate to have to put my knitting down when I'm that close to the end!

So, now I'm thinking "what next?" I'll start another Regular Guy Beanie for charity, but for myself I want to knit a set of Christmas Lights I found on Ravelry. I have scads of brightly colored skeins of acrylic yarn I've accumulated over the years, and I think this will be a great way to use up bits of it. For the "plugs" and "wire", I'm going to use up some of the huge stash of sage green Red Heart I bought years ago to crochet the infamous "Boyfriend Afghan".

Wait, have I ever told you about the Boyfriend Afghan? Several years ago (before I learned to knit), I crocheted quite a bit, mostly afghans. I was dating (quite seriously) a guy who admired an afghan I was working on and said that he'd like to have an afghan for his living room. "No problem," I said, "What color?" He chose sage green, and I bought enough Red Heart acrylic to knit a large afghan to drape stylishly across his couch.

Before I finished the project, the relationship went up in smoke. I guess this was the crochet version of the "boyfriend sweater curse" in knitting. *LOL* So, the more-than-half-finished afghan went into a large blanket bag along with the remaining unused skeins of sage green yarn.

After I began knitting, I dug out all the yarn I'd purchased and stashed during my crocheting years. My first surprise was how much acrylic yarn has improved (thank goodness!) since I'd bought all these garishly hued skeins years before. The next surprise was finding the long-forgotten Boyfriend Afghan. What on earth will I do with all this sage green acrylic yarn???

I've been taking a little more pleasure than I should in gradually raveling out the unfinished afghan and using the yarn to knit Regular Guy Beanies for the homeless in my area. I've used some of it for other small projects as well, and it is a perfect shade to put knitted plugs and wire on my knitted Christmas Lights.

I think the lights will be perfect to string around the counter top in my office. After we close the office for the holidays, I'll take them home and add them to the decorations in my apartment.

Hmmmm. I just remembered that I tossed out my well-worn door wreath after my last holiday decorating session. Wonder if I can find a quick 'n easy door decoration to knit for myself? I think the holiday spirit has officially kicked in! *going to Ravelry now to search for door decorations*

Arm Warmers

2010-11-09T12:17:00.000-05:00

My current "recliner" knitting project is a set of arm warmers for myself. Last Christmas I received a lovely cape from Mom and Dad as a gift. It's black with a bit of black and white houndstooth check trim. I really love it, but sometimes if I wear it to work I need something heavier on my forearms than whatever light sweater or blouse I'm wearing in the office that day.

The solution seems to be arm warmers to be worn with the cape and gloves/mittens. The pattern I've chosen will go from just above the elbow to the wrist, where it will bell out enough that it will be easy to put on gloves with it. I'm knitting them in white; I'd have preferred black, but actually had enough white yarn on hand to knit them up. If they turn out as neat as I think they will, I'll buy myself some black worsted and knit up a second set. :-)

10,000 Hours of Knitting

2010-10-28T12:14:00.000-04:00

On April 21, 2010 a post on Ravelry caught my attention. IdaW posted that she'd decided to participate in a project based on the idea that it takes 10k hours of practice to become an expert at anything. Her blog is 10k Hours of Socks. (To learn more about the 10k Hours theory, visit the website of Junebug on a String.)

Like IdaW, I decided to choose sock knitting as the activity in which I'd like to develop expertise. I thought it would be interesting to see how my skills develop in the next 10,000 hours.

In the past month or so I've been doing a LOT of charity knitting and getting most of my Christmas gift knitting finished up. Yesterday I posted my Time Tracker on my 10,000 Hours of Knitting Socks blog and found that even though I knit a bit every day, I had done only two-and-a-half hours of sock knitting in the previous four weeks.

I have to be honest, I found this a little disheartening! Since I enjoy knitting other things than socks (though sock-knitting is actually my favorite thing), I decided to track ALL of my knitting time. After all, any knitting is developing my skills, right? :-)

So today I'm moving the pertinent items from my "10k" blog to this blog. One less blog to answer, one less egg to fry. (Anyone else remember the Fifth Dimension? *LOL*)

Road Knittin'

2010-10-27T12:23:00.000-04:00

I had to attend an out-of-town meeting yesterday. The location was a little over an hour away from my workplace, and luckily I was a passenger in a van full of other attendees. This meant about two-and-a-half hours of uninterrupted knitting time! *happy dance*

I knew right away that I'd need to take a project that met certain criteria:

It must be small enough to fit into the purse I planned to carry. I didn't want to have to keep track of anything more than one purse and my portfolio. This narrowed it down to socks.
It must be simple enough that I wouldn't have to reference a pattern. Too tough to balance everything on my knees in the van. Not to mention the fact that I didn't want anything that required a lot of my attention so that I could knit and carry on the conversations that were certain to ensue. *LOL*

I already had two pairs of socks that have been languishing on needles for awhile, waiting for me to finish up my Christmas knitting. So, Monday evening I rummaged in my UFO basket beside the recliner and fished them out. Unfortunately, both pairs were really close to the point that I'd need to start the heel. Not that heels are all that complicated, mind you, but I never quite trust myself to do them correctly without referencing my notes.

So, my solution was to cast on yet ANOTHER pair of socks. *LOL* Since I wanted to cast on some plain vanilla socks, I wanted to use lovely colorful stripey yarn. I chose the yummy yarn that I won in Pretty Knitty's contest back in August. I sat down to watch "Dancing With The Stars" (more about that later), cast on, and knit the toes (2-at-a-time, toe-up, Magic Loop) so that all I'd have to do during the ride Tuesday would be knit across the sole of the foot, and do my favorite K3P1 rib across the top of the foot. Wonderful mindless knitting. *happy sigh*

Tuesday morning I contentedly knit all the way to the meeting, the knit my way back home that afternoon. And now I have THREE pairs of socks waiting for completion. That's okay. Holiday knitting will soon be completed and I can get back to my true love: knitting socks.

Holiday knitting has been odd. I've thought I was finished several different times. I'd finish a project and say to myself, "There! All done now." A day or so later I'd see a neat pattern for a small project and think, "Say, that would make a nice little gift for So-and-So." I think I have only one more small gift to make. I think. Maybe the solution would be to finish up this small gift then not look at any more patterns until after the holidays.

Naaaaaaaaaah. *LOL*

Back to "Dancing With The Stars". I have to confess that there are only two reasons I watch this show. One reason is that I think Derek Hough is cute as a speckled pup under a red wagon, and I love to watch him dance. The second and biggest reason is that Mom is a fan and watches it devotedly every season. It's fun to spend a little telephone time with Mom discussing which dancers did well, and which of them sucked like a Hoover.

I will say, though, that I have a real issue with the title of the show. "Stars"??? Normally I've only heard of one or two of the contestants. Another problem I have with the show is that they allow the home audience to vote. This usually results in some of the better dancers getting booted too soon because a lesser dancer has a bigger fan base. It's not fair. It's supposed to be a DANCING competition. *climbs down from soapbox*

One of my favorite things about DWTS is that it provides lots of good knitting time. Monday nights are a two-hour show. The actual dance routines are really short, leaving lots of "don't-have-to-look-at-the-screen-just-listen" TV time, great for knitting!

A Leisurely Week Off

2010-10-21T12:29:00.000-04:00

Last week I took my last full week of annual leave for 2010. I'll have a good bit of time off during the holidays, but this was the last full week before Christmas.

It was a fairly uneventful week, to say the least! I was battling allergies (I love Fall, but boy does it give my allergies a fit!), so a lot of my time was spent in the recliner with a remote control and knitting in my lap. Not bad for a vacation!

I managed to finish up several small projects I had in my UFO basket and completed from start to finish one charity hat and four decorative facecloths. I also got another few feet knitting on the feather and fan scarf I've been noodling along with for a long time. I completed several small Christmas gifts and am generally well pleased with the knitterly progress made. :-)

Now I need to finish up one more Christmas gift hat, another few hats for charity, and the feather and fan scarf so that I can get back to knitting SOCKS! *missing sock knitting* I still haven't started my "Egg-stra Special" socks, and I really, REALLY want to get my hands on that yummy yarn!

Speaking of which....even though I promised myself I wasn't going to indulge in any more yarn until I got rid of some of my stash, I caved and bought a couple of skeins of some lovely yarn at my LYS that should work up into a nice Baby Surprise Jacket. (As if I need yet another project right now...*LOL*)

Have I mentioned how much I'm enjoying the knitting guild meetings I've been attending? I love knitting at home in the recliner, but it's so great to talk to other knitters about what we're all doing and picking up tips from them. They're a great group, and I'm having a great time!

Well, lunch break's over now, so I'll get my nose back to the grindstone. Happy knitting, everyone!

Cricket Returns!

2010-09-28T23:07:00.004-04:00

Actually, I've not been away....just awfully busy! *LOL* That's no excuse for my lack of bloggage, though, and I apologize. September has just kind of slipped away from me somehow!

I've been knitting lots of goodies, though. Did I tell you that I joined a local knitting guild? We meet once a month, and I've now attended two meetings. I'm enjoying it a LOT! It's good to sit with like-minded knitters and learn things.

During our last meeting, one of the members asked if anyone would be interested in knitting a scarf for charity. Just a simple garter-stitch scarf, nothing fancy. She supplied the volunteers with the necessary yarn, and I knitted the scarf during my last camping trip of the season. It took no time at all, and I hope it will be useful to someone.

I'm also knitting up several Regular Guy Beanies to take to a local shelter so that they can distribute them to anyone in need of something to help keep warm this winter. If you have a Ravelry account, you can click here to see the pattern. It's simple, quick, and doesn't use much yarn. When I mentioned in my guild meeting that I was knitting these, the owner of my LYS gave me some yarn from her yarn amnesty stash to use for the beanies. Wasn't that sweet of her? (Shameless plug for my LYS: if you're ever in Abingdon, Virginia, be sure to stop by A Likely Yarn. You'll enjoy it, I promise!)

Let's see, what else have I been knitting? Spa mitts and soap sacks for Christmas gifts, started a pair of socks, started a TARDIS (you Doctor Who fans will know what I mean), and I started a Scrunchable Scarf as a gift for my great-aunt's 100th birthday in November. She's a gifted crafter, crochets and knits and sews and does just about anything you can imagine.

So, you can see that I've been a busy girl. Still, that's no excuse for not blogging, so I promise I'll try to do better. :-) Hope you're all having a great week!

"Egg-stra" Special Sock Kit

2010-09-01T06:31:00.001-04:00

When I checked my mail yesterday afternoon, I found the that "Eggstra" Special Sock Kit I won in IdaW's contest on her blog, The Evolving Sock Knitter, had arrived. Such beautiful yarn! As I ran my fingers over it and squeezed it gently, I thought of the Yarn Harlot saying that when someone insensitively comments on your yarn stash you should say (while stroking the yarn), "Yarn? This isn't yarn. These are my kittens." *LOL*

The pattern is written top-down, and I've been knitting toe-up two-at-a-time for a good while now. When I checked my needle stash I found that the last time I'd knit top-down using DPNs, I was still using size 2 or 3 needles. With time I've drifted down to a size 1, so I'm going to treat myself to a set of size 1 DPNs before I start knitting the kit.

I don't mind using DPNs at all; in fact, it kind of gives me a feeling of reconnecting to my ancestors. I imagine them knitting away with a hand-wound ball of yarn and a porcupine of needles sticking out of a half-completed woolen sock. I don't even mind closing the toe with the much-maligned Kitchener stitch. I think it's magical to watch that opening close up without a trace!

The only reason I usually knit socks using Magic Loop, two-at-a-time, toe up is so that I can finish both socks at the same time. I also enjoy knitting on one long circular needle so that if I drop my work I don't have to worry about losing one of my double-point needles.

But because this pattern is written top-down, I'll knit them on DPNs and enjoy the experience. Of course, to prevent myself from going nuts at my local yarn shop, A Likely Yarn, or online at KnitPicks, I'll have to hope that WalMart has a set of size 1 DPNs hanging on the rack!

Knitting Therapy

2010-08-31T12:05:00.000-04:00

Today is a bad day. We all have them, and some are definitely worse than others. I know it will get better, but trust me, this is just a bad, awful day.

Bad days make me appreciate the lovely soothing repetitive motion of knitting. There's something about the rhythm that you develop with sticks and string that settles the mind and centers your emotions.

Can knitting make bad situations better? No....at least not usually. Can knitting make you calmer and more emotionally able to deal with bad situations? It works for me, thank goodness.

So off I go to knit through the rest of my lunch break and center myself. Tomorrow will be better.

Swiffer Cloth Success!

2010-08-28T18:20:00.002-04:00

I finally managed to knit a Swiffer floor cloth with the shape and size I wanted! Only took me five tries. *LOL* This final version is a slight variation on the "Purly Lace Swiffer Cover" available on Ravelry. I put the instructions for my variation over in my "Freebies" patterns (see link at the right of this page). I have a couple more of these to knit for little gifts, then I can get back to my other projects. In fact, I'm already halfway through the next Swiffer cloth. Once I figured out what to do, they go really quickly!

Oho, the Wells Fargo Wagon is A-Comin' Down the Street

2010-08-26T12:05:00.000-04:00

Oh please let it be for meeeeeeeeee! (If you don't understand that reference, you need to watch "The Music Man". *LOL*)

The FedEx tracking site says that my KnitPicks order is "out for delivery". So, this means I might or might not get it today. Here's why: the final leg of the FedEx delivery is passed off to the local post office. Depending on which mail carrier is delivering mail in my neck of the woods today, he or she will either 1) leave the package on my doorstep (which I requested in writing long ago) or 2) take it back to the post office and leave a little note in my mailbox telling me that I can pick up the package after 8:00 tomorrow morning.

The suspense would be maddening if I wasn't so terribly busy today. *L*

Oh, I must tell you about my latest knitting disaster. Well, not really a disaster, I guess since it's not of earth-shattering importance, but a GOOF all the same! Last night I finished my latest incarnation of the knitted Swiffer cloth. It was looking really, really great, and I was happier than I'd been with any of the previous versions I'd knitted (this was the fourth one in the series). I finished it up while watching TV, hid the ends, and happily slipped it on my Swiffer.

It was too long. *beating head on monitor* WHY didn't I check it before I sewed up the pocket seams and hid the ends? Dunce. Total dunce. I checked the width, but not the length.

Soooooooooo....last night I cast on the fifth one, making adjustments that I think will work. You can bet, though, that after a reasonable number of rows have been completed I'll be holding the next one against the Swiffer to see if I'm on the right track. Dunce.

I brought my little gray socks to work with me today so I can knit a bit on them while munching my lunch. So, I'll cut this entry short so I can hopefully finish reknitting the toes today!

Waiting for Yarn

2010-08-24T12:28:00.001-04:00

How insane is it that I'm waiting for yarn to be delivered before starting my next sizable project? I have BASKETS full of yarn. There's a term for this that I read on the Yarn Harlot's blog called "SABLE": Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy.

And, even though my stash has come dangerously near SABLE status, I find myself checking online to see when my next KnitPicks order is due to arrive. Hopeless, I tell you, I'm just plain hopeless. Oh well. A yarn addiction is a relatively harmless one.

The yarn I'm waiting for is to knit a TARDIS. For those of you uninitiated into the world of Doctor Who, a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space) is a time machine used by Doctor Who and his companion(s) to travel through time and space to provide assistance to others. The TARDIS looks like a 1950's London police box; if you've never seen a photo of one of those, it looks something like a large-ish blue old-style telephone booth. You know, the kind that Superman used to change into his tights and cape back in the day.

Back to the knitting issue: I HAD some worsted yarn on hand that I thought would work, but this proved to be problematic on a couple of counts. First of all, it really wasn't the right color. I needed some dark blue yarn and some darker blue yarn, along with a small bit of white. As it turns out, the yarn I thought would work was MUCH too light, and it just didn't look right at all. Additionally, the worsted weight yarn was going to make this a BIG ol' TARDIS, much larger than I'd intended. So, KnitPicks to the rescue. I went online and selected some fingering weight yarn that I thought would be a better color. As always, the price was very reasonable and I had enough stashed on my Wish List there to bring my order up to the minimum order for free shipping. (I ALWAYS have something on my Wish List there....*LOL*)

And now I'm waiting. I have plenty to keep me busy until the new yarn arrives, of course. Actually I guess I SHOULD be working on some decluttering I'd promised myself I'd get finished.

But then again, there's a pair of socks I want to start.....

I Won Again!

2010-08-19T12:14:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it, but I've won another contest! *happy dance* IdaW of The Evolving Sock Knitter ran a contest on her wonderful blog to give away two Trekking "Egg-stra" Special Sock Kits. This sock was designed by Rosemary “Chappy” Chapman in honor of Susanne Skacel, a three-year survivor of ovarian cancer. The yarn in the kit is a glorious shade of teal that was dyed to match the color of the ribbons used to represent support for the fight against ovarian cancer.

WEBS and Skacel Collection, Inc. are both donating the entire proceeds of the sale of these kits ($25 per kit) to the Marsha Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research. I know that lately it seems like everyone's been asking for donations, but if you have any funds left in your yarn stash, maybe you'd like to have a look at this beautiful sock kit by clicking HERE and considering placing an order.

Thanks so much, IdaW, for giving me the opportunity to put my name "in the hat" for this terrific giveaway!

BSJ 3 All Finished

2010-08-17T12:27:00.000-04:00

As I'd hoped, last night I was able to finish my third Baby Surprise Jacket last night. I'm very happy with the results. The first one I did was a solid color and the second and third were made with variegated yarns. I think I'll do the next one with stripes. *happily planning* I must take some time and get photos made of the jackets. Not tonight, but hopefully within the next few days.

However, before I knit another baby jacket I simply MUST get some work done on my Christmas knitting. It's August already, and Christmas will be here before we know it! *yipes* The stealth knitting will now begin!!

BSJ 3 Nearly Complete!

2010-08-16T18:07:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday I headed to the wood for another camping weekend and got in some very good knitting time. I had a few rows completed on my third Baby Surprise Jacket, so I took it along so that I could get some work done on it.

As it turned out, I didn't work on much of anything except the BSJ; it was going so well that I didn't want to stop to work on anything else. The only exception was that I attended a birthday party for Smokey the Bear (HONEST!), and I took along my plain vanilla socks to work on there so I wouldn't have to carry a pattern with me.

All I need to do tonight is sew up the shoulder seams, crochet around the neck, weave in the ends, and sew on the buttons. If all goes well, I should finish it up before bedtime tonight.

Christmas in July, and another BSJ

2010-08-09T15:59:00.002-04:00

Saturday I received my "Christmas in July" present I won on Pretty Knitty's blog....such fun! She sent me two skeins of lovely sock yarn (that'll be my next pair cast on!), some Cascade 220 with Kool-Aid to use to dye it (more about that later), some little butterfly note cards, a sample of skin cream, a keychain calculator, and a beautiful row counter set with stitch markers. So much great stuff!!

Yesterday I decided to dye the Cascade 220; this was my first attempt to dye yarn, and it was sooooooooo much fun! I used the microwave method to dye it with the Kool-Aid, and it's turned out to be a beautiful variegated blue. Now I just have to decide what I'm going to knit with it! Maybe a skinny scarf for myself. I've given away all but one of my scarves that I've knit; the only one I've kept is the very first one I knit, so maybe it's time to knit another one to keep. :-)

I've finished my second Baby Surprise Jacket, and am very pleased with the results. In fact, I've already cast on a third one, using Pretty Knitty's row counter and stitch markers on it. The next BSJ is white with wee splashes of pale blue and green. I think it will work up very nicely. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. :-)

I have to admit that I was completely befuddled by the Baby Surprise Jacket pattern (no offense to the genius of Elizabeth Zimmerman, who would have been 100 years old today), and am just amazed and delighted that I've now (with the help of the Ravelry group) completed two of them. It's been so much fun to learn!

I managed to knit on my plain vanilla socks during my lunch break today. I've decided that the only way I'm going to get in any sock knitting time is to carry my socks to work instead of the Baby Surprise Jacket. On the current week, I have a grand total of 30 minutes sock knitting time. Pitiful, just pitiful. I'm KNITTING, mind you, just not knitting much on socks. This will change, of course. But for now my sock knitting time is looking really sad.

I Won!

2010-08-02T12:06:00.000-04:00

I actually won a contest! And I never win ANYTHING! *LOL* A very nice lady known as Pretty Knitty makes beautiful knitting and crochet row counters that she sells on her site on Etsy. She also write a very entertaining blog, which I read regularly.

On July 24, she announced a Christmas in July contest, which I entered with no thoughts of actually winning, because I honestly just don't have much luck when it comes to winning things. (This is the reason I still work for a living in spite of years of buying an occasional lottery ticket.)

Yesterday I was super-busy and didn't have time to do my usual daily blog and e-mail reading, so I didn't learn until this morning that I'd WON! *happy dance*

Pretty, you've put a shine on a drab Monday morning. Many thanks!

BSJ 1 Complete....BSJ 2 Already on the Needles!

2010-07-30T19:54:00.003-04:00

I almost hate to say the first Baby Surprise Jacket is finished. It IS finished, you see, but it's so dreadfully ugly I wouldn't give it to anyone as a gift! As the Yarn Harlot said on her daily calendar day before yesterday "crap in, crap out". I used crappy yarn, and I got a crappy jacket. It's cheap acrylic, and it shows. Splitty, weird, YUCK. Never again. And I rarely say "never".

Oh well. It was a good learning experience, and I actually think I learned enough from knitting it to justify the time I spent on it, even if it's too small and looks like it's been attacked by a roving band of murderous wolverines. I've got the second BSJ (still not high-dollar yarn, but much better than I used on the first one) on the needles and just completed Row 6. Only 109 rows to go. :-) I just stopped working on it to take a quick meaurement, and it looks like I'm on track.

Just 6 rows in, and I'm already happier. I'm so easily pleased. *LOL*

Well....DUH

2010-07-29T12:09:00.000-04:00

A couple of evenings ago I was working on my Baby Surprise Jacket, using a spreadsheet I'd found linked on Ravelry. I'm an Excel kinda gal, so using a spreadsheet just fits in to my basic nature.

The spreadsheet I was using was based on using a different marking system for the decreases and increases in the pattern. My personal preference is to use a total of four markers, one on each side of the center stitch of a mitred decrease so that at each decrease it would work as follows: SSK, slip marker, K1, slip marker, K2T. Because the spreadsheet I was using marked their decreases and increases differently, I was constantly having to rethink the stitch counts and what to do when.

Suddenly it hit me. Why not make up my OWN spreadsheet showing my stitches the way I wanted them? Duh. So I laid my knitting aside, went to the computer and very soon was admiring my very own spreadsheet. For some reason, that was all it took to make me realize that the Baby Surprise Jacket isn't nearly as difficult as I was making it. Last night I zipped right along and stopped after completing line 104. If the buttonholes and the binding off go as well as the parts I knit last night, I should finish up either tonight or tomorrow. *happy dance*

I've not been happy with the yarn I'm using. It's some inexpensive acrylic stuff I picked up at Wal-Mart way back when I was first learning to knit socks and hadn't yet found a place I could locally buy real sock yarn. (Which is, of course, my one true addiction in life. *LOL*) This acrylic is deceptively soft to the touch, but is a little splitty to work with. On top of that, it's pulling ALL the moisture out of my poor little fingertips! YUCK!

I'm anxious to finish the jacket so I can start the second one in some more appropriate (I hope) yarn. I'm calling this one my "trial run". I hope to start the "real" one sometime tomorrow.

A Good Weekend to Be Indoors

2010-07-25T11:21:00.002-04:00

It's awfully hot in my corner of the world, so I've elected to stay indoors and enjoy the air conditioning today! A little while ago I finished another pair of baby socks made with the leftovers from my latest pair of Dragonfly Socks. Aren't they cute?

This afternoon I'm going to work some more on the Baby Surprise Jacket. Since this is my first BSJ, I like to be near my computer while working on it in case I need to check out something on the Ravelry group.

I'm hoping the next one will be easier. *LOL*

Camping and Knitting

2010-07-21T12:14:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I had another great camping adventure with lots of relaxing and knitting time. I finished my second pair of Dragonfly Socks (see my sock-knitting blog for photo), and knitted a bit on a Purly Lace Swiffer Cover.

Not only is the Swiffer cover a pretty simple project to work on, but I think it will make good small Christmas gifts, too. I'll let you know later how the pattern works up. I'm doing this first one in Peaches 'n Creme dishcloth cotton in the Juanita Rose colorway. It's looking pretty good so far.

I've also started a Baby Surprise Jacket. It's my first Elizabeth Zimmerman pattern, and all I can say is "Thank goodness for Ravelry!" If not for their BSJ group, I'd be completely lost! Zimmerman is a knitting icon and no doubt was a genius, but her pattern writing style assumes that I know a lot more than I know. *LOL*

I didn't work much on the baby jacket while I camped; I knew that I'd probably need to consult with Ravelry and had plenty to work on with my socks and Swiffer cover anyway. I just took it along in case I got bored with my other projects. Much like my habit of carrying more than one book on a trip.

Now I've started another pair of baby socks with my leftover yarn from my Dragonfly socks. I think everyone who's learning to knit socks should start with baby socks. You can learn the basics of sock construction without getting into mind-numbing stretches of knitting the same pattern for rows and rows and rows while working your way up the leg.

Speaking of which, I'll close for now (on my lunch break) so I can knit a bit before having to get back to work. *LOL*

Dischcloths Finally Finished!

2010-07-11T10:18:00.002-04:00

I've knitted all 12 and just need to block them a bit to even them up, then tie them into little packages of 2 each and tie a little gift tag on them. I'm trying to settle down a headache this morning, but hope to get that finished up this afternoon.

Finally, back to my Dragonfly socks!

STILL Knitting Dishcloths

2010-07-06T12:18:00.000-04:00

Okay, how bored am I with knitting dishcloths? VERY. I am kicking myself for promising a dozen and then waiting so long to get started. Even knitting them two at a time in varied hues isn't helping.

I got so bored with them over the weekend that I laid them aside and knitting a bit on baby socks (see my sock-knitting blog, link at right). But even while enjoying that little respite, the dishcloths were looming over my head like a cloud of doom.

Okay, maybe it wasn't quite THAT bad, but let's just say I'll be really glad to finish them up. I have cloths 9 and 10 nearly finished, so that'll leave just one more pair. I'm going to try to finish them up this week in the evenings after work so I can work on something FUN over the weekend.

I don't even want to think about the fact that it's nearly time to start Christmas knitting. I still haven't finished my last pair of summer socks!! And it's JULY for cryin' out loud!

It's time like these that I have to sit back, take a deep breath and remind myself that I knit for fun and relaxation. After all, I'll have another camping trip coming up soon, and that should provide enough knitting time to finish up that last pair of summer socks. I might even have time to knit up some more baby socks while I'm in the tent.

So.....next on the agenda is to decide what I'm knitting for Christmas, make sure the yarn is either in the stash basket or ordered in a timely fashion, and give myself plenty of time to work on the projects without putting myself in a bind.

Yeah. Right. ;-)

Campin' and Knittin'

2010-06-28T12:18:00.000-04:00

I went camping Thursday and came home yesterday....what a great way to spend a weekend! It's been so steamy and hot at home that it was wonderful to get out in the woods for a few days. The weather was stormy on Thursday, but after that it was just cool mornings, warm (not hot) afternoons, and cool evenings.

We had a really torrential thunderstorm Thursday evening, but my tent doesn't leak so I didn't mind at all. I just sat inside, watching the storm through the tent window, and knitted away happily.

I took my Dragonfly socks with me, but spent most of my knitting time working on some dishcloths. I'd promised to knit a dozen for bingo prizes for our family reunion in August. I've now finished 7 of them...only 5 to go! Actually, I'm knitting them 2 at a time so I have 6 completed and am halfway through the next pair. I like knitting them 2 at a time so I don't get too terribly bored. They're good mindless knitting to do while visiting.

I hope to work a little more on my socks tonight while watching a Netflix movie. It's been a busy morning at work (I'm on my lunch break now), so I hope I'm not too tired to knit a bit when I get home!

Haley's Doggie Sweater

2010-06-18T22:43:00.004-04:00

I finished Haley's doggie sweater this morning and sewed the buttons on it. I hope it fits! I'd forgotten how quickly this little sweater knits up. I was down at Mom & Dad's last night visiting relatives who were in for a visit, and didn't work on the sweater at all. So really I only had a little time for each of three evenings on it and finished it up this morning. Pretty quick!

I'm back on the second pair of Dragonfly socks now; in fact I had them with me at Mom & Dad's last night and worked on them a little while during my visit. Everyone's grown used to seeing me with knitting in my hands, so no one was offended. *LOL* The "Snow Queen" Sockotta is working up into interesting designs. Mom said they look like tapestry. I hope to get some more sock-knitting time in tomorrow between household chores. And I really MUST do a few household chores tomorrow.

Which reminds me....where did I see that pattern online for knitted dust bunnies? :-)

Dragonfly Again

2010-06-15T12:20:00.000-04:00

When I cast on my next pair of summer socks, I decided to do another pair of Dragonfly socks. Why? Several reasons, really. The first reason is that I really enjoyed knitting the last pair. Secondly, they knit up more quickly than the other summer socks I've knit. Reason three is that I've memorized the pattern and won't have to look at it while knitting them up.

On top of all those practical reasons, I wanted a pair of predominantly blue socks and had a skein of Sockotta's "Snow Queen" in the stash. I think the Dragonfly will look lovely in that blue, white, and purply yarn.

I worked on them while in the waiting room at the dermatologist yesterday (yet another addition to my "medical team"...*rolling eyes*). When I got back home from the doctor I cast on a doggie sweater for Haley, one of four Yorkies that belong to some friends of mine. In April 2009 I knit a sweater for each of the Yorkies, but Haley outgrew hers! I couldn't allow her to be the only one of the four without her very own hand-knit sweater, so I cast on another for her. It'll be just like the first one, but a bit bigger around.

Don't worry, Haley. I completely understand how needing a sweater to be a little bigger around can happen. :-)

Dragonfly Completed!

2010-06-13T22:21:00.002-04:00

I just finished and photographed my Dragonfly socks. See my sock knitting blog for details. :-) It's been a restful weekend with lots of knitting done. Just the kind of weekend I needed!

Dragonfly Continues

2010-06-08T12:18:00.000-04:00

I lost most of my three-day weekend to a vile sinus headache (yuck!) so I've not made much progress on my Dragonfly socks since my last post. I've turned the heels and am currently decreasing the gusset, so they're coming along at least. It's funny, while I was in the recliner Saturday listening to the pounding inside my own head I kept thinking, "Oh, man, I could be halfway up the leg of my socks by now." *LOL* I guess that's when you know you're knitting too much!

Weekend Outlook

2010-06-03T12:25:00.000-04:00

I work a flex schedule in the summer, so today is my last day in the office this week. I just checked Weather.com to see what the forecast is for the next three days. Is it weird that I'm glad there's a chance of showers and thundershowers each day?

Here's why I'm glad:

I don't need to do any shopping this week, so I can devote Friday to cleaning, laundry, and cooking next week's meals for freezing. (I just love to come home in the evening on a work day, pull a home-cooked meal out of the freezer and pop in in the microwave.)
That will leave most of the next two days open for....KNITTING! *happy dance*

I just love to get in the recliner on a gray, rainy day with a big 'ol glass of iced tea (I need to make a fresh batch tonight), a good audiobook on my Zune (which is ready and waiting), and my knitting (which is ALWAYS ready and waiting).

I currently have a big stack of UFOs because I'm trying to finish up my summer sock knitting. I've finished three pairs (see my sock knitting blog for details) so far and have nearly reached the heel on a fourth pair. After I finish the current pair, I want to knit at least one more pair of summer socks before I get back to my other projects.

I've been tracking my sock knitting time for the 10kH project and am now beginning to wonder if I should change it to 10,000 hours of just KNITTING instead of 10,000 hours of sock knitting. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions. Even though getting back to my other projects will cut into my sock knitting time (and my 10,000 hour goal), it's a long-term goal anyway, so it won't really matter. Okay, decision made: leave it as 10,000 hours of knitting socks. Moving on.

I bought Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitting Workshop for myself and have cast on the famed Baby Surprise Jacket as my first Zimmerman project. My first reaction on reading that pattern was "Okay. Now where can I find help with this?" *LOL* Luckily, my beloved Ravelry has an excellent BSJ Group, complete with its own Wiki. I've already joined the group and anticipate using it a LOT while knitting my first jacket.

I hope to spend some time this weekend just reading through the Knitting Workshop and absorbing the differences between EZ's style and other knitting books I've read. She's a legend, and I'm looking forward to learning more about her and her techniques.

All in all, it's shaping up to be a good weekend. Hope yours is great, too!

On to Dragonfly

2010-05-31T07:47:00.005-04:00

I finished up my Swan Song socks and have moved on to Dragonfly....details on my sock knitting blog. Before long I'll need to take a sock-knitting break and finish up some dishcloths I promised to knit for a family reunion. But I really NEED to finish up my summer socks first, right? RIGHT?

Okay, I confess. Socks are more fun than dishcloths. I even do the dishcloths two-at-a-time now so I can stay awake knitting them, but socks are still more fun. Sometimes I think of all the UFO's (UnFinished Objects) in my knitting basket, waiting patiently for me to pull them back out of the pile as I happily ignore them, knitting away on brightly colored, summery, lacy socks.

But most times, I just don't think of them. :-)

Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Camping and Knitting

2010-05-27T12:24:00.001-04:00

I spent last weekend tent camping in my favorite campground. It was soooooooo relaxing to sit by a campfire and watch chipmunks play while knitting socks. Boy, if someone would only PAY me to do that full-time. But then it would be a job and not nearly as much fun. *LOL*

I'm up past the heel on my Swan Song socks now and actually knit the toe on my Dragonfly socks which are next on my agenda. I started the Dragonfly socks because I could knit the toe while visiting with other campers without losing my place in a lace pattern. I love the way the Swan Song socks are working up, but I'm too single-minded to work the lacy pattern and carry on a conversation at the same time. They're going to be worth it, though.

I hope to get in some serious knitting time this weekend. I'll be off four days, so I'd really love to finish up the Swan Song. We'll see how it goes.

Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!

Knitting Injury

2010-05-14T06:05:00.000-04:00

I guess I'm now officially a knitter....I've suffered my first knitting injury. Last night I was watching Arrested Development on Netflix and knitting happily along on my Swan Song socks when I poked the tip of my right size 1 needle into the tip of my left index finger. Not deeply enough to bleed, but enough to hurt. Dang it.

I'm the first to admit that I put a lot of undue stress on the tip of my left index finger because of the way I hold my needles. I can remember when my Granny (Daddy's mother) once tried to teach me to knit that she kept telling me "You're holding it wrong." I finally said, "I don't have enough hands to learn to knit" and she switched to trying to teach me to crochet. I guess she figured I would be less dangerous with one pointy metal object than with two.

When I was recently knitting in the presence of my 99-year-old great-aunt, she too told me, "You're holding it wrong." I just smiled and said, "I know, but it works for me." And it does. But it does involve my brushing the tip of my right needle over the tip of my left index finger repeatedly.

I think a solution to this would be to simply wear a band-aid on the tip of my left finger while knitting. I'll try that when I settle down with sticks and string tonight. Any suggestions about a better solution would be greatly appreciated. :-)

Happy Friday, everyone!

Michigan Lake Shore Socks Complete!

2010-05-12T20:58:00.003-04:00

See my 10,000 Hours of Knitting Socks blog (see link on the right) for a photo! I've enjoyed knitting this pattern and will probably use it again soon.

I have yet another doctor's appointment in the morning (I'm calling May "Patch and Repair Month"....*LOL*) so I'll take my Swan Song socks with me to work on while waiting.

But for now....early bedtime. :-)

You Know You Knit Too Much When....

2010-05-12T07:04:00.000-04:00

YKYKTM when you're disappointed when the nurse calls you out of the waiting room to see the doctor ON TIME and you were hoping for some extra sock knitting time!

World Wide Knit in Public Day

2010-05-11T12:15:00.001-04:00

On my lunch break I was just doing some reading about "World Wide Knit in Public Day", which this year has been expanded to over a week! This year it will be observed June 12 - 20.

I've not yet participated officially, even though I knit in public a lot. I try to never be in a waiting room without my knitting. In fact, I was recently knitting in the pre-op area while waiting for a minor procedure. *LOL*

I think (weather permitting) that this would be a great reason to go to a lovely little park near my home, sit in the sun, and knit awhile. How about you, my knitterly friends? Do you participate in WWKIPD?

Finally Friday!

2010-05-07T06:48:00.002-04:00

It's been a crazy busy week; I love having time off from work, but always have to pay for it when I go back to the office!

But, because I had three different medical appointments this week (all follow-up things, thank goodness), I had some productive knitting time in waiting rooms. Sometimes you really have to dig for that silver lining, y'know? *LOL*

All my knitting time was on socks, so I'll post a bit about that on my 10,000 Hours of Knitting Socks blog (see link at the right).

Happy Friday, everyone!

A Family Heirloom

2010-05-02T11:01:00.002-04:00

During a visit with Mom and Dad yesterday, Mom said, "Oh, I ran across something the other day I thought you might like to have." Then she gave me this beautiful darning egg! Mom never used it much ("It just got in my way."), but it was given to her by my grandmother.

This means it must be AT LEAST 50 years old. I was just tickled pink to have it. Another link with my past, y'know?

You can tell that it was much used in its day; the varnish on the end has nearly been scratched away by many, many needles long ago.

I just love family heirlooms, don't you?

Vacation Knitting

2010-04-30T08:52:00.001-04:00

I'm on vacation this week, which you would think would mean TONS of knitting time. But I've been so busy with other things, I've not knitted nearly as much as I'd like!

I did get some extra time in on Wednesday, though, while visiting with my 99-year-old great aunt....who STILL crochets and knits, by the way! She's so much fun....she showed me the knitting needles she's accumulated over the years and lots of really old crochet patterns that she has.

Yesterday my parents and I went to Pigeon Forge to visit the Titanic museum and do a little shopping. Since Daddy drove, I was able to get in a couple of hours knitting in the car. I still don't understand how I can do that, because I'm notorious for my extreme motion sickness. I can't read in the car at all, but as long as we're on interstate highways I can knit away happily with no ill effect. Thank goodness. *LOL*

So today is "catch up the housework" day, but I'm hoping for some time this afternoon on the balcony in the sunshine with my knitting. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Summer Lovin' Socks

2010-04-26T00:37:00.003-04:00

I finished my Summer Lovin' socks this evening! Take a peek at them on my "10,000 Hours of Knitting Socks" blog. :-)

Happiness is New Yarn

2010-04-24T07:13:00.003-04:00

The latest addition to my yarn stash arrived yesterday. As you can see, I now have enough sock knitting ammunition to keep me out of mischief for awhile!

I must get cracking, because I bought all of those skeins of yarn to knit socks for the summer, and summer's nearly here! "Socks for SUMMER?" you may ask, and I will reply, "Yes. The air conditioning in my office gets COLD."

So with pretty lacy summery socks I can wear my Berkies without fear of frostbite. :-)

Without further ado, off to the knitting I go!

Patience is a Virtue

2010-04-23T12:15:00.000-04:00

....what a shame I don't HAVE any patience! *LOL*

When I got home yesterday, eagerly anticipating opening a package of sock yarn, I found a sticker on my front door telling me that UPS requires a signature in order to leave my package. *sniffle, sob*

Dang it. Oh, well. At least I know it'll be there when I get home today. The good news is that it's going to be a rainy, stormy Saturday, and I'll have a good excuse to stay in and play with my new stash additions.

Last night I was catching up on things I'd TiVo'd earlier in the week and knitted happily on my Summer Lovin' socks. I'm working my way up the leg now and hope to have enough knitting time this weekend to finish them up. Assuming, of course, that I can resist the temptation to cast on another pair out of my new yarn. *not making any promises on that item*

Simple Pleasures

2010-04-22T06:37:00.003-04:00

I admit it.....I am easily amused. Simple things make me very happy. Warm sunshine on my face, a bird singing in the tree outside my window, a steaming mug of tea on a chilly morning. Those are all good things.

Almost as good as receiving word from UPS that SOCK YARN will be delivered to my home today. *LOL*

I'm knitting summery socks to wear to work (with its chilly air conditioning), and found a deal on Sockotta at DBNY. So when it arrives today, I should have enough sock yarn to keep me out of mischief for a good long while.

.....or at least until I run up on another good deal, right? :-)

The Summer Lovin' socks are progressing nicely. I'm past the heel now and have started working my way up the leg. I tried them on again after I'd finished the heel, and the fit is great. *YAY*

10k Hours of Knitting Socks

2010-04-21T12:32:00.005-04:00

I'm starting a new project today....10,000 hours of knitting socks! To document this project, I've added a new section to my blog that you can reach here. I've also put a link over in the navigation on the right under "My Other Knitting Blogs".

This will, of course, be a very long-term project, but I think it'll be fun to see how my skills progress over 10,000 hours of practice!

I'm still working on my "Summer Lovin'" socks, and still enjoying them. I'm nearly finished decreasing the gusset, so progress is being made. :-)

KnitPicks RULES!

2010-04-21T06:35:00.001-04:00

Have I told you lately how much I adore KnitPicks? I order from them on a fairly regular basis and freely admit that I'm hooked on their nickel-plated knitting needles. I own several sets, and if anyone burgles my apartment, they can have my outdated stereo system and can take their pick of my decrepit television sets and VCR/DVD combo units.....but DON'T TOUCH MY KP KNITTING NEEDLES, BURGLAR. GOT IT????

Anyway, about a month ago I decided to buy a set of their Harmony wood fixed circulars to use for socks. Just as a change, y'know? Size 1, 40" long (for Magic Loop). When they arrived, I was struck by how beautiful they are. If you've never seen them, go take a look by clicking here.

So, the next time I started a new pair of socks (April 8 - Summer Lovin'), I used my new Harmony needles. Though I've always loved working with my nickel-plated needles, I was impressed by the way that the wood warmed up in my hands. The sharp points made working with the fingering weight yarn as easy as working with my nickel-plated needles. All was well.

Then, Monday evening as I was watching television (House), the needle in my right hand snapped in two! I was just sick. I LOVED those needles. Phooey. Luckily, I had a set of size 1 nickel-plates empty and was able to transfer the socks to those without losing any stitches.

Later that evening before bed I e-mailed Customer Service at KnitPicks and explained what had happened. I asked if I needed a return number so that I could mail the broken needles back and if I could replace them with nickel-plated to prevent another mishap.

Keep in mind here that I really didn't expect anything but a return number. The next day I received a response from Customer Service apologizing for the defective needle and telling me that a replacement (in nickel-plated) would be going out in the mail to me and that there was no need to send them the broken needle.

How totally cool is THAT?? My only wish is that KnitPicks could teach the art of customer service to a lot of OTHER companies!

KnitPicks People.....you RULE!!

You Gotta Love Spring

2010-04-16T12:25:00.001-04:00

Yes, I suffer from seasonal allergies...in fact, worse this year than I can remember in previous years. But, oh boy was it ever great to be able to sit out on my balcony last night in the warm evening air and knit until it was too dark to read the pattern! Today my eyes are itchy and red from the extra exposure to the ridiculous amount of pollen in the air, but it was definitely worth it!

I was working on my Summer Lovin' Socks, and am just an inch or so from starting the heel. It's going well, and I've learned that running a lifeline at the beginning of each pattern repeat is a great comfort. Why the heck haven't I been doing that all along? I remember reading about lifelines when I started knitting socks, but thought it seemed like unnecessary trouble to me. Dumb. Just plain dumb. If I'd had lifelines in my diagonal lace socks, I'd be wearing them now instead of having two lovely little cakes of gray yarn waiting for me to cast them back on.

I use dental floss for my lifelines. It's easy to thread through the stitches and has the unexpected bonus of making my socks smell minty fresh as I work on them. *LOL*

And so, here I am on my lunch break at the office, wishing I was at home on the balcony with my knitting. Ah, well....4:30 will be here before too long. :-)

A Good Couple of Days

2010-04-14T16:41:00.003-04:00

I had to have a little medical procedure done today which involved some time off from work for prep yesterday and for the procedure today. So during my time away from the office, I managed to get a little knitting done. Of course. :-)

Yesterday at home I worked on my Summer Lovin' Socks. I'm really loving this pattern, and I've tried the socks on a couple of times already. I think they're going to be great!

Today in the waiting room and pre-op I worked on my Feather and Fan Scarf. It's a great "waiting room" project because the pattern is so easy to memorize and you can stop in the middle of a row without causing a total disaster. It's looking good too, I think.

If knitting never does another thing for me, it's made me a much more patient person in a waiting room! *LOL* Well, back to the couch with my socks. Life is good.

A Not-Very-Productive Weekend

2010-04-12T12:32:00.000-04:00

I lost most of my weekend to a migraine (yuck!), but did manage to knit a couple of inches on a pair of "Summer Lovin' Socks" by Knitting Nonstop. Thanks, Pretty Knitty for bringing that pattern to my attention! If you're on Ravelry.com, this pattern can be found there free. (I just love freebies, don't you?)

I'd started them last Thursday, but wasn't happy with the way the colorway striped on one toe and not on the other. So, I started over Saturday morning and am now happier with the way they look. I'm knitting them with a skein of Sockotta I'd had in my stash basket for awhile. They look pink and orange and spring-ish and I think I'm really going to like them.

The pattern is written to be knitted top-down, and I like knitting 2-at-a-time toe-up. So, I used a toe I like and started working the patterny part from Knitting Nonstop's chart. Then I'll use a toe-up heel that I like and carry on until I run out of yarn or patience, whichever comes first!

Mom's Market Bag

2010-04-06T20:39:00.002-04:00

I just finished the "Grrlfriend Market Bag" for Mom. It's actually a lot cuter than it photographs. *LOL*

I'd knitted one of these for a friend for her birthday. Mom saw me working on it and just loved it, so I told her I'd make one for her as well.

Now that I've finished this bag, I want to cast on some summer-weight socks. I have a skein of Sockotta in my stash basket that's been singing to me lately, so I think the time has come to wind it into a neat little yarn cake and begin working it up. Now.....what pattern to try this time?

Decisions, decisions........

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:49:00.004-04:00

I hope Easter morning is as beautiful in your neighborhood as it is in mine! Bright sunshine and moderate temperatures are predicted, and I'm sure lots of little Easter egg hunters are glad for that.

I've been invited to a family gathering this afternoon at a cousin's home and knitted a couple of Basic Dishcloths for her for Peaches & Creme's "Juanita Rose" colorway. Pretty, pretty colors....I hope she likes them!

Feather and Fan Scarf

2010-04-01T06:15:00.001-04:00

Day before yesterday I visited a local yarn shop, A Likely Yarn. I received warm greetings from everyone there, including a group of knitters assembled in one of the rooms knitting away happily. I asked if it was okay to browse, and was assured that browsing was fine and to ask if I needed any help at all.

I'd decided that I wanted to try a lightweight scarf and had been toying with the idea of a Feather and Fan pattern I'd seen online. I didn't want to get TOO lacy, since this is my first venture into a lighter weight item. I found some perfectly scrumptious superwash wool in a couple of lovely colorways. I'll post pictures of them in my "stash" photos later so you can see what I mean. I also found a great skein of sock yarn. Like I needed more sock yarn, right? But let's face it, among the addictions possible in this ol' world, sock yarn isn't too bad, don't you think? Agree with me, please.

So, I began toying with the Feather and Fan patterns I found online and decided I liked Wendy Johnson's version best. They're all very similar, but Wendy's involves absolutely no purling (always a plus in my opinion). Feather and Fan is the most memorizable pattern I've seen since the Mistake Rib Scarf. You've gotta love that! I've posted it in "Cricket's Favorite Freebies" for your convenience if you'd like to give it a try, too. Last night I started it several different times, trying various sizes of needles until I found one that I thought would work best with my yummy yarn.

I'll keep you posted. :-)

"Catch-Up" Weekend

2010-03-22T12:16:00.000-04:00

I'd fallen behind on some birthday knitting so this was "catch-up" weekend. I completed two dishcloths (one "Idiot" dishcloth, and one with a kitty silhouette on it) for one friend and got a LOT done on a market bag for another friend. In fact, I hope to be able to finish it up after work this evening.

I like the market bag so much that I just might have to make one for myself.....after I clear out some UFOs, that is. *LOL* I'm using the "Grrlfriend Market Bag" pattern on Ravelry and working it up in KnitPicks' yummy CotLin. I'll try to remember to photograph it before I give it away.

I May Have Lost My Mind

2010-03-19T12:12:00.000-04:00

Ages ago I made a mistake on the heel of the Diagonal Lace Socks I was knitting. It was just a dumb mistake made by not reading the CLEARLY PRINTED instructions (*kicking self*), but a mistake all the same. Irritated with myself, I decided that it was a mistake I could live with and just continued knitting along.

Everytime I picked up that pair of socks to work on them, that mistake glared at me. Finally, last night I decided, "Oh, forget it" and ripped them out and started over. Well....STARTED starting over. *LOL* While watching "Pulp Fiction" on TV and rewinding the yarn I got myself in a tangle, worked on the tangle until the movie ended, gave up and went to bed.

Ah well....as my hero Yarn Harlot taught me, there are no Knitting Police. Thank goodness.

Some Lovely Mindless Knitting

2010-03-18T12:25:00.000-04:00

Tuesday I received some yarn I'd ordered from WEBS to knit myself a simple shawl. I'd actually started knitting one with worsted weight yarn, but decided that for the simple "dishcloth" shawl I wanted to make that heavier yarn was needed.

I just love getting yarn in the mail....that big ol' squishy shipping envelope just fills my head with project possibilities. Of course, what I REALLY need to do is finish up some of my UFOs, but oh well.....

I'd also decided that for this shawl I needed some size 13 nickel-plated circular tips and had ordered those (along with some other lovely goodies) from my favorite online source, KnitPicks. They arrived yesterday, and I spent the evening watching a Netflix DVD and knitting mindlessly along. Soooooooo relaxing!

But now I have a quandry....I've also received (from KnitPicks) some beautiful ON SALE sock yarn and a brand new set of size 1 Harmony wood circular needles. And I've promised myself that I absolutely will NOT start another set of socks until I complete the two pairs I already have on needles. *deep mournful sigh*

Gonna have to crack the whip on myself and get my other socks done so I can start MORE. After all, you can never have too many socks, right? RIGHT?

Hot Water Bottle Cozy

2010-03-13T19:31:00.004-05:00

I finished knitting my hot water bottle cozy this afternoon. It looks like a little turtleneck sweater! I look forward to filling it with hot water when I get ready for bed tonight and tucking it under the covers next to my chilly toes.

I've been fighting off a cold the past few days, and it finally caught up with me this morning. Just a cold. But we all know what a cold can do for you. Chills, slight fever, mild headache, sniffly, snuffly.....BLEAH. I was happy to have my bottle cozy to work on, since it's an easy pattern that doesn't require a lot of headwork.

Even with the crummy cold, it's been a pretty good Saturday. :-)

I'm Back

2010-03-05T06:28:00.000-05:00

So sorry I've been away so long....my beloved little MeggieDog was very sick and passed away on February 24. She was nearly 16 years old, and I brought her home when she was 5 weeks old. So, you can imagine how lost I've been feeling.

I still miss her terribly, but am improving a bit at a time. In the past few days I've started a couple of very simple knitting projects that don't require a lot of attention just to get my hands (and hopefully my mind) active again.

I'd finished my first "Regular Guy Beanie", so now I've put another one on needles. I'm going to do this one in stripes. I'll try to get some photos up in the next few days. I've also started a simple cabled hot water bottle cover. I've just discovered the joys of sleeping with a hot water bottle at my feet on frosty nights. How the heck does that thing stay warm all night??

More later....have a great weekend, all!

Back In The Groove

2010-02-13T12:45:00.004-05:00

As I was saying in my last post, I've been dragging a bit lately, not being very productive at anything, not even my knitting. I began to wonder if I'd started associating knitting with pain, since I'd used knitting to preserve my sanity last year while waiting for back surgery.

Thankfully, my productivity is a bit better now. The weather is still icky (flurrying right now, in fact....big fluffy lazy flakes), but I'm able to pick up my Diagonal Lace socks and knit contentedly on them while listening to an audiobook or a KnitPicks podcast.

Had I told you I can listen to KnitPicks podcasts through my TiVo? That's a pretty neat TiVo feature. I'm not sure how I ever managed to keep up with any television series before TiVo. I never seem to be able to watch broadcast television when it's actually broadcast anymore.

Back to my knitting....today it occurred to me that it might help to toss in a charity item, so today I'm casting on a knit hat to be donated to a local charity that provides blankets and warm clothing to homeless individuals in our community.

I'm going to use the "Regular Guy Beanie" pattern on Ravelry. I'll keep you posted.

I'm Still Here

2010-02-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

I've been terrible about blogging lately, I know, and I apologize. After I finished my Christmas "stealth" knitting, I can't seem to finish ANYTHING. I still have the same two pairs of socks on needles that I had started before I had surgery in November. I don't know what's wrong with me. Here it is, snowy ugly weather that should be absolutely perfect for knitting cozily in the recliner and I can't seem to get anything accomplished.

Not just my knitting, either. I promised myself that after I recovered from my surgery I'd start cleaning my closet and my "spare room" 15 minutes at a time (FlyLady style....do you know about FlyLady?). That hasn't happened either. I do manage to keep the daily household work done, but that's been about it.

I'm behind in my e-mail and blogging and I have no idea why, because I enjoy both.

So what's the problem? I blame it on this gray, ugly winter. Our local meteorologist reported last night that we've had 19.1 inches of snow this season, and the season average is 15 inches. And there's at least two more months of "snow season" left. (I've actually seen it snow here in April.)

By the time I get home from work and get unbundled, all I want to do is eat and go to bed.

So what's the solution to my winter doldrums? Action has always worked for me in the past, so I'm going to give that a try.

When I get home tonight, I'm going to set my kitchen timer for 15 minutes and do housework. Anything. Dusting is needed, so that's probably what I'll do. Then I'll fix myself some dinner and clean up my kitchen. Then I'm going to set my timer for 30 minutes, get in the recliner, and knit until the timer goes off.

For months, every time I got into the recliner I picked up my knitting. For some reason I got out of the habit. Lately I've found myself just vegged out in the recliner watching television. That brings up another thing I'm behind on....audiobooks!

So tonight I'll let TiVo save all the things I would've watched this evening. I'll put an audiobook into the Zune and pick up my sadly-neglected knitting. And GET BACK IN THE GROOVE.

I hope this post doesn't give you the impression that knitting is a chore. It's not. I love taking sticks and string and turning them into lovely, soft fabric. I just seem to be on the verge of becoming a recliner potato (a far worse vegetable than a couch potato) and feel the need to break this habit before it gets too deeply ingrained.

Get ready, socks, here I come!!

Snow and the End of Christmas Stealth Knitting

2009-12-20T09:47:00.005-05:00

We have SNOW! LOTS of it! I swept 10" off my car yesterday afternoon, and there's still a light dusting of snow falling now.

And, since my Christmas stealth knitting is all finished, I can actually spend some time in my recliner, watching it snow, and getting back on knitting my socks! They've been neglected so long, and I'm happy to say that I'm nearly finished with the heel flap. I love it when I get to that point!

Now that the stealth knitting has all been completed, I'll tell you what I did:

One "mistake rib" scarf
One pair of plait cable mittens
Four holiday dishcloths
One pair of fingerless mittens
Two pairs of "feeties"
(Not knitting, but knitting-related) Two handmade row counters....a new project that turned out really well!

They all turned out really well, and I'm pleased with them. I should start next year's holiday knitting soon so I won't be so rushed next year....but not just yet. :-) The socks I'm working on today are my diagonal lace socks. I've always loved the look of them and will be very happy when I can actually put them on my feet!

Well, off to the recliner to get sip some hot cocoa, watch the snow, and knit a bit. Happy Holidays, Everyone!

I'm baaaaaaaack.....

2009-12-10T13:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry I've been away so long. I had spinal surgery on November 17th and am just now getting caught up on home e-mail and blogging and such!!

The good news is that because I've been spending a lot of time in my recliner during recovery, I've finished my Christmas "stealth" knitting! I'll post more about that later in case anyone who might be receiving any of my knitted items is reading this blog. *LOL*

I guess I'm not officially finished with my Christmas knitting, since I realized I needed to knit two more holiday dishcloths. I got those started last night, though, and should get them finished in the next evening or two. I knit them two at a time, so they go really quickly.

Speaking of which, I guess I'd better hit the recliner and get back at them. :-) Happy holidays, everyone!

Busy, Busy Month

2009-10-21T12:33:00.001-04:00

I feel like I've been knitting a lot, but I'm not getting many things finished!! I was off work last week but was tied up in a lot of medical appointments. Of course, waiting room time is knitting time, so I always had a pair of socks with me, which was good.

The only thing I actually finished last week is a pair of mittens. I've not photographed them yet, but will post a photo here as soon as I do. I found a skein of yarn in my stash that looked like it would make a nice scarf to go with them, so now I've started a Mistake Rib Stitch Scarf, too.

I really must stop starting new projects until I've finished the ones I've started.

Yeah. Right. I'll cut back on buying yarn, too. *ROTF*

Knit Purl Gurl and a WEBS Giveaway

2009-10-01T06:41:00.000-04:00

One of the blogs I follow is one written by Knit Purl Gurl. I learned about her in a Ravelry group called Moving Beyond Rectangles that I joined immediately upon becoming a Ravelry member. She's the group administrator and gave me a warm welcome when I joined. When I learned about her blog I put her on my blog list and have always enjoyed reading it.

Currently she's hosting a wonderful WEBS giveaway on her blog. It's a beautiful Bamboo Interchangeable Knitting Set. All my interchangeables are nickel plated and I enjoy using them, but would love the opportunity to try a set of bamboo. I currently have only one set of DPNs in bamboo, but enjoy the way they warm in my hands so quickly.

To enter the giveaway, go to Knit Purl Gurl's blog by clicking HERE and following her wonderfully clear and simple instructions. Hurry, though, because the entry period ends Tuesday, October 13th at 11:59 pm EST. And good luck!

Finally Finished Objects!!

2009-09-29T12:28:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I finished my very first pair of two-at-a-time, toe-up Magic Loop socks. And I LOVE them. I was still working on a pair of top-down socks on DPNs and had to nudge myself a bit to put the Magic Loop down to work on them. :-) I have to say that I actually do enjoy working on double point needles, though. There's something a bit nostalgic about it. However there are several reasons for me to use Magic Loop instead:

I do a lot of knitting in doctors' waiting rooms these days. It's nice to know that if I drop something, a double point needle isn't going to roll under a chair and get lost. With Magic Loop that issue is completely eliminated. The only thing I might drop is a stitch. *L*
It's really easy to stop and start....handy if you get called from the waiting room to the examining room in the middle of a round.
It's a real conversation starter. I always get comments like "I used to knit, but I've never seen that kind of knitting before. What is it?" Really fun, and I've met a lot of wonderful people this way.

Last night I finished up my latest pair of top-down socks on DPNs. They're truly truly WILD. I need to make myself some sock blockers. I don't block my socks, but I'd like to have a set of blockers to make my socks easy to photograph. So far I've been taking pictures of them on my feet, but I'd really rather have blockers. I found a tutorial online on a way to make a set from an old placemat. I guess that should be my next "project".

Ah well, back to work. I wish the work day disappeared as quickly as lunch breaks. *L*

Socks Are Addictive

2009-09-24T13:42:00.001-04:00

Here's what I just finished for my friend's grandson:

The hat, not the Raggedy Andy. *LOL* It's the "Simple Baby Hat" by Alison Williams, available for FREE at Ravelry. *here comes a shameless Ravelry plug* If you're a knitter and you've not joined Ravelry, you should. They have lots of wonderful helpful folks in groups who share just about any interest you might have. Not only that, but there are TONS of patterns. Back to the hat. My friend's grandson is growing so quickly that I wanted to find something I could knit up in a hurry. Since he'll outgrow it in no time at all, I didn't want to spend weeks on it, y'know? So, using Ravelry's helpful pattern search engine, I found this nifty little pattern and knitted it up last night.

The proud grandma isn't sure the hat is big enough, so I told her that's no problem. I'll just knit up another one in a slightly larger size tonight.

Now, let's see....what do I have on the needles currently?

Mom's cushion cover. The boucle she chose makes me knit a few rows on the cover, then I grab up a sock or something else I'm knitting from more comforting yarn. The fabric formed from the boucle looks lovely....all soft and plushy. But it's devilish to work with. If we're choosing yarn for another project in the future, I'm going to steer her away from boucle, for sure!
Socks 101 - fourth pair. I've had this pair of socks on DPNs forever! I'm not sure when I started them. I keep them at the office to work on during lunch breaks, so it's taking a loooong time to finish them. I'm fairly sick of looking at them, so I might take them home this weekend and finish them just so I can move onto something else. I'm about 3 inches down the leg of the second sock, so it shouldn't take long to polish them off and get them out of my hair.
My first pair of two-at-a-time, toe-up Magic Loop socks. There's nothing fancy about these....just vanilla colored k3p1 ribbed socks. But, OH, how I've enjoyed working on them. These socks gave me not only my first experience with Magic Loop, but my first experience with toe-up socks and knitting socks two at a time as well. Such fun! I call these my "waiting room" socks. I've been spending a lot of time in doctors' waiting rooms lately, and these socks are so simple that I can work on them without having to watch a pattern. Perfect for the waiting room!
Wendy D. Johnson's Diagonal Lace Socks. I found these in her wonderful book, Socks from the Toe Up, but just learned that you can find the pattern online free. Just click HERE. You're welcome. I have a small error in them, just as I was finishing the first set of the lace pattern. I keep debating over whether or not to go back and fix it. The more I think about it, the more I think I'm going to have to. It'll bug me if I don't. I'm knitting them from Knit Picks' yummy Stroll Tweed sock yarn in Ash. These are my "I'm tired...I need something to help me relax" socks. It's a simple pattern, and it makes me happy to watch the diagonal lace form in my hands. I'm a person of simple pleasures.

I think that's it. I guess that's enough, don't you? *LOL* Okay, lunch break's over, so I'd better get back to it.

Vacations Zip Right Along

2009-09-18T07:02:00.003-04:00

I've been on vacation this week, but have hardly been able to knit at all, dang it! I managed to get some knitting done while waiting to have some medical tests run Tuesday, and while waiting to have my car serviced Wednesday. But not much. *sigh* I've deliberately planned to do NOTHING Saturday and hope to spend all day with my audiobook and my knitting!

I have to tell you , though, that between diagnostic tests Tuesday I had time to run into the only local yarn shop in my hometown and found it to be just delightful. I've had wonderful luck so far buying yarn on the internet, but it's a wonderful treat to be able to FEEL the yarn before buying it. I didn't have much time to shop, but assured the owner (a very nice lady) that I'd certainly be back!

Okay, I'm off now to fix myself a bite of breakfast and knit just a few rows on my newest pair of socks before heading out to enjoy my last weekday of vacation. *sniffle, sob*

Oh Goodie, Goodie, Goodie!!

2009-09-11T18:26:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I received a shipment from KnitPicks that included Wendy D. Johnson's wonderful book Socks from the Toe Up. I can hardly wait to start knitting from it! I need to finish up the simple ribbed socks I'm working on, but I'll probably go ahead and cast on a pair from the book. After all, it's September and I'll need socks soon. (Okay, that's my excuse...*LOL*)

I also ordered some sock yarn....addicted, you know. My excuse here is that they had their Stroll Tweed Sock Yarn ON SALE. And I need some new gray socks to go with a beautiful gray sweater that Mom and Dad gave me. And one of the colors ON SALE was "Ash". So I needed it, right? RIGHT?

I also ordered a couple of balls of their Stroll Multi Sock Yarn in "Turtle"....ON SALE...LAST CHANCE...and I have a new pair of green slacks that they will look just great with. And it was only $2.99 a ball. So I needed it, too. Really. I did.

I also ordered some natural bare marino wool because I want to try something I've never tried before.....KoolAid dyeing!! This will either be a lot of fun or one huge mess. *LOL*

Fun, fun, fun! And as I say often, knitting is cheaper than therapy.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday afternoon. My appointment was at 1:55, but the doctor was delayed by an emergency surgery. When I arrived, folks who had 11:45 appointments hadn't been seen yet. Did I panic? Nope. I just whipped out my little knitting bag with my Magic Loop socks and entertained myself and various other patients for the next couple of hours. *LOL* I didn't get to see the doctor until about 4:30, but I told myself, "Hey, more knitting time." I was tired when I finally left the doctor's office, but not upset at all. Therapy, I'm tellin' ya.

And now I have the next week off from work. Ahhhhhhhhhh. Nothing special planned, only a few things to take care of. I'm hoping for a couple of cozy afternoons in the recliner with MeggieDog and a lap full of knitting. :-)

Progress, Finally

2009-09-05T10:17:00.005-04:00

This week I've made more progress, thank goodness. I've worked more on my 2-at-a-time socks, and absolutely LOVE working in Magic Loop. As you can see in this photo, I've worked the heel (which was much, much easier than I'd feared it might be) and am now working my way up the leg. From time to time I stop working on the socks and knit a few more rows on Mom's cushion cover. This is a holiday weekend (hooray!) so I hope to put in some serious knitting time. I also have checked a new audiobook out of the library and have it my Zune, ready and waiting!

I also made time this week to knit a pair of socks for my friend's new grandson from the leftovers I had after knitting a pair of socks for myself. They actually turned out really cute! The neat thing about knitting baby socks is that it doesn't take long. I think people who are knitting socks for the first time might want to consider knitting baby socks first to learn the basics. Less time and yarn involved in the learning process this way. Of course, unless you know someone with a baby, it might be a little pointless. Who am I kidding? Knitting socks is NEVER pointless. Addicted, you see. *LOL*

Well, household drudgery awaits me, so I'll close for now. Have to get the vacuuming done so I can knit without guilt. *LOL* Have a safe holiday weekend, everyone!

Progress, or Lack Thereof

2009-08-27T12:57:00.001-04:00

It's been a really busy week, so I've not managed to get much knitting time, dang it. I knit on Mom's cushion cover until I can't bear one more moment of handling that acrylic yarn. Then I switch to my 2-at-a-time, toe-up Magic Loop socks. That calms me enough for another few rows of the cushion cover. *LOL*

I'm anxious to get up to the heel on the socks. I've never knit a pair toe-up before, so this will be a whole new experience!

Magic Loop Progress

2009-08-20T12:12:00.000-04:00

I'm now past the toe increases on my toe-up, 2-at-a-time Magic Loop socks and am knitting my way to the heel. I've already become more comfortable with the Magic Loop process and I just love the idea that when I finish a sock, I'll have finished BOTH of them. I'm sure I'll still knit some on DPNs when I get the nerve to branch out beyond my simple sock "recipe" just because so many patterns are written for DPNs. I still have a pair of socks at the office that I knit on during lunch breaks (unless I'm updating my blog...*LOL*) that are on DPNs, so I won't get out of practice, at least.

I need to get back to work on Mom's cushion cover. I have trouble making myself go back to work on the acrylic boucle after knitting with lovely soft sock yarn. *sigh*

Okay, I'm a Dunce....

2009-08-17T06:51:00.000-04:00

I did something really dumb on my first pair of toe-up, 2-at-a-time Magic Loop socks....I misread the instructions (and they were SIMPLE instructions) for the M1R and M1L increases. This resulted in a rather decorative but impractical double row of cute little holes on both sides of the socks. Yuck.

So, I reread the instructions, kicked myself for a few minutes, frogged both socks and started again this morning. Dolt. Of course, I guess I could say that the good news is that it gave me another opportunity to practice "Judy's Magic Cast-On" and I was able to do it without watching the YouTube video this time! *pats self on back*

Baby Blankie

2009-08-13T23:15:00.005-04:00

This is the small blanket I knitted for my friend's grandbaby-to-be....it's an oversized version of the "Idiot Dishcloth" pattern. I like it because it has a nice little border and I can practically knit it in my sleep. *LOL* I made it small enough to be very portable and knit tightly enough to be good and warm. Have to keep the little guy comfy!

I'm teaching myself Magic Loop knitting with the help of YouTube and various websites. You gotta love the internet! I'm trying to learn how to knit socks toe-up, two at a time. Knitting socks two at a time is the only reason I'm trying to learn Magic Loop to tell the truth. I'm actually quite comfortable working with DPNs. Right now Magic Loop feels awkward to me, but so did DPNs at first. So, I'm hopeful. :-)

Cute Teensy Little Socks

2009-08-09T04:57:00.003-04:00

These are the baby socks I knitted for my friend's grandchild, which is due very soon.

They are teensy and cute and knitted up quickly. Now that I've done my first set of baby socks, I wish I'd done several sets of those before knitting my first pair of grown-up socks. That way I could have learned the techniques involved without a huge time commitment.

But.....I also wouldn't have already finished as many pairs of socks for myself as I have. *LOL*

Baby Socks

2009-08-06T12:26:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine is anticipating the arrival of her first grandchild in the next couple of weeks, and I'm working on a baby blanket as a shower gift. It suddenly occurred to me the other night that a pair of booties might be a nice item to enclose as well. I went to Ravelry (my home away from home) to look for a quick-and-easy bootie pattern and found a wonderful baby sock pattern. I finished one that very evening and have nearly finished the second one. Photos to come, I promise. *LOL*

I have a doctor appointment tomorrow and another doctor appointment on Monday, so I'm hoping to finish up the baby blanket during waiting room time.

As soon as I've finished those, I want to work on the cushion cover I promised Mom. She'd chosen an acrylic boucle which just isn't working up as well as I'd hoped it would. Maybe I'm just spoiled by all the lovely sweater and sock yarn I've been working in lately. (Am I becoming a yarn snob???) Anyway, I thought I'd try double-stranding it with another less lumpy yarn to see what effect I get from that.

I also need to decide what holiday knitting I need to do and get started on that. Now there's a scary thought....I NEED TO START MY HOLIDAY KNITTING.

*sigh*

Cricket Knits a Bit

A Peaceful Morning

2012 Begins

Christmas Eve Eve

Deck the Halls

TGIF....REALLY....

Best Laid Plans

A Week.....A WHOLE WEEK!!

A Month??

Sunday Evening

Cricket's a Year Older!

Geek/Knitter Moment

A New Knitter

Knitting Socks: Sanity Saver!

Shawl Finished!

Shawl Update and a Bunny

Darn Near Perfect

Semi-Normal

Mental Health Day

Finally!!

Two Long, Ugly Weeks

I *heart* Sundays

When I Grow Up

Some Days It's Just Not Worth Chewing Through the Restraints

What The Heck Was WRONG With Me?

Sick of Snow and Cold Weather in General!

A Perfect Knitting Day

Confession Time

Don't Call Me Shirley

I-Cord and More I-Cord

Ever Have One of Those Days?

Arm Warmers

10,000 Hours of Knitting

Road Knittin'

A Leisurely Week Off

Cricket Returns!

"Egg-stra" Special Sock Kit

Knitting Therapy

Swiffer Cloth Success!

Oho, the Wells Fargo Wagon is A-Comin' Down the Street

Waiting for Yarn

I Won Again!

BSJ 3 All Finished

BSJ 3 Nearly Complete!

Christmas in July, and another BSJ

I Won!

BSJ 1 Complete....BSJ 2 Already on the Needles!

Well....DUH

A Good Weekend to Be Indoors

Camping and Knitting

Dischcloths Finally Finished!

STILL Knitting Dishcloths

Campin' and Knittin'

Haley's Doggie Sweater

Dragonfly Again

Dragonfly Completed!

Dragonfly Continues

Weekend Outlook

On to Dragonfly

Camping and Knitting

Knitting Injury

Michigan Lake Shore Socks Complete!

You Know You Knit Too Much When....

World Wide Knit in Public Day

Finally Friday!

A Family Heirloom

Vacation Knitting

Summer Lovin' Socks

Happiness is New Yarn

Patience is a Virtue

Simple Pleasures

10k Hours of Knitting Socks

KnitPicks RULES!

You Gotta Love Spring

A Good Couple of Days

A Not-Very-Productive Weekend

Mom's Market Bag

Happy Easter!

Feather and Fan Scarf

"Catch-Up" Weekend

I heart Sundays