Nearly Finished!!

After almost a year of on-again, off-again knitting, my adult version of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Sweater is ALMOST FINISHED!!  The knitting is completed, and I'm now hiding the ends.  *happy dance*

I was on leave last week, so I was able to dedicate a few more hours of knitting time than usual to the sweater/jacket.  I was determined to get it finished in time to actually wear it this winter!  I also knew that I had to finish it pretty quickly because I need to get started on my Christmas knitting.

It's hard to believe how this summer has zipped past, but I must confess that I always look forward to fall.  Love those crisp mornings!

Okay, I must get off the keyboard now so I can get back to hiding ends.  Photos soon!

I Need Some Knitting Time!!

It seems that lately any time I've had away from the office has been spent recovering from time spent at the office.  :-(  I've had many more migraines lately than usual, and it's getting really tiresome!

But this is going to be a three-day weekend, and I'm hoping to get enough household drudgery out of the way tomorrow that I can spend Monday with my knitting needles.

I would really love to get some serious progress made on my sweater jacket.  All I need to do is to knit the extra length on the sleeves, sew the shoulder seams, and decide what I want to do about the collar.

I'll be glad to finish it up, and I think it's going to be really nice.  Sure hope so.

I need to get it finished so I can start my Christmas knitting.  Can you believe that it's already time to start thinking about CHRISTMAS KNITTING???  Well, when you knit as slowly as I do, you have to start early.  *LOL*

Well, I have a scrumptious Greek pizza waiting for me to indulge, then I might just kick back and watch something on Netflix and knit a few rows.  If I can stay awake.  :-)

Have a great weekend, fellow knitsters!

Haley's Doggie Sweater

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

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. :-)

It's FINISHED!!

I finished my sweater yesterday and couldn't be more pleased. I washed it and was happy to find that it still fit after washing. I'm so happy with it that I'm going to wear it to work today. I'll try to post a photo in the next few days.

I have a few other projects that I MUST finish up (not the least of which is a cushion cover for Mom), but hope to start a winter-weight sweater soon. What fun!!

Sweater Progress

I got in a little knitting time last night before bedtime and was able to work my sweater up to the point of doing the neck ribbing! If all goes well, I should actually finish it this weekend!! *happy knitting dance*

All I have left is to do the neck ribbing, the underarm grafting and hiding the ends. It's looking pretty good, even if I do say so myself.

Yesterday I finished one of the socks that I keep at the office to work on during lunch breaks. It always surprises me that it takes as long as it does to finish one, but it shouldn't be a surprise since I only get to knit on it about a half hour a week. I have two doctor's appointments in the next week and a half, so I expect to get lots of sock knitting done while in waiting rooms. I had my driver's license renewed last Friday and was able to knit about a half a sock while waiting there. Sure helps keep your blood pressure level to have something to occupy yourself while waiting in a room full of unhappy people!

My Sweater and a Referral

I managed to knit some more on my Basic Sweater Saturday and Sunday. I'm up to the decreases at the raglan seams! I didn't feel well enough to knit any last night. After sitting at my desk at the office all day it's hard for me to sit in the recliner, so I'm probably going to have to finish my sweater with weekend knitting.

I finally got a referral late yesterday afternoon; I thought they were going to refer me to a neurologist, but I was referred to an orthopedic surgeon. My appointment is on August 10, so I'm going to have to put up with the pain longer than I'd like. But at least I know when I'm going to SEE someone now.

Better close now and eat my lunch so I can get back to work! :-)

Making Progress

I'm still having pain and still waiting for a call from the doctor with results from last week's MRI. I did manage to go to Mom and Dad's for a visit on the Fourth, though, so that was a nice change.

Yesterday I was pretty uncomfortable, but managed to spend most of the day in my recliner with my heating pad, MeggieDog, the remote control, and my knitting. Finally, a day that I could make some knitting progress!!

I finished both sleeves for my Basic Sweater and attached them to the body. Then I knit about another 1/2 inch of the body. After another inch, I'll be ready to begin the decreases for the yoke! Hooray! The great news is that so far IT FITS!!! I'm very pleased with the way it's going. If I could have a couple of days to do nothing but knit, I think I could finish it up. At the rate I've been able to work on it, though, it might take another couple of weeks. Still, it's great to finally feel like I'm on the home stretch!

Still Hanging In

Still not much knitting going on at my house. :-( I have managed to get in enough knitting time to get my sweater up to the point that I've started one of the sleeves and have about a third of that sleeve finished.

I went for an MRI yesterday (not a fun experience for someone as claustrophobic as I am!), so hopefully they'll find out soon what needs to be done to relieve my pain.

Good News & Not-As-Good News

The good news is that I had a doctor's appointment yesterday, and the pain in my leg really IS tendonitis and nothing more serious. The not-as-good news is that I've been doing everything right in my home treatment of it....but it's just going to take a little more time. *sigh* I'm so bored with leg pain. But at least there's some light at the end of the tunnel!

I finished one sock in one of the two pairs I currently have on needles. It turned out really neat. I've got to get it photographed. I also bought myself a Zune to use to listen to audiobooks while I knit. I just LOVE it! But I needed something to carry it safely around the apartment while I'm doing household drudgery and to keep it handy while I'm knitting. So using scrap yarn from my stash I knitted a little pouch for it with an I-cord long enough to go around my neck. It actually turned out pretty cute. I need to photograph it, too.

Last night I picked up my sweater and knitted on it until I got sleepy, which didn't take long. I call it "zen knitting"......knit, knit, knit, around and around and around....no counting, no thinking....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I also started listening to the second audiobook in the "Women's Murder Club" series. Now that's what i call a good evening....mindless knitting and a good murder mystery! Makes me want to play hooky from work and go home and hit the recliner. But I won't. *sigh*

Monday is the Longest Day of the Week

I'm back at work (lunch break!) after a lovely weekend, wishing I had more than 30 minutes for lunch so I could knit long enough to unwind from the morning. I read a report on MSNBC about The Elkhart Project's coverage of the Yarn Overcomers program that was developed to help relieve stress in these tough economic times. I know that knitting is a wonderful stress reliever for me, personally, and highly recommend it. :-)

I knitted more on my Basic Sweater over the weekend. I have another couple of inches to go on the body before I start the sleeves. Progress is being made!

The End of a Lovely Weekend

Boy, I enjoy those long weekends! I unfortunately lost one day of it to a migraine (phooey), but otherwise it was a lovely relaxing few days.

I didn't get to do as much knitting as I'd hoped, but I did start a bear for the Mother Bear project. I'd printed some directions on knitting it in the round instead of having to seam it up, but couldn't find them....I'm sure I put them "someplace safe" and they'll never be seen again. So, for my first bear I decided to just knit it up by the regular directions. I'm about halfway through it; hopefully by the time I'm ready to knit Bear # 2 I'll have found my circular directions. *LOL*

I managed to knit several more rows on my Basic Sweater. I need to measure again before I go any further to be sure the fit is still what I expect. I just love the feel of the CotLin yarn as I knit. So soft! The contrast between it and the acrylic I'm using for the bear is just startling.

Off to do a few household chores now so that I can relax with my knitting for a bit before bedtime!

What I've Been Up To

So, once again I've fallen behind in my blogging....bad, BAD Cricket!! In my defense, though, I have been pretty busy.

I've been battling tendonitis in my leg which makes it painful to sit at my home computer for more than just a few minutes at a time. I finally realized that I don't HAVE to sit in the chair. I have a wireless mouse and keyboard and can actually use the computer from the bed, where I can prop up all comfy-cozy with pillows, blankies, knitting, and MeggieDog. I'm a bit better now, and hope to be out of pain soon.

A friend asked me to help him with a project for his father (Father's Day gift) which turned into more work than I'd anticipated, but that's coming along nicely. Just time consuming.

On top of that, I'm working four 10-hour days at the office this summer....it's great because I'm off every Friday, but BOY am I bushed when I get home. Between the extra-long workdays and the anti-inflammatory meds I've been taking for my leg, I've been fairly unproductive in the evenings after work. I'm adjusting, though, so hopefully I'll be back on schedule with knitting and blogging soon.

Knitting.....I'm knitting the "Basic Sweater" from Jacqueline Fee's wonderful The Sweater Workshop. It's my very first sweater, and I ADORE the yarn. It's Knit Picks' CotLin in a marvelous color called Pomegranate. I could just sit and cuddle this yarn. I hope it's as comfy after knitting it up! Because of all the stuff listed above, I've only knit about 7 inches or so from the bottom, but it's going well so far. We'll see if I panic as I approach sleeves for the first time. *LOL*

I have a couple of pairs of socks on needles that I've barely touched in the past month. They wait so patiently for me.....

A friend at work is knitting mittens. I hadn't knitted a pair in months and had, in fact, learned to knit on DPNs since knitting my mittens, which were knit on straight needles. I poked around on the internet a bit and found that Kate Atherley, who wrote the wonderful "Socks 101" on knitty.com which is my sock bible, had also written "Mittens 101". JOY!!! The other night during a particularly bad bout with my leg (during which I didn't want to risk messing up my sweater-in-progress at 3:00 am), I knit the "Training Mitt Pattern" in Kate's wonderful instructions. What a joy it was to knit a mitten without sewing a single seam! So now I want to knit more mittens.

Of course, first I should finish my sweater.....and those two pairs of socks I started.....and a Mother Bear or two or three or four because I have the pattern and haven't started a single solitary bear.....and a baby blanket for a friend who's going to be a grandmother soon.....and a couple of birthday gifts....not to mention that I should start my Christmas knitting soon. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!

Okay, Cricket, one step at a time. So right now I'm going to throw a load of laundry in the washer, have a little dinner, take a nice relaxing bath, and crawl into my recliner with MeggieDog, my remote control, a glass of tea, and my knitting....the Basic Sweater, I think. Makes me feel more relaxed just to think of it. *happy contented sigh*

My Sampler's Finished!

I finished my Sampler yesterday....what a great learning experience! I've just cast on my very first sweater, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Catching Up

I've been slow about posting, I know. I've really been having a tough time with pain in my leg and even had to cancel some plans with friends yesterday because I just didn't feel well enough. I don't mind getting older, but I really resent FEELING it!!

Now, what knitting have a been up to since my last blog post? Let's see.....I have two pairs of socks on needles: one pair of "Spiral Socks" from Jackie Fee's wonderful "The Sweater Workshop" book and one pair of "Socks 101" (I just love that "recipe") in a denim jacquard. I've not made a lot of progress on either pair lately, because I'm working on the fun, fun, fun Sampler from "The Sweater Workshop".

I had to order some needles from Knit Picks to do the Sampler, so it took awhile for me to get started on it. But, oh, what I've learned so far! I felt so bad yesterday that I didn't work on it at all, and really resented losing the knitting time on it. I'm anxious to finish the Sampler so I can actually work on a real, honest-to-goodness SWEATER.

If any of my readers have already worked their way through the Sampler, I'm at the point of working the bar increases. I hit a little snag when I got to the cardigan border, through no fault except my own. I'd tried to work it while I was tired (rough day at the office), and that's never a good idea. However, with a little online reading I worked it out and now have a beautiful buttonhole.

My sock knitting is considerably slowed since I spend all my "at home" knitting time on the Sampler. I just do sock knitting during my lunch break at work, so it's a good thing it's a long time until Fall and I don't really need new socks right now. *LOL*

Yorkie Sweaters

I finished the Yorkie sweaters the first of the week, but haven't felt well enough to photograph them for the blog until today. (Leg pain and a migraine, both of which are thankfully better now!) The sweaters actually turned out really cute....I hope they fit!

Here are close-ups of the buttons I found at Hobby Lobby for the sweaters...dog bones and paw prints. How cute are those?

Yorkie Sweaters

I've been a bad blogger....but I have an excuse! Some friends of mine own four adorable little Yorkies, and I've been knitting sweaters for each of them. They're the same pattern as the sweaters I've made for Meggie, just smaller. They actually turned out really cute.

I've finished two of them (except for washing and blocking them) and need to sew the buttons on the other two. When I get the buttons on all of them, I'll take a photo and post it here.

I've knitted most of a sock (I'm about an inch from starting the toe decrease), but I've only been working on that off and on during the time I've been knitting the Yorkie sweaters. I need to finish up that pair of socks and get to work on a practice sweater I've cast on.

I've bought some lovely CotLin yarn from Knit Picks to knit myself a summer-weight sweater. I want to knit the pattern up in some inexpensive acrylic first, though, to be sure I understand the pattern. I hope I'm not in over my head!

Meggie's Second Sweater

I finished Meggie's second sweater this evening. As you can see, she's quite pleased. :-)

Another Sweater for Meggie

I've started another sweater for Meggie. I wanted her to have at least two ready for camping season so that she can have a dry one to wear if she gets one wet. Actually three would be better; we'll see how quickly this one goes.

I have to admit that I'm really anxious to start another pair of socks. It was such fun learning to knit on double pointed needles that I want to get another pair underway before I forget what I learned!

Meggie's Sweater

My 15-year-old miniature dachshund, Meggie, loves sweaters. Because her fur is fine and she's so close to the ground, she's always enjoyed wearing sweaters outside and t-shirts inside.

Because of her little short legs and her broad chest, it's always been difficult to find sweaters to fit her. And, as the years have progressed and arthritis has taken hold, it's becoming more difficult to pull sweaters over her head and get her little feet through the sleeves.

I went Google-ing for a pattern (a SIMPLE pattern, since I'm a beginner) for a knitted doggie sweater that I wouldn't have to pull over Meggie's head. Lo and behold, I found a perfect sweater for her at this site: http://labpugglechifreepatterns.blogspot.com/2007/10/nursing-button-ribbed-and-mock-ribbed.html

Since I'm still learning to knit, it took me a little while to get it finished, but I'm VERY pleased with the outcome! I have a few other projects to finish up before I can start another sweater, but am anxious to get another one cast onto my needles!