I *heart* Sundays

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!

Swiffer Cloth Success!

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

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!

Camping and Knitting

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*