We Now Return to Our Previously Scheduled Sweater.....

Last Sunday while visiting my parents, I was knitting a couple of dishcloths. Side Note: I knit them two at a time on a circular needle, and usually knit "Granny's Favorite", which you can find in "Cricket's Favorite Freebies", link on the right.

The other day, though, one of the talented knitters I follow online, Pretty Knitty, made a few adjustments to the pattern and improved it. So, I felt the need to try it out. As I was sitting there knitting, Daddy asked what I was working on, and I told him. "So how are you coming along on that sweater?" he asked innocently.

Good question. The sweater has been languishing in a tote bag behind my couch for some time now. You'd think with a broken leg, I'd have had plenty of time to finish it. You'd be wrong.

Since it takes me practically forever to do ANYTHING on crutches, I actually have less time for knitting right now than before. But today I'm off work. I did a little household drudgery this morning, resting my leg between chores, and now I'm in the recliner. I've had a little nap and have now decided the time has come to pull the sweater out of its hiding place and get back to it.

I'll keep you posted. :-)

Christmas Eve Eve

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!

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!

Snow and the End of Christmas Stealth Knitting

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!

Basic "Idiot" Dishcloth

I've seen patterns for this dishcloth all over the internet as "Granny's Favorite" or "Basic Dishcloth" or "Idiot Dishcloth". I just love knitting this one in front of the television, because you really only have to pay attention on the first few stitches of each row. Then it's just plain knit until the end of the row.

Perfect for those times when you need something fairly mindless to work on.