Tammy's Knitting Space

I'm here!

2007-05-30T09:38:00.001-05:00

Almost two months???? It's hard to believe. I may not have been blogging, but I've definitely been knitting and keeping busy.

I finally got those darn sockret pal socks off the needles and sent to her. They were a little late, but I didn't want to just send her any pair of socks. These are Knitty Hedera's and I absolutely loved knitting them up.

Here's my completed scarf for ISE4 exchange. After many patterns and many yarns, I finally ended up with this scarf. I love the color, and I love the scarf. I sure hope my pal will too. I'm wrapping this up tonight and sending it to it's new owner tomorrow. What a wonderful exchange to be involved in. All the participants are so talented. There were some amazing scarfs being knitted up. I think this will be my last swap at least until fall now.

We also went to our first baseball game of the season. We lucked out this time and had perfect weather. They did end up losing that day, but we have tickets for two more games these summer, and we always enjoy taking the trip to New York anyway.

And here's an update on our newest addition. I'm not sure you can tell by the picture, but he's just gotten caught tearing up a kleenex. Well I think that about says it all. He's a devil, but we love him anyway.

This is a project we are STILL working on. It's almost done now. Just the plumbing for the sink needs to be hooked up and trim for the windows and we're finally done!! Yea!! I have discovered one thing about myself though. I like the picking out things for the bathroom, colors, fixtures, etc, but the work part, not so much. We have definitely learned a lot though. In old houses nothing ever goes as planned.

And look at this, our first attempt at tiling!! I think we did pretty good!

Well look at all these things I've got going!

2007-04-04T10:20:00.000-05:00

After weeks of "filler knitting" I have finally got myself going again!! Unfortunately, nothing you see here is for me, they are all gifts. This is the baby blanket I've been working on for my cousin's daughter, due in June. Yea, I think I'll make the deadline. Unfortunately, Im not a great real photographer, none of these pictures do the actually item any justice, but this blanket is turning out wonderful, it is sooo soft! I found out midblanket that she is expecting a boy, but this blanket will work just fine for a boy.

Next is my Socket Pal sock. Yes, I have finally started!! I really should have done something a bit more simple, but I've been wanting to make Knitty's Hedera for a while. Im using Cherry Hill sock yarn. I'ts beautiful, but boy does it make my hands cramp. I've almost finished the decreases for the heel, so if I keep on track, I can have both done by the end of next week. You can kinda see the intricate detail in the close up, but again, the photographer is lacking!

And, last but certainly not least, Ive started my scarf for ISE4. I decided on Brooke's column of leaves, and Im using Anne Schaefer Lola. Now, my pal said she loved reds and purples, but was trying to expand her horizon. I hope I hit it with this yarn. I'm still trying to convince myself. It's got red, purple, brown, green. Now she said she wasn't a fan of green, but I'm hoping it's muted enough for her to like. I'm also wondering if I need to go down a needle size. Called for a size 8, but Im wondering if I should go down to a 7. I guess I will do a couple more repeats and then decide.

I have got some knitting done

2007-03-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't been able to show very many FO's lately, but I really have been knitting. Im still progressing with my baby blanket, and I'm halfway done with that. I also sat down last week and made this right angle dishcloth. It's been sooo long since I've knit a dishcloth. It was nice to sit down and finish something off in one night. Im loving the colors shades in this one. Im also awaiting yarn from Loopy Ewe to arrival in the mail soon. I've gone and joined the international scarf exchange 4, and I picked out some gorgeous Anne Schaefer yarn for her scarf. I also ordered some yarn for my sockret pal to get her socks knitted up. (Bad Tammy for waiting till the last minute).

Our bathroom is definitely making progress too. The drywall is all done now and ready to sand, so I'll be working on that the rest of the week, and hopefully this weekend I can get it all painted!!

If you want to know what I've really been up to, check out this. Once Christmas is over, I usually spend more time on this during the winter. I like to at least get 2 books done a year. If your into this, check out this site, they have so many ideas to give you inspiration. I've actually joined a few swaps here and I've been having such a good time with this. But once warm weather gets here, I usually pretty much put it away until cold weather.

And how could I not leave you without a cute pic of my doggies?? As you can see, they are definitely growing attached to each other. Josie might look like she's being inconvenienced, but she's starting to love the little guy. He is growing so fast. Next week he goes in for his neutering and he's also have a procedure done on his palate. Boston Terriers are known for having palates that are too long. Right now he snores like crazy and snorts like a pig!! But after the procedure, that should stop. Poor puppy, when he was born his nose was obstructed so he had to have an operation for that so that he could breathe. What we won't do for our dogs.

Has this ever happened to you? And bathroom update

2007-03-14T20:59:00.000-05:00

Well, here I go trying again, hopefully blogger is more agreeable today.

First, my bathroom update. The bathroom is now gutted out down to the knotty board paneling that was behind all the layers of wall. We've decided to dry wall over that, and that is going to be done this week. We were able to get to Lowes last weekend and buy all this!!

I love the sink and vanity. I've never seen a sink that comes out like that. The faucet and all hardware are brushed nickel. I know the tile pictured below may look like cement, but in person it is really beautiful. It has a rough finish on it, and has hues of gray and beige in it. We also bought some simple sconces and an oval shaped mirror, but unfortunately, I can't get those loaded into my blog.

So have you ever had this happen to you? I bought this yarn last fall. It's Anne Schaefer and I'm absolutely in love with it. I was thinking about either socks or a lace scarf for it, and decided to wind it so that it would motivate me to pick out a pattern. Well, I decided I could wind without the help of my husband, who usually holds it for me. Big mistake!! I've now ended up with a hank full of knots. I really don't want to give up on this yarn just yet. So, I've been spending my nights in front of the t.v. with this yarn, slowly unknotting and winding. I guess I've learned my lesson.

And finally, here's a picture of my daughter and one of her teammates/friends. At the Spirit Festival held at Mohegan Sun two weeks ago, they placed first, winning national champions and the Jackpot winner in their division! They have made such an improvement from the their first competition. They even beat out the team they lost to in their first competition!

So you have to pardon the appearance of my blog today. I'm not sure if I loaded too many photos onto my blog or what, but I ended up losing half that I wanted to show off, and every time I try, my tags get messed up. So this is my Freaky Friday addition of my knitting space blog!!

Well

2007-03-14T10:29:00.000-05:00

Well, I'd like to fill up this space with all the exciting things going on here. But Blogger isn't cooperating. I just spent and hour loading photos and typing away to my heart's content, only to lose it all when I tried to publish. All for one missing tag, it erased everything I had!!! Right now I'm so frustrated that Im just not in the mood to start over, but I promise I will soon. Lots of pictures to show you all!!

Where have I been?

2007-03-02T09:27:00.000-05:00

Has it really been that long since I last blogged? I guess this puppy's keeping me busier than I thought! He's doing really well and fitting in nice with the family now. He loves to hide under things; cars, tables, beds. Here he is checking out the new socks I got from Suzy, my sockret pal. He definitely approves!! He's another picture of all the goodies she included with my new socks!

I started Knitty's potomatus socks and thought I was going all well, when somehow I managed to drop stitches, couldn't find out where I dropped them, and ended up frogging them. So I will be starting those over soon. I really is a fairly easy pattern, and it's my first reading from a chart which turned out to be fairly simple. I'm wondering now if I should switch yarns because I'm not sure the pattern is really showing up so well with this colorway. Maybe I should use this yarn for some more Monkey Socks.

Okay, I really do have an excuse for not posting. (My husband tells me I have an excuse for EVERYTHING!!). We have decided to tackle the upstairs bathroom. This is mostly used by the girls, but it was just so old. I think the fixtures were from the 60s!! Well why does nothing ever go easy??? The walls has wallpaper on the top half and some kind of paneling on the bottom. So we figured just take off the wallpaper, and paneling, and clean up the drywall and paint. Wrong!!! The walls in this bathroom consisted of three layers. First the paneling. Then sheetrock, which turned out only to be about a half inch think, and under that, wood paneling; not the cheap kind that goes up in sheets that we have all through the house already (yuck!), but thick, about an inch that goes up one by one with a ton a nails in it. We were also hoping that we wouldn't have to rip up the flooring that we could maybe tile over it, but by the toilet it had rotted, so we ended up having to rip up the flooring as well! Needless, to say, it's turning into a huge project, but I know in the end it will be beautiful! You can also see here what it looked before the demolition. Hmm, I'm not really sure which one is worse!!

We had some snow last week, and here's a shot of TJ in his first interaction with snow! As you can see here, he's not to sure what to think of it, and doesn't much like to walk in it because he sinks too far down!

As far as my other knitting goes, I have now made it to the third repeat on my baby blanket. It's really looking nice and the yarn is just so soft. G-girl had asked what yarn I had used on the puppy's sweater; it was just Red Heart in a denim color. It seems to be holding up very well too!

One more UFO sock finished

2007-02-19T14:01:00.000-05:00

This is how I found my new puppy the other night. He seems to have taken a liking to my favorite slippers my husband got me for Xmas. He also seems to like his crate too, when he is free to come and go as he pleases. I guess that's a good thing. My older Boston never would step foot in her crate, we eventually got rid of it, because she wouldn't go near it. When I see him like that, I almost forget about all the times I've been on the floor in the dining room cleaning up pee stains, almost. He is turning out to be a good dog, and his training is coming along pretty well I think. He has discovered the meaning of no, which is a good thing!! He is wearing the sweater I knit for him. I haven't gotten a good picture of him wearing it yet, but it fits perfect!! Im so happy about that!!

Here finally are my finished off Dublin Bay socks. I think these are the most comfortable socks I have made for myself. They fit perfect. They are just snug enough so that the heel doesn't turn on my when I'm wearing them, and I just think they are so pretty. The yarn and the color work perfectly with this pattern. I think this would be a good pattern for someone just starting out with working with lace, since it's only worked on a small part of the sock. I will definitely be making more of these socks.

I got a wonderful package in the mail last week. I received my final package from my Sockret pal. This had to be the best package of all three!! She made me some beautiful socks in Koigu. I haven't taken pictures yet, but I will soon! I put the socks on my feet as soon as I opened up the package. She also sent me some other wonderful goodies; a knitting journal, which is exactly what I wanted, some wonderful smelling lotion, some stitch markers, needle protectors, and best of all, Socks that Rock!! It's in a really neat colorway called Jinglebell Rock. Another yarn I've been wanting to try out!! I was so lucky to get such a great secret pal. Turns out that my secret pal was Suzie of the purlygates She also hosted a tea swap earlier in the year that I joined and she did a great job with that also!! She's a really sweet person, go check out her blog. She knits some wonderful socks!! I actually cast on for Knitty's Pomatomus socks last night with the wonderful yarn!!

Busy, busy

2007-02-12T10:54:00.001-05:00

Another competition weekend, and the team was in Hartford, Connecticut for the Spirit Cheer competition. This weekend they placed #1!!! They just keep getting better. They have a little break now before the big competition in March. Here's a picture of my daughter catching one of her teammates. She's on the right, (with the sneakers in front of her face).

I was able to get a lot done this weekend. First the puppy. Well, what can I say, he's a puppy. He does go to the bathroom outside....but he also goes inside too. Still working on that. But it's a start. I don't think it will be too much longer. At least he's got Josie to show him what to do. I also started making him a sweater. It has finally gotten cold around here and he loves to be outside, but he does shiver. I'm just using Red Heart in a denim blue color. I figure this one won't last too long, so when he's full grown I'll make him and Josie matching sweaters that are nice and warm! This is a cable pattern I got from "Puppy Knits". I started this Saturday night, and I should finish it up tonight.

Lastly, here's a gift I'm working on for my husband for Valentine's Day. We've been so busy it just kinda snuck up on me. It's just a small book made out of paper lunch bags. I've done some distressing on it, and inside I'm going to put in some pictures of vacations and our wedding and our family. The tricky part is trying to get it done without him catching on.

I also have a couple other projects going. My baby blanket is still going. Unfortunately, I got too sure of myself and decided to take the stitchmarkers out once I got through the first panel. Wrong thing to do! I ended up miscounting, and had to rip out a big section. I also worked on my Dublin Bay sock during the car ride and competition this weekend. This is one of my lonely socks that needed another to make a pair. After this, one more single sock left to complete!

We have a new family member!

2007-02-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Well, here he is. This is TJ, Josie's new little brother. Basically, my husband came home last Friday and decided he was getting this puppy. Easy enough to say, but he doesn't quite remember what Josie was like as a pup because he wasn't here!! He was out to sea and missed the housebreaking and the chewing and the crying and the peeing and everything else!! And now, guess who still has to do it?? Me because Im the one home all day long. I can tell you I had no intentions of getting another puppy. I was quite happy with just our little princess, Josie. But look at TJ, can you help not falling in love???? Right now, Josie tolerates him, but I can't say there is any love there yet. Although the puppy loves Josie!! Its so cute, when Josie is napping, sometimes the puppy will go up to her and acts as it Josie is her mother and wants to feed. Josie's pretty good with that. But Josie hasn't learned yet that all she has to do is jump up on the bed or couch, because the puppy can't jump yet. The puppy does sleep all night long though, so that's a plus.

This weekend was a busy one. It was the first competition for my daughter's cheering team. They performed at the Athletic National Competitions in Providence, RI. They did so well, and ended up with 2nd. They did awesome!! They looked like they had been out there doing the routine forever, when in reality, the first time they performed their routine to music was Friday afternoon!! Here's a picture of my daughter with her friend, and another picture of her team. They have another competition this weekend in Hartford, CT. Looking forward to that. Fortunately, this one is a one day event. This past weekend was two days, so we had to spend one night at a hotel. I really thought I would have the opportunity to get a lot of knitting done this weekend, but not a stitch was knit! I'm really itching to get some knitting down this week.

I started my baby blanket

2007-01-29T12:34:00.000-05:00

Here it is! It's amazing how fast this blanket is going. I got this pattern from Hakucho and the pattern is even more beautiful than I had thought. I'm using Bernats satin in this and it is soo soft, just perfect for a baby!!

Did not accomplish too much else this weekend. We had my nephew over Saturday night and we took him to Chucky Cheese for dinner. Then on Sunday we had our new washer and dryer delivered. Yea!! Only ended up having to go to the laundromat once to dry clothes. Of course we ended up spending more money than we had discussed, but now laundry will be fun!! We ended up getting a front loader washer and dryer. My previous washer and dryer was 10 years old, so I feel like Im living in luxury now!! As a matter of fact, I had to run my daughter to cheering practice Sunday, and I also came down with a nasty flu or bug, so my husband did ALL the laundry yesterday!! It was amazing. I didn't ask him or anything, and he got it all done!! At least six loads of laundry!! He didn't even complain!!

Well, another busy week this week. My daughter's cheering competition is this weekend so every day will be spent preparing for that. I guess it's true about those cheerleading moms, they do as much work as the girls themselves! Between bringing them to practices, organizing team parties, booster club, getting everything they need for competitions, going to the competitions, the mother's spend just as much time on this sport as the kids. But I'll take that anyday over being at the top of one of their pyramids!!!

Oh, and today is my oldest daughter's 17th birthday. Happy Birthday Amanda!!

Monkey off my back..er... needles!

2007-01-26T08:08:00.000-05:00

Here they are!! Finally done. I finished them off last night. I was so glad to get these done because I was dying to wear them this weekend. I have to say this is probably my most favorite pair of socks I have knit. I'm in love with the colors and the pattern is simple. After the first sock, I was able to memorize the lace pattern which made it go by quickly and was able to sit down at night and watch TV at the same time. I've decided to make these socks for my Sockret pal. I have some pretty Anne Schaefer in a pretty purple colorway that I plan on using. My pal is pregnant, so if I have any left over, I think I'll knit up a pair of booties for her baby.

So in other news, as you can see I've gone back to my old blog. I definitely need to sit down and read all the instructions before attempting it again. Reading HTMLs to me is liking reading an equation in algebra, and I was never good in algebra!!

This weekend and upcoming week will be a busy one. Out dryer finally died this week, so tonight we are headed over the Sears to find a new washer and dryer set. We figured since they are both the same age we might as well get them both now. Sears is offering free delivery now and 10% when you buy a set. We have used Sears for appliances now for ten years and have had good luck with them.

We also have a sleepover tomorrow with my nephew and a birthday party for him on Sunday.

My youngest daughter recently joined Celebrity Cheer and her first competition is next weekend in Providence, RI. This is our first competition so I'm not really sure what to expect, but I'm sure it will be exciting. We still need to get all her gear that she needs for the competition, and she will be having very long practices this week, which means that I will be busy as well.

Well, I guess the cold weather has finally arrived here. This morning the thermometer read 7 degrees...that's cold, even without the wind chill. I guess we couldn't avoid winter forever.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Revamp in progress

2007-01-24T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ugh, sorry for my unorganized blog. I finally made the switch to the new blogger and I'm in the process of moving everything over to the new blog. So it will be messy for a while, I can't find a lot of time to just sit down and do it all, so I'm doing it in stages. Takes me forever because I'm not a whiz on this computer jargon stuff!! But I'll get there, promise!

On the knitting front, yes the monkey socks are almost done!! I'll be wearing them this weekend!! I've got two more single socks after these to complete, but I also need to get my butt in gear and get working on the baby blanket for my cousin, and I really wanted to knit myself a scarf for winter, but I've been putting that off because it's been so warm, and guess what??? Yes winter has finally arrived in Connecticut. We even got a little snow on this ground this week, and after today, the weatherman is saying that even colder temperatures and some more snow showers are coming. That's what I get for procrastinating. Of course, my husband tells me that's what my middle name is.

I mentioned that I had started Weight Watchers on line a few weeks ago and guess what??? I've lost eight pounds so far!! I think the hardest part for me has been getting to the grocery store every week. Give me laundry or cleaning any day, but don't make me do the food shopping!! It's definitely the thing I hate to do the most!! But even with eating out Ive been making good food choices, so I'm at least proud of myself for that!

Not much knitting

2007-01-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, the first (and maybe only) snow of the year! I had to catch a picture out the kitchen door before it stopped, and it soon did after I snapped it. It was nice to see a little, even if it didn't stick.

I haven't gotten much knitting done this week, but I have been productive. This is the time of year that I like to take and scrapbook. Usually I will just bring everything out into the dining room and work on it for a week straight until I get one book done. Last year I worked on our Disney vacation scrapbook, and the year before that I had scrapbooked our honeymoon and wedding. But, when I was done I would just shove everything back where I could fit it. This didn't really work for me because I didn't know half the stuff I had and could never find anything. So, I joined a scrapbooker's challenge group on Yahoo, and they have been showing me ways to get my things organized. This is now the result:

I am so excited to get this done. It will make things so much easier. And look, I even got my yarn sorted out.

So, like I said, I haven't got that much knitting done this week. I am almost halfway through the second monkey sock. I love the way they are coming out and the yarn is so yummy looking!!

I decided that after Christmas knitting was done I was going to knit for myself. Well, here you go, three lone socks for me, with no matching pairs yet!! Talk about a short attention span!! My goal for the rest of the month....give these poor socks matches!! I also need to get started on my Sockret pal socks! The last package is due soon and I haven't a clue what pattern I am going to use or what sock yarn!!

Ahhh.....silence

2007-01-08T08:12:00.000-05:00

Ahh, can you hear it?? Exactly, silence. This is my first full week of having my house back to myself during the day and it's wonderful. There's nobody sleeping late, nobody in front of the t.v., nobody bugging me about what's for lunch, or if the laundry's done, or if anything needs to be done around the house, nobody in front of the playstation. Just me, the dog and a wonderfully quiet house. I feel at peace again and the stress is leaving me!!

With that said, I've been able to get back to my knitting. Only socks though. The thought of knitting dishcloths right now doesn't appeal to me since I knit 12 for Xmas presents. But oh I missed my socks. I cast this one on last week and finished up the first sock. I used Regia silk and it's just a basic ribbed sock. I was about to start on the second when I ran into this wonderful pattern from Knitty called Monkey. I immediately cast this on my needles. I again used Regia silk and this colorway is fabulous!! It's a combination of creamsicle, olive green, raspberry, blues. The pattern seems complicated, but the eight rounds of lace pattern is very easy to memorize. And this is the first time I've done a cuff in the twisted rib and I love it!!! I started this Saturday and as of last night, I turned the heel and picked up my stitches for the gusset. I love, love, love this sock!! I don't have any pictures now, but soon! He's a shot of the first sock of my basic rib sock.

In all the going-on's over the holidays, I never got a chance to show off my second package from my Sock-ret pal. It arrived right before Xmas. The yarn is a yummy kid merino by Crystal Palace. I just fondled this yarn for days, it is so soft!! My husband didn't understand it but oh well! It is so luscious. I'm not quite sure what I will do with it yet. This yarn was actually my first attempt with my new yarn winder I got for Xmas. She also sent me a set of DPNs and two wonderful books, one on socks and one on bags. I've already got a couple bag patterns picked out that I'd like to try. She has been a wonderful pal to have, right on with everything she has sent me!! Thank you Sock-ret Pal. I can't wait to find out who you are!!

Well, my New Year's resolution this year was to get back in shape. Unfortunately, I got a nasty flu for the New Year's and only now am I beginning to feel almost back to normal. So, today I started on Weight Watchers. Ive gone to meetings before and had really good success with it, but this time I'm doing it on line so we'll see how that goes. So far so good though.

I survived the holidays

2007-01-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

Have I really been gone that long???? First of all, I missed you all!! We had wonderful holidays, but I'm happy that everybody is back to work and school and we can get back to our routines. We spent the week before Christmas finishing up our shopping, attending Xmas band concerts, and attending my school basketball games to watch my daughter cheer. We all had the vacation the week after Xmas and was able to get everything cleaned up and put away till next year. Now, we are all suffering with colds. Right now I can barely speak!

I'm happy to report that I was able to finish all my Xmas gifts, and everyone seemed happy with them. I forgot to take pictures of "my so-called scarf" I made for my sister, and I still need to get a picture of the backpack I completed for my daughter. But here's some of the recipients and their gifts.

Here's a shot of my daughter and nephew working on their gingerbread Christmas tree. I think most of the candy ended up in his mouth!!

This last shot is Christmas morning before all the chaos got started. It amazes me still every year how much effort is put into buying gifts, wrapping and placing them under the tree, and in a mere 20 minutes, each and every present has been opened and the place resembles the aftermath of a tornado!!

Well, after finishing up all my Christmas knitting, I didn't pick up a ball of yarn until just Tuesday. I finally started a pair of socks, and these are for myself. I've really been slacking with SAM2. So, since I've got a good stash of sock yarn right now, I'm going to work on just socks...I think. I'd also like to make myself a scarf, and my oldest daughter wants one of those skinny scarfs that are so in these days. My dad also mentioned that he was really hoping to get a pair of socks for Christmas. So, looks like I'll be making him a pair too!

I also just found out over the holidays that my cousin's daughter is expecting a baby this June. I just mentioned to my mom and sister a few weeks ago that I wish there were more babies in the family because since I've started knitting, I've been wanting to make some baby things. So now's my chance. I've been looking for a cute afghan to start and it would be nice to make a layette set too, but I'll have to see first how the afghan goes. Her mom had made me a beautiful handmade bunny quilt for my daughter when she was born, so I'd like to make something special for her.

Not knitting related, I got the most awesome Xmas present from my husband. If there are any scrapbookers out there, you'll probably appreciate this. He got me the new Cricut electronic cutter!!! What it is basically is a super duper die cut machine. Even though the machine was expensive and the cartridges are also expensive, I definitely think in the long run it will be worth it. With one cartridge, there are endless possibilities!! any size, any shape. I'm really looking forward to trying it out, but just have not had the time.

Coffee swap goodies

2006-12-11T11:37:00.000-05:00

I received my coffee swap package from my partner Amy last week. It was the perfect package. Here's a list of all the goodies:

1. Two different types of biscotti (they are both half gone by now!)
2. Various tea bags (I love tea as well as coffee).
3. Starbucks Africa Kitamu (This is what I have been drinking the last couple of days and it is delicious!!).
4. Two packages of Giardhelli double chocolate and chocolate hazelnut(mmm, nothing bad about chocolate!).
5. Starbucks Christmas blend coffee.
6. Another Starbucks Cafe Estima blend coffee.
7. And the yarn...Regia silk. Cant wait to knit that up.

Thanks Amy Ruth!! You did a great job picking everything out. I love it all. I hope your as happy with yours!!

We finally got the Christmas tree up and decorated!! Heres the girls (and the dog) with the finished tree! (Now to get that Christmas shopping done!)

I've been doing a lot of knitting lately, but not really any pictures to show. I'm about 85% done with my daughter's back pack, and I've got about 7 Xmas dishcloths done for gifts. Last night a restarted my sister's "so called scarf" for the second time.

I should finish everything up without a problem before Christmas. I'd like to make my nephews some winter hats, but just don't know if I'll get around to that.

I'll be happy when Christmas is over. I haven't knit a sock in about a month and a half. I'm having withdrawal!!

Another Christmas Present Complete!!

2006-11-29T11:39:00.000-05:00

I'm done!!! TADA!! I think this turned out super cute. I can't wait to see it on my nephew. I followed the pattern to a T, except that I decided not to put the faces on the mittens. I just felt like it would be too busy. The mittens are so small and I think that the stripes make them cute enough. I got this pattern from Vogue Knit Simple Fall 2006 addition. Since he is a very active 2 year old boy, I went with something that could be washed. I used Red Heart Soft Yarn in a honey and tangerine. Because I made this for a boy, I didn't go with the bright colors suggested, I decided to tone them down a little. This was super easy to knit. I don't crochet, but I was able to muddle through the chain stitches for the tail and horns. I remember now why I don't make a lot of scarfs, I can be kind of monotonous at times.

I've also started a back pack for my daughter. I found this pattern at Knitty.com . I think this will be perfect for her because she doesn't like to carry a heavy backpack to school with her, and pink is her favorite color!! She did mention that she didn't like the flower on it, so I left that out. Hoping to have this done by the end of the weekend!!

Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a nice dinner with the whole family, all 40 of us!! And of course we ate too much. My husband and I actually got some Xmas shopping done on Black Friday!! We didn't get up for when the stores opened, so we missed out on a couple of deals, but we did good! My husband actually has them wrapped already!!!

My busy weekend

2006-11-21T08:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, let me just say right off the bat, I don't have any knitting pictures to show. But I did get some done. I know have hat and mittens completed on the giraffe set, after having to frog the second mitten, because I discovered I had made two right hands. I also ended up frogging my so-called scarf twice, because my gauge is varying so much. The beginning rows are so much tighter. So that has yet to be begun again. I also started a felted back pack for one of my daughters, but I can only work on that when she is gone.

Okay, onto the fun stuff:

My youngest daughter is in the band at school. They were asked to play the Star Spangled Banner at the high school football game Friday night. Here she is playing the clarinet. This is her first year in band, and I am so proud of her. She has really practiced hard.

Well, this was also homecoming weekend. My daughter is a junior at the high school and she and her friends decided to all go together (much to my delight...I'm not ready for the dating yet). This isn't a great picture, but she really looked beautiful.

So we made it through the weekend. Phew. But then Monday morning before 8, I get a call from the school. "It's not an emergency, but....". That already makes me nervous. Apparently, a boy ran into my daughter and stepped on her foot. She was wearing flip flops (don't ask me why!), and the boy's shoe somehow lifted the toenail off my daughter's big toe. Yea, yuck. So, we ended up taking her to the emergency room, where the doctor had to take the rest of the nail off, since it was in half and hanging. Now, my daughter does not like needles, and they have to shoot her toe up with lidocaine, but even with that, it was very painful. She was a real trooper. So here she is now with her foot and and the rest of the week off from school.

And lastly, my nephew turned 2 yesterday, so we had a birthday party for him last night. Here is is with my youngest daughter enjoying his cake.

I had knit him a pair of socks for his birthday (don't worry, I got him toys too!). It's hard to get a 2 year old to sit still when he's pumped up on cake and surrounded by new toys, but here he is with them on. They fit perfect!

Progress on my giraffe hat

2006-11-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is so far. I am really liking the way this is turning out. I found this pattern in the Simply Knitting Fall 2006 magazine. I've still got to make the horns and the tail for the top of the hat. The pattern calls for using buttons as eyes, but my nephew is 2 years old, and I don't think that a good idea, so I's still working on what to use for the eyes. The head gets sewn on and then filled with some fiberfill. I started on the mittens last night which are basically the same with giraffe heads on the top of the mittens. There is also a scarf to go along with it. I decided to go with Red Heart soft yarn because I know these will need to be washed at some point with a 2 year old boy. I decided to go with muted colors of yellow and oranges (these are tangerine and honey), because I am making these for a boy.

Branching Out --- Done!! (and some doggy pictures too!)

2006-11-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, finally finished!!. I blocked it this weekend. Now it's already to give to my mom for Christmas. Yea, one present done!! Thanks to all of you for the wonderful compliments you gave me on my last post!! I love yall!!

Next on my list, my so-called scarf and giraffe inspired hat, scarf and mitten set for my nephew, all Xmas presents!

Here's my baby, all snuggled up for a rainy day of napping. . . Quite the life.

My ideal lace knitting conditions:

I found that I did better knitting with no one else disturbing me. I was able to have the t.v. on in the background, but as long as no one was interrupting me, I could keep track of my stitch repeats. I read the pattern from the written instructions because it was a simple one, but I enlarged the copy so that I could read it easily and it also helps me to keep a post-it note below the line that I am working on. And of course like the rest of my knitting, I positioned myself in the corner of my comfy couch!

Knitter's coffee swap questions

2006-11-13T09:01:00.000-05:00

Here's my answers for the questionnaire to the Knitters Coffee Swap I joined:

1. Whole bean or ground? Ground
2. Fully-loaded or decaf? Fully loaded absolutely!
3. Regular or flavored? Both!
4. How do you drink your coffee? With just cream.
5. Favorite coffee ever? Favorite flavor is hazelnut. Favorite brand is Starbucks.
6. Are you fussy about your coffee or will any old bean do? Not too fussy, as long as it's fresh!
7. Favorite treats to have with your coffee? Definitely Biscotti, but also pastries and baked goods also.
8. Anything else about your coffee preferences? I love to try new flavors!
9. Yarn/fiber you love? Im loving Patons SWS right now, but I love anything soft.
10. Yarn/fiber you hate? Novelty and scratchy yarns.
11. What's on your needles? My so-called scarf in Paton SWS, and a giraffe inspired scarf/hat/mitten set for my nephew for Christmas.
12. Favorite colors? purple, pinks, sage green, earth tones
13. Allergies? None.
14. Anything you really love, really don't like, or just need to get off your chest?
I'm not really a fussy person. I am always open to trying new things, so don't be afraid that I'm not going to like it!!

My progress this week

2006-11-08T11:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been plugging along on my Branching Out scarf. I'm having a lot of fun doing this, and should finish by the end of the week. I have about 9 more repeats to complete. I'm excited to see it after blocking.

I've also got a few dishcloths to show off. I just finished the November KAL for Monthly Dishcloths which was a turkey. I also knit up the breast awareness cloth last month, and I've got a really pretty pattern here by Danielle Cote. I just need to block these a bit. I've got a couple more dishcloths to get down this week for two dishcloth exchanges that I'm involved in this month.

And here's the first of my Dublin Bay socks completed. I usually work on my socks at night while watching t.v. because I can memorize the pattern and so I don't have to be back and forth between the pattern and sock. Well obviously, I wasn't paying close enough attention, because when I started the foot, I had 2 #1 needles and 1 #2 needle. I was so mindless about the pattern that I didn't even notice until I was almost ready to start the toe. Duh. If you look closely, use can see exactly where the #2 needle was used. But fortunately, these socks are for me, and I don't this it is as noticeable when it's on my foot. I've learned my lesson though....don't leave all your needles laying around in a basket!!

Answers to some questions

2006-11-07T08:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the new KAL I'm involved with this month, Lacevember, is having another contest this week, and the following questions were asked:

The knitting questions, or the usual suspects:
How long have you been knitting? Almost two years now.
How did you learn to knit? Believe it or not, my oldest daughter got me started. My mom had taught her the basics, then she taught me, and then the rest I learned on-line with tutorials.
Favorite thing about knitting? All the possibilities. I'm always learning something new, using new techniques, new yarns, it's just endless. There are always new thing to create with knitting.
How long have you been knitting lace? Well, I have knit some lace socks in the past, but this is my first real "lace" project, so about a week.
Favorite thing about knitting lace. It amazes me what can be created with a few yarnovers and decreases.

The yarn questions, or flash your stash:
Favorite lace yarn? This is my first and I am using Elsebeth Lavold and love it.
variegated or solids for shawls? I have not knit a shawl yet, but would love to do one in a variegated.
Favorite lace color? I am drawn to the delicate muted understated colors that seem to really make the lace pattern stand out.

Technique, or show us your skillz:
Circs or straights? Im using straight bamboo on my branching out and is working well.
Favorite lace knitting trick? Haven't got any yet!
Lifelines? Haven't used any yet
If so with what?
Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? I think I will be using blocking pins.
Pattern, or can you follow directions:
shawls or lacey items? Scarf is my first lace project, but would love to do a shawl.
triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? I love the triangle shawls.
Charts or printed instructions? Printed instructions.
Favorite lace you've knit? I've only worked on Branching Out.
Favorite lace you want to knit? Not sure yet.

Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun:
Favorite jelly belly flavor? Pina Colada
Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red..... He has red hair??
Coke, classic or with lime? Classic, with a lemon wedge
Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? Sing a long of course!
What is the definition of irony? Sarcasm
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? One, two, three, crunch!
Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? Hmm, don't know how old he is, but based on my kid's rooms, may be his way of sectioning it off as a disaster area.
What is your superhero power? Reading minds.
If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? Mocha and beige.
What's for dinner tonight? Whatever my husband cooks.
What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? I think that's better left unknown.

I'm also participating in Knitters' Coffee Swap, and Catherine asked the following questions:

What are you knitting now? On the needles at the moment are my Branching Out scarf, and also working on my second Dublin Bay sock. I've got a dishcloth on the needles also.
What yarns are you coveting? I'm using Elsebeth Lovold on my scarf and I'm enjoying working with that. Also, I recently discovered Paton SWS, and love it. I'm planning on using that to knit "My so-called Scarf" for a Xmas present.
What's your favorite yarn and why? I can't really say that I have a favorite, just anything soft. I do like Noro Kureoyon though.
What's your favorite yarn store and why? I've been trying a lot of online stores recently since there are no closeby LYS's near me. I've used WEBS and Knitpicks and have had good luck using them, I also recently bought some Cherry Hill and Anne Schaefer recently from Little Knits.

Yes, I have a new addiction

2006-11-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is. Yes, that's lace. I've been working on socks so much lately that I haven't really had time to work on anything else. I've been admiring this scarf for so long, but procrastinated, not sure I could do it. Well along came Lacevember and I decided it was time to give it a try. I ordered my yarn from WEBS, got it in the mail yesterday, and cast on last night!! I'm so in love with this. The yarn is a pretty teal color, and this will be a Christmas present for my mom. I know this is not going to be the last one I make. Actually, there's another lace pattern scarf that I was looking out before deciding on this one, and I might just make that my second lace project. This is the progress I made after just one night of knitting!

I've actually made quite a bit of progress on my new sock, the Dublin Bay sock, using my Sock-ret pal give of Gems Pearl in "pink panther". This is 100% Merino wool and it is so soft and wonderful to knit with. I'm working on the heel right now.

And here are some new pictures of my sweeties!!! As you can see, Josie doesn't like to fool around when it comes to getting in the house. When it's cold, she goes outside, does her business and wants to be let right in. So me taking a picture of her is slowing down the process of me opening that door for her and she just wants me to stop!!

And here's Daisy checking out the camera and wondering if it's actually something she can eat! They've been spending more time inside their hutch now that the weather has started to turn, but we've had a mild week here in New England this week after the big wind storm this weekend, and they have been taking advantage of the warm sun this week.

The winds they were a-blowing

2006-10-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

Well, my weekend didn't turn out quite as I expected. As I mentioned in one of my earliers posts, my mother, me and my kids were going to take a trip to a farm Farmhouse Yarns, LLC to get some yarn. So we take this long trip out to the middle of nowhere, only to find that the weather is too severe for her to hold her sale today. Oh well, I guess we should have checked before leaving, and yes, the weather was very severe. We had to avoid many branches in the road on the way there. The wind was unbelievable. So, we decided to find somewhat nice to have lunch. We ended up in Old Saybrook, and had lunch at Dock & Dine . This restaurant is right on the water, and is built on a dock. When we pulled up to the restaurant the first thing that caught our eyes was the waving crashing over the docks and the huge white caps. We took a window seat and watched the waves. It really was amazing to watch. The waves in some parts of the dining room were crashing over the docks and into the windows. And that was not even high tide. I have to admit, I almost felt a little seasick feeling the waves crashing underneath us. But it was a delightful lunch all us girls.

We decided after to do a little shopping, and stopped by the Saybrook Country Barn, which an incredible place to shop. Ahh, if only I had an unlimited cash flow.... I could spend the whole day there. But two teenage girls quickly became bored and were anxious to get to the mall. So off to the mall we went, and both were able to find winter jackets, and incredible prices too! I may have not turned out to be the day I intended, and I did not touch one hank of fiber, but it was a great day anyhow, spending it with my girls and my mom.

My youngest daughter and me are the only ones in the family who really like horror movies, so while hubby and oldest daughter went to the high school football game, youngest daughter and I hit blockbuster and spent the weekend watching "Silent Hill", "The Blair Witch Project", and the "Exorcist". We also saw a bit of "Nightmare on Elm Street" Saturday afternoon as well. Halloween is always a great excuse to see a scary movie!

Well in the knitting world, I'm still working on my Christmas list and making okay progress. I'm planning on making my mom the Branching out scarf for Christmas. So I joined Lacevember. I've been wanting to do this scarf for so long, and Im looking forward to starting something new besides socks and dishcloths. Not that I don't love knitting them, but once in a while I need to expand my horizons. I also joined Knitter's coffee swap, as if I didn't already have enough caffeine from KTS2. I love to drink tea, but mainly in the afternoon and evening. I have to have coffee in the morning though. I'm looking forward to this. Should be fun!!

Grrr!! I have lots of photos to share, but unfortunately blogger doesn't want you to see them!! I'm going to have to try later!!

I'm back!

2006-10-25T10:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, well, it was a tough weekend. The Mets lost their chance to play in the World Series Thursday night. I spent the next few days in mourning and banned the household from speaking their names. I think I'm over it now and can now look forward to next season. For me this is strange, before this spring, I didn't even care about sports at all!! I guess that's what happens when your married to a sports fanatic, some of it's bound to wear off on you. So here's a couple pictures of the first game we all went to as a family (my oldest daughter is taking the pic). Since then, we've become a little bit wiser, and we get better seats now. These nose bleed seats were our one and only. I'm not really afraid of heights, but I did not like walking up these stairs!!

So, onto the knitting, I finally managed to finish my Cascade Lace Wings Fixation socks. I love them! I decided to make these for myself, because I wasn't sure how I would like working with the fixation, but these socks are so comfortable!! I will definitely be using more of this!

That's about it as far as knitting goes. Kind of pathetic. I feel like I haven't gotten much done this week. I have been finalizing my Xmas list for this year though. I'm just hoping I am realistic about getting them all finished on time. This weekend I'm going to a farm that sells their own yarn with my mom. I'm excited to check this out. She usually only sells wholesale to LYS's, but a few times a year she holds special private sales by invitation only. My mom had met her at an artist's festival this summer, and she had put herself on the mailing list. Which is funny, because my mom doesn't knit. She's the seamstress in the family.

I've also got one more pair of socks that I'd like to finish before Socktoberfest is over. A pair of socks for my older nephew. It will be the same pattern as the socks I made my youngest nephew a couple weeks ago, and the same yarn, just a little bigger. Should be no problem!!

I've got the bestest Tea Swap Pal!

2006-10-19T15:58:00.000-05:00

After weeks of anticipation, it is finally here!!! I practically stalk my mailman every day!! Well I had just gotten home when I saw the mailman pull up across the street. I watched him walk across the road, but as I was going to the door, he turned around!! Hey, where are you going with my package???? I know that's for me!!!! Whew, fortunately, he came back. He had just forgot the slip that I had to sign. And this package was huge!! I immediately looked at the return address. Canada, it came all the way from Canada!! Well there was no taking pictures of the package unopened. I was just too excited. And while I started opening my box, my kids came home from school, and they were as excited as I was. One by one I took my gifts out of the box (while taking my daughter's hand out, these gifts are for me!!). I can't even begin to tell you how special I felt. My pal sent wonderful gifts to me. I felt like she knew me. First of all the tea. She sent some wonderful Celestial Seasonings Apple cinnamon Spice. It just sounds tasty saying it. She also sent Lipton Asian White in the triangle bags that I've been dying to try. (I was just discussing this with my mother the other night!). Another favorite of mine, Tetley Chai. I love chai. I always order this when we go to Gloria Jeans. She also included some wonderful loose teas; some Metropolitan Maple, and Raspberry Leaves from the Farm Pantry in St. Jacobs, Ontario. But that is far from all!! She also sent me the coolest tea mug. It has an infuser and top. I cannot wait to try this! She also sent me a separate tea infuser which will definitely get a lot of use! As far as goodies, mmmm, she sent some wonderful Canadian Maple Syrup and chocolate, which will not last long in this house! My girls already took dibs on the candy, I guess I might share a little of that. And is that all? No way. She also made me two beautiful dishcloths. I was so touched to get this. She did such nice work on them. I knit dishcloths all the time, but I have only kept 2 for myself, I always make them as gifts, so its nice to be the giftee this time around. Is that all??? Not yet, she sent a knitting magazine, which I will definitely be browsing through tonight.

And last but not least, the yarn!! Regia bamboo!! I've been wanting bamboo. I've never knit with it before. Its a beautiful blue and brown colorway. Now, what kind of sock will this yarn become??? My swap pal turned out to be Kim. I'm really looking forward to reading her blog and getting to know her. I think she's a fantastic person!!! Thank you Kim, you made this swap turn out to be a wonderful experience. You don't need to be worried anymore about wondering if you picked out the right things, because these are all things that I would pick out for myself. You did an awesome job and thank you so much!!

Dear New York Mets:

2006-10-18T09:57:00.000-05:00

Dear my beloved New York Mets:

I've followed you faithfully all year long. If I wasn't at the ballfield, I was watching on the t.v. I'm one of your most true blue fans. In fact, we are a family of fans. We spent our summer rooting you on and watching you make the playoffs. Now, my only request of you is this: Do you think you could win tonight?? Another win like Sunday would be perfect. You see, I knit while I watch the game, and when your losing, I get frustrated and its hard for me to concentrate on my sock. At some points last night I actually threw my sock down in disgust. It would be even better if you could take a big lead early on, then I'd be less anxious. I started this sock on Monday evening, and I would really like to get this first sock finished up tonight.
I know you like to finish what you start, just like me, and you would make us all happy if you could show the Cardinals what your made of tonight!

GO METS!!

I got a package!!

2006-10-17T11:12:00.000-05:00

From my Sock-ret Pal! She told me it was coming, and our mailman finally delivered it before dinner last night. I had my parents for dinner last night so I had to open it quickly, and then after they left, got to ohh and ahh over all of it. She packaged it all up so pretty with sheep wrapping paper.

Look at all the wonderful goodies she sent. Shortbread (mmm my favorite!), milk chocolate with nuts (another favorite, and had to hide these from the family!), some wonderful tea which I got to taste last night. Look at the beautiful merino sock yarn in a "pink panther" color. I've already got a couple ideas for that! And lastly, a pattern for some felted Xmas ornaments for the tree! I love to felt, and I can't wait to make some of these ! It's all so wonderful. She was right on with everything she picked out. I love it all! Whoever you are, I can already tell you are SUPER SWEET, and I'm looking foward to getting to know you after the reveal!!

I got yarn!

2006-10-15T07:36:00.000-05:00

Here it is!! And the picture certainly doesn't do it justice! The yarn is from Little Knits, and the one on the left is Cherry Hill in foliage color, and the one on the right is Anne Schaefer. Only one is for me, I can't tell you where the other is going!

And finally, here they are, my finished socks. I was able to finish these socks for my nephew's birthday next month. I think they are so cute, and I will be knitting up another pair for his older brother, who also has a birthday in the same week!

And here are the finished socks for my youngest daughter done in Regia. Camouflage is "in" this year.

It's only the middle of the month, so I've got time for more socks to enter into SAM2 and also into Socktoberfest! What should I do next??? I've got another pair of socks for my older nephew. I've also got this pattern that I'm dying to do with my new yarn. I think though that I might knit up some ankle socks for my daughter with the Cascade Fixation that I got. Those should knit up fast! I'm also anxiously awaiting for two dishcloth KALs to start up this week! It's going to be another busy week!!

Socks, socks, socks (and some candy corn too!)

2006-10-11T08:48:00.000-05:00

Well, I finished my first camo sock this weekend, but I was kind of bored with the pattern, so decided to start on some toddler socks for my nephew with the yarn I had won from a contest on Sock-ret pal . But, I had to stop that until my sister can measure his feet. I also had to frog this twice, until I finally figured out that the heel instructions were wrong. So now, I'm kinda winging it, just doing a simple 2x2 rib. While waiting for his measurements, I started my second sock on camo. I'll be glad when this sock is done. I just haven't been able to get into this pattern much.

I also knit up the dishcloth for the KAL here. When I saw the yarn colors we needed, I immediately thought candy corn, but as I got into it, I became unsure of what exactly I was knitting. Even when I finished it and looked at it I thought what the heck is this, then I was reading g-girls blog and Hakucho's blog and finally realized what I was looking at. It's an illusion dishcloth, isn't it cool looking?

In honor of Socktoberfest Lolly showed off her sock stash. Well, here's mine. Sad isn't it???? Although on my behalf, I will say that I have two pairs of socks on the needles right now, and I have some on its way from Little Knits this week. For the most part, I buy my sock yarn with someone in mind, but not necessarily a pattern in mind. For instance, I know that the Cascade Fixation I will be using to make ankle socks for my daughter, and the pink yarn will be for my daughter as well.

And as if I could forget, I won Chrissy's September drawing over at Knittin' Mom's blog for SAM2!! Yea. I think I'm on a winning streak!! Maybe I should take a trip to Foxwoods??

I got my purse!!

2006-10-06T09:11:00.000-05:00

Isn't it gorgeous??? Tara says this is her first lined purse, but it looks so professional to me!! She did an amazing job!! I'm a very neutral person when it comes to colors so this purse is perfect for me and the little punch of pink with the ribbon really gives it that extra punch. My oldest DD is such what I would call a preppy "girly girl", so when she sees this, she is going to be so jealous. I love that its big enough for me to carry everything I need, and I also love the big handles, because I carry it with my hand or carry it on my shoulder.

I had a lot of fun doing this purse swap . Tara is such a sweet person, and it was fun to have her for my swap partner. I really hope they do another one because I would love to participate again!

Here's a picture of the purse I made for Tara. I think we have the same taste in colors!! Check out Tara's blog for more pictures and tell her how great a job she did!

I just finished up my dishcloth for this this month's KAL. A cute little kitty. I'm thinking about knitting up three more in different halloween colors, stitching them together and making a big dishtowel to hang in the kitchen for halloween.

The last hurrahs of summer

2006-10-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful day here in New England, and I couldn't resist snapping a couple photos of the last days of summer. The roses have been our biggest surprise this year. We live next to Pfizer and they have been buying houses on the outskirts of our neighborhood to act as a buffer from the company grounds, so this spring they bought the house kitty corner across the street from our house. Well they tore the house down but never did anything else with the land. The house had been there for years and all the landscaping was still intact. Well needless to say, all the neighbors had a field day digging all the plants, bushes, trees, bulbs in the yard. At first we were hesitant but what the heck, everyone else is doing it. So we brought our wheelbarrow and loaded up on hostas, lillies, daisies. A few days later, my husband walks in with a rose bush. "Hey look what I found". Well I have never had luck with roses, but why not plant it and see what happens. Well we thought it had died, but later in the summer it came back in full force and look at it now. There are still more buds waiting to bloom. It's so beautiful.

Here's my babies fattening up for the winter. Can you believe they aren't even a year old yet, but they are big fat fuzzy bunnies now!

This is my current sock on the needles. Its Regia in a camoflage color. This will be for my daughter for Xmas. Seems camo is very big this year for the teens. I wish I knew where to find some wool in camo so I could felt my daughter a bag. I know she would love that! The pretty purple flowers in the background are another one of our saves. My cousin had them growing in her yard, and gave me one last year. Well, again, I planted it, looked like it died and then this year, really took off. I don't know what they are, but the flowers are so vibrant. I think I will move these to the front of the house in the spring.

Lastly, my attempt at a garden of sorts this year. My peppers are now really starting to grow. It seemed all summer long they would blossom, but the blossoms would fall off. Then a few weeks ago, they started forming the peppers. We have to plants and together have about 10 growing. I hope the frost holds offs at least a couple more weeks so they can get bigger.

I joined Socktoberfest and she had a list of questions related to sock knitting:

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I started at the beginning of the year. I taught myself using Silver's tutorial.
What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair was just awful!! I used Woolease and one ended up much smaller than the other!
What would you have done differently?
I would have definitely started with a true "sock yarn" and would have been more careful with the measuring. The still sit in my drawer because I can't bear to get rid of them, but I know I will never wear them.
What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Well I haven't experimented too much with different yarns, but I enjoyed working with Knitpicks Dancing, and I'm using Regia 4-ply right now which I am enjoying.
Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I have only used DPNs, which scared me at first but now I love them. I would like to learn on 2 circs or the Magic Loop though.
Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
Well I would definitely have to say flap because I haven't tried the short row yet. Hey, something to try this month maybe!
How many pairs have you made?
Hmm, maybe 8 pair now??

Well, still waiting for my KTS2 pal and Purse Swap pals to receive their packages! I hope they get them today! I also have been having fun with my Sock-ret pal. I've e-mailed her a few times and have a list of things I want to add to her box for this month. Im not sure what kind of socks I want to make her yet. I also won some sock yarn yesterday in a contest that Rachel was running. Yea, I never win anything so this is cool!

I got a lot done before I died

2006-10-02T09:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a few of my hats from the Caps to the Capital KAL that I am doing with KH. These are so fun to do and they go so quick.

I was able to get my packages for my KTS2 pal and Purse swap pal out on Friday. I really hope they enjoy their packages. Here's Tara's purse all packaged and ready to go.

I officially died 9/30/06 at approximately 12:30 pm. Yes, my socks of doom arrived. Blood red seems so fitting, doesn't it? Well, I have to say they are beautiful and I put them on as soon as they arrived. My wonderful assasin even included a couple packets of tea for me to enjoy (I guess to soften the blow). Made from beautiful hand painted wool. I have to say, with all the ups and downs of Sock Wars, I was very lucky. My assasin and target were both so sweet. You can see my target here with her socks of doom that I sent her.

Some of you have asked for the website where I found the pattern for the tea cup and saucer. Here it is . I can't believe I forgot to mention it before.

I have been pouring over patterns and yarn gearing up for Socktoberfest, which started yesterday. I think I've finally decided. The last sock I knit was very tedious so I'm going with some patterns that will be a little bit easier on my hands. I think I've got it narrowed down to a picot edged sock with Regia, Dublin bay with some nature spun, some ankle socks with Cascade fixation, and finally 3 pair of toddler socks for nephews for Christmas. Phew. That's alot.

Yesterday, we had a nice birthday lunch for my mom. I gave her the butterfly rib socks and some autumn inspired dishcloths, with a silicone bundt pan. My kids had made her some cute cards on the computer, and my sister made some yummy pasta with sundried tomatoes and a salad. Today, I will be going to watch my nephew's soccer game. He's 6 and very active, so it should be a fun game to watch.

Spot O' Tea anyone?

2006-09-28T11:06:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is, my felted tea cup and saucer. I guess it's more of a tea mug. I like it and it was easy to knit up. Next time, I think I just need to adjust my decreases to make the lip of the cup wider and the more narrow at the bottom. I can't wait to give it to my KTS2 pal. I think I'll fill it with some candy.

Well I've got nothing on the needles now (except my shrug), so I'm off to do some Charity Knitting. The KH forum has a thread on Caps to the Capital. They started off a knit along, so Im going to join that. I've got so much baby yarn in my stash and I've been so obsessed with socks lately, I haven't done anything else. So, off to have some lunch, and then an afternoon of knitting baby hats!

No socks on the sticks

2006-09-27T11:33:00.000-05:00

Finally finished up these socks last night. Yea, glad to be done with them. I won't be working with this yarn again!

Right now I'm trying to finish up my purse for Tara. I can happily report that I am finished finally! There is just one adjustment that I need to make on the closure part. I just don't like the way it looks, but it just needs some minor adjustments. I'm doing to show it off, but will have to wait until she receives it sometime next week. Gives me more time to fill it up with goodies too!

I've also been in the process of gathering goodies for my KTS2 pal. I had sent her a list of questions that she answered, so now I know my plan of attack and just need to finish up shopping for that and get that in mail. It would be great to get both packages in the mail on Saturday.

Recently I saw in someone's blog some felted pottery they had done. so I experimented last night with that. I had bought some Patons SWS in pretty pinks (which my KTS2 pal likes) and I gave a whirl at making a teacup. Well, here it is before felting. I'm felting it as I blog. If I'm successful, I'll make the saucer to go along with it tonight.

Before felting......

This week I've been watching episodes of Knitty Gritty on t.v. I know, it's been on forever, but we don't get DIY, but this week our satellite providers have free DIY until October 7, so I've been taping them all! When I was watching one episode my DH looked up from his laptop and said "knitting on t.v. too????" Oh well. I was watching an episode on a felted bag and the lady used something called Swiss Darning or duplicate stitch. Now, till now I've stayed away from intarsia, but this looked pretty simple , and kinda fun. Just wondering if anybody has ever used these techniques and which they prefer?? Anyone??

Well I received my Sockret partner yesterday and I'm still waiting for her to post her questionnaires on her blog. I hope she does soon, because I have a ton of ideas spinning in my head and can't wait to get that first package together! (Like I don't already have enough packages going on now!).

For my Sock-ret Pal!

2006-09-26T19:00:00.000-05:00

Sock-ret Pal Questionnaire

The basics:
How long have you been knitting?
About a year and a half.

Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep?
Well, I've made less than a dozen pair, but I wouldn't consider myself a beginner. Its obviously one of my favorites things to knit.

The measurements:
While your pal may ask for some additional info to ensure a great fit, please provide your shoe size, or any other fitting related info you think is pertinent.
Size 9

(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love?
Pinks, purples, tan, dark blue.

Do you prefer solids or variegated?
I would have to say variegated.

What fibers do you most love to knit with?
As far as socks goes, anything soft and stretchy. Otherwise, I like to felt, so I would say a chunky wool for that. I really like anything that feels soft in my hands. Again, I'm fairly new, so I haven't had the chance to see everything out there yet either.

Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors?
Well I use Knitpicks alot for the service and because they are great when your on a budget!
I also have ordered from Knitting Zone and the Yard Exchange, LTD and have had good results. Again, Im still new.

What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting?
Love to felt! Also love dishcloths because they knit up so fast! I think that's what I'm all about. I like fast results. I started a shrug early this summer for my daughter for Christmas that I'm only about 60% done with. Im not big into piecing things together. Thats why I love to knit socks. I love the fact that I seen this yarn become a sock right before my eyes.

(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can you not stand to knit with? To wear?
Acrylics, novelty yarns.
What colors would you never wear?
bright oranges, neons.

The Tools:
Plastic or Metal? Bamboo or wood?
Bamboo

Circs or Straights?
Both

DPNs or Magic Loop?
DPNs (although I am determined to learn magic loop!)

Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like?
row counters, more bamboo DPNs and straights, knitting bags, hmm. Im stuck, but I will add as I think of anything.

The Extras:
Do you have a wish list? If so, please share the link!
No but hope to have one soon.

Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*)
Sweet, salty

Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc)
Dont like cigarette smoke.

Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand?
Love Cinnamon, sweet, spicy. Don't care for flowery scents.

Do you collect anything (other than yarn and knitting toys of course)?
Snowmen.

When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!)
May 12.

Do you spin? Dye your own yarn?
No....not yet!!

Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better...
Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, Kathy Reich, Luanne Rice. (Authors).
Okay, I admit it, love the 80s. Also, James Blunt, John Mayer, Gwen Stefani. (Bands)
Loved my honeymoon down to the bahamas. Also Disney, Boston, New York to see the METS!

Socks anyone??

2006-09-25T06:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I did it, I finished my Sock of Doom and will be going out in the mail today. The pattern is one I will use again, nice and stretchy!! Easy peasy to do. Started Friday night, finished Sunday night. But I have a suspicion I will be dead before they ever reach their destination. I am sending these to the Netherlands, yikes, who knows when they will get there. My assassin has already let me know she has a package for me, and I'm pretty sure she lives in the US. Oh well, I did enjoy knitting these sock, even under duress, and I will be getting a handmade pair of socks in return. I may not win the war, but the alternative is okay with me too.

This is my mid-September KAL with Monthly Dishcloths. I really enjoyed this and it was fairly easy.

I really love doing these KALs, I love knitting dishclothes and I can work on this while working on other things, because there are only a few lines to knit up each day.

Unfortunately, my socks were the only knitting I did this weekend, but I was able to get the rest of the materials I needed for Tara's bag, so now I can devote my time to that and get it finished up this week. I think it's going to look awesome!!

I also was able to get some shopping done for my KTS2 pal. I'm just waiting to hear back from her on a couple of things, and I will get that finished up by this weekend and get it mailed off to her. I have to admit, I bought some new tea for myself too!! I saw an awesome felted tea cup and saucer on someone's blog this weekend, and I'm thinking about trying it out and sending it out with my package. If I don't get to that, I plan on knitting up a dishcloth to send along.

This week I also hope to finish off the socks I had been working on. Yipee, I will have two more socks for SAM2!! I'm on a roll! And I just got some Cascade fixation and Regia sock yarn in the mail last week. I just joined another sock group, and they are starting a new KAL, so I'm all set!!

So here's what I've been doing

2006-09-20T07:02:00.000-05:00

One shameless little plug....

LETS GO METS!!

Well, it happened finally...my youngest daughter Missy asked me to teach her to knit!! There she is plugging at it. She's my tomboy, so I was kinda surprised, but she picked it right up!! This weekend I taught her to do the long tail cast on and the knit stitch. She's an amazingly fast learner, and she's excited about it. But it did come with a price. In exchange, she is teaching me how to win at Mario Kart. She's a good teacher too!

Okay, so now my dog. She's not an outdoor to say the least. She would much rather be inside snuggled on a pillow. And she doesn't like rain. If there is even a sign of rain, she won't go outside, and when there's a storm, she hides in the basement. But for some reason, Saturday morning she decided to go exploring when I let her out. I didn't really notice anything until I sat down with my coffee to knit and watch HGTV, and whoa, that smell!!!

And this is what followed......

Putting it mildly, she wasn't happy!!

And finally, this sock really kicked my butt this weekend!! I wanted to get a pair of socks finished this week before I start Sock Wars. So I took this pattern and got started. Well, Im not sure whether it was the yarn or the intricate pattern or the size 1 needles, but it really got the best of me. Im sure my carpal tunnel didn't help much either. The yarn kept splitting on my and my hands were so cramped. So I decided it was either frog it or modify the pattern. So I went with shortening the cuff, and instead of continuing the pattern down the foot, I decided to just do the pattern around the ankle, and stockinette the rest of the sock. Then while Im knitting the foot, I realize that I'm coming dangerously close to the end of my yarn. DARN!! Now more decisions to make. First, I looked to see if I could buy another skein. This was Knit Picks Parade. DARN AGAIN. They have no more in this color. So now, Ive no choice but to frog and make smaller socks. Fortunately, my mom has small feet. Okay, so now these are a Christmas present for mom. Let me tell you, I end up with approximately 16 inches of yarn.

Not bad, not exactly what I had in mind, but my tinking ended up working.

Here's a close up of the pattern.

And there's my week so far!!

Teasers and teeth!

2006-09-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

I've been busy this week and making progress with my purse for the exchange. Unfortunately I can only post these teaser photos until Tara actually receives it. Hmmm.... wonder what that could possibly be!!! Last night I finished the knitting, now I need to put it all together, which will be more time consuming than the knitting, but I'm excited about the way it is coming out. The colors are perfect and I think it will look even better than the photo in the pattern! I may just have to make another one after this one is finished. I think my daughter would really like this one too. And I know she loves the colors that I've used in this one.

Since yesterday I have been suffering the wrath of a teeth cleaning. I have been going to the same dentist and hygienist for the past almost ten years. Unfortunately, my hygienist had an emergency and would not be able to see me for my scheduled cleaning. If I hadn't had a tooth that was bothering me, I would have just taken her next available appointment which would have been weeks away, but I really wanted to find out what was going on with my tooth. Therefore, I took another hygienist for my cleaning. My girls both have their teeth cleaned by this particular one, so I wasn't contemplating any problems. Well, let me tell you....she ripped my gums to shreds!!! I have never been in so much pain from a teeth cleaning. She got in there with those picks and really dug!! My mouth was full of blood, her gloves were covered in blood. My eyes were tearing up from the pain. I don't know what I got myself into. My kids like her, which is something since neither one particularly likes to go to the dentist. I've never heard them complain. Now, my regular hygienist talks the entire time she is cleaning my teeth and we take frequent breaks to chat, but I just don't remember it ever hurting or even bleeding like that!! Wow is all I can say. I will never take my hygienist for granted again. And I may even start flossing on a regular basis just for her!! My hubby was so sweet though. He is in charge of dinner on Thursday nights when I work, so he made me some tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich for dinner since my mouth was so sore!

Lots and lots of knitting!

2006-09-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

First of all, I promised a teaser photo of the purse I am knitting my swap partner for the knitted purse swap, so here it is!! Guess it's not much help, is it!!!????

I received my yarn yesterday and immediately cast on. Wonderful yarn to work with. This should knit up fast. So far I'm liking the way its turning out. Stay tuned for more details on this!!

I managed to work on quite a few projects this weekend. My DH and I went to see the NY Mets Saturday. We left early Saturday morning because we were expecting lots of traffic with the construction of the new stadium, plus the US Open was being held that same weekend. So, I decided to bring along some knitting. Unfortunately, I never picked up my needles once. There is just too much going on at a baseball game. And by the way, Mets won against the LA Dodgers, 3-2. GO METS!!

Well, Sunday morning I finished up these socks. Originally they were meant for a Christmas present, but my oldest daughter saw them and wanted them immediately. So now they are hers. These are Broadripple socks from Knitty by Rob Matyska. Love, love, love this pattern. So easy to understand!! The only thing I wasn't thrilled about was the sock cuff. I don't like to purl so getting through these rounds were tough!! I used Knitpicks Dancing on these and I think it worked out well.

This is my lovely daughter showing off her new socks.

I was also able to knit up an apple dishcloth and start on another called "Swish with a Twist". I'll be happy when this one is finished. Mine is not looking like the picture on the pattern.

Fall colors and an oak leaf

2006-09-08T10:10:00.000-05:00

Here's my Monthly Dishcloths August KAL all finished off. I NEED A NEW CAMERA!! Anyway, this is a leaf done up in SnC wine. I'm thinking about looks for some other fall colors and knitting up a couple more to give as a gift. I'll have to look at Michaels or AC Moore this weekend. But I need to get all unfinished projects finished up so I can be ready for SOCK WARS and the Sock-ret Pal swap starting soon.

Back to School

2006-09-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

Today the girls finally went back to school! It's been a very long summer! Amanda is my oldest and will be a junior this year. Missy is in 8th grade this year. Needless to say, neither were really excited about going back to school (so they say), but my oldest was up a 4:30 this morning and bouncing off the walls, and my youngest had to model her first day of school outfit for me last night. So no matter what they say, I think they are ready to get back and into a routine again. And so am I!! They were thrilled about posing for these pictures for me so early in the morning, but I can't break tradition now, I always have to get that first day shot!

In my knitting world, I signed up for two more swaps yesterday. One is the Knitter's tea swap. Should be fun, I 'm mostly a coffee drinker, but I love to try new teas, and usually have a cup before going to bed. I also signed up for Sock Wars. I was a little hesitant when I first read the rules, only because I still consider myself a novice when it comes to making socks, but what the heck, I may be the first to die, but it will still be a lot of fun!! Of course, I haven't told hubby about these yet!!

I am finally making some progress with the purse for my knitted purse swap partner, Tara. I found a pattern that I'm pretty confident that she will like, but was really stressing out with the colors, didn't know which way to go with it, but I've got the colors finally figured out, just hoping to order the yarn today so that I can get it started. I'm excited to see how it turns out, and I have a couple little surprises up my sleeve also! That's all I can say!

What do a lizard and a sock have in common?

2006-09-04T11:56:00.000-05:00

As soon as I finished up my last pair of socks, I got these Broadripple socks from Knitty cast on. What an easy pattern...and so pretty!! The yarn is Knitpicks Dancing. I love the way these are knitting up, almost like a rippling pool. (I also have to admit, reminded me of the weather maps showing the hurricaines lately!). Anyway, I was outside feeding the bunnies, and noticed that the mosaic tile lizard I bought earlier this summer and who makes his home on my rock in the back yard, has the same coloring as my socks, so I couldn't resist taking a picture.

Well, I should have this first sock finished up tonight, so hopefully I can have the second one done by the end of the week! Yee haw, my first sock of the month for the SAM2, and another Christmas present finished!!

Butterfly rib socks --- DONE!!!

2006-08-31T20:40:00.000-05:00

Well, here they are!! I wish my camera took better pictures, because they just don't do them justice. The pattern is just what it implies, butterflies.

They are so pretty and delicate. Unfortunately, not for me. I'm giving these to my mom for her birthday next month.

I feel so good!! I am finally caught up on all my knitting (except for my shrug....I really need to get back to that). So now I am ready for a new pair of socks, two dishcloth KALs starting tomorrow, and my purse for the knitted purse swap. Just need to get the yarn (and maybe needles?) for that and I'll be all set! Feels so good to be ready to start new projects!!!

Lots of surprises in the mail!!

2006-08-30T10:28:00.000-05:00

Well, I had a wonderful package in the mail yesterday. I received my package from the first exchange I have done with the dishcloth exchange group that I recently joined. My swap partner Jennifer gave me a wonderful pink dishcloth with a heart. So beautiful. She also included a few other goodies which I am looking forward to trying out!! Thank you Jennifer, I hope you enjoy my package as well! What fun!

Well, this weekend my mother and brother in law were visiting from Florida. It turned out to be a rainy cold weekend, so most of it we spent indoors. Well, you can see here, my Josie made herself very comfortable laying on a pillow, and playing with her duckie. Sometimes I wonder if she realizes she is a dog????

And lastly, but certainly not least, I received a surprise package in the mail last weekend!! My KH swap pal, Sandy, aka Carolina Red, send me a wonderful thank you gift. In one of our e-mails, we had discussed Xmas presents. So Sandy decided to raid her stash and send some Xmas yarn my way!! Also included were a couple of Xmas craft books and two McCalls needlework magazines. I'm sure I will find wonderful things to make with this yarn. Sandy is so terrific!!

A couple new dishcloths and sock WIP

2006-08-24T13:11:00.000-05:00

Here's the progress I've made on my butterfly rib sock. It seems to take FOREVER using #1 needles, but the pattern in this yarn is wonderful!! These will be a b-day for my mom, but I'm seriously considering keeping them for myself!! I'm trying to get these done by the end of the month so I can enter them into the sock-a-month 2!

I also have a couple more dishclothes done. The yellow is from the Monthly Dishcloths mid-August KAL. Love this!! The second is a starfish that I made out of Sugar and Cream's Summer Splash. The colors in this are so bright and fun!! I'll be giving this one away also!

My garterlac dishcloth

2006-08-18T10:19:00.000-05:00

I started this three days ago!! I kept frogging because I thought I was messing it up!! Once I was able to see one in progress and how it should look, I was able to breeze right through it. It really is a fun pattern to do, and this is one dc that I will do again!! Now I need to catch up on my other knitting!!

A new pair of socks!!

2006-08-15T13:09:00.000-05:00

Just cast on this morning my new pair of socks using my yarn swap yarn. I love this yarn!! The colors are beautiful . The picture doesn't do it justice at all. Im trying a pattern called butterfly rib socks. So far its easy going.

I also just signed up today for sock-a-month 2 KAL. I've got plans for so many socks, that I figured I might as well. Should be fun.

Also, last week I signed up for the knitted purse swap. I love bags, so this should definitely be fun. Today's the last day, so contact Beckysue33@hotmail.com to sign up!!

Stashbuster weekend project

2006-08-14T09:47:00.000-05:00

I decided this weekend that I really needed to dig into my stash and start using some of it. So I found a ball of Lion Brand Suede Print. I don't remember why I bought it, but the colors were so pretty, I figured it had to be something. I decided on a purse. I found a cute pattern for a ruffled purse and started. This is the pattern here: http://zephyrstyle.com/f/TWITTERPATED_purse.pdf

Anyway, I found that the purse came out much smaller than I imagined, but it will still be a cute little bag for my daughter. The yarn is so soft, it kind of looks like chenille. I did not like working with it though. I found that my hands would start to ache while knitting it and it left a weird feeling on my hands after knitting with it. It took just about the whole ball, and then I went to Joann Fabrics and found a cute little hand. I even made my first attempt at lining a purse. I still need so more practice on that, but I'm happy with they it turned out. I just need to find some kind of clasp or closure for it and it will be all so to go!! This was a pretty quick project. I cast on Friday night, and finished the lining Sunday night.

I think it's just perfect for my daughter!!

Couldn't resist showing off my little Josie. We just put a new comforter on the bed, so I've been trying to keep her off of it, so that I'm not always trying to get rid of dog hairs, so she has improvised and found the perfect place for her naps!! What could be better?? A blanket and a pillow to rest her head!! Yea, she's my little princess!!

My socks are done! (and other things too!)

2006-08-08T11:52:00.000-05:00

Well, they are finally done!!! Just finished them up last night. I love the way they came out. This was my first time using size 2 DPN's, and I have to admit, it seems like they took forever!! But definitely like the result!! I will be giving these to my sister soon for her birthday.

Here's the latest monthydishcloths KAL. Turns out to be a lighthouse. I almost wish that I had chosen a lighter color for this cloth, but I still think it came out nice. In the beginning I actually thought we were knitting up a spider!!

Now, onto my shrug!! After trying at least three times, I finally got the seam done for the one sleeve! I'm still not sure I'm totally satisfied with it, but for a first attempt Im happy. Once I get the other sleeve all knit and seamed I will make my decision. I love the way the ruffle looks!! Now that Ive got my socks done, I can concentrate some more on this shrug. I'm way ahead of schedule on this one, as it will be a Xmas present. Yea!!

It's too hot to knit!!

2006-08-02T13:04:00.001-05:00

Ugh!!!! Way too hot to do anything!! I haven't got too much knitting done this week because I have just not been motivated. The heat just zaps all my energy and makes me bitchy!!! I'm still trying to get my second sock done for my sister. Her birthday is on Friday. I was able to get the seaming done on one arm of my shrug. That was painful. I hate seaming!! I'll post pictures soon.

Here's my two lovely bunnies. They are still babies, but they are so big. I've been checking on them frequently in this heat. As you can see in the picture, I brought them out a bowl of ice water. They enjoyed it for a couple minutes, then proceeded to tip it right over!! The tan one on the right is Paisley Sue. In the background is Daisy May. My husband checked on them this afternoon and they were laying on top of each other in their hutch not moving around too much, so we made the decision to bring them inside out of the heat for a few hours. Right now they are in my daughter's bedroom with the AC going. They seem to be pretty comfortable. They are both just laying around right now.

Well if anything this hot weather has been good for my plants and flowers. I 've got tons of flowers on my pepper plants, and this is the first to start growing. I swear, since yesterday, this pepper has doubled in size. Its a jalapeno!!

This pretty flower is called a foxglove (??? I think). I planted these in the spring around my dogwood and this is the first to bloom. It is so pretty!!

First sock from YS yarn is finished!

2006-07-28T11:48:00.000-05:00

I just finished up my first sock from the yarn I received from my KH yarn swap pal. This is the first time I knit this pattern and I'm pretty happy with it. It was a fairly easy pattern. It does look a bit small, but there is a lot of stretch, especially with this type of pattern. This will be a birthday present for my sister next month. Now I just need to get started on my second one!!

I found this pattern on Knitting Pattern Central and its called a lacy mock cable.

Mid-July dishcloth KAL finished!

2006-07-27T12:20:00.000-05:00

The mid-July KAL was this pretty mock cable lace pattern. I absolutely love the yarn I used on this. I can't remember the name, but its from S&C. It almost looks like its tie-dyed. Anything, this was a fun one. I always look foward to this KAL's and what we will be knitting next!

The yellow dishcloth I knit up for my KH yarn swap pal. She is a big tea drinker and I thought this might be nice for her kitchen!

Yarn Swap Reveal!

2006-07-27T11:28:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I finally received my second package and discovered who my KH yarn swap pal was!! Thank you Gardenmommy!! You were the best swap pal and I love every single gift you sent.

The stitch markers are absolutely gorgeous and I have already tried them out !! I have already started a sock with my new yarn also! I was itching to make so more socks, so I was excited when I received my new yarn. I love the color of the Trekking yarn. I think these socks will be a birthday present for my sister next month. Not sure, I might want to keep them for myself!!

I also sent my final package to my receiving yarn swap pal. Her name is Carolina Red. She seemed to be very pleased with her package also so I'm happy!! This swap was so much fun and I'm kind of sad to see it over. I cant wait for the next one!

My shrug is coming along!

2006-07-14T09:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I think my shrug is coming along nicely. After having to frog the first sleeve, I have just sped through to where I'm now on the back. I'm still having a couple of concerns. First, I had to cast on 100 stitches for the back. I used the loop method using my thumb and inserting the needle into it. I'm really not liking the way the cast on looks. The stitches seem to be really loose. Second all those stitches I cast onto the circular needle were getting all twisted!! I was careful and they don't appear to be twisted. Thirdly, all those stitches!! I'm decreasing now, and I'm just hoping I end up with the correct amount of stitches!!!!

All in all, this pattern has been relatively simple. This is my first real project like this and I was so worried that I wouldn't understand what the pattern was telling me. It was like a foreign language! But, I been taking it one step at a time, and now I can finally see how this pattern is going, and how its becoming a shrug!

On the homefront, it's been an exciting week. My 16 year old daughter got her driving license on Wednesday. We've now entered a whole new phase of parenting!!

More dishcloth pictures!

2006-07-07T11:17:00.000-05:00

Not great pictures, but the first is my July dishcloth KAL, and the second is my music notes dishcloth that I made for my swap pal!

Forgot them on my last post!!

A productive sorta week

2006-07-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

Well, I was able to get a few dishcloths made over the last week. My sister had mentioned that she wanted some more, so since her birthday is next month, I figured I would knit her up a bunch. I really love the Chinese waves round dishcloth. So easy, and so fast to whip up!! I'm definitely making a few more of those!

As far as the shrug is going, well I ended up frogging the whole thing and starting from scratch. I had gotten all the way to the end, measured it and found out it was too long! My gauge was only a few stitched off width wise, but length was, the gauge was way off. I think this was because I was doing it on a circular needle. So anyway, I decided to go with a size smaller straight needle. I'm using size 4 now, and everything seems to be going well so far. My gauge is always different with circulars, seems that it stretches more and increases the gauge in length if that makes sense. Anyways, my fault I didn't do a swatch I guess.

Just ordered some sock yarn to start on socks for Xmas presents. Looking forward to that. Also got yarn for my swap pal, so I'm looking forward to getting it and packaging it all up to send to her!

I also completed my second monthly dishcloth KAL. What a fun one to knit up. A dolphin jumping in the waves. No sure if I will keep this one or give it away!

Also knit up a dishcloth with music notes to give to my swap pal, since she enjoys music. Hope she likes it!

Can I do this???

2006-06-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

First of all, I'm getting plenty of dishclothes made up to give as gifts, but it seems that as soon as I make one, I give it away right away!! Here's the watercan dishcloth I'm working on now, and waiting for the new dishcloth KAL to start tomorrow, I've got my yarn already!! My sister had asked for more, so I'm knitting her up some to give for her b-day next month.

Well, I've decided that it was time for me to move on to something bigger than just dishclothes and socks, which seems to be all I've been knitting lately. I decided on this shrug I saw in Family Circle Easy Knitting. I was lucky enough to have some KnitPicks Shine in green apple that I had bought for a tank top that I was going to knit up, but unfortunately, I never got very far with that.

I cast on the sleeve three night ago, and I'm finding the pattern pretty simple to read so far!! Hopefully it will continue. I'm hoping to have this done by Christmas as gift for someone. I just hope I don't get frustrated and put it away. I am going to do this!!!

My adventures in kool-aid dyeing

2006-06-23T10:10:00.000-05:00

My terrific KH Yarn Swap Pal sent me as my first package this kit for kool-aid dyeing. I was a little intimidated at first, because I wasn't sure how complicated the process would be, but boy, it turned out to be super simple, and I loved the results. Most of all, it didn't make the mess I thought it would! And the microwave is a big timesaver!! I think I used a total of five 2-minute intervals. Halfway through the process, I realized that I should have dissolved the kool-aid a bit more, because most of it was sitting on the bottom and only being absorbed by the bottom yarn. Well at that point, I stirred it up, and let it continue, thinking I had probably messed up this batch. (I only started with two small bowls of yarn because I wanted to experiment first before doing it all). Anyway, at the end, I think it turned out great!! It looks like it was handpainted and has that tie-dye effect. Now I cant wait to get the rest dyed! I'm thinking about just dyeing the yarn in small sections will all kinds of different colors, and then maybe making a scarf out of it in the end for my daughters, since they already said how much they loved the colors. I will definitely do this again. Thanks again to my KH yarn swap pal who introduced me to it all!!

My first dishcloth from Monthly Dishcloth KAL

2006-06-20T15:18:00.000-05:00

Yea!! I had to frog three times before getting it right, and I think I probably should have pulled tighter in the center when seaming it, but overall I'm pretty happy with the result. It's different when knitting something and you have no idea what it is going to be!! I think I was on row 12 before I really knew what it was going to turn out to be!! Lots of stitches to cast on, but definitely worth it! I'm going to knit up at least a couple more of these, there really isn't too much time involved in these once you get all the stitches on. Its definitely too pretty to use though!

My blog beginnings

2006-06-20T09:56:00.000-05:00

Even though I am pretty computer illiterate, I finally decided to start this blog. I basically just wanted a spot where I could show off my knitting projects. It will be nice to have a log where I can see all my work.

A little bit about me: My name is Tammy, I'm 39 years old. I have two very delightful, yet at times devilish, teenage daughters, 13 and 16. Need I say more?? I will post pictures of my angels soon.
I started knitting about a year ago. It started when I was watching my daughter learn to knit. My mom had taught her the basics, casting on and the knit stitch. While watching her, I just decided that I wanted to try too, so she taught me what she knew, and with a little help (okay, a lot) from KnittingHelp.com, I've finally gotten to the place I am today. I've still got a long way to go, but I'm always learning something new. For me, knitting is so relaxing and comforting, and yet to see something take form where there was nothing by a ball yarn, is just amazing to me.

Well, that's me in a nutshell!