Non-Christmas Knitting

About the time that I should be all finished knitting Christmas presents, I still have 1 gift to start! I grew tired of knitting slippers long, long before 3 pair were finished, let alone 4, so I think that I will make my dad a pair of socks rather than the slippers that I had intended. As I didn't have a gift for him, I made an extra large batch of gingerbread cookies, which he loves. I think he really liked them. The other many, many Christmas gifts that I knitted were all very appreciated and will be worn for a long time. This makes me so very happy. I received a voice mail from my sister, yesterday, saying that her son really likes the snowman sweater vest! I could hardly believe that she brought up that rather than the toy car that my husband bought for him.
About the time I tired of knitting slippers, I started to work on these socks for me. I finished them on Christmas and really like them.

Weekend Knitting

I accomplised much, this weekend. I finished felting the second pair of slippers and moved on to some other things. One project that I worked on for a while are a pair of lacy socks for me. I almost feel guilty, but wanted to knit socks and don't want to start a pair that might not be finished in time for Christmas gift giving, so I'll knit for me. I also spent some more time working on a pair of Moss Grid Hand Towels for my guest bathroom. I finished the first of 4 skeins of yarn that I purchased for this project. Finally, I knit an entire scarf on Saturday afternoon for my SIL. We had a Christmas party planned with my dh's family on Sunday and she had asked for a scarf that was, "Short, soft and like Emily's [her daughter]" I wasn't exactly sure what she had in mind, but when I was in the Village YArn and Tea, I saw a shop sample that had been knit up that seemed to fit the bill. It is the Ruffled Scarf which was a free pattern with purchase of 1 skein of yarn from the store. Since they had everything I needed all together, I bought a skein of a pale blue-gray and went home to knit. I put on the latest disk from Blockbuster.com (Monk :) ) and began to wind the skein into a ball. By the end of 4 episodes plus the extras on the disk, the scarf was finished, with the ends woven in. What a great, quick knit. I may even make a couple more of these for other gifts!

2 more down!!

After a really long time in the washer, the green felted clogs are finally finished!! My husband says that they should fit his dad perfectly! Somehow, one is a little bigger around the foot than the other, which really surprised me. I didn't want to let that one stay in longer as it is already a little shorter. Oh, well...It will still fit fine. I've been knitting on more of these slippers, but am knitting the next smaller size so that they don't have to spend as long felting. I have the next pair in the washer, now, and am almost finished with another half pair.
In other knitting news: I finished my oldest UFO! The Pink Sweater is done and drying. In the picture you can see the blocking wires are still in it. I'm hoping that both projects will be dry this evening so that they can be wrapped. I am working to have no more than 3 gifts to wrap at a time and have 1 more ornament that I bought Thursday, so that's 3.
On Thursday, I took the day off from work to go shopping with my mom. We had been looking for some time to "hang out" and that seemed perfect. Neither of us likes going to the mall during the Christmas season, at least certainly not on the weekend. So, Thursday it was. She picked me up at 9:45 and that way we were there around the time when they usually open. (I don't think they opened any earlier that day, but we couldn't have made it earlier any way.) My sister met us there and we shopped together for an hour and a half, or so, until she needed to get home to meet her preschooler's carpool. Mom and I continued to shop and then stopped at Starbucks before heading home. We picked up my little brother at school, and then headed out again, this time with my SIL in tow. It surprised me how we looked at such different things with each group. We really accomplished very much on Mom's list. She needed help shopping for my husband and my brother (SIL's husband.) Taking the wife always helps, right? :) So, the day was fun and everyone enjoyed themselves very much.

More Christmas presents

I was at a loss as to what could be made for some of the men in my family. I decided on felted slippers. While at Village Yarn & Tea, last Saturday, I picked up enough for 4 pairs. The first is done. I felted them last night & this morning! While the pattern said that it needed 850 yards, I used only 660 (almost exactly I put the remaining yarn in the photo) and they're still HUGE! They should be a perfect match for the guy with the largest feet, FIL, with a size 13. The next 3 pairs, I plan to use the men's medium, instead of large so they're a little smaller. The yarn is Cascade 220, 3 skeins.

He likes them!

On Friday night, we had a birthday party for dh with his parents. I gave him the Spiralling socks that I had made him. They fit great and he like the color and fit of these better than the Huskies Socks I made him before. (The legs are longer. I would have made the last pair longer, but I was running out of yarn. That's a lesson for me: use a skein that has at least 450 yards and use a size 2 needle rather than a 1.) I've already washed them once and the yarn, Smooshy by Dream in Color, is sooo soft after washing I'm sure he'll like them even better!

Snow!

Yesterday, it snowed! It began snowing in the early afternoon as I was out running errands. I was driving down I-5. There was no precipitation of any kind. Then, I crossed a bridge and the snow just started! I was surprised, and being Seattle, everyone was braking to slow from 55 to 30mph. It wasn't even sticking, yet! I arrived home safely, and decided that I would still go down to Village Yarn & Tea to visit with my knitting friends. Two of the them made it. We had a great time sipping tea in the warm store, while watching the snow cover the trees across the street from the store. It wasn't even too bad to drive home in!
After I was home, I still enjoyed watching it fall while I did my weekly dinner cooking. I made 4 dishes which usually net us 2 dinners per dish. Needless to say that gives us lots of food that is already to go. (I just lift a dish out the night before and dh reheats it the next night.) We get better nutrition and I don't have to worry about cooking when I'm tired from working all day. This really helps us avoid the fast food/take-out trap. Lately, I've been enjoying cooking from the book Meals in Minutes by Sue Gregg. We've had chili, pasta, rice, chicken, and soup. I haven't even had to make changes to any of the meals. We like them exactly how she has written the recipe.

Christmas Questionare

I've copied this from Jen. It sounds like such a wonderful idea! :)

Welcome to the 'Christmas Edition' of getting to know your friends.Okay, here's what you're supposed to do and try not to be a SCROOGE!!!Just copy this entire email and paste into a new blank e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so they apply to you.
Then, send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person who sent it to you. It's the season to be cheerful!!! :-)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? paper. I just love the look of many different gold and silver papers with big bows of 2 inch wide ribbon!
2. Real or Artificial tree ? Real, we’re going to cut one on Saturday
3. When do you put up the tree? This weekend. We usually try for the first weekend of December.
4. When do you take the tree down? Jan 1.
5. Do you like Eggnog? Yes, especially with a little extra nutmeg and thinned down with a little milk.
6. Favorite Gift you received as a child? A handmade quilt from my mom.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Of course! I collect them, so I usually have a difficult time finding good places for them all.
8. Hardest person to buy for? the guys: Dad, FIL, and brothers
9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom & sister. Mom is easy to knit for and I can usually find something to buy/knit for my sister, too.
10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? Why would I want to remember that?
11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail? You're supposed to send them? I usually start out with great intentions, but then just never finish. We see nearly all of our family members and friends during the season, as they all live in western Washington.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas. Who doesn't like Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye? (Of course, the ladies are great, too.)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? January. I had a couple of my gifts finished and wrapped in October.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Never the same year, but I have added to/changed something that was given me and re-gifted it.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Turkey.
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear. I like the sophistication that it gives the tree. My husband is always wanting all blue lights, but they just aren't very bright. Those usually go in the front window.
17. Favorite Christmas Song? Too many good ones to choose just one!
18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? All of our family is here, so the only travelling we do is the 5 miles or so to my parents on Christmas Eve and then to my in laws on Christmas Day.
19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer? Nope.
Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? Angel. I keep wanting to make one as I'm not too wild about the one we have now. All it takes is time! :)
21. Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Christmas Eve at parents and then at home and with in laws on Christmas Day.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Selfish consumerism and dissatisfaction with what people already have: me, me, me.
23. Shopping...mall or online? shop? Most of my gifts are knitted, so I just go to the stash or maybe the yarn store.
24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) Mostly inside. We live in a Condo and there really isn't anywhere that would be convenient to decorate outside.
25. Favorite Christmas cookie? I like to make sugar cookies with colored icing, but prefer to eat banana or zucchini bread.
26. Do you own Christmassy clothing or jewelry? No, mostly just dressy.
27. Do you believe in Santa? No.

2 FOs in one night!

I finished the Spiralling Socks. I decided to give them to my dh as a birthday gift, instead of Christmas. His birthday was last Wednesday, but we're having a family party with his parents tonight, so they're all wrapped and waiting to go. These were knit with Dream In Color Smooshy on US size 2 dpns.
I was on a little bit of a high, after finishing one of my oldest UFOs, so I finished up the Stulpen for my SIL's Christmas gift. The yarn is a little more blue than it seems to look in the picture. These were knit with Butternut Woolens Merino sock yarn on US size 3 needles.

After finishing 2 projects, woohoo, I started a new one. This is the Moss Grid Hand Towel from Mason Dixon, using Elann Camila on size 4 needles. The fabric is wonderfully drapey and soft. It also feels like it will be very absorbent which, of course, is desired in a hand towel.
I'm still working on the Lucy Top and have about 7 inches of the front knit. I've held it up to the back and the gauge seems to be going pretty well with the smaller needle. I may not love it, or working on it, but my mom saw it again and just couldn't say enough good about the softness of the yarn and the color. I'm sure she'll love it when its finished, too. Thanks for all the well wishes on the gauge for this one. Now, if I can just stay motivated to finish it!

Another pair of socks FINISHED!

I finished these socks, yesterday. They are the September Sockamania pattern, Noughts 'N Crosses. Yes, I know, from September!! They were fun, but I caught startitis back in September and never went back to them. I finally started trying to finish things this past week and have done a pretty good job! I also have the August pattern to finish, Spiralling socks. Those are past the heel on the second sock. They are a Christmas gift, so I need to get them done before too long.
In the spirit of finishing, I pulled out the sweater I was planning to give my Mom for Christmas. Its less than a third done, so I pulled out another project, the Lucy Top from Wendy Knits. I finished the second sleeve, which I had already started, but the gauge is off. I'm going to try going down a needle size, today, and see if that gets the original gauge back. If it does not, I'll have to frog it. This sweater was originally started for me, but I decided I don't like the yarn. Mom has seen me working on it, and loves it, so it would be a great gift.

SP11 Reveal and a FO

When I arrived home, last night, I found a DHL package waiting for me. I was from Karen, my Secret Pal! She sent 4 skeins of yarn, a great slipper pattern from Fiber Trends and some pear soap. The package had a lovely faint scent of pear when I opened it. Thanks, Karen!
The party last night was fun. We heard John Curly speak from Evening Magazine. We all thoroughly enjoyed listening to him talk about his experiences before the days of being a television star.

With all the riding in the car that I did, yesterday, I finished the second Leaf Lace sock! When I sat back in the car to leave the party, I wanted to look at the first sock to see how far I had left to go before starting the toe. I was shocked to find that the sock was not in my purse! However, I thought I knew when to stop. I have never been so happy for a long row count for each repeat, as it was pretty obvious where to end in order for the sock to fit. Arriving home, I went through my purse and the car looking for the missing sock and did not find it! I kept knitting, hoping that it would show up. When I stepped up into the van, this morning, I still didn't see it. After getting out of the van, at work, I decided to make one last search and found it! The sock had dropped out of my purse yesterday morning on the way to work. Since I am at work the picture doesn't show off the detail of the lace, but I really wanted to show that I had them finished! I will have to take a better picture this weekend, though. :)

Hmmm...

I've finished the first Leaf Lace sock and have the second one past the heel already! Once these are done, I really need to get back to Christmas presents. I have more socks to knit and I'd really like to make some mittens, gloves and a pair of fingerless mitts. I still have the high goal of making something for everyone. :) If I don't start knitting for them instead of me, I won't make it!

Tonight we have our first "Christmas Party" of the season with my dh's work. The Snohomish County Dental Association always hold a dinner on the Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. There doesn't seem to be much of a holiday theme to it. So, after work tonight, I'll rush home, change clothes and then we'll pick up my mom. (Dad, as a dentist, has to be there early.)

Beeaaauuutiful!

When I arrived home last night, I found a package waiting for me. I won a contest through one of my Ravelry groups and the yarn has come! It is Elann's Peruvian Highland Wool, 6 skeins to make this shawl. I have so many shawls either on the needles or planning to be, that it will have to wait a while. Also, the pattern intended is so much like the Luna Moth Shawl which I have on the needles in about the same color of cotton, instead of wool.
After starting the November Sockamania pattern, Ripples, and the ripping it out as I went down a needle size, when I shouldn't, I started Fiber Trends Leaf Lace Socks, instead. I started on Wednesday night and am in the middle of the heel flap, now. The yarn is Socks that Rock Lightweight. This yarn is so soft and beautifully dyed. It is also well twisted so that there are no splits happening when I am knitting. I probably should be working on Christmas presents, but the call of this yarn was too great for me! :)

One More Gift Finished

Here are the finished Garter Rib Socks from the book Sensational Knitted Socks. They were knit on size 2 needles with color Cherries Garcia from Yarnlust. The yarn is a bit on the thin side for my taste, but it is so soft and the color so brilliant that I love them. I am quite surprised at how different looking the 2 socks turned out. I hope the intended recipient (my MIL) likes them!

A FO!!

It still needs a good blocking, but the Fall Jacket is done!! I couldn't be happier with the pattern and yarn combination. I even had the perfect buttons in my stash. They're black with a subtle blue, metallic snowflake on them.

Weekend

This past weekend at Lake Retreat was GREAT! The days showed clear weather, only getting rainy and cold in the evenings. The speaker was very inspirational and a great time of ladies fellowship was had by all. During free time on Saturday, I knitted for a while and then walked around lake twice with two different groups of friends. I came home pretty tired, as I stayed up too late both nights...But it was so worth it! I did get quite a bit of knitting done, most if it was on the Garter Rib socks, so my Fall Jacket is still about 2-3 hours away from being finished. I finished the first sock and started the second one on Saturday morning. In the van pool, today, I finished turning the heel. I'm so happy to be in the home stretch on these socks. I want to start another pair, this month's Sockamania pattern.

2 Weeks?!

Its difficult to believe that it has been almost 2 weeks since I last posted...I've been knitting steadily on a dark blue cardigan sweater. I am almost done knitting all the pieces and then there is a considerable amount of ribbing to be knitted on. I'll take a picture for posting next week. I have so many projects on the needles, that I keep asking myself why I started this one. Don't get me wrong, I love the pattern (#101-16 from Drops.) It has been so fun to knit and just about the time I tire of the stitch pattern, I have some ribbing that can be worked on instead! The real reason I started this sweater: I am cold and need an extra layer to wear! :) This one will be dressy enough to wear to work and yet not so dressy as I wouldn't wear it with jeans on the weekend.

Tomorrow, I'm off work to get packed for a weekend away with the ladies from church. We're going to stay at Lake Retreat for the weekend. There are several people that are going that want to learn to knit, so I'm taking some supplies that they can buy from me and I'll teach them. 2 of the 3 that usually meet with me on Saturday afternoons are going, too. I'm very excited to be going and looking forward to a weekend of relaxation and relaxing. It sure would be great to finish my sweater before going, but I don't think there are enough knitting hours left until then.

Finished!

I finished sewing on the ties for the baby sweater that I started on Tuesday! It still needs washing/blocking, which I'll get done the next time I do laundry. Since there is a baby expected to my brother's family soon, I had such fun knitting this one. I often knit items to save for baby showers, so I'm not entirely certain if I'll end up giving this particular sweater to them or not, but it sure is fun!

One Day Project

On Tuesday, I was looking for a project that could be started and finished in a day. I have many knitting books checked out from the library right now, and so I chose a simple baby sweater from one of those books, "Minnies: Quick Knits for Babies and Toddlers." This is the Koko Kimono. I began by looking through the book for projects that I liked. Next, I opened my box of stash yarn and found that I had 3.5 skeins of sock yarn. The yarn is fingering weight and the pattern calls for DK, so I used it double. (Now that I have it nearly done, it looks like I'll have enough yarn leftover to make matching socks and a hat!) That day, I finished all but the ties and one sleeve. I finished the second sleeve last night and finished half the ties on the way to work this morning! I hope I'll have them all done by the time I arrive home tonight and that I'll be able to sew them on and wash the sweater. I previously made my MIL a pair of socks from the other 1.5 skeins that I purchased. The yarn, Sock-It-To-Me, is a bit rough feeling. Being superwash wool mixed with nylon, it does hold up well to multiple washings, though. I've also noticed that after several washings the finished project softens, so I'll probably wash the sweater a couple times in hopes that it will soften before I give it as a gift.

SP11 Package!

Yesterday, I wasn't feeling very well and stayed home from work. My Secret Pal brightened my day with a package! She sent soap, a scarf with a shawl pin and 5 skeins of yarn! I'm already looking for a pattern for each yarn. I wear shawls often, so I'm sure the pin will get used much. The scarf is beautiful. The yarn feels and looks a little like Malabrigo, which I absolutely love!

Thanks, Secret Pal!!

Updates!

I finished the Elegance socks last Friday night. The pattern is this month's Sockamania pattern. In preparation for teaching a friend to knit socks, I knit these on a size 1 circular needle using the Magic Loop Method. I still find it rather fiddle-y, but after making a whole pair, I've decided its not so bad! :)
Since my last 3 FOs were sweaters, I've not felt like doing more sweater knitting. So, I moved on to socks! I had 3 pairs already on the needles, so I decided to continue on to work on some of those old WIPs.
I have been working on the Spiralling Socks (Sockamania from August 07.) I am nearly ready to start turning the heel on the second sock. Finally!!
I've also been working on the Noughts 'n Crosses sock. (This is the September Sockamania pattern.) I'm almost ready to start the toe decreases for the first sock. I'm using Panda Cotton which is somewhat splitty, so I've not been working on these much. I will finish at some time though, as I imagine they'll be comfy to wear.
Having finished the Elegance socks, on Friday night, I started another sock. This one is from More Sensational Socks, a book that I checked out from the library. I'm using the garter rib pattern and am almost finished with the first sock, already! The yarn is from Yarn Lust on Etsy. It is thinner than the other yarns I've been using lately, so it took some getting used to . I'm doing these on the size 1 circular that I used for the Elegance socks. Its coming out quite well, though I do like the way that the yarn patterns better on the bottom of the foot than the top! The heel and toe are my absolute favorite.
I started the Garter rib sock over at my MIL house while we were visiting on Friday. I intended the sock to be a Christmas present for her. She knows that I am knitting many of my gifts this year, so she had no idea it was for her. So, she saw the green socks that I just finished for my brother, and told me that she didn't really like the red, brown and pink color, but needed green! So, whats a good DIL to do, but cast on another green sock! I may give her both pairs since the red sock is a little big to fit any one else that I plan on gifting socks to this year.
This green sock was cast on while I was teaching my friend to knit socks, Saturday. I didn't finish much on it because I was setting it down while she worked the next instruction. I worked on the Garter Rib sock while waiting for her to do the step I'd just shown her.
We had such a good time sitting at Village Yarn & Tea. The group is up to 4 people now, with another planning to come the first chance she gets! This whole thing started with just one acquaintance at church asking for a little help and has turned into such wonderful friendships. I have never been happier to become a part of something so seemingly accidentally. God had a plan for me and it has been played out so well, adding a few unexpected people to what started as a one on one. I love it!

Elegance Update

I've been knitting like crazy on my Elegance socks. I have the first one past the heel and am starting to work on the cabling. I tried the sock on, last night, and it fits me, but a little loosely. I plan to have my 16 year old brother, who is staying with us while our parents are on vacation, try it on tonight. I'm also hoping that he will know the approximate foot sizes of our brothers and brother in law, so that I can know that the sock will fit, without having to give away the surprise. Sneaky, sneaky, hmm?

Project Updates

I've been knitting away on the Elegance sock, but on Monday, realized that it was huge!! When calculating the increased size, I added twice the stitches that I meant to, not thinking about the fact that when you add 9 stitches to the top of the foot, it adds 9 stitches to the bottom, as well!! They looked big enough for a small elephant. So...rrrriiiipppp! I spent 15 minutes of lunch time on Monday ripping it out and rewinding the yarn into a center pull ball. Then, I spent the last 30 minutes of my lunch finishing the toe. Fortunately, I'm using the "Magic Cast On," which does not require a length of waste yarn. When I started over, I began knitting the pattern as written. It is coming along nicely and I almost have the length back to what it looked like when last I posted!
For this sock, I've been using the Magic Loop method, rather than my standard dpns. I have 2 friends that I've been meeting to knit with on Saturday afternoons that are asking to learn how to knit socks. Neither wants to tackle the "using tiny dpns" thing, so I offered to show them the Magic Loop method. So that I will be ready to teach the method, I thought I ought to practice it. In other knitting group news, we have a new person joining us this Saturday. She has never learned to knit and is going to pick up needles for the first time this weekend! I love teaching, and am looking forward to it.
Lastly, I've added one more WIP to the long, long list. I started knitting a hat for a gift that will be a ski mask, like the helmet liners that knitters are knitting for the troops. I had a special request for it. I started it last night and have it about 1/3 done. I've been having such a great time checking names off the list. When I have finished an item, I wash it, block it, fold some tissue paper into and wrap the gift. I finish by using a sticky note with the receiver's name on it and placing it in storage. This way, I'll only have to pull out the wrapped gifts and add a ribbon and a card! I am hoping to be ultra prepared this year so that I won't have to spend long hours wrapping, etc. Only time will tell whether or not I can keep this up, but I really hope so!

New Projects!!

I finished Hint #1 for Secret of the Stole, this evening!! It looks good and the size will be just right, too! The color is very difficult to photograph, but this is a fairly close representation.



I also started this month's Sockamania sock, Elegance. I added a pattern repeat (9 stitches) to the top of the instep and bottom of the foot, so that it will be a men's large, instead of a women's medium. Its the right size, so far.

Cabled Cardigan is finished!!

Done!! Now, on to more UFOs...Or maybe the Secret of the Stole...Or the latest Sockamania pattern...or another sweater...or the matching hat & mittens for my brother's girlfriend with the leftover yarn from this project. There are so many choices, but so little time to knit!!

Cabled Progress!

I have only a few rows left on the collar for the Cabled Cardigan. I'm hoping to finish these last rows by the time I get home from work today. (I do get knitting time in the van pool and on breaks & lunches, so I'm not being completely unreasonable! :) ) This is so good, as Secret of the Stole begins today and I want to start it! I also have a new sock pattern that I would love to start, but, alas, I still have 2 first socks on the needles and really want to get the pairs finished before starting another one. One of those 2 pairs is for me, and the other is for a Christmas gift. On the gift, I've knit a men's size 12 and its taking forever! I'm finally on the ribbing for the cuff and only have about another 2 inches to go. I do plan on knitting away the weekend and have plans to sew the Cabled Cardigan together, knit the first clue on SotS, and finished the first Spiralling sock. It sounds like a pretty lofty goal, now that I've written it out, but I might make it...

FOs!!

I've finished Shoney the Squid, and while he wasn't as interested in it as the Batman Legos that he received from his parents and grandparents, he did like it! He was such a little ham, all evening. (I'm sure the excitement and a bunch of sugar didn't help! LOL!!)
We were greeted at the door by him, in his Batman costume. I said, "Hey, its Batman!!"
To this, he replied, "Its just a costume. Its me, Caleb, under here!" while holding the face mask back a little so his face could be seen. He greeted each of his aunt's and his uncle's girlfriend in this manner. Of course we each, in turn, had a hearty laugh over that one.
Secondly, I finished all the main pieces for the Cabled Cardigan, tonight. I have the bodice pieces blocking now, but have to wait until they're done to block the sleeves as I don't have quite enough of the longer blocking wires to do it all at once. It looks like the shawl collar and front button and buttonhole bands will take 2-3 balls of yarn, so I still have some amount of knitting left. I'm really hoping to finish most of it tomorrow, as I have the day off from work.
Last Friday was the end of our fiscal year at work. They made a huge push to get as much of the work done as possible. When I managed to get completely caught up and finished all of the work on my desk, I jokingly told my supervisor that I would need to take Monday off as I had no work left to do, and she said, "Go for it...I'll sign the time off request!" So, I did! I'm a little excited to be able to do pretty much whatever I want tomorrow. My husband is also off work, so we'll probably try to spend a little of the day tidying up our downstairs. Right now, its hard to sit at the dining room table for meals, and we have my 16 year old brother staying with us while my parents are on their cruise. Therefore, it would be really nice to be able to sit at the table together for dinners and the like. Many times my husband and I sit on the couch to eat, but that really isn't ideal and does not work for 3 people! I'm looking forward to being able to have meals in this more ideal setting.

Almost Done...

I still have to make eyes for the squid. When I pulled it out of the washer, I looked around quickly for something that I could set it on to dry. Winner? Dh's softball trophy! (I'm kind of surprised he hasn't noticed or made a comment, but its not hurting anything.) Rather than stuffing the toy, I am going to leave the bottom open for him to put on his hand like a puppet. I need to finish this either tonight or tomorrow morning, as his birthday and party are tomorrow!

Cardigan Progress

True to my expectations, I finished the front left of the Cabled Cardigan, last night! Then, on the way to work this morning, I finished the ribbing for the front right. Its coming along nicely and quickly!

Another FO for Christmas

ITS DONE!! The picture just looks like a black blob, but it looks great in person and I'm sure he'll love it

Since Saturday, I've been working on the Cabled Cardigan from Vogue Knitting Fall 2006. Its bulky yarn on US size 10 needles and going very quickly. I have the back finished and the first front ready to start the neck decreases, which come before the

armhole decreases. I forgot to measure soon enough on the front, so I'm currently in the process of frogging a couple rows. I'm really hoping to get this piece finished either today or tomorrow! I'm meeting some friends tonight, so I'm sure to get some done on it as I always have knitting with me, of course!

Saturday's Knitting

On Friday night, I thought for sure I'd finish Durrow. I did finish all the knitting, even the neck ribbing, but still need to finish sewing up the last underarm seam. I moved on to another project on Saturday morning. I'm knitting a sweater for Elann.com. I am liking the project and finished the back on Sunday afternoon! (The yarn is bulky weight and knit on US size 10 needles, so its going pretty quickly. I have the first front almost 1/3 of the way done, too!) I hoping to get this done in record time, so that I can use the store credit that I'm earning to buy yarn for more Christmas presents!

Saturday evening, I also boiled some water to put in the washer for felting my nephew's birthday present. The stitches are still fairly well defined, even after agitating for almost an hour!! I may try it once more, but I'm sure he'll like it even if it doesn't come out exactly how I wanted it to. I knitted Shoney (on 9/15) but I may have used a yarn that was too heavy and then not big enough needles. His birthday is Saturday!

Coming Close...

I've been working on the second sleeve for Durrow over the past few evenings. With all that lovely cabling, it takes time and concentration! I goofed on part of it and had to take out quite a bit to fix it. (I thought I might be able to fix it without ripping, but it didn't work.) I now have 2 of the 3 repeats of the second graph done! (This is about 3/4 of the increases. Then, onto the raglan decreases.) I'm hoping to finish this by Friday. My husband is out of town on a church men's retreat, so it would be the perfect time to block it!

Bristow Finished!

I finished! Yesterday, on our trip to the Zoo, I finished sewing on the buttons for Bristow. I'm very happy with the sweater and am looking forward to seeing how it fits. It was a pleasant knit that I may someday knit for myself as well.
Next up for sweater knitting: back to business on Durrow!

I've also been knitting on the Spiralling Socks, again. I have finished the foot and am finishing the last few heel decreases. The size is coming out correctly, this time and I am much, much happier with the finished result!

Woodland Park with Children's

My employer, Children's Hospital, gave me 4 tickets to the Woodland Park Zoo and made additional tickets available at only $5 each! So, I took my husband, brother and parents to see the animals and have lunch. We arrived at 9:30 (opening time!) and walked around for about 3 hours. There were many lovely animals to enjoy and the scenery is so beautiful. My husband and brother had a great time climbing on the toys and playing tag, as we walked around viewing the animals. We saw most of the park in about 5 hours.


In the morning, the weather was a little drizzly, but not too bad. We went to get lunch (included in tickets from Children's) at around 1:00. After lunch, the weather turned rainy, so we went to see the animals that are viewed indoors. By 3:00, we were all done in and left. Surprisingly, the zoo was quite busy the entire time we were there.

First SP11 Package!

I received my first package from my Secret Pal, tonight! She sent yarn, needles and 2 photo albums for 4x6 photos! Its much appreciated. My SP11 Pal chose my favorite colors!
Thanks, SP!!

It took how long?

When I did arrive home, last night, my husband had chicken and corn on the cob ready to eat for dinner. He surprised me by having it ready when I walked in the door and it was quite good.

Afterward, I sat down to work on the last bit of seaming for Bristow. After about an hour and a half, I only had one sleeve sewn on! I put it away and went to bed. It does look so good, but wow did it take way, way longer than I expected!! Hopefully, I'll have a FO to show tomorrow afternoon. I also spent a little time looking through my small button collection to see if I had buttons that would work for this cardigan. I found one style that I liked, but was 2 buttons short of what I needed. I hope to be able to shop for some cute buttons tomorrow morning.

Secret of the Stole

Remember how I said that I wanted to cast on for a new project? Well, I decided to join in on the fun of Secret of the Stole. I promptly came home and cast on for and finished the swatch. I added a couple rows between repeats, so it is a little off, but it does the trick! I am purposely knitting it in bigger yarn with larger needles so that I will end up with a heavier stole that I can really wrap up in. I've realized, over time, that the shawl that gets the most wear is one that I don't really like, except for the fact that it is knit out of a bulky weight yarn!
Updated to add some details... The yarn is Patons Classic Merino Wool and size 10 needles.

Morning Sweater Weather!

This morning, I woke while it was still dark. I shouldn't have been surprised, but it really sneaked up on me! When I opened the front door to leave for work, my eyes were met with a layer of fog. The beauty of it was not wasted on me. Fall is my favorite season. I love the cool mornings, especially when there is fog. Another thing that I love about fall is feeling the need for a sweater or lightweight jacket. I'm glad that it is not bitterly cold, but just a little coolness to the air. This season also brings with it some of the brightest colors in nature. We have a large maple tree just out our back door that brings many colors into our yard that are not there in the other seasons. What a wonderful group of reminders for how great and creative the mind of God is.

Last night, I finished the remainder of the knitting (the button placket & neck binding) on Bristow. The only thing I have left now is to sew on the sleeves. The yarn is so soft and the stitch definition just perfect. This is one of the few times that I have ever knit a pattern in the same yarn that the designer used, and I love it! I just might have to try this again!!

I've also started back to work on Durrow. I knit the cuff and a little more, then realized that I was missing some of the cabling. I think that I can use a crochet hook and fix it by dropping the stitches and then picking them back up...At least I hope that I can. It would be so great to have 2 more (Bristow and Durrow) Christmas projects finished. Then, I can start another project, right? (Yeah, I know there are 6 other projects on the sidebar, but starting is so much fun. Finishing takes a lot more concentration, though not really less fun. Maybe less exciting?)

New Sockamania Sock

On Monday, I received the latest Sockamania pattern and cast on almost immediately. After working 1 1/2 pattern repeats, I realized that it was too small. So, I ripped it out and started back with slightly larger needles and and extra 2 stitches per repeat. I tried it on and it fits very well! I'm knitting these in Panda Cotton which is very soft and I'm hoping that the touch of elastic in the yarn will make them wear well. My only problem is that the yarn splits very easily and more than once I've realized that several rows before I didn't' knit through all the plies. I did manage to drop that stitch and then fix it with a crochet hook. This is not a very easy task when knitting fair isle, but it was doable and the finished product will stand up to wear much, much better! Since starting the sock, I've been neglecting the many other projects on the needles, so I don't have any progress to show...

Status on Bristow

I've taken lots of time to knit, lately. Of course, nothing else is getting done, but I'm having fun! I've finished the back and front left of Bristow, and have about 2 inches of the front right done. The cabling looks great and I tried something new on this one: bust darts! (If you were thinking, "Why does the front look a little funny?" its because of the dart. When laid flat the piece "bends" at the dart.) I used the calculation method out of Big Girl Knits and found it to work very, very well. I had to guess a little on the numbers to plug into the formulas, as this sweater is a gift, but I guessed a little on the low side (I think) as I wouldn't want to put too much extra fabric in for the bust line and have it bunch up. I'm really hoping that this is the best fitting sweater, ever!!

Another New Project!

When I arrived home, last night, the yarn for Bristow was waiting just inside the front door! Of course, I had to start a gauge swatch immediately! I knit and knit, then measured. It was way, way too small and too firm a fabric! So, I ripped and went up 2 needle sizes. (The yarn is worsted weight and the pattern called for a size 6/4mm to get 19 stitches over 4 inches/10cm. The yarn label calls for a size 7-8 to get the same gauge.) Going up to a size 8/5mm made gauge perfectly and the fabric is still a little drapey. I love it! I started the waist decreases before setting it down to go to bed. I was so into the knitting, I forgot to eat last night. That doesn't happen very often. The only unfortunate thing about starting this project is that I'm using the needle that I need in order to finish the second sleeve for Durrow. I guess it'll just have to wait!