Knittin' and Lovin' It

Updates

Right now I'm lacking the thought power to come up with a great title. I need to put the bathtub crayons back in the shower so I can brain storm on the shower walls. Don't laugh till you try it! I use to write all sorts of stuff on the shower walls: grocery lists, blog topics, things I needed to get done, etc. I swear everything pops into my head when I'm in the shower.

The destash went great. I sold enough so now I have a padding of fallback money for "just in case stuff happens". If I don't have to use it then it will just sit there till I need it to buy something.....never hurts to be prepared. It doesn't look like I'll need it so I picked up two things in the Ravelry ISO/Destash thread that were to good a deal to pass up.

Lets see, what have I been up to. Guess I can start with what I've been knitting on.

I started A Good Stripe Dress (Rav)(non Rav) for Kaity the other day.

Since the original dress in the Interweave Knits Spring 08 issue used yarn that would cost a small fortune ($90)** I subbed it with Knit Picks Shine Sport which is working up beautifully and only cost me around $40. Kaity picked out the colors: pink, purple and silver. I think the dress looks like the color of the bubblegum I use to chew when I was a kid. Surprisingly enough this is moving along quickly even though it's been knit on US 2 1/2/ 3mm needles. I finally stopped knitting on it long enough to weave in all those ends that are hanging around. I've actually finished the last purple stripe and have swapped back to pink again. Right now I'm working on the increases for the skirt portion of the dress.

**$90 isn't horrible if I'm going to make a sweater for myself or Shawn which we would wear for years. Actually I'd spend more then $90. However, $90 is way to much money to spend on a dress that my daughter will only wear for 1, maybe 2 summers.

The Phenomena Socks are moving along.

I have about an inch to go before starting the heel. I'm going to work a short row heel and continue the ribbing up the leg.

I bought this from Woolgirl.

It came in over a week ago but haven't gotten a chance to blog about it since it came in after the last knitting post. It's a Duet kit that comes with Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport, Mountain Colors Bearfoot, and a pattern written by Cat Bordhi just for this kit called Flying Carpet Socks.

My TLE sock club came in too. It's fabulous! If you want to see it head on over to my Flickr page.

My Art Walk Sock Club has also made it here. You can see this one if you head on out to Flickr. I had to stop this one for now. I'll start it again once we're done with the car registration, dogs routine vet bills, kids winter clothes bought, etc, ect, ect.

Finally I can show you the test knit I teased you with.

I knit these stranded socks for MadelineTosh. The pattern isn't available yet but it should be out by the end of the month (July). If you want to see some much better photos head on over to Amy's blog. These are by far the most beautiful socks I've ever knit.

I'm starting another sample knit for Amy. Once I've made enough progress I'll give you all a little teaser. It's a soothing knit!

I've finally decided on a pattern to knit for cousin M's baby. I'm going with Rambling Rows (Rav)(non Rav) and I pretty sure that I'm going to use the colors below.

What do you all think about these colors? It's Cascade 220 Superwash solids and paints. I thought about using a acrylic/wool blend but decided that I'd use wool again. I really like the way the Cascade 220 Superwash holds up with wear....definitely worth spending the little extra for.

Happy Crafting!

A Little Knitting

I think I may have found the flip flops to beat all flip flops. Crocs sent me an email awhile back that had their new shoe line up and lo and behold they had a pair of flip flops....squee! In the summer I wear flip flops but most flip flops aren't geared for foot comfort and a lot of walking. Now all I need to do is find a store that has them in stock. I'd rather try them out in a store then buy them online.

I've been doing a little knitting on my own projects. I'm making great progress on the test knit and am looking forward to starting some socks for myself. I'll probably start a pair for myself here in a few days since the test knit is over the halfway point.

I did finish the sheepy washcloth and soap sack.

I changed the bind off for the soap sack to a picot bind off just because I seem to be obsessed with picot bind offs right now. It's my favorite way to bind off a pair of toe up socks. I can't wait for Woolgirl to get this yarn in stock. It would be great to use for spa sets to give to friends and family for Christmas, birthday, just because, etc. I can't pass up a soft cotton that doesn't kill my hands when I knit with it.

Here's what I ordered from Lion Brand.

I went there to buy the Rambling Rows Afghan (Rav)(non Rav) pattern which is what I'm going to use to make a baby blanket for my cousin and to justify the shipping I threw in a skein of Lion Brands new sock yarn Sock-Ease. The color is Lemon Drop. The yarn feels soft and has aloe in it. I really hope Lion Brand gets more colors and that my LYS, Ben Franklin Crafts or Michaels starts carrying it. Kaity is drooling over the Cotton Candy colorway. Ben Franklin carries Moda Dea Sassy Stripes, Patons Kroy and they use to carry Lion Brands Magic Stripes before it was discontinued. I have high hopes that they will stock this one too.

Yarn bought from Julia's Craft Store. She also has her own website and sells on ebay.

The yarn is Vinca. It's soft and the colors are pretty but I'm not sure who will get socks made out of this, maybe a pair for Kaity and Bree.

Shawn bought me a new drawer set for my knitting.

This twelve drawer set has replaced the 4 drawer set that I use to use. Course the 4 drawer one is holding yarn now. He picked it up from Costco the last time he went. It has a lot more drawers for storing my current WIPs. I love that I can now put my projects into drawers instead of into a bunch of bags. Specially since Bree likes to run off with my knitting bags. She thinks their fun to play with and has already stole several of my smaller project bags to use to carry toys around the house. So far she hasn't messed with the drawers, we'll see how long that lasts.

Bree needed a pair of tube socks.

These were knit with some leftover Cascade 220 Superwash. Bree has these black & white striped socks that had the rattles on them. The socks were never of any interest to her when she was a baby but she's taken a liking to walking around the house with the socks on because she loves the rattle sounds. The problem was the socks were too small since they were designed for a tiny infants foot not a toddler foot. I decided to knit a pair of tube socks and attach the rattles so Bree can continue to have lots of fun making noise.

I'm still working on Kaity's skirt and have about 4 inches left to knit before binding off. My Rogue is still waiting to be blocked and seamed. All other projects have been waiting for me to pick them back up again. I'm almost done with that cabled throw I start back in Sept. I need to finish 2 more panels before seaming and I'm about halfway through one of the panels. I need to start working on my Bee Fields shawl. It's been sitting in the drawer, sadly neglected for weeks now.

Happy Crafting!

Some Progress

There has been a lot of knitting going on it's just most of it is stuff I can't show you yet.

First up is the progress on Kaity's skirtsicle (Rav)(non Rav).

Isn't it amazing how much the pattern changed when I increase the stitch. Less the 50 stitches increased and it went into this cool spiral pattern. The upper half probably won't be seen much unless Kaity tucks in her shirt....which she never does. I have about 5-6 inches left to knit before it's finished. This time I remembered to turn the skirt around so that it's right side up for the picture. I also tucked in the waist band though I haven't sewn it down yet. I'll do that after I bind off.

Cute toddler distraction.

I need to throw in something to distract you all from noticing I haven't a lot of knitting progress to report. Hopefully it worked.

I can finally show you the socks I knit for my TLE swap pal Kristen aka Woolology on Ravelry.

Thankfully the socks fit her feet wonderfully and she loved them. It was so much fun spoiling her. The pattern is Tangled Faeries (Rav)(non Rav). I loved knitting this pattern so much that I'll be making a pair in the near future for myself. I did modify the pattern a tad. I used my own favorite short row heel and toe and I knit them both at the same time. The yarn used was ShibuiKnits sock (Rav)(non Rav), color Sky. The color is off in the picture. It's much more blue. The Loopy Ewe photo is much more accurate. I really liked knitting with this yarn. I have one skein left that will probably become socks for one of the girls. I bought a third skein to be safe. You never know when something can go horribly wrong.

I have made decent progress on the soap sack.

This goes with my sheep washcloth and is using the yarn (pima petite from The Unique Sheep) and pattern that came with my 7 Deadly S(p)ins club shipment. Woolgirl is going to be carrying this yarn in her shop soon and I can't wait. Its so soft and perfect for making spa gifts with.

Oh look cute puppy. Ok, ok shaggy puppy. He's going to the groomers soon!

I need to throw in a distraction every now and then.

I picked up some cotton yarn the other day at Michaels.

The Sugar N' Cream was on sale for $1 each but it had been picked through and there were only a few skeins left. Most of them were white and off white. So the three in the photo was all I got but I picked up a couple skeins of cottontots for Bree's facecloths. If anyone has unloved leftover cottontots that they don't want/need let me know. I'm more then happy to give it a new home and turn it into washcloths for my messy toddler.

Finally, this is my new favorite knitting gadget.

I bought a row counter from Muddy Paws Knit Knacks. It was really hard to pick just one since there are so many gorgeous counters to pick from. This has got to be the best row counter I've bought. It stays on your knitting so you don't have to worry about losing it and you don't have to worry about it fitting your wrist like the bracelets. Plus Darcie (the shop owner) is really great to deal with.....very nice! To top it all off Darcie sends the row counter in a little cloth pouch so you have a place to store your counter when not in use. I see a few more of these in my future. Plus I think they'd make great gifts for swap pals, knitterly friends, etc.

Well that's it for now. In a few days I'll be posting about some of the samples I knit awhile back and show you a teaser pic of what I'm working on right now.

30's Not So Bad

Today is my 30th birthday and guess what, 30 feels the same as 29! Well at least it does for me. We aren't doing much of anything today. I have the house to myself right now since Bree is napping and Shawn took Kaity to a birthday party. Although Shawn should be back soon with my Carmel Frappuccino from Starbucks....yummmmmm! Yes it's fully loaded. I can't bring myself to try the skinny drinks. Since I only get Starbucks a few times a month it's not to horrible. I made the mistake of looking up the nutritional information one day....yikes!

Most of my knitting has been test/sample knits. But I did make a washcloth for Bree.

I want to make a stack of them for cleaning Bree up after she's done eating. Bree's feeding herself and she doesn't always hit the spoon on the mark the first time around. I'm using Cottontots since it's really soft and one of my favorite cottons to work with.

I did get some yummy stuff for my birthday. First up is some Plassard Dune yarn from my friend Colleen.

I haven't decided what to knit with it yet. I'm still on the hunt for the right pattern.

This came in the mail yesterday from my mom.

She's sneaky! She went on to Amazon and browsed through my wishlist and got me The Opinionated Knitter. I've been wanting this one for awhile.

My birthday gift to myself.

I placed a small order through Woolgirl for a few things that caught my eye. The yummy berry colored yarn is by J Irby Designs and I couldn't pass up the coffee cozy kit put together by The Unique Sheep. I love the colors. Jen included a cute little sheep notepad and sample of wool wash.

I was really touched when Shawn brought this home from Kaity's teacher.

She put these together for the parents who helped her out in the classroom throughout the year. I'm not sure if I want to hang these outside with the way the wind blows around here. I may transplant them to a bigger pot and place them on one of the porches. I wonder how well these would do here in the house? I'll figure something out.

Here in a few days I'll post about the skirt I'm making for Kaity. I started it last night so there isn't much to show yet. Plus I must spread out the blog fodder or I'm going to run out. Plus I have a baby blanket to knit so I'll be talking about the pattern and yarn possibilities.

Happy Crafting!

Bad Blogger, No Cookie!

It's been forever since I last posted not counting the "I hate TypePad" post from the other day. I think I have all the kinks worked out with the blog now. Now hopefully TypePad will fix the composer because it's slowness and glitches are driving me crazy.

I've been up to a lot of stuff over the last 13 days. It's hard to believe I haven't posted in almost 2 weeks. I wished I could say I've been up to grand things but I haven't.

I knit two dishrags. The first is the Nine-Patch Dishcloth and the second one is the Diagonal Ripple Cloth.



These have been put up for now because I really have no need for dishcloths. I have a stack of about twenty in my closet. Both patterns were good knits. If you don't mind weaving in ends the nine-patch cloth is a perfect scrap buster. I do need to remember to knit one less row before binding off the top and side squares of the nine-patch cloth.

Bree has a new tank top.


I was wanting on feedback for a test knit I'm working on so I cast this one on for Bree. It was a quick, easy knit. You can find the pattern here.

I finished the sheepy cloth pattern from this last Seven Deadly S(p)ins club shipment.


I've started the soap sack but haven't finished it yet. The yarn is a dream to work with. This is by far the yummiest cotton yarn I've worked with. It's pima cotton dyed by The Unique Sheep, for those of you who want to know.

Got some yarn....not that that is a surprise.


It's Knit Picks Comfy. I'm going to use it to make dresses for Bree. I have some patterns in mind but can't start until I get some test knits finished. I'm on a deadline for these so they take priority right now.

Got some books.


I had a $25 gift certificate to Overstock so these are the two books I picked up. Overstock is one of my favorite places to look for deals on books but I've also found some other great deals out there. I bought the Cable Confidence book for the sweater on the front but there are several more that I'd love to knit. There are 6 sweaters for women, one of those is sized down to child size, 1 child size sweater, 2 mens sweaters (though one of those is the sweater on the front of the book and is appealing to men and women), 1 vest pattern, 1 big felted bag, 1 scarf, and 3 pillow patterns.

I found the New Pathways book for a great price at SandraSingh.


It was a little over $14 because of some bent corners (very, very minor bends) and some resin from a sticker. The resin rubbed right off with a little 7th Generation All Purpose Cleaner sprayed on a rag. I'll be posting about the All Purpose cleaner in another post here in the next few days. All in all I'd say the book is in very good condition. After I finish my test knits I'm going to try some of these patterns. There's some really interesting designs.

Finally my Rogue is getting really, really close to being done.


The hood is on and I've started the sleeves. I opted to knit both sleeves at the same time. I thought about knitting them in the round but when it came down to starting them I was just too lazy to do it. Once they're done all that's left is to block them and the sweater and seam the sleeves and seam the ribbing. Not that I'll be wearing it anytime soon it's to warm here for sweaters. I'm not 100% happy with the way the top of the hood looks so I may fix that before blocking. Who knows!

I'm going to try very hard to keep the blog up to date from here on out but it may be a little skimpy this month. I have three test knits I'm working on so right now they are my priority.

I did join Summer of Socks 2008 (Rav link). I've been saving my sock knitting for this KAL.

So what's everyone else been up to?

Still Knittin'

I've finally finished my TLE Swap pals gift. I'm quite happy with the way it turned out and I can't wait till she gets her box. I still need to wash/block it and I'm waiting on one last item that's floating around in the mail.

For those who do not want to see mass amounts of yarn, shield your eyes and close your browser.

I received some yummy Bamboolicious sock yarn in the mail the other day.


The yarn is very soft and the colors are beautiful. I also joined Zen Yarn Garden's Art Walk Sock Club. I couldn't resist.

The yarn for Shawn's sweater came in from WEBS the other day.


14 skeins of Cascade 220 wool, color 9332 Sapphire. I don't think I'll need all 14 skeins but it doesn't hurt to have extra. We are both very please with the color. I'll start his sweater here in the next few months. When I ordered the Cascade 220 I threw in 2 skeins Valley Yarns Huntington. I'm really impressed with the feel. If this stuff wears well it will be a great "go to" sock yarn. I'm hoping WEBS will continue to add colors to their site. You can't beat $4.29 for a 50g/218yd hank.

Some Lion Brand Cotton-Ease that I picked up from Michaels.


I'm going to use this to make this dress for Bree. I also have some Knit Picks Comfy that will be here in a week or so. You all know how slow Knit Picks shipping is. I'm gearing up for summer knitting.

OK, now on to the knitting.

I've finally finished the body of my Rogue.


I'm down to the hood and sleeves. I'm almost there! I tried it on and it fits great. I made the length about 2 inches longer because I wanted a sweater that doesn't ride up when I lift my arms.

Today I started and finished a hat for Kristy's Hat Quest. See RC's post or Kristy's post for more info if you're interested in knitting some hats.


This is a simple ribbed hat knit from the top down using di.Ve Teseo. The yarn is a tad splitty but once I got use to it it was easy knitting.

I'll leave you with a shot of my Mother's Day gifts from the girls.


They bought me some houseplants. I love them.

I Swear I've Been Knitting!

I'm working on my swap pals project so obviously I can't blog that. I've also worked on Rogue which is still not ready for a photo. I've finished the back and am now working on shaping the front. Boring I know.

Look, it's a cute toddler.


Am I forgiven for not having exciting pics of my knitting?

I have finished a few small items that I can show you.

- Everlasting Bagstopper.


It turned out well. I stitched the handles on by hand since it was to thick for the sewing machine. This bag will hold lots of stuff. I think next time I'll try braided i-cord but first I need to buy an i-cord maker because I don't want to make that much i-cord with my needles. Talk about booooring!

- Tic Tac Dishcloth from the book Yarn Play at Home.


I think the pattern works great with variegated yarn. It took me forever to finish this pattern because I tossed it in a drawer and forgot about it for several weeks.

- A Knit Dishcloth Dress.


I needed a quick knit and this happen to catch my eye. The dishcloth has been removed from the bottle and used to wash the dishes but I thought using the dish soap bottle would be a cute prop for the pic. Shawn thought it was rather amusing that the soap bottle had a dress on. He probably thought I'd gone a tad bit insane or that the wool fumes had finally gotten to me.

- A Dog toy for Zeus.


He loves these things. I used some Red Heart Strata. If you're looking for a good yarn for dog toys the Strata works well. Knit at a tight gauge I think this stuff could stop a speeding bullet plus it holds up very well to tiny, sharp teeth chewing on it. I just wished Red Heart would have used a softer yarn because the self striping is cool but the Strata is really scratchy.

Now on to stuff I got in the mail. Here's the only thing I can show you from my TLE orders since the rest of the stuff was for my swap pal.


It's Perchance to Knit Merino/Cashmere sock yarn, color Gingerbread. This yarn is super soft & has great yardage (450 yds). I love PTK's colors and to top it off the skeins alway have a nice smell to them.

I also received my Seven Deadly S(p)ins Club shipment. If you want to see it go HERE. Me Likes! The yarn is super soft and the goodies are great. We also got a teaser that one of the other shipments will make up for this shipment which was kinda light on yarn. Now I can't wait.

I bought a couple of skeins of yarn from Hooks & Needles which is offering free shipping to those who are ordering yarn to help Kristy out in her quest for hats. All three skeins are di.Ve Teseo which is super soft and the colors are gorgeous. I may order some for Kaity for matching hat, mitten, scarf combo for next winter.


See RC's post or Kristy's post for more info. If you're interested in knitting hats for Kristy and want/need to pick up some yarn for these hats you can give Kaylee at Hooks & Needles a call. She's super sweet and a pleasure to deal with. You don't have to buy your yarn from there. Yarn out of stash, bought from your LYS, etc will be fine too.

The weather forecasters keep saying we're suppose to see sun but the darn thing keeps hiding behind clouds. Here's hoping they aren't lying about the warm weather for this weekend. It's suppose to be in the mid 80's for the next few days and it's suppose to hit like 92 on Sat. Which is gorgeous weather to be out and about. I think we may try to plan a small family outing to take advantage of the warm weather.

FO Report

As if Nintendo hasn't come up with enough stuff to entice me into buying a Wii....not that I've managed to get one yet. Wii's new game Wii Fit is the clincher for me. They turn exercise into a fun game. Must-Buy-Wii! I'm actually contemplating destashing some yarn to pay for said Wii, that's how bad I want one.

I finished the second Tidepool Rib Sock the other day.


I think they came out pretty good. I love how fast I can knit a pair of socks in the mediumweight Socks That Rock. I have more then enough left to knit a pair for Bree. I may have enough to knit a pair of ankle socks for Kaity. The stripes are matched up fairly well. It only took me ripping the toe out twice before I finally got the sock to behave. If I was smart I would have matched the two skeins of yarn or better yet, knit them both at the same time. They're close enough for me. I think I'll be getting more STR for winter boot socks.

I'm still working on the Everlasting Bagstopper...sorry no pics this time. I hope to have it done before the end of the weekend. The handles didn't work quite the way I had planned so I ripped back to the bag and bound off the stitches. I'm knitting both straps at the same time in garter stitch and will use my sewing match to stitch them onto the bag. I think that sewing the handles on will give them more strength.

We took Bree to the doc and everything checked out. She's not refluxing badly enough for it to show in the tests but the doc said that doesn't mean she isn't refluxing every now and then. The tests also show that there are no blockages so it appears we are in the clear. They did take blood to check her thyroid levels again.

I have my new sock project picked out. I'm going to use the Lorna's Laces sock yarn that I won from Knittech's blog contest to knit the Beaded Swirls Socks from HeartStrings FiberArts. Awhile back I bought some beads to make stitch markers and that didn't work out so I'm going to use the beads on the socks. I'll start those as soon as I've made some more progress on my TLE Swap Pals socks.

The One Where.....

Trish actually has an FO to report. I finished my moms socks and I managed to get a very nice photo.

Isn't it amazing what happens when you brave the sunshine and take your photos outdoors. You can actually see the cables in the close up shot. I need to get a new table set for our porch/patio whatever you want to call it. The coolers will have to do for now. The good news is we are getting two more trees in our backyard some time between now and late May. Everyone in my housing area is getting 2-3 trees. They are staggering them around so that we will have a bit of privacy in our backyard. Right now it is so open and I hate it.

The Lang Jawoll yarn isn't too bad to work with. I didn't have any major problems with splitting. I think the yarn split maybe once or twice but that was from me not paying attention. It won't replace my favorite basic yarns like Trekking, Regia, Berroco Sox or Opal but it's a nice addition since it comes in a ton of different colors and is only $7 per 50 gram skein. The only thing I don't understand is the acrylic. Why put it in the yarn since it's such a small amount (7% acrylic). I'm not yarn snobbing here, I'm truly curious if there was a reason for it since it has nylon in it and the wool is superwash.

So far this year I've knit 9 pair of adult socks and 6 pair of baby/toddler/child socks. Not to bad considering it's only mid-April. I think I have another sock project ready to go involving some medium weight Socks that Rock, color Tidepool and this pattern. I'll start them this evening after the girls are in bed.

Here's what I bought from Woolgirl's Anniversary Sale.


Gypsy Girl Creations Sport weight: Color Spring Garden, Lobster Pot Socks pattern, and a pattern to make a cute hat/mitten set.

I bought some SWTC Twize from WEBS. I went with color 322 to make a dress for Bree. I have a pattern in mind but need to swatch to see if it will work. I picked up 4 skeins for a total of 484 yard. I shouldn't have any problems finding a pattern if the one I have in mind doesn't work. The box from WEBS and the skeins from Knit Picks have shipped. It looks like they are both going to be here some time next week. I also bought this yummy skein of yarn from Dog Lover's Yarn which is on it's way to me as I type. Will someone please go buy Raspberry Ice, Motherlode, and Butterscotch because they are tempting me.

I'll leave you all with a pic of Bree with her brand new baby doll.


Happy Knitting!

Some Spinning

There's time for a little spinning now that things are a little more normal around here....Shawn went back to work and the kids aren't sick anymore.

My Precious has been so neglected since I bought her. I messed up my knee, then I hurt my back, then spring break and Kaity being sick, then Shawn got sick....it's been one thing after another.

Yesterday I dusted her off and did a little spinning.

Not to bad for my second try. I'm spinning smaller amounts because I'm trying to figure it all out and get the hang of spinning.


I've taken a pic to show my first try and second try side by side. The first try at spinning is the green one. This go around looks a lot more like yarn then the first one which was way over twisted.

I do have a knitting FO.


I made a pair of leg warmers for Bree using some leftover Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. They are more for Bree to play with then to keep her legs warm. She likes slipping them on her arms and legs and prancing around the house. Since she is too small for the dress up stuff to fit her I have to improvise.

I also bought a skein of sock yarn from Yarn4Socks.


It's Pagewood Farms Chugiak, color Mocha. It's a very yummy colorway.

I've managed to not cast on socks for myself and have completed a few more rows of my moms sock, worked a little on my TLE swap pals item, put another 2 rows on the Bee Field shawl and put several more inches on my Rogue. I'm like 14 rows from splitting for the front and back.

Tomorrow I should be getting my box from TLE. It's mostly stuff for my swap pal but I did order myself one of the travel mugs. I'm a sucker for coffee mugs. I also ordered a couple skeins of Knit Picks Comfy yarn to try. I have a few patterns in mind and I want to see how the yarn will work with them. I've been hearing good things about this yarn. I'm thinking about using it to make A Cardigan for Arwen for my sis. I want to make swatches and run them through the washer and dryer several times to see how they hold up.