Knittin' and Lovin' It

A Little Progress

I'm up with a sick kiddo so I figured I might as well start a blog post. Might as well put my time to good use, right? Kaity is sick with the flu and Shawn's getting over his bout with it although he still has a cough that is driving him crazy. I'm have my fingers and toes crossed that Bree and I escape the crude but seeing as we're surrounded by it it'll be amazing if we don't catch it.

I have finished a few projects since my last knitting related post but that shouldn't be to surprising since my last knitting related post was almost a month ago.

The Raspberries & Chocolate Mallow socks (ravelry)(non ravelry).

I knit these with Frog Creek Fibers Ebullient sock yarn in the Raspberries and Chocolate colorway. The colors are gorgeous, the yarn was nice to work with and I really enjoy the fit of these socks. I will be trying some of their other base yarns.

I'm trekking right along on my moms Whispering Pines shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry).

I'm actually not far from starting the edging on the shawl. I do believe I have around 21 rows left before starting the edging.

I started Mara (ravelry)(non ravelry) for my trip to and back from Oregon.

I'm using Araucania Nature Wool which I picked up on sale at WEBS awhile back. I want to make this as big as possible so I have something warm to use when I'm sitting in my chair. The only time I worked on this was in the car with the exception of one evening at my granny's house where I knit maybe one row before swapping to a pair of socks.

I finished my stripey Regia socks.

Their just a basic toe up sock with a short row heel and a picot cuff. I used a Turkish cast on and knit until I was bored with them. The stripes aren't matched up with this pair. I thought I had it but they were off by several rows and I didn't feel like ripping them out to start again.

We got snow a few days before Halloween.

Friggin' crazy weather! It melted in about 2 days but all total I think we ended up with about 4 inches in town. I don't think we got quite as much on the base.

Thankfully Kaity didn't get sick until the day after Halloween so she was able to go out Trick or Treating for a little bit.

They both had a lot of fun. Kaity went as Mitchie from Camp Rock and Bree was a little bumble bee. I think Bree was just as excited to hand out candy to other kids as she was to get candy.

I did get some goodies since my last post. I'll just link to my Flickr account since some of these could possibly be spoilers for some people. My Woolgirl Emerald City Wizard of Oz sock club kit made it in. So did the 3rd installment from the Zen Yarn Garden Spin Art fiber club, Lord of the Rings sock club, and My Perfect Fall is Halloween Kit.

My first skein of Bugga! that I managed to snag from some one who was destashing on Ravelry.

I can see why people are going crazy about it but I'm not going to miss sleep or go crazy trying to get more when there are other cashmere base sock yarns out there that are beautifully dyed and easier to get. Yes, yes I know it has 20% cashmere but frankly I think ZYG's Serenity sock is just as squishy and soft and it's a whole lot easier to buy. That said, if I had some extra cash and I stumbled upon some in an update I would buy it if I liked the colors.

I'll leave you all with a pic of my little yarn hugger.

Bree is my knitting helper. She loves helping me take pictures of yarn and projects and sits in my lap to help me knit. Plus she loves to "fuzz" the yarn. For some reason Bree asks to fuzz instead of feel but only when it involves yarn. She always asks if she can "fuzz it" when I get a new skein of yarn. I've even caught her sniffing it. The kid is a crack up in a yarn store. She treats the yarn as if it's super special (of course it is and I've taught her well). I think I have a yarn addict in the making. :~)

Some Knittin' Goin' On

Dear UPS,

Please, please, please don't fail me today. My daughter is counting on you to bring her a special package. In the past you have been untrustworthy to me. Telling me you were going to bring me my goods and then letting me know that the goods were delayed and I'd have to wait another day or too. This should not be done to a person when it's late at night and a person is feeling down because they didn't get their package fix. Please don't let me down today! I beg you because if you do I will be sending a very disappointed 8 year old to you so you can hear her cry.

Thank You,

Luvs2knit Family

Kaity is excited because UPS tracking is showing that her American Girl doll is here and out for delivery. Yes it was a splurge and a very special treat for Kaity. Yes yes yes I know that they are expensive and no we are not crazy for buying her the doll. I wouldn't scoff at you for buying a skein of Qiviut now would I.

For the past two weeks we've heard nothing but "is my doll here yet?", "I can't wait to see Chrissa!", "mom can you check the tracking to see if Chrissa is here yet?" "I can't wait till Chrissa is here so I can play at my friends house with her doll too! It's about to drive me insane. I swear on all that is holy if UPS changes the status to show that the package will be delivered on another day I'm going to scream so loud they will hear me in China!

The weather is still warmer then normal around here. I swear that it was only in the 60's and 70's Fahrenheit last year. I know it was a lot cooler in 2007 when we got here because we had to go buy warmer clothing because our stuff was still in storage. We've been hitting in to the 90's....that's just wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm getting back in a regular routine now that Kaity is in school. I'm starting to adjust to the fact that we are moving to Germany though we are pushing for the date to be moved to May 2010. We still have to be medically cleared but that will take some time yet and according to a lot of people we've talked to my arthritis could cancel our orders. We should know more within the next month or so.

I have managed to finish a few things and of course start up a few more. I just finished up another test knit for Woolgirl and am working on one for Madelinetosh.Here's a little teaser of what I'm working on.

It's a smallish project so it'll probably be done fairly quickly.

This is a test knit for Woolgirl.

I think this was from one of the Peanuts kits. The yarn is Curious Creek Fibers Serengeti and the colorway is called Happiness is. I loved all the cables and twists in this pattern. I really liked working with the yarn too.

First up are the Rapunzel's Braid Socks (ravelry).

I love love love these socks. They fit beautifully and the yarn (Zen Yarn Garden Serenity sock) is so soft and squishy. I think I have one more skein of Serenity sock in my stash so it's time to go buy some more.

The rainbow stripe Opal socks are finished.

I knit these with some Opal Brasil, #5001 from my stash. This is my basic toe up pattern that I know by heart. No need for a paper pattern which makes for perfect on the go socks.

Merletto Mitts (ravelry) for my mom.

I finally finished them. They are a quick knit (when I actually work on them). It took me less then two days of knitting to make both mitts. It took me so long because I kept getting side tracked by other projects.

I've started & finished a sweater for Bree.

The pattern is Cookie Sweater (ravelry) from Miss Bea's Rainy Day and the yarn is Dream in Color Classy, Visual Purple. Bree loves it and is very proud of her new sweater.

Now to wait for it to cool down enough for her to wear it.

The Pearl-barred Scallop Scarf (ravelry)(non ravelry) is finished.

Well I'm done knitting it but lazy me I have yet to block it. That's on the agenda for tomorrow. I hope to have it in the mail to the new owner by the beginning of next week. I want to find some goodies to put in the box. I have an idea of what I want so I'll pick it up this weekend.

New socks for Kaity.

She's worn these sock for the last 2 nights and I suspect she'll wear them again tonight. Worsted weight socks are such a quick knit. Kaity requested some new worsted weight socks to wear to bed so I dug out the scraps of Cascade 220 and started knitting. These are a basic toe up sock with a heel flap. Nothing fancy and a fairly quick knit since I used worsted weight wool. I planning on knitting her several pair out of whatever worsted weight yarn I can dig out of my stash. I really should knit these with some superwash yarn to make it easier on me when they need to be washed. Guess I'd better go digging through my stash.

I'm moving right along on moms Whispering Pines Shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry).

I can't wait to get this blocked out. I'm just about through with Section G.

The most absolute gorgeous color of sock yarn from Madelinetosh.

I picked this up from Woolgirl. The colorway is called Tart and I'd love love love to have this dyed up in Tosh Worsted for a sweater. Might have to save up some money and see if Amy will custom dye the yarn for me.

JulieSpins MCN sock yarn.

I picked this up from a Ravelry destasher. The color is Dark Peony and the yarn is completely petable. Now to find the perfect pattern for this yarn.

Self striping sock yarn from Fireweed Dyeworks.

I'm still on my self striping sock yarn kick. I'll probably wind this up and knit it for my next "on the go" sock project. The dyer was great to deal with and shipped the yarn out quickly. She even dropped me an email to let me know that she had shipped it.

I picked up a couple of skeins of Tosh Merino to try.

I picked these up from Madelinetosh's etsy shop. I'm planning a cowl and hat, maybe some fingerless mitts too. The colorway is called Ophelia and this yarn is so delightfully soft. I could totally imagine a cardigan made out of this yarn.

I pre-ordered a skein of yarn from Frog Creek Fibers awhile back....I think it was right before Sock Summit.

I received it in the mail last week and absolutely fell in love. The color is even prettier in person. The colorway is called Raspberries and chocolate.

A Spin-It Kit from Yarn Pirates etsy shop.

This kit has 4 ozs of Shetland wool dyed in 4 different colors, 1oz of each color. I have no idea how or what I'm going to spin this for but I thought it was a cool idea and isn't roving like sock yarn...you can never have enough?

My Sept shipment from the Artwalk Fiber Club came in last week. You can see it here. The fiber is so soft.

I received my Angel package from a swap that had gone wrong.

My TLE swap partner flaked out on me at the last moment but my wonderful angels more then made up for the flaking. They spoiled me rotten and even threw in some goodies for the girls. The cool thing is the skein of Trekking I received is the same color and dyelot as the skein I bought a long time ago. What are the odds of that happening? So now I have two matching skeins. I do believe this yarn is destined to become knee highs for me.

I did cave on the no more buying yarn before we move rule I had started. In my defense I only purchase one skein of yarn and it was to help meet the free shipping from The Loopy Ewe. I picked up the small clutch that matches my peacock Laguna bag that Shawn and the girls got me for Christmas. I picked up a few patterns I've been wanting and a skein of String Theory Caper. It should be here tomorrow.

Well that sums up my post for now.

Happy Crafting!

Stunning Lack of Progress

Ok, so maybe I have been making progress on some things. Of course those things must remain secret for awhile yet. I finished one test knit for Woolgirl about 2 weeks ago which I've absolutely fell in love with and I'm working on another one right now that is really cool. Sorry I can't show them to you but I can show you the ones I knit up for Woolgirl and Miss Babs for Sock Summit.

The first knit was a sock.

It's a new entrelac sock pattern called Choix Entrelac Sock which should have been available for purchase at Sock Summit in Miss Babs booth. If I remember correctly Woolgirl has announced on her blog that she will be getting this pattern in her shop. I really want to make a pair for myself. It's just enough entrelac to add interest without doing the whole cuff entrelac and making it impossible to get on your foot. I found it easier to work the entrelac portion on my trusty dpns then moved to my circular needle after I finished.

The second knit was a caplet.

The pattern is In the Garden (ravelry)(non ravelry). This is knit in the round from the top down and was a very pleasant knit. I used Miss Babs yummy sock and the color is Merlot.

I have managed to finish a few small things and I have two pair of socks that aren't far from being finished. I really need to kick it in gear and work Shawn's sweater. I'm planning that as one of the projects I work on while he's gone in Sept and Oct for schooling.

Thank You cloth (ravelry)(non ravelry)

This one was the 1 Aug KAL cloth for the Monthly Dishcloth KAL.

"Have no clue what it's name is so there is no link" dishcloth

This was the 16 Aug KAL cloth for the Monthly Dishcloth KAL. I've been trying to knit all the cloths for this year. So far, so good I've stuck with it. If I've made it this far I'll make it to the end.

Rapunzel's Braid Socks (ravelry)

This pattern is actually a top down sock pattern but I'm working it toe up because I prefer working toe up pattern for socks I'm knitting two at a time. I worked a short row heel and I've left the cabled pattern off the back of the leg because it was making the sock too small for my foot and going up a needle size made the cables look sloppy. I'm really enjoying these socks which I could attribute to the cables or the sock yarn which is Zen Yarn Garden's Serenity sock. Deliciously soft squishy sock yarn. It's a merino/cashmere/nylon blend. This colorway is from the Woolgirl sock club. I picked it up from someone who was destashing it.

My "on the go socks" are just about finished.

Just a few more inches on the leg before starting the ribbing. The yarn is Opal Brasil, color 5001. I picked it up cheap from someone destashing it quite some time back. It's been sitting in my stash just waiting to be knit. This colorway is such a happy color. The stripes are so bright and cheery.

The Whispering Pines Shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry) is moving right along.

The color is off since I took this picture indoors. I've been working on my moms shawl and have managed to get part way through section C of the pattern. This is a very enjoyable knit and so far I've managed to remain mistake free (knock on wood) which is rather shocking. Normally by now I've had to rip back several rows because of a mistake. I've knit several patterns from Knitspot and have yet to find one I didn't like. Her patterns are so well written.

I picked up some JulieSpins MCN 560 from a Ravelry destasher.

I can see why people go "gaa gaa" over her yarn. It is very nice and the colors are beautiful. This is 560 yards of light fingering weight yarn in the Iris colorway. I'm not sure if this will be socks or if I'll make a shawl or scarf out of it. I haven't made up my mind yet so it'll just let it marinate in my stash for now.

I received some Zen Yarn Garden Bamboolicious in a Ravelry trade.

Someone was looking for Koigu for a blanket so I swapped some of mine for the bamboolicious. The colorway is Dublin Bay which I'm pretty sure is the colorway ZYG dyed for the shop Dublin Bay Knitting Company.

I have a spinning project on the wheel right now.

This is the start of some very delicious merino silk roving from the August shipment of the Artwalk Fiber Club from Zen Yarn Garden. You can see the roving here. I've been trying to spin for at least 30 minutes every day but there have been a few days where I haven't been able to spin. My goal is to Navajo ply this. I'll be re-upping this club in Nov and if all goes well I'll go for the 8oz option for more fiber.

I finally got my hands on some Pony Bead lacing for my wheel. I've had a heck of a time finding it from a place that has a reasonable shipping charge. This stuff is nowhere to be found here in town. Michaels & JoAnn's both carry the flat lacing which is not what I wanted. Everyone keeps telling me to go to Hobby Lobby. Well my nearest Hobby Lobby is in Billings which is like a 4 hour drive so that's out. I absolutely hate buying a $3 item and then being told I have to pay $6 to ship said item. I picked mine up from this ebay seller. The 5 yard hanks for $2.49 are the tubed lacing with the connectors. They shipped the stuff out first class mail and I had it in a few days. Just thought I'd share this store with anyone who may be having a hard time finding this stuff. No affiliation, just a happy buyer.

I'll leave you all with this shot of Bree enjoying her big birthday gift.

I had to wait till the first of Aug to order it so it's a little late for her b-day but she didn't seem to mind. It's the Naturally Playful Big Folding Slide by Step 2. I picked mine up through Amazon and got free shipping. I could have picked the slide up cheaper at a few other places but once they started tacking on the shipping costs and over sized fee it was crazy and way more then what Amazon wanted. One place wanted like $90 for the slide but then they wanted to charge me another $60 for shipping. It's not that heavy nor was the box that big. All the hassle was worth it to see her go down the slide continuously for like 45 minutes. This will definitely come in handy this winter when it's too cold to go outside to play.

Well that sums up our irregularly scheduled blog post. I'll be back soon, hopefully with some FO's to show you all.

Happy Crafting!

Little Fishies & A Contest

Contest Has Ended! A winner will be selected in the next day or two.

We're celebrating being debt free and I want to pass on the celebration to all my blogland friends. We made our final payment earlier this month so we are now free of debt. Yippy!

I'll go ahead and get the contest details out of the way now before finishing the rest of the post. I'm going to make this simple: Post about your favorite summertime activity.

I'll keep this contest open through the 12th of Aug. I'll close comments down when I end the contest and the winner will be announced on the 13th in a blog post. I will also email the winner. To qualify for the contest you must post your comment in this post only. I'm not going to hunt willy-nilly through out the blog so if you want to enter post here. I'll use a random number generator to determine the winner.

FYI: If you don't want to enter the contest but want to post a comment just let me know in the comment and I won't put your name down.

So you all are wondering what you win! I'm making it easy this time. The winner gets to decide which online shop they'd like to get a gift certificate too, ie WEBS, Amazon, TLE, Woolgirl, Sonny & Shear, your favorite etsy shop.....I think you get the point. The catch is it has to be one that is easy for me to purchase, preferably one that I can purchase online and have it shipped/emailed to you. If you live in the UK I'm not going to call your favorite LYS to buy a certificate unless of course you want to send me a calling card to pay for the call. Lets keep it simple. I'm doing this because it leaves the contest open for anyone who isn't in the US too. The monetary value of the certificate hasn't fully been determined but I can say that it will be at least $25 USD.

Now on to the regularly scheduled blog post.

Shawn was sent down to F.E. Warren AFB in Wyoming for a few days so the girls and I have been hanging around the house. I think Zeus is missing Shawn the most. Poor dog keeps looking out the front window expecting Shawn to walk through the door at any minute.

Shawn's due to leave tomorrow morning so he should be back before the girls head to bed. He stated to me that picking Montana over Wyoming was a great choice. He said the housing there is horrible. Most of the housing here is new although some of the new housing is messed up because some moron decided to build them on swamp land. Hello idiots, draining the swap and filling it in with dirt is most likely going to backfire on you. When you build a house on land that was once swamp land chance are the land is going to sink and try to revert back to its swampiness and that's what's happening right now. My next door neighbor is one of the many people who are being moved out of houses that are sinking. Truth be told the only reason we picked Montana was because it kept use closer to the West coast where my family is without having to go broke living in California or dealing with all that Las Vegas, NV has to offer. Living in Las Vegas is enough to give me nightmares for a year. Going to Wyoming would have moved us even farther way so Montana won.

Now on to knitting and all that other good stuff you all came here for.

I'm totally addicted to knitting these little fishies (ravelry) (non ravelry).

I can't stop casting on even though I don't really have any real use for them. I've made three so far. They're to small for dishrags. Maybe I can use a little of that mesh stuff knit in with them to make scrubbies. Bree's been grabbing them from me as soon as I finish them so I have several little knitted fishies floating around the house. Well I guess since Bree likes them then they do have some value, plus they're cute.

I purchase these from Dawning Dreams Etsy shop.

A pretty jewel orifice hook for my spinning wheel and two cable needles. I absolute love the cable needles and contacted Dawn who was fabulous and made me a set of mini cable needles for knitting on smaller things like socks. Here's the mini needles.....aren't they cute!

I'm not big on cabling without a needle and truth be known I can knit cables twice as fast with a cable needle then without one. The orifice hook is a tad to thick for my wheel so it's become a pretty decoration in with my knitting tools and crochet hooks.

I also acquired some yummy Yarn Love fiber from Sonny & Shear. I don't know why I've never bought from them before but I was pleased....great selection and fast shipping. They've got a pretty nice selection of fibers from various dyers not to mention all the different sock yarns.

First up is Yarn Love Marianne.

The color is Cottage Garden and it's superwash merino.....mmmmmm, merino is so soft.

Then there's Yarn Love Scarlett O'Hara.

The color is Blackberry Jam and it's a superwash wool/bamboo/nylon blend.

I picked up the yarn to start a shawl for my mom.

It's Knit Picks Gloss Lace and the colorway is Port.

Then I started my moms shawl after I finished up a sample knit.

This is the beginning of the Whispering Pines Shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry) by Anne Hanson of Knitspot. I'd have to say that she has some of the most gorgeous lace patterns around. Not to mention well written.

I finished my moms Loopified socks.

It's the Halema uma u Socks (ravelry) that came in the 2008 TLE Anniversary kit. As far as I can tell this pattern hasn't been released for sale to the general public yet. The yarn used was also part of the kit and is Handmaiden Casbah, colorway Loopified. This yarn is yummy and I think after the weather cools down my mom is going to love them.

I also received some yummy BFL that I purchased from Perchance to Spin which is Perchance to Knits shop for all things spinning related.

It's 8 ounces of soft BFL in a pretty light green colorway called New Leaf Green. I really love spinning BFL.

I also bought some lovely orifice hooks for my wheel.

These work beautifully with my Ashford Traveller. Fiber Jewels was having a get two for the price of one deal that I couldn't pass up. I don't really have a need for two hooks since I only have one wheel but hey they were buy one get one free.

Project & notions bag made specially for me.

I swapped a skein of yarn for the project and notions bag. The project bag is the perfect size for socks and it has a cool little pocket on the inside of the bag.

I'll leave you with this shot.

My baby had her 3rd birthday on the 24th. I can't believe she's 3 already! Man does the time fly. I'm thinking about starting her in Preschool next year.....yikes, I'm gonna cry if I keep thinking about it.

Oh Look Tomatoes!

Happy crafting!

A Few Woolgirl Knits

I think it's safe to post about these now. It's been over a month since the boxes went out so I'm pretty sure most people including those outside the US have received their packages. I test knit the patterns for the June Woolgirl sock club package.

First up is the sock pattern, It's Raining Cats & Dogs Socks (Ravelry).

This is a club exclusive pattern so it's not available right now however I wouldn't be surprised if it's available within the year for sale to everyone. I loved knitting this sock. It has cables, these cute little paw prints, and to top it off it's knit with one of my favorite go to yarns, Dream in Color Smooshy the colorway is called Raining Cats and Dogs.

Then I worked the Raindrops shawl (Ravelry)(non Ravelry).

I do believe the pattern edging was tweaked for the club but you can get the pattern for free from the designers website. It was a great knit and the pattern was easy to work and once again it was knit in Dream in Color Smooshy. One skein will gets you a smaller shawl. If you want a bigger one you'll definitely need a second skein of Smooshy. I managed to eek out 8 pattern repeats before starting the edging but I was cutting it pretty close on running out of yarn.

I have a few more knits but I can't post about them yet since they are hush hush. They are club patterns so I won't post them until after a reasonable amount of time has past after the boxes are sent off.

I'll be back in a few days to post about some of my WIPs, goodies, etc....oh and that blog contest that I want to start. More details in a few days.

Happy Crafting!

Bee Fields Shawl

Wow has it really been that long since my last post? Guess so! I decided to do a quick post with just photos of the Bee Fields Shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry). It's been blocked and ready to be posted for awhile now but I've just been way to lazy busy to post it.

Lets get all the pics out of the way first.

Kaity was kind enough to model the shawl for me. Getting Shawn and the weather to cooperate to get some nice pictures was hard then I thought it was going to be. I really enjoyed knitting this shawl and I'm sure if I would have worked on it more it would have taken me way less then a year to knit it. The shawl and I got in a few fights along the way and it had several lengthy time outs.

Kaity was shooting for a sad look. She tried to con me out of the shawl but I told her that I spent way to much time for her and and her sister to use it to play dress up. I'll give her an A for effort. She did try. I have yet to figure out what I'm going to do with the shawl. I'm not a shawl wearer but I love to knit them. Know anyone who would love a green lace shawl?

I'll be back in the next few days to post about some of the things I've been up to. I have lots to show.

Happy Crafting!

Gotta Have Some Bling!

I have some very shiny bling now. Thanks to the root canal I had a few months ago I needed to get a crown. The dentist and I decided to go with a gold crown since it's the back molar where there is a big chance of chipping it if I went with porcelain. Thankfully there was no numbing needed and my dentist appointment went quickly and painlessly. I love my dentist!! I still have several more crowns but only one more that needs to be taken care of fairly quickly. The other 3 are to re-enforce the teeth that have had a lot of work done to them in the past. The Sonicare toothbrush seems to be doing the job....it was definitely money well spent.

So anyway, you all are wondering what I've been up to (knitting wise) since my last post. Well the answer is a lot of things.

I finished the mid March Monthly Dishcloth KAL cloth.

The pattern is windmill dishcloth (ravelry)(non ravelry). I used Peaches & Creme yarn in the Aqua Mist ombre colorway. Exciting isn't it! OK, so dishcloths aren't very exciting but they are great fillers when you are working on big projects.

Oh look, a boring progress shot of my toe up bamboo socks.

I wasn't going to bore you all with this photo but I took it to update my Ravelry notebook so I figured I might as well subject you to it too. Actually there is another 2 inches or so on the cuff thanks to my dentist appointment. I always take my socks with me since there is the wait time plus it helps pass the time when they need to numb my mouth up for work....much better then boring magazines. I'm working a k2, p2 ribbing....boring yes but it doesn't require me to drag around a pattern. I have my basic toe up pattern memorized.

Oh boy! Here's an exciting one for you guys.

I finished the Bee Fields Shawl (ravelry)(non ravelry). It only took me a year to do it but it's done!!! Well almost done. I still need to give it a good soak and blocking. I'm going to try to get that done tomorrow morning after the kiddo heads out the door for school. There are a few minor errors in the shawl (my knitting errors not pattern errors) but all in all it came out great. I can't wait to see it after it's all blocked out.

I picked up some yarn from ebay from KimiK.

It's 440 yards of multi colored sock yarn (100% Merino non superwash) with 110 yards of coordinating kettle dyed yarn for the heels and toes. I liked the colors and the price was right.

I received my final Seven Deadly S(p)ins club shipment. Go here if you want to see it. I probably won't make the pattern so I need to find something else to use the yarn on. I loved the yarn and colors!

Well at least this time the post is shorter. I'll leave you all with Bree playing peekaboo!

She decided to sneak a peek out the window while I was taking some photos of projects and stash. She kept saying "peekie boo" and giggling!

Happy Crafting!

Fa La La La La

La La La Laaaaaa! It is the season to be jolly, isn't it? I'd be a lot more jollier if it was a little warmer here. Guess I could go buy me a little Captain Morgan's and Coke to make things a lot more warmer and jollier and I do believe I'd forget all about the cold weather.  ;~)

Oh, wait you guys are in shock aren't you? I just did a post the other day and now I'm posting again. Scary, I know! I'll probably post again in a few more days since Christmas is less then 3 days away.

I was planning on a trip to the Bahamas (in my dreams) to warm up but seeing as the flight and hotel are going to run me around $3,000 (could be a little cheaper but I don't want to stay in the no tell motel so it's gonna cost more) not including food I guess I'll have to stay here and freeze my butt off. So what do you do when it's -8 outside?

Why you buy a Frappuccino from Starbucks! Nothing makes a cold day better then a cold Caramel Frapp from Starbucks. It's funny when people look at you as if you've gone crazy. Specially the ones who give you that look when they are standing there holding an ice cold soda. How is my cold frapp any worse then getting a cold soda on ice? Just in case you guys haven't figured it out, I enjoy being the odd duck in the group.

The lone package from TLE came in.

This poor package was shipped out on the 15th of Dec and came in today 22 Dec.....talk about slow moving mail. I had a first class package from Texas that beat this one by 5 days. Crazy holiday mail! The yarn is going to be used to make a hat for Shawn. He wants a hat with the pirate skull and crossbones on it. I think I have a pattern picked out but need to discuss it with Shawn first since he's the one who will be wearing it.

I have an FO to share with you.

I meant to put this in the last post but forgot about it. In my defense it was a big post full of stuff. I knit a helmet liner for Shawn. He needed something warm to wear while he's out in the cold shoveling snow. I used blue yarn (Valley Yarns Northampton) for this one since he'll only use it at home. He has a black one at work with his cold weather gear that was bought for him to wear when he's in uniform and has to work outside.

I've been chugging right along on my Bee Fields (Ravelry)(non Ravelry) shawl since I finished my Christmas knitting.

I've gotten quite a bit done in the last few days. I have about 30% of the shawl complete. I'm about 28 rows from completing the Bee Swarm section. This poor shawl has been put into time out way to many times. It's time to finish it up. Plus some time after the first of the year I need to get one started for my mom. I haven't figured out what I'm going to do with this one when it's complete. I'm not really a big lace shawl wearer. Maybe a decoration to hang on a wall?

I've also made good progress on my socks.

I only worked on these in the car. I have a few more inches until I'm done with these. I like longer cuffs on my socks. Since these are made out of worsted weight yarn they will most likely become boot socks. When I wear my shearling sheepskin boots I have to wear thick boot socks or they slide around on my feet. My favorite socks are some black cold weather boot socks I bought to wear with my military uniform. They cost me $8 a pair but they've lasted me 10 winters now. These boots are 500 times more comfortable then my snowboots and a lot warmer. The link I gave is to the boots I bought last year (yes I bought mine from Overstock their prices are great).  They have a lug sole so they have good traction. The parking lots around here are slick with snow and ice so shoes with good traction are a must. If you want a comfy pair but don't want to pay out the price for Uggs these are a great buy. Ugg brand boots similar to the Bear Paw boots I bought will run you around $160-$200 for a pair. I don't wear cheapo shoes but I'm also not into spending $$$ on shoes.

I am not into fashion at all. I'm all about the comfort. I'm a Levi's and Hanes T-shirts kind of gal. I have a total of 7 pair of shoes none of them cost me more then $100 and do not own one single suit or anything that someone would consider fashionable. I would probably shock Stacy and Clinton on What Not to Wear. I've only seen the show a few times but refuse to watch anymore because they get down right mean and nasty about what people wear. Insulting people with a smile on your face and a giggle in your voice does not make it any less mean or hurtful. Yes some people want to be on the show and know they are going to be criticized but there are plenty who have no idea they are going to be on the show because they were put in by meddling family who can't accept them for the way they are. On one show a woman was practically in tears after they tore her clothing choices apart. Not watching the show is a person preference for me, everyone is allowed to like what they want to like, so it doesn't bother me one bit if you like the show. To each their own I always say.

Oops, I got sidetracked, now back to knitting. Sometimes I'm so easy distracted.

I've also been working on my moms Errant socks.

I would like to get these finished up soon. Plus if I finish these then I can cast on another pair, maybe for myself. I have several yarns sitting in my "to be knit next" basket.

Kaity's A-line Coat is done.

Well almost done. I need to get some buttons for it. I have my eye on some ladybug buttons from an online website. I was going to see what JoAnns had but Bree was getting tired and fussy so we decided to come home. Plus the weather was cold and nasty. I'll just order from the online store so I can pick up some other buttons for a few projects I have on my list to do. I really want to start a button stash.

I think that just about covers it for now. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Wonderful Kwanzaa, just another damn day, etc and an excellent New Year!

I'll leave you with Shadow.

It's been awhile since she's been in a post. I think she likes the new bed we bought her. I do believe that's what complete and total relaxation looks like.

Happy Crafting!

I Hate Spring Break!!!

Now that I'm not a kid and I have two of my own, I can say without a doubt in my mind "I Hate Spring Break." Some of you may ask yourself "Why would she hate spring break." I'll answer in two words "No School". We're coming to the end of spring break and I am very ready for Kaity to go back to school. She's driving me crazy....not that I have to drive far to hit crazy.

The first thing Kaity drove me crazy about,


Her socks! She wanted her new socks finished. So I sped through the second sock the other night so I could wash them for her for the next day. I really like Berroco Sox. It knits up nicely and although it's a tad scratchy while knitting with it, it softens up very nicely after a nice soak in wool wash. The scratchiness isn't any worse then any other basic sock yarn with nylon in it. I'd compare the feel to that of Opal sock yarn. We'll see how well it wears. I knit her a pair of socks back in Nov of 2006 out of some Regia and the socks are still going strong after lots of wear and trips through the washer and dryer. You can see the socks in my Rav Notebook. Regia really does wear like iron.

I knit a dish cloth.


This pattern is from Lily. It's the Doily Style Dishcloth and you need to have a freebie account with Lily to download the pattern. I noticed that the pattern is on the ball band of the Sugar N' Cream too. I think I'll make this one again. It's worked in the round and works very well with variegated yarn.

The Reims Stockings are coming along.


It doesn't look it but I'm about halfway through the foot pattern.

I also finished my sample knit for Woolgirl but I need to keep that one under wraps for now. I should be getting a new sample knit from her soon.

I started another dishcloth but I'm only 6 rows into it so there isn't much to photograph. Same goes for the inch I knit on my sweater.

The Bee Fields Shawl is out of it's time out and the 7 rows I had to rip are now back on the needles again. I was an idiot and didn't run lifelines. The only thing that saved me is that the Malibrigo lace is kinda grabby so I was able to pull back the rows one at a time very slowly until I was back to the mistake. Since the shawl doesn't look any different then it did the last time I posted about it, I didn't bother with another photo. The only difference now is you would see lifelines in the pic.

If all goes well, this payday I'll be ordering the yarn from Knit Picks to make dresses for Kaity and Bree. I'm going to pick up some Shine Sport for Kaity and I think I'm going to try some of their new yarn Comfy for Bree's dress.

It's time to start thinking about summer knitting.

Happy Valentines Day

Wishing you all a Happy Love Day.


Shawn ordered these for the girls and I. I was completely shocked when the delivery person brought them to my front door this morning. Bree kept saying "Wow" and pointing. Kaity's still at school but I can imagine she'll be excited to see all those balloons.

I finished the sample knit and it's winging it's way home as I type. I'll post about it when I can.

I also finished a few things for Kaity. She's been pestering me about these for days.

First up, her hat.


Norwegian Star Earflap hat, minus the earflaps and one full star repeat.


I did a provisional cast on so I could pick up the stitches easier and knit the hat to push inside the hat. The hat has been washed and blocked so both sides are the same size now.

I finished Kaity's Monkey socks.


I used a pink/white TOFUtsies. Knit at a slightly tighter gauge then the pattern states will give you a sock small enough for a 6 year olds foot without the need to modify the pattern. Ah, the powers of gauge.

I ordered my wheel this morning from The Woolery. I've heard they have great customer service. The guy I talked to this morning was really nice. I can't wait to get my wheel.....weeeeee! Now I need to start thinking about names.

I've decided to knit the Celtic Knot Stole but I need to enlarge the charts. If I tried to read them as is I'll go blind. I can't wait to get started. I'll probably be starting this by the weekend.