Heather's Knits

What are you still doing here?

2006-10-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

Come on over to my new site!

http://frogbarn.com/blog

Don't forget to update your bloglines with the new address :)

New blog!

2006-09-15T17:52:00.000-05:00

What are you doing hanging out around here? Come check out my new blog!

Frog Barn

Come on over!

Another handbag...

2006-08-31T22:54:00.000-05:00

I made another Amy Butler Covington handbag to give to my best friend, Jes, for her birthday. I'm so happy with the way it turned out. It was a lot easier the second time around, although it still took me longer than one would think a handbag should take to make. I used more of the fabulous Tracy Porter fabric from Joann's. I think our little princess needs one of her own!

Yummy French Toast

2006-08-30T22:04:00.000-05:00

Breakfast has always been my favorite meal. I love sweet food - I'll take some pancakes with syrup and a tall glass of orange juice any day. My latest phase has been blueberry pancakes, I make them as often as possible while blueberries are still in season. But I have to say I'm getting bored of eating the same thing every day. It's so hard thinking of new things to feed everyone, especially with one very picky eater. So I made french toast! Easy to make, has eggs so that is protein for the picky one, and feeds everyone. Boy were the good. The picture does not do them justice, I should have taken the picture after the syrup was poured on top. And the bacon, microwaved for 6 minutes to perfection. Perfect, crisp, flat pieces of bacon. I'm trying to distract you with food to hide the fact that there is no knitting progress to report. I must be in some sort of a funk. I haven't picked up my knitting in weeks and find it is harder to pick up the longer I let it go. I've also been working on a new web site for a few days which has been taking up all of my time. Who knew how difficult it is to build a web site from scratch? I'll eventually move my blog over there as well, but I'm still at least a month away from finishing everything. I'm having a really fun time working on it though.

Alive and Well

2006-08-23T18:54:00.000-05:00

We are all, in fact, alive and well. Hubby had appendicitis so things have been a little crazy around here. He's doing well and is back to work and I'm glad to get back into the normal swing of things around here. My baby girl is finally walking!!! She's 16 months and very cautious but has finally realized how much easier it is to get around by walking instead of crawling. I have to say, I've been enjoying her lack of walking, I'm not looking foward to chasing her around. At least my son seems to understand not to run away from me and to hold my hand in parking lots, etc. That has always been my worst fear. So now it starts all over again. On to crafting...I have still not picked up my knitting for some reason but I have been crafting. I finished up a baby quilt I started months ago and made a little dress, all of which I will post about soon. I'm feeling inspired though so I may pick up some knitting tonight. I promise to post with pictures soon!

Happy Birthday!!!

2006-08-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe my baby boy is 4 years old! He starts pre-school in a few weeks, I can't believe how quickly time flies. This picture totally represents what he's into right now. A few layers of Superman pajamas, a dinosaur island and, of course, a light saber hooked to his belt.

Amy Butler Covington Bag

2006-08-04T19:06:00.000-05:00

I have a FO to show you! I finished the Amy Butler Covington bag that I intend to use as a knitting bag. I tell you, I just love sewing for the speed of a project from start to finish. With 2 kids, my time is definitely limited so my knitting projects seem to be taking forever! But with sewing I really feel like I've accomplished something after just a few hours of time. The size of the bag is perfect for small on the go knitting projects, like socks. It was fairly simple to make although I would not recommend this bag as your very first sewing project. I had a hard time sewing the Timtex interfacing onto the fabric for the bottom of the bag so I used some spray adhesive (used for basting quilts) before sewing the 2 pieces together and that worked perfectly (thank's mom!). Otherwise the pattern was pretty straightforward. I'll definitely be making more of this bag!

Bad blogger....

2006-07-23T19:31:00.000-05:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted! I feel like the slowest knitter on earth, I don't know how these daily knit bloggers do it. Even though I still knit almost daily, I always feel like I have nothing to show for it. One of the reasons is that I'm easily bored with projects and often start something new. Like Picovoli, I cast on for a new Picovoli using seed stitch for the edges, a different yarn (Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine) and smaller needles (US4). My pink Picovoli knit with KnitPicks Shine is almost unwearable. It's too big and the picot edges roll because of it. Also, the pink is just too pink. So hopefully I'll get it right this time around. My Conwy socks are going really slowly for some reason, I have trouble finding where I left off (which I know could be easily solved by using a row counter). And the calf decreases are slowing me down quite a bit as well, again, would be much easier with a row counter. Well, I'll updated my sidebar with my current projects and progress and I'll post some pictures soon. My camera is in fact back in working order from the shop but hubby took it to work, so I have yet to try it out. But I'll leave you some pictures that my son has been taking with hubby's camera: My son's most prized possession, his Superman PJs which he insists on wearing non-stop (and if I manage to get him dressed to go somewhere, he carries them in his backpack).

2006-07-06T20:30:00.000-05:00

My camera is still in the shop so here's the best I could get out of hubby's camera, at night, in the dark, on my lap. Sorry, not much effort on my part but hopefully you can get the idea. They're the beginnings of Conwy socks (Nancy Bush, Knitting On The Road). The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Somerset. I'm very happy with them so far, they seem a little big but there is some calf shaping so I'm hoping they'll be ok. My last pair was a little on the tight side so I'm waiting until I get a little farther to decide about the fit. I'm a little worn out on the sweater and the dishcloths. I've made 5 of the dishcloths so far and I like each new color combo even better than the last. This is the most recent one and my favorite, for now.

Rain Rain Go Away!

2006-06-27T14:24:00.000-05:00

It has been raining here FOREVER. There was some serious flooding in our area and it looks like another wave of rain is about to hit. Luckily we live on top of a hill and our basement has stayed dry (knock-on-wood). But I have serious cabin fever. I managed to get out for a while today which was nice. We've been saving up for a kitchen so I opened a new savings account that we won't withdrawal from no matter what and I managed to find $200 from around the house ($93 in change!). I also visited Lowes to check out their cabinets and tile and made an appointment to meet with someone tonight. I already have a design I'm happy with so now I'm shopping around and working out the details (the fun part). We have a long way to save though since I want granite countertops! Here's a picture from this weekend of some fun in the sun, I'm longing for another day like this.

BGLOD

2006-06-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

My camera has come down with an illness and it's called BGLOD (blinking green light of death). Isn't that sad, that there's a name for it? Apparently it is a common problem and has been acknowledged by Nikon. So it's on its way to the repair shop under the care of UPS, hope it makes it safely! I've finally finished the back of the Belted Wrap Jacket and have started part of the front. I'm pretty happy with it so far, I just hope it fits. The front seems a little small but we'll see. I'm glad to have the biggest piece done, it finally feels like I've made some progress. And I completed a little sewing project. I bought some beautiful Laura Ashley home decorator fabric from the special order discount bin at Joann's and whipped up a cover for the bird cage. We cover it at night and if it's being particularly noisy during the day, I'll cover him for a few minutes and take it off once he's been quiet for a while to encourage a more peaceful house, if that's possible around here. By the way, the name Nickel seems to have stuck, my son came up with it from who knows where. And last but not least, to break up the monotony of the never ending sweater I've started some dishcloths out of Sugar 'n Cream 100% cotton yarn I bought at Michaels. Of course, the pattern is from Mason Dixon. I love the pattern, it's brilliant. I love the freedom of using bright colors in any combination. I've already finished these two and can't wait to start the next one....maybe pink and green?

We still need a name...

2006-06-16T14:33:00.000-05:00

New addition!

2006-06-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

We always stop at Petco after eating at our favorite restaurant, Sakura. Usually, the birds are kind of nasty and want to bite the crap out of your finger (which we found out is because all the other Petcos send their trouble birds to them!). But this one conure got our attention and we fell in love. Awww.... We've had a parrot in the past, an umbrella cockatoo which was a little too much bird for us to handle, especially with young kids in the house. Luckily a friend really wanted her so it worked out for everyone. But we've missed having a birdy companion around. He/she is a Jenday Conure (I think, they said it's a Sun Conure but the markings look more like a Jenday). We haven't come up with a name yet, it seems like bird names always end with an "ee" sound! The bird is sweet as can be and seems to be adjusting well, although I can tell it's a little nervous. And of course it's a picky eater and is only eating the soft white things in its Zupreem food mix, which I think is dried banana. It's a little louder than I anticipated, that was one of my qualms with the cockatoo. I'm going to Joann's tonight to buy some fabric to sew a cover for its cage...

I'm still here!

2006-06-06T14:21:00.000-05:00

I have been knitting! I've finished the Yarrow Ribbed socks, pictures and official FO report to come soon. I'm trying to decide which socks to start next. I'm thinking of making Jaywalkers or Conwy, I'll have to flip through my books. I always like to have a pair of socks on the needles. I've also been working on the Belted Wrap Jacket. I'm finally on the armhole shaping on the back, so I'm beginning to feel like there's an end in sight! It has been slow going but I am determined to finish it before starting another major project. I really want to make the Cable Hoodie I've been talking about forever. I've decided to make it with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, thanks to Shannon for the inspiration. I just need to decide on the color. I'm thinking white or "putty" (slightly off-white). But that's so boring. I was thinking of making it in a pale blue color. But I think white would go with more things. I don't know. What color should I make it in?

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Look how cute! Hubby bought a Segway for work and we just got this awesome trailer for the kiddos to ride along. It is so much fun, I'm a little scared to ride the thing myself cuz hubby has had a few crashes on it but it's a nice thing that he can do with the kids. I am so excited because we finally got our front garden completely cleared out. It was a mess and not my style at all. It was full of perennials which is nice for a few weeks in the summer but looked terrible the rest of the year. There were hardly any bushes at all. I like something with a little more structure. Plus, there were weeds EVERYWHERE and it was so hard to tell what was what. I can't wait to put the new plants in, I have no idea what we're going to do. Luckily, our family friend is a landscaper so I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. The screen room is finished and now there are plans for a patio between there and the deck, with a fireplace! It's going to be awesome, I love renovating our home. We've also been having some fun in the sun! He's looking so grown up! Where does the time go????

Taylor Hicks wins American Idol!

2006-05-26T11:10:00.000-05:00

Yay! I'm glad Taylor won, although Katherine was great too. He just had more personality and originality. As some of you may know, my husband is obsessed with Legos. We have Legos everywhere and now my son likes to play with them too. He loved watching American Idol with us and we've all liked Taylor from the beginning so he asked which Lego man looks like Taylor. So my husband sorted through the thousands of Lego pieces and came up with this. I think it looks a lot like him! We decided to list him on eBay so hop on over and take a peek. I'm actually a little sad to part with him, but it's all been fun. I'm surprised how much interest we've gotten in him, we've already had over 1000 hits on the listing in 2 days! Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol, Soul Patrol!!!!

I Heart Lorna's Laces

2006-05-24T11:25:00.000-05:00

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn is by far the best sock yarn IMO. Yes, even more so than Koigu and STR, who both have some great colors but are not as nice to knit or as soft. I had some money burning a hole in my PayPal account so I bought some LL's on Ebay. The colors are Vera (which I saw at MDS&W and attempted to fight Jes for but she won) and Somerset. I apparently have a sock yarn addiction. But, I have a finished sock, that counts for something right? This is STR Moss Agate and the pattern is Yarrow Ribbed Socks by Nancy Bush. And as soon as I finished this one I cast on immediately for the 2nd to avoid second sock syndrome. I'm a little tired of this color and I really want to cast on a new pair of socks with my LL's but I'm determined to finish these first! I also pulled out the Belted Wrap Jacket and worked on that some this weekend. I was surprised it took me over an hour just to finish one repeat of 10 rows! But the pattern is so much fun to knit and is a nice break from the tiny sock needles. I frogged the Silk Cami I started with the Cotton Patine and haven't cast on for it again. I still feel the need to finish the projects I've started and I'm not sure that's the right pattern for the yarn either.

Chicken Pox, oh no!

2006-05-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

The quilt top is almost finished, I just need to sew on the border. I just realized I never showed the baby quilt I finished a few months ago, the top is finished and it is on my quilting frame now so hopefully I'll be able to finish that in the next few weeks. I've had trouble deciding which quilting pattern to use, but I made the quilt with the intention of donating it to Project Linus and to practice machine quilting so I should just pick something and finish it! I need to get it off the frame so I can quilt the Wallpaper quilt. I'm really happy with how it looks, I especially like how the border is 3 smaller strips, I think it really pulls it all together. Hubby spend all day Saturday cleaning the "sewing room" which used to be his room that he is now sharing with a 10' long quilting frame that takes up half the room! He didn't put up too much of a fight because he really doesn't use the room much anymore but he insisted the orange paint color and Marilyn Monroe pictures had to stay. I think it looks really nice and I love having space for my sewing supplies, although the dining room table is still covered with fabric and my other sewing machine! We're thinking of getting a rolling stool to replace the desk chair because there's isn't enough room for it. And my son has the chicken pox! I thought since he had the vaccine that he wouldn't be able to get it, but apparently that's not how it works. Before the vaccine, the average number of pox someone would get was 600 to thousands and with the vaccine the cases tend to have less pox and be much less severe. Hopefully it won't be too bad but it looks like we'll miss out on our family's company picnic at Hershey Park this Saturday. Bummer, I was really looking forward to it :( It's been years since I've been to an amusement part and actually been able to ride the rides since I always seem to be pregnant. Oh well, there's always next year.

Another Quilt Begun

2006-05-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

I bought some Tracy Porter fabric today since it was on sale at Joann's for 40% off! I got more than 10 yards of fabric for only $40, not bad at all. I'm making Kaffe Fasset's Wallpaper Strips Quilt from Quilt Road. I'm not sure if the fabric is right for this pattern but I just grabbed what I could with 2 unruly children. For those of you with kids, do you ever feel like you're in a daze? I'm trying to pick out fabric and my son isists on making a "cave" in the shopping cart by laying bolts of fabric on top. As they repeatedly keep hitting the ground and the baby is screaming because she is being pinched. So I'm not sure what I got or how it will look but that's pretty much par for the course these days. I've already cut the strips but I'm scared to "randomly" cut the lengths. Plus, I have no idea when I'll have enough time (without kids) to lay the quilt out and at least get the strips sewn together.

Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival

2006-05-09T21:23:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't know what everyone else thought about the MDS&W Festival this year but I have to say I was a little disappointed. This was the first year I went and I couldn't believe how crazy it was. There were people everywhere and everyone apparently was there for Socks That Rock and Koigu! Jes and I got there a little after 9 am when it opened but we took our sweet little time eating breakfast in the car. By the time we got the The Fold to get some Socks That Rock, there was hardly anything left! I managed to get 3 hanks (Ruby Slippers, Falcon's Eye and Moss Agate), not necessarily colors I would have normally chosen but I like them nonetheless. We wanted the light weight but all they had was medium weight. I've already started a pair in the Yarrow Rib from KVS. Then we found the Koigu booth and that was complete madness as well. I guess it was mill ends at like twenty-some cents an ounce but by the time we got there, there was a huge line with people with armfuls (and baskets full!) of Koigu. I have to say at this point I was really pissed off, seeing all those pushy b!&%$s in line with tons of Koigu falling out of their arms, I mean save some for the rest of us! How much Koigu does one person need? I calmed down after a while and we enjoyed the rest day. The weather was beautiful, not too hot and it didn't rain which I was worried about being a possibility. A couple other booths had some Koigu so I got 4 skeins of that as well at the regular price (but at least I could see the colors in person and not have to pay shipping). I also got a wool/mohair blend (that I realized was a bit smelly when I got home and hubby exclaimed, what is that smell?). I plan on making Clapotis with it, they had one on display in their booth and the yarn was all such beautiful colors I had trouble picking one! So, overall it was a fun time and I'll probably end up going again next year, especially since it's only an hour drive from my house. And at least I'll know what to expect and will arrive EARLY so I can be a b%#@$ in line with armfuls of sock yarn!

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

2006-05-08T21:42:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday today! I had the best birthday weekend ever, full of family, friends and lots of yarn! Can you guess what I got for my birthday? Yep, it's a Nikkor 60mm f/2.8D Micro Lens for my Nikon D70! So you'll probably be tired of pictures of flowers pretty soon! But you'll love the close-up yarn pictures!!! And my lovely sock pal, Neysa, received the socks I made for her and seems to really like them! Go check them out and see her cute dog, Lucy, posing with the socks. I'm so happy!!! I loved making the socks for her I can't wait for the next Sockapaloooza, I had such an amazing time participating this year and was so lucky to have 2 great pals!

Friday was the best day ever!

2006-05-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

I had an awesome day on Friday! First, my son had his karate class and did really well, he even got a best student award, which when you get 7 of them you receive a trophy. So now he has 3. So when I got home my husband greeted me saying something came in the mail I've been waiting a while for. So of course I think it's my Sockapaloooza socks. He pulls out the new Summer Interweave Knits magazine, which was exciting but not what I was expecting. But that tricky fella had something up his sleeve. My socks came too!!! I was so excited and nervous about opening them. This being my first exchange I didn't really know what to expect, what if I didn't like them? But I was so excited to open the package and see these beautiful socks made just for me. I was literally jumping for joy in the kitchen! They are absolutely gorgeous and perfect for me. I love the color, they are made out of Socks That Rock in the Rose Quartz colorway. I had been wanting to try some STR yarn so I was thrilled that this is the yarn my sock pal chose for me. The pattern is so pretty and the socks fit perfectly! Thanks you so much, Adrienne, I love them!!!

MD Sheep & Wool

2006-05-05T13:29:00.000-05:00

The Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival is tomorrow! It's only about an hour drive from where I live and this will be my first time going, I am very excited. My birthday is Monday so I will be treating myself to some presents and my best friend and knitter extraordinaire Jes is going with me! She has a knack for remembering yarn brands and stuff so I'm letting her lead the way. I don't have any projects in mind so I have no idea what I'll come home with. We're most looking forward to buying some Socks That Rock yarn, I have a feeling I'll mostly come back with sock yarn. I'm not sure what else, I'll just have to see what calls out to me when I'm there and hope I buy enough. Stash enhancement here we come! Not to worry, there will be tons of pictures in my next post!!!

SockapalOOOza Sendoff!

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

Here they are, waiting to travel across the country to my sock pal. I really hope she likes them! I am so glad I decided to participate in this exchange, it has been so much fun. I received an anonymous e-mail from my pal and she sent my socks from Canada on Friday!!! I feel so lucky to be getting socks from Canada. And about the silk camisole I started, I had to say something about it not fitting, didn't I? Cuz guess what, it doesn't fit! I got a 2nd set of 5's out so I could try it on and it is definitely too big, by about 22 stitches or so which is the difference between sizes so I'll just knit the size smaller and go from there. I have to say I was a little disappointed so that's why I haven't done much knitting this week, I needed some time away from it before ripping it all out. I'm so glad I bought that ball winder! I still haven't done it yet but I will as soon as I post this. I'm also thinking about starting another pair of socks. I have some solid Lorna's Laces (periwinkle) and need to decide on a pattern. I'm thinking of making Conwy from KOTR. Not sure though. I want something with an interesting stitch pattern since I'm using a solid color. Hmm....

New Knitting

2006-04-23T14:04:00.000-05:00

I cast on a new project, the Silk Camisole from Last Minute Knitted Gifts that my friend Jes knit for the Knitting Olympics. I love how hers turned out so I thought I would try it out with the Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine I had in my stash (meant for another project that didn't work out). I'm using size 4 needles and have just finished the lace and am moving on to the mindless stockinette, just what I need right now! I sure hope it fits, I would hate to have to do the lace over again. I'm making a few changes per Jes' suggestions. First, the lace repeat for the size I'm making has a 9 stitch stockinette patch on both sides and the pattern repeat is 9 stitches. So I just did the lace pattern all the way around. It was not as easy as I thought it would be which is probably why the pattern isn't written that way, but I do think it looks much better this way. Also, Jes suggested adding some waist shaping. I have no idea how to do this, but I will start by looking up what I did on Picovoli. I'm thinking I'd rather do the shaping closer to the sides of the tank. And Picovoli is worked from the top down rather than bottom up. So I'll have to think about it and see what works. Any suggestions are welcome! I know it'll involve some SSK and K2tog but that's as far as I've gotten.

Rollie Pollie

2006-04-19T20:51:00.000-05:00

I saw this beautiful knitting needle case on Pink Lemon Twist and decided to make one for myself. I used some leftover fabric from the baby quilt I'm making (yes, the top is finished, one thing at a time). I figured things out as I went along and the main thing I forgot was to sew the lines for the pockets before sewing the main pieces together so it wouldn't show on the outside of the roll. I need to write down how I made it before I forget because I'll definitely be making more. It holds all of my needles perfectly! I made the pockets 1 1/2" wide which I think is a little too wide for the tiny DPNs. I could have made the overall width a little less. Also, I think the pockets are slightly too deep and the top flap needs to be a little bit longer to cover the tops of my shorter needles. And if you look closely you can see the pink embroidery stitch I used, fancy, huh? Thank you mom, I love the machine! Not only did she buy me the new Pfaff quilting machine, she also gave me her old Pfaff Creative 1475 sewing machine. I'm having so much fun!

Hippity Hop

2006-04-17T22:55:00.000-05:00

Finally, I actually have knitting content! And not only that, I have a finished object too!!! Here is the cute bunny I've been working on, I think it turned out pretty cute and my son seems to like it and that's all that matters. I have to admit, I didn't enjoy making it very much. There were a lot of pieces and I hate seaming. I thought it would be a quick and easy project but using Cashmerino Aran on size 3 needles doesn't go very fast. Pattern: Debbie Bliss "Rabbit" from Special Knits Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran Needles: 24" Circular Addi Turbo US3 We're still recovering from sugar shock. We had a really nice weekend, even though Hubby had to work on Easter. I remember the day I decided I wanted to try to get pregnant was Easter 2001. Our family ate out at an Italian restaurant for Easter dinner and there were kids running around everywhere. I knew it was time. And look how cute they turned out!!! I have some sewing to show you tomorrow, I need to come up with a new blog name because it seems I'm sewing as much as knitting these days. And my mom bought me an early birthday present, a Pfaff sewing machine & frame for quilting!!! It is huge, it takes up an entire wall in our spare bedroom. I'll tell you more about it soon, I'm hoping if I get good at machine quilting I will be able to make some money finishing quilts for people. If you have any quilt tops you need quilted, let me know! With this machine, quilting is so much easier. I'm really excited to try it out, hopefully I'll have it up and running soon.

Happy Easter

2006-04-16T20:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter! I hope everyone had a great weekend :) p.s. I actually finished the blue bunny, but hubby took my camera to work and keeps forgetting to bring it home so you'll have to wait for the pics. He's kinda funny looking but at least I finished something which means I can start something new, right?

Knitting Crisis

2006-04-12T11:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am having a major knitting crisis. Why did I go this far with this project without stopping? I knew from the beginning something wasn't right, but I kept going anyway. This thing is so huge, it would fit me. I've done a lot of Debbie Bliss patterns and have never had a problem but this is crazy. I think I cast on more stitches for this than Picovoli! And what's with the model in the picture? The biggest size in the pattern is 18-24 months and the model must be 2 or 3 years old. Maybe that's why this whole thing is so baffling, I'm expecting it to be a cute little knee length dress like it is in the picture. I'm doing the 12-18 months size which should not be this huge. I know it will fit her someday so I should probably just finish it but I just can't see myself casting on for the front at this point even if I ever finish the back with all the seed stitch I have left. Ugh, I think it's time to start something new. Ok, ok, finish stupid bunny and then start something new. Did you notice I got rid of a few progress bars? They are 'temporarily' out of the queue (stored in the closet soon to be forgotten). Maybe I'll put this in with them and start it again next Spring when it might actually fit her. Grrr....I'm so mad at my knitting right now!!! How can I be so stressed when this is in my front yard?

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

2006-04-11T11:21:00.000-05:00

Today is C's 1st birthday, I can't believe it's been a year already! She has changed so much in just the past few weeks, I'm a little sad that my babies are growing up and aren't really babies anymore. Here's a picture that was taken the day after she was born, she's so much cuter now! We had a small family party for her on Saturday, she really seemed to enjoy opening her presents. And her cake! Happy birthday sweet baby girl!

Patchwork Quilt

2006-04-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

Finished! I'll have to think of a name for this quilt. It's beautiful, I'm so in love with it! I'm not sure what's going on with my knitting, I still consider myself more of a knitter than a quilter, but I'm just not feeling any of the projects I'm working on. Maybe I should cast on something new, although I'm a finisher and don't think I can start something new until I finish something. We'll see, I haven't gone this long without knitting in a long time! I think I just need to pick up one of the projects when I have a lot of time to work on it so I actually make some progress and feel good about it again. And I'm starting a new quilt, something for Project Linus, although I may end up keeping it because I'm falling in love with it already. This quilting thing is addictive, I didn't think I would be so into it but I just can't stop. I need to stop and clean the house or else I'm going to get fired and have to find a "real" job!

Lost and Found

2006-04-05T21:56:00.000-05:00

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and concern about my daughter. She is doing great, she seems completely back to normal. Remember that Crystal Palace DPN I lost about a month ago? Well, my mother-in-law moved a chair in her house and heard a little "ding". She looked under the chair and there was my needle! I can't believe it, I am so happy, I loved those needles and every time I would get around to the Clover needle I was forced to replace it with, I would cringe. I'm so happy!!! Here is my vegetable garden. Not very pretty yet but it will be soon! I started it last year and it did ok but I made a ton of mistakes, um, like remembering to water it often! My tomatoes never did very well but I did get a lot of squash which I used all the time. So the other day when it was warm I went outside and pulled out all the weeds. It wasn't bad at all since I had put weed barrier down. I know I should probably till the soil and whatnot but I probably won't. A few of the herbs I planted have come back like the peppermint and chives. I'm not sure what I want to plant this year, definitely squash, zucchini, tomatoes, maybe some strawberries, beans, peas, and peppers. I'll see what looks good when I go to the nursery. I'm so excited, hurry up warm weather! It actually snowed here for a few minutes this morning. Here is our amazing new screen room that my father-in-law has been building. There is still a lot of work that needs to be done (mainly painting and making/installing the screens). I know I will live on the screen porch this summer, it is so amazing and a wonderful addition to our house. My father-in-law called today to tell me the back-hoe was calling my name and will be digging the foundation for my kitchen (we're extending it out back 4 feet - just to the right of the screen room). That's how things work around here, one day you wake up and there's a back-hoe in your yard. I love it!!! And here are the first signs of Spring popping up around our yard.

Scary Weekend

2006-04-03T20:12:00.000-05:00

On Saturday my daughter was having terrible stomach cramps and diarrhea. After a few hours when I changed her diaper I noticed there was a lot of blood in her diaper so immediately we decided to take her to the ER. She just started new medication a few days ago so I thought for sure it was a side effect of that. But, it turns out she had intussusception which is basically when part of the bowel folds into itself kind of like a telescope. We thought she would need surgery to have it corrected but they ended up being able to fix it with an air enema. Not fun, but anything is better than surgery. So we're finally home and she's in her high chair eating a piece of pizza with her two new teeth! I'm so glad we took her to Johns Hopkins and not our local ER. It's amazing how resilient children are. I took some pictures of our "gardens" which I'll show you soon. I haven't had a chance to do much knitting lately, I have a feeling the bunnies won't be done in time! ETA: I forgot to mention while we were in the hospital, right after we got back from the ultrasound that confirmed the intussusception, we had this beautiful blanket waiting for us on her bed: It was made as part of the Linus Project. I can't tell you how much this meant to me to have something hand-made for her when we were scared and didn't have anything from home. I definitely plan on making something to donate to them in the future.

Abandoned UFOs

2006-03-26T13:53:00.000-05:00

I consider myself a finisher. I don't start projects only to abandom them for something else. My mom hardly ever finishes the projects she starts, so maybe that's why I have a compulsion to finish things. But at what point do you abandon a project? Like, say, the picot dress for the baby that would fit my 3 year old? Or the blue and white quilt that no one seems to like (including myself)? Why should I spend hours and hours (maybe years and years) hand quilting something that no longer fits my taste and won't have a place in our house? What makes you decide to abandon a project? Should I finish the dress just because I started it and it will fit her someday? Do I finish the quilt that I'll never use? And to show you that I do still, indeed knit, here are my bunny pieces. My son knows I'm knitting something for him and keeps asking if it's a Hummer. No idea why he thinks that! He told me to knit faster!!! I'm almost finished the pieces so they just need to be put together, I'm not looking forward to that part! This is my first knitted stuffed animal so I'm excited to see how it will take shape. *-*-*-*-*-*-* End of Knitting Content *-*-*-*-*-*-* I've given up on machine quilting the lap quilt and decided to hand quilt it. With all the time I've put into figuring out this machine quilting thing, with or without invisibile thread, programming in new stitches, and ripping out all the failed attempts, I've decided it will be faster to hand quilt it! Plus, after buying Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Road (awesome book!) I noticed he often quilts a square inside the square, which I LOVE and am doing for this quilt. I just wasn't happy with the way it looked stitching in the ditch. And I like things symmetrical so I also didn't like quilting 1/4" on one side of the block. But the squares are perfect!!! Look how cute! And on the home renovation front, we finally tore up the last of the wall to wall carpet in the house. We wanted to finish painting the hall and steps first and once that was finished, out went the carpet. I had no idea how many staples there were, what I thought would take an hour took 6. My hands and back are so sore I can barely move today. But it looks great, I can't believe someone would cover up hardwood floors, even the steps are hardwood! They look good enough as is we probably won't refinish them. I just need to paint the baseboards. But this is really bothering me. Why are the boards going in different directions in the middle of the hallway? It's not even in the middle, it's like 1/4 one direction and 3/4 the other. Strange. We figured they probably had different guys working on each side of the house and when they met in the hallway they were like "oh, shit!" I'm thinking I might get a runner carpet for the hallway but I'm not sure how I'll get it to stay in place.

Quilting

2006-03-21T11:52:00.000-05:00

Something I've discovered recently is that there knitters, and there are quilters. I am a knitter that likes to quilt. I don't mean to offend any quilters out there, I came across some beautiful quilts like this one in my search for inspiration for a quilt for my daughter's room. But every time I found a blog with a quilt I liked, I realized they are knitters too! I've been working on a lap quilt I plan on giving as a gift for the past few weeks. In fact, I didn't knit at all this weekend! It's been a few months since I've gone even 1 single day without knitting. I have really been enjoying making it, I finished piecing the top last weekend and I was working on the quilting this weekend. I'm using some Tracy Porter fabrics I found at Joann's, I think they are really pretty together! My mom brought up her Pfaff sewing machine for me to use for machine quilting since it has a nice quilting stitch, but I've been having some problems with it. We're using nylon invisible thread for the top thread and 100% cotton thread for the bobbin. It is bunching up the quilt and the stitches are bumpy in spots. We're going to the sewing store tomorrow where they're going to give us another thread to try and program a slightly different stitch into the machine that will hopefully work better. I'm glad, because I was getting really frustrated! I just wanted to make something quick so there is no way I'm going to hand quilt this thing. And I took out the quilt I pieced in college (probably 1998) and haven't gotten around to quilting. I plan on hand quilting it and was so overwhelmed with the amount of work that needed to be put into it I've been hiding it in my closet for years. My aunt came to visit a few month ago and encouraged me to at least piece the quilt together and we put the binding on to make it more "finished" so I could use it while quilting it. I worked on it a lot this weekend and have been mostly quilting in the ditch of the main blocks and have almost finished that. It's going fairly quickly so I'm beginning to realize it is actually possible to finish and will be so beautiful when it's done. What is it with kids and tape measures? They seem to entertain them to no end! Knitting to resume shortly!

Finished Sockapaloooza socks!

2006-03-18T11:44:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks from Interweave Knits Winter '05/'06 Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock (Cedar) Needles: 5 Crystal Palace Bamboo DPNs (size US2) Comments: As I've said before, I love this pattern. It was fun to knit and they went so quickly because I just couldn't wait to see every leaf form. This was my first time using Lorna's Laces sock yarn and it was great. The subtle color variations in the yarn were beautiful and the color was perfect for this project. I love them so much I think I'll make a pair for myself! I really hope my sock pal likes them :)

I'm sick!

2006-03-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

I have been so sick for the past 24 hours. My son and I got the same stomach flu type thing at the exact same time yesterday and were throwing up literally every 15 minutes for 6 hours. Ugh, my brain is so fried but hopefully I'll be back with something interesting to say soon! If you take a peek at my progress bar you'll notice my Sockapaloooza socks are finished (99% because they still need to be washed and I have to blog about them).

Not much to report...

2006-03-09T22:24:00.000-05:00

Here's a cute kid picture since I don't have any knitting pictures to show you! She is growing so fast, she still doesn't crawl, she just rolls everwhere she needs to go. She's starting to stand up holding on to something and is just so proud of herself! Today was an awesome day, it was warm enough to play outside and the kids were on their best behavior. Daddy took our son to karate so I got to stay home and knit, knit, knit! My hands and back are killing me so I'm taking a break but I really want to finish the socks, it's hard to put them down! I'm on my last repeat of the socks and have cast on and finished 1 repeat of the Jacket. Hurry up Spring, I'm ready for some warm weather...it's supposed to reach 68 degrees tomorrow!!!

Relax...

2006-03-08T19:23:00.000-05:00

I've been very stressed about my knitting lately which is totally stupid. I really don't have any particular reason to be stressed other than starting too many projects at once. So I've been concentrating on the Embossed Leaves socks. I'm just past the heel on the 2nd sock, so I figure I have 2 nights of work left and they'll be done!!! And after a few days off from the Belted Wrap Jacket, I've finally swatched with size 5s and it's currently on the kitchen counter drying. So far it seems like it's right on gauge so I'll probably cast on again tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to casting on again so I'm feeling much better about the whole thing. I'm so glad I realized now rather than later that my gauge was off so I can make a sweater that fits!

Legos and more....

2006-03-06T17:05:00.000-05:00

I don't know if any of you have seen this, but my hubby, who is a huge Lego enthusiast, found this fully functional Lego Knitting Machine. How cool is that??? And I'm also very proud to announce that I build this lovely Lego truck for my son this morning. It was fun! When I was a kid, I just had a few legos, no directions, and I would try to build a house over and over. It was boring and I never got into it. But with hubby's obsession, I've had no choice but to embrace Legos into my life. They can be fun but it's not easy to put a set together after it's been taken apart all over the house. I was missing a few pieces but we managed to find all of them. Also, KnitPicks has new yarn and new colors of shine! I'm so excited I don't know what to do with myself!!! On my budget, I end up buying Knit Picks yarns for just about everything. They are really great for the price but my only complaint has been the colors! Thank you Knit Picks!!! ETA: I didn't notice Knit Picks added Shine Worsted also! Another great yarn and more pretty colors!!!

The power of gauge...

2006-03-05T17:19:00.000-05:00

I've been making tons of progress on the Belted Wrap Jacket in the past few days, it's all I've been working on. Then I got an e-mail from Lesley who is also making the same sweater. I had asked her what size needles she was using and she told me she's using 5s. Hmmm, I'm using 7s. Maybe I should check my gauge. I had actually made a swatch for this! I'm supposed to get 26 stitches/4" in the pattern. It looks like I'm getting 3.25" for a pattern repeat which is 19 stitches, so about 23.4 stitches/4". That's quite a bit off! So why didn't I realize this when I knit the swatch? So now 6 repeats and 8160 stitches later I don't know what to do. When I lay it flat on the table it actually measures the correct width, but when I block it I suppose it will stretch a bit? It doesn't actually look overly huge. I'm not sure if I should cast on again on 5s or if it will be ok as is. I guess I could wash the swatch and see what happens. I need a blocking board (hint, hint for my birthday in May). Usually a swatch is just stockinette stitch which is pretty straightforward, but I'm not sure how to figure out my gauge on a pattern. Do I need to stretch it out when measuring? I guess measuring and saying "oh, it looks like it's about 3" a pattern repeat, looks close enough to me" is not the best way to check your gauge. And we got to babysit Jordan last night, she made herself at home on the couch!

I am officially a perfectionist!

2006-03-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

I know I am a perfectionist when I ripped all of my progress (2 repeats) of the Belted Wrap Jacket after I noticed 2 tiny mistakes. Mistakes that no one besides myself would ever notice. I just couldn't do it. I knew they were there and it would bother me forever. I'm not proficient enough at yarn overs yet to drop a the stitches down and fix it, so I decided to frog it. I managed to get it back on the needles a few rows into the pattern so I didn't have to cast on again which definitely saved some time and made the decision worthwhile. I promised myself to pay more attention so as not to make more mistakes and so far so good. I've completed 4 repeats and I love it! I've memorized the pattern so it's going more quickly now. The color is very pretty but looks so different in the daylight. But it's green, my very favorite color, so how could I go wrong? And I'm using KnitPicks Merino Style which works perfectly using a felted join, so no ends to weave in! Hopefully the sweater will turn out nice enough for me to actually wear. My head still feels like it's going to explode, kinda like being on an airplane. It's no fun being sick! Especially since I've been feeling dizzy which is getting in the way of my knitting!!!

One sock down, one to go....

2006-03-01T18:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the first sock, finished! I love the pattern so much, I think I might make a pair for myself. They are the Embossed Leaves Socks from Interweave Knits Winter 05/06. I've already cast on for the 2nd sock. I love the subtle color variations in the yarn, the color is Cedar in Lorna's Laces Shepherd sock. We're all sick here with runny noses, sore throats and fevers. The kids had it first and seem to be almost over it, but today has been the worst for hubby and I. It's hard to be sick when you have to take care of the kiddos, but I'm managing well for now.

DPN....where are you?

2006-02-28T20:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I haven't been able to finish the first Sockapaloooza sock because I've lost one of the DPNs. I took the socks to a doctor's appointment yesterday and could not find the DPN that was stuck in the sock. It must have slipped out when I took out my wallet because it's definitely not in my purse anymore. So I went to the yarn store today and bought another set, which is always good to have anyway, especially since they're bamboo and one could break. Of course, the one I lost is Crystal Palace that I bought online and the only needles my LYS had were Clover (crap). Hopefully it'll show up, probably as soon as I finish the socks. I have to say, I saw a lot of nice yarns at my LYS. I'm usually disappointed because they don't have what I'm looking for. I didn't have much time because I had both kids with me but I saw a lot of yarn I was interested in. I'm lucky to have a real yarn store less than 5 minutes away from my house so hopefully I'll buy yarn there for a project in the future. But I definitely don't need any more yarn right now, I've got enough going on. And since I don't have any knitting photos for you, I'll leave you with a picture of James at his first concert, on stage with grandpa. He really enjoyed it, maybe he'll be a timpanist one day too!

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday!

2006-02-26T20:03:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or was everyone in a bad mood yesterday? I was in a good mood but it seemed everyone around me wasn't. I've found there are just those days when you talk to people a few days later they're like "oh yeah, I had a bad day that day too." It just seemed like it was one of those days. But we made the most of our weekend anyway. We went to Monster Jam today which if you know us, you would never imagine we like monster trucks but for some reason we're pretty into it. Our son enjoys it, but I have to say I'm more into it than I'd like to admit. When we got there, the boys ran in the bathroom and I was watching from the door as the trucks were introduced and I had this huge grin on my face that I couldn't wipe off. We are actually considering going to Las Vegas for the finals next year (my aunt lives in Vegas so it's feasible we could go). And as far as knitting goes, I've been so overwhelmed with all the projects I decided to concentrate on the smaller ones first so I can finish them and not have so much going on at once. I've been working on the leaves socks which I am so in love with, I think I'll make another pair for myself. They are so comfy, I love the heel and they are fun to knit and so pretty. I'm almost finished the first sock, I'll probably finish it tonight. I'm not sure if I'll cast on for the other one right away or move on to something else for a while.

How many is too many?

2006-02-23T18:23:00.000-05:00

I've cast on for two more projects this week, socks for Sockapaloooza (Embossed Leaves in Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock Cedar): ...and the Belted Wrap Jacket (Knit Picks Merino Style Moss): I used to think I was more of a one project at a time kinda gal but that idea has gone out the window. I don't know what happened to me but all of a sudden I have 5 projects going at once! I need to prioritize, I guess I should consider the projects with a deadline first: 1. Pink and Blue Easter Bunnies (what day is Easter this year, how do they figure that out???) 2. Sockapaloooza socks (May 2nd) Then I should consider the season in which the project will worn: 3. Belted Wrap Jacket (wool/winter) 4. Picot Dress (cotton/summer) Then there's the afghan which I am giving myself a few years to complete so that shouldn't even be on the list, should it? I guess the only downside to having so many projects going at the same time is it takes longer to finish anything. But I'm more of a process knitter so that shouldn't bother me. The picot dress was supposed to be a quick project but considering I cast on 117 stitches for the back, it's going to be the same size as Picovoli! It's huge, which is another reason I haven't been too excited about finishing it. I'm a follower and rarely stray far from a pattern but I wish I did on this one. If it doesn't fit this year, it'll fit the next! Time to update the progress bars....

Koigu Socks are finished

2006-02-16T20:42:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Basically own with some help from Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush for the heel and the Sock Calc spreadsheet for the toes. Yarn: Koigu KPPPM P620 34 Needles: US1 Crystal Palace Bamboo DPNs Comments: I cast on 68 stitches and did 1x1 ribbing for about 20 rows, then stockinette stitch for the rest of the sock. After the heel I worked 64 stitches for the foot portion. I loved the Koigu yarn so much, I think that's why I've been in such a slump since I finished them. These socks were so fun to knit and I especially like the portability of knitting socks. I'm looking foward to starting my Sockapaloooza socks if the yarn ever gets here!

I'm in love...

2006-02-15T22:13:00.000-05:00

I'm in love with the Belted Wrap Jacket from Interweave Knits Winter 2005! Here's a picture of the swatch I knit up today with some Knit Picks merino style I had left over from the snowmen that never quite got made. I'm leaning towards the moss (olive green) color at the moment. And the yarn is surprisingly soft for only $2.29 a ball! But I'm disappointed with their color choices, I never seem to like any of them. This sweater is going to be so much fun to knit. It's interesting enough to make it fun but not too difficult. I loved watching the pattern evolve when I knit the swatch, I didn't want to put it down. I just need to win hubby over on it, he doesn't seem to like the pattern but he's not a knitter so he doesn't understand the appeal of a great pattern. I've been in a slump lately so I'm so glad to find something I'm excited about. Isn't it pretty??? And in a moment of insanity I picked up this stretchy polyester fabric to make a cute little tank top. The last time I made a "garment" was probably when I was about 12 and the were those MC Hammer pants. It was a disaster, I don't think I even liked them when I made them. I opened the pattern to look at it and I have no idea what I'm doing. So this should be interesting. But I saw the fabric and fell in love with it so I figure it's worth a try. The pattern and fabric was only $10 (the fabric was only $3 of that) so it's worth a try. I've wanted something to sew ever since I've finished the curtains. So we'll see what happens. And here's a picture of a little kitty cat visitor we had enjoying the sunshine in our window today.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2006-02-14T21:38:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful, love filled day! I finally finished the curtains in the living room. They are hung but need some steaming and shaping before I can take pictures of the room. I'm so happy with the way everything is turning out. The screen room is also almost done, we just need to paint once it gets warmer and then we can put up the screens. I'm on a home renovation kick and am planning on painting the stairwell and upstairs hallway this week. Once that's done we can tear up the rug off of the stairs and hallway and reveal the beautiful hardwood underneath. On the knitting front, I've started my mom's afghan. I really am crazy for attempting this. I've only completed 7 rows and that took a few hours, so I'm in for the long haul on this one. I don't really like the yarn either which is going to make it even harder to get through. Plus, the whole thing is basically 1x1 ribbing. It is going to take me years to finish! I also started a cute little Debbie Bliss dress for my daughter to wear this summer out of Knit Picks Shine yarn. I cast on 117 stitches just for the back of the dress which would basically fit me! It's going to be cute though and is a nice easy knit to do while watching TV. Also, I saw this sweater on another knitting blog, Kniticisms. I already have the magazine (Interweave Knits Winter '05) and the sweater didn't stand out when I flipped through it but seeing on Lesley's blog made caught my eye. I'm considering using Knit Picks Merino Style in either moss or cinnamon. I think I would wear something like that all the time. Hubby doesn't really like it but I think a lot of it has to do with the color of the sweater and the model in the picture. I still haven't received the yarn for my Sockapaloooza socks. I'm still tossed up about which pattern I'm going to use, I'll have to think about it some more once I get the yarn. I'm considering the "Embossed Leaves Socks" also from the Winter '05 issue of IK.

Blogging Blah

2006-02-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

I haven't accomplished much knitting lately. I've been in a bit of a rut. Hubby is away on business this week (he only has to travel 1 week a year, but it sucks!). You would think I would have had lots of time to knit while he is away but the kids have been keeping me busy. I'm nearing the end of finishing my 2nd Koigu sock. And I ordered some green Lorna's Laces for my Sockapaloooza socks. My mom has requested a cabled afghan and I found this online and it seems exactly what she would like. Am I crazy? This will probably take a few years to knit! I bought the kit even though it's Lion Brand yarn. I don't want to spend a fortune on this project. Also, I have 2 skeins of pink Manos del Uruguay Cotton Stria (100% cotton, 50g/116y) and have no idea what to make out of it. I was thinking of making a little tank top for my daughter but I can't find any patterns for one and the yarn is not machine washable so it's probably not the best for a kids knit! But it's super soft and cuddly. Any ideas?

Not much to report....

2006-02-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

I haven't done a whole lot of knitting in the past few days. I've done a few more rows on my 2nd Koigu sock but that's about it. I've been busy looking at private schools for my 3 year old which is really stressful for me. We briefly tried a school last summer but it seemed more like a day care and he screamed every time I left him for an entire month so that did not go well at all. We didn't have much of a choice of where to send him because he wasn't potty trained so I had to find somewhere that would change diapers. The whole thing was a disaster. But I loved the school I visited today so I feel a lot better about everything. Also, we started him in Karate classes this week which went about the same as the school experience. The first class he wouldn't even put his outfit on, he sat on my lap the whole time and watched. So today I decided to try again and we got the outfit on him but he was upset about it and didn't want to go. When I got there the teacher said I just had to leave and he would be fine. It is the worst feeling in the world to leave your child while he's screaming "mommy....don't leave me....please!!!!!!!!!" My MIL was with me so we waited in the car and I was able to peek in the window a few times and guess what, he was having fun!!! I was so relieved. There was another mother in there that I talked to on our first visit so I knew she would look out for him. She said he did great. At one point the teacher told him to close his eyes while he adjusted his uniform for him and then the teacher went away without telling him to open his eyes. So he kept them closed and kept peeking. Finally someone told the teacher to tell him he could open his eyes! When we left he said it was fun and not scary, so I hope it'll be easier next time we go. Hopefully I'll have some knitting news to report soon. I've been looking at yarn and patterns for my Sockapaloooza pal but haven't decided on anything yet.

Trapper Hat

2006-01-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Trapper Hat from Vogue Knitting (Winter 05/06) Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Bulky (polar bear 04) Needles: Size US13 Clover Bamboo Circs. (yuck - but I already had them) and US13 Crystal Palace DPNs Comments: I love it! It's a big bulky hat and will definitely keep me warm. I actually wore it today even though it was only in the 40s. The pattern was written strangely IMO but I made it through. It started out with crochet instructions which was like reading a foreign language. A quick Google search had me on my way, albeit grumbling a bit that I had to crochet. The Clover needles were miserable to work with, I actually got a splinter from them! But I've spent enough money on my knitting habit lately and I doubt I will need US13 needles often so I used what I had. Boy, my arms are sore from using bulky yarn on huge crappy needles. It took a lot more physical strength than my usual knitting. It probably took about 3-4 hours to complete, not bad!

My new toy...

2006-01-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

I finally got the ballwinder that I ordered from Joann's with a 50% off coupon a few weeks ago. The total came to only $24.09 and that includes shipping & tax. I thought that was pretty good. My son loved the yarn cakes and so did his army man.... The balls turned out HUGE! But it was so much easier than winding it by hand, and more fun too! I'm not sure who had more fun...build a tower... then knock it down...

One Koigu sock finished!

2006-01-29T23:50:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Mine was great! We got a lot accomplished, mostly cleaning, I finished another curtain and we knocked out a window and replaced it with a door to our new screen room... I finished a Koigu sock. It fits perfectly and there's only a tiny ball left. I really thought I was going to run out of yarn. I think turning the heel was my favorite part. I can see why socks are so addicting. I went from the smallest size needles I own to the biggest (US1 to US13). I started the Trapper Hat from the Winter 05/06 Vogue Knitting magazine. I LOVE the Blue Sky Alpaca yarn, it is so soft. But knitting bulky yarn on such large needles is killing my hands. I learned how to do a felted join which is the most exciting thing I've ever learned! The less ends to weave in the better. I can't even find where on the hat the join is! And I'm really loving the hat, I hope it stays cold enough to wear it...ok, not really, I'm ready for warm weather! The hat can wait to be worn until next year. Since I started the post with baby cuteness...I thought I'd end it with puppy cuteness...

Lesson Learned

2006-01-26T20:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I was enjoying a quiet moment of knitting mid-day when the kiddies were behaving themselves. I thought my son was falling asleep next the couch since he was being quiet but instead, he was "painting" with Balmex. Needless to say, I now know better than to assume the best. So here is my sock as of yesterday: And today: Do you think I'm going to make it? I'm not so sure, I don't know what I'm going to do if I run out of yarn. I don't know if I have the strength to frog them back. The good news is they fit wonderfully! I am so much happier than I am with my first pair of socks. They were too short so I made these longer but now I may not have enough yarn. Eek! And you won't believe it, but I got the replacement yarn from Knit Happens today! I got an e-mail back from them an hour after I let them know about the mistake and my UPS man showed up with the yarn this morning. I couldn't believe it, awesome! It is gorgeous and so soft, I can't wait to start the hat. I don't usually wear hats but it is just so me.

I'm crushed...

2006-01-25T12:01:00.000-05:00

My favorite person in the entire World came today (the UPS man). You know that exited feeling you get when you open a package? The anticipation of getting to touch the yarn you've only seen online. Well, it all came to a screeching halt today when I opened the package to find this: The yarn is so soft and I absolutely love it and can't wait to cast on for this hat. The only problem, it's not the right color! Clearly, this yarn is not white. So much for wearing the hat this winter :( At least I love the yarn and I really can't wait to make this hat. This is the first time I've ordered from this store so we'll see how their customer service is. I have a feeling I'm not going to have a problem, but I'm just disappointed to have to wait longer to start this project.

Sockapalooza!

2006-01-24T20:51:00.000-05:00

Well, I've decided to go out on a limb and join sockapaloooza! I'm really excited. I wasn't going to join but it seems like everyone is doing it so why shouldn't I. And yes, if everyone jumped off a cliff so would I. It looks like fun, I can't wait to find out what kind of socks my sock pal wants. It should be fun to knit socks that are fun to knit but I might not make for myself. Yay! I've been stalking the mailman and it's just not healthy. I have 2 knitting-related packages on their way and I just can't stand the wait any longer. I've also started knitting bunny rabbits from Debbie Bliss' Special Knits. I'm doing one pink one for my daughter and a blue one for my son for Easter. They're fun but I get irritated making lots of small pieces that need to be sewn together so I'll work on them a little bit at a time. And my hate of sewing brings me to my next topic. I was working on my curtains again and as always I was cutting corners, trying to speed things along, so I didn't pin the lining to the fabric as I was sewing the side seams. Well, the first side went fine and when I got to the bottom of the 2nd side, the lining ended up 1/2 inch below the front. Not good. So now I have to rip it all out with a dull seam ripper and I'm farther behind on them than when I woke up this morning, don't you love those kinds of days?

First FO of 2006!

2006-01-22T20:48:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Picovoli by Grumperina Yarn: KnitPicks Shine in Blush Needles: US5 Addi Turbo 24" circulars Comments: First and foremost, I love the pattern. It was easy to follow and made a beautiful tank. This is the first garment I've knit for myself. Even though I knit swatches, the top ended up being a little too large (as you can see in the pictures). It grew a little after I washed it (machine washed and dried on low) and I used size 5 needles because I was initially worried it would be too small. When I put it flat on the table, it looked square (almost wider than it is tall). Even though I've had 2 kids, I'm definitely not wider than I am tall! I'm thinking of doing this pattern again with the Elsbeth Lavold Cotton Patine yarn I got for Christmas. The changes I would make if I knit it again would be to use size 4 needles and I would do some type of ribbing around the collar, sleeves and bottom because the rolling drives me nuts.

4 Things Meme

2006-01-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

Since I don't have much to show you as far as knitting, Lisa from Yarn Botanika tagged me with this meme so here it goes... 4 Jobs You Have Had In Your Life: 1. Usher at an Opera House (I showed people to their seats - 1st job in high school) 2. eBay Seller 3. Secretary at a Law Firm 4. Stay-at-home mom of 2 4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over: 1. Meet the Parents 2. Office Space 3. Toy Story 4. Dave 4 Places You Have Lived: I've always lived in Maryland! 4 TV Shows You Love To Watch: 1. Desperate Housewives 2. CSI 3. Project Runway 4. American Idol 4 Places You Have Been On Vacation: 1. Greece 2. Disney World 3. Hawaii 4. San Francisco 4 Websites You Visit Daily: 1. Google 2. Bloglines 3. Fark 4. Gmail 4 Of Your Favorite Foods: 1. Japanese Steak House 2. Cookie Dough 3. Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream 4. Jelly Beans 4 Places You'd Rather Be Right Now: 1. In bed 2. On a warm beach 3. Knitting anywhere 4. Disney World 4 Bloggers You Are Tagging: Anyone who is up for it! (p.s. Finished Picovoli coming soon...)

Sharfik!

2006-01-18T16:42:00.000-05:00

I realized I never formally posted a FO report for Sharfik, so here it is! Pattern: Sharfik by Grumperina Yarn: Rowan RYC Cashsoft Aran (I think it was color #3 Mole - olive green/med. brown color) Needles: Size US7 Addi Turbo 24" circulars Comments: I loved making this pattern. It was interesting enough to be fun to knit but easy enough to memorize after just one repeat. I used Grumperina's tutorial on how to knit without a cable needle which was also really helpful. I always end up loosing the cable needle in the couch so this was a great technique to learn and made the scarf easy to take with me. The Cashsoft Aran was great to work with, very soft and cuddly and showed the cables beautifully. I made it longer than the 53" that the pattern calls for. I completely used up 5 balls including the fringe. I just kept knitting until I thought it was long enough. I'm not sure how long it ended up being, I forgot to measure it before giving it as a gift to my father for Christmas. He seemed to really like it and I saw him wearing it the other day! I am extremely pleased with how the scarf turned out.

My trip to Grandma's house...

2006-01-16T21:46:00.000-05:00

Well, our electricity is back on so I'm in a better mood today! Once we got the generator up and running things weren't so bad. The house already has a generator hook-up outside that turns on the entire house, so I get the feeling this happens often around here. Anyway, we got the heat on and it was actually rather comfortable last night and when we woke up the electricity was back on. We had a fun trip but it was thoroughly exhausting. It was just me, my mom and the 2 kids. The hardest part was loading and unloading the car over and over. We broke up the trip and stopped at my aunt's house both ways which was nice that the driving wasn't too long (about 6 hours each segment) but we would have to pack everything up every time. It didn't seem like we had enough time to get everything done. As soon as we would get somewhere it was time to leave again. But it was well worth all the trouble so my grandmother could see the kids. My grandmother went with me on our yarn-hunt. Our first stop was Charlotte Yarnwhich was my favorite and the only place I actually purchased anything (I know, I have amazing restraint). They had a great selection of yarn, all my favorites brands. The staff was really friendly and the prices were good. I got 2 hanks of Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton (pale yellow and pale blue), a bottle of Euclan and folding scissors (since my son has been emptying my knitting bag a lot lately I needed something child-proof). Then, we went to Sewing Bird. It was also a nice store with a good selection. I really didn't have any projects in mind and I'm not much of a "stash" person so I enjoyed just browsing and feeling all the different brands. And lastly we visited Stitch Fine Yarns. It was a beautiful store and in a gorgeous up-scale building. They also seemed to have a good selection but was a little pricey, probably because of the location. But a beautiful store nonetheless. And here's my Koigu sock. As you can see, not a whole lot of progress. I really didn't get any knitting done on the trip since I hardly had a chance to sit down! I'm not sure about the fit, my guage is off I think but they are 9" around as the pattern states. But I didn't realize when I looked at the pattern that the finished size is 9" around which is the size of my ankle. I think there should be 1" of negative ease, is that right? So I may frog this and start over with a few less stitches if I can figure out what that magic number is. I started with 72 stitches on size US1 DPNs. I'm getting about 17 stitches for 2" so I should cast on 68 stitches to get 8"? Any suggestions welcome! I seem to have trouble with socks.

I'm Home!!!

2006-01-15T21:40:00.000-05:00

I just got home a few hours ago, only to return to a house with no electricity. We finally got the generator hooked up which is why I'm able to tell you about it. Apparently we've been out about 24 hours, and it's freezing outside! I've heard this has happened before in our neighborhood and it took a week for BGE to come out to fix it (which was just a breaker that took 5 minutes to fix). So, I'm very thankful that my in-laws have a generator we are able to use so I can sleep in my own bed tonight :) I have 344 blogline messages to catch up on! I'll write more about our trip soon, including my visits to 4 North Carolina yarn shops.

More picovoli...

2006-01-08T20:33:00.000-05:00

I've made some progress on Picovoli, I'm almost done with the waist decreases. I tried it on again to check the fit and it seems like it'll be perfect! Also, as you can see I finally have a gallery of my completed objects. And I also added progress bars so you can see what I'm working on. Well, I don't have much more news to report. I'm heading to the Carolinas tomorrow to visit my grandmother and aunt. I'm taking the kids with me and leaving hubby behind. My mother is also going. So it should be interesting. Hopefully I'll get a lot of knitting done but I have a feeling I won't have much down time between chasing the kids around. I've already mapped out a few yarn stores I plan to visit. There are 3 yarn stores within 5 miles of my grandmother (she's in Charlotte, NC). So wish me luck, I'll be gone all week and I'll update you all as soon as I get home :)

A few random things...

2006-01-06T20:01:00.000-05:00

Here is the amazing hand-knit Christmas gift I received from my best friend, Jes. It's an intarsia baby blanket made with KnitPicks Shine yarn. It is so soft, I love the colors and it's even machine washable! Her room has colored squares painted on the walls so it also matches that. I knew she was knitting something for me but I had no idea what! I was so excited when I saw the blanket, it's absolutely gorgeous! She also got me two hanks of pink Manos Cotton Stria and a basket full of homemade cookies, pancake mix and a little knit sweater ornamenet. And I finally have a swift. Now hubby doesn't have to hold the yarn while I wind it, I'm sure he's very grateful for that! (Remember the knotted mess the last time he "helped"). My grandmother-in-law had it and wasn't using it so I scooped it up. I'd really like a ball winder but on our very limited budget I'd much rather buy yarn! Do you think someone still wants to be the baby?

Accordion

2006-01-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

I re-sewed the zipper on and Accordion is officially finished! Pattern: Accordion from Knitty Yarn: Plymouth Encore Yarn (left-over from an abandoned sweater I knit in college) Needles: US7 Addi Turbo 24" circulars Comments: Another great Knitty pattern, I didn't make any changes. The only difficulty I had was sewing on the zipper and finding the right length zipper at any local stores. I ended up buying it online at Zipper Stop.

An old FO...

2006-01-05T19:04:00.000-05:00

I really need to organize my FO's into a gallery of some sort like I've seen on so many other blogs. I'm all about the knitting, not the finishing so I tend to move on to the next project as soon as I'm done. I just realized I never formally showed off the Debbie Bliss Ribbed Sweater, so here it is: Pattern: Ribbed Sweater by Debbie Bliss from Special Knits Yarn: Rowan (RYC) Cashsoft Aran #02 Foxglove (lilac) Needles: US8 Addi Turbo 24" circulars Comments: I loved knitting this sweater, as I've said before Cashsoft is one of my favorite yarns. It was a quick knit since it is an aran weight on size 8 needles and only needs to be seamed up the sides, which I love. The only thing I should have changed was to add a button hole for the front closure. You're supposed to use a brooch which is probably not the best idea for a baby. My daughter wears it all the time and I just wrap her up in it, which makes it easy as to take on and off when we go in and out of places. Also, the bottom edge rolls a bit since it's just stockinette stitch but I think it would look strange with another sort of edge so I don't mind it. I'm sure some blocking might help but I'm lazy in that area.

Koigu, Koigu, Koigu!!!

2006-01-04T22:04:00.000-05:00

I can't say enough about this yarn. My Purl Soho order finally arrived yesterday and the Koigu yarn is yummylicious! It's truly even more beautiful than I had imagined. These photos don't do the yarn justice but here they are anyway. So far I'm following the pattern for Hiumaa Mates (striped socks but I'm not doing the stripes) from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. They're basic socks, 1x1 ribbing at the top and SS stitch for the rest of the sock. I wanted a simple pattern that would show off the color of the yarn. I feel sorry for my other projects, I can't put the Koigu down!

Happy New Year!

2006-01-02T23:50:00.000-05:00

Ok, I seriously am the biggest dork in the world but I just discovered podcasts today and am so excited I can hardly contain myself. iPods are the best invention ever! I've been downloading knitting podcasts from KnitCast and Cast On all day and will be listening to them on my iPod tomorrow while trying to drown out Barney & Clifford playing in the background. I had a really nice weekend. It's been a while since hubby has had 3 days off in a row! We went to Susquehanna State Park (even though it was raining) on Saturday and the kids had a great time. Of course, Picovoli came along with us (I'm now finished with the bust section). And finally I can post the FO that was MIL's Christmas gift! Pattern: Button Clutch from Fall 2005 issue of Knit It! magazine Yarn: Lion Brand Incredible - 2 balls - "Autumn Leaves" Needles: US7 DPNs and US7 24" Addi Turbo circular Comments: This pattern was really fun. I had some trouble getting started because you cast on at the bottom of the purse and divide the stitches for the front and back and knit in the round. It was really tight and I only had 4 DPNs (and you definitely need 5) so I ended up using my circular as the 5th. I also had trouble with the short row shaping because it is worded strangely and I had no idea what short row shaping was. The purse ended up being a lot smaller than I had imagined (which is my fault because the dimensions are stated in the pattern). I learned a few new techniques like short row shaping and I-cords.

Merry Christmas everyone!

2005-12-30T21:33:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad blogger lately so this is going to be a long post with lots of pictures. I've been too lazy to upload the pictures to my computer lately. And what's a blog post without pictures? Exactly. So first things first, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We had a great Christmas despite the fact that hubby had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. He took off Monday and Tuesday and we squeezed in celebration whenever possible. The kids had fun, look at all the toys Santa brought! They seemed happy with their presents :) I, along with the rest of world it seems, got an iPod Nano for Christmas. It's awesome, I've been uploading music for the past week, it's so much fun! And for my knitting goodies, I got an awesome knitting bag & needle holder.... Which also doubles as a baby carrier (pictured with Grammy & Pop-Pop)... A few gifts I purchased for myself... 18 balls of Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine in the color Alabaster. This yarn is so soft, I can't wait to knit my sweater! I knit up a swatch and the stockinette swatch was right on but the pattern swatch was a little large so I may try it again with smaller needles or knit a larger swatch to be sure. And I've made some progress on Picovoli, I hope it fits! My guage might possibly be a little off but it looks like it'll fit so we'll see. I actually changed from size 4 to size 5 needles after a few rows because I was getting too many stitches per inch. I have to say I love Shine!!! Still not sure about the color, they need more choices! But for $15 how can I complain? We somehow managed to forget to take a picture of our family, which might have something to do with the fact that I'm the one that takes all the pictures! Just the way I like it ;) We'll have to dress up in our Christmas outfits again this weekend and get a picture of us all together. I hope everyone had a happy, relaxing week filled with lots of knitting! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Provisional Cast-On

2005-12-23T00:40:00.000-05:00

So far I'm not a big fan of the pro visional cast on. I've spent the last hour casting on Picovoli and I'm going to take it out and start over. It seems like the yarn just gets wound around the needles over and over so everything gets looser as I knit and by the time I get to the 2nd round I have a huge gaping hole at the beginning of the round as you can see in the picture. Plus, there were a few spots where the yarn didn't catch the provisional yarn so I'm basically short a few stitches. Ugh, once I get the stitches cast on properly I think it'll be an easy, fun knit. But it's taking forever to get started! I've been searching Google and blogs to find out what size needles others have used with this pattern and Shine yarn for days. (I decided to go with 4s instead of 5s by the way - my very unscientific swatches looked the same to me). I really think I spend more time reading about knitting than actually knitting. Which brings me to my other latest obsession, Koigu. I've also been doing hours of internet research on this yarn and think I'll have to get some. There are so many colors I can't decide which one to buy, especially since it's so hard to see on the computer. I saw a beautiful pink/green colorway on the Brown Sheep blog, which I'll probably end up going with. I was planning on knitting the Cowny socks from Nancy Bush's KOTR but was going to go with a solid color since I'm usually pretty boring with my color choices. But that Koigu yarn is really amazing! I wanted to try Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock but I really just don't like any of the colors. I'll probably either go with a solid color of Lorna's Laces or a wild Koigu colorway. My last (and first) pair of socks didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped so I'm not sure why I even want to make any more socks. They're just not comfortable at all and I kept ripping them out and starting over. It'll probably take me another month or two until I make a decision. The good side of my OCD is that I don't have a yarn stash because it takes me so long to decide on a pattern, yarn, where to buy, etc. Like I said, I spend more time reading about yarn than actually knitting! Ok, I have no idea if any of this post made sense, it's WAY past my bedtime. Goodnight all and good luck with the last minute Christmas preparations!!!

More Knit Picks goodies...

2005-12-22T12:19:00.000-05:00

Finally, here is Sharfik blocking on my bed! I decided to add fringe but should have added it AFTER washing it, duh. So the fringe is a little frayed looking. I don't have enough yarn to redo it so I guess I'll trim it and see how it looks. Overall, it turned out really nicely and is so soft. I hope my dad likes it :) And I received my Knit Picks order of Shine. I have 8 balls of Blush and 5 balls of Cream. I'm going to make the Picovoli tee and a little dress for my daughter with these. And finally, this is how my husband gets out of baby duties: I think his theory is if he screws it up badly enough I won't ask him to do it again. I'm on to you, but you're not going to get away with it! You're welcome to feed the baby anytime!

Knits for 2006

2005-12-15T23:55:00.000-05:00

Christmas is so stressful, while I have been knitting as usual, I haven't had time to take pictures or blog about it with all of the Christmas preparations. I've pretty much finished Sharfik, I only need to weave in the ends and possibly add fringe. Everyone else thinks I should forget the fringe but for some reason I really like it! I figure I can add it and if he doesn't like it, I can take it off. Of course, I'm sure he would never say he didn't like it, but that's beside the point. I've also started a hat for my son. It's a basic garter stitch rib hat with 2 colors knit out of Cascade Indulgence. The yarn is not at all what I expected looking at it online, it claims to be worsted weight but is much thinner than I thought it would be. The hat looks a little lacey up close but it's actually turning out well. I almost abandoned the project but I'm glad I kept with it. I'm actually relatively new at knitting and still get confused with guage & yarn weights. Here are the projects I have lined up for 2006: 1. Debbie Bliss Cable Hooded Jacket in Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine (I'm getting the yarn for Christmas). 2. Picovoli by Grumperina knit with Knit Picks Shine in Blush (ahhh, pink - I didn't particularly like any of the colors but I can't really complain for $15 for the entire project). 3. A cute little Picot Dress by Debbie Bliss from Special Knits, also knit with Shine (pink and cream combo). 4. 2 Bunny Rabbits also from Special Knits knit with Cashsoft Aran (blue) and Cashmerino Aran (pink). I have all the yarn for these project which should keep me busy for at least a few weeks, right? LOL! That cable sweater is going to take forever but I'm really excited, I haven't actually knit anything for myself yet besides my first FO which was a scarf made with Lion Brand Homespun, which I actually wore today for the first time because it was freezing! I'll try to post an offical FO post for the Accordion sweater tomorrow - I finally got the zipper sewn on properly and I washed and "blocked" it (I use the term lightly, I'm not sure laying it flat on top of my dryer counts).

I hate sewing!

2005-12-10T22:13:00.000-05:00

I'm really not good at finishing projects. Clearly, I am not very good at sewing either. I was kind enough to take these photos before ripping the zipper out for your pure entertainment. I tried to hand sew the zipper on my son's Accordion sweater and it didn't turn out so well. Here you can see how the stripes don't exactly line up. And the zipper is a little too low at the bottom. Plus, I used dark green thread because it was the only non-white thread I have. Pretty sad, I know.

Oh the weather outside is frightful....

2005-12-09T14:20:00.000-05:00

But snowmen are so delightful! I can't take any credit for it though, Pop-Pop stopped by to shovel our driveway and build a snowman! I just posed for the picture. It turned out great, don't you think? We only got an inch or two overnight and most of it has melted already. I LOVE the snow but apparently I'm in the minority on this one. It's so nice to have my son play outside in the snow while I knit, er....clean. And it looks so pretty! Here is an early Christmas present from hubby. We have been redecorating and my desk was just this huge ugly eyesore in our living room so we happened to see this beautiful secretary at Pier 1 and couldn't pass it by. I love green and the size is just perfect since I have a laptop and no longer need a computer desk. Plus, now that I have less room I'll have to do my filing more often, which is definitely a good thing. And for more redecorating fun, I finished another curtain for the living room. It needs some shaping but you get the idea. 2 down, just 3 more to go. And here is dad's Shafrik. Only a few more inches to go and then some fringe and I'll be done. And I don't have any other Christmas gifts to knit so it looks like I'll be done in plenty of time. I knit gifts for my mother-in-law, brother-in-law and father. I decided to just make gifts one at a time as an idea came to me and I'll knit for different people next year. It's much less overwhelming that way.

Anyone want a dog? Warning....no knitting content!

2005-12-07T21:32:00.000-05:00

I am so sick of our dog I don't even know where to start. How about a year ago when we moved here. We have a 3/4 acre lot so instead of trying to put a fence around the gigantic yard, we decided to get an electric fence for the dogs (notice I said dogs, we used to have 2). Casey, the dog we have now, got shocked by the fence and wouldn't go outside and was depressed overall by the move. Well the other dog, Greta, didn't get shocked at all (not sure why, we think her fur was too thick for the collar, plus she didn't really care to escape). So Greta saw her chance to become top dog and decided to take Casey on. They had lived together for years, since Greta was a puppy, and never fought at all. So, they got into a few fights that ended with blood and it was obvious they were not going to get along until one of them gave in or died. In fact, hubby was bit in the arm at one point (not trying to separate them because we know better, he just happened to be in the way when a fight started). So it was obvious, especially with kids in the house, that one of the dogs had to go. Casey was better with our son so we kept her and my parents reluctantly decided to take Greta. Anyway, so the electric fence thing worked for a while and then my wonderful FIL did a few home improvement projects with his back-hoe and broke the wire in a few places so the fence stopped working. Casey was fine for a while because she didn't realize she could escape but once she realized it wasn't working she started escaping. We actually live a few houses away from the ILs so she usually ended up over there. So this summer we decided to get a real fence. With the kids and new neighbors we had a few more reasons to get a fence so it seemed like a good idea. Ok, so we're up to about $5,500 to keep a dog in our yard. My well intentioned FIL installed the fence which was a MAJOR PITA. There were a few places that were a little too high above the ground and she somehow managed to get under the fence. We thought we blocked it all but she still escapes. Just a few weeks ago the dumb dog ran out the front door and when hubby went to get her, none other than the dog catcher was out (looking for our obnoxious Beagle neighbor dog, no doubt) and had her. She had a major attitute too and said she's in our neighborhood all the time and will keep an eye out for her, etc. So anyway, I've had it with this dog and don't know how much I can take. She ran off today before I was heading to my parents and I let the ILs know to look for her and she never showed up at their house. It was around 30 degrees out today too. And when I came home she was sitting in front of the garage ready to come in! She eats my sons food all the time, which I realize is just what dogs do, but I can't take it anymore! It seems like no matter what we do we can't keep the dog from escaping. I guess the moral of this story is if I ever mention getting another pet, remind me of this story. Grrr.........

I'm back!

2005-12-06T16:22:00.000-05:00

Our internet connection hasn't been working for the past week, it's been horrible! I'm so glad to have it working again, I have 89 blog entries to read in Bloglines! I've been so bored this week, but I did actually get the house clean which is important I guess. I'm also about 3/4 of the way done with my dad's scarf. That's actually all I've been working on and I don't have any idea what I'll knit next. I may have time to knit more Christmas gifts but I don't really have anything in mind. I may take a short knitting break and get the house & presents ready for Christmas. Anyway, I'll post more soon with some pictures! I just wanted to let you all know I'm still alive, I didn't realize how addicted I am to the Internet (and knitting blogs in particular) until this week. Ugh, I need to get a life.

Dear dad....

2005-11-30T13:48:00.000-05:00

I found out my dad has prostate cancer a few months ago and he went in for surgery to remove it on Monday. Everything went well and, fortunately, the doctors think they caught it in time and believe they were able to remove all of it and that he is "cured". It's made me realize how much I miss my dad, I don't see him as much anymore with our busy lives but he is an awesome dad and I don't know what I'd do without him. So after visiting him at the hospital yesterday I had to stop at the yarn store nearby and I bought 4 balls of Cashsoft Aran in a dark green color to make Sharfik for him. I am really looking forward to knitting this for him as I have more of an emotional attatchment to this gift than any other I've made so far. I think he'll really like it. I did 3 repeats on it last night and am in love! It is a beautiful pattern and there's nothing better than Rowan Cashsoft! I really need to branch out an try more yarns but I just can't resist it.

2005-11-28T23:04:00.000-05:00

I've finally decided to go with the Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine for the cable sweater, I think...LOL, I really can't make up my mind. I got such a great deal on Ebay and it is so soft, I think it will work great. And if not, I'm sure I can find another pattern to use the yarn for. I have finished BIL's Christmas gift and am thinking of making Sharfik for my dad. I'm not really sure if it's something he would wear though and I can't decide on a color (or yarn for that matter, although I'm thinking Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran would be perfect). Here is a picture for your enjoyment of DH helping me wind a ball of Blue Sky Alpaca Cotton. He did a great job holding the hank until he, for some reason, decided to drop the whole thing in his lap at which point it became a huge tangly mess. (And check out the new paint and beautiful crown molding in the background!). And my sweet baby girl got to spend the day with daddy and this is what I came home to :)

Another FO!

2005-11-27T23:15:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I had a nice long weekend with my hubby! He works all the time and has actually had 5 days off in a row. I finished the Ribbed Sweater but haven't taken pictures yet. I also finished another curtain in the living room. Only 3 more to go....although FIL is talking about adding a screen porch off of that room which will take out one of the windows! He says he needs a winter project, although that is the last thing I would want to do in the cold!!! Right now I'm working on a Christmas present for brother-in-law who I doubt reads this blog but I have shown it to him before so I won't post any more info for now. I also ordered a hank of Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton to try out, I was thinking of using it for my sweater but it is too bulky. I'm still thinking of going with KnitPicks Shine. It was the perfect guage and so soft and machine washable! I bid on some Elsebeth Lavold Cotton Patine on Ebay which I also thought would work for the sweater but was outbid. I think 100% cotton would be really difficult to work with though. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Ours turned out great, the food was good and we had even better company :)

The Dining Room!

2005-11-23T21:30:00.000-05:00

The room is finally finished! I can't believe it's done. The curtains were a major pain but look awesome. I'm really happy with how the whole room turned out. It all came together just how I imagined it, don't you wish everything in life worked out like that? And just in time to host our very first Thanksgiving :) To refresh your memory, here is the before picture: And now, the after: And, I just finished MIL's Christmas gift. I'll post pictures after the Holidays. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Curtains

2005-11-21T22:43:00.000-05:00

For those of you thinking of making your own custom draperies, it's not as easy as one might think. A few months ago I spent over $700 on fabric at Calico Corners for the dining room and living room (5 windows). The plan is to make 2 basic 86" panels for each window, sounds easy right? Well, I spent the entire day making curtains with my MIL and have 1 panel finished! We had to rip out seams and re-cut the fabric a few times to get it just right. It was confusing trying to figure out the measurements with the lining, etc. Hopefully they will go faster now that we have some idea what we're doing. It is beautiful though and really looks good. I just hope we can get the other one finished and hung by Thanksgiving. My brain is so fried. I don't have much knitting news since I've been working on curtains! Sewing really is not my favorite thing to do but the results make it worth it. I'm really getting stressed about getting the house ready for Thanksgiving. Even though it's just close family, I still want everything to be perfect! The house always feels like a bomb hit it with the kids' toys everywhere. Plus, with all the work we've been doing on the house there's always tools and ladders in the way. I have a lot of work to do in the next 2 days!!!

Ribbed Sweater

2005-11-19T10:12:00.000-05:00

I know I keep talking about this Ribbed Sweater by Debbie Bliss (Special Knits) but in all the pictures you are probably wondering, where's the ribbing? Well, I've finally gotten to the ribbing part and the sweater is turning out beautifully. I have a few more inches to go then it'll be ready for seaming. I substituted the Rowan RYC Cashsoft Aran and it is a dream to work with. So soft! And this sweater is knit on US8 needles so it is a quick, easy knit. I can't wait to bundle my daughter up in it, it has gotten into the low 30's (a.k.a. freezing) the last few days so she could use it now!

I hate painting

2005-11-18T19:07:00.000-05:00

I've been ignoring the construction mess our dining & living rooms have become but I'm getting tired of it. Plus, we're having Thanksgiving at our house this year (for the first time ever). Even though it's only for our immediate family who is over all the time, it would still be nice to have things put together. We just got a huge table so everyone will be able to sit together in our newly renovated dining room. It's going to be so pretty, if it's ever finished. So today I've been painting, which is quite a challenge with 2 little ones. My mother watched the baby, my MIL watched the toddler and FIL helped me paint. And I still didn't get it finished, I just need to do a quick 2nd coat. And I have to make the curtain & hang it. We're about to go to dinner for hubbies birthday which is today! He's 31, hahahaha. I still haven't found my needle so I haven't finished any projects. I only got a little bit done on the Ribbed Jacket last night but it should be finished today or tomorrow.

Brrr.....

2005-11-17T12:22:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of my lovely son modeling the helmet liner. I finished it yesterday and it is awesome! It was really simple to knit and great to do while watching TV. It is absolutely freezing here in Maryland today. Yesterday, it was in the high 60's and I had my windows open for part of the day. But the temperature has severely dropped overnight and it is really cold out today! I guess I need to make some hats for the kids! I also started the snowmen. I was sewing it all together last night and somehow managed to lose my tapestry needle (I lost the other one a few days ago!). It must have slid down into the nether regions of the couch, never to be found again. So the snowman will have to remain as separate pieces until I can make a trip to the store, which is fine with my son because he likes to play with the "snow balls". I better go tend to the screaming children...

I found a great LYS!

2005-11-15T13:14:00.000-05:00

Last night I ventured to a LYS (well, not so local, it was about 45 minutes away) called Woolworks in Baltimore. It was great and I liked it a lot better than the one near me. There was yarn everywhere. I ended up getting there 20 minutes before they closed so I didn't get to spend nearly as much time as I wanted to there but I'll definitely go back next time I need some yarn. The LYS near me never seems to have what I want or enough of it for the project so I never end up buying any yarn there! I realized after I took this picture that everything I bought is destined to become a stuffed animal of some sort! The pink and blue balls will become bunnies for the kids at Easter and the white and red will become the snowmen ornaments for Christmas presents. I'm almost finished three other projects, the secret Christmas gift for MIL, a helmetliner and the Debbie Bliss Ribbed Jacket. Here are the pictures I took today (sans MIL gift): And thank you so much Chrissy & Amy for the help with MIL's gift. Once you told me I was doing "short row shaping" I was able to do a google search and figure it out.

Here they are! The finished socks...

2005-11-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

Yarn: Knit Picks Simple Stripes (Autumn) Pattern: Two at Once, Toe-Up Sock Pattern by Kelley Petkun (Free at Knitpicks) Needles: 2 pairs of Addi Turbo Circulars size US3 Comments: This was my first pair of socks so I had a few issues. I had to frog the socks twice to get the right size and they're a little shorter than I wanted them but overall they turned out pretty well. The yarn is a little scratchy but did get softer after washing. They feel a little strange on my feet right when I put them on but after I wear them a few minutes they are comfortable. They were fun to make but I probably won't use the same yarn or pattern again!

HELP! I'm stuck...

2005-11-11T20:03:00.000-05:00

I'm stuck on a pattern. I can't tell you what it is because it's a Christmas present for MIL who may read this, but this is what the pattern says: Row 28: K across the first 49 sts. Wrap yarn around the 50th st. Place the next 12 sts betweeen the st markers onto a holder. Row 29: P 48 sts, wrapping yarn on the 49th st. Sl the 12 sts between the next set of markers onto another st holder. Cont wrapping in this manner through Row 39 and until 6 sts are wrapped on each edge of the Back Top. So the part where I'm confused is when I get to the end of Row 30. Do I wrap the last stitch again? That doesn't make sense though. I'm so confused. It seems like there is a decrease going on somewhere that I'm missing? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I need the needles from this project to finish the Debbie Bliss Ribbed Jacket so I don't know what I'm going to knit until I figure this out!

Helmetliners

2005-11-09T10:45:00.000-05:00

I picked up the most recent issue of Knit It! and saw an article about knitting helmetliners for soldiers. I thought it would be something I would like to do, so I bought 5 hanks of Cascade 220 from an awesome eBay seller, pollybud, for only $4.25 a hank! My son thinks the ball my mom and I wound is the neatest thing ever, and it was removed before I could even get the first picture! He is always asking me where it is and rolls it around the room. I better get it on the needles soon! I finally finished the socks, I'll post pictures when I get a chance. They're not very comfortable but I'm glad I finished them. I need a break from socks for a while and think I'll do more research and get a really great pattern and yarn for my next pair. I asked for Knitting on the Road by Nancy Bush for Christmas so maybe I'll start my next pair of socks in January.

Ho hum...

2005-11-07T19:16:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had a good weekend, we went to Weber's Farm on Saturday and got the best pumpkin pie and lots of great pictures. Then on Sunday I went to see my dad play a concert (Grieg Piano Concerto). And no, he wasn't the one playing the piano, he plays timpani. It was awesome! I had a nice time and it was good to get away from the kids for a while. I got a lot done on the Debbie Bliss Ribbed Jacket this weekend and I've picked up the socks again. I bound them off again so they are loose enough to pull over my heel, kind of important when trying to wear socks. And I put the needles back on the heel so hopefully I will be able to finish them tonight. Of course, it took me a few hours just to re-bind off and put the needles on last night so I'm not sure how much longer these things will take! I've been thinking more about Christmas gifts and found a cute free pattern for little snowmen ornaments. I thought they would be cute and easy to make. I went to Joann's to get some yarn and couldn't find anything I could stand to touch for these. Everything is acrylic! Yuck. But it was the best time I've had in a long time, my husband actually went with me by choice and seemed to enjoy it! I felt so loved. Anyway, I was thinking of using KP Merino Style but don't want to pay shipping for $7 worth of yarn and don't need $30 worth of stuff, although I'm sure I could find something :) It's going to take me forever to build up a yarn stash because I think way too much about everything.

And now back to knitting...

2005-11-03T14:43:00.000-05:00

I am so close to throwing these stupid socks right out the window. I bound off what I thought was "loosely" which obviously was not loose enough because they will not go on my feet anymore. And of course, I already cut the tail (although it is probably long enough to redo). I have been so frustruated with these socks and I'm not sure I even like them. I just don't like to leave things unfinished and I figure I'll at least learn what I like/don't like about these socks by finishing them. That way I can make changes if I ever knit socks again. I'm sure I'll finish them but I think I need to set them aside for a few days (although knowing me I'll jump back in again tonight). I decided to try a swatch of the cable sweater I want to make to see if the KP Shine yarn would work. It looks pretty good and I love the way it feels! And I especially like the price and the fact that it is machine washable. I think I'll throw the swatch in with my laundry today to see how it turns out. I used size 6 needles which is what the pattern calls for and even though the yarn is a little thinner I manged to get the correct guage. Since it's a thinner yarn I was also worried about there being too much space between the stitches but it seems ok. Has anyone else knit Shine with size US6 needles? And by the way, the sweater will not be pink! I just happened to buy a ball of Shine in the color Blush with my last order to try it out. I would do the sweater in cream :)

Halloween!

2005-11-03T14:26:00.000-05:00

Well, Halloween was pretty crappy overall this year. I was sick with mastitis and my fever made me so achy I couldn't move off of the couch. I at least made it from our couch to the in-laws couch so I could be part of the action. James would not put his costume on for anything. He was supposed to be Buzz Lightyear. My husband picked it out because James wouldn't tell us what he wanted to be and he loves Toy Story so we though why not. I have no idea why he didn't want to dress up. Some of his friends came over and they were dressed up but he just wouldn't do it. I was going to make them costumes this year because I was feeling particularly crafty but ended up realizing I just didn't have the time and it wasn't worth the trouble this year. I'm glad I didn't because I would have been really frustruated if I made something and he didn't wear it. So he went trick-or-treating in his regular clothes, with a plastic B&N bag and he was filthy dirty. I wasn't sure we should let him go without dressing up but he had a lot of fun and that's all that matters. Claire, on the other hand, was a great sport and had no problem putting her costume on. She didn't even mind the hat! She went trick-or-treating in her stroller and laughed at all the kids running around. So hopefully I won't be sick next year and we can get into it a little more. It's such a fun holiday but for some reason none of us were really into it this year. We never even got pumpkins or anything! And here is a shot of me and the kids with my dad from dinner last week.

Knitting meme

2005-11-02T09:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks so much for the tag Caitlyn! You really made my day when I saw this! Here it goes...

What's Your All Time Favorite Yarn To Knit With? Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino or Rowan Cashsoft.

Your Favorite Needles? I've recently discovered Addi Turbo circulars and have been buying them as I need them for each project. I used to use Susan Bates Silvalume circulars but the cords drive me nuts! I use circulars for just about everything.

The Worst Thing You've Ever Knit? That would have to be the sweater I attempted to knit for myself in college. It was a Plymouth pattern using Plymouth Encore yarn, so out of style now (and probably then)! It was my first attempt at any pattern and I never finished it because once I finished the back, the sweater was way too long and I didn't feel like redoing it so I never finished it.

I just finished a sweater (Accordion) for my son out of 3 unused skeins from that project so it feels good to at least use the yarn for something! I hate not finishing projects...

Your Most Favorite Knit Pattern? (Maybe You Don't Like Wearing It, But It Was The Most Fun To Knit) Probably the Fair Isle Top by Debbie Bliss I recently finished for my daughter. I used Rowan Cashsoft DK and I loved the way the colors looked together and the way the yarn felt. It was my first project with more than one color and I loved fair isle! I'm really proud of the way it turned out and loved knitting it (although I didn't enjoy weaving in all those ends!).

Most Valuable Knitting Technique? I guess knitting in the round since I don't particularly enjoy seaming.

Best Knit Book or Magazine? I don't have much of a collection yet but I'm hoping to get some good books and magazines for Christmas. I just bought Knit It! the other day and enjoyed it a lot. They had an interesting article about knitting helmetliners for soldiers, which you'll hear more about later this week!

Favorite Knit-A-Long? I haven't done any yet but hope to soon!

Your Favorite Knitblogs? I'm relatively new to this but my favorites are Brynne, Jes (my best friend), Amy, Chrissy and Caitlyn.

Your Favorite Knitwear Designer? So far I've mostly knit Debbie Bliss patterns because her books are so pretty and I usually like a lot of the designs in one book. I've sat in Barnes & Noble for hours in front of the knitting section and so many patterns are so out of date. That's why I love these blogs so much, I love getting ideas from what everyone else is knitting. Hopefully I'll be able to branch out from the Debbie Bliss patterns soon :)

The Knit Item You Wear Most Often? I haven't knit anything for myself yet but my son often wears the Sweater with Ribbed Yoke by none other than Debbie Bliss! Now I tag Jes....

Next project idea...

2005-11-01T16:21:00.000-05:00

I need your advice. I've wanted to make the Cable Hooded Jacket from Debbie Bliss Cotton Knits for a long time but don't want to shell out over $100 for the yarn. The pattern calls for 21 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton DK (100% cotton, 5 st./inch #6 needles, 50g/95y). I found Jo Sharp Soho Summer on WEBS and was wondering if it would make a good substitution? It's much cheaper and I was thinking I could hint to MIL that this would be a nice Christmas present. Any other suggestions for an inexpensive cotton yarn? I love cotton yarns. I'm fairly new to knitting so I haven't used many yarns and it can be hard to just order something off the internet without having put my hands on it. My LYS never seems to have what I want in stock (or enough of it). I'll post more about our Halloween once I get the pictures off my camera. It wasn't the greatest but I think I at least got some cute pictures of Claire (James absolutely refused to wear his costume).

20 Things Meme...

2005-10-31T15:12:00.000-05:00

Ha! I've been tagged by Chrissy for the 20 things about me meme. I'm so excited since I've only been blogging for a few weeks :) Thanks, Chrissy, for thinking of me! 1. I play violin, guitar and sing (although not as much since having kids). 2. Hubby & I have recorded over 20 original songs together. 3. We actually met when I was in high school and I "auditioned" for his band. 4. I was the backup singer for a while and then became the lead singer and we've been together ever since. 5. I was married at 20 and had my first baby at 23. 6. I'm 26 (yikes - I first typed 27, my brain has turned to mush). 7. My mom taught me how to knit when I was around 10. 8. The first project I finished was a ribbed scarf knit in Lion Brand Homespun that I completed about 4 years ago. 9. I've only become obsessed with knitting in the past year. 10. I love knitting things for the kids, they're quick and easy to make the right size. 11. My favorite singer is Alison Krauss. 12. I think I'm the only Republican that knits (....and blogs)! 13. I don't like to watch or play sports. 14. I love reality TV. 15. My favorite TV shows are CSI, Survivor, Lost & Desperate Housewives. 16. I left college 35 credits shy of a degree because I realized I didn't like my major (Computer Science) and all I wanted to do was be a mom. 17. My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip (or Dairy Queen's Butterfinger Blizzard). 18. I eat chocolate chip cookie dough out of those tubes they sell at the grocery store. 19. My favorite color is green. 20. I LOVE Target. I'm going to tag Jes, Caitlyn, Brynne and Amy (my only other blog friends at the moment) - let's hear 20 things about you! I apologize if you've already done this one and I won't feel bad if you don't feel like it either!

Trucking along

2005-10-31T08:35:00.000-05:00

I'm getting a little farther with the socks, I'm really excited about them, I think they'll turn out pretty nicely. The pattern says to knit in SS for an inch after the heel and rib until they are the length you want but the picture looks like the SS goes up much higher on the sock so I think I'm going to do about 3 inches in SS until changing to rib. I've also started the Ribbed Jacket, I have about 40 rows done on that and it is SOOOO soft and cuddly. I've been pretty sick with mastitis (you nursing moms know what I'm talking about!) so I've been in bed a lot yesterday and today. You know I'm sick when I don't even feel good enough to knit. Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Home Renovation Marathon continued...

2005-10-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

I got a lot done on the house today, I painted the 2nd coat of "Jersey Cream" in the living room, painted the living room and dining room ceilings and painted the baseboard molding in the living room. I am exhausted! My MIL & FIL helped, there's no way I could have gotten anything done without them. FIL is still here starting the crown molding! I don't know how I'm going to get out of bed tomorrow, I'm too tired to knit! Here are some more pictures. Everything is a mess but you can get some idea of what we're doing. I can't wait to have final "after" pictures to show off!

Progress

2005-10-28T16:15:00.000-05:00

I have finally made some progress with the socks, they actually look like socks now, don't they? I didn't try them on because I know they will be the perfect size since I've taken them out twice. And it doesn't matter anyway since I'm going to finish them no matter what. If they don't fit me, I'll just keep them by the front door and everyone that visits will have to try them on and whoever they fit gets them. Kind of like Cinderella. On the redecorating front, the dining room paneling is finished but still needs to be caulked and painted and the crown molding needs to be put up. Today, we painted the living room which is much bigger than I realized. It took all day just to get one coat on and it definitely needs a 2nd coat. The color looks great though, I'm excited. We're going to put crown molding in there also so at least I didn't have to edge around the ceiling. We painted the crown molding today also which will hopefully save some time later. I'm exhausted I don't know how I'll be able to finish painting tomorrow. The house is a complete mess and I can't stand it any longer, so hopefully that will be encouragment enough to get it done. I'm off to relax on the couch with my knitting.

These socks will be the end of me...

2005-10-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

I have ripped them out again because this time they were a little too small. I'm not obsessive compulsive, really! Ok, maybe a little bit. I'm getting so frustruated I think it may be time to put them away for a while and concentrate on something else. I've been knitting every night for the past week and have nothing to show for it! I'm feeling stressed because I feel like I should be knitting things for Christmas presents but I don't have any projects in mind. I can't think of anything easy enough to make 8-9 of between now and Christmas. I have an all or nothing mentality, if I'm going to make gifts for one I should make them for all. I'm feeling overwhelmed.

Accordion finished...

2005-10-25T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well, almost! It still needs the zipper but is otherwise finished. It looks great, I'm so glad to have it all pieced together. That's my least favorite part. I'll post pictures when I get it totally finished. I wish I had more news to post about the socks. I'd take a picture although they still pretty much look like the last picture, even though I've worked on them for hours. I finally made some progress today but when I tried them on they were too big so I ripped them out all the way back to 15 rows. So I'm a little discouraged but will truck along anyway. At least the double circs are starting to make sense and things are moving a lot faster. The dining room is coming along also. The paneling is done, we just need to finish the quarter round on the baseboards and we need to put up the crown molding before we paint. I got all of the curtain fabric and I can't wait to make the curtains. I'll post a final "after" picture when it's all complete, probably another week or two.

Grrr...

2005-10-24T11:11:00.000-05:00

I worked more on the socks last night and didn't get very far because I made a mistake and spent the whole night trying to get back to where I started. I have no idea what happened but the socks were on the wrong needles and everything was all mixed up. So then I tried to knit one row backwards and screwed up the increase and couldn't figure out how to get it back so I took the whole sock off and ripped a few rows. I had a terrible time getting them back on the needles, it was a huge mess. But it's all better now and I've finished the shaping of the toes so I can just knit in the round without needing to increase every other row. I'm using the Two at Once, Toe Up Sock pattern from KnitPicks. I've discovered how easy it is to mess up two socks on circs so I think I'll only work on them when I'm not distracted from now on!

The fun of socks

2005-10-22T18:26:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what 2 hours of knitting socks looks like? Well, that picture pretty much sums it up. That's as far as I got last night after watching a movie (which I don't remember much of) and lots of cursing and screaming. I now have two lovely toe warmers! We'll see how it goes. I love the way the self-striping yarn is turning out but they yarn feels like it may be a bit scratchy. Maybe I should try Lorna's Laces next time, if there ever is a next time! The toes look a little pointy, I'm having trouble getting the whole picture but I'm sure it'll make sense when I get farther along. In other news, we put on the base molding in the dining room and it looks so good! I had no idea my husband knew how to use a saw but he did an amazing job. Crown molding will be easy after this!!!