Knit Purl Repeat

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-24T21:25:00.000-05:00

10 movies I'd Like to See Right Now!

Much like my Ravelry queue for things I'd like to knit soon, I have a pretty lengthy queue of movies on Netflix that I'd like to see. Now that the Oscar nominations are out, there are a few that I'd like to see really soon. Some are currently in theaters, and some have been around for a bit.

1. Red Tails

2. Moneyball

3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

4. War Horse

5. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

6. The Ides of March

7. Joyful Noise

8. The Iron Lady

9. Dolphin Tale

10. One for the Money, which I'm planning to see Friday night with some of my girlfriends! Keep your fingers crossed for me that it works out!

What movies are you hoping to see?

I Was Only Fooling Myself

2012-01-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

I had a fun day today! The Plucky Knitter was in Boston today having a trunk show with BabyCocktails and Cecily Glowik MacDonald. It was at Another Yarn which is about a 90 minute drive from my house, in good weather. I hemmed and hawed about whether to go or not because it was snowing, but in the end I decided that if I didn't go, I would have spent the afternoon wishing that I had!

I hadn't been to Another Yarn before, but I have to say that I was VERY impressed with it! It had a great layout, a nice selection of yarns to choose from, was welcoming, and had a couple seating areas for sitting and knitting. If this shop were closer to where I lived, it would totally be my favorite LYS.

I arrived about half way through the Trunk Show due to slow driving conditions, but I was delighted by the selection of Plucky yarn that was still available! Hanging on the wall from left to right was fingering, the new sport weight, primo worsted, and the new rustic which was fantastic!

There was also this beautiful basket of sport weight on the table with a few sample knits.

These were just a few of the garments on display.

There was a table of Thea Colman's samples. Thea is also known as BabyCocktails. If you are not familiar with her designs, take a quick peek around her blog. She is incredibly talented!

This is a closer view of some of her samples. Most of these are knit in Plucky Knitter yarns. The two pink designs are one of here newer releases. I liked them on line, but I loved them in person!

I also met Cecily Glowik MacDonald. She was very charming and happy to talk about her designs. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of her table! It was full of beautiful samples of hats, cowls, and sweaters.

I did buy a copy of her book Weekend Hats and she signed it for me. There are some great patterns in this book! It has a wonderful selection of styles. There were 3 very different hats on display that I really liked and they are all in this book. This book would be a great addition to any knit library!

I went today convinced that I was going for "the social experience" and would only buy a skein or two of yarn for small projects. While I was standing in front of the Wall of ~~Crack~~ Plucky, thinking about what projects I wanted to buy yarn for, Thea wanders over beside me and starts pulling colors off the wall to put together. She told me she was thinking about doing a color work project, and what did I think of this color with that color? And what about this one? See that collection of colors on the table? That's what she came up with. I wonder if they will become something if if she was just thinking? I'll have to stalk her blog!

While I was talking to her, I told her how much I love the sweater she's wearing and that someday I'd love to make it in Primo Barn Door. "Oooo, that would be reeeaaaally pretty" she says. Next thing I know Sarah's sister Hayley has 15 skeins of this color laid out on the table and we're going through them picking out the 7 best matched ones for the sweater.

I also got a skein of Back 40 for a hat from Cecily's book.

When I got home I admitted to Tom that I was weak and that I had succumbed to the power of the yarn and peer pressure.

This is his shocked face :-)

So yeah. I was only fooling myself when I walked out the door this morning thinking that I could go to a trunk show featuring incredible yarn and two fabulous designers, and come home with only a token skein or two. My "More Yardage Out than In" goal for 2012 just went into major negative territory. I'll update that later this week. I have a baby sweater that just has one more seam to finish, so I'll have some official yarn out yardage tonight or tomorrow.

Hello 2012!

2012-01-15T16:48:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's January 15th already! It seems like I have just finally taken breath to recover from the holidays and January is half over. Now that everyone is back to school and work and all the usual craziness has resumed, I reviewed what I completed for 2011. The final counts are:

1 pair of mittens
1 infinity cowl
3 sweaters
12 hats
13 pairs of socks

According to my Knitmeter counter that translated to 9747 yards of yarn knit, which is 5.54 miles!

I would show you a collage of last years' projects but I got a new computer for Christmas and I'm still getting acquainted with it and moving files from the old one. I made the big move from PC to Mac. I am loving my new MacBook, but I haven't figured it all out yet :-)

Looking back on last year's success has had me thinking about what I want to accomplish in 2012. The big goals are:

12 hats
12 pairs of socks
12 miscellaneous projects, which will include at least 2 cowls, at least 2 baby sweaters, at least 2 adult sweaters and at least 1 shawl.
Try at least 3 new yarns
Knit at least 6 miles of yarn
Have more yardage out than in over the course of the year. Seriously, if I need to add even one more storage bin to my current collection, I don't think I will survive my family's teasing :-)

I'm off to a good start already. These are a couple of the projects that I'm currently working on!

I hope you're enjoying the long weekend, and if you're in the US Northeast, STAY WARM!

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

10 Favorite Soups

This week's prompt is 10 Favorite Soups. What a great topic for this week as it seems that winter weather is finally settling in for NH. There is a certain comfort that comes from a warm, filling hearty soup. I have to admit that I am a great baker, but making soup is something that I wish I was better at. Anyway, here are some of my favorites, as well as my family's favorites.

1. French Onion Soup. I have a hard time passing this up when it's on the menu in a restaurant.
2. Beef Stew. I like it thick with lots of potatoes, peas and carrots in it.
3. Chicken and Dumplings. I use my Mother-in-laws recipe. Nothing fancy about it, but it's hearty and it smells so good while it's simmering.
4. Baked Potato Soup. My family likes this recipe best. Fair warning, it is really rich!
5. Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. I've made this recipe a few times and shared it with friends who have also made it and loved it. One of my friends asked me if it was as good as Olive Garden's. I honestly don't know as I've not tried theirs.
6. Italian Wedding Soup. I love the little meatballs in it :-)
7. Broccoli and Cheese Soup. I have a great recipe from a school fund raiser cookbook.
8. Chicken Noodle Soup. I love a good old-fashioned one with chunky veggies and lots of noodles.
9. Pasta Fagioli. I was introduced to this by my best girlfriend from college. Her family is Italian and she has an old family recipe that is to die for. Some day I'm going to get it out of her!
10. Campbell's Tomato Soup. I have to admit that this is total comfort food. I like mine made with milk with Ritz crackers in it and a grilled cheese sandwich on the side :-)

What are your favorite soups? If you have a recipe you'd like to share, I'd love to have it! For more great ideas, visit Carole's blog and read some of the links of people participating. There are a lot of great ideas!

Clepsydra

2011-12-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to have these done, because it has gotten cold recently! These are the first mittens I've ever finished, which is hard to believe. Overall I'm happy with them, but if I make them again I would make them shorter. The pattern says that they should be 5.5" from the end of the thumb gusset to the end. Mine are 6" and 6.25" (more on that later), yet they are a good inch and a half longer than my hand.

I learned something new with this pattern. The cuff starts with a cabled i-cord. I cord I can do, but I had never considered adding a cable to it. It adds a nice bit of detail to the cuff! The rest of the mitten is a free-flowing twisted stitch cable. I didn't memorize the pattern, but it didn't take too long before it was intuitive as to what would happen next. I like patterns like that.

The second mitten ended up being longer than the first one. I thought it was because I had changed needles midway through the second one. I just had to try out my new Signature needles I got for Christmas :-) It turns out though that the problem was that I started the decreases 3 rows earlier on the first mitten but forgot to make a note of it on my pattern :-( I finished the second one in the waiting room at the hospital while my son was having surgery and I left the first mitten at home, so didn't have it handy to compare the two. Overall though, enjoyable pattern and comfy finished mittens.

Pattern: Clepsydra
Yarn: Cascade 220
Needle: Size 6
Mods: started decreases early on one mitten and ended decreases early on both

WIP's on Thursday?

2011-12-29T17:15:00.000-05:00

Thursday already :-( I'm not sure how that happened, but I know it's true. Probably because it's vacation week for us. The kids are all home and Tom always takes this week off too. You know what that means.... NO schedule! It's nice, even though we did have a few commitments, but it also throws me off kilter every time.

I've been working on a few things since the last time I blogged. I cast on the Brookfield Cowl. Marcy is right, having my neck warm makes a huge difference in how cold or hot I am! I have a scarf that I've been wearing the dickens out of, so it's time to add some nice hand-knits. I picked out some Lush thinking that it will feel nice against the skin. This white will look nice with both my red jacket and my black coat too. I was a little worried that the angora halo might obscure the stitch definition, but it's not a problem at all.

It starts with an icord cast on. The join looks a little wonky to me, but I did follow the directions and marked the stitch I was supposed to for the finishing instructions later. (Marcy, if you're reading this and want to comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts!)

I also got back to the Lissajous socks. I probably should have chosen a lighter color, but the farther along I get, the more convinced I am that it's going to be fine. There's no way though that I'm finishing these by the end of the month for the Knit Sock Love KAL.

I also got back to the Washington Square sweater. I finished the first sleeve and have about a third of the second sleeve done.

See those shiny new gold needles? Yup, they're Signature needles! They are a Christmas gift from my sweetie :-) I had used the Wish List on the Signature site after Sock Summit and emailed it to Tom. It was really slick and easy to use and he was able to order exactly what I wanted.

What's on your needles this week?

A Modified Plan

2011-12-23T20:44:00.000-05:00

I've spent the last month or so knitting like a crazy woman trying to add to my gift basket of knits, hoping that I would have enough small items that all my family members could choose something that they liked. I thought it was a great idea but I didn't plan enough time to knit for everybody. I decided I needed a Plan B! Plan B turned out to be enough knits for my side of the family. It turned out to be a great hit!

We had a great afternoon together. We had snacks, soups, and fabulous desserts. After a fun Yankee Swap we settled in to enjoy the Patriots game.

I don't think that I will have an opportunity to blog again until after Christmas, so from my family to yours, I'd like to wish you a very Merry Christmas!

It's Here!

2011-12-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

*** Warning - RSC and Cookie A Sock Club Spoilers below ***

Christmas came early this week in the form of yarn! In July my LYS, Spinning Yarns, had a special on Madelinetosh yarns. We could special order any of their yarn bases, with a minimum of 4 skeins, and it would be 20% off. We could also double dip with our frequent buyer card, which gave me an additional discount. I also saved a gift certificate I had received for my birthday that spring to put toward my special order. The end result when I put it all together, was a 50% out of pocket savings for me :-) I picked out Tosh Vintage in Composition Book Grey for a Dark and Stormy Cardigan. Margot called earlier this week to let me know that the 10 skeins I ordered finally arrived!

It's an interesting color! I ordered it based on the picture on the website. When I pulled it out of the bag I was surprised to see the purplish undertone, but when I took it outside into natural daylight it became a true grey. I'm considering changing my plan and making a Vodka Gimlet instead with it. I won't cast on until after Christmas, so I still have plenty of time to obsess about it.

While I was at the LYS picking this up I also picked up a couple more yarns "for gift knitting" :-) First is Berrocco's Vintage Chunky. I actually did start a new hat with this today.

I also got 2 skeins of Classic Elite's Lush for a Brookfield Cowl. I think it will work well. I'm just a little nervous that the Angora halo may overpower the stitch definition. It will feel nice against the skin though!

I also stumbled upon a great deal on a destash on Ravelry that I couldn't pass up. Madelinetosh tosh dk, in this gorgeous Logwood color for $8.50. I looked at it 6 times thinking it had to be a typo. It's $19.50 at the LYS. Well, not a typo so I bought it. It arrived in yesterday's mail and it is gorgeous! I think it's going to become a hat for me. Or mittens.

Last week I said I would show the November Rockin Sock Club yarn this week. Here it is, Comfort & Joy! It's such a happy color! I've liked all the colors this year, but this one is my favorite from 2011.

Look at the colors all mixed together in the emergency skein. Love,Love, Love!

Sign-ups for the 2012 Club are in January. I'll be signing up again for sure. I'm not sure how Tina can top this year's colors and patterns, but I know I'll continue to be amazed!

The last yarn that arrived this week is from the Cookie A Sock Club for December. The yarn is Bugga! I love the green and purple together. I haven't gotten the pattern packet yet. If you've not heard, Cookie's Mother passed away, so understandably she needed to leave town unexpectedly to travel to Thailand to be with family. To add to her family's difficult time, her family's home was damaged by the severe recent flooding in Thailand. If you'd like to read Cookie's note about this, it's in the announcements thread of the Sock Club group on Ravelry. There is also a thread to leave your condolences if you are so moved.

Anyway, Cookie is a designing genius, so I can't wait to see what she designed to go with this colorway!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-13T09:32:00.000-05:00

10 Hostess Gifts

This certainly is a timely topic this week, as it often is, as so many of will be visiting friends and family celebrating the holiday season. It's nice to think of my host/hostess and bring a little something for them to enjoy later. I don't know about you, but I have some friends who are fabulous at entertaining. I know they put a lot of time, energy and attention into the event and to making everyone feel welcome and comfortable, so I try to remember to bring a little something to say "Thanks". Here are some ideas.....

1. Poinsettia - They are always beautiful at this time of year
2. Wine - always a nice gift. If you have a local vineyard that would add a fun local twist to it.
3. Peppermint Schnapps - great by itself or to add to some cocoa.
4. Maple Syrup - the real stuff, not Mrs. Buttersworth. If you're traveling, I think it's a neat idea to bring a local specialty to share with your hosts.
5. Candles - either a scented jar candle or some tapers tied together with a pretty bow.
6. Seasonal Hand Towels -
7. Candy - Does your host happen to love Lindt Truffles? Or do you have a local candy maker?
8. Flowers - A small seasonal arrangement is always nice
9. CD - A collection of seasonal music is nice, or if you know your hostess likes a particular genre or artist you can get something special that would fit.
10. Beach Towel - I know this is an odd one, BUT here's the story that goes with it. I've mentioned before that I have a lakefront home, so I tend to have a fair bit of company, although it's mostly day guests in the form of my kid's teenage friends. We go through a lot of towels in the summer time. I had a house guest once who brought me a nice, thick plush beach towel to add to our collection. It became an instant favorite in our house! I tried to hide it and keep it for myself, but I lost that battle. I think it was such a great gift because my guest know that a "nice" towel would be a treat, considering the department store cheapies I usually buy, knowing that they will most likely end up on the ground, in the driveway, and/or hanging from a tree :-)

Do you have a favorite Hostess gift that you like to give? I''d love to hear it! If you'd like to join Ten on Tuesday you can sign up here!

Friday Update

2011-12-09T13:15:00.000-05:00

The Christmas gift knitting continues and I am thisclose to bagging my idea of knitting a enough small items to let everyone pick something. I made a list of all my family members that I would want to include and realized I would need at least 16 finished pieces. So far I have 6 hats, an infinity scarf, and 3 pairs of socks. That's only 10 items. I need a new plan. When I figure it out, I'll be sure to let you know what it is!

But for now I still continue to knit in a delusional haze like I'm actually going to make it. New on the needles this week is a Koolhaas hat. I'm using Dream in Color Classy and the color is called Black Parade. It's a very cool color with some blue and teal undertones. Click on the picture to enlarge it and you'll be able to see it even better. So I have two thoughts about this project right now. 1. - Thank goodness I learned how to cable without a cable needle because it is saving me a TON of time. 2 - Has Dream in Color updated their Classy? I've used it before and liked it, but this skein???? Wow! It is so nicely spun and smooth it's like a different yarn, in a good way!

Here is my Clepsydra Mitten that I showed you last week. This has been my car knitting because it's a nice light color so it's easier to work on in crappy light situations, which I seem to find myself in pretty regularly these days. Great pattern and once I got going on it, it became quite intuitive for me, which is a plus for car knitting.

I think I have a row gauge issue though. I've started the decreases for the top, but I'm already beyond the end of my longest finger. I need to decided quickly whether I only do about 2 more decreases and have a blunter end, or keep going as written and have a bit of a floppy mitten.

I'd love to hear your opinion, so please leave me a comment. Thanks!

PS- I got my November Rockin Sock Club kit yesterday. Holy Moly, it's the best one this year! And I thought that except for maybe January's kit, it was a spectacular year for this club. Just don't ask me how many I've actually knit :-) I'll show it to you next week so I don't spoil someone's surprise by accident.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-06T11:16:00.002-05:00

10 Favorite Holiday Traditions

Holiday traditions, we all have them. Some are obvious choices because we make a point to do it each year, or holiday, and some just happen because "That's what we do". I wonder though, are the favorites traditions the ones by choice or the ones by happenstance because it just wouldn't be Christmas without it.

1. Tagging and cutting a tree. Although my boys moan and groan every year about doing this, I suspect they would be secretly disappointed if they ever came home and a tree had magically appeared without a trip to the tree farm.

2. Holiday Movies. Our family favorite is Scrooged. It never gets old for any of us and we usually watch it together the day we decorate the tree. My favorite line is Carol Kane as the Ghost of Christmas Present... "It's a party! I'm so glad I wore my pretty dress!" If you've not seen this movie, here is the trailer for it.

3. Ornaments. This is a traditions my mother started when I was a child. I buy each of my boys an ornament each year. When they have a home of their own, hopefully they will have a nice start to some decorations with some memories to go with them.

4.Christmas Sweaters. I actually have 7 of them. There. I admitted it. I am one of those crazy ladies you see at the mall, shopping in their Christmas sweater the day after Thanksgiving :-)

5. Book Group Christmas Party. My good friend Kate's house is Christmas-palooza and she hosts our December gathering every year. We had our party this past Friday night, complete with Reindeer Games. It is always such a great time and I truly treasure the wonderful friendships I've made and expanded through this group.

6. Christmas Cards. I love receiving them, especially the photo cards.

7. Fudge. I love it. A little too much, so I only make once a year for Christmas.

8. Tournament of Roses Parade. I am always amazed at what the float designers come up with! I watch it every year.

9. Bowl Games. We've always enjoyed football, but over the last few years we have really become big fans of College Football. My middle son attends the University of Alabama, so we're particularly excited about the BCS Championship game this year. Roll Tide!

10. Snow Village. We really got into this several years ago. I honestly don't even know how many houses we have now, and accessory pieces. I can tell you though that our collection is way to large to display together, so it is scattered throughout our entire house. It takes a couple days to set up and we leave it up, usually until sometime in February.

These are some of my favorites. What are yours?

A Hat for Hiking

2011-12-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

I finished another hat this weekend to add to the gift basket! This is the Irish Hiking Hat by Jo Blackhorse. I thought the this pattern would look great in a nice sturdy tweed. I found Harrisville Tweed at my LYS and chose this nice chocolate brown. As it turns out Harrisville Designs is a local NH company, so I also was pretty pleased to be able to shop local, on Small Business Saturday even!

I think that this pattern was more of a guide than an actual pattern and it had several small mistakes. I certainly have knit enough that I was able to navigate my way through though.

It was suggested to knit the body of the hat somewhere between 5.5-7". I stopped just shy of 6". It fits my 15 year old son pretty well, but it's a little short for my husband. One more cable repeat would have been better for him.

I did like how the decreases happen from the rib section of the pattern and then move into the cable section.

My hat used exactly 100 yds. With many yarns you could get two hats from one skein of yarn, which makes it an economical knit too.

My skein did happen to be a bit underweight, so I won't be able to make a second hat from the skein. I might be able to get a set of fingerless mitts though, as long as I keep the cuff short. But for now? Time to start a new hat!

Adding to the Holiday Knits

2011-12-01T20:51:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to stockpile some quick knits to use as gifts for my family members and a few close friends. It may be the year of the hat this year!

I've finished two Turn a Square hats by Jared Flood. I used Cascade 220 and Noro Silk Garden. I love how the Noro has the slow striping color changes, but I did find it a little splitty. I made these 2 hats from one skein of each and I have just enough left over for a third hat. I decided it was time for a change though. Maybe I'll make that third hat maybe I won't. I did learn how to do the jog-less stripe with this pattern, which I can see using again in the future.

I also knit a Poet Society Tam by Kirsten Kapur/Through the Loops Designs. I picked up the pattern while at Sock Summit this summer. The yarn is Rios in the color Zarzamora which I go from my LYS, Spinning Yarns. I love Rios! Every time I've used it, I've decided that it's my new favorite yarn

I decided to go with two buttons for the overlapping brim. I really wanted one big funky button but I couldn't find one that was quite right. But I do like these two buttons. The color of them coordinates nicely with the yarn.

I don't know who these are going to be for yet. I'm going to try a new idea this year. I'm knitting projects that I just plain like and they're all going into a gift basket. I'm hoping that by Christmas I will have enough FO's with enough variety that I will be able to let everyone pick for themselves what they would like to have. We'll see how it works out. It might be the best idea I ever had, or it could be the worst!

WIP Wednesday

2011-11-30T17:17:00.000-05:00

I've had a little furry of activity over the last couple of weeks and I have some FO's that I'll show you tomorrow. I also had a serious case of startitis this weekend. So let me show the what I've cast on.

First is the Lissajous socks by Cookie A for the Knit Sock Love KAL. Today was the last day to cast on for this pattern's KAL. I picked some Miss Babs that I had in the stash. I love the color in the skein, but I'm not loving the start of this sock so far. The pattern shows better in the picture than it does in real life. I may frog these, but for now I'm going to continue on and see if I like it better once a get an inch or two done. Stay tuned!

This is the Clepsydra Mitten. So far, so good! I really like how it's coming out so far. I'm using some trusty Cascade 220.

The third project I cast on is the Irish Hiking Hat. This will probably be a gift. I picked it because I wanted an easy project to throw in my bag for when I'm out and about. I forgot to factor in the decreasing light at this time of year though and am finding this color to be hard to work on in low light situations. The yarn is Harrisville Tweed, which is a local NH company.

I have two more projects lined up, wound and ready to go too. I'll show you those later once I've actually started them.

What's on your needles right now?

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-29T13:44:00.001-05:00

10 Favorite Musicals

This week's topic is favorite musicals. I immediately started thinking of the handful of Broadway Musicals I've seen and knew that there was no way I would get to ten. But really, is it only theater productions that count as musicals? What about movies? So I've decided to include both. Here are ten that I have enjoyed!

1. Wicked. Hated the book, loved the musical. I actually saw this in London while on vacation with Tom.

2. Phantom of the Opera. I saw this show in Boston. All I Ask of You is my favorite song from this show.

3. Mama Mia! Such a fun show! If you haven't seen it and get the opportunity, GO! Here's a clip from the official show site http://ppc.broadway.com/shows/mamma-mia/video/145061/show-clip-mamma-mia-dancing-queen-montage/

4. The Producers. I saw this in NY on Broadway. I've seen the movie too, the one with Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, but I prefer the live production. Enjoy a little "Springtime for Hiltler" :-)

5. The Wizard of Oz. A classic that I still enjoy. I can never skip over it when it's on TV.

6. Grease. Oh John Travolta, how I love thee :-)

7. The Sound of Music. Tom and I visited Austria in 2006. It was a work thing for him with very little actual work and lots and lots of fun. The last day that we were there we actually went on "The Sound of Music Tour" Super fun and the tour guide was just silly enough to get everyone on board the bus to sing along to the soundtrack. I wish I had a picture to show you of the two of us in front of the gazebo from the song I am 16 Going on 17, but all the pictures are on Tom's computer.

8. My Fair Lady. This was the first play that I ever saw and was a big girls day out with my mother.

9. Moulin Rouge. Here's a little medley for you of songs from the movie.

10. Beauty and the Beast. This was the first movie that we took our oldest son to. I love it as much now as I did when it first came out :-)

What are some of the musicals you've enjoyed?

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-22T20:06:00.001-05:00

10 Things I am Thankful For

This week as we all prepared to celebrate Thanksgiving, we were asked to think about the things that we are thankful for. I know I live a very blesssed life, so in no particular order here are some of the things that i am thankful for.

1. My Husband. Tom and I have been married for 26 years and I am thankful to have him for my partner. He tells me he loves me every day, I can see how much he loves our boys, and he works hard for our family so that we can have everything that we need. He also works hard to be a good example of what a strong, good, caring and responsible man is for our sons.

2. Matthew, who is son #1. I honestly don't know if I know another person on this earth who has the kind and open heart of my first born son. He has such a gift for caring and kindness and is so steadfast in his core beliefs, that he amazes me. He continues to grow into wonderful man. I am proud to be his mother.

3. Justin, who is son #2. He is the most self-confident of my boys and determined. He will set a goal and work towards it with unfailing faith. And yet he can shock me to my core with how sensitive he is and his willingness and ability to help someone in need. I know he has that in him, but he doesn't like to show it to many people. I am proud to be his mother too :-)

4. Chandler, who is son #3. Someone once told me when I was pregnant with him, that the 3rd born is the family clown. They were right. He may not be outwardly and outright funny, but he has the best sense of humor, and at the most unsuspecting times. He makes me laugh pretty much every day and appreciate life. Again, I am a proud mom.

5. My siblings. We don't spend as much time together as I'd like to, but I love them all dearly.

6. My parents. They have had some health issues over the past few years, but they are still with us. I know someday they will be gone, but for now I am thankful to know that I can pick up the phone or drop by the house any time I want to.

7. My home. I don't even know how to describe it. I live in a lovely house, I can't deny that, but to me it is so much more. It's where the people I love are, and it is filled with things that were made for us by someone who loves us, or passed along to us by someone who loved us. Together, it's home.

8. My dogs, Neal and Emma. No one loves you like your dog :-) Plus they are great companions!

9. My friends. I have great friends. Some I have known forever, some for only a short time. Each one is dear to me and I am a better and lucky person for what they share of themselves with me.

10. My knitting. I am thankful that I have found a hobby that I enjoy so much. It excites me and calms me at the same time. Many of my friends I have met because of this shared passion. And I can make cool stuff!

What are some of the things you are thankful for?

When a teenage boys asks

2011-11-21T20:14:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's great to be a fly on the wall. My teenager likes to use Facebook to keep in touch with his friends. Since he has played select/elite travel hockey for the last 5 seasons, and changed schools this year, his friends are truly scattered far and wide. So, he loves Facebook for keeping up with everyone. Being the good nosy mother I am, I pop onto his page from time to time just to keep an eye on things. One day I stumbled upon a conversation he was having with a hockey buddy. It went something like this...

Friend: Dude, remember those sick hats your mom made for us a couple years ago?
My kid: yeah
Friend: Do you think she would consider making me another one?
My kid: Probably. I'll ask.

I ask you..... What do you do when a 15 year old boy asks if you will knit him a hat? You make him a hat!!!

After a little back and forth, we decided on a new hat in his high school colors with an E on the back, because that is the other logo his school uses and he didn't know what his jersey number would be.

I mailed it off to him the end of last week. High School try-outs began today around the state, so I hope this is a little good luck hat for him. Good luck MAC! And to Chandler and all of his friends too. (There were a few nerves on display this morning when I dropped him at school with his gear.)

This is a personal pattern. My friend Kelly started it and I modified it a bit to make a little more sense to me. I really should write it up, if for no other reason than to avoid the ripping and re-knitting I did tweaking it!

There's Alpacas over there!

2011-11-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

Gosh it's been awhile since I last blogged! I'm not sure where the time went, but I certainly have been busy. One of the things that I've done over the last few weeks is visit a local Alpaca farm! Sallie's Fen Alpacas is only a 20 minute drive from my home. I've seen some of their yarns in other local businesses but didn't realize they were located so close to me. My neighbors Molly and Holly wanted to go and asked me to join them. Off we went on a crappy rainy day, but that didn't lessen our fun.

We met the boys, who were very curious about us. Mostly I think they were looking to see if we had food buckets with us.

Then we went to the other side of the farm and met the girls and the babies. Do you see that little one peeking around the big one? She was so cute!

No food? You're dead to me.

We were fascinated by the range of colors of their coats.

These girls weren't that interested in us as their feed trough had just been filled.

This girl really interested us with her mix of colors. Her belly area was quite brown, her back is black, and yet her muzzle is white. We asked if she was perhaps older and hence the white muzzle? Nope. It's just her unique coloring.

This farm also does a lot of milling and processes fleece into commercially spun yarn. It's quite an impressive set up, but we were not there at a good time to get a tour of that facility. Perhaps next time. They are having an open house Thanksgiving weekend. We did go into their small shop though and did a little shopping. I picked out this 4 ply worsted yarn. There's only about 150 yds, but I think it will be enough for a pair of Maine Morning Mitts.

Do you have any ideas what I can do with 150 yds of worsted weight?

Hats!

2011-10-13T10:16:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting to share with you a couple of fantastic hats that I test knit for Irish Girlie Knits. Now that they have both been released, I'm going to gush about them!

First, let me show you Dear Baby Francis. So, so sweet! This is a beautifully cabled and ribbed hat that will be fantastic for a special baby boy. My niece is expecting baby #2 in early January, and this adorable hat will be going into the mail soon for her sweet boy. The pattern is written for 3-6 months, and 6-9 months sizes, and uses either fingering or sport weight yarn. I knit my sample with Bugga and the color is Long Horned Beetle. The pattern also has matching socks! This is a quick knit too. I made the hat in two evenings while watching TV.

The second hat I knit for Carrie is Fine Fella. It is the adult version of Dear Baby Francis and a companion piece to the Uncle Frank socks. This hat has the same rich cables and ribbing design as the baby hat. I used Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in the color Tern for my test knit. It's a wonderful yarn and has a very full body to it. This will be a wonderfully warm hat!

I love how the crown decreases are worked. The top of the hat is a gorgeous design by itself, and I have to say that my pictures don't do it justice!

If you love this hat and want to add it to your library, Carrie is offering it at a reduced price until Monday October 17. I'll be camped out on my computer today at Noon eastern time for the Plucky Knitter update hoping to score some Primo worsted for another one. And maybe some MCN aran too for a Comfort Food cowl. It just might be a IGK/Plucky Christmas for my family this year!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-11T09:31:00.000-04:00

10 Things I did this Weekend

This week Carole asked us to list 10 things we did over the weekend. I tried to get away with the notion that it's a Holiday Weekend, YAY!, therefore I should do NOTHING! It didn't really work out for me though :-) So here are a few of the things I did, in no particular order....

1. Played with the dogs. I actually do this pretty much every day, but on the weekends I generally do get a little help from the rest of the family.
2. Took Chandler driving
3. Took Chandler to hockey practice/scrimmage
4. Supervised a teenaged boy sleepover
5. Watched Easy A
6. Watched University of Alabama beat the living daylights out of Vanderbilt. Roll Tide!
7. Put most of my garden to bed for winter
8. Went to the Chili and Chowder Cook-off that's held every year in my town. Congrats to my next door neighbor Jim for winning this year!
9. Grilled steaks for dinner Sunday night
10. Made Birthday Cookies for the kidlet next door. She may be 15 now, but she's still my favorite Cookie Monster :-)

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Fall Foliage - part 1

2011-10-10T15:40:00.000-04:00

I live in NH and I have heard many times that the foliage here has a brilliance that is not matched anywhere else in the country, perhaps even the world. I find that hard to believe, but I really don't know for sure. Therefore I thought it might be fun to share some pictures here on the old blog for my friends around the country, and world, to enjoy.

The color is really just starting now, and it is considered "early" by the local meteorolgist. I'm going to share some pictures from different days over the next couple weeks so you can all see how it changes. Enjoy!

This is the view from my deck right now. Sucks to be me, huh? :-)

I can never remember what this bush is called, but it gives the most vibrant red every year. It's part of a landscape fence between my yard and my neighbor's yard.

I am the first lot in a cove and this is looking into the cove. There was a loon family that nested in here last summer.

This is from my waterfront looking out over the main lake.

There are a couple small islands in front of my house as well. This is the view between the islands.

Somebody asked me this weekend if I live on the lake year round. Yes. Yes I do. I'm so glad I don't miss this incredible beauty anymore. I'll post some more pictures later in the week so you can enjoy the change with me!

Flowers in a Meadow

2011-10-03T10:37:00.000-04:00

I've finished another pair of socks for Cookie A's Knit. Sock. Love. book. Twisted Flower was the pattern in August for the KSL group on Ravelry. This pattern looks much harder than it actually is. It does however have a number of twisted stitches mixed in and the heel flap is patterned with action happening on both the right and wrong side. I really needed to make use of my post-it notes so that I didn't lose my place in the design.

Here are the details:
Pattern: Twisted Flower by Cookie A
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock
Color: Meadow
Needle: 2.5mm

The pattern for September is In and Out, and yes, I didn't cast on September 30th, the last possible day to play in the KAL. I have until October 31 to get them finished.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-27T11:26:00.000-04:00

Ten Things we do Every Day

Do you ever feel as if your life is like the movie Groundhog Day? Every morning your alarm clock goes off, probably the same time everyday, and then you repeat a series of events that you just completed before you got into bed. Oh sure, you might get to throw a little something extra, like a trip to the grocery store, in there for some excitement, but it just seems like the same old same old day after day. Here are ten things that I do every day.

1. Brush my teeth, it's as essential as breathing for me.
2. Shower and dress
3. Pack lunches
4. Drive my youngest son somewhere, generally to school
5. Dishes. Is it just me or do they breed and multiply at your house too when they're dirty?
6. Check email, facebook, and ravelry
7.Sweep the house. I have hardwood floors and 2 dogs, it's a necessity!
8. Exercise the dogs, so I don't lose my sanity. A tired Neal is a good Neal :-)
9. Housework of some sort, there never seems to be a shortage of it.
10 Knit. It may only be a few stitches some days, but I try to fit in at least a few minutes each day to knit.

Exciting life I live isn't it? LOL And yet there never seem to be enough hours in the day to get everything done that I would like to.

Carole always does a great job coming up with a topic for Tuesdays. If you'd like to play along too you can sign up here.

The First Pancake Never Comes Out the Best

2011-09-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

I like to keep my projects nice and organized and my favorite way to do that is with Box Bags. I have a few of them, but not enough for all my projects. Some people, including my immediate family members, would say the best way to fix that problem is to finish some of the projects I have going. I think the best way is to get more project bags :-) Buying more bags though means I have less money for yarn :-( So with my trusty friend Google I went looking for tutorials on the web to make some. I thought that this tutorial was the best one, so I bookmarked it for when I was ready to sew.

Yesterday was finally the day that I dug out my sewing machine and stumbled my way through my first bag. Tom was away, the boys were busy so I could spread out over the dining room. This morning Tom sees my first completed bag on the dining table and comments on it. "Hey! You made that project bag you wanted to. Looks good!" "Well, I don't think I should quit my day job for it" I replied. "Why?" he asks. (At this point it's only fair to tell you that he was not wearing his glasses) "I'm not sure if it's more Dr. Seuss or Tim Burton-ish, but it is so not symmetrical it's kind of embarrassing." To which he replied..."Well you know what they say. The first pancake never comes out the best." I think he's been waiting to use that phrase since he first heard it on Modern Family!

My first bag is taller on one end than the other, by almost 3/4 of an inch.

It's wider on one end than the other by 1/2 an inch.

And I managed not to attach the whole end of the handle on one side!

After examining my bag and reviewing the directions I was able to pick out a few areas that i should have paid more attention to and been more particular about, like pinning things in place and measuring :-) Today I made my second bag and it came out much better than the first! There are still a couple small areas to tweak, but I think I have the hang of it now. I forgot to take pictures of the bag open, but the lining fabric is red with white polka dots. I love this combo, it's so cheery. I also like the red zipper better than the white. I couldn't decide in the store, so I bought one of each.

I need to go back to JoAnn Fabrics to get more interfacing, but I already have fabric picked out for my next bags.

And with a little bit of math, I think I can adjust some measurements and make bags of different sizes. The tutorial makes a bag that's great for small items, like socks or mittens, but I'd like a box bag big enough for a sweater too!

How do you like to organize your projects?

WIP Wednesday & a Winner!

2011-09-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone who read and commented yesterday! I really do enjoy hearing from you. I realized I forgot to pick an end time for comments on yesterday's post, so I made an executive decision to include everyone who commented by the time I was ready for my next post, which is today. I put the names is my favorite pink bowl

and picked a name. Congrats Peppermint Mocha Mama! I've sent you an email, but just in case you don't get it, please send me your mailing address and I'll send a little something off to you!

I have a few things on the needles this week. First is my car knitting. It is the Poet Society Tam and I am using Malabrigo Rios. This is progressing very slowly as I only seem to get 2 rows here and half a row there while waiting for Chandler after school. He recently started driving though and I think he's ready to handle the drive home from school, so maybe it will get a little more love over the next week. A little clicking of the needles may help soothe out my nerves :-)

I'm also making progress on my Twisted Flower socks. This is the 2nd sock and I am 4 or 5 rows from working the heel flap. I'm hoping to finish this over the weekend, or at least be well into the foot.

I started my Washington Square sweater. I decided to mix it up a bit and start with the sleeves. I'm hoping that when I'm working on the body and get to the point of adding the sleeves, that I won't lose momentum if the sleeves are already done. We'll see, but I figured it was worth at least trying. This is the first sleeve. I have 12 inches done with about 5 more to go.

That's what's on my needles this week. What are you working on? Or hoping to start?

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-20T08:32:00.000-04:00

10 Headlines from the Year you were Born

I was going to tell you what year I was born, but I thought it would be more fun to have my first blog contest and ask you to guess! I admit that I had to ask my good friend Google to help me with this week's list. It was fun and enlightening to do the research. Here are your clues!

1. The Voting Rights Act becomes law

2. Malcolm X is assassinated in Harlem

3. The Great Archway in St. Louis is completed

4. LBJ stops bombing and offers peace

5. Winston Churchill dies

6. Watts Riots leave 34 dead

7. LA Dodgers beat the Minnesota Twins to win the World Series

8. The Beatles visit Elvis Presley at his home in LA

9. Diet Pepsi is now available!

10. The Sound of Music wins the Academy Award for Best Picture

Leave your guess as to what year I was born in the comments. If there is more than 1 correct guess, I'll put those names in bowl and draw a winner! Good luck! I'm off to toss the stash and come up with something good :-)

Did I blog that?

2011-09-18T21:00:00.000-04:00

I finished a pair of socks this weekend. After taking a picture of them, all finished and on my sock blockers, I took them to my room and added them to my little stash of stuff I've knitted over the summer. Ohhh, how I love to admire and fondle all the projects I've finished and set aside until the cooler weather comes :-) A couple things jumped out at me and made me wonder if I've shown them to you? After checking the blog I realized that I hadn't! SO let's catch up!

First is a hat. It's the Smocked Slouch. I bought both the pattern and the yarn at The Plucky Knitter booth at Sock Summit. Let me just say that I love love love this yarn! It is so soft, has a nice twist, and yet is still lofty, and it just slides along the needle like a dream. I enjoyed knitting this hat too. I was a little concerned about the smocking stitch. I wanted it to be tight enough to really show off the smocking, but not too tight so that it would have plenty of give when you put it on. I also worried that if I was too generous with the smocking that the stitch would be sloppy looking. Overall I'm happy with the outcome, but if I make this pattern again I will be a little firmer with my smocking stitches.

These Summer Lovin Socks are the socks I just finished Friday night. I made this pattern a couple years ago and really enjoyed it. The sock were a bit on the loose side though so I gifted them to someone I knew would love them. I used the same yarn in a different color but went down a needle size this time. They fit great this time! The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan sock in the colorway Belle.

This last pair I finished just before leaving for Sock Summit, which is probably why they found their way into the FO pile without a proper photo shoot and blog unveiling. These are from the June Cookie A Sock Club shipment. The pattern is Orange Pekoe and the yarn for the June shipment is also Hazel Knits Artisan sock yarn. This color is called Oh My Darling, which is think is clever because I think of clementines every time I look at this color! The left and right socks are mirror images of each other which was very fun to knit!

I think I'm caught up now on finished projects. I have a few fun things on the needles now. I'm looking forward to sharing them with you!

10 on Tuesday

2011-09-13T16:42:00.001-04:00

10 Things I Buy Each Week

This is going to be a tough one this week because we're not supposed to include groceries. I think that I'm a creature of habit, but I'm not sure that there are 10 things I buy every week, other than specific grocery items. I'm going to give it a try though.....

1. Dunkin Donuts Coffee. I treat myself at least once a week to this.
2. Gas. DS3 is attending a Catholic High School this year and it is 46 miles round trip to school. Twice a day.
3. Audiobook. I really enjoy listening to books. Between Audible and NH Downloadable, I probably average 1 book a week, although it may only be 3 books a month.
4. Take-out Dinner. Usually Pizza, because they deliver, but sometimes Chinese. It seems that there's usually 1 night each weekend that I just don't feel like cooking!
5. Lunch. I try to limit it to once a week.

Now I'm stumped, so I think I'll try to finish the list with things I wished I bought once a week.
6. Sunday Paper. I dream of enjoying the paper on Sunday morning with a cup of tea or coffee.
7. Movie. Whether it's a trip to the theater or a DVD at home.
8. Yarn. Nice yarn. I think you all know what I mean :-)
9. Flowers. They make the house so cheery, but I seldom treat myself.
10. Music. Whether it's a new CD or just a song I like that I heard on the radio. I have some great music but I haven't bought anything new in a while. Maybe I should try to change that.

That was tough! What about you? What types of things do you buy each week?

A little shopping

2011-09-09T12:43:00.000-04:00

I got a package from The Sanguine Gryphon this week with a skein of Skinny Bugga in Dragonfly Tattoo, which is a summer colorway that is getting ready to retire. It was one of a couple colorways from this summer's collection, that I loved, that I was not able to pic up at Sock Summit. Every time I went by their booth, this color was sold out. I was happy to be able to score some during their sale a couple weeks ago.

Pretty, isn't it? It has a little bit of every color in it.

So, as I was taking a picture of it to add it to my stash on Ravelry, I realized that I never did show you all the fabulous yarn I picked up at Sock Summit! So I'm going to show you today. Here it all is, in all it's glory!

It looks like more than it really is. It all fits in my Sock Summit tote bag. Spread out though, it looks substantial!

This is a merino/tencel blend from the Knitted Wit. There was a Marrowstone Shawl knit up in this in her booth and it was just absolutely lovely, really soft and fluid. I need one of my own.

Kollage yarns had a nice presence in the Paradise Fibers booth. I picked up some Riveting and the My Kind of Saturday pattern for it. It's an interesting yarn. I'm anxious to knit this up and wash it to see how it feels.

I also got a skein of Sock-a-licious. I can't believe I only bought one! It's really soft.

I also bought a skein of Djinni Sock from Dragonfly Fibers. This color is Artic Pearl. They were giving away samples too which I'll use to swatch.

I also went by the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth. A lot. I did buy these 3 skeins of STR, although a sweaters worth of BFL Sport and Woobu were in and out of my cart many, many times. These colors are Mmm, Mmm Good in MW, Sockgate DHD in LW, and Rare Gem Water in MW

I finally got to see The Plucky Knitter's yarns in person for the first time. Wow! Sarah has some really nice yarns and her colors are fabulous! I picked up 2 skeins of Primo Worsted in Bubblegum Flower and Barn Door. I also got 2 skeins of Primo fingering in One Hit Wonders.

Next stop was Hazel Knits where I was delighted to be able to meet Wendee in person. I've been in her club for about 2 years and was tickled that she recognized my name and remembered what part of the country I was from! What a way to make a girl feel special and that her business is truly appreciated! I got a skein of the new Piquant Lite to try in Blueberry, and 3 skeins of Artisan in Plum Glace, Chocoberry, and Lochness, which were all colors that were on my wish list.

Last, but certainly not least, is Miss Babs. I bought a sweaters worth of Yowza in the color Nori. This is my birthday gift from my in-laws :-) I'll have more to tell you about this yarn later :-) I also got a skein of Windsor sock yarn in Catherine.

So that was all the shopping I did in the Marketplace. I flirted with some Signature needles too, but decided to spend my money on yarn instead that I wanted to pick out myself. Signature Needle Arts has a nice Wish List feature, so I figured I could fill that out and send it to DH for future gift giving occasions :-)

Have a great weekend! I hope to get lots of knitting time!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-06T10:48:00.000-04:00

10 Fall/Winter Knits

It is good to get back to Ten on Tuesday! I have really missed it, but couldn't' quite seem to get my act together over the summer to participate. Thank you Carole for keeping this going. You truly do a great job coming up with new ideas! I don't know about all of you but I am glad to have the kids back to school so I can get back on a dependable schedule!

This week's topic is 10 Things I'd Like to Knit this Fall/Winter. Um.... only 10? This is the hard part for me. I made a quick list of the things that quickly came to mind and it is way more than 10. I took out the projects for the Knit-a-Longs and Clubs that I regularly participate in and I was able to get the list down to 10. Here they are:

1. Washington Square - I bought the yarn for this at Sock Summit with Birthday Money from my wonderful MIL. I swatched this weekend and am ready to cast on!
2. Vodka Gimlet - This is a new release by Baby Cocktails and I looove it! I have a sweater's quantity of Cascade 220 in the stash that I bought for something else, but I think I'm going to reallocate it to this project.
3. Dark & Stormy - This has been in my queue for a while. My LYS had a special on Madelinetosh this past July that I took advantage of. I ordered some Vintage in Composition Book Grey. It should arrive around Novemberish and will be a great late fall/early winter knit
4. Karren - The 2nd installment of the Sweater for all Seasons Club and I have the yarn for it already, Blue Moon Fiber Arts BFL Sport in Tanzanite.
5. Poet Society Tam - I'm making this with Malabrigo Rios. I have cast on, but that's about it.
6. Koolhass - I know, I'm late to the party because I haven't made this yet. Soon, very soon. This will make a great Christmas gift for one of the many men in my life :-)
7. Marrowstone Shawl - Super pretty and an interesting construction. I bought a gorgeous Merino/Tencel blend yarn from Knitted Wit at Sock Summit for this shawl.
8. Hazel Knits September/October Mystery Sock - I wasn't going to participate even though the designer is VeryBusyMonkey and I love her designs, but the 1st clue has been released and it is fabulous! I can't resist.
9. A Noble Cowl - Simple pattern and doesn't require much yarn, and I really like the motif.
10. Winter Wonder - I just can't decide if I want to do the small version or the infinity version. I may have to do both!

These are a few of the projects on my queue. What are you planning to knit this fall?

Fun in the 'Hood

2011-09-05T13:28:00.000-04:00

I love where I live and it is simply because of the 30 amazing families in my neighborhood. There aren't many places left where everyone looks out for everybody's kids, supports each other, and knows how to have fun together. For the 5th year in a row, this is how we end our summer. It begins with a parade, followed by plenty of food & drinks and plenty of music and dancing!

I hope you had a great weekend too filled with friends and family! It's good to remember that Life is Good and we really do have so much to be thankful for!

Now that the summer is over and we are returning to our regular schedules, I hope to resume regular blogging too. Tomorrow's topic for Ten on Tuesday is a good one, be sure to come back and join the fun :-)

My New BFF

2011-08-22T14:18:00.000-04:00

This was a project that just seemed to flow off my needles! I started these socks while I was at Sock Summit because I wanted a simple project to carry around that I could work on anywhere without having to reference a chart. This pattern is essentially a ribbed sock with every other rib being a 2x2 cable.

The genius of a Cookie A pattern though is that she has figured out how to deal with issues such as "Cable Suckage". This sock started with 64 stitches in a 2x2 rib. Then there was a set-up row where there was some increasing, and the placement of the new stitches is such that they are hidden behind the first cable cross.

Those same stitches were decreased very cleverly at the top of the heel flap and the beginning of the toe so that I was working with my usual 32 stitches again.

The end result is a very comfortable well fitting sock! Now that I have these nice cabled socks completed in a colorway that reminds me of fall, I feel ready for the kids to go back to school!

Pattern: BFF by Cookie A
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock
Color: She Sells Seashells
Needle: 2.5mm
Mods: None!

Sock Summit Recap - Part 1 The Learning Edition

2011-08-11T21:20:00.000-04:00

I've been home from Sock Summit for just over a week and honestly, it's taken almost that long for me to recover from all the fun I had. Sam, aka KnitQuest, summed it up best on her blog when she said it was like a Mack Truck full of fun! I thought I would start by sharing with you a bit about the classes I took.

This is how we were greeted as we approached the Oregon Convention Center each day.

I'd say that sums it up pretty well!

The first class I had was Toe-Up Socks for the Stubborn taught by Deb Barnhill. This was a perfect class for me because I am a Top-down girl. I prefer a proper heel flap vs a short row heel for fit and I can never quite figure out the right place to start gusset increases so that the length of the foot is correct. Without giving Deb's technique away, I will tell you that she has basically figured out how to reverse engineer a top down sock so that you can knit from the toe and it looks and fits just like a top down sock. I picked a pattern from Wendy Johnson to get started and have started the gusset. I'll show you this again when it's finished.

I then took a class with Chrissy Gardiner about using hand-painted yarns. The long and short of this class was to swatch, swatch, swatch. She did talk a bit about how directional stitches and purl stitches can break up a busy yarn. I also picked up a neat trick about determining if a variegated is a high or low contrast and how you can convert a picture of it to gray scale to see the saturation difference. Chrissy was gracious enough to take a picture with me too.

This was the yarn that I brought to class that I have struggled with. My newest swatch will be Monkey. Directional stitches and purls, I guess I now know why it seems to work so well with just about any yarn!

I also had a class with Anne Hanson who is Knitspot. Her class was on lace and was intended to be a beginning lace class. I have knit lace before so the stitches of it were nothing new, but I did learn so much. She talked about eyelets vs lacy knitting vs knitted lace vs compound lace, what makes each unique, the pros and cons of using each in a garment, and how the placement of yarn-overs in relation to decrease stitches affects fabric. I personally got a lot out of her discussion. Then she pulled out her Swatch Museum. Oh. My. Gosh! If you ever have an opportunity to see this, do NOT pass it up. It may have been the best thing I saw at the summit! Anne also was gracious enough to take a picture with me and her swatches :-)

Another class I took was on Stranded Color-work with Mary Scott Huff. The samples she brought of her work were amazing. That girl can knit! And she is so enthusiastic about her craft and loves to share it with anyone who wants to learn about it. We were instructed to bring two contrasting yarns of the same weight to work with in class. This is the swatch we worked in class. I am thrilled with the result! Here is the front..

and the back. Look how nice and organized and relaxed those carries are! Not too tight or too loose. Seriously, I couldn't be happier if I tried :-) Now I just need to practice and then I can tackle the exclusive sock pattern she designed for our class!

I also had a couple 1 hr Wonder classes, but I forgot to take pictures. They were Provisional Cast On's, which is a skill I wanted to improve and I now feel much more comfortable with. The other class was The Perfect Rib with Cookie A which was a quick class about feeling confident to modify the ribbing of a sock to better flow with the leg design. She had many samples of her own designs to demonstrate how she has used this feature in her own designs and how that would look in chart form.

So that is the quick overview of what I learned. My brain was fried by Sunday evening, but I took at least one thing away from every class I took that I can use right now. In my book that is a huge success!

Next post I will share with you some of the people I saw and met and shopping that I did!

I'm leaving on a Jet Plane

2011-07-27T12:59:00.000-04:00

Today is the day!!!!!! I'm leaving for Sock Summit in just a few short hours. I've been thinking, and planning, and organizing, for weeks and I'm just about ready.

These are all the supplies that I need for classes. I have just a bit more homework to do.

At this point I think I'm going to be knitting instead of reading on the plane. And hopefully a quick nap too. I land in Portland at 10:45pm PDT which is 1:45am EDT. So a quick nap might be wise.

If you're at Sock Summit and see me be sure to say hi! I'm looking forward to meeting so many people that I only know through blogs and Ravelry. If I haven't told you before, my Rav ID is Woohoogirl. Woohoo! I'm ready to go! Let the fun begin!!

Summer Wind

2011-07-21T12:05:00.000-04:00

This is a perfect day to share my newest finished project. It is a hot steamy summer day here in NH and we have a wonderful breeze blowing making the temperatures almost bearable. So it seems like it's the perfect day to show you my finished Summer Wind!

Chandler was taking his friends tubing behind his little boat and there were too many of them to all go out together. While Holly was waiting for her turn in the boat, she was a good sport and agreed to model for me. I love the look of this scarf either way you wear it. Nice and long.....

and doubled up and cozy........

I really enjoyed this knit and I can see myself making it again to give as a gift!

Pattern: Summer Wind
Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light
Color: Tart
Needle: US 5
Mods: I cast on for the larger size but knit the center panel for the smaller size. I was worried that I might run a bit short on yarn if I did the larger center. That was probably a good call as I finished with a mere 9 grams of yarn leftover! I bet if I'd used a US4 needle I would have had plenty of yarn.

I hope you're all enjoying your summer!

PS- 6 more sleeps until I leave for Sock Summit! Woohoo!

WIP Wednesday

2011-07-20T15:35:00.000-04:00

I've been trying to finish up a couple projects before Sock Summit next week so that I can a.) free up some needles, and b.) start a few new projects, aka homework, for my classes. I did finish my Summer Wind scarf and I'll show you that tomorrow. I am still working on two pairs of socks though.

I'm plugging away slowly but surely on Stricken. I've finished the dreaded Chart E which flows into the heel flap. I think what has made this chart dreaded for so many is that the cabling takes place on the wrong side of the heel flap as well as the right side. I'm not sure I've ever done that before, but I completed it succesfully and now just need to add some more length to the flap so I can turn the heel. I'm still on sock one, so I think these may be a long term project.

Here is the 2nd Orange Pekoe sock. Next time I work on it I'll be able to turn the heel and then zip down the foot.

My Sprossling sweater hasn't gotten any attention in about 2 weeks and I doubt it will until after Sock Summit. Before I leave, one week from today, I need to finish Orange Pekoe and do my homework for my classes. I bet this next week will fly by!

2 Weeks and Counting!

2011-07-14T16:49:00.000-04:00

Sock Summit begins 2 weeks from today! I'm so excited to go. Socks are my favorite thing to knit and to have a chance to go a 4 day event with classes and a marketplace dedicated to sock knitting..... the only way to describe it is Fantastic!

One of the informal activities taking place is a stitch marker swap. I love stitch markers and think they are fun to collect. I've ventured a bit into making them, but until know they have been primarily for my own enjoyment. I think swapping markers will be a fun way to meet some new people that I probably otherwise wouldn't meet. After a few trips to Michaels, I finally decided on my design and materials and this is what I've decided on.

I love this charm and I picked beads using the prominent colors from the Sock Summit logo. So far I've been mixing the colors up with each marker, although I do have one that is a solid color. I may do a few more like that, but I haven't decided yet. I have a dozen made so far and I'm aiming for 100. If you see me at SS11 ask me for a stitch marker. I'd love to meet you and share the fun!

I was also lucky enough to register for some great classes!

Thursday morning I'm taking Toe Up Socks for the Stubborn with Deb Barnhill. I have a hard time getting a great fit with toe up patterns so I am really looking forward to learning some tips and tricks.

Thursday Afternoon I'm taking Designing with Handpainted Yarns with Chrissy Gardiner. I'm not overly interested in designing at this time, but I would love to learn more about choosing stitch patterns that best showcase handpainted yarn. How often have you paired a yarn and pattern and not loved it? I'm hoping to get better at putting yarns and patterns together.

Friday morning I'm taking Holes in our Socks with Anne Hanson. I've certainly knit lace before but I was really intrigued by the class description. I know I will learn something, in fact probably many things from Anne Hanson. She has an incredible collection of lace designs!

Saturday I'm taking Provisional Cast On's with Laurel Coombs. This is not my best skill, but one I'd certainly like to improve, so this quick 1-hr wonder class should be perfect.

Sunday afternoon I'm taking Stranded in your Socks with Mary Scot Huff. Again, this is a skill that I feel pretty weak on. I can't think of a better person to learn this from.

I'm also on the wait list for Oddball Stitches with Cookie A Saturday morning. My fingers and toes and legs and eyes are crossed hoping a spot becomes available. Cross your fingers for me too, OK?

Are you going to Sock Summit too? Let me know, I'd love to see you or meet you!

A little catch up

2011-07-08T14:07:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's been nearly 2 weeks since I've updated the blog. We've been on vacation this week and my middle son is home this week from school as well. We haven't done anything particular but have just been busy enjoying some down time and visiting with friends.

I have been knitting, and as you're about to see, I've had a little Knitting ADD going on. I've been knitting but not making much progress on anything. I've decided it's time to buckle down and finish a few things up.

I have finished a pair of socks that I haven't shown you yet. I actually finished them at the end of June. This is the Boysenberry Yo pattern from the Cookie A Sock Club April installment. This is a new yarn from Lorna's Laces and we were lucky enough to have it a sneak preview. When we got it, it did not yet have a name. It has since been named Solemate. I can't tell you how it compares to the Shepherd Sock, I have some in my stash but have not yet knit with it, but I can tell you that I did like the Solemate!

I've also been poking away at my Sprossling sweater. I'm still on the back and have finished the waist decreases and have started the increases.

Going back to the Cookie A Sock Club, the June shipment came and it was all about Orange! Even the cookie recipes that come in each installment were orange themed. This week I made the Orange Creamsicle cookies. They are a yummy orange flavored cookie with a cream cheese frosting filling and perfect treat on a warm summer day!

I started the Orange Pekoe pattern and have finished the right sock. The left sock will be a mirror image. The yarn is by Hazel Knits, and honestly, nobody does orange like Wendee! I'm not a big fan of orange, but I do like this color!

I've also been working on Stricken for the Knit Sock Love KAL. This is the June pattern, so I better get busy on it. It's not a hard knit, it's just different every flippin' row, and I have to pay close attention to the chart. I tried working on it while waiting at a car appointment last week, but forgot my post-its to keep track on my chart. Yeah. Not smart. Good thing I had a back up project with me.

Last, but not least is Summer Wind. I love this pattern! And I love how this is coming out! I finally found a perfect match for the Tosh Merino Light that I bought earlier this year. I was going to put this in the Gift Basket for Christmas, but I think I'm going to have to keep it for myself instead. There is a KAL for this pattern in the Irishgirlieknits group on Ravelry. It's not too late to come join us!

So that's everything I have on the needles right now. Hopefully you'll see lots of FO's over the next few weeks as I try to get these finished up.

Happy Summer!

Going to the Chapel

2011-06-26T21:48:00.000-04:00

My baby sister, Annie, got married today! It was a beautiful day for her and I am so happy for her and her husband Bill. I thought I would share a few of the pictures that I took today.

This is my dad escorting Annie to the alter. They took turns crying :-)

The minister was fantastic and truly shared in the joy of the day.

"I have a couple questions to ask both of you" The minister said.

May I present Mr. & Mrs. William Griswold!

The Wedding Party....

Annie was a beautiful bride!

The Bride's Siblings... from left to right, my sister Jenn, brother Mike, new brother-in-law Bill, my sister Annie, and me.

The meal was a pig roast and my step-mother made a apron for my sister and a bib for Bill. Too funny!

This was their first dance.

It was a great day shared with plenty of family to wish them well. They're off to head up the coast of Maine for their honeymoon. When they return it will be closing time on their new home! So many happy beginnings!

Congratulations Annie and Bill! I love you little sis!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-21T09:21:00.001-04:00

10 Books You Would Recommend to a Friend

This is the perfect week for this topic for me! My friends and I have been eagerly awaiting the release of the newest Stephanie Plum book and it is on the shelves today! I'm also in a Book Group with many of my friends and neighbors. Were a large group of about 20 and have quite a mix of personalities, so we have read a variety of books. Some I've liked, some I've loved, some I've hated, some I just plain gave up on because they did nothing for me, and some surprised me. Here are some of the books that I would love to share with you!

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. This book has a little bit of everything. It's a love story, coming of age, it's a period piece, it's an adventure, has a villain and a hero.
2. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. As well as being a great story, I learned a fair bit about ancient Chinese culture. I still shudder when I think about foot binding!
3. Fortune's Rocks by Anita Shreve. I've read almost all of her books and I think this one is my favorite. Plus it's setting is not far from where I live so that intrigued me as well.
4. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. I was so drawn into this story told from the viewpoint of a 14 year old girl. I loved it. The I read the author bio and realized it was written by a man! Unbelievable. This story has stayed with me for years!
5. Very Valentine and it's sequel, Brava Valentine by Adriana Trigiani. This is another author that I love. She writes great character driven books. I always find them enjoyable.
6. The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo by Steig Larsson. If you like intrigue and mystery, read the whole series. Fantastic. It's also a great series to listen to.
7. The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I want to be Skeeter when I grow up! I thought it was a great insight into the roles that the maids have in these households. This story may have taken place in the south, but it is true world-wide.
8. 1000 White Women: The Journals of May Dodd. This was a book that surprised me. It was a Book Club book that I never would have read on my own. It grabbed me from the beginning and I couldn't put it down.
9. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. Great story of what you can do if you really want to. Plus Bill Bryson is hilariously funny in how he tells a story.
10. Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I'll read pretty much anything she writes. Bonus, she's a local NH author. But this story, WOW! Could you forgive the unforgivable if it could possibly save your child's life?

So there's my list. I hope you find something on it that intrigues you. If you do and you like it, please let me know!

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to download Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich and continue the debate with my girlfriends.... Joe or Ranger? And are you a Cupcake or a Babe?

Happy reading and Happy Tuesday!

Game 7

2011-06-15T20:57:00.000-04:00

Guess what my Bruins loving hockey family is doing tonight?

That's right, we're glued to the TV! Let's Go Bruins!!!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-14T10:07:00.000-04:00

10 Favorite Love Songs

This week's list is 10 Favorite Love Songs. What a great topic as we head into Wedding Season! I was lucky enough to be able to host my little sister's wedding in 2008. This is probably my favorite picture of Jenn and Mitch from that day :-)

My baby sister is getting married June 26, and Tom and I will be celebrating our 26th Anniversary on the 28th. Love is in the air here!

Here are some of my favorite songs, in no particular order....

1. Elton John - Something About the Way you Look Tonight

2. Bon Jovi - You Had Me from Hello

3. Michael Buble - The Way you Look Tonight

4. Bryan Adams - (Everything I Do) I Do It for You

5. Bryan White - You're Still Beautiful to Me

6. Lonestar - Amazed

7. Peter Frampton - Baby I Love Your Way

8. Goo Goo Dolls - Iris

9. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed

10. Louie Armstrong - What a Wonderful World

Thanks Carole for a great topic!

What are your favorite love songs?

Cast On Fever

2011-06-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

Spoiler Alert! Cookie A June Club yarn and pattern are below!

I've cast on 3 new socks in the last couple weeks. I can't seem to help myself and there are a few more socks, a shawl, and infinity scarf that I'm itching to cast on too. So let me show you what I couldn't resist!

First is the Boysenberry YO sock from the April shipment of the Cookie A Sock Club. I like this pattern because it is easy to memorize so I can work on it just about anywhere. The first sock is done and the second has been cast on.

The next project is Stricken which is the June pattern for the Knit Sock Love KAL. This one requires a lot of concentration for me. I've completed the traveling panels and I'm ready to begin a very detailed motif where every row of the chart is different. I'm going to need my sticky notes to use on the chart now or else I will be lost!

The third cast on is the June Cookie A Sock Club pattern. This pattern is Orange Pekoe and I really love it! I'm not really a big fan of the color orange but the club yarn is from Hazel Knits and nobody does orange like Wendee does. This color is called Oh my Darling. Great name for a great color!

The second June pattern for Cookie's Club is called Jubilee and I have the perfect yarn in my stash for it. It's even a Hazel Knits yarn! I really need to finish at least one of these projects first though before I cast that one on.

I'm also itching to cast on a few other projects because of some groups I follow on Ravelry. I'd love to cast on Tesserae in a Hazel Knits yarn, Marrowstone Shawl in a Miss Babs yarn, Summer Wind with the IGK group, and Unisex Slip Sock with my May STR club yarn, to name just a few.

What are you itching make this summer?

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-07T09:05:00.000-04:00

10 Ways to Beat Insomnia

I haven't posted for 10 on Tuesday for the last couple weeks because, well, embarrassingly I forgot that it was Tuesday! This week's topic though really caught my attention because I do suffer from insomnia from time to time and it's frustrating as H E double hockey sticks. I'm hoping there will be lots of great tips shared because I could use some new tricks to try. Here are a few of my tips.....

1. Advil PM. I know some people say it leaves them feeling sluggish the next day. If I take it before midnight I'm usually OK the next day.
2. Mind numbing TV. I do have a TV in my bedroom. I know the "experts" advise against it, but sometimes it's just white noise. If I've been awake in the middle of the night for more than an hour, a little bad TV can take my mind off of whatever is on my mind so that I can quiet it and drop back to sleep.
3. Fan. Sometimes it's white noise, sometimes it's a necessary cooling device. (I'm in my mid-40's. Need I say more?)
4. No caffeine after lunch. This can be a tough one because caffeine is often an additive in places you wouldn't expect it.
5. No liquids after dinner. You know, to reduce the middle of the night bathroom trips.
6. Kick the dog off the bed. The big one takes up too much space, the little one prefers to sleep under the covers, which makes me hot because she also likes to snuggle, and lick the bottom of my feet. I blame my husband. He's the softie who let them on the bed in the first place!

Now I'm out of ideas. I actually bought some Sleepy Time Tea to try, so maybe I should call this #7, but my sister-in-law told me the only thing that did for her was wake her up more often to pee! Counter-productive, so I've been hesitant to try it.

What do you do to combat Insomnia? I'd love to hear your ideas!

Don't Go Breaking my Heart.....

2011-06-02T19:47:00.000-04:00

.... I couldn't if I tried!

Sorry, I couldn't help myself :-)

I have a finished pair of socks to show you! These are Breaking Hearts by Cristi Brockway who my Ravelry friends probably know as Turtlegirl76. She is one of the moderators of the Socks That Rawk! Group. This group does quarterly knit-a-longs and Cristi's pattern was chosen for Quarter 2. I also follow Cristi's Blog and have occasional email chats with her. When her pattern was chosen, I emailed her to congratulate her and asked if there were any colors of STR that she would love to see her pattern knit up in. Cristi emailed me back that she had looked at my STR stash that I have on Ravelry and she thought that Watermelon Tourmaline would be great. Awesome! No need for me to anguish over which color to choose AND I had been looking for just the right pattern to showcase that colorway.

So let's start at the beginning. This sock starts with a twisted garter cuff which was a new technique for me. It took a couple tries to be sure I was doing it right, but I got it.

Then the pattern moves on to a patterned ribbing and some slipped stitches. The slipped stitches are used to make the heart motif which I think is very clever.

The heel flap is patterned which then allows the heart motif to break and border both the heel and the instep. You can also see in this picture that Cristi moved the gusset decreases to the bottom of the foot. That does 2 things. 1st, it doesn't interrupt the breaking hearts. 2nd, it adjusts the fit of the gusset to feel like it is cupping your heel.

There are2 options for the toe. I chose to continue the pattern on the toe, but you can do a traditional stockinette wedge toe if you prefer.

Here's the finished pair! Click to embigen!

I thought this was a great pattern. It was simple but has plenty of interest and it works great with hand-painted yarns! It was also well written and includes both written instructions and charts. Thanks Cristi for the pattern and the color suggestion!

Doing Homework

2011-05-23T16:37:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while you learn a lesson through experience that you wish you could learn by common sense and being observant. I recently learned that lesson.

I have had the sweater Sprossling by Knitspot in my queue for quite some time and this spring I have really been itching to start it. Spinning Yarns, one of my LYS, posted on Facebook that they had just gotten in a box from Madelinetosh in a couple bases including their Tosh Merino Light. I thought it would be a pretty good match, so off I went to buy some. I was able to get 4 beautifully matched skeins in Tart. It's a gorgeous color!

Now, this is where the common sense should have kicked in. This yarn is actually thinner than most of the yarns I use to knit socks with. On size 1 or 2 needles. Did I REALLY think that this yarn would knit a fabric on size 5 needles, that I would be happy with for a sweater? Really???

Turns out the answer is no, not really. In fact I pretty much hated it when I knit my swatch. So much so that I didn't even take a picture of it before I ripped it back.

So I decided I had better go about this choosing yarn for this sweater task a different way. I went to my leftover bin and picked out a few different fingering yarns and started swatching.

These 2 swatches are Dream in Color Starry on size 4 and 5 needles.

These swatches from left to right are Hazel Knits Artisan Sock, Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga, and Handmaiden Casbah.

They all gave a much nicer fabric, or at least more what I had expected. My favorites, honestly, were the Skinny Bugga and the Casbah, but the cashmere content in the yarns would make this a pricey sweater. I would also have to mail order them as I don't have a local source for them. I also want to make Henley with a Twist, which I expect I will wear against my skin, so a luxury yarn would be a better choice for that sweater.

In the end, I decided on Dream in Color Smooshy. I was able to exchange 3 of the Tosh Merino Light skeins for the Smooshy. I'm happy with outcome and love the In Vino Veritas color I was able to get.

I cast on last week! I think this is going to be a great light weight sweater that I can wear year round.

I'm hoping to have it done in time for Sock Summit!

Pick Me!

2011-05-19T16:54:00.000-04:00

I finished a pair of socks last night! I was kind of a slow-poke with these. When I updated my project page on Ravelry I was reminded that I cast these on way back on April 4th. Not to say that I don't have older projects kicking around here, becasue I certainly do. But for a project that got some regular attention from start to finish, it was pretty pokey.

So what slowed me down? Twisted stitches. They're not hard, there was just a constant changing between regular knit stitches and twisted stitches. It's what makes the design pop though, so they were definitely worth it. The hardest part though was the heel flap. The heel flap is a 1x1 twisted rib, which means that on the wrong side you have to purl through the back loop every other stitch. That may be my least favorite thing to do! Design wise though, it's the right heel flap for the sock.

Pattern: Mona by Cookie A
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock
Color: Pick Me
Needle: 2.5mm
Cast On: April 4
Bind Off: May 18
Mods: None. They're perfect the way they're designed! And I didn't make any ~~mistakes~~ personalizations either :-)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-17T13:47:00.001-04:00

10 Favorite Things To Do Outside

The way this weather is going this spring, it doesn't seem like it is every going to be enjoyable to be outside! Regardless it is nice to get outdoors and enjoy. Here are some of the things I enjoy doing.

1. Watch the kids play sports.

2. Putter in the garden. I'm not a big gardener, but I do enjoy growing a some flowers in containers. I tried growing some vegetable last year with very limited success, but I'm going to try it again this year. Stay tuned!

3. Read. An afternoon on the deck or by the lake with a book is a luxury. I wish I was able to do it more often.

4. Eat. We'll eat any meal outdoors if it's warm enough. I'm not sure which I enjoy more, a good grilled steak and veggies for dinner or Sunday morning breakfast followed by a good cup of coffee and the Sunday paper.

5. Hanging out with friends.

6. Playing with the dogs. I actually do this everyday because the Neal-the-troubled-brown-dog just plain needs that much exercise!

7. Walk. Except during black fly season, which is right now. I hate the black flies!

8. Knit. I love knitting outdoors. It very relaxing knitting on the deck. Plus you just can't beat the natural light.

9. Go for a Boat ride, or as DH calls it... booze cruise :-)

10. Enjoy where I live!

Happy Tuesday! What do you like to do outside?

WIP Wednesday

2011-05-12T13:23:00.000-04:00

I haven't been blogging much lately and I don't know why other than Life has just gotten in the way. I have been doing some knitting along the way and I do have 2 projects that I can show you that are getting most of my attention.

I cast on Breaking Hearts by the fabulous Cristi Brockway, who you probably know as TurtleGirl76 on Ravelry. Her pattern was chosen as the paid pattern for the quarter 2 KAL in the Socks That Rawk group, for which she is also a moderator. This is an awesome pattern and I am completely loving it. If I were focused 100% on it, the pair would be done by now. As it is I have completed 3 more pattern repeats since I took this picture and am ready to work the heel flap.

I am just going to add, that if you are looking for a fun blog to read, and you don't already read Cristi's blog, I highly recommend it. I read it every day, well week day because she updates her blog Monday thru Friday.

I am also working on Mona by Cookie A. This was the pattern for April for the Knit Sock Love KAL that I'm trying to keep up with. I have until the end of May to finish these to qualify for prizes. I'm sure I'll be done in plenty of time. Now that I'm focused on these they're flying. The leg for the 2nd sock is more than half done, so I hope to be able to show you these as a FO next week!

What's on your needles right now?

Congratulations Matthew!

2011-05-07T20:52:00.000-04:00

It was a happy day of celebration for us today. Matthew, my oldest son, graduated from Keene State College with a BA in Psychology and a minor in Mathematics. He was both excited and nervous before the ceremony. I'm not really sure why he was nervous, the hard work is all done, and it's now time to celebrate!

Here he is enjoying the procession.....

With Mom and Dad after the ceremony...........

All 3 of my handsome boys together :-) And they're all smiling too! It must be Mother's Day :-)

With 3 of his grandparents. Unfortunately Grammy Cora was not feeling well and couldn't come today.

And here he is with a group of his friends.

Congratulations Matthew! We're very proud of you!

A Very Busy Mystery

2011-05-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

I love a good Mystery KAL and these socks are the perfect reason why. This was the Mystery KAL for the Sock Knitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry in March. I was going to skip the KAL because I already had a few projects going and didn't want to add another one. Each week as the mystery was revealed I wished more and more that I had joined in until I couldn't take it any longer! I started these March 28 and finished them on April 30. You may have to click on the picture and enlarge it to enjoy the details, but one of the features that I loved about this pattern is how sock 1 and sock 2 mirror each other somewhat. The pattern is exactly the same but by shifting it 8 stitches in either direction the socks appear to be a left and right sock. Very fun!

Here are the details!
Pattern: Cadence Socks (free Ravelry Download!)
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock
Color: Coleus
Needles: 2.5mm and magic looped
Mods: None, they are perfect the way they are!

Flint

2011-04-22T14:54:00.001-04:00

Finally, I have finished Flint! It seems that I have been talking about this sweater for a long time. In fact it's been nearly 3 months that this project has been on my needles. Considering that this is a club with a new pattern released quarterly, I guess that means I was right on schedule even though I got a late start.

There are so many things that I love about this sweater. First is the overall design. A simple stockinette body with lace details. I think this makes it both casual and dressy. I'll be comfortable wearing this with jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt, or with slacks and a blouse, or as a light sweater with a skirt or dress. It's very versatile.

It has very simple,clean lines.

It's knit top down with raglan sleeves. The pattern directions were great and the increases worked in beautifully.

I love that the sleeve is lace and yet the cuff has a stockinette band that anchors it and also ties it in to the body of the sweater.

The body has a beautiful lace panel at the bottom. It adds interest and ties it to the sleeve pattern.

I also learned a couple new techniques. The hem may be the slickest knitting thing I've done so far. See how crisp the edge is? It was created by knitting a purl row followed by a few rows of stockinette.

I then folded it on the purl ridge and sewed it down using live stitches and purl bumps. See how clean it is? I've never had an easier time determining the first stitch in the row, it doesn't use a lot of yarn, and you can adjust the tension for the amount of give you want. I can see using this hem on a sock cuff as well.

I also learned how to do applied i-cord. I think it's the perfect edge detail for this sweater.

The only adjustment I made was across the back. The directions suggested picking up 2 stitches for every 3 stitches. That was too tight for me, so I ripped back and picked up 3 for every 4 stitches. I still have just a smidgeon of a ripple. If I were to make this sweater again I would probably pick up a few more stitches across the back, but that's it.

The sweater still needs a soak and light blocking, but I am just so happy to be done and pleased with how it came out, I couldn't wait to take some pictures and share it!

Here are the Details....
Pattern: Flint by Samantha Roshak
Yarn: Woobu
Color: In the Navy
Needle: Size 6
Start Date: January 21
Finished: April 22
Mods: None other than small adjustment to number of stitches picked up for applied i-cord

Happy Easter this weekend! I hope you experience great Faith and Hope. And I hope the bunny is good to you too :-)

Clubs, Clubs, & more Clubs!

2011-04-17T14:49:00.000-04:00

I've been on a self-imposed yarn diet for most of this year, hoping that I will be able to see lots of yarns in person at Sock Summit and be able to make some guilt free purchases there. Even so, I have some additions to my stash that have arrived over the last few weeks that I'm excited about. They are all for clubs that I am part of.

First up is some BFL Sport that I bought for Karren, the second sweater of the Sweater for All Seasons Club. I chose Tanzanite for my sweater. The yarn is actually sitting across the room from me right now and I'm realizing that this photo is washed out. The color is darker and richer in real life. I'm sure I'll get a better picture of the actual color once I start on the project. I can't wait to try it. I've heard great things about it but I haven't had the right project for it until now.

This next yarn is the March 2011 Rockin Sock Club yarn. The color is Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test and electric it is! Both patterns for this shipment are fantastic! I don't know how to choose which to do first. The designers are IrishgirlieKnits and NeuroKnitter. If you follow their blogs like I do you know that they are both wonderful, inspiring people and knitters and I'm looking forward to knitting up their designs.

This next yarn I'm showing you is from the Cookie A April Sock Club and this one is pretty fantastic. The color is Boysenberry Jam. The two patterns are amazing again. I'd love to make them both but I'm sure time restrictions will require me to choose just one for now.

But the really fun thing about this yarn is that it is a Sneak Peak! This is a new yarn base by Lorna's Laces that has not yet been released and we are getting a preview of it. It is so new in fact, that it does not even have a name yet. Lorna's Laces is holding a naming contest for it. I wish I could think of something to enter, but so far, nothing comes to mind.

If you clicked on the picture to read the label you'll see that this yarn consists of 30% Outlast. What is that? It's a material developed by NASA to help regulate astronauts body temperature. As I understand from reading the brief info included with the yarn, Lorna's Laces is hoping it will also work to help regulate the temperature of your feet. I wonder if I'll notice a difference?

That's all my new yarn for now!

A little catch up

2011-04-14T21:25:00.000-04:00

It seems like it's been a while since I've had a post full of good knitting content. There's been plenty of knitting going on here, so let me show you everything I've been working on.

I"m sure you remember that in my quest to find my sock knitting needles, I found some WIP's. I finished one sock, the Queen of Beads from RSC from January 2009. (Not the best picture of the sock, but an awesome picture of my patio table) I still have the second sock to so, but at least the first one is finished!

I also had Wanida under way. I started this while on a cruise in November and hadn't touched it since I got home. In reality I was not loving the wicked pooling so I hadn't picked it back up. I think I would be happier with both the pattern and the yarn if I found better matches for both.

So it got frogged.

My Mystery sock continues to grow. I've actually turned the heel and finished the gusset decreases but forgot to take a current picture today.

I cast on Mona for the Knit Sock Love April KAL. I don't have much done yet, but I wanted to get it started.

I finished the first sleeve on my Flint sweater. I was hoping to finish it by this weekend but clearly that is a bit optimistic. Maybe I'll finish it during the weekend :-)

Last, but not least, I have a finished project! Yippee! This is Miller's Hat by Kirsten Kapur/Through the Loops Designs. I used Malabrigo Rios in Ravelry Red. This was the first time I used Rios and I have to say that I loved it. It's very soft, has a nice twist and loft, great stitch definition, and it's a super-wash wool. I'll definitely use it again and I would recommend it as well. I think it would be a great sweater yarn too.

I have some new yarns to show you too, but this post is long enough. I'll share those with you next time!

10 on Tuesday

2011-04-12T09:35:00.000-04:00

10 Favorite Snacks

Who doesn't love a good snack?! I think most of us have at least one every day. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Pita Chips with Hummus. I've become addicted to this snack and it is my go to snack if I'm really hungry.
2. Apple with Peanut Butter. I really like this, it's very filling and I actually sometimes eat this for breakfast. I don't eat it as often as I'd like though because I hate to take the time to slice the apple and spread the PB.
3. Grapes, preferably red ones.
4. Chex Mix. It's not just for the holiday season.
5. Graham Crackers. Usually the chocolate ones or cinnamon.
6. Chocolate Chip Cookie. Only homemade ones, and I usually have some in the cookie jar. My kids are spoiled :-)
7. Cheese and crackers. It's not unusual to have a couple with a glass of wine while I'm cooking and chatting with DH about his day.
8. Peanuts. Not just any peanuts though. DH has gotten us all hooked on the salted peanuts from Feridies.
9. Chips and Queso or Salsa. This is a favorite for DH and DS2 while watching sports.
10. Bruschetta. I suppose this really should be an appetizer but it has become a favorite summertime Sunday afternoon snack, on the deck with a cocktail. Soon my friends, soon, we'll be enjoying this again :-)

Like I said, these are some of my favorites, but they're not necessarily what I do snack on each day. I'm looking forward to seeing what other people list as their favorites. Maybe I can get some new ideas to add to my list. You can see other lists too by visiting Carole Knits blog.

10 on Tuesday

2011-04-05T09:33:00.000-04:00

Favorite One Hit Wonders

I had to use Google to help me with this one because I couldn't think of a single one on my own. But with a little help it became easy. Mostly I just didn't realize that some of my favorite songs were One Hit Wonders! In no particular order, here they are.

1. Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves
2. Lunatic Fringe by Red Rider
3. Turn Up the Radio by Autograph
4. Funkytown by Lipps, Inc
5. Epic by Faith No More
6. Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood
7. We're Not Gonna Take It by Twisted Sister
8. Life Is a Highway by Tom Cochrane
9. Drive by Incubus
10. Wherever You Will Go by The Calling

Here's an extra one too. It didn't quite make it into my Top 10, but the hats alone earn it a special mention. Whip It by Devo.

I hope you enjoyed my list. If you'd like to play along, you can join here. Thanks Carole!

Where the Heck are all my Needles????

2011-03-31T14:58:00.000-04:00

You can probably picture the scene. It's the end of the month and I'm wrapping up a couple of projects and thinking and planning about all the KAL's I want to join in April. Knit Sock Love is knitting Mona, the Socks That Rawk group has chosen Breaking Hearts for their KAL, the Yarn Harlot group is having Virtual Sock Camp for everyone wishing they were at real Sock Camp, and my friend KnittingGolfer is the designer for the Solid Socks group Mystery sock KAL. I'm picking out yarn for all these projects, figuring out where I can double dip, collecting my supplies and realizing I don't have enough needles.

Wait a minute here. What? That's not possible. I have at least 3 needles in every size for socks. So where the heck are they?????

Here's one.....

and a second one.......

and a third........

I might need a new plan. This makes 4 socks already in progress, and only the pink one at the bottom here is a second sock. And I can think of 3 single socks that have been waiting quite some time for their mate to be knit. Genki mentioned a few days ago that she suffers from severe second sock syndrome. Well, you're in good company my friend. It would appear that sometimes I can't even finish the first sock!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-30T16:25:00.000-04:00

I've had a relapse of Startitis. I thought I was over it and I even got a couple projects finished up. Maybe that's what brought this relapse on. I'm not a monogamous knitter and I was getting a little nervous at the thought of only one project getting serious attention.

I finished the body of my sweater and started the first sleeve. I had to do a little thinking on this one because the directions for the marker placement and movement were not quite lining up for me. I figured it out though and now it's working great for me. I shared what I did with the KAL group on Ravelry and another knitter commented that she had the same problem and ended up working it the same way I am.

Now for the new projects...... I was going to skip the Mystery Sock KAL in the SKA group this month, but the pattern is so very pretty that I ended up casting on Monday night. I've heard over and over how quick this pattern knits up and that seems to be true. The yarn is Hazel Knits Artisan sock, the color is Coleus which was a club color from October 2010.

I bought some Malabrigo Rios this winter in Ravelry Red for a Miller's Hat for myself. This red is an exact match to the winter jacket I got for Christmas. This picture is a little overexposed and the color is a little darker/richer in real life. I cast this on while watching the race Sunday with my husband. We're supposed to get a snow storm Friday so I think I might put a big push on this tonight and Thursday in hopes that it will be ready to wear in the snow Friday.

This is what's on my needles this week. Tell me what you're working on!

10 on Tuesday

2011-03-29T09:46:00.000-04:00

10 Reasons to Use the Public Library

Public Libraries may be the most under utilized treasures in our communities. I love the library. I have so many great memories of the library from my childhood. I think I may have read every Nancy Drew and every Hardy Boys Mystery book in my library as a child. I spent hours at the library in middle school and high school doing homework and writing papers. When my boys were little, Wednesday was library day, right after grocery shopping. During difficult financial times libraries often take a hit in funding, but I hope that communities recognize their importance and contributions and keep them open. Here are some of the reasons why I love Public Libraries.

1. My first instinct is to say because it's free, but it's really not. You pay for it with your taxes so you might as well take advantage of what you've already paid for!
2. Hardcover books. I like hardcover books. I like the weight of them, the size of them, and the feel. Buying one is a luxury, but there are a whole bunch of them to choose from at the library.
3. Audiobooks. I listen to more books than I actually read now. They can be quite expensive, so this is an economical way to enjoy them.
4. Children's Room. This has always been my favorite room in the library. Where else in the world is it perfectly acceptable and expected to find people sitting on the floor with a stack of books having a grand time?
5. Inter-library loan. If your library doesn't have it another one probably does and would be happy to loan it to you for a short time. This is how I first experienced Alice Starmore's Aran Knitting :-)
6. Down-loadable books. This is what I use my library card for the most. With a PIN and my local library card number, I can download audio books to my ipod, which is my preferred method of listening. Even better, I can do it from the comfort and convenience of my home any hour of the day and night!
7. Family Movie Night. I admit my family has never gone, but two Fridays a month my local library shows a family movie and it's open to the public.
8. Book Club. I'm lucky enough to have a book club in my neighborhood, but if I didn't, the library hosts one too.
9. Story Hour. My boys loved this when they were little.
10. Summer Reading Program. Great way to keep the kids reading in the summer.

That's my list! I have an urge to go read now :-)

Happy Tuesday!

Volcano Socks

2011-03-28T16:15:00.000-04:00

I finished a pair of socks this weekend from the Cookie A Sock Club. Haleakala, inspired by the volcano in Maui, is the pattern I decided to do first. The yarn that came for this installment is String Theory Caper and the club color is Solas, which is a green-blue. I had a skin of Black Cherry in my stash that I thought would be a better fit for this pattern and would leave me the greenish color to use for the other pattern, Ripple Leaf.

I couldn't be happier with the end result! This was the first time I've used Caper, but it certainly won't be my last! It is so soft, has great loft, and great stitch definition. This pattern had two options with it as well for the instep. Option 1 was to continue the lace pattern straight down the instep. That is a beautiful sock too and I will probably make them one day. I honestly had a hard time deciding which I liked better, but the deciding factor for me was how the decreasing is done with this option. All the decreasing is done essentially on the instep as part of the design, which was a new technique for me.

The effect I think is really striking! So very clever and so very Cookie A!

We have a beautiful sunny day today so I went outside to get some natural light pictures. We've had a coooold wind for the last few days so we haven't stayed outside very long. Poor Neal just wanted to play and kept bringing me his toy because in his world, that's what we do outside. The third time I told him "Wait" he laid down with his toy and wouldn't even look at me. Poor Nealy. He's ready for spring too!

The next installment is due the first week of April which is next week! I was so happy with the first one, I can't imagine what the next one will be like :-)

Prince Monkey

2011-03-24T10:54:00.000-04:00

I have a finished pair of socks to show you! This is the February pattern for the Knit Sock Love KAL that I'm participating in. They've been finished for about 10 days, but with my boys all home last week for Spring Break I didn't get a chance to blog them. I was far too busy making all their favorite treats and meals and keeping up with dishes and laundry! Anyway, back to the socks...... We were allowed to modify the ribbing, heel and toe this month. You can see in this photo (click to enlarge) that I did substitute a slip stitch heel. I prefer they way they look and I think they last longer.

I also did a picot edge cuff. They're so sweet and I love the way it looks with this pattern.

No mods to the toe, but who doesn't love a toe pic. I love the way the striping changes as the stitch count changes too.

Here are the details:
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Yarn: Socks That Rock Lightweight
Color: Purple Rain (I hear Prince's song in my mind every time I say this)
Needles: 2.5mm magic looped
CO: February 23
Finished: March 13

The pattern for March is Thelonious, which I actually test knit. I'm going to substitute Ripple Leaf for March. I better cast on pretty soon, the end of the month is approaching quickly!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-23T15:13:00.000-04:00

Here it is Wednesday again already and I have some progress to show you. I've finished the first sock of pattern #2 from the Cookie A sock club. I've started the second sock and I'm half way down the foot already but I didn't take a picture of that. I should have these finished very soon!

I'm making great progress on my Flint sweater too. I have enough length on the body now to start the bottom lace border. I'm getting anxious to finish this because I think it will be perfect to wear for spring.

So what should I work on tonight? Finish the sock or the body of the sweater?

10 on Tuesday

2011-03-22T15:26:00.000-04:00

10 Reasons to be Glad it's Spring!

It's seems like this week's topic is wishful thinking for me, because THIS is what I woke up to this morning!

I usually don't mind winter weather, but last week we had a couple days in the 60's and 80% of the snow in my yard was melted. I guess I made the mental adjustment to the next season because today I think Mother Nature is an evil wench! So let's count down the reasons why....

1. Birdsong. I never quite notice when the birds finally do leave for the winter, but I always have a day in the spring when I stop whatever I'm doing because I just realized the birds are back and I hear them singing.
2. Daylight. There's more of it every day :-)
3. Cadbury Mini Eggs. You can only buy them around Easter. Yum!
4. Maple Sugaring. It's such a traditional New England Spring activity. I love the look of the buckets on the trees and the smell of sap reducing.
5. Peepers. I find their sound soothing.
6. Loons. They will be back to the lake very soon.
7. Opening the windows. I've already had the house windows open a couple times. I love having fresh air in the house.
8. Planting Flowers. I like going to the garden center and deciding what I'm going to plant for the year and what I'll fill my pots, window boxes, and hanging planters with.
9. Planning my Vegetable Garden. I grew a few vegetables for the first time last summer. I had mixed success, so I am looking forward to making some changes and trying again.
10. Getting the Convertible out! I love my little car :-) I put it away for the winter by December 1 and don't allow myself to get it back out until April 1. 10 more days! Woohoo!!

Thanks for a fun list Carole!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-09T20:31:00.000-05:00

So what have I been working on this week? Let me show you!

First up is pattern #2, Haleakala, from the Cookie A Sock Club. Yes, #2! There are 2 patterns in each shipment, 2 cookie recipes, and yarn. I'm so glad I joined this club. I received the first shipment a couple weeks ago and I am completely thrilled. The yarn is Caper from String Theory. I've had some in my stash since Stitches East 2009 but hadn't used it yet. I decided to knit pattern #2 first with Caper yarn I had in my stash. This color is Black Cherry and I think it's a great fit for this pattern. The club color is Solas, which is a tealish color and I am saving it for pattern #1, Ripple Leaf. I'm just past the heel turn for sock #1.

The second project I'm working on is a pair of Monkey socks. Monkey is the February pattern for the Knit. Sock. Love KAL. I'm using Socks That Rock lightweight in Purple Rain.

My third project is my Flint sweater. I've separated the sleeves and I'm working on the body now. I've got just over 4" of the body complete with lots more to go. I have to say that I'm really enjoying this stockinette knitting. I haven't done plain stockinette in a while. It's very therapeutic!

The mittens didn't get any attention this week. I'm thinking about frogging them and starting again.

I'm not completely happy with the floats on the inside and I really don't think it's something that will work itself out in blocking. They're in time-out while I think about it.

What's on your needles?

10 on Tuesday

2011-03-08T09:23:00.000-05:00

10 Favorite Smells

I love this idea! Scents are part of our everyday life and we take them for granted. But there are scents that make you smile, make you cringe, and ones that just make you think of home. Here are some of my favorites!

1. Lilacs. Lilac is my state flower, and my childhood home town is known as The Lilac City. There is a stretch of road on Rochester Hill, Route 108 near the airport, that has a row of lilacs at least 1/4 mile long. In fact it might be closer to 1/2 mile long. Every spring I make a point to drive along that road with my windows open and just soak in the scent. Mmmmmmmm :-)
2. Fresh Cut Christmas Tree. I love how it fills the home.
3. Spring. I'm not sure how to describe it, other than it's the warm moist smell in the air when you know the trees and flowers are preparing for a new season.
4. The Ocean. I don't know why I love this one. Maybe it's a remnant of my childhood when a day at the beach was a huge treat, and I knew we were almost there as soon as I could smell the salty air.
5. Chocolate Chip Cookies fresh from the oven. Rainy day, snowy day, test day, crappy day, happy day.... a warm cookie is always just the right comfort.
6. Cinnamon Rolls. In this house they mean Sunday morning big family breakfast :-)
7. A new Baby. I wish I could bottle that scent and pull it out when I'm missing my boys.
8. Puppy Breath. It's like new baby smell. I have to say I thought it was just me until I got a puppy 2 years ago and took her to the vet for her 1st check up. I can't tell you how many of the vet techs hugged and snuggled her with coos of "Oooo, Puppy Breath!"
9. Garlic being sauteed. It usually means there's a GREAT meal being prepared.
10. Fresh Baked Bread, it just makes me think of Home :-)

So those are some of my favorites. What are yours? If you'd like to play along each week, visit Carole here and sign up!

Olivia d'Hedera

2011-03-07T09:03:00.000-05:00

Life has been a little crazy over the last couple weeks at my house! But vacation is now over, the 4-legged house guest has gone home, I'm getting close to being finished painting the boy's bedrooms, and Chandler's hockey season came to end yesterday with a well fought 4-3 loss in the semi-final game. I have 5 days to breathe and finish catching up before Matthew and Justin come home for Spring Break and Chandler's Spring sport season begins!

During all this craziness I have been poking away at some knitting and I have a finished project to show you!

Pattern: Hedera
Yarn: Lime and Violet Sasquatch Superwash Sock
Color: Olivia d'Havilland
Needle: 2.25mm and magic looped
Mods:None

You may remember that I mentioned that I am going to try to knit my way through Cookie A's newest book Knit. Sock. Love with a group on Ravelry. This was the first pattern to be cast on in January. I managed to get these finished by the deadline, which was the end of February. The yarn was a prize/gift from Mapleweave. I love the color and I think it worked great with this pattern!

Thanks for visiting! Be sure to check back soon as I have lots to show you this week!

WIP Wednesday

2011-02-23T16:24:00.000-05:00

The whole week flew by last week and I didn't blog a single time! I'm not really sure where the time went, but I know that I was up each morning and seemed to have something that took me out of the house every day. Then Poof! The week was over.

I did get some knitting done, but not as much as I was hoping. On the Flint sweater I am just about ready to split off the sleeves. Just a couple more rows and I think I'll be good to go for that. Then this will be the perfect project to take in the car while I power through the stockinette body.

On the Winter Wonder Mittens I am about 6 rows from decreasing for the point. I'm magic looping these but I'm not sure that was the best decision. I'm having a hard time carrying the white between the front and back with enough length. I think I'll change to dpn's for the second mitten to see if that helps.

Here's the palm side. I love how the palm and back of the hand are different,and I like them both!

I'm cruising along on the Hedera socks. I need to finish them by the end of the month for them to count for Knit. Sock. Love KAL. I think that's very do-able :-)

Apparantly my case of Startitis wasn't quite over! I got the first shipment for the Cookie A Sock Club last week. All I can say is WOW WOW WOW! I am so glad I joined this club! I started one of the patterns using yarn from my stash.

I don't think this gives away too much from the club. I think all my US friends should have their shipment in hand, but just in case you're reading from Canada or overseas I'll keep quiet about the details until Friday!

I hope you're all having a great week. My son is on school vacation this week. He and DH have gone snowmobiling with friends so I am home alone. Well, as alone as you can be with 3 dogs :-) You'd think I'd spend the time reading a good book, knitting and watching movies, but I decided this would be a good time to move the kids' bedrooms around and paint. I hope to have some good pictures to show you later of the end result!

10 on Tuesday

2011-02-22T13:14:00.000-05:00

10 Favorite Cocktails/Mocktails

1. White Russian
2. Frozen Mudslide
3. Toasted Almond
4. Seabreeze
5. Cosmopolitan
6. Tom Collins
7. Rum and Coke (or caffeine-free Diet Pepsi in this house :-))
8. Electric Lemonade
9. Bob Marley - DH & I enjoyed a few of these when we were vacationing in Cancun
10. Hot Chocolate with Peppermint Schnapps

These are some of my favorite drinks. What are yours?

Mystery Solved!

2011-02-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

The Mystery Monday socks are finished! These were a fun KAL. I think the pattern has a beautiful blend of cables and lace that compliment each other very well. Here are a few things that I loved along the way:

After the second clue was complete there were quite a few comments that the pattern looked like owl eyes. I didn't notice that on my own, but once it was mentioned it was all I could see :-)

I loved how the cables on the heel flap wound back out to the sides of the foot.......

and how that was mirrored on the instep too.

Here they are complete! Yay, new socks for me!

Pattern: Gentian by Lisa Stichweh
yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan
Color: Cascade Canopy
Needles: 2.75mm
Mods:None, but if I were to make these again I would probably go down a needle size on the foot.

WIP Wednesday

2011-02-09T13:52:00.000-05:00

I had a serious case of Startitis in January. Last month I cast on 3 pairs of socks, a pair of mittens and a sweater. Two of the socks are finished. I showed you the first pair of socks, Twisted Mockery, last week. Last night I finished the second pair of socks which I'll show you tomorrow. The mittens and sweater didn't get much attention this past week so they really don't look much different than the last time I posted them. Hopefully next week I'll have some noticeable progress to show you on those.

What I do have to show you though is the 3rd pair of socks I cast on in January! This is Hedera by Cookie A. This is one of the patterns in her new book Knit. Sock. Love. Hedera is one of the patterns that she updated and added sizes. It's been in my queue for a long time but never found it's way onto my needles. The Knit.Sock. Love. Group on Ravelry started a KAL in January to work their way through her book, casting on a pattern a month, but you have 2 months to get it finished. I'm going to try to keep up, TRY I'm sure being the key word :-) January's pattern was Hedera and I cast on at the last minute!

I'm using Lime N Violet Sasquatch Superwash which was a gift/prize from Mapleweave. The color is Olivia d'Havilland. I love the color but I'm struggling just a little with the yarn. It's not quite as tightly spun as the yarns I typically choose, so I find I have to be careful I don't split it while I'm knitting. Other than that small issue, I'm enjoying it! Thanks Christine!

10 on Tuesday - The Oscar Edition

2011-02-08T15:06:00.001-05:00

10 Favorite Oscar Winning Movies

I love movies! I especially love to watch movies when I knit on the weekends. I thought this topic was going to be really tough for me though, because although I love movies, I wasn't sure I could even name 10 that had nominations, never mind had won! Thank goodness for Google! I'm also including movies that won in categories other than best picture. An Oscar is an Oscar regardless of the category!

I'll start with my favorites that have won Best Picture:
1. Driving Miss Daisy
2. The Sound of Music
3.Kramer vs. Kramer
4. Rainman
5. Forrest Gump
6. Titanic
Continuing with awards in other categories.....
7. On Golden Pond - Henry Fonda for Best Actor & Katharine Hepburn for Best Actress
8. The Blind Side - Sandra Bullock for Best Actress
9. Erin Brockovich - Julia Roberts for Best Actress
10. The Fugitive - Tommy Lee Jones for Supporting Actor

I wonder what movies will win this year? The only movie I've seen that's nominated for Best Picture is Toy Story 3.

Twisted Mockery

2011-02-03T13:27:00.000-05:00

I have a new pair of socks to add to the drawer! This is a really great pattern. There is so much going on with cables, twisted stitches, cables with twisted stitches, twisted ribbing, stockinette, some purl background and knit background.

It was hard to get a good picture of them. Pictures on a sock blocker really don't show off everything that's going on. I am just not flexible enough to get a good picture of them while on my feet!

You can click on this picture to enlarge it. It's probably the best picture I have that shows all the different design elements.

Here are the details!
Pattern: Twisted Mockery by Lisa Stichweh
Yarn: Hazel Knits Artisan Sock
Color: Cloudy Day (December 2010 Club color)
Needles: 2.75mm for the leg and 2.5mm for the heel and foot
Mods: None

I thought it would be fun to keep an actual tally of finished socks this year. 2011 tally so far is 3!

I hope everybody survived the Blizzaster safe and warm!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-01T13:35:00.000-05:00

10 Things on my Nightstand/Bedside Table

1. Bose Wave Radio

2. Remote for the Bose

3. Box of Tissues

4. Cordless Phone

5. Books (if I count these individually I might actually get to 10 things)

6. Remote for the TV

7. Remote for the DVR/cable box

So these are the things ON my bedside table, but it has drawers, so I'll continue with what's inside...

8. Remote for the Bose 3-2-1 system

9. Remote for the Bose Link system, which connects the satellite radio & ipod dock, etc. from the living room to the bedroom system.

10. Odd-ball knitting supplies. Like the needles I don't really like but won't throw away because what if I need that size and all the ones I like are being used for other projects? Or the couple balls of yarn that I decided I really don't care for, but won't get rid of because I liked it once, and who knows, maybe I'll like it again one day? You know what I mean. You all have a drawer like that somewhere too :-)

I think I should be embarrassed. That's a lot of remotes! My husband does love his A/V toys! And I admit that it's nice to be able to enjoy them too. My Master Bedroom is big enough to have a small sitting area that looks out over the lake. I think of it as my little retreat with all the amenities :-)

Want to play along? You can sign up for Ten on Tuesday here.

Happy Tuesday!

YPF - Quiet and Hungry

2011-01-28T16:43:00.000-05:00

My boys loved books when they were little and loved to be read to. I made many, many trips to the library with them and spent many, many hours reading to them! When they were in pre-school they loved the books by Eric Carle and I think we owned his entire collection.

The Sanguine Gryphon has a number of winter colors named after literature, so when I read the update that the color The Very Quiet Cricket was going to be available in unlimited quantities a couple weeks ago, I couldn't resist!

Add to that, The Very Hungry Caterpillar was also available, and well... that jumped in my cart too! It only made sense to buy this one also since I was already paying for shipping :-)

I couldn't be happier with both of these skeins! The colors are gorgeous! Add to that the happy memories of snuggling with my boys, enjoying these wonderful books, and I have a great addition to my stash!

Happy Friday!

WIP Wednesday

2011-01-26T12:38:00.000-05:00

There are 4 projects that are getting my attention right now. The first is the Mystery Socks that I showed you on Monday.

The second project is the Twisted Mockery socks. I finished the leg last night of the second sock and I'm ready to work the heel. I'm hoping to finish these by the weekend.

The third project is a pair of mittens. I'm trying to improve my color-work skills with these so I try to work on them a little every day. This is the palm side and you can see the pink waste yarn where the thumb will be placed.

This is the back of the hand side. I kept dropping it in the snow trying to get it set up for a picture!

The fourth project is a sweater. The pattern is Flint. It's a top down design and I'm still adding stitches, working my way to being able to split off the sleeves. The color is off in this picture. It's a light navy blue in real life.

I just noticed looking at these pictures together, that 3 of my 4 projects are blue! Isn't it funny what you notice when you look at something from a different perspective?

10 on Tuesday

2011-01-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

10 Favorite Health & Beauty Products

When this topic came across my email from Carole my first thought was "Crap. I got nothin'" Health & Beauty. Making both of those ideals more important in my life is always at the top of my list when I think about what I'd like to change in my life. But like everyone else I do need to function with everyday life, regardless, so there must be some things that I use and enjoy. So, here it goes......

1. Bath & Body Works foaming Anti-bacterial soap. Love this suff. A little goes a long way and the foam is fun.

2. Crest with Scope toothpaste. It's really minty fresh and I can't start my day without that feeling/taste.

3 & 4. My Oral B electric toothbrush with the Floss-Action head. I like the timer that lets me know when to move to the next quadrant of my mouth and smiles at me after 2 minutes. Pathethic, huh? And the floss action head is like a little gum massage twice a day. I admit that my dental cleanings seem easier since I switched to this toothbrush too :-)

5. Q-tips. You can use them for about anything!

6. Vaseline. A godsend during the winter for my chapped nose or cracked skin. Also a great substitute for antibiotic ointments!

7. Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Cream. I've found that this really does last several hours for me and my skin feels much better within a day or two.

8. OPI nail polish. Great colors! I also find it to be more durable for me than other brands.

9. Fructis Hair Spray. My new favorite hairspray to keep my bangs out of my eyes!

10. Blistex The medicated lip ointment is my favorite and a staple item during the winter. It doesn't have the waxy feel that Chapstick has.

I honestly didn't think I'd come up with 10 things! What I wish I loved was my blow-dryer, but the switch is in a place that I'm constantly bumping and turning my dryer off while I'm using it. Do you have one you love and would buy again? I'd love to know because I secretly wish every day that mine would die and I would have a good excuse to buy a new one :-)

Mystery Monday

2011-01-24T16:13:00.000-05:00

Clue 4 was posted Saturday and it was for the foot. We had a quiet day Sunday so I got to knit most of the afternoon while we watched football. Let me apologize for the craptastic pictures, but it is 5 degrees this afternoon and feels like -9 deg with the windchill. I wimped out and decided to go with indoor pictures today!

Like the heel last week, the cables wound back out to the side of the foot which made the foot a mirror image of the leg. Very clever and I love it!

A little close up of the foot, and........

the sock from the side on the blocker. I like this view because you can really see how the design on the heel flap and the top of the foot work so nicely together.

The final clue will be posted on Saturday! I'm hoping to start the second sock this week. But then again, I'm so close to having the first sock finished that I may just wait and start the second sock then. That way I'll be pulling the yarn form the same direction off the ball. I'm not sure if that makes a difference or not in the appearance of the finished project. Do you know?

A Finished Sweater!

2011-01-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

I finally finished my February Lady Sweater! I started it, decided it was too big, ripped it out and started it again last February during the Winter Olympics. I've worked on it off and on since then and finally finished it last week.

I had bought these great buttons right after I bought the yarn and put them "someplace safe". I had to check a lot of safe places before I found them. You know what they say.... It's always in the last place you look!

I'm really happy with how it came out and I've worn it almost every day this week. It's comfortable, cozy and warm. I know it will get a lot of wear!

Here's the details:
Pattern: February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wynne
Yarn: Luscious Single Silk
Color: Jasper
Mods: None

10 on Tuesday

2011-01-18T09:13:00.000-05:00

This week's topic is 10 Favorite Games from your Childhood!

1. Monopoly. We played this over and over and over again! My kids love to play it now.
2. Crazy 8's.
3. Memory. We played this with a regular deck of cards. Sometimes we would even play with 2 decks, upping the challenge level to find not only another 4, but another 4 of clubs!
4. Yahtzee!
5. Uno! My Mom would even play this game with us.
6. Chinese Jump Rope
7. Double dutch jump rope. The jump rope games I would only get to play when my across-the-street neighbors' grand-daughter was visiting. Lucky for me it was a couple times a week during the summer, because the boys really did not want to play :-) (I was the only girl in my age group in the neighborhood)
8. Marbles. I had quite a collection of Tiger Eyes at one time :-)
9. Parchees i.
10. Mastermind.

That was fun! What were your favorites?

Mystery Monday

2011-01-17T14:26:00.000-05:00

Clue 3 was released Saturday. It was short and sweet, so I was able to get it knit up, even with all the family activities over the weekend. Here is sock #1 with all 3 clues completed.....

And here is a closer look at heel flap......

I love how the cables wind back out toward the sides of the foot. I can't wait to see what 's going to happen on the foot! Hurry up Saturday! I'm ready for clue #4!

Mystery Monday

2011-01-10T16:00:00.000-05:00

My current Mystery KAL is the Hazel Knits group KAL. Clue 2 was released Saturday and I managed to get it finished today.

I am really loving this pattern! So pretty!

2010 in Review & 2011

2011-01-09T14:47:00.000-05:00

It's the second week of January already and I realized I hadn't looked back at all the projects I finished in 2010! I put together a quick collage of some of my FO's, but here is a list.....

12 Pairs of socks
4 baby sweaters, all were gifted
2 shawls, both were gifted
16 hats, 15 were gifted including 8 for Chandler's hockey team and 2 of their little sisters

I've been thinking about knitting goals for 2011 and can't decide whether I want to set some or just "go with the flow" this year. When I start to think about what I WANT to do, the list gets overwhelming pretty quickly. I think I should call it my Wish List instead of my goal list. So what's on that list??

1. Knit all the Rockin Sock Club kits. Each one comes with 2 patterns, so this is 6-12 pairs of socks.
2. Knit all the Cookie A Sock Club kits. Again, each one will comewith 2 patterns, so 6-12 pairs of socks. Plus bake all the cookie recipes :-)
3. Participate with the Knit.Sock. Love. KAL group on Ravelry, which will be 1 pattern a month, for another 12 pairs of socks.
4. Mittens for me.
5. Hat for me.
6. Finish my February Lady Sweater, which only has 1 sleeve left.
7. Knit all the sweaters in the Sweater for All Seasons Club. The 2nd pattern will be released next week and I haven't cast on the first one yet! So 4 sweaters....
8. Knit Dark & Stormy, because I just love it and really want one myself.
9. Finish up some of my UFO's
10. Anything else that strikes my fancy, and I know several will!

Quick tally of my 2011 Wish List is 36+ pairs of socks, 6+ sweaters, a hat, a pair of mittens, and anything else that stikes my fancy. I know my list is a little over the top, but what the heck. As long as I enjoy what I'm doing, does it really matter? I can't wait to see what my collage looks like at the end of 2011

WIP Wednesday

2011-01-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

What's on my needles this week? Something old and something new.

I put aside my February Lady Sweater to do some holiday knitting. Now that the holiday's are over, I pulled it back out. I finished the body and started on the first sleeve a few days ago. I'm making some nice progress and think I can finish it some time this weekend! Hopefully the next time you see this, it will be finished!

This weekend I started a second sock project. This is Twisted Mockery by Lisa Stichweh. It was the Mystery KAL on the Sock Knitters Anonymous group in November. I was too busy to join the KAL then, but I love the pattern. The Hazel Knits group KAL is a mystery sock by Lisa Stichweh or any of her patterns. I'm using one of the Hazel Knits December Club colors, Cloudy Day, for this sock.

What's on your needles right now?

10 on Tuesday

2011-01-04T12:48:00.000-05:00

This week's topic is "10 Things You Wouldn't Want to Live Without" and people don't count. There are many things that I certainly take for granted, but are there any I wouldn't want to live without? How about...

1. My car. I love where I live, but it's not walking distance to anything. Except the lake :-)

2. My knitting. There's nothing like the feeling of making something useful with your own hands.

3. My Chuck-It. I have a big dog with lots of energy who is ball obsessed. I throw like a girl, maybe because I am one, but it is a god-send at my house.

4. NH Downloadable. It's my State Public Library of audiobooks. It's so easy, and free!, to download books to listen to.

5. Ipod touch. I like being able to take my music or audiobooks anywhere with me, from the laundry room to the back yard, or out and about.

6. My Ugg Boots. I just treated myself to a pair of these this winter and I really didn't know what I was missing! It's like wearing my big fuzzy slippers everywhere :-)

7. My Computer with internet. It keeps me connected to the world.

8. Chocolate. It's my favorite treat.

9. My favorite chair. It's my spot, my place in the house that is mine. It's where I primarily knit, read, visit with my family, and watch TV.

10. Toothpaste. Good minty toothpaste. I actually can't do anything in the morning until I brush my teeth. With my electric toothbrush with the floss action head :-)

I read a couple other 10 on Tuesday entries this morning before I finished my list and one of the participants listed toilet paper. I laughed out loud, probably because it's true, but I felt like I would be cheating if I put it on my list too. But yeah, toilet paper too :-)

Happy Tuesday!

Mystery Monday

2011-01-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

It's the beginning of the month and that means the beginning of new Knit-a-longs. I'm so often tempted to join in, but I'm really trying not to over-commit myself with my knitting goals. But the Hazel Knits group that I'm a member of on Ravelry has a Mystery KAL this month with a pattern by Lisa Stichweh. I love her designs and I love Hazel Knits yarns, so I decided to join in. I thought it would be fun to share with you on Monday's the progress from the most recent clue. The first clue was released on Saturday, the 1st, and it didn't take hardly any time at all to complete. I present....... the cuff.....

Next Monday, I hope to have clue 2 finished!

Want to join the fun? Come join us here on Ravelry. The official KAL is limited to Hazel Knits yarns, but the pattern is free so you can knit along using your favorite yarn. The hint we have gotten is that this pattern uses both cables AND lace. I can't wait to see what the leg looks like!

Hollyday Socks

2010-12-29T21:40:00.000-05:00

I finished my gift knitting with time to spare, so I decided that it was time to knit myself a pair of Christmas socks. A quick look through the stash and I found my skein of Hollyday. Perfect. I wanted a design that was patterned, and not lace, and decided on Cedar Creek.

The sock starts with a nice picot edge..........

Then continues with textured stitch pattern that continues on the foot.

An Eye of the Partridge heel flap that resulted in great striping on the heel. I didn't take a heel picture but you can kind of see it in this picture.

I didn't finish them in time to wear for Christmas, but I did finish them by the end of the month to count for the Sock-A-Month 10 group. This gives me a completed pair of socks for each month this round which was July through December. Yay!

Details....
Pattern: Cedar Creek
Yarn: STR lightweight in Hollyday
needle: 2.25mm magic looped
Mods: The pattern calls for a smaller needle size for the picot cuff and the foot. I didn't change needle size

10 on Tuesday

2010-12-28T17:00:00.000-05:00

The topic for this week is 10 Intentions for 2011.

1. Eat a more healthy diet. Time to consciously add more fruit and dairy on daily basis.

2. Cook more from scratch. I plan to dramatically reduce the amount of prepared and convenient foods that are so easy to throw together when a meal needs to be put together quickly.

3. Exercise more. I have been aiming for 30 minutes a day for a while now and yet falling short. I'll continue that goal.

4. Read more for pleasure. Some months the only book I read is for the book club I'm part of. I'd like to read at least one book a month just because.

5. Reduce the size of my knitting stash.

6. Ebay stuff that I know I will never use or use again.

7. Finally decide on some curtains for my bedroom. The roman blinds that I have now are great for keeping the sun out of my eyes first thing in the morning but are ugly as all hell. Functional, yes, but ugly.

8. Paint the middle bedroom. It's the only room in the house that hasn't had a face-lift since we moved in 11 years ago and it desperately needs it.

9. Go to Sock Camp! It is the best fun ever!

10. Spend more time with friends. It is the people who are most dear to you that fill your emotional/spiritual tank. I must make more time for that.

So these are my intentions for 2011! What are yours?

Christmas Memories

2010-12-23T18:10:00.000-05:00

Do you have any Christmas traditions in your family? My family does. We cut our tree at the local tree farm each year. They always have warm cider and cookies on the weekends and Chandler looks forward to the cider every year. When we went to tag our tree we saw a tree that was not only tagged, but decorated. Now that's the way to tag a tree!

We picked one for ourselves. We have to find one that's big enough. We have a 16 foot ceiling in our family room.

Chandler was singing "I'm too sexy for my tree...." and goofing around. I couldn't resist :-)

The boys were a little over anxious cutting the tree, so we had a little repair to do when we got it out of the field.

At home, Matthew helped Tom string the lights. It's always a big debate, every year, white or colored? I thought I was getting my favorite white lights this year, until I stepped away for a bit and came back to a colored strand wrapping the trunk!

This is where the old family tradition comes in. My mother has always given me an ornament a year, since I was little. When I got a home of my own, I had some ornaments to take with me. It's a tradition I have continued with my own children. This elf is the only ornament I have left from my childhood. It gets special packing when we pack up after Christmas.

So does this one. This is the only ornament Tom has from his childhood. These two bring a smile to our faces every year.

This fall Tom and I went on our first cruise. When I stumbled upon this ornament, I couldn't resist getting it for him :-)

Woody is Matthew's. He was the perfect age for Toy Story when it was first released and he used to do the funniest impression of Woody, right down to the vacant look in his eyes when Andy was playing with Woody. My mother found this for him years ago.

If you know Justin, then you know this one says it all for him, right down to that impish yet devilish smile!

Chandler's first Christmas, so sweet, but that's just the mother in me with her baby :-)

By the time we finish decorating, it's a tree full of memories. Each ornament reminds me of an experience or trip, or a special interest each of us has had.

I don't think I'll be blogging again until after Christmas, so I'd like to wish you wonderful holiday!

May your hearts be full of joy and your homes with love!

Dianne

Ten on Tuesday

2010-12-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

It's four days before Christmas! Four! It's hard to believe it's nearly here. I think that I am ready. My shopping is done. I'm done my planned gift knitting and didn't allow myself to add anything else. My wrapping is nearly done except for the few things that are trickling in by UPS and USPS. I even did the bulk of my grocery shopping yesterday and placed orders at the bakery and butcher for my breads and roast to be picked up Friday morning. And my Christmas Cards are going out in the mail today. Woohoo! Now, what did I forget? I'm sure something.

This week's 10 on Tuesday is 10 Last Minute Gift Ideas. Hopefully I won't need any of them, but just in case, here they are.

1. Bake something. I can whip out a batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies in 30 minutes flat. Who doesn't love fresh from the oven cookies?

2. An I.O.U. for a special treat later. The boy next door and my DS2 have the same birthday. He loves my home-made Ice Cream Cake. I have been known to give him an IOU for a cake of his own to be redeemed at a later date, as long as he gives me 48 hours notice.

3. Movie Theater Gift Cards. I know I love going to the movies but seldom do. I make a point to go though when I have a gift card.

4. Gift Card to a favorite restaurant, or a new restaurant in the area.

5. Tickets to a local event. We have an AHL Hockey team nearby and their games are always fun to attend. Great hockey, great entertainment, and family friendly pricing. First Night is right around the corner too, and most of the celebrations around here require a ticket.

6. Mani or Pedi Gift Certificate. There's a shop or 3 in every mall nearby. Either is always a nice pampering treat. What holiday season is complete without "Picka colah honey" and "you pay now?"

7. Movie Night at Home bag. This is another favorite gift at my house. A new-release DVD, microwave popcorn, and a couple boxes of movie candy all in a gift bag.

8. Fingerless Mitts. Many patterns can be made in an evening or two.

9. Knit a Hat. Similar to fingerless mitts, if you pick the right pattern, you can whip one up in a couple evenings.

10. Alcohol. Given the recipient, a nice bottle of wine or a bottle of something seasonal. My husband loves Peppermint Schnapps. Just a simple shot on ice or a bit added to his hot chocolate. Mmmm.

Are you ready for Christmas? What last minute gifts do you like to give?

Merry Christmas!!!!

An Olympic Hat

2010-12-19T21:21:00.000-05:00

Winter in New England means it is time for hats. I added several patterns of hats I'd like to make to my list this year. There's no way I'll make them all, but it's nice to have a list of ideas to choose from.

I started this year with the Olympic Reindeer Hat. It's a replica of the hat that Team USA wore for the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I know that Ralph Lauren sold them, but I never saw one in a local store, so I decided to tackle this free pattern that was on Ravelry. Colorwork is not my strongest skill, so I headed off to my LYS to take a clinic to help me with my tension and carrying of contrasting colors. It was the BEST $15 I have ever spent on knitting.

My carrying was not perfect, but I was pretty happy with it overall. After completing the hat, there are a few things I would like to change about it. First, it's a little tall. I was hoping that a good wash and block might help that, but I don't think it did. If I make this hat again I think I will take out a row or two of white above and below the moose/reindeer. The tree also looks a little stumpy, so I would rechart that and make it a little taller. There is room to move the reindeer to the outside to create space for taller tree.

I would also think about recharting the bottom border motif. Look at the center diamond on the bottom. There's definitely a mistake in the chart. It's where you begin the chart repeat for the second half of the hat. I didn't notice it until I was well past it and decided not to rip back.

The next thing I would consider is how to avoid carrying the blue for such long distances between the antlers. I did see another hat on ravelry that added some snowflakes. Genius! They filled some of the white space and cut down on the carrying.

I still need to add some braids to the top after it dries. Overall, it was a great knit and it fits everyone in my family well. This one may be gifted and I'll knit another with the modifications for myself. I used Cascade 220 which made it an affordable knit, especially since I have plenty of white and red left for a second hat. I may have to pick up another skein of navy to complete another hat. I just have to weigh what's left to decide for sure.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-12-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

This week is 10 Things on your To-Do List. This time of year we all have a list, in fact probably more than one! So here are 10 Things that are on my List.

1. Bake cookies for the neighborhood cookie swap.
2. Address my Christmas cards.
3. Convince my boys that I really do need a picture of them, together, reasonably presentable, to include in said Christmas Cards.
4. Finish my shopping
5. Wrap gifts, preferably before the 24th :-)
6. Find a recipe for Beef Wellington and give it a try. If it's good, then I'll make it for Christmas Dinner.
7. Make an appointment for a haircut.
8. Get the tree. We tagged one a few weeks ago and planned to get it this past Sunday. Heavy wind-driven rain kept us home, so we still need to do this.
9. Finish weaving in the tails on the Reindeer hat and block it.
10. Make fudge. Both Chocolate and layered chocolate & peanut butter. Yum!

These are a few of the things I still need to do this month. What's on your list?

Sparkly like the Stars

2010-12-12T16:51:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to show you my finished shawl! I always admire them when I see them, but I seldom plan to make any myself.

I started this back in August with the intention of just poking along on it. That worked out great! I finished it a couple weeks ago and blocked it, but I didn't get around to taking finished pictures until a couple days ago.

I used Dream in Color Starry. It has just the right amount of sparkle to make this simple piece feel elegant or dressy or you'd like, or feel fun with a more casual outfit. It was really hard to get a good picture that showed the sparkle. This one will do, but I have to say, the silver in the yarn is so much prettier in person!

This is going into the gift pile. I know just the right person who will appreciate it and wear it :-) I'll cast on a new one for myself some time soon.

Pattern: Ishbel by Ysolda Teague, small size
yarn: Dream in Color Starry in Grey Tabby
Needle: AddiTurbo size 6
Cast On: August 23
Bind Off: November 30
Mods: None

10 on Tuesday

2010-12-07T09:17:00.000-05:00

I've been reading the blog Z Knits...and Sews for a while and one of the things that I have enjoyed on it is the 10 on Tuesday that Zonda has done. It went away for awhile and I missed it, but last week it was back. I was really happy to see it. So much in fact that I decided to join. I hope you'll enjoy it too, and maybe you'll learn a few fun things about me along the way!

This week's list is 10 favorite Holiday Shows, so here it goes!

1. Miracle on 34th Street, the original one in black and white. "I believe, I believe"

2. Dr Suess' The Grinch who Stole Christmas, the animated one.

3. Santa Claus is Coming to Town. I love the Winter Warlock :-)

4. Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer. Remember, Bumbles bounce!

5. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, because it really kicks the whole season off for me.

6. A Charlie Brown Christmas. A true classic to me and I love when Linus tells the story of Christmas :-)

7. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I don't see it every year, but when I do...... mesmerized by the music.

8. Borrowed Hearts, a cheesy made-for-TV movie starring Roma Downey and Eric McCormack. You know how it's going to end about 30 seconds into it, but I love it just the same :-)

9. Scrooged, the Bill Murray one. Technically it's a movie, but since it's been playing on TCM this year I'm going to count it. We quote lines from it all year. "I'm so glad I wore my pretty dress" "The bitch hit me with a toaster"

10. It's a Wonderful Life. Sorry, don't hate me, but I do love this movie :-) "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings"

There are so many more shows/movies that I love, but it is "10" on Tuesday, so I'll stop.

What are your favorites?

The Rest of the Story

2010-12-05T20:21:00.000-05:00

Do you remember these socks?

Let me tell you what is so special about them to me. They were my very first test knit! For the incredible designer Cookie A! Cookie had posted on her Facebook page that she was looking for some test knitters for her new sock book. There was a link to a questionnaire that she asked potential knitters to fill out, and so I did. I really thought that would be the end of it and I wondered when the new book would be released.

You can imagine how stunned I was to actually receive an email, from Cookie herself, that I had been selected to knit Thelonious! Seriously?!?! I was speechless.

Off I ran to my stash to pick out something that would be just right. I settled on Skinny Bugga in Karner Blue and then waited for the pattern to arrive. And then I knit, and made notes, scratched my head thinking, made more notes, chatted on line with other test knitters, and knit some more. We had 5 days to complete the sock. At one point I wasn't sure I would make the deadline, but in the end, I did!

I really enjoyed the experience. Thank you Cookie A! I hope I have the opportunity to do it again someday!

I now have my copy of the book Knit. Sock. Love. It's also available in pdf format. I admit I got both :-) I always make a working copy of my patterns to carry around with me. It's going to be so easy to just print the pattern I want, as opposed to flattening the book out on my copier, trying to get a good copy.

And see this? You may have to click to enlarge the picture, but there's my name, as a test knitter! And to my sock club/camp friends, there's another name there that you may recognize too :-)

This may have been my most exciting knitting experience. It's right up there with having met the Yarn Harlot in person! What's yours?

Mystery Solved!

2010-11-26T20:07:00.000-05:00

I started these socks in October, just a few days after the first clue was posted. It seemed to me like it took FOREVER to knit these socks. I think partly because I didn't love the pattern on the needles, but every time I put them on a blocker or tried them on, they really were lovely. So I persevered and now I have a lovely pair of socks. And I think this is my first pair of green socks, which I think is really weird, because I really like green!

The details......
Pattern: Through the Loops Mystery KAL 2010
Yarn: Skinny Bugga in Hologram Moth
Needles: KP 2.25mm and magic looped
Mods: none!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:41:00.000-05:00

I had a wonderful day with lots of family today. The only way I can feel with 13 people around my dining room table that I love is BLESSED! Here are a few snapshots from my day....

What is it about a kitchen? It really is the heart of a home :-)

My oldest son Matthew is enjoying a conversation with Grammy Pete and Grampa Mike.

My brother Mike is catching up with Mom and Dad.

My sister-in-law Betty was a good sport and made the gravy.

Tom carved the turkey.....

.... and the dogs hoped that he would drop some turkey for them.

I agree Chandler. A good day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

That was a bust......

2010-10-29T17:21:00.000-04:00

I had big plans for Socktober, but unfortunately I fell far short of my goal. I already showed you the socks that I finished for the Hazel Knits mystery Sock, so I did complete at least one pair of socks. Let me show you what else I was working on.

I had cast on the Through the Loops Mystery sock from 2008 for the September SKA challenge. About half way down the leg I decided I better try them on because the cable seemed to have very little give. Good thing I did because it was more snug than I like my socks to be. So I ripped it out and started over with the 72 stitch size. 8 little stitches doesn't seem like much, but my goodness, it seemed to increase the knitting time 10 fold! I finished the first sock a couple days ago. There is no way I'll be able to make the second sock by the end of the month.

Here's a close-up of the cable and lace leg pattern. I'll be casting the second sock on soon, otherwise I fear this would be a lonely single sock for a very long time.

I also decided to join the 2010 Mystery Sock KAL, also by Through the Loops. The first clue was released October 1st and a new clue was released each Friday. I planned to knit from both ends of the ball of yarn so that I would have a finished pair by the end of the month. Um. Well..... You know what they say about best made plans, right? The last clue was released this morning and I am just about finished clue 4 on the first sock. The second sock? Not even started yet. Again, no way I'm finishing the pair by the end of the month.

At some point during the month I realized that I had too many projects going at the same time with cables. That was the problem. Cables. And I was sick of them. So I started yet another sock, but without cables. This is Wanida by Cookie A in Socks That Rock colorway ........... Rocktober! I loved how it was striping in the ribbing, then I moved on to the pattern and it started pooling wickedly. Here's one side....

and the other side. I'm thinking about going down a needle size to see if I can get back to the striping.

Around the middle of the month I decided that I was cold and what I really wanted was a sweater. I stood in my closet and looked at my choices. How is it that all I seem to have are sweatshirts and Holiday sweaters? Seriously. I'm a knitter! I should have dozens to choose from! Then it hit me. I have 5 sweaters in progress and the yarn for at least 2 more in my stash. Sorry socks, you're going to have to share my knitting time for a while. I pulled my February Lady Sweater out, figured out where I left off, and started knitting again. I had forgotten how much I love this pattern! I was able to add about 4 inches to the length this week. If I keep this pace up, I should be finishing this beauty in less than 2 weeks!

Speaking of sweaters, have you heard about Knitquest's A Sweater for All Seasons Club? I'm so excited about this. Flint is the first sweater in the club and I have been waiting for this pattern to be released for a while. I signed up for the club right away and decided on In the Navy for my color. The yarn arrived earlier this week.

I love this color! I can't wait to get started, but I'm making myself finish the FLS first!

Socktoberfest

2010-10-13T19:50:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again..... Socktoberfest!

I've finished my first pair for the month. They are from the September/October KAL with the Hazel Knits group on Ravelry. The pattern is by Melissa Goodale of Stick Chick Knits.

I'm also doing Kirsten Kapur's Mystery Sock KAL. Here is the first clue......

And this is my progress after the second clue. The third clue will be released on Friday.

I also have the 2008 mystery sock on the needles. It's a fun combination of lace and cables. I hope to finish these by the end of the month, but I really need to pay attention to the pattern, so they are not a great option to throw in my bag while I'm at the ice rink for my son's hockey practice.

Besides that, I realized that all 3 patterns that I have been working on have cabling in them and I'm ready for some variety. So I'm trying to decide if I should pull out a SIP that I have ignored for a while or cast on something new. I'm leaning towards casting on, since I have some STR in the color Rocktober that I am itching to knit up.

Hats for Max and Meg

2010-10-06T13:27:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure I mentioned that I have a neighbor whose child is undergoing treatment for Leukemia. It's a terrible disease, but fortunately many types are treatable with great outcomes. Max is lucky enough to fall into this group of cancers. He is having chemotherapy and he recently lost all his hair. The weather has turned to fall here in NH, so I made him a hat to help keep his sweet little head warm. This is the Kiddie Cadet by Kathryn Ivy and I used Lion Brand's Cotton Ease for it. Max loved it :-)

Megan,the kidlet next door celebrated her 14th birthday on Monday. The girl likes a good hat. Being a knitter, I am up for the challenge! This year I made her Miller's Hat by Kirsten Kapur using Classic Elite's Waterlily. I loved the yarn and the hat and I think I may just have to make one of these for myself! Even her dad liked it. I overheard him say, and I quote,... "If that hat were black, I'd be wearing it out to the bob house this winter."

Jim's birthday is in 3 weeks. Maybe I should make him a nice warm hat too? Do you have a favorite hat that you like to make for a gift?