Pictures of my wip's

This pic is of a Cable Knit Hat, I'm loosely following THIS pattern, But I am alternating left twist and right twist cables. I currently have it about 6.5 inches long, another .5 inch and I will start the crown decreases. I am using leftover Patons classic Merino Wool from the Boobholder I knit, color Deep Olive and size 7, 16" circs.
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This is what I have so far for a birthday present for my niece, Laney. The little cutie pie will be 2 in August. It is a Summer Swing top, and the pattern can be found HERE. I love this pattern, it's adorable and perfect for all of the beautiful little ladies in my life. I'm trying to make one for each of my younger nieces and DD (total of 5), but I'm afraid they will grow out of the sizes the pattern lists by the time I can get around to doing all of them. My Niece, Justice is already too big for it, she's 9, and I want to find a special pattern to make for her, too. (any ideas?)
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Here is my never ending Peacock Feathers Shawl. I am ready to start row 211, out of a total 250. I used some pins to stretch part of it out so you could see some of the design. I've made a few mistakes in this shawl, but they're small and I don't think they're very noticeable. I am also ready to join my second ball of yarn. I am using the Jagger Spun Zephyr Wool-Silk that comes with the pattern kit from fiddlesticks knitting. It is so soft and wonderful, a 50% wool, 50% silk blend, laceweight yarn.
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This is a sock (#1 in the pair) that I am knitting for DD. It is the Peaks and Valleys infant pattern from the book, Knit Socks!. Since DD is almost a year and a half old, the infant pattern wouldn't have fit her, so I decided to just use bigger needles (size US3 instead of US1) and add a few rows to the pattern to make it fit her. You can't see the lacey part of the pattern very well in the picture, but the multi-colored yarn looks pretty cool with it. I am using Knitpicks simple stripes sock yarn in the colorway Vineyard (discontinued?).
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And.....this is the pair of socks I am knitting for my mothers Christmas present. It's the Cascading Leaves Sock pattern found in THIS yahoo group. I am about an inch into sock #2. I am using Knitpicks Essential Sock yarn in the color Ash, and I am knitting the pattern on 2 circs instead of DPN's.
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I haven't been working much on any of my projects this past week, because I've been knitting a something special for my brand new, absolutely beautiful, nephew, Aiden. Congratulations Trish and Jared! I am almost finished with Aiden's something special , and I will post pictures of it after I know that he's received it....Well, after his mommy receives it...LOL.

FO- Traveler Socks

The Traveler Socks are finished!!! I love how they turned out, but the color just isn't me, so I decided to put them away and give them to my mom for a Birthday present when her Birthday comes around in October. I Used Cascade 220 in the color Baby Rose Heather (#9442), and size 5 DPN's. The pattern is written for Magic Loop, but it translates really easily to using a set of 4 dpn's. One needle for the front/top of foot 20 sts, 2 needles for the back/bottom of the foot, 10 sts on each, and one needle to knit with. The Pattern for these socks can be found on THIS page.

Our WIP's (brag about DH)

yes...The title says OUR wip's. Mine and DH's. Dh is helping me to get a start on Christmas presents for this year. He has started his very first sock. He is using the 'Madder Ribbed Sock' pattern from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, Knitpicks Palette yarn (color: Blue) and size 1 needles. In the WIP pic to the left, it's the blue at the top left corner, and I tried to take a better pic of the detail, and it's a little fuzzy, but it's posted below. He's doing wonderful on his sock!
Back to the WIP's, the gray below DH's sock, is my peacock feathers shawl. I've been working on it a little bit each night, doing anywhere from 1 to 4 rows (considering that each row is now 400+ stitches, that's a lot of work) after the kids are asleep for the night. The blue beside my shawl, is that baby sweater I posted about below. The Gray on the other side of the baby sweater, is what I have so far of the pair of cascading leaves socks I'm knitting for my mom. I am only about 1 cm into the cuff of sock 2 in the pair. And, the purple at the top right, is what I have so far of the Summer Swing Top I am knitting for my niece's 2nd birthday.

I finished my Boobholder!!!

I love the feeling I get when I finish a project. I knit Glampyre's Minisweater aka Boobholder, only without the border. I used Patons Classic Merino yarn in the color Deep Olive.

I also finished sock #1 of the Cascading Leaves socks that I'm making for my mom for Christmas. Also, last night I picked up my Peacock Feathers Shawl and did 4 rows, and today I added another few inches onto the Summer Swing Top I'm making for my niece. Woohoo! It feels good to be on a knitting roll again.

My too many WIP's

Remember that New Years Resolution that I made to no longer allow myself more than 5 wip's at a time? Well, that resolution went out the window. I currently stand at 6, and I'm itching to start more. But, I'm not letting myself. Ok, so In the pic, the top left corner is a Boobholder from Glampyre. I am using Patons Classic Merino wool in the color Deep Olive. It's being made to wear with a brown tunic I have. The pink under it is a pair of Traveler socks. (pattern can be found on THIS page) I am using Cascade 220 in the color Baby Rose Heather. I am almost to the heel of sock #2. Below that, the grey, is a pair of Cascading Leaves socks (pattern found by joining THIS yahoo group) I am using Knitpicks Essential Sock yarn in the color Ash. The light purple to the right of those socks, is what I have so far of a Summer Swing Top (Pattern Found on THIS site) for my Niece's 2nd birthday. I am using Brown Sheep's Cotton Fleece in the color Lilac Haze, and I plan to make another (for DD) using Victorian Pink. The blue above that is a basic top down raglan baby cardigan (with some details I'm adding). I am not getting into any more details than that, the intended recipient hasn't been born yet and his mommy doesn't know I'm making something for him (but if she reads here, she will know so I don't want to post too many details, this way something remains a surprise.) The Deep purple at the top right is what I have so far of a Lacy Hair tamer Headband. I found the pattern on InterWeave Knits Website (I think from the spring 2004 issue?) I am using Knitpicks Elegance yarn in the color Lilac.

Just a quick update

still not much knitting going on. I have way too many WIP's again, but none are really getting worked on much. DH had Dental Surgery on Wednesday morning so I'm busy spoiling him, and I'm having a period from hell, so not much of any fun/crafty/unnecessary things happening right now. In a few days I will update with a pic of the too many wips.

Not much knitting going on......

I'm not quite sure how, but I've been busier this past week than normal, but I haven't been doing anything much more than normal. I did manage to knit a little bit, though. I am working the heel flap on the Cascading Leaves sock I posted about, I've done one more pattern repeat on the traveler sock, I started working on a Lacy hair tamer headband from the Fall 2004 Interweave Knits, and I've also started on a boobholder. No pics yet, I am in a lazy mood and don't really feel like getting everything out to take a pic...lol

WIP's

It really feels weird not having Starsky as a WIP anymore. But, here's what I am currently working on. The purple is a Summer Swing Top for my niece Laney's 2nd birthday (pattern on freepatterns.com). I'm using Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece and the color is Lilac Haze. The Peachish/Pink socks are the Traveler socks I posted about with my finished Starsky (there's a link to the pattern in the comments of that post). I have 3 cable pattern repeats of sock #2 done. I'm using Cascade 220 in color baby rose heather. The Grey is the beginnings of sock #1 in a pair of Cascading Leaves Socks. This pattern is available in a Yahoo Group KAL, called 'TownsendSocksKnitAlong'. I am using Knitpicks Essential sock yarn in the color Ash.

I have yarn on order to knit a Boobholder for myself. I am going to make it without the border, and I'm thinking of changing the sleeves, but I'm not sure. I choose a dark olive colored yarn because the shirt I am planning on wearing it with (a smocked tunic) is a medium brown and I think it will look great. (IMHO, I look best in browns & mauves) I do have more shirts I can wear it with, but this shirt in particular is the one I need to wear something with.

Starsky is FINISHED!!!!!!!!

Not the best pic, but it's a great one considering my photographer is 6 years old :) I placed my beltloops a little high, and the sleeves are too baggy, but I love my Starsky! I was worried that this was a sweater that only looked good on skinny people, but, IMHO, I think it's flattering to me (a size 18) as well. (and speaking of my size, I've been loosing weight. I've only lost 11 pounds so far (WOOHOO!!!), but soon it will be 20, and then 50 and before long I'll be at my goal) This is the first adult size & first non raglan sweater I've done. I'm very happy with it!

I've also been working on a pair of toe-up socks for me. I can't remember where I found the pattern (I printed it a while ago), but it's called 'Traveler Socks" and It was a .pdf free online pattern. I have one completely finished, and one in progress. I am finished with the toe, and am on row 4 of my first cable pattern repeat.

FO

I finished the bag I knit for my niece, Justice's birthday Present. She will be turning 9 in August. The butterfly is just a little something I added, and is just tied onto the bag strap, so it can be removed and Justice can put it on something else if she wants. I didn't use a pattern for the bag. I just cast on enough stitches to reach around my 16" size 10 1/2 circ, and knit for several inches, changing colors every 4 rows. (except at the top when I ran out of black), when I got the bag to the desired height, I BO all but 6 stitches on each side of the bag. I knit 6 stitches from one side until I was almost out of that blue yarn, then I kitchener stitched the other 6 live stitches to the purse handle. I then turned the bag inside out and whip stitched the bottom of the bag closed. It only took one cycle in the washer to felt. The butterfly is a pattern I got from Stitch & Bitch Nation, it's the butterfly used for the 'Butterflies are Free' scarf pattern.

I did a lot of work on the belt for starsky last night. It still needs a few inches, but it was progress none the less.

This f!$@&^# belt is driving me nuts

The Belt for Starsky, that is. It's an easy knit, it's just that it seems that I knit and knit and knit and it never gets longer! I'm tired of working on it, but I just need to add about another freaking FOOT to it's length and it'll be good enough for me. I've also decided that I don't like the sleeves on my Starsky. They're okay, but they're just too wide/loose for my arms. I want a more fitted look on them, but I've already sewen the sleeves in and seamed everything up. Any ideas on what I can do now to achieve a more fitted look? I absolutely LOVE the rest of my starsky, it's wonderful and pretty, I'm just not happy with my sleeves. However, I'm NOT unhappy enough to undo the seaming and alter my sleeves.

I am also fighting the itch to post about a 'secret' project I have going. It's my best friends Christmas present and she reads here so I can't post about it. I could always start a new blog and post my secret present projects on there, but I want you guys to read those posts too, and I would have to post a link to the new blog so it really would be totally useless. So I guess I'll just have to keep my big mouth shut. Damn it.

This might hurt some......

I am almost finished with sock one of the pair that I'm knitting with Regia Strato (that I posted about before). I am less than an inch away from closing the toe. But I'm just not happy with it. (this is where it gets painful) I am going to frog the entire sock. It's pretty and fits well, I'm just not happy with the toe shaping I choose, and I'm not completely satisfied with my short row heel. Oh well. I will frog this sock and set the yarn aside and start on socks for my mom. I'm not sure which yarn out of my stash I want to use. Probably the Knitpicks Sock Memories in the Yukon colorway.

To some more pleasant news, I am almost finished with my Starsky! I have both sleeves finished, sewn in and all of the seams sewn, the only things left are to finish the belt and beltloops. I won't post any more starsky pics until I am completely finished with mine. I love it!

I've got a good start on my niece, Laney's, Birthday present. I'm knitting her a Summer Swing Top (from freepatterns.com) with Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece yarn. I've got only 2 inches done so far, but it's a pretty quick knit.

Pic of Starsky

ok, here's a pic of what's done with Starsky. I had to have my 6 year old son take the pic (forgive my pajama pants...lol), and this was the best out of the 10 pictures he took. Starsky is still missing her left sleeve, belt and beltloops, which are all in progress. I expect to be finished soon (guesstimating a week), and even sooner if I make myself knit more than 4 rows a day. I've been going slow on this because the weather outside is beautiful and I've been outside running around with the kids. I made(making) the sleeve(s) 18.5 inches before sleeve cap shaping instead of the 23 inches the pattern calls for. I may be a big girl, but I have short arms.

WIP's

On my Starsky, I now have both front panels and the back panel finished, the collar finished and one sleeve finished. All of these are blocked, sewen togather and seamed. I am still working on sleeve #2 and I'm also working on the belt.

I have also started working on birthday presents for my nieces Justice and Laney. Justice will be 9 in August and Laney will be 2 in August. I am knitting Justice a small striped purse that I will felt and then sew on a knitted butterfly, and Laney is getting a Summer Swing Top (from freepatterns.com).

I'm still working on that pair of Regia Strato Socks that I posted about before. These are going really slow because they're my 'for when I'm bored/waiting' project.

Yesterday, I didn't feel like knitting. So you want to know what I did? I went through all of my saved internet/free patterns and the ones I've already printed. I printed the ones I had saved then I organized all of the patterns into a 1" binder I have. I have a sock section, sweater section, hat section, a section for scarves/shawls/wraps, a misc. accessories section, general help section and a crochet section. I have 76 knitting patterns in this binder. If I want to add any more I will need a new binder. I could barely close the rings on this one.

Starsky! getting close......

This picture shows everything I have for Starsky. I folded the back section up onto itself so I could get it all into the pic, and you can see the two front panels, what I have so far of the collar, the finished sleeve off to the right, and the sleeve in progress to the left.

My mailman delivered a package today. When I answered the door, he handed it to me and asked "more yarn?". I laughed and said yes. (it was 10 balls of Knitpicks Get Away yarn in the colorway 'Nap') Both my UPS man and the USPS guy are both shocked when my packages aren't yarn. You guys should have seen the look of confusion when the UPS guy delivered 2 baby gates to me. He even asked me if they were to keep DD out of my yarn...LMAO!!!

Another Starsky Update

Now finished for Starsky, I have both left and right front panels and the back panel. I am working on one of the sleeves now. I would estimate that I'm about 1/3 done with this sleeve. Once I get both of the sleeves finished, I get to pick up stitches and knit on the collar of the sweater, then the belt & belt loops.

Other WIP's: since I've been primarily working on Starsky, I still haven't finished DD's sweater. I am still working the sleeves and then I just have to sew on the buttons. I am also still not finished with sock #1 in the pair I have going (still working the foot of the sock). I absolutely love the yarn (Regia Strato), but the size 1 needles are rough on my hands and if I do too much with them in a day, it aggravates my arthritis. This sucks.

Stolen Random

I stole this idea from Craft Pirate and I saw it on some other blogs as well.

Put your iPod on random/shuffle songs and list the first 10 songs that play.

Mine are:
1. Cheeseburger in Paradise- Jimmy Buffet
2. Crazy on You- Heart
3. Opspeculat- Creed
4. When I grow Up- Garbage
5. Heavy - Collective Soul
6. Frantic - Metalica
7. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
8. I will buy you a new house - Everclear
9. You Don't Know How it Feels - Tom Petty
10. Live and Let Die - Guns & Roses

Starsky Update

I've had a slow knitting week. I was hoping that by this time this week I would be done or near done with the right front panel. I've only got 3 banana leaf repeats done. I'm not sure why, but I just haven't been in much of a knitting mood. In the pic, you can see the back panel, the left front panel and what I have so far of the right front panel.

Hopefully, I will get out of this funk soon and resume my regular knitting pace. I want to finish Starsky so I can wear it a lot before the weather gets too warm, and I still have the sleeves, collar, belt and belt loops to knit. Not to mention the time for blocking and seaming.

WIP's

Here is a cardigan I'm making for DD using up some yarn that was wasting space in my stash. It's Lion Brand Microspun, using a strand of vanilla and a strand of lavendar held togather on size US10 1/2 needles. It's going really quickly, and looks much cuter IRL than it does in the pic. I'm working on the sleeves now, and I still need to find some buttons that will look cute in it. I'm thinking of making some wood beads into buttons for it.

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Here is a pic of my current pair of socks. I'm just doing basic 2 circ, cuff down, Stockinette stitch socks with a 2x2 rib for the cuff and a short row heel. I'm using Regia Strato yarn in the colorway # 5740, and size US 1 needles. Please ignore my pasty pale leg & foot in the pic. :)

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and here's my progress on my Starsky. In the post below you can see the finished back and left front panels, and here is a pic of what i have so far of the right front panel. I am done with the ribibng and am ready to start row 6 of the banana leaf chart. After this panel I get to start the sleeves.

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And I am still working on my peacock feathers shawl. It's progressing at the insanely slow pace of about 2 rows a week. It is difficult to find enough time where I can concentrate on the lace pattern, but I LOVE knitting lace so it's worth it. I have also picked out my next lace shawl pattern. I'm planning on knitting the Shetland Tea Shawl from A Gathering of Lace (pg. 38). It's an absolutely beautiful circular shawl knit from the center out.

Starsky Update

I finished the left front panel this morning, and I've cast on for the right front panel. In this pic, the panels look a little mis-proportioned, but they're not. They just look that way because they're laying on the couch over where the cushions are uneven heights. The one in the middle rarely is sat on and the cushions on the ends are sat on all the time.

Not Knitting realted, but a great cause post instead

As I've mentioned several times before, I am a member of Sybermoms.com. Sybermoms is a parenting message board, which offers laughs, advice and a reality check when needed. It's full of women (and a few dad's too) who have some of the biggest hearts I've seen anywhere. Each year, Sybermoms holds an auction to raise funds for a great cause. This year, the Auction will benefit The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, Inc. The auction will begin with a 24-hour auction on Thursday, April 6th at 7:00pm. The 24-hour auction will run until friday, April 7th at 7:00pm. The Live Auction will open at 8:00pm and run until all items have been up for bid. You can go to Sybermoms.com for more information about the auction. You do not need to be a paid member at sybermoms to participate in the auction. So, go to Sybermoms, register and happy bidding!

iPod Case

On Friday, DH gave me his iPod. So, naturally being the knitter I am, I immediately pulled some cotton out of my stash bin and knit up an iPod case (sorry for the crappy pic). I didn't use an existing pattern, I just took measurements of the iPod and did test swatching until I found what guage would work (fit accross width + 1/2 of iPod Sides). I used Lion Brand Cotton and size US5 needles. It was very simple to make. Here's the pattern, it's my first attempt at writing my own so post any questions in the comments and I'll reply as soon as I can.


Jackie's iPod Case Pattern:

Matierials : 100% cotton worsted weight yarn, size us5 straight needles, darning needle, velcro, sewing needle & thread.

CO 18 sts

Knit in Stockinette Stitch in desired color striping pattern until rectangle measures 8 inches, end with WS row.

The next two rows create a hole for the headphones to go through.
Next row : K7, k2tog, [YO] twice, K2tog, K7.
next row: P9, K1, P8

Continue in Stockinette Stitch and striping pattern for another 2.5 inches.

BO all sts & weave in all ends.

fold piece with right sides facing(inside-out) where CO edge is an inch below the headphone hole. Sew side seams. Turn case right side-out.

Cut velcro to fit under flap.
Sew velcro onto the case body and under the flap where the body and flap overlap when closed.

Voila! you're done. insert your iPod, plug in your headphones and enjoy!

Stash Pics

I've been working hard lately to use up/get rid of a bunch of yarn I had in my stash. The yarns in this pic is all that my stash now consists of. Too bad I don't have a before pic. I got rid of a bunch of crap acrylics and other yarns I just wasn't happy with.

Now my stash is MUCH prettier. In the pic you can see a pile of Knitpicks Sierra in Mist for my Starsky, some pink and purple Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece for some Summer Swing Tops I will be knitting soon (one for DD and one for my niece Laney), some knitpicks sock yarns (palette and memories), a ball of Regia sock yarn, some Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, Lorna's Laces, some Patons Classic Merino, Bernat Satin, both Lion Brand and Sugar & Cream cotton yarns, CottonTots, knitpicks elegance, Patons Pooch yarn and a few hanks of Cascade 220. Not in the picture I also have a bunch of 100% wool scraps.

Progress on Starsky

Yesterday I finished up the back panel and last night I started on the left front panel. As you can see in the pic, I am almsot done with my fourth ball of Knitpicks Sierra. On the left front panel I have the ribbing done and once through the Banana Leaf stitch chart.

Starsky Update

I am working on the armhole shaping of the back panel. From the cast on edge, I have 21 inches. I just started on my 4th ball of yarn. Soon I will do the neck shaping and bind off for the back panel.


Also, My book order came in! It arrived nice and early on Saturday morning. I LOVE the books I choose. I got Stitch & Bitch Nation, A gathering of lace, knitting vintage socks, and a non knitting book 'The Handmaids Tale' which I finished reading this morning. I saw the movie that was made from this book when I was a child, and the memories of some scenes have haunted me. So when I saw the book, I had to get it. Reading it as an adult resolved a lot of the confusion that came from seeing it through a childs eyes.

Too much online shopping?!?!?!?! There's NO SUCH THING!!!

I've been busy these past few days, spending some birthday money that my mother gave me. THANK YOU MY VERY GENEROUS MOM!!! First, I ordered some shoes for DD. I choose Jack & Lilly baby shoes, the Mint with pink octopus ones. I know, birthday money should be spent on me, but I saw the shoes and felll in love and couldn't help it...LOL Then, I ordered some books from Amazon. I ordered Knitting Vintage Socks, A gathering of Lace, SnB Nation, and a non knitting book 'The Handmaids Tale'. Then my happy little butt made it's way to Kaleidoscope Yarns. I ordered some Addi Turbo's, 3 hanks of Cascade 220, and a Chibi. I then found my way to JoAnn's. I ordered some new size 1 circs, and some yarn to knit preemie hats for a local NICU with.

I've also been very busy with Starsky. Sorry no progress pic in this post, but Dh has the camera cable on his computer right now and I don't feel like moving it..LOL I am approx. 11.5 inches into the back panel. 5 more and I get to start the armhole shaping.

Another FO!

I finished Odessa this morning! I love it! It was a really simple, pretty pattern, and I am in love with the yarn. I used Knitpicks Elegance which is a baby alpaca and silk blend, in the color Lilac. It took only one ball of yarn, and used 110 beads.

I also made more progress on Starsky yesterday. I am now ready to start my 3rd chart pattern repeat on the back panel. I also had to start my second hank of knitpicks sierra yesterday.

2 Wip's & 1 FO

Saturday morning, I cast on both Odessa and Starsky. This pic is what I have of Odessa so far. It is MUCH more simple to knit than it looks. It was a PITA stringing the beads onto the yarn, but I got them on fairly quickly. I am just about 3.5 inches from the cast on edge. The yarn is knitpicks elegance in Lilac.
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Here's the FO! DD's Pinwheel baby blanket is finished!!! I made it a 40 inch diameter. When I got it almost as large as I wanted it, I put in a stripe of pink solid color yarn, then a small stripe of the varigated yarn, and for the edge I held both yarns togather and crocheted a ruffle around. The crocheted ruffle is extremely simple. It's just a DC, CH3 in each stitch around.
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And here's what I have so far of Starsky! I am ready to start row 3 of the pattern chart for my second pattern repeat. I was right when I said I would love working with Knitpicks Sierra yarn. It is very soft and just yummy.

Yarn for Starsky!

This morning my yarn to knit Starsky with arrived!!! It's KnitPicks Sierra in Mist. I've already wound 2 hanks into balls, 12 left to go. This yarn is very soft and I can already tell that I am going to LOVE knitting with it.

I've figured out that I will have to wait until I am finished with the pinwheel baby blanket before I can start on Starsky. I'm using my Denise Interchangables and all of my longer cables are in that blanket and I need the longest one I have to knit starsky. It shouldn't take too long to finish the blanket, a few days at the most.

Felted Bag

I followed the pattern for a lopi tote, and I used some Knitpicks Wool of the Andes (double stranded) to knit this bag. I felted it by hand in the bathtub yesterday. Man, beating the hell out of it was very theraputic...LOL. This bag was also an experiment. I wanted to see just how important it was to leave it out to dry. I put this fucker in the dryer. MUCH quicker and the same results as if I would have blocked it the 'right' way. I made this one a little larger than my other lopi tote. My other one is great, but it didn't really accomodate carrying around a small knitting peoject. This brings my total for knitted/felted bags that I've made to 6 bags, and 3 are ALL MINE...LOL

I found something that I MUST HAVE. I have fallen in love with the Jordana Paige 'The Knitters Satchel'. The next time I get a bunch of 'fun' money, I will buy it. I LOVE it. I NEED it.

misc.

See that little ball of purple yarn over on the left of the pic? that's my yarn for Odessa (Knitpicks elegance - Lilac). I changed my mind about the beads, though. I picked up a vial of clear glass beads earlier today, and I just got finished stringing them onto the yarn. I am waiting for my Webs order to get here so I can actually start knitting Odessa.

The big bag in the pic is a Lopi Tote, using up misc balls of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes that were in my stash. Mulled Wine and Fern. I will felt it, i'm just not making any promisses to WHEN I will felt it..LOL It will happen sooner or later.

I also made up my mind on the color I want to use to knit Knitty.com's Starsky. I ordered the Knitpicks Sierra this morning. The color I finally decided on is Mist. I asked for help deciding on the color on a few of the message boards that I post on, and the votes between cinnamon and mist were about equal. So, I asked my best friend who liked both colors...LOL Finally, I just did an eenie-meenie-miney-mo thing and Mist won.

I'm excited!!

Yarn, yarn, yarn!..LOL

I'm going to knit Odessa, but I'm not going to use any beads. I going to use Knitpicks Elegance in Lilac, it's a baby alpaca and silk blend. I also have plans on knitting 2 more Summer Swing Tops. One for my Hannah and one for my niece Laney. For the Summer Swing Tops, I placed my very first order with Webs! I ordered some Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Victorian Pink and Lilac Haze. I also ordered the needles that I need to knit Odessa. The other project I'm going to do is Starsky from knitty. I am going to use Knitpicks Sierra, but I am debating between mist and cinnamon for the colors. What do you think about those colors?

My knitting pace has slowed considerably lately. I've been a little down in the dumps, and when I get that way, it becomes really difficult to pick up my needles. Dh and I have made our way through hard times before, and I am confident we will make it through this as well. I have to believe we will. I think Dh and I are making very slow progress, but at any pace progress is progress and progress is good. I'm not much of one to type about my feelings and problems, so I cant type more than this on here. It's too hard to put it all into words, and I'm afraid if I let it all start flowing through my fingertips, then I will just say a lot of hurtful things to/about some people that I love. Besides, MIL reads here sometimes so I don't want to get too bitchy...LOL

The Best Blonde Joke EVER!

I love this! I know, I know, this has nothing to do with knitting, but I just had to share! Here it is: The Best Blonde Joke Ever!

Peacock Feathers Shawl

I've been working on it again. It's slow going right now, the last row I worked was 384 stitches across. I am ready to start on row 193 of 250. I wish I could work on it more than I do, this thing requires too much concentration to work on it while all of my kids are awake, so that seriously limits my lace knitting time.

Now, if only I could make someone get married this spring or have some occasion to dress up and wear this shawl to show it off..LOL

FO- Summer Swing Top

This is a birthday present for my niece, Morgan. She will be 1 next month. I love this pattern so much that I have plans on knitting one for DD and another one for my niece Laney, who will turn two in August. For Morgan's Summer Swing Top, I used Caron Simply Soft, it's a great soft yarn for baby projects.

WIP's

Here's a pic of some of my current wip's. the big multicolored thing is a pinwheel baby blanket, the purple is a Summer Swing Top(pattern from freepatterns.com), the small pink is the begining of another lopi tote, and the Grey is my peacock feathers shawl.

I also have a pair of gloves for me and a pair of socks for DH in the works. I might just frog those because I just dont give a rats ass about them anymore.

Turning 1

See that little cutie in my profile pic? That pic was taken when she was around 7 months old......Well, can you believe that she's 1? Her first birthday was on Saturday, February 18th. Happy Birthday Hannah!

Also, last week (on the 15th) was my 1 year knitting anniversary. I had wanted to learn how to knit ever since I was a child, but it looked intimidating. Once I picked up those needles, I felt really foolish for being scared of knitting, I caught on so quickly. I finally took the plunge and got a 'how -to-knit' book when I was pregnant with DD and about to pop, and I really needed something to keep my hands busy during the relentless hours of braxton hicks contractions.

also, in almost 2 weeks, it will be my birthday! I love birthdays! I will be 24 on March 3rd.

Sock Yarn

Here is my small stash of sock yarns. I don't know why, just felt like sharing...lol

River Rapids Socks

While technically this is the 3rd pair of adult socks I've completed, it's the first pair that are for me! I am in love. I adore these socks. I used Sockbug's River Rapids Socks pattern, and The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport in the colorway Bucks Bar. (don't they look great with my jeans...LOL) I love showing off FO's :)

Stitch & Bitch

I'm sure most of you know by now, of the situation with Sew Fast, Sew Easy(SFSE) and Stitch & Bitch. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Here's a list of blogs/sites that explain the whole situation better than I can.

http://www.girlfromauntie.com/journal/index.php
http://www.freetostitchfreetobitch.org
http://www.thoughtbubbles.org/
http://deety.completelyfreehosting.com/ (scroll down)
http://craftster.org/blog/?p=111

On the thread at Craftster.org about this situation, I saw mention that someone wanted to continue the discussion about sfse and their bully tactics in private, in a place where sfse can't read. I took it upon myself to start a private message board group for this purpose. If you are interested in joining, you can email me at anjaknits@gmail.com . I'm sure you will understand that we want to prevent anyone from SFSE getting in and reading. So, as means to try to prevent that, I set the requirements that you have a 2 month posting history on either a knitting blog or knitting message board. When you email me, please include your blog address or the name of the board you post on and your username. I'm sure you understand that I am trying to make this a place where we can all speak our minds, without worry of sfse trying to shut us down. I will get everyone added as quickly as I can.

I love being not afraid to frog.

I was happily 1/2 through the gusset on DH's sock. It was looking a little small, so I decided to try it on my dainty little size 7 foot. Well, It was a struggle to get it over my heel. I took it off, pulled the needles out, and went froggin'. I picked a new pattern and started DH's socks all over again from scratch. Right now, I'm about an inch into the cuff ribbing.

Also, I am now working the foot of sock #2 of the Sock Bug River Rapids socks. Doing a lil' happy dance over here. I hope to have these socks finished in time to wear to a little get-togather I'm going to Thursday evening.

And here is a pic of the purple baby hat I knitted. It's dark purple, using the same yarn as the scarf I just finished. (see scarf HERE.)

I've been addicted to sock yarn lately. I just keep seeing so many beautiful, soft sock yarns in absolutely wonderful colors. In addition to the yarn for the socks I have going, plus the sock yarns mentioned in my last post, I went yarn shopping online this morning. I got some Regia Strato 5740 and 5747 from The Simply Socks Yarn Company, and then I went and bought some Knitpicks Sock Landacape yarn in Yukon. As soon as it all comes in I'll post a pic.

I also have plans to go through and organize my stash a little better sometime this week. I'll take pics of that too. I know I have a bunch of yarn in the 18-gal rubbermaid tote that needs to be wound into a ball, and I have some acrylic in there that I will probably give to a friend who crochets. She doesn't care about fiber content as much as I do.

StashBusters

I've decided that I need to do several Stash busting projects. I made a purple baby hat (pic comming sometime...lol), and I started a Pinwheel baby Blanket. I have a shitload of Sugar & Cream cotton and Lion Brand Cotton. Other than dishcloths I have no clue what to do with it. Most of it is multicolored. I also have a bunch of Knitpicks Wool of the Andes left over from Misc. Projects. I'm thinking of going on a hat making binge and give them away. I also have a small bunch of Sock yarns in my Stash. Lorna's laces, Cherry tree hill, knitpicks (simple stripes, essential(yuck) and palette) I do want to make a bunch of socks, but I'm making myself wait until I finish the socks I currently have going. I have some nicer acrylics in the Stash that I don't know what to do with, and (I hate to admit it) but I also have a few skeins of some crappy red hart acrylic in my stash leftover from before I learned to knit. For some strange, unknown reason when I crochet I don't mind fiber content.

That's just my Stash off the top of my head. I know I have some others in there that I am forgetting.

Current WIP's

This pic has 3 of my 4 current WIP's. The black is what I have so far for sock #1 in the pair I'm making for DH. I am slowly making progress on this, but the size 1 needles are not friends to my hands. I am almost done with the cuff ribbing for glove #2 in the pair I'm knitting for myself. And I am into the first pattern repeat on sock #2 in the pair I'm knitting for me. Those socks are the River Rapids patern from Sock Bug.

My Other WIP is the Peacock Feathers Shawl. Honestly, I haven't picked it up to work on for several days now. I have the desire to finish it, but not the motovation. I'm not sure why, but I just haven't been able to pick it up to finish it. It's frustrating seeing it laying on my desk, But I just can't do anything with it.

Free to Stitch 'n Bitch!!!!

I'm not very good at putting this whole injustice into words. So, I'm plugging a CafePress Shop that can do it better. Support Stitch 'n Bitch and support the Boobies at the same time! Click the link below.

http://www.cafepress.com/saynotosfse

DD's sweater is DONE!

WOOHOO! Another FO! Here are pics of DD wearing the sweater and one of just the sweater laying on the couch. I used the Caron Simply Soft that was left over from the baby blanket I knitted for one of my nieces for Christmas, and some light purple Simply soft that I have laying around. This brings me to 4 WIP's! I have a goal to keep my WIP's at 5 or less, and I'm there baby!

Lookie what DH did!!!

Look! Dh knitted the Urban Necessity Gloves from Magknits! Didn't he do a great job? He's the first person I taught to knit, and as a teacher I'm very proud of him. They look grey in the pic (hello, flash), but they're black. He used Patons Classic Merino Wool. I didn't have a pic here of these gloves, so I had DH take some pics at work and send them to me.

In this pic you can see the socks I knitted for my friend, Sarah. DD was having fun playing with an empty Wendy's bag.


And this dark, not-so-great pic is the scarf I finished last night. I was going to do a drop stitch pattern, but I wasn't happy with it. So I ended up keeping the loop stitch edge and the body of the scarf was done in garter stitch with huge needles. I used size US 19.

WIP's: I'm still working on my Peacock Feathers Shawl. Though, I am finding it extremely difficult to find the motivation to want to work on it. I'm working on glove #2 in the pair I'm knitting for me. I'm still working on my socks, I've done the heel and gusset (sock#1) and I'm now on the foot of the sock. I'm working on Dh's socks, I feel like I knit and knit on these, but get nowhere. Size 1 needles suck. And finally, I have finished the body of the baby sweater and I'm on sleeve #1 now. It looks like it will be too small for Morgan, so This sweater will be going to DD.

FO's, Frogs and New Toys

FO's: I finished the pair of socks I knitted for my best friend. She absolutely loves them. I also finished glove #1 in the pair I'm knitting for myself.

Frogs: I frogged the Fuzzy Feet I was working on and I also frogged the Irish Hiking Scarf. I started really hating them and I knew that I wouldn't actually want to work on them anymore, so they both got frogged.

that brings my WIP's to: my Peacock feathers shawl, my drop stitch scarf, my gloves, socks for me, socks for DH and a sweater that I think I'm going to give to my niece , Morgan, for her birthday. If it ends up too small for Morgan, than I will give it to DD. I'm down to 6 WIP's, and my New Years goal is to get down to 5 and have no more than 5 WIP's going at once.

New Toy: MY BALL WINDER CAME!!! I LOVE it. As soon as I could I wound a few scraps into nice, neat yarn cakes. I am no longer going to avoid buying pretty yarn just because it comes in hanks (I hated winding yarn by hand) Now, I just need to convince DH to buy me a swift for my birthday.

*^$@$^&&*&^#!@!#$&^*(

GRRRR........

Last night I was working on my Peacock Feathers Shawl, and about 1/2 way through the row I realized that I had screwed up. Looking back across the row, I found 3 mistakes. Back towards the beginning of the row. So I had to start un-Knitting this row, it's lace, so there's no way I was just going to frog. I HATE using lifelines. I am at a point with this shawl where this row is 372 stitches across. I was at the halfway point. I got 1/4 of the row un-knitted and got frustrated and gave up for the night. I'll tackle it again after I get the kids into bed tonight.

I have too many WIP's

I know, I always do. I counted them last night, and I have 9 projects going right now. granted, there is one that I'm planning on frogging because I don't like how it's turning out, but that's still a lot of projects. I've been itching to knit the Pinup Queen sweater from Stitch & Bitch, but DH and I made a deal that I need to finish off some of my projects before I will allow myself to buy the yarn for Pinup Queen. I'm also setting a limit for myself. I am going to finish off a bunch of my projects, and after that, I will only allow myself to have up to 5 WIP's going at once.

The projects I have going right now, are:
Peacock feathers Shawl - I am making it my primary project again starting this week, so hopefully I will have it finished before long.
Purple Drop Stitch(ish) scarf - I've got about 2 1/2 feet on this one right now. I really haven't been working on it much since it's been so unseasonably warm here lately.
Best friends Socks - Sarah's socks are almost finished. I need to do about 3 more inches on the foot and then I'll be able to start the toe decreases.
DH's Socks - I hate working on these. I have about 3 1/2 inches of the leg done on sock one. Black fingering weight yarn and size one needles. (ugh)
My Socks - I LOVE working on these, but the size 2 needles wear on my hands quickly. I have about 3 inches of the leg done on sock one.
Mittens for me - I started these last night using some Patons classic merino wool that I had in my stash. I have about 2 inches of the cuff of mitten one done.
Sweater for DD - I started this a few days ago to give myself a break form small needles. I am using some pink and some purple Caron Simply soft that was in my stash and size 7 needles. Not really using a pattern, but it's a raglan sweater.
Fuzzy Feet - I am almost done with foot one, using some Knitpicks Wool of the andes that was in my stash. This is the project that will be frogged. I'm just not happy with it and at the moment, I have no intention of trying again anytime soon. I have however, been toying with the idea of doing the knitting math to figure out how to make these small enough for my nieces (8 yrs, 1 1/2 yrs, 9 mos)
Irish Hiking Scarf - I published this post before adding this to the list. what can I say, it's early and I haven't been sleeping well. I haven't touched this scarf in quite a while. I love how it's turning out though. I'm using dark blue for the ribbing and doing the cables in gray. I only have a few inches done of it, but like I said, it hasn't been touched in quite a while.

SCORE!!!

In my post below, I mentioned that my sister gave me a $25 Gift Card to JoAnns. I have been wanting a ball winder for quite some time now. I was looking around for online coupon codes for JoAnns, and I found a 50% off one. I feel so sneaky, but that 50% off coupon code + $25 Gift card = a ball winder for me, for only $10!! The regular price for the ball winder was $50, so I only had to pay for Shipping and tax. Now, If only I could get a yarn Swift that cheap......Hey, I can dream, can't I?

YAY!!!!!! Christmas is OVER!!!

Ohh, man, I am so glad Christmas is over. I love the Holidays for my kids, but I have to admit, if it weren't for them, I wouldn't put up the decorations, or a tree AT ALL. I try to make it a great day for them. I love seeing how happy they get. But, Dammit, the Holidays are a HUGE PAIN IN MY ASS! I do sincerely hope everyone had a great Christmas, but I'm absolutely sure that I'm not the only one doing a happy dance now that it's over.

Everyone that I gave hand made gifts to, seemed to genuinely love them. One of the best things about being a crafter is seeing the smiles on peoples faces when they recieve their knitted gift. But I have to say, the absolute BEST responce I got was when my BIL opened up a tin of candy that I made for him. He really lit up at seeing all that chocolate! It made my day.



As for what I recieved, I LOVE! My Mom got me a set of Denise Interchangables (plus a few other non crafty things I asked for), my sister got me a gift card to JoAnns, and my best friend gave me a rolling knitting tote.

Laney Blankie & Misc. Crap

I Finished the blanket for my niece, Laney, last night. In the pic, it's hanging over the back of my couch, so it looks a little distorted.

The blanket for my niece, Morgan, is almost finished. I want to do 2 more pattern repeats and then do the top 4 rows in garter stitch and then I'll be able to bind off and finish it.

The pair of socks for my best friend, Sarah, aren't done yet. I'm tempted to be a smartass and give her the finished sock for Christmas, and the second sock on her birthday...lol. Her birthday is January Second, so she wouldn't be waiting long.

I'm supposed to be getting some laundry done, but I can't. I think I broke my washer when I felted my lopi tote. I know the pillowcase came open during the cycle, but it couldn't have been open for more than a minute. The damn washer has been leaking water all over the place ever since. Today, I get to stay home and play with the kids while I wait for the Maintenance Dude to come out to take a look at my washer. And, did you know that when it rains, it pours? The light blew in the bathroom so now we must pee in the dark until I can get a new bulb, and this morning I slipped on a patch of ice while taking a bag of garbage out and I twisted my ankle.

I wonder what else will happen today?

I really should be working on something else

Like, oh, I don't know, maybe MY CHRISTMAS GIFTS? I still have 3 to finish, but thanks to Crazy Aunt Purl , I HAD to start a scarf like hers. I have 2 rows of loop stitch for a funky fringe at the end, and I'm doing the body using drop stitch. I know, I know, I'm a copy cat, a sheep jumping on the CAP bandwagon, but damnit, the hidden high school geek in me wants to be in the IN crowd. Is that so bad? LMAO The pic is what I have done so far this morning. I'm using some leftover TLC Amore (leftovers from my crocheted shawl) and size US 9 circs.

I forgot to mention, I'm doing a variation of drop stitch for this scarf. I'm only going to do a knit row every 10 inches, instead of after every row as in typical drop stitch. I'm going for a funky look.

I felted it

it's blocking now, but I'm done with the lopi tote! Except it's not really a lopi tote, as I didn't use lopi to make it with. I used Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Bulky in the color Wild Violet. And, yes, it is sitting on a (clean) cloth diaper in the pic. It's still wet and I took it off it's drying hook for the pic, but I didn't want the fabric on my ottoman to get wet. I have it stuffed full with plastic grocery bags until it's done.

Christmas FO's

Well, here's a pic of the Christmas Gifts I have finished so far. The red bag in the back is a Sophie bag for my sister, Dawn. The Blue one is for my sister Jammie, the dishcloths are for my aunt (I didn't realize until I inserted the pic that the round one is showing the wrong side) , the pink & white is a scarf and hat set for my niece Justice, the larger socks are for my mom, and the small socks are for DD. I'm not knitting any presents for my 2 sons, they already (just) got their Christmas present, they got new Bunk Beds.

I also have a very cute story to share. My Niece, Laney, is about 1 1/2 yrs old. She was looking out the window the other day, all excited by the snow, and she was yelling "BUBBLES!!!! BUBBLES!!!" (calling snow bubbles) So, now along with the afghan I'm crocheting for her, I'm going to put a bottle of bubbles in the box, too.

Back to our regularly scheduled knitting madness....

since I no longer have a deadline for my peacock feathers shawl , I have returned to Christmas knitting. I'll apologize now for the dark pictures.

First up, we have the blanket I'm crocheting for my niece Laney. It's just about 1/2 done, and since I'm crocheting it, it'll be really quick to finish.

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Here we have a bag I've knitted for me. I used the Lopi Tote pattern and Lambs Pride Bulky in Wild Violet. I still need to felt it, but I'm already in love.

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And, Finally here we have what I have knitted so far for the baby blanket I'm knitting for my niece, Morgan. It's just over 3/4 finished.

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I didn't take a picture of it, but I'm about 2 inches into sock 2 in the pair I'm knitting for my best friends Christmas present.
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And what do I have finished and ready to go?

1. Hat & Scarf Set for my niece Justice
2. Sophie bag for my sister Dawn
3. Sophie bag for my sister Jammie
4. Socks for my mom
5. Six knitted dishcloths for my aunt
6. Socks for DD

I couldn't do it

But at least I can say I gave it a valiant effort. Last night, I finally let it sink in that I would not be able to finish my shawl in time for tonight's party. Out of 250 rows, I have 184 completed. Oh well, this just means I can do some last minute shopping this afternoon and buy a wrap.

Two weeks...

I've been working on the Shawl for two weeks now. I have 152 rows finished! That means that I have only 98 left to do! I think I really can finish this in time. It was difficult to get a decent pic of what I have so far, because I have it scrunched up, working on a Circ & I had to stretch it out so you could see the pattern. I had to have my 6 year old help hold it for the pic again.