What do you think?

In the last couple of days I've been spinning some yarn out of the roving that I got from MDSW '08. Remember this?



It has now become this.



It's very bumpy and I'm not sure how it will knit up. Spinning is not just like riding a bicycle, but rather has a bit of a learning curve every time. Hopefully it will knit up fine in all it's handspun unique-ness.

DS#1 seems to think that it would make good dredlocks.



What do you think?

Blogversary

I totally missed my blogversary which was (wait while I do the math. 366 because it was leap year - 353 = 13)

13 days ago.

I've been writing a blog for four years and this was my first knitted item to make the blog.



Thanks for hanging in with me!

Sunday's Knit for Others

Oh, look, it's a hat!




How unusual.

There's is, however, something usual about this picture. Any guesses?

Again with the hats

I decided to spend my Knitting for Others time this week on a hat. Surprised?

It's a good way to use up oddballs of yarn, and that was my goal for the day. However, it seems like a little toddler hat shouldn't have so many ends.



Then, I didn't stop until today, when I realized that I had made three.



The oddball stash has been depleted and the hat stash has grown.

Forcing myself to move on.....

I finally started the Cobblestone pullover that I've been planning. I started spinning the yarn a year ago and finally got up enough courage to start the knitting. I quickly found out that the yarn is a bulky weight and not a worsted, which is what I hoped for.

I've started the pattern over twice now, each time going up a needle size and going down on the number of stitches. I started out using a smaller amount of stitches than the smallest size and then went down some more.

The result is still quite a lot bigger than a form fitting sweater,



But just a bit smaller than my heavy, use-as-a-coat, hoodie.



Since it's still hurting my hands, I'll size down the stitches and size up the needles once again. Maybe this time will be a keeper.

Hats

Finally, I have finished a couple, or three, projects that have been laying around. (Or have they been "lying" around? I'm gonna go with the laying. Anyway, they're not sleeping but just taking up space.)

These two hats were knitted on the Miami trip, in the airplane and at the hotel. However, I had that pesky finishing to do so there they sat.



Then, DS watched U of Miami play in a bowl game so I kept him company and knit an orange and green hat for old times sake. (He claims we were watching the Emerald Nuts Bowl, while I think it was the Frost Bowl. He claims there wasn't such a thing. Who to believe? Someone who was actually watching the game and routing for his alma mater? Or someone just sitting in the room but knitting with the team colors? You be the judge.)



Anyway, this attempt at fair isle turned out pretty well, for me. The same pattern was followed for all three hats. I used size 9 needles and Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride yarn. I tried to hold a color in each hand while fair isle-ing, but when my hands cramped up I switched back to both yarn in the left. I think the best hint I followed was to knit the hat inside out so as to have not-as-tight floats. It seems to have worked well and is a nice warm hat. (They all go into my charity stash and I did the finishing on last Sunday so I covered the "Knit for Others" for the week.) (... I just shouted, "I'm not done!" as I walked away from the computer to find my pattern... These pesky kids.....)
Pattern is Thorpe which lists both the plain and fairisle versions.

And here's a quick look at my new shoes. They're Sketchers (I had to specifically ask DD#1 if they were okay for me--I don't want to look like a teenage-wannabe. She approved them.).



Their main purpose? To show off my socks.

(Okay! Your turn for the computer!)

First FO of 2009

Here's my first FO of 2009. It's a camera bag for DD#2's new camera that, if you can see around the blinding reflection, is blue.



So, she chose a blue themed sock yarn to make a matching camera bag. (For me to make, not for her to make. I'll talk her into sock yarn one of these days, but so far she's avoided it.)

The yarn is Trekking XXL, leftover from a pair of socks using size 1 needles and knitted on 44 sts (20 down each side and 4 on each end. Wait. That's 48 sts. Okay, I can't count. Moving on.)



That's it for now. (I have a couple of finishings to do and then it will look like more. They were mostly done in 2008 but if they're finished in 2009 then they count for 2009.)(Because I said so.)(Which somehow reminded me that school starts back tomorrow and we all get back into a normal routine. Which is good. Except for waking up crazy early. Which is bad.)

Calendars

Out with the old. (But not totally out. I'll be saving this and doing more patterns as time goes by.)



In with the new. (But not before today. The shrink wrap actually came off today. When I was allowed.)



Happy New Year!

2008 roundup

Here's where my monthly roundups come in handy. I was able to look back and add up all that I've knitted this year. Here's my list:

6 pairs of adult socks
3 scarves
4 pairs of baby booties
2 shrug
1 shawl
2 baby afghans
3 adult sweaters
11 dishcloths
1 camera bag
1 pair of mittens
a bunch of chair socks
1 hat

I also made a bunch of toddler stuff for charity:
15 pairs of socks
3 vests
8 sweaters
9 pairs of mittens
9 hats


My trend is to make lots of smaller stuff and not as much larger stuff. I don't see that changing in '09, either (blame my short attention span.) However, I'm tossing around the idea of making an afghan for me, which definitely won't be small.

My goals for '09:

1. I'm going to try steeking. (I'm already feeling the anxiety). I might do a teddy bear sized sweater to attempt the steeking without having to do all the fair isle knitting that a larger sweater would require.

2. I will finish that sweater made with my handspun yarn. (after I start it, of course.)

3. I will knit enough from my stash that my yarn will fit in the four bins that I have. (Rather than in the four bins plus those bags over there. Oh, yeah, and that bag over there.... It's not like I have 20 bins worth, or anything, so I should be able to achieve this goal.)(Wait, I only have 3 bins. One is for roving.)(Does that mean that I can now buy another bin?)

4. I will try to knit for others at least once a week, aiming for Sundays (but it's okay if it's another day.)

That's good enough.

Happy New Year!

December roundup

Here it is, the last day of December. My, how time flies.

I didn't go overboard on knitted Christmas gifts, and they were done ten days early. And I didn't add any on at the last minute. These are the socks that I haven't shown to you yet, for my friend with the tiny feet!



Patons Kroy yarn, size 1 needles(which worked much better than 2s). Basic pattern, but with a short row heel and a star toe.

I'm making an attempt to set aside Sundays to do some charity knitting, and as a result I did four hats and a vest. (If I wanted to go now and hide some ends, I'd have a couple more hats. Instead, I'll put them on next year's count so it looks like I've been knitting really quickly in '09.)

A pair of moc-a-socs for a niece to be born in March.

Three dishcloths.




Also, I've worn out (and thrown away) the first dishcloth that I've made for me (and used).

A pair of Kroy socks for me! (And a partridge in a pear tree).

Opportunity was there, knitting was missing

I had two appointments today: the eye doctor and the dentist.

Last Tuesday I managed to poke myself in the eye and lose my contact. It's taken until now to get an appt. and then will take another week for the contacts to arrive. In the meantime I've been wearing my regular glasses. Uggh. Sometimes I double layer them with my reading glasses, and sometimes I double layer them with my sunglasses. Sometime I have my glasses on my nose and my reading glasses on the top of my head. It's an attractive look. Especially when I'm at work.

I went straight from the eye doctor to the dentist. I was informed that the dentist was running 45 min. to an hour late and I could reschedule if I chose. Forget it! It's way more trouble to reschedule the appt. (and then remember to go) than to just sit there for another hour.

Which I did.

Except....

I managed to forget my knitting at home.

Both places had uninteresting magazines from at least six months ago. One place had a Time magazine that I read the last time I was there.

(The last time I was at the dentist's, I was told I'm grinding my teeth. I totally denied that I was doing that. However, in the next few days I've discovered that in fact, I am. Not while sleeping. Not while under stress. But, I find myself singing a song in my head and grinding my teeth in rhythm. Seriously? How weird is that? Is this just another way I've found to fidget--this time with my teeth? Is this what happens when I don't have my knitting around?)

Two things this has taught me:
1. Knitting will save my sanity and my teeth!
2. Always keep some spare knitting in the car!

And how was your day?

Who?

Nov. 17:

Remember this? This was a Christmas present for my brother.

It unrolls to something very long.

15 feet, to be exact.

Did anyone guess that it was a Doctor Who scarf? Doctor Who is a British science fiction series that has been going on for at least 18 seasons. There are different versions of the scarf that the Doctor wears, but this is from season 12.

I followed along on the pattern, trying to buy the correct colors (almost everything is Vanna's Choice yarn. See my Ravelry entry for more details.) This was started on Oct. 21 and finished on Nov. 17. Not too bad!

However, I made one really big mistake. The pattern calls for doing the colors by the number of ROWS, and somehow I read that to be the number of RIDGES. I was sure I was right, but somehow I was wrong. Anyway, this meant that the stripes are each TWICE AS LONG as they were supposed to be.

When it's 15 feet long, there's no such thing as a do-over!

Dec. 26:

My brother almost guessed what this was. First, it was a "hmm....I wonder what this is.....", then he rolled it out and put it on. He thought it reminded him of a scarf that Doctor Who wears. That's guessing very well after not having any idea of what it was! (I won't hold my breath that he wears it, but it might be handy in a snowstorm!)

Our recent trip

This will be mostly a non-knitting blog post, as I catch ya'll up on what I've been doing.

First, work. At a retail store. During December and before Christmas. When several people have either quit or been let go. 'Nuf said?

Next, we took a trip to Miami.

Our main stop was here:



To see this:



If you look closely, you can see DS#1 on the big screen, shaking hands with Donna Shalala, the president of UM, congratulating him on his GRADUATION!



Phew!

Even though he has that professional baseball career, he still has a slightly panicked, "gee, what's next in life" look to his eyes. Plus the whole "I'm glad finals are finally over so I can catch up on sleep" look around the edges.

How many campuses have palm trees growing? (Probably a lot in the south, but it's new to me.)





While in Florida, we decided to take a trip to Key West. Here we are at the buoy that designates the southernmost point of the continental U.S. (Take a close look-- DD#1 and DH are in this picture--they don't show up very often as one is camera shy and the other is never home.)



We went to Mile 0 of route 1, which starts the highway which goes up to Canada, I believe. (Not completely sure, but I think so.)



We spent some time at the beach where DH took some cool photos. Here's one:



The weather was overcast and breezy for most of the time. However, it still didn't seem like mid-December. It just didn't seem right looking at Christmas decorations while we had flip flops on. It was a shock to arrive back home in 30 degree weather, with the temperature in the teens this morning. It is Christmas time, after all.

(I guess it's a totally non-knitting post. I'll save the knitting photos, such as they are, for the next one.)

Announcement

Just a brief Announcement (with a capital "A").

The knitted Christmas presents are done.

You may go back to your normal activities now (and I'll try not to add any last minute items.)

Continue on.

Kntting for others: Two hats

In effort to continue my "Sunday knitting for others" for more than one week, I worked on a hat yesterday. And started another. And finished it today.



I'm using up my White Buffalo stash (yarn brand, not fiber). Both hats are 48 sts, 3x3 ribbing, knit until it has a big cuff, decrease using smaller needles (Note to self: Must buy larger dpns).

There is only one wheel of teal White Buffalo left, so I think I'm going to leave that alone and start something else.

Hmmm...what to knit, what to knit.

Birthday Spoils

Just thought you'd like a peak at what I got for my birthday this year from the people that know me the best.



An expresso machine and some chocolate (yes, I haven't eaten it yet. Maybe tonight. I have to plan these things out.) It's taken me two days to take the picture since the expresso machine always needs to be cleaned. I'm getting good use out of it already.

Also, the new 2009 page-per-day calendar from the Yarn Harlot. (I haven't opened that either. I've been good. And DD#2 has been guarding it since she thinks I should read it one day at a time like it's designed. We'll see. She has to go to bed sometime.)

I also received 3 more penguins for my penguin collection. We've named them Happy, Confused, and Slim.



DH and I both happened to have the day off so we went to the mall in an attempt to go Christmas shopping. We didn't get much accomplished but we did have a nice lunch. And we made it back home in time for the school buses. The kids made me cake and we got takeout for supper. The evening was spent knitting and watching TV. Ahhh....what a nice day.

And here's a Shout Out to my twin cousin--Happy Happy Birthday!

Knitting for others

I've been tossing around an idea of making Sundays in 2009 a day of knitting for others. I tend to do a reasonable amount of charity knitting anyway, but I thought it would be interesting to concentrate on doing it on a specific day each week.

So, I decided to try it out last week. I spun a bit more homespun to finish the hat, so last Sunday it was spun, washed, and dried and I finished this hat.



52 sts, size 9 needles. 1x1 rib, just enough homespun to finish it.

The problem I had, though, is stopping.

I then cast on for this hat:



White Buffalo 3 ply unspun brown mixed with rust sock weight. 48 sts, 1x1 rib, size 11 needles.

And then, there's the vest (this was not done all on Sunday. The vest was just finished today).



White Buffalo 3 ply unspun brown mixed with white handspun (not mine). Normal "What's in my pocket" vest pattern, size 4 (that looks much larger), size 11 needles.

Not that it's a problem continuing my charity knitting throughout the week (I already have tomorrow's charity knitting picked out). It's just I can't seem to stop.

Anyone want to join me in 2009?

You Nork Mets

Look what came in the mail:



Sock yarn from Knitivity. The color is called You Nork Mets. How cool is that?

I wasted no time in winding it into a center pull ball.



The next day, I knitted it up.

Usually when I buy a skein of yarn, I buy it with a pair of socks in mind. After the socks are knitted, I have leftover yardage that I use here and there as the mood hits.

This time, I used the leftover bits first.




Little baby booties with Mets socks attached.

Pattern: Baby Moc-a-Soc from Bekah Knits, following the pattern as written. I had the Moc part already made up in Baby Ull so when I was ready to make the Soc part, it was a quick knit.

This is going to the soon-to-be newest Mets fan (aka nephew due in March).

Now....what to do with the rest of the yarn?

Earlier this week....

Being only three weeks before Christmas, I had many plans for today. Instead,

I did nothing, nothing, nothing
I did nothing all day long
I did absolutely nothing
How do you like my nothing song.

Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse

Oh, I did nothing, nothing, nothing...

I woke up with a headache and drank two cups of coffee. That didn't help, so then I took two Tylenol. That didn't help either. If I could've backed it up I would've taken Excedrin first, but with two cups of coffee already in my system I didn't want to add the equivalent of two more. So....I waited the four hours and then took Excedrin and now feel back in the land of the living.

In the meantime, I managed to knit about four rows, take two short naps, and do a bit of reading. Sigh. I had plans for today.

Earlier in the week, though, I was more productive.

I finished the toe of my second sock. Not wanting to make the error of cutting the yarn too soon, I let it marinate overnight.



The next day, I tried it on and decided it was the same length as the other (I had counted the rows already, but I still was apprehensive). I then cut the yarn, weaved in the ends, and wore them to work.



I used a generic sock pattern using Kroy sock yarn with 56 sts on size 2 needles. If I did them again, I would switch down to size 1 needles since the resulting fabric feels a bit loose.

I say generic, but I actually switched it up a tiny bit, this time doing a short row heel (I'm beginning to get the hang of these) and a star toe. I'm excited on having a new pair of socks to wear.

Happy Early Christmas to me!

November Roundup

Here's my monthly roundup--late as usual (but you didn't expect otherwise, did you?)

I finished the Spring Forward socks and the VeryBig project which are Christmas presents.

Applause please! Two Christmas presents were done in November! Plus, I took final pictures of VeryBig and wrote the blog entry, so if I can remember to post it after Christmas you can see what I actually made.

DD#2 made several scarves and some braided lasagna, but we won't talk about her.... much....

I mailed a box that contained 6 larger pairs of socks, 8 pairs of toddler socks, and two toddler sweaters to Mittens_for_Akkol that should be on their way to Kazakhstan right now.

Oh, wait, I also finished the Wedge scarf which was also a Christmas present.

Even more applause, please!

There's at least one more present to go--I can't be done in November, now can I?

The race

DD#2 and I had a race today. I lost.

All I was doing was finishing the toe on sock #1. This time it fits. I've tried it on at this stage before I've cut the yarn.

DD managed to not only knit this entire scarf, but she hid the ends.



And not only that, but since the last time I blogged (which was just yesterday), she's made two scarves!



And for an added display, here is her scarf collection. I've knitted several of them, but she's definitely knitted a lot, especially this weekend.



They will keep her neck warm for many days.

(Note to self: Must knit faster.)

Craftiness

I've been knitting and knitting. I've finished my first sock. Feeling all happy, I tried it on.

Too short.

I've made about a bazillion socks, including about 10 pairs for me. How can I mess up that badly? I used to finish the toe but not cut the yarn in case it was too short or too long. Confidence got me this time, though. I cut the yarn and even hid the end. Sigh.

Since I have nothing to show you, I thought I'd show a couple of finished objects from DD#2.

This is her glow-in-the-dark scarf which actually got finished yesterday. It took a total of 24 hours to make (with the necessary bathroom breaks. And naps. And snacks.) It's really cool 'cause it really really glows. What fun for the morning bus ride, huh? (Yes, it is completely dark at that time.)



In an unrelated craft (although it falls into the category of playing with anything nearby), she decided to braid a piece of lasagna.



She's becoming more and more like me each day. I remember sitting at the dining room table and my parents periodically removing everything within my reach. The candle (what fun to get wax on your finger then peel it off as it dries), the salt and pepper shakers, my knife and fork. This was interchanged with "put the chair on all four legs".

Also, she's already cast on for another scarf. (Shhh.....don't tell. I think she's becoming a knitter.)

Day of many knitted objects

Today was the day of many knitted objects. First, I finished the Spring Forward socks. This was done while still watching the morning's parades.



It's hard to get a good picture of this pattern, but trust me that it's easy. Done on size 1 needles, 60 sts, yarn from Ellen's 1/2 pint farm. There is actually some mauve in the colorway even though it looks all grey and white.



We ate Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant--which I'm truly thankful for. (I'll probably go back to cooking again next year, but this made for a nice change. And no dishes to wash!)

Then, there was more TV and more knitting. This is a hat with my handspun, very lumpy, yarn. I ran out of yarn so will have to spin some more to finish it.



And.... since I ran out of yarn on the hat, I started a pair of socks. This time they're just plain vanilla. The kind I like the best.




I wasn't the only one knitting.

DD#2 finished up a scarf that she was making. (She started this last week, so it moved along very quickly.)



Then, she cast on for another one. This one is using glow-in-the-dark yarn. It's hard to photograph when it's glowing since the flash just goes off and the scarf shows up. I'll have to give that as a project for my DH to photograph.




If you're in the US, Happy Thanksgiving. If you're not, then Happy Thursday. If you're like my dad and are on the way to Australia (Or live there), Happy Friday!