I was getting my behind kicked by this pattern of Nora Gaughan's from Knitting Nature and feel like a bucket-head because it was my fault. When I wrote out the pattern I must have made a mistake. I couldn't figure out the line [(k1,yo 4 times,k1)] into next stitch to make 9 stitches. See, that makes sense....but when you leave out the INTO next stitch it makes everything all discombobulated. Eeesssccchhh. What a mor-roon. So I went to Barnes and Noble tonight and looked it up in the book (I could have just looked at the printed pattern but that would have been too easy) and found out my mistake. And got to pick up the new Vogue knitting and the new Knitters. And got some Harney's Holiday tea that was half price. Yum.That should keep be busy for the holiday weekend. Nothing to do but knit and watch some videos. Maybe I can get the hat knitted. We shall see.

Well, I hope everyone had a nice Christmas. Ours was spent eating, watching movies, more eating ('cause you have to keep up your strength to watch movies), more movies, more eating. And of course there was knitting. On the second front panel of the cardi/sweater and looks good. The movies we watched you ask? "The Family Stone" (a Christmas present for mom from A.), "10 Things I Hate About You"--Heath Ledger...need I say more? and "The Breakfast Club" 'cause it's a classic movie. Just a note to say hi to anyone and have a great week.

Here is the sweater that I made for Ad.I haven't heard if it fits or not, but I'm sure it does.

I just finished the back of A's sweater. It knits up very fast and quite pretty if I do say so myself.

Rain, rain, and more rain here. I'm really not complaining (too much) 'cause it could be snow. At least it is still warm out. Until Christmas anyway. I kind of feel like some winter weather. Maybe not snow but some colder, grayer weather. So far it's doing mostly that. So enjoy the picture and I'll be back soon.

Tonight was the last art night until after the new year. Which is too bad because we really had a good time tonight. It will be interesting to skip these next two times but it will give me a chance to get more inspired. Sherri made all of us the most beautiful earrings personalized with each one's hobby. Mine had a knitting charm on them and are a beautiful fall color. The others were in their favorite colors and had charms on them. A wonderful surprise.
Working on A.'s sweater--the Danbury sweater from Lion Brand website. The color is burgandy and is nice and bulky looking. It is knitting up pretty fast and I am already decreasing for the armholes on the back.

Everyone happy dance with me!! Ad.'s sweater is finished. Yes, you read that right, the sweater is finished. I am so pleased and it looks pretty good. So I am sitting here with my Christmas Starbuck's mug filled with Harney's White Christmas tea (yummy times two) having a pat on the back. Yay! for me.

Finally! I have triumphed over Ad.'s sweater...or the nemesis as I've been calling it. I finished a sleeve last night and just have the other to do and then the neck and done. Also finishing the cardi/coat. Turned out that I messed that one up as well. I went to sew the shoulder seams together and it seems that I made both fronts the same instead of a left and a right. What a gormster. But I have mastered the hat pattern and am about half finished with that. I also started on A.'s big ole sweater and got yarn for another one of the hats that I made her. It was the Rebel, rebel hat from Lion Brand Just Hats. It is a one skein hat and knits up really fast and is v. cute. It is in the Wool Ease Chunky and the color is Walnut which is v. pretty. I think she will really like that. I am going to make it a little longer and try and figure out how to make the "pigtails" a little heavier.
I found the best handcream--Williams- Sonoma's Spiced Chestnut hand lotion. Very good and smells ever so good. And the smell lingers throughout the day which is v. nice.

This is a picture of the niece's sweater that I made last summer. The blue border is crocheted on afterwards. (Notice the Starbuck's table it is posing on...Hi 'bucks).
Have you ever had one of those knitting days where nothing goes right? Seems like today was that day for me. I FINALLY finished the front on Ad.'s sweater....I think it's right but the good thing is that you can't tell if it's wrong so that works for me. I asked Jill to look at it and she couldn't see anything so finished it is. Just have to do the sleeves but didn't want to look at it anymore tonight. So I started on my Scalloped hat pattern with the Noro but after I ripped it out for the third time I gave up on that. I kept knitting the pattern incorrectly or ended up with too few stitches. I was going to seam together my coat/cardigan and pick up stitches for the hat but I was afraid I'd do irrevocable damage so I just put everything away and enjoyed the rest of "art" night.
It's freezing out tonight..19* and windy...brrrr! My scarf, hat and mitten set came in very handy and they are very warm. But I am glad to be home in my flannel jammies and drinking a cup of Harney's White Christmas. Yum! One of the best teas.

Okay. The headache is finally gone and knitting has commenced. Actually the headache was gone by Thursday but I was so annoyed that 1. all the NBC Thursday night shows were overridden by the stupid Bengals game and 2. I totally, totally messed up Ad.'s sweater. I am knitting "The Natural" from Family Circle's Easy (haha) Plus-Size (not) Knits. It is the first charted pattern that I have done and finished the back with no problem. Now I am to the part on the front where I start binding off for the neck split. Thought I had it all worked out but after I did all the decreases and bind-offs it turns out that I am off in my count somewhere and the pattern is off. GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!! So I ripped it out and have made at least 8 pattern charts and will just have to go one little stitch at a time. I HATE MATH! I got sucked into knitting before realizing how much math there is to it. Stupid, stupid counting.
On the positive side I am almost finished with the cardigan/coat for myself. Last sleeve and then the hood and finishing work. Also did a hat last night out of some Lion Brand Wool Ease Think and Quick that I had lying around. A cute basketweave pattern and knit up in under 2 hours. Doing a scarf to match and then the fun one. Went to the lys and bought a skein of Noro Silk Garden for the Striped and Scalloped Hat from 1 Skein Wonders-1o1 yarn shop favorites. It's a pretty pink/purple colorway and can't wait to see it knitted. Also bought a skein of Twize-100% Bamboo by SWTC in the color "twurple". I am going to make some kind of scarf out of it. Since the weather has gotten so cold...from 64* to under 30*...what is that all about? I figured I could use a few scarves. And hats. I cut my hair today so it is all hat ready and don't have to worry about pulling it out of the ponytail and having some wicked, nasty hat hair. Then by the time it is spring it will be long enough to "scrape" back into the ponytail.

I will post something in the next day or so...have one of those vile, pounding headaches. New yarn to report so check in again.

Well, I never recovered my favorites...what a crock! But I did remember more than I thought I would so it isn't the end of the world, although it did feel like it at the time. I have been moving right along on Ad.'s sweater, finally. It seems like it is taking forever and I suppose that it really is since I am a little unsure of what to do. I think I have worked out the pattern so maybe I can finish it this week. I hope so because I am sick of working on it. I want to start on A.'s big ole sweater.
I have finished a scarf, hat and 1 mitten for myself out of a lovely, soft bulky weight. I decided that I might as well have a set. It is just some Hobby Lobby acrylic yarn called Illusions but it looks nice.

This is a sweater that I made for myself last year. It's actually one of the first bigger projects that I attempted and it's a nice coat-style cardigan. I posted it to the Knit1 magazine gallery and won a go pouch that I use for my sock knitting. I call this the "Big Orange".

SON OF A MOTHERLESS GOAT!!! The other day I had to uninstall and then reinstall AOL due to a corrupted file or some such crud. Everything worked out great except the fact that ALL of my favorites are gone. Poof, disappeared, nada, nothing!! I know I had over 75 of them, from cross stitch to knitting sites and lots and lots of blogs. Some of them I've found and others I guess I will have to stumble over them. All the other screen names have the favorites with no problem...but noooooooooooooo, couldn't be the one name with just a few. So. I'm disgusted and will write more later.

Having fun making hats and scarves this week. I am finishing a hat from Lion Brand Just Hats--the Rebel Rebel. It's in WoolEase chunky in Spice and knits up really fast. I really like making cables although I can't imagine making them without a cable needle. I am still slogging along on the on the hooded coat and on Ad.'s sweater and sooner or later I will finish at least one of them. I am on the sleeves of the hooded coat so it won't be long now.

Woo hoo!! I am finally able to add pictures. Even though I don't have a digital camera and will have to have A. take photos for me at least I can add some here. This is the zigzag sweater that I made last year for Ad. I was quite pleased with how it turned out even though he wanted ribbing on it. I certainly wish that he would have told me that before I made this one. Still think it looks good though.

Sweaters have gone by the wayside lately.... scarves, slippers, and mit-ens abound. I just finished a scarf for A. Used Lion Brand Suede prints on size 13 needles in a dropped stitch pattern. Knit 2 rows and then *k1,yo across row, drop stitches on next. Turned out beautifully and so soft. Also made a pair of slippers for K. and am working on the second mitten. Also finished my scarf. I need to get working on Ad.'s sweater so that can be done. I spent time this weekend knitting and watching a dvd of "Frontier House".

Went to the lys the other day to get the Tahki Charles accessory pattern book that just came out. Quite a few things in there that I want to have. And some yummy yarn for a scarf for A. that turned out beautifully. It is Classic Elite Yarns Desert in pink, browns, golds. I knit 4 rows and then 2 rows of dropped stitches. The colors even matched when I added the second ball. A nice patterning yarn. I think A. will really like it. I am tired of making hats though. Now we are on slippers for K. And mit-tens...notice the enunciation there! I must finish my first sock one of these days. So I can start on the second. And then a pair for A.

I haven't posted anything this week because I haven't really gotten much done this week. I did finally finish A's big crocheted afghan...I am glad because it was getting so large I couldn't even handle it anymore. I am working on Ad.'s sweater and it's moving along. But the thing that I would like to have is the new pattern book by Tahki-Charles, the accesory issue. I love the twisty hat that is on the cover. I am knitting the hat from Knitting Nature by Nora Gaughan and also the spiral scarf but haven't started on them yet.

I went to pick up my package from Patternworks at the post office the other day...the thrill of the package...the anticipation of opening it even though I know what's in it...oh I am excited!! So I rip open the package (in a nice, lady-like way of course) and the two patterns are great but, what's this? The needles are the WRONG size. They are supposed to be size 13 dpn's but they were 7's. Ummm, no. I repacked them and sent them back for an exchange and they were quite nice on the phone but at least I don't need them yet.
Luckily the order from Herrschnerr's was right. I ordered yarn from the catalog 'cause they were having a great sale and A. and I wanted bulky yarn for the big cardigan that is on the Lion Brand website. I ordered Bernat Softee Chunky in Burgandy for A. and Denim for me. It came to about half-price for each, which is a much better deal because it would have been over $70.00 each. And some cool Hot Socks yarn in tropical colorway for A. I am still working on my pair so it will be awhile before she gets hers. But then they will be great.

Started and finished a hat for K. last night and made my first pompom. Which turned out cute if I do say so myself. Haven't really done much today but missed my box from Patternworks...boo! Don't they know that I WANT my stuff??? Granted, it's only a set of dpn's and 2 patterns but still. It's mine and I want it. I suppose I'll get it tomorrow.

Well. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold so I can wear one of my sweaters. I would really like to knit the sweater from Lion Brand that is the knitted version of the loomed one. It looks like it would make a really great coat and warm. A. wants one too. I found similar weight yarn that is less than half the price so maybe I'll order some. I'm still working on the "Kermit Gump" cardigan and have also started on Ad.'s sweater. I was trying to figure out how to do increases while maintaining a pattern and I think I've figured it out. When I did sleeves the pattern always came out "wonky". This will be my first time following a chart as well so I wasn't too sure about myself. Even though I don't have any problem with cross stitch charts. I'm pretty sure that it won't be too bad. We shall see.

I finished my short-sleeved sweater. I haven't tried it on yet but it went together pretty well. I will wear it to art night since everyone has been watching me knit on it for awhile. I cast on for Ad.'s sweater. It is in WoolEase grey and kind of a checkerboard pattern. I am also working on the hooded jacket and I'm about half-way through the back.
Still slogging along on the celtic poncho...half the triangles are done ...half more to go. I might get it done this winter if I start making triangles every day. We shall see.

I tried to post the other day and got knocked off line by the phone. So I will try it again. I finished Katie's sweater and it looks great. I hope she likes it. I am almost finished with my short-sleeved sweater--just one more sleeve and I can put it together and pick up the neck. And I didn't have any size 8 needles (what's that about?) so I couldn't work on the neck anyway. But I ordered some of the KnitPicks' Options needles and they just came today. Woohoo! I am going to try and finish it this weekend because it will be the perfect weather to wear it next week. I was going to start on my cardigan with the beautiful fall colored yarn but could not get the gauge to work. So I scrapped that pattern and found another. But I needed ...guess....that's right .... size 8 needles. So I am making a hooded car coat from the Cast-On magazine. It is done with Bernat boucle bulky in a pretty forest green. I call it "Kermit Gump".

It's finally fall here. Cold, wet, windy and generally gross. On the upside-I finished Katie's sweater today. I just have to attach the sleeves and seam up the sides. I am also about half finished with my Edgar scarf as well. Since it is going to be a nasty weekend I am going to knit, knit, knit. I would like to finish crocheting A.'s afghan since it is cool enough to work on it now. It is so big that it has to be thrown over me to work on it. So maybe I can do it...it is done with size Q hook so it goes pretty fast. I'll update as I finish.

So. Here's the funny thing. I couldn't post anything on here because I had sliced open my middle finger on my left hand the other day. Yesterday I got a new knife and sliced the other middle finger on my right hand. Hahaha. Not really too funny but the left one is healing nicely. At least I can now knit...although the bandaids make it kind of tricky.
I am on the second sleeve of Katie's sweater and the end is in sight. I did bring down the Noro to cast on for the Edgar scarf but so far have resisted the urge. Maybe tomorrow. It is supposed to rain all day so I can knit for awhile and then knit at art night too. We exchange our Atc's and bookmark swaps tomorrow night so that should be fun.

I will be posting in a few days as I sliced my finger with a serrated knife today....OOOOWWWWWWWW! So until it is a little less sore I won't be typing or knitting. See ya soon.

***You Are Grape***
You are bold and a true individual. You are very different and very okay with that.People know you as a straight shooter. You're very honest, even when the truth hurts.You are also very grounded and practical. No one is going to sneak anything by you.People enjoy your fresh approach to life. And it's this honesty that makes you a very innovative person.
What Color Purple Are You?http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorpurpleareyouquiz/ Interesting. I never really thought of myself as grape but there ya go.

I finally finished A.'s shawl and it turned out beautifully. The only thing we didn't care for was that it could have been longer to wrap around. But other than that it was great. And I am glad to have it finished because it was getting heavy to work on the longer it got. Now onto finishing my sweater.

Art night quote: " I bet it wouldn't go through customs" Deb.
Got a bit of knitting done this weekend. The back of Katie's sweater is done and halfway through the front. Almost at the decreasing point of my short-sleeved sweater and I did finish the "lap-ghan" that I was crocheting. Didn't take too long to do since I used the size S hook (just like crocheting with a fireplace poker). Started on one for m. in Cape Cod blue and maroon. THis one will take as long as A.'s big one since she wants it to be big. Maybe it will be cooler soon so I can have it in my lap to work on it.
Went to one of the parks yesterday to see raptors and then went to lunch. It was good but it was the deep-fried OREOS that were the bomb!! There was a restaurant in the food court that was called "Carnival Foods" and that's what they sell. A. absolutely had to have them ( I may have encouraged her just a "little" bit) but she could have skipped the gyro and just had oreos. I don't really blame her....they were bits of deep fried love.
Also went to the lys as they were having a sale. It would've been unpatriotic not to go and buy something as they were celebrating one year in business. I bought a couple of skeins of half-price yarn for a hat for me and a skein of Noro to make the Edgar scarf from Knitty.com. I already had one but I wanted a longer scarf. I will have to look at what kind of yarn I bought 'cause it was Sunday and shame on me, I cannot remember what kind. Geesh.

What was said at art night: "I can only fit her head on it." Amanda

A very rainy forecast for the weekend. It's a holiday...you have to imagine the song so you can sing along. Lots of knitting ahead and some dvd's from the library so I'm set. Plus, the new Laura Childs' "Motif for Murder". Finishing the back of Katie's sweater so I can get going on it. I have too many things going on at one time that I haven't finished anything. But I plan on getting some done this weekend. I am going to knit as soon as I get off the "box" here. But first, I may have a cinnamon chip muffin (mmmmmm!) and a cuppa tea.

Finished the spiral socks...woohoo! Cast on a pair for me with the Opal yarn I'd gotten some time ago. I finally found a pattern that I liked so we will see how it goes. I'm still working on A.'s shawl, which is coming along really well. I have at least 4 more skeins to go so it will be huge but she doesn't mind a bit. It's a beautiful grape color..."you're turning violet,Violet" heehee. I need to finish a few things 'cause I have at least 4 things going at once. I should have gone to the knitting group at Barnes and Noble tonight but am easily distracted by the books. Maybe next week.

Still so bloody hot!! But the knitting waits for no one. First, the loot from the yarn market. It's tempting to start a project with all the new stuff but I must finish some others first. I got 6 skeins of a beautiful sportweight plush from the Yarnsmith (www.yarnsmiths.com) and it is a lovely reddish/coppery color. Also got 2 balls of the soysilk yarn "Oasis" in a reddish color to match the plush.(www.soysilk.com). I also got a really cool thing but can't post it since A. has been known to lurk around here and read...Hiya A.! For my felted satchel I got 8 balls of Galway Highland Heather in a lilac color and a "tweedy blue/pink". Also a beautiful ball of Reigia sock yarn for me, me, me.
Right now I'm knitting a shawl for A. in Lion Brand Homespun in Grape that is a wavy shawl pattern from Coats and Clark. Coming out quite nicely I think. Also making another sweater for Katie in a size larger than the first. A's second sock is almost finshed so I can start on a pair of socks for me. I think I am going to use the Opal yarn that I have and do it in a pattern I found on www.knitty.com. I can't wait to start them. I'm also working on a short-sleeved sweater for me in a shade of pink called shrimp. The pattern is from Knitter's magazine Summer 2006 issue and is called Sweetpeas. So far it is coming along great!

I have survived the yarn fix. The yarn market was Tuesday night and it was great. Lots of good bargains but it was so HOT in the room that I could barely stand it. I got quite a few great deals so I was pleased. Wool for a felted bag for me. I will post my loot on here in a day or two.

Whew! It's hard to believe that just walking around and shopping for hours will absolutely wear me out. Stampaway was yesterday and it was lots of fun. Got lots of new stamps and unmounted rubber and still have money left over to go shopping at the yarn market on Tuesday in Monroe. Geeze, who knew there was going to be a yarn market here, much less so close and so soon. I was going to go here A WOOL GATHERING and still might but, really, who can pass up one so close. And with leftover shopping money? That would just be wrong.

Haven't posted anything lately. Been busy doing too many things with not enough time. Stampaway is Saturday and I have been trying to make a new necklace to wear. I have incorporated the cd with stamping and made the cord out of yarn that I crocheted. So far it looks pretty good. I am not going to spend all the money that I saved on stamps but save some for the yarn market that is on Tuesday night. I didn't know that we had anything like that here so I'm looking forward to it. I went to the yarn store earlier and bought some more SOCK yarn. I LOVE knitting socks! I bought another skein of the Rainbow Lorna Laces so I can make my sock longer and some bee-u-ti-ful Opal. I can't wait to knit with it.

Too hot. Finally got rid of the nasty sinus, heat headache and then the heat came back. Mostly been sitting inside and not wanting to do anything. Will post more later. Time to go lie on the floor under a fan in the dark.

Hasn't been a good couple of days for yarn store visits. On Thursday I went out to Lambikins because they were the only ones that had size 15 Addi's...(did I mention how much I despise any size over 9's?)...and I was trying to work on A.'s shawl on these cruddy plastic needles. And I hate plastic needles more than large sizes. The weather was raining and the streets were really slick, so there were accidents and crazy drivers everywhere. By the time we arrived, it was just about rush hour and the traffic was getting horrific. So I sped through the yarn shop...it was all a blur...and bought my Addi's and we were "outta" there. SIGH. So many pretty yarns all calling for me to visit and fondle them.
Today we went to the art museum for awhile and on the way home stopped at Fiberlishious(sp). YUCK!! It looked like a fabulous place but the smell of mold when you walked in could just about knock you over. It was awful. I certainly wasn't going to buy anything that came from a place that smelled like that...who knows if the smell would ever come out of the fibers. Looked around for less than a minute and just left. Nasty. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

It sure has been hot this week and supposed to be even worse next week. I have been knitting and watching some dvd's and just keeping low and staying cool. Got the 3rd season of Northern Exposure and the first season of Numbers from the library. Just in time because I finished the 2nd season of Northern Exposure the other day. I bought the 1st and 2nd season 'cause it was such a good price and I'd forgotten how much I liked the show. Almost finished with the pink cardigan and working on a shawl for A. I was going to crochet it but the pattern won. I kept ending up with more stitches with each row so I ripped it out and found a similar knit pattern. So there. Stupid crochet.

The sweater has left the building. I gave it to Ad. on Monday night. He seemed pretty pleased with it but wouldn't try it on because it was so freakin' HOT. I don't really blame him but it would be nice if I knew that it fit. I am trying to finish the pink cardigan and the sock for A. so I can start on the new sock yarn that I just bought. Trekkers yarn and some bee-u-ti-ful Lorna Lace's yarn. What to make first?

Non-smegging sleeves. I finished the sleeves yesterday and the sweater is now put together and looking good. I will give it to him tomorrow and am glad to see the end of it. I have yarn for another sweater for him...Woolease in a beautiful grey...but don't know what to make yet.
I did finish the felted satchel and man, it looks great. I am quite impressed with it. A. felted it and she did a great job. She is thrilled with it and wants me to make another for her. Okay, as long as I don't have to felt it or pay for it. It's a good thing I have plenty to keep me busy because it is going to be in the high 90*'s all week. That means with the heat index it will be in the 100*'s. YUCK! Lay low and stay cool.

Smegging, smegging, smegging sleeves. Okay. Maybe it's not the sleeves' fault so much as mine but still. I finished them on Sunday night while watching the first season of "Northern Exposure" on dvd. I'd forgotten how much I liked that show. So yesterday morning I laid out the sweater to put it together. The shoulder seams are beautiful, the best I'd ever done. I laid out the sleeves and gasped in horror. The sleeves are set-in, which I'd never done before but looks pretty staight forward, and realized that I had knit the sleeves on the wrong size needle. I thought so on Sunday night when I went to put them back in the package but figured that I had just put them in the wrong package when I switched sizes when the ribbing was finished. WRONG!! I had knit the ribbing on size 9's and the body on 8's. What a pointy headed git. I mean really. So I raged and stomped around for awhile and then frogged both sleeves and VERY carefully cast on again. The first sleeve is almost finished and then I will make sure it fits before doing the second. It's a good thing it's very rainy today so I will knit. And knit, and knit. Smegging sleeves.

I am still knitting sleeves. On Ad's sweater and on my cardigan. Geeze, I'm sick of sleeves. I am going to finish his this weekend. Then just sew it up and it can get out of here. Good I am tired of looking at it. More later.

Everyone take a deep breath with me...the sweater fits Katie!! She is pleased with it and the only thing is that the bottom ribbing isn't loose enough for her. She doesn't want it emphasizing that part of her body. I completely understand. I am going to make her another one in orange and I will either make the ribbing with needles 2 or 3 sizes bigger or cast-on for the medium size and then decrease the body. Any suggestions?
I am working on the sleeves of Ad's sweater and am trying to get it finished in time for his birthday. Since it isn't until the 15th I think I'll be just fine. It's so hot today...90* but at least there is a breeze. It's a good day to sit and finish up some sleeves, don't you think? The only problem is I just got the new Monica Ferris book "Sins and Needles" and I really want to finish it. Maybe I'll read a few chapters and then knit. It's going to be another long holiday weekend so no plans. I have a few Dvd's from the library that are documentaries so I will probably watch a few of those. I was hoping for a trip to the lys so we shall see. I was thinking about making myself a felted satchel like I did for A. but the larger size. It is from Knitty and hers turned out quite well. Of course it hasn't been felted yet but I have no doubts that it will look great.
On another note... I HATE to cook, I mean really. It's hard to be a mostly vegan if'n you don't cook. BUT...I found the most wonderful cookbooks. "How it all Vegan" and "La Dolce Vegan" by Sarah Kramer. Not alot of ingredients in each recipe (most of them) and very simple preparation. Love them!! Have made some fabulous food. Thumbs up to Sarah...govegan.net is her site. Go there and learn.

Just thinking about Katie's sweater and have this overwhelming panic that I did not knit it in the right size. I'm thinking now that she said size medium and I knit it in a size small. --slapping myself upside the head with my Addi's--. I'm hoping that it will fit 'cause she is petite and it looks to be a pretty loose small. Oh please, oh please fit. She is coming into town Friday and stopping here to pick up a key for A.'s place, so I will have her try it on.( Oh please fit.) I am going to make her another in orange but it would be nice for the first one to fit since she was looking forward to it so much.
Went to Cruise-In on Thursday but ate inside the coffee house since the weather was bad. We ate and beat it home as the storms were coming in pretty fast. The sock didn't even have a chance to enjoy the veggie wrap as I ate it so fast.
Did have a really good latte the other day at Borders. They have a Seattle's Best Coffee as their cafe and must try new coffee. I didn't have a plain cup, which would've been my choice but m. wanted to try some so I thought she would like something a little sweet. I bought the new Knitter's magazine and How it all Vegan, which is the first cookbook by Sarah Kramer. I hate to cook but really like her cookbooks because they don't have alot of ingredients and not much preparation time. And, so far, everything has been dee-li-cious.

Haha! Katie's sweater is finished and I sure hope she likes it. I really don't mind the sewing together part of making them but for some reason I just couldn't buckle down and put it together. So I made a pot of tea and made myself sit down and finish it. Didn't really take very long so I don't know why I made such a fuss about it.
The first sock is also finished...hurrah! It went with me to Cruise-In on Thursday night and while it did not get to see any of the old cars, it did get to sit on the deck and enjoy a delicious veggie wrap and many, many refills of iced tea. It was getting alot of interested looks as well as some admiring comments but I didn't let it go to the sock's "head" as I kept it humble by promptly dropping stitches. There-that'll show it. But we perservered together and am now working on the second.
Also have gotten half of the front of Ad's cable sweater finished. Cables rock!! I am really enjoying working on it. Got alot done while watching the playoffs last night. Go Heat!

Did you ever have one of those days where you want to get up and do something but just end up sitting there staring at the walls? I did knit for a little while but then got to a point where I had to think and concentrate on the pattern so I just gave up. I am about 1 1/2" from finishing the back of Ad.'s sweater and tomorrow I am going to start on the front of the sweater and CABLES. I haven't done those yet and am looking forward to it. I am also finishing the front left of my pink cardigan...I think I am calling it "Miss Piggy" and it's looking good. I only have to seam up Katie's sweater and it is finished. Woohoo! I shall finish that tomorrow.
At Starbuck's on Monday night Deb was telling me that on Wednesday night there is a group of women that meet there and knit. Sounds like maybe I'll have to go have a venti soy latte and take my knitting along for some coffee and a look-see. I made a bunch of cards on Monday night instead of knitting as I really felt like stamping some stuff. I just signed up for a House Mouse bookmark swap that should be fun. I haven't done any swaps for about a year so it will be enjoyable.

I am almost finished with Katie's sweater. There is something to be said for knitting a sweater in a small size... you get finished much sooner. I was wrong though about the pattern. It is not from Yarn Girls' but I cannot remember where I found the pattern. I usually write these things done but for some reason I didn't. But it is a very easy knit and I think she will enjoy it. She couldn't decide between orange or blue so I will make her one in each. A pleasant surprise.
Went to knitting today at the library for awhile. They are going to cancel the Saturday meeting for the summer as hardly anyone comes. I usually go on Tuesday night anyway so no skin off my nose.

Holiday weekends can sometimes be soooooooooooo long. And hot. Today it was 90* out and very sunny. The humidity wasn't too terrible yet so running a few errands wasn't awful. Yesterday went and bought a new t.v. for the kitchen-a 13'' with a Dvd player attached. Woohoo. Star Wars watch out. I will be watching mine all the time. Plus my knitting video. Now I won't have to sit at the computer and watch and not get much knitting done at the same time.
Not going to art night tonight since it is a holiday. A. has been packing up the townhouse this weekend and Katie came down from Columbus to help her. I told her that I wanted to knit her a sweater and she was so excited that we picked the pattern right away (the weekend favorite from Yarn Girls Guide to Knitting) in blue rainbow boucle from Jo-Ann's.
Also have to finish the felted bag which is almost done and have started on Ad.'s cabled sweater. Am still working on the spiral sock...as every time I think it is long enough I decrease and bind off and then it is TOO small so I tear it out and keep on slogging. Sooner or later I will have it done and then attempt a real sock pattern with a heel turning and all.

Oh yeah!! Snap your fingers and tap your toes. I finally figured out how to do the I-cord bind off for A.'s felted satchel. I have been playing around with it for a few days now...I could picture it in my head but couldn't seem to get it into practice. FINALLY! I think I will be able to get it finished this week. Woohoo. I will also finish the big blue cardigan as well. Probably will go to the knitting group at Barnes and Noble tomorrow night as the library group is not meeting for knitting but are going out to dinner instead. I really just wanted to knit so no dinner for moi. Well, it is time for Globe Trekker and since I am an armchair traveler I need to strap in for the trip. And I'm off to finish the bind-off. Par-teeee!!

Why,oh why?? Every time I knit something for myself anymore it never fits. I finished the vest from the Readers Digest Easy Knitting and it looks like I've stuffed myself in an extra small tee-shirt. And that's not pretty. I think it must be the pattern because the armholes are not deep enough. It's enough to make me not want to knit anymore. Plus, I was working on the socks and just finished the three-needle bind off (yah! something I can do correctly) and thought that I'd better have A. try them on and of course they were too short. You'd think I would've had her try them on before I started the decreases but nooooooooo, that would've been the intelligent thing to do. So I ripped them down to below the decreases and I will keep on going. At least I enjoy knitting them. So far anyway.

Ugh!! This has just been the suckiest week ever. Just trying to get A. settled after the fire and having her have to work here with all the jobs she has. And we had to have Spaudling put to sleep today. It's always hard when she loses a guinea pig but on top of everything else I think that was the last straw. It will be better when she has these 2 jobs out of the way and we can have things settle down here a little bit.
Haven't really gotten any knitting done but have been knitting on the spiral tube socks because they are small and portable. LOVE knitting socks! I haven't done proper socks with heels and everything but I think those will be fun also. I am going to use my Opal sock yarn that I bought a few weeks ago. I think I will make those for me.

Crazy couple of days here the last 2 days. Wednesday morning there was a 5-alarm fire at A's complex. The townhouse 2 down from hers had a fire and it was a mess. Thank God the firewall was in the next townhouse and all she has is alot of smoke damage. She is staying at a hotel and it is a major job. All the pets are safe and here for the time being. Too bad I had just given her the green sweater as now it must be washed and washed to get out the smell of smoke. And all the hand-knitted purses. More later.

Why, oh why?? I cannot figure out this felted satchel pattern from Knitty.com at all. It is for the I-cord bind off and I am sick and tired of having to ask for help all the time. Is it the math in the knitting pattern or just stupidity on my part? I just don't know. I will post more in a day or two when I'm not so disgusted.

Working away on the felted satchel for A. Had the hardest time with picking up stitches on the sides and cast-on edge. It was so tight I knew that I had to be doing it wrong. So I went to knitting last Tuesday night (at the library) and after Nancy and Marcia argued about it and which way was the best way to go about knitting it, I finally got it under control. It was hard going the first couple of rows but great now. I have finally done stripes...not as bad as I thought and hopefully I will be able to figure out the I-cord bind-off.
The sock is finally moving along. I was working on size 1's and Nancy told me no,no, no. That yarn calls for size 3 to 5 needles so I pulled it all off...be still my heart...and have started it on size 5's. We'll see how it goes.

Went to lys today and got the yarn for A.'s felted satchel. It is from Knitty Spring '05 issue and looks like it will be fast to knit. As for the felting I'm not too sure. I have a front loader machine and although I've been told it can be used by throwing a pair of tennis shoes in with the knitting who wants to take the chance with the very expensive machine. Guess we will go to the laundry room at A.'s place and use one of those. The colors are cinnamon and a green/black kind of tweed. It is Cascade 220. Should be a neat looking bag. She is so excited that she wants me to start it right away but I can't use my Addi Turbos :( because they are too long and it has to be 24" since it is knit in the round. I guess I'll use the detachable ones...grrrr. Oh well. They are knit on size 13's so it won't take too long. I don't like to use big needles but at least it's quick.

Oh yeah, oh yeah!! Happy dancing all around. I finished the sweater yesterday and handed it off to A. I was so happy to have it finished. It's not that it was all that hard (well, the directions were really confusing) but it just took too bloody long. But she likes it so it was all for good. Now I am finishing my vest and the long cardigan so I can start on Ad.'s sweater. It has cables and I've not done those before. Hope they will be fun.
Last night was "art night" and I worked on making cards since I'd spent most of the day sewing together the sweater and didn't really want to knit. I got 14 cards made so I have a pile and don't need to worry about being short for awhile.
Going to get the needles for the Celtic poncho this week...I think so anyway. I did go to Barnes and Noble the other night and got Mason-Dixon Knitting. I had looked at it before and had decided not to buy it but after purusing it again I thought that it looked like a good one to have. So I'm off to finish the right front on my cardigan so happy knitting to all.

I'm still alive and knitting but haven't been on the computer too much since the storms have had a lot of lightening and who wants to be attached to something electronic. I will be finished with the sweater (it is now called "The Astroturf" since that's the color) this weekend...yeah, I know...you've heard it before. Really, I will. As a matter of fact I am going to go and knit right now. And then to the bookstore and maybe a new book. We shall see.

I cannot believe that I had to go to the library knitting group today for help with the stupid, stupid sweater pattern. Turns out it was not the stupid pattern,(well, mostly not) but me. I was working in reverse stockinette stitch and forgot that the purl side is the right side. DUH! I am going to get this thing finished in the next couple of days 'cause it has taken entirely too long. I need to get the vest and the cardigan finished also. Maybe now that one pattern has fallen into place the others will just go really fast.
Also went to JoAnn's and got a set of size 1 dpn's to start a pair of socks. Marcia said they were very easy and it was time I started some. So, okay, socks we shall do.

Finally got some help with the sweater pattern that I haven't been able to crack. I knew it was going to be fairly easy once I got it figured out. All they had to do was make me understand it in another way. I haven't knitted today but am going to try and finish it tomorrow. I need to get moving on my vest...it seems to be taking forever, although I'm at 10" it seems as if it is never growing. Sooner or later I will get it finished. Probably in time for next winter but better late than never.

Now. For those of you who only like knitting, close your eyes now for this portion of the post. Okay, I hadn't been knitting for the past couple of days because I couldn't finish A.'s sweater. I had to miss the knitting group last Tuesday and am totally uncertain about the instructions. I don't want to continue on as the yarn is rather hard to rip out. I will go to the knitting group at Barnes and Noble on Tuesday night (oh darn, I will have to get the new book Mason-Dixon Knitting). I was disgusted with my lack of "knitterly" instruction understanding and so threw all the knitting aside and picked up the afghan I had been crocheting for A. I am using a size Q hook, which is like crocheting with a fireplace poker but goes very fast. It is huge as she likes to wrap up in them like a "burrito". Um, okay.
I did knit some last night (those of you covering your eyes can open them now). I finished the left front of my cardigan...woohoo. It's good and long and a nice,nubbly boucle. I think the yarn is Bernat but will have to check. I would post some photos but don't own a digital camera and A.'s in on the blink. Maybe soon.

Finally! I am mostly recovered from the "grunge" except for the very annoying cough. I no longer have to take a nap after every exertion...translated means...coughing, sitting up to blow my nose, walking to the bathroom... Knitting? forget about it. I was too tired to think about knitting, much less the actual action of knitting. I could hear it calling me...please, pick me up.We are getting all bent out of shape, we want to be a sweater. I did finish the back of A.'s sweater last night so only the front to go. I have to go to the knitting group at the library on Tuesday to make sure that I do understand how knit this thing. It is the Slim Line Tunic from Lion Brand and I think it's going to look stunning. And verra,verra green.
Went to Barnes and Noble last night and got The Yarn Harlot's new book "Knitting Rules!" and the new Vogue knitting magazine. I have made a pot of tea...Harney tea's Paris...and am going to sit and read for awhile. See ya later.

Whew! Finally feel good enough to sit upright and check my email. I had some kind of nasty "grunge". It must have been announcing itself with the three day headache. Now I have a little bit of a cough but my abdomen is sore and coughing is literally a pain. I have taken arnica both by mouth and topically and it has helped some. As long as I don't laugh I'm pretty good.
Went to the knitting group Tuesday night and figured out the pattern. Plus I got a new knitting magazine and Debbie Stoller's new book "Happy Hooker". Unfortunately, I haven't felt good enough to even look through either of them but I am going to do that tomorrow. Needless to say the knitting has been non-existent. I was worn out by just sitting up to have a sip of tea. But only had to lie down twice today so...woohoo! Things are looking up.

So. I have both sleeves of A.'s sweater finished but I've never knitted a sweater from side to side and am a little stumped about the directions. I should have gone to the knitting group on Saturday but never got to it because had so many errands to run. I am going to the knitting group at Barnes and Noble tomorrow night for some knitting help and maybe, just maybe, I'll look at some knitting books and magazines.
Last night was stamp club and one of the members from the old stamp club joined us. I haven't made any cards in quite some time so it was fun. Hopefully the rest of us will come for the next meeting.
I didn't get any knitting done today as I have a splitting headache. I'm sure it's from all the rain and weather we've been having. It's finally going to stop raining tomorrow but going to be in the 40's. Yuck. Good thing I'm making sweaters.

Whew. Knitting up a storm. I am making a vest for myself out of a pretty varigated yarn and a long cardigan out of a blue boucle. Also just started a sweater for A., also out of a varigated boucle but in shades of green. And it is bright green. Like a lime green. We should be able to see her coming from at least a half-mile away. Hopefully all these things will work out. I don't seem to have any problem with other people's things, just my own.

Okay, I finished the tunic sweater yesterday and after much pouting and stomping of feet, gnashing of teeth I HATED the sweater. It would have been fine had I been going after the "Flashdance" sweatshirt look. Much too much shoulder showing. So I threw it on a chair, determined to wear it over a t-shirt or something but didn't want to see it again anytime soon. Went to knitting group and complained to them and viola! a solution. They told me to pick up stitches around the neck and K1,P1 for a few inches. Then I decreased by K2tog, and I am actually pleased and can't wait to wear it. I am going to knit another one out of worsted weight and that one should be really nice.

Alrighty then. First of all...a great big thank you to Michelle at Knit1//knit1.typepad.com/1knit1der/ for choosing my name as a winner of one of the Go Knit pouch. Woohoo for me. I sent in a picture of "the big orange" or the long cardigan from the Spring 2005 issue of Knit 1. We are very excited.
The other exciting news (at least for me) is that I finished the cardigan and wore it yesterday. It didn't turn out as bad as I thought it would and it looked pretty good when worn. It is nice and toasty so I think that I am pleased with it. However it will always be known to me as the "sandwich bag".
I cast on for a vest today and tomorrow I am starting another long cardigan because I finished the sweater from Oat Couture tonight. All I have to do is sew it together which I will do tomorrow. Knitting group meets tomorrow night so I will have several things to show off.

www.sheepinthecity.prettyposies.com/
This is one of the blogs that I read pretty much daily. I do enjoy her blog. And the colors that she likes are great.
I am still working on the sweater...I am now calling it "the sandwich bag" and I'm still annoyed. But I need to get over it so I can start on something else. I have decided that it is not my knitting but the fact that I need to stop using bulky weight yarns as I am bulky enough on my own. Alright, I am going to go finish the sandwich bag now so hopefully it will be done and off the needles.

&*^&(%&%(/!! Aw man! I finished my sweater last night (the ecru one) and when I tried it on I looked like a whole ham trying to stuff into a sandwich bag. Not the best look for me, or anyone. It is much too short for me so I picked up stitches from the bottom and am knitting for about another 8". Nothing more fun than spending all that time knitting and working a pattern that is new and then having a huge disappointment. Hopefully it will look decent when it is a little longer. Note to self...only long sweaters and vests that cover and drape like a Hefty bag. I also found a few mistakes that to me are very glaring and I'm sure A. will be able to point them out the minute she sees it. GGGGGGRRRRRRRRRR. I am trying to finish the tunic sweater from Oat Couture so I can start something else. That probably won't fit either. Oh well, win some, lose some.

I keep knitting and knitting and knitting on the sleeves of the cardigan and I am still at the same place. Where does all the the knitting go? I still have about 4" to go so maybe I can actually finish those tonight. Knitting group is Tuesday night so I would like to have at least one of the sweaters finished. I also need to pick-up a bunch of books on hold at the library so it's a good thing that the meeting is Tuesday.
I did get Ad. to pick up C.'s poncho last Thursday. All I wanted to do was get rid of it since I finished it as I said I would. She wouldn't even ask for it so I don't know if she wanted it or not. I assume that she did since she paid for the yarn for it. I did it and now it's out of my hands so my job is done. Woohoo.
This week I am going to my lys and get another pair of Addi Turbo's so I can knit my vest. I washed my vest made out of Homespun and it came out pretty well. It tended to tighten up the "bloom" on it so maybe it will hold up better than I thought. But after the few skeins that I have I won't be using it again. I just don't like how it wears.
Okay, off to knit on the ever elusive sleeves and maybe I'll find all those inches of knitting. Wish me luck.

Well, Happy Birthday to me! A. and m. took me to have Indian for dinner...mmmmmmmmmm...vindaloo. It was delicious and I have leftovers for tomorrow which is my actual birthday. The weather tomorrow is supposed to drop 30 degrees,brrrrrr, so I will be knitting. I have gotten to the sleeve portion of both of my sweaters so it's just knit, knit, knit. But if I get to spend most of tomorrow knitting I will probably get them done. Yay! Then I can start something else. So just a little entry today and more later.
I've been reading one of my favorite blogs-Sheep in the City- and have been inspired by her stitch markers and have been making myself some. I think they are great but then I'm biased. As soon as A. gets her camera working or a new one I will have some photos.

Knitting away and not watching the Olympics. I went to the library the other day and got several books on tape since there is nothing on t.v. for the next two weeks. There are a few things on PBS but that's about it. But I have gotten some good knitting done. Just started on the sleeves of my cardigan and I will probably have that finished this week. Also am now on the back of my tunic sweater which will be the last thing I am going to knit in Homespun. I like it but after wearing it has a tendency to "bloom". Fuzz is fine when that is what I am going for but not so much on this.
Just got the yarn yesterday for my big project. I saw this gorgeous poncho...I know,I know... in the Knitter's magazine, January 2006. It's the celtic poncho by Nicki Epstein and I just had to knit it. I am going to have it in the pile as I don't have the needles for it yet. Oh darn,a trip to the lys. sigh. But it should be really interesting to knit. I hope.

I am halfway through two sweaters now. One is a cardigan from the Aug.-Oct. issue of CastOn, the Town Square cardigan. I am knitting it in a very pretty ecru with flecks...I call it the "Fleckru". The other is a tunic type from an Oat Couture pattern. Pretty easy and I am knitting the bulky version as I had some Lion Brand Homespun that was just begging me to use it.
I went to a new knitting group tonight. Well, new for me. They meet one of the local Barnes and Nobel bookstores and it was nice. I especially enjoyed the fact that alot of them read the same blogs as I and go the same places. I will probably go again...plus, there was Starbucks and coffee is always a plus.

So. Today was the bird fair...yuck...but I needed to go because m. needed bird stuff. Now there was a Super Bowl sale at my lys as well. Nice soft, fluffy yarn with welcoming circular needles versus nasty birds with pecking beaks and wings. The cool thing is that I did manage to get to the yarn store and got a couple of patterns. The yarn was very seductive with its whispering, "come on, take me home. You know you want to. Everyone else is so you should too. I'm ssssssssoooooooo soft and warm." Hahahaha I showed them. I stood firm and only bought the patterns. I would have bought some Addi Turbos but they didn't have the size I needed.

Well.I decided to start my blog on here because I forgot I actually had this one sitting around. I had one that I've been writing on but it's on AOL so I thought I'd go back to this one. I finally finished the sweater that I was working on last week. It didn't take too long and I think it looks pretty good. The only thing I would do differently would be to bind it off much more loosely. It is a very loose and "drape-y" yarn so if I bound-off much more loosely it might not lie right. Ad. wants another sweater and I am surprised because he usually doesn't like anything that is handmade. Once I got him to understand that, yes the sweater ribbing is made of the same material as the rest of the sweater, yes, the sweater is hand-knitted (although why he thought I was showing him the picture of the sweater in a knitting magazine I will never know!) and yes, the cable is knitted into it and not an extra piece. Then, and only then, did he say he liked it.