Woo Hoo.....

It is finally finished. I hate this sweater, I am so glad it is done. You wouldn't believe the mess I had last night. I started taking the bottom out so I could lengthen it. What a nightmare. This stuff is even harder to rip than it is to knit with. So I got out the scissors and started cutting. I got a few raised eyebrows. DH even commented on the process. And DD was horrified. 2 hours later I had all the fuzz picked out of it and the stitches picked up. The whole time I was working on it, I am mumbling things that are better left unheard. DH says, "why don't you just finish it and be done with it?" Uhmm, I am trying, this stuff is a bear to knit with. DD came downstairs this morning to inspect the damage and was disappointed to find it still not finished. She is lucky she didn't find it in the garbage can after 2 hours of frogging and cutting and picking out fuzz. She is happy it is done, although you wouldn't be able to tell from ANY of the photos I took. I am happy it is done, and I think I am going to celebrate by burning what is left of the ball of yarn from the bad place.

In a Fog!!

OH, my goodness, It is so foggy here. It rained all day yesterday, and with the snow on the ground, and the rain

and then the freezing temps overnight, we are left with a frozen, icy, foggy mess. My brain was starting to fog over last night too as I knit the never ending hood of DS's sweater. How is it that the hood takes twice as long to knit as the rest of the sweater. I don't understand. It seems you knit and knit and knit and it never grows. It needs to be blocked and I need to buy a button. I had one at the house I was planning to use, but decided it really didn't look right, and it was too big for the button hole. He had it on this morning when I got up to get them ready for school. He loves it! That is my February UFO resurrection project finished. I am ripping out a cabled sweater I started 4 or 5 years ago and am making a different one. Hopefully that will be my march UFO project. So far so good, And I still need to by more of the ever dreaded Homespun to finish DD's sweater :( That way it too can lose the "U" and become a FO.

I am close to being done with the first sock for the Feb. heart theme for theSocktopia group. I need to close the toe and weave in ends, and of course cast on for the second sock. The red yarn carried behind the white shows more than I would like, but there is not much I can do about that. It fits really well, hopefully I will get the second one started today.... I hope!

And just warning to everyone ...BEWARE OF THE BLACK ICE!!!!!......I drove the two eldest to the bus stop today. They have to walk to the other side of the neighborhood to catch the bus. I knew as soon as DD 1 got out of the van tragedy would ensue. She started "running" and there is ice everywhere. I tried to roll down the passenger side window to tell her to take her time.... someone had locked the window controls, so I couldn't roll it down quickly enough, and down she goes. She is our accident waiting to happen, I am sure I have mentioned this before. Well, she gets ups, brushes herself off and continues to the bus, I am still trying to figure out why the window won't go down, and boom, there she goes again. This time she gets up and turns around and looks helplessly at me. How can I let her get on the bus when she has fallen twice in a 3 foot space. So I am motioning for her to come back to the van. Thankfully she makes it back without further incident. We come home, I gather up the youngest and all her school supplies. DD 1 changes into some dry clothes and cleans up the scrapes and abrasion and off to school we go. Well, I realize after she is dropped off, DD 2 will be able to make the bus, so we head back home instead of going to the Elementary School, I hate to wait in the line for drop offs. I pull up to her bus stop, give her a kiss goodbye, tell her to be careful and she proceeds to slide right out of the van onto the ground. I sure hope these two girls of mine have a better day, it sure didn't start out well for them.

Have a great day all and watch out for the ice!

So Close....

You remember the sweater from the bad place, the one knit in the Lion Brand Homespun. I was determined to finish it. I started it eons ago, well really a year and a half ago. I hate knitting with this yarn, it hurts my hands and arms, so I would knit a few rows and then put it away. Well, I was determined to finish it and I wanted my daughter to stop griping at me, so I worked and worked and worked on it .... and ran out of yarn with only 14 rows of finishing to do. Can you believe that? So now I have to go shopping for another ball of the stuff, I know I won't match the dye lot but I don't really care, I just hope I can find the color. And since I started it over a year ago it is really too short in the body too. She has grown about 4 or 5 inches taller in the last year and a half. Since I am going to have to buy more I might as well take out the bottom and make it longer. Argh!!!!

DS's sweater is coming along nicely, I am on the hood and then just weaving in ends. I like this one so much better than DD's. He is anxiously awaiting for it to be finished. I really like the way this one looks. And it just figures, I put a stripe of black in his, thinking I didn't have enough of the teal ... well I have plenty, in fact I have found another ball. Ran out for DD's and have too much for his. I can't convince him that it would look nice with a collar, so I will have to keep knitting the hood.

And this Bearfoot yarn has been 5 different socks. But this is what it is going to stay. I have definitely got my money's worth out of this ball, knitting it so many times. I was afraid I was going to wear the "good" off of it. This sock is knit in a 4 x 2 rib, and I like it. No matter which pattern I have used and no matter the number of stitches, it has pooled the exact same way each time. Now , hopefully I will make its mate and be done with it. I love the yarn, I love the colors, I just couldn't find a pattern.

And I don't know about you, but I think this counts a a pair. These are mittens for the DS and DD 2. His are knit in Blue and Red Dancing Fibers Serendipity 60% Alpaca and 40% Merino, Magic loop method. And hers are Cascade 220 Superwash. But I am going to frog hers though, it is a little short in the thumb gusset. And, I found some navy, unfortunately not superwash , in the stash, to add to hers. It will match her coat perfectly.

Well, hubby is home, with dinner.

Stay warm everyone, we are expecting freezing rain, sleet, and then snow tonight and tomorrow. Sounds like fun!

Edited 2/13/07 We are covered in Ice. The northern part of the state is having blizzard conditions, we are covered in ice. It is still sleeting, the temps are dropping, and snow is on the way. The wind is blowing. You should hear the trees creak as the wind blows through their frozen branches. It is kind of eerie. I would really much rather just have snow!!!

Mittens Anyone.....

With the cold spell and the snow we have had, my children have reminded me that I have knit mittens for everyone but them. I really appreciated my mittens the other day when I was out shoveling the drive. I had on the tan mittens I made with the Mohair and Sock yarn held together. My hands were dry and toasty warm, almost too warm. And the hand knit socks I had on ( made by my sister) kept my feet incredibly warm. I was out there for quite some time, shoveling the 8" of snow we got. I was soon reminded just how out of shape I am. My back was killing me but I had warm hands and feet.

Anyway, the kids told me that I have knit mittens for everyone this winter but them. I guess this is true. After giving it some thought I realized I had made mittens / gloves for my sister , niece, nephew, people at work, and myself but not for my own kids. What kind of mom am I? So yesterday I dug through the stash and found a few balls of Dancing Fibers Serendipity 60% Alpaca and 40% Merino and made DD1 some mittens and a hat. This yarn has a really nice feel to it on the ball and knit up, but it is quite splitty. I knit the mittens pretty tight so they would be warmer, the hat I knit to the recommended gauge and it was not as bad to work with then. This was the only color I had two balls of and there are only 82 yds / ball so the hat needed to be multicolored. She loves it and has it on her head right now. Now I need to find something for the DS. I have a ball of royal blue and a ball of red and a little of the off white left over from the hat in the Serendipity, maybe he will get a pair of patriotic mittens. He would really rather have gloves, I would really rather knit mittens, chances are he will get mittens.

I was asked to knit a pair of mittens for a gal at work. Her only specification was that they be neutral. I dug through my stash and found some Shoeller Esslinger Merino Light and knit her a pair. They fit and she liked them. I guess they were neutral enough.

And, I started a pair of socks for myself. These are for Socktopia, for the hearts themed socks. I graphed out the chart the other day and cast on. I am a little further now than what is in the picture. I was going to put some roses on them also But that would have required more yarn and my supply is limited in these colors. The picture is not very good but I haven't taken a new one yet. Well I am off to take DD1 to the doctor to get her throat swabbed. They didn't have any regular appointments for today, but since she has a sore throat they can squeeze her in for that.

The Meme

I was tagged by Karen, Bonnie and Shelley so here it is.
The Alphabet Meme:
A - Available or Taken: Taken
B - Best Friend: Karen and Tony
C -Cake or Pie: Pie Lemon meringue
D - Drink of Choice: Diet MT Dew
E - Essential item you use everyday: computer
F - Favorite Color: only 1 hhhmmm Teal
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: bears pineapple ones please but I would really rather have chocolate
H - Hometown: Columbus IN
I - Indulgence: White Chocolate Mocha Latte
J - January or February: January – My son's b-day and my dad's too
K - Kids & ages: 3 children 2 girls , and 1 boy 15, 13, and 9
L - Life is incomplete without: my family and Jesus
M - Marriage Date or Most Memorable Date ( and why): wedding date 6/10 also my parents anniversary
N - Number of Siblings: 4 sisters and 2 brothers
O - Oranges or Apples: orange (clementine please, no seeds and easy to peel)
P - Phobias or Fears: i am claustrophobic, I have to feel air moving
Q - Fave Quote: Proverbs 31: 10 -31, I wish I was this woman
R - Reason to Smile: my children
S - Season: Autumn I love the colors and the cool weather
T - Tag 3 or 4 People: anyone who wants to play, I think everyone has been tagged already
U - Unknown fact about me: It must remain unknown
V - Vegetable you don't like: lima beans, I think they are the nastiest things ever
W - Worst Habit: I have the gift of not minding a little clutter
X - X-rays: I think I have had everything x rayed, I probably glow in the dark
Y - Your Fave Food: Lobster and Prime Rib
Z - Zodiac Sign: Taurus
More than anyone would ever want to know about me. If you want to play feel free to.

Tags and Knitting for Others

I have been tagged yet again. The Lone Knitter has tagged me for the 6 weird things about me. I don't think I have become any weirder since the last time so I will just refer you to that entry here. And both Bonnie and Karen have tagged me for another meme, but I have not taken the time to address that one yet. Consider yourself tagged if you want to participate in the 6 weird things about me meme, I don't know who else to tag that hasn't been already.

On the knitting front, most of my knitting time has been spent knitting charity items . I have one, yes, just one, sock done. And I started a sweater vest last night that I am designing as I knit. It hasn't been blocked so it looks a little narrow in this picture, but other than being a little short it will fit the youngest. I think it will fit a six year old nicely. These are for CIC.

I have a hat finished. I was going to send to Kate of Minestrone Soup , but she is asking for fun fur type hats and this is fuzzy but not fun fur, so I don't know if it will work or not. My girls sure like it, so maybe it will make it into the mail and maybe not.

The Lone Knitter is having the blanket drive, so I started a baby blanket to send to her for this month. I didn't get the squares in the mail for January, so I will send those along with the blanket when it is finished. I am knitting it in Plymouth Encore. I had a few requests for this blanket when I went up to work on Saturday night. Seems like half of the girls at work are in the family way. I will remember not to drink the water up there.

And I started a baby sweater that I am designing. I have been asked to knit for a baby that is due in June, so I thought I would work up a few things, see if they liked them and then donate the others to charity. So far I like this one, and I am even remembering to write down what I am doing, which is really unusual for me. Well I think that covers all the recent knitting. Today is the first day all three of the kids went to school and then the two youngest had a half day. But it was a day with no sick children home, yea! We are all taking daily vitamin C now. Maybe that will help.