A Productive Weekend

Knitting wise anyway. The eldest was dog sitting this weekend, so we were somewhat housebound, the CW was busy with youth group stuff. They went to a popcorn factory about 15 miles from our house ...Black Cherry Vanilla Popcorn is yummy, but the dill pickle... not so much. I may have to go check this place out, apparently it has been featured on the Food Network and I didn't even know it existed. So, I got to knit ... a lot! I finished the first sock in the Zig then Zag design in the Stone Barn Fibers in Lamurple. I like them!!

I cast on and finished one fingerless mitt, knit in some left over Wollmeise in the Spice Market colorway. I like these too. So does DD1 and 2 but the youngest's hands are too small. She was a little sad about that.

I finished the mitts I started last week. Knit in the Louet Gems Sport in the Sage color. The girls love these too, I am afraid they may not make it to become Christmas gifts. Apparently, a girl can not have too many pair of these. Both of the mitt patterns will be available some time in the near future at The Loopy Ewe I need to get the patterns typed up and printed.

And I made some progress on the Spritely Goods socks. Karen says it reminds her of tulips blowing in the wind, so she suggested the name Dancing Tulips. I really wish I was more imaginative when it came to naming things, but I just don't have what it takes for that. I am really enjoying knitting this sock .... but the Wollmeise is calling my name. I thought knitting the mitts would help, but the Zenzi wants to be knit. I think I need help, the Knitter's ADD just keeps progressing, it is almost out of control!

Dual Purpose Knitting

I joined 2 KAL's this week, the Fingerless Mitts For Fall and the Fall Cable KAL 2007. I hope to get my sweater done this year. Well, I hoped to get it done 6 months ago, but knitting all those socks gets in the way of finishing other things. So, I decided a little dual purpose knitting was in order. Thursday is allergy shot day for the CW, so I took along a cake of Louet Gems Sport wt and cast on for these mitts. They went to the frog pond no less than 3 times, but I am happy with them now. I will write down the directions as I go for the second one. I think they fit DD1 perfectly.

And these new socks will count for the Fall Cable KAL too. They are little further along now. This is the Spritely Goods in the Manzanita in Bloom II. I love the colors in this yarn, and it is so soft. I am starting the toe decreases on the Lamurple sock, and I wound the Wollmeise the other day. I cast on with it and started to knit, but the design was getting lost in the dark shades of the yarn. It looked beautiful in the light shades though. I will let it rest for a while and then it will be put back into the queue. As will the Spring Morning colorway, it too went to the frog pond, as expected.

Well, the CW is patiently waiting to get on my computer. The kids have there own, but mine is faster and he likes to play his games on it. I hope everyone has a great weekend, filled with lots of family fun, or knitting, or both!

Weekend Knitting Update

Well, there really wasn't a lot of weekend knitting since I had a monster migraine all day Sunday and into yesterday. I did however, get a little done on Saturday. Karen gifted the STR medium wt yarn to me last year. I have cast on several times with it and off to the frog pond it would go. I think it just wanted to be plain vanilla, or close to it anyway. The colorway is Scottish Highlands. 5 x 2 rib all the way, on size 2 dpns. I love the color and what a quick knit. Thanks again Karen for my very first STR yarn. I think I am going to knit the Lover's Leap prize yarn in the Hearts-a-Plenty design.

And I have knit this sock in a different yarn, but I wanted to knit it in the Lamurple from Stone Barn Fibers I got from The Loopy Ewe The design is my own. I really don't like the feel of a short row heel on my foot, but I love the way they look. So, I keep trying different methods, trying to find the one I like the best. I like the look of this one, but still don't care for the way it feels on. I think I will stick with my heel flap.

My Wollmeise came in the mail at the end of last week. It is in the Zenzi colorway. From The Loopy Ewe, of course. I have it sitting here by the desk. I want to wind it, and will probably cave in here shortly. I wanted to get the designs ready to ship off. Sheri, at The Loopy Ewe is going to be selling some of my designs in the near future. I hope to get them mailed out to her at least by Friday. So, if you have been asking about some of my sock designs, keep an eye out for them there. She just posted my pattern for the last Wollmeise Sock, (which I neglected to give a proper name), on the free pattern page .

Hmmm, I think that is it, nothing else to share today. I will sit here and enjoy my Citrus Green Tea and enjoy the quiet for a few more minutes before the youngest comes bounding through the front door. They have ISTEP's this week, so she will have a lot of energy to burn, and a lot of talking to do.

1 Step Forward 2 Steps Back...

Well, not quite. but, 1 sock finished, 2 socks started.... instead of finishing one of the several others already in progress. Just off the needles, are the socks my sister has named Hearts - A - Plenty. I knit these in Gypsy Knits in the Rose Garden colorway, purchased from The Loopy Ewe. I am very pleased with the way they turned out. I had nursery duty on Sunday at church. We haven't been having many kids in the nursery here of late, so I took my knitting along, just in case :) I was able to put several rows on. Immediately after the service was a picnic and fun and games for the kids for Rally Sunday. I had my knitting bag out in the hot sun with me and decided to play a few games. While my knitting bag was unattended, someone was curious I guess, because when we were ready to leave, the socks were off the needles, yikes, and lace too. My family was forced to wait as I carefully picked up the stitches. Even though we live super close to church, I was not willing to chance any of those yarn overs disappearing. Anyway you can see they survived the ordeal, and I love them.

I started 2 more pair, but I am not certain they will stay on the needles. I see a trip to the frog pond in our future. The first is in Yarn Love in the Spring Morning colorway. I think this yarn is too busy for the design. I had started this same design in another yarn but it was pooling so much that it looked like the front of the sock was purple and the back was turquoise. Now I don't mind a little pooling, in fact I like it most of the time, but that was a bit much, even for me.

The second sock is in Lorna's Sport in the Devon clolorway, I love this color. And everyone who knows me knows I love Lorna's Laces. Not much to see in this one so far. It is going to be a textured socks. I will knit a little more on it before I decide whether or not it needs to vacation at the frog pond too. Both of these yarns came from, yes that is right, you guessed it, The Loopy Ewe, my favorite online sock yarn shop. I should be getting a hank of Wollmeise this week from there, so I fear both of these socks will be neglected :) I do love the Wollmeise. Sheri should be getting more in stock in the next month or so.

Well it is allergy shot day for the CW (my son the computer whiz) so I am off to round up some knitting to take along.

Have a wonderful day!!!

I think it is Lady Bug Season

I have been a lucky blogger here lately. I won 2 contests. And the prizes for both involved lady bugs, which I love. Alisha has been having monthly stitch marker give aways, and I was a lucky winner. And the pretty lady bug markers came in a really neat beaded pouch, I love them !!!! thanks Alisha.

And Kimberly, has been playing BINGO, great fun I might add, and I won some of her beautiful, hand dyed yarn ... in the Lady Bug colorway. How neat is that. Isn't it pretty?!! Thanks Kimberly!

Wed. night was the quarterly 6.5 hour staff meeting at work. We sit and listen to them talk to us for 6 of those 6.5 hours and I get paid to sit, listen and knit. I was able to finish a pair of socks and start another one. Unfortunately, the one I started was one of my own designs ... I am terrible about writing patterns down as I go, and I didn't take the finished sock with me, so the 3+ inches I knit went straight to the frog pond. I shorted each cable repeat by 1 round ARGH!!!

Anyway, I finished the Spanish Moss socks in the CTH, Sockittome in the Spanish Moss colorway. I got this yarn from Sheri at The Loopy Ewe I don't know if this colorway is still in stock, but I think she still has the Sockittome in stock. It is really soft and squishy. The design for this one is also my own.

Well, all the kids are home from school now, and want to talk, all at once too. So I better go listen to what went on in their day.

Happy Knitting All!!