Wednesday, December 26, 2007

A very Happy Boy Child

Well, I finished knitting for the boy child and he is very happy. I didn't get the fingerless gloves done until today, but finished they are. I apologize in advance for the poor quality of the pictures. It is blindingly bright out today, casting shadows everywhere. I no sooner got the last tail woven in and these were grabbed from my hands. This is what he has really been wanting me to make him the most. I hope he takes them off to bathe. You just never can tell with a 13 year old boy. He did take them off when he loaded the dishwasher, so there is hope.

And, I finished both pair of socks. And they fit wonderfully, Fred Flintstone feet and all. The multi colored pair is knit in Lang Jawoll. I couldn't tell any difference in the yarn even though the skeins were bought in different stores and 7 years apart. Well, the second skein may have felt a tad thinner, but no noticeable difference in color.
And the second pair is in Jaeger Matchmaker Merino 4 ply. That was probably a big mistake on my part, as there is no nylon in the yarn. I have talked to him about running around outside in his stocking feet, and the fact they need to be washed on a regular basis. We will see how that works out. If he wants me to knit more socks for him, he will abide by the rules. Esp, since his feet are adult sized now and it takes longer to knit them. That time could be well spent knitting socks for moi.
DD1 was having a fit because I knit 3 items for him and I still have not finished her socks. She seems to have forgotten the fingerless mitt knitting marathon that went on last week. But I will work on those this week and a pair for the youngest DD also. (I have to keep these things even, lest I hear I have favorites :) The youngest loves the thought of having the hand knits but she really doesn't wear them. She loves to be bear foot, even in the winter. She is always hot, so she peels sweaters off as soon as she is inside. But still she asks for them, and I oblige ... usually.
Well I am off to knit the socks for the eldest. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a safe and Happy New Year.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

How Many Days Left 'Til Christmas????

Wow!!! it has been a while. I am going to whine a bit, so beware. Two weeks ago I felt an odd sensation in my ear. I rubbed it and discovered blood running out of my ear. hmmmmm ... this can't be good. After a visit to the MD to confirm I had a ruptured eardrum I realized the ear pain really was ear pain and not my TMJ. It seems to be doing well now. But then came the flu. I am calling it the flu and not a cold as I have ached in every possible joint in my body, fevers, chills, a throat that feels like it is on fire and a cough you would not believe. How am I supposed to get my knitting and shopping done. Does my body not realize it is Christmas in just a few short days?? OK .... enough of the pity party and onto knitting content.

I have finished a pair of socks and all I can show you are the feet. I will tell you they are knit in J. Knits AC 130. I really liked knitting these and the yarn was great to work with.






I have another pair half finished. I was lucky to get some of the one of a kind special yarn from Cherry Tree Hill, that The Loopy Ewe had last week. This is in the Tide Pool colorway. Their same fantastic yarn, I think they are just trying different dyes out, or something like that. This pattern will be available sometime after the New Year at The Loopy Ewe.


As will this design for these fingerless mitts I am knitting for my daughter's teacher. I must get these finished today as their last day of school is tomorrow. I should have no trouble finishing them as long as I can convince the knitting daughter she really can finish the last pair of her Christmas knitting on her own.

And speaking of the knitting daughter's Christmas knitting. She came home a week or two ago with this idea that she was knitting fingerless mitts for several of her friends. At their request, I might add. I have been knitting fingerless mitts, but they have disappeared as quickly as I finished them. And apparently, none of those were in the correct colors. She wanted to know if I had any left over yarn I didn't need anymore???? Is there even such a thing??? So I searched through the stash for odds and ends or balls that are too small to become anything big and came up with yarn she needed for all of them. Some of the yarn is nicer than some others, but what is a mom to do. I feel kind of bad about the baby blue pair because it is Red Heart baby yarn, but only because the teal pair is Classic Elite Posh, a Cashmere/ Silk blend and the gray pair is a handspun, wonderful merino I got in an exchange. There was just enough for a small project and I hate to part with it, but at least I get to knit it :) The other pair, she was on her own. Well, except for joining, (so she doesn't make a moebius), and the picking up and starting the thumb. And I get the privilege of weaving in the ends ... isn't that special. These are basically a shirtless pair of sleeves and I hate to make sleeves. One of her friends requested a pair that came to her elbows.... she obliged . She knit these in some Plymouth Encore.





And the boy child checks the progress on his almost every day.They have not seen any action in a while. And that has been intentional. If I finish them he will take them, and I want to put them in his stocking. As you can see, I caved, and went ahead and gave him the fingers he wanted. He is happy ... but in all honesty, he would have been happy if I hadn't too. He is easy to please. I need to work on his socks, once I get this "needed by tomorrow" knitting finished. He is so funny. He told me 'he was on to me' yesterday. He said, "I know what you are doing, you are waiting until the 24th to finish those so I can't have them until Christmas" He is a wise one that boy child of mine.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a Merry Christmas!!!!!

Monday, December 03, 2007

Knitting for the Boy Child

This weekend I knit nothing but things for the boy child. He guilted me into knitting socks for him when his dear Aunt was visiting for Thanksgiving. His feet grew several sizes in what seems like overnight, so none of his hand knit socks fit him anymore. Who knew he was a descendant of Fred Flintstone. I started the first sock Friday and finished it Saturday. He was at a sleep over, so he wasn't here to try it on before I wove in the ends. Sunday morning he comes home bright and early and I have him try the finished sock on. It is the perfect length, but he is complaining that it "pinches his toes" ..... What????? So I fiddle around with the sock to make sure he has it on straight and he says "I am sorry mom, but it feels too tight across the toes". I have him take off the sock and take a look at his feet.... he has Fred Flintstone feet. They are rectangular, very little tapering at the toes. So now I have to frog the toe and make them more square. This is the sock. I think it may be cursed though. I was going to start the second one right away, and couldn't find the second skein of yarn. It has been in the stash for a very long time. It is Lang Jawoll, and is not one of my favorite yarns to knit with. I searched everywhere and then I remembered I had used some of it for baby socks for charity knitting. What to do????? I could either totally frog this sock, (which he likes, I might add) and knit with something else, or see if I could locate a skein of this 7 year old yarn. I know the dye lots won't match, but I did mange to find some in the same color, so I ordered it. Karen is knitting him a pair of socks for Christmas, I called her, hoping that she had not finished the first one yet, but she had ..... so we will both be on a lily pad in the frog pond.


So , while I am waiting for the other skein to arrive, I started another pair of socks for him in some Jaeger Matchmaker 4 ply merino, in Sage. I have come to discover my stash is lacking in masculine colors. Wonder if I can convince the DH I need to fix that situation. Probably not since he refuses to wear anything knit. Both socks are just a 3 x 1 rib with a plain vanilla foot, just the way he likes them.






He has also been asking for a pair of black fingerless gloves. They will probably end up being fingerless mitts, because I hate making all those fingers. I am just knitting these in some Cascade 220 I had in the stash. He will be very happy with his new knitted accessories. I need to make him a new hooded pullover too.. I asked him why he never wears the one I made him at the beginning of the year. Apparently, his feet are not alone in the growing department, and he doesn't like sweaters with 3/4 length sleeve : ) I have to knit him another one so he will let his little sister have that one, otherwise he won't part with it.



That is all for today, have a great week!!!


27 F and clear blue skies here today. What is like in your part of the world?