I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year!!!!!

A Little of the Christmas Knitting

First the fingerless gloves/mitts for my niece and nephew. My nephew wanted a pair of fingerless gloves to keep his hands warm yet still be able to use the keyboard for the computer. His are knit in Jo Sharp Alpaca Silk Georgette in the Pearl color. And for my niece a pair of fingerless mitts, knit in Misti Alpaca Sport in the Lavender color. I didn't use a pattern for either pair. My sister assures me that Curtis will love the gloves and I am pretty sure Amanda will love the fingerless mitts as I can't keep them off my eldest daughter's hands. She loves them.

I knit a pair of socks for my husband, he refuses to even try them on. He has told me that he does not want any hand knit items, but I was hoping to convert him. I knew I was setting myself up for disappointment even as I knit them, but I was hoping. My daughter loves them and they fit her, so if I can't sway him into giving them a try, they will go to her. But I really wish he would at least try them on. They are knit in Trekking color 102 on size 1 DPN's. A 3 x 1 rib for the leg, 68 stitches, just my generic sock pattern.

The eldest, decided to go through my yarn to pick out what she wanted for her fingerless mitts. She picked some white Baby Ull and some Baby Ull I had dyed. I started knitting and I thought they looked a little too little girlie for her, but she insisted they were fine. So, I get the first one knit, and guess who doesn't like them. Well, the youngest does, so they will go to her. I am going to knit a pair for Kaitlin in the lavender alpaca just like Amanda's. Thank goodness I have another ball or two of that. It is a stranded salt and pepper st on the hand and a 2 x 1 rib for the cuff, thumb and top of the hand.

I still need to make Amanda's bag and finish up a few things for Karen. I am so glad for the extra week , well now it is only 4 days, so I need to get busy. I hope every one had a great Christmas.

I Have Been Tagged....

"THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the "6 weird things about you." People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you are tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog."

6 weird things about me
1. I will not eat or drink after my children, but I will after my husband. I think it has something to do with the little presents they used to leave in my glass when they were toddlers.
2. I have been told I have a "quirky" sense of humor.
3. I will not eat food from a pitch in unless I know who made it and know they wash their hands.
4. I kinda have a germ phobia and yet, I am a nurse... go figure
5. I fall asleep while knitting and continue to knit, and once knit two sleeves together while doing so. I generally knit them at the same time.
6. I rub my feet together while I am sleeping (that was from my husband)

OK thanks Deb, now who to tag. Karen, Allison, Alisha, Diane, Helen, and Shelley, hope you don't mind and of course you don't have to play if you don't want too. It is hard to think of 6 things that are weird, because to me they aren't weird. I had input from my family.

And a few knitterly things. I posted this on my Flickr but not on my blog as it was a gift for a secret pal. She should have received it by now, but has not posted anything, so I am going to go ahead and post a picture of it. I had posted a progress picture of it earlier. I used the charts from the mini sock in Socks, Socks Socks and just adapted it to make a felted stocking.

And in another exchange I made a scarf with some lovely Elsebeth Lavold Angora. I used the Double Eyelet Rib stitch for the scarf, seed stitch on the bottom and sides. This is a lovely yarn to knit with and ever so soft. I know she has hers, she emailed me to let me know. The color is Aubergine, very eggplant looking. I hope everyone is getting their Christmas knitting done, I am still dreadfully behind.

Pink Hat

Remember the pink SWTC Phoenix yarn from the previous post? It has become a hat for my eldest daughter. She is a bit tired and grumpy this morning, but still willing to model it for me. She hates getting up so early for school. Seed stitch around the bottom and top of the hat with a double eyelet rib stitch for the rest. I think it turned out pretty well, and she likes it.

I finished sock 1 of a pair for DH last night. I wish I had picked a different yarn for his socks. I love Trekking, and I love the color, but so few of the Trekkings have repeats, so the socks won't be identical. I don't know how well he will like that, and this is the first pair of socks I have knit for him. I am hoping to convert him into a handknit sock lover.
Back to Christmas knitting, time is a ticking.

Kona from Australia

A little while back Danielle of Sheep Geek was giving away some goodies in a contest. I was very lucky to be the recipient of some lovely hand dyed Henry's Attic Kona yarn. Well today the postman delivered this lovely package to me. The candy bar did not fare well in the trip across the pond as you can see, but I am sure it will still be delicious. The yarn is even more beautiful than I thought it was from the pictures on Danielle's blog... simply beautiful. It will be hard to stay focused on Christmas present knitting with this in the house. Can you see the little pictures at the bottom of the package, the middle one is a camel crossing sign, too funny. That is one we don't have here in Indiana. Thank you Danielle for sharing some of your beautiful hand dyed yarn with me.

Added on:
I got my Christmas exchange gift today from Teresa. She sent some lovely handspun, by her, yarn yummy 40% cashmere, 40% silk, 20% Merino in a beautiful brown. I am hoping to make a pair of mittens and a hat with it. I may have to order some more of it to make a matching scarf at a later date. She also sent a silk needle case, a tote bag from SWTC and a ball of hot pink SWTC Phoenix. The Phoenix is already becoming a light weight hat for the eldest. Thank you Teresa for the wonderful gift.

Fake Isle Finished

My youngest asked me to make a hat for her teacher this year for Christmas. I think she wanted an earflap hat, but it didn't happen. I was going to put earflaps on this hat, but I don't have enough yarn and I am not buying more for what would amount to yarn for one earflap. I knit it in Diakeito Diamusee and Cascade 220. The pattern is from Magknits. It is a pretty quick knit.

And when I was at Sock Pron today I saw this : "be sure to check out Rachel's pay it forward giveaway as well as Kristen's vintage knits contest... you know she made my legs famous with her Vintage Knits article in the recent Knitty, eh? :)" Who doesn't love a contest? Go play.

Just Laying Around.....

and knitting lots of socks. I have been laid up with this pneumonia. I don't have much energy to do anything, but am finally feeling like knitting again. And I have been finishing up some of these socks that have been treated like unwanted step children. They are feeling the love now, and will be keeping my toes toasty warm in this cold front that has blown through. This is the pair I started back in August I think. Opal sock yarn given to me by Karen. It is a Dream Catcher I think, I can't remember the number. Just my generic sock pattern, 68 stitches and size 2 dpn's.




And then there are the Koigu socks ... I do love these. It is the baby cable pattern, well kinda, from Sensational Knitted Socks. These have got to be some of my favorite colors. The cables are a little longer spaced than the pattern calls for, but it is essentially the same sock. I don't have the ball bands for this yarn any more so I have no idea of the color numbers. They are probably in the bottom of one of my many knitting bags. Knit on 2 circs, size 1 Addi's





And here are the socks that I am designing for Karen for our sock exchange. I already have mine from her, so I need to get busy on these. She has already seen them so it is ok for me to post a picture of them. Knit in Lorna's Laces in the Sunshine colorway, on size 1 dpn's. She loves yellow, so these are just perfect for her and the cables and lace design shows well in it. They aren't really that bright in real life, but it is cold out and I am not going outside to take a picture of them. Sorry about the glare bouncing off the table from the flash. Blogger is loading everything sideways or upside down and it won't let me load the last picture, so I will save that for another post.

Just In Time...

I finished these socks just in time for the for the Lacevember KAL. I really wanted to finish the Lace Cardigan I am knitting from Elann's free patterns, but it just didn't happen. The socks are from the Sensational Knitted Socks book, Ribbed Lace. They are knit in Lorna's Sport in the Somerset colorway on size 2 needles. It is a fun pattern to knit and I will probably knit it again sometime. Rumor has it, that my niece would like to have a pair of these, so if my sister doesn't get around to knitting them for her before her birthday, I just might.

And what has kept me from knitting and blogging....my family has been plagued with respiratory infections for the last month. Each time one of them would get sick, I would get just a little bit of whatever they had. Just enough to make you feel worn out and a little puny, but not too bad. Well I finally got it full blown. I started feeling really bad Friday evening last week, and thought I was dying by the end of the weekend. Except to shower and go to the bathroom, I hardly got off the couch, until today when I ventured out to the doctor. I returned with a boat load of prescriptions and a diagnosis of pneumonia.... guess that pneumonia vaccine is only good for a few years. I hate taking Prednisone, but I tell you, it is a wonder drug when you can't breath. Talking is too much effort, it causes uncontrollable coughing, which makes the head and chest hurt. I know, what kind of cheese do I prefer with my "whine." Hopefully I will feel like knitting again soon. I have several socks that just need a very minimal amount of attention in order to be finished, so I have been working on them in between the coughing fits. Pictures to come soon.

And it isn't even Christmas yet....

My dearest sister, and her daughter came to out house for Thanksgiving yesterday. This has become a wonderful tradition for us. We look forward to it every year. Well, anyway, last week was Karen's Birthday. I sent her some Claudia's Handpainted Yarn in the mail so she would have a gift from me on her birthday, and the rest she would get when they came over.

This is what I had for her when she came over: a pair of handknit mittens, knit in Mohair and sock yarn held together, some Colinette Cadenza and some Meilenweit yarn, which she immediately cast on. She had a sock half done by the time they left. And even though it is not my birthday and is not Christmas yet she had goodies for me. First, a pair of socks she has knit for me. I have a pair going for her, but I have been a slacker sister, and have not finished them yet. They fit great, chevron socks knit in Opal sock yarn. There was a glitch in the ball and the socks aren't identical, which stressed her out a bit, but I love them.

And my very first Socks that Rock in the Scottish Highland colorway. She is so sneaky, I thought she was getting this for herself, now, I know better when she asks which one would I order if I had to choose just one. She is such a good sister. I will have to find just the right pattern for the socks to knit with my STR.

And then, today in the mail, I got a package from the ozknitter, she had a contest not too long ago and I won. The prize, their favorite Aussie biscuit ... TimTams. I can't wait to try these. For some reason blogger won't let me load the picture of the package I got today. I have tried 6 times now and no luck. They are the special October edition for Breast Cancer Awareness, and there was an individual one of the original TimTam too. Thank you Jane for sharing a bit of Australia with me.

Well, I need to take my girls for a hair cut, the youngest is going to donate to locks of love. She has been fighting me in this, but now she is kind of excited about it. So, I better take advantage of the opportunity before she changes her mind again.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Is there anything better than the aroma in your house after you have been baking all day. This is the last pie of the day. The final pie count: 3 Pumpkin (one went to church for a dinner), 1 Cherry, 1 Blueberry, 2 Apple and 1 Lemon Meringue. A little eye candy for Karen. Lemon Meringue is a favorite for both of us.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Weekend Knitting

I finished the bag I started for the youngest. She has seen me knitting on it, but doesn't seem too interested in it. I know she will love it though. She is just preoccupied with important things ... like playing with her friends. I did the strap in double knitting, it makes for a very strong strap. I just need to find the right button for the closure. This bag is knit in Cascade 220, I love to felt with Cascade.




I also knit up a little pair of baby socks. The 2 ladies I am teaching to knit socks right now will both be having a baby join their families in the near future, and wanted me to write them a pattern. The one is pregnant, and the other is going to be a grandma. I love baby socks, they are just so darn cute. These are knit in a superwash merino on size 2 needles. They look a little gray in this picture, they are actually an icy blue. I just need to type out the pattern before Tuesday.

I am working on a hat for my daughter's teacher for Christmas present, per her request (the teachers, that is.) I made her a scarf last year, she wants a hat this year, too funny. She is teaching a multi age group class this year so Lauren got her 2 years in a row. I think it was planned so she could get the hat.

My Snowmen Came

Alisha , had a contest a few weeks ago, guess the number of pumpkin seeds in the bowl and win some beautiful cross stitch snowman ornaments. I guessed the closest and my ornaments came yesterday. They are very pretty, and the handmade card is beautiful too. What a talented person. My kids and I are going to enjoy watching the snowman grow too. Thanks Alisha for the contest and the beautiful package of goodies.



I am working on a few Christmas projects. The first being a Ballband (ish) Felted Bag for my youngest. She loves brown and pink together so I am making the bag for her in those colors. She has a few of those graphic t shirts with the bunny on them in pink and brown so she will love having a bag to wear with those. I am close to finishing the knitting part of the bag. I found some nice pink and brown material at JoAnne's the other day, so I might even line it for her. I will just have to see how much time I have.



And I am also working on a Christmas stocking. I have not finished this thing anywhere near as quickly as I though I would. I have a lot of "stuff" going on in my life right now and trying to juggle every thing and deal with things has been stressful. Anyway, it will get done eventually. I am using the pattern for the miniature Christmas sock, from the "Socks, Socks, Socks" book and just adapting it to make it work for felting. Blogger for some reason wants to load it sideways, and I am not going to fight with it, so sideways it is.

Well I am off to comfort my sick family. Poor Kaitlin was to go to Chicago today for a weekend trip with the church youth group. She woke up, running a fever and has a terrible sore throat. DH, has been sick and was to the doctor yesterday, he is miserable, and I have a migraine and a sore throat. The 2 healthy ones are out playing, I hope they stay well. I can only handle so much. Happy knitting all.

Lopi is finished

I have finished the Lopi Sweater. It is from this book and is pattern #13. It took a lot of persuasion to get DD to model for me. It is a bit too itchy for her liking. And she doesn't like the way it sheds all over her clothes. She hates to have her picture taken, so she will remain faceless, those are her requirements. If I want her to model for me, I must comply with her terms. But I do have a nice picture of her that includes her face. This really was a fun sweater to knit. I love to do colorwork, but this sweater was extremely heavy once I started on the yoke and very hot sitting in my lap, so I am very glad to have it done. I have to say, "I Love It!"
I started a stocking today. I will be felting it. It is not going to be a huge stocking, so, hopefully I can finish it tonight. Well, I have a sock class to teach tonight, so I better scoot.

Pattern for "Little Girlie Purse"

Little Girlie Purse (by: Monica Jines)
I ball Kraemer Yarns "Mauch Chunky" or other chunky weight yarn
Crystal Palace "Little Flowers" or similar novelty yarn
16 "circular needle size 10.5
DPN size 10.5
k = knit
co = cast on
bo = bind off
st = stitch(es)
garter st = knit every row
pu = pick up
pm = place marker
k2tog = knit 2 stitches together
yo = yarn over

with 16" circular needles co 24 st and work back and forth in garter st for 17 rows
pu 8 st along short side of rectangle, pu 24 co st along bottom and another 8 st on the other short side. pm begin knitting in the round.
K 12 rounds
Add Little Flowers holding both the yarn and Little Flowers together and knit 9 rounds. Drop Little Flowers.
K 6 rounds
round for handle placement:
k4 st, bo 2 st, k10 st, bo 2 st, k16 st, bo2 st, k10 st, bo 2 st, k12 st, (you should be at the marker)
Next round:
k4, co 2 st, k11, co 2 st, k17, co 2 st, k11, co 2 st, k13 (should be at marker)
k 4 rounds
Eyelet round for picot hem:
* k2tog, yo* repeat from * to * around
k 4 rounds
bo loosely
Fold hem to inside of bag at eyelet round and loosely seam to inside of bag, forming a picot hem. Weave in ends.

With dpn needles, and holding yarn and Little Flowers together, co 3 st and make 40" of I cord.

Felt, shape and let dry. Shave off fuzzies (if desired). Cut Icord in half for the handles and insert into holes made with bo st. Knot on the inside of the bag. I am using a magnetic closure for my bag.

Please use for you own personal use and respect copyright laws

A Few FO's

The are small , but they are FO's. I knit a hat with some left over superwash wool and left over sock yarn. It is very soft and will be toasty on someone's head. This going to the hat box in the Oncology center at the hospital. DD is modeling for me, she loves to help out that way. She must not be too thrilled with the colors of this one, neither she, nor her sister have expressed a desire to have it. Maybe I should be worried about that. I hope it isn't too ugly to donate. The color in the smaller picture is more true. I usually have to fight them for any hats I make for charity.

And I designed another little bag. It is a little girl bag. I think it would be perfect for the 3 to 5 year old. I knit it in Kraemer Yarns "Mauch Chunky" the color is Spearmint. I held Crystal Palace "Little Flowers along with it in the center of the bag and on the handles for a little extra sparkle. I did a picot hem at the top giving it a little scalloped type edging. I am quite happy with it.

I am close to finishing the Lopi sweater. OH my goodness, is that thing hot sitting in my lap as I knit. I am working on the yoke now, so the entire sweater is on me like a blanket. A very heavy blanket, I might add. Combine that with hot flashes and it makes for a rather (un)enjoyable knitting experience. The end is in sight though. I was hoping to get it done this weekend, but we are heading up to Indy to watch the BOA (Bands of America) semifinals and possibly finals, if they make it (I hope). Definitely sock knitting for this trip, and some extra Maxalt for the migraine I am sure to get. Happy knitting all.

Third Lacevember Contest

OK, the question for this contest is: What are your ideal lace making conditions?
Well I need to be able to concentrate, without distraction, So, the kids are usually in school or in bed. I like to sit on my favorite end of the couch, with a pillow under my left arm for extra comfort. Soft music or the TV is ok for background noise, but nothing distracting. I need good lighting to see the charts, my eyes are getting old. I like to have some type of diet drink or tea or coffee, anything with caffeine, and a highlighter. Then I am set for lace knitting.
That was easy and painless.

My Son, The Computer Genius

I came home from a knitting, well actually a crochet, lesson today and was greeted by my again, sick, son. He stayed home from school today, slept most of the day, and then worked on a button for me. He is 12 years old and he wants to be a video/computer game creator when he grows up ... I know, what 12 year old boy doesn't think that is the ideal career. He checked out books from the library on html code and animation, and is becoming a self taught computer geek. He is too funny. I love the new button, I think he is a genius. I of course am computer illiterate, and require his help often, so I am easily impressed. I think he will have to tone it down a bit though. The constant flashing is a bit much for me. He is going to work on that, but the flashing button is here for awhile. What kind of mom would I be if I removed this piece of art from the sidebar. Genius, I tell you.

Lacevember Questionnaire

Well, try as I may, I cannot get these questions to stay on separate lines I don't know what I am doing wrong. My son seems to know, so maybe this will be right. But here are my questions and answers for this weeks Lacevember prize. How long have you been knitting? As long as I can remember.
How did you learn to knit? My mother taught me.
Favorite thing about knitting? What I love about knitting is the portability and the relaxation.
How long have you been knitting lace? I have not been knitting lace for very long, maybe 3 or 4 years.
Favorite thing about knitting lace. It is kind of a love / hate relationship. I love the look of the finished product, but hate how easy it is to forget a little yarn over, and have it go unnoticed for several rows sometimes.
The yarn questions, or flash your stash
Favorite lace yarn? I love anything Lorna's or Alpaca / silk blend
Variegated or solids for shawls? Depends on the patterns, but I tend to like variegated.
Favorite lace color? Blues and greens
Technique, or show us your skillz
Circs or straights? Circs all the way.
Favorite lace knitting trick? Make extra copies of the pattern and highlight each row when it is finished.
Lifelines? oh yeah, can't live without the lifelines. If so what: usually another piece of yarn, occasionally another circ needle if one is available.
Fancy blocking wires, or just sewing pins stuck in your carpet? Unfortunately, sewing pins in the carpet, on a sheet or beach towel.
Pattern, or can you follow directions Most definitely need the directions.
shawls or lacey items?
triangle, rectangle, or circular shawls? I like them all
Charts or printed instructions? charts , all the way.
Favorite lace you've knit? I haven't finished a whole lot so I would say Charlotte's Web.
Favorite lace you want to knit? Too many to choose just one
Just Fun, yup that's right, just for fun
Favorite jelly belly flavor? Green Apple
Tell me everything you know about Eric the Red. Who is Eric the Red, was he a Viking
Coke, classic or with lime? Diet coke
Holiday carols, sing along, or wish they would be banned from all public airwaves? Sing along
What is the definition of irony? Which one, there are 3 different types of irony.
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie roll pop? No one knows except the owl, and I think he cheats too.
Why is my cat always puking in front of my son's bedroom door? Well at least it is not on his bed, I don't know , he either loves him or hates him.
What is your superhero power? I can read my kids' minds
If the laundry is 9 foot by 11 foot (just dreaming, that's a big laundry room), and the walls are 8 feet tall, and you are going to tile the entire room in tiles that are 3 inches by 5 inches, what color should those tiles be? sage green
What's for dinner tonight? beef vegetable soup
What is clogging my children's bathtub drain? Probably barbie shoes or legos .

A Contest and I Am Not Invited

Imagine that! My own sister, having a 100th post contest, and she won't let me play. I am totally shocked to be treated this way. But you, lucky bloggers, you can play. She has a lovely stash of sock yarn, so something wonderful will be the prize. And, as if sock yarn is not prize enough, the lucky winner will get an embroidered t shirt or tote, their choice. I am so envious. Well, what are you waiting for ... go play. All you need to do is leave a comment. How easy is that. I am going to go sulk and feel sorry for myself.

Weekend Knitting

I have pretty much stayed home the last few days, sitting on the couch, doing a lot of sleeping and some knitting. My mouth is pretty sore, but getting better. Now I just have to wait for the bone grafts to heal or whatever they do and we can finish the dental work. I am 44 years old and had to have a baby tooth removed. It was hollow underneath so there was a lot of drilling and rebuilding to be done. I thought maybe I had a cavity, but the baby tooth was just old and tired of being there. Tylenol puts me to sleep, so the pain medicine makes me almost comatose.
Any way, I finished Ben's socks. I did everything but the toe last night. If I had finished them last night, I never would have been able to get a picture of them. They would have been on his feet as soon as he woke up and that would have been it. They would never look the same again. I wanted to get a picture of them in daylight, and it is still dark when they get on the bus in the morning.
Once I got to the toe graft on those, I knit this bag for Kaitlin. The flap is a little wonky, but she likes it. I really wanted to make the flap longer, but at almost $20 a ball, I opted to knit until I ran out of yarn....so close. I just can't see buying another ball of yarn for what would have been about 10 yards of yarn. I figured if she didn't like the flap I would cut it off and felt it a little more. She was disappointed when I told her she could not use it today, as it was still wet.... " but it matched her outfit" Can you imagine what that would have looked like after she loaded all her junk into a still damp bag? Not a pretty sight I am sure. This is Farmhouse Yarns "Roxanne's Mohair" in the Sedona color. I am working on another pair of socks for her. I am to the heel flap on sock 1. I want to get a couple pair knit for all three of them before Christmas. I think I can do it. And Lauren's teacher wants an earflap hat, so I need to get working on that too. So much to knit, and so little time.