Friday, November 30, 2007

What a beautiful day!

FINALLY, after a month or more of absolutely not a drop of precipitation, we are getting some rain/snow. The sky is completely over-cast and I can't think of anything that I would rather be doing than sitting here in my house, surrounded by the smell of fresh pine, cinnamon, and ginger, in the light of the Christmas tree (What! you don't have yours up yet?), listening to Christmas music, knitting. Is there a better way to spend the day? I can't think of ANYTHING I would rather be doing.



Last week end HoneyBunny and I took our ATV up on the mountain and went for a ride in the snow. It was so much fun! We saw elk and wild turkey's and watched the sunset as we rode through the pine trees on an ATV trail. Only a "one horse open sleigh" ride could have compared. We are going again tomorrow and I can't wait. There should be alot more snow after the storm today. I will definately be posting the pictures when we get back.

The parade of lights is tonight in town. We have never gone. The weather is usually soooooo cold and the roads are too icy for safe driving, but we are going to go tonight. The kids will be thrilled!

Believe it or not, I am almost finished with all of my Christmas knitting! I may even have time to make extra stuff at this rate. Everyone has a new pair of socks. The daughter and HoneyBunny have new hats (unfortunately they needed them right away so they are already wearing them). I have a few pairs of mittens to finish and that's it. The rest of the stuff is for fun--the shawl, turkish socks, Selbu mittens, etc. I don't know if I mentioned this in a previous post, but this year our family decided to make all of our gifts. The daughter has been making candles, the son made hand-milled soaps, Honeybunny is carving and woodburning all of his gifts, and (OF COURSE!) I am knitting all of mine. It has been so much fun!! I feel just like Santa Clause!

Alright, that's all I got for today. I have to get things ready for tonight and tomorrow, and knit some more.

Happy Knitting!

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

A Quick Note

Sorry for the lack of posts. Christmas, and its all encompassing projects, have really cut into my internet play time. I wanted you to know that I am not dead or missing, just very busy! (Remember all of the projects I said I wanted to get done?) So, I am off to work on another Selbuvotter mitten, socks, shawl, etc, etc, etc. In the mean time here is something to look at.

This months Sockamania socks! They will be for the Daughter for Christmas. What do you think? I think she will like them--they are pink after all. What a great pattern this has been this month!

Friday, November 16, 2007

WIP's and the Podcast

My story that is featured on the YarnCraft podcast came out this week and you can listen to it here. I found myself feeling nervous and getting sweaty palms as they introduced it. To think that people all over the world could listen to something I wrote, wow!

Now for the WIP's I promised Monday to post Wednesday, but took off on a joy ride with HoneyBunny instead. First, the mittens I started last night. Now, I already have way to much to do, but these mittens have been harassing me for months to start them. Telling me, "I knit up REALLY fast. I have thrums, which you know you've wanted to try forever. You could make the smallest pair for the neighbors daughter. Etc., etc." So, the lure of a quick and easy project hooked me finally and I found myself half way through this mitten before I even realized that I had cast on. Now I have to make me and my son a pair for our walks to the bus stop in the morning. They will be PERFECT! Who ever thought of thrums should win the nobel peace prize or something. WOW! If you don't have a pair of mittens or socks that feature these little items YOU SHOULD! They are the ultimate for warmth!



Second are the Sockamania socks for November. These will be for the daughter for Christmas. I LOVE this pattern. It is officially my new most favorite sock pattern. I am making them out of SWTC's Tofutsies yarn. I don't like pink, but I really like the color pattern of this yarn!

Third project that I am working on this week is the shawl that I started a month ago or so. Now that I have the lace pattern figured out it is going much faster. I really like it! In fact, I am having a hard time deciding whether it should be "Merry Christmas to me" or someone else.

Next, I worked on these the other night when I had had enough of all the other projects and got past the place for the inserted heel and started the foot. Three more inches and a toe then put in the heel and the first of this pair will be done. If I would just sit down and work on them instead of the other 20 projects I am making they would have been done a long time ago. They are for me, though, and I feel like I am savoring every minute of them. They are the most beautiful pair of socks I have made in a long time.

And FINALLY, the last project that I have been working on this week--in fact they are the project I took on my joy ride Wednesday--are the pants for the daughter. Yes, I know they are very GREEN! She loves to wear grass green and looks good in it and even requested that these be this color. So, there they are. I altered the pattern so that the front and back of the leg is knit at the same time. Otherwise there are four leg pieces and you know what that means--hours of handsewn seams. I HATE sewing up seams, especially when things can be knit in the round. I would knit these in the round completely, but I still haven't figured out how to make the crotch area turn out right if I do. Two seams are better than four!

Whew! At least I am not getting bored with any of the projects. There is plenty of variety!

Happy Crazy Knitting!

P. S. Only 39 (40 if you want to count Christmas Day) knitting days until Christmas!

Monday, November 12, 2007

The Weekend's Works

Between Friday and today I managed to finish several projects. The first one is this hat that I designed several years ago. I call it a "FunkyChunky Hat" It is made with Brown Sheep Co. superbulky weight yarn (100% wool). It makes up so fast that you can literally have a finished hat in only about 3 or 4 hours (WITH interruptions). The pattern will be available at my etsy store later this week.

Friday I finished the first of my Selbuvotter mittens. It may be a few days before I start number two. I have a touch of SMS (second mitten syndrome) right now after my battle with the thumb. I think I have come up with a better way to put one in and may put a tutorial on here if my idea works out. The mitten is BEAUTIFUL and I love it, I just hate the thumb right now.








And, earlier this morning I finished the ski socks that I will be giving my son for Christmas. The picture doesn't show the Forest Green detail very well, but there is a green stripe between each black stripe and then the trees are forest green as well. I think he will love them!
Stay tuned! Wednesday's post will show what I am working on this week! I may get all of these Christmas projects done yet!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Wednesday's WIP's

With Christmas coming on so quickly I am experiencing a knitting fever. I have cast on four projects just this week.--Now I 'm scaring myself.




First, I got my new Sockamania sock pattern for November. I am loving this pattern! It looks complicated, but it is so easy--easy to knit, easy to memorize the pattern. I am already making plans to cast on another one in some 100% silk yarn that is in the stash. I will have to adjust the pattern a little for it, but I think the Daughter will LOVE them for Christmas (I'll post a pic. when I get it started). For now though. I had some left-over yarn from that sweater that I had finished this summer (the t-shirt). I thought some socks to match would be fun. So, these are being made from "Silky Wool" 65% w00l, 35% silk, on size 2 (US) needles. Fun stuff!!! I wouldn't be able to put it down except for this...........................................



Yes!!!! I FINALLY got a pair of mittens started from the Selbuvotter book. I am loving these!! They are going to be an anonomous Christmas gift for a friend of mine. I am sure she will know who it is when she sees them, but what else would you give someone who loves Norway also? I would love to see her face when she opens them up. I am making them with KnitPicks superwash wool sock weight yarns "Bare" and "EssentialSolid". Is it normal to be in love with a pair of mittens? Don't answer that!

The other projects are the second sock for the Son's Christmas present and a pair of knit pants for the daughter--nothing exciting to take pictures of yet. I have plans to make 5 pairs of socks, a knit pair of pants, a knit hooded vest, and a pair of fingerless gloves for my imediate family for Christmas. Then there is the shawl, mittens, and my super secret project for dear friends for Christmas. Do you think I will get it all done by Christmas? Ya, I doubt it too! Here's hoping!

Happy Knitting!


Monday, November 05, 2007

It's D-O-N-E done!

FINALLY! The Daughter has her afghan! and not a minute too soon. As I worked the last few decrease rows I began to count-down the sts left and giggle histerically. (My children were quite concerned that something was wrong.)
This is the Daughter all wrapped up in it, refusing to let me have it back long enough to tuck in the loose ends.

This is the size it ended up. My daughter and I are both taller than 5 feet 5 inches, so you can see that it is pretty big. She loves it!!

I got the November Sockamania pattern over the weekend and can't wait to get started. The pattern is for a pair of lacey socks and will probably become a Christmas gift since Christmas is now only 50 days away.

OOoOOOooooooOo! That sounds scarey to say! I better get busy if I am going to get all of these gifts done! Now that the afghan is finished I should be able to accomplish a lot more!!! Our family has made a committment to make all Christmas gifts this year. With all of the recalls going on it seems like a good idea! Plus, handmade gifts are so much more fun and meaningful to give. If you are on my gift list you know what's coming!

So, with a sock to cast on, a hat to finish, two pair of socks to finish, a shawl to finish, etc. I am off to start my Selbuvotter mittens!!!!!!!

I love knitting!

Friday, November 02, 2007

Playing "Catch-up" on Friday

Halloween has come and gone. We had a lot of fun! We carved pumpkins Tuesday night.
The Daughter had a white pumpkin so she decided to draw on her's instead of carving it.
I love how they look in the dark, all lit up. The white one doesn't exactly show up in the dark though.






As soon as the kids got home from school I took them "Trick-or-Treating" in town. Everyone was dressed up and the costumes were wonderful! Later, we went to a "Trunk-or-Treat" and the kids got more candy. After dinner (not that anyone was hungry after eating a ton of candy) the kids went around our neighborhood to collect more candy than we could possibly eat in a year. All said and done--we have 10 to 15 pounds of candy laying around. What happens if you gain a bunch of weight BEFORE Thankgiving and Christmas dinner? Then what? I guess I will ignore the bathroom scales for the rest of the holiday season and scare myself sometime in January.



This is my newest sock design (for all of the details and to purchase go to my etsy store). I love ski socks and sweaters and mittens and hats! This pair will turn up again at Christmas time as a gift for the Son who loves snowboarding. I know a lot of people are scared of "Fair Isle" knitting but I love it! It takes some time, and practise, to get the stranding just right. How you strand is important on sweaters, but crucial on socks! If you don't strand loose enough the sock won't even fit Barbie doll legs.






At last count THE afghan had 80 sts (rows) left. HoneyBunny says that it is fantastic and amazing and that the Daughter will cherish it forever. (SHE BETTER!!!) I had a very terrifying thought as I was reading my e-mailed Lionbrand newsletter. It said something about a "5 1/2 hour afghan". I honestly, in my insanity, thought, "Hey, 5 1/2 hours? I could make that!" Please! don't let me do it! It's a lie! It will not take only 5 1/2 hours because I will HAVE to make some sort of substitution, then add some sort of different border, maybe a skier motif here and there, etc., etc., and then I will be caught up in another afghan nightmare! Boohoo ;)



One more thing! I got my Ravelry invite!!! Yeah for Ravelry! I am so excited I can't wait to get it all put together. I will be sure to include links, to my pages there, on here. For those of you familiar with Ravelry I am "The Twisted Hare" of course!



HAPPY KNITTING ALWAYS AND FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



I forgot to post the Halloween pics of my kids all dressed up! Thanks fiber Chic!

Little Black Ridding Hood.....................................................and Skater Dude (Zombie)