The Newest FO's and Prizes!

And you thought I was busy at work or on vacation or something! No, I have been knitting instead of blogging the last two weeks.

I became completely obsessed with this pair of socks. After making three pairs of boring socks for HoneyBunny I found myself knitting these without even realizing that there was nothing boring about them. I had originally started them to become another boring pair of summer socks for him, using left-overs again.

However, after working the double braided rib I suddenly found myself making these cute little "picket fence/window pane" designs. I then thought an inserted heel with a little "picket fence" detail around the edges of it would be really fun. I was running out of the white and still had tons of the "Desert Sunflower" yarn so I figured that I would do one more "picket fence" and end the sock with the multi-colored yarn.

Needless to say, they are not for HoneyBunny. They are for ME! I really love them! He just thinks they are "cute".

This is the pair that I made for the Sockamania Club this month. I have missed making a sock for it for the last two months. I just didn't have time for some reason. Both pairs are UFO's at this point.

Anyway, I used ToFutsies from Southwest Trading Co. and increased the cuff at the top by 30 rows. I like a nice 8 to 9 inch leg on my socks. In fact, if the deadline hadn't been Thursday I would have made them even longer. I absolutely love the color! and the heel design was very clever!

This is the prize I won for making a pair of socks each month of the SAMKAL over the past six months. Two skeins of beautiful sock yarn, stitch markers, a sock pattern by "Cookie", and this gorgeous knitting bag that was hand made using fabric I got to pick out. I was very excited!

I love getting presents! I am looking forward to knitting up the sock pattern. I really like all of Cookies patterns. She is an amazing sock designer!

I am almost finished with my Turkish socks!!! I am so excited!! And I found the most adorable cotton, summer cardigan/jacket/top thing. It is an additional pattern for the Summer Knitty.com online magazine. I am completely obsessed!! (I am also half done with the back already! and I only started it yesterday.) It is so cute that I am planning to make several for myself in various colors and then one for every female family member, and my dearest friends!! It is so cute, I think that every woman on the planet should have one. (Yes, you can see the obsession clearly at this point). I will post pictures of mine when it is finished, in the mean time click on the link above so you can see how cute the original one is and get the pattern for yourself!

That wraps it up! Happy Knitting!

Could I Have Any More UFO's or WIP's?

Of, course! There is always room for more UFO's and WIP's in a knitters life! Unfortunately, they are really getting in the way if I want to do anything on my computer. More than half of my desk in covered in yarn, WIP's, and UFO's a good eighteen inches deep (that's about 46 cm for those outside the US). I don't remember EVER having this many projects going on at once! It really is completely out of control!First, there is the hooded sweater that I started the day after Christmas. I am using recycled yarn from a sweater that I had made for HoneyBunny two Christmas' ago that just never fit him right. I re-did the neck at least four times but it still was messed up. I finally gave up and just ripped the whole 10 skein sweater apart and started this instead--so far so good.Next is my Sockamania project for January--New Years Socks. I have the first one done and the second one started. It is a super easy pattern! I have neglected to mention where all of these Sockamania patterns can be found. So here is a link. Anni sells some great yarn as well!!! Which reminds me.................
This was in my mailbox Saturday. I ordered the Sea Scape 100% lace weight cashmere from Anni's etsy store. The blue, bamboo/wool sock weight skein was my prize yarn for the Sockamania December drawing--also found in Anni's store. I can't wait to get a project started with them!!!!!The next UFO sitting here is the beginnings of a pair of Mad Color Weave socks. (I can't find the link--it was on one of the SAMKAL Blogs). I love this pattern! Even in plain yarn it is gorgeous!

This is the other pair of socks that I am working on right now. The yarn is some that I swapped for with Hege. I love the color! I am a sucker for olive greens and tans. These are going to be for HoneyBunny's birthday. I have them about half done.

Not pictured are the Turkish Socks--that are definately in the UFO status, the lace shawl--UFO, the silk/wool lace socks--WIP, and the green pants for the daughter--UFO.

I can't believe I am looking for a pattern that I can use for my new yarn! Where is my self control?

Happy Knitting!

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!

Wonderful Wednesday

HoneyBunny invited me to go for a ride with him today for work. I love to go with him when ever I get the opportunity. I get to knit and sight see, and nothing pleases him more than to have me along for company when he is driving all day.

This is what the mouth of the canyon looks like that we drove through. Huge granite cliffs topped by red sandstone, lots of pinion pine trees and sage brush. This is my favorite canyon in the world!

This is the house that they are paving the driveway for. We decided that it is a log mansion, not cabin. It is absolutely beautiful!
The house sits at the bottom of this amazing little valley.

More of the view of the canyon drive.

I had a wonderful time and took a bunch of pictures of all of the fall colors. I love this canyon!


Ok. So, here are this weeks WIP's. This is a sock that I fully intend to finish in the next few weeks. I actually started it last winter and somehow it got shoved to the bottom of the UFO pile. It resurfaced when I finished those two black hole projects. So, now it has been promoted from UFO to WIP.

This is the Turkish sock that I have been working on--and off-- for the last couple of months. I absolutely love it and wish I had nothing to do but work on it until it was finished. Unfortunately, the daughter's afghan has sucked up a huge chunk of my knitting time. I am half way finished with it now. I may have it done before Christmas after all. For now it remains a WIP.

There you have it. I have decorated for Halloween and will post the pictures next time with pictures of my progress on the October Sockamania sock.

Happy Knitting!

The Good and Bad about Monday

Monday's are usually a mixed day for me. Most people just hate Monday because it means that the weekend is over and they have to go back to work or school. I used to hate Monday's for the same reason. However, now that I am (working) at home Monday's are weird. I am excited because, once again now that everyone is gone to work and school, my time is my own. I can knit when I want, get dressed when I want, eat when I want, go to town IF I want, etc. I don't like Monday's where HoneyBunny decides that since I am at home I am not busy. I have an entire day's worth of Honey-Do's! I HAVE IMPORTANT THINGS TO DO HERE AT HOME! After all, the new Sockamania pattern comes out today, I started spinning some GORGEOUS yarn for a sweater and I am having a lovely time with it, the Turkish socks I started after my finger surgery are coming along very nicely, it's time to decorate for Halloween, and I am all excited about the sock yarn swap Hege and I are going to have (got some exciting ideas to surpise her with)!!!! I had a wonderful Monday all planned out and now I have to get myself together and go into town instead..................Maybe if I hurry really fast (within the speed that won't get me a ticket) I can make it back home before noon.

I'M OUT OF HERE!!

I Love Knitting!!

Surgery went well and I am on my way to recovery. In fact I couldn't wait any longer to start that really exciting project I mentioned before. So here it is!!


(Just ignore the ugly mark on my finger, yes my finger is a little swollen and greenish)

Isn't it LOVELY!!! I could barely sleep at night with this yarn sitting on the bookshelf singing sweet seductive songs to me about how lovely and soft it was. And I don't even want to mention what that pattern has been whispering to me as I sat next to it on my desk (I blush at the memory of it).

Anyway, the flaming, colored yarn is a fingering weight that I hand painted two weeks ago and promptly named "Desert Sunset" (appropriate don't you think?). The black is that sinfully delicious "Gloss" (70 % merino 30% silk) from KnitPicks (I love that yarn!!!). And the sweet-talking pattern is one of the only two socks I haven't made, at least once, out of "Socks--A Spin-Off special publication for knitters and spinners" from Interweave Press. That book has special significance and meaning for me because it was my very first sock book and it is what got me addicted to sock making. I don't even know if it is still in print, but if it is pick one up. It still has the best sock patterns ever--well next to any book put out by Nancy Bush (I looooovvvveeee her sock pattern books. Her book "Folk Socks" was purchased the minute I saw it for the first time).

The shawl is almost finished! I have only about 50 more rows and it will be ready to send off.

(It is taller than my son, so the whole thing didn't fit in the picture.) I love this pattern! It is so easy and looks so good. The nurses at the Surgical Center were "ooooing" and "ahhhhing" all over it (yes I was working on it while I waited for surgery to start). When it is all done, and ready to send, I will take one final picture of it wrapped around my daughter--I will probably have it for the next post.

Well, I am off to see if I can do some spinning. I need to get that yarn done still.

Happy Knitting!!