Jeremy's Knit-a-bit

I've Moved

2007-01-15T13:53:00.000-06:00

Well my ADHD kicked in (see #5 of wierd things) and I've moved my blog over to Typepad. Please check it out and update your bookmarks, subscriptions, etc. I am now here!

2007-01-14T18:58:00.000-06:00

What a day, the Bears win and 24 is on in 5 minutes!

Tag You're It

2007-01-14T06:27:00.000-06:00

There is a little girl at school who whenever she sees me in the hall taps me and says, "tag you're it." I have been tagged again this time by Linda.

Six Weird Things About Me

Have you seen the trailer for the new movie coming out Catch and Release? There is a scene where Jennifer Garner says, "I can put my hand in my mouth."” Well I can put my hand in my mouth too. And when I was a teenager I would tell people and show them. This could almost count as two, I can put my hand in my mouth and that I would actually show people.

I often read magazines from the back to the front turning the pages backwards.

Probably all you knitters won'’t think this is weird but I knit while I drive. I only do it while I am alone in the car (don’t want to set a bad example for my children) and straight roadways usually work better. It has to be a simple pattern. The ballband dishcloth works well it is also a great place to knit swatches.

I borrowed this one from Amysatx. I always bring my pillow with me when I go on trips. I can't sleep on another pillow. (I have left several in hotels on my travels so I always take an old pillowcase).

I have self-diagnosed myself as ADHD. My teaching partner will confirm this. I can'’t keep my focus on one thing and am extremely distractible.

I have an obsessive personality. This can work to my advantage or not. My current obsession is knitting and blogging. This is good. There have been times when I have been obsessed with the internet. This is bad, it is a time sucker. I have been obsessed with dieting, good and eating, bad. I need to become obsessed with exercise! Other obsessions are yarn and books (I have learned to use the interlibrary loan so I can usually find all the books I am looking for without buying them).

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.

I am tagging Amy, Kayleen and Emelia, then anyone else who is reading this and hasn"’t been tagged.

I found this interesting on Robin's blog: The Rising Sign Quiz
I definitely find many of my traits in the results especially the first three.

Your Rising Sign is Sagittarius

Happy and upbeat, you are always optimistic.
Even when you're in a bad mood, people find you friendly.

On the flip side, you're very restless and bored easily.
You've been known to pick fights just for the fun of it.

You've got a great sense of humor and a quirky outlook on life.
Aggressive, wild, and unconventional, no one knows what you're going to do next.

What's Your Rising Sign?

A Fresh Start

2007-01-13T06:04:00.000-06:00

I have been trying to lose weight and returned to Weight Watchers in October. I haven't been very successful. However after the holiday season I am down two pounds from when I started in October. So at least I didn't gain weight. I used to run but when I moved I got busy and then just couldn't get back into the routine in my new location. I think about starting back almost daily but never do. So I am going to try something different. I purchased two Walk Away the Pounds DVD's at Sam's Club Thursday night and at 7am I am going to try it. That is 50 minutes from now. The reason I chose 7am is originally my girls would be at swim practice so they wouldn't be around to interrupt me but they are sick so they probably will just sleep through it.
Over winter break I did a lot of knitting, I will gradually post about it to catch up. I finished these for my Winter Wonderland Swap pal, Kate

I purchased the patterns here.
I then assembled this package to send to her.

This swap was really fun to do. I hope there is another one. Thanks Tracey and Holly! Now, I am off to get my exercise clothes on.

Two More Dyeing Experiments

2007-01-10T04:39:00.000-06:00

Before vacation was over I did two more experiments with dyeing yarn. This is what happened:
I liked the results of Lily Pond so I thought I would try it again but experiment with different dyes. At first I thought I would try for a deeper blue and green using Wilton Dyes. When I got to Michael's to purchase them I just got Royal Blue and then some white. I thought it would be nice to have white to tone down some of the colors. I really wanted to try for a pastel blue and green. I love those colors.

Color: Apple Blueberry Pie A la Mode

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino (100 grams)
Gauge: stitches on #5 needles

Dye: Royal Blue Wilton'’s Icing Dye
Wilton'’s White - White Icing Dye
3 packets Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid in 1 cup boiling water

I started with the blue and dissolved ½ teaspoon Royal Blue Wilton's Icing Dye along with an undetermined amount of the white icing dye in ¾ cup water and ¼ cup vinegar. I could tell while I was mixing that it looked like the white would separate from the blue. So I was skeptical about ending up with pastel yarn. I then put a dry wound ball of Knit Picks Bare Merino in the mixture and decided the liquid wasn't deep enough so I added more boiling water. I then put it in the oven to set. Periodically I would turn the oven on to warm to keep the water warm but after 4 hours there was still dye left in the water. That was the point I took it out. Originally, I was going to mix some of the white icing dye with the Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid but I discovered after I had dissolved the Kool-Aid in the water that the green color was a milky light green, very pretty. It only took a short time for the yarn to absorb the color leaving a milky liquid behind. The yarn was a brighter hue but not the same color. I then bathed the ball of yarn in tepid water, a little shampoo and conditioner. Then I wound it into a hank and rinsed it for a while since the water had a bluish tinge.

Notice the white on top separated from the blue.

Unwinding the ball and making it into a hank.

Now for a bath.
I send this yarn to my Winter Wonderland Swap pal, Kate. She is knitting it up into a One Skein Wonder for her mom.

Color: Rainbow Sherbet

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Merino (100 grams)
Gauge: stitches on #5 needles

Dye:
Arctic Green Apple Kool-Aid
Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid
Melon Klass Aguas Frescas

This is going to be my last dyeing experiment for awhile. I am almost out of yarn to dye and the last hank I think I will experiment with mini hanks for color swatches. My plan was to pink, peach and lavender. I shopped at Super Walmart and Pick n Save looking for more Kool-Aid and also what might be available in the Hispanic section of the grocery store. I picked up some Klass Aguas Frescas in the Melon, Guayaba (possibly a pinky peach color) and Horchata flavors. I wanted to try the Horchata because it looked white and I thought it could soften some of the colors. When I prepared to dye. I mixed up 5 bottles of dye putting I packet of Kool-Aid for 8 oz. of water in an empty water bottle. They were grape, blue raspberry lemonade, and pink lemonade Kool-Aid. The other two were melon and horchata aqua fresca. I didn't like the way the grape was turning our colorwise so I mixed it with some horchata. I still didn't like it so I tried adding some other colors to make it a lavender (instead of mud). It just wasn't going to happen so I poured it out and got my Artic Green Apple Kool-Aid and made up a bottle. I soaked the yarn for about 30 minutes and then gently squeezed out the extra water. I laid my hank out on plastic wrap and poured the colors, one at a time over the yarn.

You could see the color being absorbed very quickly as the liquid under the yarn was clear. I then wrapped it in the plastic wrap and coiled it in a microwave safe bowl.

I microwaved it for 2 minutes checked it and then for 2 more minutes. Then I let it cool to room temperature. Last was a bath with a little shampoo and conditioner followed by a rinse. It turned out very pretty and I determined it a success.

I also started knitting up The Joy of Pink into socks for Joy. I really like the way the color knits up.

The Liberated

2007-01-05T07:16:00.000-06:00

While exploring Kool-aid dyeing I discovered Scout's Swag. She was posting about frogging and inspired me to look at my UFOs. That is why I added this button: to my sidebar. I then started to go through my UFO/stash containers in my closet. This is what I came up with so far.

To the Frog Pond

Hoodie for baby Averi which I abandoned. 4 balls Plymouth Yarn’s Baby Rimini

Cabled Headband for Joy – I made up the pattern and halfway through I decided it was too narrow. Will save the ball of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky for another headband, probably for next Christmas.

Multidirectional scarf for Michael – Love the yarn, Misti Baby Alpaca Chunky. I will be looking for a new scarf pattern for Michael. It needs to be two colors (I have black and gold). If anyone has any ideas, I am open.

Sea Breeze vest from the Spring 2005 Knitter’s – This yielded 2 balls of Fiesta Yarns La Boheme. It is good I frogged it because it was going to be way too big. A lesson for not checking gauge. I also discovered my needles were too big. The pattern called for 13’s and the ones I used were 15’s in fact they are the same needles that I was using for the Hoodie in #1 (what am I now going to do with two size 15 addi’s)?

Some scarf I started a few years ago that was made out of a novelty yarn that was meant to be carried with another yarn. I hadn’t gotten very far and it was pretty much abandoned. I had already taken the needles and put it on a stitch holder.

Set aside for summer knitting:

Joy’s headband (frogged see above)

Poinsettia wreath

Swatch knitting is the new car knitting. I hate to knit swatched but I found the car is the best place to do it because I am trapped without any other knitting to do. Here is my first swatch from my home dyed. I am going to make Joy a pair of socks.

Robin at Yarn Crawl switched her blog over to typepad. I am thinking of doing that. If so I will post the new url here.

Dyeing In the New Year

2007-01-02T09:45:00.000-06:00

So I spent New Year's Eve driving my girls around, watching the Bears lose or the Packers win depending on your prospective, and dyeing yarn for the first time. Over the summer I researched Kool-Aid dyeing and I acquired a variety of colors of Kool-Aid and some Knit Picks yarn for dyeing. I stumbled across a blog that talked about dyeing yarn in a crockpot and I thought "that is something I could do tonight." So I jumped in! I did 3 projects which I am detailing here.

Color: The Joy of Pink

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Peruvian wool (100 grams)
gauge: 4.5 5 stitches on #6-9 needles

Dye: 3 packets Slammin' Strawberry Kiwi Kool-Aid
1 packet Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid

Soaked in warm water 1 hour

Crockpot: The Kool-Aid was mixed with about 4 cups of water then added yarn. I covered it and put it on high, after 30-40 minutes water was clear. So I turned off crock-pot to let everything cool. I hadn't stirred while it was in the crockpot because I thought it would take a few hours. So I figured the yarn would probably have variations in hue.

Color: Lily Pond

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Peruvian wool (100 grams)
gauge: 4.5 5 stitches on #6-9 needles

Dye: 2 packets Berry Blue Kool-Aid
3 packets lemon lime Kool-Aid

I got this idea from Helen F.'s post on the I wound a ball of yarn on my ball winder. Then I took a Pyrex measuring cup which holds 2 cups and put in 2 packets of Berry Blue Kool-Aid. Then I poured in one inch of water (about ½ cup). Then I put in the dry ball of yarn.
Helen suggests using boiling water and letting it sit for 3 hours, I thought I would speed it up and use the microwave. So I microwaved it for 1 minute and let rest for a couple minutes, then micro for 2 more minutes. The yarn looked like it was in the microwave a little too long and was beginning to felt so I took it out and let it cool. I then mixed 3 packet lemon lime and 1 cup water and turned the ball over. I switched the microwave timing 2 minutes, rest then one minute. In both cases the color looked strong at the bottom. After it cooled I rinsed it in tepid water with a little shampoo and conditioner and then clear water. I gently squeezed out as much water as I could and then wound the yarn with my swift into a hank. Next time I will try the suggested method of just soaking it in boiling water. I have to say it came out much better than I thought it would and looks very pretty as it is drying. I am calling this color Lily Pond. Lily suggested green and blue.

Color: Inferno

Yarn: Knit Picks Bare Peruvian wool (100 grams)
gauge: 4.5 5 stitches on #6-9 needles

Dye: 4 packets Blastin' Berry Cherry Kool-Aid
3 packets Orange Kool-Aid

For my third I decide to go back to the crockpot and try the sprinkle the Kool-Aid on the yarn that is covered with water method. I then used a wood spoon to mix in the crystals by gently pushing down on the Kool-Aid covered yarn careful not to mix the dyes too much. My original plan was to use Virginia Tech colors maroon and orange. I thought I had Black Cherry Kool-Aid but it was Blastin' Berry Cherry. I used 3 packages of orange in the middle and 2 packets each of Blastin'’ Berry Cherry on each side. I used a lot more dye than the first time and it took just over an hour for the yarn to absorb the dye on high.
The color ended up being red (instead of maroon) and orange with a predominance of red, thus the name Inferno.

Here is what they looked like hanging to dry (I actually hung them in the basement but an outdoor picture is much nicer):

This Christmas gift has sure come in handy.

Here are some of the sites I used for my dyeing research:
Gaea Creations
Wool Festival.com
Knitty.com
Koolaid Dyeing at the Lunatic Cafe
There are lots more just do a google search.

This is very addicting. I have to go check on my latest dyeing experiment!

Been busy knitting and shopping for sock yarn

2006-12-31T07:14:00.000-06:00

Since Christmas I have spent the majority of my time knitting, shopping for yarn (mostly for my new obsession, socks) and buying knitting magazines. Because most of my two week vacation comes after Christmas this year I still have another week to go. Lots of knitting time. My children think I am crazy about knitting which I find humorous because at least two of them have similar obsessive personalities where they become totally immersed in their current passion. For one, it is Harry Potter, and the other it is James Spader/Alan Shore/Boston Legal.

I have been busy knitting for my Winter Wonderland swap pal. I should finish the second dishcloth today (my goal is to finish it before the January dishcloth KAL starts tomorrow). I purchased both beautiful patterns from Knitwits Heaven. I always have a dishcloth in the car to work on at traffic lights, waiting for kids etc. Usually it is a ballband. I finished one yesterday which is a belated gift however the recipient has been out of town since the 22nd so I have forgiven myself for the lateness. I now need a new project for the car so I am looking for a simple lace patterned dishcloth that I can memorize for my car knitting.

I had some Barnes and Noble gift certificates so I went there looking for Nicky Epstein's book Knitted Embellishments. They had it in stock however with the cover price $10 more than Amazon I decide magazines, which I couldn't purchase at a discount would be better. So I headed over to the magazine section to check out the knitting magazines. One called Knit Today caught my eye and as I thumbed through it a photograph of knit Christmas ornaments (titles woolly baubles) hooked me. I have never really seen any knit ornaments that I have wanted to make but two of them were cute. I started to realize that this wasn't a US magazine and looking at the ad on the back cover I realized it was from the UK. Having lived in England for a year in the 90's I became nostalgic and had to buy it. There was another knitting magazine from the UK so I got it too. I have only read the Knit Today so far but there is a pattern for a cable sweater that is to die for. A quote from the magazine "It's all in the detail...This jumper (sweater) is full of interesting textures. The moss stitch and stocking stitch cables compliment the reverse stocking stitch beautifully." I think I have to quit my job to have time to knit all the thing I would like. Since Barnes and Noble was on the way to 3 Bags Full and came home with On Line Supersocke 110 and Fortissima Socka. Now I am definitely committed to some sock knitting and hopefully not just stash enhancement. By the way I did finish my first sock for the test-a-long.

Since 2006 is about to end I think it is time to attempt to switch over to the new blogger. Wish me luck. I hope this won't be a huge pain or worse have my blog disappear!

Post Christmas Knitting

2006-12-27T17:35:00.000-06:00

Well, I didn't finish knitting all the gifts I wanted to so I will either give them late or next year. I am currently working on finishing the cow I knit for Carolyn (I hate finishing), the second dishcloth for my Winter Wonderland Swap pal, and a multidirectional scarf in Purdue colors for Michael. Today when I went to Larissa's blog Stitch Marker , I discovered she had a new KAL for her book posted. Here are some brief details, she supplies a new sock pattern and a maximum of 101 knitters are going to test knit the pattern for her book. You must use Manos de Uruguay wool (which luckily Mary stocks in her shop only 5 minutes away). So once I was in I was off to the shop and picked some up in the color Uranium (what I would consider a moss green) and the latest issue of Knitter's which I had been eyeing for some time. I am excited to start the new KAL because one of my goals after Christmas was to knit socks. If you are interested in this KAL go to the sitesite and sign up. The number of participants is limited. She also has another KAL for the book that I passed on but check it out if you like to knit/wear wraps.

Michael had his wisdom teeth taken out today so I got some Dr's office knitting in. Towards the end a man came in and sat near me and commented that the chair I was sitting in must be the knitting chair because he had been to the office earlier and another person was knitting in the same seat. He also shared with me that his mother taught him how to knit as a child. It was a nice conversation. I love the way knitting is such a conversation starter. Afterwards I realized he must have been in the knitting comment chair because the woman who sat in it before him also commented on my knitting.

With Christmas over I almost forgot to comment about my present from my children. A swift and ball winder. They do not understand (and they don't need to) why I love it but I DO. And I am so happy and grateful they gave it to me.

Last Minute Knitting

2006-12-24T06:38:00.000-06:00

Some FO's and a Swap Package

2006-12-22T06:25:00.000-06:00

I finally finished my baby gift for Averi. Thanks to other knitters in "blogland" I felt it was OK to set aside the sweater I was knitting (or not knitting as the case was) and do something new. So instead of a color coordinated layette and sweater she is getting the MD bib I knit and the snowman hat I adapted from the Ann Norling fruit hat pattern. I think it turned out really cute.

I received my winter wonderland swap package from Debi (twominions). She sent me a beautiful package filled with all sorts of goodies. I received sent two dishcloths, a lovely lace pattern in a peach color and the snowflake illusion cloth (which I couldn't get a picture to show off the snowflake pattern). She also included a star coaster in Christmas colors, the cutes felted mini bag with a cat ornament inside some Fancy Feet Soap from Biker B’s Homemade Soap and a Seattle tote since lives in Washington state. Thanks again Debi, I love everything!

And another view of the hand knits.

A Knitter's Night Before Christmas

2006-12-18T06:19:00.000-06:00

I found this on another blog awhile ago and was saving it. for now. I wish I could remember where I found it so I could give credit.

A Knitter's Night Before Christmas
~Author Unknown~

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds
but I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window, I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.

The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn, I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both dad and the boys.

And though I was tired,my brain was a bit thick,
I knew in a moment,it must be Saint Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplexed-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I had expected
"move, Ashford; move, Lopi; move, Addie and Clover
Move, Reynolds; move, Starmore; move, Fraylic--move over"
"Paton, don't circle round; stand in line.

Come now, you sheep wool work just fine!
I know this is hard semi, it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight woolly sheep on my lawn all a'grazing.

And then,in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned round, Saint Nick, I did meet.

He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe
And his clothes were handknit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
and his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.

The scarf round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable,
And suddenly on one I spied a small label.
SC was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
and I asked "Hey Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"

He proudly replied "Ho-ho-ho, yes I did,
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself for I'd thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.

He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two;
For the first time I thought I'd really get through.
He put heels on the stockings and toes in some socks
While I sat back drinking Scotch on the rocks!!

So quickly like magic, his needles they flew,
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June.

-Author Unknown

Meathead News

2006-12-16T08:26:00.000-06:00

The meathead hats have been selected by Larissa and Martin . They are trying to get the publisher to agree with including 32 in the book, if so mine is in! It was selected as one of the bonus 14 (if they get to have 32 they'll include it). Mama Urchin’s Holly hat was selected in the top 18, congratulations to her.
I got more knitting done this week than I thought. I threw my back out helping my mom with my dad. He has PSP and is wheelchair bound. So I spent a lot of time resting when I stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday. Got some of the snowman hat done and Joy's headband.

I am now a lot further on both. I am using my knitpicks options for the headband and I am loving them. I love the price too.

Then I finally started my Christmas shopping. The kids all want big things (dollarwise) and their dad said he would pay half. That makes shopping easier, fewer gifts. Carolyn is the tough one because she doesn't know what she want and isn't home yet. The great thing about Carolyn is she can love little things if it is the right thing. One Christmas when she was young, she wanted a nutcracker. She loved that nutcracker. Also I think she really like the blueberry and cherry pies I knit her (scroll down to 8/13). If I had time I would knit her a cow to go with the bag balm I gave her over Thanksgiving. Maybe I will stop by Mary's (my LYS) and see if she has a pattern. If only I had more time.

And the greatest thing was I contributed the Cousin It bag I knitted over the summer to the White Elephant exchange at our Christmas party at work.

Sometimes I am a Kid at Heart

2006-12-11T14:07:00.000-06:00

And this just cracked me up...

Christmas Elf Name

My Christmas Elf Name is

Get your Christmas Elf Name at JokesUnlimited.com

Option Needles Arrived

2006-12-10T11:23:00.000-06:00

Lily was supposed to work on a project with a friend yesterday so I waited around until 1:00 so she could make her plan. The girl never answered her cell or called back (heaven forbid Lily would call her home) so I got a late start on my errands. I picked up the grapevine wreath and some eucalyptus for the felted wreath and also some Lion Brand wool in gold to make the centre of the poinsettias. Then it was off to "I'd Rather Be Knitting" to make a return and see if I could take advantage of their sale. I did get a few things but I was disappointed that Noro wasn't included in the sale. This is what I got: some Classic cotton, white for a snowman hat for Averi, Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky in somerset to make a headband for Joy for Christmas, some more Plymouth Encore to make a pair of socks after Christmas and Ann Norling's Adult Basic Socks pattern (which wasn't on sale). To get your discount you spin a "Wheel of Fortune" type of wheel. I came up with 20% off which I got to add to my take an additional 5% off coupon. After my return I ended up spending a little more that $20. One of my cheaper yarn expeditions. I also stopped and got a couple movies for a hunkering down and knitting sort of evening. This is what I came home with:

and this is what was at my door when I got home:
My Knitpicks Options Needles!
So last night I watched The Lake House, which thoroughly enjoyed, minus the fact that I dosed off at one point. I haven't read the book but it is now on my list. It reminded me of two of my all time favorite books, Outlander and The Time Traveler's Wife. They all deal with relationships and time travel. I was able to almost finish all the holly leaves for the wreath before I went to bed.

Sixteen Days Til Christmas, Oh My

2006-12-09T09:23:00.000-06:00

My tree now looks like this:

This weekend I will start putting the ornaments on. I like to do it in stages, one box at a time. That way when I have to do something (laundry, hunger, work don't stop for the holidays) it is easy to clean up and later come back to a new box. This will be the second Christmas in this house, our old house had cathedral ceilings so we always got a tall tree. There won't be enough room for all the ornaments we have so I'll just put up my favorites. I had forgotten that Bear ate (tore while trying to get the candy out) Michael's stocking last year. Looks like repairs are in order. Yuck! I finished a second meathead hat, the one will holly leaves. An idea I got from Mama Urchin

I have also started knitting holly leaves for the felted wreath. I think I will make a smaller version than the pattern calls for and use a grapevine wreath. I am very frustrated that we are not getting out of school until the 22nd. That gives me two days before Christmas. Usually we have a week and I get a lot of holiday knitting done. I also started a multidirectional scarf from Modular Knits by Iris Schreier I was using Plymouth Encore but I just don't like the feel for a scarf. I am making it for Michael in Purdue colors, black and gold. I decided to frog it and get a softer yarn. If anyone has a yarn suggestion, worsted weight, I am open to your ideas. So I am off later today to "I'd Rather Be Knitting" one of my not so local yarn stores, that is having a sale this weekend. Another decision made is I am going to put aside the baby hoodie that I cannot pick up and make a snowman hat for Averi and give it along with the bib I already made. Then there isn't pressure for me to finish something I DON'T WANT TO KNIT. I needed to get that off my chest. I also ordered Knit Picks Options needles last weekend so I am excited to get them and try them. Maybe they will come today. I feel like I am rambling and I have a lot to do! So happy knitting, shopping etc. to everyone!

Saturday's Outings

2006-12-03T07:23:00.000-06:00

I went to the library and got these books.

Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick (I love this book for the knitting class I teach)

Modular Knits by Iris Schreier (I joined her Multidirectional Knitting Group, see the sidebar)

Knitgrrl by Shannon Okey (I always like to get a new book for my knitting class)

Knitting Rules by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee(for my reading pleasure)

Love Actually (a movie for my knitting pleasure)

Next I was off to my LYS. My mission was to get red Lamb’s Pride Bulky for a Red Scarf Project scarf. The Red Scarf Project is a project of the Orphan Foundation of America, or Orphan.org. They collect red (and other unisex-colored) scarves to send in Valentine's Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care." I chose the color spice because the scarf is supposed to be unisex and it was the only red she had. I also decided after I saw this Meathead Hat picture I wanted to make one for my self (details of the hat are on Mama Urchin's blog). That meant another two skeins of Lamb’s Pride Bulky this time in cream. When I told Mary the owner of my LYS of my holly felting plan she putted out the holiday copy of knitsimple and opened it to this:

A poinsettia and holly wreath designed by Nicky Epstein. So I also picked up some green Lamb’s Pride Worsted for the leaves but I didn't need any red because I had some at home in my stash. The good thing was last weekend when I was home Michael bought me a gift certificate so I got to use it. This is what I got.

In my travels I also managed to pick up a Christmas Tree, a six foot Fraiser Fir. Here it is up and still frozen. Tonight I put the lights on.

I then got to work on knitting up some holly leaves and berries and a few rows of my second meathead hat.

Finished Meathead Hat

2006-12-01T10:32:00.000-06:00

Here it is! I love how the felted flower turned out. I wasn't so sure while I was making it.

I also did a snow test...

I'm Doing the Happy Dance

2006-12-01T08:14:00.000-06:00

Snow Day! Here are the current conditions:

I had Joy park her car at the end of the driveway for easy exits.

Notice the pumpkins to the right of the door. Time to get rid of them.

So this makes it a three day weekend. And with this gift of time I am going to finish the meathead hat and work on Averi's hoodie.

All that is left on the Meat head is finishing. The flower pieces have been felted since I took this picture.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2006-11-26T08:19:00.000-06:00

Carolyn and Michael have been here and gone. Joy and Lily are home. So everything is back to normal. Michael left yesterday because he didn't want to miss today's Bear's game. GO BEARS!

It has been a great holiday weekend. About 60 degrees every day. Friday I roasted 2 pie pumpkins along with an onion and some garlic for pumpkin soup. I put some fresh thyme on it and baked it at 350 degrees for an hour and 15 minutes. One of the pumpkins wasn't quite done so I nuked it for a minute and that did the trick.

Of course the seeds needed to be roasted so I put them in the oven with a little oil. I upped the temperature to 400 and kept them in 15 minutes. Added a little salt and they were perfect.

Meanwhile I processed the roasted vegetables with 1/2 cup of fat free evaporated milk then put it in a pan and mixed it with a can of chicken broth. I heated it up and voila.

Carolyn and I met my sister at the tree lighting in the afternoon.

It is hard getting good pictures in the dark. Too bad Carolyn had her eyes closed.
Here are the lights before and after:

It is much more striking when you are there.
My niece, Elizabeth, was concerned that the dried leaves on the trees would catch fire from the lights to she was feverishly trying to pull them off.

As we were leaving there was a crowd by South Gate. I said to Carolyn that they were probably roasting chestnuts. She disagreed so we made a little wager...

...I won!

This is what I have left to do this weekend (and week)

Report Card Comments

Finish Meathead Hat

Put Outdoor Christmas Lights Up

Finish Averi's Baby Gift

Wish me luck.

It's Wednesday But It Feels Like Saturday - Whoo, hoo!

2006-11-22T07:37:00.000-06:00

No school today! When we had school on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so many kids had already left town that the district finally made it a non attendance day. I get to go to coffee with my friends, I'll probably do a couple errands to beat the post Thanksgiving shopping rush, bake for tomorrow and finish the Meathead hat. The sad thing about having all this time is that report cards are due next week and I have to write narrative comments for about 185 children.

On the family side, I took Joy and Lily to the airport Monday night. A 30-40 minute drive took 1 hour and 50 minutes. I thought they were going to miss their plane. However there were no lines at the check in or security (this was O'Hare) so they were able to breeze through and make the flight and it only took me 30 minutes to get home so I didn't miss Prison Break. Last night I picked Michael up at the bus station so he is home, Carolyn flies in tonight, late. Since Joy and Lily come back Saturday evening I thought I would try to take a picture of all the kids but Michael is going back Saturday because he doesn't want to travel during the Bears game. A true fan.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy family and friends, take time to give thanks for all the wonderful things in your life.

Catching up

2006-11-19T20:16:00.000-06:00

As promised here is a picture of my finished afghan. It was so nice outside today I brought it out for the picture.
It's so big and warm.
Here is the beginning of my next afghan.

And a close up of the row counter I made. I got the pattern here on Turtle GirlÂs blog.

And I just can't seem to get away from knitting dishcloths.

Thursdays presentation went well. An old friend happened to come not knowing it was mypresentationn. It was great to see her but it made me a little nervous. I spent the rest of the weekend going to the Girls State Swim Meet and then catching up on grocery shopping and errands. I only did a little car knitting (dishcloths) but I am ready to sit down and start the meathead hat. I have 5 skeins of Lambs Pride Bulky left over from my afghan so one is dedicated to the hat. That afghan would have been huge if I had used all that yarn.

So Much to Say, So Little Time

2006-11-15T06:23:00.000-06:00

I hate to post without pictures but it takes so much time which I don't have right now so maybe pictures this weekend. First I am really busy because tomorrow morning at 8:15 I am making a big presentation at the IAHPERD (our state physical education association) convention. You would think I would be taking this time to prepare or even make my sub plans for the next two days but instead I am signing up for swaps and posting.

Here is what I am excited about:
1. SPOT (The Society for the Preservation on Thanksgiving). Please take the oath.

The Official SPOT Oath
**please raise your left hand and place your right hand on your computer keyboard. Repeat after me.

I do solemnly swear to uphold the Thanksgiving holiday and the traditions of the holiday.
I will take time during the Thanksgiving holiday to give thanks.
I will refrain from celebrations of the Christmas or any other December holiday until after the Thanksgiving holiday.
I will keep the "thanks" in Thanksgiving.
I will promote SPOT and all the things that make SPOT stronger.
I will eat, drink and be merry in celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday.

Congratulations! You are now a member of SPOT! Go forth and give thanks!

2. The Meathead 06 KAL . This is a KAL for a hat. Those participating are test knitters for a pattern in a knitting book. Check it out!

3. And I just signed up for the The Winter Wonderland Dishcloth Swap. If you are interested check it out. I like this one because it is a busy time of year for me but I can handle a swap of this size.

I Made Some Changes

2006-11-12T06:52:00.000-06:00

I have been thinking of changing my template for awhile but was afraid I would mess everything up. I found this free template on Faces of Yve. There is also some good html help on this site. This is my third template and probably not my last. Eventually I would like to be able to design my own! PLEASE let me know what you think of the changes.

Afghan Part Two

2006-11-10T06:34:00.000-06:00

I want to get to work on the second afghan (better finish the baby sweater). It is supposed to prevent me from fighting with my daughter over the first. It has a 16 row pattern repeat (luckily even rows are just knit) so I want to make a row counter that I found on Turtle Girl's Blog.

The Afghan is Done

2006-11-08T17:01:00.000-06:00

I finished on Monday after stalling. But it actually made me very happy when it was done because now I can use it without the stitches fallling off the needles. I just need some more mindless knitting to do while I watch TV.

It has been awhile since I updated. On Halloween I had a house full of 16 and 17 year olds for chili and movies. It was fun and kept them off the streets. Then Friday was the girls' conference meet so the house was TPed (as the tradition goes).

I celebrated my birthday on Saturday and my sister had the family over for dinner. It was amazing everyone could come since it was last minute. Everything seems so busy as we are heading into the busy time of year. Unfortunately knitting is taking a back seat to everything else.

Dishcloths Completed

2006-10-28T06:56:00.000-05:00

I am finally posting a picture of recent knitting. Unfortunately work and taking care of my girls has been encroaching in on my knitting time.

I am really enjoying the Monthly Dishcloth KAL. In the picture is the September Oak Leaf, the October 2005 Pumpkin and the mid-October Candy Corn Illusion. I also knit the October Cat but it is in the laundry (it also had a pretty big mistake which I don't need to show off). It is hard for me to get pictures of them because I like to use them as soon as I finish them. Today is the last day of Hobby Lobby's Sugar and Cream sale and I want to get there to stock up. I am going to knit several Turkey (November 2005) and Cornucopia dishclothes for Thanksgiving. Being one of my favorite holidays I am sad that I am unable to host it this year. Before I sold my house I hosted the family for Thanksgiving every year. I really loved doing that. The house I am living in now just doesn't work. Too many stairs for my dad's wheelchair. I will also miss Joy and Lily who will spend Thanksgiving in Arizona with their dad. At least Carolyn and Michael will be coming home. I have decided to finish my afghan. It is about six feet long and I should be done with it. I have loved this project and it will keep me warn this winter. I am still having trouble focusing on finishing the baby hoodie. I need someone to yell at me!

To Do List for this Weekend

2006-10-21T08:54:00.000-05:00

1. Work concessions at the High School football game.

2. Make progress on the baby hoodie that I don't feel like working on.

3. Spend minimal time on the mid-month dishcloth and the afghan because they keep me from working on the hoodie.

4. Return the homecoming dress Lily decided not to wear.

5. Take Joy shopping for shoes and socks (wish I had time to knit some).

6. Make soup for lunch during the week.

And good news. I was down 4.2 pounds for the first two weeks of Weight Watchers!!

I'm Interchangeable

2006-10-21T06:53:00.000-05:00

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are interchangeable.Fun, free, and into everything, you've got every eventuality covered and every opportunity just has to be taken. Every fiber is wonderful, and every day is a new beginning. You are good at so many things, it's amazing, but you can easily lose your place and forget to show up. They have row counters for people like you!
Take this quiz!

Off On a Pattern Search

2006-10-15T08:02:00.000-05:00

I am freezing in my house, it is 30 degrees out and the weather pixie in my side bar is not wearing a coat. What is with her?

This weekend is flying by. I have worked a little on my afghan and a pumpkin dishcloth. It seems though that for every five rows I knit I have to rip back two. I must be knitting tired and distracted. It is a little frustrating. I can't seem to get motivated to finish this baby hoodie. And to answer Linda's question the yarn is Plymouth Yarn’s Baby Rimini. Now I am searching for the pattern which I have two copies of somewhere in the house. That will be my next task.

Yesterday I put most of the storm window up and found in Michael's room a wasps' nest the size of a pear on the top of his. He never complained of wasps in his room over the summer. I'll have to as him about that.

The past year I have been enjoying food a little too much. A week and a half ago I joined Weight Watchers again. Instead of the flex program I am trying core for awhile. It actually is working quite well.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2006-10-08T16:37:00.000-05:00

I probably shouldn't post right now because in less than three hours my house will be invaded by eleven high school freshmen to celebrate Lily's birthday belatedly. And they are sleeping over. I've been very busy this week with work and the kids. I drove to Purdue to pick up Michael Friday night. What should have been six hours max ended up just under 8 hours. Actually I expected that. So he is home for his fall break and it is homecoming weekend. He and I went to the football game because the girls weren't swimming. Joy and Lily both went to the dance. Here are two pictures of Lily before she left.

Joy got ready at a friend's house so I am hoping someone will email some pictures.

I have knitted a little on some dishcloths, the bib, the afghan and the baby sweater. I hope to finish the bib and sweater this weekend but I'd rather work on other projects.

Don't Take the Edens on Weekends

2006-10-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

I got a lot of knitting done while sitting in a traffic jam. It took me an hour to get to the first exit (about 3 miles) and I hadn't even reached the construction! However I had my trusty knitting next to me and almost finished the right and left fronts of the baby cardigan. Looks like I did a pretty good job matching the color on the front. I decided to knit them simultaneously.

Hopefully I can finish the bib and sweater by the 10th when the baby is born.

And my advise to anyone in the Chicago area, DO NOT TAKE THE EDENS ON THE WEEKEND!

I found one!

2006-09-29T05:48:00.000-05:00

While I was surfing through some blogs I came across a Grey’s Anatomy KAL. Now I am just waiting for the invite. With the new TV season starting. One of my favorite activities before bed is to watch a show or two with my almost finished afghan drapped over me, continuing to knit as it keeps me warm. Earlier this week I made the mistake of knitting tired and had to frog back to a couple mistakes I made, but I am almost caught up now. I really love knitting this project.

SSK

2006-09-24T07:59:00.000-05:00

I posted pictures of my afghan and ballet camisole on the
Selfish Sunday Knitters KAL. Check them out and while you are there join the fun. It helps me put aside some of the projects that have to get done and do a little knitting for myself.

Red Scarf Project

2006-09-23T06:50:00.000-05:00

I ran across this while I was catching up on some blog reading. With my love for the color red I thought I would see what it was. I found out that the Red Scarf Project is a project of the Orphan.org. Red scarves (and other unisex colors) are collected to send in Valentine's Day care packages to college students who have aged out of foster care. Having two kids of my own in college I really felt a connection to this project. I plus it is something I could complete in the limited time I have.

I won't have much more time to write this weekend because I have to create a handout for the presentation I am giving in November and go to school and clean out my server folder because I have to transfer everything to my new laptop I am getting on Monday. Yea!

Grey's Anatomy

2006-09-20T18:02:00.000-05:00

So there are two nights in a row of Grey's Anatomy. I am really excited about the new season. It will also be a time to work on my afghan which is almost done.

I have also been thinking about starting a Grey's Anatomy KAL. A place to blog about the show and what you are knitting. I'd love to hear what anyone thinks about that.

Things I'm Excited About

2006-09-17T07:51:00.000-05:00

1. My knitting class started last Friday and I have a great group of kids. Two have been in the class before, another one is a sibling, another one has knitting experience and there is a boy too. The first day we spend making knitting needles from Kids Knitting by Melanie Falick. Next week I will teach them the knit cast on and the knit stitch. By the way the class is called "Knit-a-Bit". I named my blog after it.

2. Today is the first Sunday since I joined Selfish Sunday Knitters. I have two things for myself that I am going to work on, the Ballet Camisole which is supposed to be finished September 30th (that looks doubtful because I have been working on a baby gift for my co-teachers baby) and my Pure and Simple Afghan (it is finally cool enough and I LOVE working on this).

3. Grey's Anatomy starts this Thursday. I'm going to have to tape it because Joy and Lily have a swim meet and I will probably miss the first hour. I did download season 2's last episode from ABC/I-Tunes for free with their Million Hit Lowdown promotion. I never got to see the whole episode because it was against the 24 finale and 24 is my favorite show. The problem was I wasn't home so I had to choose which show to tape. I watched it last night and loved it and it will be replayed on Wednesday.

Now that I have started teaching again it has been difficult to post during the week. I have just been too tired. My goal this week is to make one post before Saturday. Now that it is in writing I better do it.

It's Tough Being a Serial Killer

2006-09-16T13:52:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a day so far. It started last night when my sister called and said that Dad was being taken to the emergency room for pain in his back. This has been going on for awhile and he went to the ER for the same reason three or four weeks ago. At that time he was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. They did check for kidney stones but didn't find any. Well this time they found one. It is good to know what was causing the pain so that it can be dealt with. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep.

Today I got up at 5:30 to take Lily to practice. I figured it would be a good time to head up to Woodman's to grocery shop. I haven't shopped there in over a year, it's far (actually in Wisconsin) and I always spend a lot but the prices are good and it is huge. I ended up getting home at about 10:15 and was greeted by Bear. I asked the girls if they fed Bear and they said no. When I asked why they said because he threw up. He threw up a dead animal that we have determined was a chipmunk. Well I had about 45 minutes of grocery unloading to do and I also wanted to get my swapcloth pal's package in the mail before the post office closed at noon. So since the area that needed to be cleaned was in Bear's crate I let it go for awhile (and possibly because I was thoroughly grossed out and was avoiding dealing with it). I got the two dishcloths and noticed I still needed to weave in the ends of the one I finished a couple days ago. When I got to the second end it had come lose and a couple stitches came out so I had to dig up my needles that I hadn't put away yet and finish the cloth. All looks great now as you see here. Once I got back from the post office I still had a few more groceries to put away and dishes to do. I then took a break and began work on this entry. I finally tackled the clean up and all I am going to say is that afterwards I was in true physical pain.

So you are probably wondering how my Dog ended up with a chipmunk. The truth is there is a serial killer on the loose. So far we have found four dead chipmunks inside our house and numerous outside. Witness have reported a dark grey cat chasing wounded chipmunks. Where is this cat???? I think he is on the run from authorities. Here is a mug shot:

"It's tough being a serial killer."

And his accomplice who tried to get rid of the evidence, unsuccessfully:

Better put out an APB.

AL (Acronym List)*

2006-09-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Last week went by fast. Knitwise I seemed to do a little of everything. I checked out Amysatx's blog Knitty McPurlypants where she had her knitting acronym list, alas I was tagged to make one here:

FO: Monthly dishcloth KAL (Oak Leaf dishcloth)
AFO (almost finished object-needs, darning, blocking or seaming): Several cell phone purses, Stars and Stripes bag
WIP: Vino dishcloth, Baby hoodie (I finished the back this week), MD bib, Ballet Camisole
UFO: 3 afghans (1 almost done, 1 half way, 1 just cast on)
In the Queue: a second MD big, MD baby genius burpcloth, several dishcloths
HALFPINTS: Curtain using the scribbling technique in Mason Dixon Knitting, the Market Square Bag from Bags: A Knitter’s Dozen, the beaded knit belt from Deanna's Vintage Styles
TOADS: they are so deep in the black hole it is hard to remember what is there. At least three scarves.
*If you are reading this then you are officially tagged to complete your knitting acronym list!

I have slowly been making and gathering things for my Mason Dixon Swapcloth pal. That package should go out this week. I am finishing one more dishcloth first. I have to remember to take a picture so I can post it after I send it. I like doing these swaps and am considering Secret Pal 9 but I am worried that I will get bogged down with school and it could become a chore. I have a little time to decide because the deadline to sign up is September 30.

Well I went to take some pictures and the batteries died in my camera, the rechargeable batteries are also acting up (must need new ones) so pics to come later.

I'm starting to feel better

2006-09-04T07:58:00.000-05:00

About 5pm last night I noticed I was starting to feel better. Thank God, since it has been since Wednesday. I still have a nasty headache but I am a lot stronger and can do things for a longer period of time.

Well, yesterday I got going on my fall knitting. There is the Ballet Camisole, the hooded baby sweater and September's Dishcloth. I am becoming addicted to making these dishcloths among other things so I started to make up a gift list, kind of pre Christmas.

1. Baby Gift - with the sweater I want to make two Baby Bib O' Love one in pink and one in lavender then use those colors
to make a baby genius burp cloth. I will use the extra buttons from the sweater for the bibs so everything will be color
coordinated. All of these are from Mason Dixon Knitting.

2. For the Thanksgiving hostess (it will probably be my sister) I will make a knitted turkey cloth. I love this pattern check it out it is so cute. I know I will make one for myself also.

3. Holiday hostess gift - depending on the occasion, MD ballbands (again from Mason Dixon Knitting)with coordinating red/green pattern or the wine bottle dishcloth (Vino) with a bottle of wine. (I got this idea off a blog while I was blog surfing yesterday).

Time to rest, I"ll try to post pictures of my WIPs later today. Also I was very disgusted that there was a Macy's add on TV last night for their Labor Day sale. The name change is supposed to happen September 9th!

Trying to recover

2006-09-02T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have been sick since Wednesday and still feel pretty bad. I didn't go to school Thursday and probably shouldn't have on Friday. Hopefully this three day weekend will give me the rest I need. I did finish a couple projects this week for the August UFO. I think my FO's totaled seven. Here are the seven:

Knitwise I feel things are starting fresh. I joined the Monthly Dishcloth KAL and started the first one yesterday. You are given about seven rows of the pattern a day for about a week. Then it is done! They do two a month. My goal is to do one of them a month. I also need to finish the Ballet Camisole. I set it aside to work on deadline projects a couple weeks ago. And I need to start on the hooded sweater for Baby Regan.

Carolyn leaves for Penn today for me that marks the official start of fall since the rest of us are already back to school. She is taking her pieces of pie but I never made Liam a new sweater. If anyone knows of a good Teddy Bear sweater pattern let me know. This pic will help with the size:

So it will now be the three of us left. Joy and Lily start swim meets next Friday. Go Scouts!

It was a race...

2006-08-27T11:22:00.000-05:00

...to get the Spiral Rib Bag finished in time but I did it! This is the skirt I wore with the bag. I should have gotten a picture while I was dressed. I also wore the summer poncho knit with a cotton yarn (sorry I don't remember what kind and I'm too lazy to go look for it) on large needles. Of course one daughter said it looked like a fishnet. My aunt and uncle's 50th wedding anniversary was a lot of fun. I hadn't seen my cousins in 17 years. It didn't seam that long. My aunt looks great, rumor has it she has had a little help. I just wish we could have spent more time together. This is my favorite picture.

Now that I have finished these I have another ballband on the needles and need to get back to the Ballet Camisole. It is almost cool enough to start working on the afghan again.

Good-bye to Marshall Field's

2006-08-24T05:33:00.000-05:00

I have lived in the Chicago area all my life and grew up shopping at . In fact the town I live in the same town as the Field family. We even have our own Marshall Field's in our market square when most of the other Fields in the downtown suburbs have been long closed. I am saddened by the fact that at the end of the month will become Macys. It actually already is but the name will officially change and Field's will be no more. So Macys gave our tote bags at a community parade earlier this month which I now use as a knitting bag. I really wish it said .

Another move

2006-08-23T06:28:00.000-05:00

So after moving our office out of the library (literally in the middle of the book shelves) to an office/closet type space. It was decided that the social worker needed to have her own space because of confidentiality. That means that yesterday instead of preparing for our first days with the children we had to pack up again and move furniture. The unpacking is waiting for me. There are now three of us in a larger space, which I am going to like. On the knitting side, I finally started the Spiral Rib Bag from One Skein. Knitting it is my stress reducer.

Purdue Trip

2006-08-20T10:05:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I drove my son to school. We were rather relaxed as it is his sophomore year and we had been through it all before. We stopped for lunch at Fair Oaks Farm. It is a dairy farm with a cheese factory. There I learned Michael had given up eating cheese (except on pizza) so he ordered his Reuben cheeseless. I used the trip to do a little car knitting and brought along my Ballet Camisole which I worked on until I came to the increase and then switched to the ballband warshrag I am making for myMason Dixon Swapcloth pal.
After unloading at the dorm we went in search of Walmart or Target and found a Big K first. There was a Michael's close by so I went in to look for a skein of Butter Cream Sugar 'n Cream because I was worried I would run out. The didn't have and but Big K did. They wanted $2.12 for it. Outrageous. I held out for Hobby Lobby in Merriville IN where I found it for $1.27 along with the painted desert and wine colors which I just had to have. I have just finished balling the Colinette Chrysalis and need to start on the spiral rib bag if I want to get it done for Friday. It will be a challenge since I officially go back to school Tuesday (I have already been there several times setting up). Please wish me luck because my knitting and blogging time will be limited.

Last weeks mail

2006-08-17T07:29:00.000-05:00

My order from Knit Picks and also from eBay arrived last week. I was excited to get both of these books. I immediately started a ballband dishcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting and am binding off right now. Next will either be another cloth for my swapcloth partner or the Spiral Rib Bag from One Skein. The Colinette Chrysalis in the green colorway will go with the outfit I am going to wear to my aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary a week from tomorrow.

Back to Stitches

2006-08-16T05:42:00.000-05:00

So I now had my skein of yarn and was ready to leave the market. Just before reaching the exit I was intrigued by two women knitting with beads at Deanna's Vintage Styles. Combining beading and knitting has always interested me and but I have always felt I had too may projects going and in the queue to get started on something new. I watched for awhile and became hooked. I couldn't pick out beads without the yarn first so went over to Foxyknits to pick out some Koigu. I am really excited to work with this yarn. Merilyn let me bring the two skeins I was deciding between to select the beads. The beads picked the yarn and I ended up with this:You may not be able to tell from the picture but the purple beads really draw out the purple flecks in the yarn. Instead of making a scarf from the pattern in the picture I am going to make a belt. I think I now have enough knitting projects for a couple years.
This is what I ended up coming home with.
1. Size 15 addi turbo circular needles, circular needle stitch protectors, and some knitting coasters from SusanÂ’s Fiber Shop
2. A computer mousepad from PearlÂ’s Knitwits
3. Ozark Handspun
4. Beads and Scarf pattern from Deanna's Vintage Styles
5. These buttons which will go great with the baby sweater I am going to make with this
6. And free stuff; a couple patterns, a skein of lambs pride bulky (I love that yarn) and size 10 needles.
It was a great day and I raced home to pick up my daughter'prescriptionon only to find the pharmacy had just closed. Definitely will go again next year!

Stitches Midwest

2006-08-14T11:35:00.000-05:00

Last minute I decided to go to Stitches Midwest last Saturday. The market was mind boggling, just amazing. I walked through the booths for an hour before the Teaching Knitting class I was going to. I went to the class which ended up not really offering what I was looking for but I got a couple of ideas and a skein of Lamb's Pride Bulky and some knitting needles. Afterwards I had decided that I probably wouldn't get any yarn but I wanted to pick up some buttons for the baby sweater I am going to make, some Addi Turbo size 15s and a couple other odds and ends. I saw a lot of books that I liked but I will get them at the library first. After getting everything I wanted plus some impulse items (computer mousepad, coasters) I thought I would walk around and find one skein of beautiful yarn to buy. I was leaning towards some handpainted yarns in a pastel colorway however one the way to purchase it I was distracted by the skeins of Ozark Handspun. They had a scarf which was a similar idea to the scribbling in Mason Dixon Knitting. I have been toying with the idea of making a curtain for my kitchen using that technique and that sold me on the yarn if I could find the right colorway. At first I didn't see it but as I was about to give up I found it! I tried to get Bear to model it but he wasn't cooperating with the camera.

To be continued...

A Lot Going On

2006-08-13T17:59:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week I hit the Hobby Lobby Sugar n Cream sale and got all this:

I started my first ballband dishcloth from Mason Dixon Knitting.
I also went to Stitches Midwest this weekend but I'll talk about that later when I have more time.
Also Carolyn came home today which meant that the "pies" had to be done. Here is the finishing process.

And the delicious desserts.

Liam and Carolyn were thrilled with their pie.

Carolyn looks like she needs a little sleep and Liam needs a sweater repair.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have time to write about stitches and the fun stuff I brought home.

I'm a Joiner

2006-08-08T06:29:00.000-05:00

As you can see in the side bar I have joined a few KALs and swaps. I think it is a lot of fun to see what others are making and hopefully keep me focused enough to finish projects. I have to say that I probably would have put aside my Ballet Camisole if it hadn't been for the KAL. The straight stockinette has become boring to me but I keep plugging on. I am almost a third done. Here is a list of what I have joined:
1. Flip Flop Swap - the first, it is over and was a lot of fun. My pal Amy sent me a lot of fun things that are pictured in an earlier post but my dog ate the lifesavers. I am waiting for her to get my package because she is out of town.
2. Mason Dixon SwapCloth - You knit warshrags or Euroflax towels and send them to your swap partner with whatever else you wish to include. The swap is closed now and we are waiting to receive our partner.
3. Ballet Camisole KAL - My first KAL
4. Mason-Dixon KAL - I have been following this one for weeks and waiting to get the book from our library. I gave up on the library because the blog sold me on the book so I have ordered it and am waiting for it to come.
5. UFO August - because I have a ridiculous amount of UFOs and need motivation. Here is the partial list I am coming up with and them prioritizing for the group:
Pure and Simple Afghan
Waves of Blue Afghan
Pattern Block Afghan
Piece O Cherry Pie (and blueberry)
Cousin It Purse
Stars and Stripes Purse
Firecracker Purse
Vest
Deco ribbon purse
At least 3 scarves
Ballet Camicole

Wish me luck!

My Three Afghans

2006-08-05T13:26:00.000-05:00

I really love afghans therefore I am always wanting to knit one. So when I became separated from my husband I knew it was time to get rid of the afghan his grandmother gave us as a wedding gift (she didn't make it, it was acrylic, and the colors were from the 70's). That was when I started the divorce afghan (I don't know the name of the pattern and it fit the situation). It consists of 12 blocks knit in 3 strips. Each block is a different pattern. I have worked on it off and on over a year and I am exactly half done. Some of the patterns don't make for mindless knitting so at times it needs focused attention.

The next afghan is almost done, in fact I haven't wanted to finish it because I have enjoyed making it. It started when a friend of mine was knitting a baby blanket at a swim meet and I loved her pattern along with it being semi-mindless knitting. I got the pattern called Pure and Simple from Fiber Trends Easy Baby Blanket pattern collection 2 and am making it using Lamb's Pride bulky (oatmeal on size 10-1/2 circulars. I couldn't get all the yarn at once because my LYS only had 5 skeins in stock. I decided to risk it because it was for myself and I wanted something quick for the long swim meet that was that weekend. Now if you look closely in the picture you can see where the dye lots changed. In June, I solved the problem of not wanting to finish it by deciding to make a second afghan using the Waves of Blue pattern from the same booklet. This time the color is Blue Magic. When I am done with that I may make a small version of the last pattern in Pistachio for my bedroom. None of my knitting bags were big enough to hold my Pure and Simple afghan so I went to Target and bought this beach bag for under $10.

One of my goals this summer was to felt. I had actually knit this Kitty Pi bed for my cat Smokey a year ago. But I got involved with selling my house and moving I never got around to felting it. This summer when I was going through my stash and unfinished projects I found it. So I threw it in the wash and lo and behold:
It was so simple I started making these little felted totes. "Cousin It" (the orange one made with 1 skein of Lambs Pride worsted, orange & 1 ball Crystal Palace Squiggle, circus) is finished except for the button, next is "Stars and Stripes" (1 partial skein each Cascade 220 in blue, red, and white and 1 skein Moda Dea Zing, pearl) which needs a strap and some star buttons I am going to sew on and then "Firecracker" (I'm using more Cascade 220 and Lion Brand Fun Fur) which I have almost finished knitting. I almost had them done for the 4th of July but didn't so now they have been put aside for the time being. I also picked up some Patons classic wool and Lion Brand Fancy Fur for another bag

I should have named my blog the ADHD Knitter. I jump from project to project without finishing many of them. I do want to list them later. Maybe the list will motivate me to finish one or two. Of course I went to my LYS to pick up some needles last week and I also end up coming home with this: The picture doesn't do the color justice and it is so soft. I am going to make a hooded cardigan for my teaching partners baby which is due in October.

A Break in the Heat?

2006-08-02T07:10:00.000-05:00

It's only supposed to be 90 today. I never thought I would consider that cool. OK, cooler. Thursday high is 80 so I am really looking forward to that. What I have done to keep cool: go the library, grocery shop - Jewel is one of the coolest places, go to school to work (only in the basement were it is air conditioned), floated in my parent's pool for an afternoon, made several trips for ice cream cones in the evening and did as little as possible. I've worked a little on the ballet camisole and am avoiding finishing the Piece O' Cherry Pie (and blueberry) I am making for Carolyn. She comes home the 13th and since I am deadline oriented I will probably work on them the night before.

My flip flop swap package arrived! Pictured here I got, a pair of blue flip flops which match one of my sun dresses, 3 skeins of Sugar n Cream along with two dishcloth patterns (perfect for summer knitting) and a pair of knitting needles. Also some lip gloss and nail polish, and a variety of lifesavers. It was so much fun doing the swap. I don't think my flip flop pal has received hers yet because I mailed it a couple days after she mailed mine.

Catching Up

2006-07-28T19:05:00.000-05:00

I started to make the Ballet Camisole and joined a knit-a-long. Once I started working with the yarn (knit picks shine) the apricot color really grew on me. You can see it here. I am also getting my package ready for my flip flop swap pal. I was delayed today by a leak in my radiator and had to tackle that problem. It looks like I will be without my car until Monday night but my fabulous sister has lent me hers. Well it is over 90 degrees here and it is supposed to get hotter. Lets see how long I can keep knitting without air conditioning. I did have to put my afghans aside.

True Confession

2006-07-23T10:02:00.000-05:00

I have always avoided blocking so when I read that I should block the Piece O Pie before seaming I thought about blowing it off. It isn't something someone was going to wear so sizing wasn't that important and i was careful to make sure the pieces would fit together correctly. However I decided to research blocking online and in my knitting books. One of the things that caught my attention was that it "makes the stitches pop out and seaming becomes easier." Now, I hate to seam so I decided to give it a try. I soaked each piece in lukewarm water with a dab of shampoo. What was most interesting was since I used three different yarns they all reacted a little differently. It is hard to tell in the picture but I had a lot of trouble with the Lion Brand Wool Ease curling compared to the Cascade 220 and the Plymouth Encore Worsted. Now I am waiting for them to dry so I can put it all together.

The New Bed

2006-07-21T10:24:00.000-05:00

Wednesday my new bed arrived and also the new linens. Good timing! So I did a through cleaning of my bedroom and moved some of the furniture around. After moving things around I decided to move the picture that was over the old bed to a different wall. Now I need to have something to put over the bed. I came up with the idea to knit a wall hanging. The trouble is I have never done something like this and I am totally a pattern knitter. I am great at following directions but not at creating. I think I am going to make it in a variety of yarns in the style of Berroco's Free and Easy Scarf pattern, and then add some beads (or something decorative) to the fringe. I am also tackling the problem of Bear sleeping on the bed. Fortunately it is higher than my old bed and with the summer heat he prefers to sleep in the sun room. I am on a third dog bed and he seems to like it (at least he got in it once). Hopefully that will solve the problem.

Other excitement! The yarn I ordered from Knit Picks to make the Market Squares Bag has arrived. It is the first time I have gotten yarn from them. I do like the feel of it. I also ordered some Peruvian Wool to dye, I have never done this before, and some shine sport to make the Ballet Camisole by Alexandra Virgiel.

I love books and I tend to buy too many. I moved last October and still can't find many of my knitting books. Now I have been using the interlibrary loan system to get the knitting books I want to read. The one book I read recently that I will have to buy a copy for myself is One Skein by Leigh Radford. There are so many projects in it I want to try and I would like to sign up for the knit along. However I have several projects I should get started on so I"ll wait a bit before I buy it!

2006-07-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

This is the empty equipment room.

2006-07-17T16:56:00.000-05:00

Can you believe all of this came out of there.

2006-07-17T16:54:00.000-05:00

And this too!

Surviving the heat

2006-07-17T12:17:00.000-05:00

You know it is hot when you sit in the stands at an indoor pool for two days and you actually escape the heat. It has been 100 degrees the past two days and the house I live in is not air conditioned. But the good news is Joy's team won the water polo tournament. In this heat I am trying to do little as possible therefore I am ignoring the afghans I am knitting but I have made a little progress on the cherry pie. The cherry filling is done and I have started the blueberry.

Progress...

2006-07-15T08:46:00.000-05:00

I've gotten a little knitting in and made the crusts for the pies I am sending Carolyn. I started on the cherry pie filling this morning but I don't have much time. Several errands to do and then off to a water polo tournament Joy is playing in. Two of her friends will be house guests tonight because they live about an hour and 15 minutes away. I have been making more stitch markers as I wait for my kids to get ready. It is so fast to do, a perfect time filler when you are ready to go but the others aren't.

Yesterday I started another big project. Ryan, my teaching partner and I met yesterday afternoon and started cleaning out our equipment room at school. We took everything out! Now, you need to understand that we teach up to 48 children at a time and we believe that each child should have their own piece of equipment. That is a lot of PE equipment. We vacuumed the room then left everything in the gym. Our next step is to inventory and then organize it. I think I will have to take pictures.

Also I signed up to do the Flip Flop Swap on Knit2blog1 site. This is the first time I have tried something like this. Basically you send a pair of flip flops and one or two summer things that your pal might enjoy.

I am posting pics of my stitch markers. One set as you can see is being used on the afghan I just started. The pattern is Waves of Blue from Fiber Trends Easy Baby Blanket pattern collection 2. I am using Lamb's Pride bulky (blue magic) on size 10-1/2 circulars. I am almost finished with another afghan using the Pure and Simple pattern. I used the same yarn in the color oatmeal. I love the feel of the yarn and the afghan too. In fact I was worried I wouldn't get to use it because my kids seen to like it too so I decided to make another. Later I will tell the sorry of when I lost it and it's recovery.

I think I ran our to time to do the rest of my errands. Oh well.

Yesterday, etc.

2006-07-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

Well, I knit the first pie crust and decided I would knit one for a second pie before I knit the filling. Last night I bought some Lion Brand Wool Ease in Navy for blueberry pie filling. Now Carolyn and Liam can each have their own piece of pie.

At times most of us have looked at things for sale and said, "I can make that." Well I keep seeing stitch markers for sale, the beautiful beaded ones and have been saying that. I then saw in someone's knitting blog ones they had made. So I got together with my friend Susie who makes beaded jewelry and we made two types. They turned out great and I will post a picture soon. So easy to make.

Ready to Make Pie

2006-07-11T13:42:00.000-05:00

I picked up a skein of Plymouth encore in a wheat color (240) to go with the red cascade 220 I had left over from a stars and stripes felted bag I made for the fourth. With my double pointed size 6 needles, I am about to get started on the Piece O' Cherry Pie pattern I got from pieKnits' site. Lily thinks I should make blueberry pie, so if all goes well Carolyn and Liam may each get their own piece of pie.

Getting started!

2006-07-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

This is my family. Only our cat Smokey and I are missing from the picture. Carolyn soon to be a senior at UPenn is on the left. She just celebrated her 21st birthday away from home. She and her trusty bear, Liam wanted pie so I am off to "the knitting store" to get some yarn to knit them a piece of cherry pie. I found a pattern this morning and it looks interesting and quick. Next to Carolyn is Michael who will start his second year at Purdue and then Joy, a junior and Lily, a freshman, both in high school.