Knitting Knoobie

Socktopus

2012-01-29T09:46:00.001-05:00

I've wanted this book for a little while but wanted to have the time to have a good look through it first. I have about a dozen sock books and have really only knit from one of them so I wanted to make sure that this was a book I'd be knitting from and boy is it.

The first thing that struck me about this book was there was no color work patterns. I don't do color work socks so I was happy to see that I could possibly do all seventeen patterns from this book. Yay!

The next thing was that all the patterns are beautifully textured. I love that. They're criss crossed and hearted and all kinds of fun shapes. I also noticed that I'd actually have to work at some of these socks. There are elements I've never done before. Not because they're difficult but because I'm lazy to be honest. I've always liked easy patterns but I'm at the point where I want to learn something more so my sock making isn't so limited.

I bought this book and savored it. I didn't want to quickly browse it, other than when I first purchased it, but I wanted to take time to really read through the patterns which I did this week. The only bad thing about that was that I didn't want to put it down! I really like all the patterns. I think they're challenging but not complicated and I think Alice Yu explains the stitches perfectly.

I'm really pleased with this book and can't wait to work my way through it. Right now I'm working on a pair of Shur'tugal in Sanguine Gryphon's Eidos in an unnamed color, which is a variegated burnt orange, on Signature Needles. Tell me, can sock knitting get any better than this? I don't think so!

My Afternoon

2012-01-26T13:08:00.001-05:00

I went shopping yesterday and a package came today. This is what my afternoon will consist of today:

I didn't photograph the glass of wine I will be having whilst I peruse this gorgeous book because I was afraid I'd spill. Yes those are my new Signature needles which came a day early. I'll be fondling them as I look for a sock pattern to knit up.

Coveting

2012-01-24T06:49:00.001-05:00

While at the Cookie A class, I looked across from me at another knitter. She was knitting along happily but something about her knitting caught my eye. There was a flash of red with silver tips on the table. Squinting to see what it was I realized it was this:

Yep. Signature needles. I've seen these mentioned online but never had the chance to really have a look at them. I think they were at Rhinebeck a few years ago but I passed them by because I'd heard the price was a bit out of my league. I put something up on Twitter about these needles asking opinions and one of my Twitter knitter friends, Sharrie, offered to mail me her pair so I could try them out before making, what I consider to be, an expensive purchase. Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to try these out.

The needles arrived late last week and I've just been playing with them. They're a pair of size four circulars and the wire part of them is very soft and pliable. I haven't cast anything on yet because I'm still making up Christmas presents which are quickly becoming Valentines Day presents. After a bit though I realized I really wanted a pair of the dpns. I coveted them.

Valentine's Day is coming. Usually Glenn gets me a big box of Godiva truffles which cost about $60. Since I can no longer eat chocolate, because of my surgery, I asked for a pair of size two Signature Needles instead and he's up $10 after shipping. Hollah! They should be here this week.

Barter

2012-01-23T16:11:00.000-05:00

After getting my gorgeous swift I realized I needed a swift bag for it. I perused Etsy but I really didn't want to spend $40 for a bag I liked. I put up a Tweet saying something to the effect of "I wish there was a barter craft site. I'd love to barter a pair of hand made socks for a yarn swift bag" Within a few minutes I got a response from Laura, who writes the blog Nimble Fingers and Steady Eyebrows, saying she thought her friend Annie, who writes the blog with her, would love to barter with me. Hollah! A bit later Annie contacted me and we emailed back and forth and came to a quick and simple agreement. I knit her up a pair of Petunia Dursley's Double Eyelet Socks and sent them on their way. I used Shibui Knits Sock yarn in a gorgeous purple variegated color which was one of the colors Annie said she liked. This was my first time using this yarn and it will definitely not be the last. Gorgeous, soft and very easy to work with which makes it a winner in my book. She should be getting them today or tomorrow. I hope she likes them as much as I like the gorgeous yarn swift bag she sent me!

Believe me when I tell you that it's even more gorgeous in person. It's got a lovely lining to it and a handle so I can carry it easily. There was just one little problem...there's a stowaway on board!

Isn't he adorable? Annie is very creative and talented and this went so well! Thank you Annie and I hope your socks keep you warm and cozy.

Knitting Class

2012-01-18T06:29:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've all read about Vogue Knitting Live. Allyson and I wanted to take a class but I have to admit the website for the event was a bit overwhelming. It took a while to navigate and once you found what you wanted, either it was at an inconvenient time or the class was full. Blech. We gave up. Then my darling, diligent friend found that Cookie A was giving a class at a local knitting shop! Cookie was the one designer that we both wanted to take a class from so we signed up immediately. The only downfall was the shop it was being given at isn't my favorite because of an incident that happened with the manager at this place a few years ago. I put that aside though because I really wanted to take a class from Cookie.

We got there and the class was full. Duh. Al & I were separated but I was lucky enough to sit next to a lovely lady and we chatted and encouraged each other the whole time. The class was about creating knitting stitches. Cookie explained how to decide on a shape and how to make that into a knitting pattern. She's so articulate and sweet. It really was a fun class and I'd love to take more classes with her.

The two things I learned? Which I sorta knew anyway were when it comes to knitting, I'm a follower not a leader and the other thing is I'll probably never be a knitwear designer and I'm okay with that. I think to be a really good knitwear designer you have to do a lot of hard work and I so do not want to work hard at knitting. I knit to relax and to make lovely garments and I think I'll stick to that.

I have both of Cookie's books and have been so intimidated by the patterns that I haven't even tried to knit anything. Not anymore. I'm determined to get to steppin and knit at least one of her socks and I'm going to start with her BFF socks as was suggested to me by my new knitting friend.

So I went to learn how to create knitting stitches and instead I learned somethings about myself. I'd say that was a successful evening.

Perfect Swift

2012-01-12T07:23:00.003-05:00

The other day I went to wind some yarn and noticed that my swift was broken. The part that's like a vice and tightens on the table wouldn't grip. I asked Glenn what to do and he said he could fix it but I should look for another one. This was only a year or two old so I was a bit disappointed and didn't want to get another swift that would break in the same amount of time. So where to look? Twitter! I put out a request for good swifts and one of my fellow Twitter knitters suggested Hornshaw Wood Works. I was told that it may be a bit pricey but that it was worth it and her swift was going to be passed down to her grandchild one day. Off I went to peruse the site and I wasn't at all disappointed! These swifts are gorgeous and beautifully made. I knew I wanted one but the only problem was which one! Tim Hornshaw makes these beautiful pieces in several different woods and I couldn't resist the Paduak, which is a rich red wood.

Needless to say, this photo doesn't do it a bit of justice. Lisa & Allyson were here when it arrived and we immediately put it together and wound up a skein of yarn. It's smooth and silent. Not only is it beautiful to look at but it works perfectly.

I was a bit hesitant about the price of it but Glenn said that I have a good investment in yarn so I should also invest in a good swift that won't harm my yarn. Also I paid over $50 for the swift that broke in a year or two so this will pay for itself in a few years. It truly is an heirloom piece.

Tim Hornshaw also has a shop on Etsy so you can also go there to order and read reviews of all his products.

Mittens For Me

2012-01-07T06:08:00.002-05:00

Last year I made a pair of these mittens, All The Water, and gave them to my sister. I love these mittens. The first time I made them it took me a few months because I picked them up and put them down. This time they took me three days and I had good incentive to get them done. My hands were cold!

Beautiful aren't they? I guess putting down isn't an option when the temperature drops from the 50s to the 20s overnight. They're knit in Madeline Tosh Vintage and the colorway is Molly Ringwald which I just love. They're nice and thick but not too thick. The color is really lovely.

I'm currently working on another pair of Hedgerow Socks for a friend's husband and have another set of socks on the needles for a friend. After that I'm going to give the Selbu mittens another try. If you look up Selbu mittens on Ravelry, you'll get about four pages of options all of which are lovely. Look closely at them though, some of them have some cool things in there like little skulls! I'm gonna stick with the traditional mitten. Last time I tried these I didn't do so well. The mittens were too small and I got frustrated and put them aside. More than a year has passed and I think I may be ready to take on this somewhat daunting task and start my first color project. We'll see soon enough if I'm up to the challenge!

Loss & Gain

2012-01-05T05:59:00.000-05:00

I read a bunch of knitting blogs and realized that a lot of people are doing a year in review type of post and it got me thinking that maybe I should jump on the bandwagon with this because it was a big year for me. Thinking about it I realized it was a year of loss and gain for our family. I usually don't talk a lot about my personal life here because I like to keep it just that - personal. For some reason I feel the need to share.

There was a bit of loss for us. My dear brother in law passed away this year. He was in his eighties and his health had declined drastically in the last few years. He was a guy who when in his seventies you'd have thought he was in his fifties. He'd go around his neighborhood to see if "the old ladies" needed anything from the store or any help around the house with things they couldn't do. Keep in mind he was their age or older. He was a wonderful brother in law to Glenn and myself and a great uncle to our boys. We loved him very much and will miss him always.

Another loss for us, actually more for me, has been some serious poundage. I think I mentioned earlier that I had bariatric surgery this year. I had my operation in July and since then have lost, as of my weigh in this past weekend, a total of ninety one pounds. Nothing to sneeze at for sure! I still have a long road ahead but the difference in both my looks and the way I feel has been truly amazing. This is a loss I shed no tears over. I'm on this journey for the long haul and this is just the beginning.

Ok enough loss. Now for the gains.

When you have bariatric surgery, you have to have a lot of medical tests and take some classes. At one of my classes I met a woman who, as it turned out, was having her operation the same day as me! We talked a bit and got along well and hoped we'd be roommates in the hospital. We did wind up in the same room and a friendship was forged that will last forever. She and her husband have become very dear to me. It's difficult going through a life changing, and possibly life ending, experience like this but when you go through it with someone else, it eases your mind. She's become a very close friend and she and her husband spent Christmas Eve with our friends and family. And one of the best things? She's learning how to knit! She started a scarf with the knit stitch and 30 stitches. No purling yet. She's about a quarter of the way through, has 34 stitches and hasn't given up. I love her for her sweetness and determination and am so happy she's in my life.

Another gain was this guy.

This is my great nephew Patrick! (Is is great nephew or grand nephew? I like great better. Grand makes me sound old!) He was born in October and he's Maddie's little brother. He's my niece, Joyce's, little boy. Isn't he darling? Joyce brought both the babies for a visit last month and we all had a great time. What good babies they both are! So sweet with such good temperaments. They're lucky to have a mother like Joyce who is so attentive and loving.

All in all it had been a really good year with a few bad things that happened. Glad it's over and now we're on to 2012!

Different Year, Same Resolutions

2011-12-29T14:28:00.002-05:00

I just looked at last year's knitting resolutions and realized that I didn't carry through on either one! I never was good at keeping resolutions but that doesn't mean I'll give up trying.

I'm going to carry over last year's resolutions and add more. Yes I'm a glutton for punishment. Last year's were to do toe up socks and learn to do a short row heel. This year I'm going to add finishing my sister's sweater and stash busting. I won't go so far as to say I won't buy any yarn but it will be minimal. I hate hanging out in a yarn shop and knitting without buying anything so I will be making some yarn purchases but not that many. My sister, Pat, will be thrilled to finally get her sweater this year. I started it a couple of years ago and just put it in the back of a closet. I've actually had friends offer to finish it for me because they know how much I dislike the thought of finishing it up. But finish it up I shall!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and hoping that this year's resolutions have a better chance of being accomplished than last year's did!

Busted Sock

2011-12-22T08:38:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Allyson and I went to see The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Great movie, greater book I hat to say. We had a lovely time then went out to lunch at a local Mexican place where I had a killer ceviche then I came home. Took off my shoes and lo and behold, I had a huge hole at the bottom of my sock! It was bigger than a quarter, in the middle right at the ball of my foot. I was so disappointed because these are relatively new socks, made in the last few months, and they're a pair I really liked, my Hermoine's Everyday Socks. I gave away the yarn so I couldn't fix it with a matching yarn and I thought that because of where the hole was, that no matter what I did it would be an uncomfortable fix so I threw the pair of socks away. Before I threw them away, I looked at the other sock and saw that a hole was beginning in the exact same spot! I looked at my other socks and didn't see anything similar so I'm assuming that it's the yarn and not me. This time anyway.

This is the first time I've gotten a wear hole in any of my knitting and I didn't even know if it could have been fixed but I just wasn't in the mood to work on it and get frustrated. What do you do if you get a hole in your knitting especially if it's in a spot that won't be an easy fix? Did I do the right thing by just tossing the pair?

Hope you're all enjoying the holiday season. I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. We're expecting twenty people for dinner on Christmas Eve and I'm sweating it a bit. If you saw the size of our apartment, you'd feel sorry for me. Ok I'm off to shop and clean!

I Lied.

2011-12-09T09:21:00.001-05:00

What did I lie about? That Christmas knitting thing. I usually don't knit gifts for Christmas because anybody I knit for, gets knitted goods throughout the year. This year we have a few new additions. My friend Lisa, who had surgery with me and we shared a room, and her husband Edgardo and Glenn's girlfriend. They're all very appreciative of knitted goods, so I've broken my "no knitted gifts" rule this year.

I was going to make a lovely Star Crossed Beret for Glenn's girlfriend. I've made it before and it's gorgeous and I was going to make it to match the mitts I made her last month. As I told Glenn this, he looks at me and says "Oh she'd love socks." Ok looks like it went from a two day project to a week long project but that's ok she's worth it. I'm also gonna make her the beret though. I know she'll love it.

I made Lisa a pair of socks when we first met and she tells me all the time how much she loves them so I know that she'd love another pair. I'm going to use BMFA Socks That Rock in a mill end which is a lovely light brown color. Gonna have to find a pattern that's quick and easy though! I'll make her husband a nice London Beanie like the ones I make my husband. They're simple and warm as can be.

I've only got a couple of weeks to get this done and I'm hoping I'm up to it. Next thing I want to do is look at my knitting resolutions from last year, see how many I didn't keep and put them on this year's list!

Petunia Dursley Socks

2011-12-02T10:03:00.001-05:00

Well first I want to start out by telling you about The Chew! It was great fun but over much too fast. We tried to get photos but none of them came out well which was disappointing. We had so much fun we're going to try to get tickets for The View and David Letterman next. I'm sure the waiting list is huge for them but we'll give it a go.

Now for knitting. I actually finished a pair of socks and there they are:

These are the Petunia Dursley's Double Eyelet Socks by Eric Lueder. I had started these a few months ago for Patrick but thought they were a bit too feminine looking. Love them! Easy breezy! I have yet to be disappointed in any way with a pattern by Erica. She writes lovely patterns and I'm a huge fan of hers. They're knit in Hazel Knits Soy Merino sock yarn which is a dream to knit with. The pattern calls for size 1 needles but I used my gorgeous Lantern Moon size 2 needles which make the perfect size for me.

I'm currently working on a pair of socks which will be a gift so I can't talk about them here but I can say that I'm making them with a yarn I purchased at Rhinebeck and I'm very much enjoying them so far.

The Chew

2011-11-27T16:22:00.001-05:00

When ABC announced their new show, The Chew, was going to start airing in September I got very excited. In case you haven't seen it it's a talk show revolving around cooking. Clinton Kelly is the emcee, the chefs are Michael Symon, Mario Batalli and my favorite Top Chef contestant ever, Carla Hall! Daphne Oz, daughter of Dr. Oz, is one of the other hosts who is there to bring a different perspective to the dishes by making them vegetarian or giving them a less fat twist. You can see the show here if you'd like.

As soon as I saw there was going to be a live audience I started looking for where I could get tickets. Long story short, I'm going to the filming tomorrow! I got tickets for me, Allyson and my sister Annie and it's my sister's birthday. Yay! This should be a lot of fun. I've only ever been to one show like this and it was, don't laugh, Maury Povich way before his "You are NOT the father!" days. My son, Glenn was on the show because he was a model and they were doing a show on child models. It was a lot of fun and I got a great keepsake from it.

I'll bring some knitting just in case there's downtime. If I could get Carla Hall to pose with a sock of mine, I would be in heaven!

A Thank You

2011-11-26T16:32:00.001-05:00

Remember last week I showed you these mitts I made for Glenn's girlfriend?

She loved them and Glenn says she wears them everyday.

Well on Thanksgiving evening she came over to meet us and have some dessert. And this is what she brought!

She knew pink was my favorite color, hers too, so she brought me two dozen pink roses as a thank you for her gloves. Wasn't that so sweet?

I like her. Looks like I'm gonna have to get more pink yarn, huh?

Contest Winner

2011-11-25T10:59:00.001-05:00

Tell me why the number generators never generate in the first five digits and I have to count a bunch of entries to find my winner?

But find my winner I did and it's Vanessa who has a blog called The Vintage Rose. Congratulations Vanessa. I can't wait to see what you make with this yarn.

Hope you're all enjoying your Black Friday as I am - comfy and cozy shopping online.

The Holy Grail

2011-11-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

Remember when Cabbage Patch dolls first came out and they were really hard to get? I do. My niece was a baby and they were impossible to find. What about Tickle Me Elmo? Glenn was a baby then. You'd have to sell your soul to get your hands on one of those. More recently, Missoni at Target? Yeah good luck with that one.

This yarn is sort of like that. Sanguine Gryphon has a colorway called Blue Lobster that everyone covets. I went onto their site to be notified when they had more in stock. Before I even got the email my Twitter knitter friend, Sharri, Tweeted that Blue Lobster was in stock. I could not get to that site fast enough. I only ordered one skein of Skinny Bugga but it's enough to make something gorgeous.

Isn't it beautiful? The color is so rich. As good as the photo is, and it is good believe me, it doesn't do this yarn justice. Just one problem. What to make? I think I'm going to find a nice hat to make Glenn for Christmas. I can't wait to knit this up!

Black Friday Contest

2011-11-19T06:53:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've had a contest and I'm feeling unusually generous so I've put together a package for a giveaway!

Included in the package is one skein of Misti Alpaca fingering hand painted sock yarn in Senta and Vogue Knitting Socks & Vogue Knitting Socks Two! These are lovely little books with lots of sock patterns.

To enter all you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what knitting goodies you're going to ask for this holiday season! I know I'm gonna ask Santa for a gift certificate from The Loopy Ewe. That's all I've got on my list so far but it's early yet. I'll be using a number generator and drawing a number on Friday, November 25th which is Black Friday. I'm willing to ship internationally so everyone can have a chance to win.

Good luck!

ETA - Make sure you leave me a way to contact you either via email or your Ravelry name!

Pink Mitts & New Socks

2011-11-18T20:04:00.001-05:00

My son asked me to make a pair of mitts for the girl he's going out with and he asked me to make them in pink. Needless to say, I was more than happy to oblige. I used a tried and true pattern and I like this pair even better than the ones I made for myself.

They're the Entwined mitts done in a yarn I had in my stash but it had no label. The mitts are warm, dense and gorgeous. I have enough yarn left to make myself a pair and that just may be one of my next projects!

Got the jones to do socks so I just cast on Diamonds In The Fluff using Hazel Knits merino with soy in Terrywinkle which is a lovely lavender. Yay socks I missed you!

Balustrade

2011-11-15T12:15:00.001-05:00

I finished my first Christmas knitting project this weekend. Megan picked out the pattern and I picked up the yarn at Rhinebeck. Here it is!

It's the Balustrade made in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Marine Silk worsted weight. Gorgeous, soft and easy to make. This was my first silk yarn project and I loved it.

In other news I just got my last package from Sanguine Gryphon. I can't go back on that website or I may get myself in serious trouble. This was my last purchase.

It's called Sooty Dancer and I got it in Skinny Bugga. I've got a thing with darker yarns lately and this yarn is just divine. I'm so sad about SG closing but really looking forward to seeing what the ladies will be bringing us next!

I Could Crush You Like A Wurm

2011-11-14T11:58:00.001-05:00

That's a quote from Braveheart, said with a Scottish brogue. That's how I heard the word "wurm" anytime I'd read the name of this pattern. It didn't help that Glenn loves this movie and always says worm with a Scottish brogue and an extreme roll of the r.

Here it is:

I used Socks That Rock medium weight in Thraven which is gorgeous. Mine came out a bit slouchier than the ones I'd seen but that's fine. I love it! It's very warm and cute and I'll be wearing it out this week if it gets cold enough.

New Knitting Bag

2011-11-13T06:10:00.001-05:00

I know, I know. Not another new bag! Yes another new bag.

For a long time I really loved the Namaste bags. I destashed a bunch of them last year and now only have a green Laguna and a needle bag. I've mostly been using my Tom Bihn Swift, which I love, but wanted a change of pace for the changing season so I pulled the Laguna out to take knitting last week. Guess what? I don't like it was much as I used to. It's very heavy and awkward for me to carry so I think I may be destashing this one too.

I started looking online for something smaller and lighter like a canvas or nylon bag. I was lucky enough to come upon the Overland Taos. I'd seen it in a shop by my house a while back but it was too expensive at the time. I found mine on EBay and they can actually be found in other stores for less than $20! Here's what it looks like:

It's a small to medium sized bag but, and I love this, it zips around the bottom to expand about four inches! I got it yesterday and filled it with my usual take alongs and it's the perfect size! I usually carry a Namaste wallet, which is huge, camera, LeSportsac makeup bag with notions, a Namaste buddy case, my Nook Color, glasses and a knitting project or two. That's a lot of stuff to fit into this bag and it fits beautifully. Yay! I love a new find.

As for knitting, I've finished my Balustrade cowl but will wait to post until after it's given as it's a Christmas gift and I'd really like it to be somewhat of a surprise. Working on my Wurm and then hoping to do a couple of sets of fingerless mitts. After that I think I'll be ready to tackle some new sock projects. I thought I'd miss knitting socks but not so much! Don't know if that's a good or bad thing but I'll take it as good.

Hats & A Cowl

2011-11-10T07:22:00.000-05:00

I finished the London Beanies for Pat and now I'm working on two other projects.

I started the Balustrade Cowl but it's knitting that needs my undivided attention because every other row is different. This is what I've got done so far.

I know it doesn't look like much but I can assure you that once it's blocked it will be gorgeous. The yarn is lovely and soft. This is my first time working with a silk blend but I guarantee it will not be the last.

I realized that I only have one hat. Yes just one. I've knit quite a few but given them away. I decided it was time to knit myself a few more hats and started with the Wurm pattern! It's an easy knit but uses a technique I've never done before. It starts knitting twelve rounds, purl one round, knit thirteen rounds then you fold it up and knit the cast on edge together with the live stitches to make a gorgeous rim for the hat. I was sweating it when I read it but knew my Knitty Godmothers, Ria and Allyson, were only a phone call away. I'm knitting it in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock medium weight in the color Thraven. There's a lot of yarn to this skein and, depending upon how much yarn the hat uses up, I may make a matching set of mitts for it.

The Sanguine Gryphon addiction has not abated. I ordered two more skeins recently and I'm thinking of going to the open house they'll be hosting in December. I really need an intervention.

Twitter Knitters

2011-11-07T18:12:00.001-05:00

This past week one of my Twitter Knitter friends, Kristen, decided to get some of us together for a knit & chat at Brooklyn General. Yay! I love meeting new knitters! I met Ria through Twitter and now she and I are very good friends. I knew this was going to be great fun. Here we are:

First we have Ria on the left. Notice the gorgeous February Lady's Sweater? Well I have to say it's Ria's take on it. She's brilliant at taking a design and tweaking it so it's even more gorgeous than the original. She really does make the most gorgeous sweaters. If you don't believe me, click on her link and take a lookie loo at her blog.

Next we have Kristen who is also known in the podcasting world as Voolenvine. Kristin has a great sense of style and color. I love everything she does. Her podcast is great so make sure you look her up on iTunes!

Next we have Maria who has the coolest blog header I've ever seen. It reminds me of a NYC subway station in the 70s. It was lovely meeting her and she's a great knitter with a lovely sense of style. She had oodles of knitted goods on and everything was just beautiful. Maria also podcasts which I didn't know about until yesterday. You can bet I subscribed to her podcast as soon as I got home!

Sharri is the next woman in our line up. She's on Twitter as StitchMistress and came all the way down from upstate NY to hang with us in Brooklyn! She'd heard Ria and I moaning over Calexico's grits so we made sure to stop there for lunch. What a lovely person she is! She's a wonderful knitter who can wing a pattern and make it her own. So glad she made the trip and hope she will do so again soon!

Then we have me! You all know about me so I don't have to say anything right?

We had such a great time. We talked, laughed, knit, laughed and just generally enjoyed each other's company. I can't wait to do this again. Maybe next time we can get more wonderful Twitter knitters to join us!

Socktoberfest Finale

2011-11-03T07:43:00.000-04:00

Finally the finale!

Here's my last pair of Socktoberfest socks. I finished them last night so I was only two days late although I'm told they count if you've knit any part of them during Socktober.

These are the Hedgerow Socks in MadTosh Thyme. Gorgeous color and lovely yarn. The pattern couldn't have been easier and, as everyone knows, I'm all about the easy.

I can't believe I'm going to say this but here goes. I'm socked out. I need a break from socks. So sue me. Four pairs in under five weeks can do that to a girl. It's a good thing though because I've actually got a few knitting requests. My sister, Pat, asked that I make her a hat. I'm going to just make the London Beanie for her but I've chosen to do it in Sanguine Gryphon's Traveller yarn in the color Casco Bay which is a gorgeous blue variegated yarn. This should be a one day knit.

My bestie, Megan, asked me to make her a cowl. She loves the long loopy cowl because it's so versatile so after much perusing we chose the Balustrade Cowl. Gorgeous isn't it? While at Rhinebeck I was on a mission to find a yarn for this and chose Blue Moon Fiber Arts Marine Silk in the colorway Deep Unrelenting Gray. The yarn is 51% silk, 27% merino and 20% sea cell rayon which I've never knit with so I'm excited about making this. It's so soft and drapey! I'm thinking this may not be the last time I use this yarn.

Sanguine Gryphon Hoarding

2011-10-29T13:39:00.001-04:00

As I posted earlier in the week, Sanguine Gryphon is closing much to many knitters' chagrin. So this is how my crazy mind works. I gotta get as much as I can before they close. Keep in mind, that the owners will each be opening their own shops with, no doubt, gorgeous yarn that will be available shortly after Sanguine Gryphon closes. Also keep in mind, I have about seven skeins of it in my knitting cupboard. No let me correct myself. I used to have seven skeins of it. I now have ten.

Two skeins of Casco Bay in Traveller which is superwash merino in DK weight and one skein of Ruddy Daggerwing in Skinny Bugga which is a superwash merino, cashmere, nylon blend in fingering weight. Gorgeous no? I keep perusing their site and buying stuff for fear that I'm going to miss out on something. I've even taken to going to other sites that carry SG yarn to see what they have! I know I'm obsessing but it won't last long. It can't last long! It can only last till 12/31/11 when the doors close.

Is there such thing as a short term hoarder? If there wasn't before, there is now!

Almost There

2011-10-27T06:16:00.001-04:00

I'm still working on my fourth pair of socks for Socktoberfest. I took a break to make a hat for Glenn which turned into two hats for Glenn or more specifically a hat that didn't fit Glenn, but did fit Patrick, and a hat that did fit Glenn. That was two days of hat knitting that could have gone to sock knitting. Well here's what I have done so far. These are the Hedgerow Socks done in Tosh Merino Light, Thyme is the colorway.

I took these at Whole Foods on Houston Street where Allyson and I went to have lunch and knit. She said that the socks look like the color of money which I totally agree with! These will definitely be done before the end of October and I'll have completed my goal. Hollah!

In off topic news, Patrick was down in Tribeca and who did he happen to run into? Another handsome gentleman and here they are together!

Hugh Jackman! Patrick said he was very nice and way cool. He was nice enough to pose for a couple of pictures with Patrick and his friends. I think he made fans for life with that move.

Change Of Plans

2011-10-21T07:49:00.002-04:00

I've had the Elphaba's Revenge pattern set up as my last pair of socks for Socktoberfest ever since I saw them. They're really gorgeous and I will be making them but not now. There are several knitting methods in the pattern that I've never done, toe up & picking up stitches other than a gusset to name a couple. I'd really like to get these socks done before the end of the month and I think that learning and perfecting these will be too time consuming. I'm all about the quick and easy this month. Ok always but especially this month. I will definitely be making these because they are gorgeous and a challenge but not right now.

I found the Hedgerow Socks and I'm working on those now. Beautiful pattern and a Led Zepplin reference all in one! These should be done in no time and I'll have accomplished my goal of four socks this month!

Three Down

2011-10-20T07:49:00.000-04:00

Three down, one to go.

This morning I bound off my Waving Lace Socks. It was the first pair of socks I made using Sanguine Gryphon yarn. I used Eidos which I really liked. I liked it so much I bought three more skeins of it at Rhinebeck! It is really soft and silky with a bit of a shine to it. Here's a photo of it.

The color is much richer than the photos show. It's soft and it will be worn today!

On another note, I got a sad email yesterday. Instead of explaining I'll paste it here.

Best Beloved Knitters and Long-Time Friends,

You have loved and supported The Sanguine Gryphon, whether from its earliest days or much more recently, and by your support have made it possible for us to pursue our passion, to live doing what we love. You have cheered us on through all we have done and become our friends. It is with sadness that we now come to you to share something difficult.

In June of 2009, The Sanguine Gryphon became a partnership: two studios, one located in Easton and one located in Baltimore. It came with complications, but we made it work, and for a long time it worked really, really well.

When the economy shifted, things shifted for us as well. With time, those complications became more significant; they became less the quirky inconveniences of doing business in an unusual way and grew into significant issues that began to impact our every decision.

It has come to a point where we have had to make a very difficult decision. After a great deal of thought and discussion, we have determined that we must sever the umbilical cord joining the two studios and divide The Sanguine Gryphon into two separate companies. This allows us to continue to do what we love with the people we love, without the additional expense of trying to stretch this work
through two studios that have 65 miles between them. Our plan is to dissolve The Sanguine Gryphon as close to the end of this year as possible, and to open two new, separate companies in early 2012.

And so- this announcement isn't only about the death of The Sanguine Gryphon, but also about the birth of two new companies: Cephalopod Yarns, in Baltimore, Maryland, and The Verdant Gryphon, in Easton, Maryland. There is still much to figure out and we will keep you posted on the SG blog and Ravelry as our plans develop. For now we can assure you that both companies will carry Bugga!, that the Easton colourways will be carried by The Verdant Gryphon and the Baltimore colorways will be carried by Cephalopod Yarns, and that we will continue to be loosely affiliated and very likely do quirky yarny things together. You can expect to find all the things that you have loved about SG in the two new enterprises- it will just look a little different.

And before that? We will be dyeing and listing all the inventory of SG before our fresh starts, so you can look forward to a few months of wild dyeing. Unfortunately, it does mean that yarn bases will run out one by one. We will keep you informed via the blog and Ravelry where inventory stands. We also know that you will have many questions during the course of the next few months. Please be assured that we will address all questions and concerns as they arise and that our first priority will be to make the transition as smooth as possible, for ourselves but especially for you, the enablers of our adventures.

While we are very sad to end our partnership and bid farewell to The Sanguine Gryphon, we are also looking forward with excitement to our new futures and new directions for our creative development, and we hope that you will come with us on this newest phase of the adventure. We would love to be able to fulfill your wildest yarn dreams for many years to come.

Affectionately yours,
Sarah and Gryphon

http://sanguinegryphon.com

A note, before we end this post:

If you're a member of the Nudibranch club, never fear. All of your shipments will arrive. We will step up production so that all members will receive all of their shipments earlier than previously scheduled. We will also be honouring all coupons and any other discounts which have been offered.

So the bad news is Sanguine Gryphon, as of 2012, will be no more. The good news is that there will be two new yarn companies who have proven to put out an amazing product.
If you're interested in getting some SG yarn, ya better get while the gettins good! Glad I got six skeins at Rhinebeck.

Rhinebeck In Pictures

2011-10-17T06:52:00.001-04:00

I know I've talked about how wonderful my husband is in the past and here's a little proof. He took all these photos and made a video for me. I'm the one in the green top and there are a couple of photos of Glenn and the boys. Enjoy!

Rhinebeck Haul 2011

2011-10-16T17:13:00.000-04:00

What a great weekend we had at Rhinebeck! The whole family went and we met up with Ria & Allyson, my two best knitting buddies, and we shopped till we dropped.

On Saturday, there was no line at The Fold where Blue Moon Fiber Arts was sold so I get in there right away and got some gorgeous stuff. Al called me and said the line at Sanguine Gryphon was about an hour and a half long. I passed on that but got in plenty of shopping. It was really crowded on Saturday but Sunday was a lot better. Ria and I were the first ones on line at Sanguine Gryphon and we got quite a bit of yarn there.

There were so many wonderful vendors. As you can see below I purchased from a few of them some not so well known. Everything was just so lovely! It was hard to pick and choose but I managed to get some really great stuff.

Needless to say, my Hobbits didn't let me down. They ate almost one of everything. They needed lots of energy to carry around my new purchases!

Here's the haul.

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock & Marine Silk

Book of Socks!

Sanguine Gryphon Eidos

Fiber Optics

Shelridge Farm

Sanguine Gryphon Skinny Bugga

Twist of Fate

Isn't everything just gorgeous? I can't wait to get started on a whole bunch of new projects!

But right now? I need a nap.

Rhinebeck List

2011-10-14T12:56:00.000-04:00

As you may know, this weekend is Rhinebeck's Sheep and Wool Festival. We'll be out of here at the ass crack of dawn whether these men of mine like it or not. Today is filled with packing, laundry and getting my shopping list together. Here's what I've got so far.

1. Sanguine Gryphon - My new found love will be there and I need some Eidos. That's they yarn I'm working with currently and love it beyond words. I actually thought it had silk in it because it's so soft and luxurious. My bestie, Megan, asked me to make her a scarf and we picked out the pattern Balustrade which is made with a silk blend and I'm hoping that SG will have something I can use for this.

2. The Fold - They're the vendor that carries Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns and I'll be looking for some Socks That Rock yarn there. The line is usually really long here so I'm hoping I hit it during a lull.

3. Needle Vendors - I need a pair of 0 dpns and I'd love to give a try to Signature needles.

And because I have two teenaged boys with me, who eat as many meals as a Hobbit, we will be hitting

4. Food Vendors - Any and all especially the ones serving lamb. Hope they know my sons are coming and they're ready for them.

Hobbits eat seven meals a day: breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. This does not include snacks.

They got nothing on my boys.

A Save and a Beauty

2011-10-12T18:32:00.000-04:00

So which should I do first, the save or the beauty? Let's do it alphabetically.I met up with Allyson yesterday and we decided to go to Madison Square Park for an eat and knit. The park was having it's Madison Square Eats event and we couldn't resist. There are a bunch of vendors you can read about in the link including their menus. I decided I had to have Roberta's pizza. I got the Margherita pizza and here it is:

Sauce, cheese and bits of basil on a paper thin crispy crust which made in a wood fired oven. This was delicious beyond words. I hate to say it but it beat out Totonno's on Coney Island which has been my favorite for a long time. Allyson wound up having tacos from Calexico which is where Ria and I had lunch over the weekend. Another killer lunch. And a good time was had by all.Now here's the save:

I had enough yarn for the socks! Those are Patrick's big ass feet modeling them for me. Apparently his feet didn't grow from the time I cast on till the time I bound off. Yay! My next pair of socks were going to be using Socks that Rock medium weight but I couldn't find a quick easy pattern for them so I decided to swap out yarn and save the STR yarn for when I'm not in a rush to get four pair of socks done in four weeks. Back to the stash drawing board. I reach in and found a really pretty light pink yarn. I pull out the label and lo and behold it was some Sanguine Gryphon Eidos. Score, babycakes! I found a fingering weight pattern I really like in my book Favorite Socks 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. This book never lets me down. So I've just begun and I'll let you know how it goes.

I May Have A Problem

2011-10-10T07:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I finished the first of my Dash Socks. I decided I'd make it for Patrick because he so appreciates everything I make him. After the first sock was done, I had him try it on. And here is where the trouble came in.

There's the completed sock. And there's the yarn that's left over. I'm hoping that it will be enough yarn to finish my socks. I'm also hoping that Patrick's feet don't grow anymore. If I run out of yarn I'm really going to have a problem since this yarn was in my stash with no label. Wish me luck!

Socks, Brooklyn, Ysolda Oh my!

2011-10-09T07:23:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I went to Brooklyn to meet up with Ria and get my knit on. First we had to stop and have lunch at the delicious Calexico. I''m not a grits girl but they have grits there that are so incredibly delicious that Ria and I had to share an order. Then I bought one later to take home! If you ever get out to Brooklyn General, it's a must see and it's just a few doors down!So this is what I was working on:

That was what my sock looked like when I got to Calexico. Last night I turned the heel, did the gusset and I'm on my way to the toe! I'm hoping to have this pair done by Tuesday. This is a great pattern and I think it highlights the multi colors of the yarn I'm using. I have a pair of socks in these exact same colors so these will be gifted to someone but I'm not sure who just yet. Also while at Brooklyn General something caught my eye.

I've wanted this book for a while and was happy to find it. There are several patterns in here I really like but I wanted it specifically for the Snapdragon Flip-Top mittens. I really love Ysolda's books. She gives you all the information you need for each project and she does her sweaters in lots of sizes so you don't have to do the math to make them bigger! Can't wait to see her new book Little Red In The City. Maybe she'll be at Rhinebeck selling it next week!

One Down

2011-10-07T05:29:00.002-04:00

Last night I finished my first pair of socks for Socktoberfest and here they are!

Aren't they adorable? Patrick had been after me to knit him another pair of socks so there was no time like now to get them done. They're the D-Man pattern from Ravelry done in Yarn Chef Minestrone in Mendocino which I got for my birthday a couple of months back. I loved working with this yarn. It was light as air and the variegated colors were lovely. More importantly, Patrick is thrilled with them.Next I was going to cast on with Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock medium weight but decided to hold off on those. It's a sport weight yarn and I wanted to leave that for second to last. Now I've just cast on Dash Socks by Krista Werbil which look like they should be a quick, easy knit. I'm using a yarn that has no label but is in really pretty fall colors. It's got green, orange, yellow and rust and should knit up nicely. I remember getting this yarn but I don't remember from where nor do I have any idea of where the tag for it may be. It's definitely a fingering weight and really pretty but that's about all I know. I'd really love to have these done in the next four days or so. My last project is going to be a doozy and I'll need as much time as I can get.

Knitting In Public

2011-10-05T05:41:00.001-04:00

I don't know why there's only one official day for knitting in public when everyday should be knitting in public day! I always have my knitting with me and I'll knit anywhere when I have five or more extra minutes.Today Al and I are going to hit up Madison Square Park for some delicious food and knitting. The park has it's Madison Square Eats event going on. There are a bunch of restaurants represented so it's a great opportunity to try out different foods from around the city. Al's a big foodie so we should have a ball. The weather is going to be perfect, great food and great company. What more could a girl ask for when knitting in public?I love New York.

Socktoberfest Cheat

2011-10-01T07:12:00.000-04:00

Happy Socktober! I cheated a little bit. I started my first pair of socks a couple of days early this year. Because I'm hoping to finish four pair this month and one of them is a doozy I thought I could really use the extra time. I started the D-Man socks and actually have a photo for you!

They're knitting up pretty quickly so I'm hoping they'll only take a week. Here's hoping!

Change Up!

2011-09-28T04:46:00.000-04:00

I started the Petunia Dursley socks for Patrick and realized they may be a little too lacy for his liking. Not to mine, so I'll be making them for myself at a later date. I started the hunt for another pattern and came across one pretty quickly. It's an easy knit/purl pattern that says it's great for variegated yarn. I really like that idea because this yarn is a blue/purple variegated yarn and I bet it will look gorgeous knit up in this pattern. It's called D-Man by Karen S. Lauger. I'm only on the ribbing but I have to say, the Yarn Chef yarn is so soft! This is my first pair to start off Socktoberfest. Hope I can complete my goal of a pair per week!

Not Socks

2011-09-27T11:58:00.000-04:00

My son, Glenn, asked me to knit something for one of his teachers. He never asks for anything so there was no way I could turn him down. He's had the same Spanish teacher for three years now and thought she'd love a hand made beret from yours truly so I was all over that. I found the Dandelion Beret pattern by Jen Adams and fell in love with it. Not only was it a great pattern but I had the perfect yarn for it Sanguine Gryphon's Traveller in Monkey's Eyebrow. Love the name of that color! Here it is being blocked on one of our dinner plates.

It's in the sink drying and I didn't think I'd have a chance to photograph it before Glenn snatches it up and runs with it. I love the black/brown in this yarn and it's sooooo soft! I'm really looking forward to making socks with some SG yarn. I bound that off this morning and just cast on Petunia Dursley's Double Eyelet Socks by Erica Lueder. As you know I do love a Harry Potter design and here we are again! This pair is for Patrick and will be knit in the Yarn Chef yarn I mentioned in an earlier post.Off to the country for a weekend of knitting and college hunting. Wish me luck!

Bike Yarn Bomb

2011-09-25T07:26:00.001-04:00

Patrick was on his way to school the other day and called me. "Mom you're not gonna believe this! I just passed the library and there's a bike parked there that got yarn bombed!" I figured someone got the handlebars but boy was I wrong. Glenn went to the store and sent me this photo.

Isn't that amazing? I'd hate to have to cut it off but I'm sure it had to be done.I love that my guys look out for me.

Hermoine's Socks

2011-09-24T05:26:00.001-04:00

I'm always on the prowl for Harry Potter inspired knit and Erica Lueder never disappoints. Whenever I can't find something to knit or have nothing in my queue, I check out her page and come up with a fun pattern. I knit these up in less than four days. That makes up for the summer socks that took me about six weeks.

These are Hermoine's Everyday Socks. Obviously an easy and quick knit. I knit them in Dream in Color Smooshy but I'm not sure of the colorway, I tossed the label. They're very beachy looking to me and the yarn is lovely and soft. I can't wait till it gets cool enough here in NYC so I can start wearing socks again!I started on the beret but decided not to do the Grace Beret pattern. I'm now doing the Dandelion beret using the Sanguine Gryphon yarn. This yarn is so soft! I've been coveting this yarn for a year or more and it's wonderful to know that it really lives up to it's reputation. Hoping to finish this beret this weekend!

Socktoberfest II

2011-09-23T06:33:00.001-04:00

Yes ladies and gentlemen it's that time of year again. Socktoberfest is almost upon us! I'm thrilled about this and have picked out three yarns so far but only one pattern. Here are the yarns:

From the left we have Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Thyme, Yarn Chef Minestrone in Mendocino and Blue Moon FIber Arts Socks That Rock Lightweight in Thraven. These are all yarns I really love so I'm hoping it will inspire me to knit quickly and beautifully. My goal for Socktoberfest is four pair of socks for the month, approximately one per week. A girl can dream, right?As for patterns, I've only chosen one. It's Elphaba's Revenge and I'll be using the MadTosh Thyme for it. It may be cliche to use a green for the wicked witch from Wicked but I couldn't resist. It's probably going to be the last pair I knit because it appears to be a bit complex with horizontal cables which I've never done before. Mel, Knitting Mama, suggested this pattern and I fell in love with it. I have a tendency to do patterns that are easy for me so it'll be a nice change to do something I've never done before. Stretch and grow!

Something Different

2011-09-22T05:48:00.000-04:00

The other day my older son, Glenn, asked me to make something for him. This is very unusual because he's never asked me to make anything. Actually it's not for him but for one of his teachers. After a quick look at hat patterns on Ravelry, he decided on the Grace Lace Beret. Then we looked through the stash and decided upon Sanguine Gryphon in Monkey's Eyebrow. I think he liked the name more than the yarn or the pattern.

It really is quite lovely. Not only are the colors gorgeous, it's soft and squishy. I have a similar color in sock yarn. No surprise there. It's been so long since I made a hat! It will be a nice break from socks and I'm looking forward to getting this done for him. Now I just have to get him to wear stuff I make him!

All The Water

2011-09-21T06:53:00.001-04:00

A few months ago I decided I needed a pair of mittens so I was off to Ravelry to peruse patterns and designers I liked. Kirsten Kapur is one of those designers. I came across her pattern, All The Water, and fell in love with the mittens. I started knitting them, finished the first mitten, started the ribbing for the second mitten then put them aside. I don't know why I put them aside because it's a lovely pattern but put them aside I did. I picked them up this week to finish them up and realized after a few rounds, that it was looking like two different people had knit it. Had to rip it down and take a do over. It only took me a day to finish and here they are.

Thank you to my son Glenn for taking these artistically lovely pictures. I explained to him that next time I need full sunlight but I appreciate his artistic eye when taking photographs. He was nice enough to take the gloves and a few skeins of yarn, more about them tomorrow, to his school campus to take these photos for me. Ten days till Socktoberfest! Hope you're all getting ready like I am!

Summer Socks

2011-09-20T06:11:00.000-04:00

As stated in my previous post, I lost my knitting mojo over the summer. The only project I actually completed was this pair of socks for my niece. They're the Lace-Rib sock I did for myself.

It's a lovely sock and I really like the colors. It's one of those socks that looks more difficult than it is so I look like a knitting genius when I make them. I also finished a pair of mittens but need to photograph them so I can post them here. I got all my yarn cataloged and put away in size order yesterday. Now I'm picking yarns and patterns for....get ready...Socktoberfest! Yes it's that time of year again. I'm going to attempt to do what I attempted to do last year, a pair of socks per week. I don't know if I made it last year but I don't think I was successful. The hard thing is I currently have a pair of socks on the needles and need to make two hats before Socktober begins. Nothing like a lil pressure.

New Beginning

2011-09-19T07:38:00.004-04:00

I'm back, babies!

Sorry I wasn't blogging for a while but a lot has gone on these past few months. And on the other hand not a lot of knitting has gone on. I've specifically left my private life out of this blog because I want it to be about knitting. The only time I really mention my family is when it's knitting related. The past couple of months I've had one kid start high school, another start looking at colleges, I've had a major operation, from which I'm now almost fully recovered and doing fine, a death of someone close it us in the family and a general loss of knitting and writing mojo. It's still a bit hectic but I'm back to blogging as you can see.

Since it's a new beginning for my blog, I decided to clean out my yarn closet and list all the yarns I have. Allyson said she did this and I thought it was a great idea. I'm not going to go as far as photographing everything individually but here's a photo of this daunting task:

As Patrick was piling these up on the bed for me, I looked over and said "It's not that much yarn!" I have no words to describe the look of incredulity on his face. I laughed till I cried. Then my husband came into the room and, in the middle of a sentence exclaimed, "Oh My God! We're not going to Rhinebeck to buy anything! We're gonna set up a table and sell!" Non knitters just done get it. You need to have a lot of choices.

I really didn't think it was that bad. Until I found these:

They are what you think they are. The same hat. In the same yarn. I think I need to clean out my stash more frequently.

Hiatus

2011-08-06T07:47:00.003-04:00

It's been a busy time for me. The kids are home for the summer and I've had a major surgery that I'm healing from both mentally and physically. I haven't been knitting much nor, obviously, blogging. I think it's time for a break. I don't know how long it will be but I know it's definitely time for it. I will keep reading all the blogs I always read but I won't be writing for now. You can still find me on Twitter if you're so inclined, I'm KnittingKnoobie there too.

Thank you for your support and comments. I hope to be back sooner rather than later.

Busy Busy!

2011-07-19T06:17:00.003-04:00

It's been a while between blog posts lately because we've been a busy household and I haven't gotten as much knitting done as I'd like. The boys have been keeping me busy with summer assignments for Patrick and Glenn attending the College Now program at Hunter College, which has been a great experience so far for him.

I did manage a little trip to Brooklyn this weekend though to meet up with Ria for some knitting and chatting. Ok maybe a bit more chatting than knitting but that's just the way I like to roll.

I got about halfway through my Summer Lovin' socks and decided I didn't want to do them so I ripped them down and started another pair of the Lace Rib socks. I'm now about 3/4 of the way done with the first sock and I look down and see a mistake. Ugh. Normally I would just keep going but this was such a glaring mistake, and these socks are a gift, that I ripped it down to where the mistake was. Actually Ria ripped it down and picked up all the stitches for me. Thank you Ria! I'm so impatient that it's very difficult for me to pick up stitches so Ria volunteered and lickety split she had me up and running again. It's nice to have knitting fairy godmothers!

I did manage a little shopping. I got one skein of Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Celedon which is gorgeous. I hope to be able to use it soon but at the rate I'm knitting lately, it may be a while. I'm thinking I may use it for my first shawl. That's right, I said shawl! I'm dying to make one and I think this is a good time to get one on the needles. If I ever finish this damn pair of socks that is!

Rested

2011-07-07T06:54:00.008-04:00

Ok somewhat rested. Whenever we come back from vacation, I always need a day or two to get back into the city swing and today is the first of those days. I just downloaded my photos and actually have a finished project to show you!

Lovely aren't they? But if you look closely, you'll see there's a little mishap. The leafy design doesn't line up on the foot and leg. Lesson learned - always look to see if there's an errata for a pattern before beginning especially when you're going upstate where there's no internet access and no turning back. These are for me and they really are beautiful so the little misalignment isn't horrible. This was my first project working with MadelineTosh yarn and it was a dream. Soft and pliant, no splits or knots. I can't wait to start my next project with it!

ETA - These are the Merino Lace Socks by Anne Woodbury which can be found in Favorite Socks 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave.

Here's the next project I started:

They're a pair of Summer Lovin' Socks. I'm making for my nephew's fiance who loves the color purple. The yarn is a lot more purpley than they appear here. I wound up actually buying this yarn and the LYS near our home and it's not bad so far.

I didn't work on any other projects although my stash was quite ambitious. I think next time I go away I'll just bring up one project and if I need more yarn I can always get more. This may be the first project I actually did finish on vacation so that's progress.

I'm Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

2011-06-17T09:11:00.004-04:00

Ok not a boat but a car. And in case you didn't know that's a line from Jaws which is one of my all time favorite movies. I make a point to watch it at least one time per summer. Keeps me outta trouble and off the beach.

Back to the bigger car. We're going to our house in the Catskills for a two week vacation this week. We're supposed to leave on Tuesday but we have so much stuff to bring up, Glenn and I were going to take a day trip to bring up the boat motor and the wheels for the trailer for the boat this Saturday. Then I got to thinking. Why don't Patrick, Glenn and I take the trip and Patrick and I can stay up there with Glenn and Glenny coming up on Tuesday? Brilliant! We'd have all gone up this weekend but Glenny has his third Regents exam on Tuesday so he's got to stay in the city. Oh he's also going to be participating in the College Now Program in NYC and his class starts on the 11t so we're squeezing this two weeks in between classes, graduations (Patrick from middle school), Regents and life in general.

Ok the point of all that misegash is that Patrick and I will be starting our vacation a few days early. I really love having one on one time with one of my boys. I see knitting, reading (He and I formed our own book club this summer. I'm reading the Hunger Games series and he's reading The World According to Garp) and a backgammon tournament in my near future. I can't wait!

Hope your summer is off to as a great a start as mine is!

Vacation Knitting

2011-06-10T09:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Glenn and I figured out when we'll be taking vacation. Today I had to get my vacation knitting together. That's the most important part of my vacation planning. That and making sure the boys pack enough underwear.

Here's what I've got:

The four balls are Koigu for a Clapotis. The lavender is Hazel Knits, the green is Malabrigo and the brown is Socks That Rock. I loaded my Nook Color with patterns and I'll pack a couple of sock books.

I think it's enough for a two week vacation, don't you?

Sockupied

2011-06-03T08:16:00.003-04:00

The last two weeks have been insanely busy so I haven't gotten much knitting done which is why I haven't been blogging lately. I hope to make up for that in the next week or so!

I finished up my lace rib socks this week. Just in time for summer. I do have an amazing sense of timing don't I?

I cast on a new pair of socks yesterday. They'http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifre Crystalline Socks by Debbie O'Neill and I got the pattern from the emag Sockupied which was put out by Interweave. If you're not familiar with Sockupied you should really check it out. It's an interactive magazine with interviews, videos and patterns. I love a new way to get patterns and just realized that I'll have to see if I can get it onto my Nook Color so I can take it with me to watch on the go!

I'm using my new Mad Tosh Merino Light in Silver Fox. Love it! The pattern is great because it comes in four different sizes so I can make these for everyone without sorta winging it for sizing.

I'm vowing to clean out my yarn cupboard this week to see what I have other than a lot of sock yarn. I'd like to make a hat for myself and some baby stuff for Joyce's baby who is due in October.

Lace Rib Socks

2011-05-22T11:14:00.005-04:00

I love the idea of this sock lace with ribbing. It's a simple pattern but looks like it's complicated.

I'm using Zen Yarn Garden Superwash Sock Yarn in Tumeric. When I first started the sock I wasn't crazy about the yarn because it was thinner than I was used to but after a while I really liked the feel of the yarn. I'm so used to STR medium weight that this just took a bit of an adjustment but now I really like it. I went up one needle size and they fit beautifully. I'm really happy with the outcome. This is definitely the perfect pattern for this yarn and they're wonderful for spring. Can't wait to wear them out!

Crushing

2011-05-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

I've got a new knitting crush. It's not a new product but it's new to me. I've used this yarn once before and fell in love so I've been buying a bit of it. This is my most recent purchase that I got for Mother's Day.

They're sock yarn I got from Brooklyn General. They've got a lovely selection of Tosh yarns especially the sock yarns. The top one is Madeline Tosh's Antler and the bottom one is Silver Fox. I don't have any yarn in these shades so this was a great purchase.

I've been inspired by other blogging knitters in so far as color is concerned. I know that Jared Flood, Brooklyn Tweed, does a lot of shades of whites, greys, browns and blacks. I've also seen other knitters using these colors and I really like them. I didn't know I liked them till I started seeing them everywhere. I can't wait to find the perfect pattern for these.

I'm still working on the ribbed sock for Matt and I have a skein of Zen Garden wound and ready to go next. But before I begin another pair of socks, I'm going to finish up the mittens I started a couple of months ago. I got a jones going for cables lately so that's what I'll be working on next.

Men And A Baby

2011-05-03T06:48:00.004-04:00

I was talking to Megan the other day and asked her how she liked the socks I made her. She told me she loves them and so does Matt, her husband. She said they take turns wearing them after each laundering. I decided to make him his own pair of socks to avoid any marital discourse. Here's what I have so far:

It's a Simple Ribbed Sock from Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Sock. There is a rib in there even if you can't see it just yet. I'm using Artyarns Ultramarino 4 which, until now, I thought was a jinxed yarn. I think this is the third project I've begun with this yarn but this one seems to be sticking.

I was speaking to my niece and told her about Megan's husband loving the socks and she told me that her boyfriend likes her socks too! She won't let him wear hers though because he'll stretch them out. Next pair of socks will be for Pat it looks like!

Speaking of Pat and Joyce, here's a little something to show you:

This is my niece, and goddaughter, Madelyne at nine months old! Isn't she just precious? Not only is she gorgeous but she's such a sweet baby. Great temperament, happy and very content. And....and she's going to be a big sister! Joyce is expecting her second child later this year and I'm just thrilled. She called me as soon as she found out she was pregnant but I had to keep it under wraps till she was ready to share. Another baby to knit for yay!

Just A Few Words

2011-05-02T13:06:00.003-04:00

It's been a tumultuous day here in New York City.

As I'm sure you know, Osama Bin Laden was killed this weekend. I awoke this morning and read the headlines on MSNBC and broke out in tears. Not of sorrow nor of joy but of the relief of not living under the shadow of fear of another September 11th. It's not a fear I live with on a daily basis but there are days when the worry circles my brain and makes me hug my children a little tighter when they leave for school. But I still make them go to school. We don't live in fear but, at times, we live with it. The death of this man will not eradicate the fear but it quells it a bit and gives me a sense of justice. A belief that the good guys do win.

I watched the revelers last night and noticed that they were young. I didn't necessarily agree with the jubilation they showed but I did understand it. These were children who grew up with this fear, in various degrees, and now the figurehead of their fear had been slaughtered. Daddy got the boogeyman in the closet and these children could sleep soundly and safely again.

"I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."
— Mark Twain

I know this isn't the end of terrorism but President Obama and the men and women of our armed forces sure did give terrorism a good ass kicking this weekend.

Sorry for a bit of a rant but I felt the need. I usually don't do that on this blog but I was inspired by things I'd been reading on Twitter today. Tomorrow we'll be back to your regularly scheduled knitting blog. Promise.

Ugh. Just ugh.

2011-04-24T20:52:00.003-04:00

How many names for frogging can you come up with? I've settled on ugh for this post.

I started a pair of socks about a week ago. I got the pattern from a book. It's an easy cable pattern and it was cute. I'm chugging along and I'm about three quarters of the way through the sock and I'm thinking the sock is awfully heavy and I don't think I'm going to have enough yarn. Not enough yarn? Four hundred thirty seven yards isn't enough for a pair of socks? Ok I admit to having Fred Flintstone feet but they're not in the Jolly Green Giant realm. I just got a bad feeling and should have taken them down then. No not me. I'm no quitter! I go on and on and the amount of yarn gets lower and lower. I actually got to the point that I went onto Ravelry, searched the yarn to see who had it and started composing a letter begging for them to sell or trade me their skein of yarn. I got to the toe decreases, tried it on and it didn't fit. What the hell?? It was tight at the ankle and just uncomfortable. Needless to say, I don't have to beg borrow or steal to finish this pair of socks. I just ripped it down and I'm in search of another pair of socks to knit. Preferable lace.

Downsizing

2011-04-21T11:32:00.005-04:00

Last week I destashed a bunch of bags. I wound up selling a few bags but also wound up buying a couple more. I got this Timbuk2 that someone else was deastashing on Ravelry.

I'm downsizing in more ways than one.

I usually carry a much bigger bag but realized that I don't need a big bag all the time and this really fits the bill. It's smaller than I'm used to but I can carry everything I need for an afternoon out.

I've got a Tom Bihn project bag, with socks inside, my Nook Color, my Namaste wallet, camera, phone, keys and hand lotion. It's the perfect size and it makes me leave unnecessary things behind. Also it takes up a lot less room in our apartment!

Quack

2011-04-17T14:39:00.004-04:00

Wanna make a pair of socks lickety split? These are ones to consider. They're Duckies and can be found if you follow the link. I cast them on Thursday night and finished them on Sunday morning. I was going to make them for me but I decided to gift them to my sister, Annie. They're Socks That Rock medium weight and the color is Vancouver Violet.

The second picture is closer to the actual color. It's a gorgeous violet and Annie said she really loves the color. There's so much yarn left, that I'm going to have to figure out another project to make with it. On size threes I can probably make a decent pair of anklets!

Speaking of leftovers, I'm going to have a find a project that uses leftovers and soon! My yarn storage space is limited and I have a nice sized bag of leftovers mostly sock yarns. The thing is that they're all different colors, weights and manufacturers. I'm afraid I just may wind up donating it all, which isn't a bad thing. Twice I've donated yarn both times to teachers who said they'd definitely use every scrap. I really like the idea of students using my donated yarn and learning a new craft.

I'm off to check Ravelry for scrap projects now. Wish me luck. I'm gonna need it.

Generosity

2011-04-15T10:38:00.005-04:00

If you're a reader here you know what a destash fan I am. The destashers on Ravelry always have great stuff they're looking to get rid of and I'm glad to help them lighten their load!

I have a list of specific sock yarns I search for on Ravelry to try to get them at better prices. Last week I came across a destash that had one of my must have yarns, Hazel Knits. It was priced at $15 and it usually sells for $23. Deal! I contacted the knitter who told me if I bought two skeins she'd give them to me for $25! HOLY! I was all over that like a bum on a bologna sandwich! I sent her the $25 and waited for my package.

Yesterday I get a package. It looks bigger than the 2 skeins of yarn I purchased. I open it up and this is what I saw:

Motherlode! As you can see there's 1 skein each of Hazel Knits, Everymore Studios, Sunshine Yarns and Crystal Palace Panda Silk. There was a lovely note stating that she couldn't find the pink Hazel Knits yarn she sold me so in place of that yarn she sent me three pink yarns but if I still wanted a refund, she'd refund my money. Of course I wouldn't ask for my money back, I was thrilled with what she sent me. I'd have been fine too if she'd only sent me one skein of yarn but she went above and beyond and sent me three gorgeous yarns to take the place of the one skein she couldn't send me.

I've only been a knitter for three years now but anytime I've had any kind of social or business interaction with a fellow knitter it's always been a lovely experience. I hate to generalize but everyone's always been kind and generous with time, knowledge and knitting goodies.

If you're ever in search of yarn please check out the ISO/destash group on Ravelry. You'll probably be helping a knitter in need and you may just get more than you pay for!

I always forget to mention that it's also a ISO (In Search Of) group so if you're finishing a project and find yourself short, you can post in this group that you need a specific yarn and you may just find what you're looking for. The people here are always helpful too and may be able to point you in the right direction to find what you need.

Good News, Bad News

2011-04-14T05:38:00.006-04:00

Ok which do you like to hear first? I always like bad news to get it out of the way so I'll tell you the bad news first.

We had to return Dolly. She got here last weekend and was just the most precious little puppy ever but we had two problems. Patrick was horribly allergic to her was the first issue. He broke out in hives, which he tried to hide from us, and couldn't breathe through his nose which he couldn't hide from us. Secondly, Grace did not like her. Dolly is a precocious puppy looking to play and Grace just wasn't having it at all. It was to the point that Grace would growl just looking at her. So we returned her in hopes she'll find a loving home where she can be a playful puppy and nobody gets sick.

Now the good news. I have finally finished a pair of socks! Here are Neville's Socks:

I don't know why but this pair of socks took me a really long time. I think it's because I lost my knitting mojo for about a week but it's back now, baby! I cast on a really cute pair of Duckies that I should have finished inside of a week. Socks on size three needles? What's not to love??

Edited to Add: Ria, the yarn is Sundara Forever Spring. It's 100% superwash merino. It's very soft and light and a gorgeous quality.

Destashing

2011-04-07T20:01:00.002-04:00

I'm destashing. Yes I'm actually getting rid of stuff instead of accumulating stuff. I decided I need to get rid of some of my bags. Ok that's sorta true. I want to get another bag and can't really justify it until I get rid of some bags. I put up five bags for sale on Ravelry's Knitting Bag Lust group. There are a few Namaste bags and a couple of odds and ends. I may be crazy to get rid of Lagunas, because they're not being made anymore, but I really need to stop being a hoarder and get rid of some of them. I've been watching that Hoarders show and it's really got me motivated to clean out some stuff. Not yarn mind you but other stuff.

I wanted to get a Tom Bihn Swift bag. I got a couple of their project bags and I really like them. After I put my bags up for sale, lo and behold, someone is selling their Swift in the same group. Kismet! I sold two bags already so I had enough to buy the Swift. Yay! I love when things work out that way.

City Bakery

2011-04-01T07:24:00.003-04:00

City Bakery had their Knitting on the Rocks night last night featuring yarn, food, drinks and socializing with other knitters. What more could a knitter ask for?

Al and I got there early and started out with this:

Dark hot chocolate with a sweet and creamy marshmallow in it. And it only get better from there. Then it was party time. There were a bunch of different yarn shops there and a few spinners. Each yarn shop had a different project going. Brooklyn General had a mini doughnut knit which was adorable. Knitty City had a charity knit asking knitters to knit a square. One of the other stores did a beginners knitting class. There was something for everyone and it was a lot of fun.

We were lucky enough to sit with a lovely bunch of knitters from all around NYC. We ate, knit, drank and laughed together. I love things like this where you get to meet knitters you probably may not have met otherwise. I hope my friends list increases by at least six and hope to meet up with these women again soon for more knitting and laughing.

Still working on my Neville socks and hoping to get up to Knitty City this weekend. I haven't been there yet and last night I heard so many nice things about it that it made me really want to get up and check it out. I think I will have some lovely stash enhancement after this trip. This will not be good for my purse I'm thinking. Or Glenn's wallet.

Neville

2011-03-31T06:43:00.004-04:00

Another Harry Potter inspired knit!

A gansey pattern that's nice and easy cuz I'm aware of the fact that I'm all about the easy.

My niece, Bean, has requested a pair of knee high socks. She's a bike rider and loves knee highs so I think that's going to be my next project. I have several skeins of Shibui sock yarn that I was keeping for a clapotis but I think I'll use it for her socks instead. Now all I have to do is find a pattern.

Tonight City Bakery is having their knit night. Allyson and I went last year and really enjoyed ourselves. We were so disappointed when we didn't see anything on their calendar for a knit night this year so when we went there a couple of months ago we asked the manager about it and she said she'd see what she could do. I guess there were enough inquiries about it that the decided to do it tonight. There will be a bunch of vendors including Brooklyn General, Downtown Yarns, Knitty City, Purl and Wool and the Gang who will all be doing classes. There will be food and drink and a good time will be had by all.

Misfit Knits

2011-03-27T19:23:00.002-04:00

Remember the old Rankin/Bass Christmas shows on television? I loved those! Remember this little ditty?

Well Glenn has named my closet "The Closet of Misfit Knits" The sweater I started for my sister two years ago is in there. And a pair of mittens has just joined it to keep it company! I started a gorgeous pair of mittens last week. I completed one mitten within a day's time with no problems. Then I started the second mitten but made a mistake so I had to rip it down. Picked it right back up and started again. About halfway through I made another mistake and had to rip it down again. Started over for the third time. Oh yeah and that thing about third time being a charm? That's a buncha bull. I almost completed the mitten, only to take a look and see that I screwed up not one but two of the cables. I had to rip the whole thing down again. Then I put everything back in the project bag and put in in the closet next to Pat's sweater.

And there you have the story of the Misfit Knits closet.

Oh and for those of you who asked about our new puppy, we'll be getting her on April 9th. Right now she's in a loving foster home until she's fixed, vaccinated and chipped. When I spoke to her foster mother, Laura who had named her Heidi, she told me that her husband had taken to calling her "the doll" because she's just so sweet and cuddly so we decided to rename her and call her Dolly! She's a mini Dachshund mix who was dropped at a shelter with her three sisters at a very young age, probably only a couple of weeks old. She'll be here in less than two weeks and we couldn't be more excited!

Love

2011-03-23T11:13:00.005-04:00

We got Grace almost seven years ago. She's always been like one of our children. She and my son, Glenn, have such a special bond that I think only occurs between a boy and his dog.
I've always wanted my own dog. It's a conversation that we've had for a couple of years on and off. A little lap dog just for me. Because a husband, two teens and a dog aren't enough.
I started looking on Petfinder yesterday. I knew I wanted a small dog, not a chihuahua and preferably not a full breed. I'm a mutt kinda gal. I didn't know exactly what I wanted but I knew I'd know when I found it. I looked through a few pages and then....then I fell in love.

Isn't she precious? There were a few photos of her and a video. I sent the link to Glenn, who was on his way to school. He immediately texted me back asking "When are we getting her?" Not if, when. When everyone saw her, we all agreed she'd fit perfectly in our home and in our lives. I can't wait till we can pick her up!

Charade

2011-03-18T16:35:00.004-04:00

Here's a photo of the completed Charade sock:

Very similar to the Skyp sock and I love it. I did finish the pair and will get it out in the mail tomorrow to Cathy. Yay!

I decided I want to do some mittens so I began a search for a pattern and boy did I find a great one! It's called All The Water and the pattern was designed by Kirsten Kapur of Through The Loops! I have a gorgeous skein of Madeleine Tosh DK in Chambray which reminds me of this amazing soft, faded denim button down shirt I had back in the 90s or maybe even the 80s. This is gonna be one beautiful set of mittens and can't wait to get them started!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T09:34:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite Irish ditty. We used to hang out in a pub called The Life Of Riley and this played on the juke quite often. We'd all sing along, in harmony mind you, while having a few drinks. Hope you find it as funny as we did.

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Fun!

2011-03-12T14:03:00.003-05:00

It's been a busy few weeks in the Knoobie household lately so not a lot of knitting has been done. Some but not a lot. Here's some knitted loveliness to show you:

These are the Charade socks. Or sock as the case may be. It's very similar to the Skyp sock so, needless to say, I'm loving it. The Aussi Sock Yarn is great and it feels really nice. These are for my sister's friend Kathy and I hope to get them to her before it gets too hot in Florida.

Today Patrick and I went to Seaport Yarns and spent time with Andrea. She's so sweet and we had a great time. I got some Malabrigo sock yarn, a couple of magazines and Patrick picked out a blue/gray/white striped sock yarn so I can make him a pair of socks. As we were checking out, Patrick picked up a Knit Kit and loved it. He's all about the tchochkes. He wanted me to buy it but I wouldn't since he hasn't been knitting. Andrea told him if he made a scarf and a hat she would give him one. How sweet is that? He got home, went through my yarn closet, grabbed the Cascade Eco and is working on his scarf! He's already cast on twice because the first go round he started the row with thirty stitches then ended up with thirty one. Next row he dropped stitches so he decided he wanted a do over. I hope he keeps up the knitting because I really enjoy having him as my knitting partner.

I just hope he learns to purl this time around.

I'm Out!

2011-03-04T12:13:00.004-05:00

Well I got three strikes on the pair of socks from the previous post. They were still too big and I wasn't going to have enough yarn to finish even if I kept knitting them and gifting them to someone with bigger feet than mine. Frogged it and put away the yarn for another day.
I went into my yarn cupboard and whipped out the gorgeous Aussi Sock in Atlantic Weaves. It's here, second from the left, the green/blue:

It's 90% merino and 10% nylon which should make a great sock with a bit of give to it. Looking for a pattern now on Rav and checking to see what I have on my Nook already. I'm really anxious to get a pair of socks finished after having three false starts the week with nothing to show for it.

Three Strikes

2011-03-03T11:10:00.004-05:00

I found the Show Off Stranded sock pattern and thought it was adorable. I even had a great yarn, Artyarns Ultramerino 4 color 132, I thought would be perfect for this pattern. Love when that happens!
So as I've said before I usually go up a needle size because I have big feet. I went up to a size 2 needle and cast on 72 stitches, which was the amount for the larger sock. After the ribbing, I started the pattern and realized it was too big. Strike one. I frogged it and cast on 64 stitches again on the size two needles. Ribbing, leg pattern for about three inches till I realized that this too was too big. Rippit. Down it came. I'm now working on my third go round, I think I've got it right. Size one needles, 72 stitches cast on:

Perfection! It's not the fault of the designer who designed this lovely sock, it's me and my refusal to do a gauge swatch. When I told Al about the first debacle she asked if I measured it to get gauge which, of course, I hadn't but I do like the idea! Maybe I would have only had to pull down one sock and not two. Live and learn, right? I do love having Allyson as my knitting godmother. She's the shiz.

Oh and in the background of this photo? That would be a Tom Bihn Yarn Stuff Sack. I got the small, which you see here, and a tall sack purchased with the money Glenn gave me for Valentine's Day. Love these sacks! They're a resilient nylon like material with lots of room for such small bags. And the price is excellent - the small was $15.00 and the tall was $18.00 This is a true bang for your buck item that's also very cute. I may start a collection of these to go along with my collection of Namaste Laguna bags.

Bootie

2011-02-28T12:11:00.004-05:00

Isn't that cute? These are Baby Booties Knit In the Portuguese Style which I found on Ravelry. They're cute and easy, knit on straights with a seam sewn up the back and down the sole of the bootie. Oh yeah..the seam. Now the not so cute part:

Horrible isn't it? Dr. Frankenstein did a better job on the monster. The beginning of the seam, down the back, I did the mattress stitch which worked out beautifully. Down the sole though, no such luck. It is what it is though. I'll probably tear out the seam and try to do it again. If not, I have Allyson to help me out. Thank goodness for all you knitting godmothers out there! Without you, we'd all be walking around with Frankenstein seams and worse.

It's Back!

2011-02-27T06:47:00.002-05:00

I really liked the template Amoena made for me but I missed my old one. I thought I was sick of it but I guess I wasn't as sick of it as I thought! I may play around with it a bit but it looks like my big old pink yarn heart and cityscape are here to stay.

Buttons

2011-02-26T10:56:00.003-05:00

I got these when The Point closed down a couple of years ago. Patrick had seen them in a tube and said "Oh look Mom! All these buttons for four dollars!" I had to explain to him that they were four dollars each. He was shocked! When The Point closed and everything was being sold at a discount, Alyssa the wonderful manager, put them aside for me knowing I'd scoop them all up which I did.

Now here's the dilemma. What the hell do I do with them?? I know the easy thing to do would be a fun sweater but my history with sweaters hasn't been that good. And if you don't believe that, you can ask my sister who's been waiting two years for me to finish the one I started for her. So that's not so easy. I'd really like to find something soon because Patrick's thirteen and I'm not sure how much longer he'll find these buttons cool.

I'm open to suggestions. In other words HELP!

Romance

2011-02-17T11:33:00.005-05:00

Everyone has a different idea of what's considered romantic. Some think a dinner out with a great wine at an expensive restaurant is romantic. Others think a candlelit bubble bath and a rose petal strewn bed is romantic. Not me. After twenty three years of marriage I've had it all so the most romantic thing for me is what Glenn gave me for Valentine's Day this year.

Cold hard cash.

Now let me tell you why. I still have my box of Godiva truffles from Christmas that Glenn got me so he didn't want to get me chocolate. He did go up to Macy's to look around and see if there was anything else I might like to no avail. Flowers were a fleeting thought. So he really thought about what I would like and he figured out the best thing. He bought me a beautiful card telling me how much he loved me and how much I mean to him and he filled it with money so I could buy whatever my little yarny heart desired. I love that he knows me so well.

After a big kiss and hug to my thoughtful and generous husband, I made a bee line for the Blue Moon Fiber Arts website. I picked out two gorgeous yarns I've wanted for a while now. Here's Thraven:

It's described as "bluesy greens and greensy blues painted black. Victorian elegance and mystery envelopes her like a foggy evening along a distant shore."

Reds, from poppy to rust darkened with black. Midwife of change. She will walk with you up to that door and be your witness as you walk through it.

I've been looking for these in the destash group but have yet to see anyone willing to part with these gorgeous colorways. With Glenn's generous gift, and after him sternly telling me not to use the money on anyone but me, I decided to order one skein of each of these yarns.

When the person you love gives you something that makes you happy, in my opinion, that's romantic. And for me, cash to buy yarn will make my heart flutter every time.

Dazed Stairways

2011-02-14T14:23:00.002-05:00

Here's one of the finished Hidden Stairways socks in BMFA Garden Daze:

Love it! More importantly, so does Patrick! He keeps kvetching for me to finish the second sock so he can wear them. Here's a close up of the pattern:

This pattern really works well for any sock yarn be it solid or variegated. It's cute and easy and named for something in Harry Potter. What more could a girl ask for?

Next two projects are lined up. I have some gorgeous Artyarns Ultramarino 4 I'm looking for a pattern for and the Sundara is going to be used to make Tadpoles. Yes, Tadpoles!

Hole

2011-02-13T17:28:00.004-05:00

I was going out to City Bakery, for the second time today I have to add, to knit and have chili hot chocolate with Allyson and Patrick. Getting dressed I pulled on a pair of my Skyp socks only to find the following:

Can you see it? How bout now?

Now I know I'm new to sock knitting but don't holes usually develop at the heels or toes? This is on the top of the foot right at the instep. Now how the heck could that have happened? There's a piece of yarn on either side of the hole that makes it look as if the yarn just broke. Is this common? Al said she'd help me fix it so that's a good thing but I'm concerned about it happening again. I'm hoping it was just a freaky thing and it won't happen again. It's BMFA Socks that Rock yarn so I know it's a great quality product. I'm just going to make the assumption that this was a weak point in the yarn and it won't happen again. You do know what they say about assuming though don't you?

Garden Daze

2011-02-06T12:56:00.005-05:00

I finished up a baby hat in a day or so and got the jones start a pair of socks. Patrick and I were watching tv when I went to my yarn closet to pick out yarn to start a pair of socks for myself. I told him that I was going to knit socks and he looked at me with a big grin on his face and asked "For me???" How could I refuse?

I told him to go pick out a skein of yarn but I already knew what he was going to choose. I watched him, smiling, as he walked over to the closet. He asked why I was smiling and I said "Because I know you so well that I can tell exactly what yarn you're going to choose." There are about thirty skeins of yarn in there but I knew he'd go right for the Socks That Rock Garden Daze.

He opened the door, his eyes went wide and his mouth went into an O shape then he asked which one he'd choose and I said the one right in front in all the lovely colors. He laughed, grabbed it and tossed it to me. I do know my boy.

He chose the Hidden Stairways pattern that I just made for Bean. It's a nice gansey knit and truly reminiscent of staircases.

Patrick is my biggest knitting fan. He always loves getting things I make no matter what it is and he's always got a standing order for something new. Maybe because he actually learned to knit he really appreciates all the hand knit goodies I make him and realizes how much work goes into them. Maybe one day I'll even make him a sweater! Yeah don't hold your breath. Pat's sweater is still in the closet two years after I started it.

Sherpani

2011-02-04T07:46:00.003-05:00

You know I'm always singing the praises of the Destash group on Ravelry. We'll I'm tuning up to sing some more.

Someone was destashing this lovely bag for $10. Yes only $10. It's a Sherpani Flora Major which goes for about $60 new. This was barely, if at all, used and is in excellent condition. It's supposed to be a yoga bag and since knitting is my yoga, it's perfect! Lots of room, light weight and oodles of pockets. I've always carried so much stuff with me so I always have a big bag. When I had babies, I loved diaper bags because they were as big as the purses I usually carried. I've already got it stuffed with all my belongings and ready to go. I swear I could live out of this damn thing for a week.

Ravelry has a number of groups that sell things at discounted prices. I've mentioned the yarn destash group ad nauseum but there's a bag lovers group, a Namaste group, a used equipment group and several others. So if you're in the market for yarn, bags, spinning wheels, knitting needle sets or anything pertaining to knitting, crocheting or spinning please check out Ravelry first. You could be helping out a fellow knitter in need and get yourself a nice deal.

Sundara

2011-02-03T06:57:00.003-05:00

I've been trying to curb my sock yarn purchases for a while now. What I've decided to do is just buy yarns that I haven't yet tried and really want to get my hands on so that narrows down the field quite a bit. Oh and I'll always buy Blue Moon Socks That Rock for a good price so that's the one exception to the rule. I've also been purchasing solely from the ISO/Destash Group on Ravelry. Less guilt that way.

I recently was lucky enough to buy some gorgeous Sundara sock yarn.

Isn't it lovely? And it's the most appropriately named yarn I've ever purchased. It's called Forever Spring. As you can see, it's mostly green with little highlights of yellow and blue. When I got this, I could immediately see this knit up in a leafy pattern or something gorgeous designed by Cookie A. I'll have to look through my Sock Innovation book, find a pattern I like and knit this up soon. The weather has been so bad here, this will be a little bit of early Spring for me.

In the past year or so I've manage to try out some great sock yarns that I've wanted to knit with. Lorna's Laces, Plucky Knitter, Three Irish Girls, Socks That Rock, Sundara, Wollmeise are the ones I can think of off hand. There are a few more I'm still on the hunt for like Sanguine Gryphon, Yarntini, Yarn Pirate and Great Adirondack. It seems that I keep finding more yarns I want to try! My sock yarn cupboard is full so I gotta get a bit more knitting done and a lot less purchasing.

I'm currently working on a pair of socks for my niece, Joyce, and then I'm going to knit a bunch of baby things since I know a few people who are pregnant and more who already have babies. I have yarn left over from the stuff I made for Joyce's baby and I hope to deplete that bit of stash. Baby hats are fun to make so I hope to zip through a dozen or so of them. Here's hoping!

Nothing Eggs

2011-01-26T19:01:00.002-05:00

When Bean, my niece, was little, I once asked her "What's shakin', bacon?" and her response, after a bit of thought was, "Nothin' eggs!" Very cute and totally what's shakin here.

It's been a quiet and sick week. First Patrick, then me and now my husband have all come down with a flu-like sickness. I'm just waiting for Glenn to get it. We've been in bed with the shakes and shivers so not much knitting has been done.

I hope to be back with my regularly scheduled knitting and blogging soon. Oh and a word of advice. Stay away from kids. They have cooties.

Traitor

2011-01-17T17:03:00.003-05:00

That would be me.

I know I've extolled the virtues of the Kindle on my blog a number of times but I've become a traitor to my Kindle. I've found a new love and I'm going to tell you about it.

It's a Nook Color and I just got it today.

I really was perfectly satisfied with my Kindle until I saw this. It's more than an ereader though, it's more a cross between an iPad and a Kindle. It's primarily for reading but you can put pdfs on it and they look gorgeous. And what's on pdfs? Why knitting patterns of course! I used to send my patterns to my Kindle and they'd be fine but they were in black and white, they were no longer a pdf and sometimes it wouldn't "read" the charts for the patterns. With the Nook, it remains a pdf and it looks as if you're looking at the pattern on a computer screen. I also have some books in pdf format which, when sent to my Kindle, distort. Now on the Nook they're just perfect.

There are some things I'd rather it didn't have like a back light. I really do like the eInk that the Kindle uses. Also, Kindle uses Whispernet, which is like a cell phone program and it's free, and you need WiFi for the Nook.

I guess it's just a matter of what's important for you. I really feel like these are two totally different beasts. The Kindle is solely an ereader and the Nook is more like a mini iPad.

The Kindle won't go to waste. Patrick is the happy recipient. First thing he did was delete everything. The second thing he did was download Gulliver's Travels. It's a win/win.

Hidden Stairways

2011-01-15T20:11:00.006-05:00

Been working on my Hidden Stairways socks and finally finished them. They're a Harry Potter inspired knit. Surprised? I didn't think so. They're a great reminder of the moving staircases throughout Hogwarts. I did them with Cascade Heritage Paints and I really like them.

Gonna share something with you but you can't laugh. I thought this yarn was black and red but it turned out to be blue and red. There are even bits of purple where the blue and red overlap. I love it! Hope Beana loves them to because I made them for her.

Today I cast on a Dublin Beanie for Glenn. He's very much of a mind that he knows what he likes so this is the fifth or sixth beanie for him. I'm gonna change it up a bit on him and do a 6x2 ribbing on the body of the hat. He's gotta live a little!

Just finished Stephen King's Full Dark, No Stars and thoroughly enjoyed it. He really is the master of fright. You think that there will be monsters but it turns out that the people themselves are the worst monsters of all. And then I have to sleep with the lights on.

Holy Grail

2011-01-11T06:03:00.006-05:00

There seems to be a yarn that is considered the Holy Grail of yarns. It's elusive and a bit on the expensive side. I've seen it for sale in the destash group on Ravelry many times but the price just seemed a lot more than any other yarns. Until last week. Someone was selling it for significantly less than what I'd ever seen it sold for before and I just couldn't resist. I give you Wollmeise!

Of course the pictures don't do this yarn justice. The color is very rich and vibrant looking, the yarn is soft. I really like it a lot but think this may be too nice to make into a pair of socks. It looks like I'll be doing my first lace project this year.

I've done an awful lot of acquiring this past week and now I have to do a lot of knitting. I'm working on a pair of socks, surprised?, for my niece Bean. They're called Hidden Stairways and they're another Harry Potter inspired pattern, named after the many hidden places in the JK Rowling books. It's a gansey knit, with just knits and purls and they're coming out quite well. Next I'll be looking for a simple hat pattern to make for Glenn with the Dream in Color I got last week.

Monogamy

2011-01-10T07:10:00.003-05:00

I don't know how it happened. It wasn't sudden but has taken place over the last year or so but what's done is done. I have become a monogamous knitter.

When I first started knitting, almost three years ago, I started off with one project. A scarf of course. I think there's a law someplace that says all people who start knitting must start with a scarf. But I digress.

I started with a scarf then another. When I really got into the swing of things I would do a couple of projects at a time. I'd have a scarf and a hat on the needles. I found, as I became more proficient, that I'd have two main projects that I'd work on, one being a knit that I'd have to pay a lot of attention to and the other would be something easy, all in stockinette, that I could knit while watching television in bed at night with Glenn. Sometimes something would get started and then put aside for some reason. Either I'd get stuck or bored with it so it would get tucked away into my yarn cabinet.

Last year, I believe it was around this time, I decided to fish out all my unfinished projects and get them done. It didn't take long because there were only a few but I got them all finished up. Initially it was a pain in the ass to get this done because I had to work through whatever reason I'd had for putting these specific projects aside. Once they were done, though, I had a great feeling of accomplishment but also a feeling that I didn't want to work on so many projects I didn't enjoy.

This past year I really became a sock knitter more than anything else. And I noticed that I like to knit just one pair of socks at a time, oddly enough. I don't know if it's that I'm more selective in my pattern choices, picking things that are easy for me or things I really enjoy knitting, or the fact that doing a pair of socks brings a sense of a finished item with each sock done. Whatever it is, I've gone from being a polygamous to a monogamous knitter.

We Have A Winner!

2011-01-09T18:41:00.002-05:00

Wowsa! What a great response I've gotten for this giveaway! I see that everyone loves Blue Moon Fiber Arts as much as I do but then again, what's not to love?
Ok onto the winner. Drum roll please...the winner is

AmyKnit40!

Amy's post was just randomly drawn as the winner. Amy please contact me with your information so I can get this great prize out in the mail as soon as possible.

Most of you have some great attainable knitting goals for this coming year. Here's hoping we all achieve our goals. Happy knitting!

Thrifty

2011-01-05T13:10:00.006-05:00

We live in a neighborhood rich with thrift shops. Within two blocks of our apartment we have five different shops. My sister used to regularly shop in them finding brand new shoes and bags at a fraction of the cost. She'd get $200 shoes for $30. I never really had a yen to check them out until now.

Glenn and I decided to go take a little walk and see what they had to offer. The first few shops really didn't have anything for me. The last shop we went to was a bit more eclectic so we looked around a bit more. I looked over to where Glenn was and thought I saw some yarn! I asked him to see if it was yarn and he responded that it was and brought me a couple of bags that I disregarded immediately as yarn I wouldn't use. The third bag however contained some goodies. Here's what it looked like in the store:

Yes that's Noro you can see there. And that's also a Dream In Color label visible there. And oh yeah...that's a six dollar price tag on that bag! Hollah! I knew this was a good score but I didn't know how good till I got home.

I opened the bag and there's two skeins of the Dream in Color Classy, one skein of Noro Taiyo, two balls of a lovely Rowan Wool/Cotton and five full hanks of a gorgeous lavender Noro Cash Iroha which is a silk, wool, cashmere, nylon blend. Score!

It's got to be close to a hundred dollars worth of yarn for six dollars!! And it's all yarn I will use. Glenn's already put in an order for a hat made in the Dream in Color. That's his finders fee. How cool is that? I'm just hoping it wasn't beginner's luck. Maybe next time they'll have a set of Addi Clicks for $20! Yeah I know I'm pushing my luck but a girl can dream!

Contest!

2011-01-03T16:59:00.004-05:00

In my opinion this is the best contest ever. Ok maybe it's just the best contest I've ever had. I know this is a contest I'd love to win! Anyway here it is:

It's a skein of Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock 100% superwash merino mediumweight sock yarn. Damn that was a mouthful! It's a mill end so it doesn't have a color on it but it's a lovely variegated green yarn. Along with it I've got a set of vintage Susan Bates size 3 Luxite knitting needles. I got these on eBay in a lot of needles and I was lucky enough to get two sets of the same needles. They're very retro looking. They're also the perfect size to knit up this gorgeous sock yarn!

How can you win these prizes do you ask? Why just leave a comment here telling me either your knitting new year resolution, your regular resolution or you can just leave any old comment you'd like to leave. If you Tweet about it, you get a second entry, just send me a link to your Tweet!

I'll be picking a winner on Sunday, January 9th at 6pm. Good luck!

Resolution

2011-01-03T06:52:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year! Hope you all had as much fun as I did this holiday season. Everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, and then some, and the kids vacation was a lot of fun.

I've decided not to blog about this past year's knitting but to tell you what my knitting resolutions are for the upcoming year. Why look back when you can look ahead?

This year I will learn how to do toe up socks. I know it's not a big deal but I have yet to learn how to do them. I've had to discard several sock patterns that I really like because I'm a knucklehead and I'm intimidated by the toe up process. No more. I refuse to be limited in my knitting by something so silly as a little toe up cast on.

The other resolution is to learn a short row heel. The short row heel and I have had a brief introduction that didn't go really well. As a matter of fact, it went so poorly that I traded it in for a heel flap without a backward glance. Not this year! This year I am determined to learn this technique and go on to make a lovely pair of socks with a short row heel.

These are my knitting resolutions for this year. I should make a third and finish that damn sweater that I started for my sister almost two years ago but I don't wanna push my luck. I hope my sister doesn't read this. She's been patiently waiting a long time for that damn thing.

Anyone else make any knitting resolutions? I'd love to hear about them.

Celebration

2010-12-29T17:55:00.005-05:00

Finally I have some knitting to show you. Granted it's only half a pair of socks but it's something.

It's the Hermoine Everyday Sock which is another Harry Potter inspired knit that I'm thoroughly enjoying knitting. I just had one little problem with the yarn. Can you see it? How about here?

It's a little tiny nub. It seems to be two pieces of yarn joined together with a knot by the manufacturer. Is this something that happens often? It's not very pleasant and not something I expect from a big name yarn maker that charges a pretty penny for their wares. And, of course, with my luck the way it is, it managed to show up on the outside of the sock.

Christmas Eve was a blast and I wanted to share all the stuff I cooked with you. Ok technically none of this food involved cooking but it was my contribution to the cooking. Glenn cooks all the big holidays since he's much better at it than I am but I make one hell of a spinach dip, damnit!

True Christmas

2010-12-25T08:37:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy couple of weeks in anticipation of Christmas Eve and Christmas day here for us. Between shopping for presents and food, getting liquor and wrapping gifts we forgot one important family member to buy for.

Last night we feasted. We had eight guests plus us. There was much laughter and many stories. The kids wanted to get to bed early so this morning would arrive all the quicker. Even at thirteen and sixteen, the boys get over excited for Christmas morning.

This morning was a blur of wrapping paper and gasps of surprise. Glenn got a new bike because his last one was stolen from the park. Patrick got a guitar from which, I'm sure, we'll be hearing more chords of Smoke On The Water than we've heard in our lives. In the midst of all this my little Gracie was going from person to person, her tail wagging, almost as excited as we were about all the gifts. That was when I realized we didn't get to Petco to get her presents. We felt awful but continued opening gifts and having a great time.

When all was said and done it was about 7:30 am and I was ready for a big cup of coffee. Glenn was so excited about his new bike he wanted to go out for a ride. I asked if he was sure because it was cold and early but he said he wanted to try it out. I said ok and off he went.

Forty five minutes later Glenn came home with a bag. Inside the bag he had a big old smoked bone and a bag of treats for Grace. He rode around town, with some of his Christmas money in his pocket, to several different stores before he found a Walgreens open on Christmas morning. He showed them to me and said "Everyone should have gifts on Christmas day."

That's what it's really all about isn't it?

Presents!

2010-12-22T07:24:00.003-05:00

I'm really bad when it comes to Christmas. I love getting gifts early and I always get early presents from Megan because she lives in New Mexico and her presents have to be shipped.

This year, amongst other things, she got me a gift card for Amazon. I told her I wouldn't get anymore knitting books, because I get them all the time, and I'd get something really special. Well I compromised. I got a really special knitting book!

There's so much to love about this book. At the start, there's a forward by Jessica Marshall Forbes who most of us know as one of the founders of Ravelry. Then the photos are all done by Jared Flood aka Brooklyn Tweed. Not only is he a brilliant designer, with a new line of his own yarn, but he's also a great photographer. Then inside are a bunch of designing bloggers with their stories and designs. There are some designers who I know and love like the forementioned Jared Flood, Ysolda, Grumperina and Clara Parkes to name a few. Then there were blogging designers who I had never heard of before like Kat Coyle, Julie Weisenberger and Ann Weaver.

There are all kinds of projects to knit like sweaters, socks, hats and mitts. It's a great mix of designers and a wonderful mix of designs. These people are rock stars in the knitting and blogging community and I think that Julie Turjoman is brilliant for putting them all together in one book for our reading and knitting pleasure.

I think I'm going to need some Post It notes to bookmark many of the designs I want to knit. Think Amazon sells them? I have plenty of money left on my gift card!

Baking

2010-12-21T08:12:00.007-05:00

Ok there's not a lot of knitting going on right now but there's a lot of other stuff going on right now! Aside from shopping, mostly done online, we've been baking, decorating and getting prepared for our yearly Christmas Eve get together for friends and family.

In years past, we did the baking with the boys and their friends. There would be a bunch of kids making all kinds of fun sugar cookies in Christmas shapes to take home as a treat. Now that the kids are older they really have no interest in doing this anymore so it was time for grown up Christmas cookies.

This year I was inspired by my trip to City Bakery's hot chocolate knit night. Aside from the amazing hot chocolate and scrumptious dinner that was served, they also had homemade marshmallows. Call me crazy but I'd never even heard of homemade marshmallows. Yeah, Martha Stewart I ain't. We also made krumkake, which is a Scandinavian cookie and, my favorite, oatmeal cookies.

A big thank you to Glenn for doing most of the baking and taking the photos. I love that he labeled the cookies. I was having a hard time distinguishing between them.

Christmas Eve will be the Feast of Seven Fishes although I think we'll be a few short. There will be about fifteen of us for a dinner of seafood and pasta with much merriment and a little bit of alcohol consumption. I can't wait.

Hope you're all enjoying your holiday season as much as we are!

New Look

2010-12-18T05:45:00.002-05:00

As you may have noticed, my blog is a bit different today. I decided enough with the pink and I wanted something simple and easy on the eye so here we have it!

I put up something on Twitter about wanting a new design and Amoena volunteered to redesign my blog. And believe it or not, she did it for free! She loves to do blog design in her spare time so she put this together for me. It's exactly what I wanted! I wanted something just very simple with no pink. I even got sick of the pink and I love pink! I just gave her suggestions and she came up with this lovely design. She and her boyfriend, JR, worked on this and gave me exactly what I wanted.

If anyone would like a free design done, please contact Amoena on her blog, which I linked above, or you can find her on Twitter here.

As for knitting, I really haven't gotten a lot done....actually I haven't gotten anything done this week because of the holidays. I had started the Cookie's Summer Socks but frogged them because I didn't like how I was knitting them. I've since cast on another pair and will blog about them soon but thus far I've only done the ribbing so there's not much to say.

Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!

Etta

2010-12-14T20:35:00.003-05:00

Well this has been a productive week of knitting! I actually have another finished item to show you. Here is the handsome sixteen year old Glenn modeling for me:

This is the Etta hat I found on Ravelry. I used Cascade 220 yarn and I think it looks lovely. I may have to block it again to make it a bit more slouchy. To make it more slouchy I think I need to use a bigger plate but I'm afraid I'll stretch out the ribbing of the hat which fits perfectly.
I wanted something that would look nice with the Entwined mitts but didn't want it to be too matchy matchy. I think this will look great with my mitts and my new brown winter coat. Ok winter, bring it!
I'm working on my first pair of Cookie A socks which is a huge milestone for me. I purchased her first book when it came out but I've been too intimidated by the charts to make anything from the book. Now that I've conquered the world of charts, I'm really looking forward to making a bunch of socks from Sock Innovation. Then I'm going to purchase Knit Sock Love in PDF and send the patterns to my kindle and snuggle in for the long winter. But that will have to wait till after Christmas!
Christmas Eve is big in our house. A bunch of friends and family will be here for the Feast of Seven Fishes. I don't thing we have seven but who's counting? There will be enough wine and beer that I'm sure we'll lose count and have a grand ole time.
I'm off to do some last minute online shopping!

Entwined

2010-12-08T08:11:00.004-05:00

I lost one of my mitts so I decided to knit myself a new pair. I looked on my favorite website, Ravelry, and searched for something with a Celtic theme. I got a few hits but really liked the looks of the Entwined mitts. Easy and lovely. Just the way I like 'em!

Two days with a fair amount of knitting time and voila! Here's a photo of the cables:

I used a yarn that's new to me Dream in Color which I really love. It's 100% superfine Australian merino and it's superwash. I'm all about the superwash. It's a worsted weight, hand painted yarn and the color is Good Luck Jade. I love the green with the brown highlights in it.

It was weird knitting with a size five needle after months and months of sock knitting but I got used to it real fast. I don't like the thumb crotch thing though. I always feel as if I'm slapping it together just to get the little hole I always leave closed up.

I'm currently looking for a hat design that will use up the rest of this yarn but I can't find anything. I don't really know what I want but I'm sure that if I peruse Ravelry long enough, I'll find something soon!

Knitting. Really!

2010-12-05T18:49:00.006-05:00

I know it's been a while since I actually posted some knitting but I actually have something to show you!

They're another pair of Skyp socks. I made these for my sister's best friend, Kathy. I did these exactly according to the pattern and they came out beautifully. I used Cascade Heritage Paints which I'd never used before. The yarn was really smooth and very easy to knit with. The only issue I had, and the issue is mine not the yarn's, is that I've gotten so used to using Blue Moon Fiber Arts medium weight, that this felt very thin to me. The sock seems like it knit to gauge, so I know that it's just a matter of me getting used to using other yarns. I'll get over it. Or I'll just buy more Socks That Rock. Ha!
As for the Selbu mitts, they've been put on hold for now. I started them and came to the thumb and realized they were much too small even for Patrick so I ripped them down. It may be a bit before I can muster up the courage to cast them on again. I'm thinking Fair Isle will not be my forte. So much for the dream of ever knitting a Starmore sweater.
I started a pair of Entwined mitts for myself. I wanted something with a hint of a Celtic design and thought these were lovely. I'm using Dream In Color Classy in the shade Good Luck Jade which is a green/brown variegated yarn. Can't wait to see these all done!
I'd also like to get a hat done for myself. With all the knitting I do, I have only two hats that I wear regularly. Not sure exactly what I want but I'm sure I'll find it on Ravelry.

Wordle

2010-12-05T07:07:00.003-05:00

Click on it to make it bigger for those of you, like me, with over forty eyes.

Sweet

2010-11-30T07:04:00.004-05:00

Is it still called Sweet 16 when it's a boy's birthday? I think so. Today is Glenn's sixteenth birthday. I just don't know how he went so quickly from this

to this:

Happy birthday to my kind, intelligent, handsome, loving and generous boy who has, at times, had the weight of the world on his shoulders and is coming out on the other side all the better for it because of his hard work and perseverance. He's no longer a little boy but almost a man looking at colleges and leaving our home in the next two years. Glad I didn't blink.

Contemplation

2010-11-22T05:51:00.002-05:00

There are a few things I've been contemplating lately. One of them is NaBloPoMo. In case you don't know what that is, it's posting one blog post per day for a month. A whole month. That's thirty or thirty one posts. That's a lot! In case you hadn't noticed, this is a knitting blog and there's not a whole lot of knitting going on on a daily basis. No let me rephrase that. There's not a lot of progress going on on a daily basis. I do manage to knit, at least a bit, every day but who the hell wants to see a few rows of a sock per day? I don't even want to see that and it's my blog! I suppose with the holidays coming up I could muster up some other things to write about. Now you see why this is still in the contemplation stage and I'm not in the process of writing daily.

Another thing I've been thinking about is doing a podcast. I love knitting podcasts. I probably listen to about ten different ones that I thoroughly enjoy and I'll listen to others when someone suggests them. The thing is this...I don't sound like a podcast person. Everyone's relatively soft spoken with no accent to speak of and they sound nice and sweet. I don't. I'm a loud and raucous New Yorker who can be very opinionated at times. But then I think there's really no other knitting podcasts like that so maybe it's a good thing. Hey I'm not looking to be the Howard Stern of knitting podcasts but I'd like to do one that would be a little edgy. Edgy knitting though? How frigging edgy can knitting be? I also know that once I start podcasting, it has to be done regularly whether it be weekly or bi-weekly and I don't know if I'm up for that kind of commitment.

On the knitting front, those Selbu mittens are whipping my ass. I've done the cuff and about seven rounds and man, it's not easy. I can't even imagine a whole sweater of this. First off, they look like they're going to be too small for me. That's ok because Patrick would love these so they'll be a Christmas present for him. I can't get the knitting with yarn in both hands thing so I'm constantly dropping one yarn and picking up the other. It's going slowly. Very, very, very slowly. This morning I've promised myself to do ten rounds per day. That should finish these up in about two weeks. I hope to get more done per day but ten rounds will keep it moving along and not make me want to throw the whole thing under a bus. I hope.