A Couple of FO's

Here are a few finished objects from last week:



This little girl's sweater is going to my cousin's daughter in South Carolina. It is made out of Miss Babs Yowza - Frogbelly colorway, size 8 needle. The pattern is Plymouth Yarns #1440 Kids Kimono. I did the size 6. It's so cute. I wish I had someone to try it on and model it for me. I'll get my cousin to send pics of E-G in it.



Next are some socks:

These are done in What Not Sock from Union Center Knits, Baby Blue color. This yarn is so soft and easy to work with. The pattern is Hawaiian Leis Socks from my calendar (not one of my favorite patterns). Done on a 2.25 mm needle. These are being gifted to a tennis friend whose birthday was in February, I think. She is a relatively new knitter, so I know she'll appreciate them.

And last, some progress...

...on my STR March kit, Rogue Roses. Love the colors. The pattern is fun. My roses hardly look like roses though, more like little blobs, but it's ok.

Oh, and I almost forgot. Went to yoga this morning. I missed last week, so I didn't have a favorite yoga saying for last week, but this week's is "...sitting on our sitting bones..."

Have a good knit day.

It's Heeere...

...my March 2009 Socks That Rock kit, that is. So don't look any farther if you haven't received yours yet, and you don't want to be spoiled.













Here it is:

Included are a great skein of yarn called Gertrude Skein in medium weight and a pattern from The Yarn Harlot herself, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee called Rogue Roses. I'm not a big fan of socks made of medium or sportweight usually, just because they're too thick in my shoes, but I find if I knit them tight enough, it's ok. Anyway, I love the colorway so much, it doesn't matter.

The Dyer's Notes are titled A Rose is a Rose is a Rogue, and they are unbelievably incredible and creative as usual.

And there are 3 pages of stickers to cut out and use to decorate your binder. My favorite is - Don't come knockin' if your socks ain't rockin'.

Must go now. I'm off to wind my yarn and start knittin'. I must hurry, because guess what's coming in next week...my last Happy Hour Club kit from Yarntini. But don't worry about it being my last from Yarntini, because I joined her summer club for 6 more months. Go check it out. Just don't tell the HWWTM.

Can I Have Some Cheese Please...

...with my whiiiiine, that is. My STR sock club package didn't come today. I thought it was going to come today, but it didn't. I guess it will be here tomorrow. It better be here tomorrow. I finished a sock quickly this morning, just so I could start my sock club sock this afternoon. Pooh!



But, the good news is that something else arrived - my Woolgirl order came in, all filled with Yarntini goodness (and a few other things too). Jenn over at Woolgirl always includes nice things in your orders. This time were some Easter candies and a little plastic Easter bunny, a cute little sheep notepad, and a sample of Eucalan woolwash in lavender scent.

Aren't these 3 colorways gorgeous? They are Pink is the New Yarn (love that name), Woolgirl Happy, and Happy? I think I like Happy best.

And this below is Designated Driver in sportweight. It has such pretty blues in it. I'm thinking a medium-sized baby blanket. I haven't made a baby blanket in a long time. It used to be one of my favorite things to knit, but I guess I got sidetracked. I don't even know a baby boy to knit this for, but I bet someone will turn up with one eventually. I'm thinking of the Embossed Diamonds pattern from Alison over at SpinDyeKnit. I'm dying to swatch it, but I'm still in the fondling/sniffing phase.

Have a good afternoon. Hope to have something to show you tomorrow.

Surrounded By My Yarn

I like to be surrounded by my yarn. Just seeing it makes me feel good, makes me happy. I like to touch it and smell it and rub it on my cheek. My kids think I'm weird, but I'm sure you all know what I mean. Anyway, there is a built in bookshelf in my hearthroom just off the kitchen where I keep cookbooks and whatnots. In recent months, I've added my knitting books and a little basket of yarn. I usually change the yarn out on a whim; sometimes certain colored yarns will go in the basket, sometimes certain brands, and sometimes I change it with the seasons. Since before Christmas, I've had red and green colored yarn in the basket.









I hadn't even realized that I still had Christmas colors in the basket until yesterday. Then came the decision-making...what to put in the basket. I thought about an Easter theme, but I just don't have that much light-colored, pastel yarn. I started looking at my favorite brands--Dream in Color Smooshy, Yarntini, Numma Numma--and decided on Socks That Rock.

Aren't the colors bright and beautiful? It makes me feel warm just having it in the room with me.

Below is a pic of all of my much-coveted Wollmeise that I've collected over the past few years. It is my absolute favorite. Isn't it beautiful? It was the first yarn that I put in the basket on the shelf, but as time went on, it outgrew the basket and had to be put in a bin by itself.

Oh, btw, I finished something last night. It came out so cute! It needs to be soaked and blocked and then I'll show it off.

Hope to finish a pair of socks today or tomorrow, because (drumroll) this month's STR sock club is in the mail and should be here tomorrow. I've already sneaked a peak over on ravelry. It's gorgeous. Can't wait.

Also have a nice order from Woolgirl coming - Yarntini, of course. Pics to follow. Have a nice day!

But Wait...I'm Not That Old!

I don't think I'm old enough to have a 24 year old. I must have had her when I was 12 or something. That's right, TD (teacher daughter) turns 24 today. She is also KD (knitting daughter). But she pretty much only knits socks. She is actually OD (only daughter) ha. How would you like to grow up with 3 little brothers? Except, they're not so little anymore. She's the smallest in the bunch now.



She is a very special person. She is a second year teacher, teaching 3rd grade this year in Birmingham. She went to school in Alabama and decided to stay there. It's only a few hours drive from home, so it's not so bad. She is a great teacher, loved by her students, their parents and her school administration. She is very conscientious and hard working, and enjoys employing new techniques in her teaching strategy.



Below is a pic that I took last week when we went to visit her. We gave her a David Yurman bracelet for her birthday. She always covets mine, so I knew she would love it.

And, of course, a silly friends pic:

She and her dad skiing in Idaho in January:

She and her brother at her alma mater, where his team played against them and won. I think she was actually pulling for both teams.

Happy Birthday, Sis! Miss you today! Love ya!

THE BABY IS 14 TODAY!!!

That's right, Alex, aka, the baby, is 14 years old today. He is a wonderful kid. He's much older than his years. He always has been. You get the feeling that he's been here before. He is just as comfortable around adults as he is around kids his own age.

He's sweet, sensitive, and kind-hearted, and he can hold a conversation with anyone.

His favorite thing right now is pole-vaulting. This is his third year vaulting. He started out doing it when his middle brother was a senior in high school and one of his friends showed Alex how to do it. Later, when we realized he had a knack for it, we hired a coach for him. Our track coach really wasn't much help. Amazingly, an Olympian hopeful at the time, lives in our hometown and agreed to work with Alex. Later, Erica, Alex's coach, actually made the Olympic team and competed in Beijing last summer. She is still working with him, and he is doing great. The highest he has been able to jump this season is 8'6". Isn't that awesome?

He has lots of other interests too. He'll be in high school in the fall and wants to play basketball and football. If you know anything about high school sports, you know they start practicing in the summer. So, as soon as 8th grade graduation is over in May, we'll start practicing basketball and lifting weights for football. It looks to be a busy next 4 years, and I can't wait.

Goodies...

...in today's mail...from The Loopy Ewe sneak up this week.





Isn't it pretty?

On the left is Sheepaints in Winter Cloud. I just love her colorways. The middle and right are Fleece Artist Special Nyoni in Pale Pink and Chocolate. Each skein contains 750 meters; they're huge. It's 65% wool, 20% kid, 5% silk, 10% nylon. I'll probably make small shawls/scarves with them.

I love getting packages in the mail, especially yarn.

She Loves Her Daddy...

This is my little dog, Coco. She is a maltipoo. She and her daddy have gotten very attached lately, mostly because he feeds her (salad). She likes to lay on him when he sits down in the evening with his newspaper. She likes her lettuce, dressing on the side, of course.



I've been trying to think of a good blog name for my husband, and I think I've come up with the perfect one --HWWTM (husband who works too much). Yep, that's him.





Thought I'd show you a few scarves that are on the needles. First up is the Chevron scarf done in Fleece Artist sock yarn in Mahogany and Earth colorways. I envision this with my red peacoat (if I ever finish it).

Next is the Dimple Shale Lace Scarf in Dream in Color Baby laceweight in Black Parade. Really like this color - black with touches of blue. Wish I had doubled this, but too late now.

And as if that weren't enough, I started another scarf yesterday. It is the scarf pattern and yarn from the Woolgirl Sock Kit. They're all being knit on size 5 needles.

Have a knitterly day!

Recovering...

...from moving TD from one apartment to another. OMG! What made us think we couldn't afford to hire someone to do that for us? We are definitely too old to carry boxes and various other things down one flight of stairs and back up 2 flights. Next time someone stop me. At yoga class this morning, I mentioned this to the instructor, and she did some extra back stretching just for me. Yoga quote of the day "let's begin opening up our sides". Didn't feel like going to class today, but am glad now that I did. Feel so much better.

As you can tell from the following picture, something finally arrived in the mail. Actually, it arrived last week, but I wasn't home to sign for it. So I took the little card to the post office the next day to pick up my package, and THEY COULDN'T FIND IT! My Wollmeise! I almost fainted! Turns out the mailman brought it back out with him, but I wasn't home again. Crap! Then we went out of town for the weekend, and I had to wait till today to pick it up.







Isn't this gorgeous? The colors are beautiful and vibrant as usual. There's a pretty little silk pouch with a stitch marker in it. The pattern is very unique, but I definitely won't be knitting it. A little too complicated for me for a sock.

And last, a pic of TD (in the middle), her new roommate (on the left), and a new friend (on the right). Spoke with her this morning, and the movers came to move the heavy things. She and her new roommate are getting all settled in. Hey, Sis, had a great weekend with you. Love you.

Started a new sock this weekend, but I think I'm going to have to rip it. Completed a few pattern repeats on the leg, and it's huge.

FO Friday on Sunday

The fan and feather scarf is complete. It turned out 82" x 8" blocked. It is huge! I love it! Next are he Yarntini Happy Hour Sock Club socks. I knit these as a gift for a friend. The color does not show up just right in the pictures; they're really pretty.

And this came in from The Loopy Ewe late this week. It's The Sanguine Gryphon - Bugga in Fiery Searcher Beetle colorway (love her color names). It's a beautiful mix of forest greens and, with 20% cashmere, it's sooo soft. Everyone's been raving about it on Ravelry, so I had to try it. It sold out really quickly when Sheri put it up.

I'm in Birmingham at TD's helping her move. Returning home later today. More on that later this week.

WIP Wednesday

I'm lovin' my Numma Numma laceweight fan and feather scarf in "Those Jeans" colorway, held double throughout. I really enjoy working on this. It's about 5 1/2' long. I have just a little yarn left over, maybe enough for about 6" more. Then bind off and block. Can't wait to finish.


And I was really on a roll with my Clapotis in silky merino, but I haven't worked on it in about a week. I enjoy it when I work on it. Don't know what my problem is.

Next is my Kids Kimono in Miss Babs Yowza. It is a wonderfully soft and pretty green yarn in worsted weight. It was going along really fast, but then all of that garter stitch got boring. I just have a few more rows to finish on one sleeve, then sew up the sleeve and side. And then pick up the edging around the neck and fronts. Not sure when I'll get to it.

Next up is my Log Cabin blanket done in Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarn in heavyweight in 6 different shades of blue. This is a pattern I've wanted to try for awhile, but I'm in no hurry to finish it. It will probably go to my youngest son eventually. I have a way to go on it, because I want it to be really big, as YS (youngest son) is already 5'6" and he's not even 14 years old yet. And I'm trying to make it more rectangular in shape than square.

I bought this yarn today to knit a pair of slipper socks. Today I went to my second continental knitting class at my LYS. I want to make these using only the continental knitting method. It was really fun today. We mostly practiced while the instructor watched us and gave us tips. And she showed us how to K2together and yarn over.

I'm still having a little trouble with tension and gauge, and with purling. Hopefully, practice will make this better. I'm determined to learn how to do this, and to use it. I always love a good knitting challenge.

I do have one finished object to show on Friday. Hopefully, I'll have another to show by then too.

Zen Monday

Don't you just love orchids? A friend turned me on to them a couple of years ago when she gave me one for my birthday. They're so beautiful. Went to Lowe's yesterday with the husband, and there were the most beautiful orchids - couldn't resist getting a few.



Started my day today with a yoga class. I've been going every Monday since the beginning of 2009. It's one of my "lifestyle changes" I'm making this year - I don't like to make resolutions. So I start off my week with yoga. I go at least once a week, sometimes twice. My favorite expression is "separating the upper torso from the lower torso".



Thought about goals for my knitting this week while in yoga. I'd like to finish a few things this week that have been lingering, namely, my Yarntini socks, my Numma Numma scarf, and the little girl's sweater that just needs the border put on around the neck and fronts. I'll post a WIP post on Wednesday, and then hopefully a FO post on Friday to check my progress.