Yes, I am alive :)

Just been very very very busy!!

Classes started back up for me the last week of August. We took our 15yo dd to a concert (Projekt Revolution - it was AWESOME!!) and took an impromptu visit to Watkins Glen Gorges. That was the end of our summer. Since then it’s been nonstop go go go. Between the kids’ school schedule and mine (six classes this semester) I just don’t have the time or creativity left to blog much (or at all as it seems lol).

I have been knitting though. I’m able to knit in almost all my classes where knitting is possible. Obviously, knitting during computer labs is not conducive to knitting (hi CJ! ). But I do knit during my other classes. My most BORING class is my business class. I had been knitting in that class until today. My professor has decided that because the recent grades have been quite poor and students are bringing in laptops to surf the net and cell phones to text with, NO ONE will be allowed to do ANYTHING during class. No knitting (she specifically said “no knitting” I almost fell out), no texting, no whatever. Never mind that while the class average on the last exam was a 69 and I got a 90, never mind that I am one of the few who actually DO pay attention, even with a sock in my hand, never mind that I sit in the front row, hand in all my work (and on time!) and am never late to class. Never mind that I have had perfect attendance. Never mind all that. Let’s just group the knitter in with the slackers who can’t be bothered to pay attention.

This is turning into a rant lol.

I have to say though, I am appalled at the level of maturity in my co-eds. Granted, they are pretty young. At least one of the kids in my business class is only 17 yrs old. Two years older than my daughter. Talk about making a person feel old. But still. The chitchatting in the back of the class, the blatant text messaging, the tardiness, the general level of disrespect just blows my mind. I mean, this is COLLEGE. You PAY to go there. I just find it impossible to understand the logic of paying for a class then goofing off, not doing the work, or not even bothering to show up. Why bother going to college? Why not use that money towards something you’re going to actually appreciate. It just burns my butt because it took me to age 32 to get there and here they are right out of high school with an opportunity to go to college and they’re blowing it off like it’s nothing. I just don’t get it.

So. No knitting in business class for me Back to non-productive doodling and struggling to stay awake.

I have been knitting though. I have tons of FOs to post, so I’ll start with those:

Transformers Cloth (made this one MONTHS ago & never scanned it)
Yarn: LionBrand Cotton “Poppy”
Needles: US7
Pattern: Transformers Cloth

Baby Knot Hat
Yarn: Bernat Sweet Stripes
Needles: US7 Addi Turbos
Pattern: from a booklet that I’m too lazy to find the name of

I finished “My So-Called Scarf” sorry I don’t have a finished picture, but I like this one It’s about 5 feet long and 5-6″ wide.
Yarn: Unsure, it was a gift. I’m told it’s Malabrigo, but I don’t find this colorway anywhere.
Needles: US 10 bamboo
Pattern: My So Called Scarf

Made the Petal Bib from “One Skein”
Yarn: Sugar & Cream
Needles: US 5?
Pattern: Petal Bib

Made a prayer shawl for a very dear friend
Yarn: Patons Devine
Needles: US 13
Pattern: *will fill in later, gotta find it*


Made some baby booties
Yarn: Bernat Softee
Needles:
Pattern: from One Skein Wonders

Made a pair of Blueberry Waffle Socks
Yarn: Soxx Appeal - Knit One Crochet Too
Needles: US5
Pattern: Blueberry Waffle Socks

Made a pair of socks for another dear friend. I call these Witchy Woman Socks They are not quite as bright as this picture. The second picture is a better representation of the true color.
Yarn: SockPixie’s “Halloween”
Needles: US3
Pattern: my own

OTN I have:
A pair of Fetching fingerless gloves

And a pair of Roza’s Socks that I don’t have a picture for.

 

FO Friday

And how many FOs do I have to share. I’ve been remiss in posting FO pictures. I still blame it on the fact that I’m finishing so many things this summer, it’s impossible to keep up with myself This is the first summer in a couple of years that I’ve not had classes or a job. It’s nice.

First, I finished the River Socks

Pattern: River Rapids by Sockbug
Needles: Inox US2, 32″ circular (magic loop)
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces “River”
I loved the pattern! Complicated enough to keep me from getting bored yet easy enough that I didn’t feel hopeless. I didn’t have any of the problems with the p2tog that I’ve heard others did with this pattern. Maybe because I’m a thrower?

I’ve also made a couple more pairs of Thuja socks. The pink/red ones are for my niece and the black/gray ones are for my youngest son.

Pattern: Thuja
Needles: US4 Clover dpns
Yarn: Moda Dea Sassy Stripes “Crush”

Pattern: Thuja
Needles: US4 Clover dpns
Yarn: Moda Dea Sassy Stripes “Storm” 

I also made a pair of Breeze socks. They were challenging, but very rewarding. I don’t normally wear “short socks” but these are VERY comfortable!

Pattern: Breeze
Needles: Inox US2, 32″ circular (magic loop)
Yarn: DiscontinuedBrandNameYarn.com “Cherry”

I also made some things that I can’t post yet because they haven’t been received and I’d like them to stay a surprise. They are pink. That’s all I’ll say

OTN I have a pair of socks for a certain someone. I call them Witchy Woman socks. Sock #1 is almost done. I’ll cast on the second as soon as humanly possible. I also have a prayer shawl and a couple other WIPs that I hope to get done this week. Classes start 8/27 and I know that knitting will be at a minimum

OH! I also sold a couple of my cradle purses on my Etsy shop! It’s bare naked but for those cradle purses. I’ll try to get some pictures of them before I mail them off.

 

A couple of FOs and a WIP

I’ve been remiss in posting my FO’s and WIPs lately. I think it has something to do with the fact that I’m finishing so many things so quickly (and really eager to cast on the next thing) that I can’t manage to find time to tell you all about it. Oops!

Here is a mini Booga Bag I made for my niece. She turned 5 last week. She saw my purse a few months ago and desperately wanted one. She is a purse (and shoe) hound.

Pattern: Booga Bag
Yarn: Patons SWS “Natural Gardenia”
Needles: US 10.5 bamboo circulars, 24″

Next FO are my Cabled Footsies from One Skein.

The colors are a little off, they were made from two different skeins…trying to knit from my stash. See, this is why I like to just BUY more yarn, to prevent mishaps like this
Pattern: Cabled Footsies from “One Skein”
Yarn: Artyarns Supermerino #103
Needles: Size US8 dpns

Also, a little bit of charity knitting. This London Beanie was knit for Caps for a Cure and sent off to Becky along with the white “Blanche” hat and the rollbrim hat I blogged earlier.

Pattern: London Beanie
Yarn: Red Heart “Soft” (and it is VERY soft) and a scrap amt of white/turquoise Mary Maxim Ragg
Needles: US size 7 dpns

Last, but not least, my latest WIP. Another pair of socks!! I think this is pair #8 for the Summer of Socks (including two pairs of baby socks). These are “River Rapids” by Sockbug. Very nice pattern, very well written, easy to memorize without being tedious. I absolutely love the heel!

Pattern: River Rapids by Sockbug
Yarn: Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock “River”
Needles: Inox US size 2 circulars, 32″ (Magic Loop)

And that be all

Next time I will have YARN PR0N because I’ve been enhancing my stash this week thanks to b-day money. Yarn Pirate & SockPixie…be ready to drool!

 

Socks, socks, & more socks

I am on a sock knitting binge. Actually, I’m on a ’start a new project every 5 minutes’ binge. I’m going to fast, I don’t have time to update my WIPs thingy on the side there.

I’ve started my very first pair of jaywalkers using the Sockpixie yarn I purchased few weeks ago. They are lovely. I love how the striping is so even and neat. Like I planned it that way. Well, at least until I get to where I do the heel flap. Then the stripes get smaller, then on the foot where the stitch count goes from 84 (for the leg) to 76…the stripes get more tiger looking than I’d like. I’m about 5″ into the foot and I think I’m going to (gasp) rip it out back to the bottom of the leg and try a short-row heel instead. I’m thinking that might help keep the striping a little more uniform. I’m not all that fond of heel flaps anyway. Any advice?

I am loving the yarn though. It has a shine that makes it look like it has tencel in it, but it doesn’t. It’s 100% superwash Merino and oh so yummy soft.

I finally made my mom the pair of socks I’ve been promising her for months. I decided on the Thuja pattern from Knitty. They were such a quick and easy knit!! I started the first sock around 3:30 in the afternoon and finished it by 9:30 that night. That’s with lots of starts & stops (remember, I have four kids home on vacation who for some reason feel the need to EAT, several times a day…three dogs who need to go out ever 15.3 seconds or they will DIE…and three cats who think my knitting needles & yarn are on this earth purely to entertain THEM). I started the second sock the next morning and finished it before lunchtime. They are sooo super soft & comfy, even though I used Moda Dea Sassy Stripes (mom’s choice) which is 100% acrylic. The color is “Crayon”. I also managed to make them twins. No small feat considering the striping on different skeins does NOT match up at all even though the dye lots on the label are the same. Found that out when I made “My Socks” a while back.

I also started a pair of Cable Footsies from my “One Skein” book. I’m using Artyarns Supermerino #103. It is so soft, I can’t wait to get them on my feet. I’ll try to forget that it’s July and eleventy billion degrees outside. I started the first one last night (while contemplating frogging the jaywalker) and am already onto the foot part. I’ve been working on another Booga Bag for my niece, who’s birthday is NEXT WEEK (eep!). I’m using Patons SWS in “Natural Geranium”. The girl loves pink! Practicing my continental while doing the boring round & round knitting every row for eternity (it seems).

What else? I’m getting my Sockapalooza Four pal’s package ready for sending off in about 2 weeks. I decided on some stitchmarkers made by me, some soak wash from the Loopy Ewe, maybe a Bee Bar. Of course, I’ll send some yummies. It’s just a matter of deciding. I’m not too keen on sending chocolate to where I have to send it in this heat. Still thinking.

It’s very quiet. I wonder what my children are doing…..

 

# One Husband Socks

They are finished! Phew!

These were a little harrowing. I bought two skeins of Knitpicks Essential in “Dusk” a while back . They were purchased with the intent on making my husband socks. They were purchased before I realized just how BIG my husband’s feet were. It took me a while to find the perfect pattern for dh’s socks. I finally settled on the # One Husband Socks from Whimsical Knitting Designs. I loved the pattern, dh liked the length (another discovery…he likes his socks relatively long…eep!). Even though the pattern called for 150g and I only had 100g, I forged on. I figured, if I ran out it would be towards the end of the second sock and I could buy more yarn (and an excuse to buy extra to get that free shipping offered by Knitpicks ) and finish the foot. I wouldn’t worry about dye lots matching because it would be hidden by his shoe.

I finished the first sock with literally less than 1 yard of yarn left from the first skein. It was close…and knowing that yardage on skeins are not exactly the same for each & every skein, I was worried about sock #2. But I kept going. I finished sock number two last night. They are twins With this pattern, I have learned the value of keeping notes as I knit. I made note that on the first sock, the foot took 9 pattern repeats before decreasing for the toe so that when I came to the second sock I could just count pattern repeats rather than pull out my measuring tape to see when it hit 9 inches. This made the foot go by much faster. I am thinking of making a smaller version of these socks for my sons. Although, not with the yarn leftover from dh’s socks because this is all that was left after sock #2

Eep!

In between socks #1 and 2, I needed a break from socks and tiny needles. I cast on for the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet. I used the LionBrand CottonEase recycled from my frogged attempt at the All Season Shell (aka A.S.S.).  It was a very quick knit, probably took me 5-6 hours of knitting all told. I love that it’s very easily adaptable to all sizes. Just keep knitting/increasing until it fits My kind of pattern! It took about 1.75 skeins of CottonEase. The color is “Lime”. I did decide that the closure (for me) should be at the bottom rather than the top. I have this claustrophobic thing about my neck. I’m thinking I will do some i-cord and just sew them for a tie closure. It’s just pinned in the picture:

Now I think I will cast on some Jaywalkers with my new SockPixie yarn “So 80’s”. Can you believe I have never made a pair??

 

I did it again

Today I went to an estate auction with dh. He was looking for old toys, me knitting stuff lol. I scored at least as big as I did with the swift last week. No swifts or ball-winders, at least not that I saw this time. I did manage to get A LOT of stuff!! A few bags of yarn, wool, wool blends, mostly acrylic baby stuff. But it will be good for charity knitting. The mother load was in the needles & notions. For $6, we got:

• 18 pairs of circs from size 2 to 10 (except US6 - none of those), including 2 pair of Addi Turbos and 1 pair Inox
• 5 stitch holders of various sizes
• 3 tape measures
• 1 needle gauge, sizes from 000 to 16
• homemade pom-pom templates
• 2 pair steel scissors
• 1 row counter
• 1 pkg plastic stitchmarkers
• 2 leather buttons
• sewing/tapestry needles of all shapes & sizes…at least a dozen
• a child’s hat pattern
• 4 baby blanket patterns
• various old buttons
• yarn bobbins
• steel crochet hook w/ ‘cap’ to protect the hook
• dpns galore, sizes 000 to 10 (except US 6, 7, or 9 - none of those) in various lengths. 11 full sets of 4, plus a few sets put together with mismatched (although the same size) needles
• 2 wooden crochet hooks

Also in with the knitting stuff were needlepoint frame thingies. I don’t do needlepoint, so I’ll be passing those along to someone who does. There were two baskets as well as 1 plastic tote as well.  And you know I got pictures





I also bid on this picture. There were two others, but they were in OLD frames, so they went for BIG money…just for the stinkin’ frames. All I wanted were the pictures (of ladies knitting). Here is the one that I did get, it was only $7:

While at the auction I worked on some socks for dh for the “Summer of Socks”. I’ve had a bit of a late start because I was finishing my Sockapalooza socks. Then I had a few false starts with the Pomatomus and the Thuja socks But I’m on now, making the # One Husband Socks. (links to be added later - children destroying the house….)

 

I am alive

But my children might not be by the end of the summer!!
KIDDING!!

We are all trying to find our rhythm for the summer. My youngest had the hardest time, oh my heaven the child was possessed. It’s getting better, as evidence I am able to blog finally! Thankfully, for my sanity’s sake, I have been able to knit. OTN I have the Dream Swatch Headwrap. I also knit another Easy Baby Cardigan. This time in lavendar for another co-worker who is due in October (I swear, I am NOT drinking the water there!). I forgot to get a picture of it before getting it to her I probably won’t get a picture either because I put in my notice last week. July 3rd will be my last day. I’m staying home with my kids for the summer, then it’s back to college (again) at the end of August.

**KIP note**

I was working on the purple Easy Baby Cardigan in the van while waiting for my boys to get out of school on one of their last days of school. A woman came up to my window and asked me about my knitting, if I did a lot of it, etc. She knits too, but prefers crochet because “knitting takes too long”. Then she started asking me about the baby sweater, asking if I sold them. I said no, I usually give them away as gifts. She chastised me! Said I should be selling them (yeah right…even at craft fairs people look but don’t buy, saying stupid things like “I could do that!” *huge eyeroll* ). She asked if I would knit her two boys sweaters for two baby showers she has at the end of the summer. Gave me her number & everything. I haven’t decided if I want the hassle. I knit because I don’t have to YKWIM? It’s relaxing because the only deadline I have is the one I give myself. There’s no boss/client/co-worker waiting on me to finish my part. Anyways…

I’ve been working on my Sockapalooza socks. They’ve been giving me fits. Well, actually the first one is giving me fits. Yes, the one that’s been done for months now. I realized I did the toe & heel wrong. So after I finished the second sock, I went back & ripped out the first one all the way back to before the heel. I worked on it over the weekend while we made the looooong drive to the inlaws to see oldest nephew graduate high school. I thought I finished it, I must have been drunk. I was getting them ready for pictures this morning, innocently giddy that I’ve finished them WELL ahead of the deadline….when I noticed the first one is a full pattern repeat smaller than the second one. Grrr!! So I have to pull out the toe, do another repeat, and redo the toe decreases & kitchener the toe for the third time. Can I tell you just how difficult it is to undo the kitchener?? Yeah, not fun.
I have another finished project that I did manage to get pictures of, I finished it about 3 weeks ago while waiting for the Nacsar race at Poconos to start (damn rain delay). It’s from KnitGrrl 2, Workout Water Bottle Holder:

Now I just have to find time to workout again

On the drive down to the inlaws I scored BIG TIME at an estate sale. I got a bag full of crochet cotton, mostly white but with one hank each of ecru and lilac. Total of 30 hanks (400yds each), 2 vintage steel crochet hooks, and a YARN SWIFT!!! for a whopping $3 OMGosh I was so excited. I actually cradled the yarn swift in my arms like a baby and held it for the rest of the way to the inlaws (at least an hour lol).

Here’s my loot:

Now I have to take my boys outside to play & attack that damn sock….

 

Might just make it after all

This easy baby cardigan is so easy, I just may finish it by the end of the week. Remember where it was yesterday morning? (scroll down) Well, here it is this afternoon.

This is after 2 hrs knitting yesterday and 1.5 hrs of knitting today. All I have left are the sleeves I even sewed up the hood seams just to see what it would look like. Here is a close up of the colors:

It’s for a boy. Do you think there’s too much pink/purple in it? I know I know, it really doesn’t matter. And it wouldn’t …if this were my son. But it’s for a co-worker.

Since I got so much of the sweater, I indulged in a little dishcloth making. Believe it or not, I have never made one of these.

I can see how they would be addictive. Although it’s a little too wide for my tastes, I do like the way the pattern turns out. I may have to make one with two solid colors next time. AFTER I finish the Easy Baby Cardigan sleeves

 

Don’t mind me

I’m in love with Ravelry

I have spent the better part of the last two days playing on the site. Transfering all of my pictures from photobucket over to Flickr (by far the biggest headache), putting in all the finished projects I have pictures of. Crying over the pictures of projects I know I have but cannot find *sob* Updating my queue of projects on my “to knit” list (adding more along the way). The only thing left, I think, is to take pictures of my stashed yarns. Not sure if I will do that. I really have no desire to keep track of what I have…except for maybe sock yarn. Me hearts sock yarn

I have done a little knitting too. Today is also a bright & shiny day (as opposed to the dark & rainy days we’ve had all week) so I got outside & took pictures of my progress. I did forget to get pictures of my squares for Rebuilding Greensburg. I’ve got two squares finished & am halfway through square #3. I’ll snap those pics later.

Here is the baby sweater I’ve started. Ideally, I’d like to finish this by the weekend, but I don’t think it’s gonna happen lol. It’s for a co-worker. Her shower is this weekend, I am unable to go because I have to work (everyone else requested it off…someone has to work lol). She’s not due until the end of the month. Plus it’s her first baby, it’ll probably be next month before she has him.

As you can see, I still have a ways to go lol. That is just the hood! The pattern is Easy Baby Cardigan and so far it is easy

Here is a progress shot of my mesh bag of my own patterning. I’ll post the pattern when it’s finished. I’m still thinking in my head as I go along how I want the handles to be. But so far, I’m liking how it’s turning out. And it’s BIG! I can fit alotta bananas in this baby

Still a ways to go on that one too.
Also in the knitting basket, my  modified booga  bag. I have cast off the edge and picked up stitches for the flap. I sure hope this turns out because I’m totally winging it lol.

In other news, the school year is winding down for the kiddos. My older two are done next week and the younger two are done the week after that. The school really packs in a lotta crap in the last few weeks. Last week we had a concert, an award ceremony, and a fair. My youngest was in the concert, both boys got awards, and we won a racecar rug in a raffle at the fair. They were quite proud:

Don’t mind the look on my youngest’s face. He’s trying to show off the other news around here. He has his FIRST loose tooth Yup, whole lotta excitement ’round these parts. This week oldest son has a field trip. Next week they both have field trips (youngest son has TWO!) plus the Flag Day ceremony. The week after they have their school picnic, then the last day of school WHOO HOO! Then we start T-ball season…they are both on the same team this year. Oh boy….

 

Blogging, what’s that again?

I thought that when I was done with my classes, I wouldn’t be so busy. I thought wrong! My kids’ schools cram everything into the last 3 weeks of school. Award ceremonies (my boys each got one :D), field trips (four just in the next two weeks), school “fair” fundraiser for new playground equipment, the list goes on.

I don’t have any progress pics, but I have been knitting. And frogging. I frogged the All Season Shell. Again. I have completely 200% abso-freaking-lutely sworn off any and all LionBrand patterns. I consider myself pretty adept at reading patterns (not charts…yet), I haven’t had even a quarter of the problems with other patterns I’ve used that I have had with LionBrand Patterns. From a hat where the increases were wrong to the felting disaster of ‘06 where the row count was wrong, to this A.S.S. where the row count is also wrong. I managed to correct the back but not the front. By the time I got to the front I was so fed up with the damn thing. I mean, it’s not a hard piece. It’s a straight 2×2 rib all the way until you get to the arm holes, then you decrease/cast off, then you work the neck/shoulder decreases. Yeah. They can do 2×2 rib just fine (who can’t) but when it comes to decreases and having the row counts add up to the wrong side/right side they indicate in the pattern, forget it.

But I’m not bitter lol.

I’m still working on my felted bag. Mostly in my head, thinking how I want to attach the flap and the handles. It will be drawstring closure with a flap over it, but I haven’t decided if I want backpack-like straps or a purse-like strap…decisions decisions.

I also started another project born out of frustration. I was frustrated with the commissary (grocery store for military & their dependents) never having plastic bags. They have paper, and yes I know they are better for the environment but they are NOT better for my back. I have to carry them up the steps into my house then somehow figure out how to set them down without bending over. They pack them so that each bag has about 30lbs in it and unlike plastic bags where you can let them hang off the bottom of your hands and drop them (gently!) to the floor, you can’t do that with paper. So I went in search of a knitting shopping bag. Tried the one at MagKnits (Saturday Shopping Bag?). Didn’t like it. I don’t know why it’s done on circs because it’s in two peices that you sew together. When I did it on circs, then tried to slide the stitches off the cord & back onto the needle, the yarnovers got all mixed in with the psso’s and k1s so I was hopelessly lost. Screw that. I don’t like the Itsy Bitsy on Knitty.com, at least not for a shopping bag. It would be great for a beach bag though (hmm, thinking…). There’s another mesh bag, but it calls for 13dpns and I don’t have them (yet) nor am I planning on buying them just to make some shopping bags.

So, I’m making on up as I go along. I’ve got the bottom and the first few rows of the sides done. I think I’m just gonna do k2tog yo around…still thinking about it some.

I have not cast on for my second sockapalooza sock. I’m pacing myself. I know they aren’t due to be shipped until August, so I’m indulging in a little procrastination