O Christmas Tree

How lovely are thy branches...this is my 1st Christmas Tree as a homeowner (and my 1st pre-lit tree, even though I did add some more lights). I might add that this color theme is quite out of the norm for me...I've never had blue ornaments on my tree before...but...I have to admit...I like it...a lot. It's very "clean" looking (my sons words). I must be growing up finally.

Random FO's

Hi All! I'm back...finally. Just to prove that I have not been totally unproductive during my hiatus here are a few finished objects...

This is Daria. A very quick knit. Makes a nice gift...gave it to my Aunt last Christmas. Must make more...

This is my Effortless Cardigan. While it wan't quite "Effortless" is was fairly easy. I used almost 6 skeins of Madelinetosh DK in the Alabaster colorway. I love this sweater...it's like wearing a blanket.

Here's is my Wicked (that's the name of the pattern) sweater. I used just under four skeins of Dream In Color Classy in the Lipstick Lava colorway. Wicked had to take a long bath...she turned my fingers and bamboo needles red. All is well though and I'm wearing her today.

These are my 198 Yards of Heaven scarves. The red one took one skein of Araucania Aysen and the tan one took one skein of Malabrigo Worsted...Applewood colorway. These scarves are good for using just one skein and they make nice gifts...which is what these two will be.

And last, but not least...meet Sigmund the Sea Monster...I mean, Christmas Tree. He is just too cool. I made him last Christmas using a strand of Lionbrand Homespun and FunFir held together. Might I add it was hell on the hands. I gave him to my friend Jackie, who loves all things Christmas. I know he will be well loved.

I have a few more FO's to post...just need to gather them for a photo session. Christmas Cookie production will commence soon...stay tuned for updates.

Back in the swing

I haven't been participating in any knit-a-long's or swaps since I moved but I have decided to do the Heartland Lace Shawl KAL with the Evelyn Clark KAL yahoo group. I think I'm going to use some Knitpicks Palette yarn that I bought to do a colorwork vest...until I read the directions and realized that it has steeks. Haven't mastered that yet. I don't know but there is something scary about cutting your knitting. I will post some progress pic's.

Still here

I'm really, really, really going to try to keep this thing updated, at least on a weekly basis. Just for my own amusement if nothing else. So, what have I been up to lately, you ask? Not much. I've read a few books: Firefly Lane, For Those Who Save Us (again), Fatally Flaky, The Book of Love and I'm halfway through Just Before Sunset. It's a collection of short stories by Stephen King. I've been knitting too. Of course, I haven't finished much. Just can't seem to get my mind to settle down. I've planted lots of flowers. I'll take some pictures to put on here this weekend. Tomorrow night is card night with Patti and Richie at my house. I have lots of cleaning to do inside and out.
Hopefully I'll have some pic's to put up next week. Bye for now.

I'm still standing...

Ok, so it's been since July that I lasted posted. My life has taken a couple of twists and turns since then. But, I'm still here. All in one piece. At least physically anyway. Mentally not so much. Sept, Oct & Nov oh and hell, even Dec are now a period of my life that I will refer to as the "dark days". I didn't do much knitting...couldn't make myself knit for about a month. I finally have a few FO's to show which I will post pic's of later. Granted they are small but small was all I could handle. I'm currently working on my 1st large project since July. It's the Boatneck Bluebell sweater from Fitted Knits. Only it's light pink, and it's for me. I have a few things lined up in my Ravelry queue: mostly sweaters. I haven't been able to read very much either. I finished one book since I read the Twilight Series (I have no interest in seeing the movie). I think it was called "Girls In Trucks". It was pretty good. I have a back log of books in the queue too: The Shack, Scarpetta, Just After Sunset and A Journal for Jordan. I actually went to the movies the other night. We saw Gran Torino. I highly recommend it. Gotta love Clint. I've been watching some old Audrey Hepburn DVD's. She was so cool. My favorite's are of course "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Wait Until Dark". I've been able to bake a lot more now that I have my own kitchen. So I haven't been entirely unproductive. Just trying to claw my way out of my "Dark Place". I really want to start updating this blog more often. Hopefully my day-to-day trials, worries and random musings will amuse someone. I used to have a little saying taped to my desk: "Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused". Can't remember who said it, but I must be amused all the time.

Wow! It has been while...

But I have been busy...with knitting and other issues. For now I will stick to the knitting. Here are two of the four mini sock blocker socks I've made so far. I plan to make quite of few of these for gifts. I can start and finish one on my lunch break.

Here's my Dream in Color Shrug. I used 2 skeins of Dream In Color Classy in the Lunar Zazzle colorway. I really like this yarn. I'm planning on ripping the ribbing out and doing it again because I didn't pick up enough stitches and it's kinda tight. It's an easy fix though and I have plenty of yarn left to do it.

And last but not least...here' s my current obsession. It Mr. Greenjeans from Knitty.com. Only I'm calling her Ms. Punky Fushia Jeans. I love this pattern and I love this yarn! Except for it turning my fingers pink...no big deal. I'm going to have to soak her for a while when she's done.
Here's a close up of the cabling:

Here's the whole thing so far:

Yummy yarn: Dream In Color Classy, Punky Fushia colorway...

I've ordered more Dream In Color Classy from The Loopy Ewe for my Wicked Sweater. Lipstick Lava is the color. I don't have any red sweaters so this will be the one.

I'll try to be more productive with the blogging. Things have been kinda rough lately. Don't want to go into it now.

Memorial Day Socks & Diagonal Scarf

Here is my Diagonal Scarf that I started last week. I'm using SWTC Karaoke. The color is called "Epihany". I wanted something to do when I was catching some rays that I didn't have to look at a pattern for.
Here are my May socks. For Memorial Day. I used Lion Brand Magic Stripes from my stash, #2 dpn's and a standard sock pattern. Started on May 3 and finished on May 16.

Meagan's Skull Scarf

Here is the finished skull scarf that I made for Meagan's birthday. I gave it to her on Sunday. I hope she likes it. I reversed the colors on either side. It turned out pretty cool.

Goodies from Swap Pals

I received my ISE6 package from the wonderful Ann in Bekeley CA! The scarf is wonderful and I love the colors!
I also got lots of goodies: chocolates, gummy bears, Misti Alpaca lace yarn in a beautiful green color, flower stitch markers, a Good Karma pocket stone, some seeds to grow Poppy flowers & ladybug magnets. Thanks Ann for being such a great pal!

And I received my Monkey Swap Four package from Chelle in Canada. Look at these beautiful socks...and they fit perfectly.

She also sent along 2 little bags with monkey's on them. These are great for my small knitting projects. I'm using one right now, some monkey stitch markers, some chocolates, some really cool sock yarn. The colorway is called "Monkey See, Monkey Do", a Cookie A pattern, a pattern for mini socks and a mini sock on a sock blocker key chain. Thanks Chelle, you're a great pal!

Here I Go Again...

I can't believe that's it been almost a month since my last post...I have been quite busy...extra-curricular activities...enough said. But anyway, I have been knitting...some. I finished Meagan's Skull Scarf in time for her birthday coming up. I knitted my friend Jeanne 2 Chemo caps using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, one dusty pink and one teal. However, I neglected to take a picture of them before I gave them to her. I'm trying to decide what to knit on next. I may start on my Skull scarf. Pink and black, of course. Or the Medallion purse from Noni...pink and black. Do you see a color trend here? Or I may start the Karaoke cable scarf. Decisions, decisions. I've been having a grand ole' time with my new Ipod Shuffle. I never realized how diverse my music preferences are. I can tell you that I am all over the map. I've taken up walking again so my Ipod keeps me moving when I'm not walking with my walking partner. I'll post some progress pic's of whatever I end up working on...I pinky promise.

Here's the Friday's Feast from last week:

Appetizer
What is the nearest big city to your home? Washington DC
Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? 10
Salad
Describe your hair (color, texture, length). Color is brown; texture is fine; Length is shoulder.
Main Course
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow? Curteous most of the time. Fast all of the time. Curse like a drunken sailor most of the time.
Dessert
When was the last time you had a really bad week? I can't remember the last really bad week. I tend to remember them as days and they all seem to run together. But things have gotten better lately.

FO's & Big Bag Swap goodies

The knitting of the Kiss Purse has been completed. Now I have to felt it. I really like this purse. I have another Fair Isle purse in the que.
Here are my finished Monkey socks for my Swap pal. This yarn is soft and squishy. Mr Monkey likes them. He will be keeping the socks company on their trip to their new home.

And last, but not least...I received my package from my Big Bag Swal pal! Anita O. did an outstanding job on my bag. I really love the colors! And all the goodies that she sent along. There's sock yarn, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool yarn, some tea, gummy bears and a Sudoku book and pen. Anita O., you are a great pal!

I'm finishing up my Math Geek Scarf. 2 triangles left and it's done, and I'm working on Meagan's skull scarf. 2.5 skulls left and its done. This will take care of everything that is "in progress" in Ravelry. But have no fear...there are plenty of projects in the que...just have to figure out which one I want to start. That's the hard part.

I'm still here...

and I have been working on a couple things:
Here is my Kiss Purse from Sally Melville's Book 3: Color. I wanted to try Fair Isle knitting and this seemed pretty easy. Hence the name...Kiss. As in Keep it Simple. I have about 20 more rounds to do. I should be finished with this by mid week. Then it needs to be felted.
I managed to finish one Monkey Sock for the Swap. I will crank the other out after my purse is done.

My bag for the Big Bag KAL & Swap has been felted. Now I need to find some goodies to put in it.

I have many other projects in the que. Just not enough time to knit them all. I'll try to post more pic's later in the week.

It's been a while...

but I have been working on a few things...
Here is the first half of Meagan's Skull Scarf. Illusion knitting is just too cool...I can't wait to start mine. I'll be using Hot Pink and Black for me.
Here is my finished and blocked scarf for my ISE6 Pal. I has originally started this a while back and decided to finish it for my pal. She likes purple. I hope she likes this scarf.

Here is Clapotis progress. I have 3 skeins of Lion and Lamb so I only did 5 rep's of the increase section vs 6. I think it will be plenty big enough for me.

And, last but not least, the yarn for my Monkey Sock Swap 4 pal arrived on Sat and knitting began on Sunday. This yarn is really soft. I hope to have the socks finished this week.

I will be felting the bag (shown below in an earlier post) this weekend. I'll post pic's next week.

Making progress

Well, I've had a pretty productive weekend. Here is the progress on Danica. This is for ISE6. I'm at the halfway point. She's looking good so far. And...
I finished knitting the bag for the Big Bag KAL & Swap. All that's left to do now is the felting.

March socks are done!!!!

Finally!!! My March socks are done! These took me longer than usual because I was working on other projects. But they are done, just in time for Easter. Which was why I picked this color for March anyway. Here's the stats:
Yarn: Claudia's Handpainted; Color: Jill's Pink; Pattern: a modified version of the Groovy pattern from Sock Pixie; #2 dpn's.
These colors remind me of Peeps. Now I'm off to finished my Big Bag Swap project, then I'll work on my ISE6 pal's scarf. I'm half way done with both. Stay tuned for pic's. Happy Easter everyone!

Monkey Sock Four Questionnaire

Monkey Sock Swap Questionnaire
The Measurements
Shoe size: 7.5
Foot length in inches: 9 inches from back of heel to tip of big toe
Circumference: 8 inches

Yarn Preferences
What are your favorite colors? I like pinks, purples, blues, greens
What color clashes with your wardrobe? Orange, bright yellow
Do you prefer solids or variegated yarns? I like varigated, but am up for anything.
What are your favorite brand sock yarns? Yarn Love, Claudia Hand Painted, Dream in Color Smooshy, Lorna's Laces...I like them all really except for the Noro Sock yarn.
Is there a new sock yarn you really would like to try? Duet Sock Yarn

Cookie A. Patterns
List the patterns you do not have but would like to receive: Mona

Allergies
Do you have any allergies that your pal needs to know about? (animals, fiber, sensitivity to smoke etc.) None that I know of
Will you knitting be exposed to animals? 1 cat
Will you knitting be exposed to cigarette smoke? No

Shipping
What country do you live in? USA
Are you willing to ship outside your country? Sure

Much Ado About Knitting

I've been a very busy girl...here is the start of my ISE6 pal's scarf. It's the Danica Scarf from knitty.com Winter 05 issue. I'm using Noro Silk Garden. So far, so good.

Here is my Math Geek Scarf from the Destination Alchemy book. I started this at my LYS, Crazy for Ewe, on Saturday. I'm using 2 skeins of Alchemy Silk Purse for this one. The color is called Sugar Mountain. This is some really nice yarn. It better be for the price.

I finished my One Skein Wonder. It turned out to be a 2.5 skein wonder. But that's ok because I really like the yarn and it fits great. I used Artyarns Supermerino for this one.

Getting caught up on Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred and Eighty-Three
March 14, 2008
Appetizer:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting? 5
Soup:
Do you prefer baths or showers? Showers
Salad:
What was the last bad movie you watched? Scream (not sure which one)
Main Course:
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life. Knitting. It calms me down.
Dessert:
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to? guitar or violin
- - -
Feast One Hundred and Eighty Two
March 7th, 2008
Appetizer:
If you could be any current celebrity for one whole week, who would you want to be? Britney Spears (just kidding)
Soup:
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being highest), how much do you enjoy talking on the phone? 5
Salad:
Name a charitable organization to which you have donated (or would like to). I have made and donated handmade blankets to Project Linus
Main Course:
What is a food you like so much you could eat it every single day for a month? Scrambled eggs
Dessert:
Have you or anyone in your family had the flu this year? No, not yet
- - -
Feast One Hundred & Eighty One
February 29th, 2008
Appetizer:
Who was the last person you hugged? My son
Soup:
Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us. I don't know any beauty tricks...trust me
Salad:
What does the color yellow make you think of? Sunshine
Main Course:
If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around? Yarn and nature
Dessert:
What was the longest book you ever read? The Gunslinger series by Stephen King
- - -

One Skein Wonder

Here's my One Skein Wonder in progress. This will be a Two Skein Wonder when all is said and done. I'm using Artyarns Supermerino. I bought 3 skeins of this from Crazy for Ewe on Wed. It was on sale. I'm making a few modifications...using #9 needles vs #8. I don't want this to be to snug so I'm making it a little larger. I may make the sleeves a little longer too.
Here's a close up...I love this yarn and the colors are perfect. I'll post more pic's as progress is made.

Montego Bay Scarf...done!

Hi All! Here are a couple of pic's of my finished Montego Bay Scarf. This was a really quick knit and I will be making more. Here's the stats: Pattern is from the Summer 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. Yarn is Handmaiden Sea Silk; colorway is Lily Pond; #8 needle; started 4 Mar; finished 9 Mar. Now I must go work on my March socks....I want to have them completed this week. Bye for now!