The Musings of Meri

Drive-by posting...

2010-06-08T03:28:00.000-07:00

... but since it has been over a YEAR since I blogged here, I figured I'd better at least let you know that I'm still alive. That is, if anyone is still reading this. hm....

I've been teaching school the last year - but this week we finish up for the summer. There is so much to do in finishing something. So many little things that need to be wrapped up (and some bigger things that are the result of procrastination). My oldest is having a big week of his own - kindergarten graduation! I'm in denial, so we won't go there.

At any rate - my youngest is telling everyone that it is time to get up and get moving. I've got some final exams to give this morning.

Hopefully, I'll be back to blogging more this summer!

I am NOT ready for spring.

2009-03-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

It is beautiful here today - gorgeous. The sun is shining, the skies are blue, squirrels and birds are out and about, and it is warm enough to leave winter coats abandoned for light jackets. The only dampers on the loveliness of the day are the brown grass and dirty leftover snow piles.

Well, those and the fact that it is almost too warm to wear the two WOOL sweaters I knit for myself last month. (I say almost because I wore one today anyway - and am really, really warm).

Both sweaters are the same pattern - the February Lady Sweater. There is quite the epidemic of this sweater on Ravelry. The last I checked, there were over 4500 projects for this pattern on Rav. That's a whole lot of sweaters! But it is a beautiful sweater - and surprisingly easy to knit. (which is good, because I have several more to make - for family and friends!)

My first sweater took me 12 days to knit. The yarn is Serendipity worsted from ZenString in the "Mariana" colorway - and it was gifted to me by a wonderful friend. I loved knitting it - the colors are very much "me." Navy blue, hunter green (hey, those were my wedding colors!), and a couple other shades. I found beautiful Celtic Knot pewter buttons to close the sweater, and I couldn't be happier. (well, I'd be a little happier with a better picture of it, but that is no fault of the sweater's!)

The second sweater took a bit longer, but I finished knitting it exactly 4 weeks after I started the first sweater - not bad! It is knit from some lovely gray cormo yarn. Now, this yarn is special in its own right. It originally came to me as fleece. About 1.5lbs of cormo fleece (for those of you that don't know, cormo is a corriedale/merino cross, and it is simply heavenly). I then sent it to the Fibers 4 Ewe mill to be processed and spun. The lovely 3ply yarn that came back to me was just a joy to work with. I completed this sweater with pewter clasps (I really hate knitting buttonholes).

As I mentioned, I've got several more sweaters to make from this same pattern - not to mention the other sweaters I want to make for myself in different patterns... It is most definitely the year of the sweater.

yep, still knitting...

2009-02-08T03:48:00.000-08:00

slacking on the blogging, but still knitting. ;)

Made these before Christmas - two scarves (for gifts), a pair of picky pants for my youngest - oh, and that yarn - yummy merino/cashmere:

Also made a sweater for my sister-in-law, but not so sure that she wants her picture on my blog. ;)

Current projects? oh fun!! Well, um... this scarf for my daughter:

This sweater for myself - the February Lady Sweater - knit with yarn gifted to me by a very sweet friend:

(I'm actually a lot further than that now, but haven't taken a more recent picture).

And a sweater for my best friend's daughter... no picture of that - it is a cardigan with white Plymouth Encore.

Want to know how nuts I am? I have plans to make a total of five sweaters for myself this year. Not counting a sweater for my sister and my mother-in-law. Oh, and I'm planning to spin the yarn (a 3ply light worsted/worsted weight) for one of those... I think I might need to stop fav'ing and queue'ing things on Ravelry.

I've been Tagged!

2008-09-29T14:23:00.000-07:00

Bonnie tagged me. :) So here goes!

7 Things Meme:
The rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog.
2. Write 7 random things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post.
4. Pass on the tag.

hm.... well....

1. I love to spin. LOVE to spin. If my wrists would allow, I'd spin all day - of course, that would require having a maid to keep up the house, a nanny to keep up the kids, and another knitter to keep up with my knitting orders. Since I have none of those, I do not spin all day. In fact, I don't spin nearly as much as I'd like these days - since little boy isn't going to sleep very early these nights.

2. I love crockpot chicken soup. My mom would call it cheater soup. It really is, but I love it. See, I'm a rather picky eater. Mostly, its texture issues, but I cannot stand veggies in my chicken soup. I like chicken, broth, and noodles. Yep - boring. But since I'm the cook in this house, I make it how I like it. And it couldn't be easier. Step 1 - buy rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Step 2 - eat some of the chicken for lunch. Step 3 - put whatever we don't eat (still on the bird - bones and all) into the crockpot and fill with water to almost cover the bird. Step 4 - turn on high and let sit for a couple hours. Step 5 - take out the bird carefully - being sure to get all the bones that may have come loose (those wings like to fall off). Step 6 - "pick" chicken off the bird, and throw back in the crockpot with the broth. Step 7 - add onion powder, garlic powder, celery flakes (so that my Mom will at least agree that there is some green in the soup), salt, and pepper. Put cover back on and let it all meld for a bit. Step 8 - cook noodles - I like small noodles - can't remember the name for them now, but they are kinda like elbows, except only like 1/4 inch long and don't curve. I keep the noodles separate from the soup - just put the noodles in my bowl, then add the broth/chicken. This way, the noodles don't get all mushy (texture thing, remember). Step 9 - enjoy! At the end of the day, put the crockpot bowl in the fridge. Next morning, pull it out, put it back on the heat, and reheat... we get two days of soup out of it (I don't like to reheat it more than the one time - just makes me nervous).

3. I'm a teacher, and love it. Well, I WAS a teacher, before kids. I'm slowly getting back into it. I've started substituting a bit for our Christian school this past year - love it. Last week, I taught 3rd/4th grade one day, and High School the next day. I was actually kinda surprised at how un-different the grades were. The biggest reminder both classes received was to STOP TALKING!

4. I'm the choir director and pianist at our church. I love both ministries. This Sunday was like Christmas for choir - we got two boxes of new music in the mail. FUN!!! I spent Sunday afternoon listening through the cd with the new music, and was so excited to get to choir practice and share it with everyone.

5. I'm a fiber-a-holic. Admitting it is the first step, right? I used to think it was just yarn. And then I started spinning. Oh. my. word. There is soooo much pretty fiber out there - and did you know that handpainted fiber is often cheaper than handpainted yarn? uh-huh! danger! danger! I probably have enough yarn and fiber in this house to sufficiently insulate for the winter - except that it is all in protective Rubbermaid containers (okay, that's not true - I have a couple Sterillite containers as well - have to be unbiased).

6. I'm positively desperate for my baby boy to start saying "mommy." He says "daddy" very well. He calls EVERYONE Daddy. But no amount of coaxing gets a "mommy" out of him. However, he makes up for it in cuddles - and I do so love my boy's cuddles. He is totally what keeps me from going back to teaching fulltime right now. I'm enjoying being home with him, and don't want to miss out on his toddler-hood.

7. I'm totally in love with chocolate and coffee... not necessarily together. I am totally craving a Pumpkin Spice latte right this second, though a chocolate milk will probably have to suffice. I'd spring for a Peppermint Chocolate Mini from Schwan's except... oh, yeah - my darling husband ATE THEM ALL!! I'll give him some credit, I did get a few of them. But next time I buy a special treat for me, drastic measures will ensue - either eat them all on the spot (could certainly use the weight, but not the bellyache that will no doubt accompany - nor the brainfreeze from so much ice cream), or hide them in the very back of the freezer (which does run the risk of forgetting they are there... but just think of the delightfully delicious surprise I'd have in six months when I clean out the freezer!).

So, who to tag now? Hm... how about...
Sharon, Theresa, Patti, Tif, Katie, Sarah, and Marnie.

Handspun by SweetKnits

2008-06-04T04:37:00.001-07:00

Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it? It is the new branch out of my knitting business, and I'm soooo excited about it! There will be more info and new things as the next couple weeks go by. After much time and practice, and lots of friends "testing" for me, the first two skeins of yarn will go up for online sale this Friday, June 6th. (click on the pictures to be taken to the YINIA listings).

"Cafe Mocha" Merino 2ply

"Afternoon at the Beach" Merino 2ply

There will be more coming as the weeks go by. I'm far too much in love with spinning to give it up, or stop long enough to knit up everything I spin!

A wonderful weekend!

2008-05-27T15:10:00.001-07:00

This weekend was MA Sheep and Woolcraft Fair up in Cummington. I never even knew there was such a thing until recently, when I started spinning. So, I made plans to be there. Bright and early on Saturday morning - we made it a family event (though I'm not sure it was enjoyed by others as much as it was by me).

The weather was gorgeous - a bit chilly with a breeze, but the sun was warm. The kids loved seeing all the sheep (and there were lots of them!). I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the lovely dyed roving, yarn, and the many different spinning wheels and spindles. It was just amazing. I came home with some lovely stuff.

First - 4oz of beautiful merino top in "Nova Scotia" dyed by Spunky Eclectic, and an extra bobbin for my new wheel.

Next is 8oz of merino from The Wool Peddler in "Neopolitan" - I was drawn to this color as soon as I saw it, and as much as I tried to get something rainbow-y, I kept coming back to it.

And this just made my entire weekend:
Third place in the Wearable Art Division! I'm so stoked!
These pants are available for sale at YINIA - they are currently part of a set, though keep an eye out as they may be available individually soon.

And then, there were two

2008-05-23T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, at least for now...

Meet the newest addition to the family - a Louet Julia S11 spinning wheel. I've named her Julia-Morgan (just Morgan for short).
The yarn you see on her was a 3ply merino - I spun the singles on Rory, and then plied them onto Morgan (the Louet bobbins hold more yarn).

This is my first yarn that was done on the Louet start to finish. It is a batt from CopperPot Woolies on Etsy - with lots of different fibers in it. It was definitely fun to spin, and I love how it came out.

And this is the current on the wheel project - well, one of them. This is merino from All Spun Up on Etsy - in shades of browns and natural, and I LOVE it!!!
Back to spinning!!! Hopefully I'll have some finished skeins to show you next time.

Oh, and if anyone is interested in a great starter wheel, Rory is looking for a new home (by necessity - but I will miss her!).

what two months of spinning can do...

2008-05-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

And that ain't all - this is really all yarn that I spun in the last 3-4 weeks. There's more that isn't pictured here.

I think I've definitely been bit by the spinning bug.

I made yarn.

2008-03-12T15:30:00.000-07:00

This is Coopworth in "Shabby" from Zen String:

I had 4 ounces of the fiber, and got three spinnings out of it. They are in order of spinning below (top=first; middle=second; bottom=third):

The yarn is the top and the bottom plied together. Its not perfect, but its my first, and I think it might even be knitable!

Lookie what came to my house?

2008-03-05T05:33:00.001-08:00

Meet Rory:

And lookie what I spun last night?

No where near perfect - but I've got to start somewhere. Hopefully, it'll only get better from here.

When yarn speaks...

2008-03-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

Have you ever started a project - even gotten, say, halfway through the project, and then ripped it out because that yarn wanted to be something else?

This was me, yesterday. I was gifted some LOVELY handspun by Julie of Wasatch Handspuns. Gorgeous stuff. It sat in my yarn drawer for months, because I just didn't know what to make with it. It had to be something special.

Yesterday morning, I was online and doing my normal morning things, and I was checking into YINIA - we are celebrating our first year in business starting tomorrow. So I thought - perfect!! A special birthday celebration pair of shorts or pants. I wound the yarn up. I pulled out my needles, debating between a small and a medium (I'm really not sure on the yardage here, so I wanted to be safe)... when I got to the right cast on for the small, there was just a couple inches of yarn left on my long tail, so I decided a small it would be. I started knitting, and I just loved how it was coming out. I was a bit fearful that the short rows would throw off the way things were lining up, but everything turned out perfect. Even my short rows were better than I expected with the varying thickness of the handspun.

I got to the gusset increases - and started thinking about the legs... how would I ever make them match? I only have one skein of this yarn, and I don't want to waste any of it... I suppose I could call the difference in the legs part of the uniqueness of this special project... kept going. Got to the end of the gusset and was just about to split for the legs when I stopped and looked at what I had knit so far...It was gorgeous. The colors were forming wide stripes - the color differences in the two plies added such amazing interest. Just gorgeous yarn...

I ripped it all out.

This yarn wants to be a skirt - a skirt that can go around and around, uninterrupted, letting the yarn do all the magic. No shaping. No cutting the yarn and starting a second leg that may or may not match perfectly. A simple skirt that will be anything but simple.

And I made it in my daughter's size, just in case...

A day in the life of.... part 2

2008-02-26T04:46:00.000-08:00

well, yesterday got busier than I expected... sorta... so I didn't end up finishing the blog!

I did reheat some coffee and leftover noodles for lunch - also started the bread while I was at it. Then, I signed in to my instant messaging service - my sister-in-law was on, and I spent a good part of the rest of the day messaging her. Of course, it was very interrupted... message a while, go punch down bread dough... message some more, get some more milk for the little girl... message a bit, check the forums, punch down bread dough... you kinda get the picture.

My sister came home briefly a bit before 2pm, then left again. Baby boy woke shortly after 2, and little girl fell asleep on the floor a few minutes before 3. Big boy got home from school a few minutes after three (I did remember to throw a pair of jeans on before I had to walk down to the bus!)... all this during the message and do other things period of time. Sadly, I didn't get any more knitting done.

By 5pm, it was obvious that my sister was taking longer visiting a friend than I had thought - a text message confirmed that she would likely NOT be home when she had said she would, and that threw a major wrench in my cooking plans. I did get one meal cooked and packaged for the freezer, as well as the bread baked. Also made a pan of brownies. by 5:30, I hadn't started our own dinner, the kids were all fighting and climbing all over me and each other, and SIL and I were still attempting to message a bit. Every two minutes, I had to get up and pull the little boy away from Daddy's computer. Hubby called and was forced to endure my narration about how things were going... the man is a saint for loving me in spite of my sometimes complaining nature.

Daddy got home a bit after six, and I called my friend at the hospital to see if she'd still like me to come visit. I had to make something for our dinner still, but she said that a visit would be good. She also said that the food would be much more needed next week, so it turned out okay that I hadn't finished as much as I'd planned. Cooked and then ate dinner with my hubby, then fixed my hair, grabbed the brownies and one loaf of bread, and headed to the hospital. Made it there a mere 15 minutes before visiting hours ended, and sat and visited with my friends...

I ended up staying at the hospital until nearly midnight to help my friend. Her fiance had to go home, and the baby is no longer a patient there, so she was going to be on her own overnight. I remember c-section recovery, and I couldn't stand to leave her with no help. She was more than happy to have me stay. I helped her a bit with pumping and maneuvering back to her bed, and then took the baby until his 11:30 feeding, and gave him the bottle that he needed at that time. Once he was fed and sleeping again, I headed home - just before midnight.

I got home exhausted, but found my children sleeping - which they did all night. What a blessing!! Finally collapsed into bed about quarter til 1, only to have a night of less-than-restful sleep that ended at 7, when my sis came up to get herself ready for work... yes, the coffee was ready when I got up... but a few more minutes of sleep would have been preferred to the noise of it being set up. another day...

A day in the life...

2008-02-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

This post was suggested by Amy of Crankypants, and it really sounded like a fun idea. I'm sure it'll be eye-opening for myself even! (truth be told, I'm kinda nervous about being this open and accountable today!)

At about seven this morning, I started awake - it was bright outside and I had awoken from a dream where I was checking out domain names for something that I'd like to do someday, and I was afraid that we were going to miss the school bus. A glance at the clock did assure me that there was still nearly two hours before the bus would arrive, so I tried to close my eyes again for a few more minutes...

Only to be startled again within ten minutes at my daughter yelling in the hallway, "Where is everybody?" Poor kid looked like she must have had a bad dream or something. Her yelling awoke the big boy, though thankfully baby boy slept through it. I brought little girl (laden with her pillow and blankie) out to the couch, where she cuddled for a while longer. The boy asked to watch "music" (Animusic DVD's that grandpa bought us... haven't decided yet if they are a blessing or a curse), so I turned that on and sat down at the computer to check in with my online world. After about 45 minutes, I dragged myself away from the computer long enough to make some coffee.

8am, I called to DH (still in bed) and got my cup of coffee - checked a few more things online - there was an email from our church prayer chain about some friends that were in a car accident last night. Little boy woke up - he got his first haircut last night, and I still can't believe that a little trim could make him look so much less a baby and so much more a little boy. Found clothes for the big boy and started packing his backpack for school. After a week of vacation (preceeded by a snow day, and two sick days), I was ready for him to get back into his routine. I asked if he was going to school today, and he said, "Not yet - I reading!" He has been fixated on my Knit Socks! book for the last couple days.

While packing the backpack, I realized that we are extremely low on diapers - as in, we have eight diapers that have to make due for THREE kids today. Oiy - I NEED to get at least one of these children potty-learned. I have a feeling that the youngest will learn first at this rate. Anyways, wrote a quick note in big boy's notebook, and set the backpack by the door while Daddy got him dressed and ready.

Remembered that this is the week for YINIA one year anniversary stocking, and figure I should probably start knitting some new instock. I have some leftover yarn here from a Rushty! hat I made last week for a custom order, and should have just enough for another adult hat. But, before I start that, I needed to cast off another order that is just needs.... cast off. Why I put that off all weekend is still a mystery to me. I made quick work of that, and then cast on for the hat - though it took three tries. Made the tail too long first, then too short. Oiy. You'd think that after two and a half years of knitting, I'd be able to get it right the first time. I would have just let it go the first try, but I'm going to be cutting it close on this yarn, so I don't want to waste any.

By 9am, big boy is out the door on his school bus -- he happily handed me the knitting book before he left -- good thing! I need to compare some numbers for a pair of socks that I'm working on. Not particularly following a pattern - just doing number checks along the way in the hopes that these turn out somewhere near the right size. Back to the hat - made it through the short rows and color change before Daddy left for work -- then changed two more diapers... thankfully before any new wetspots were found on the couch (little girl can rival Niagara Falls most days!).

A bit after 10, I was off to the kitchen to start my chores. Emptied the dishwasher and started filling it before checking on the littles -- who were playing with Daddy's computer and the remote controls. Removed them from that situation by getting them each something to eat in the kitchen. Finished up the dishes, and got the counters cleaned off and the bathroom cleaned. Called my sister to see what her plans for the day are - she took the day off, so will likely show up at some point this afternoon. The littles decided that mommy on the phone means they need to squeal nice and loud. Got off the phone and put little boy down for his nap while Little Miss played some more.

Remembered that I'm planning to do some cooking and baking today for a friend who just had a c-section last week. She is supposed to be discharged tonight, so I need to get the food ready for her fridge/freezer. Called her up and found that she may not be discharged afterall as she has come down with something and is on IV now. Hoping to still do the cooking and visit her this evening, so her fiance can bring the food up to their house.

Mail came while I was on the phone with her - bringing the "lost" netflix movie that was SUPPOSED to show up while my oldest was on school break last week. So, little girl is watching "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie" as I type this.

Managed to get the hat knit up to the first set of decreases, as well as get this morning "entry" done... now we're off to the kitchen to start cooking/baking. Its not a typical "day in the life of Meri" but its definitely a busy one!!!

drat... I never got my second cup off coffee... guess it'll be reheated coffee and leftover noodles and sauce for lunch...

I gave up...

2007-12-24T05:23:00.000-08:00

I finished one turtle today (# 8) -- it was going to be a "gag" type gift for a friend, and I was going to make another turtle for another friend (#7) ... but if I have to knit ONE MORE turtle leg/head, I'm going to throw something!!! ha ha! And considering that I use double-pointed needles to knit these, I think its safer to just give up. The first turtle is now going to be my youngest's turtle -- a birthday present. It's finished, and I am not even going to rip out the one and a half legs I had started on the second turtle -- I'm just rescuing my needles from them and tossing them into a back corner of my yarn storage. Sorry no pictures yet -- I wrapped the turtle for baby boy's birthday already.

Item #5 is just NOT turning out like I had hoped -- its a primitive angel (free pattern on the LTK website). I used KP merino style, and I should have used peace fleece -- the merino is just too sproingy. The angel is refusing to stand up correctly. This was to be a gift for the family we are having Christmas dinner with. It will now be stuffed and the bottom sewn shut and given to my daughter (probably for her birthday in March).

Item #4 is the pair of Heart socks I started forever ago for my sister. And guess what, folks -- they are DONE! that's right -- after months of having one sock done and a couple weeks of being to the heel flap of the second sock, I finished the thing in a day. Pictures coming later.

So, I've got ONE thing left on my list, instead of four. Baby boy's blanket (#10) -- which, ladies and gents, is very VERY close to being done. I am handsewing the binding to the backside of the blanket edge (the front was machine sewed down). I am halfway finished, and then just have to get some embroidery floss to put ties in for the quilting. Then a quick trip through the washer/dryer. Ahhhh....

So, its not what I'd planned -- but instead of stressing about knitting Christmas gifts, I was able to go away with my darling husband this weekend for our fifth anniversary. We had a marvelously relaxing time, and I'm so glad we were able to get away. Today I will finish baby boy's blanket (and yes, he's still a baby, even though he'll be a whole year old tomorrow), and do some baking. We'll open Christmas gifts with the children tonight after supper, and tomorrow have a great day of relaxing and celebrating (both Christmas and baby's birthday!) with friends.

p.s. Baby boy is just going to love his turtle to bits and pieces. :D

Dare I even think it???

2007-12-18T13:22:00.000-08:00

Dare I even let the thought cross my mind? Might I actually FINISH?

#9 - Emma's hat (yes, I know, out of order again -- I have to keep myself interested!). Zen String's Nirvana Bulky in "Parfait" knit up in LTK's Rushty! pattern. I almost scratched my eyes out making this hat -- because I did the entire thing on 8" size 11 dpn's. ARG -- never again!!! I got my shipping notice today from Knit Picks -- my 16" circs are on their way. Other than the needle issue, the yarn was lovely, the pattern is great -- a super quick knit! The hat took me just a couple hours.

#2 - Amanda's pants. These were a trade, with yarn sent by her. Lovely to knit with! The pair on the left is BBR, and the pair on the right is Zen String Sutra.

A close-up of the ruffle cuff on the BBR pair -- two rounds of seed stitch, then an increase round. Then stockinette for 5 rounds, a double crochet bind off, and a crochet edging.

Not on the list, but I managed to get a good picture of all three!!! Merry Christmas to me!

Only 11 days til Christmas...

2007-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

What in the world have I been up to??? Well, lots! But I can't fit it all in one post, so I'll have to catch up on the last two and a half months gradually!

For right now, I'm working on a list of things to get done before Christmas. I'm trying not to think about how few days there are left until Christmas (which also happens to be my youngest's first birthday). I'm also trying not to focus too much on how many items are left on my list. Or how many things I have to do besides what is on the list. The list, by the way, is merely the items I need to knit or sew by then. So you see, its just the tip of the iceberg...

#1 -- Katya's hat. This has regretably taken much longer than I had hoped it would. I was hoping it would be keeping Katya's head warm already. But it is finished now and shipping out this afternoon. LTK's "Rhythm Cloche" pattern and Manos del Uruguay yarn in "Wildflowers." My daughter loves it -- I hope Katya will too!!

#3 - Booga Bag (yes, I'm aware I skipped number two -- its nearly done, I promise. but there was a deadline for shipping on this one). Knit BIG!!! 50 stitches by 40 rows for the bottom, and up, up, up from there! The thing looked monstrous before felting. Its a lovely size now -- Just a smidge smaller than my diaper bag. Knit from Berkshire Bulky -- the body is "Blue Ming" and the straps are "Fuchsia." I think it turned out great -- hopefully the recipient will agree!!

This, my friends, is not on the list -- but I wish it was!! For my birthday, my parents sent me some money, which I spent on a learn to spin kit. I'm so very excited about it!! This is my first few spinnings -- bottom is my very first, middle is second, top is last. I think I'm getting a bit better!!! I'm starting to save now for a spinning wheel, and as soon as the holidays are past and I've finished my list, I'll be back to drop spindling nightly. I'll also be back to regularly visiting Webs to play with the spinning wheels there.

And again, not on the list, but this is our Christmas tree for this year! It was a family project last night, and the kids had a blast doing it. So glad that we did this!

And now -- back to knitting the list....

One of my favorite things about knitting...

2007-10-02T08:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure every knitter has things that are favorites, and things that aren't-so-favorite. In my last post, I mentioned that I love knitting picky pants, and it is very true! It is one of those patterns that I enjoy making over and over again. But there are parts I'm not so crazy about: the waistband, and the finishing. The waistband is easy to get past -- I cast on, and then push myself through until its done, knowing that after I finish the waistband, I get to enjoy knitting in the round and watching the colors pattern as they will. The finishing is another battle. I've been known to have three or four pairs of pants or shorts just sitting here -- finished, except for the finishing. Kitchener stitch and weaving the ends. Neither of them are difficult. But its not really knitting to me. It is sewing. And as much as I enjoy having a finished project, the finishing is a roadblock nearly every time.

But that isn't what this blog entry is about. One of my very favorite things about knitting is....

...stashing. I love yarn. I love the colors. I love the textures. I love sock yarn, lace yarn, dk, sport, aran... solids, handpainted variegated.... I love yarn!!! As evidenced by my extensive and ever-growing collection. Trying new yarns in and of itself is a hobby (some would call it an addiction, but I am totally in control of my yarn habit).

We won't get into the fact that I probably have more yarn than I can knit in several years. I probably have enough sock yarn to knit for my entire block (okay, probably not that much, but I could totally knit for immediate family for birthdays AND Christmas this year without having to buy another skein). That is not taking into account the worsted weights I have around for business and personal knitting (my daughter has been begging for a pair of pants for a month now). And the cotton -- I don't go through that as much, but I do have a decent stash of it. May not have the time to knit it all up right now (babies and toddlers tend to need a lot of time), but when the time becomes available, I'm ready with yarn, needles, and patterns in line!

The rainbow of colors present in my stash is a source of never-ending enjoyment and comfort to me. A bad day? Pull out some wonderful wool yarn. Pet it; squish it; rub it against my face; smell it -- the day is instantly better. A horribly bad day can be brightened in a second by the mailman bringing a package of new yarn. Purchased or traded for - it doesn't matter. It is yarn. It is new. It is a little bit of heaven on earth.

What is your favorite thing about knitting?

I love knitting picky pants!

2007-09-24T08:06:00.000-07:00

And its a good thing, too! Since I get to knit lots and lots of them for work! These are a few recent custom orders. I have several other things that I'm working on at the moment, but these are finished and shipped, so I wanted to share!

First up, small picky pants in "Mandarin Cheesecake" BFL from Lizzie's Wonderland. The trim is ZenString's Nirvana worsted.

Next, newborn picky pants in "Levi Rabbit" handpainted by Dashing Dachs on wonderful LTK 2ply farm yarn. And a small pair of picky pants in "Black Knight" 2ply targhee by Mosaic Moon.

And last - small picky pants in treliske organic merino, dyed in "Carrick" by Three Irish Girls. I don't like this picture -- the pants are laid out a bit wonky. The kids were up while I was taking photos, so I was trying to be fast. But I love the pants -- great colors, and the yarn is ever so soft!

Busy knitting a baby blanket this week, as well as embellishing a pair of medium picky pants. And working on a NEW something for SweetKnits!!! Look for pictures in the weeks to come!

Like the new duds?

2007-08-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

(Does anyone say that anymore? That may be before my time even, but I know I've heard it somewhere...)

So SweetKnits recently had a makeover. Kristin and I felt the need to "grow up" the site, and we had the pleasure of working with Marnie Designs for the project. Marnie did SK's first makeover, and we've been pleased with her designs in both instances! Since I like "matchy" things, I had Marnie update the ol' blog, too! What do you think?

So, while Marnie was busy on the site, I did a bit of knitting. All the knits featured in today's blog are now available for purchase online! (does that sound like a sports show announcer or what?).

First up, a pair of organic merino pants in a newborn/small size. These are available at Yinia. These pants are super soft, and I think simple, yet gorgeous. I wish I had a baby to put them on -- well, I don't wish it enough to have another baby, but you know what I mean.

Next, there is this lovely set -- it is currently up for auction at WAHMChicks as part of the semi-annual Fluff Factory Auctions (actually, there is just 12 hours left on this auction!). This is a 12months raglan sweater and coordinating medium picky pants knit from a lovely wool/alpaca blend. 100% of the money for this auction is going to the FFA charity for this summer: The Fistula Foundation. If you are so inclined, please check out the current auctions and bid high and often!

This adorable size medium skirty is knit from Three Irish Girls Elenya Alpaca in "Florry" and was a joy to see finished up! It is part of a set that is currently for sale at Threebies Knits. My friend Rachel (of TK) knit a gorgeous tank top to go with the skirty. It is just perfect for a styling little girl!

Finally, this pair of small/medium picky pants was knit from Blackberry Ridge Merino. I decided to have a little fun with a new-to-me embellishing technique on these! They sport a sweet little bouquet on one leg. These are available on SK's hyenacart.

I've just finished a marathon of other knitting as well -- some for collabs with some other fabulous WAHM's; some for customers. So, there is more coming! Right now, I'm taking a break from knitting pants. I'm rewarding myself after finishing up FOUR pairs this week -- yes, I said four. My treat? I get to knit my second Perambulate sock.

so I'm a day or two late on the pics...

2007-07-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

Ankle socks knit from LTK farm sock (self-striping!) in "Beach Umbrella".

Large Picky Shorts in Blue Camo BFL (The Big Blue) from WWBN.

Heart Socks for my sis in Cider Moon "Hot Flash" purchased at The Loopy Ewe.

Perambulates in Claudia Hand Painted fingering weight in "Hawaii"... for me!

Summertime Tunic from IK's Summer '07 edition in Debbie Bliss Cathay. Still a long way to go on that -- it may be ready to wear next summer.

Guess what I've been knitting...

2007-07-12T05:22:00.000-07:00

.... any guesses?

Here's a hint: I waited as long as I possibly could, but then had to start!

Camera batteries are dead, so I'll come back with the answers/pics later! :)

I'd rather be knitting.... SOCKS!!!

2007-06-22T14:25:00.001-07:00

So I've been knitting away on orders lately, and enjoying the yarns I'm working with. But I must admit that I've been daydreaming while knitting. Daydreaming about ..... socks. Sock yarns, sock patterns, knitting socks, even double-pointed needles! I need more hours in the day - either that, or I need to learn to knit faster -- or grow a few more arms so I can knit my orders and socks at the same time!

I participated in a Sock Swap this month, and received some drool-worthy yarn that I'm just ITCHING to dig my dpn's into! It is Claudia Hand Painted from The Loopy Ewe - in the "Peppermint Mocha" colorway (exclusive to TLE!!) I'd been eyeing that yarn for weeks, and my swap partner was SOO sweet to buy it for me! I also got some dpn's, some lotion, some needle tip covers, a pattern, and some BR coupons in the package. But the yarn... well, you can see for yourself...
Is that not gorgeous?

My Yarn Pirate arrived -- and I didn't care for it as much in person as I thought. It was more muted -- not as bright as it looked on the computer. Of course, that could be because I was looking at it through sleep-glazed eyes at 1:30a.m. LOL!! At any rate, I was able to trade the "Deep Cove" (that I'd been less enthusiastic over) for another skein of Yarn Pirate in the "Isobel" colorway -- Gorgeous!! Its bright and fun -- the picture doesn't do the colors justice...

Another yarn that I'm just aching to dig into.

And then, a week or so ago, I was reading on the Knitty Coffeeshop forums, and read about an online shop I hadn't heard about - The Sweet Sheep. Its home is in Canada, but there are some amazing yarns there. One totally cool thing they have is a "Mystery Dyer" -- I believe this is changed up often, but it is yarn you buy totally sight unseen. Until it is in your hands, you have NO CLUE what kind of sock yarn it is, or who dyed it. The element of surprise was enough to rope me in. Besides, its sock yarn... how can you go wrong with sock yarn? At any rate, my package arrived this morning -- we were stopping home quickly before heading out for some errands, but I grabbed the package and opened it in the car. The yarn was nicely wrapped in pink tissue paper -- and when I ripped it open...

WOW!! The first words out of my mouth were "Wow, that's bright!" (again, the picture doesn't do it justice). Lovely Perchance to Knit sock yarn in the "Spring Bouquet" colorway -- and I'm in love! Its bright and cheery, and I can't wait to knit it into some socks for me and my 2-yr-old daughter! And the cool thing -- I've been wanting to try PK yarn for some time now -- just waiting for paypal. Each skein comes with a matching stitch marker, which is such a nice touch! The yarn is super soft and just feels cushy and cuddly.

But for now, I must continue with orders. A super cute blanket in pinks and yellow, and some picky pants and hats for fall. I'm enjoying the knitting time, of course, but I long for the time when I can pull out the dpn's and start some socks... of course, then there is the hardest question of all:

Which sock yarn do I knit up first?

How does one score some Yarn Pirate sock yarn?

2007-06-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

Well, have an infant that wants to nurse at 1:30am - a mere hour and a half after the yarn is stocked! Because if you wait until morning -- its all sold out!!

I'm so excited that I was able to buy a skein of Yarn Pirate from my favorite sock yarn shop, The Loopy Ewe -- I will post a picture when it comes in. Its the "Deep Cove" color. And I'm just in AWE at how quickly Sheri sold out of the Yarn Pirate! It would be interesting to know just how many skeins of that yarn she had to begin with! Less than 8 hours, and completely sold out! Insane!

Some recent knits: Socks for my daughter using my leftover Lola "Pumpkin Spice"...

Some pants for a customer - from "Jacob's Ladder" 2ply targhee dyed by Mosaic Moon Yarn Store...

And just cuz she's cute -- my DD! I didn't make the top -- it was knit by Theresa of Little Turtle Knits...

Lots of knits, yet so little time...

2007-05-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

Another baby pillow for another friend (girl baby coming this time!). Knit from Rowan All Seasons Cotton.
Two Easy Peasy Sweaters for an order. The brown is a 5T and the cream is a 6mos. Both are knit from Blue Sky Organic Cotton
Toddler Shorts for another order. This is gorgeous Mosaic Moon yarn in "Mocha Mint" with natural brown treliske organic merino trim.
And my very first baby blanket. This is a gift for my sister-in-law -- her first child is due in August. Knit from TLC Cotton Plus. The pattern is called "Springtime Patchwork." It was supposed to have embroidery on it, too, but I got frustrated with how bad the embroidery looked, so I took it out. It's still pretty without the embroidery.
And I had a little more time and some extra yarn, so I made a newborn bonnet for my new little niece as well.

That's about it for this time! Working on some socks for DH and my sister now, and hoping to start a wrap for myself. Have a few orders coming up soon, too.

Goldfish, and more Goldfish!

2007-04-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

If you've been in the cloth diapering/knit soakers world at all recently, you'd know that Goldfish are hot right now. Hillary from Dashing Dachs has an uber-popular colorway, called "Goldfish." Getting your hands on this color yarn is something of a miracle. She sells out immediately every time its listed. And with good reason! Its absolutely gorgeous!

I was fortunate enough to secure a "My Yarn, Your Dye" opportunity with Hillary. FINALLY, I was going to get some Goldfish! I had a skein of natural Blackberry Ridge Merino just waiting to be beautified. (Hillary also dyed up some targhee and LTK 2ply for me in her gorgeous "Levi Rabbit" colorway). The yarn arrived, and was simply stunning in the skein. I put it away, just waiting for the right time to use it.

Then it happened -- as I'm sure it does with most WAHM's -- I needed some cash. LOL. So, I listed a semi-custom slot with my prized Goldfish yarn. And wouldn't you know -- it sold immediately! But, the problem was, it DOUBLE sold! ACK!!! Many emails later, I managed to secure some more yarn from Hillary in the Goldfish (BFL this time). A near tragedy averted! (hee hee)

So, here they are -- the products of the alusive Goldfish yarn!! First up, a pair of large shorties in the BBR yarn. Short rows for the body shaping, and a garter stitch cuff:

Next, a pair of medium shorties in the BFL. Backside increases for the body shaping (the short rows were causing some really funky pooling), and a rolled hem.

How's that for one week's work?

Also working on a 6mos easy peasy sweater in a lovely natural colored Blue Sky Organic Cotton. Hoping to have pictures of that by midweek next week. Its soooo close to done!!!

Baby, its Spring!

2007-04-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

The weather here in New England is FINALLY getting warmer! This weekend is supposed to be stellar! And I get to go to a baby shower this weekend! One of my dear friends from elementary school (all the way through high school!) is having her first baby. So after working on business knitting the beginning of the week, I spent yesterday finishing this up:

Think she'll like it?

More knitting pictures next week -- I promise!

Socks!!!

2007-04-10T14:53:00.000-07:00

For Me!!!!

Would you believe this is my first EVER finished project for MYSELF?! I love them. They are soft and warm and made with my own hands. And it only took a couple days. I just love them!

Details: Schaefer Lola yarn in "Pumpkin Spice" (from The Loopy Ewe), knit on size 3 dpn's (Brittany Birch, to be exact). Pattern is "Simple Stockinette Sock" from Knit Socks.

Have been working on other things, too, but don't have pictures yet. Will update again later this week with those. :)

Something new...

2007-04-03T12:35:00.000-07:00

This is that Schaeffer Lola in "Pumpkin Spice" - I had to cast on. Just a simple stockinette, basic sock. But I love it.
This is my boy, getting ready for his first day of school! Yep, he's off to preschool now, and did really well for the first day.
And just cuz he's cute... ;)

Lovely Yarn Mail Day!!!

2007-04-02T09:13:00.000-07:00

Isn't that just GORGEOUS!!! I was SOO thrilled to open my packages today -- it has been too long since I've had some lovely stuff come for me. :) The two sock yarns are from the Loopy Ewe -- I literally ordered Friday or Saturday -- can't remember which. It got here SOOO fast! My first Schaeffer yarns, though! A skein of Lola in "Pumpkin Spice" (already wound up for a pair of socks for ME!), and a skein of Anne in "Rennaissance." I would have wound the Anne first, but I have to find just the right pattern for that lovely yarn. Absolutely Gorgeous! And the chocolate loveliness you see in the center? That's Henry's Attic Texas (wool/mohair) from Knitting Notions in "Walnut." It is destined to become the Highland Triangle shawl from Folk Shawls.

Next we have my Mystery Shawl - such as it is. This is clue #1, and about 15 rows of clue #2. I'm using Classic Merino laceweight from Knitting Notions, in "Cornflower" -- and right now, I'm using my Knit Picks options in size 3 (24"). Love it so far!

And just to show another of my personal projects that is on the needles (but sadly neglected at the moment), here's the clapotis for my sister.

Thats it for now! Baby is calling me! :)

We're back!!!

2007-03-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

For some reason, Blogger didn't like me the last time I tried to post. LOL!

So, I'm back! Knitting slowly but surely, and spending lots of time with this little guy:

How'd we do? *wink*

I made the pants he's wearing -- from "Fitzgerald" Galenas merino from IBK. The cute little monster is from Nature Baby Knits.

And I have a couple new obsessions!!! SOCKS!!! (go figure, right? We all knew it was just a matter of time). And LACE (i.e. shawls!)!!! So, with those obsessions, I've got some great new favorite places.

For socks - this store is amazing. SOOO much stuff -- I could seriously spend a fortune in here: The Loopy Ewe. Seriously, check them out (and tell them I sent you!). I've also joined the Mystery Sock club here at Goddess Knits. Lots of fun for just a small fee! Love it.

Goddess Knits also hosts a Mystery Shawl. I'm working on one right now with classic merino lace from Knitting Notions (she's having a sale on select yarns through Easter). Its the cornflower blue color, and I LOVE it!!! Will post pictures when I get further along. Its my first time with laceweight, but its going pretty well -- other than me not paying attention to details for a few rows, and doing the wrong decrease in a few spots. I didn't bother to go back and fix it. Honestly, with three kids (one of whom is 3 months old and doesn't like to be put down), I can live with a couple wrong slanted decreases.

I have plans to make the Birds Nest shawl from Folk Shawls. I ordered some Misti Alpaca Lace from Paradise Fibers for it, and I can't wait! The color I want is backordered, but I know it'll be worth the wait.

Thats it for now! More pictures next time, I promise!

testing... testing...

2007-03-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

is this thing on???

(isn't he CUTE!!!)

What have I been up to, you ask?

2006-11-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

This set -- its a 12mos raglan in the round, a medium longies, and toddler felted mocs (as yet unfelted) -- all LTK patterns. These are half of an order for a dear friend of mine. There will soon be pictures of a matching set in size 3T. Love how the set came out! The colors are great. Love the patterns. The yarn is from WEBS -- Valley Yarns Berkshire for the mocs and Berkshire Bulky for the raglan, and The Great Adirondack Montana wool for the pants. These lovely pants took a bit more time than anticipated. Had to reknit a leg that striped up (actually didn't stripe) differently. They are large picky pants in lovely aran BFL from Cinnamon*Stitches. I really like them! Wish they were for my kid! ha ha
Had to whip up some gifts this week, too. My son turns 3 tomorrow, and his in-home therapy ended today. So, his four therapists that have been working with him for the last months each received a cotton washcloth with some lovely WAHM soap from Sweet n Sudsy. The washcloth is the "Swatch-Cloth" pattern from Wooly Wonders - and is awesome! Very quick to knit -- but not boring. Just folded the cloths in half diagonally, put the soap in the center, and wrapped in tissue paper tied shut with a piece of the yarn used for the washcloths. Paired with a nice note, and all set. I'm going to miss those ladies.
Didn't make him this week -- but tomorrow is his 3rd birthday, so his coming into the world is much on my mind. Seriously, he and his sister (and the new sibling to be announced in just another month!) are the best things that I've ever made (with a little help from a very special man) -- and I thank God for them always.

This is so easy now!

2006-10-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

I just love how easy it is to import photos from Picasa! I was doing it with Photobucket before, and really having troubles. This is just sooo much easier. I may actually get around to blogging more now! LOL!!

So, things are going pretty well -- I'm feeling the crunch of the holidays, though. I have a couple of lists going now -- things to finish by the end of October, and things to finish by the end of November. This is, of course, all store related -- so it says NOTHING for what I'm trying to get done for the baby and Christmas gifts. But we'll do what we can. Little ones around the house don't always have the same goals in a day that I do.

So, on to the important things! The knitting! Most of these today are in progress -- and they are my October list -- with one exception, which I'll discuss when I get to it. ;) First up is a pair of small picky pants. I started these on Monday, I believe They are knit from 2 ply targhee in Mosaic Moon's "Mossy Glen." Lovely stuff! The colors are very nice -- I could totally see my son in pants knit from this -- alas, they are for a customer. I hope she likes them! Next up, is my BIG October order. And this isn't even all of it! I have one more hat to knit: an Earwarmer to be knit with "Murphy" Peregrine Merino from Irish Baby Knits. That will be started as soon as I finish the small pants. But here, you can see two pairs of medium picky pants -- with a LOOOOONG inseam. That's 12", people. Oh, and to ensure no problems with color differences between skeins, I alternated skeins every couple inches on the legs. You do NOT want to see the inside of these pants. I'm weaving the ends in spurts -- I've done one leg of the pants on the left. Its a very big job. I think I'll just carry the yarn down the next time, rather than cut every skein change. ANYWAYS... on the far left, there is a Lucy hat knit from "Mohagany Rose" (Mosaic Moon) targhee, then the pants knit from "Elowen" (also Mosaic Moon) targhee, and then the pants and hat knit from "Wunderland" (Dashing Dachs) targhee. I love how they came out. Absolutely and positively love them. And honestly, switching skeins in the legs made the long inseams go soooo much faster! Still have to block the hats, seam and weave ends on the pants, as well as put the elastic in the waistbands.
These I just finished last night. Cascade 220 in brown and pink. Started them on Saturday, I think? They are just about dry and will be shipped to the customer tomorrow. Size medium with 8" inseam, drawstring waist, and seed stitch cuffs. I like how they came out -- simple, yet pretty. Will match with many things.
And finally -- the very first thing that I knit for the new baby! Yep, these I get to keep! Size newborn picky pants knit from "Mocha Java" BlueMerino from Cinnamon*Stitches. If you've never tried this yarn, you MUST! Its soooo soft! I just love it. The colorway totally reminds me of s'mores -- I was hungry the entire time I was knitting them. Made them in one day. Was very proud of myself. :)

guess I have a limited number...

2006-10-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

of pictures in each blog post. hee hee Marr Haven picky pants with ruffle cuffs
"Blue Camo" BFL (big blue) hybrid soaker.
"Ronan" Lindon merino picky pants with ribbed cuff.

So, hows that for short and sweet??? ;)

By George...

2006-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

I think I got it!! :) YEAH!!!! Pale Iris BBR picky pants will natural trim and ruffle cuff.
Chai Latte FBF picky pants with a rolled cuff.
Kimono sweater from "Midnight" Uruguay merino
Hooded sweater made from the devil's spawn... I mean, LionBrand Homespun in Rococco.

hmm....

2006-10-24T09:32:00.000-07:00

Appears to be working -- now to figure out how to put more than one picture in a post... ha ha!

testing...

2006-10-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Testing and practicing with a new photo hosting/uploading method... Enjoy!

I'm a slacker...

2006-08-22T15:28:00.000-07:00

(blogger doesn't like me again today -- having trouble getting the pictures uploaded -- will keep working on them, so stay tuned!)

Someone gave me a nudge today to update the blog. I didn't realize I had people checking in regularly! I'm totally slacking. Its awful. I did have several weeks of productive knitting, and now I'm back in a slump. Must see what can be done about that.

Did get a few pictures of some things, though. I'm working on my picture-taking -- hoping to get some better pictures for the store. I have one pair of small pants that I knit up that are absolutely gorgeous -- and have just been SITTING instock. The pictures don't do them justice, so perhaps that's the problem. Anyways, I'm working on them. I'll post a couple pictures of that pair. They are small picky pants made from "Ronan" Lindon Merino from Irish Baby Knits -- the most HEAVENLY yarn! Feels soft and sturdy and almost velvety! Its amazing. http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/meritodd1221/product%20photos/Picture417.jpg And honestly, the "Ronan" colorway is PERFECT for the yarn -- rich royal colors. They seriously are well paired. I will be getting more of this yarn in this colorway. Just scrumptious!

I took a break from my current project last week on Thursday and knit up a newborn hybrid rib soaker for a very good friend of mine that is expecting her FIRST SON!!! I used BFL from Wooly Wonders by Nada -- the "Big Blue" BFL in the "Blue Camo" colorway. http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/meritodd1221/product%20photos/Picture420.jpg I LOVE it! I'm soooo hoping this little squirt is a boy so that I can make another soaker to keep! I've got plenty of yarn leftover, that's for sure!

Lets see, what else have I done since my last blogging -- well... I had a two week period of time where I knit four pairs of pants and a soaker. I felt like I was on auto-knit! LOL The "Ronan" pair was one. There was also the "Sea Dragon" organic BFL (from Mosaic Moon) pair -- these sold in the store last week. I did a ribbed roll cuff on them, and I think its one of my new favorites! I love how it looks. http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/meritodd1221/Picture383.jpg

Also in that two week time was a medium hybrid rib in "Carmel Apple" targhee by Dashing Dachs http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/meritodd1221/Picture373.jpg, a medium pair of pants from "Pale Iris" BBR and a small pair of pants from "Chai Latte" FBF (Mosaic Moon again). Don't have pictures taken of those as I still have to do the finishing work on them -- just the crotch seam and the end weaving. I did a ruffle cuff on the Pale Iris pair, and I'm not 100% positive that I like it -- may rip it back and do something else. Going for girly, though. I'm open to suggestions!

In other knitting news -- I joined The Knitting Guild Association and signed up for their Master Hand Knitter certification program. There are three levels, and I just received my Level I packet yesterday -- so you may be reading about my progress in that over the next several months -- once I get through the rest of my custom order list!

Its been a while

2006-07-17T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to get caught up from my first trimester knitting hiatus. Doing okay so far. Have a couple more trades to finish up, but all my sales are caught up and shipped. I have a couple pictures to post. Not much time to say much, though. But here's some knitty goodness.

Vested Interests vest in Light Brown BFL. Size infant -- if you are interested in the FFA's, you'll be seeing this again. Custom shorties made from "Black Light" LTK superfine merino. Love the striping.
That's it for me this time.

I've slowed WAAAAYYY down...

2006-05-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

... so yeah, things have slowed down on the knitting front. Apparently my body is working overtime on the baby-making/nausea front. Yup -- you read that right. We're expecting. Due right around Christmas-time. I'm excited, but totally over the nausea and exhaustion. I'm tired by 11am every day. And that is with getting up at 8am. Yup, three whole hours of feeling only queasy, rather than queasy and sleepy. ha ha

BUT - a new baby will be fun. A lot of work, since we have two right now -- a two year old and a one year old. Little girl will be 21 months when new baby makes his or her appearance. Fun times. Right? Or am I kidding myself? Guess we'll find out in December!

So, I'm a little behind on the knitting front. Have slowed a wee bit on the yarn buying front, though. hee hee -- a little. I got a package today with 24oz. of Alpine Cotton II -- I can finally start the Tea Party dress pattern from LTK! :) Soooo excited! Also some merinos and some wool/mohair yarn for some instock. I got the yarn from my friend Catherine from Knitting Notions. She has GREAT stuff! Check her out! Also got some more yarn from Irish Baby Knits. Heavens, she has amazing colors! And the best names. Love them.

I'm waiting on my dpn's still so that I can dive into the mountains of sock yarn I have sitting around in the house. Meant to make a pair for my husband's birthday, but the needles didn't get here. ~sigh~ Oh well -- he knows they are coming. Sometime before winter, I hope! ha ha

Still buried under a pile of yarn that needs to be knit. Its so hard to deal with the nausea. You know its bad when I don't WANT to knit. But, we're trying our best here. If I owe you something, I promise it will come.

Great times, great yarn...

2006-04-25T06:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was dull and boring. I was home with the kids while my dear husband was at work. No matter -- I had plans for the afternoon. I was going to get away for some "ME time." My DH knew this... and got home exactly one half hour before I had to BE at my "plans." And I had not showered. *sigh* So the choices were: a) shower and show up late; b) don't shower and get there on time, but so stinky that no one would sit by me; or c) don't go at all. Well, considering I was going to WEBS to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, choice C was NOT an option, and I highly doubted she'd sign my book if I went with choice B. So, shower and get there late it was. I left the house five minutes before 2pm, and showed up at the Clarion hotel at about 2:15. Thankfully, I hadn't missed a whole lot -- I think Stephanie was just starting her talk (of course, I missed whatever intro there was).

Can we say "hilarious"? The woman is funny in her books, and so much more funny in person. I sat and laughed and knit (I was working on this camisole from DB Cathay). And she brought her Olympic sweater. GASP. She showed us the front, the back, and THE INSIDE!!! I've never seen a more perfect sweater (my camisole hid back in the bag when Stephanie's sweater came out). I've seen expensive store-bought machine-made sweaters that were NOT that perfect inside. I was in awe. I felt unworthy to be in her presence. I totally felt like a knitter compared to that Knitter. Wow.

One good thing about getting there late was that I was sitting towards the back and managed to get out of there and back to WEBS very quickly. In fact, I got to the store at the same time that Stephanie did. Browsed for a couple minutes, and then got in the book signing line. I think I only had to wait five or so minutes for my turn. In an attempt to spare her poor hand, I only had one of my three books signed -- my favorite Yarn Harlot. If you haven't read it -- get it and read it. I laughed. I cried. I read it aloud to non-knitters. Great book. Just awesome. Anyways, after I got my book signed, it was time to shop. Everything I bought was on sale, because WEBS is just amazing and is having a totally fabulous anniversary sale. I got some pima cotton/silk for a bonnet for Emma, some Cascade 220 for the store, and a bag of Jo Sharp dk wool for some knitted toys. It was a great day.

And yesterday -- wow! What a yarny mail day! All this lovely yarn arrived at my door:
2 skeins of "Tin Whistle" targhee from Dashing Dachs
2 skeins of "Reilly", 3 skeins of "Keane", 1 skein of "Grady" and 1 skein of "Murphy" -- all peregrine merino from Irish Baby Knits. I can't wait to start knitting! And you know what? ALL that yarn is for MY KIDS!!!!

Of course, still working on orders. Finished up (almost) a pair of medium shorts for a customer, and a pair of Devon's booties for another customer. Got a mocs order shipped off yesterday. I'm feeling quite accomplished. If only my To Do list wasn't taller than my two year old.

Sleep is totally overrated.

2006-04-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

At least, I'm trying to convince myself of that! Little girl is not a good sleeper, and after a year of multiple night wakings, I'm exhausted. But changing her bad habits is going to be VERY difficult. And even more exhausting. My boy is such a good sleeper -- this is just so hard to deal with. I'm not a happy person when I'm tired. Oh well... more coffee, right? oh, and I should have some Dagoba chocolate coming in the next couple days. YUMMY!!! That'll help for sure!

On the knitting front, I sat down yesterday and made a list: Current Knitting Projects. It has three subcategories: Orders, Gifts, and Personal. I listed things (that I know of) that I've got to get done by Mid-October. Nine things on the orders list (obviously top priority), nine things on the gift list, and seven things on the personal list. YIKES!!!! And some of those things are "groups of things" listed as one item. Maybe I'll solve my sleeping issue by giving up sleep altogether. I might need to to finish these! ha ha

Thankfully, some of those orders will be done in the next couple of weeks. Its the gifts and personal projects that have me the most concerned -- those are more involved, or have birthday, or leaving the country, or season deadlines! ha ha

Here's a couple pics. The pants for the order set are nearly done! Here's a picture of the pants alone, and of the set. Still have to make some slippers with the solid pink from the sweater. The variegated is Berry Burst from Little Turtle Knits. I LOVE it! So pretty. And yes, the legs are darker than the body on those. They are two different skeins. I don't think it looks bad -- much better than it would have if I had just knit to the end of the first (lighter) skein and then used the second (darker) one for the last inch or two of the second leg! ha ha

Here are some wool balls I knit up on Saturday -- these are for the Hyenacart Forum giveaways. If you haven't checked out what all the buzz is over there, you should!
And last is my babywearer, which only gets worked on in the car or over at my mom's house. At this point, its still pretty portable, though it is getting more cumbersome! Its a wool/alpaca blend called Berkshire Bulky (Valley Yarns) from WEBS. Lovely stuff. Soft and warm. Of course, the days aren't going to be cool for much longer, so I'm hoping to finish it up soon. But, orders first.

That's it for me. Need to get the kids down for naps, and then sip a coffee in peace.

progress check...

2006-04-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to finish up some loose ends around here lately. I managed to get the shorts and flirty for my daughter's (late) birthday party done. Also finally got around to felting some mocs for an order. Now just have to sew leather bottoms to them. Don't have pics for those, though...

Now for the picture progress. We'll start with orders:

First: a size 6mos easy peasy in 2ply LTK farm yarn. The colorway is Cotton Candy, and I love it. This is part of a set, so I'll be posting another picture when the order is complete.
Next: The sleeves of a hooded sweater. The front and back are complete -- just have the sleeves and the hood to do left, then the making up. I have to admit, I'm really disliking this project. But, its for a very dear friend and for that reason alone, I'm pushing onward. It LionBrand Homespun yarn in "Roccoco" -- I'm having fits with the yarn, though. Splits and it feels plasticy. I'll be glad when it is done. And I hope to never knit with this yarn again. Some may love it, but I don't. Soooo.... if anyone would like some purple Homespun, drop me a comment. I'll send it to you for FREE!!! (and S, if you read this, I do like how the sweater is coming out -- just don't like the yarn! ha ha)
NOW to the fun stuff! I've been knitting so much for my daughter, and my poor son has been neglected. So, I've made a commitment to make three things for him by Easter. And I finished the first thing today!

These are Stripey Slippers in "Dragonfly" BFL yarn from Nada. Lovely stuff, and my boy picked it out himself. (well, sort of. I put three balls of yarn in front of him, and thats the one he grabbed). Glad to finally have some cute slippers for his feet, since we can never seem to find a matching pair of socks for the kid. I swear, my cat has a pile of socks stashed away somewhere, because it takes us 30 minutes to find two socks that sort of match.

Along those lines, here are the socks I'm knitting for my boy. The first is done, and the second, well, got a long way to go on that one, but I've been busy with other things. Not second sock syndrome, though -- because I really do want to knit it. Just have other commitments that HAVE to be fulfilled first. They won't fit him for long, unfortunately. I should have made the foot a bit longer. Will do that for the next pair.
So, that's it for me! Oh!!! And I'm having a "yarn sale" -- trying to bust some of my stash. Here's the link if anyone is interested! Yarny Goodness!

socks, socks, socks...

2006-03-22T09:01:00.000-08:00

...Okay, so they aren't sock yet, but check this out!

That is ALL sock yarn -- I'm a little obsessed I guess. And I just barely started knitting my first sock yesterday! But more on that in a minute. Back to the lovely yarn. I kinda felt guilty about putting some of those yarns in the same picture -- that solid Knit Picks stuff just isn't on the same level as the gorgeous Lorna's Laces or the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. But, that's what I have here, so it all had to be in the picture. I've got more coming, too... I had to order a skein of Socks That Rock to see what everyone loves so much about it. And I've got some custom dyed Henry's Attic Kona on its way to me as well.

And the sock books? hee hee Well, been collecting those, too. I'm making the "Little Guys" sock out of Knit Socks! right now. Its in Dalegarn Baby Ull in a nice navy color -- for my two-year-old son. I started it yesterday morning at the WEBS drop-in and this is how far I've gotten:

Those are size 2 bamboo dpn's from WEBS -- it was the only size they had that was close to what I needed, and since I'm a tight knitter, it didn't matter that they are a size bigger than the pattern calls for. Anyways, its also the thinnest yarn I've ever knit with. I'm really proud of my progress! I've been dealing with a sick baby girl who doesn't want mommy to do anything but hold her, so getting that far on my very first sock in 24 hours is impressive to me. I just hope it fits him!

Last picture for today is of my Colinette Giotto yarn for the Waterlillies pattern from the Spring IK. I couldn't find the Monet colorway, so I got this instead:

Its "Rose Garden" and I love it. Can't wait to have time to try this pattern out!

As for the Olympic Sweater, still not done, but I did get a few rows knit on it the other day. Emma's flirty is getting close to done -- working the undersoaker short rows now. And still working on mocs for store orders...

Thats it for me today! Back to reality now -- guzzling coffee, pretending that I actually DID get to sleep some last night, and trying everything I can to calm a cranky, clingy baby...

Poor sick kids!

2006-03-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

Yup, our house has been hit with a virus. First to be attacked was my son -- poor little guy was sick as a dog for a couple days last week. When he got better by the end of the weekend, and the baby was still healthy, I thought for sure we were in the clear...

... think again. She is now sick. Not as bad as her brother was, but bad enough. Poor little girl.

Needless to say, with the sickness has come lots of cuddling and shushing and rocking, and running at every cry, and laundry... oh, the laundry... it was neverending before -- and its 100 times worse now.

So, knitting has taken back seat this week. I did manage to knit up a few pairs of mocs for a trade, and I've got another order almost done. But thats about it. And there has been no time for pictures...

My mom is giving me a much needed break tomorrow, though! After tending to sick children for a week, my mom is babysitting while I go to a knitting drop-in at WEBS. I'm so excited! I've got my "Knit Socks" book all ready -- I went through and put sticky notes on the pages that I'm considering trying, with the prices of the yarn from WEBS. Love their website search engine. ha ha I think I'll probably end up doing the toddler socks -- the second pattern in the book. It calls for Dalegarn yarn, which I *think* is the same thing as Dale of Norway? It looks to be the same weight and yardage. So, that's the plan. I can't wait...

My Baby is One

2006-03-13T16:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, my little girl turned one year old today. Its hard to believe its been a whole year. Wow! She's growing up so fast. Every day she is doing new things. She's VERY close to walking -- she pushes chairs around to get around right now... but soon she'll be off and running without assistance! Then the fun will really begin.

My parents and sister are out of town, so we are not having a party tonight. We are thinking probably on Friday. So, I've got a few more days to finish up her birthday gifts. I promised pictures, so here they are!!

First up, we have a shirt/shorts set. The shirt was painted by Cheryl of Soft and Cozy. The shorts were knit by me using 2ply Targhee wool dyed by Kimberly at Beemer Knits in her "Peppermint Chocolate Chip" colorway. I LOVE it! The shorts still need a drawstring and the finishing needlework. The knit bear was made by Karen of Kool Sheep Soakers. Super cute!

Next, there is another shirt, this time with a flirty skirty! Cheryl did this shirt as well, and the yarn for the skirty is by Kimberly again, too! Its her "Mint Rainbows" on 3ply Blackberry Ridge Merino. I'm only done with the skirty portion of this -- still have to do the undersoaker. The cute little doll is a Bendie Boo made by Stell of Fern and Faerie.
Last up is Emma's birthday blanket. Amy Butler fabrics with a pink satin binding. I still have to do the quilting on this, but will be getting help from my friend Amy of Angelwraps with that on Thursday.

Did I finish?

2006-03-02T13:29:00.000-08:00

Sadly, I did not. I gave it my all, but I did not finish my Olympic sweater. Apparently, my children saw the Olympics as a perfect time to become the two most needy young'uns in the state. They both have been cutting new teeth. My youngest has become a nursing fiend, nursing anywhere from 3-5 times in the 6 hour period of time that I call "night." So, with sleep constantly interrupted, and next to NO knitting time during the day, my sweater suffered the consequences.

I am close, though. I have a couple more inches of stockinette to do on the second sleeve. Then I have to wash and block, and seam. The final part after that is the cabled neckband. I do plan to finish. Not sure when, though.

I'm overwhelmed with store orders right now. Several trades that I have to finish my end of, as well as several orders. And my daughter turns one in a week and a half -- so I have several things that I want to make for her before her party (which will be after her birthday, fortunately). I did the basic construction of her birthday blanket. I would LOVE to knit her a Swing Thing (pattern by Theresa of Little Turtle Knits that was featured in MagKnits in January), as well as a couple pairs of shorts or capris to go with two shirts I had made for her.

BUT -- time is running out. And I'm having gauge issues with some of these store orders. When it takes a half a week to complete the knitting of ONE felted moc, and the gauge STILL isn't right... well, things can get hairy. And unfortunately, personal knitting (i.e. first birthday presents) must be put on hold. *sigh* It comes with the territory, though. And thankfully, Emma is turning one, not ten, and she will not remember if I had her things done ON her birthday or a bit later. Right? (please, tell me she won't remember. I'm already beating myself up enough...)

Will post pics in my next entry -- hopefully LOTS of pictures of LOTS of FO.

Three days left...

2006-02-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

... and I'm thinking I won't make it. Perhaps, if by some miracle my children take long naps the next three days, and if I can keep my eyes open (which has been the real problem)... but I'm beginning to think I will not be done by Sunday night.

However, I'm really proud of what I've accomplished... and I'm not giving up yet. So, here's a picture:

This is the main body and one sleeve - if you look at the left side of the picture, you can see the start of the second sleeve... obviously nothing is seamed together yet, and the pieces are curling terribly because they have not been blocked yet. The sleeve is just folded to look like it (sort of) will. While the pieces are being blocked, I'll begin the cabled neckband.

And now I must sleep...

Progress check...

2006-02-16T14:28:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to let you see progress. This picture is from this morning.

That is the back of the sweater. I have finished the back and am now working on the right front. I had gotten maybe two inches in, but decided to frog and redo -- the pattern says to decrease (SSK) at the beginning of the center front every six rows -- well, I was doing it right at the edge, and didn't like the sloppy edge that left, so I'm knitting one THEN doing the SSK , so the decrease isn't right at the edge. I had thought about doing that initially, but silly me thought that it would be less noticeable right on the edge. Thankfully, I didn't wait until I was half done with the front before deciding to go back and frog.

I should be grateful -- this is the first time I've had to frog on this project. That is pretty good...

plugging along

2006-02-14T05:10:00.000-08:00

The knitting went so much faster on the weekend when Don was home to help. Oh well. Did manage to get some done yesterday...
This is almost the entire bottom of the sweater. I have just six rows left of this cabling section before I split for front and back and have some straight knitting for a while (which I'm anticipating will go MUCH faster.) I'd really like to be able to WEAR this sweater the Sunday of the closing ceremonies, so that is my "goal", however, I will be happy to even finish it. If the next part goes as quickly as I think it might, though, I'm hoping to get it done and ready to wear the 26th. We'll see -- that is definitely subject to change! ha ha

Let it snow! (and day two progress pic)

2006-02-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, its here -- the snow storm that has been making almost as much news around here as the Olympics. I'm thinking we won't be venturing out to church this morning. Perhaps tonight.

While I hate to miss church, this will give me more time on the sweater today. Yesterday was very productive! I finished the first set of 24 rounds, and am almost halfway through the second set. Here's the pic: This is the first ball of yarn. Today I start with the second ball.

In other news, I totally forgot to update here on the pants for the custom order! The yarn arrived in Thursday's mail, and I finished the pants (except for kitchener stitching) shortly after midnight. Did the kitchener on Friday morning, and they are now washed, lanolized, and dry -- ready to ship out tomorrow. Pic:

That's it for now! Back to knitting...

It starts...

2006-02-11T04:44:00.000-08:00

... the insanity -- the fun coupled with frustration and an urge to knit almost unlike any other I've had! The project is not easy. The yarn is thin, the needles are small, the pattern is tedious. Sixteen days will be a real challenge. I will try to post daily progress pictures. The pictures will no doubt be taken at night when I finally decide bed is inevitable and really will make me more alert to knit in the morning. The post will probably come in the morning.

So, without further ado (and because my two year old is throwing a fit and I really need to go make my coffee)... here is my first night's progress on the Kimono Sweater:

So there you have it -- this is the first 12 rounds in the first set of three rounds of 24, which will make up the bottom of the sweater.

Countdown...

2006-02-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

...just what, 3-4 days now until the Olympics! WOW!!! I'm getting nervous about the sweater, but I shouldn't. Its for me and I'm going to love doing it. I have wonderful Addi Turbo needles to use, and my Knit Picks Elegance is all wound and ready.

In the meantime, I'm working on a LionBrand hooded sweater using Homespun -- which I think could contend to be the worst yarn in the world. It splits. While soft, it just feels "ick" after knitting with lovely wool for months. However, the color is pretty (its the Rococco, so a lovely neutral beige). I can't wait to be done with it, but I'm having a hard time making myself work on it. Did finish the back yesterday and start the front. MUST try to finish the front today and at least start one of the sleeves...

I have a custom order that I have to do as soon as the yarn comes in. We've been having trouble with the yarn -- the dye jobs just haven't been what the customer wanted. So we finally found something that will (hopefully) be perfect. It was dyed last weekend, and shipped to me Priority Mail from Washington yesterday... I'm thinking it'll arrive Thursday (though I suppose tomorrow is a possibility). Then I have to stop everything and MAKE THOSE PANTS!!! I may even have to stay up all night to do it... But I HAVE to get them done before 2pm on Friday. That is of the utmost importance. They can be washing or lanolizing after 2pm, that's fine. But all knitting and grafting and weaving MUST be done so that I can start the sweater on time...

I've got some great plans for sets in the future. Would you like a sneak peak??? Well, I really don't think many people read this blog, so I'll go ahead and post the pictures, because I love looking at them. LOL The pictures aren't great, because I took them at night and the lighting wasn't very good, but I'm so excited about them. If you like what you see, you'll just have to stalk my store sometime this spring/summer. *wink wink*

That one is Amy Butler fabrics and Mosaic Moon Yarn in "Chai Latte."

More Amy Butler (her temple flowers line) with some natural Maine Organic yarn.

Amy Butler and BFL from Wooly Wonders by Nada in "Coffee with Extra Cream."

Not Amy Butler, but isn't he cute? Finished that sweater this weekend. (It really does have buttons on it now, but I was too excited and wanted to try it on him). The yarn is LTK superfine merino in "Rudolph" from her Christmas Collection, with a solid red stripe towards the botton in the front. Excuse the dirty face, please -- he has a cold.

I like to move it, move it...

2006-01-31T04:45:00.000-08:00

... I think I listen to that song ten times a day, easy. For anyone not familiar with it, its a song on Madagascar. We borrowed the movie from my sister, and my kids love the song -- the lovely creators of the DVD even went so far as to put a music video of the song on the DVD special features... and my children want to watch it over and over and over and over... I lie not -- even my ten and a half month old daughter dances to the song, and fusses when it is over. And my two year old? I think he has some talent -- he may dabble in break dancing.

So with the words "move it, move it" constantly running in my mind, I tend to feel more depressed when I get little done in a day! My MM list has been sorely neglected for three weeks now. I have a pile of "almost finished" projects that just need washed or felted -- and that requires being away from my baby for a few minutes -- something that she does not appreciate these days. I think she is reverting back to the needs she had as a newborn, minus the constant sleeping.

So, yes, I have some nearly finished things that I have time to glance at, but not really finish... Five pairs of mocs in need of felting. A hat in need of washing. A pair of shorts in need of lanolizing. Yarn in need of winding -- ah! But this I can do! My ball winder is right in the living room and that should be agreeable with the Little Miss. So, I have nine more (out of eleven total) balls of KnitPicks Elegance to wind into center pull skeins before Feb. 10th -- with a challenge like the Kimono sweater ahead of me for the Olympics, there is NO way I'm wasting time winding balls DURING the games! That counts as prep work/training most definitely!

It is seriously almost February. I was blindsided by that fact yesterday, when I was thinking about our next SweetKnits stocking -- a Valentine's theme, of course. But I thought I still had a whole week to prepare. Nope. February begins TOMORROW! *insert jaw dropping* I have a semi-custom for pants/shorts/capris ready to list, and I will possibly be listing a semi-custom for soakers... But listing semi-customs this close to the Olympics is dangerous! Must make sure that I can fulfill my commitments... I do want to have some mocs and stripey slippers to list -- of course, last night I was delayed on a slipper a bit because I needed to do a swatch for another project.

In my head, it all seems very attainable. I'm not stressing yet. *ha ha* I can do this. I have a custom order to fulfill this week, but it shouldn't take long once started. Then the semi-custom. So as long as the kids stay healthy and happy, and I don't come down with the plague, I should be able to get it done, and even still get to sleep at night!

And after the Olympics -- well, between knitting projects, we'll be breaking out the sewing machine! My little girl is almost one, and I have yet to start her birthday quilt! I looked through my stash of quilting squares (from my ebay craze of two years ago...) but wasn't in love with anything. Some online friends were talking about Amy Butler fabrics, so I had to go to ebay yet again and check out what was there... Quite a bit of money later, I have NINE yards of Amy Butler fabrics (all in one yard pieces), and in that stash of gorgeous cloth, there is the perfect blanket for my little princess. This will be the front, and this will be the back. I bought pink satin blanket edging. For the "quilting," I'll go around some of the paisley shaping on the front fabric (either with the machine or by hand -- haven't decided yet...).

Cheating? probably. Gorgeous? most definitely! Soft? um, yeah... this fabric is yummy! Only the best for my little girl, even though mommy is so busy with knitting that she has to take the easy way out...

And the other AB fabrics? Well, I have plans for those -- and you'll see them eventually...

lotsa pictures!!!

2006-01-27T07:44:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd post a picture of my knitting spot. This is my corner of the living room, and it nearly ALWAYS looks like this. (notice the coffee mug on the right, as well as the ball winder. In the bag on the shelf under the mug is my swift). The little table to the left is covered with leftover yarns, and the bits of scrap yarn being save for use as yarn holders. The notebook on the left side arm is fill with Little Turtle Knits patterns. There is a bag on the floor that has two more binders of non-LTK patterns. You can see the book there -- haven't started that one yet, but the next time I'm working on a soaker or something in the round, I'll start reading it. The work-in-progress is a pair of adult sized Felted Mocs in "Rosewood" thick and thin merino from Wooly Wonders by Nada. Gorgeous stuff!!

Here's a close up of some unfelted Felted Mocs for a trade I'm doing. Front row is a cabled cap (okay, so that's not mocs) and matching mocs in size infant using "Naohm" single-ply merino from Irish Ba by Knits -- oh so soft! Back row, starting from the left, Toddler mocs in "Christmas Blocks" 2ply LTK farm yarn, and Toddler mocs and Grade School mocs in "Mara" single-ply merino from IBK. Second picture is a partially felted pair of Preschool sized mocs in "Melissa" 2ply LTK farm yarn. I'm wasn't crazy about making the mocs previously, but after making all of these in the past week and a half, I'm starting to enjoy the pattern more. Of course, I may need to be reminded of that now that I'm working on an adult pair, which always takes lots longer...

And last picture for today is an almost complete pair of shorts for the upcoming FFA charity event. These are a size large shorts made from LTK 2ply farm yarn in "Christmas Blocks." Notice the difference in the body and the legs? Well, this is made from two skeins. Though dyed together, one skein had wider strips of yellow than the other, so I used one skein for the body and one for the legs. I decided that would be better than having just one leg look like the odd-ball. I think they are kinda cute. I hope others will agree with that.

I think I'm getting the hang of this picture thing! :)

well, very unproductive today...

2006-01-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

... and I even had helpers over here today. *insert eyeroll* I stupidly used nap time for computer instead of knitting... and well, sisters visiting right now is just not going as planned...

So, drive-by post, I guess. Must order pizza for supper, and little sis was bugging me about when I was going to do it and I snapped and well... I'm trying to blog here!!! I hate that every time I TRY to do something, people start bugging me to do something else. Like Sunday mornings -- we are ALWAYS late on Sundays... late for choir -- pushing late for church. It irks me because I used to always be EARLY before marrying and having kids. Anyways, when my other half finally gets out of bed, and I sit at the computer to drink my coffee while checking email, he says "are you going to get in the shower?" Can I PLEASE drink my coffee? Doesn't the man understand that a woman NEEDS her COFFEE in the morning!! And in PEACE!! ugh...

So yes, I get touchy when I'm trying to get something done that is important to me, and others don't respect that and start bugging me about other things... Can I PLEASE just have these few moments to do MY thing? Without having to worry about supper or shower or kids? I promise I'll be back to my stressed-out, rushing-around, picking-up-after-the-kids self as soon as I'm done blogging, checking posts, or reading emails. Thank you.

Knitting Olympics, here I come!

2006-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

I'm in -- and officially insane, I think! I decided that I'm going to be knitting this Kimono Sweater for myself. I've lost my mind, I know. Its going to be a HUGE challenge. Not necessarily the doing if it -- but the deadline of it! I've done cabling before, and I love doing it. But adult sweater, thin yarn (though heavenly -- its KnitPicks Elegance!), TONS of cables, two kids ages 2 and 10.5 months, 12 piano students, and 16 days...

My husband won't mind taking those 16 days off of work, right? Okay, so that's not happening. Not enough PTO in his year. Hm.... maybe see if my kid sis will come over after school every day to watch the kids??? Doubt she'd be interested in that... but maybe one or two days... Cancel piano lessons? Nah, need the moolah.... Give up sleep? hm... that one is promising...

Must stop dooming myself before I start. I CAN do this, right? I WANT to do this. I MUST do this!!!!! I do think I'm going to hit WEBS and buy another set of needles, though. This is a project for Addis... I've got them in 40", but I don't want to waste any precious time with Magic Looping (I'm not all that quick with it yet...) So, I'll be getting a 24" US5 circular for this... I have a Susan Bates set, but the points hurt my fingers... no sore fingers allowed in this challenge!

Okay -- so that's my Olympic challenge... now, I have to finish up my orders! Nearly done with the last charity pair of shorts. Then must do the mocs order. Then the custom pants (when the yarn gets here) -- won't take long, they are smalls. Then finish a kids sweater (though that could wait until after the Olympics...)...

What the heck am I still doing on this computer? Get knitting, girl!!!

A New Look!

2006-01-20T07:46:00.000-08:00

Yeah!! My blog matches our store now. Thank you soo much to Marnie of Cushie Designs*. She does AMAZINGLY FAST work.

Well, I'm sitting at the computer in the living room. Barney is on the TV (insert eye roll here). There are books all over the floor -- my son seems to think they belong there rather than on the shelf. Little People zoo animals are mingling with Noah's Ark. Little girl is practicing her standing at the couch, looking at a book. And big boy is wandering from one room to the next with his little foam basketball. I have a pile of diapers to put away, and knitting spread out over my "knitting chair." Typical morning before nap time...

I have almost all of my knitting done for the charity events. Working on my last item. Took a small break from that this morning to finish up the first of Emma's stripey slippers -- she has one now, so hopefully that will push me to finish the second one! They match her easy peasy sweater, and the one completed slipper fits nicely.

Okay -- so I'm going to try to add a picture. Okay -- so I guess that puts the pictures at the beginning of the blog entry! ha ha I'll have to work on that. Anyways -- those pictures are a custom order that is no more! hee hee The customer wasn't in love with the pooling, so I have something to stock this weekend! :) They are a size small capri with a picot hem made of wonderful BFL from Wooly Wonders by Nada. I'm in LOVE with them, and very sad that they will not fit little girl. Though she's tiny, she needs a medium.

I'm planning to enter the Knitting Olympics -- but haven't decided on a project yet. I've got a about six possibilities, but cannot decide. When I do, I'll list my progress here, and then whoever decides to check on me can encourage me along the way! :) I'll be sure to post pictures of my progress, too.

Little girl is tired of standing...

Day two is always the hardest...

2006-01-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

ugh... after a very productive day yesterday, I'm having a hard time "getting going" today... I'm trying to stick to the Motivated Moms schedule, and I've only managed to check off one or two things this morning -- by this point yesterday, I had more than half the list done... I just have no energy.

I really need to accomplish something, though, so that I can sit down and knit during my hour of TV after lunch. If I sit down right now, I'll feel a tad guilty. Yes, the knitting is my job now, but taking care of this house is also my job, right? MUST stay motivated!!!

I think I'm in denial over all the things I have to knit in the next few weeks. It doesn't help that the only actual store order is waiting for yarn, but I have other things to finish up -- mocs for a friend, and the rest of my trade with another friend. Then all the things I commited to for the charity auctions... oh yes, the charity auctions. I keep thinking they are so far away, but really, they aren't. I have to knit several things for them, too. I may sit down and do the keychain today, since that shouldn't take too long. And that will be one set complete. But then, I have to finish a nearly done pair of pants, make a newborn soaker, and make a large pair of shorts. And heavens, I hope that I'm not forgetting anything!!!

Must stay off this computer -- it sucks me in... ha ha!

Time flies!

2006-01-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

Well, the holidays have come and gone. I didn't get nearly as much knitting done as I hoped I would... and I still haven't gotten much better at keeping up with this blog. I really should try harder -- I think its good for me to "let things out" and "think out loud"...

I had originally planned to knit Christmas gifts for everyone in my family, and in Don's family, but that didn't exactly happen as planned. I got a scarf knit for my littlest sister, and a hat started for my other little sister... Was going to knit a hat for my brother, but he bought one and said not to worry about it. I'll knit him something next year... hm... maybe a tie -- he has to wear ties most of the time at school... and there was that pattern in the latest Interview Knits... why didn't I think of that before!!! :)

anyways... back on track... um, well, I knit slippers for both of my parents -- felted mocs for my Dad and stripey slippers for my mom (Little Turtle Knits patterns). Haven't gotten anything done for the in-law's yet, though. I think I'll just get gift cards (we're getting kinda past the holiday season now) for most of them, but still knit a hat for my brother in law -- he's in the air force. :)

I made an easy peasy sweater for Em, and have one almost done for J, but ran out of yarn. Have a solution in mind, but waiting on the yarn to arrive... At any rate, that's as far as I got with personal knitting before I had to start with business knitting again. have whipped out two pairs of small pants, and half of a large pair in the last week... must catch up and hopefully even get ahead -- I have a list of things that I really really want to make for the kids.

so much has happened...

2005-11-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

....since I last posted an entry in here! Wow -- I can't believe its been so long...

Well, remember that goal of starting a business in the next two years? Check that one off the list! www.sweetknits.com is now open for business! I'm so thrilled to be in this with Kristin, and I'm excited to be able to continue knitting without hoarding all the lovely things for myself!! ha ha

We opened the store on October 31st, and I had a sale that very day! Granted, it was a friend, but a sale nonetheless! Sold a custom cabled cap -- knit it up in two days and sent it off. My friend seems very happy with it! Can't wait to see pics of her son wearing it. Our instock has been just sitting there, though. That can get depressing, but I can understand. I guess most people like things knit to their specifications. Who wouldn't? Its not THAT big of a deal, I guess. If they don't sell, I can either auction them, or gift the smalls and keep the mediums for DD and large for DS. The store has been getting traffic, but no buyers. But, thats how things have to start, right?

I did offer a semi-custom slot with some yummy Carmel Apple 2ply Targhee yarn --- and that was snatched up in less than a day. I was soooo excited! My first sale to someone who isn't a close friend! (I always worry that friends buy just cuz they are friends, you know?) I'm making good time on the semi-custom. Medium picky pants and a matching cabled cap. I just have to do the second cuff on the pants, and then insert the elastic in the waist and weave in my ends. The cap should take no more than two days to do (less, if the children cooperate with me). So, I'm WAY ahead of schedule.

I do have a custom order list going already, which is great... still waiting on the yarn to arrive for those, though. I'll be making large or toddler picky pants for one customer out of some yummy organic NZ merino, and then two pairs of large longies for another customer out of BFL from Nada. Those will keep me quite busy, I'm sure, since they are larger sizes. But, I'm hoping to be able to open a few more semi-custom slots in the store, too. I just got some very nice yarn from Mosaic Moon, and I have more coming from Little Turtle Knits and Beemer Knits.

Needless to say, I'm excited!

Oh, and all those Christmas mocs? Well, I've finished one pair -- I think those will be down-time projects!! ha ha Of course, I have yarn coming this week for pants/sweaters for my kids, too... so maybe I'll finish a few of the mocs and then do the rest for next year.

I'm buried in Peace Fleece!!!

2005-08-29T09:53:00.000-07:00

First off, I can't believe how fast that order came in!! Placed the wholesale order on Monday night, and it arrived on Wednesday! Talk about super fast shipping! DH and I worked on winding some of it last night -- that was an adventure. Just when he finished helping me out of a knotted mess (avoiding some frustrated words), he got into one himself. ha ha But, we got two skeins wound -- enough to start a pair of LTK felted mocs. Everyone in the family is getting those for Christmas this year, and I need to be sure that I get them done.... Its probably not good to have so many projects in the works, but I do.

1) Scarf (Christmas present) residing in the car for knitting while riding.
2) Mocs (Christmas present) - started an adult men's pair last night.
3) Longies (LTK - for my son) - I'm stalling on this one -- have to kitchener the crotch and then start the legs, but I'm nervous about the double pointed needles.
4) Baby Gnome (baby gift) - using some leftover yarn from my kids longies for this... Love how its knitting up, but I'm trying to focus on the mocs right now -- at least this one pair.

Its hard to keep up!! I've got a ton of friends having babies, and I'm trying to knit for all of them -- gnomes for the girls and woolie balls for the boys and older siblings... ugh... Good thing those knit up fast -- I can make a wool ball in an hour, if I can sit and do it without interruption.

Plus, I have yarn here waiting to be knit into LTK halter tops for my daughter and me, an off-the-shoulder sweater for SIL (maybe), LTK apron tops for my daughter -- and I'd like to use some leftover yarn for doll shirts and soakers, too. Not to mention the flirty-skirty, the picky pants, and other LKT patterns I'm planning to make. Oh, and I bought that Paton's Merino for the Aubrey Doodlepants patterns... UGH!!! Too much running through this new knitterly mind!!!

Must take a break from this for my show!! :)

plans in progress

2005-08-08T06:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I've got a game plan... sort of...

My goal is to become a WAHM within the next year and a half. I'd like to go into business with my friend K -- knitting diapering items. I've already got the patterns from LTK and I finished my first soaker on Saturday -- of course, the rise was WAY too big, so I took a picture and then frogged the project. But, I restarted it yesterday and have the waistband done, and probably just over an inch beyond that. I'm making a large instead of a toddler size this time...

I'd like to have made at least one of each of the LTK diapering patterns by the end of the year, and have samples ready to send in to T no later than next spring. I'll be talking more with T when she gets back from vacation. In the meantime, I'm knitting and planning and knitting some more...

I've got three projects in the works right now -- two are in the final seaming stages, and then there's the soaker that I restarted yesterday. I've got six more projects planned out on paper -- all the supplies for those projects are purchased and either here, or will be here this week...

I'd really love some nice bamboo needles -- but those will have to be "someday" -- hopefully someday soon... The aluminum needles are fine for now, and I do have that one set of birch needles that I absolutely adore...

DH is completely supportive of my possible knitting business. He was very impressed with that soaker I made (even though it had to be frogged)... And truth be told, I did better on that one than I'm doing on the one I'm doing now... I've got a couple little mistakes that I just didn't feel like stopping to rip out and fix -- they aren't bad mistakes -- I covered them. But, this soaker will definitely NOT be a sample -- I just want to have it done so that DS can use it... The yarn coming for DD's soaker should arrive within the next couple days, and I'm on a timeline for THAT project...

Its funny -- I've dabbled in so many things... I really want to work from home doing something I enjoy... I'm taking a writing class, and a medical claims and billing class -- both of which I've invested hundreds of dollars in... and I do still want to finish them -- I really think that I *could* get a part-time (maybe one or two mornings a week?) job with the medical claims/billing, I could write at my leisure (hopefully making a little bit of money...), and still spend most of my time at home with my kids -- and knitting during naps and evenings and when the kids are playing nicely... Knitting is just so fun for me, right now -- its relaxing. It would be so nice to be able to do it all, but seriously, if I had to pick one, I'd pick the knitting...

I have a bachelor's in Elementary Education -- I'm trained to teach -- and I'm a good teacher! But, I'd prefer to knit... Does that make me looney?

starting out

2005-08-05T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well, I've seen a lot of people with blogs now, and deciding to try it for myself... the kids are actually napping at the same time, which is rare -- gives me some quiet moments... thinking about knitting -- I'm finding it to be a good pasttime. I enjoy doing it and really hope that it will work out to make a business of it... Guess we'll see, huh?