Skate booties make me smile.

Seriously, how can you not smile when you see these? The basic pattern is Stay-On Baby Booties from Churchmouse Yarns. I made the worsted weight version with Berroco Comfort. The blades are something I made up using some shiny silver embroidery floss. It is too bad these are promised to someone or I would keep them for myself.

May you all have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!

S

Hot for Teacher

Finished the Clapotis KAL. I am in love with this beautiful wrap. I want to crank up the air to make it cold enough so I can wear it all day. Right now it is on display at Firefly Fibers to keep that urge at bay.

Today is a nervous and exciting day for me as I begin my career as a knitting teacher. I have, in the past, taught countless people to knit. So why am I nervous now? Maybe it is the classroom setting. Maybe the fact that people are paying to take this class. Maybe I am just afraid that my skirt will be tucked into my underwear and no one will let me know (should I go with pants tonight?). I think that my biggest worry is that sometimes (insert always) I have a problem getting my thoughts out into understandable words. I get tripped up with language. My hands and my brain know just what to do but my mouth does not know how to explain it. This can be most frustrating to all involved. On the up side I am teaching knitting basics tonight. That is my favorite thing to teach. I love sharing the joy that is knitting. I also have a wonderful group of people filling me with confidence. That said, I am sure the evening will run smoothly. I best be off and get the last bits together.

S

Happy Independence Day!

Yesterday the flag socks were finished. The kids and I think they turned out pretty great. Not sure of the yarn brand as it was mixed in with the stash I got when my sister was told she could no longer knit (sucks for her, great for me). The pattern is something that I just knit. There is nothing written out.

I have to admit, knitting socks for the kids is great. They go so much faster, I can get as crazy as I want with the color and pattern, and the kids get so excited whenever they see me cast on another pair.

July 1 started the Firefly Fibers Knit Along. We are working on the Clapotis. This is a pattern that I never thought I would make but am really glad was picked. Sometimes the patterns that I would never pick myself end up being my favorite projects. The pattern is easy to memorize.  There is a technique of dropping stitches on purpose that I have never tried before. I will let you know how it works once I get there.   Crystal Palace Mini Mochi in 107 is the yarn I picked to make mine. It will be luscious with my brown wool coat this fall and winter. I can't wait.

The weekend is just about to get started. We don't have any huge plans just cookout, fireworks, beer, and family time. I did agree to dog sit for two of my neighbors this weekend. I will probably bring my knitting along and relax. Best wishes to all and have a safe and fun 4th.

S

Summer Fun

Summer is in full swing. How could it be that the kids have been home from school for almost a month already?  I believe there is a pile of papers from the last day of school that still have to be sorted. With summer school, golf lessons, movies, and swimming the time just flies by.

Lately I have been going through a stage where nothing I knit looks right. It has been quite frustrating to say the least. It seems that every single project I have cast-on has been ripped out at least 3 times (thank goodness for high quality yarn).  Given the issues stated, I have quite a few projects on the needles.

First is a variation on the Alpaca Baby Shawl knit out of Unisono #1210.  Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan this pattern. When I first started to knit it with this yarn, however, it just did not look right. The yarn has beautiful color changes and flecks of other colors here and there. I think that the lace sections were taking away from the beauty of the yarn. I ripped it out and decided to knit the blanket as is just omitting the lace. I am thrilled with the result. The beast part is that this yarn is infused with aloe and jojoba so it is like a mini spa treatment for my hands while I work on it.

Second is a baby sweater. I used 2 different colors of Plymouth Dreambaby DK and 2 different variegated sock yarns (can't remember brand or colorway, just leftovers from the stash). The pattern is Easy Baby Sweater and Hat by Plymouth.  This is such a plain and simple pattern. I love switching it up with different fibers and yarn weights, it makes the end result pretty unique. That and I can usually finish this project in a day or two.

Finally, more pictures of the sock blanket. It is starting to get to the size where I don't want to work on it unless I am in an air-conditioned space.  I still have over 100 mini skeins waiting to be added but I have not worked on this in the past few weeks.

There are still a few projects not mentioned, but I will save those for another day.  

Happy Knitting.

S

Sock Obsession

Spring has sprung and with it comes all the spring activities. I have been working on the gardens, going to soccer matches, and chaperoning school field trips. Those things and more leave little time for knitting. I try to fit it in when I can.

This is a scarf I knit as a store sample for a new yarn shop opening soon in Beaver Dam, WI called Firefly Fibers. The yarn is Cascade 220 Quatro in 9433 colorway. The pattern is Eyelet Scarf from 60 Quick Knits. This Thursday I will be bringing the yarn in to the shop and, if I ask real nice, the owner Alisa may just let me take pictures to give everyone a preview.

 My favorite obsession is still my sock blanket. I am always trying to fit in time to knit "just one more square".

 I started getting nervous when I used all the sock yarn I had and there were only 2 1/2 rows of the blanket finished. I did a bit of searching on Ravelry and found a group called Blankie Mania. Let me just say, the yarn swap is a life saver if you are working on a blanket like this.

There are at least 40 mini-skeins of all sorts of yarn just waiting to get on this blanket. If only I could press the pause button on life and get them added.......

S

Saturday quickie - Sock Memories Blanket

Quite a while ago I came across the Sock Yarn Blanket by Shelly Kang.  I read as she documented the progress on her blanket.  The finished project is stunning.  I have been planning on starting my own version of this blanket for months and finally got going on April 1. I made only two adjustments to the original pattern.  First I cast on 45 sts per square.  Second I decided against the I-cord edging.

My blanket after day one.

And after day two.

My goal is to use only yarn that I have personally worked with.  If that turns out to not be enough yarn I will either continue to add as I make more socks OR I will branch out and use yarns from wherever I can get them.  

Knitting this blanket has proven to be pretty addictive.  As soon as I get a square finished I need to cast on another.  I have a mental list of the next 4 yarns that I will use and where they will go.  I have not really done anything else since starting this blanket (just ask my hubby, he will confirm that the couch cushion  has perfectly molded to the shape of my arse).  Heck, it was hard enough to put down the needles so I could write this blog post.

Better go, the yarn is calling.

S

Saturday quickie (a day late) - MKG Knit-In

Yesterday I went to the Madison Knitters Guild Knit-In. I had such a great time. It was a day filled with shopping, eating, classes, and friends. I plan on writing up quite a bit more about it, but as this is a Saturday quickie I will stick to my brush with knitting fame.

I was lucky enough to meet Kay and Ann of Mason-Dixon Knitting

And Franklin Habit photographer and awesome knitting guy.

More on classes and purchases later.

S

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Olympic goals reached!

Lately I have been doing so much knitting it has been hard to find time to fit in much else.  It was my goal to finish four projects that were on the needles during the Olympics.  I am thrilled to report that all four are complete.

Project one was the Citron shawl.  I used the beautiful and SO soft Beaded Pearls and Sequins from ArtYarns in solid color 2204.  This shawl is the most light, soft, and luscious thing I have ever knit.  Quite often when I walk by it I can't help picking it up and wrapping it around my face for a bit.  I wish I could post a touchy swatch to share.  Seriously, if you get a chance and you want to make something truly lovely, this is the yarn to use.

Project two was the Alpaca Baby Shawl.  This baby blanket, knit out of Caron Simply Soft, was such a fun little knit.  I am not usually a fan of afghans but I think that knitting this as a square made it much more interesting.  I hope to one day make this out of a nice alpaca or llama but I chose the Simply Soft because it is, after all, a baby blanket and needs to be machine washable.

Project three was a pair of "tiger" socks for C.  My dear middle child loves the socks I knit for him and that makes me want to make him more and more.  C saw the yarn Tiger from Knit Picks and had to have it.  I used my basic sock pattern and knit it up in a 4x1 rib. I think they look great on him.

Finally, project four was the Mark Cohen scarf I made for my hubby.  The pattern and yarn info for the scarf can be found in a previous post.  This scarf seemed to take forever to complete but I think the result is worth it.

As you can imagine, I felt a little lost after that.  I don't think that I have ever had all my WIP's (work in progress) finished at the same time.  Not to worry, I have remedied that by starting another four projects.  Oh, just an FYI, the coat tree used to display some of the knits was made by my very talented father-in-law, Roger.

S

I *heart* NY or Mark Cohen scarf

Yes, I am back. While on my blogging break I was quite busy.  The week before last I was prepping for O's 7th birthday tea party.  We had 9 little girls in hats and dresses. By the end of the day I was exhausted, but the party was a huge success.

Last week my Hubby had to travel to NYC on business, leaving me a single mom to 3 kids and 2 dogs. Things were fine. I had everything running like a well oiled machine. My one issue was jealousy.  My Hubby has now been to NYC two times and already has tickets for another trip.  I have never been and simply ache to go.  To rub it in he kept the Empire State Building in the background when we would talk over Skype as it was the view from his window.  He did win points when he brought me home this bag.  I have always wanted an I *heart* NY tote.  This is a shiny PVC bag, nice and thick.  Perfect for traveling my knitting around during the messy Wisconsin winter.

Finally, on  to some knitting.  A week ago Hubby, The Teen, and I went and saw RENT: The Broadway Tour.  Now, some would say that my Hubby looks a bit like Anthony Rapp (who plays Mark Cohen) and I agree.  Knowing that, it was decided that he needed to have a scarf like the one in Mark wears in the show (that way he can be a proud RENT-head and not be over obvious).  As you can see, I started making the scarf.  I cast-on 100 sts on size 5's and started going round and round.  After about 5" I started thinking the scarf looked a bit too wide.  3.5' later I finally decided it was something I could not live with (I have proved I am a true knitter by knitting 3' of scarf knowing that it was too wide, I would not be happy, and would have to take it out.)  Last night I gave in.  I cut the yarn that I was working with, used it to cast-on, and now I am knitting the new scarf from the too wide one.  I am much happier with it and think it will be awesome.  Oh, I also found a pattern to use as a guide  Classic Rugby Strip Scarf from Oddball Knitting. I chose to do an invisible cast-on so that both ends will look the same. Also, I really like the way a 3 needle bind-off finishes the end of a scarf especially when you are planning on adding fringe. I changed the stripe count to 30 rows per stripe.  Yarn, Plymouth Yarn Company Dreambaby D.K. in colors 120 (navy), and 0100 (white).

S

Hearts for Olivia

I finally Have all my ducks in a row and my pattern has gone up on Ravelry.  It was published in the first on-line edition of Knitcircus Magazine Issue #9.  This has been such an interesting journey.  I have to admit, it feels pretty good to be able to say that I am now, officially, a published designer.

Oh, and speaking of official, yesterday I received my certificate from the Craft Yarn Council saying that I am a certified knitting instructor.  15 more hours and I will be a certified knitting teacher.

My camera is spending the week in New York City so I am not sure how much I will be able to post.  I suppose I could post without pictures but that does seem a bit boring..... we shall see.

S

Saturday Quickie - Ribbed for her pleasure

The hard case for my Blackberry had been in the process of breaking for months.  A few days ago it finally threw in the towel.  Deciding I was not in the mood to order another, I set my sights on making a sweet little cozy for it.  I did a bit of looking on Ravelry and found a pattern for an ipod sock which can be found here.  I used some leftover sock yarn and knit this up in an afternoon.

I am really happy with how this turned out and will never buy a case for my electronics again.

S

Super Secret Project pictures and review

The SSP was finished on time, wrapped, and gifted.  I am so excited with how it turned out and even more excited to share pictures.

For the life of me I can't remember what yarn I used. Knit night is tonight (if they do not cancel)  so I will check on the name of the yarn and post it in the comments later if anyone is interested.  The hat was knit up on size 2 needles.  First I tried doing the Liver bird (for that is what the pic is) with intarsia.  I started over many times, taught the kids some new swear words, and finally decided duplicate stitch was the way to go.

I want to thank Elizabeth for posting her Liver bird chart.  I truly believe if I had to add charting the bird, this project would never have started.  I am debating writing up the pattern and putting it on Ravelry, but I am not sure yet.


As far as I know my hubby is thrilled with his hat.  I think it looks great on him.  Hopefully he will wear it during matches and Liverpool F.C. will do a bit better from now on.

I have a bunch of new projects started but that is a post for another day.  


S

Saturday quickie - Thank you note and SSP update

It is DONE!  The SSP is wrapped and ready to gift.  I hope to have pictures, modeled by my hubby, up Monday.

This morning I got the urge to make a cute little thank you note.I decided to knit up a wee tiny sock and attach it to a note card.  The end result turned out quite darling if I do say so myself.

The penny is in the picture so you can get an idea of size.  The pattern is Jennifer's Mini-Sock Recipe and the yarn is some left over Misti Alpaca sock.  

Have a great weekend!

S

Madison Knitters Guild meeting.

Last night I met up with Alisa and went with her to the MKG meeting. 

The guest speaker was Susan Anderson, author of the wonderful Itty Bitty series of knitting books.  She was so great. I could have listened to her for hours. The picture is a bit blurry as she did not like to stand still while talking. After listening to her and seeing her beautiful patterns I have decided that I must own all three of her books. I only wish I would have got them before last night so I could have had them all signed.

At the guild meetings there is a market.  In the market was La Bella Vita where I got the Artyarns silk with beads and sequins in this gorgeous teal color. I already have a pattern picked out for this and it is taking all my will power to wait and cast it on when I am done with the projects I have  going already.

From the La Bella Vita shop I also got these two hanks of Sandy's Palette Merino Sox. I could not pick which color I like best so I had to get both.

The other shop featured in the market was The Dragonfly Yarn Shop where I got this great sock yarn by Lorna's Laces. I use Lorna's a lot and love the socks I get from it.  I am pretty sure this yarn will be made into a pair for me. Can't you just see them with my new shoes?  I think they will look perfect.

I am still working hard on the SSP and have put most other projects aside for now.  I hope that I will be done with it in time. All the projects I have made for hubby so far have been given to him as yarn so I could work on them in front of him. This year I really want to be able to give him a finished project. I want him to be able to put it on and wear it right out of the wrapping.  That said, I better get back to my knitting.

S

Saturday quickie - Grandma slippers

O was telling me how cold her feet were in the morning and the evening and could I please get her some slippers. I asked if she would like me to make her some like my Grandma used to make me.  She said yes. Here are the resulting slippers.

Made with some leftover Encore worsted.  Pattern can be found here.  There is and error in the pattern and for the life of me I can't find it unless I am knitting it.  One of these days I will write it down. I just usually knit these while watching good TV cause this is a pattern you don't have to pay too much attention to.


That is it for my Saturday quickie. Now back to getting the Christmas out of my house.


S

Finished socks and new shoes.

A few days later than I had hoped, the socks are now complete.  I am really happy with how they turned out.

I have to add a picture of the socks in action with my new shoes bought for the purpose of showing off all my lovely hand knit socks

I am quite fond of these shoes.  They are SO comfy and can be worn with almost anything. You can't quite tell from the picture, but the leather is brown and black.  I bought them online at my favorite shoe shopping site, Zappos.

Since I like to have a sock going at all times I cast-on a pair for O.  I had made her a pair of socks from this yarn before but she grew out of them right away.  I was initially just going to add length to the foot and knit a new toe.  Deciding that the original pair was too boring I ripped them out completely to reknit the whole thing.

This is a ankle length sock in 4x2 rib with a 2st cable going down the center of the knit section (my own design, thank you).  I am loving how it is turning out.  I just may have to make a pair for me.  The yarn is some leftover TOFUtsies in color 926.  I am a big fan of this yarn. I plan to knit many more pairs of socks out of it in many different colors. 

As I said in my last post I was going to start on the super secret project.  Well, I have started it and things are moving along pretty quickly.  I am happy with the results so far.  My worry is that I can't start on the tricky part for a while.  I will have to have the project almost done before I will really know if this method will relay the WOW that I am going for.  I tried to take a picture of the SSP but the camera can't get close enough (without being fuzzy) to not give away what the project is.  You will  have to wait along with Bradd to see it finished.  Maybe I will even be able to convince him to model it.

S

Regrets and updates

I regret to inform you that as of today the super secret project(SSP) still has yet to be started.  Trying to figure out why that is, I have come up with the following guesses. Maybe it is because I don't have a pattern and I am not sure how to proceed ( I have started and ripped out more times than I care to mention).  Maybe it is because now that I am blogging about my knits I feel that I need to keep my works in progress down to a manageable number.  Maybe it is simply because I am lazy and the yarn is all the way downstairs and I would have to go down there and get it.  No matter what the excuse my Hubby's birthday is fast approaching and I want to wow him with the SSP.  Today I will dive in.  If I have to rip the thing out a dozen more times so be it. The yarn will just have that "worn" look to it :)


Now for some updates on the projects that have been taking up most of my time.

The socks are moving along quite quick. I love how the colors are working up. The finished sock looks a bit bigger because I have been trying it on.  I have been known to wear the finished sock while working on the one in progress as motivation.  I choose to believe that is a completely normal practice and will continue to do so because it is fun.

My sweater is looking great too. I have the body done up to the underarm.  Now I am working on making the sleeves so I can attach them to the body before continuing.  I am doing the invisible cast on with the sleeves. With a sweater like this it is hard to determine how long to make each sleeve.  This way I can pick up the live stitches at the wrist end and either add or subtract a few inches then knit the cuff.  I am really looking forward to putting this sweater on once it is finished. It will be so warm and snuggly.


Alright, time to go and start the SSP.  Wish me luck.  


S