Category: Blog

I suppose it is the break in the rain that has me feeling like cleaning out. I worked on our 2 hall closets, our bedroom closet & next I move on to the kids closets. I can brag that I am a fairly organized person so luckily it hasn’t been much of a challenge. It’s been nice to get rid of the things that we haven’t used in this house since we moved in about 2 years ago.

Knitting on the stripey sweater is moving right along. I finished the first arm, now I am over half done with the second arm. I took a poll at knitting group on Monday and it was decided that I can do the back in solid red (same as the arms) so that I don’t have to battle with doing the striped pattern again & have about a trillion ends to weave in. Carrying them up the side was a serious pain in the ass. Oh but wait…I just noticed out of the corner of my eye that I bought those large yarn bobbins! Oh, now I may have to rethink doing stripes. I can totally wind the yarn on the bobbins! Duh, that is what they were invented & sold to me for! Well damnit! Thanks for the input ladies but now I have gone back to the original stripes. Don’t you love how you get to see my thought process’ work?? It is amazing!

I also started a sweater for Sadie, she needs a new cute fitted sweater. So I am thinking I will just do a simple 2×2 rib edge then stockinette body with raglan shaping & crew neck. In the round of course! Then I may do some fun embroidery on it, flowers or some such thing. It will be pretty plain since it is solid light blue. I am done with over half of the body. I may start the sleeves today depending on how the closet cleaning goes.

So there you have my Wednesday plans! Hope y’all have a rockin’ hump day too!!

Okay, I know there aren’t that many of you but I do apologize for making you all go through the work of clicking a link to my blog & then there being NOTHING of importance happening for over a week.

Now on to what has been happening!

I finished one sweater for myself out of handpaintedyarn in verdeatriana (green in laymen’s terms). I decided on Christmas Eve morning that since I was going to torture myself at my in-laws I may as well have some knitting to deter me from spewing hateful words all day. Okay it wasn’t that bad, I just dread being in large groups of people. I would rather be home with my husband & kids knitting, truth be told. Back to the sweater… I cast on 190 on size 9 circ’s. Did a 2×2 rib border in the orange then switched to the green. I continued knitting in the round, did some shaping at 3″ then continued until I had the body the correct length to add the arms. The arms were done on dpn’s of the same size and worked straight for 3″ before I started the increases. I like the sleeves to be more fitted the entire arm instead of ballooning. Once I had the body & sleeves joined on one circ needle I started the raglan shaping. I used Elizabeth Zimmerman’s magical % pattern for the rest of the sweater. I have to say that Knitting Without Tears has been the most impressive, mind altering knitting experience I have ever had. It completely changed how I think about knitting. There are no more mysteries or things to be scared of. You just do it…no questions asked. Well there was one tiny flaw that I did have to frog about 6″ of the body to remedy then continue. But it didn’t freak me out to do it, I just ripped that b* out & kept on knitting. So I cast on on the 24th, had about 3″ done by the end of that long torturous day and completed the sweater on the 27th. Fast, fast, fast! I love knitting in the round!! Love it!  Once I had the sweater all completed I decided to add some fun accoutrements, I picked up 50 stitches going up the outside of the sleeve in the orange & knit 3 rows for a pseudo-flap. I did the same thing along one of the front raglan shapings. SO once I get buttons sewn on it will look like it unbuttons & opens! Ingenious! I just have to get over to Craft Essentials someday & get buttons. I looked through my button stash & I don’t have enough to make it work. I am so pleased with myself & this sweater that I could just jump for joy! It makes me want to start about a hundred more projects but I will restrain myself & only start a dozen.

I also finished a scarf out of some really fun green yarn in a fan & feather variation. I have yet to block it or sew in the ends. That will get done eventually I am sure. I need to make my sister in law a scarf too. I told her I would on Christmas Eve, damn the happy holiday spirit! Just kidding!

One of my husbands employees came over to the house today & he had on a hat that some other girl had crocheted him. WHAT?!? Total betrayal, I let him know it too! He is only allowed to wear the hats that he is lucky enough for me to bestow upon him, doesn’t he know that?? So totally lame!

So that is that & I will be on here more often I am thinkin’!

Knitting group was fun last night & it got me back in the social realm again. I guess I have to come out of my protective cocoon now….sigh…I so enjoyed it!

Wishing everyone a very merry Christmas! Hope everyone is snuggled up like a bug knitting away with all the new yummy goodies you opened today! (see…I’m a poet & I didn’t even know it!)

Happy Holidays!

I am attaching a letter that I received entailing the intracacies of handpaintedyarn & sanfelipesantiago’s shipping process’. Here you go!

I really was hoping that today would have been a kick-ass knitting day. But, alas, no such day for me. Stress about work (the hubby’s co. & Tracy’s job, that is), in-laws coming into town, bday tomorrow (and no Disneyland trip ), and I still have not finished the last felted bag for Tyler’s teacher.

So, as of now, 7pm, I am about half finished with the bag. It shouldn’t be too bad to finish but I just can’t seem to go really, really fast like I need to. Also making up the stripe pattern has a tendency to slow me down, I find myself just staring at the pattern & not moving on. Hello?!?!Anyone home (echo, echo, echo)?!?! Jayme came over this morning since she didn’t have to work until 2 and knit a virus. Of course she used her own handdyed, handspun yarn to make it. It’s for a visitor friend…no names until he or she receives it.

I had major stash enrichment today!! I will post pics of the actual yarn I received but until daylight tomorrow you will have to make do with what I put up now. Here is the lace merino Tracy & I have been waiting since October to receive

Here is some wool sock weight yarn from sanfelipesantiago on Ebay

Also some of the beautiful verdeatriana from handpainted yarn

As well as some of their natural merino (possibly for dying, haven’t decided yet)

Of course I will post a picture of the stash all in one. It’s so soft & woolly…I could sleep with it all. I might have a bit of trouble actually getting the hanks to ball up correctly but hey, it would be a good nights sleep finally!

I posted a new photo to WorksinProgressPhotos.

I posted a new photo to WorksinProgressPhotos.

So in the midst of knitting projects & acquiring a new angora bunny, we are getting a new piano. Unfortunately my living room is barely big enough to hold the 5 of us let alone much furniture. So I am in the middle of furniture moving. Luckily my couches are easy to move. So I am trying to move only the easy to move objects. What I would like to do is move the entire room around…entertainment center, 2 bookshelves, antique mini dresser, 2 couches, 1 1/2 chair, coffee table & the Tannenbaum. (bytheway, that last period. had a lot of emphasis put on it ;o))

Tracy be forwarned that the living room will be thrashed when you get here in the morning. I am really hoping that I can get the piano in without losing one of the couches. My brain tells me it is possible but right now I have little faith in my brain!

I will post a picture of the finished bag, it’s not felted yet. I think I will do that in the morning. Instead of doing a boring St st or garter st handle I did it in horseshoe cables to spice it up a bit. I haven’t felted those cables before but hey adventure in knitting is fun!! So I will go get a picture now, forgive the background…you will see things that noone should see of my living room. (How can I be so vain?? Oh that’s right…it’s my mom’s fault!;o))

Today was the day for sewing the charity blankets. Tracy, Erin and Jayme came over for coffee & sewing on my living room floor. Below are the photos of the first finished blanket. Unfortunately I didn’t think of actually taking pictures of us all hunched over while sewing them together.

We had enough squares for one blanket & only 4 short for the second blanket.  So tonight or tomorrow I will get the others done so that we have enough to complete the second blanket. Anyone else for a sewing circle??? Coffee & snacks on me!! Any takers let me know. I am hoping maybe Monday morning, the 20th? Great…

On other knitting fronts, last night at Good Cup was fun…Laura was finally there! Woohoo for Laura! She was making the cutest little fish that I have ever seen! Of course I have no picture. Someday I may actually think to take pictures of what I may post about. Duh!

I have one bag for a teacher almost done, I only need to make the handle and then felt it. I am thinking I will just make it an open tote bag. I wanted to do a messenger bag but I think I will like it better once it is felted, the size of the bag that is,  without the flap. So that is that.  I will get that done tonight & get the other bag started. Hopefully I won’t fall asleep while knitting. That has been happening a bit lately. I think I may be fighting off that cold that has knocked out two thirds of Santa Barbara County.

I am excited about the charity blankets….I am thinking that a 30″x30″ square blanket isn’t so difficult to make so maybe I will just make one here & there, in between projects. Also caps for the babes. My daughter, Sadie, has been so into crocheting but frustrated because she isn’t actually finishing her first project (she wanted to make a round rug for her cousin Allie’s room). Tiny baby caps are perfect little projects to make yourself feel accomplished! I think that is a great idea! Pat myself on the back for that one, crochet & charity all in one lesson! Good girl!

I posted a new photo to FinishedprojectsPhotos.