Christmas time is here

Though there may not be much evidence of it here, I have been knitting in the past month! It seems like there hasn't been enough time in the day to try to get everything done and document it, too.

Allow me to show off the latest Finished Object: the Celtic Cable Pillows

Pattern: cable pattern taken from The Knit Stitch Bible
Yarn: Cascade Eco Wool, doubled
Needles: Denise Interchangeable, size 11 US
Date Started: November 20, 2006
Date Finished: Seamed and stuffed on December 16, 2006
Finished size: 9 inches square

These pillows are my Christmas gift to my sister, Heather, and my new brother-in-law, Spencer. I'm hoping that they'll enjoy them as much as I have been able to in the past month. Spencer loves Celtic mythology and even has a large Celtic cross tattooed on his upper arm, so I spent a lot of time trying to find a Celtic cable that I thought he would appreciate.

As far as Christmas knitting goes, there isn't much left for me to do! Isaac's black hat is done and Owen's second sock is on toe decreases. I'm making a hackeysack for Jared and that has involved a little tinkering with the pattern, but is well on it's way now and should be finished by the end of the week. Mom's knitted goodies were done in August, and it's been fun seeing if I could really wait 4 whole months before giving them to her.

Once the Christmas knitting is finished I plan on bringing my UnGranny Smith sweater out of it's lonely knitting bag and working on that more. Plus, I bought the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino 2 book at my LYS on Saturday and I'm dying to cast on for something in there! I think that I have more post-Christmas knitting plans than I had Christmas knitting!!!

Humble Beginnings

Every project has a start and an end.

This is one beginning.



This is two and a half repeats of the first half of one Celtic Cable pillow. I'm really enjoying this cable pattern, and though I wouldn't have believed it at first the pattern is becoming almost intuitive now. The Cascade Eco Wool is knitting up with a nice sturdy fabric that gives the gables amazing definition! Another pleasant surprise is that I think I may have enough yarn to knit up two of these pillows, which will make sending this present twice as wonderful.

I'm trying to decide what knitting to bring with me on Thanksgiving. I'll have an hour ride in the car each way, plus some knitting time with my Mom before the festivities begin. I'm thinking some nearly finished socks for the car ride and perhaps the Celtic Cable pillow for pre-festivities knitting.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! This year I'm thankful for so much that I can scarcely put it all together in my head, let alone on paper (or computer). But I treasure each of these blessings in my heart.

Visualization

I have no pictures to show you of any of these things I'm going to talk about today. Why? Because I've been a bad blogger and have worked on many fun things without taking a single picture.

I'm about 7 inches in on the back of my UnGranny Smith cardigan. I'm really getting into this project and love the shaping. I'm using Rowan Cashcotton DK in the Sage color and if I haven't said it before, I'm so glad that I splurged on the yarn. (Seriously, I bought my LYS out of it.)

Though I'm loving my green cardigan, I had to put it down last night. See, I've been procrastinating on something that I should have decided on a while ago. Last night I wound up some Cascade Eco Wool in the Ecru color and started swatching. Pleased with my results, I started digging through my Knitting Stitch Bible to find what I was looking for. Behold! There it is! The Celtic Cable, done over 24 stitches. It's perfect! I doubled the yarn and worked on size 11 US Denise needles and I'm happy with what I'm seeing so far. This will end up being a pillow for my sister and I'm hoping that it will make it to her in San Diego before Christmas. My new brother-in-law loves Celtic folklore and has a large Celtic cross tatooed on his upper arm, so I know it's something that both of them will enjoy.

In the next day or two I'm hoping to get some pictures of both of these up here, plus show off an FO that I'm really enjoying!

Now for some audience participation... what project have you been procrastinating on and why?

2 FOs and 1 WIP

With the agreement in place that I could touch it whenever I wanted, I finished knitting Bryan's hat on Friday night and it spent a couple of days in the blocking process. Wool/Alpaca blends aren't the prettiest smelling things when wet and this hat was no exception. A few soaks in the sink with some Eucalan did help and Bryan impatiently waited for his hat to dry. It does my heart good that he's worn it every day since Monday.



While digging in the clearance section of my LYS, I found one lonely skein of yarn that called out to me. I love it's colors, the repeats, the texture. Wouldn't it be even better if I could remember what the name of the yarn was? In any case, I decided that it really wanted to be a hat for Owen. So for $3.00 I made a yarn's dream come true. I spent 3 hours making this hat. It's nothing special, but Owen really likes it and I've gotten several compliments on it. I was a little nervous about how much yarn I had left so I added a couple of striped rounds in there using some of the leftover yarn from his sweater last year. Then that made the hat too big so I hand felted it a tad and then tossed it in the dryer. Viola! Perfect!

This WIP is a little longer than most projects I take on, but I think that the end result will be more than worth it. I haven't always had good outcomes on projects like these, in fact this is my 5th WIP of this kind, but all signs indicate that we have a winner!

These may not be the best pictures, but if you look really close on the left bottom left you can see a little light round thing inside the bigger darker round thing. That bigger darker round thing is my uterus and the little light round thing inside of it is our baby with a strong heartbeat and doing lots of wiggling just to show off. We are at 10 weeks right now and doing great. I have been assured that the 24/7 morning sickness and persuant vomiting are a wonderful sign.

So expect to see some baby knits in the coming weeks (30 of them, more or less)! Any prayers you all would like to send my way would be greatly appreciated. We're not completely in the clear yet and won't be for another 6 weeks or so and this Momma is still nervous. But we're thinking positively!

Perfect

I want to knit here. I want to sit and look out at the view with soft yarn sifting through my fingers.

This is the view from the living room in the house that my parents are building. Isn't it beautiful? When the house is done there will be a large fireplace in the living room and lots of lush chairs to sink into. I think it may just be the perfect knitting place.

I've had several moments recently, when I look on what is around me and think that it's perfect. When my son comes up to me and says that he wants to cuddle with Mom. When I walk in to find my husband reading to our son or wrestling or making train noises together. Seeing the silhouette of my husband at the front door as he's coming home from work. Laughing on the phone with my sister or Mom. It's those moments that keep me going.


Mom sent me this picture today and as soon as I saw it I grinned! Jared and Dad out fishing in one of those perfect moments.

I've even had some perfect moments in my knitting! Last night I worked on Bryan's alpaca hat and it was a tactile treat. It's Elsebeth Lavold's Chunky AL and let me just say "YUM". Every time I pick it up I sigh in happy delight. Ever have a project like that? The temperatures have dipped down into the 40s in the morning and at night so Bryan is subtley letting me know that he's ready for me to finish it, but I'm just not ready to be done yet. Maybe he'll let me fondle it occasionally once it's done.

Still alive and knitting!

Life has been crazy for the past few weeks and it's been one thing right after another. Needless to say, my blog has been the one to suffer.

I have a brief update and it must be quick as I'm attempting to do this at work where we are also crazy busy!

First off, Owen is doing great. The surgeries went well and he's getting used to the idea of having to wear his cool new earplugs whenever he takes a bath or shower. We have his developmental screening set up for the end of November when he'll be evaluated for speech therapy. Thank you, everyone, for the prayers and good thoughts on 10/4!

We celebrated my slightly belated birthday on Saturday and I came away with quite a haul! Bryan gave me a gift certificate to Simply Fibers and I have plans for it already! Mom and Dad bought me the KnitPicks Options needles and the Knitting On The Road book. Plus, Mom made me a My Constant Companion bag which is huge and in fun, kicky colors. I'll try to get a picture of that this week. I absolutely love that bag!

On the knitting front, I've been trying to look for a yarn to make the UnGranny Smith cardigan from the Spring 06 Knitty. I want something that I can buy from my LYS, but finding a nice yarn in that gauge has not been something that I've had much luck with. Anyone have any ideas for me?

Until I find the perfect yarn for the UnGranny Smith, I continue to work on socks and have just started a hat for Bryan. The hubby even came with me to the LYS and picked out the yarn for his hat! The man chose Elsebeth Lavold's Chunky AL (50% Alpaca 50% Wool) in the moss color which in person is a very rich hunter green type color. He's quite smitten with the hat so far, which makes me a very happy knitter. Plus, I get to use this very luxurious feeling yarn so I am quite happy, indeed!

Enjoying the ride

Life hasn't been all sunshine and roses around here lately. We've had some fun times, but we've also had our share of trudging through the muck that life throws at you sometimes. Trying to get through that muck with your sense of humor intact seems to be the key to it all and, thankfully, that doesn't seem to be a huge problem for us! So here we are, enjoying the rollercoaster ride with all its ups and downs!

This post is full of ups! Come and admire with me...


Ah, the stitch pattern detail of My So Called Scarf. I'm not a big variegated yarn girl. It has it's place, (socks, anyone?), but I haven't used it much in my knitting. I fell in love with the way the variegated Manos shows off this pattern.


And here's the finished product! (See that cute kid? He doesn't come with the scarf.) I wore it to work on the first cold day after it was washed and blocked and got 15 compliments on it. I counted! It's the perfect width, length, everything. (Should I mention that I cast on for another one on Tuesday night?)

Project Details:
Pattern: My So Called Scarf, as seen on Sheep in the City
Needles: Denise Interchangeables, Size 11US
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay, color 113 - 2 skeins (used all but 3 inches)
Began: Monday, September 11
Completed: Sunday, September 17


While I'm showing things off... Behold! Bryan's birthday socks! They fit like a glove and he loves the color. He's worn them a couple of times so I suppose that they're a winner!

Project Details:
Pattern: Generic pattern in my mind
Needles: KnitPicks DPNS, size 1US (So sharp and perfect for splitty yarn!)
Yarn: Silja sock yarn, royal blue
Began: July 31, 2006
Completed: August 26, 2006
Given: September 10, 2006

I'm hoping to garner some good thoughts and prayers for us the next week. On Wednesday morning Owen goes in for minor surgery to place tubes in his ears and remove his adenoids. He's been battling chronic ear infections all through the late spring and summer and two weeks ago his right ear drum ruptured. The hope is that he'll be able to hear and speak much clearer after the tubes are in and that we won't have to spend the winter on antibiotics. I'm a bit of a nervous Momma when it comes to the thought of my kiddo having surgery, so my Mom is going to be with us in the hospital during all of this. As you can imagine, there will be much yarn in the waiting room! Thanks, friends!

Does size matter?

It may in garments, but not with scarfs and that's exactly why my newest project on the needles is a scarf. I'm still a little leery of starting another garment for myself considering how Cherry Bomb came out. A scarf is the perfect transition project for this kind of thing.

I had the perfect scarf yarn hiding away in my stash, 2 skeins of Manos del Uruguay in color 113. Then the search was on to find the perfect scarf pattern. I struck gold when I went through my bookmarked patterns and found My So Called Scarf, which just happened to use 2 skeins of Manos! And what clinched the deal is that I discovered that Stacey used colorway 113 for hers. It was fate!

My So Called Scarf is now approximately 12" long and is lovely. My yarn has more thick and thin areas than the one shown on Stacey's blog, but it has such an interesting look that I'm really liking it! The pattern has enough going on with it that it's not boring, but it's easy to do while watching a movie and also easy to pick up when interrupted.

Cherry Bomb

A bomb it is, not in the good way.



Exhibit A
Note the curl on the top at the neckline and the curl at the bottom. I have tried multiple ways to fix this and to no avail.



Exhibit B
I knew that I had lost a couple of pounds since starting this garment. I hadn't realized just how much I had underestimated the effect 10 pounds would have on it. I could have gone down at least one size and been okay.

I did get it finished in time to wear it tomorrow, but for the sake of my pride I am putting the tank top down and stepping away. We shall both be making a visit to the frog pond this week.

To end this on a happy note, I'd like to show this off:



This was one of my purchases last week when I visit Simply Fibers. Isn't it beautiful? I love the rich color and how the tone changes throughout the yarn. It was the first thing that I picked up when I walked in the door and the first thing that made it into my shopping bag when I paid for my purchases.

If you would like to compliment the yarn, you may direct your comments to Sarah as she is the creator of it. Well done, Sarah!

Ugh

I'm about to go escape from the world by taking my knitting and my iPod into bed with me. Before I do so I thought I'd do a quick update.

I finished Bryan's socks and they fit him beautiful. The big birthday party for Owen's 3rd birthday (Sunday) and Bryan's 29th birthday (Monday) is this Sunday and I'm so happy that I'll be able to give him his socks! Now the goal is to finish my tank top in time to wear it to the party on Sunday. As of this moment I'm about 1 inch away from the armhole shaping on the front and from there it'll be a breeze! The back is done and waiting for it's mate to be done and then a little blocking and seaming and I'll have another finished project!

Amazingly I only have two projects on the needles. The tank top that I'm hoping to finish before Saturday night and a pair of socks that will make their way into the gift box. I'm already looking for another project and am looking at the stash to see what I can use.

Speaking of stash, Bryan gave me the go ahead to spend a little money at the yarn store and I've been dying to show it off. That will have to wait until tomorrow night, though. I'm off to bed to cuddle with some yummy cotton.

It's Christmas in August!

I got my KSKS package! Oh. My. Gosh. Eva Doggen in Luxembourg, I love you so hard!!!

Take a look....


The full package. Look at all the stuff!


She sent goodies for Owen! He loves the cars and made me open them right away. See the cute little books? I looove them! And the two little packages on top hold a set of size US 0 dpns and a set of size US 1.5 dpns.


Here we have 2 skeins of sock yarn. Regia 4-fadig Splendid Color in blue and brown and Lana Grossa Weilenweit Cotton Multiringel in blues, purple and pink. There's also candy! Two for Owen and two for me (and Bryan). Dark chocolate and lemon candy. Yum.



A cute little bag for knitting notions, a wallet for my yarn money (great idea!), pens, pencils, stitchmarkers that are small enough for the size 0 needles. See that shiny metal thing? That holds your socks while you're not knitting on them. It's kind of like this one (scroll down).



Finally, the bag! Or should I say, bags! My poor pal went through 2 sewing machines while trying to make my bag, what a trooper. So instead, I got two bags. The white one has lots of pockets and I think could still make a nice knitting bag! The black one, well, wee the sheep? Too cute! All of the sheep stuff comes from Sheepworld. (www.sheepworld.de)

Eva, Thank you so much for everything. You didn't mention if you have a blog. Please let me know because I'd love to take a look!

Hello, KSKS Pal!

I had the honor and pure joy of getting to send a KSKS package to Gina of Sleepy Eyes. This is a woman that you all should know. She is a renaissance woman, with talents in everything from knitting to spinning and from yoga to Reiki. To see her sense of humor in action, I'd direct you specifically to this post and this post for examples.

Gina, it's been wonderful being able watch you from afar, (oh man, I sound like a stalker), and email with you about life in general. Because of you I don't mind being a process knitter and I can laugh about it!

Enjoy your package!!!

Brianne

Here's the thing...

For his birthday, which is coming up shortly, hubby has requested a pair of socks that aren't 1)stretchy 2)multi-colored 3)ill-fitting. So basically, they can't be anything like the first pair I made him. Being the wonderful wife that I am, and knowing much more about socks than I did in February, I recognize that the first pair was really horrendous and have agreed that he really does need some new knitted socks. (The man, God bless him, loves me and so wears the socks I made him in February. And because I love him, I don't want to make him wear them!)

I'm using Silja yarn in this lovely navy blue color

and KnitPicks DPNs in a size US 1.

One thing that I've learned is that it is very important to make sure that the sock fits before you make a matching one. Even if it means that your husband the recipient isn't surprised when they receive their gift. I'd like to think that having a properly fitting sock outweighs the fact that they know what you're making for them. With this in mind, I fitted the sock on Bryan frequently while knitting the first sock, which makes this second sock much easier. These socks? Oh, they fit amazingly.

The other thing is that I never realized just how long my hubby's feet are. Also? He's got very wide feet. This makes for a lot of knitting. I hope he realizes what a grand gesture of love this is. (Hubby also has a large head, which means that I'm not looking forward to the Christmas hat he's requested, though a hat will go by faster than socks.)

In other knitting news, I finished a secret Christmas present for my Mom. It finished blocking and I did the seaming tonight. I shall not being showing this one off until December 25th because Mom reads my blog!

For those of you who are doing some Christmas knitting, have you started yet? If not, when do you start?

What I haven't been doing

For one thing, updating my blog, for which I apologize!

Secondly, I haven't been doing much knitting. I've made little progress on my tank top, and in fact I haven't even finished the back of it yet even though that was my goal two weekends ago.

Allow me to show you some of what has contributed to my knitting pause.

There is one large flowering bush in the front of my house. I used to think that it was a hydrangea. I'm not all convinced of that now as the flowers aren't as hydrangea-like as I remembered them to be last year when we first moved in.

I don't care at all though, because these are absolutely beautiful!

Also, I have learned to bake bread! This was my first attempt at doing anything that involved yeast. I started out on these garlic parsley rolls and they were delicious. I've since conquered my fear of yeast and have graduated to baking loaves of bread!

It is a wonderful feeling to be able to look at something and know that you used to be intimidated by it but are not any longer.

Non-Interesting Blogging

I'm still working on the Cherry Bomb tank top. One side will hopefully be done this weekend and then I can start on the other side, since that is how things work.

I'm not sure how to make a stockinette tank top sound interesting. How much talking can one do about a project done almost completely in stockinette? Perhaps at some point I shall figure something, but until then let me just say that I'm still knitting one row and purling another.

The funny thing is that I've gotten to the stockinette foot on both pairs of socks that I'm working on. My whole knitting life currently revolves around this plain knitting.

So for your audience participation bit (and to make this post less boring) let me know if you have any recurring themes right now in your knitting.

And just a reminder...

"It's the bomb!" and other outdated phrases

At some point in time you must realize that certain phrases just can't be used any more. The exact moment when catch phrase retirement can often be an elusive thing or it can slap you in the face.

I remember exactly when I recognized that never again could I hear someone say "Bling" without cringing. It was in Carlsbad, CA in November of 2004 and I was at the big street fair that attracts 200,000 people to the city in just one day. There was a vendor selling jewelery and he had a big printed sign that spanned the top of his little tent. On that sign was written, "Earrings! Anklets! Piercings! Crosses! Bling Bling! Holy Medals!" The fact that Bling Bling was sandwiched between crucifixes and the St. Christopher Medal was my big cue that bling was done for.
Whenever I see my tank top in progress, I can't help but smile a little and think, "That's the bomb!" I know that this particular phrase has been over with for a while, but can you blame me? After all, it's first attempt at being a tank top really was a bomb and not in a good way, either. However, this second go around in the KnitPicks Shine Worsted is sailing smoothly and I'm now 6 inches in on the front.

The color makes me grin and think happy thoughts about wearing this to the park and other fun and sunny places. The yarn has been great to work with and I forsee more of it finding it's way into my stash. All in all, this project is wicked sweet hellacool radical awesome tubular groovy going really well and I'm happy with it.

Backlash

Once I got over my short-lived revelry over the 6 Day Sock Miracle, I noticed that my house had taken a beating while I was busy with those socks. I had been so engrossed with them that the little things had fallen to the wayside. Things like laundry, dishes, and putting away the collection of little cars and blocks that my son likes to display all over the house. Those things were very abruptly brought back to my attention once I stepped on the hard corner edge of a Lego block in my bare feet.

Monday night found a different Brianne. I was of a single-track mind. The house! I must restore the house back to normal! By Tuesday night all was well in the Keene Household and I was able to start another pair of socks to put in the Christmas/Birthday Box. However, that cleaning bug had latched on for dear life and I've found myself a very determined woman.

I like this Brianne! She comes home from work, gets a snack for the boy and then does things like scrub showers before even starting dinner or sitting down for a calm moment. I had an errand to run at Target last night and I found a frame for an old ad for Catalina Island that I've had and been meaning to hang for a year. That picture is now hung in our computer room and I feel so accomplished! I wonder what I'm going to do next?

---

Now for a little knitting update! I started a tank top for myself a few weeks ago using King Tut cotton in a beautiful icy blue color thinking that cotton would be the way to go for Summer knitting. I still think that I need cotton, I just don't think that this cotton will be it. I've gotten about 4 inches in the round done on this tank top and I don't think that I have the heart to do any more because the yarn, as nice and pretty as it is, isn't fun to work with for this project. Tonight I plan on frogging the tank and starting over again in that Green Apple Shine Worsted that I got in the mail recently. I'll be using the same pattern which is Cherry Bomb from Big Girl Knits, and hopefully things will turn out much better this time.

Heather's socks were mailed to her yesterday and I'm so excited to hear what she thinks of them! I loved the pattern so much that I started another pair of Mock Cable cuff socks in Trekking and those are the ones that will go in the Christmas/Birthday Box. I finished the gusset decreases last night and hope to finish the first sock this weekend.

Remember the little sweater I was making for Owen from a Debbie Bliss pattern? The one that I hid far away in the craft closet because I didn't know if I was going to have enough yarn? Yeah, well, I've finally decided to frog that project, too. A wonderful friend of mine, Heather, is due to have her third baby in November and I'm thinking that since I did Cross-Stitch for her first child and Crocheted for her second child that it's only proper that this third little person get something knitted. Surely, almost enough yarn for a size 2T sweater would be enough for a 3-6 month ensemble. So that's the plan! (They find out what they're having on Monday so I should be able to start picking out patterns soon!)

Alrighty, I think that's all from me right now. I hope to get some pictures up this weekend or Monday at the latest to show some progress on the socks and maybe even the beginnings of Cherry Bomb!

Happy Friday!

In competition with myself

It all started out very innocently. I was going to make a pair of socks for my sister's birthday. Heather's birthday isn't until the 26th of this month and even considering the time it would take to get it mailed from Missouri to California I still had 2 1/2 weeks to finish these socks.

I picked out some yarn from my stash. Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Aslan. I found a pattern. Mock Cable cuff with stockinette foot. I chose my needles. The Susan Bates dpns that Lana gave me. I was set.

I started the socks on the morning of July 4th. I was in no rush. But the yarn was delicious to work with! Oh, Lorna, you do know how to make a nice yarn, don't you! The needles were a delight to hold in my hand and the yarn simply flowed over them.

Then, last night as I was casting on for the second sock, I realized something. Maybe I could finish a pair of socks in 7 days. All that would mean is that I'd have to finish these by Monday night. Why, I bet I could do that! And Bryan reaffirmed that. Sure I could finish the socks in 7 days. (Having a husband that honestly believes that I can do anything is a wonderful thing!)

Then, this afternoon as I measured and saw that I only had 1 1/2 inches until starting toe decreases I started thinking that maybe I can finish a pair of socks in 6 days! Why not?! I can do anything, right?
Indeed I can. I wove in ends at 11:30pm and set them out to block at 11:45pm. So what if I have to be up in 6 hours to get ready for work? I can do anything!

For your viewing pleasure....

Another pair of finished socks!

These are the socks that I've had sitting at my desk at work. When the calls and projects were slow I'd work on these and they were perfect for picking up and putting down at a moment's notice. The yarn is Lana's yarn, the one she's using to make her Clapotis and the one that inspired me. To be honest, I can only remember that the yarn brand is Sinfonia and that it's 100% cotton. Beyond that, I know that the color changes kept my attention and it was a quick knit on size 3 needles.

Details: Pattern: Generic cuff down 3x1 rib with round toe Yarn: Sinfonia, 100% cotton Needles: Size 3US dpns, Takumi Date Started: I have no clue, but probably about 5 weeks ago. Date Finished: June 29, 2006

It is very fitting that on a day I finished a project that a KnitPicks order arrives with just a little more yarn to replace it. 2 skeins of Sinfonia out of the stash... 10 skeins of Shine Worsted go back in. I'll be using this Green Apple yarn to make a summer top for myself. I think the green is so cheery, though it's hard to see in the fading light of this picture.
I also purchased a pair of their KnitPicks dpns in a size 1 to see how I like them. Lana was sweet enough to give me a brand new set of Susan Bates size 1 dpns that she had never used and I can't wait to compare the two! I guess that means I'll be casting on for more socks!

California Blues

I started these socks while driving up the San Diego coast to visit our home church. I worked on them while lounging next to two dear friends and watching a lazy Sunday afternoon movie. It is the blue of the ocean and of the cool coastal colors. But its also the blues that I feel being separated from long time friends.

Pattern: Generic sock pattern using 64 sts
Yarn: Trekking XXL, color 77
Needles: Size 1 US Addi Turbo circs, magic loop
Date started: June 4, 2006
Date completed: June 28, 2006

Tonight I wound up some Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock and some KnitPicks Shadow for some upcoming projects. Stay tuned to see what I do with them!

I just want to give a big hug and an even bigger thank you for all of the kind words about In Full Bloom! I loved sharing it with you and am so glad that none of you thought I was insane for modeling it in 92 degree weather. As excited as I was to wear it, I was just as excited to take a picture to show all of you.

In Full Bloom

With friends Lana, Saran and Mom cheering me on, I worked on seaming the sweater at Simply Fibers on Saturday. I finished it while I was there and then picked up stitches for the button band at home. Bryan asked for a fashion show after I finished binding off all 302 stitches, but I had to wait until the buttons were on and I truly had a Finished Project!

At 10:30pm I sewed on the last of the buttons and put on my first sweater. I had made Owen a sweater back in November but that felt more like the practice leading up to the Olympics. After all, his sweater was a raglan sleeved pull-over with just a plain straight neck. This, my friends, is a real sweater. Set in sleeves, v-neck, button band and everything.


I'm proud of this sweater. So proud that I decided that I had to wear it to church today. Heat Stroke? Meh, whatever. I have handknits!!!

Project Details:
Pattern: In Full Bloom, Creative Knitting March 2006
Yarn: Cotton Fleece
Needles: Size 4 and 6US 40" circulars, Addi Turbo
Date Started: April 6, 2006
Date Completed: June 24, 2006

Right now, as we speak I type...

the In Full Bloom sweater is blocking. I had been debating whether or not I should put it together and knit the button band before blocking as the instructions said. Then I remembered how much easier it was to seam Owen's sweater once it was blocked and the decision was made!

I picked buttons for the sweater when I visited Simply Fibers on Thursday. They are small, silver, oval buttons that have what looks like a little filigree on the top that is old and almost worn off. I love them and was so glad to see that Carol had gotten in a bunch of new buttons. The best thing was that they were only $.75 each!

Lana and I have made plans to meet eachother at 11:00 this Saturday at Simply Fibers. Sarah is hoping to make it at around 12:00. My Mom might be joining us, which I would love, so we'd have a nice little group!

Melissa and Laura, I'll be mailing your prizes out to you tomorrow and so you should be receiving them soon!

For now, I continue to resist casting on for another project until the sweater is completely finished. May God give me the strength!!!

KSKS Questionnaire

Remember Bev? That would be the faboo Bev of PoMo Golightly who was my SP7 Spoilee and who also sent me Mama E's PoMo colorway of sockyarn? Well, how could I resist being involved in a swap that she and Scout are organizing?

The Questionnaire:

What are your favorite colors?

My current favorites are brown, blue and pink (or any combination of those three)

Are you a new sock knitter? How long have you been knitting socks?

I've been knitting socks since January of this year and I'm a wee bit obsessed with them!

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn?

I like both. In solids I like a little variation of color, tone on tone.

What fibers do you prefer in sock yarn?

Anything, but please nothing with spandex or stretch in them. Stretchy yarns don't like me.

Where do you usually knit socks?

At home, at work, in the car, out in public. They are my everywhere project.

How do you usually carry/store small projects?

I just recently purchased a little Lantern Moon bag that perfectly fits a sock project. Before that it was a plastic baggy. I'd love another sock project sized bag, if you think you'd like to make me one!

What are your favorite sock knitting patterns?

I've really only done stockinette and ribbed socks. I'd love to branch out a bit into more textured pattern socks.

What new techniques would you like to try?

I'd love to try short rows and different types of heels and toes. Oh! And toe up socks. I've only made cuff down thus far.

Do you prefer circulars or dpns for sock knitting?

I do both. I like circs for the socks that I take out with me so that I don't have to worry about dropping a dpn. I also like working with dpns, though I keep those for my socks at home.

What are some of your favorite yarns?

I love Lorna's Laces and Trekking.

What yarn do you totally covet?

I love handpainted yarns. Or any yarn that is specific to your country that I can't get here.

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)?

I would love you forever if you bought me some metal dpns in size 1. I can't find them near me and I covet them!

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be?

Oooh. It's a tough one. I'd have to say that I'm Trekking XXL. I'm colorful and fun to watch, but I'm also soft yet tough.

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack?

Like the yarn question, I like stuff that can only be bought near wherever you are.

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages?

No pets, just a 2 year old little boy and a cute husband.

If you were a color what color would you be?

I'd be denim blue. It goes with everything and just looking at my blue jeans makes me feel cozy.

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s).

I have a cute shirt that I just bought yesterday. It's a button-down with a fun v-neck and it has brown and pink plaid with little sparkly lines running through.

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature?

I love any landscape scene but especially trees or beaches.

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read.

As my Dad always says, "If you're going to do it, then do it. If you're not going to do it, then don't do it." Meaning, just make up your mind and get moving!

Do you have a wishlist?

Um... yes? And here it is!


By the way, I've already heard from my pal and she's from another country! Can I just say that I've had a huge smile on my face all day just knowing that I'm getting mail from outside the USA. Yay for me!!!

And the winners are...

Prize #1 (2 skeins of Peace Fleece) goes to Laura of Affiknitty!

Prize #2 (1 skein of Cascade 22o and 1 skein of Atacama) will find it's new home with Michelle of Sittin' Here Knittin'.

Prize #3 (2 skeins of Sock Garden in a Yarntainer) shall be held hostage by me because it is going to Lana at Knit & Pray. Lana, you may only receive this yarn in person because it is absolutely disgraceful that we live not 30 minutes from eachother and have still not met!

Ladies, email me with your addresses or in Lana's case, perhaps a time on Saturday when we can meet.

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and well wishes. Here's to a second year full of yarn and roses!

I would also like to thank the Random Number Generator for taking out all pressure of needing to think of a great game and having to choose winners among my friends. To me, you are all winners!

Reception Wrap

I realized that I never did show off the wrap that I made during the whirlwind of a trip that was going to my sister's wedding. So, allow me to introduce the Reception wrap.


Forgive the fact that I'm not modeling the wrap for you in this picture. This was taken on Saturday while Owen and I had our own little WW KIP day at the park down the street from our house. Since he had no intentions of wearing this so I could snap a picture of it, I found some daffodils that were more than happy to help me out.

This is the beautiful yarn that I used. Were I a better blogger I would have kept the tags for future blogging reference, but I threw them away while winding the yarn. But I can tell you that it was 40% cotton 30% wool and 30% silk and was a light dk weight. The woman who spun the yarn and dyed it lives just outside of Springfield and does all of her dyeing in an old bathtub that was in the barn. I love that!!!

I love it when I look at yarn or a finished project and specific memories come to mind. Like the socks that are at my desk at work. The yarn for the socks I actually saw on Lana's blog and she was making a Clapotis from it. Now whenever I'm knitting at my desk between phone calls, I think of Lana!

What yarn memories are your favorite?

Blogiversary Extravaganza!

This has been a really incredible year. At this time last year we were living in Southern California and had no plans to move. My parents were in the process of packing up their home just 15 minutes away from us so that they could move to Branson, Missouri. Who in the world would choose to leave San Diego for Branson?! I was convinced that they were absolutely nuts, but showed my support by helping them pack and letting them play with their grandson a lot before they left.

The blog was birthed out of the realization that my family really was moving, and the people that I worked with every day and spent time with even on the weekends because they are so stinking fun to be around... well, they weren't going to be a 15 minute drive away anymore. I was going to be a stay at home Mom with childless friends who worked full time. I was going to need a new hobby. (I learned quickly that counted cross-stitch is not a toddler-friendly hobby.)

Right about that time, I was reunited via the internet to my dear friend, Jen, who had been a great friend in High School and who had learned how to knit. After seeing her blog and remembering my failed attempts at knitting, I decided that I would try one more time to knit. I had my crocheting, but I needed a challenge though I never thought that knitting would ever be much more than an occasional thing for me. Convinced that the problems with my other failed attempts were the sole fault of the kit I was trying to learn from, I threw away the tainted kit and I bought a new kit at Michaels and opened it as soon as I got home. This was my Everest.

One year later, I'm living in Missouri and sometimes I really do think that I'm just as crazy as I thought my parents were for moving here. (Did you know that they have humidity and tornadoes here? What the heck was I thinking? Give me earthquakes any day.) I'm working at a job that I absolutely love (and not just because they let me knit at my desk when the phones are slow) and Owen is flourishing at his daycare. Bryan is back working in Customer Service, which is what he did several years ago, but there's a sales component to it and let me just say this: My husband kicks butt at this. Bryan, Owen and I have formed a much more cohesive little family and though I never thought I'd say it, maybe it's a good thing that I'm not 15 minutes away from my family and now live 40 minutes away. I have become completely obsessed with knitting and haven't picked up a crochet hook since March. I love that my family understands my knitting and that I now have a fellow knitter in my Mom.

To celebrate my 1 year anniversary I have put together 3 special prizes to give to my wonderful knitblog friends! All you have to do is enter with a comment on this post and I will use a random number generator to choose the winners. The prizes that you see will also include some of my handmade stitchmarkers and other tasty little goodies.

Prize #1

2 Skeins of Peace Fleece DK in Sea Moss.

Prize #2

1 Skein of Cascade Quattro in Peachy Pink and 1 Skein Auracania Atacama in Blue Beige.

Prize #3

2 Skeins of KnitPicks Sock Garden in Hydrangea and a Yarntainer to hold them.

The winners will be chosen on Monday at 11:00am Central time and a post will be made announcing them shortly after. Happy commenting and good luck!

Slobbery Demise

We've gathered here today to say goodbye to a hand-knitted item whose life ended too soon. Cabled Purse, (pictured above on the right before assembly with it's good friends, the girly scarf and the Irish Hiking scarf), was completed in February of 2006 and met it's end on June 11, 2006.

Cabled Purse led a good life. It was useful as all knitted items hope to be. It carries Brianne's wallet and Owen's Hot Wheels cars with pride. Many of you may not know this, but Cabled Purse was also a bit of an adventurer and traveled with Brianne to San Diego. How could we have known that it was there that Cabled Purse would lose it's battle with a certain mother-in-law's Golden Retreiver who wasn't supposed to be in the guest room but still got in? It fought valiantly until the end, but proved to be no match for a 40 pound dog.

Farewell, Cabled Purse.

Just a little razzle dazzle

Learning to divert your child's attention away from something you don't want them to touch/lick/eat/play with/see/hear/do is one of the first things you must learn in order to survive parenthood. I learned this lesson well with my younger brothers and it came in handy with babysitting and, later, my own little munchkin.

I'm going to use this today in the hopes that you won't notice that I don't have any knitting pictures to show you. Why don't I have anything interesting to show you? Because I have hit the proverbial wall with the In Full Bloom sweater. I just finished the sleeve increases and only have two more inches before I do sleeve cap shaping, but I swear this is the longest two inches I've ever encountered. I'm in that black hole of knitting where I knit several rows and measure and yet haven't gained any length. I'm sure this problem is only exacerbated by the fact that I'm knitting both sleeves at the same time. Perhaps hiding the sweater in a bag and making faces at it before I zipped it shut wasn't the most adult way of handling the situation.

Just to spite the sweater, I decided to make a little felted bag to keep some of my knitting supplies in. Mom and I found a yarn store just down the street from where my in-laws live, so when they picked us up to go to the airport we had to make a stop just to "see what's inside". We came out with a pattern, two skeins of Cascade EcoWool, three skeins of some hand-dyed wool blend and two skeins of Noro Silk Garden. We loved the Silk Garden colorway so much that we each had to buy a skein to make something little with it. I knitted and felted my bag last night and it should be ready for it's photo shoot tonight. That'll show you, sweater.

Tomorrow's post shall be a sad tale of a battle won and and then lost.

Oh look! A starfish!

This is actually part of a bigger display of artwork that is located in a women's' restroom in the San Diego airport.

Home, Muggy, Home

We're back from our trip to San Diego and I'm happy to report that everything went very well and everyone said, "I do". It was a whirlwind of a trip between trying to get last minute wedding stuff done and also spending time with Bryan's family and attempting to see friends that we haven't seen since September. We all had a great time and I feel so blessed that I was able to have that time with everyone.

I brought 2 projects along with me on this trip. I needed a sock for plane knitting and thought it only appropriate that it was a Trekking sock that came with me. The blues in the yarn remind me of the ocean and so I have dubbed this yarn my "California Blues Socks". The sock pattern isn't anything fancy, just a 2" 3x1 rib at the cuff and stockinette for everything else. I have the basic sock pattern memorized now and I find that so freeing!

In what can only be described as a sheer act of madness, I also decided that I would try to make a wrap in time for Heather's wedding. I started on a drop stitch wrap on Friday night (May 26) and worked frantically on it. The yarn was some dk weight handspun, hand-dyed from a local farm and when I saw it at Simply Fibers, I fell in love. I worked it on a Denise circ, size 9US and it was airy and light, perfect for a summer wedding. By the grace of God and by the skin of my teeth, I finished the wrap at 2:00am (Pacific Time) on Friday morning (June 2) and blocked it that afternoon. You'd think that for all the work I put into it that I'd have a picture of me wearing it at the wedding reception. Well, I don't. However, I do plan on wearing it to the WWKIP get together tomorrow and perhaps I can convince one of the other kind knitters to help me get a good picture of it.

On Monday, after all the wedding festivities had ended, Mom and I were able to steal away and venture into our home turf of northern San Diego County and visit a yarn store called The Black Sheep. It was Mom's birthday (I won't divulge numbers!) and wow, what a way to celebrate. This store was amazing. They had more yarn than you could shake a stick at. I stood in front of the wall of Collinette and just stared for a while.

Mom bought some ribbon yarn to make a summer wrap and more Manos for felted bags. She literally had to buy a separate suitcase for all the yarn she was bringing home from this trip and I think she was in absolute heaven. I found a lot of beautiful yarn, but only ended up coming home with a small Lantern Moon bag to keep my current sock in. (I love my Trekking and it's too nice to carry around in a ziplock bag!)

The Black Sheep is located in one of the more wealthy areas of San Diego County and so we weren't too surprised to see yarn selling for $48 per skein. What did throw us a bit off was a woman buying yarn to make her friend a wrap that almost matched her own. We admired the yarn and her wrap and mentioned how thoughtful it was to be making something for a friend. This woman and Mom were at the registers at the same time and Mom did a great job of keeping her composure when the other woman's yarn rang up at a total of $950.

P.S. I finished the pillowcases for Heather and Spencer and she loved them! She also appreciated the alien head dishcloth that I made for Spencer. I'd love to find a chart for Darth Vader or Yoda because my new brother-in-law is a Star Wars fanatic.

Do you feel lucky? Do ya?

I'm currently involved in a staring contest with my projects. I stare at them and will them to be farther along than they are... and they stare back at me and occasionally roll their eyes.

The thing about working solely on two large projects is that it feels like it takes forever to make any progress on them. It also doesn't help when you have a very large clock ticking in the back of your mind constantly reminding you exactly how long you have until these projects need to be finished. Thankfully, only one of those projects has a real deadline so the pressure hasn't started effecting me yet. *twitch*

Heather's second pillowcase is at the halfway point and I'm confident that if I really put my mind to it I'll have it finished on Saturday and can spend the rest of my holiday weekend working on the In Full Bloom sweater. I know that the sweater won't be done in time to go to California with me and realistically, wearing it in the 85 degrees with 65% humidity weater that we have here in SW Missouri just isn't realistic so it's not going to happen until about October. But still. I want this sweater done! I at least want the option of wearing it!

Bryan and Owen's Mother's Day gift to me was a hardbound copy of Big Girl Knits, which I absolutely love! I've already tagged a few projects I'd like to do and I'm trying to figure out if I have any stash yarn that will work with them. Bryan has even pointed out a few that he wouldn't mind me making. So kind of him!

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I realized that I just missed my 1 Year Bloggiversary! I'm currently thinking up a few fun things that involve prizes, so keep your eyes open for some announcements about that once we're back home after June 6th.

Picture heavy post, ahead!

As soon as Owen wakes up from his nap we'll be going to Nixa's Sucker Days fair. Apparently this is a big deal here and we're missing out on the town's one big event if we don't go.

In the meantime, an update!!!

Pillowcase number 2 is underway and though not finished yet as planned, it will be done by the time we leave for California on the 30th.

This is the first one. Obviously it'll need a washing and ironing session before being gifted, but I'm really loving these. I have a few dishcloths that I'll be giving them as well. One is already done and another one is halfway finished. These dishcloths have been great projects to have at my desk at work.

Mom's socks are officially a finished project and they will be part of her birthday presents.

Yarn: Sockotta Needles: Addi Turbo 40" circ #1US Pattern: One I have memorized Stats: Started April 13 and finished May 10

My In Full Bloom sweater is on a roll! I bound off for the back and am working on the left front. It's going by really quickly since the bottom half was done in one piece, so the left front is already more than halfway done! I'm really enjoying working on this sweater. The pattern is easy to follow and the yarn (Cotton Fleece) has been surprisingly nice to work with! I'll certainly be making other garments from this yarn if it wears as nicely as it knits.

Mom may be stealing this pattern from me to make one for herself. Every time I see her she must see the sweater to see how it is making up. She's made two sweaters for herself and I think that she's ready for something done on smaller needles.

I made a little promise to myself that I wouldn't start anything new until Heather's pillowcases were done, but I totally broke that quite unreasonable promise. This is the yarn that Lana is using to make her Clapotis and when I saw it on her blog I fell in love with it! It is Sinfonia yarn and is 100% cotton. I'm making some 3x1 rib socks on size 3 birch needles and oh my gosh, I love it.

These socks were started on Thursday night and look at how far I am on them. The gusset decreases are done. I love how quickly these socks are working up! And the yarn has been great to work with. The yarn doesn't split at all and these will be some sturdy socks. Oh, and I love how the colors change! They're so bright and cheerful!!!

One last thing in this picture-laden post! Sarah and I met up on Thursday after work at Panera for a little knitting and chatting. Bryan was kind enough to pick up Owen and take care of their dinners so that I could do that. (Yay, Bryan!!!)

We had a great time and Sarah brought her latest treasure, a signed copy of the Mason-Dixon book. She even let me look through it! There are some great projects in there and I may have to put that one on a wishlist. Sarah finished the Ball Band dishcloth and is now working on the Baby Kimono. Isn't that a great color?

I'm hoping that after we get back from California I'll be able to get back to her Sunday afternoon knitting group. One cannot underestimate the value of being with other women who won't look at you crazy if you ask if anyone has a tape measure handy!

An inquiry

I've been looking for charities to knit for and have found a few that I like. I sent out an email to a few of them and have received very warm welcomes.

Warm the World has emailed me back saying that they're always looking for people to help, but since I'm out of their area I'll need to have 2 more people near me who want to join me so that they can ship out the yarn to us.

Springfield, MO knitters... who would like to joing me in knitting for Warm the World? I can have the yarn shipped to me and take care of distributing it and sending back the finished items.

Rare sighting: The Little Man Vest in action!

It was a sunny day, the first we had seen in almost a week here in the land of flash-flood and tornado warnings. I had just stepped outside to admire the warm sun and say "hello, I missed you!" when out of the corner of my eye I saw it.

I didn't move a muscle for fear of scaring it away. Sudden moves are the enemy of stealth observation. When I felt that it was comfortable with my close proximity I slowly turned my head in order to get a better look.

Oh, it was beautiful.

I calmy brought my camera up to my eye and snapped a picture before the moment was over. As soon as the digital camera did it's fake shutter-click sound the object of my admiration ran away. At least I have proof that it wasn't just a figment of my imagination.

Yaaaaarn

I bought this yarn over the summer with good intentions of making something really fabulous with it. It moved halfway across the country with me and during a recent stash perusal I found it again. Loyal yarn that hasn't gotten upset with me for not using it. Smart yarn that didn't get lost during the long voyage from Southern California to Southern Missouri. Brave yarn that has sat in the dark closet for months without complaining.

Here's the problem, I don't know that I really want to make anything with this yarn.

Here's my solution, I'd be interested in making a trade or a sale. This yarn lists at $7.25/skein and I'd be willing to part with it at $5/skein. Or, perhaps you love this yarn and have some yarn in your own stash that has also been loyal and brave but needs a new home. Tell me about it and we might just have a deal!

A very BIG thank you!

I received a package in the mail on Friday from the wonderful Beverly, of the recently renamed PoMo Golightly, who hails from Albuquerque, New Mexico. We met during SP7 when she was matched to me as the lucky person I had the opportunity to spoil. In actuality, I believe that I was the lucky one because Bev is not only incredibly easy to spoil and kind beyond imagine, but she also has the unique ability to make everyone she comes in contact with feel like you are the most interesting person she's met recently.

So back to the package that was sitting in my mailbox on Friday afternoon, I saw her name and address and must admit that I was more than a little excited. However, I did refrain from tearing open the padded envelope until after I had given my child a snack and settled him down with an Elmo's World video. (Let me tell you, that took some self-control!)
Once the package was open I was greeted with a sweet card and some yarn that instantly put a smile on my face. Can you blame me? This is the PoMo colorway of Mama-e's C*EYE*BER Fiber and I'm absolutely thrilled with it!!! How much do I love the fact that now I'll have some socks to remind me of Bev? A lot. And these socks are soooo going to be made for me.

Now that I've mentioned socks, thank you to those nice comments about Mom's socks! For those curious ones of you out there, the yarn is Sockotta and it is colorway #26. Today at work I finished the heel flap of the second sock and tomorrow I shall be turning the heel!

I've really enjoyed using the Magic Loop method on the last 2 pairs of socks, but I'm ready for some DPNs again. There's inner turmoil about this. See, I really like working with DPNs but I also like the slick metal of the Addi Turbos I've been using and all of my DPNs are bamboo. If I could find some metal size 1 or 2 DPNs I'd be in heaven.

Works In Progress status:

Heather & Spencer's embroidered pillowcases: Finally brought those back out tonight! Tomorrow night I'll have the first pillowcase completed and I'd like to have these done by the end of next week. I'm so pleased with how they're looking. Perhaps I'll post a picture tomorrow after I've finished the first one.

In Full Bloom Sweater: I'm still working on this! In fact, I've divided for the front and back and am working up the back while doing armhole shaping. I was working on it at my LYS on Saturday and got a TON of compliments on it! The compliments were encouraging and make me want to finish this even more. This is one project that will definitely be coming with me to CA in a couple of weeks.

Crocheted Baby Blanket: I actually finished this last night. It's not something that I've ever blogged about, but one of those projects that you work on for thirty minutes and then don't pick up again for another two weeks. Last night I finished up the body of it and then did all the edging. I'll tuck this one away for a gift.

Cozy: It's currently feeling cozy in the craft closet since I won't have time to work on it for a while. I have other projects that need my attention and it'll have to wait at least until the pillowcases are done.

What I see...

I've just created a project that photographically records what I see on my way to and from work. There are certain things that make me say, "I love it that I get to see this every day!" Old barns and two-laned tree-lined roads are high up on that list.

If you'd like to see my project, I have it on my Live Journal. Follow the link, or I have a button on my sidebar.

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I think that I may have been incredibly delusional to think that I'd actually be able to get the Cozy shawl done in time for my sister's June 3rd wedding. Why do I think this? Because I still have her embroidered pillowcases to finish and I'm only halfway through one. And I also want to throw in some cute knitted dishtowels. Plus, I also have socks to finish in time for Mother's Day and Mom's June 5th birthday.

So as much as I adore the thought of being able to wear a handknit shawl at my sister's wedding, I just don't think it's going to happen. After all, it's her big day and I want to actually give her their gifts on that day and not ship them back three weeks after the bouquets have withered.

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Speaking of socks..

Up top is the sock that I'll be giving to Mom for her birthday. I've finished the first one (see in the picture) and have started on the second sock. No second sock syndrome for me!

The perfect pair

Dad's 50th birthday is tomorrow, but we did some early celebrating on Saturday since he'll be out of town. We had a great time seeing the new developments at the land (paved roads, signs out front and uplighting on some HUGE trees in the entrance), having bbq for lunch and seeing an afternoon show in Branson. The evening was relaxing and refreshing with soft music in the background and a yummy birthday dinner at home. Dad and Bryan read books while Mom and I knit on some projects.

Mom is working on a couple of felted bags to give as Christmas gifts and I brought out Cozy to plug away on. (I'd really love to have it finished in time for my sister's June wedding. The bridesmaids dresses are all strapless and well... Brianne needs a shawl for the reception!) We were talking about projects we're loving and projects we're not so in love in when we made a very startling discovery.

Mom does not like making socks but loves making felted bags. I don't really like making felted bags but I love making socks.

This was when we realized just how perfect we are for eachother. But the wonderfulness doesn't end there.

The sock that I'm currently working on are actually for Mom, so while I was there I had her try it on to gauge the fit. That was when we discovered that our feet are EXACTLY the same size. Length and width.

So I'll be handing Mom some yarn to make me a bag and Mom has already handed me a skein of Trekking (my favorite!) that she had started some socks with that I'll be redoing for her. I do believe that we are the perfect knitting pair.

I'm a bad secret pal!

Last Friday I received my last package from my SP7 pal, and I never even blogged about it!

Um... oops!

My wonderful secret pal was Meg and she did a wonderful job of spoiling me! Throughout the exchange we realized that we had quite a few things in common... which always makes things more fun.
In this last package I found a great basic sock pattern that included several variations to build on. I'm so excited about this pattern, especially since it came with a ball of Trekking XXL yarn! (The girl knows my love for the Trekking!) It has the most beautiful shades of blue and I can't wait to put it on my needles. There was also some lovely bath stuff in a white jasmine scent. Even hubby dearest thought this stuff smelled great. Score!

Not pictured here are two little gifts for Owen, which I thought was the sweetest and most thoughtful thing for Meg to do. She gave him a dinosaur that lights up and a bouncy ball with a dinosaur inside. The reason they're not shown here is because they were immediately confiscated by the child and played with. The ultimate sign of a good gift. *grin*

Go over and check out Meg's blog! She has such an upbeat personality that really shines through. I've enjoyed perusing her past entries and have added her to my blog reads.
This is what is currently on my needles. The background is my In Full Bloom sweater that is going really well. I'm about 13 inches in and only have 2 more inches until I separate for the arm holes. The other project there is a sock using Sockotta yarn that Mom bought for me to make her some socks. She bought a skein of it for herself and a skein for me, payment I guess? I just finished the gusset decreases on it and I'm pleased with the sock so far. I did a seed stitch rib on the cuff... I think that's what it's called, at least.

This is the sock that is going with me everywhere. I have a new job (long story) and my lunches are only 30 minutes, but I usually have 10 minutes to devote to my sock at lunch and when the phones aren't busy and there aren't issues to resolve I'm allowed to surf the net, read a book, or KNIT! (I asked.)

I'm looking outside our little home office window at the pasture across the street and I remember what drew me to this house. The sky is grey from all the storms we've had today and I fall in love with this 8 foot window and the view that comes with it every time I pass it by.