Excitement!

Something Elizabeth posted has gotten me totally excited, although I have 5 whole months of waiting ahead! I think though, that it means I should finish the socks from the yarn I bought on last year's excursion, or at least work on the shawl I started there last year LOL oh me and my stack of WIPs!

I really should work on my mittens, since the cold is not ending any time soon!! I would welcome those wooly goodies.

Speaking of wool, we bought the cat a new toy for $1. It's a wool mouse, and it says when he chews it up a bit and it feels loose, to tie it up in a sock and throw it in with the laundry. DUH. Coulda made that myself LOL

FO!

Yay FO! Took a month, which it shouldn't have, but hey. They are done, which means I can make my own pair to replace the ones that disappeared. ugh. My hands are SO cold in this darn coldest winter in way too many years.

Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted on 1 and 3. Threw them in my mom's washer on the 'ultra handwash' cycle which is fantastic. They came out with the wonkiness from between the needles all taken care of. Gave them a gentle stretch and they are perfect!

Happy Birthday to me!

Haha, I know some of you are like "You had your birthday?" I didn't (it's in two weeks) but I spent all my money!!

I took the check from my MIL and went to KnitPicks. I wanted sizes 1 and 2 dpns in the mm I don't have, and broke a size 3 of my CPY ones. Plus I'd always wanted to try the Harmony needles as they are SO nice looking! I went crazy =)










I bought: Size 1 (2.5mm), size 2 (3mm), size 3 (3.25mm), size 7 (4.5mm) in the dpns, and then the tips in size 4 (3.5mm) and 5 (3.75mm).

The tips are the most common size I use for lace knitting, and never seem to have a needle free (maybe I should finish one project before moving on to the next, eh?), I love tiny needles (although I don't knit socks...) and the largest dpn I own is 6, so need to expand.

Then I got 9 hanks of Gloss in Burgundy to make Thermal as I have been eyeing it since it came out. I think I recall people saying it was short if you knit as written, and I had a few extra bucks so added a skein more than my size called for. I love this yarn and can't wait to wear this!!

And THEN!! I got a Wii Fit!!! YAY!!!!!!!! One of my coworkers saw me in the hall yesterday and asked if I was still looking for it. He was in a GameStop on Tuesday and they actually had some in stock. So I dashed back to my desk and called the store. He told me they had a few and of course he can't hold it. So I call my mom since home is closer to the store than my work, and she shuts off the oven and runs over there to get the LAST one. I am so stoked to have this!!

So yes, I spent all of my birthday money two weeks before my birthday LOL

Knitting Update!

Road trip to Iowa last weekend. Knit the rest of sock #1 and the entire foot (ready to turn heel) on sock #2.

I somehow lost my amazing mittens between last winter and this winter. So bummed! My hands have been SO cold. So now that the negative temps are done (at least for now!) I have yarn to make more, because my uncle spoiled me. My bro was with me and picked out yarn for mittens as well:

It is called "Navy Nite" but is definitely purple. Strange. He'll wear them though. Mine will have the same turquoise with a darker turquoise as the main color.

FO! Dolman top from Knit So Fine. Yarn bought half off at Stitches. Fits fine, just the BO on the front piece is too tight so it is hard to get on and off but I like it!



Yay gratuitous kitty shot! He's so sweet when he is sleeping


It's been snowing for about 20 hours! So pretty, but a pain driving in it, ugh!

Knitting

I stayed home sick yesterday...ugh. Just a general weariness/yuckiness etc. I had bound off the Hemlock Ring Blanket Wednesday night. Yesterday I finished knitting the sleeve of my Dolman top, and seamed the bottom front and back on one side. Once I seam that, and the sleeve seams, I can pick up stitches for the ribbed band that connects the sleeve pieces to the bottom pieces, and also around the neckline. I can't wait to wear this! I love the fabric it is creating, even with size 3 (I think...and 1 for the ribbing!) needles.















Next up: I think I'll do the "Back to School" vest in Fitted Knits. I think I just may have enough of the yarn Ana spun for me in exchange for me knitting a shawl...might squeak by. Need to see where I can conserve yarn on it.

Also, the library got in the new MDK book, and I am definitely in love with the Daily Sweater. I may even have enough yarn to do it...I was thinking my Berella "4" that I have stashed could be perfect. We shall see! All of a sudden I'm on fire for knitting. yay!

Hemlock Ring - Almost Done!

All that's left is the edging...I couldn't do it last night as I wrote down the BO row incorrectly and was left with a mess so had to wait til I got to work today to check the pattern. D'oh!

Bezzie accused me of being a super fast knitter. Alas, I was not too busy this week, being able to come home after work each day but one, which meant plenty of knitting time. I sit on the couch with the cat, watching Food Network and knitting. Welcome to my life! At least I go to the gym beforehand so I am then allowed to lounge around.

Hopefully I'll finish tonight! 8 days for a baby blanket. Not too shabby!



What, momma?

A Knitting Update

Today I am home sick, so I will take a bit of time to knit on my Lace Leaf Pullover (all Ravelry links). I'm posting from the library at the moment (yes, home sick means I can run to the grocery store and the library. We need veggies) and I checked my account and Knit So Fine is ready to be picked up, which means I can get ready to knit my next project, but not until I finish Lace Leaf. I'm going to knit the Dolman Top which is the only project that jumped out of the book and said I needed to make it. I bought yarn at Stitches and am all set, Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Seduction in Obsidian. Very exciting to knit a "higher end" top...since the yarn was so costly and Matt was like, "how much???" "but it was half off! and I have been so good using yarn from my stash!" "okay..."

I need to plan a baby project for a baby coming in December to a couple who have had such difficulty getting to this stage. I don't think they're finding out ahead, so I'm thinking blanket as I don't think I have any yarn to make a unisex sweater.

Pics soon, promise! The pics of Lace Leaf WIP is not flattering due to the construction. heh.

Stitches!

I had the opportunity to go to Stitches Midwest with jpknits. We had a GRAND time! Except she is just the WORST enabler. ugh.

We got samples:



And cherry tree hill:


I bought 4 skeins:

To make the Dolman Top from Knit So Fine

and 10 skeins:

to hopefully make the Lace Leaf Pullover from Loop-d-Loop. Not sure it will be quite enough yarn for the medium. But it's a quick knit and if I run out, maybe someone at Rav has some...I don't think it's an old color. We shall see

Two skeins of mystery silk, maybe 160 yds each, but only $3


Also finally finished these projects:




And that's about it. Yay for finally having Photos!

super generosity of knitties!

Last year I knit a shawl for Ana and Ceci's gramma. She LOVES it. Ana hired me to do it, and payment arrived, along with many more gifts! I am running out the door to catch a plane for my first ever trip to VEGAS (back Monday) but couldn't NOT blog this. links and details later, cuz i forget. and i need food fast, heh

okay!



























Stash yarn Ana dug out for me to play with, the last wedding flower Ceci knit me. A stunning necklace...flower made out of shells! I have many weddings to attend this summer, and this will go great with my dress. Cannot wait to wear it. it's unique and gorgeous!

And the payment for the shawl, some of Ana's handspun! IT's so soft, lovely, even, heavy, and I know the colour is "Forest" but I forget all the details. Will check back with Ana and give you yardage next post as well. It's amazing stuff. mmmmm and then the stitch markers Ana makes that I purchased.

These ladies are SO generous and kind and I love them. Yay Ana and Ceci!!!!

off i go!

I've caught the fever.

Yesterday I went to Hobby Lobby and Michael's with my coupons and bought some Sugar 'n' Cream. Within five hours of coming home, I not only knit an entire dishcloth, I ate dinner, read some of my book, made my workout plan, surfed the web. Heh. No wonder Ana calls me a fast knitter.




Yeah. These cloths have been on my mind for a while now. And I don't even like knitting cotton. But they called to me! And alas, with a 40% and a 50% off coupon, I knew it was time. Just cast on for the second one, alternating the colours. I will still have leftovers, I believe. I already have my eyes set on a green/blue/white/yellow combo. mmmm. those leftovers will work well with these, methinks!

In the mail today, I received the first part of my payment from that shawl I knit:


I cannot wait to knit the short-row fair isle sweater in here! The 1824 wool to do so is also coming as my payment.

Scarf I'm crocheting to offset the skarfs:



Yay for updating with actual knitting! Time to go work on this dishcloth before Matt picks me up for dinner :)