Another package and another project

I got another package in the mail. This is my puffy from Charlotte, my exchange partner in the 1Dishcloth group. The colors don't show as bright in the photo but the dishcloth is white and yellow varigated. It goes from a light yellow to a pretty bright yellow. It's so pretty. She also sent me two packages of point protectors which I SO desperately need and a little travel size sewing kit. I think the kit will be perfect to take on camping trips. It amazes me how these ladies just seem to know what to include in their puffys. I'm always worried I don't put in the right things as I am still new at doing exchanges. Thanks so much, Charlotte. I love the colors and it's nice to get something I really needed but can't remember to buy. lol

I found a very pretty pattern for a lace wrap that I am using to knit up my Malabrigo yarn. This is the very beginning of the wrap. It's a really easy pattern that knits up fairly quickly. I will post patterns of my progress. I have knitted it a little further than this now and it's starting to look so pretty. The softness of this wool yarn still surprises me.

June Mystery Scarf KAL

Here is my June mystery scarf KAL finally finished. I got so far behind on this one but it is the finished scarf in all it's glory. It was done with Sinfonia yarn in Lila. It is a summer scarf designed by the talented Liz Hanson. I believe the name of the pattern is Diamond Waves. It is such an easy pattern to follow. I really enjoyed this one. I'm thinking maybe I should make more of these. They are beautiful gifts.

This is a close-up of the design. You have to see it close to appreciate it. It just so pretty. I already have this one given away. My daughter's speech therapist saw it while I was working on it. I always carry something to knit when I am going to be waiting. (Yes, I knit in public and I'm proud of it!) Anyway, she commented on how pretty it was so I decided then that she needed this scarf. She learned to knit a year or so ago herself but doesn't have the time to devote to it. She had a baby and does some beautiful bead work (jewelry) and then her job as a speech therapist, so it doesn't leave her much free time. I hope she enjoys this. She is a dainty girl and I think this will look perfect on her.

NascarKnitter Yarn Swap...THANK YOU MICHELE!!

This is my package from my swap partner in the KnittingNascarFans group. I have to say..."Michele, you ROCK!!!!" She did such an awesome job picking out things for my package. All colors and fibers I love. A beautiful set of stitch markers and a couple of decals of my favorite driver, DALE JR! If anyone knows Dale, please give him my best. :) I don't care what he drives, what color it is or what his number might be...I will be a Dale Jr fan forever. Sorry, got a little carried away there. lol Oh, and a small bottle of freshwater cucumber body lotion that smells so good.

Here's a close up of the stitch markers. They were made a lady named Meredith Boven. She obviously does awesome work. Again, Michele picked the right colors. I love earthy colors and these are too pretty to use. Someday, I will force myself to put them to use. For now, they sit on my desk so I can look at them.

This is a not too good close up of the Malabrigo kettle dyed pure merino wool yarn she picked out for me. She even did the job of winding for me since I don't have a yarn winder. The color is Oceanos. This picture DOES NOT do it justice. I have been looking around today for the perfect pattern for this yarn. It's so soft and I can't wait to get it knitted up. I just gotta find that one pattern that screams for this yarn. I still cannot get over how soft it is.

The two balls of cotton yarn will become dishcloths, probably the DW since it shows off the colors so well.

She also included a very nice card with a picture of her sweet dog, Matsi. I'm not a dog expert so I don't know what kind of dog he is but he is solid white and a beautiful animal. Hey Matsi!
And THANK YOU SO MUCH, MICHELE!!!!

Several New Arrivals Today

The first new arrival of the day...my yarn order from Knitpicks. Finally. I absolutely love this yarn. I have only ordered from them twice. This order and my Knitpicks Options needles. The products are (so far) great but the shipping time takes forever compared to others. I've ordered quite a few things from Elann.com and they are super fast. I guess they just got me spoiled. I would definitely order again from Knitpicks if the price is right. I got this order at an awesome price and even though I had to wait a while to get it, it was so worth it. The one in front is Memories 100% merino wool in Smores. The brown is actually not a solid color...very pretty...up close you can see the other shades. It's Shadow 100% merino woolin Redwood Forest. The blue is Gossamer 100% merino wool in Blue Jeans. And lastly, the pink varigated is Gossmaer 100% merino wool in Sunrise. I now have enough to make three shawls and the Smores is for making the Calorimetry from Knitty.com.

I would like to introduce you all to the other two new arrivals of the day. A cute little yellow kitty named Tiger and his brother Jet. We actually went with the intention of getting only one. My youngest daughter has wanted a yellow "tiger" kitty for so long. She is a die hard Clemson fan. When my friend told me her boss had one, we jumped at the chance to get him. They are actually hard to come by around here. Anyway, we went to pick him up this afternoon and my youngest son and I both fell in love with this little black and white fella. He was so cute and so sweet. He has white whiskers on his face and pretty blue eyes. We just couldn't leave him. After all, Tiger might get lonesome all by himself.

I couldn't resist sharing this one. He's just too cute! Go Tiger, Go Tiger!

Camping

Well, we finally managed to go a whole weekend of camping without getting rained on.....YAY!!

It was so nice. The weather was great and the lake is finally warm enough that you don't freeze your behind off if you want to go swimming. We also managed to get our favorite spot. It seems to be everyone's favorite and it's a hard spot to snag. It's at the very end facing the water and has a little more room and privacy than the others. And as you can see from the photo, the view is amazing....especially at sunset.

The locals paid us a visit. The ducks usually come by but we didn't get a visit from them this time. We got to see how much the little geese had grown...they were little babies last time we saw them. Who knew they liked pancakes...especially with syrup. One in particular loved them...he tried to take plate from hubby's hand. We saw a few deer and a little fox sitting by the road under a tree. Our raccoon friend, however, didn't show up this time either. Strange it seemed since last year and the first few camping trips this year, he was there every night.

Saturday, I took my youngest daughter to our local volunteer fire department. They do the free portrait if you give a donation deal. Anyway, our appointment was Saturday. I took her to get her picture taken since the boys weren't interested and my oldest daughter was out of town. Somehow they had gotten behind on the appointments so we had to wait and wait and wait....you get the idea. One of the firemen took the kids out to play with the firetruck, sirens and gear. All the kids got a fireman's hat. She wore this hat all weekend except when she was swimming. This is her feeding the locals Sunday morning. I think she put it on before she crawled out of her sleeping bag. lol

I did manage to get some knitting done as well. I'm almost finished with first square for the CampSquareCrew, did my weeks rows on my mystery shawl (looking so pretty) and I am almost caught up on my scarf. I was only about 7 days behind. :P I need to get some new photos posted so you can see my progress. Gonna have to work on that tomorrow.

Computers, New Group & New Design

I've been having little issues with my computer so yesterday I went to visit a local computer shop that I've done business with before. It's a small place but the are so nice and take excellent care of you and your computer. I had a computer crash a few years ago and they fixed it quickly and didn't charge me an arm and a leg. I wanted to see about having them build me a computer to suit my needs as opposed to buying one in the store with a lot of "stuff" I won't need or use. Well, it was my lucky day. They had a computer that was perfect and it was ready to go. My boys loved it because of the graphics card and the tower. Check out the photo...it is pretty cool, huh?

I have to admit, I thought it was pretty awesome myself. Working on the computer is enjoyable again. The old one was really giving me fits. :[

I also found another knitting group this week. It's called Camp Square Crew. We're knitting squares to be put together to send to Victory Junction. I'm working on a race care square and maybe a checkered flag. Gotta get my son in here to help me with some more ideas and charting the designs on graph paper. It's a new group....not too many members yet but growing every day. Come on by if you'd like to join and help brighten these kids' day. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CampSquareCrew/

I just posted this design for sale. When you go get your cut and style...you gotta get your hair dryed right?

The Infamous Darryl Waltrip (DW) Cloth

I have finally decided to try the DW Washcloth. I have tons of varigated yarn and no idea what to do with it. This is the pattern of choice it seems for the varigated yarn. It's almost mindless knitting...only a 4 row repeat. I reallly like it. I can see myself making many, many more of these. And it's a good excuse to buy more yarn...lol I love the varigated yarn. There are so many color choices and I do love the bright colors.

Okay, it's a weird angle but the color shows up so well. I think now I have finally gotten over my fear of trying new designs. Lately, I've discovered that things I thought were complicated aren't as hard as I originally thought. I've been missing out on so much! Take the leap...you'll be surprised at what you can do. And there's always http://www.knittinghelp.com/ if you can't figure something out.

Elvish Leaves

This was my latest project. I was surprised to find that it knitted up quickly. This photo as usual does not do the design justice. It's a free pattern designed by Kelley. I immediately had to try this one. It hasn't been blocked but believe me it's a beautiful design. Check out her blog where she shares this wonderful pattern. http://kelleysyarns.blogspot.com/2007/05/elvish-leaves-dishcloth.html

Short post today....we're about to get some very ugly storms. I just had to share this one.

Back From The Frog Pond

Well I am back from the frog pond finally. I had intended to use the original acrylic yarn that I started out with but...we don't play well together. lol I couldn't wait to see how the Sonata yarn was going to look knitted up so I started over with it instead. I love earthy colors and greens are one of my favorites. I think this yarn is so pretty. I wish I was closer to being finished. The first photo is my progress after week two of the SASE group shawl KAL.

This next photo is just a closer look at the design and the colors. I can't believe how easy the feather and fan pattern has turned out to be. It looks so much harder than it really is. I almost didn't even try this KAL but I figured "what could it hurt to try". I have learned so much from all the groups I have joined this year. My only regret is that I didn't join a long time ago.

This is my lovely summer scarf KAL from the same group. This is my progress after Day 3. No matter how I take the picture, I can never get the color true. This is a little darker than the actual yarn. This is the Sinfonia yarn...very nice. Only drawback with the Sinfonia is that it seems to want to split. But it's worth the trouble. It looks so nice once it's knitted.

And I haven't totally given up on the acrylic shawl. I don't like to be beaten. And the colors are pretty. So I'll keep you updated on that one. For now, I'm still (not so patiently) waiting on my Knitpicks Options to get here. :( I am so eager to see if all the hype is true. And I just ordered some more wonderful soap from Kandie (JustforKhix). She has some new ones that I can't wait to get my hands on.

June Scarf KAL

This is the first day of my scarf KAL with the Shawls & Scarves Etc (SASE) group. I had originally intended to use a thicker yarn...something more suitable for cold weather. It was posted as a summer scarf but you can use the yarn of your choice with the appropriate needle size. After receiving the first days post, I remembered this yarn I got from my friend (HEY FROGGIE!) and thought to myself..."This would be perfect!" I put the thicker yarn away and cast on. This is Sinfonia in Lila. It's a little darker in the photo than it is in reality.

This is a no so good close up of the rows I've completed. You get the general idea I hope. It is so pretty. This is one of those scarves I would have ooohed and aaahed over and kept on browsing. My first thought would have been that it was just too complicated for my poor frazzled brain. I'm getting more comfortable with lace but it still makes me somewhat nervous. I have to say, I managed to do this much with absolutely NO FROGGING! YAY ME! So far (oh I hope I'm not jinxing myself here) this is a pretty easy pattern. I love doing KALs but I hate waiting for the next rows....I get sooo impatient when the pattern is one I can follow easily. And I have someone in mind to give this to but I need it done soon!

I think I'm going to head over to Knitting Pattern Central and look for some scarf patterns. The ones I passed over thinking I couldn't do it. I got lots of stash and a massive urge to keep knitting. Gotta stay busy til the next scarf rows come out. Tomorrow I get more rows for my feather and fan shawl....can't wait. I decided to wait before casting on with the new yarn. Oh, almost forgot, gotta go frog the shawl and re-do on bigger needles. I have to find the right size to get that drape going. Ok, so much for idle hands....lol

My Elann Order....YAY!!!

Look what came in the mail today! My yarn order from Elann.com. This is Sonata...a 100% mercerized cotton. The color is Vineyard. I have ordered from them several times and I'm always pleased with my order. And they ship so fast! If you haven't checked them out, I highly recommend you give them a look. They have many different yarns and the the prices are great! Sometimes it's hard to choose which one. I'm going to use this to do another mystery shawl. There has been discussion in the group about needle size. My first one is on size 5 needles but after reading the posts, I'm thinking of changing to a larger size needle. This is to give the shawl more drape. There isn't much to frog at this point so I figure this is the best time to it. Don't want to wait til I get too far into the pattern before I change my mind. I don't mind frogging early in a project. Now if my Knitpicks Options would come...I would really be a happy camper!

New Pattern...Cut & Style

I finally have a new dishcloth design uploaded to my sale site. I thought this would make a nice gift to give your hairdresser or even barber. We all have to get a cut or trim sometime. I have another that goes along with this one...have to finish knitting it up and I will post as soon as I get it done.

Mystery Shawl

This is my first shawl. I think it is the Feather & Fan but I'm not sure since I have never knitted a shawl before. It's a KAL with the group Shawls & Scarves, Etc. (SASE). I am working towards making the Pacific Waves Shawl. As soon as I saw the photo of the Pacific Waves...I knew I had to make it. It's absolutely beautiful. I started this shawl with an acrylic yarn (Baby Bee, Sweet Delight in teddybear ombre). This is the mystery shawl so I didn't know if I would like it and didn't want to invest too much in yarn until I found out. I have some Sonata Print from Elann on the way and will get another one OTN as soon as it gets here. I hope. I don't care much for the acrylic as it tends to curl but I really like the colors of this yarn. This photo doesn't do it justice.



This is an up-close look at the waves and a better idea of the true color of this yarn. The edges really don't seem to be curling as bad as I had anticipated. I'm hoping it turns out well since I have someone in mind to give it to for Christmas.

I'm also working on a couple of new dishcloth designs for my sale site. I feel like I've neglected it a little lately. Just too many projects going on at once. I have one almost knitted and ready to photograph and post. Then one more charted and written out to knit up after this one is done. These two are completely different from any of the other designs I have so far. I hope you will like them.

Melanie's Soap Sack...Free Pattern

Okay, here's my little lacy soap sack. It's my first attempt to my own lacy design and a pattern with decreases. Feel free to give it a try if you'd like and if you find any problems, let me know. I have only knitted this pattern once and I tried to make sure it was correct but I do have my "DUH" moments. You could actually do the decreases any way you are comfortable with and more gradually if you choose. I just don't like the pointy bottom. I did try to put a soap in and it seems to fit fine.

Melanie’s Soap Sack
©Copyright 2007
Designed by Melanie Thompson

I used Sugar & Cream yarn (100% Cotton) or yarn of your choice
US Size 6 Double Point Needles

Cast on 44 stitches
Place marker and join…work in the round
Knit 4 Rounds
*K2tog, YO, K2* Repeat to the end of the round
Knit 4 Rounds
Begin Pattern

Pattern:
Round 1: *K4, YO, slip 2 (as K2tog), K1, Pass two slipped stitches over the knit1, YO, K4*, Repeat to end
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: *K3, YO, K2tog, K1, SKP, YO, K3*, Repeat to end
Round 4: Knit
Round 5: *K2, YO, K2tog, K3, SKP, YO, K2*, Repeat to end
Round 6: Knit
Round 7: *K1, YO, K2tog, K5, SKP, YO, K1*, Repeat to end
Round 8: Knit
Round 9: *K1, K2tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, SKP, K1*, Repeat to end
Round 10: Knit
Round 11: *K1, K2tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, SKP, K1*, Repeat to end
Round 12: Knit
Round 13: *K1, K2tog, K2, YO, K1, YO, K2, SKP, K1*, Repeat to end
Round 14: Knit
Repeat Rounds 1-14 one more time.
Begin Decrease

Decrease:
*K4, SKP, K2, K2tog*, Repeat to last 4 stitches, K2, K2tog (35 stitches)
Knit
*K4, SKP, K2, K2tog*, Repeat to last 5 stitches, K3, K2tog (28 stitches)
Knit
*K4, SKP, K2, K2tog*, Repeat to last 8 stitches, K4, SKP, K2 (23 stitches)
Knit
*K2, K2tog*, Repeat to end (17 stitches)

Cut yarn leaving 4” tail and run through remaining 17 stitches.

Pull tight and weave in the ends.

Make an I-cord or braid yarn to run through eyelets…insert soap and tie bag.