Playing Catch Up...

I'm sort of back among the living again. Today I feel a little better after fighting a nasty stomach virus. I originally planned this to post yesterday but was interrupted when the youngest started her round of this dang "bug". She was up and down all night with a sick tummy and now my youngest son is putting in his time. Bless their little hearts. I was really hoping it would pass them by. So far, the oldest two are the only ones not affected. I sure hope this is over soon.

On a brighter note...here's a few of the things I've actually managed to finish during my absence from blogging.

There's actually two of these little bags for some little girls in the family but I don't have a photo of the other one yet...same thing, just different colors. This was done with the pattern Ceron form Toggle Knits. Super quick knit and so easy. Always a good thing. :)

This is the Knitted Snake Puppet Scarf which I think is only available as a Ravelry purchase. It's a pretty easy pattern but I had to think a bit when I was seaming the mouth part...it worked out so it's a safe one for all us blond knitters. If I figured it out...anybody can. :P This is a gift for my little cousin...hopefully he will like it.

This set was done for the newest little cousin. She is about 9 months old now and so cute. I used a vintage pattern for the mittens that can be found here . The hat pattern I used the Cable Baby Beanie from Sweater Babe. I should have done a little pair of cable booties and then it would really have been an awesome set. :P


This is Officer Lemon. He was a gift for the Resource Officer at my youngest daughter's school. He's good at his job and the kids all love him. His last name is Lemmons so the kids naturally decided to call him Lemon...what better gift could we have made for him? lol According the the daughter...he thought it was cute and liked it very much.

These next two scarves I whipped up for a project a friend is doing....The Bridge Project . Sandy is a sweet person and she invited me to join the Ravelry group so I had to get a couple sent to her ASAP. These things will go towards helping a group of homeless people (mostly men) who live under a bridge in Central Ohio. It gets so much colder up north than it does down here in the South and I hate to think of these people with nothing to help keep them warm.


This is my favorite of the two..it was done with Lion Brand Thick & Quick in Butterscotch. I used the Scrunchable Scarf pattern which has now become a favorite pattern. It's almost mindless and with this bulky yarn...man, does it knit up fast! I'm pretty sure there will be more of these in the future. I wasn't too sure how it would look in the bulky yarn but this was a really nice surprise.

The next one I just cast on and knit until I ran out of yarn. This is Lion Brand Home Spun. I bought this so long ago and was planning to knit a little lapghan but just never got around to it. Since Sandy asked for mostly manly colors...this was the first thing I grabbed out of the stash. It also turned out to be a nice surprise. I wouldn't have thought to use it for a scarf but it is soooo soft and squishy. Hopefully they'll both help keep someone warm during these cold winter months.

If any of you have any scarves, hats, mittens or gloves stashed away with no intended purpose or just have a little time to whip out something....knit or crochet...think about Sandy and The Bridge Project. The goal is 100 of each item. She has counters on the blog to keep us updated on how things are going.

I'll try to get back soon and catch you up on what's been happening in our neck of the woods. Hope everyone is well and the "bugs" stay away from you all. For all of you who are getting snowed under....remember we take all the snow donations you want to blow down this way. It had been crazy weather lately.....last few days in the 70's! By Monday....back down to the 40's. You never know how to dress. :P

Stay safe and lots of hugs to you!!

Trick Or Treat Memories

I was going to delete this photo and then I thought....WAIT! This is my brain after all this Halloween excitement. :P Am I ever glad that this is over.

The resident Trick or Treater....my ghost. I have no idea why she wanted to be a ghost but I didn't argue. This costume cost $2...twin size bed sheet at the thrift store. Woo Hoo! She insisted on having a bow on her head but it was a clear plastic bow so you can't see it unless you're up close. It made her happy so that's all that matters.

This was in someone's yard on our route during the night and I thought it was pretty awesome. I had a really hard time getting the photo....couldn't get a clear one no matter how hard I tried. It was pretty busy and fast moving along the road so I didn't have much time anyway.

This is a little better but the Pirate was going back down into the treasure chest at this point so you still don't get the full effect.

I did no decorating this year myself so I thought I would include the pumpkin from a friend's front porch. You gotta have at least one pumpkin. My Ghost had fun and got plenty of candy she doesn't even need so I guess it was a good night. We finished of with some scary movies and pizza...no cooking..YAY!!! I hope you all had a great Halloween. This is hopefully our last one to go out Trick or Treating.

I've finished my snake scarf and I'm working on some cute little cable cuff mittens for my cousin. It's a vintage knitting pattern and it knits up so fast. I have now learned to do cables on the needle. YEAH! Then I am on to a hat to go with her little mittens. After that...not sure. I'm just happy to finally be making some Christmas knitting progress.

Hugs!

Icelandic Shawl Kit

Today I remembered to take a photo of my kit for the Icelandic Shawl . This was my first order with Sarah's Yarns and I am really pleased with them. The service is great and the shipping was so fast. I'm really looking forward to this KAL. I am planning on keeping this shawl for myself but you know how my plans go...someone always ends up taking whatever I knit.

I had made the wrapper cloth for my mail carrier and it was well received. She left a very nice "Thank You" card with the mail saying she didn't want to use it and mess it up. Then, yesterday, when she dropped off my books...she told me she loved it and asked if I sold them. I told her I would be happy to make her some more. This began an "argument" about whether or not she would be paying for them. I tried to explain to her that I have a ridiculous stash of cotton yarn that needs to be knitted up. Anyway, we agreed to argue about that more when I get her some cloths finished. lol I was happy just to know that someone appreciated and enjoyed a cloth that I made.

I am making progress on the Isabeau Purse...not as much as I would like...but progress still. I am already thinking once I get one finished and understand the construction of the whole thing...I want to make some in a bigger size. They are so cute. Shelly made a couple for her daughters and they turned out great. She made a longer strap so they can carry them as a shoulder bag rather than the small, short handle purse. I may try that as well...the small handles just aren't as convenient for me.

Hope you're all staying warm and dry...so many storms all over. If anyone is getting too much snow, feel free to send us some. We never get any here.

*to my SA friends....Liefde en drukkies.*

Christmas Knitting Has Begun

Believe it or not, I am getting that early start on Christmas 2008. I just finished my first gift for next Christmas. This is for my cousin. She will be a new Mom this year and little does she know, she will no longer have the time or energy for lots of the everyday things we Mommies used to do...like fixing our hair, going to the potty, eating......lol. She has always liked headbands and bandanas for keeping her long hair pulled back out of the way. I've had my eye on this pattern for a while and thought it would be perfect for her. It knits up fast....my favorite kind....and it fit perfectly. (I tried it on.)

Now, to decide what to do next. I have a purse pattern I found at Chez Plum that is so cute. I think it will be the next project. I'm hoping it will also be a fairly quick knit. If it goes well, I'm thinking of doing a couple of those for gifts. I just hope I can keep this up...next Christmas will be stress free. YAY!

It's A Good Day To Knit

It's a yucky, cold and rainy day. This was earlier this morning but now it is a full blown downpour. It's just not suitable for anything other than staying in under a blanket and knitting. I know we need the rain but...YUCK! and BRRRR!

This is what I will be doing today, other than working on my slowly progressing La Dentelle Belle. This is a headband from Drops Designs. I should have taken a photo of the other side so you could see the texture a little better. Too late now, the batteries died and I had to put them in the charger. I'm using James C Brett Marble...the colorway says MT8..whatever that means. lol If it turns out well, I may make a few of these for Christmas gifts for 2008. Oh yeah, I'm starting on next years gifts now. Knitters always worry about how our hand knits will be received. Some people just don't have an appreciation for them it seems. I personally think that these particular people are very materialistic and don't deserve a gift at all. Thankfully, all my gifts were well received and appreciated...I even got a few requests for more hand knits. YAY ME!!

If you're interested in getting an early start and need a little cheering section to help you along, you might want to check out the Year Long Gift Along. Sign ups are until Jan. 31, 2008.
http://knitallyear.blogspot.com/

This was a gift for my cousin for Christmas. He is a huge fan and so the wonderful Froggie charted it up in a second and sent it my way. The pattern is posted on her site as a free pattern.
Hop on over and enjoy!
http://frogiezplace.blogspot.com/2007/12/her-clothfreebie.html

Almost There And Contest Goodies....

I have, at last, a "Hunny Bear" to give my cousin for Christmas. This is thanks to my good friend, Froggie. Thanks so much, girlfriend...I so appreciate this. Not to worry folks, I already sent her a message to post the pattern...please, please, please...it's time to share.

ETA...Froggie has now posted the Hunny Bear Freebie...hop on over and check it out...the button is on my sidebar. :)

This is my second place prize for the Google Christmas Trivia Contest in the gettingtoknowyou dishcloth group. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gettingtoknowyoudishclothknitters/
A ball of Sugar & Cream striping yarn in Violet Stripes...so pretty...a ball of Peaches & Cream in Deep Purple...I haven't seen this color around here...YAY...and a really cute little notepad...I love notepads. You just can't have enough little notepads for the desk. I go through them like lightening.

I also managed to get a little knitting time in on my La Dentelle Belle Scarf KAL. I am so far behind, it's just not funny but I will finish....sometime. Poor thing doesn't look much longer than it did before I started knitting last night but it really is a bit longer.

Off to finish my last dishcloth...I'm about 2/3 of the way done and will be finished with it tonight. This is a good thing since we're exchanging these gifts tomorrow. lol
Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday!

The "Awesomeness" That Is.....

The Picot Swirl Dishcloth!

I just cannot say enough good things about this cloth. I love, love, love it!!! Thanks, Toni!!!
This is the perfect cloth to knit if you're in a hurry and you still want something pretty and functional. After I get going, I don't need the pattern and now...in a moment of sheer blonde, I realized that...if I use a stitch marker, I don't even need to think about it at all. No counting...just knitting. I have knit so many of these, you would think I would have figured this out a looong time ago, oh well. Just put the stitch marker at the end of the row when you turn (just before the stitch you're going to stop at on the next row) and keep on going. Did that make sense? I hope so...if you knit one, you'll understand when you get there. lol

This one was done in Sugar & Cream in Country Side Ombre. It was marked down at Hobby Lobby which is sad news for me because I really like the colors. Isn't that how it goes...you find something you like...they stop making it. :P

You can find this awesome pattern here:
http://foothillsofthegreatsmokymountains.blogspot.com/2007/07/picot-swirl-cloth_25.html


I know this doesn't look like much now but I have high hopes for this little thing. I don't want to say too much but there's a pattern I found a while back that was just too cute but it's a crochet pattern. I have searched high and low for a knit version and I can't find it so, I am attempting to do a knitted version myself. I'm pretty sure it will be a super simple pattern that even a beginner can do. It's just knit, purl, yarn over and knit 2 together. As soon as I get it worked out, I will share it...hopefully soon cuz I'm thinking it would be a cute Christmas gift.

Back to knitting like a woman possessed. lol Will the madness never end?

Slowly but surely....

Slowly but surely, I am getting my Christmas knitting done. I know, by the looks of this pile you would think I have nothing to worry about....these aren't all for gifts. Some of them are test knitted designs that may be given and maybe not. I want to give everyone at least two cloths each so I do still have a bit more knitting to do.

This is the awesome "Nubbins" cloth by Vyvyan of http://inahappycamper.eponym.com/blog
She has some wonderful patterns on her blog, you should check them out if you haven't already. I have been wanting to knit this one for a while and thought this would be a perfect cloth to do for my gifts. It's a good stress free knit and I can use my tons of variegated cotton that I have in my stash. There will probably be more of these to come since there is no complicated pattern to remember and it goes pretty quickly. For this one, I used Sugar & Cream in Summerset.

This is hopefully the last dress I have to do for a while...yeah, right. This (when finished) will go to my other neighbor in her Christmas basket. I just have to do the crochet at the top to finish it off. I used the Sugar & Cream self striping in Country Stripes. I really like the colors and might use the leftover (there was a lot) to make another soda can cozy. Now, do I want to do another Nubbins or what to do next? Maybe another Nubbins and something else...you can't have just one OTN at a time.

How Cute Are These!?

These are absolutely the cutest rings I have seen in a while. I found them, of all places, on Ravelry. Well, the rings weren't on Ravelry but the designer was there. Her name is Julie and she is a knitter, jewelry designer and a talented photographer as well. She is so sweet and so very patient....I know I drove her nuts looking for just the right buttons. She probably has me listed in her books somewhere as "that dang picky chick" or maybe "nut case". lol She has an Etsy shop where she sells these cute little things and there are so many to choose from....as a matter of fact, I just finished ordering another one for my oldest daughter for Christmas.

This was my favorite. I love the button in the back with the flowery look and the wood grain was exactly what I wanted. I love the earth tones especially browns. I asked her if she had anything earthy so she went digging and came up with these. I swear it's like she could read my mind. (a scary venture if you poke around too much)

This is my "jeans and T-shirt" ring. The colors I love but a little more casual. She does have rings with color and they are very pretty...I just like the browns. The one I ordered for my daughter is much more colorful. I think I'm going to wear the wood grain one today...just because I love it. Thanks, Julie, if you see this. You rock, girlfriend!

If anyone wants to see Julie's cute button ring, here's the link for you. Enjoy!
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5167465

Another note....she makes stitch markers too!

Anybody Spare An Extra Set Of Hands?

Not a lot going on....just trying to get into some kind of Christmas knitting groove. I'm almost done with one cloth and only *omg, who knows how many* more to go. lol

I'm also working on charting up another dishcloth design that was requested by a friend. I have to write it out and get it test knitted to see how it looks. Still haven't gotten back around to the Pooh yet. I hope to have another one posted soon if all comes out well. It's being test knitted now.

I finally got the little book I have been waiting very anxiously for today. It's The Magic Loop...Sarah Hauschka's Magical Unvention. It's from Fiber Trends but I found it on eBay really cheap. I looked it over and now I so want to cast on some socks and give it a try but I don't have time. :(


It doesn't look like much...small, thin little thing....just from looking through it, I think maybe I can handle it. The illustrations are wonderful and it explains very well from what I can tell. Having never knitted socks, don't take my word for it just yet. We'll see after I get a pair of socks done. lol

I missed some awesome photos this morning taking the kids to school. The fog was lifting and it was almost eerie...I forgot the camera! DUH! I need two....one for the car and one for home.

Okay, back to the Christmas knitting. I really need some motivation...you would think the little amount of time left til Christmas would be motivation enough but so far....NO. Deadlines sort of take all the fun out of it. Maybe next year, I can get an early start so I can actually enjoy the process. Until next time.....Hugs!