Jazzy Bear Is Ready To Go

I decided to make another of the Jean Greenhowe bears to go with "The Fuzzy Pink Baby Blanket That Never Grows". These bears are so quick to knit so I knew getting him done would be no problem. This one I knitted with Bernat Berella "4" on US Size 8 needles. He's about 9" tall and perfect for baby sized hugs. All I have to do now is make this darn blanket grow a little more and I am done. Either way...I'm done tomorrow....the shower is at 4:00 pm.

I broke down and went to the crochet class today. It wasn't exactly what I expected but I did learn some tricks I would never have learned on my own. Kelsey taught the class and she is so sweet and so patient. I know that if I needed extra help...she would take a moment to point me in the right direction. We left with a scarf pattern and I hope when I get some things done...I can give it a try. She did take a minute to show me a little about making granny squares. If I can ever get the hang of that one thing...I think I'll be satisfied. I could make them to donate or put them together myself and donate the blanket or afghan. Then again, being able to crochet a baby blanket would sure help me out a lot in the near future. I just need to try to fit in some time to practice what I learned today and then go from there.

I took my double points that I purchased not so long ago back (one of them broke the first time I used them). Margaret (my LYS owner) graciously took them back and let me get different ones. I settled on a set of "addi" premium US #2/3.00mm and these are (I think) bamboo. The ones I returned were made of birch....very thin and fragile. I think I'm going to like these much better...I sure hope so cuz they were even more expensive. :P

Okay...back to the blanket. Hugs!!!

Sluggish Sunday

I was asked about the size of the keychain so I thought another photo would be the best way to explain. This is my car key next to the sock...it's just a little bigger than the key but it really stand out. I so love this keychain...gotta get some more.

This is just to prove that I DO NOT have SSS...yet. It's OTN and I hope it will a FO tomorrow. Ms Thang is over-seeing production and not cutting me a bit of slack. lol Since tomorrow is her birthday, I really want to have it done. I would be further along but I spent way too much on Ravelry looking at sock patterns and trying to decide what my next one will be. I have some Tofutsies and I'm ready for another pair.

I am, however, very upset with these brand new hand made birch sock needles I bought recently at my LYS. They were $8.50 of worthless crap! I opened them yesterday and used them for the first time and one of the needles just split apart. They will making a trip back to the store and hopefully I can get another pair (different kind) because using these long DPs is really a pain.

That's my rant for the day....going back to my heating pad.....it's a girl thing. Nuff said.

Hugs!

Labor Day & Knitting

This is how we spent our Labor Day afternoon...well, some of us anyway. My 2 1/2 year old nephew, Killian, knows how to relax on a hot day. The temperatures weren't too bad today compared to the last few weeks. It seems like it's always hot and humid here in the South though. We didn't do any cooking out today but it was nice just the same.

I did get a little time to work on the COTW for this week. This one is called Spot On! I was a little confused at first but I think I have it figured out now. The last row of the pattern for each section threw me off a bit. It's different from other round cloths I've knitted before. I hope I'm doing it right anyway. lol

If you look closely at my needle, you'll see the curve. Poor things are overworked and starting to curve a bit from all the use. I got these on eBay and they were a great deal...not as sturdy as the Clover needles but they do the job. I haven't had one to break yet. I love my bamboo needles...don't touch metal unless I have to OR unless it's my Knitpicks Options. The only thing I've used them for so far is my Mystery Shawl (Feather & Fan) which I really need to get finished since the KAL has been over for a few weeks now. Maybe soon it will cool off and I can get around to actually wearing it. :)

It's Here! Thank You, Brian!!!

My awesome new needle case has arrived. Brian had posted pictures of some of the needle cases he made on his blog a little while back. I jokingly (I hope that's a word..lol) said, "I got dibs on the pink one!" He asked me if I indeed wanted the case and of course I said yes. He so patiently saved this one for me until I finally got to the post office. (Took me forever...so glad he waited.) It came in the mail today. I love, love, love it!! It is so nice...much nicer than some others I have seen. Brian is super talented and he does some beautiful work. The fabric is thicker than I expected with the beautiful design. I think it will be quiet sturdy and last for many years to come. I still believe how nice it is. Thank you so much, Brian. If you haven't seen his blog, you should check it out. He just posted some new patterns for bath mitts for the kids and they are super cute. I'm planning on making the snake for my nephew. The link to both of his sites are in my side bar on the right. Here's the link for his patterns...
http://brileyknits.blogspot.com/

This is the case all filled up and tied up. I have a mixture of my bamboo needles inside. All the ones that I happened to have handy. I need to get all my needles together and see what I have. I'm sure I need more cases to hold them all. I would be embarrassed to say how many knitting needles I own. In truth, it's probably a ridiculous number. The prices on ebay are so good though...it's just too hard to resist. They are mostly bamboo since they are my favorite. I hate the metal ones with the clicking and the stitches sliding....grrr.

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!