Elmore Pisgah Rocks!

There's been a lot discussion lately in the COTW group about making bath mats or rugs from the double worsted cotton or using several strands of worsted cotton held together. The only store here that even sells the Elmore Pisgah Peaches & Cream is Walmart and they don't carry the double worsted...not to mention what they do carry is a very limited selection colorwise. I finally made the decision to place an order with Elmore Pisgah and get myself a couple of cones of the double worsted so I could make some bath mats. I placed my order yesterday (key word here being YESTERDAY). Today the UPS man pulls into my driveway and hands me a package containing this....(see photo). I was floored that it got here so fast! Okay, so North Carolina is just a hop, skip and a jump from me (SC) but still.....one day! I had heard that their customer service was excellent and nothing but praise for their product which I have used and do love but I still can't get over how fast they shipped. Awesome!

The cones I ordered were...on the left, #213 Sour Green Apple Cone and on the right, #182 Raspberry Swirl. I had never actually seen or held any double worsted and didn't really know what to expect...the thickness is wonderful. These are going to be some awesome bath mats.

Wordless Wednesday

It's A Red Furry Monster Freebie!

A big, big thanks to my sweet new friend, Kim Gean, who test knitted this pattern for me. She's was looking for this little fella and I had him charted and written out but just didn't have the time to knit him. Thanks, girlfriend! http://kimgean.multiply.com/

Furry Red Monster Dishcloth
Designed by Melanie Thompson
Test knit by Kim Gean
US Size 6 needle
100% Cotton Yarn

Cast on 46 stitches
Rows 1-6: Knit
Row 7: K2, P42, K2
Row 8: Knit
Row 9: K2, P42, K2
Row 10: K4, P1, K6, P1, K2, P1, K18, P1, K2, P1, K9
Row 11: K2, P8, K1, P1, K1, P18, K1, P1, K1, P6, K1, P3, K2
Row 12: K6, P1, K6, P2, K18, P2, K6, P1, K4
Row 13: K2, P3, K1, P7, K1, P16, K1, P7, K1, P5, K2
Row 14: K8, P1, K6, P1, K16, P1, K6, P1, K6
Row 15: K2, P5, K1, P5, K1, P16, K1, P5, K1, P7, K2
Row 16: K10, P1, K26, P1, K8
Row 17: K2, P7, K1, P10, K6, P8, K1, P9, K2
Row 18: K12, P1, K4, P4, K4, P3, K7, P1, K10
Row 19: K2, P9, K1, P1, K5, P11, K4, P11, K2
Row 20: K14, P1, K17, P2, K12
Row 21: K2, P9, K1, P20, K1, P11, K2
Row 22: K11, P2, K5, P7, K10, P2, K9
Row 23: K2, P6, K1, P11, K1, P6, K1, P7, K1, P8, K2
Row 24: K9, P1, K7, P1, K7, P3, K10, P1, K7
Row 25: K2, P4, K1, P11, K1, P10, K1, P6, K1, P7, K2
Row 26: K8, P1, K6, P1, K12, P3, K8, P1, K6
Row 27: K2, P3, K1, P8, K1, P16, K1, P5, K1, P6, K2
Row 28: K7, P1, K6, P1, K17, P1, K7, P1, K5
Row 29: K2, P3, K1, P6, K1, P19, K1, P6, K1, P4, K2
Row 30: K6, P1, K6, P1, K20, P1, K6, P1, K4
Row 31: K2, P2, K1, P3, K6, P18, K1, P6, K1, P4, K2
Row 32: K5, P1, K6, P1, K15, P4, K5, P1, K3, P1, K4
Row 33: K2, P2, K1, P13, K3, P13, K1, P5, K1, P3, K2
Row 34: K4, P1, K6, P1, K8, P5, K16, P1, K4
Row 35: K2, P2, K1, P21, K5, P4, K1, P5, K1, P2, K2
Row 36: K4, P1, K5, P1, K1, P3, K26, P1, K4
Row 37: K2, P2, K1, P13, K5, P11, K2, P5, K1, P2, K2
Row 38: K4, P1, K5, P1, K11, P1, K5, P1, K12, P1, K4
Row 39: K2, P3, K1, P10, K1, P7, K1, P11, K1, P3, K1, P3, K2
Row 40: K5, P1, K3, P1, K10, P1, K8, P1, K10, P1, K5
Row 41: K2, P4, K1, P8, K1, P10, K1, P12, K1, P4, K2
Row 42: K6, P1, K12, P1, K10, P1, K7, P1, K7
Row 43: K2, P6, K1, P4, K3, P10, K1, P11, K1, P5, K2
Row 44: K7, P1, K11, P1, K10, P1, K2, P1, K2, P1, K9
Row 45: K2, P8, K2, P4, K1, P9, K1, P9, K2, P6, K2
Row 46: K10, P1, K8, P2, K7, P1, K6, P1, K10
Row 47: K2, P7, K1, P8, K1 P4, K2, P2, K1, P4, K3, P9, K2
Row 48: K14, P4, K5, P4, K3, P3, K3, P1, K9
Row 49: K2, P7, K1, P3, K3, P13, K1, P14, K2
Row 50: K16, P1, K4, P3, K6, P3, K2, P1, K10
Row 51: K2, P8, K1, P7, K1, P3, K3, P4, K1, P14, K2
Row 52: K17, P1, K3, P3, K3, P2, K5, P1, K11
Row 53: K2, P10, K5, P2, K1, P7, K1, P16, K2
Row 54: K19, P1, K5, P1, K20
Row 55: K2, P19, K5, P18, K2
Row 56: Knit
Row 57: K2, P42, K2
Row 58: Knit
Row 59: K2, P42, K2
Rows 60-64: Knit

Bind off and weave in the ends.

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!

My Little Tooth Fairy Bag (Correction)

I just realized that my terrible photos today make it hard to see what that little shiny thing is..lol. It's actually a nickel I used to hopefully give everyone an idea of what size my bag was.


I used US Size 7 needles to knit the bag.
I used US Size 8 needles to do the bind off.

Cast on 30 stitches
*K1, slip 1 purlwise* repeat to end of row (Don't move the yarn front to back...just slip stitch and keep knitting)
Continue until piece is the desired length. (Mine was just under 4")

At this point you will separate the sides...each side will be on a separate needle.
You will work each side one at a time.

*P1, YO, P2tog* to end of row
Knit the row
Purl the row
Knit the row
Purl the row
Knit into the front and back of each stitch
Purl
Knit
Bind off and cut yarn leaving a tail

Then work other needle the same way.

Weave in your ends.
*Turn bag inside out (stockinette is on the inside)
Make an I-cord to the length you desire and thread it through the eyelets.

©2007 Melanie Thompson

My Tooth Fairy Bag

Inspiration comes from the strangest places sometimes. We recently watched the movie Transformers (awesome movie) and at one point during the movie, a little girl reaches under her pillow and gets her tooth fairy bag. This scene stuck with me for some reason but not until my brother-in-law said something did I think about this. He said I should knit a tooth fairy bag so...
here it is. This is the first completed version of My Tooth Fairy Bag.



This is a photo of the bag before adding the I-cord. I had no idea how to add eyelets to a double knit piece so simply separated the two sides at this point and knit them one at a time.


I had no desire to fight with my double points or do any seaming (I HATE SEAMING!) so I thought, why not do it in double knit. I really like double knit. I had only done this technique once before but it's very simple and I really enjoyed it.

This photo of the top of the bag is kinda fuzzy...sorry about that. I wanted it to have some type of ruffle to it. I know nothing about ruffles in knitting so I just winged it with knitting into the front and back of each stitch for one row. I'm sure there's a better, prettier way to have done this but I don't know it. lol

I will post the pattern for it later if anyone is interested.

Saturday Sky

What Time Of Day Are You?

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?

There Is Evil In My Computer

I posted the photo cuz we really needed a change of scenery. I took this one a few days ago while driving down the road to pick my kids up from school. People probably think I am insane as I can often be seen holding my camera out the car window snapping pictures while I am going down the street. Sometimes I get crap and sometimes I get some really nice shots. I thought this was one of the nice ones. You can get away with this out here in the country but I don't push my luck once I get into town. I don't think the local law enforcement would think too highly of it...lol.

This evil of which I speak (most of you probably already know it) is Ravelry. It sucks you in and you just get lost. It's so hard to get out of there. It's just awesome! Now, if this wasn't bad enough...today I gave in and did something else that I have been thinking about doing for a while now. I know it's spoken of highly and seems to be a good thing but I wasn't ready to make the change until now. Today, I downloaded Mozilla Firefox. The fastest, the safest....blah blah blah...don't they all say that? They tag-teamed me! Ravelry has this neat little button that you can click and drag onto your toolbar and when you're pattern surfing and come across something you like, you click this button (ravel it!) and it will locate that pattern in Ravelry if it's in their database. The catch...it works with Firefox and not Internet Explorer. Well, being one is doesn't want to be left out, I got Firefox. I gotta say.......I love it! My experience so far....it IS faster. The pages just pop. My IE has been giving me much grief lately and today I have had none of these issues...not once! Of course you can customize your browser which is where I have been most of this evening in my free time. EVIL...EVIL I TELL YOU! I'm going to have to rig up something that will give me an electric shock so I have to get up from the computer. lol

This is really cutting into my knitting time. I've got Christmas gifts sitting around unfinished and yarn that's giving me some really nasty looks. I have less than a month to get this stuff done. Anyone know a good computer exorcist?

Wordless Wednesday