I finally finished the Clapotis yesterday at my knitting group. I was so thrilled & excited to finish it!! Of course, we were all talking & I happened to realize that I had one stitch less than I should have. Or maybe it was one more. Yah, right. Anyway, I finished it. When I got it out of my bag to finish dropping the stitches I saw that I'd missed one drop. What a bummer!! I thought about it for awhile & decided that I was so done with that project. I just couldn't face backing it out to the missed drop.

There was some discussion on the FB group about whether to block or not. I wet blocked it & I'm much happier with it blocked than unblocked. My yarn was sock yarn & a little scratchy before a good soak in Eucalan. It's nice & drapey now.

So, here it is. Done & done. We are doing a scarf swap in the local knitting group in October & I had planned to put this scarf in the swap. But I won't now. Shit!

I was listening to The Knitmore Girls podcast today while riding the bike. If you've never listened to them, give them a listen. They're very entertaining. And even though they talk about things local to them a lot, I still enjoy their banter & review of products. I really enjoyed the portion where they talked about how they get so much knitting done. Guess how they do it? By having multiple projects started & ready to go. That way when you have time to knit you're set to go. It really justifies having multiple projects. I LOVE IT!! 

I am nearing the end of several projects right now & starting to think about what I want to do next. The Clap is done. The Wool Eater is getting very close. I have 2 rounds of white & then I want to figure out some sort of edging with the purple. I started the rib edging on the Drops Bolero today. Since I'm making the largest size it will be slow going with 400+- stitches per round. And I poked a hole in my finger today so I had to stop working on it.

The Rambling Rows has been languising because (a) it's boring & (b) it's too hot to knit on a wool blanket. And I've been crocheting lap blankets in off time. 

I'm thinking of starting the Scarf-A-Licious Wrap. It's so cute. Of course, I don't have yarn for it, but hey that's ok according to The Knitmore Girls. I need more projects.

Have a great 4th everyone! Stay safe with the fireworks!!

The Wool Eater

You want to know what the hardest part about blogging is. It's coming up with a catchy title. And I suck at it. I’m seriously considering just numbering them like for podcasts.

Our internet was down all day Sunday. And, of course, that was the one day that I had great ideas to blog about & loads of time to do it. Of course. Actually, the internet is still down today on Monday so I’m typing this up in Word & will upload it when & if the damn thing ever comes back up. Update: It's UP!!

What’s on My Needles:

The wrong side looks like Chrysanthemums

I knitted & crocheted so much yesterday that I’ve aggravated my right shoulder/arm/wrist/hand.

I’m working obsessively on The Wool Eater Blanket by Sarah London. I don’t think I’ve blogged about this project before. It’s crochet which I don’t normally like the looks of. (Wow! My grammar is horrid!) Anyway, this afghan looks amazing. Take a look at some projects on Ravelry & I think you’ll agree with me. The back side is nice too. It is worked from the center out in a square. It’s a two round repeat.

The pattern was a little tricky. Or it may be that my crochet skills are not up to the level of this pattern. Oh yea. I just remembered that it's written in Australian terminology which makes it more confusing for me. The rest of this paragraph is tedious detail about the pattern. Skip ahead if you're so inclined.  I read a lot about it on Ravelry which lead me to a video for Bavarian crochet. This is apparently what this pattern uses. The video helped a lot. Combined with the comments on Ravelry & I was able to figure this pattern out. Even with help the hard parts for me were figuring out where to place the slip stitches for rows 3, 5 and placement of the 8 cluny group on those same rows. FYI-For the 8 cluny group you don’t make any stitches in the “dip” where the slip stitch is. You only make the cluny group over the back posts of the previous rounds trc. Until this afghan I had never done backpost crochet. In fact, I’d never heard of it. I would recommend doing a practice run with worsted weight yarn before you jump off into your project.

I’m using only stash yarns. At least that was the plan. I thought I’d have plenty of this off the wall yarn that I picked up at Walmart a year or so ago for $1 per skein. It's called Georga Promo Fil. I bought 9 or 10 skeins of white, 1 of a dark purple, 1 of a light purple & 1 light blue. I’ve used small amounts of the purples for hats.  The yarn is very soft, acrylic, dk weight. I’m not sure of the yardage & can’t look it up because the damn internet is down. I also had almost a full skein of Universal Yarns Worsted Tapestry in a colorway that works well with the others. 

My plan was to alternate two rows/rounds of white, two of color, two white, etc. All went well through round 17 when I only made it ¾ of the way with the light purple. So, I finished that last ¼ round with white. Then the next two rounds were white. My next two rounds are with the dark purple. Except that I only have 12 g left after one round. Argh! I think I’ll try the next round with the pale blue & see how it looks. Or maybe hit the LYS in search of a compatible purple dk weight. I still have 3-4 skeins of white left but I’m almost out of colors. It’s only about 22 inches square now and each repeat grows it about 1.5 inches.

Update: I ran by Nan's Needleworks yesterday & picked up two skeins of Dark Horse in two colorways that will work. So, I don't even want to think of how much this small "stash buster" blanket is gonna cost me. Not that the Dark Horse was expensive. It was on sale even.

The other new item OTN is a Fir Cone Square Shawl by Cheryl Oberle. I’ve loved this pattern for years. Somehow, I’m a moderator on the Folk Shawls forum on Ravelry. We’ve decided to do a KAL for the Fir Cone. So, I cast on yesterday using some old laceweight that I got from B several years ago. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 8000 yards of it. It’s rather scratchy & I’d definitely rather use fingering weight but I just can’t justify spending the money right now on 2200 yards of yarn with all the medical bills.

What’s NOT on my needles: anything for the Market Days in September. I’m bad. That’s what I should be working on. I know. Baby things. I do have a couple of baby blankets, hats & one sweater in my basket. But I need more. I know.

WIP's & Needles

WIP's & Needles....sounds kinda kinky doesn't it? hee hee... We all know it's not.

First...my big story of the week. I had bought a Crystal Palace size 1 circ awhile back. When I tried to use it the join was just terrible. My socks snagged on it so bad that it was an exercise in frustration to knit with.  Instead of throwing it away (because my upbringing won't let me waste anything) I put it back in my needle bag & went to HCW for an Addi Turbo size 1. Made the socks. Yay!

Fast forward to this past Monday when I started another pair of socks trying to get lots of projects lined up for my upcoming surgery. I used  the Crystal Palace needles forgetting what a pain in the ass they were. Well, after just a couple of rounds I was furious. So, I took a picture of the needles & fired off an email to CP. I was nice because that's how I am. Surprise! I got a very nice email back within 24 hrs & they said they'd send me a replacement. There had been a bad batch of needles using softer metal for the caps. Anyway, I got the new needles in the only a day or two later & cast on yesterday for socks on them. The new needles work great & you can clearly see how much thinner the metal cap is & how much tighter it fits the cable in this picture. Can you guess which needle is the new one? Thank you Andy & Crystal Palace! I truly love the needles. The cable is very pliable & it rotates which is cool.

Crystal Palace needles new & old


These are the socks. All The Math by Helena Bristow, Kroy Jacquards yarn

All The Math Socks

I love the colorway used in the Ravelry page for these socks & have found the yarn online in a couple of places.  

Seriously thinking of ordering it. I started another pair of socks last week and what's up with that because I have never been a sock knitter. I mean I've tried it a few times but it has never grabbed me. All the sudden, that's all I want to knit. Weird! Anyway, the socks I cast on last week are Sunrise Socks by Wendy D. Johnson. I am using Crystal Palace Panda Silk Print in a lovely colorway that has blues, purples and greens. I love this yarn!! It is very soft & lovely to knit with.

For good measure I'll put up pics of my progress on the Rambling Rows Afghan. I'm enjoying this knit although I don't like how the squares look at the sides where you pick up and knit.

And the Diamond Lace Scarf:

I am suffering from cabin fever today. It's going to be a long week. Recovery is boring. LOL. I have input all my needles & hooks into Ravelry database if that gives you any idea. And I'm thinking about paying some bills. Now, that's the ultimate in bored! There's only so many hours that I can knit on itty bitty needles. And why is Ravelry so slow today? Grrrrr!!

Free Pattern-Cozy Soft Earwarmer

A few weeks ago I was trying to find a hat that looked good on my little pointy head & would keep my ears warm. Nada. Zip. I look awful in caps & hats. I think it's because of my short hair & my angular face. Anyway, after searching the net for an earwarmer I decided to design my own. I like it & it was a great use for that single skein of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk Aran that I've had marinating for about 4 years. I'm pleased with the results & thought I'd offer the pattern to anyone else that needs such a thing. Please let me know if you make it & if there are any errors. UPDATE: There was an error on row 1 which I have now corrected. It said c3b & should have been c3b. I'm so sorry!!

Also, here's the link to a downloadable pattern. Earwarmer

Earwarmer

Copyright Beverly Shipley 2012

wendydancer.blogspot.com

Skills:

Advancing beginner

Easy cable stitch

Seaming ends or 3 needle bind off (optional)

Provisional Cast on (optional)

Materials:

 5.5 mm (US 9) needles

1 skein of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk

1 cable needle

1 darning needle

Gauge:

About 17 sts=4 inches. Not critical.

Abbreviations:

k= knit

p=purl

sts=stitches

c2b=slip next stitch onto cable needle, hold to back of work and knit the next stitch, k the stitch from the cable needle.

c2f=slip the next stitch onto cable needle, hold cable needle to front of work and knit the next stitch, knit the stitch from the cable needle.

Note: You may prefer to use a provisional cast on & then finish the earwarmer with a three needle bind off rather than sewing the ends together.

Pattern:

Row 1: k4, p3, c2b, p1, c2b, p3, k4

Row 2: k4, k3, p2, k1, p2, k3, k4

Row 3: k4, p3, c2f, p1, c2f, p3, k4

Row 4: k4, k3, p2, k1, p2, k3, k4

Directions:

Cast on 19 sts. Pattern is worked keeping the first & last 4 sts on each row in garter stitch. Odd rows are right side, even rows are wrong side. On even rows, knit the knits & purl the purls, except for the 1^st & last 4 sts which are knit on every row.

Begin pattern & work until it is long enough to fit snugly around the head. Cast off & seam ends together or use 3 needle bind off if you began with a provisional cast on.

In A Funk

I've been in something of a funk lately with my knitting. I still enjoy it when I'm knitting something that holds my interest. BUT, and it's been a big but, I have countless shawls & sweaters that I've knitted for myself & only worn one time. Like this one. Because it's too hot in Texas!  

So, I have been a little depressed and wondering what is the point of all this knitting if I make stuff that just sits in a drawer unused? And honestly, most of the things that I've gifted, I've felt were not appreciated.  I still remember going to the Hospice center & donating the afghan that I made while Angie was in the hospital. The reception was less than thrilling! I should've just taken my afghan and walked out!

I am still working on the Paneled Afghan but I'm so tired of it. I only have 2 more small panels to go & it'll be finished. I swear that I will never knit another afghan! And the Alpine Lace Scarf/Shawl is over halfway finished but I still have lots of yarn left & the miserly way I was raised insists that I use up every last drop of that $42 yarn! It's a really slow knit because of the laceweight yarn & the beads. But it'll be gorgeous. Wonder where I'll ever wear it?


Well, after several days of pattern searching & soul searching I've decided it's ok if I knit just because I enjoy it. TAA DAA!! It's really hard for me to do something just for me. As it is for most women. I have a large queue on Ravelry & many things that I've bought the yarn for. So, I pulled out my #1 and cast on. And I'm loving it. Leaf Yoke Top from Knit. 1/Spring Summer 2009. I bought the yarn on an impulse last November in Fredericksburg because the LYS had one on display & it was so gorgeous. They didn't have the pattern but assured me it only took 1 hank. Oh yeah, this yarn was $40+ per hank. But the hank has 560 yards. I digress...Got home found the pattern, ordered it. Lo & behold I would need more than one hank for the medium size. Called the LYS. They didn't have any more. Found a gal on Ravelry who had a partial hank. Pm'd her & asked if she'd sell it. She GAVE IT TO ME!! However, the dyelots are not the same. It's really really different. So, I'm alternating the two and so far it looks great! I don't have a picture yet because it's not far enough along to look like anything. So, here's a picture from the magazine. And I'm going to look as snooty as she does when I wear it!
 And look at this little top from Caron. It resembles the Leaf Yoke Top. I think I'll make it too! I don't know who it's for and I don't care! Well, maybe a little bit....

Josephine Top

Started June 1, 2010

Finished July 26, 2010

Project info

Name

Josephine Top

Pattern

Josephine Top by Deborah Newton

Craft

Knitting

Made for

me

Size

36 1/2"

Tags

Needle and yarn

Needle

US 3 - 3.25 mm

Yarn

Knit Picks CotLin

Stash

861.0 yards in stash

How much?

7 skeins = 861.0 yards (787.3m)

Colorway

Whisker

Color family

Gray

Purchased at

Knit Picks

Purchase date

May 2010

Notes

6/1/2010-Swatched with size 5 Harmony needles. 21 sts=4” in rib & lace pattern.

6/2/2010-Swatched with size 3 Inox needles. Long tail cast on. 24 sts=4” in rib & lace. Will try different cast on next. REally don’t want to go down to 2’s.

6/5/2010-I am attempting to modify the pattern to fit within my gauge using size 3 needles. I am keeping notes so we’ll see how it goes. Cast on 115 sts which should give me a little over 19” across the bottom.

6/15/2010-Swatched the texture pattern on size 3 needles. close enough for govt work. I hand washed and then threw it in the dryer with a load of underwear. It came out beautiful and did not stretch or shrink. Now, the problem is that I get gauge on the texture pattern but not on the rib & lace. So, can I modify the rib & lace portion to fit and get the texture to work also?? Right now, I’m thinking that I will need to start with about 115 sts and decrease down to 110 rather than what the pattern has you do….start with 128 and dec to 110. so, this won’t be as much of an A-line.

7/26/2010-Finished & I love it. I made notes on all my changes.

Apricots & Femme Fatale

I went over to some friends house last Friday and picked apricots from their tree. The tree was the biggest apricot tree I've ever seen & had dropped lots of apricots already. The yard was a gooey, sticky mess and their driveway was too. Bad idea to plant an apricot tree near a driveway! By the time I got home I had apricot goo all over my shoes & even on my shorts. But it was worth it! Yummy!! This picture is a very small sampling of all the apricots I got. I had 5 times this many!

And here's a pic of the Apricot Coconut Squares (except that I did not put coconut).

I finished the Femme Fatale Wrap yesterday at knitting group. I gave it to L because she admired it early on. I hope she uses it! Here are the specifics:

Pattern: Femme Fatale Wrap Creative Knitting Nov. 2007

yarn: Malabrigo Worsted - Black 4 hanks

Needles: Knitpicks Harmony size 7 US

Started: April 13, 2010

Finished: June 14, 2010

I did make some mods to the pattern & found a couple of errors. These are detailed on my Ravelry project page which I am sharing.

Also finished the socks within the last few weeks. They are ok. A little bit rough on the inside to my sensitive feet. I tried felting them a little bit with no luck. Wouldn't you know it? When you want something to felt it won't.

Happy Victoria Day!

According to my calendar it's Victoria Day in Canada. So, Happy Victoria Day y'all.

I finished Mom's Shawl & gave it to her for Mother's Day along with the Mother's Day Cloth. She loved them both. Here's the link to my project page on Rav which I am sharing with you. I'm sweet like that.

The Mother's Day cloth is from KrisKnits.
The Femme Fatale Wrap is about 80%. I have decided to give it to Letty when I finish it. I offered it to her at WHIBSIB because she was commenting how much she loves it. I told her that she could either have this one or buy herself some yarn & I would make her one. She chose the one that I'm making. I am going to make the back section about 1 extra repeat because she is a little larger than I am. I am making the small/medium size. The only worry that I have is how much will the Malabrigo stretch when I block it? I haven't taken a picture of it because black is so hard to photograph.

I started back on my 2nd sock last night and am up to the heel flap. My first problem is that i don't remember which pattern I used for the first sock. I THOUGHT it was the one on the wrapper for the yarn. I was almost positive so that's the one I've been using on the 2nd sock. Well, when I got to the heel flap I realized that it isn't because the pattern says to sl1, k1 on rs rows for the heel flap. And that's not what I did on the first one. Oh well. That's what I'm doing on the 2nd one. it's just a sock, right?

Anyway, here's the question: Do I slip as if to purl or as if to knit? Do I hold the yarn in front or in back? In other knitting when a pattern tells me to slip and I don't do anything else with that stitch on that row I always slip as if to purl w/yarn in front. That's how I learned from something I read somewhere over the past few years. But it's a pita to do that and then knit the next stitch across the whole row. Ya know? And it wraps the yarn in front of the slipped stitch.

What is the correct way to do this type of heel and does it have a name?

I started the Knitayear project on May 1st. Link to project page on Ravelry. I'm enjoying it although I don't know that I will continue with it. My plan is to bind off each month and start a new one. That will prevent it from getting so long. In the end I can seam them together and it will be a rug or wall hanging.

Here's a picture after the first week.

I really want to start the EZ 100th Anniversary Pi Shawl. I joined a Ravelry group called 10 Shawls in 2010 and they are enablers deluxe. The aforementioned shawl is designed to commemorate Elizabeth Zimmerman's 100th birthday. She was born August 9, 1910 (8/9/10). So, the shawl is designed using repeats of 8, 9 & 10. I think that's really cool. And my grandmother was also born on August 9, 1910. So it's especially meaningful to me. I bought KnitPicks Palette yarn in Aster. Purple was grandma's favorite color. She had a bedroom upstairs that was decorated in purple & white. It was all ruffly and girly and I loved that room. A few times I got to sleep in it and I always felt so proud when I did.

Truth Time

I don't usually have more than 3 projects otn at any one time. I've always been anal about that. But, last night I was searching for missing needles and discovered a terrible truth. I have 6 projects otn right now and am dying to start a 7th. Hence, the search for the missing size 6 needles.

So, it's time to fess up, face the music, tell the truth.

1-Paneled Lace Afghan which I started last summer and it probably won't be finished in 2010. I do work on it every Monday at the library for a couple of hours but it's slow going and I'm ok with that because it's my easy carry around project.

2-Alpine Lace Shawl - I started this last fall and while I love it, it takes a lot of focus and concentration because every row is patterned and I'm using beads, too. I do intend to complete it this year.

3- Serenity Socks - I started these in December 2009 and have one finished and the other is about 25%. I don't knit on them very often but I keep them in the car for knitting emergencies. I call them Serenity socks because that's the name of the yarn I'm using. I'm not real creative.

4- Grace's Blanket - started very recently using the Rambling Rows pattern and scraps of Cotton Tots yarn. I've almost run out of scraps so it's on hold until I can buy more which sort of defeats the purpose of the blanket.

5- Fischgratlein - This is an openwork shawl from a pattern called Fish Scales Shawl. I started it in a fit of "gotta find a new project". It will probably not get finished.

6- Femme Fatale Wrap - Started this yesterday and it's really fun so far. Pattern comes from Creative Knitting November 2007.

Oops....I just remembered there are two more. Ugh. One was my design for the LSSK design contest last summer that I never finished. Maybe I will. The other is a variation of the Fish Scales Shawl that I was working on. Need to frog it.

And I really, really want to start the Haruni Shawl by Emily Ross. I saw a picture of it on Ravelry and several people have used the Jojo Melody yarn and it looks spectacular. And I have 3 balls of that yarn that I bought to make the Spiral Scarf with and decided that I didn't like it.

Calais Shawl

I finished this so fast that it didn't even have a chance to get on my WIP list. I loved every minute of the knitting. The yarn was so awesome and the pattern was fun and easy with just enough challenge to keep me interested in it! I hated for it to be over!

Details:

Pattern-Calais Shawl

Yarn-Tweed Sport from Weaving Southwest Taos, NM

Needles-US 7 Knitpicks Harmony

Started-March 25, 2010

Finished-April 2, 2010

Not sure what my next project will be. There are a couple of sweaters/wraps that I like. In the meantime I'm doing mitered square dishcloths and starting a preemie size Rambling Rows Afghan.

Lion Neck Cardigan

I finally got a picture of the Lion Neck Cardigan that I started for DD back in December. I finished it on Feb 5 and mailed it to her. It was really an easy and quick knit, but I had too much dancing to do so I didn't get it finished very quickly.

It fits pretty well, except that the sleeves are too long and they are a little baggy at the underarms. The pattern is from Custom Knits by Wendy Bernard. I made the largest size which had me worried because it was labeled as 3X which DD does NOT wear, she more of a L or maybe XL. But the chest measurement for the 3X was exactly what hers is so I went with that size. I never really did understand the sizing on this sweater...The large size listed a 36 3/4" chest measurement which I think should be a small or maybe a medium. Anyway, I am reasonably happy with the outcome except for the sleeve length and width. When I got to the underarms I only cast on an extra 4 sts which made my sleeves more the large size and still they are too big. I wanted to take the sweater back and fix the sleeves but DD assured me that she likes it the way it is. So, I'm happy!

Details:

Lion-Neck Cardigan by Wendy Bernard in Custom Knits

Needle size 11 Harmony circular

Yarn-Lion Brand Jiffy Camel Spray colorway

Happy Thanksgiving!

It has been quite a while since I updated the blog. I'm so far behind that I don't know where to start. The summer trip was wonderful but left us scrambling to get our house/yard/lives back on track. I think maybe we are caught up finally after a couple of months! Maybe.

On the knitting front....I finished my first ever pair of socks last week. Knitted them in Simply Soft Caron on size 4 needles. I would post a pic but they are in the laundry hamper. I never had any urge to knit socks but I did enjoy it and have bought yarn and needles for another pair. Actual sock yarn this time. Eeekkkk! And size 2 needles....Double Eeeekkkk!

I am still slogging away at the Alpine Lace Stole. I can only get 4 rows per day done at the most so it's gonna take awhile. But that's ok.

I have finished the second panel of the Paneled Afghan. It's looking good and I have the 3rd panel planned. It's going to be done using the Zurich Scarf pattern.

I just started the Heelhead Scarf in black Malabrigo worsted. I think it will be nice. I plan to make one for Mother and one for myself.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is just as stuffed as I am!

Tales of Travels

I have been gone for 7 weeks and decided that I would write a little about our trip. Hopefully, it will be interesting to read. If not, well....just don't read it!

We have an RV and have traveled in it for years but this was to be our first trip of a more rustic nature. We bought a generator and G had researched campgrounds in National Forests and parks where we could have a little more space and enjoy nature. Call it boondocking, dry camping, roughing it...whatever. We were excited to try something new and get away from the crowded rv parks.

July 21, 2009-Left home headed for Ruidoso, NM.

Well, I've heard before that if you want to make God laugh....make plans. He must've had a really good belly laugh today. We were up early and had planned to leave home no later than 8 am so we could get to Brownfield, TX before the hottest (105 degree) part of the day. As I went into the spare bedroom to gather some things from the bed, I noticed that the bed was wet and water was dripping from the light fixture above the bed. I went out to tell G the bad news....the a/c drain is stopped up and leaking into the guest bedroom.....we spent about an hour and a half unstopping the drain. Had to climb up in the attic and then take the drain apart under the bathroom sink. Oh it was gross and messy and not the way to start a trip. I was ready to give up and try again tomorrow. But we did leave, albeit a few hours later than planned, and made our destination.

Then we spent about 5 days in Ruidoso, NM and had a great time. Our campsite was in the Lincoln National Forest and was just so gorgeous. Our front yard was the forest. No neighbors! Except for the deer and hummingbirds. We had a great time there.

My parents were in the area and my aunt and uncle so we were able to visit with them some and went out the the Inn of the Mountain Gods casino one day for lunch. It was really good food and what a bargain-$10 for a huge buffet.

One cute story....one afternoon a man, woman and little boy showed up and began setting up their tent next to us. Being the friendly one, G went over to say hi to them. They were from Mexico and spoke very little English. The man (grandpa) spoke some English and the grandma and grandson did not speak it at all. But, we all managed to visit a little. The little boy was 6 yrs old and had beautiful green eyes and long dark lashes. He was very talkative but we couldn't understand a word he said!

G told them that we'd been told there were bears in the campground and if they happened to see one that they could come knock on our door and we'd let them come in. Later that afternoon it got cold and began to rain (again no hot dogs!). I looked out to see the little grandson sitting on his chair by the fire pit (no fire) holding a stick with a marshmallow on the end of it. He was very patient in waiting for grandpa and grandma to make him a fire to roast marshmallows. At least a half hour passed before they had a smoldering, smoky fire going. But it was enough for him to roast his marshmallows. They were all dressed in their heavy coats with hoods pulled up, braving the rain. It began to get dark and rain harder. I heard a commotion and saw them all three running for their van. They started the engine and left! We were so surprised but figured that it had gotten too cold and wet and they decided to go to a hotel. The next day they came back about noon and began packing up their tent. I went over to find out what had happened. Grandpa told me that a bear had walked into their campground and that was why they left! oh my gosh, and this was just maybe 100 yards from our camper! Grandpa said that there was no way the grandson was camping in a tent after seeing the oso.

I worked on the Swirl Scarf while there but have decided that I just don't like the colorway of the JoJo Melody that I bought so I will have to find another color.

Next update will be from Red River, NM.

Knitting in the Forest

We are having a wonderful time in the cool mountains of New Mexico and Colorado. So far we've spent a week in Ruidoso, a week in Red River and 5 days in Chama, NM. We are now in Towaoc, CO (pronounced toy'yack) which is near Cortez. It is a little warm...got up to 90 today but it was 48 last night.

I finished the Hey Teach! before I left for vacation. I love it. Cool pattern and very fun. I don't have a picture of it here on the laptop so will have to link to the Rav page.

I started the Swirl Scarf while on this trip. Bought the yarn in GT right before I left. I bought the JoJoLand Melody Superwash in ms11. It looks so pretty on the ball but like crap knitted up. I am so dissappointed. I love the pattern and will go back for prettier yarn when I get home.

Too Much to Say

I'm way behind on updating this blog! Now, I have more to say and show than anyone will want to see. Dang! So, I thought if I started with a picture of a sweet little baby deer I might entice you to read. It is birthing time for the deer around here and we have 3 babies sleeping in our flower beds and under the shade trees.

Let's see...I finished Flit N Float and it is lovely! Thanks to Birdy for such an awesome pattern! I used Jaggerspun Zephyr in Cassis on size 4 needles. My Rav project page has more information.

I also finished the Ballet Sytle Sweater from Lion Brand. I used Yarn Bee Icelandic jewels and size 10 1/2 needles. That yarn was not my favorite to work with. But I like the sweater overall. I used a button closure on the outside rather than the bow that the pattern called for.

The MF group is so much fun and I just love them all. Some of us have gotten the bug to make vintage style aprons lately. I've made two which are so much fun. The first one I made using leftover scraps from my kitchen curtains. It turned out great. 

The second one I made using some Christmas fabric that I bought on the remnants table at Joann's. I used an old pattern Simplicity 9807. Turned out pretty cute I think.

If you've made it this far you deserve an award!! One last picture to share..my Hey Teach! using Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton and size 7 needles. I have the back completed and about one third of the left front.

The Alpine Lace Shawl was frogged due to losing a stitch somewhere. I will restart it this week!

I Just Can't Get Enough

Of these bags! This is my favorite one so far. Done with el cheapo Red Heart and a crocheted star. I also have a star button to add one of these days.
My next project is the Flit N Float scarf which I have blogged about before. I love it and am nearing the home stretch on it. Although, I have had to frog almost all of the work I did on it last weekend. Seems I was buzzing along on the wrong chart. Damn!

The Ballet Style sweater from Lion Brand is nearing the home stretch too. I have one sleeve half done. But I am not sure what I'm doing because I made the armholes 8" instead of 7" as the pattern says. I just thought a 7" armhole would be too tight. So, now I am winging it on getting the sleeve to fit. This sleeve is made differently than any other that I've done so I'm even less sure than usual how it's going to go together! No picture worth showing at this point.

I think my next project will be Hey Teach! from Knitty. I am planning to use I Love This Cotton in forest. Should be fun.

Not a Fan of Big yarn and Big Needles

Chanel's earwarmer and neckwarmer
Originally uploaded by wendydancer

I'm not usually a fan of super bulky yarn and size 15 needles. But, it was so much fun to whip Paulina's neckwarmer out in a day. And her earwarmer would've been as fast except life got in the way. I made the earwarmer a little wider by doing one extra increase. I used Lion Brand Landscapes yarn and size 10 1/2 needles on the earwarmer and size 15 needles on the neckwarmer. Fun! And I am pretty sure that my 18 year old granddaughter will like them for her birthday in February. Unless I decide to keep them for myself....Please ignore the wrinkles in my face....really I usually look better. Or not.

These patterns are definitely keepers for next year Christmas knitting quickies!

Christmas Knitting

I thought I would share my Christmas knitting FO's with you. For my daughter, I made the Cabled Lace Bookmark from Knitting Pattern A Day Calendar 2007.



I added a few beads along the sides by using the Beaded Picot edge like on the Muir shawl. And I sprinkled a few beads in the pattern too. I used fingering weight yarn and size 6/0 beads so it went pretty fast. It actually is a little large but that's ok.

And, I made mom some slippers using the Irish Ewe's 2 needle slipper pattern. I made a few modifications for a snugger fit. I cast on 76 stitches using a size 6 needle. Then, I knit the cuff down to 36 stitches and then knit 5 rows in plain ss. Finally, I ended the cuff with 10 rows of garter. I really think if I made them again I would do about 10 rows of ss instead of 5. This would make them go up the leg a little higher. But as they turned out they fit really nice. Mom wears a size 6 1/2 shoe and they fit her well. I could even get them on my size 9's but they were a little snug. However, the pattern as written using 86 sts and size 6 needles was way too loose for me.



I also made hats for Dad and Adam and Gary Don. But they were just basic hats. No photos.

I am almost finished with the Rivulet scarf using the Jaggerspun Zephyr DK and I have the One Hour Earwarmer about half finished. Not sure who either of them are for. Maybe I will save them for next Christmas gifting. I would like to finish both of these before the end of the year. Then I will start Jared Flood's Girasole.

Playing Catch up

I haven't posted in several months and so I'll try to catch up. I have been busy. Finished the Moss & Ribs Cardi. Not in time for Kid N Ewe but a few weeks later. I love it even though it is a little tight across the mid section and I really can't button it. The button band gaps and I hate that.



And I finished the Santa intarsia pillow KAL. I really love how it turned out. I gave it to my sister in law yesterday and I think she liked it. Although, she has Alzheimer's and so it was a little confusing for her.




My current projects include the Rivulet scarf, Irish Ewe's 2 needle slippers and several hats for the guys Christmas presents. I want to make some fingerless mitts for my granddaughter and myself but I may not have time. Here is the Rivulet after a few inches. I have about 3' now and so not much more before I finish it.



I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! I plan to start Jared Flood's Girasole after Christmas. I have the yarn, the pattern and the needles. Can. Not. Wait.

Christmas Anyone?

Several weeks ago I joined an Intarsia Pillow KAL (and yes, I am capitalizing it) in LSSK. I chose the small Santa pillow. I really had a struggle getting through all those dangling ends and getting the wrapping just right. But by the last 1/4, I was actually enjoying it. Now, all I have left is the back and the stuffing....




I think that I will knit the back in the green in seed stitch. I really don't like doing seed stitch but I love the end product.