I finished this cowl a couple of weeks ago and decided that it needed something besides a tank top and shorts, that perhaps it would be more suited to a fall outfit, or maybe even something more wintery. So I got it blocked and decided I'd try it with a jean jacket and a t-shirt....much much better than my summer outfit (of course what you can't see in the jean jacket photo is that I have shorts on and am barefoot...since it is still summer after all!).

The pattern is Mill Creek Cowl by "Exercise before Knitting" I used just shy of one skein of Panda Silk and a size 7 needle. It was a quick knit and would have been a fairly easy knit if I knew how to count to 10 more than once or twice.

Happy Fall (which is not really here yet either, but seriously...doesn't the jean jacket picture look fallish?)

Still here, still knitting still crazy

I've not been much of a blogger anywhere as of late. Oh, I post here and there on FB, or Ravelry. I'm spotty at best about taking pictures of my knitting. Depends upon the project, the battery in the camera and my mood (and if the planets align up etc etc).

My sister loves hand knit socks, after years of teasing about how one can just buy socks at the store, she admitted that a pair of hand knit socks would be welcome. So I knitted her a pair and so began her love affair with hand knit socks and me having my hobby financed. Over the years I've knit her countless pairs of socks (I think we're close to a dozen). The pink pair in this photo had near to no wear on them when she developed a hole in the toe. I'm not a competent darner so I picked the toe out and re-toed them. and darn it (pun intended) if the new toe didn't develop a hole in no time (I am not impressed with this yarn and did the second re-toe in Wildfoote which I swear is indestructible). Lucky for me she doesn't care that the toe doesn't match. The green sock I knit while on vacation. Eventually I'll finish writing up the pattern and post it here. It's pretty basic and so I should have no problem finishing it's twin since on any given day if I'm wearing socks they (usually) match.

So yes, I'm still here, still knitting and still crazy.

I love to knit lace

I love to knit lace. Well that's kind of silly because truly I love to knit. I find the repetitiveness relaxing and meditative, calming. That said, I am always amazed at how just the act of making loops in yarn, or string, you can manipulate the loops to make such beautiful designs. With only 2 stitches, knit and purl, one can knit countless designs. I am trying to teach girl child to knit. She sits with great concentration and has gotten the knit stitch mastered...more or less. She still has a tendency to start knitting in the wrong direction making an impromptu short row and periodically holes and great loose yarn ends appear, but she knits back and forth learning to tension and make loops. I do remember that part of learning to knit, even if I have no memory of actually learning. I do also remember my first sweater it was blue, garter stitch. I knit it my first year in high school and I wore it to death. There have been many many projects since and a great many of them have not stuck in my mind quite like that first "real" project that wasn't potholders or blankets for my dolls, and such began a lifelong love of knitting.

Knit on

A mom of a couple of girls in girl child's karate class is pregnant with her 6th baby. She doesn't know if it will be a boy or a girl so I tried to be as gender neutral as yellow and lavendar can be. I'm sure that baby (or mother) will not care about the color of the sweater. The pattern was easy peasy (tulip cardigan) kit from some yarn I picked up from a yarn outlet (great place, name brands marked waaayyyy down).

Meeting the not famous famous

It's funny when you think about famous people. We've all heard of wildly famous people....Robert Redford, Brittney Spears....you know movie stars, tv stars, rock or country stars, well known authors. But there's the not-so-famous famous people too. These "not-so-famous" people are well known in certain circles. I certainly don't know whose famous in my husband's line of work, but there are certainly people that are well known, but not famous. For me it was meeting Wendy Bernard and Leah Radford (and Mary Kay of Mamascrapalota fame)...and forgetting my camera. I had finished my "Slinky Ribs" from Wendy's book and wore it, it was a surprise to me while I was browsing around waiting for the thing to start to look up and see Wendy standing there and a surprise when she exclaimed "hey you're wearing the sweater from my book!" Perhaps it shouldn't have been such a shock, but I was so star struck. She's very pretty and funny and laid back and just the person you'd want to hang out with. I didn't chat with Leah Radford, but she too is pretty and seems like someone who'd be fun to be around.

So, that was my exciting evening. For a non-knitter perhaps it would be a huge yawn, but for me I practically floated home (it was cold enough when I left home I was concerned that it would snow, but it actually warmed up enough that nothing was freezing when I got home...so no worries). So, I returned to a check register for the PTO that needs some work before the meeting tonight and wine that had reached the "specific gravity" for the next step of stuff that needed doing, but even today collecting my things for the meeting and such I'm still floating.

Still puttering along (at a breakneck pace)

Summer sped by this year with a minimal amount of knitting. Actually when I look back I can't really think of anything that we did this summer besides doctor appointments (once the husband was employed again). We did manage to go camping a whopping three times, which I admit is better than not at all. The youngest son did keep us busy with his inability to remain healthy, I believe that we're on the right path and the poor little guy is doing much better.

I did manage to finish a little top for Girl Child out of Knit Picks Cotlin. It's a "Drops" design and is quite fetching I think on her. She liked the purple yarn, but so far hasn't really worn the top. I'm hoping that she'll wear it with a nice little turtleneck underneath it this winter, or perhaps next summer or at least wear it before she outgrows it. I wasn't enamored of the pattern and for some reason found it to be a tedious knit, don't know why, it could have just been my mood.

I also started (and finished) a little cardigan based on the "Tess" pattern by Marie Grace Designs. I had wondered what would happen if I just cast on for the neck of a sweater did a couple of rows of garter stitch and then added on for the front, back and sleeves just like I do for most of my sweaters. The result is a lovely little square neckline. The problem is my child is pretty narrow and I think that were I to knit another sweater like this (and I probably will) I would narrow down that neck a bit....and perhaps add some short row shaping to the back to bring the back neckline up just a wee bit.

I am nearing the end of a "Slinky Ribs" from Wendy Bernard's book for myself. Love the pattern, which for once I am following, but am already making changes in my head for the next sweater I knit....which I would say is going to be fro that pattern, but the changes I have in my head are so many that the only thing I appear to be planning on keeping is the rib knit stitch and the fact that it will be a sweater.

That's pretty much my life in knitting right now. I'm staring at several "obligation" knits...which, perhaps it's wrong to call them "obligation knits" when truly they are slated to be gifts. But I guess when the yarn is in the stash and it's not been cast on yet so there are still so many many possibilities for it except for the fact that if it's sock yarn more than likely it will be socks and when it's your mom's favorite color...well, those socks will be a gift for your mom...no, no matter how you slice it the yarn and project become "obligation knitting" of course I could do what she's done to me in the past and just wrap up the pattern, yarn and needles and give them to her for Christmas....

Just how long does it take to knit a sock

I am asked that question often, perhaps it's because I always seem to have a sock in progress with me, tho not lately. During the school year when I seem to spend my life waiting for children at different things I try to keep a smallish knitting project tucked into my purse usually a sock which will beg the "how long" question. So I cast on a sock and kept a record of how long it took me to knit one sock (not the ones in the picture as at the moment I have only 1 sock done of the pair I was timing I'll take a picture of them later) I found out many things while I was timing my knitting. One is that it's tedious to time yourself when you're doing an activity that is supposed to relax you, another thing is it's hard to set aside time when you know you're not going to have a lot of interruptions. But all of that aside it took me six and a half hours to knit one women's size 7 sock. Naturally this is not necessarily accurate since each project takes on its own personality and one sock could take 10 hours to knit, but for purposes of having something to tell people when they ask I can now tell them it takes about 7 hours of. knitting. time.

I do, actually, still knit

So much has been happening lately that I just don't get to the computer (or the camera for that matter) on a regular basis. It seems that everytime I go to use the computer I have a child standing next to me asking to use the computer, and if I dare say "no" then....well...it's just easier to turn the damn thing off and no one use it. Or the husband is on the computer. He did accept a job and this is his second week of working. I found it irrita....er... interesting that he could have a computer in the basement that he does all of his work on and the looking for work, and yet he can spend an inordinate amount of time on the computer that I use. But, what can I say he's the one with the job that pays for the computers.

But, knitting. Yes, I do, actually, still knit I just am lazy about getting pictures of what I knit. A while back (meaning a few months ago) I ordered some Canapone from Elann (Canapone being their hemp yarn) with the idea that I'd knit girl child and I matching skirts from it. What I did not realize is that the Canapone is a very light weight fingering yarn, not the DK weight that they claim it is. Perhaps it's dk weight if you aren't knitting a skirt, but I'm telling you for a skirt, it's fingering. But I digress, I had no interest in knitting a skirt from the yarn when it landed in my mail box and I wasn't about to send the stuff back so I knit a "Lacy Little Top" by Lana Knits. I am very very happy with how the top came out, happy enough that I'm planning the next one. I may even get around eventually to knitting a skirt...but from allhemp6 which (to my understanding anyway) is heavier.

Summer days

I am knitting a little again. Girl child wanted a skirt so that is on the needles and slowly becoming a tube which will be her skirt. I'm knitting it "from the top" down so it has eyelets for a drawstring, a couple of more inches of knitting and I'll border it with a lace pattern. We have a wedding to go to in a couple of weeks, hopefully I'll have it finished and she can wear it if she wants.

I've not knit much, but I have wallowed around in self pity the past couple of weeks. I need to snap myself out of this funk and dust off my resume. We didn't really expect the lay off, oh husband knew one was coming up, but had no feel that his name would be on the hit list. 30% of the company was laid off. I guess we should be grateful that it was now with a severance package, rather than later (I'm sure there'll be a later) when perhaps there will be no severance. I've not worked outside of the home since becoming a mom 21 years ago, I've never balanced taking care of children while working. I've always welcomed neighbor children into the house to help my neighbors who work and need coverage here and there. Youngest boy and girl child aren't old enough to leave at home alone and I'm sure that hubby will be employed again before too too long, so technically I could be needing child care. Hubby wants me to wait before I start sending out my dusty resume out. I'm not qualified to really do much. I have a two year degree, which rules out subbing for the school (thanks to the "every....er...no child left behind" one must have a bachelors degree..I swear in education...to substitute), if I could get hired as a para-professional then I'd have the same days/hours as the children. Otherwise I'm looking at our local little health food place, it's near by and the hours are much much better than the big chain store across the street. We'll see. In the meantime I'm trying to adjust my piss poor attitude and paste a smile on my face and treat this like a really cheap "staycation". Husband is getting some much needed work done on the house and the kids are happy to be out of school and youngest son is slowly recovering from his pneumonia (and not a moment too soon either since after Friday we'll be uninsured and I'm not signing up and spending any precious money on insurance until we need it, or hubby has a job with benefits).

Smile.....that's my mantra.

No Knitting (again)

This time of year is always so very very busy. End of the school year stuff, just busy stuff that happens at the end of the school year when one has school aged children. I carry my sock project along with me (not the one I'm timing, it is languishing on my desk until I have time to time the goofy project), no I always have a sock along with me. I did manage to knit for about an hour on the bus to the Denver Children's Museum with girl child's class, but that's about all of the knitting that's been happening lately. I could blame it on the DS and brain games the husband bought me, but truly I think I'm just burned out from the increased activity at the school. Our new Y opened (finally) and I have spent a lot of time (well....a lot of time for me anyway) there working out, which makes me feel great, but doesn't give me more hours in my day for knitting. My newest issue of Interweave knits landed in my mailbox yesterday and I was pleased to see it there, but nothing jumped out and said "knit me", so perhaps I'll just languish in "no knitting time" land for 3 more weeks, I'm sure that when school lets out my mind will clear and knitting will look more attractive that it has been.

How long does it take to knit a pair of socks

This is a question I am often asked...."How long does it take to knit a pair of socks?" And an excellent question it is! The answer is.....I have no idea. I've never timed myself as socks, as a rule, are knit for my own entertainment. Sure often they're gifts so I do have a deadline (of sorts, if they're not finished then the gift is either late...or something else), but I knit while "watching" tv, or while waiting to pick up the children after school, or a few rounds here or there. So I have decided to time myself while knitting a sock (I'm not going to commit to keeping a time record on the second sock, this first sock I will note the time spent knitting, which means it probably won't be hauled around quite as much but I will have an idea as to how long it takes to knit a single sock) multipy by two and you have the answer for how long a pair takes right?

Easter

Yesterday morning I honestly thought that I was going to have to have the husband haul me into the emergency room. Honestly all I did was pee. Simply going to the bathroom and emptying my bladder caused me to take to my bed for a couple of hours with one and a half percocet a case of the chills and thoughts that I was going to die. After a good nap the pain subsided and hubby took the kids to see "Horton Hears A Who". I am so looking forward to feeling better again, I feel like life has just passed me by the last month.

Tomorrow morning I get the stents removed from my kidneys, hopefully then the pain will subside and I can start to truly heal from this ordeal. Tomorrow right after I have the stents removed (I've been told to take a couple of pain killers before I go) we pick my oldest son up from the airport. I've warned him that we could be a little late picking him up, but to be patient. And that I'll more than likely be in a percocet haze so don't be hurt if I sleep and am not much to visit until later in the afternoon. I am really looking forward to getting to see him and am glad that (hopefully) the worst of this kidney stone ordeal will be behind me and I can enjoy the week with him before he heads back home. I'd love to figure out how to get him out here for his 21st birthday in June, but he's already made plans to go to Vegas with his father over his birthday and I know he's looking forward to that. Plus, I doubt that he'll have any vacation time then to come out to visit his old mom. Vegas from California is doable. Colorado is a bit more of a stretch.

I'd love to say that I'm feeling more human, and to a degree I am. Hubby keeps teasing me that he knows when I'm sick because I'll haul my knitting with me, but am afraid to pick it up. The past couple of days I've knit a couple of fuzzy garter stitch scarves for friends' birthday gifts. Those I can knit looped out on painkillers because they use absolutely no brain power to do (and they're as boring as hell to knit). I've not gained any weight while being sick, despite eating pretty much whatever I think will stay down (carbs, carbs always promise to stick). But truly over the past month if you've given me a choice between eating and sleeping I'd choose sleeping and have to remind myself that I have to eat in order for the painkillers to stay down.

But I'm getting better. Today is Easter and to honor the holiday I showered and got dressed. I dressed in gym pants and a t-shirt...but no one is going to see me and the family is probably just happy that I put on a bra and clothing, and washed my hair. Tomorrow I'll be out in public...so perhaps I'll wear....gym pants and a t-shirt.

Almost better

I've spent most of the last month fighting kidney stones. I had a ct scan and really thought that perhaps the doctor would find a stone or two. I had concerns because no only did my left side hurt, but I had twinges in my right side as well. The radiologist read the ct scan to say that I have 8 stones in one kidney and 5 in the other (actually I believe his words were "at least"). The urologist says that both of my kidneys are full of grit with a few small stones. Oy! Not much knitting going on around here as I can't take pain medication and still have the ability to knit (I can read, but my comprehension is in the toilet because I can't seem to retain anything while zonked out on the pain meds). But there is a light at the end of the kidney stone tunnel. While the doctor told me that he can not make me "stone free", we can get rid of the ones that are causing me pain, then we can concentrate on making sure that my kidneys of grit don't turn into kidneys of stones again. So day after tomorrow I'll be having surgery to remove the offending stones and hopefully once the stents are removed from my kidneys I'll feel more like myself.

I may even have some knitting content for my knitting blog!

kidney stones

Not too much happening around here. I've been in a percocet haze for a few days suffering from the kidney stone from hell. Yesterday I slept much of the day, so when the husband asked "did you have pain?" I really couldn't answer him. I mean...I did have pain in the morning and took a percocet (the only thing that seems to work), but then I slept so if I had pain I was unawares. I didn't have to take anything for the pain last night and was able to sleep (amazing because I slept several hours yesterday during the day). Today I worked at the elementary school for a couple of hours and came home. My side had ached off and on, but I'm not in agony. But because I know the stone hasn't passed, I know that this time of being pain free could be short.....or long.....that's the lovely thing about kidney stones they're sneaky when it comes to doling out the pain.

I am a slow slow knitter

I am a slow slow knitter. I admit it. It's not really that I'm a slow slow knitter, it's that other things happen in life that eat up my knitting time. There's the kids, the housework, laundry, cooking, grocery shopping, the computer...oh so many many things that crop up. It can take me an hour some days to complete a row on something as small as a sock depending upon how many interruptions I have. At the elementary school I'm teased because normally I have a sock I'm knitting tucked away in my purse. Just in case. Just in case I have time while the kids are in one of their specials (pe, library, etc), or if I'm in the work room waiting for the copier to free up. But all this means is that there's not a lot of picture taking of my knitting. Somehow posting a picture with a mere row or two done would bore everyone (including me) to death. But knitting is happening. The butterfly shawl is coming (slowly) along. Now instead of looking like a lacy square, it's scrunched up on the circular needle looking more like a rag than a lovely shawl....not exactly exciting picture material. Once I get it worked far enough that there's something besides the little butterfly motifs I'll take another photo of it. I cast on some socks, but 8 rows of ribbing isn't much as far as saying "hey look at these socks".

Oh, look at the time! Youngest son stayed home sick with a fever today (and yesterday) and it's already time for me to go fetch girl child from the bus stop.

A Butterfly Garden

My latest project. A butterfly garden square shawl. I hunted around looking for this yarn. I knew what I was looking for and (finally) found a yarn in the proper color with the proper properties. I bought enough to (hopefully) finish my project, brought the yarn home where it sat for a week while I finished the project that was on the needles I needed for the shawl (one would think that I'd own more than one pair of this size needle...and I do....but we have our favorites don't we?). I had cast on a couple of times and was flummoxed at the fact that the needle size seemed all wrong. I swore up and down (okay, I didn't "swear"...I just thought I was losing my mind) that I'd bought worsted weight yarn. I know that's what the ball band said in the store. Well, in the store it may have said "worsted weight" on the ball band, but at home it said "sport weight" (which is just a thinner yarn). Oy! But the color is perfect! I've cast on several times with one of the skeins, so I'm not returning the yarn. Did I mention, the color? It's perfect. So I finish up Katherine's sweater and cast on the shawl. Perfect. I've not knit a square shawl before (tho I've knit many many things in the round) always rectangular or triangular so it will be interesting to see how this goes, especially the edging.

Something to show

I had cast on the blue scarf with no idea who it would be for, but one thing I knew, I was not for me. No matter how much I like it (a little voice told me it was not for me). So I cast on and started knitting. Then my neighbor called me. Her husband was at work and could I come over quickly and take her to the doctor. Another neighbor appeared to take this woman's daughter. So I went. My neighbor had just had a biopsy and was awaiting the results (which was not the reason she called, but it's all related). She commented on the shawl and asked who it was for. Not knowing I told her "a friend". A few days later she called to tell me that the biopsy came back as cancer. I knew then who the shawl was for. I picked up the pace so that it would be done before her mastectomy. I finished it a couple of days ago, she will have surgery hopefully next week. It looks lovely on her and I am grateful for the little nagging voice that said "knit a shawl, someone close to you will need it".

On the non-knitting front. My kids take their lunches to school every day. They don't like paper napkins and so I thought that a few cloth ones would be fitting.

Still knitting

But not much to show for it!

It's not that I'm in an after holiday slump, really I'm not. But you know somehow some projects just don't lend themselves to photography until they're completed and blocked. And with 3 kids at home and two dogs, one of which is a puppy who just loves to carry off projects. knitting and getting knitted items photographed isn't happening on a regular basis around here.

That said. My neighbor was diagnosed last week with breast cancer. I had cast on a shawl with no idea who it would be for, but a nagging little voice told me that there was someone meant for this shawl (which will really be about the size of a scarf), just cast on and knit. Sure enough when my neighbor called me with her news I knew at once who the scarf is for. There will soon be a photo for both Ravelry and for here, but in the meantime just know I've not quit knitting.

On needles right now: Leaf Lace (at least I think that's the pattern, I'm too lazy to get up and wander over to my knitting to look at the pattern) shawl, knit in blue Cherry Tree hill Supersock merino.

Monkey Socks first sock is on the needles Cherry Tree hill Sockittome in cherry blossom.

A pink raglan sleeve sweater for girl child knit out of some cheap-o supersoft red heart (only because the yarn is 1. super soft 2. pink 3. washable and 4. so cheap I won't have an attack if it gets lost/ruined on the school playground....at 6 she's not the most careful about her clothing...but she's getting there.

A new dog, a finished project

While I realize that I intended to keep this a knitting blog and to blog about my knitting, I also know that I've mentioned my pets here. Namely Sam my old crabby cat that I lost in February and my old and dear Stella who left us broken hearted the first part of November. The past two months without my Stella have felt like two years. The sawed off hound Jenny is lonely and the house just isn't the same without a retriever around. In perusing the newspaper website (did you know that the online newspaper includes many photos in the classified section?) I found a puppy. The ad had a picture of the mommy dog and her little face looked so much like Stella's I was hooked. And so, day before yesterday we acquired a new puppy the kids named Sunny. She's a sweet little thing and quite the chewer. I've not had a puppy for a while so we've not had to worry about chewing. Jenny is happy, tho she needs to remember that a basset hound is like a bulldozer and she has to play nicely with the puppy or the puppy will be afraid to play with her. (Jenny's not mean, it's just that she's stocky and tackles the other dogs because she can't keep up with them).

And a finished project which would be an Estonian Sampler lace scarf by Evelyn Clark knit out of Rowan Lambswool. Knitted for me because I thought that "a little color" would be nice in my wardrobe (such that my wardrobe is). Yes, the scarf is a greeny brown and yes, I realize that that's often not someone's idea of "a splash of color", but trust me except for the occasional red t-shirt my wardrobe is pretty bland.

Webkinz Sweater Pattern

Girl child loves her Webkinz and my younger two have mentioned wanting clothes for their toys (and seem to think that I'm magic and can knit just about anything....boy have I got them fooled!) But looking at the toy sweater I thought I can do that. And I did.

Webkinz Sweater (I knit this specifically for the dalmation dog shown, but am sure that it'll fit a variety of the animals)

Yarn: I used some worsted weight stuff I had sitting around that my neighbor gave me.

Needles: Size 7

Cast on 32 stitches and join to knit in the round.

1st row (and pretty much all rows) k1, p2, k2 to end stitch k1

Knit for an inch or so (shorter if you don't want to roll the neckband like a turtleneck).

In rib pattern rib 16 stitches (put these 16 on spare needle or holder) bind off 4 rib 11 (12 stitches), next row bind off 4 rib to end (work back and forth on these 8 stitches for 4 rows)

(for the above photo I slipped the last stitch on these rows)

On row 5 rib across the 8 stitches and cast on 8 stitches (use your favorite, for this sweater I used on a knitted cast on, for another one I have on needles I used a backward loop), pm, rib across the 16 stitches on holder, pm, cast on 8.

Rib in established rib pattern for about 2 inches (depending upon how long you'd like for it to be, keeping in mind the length of the stuffed animal's body). Then either cast off all of the stitches loosely, or if you'd like the top of the back to be a tad longer with the curved edge, cast off the 24 "bottom" stitches, knit 2 rows in rib from the 16 "back" stitches, then on right side row K1, ssk, rib to last 3 stitches k2tog, k1, rib the next row, k1, ssk, rib to last 3 stitches, k2 tog k1....repeat last two rows once or twice and bind off loosely.

Please drop me a line if you use this pattern and let me know how it works for you and if you modify it. This is the first pattern I've put out here in cyber world and I'd love to know if you love/hate it. Thanks!