Luvsknitting

Pink Fan and Feather Baby Blanket Progress

2012-01-25T13:18:00.000-05:00

I like having a knitting project to work on as I'm watching TV, this especially true when I'm watching American Idol or Dancing With The Stars. So, last Weds., I CO the pink Fan and Feather Baby Blanket. I've been knitting it off and on all week and I'm really enjoying it.

It feels so good to be knitting again.

If anyone's looking for a knitting project for Valentine's Day, here's a dishcloth from Free Knitting Pattern of the Day from the Daily Knitter.

Valentine Dishcloth © Designed by Rachel van Schie

Enjoy!

Life Happens and Some Knitting

2012-01-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I've been away for so long. I feel like I've been in a whirlwind and then a fog for a while. At one point, I didn't know if I'd ever be able to catch my breath again.

I did a little bit of knitting right after Thanksgiving. I knitted this purple fun scarf during the first week of December.

I made it with 2 skeins of Patons Twister yarn that I had in my stash. It's very soft and very pretty. I used size 15 needles.

I also knitted this quick and simple hat and cowl with bulky yarn and size 13 needles.

The pattern for the hat is an old favorite of mine. Ellen's Knit Hat (SHIPS Project)

The cowl is a fun and quick pattern called Easy Ridged Cowl Knitting Pattern from Knitting on the Net.

So, the holidays came and went and my 2nd oldest sister was in Hospice care during this time. It doesn't matter what's happening in life....the holidays arrive. It all was a blur. Then, my sister passed away at the beginning of the new year. I've been in a fog and couldn't seem to find my way out.

A new season of American Idol started last night and I typically do a lot of knitting while watching American Idol or Dancing With The Stars. So, I picked up my knitting needles last night and I cast on. It felt so good to be in the "Normal" zone for a change.

I CO a Feather & Fan Baby Blanket in pink.

There was and is something very right about knitting again.

A Big Void

2012-01-07T07:55:00.002-05:00

August 1941-January 3, 2012

You fought a long hard fight and you remained joyful throughout adversity. Now, you can rest, my dear sister.

Thorpe Is Off Of The Needles

2011-12-01T00:36:00.001-05:00

I just finished knitting the Thorpe Hat for my youngest DD. She's been wanting me to make one of these hats with the ear flaps and the braids for a very long time.

Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur, Raverly link here. I purchased the yarn sometime ago and I CO almost immediately and I think that I had this hat finished all except, for the braids in about 2 days, but then I wasn't too sure of the size, which is a medium. So, I CO another hat and I knitted it for the Large size, but when my DD tried it on, she decided that she liked the way that the medium hat fit her.

I wasn't too sure of the ear flaps, I had miscounted the number of ridges that was called for in the pattern, so I was going to re-do them, but my DD insisted that they were just the right length for her.

So, I left the Thorpe on the back burner for a few weeks until I decided what to do if anything. Well, our weather has gotten decidedly colder and my DD says that she really wanted to wear this hat now. Last night, I did the half double crochet thing (ugh!) all around the hat and tonight. I did the braids tonight. My DD is thrilled and she plans on wearing it to school tomorrow. I'm really grateful that I have a kid that likes to wear my hand knits. She likes to wear them, but not model them.

I used Bernat Softee Chunky Yarn in Denim Ombre and US size 9 needles (Knit Picks). The pattern says to CO on 4 sts. on DPN's....are they kidding me? I did this entire hat using the Magic Loop method of knitting in the round.

The Bernat Softee Chunky Yarn is a beautiful yarn, I really enjoyed knitting with it, but a sales lady at Michael's Arts & Crafts told me that it was being discontinued. Guess I'll have to go shopping for something else. ;-)

Holidays and Busyness=No Knitting

2011-11-28T12:15:00.000-05:00

Holidays and Busyness=No Knitting

It's been over 2 weeks since I visited my own blog. I guess that I won't have all that much to post or blog about until after the holidays....and that's just terrible. This is almost unacceptable. A girl's got to knit sometimes you know. (Knitting content at the bottom of the page.)

Our Thanksgiving was very very nice. I cooked for a household of 14 people. We have a very modest home, so it was a bit crowded but nice. Along with all the other household stuff that needs to done, I prepared two 12 lb. turkeys and stuffing and 4 pumpkin pies, (my husband's Grandmother's recipe) and an apple pie. The trick to having a relaxing Thanksgiving on Turkey Day; I did all the cooking and clean up on the day before, 16 hrs. worth. On Thanksgiving, my daughter and I prepared the mashed potatoes and the gravy while the turkey and the stuffing was re-heating in the oven. For once, I wasn't too exhausted to eat or to taste the food.

I didn't bother to go out on Black Friday, but chilled at home and enjoyed leftovers. I had hopes of getting some knitting worked on, but that didn't happen.

So...here it is Cyber Monday, and instead of looking at the sales for Christmas gifts, I'm looking at knitting patterns. Go figure....it's in my DNA and I can't help myself. Thanks Mom!

Here's a couple of patterns that I wish that I had found earlier in the year.

For Thanksgiving: Spud & Chloë Tiny Turkey (Free)

For Christmas: Wee Nativity Set

Hope to get back to my knitting soon. Enjoy the holidays and enjoy your family. Everyday is a gift.

I'm In The Mood....

2011-11-14T22:25:00.000-05:00

I'm in the mood ...

to cast on something pink.


19 weeks

My 1st born daughter is expecting a baby girl in April!

Nothing New

2011-11-11T00:34:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to touch base. I have nothing new to show or talk about. I haven't knitted the Rufus sweater for about a week. I've been side-tracked by some other household things. Thanksgiving is sneaking up really fast, so my knitting has sort of taken a back seat.

I did have plans to re-work the Thorpe hat, I wanted to re-do the ear flaps before doing the crochet part, BUT, instead, I spent 3 hours untangling the yarn! I hate when that happens.

Hopefully, I'll have something to show soon.

Stay warm. I'm wearing my hand-knitted socks.

I Couldn't Help Myself

2011-11-03T01:03:00.000-04:00

I know...I just started knitting another baby blanket, but.....

I couldn't help myself....I CO the Rufus Textured Baby Sweater from Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren. I had borrowed this book from my local library and I knew that I wanted this book for my own. I fell in love with the Rufus Textured Baby Sweater and I couldn't stop thinking about and I just couldn't wait to cast it onto my knitting needles.

I found the yarn in my stash. It's from something that had been gifted to me a while ago and I had almost forgotten that I had it among all of my yarn. It came from someone's else stash, probably from the 1970's from Zayre's. The yarn is called Le Chat and the color is Teal Blue.

I started the back of the sweater last night and CO for the left front today. I hope that I continue to make this kind of progress.

My hands and my needles are usually busy. I'm also working on the Knit-A-Long (KAL) for November. A dishcloth that designed by one of my favorite designers....Down Cloverlaine. Please see the sidebar on the right for her cloths and her cute bibs.

No words

2011-11-01T13:55:00.000-04:00

http://pixxi-dust.blogspot.com/2009/11/nose-warmer.html

Lastest Projects....More Baby Things

2011-11-01T13:53:00.000-04:00

No surprise here. I've been busy looking at baby patterns and looking at yarn for baby things.

I've been a big fan of Down Cloverlaine's designs for years. Please check the sidebar on the right to see her creations. For a long time, I've wanted to knit a baby blanket using her designs, so I spent last weekend thinking & thinking about how to go about it. Did I want to knit individual squares and then sew them all together? Or did I want to knit the square into vertical strips, then sew all the strips together? Or....did I want to be adventurous like a cousin of mine, and cast on with 4 different yarns at the same time and knit the squares horizontally and try and keep 4 different patterns organized in my head while trying to knit?

Well, I did try CO with 4 different colored yarns (37 sts. x 4) and working just a garter stitch border. That didn't work out so well, as least, it didn't work out like I thought it would in my head. My youngest daughter was having a blast watching me work with all this tangled up spaghetti of yarn.

So, scratch that idea and go back to square 1...literally. I CO for 1 square and I completed it then, I joined another color and started knitting another square. So far, so good.

Side note: I'm saving paper and ink by uploading the patterns to my Nook Color and following the patterns from the screen which I can re-size the print so that it's easier to read.

New Book and New Yarn

2011-10-20T20:29:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I borrowed some knitting books from my local library. I decided that I really liked Vintage Baby Knits by Kristen Rengren, so much that I went ahead and order a copy for my collection. And, at $11, I really couldn't pass it up.

This book is filled with beautiful designs of sweaters and jackets and baby toys from the 1920's through the 1950's...revamped with modern day yarns. I decided to purchase this book, because there is at least 4 or 5 things in it that I'm interested in knitting.

I'm just itching to get started, so while I was out and about today, I stoppped and got some more yarn....I just had to.

It feels like Christmas...it really does!

My youngest daughter fell in love with the baby ear flap hat that I had knitted last week and now she wants one. So, I picked up this pretty blue yarn for the Thorpe by Kirsten Kapur. (Ravelry link.)

I picked out this pretty white yarn with mini-dots for the Rufus Textured Cardigan. (Ravelry link.)

And, I picked up some precious pink yarn with mini dots for a baby girl sweater. (Louise from Vintage Baby Knits.)

And, finally, some bright fun colors for for a new baby blanket.

I can't wait to get started. Happy knitting.

In Between Projects-Dishcloth

2011-10-19T12:39:00.000-04:00

I'm in between projects. It's not that I don't have anything to knit or that I don't know what to knit. I have plenty of projects in mind, I just don't have the right yarn in my stash. I don't have the right colors or the right kind of yarn, so until I can make a trip to my local craft store.....

I knitted a dishcloth.


nineteen hundred house cloth

nineteen hundred house cloth

Ravelry Link

This was a lot fun and was an easy knit. The yarn was Sugar n' Cream yarn, I lost the label, but I think that the color was called "shrimp". I used size 7 (US) needles and it took about 3 hrs. to knit.

White Baby Sweater and Earflap Hat

2011-10-15T22:12:00.001-04:00

Honestly, I don't mean to be a one-trick-pony, but I have yet another baby sweater and hat to show you as well as another baby blanket.

My DD's sister-in-law is expecting a baby boy soon and the shower is this Sunday. So, I knitted another Baby Ripple Baby Blanket in white, yellow, and green.

Then, I made a nice white Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater by Carole Barenys.

I just love the design of the yoke.

The pattern was somewhat easy, but I did find the directions to be a little bit vague. For instance, the instructions say to knit the sleeves until the desired length. Hmm....so, I had to go looking at some other baby patterns to see how long the sleeves should be for a baby 6-9 mons. I made the sleeves about 6 inches, in case you're wondering.

Then, I wanted to make a hat to go with the sweater. I hate when it's cold outside and babies don't have their little heads covered, esp.; their little ears. So, I found this earflap hat pattern by Kathy North.

I made a few adjustments to the pattern. The original says to do a "backwards cast-on" so that additional stitches could be put into place for the front and the back of the hat. I did a cable cast-on. which I think made things look nicer and they were easier to work on that first row after casting on. I also did about 5 rounds of garter stitch for the front and back of the hat and stockinette stitch on the ear flap part. I did this, because I wanted the hat match the garter that was on the sweater. It ended up working out better then I had expected. The hat lays flat and the edges didn't curl up, so I didn't have to press flat with an iron like the pattern suggested. I made i-cords for the ties, but I went down a needle size (5) just because I thought it would look neater.

Let's see...what can I knit next???

Better Photos of the Lavender Baby Blanket

2011-10-10T12:03:00.000-04:00

I tried taking an outdoor photo of the Lavender Baby Blanket and I took another in my living room. I think that you can see the color a little better. I don't why my camera always washes out the color of my knitting projects. I've played with all sorts of settings on my Casio Exilim, but it doesn't seem to make a difference. I even tried my DD's Sony camera, but the same thing happened.

So, for better or worse here's the photos that I took today.

Baby Feet

October Glory-Say What?

2011-10-10T09:42:00.000-04:00

October Glory-Say what???

http://www.knotions.com/issues/fall_2009/patterns/october_glory/directions.aspx

Lavender Baby Picture Blanket-Finished

2011-10-08T22:17:00.000-04:00

I recently gave my grand-niece a lavender sweater for a new baby girl due in Nov.

And, I had a lot of this yarn left over from another project that I had never finished. So, I made a baby blanket to go with it.

Sorry for all the colors being washed out. I can't figure out how to get my camera to work at night time with the house lights, but the blanket and the sweater were knitted with Caron® Simply Soft Yarn in Lavender Blue (#2691)

I used size 7 (US) needles and I knitted all 9 of the patterns in Baby Washcloths to Knit (Leisure Arts #4352) by Melissa Bergland Burnham, but I needed 12 squares, so I also incorporated 3 different patterns that I found from the net.

ABC Dishcloth- Designed by Emily Jagos (www.designs-by-emily.com)

Happy Hunny Bear from frogiez place

Baby Feet Cloth by Rhonda K. White

After sewing all of the squares together, I tried my hand at doing some single crochet all along the edges. I think that it turned out pretty nice and I can't wait to gift it.

I'm Knitting As Fast As I Can...

2011-10-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

I'm knitting as fast as I can....

A couple weeks ago, I went to a baby shower for a grand-niece who is having a baby girl in Nov. I gave her a lavender cabled baby sweater. Then, I decided to knit a baby blanket to go with it, but I knew that I wouldn't have it finished in time. I finally got all the square done and now I have to assemble the blanket together.

Baby Washcloths to Knit (Leisure Arts #4352)

I have another baby shower next week and I finished a baby blanket, but I decided that I just had to knit a little white sweater to go with it, too.

Carole's Baby Knits

Seamless Yoked Baby Sweater

Then, I decided that I liked the Triple Wave afghan that I had made for my DD and her husband so much that I decided that I should make one for myself.

Triple Wave from The Little Box of Knitted Throws

Excuse me....my knitting needles are calling me....

The Afghan Is Done!

2011-09-25T12:01:00.000-04:00

I finally finished the Triple Wave Afghan for my married DD & her hubby! I used 4 colors instead of 3, so I guess that it should be called the Quadruple Wave Afghan. I started this Aug. 1st and I finished it Sept. 14th. Not bad, since I also had a lot of other projects going on at the same time.

I love this pattern. It's so quick and easy! It's from The Little Box of Knitted Throws Cards by Martingale and Company

Instead of using the bulky wool yarn & size 15 needles that the pattern called for, I use size 10 1/2 needles and worsted weight Thread & Loops Impeccable yarn from Michael's Arts & Crafts and I increased the # of sts. from 147 to 195. That's what so great about the patterns in this set, if you wish to use different yarns & needle sizes, the patterns give the stitch information like the pattern is: a multiple of 12 sts +3, etc. (Ravelry)

I can't wait until they get it, but they're going have to wait until Christmas.

It's all wrapped!

Guess what this is going to be someday??? ☺

New from Webs

2011-09-22T08:40:00.000-04:00

Oh be still my heart! Check out these knitting needles from Webs!

Knitter's Pride Comby Interchangeable Set

My Daughter Is Knitting!

2011-09-20T14:25:00.000-04:00

My mom taught me to knit when I was 6 years old. I think it was a way of her keeping her sanity more than just passing down the art of hand knitting. It was a rainy day and I was moping around the house all afternoon saying, "I'm bored. I'm bored. I don't have anything to do." You see, this was long before computers, VCRs, DVDs, cell phones or even cable TV. So, anyway, my mom sat down with me and a skein of brightly colored Red Heart yarn and a pair of size 8 knitting needles. To this day, I still get a pang of nostalgia whenever I see this yarn in the stores. As a kid, I loved this yarn and all of it's colors. It goes back to the new box of crayons thing.

I have 2 daughters and I have taught both of them how to knit, but neither has gotten the knitting bug...until now. My oldest daughter is expecting her first baby in April. Yikes! I'm going to be a grandma! So anyway, she decided to knit a blanket for her baby. It's quite an endeavor for someone who is just a beginner and really hasn't knitted anything since she had made one of those fun scarves (30 sts. on size 15 needles.) in 10th grade.

She was here for a visit the other day, well, she was actually here to do her laundry and she told me that she was getting bored with that baby blanket and that she needed something else to knit. I wonder.....where does she get that??? I suggested a baby hat. I just happened to have the yarn and the knitting needles in my stash. (Imagine that.)

She started it Monday morning and finished it last night. She had to do a midnight run to Wal-Mart for a yarn needle so she could sew up the seam. Back in the day.....we didn't have stores that were open 24/7 for things like that.

So here's the baby hat. I'm so proud of her!

http://jeris-swanhorst.suite101.com/newborn-baby-hat-to-knit---free-knitting-pattern-a229870

The Squidge Cloth from Leftover Yarns

2011-09-08T01:11:00.000-04:00

I had some leftover yarn from the Eloomanator's Diagonal Knit Dishcloth, but there wasn't enough leftover to make another dishcloth, but there was too much yarn to just throw away.

I don't know why this is, but when you buy solid colored yarn, you get more for your money. The Sugar 'n Cream Cotton in the solid colors will be 3 ozs., but when you buy the yarn in the variegated colors or what is called the "ombre" colors, it will only be 2 ozs. They charge you full price for both yarns. What's up with that?

So anyway, instead of picking up one of my many WIPs, I CO another dishcloth. I had some yellow cotton yarn in my stash that I thought would compliment the yarn that I had leftover from the Eloomanator dishcloth, and I knitted up The Squidge Cloth. It's a very easy and fun pattern to do. I used US size 6 needles for this cloth. It's very squishy and textured, just right for washing dishes and wiping off the table and counters.

I didn't weave in the end of the ombre colored yarn, so you could see that I used all of about 10 inches of it. Now, I have two Autumn themed dishcloths for my kitchen.

Labor Day 2011 Knitting

2011-09-07T13:34:00.000-04:00

Usually I have some friends and family over to our house for a cook-out on Labor Day. This year, however, our family was invited to another friend's house, which I was happy to accept. I'm never one to show up empty-handed with food or knitting, so I took macaroni salad and some knitting needles and some cotton yarn.

During one of my shopping visits to Michael's Arts and Crafts, I had picked a couple of skeins of Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton yarn.

I knitted up a dishcloth in my favorite style and pattern.

It's called Eloomanator's Diagonal Knit Dishcloth. The link opens to a PDF.

I like to knit this, because the pattern is so easy, sort of mindless knitting and the pattern is so interesting at the same time. The original pattern calls for size (US) 6 needles and to do the increases until 55 sts. are reached or an odd # of sts. I used size (US) 8 and I did the increases until I reached 47 sts. The color is called "Flower Power", but these colors reminded my daughter and me of the colors of Autumn.

Now, I have to get back to my many projects that need to get done soon.

Here's Another....Some People Will Knit Anything

2011-09-01T12:14:00.000-04:00

Here's Another....Some People Will Knit Anything
http://www.caron.com/projects/ss_party/sspar_mohawk_hat.html

The Lavender SweaterSweater Experiment

2011-08-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

I've been away for awhile, but I've been busy knitting and I wanted to wait until I had a finished project to show.

I've been working on an afghan which is close to done, but I had received an invitation in the mail for a baby shower that's happening at the end of Sept. I had thought of giving this sweater.

But, after sewing it all together.....I hated it! I hate to sew things together. So, I still needed a gift, so I remembered about the Feather and Fan Sweater that I had made last year. (I have other plans for this sweater set.)

I decided to make another sweater like this one, but I decided to switch it up a bit. I really like this pattern, because there's very little seaming involved. I didn't want to knit another Feather and Fan sweater and I had another idea in mind, but I wasn't too sure if it would work out the way that I wanted it to.

I'm very happy and pleased to say that my idea did work!

I followed the basic pattern of the Hatching Cardigan from Lion Brand's site. This pattern is the same as the Feather And Fan Baby Sweater, also from Lion Brand's site. Then, when the pattern said to start the Feather and Fan Stitch (a 12-stitch repeat); I substituted a Twist-Four Mock Cable that I found at the KnittingFool.com .

I used some Caron's Simply Soft yarn from my stash, not sure of the color lot, and US size 7 needles for the top portion (stockinette) of the sweater, and US size 8 needles for the Mock Cable part. It should fit a baby girl between 6-12 months.

Now, back to the afghan.

One Year Ago Today

2011-08-12T20:56:00.000-04:00

One year ago today....my mom, the closest person next to me, besides my husband, lost her courageous battle against ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer Awareness bracelet: "It whispers, so listen."

She loved her family which included my dad whom she was married over 50 years before he had passed away, and 4 daughters and 1 son, several nieces and nephews, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She taught me to knit when I was just 6 years old. She believed in me. I was born 9 weeks premature and I have cerebral palsy as a result of it. She believed that I could walk without the aid of leg braces and she fought for me to go to a regular school, before main-streaming came around. The school principal and most of the teachers thought that I would be better off at a special school for the handicapped. The word "special needs" haven't been thought of yet. She believed that I could do almost anything that any other child could do that did not have CP. She also believed that I was going to have a "normal" life, get married and have kids, etc.

She loved to listen to Big Band music, the Mills Brothers and Dean Martin and she had a fondness for this singer: Daniel O'Donnell. She also loved to watch TV. One of our favorite things to do together, (besides shop), was to sit & knit while watching TV & talking.

Needless to say, I miss her like crazy.

(Sorry for the quality of this photo. Our scanner isn't playing nicely with the computer these days.)

I really didn't feel like doing much of anything today. I was supposed to go out to the stores with my Hubby today, but that just didn't pan out. We got tied up on the phone with lawyers and insurance companies, but that's for another post on my blog someday.

So, to honor my Mom...I sat and I knit for most of the day today.

I've made a lot of progress on the "Triple Wave" afghan.

It's really getting pretty heavy and kind of warm to knit right now, so I decided to CO a sock.

This pattern is called Double Scoop and it's not as complicated as it looks. I like to knit socks on 2-Cirs and I like to knit socks both ways, Toe-Up and from the Cuff Down. I've had the pink yarn forever and I hate it, so maybe after I'm done with these socks, I can retire the pink yarn for good.

My dear Mom, never could understand why I or anyone else for that matter would spend so much time knitting socks. I guess she was in good company. (Please watch video.)

yarn harlot - save me from my socks

I love you Mom and I miss you! Thanks for all the love and thanks for all the knitting memories.

It's August, Isn't It???

2011-08-09T23:32:00.000-04:00

This is at my neighborhood store:

Christmas Craft Idea---NOT

2011-08-08T11:27:00.000-04:00

I'm still getting Christmas Craft advertisements in my inbox.

I don't know. I just think that this is so wrong on so many levels.

http://www.favecrafts.com/Christmas-Crafts/Unique-Tampon-Angel/ml/1

Crappy Yarn

2011-08-06T15:54:00.000-04:00

What to do with crappy yarn? I bought this yarn about 6 or 7 years ago when I first started knitting socks.

I had ordered it online from a yarn and craft catalog. It's called On Your Toes with Aloe in the color Carnation. I'm not sure what it is about this yarn that I don't like, but I just don't like the way that it looks or feels.

I had thoughts of using it in this pattern, because I'd only have to use a little bit of it for the toes and the cuffs. This yarn has been kicking around in my stash forever, because I just can't bring myself to throw it out. So, I've completed the toe and I'm about ready to switch to the white yarn, but I'm hesitant because I really don't like the way the toe looks or feels in this stuff.

Some other knitter out there has a signature that says, "Life's too short to knit with ugly yarn." Maybe I should rip this out and start over with a nicer yarn, and finally pitch this yarn in the trash.

I Still Love Lucy

2011-08-06T15:36:00.000-04:00

Lucille Ball would have been 100 years old today. I grew up watching her. On days that I was sick and had to stay home from school, I would lay on the sofa and watch the I Love Lucy shows in the morning, I think that it was on around 10 o'clock in the morning and it was followed by the Dick Van Dyke Show. Classic comedy. Everyone seems to have a favorite. My favorite was when Lucy does a commercial for Vitameatavegamin.

When I was in school, the only good thing about Mondays was Monday nights and The Lucy Show, with Lucille Ball as Lucy and Gale Gordon as Mr. Mooney.

Happy Birthday Lucy and thanks for all the laughs and all the great memories! Your shows are just as funny now as they were then.

Other links of interest:

Google Loves Lucy: Lucille Ball’s 100th Birthday

Happy 100th Birthday, Lucille Ball! 15 Things You Never Knew About TV's Funniest Lady

New Afghan and New Book

2011-08-04T12:09:00.000-04:00

I really liked the Triple Wave afghan that's in The Little Box of Throws. I went to Michael's Arts and Crafts to get the specified yarn which was Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick and Quick.

(photo copyright of Martingale & Company)

Well, after handling the yarn I discovered that I had a sensitivity or possibly an allergic reaction to the stuff, so I switched to Michael's Loops & Threads Impeccable Yarn and I decided to use size 10 1/2 Circular Needle. I also CO 195 sts. instead of the 147 sts, called for in the original pattern on size 13 needles, It's coming along quite nicely and pretty fast.

I decided to use 4 different colors instead 3 like in the pattern, so I guess that this afghan might be called, "Quadruple Wave" instead of Triple Wave. Again, this is an easy pattern to do and to memorize. It's just 2 rows, a pattern row and a purl row. The stitch pattern is called a Chevron Pattern and not a Ripple Pattern. They are very similar, so I'm not too sure what the difference is between the two of them. I really like the color scheme, too. Loops & Threads Impeccable Yarn is nice to work with. It's not scratchy and it's not too soft either. It's a good everyday yarn, machine washable and dryer safe.

I received a book from Amazon.com yesterday. It called, Original Hell's Angels I got this book, not because I'm into WWII history or anything, but because my Uncle Rip is in it. My uncle fought in over 40 missions in England during WWII and he was one of Original Hell's Angels. I've been so busy knitting that I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it's loaded with tons of photos from that time in history.

My Uncle is the 2nd man from the left. The only one with a mustache.

Oh, I'm liking my new purse a lot! I can carry all sorts of things, including a small knitting project like a sock. Very important feature for a knitter's purse.

New Yarn & New Purse

2011-07-31T22:13:00.000-04:00

I had a great day out after church. Michael's Arts & Crafts had a 20% off entire order, so like any good knitter...off I went. I originally set out to get materials for this afghan.

photo copyright of Martingale & Company

The pattern called for Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn (#6) and size 13 needles. Well, I got to Michael's and they had the charcoal, the off-white, but no deep green. The only green that they had was called, "grass", a bright green....not the color that I was looking for. So, I browsed around a bit and I thought of using a navy blue for the green, but while I was looking through all the different colors of Wool-Ease, my hands started to burn and itch & get real hot and irritated. So, I had to come up with a different game plan. If I was that sensitive to the yarn just holding it, I didn't think that I would be able to tolerate knitting with it for long periods of time. And, if the yarn was bothering me, then it was probably going to bother the recipient of the afghan, too.

After much thought and shopping around, I decided on Loops and Threads yarn (#4), and probably size 10 or 10 1/2 needles and I'll have to adjust the number of cast on stitches accordingly, and I decided on a completely different color scheme.

I selected off-white, beige and forest green. The yarn seems nice and it doesn't bother my skin.

I also picked up a couple skeins of cotton yarn and some baby yarn and a couple of gadgets. The price was right...what can I say.

With the 20% off coupon, I saved about $10.

At the beginning of summer, I saw a purse that I really liked, but I didn't like the price tag. I was doing some back to school shopping with my youngest daughter and guess what I spotted? Yep, the purse.....on sale for just a little over $11!!!

So, now I'm going to go cast on with my new yarn.

I Wish I Could Crochet

2011-07-28T12:22:00.002-04:00

This makes me wish that I could crochet.

Sampler Squares Baby Blanket

http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/ss_sampler_squares_baby_blanket.html

Christmas In July

2011-07-22T00:34:00.000-04:00

I kid you not.....I'm still getting Christmas advertisements in my e-mail.

Another Soothing Ripples Baby Afghan Done

2011-07-20T23:50:00.000-04:00

Finally got the other Soothing Ripples Baby Afghan done. The first one took 10 days, this one took almost a month, but the baby isn't due until Winter.

I used the Bernat Baby Sport yarn in the White and the Green that was left over from my 1st Soothing Ripples baby afghan.

And, I bought the yellow yarn in Bernat Baby Softee. Very soft, it kind of reminds of Caron's Simply Soft.

If you haven't guessed, this is one of my favorite afghan patterns. It only consist of 2 rows; a pattern row that consist of knits and YO's, more knits and K2tog's. The next row is a purl row.

We recently got Netflix, so this has been a good TV/Movie watching project to do. I've been staying inside with the AC and getting caught up on some movies that I've been wanting to see. I like old movies, like the old Road shows, and I finally got to see Pay it Forward (very good!) and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, as much as I like Brad Pitt, I thought that this movie was just weird, too weird.

Now, for another knitting project. I don't know whether or not to finish one of my many WIPs or cast on something new.

I vote for casting on something new. Maybe a baby sweater or socks....I'm sort of in the mood to knit some socks.

Nice Weekend

2011-07-18T00:29:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy, but nice weekend. I didn't get as much knitting done as I would have liked. Sat., we had the usual family errands and busy stuff to do, then, on Sun., our oldest daughter and her husband had their marriage validated in the Byzantine Catholic Church.

It was a very nice ceremony and it was a beautiful church and a very nice time with our daughter's extended family, the in-laws. BTW, they are the warmest and nicest people we have ever met. They love our daughter as their own and we feel the same about our son-in-law.

In my last post, I mentioned about my e-mail being bombarded with Christmas ads. Granted, I subscribed to received the ads and newsletters, sometimes, this is what you have to do in order to get free patterns. But, really....

I just got this one tonight:

It says: "28 Christmas Afghans: Start Now"

Then for good measure, there's even a Christmas count down in the middle of the page.

Christmas Knitting?

2011-07-15T02:18:00.000-04:00

Has anyone started their Christmas knitting yet? Seriously folks, my e-mail has been flooded with all sorts of ads for Christmas knitting patterns, catalogs for Christmas cards, Christmas wrap, and other holiday recipes and such.

OK....I know...there are only 162 days until Christmas, but can't we just enjoy summer? Lightening bugs, ice tea, lemonade, cooking on the grill and being able to go outside with a jacket, coat or a sweater.

I guess if one is truly serious about knitting gifts for the holidays, I guess one would need to start now or sooner....like right after New Year's Day.

I rarely knit specifically for Christmas, unless it's a quick and easy knit like a hat or a dishcloth or something. There's already too much to do for the holidays, that I had decided to let that particular ship sail a long time ago. As, it is, I keep trying to cut back more and more for the holidays and I try to keep things as simple as possible.

Currently, I'm knitting a baby afghan and then I have a baby jacket in mind to do soon, and I hope to knit some dishcloths soon. I'm trying to enjoy my Summer and my knitting and I hope that you are, too.

A Very Nice Day!

2011-07-10T23:55:00.000-04:00

Well, I had a very different kind of day and a very nice day. First, the day started with church, which was a very nice service, but there was a business meeting afterwards, so I was able to knit so a little bit on the baby afghan. Yes, I ripped out down passed the mistake and put all the knitting back. It's progressing just fine, then, something happened to me with my knitting that has never happened before.

There I was knitting very happily in the fellowship room while waiting for my hubby to get done with the business meeting. There were a handful of people there, among them a couple of new people that have come to the U.S.A. as refugees from a tiny place near India. Lovely and sweet people, a man and a woman with a young child. They speak very little English. I looked up from my knitting and I saw that the young lady seemed to be admiring the knitting that was on needles. I smiled. She smiled. I asked if she knew how to knit? She just smiled. Then, I held my baby afghan to re-arrange it on my lap. BAM! The young lady from another land was right in from of me, touching and caressing the blanket and the yarn. Her face glowed, her smile widened. I smiled back and I asked again if she knew how to knit? She didn't say a word, but with very experienced hands, she gently lifted my knitting needles out of my hands and she commenced to knit. She stood there mesmerized as she worked the needles. She didn't pay attention to the pattern with all with all of it's yarn overs and it's knit 2 togethers, but she just knit and knit and knit. Time stopped and she was so pleased and self absorbed in the knitting...like she had become reacquainted with a dear old lost friend. She completed the row....all garter stitch. She smiled again and she nodded as she handed me back my knitting. The universal language of knitting. Then, she went with family and left. (I tinked the knitting back after she was gone and did the YO's and the K2 tog. Good as new.)

After church, we met up with some very close friends for lunch/dinner. Then, we went shopping. First, to the Family Christian Bookstore, and then to the Half Price Books store. Guess what? I found a knitting book! Surprise! Well, actually, I should say, a little box of knitting patterns as in The Little Box of Knitted Throws (Martingale & Company). I already have The Little Box of Socks, by Beth Parrott, Charlene Schurch (Martingale & Company), which I like very much.

I didn't realize that there was a The Little Box of Knitted Throws and I wasn't expecting to find anything today, but the price was right. Retail price $20, store price, $6. I'm so pleased with the variety of patterns and I'm looking forward to knitting a couple of them. There are 20 patterns on easy-to-read laminated cards and I think that I like more than half of them. A win-win for me.

After shopping, we went and enjoyed some delicious frozen custard. There was a Barnes and Noble near by, so we stopped in to get an update for the Angry Birds game on my Nook. The Mighty Eagle is a free download for the game, however, the download is only available in the B&N stores. OK...that's fine and good, but the Mighty Eagle doesn't come home with you on your Nook. Nope, you can only use the Mighty Eagle if you play Angry Birds at a B&N or a "Magic Spot". I'm not too sure what or where the "Magic Spot" is, but I guess it doesn't matter. I thought that was kind of a bummer, but that's life.

All and all, it was a very nice day and a different day at that.

Soothing Ripple Re-Do

2011-07-04T15:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July! We did our celebrating yesterday, because that's what worked best for our family. It's a good thing, too. because we're having rain today.

So, we're having leftovers, including, hamburgers, chicken & pulled pork sandwiches & hotdogs and leftover anti-pasta salad, too. This translates to a laid back day for me, which means that I can sit & knit. Now, that's my idea of a nice holiday.

I was making lots of progress on the second Baby Soothing Ripples afghan when I had discovered a boo-boo. As much as I tried, I couldn't ignore it.

So, after some encouragement from a well-respected knitting friend, I ripped out about 40 some rows. You know, it's a bit of a challenge to rip out and then pick up again a pattern that has yarn-overs it in, but I did it. Oh, and I discovered that it's a real pain to try and pick up a stitch that is a "Knit 2 tog." I don't know what the secret is to putting those back the right way when frogging or ripping out. I'm glad I did it though. I got to get back to my day off and my knitting.

Another Soothing Ripples Baby Afghan

2011-07-01T17:18:00.000-04:00

I liked the last baby afghan so well that I decided to make another one. Same pattern, different colors.

The last afghan was white, blue and green. It was for a baby boy. The one that I'm working on now is white, yellow, and green and it's for a baby that we don't know the gender yet, and I didn't want to wait and find out before starting this one.

The pattern is from Leisure Arts-Our Best Knit Baby Afghans, called Soothing Ripples on pg. 66. I love, love this pattern! I found the book at Michael's Arts & Crafts Store.

This is ther progress that I've made so far:

And...here's the quandary..........

I don't know whether or not to continue with this boo-boo or if I should rip out and start over or just try to ignore it. I thought that it wouldn't be so noticeable, but to quote my Mom, "It sticks out like a sore thumb."

Decisions, decisions, decisions.

Baby Blanket and Baby Jacket

2011-06-25T22:45:00.001-04:00

(Note to readers: I did some experimenting with my Casio (7-mega pixel) camera and my dear daughter's Sony Cybershot (14-mega pixels) camera. I'm trying to get photos that the colors aren't all washed out.)

I think that this is one of the fastest knitting projects that I have done in a long time. In mid-April, I started my first ever Baby Surprise Jacket, aka BSJ, and I completed it in early May. I really enjoyed knitting it, even though, I did find it to be a challenge at times.

Then, I was in the mood to knit a baby afghan. Initially, I was going to make the afghan just two colors, white and baby pastel green, but then, I came across a different pattern and it had three colors, white, green and light blue. So I CO with the white yarn and progressed to the green sequence and then I looked through my stash (more yarn then I'll ever use in my lifetime) for some suitable baby blue yarn. Then, I had a light-bulb moment! I had some of the baby blue yarn leftover from the BSJ!


taken with my P&S camera

(taken with DD's camera)

So, I was knitting very contentedly and very pleased with all the ways that the colors were just meshing together. By the way, the colors are almost the same as what was used in the pattern book. (Please see previous post for details.) I hardly ever use the same color schemes that's used in knitting books, but these colors were just right for my knitting mood.


(taken with my P&S camera)

(taken with DD's camera)

So, there I was just knitting away and then, I had another luminous moment! This baby blanket would be a nice compliment to the baby blue BSJ, especially, since it had the same yarn in it!

(taken with DD's camera)

So, there you have it, a baby afghan and a baby jacket ready to be gifted to a baby boy due in July. I started the afghan on June 15h and I finished it June 25th.....10 days! My Mom would be so proud!

Baby Afghan in Classic Ripple

2011-06-17T21:24:00.000-04:00

Like I promised, I'm back with some knitting content.
I had been in a knitting rut of sorts, no particular reason as to why, I just was, then, I was at the yarn store and this yarn grabbed my attention. Bernat Baby Sport. I bought white and a soft baby green. The blue yarn was left over from another project. I started out with one pattern in mind, but later switched to a classic afghan pattern.

This is from Our Best Knit Baby Afghans (Leisure Arts #3219) [Paperback] pg. 66


(Copyright of Amazon.com)

I'm loving this pattern! It's hard to believe that something so pretty is just 2 rows. One row is the pattern row with the yo's and the other row is a purl row. That's it and it's so easy to memorize.

I'll be back later with more details.

Happy knitting!

It Been A Busy Couple of Months

2011-06-16T00:58:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy couple of months, first there was Mother's Day and a couple of birthdays thrown in for good measure, in May.

Then, June promised to be just as busy, too. We had a graduation, for my son,

and a 21st birthday for my DD

And, a graduation party for DS and his 2 best buddies.

I'll be back very soon with some knitting content.

Ah Crayons

2011-05-26T12:37:00.000-04:00

It looks like I'm not the only one that had a passion/fascination with Crayons.

http://texasjoy.blogspot.com/2011/05/wax-color-love.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FpZQi+%28Count+It+All+Joy!%29

Mother's Day and B-Day Gifts

2011-05-21T18:20:00.000-04:00

I'm playing a little "catch-up" with my blog. There was Mother's Day, which was very nice by the way, but totally different without my Mom. Her birthday was the 10th of May and my birthday was on the 12th. For as many years as I can remember, we always celebrated our birthdays and our birthday cakes together. Then, when I became a mom....almost 21 years ago, we celebrated that together, too. My husband said that it was almost as bad as Christmas around here.

So anyways, Hubby and the kids took me out to dinner to my all-time favorite restaurant . I had steak and rice pilaf and cheese cake for dessert. We had a wonderful time.

For Mother's Day, they gave me some Addi Turbos Circular knitting needles, in sizes 8 and 9, which really surprised me, because the kids say that I have enough knitting stuff. Impossible! I say, and I got a gift card for iTunes so I can legally download music for my Nook or my MP3 player.

For my birthday, they got me a fantastic ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins....need I say more!

They also gave a gift card to Michael's Arts & Crafts and a gift card for Barnes and Noble, so that I can download books and/or apps to my Nook. I also got a bundle of blank CD-Rs and a CD wallet, so in my spare time....when I'm not knitting...I can convert my cassettes and LPs to CDs.

All in all it was a great Mother's Day and birthday celebration.

Now for some knitting content.

Well, like my dear Mom used to say, "Well, I've done a lot more ripping out than putting in.'

I've been working on the Lover's Knot afghan, but it's gotten kind of warm for that. Oh, and I've started over on the afghan. I still have the original afghan on the needles, but I wanted to to make the afghan just a little bit wider, so I CO 228 sts on size 10 cirs, instead of the original CO of 192 sts on size 9 Cirs. I must be crazy, but I always do this to myself...change ideas in mid-project.

I also put the buttons on the Baby Surprise Jacket. I was going to gift this for an up and coming baby shower, but there's a place on the sweater that I'm just not happy about, but I'm probably the only one that knows it's there.

See the spot that I have circled? Those are the pick up stitches and they showed up on the right side of the sweater. I have this same problem with my socks when I do the pick up sts for the gusset too, but I'm not too concerned my socks, because that part is usually inside my shoe.

So, now I'm working on another baby boy sweater, but this one is adapted from a baby girl sweater that I'm changing it around for a boy. More about that in my next post.

May 12th-My Birthday-Different

2011-05-12T13:53:00.000-04:00

As you know, this was the first Mother's Day without my Mom. Her (90th) birthday was Tues. & today is my birthday....my first one in 52 years without her. It's been a rough week so far to say the least.

Mother's Day at church was so very hard, because there were at least 7 of us who have lost our Moms in the past year, but I put on a happy face & got through it, because the kids needed me to. My bitter sweetness of the day was not lost on my youngest daughter....that girl is so in tune with me & my emotions & my spirit. Much like my Mom & I were. Then, Mom's birthday came & went, all was subdued.

Now, today, is my birthday....yes, I indulged in some melancholy & self-pity this morning & stayed late in bed until I thought that I could cope with the day. Stinkin' thinkin' aside, I knew that my Mom would want me to get up & embrace the day. So, I thought & I prayed & I thought & I prayed some more.....then, I remembered that whenever my Mom was over here, she would always say, "You guys are so blessed."

I felt like the Lord was telling to get up, "This is the day that I have made.....your birthday...get up & rejoice in it" Yes, I paraphrased. And...I thought to myself, "Lord. how can I be "Happy" today? Especially today?"

I felt like the Lord told me to look this up:

Happy Definition

Dictionary.com

hap·py

[hap-ee]

–adjective, -pi·er, -pi·est.

1.
delighted, pleased, or glad, as over a particular thing: to be happy to see a person.

2.
characterized by or indicative of pleasure, contentment, or joy: a happy mood; a happy frame of mind.

3.
favored by fortune; fortunate or lucky: a happy,

The Greek word for ‘Blessed’ is ‘Makarioi’ which means ‘happy, supremely blessed, and fortunate’.

So my Mom is right....again...I am blessed....supremely blessed.

My First Baby Surspise Jacket (BSJ)

2011-05-03T15:21:00.000-04:00

I finally took the plunge and knitted my first, but not my last Baby Surprise Jacket, (BSJ). This is a pattern that has been around for years and seems to be as popular now as when the designer, Elizabeth Zimmermann come out with in the late 1960's.

This sweater is knitted all in one piece, except, for the sleeves, which is the only seaming there is. The sweater is a complete and total mystery, a puzzle until it is bound off and folded together.

This....

Becomes this....

Amazing! A little creative folding and voila it's a baby jacket!

My first time effort didn't turn out quite as well as I had expected. My finishing is a little uneven, but I'll keep trying different finishing methods until I get it right. I really wanted to try the Applied I-cord like the one on this jacket by my friend at Knitting By The Ocean. She has made the BJS a work of art, but, I just couldn't get the construction of this thing wrapped around my brain. Maybe next time.

Another reason I had put off knitting the BSJ was because it's all garter stitch and I thought that I would become bored, but I didn't. I think that because the pattern moves along pretty quickly and I used a really nice yarn and some really nice knitting needles that it was a lot of fun.

I borrowed the book, Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmermann for the pattern and it can also be purchased from Schoolhouse Press.

There's lots of help and charts from the group on Raverly. There's also tons of video out there, too.

The details:

Library Book: Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmermann

Knit Picks Harmony Needles: Size 6

Bernat Softee Baby in Denim. (DK wt. or #3)

The buttons took me almost as long to sew on as it did to knit this thing.

Happy Knits!

P.S. to Squidge Cloth

2011-04-26T15:37:00.000-04:00

P.S. I'm also working on a Baby Surprise Jacket (BSJ).

THE SQUIDGE CLOTH

2011-04-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

I have several projects on the needles right now.

1. Lover's Knot Afghan

2. Baby Blanket-done in squares

3. Green pullover sweater for self-back is done, the front is 1/2 done.

4. Socks- 1 done and waiting for it's mate

5. White baby cardigan-needs seams sewn.

The past 2 weeks, I've been busy with moving furniture, so that the living room and dining room could get painted before Easter. Whew! Then, there was the prep for Easter.

So, I finally had a breather....a chance to sit & knit, and I wanted to just to relax and not challenge my brain.

So.....I give you the Squidge Cloth! Done in Peaches & Cream from my Mom's stash. Thanks Mom!

Colorway: unknown. Size 7 Denise Cirs. It has been gifted.

Easy Peasy!