Midnight Motion

Bored. That's right. I'm bored. I have five hours free...well now, it's a little less than one. I watched 'Chronicles of Narnia - Prince Caspian' and I worked on not one, but two, blankets on my needles, I read a chapter of a book and I ate sandwiches. I will have to clean up the kitchen in a little while - but for the moment, I was bored. So, I decided it was time to take photos of the afghan I was working on - you know, the black and white one I started about two weeks ago. I thought I would take the photos and share at least one of them with you - cuz you're family and family should help you become unbored.

So, here it is. I decided to free form the stripes, which is a good thing cuz I didn't always count the rows they way I should have if it were going to be an exact pattern. But I do like how it came out. Cream and black are such contrasts. It looks white I know, but trust me, it's cream. Or Ivory. Or ecru. Or whatever you want to call an off-white color without calling it off-white.

In any case, I rather like it!

Sugar, Sugar

Seriously, any cuter and we'd have to put a warning label to diabetics on it. I don't think the plan was to make one so small, but it was just so cute I let it go through. Sometimes you have to take the path in front of you not the one you made.

This would make such a cute bag for a little girl with the bracelet handles and the fun fur edge. I have the thought of a grown up version that would incorporate the fur and it can be a Mommy and Me purse set.


I will have to take it upstairs to do the glam shots for the shop but that shouldn't be too much of a problem.

In the meantime, the scarf that must be made is coming along quite nicely. I was telling it I thought it would be nice as a neck warmer, small and cozy and it told me it was going to be a long scarf with fu-fu fur on both ends. Long....as in 80 inches total. Well, I guess it told me. It is well on the way to becoming 80 inches long. I suppose the silver lining is that it will use up the Caron by the Pound. It's always good to be able to show the hubby that not only can I buy yarn but I can actually use it up. Hard point to make when I still have some of the yarn from my very first yarn buy still in the house. Hey, I'll use it eventually.

Our Second Annual Sit and Knit is this Saturday and I will be putting together the goody bags and I have to design a brochure, get it to and from the printers by this weekend - but there's no pressure! We have about 40 folks who have RSVP'd and that will be about a 20% increase over the folks who came last year so I am feeling grateful and excited that we might actually have something started. I will post photos as I don't expect to be saddled behind a registration table this year. I'm looking forward to it!!

Same Hat - Different Version

I love this hat. I think it looks vintage but it's only a few days old. Some lucky person can purchase this hat off my etsy site, but I would like to take this time in praise of good, old regular, acrylic yarn. Yes, I know there are those who turn their noses at acrylic yarn like it's a substitute teacher nobody likes or the computer geek who shows up at the football game. But there's plenty to be said for yarn that cost less than $3 a skein and can make not only this hat, but have enough left over to make another one that looks just like it.

Cheap doesn't mean cheap. Just like expensive doesn't mean better. You can drive a Toyota and you can drive a BMW. You may think you're better or you think other people think you're better because of the car you drive, but trust me, if they both get slapped by a train, people will feel sorrier for the Toyota owner.

Some acrylics have beautiful drape, glorious colors and delicious feel. I used to be in love with Caron by the Pound until I visited Hobby Lobby and touched, I Love This Yarn and I do love that yarn and if my house wasn't already filled with other yarn, I could just hang a Hobby Lobby light outside my house because you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

I know where my LYS is and I've even been inside. I've purchased needles and books from there and I've touched yarn. Haven't bought any yarn there, though. I'm not a reversed snob. I don't turn my nose at them - I just don't open my wallet for them. I have considered it and if the economy turns around, I will probably purchase some of it - not for me, but to make garments or items that I can charge more for and expect someone to buy. I'm not a snob - I'm....thrifty, Yes, that's it. I'm thrifty.

So let's hear it for the fake stuff...or as some clever ad person thought up:
the authentic replica. It is the cornerstone of yarn-dom and I shall forever be true!

Man Cave Wrap

This is how it started.

then it turned into this..
Neither one of those really worked for me. It was supposed to be a simple blanket but the first two yarns just weren't making me happy. So, I started again and I didn't have enough yarn to do it all in one color so this is how it ended up.

I love it! It's warm and it's inviting (Even if I say so myself!) It is a very generous 50 x 50. (Pre-blocking!) The HB, who is very supportive, let out a spontaneous 'wow' when he saw it.
It's made with three skeins of "I Love This Yarn" and part of a skein of (what else?) Caron by the Pound. It's soft and warm and I think would look great on a chair in a man cave or a student's room.
I love it when a plan comes together...even if it takes three tries.

The Cushy Pillow

This is Amare and he is looking at my cushion. I don't think I've made a pillow quite this big and I must say I like it a great deal.

It's hard to believe we are about to leave this year and go into another one. I have lost friends and family this year and I have met new friends as well. Such is the cycle of life and we must all experience it.

The surprise of the year for me is how doing something like knitting can be a solitary and social thing. I hardly knit anything for myself and yet, make sure I knit every day because it has redemptive value for my soul. Through knitting I have made new friends in person and online (thanks to you all) and I have discovered a new way to serve my community and humanity.

I have also turned my house into a yarn barn...but that's a whole other entry.

So, I am looking forward to the new year with anticipation of where this craft/blessing/calling will take me. And I am curious to see where it will take you. There's inspiration out there and you have provided me with some. Knitting is art, music and sculpture all in one. We're lucky - you and I - to be possessed by it.

What You Do When You're Supposed to Be Cleaning the Bathroom

1. I have cleaning the bathroom and hall on my schedule today.
2. I also have work on my schedule today and I did it.
3. I have a workout on my schedule today - and I did that, too. (Kendall Hogan is one hot dude!)
4. I earned a break after doing the work and the workout and not eating breakfast until noon.

I also have some work I need to do for a concert and church on the schedule and I need to stop at Marilyn's to fix her computer (it doesn't recognize her printer.) Then I have to go off to choir rehearsal. I also have to clean out my car. I could be doing any of that right now instead of being here. But I think it's important to show you the cute legwarmers I was working on instead of doing all the aforementioned things I coulda, shoulda been doing.

I love this color. It's claret from Caron By the Pound (eventually I will run out of the this yarn)
and I am using some Lion Trellis for the ribbon. The first legwarmer was finished on Thanksgiving Day when we were at my sister-in-law's house. I asked my niece to try it on and my sister-in-law pouted a little because I did not ask her to try it on. I have no reason for choosing one over the other; that's just how it happened. The other legwarmer was finished a little while ago and here they are. The pattern came from One Skein.

No, I am not going to clean the bathroom and the hall right now. I have to take a shower and get dressed and get to Marilyn's - I will get to the bathroom and all the other stuff I have to get to. But knitting waits for no one.

Cuddle Up Baby Blanket

Well, this didn't take long. I was getting a little anxious yesterday which meant I must have been getting near the end of the project. It turned out pretty well. It's made with Caron by the Pound in azure.
What I like about Caron by the Pound is that it's an economy yarn but depending on the color, it's knits up lushly. This color is a very lush, soft knit.
size 10 needles on a single strand. The original pattern called for double stranding but I didn't want to do that. It also says cast on 90 stitches, but that was with the double strand and the size 13 needles so I cast on 126 to get the gauge I needed. It came out a little bigger than the original pattern, but what's wrong with a baby blanket the baby can use for more than just a minute?

This blanket is for Jason Emmet who was supposed to come out of the womb yesterday but decided to stay in. Maybe he'll come out today - now that he has a nice, warm blanket waiting for him.

At Long Last - Cai!!

It's finally done! That's the hubby-bubby holding it in the second pic! I can't believe how huge it is and the HB says it's very warm as well. I can't believe I thought I could get that done in seventeen days. But, hey, there's nothing wrong with optimism.
I can't even begin to tell all the yarns that went into this. There's some very old Sayelle yarn, some Caron By the Pound, Caron Natura, some "I Love This Yarn" and I don't know what all. It was a good use for the stash, though you couldn't tell I even touched the yarn load. I still don't need to buy any yarn, though I am going to by the end of the month because Herschnerr's is running the free shipment and I can stock up on their chunky weight yarn which I like.

I used size nine needles and the whole thing is taller than I am - not that that's much of a stretch.

So, it's done and I am onto the baby blanket. I am almost certain to start another project really soon and I look forward to that as well. In the meantime, I took a really long walk this morning and I am sore. I am going to take that same long walk again tomorrow. The HB gave me my birthday present early - a trip to Florida in 10 weeks and I need to get into walking shape for it. With Cai out of the way, I am better mentally to get the legs in shape!

The Purple Afghan

I finished this afghan last month. It took a few weeks to knit and I was having a problem because there had to be a crochet slip stitch done along the 'cross section' of the afghan and it took me a little while to figure it out. But I did figure it out and now Billie (my maid of honor) owns the afghan because she loves the purple. So, while it was probably headed towards the sale - it is in a happy home.
It was made with...oh, you know, Caron by the Pound in lavender, orchid and dark violet. Double strands of each. The pattern is from Classic Quick Knit Throws. It is the autumn one and I have to say though it was relatively quick, it wasn't easy. I think they rate it as intermediate level and I would have to agree.

Alas, I did not finish my afghan in time to medal for Ravelympics. I would have received two more medals had I finished, but it just wasn't to be. I picked up some new clients instead and I've had to put down all things knitting and....work!

In fact, I must leave here and go back to my desk for a few hours of work before I can turn in. Hopefully, I will be in bed by 2!

Purple Quick Knit

Isn't it cute? It looks blue in the photo, but that's just because of the flash. It's my favorite color-purple. The one on the right is without the flash. (I just stick things on Marilyn's head and take pictures. She's so used to it, she just kept on knitting away. I'm not sure if I stuck a pom-pom on the top, though I think one would look really cute.

This was going to be my entry hat for Ravelympics, but decided I needed to design my own - pray for me friends, I still have four strips to complete in five days to earn my afghan marathon medal. It's going to be a photo finish!

This is almost the same as the other quick knit hat except I used a different stitch. It's a knock off from Quick Knit - Cool Accessories. It's probably Caron By the Pound because I don't have any other yarn in purple. Well, I think I have some Hobby Lobby yarn in purple, but I haven't knit with it yet.
Check out the archive for the info on the hat!