Help

Don't people have better things to do, I am glad I don't live in Conn! However, I'm sure there are just as many idiots in Illinois. Please go here http://www.scoutj.com/2007/02/20/pr0n-of-a-different-kind/, read and donate.

Shut up and Knit your Cabin Cove = Done

I love these mittens! I love their matchy-matchy-ness, I love their fit (snug), I LURV them! I think they have helped me grow as a knitter. The first one I thought was a little too snug in the wrist (I forgot to allow for my watch) and when I finished the 2nd one, I ripped the 1st one back and re-knit the cuff - Who's the boss of her knitting?

My current dilemma - what to knit next, sure, I have the Cozy in Cables to the neck and am ready to bind off those stitches and start the sleeves, sure I have Birch and it's Kid Silk Haze-ness that is 2/3 done and has been on the needles since 2005 when everyone else was knitting this EASY lace pattern. This KSH is kicking my *rse. I am considering burning it in a little ceremony in the driveway, I keep coming up off on my count, I think it is time to bury that project. I have shawl yarn for 2 shawls in the stash and I am cravin' me some shawl knitting. Perhaps the highland triangle from Cheryl Oberle's book or perhaps Maude and then there are those socks in the Raggi that is a heavier weight that will whip up quickly, but then there is the Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I just purchased last week for fingerless mittens that I don't want to use for that, but perhaps, a simple hat???? I don't know where to start.

Isn't it Lovely?

I was surprised yesterday by the snow. I was out on Monday evening and didn't see the weather. When I got up it was misting snow and by the time I headed to work, it was a tad packed and I drove carefully, but then the sky let loose with a lovely, fluffy, soft picture perfect snow. The bonus of it being so cold, the DD#1 didn't even go out and mess it up on me so that I could take this loverly picture this am.

Driving around noon was treacherous, but as any good country woman would, I headed across the street to the grocery store for some provisions to make sure we are covered in case we get snowed in, yes, we are rural and sometimes we simply get snowed in, nothing to do about it but sit and knit - oh the horror!

I had the added stress of a new driver (6 months) loose behind the wheel which caused my blood pressure a little rise, but once I got my kidlets all safely tucked into the house for the evening, I was a very happy hen.

I am participating in a Swap-bot http://www.swap-bot.com/Winter Scarf kit swap. I am a newby there with no rating so I made sure to contact my partner right away and am working on her gift, but I haven't heard from my partner. Not a good sign.

Shut Up and Knit your Cabin Cove - progress

I think I am sooo clever. I have been wanting to try the Meg Swanson/EZ I-cord mittens from Meg's book - Handknitting http://www.amazon.com/Handknitting-Meg-Swansen/dp/0942018087/sr=8-2/qid=1170861228/ref=pd_bbs_2/105-7760038-5535641?ie=UTF8&s=books. Then the Cabin Cove a-long came around. I thought, great! I will knit fingerless mittens and use the i-cord technique to knit the partial fingers, but I want ribbing at the ends to prevent curling, that's ok, I'll p1k1 and then ladder up the extra one as a knit and all will be well. I scored some Kaleidoscope sock yarn from Dave - LOVE the colors, after consult with the fabulous Dave, I decided to split the ball and play all matchy matchy with the colors so that I could knit my mitts double thick and warm. I've never bothered to do this with my socks, I don't care if they are fraternal, but I was concerned that with the double strand the colors would get a bit muddled and I didn't want that. So I accomplished the winding off well, knitted the 8 initial fingers and away we go. Since this picture, I completed the first mitt and I am wearing it, a la Michael J*ckson and if I do say so myself, they are fabulous. I have lovely, warm Hermoine mittenshttp://knit4angie.blogspot.com/2007/01/hermoine-mittens-and-hat.html, but am always taking them off and then my hands are cold. I would have rather that the color not pooled quite so much, but I think they are loverly in their poolie-ness. The yarn is 75% Merino and 25% nylon, I haven't blocked this one yet as I am waiting for the pair .

BTW, just exactly WHO ordered this cold snap, it is downright rude! I know it is Central Illinois and all, but seriously. Actually, I laugh at this cold snap. Afterall, it is February 6, we only have at best 6 more weeks of this, I may not be a Canadian or a New Yorker, but I am made for this weather. Bring it ON!

Red Scarf Project

I know I've shown them before, but all wrapped up, they are just too cute.

I heard from my friend Katie last night that the ladies in the assisted living home that she is recreation director of have made 15 red scarves! That's just since January 2. I'm thankful that I spread the word to her, they are looking for yarn donations for hats/scarves for the Dulaan project.

I'm still knitting on the CIC Cozy in Cabled sweater. I have split for the front and have been stuck at 8" for...it seems like days. However, with that Lambs Pride Bulky, it is really a pleasant knit. Thank Goddess, I am not alergic to mohair.

Bejeweled = DONE

My 2nd Red Scarf for 2007 is done, done, done. It is a 2-fer, one for the Red Scarf Project ...why won't http://nownormaknits2.typepad.com/red_scarf_project_2007/ and the Bejeweled knit-a-long sponsored by: http://lollygirl.com/blog/?p=569/ I used Brown Sheep superwash I believe it was a DK weight, it took FOREVER to knit and the yarn felt a tad scratchy, but once washed and blocked, it is soft and snuggly. I think it is the perfect length, I love them looped through as in the photo, especially because it is a sort of lacey scarf, I think it needs double thickness to be warm. I'm tempted to give it a "test drive" in our cold Illinois weather, but I'd best not. Please excuse the bad pic, it was a self portrait in the mirror, harder than it looks. I have 1+ balls of this yarn left and it will become fingerless mitts for me, as soon as I get the Cozy in Cables CIC sweater I am working on done.

Hermoine Mittens and Hat

I finished!

The Hermoine hat and the Hermoine mittens.

The Stats:

Misson Falls Wool

Burgundy/red colorway

December 2006 - about 2 weeks to complete

I used #5's for the mittens and I used a #7 for the hat, should have used #7's for both, but they are beautiful and I love them.

I hope the weather here in IL doesn't get cold enough to wear them... :)

What Tarot Card am I

This is me:

http://www.flarn.com/~warlock/tarot/winged/3.html

Interesting...

Cleaning up

I wish that I had the forsight to take a picture of my "sewing room" before I started cleaning it up. I have come to the realization that I have too much, too much food, too much junk, too much fabric and perhaps even too much yarn for what I will be able to accomplish in my lifetime. Somehow I missed the line for too much money, but I do admit to adequate supply.

About 7-10 years ago, I reduced my fabric from fashion and quilting fabric to just quilting fabric and again this year before Christmas, I have reduced the volume of my Quilting fabric. I simply have too.much. UFO's that will never be completed, kits purchased that are still in the wrappers with the price tag on them, bundles of fabric with the pattern in the same bag, just waiting for attention.

With a toddler, a 6 year old, a 16 year old, a husband and a full time job, I simply don't have the time. I realized back this summer that I hadn't quilted in about a year and I was unlikely to quilt much in the coming year (DS#2 is 16 months old) and the "sewing room" was threatening to overflow, I felt as if I were drowning in "stuff" - great stuff none the less, but drowning. I e-mailed my quilting friends and told them that I was cleaning out and that if they wanted anything, they had best claim it, or I could make no promises. Gretchen came and bless her heart, not only did she take a bit of the stuff, she stole 2 UFO's that needed to be pieced together and finished the tops. (THANK YOU GRETCHEN), both were projects near and dear to my heart and now they are patiently waiting for their turn at the quilter. Before Christmas as we were preparing for the annual Christmas Eve feast, DS#1 helped me haul stuff to the attic and I took down the 2nd sewing machine, collapsed the quilting table, sent yet another box and check to Janette for finishing and a box to her for charity quilts and we have renamed the room, "The Media Room". We dragged in 2 rockers and are in the market for a cheap couch of some sort that we have a line on. I feel like it is the end of a chapter in my life. At one time, I was a QUILTER, no doubt about it, but now....knitting has captured my heart, it is so portable and fills the waiting gaps. I will still quilt and I hope that my quilting friends will not abandon me, I can't see why I can't hang with them and knit while they quilt, but we'll see.

My Hobbit Name

Daisy Hamwich of Buckleberry Fern Go Here: http://www.chriswetherell.com/hobbit/, get your Hobbit Name. I LOVE the Lord of The Ring Series...LOVE, LOVE, LOVE... I even wanted a genuine Elvin cloak until I found out that they cost $500! $500! REALLY, well, I'm sure I wouldn't look as good in it as I imagine I might...

Quick Knit

My BIL is bringing someone to Christmas eve dinner and I decided that he should have something to open (as all the rest of us do). I bought some Brown Sheep wool (Black) at my LYS http://www.eweandmefiberstudio.com/ about 2 weeks ago, but did I start them at that time??? Heck no, why would I do that???

So yesterday am, I finally arrived at a proper number and cast on 32 stitches, ribbed for a while and then proceeded to make some fingerless mitts for him. I am hoping that his hands aren't too much bigger than mine. I finished one of them (sans the "thumb") this am between 4:30 and 6. I decided that I liked the ribbing at the top of the mitts. I sent DS#1 to the LYS this afternoon for an emergency skein. I looked at a pattern in the Knitting with Balls book, which called for 200 yards, and I have 200 yards, but I doubled the yarn and well, it is an emergency skein, plus if I get his done with one skein, I can use the other skein for me, me, me or exchange it for something else....I got most of the ribbing done on Mitt #2 at lunch, and I am hopeful that I will finish before Christmas Eve.

I still have to bind the quilt that I am giving to my BIL as I sneakily arranged to receive his name in the family drawing. I have the binding made, just need to sew it on and bind it back...of course by Christmas eve.


Edited to add, Christmas Eve was a good time. Mitts finished, they fit, he loved them, Quilt finished, he loved it. Dishes all cleared away, put away safely for next year by noon on Christmas day, all and all a good even. Oh, number of bottles of wine consumed....only 2, what wimps we are, but what we drank was very, very good wine.

A Shawl for "Granny"

I started knitting this back in July or August 2005 when I was pregnant with DS#2, it was from the Mystery Shawl-along. I knit diligently along on it and it helped with the sanity and the waiting and the laying around (forced), but anyway...I was sick the first of this week, sent the kids to school/sitter and had the day to myself (mostly, DS#1 was home with me) and I decided that I was well enough to block this.

I have never started or completed a lace project, I used some Harris Tweed Shetland 4ply that I purchased from Elann.com. It is a lovely rustic, tweedy barn red-ish. I see now that I might have done a straighter job on the triangle sides, but I love it. The bad thing is that I wore it to work the very next day with black turtleneck and black khaki's and my boss said, "Hey Grandma, hows it going". Hmm, not exactly the response I was hoping for....He was immediately embarrased that he had said such a thing, but now I have something to tease him about. I was a little surprised that no one else at the office made a comment negative or positive especially since I was wearing it so proudly. I am surprised at how warm it is and that eventhough the yarn was fingering weight, when soaked, it bloomed and it does look to be a heavier shawl. I need to take myself to the local welding shop and purchase some stainless steel wires for blocking, it would have been much easier and I need some T-pins. For all the years that I have quilted, I had a tin of straight pins, I must have thrown them away in my cleaning/purging frenzy and I was forced to use thinner pins, but they worked...

More Hats....

For the Soaring Eagle project this time. My Co-worker, Ruth, knits and she has helped me with some hats. She knit her hats in Acrylic (what she had) and I am passing them along to Soaring Eagle. I think there will be at least 10. THANK YOU RUTH!!!

Red Scarf Project

I had promised myself that I would knit on this scarf until it was done and I almost did. I worked on it until I ran out of yarn before the scarf was long enough. Thankfully the LYS, http://www.eweandmefiberstudio.com/ still had some. It is the simple knitted scarf from Stephanie http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/, I tried to link to the specific day, but it is back a bit in the archives the one before Rhinebeck in which she implores a fleece supplier not to sell her fleeces and she spun some lovely yarn from the fleece and left this scarf pattern. Oh, since I can't link it, it goes like this, k1...oh, I can't remember now, I only did it a million times, perhaps it is k2, k1tbl, p1 and repeat, it is a multiple of 4 (duh), but was very simple and soothing for my pea brain. Have the address and will mail it on time,
a rare thing for me... :)

A new Knitter???

She said..."Mom, I want to learn to knit". I said, Ok, let's go the the LYS...

Saturday Sky

It has been a beautiful few days here. I am off to the LYS for one more skein of Manos (Red) for the Red Scarf project. Each skein only makes about 2 feet of scarf - 6 feet is the requirement for the project, so off to the LYS I go...It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Ganome Hat

I saw them on the Zimmermania list http://zimmermaniacs.blogspot.com/2006/11/waiter-can-we-get-another-ganomy-over.html. I snatched up some Lopi and began a knitting. I didn't take a picture, but it turned out like this one, only a solid color and kind of fuzzy like Lopi. I was considering felting it, but I went outside on a windy day and felt no breeze on my noggin thanks to the warm guard hairs of the Lopi. That is 6 for Dulaan for me.

Next I started my Red Scarf project. I used the Yarn Harlot's pattern found at http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/10/12/one_row_handspun_scarf.html My yarn of choice is Manos in a nice red, love the colors, the thick and thin works well in this scarf pattern and it is mindless and quick. I am practicing purling with my left hand. I usually knit left handed, but the only kind of Purl I know how to do left handed is the German Purl which involves a lot of wrist movement and I'm more comfortable (if much slower) purling right handed. I don't know which is American/Continental, I don't know if I care. I breezed through the first skein of yarn and it only yielded about 2 feet of scarf ( I need 5 feet), so I e-mailed my LYS to see if she has one more skien that she will hold. If she doesn't, the scarf will be shorter than planned. I was just there on Saturday and I'm nervous as I don't recall seeing much of the red on the shelf.

Saturday Sky

Saturday sky out towards the West. Don't the clouds look so low that you could touch them. Can you see the sort of airplane in the clouds?

Dulaan Challenge

I finished my "5" for Dulaan last week. 2 scarves, 3 hats so far. I am working on a Ganome hat from EZ's Knitters Almanac, it is in Lopi and is going FAST. I think I will slightly felt it for more warmth. Before I went to Franklin's Chicago Knit-in, I mentioned it to a work friend. Yesterday, Ruth presented me with 5 more hats for Dulaan. She made them during her "sit-time" in the evenings in her chair. Aren't they fabulous? So 10 for Dulaan from Chez Angie. Do I get a Woo - Hoo? It feels good.

In the company of others

This past Saturday, I had the extreme good fortune to participate in the Chicago Dulaan Knit-in hosted by the incomparable Franklin Habit http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/. I met several new friends, but had the pleasure of the company of one Rochelle of Glen Ellyn that I car pooled with. I think my family thought I was a little odd that I wasn't worried about car pooling with someone I didn't know. What could happen, SHE'S A KNITTER! Karen from Yarn is my Metier, http://www.yarnismymetier.com/, gifted me a skein of Regia cotton for simply offering to give her a lift to the event. Knitters are the greatest. It is a lovely skein of blues, just lovely.

The venue was lovely, did I take pictures...uhhh, no, as a matter of fact Rochelle and I were so excited to get into the event, we forgot to put Rochelles' handicapped parking plackard in the window, no tickets, though, but really, we were authorized to park there. Food, there was food, lots of food, good food, after all, we're knitters. Comfy spaces, nice, nice people. Great cause.

I am dedicated to finishing my 5 projects for Dulaan, I finished the Wool/Hemp hat and gladly chucked the tiny ball of left over yarn into the trash, it hurt my hands, I was knitting it at a tight guage, but none the less, it hurt my hands. I am now back to good 'ol Cascade 220 in the yellow and green, use it up. DS#1 pointed out that I had knitted a Green Bay packer hat the first time, so I will try to avoid that again. Anyway, I have 4 finished items, 2 scarves, 2 hats and #3 hat on the needles. Received my Handy Book of Patterns book and perused it prior to bed last night, I might actually follow some directions instead of just knitting as I am wont to do.

Am I knitting for Christmas? Ummm, no, not really. I am woefully incapable of completing projects under tight deadlines. I need to make some mittens for DS#2, but he is tiny so it won't take too long, I am wondering if I have enough left over Malabrigo from my mittens to make him some, perhaps I'll have to buy more...shame, wouldn't it be a shame. I am however resisting additional yarn purchases. I have been on a "No Credit Needed" stint and have been trying to make sure that what I buy is what I NEED rather than what I want. I have an awful lot of yarn here that I can knit up for charity and heaven knows there are enough charities around that need warm things, so .... Don't clap too loud, my reserve could break at any minute, I'm still LOOKING, just not buying right now..."They will make more yarn, They will make more yarn" is my mantra.