Love/Hate

I have a love/hate relationship with my house. I love the house, it's feel, it's open-ness, it's a happy house. It works for us. And I have lived in houses that no matter the work put into them didn't. I hate that it flooded, and there's a part of me which can't turn off that information. When we rebuilt, I feel like we did it not hastily, but without thought for the distant future, and any future flooding.

We have friends whose parents raised their house 14ft. It looked absurd, people laughed at the silly image, shook their heads and wondered aloud. Well, they have since completed the work and now have a home which is wonderful! They enclosed the front of their stilted house and put in a garage door and parking area. Behind that lovely garage/storage area complete with elevator for their elderly ease of access, is an incredible covered patio. Wow it is neat, like the houses built on the beaches, they have tons of storage, access, all that.

Our house was built in the 1920's. In 1957, after a devastating flood, which our house then escaped, the house was raised 10ft. Eventually they enclosed the entire space, renovated it entirely in the 80's and now we have rebuilt it again. All the while, a nagging thought that we should just build up sat inside me. I still wish we had done that, left the downstairs open, put in a parking/storage area in the front half and opened the rest as a partially walled patio.

Why all this thought now, two years after the flooding? Well, it keeps raining and raining and raining. And three times now we have had water seep under the walls. The first time was BAD, water everywhere, but we have since figured out how to create the proper water flow in the yard to keep the house dry. Still.

Where exactly does all this thought come from all of a sudden? Well, I was in my mini-studio in my half of the laundry room, trying to put some bags of yarn up on top of the cabinets and couldn't get to them because of the stuff on the floor, blah, blah, blah... I built shelving, a work surface, all that, and am now unhappy with the layout. After the expense and work of building what I have, I hate to even mention it to my husband. So I sit with a space that might be better laid out, a house that may flood again, and nagging worries that the money spent could have been better spent. Oh well, live and learn. And maybe get a stepladder to get up to the tops of the cabinets next time so my brain doesn't go overboard again.

I think I need a complicated knitting project to distract me from all these thoughts. And a few sunny days so I can stop thinking about the water that may never come. (And if it does come, I can implement the plan for higher living.)

Mark's Blanket

Have you ever fought knitting thinking it was supposed to be one way when the yarn wanted to be something else completely? Well, this yarn had an idea of it's own. Little sampler squares were not what it was going for. It was not happy and hid in the laundry room under some other yarn.



I pulled it out to work on it, since it's on my list of goals and was unhappy with the entire idea. It seemed off somehow. I decided I would just knit random stripes and use up the yarn, saving enough white to make a border. Well, it seems to be working now. And I have decided it would make a great way to knit a sweater.



Since I bought these skeins of yarn on sale the colors are random anyway, and there are various amounts of each of them. I am just knitting how long I feel like, then reaching in a grabbing another color. A few yards of each. Joining with a Russian join then moving on.

It's a happy blanket. I like the color combinations also, even though I think a few of them clash with each other for the most part it's working. I can't wait until enough is knit to be able to spread it out and get a good look at the colors.

Here's to finishing the list, or at least getting started on the list! (I have two things checked off so far.)

Sock-a-finish-a!

My sockapalooza socks are all finished! I couldn't be happier, and hope that my buddy likes them. They are from Handknit Holidays, the Log Cabin socks, turned into knee-highs by adding enough stitches for my partner's calf and decreasing down the side so they fit the ankle. I love the purple color, another Cascade 220 superwash, it took whole skeins to finish these, just a few yards left to send along in case of emergency.

Yesterday was Big Brother's birthday! Holy smokes, he's 14 now. Almost impossible to wrap my head around. He had some friends over for a swimming party, which was cut short by the rain, and cake, his favorite, red velvet. (another diet starts for me today)



He's a great kid and I hope this year is a great one for him.

Inspiration

I am a TV junkie. I am hooked on the History Channel, Court TV, DIY Network and BBC America mainly. I think that's why I knit so much lately, there's no TV in my studio. It's pitiful, but I know I would be in there much more if there was a TV. But, with a 2 year old under foot most of the day I can't do much in the way of messy work without her very occupied, so knitting it has been lately. Being out of town without TV, I always realise just how often it is on at our house. Not something most people admit to, but, hey, I watch mine.

Why all this mention of TV all of a sudden? Except that I am pretty sure TV time is a big knitting time in most people's day, I have been catching some of the best shows, some with some real inspiration. I really like Allison Whitlock, and now she has a show on DIY Network, Uncommon Threads, which I have caught a few times and really enjoyed.

Yessum, the TV is on right now, I am watching Knitty Gritty. I like it too. There's an issue on making up your own knits, something I always need to know more about. Check this out, it's the workpage for the knits she did. There are also a bunch of links to other knitting calculators. Looks like good reference!



Here are the sweater and pants, I am oh so happy with the way they turned out. What a treat that was! I am not always thrilled with what I make, so to have used reference points and come up with something I think is cool makes me happy. And I think PeeWee will get a bunch of wear out of it when the weather's cool. Cascade 220 superwash, loving it lately! The blue is perfect, I love the way the collar falls when it's on too. All around winner.



The sockapalooza socks make me happy too, I am all about cables lately.I have a month left to finish them, and I don't see any problems with that at this point. August 2nd is the mail date, it's exciting to think of a thousand socks flying around the world that day.



Here's the super simple sweater I started. Details later, but I figured I better include a picture. Of course it's blazing hot here and knitting with wool is losing it's appeal. This one may sit aside for a bit while I work on some preemie hats next. I should have the socks packed to be mailed soon, and as soon as I do that I can work on my goals. When I wrote them they sounded so simple! Now when I look at that list I realise so much of the summer has passed! Better wrap some things up soon!

Back to the real world...

Well, we made it back in town. It was a great vacation! The mountains are nice and cool and the weather was just the beginning. We actually had so much of a chance to hang out a relax. The kids had a great time, with lots of simple family stuff. There are no cell phones, no internet, no TV up there...

I got to see the damage from the broken pipe up close and personal- WOW. Lots of demolition. Lots of rebuilding. Mark is going to head back up there as soon as he's recovered from the drive home to finish the rebuild. A lot still to do, but he'll finish things soon.

I had a ton of knitting time. I have to get some photos still of things but here's a bit of the work on PeeWee's sweater. It is finished, I never got a shot of her in it but I am SO thrilled with it. I will get a shot tomorrow. Today was too much returning to the real world. I used Anne Budd's book of sweater patterns, it's a great source for so many things! I love that she did those books and saved us all a ton of math!





I didn't write any of the pattern down, basically I stole ideas from a bunch of places I like. It was supposed to have swing, but I didn't take the ribbing in to account so it's more of an A-line shape. I know one of my goals was to create the pattern and write it out for the patterns page, but..... there's still a bunch of summer left, maybe it'll happen.

Speaking of the list of goals, I almost finished the second Sockapalooza sock. I worked quite a bit in the car on the way home, Mark was in the mood for driving so I kept my hands busy. Carole's gift of the counter came in handy- I used it to follow the chart instead of a sticky note, much easier! I had to fight PeeWee to keep it for myself though, she LOVES that thing- click, click, click! I took a break from knitting today. Ten hours in the car really does a number on my brain, so I figured I would leave the needles until I have rested up a bit.

A great yarn shop opened up this spring in our little vacation town. I am so happy! I bought some yarn and a pattern too. Yep. It's one of those super simple patterns- a series of rectangles all put together. Yeah, I know, pictures of that tomorrow too... (My camera was busy getting shots of the kids!) They had a model in the shop and a full length mirror, and it looked simple and good looking. And if a model looks good on me, I am sold. (I am a bit curvier than most models out there!)

More pictures tomorrow, planning on keeping up with the blog more regularly, add that to the goals too.

Vacation!

We're off to the mountains! A week's vacation for the family.

I have packed a whole bunch of knitting. The Sockapalooza second sock, PeeWee's swing coat (to match her pants), and two other socks in progress. Considering it's only a week we'll be gone it sounds like a lot to me. I know I could pack half the car with yarn, but we're going to start the clearing of the house this trip. It's been on the market for over a year and a half with little interest. now that the repairs are pretty much wrapped up and the house has a new kitchen, we're hoping to rekindle interest, possibly dropping the price. (We still have a bit of clutter to deal with, so I had to save SOME room for the trip home.) I am a bit anxious about my projects though because there's not a knitting store up there. Deep breaths, I know I will not run out of knitting, I just have to repeat that over and over.

I have spent the last few days trying to reorganize my life. I backed up all my photographs on my external hard drive, something I had neglected the last few months. It pretty much took the whole day. I keep re-doing my iPod for the drive (10 hours). I did all the laundry and put it away so our house sitter is not sharing the couch with a mound the size of a small beached whale. (Figured I would be less embarrassed if I got it put away.) We've had Big Brother busy too, doing a lot of chores he's been neglecting. For the first time in who knows how long his room is very tidy. He's also challenged when it comes to housekeeping, gets it from me poor kid.

Finally got PeeWee to model her new pants. She loves them and wanted to wear them all day. Try explaining to a two year old that wool pants when it's 89 degrees out is just not the best idea. She sure looks cute in them though! I am really happy with the whole setup.





I have started the top. I am close to finished with the sleeves already! I think when my mother told me it was 58 degrees in the mountains I got inspired. And I feel so clever to have started the sleeves first. Not sure why I never thought of that before, since they can be worse than finishing a second sock.

Not sure if I will be able to get on and post this week. If not I hope everyone has a great week!

Back to normal

Well! The last few weeks around here have been over booked. We're working on getting back to daily life, it's taking a bit of effort though.

We took PeeWee to her cardiologist and we got another stay of at least 6 months until the next surgery. She's just the amazing baby, I tell you. She will have to have another open heart surgery some day down the line, but for now we are in the clear. She's definitely got her guardian angel watching out for her.

Very little knitting time. Very little. This weekend I photographed a wedding for a friend from my college days. I didn't like the responsibility of knowing if I blew it there wasn't a do-over. I was a nervous wreck waiting for the files to upload, convinced I must have shook or done something else horrible. It was outside and insanely hot, I was sweating and couldn't even really see, so I was some glad when most of the images turned out to be not only usable but pretty good. Glad it's all finished.

We had a wedding houseguest for the week, he is the easiest person to have around. I am not the greatest host, I really don't like houseguests. It was great to have him around though. (He kept asking about my knitting friends.) We haven't seen him in 5 years, he's been in Germany, so it was a treat he chose to stay here. (He had some other offers.)

Hmmmm, knitting you say? Well, even with all this crazyness going on around here, I managed to finish PeeWee's pants. They are cute, if I say so myself. Sorry there's no pattern, it was in my head and never made it to paper, nor will it. But here's what I did, measured her inseam, around her thighs and ankles to get a general idea of size. I measured around her waist also and remembered to add some extra stitches to create a crotch gusset. Knit the legs at the same time in the round on 2 circs, got to the inseam length, increased for the gusset stitches, joined the whole thing in the round, left the gussets on waste yarn to kitchener stitch up later, increased for the thicker measurement around the waist. Short rows made up the butt bubble. Easy peasy. I am in love with Cascade 220 right now, this is the superwash. I'm looking through books for a pattern for the matching swing coat. I think I am going with Anne Budd's general sweater pattern plus some swing. Maybe travelling cables...

Until I figure out that one, I will be knitting on who knows what. I think I am going to save the second Sockapalooza sock for an upcoming drive to North Carolina. Vacation knitting, ahhhhh. I am sure I will have an entire suitcase of knitting to entertain me. I want to start some simple plain knit socks, something mindless with a simple repeat. I started a pair and was not happy with the way the colors were behaving, then when I slippped it on it was huge. So yet another ripped sock. I am saving my Hurricane sock until I can wrap my brain around the cast-on, it's something new to me, so until I feel brave enough for a new trick, I'll be sticking with simple. My Hurricane buddy Carole was great, she really outdid herself. We had each other, which I accidentally figured out, but kept quiet about, boy was THAT hard! I SO appreciate all the work Christy put into the whole thing. I was very happy with the whole exchange, even though I still feel a little bad for my tardy mail out.

My camera is misbehaving, I think it is mad at me from the wedding. I am having flash issues and will have to send it in for a repair. And we're going to the mountains this weekend. I may just wait to send it in because I can use an external flash, but when I tried on PeeWee's pants I noticed it was acting up and got so annoyed and frustrated I said forget it, I'll update with pictures of knitting tomorrow though, when I get her in the pants. Instead I will try to satisfy with a picture of the happy couple:

Mail Call!

Well, I have been missing all weekend, but the mailman hasn't!



Here's a close up of the package sent by my wonderful Hurricane Sock Party pal:



She included all sorts of fun goodies, row counters, stitch markers, a waterproof container to store things in. A whole bunch of doo dads, candy, light-up needles, a little handmade paper notecard set, ummmm, I must be forgetting something! ANyway you can see it all here, she was very generous!

The sock is red! It's a great lacy pattern, and it fits perfectly! I am looking forward to finishing the second one and getting to wear them.

I was a little late mailing out my package, it will arrive where it needs to be Thursday. Things caught up with me over the weekend somehow. I'll update more after tomorrow. Just sneaking in a minute to jump on here!

Still Knitting

I finished the first sock for sockapalooza 4! I set it aside with all my notes for the pattern changes until I get a minute to cast on for number 2. I have loved this pattern. It will stay on my list for things to knit for gifts, they are so cozy. I want some myself in fact. I love the rich purple color.



I cast on for a pair of pants for PeeWee to go with her swing jacket I plan on making from my list this summer. More Cascade 220- it's my favorite right now. It was Mark's idea to go with pants. He slipped the sockapalooza sock on her leg for size and announced I ought to make her pants. So I cast on for both legs in the round on 2 circs and have gotten about 3 inches up them. It's totally knit as you go, no pattern so I figured I better do them together or there's no telling what could happen with leg 2. I'll get a picture when there's something to show.

Things have been busy here! We have had drop in dinner guests, Big Brother's friends coming and going, and we even have an unexpected guest from Germany coming Saturday. Well, only partly unexpected. We thought he was coming in town on Tuesday. My bad.

Our anniversary is tomorrow and the week's plans snowball from there, ending with a wedding I am photographing next weekend. I hope I can sneak in lots of knitting time in between here and there. I'm not counting on it though. I am counting on lots of socializing, a few wedding parties, lots of PeeWee (they have a week off from nursery) and (cross fingers) some me time at the coffee shop.

I've neglected not only my blog but everyone else's too, so I am off to do some catching up!

A contest!

Ali over at Skeins Her Way is having a great contest. Jump over there and let her know I sent you.

Here's my list of summer goals:

1) Finish my sockapalooza socks- almost halfway there on that one

2) Knit PeeWee a swing coat and matching hat.

3) Start a vest for my father for Christmas (yes, this year I WILL finish one for him)

4) Knit myself red Valentine's socks- the pattern's rattling around in my head, write the pattern, and post it to the website

5) Finish Big Brother's ginormous socks

6) Finish the blue top

7) Finish PeeWee's dress, write the pattern and post it to the website

8) Finish and piece Mark's blanket

9) Knit 10 preemie hats

10) Knit at least a few stitches every day

I know these aren't the loftiest of goals, they sound like pretty much everyday things. I've been scattered lately though so a concrete list is going to help me focus. Getting knocked off balance by life has a way of making normal things difficult to accomplish. We're also bracing ourselves for surgery for PeeWee, so I don't want to overwhelm myself. If we get the all clear from the cardiologists in June I may just update this list and add a few things to challenge myself.

In my current knitting world I am working on my sockapalooza pal's socks. Just cugging along with those. They are coming along really well.

I picked back up the blue top, cast off with the k2tog, slip the stitch back on the left needle temporary cast off and tried it on. It may just work. If not, I'll pass it along, but there's a chance I might actually be able to wear it. So I got inspired to pull it out and keep working. It has outgrown the ziploc bag now so I need to wrap it up before PeeWee discovers the dpn's aren't permanently attached to anything....

I have ripped out the two pairs of disasterous socks I started. I am putting the yarn back into the stash and bringing it back out when these other projects are all wrapped up. I was doing so well with the yarn monogamy, all these WIP's are bugging me. And like I mentioned, I need clear cut directions these days. I need to narrow down my choices with everything.

A thorough spring cleaning is going on in our house. I'm sick of living out of laundry baskets! So the closets are all getting a good going over. PeeWee and Big Brother have outgrown so many clothes that are cluttering up our space. I need to get some of those giant Ziploc's and put away the winter things. I have ample closet space, the best thing being big cabinets above for storing off-season things.

So don't forget to hop over to Ali's contest to get a shot at her really great prize.

And this is just the yarn

So..... that spring cleaning I was talking about doing?



Well, this is what the hallway looks like when you decide it is past time to tackle the studio.

The studio is a pretty small corner of the laundryroom, so I had no idea it could even hold this much yarn! It is the room where things get piled up when we want to tidy the rest of the house, papers, laundry, ironing and then all my craft supplies. I am halfway through the re-organizing, and the yarn was just underfoot. I am working on a great storage plan, just need a few PeeWee free moments to execute it fully. It also involves a few trips up and down the stairs.

It's just a mommy daughter weekend here Chez Mom. I'm going to head off to the craft store with PeeWee today for something special just the two of us can make together. I've been looking for a good kids craft idea website. Anybody have a favorite? I'm going to put together a craft kit box. I'll get the supplies together with idea sheets and bag them all up together in ziplocs and stick them in our art box. It'll be something good for those days when the ideas are running short.

Tag, you're it!

I am usually too busy and forget to do these but I thought this one was pretty interesting, I love to see things people
have done (bold)
want to do (italics)
have no plans for- yet at least!(plain type)

So here's my list! Share yours too...

Afghan/Blanket (baby) working on a full sized one right now!
I-cord
Garter stitch
Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up
Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk
Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Participating in an exchange
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns
Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn (just my own tinked stuff)
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with banana fiber yarn
Domino knitting (modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn
Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns
Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting
Dying with plant colors
Knitting items for a wedding
Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)
Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars
Olympic knitting (just a cheerleader here)
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with DPNs
Holiday related knitting
Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living (just extra cash)
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks
Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO
Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac
Knitting and purling backward
Machine knitting
Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Baby items
Knitting with cashmere
Darning (have some socks waiting patiently)
Jewelry
Knitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen
Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers (does one count?)
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho
Knitting with dog/cat hair
Hair accessories
Knitting in public


Pictures next post- I promise!

...clickety click...

First of all, thank you all for so many lovely comments and emails. Things have been hard here the last few days, and I know we're going to face some tough days down the line. The funeral was Monday, it was a lovely service and I am thankful for the degree of closure I feel right now. The outpouring of support I keep seeing and feeling in our online knitting world never ceases to amaze me! What a wonderful place!

It's good to be busy, and the end of May is about as busy as winter holidays for us. It's exam time for Big Brother. We've been less organized than normal and I hope he pulls them off without too much catastrophe. Mark is finally going back up to deal with the other house mess. He put the return trip off with our personal upheaval, but now he just wants to be as busy as possible. It's all work that needs doing. PeeWee is chugging along, being a two and a half year old. (Wearing me out most days.)

I have been working away on every single project I have on needles. Yep, even if it's just a few stitches here and there. I went today to get a pedicure (prime me me me knitting time) and got way up a sock before I saw a glaring mistake. As in a lace heart with a couple of rows missing. Oh well, I am process knitting right now, I actually don't even mind ripping. I may even say "boop boop boop" as the stitches pop apart. (come on, you know you do it too)

I completely dig my Sockapalooza sock, it's very fun. I chose a rich deep color my pal mentioned being a favorite. I did some extra snooping and found out that where she lives is a great place for knee socks in winter, so I have decided to alter a pattern to turn it into knee-highs, something I have never done before! I figure I have until August. I'm about 2/3 down the first leg, having a pattern makes knitting socks so much quicker for me. I have set them aside for the time being though, my addled brain needs a breather, and I so do not want to rip these beauties out.

Rhonda sent me to her friend's blog. She's raising money for her Relay for Life and she's about 1/4 of the way to her goal! Check it out if you have a minute, she has a link on her sidebar to make a donation if you'd like. And please feel free to pass this information on. I believe in the power of women with yarn to change the world. And if anything needs changing, it's cancer.

Happy Mother's Day

To all you who are mothers out there- Happy Mother's Day. My family has managed to deliver me a wonderful day. They made me breakfast, brought it to me in bed, brought me a coffee from the corner coffee shop, let me finish my book. We went out to brunch with my brother and his family and my parents. It was a wonderful escape.

I say escape for an unspeakable reason. Our family has been rocked by a senseless and tragic loss. A horrific fire burned down the house of my husband's closest friend in the middle of the night. Their youngest child escaped physically unhurt. The rest of the family was sadly trapped. We are digesting this slowly. The world is a different place now for us. I am constantly reminded of how fragile the world can be, how strong we have to be to make it through sometimes. Our thoughts are with the son, who has searing memories of hearing his father and sister trying to get out and being unable to help them.

I mention this here because this was so senseless. Even though they had had some electrical issues after Katrina, they had no smoke detectors in their home. I have no idea why. Our friend was recently with my husband in North Carolina where we were lucky to avoid an electrical fire- the breaker panel smoking from rodent damaged wires which had then gotten wet from the water damage. The family was overcome by smoke inhalation. The entire house was an inferno within 5 minutes of the son jumping from his window. I can't say the outcome would have changed if there had been any warning before they woke up, but our friend was found feet from the front door. We are not superheros, we can't predict the future, but there are ways we may be able to change what happens.

Check your smoke detectors. Change the batteries. Bring them to your friends if they don't have them, put them in if you have to. Don't put it off for another day.

Flash your stash... um...kitchen counter?

I was winding yarn to begin my Sockapalooza exchange knitting when I looked down the length of the kitchen counter to see this...



Uh, yeah, I may have a (small) yarn problem. If you're wondering what I'm working on, well... starting from the back by the window you'll find my not for big busts top in the bag, in front of that the hat I started to keep my fingers moving, knit with the kool-aid yarn, some lorna's laces I have yet to wind, the bag sitting on top of hand knit felted pot holders, and two different Kiogu yarns, one already wound and bagged up.

My name is Sarah and I knit.

I finished my HSP sock! I was glad to graft that toe. I was also glad I bought an extra ball of yarn because I had to go into it a few yards. So now almost all the goodies I am sending out are in a neat little pile waiting to be packed up.

Waiting for my Sockapalooza pieces and parts to arrive I needed something busy to work on. So I decided to cast on that hat with the yarn I recently dyed. I cast on at the crown and increased and am now knitting down until it's the right length. I love the pooling I am getting. I think this one's asking for a rolled edge. It's so silly. Red and yellow stripes... my poor children, this one's for me.

I worked a tiny bit on PeeWee's dress, too. (this did not make the photograph because it's sitting on the couch) For some reason I am purling like my fingers are stuck in molasses. The knitting is quick then the purl rows... whoa, do they drag on and on and on. I did the decreases after the flirty little ruffle and now I am working on plain stockinette for a few more inches. It's working like I pictures and when there's visible progress and it starts to make visual sense I'll post a photo.

Updates

First, my Hurricane socks. I have fallen back in love with the pattern. Simple and easy when you're not turning heels and decreasing gussets. They will hopefully be a good match for my buddy. I have been gathering fun goodies for my package too. My buddy longed for a nifty knitting gadget and I found just the perfect thing! It makes my day to be able to send this along with her socks. I am going to go peeking around my LYS for something else specific to add to the package. Not necessarily something on her wish list, but something I know they used to carry which is pretty and practical, which sounds like her from the snooping I have managed to do. Wish me luck! This is getting fun! We're getting to the finish line with the knitting and shipping too. Hurricane Season starts June 1! My Hurricane Sock Party has morphed into a theme of sorts too, without me even realising it. I was looking at things to be sent out and noticed I've got a theme going.

Second, my sockapalooza planning. I am eyeing some Cookie A designs and trying to decide which will work the best here. I am lucky my partner for this has given me a fairly broad range to work in. I get a lot of satisfaction out of knitting for others and these exchanges seem to be a good match for me right now. They are relatively small projects, portable, and give me the chance to try something new.



Third, PeeWee's dress. Already a few modifications to the pattern. I know, I too am shocked. I like this cotton candy crazy bright pink I am using. It just shouts PeeWee. Flippy, flirty, summery fun. My nutty girl.



And lastly, the top that's not quite right for my body. I changed from mistake rib to stockinette with a negative ease and I will return to mistake rib for the bottom 4-5 inches. Maybe that will save this, we'll see. Like I said before it will definately work for a friend. And we never learn what not to knit if we don't make a few mistakes along the way! I have many many sewing "wadders" things wadded up in the bottom of the sewing closet, horrible mistakes. At least with knitting, you can unravel your yarn and begin again...

Spring Fever

So, four months of monogamous knitting and I have fallen off the wagon.

I have five things on needles right now. This is becoming a problem. I have this need to keep casting on! Someone help me... I want to knit so many different things, but I don't actually feel like knitting any of them. I need to take a deep breath and back away from the stash.

So what am I knitting right now? Well, there are my Hurricane Party Socks, which I have been knitting slow and steady, close to finished. The pattern needs to be paid attention to, it's been my quiet moments knitting. I like them, even though they are not something I would ever choose for myself. They are both simple and pretty and unfortunately you're gonna have to wait to see pictures until closer to ship date.

I started a top which is inspired by tempting. It's the perfect TV knit. I'm using Lion Brand Cotton Ease and liking it. It has a bit of spring. I think I am going to have to give it to my not-so-busty friend Lisa though. It aint made for my body type. When it's finished we'll see how things look on me. I'm not holding my breath though.

Last night I cast on for a dress for PeeWee. I have this pattern in my head and it needs to come out. I hope it is going to be cute enough to write out the pattern for everyone. I'm using one of my favorite baby yarns, Bernat Cotton Tots. Cheap, lightweight, durable, washable. Meets all my requirements for PeeWee. I'm drawing on my sewing skills for the construction of this one. And I'm making matching ruffle panties to go with it! This I am really excited about.

There's the blanket for Mark, which hasn't made much progress. I've been knitting on too many other things instead. Isn't that the big lesson I learned in January? That one at a time is a GOOD thing? (Well, I guess my vices could be much, much worse.)

And finally, Big Brother's Ginormous Socks. They have become my car knitting. The bag is in there for the long haul. Size 14 long.

And what's next? (Next!?! Am I crazy!!!) The sockapalooza socks of course! I'm going shopping in my stash to see if I have something that's going to work for my buddy. I think I do, but I also have something in mind I want to try. A certain color in my head. And, yes, I remember that last time I went this direction I ended up with a whole lotta yarn. All that good stuff that was on sale. Yummy yarn I otherwise would not have bought. Dreamed of but not bought. That was searching for the HSP socks, this is different. (yeah, right)

Oh and remember I mentioned the ceramic yarn? Well here it is! This stuff is really neat. It's actually cold when you touch it. Check it out if your LYS has it in stock. I was really surprized and intrigued. And they are having a design contest. It's also on their website homepage.

Sorry for the lack of knitting pictures. Next post I'll get back on that.

Wanna help?

Burger King is doing something I feel is pretty neat. They have decided to give away $100,000 to non-profits in the New Orleans area, splitting it up with $50,000 to the top named non-profit, and splitting the rest incrementally so that the top ten nominated non-profits will each recieve something. If you want to help here's the web site. I had no idea big corporations were still interested in helping out around here, and I think it's a really important step towards regaining a solid footing. We've come a long way, but there's just so much more we need to accomplish.

What would my non-profit of choice be? Well, I've been nominating our hospital, Ochsner Clinic Foundation. It's been a big part of my life, especially recently, with PeeWee's medical issues. So you can nominate your favorite non-profit or mine! And spread the word if you will, you can nominate once each day, through May 15th. Then the finalist voting will begin June 5th. Thanks ahead of time for taking the time to vote and make a difference around here!

...back to knitting now...

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

Well, it has been a year.

Hard to believe! So happy anniversary to me. It's funny about blogs, a lot of times you have no idea if you're even being read, but if you slip off the radar for a while, people start to worry about you, people you have never even met! I think that's a great thing about the internet, blogs, and knitters in general. So thanks to all of you who have read the blog, posted comments, emailed me about posts and generally been supportive of this adventure.

So, what's in the bag?



Well, I went back to the yarn shop during their big sale and bought up ALL the Classic Elite Two.Two yarn they had left. Mark asked me for a blanket. So I decided to indulge him. He was saying how they always had knitted blankets around when he was growing up and wanted one now. A few years ago I crocheted a giant full-sized blanket that Big Brother has adopted as his own. Mark's grandmother was a prolific knitter, quilter and crocheter. Unfortunately only one or two of her things survived. That I do not understand, except my father in law is just not attached to anything, and I think when his mother passed away, he was more than happy to give away the things she made that meant something to people who asked for them. So they were spread thin. The last of her quilts he still had was eaten by Katrina funk flood waters.

The thought of knitting a massive blanket like that had me hesitant, but I figured out that if I knit a bunch of squares then sew them together, I can work on it on the go. So, he's getting his big blanket. I am knitting six and a half inch squares, each skein of the yarn makes two, in a sampler style. Lots of different patterns, some of my favorites, lots of different colors. It'll probably be on the silly side, but that never deterred me.

My Hurricane Party socks are coming along nicely. I accidentally altered the pattern and had to write out exactly what I managed to change so it will not be a problem down the line when they are shipped off. It was a very simple mistake and the pattern was written to confuse, I think. At least it confused me. This has become a fun little project, because I am knitting something I most likely would not have ever thought about. A good lesson in exposing myself to something new.

I am also part of the 1000 people signed up for Sockapalooza 4! I haven't gotten my exchange info yet, that is sure to be on the way soon. Amazing that 1000 people signed up for it, isn't it? Allison did an amazing job organizing this one.

Spring Cleaning

Well, I think I am at such a knitting block because I need to organize myself. I have a whole bunch of beautiful new yarn but I have it all stuffed in grocery bags- the way I brought it home. I want to take tomorrow to do some tidying up and pick out some patterns and pair them up with some of these new yarns. Start project planning.

I finished Michelle's cotton socks! I like the way they turned out. I hope they are going to work! I am happy with the Widdershins pattern. I thought I read an error but it was my imagination, they worked out very well. There was nothing I found awkward about either the casting on or the heel. I'll knit this pattern again. And I am happy with the Cascade Fixation. I am keeping it in mind for future preemie hats. And probably a few pairs of summer socks. I used not quite two balls, knit with size 6 needles, in a knit 6, purl 1, knit 1, purl 1 pattern which was fun and quick and didn't require too much thought. I stopped them maybe shorter than I normally would have knit top down socks for fear of the tightness sometimes found with casting off, but am happy with the height.



So, now I am down to the HSP socks. (remember I don't count Big Brother's ginormous socks, they are the black hole of knitting) I like knitting them. I set them aside for a few days, but am ready to finish them up now. I scored the magazine the pattern came from for my swap recipient. It was total chance, I was going to send along my magazine, but it's a little worn and I happened upon the copy in a back copy stash sale and snatched it up! I am so happy for that little bit of luck, there are a few other patterns in there I think she may like to knit. I also have started to snatch up little things for my package. I love doing these exchanges. I really have fun searching for just the right little something extra I think my recipient will be happy to open her box and find.