From the bottom of the abyss

I didn't realize it'd been so long since I last blogged! Time is most definately flying by way too quickly now.  It's been over a year since I first started this blog (WOOHOO!) and I didn't even realize it. ANYWHO.... there's still quite a bit of knitting going on up here in the mountains.... and not much of it is during the Thursday night knitting group either :)

I ended up making quite a few things.... and also donated quite a few things for a raffle at the benefit dinner for one of the knitting group's husband who has health issues and needs to have their house redone to be handicap accessible now....

The Owlie Sleep Sack  was probably one of the biggest pain in the butts to make... well, at least crossing the cables to create the owls were... but that was my own fault. I used Red Heart Super Saver which isn't very good for doing things like cables, but I like it for babies because of its indestructibility.  This is one of the things I sent off for the raffle.

 This is a really crappy picture, but I took it with my phone while waiting for my dh to get out of work.  It's the baby hoodie from Bernat that I wouldn't recommend making unless you're really good at figuring out how to put increases evenly without being told which stitch to increase in, just how many increases you need.  I'll post a better picture this weekend after I get some more batteries for my camera. It came out extremely cute, the kitty face buttons that I found are absolutely adorable on it. I ended up using the kfb to make the increases as I HATE holes in my knitting, especially when they're not intended as part of the design and the item that I'm knitting is for babies. Now that my printout of the pattern is written on with the math for the increases figured out, I may just end up making more.... I have some cute daisy buttons to use :)





I know I said I wouldn't use this yarn again after the disastrous clover colors socks, but I've just stopped caring about things matching up exactly when working with shaded yarns. I learned that when I used the Caron Simply Soft Shadows on a baby blanket that's worked corner to corner last fall.  So now I'm using the color way Cameo Colors and making another pair of socks, to be gifted away next January whenever the tribe gets together to celebrate Yule.

Holiday Craziness

Yes, I do realize that it's been quite a while since I last updated my blog... there's been lots of yarny goodness going on here on my end of things.... sweaters, mittens, socks, contributing squares to a blanket, knit night once a week... and of course, the craziness that are the fall/winter holidays.

First up, the socks that have already been gifted... Made with Paton's Kroy FX sock yarn in color way "clover".
I found the yarn to be rather splitty while working with it and despite the dye lots being the same, as you can see in the picture they're obviously NOT identical in dye lot. Yes, I do realize that the unique patterning is part of the FX effect, but I'm talking about even the base colors NOT being the same.

 I don't plan on buying more, but my 10 yo ds found a color way that he likes so let's see if he ends up staying on my knit-worthy list after he receives the socks that I knit for him using the Paton's Kroy Socks Stripes in Cyan Stripes.

The pattern I used for both of these pairs is from the Yarn Harlot's book Knitting Rules! although I did modify the pattern slightly for the Cyan Stripes socks... I ended up knitting for 6 inches on the foot part instead of 5 so that they would last him a bit longer as he is, after all, only 10 and still growing like a weed.

I have also been working on a couple of sweaters using Elizabeth Zimmerman's pattern for the baby surprise jacket. I highly recommend that you check out the helpful videos on YouTube. The only thing I would not do, however, if at all avoidable unless you're not easily bored, is to use one solid color with which to knit the sweater. The sweaters were made with Red Heart Baby yarn that I bought years ago at some big box store.

The purple one came out slightly bigger than the verigated, I don't have exact measurements yet but since I still need to go and buy some sort of button for the verigated, I'll do the measurements and post them.

At present time I don't have any babies in mind for either one, but the one thing about spring is there's always someone having a baby.




I may also go and use the leftover yarn (limited as though it was) to make either hats, booties, or both to go with them and complete the set.... kind of like the two pink sweaters. I have yet to cast on the booties for the dark pink one with the heart buttons.

I haven't just been making things for babies either. I made my youngest son mittens using red heart super saver yarn and I'm also making some for my nephews as well. the ones for my son are in NY Giants colors (his favorite football team) and the ones for my nephews will be in Buffalo Bills.







The knitting group I attend on Thursday nights also made squares for a blanket for another member. The squares with words on them say "Faith, Hope, Love".



Until next time, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Maybe this knitting thing is getting out of hand..... or not....

So last night I decided to cast on Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket before I went to bed.... and proceeded to dream about having given birth to twin girls and was dressing them in matching twin outfits..... both of them wearing Bernat's Baby Booties (one pair pink, the other yellow), along with the Bernat Overall Dress and EZ's baby Surprise Jacket.

So this morning I wake up to a cold and rainy sunday.... so proceeded to work on the BSJ....

I truly can't think of a better way to spend the day.... the minions are playing relatively quietly together... there just might be a chance for me to go and get it done before I end up going to bed at some point tonight....

Let's make life easy people

I've been working on the Baby Booties by Bernat this week and have had more than a little fun (and yes, I'm dripping sarcasm there). I am an English Knitter (as in, I hold the yarn in my right hand). The pattern is written for someone who is a Continental knitter (yarn held in left hand). I think that there should be a standard passed where the designer goes and puts WHAT type of knitter they are on the pattern so that those of us who go "OHHHH! CUTE!!! Must make even though I'm not having kids anytime soon nor do I know anyone having kids anytime soon!" can spend more time knitting and less time frogging and/or throwing the yarn and needles across the room in frustration.

My other gripe with the pattern is that it seems a bit lacy while it's being knit... the YO's (written as yf) in the pattern leave holes... not just little ones that can be ignored but BIG ones.... and despite the many many many times I frogged back and started over, I still kept ending up with more stitches than the stitch count gave finishing with the toe shaping.....  and that's AFTER a week spent with pen and paper and many internet resources trying to figure it out then having to write the pattern out so a moron like myself could go and happily knit away (note: this also requires being left alone to knit... I tried to work on the second bootie at knit night... it wasn't pretty!)

Course it's just been a frustrating few weeks of knitting anyway.... I had just turned the heel on the socks I'd been knitting for my son for Yule using Patons Kroy Socks Jaquard in Meadow Jaquard.... using the Yarn Harlot's basic sock recipe from Knitting Rules! which is a pattern I've used many times before... I used the same size needles I always do (US size 2.75 mm) and when I went to have my son try it on..... it was so tight he couldn't get the cuff over his heel..... so I had to rip it out and I'm kind of avoiding going back to working on them anytime soon (esp. as my son is currently on my crap list for irritating me many different ways).

Next up is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket which I'll be casting on later tonight using Caron Simply Soft Baby in the colorway "Baby Powder"  I'm not a huge fan of this yarn as the little color threads in it have hard nubs, but given that the BSJ is all garter stitch, the nubs shouldn't be too rough. I figure if I go and use either a size 7 or size 8 needle not only should I have enough (I have 1 1/2 balls of this yarn left) but it should fit SOME baby, somewhere..... right???? :)

Sometimes the anticipation is better than the finished product

Which is why I've decided I am totally a process knitter.... as soon as I get a good ways into a project I start thinking of other ones I would like to get going... Today I answered the question of "What to do with 12 skeins of LionBrand Stripes sock yarn" when I completed this monstrosity:

It only took a few months, but I also only worked on it on days when his attitude was in check and he wasn't irritating the crud out of me. If he's this bad now, I partially dread the teen years (however, we're also down to 5 1/2 years before he's 18 and graduating high school). Don't get me wrong, I love my kids. I just don't love their attitude and sarcasm.

Anyhow, I wasn't a fan of this blanket when I was working on it... It's extremely heavy and hard on the hands, not to mention the dizzying effect that the color combos have when holding two strands together and trying to prevent the same colors from matching up too often..  The blanket took approximately 11 1/2 to 11 3/4 skeins held double. I have a small ball of it left (enough to go around the blanket halfway and that's it... LionBrand discontinued the yarn a couple of years ago) and to be honest, I would not have picked up this yarn if I were paying full price instead of finding an insane amount of it (all the same dye lot) at the dollar store.


I don't anticipate being done yet with WIP's for the night.... I'm down to the toe decreases on the second incarnation of the clover socks...  Maybe I'll name them "Jason" for the killer in the "Friday the 13th" movies.... It is what's on tv right now anyway (the 9th one....) and it is Friday the 13th....

busy busy bumble bee.....

When it comes to my knitting anyway..... I'm working on taking care of some of my WIP's so that I can get working on some of the other things I wish to make (such as the booga bag) and to continue on my quest to have lots of yummy hand knit wool socks this winter for my easily frozen feet.

So what have I been working on? There's 3 oddball blankets... two of which I have finished my portion on. The green one is "Kermit's Lily Pad" and the second is "Little Bitty Pretty One". These will be passed along to the next knitter this week...

Next up are the three projects I am currently working on.... A top down raglan baby sweater for my new nephew that will keep him warm this fall (made from Caron Simply Soft Shadows in the Merino colorway). I freely admit to having bought a LOT of this yarn and I am now working my way through it. It's just very convienient that my little brother (little as in younger, he's 9 years my junior and a LOT taller than I am!) happened to have a boy. :)

  I'd frogged and am now re-knitting the "Clover socks" from a prior post (I've made more progress than is visible in the pictures.. I just haven't taken new pics today as it's overcast and the lighting stinks. Last but not least, the third oddball blanket, Strawberry Kisses.

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I am still, as usual, working on my 12 year old's never ending blanket, although I am making progress in that I'm down to the last 2 balls of this yarn and it'll make a nice comfortable lapghan for him to curl up under this winter while he reads or watches television. I'm also trying to decide which type of yarn to use for the border as the type of yarn that I'm currently using for it is no longer manufactured by Lion Brand.

I've come to the decision...

That I have too many projects in progress. I decided to NOT buy anymore yarn until I'd made a serious dent in my stash... that worked.... kind of..... I bought 6 more balls yesterday (4 of them for socks, 2 of them to make a booga bag) and decided that I simply don't have enough yarn in my stash to go and make any kind of project without having to combine a bunch of them.... and I'll use up what's in my stash.... mostly..... probably..... at some point in time :)  Right now I'm trying to sell my dh on me taking up spinning..... he's thinking that I'll end up SAVING money on yarn in the long run..... I don't have the heart to tell him how much it is for start up costs.....

But back to the booga bag and my projects in progress. I realize that the booga bag calls for Noro yarn.... however, after spending a day trying to find some at a LYS (keep in mind local for me = an hour or more away.... downside of living in the middle of nowhere) and not finding any, I decided to use some Paton's classic wool..... which I found on clearance at Joann's. I see it this way.... if this first foray into intentional felting doesn't work out, I'm only out about 4 bucks instead of the $30 the Noro would have cost me..... if it works out well, then I'll see about ordering some Noro online.

Tonight is knit night and I'll be taking a bunch of my WIP's with me..... one son's blanket (crochet, blasphemy to some die hard knitters out there I know.... but I had NO desire to make a full size blanket with some Lion Brand Magic Stripes yarn that I found at the dollar store if I'd have had to knit it!), a preemie blanket i've started for the North Eastern Oddball charity group, a pair of socks, a baby sweater for my new nephew (yes he's already been born, however, given he lives in Maine I'm making this in a 6 month size so he has at least one warm handknit thing this fall... I found some cute little ducky buttons at Joann's yesterday for it too LOL!), and a knitted square (it's measuring about 8 1/2 inches wide.... not much farther to go on the length!) that I'm using to brush up on my Intarsia before getting into any fair isle work.

My knitting que keeps getting longer instead of shorter.... I hope I live to 150 just to be able to tackle half of it!