Did ya see it?

Did ya see my wonnnnderful new button over there? Go ahead, look. I love it! It is perfect! My new friend Christine from Talullah's World made it for me. Didn't she do a GREAT job? I was so frustrated with being unable to do it myself, and she so kindly offered to help. I don't have Photoshop and I wasn't getting ANYWHERE, other than taking the picture of the yarn in the background. I had an idea of just how I wanted it to look. I told Christine, and she made exactly what I wanted.



Aww, isn't it lovely? And yummy, yarny goodness? Sick, I know. I am in love with my own button. Cut me a little slack though, I'm just so thrilled to have one, and it's so BEAUTIFUL! I'm also excited, because the same wonderful Christine has offered to help me with some other bloggy stuff too. Pretty soon she's going to have me looking like a pro. (you notice I said "looking", right?) Fun! Fun!

I've been knitting........I promise!

Knitting update alert! (with progress photos and everything - yay!) Remember how I told you I had started a new sweater and new socks? Here's how far I am:

The socks:



Simple 2x2 ribbed socks
Online Supersocke 100 color # 780

These are turning out so cute! I love them. Probably yet another pair I won't be willing to part with. Like I said, I am umm, let's say, very selfish about my socks. (understatement)

Now the sweater:



Weekend Neck Down Pullover
Knitting Pure and Simple #224
Museum by Artful Yarns red and charcoal (sorry can't find the #'s)

This sweater is a nice change from all the tiny needles I usually use. Size 15. They feel like tree trunks. Wow does a sweater go fast though! I should have this baby done by next week.

I'm also drying a felted hat and felting Lauren's slippers today. I keep forgetting about them. I hope they turn out for her......she's only been asking for them almost every day!

More knitting time this afternoon and tonight after church.....yippee! Tomorrow I'll show you the new pattern I bought for a gorgeous Lopi sweater. I'm hoping my friend Cindy and I will have a little knit-along on this one. Can't wait!!!!!!!!!!

5 Quirks

I saw a meme a while back on someone's blog (can't remember where). You have to list 5 quirks about yourself. I know this is an old one, but hey, I haven't been blogging for very long. Don't laugh now, here are my 5:

1. I absolutely MUST sleep on the left side of the bed. (really, I CANNOT sleep on the other side)
2. I am not happy if I am not knitting at least 1 pair of socks.
3. I drink Diet Coke for breakfast every morning. Yupp, I'm addicted! (give me a little slack though. I don't like coffee or tea.
4. Sometimes I don't shave my legs for like 2 weeks in the winter. (gross, I know)
5. If I get laughing really hard, sometimes I snort.

I'm also afraid of the dark, but hey now, that's not something to laugh about. If you haven't done this one yet, consider yourself tagged. (However, I really want Marguerite, Trek, and Knitti-me to do it, if they haven't already)

Gold Medal Winner!

Olympic Rib Socks
Pattern: my own
Yarn: Schaeffer Anne

Closeup of stitch pattern:



I really like these and I think I will keep them, but my mom has been hinting rather strongly that she doesn't own a pair of my hand-knit socks yet. So these may become a gift for her.



I love fininshed objects! I've already cast on for a new pair, and started a new sweater. You can never have enough projects going, can you?

Get Organized!

I had a small organizing frenzy yesterday. My socks were driving me crazy. I admit fully, I am sock obsessed. I organized my sock drawer, so my hand-knitted socks are in clear view. I hate it when I can't find a pair to wear. Tada!



Newly organized and easy to access. I think a couple of pairs are in the wash, but the rest........ah, how wonderful, I can find them. All of my regular socks have been banished to the yucky sock drawer. I only wear them when absolutely necessary. My goal is to have ALL hand-knit socks so I never have to wear yucky socks again.

Later I'll show you a picture of my finished Olympic socks. I have to bring Brodie to the groomer first. He is a hairy beast!

A little froggin......

Yupp, I visited the frog pond. It wasn't too painful. And Socks that Rock yarn looks just as pretty frogged as it does in the hank, in the ball or knitted up. See?



Pretty stuff! Saratoga colorway, really yummy! Believe it or not, I started the Jaywalker pattern with this and ripped it out. It was HUGE! I don't get it. Everyone else complained that this pattern was small and mine was turning out way too big! Maybe I will have to try again on US1 dpns, maybe the Addi 1's were throwing off the gauge. Oh how I wish they made needles in the 2.25mm size instead of the 2.5mm. I love my Addis!

Speaking of my Addis, I just figured out that I have a set of the crappy ones with the stiff cables. The worst part of it is, I can't remember where I bought them. So how do I return them? They are my extra set, which I have barely, if ever, used. I don't know why I didn't notice it before. I guess I always used the other set. They are so terrible. I started the Jaywalkers with them last night and thought "What the heck? Why can't I knit with these things?" I compared the two cables and wow, what a difference! They are so stiff! I think I will ask Sheri (LYS owner) what I should do about them. I think I remember reading that you need to return them through a retailer. Grrr.

Rant over. Now for the good news. Progress on my socks!



YAY! I'm gettin these babies done tonight! Sorry for the blurry pic. I don't have time to take another one right now.

Glad Raggs and jealousy.........

Yay! I finished them! Glad Raggs socks from the SixSoxKAL. Done in Fortissima Socka, color #1080. I love the tweedy black/brown mixture. Sometimes you just need some, um, conservative socks. These will go great with my brown slacks.



Here's a close up of the stitch pattern:



Excuse the pasty white leg! Wow am I pale! Michigan winters, what can I say? I love the cuffs on these socks too. Just a little variation of ribbing adds some very nice detail. I will definitely knit this pattern again. Very simple, easy to memorize and it would look great in a lot of different yarns.

AND I'M JEALOUS!

Yupp, I admit it, I have blogger jealousy. I'm not super popular like the Harlot........ I can't design socks like the Sockbug............. I am no whiz at figuring out patterns and errors like Grumpy........... I just love to knit, read about knitting, shop for yarn, drool over the projects of others, and maintain my humble little blog here. I truly don't want to become as popular as the aforementioned bloggers, because frankly, I don't have enough computer knowledge to do it. These ladies are smart knitters and computer savvy. Not me....sigh. I still can't even figure out how to make a button for myself, much less add it to my blog. Give a girl credit for trying though.

I was reading another blog the other day and boy was I jealous in a whole new way! This blogger had been gifted several skeins of STR! Can you believe it? How do you find readers who like you enough to part with an ultra-coveted sock yarn like STR? I know that knitters are some of the most generous people on earth, but seriously! And in case you're wondering, I do have my own little stash of STR. I think a total of 4 skeins. One might even get some socking attention today.

YARN HAUL!

Yippee! Visited my favorite LYS the other day and took home some yummies!

First, 10 balls of this:



I have a couple different sweater possibilities for it, but haven't decided on which one yet.

Next up is 11 hanks of this stuff:



I LOVE this color! This yarn is nice and soft and I will probably use it to make this:



I borrowed an old VK mag (spring/summer '04) from a friend and fell in love with this sweater! If anyone has an extra copy of this mag, let me know. I think I need a copy of my own. There are at least 3 patterns in there I like. I don't think I will make it quite this long, and I might do 3/4 length sleeves. I thought it would be super cute for spring and summer.

Last, I got 7 balls of this:



I'm hoping to make this with it:



I've been wanting to make this for a while. It's in the fall IK.

I have so many projects I want to do. I wish I had more knitting time. I still want to make a couple of pairs of wristwarmers, of course more socks, I have patterns for at least 4 sweaters I want to make, and I want to trying dyeing some yarn too! A girl can dream right?

There's hope......

...........that I will finish my Olympic knitting on time. One sock done!




Sorry, the picture is a little blurry, very bad light today. And yes, those are the same ugly pajama pants as last time. I need to get some new ones. I started the second sock last night, but had to take a break. My left hand was killing me! All those stitches on size 0 needles were catching up with me. I usually do a 64 stitch sock on my 1's and these have 72 stitches. I'm too lazy to do the math, but that adds up to a lot more stitches per sock.

I'm off to visit Sheri today at my LYS. (The Whippletree) I'm gonna buy some yarn for a vest and maybe a sweater. I borrowed a pattern book from a friend yesterday and I'm inspired. I wish I could knit in my sleep. I would get so much accomplished!

Fluff

Sorry, that's all ya get. FLUFF! I am so knitting deprived. I have only been able to knit a couple of inches on my socks. No time, no energy, no peace and quiet. I was going to knit twice yesterday and I FELL ASLEEP! Can you believe it? In the middle of the afternoon. Took a nap for a whole hour, wasted all that knitting time. Then last night, you really won't believe this, I fell asleep AGAIN! Slept for another hour. Went to bed last night around midnight and slept til 6:45. What is up with that? I think the stress of the last two weeks finally caught up with me. I was so tired! Hopefully, I will have some quality knitting time with a friend tomorrow. I have to work in the morning, but should have a couple of hours in the afternoon.

By the way, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE!

I was room mom for my son's Valentine's Day party at school today. First graders are hilarious, especially when giving and receiving stuff from the opposite sex. I did a lot of laughing.

Fickle

Yupp, I changed my mind for my Olympic socks. I tried the New England pattern, but it was just not working with this yarn. I love the colors of this yarn though, so I just tried something new with it. I liked it, so I decided to keep going. I almost have the leg done, maybe one more repeat. I love it when you just wing it and end up with something that works! Fun. Fun.




I can't control where my pictures are going today! It's making me mad! Close up of the stitch pattern on top.

Elizabeth, it's Schaefer Anne yarn - it doesn't have a colorway listed. I think they might make one-of-a-kind yarns.

I give up!

I've been trying to give you a good post and it just isn't working. I can't get images to load. So, I GIVE UP! I'll try again in the morning. I promise a picture of my Olympic socks. (Warning, they won't be what you're expecting)

Hard Day

It was definitely a hard day today. We had my wonderful father-in-law's funeral. It was a beautiful service, but very difficult. My kids took it hard too. He was a veteran and I just lost it when they played Taps. We will miss him so much! So...............no knitting, no pictures. Sorry, I just couldn't do it today. I think I might have finished about 5 or 6 heel flap rows on my socks today. That's all. I didn't even cast on for my Olympic project. I promise I will have something good to see soon. I will finish my Glad Raggs socks and cast on my New Englands.....probably tomorrow. My DD Lauren has to sing at Solo and Ensemble, with her choir and as a soloist, so I will have some knitting time while waiting for her to sing. Hopefully she will do okay after all that crying we did today. Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and well wishes...they mean a lot.

Tagged, sort of.........

Yeah, I've sorta been tagged by Marguerite. She tagged anyone who hasn't done this yet, and I qualify for that.

List 4 jobs you have had in your life:

1. Ice cream shop server
2. Secretary
3. Bank teller
4. Transplanter in a greenhouse
(Not too impressive are they?)

4 Movies you could watch over and over:

1. National Treasure
2. Maid in Manhattan
3. Pretty Woman
4. Freaky Friday (it makes me laugh)
(yupp, I'm sappy)

4 places you have lived:

1. Michigan
2. Michigan
3. Michigan
4. Michigan
(all the places I have lived are within 20 miles of each other, I won't bore you with the details)

4 TV shows you love to watch:

1. NCIS
2. All the CSIs (but David Caruso drives me nuts with all that drama)
3. Two and a Half Men (hilarious)
4. ER
(If I had cable this list would be very different)

4 Places you've been on vacation:

1. Most places in the Caribbean (I've been on about 9 cruises)
2. Point Pleasant NJ
3. New York, DC and various other places out east
4. We frequently go wine tasting not far from home, so I've been all over Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio, etc.

4 websites you visit everyday:

1. Stitches of Violet
2. Grumperina
3. My local library site
4. hmm.....can't think of another everyday one - although I do haunt Elann, many other blogs, Yahoo groups, and other yarny sites quite frequently.

4 of your favorite foods:

1. CHOCOLATE (did I say it loud enough?)
2. The Southwest Chicken Panini from my local coffee shop
3. The sourdough bread from Panera
4. Homemade strawberry shortcake with Michigan berries (why did you have to mention that Marguerite, now I will crave it until summer!)

4 places you would rather be right now:

1. Somewhere warm and sunny (Caribbean, Hawaii, Mexico.....just not dreary, cold Michigan)
2. In a hot tub with a glass of Riesling
3. Snuggled up with my knitting
4. On a yarn shopping spree

Well, that was fun. (for me at least, I can't speak for all of you) I needed an easy post today. My wonderful father-in-law passed away yesterday, so I don't have the energy for a real post. I have however, finished my first Glad Raggs sock, and have about 2 inches done on the cuff of the second sock. I will try to show them to you tomorrow. I probably won't have much knitting time in the next few days due to funeral stuff. Please keep me and my family in your thoughts and prayers.

And then there were two.....

Yippee, it's a pair! I got the other Whitby done and I think these will be one of my favorites. They are so soft! I used LL Sport with 8 extra stitches added into the pattern. They fit perfectly and I love them!!!! Wanna see?







I think I will definitely make this pattern again. (Excuse the ugly pajama pants in the picture, I was too lazy to shower before taking the pictures.) One of my big toes looks a little wonky in the top picture too, not sure why.

THE NEW SOCK



I started on the new pattern for the SixSox KAL. It's called Glad Raggs, and it calls for a ragg or marled yarn. I used some Socka from the stash and it's turning out pretty good. I think the lace would show up better with a lighter yarn but I like these anyway. Plus, I really need a pair of dark brownish colored socks to match a bunch of my clothes. There are optional beads in the pattern, but I chose to leave them out. I have been doing some of my knitting at the hospital (Dad is being moved from CCU to a regular room today), and didn't want to have to bother with beads away from home. Maybe the next time I knit this pattern, I will include the beads. I'm so glad I started another pair. I was right, I am just not a happy knitter without a pair of socks on the needles.

I got another couple of inches done on the sweater, and finished one baby washcloth too. I will try to post some pics of them tomorrow.

Babylicious

It's a boy! The couple I mentioned before finally had their baby - a boy. So of course I had to knit something for them. I had a little knitting time at the hospital yesterday, so this is what I have so far:



A cute little hat, (based on the Umbilical Cord hat from SnB) and 1/2 of a baby washcloth. I hope to make another washcloth, and either a bib or socks to match the hat. Knitting for babies is so much fun! I was really hoping they would have a girl so I could knit this, but boys are nice too (just not as fun to knit for).

We're going back to the hospital this afternoon, so I should be able to finish up the washcloths at least.

I am having sock withdrawals. I found out that I NEED to be knitting a pair at all times. There is something so soothing about the continuing rounds of a sock. I have to cast on a pair today. I just cant stand it anymore!

Here ya go!

Got the camera back and even accused the wrong daughter of taking it. Sorry Alex! Shame on you Lauren! Don't ya know mom needs the camera TO BLOG?!

Here's the progress on the Cavern Cardi:



I can't pull it all the way together in the front or it will slip off the needles. I want to make it at least 4-6 inches longer.

I didn't get my socks done either. I should have some knitting time at the hospital tonight though. (not much news on the FIL's condition) This is how far I am:



In case you were wondering, a new skein of Trekking is on the way to replace my defective one. I should have it by Monday, and I can't wait to see the color. I love how Trekking knits up, because it's a brand that actually carries some muted colorways. I got great customer service from them too.

I can't decide what yarn to use for these: (New England from Knitting on the Road)



Off to peruse the stash.........

STINKER!

I was going to post some update photos for you, but my DD Alex has apparently taken my camera to school. Stinker! I will try to put some up later this afternoon.

I made a word cloud here. Can you tell I love to knit socks?



Just a yarny girl (obviously)!

Did you see the new Magknits is up? I would consider making the cute hat pattern by Grumpy, and that lacey scarf.

On to the knitting. I am almost done with my 2nd Whitby and I got about another 2 inches done on my sweater. I met with some knitting friends yesterday afternoon, so I had a little chance to work on some things. I have those other sock patterns to knit next (New England from the KOTR KAL, and the new beaded sock from the SixSox KAL). I will pick one of these for the Knitting Olympics. I just have to decide which one to cast on first.

My father-in-law is in the hospital, unable to breathe well. Last night they moved him to ICU. Hopefully we'll get a good report today.

I'll try to post those progress pictures later this afternoon or tonight.