Super quickie

Yupp, that's all she wrote today, a super quickie. My camera is missing but luckily I took a pic yesterday that I can show you.

Okay, nevermind! Blogger will not let me upload a pic, grrrr!!!!!! (Anyone else have a love/HATE relationship with Blogger?) When it decides to play nice, I will show you my FO! Maybe by then I can find my camera and show you a couple of WIP's too.

Instead I will attempt to distract you with this (woo hoo!) and this (hmmm..interesting), oooh and one more here (might have to look into that one).

P.S. While browsing for neck warmers yesterday, I decided I don't like the word wimple.

A little apology... :(

Wow, it has been too long. Sorry I bailed on you guys, (if any of you are still here hehe). I had another busy week, but that is no excuse. I did read other blogs, look at patterns, yarn, books, well yeah, I just didn't blog. Sorry!!

Last time I promised you a pic of a little stash enhancement. (emphasis on little here)



Can you believe it? That's all I bought. 3 skeins of Wildfoote for the Sodera socks, a hank of a luscious brown Bearfoot, and a new size 1 Addi Turbo. I told ya I was a good girl. Did I pick dark colors or what!!! Fall makes me think of heavy sweaters and wool socks, and a lot of my winter clothes are dark colors. Right now I think I have about 3 or 4 chocolate brown sweaters. Yikes, I might be in a color rut? Oh well, I love brown.

Just for fun:
A while back someone was asking for some pics of a favorite corner in your house. Well here is one of my favorite corners in my house.



It's complete with my new chair, (tags still on it and everything lol!) It has family pics, some things that were made especially for me (like the fruit of the Spirit picture handpainted for me by my friend's very talented daughter), and my hubby is usually sitting there. I just like it.

I have been knitting some. I was hoping to get one more pair of socks finished for Socktoberfest, but unless I knit like a madwoman for the rest of the weekend, I don't think I will make it.

Okay, I updated, does anyone still love me?

A pair X 2

Yupp we have a pair. Wait make that 2 pairs.

First up, a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves.



I finished these this weekend. I think they turned out nicely. Next time I think I will use a softer yarn. (although to be fair, this one may wash up softer) I added a lot of rows after the cuff, and a few extra on the thumb too. I thought they were just too short before. I'm not quite sure who will claim them, but they will fit me or either of my DDs.

Next pair: SOCKS!!!! My stormy night socks to be exact, from the wonderful yarn I got from Catherine. These are so soft!!!!!!!



I love them with their funky striping that reminds me of lightning on a night sky.



Yupp, I had a productive weekend. I love finished projects! (too bad mine are all small....sigh)

Next time I'll show you the stuff I bought this weekend. (I controlled myself...really.)

A weekend away....

The kids didn't have school today or tomorrow, so we are off for the weekend. We are heading up north to see some color, do some wine tasting and of course a little yarn shopping. The kids are excited to swim in the hotel pool, watch movies, and see some fall colors. It should be fun. Wish me lots of knitting time!!!

A meme

Ok, bear with me. I love these things. They are so funny sometimes!

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Lisa
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Sunday, lets just say I had a meltdown.
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, unless I am in a hurry, then it gets way too sloppy. I am actually fascinated by handwriting.
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? Honey Ham, but I rarely eat lunchmeat.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Wow, I would hope so. I am silly, and I love silly people, so probably yes.
7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? just this blog
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope, removed when I was 3.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Um, are you nuts? NO WAY!
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Oatmeal Crisp with almonds
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not usually.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? not sure, depends on what kind of strength we are talking about
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Eeek, hard choice. Probably Peanut Butter and Chocolate (with dark choc. ice cream as the base)
14. SHOE SIZE? 8 1/2
15. RED OR PINK? PINK PINK PINK!!!
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My inability to focus.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My grandma. She was killed in a car accident about 20 years ago, and I still miss her like crazy. Oh to have one more hour with her....
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Um, sure. It's kinda like looking in people's windows at night hehe.
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans, eggplant colored shirt, and my felted clogs.
20. LAST THING YOU ATE? A bowl of chili.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The insulation guys that are making tons of noise in my garage.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Carnation pink. Why do I have to be only one?
23. FAVORITE SMELL? A clean baby, or bartlett pear candles from Bath and Body.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My aunt.
25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? EYES!!!!!
26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? Um, don't know her?
27. FAVORITE DRINK? Diet Coke all the way!
28. FAVORITE SPORT? Soccer, to watch, not play, haha I don't do sports anymore.
29. EYE COLOR? Grey/blue
30. HAT SIZE? Med? I don't wear hats much.
31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, but I may have to give in and get my eyes checked soon.
32. FAVORITE FOOD? Sesame chicken? Wow that is too hard to choose just one.
33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings for sure. I am an incurable romantic. I HATE anything scary!
35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer. Duh, beaches, nuff said. (so why do I live in Michigan?)
36. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.
37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Key lime pie.
38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.
39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Again, no idea.
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? None right now, just finished one.
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I don't have a mouse pad.
42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? NCIS (love that show!)
43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Laughter, my daughter singing, rain.
44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Beatles
45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Aruba
46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Hmmm....I can pop my hip out of joint, and raise my one eyebrow menacingly. (aren't you impressed?)
47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Zeeland Michigan
48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I stole it from blogland.

Okay, I tag you, and you, oh, and you too. Go for it!

Questions answered

Some of you had some questions for me, so I will try to answer them here. If you have other questions, please email me through the link in the sidebar. Sometimes I can't email you back through the comments.

First of all, thank you all so much for the compliments on the scarf. I am glad you liked it. I was a little nervous putting the pattern up, because you never know if other people will like the same things that you do. Whew, what a relief! Okay, on to the questions.....

*A few of you had trouble with the stitch pattern on the scarf. - I reworded it a little, so I hope it makes more sense now.

*Jeri asked "you knitted two skeins of Manos into it but one strand at a time, right?" - Yes, one strand at a time.

*AmyS asked "I see P3tog but no increases. Are you supposed to purl each stitch separately, rather than together, the second time?" - No, when you don't drop the stitches on the first purl 3 together, then wrap the yarn around the needle again, then re-purl those 3 stitches together, you still end up with 3 stitches.

*maryse asked if I did the picot edge on the Fethching fingerless gloves. - No I didn't. I had heard that some other knitters didn't really like the picot, and I didn't like the way it flared out around the fingertips either, so I just did a regular bind-off. I like them that way, and it was much easier too.

I hope I didn't forget to answer anyone. Just email me if you have other questions. Have a great day everyone!

*The link to the What-knot scarf pattern is now in the sidebar - YAY!

What-knot scarf

I have been busy this weekend making a scarf for a gift and one for myself. I played around with stitch patterns a lot and I think I have a winner.

This scarf is a great stash buster too. It only takes about 200yds of a handpainted or self-striping yarn. I just love it!

Here's the first one I made.


The next one I made for me!


Isn't it gorgeous in Manos? This one I am keeping for myself. After all it has a lot of PINK in it! You all know how much I love pink!


If you would like to make one for yourself, here you go:

What-knot scarf

2 skeins of Manos

Size 11 needles

Note: If you want to fringe your scarf, cut your fringe pieces before you start the body of the scarf. Then you can knit until you run out of yarn.

Cast on 17 stitches.

Row 1: knit
Row 2: k1, *purl 3 together, leaving these stitches on left needle, wrap yarn around right needle again, and then purl these same 3 stitches together for a second time*, repeat from *across row to last stitch, k1
Row 3: knit
Row 4: knit
Repeat these 4 rows until your scarf is desired length or until you run out of yarn, ending after row 3. Bind off. Add fringe if desired.

Enjoy the free pattern. It makes a very nice, quick gift.

(For the first scarf I used Lang Mille Colori #847, 2 skeins, size 9 needles, cast on of 20 sts.) You can use multiples of 3 + 2 for different weights of yarn. Have fun!

A little bit of randomness....

First of all, Blogger is really pushing my buttons. I tried at least 10 different times to publish today, but no, it wouldn't let me!!!!! Sorry, rant over.

Ok, yeah, random post today. You're gonna get a little bit of everything.

One: I am really excited. I found a gorgeous pair of knee socks on the web last week, but was really bummed because the pattern wasn't in English. I got in touch with the blogger who made them, and yippee yahooie, woo hoo, yee haw and all that, she TRANSLATED it!!!!!!! Go look here, trust me, it's worth it! These are the most gorgeous knee socks I have ever seen. I need to make them! Really... need is the operative word. But first I need to get some yarn. I only have 100gr of all my solids, and the pattern needs more than that. Aw shucks (wink), I guess I need to put in a yarn order. Oh, and I have to figure out how to make toe-up socks.

Two: Fetching!



Yes, like everyone else, I am making Fetching from Knitty. I had to go to a choir concert last night so I took these along. I finished one, and now I need to finish the other one. Maybe I should have made full mittens instead. This is what I woke up to this morning:



Yuppers that is snow. Yikes. I have to sit at a soccer game Saturday. I hope it warms up a little, or maybe a lot! It was freezing here today.

Three: In major random fashion, I received these from my hubby the other day. They were so pretty, I had to share a pic.



Who can resist 2 dozen white roses? Not me.

He is Happy!

Parker is happy. I finished felting a pair of slippers for him last night.



I still need to shape them a bit better, but I think they will work for him. I am glad I got them done, he has been bugging me like crazy. I wish I had gotten a pic of him wearing the pre-felted slipper as an elf hat last night. It was hilarious.

I also felted the big bag. So far, NOT SO GOOD! The top of the bag is really baggy and the bottom seems perfect. I'm not sure why. I just know it looks like poo. I think I will run it through another cycle and see if it improves. If not, I may have to cut a piece out of each side near the top (unless one of you has a better idea for me).

I am also working on some socks for Catherine. They are knitting up so fun and funky. There is kinda a lightning bolt thing swirling around the sock. Looks to me like this colorway should be called Stormy Night instead of just night lol. Cool stuff huh?



If you're interested you can find her stuff here.

PS:
HELP!!!! I have an emergency request! Would anyone happen to have an extra skein of Berroco Touche yarn in the light turquoise color (7906) lying around? Dyelot #79023 if possible. I would be happy to buy it from you! I have been looking everywhere around here with no luck!!!! (and there is nothing worse than being one skein short of finishing a sweater - sob!)

Socktoberfest!

Because Lolly has asked, I will answer. (yeah, I joined Socktoberfest!)



When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
A friend encouraged me to try socks, and at first I thought she was crazy. I actually gave up on my first pair, but after a few months picked them up again. I have been hooked ever since!

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair of socks were plain stockinette socks from Ann Norlings Basic Socks pattern. They were made out of a self patterned yarn (I can't even remember what kind!) on size 2 dpns. I don't wear them anymore though, they are not my favorite socks lol.

What would you have done differently?
I definitely would have knit them on smaller needles. They are slightly too big and the gauge is too loose. They are also just a tad too short in the foot.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Wow! My favorites would have to be Socks That Rock, Lorna's Laces, Cherry Tree Hill, Mountain Colors Bearfoot, Opal and Trekking.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I really prefer the Magic Loop, but I will use dpns if I am desperate.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
Flap heel, definitely. I have done a few short-row heels, but I prefer knitting and wearing a flap heel sock.

How many pairs have you made?
Well I am not exactly sure. (I stink at keeping track of things!) Probably over 30 pair. What can I say....socks are my fav project!



Here are some of my socks. I have knit several pairs since this picture was taken, and some were given away too. (By the way, my first socks are the blue and grey jaquard ones, just to the right of the bottom of the circle.)

What a great way to celebrate socks! Thanks Lolly!

Three men and a monkey

No, just kidding. It's really 2 kids and a dog. That's what it takes to get a picture of how big my bag is pre-felting.



Parker and Brodie can both fit inside, and Alex was helping to hold up the sides. The kids thought this was hilarious. They asked why I could possibly want a bag that big. Wait til they see it after I shrink it! The joys of felting.

The Bearfoot socks are finished too. I cannot tell you how much I love this yarn. I can't wait to wear these socks.



Pattern: More Fun Than Cables Socks
Yarn: Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Pheasant
These took me a couple of weeks to complete. Normally I think this pattern would go much quicker, but with the musical and costume stuff, I haven't had enough time to knit!

Hopefully I will have a much smaller bag to show you tomorrow, and a couple of other things too. (If I get through that giant pile of regular laundry, eeek!)

Yumm....a new recipe

The other night I didn't know what to have for dinner. We were having one of those busy nights with soccer and musical practice etc. I had left over turkey breast that I had baked and had for dinner the night before. I took it all off the bone and cut it into strips. A casserole wasn't really what I wanted, so I made up a sandwich.

Southwest Turkey Club

Turkey breast strips
Swiss or Provolone cheese slices
Bacon, cooked and drained
Lettuce
Tomato
Sliced bell peppers (I used red ones)

Sauce:
3Tbl. mayo
2Tbl. salsa
Mix together really well.

Take 2 slices of your favorite bread and toast it.
Layer on above ingredients.
Or you could put your sandwich together first and then grill it.
Enjoy!

My family loved this sandwich. It is very good and was a nice change for us. If you have a panini maker, I think it would be even better. Or you could do it like a grilled cheese sandwich too. We just ate them with chips and pickles for a fast and easy meal. It would be great with a bowl of your favorite soup too.

I love fast and easy meals, so I thought I would share this one with you. The next time I make it, I will try to take a picture. Knitting progress next post!