Out With the Old, In With the New

Here we are at the end of 2007. I didn't have as much knitting or scrapbooking done as I'd have liked. We really had a crazy year as a family, so I chalk it all up to "It is what it is." I am happy with some rather than none. Here are my FO's from over the holiday break.

Beatrix. Specs:Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock yarn in Icehouse. I made it to the second sock's toe shaping before I added ball #2 of yarn. I would add 2-4 more pattern rounds to the leg next time as I feel they are a bit short for my taste (I had more than enough yarn.) They are really pretty & feel great even in a shoe. I'll do them again for sure.

Vogue Knitting Felting On the Go! Bucket Bag. Deborah bought me the Manos in Aug. It marinated until this week because I really wanted to make the bucket bag but supposedly needed another ball. I decided to knit a swatch on 10 1/2 needles instead of the 11's called for. I mean really, whatever you knit to felt is the size of a small car to start with, & you felt the crap out of it to turn it into an item that's 10x13. I got the gauge & decided to go for it. If I needed more, I'd just add a solid to the bottom of the bag. As it turned out I never needed it. There was more than enough yarn in the 2 balls to finish.

Here's some nearly done objects:

Pea Pod Cardigan. It is almost done. I need to seam in the sleeves, block like crazy, & sew on buttons. I worked like the Dicken's, but didn't quite get it done. I should get through it tomorrow. My friend had Lillian on Dec. 27th & I need to finish this & the hat by this weekend.

CPH (Over-exposed so you could better see the details.) It is sooo close! I need to do the underarm seams & sew in a zipper to be done. Tomorrow is the day for finishing.

And here is the New! The green shell buttons are for my Puff Sleeved Cardi. The blue button is for an old Vogue spring sweater I made a year ago. I couldn't find that "Just Right" button 'til now. The Lime Blue Malibrigo is for a wrap I am designing. The red Alpaca & eyelash is for two Felted Bracelet Bags (Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair.) The Elizabeth Lavold Hempathy is for two Scrubs Exfoliating Washcloths as seen in Yarn Play. My LYS (Island Knits) had a 20% off everything sale, while I got the Hempathy at my other LYS (Joyfilled Garden & Gifts/Prena Knits) for 15% off. I now have some portable projects to start.

Happy New Year to all! I have enjoyed the blogoship (fellowship of the online sort) with eveybody these last few months.

Knitting for a Sweet Pea

I've been reading up on everyone's Christmas knitting & thinking about Christmas' past. I used to knit up a storm for gift giving & I intended to do so this year yet again. Well it ain't happenin' folks. I just couldn't muster up the inspiration. I am just not into it. Bummer. BUT, I really felt like making somebody something & here comes my friend Leslie last Friday night. She is a pumpkin about to burst! (baby #3 is due Dec. 29th.)

She mentioned having knitted a blanket & a cap for Lillian, & wishing to make a shrug or jacket, but her hands were now raw. I got to thinkin' on the Knitting Daily Peapod Baby Set. (Deborah is making this for her friend & I "lifted" the idea.) I printed it off & looked up the yarn called for. I had an "AhHa!" moment. Plymouth Encore DK ( same gauge) was marinating in the 'ol stash for the past few years & I had just enough. Woah Nelly! Here's my progress so far. I've just put the back & left front stitches on stitch holders. My MIL says it is beautiful, & I'll take that complement. I think it looks like old time Christmas. I hope Leslie will like it. (Note to Self: I had no idea she was a knitter!!! Must get her out for a knit night!)

PS. I can tell who all is reading Crazy Aunt Purl's Drunk, Divorced & Covered in Cat Hair. We are all making Notes to Ourselves. This is a must read immediately book, btw.

Contest Winnings/Early Christmas

Lookee here! Look at what Kim sent me for winning her "In the Time of the Chimpanzees, I was a Monkey" artist & song contest. I am drooling over that Fleece Artist yarn. I've never had a skein before & can't hardly wait to knit it up. The little Loopy's Red Sock kit is too cute for words. I will use it as an ornament on my tree, I think. (Every year when I put it up I'll think of you, kim.) Thank you Kim! It will be a Very Yarny Christmas indeed.

CPH on the Home Stretch

I worked very hard on Sunday afternoon on CPH. The shoulders & upper sleeves are all seamed in. I picked up for the hood & knitted up 5 in. Be still my heart...I think I can actually finish this puppy to wear for Christmas! I plan on making an i-cord bind off for the fronts to make a nice edge for a zipper. That will be next Sunday's afternoon of knitting.

Not Smarter than Your Average Bear

Oh, Dur!!! I thought I knew all about reading a knitting chart. I've done quite a number of projects that required knitting from a chart. I've never run into an issue before...until my Puff Sleeved Cardi, now that I think about it. (I think I've figured out my problem there as well!)

Well, I have this luscious pink alpaca yarn form Blue Skies that I knitted into a shawl 4 yrs. ago. I frogged it Wed. afternoon because I never blocked it, I disliked it. (Love the yarn, hated the shawl...it didn't wrap around enough.) I reballed the 7 skeins worth of yarn & proceeded to knit up Tuscany from No Sheep For You. It looked funny & the pattern didn't quite look like the picture. Rule #2 on the pattern wasn't working. I kept undoing & reknitting. I looked online for errata. Until I said, "Well go w/ it. It is what it is." Except that I'm a perfectionist & it wasn't perfect. I slept on it. It's what Deborah & I do when scrap pages aren't up to snuff & driving us bonkers.

This morning I sat down & looked at the chart, the Rules 1 & 2, & my work. I had an "Ahah!" moment. (Amazing what a cup of coffee will do for the stupified brain.) The lace would be right if I read the chart from right to left (which,btw, I already do.) Buuuut, read every other row left to right. And there you have the solution. I checked About.com & confirmed my conclusion to be correct. Read a chart starting at the bottom right & go right to left, left to right alternating up the rows.

I feel so stupid. The other patterns worked with my just reading right to left because they pretty much were mirror images of themsleves at each end of the chart. My first encounter w/ this was in Fitted Knits, but I fudged things & didn't think on it too long.

We now all know how to read a chart, right?!

Hot Cocoa Anyone?

I wound my skeins in balls this evening in anticipation of getting ready to begin my Knitty Thermal. I am using KnitPick's Gloss yarn in Cocoa. I won't cast-on until I finish CPH & my second Cable Rib sock (it needs the #2 needles for the top leg portion before I switch to #1's.)

Artistic Block

CPH sleeves are done & I even lightly blocked the bugger this afternoon. Whoo, hoo I am on a roll. I decided to sit & sew up the shoulders & sleeves in the flat 1st, then I'll pick up & knit the hood. After that I'll just have to pick up & knit the front bands. I'll be doing a zipper instead of buttons if I can get a zipper locally.

FO

Par-tay! Fetching is done. They are a wee bit large on me, but very warm & cozy. They'll do. I want them for cold weather driving or wearing around the house when I read or blog for the most part. My youngest took the picture. (Did a good job on it for me.)

This yarn came from old stash (and sale yarn to boot.) Be proud of me.

In Other News on the Home Front...

Guess what? I am going to be teaching my first paid beginning knitters class in January. I am very excited. There's been a buzz of interest & the class should be full. I will create knitting buddies out of these beach bums yet! (Said in love, don't ya know!) I've been working on the syllabus & projects to be created. They'll get to create a knitter's reference book with handouts & sample swatches they make along the way. Wish me luck. If all goes well I will also start a Myrtle Beach Knit Night group from this, too.

Show & Tell in the Land of Half Done

I feel like I'm back in Kindergarten. But that's what's so great about blogland, you show off like a kid if you want to. I've been pretty busy knitting away here. I even had time to make new stitch markers. (When I was procrastinating on knitting!)

Here's CPH's sleeves nearing the finish line. Kitty wants to eat them.

Here's Beatrix. One down, one to go. I used the Stretchy Cast On (for k1, p1 rib) from the Twisted Sisters Sock Workbook. Here's my modified version: You cast on double the stitches called for, but go ahead & join into round by slipping last stitch over 1st stitch, pulling 1st stitch through last to other needle (aka Cat Bordi sock book style.) Then you k2tog, p2tog until end. It creates a thicker cast on edge, but it stretches for forever & snaps back snug. Love it.

Here's Fetching. Once again, one down, one to go. This is Noro Cashiroha yarn. Yummy!

And here's a not so good shot of my crystal stitch markers.