Last Post of 2007

As most of you may have noticed, I'm in the process of changing the blog around a little bit. I've cut out a lot of stuff I had out here and added new WIP bars. These bars link back to Ravelry so if you don't have an account with them you wouldn't be able to view my notebook. I'm still in the process of working on the bars but they are presentable.

Let me know what you think of the blog. Is there anything that is bothersome? All suggestions will be welcomed.

I finished my moms fingerless mitts yesterday.



I used the Irish Wrist Warmers pattern and Knit Picks Andean Silk yarn. It took about 60g. I knit them on size US7 needles. The only mod was leaving off the ribbing at the top. I think it made the wrist warmer to snug at the top of the hand. I still need to wash and block them before sending them to my mom.

I also worked on my knee high socks but didn't bother with a pic since it's just a few extra inches on the leg. I have 10 or so more rows before starting the heel flap. I could probably finish these before Midnight to make them my final project of 2007.

Shoot, I almost forgot....I started Kaity's mittens the other day while we were heading down to Helena.



Mitten number 1 was started and finished on 29 Dec. I'm using the smallest size which is for 6" hand circumference. It fits Kaity's hand perfectly.

Mittens are a wonderful instant gratification knit. I'm using the Elegant and Easy Cable Mittens for the Family from the book 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders. I'm using Lambs Pride Worsted, color: Amethyst (M-62) and US4/3.5mm bamboo dpns. The only mod I've made was to use a left twist cable instead of a right twist cable for no other reason then personal preference. I like working right twist cables over left twists.

Have a safe and Happy New Year! See you all on in 2008!

Spin Me Right Round....

Did you all hear me squeal with joy this afternoon? No, well I'm surprised. Shawn brought home my new ball winder.



There are absolutely no regrets on this purchase. Shawn put the ball winder on layaway for me when he took Kaity Christmas shopping for me at our LYS. It's made by Nancy's Knit Knacks.

I actually had to force myself not to play with the ball winder all day and get some housework completed. Now that's willpower.

I finished the first Garter Rib Sock.



I'm going to dub these my "Can't Get Lost in Fog" Socks, though I think Garter Rib socks is probably easier to say. They are super bright but I love them.

Tomorrow we're heading down to Helena to do a little Costco shopping. Shoot, who am I kidding, we'll be doing more then just a little shopping at Costco. I'm betting it will be between $200-250. If it's less then that I'll be surprised. Since that's a decent drive I'll be able to get some knitting done. Not sure what I'll take. I may start Kaity's mittens or a hat for Shawn.

I've decided to pick a New Years Resolution I can probably keep. I'm going with learning how to spin. Colleen sent me the stuff to get me started for my birthday and I think it's about time that I use it and get this whole spinning thing figured out. I found out there is a spinning guild hear and they are suppose to be offering a free drop spindle class in Feb. If I can't figure it out on my own I'm going to head over to this class. I'm determined so I'll figure it out....I'm stubborn like that.

Now I'll leave you with this pic.



Mess, what mess mama....there's no mess here.

Busy Days!

It's been a busy time in the Luvs2Knit home. Between getting ready for Christmas, Christmas day itself, and knitting, we've all been busy. I'm sure most, if not all of you have probably been busy too.

We had a great Christmas here. Everyone loved their gifts and the girls had a lot of fun.

Here's one of their favorites.



This one was from my parents. There is still one more little house to connect but the tree is in the way. The tree is coming down today so the girls will have more room.

Bree loves crawling through all the tunnels.



Both girls played in it for almost two hours before dinner and neither really wanted to stop to eat dinner.

The girls got me sock yarn.



I got a skein of TOFUtsies and two skeins of Laines Du Nord Baby Star. The Baby Star is really soft. I may get some more later for the girls.

Shawn got me a pair of shearling boots!



Well, actually Shawn got me a gift card and I used part of it to buy my boots on sale at Overstock...I love Overstock.com. These boots are super warm and fuzzy....love them! When the boots came in I gave them to Shawn to wrap and put under the tree.

Now on to the knitting I've been doing.



Kaity's sweater is not far from being done. Just as I suspected, I ran out of variegated yarn so I had to start the hood in a solid purple. I think it's going to turn out fine. I'm planning on attaching a little pouch to the front of the sweater to bring it all together. I should have this done before the end of the weekend so this will probably be my last FO of 2007.

I started a pair of socks last night with some of the yarn the girls got me for Christmas.



There isn't much to the sock right now, just the completion of a 2x2 ribbed cuff. I'm going to use the Garter Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks.

All Goodies Are In!

The rest of my goodies came in.

First is some sock yarn I bought from ThankEwe.



The colorway is called Candy Cane. She has some great prices and is fast on shipping.

I recieved my boot club shipment. I don't want to spoil someones surprise so if you want to see it click "here". I do believe this is the yummiest yet and it's destined to become a scarf.

I also started Kaity's sweater again on Friday.



A few weeks ago I had all the increases done and was ready to knit the body but I had to frog it because of my stupidity so the yarn was thrown into a time out. I'm finally finished being mad at it so I've made great progress.

Kaity stayed up tonight so we could have family movie night, thus the reason why the sweater has made a lot progress. We watched Ratatouille. Very cute movie, we all loved it. We'll be buying this one in the next few weeks.

This will probably be my last post until after Christmas. So Happy Holidays! Hope everyone has a great holiday and a wonderful new year!

An FO & An Almost FO

I finished Bree's socks last night.

She seems to like them.


These were a quick knit. It took a few hours, split up between two days. It's the same yarn that I used for Kaity's socks, Opal 6 ply, color 1712.

Here's my almost FO.



These are the Irish Hiking Wrist Warmers I'm making for my mom. Warmer number one is done and seamed. Warmer number two needs one and half pattern repeats. I opted to leave the ribbing at the top of the wrist warmer off. I think it makes it fit to snuggly on the hand. I want them to keep my moms hands warm not cut off circulation.

I got my box from JoAnn's in.



All that trouble for a few skeins of the striping dishcloth cotton and 1 yard of fabric. The fabric is cute...forgot to put it in the pic. You'll see it later when I get Bree's blankie sewn. I still have a few things to pick up to start the blankie so it won't get started until after the 1st of Jan.

I also received some gorgeous red Cascade 220 Heathers from Sue. Thanks Sue!



I'll probably make either the Thinking Dress or Bookworm (sweater) from Miss Bea's Rainy Day. Haven't decided yet.

I think this afternoon I will start Kaity's sweater. It's gloomy and windy. The perfect kind of day to stay indoors and knit.

Yarn, Socks, & More

Looks like todays post is going to be another long picture filled post.

I went to the LYS to pay on my layaway. Look what jumped into my hand.



Brown Sheep Lambs Pride worsted. They had the brown I was looking for and I decided to get purple for Kaity's new mittens. There were a few more skeins of yarn that wanted to jump into my hands but I resisted and told them to stay and someone would give them a good home. The shop has been moved around and reorganized which made for a much more pleasant shopping experience.

I also found some cute fleece at Wal-Mart.



I'm going to use this for backing to make Bree a blankie. She loves Tigger, who is not always easy to find on clothing and fabric.

While we were over in the craft section at wally world I noticed they had tons of Peaches & Creme on the cone. Not just the 2-3 colors they normally keep but lots more colors....colors I'd love to get. I've never seen that much variety from Wal-Mart. I'm not sure if it was a screw up in ordering or if they've decided to keep that much in stock but I hope it last till next payday. If so I'll pick up a few cones.

I received this book in the mail yesterday.



It's Miss Bea's Rainy Day. I've already queue several things for Bree. I think I'm going to start with the Thinking Dress first. I bought this from a fellow Ravelry user who was destashing some of her books.

Next up, I received my order from WEBS in the mail yesterday.



I used what was left of my gift card to purchase yarn to make Shawn some hats and a helmet liner. The yarn I purchased is Valley Yarns Northampton, colors: Dark Navy, Dark Grey, and Black. I want to see how it compares to Cascade 220 since Northampton is $4.99 for 247 yards and the cheapest I can get Cascade 220 is $6.50. I also bought the Olive Branch Yoga Hoodie pattern (not pictured).

I received my order from The Loopy Ewe in the mail yesterday.



I bought a skein of Dream in Color, color Ruby River. I'm going to use it to make Marie Antoinette. Gorgeous socks, yummy yarn, should be a great combo.

Also in my TLE order was one of the little sheep they are selling. I decided to get the black one this time. He's sitting up on my monitor now.

How can you pass up something that cute?

I started a pair of socks for Bree last night.



Tiny feet make for a quick knit. I need to finish up the heel and foot on the second sock, which won't take long.

I'm expecting my box from JoAnn's today. Surprise surprise it actually shipped. Come to find out (from the third person I talked too) that there was an item I ordered that was out of stock. The lady deleted the out of stock item and what do ya know, it shipped. Why couldn't one of the first two people I talked to have done that? There's an hour and a half of my life I can't get back wasted being on hold.

I'm also expecting a few things small things to come in soon that will go into posts as they come in.

Updates

I have a lot of things to talk about today.

First up, I received two books in the mail.



The first one is 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. I've already found tons of things to add to my queue. The second book is my prize from the Fall Cable KAL, Cables Vol 1: The Basics. The Cables book is awesome. I do believe that Janet Szabo is a cable genius. If you love Cabley Goodness go check out her site.

I made a pair of socks for Kaity.



Simple sock pattern (my own). I used Opal 6 ply, color 1712. These were a really fast knit (3 days). I still have 100g of the 150g ball. I'm going to make a pair for Bree here in the next few days.

Last night I started a pair of wrist warmers for my mom.



I'm using Irish Hiking Wrist Warmers pattern. These are knit flat and seamed up when your finished. I doubt these will take me very long to make. I'm already halfway through the first wrister. I'm using Knit Picks Andean Silk, color Chocolate. I really like this yarn and I'd definitely splurge on some for a sweater.

I've also finished a few dishcloths but I'm not going to post them out here. If you're on Ravelry and want to see them they're in my notebook. My user name is luvs2knit.

Today we're going to head into town to finish up some shopping. I'm making a stop at the yarn shop and may find something. I'm looking for some Lambs Pride worsted but can't remember if they carry it or not.

And Winners Are.....

Nell was the winner of my Blogiversary Contest!

I had Kaity draw out a second name for a consolation prize and the winner is......Colleen.

Congrats to both winners. I'll mail your packages out here in the next few days.

Thanks everyone for playing in my contest!

Long Post

Might as well warn everyone now, this is a long post filled with pictures.

I've accomplished a bit of knitting since my last post...the post before the contest post, that is.

Lets show a little leg here.



I finished one of the knee socks I'm making and I love it. Very comfy and very soft. How could you go wrong with a yarn like Lorna's Lace worsted...Yum! 215 yards was more then enough to get a knee high sock out of. I'll probably be able to squeeze a pair of shorter socks out of one skein without a problem. I love knee socks but there is no way I'd make these for myself in fingering weight yarn. Watch, now that I've said that I'll end up starting a pair.

I finished my moms socks.



I'm going to wash them today and send them off to my mom here in the next few days. Thank goodness for USPS online shipping labels and carrier pickups. Printing shipping labels online + carrier pick up = happy Trish not waiting in crazy lines at the post office. This time of year is always crazy at the post office.

Now that my moms socks are finished I need to start a pair for Kaity. She's home from school today. She has sore stomach muscles and is extremely tired from coughing all night long. The cough meds only helped a little bit.

I received a pile of yarn in the mail the other day.



My mom used yarn as packing material to keep the Christmas ornaments, that she had bought the girls, from breaking. Don't you wish everyone used yarn for packing material? I'd much rather have a few skeins of yarn over a whole lot of bubble wrap. Although I still like the starch packing peanuts that some companies use. I love watching them melt away in hot water. Yes, I'm easily amused!

I also finished a dishcloth and started a tribble. I haven't made tribbles before but they look like fun. I'll post pics of those in another post.

I also placed an order from WEBS to use up the last of a gift card. There was a problem with the order but I called them up this morning and they fixed it right away. The lady I talked to was super friendly! WEBS scored high points on my Customer Service list.

JoAnn's on the other hand is at the bottom of the list and I will probably never order from them again. I placed an order 10 days ago for a few skeins of yarn, a kids craft kit and 1 yard of fabric. It still hasn't shipped. I called on Monday and was told by the lady I talked to that my box was going to ship on Monday. She was friendly but she lied....probably to get me off the phone. Guess what? The box didn't ship out on Monday, or Tuesday, or Wednesday. I called Wednesday afternoon and managed to get the rudest person on the face of the planet. She made snarky comments with each question she answered. I started to ask her one last question and the *fill in the blank with your favorite word* hung up on me. *sigh*, at least I'm not alone. There are a lot of people who have had problems with JoAnn's customer service....if you can call it that.

The tree is up, lit, and decorated.



Admittedly it's been up for several weeks now and the lights have been on it but we couldn't seem to find a good time to decorate it. We finally made time the other night. We went with simple this year and put up the ornaments but left off all the glass balls....simple, but nice.

I'll leave you with a pic of Bree.



She was trying to scare her Daddy. She would peek around me and say Boo. Shawn snapped a pic of her in mid-Boo.

Contest, Contest, Contest

***Contest Has Ended! Winner to be announced soon!***

This is a sticky post! You'll have to scroll down past this post to get to the newer posts.

I'm having my one year Blogiversary contest. It's super simple to enter: leave me a comment in this post about anything, holiday memories, just to say hi, doesn't matter just leave a comment.

Details:
I hate doing this but you can only enter if you have a US or Canadian address. Military addresses are also acceptable.
I can't ship to countries other the the US/Canada, its too expensive.

Make sure that your email address is correct in the comment form. I will contact the winner via email.

Contest ends: 16 Dec at 11:59pm MST.

What you could win, it's a surprise but you'll get enough sock yarn to make a pair of socks and some other goodies. I promise it will be nice.

Sorry, only one winner for this contest. Winner will be selected using a non computer, random number generator....Kaity will pick a name out of a hat!

Not Much Going On

This isn't much going on knit wise for me. I knit the shoulders of Kaity's sweater, did something really stupid and ended up having to rip it out. I restarted it, but I was so mad at myself that I set it aside for a timeout.

I decided to make myself knee highs and since I'm not a masochistic I'm using worsted weight yarn.




I'm using Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, color Lakeview. I had wound this yarn up months ago with the intentions of started a new skirt for Kaity but the skirt never happened and I've claimed the yarn as my own.

Here's a shot of the decreases.




The decreases are simple, just k2tog on one side of the marker and ssk on the other side of the marker. I generated the pattern using Sock Wizard for Mac. The pattern fits great. The only thing I'd do different is knit the ribbing on smaller needles to make it a little more snug at the top. The sock's fit is still more then snug enough that it won't be falling down when it's on my leg.

Incidentally Knitting Software also has Mitten wizard and Hat wizard that look pretty cool. Not to bad a deal at $7.75 each. I may get one to try out.

It has occurred to me that I've past my Blog's one year anniversary, which was the 7th of Dec. I'll post more tomorrow about my Blogiversary Contest. I'm to tired to think about it right now.

It's snowing here today....oh joy!

Sheldon is Done!

Sheldon is finished. I didn't attach his shell using icord because it was causing me to think longly for a big glass of Capt and Coke. Since it's not socially acceptable or responsible to be drinking booze at 9 in the morning, I opted to save my sanity for sewing his shell together.




Now I'm going to tuck him away because he's a gift for Bree for Christmas.




Stats:

Pattern: Sheldon the Turtle from the Winter 2006 Knitty issue.
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport in colors River and Sky. Used less then one of each 50g skein.
Needles: 3mm for the body and legs and 3.5mm for his shell.
Mods: Sheldon's shell has been sewn together.

I found someone on Ravelry who was destashing some books and nabbed Miss Bea's Rainy Day which I've been searching for weeks for. Seems the book is out of print, go figure and the only copies I could find were people selling their copies for $32-50. I don't think so. Sheesh! So I got my for $13 which included shipping. I love Ravelry!

Lots of Updates

Is it just me, or my titles lacking in creativity. Oh well, better luck next time. I have a lot of things to put in this post so it's a little picture heavy.....sorry, dial-up user! Don't mean to slow you down.

A few questions before I continue on with my post. Does anyone who reads this blog use dial-up internet service? Am I a horrible person because I decided not to send out Christmas Cards this year? Anyone else out there not sending Christmas Cards. Just curious!

Were to start, oh yeah, FOs.

I finished up Kaity's Forest Canopy Shawl.

I'm going to try very hard to get it blocked either today or tomorrow. This is my special gift for her for Christmas. Believe it or not I'll probably be making one more of these shawls as a gift. This time in a yummy Malabrigo worsted. I'm going to be my moms knitting hands, she's going to be the yarn purchaser. Sounds like a great deal to me.

I also started and finished a crocheted cloth yesterday. It's folded in half for the photo.

I was in the mood for a little crochet and found the link to this cloth out at Lion Brands website. It's called the Almond Back Loop Stitch Washcloth. I kept crocheting until I ran out of yarn so mine is a lot bigger then a washcloth. It's almost the perfect size for a hand towel. I think I'm going to use up some of the cotton I have on cones to make a few more of these. Super easy and super fast.

Sheldon is moving right along.

He now has all 4 legs and I started his shell last night. I have the tails of yarn tucked into each foot so they won't tangle into a hopeless mess. I'll probably try to finish him up before the end of the weekend.

My mom's sock is coming along nicely.

I'm over halfway through the heel flap. It won't be too much longer before these are in the mail on their way to my moms feet.

Finally, an addition to my stash.

I picked this yarn up for Kaity. The Opal 6 ply was bought on sale from Little Knits. The one on the left is #1712, Lollipop and the one on the right is #1715, Tutti Fruitti. The Regia is from another Ravelry destash. I have a small amount of this yarn left in my stash from the very first fingering weight socks I made Kaity. I want to make her some more since she loves the socks so much.

I'm suppose to be eliminating my stash and so far I've
made one pair of socks and bought enough yarn to make somewhere around 4-5 pair of socks. I'm
losing my campaign which is not bothering me one bit. How in the world
can you pass up on sales for stuff you've been wanting?

Wow, I think I'm finally to the end. Time to go put a few more rows on Sheldon's shell before Bree wakes up.

Updates

Lets see if I can make this quick. Shawn and Kaity should be back from the Commissary here soon and I need to help them put away the groceries.

I started Sheldon the Turtle again.




This time I'm using Knit Picks Shine Sport which is working up a lot better. I even managed to find the safety eyes because I stink at embroidering eyes. I'm hoping to have this done to use as a stocking stuff for Bree for Christmas.

Next up, the reason Ravelry can be bad for managing your stash.

Knit Picks Dancing sock yarn for Kaity.




This is a Kaity color hands down. This will be used to make the girls summer socks.

Next is 3 hanks of Koigu KPPPM and 1 hank of Mountain Colors 4/8's Wool in the color Wild Raspberry.




I don't have plans for the Koigu yet but the Mtn Colors will probably be made into fingerless mitts.

I also have some Regia coming in from another Ravelry user and some Opal 6 ply from Little Knits. The Opal is for boot socks for Kaity. Little Knits has it on sale so I picked up a ball of Tutti Fruit and Lollipop.

Kaity wanted to model her hat.




The hat ended up being too big so I got it wet an threw it in the drier with some towels. It worked out perfectly so now the hat fits snuggly on her head. The rest of her hats will be simple ribbed hats.

Kaity's Forest Canopy Shawl is 2 pattern rows and the 2 bind off rows away from completion. I should have that finished tonight after she's in bed.

Time to go put groceries away....fun, fun, fun!