FO & Other Info

Has it really been 4 days since my last post.  I've been dragging a bit because of Bree's messed up sleep schedule.  I think it's all straightened out and hopefully I will get back onto a more normal knitting and blogging schedule. 

First up, I have an FO to report.  I finished up Kaity's Hip in Hemp skirt today. 




I love this pattern and I really love the yarn.  The Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy is a wonderful yarn to work with.  It does split a little bit but the drap and softness makes up for it.  It's a lot softer then I thought it would be.   I'll probably make another one of these for Kaity toward the end of winter.

I found this amusing today.




The little goof managed to get out of her pants today.  This kid is an escape artist.

I'll leave you with a shot of the goofy dogs.




They sit in the walkway staring into the kitchen in hopes that someone will feel sorry for them and give them a nibble of food off the table.  Don't they look pathetic.

Well I'm off to bed.  I need sleep and I need it bad.  I slipped and fell off the sock yarn diet....well it was more of a reward then anything.  I'll go more into that tomorrow if I get a chance.

Look I'm Knitting

Yesterday was a fairly busy day for me.  Laundry and all that wonderful house cleaning stuff.

Here's what I worked on.




Kaity's skirt is coming together wonderfully.  I explored my options for changing colors and unfortunately with this skirt the best way to go is weaving in the ends.  I've been working a few color changes and then going back to weave in the ends that way I'm not stuck doing them all at the end.  It takes awhile to get them weaved in all nice and neat.  :~)

Other then that not to much is going on here.  I did get my 24" needle in from The Loopy Ewe so I can get back to work on my sisters tank.  I bought one of the Inox 24" circular needles.  They aren't Addi or Knit Picks but they are nice.  The joins are smooth, the cable is flexible and the tips are pointy.....what more can you ask for. 

My sweater yarn is going to have to wait.  If all goes well I'll be able to buy it after we get settled in after the move.  I have enough yarn to keep me busy with sweaters for Bree and Kaity so I don't need it right now anyways.   

I do have the go ahead to buy a skein or two of yarn this payday.  You all know where I'll be heading when payday hits....TLE...I already have $66.50 in yarn in my cart.  For some reason I think I'm going to have to weed it down to one skein for me and maybe enough yarn to make Kaity or Bree some socks.

Bree had her 12 month check-up on Wed.  She's manage to hit 16 pounds, 5 ounces.  Which still has her way below average.  This time the doc wanted tests ran to make sure there isn't an underlying problem.  So she got her immunizations and we headed down to get lab work.  Poor baby, I hate it when my kids hurt.  Our lab guys are the best but even they can't make your kiddo not cry when blood is drawn. 

Some of the tests are back already and her thyroid levels are slightly elevated and when I say slightly I'm mean very slightly.  The doc said not to sweat it that there are plenty of things that could cause this to include stress and being sick.  So it doesn't necessary mean there is anything wrong with her thyroid.  They are going to rerun the same tests and a few more next week so it means another trip back to the lab and more blood drawn some time next week.

It's official.  The movers will be here on 30 Aug to pack our stuff and then back on 31 Aug to finish any packing if necessary and load up the crates will all the packed boxes.  Which means I lose my internet on 29 or 30 Aug and will only be able to connect via dial up....Yuck!  The good news is that we will be staying in Idaho Falls, ID for the night and our hotel has high speed.  As if I'd stay in a hotel that didn't have free high speed.  "No free high speed, no stay!", that's my motto. 

Yes I know Idaho Falls is only about 4 hours from here....remember we are pulling a trailer so it will be slower going.  Plus we are getting a late start because Shawn has to go to an appoint in the morning we leave to finalize our leaving.  The AF states that we are not allowed to drive more then 8 hours/350-400 miles a day and Great Falls is more then 8 hours so we chose to stay in Idaho Falls which was were we stayed the night over 8 years ago when we moved to this base.  Plus they're paying for the hotel room and giving us 2 days to get there....might as well take advantage of it.  :~) 

Rockin' Girl Blogger x2

I'm blessed to have found such great friends.  A while back Colleen nominated me for the Rockin' Girl Blogger.  I meant to post and nominate others and for who knows what reason I totally forgot about it.  I even saved the button in photobucket. 
Anyways the reason I'm rambling is that I've been nominated again by Sue.  After reading her post, which made me smile with tears in my eyes I remembered Colleen's post.  Bad, bad blogger.  In my defense, I was probably sleep deprived.   :~)

I've only been blogging for about 8 months now and I've met some truly wonderful people and have made some great friends.  You're my friends and you'll always be there no matter where I move. 



I'm suppose to nominate 5 people....lets see if I can find a few that haven't been nominated.  :~)

I nominate:

Tammy

Knittech

Jen

Jennie

Sheila

Colleen can you ever forgive this poor brainless blogger for forgetting about your nomination?  :~)

Finally I Can Link

It's been driving me absolutely batty not being able to link the new Creative Knitting Mag.  Well I just noticed that the new magazine is loaded.  So here we go.  You can go here to see all the patterns in the Sept 07 magazine.

The Cables and Lace Jacket is first up for me.  I think the stripey thing going on is cool but it would drive me bonkers knitting it because I would want everything to match stripe wise so I'm going for a solid in Andean Silk, color: Chocolate.  This will help save my sanity!  I thought about doing the jacket in WotA or Swish since they are a bit cheaper but I think I'm going to splurge and use the Andean Silk. I'll be able to wear this with pretty much anything.

I also want to make this and this for myself.  I also thought these were cute.

Why am I writing this at 1:40am in the morning you may ask.  Well that would be because Bree decided to wake up around midnight in preparation of her b-day.  Bout 2 hours to go and she'll officially 1 year old.  :~) 
Where in the world does the time go?

Here's a some what decent shot of Bree in her new red dress.




I haven't managed to get a better one of her yet.  I can't wait to get a shot of Kaity in her new skirt.  I only have about 80 some odd rows to go.  Thankfully they go fast.

Wouldn't you know it.  Knit Picks is out of stock of the damn 32" 2.75mm circ that I need.  *cussing* *more cussing* *extremely loud cussing*  Feel free to add your own words in between the * *.  Guess I'll be buying a needle somewhere else.  I'm not waiting until Aug 15th for the damn things to come back in stock.  I really need it now but have to wait till payday.  I swear this tank top of my sisters has been plagues with needle issues.  Well the good news is by the time this is all over with I will have every friggin' needle size and length on the market.   :~)   
So the Ribs and Lace Tank is on 32" circ right now but that is pushing it as far as cable length goes.  I don't think it's going to work once the ribbing starts pulling in so it's just sitting in it's bag collecting dust.

Any one have a 24" circular US2/2.75mm needle I can borrow?  Just Kidding!    :~)

Exciting Knitting Wanted!

Hey does anyone know where in the world my interesting knitting and yarn content went?  I swear I've been knitting more dishcloths then anything else.  Nothing wrong with dishcloth knitting but I could've swore I had other projects going on. 
I threw this together yesterday.




Yup, it's another dishcloth.  I used the Grandma's Favorite pattern again....it's so easy, requiring no thinking at all.  Shoot I can knit this one without looking at the needles, which a major bonus in my opinion.  This cloth doesn't look to bad considering I've been using what ever yarn I pull out of the dishcloth cotton bag.  All my dishcloth cotton has it's own zip up clear bag for storage.  I have so damn much of it it won't fit with the rest of my stash.  I can't help it, when I'm in Wal-Mart I always head back to the yarn to look....as if Wal-Mart is ever going to get anything different.  I end up throwing at least two balls of dishcloth cotton in the cart.

Speaking of Wal-Mart, ours has finally started cutting back the yarn section.  I knew it was only a matter of time.  Hopefully the Joann's and Michaels in Great Falls carry a decent selection of yarn.  Mostly all I care about is dishcloth cotton but I guess that's no biggie because I can go through tons of places online.  I just like the instant gratification of being about to take it home right then and there instead of having to wait.  There's nothing like being able to pet and drool on the yarn in person instead of drooling on the keyboard and putting finger prints on your monitor.   :~)

I got the Lorna's Lace Shepherd worsted yarn (the yarn on the right) in for Kaity's sweater.

I'll be using KP&S pattern #232.  The main body of the sweater will be in the variegated and the arms and hood will be in the solid.  I think they go pretty well together.  The variegated is Purple Club and the solid is Violet.  Purple Club has splashes of violet in it.  I'm not the greatest with color coordination.

Well I'm off to feed the kiddos & myself some lunch.  Hopefully everyone's day is going well. 

Feeling Much Better

Ah it's great to be back.  It feels like I've been gone forever.  I have been knitting but I've also been sleeping.  Bree's sleep scheduled is messed up and she's waking up in the wee hours of the mornings so I've been a tad on the tired side. 

First up, my first shipment from the Yarn Pirate Booty Club.




It's called Rum Runner...I love this color.  We also got a YP pin which has gone on to my favorite knitting bag and some super yummy soap....this stuff smells friggin' fantastic.  I think this yarn is destined to become plain stockinette socks.  I can't wait to see what next months shipment brings.

Next up, Dishcloth #1:




And Dishcloth #2:




I knit on these two cloths yesterday and today because I was too tired to concentrate on one of my projects.  I'm trying to use up all the scraps from leftovers.  On Dishcloth #1 I randomly changed the stitch patterns and knit until I ran out of yarn.  It's not a gorgeous dishcloth but hey it's going to be washing dirty dishes.  Dishcloth #2 is a Grandma's Favorite.  I have no idea what the color is but I'm pretty sure it's Sugar'N Cream yarn.  I ran out before I finished so the tip is worked in solid blue.

Finally...gotta have some cuteness!




Bree will be turning 1 on the 24th.  Today she is officially a big girl!  She's drinking regular milk from a sippy cup like a pro.  It won't be long before I'm saying she's walking and *gulp* potty training. 

Well I'm off to put the kiddos to bed so I can enjoy a little knitting that doesn't involve dishcloth cotton.

Genius Idea

Look what my hubby the wonder genius came up with last night.  OK, OK, maybe I'm a tad bias since I'm married to him but hey I thought it was pretty cool.
Check out my new yarn holder.




I have no idea if someone has already tried this or not.  I've never seen anyone use the spindle that holds the writable CDs/DVDs, but that doesn't mean that it hasn't been tried.  We have tons of these stupid things around the house.  Shawn's going to use the Dremel and smooth out a whole in the center of the clear plastic lid that goes over the CD spindle (not in picture).  This won't hold really big yarn cakes but it's great for the small ones that collapse within a few minutes after you start knitting.

Just thought I'd share this with you all.

What A Wonderful Day!

I received my YP Booty Club shipment today.  I love, love, love it!  Enough said....I'll post pictures later.  I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone.

I started the Twisted Flower socks last night.   I decided on the Carribean Louet Gems.  I'm saving the Bright Red for a cabled sock pattern out of Sensational Knitted Socks.




I'm about halfway through the first repeat of the leg chart.  The first thing I had to do was blow up the charts.  There is no way that anyone could read those charts without Super Powers.  So Shawn, being the fab hubby that he is, made all the charts bigger.  As you can tell by the Chart Key in the photo I did some color coding.  Each of the twists and cables have their own color for easier identification.  I also outlined the k2tog with bright pink so it stands out so I won't mistake a ssk with a k2tog.  Once I did that the chart was extremely easy to read.  The only time I slow down is for the cables and twists.  I don't have those memorized.

I've found the sock isn't overly difficult but it isn't a normal pattern for me.  I generally pick patterns that are super easy to memorize or require no memorizing at all, like 2x2 ribbing or stockinette.  I won't be working on these socks when the kids are awake since they need all my concentration. 

Dishcloth & Skirt

I finished the Cables and Lace Dishcloth yesterday afternoon.




I love, love, love this dishcloth.  And now crazy me, I'm going to attempt Twisted Flower for the Loopy Ewe Q3 Challenge.  We'll see if it kicks my butt.  Now all I need to do is decide on which color to use: Bright Red or Carribean.

I also worked on Kaity's Hip in Hemp skirt.

I love the colors that she picked.  I think they are flowing quite well.  This skirt is working up faster then I thought it would considering it's been worked on a size US 4 needle and the colors change every 4 rows....that's a lot of ends to weave in.  :~)

I was hoping for my Yarn Pirate Boot Club shipment today.  The mailman ran through and no box.  Oh well, there is always tomorrow.

Knitting Updates

No FO's but I do have some progress to report.
First up, the Cables and Lace Dishcloth from Creative Knitting, Sept 07.  Sorry no links.  I hate not being able to link but I have a feeling they won't have Sept up on the site until after 1 Aug.  This pattern is part of the cable & lace pattern used for the jacket I want to make.




This dishcloth is a little bit bigger then the normal dishcloth patterns but not overly big.  I think it's suppose to be 10"x10".  All that matters is I'm lovin' the cables now.

Close up of the cable pattern:

I'm liking the cables enough to almost try the Twisted Flower sock pattern by Cookie A....key word is almost!  I do need to pick out a challenging pattern for the Loopy Ewe Q3 Challenge.  I'm thinking of doing Gothic Spire in either the Bright Red or Caribbean (blue) Louet Gems I have in my stash.

Next up, Kaity's Hip in Hemp skirt.




Once again I'm showing you all a small amount of progress, or so it seems.  See that thick bit of pink at the top, that's where the elastic is encased.  Remember in the last post where I said I had to purl 10 rows in the round?  This was the reason why.  You purl 10 rows, hold the elastic behind the needles, fold the rest of the rows back over the elastic and pick up a stitch on the cast on row and knit it together with one of the stitches on the needle.  You continue to do this all the way around encasing the elastic in the 10 rows you purled.  I picked up and k2tog for 153 stitch.  Talk about a major accomplishment.  It's also a bit challenging when you get to the last 2 inches of the band.
It took me about 45 minutes to get the band done.  Thankfully now it's just knit stitches with some SSKs, K2tog, YOs,  M1L, and M1R thrown in for good measure.  I won't post another pic until I have some real progress to show.

Cute baby shot to break up the paragraphs.    :~)

Well I'm off to tackle the rest of the laundry and weed through some more stuff.   We made great progress yesterday and I don't want to break that momentum. 

Yesterday we got rid of the junk in our room and Kaity's.  Now our rooms junk (old papers, clothing, etc) fit into two bags.  The trash fit into a plastic shopping bag and clothing that we are donating to charity fit into a 13 gallon kitchen bag.  Now Kaitys room we had to bust out the big outdoor trash bags, I think they are 33 gallons.  Junk toys, old drawings, broken stuff filled up on big trash bag.  Stuffed animals and toys she doesn't play with anymore filled up a second one and clothing that we are passing on to a friend filled up another 13 gallon bag.  That isn't counting the books that we put on Bree's bookshelf because Kaity has grown out of them.  Needless to say her room is now completely under control.   :~)

Hope everyones having a great day!

FO and Progress

I finished another dishcloth.  We went into town so I needed something to work on in the car and since I currently have no socks OTN I went with another dishcloth.   This time I picked the Woozy dishcloth pattern from Smariek Knits.




Yes this cloth has cables.  I also learned how to cable without a cable needle.  Wow what freedom!  I like cables.  I'm going to be doing a lot more cable practice on dishcloths.  I need the practice for the Cables and Lace Jacket I want to make and I need new dishcloths to replace my old rags when we move.  I figure that by the time we get settled in I will have a nice stack.  Next cloth up, the cabled dishcloth pattern in the Sept 07 Creative Knitting.....sorry all, no links yet.  They still have July's issue up.

Next up, Kaity's Hip in Hemp skirt.




Yeah I know it isn't much.  Normally I try to have more done before I give a WIP shot but you try purling 153 stitches, on US3 needles, in the round and see how many rows you get done before hand cramps set in.   :~)  I made it 3 rounds.  I'll work more on her skirt tomorrow.

Since my hands were cramping, I was bored and not ready for bed, I started a crochet blankie for Zeus' kennel. 




I'm doing a single crochet and and using an "I" hook.  I'm just using scrap acrylic from my stash.   After this one, I'll make one out of Pink and Purple for Shadows kennel. 

Oh and here's a shot of that Monster Crocheted Blanket of Boredom.




I was pregnant with Bree, it was hot outside and I needed something to do.  Enter into the picture: Red Heart acrylic yarn and a crochet hook.  It gave me something to do.....Isn't it tacky!   :~)   

Shawn, Kaity and the dogs love it so I guess it can't be too bad.

Updates

Bree slept the whole night.....Yippy!  We gave her some cereal before she went to bed.  I'm not going to brag too much because that was only one night.

I have an FO to report and an update on the Ribs and Lace Tank.

First up, the FO:




Grandma's Favorite dishcloth pattern using Sugar'N Cream, color Jewels Ombre. 

Next, the Ribs and Lace Tank....another crappity photo. 




I swear I'm going to get a good photo of this thing if it kills me.  I pinned it out a little so you can see the different lace patterns.  I have one waist decrease complete, two more to go.  Loopy and Bart are helping me mark my place.  They are the stitch markers I bought from The Loopy Ewe  a few months back.  They make me smile each time I see them.....too cute!  This is working up pretty fast mostly because the lace patterns are really easy to work.  I also think it helps that I really like this yarn.

And for the cuteness factor....Zeus.

Well I'm outta here for now.  I need to head into town for a few things....fun, fun, fun!
 

Updates, Rambling and Such

This afternoon was pretty much uneventful.  I did get a chance to fix Bree's dress.  I ended up having to rip out the last few rows and reknit but it looks a lot better.

I've been trying to acquire yarn to make sweaters for everyone.  Bree is covered.  I have several different skeins of Lorna's Laces worsted that I can use to make her a sweater.   I'm going to start sweater knitting after I'm done with the tank and kaity's skirt.  I know it sounds crazy to be knitting with sweaters in the middle of summer when it's 100+ degrees outside.  Since my house stays at a fairly constant temp of 70 degrees knitting a sweater is no biggie to me.  Now there is no way in Hades I'd go outside in the afternoon and knit.  I'm not that crazy.

I just realized that I have a hoodie pattern that only requires 3 skeins of LL worsted for Kaity's size.  I have 2 multi color skeins in the color Purple Club that are perfect.  I decided to look for a solid LL color to go with the multi color skeins.  I'll use the solid to work the sleeves and hood.  I'm figuring one skein should cover both. 

Now here comes the pain in the butt part.  Finding someone that has the color I want that isn't going to charge me $6 shipping for one stinking skein of yarn.  Unfortunately I already checked The Knitting Zone, she doesn't have solid colors.  I love getting stuff there because 1.) they charge actual shipping charges and 2.) I get a discount.  The best deal I've found is $17 + $4 for shipping at Jimmy Beans Wool, which I've heard some really good things about.  So I'll probably order that skein from Jimmy Beans here in the next few days.  But $21 is better then the $30-45 I was figuring I'd end up spending.  :~)

For me I'm going to be doing the Cables and Lace Jacket from the Sept 07 issue of Creative Knitting using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes.  If I can destash those last few skeins of Opal that I put out on the Destash blog I'll have enough to cover the yarn for my sweater.
By the way, have you all noticed some of the new yarns/yarn colors Knit Picks has added.  They now have a DK Swish Superwash and a hand dyed Wool of the Andes in worster....Sweet!

For Shawn I'm going to knit the Mens Henley Pullover #255 from Knitting Pure and Simple using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes or Swish.  I haven't decided which but you can guarantee it will be a manly color and it will not be black.  I love Shawn but I also love the fact that I can see.  I think an all black sweater would cause me to go blind.  I have no idea how the Yarn Harlot or Wendy knit their Bohus sweaters.....they are gorgeous though!

Look at this little dork:

Zeus thinks he's human, we can't convince him otherwise.  You can't get anymore pitiful then that. 

An FO, A Magazine & A Late Night

I have an FO to report and I just glanced at the title of this post again and it sounds like the start of a bad joke.  :~)
Against all odds I finished Bree's dress last night.  One corner of the dress looks like crap so I need to go back and fix it. 




Bree woke up again last night but Shawn entertained her for a bit so I could knit.  I tried the dress on her this morning but she's a tad on the crabby side so no cute baby pics today.  I'll try to get a pic of her in the dress here in the next few days. 
I used the Knitting Pure and Simple pattern #266, Little Girl Sundress or Jumper.  I love their patterns.  Simple, easy to use, well written, and easy to customize for a perfect fit.  I have several more of their patterns.  I have hooded sweater patterns for both girls and the mens Henley pattern for Shawn.

My Sept issue of Creative Knitting came in.  There wasn't any thing great for kids in this one but there are two jackets that I'd like to make for myself.  The first one is called Cables and Lace Jacket.  It's made using worsted weight yarn.  The other one is called Trailblazer Jacket and is made out of bulky weight yarn. There is also a dishcloth pattern in their that has a big cable that runs down the center. 

Sorry I can't link to pics Creative Knitting hasn't put the Sept issue on their website yet.  They are still showing July.  All in all I think I've gotten my moneys worth out of the subscription.  I renewed for another year.  I can always find at least one thing, besides the dishcloth pattern, that I'd knit out the mag.  I'll be keeping my Interweave Knits subscription too.  Some much stuff to knit not enough time or money to knit it all.   :~)

Idiot Moment!

Ack!  I'm an idiot.  I'll openly admit when I've done something completely stupid.  I was sitting here at the computer surfing the net, drinking my Cherry Coke Zero (mistake #1) and generally having a good afternoon.  I was avoiding the basket of clothing that needs to be ironed (mistake #2).

Some how I ended up spilling about 8 ounces of Coke into my poor Apple keyboard.  Ack!  So mistake #2 is what lead to mistake #1.  Guess I shouldn't have avoided the damn ironing. 

Now I have a a Dell keyboard hooked to my Mac computer....how weird is that?....at least it works....sorta.  There are some functions that aren't working but it's good enough until I get my Apple keyboard cleaned or replaced.  Thank god it wasn't the iBook.  I'd be in deep Doo.  I also have a sticky floor mat, a soda logged keyboard, a mess load of ironing to do after the girls are in bed and still no knitting done today. 

Yep, shouldn't have avoided the ironing!  Do you think I've learned my lesson!  Nope, probably not. 

Here's some cuteness to make up for my idiocy!

Bree's Dress

I knit on Bree's dress last night.




I only have a couple of inches to go.  It shouldn't take me very long.  I've just about finished off the second skein of Shine and I'll probably have to use a small part of a third skein to finish the dress.

I have a dress pattern from Anne (Knitspot)....She has quite a few patterns that I'd love to have.  The pattern is for Bree and I'm hoping to use the green Shine worsted I got in from Knit Picks the other day.  That will have to wait until I get my sisters tank finished and Kaity's skirt started.

Knitting & Sleep....

Life is good!  Bree went to bed last night.  Yeah!  I didn't work on my sisters tank.  Instead I started another dishcloth and a dress for Bree.
First up, the dishcloth




Nothing fancy, just a Grandma's Favorite using Lily Sugar'N Cream in the color Jewels Ombre.  Lots of pretty purples.

Then there was Bree's dress, which I started when I got bored with the dishcloth.




This is one half of the top part.  I have to make the back piece which is the same as the front and then they'll both be joined together and the rest of the jumper will be knit in the round.

I'm using the Jumper/Sundress pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple and Knit Picks Shine Worsted in the color Watermelon.

Hope everyones having a great day.  Now that I've had a good nights sleep I'm off to push for world peace, eradicate world hunger and lower the crime rate everywhere.....alright, alright I'll settle for straightening up my house!

An FO

Hey I have an FO:




It's a dishcloth.  It's this pattern if your interested.  It's about all I could fit in, Bree decided to stay up till 3am again.  I couldn't get her to sleep so I didn't really get a chance to work on the Ribs and Lace Tank.  The dishcloth is easier to throw to the side if she got fussy.  Plus I started this dishcloth weeks ago and decided it was time for it to be finished.

Here's a progress shot of the Ribs and Lace Tank.




Well here's another crappy picture.  I swear this yarn does not want to be photographed.  I need to try to get some shots in natural light but it's so hot out.  Ah, the things one won't do for the sake of ones knitting.  I'll try to get some better shots tomorrow. 

I have 14 rounds before I start a different lace pattern.  The lace patterns knit up quick and easy.  I think the ribbing is where the tank may become a tad tedious.  :~)

Progress & Mail

Progress & Mail, what more could a girl want.  Well maybe a little extra sleep.  Bree was up till 1am.  We've been having problems getting her down for the night off and on over the past week.  My Knit Picks box came in which was my little splurge. 




I got 5 skeins of Shine Worsted in the color Grass, 2 skeins of the new sock yarn Felici in the color Coastal....oh this stuff is so soft.  I'll be getting more, yum!  I got the Felici for Shawn.  It has a bit of purple in it but deemed it manly enough.  I also got 16" circs in sizes US4 - US9, minus the US8 I had bought a while back.

I finally have a little progress on the Ribs and Lace Tank.




My camera drives me crazy.  The yarn is not this bright.  For a better look at the color of the yarn go here.  I need to give my camera an attitude adjustment.  Considering the fact that the pics I took of the yarn I got in today are showing the correct color, *sigh*. 

I really like the tank so far.  I think this is going to be a fast knit for me because the pattern is easy and the King Tut cotton is really nice to work with.

I've decided that I'm going to make an easy pair of socks this time.  Something that requires little thought so I've decided my next pair of SOS socks will be the Campfire Sock pattern by Cidermoon using my Glacier yarn in the Silver Pine colorway.  I'll start the Jaywalkers after the tank is an FO.

Thought I Had Progress

I started the Ribs and Lace Tank.  I cast on my stitches, all 165 of them, and happily started knitting away.  I was keeping track of the stitches but apparently not good enough because I made it through row 6, realized I missed a YO a few rows back and rip....the rest is history.  It would have taken me longer to rip back the two rows and get all 165 stitches back on the needles then it would be to rip the whole darn thing out and start again.  I'll restart tomorrow afternoon. 

So, instead of a progress shot of the Ribs and Lace Tank I'll give you a shot of the swatches that I turned in to little purses for Kaity. 



The swatches are no longer needed so Kaity is going to put them to good use.   She's very proud of her new purses.  She took this pic herself with the mega crochet blanket of Red Heart wonderness as a background.  Basically it was my practice swatch if you want to call it something and boy was it a big swatch.  I hadn't crocheted in years so I needed some practice before I started the ripple blanket for Kaity.  If I can remember, I'll take pics tomorrow so you can see it....talk about a crack up.  It covers the couch, Kaity and Shawn like it, I think it's kinda tacky.  :~)

Shot of my little swimmer:





She was super excited to swim in a "real" pool.

Hopefully tomorrow evening I'll be able to post some actual WIP shots of the Ribs and Lace Tank.  Tomorrow is also attack laundry mountain day...Fun, fun, fun!

I'm Back, Kinda!

Hi all!  Boy have things been crazy here.  I have family visiting this weekend then on top of it add in a vicious little storm, which didn't last long but caused  a good amount of damage.  It started several fires, one of which took out the main cable feed to the base, so everyone on base that had cable and cable modem where without until the wee hours of the morning.  Shawn said it came back up around 2:30am.   I went to bed early last night because Bree decided to stay up all night Thurs. night and I was still feeling the affects of that.
I did get a little knitting done during all this.  :~)  I give you, one Bunny blanket made using Cottontots. 




It's a little smaller but that was what I was aiming for.  I want something that a baby can hold easily. 

I'm hoping to get my sisters tank started tonight.  I am itching to cast that baby onto my needles.  :~)

Hopefully the mailman gets here soon.  I'm expecting a delivery from Knit Picks today.  It has the needles needed to start Bree's Dress....Yippy!  I may work on that if I get it in before we head into town.  We're going in to hang out at the hotel where my aunt and granny are staying.  Kaity's going swimming in a real pool and is extremely excited.  :~)   I'll see if I can snag a few good pics of her playing in the pool.

Ribs and Lace Tank

Alright, swatches have been washed and dried.  I'm using King Tut cotton yarn.  My sis bought it on sale at Little Knits...it's still on sale for those who are interested.  I'm definitely going with the swatch knit on US9 needles.  It looks so much better.  The swatch that was knit using the US10 needles looked like Crapola when it came out of the wash and no amount of blocking was going to help.

Now I took the wet swatches, threw them back into the mesh bag I use for delicates and threw them into the dryer with a two towels and dried them on the Normal setting on high heat.  This is the setting I use to dry all clothing with the exception of Bree's stuff which gets low heat....if I don't her fleece pjs will shrink up.  Those things are hard to get your hands on in the summer time.  Sheesh, there are some of us that run a/c at night.

Good news, the swatches came out without any visible shrinking.  I wouldn't dry this on high all the time but it's good to know for those "Oops" moments where it accidentally gets thrown into the dryer on High heat.

I washed the swatches with Bree's clothes which are ran on a Heavy cycle and an extra rinse.  I'm not sure how the yarn would take to fabric softener since I don't use it in Bree's load....her skins a tad sensitive.  The only thing special I did was to put the swatches into a mesh bag to keep them from snagging on Bree's stuff.  The Velcro on her bibs can be pretty harsh on other clothing.

And since not post is complete without pictures, I give you a few shots of Zeus taken by Kaity.  The poor baby is finally looking good enough to take pictures of....It's a long story....don't ask!  Suffice to say hubby is no longer allowed anywhere near the clippers used to groom the dogs.

New Knitting Goodie

I picked this up from an etsy seller.  The seller name is Hide and Sheep....cute name.  :~)




This row counter bracelet has a toggle on it so it closes and won't slip off your wrist.  My wrist is about 7" around and it fits my wrist with plenty of wiggle room for the beads.  I also love their needle hugger stitch markers which come in a large range of sizes and colors.  Hide and Sheep has great customer service and fast shipping.

Tank Progress

Swatching is complete for the ribs and lace tanks.  Here's a shot of the 2x2 ribbing knit up on DPs.




It looks to a little shy of 4" but it isn't.  I think it may have just been the angle I shot the photo.  I've noticed that when I knit socks using Magic Loop my gauge is the same as when I'm using DPs.  So I'm hoping that I won't have an issue with this top.  I'll have to keep and eye on it and check my gauge when I get a few rows into it.

Here's a shot of both swatches I made with the lace pattern. 




I used a US10 on the one on the left and a US9 on the swatch on the right.  I've got gauge with the second one.  I was happy with the first swatch until I finished the second one.  I like the fabric of the second swatch much better.  The stitches are a little tighter and the swatch has a nice feel to it.  If you click on the picture it will open up to full size and you can see the stitch detail better.  I think you all will agree that the swatch on the right is the better one.   :~)

I'm off to enjoy the A/C before Kaity drags me outside to play in her swimming pool.  Shawn set it up so it will be in the shade this afternoon but it's still pretty hot in the shade.  Ack, I hate the heat and it's suppose to hit 106 F today *sigh*, I hate summer.  I'd be happy if there was a place that stayed about 75 F year round.

Almost A Problem

Now you all know that I started swatching for my sister's Ribs and Lace tank.  I got gauge with the larger needles though I am knitting a swatch with a size smaller needles to see what I get.  I'll be prepared when I block them.  I didn't get gauge with the US 4's on the 2x2 ribbing swatch.  Turns out that I'm short a few measly stitches when I stretch out the ribbing *sigh*.  Normally I'd say no biggie, grab the next smaller needle and swatch away.  Well the next smaller needle is a US 3 which I didn't think I had.  So I was a tad PO'd. 

I forgot all about the needles my mom gave me when I first started knitting.  They are a mix of various needle sizes and lengths.  She didn't need them because she had bought her KP Options set.  So I gave them a new home.  Well I dug through the bag and found a 16" US 3 circular needle. 

Now here's the thing, the pattern calls for a 24" US 3 circular for all sizes of the pattern.  I'm making the smallest size so by the time I'm ready for the US 3 needles there will be a total of 152 sts on the needle being worked in the round.  I'm a thinkin' I need to try to get 24" circ before I hit this point in the pattern.   It's driving me crazy!  Not that I have to drive far to hit the point of insanity.

Update: I gave in and order the one lone needle needed to complete the tank.  One dang needle and shipping: $7.78.  But hey by the end of next week I should have my needle.  :~)

Bree is up tonight for some reason.  So now I'm sitting here at the computer wishing I was swatching for the tank instead of sitting here with a baby on my lap.  I need a vacation....alone!

I leave you with another shot by Kaity:




Looks like Bree is a star trying to avoid the cameras.   I think she was trying to grab the camera from her sister.   :~)

Swatch #1

I'm doing the "I Got Gauge Without Swapping Through 500 Needles" jig!




Isn't it a beautiful site.  Swatch number one for the Ribs and Lace Tank is done.  From experience with this yarn, it doesn't stretch out more when it's wet then when it's dry.  I'm still going to wet block it and remeasure just to be on the safe side.  Then for S&G's I'm going to throw it into the dryer and run it through a normal dry cycle.  This is for my sis and I want to see what will happen if she accidentally throws it in the dryer.  I know from experience with Bree's halter top that it will not shrink at all when dried on low heat but I want to see what happens when it's on normal heat.  My sis is careful and has taken very good care of the socks I've knit her.  I think I'm make the Jaywalkers for her. 

So one swatch down, one more to go.  The next swatch is 2x2 ribbing for 31 rounds on size US4 needles *sigh*.  I'm so glad I know how to Magic Loop.  Since this top is knit in the round I need to swatch in the round....pain in the butt end if you ask me but I don't want to end up with a monster tank or a tank small enough to fit Kaity so knit in the round I shall.  :~)

Kaity has already claimed this swatch.  I must crochet her some handles and turn it into a purse.  Don't know what to do with all those swatches?....just ask a group of kids, they'll come up with lots of things.  4x4 swatches work perfectly for picnic blankets for Littlest Pet Shops when they go out exploring.  :~)

Eleanor's Irish Eyes

WooHoo!  I finished up my Eleanor socks tonight.




Socks stats:
Yarn: Scarlet Fleece, color Irish Eyes
Needle: 32" Knit Picks Classic Circular US 2/3mm
Pattern: Eleanor by Gigi Silva of Momma Monkey & Socktopia
Mods: I added a few more rows to the heel flap but other then that I knit to the pattern specs.

Oh yeah, I wear a US 10 womens size shoe and my foot circumference measures 9.5".  The lace is fairly stretchy.  If you have a fairly skinny foot I would go down in needle size to make sure they a snug on your foot.

The Scarlet Fleece is a tad scratchy, kinda like knitting with Opal or Regia but I have a feeling it will soft up with wash. 

Well I'm off to work on the swatches for my sisters tank.  She's coming home on Wed....Yippy!  We'll be going to see Harry Potter together.

A Few Updates

Hi All!  I just wanted to make a quick post.  I worked on my SOS socks last night.




I need to put 3 repeats on the foot and then the toe.....Yippy!  I'm so close to finishing up my first pair of SOS socks.  There are people who have already finished several pair of socks so far and we are only like 11 days into SOS.  I think these people are knitting socks exclusively....I can't do that.  I love socks but I have to knit a little something else too.  :~)

I did a bunch of cleaning yesterday and some how managed to hurt my back so now it hurts like crazy.  Good news is, I don't have anymore cleaning today.  I can sit back and relax.  The bad news is I still have to pick Bree up and carry her about....that's going to hurt.

Hope you all have a great day.