Can't Make Up My Mind!

Last night I started the second of my moms socks but since I only finished the cuff I'm not going to bore you all with a picture....12 rows of k2, p2 ribbing = boring!

I did narrow down what I want to do with some of the Patons yarn I bought at Michaels.

It's down to two patterns by Chic Knits. Either Twist or Mrs. CB's Camp Jacket. I have enough yarn to do both but haven't decided which one I want to start first. I won't be starting for a few more weeks. I need to get Kaity's sweater started/finished first. Her sweater shouldn't take long.

If I go with Twist I'll have to make the 46" which would give me about 3" of ease so the sweater wouldn't be overly form fitting. I'm not big on sweaters that squeeze the life out of me, course this could be because I'm not a size 5 anymore. Now if I took my measurement right, then I should be good to go. I measured myself while wearing a light weight top (turtle neck) that I would normally wear under a cardi like this one.

Now with Mrs. CB's Camp Jacket I'm leaning more towards knitting the 48" since it's more of a jacket. I'm afraid the 44" would end up being too tight. The 48" would give about 5" of ease.

Any sweater veterans out there that have some sage advice for me. I think I'm on the right track but I've been wrong before and I'm quite sure I'll be wrong again.

Since no post is complete without a photo. I dug back through iPhoto to Thanksgiving day for this one.




Isn't it great to be a little kid. When you're little it's socially acceptable to rip into a chocolate muffin with total abandonment.

FO Report

I'm on the downhill slide of a nasty head cold that's been kicking my butt for the past few days. Day one was filled with nothing but body aches and yesterday the sinus pressure came in. Now I can't breathe out of one side of my nose. I guess I can be happy that I can at least partially breathe. So needless to say I didn't accomplish much knitting because I just didn't feel like knitting.

Yesterday evening I finished Kaity's hat while watching The Pursuit of Happiness. Good movie, BTW. Next up is Clerks 2, mix in a little CSI: Miami, followed by I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Yup, lots of intelligent movies comin' my way!  :~)   

I'm playing catch up on the CSI: Miami's. I started watching them on A&E and now I'm hooked.




Sorry for the not so excellent pics. We are lacking in natural light. The sun is hiding behind clouds today.

Bree was kind enough to model it since I didn't get a pic before Kaity went to school. I used the Palindrome hat pattern and Cascade 220 wool, color 7805 which is a bright pink. I do believe that Cascade 220 has become on of my favorite wools to work with. Springy, tough, and doesn't split but isn't super scratch. I'm curious to see what it feels like after washing. Gotta be good it so many people love it.

I also received my box from Knit Picks on Tues.

The yarn is to make Sheldon the Turtle. I also got the Harmony cable needle set and the Holiday Lace sock pattern. The Holiday lace sock pattern comes with the Candy Cane stitch pattern and the Hollyberry stitch pattern.

This was the slowest moving box to date. 13 days to get from Ohio to Montana....Yikes! FedEx is moving slow, probably due to the holidays and everyone doing their online Christmas shopping.

Finally, the lights on the house.




Shawn put them up a while back but I kept forgetting to post the pic. You can't tell from the pic but over the garage we have icicle lights. We keep lights to a minimum. The snow on the ground is still there and we've gotten a few more light dustings since then. It's suppose to snow off and on today. The crazy thing is it's suppose to be wicked cold for the next few days and then by Monday it's suppose to be like 46 F for our high. Crazy weather.

I'm off to find some lunch for Bree and I and hopefully catch a decent nap before Kaity gets home from school. The housework can wait....must-find-Sudafed!

New Project

**ETA: the pictures. I posted without the pictures. It's going to be a long day.

As if I really needed to start another project. I finished up my moms first sock yesterday so I celebrated by starting a new shawl.




The pattern I'm using is Show Your Colors Shawl. It's a very simple shawl pattern. I'm using to strands of Knit Picks Shimmer, color Grape Hyacinth.

Here's the first Penllyn Sock.




This one was a fast knit, three days for the first sock. Keep in mind that this is the socks I knit on all night long when Kaity was sick.

I've died and gone to....well you all can figure out what I was going to say. I just read out on the Ravelry forums that the yarn shops in Helena went out of business. The shop here in town is very limited...emphasis on very! So I guess Billings has my nearest yarn shop and Billings is like 4 hours away. Makes me almost want to cry.

I'm really kicking myself in the butt because there are like 3 shops located outside of the base there in Cheyenne, WY and that was our second pick. It was our second pick because it put us farther away from my family. Cheyenne is less then two hours away from Denver, CO. *sigh* Should have picked WY. Oh well, stuck here in Montana it is....guess I'll make the best of it. Internet buying here I come.

Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and get the kiddo out the door for school.

New Socks & Goodies

Yesterday I received some goodies in the mail. Which was probably a good thing because Friday night I was up all night with Kaity. She got sick in the middle of the night. So the goodies Sunday afternoon when I woke from my nap was a nice touch. I also started a pair of socks for my mom during my watch over Kaity.

Kaity's fine now and is sitting on the couch watching Shrek 3 for what seems like the millionth time.

First up is my Loopy Ewe Winter sock club kit.



A shot of just the yarn.

I really love the colors. The yarn is Yarn Pirate BFL and the color is Cranberry Ice....Yum! We also received a sheep calendar from Romney Ridge Farms, hot cocoa, and a small project bag, plus chocolate loopy kisses...Yum. I'll definitely try to renew this sock club.

I also received my Yarn Pirate Booty Club Nov shipment.




I absolutely love, love, love this color. Georgia used BFL for this shipment too. The color is called Solstice. I'm going to have to fight Kaity for this one. She started drooling as soon as I unwrapped it.

Finally, the socks I started for my mom.

Close up shot:

I'm using the Seacoast Handpaint Panda she purchased and sent me quite a few months back and Penllyn Socks pattern by Wildhorse Farms Design. The yarn color is Desert Rose. My mom requested another pair of socks to keep her toes warm. She loved the Monkey socks I made her some months ago. So I promised her that the next pair I made would be for her.

Thanks to Kaity being sick I've got the first sock almost done. I have about 2.5 inches to go before the toe decreases. The Penllyn pattern is an easy pattern to knit.

Drive By Posting

This is going to be a drive by posting. I need to get the girls fed.

I finished the 3x3 Cable Socks with Moss Stitch.




Pattern Stats:

Pattern: 3x3 Cable Socks with Moss Stitch from Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy sock yarn, color Happy Forest.
Needles: 2.5mm, 32" Knit Picks Classic Circ
Mods: None

I love this pattern and I really loved the yarn. I'll definitely be ordering more Dream in Color. These are my new favorite socks.

Updates

I've been busy these last few days. Lets see, where to start.

I started a new hat for Kaity.




We can't have her running around in the cold, playing with snow without putting a wool hat on her head. Specially not with a knitter in the house who can make her one. I'm using the Palindrome Hat pattern and I'm using Cascade 220, color #7805. I'm at about the halfway mark. I may pick up some more Patons SWS to make another one to match her Palindrome scarf.

Last night I started the second sock of my 3x3 Cabled Moss Stitch socks.




I have two more pattern repeats to go before starting the heel. I can't wait to finish this one so I can wear them.

I received some goodies in the mail.




Interlacements Tiny Toes, color #220. I bought it from another Ravelry user. These colors are yummy.

The school sent home a referral letter stating Kaity needed to get her eyes checked and return the form so we scheduled appointments for both Kaity and I. Kaity needs glasses.

I was kinda hoping she wouldn't but the deck was stacked against her because Shawn and I both wear glasses, a lot of my family members wear glasses and the same on Shawn's side of the family. She picked out pink frames (of course) and we'll be going back on payday to order them. We're getting them from Pearle Vision so she'll have them in 1-2 days after we pay for them. I hate having to wait several weeks for glasses to come in.

It's time to start getting the kiddos ready for bed and hope that my eyes go back to normal soon....they dilated my eyes....don't you just hate having your eyes dilated.

Cuteness Overload!

I couldn't wait for the sweater to be washed and blocked to take pics.




The sweater fits her great with enough length in the arms and body for growth.

I also got a box in from my mom this morning. She sent me two books, The Great American Afghan and Knit Noel...looks like Knit Noel is not in stock anywhere. She also sent me a crochet Monkey pattern from Caron's yarn. It's one of the freebie patterns you get out of the store.

I'm hoping to start the Great American Afghan some time after the first of the year. I'm probably going to go with Cascade 220 but haven't decided on a color. I'm not going to go with the traditional cream/off white color.

An FO With Some Snow

It's snowing finally. The snow started last night and it appears that it's snowed off and on all night long. I love snow yet, I hate it too. It's pretty but it creates so much more work. Every time the dogs go outside they have to be rubbed down to get the snow out of their fur. What fun today will be.

I have good news though. I finished Bree's sweater last night.




Here's the Stats:
Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple (KP&S) #211, Baby Tunic
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted Multi, color Childsplay
Size Knit: 12 Months
Needles: US 8 for the body, sleeves and hood and US 6 for the ribbing.
Mods: None

After it's washed and dried I'll get photos of Bree in her sweater. Well, I'll try to get photos of Bree in her sweater.

If you're looking for a simple baby sweater to knit this is the one for you. The pattern is written in sizes 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months. It's knit all in the round which means no seaming unless you pick seaming over kitchener for the hood. I used the kitchener stitch for the hood. The link for the kitchener stitch is the one I used to help me when I first started knitting socks.

The only thing I noticed about the KP&S patterns are that they run kinda on the big side. I ended up going with the size 2-4 for Kaity because it will give her about 6 inches of ease. Kaity normally wears a size 6-8 in shirts. I'll be casting on for Kaity's sweater here soon. I want to finish my other sock and the shawl.

An Almost FO

Sock number one, done.




This morning I finished up the 1st 3x3 cable sock with moss stitch.....pattern found in Sensational Knitted Socks. The sock weighed in at 50 grams and the left over weighed in at 72 grams. You can get mega long socks out of these hanks. I knit a 2" cuff, 5.5" leg (pattern), and a 3" heel flap for a total of 10.5 inch long sock from heel to cuff. Plus the sock has a 10" foot unstretched.




This has got to be the absolute super duper most comfy sock I've knit so far. The yarn (Dream in Color Smooshy) is a dream to work with and the pattern has a bit of stretch but the cables and moss stitch pull in to make the sock stay up. Love it, love it, love it. I can't wait to get the second sock finished so I can wear them.

I started Kaity's shawl the other night.




I have a few repeats of the pattern finished. I doubt this will take me very long so I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to finish it up for Christmas. I've found my new "go-to" acrylic. I like Red Heart Soft Yarn much better then Caron's Simply Soft. The Red Heart is just as soft but it doesn't split at all. I constantly split stitches with the Simply Soft.

I'm off to go grocery shopping. See I told you I have a fun filled, exciting life. Grocery shopping at the base commissary....at least Shawn gets to join in on the fun. He's off this week so he's going a long to help.

Today I leave you with a cute puppy pic.




"What me, I didn't do nuthin'!"

Busy Busy Wednesday

I worked on my 3x3 cable socks w/moss stitch last night. There isn't enough progress to warrant a photo. The gusset is a few rounds from being complete which will put the sock at about 4.5 inches long...bout 4 inches away from starting the toe. There are times when I really wished my feet were smaller.  :)

Shawn and I managed to get all of our shopping finished this afternoon. We found the rest of the stuff we wanted to get the girls and we even managed to get a couple of them on sale.

I actually cheated on shopping for Bree because most of her stuff was ordered between Amazon.com, Fisher-Price, and Toys R Us. It's so easy to shop online and have UPS deliver to my door step. I couldn't find what I wanted locally so ordering online was my next best choice. I could have gotten what I wanted at Toys R Us but that would mean a 4 hour drive to Billings. I'd waste more money in gas. I can't believe that Great Falls does not have a Toys R Us *sigh*!

After shopping for the girls we hit up Starbucks for a couple coffees and then headed to Michaels for some yarn. They're having a sale on a lot of their yarns through the 17th of Nov.

Paton's Classic Wool is 30% off making it $3.49 a ball here.




I couldn't pass that up. They didn't have enough in the same dye lot in a color that Shawn liked but there were 9 balls left of the green I was wanting so I snagged them. That gives me a little over 2000 yards....plenty enough for a sweater.

I got this one for Kaity.




It's Red Heart Soft Yarn....it's super soft. I bought it to make her very own Forest Canopy Shawl. I'm going to cast on tonight or tomorrow and I'm hoping to have it finished before Christmas.

I also got a ball of pink dishcloth cotton to make a kitty cloth. She's been wanting one so I figured that would make a good stocking stuffer.

I have a small order coming in from Knit Picks. I ordered the Shine sport so I can make a proper Sheldon the Turtle. We decided to get the colors River and Sky (both blues)....Sheldon's going to be a blue turtle. I also bought some of the Harmony Cable needles, and the Candy Cane sock pattern which should work up perfectly using the red Louet Gems I bought from TLE several months ago.

Well I'm outta here. I need to get dinner started soon. Plus it's time to attack laundry mountain again. It's a never ending battle.

We're Still Here

The wind has been crazy horrible these past few days. We were hit with gusts over 50-60 mph. Last night it sounded like the roof was going to be ripped off.

Anyway, you all are here for the knitting, so knitting updates you shall get.

I've made a lot of progress on Bree's sweater.




The hood needs another 4 or so inches. I still need to knit the sleeves which will be done in the round...no seaming...woohoo!

Next up, my 3x3 cable w/moss stitch socks.




I'm hoping the wind stops blowing long enough for me to get a good picture of this sock. I love, love, love the pattern and yarn. Now I see why people have such a want for Dream in Color yarn. I bet the worsted weight yarn would make a yummy sweater.

Tomorrow morning we are going to head out to do a little more Christmas shopping. We still have a few things left to get for the girls. Plus we need to pick up Shrek 3 or I'll never hear the end of it.

I'm off to get the kids ready for bed. I'm so ready for some silence. My sinuses are killing me today so I have a headache I can't seem to shake.

I'll leave you with this.

I finally caught a big smile on camera.

Lazy Sunday

Not to much going on here in the house of Luvs2knit. We're relaxing and enjoying the day. I have a few things to show you.

First up, I finished the 1st panel of my Cable Comfort Throw.




The panel is folded in half in the picture above. Of course after I finished the first panel and started the second panel I read other peoples comments on Ravelry who have knit the whole throw in one piece. It sounds like a great idea but after I got to thinking about it, the project would lose it's portability so knitting it in panels are a better idea for me.

Here's the blankies I purchase for Bree.




She loves them like crazy. They are small thus making them easy to carry around. I bought them off etsy from Katie Bean Kids. Great seller, fast shipping. She has some really cute kids jewelry. I may go back later to get some for Kaity's birthday.

Yesterday we all went out Christmas shopping. Kaity went with me to pick something out for Shawn and then they dropped Bree and I off at Barnes and Noble while they went to shop for me. Which was just fine with me. Who can resist a Carmel Mocha from Starbucks and a fully stocked shelf of knitting books? Not I!!

I do know that they went to Pam's Knit 'N' Stitch because Shawn decided that my little plastic ball winder needed to be replaced so he put this one on layaway for me. So here in a few paydays I will be the proud owner of a beautiful wooden ball winder.

Lotta Updates

I think this is going to be another long post. I need to get back into a regular blogging schedule. When I don't post for several days things start to pile up.

First up, Sheldon the Turtle is no more. I made a command decision to not finish him. I'm going to start it again when I have some Knit Picks Shine to use. I came to the conclusion that Cotlin isn't the yarn to use on this project. It doesn't have the give that Shine has when knitting it so it kills my hands.

I finished Kaity's Palindrome scarf.



I used 2 skeins of Patons SWS. It about 38 inches unblocked which is perfect for Kaity. I have plans to wash and block it today. Kaity was at school when I finished it so Scooby Doo is modeling it for me. The ends matching was purely accidental.

I also finished the Playground Mittens.



As you can see, I still need to wash and block the second one. Kaity really likes them so I'll be making more of these.

I also started a new pair of socks. 



This picture isn't all that great. We are lacking natural light today. I hate overcast days. I'm using Dreaming in Color Smooshy, color Happy Forest and the 3x3 with Moss Stitch pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. I'm feeling the cable love right now so everything I've been knitting here lately has cables in it.

I also started Bree sweater last night.



It isn't much right now but I doubt it's going to take long. The rest of the sweater will be knit in the round. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted, color: Childs Play. I'm using a pattern by Knitting Pure and Simple, Baby Tunic #211. I making the 12 month size. As crazy as it seems, my 15 month (almost 16 month) daughter will have room to grow. Measuring her made me realize how small she is. She makes up for her small size with a big attitude so I think it all evens out.

I need to go attack the laundry. Kaity has a Brownie Scout meeting tonight and she needs something "nice" to wear since she doesn't have her full uniform yet. They are having some kind of little ceremony thing and "nice" wasn't my word it's something the leader said several times when we were on the phone. OK, OK, I get it don't send my child to the meeting wearing a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. Damn, guess that means I should wear jeans instead of sweats too. *sigh* but sweat pants are sooooo comfy.

More Updates

Some of you all requested a re-shoot of the Baby Kimono. I'll be the first to admit that garments look much better on a model then they do laying flat in a chair. So without farther ado I give you "Kimono Modeled"




I swear she can smile big smiles....honestly! I just can't seem to catch it in a picture. *sigh*....it's my main mission now.




These photos were the best in the group. 15 month toddlers do not like sitting still for long periods of time....well at least mine doesn't. It is a wee bit big on her. I probably could have gotten away with making her the 12 month size instead. I don't really like the ties. They either need to be shortened up or I need to replace them with snaps.

This is the last shot of Kaity's scarf until it's completed.

I doubt it will take me long to finish this. For anyone interested you can get about 19 inches of scarf knit out of one ball of Patons SWS when using the Palindrome scarf pattern. I'm not bothering to make sure that the stripes are matching up. I just grabbed a second skein and started knitting. If you want the stripes to match you may want to grab a total of 5 skeins for this scarf.

I'm off to enjoy the rest of my quiet time before my supermodel wakes up and demands breakfast!

Yarn Found!

Warning: Picture heavy post. Sorry dial-up users.

I found some of the Patons Classic Wool at Michaels.




I picked up 10 balls, color New Denim. At $3.50 a ball, I'd say $35 is a pretty good buy for enough yarn for a sweater. They also had a nice dark green that I wanted but I didn't want to over spend so I stopped with this.

I also got a set of two baskets for 40 percent off.




I'm using the larger basket for all my dishcloth cotton and the small basket for the skeins of yarn in the queue for socks and small projects.

I picked up another skein of Bernat Cottontots. Shawn found a big picture frame marked down 50 percent for a drawing my sis made for him a few years back and the we found Christmas ornaments for the tree. Each year we each pick out an ornament for the tree. It's something that we did in my family when I was a kid and I'm continuing it with my kids.

Here's a couple of shots of the Forest Canopy Shawl modeled by my favorite helper.

She's already stated that she wants one of her own. I'll have to hunt up some yarn to make one for her soon.

Here's a finished shot of Baby Lily's blankie.




I lightly blocked it so it's only about 26" x 22" but will stretch a lot more. I think that is perfect size for using in a carseat or stroller.

I also started Kaity's scarf yesterday....I needed a project to work on in the car.

I'm using the Palindrome pattern and Patons SWS, color Natural Geranium. It's knitting up super fast. I love the yarn and the pattern!

To top off my fun filled day we made a detour to the Great Falls Med Clinic so they could cut my wedding ring off. I woke up this morning and my hands were so swollen that the ring was making my finger really uncomfortable. The rings off and my hand feels a lot better.

Well I'm off to go swap the laundry...fun, fun, fun!!!

Goodies and an FO

Goodies seem to be coming in left and right here. Ok, maybe that's a tad over exaggerated.

My order of Malabrigo from Woolgirl




This is going to become a hat, scarf, and maybe some fingerless mitts....for me of course. Jen has some great stuff....go check it out, buy yarn, go now. OK....had to throw in a little enabling there! Did I mention she has Malabrigo lace.....yum! I also joined The Seven Deadly S(p)ins yarn club to top it all off. I linked to Jen's blog entry if anyone is interested the info is there.

I also ordered a few books: Best of Interweave Knits, The Yarn Girls Guide to Knits for Older Kids, and two books that are knits for girls and their dolls.




My book club was doing the buy 2 books get a 3rd free plus free shipping. The two doll/girl sweater books were a package deal. Now hows a girl suppose to pass that up?

I also finished Bree's Kimono Jacket.

It's a tad long in the arms but other then that it fits great. I'm not sure if I like the ties. I may pick up some snaps to sew on and then stick some buttons over them for decoration. I'll have to see what I can dig up while I'm at Michaels.

I got the new Interweave Knits, Winter 2007 issue and I'm not overly thrilled over most of the projects. Maybe that's because I was totally blown away with the Holiday issue....I don't think there were many who weren't. In the Winter issue, I like the Tilting Cable socks, Henley Perfected, and Redefined Aran Jacket. I'm going to have to let it marinate to see if I like any of the others.

I'm hoping to score some Patons Classic Wool tomorrow at Michaels. It's suppose to be on sale 2 for $7 which makes it affordable for me to make either the Central Park Hoodie or Twisted. I'm really leaning towards Twisted. Both sweaters take about the same amount of yarn so I'm just going to buy 9 or 10 balls and go from there. So wish me luck on finding enough yarn with the same dye lot in a color I like.

Wrister Completed, Check!

I finally finished the Wristers.




For anyone who's new to the blog you won't remember these unless you went through my archives. I started them back in Feb, I finished up the first one, started the second one and then they got put aside for other projects. It's been a long time since I worked on these.

Told ya I'd finish them. Now I've learned a few things since I started these in Feb. I've learned how to bind off a lot more loosely. I've also learn how to knit correctly so I'm not twisting my stitches. The first mitt was knit when I was twisting my stitches so it's a lot more snug. With that said, I'm going to wash these and give them to Kaity to play with because the first one is to snug on my hand now.

Now I'm off to find some lunch for Bree and I. This afternoon I need to decide which UFO to finish up. I'm thinking I'll get Sheldon the Turtle finished along with the other Playground Mitten.