Welcome 2005!

In preparation for a brand new year, I have erased the projects in my sidebar.  It is time to start with a brand new slate.  It is time to revisit and re-examine all of those unfinished projects and on hold projects and determine whether or not to abandon them completely or keep them.  In some cases, it is an easy decision.  Maybe the garment was coming out too small, or too big, or it just didn't look quite like I envisioned it.  In some cases, it is not as easy a decision.  Maybe I like the garment, but it has some bad memories or "bad karma" associated with it.  It is hard sometimes to make that decision to abandon something that has so much time and effort and "me" into it.  But sometimes it is necessary.  If I want to be honest with myself, then I need to admit when I know something isn't working, for whatever reason, and call it quits and go on.  Life is like that, too.  As 2004 comes to a close tonight, I for one will not be sad to see it go.  It has without a doubt been a very bad year for me.  And as 2005 begins in just a little over 5 hours, I have decided not to make a bunch of resolutions, but instead make a bunch of re-evaluations.  Like those knitting projects, it is time to re-evaluate and re-examine those things in my life that are no longer working or no longer turning out quite like I anticipated.  I will salvage what I can and say goodbye to what I cannot.  I am reminded at this very moment of The Serenity Prayer which pretty accurately sums it all up for me at this moment in my life --"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."  Here's to 2005.  May it be the best yet for us all!

"Some Assembly Required!"

Well, Christmas Day 2004 is now a memory, but what a fun memory!  I thought I would start out by showing you a picture of my 2 sisters and I that was taken last night.  And as promised, the Mystery Shawl story is revealed!  The shawl was actually a "Merry Cruisemas" gift for my best friend Debbie, also known as "Other Sister Debbie" (so as not to be confused with the "Original Sister Debbie" pictured above).  Debbie is taking her 2 sons on a Carribean cruise as her Christmas present to them.  They leave Florida tomorrow.  This is Debbie's first cruise, so I had to make her something extra special to wear to the Captain's Ball, and the Trellis shawl seemed just perfect for the occasion!  She was thrilled!  Also as previously promised, there are pictures of some of the fast and easy scarves that I made as well as a couple of the seafarer's scarves.  There is a funny story that happened yesterday that I just have to share!  I was supposed to be off from work Christmas Eve, but ended up working unexpectedly due to a coworker's family emergency.  Consequently, I did not finish my nephew Keith's seafarer's scarf.  Undaunted, I put the balls of yarn into a gift bag along with the instructions "Some Assembly Required."  Well, Keith thought that was absolutely hysterical and laughed about it all day long.  I think that he enjoyed opening that present more than he would have the finished product!  I hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday and that you have lots of great memories of your Christmas Day 2004!  And now I must go finish Keith's "Some Assembly Required" scarf!   :)

Christmas Party!

Last Wednesday we had our annual Dayshift Lab Christmas Party Luncheon at work.  Just about everyone showed up, including most all of the off duty personnel.  We exchanged our Pollyanna gifts, ate lots of delicious food and had a really good time.  You will recognize the Pollyanna Poncho and the Ribbon Scarf, which Lisa hired me to knit for her to give as her Pollyanna gift.  The last picture shows about half of the lab standing out in the hall exchanging gifts.  I could not get everyone in the picture, but one of these people in this picture will be the recipient of the "Mystery Shawl" which I will take to work with me on Thursday, the last day I work before Christmas.  I can't wait!  In the meantime, I am still busily knitting away.  I have finished 6 of those fast and easy Homespun/Fun Fur scarves.  I knit them with 1 strand of Homespun and 2 strands of  Fun Fur.  I cast on 10 stitches on size 35 needles and knit until I run out of Fun Fur.  The result is a nice warm snuggly scarf ready in just about an hour!  They really came out pretty!  Talk about a great idea for a last minute gift!  My favorite combination was Homespun Modern and Fun Fur Peacock and Sapphire.  I will take pictures of them all and post them later.  Right now, I am off to knit, knit, KNIT!

A Few "Finished Objects!"

I have finished the "Mystery Shawl!"  Whew!  Have I mentioned lately how much I dislike adding fringe to anything!?!?!?!?  Oh well, the effort was definitely worth it as it really made the shawl.  I wish I could have taken a better picture of it -- one that really shows just how gorgeous this shawl is!  It is drapey and satiny and it has a wonderful lustrous sheen to it.  I really liked working with this yarn.  At first, I wasn't sure as it is very slippery and my needles kept getting stuck in between the two strands of yarn.  It didn't help that I was using telephone poles to knit with -- size 19's!  But once I got the hang of it, it worked up very fast. I hope to get a better picture of this shawl -- I am hoping the recipient will oblige us with a picture when she opens the gift.  The second picture shows the 6 little knitted gifts for the Christmas baskets.  It is a tradition at work that those that do not have to work Christmas day fix up baskets for those that do have to work.  The baskets are usually filled with homemade cookies and candy and ornaments and luxury items, etc.  This year, I made these to add to the baskets.  Each basket will have its own Christmas theme like angels or Santas or Christmas trees, etc.  The blue one will be for the Snowman themed basket.  Also, I have finished one of Joyce's scarves and I am about half done on the other.  I have to have those scarves and the 2 hats done by Wednesday when I see Joyce at the lab Christmas party.  Shouldn't be a problem though since I am knitting these for a 9 yr. old and a 5 yr. old.  So, I am off to run errands and then get back to that knitting!!!!

The Annual Christmas Knit-A-Thon Continues!

I have finished and delivered Tracey's raspberry pink scarf.  It was really gorgeous!  Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of it before I delivered it.  I am halfway through #5 of the gift basket knitted items, and last night got a long way on the spectacular "Mystery Shawl!"  Only 24 more rows, and it should be off the needles and ready to fringe.  I think it is going to be absolutely gorgeous!  I really like that Trellis yarn.  The shawl will be perfect for a certain special occasion!  More on that later after the person opens the gift!  :)  I am off for the next 3 days, so I plan to really get going on the knitting.  I want to finish that shawl, finish the 2 hats and scarves for Joyce, and finish, wash and block the 6 little knitted gifts.  Then start on some of the other "fast scarves."  Whew!  That ought to be enough to do by then.  Wish me luck!

"Tis The Season To Be Knitting!"

I am still busily knitting away on several Christmas projects all at once.  There is the "Mystery Shawl," the 6 little gifts for the Christmas baskets, and 3 scarves and 2 hats that I have been hired to knit for others to give as Christmas presents.  That is just what I am actively knitting right now!  There are still several other Christmas gifts awaiting their turn to be knit.  But not to worry, most of what is left are scarves, and some of them will be knit on larger needles with bulky yarns or mulitple strands of lighter weight yarns.  Two of the scarves will even be knit on size 35 needles, so they will go very, very quickly.  So it is not as bad as it sounds!  Besides, I am having a ball!  I love knitting Christmas presents!  It is part of what makes the season special to me.  Now if only the weather would cooperate!  I took my 5 mile walk on the bike trail this afternoon dressed in shorts and a short sleeve t-shirt!  It is in the upper 60's today -- way unseasonable for this time of year.  I doesn't feel much like the Christmas season when you are wearing shorts and t-shirts and the bugs are flying around again!  Last year we had already had our first snow by now.  Go figure!

 

Ponchos and Presents!

My Unikat poncho is finally finished!  Actually, I finished knitting it a couple of weeks ago, but just recently got around to adding the fringe.  I love it!  It is warm and wonderful!  I tried the picture in the bathroom mirror thing, but the lighting was so bad that the poncho looked like a blue and gray blob -- not to mention what I looked like!  I won't go there!  Sooooooo, I had to settle for taking its picture on a hanger in front of the closet door.  At least you can see its color here.  I am still working on multiple Christmas presents, including a last minute addition -- a shawl that is going to be awesome!  I had this idea earlier this week, so I made another trip to Michael's and found the perfect yarn.  It is Lion Brand Yarn's new Trellis in the color "Night Life."  Trellis looks very much like Bernat's Matrix.  I was so excited about the new gift that I had to start knitting it that same night (I know you are surprised about that!)  It is coming along quickly as it is being knit on size 19 knitting needles.  If you want to see the pattern, go to Lion Brand Yarn's website and look for the free pattern for the Trellis knitted triangular shawl.  I will tell the story of how this shawl idea came about later on.  The recipient may be lurking here, and I know she would recognize the story instantly!  Aren't surprises fun??!!!!!  :)

Show and Don't Tell!

Here are the latest 2 finished Christmas presents.  I will show them to you, but will not tell who they are for just in case one of the recipients happens by here!  The poncho is really soft and warm.  I like how the Colorwaves yarn makes a subtle striping pattern.  It photographed just a bit darker than it really is.  I used the same pattern as the Unikat poncho, but it came out a bit longer, so I have decided not to fringe it.  For the scarf, I wanted something a little more substantial than just Fun Fur, so I mixed the Fun Fur with TLC Amore.  The result was a nice blend of furry and warm and snuggly soft!  I like this scarf.  I might have to do one for myself out of this combination after Christmas!  Well, I am off to hopefully finish the other scarf that I mentioned yesterday, and I am also in the process of cutting fringe for my Unikat poncho.  The weather has turned colder again, so I have hopes of wearing it soon!

The Ribbon Scarf is Finished!

Whew!  What a busy week it has been!  We had a really nice Thanksgiving.  It is always nice when the family can all get together.  Bill (my nephew) and Cheryle are making their wedding plans as well as house plans, and Katie (my niece) announced that she and her new husband Jeremy are expecting a child this spring.  Lots of changes in the air for 2005!  In knitting news, I have finished the ribbon scarf as you can see in the picture above.  The picture really does not do this scarf justice.  The yarn has a beautiful sheen and the scarf is really very chic and stylish.  I have also finished the Pollyanna Poncho.  I just have to weave in the ends and it will be picture ready.  I have 2 more scarves halfway finished, so more pictures later on in the week, hopefully.  Well, I am off to put out the Christmas decorations on the balcony, and then I will work some more on that Christmas knitting.  Anything to stay out of those crowds in the malls!!!!

Blogiversary!

I have been a blogger for one year now!  I just realized that one year ago today I started keeping my original knitting blog under my old screenname.  I switched to this screenname and started this blog in March.  Looking back, a lot has happened in this past year, some of it good, and some of it bad.  One year ago, I would never have even thought that my life could have changed so drastically. What a difference a year makes.  But one thing that has not changed is my love of knitting and it's power to help me survive even the most difficult times.  It has never failed me and I will be depending on it for solace during the tough times still to come.  I love the holiday season, but this year there will be a touch of sadness.  But there are many bright spots on the horizon.  It seems appropriate today to express thanks for my many friends and family that have helped me through the dark times this past year.  And thanks too, to the blogpals that have followed me from the "old days" of my original blog -- Bron, Spunknit, and Pam of Knitterbugs.  Thanks also to the new blogpals like Roxi that I have met since then.  Now, lest you think that I am all doom and gloom, (which I am not) then let me leave you with this hilarious picture of my parents' dog, Bubba, all dressed up in his party best!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Knit, Knit, Knit!

I do not have any new pictures of knitting progress to post, so instead I have posted a picture of my second oil painting -- it is called "Hatteras Fantasy."  I just painted it yesterday.  Also, there is a picture of one of my cats doing what both cats do best -- lounging!  I thought that might amuse you until I get some knitting pictures!  The lack of photos does not mean that there has been a lack of knitting progress!  I am in full swing in the Christmas Knitting Season!  I have so many projects and knitting bags all over the place that it is a miracle that I can keep it all straight!  Besides my own knitting, I have taken on knitting some presents for people who have "hired" me to knit for them.  But only small things.  I have too much of my own knitting to get done to take on big projects.  The siren call of the gorgeous yarns has caused a bunch of coworkers to become interested in knitting for themselves.  The group of lunchtime Stitch and Bitchers at work has increased to 8 knitters, and there are at least 2 or 3 more that have expressed an interest.  They have even suggested a weekly knitting class/group to be held outside of work.  Sounds like a great idea to me!  The more the merrier!  The Unikat poncho is still patiently awaiting its fringe.  The delay has been due to the flurry of Christmas knitting and the return of the unseasonably warm weather!  I guess I spoke too soon in my last entry -- fall knitting weather has taken a hiatus!  But the knitting goes on!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Poncho Pizzazz!

The Unikat poncho is finished -- well, sort of!  All it needs now is its fringe. I appologize for the hurried picture -- the "Diva" cat was closing in quickly -- everything is a potential cat bed around here!  It was a race to take the picture and rescue the poncho before she made her move and claimed it as "hers".  I had to use the 3rd ball that I recently ordered from Roxi to finish up the last 4 rows.  I actually finished knitting it on Monday night, but I decided to wait until this weekend to fringe it.  In the meantime, I have been planning my Christmas knitting projects.  I started one of those Wednesday night.  I love this pattern so much that I am using it for a poncho for my Christmas Pollyanna at work.  She loves red, so I decided to use the Lion Brand Color Waves yarn in Sunset Red for her poncho.  I will be posting pictures of it as it progresses.  Right now it is nothing more than a little red blob on the needles!  It is finally getting cold here now, and the leaves are losing their beautiful colors and falling off the trees.  Knitting weather has arrived! 

Stash Enhancement

What began as a day trip to Richmond to a craft show turned into a stash enhancement trip.  That is not all that surprising considering that the driver was a new knitter who has been badly bitten by the knitting bug!  It all started out innocently enough.  A group of us girls from work decided to check out the annual Virginia Christmas Show.  On the way to Richmond, Ronda casually mentioned that she had the address for the Ben Franklin Craft Store in Richmond, and maybe we could stop on the way home as it was on the way back (sort of).  Well, after spending 7 hours walking all over that craft show, we wearily piled back into Ronda's van and headed back out.  We figured that we could easily find the way to the Ben Franklin store.  Wrong.  Before long, we realized that we were lost in downtown Richmond.  No problem.  Being women, we were not afraid to stop and ask directions.  At least not until we noticed that all of the businesses had bars on their windows!  Well, maybe stopping and asking directions was not the best idea after all at that particular place and time.  So onward we plunged.  Several wrong turns later and many dollars poorer from all of the toll booths, we found ourselves in the parking lot of the Ben Franklin Craft Store.  Finally.  Once inside, we had a quick conference and decided to meet back at the front of the store in an hour.  What??? An hour????  We had just spent 7 hours stomping all over that craft show, (and who knows how long roaming all over Richmond touring all of the toll booths)  and now we were going to spend another hour stomping all over this Ben Franklin store???  And with an Olive Garden beckoning from across the parking lot???  Oh well.  Off to the yarn section I went, figuring that I would find the same things that our local Michael's has.  Wrong.  Needless to say, I never even made it out of the few isles that make up the yarn section of that store!  Besides the usual Michael's fare, there were lots of new and different yarns that I had heard of but never seen in person.  There was so much to see and to fondle and covet, that I thought I would faint from sheer happiness! So what did I end up with?  Some yarn called Pom Pom from NY yarns in 2 different shades (I just couldn't decide between the blue and the pink!)  The fun fur was on sale also, so I bought some in matching colors to the Pom Pom to make scarves for Christmas presents.  I also bought a color of Patons Divine that I had not seen before -- Regal Red.  I bought enough to make a scarf and a hat.  And I bought a pattern for a lovely cardigan coat.  The pattern calls for Divine in Night Sky -- I thought that the Regal Red scarf and hat would look really nice with the night sky coat.  There was so much gorgeous yarn there that I had a really hard time deciding what to buy -- especially since I was exhausted and starving by that point!  We will definitely have to make a return trip to that Ben Franklin Store -- only the next time we will have to go there first!  In knitting news, I am almost finished the second ball of Unikat on my poncho.  I have started the ribbing, and it does not look like that second ball will finish it up.  Luckily, the extra ball I ordered from Roxy came earlier this week, so there will not be a break in the knitting!  Hopefully, I will have a picture of the finished poncho to share soon!

Happy Little Trees!

Anyone who has seen the show "The Joy of Painting" with Bob Ross on a PBS station will appreciate the title of this entry.  I have always loved to watch that show, and I have always wanted to paint like that.  Well, this weekend was my chance!  The local recreation department was offering a Bob Ross painting class, and the title of the painting was "Northern Lights."  I had never done anything like this, and I just couldn't resist!  I have posted a picture of my finished painting.  The instructor had frames there to sell, and for $35, he would frame your painting on the spot.  Not a bad price for framing, and the best part of that was that I could come right home and hang it on the wall immediately -- safe from the cats (and the assorted cat hairs!)  I am hooked!  I can't wait to take another one of these oil painting classes!  But never fear, no matter how many paintings I do, I will never give up on my first love -- knitting!  Speaking of which, I have finished up the first ball of Unikat on my poncho and the colors are simply AWESOME!  I ordered a 3rd ball of the yarn from Roxi as I am fearful that I will not have enough to finish.  For some reason, I often use more than the pattern calls for.  Even if I do have enough to finish, that will just mean that I have a lush and full fringe!  Or a hat to match!  It's all good!  Hope you are having a Happy Halloween weekend!

 

Hurry Before the Fad Fades!

I enlisted the help of a friend yesterday, and got the yarn for the Unikat poncho wound into balls.  Last night I started knitting the poncho.  Since I only finished 5 rounds, there was not enough progress to take a picture of, but I did put a "before" picture of the yarn on so that you can see the fabulous colors.  I can't wait -- I am going to love this poncho!  The yarn is so thick and feels so good -- but it is also light and airy.  And the colors are awesome! I know it is time to begin Christmas knitting, but I figured that if I didn't hurry up and knit this poncho, the fad might fade out on me!  Although Megan assures me that they are "Soooooooo  kewlie-o."  (I think that means they are still in!  What language is she speaking, anyway????)   

No Hair Day Hairy Chemo Cap Day!

Today I took the batch of "No Hair Day Hairy Chemo Caps" over to the Hematology Oncology office.  They were a big hit!  The girls at the clinic loved them and they couldn't wait to give them out to the patients in need of a hat.  I tried to get some pictures of the hats before I took them over this morning.  I decided to make some of the hats normal "hair" colors, but others I decided to make a bit more whimsical. Notice the Santa hat in the upper right corner of the first picture!  That one is my favorite!  Megan and Keith did a little modeling for me last weekend, and I included those pictures, too.  I really enjoyed making these hats and taking them over to the cancer clinic.  I will definately make some more.

What A Girl Wants

Well, here is the Diva herself in her new poncho!  You can also see the matching hair scrunchie which is being worn on the wrist (naturally!).  She loved her poncho and we had a hard time convincing her that she needed to take it off at least while she ate spaghetti.  Tomato sauce would not go too well with the purple and pink!  She did take it off during the spaghetti, but put it right back on afterwards.  This poncho was a total surprise -- she had no idea I was making it for her.  I wish I had a picture of her face when she saw it!  It was priceless!  It is really a nice feeling when the recipient of a knitted gift really likes and appreciates the gift!  The chemo hats are going to the cancer center next week.  Pictures of those later!

Megan's poncho is finished!

Megan's poncho is finally finished!  I crocheted the last of the fur trim last night and then made a hair scrunchie with some leftover yarn.  I will take pictures tomorrow and this weekend I will try to get some pictures of Megan in the poncho  -- if I can catch her in the right mood, that is!  You know how those Divas are!  ;)

When the going gets tough, the tough get knitting!

What do you do when you just can't get to sleep at night?  Why, you knit of course!  Last night I was awake long after my regularly scheduled bedtime. I had a lot on my mind anyway, and I had also just returned from the funeral home.  A friend and coworker's husband died earler this week and last night was visitation night for the family.  It had been a long, sad week and I was too tired to be sleepy.  So I decided to knit.  And since I needed to perk up my spirits, I decided to make a frilly little confetti colored boa for another friend's little girl who turns 2 this month.  The cheerful yarn and rhythmic clicking of the knitting needles did the trick, and one hour later, I was finished with the little boa and ready for the Land of Nod. This morning, I convinced The Illustrious Ms. Precious to do a little modeling for me.  Although she was not thrilled with the idea that I had not finished weaving in the ends, she reluctantly agreed to the indignity "just this once."  We should be grateful.  After all, Divas demand perfection!

"Whoops, I did it again!" or "A Tale of Two Ponchos"

Here I go again.  Starting another project!  First, let me say that it wasn't my idea!  At least, not at first.  It all started when I got the Fall issue of Knitter's magazine.  I had it at work looking it over at lunch when I saw the poncho/cape on page 63.  I commented on how pretty it was, and that I would like to knit it sometime. A couple of other knitters in the group also expressed an interest in it.  Suddenly, a knit-a-long was planned!  I don't know how it happened -- honest!  In my defense, I must say that I am using yarn that I already had in my stash.  I am using Homespun in the color Navajo, a pretty wine, navy, and tan mix.  Megan's poncho is still coming along, as are the hats for the cancer center.  There hasn't been as much knitting as I would like lately for 2 reasons.  First, I just seem to be so busy lately that I come home too tired to do much knitting, or reading or anything else for that matter.  And second is the return of the humid, tropical weather.  We were spoiled by that all too brief taste of fall where the humidity and temperatures were low. Now the humidity is back again, no doubt prompted by the weather patterns that keep pushing the hurricanes along their all too familiar path through Florida and on up into the Carolinas and Virginia. What's left of Jeanne is forecast to dump from 2 to 4 inches on us tonight and tomorrow.  The wind has already started to pick up and it has begun to rain. As miserable as all this is here, I simply cannot imagine what all those poor people in Florida are going through right now!  But this weather can't last forever, and soon will be the cool, crisp, knitting-friendly weather of fall.  I am ready!

Poncho Progress

As promised, here are the pictures of the progress I have made on Megan's poncho so far.  The pattern calls for 2 rectangles to be sewn together and trimmed along the neckline and bottom with fun fur.  The pattern is a free one from the Lion Brand Yarn website.  The majority of this progress was made on Labor Day during the CSI marathon.  I have been so busy lately that I have not done much more since then.  September starts the fall festival season around here, and last weekend was the first in the series.  Now, I love fall festivals, so I will be going to as many as I can for the next few weekends.  This weekend will be no exception.  Unless............  another hurricane is lurking.  The latest forecasts for our area show the remnants of Hurricane Ivan will dump from 5 - 10 inches of rain on us somewhere around Friday.  Depending on how fast he moves out of here, that could easily extend into Saturday.  In that case, the festival will be washed out, and there will be a lot more poncho progress to post by the end of the weekend!  As tired of all this rain as we are here, I can't even imagine how those poor folks in Florida feel!  But I am hoping against hope for the rain to be gone by Saturday.  Friday is my birthday, and I am stuck working a 12 hour shift that day, so I really wanted to have some fun this weekend.  Is it time for the fall weather yet?????????????

Marathon Knitting

My niece's poncho is about 60% complete now.  I have been concentrating on that so that once the weather finally changes here, it will be ready for her to wear.  I got most of that done on Labor Day during a CSI marathon.  There were lots of outdoor plans for that day, but the rain ahead of Hurricane Frances put the brakes on those.  So instead, I marathon knitted.  That poncho is really going to be cute!  I went to Michael's on Friday and picked out a lavender fun fur to crochet the trim around the bottom and the neck.  Yesterday a group of us went to a local craft show and Megan went beserk over the knitted scarves and scrunchies (which it seems you do not wear in your hair anymore -- now you wear them on your wrists.  Who knew???)  I will make her a lavender fun fur scrunchie to go with her poncho. I have still been working away on the chemo caps during lunch at work and during the waiting for a doctor's appointment Friday, etc.  I have slowed down on the Carnival Scarf in order to concentrate on the poncho, so there is no more progress on that to share.  I wanted to have pictures to post, but it is a gloomy, foggy morning and I thought I would wait until the sun comes out later on (which the weatherman promises it will!) and I will post them tomorrow.  Well, better go get some laundry and cleaning done so that I can make some more progress on that poncho!  And take another walk, if the sun comes out, that is!  Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Knitting Progress (or lack of!)

So why the lack of knitting progress to blog about?  Two reasons.  First, work.  A couple of 12 hour shifts, to be exact.  Ugh.  I really hate those.  Then there is reason #2 -- the fun reason. A few weeks ago, a group of friends from work and I started walking on the nearby bike trail.  We go anywhere from 3 to 6 miles.  We go a minimum of 3 times a week and we try to go as much as 5 times a week.  The bike trail is actually part of an old railroad that was taken over by the city and paved over and coverted to a bike trail.  It is part of Virginia's "Rails to Trails" program.  I have posted some pictures that I took on one of our walks this past week.  It is really very pretty.  On the knitting front, I actually have been doing some knitting in the last few days, just not enough progress to post pictures of.  I am still working away on those chemo caps.  I will make a couple more and then take them over to the Oncology center.  And I am working on the Carnival Scarf.  As Spunknit said in the comments from the other day, it really is a "feel good" knit!  And I need that today -- sort of in the doldrums.  But between knitting on the Carnival Scarf and this afternoon's walk on the bike trail, that should cheer things up considerably!

A Carnival of Color!

I couldn't stand it any longer!  Last night I was swatching for Megan's poncho when my "start-itis" got the better of me.  I just had to see what that gorgeous ribbon yarn was going to look like knit up.  Soooooo, and I picked up the needles and cast on for the scarf  "to just knit a row or two."  The colors are so much prettier in person than in the picture.  They are bright and shiny and very vivid.  I am going to love this scarf!  I was able to finally get gauge on Megan's poncho, but I had to try 3 different needle sizes. I have the worst time with gauge!  I knit very, very loosely.  Also as promised, a picture of the Unikat yarn that I bought from Roxi (aka "The Yarn Junkie").  Again, these colors are much brighter and prettier in person.  Apparently I do not have the digital camera thing down pat yet, but I am working on it!  If you want to see what this poncho looks like when completed, check out Roxi's blog and scroll down to her "About Me" section.  There is a picture of Roxi wearing hers in a different color.  I will start my poncho when I get done with Megan's (or at least mostly done -- that start-itis is difficult to control, right Bron???!).  The third picture is of my Wild Child cat -- he had been playing in the catnip right before this picture was taken.  Well, back to the ribbon scarf (whoops, I mean housework!!!)

You've Got Pictures!

Finally!  I have figured out how to work the digital camera (sort of!) and I can now post pictures of my knitting projects and of course, the cats!  First up on the picture show is the yarn that I finally chose for my niece Megan's poncho -- Bernat Breeze in the color Violet Crush.  She is a very pink and purple kind of girl, so this should fit the bill very nicely!  The pattern I am thinking of using for this is a new free pattern on  Lion Brand Yarn's website called Knit Scarf Ponchette.  The next picture is the result of a trip to Michael's to pick up a pair of knitting needles.  I came across the new ribbon yarn from Lion Brand called Incredible.  It is really gorgeous!  I was surprised.  It has a lovely sheen, the colors are bright and bold and it is so very silky.  It will make a lovely scarf -- this one is for me!!!  I picked up a couple of balls in the color Carnival to make up the scarf that is also a free pattern on their website.  The third picture is the book I picked up in Barnes and Noble yesterday, Exquisite Little Knits.  It is currently being reviewed by the Feline Literary Guild.  Initial reports are favorable!  As for the human review, I like this book.  It has many fun projects using yarns that are relatively easy to obtain.  A good addition to my knitting library.  The fourth picture is the pitiful look that cats get when it is slightly past their suppertime.  My next post will feature the yarn that I bought from Roxi to do my poncho.  Wait until you see that awesome yarn! 

 

Time Flies!

I can't believe it is the middle of August already!  School will be starting up soon (please don't mention that in front of my niece Megan, it causes her great distress!)  I think that it would be nice for Auntie Lisa to knit her up a nice poncho to cheer her up!  (Another "to do" project, just what I need)!  I have been knitting along on those chemo hats, and they are so cute!  They go very fast and are a lot of fun to make.  I will have a bagful of them soon to take to the oncology center.  I hope to have a new digital camera soon (hopefully within a week) to take pictures of all the hats before they go.  Just as soon as the hats are all done, I plan to start on a poncho for my niece and one for myself.  I am not sure what I will use for Megan's poncho, but I sure know what I will use for mine!  After seeing the poncho that Roxi made, I had a total fit!  I HAD to have it!!!!!  I emailed Roxi and ordered the poncho pattern and the yarn to make it from her store's website.  The yarn has been calling my name (Lisa....LISAAAAAAAAAAAA...............) ever since it arrived, and I won't be able to stand it much longer!  It is fabulous!  Again, pictures very soon, I hope!  I also had to get one of her adorable felted catnip mice for my kitties.  They have been rolling on it and batting it around having a very good time with it.  Thanks Roxi!  You can check out Roxi's blog, The Yarn Junkie (and a picture of that fabulous poncho -- scroll down to her "About Me" picture) on my links to the right.  There is only one fly in the ointment lately.  The Santa Fe Shawl.  It is still not done.  It did not turn out the way I expected colorwise, but it still deserves to be finished.  Who knows, maybe it will look much better after the beaded crochet trim is done.  Guilt is a powerful thing.  Sigh. 

A Nice Surprise!

I had a nice surprise when I went out to the mailbox yesterday.  About 6 months ago, I took out a subscription to Knitter's Digest.  I have been very disappointed in it.  The last couple of  issues left much to be desired.  I was not going to renew.  Well, yesterday in the mail, was a new magazine -- apparently Knitter's Digest is no more.  It has been replaced with Creative Knitting.  It reminds me a lot of FCEK now.  There are patterns for a lace stripe sweater, lots of scarves (still obviously big this fall), there is also a sweater out of Melissa Leapman's new book Hot Knits. There are other Melissa Leapman sweaters, along with socks and things for children and afghans.  And my favorite of all -- on page 28, the "Soy Delicious Shell."  It is a long tunic style form fitting sleeveless shell with slits on the side and seed stitch ribbing.  It has definately made it onto my "Must Do" list!  The sweater in the book is made out of Soy Silk Ribbon yarn, hence the name Soy Delicious Shell.  All in all, I liked the new magazine.  It was a definate upgrade from the issue of Knitter's Digest I expected to find in my mailbox!!!!

Warning: Addictive!

That's the warning label that the "No Hair Day Hairy Chemo Cap" pattern should come with!  What fun!  I have made 4 of these so far, knitting at lunchtime at work (which seems to be the only time I have to knit lately!)  They are so much fun to knit, and my coworkers have gone nuts over them.  I have been besieged by requests to sell these caps, but I politely refuse.  I tell everyone that wants one that I will furnish them with a list of needed supplies and gladly teach them how to make their own. My goal is to make a bag of these adorable hats to take to the Hematology/Oncology Center before the onset of the cool fall weather.  Pictures of these caps really don't do them justice -- they are simply the cutest hats I have ever seen!  I have been making them in "hair colors" like white and black and brown, but I think I will branch out a bit and try a few brightly colored ones, too.  And for those thinking ahead to Christmas present knitting, how cute it would be to make a matching hat and scarf -- maybe even put a furry cuff on a pair of gloves to complete the set.  But be warned -- you can't make just one of these hats!!!!!!!!

Pop Quiz!!!!!!!!

Okay class, close your books and pick up your pencils.  It is time for a pop quiz!  The quiz consists of only one question, but any of you that have been reading my blog for a while will have no problem getting it correct.  So, here goes:

"Why hasn't the Santa Fe Shawl turned up in the Completed Projects column yet?"

a)  I am a fickle knitter, constantly flitting back and forth between projects

b)  I suffer from "start-itis", an affliction that compels one to begin new projects

c)  I walked through the novelty yarn isle of Walmart in a weak moment

d)  I dislike the finishing process of a project -- I much prefer the knitting part

e)   All of the above

Okay, quiz over.  Put down your pencils and pass your papers forward.  So how did you do?  If you answered  e)  All of the above, you got an A+!!!!!!!  The shawl finishing is going slowly due to the fact that I dislike the finishing aspect of a knitting project.  Seriously dislike it.  I would much rather be knitting!  The blocking process was a complete sucess!  After all the grunting and muttering and pulling and tugging, I was very afraid that the pieces would go (((Sproing!!!!!!))) back into their original shape when the pins were removed, but to my immense relief, the pieces stayed put in their new dimensions.  Now for that dastardly sewing up part -- but wait a minute, since I missed my mother-in-law's acutal birthday, what is another week or so going to matter, why not begin a new project now???  So that's what I did.  It did not help that I happened to find myself in the yarn department at Walmart on a day that I was feeling a bit down.  The brightly colored, cheerful novelty yarns got the best of me, and some of them found their way into my cart.  Sneaky things!  Some of that cheerful yarn has already begun its new life as "No Hair Day Hairy Chemo Caps!"  I found a link on Spunknits blog (Innane Knitting Babble) for charity crafters, and one of the links on it lead to http://www.headhuggers.org/.  There are so many cute caps on this site, but this furry one with the silly name really caught my eye!  http://www.headhuggers.org/patterns/kpatt10.htm.  A short walk from the hospital where I work is the Lynchburg Hematology / Oncology Center.  Two summers ago, I spent many hours sitting there playing cribbage with my Dad while he was receiving chemo for colon cancer.  When I found this link, I knew instantly that I wanted to make these caps to give to the Oncology center to give to their chemo patients.  As with Conner's prayer blanket, I find that making things to help others feel better actually helps relieve the heaviness in my own heart caused by my own problems.  Charity knitting is a beautiful thing.  Thanks to Spunknit for providing these links!

 

Santa Fe Shawl Update!

For anyone who read my old blog, you know that the Santa Fe Shawl has been an ongoing project for some time now.  It was a knit-a-long with Bron (see her link on my sidebar -- Bron's Blog II).  The knitting stopped for a while in March when my life took an unexpected "detour."  Bron graciously agreed to put the project on hold until I was ready to pick it back up.  If you read her blog, you will realize that she has lots of other projects to keep her busy!  Recently, I dug the shawl back out of its knitting bag.  It is a birthday present for my mother-in-law whose birthday is this month.  I really wanted to get it done.  I contacted Bron who gave me the nod to go ahead.  Alas, she is not completely happy with her Santa Fe Shawl  and is not sure if she will complete it or send it to the frogpond.  I await the verdict on its fate in one of her future blog entries.  I finished knitting the shawl yesterday.  I gave it a bath an stretched it out on the blocking board.  Easier said than done!  The directions warn that there will be a bit of a battle with this shawl, and they are not kidding!  But I won, and the largest piece of the shawl is blocked to a perfect 24" X 48".  Today it is the smaller piece's turn.  Once blocked, I will sew the two pieces together in an "L" shape and then crochet on the beads along the edges.  I promise pictures of the completed shawl!  So, there will be another finished project on my sidebar soon!

My "Start-itis" is Acting Up Again!

Now that Conner's Prayer Blanket is in the completed projects column, it is time to maybe start another project???  I know, I know.  I already have 3 incomplete projects in the WIP column.  But still, why not add another!  I have been thinking of knitting a tank top (seems I've bitten by the same bug that the rest of blogdom has).  I just want something kind of plain with a "v" neckline -- something simple and mindless that I could work on at lunchtime.  I decided on the tank top in the FCEK Spring/Summer issue on pg. 27, but decided to omit the triangle design in the middle.  I already had several balls of a yarn in my stash from Reynolds called Sedona, a variagated egyptian cotton.  It is shades of puple and teal and very silky and pretty.  I am having trouble with the gauge swatch, though.  It seems I have to go down a couple of needle sizes from the recommended one.  I tend to knit very loosely.  Unfortunately, it makes my hands ache to use small needles so we will see if this project actually makes it past the "beginning stage" or gets sent to the "frog pond".  Speaking of the rest of blogdom, I have been struggling to resist the lure of the fabulous "Charlotte's Web" shawl that so many other knitting bloggers seem to have fallen prey to.  Those Koigu colors are simply gorgeous!  I fear I am beginning to lose the battle!  I can already come up with more reason to knit this than reasons not to knit it!  Maybe as a reward!  Yesterday I went into Michael's for some paints and of course I had to check out the yarns.  They have some new stuff there, and it was tempting, but I ended up leaving with the paints I went in there for, and nothing else.  Then I went to Walmart for some groceries.  Of course I had to look at the yarns, and they also have some really cool new stuff!  But I left with the groceries I went in for and nothing else.  All that self-control deserves a Koigu reward, don't you think????  Hmmmmmmmmmmmm............

The Finished Prayer Blanket

Here it is, as promised!  The picture of the finished Prayer Blanket for Conner.  Cindy (Conner's grandmother) came by the hospital this weekend to visit, and I presented her with the blanket to take with her when she leaves for Florida on June13th.  She has had to resign from Lynchburg General for awhile until it is certain that Conner's surgery has been successful -- at which point she plans to return to us.  We miss her.  Conner's surgery is set for June 15th.  The blanket was finished just in time.  Her son's mother in law is an avid knitter, but had never heard of Prayer blankets or Prayer shawls.  She is very interested in finding out more about them.  I told Cindy about the book, "Knitting Into the Mystery"  and asked her to pass along the info.  As I said in my previous entry, knitting one of these was a very uplifting experience for me, but that was nothing compared to the feeling I got when Cindy opened the bag and I told her what it was.  She hugged it closely and cried and said that it was the most beautiful and comforting thing that she had ever heard of.  Now, I believe that that is because these blankets (or shawls) are visual, tangible objects that someone can hold and they are visual reminders of the love and prayers that the knitter has poured out for that person.  It is something that the person can wrap around themselves and "feel the love." Now maybe that sounds overly sappy, but the fact remains that that was one of the most powerful spiritual moments I have ever had.  Knit (or crochet) one for someone, and see for yourself!

Conner's Prayer Blanket is Finished!

Today I put the finishing touches on Conner's Prayer Blanket.  I wove in all those ends from the stripes and crocheted an edging all the way around the blanket in blue.  I am pleased with how it came out!  I sort of made it up as I went along, so I wasn't sure how it would all turn out in the end.  All in all, knitting this blanket was a unique experience.  I had read about prayer shawls in a book I recently bought,  "Knitting Into the Mystery: A Guide to the Shawl Knitting Ministry."  While reading it, I thought that I would take the shawl idea from the book and adapt it to blanket for a 22 month old baby boy that has been plagued with seizures since he was 1 month old.  He is the grandson of Cindy, a friend and coworker of mine.  What I experienced while knitting this blanket is sort of remarkable.  I am going through some difficult things in my own life right now, and it is easy to sink into self pity and depression when faced with so many difficult life-altering problems all at once.  I found that praying for Conner and his family while knitting this blanket sort of took me out of myself.  I discovered that as I was concentrating on praying for Conner, I felt much better.  I felt strengthened and hopeful and much more positive.  I will miss knitting on this blanket!  It was a sort of a therapy for me.  Luckily, Cindy is in town at the moment and will be here until June 13th when she returns to Florida to be there for Conner's surgery.  I will give the blanket to her to take back with her. 

Prayer Blanket Progress

The Prayer Blanket for Conner is just about halfway finished.  I ended up using the wonderful, soft Lion Brand Terryspun that I already had.  I went to Michaels and checked out the Polarspun, but they didn't have enough of the blue varigated that I wanted to use.  Now that I see how  the Terryspun is knitting up, I am so glad that they did not have the Polarspun!  I love this blanket!  It is so soft and snuggly!  I am making a square blanket, and I started in one corner and am working alternating powder blue and white stripes on the diagonal. I am just about to the point where I will start decreasing.  One more white stripe and half a blue one, and the decreases will begin.  Once finished with the square, I plan on crocheting a border around the blanket.  I have been knitting pretty exclusively on this blanket, so there is not much to tell about the other projects.  Except of course that I finished up Mom's scarf the day after I wrote my last entry and gave it to her for Mother's Day.  She loved it!  Dad promised to take a picture of it and email it to me, and when he does I will post it.  I really need to get another digital camera!!!  If I could only stop buying yarn long enough!!!!!!!!!!

A Prayer Blanket for Conner

As you can see, I have added another project to my sidebar!  It is a little quickie project for my Mom for Mother's Day.  It is a really gorgeous summer weight scarf knit out of a yarn I bought from Linda's Custom Yarns.  It is called "Slippery When Wet" and it is gorgeous!  I wish I had a digital camera (that works!) to take a picture of it now, but I will get Dad to take one when I give it to Mom and post that.  The yarn is sort of a satiny ribbon type yarn in varigated colors of teal, fuschia, and peacock blue.  Then there is a glittery puple strand mixed with it.  I added another eyelash yarn in varigated teal, purple and fuschia.  The effect is absolutely gorgeous, and you should see it shine in the sunlight!  Wow!  I am knitting it on size 13 needles, so it is going very fast.  Another project that will be showing up on my sidebar soon is a prayer blanket for the grandson of a coworker.  This little 22 month old baby has had seizures all his young life and they are beginning to become severe.  So much so, that the doctors have decided that the only thing left to do is to remove the right half of his brain.  He has been through 2 previous brain surgeries to see if partial removals could stop the seizures, but the seizures just move to another part of the right side of his brain.  Surgery is scheduled for June.  I had been reading about the prayer shawl ministry, and decided to do a variation of this and knit a blanket for Conner.  The idea is to pray for the person the whole time you are knitting the shawl (or blanket).  I have some old Lion Brand Terryspun in both powder blue and white, but I am going to check Michaels tomorrow and see if I might like the Lion Brand Polarspun better.  I did a baby hat for Janet's granddaughter out of that at Christmas, and it felt wonderful!  I was thinking of the Delft blue varigated blue/white color. Updates on the ongoing projects:  Aztec Sun Top -- I am glad that I decided to add the lime.  It really needed that little spark of color!  Santa Fe Shawl -- have done a few rows of this at lunchtime at work, but really need to get on the ball soon as this is a birthday gift for my mother in law's birthday on June 12!

Gotta Swatch!

The gauge swatch is done for the Aztec Sun Top.  I hate to swatch!  But it is very necessary for me.  I tend to knit very loosely and if I don't swatch, I could very well end up with a disaster!  That actually happened on the first sweater I ever knit.  I was so proud of it!  It had a little simple fair isle design around the neckline and it was bright red (one of my favorite colors).  I couldn't wait to get it put together and try it on!  When I did, I was crushed.  It was HUGE!!!!!!!  I learned a hard lesson with that sweater -- gotta swatch!  Now that that task is complete, I am ready to begin the knitting!  I changed my mind a little in the color scheme.  I had chosen the turquoise to knit the body of the sweater and mango to knit the trim and embroider the suns.  Then I decided the sweater needed a touch more color, so I went back to Michaels and picked up some lime to do the trim in.  I think I will like that alot better.  For some reason, the colors look more "balanced" now.  Also, I picked up my Northern Lights crochet jacket again after seeing how beautiful Bron's turned out.  If you remember from my old blog, it is being crocheted in Luxor Plus yarn in the color Black Confetti.  I also picked up the red and purple beads to finish off the Santa Fe shawl that I am working on in the color Ruby Cool (red, purple and white).  I am also ready to start knitting on that shawl and get that done. I am sure you see a pattern here -- bright and primary colors for me -- I am no pastel-type person! lol!

A New Knitting Project!

I have finally decided on the new knitting project!  Ever since I saw the Aztec Sun Vest in the Spring Interweave Knits magazine, I have not been able to get it out of my mind.  But it wasn't exactly what I wanted to knit.  I did not want a vest, I wanted a slightly longer, short sleeved summer top.  But I just couldn't get the pattern stitch and those cute suns out of my mind!  Making the garment longer was not a problem, but I have never "finagled" with a pattern to the extent of adding sleeves.  So, what to do?  Well, I turned to my Santa Fe Shawl Knit-A-Long buddy, Bron.  You see, besides having "Start-itis", Bron also has a condition called "Change-itis"!  She can take any pattern and make it over into exactly what she wants -- with gorgeous results!  See for yourself with her new creation, Marilyn. (Bron's Blog can be found on my sidebar).  Bron graciously supplied the instructions, ideas and courage, and off to Michaels I went -- the result is the Aztec Sun Top!  I chose Lion Brand Microspun in turquoise and mango for the trim and the suns.  I also decided to omit the stripe at the bottom of the vest as I did not think I wanted to call attention to one of my least positive assets!  :)  So, I am off today to swatch for the sweater.  Nothing like a new project to perk you up!

New Beginnings

Welcome to my new journal!  Thanks for following me from the old one.  Due to circumstances that I won't go into here, the cats and I have moved into an apartment 30 miles from where I used to live.  As you can imagine, there has not been much time for knitting in the last 2 weeks!  Moving does that to you! lol!  As I am sitting here surrounded by boxes and shreds of a life, I am slowly putting things away and picking up the pieces and moving on.  It is a slow and painful process.  We never know what the future holds, but one thing for sure that mine holds is knitting!! On the bright side of this adventure, my commute to work will only be 5 minutes instead of 1 hour, and you know what that means -- almost 2 hours more knitting time per day!  And in the process of moving I have found yarn I forgot I even had! lol! See, there is a bright side to everything!  :)  I plan to continue on with my WIP's (that is as soon as I can find them -- lol!).  I will continue on with the Santa Fe Shawl I am knitting with Bron, and the Northern Lights crochet cardigan.  And.......... since this is a time for new beginnings, don't you think I should extend that to beginning a new knitting project?????  I think that would be just what I need!