'Twas the Month Before Christmas........"

I hope that everyone had a really great Thanksgiving!  We had a wonderful time!  I finished the Santa hat, but I did not wear it.  I gave it to Rich, and he had a great time playing Santa Claus with it!  I wanted to share a couple of pictures from Thanksgiving with you, and also a poem that I saw yesterday -- someone had posted it on the Knitting Scarves group, and I thought that it summed up perfectly this time of year for knitters!  I do not know who originally wrote it, but they were for sure a knitter!!!!!   Enjoy!

KNITTERS CHRISTMAS EVE

'Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
Was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren't hung by the chimney with care
'Cause the heels and toes had not a stitch there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep; he was no help at all,
And the sweater for him was six inches too small,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tripped over my yarn and fell down with a crash.
The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how much I still had to go.
Out on my lawn I heard such a noise,
I thought it would wake both Dad and the boys.
And though I was tired, my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
But what I heard then left me perplex-ed,
For not a name I heard was what I expected,
"Move, Ashford! Move, Lopi! Move, Addi and Clover!
Move, Reynolds! Move Starmore! Move Froelich --move over
Paton, don't circle 'round; stand in the line.
Come now, you sheep will work out just fine!
I know this is hard; it's just your first year,
I'd hate to go back to eight tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill; what I saw was amazing,
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing.
And then, in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa's feet coming across the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet,
And as I turned 'round St Nick I did meet.
He was dressed all in wool from his head to his toe,
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.
A bright Fairisle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran knit sack.
His cap was a wonder of bobbles and lace
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf 'round his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.
The back of his mittens bore an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I espied a small label,
"S.C." was duplicate stitched on the cuff,
And I asked, "Hey, Nick, did you knit all this stuff?"
He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a quite well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I'd thought up a plan.
I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair,
He spoke not a word, but looked in his lap
Where I'd laid my needles and yarn for a cap.
He quickly began knitting, first one cap then two,
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks.
While I sat back drinking scotch on the rocks.
So quickly like magic his needles they flew
That he was all finished by quarter to two.
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me,
And I heard him exclaim as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year start your knitting sometime around June!"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve to Everyone!  I can't believe it is here already!  Time has really flown these last few weeks, and no doubt it will fly even faster for the next month.  I am off today and tomorrow, and I am spending today knitting and cooking.  We are all going to my sister Debbie's house for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. 

I have several active knitting projects on the needles at the moment, all Christmas presents.  I have 3 scarves, a shawl for my Pollyanna at work, a farmer's market tote for my sister, and a cabled hat that I am test knitting for Spunknit (her blog, Innane Knitting Babble) is in the sidebar at the right) that is destined to become a hat/scarf set for my Dad.  I am currently searching for exactly the right pattern for that cabled scarf.  I am not having any real success, so I think I will just "wing it."  Last year I made Dad a Seafarer's scarf, and he loved how that scarf hugged his neck without a lot of excess bulk, so I am thinking of making another one of those but changing the garter stitch ends to regular knit stitch and adding cables. I am thinking of adding a seed stitch or garter stitch border along the edge of the scarf to prevent curling.  I will have to do a couple of test swatches to see what I like best. 

There is one more little project on the needles at the moment -- a Santa Hat for me!  It is a free pattern from Lion Brand Yarns and it uses Thick and Quick Chenille in Scarlet and Fun Fur in White. Here is the link to the pattern: http://freeknittingpatterns.lionbrand.com/patterns/kctq-santaHat.html  Originally, I had planned to have it done for the lab Christmas party on December 14th, but I think that I will go ahead and finish it today and wear it to my sister's house tomorrow.  It definitely will be cold enough!  We may even get some snow tonight! 

There are a couple of other projects waiting their turn on the knitting needles!  I love knitting this time of year!  I don't even mind the pressure of getting everything done -- it gives me the perfect excuse to sit and knit away without guilt when I really should be doing something else!  The latest project to roll off the needles and join the WIP list is Megan's sequined scarf, pictured above.  It is made out of Berroco Laser FX and the sequins are teal and pink and gold.  I held that yarn together with 2 strands of Trendsetter Perla yarn.  It is white eyelash with irridescent strands in the eyelash that pick up the colors of the sequins beautifully.  The picture does not do it justice as it is really very glittery and sparkly.  It would have come out better in sunlight, but there doesn't seem to be any of that today.  It definitely looks like snow outside! 

Well, off to knit!  I have set myself a certain "daily goal" of knitting each day to be sure that I get everything done by December 25th!  So, I think I will break out the hot chocolate, the Christmas music and the knitting needles and wait for the snow and enjoy the day!  Hope everyone has a safe and GREAT Thanksgiving!!!!!

My Name is Harley!

I want to thank everyone for their comments and emails and suggestions on a name for this little cutie!  There were some really great suggestions, and it was a difficult choice.  In the end, the one name that I just kept coming back to was Harley.  This little fella is all dressed in black, he zooms around everywhere he goes, and he has a really loud motor.  If that isn't the definition of a Harley, then I don't know what is!  When I took him to the vet for his shots last week, she told me that little Harley is going to be a long haired kitty.  So we are trying to get used to being brushed at this early age, but is not going very well.  He can't sit still long enough!  

Knitting progress is a bit slow right now, thanks to the turbo charged ball of fluff that loves to "help" me knit!  Mostly what I have been doing is planning the rest of the presents that I had not already decided on and digging through my "Outta Control Yarn Stash" looking for the perfect yarns to use.  I have been able to make Jackie's scarf for her granddaughter, add the fun fur trim to Kayla's baby poncho, and start one of the Farmer's market felted tote bags.  I will take knitting pictures next, I promise! 

I am going to my LYS this afternoon to look for some more yarns for some more Christmas presents.  I know, I know -- what in the world am I doing going shopping for MORE yarn when I already have an "Outta Control Yarn Stash"??????  I have a good reason!  I want to make a scarf for my niece Megan for Christmas using the Laser FX yarn by Berrocco.  It has little sequins in it, and since sequins are so popular this year, my niece the little Fashionista Diva will be right in style!  Also, I was thinking of getting some more Noro Kureyon to do another Booga Bag for a present.  I am not sure about that, though.  And I need some more double pointed knitting needles.  I am test knitting a pattern for Spunknit (see her blog, Innane Knitting Babble in the link to the right), and believe it or not, I do not have the correct size double pointed knitting needles!  I have just about every other size, but not the one I need!  (at least they are not where I can find them -- they are most likely tucked away in a bag in my "Pile Of Undone Projects!") There are a few other odds and ends that I need to get, but those will probably come from Michael's. 

Well, I will return with knitting pictures soon!  Right now, I have a trip to the LYS to make!  Yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's In A Name?

I need some help!  I have this new, adorable, 4 month old little boy kitten, and I don't know what to name him!  He is solid black, with medium length hair. I had mentioned to my sister a couple of weeks ago that I have always wanted a solid black kitty, and when her neighbor (who works for a veterinarian) brought this adorable little fellow home to "foster care" until he could find a permanent home, my sister knew just who to call!  I went to see him Friday night, and it was love at first sight.  I was a little worried about what Cotton would think about the situation, but despite a few grumbles and growls at first, he now loves his new little brother and they play and have a great time together.  The girls from Diamond Hill Veterinary hospital named him Harry Potter, but somehow, that just doesn't suit him.  But the problem is, I don't know what does!  Some of the names in the running now are Salem, Harley, and Karma.  So far, I can come up with dozens of cute names for girl kitties, but not for boy kitties!  So, if anyone has any suggestions, please, I would love to hear them!  As for knitting, it just became a bit more difficult as it causes quite a stir with the new kitten!  It seems he loves to knit!!!!  Because he enjoys knitting with mommy so much, I was trying to think of a cute knitting related name for him.  Any suggestions?????? 

Willpower!!!!!

I am proud of my willpower this week!  The box from Knit Picks arrived 2 days ago, and I have been able to keep my "Start-itis" under control (so far!)  I do not know how much longer I can hold out, though.  It is very difficult!  I have been trying to finish up a few odds and ends before I dive into that fabulous box of fibers.  So far, I have finished and fringed the scarves you see in the above pictures (2 of them the knitting was completed, they just needed fringing) and I have also finished the other Red Hat Lady scarf for Jackie to give her friend.  Now Jackie has managed to convince me to knit yet another scarf for her granddaughter for her birthday next month!  This one is another fun fur scarf in denim blues. 

There are 2 more "finishing" items that I want to complete before I start the first felted bag.  The first is the fun fur trim on Kayla's baby poncho.  I found some fun fur in my "Outta Control Yarn Stash" that I think will work fine, but I have not got around to doing it yet.  And the second thing is a project that I rescued from "The Pile of Undone Projects."  It is a scarf I started almost 2 years ago, and then abandoned to work on Christmas knitting projects that year.  I had forgotten all about it.  It is a scarf made of Wool Ease in denim twist, and denim blue fun fur.  It is really pretty, and best of all, it is almost finished!  I can't believe I had forgotten all about it!  I came across it again while working on the "Art Studio."  I sure am finding all sorts of neat stuff that I had forgotten that I had!  It is like Christmas every day I work in there!

As soon as these last 2 items are finished up, I will start on one of those felted bags.  I will take pictures of the yarns and post them in the next entry.  I dare not fool with that gorgeous yarn too much too soon or my willpower will fade completely and the "Start-itis" will win!!!!  (I think I can, I think I can!)

Waiting for the Mailman!

I got an email from Knit Picks the other day.  My package filled with all of the wonderful Wool of the Andes yarn to make felted bags is on the way!  I am making at least 3 for Christmas presents this year, and depending on how the first 3 go, I may make a couple more.  I made a felted bag almost 2 years ago and I loved knitting it.  It was a fun project.  I used the free Booga Bag pattern I found on the internet.  I have included a link to it in my Favorite Sites on the right.  It knit up fast and it was fun to watch the yarn make its own stripes.  I used Noro Kureyon.  I have some more of it in another lovely color to make myself another bag, but that will have to wait until after the Christmas Knitting rush.

This week I have finished knitting Kayla's baby poncho and started knitting another Red Hat Lady scarf for Jackie to give to her friend for her birthday.  That birthday deadline comes soon, so that is what I have been concentrating on the most.  I did not get much knitting done at lunchtime this week as I was playing "Knitting Instructor."  I have taught a couple of people at work how to do the knit stitch, and all are happily making scarves as fast as their needles will go.  But one girl has decided that she is tired of just making scarves, and she is ready to branch out into other projects.  She wanted to learn how to purl.  So, we have had purling classes this week at lunch.  She has homework to knit this weekend, but I think she has it down pretty good! 

I guess before that package of yarn arrives, I need to finish up some odds and ends of projects I have lying around here.  Once I open that box, my "Start-itis" will kick in, and I will not be able to resist starting one of those bags!  I have at least 3 scarves that are finished and just waiting to be fringed.  And the baby poncho needs its hood seam sewn up and attached to the body of the poncho.  I think I am going to add some fun fur around the edges.  I think that would be adorable!  I need to go scope out "The Outta Control Yarn Stash" to see if I have some lavender fun fur tucked away somewhere.  If not, it is off to Walmart or Michael's!  Well, I have to do something while I am wainting for the mailman!

Life's A Beach!

The Beach Vacation Scarf is now officially the Beach Sunrise Scarf.  This was the first "sideways" scarf that I have ever made.  I followed the pattern for the StockPot Scarves from KnitPicks website.  I used Reynolds Saucy Sport for the main yarn.  It is a sand color.  Then for the "effects" part of the scarf, I used 3 different eyelash yarns and knit for about 1/3 of the scarf with each one.  The effect that I was trying to create was to "paint a picture with yarn."  I love to blend yarns, like paints, to see what effect the combination will create. The picture I was trying to paint here was the beach at sunrise.  I wanted to start with the sand, move into the water, and finally the colors of the sky at sunrise.  To do this, I started the scarf with a combination of sand and blue eyelash.  Then I switched to a another eyelash yarn that was a lighter color beige, more like an ecru, mixed with blue and some blue iridescent.  The last eyelash yarn was a combination of ecru, peach and peach iridescent. 

The scarf  was fun to knit.  I have decided that I really like knitting these sideways scarves.  It takes a long time to get through a row, but you can have a lot of fun with striping effects with this type of scarf.  I see lots of possibilities here!  I will make some changes the next time I knit one of these scarves, though.  First of all, I cast on more stitches than the pattern called for because I was afraid that the scarf would not be long enough.  I wanted a long skinny scarf.  I need not have added those extra stitches.  I now have a very long skinny scarf!  Especially since the main yarn is cotton, it grows a little bit each time I take it out of my knitting bag and show it to someone!  The second thing I would change is the needle size.  I followed the pattern directions for determining what needle size to use, but I think I will try one size larger next time.  The yarn called for a size 5, so per the pattern, I used a size 7.  I think an 8 would have been a little better.  The fabric would be less dense and would drape a bit better.  Needless to say, I am ready to try another scarf!  So, what picture should I paint with yarn now????

The yarn painting may have to be put on hold for a while though.  It is that time of year again when Christmas Knitting comes into the picture.  I have been looking through patterns and bins of yarn trying to come up with ideas for Christmas presents to knit.  I am almost finished with Kayla's baby poncho.  All that is left is the hood.  Yesterday I ordered enough Wool of the Andes yarn from Knit Picks to make 3 Farmer's market tote bags for Christmas presents.  WHAT????  Ordered yarn??  With 16 (yes, 16!) large tupperware bins of yarn, what in the world was I doing ordering yet more yarn!  Well, I want to make some felted tote bags, and I do not have much 100% wool in my stash.  The wool I have is superwash or mixed wool and acrylic, and that just won't do for felting.  So you see, I had no choice!  But the tote bags will make great presents, and they are fun to knit.  The pattern that I am going to use is also a free one to download off the Knit Picks website, and I have added that link to the Favorite Sites sidebar at right.  I will share the color combinations that I picked when the yarn arrives.  One other present that I have decided to make is also from a free pattern from Knit Picks.  It is the Ocean Capelet.  I have decided to knit this for Megan.  I have some other possibilities brewing, but these are the only definites right now.  I even think that I have stash yarns to use for the Ocean Capelet!

The art studio is progressing nicely!  It is just about ready to use.  I have hauled out 6 trash bags of junk that I don't need anymore, and the rest of the junk that I still need is now piled pretty much out of the way.  (Just don't open the closet door!!!  Yikes!)  There are still a few odds and ends that need to be done, but the bulk of the heavy work is out of the way now.  One bad thing about this project is that now that I see how much better that room looks, I am casting my eye around the rest of the apartment thinking that there are several other places that could use a good overhauling!  It is like a chain reaction!  But I can't get too carried away overhauling everything right now.  It is time for Christmas Knitting!!!  I love this time of year!