Red Rover, Red Rover...

Frightening angle but had to get a shot of my red roving hat in. They're quite fun as they knit up super fast. The i-cord is still a bit kinked but it will straighten out shortly. I used tassles instead of pompoms on this one since they're a bit faster to pull together. At the moment there isn't anything ridiculous or obnoxious protruding from the top of the hat and this may need to be remedied. I am undecided...



We leave on our ski trip tomorrow and in anticipation of finding a "great little yarn store" on the trip, I pulled together a list of yarns to look for - sadly, there are few options (aside from 100% wool - not that I have anything against 100% wool) in this neck of the woods so anything special must be ordered online which just isn't the same. I stopped the list when I ran out of paper - obviously, I would hardly buy all of this at once but I felt it important to have a complete list "just in case"...in case of what is unclear but I have a complete list nonetheless.

Debbie Bliss
- I have been coveting "Mary" from the Cotton Angora collection for a while now. I'll be on the lookout for the Cotton Angora book, as well as, about 13 skeins of banana.

Sock yarn
- koigu! I've heard so many great things about koigu but of course it is nowhere to be found around here. Hopefully, I can snag some out of town...I'd like to try the Crusoe socks from knitty.com.
- I'd also like to find some cool self-patterning yarns. The only thing I can get around is Kroy Socks.

The Cashmere Pullover from Weekend Knits is on my wish list. It calls for 9 skeins of Classic Elite Indulge (100% cashmere - yum!!) I'm not sure what color I would go for in this, the pattern uses a tan/gray natural looking blend but I might like something a bit darker like orange or red...although that may possible obscure the patterning contrasts. Hmmmm...

The flower washcloths from Weekend Knits are just too cute - they would make a fabulous Xmas gift wrapped up with some handmade soaps. They each require 1 skein of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille (100% cotton) to complete.

I fell in love with Peppermint Twist from Stitch N' Bitch the moment I saw it. Love the colors. It seems to be hard to find Rowan yarns anywhere in Canada (even online) so since we're heading south of the border for skiing, I'll freak out if I find Rowan Cotton Glace - the sweater requires 7 skeins bubbles #724, 2 skeins glee #799, 1 skein passion #805 and 1 skein of Phildar Sunset indien.

Also, from Stitch N' Bitch is the Pinup Queen sweater - it's a very flattering design and I would love to try it. 8 skeins of Classic Elite Lush is the yarn used in the pattern and they went for color #4407 which is a soft blue - gorgeous!

After seeing a very sharp looking completed Big Sack Sweater on another blog (Amelia Raitte: My Fashionable Life), it's been decided that I must have one. Again with the Rowan though - Rowan Homespun Chunky (7 skeins #982 Green Waters - I'd love to find some and try it although considering it's 100% wool, I can probably work out a substitute if I don't have luck.

The last item I've had my eye on in Stitch N' Bitch is the Chinese Charm bag - it's just too cute. Noro Gemstones is the yarn used and I haven't seen it ANYWHERE yet - it uses 6 skeins of #8.

And, of course, like everyone who has ever picked up knitting needles, I must have a Clapotis (see knitty.com if you've been living under a rock recently). I'm thinking some Noro silk garden would be nice for this pattern - possibly in colorway #84 or #35 or maybe even #88.

And last, but not least, I'm turning my mind to summer knits and love the Honeymoon Cami from knitty.com - it's made with GGH Mystik a cotton/viscose blend and requires 5 skeins.

Wish me LUCK!! :-)

A little bling...

So last night I started making some beaded stitch markers and I just couldn't stop. I got a little carried away and ended up with all of these. They are clumsily crafted with second rate, cheapo materials but I LOVE them all. I can't wait to start Clapotis so that I can use them!! All this time I've been using thse flat little plastic discs as stitch markers - I'll never go back - NEVER! So this is all of them together....terrible picture really but it was nighttime and apparently the kitchen tables gives off quite a glare.



But who am I kidding - this is how they'll really end up. And, frankly, I think it's much more pleasing to look at them in a big jumble like this.



Last night I also finished Brad's socks and was less than impressed with what I found. Apparently, when I had him try the first one on, I didn't pay close enough attention to how he was pulling them up and the heel was not properly positioned (not sure how he managed that) but now that I've finished up the second one, rather than 2 perfectly fitting socks, I've got 2 perfectly matched socks that are about half an inch too long. Woe is me. I hate ripping stuff back but I think it will need to be done. Sigh...I will never be at peace if he's walking around in baggy-toed socks.

Bought some Kroy Socks yarn yesterday to knit myself a pair of self-stripers but that and the dreading sock toe ripping will have to wait until after vacation. I'm planning to start my very own roving hat tonight and then try to get Brad's second hat in before we arrive. It's a 6 hour drive so should be no problem. I'm trying to decide if it would be too cheesy to make my hat match his but with red as the main color or if I should go for a different stripe pattern on my own...I'm leaning towards something different.

Putting off sock knitting...

I'm just about to turn the heel on sock #2 - the second one seems to have gone much faster and I hope to finish it up today. But I'm at the point where I have to pick up stitches and I find that to be the most tedious knitting task of all. So it's sitting there on the couch and I'm sitting over here on the chair - complete standoff.

I've got 2 hats I want to get through before we leave for our ski trip on Sunday though - devil horn hat for BF and roving hat for me - the rule is, I cannot start the fun colorful hats until the grey sock is complete. This may sound harsh (or maybe just ridiculous) but if I don't finish it now...well, you know.

I really dislike making entries without a picture so here is Bigsy enjoying the felted guilt mousie one more time...slurp!!


Yum!

The Second Sock Blues....

(original post Feb. 15th)
Well, I think the Valentine's Day Socks will need to be renamed afterall - I only finished the first one on Sunday and thought BF would understand if I didn't skip work for 2 days to finish the second one. Although it kinda sounds like a perfect week to me. Well, honestly I haven't even started the second one yet - I've got a bad case of the second sock blues. The first one finished up and FIT (woohoo!). My moment of triumph and then I realized "now I have to start all over again" - ugh. No offense to the sock - the foot part was actually quite fun but 9 inches of plain ribbing on the leg with 1 ply yarn wasn't exactly my dream project. Note to self:Next pair of socks must have something interesting happening on the leg. So instead of handknit socks for V-Day, BF got my version of dinner and movie - a BBQ cookbook (he's very good) and a promise that the next movie night is my treat. He got me some lovely flowers and a pound of Butler's chocolates - so, so good. A few years ago, he travelled quite frequently to Dublin,Ireland for work and would always bring me home a little box of Butler's so now they're my favorite special occasion treat.

I'm a bit disappointed with my sock picture - socks don't look like much without a model - I'll have a happy feet shot once #2 is done.

Ugh...time to go cast on another GREY sock now.



My very first sock...

Roving Hats, First Times and Guilt Mousies...

First things first, I completed BF's big head roving hat last week but didn't have a picture to post - this is it in all it's pom-pom glory...I know it looks like something for a 10 year old but trust me, he loves it. You've got to have fun hats on a ski trip.


Roving Hat Completed

I also completed the felted guilt mousie last week. He came out pretty cute - the free pattern is available here for anyone who's got kitties that hold a grudge.



Guilt Mousie Completed

Bigsy was an immediate fan...


Bigsy likes him...

And Niblet eventually got in on the fun so it looks like I'm officially off the hook. Phew.


Niblet likes him too...

Now, on to the Valentine's Day socks. I honestly don't think I'll have them both completed by Valentine's Day but they are going to retain the name regardless - maybe I'll have a highly productive weekend and surprise myself. I'm a little over halfway through the first sock - just very nervously turned the heel - looks good so far - no ridges or holes so that is good. This is my very first pair of socks so I'm crossing my fingers that they will be a comfortable fit.


My very first sock...nervous turning.

The little invalid...

Awww...poor kitty. This is Niblet - he is about 7 months old and was neutered today. He's doing his best to make me feel horribly guilty about the whole situation by looking as pitiful as kittily possibly. I feel awful.

The little invalid...
Cats always have a way of getting back at you though don't they? He could not eat after 10PM the night before surgery so I had to take the food up for BOTH him and his kitty brother Bigsy - short for Biggles short for Mr. Bigglesworth- because frankly, Niblet can't read the names on the bowls. They crowded around me in feline panic as I dumped the food back into the bag and then it appeared to be forgotten. I am SO naive. The next morning as I'm heading downstairs to get the kitty carrier (luckily with my boots on), I stepped in guess what? Yes - a protest poop. Unbelievable. There's no definitive poop proof and neither one of them is talking but I'm sure it was Bigsy.

Anyways, to make a long story short - I think I need to go knit some catnip mice for my little invalid...

Unfinished Business...

So this is the latest project - BF has trouble getting hats that fit (rather large cranium apparently) so I'm working on a big head hat for him that is going to be SUPER warm. I made a trip to Briggs and Little recently and picked up some Country Roving (5 ply) - it makes for a very thick, warm hat. Might have to make myself one when I'm through - kitty hat for "warm" days, Roving hat for really cold days. I like it...but look at the size of that thing. Yikes.


Country Roving Hat...for BF's big head.

I've been working on this checker pattern sweater on and off for a few months now - I keep setting it aside and then picking it back up - I'm not in a real hurry to finish it because I suspect the checker pattern is going to make me look (ahem!) fat. What was I thinking? Not sure...but I've already got the front of it knit so just a bit of the back and then the sleeves to go before this sweater's chub factor can be properly assessed...fingers crossed.


Checker pattern sweater...

Here kitty, kitty...

So, my projects in Jan./Feb. are pretty much going to revolve around a ski-trip BF and I are taking at the end of Feb. Very exciting...I can't ski worth a darn but I'm gonna look awfully cute standing around in my kitty hat!!


Meeeoooowwww....

Sensational Scarves...

My other project for Xmas was scarves for my girlfriends at work...you know who you are. We walk around the local craft store at lunchtime oohing an aahing over really soft yarns and other crafting paraphernalia (that's a big one - must spell check it). So, I picked up some FurFX and made them each (3) a small scarf for the neck of their coats. And they all looked gorgeous with them on! I actually ended up making 4 scarves because my dear mother stole one when I brought them home on a weekend visit. So...time will tell if someone actually likes something...it's been a month now and they're still wearing them - yay! K even wears hers in the office sometimes as a sweater accessory. For some reason this makes me ridiculously happy.

In related news, I knit myself a really long scarf - not sure why, since I'm a really short person but I do happen to have a picture of it. I'm not entirely happy with the fringe...it's seems a bit pathetic...hmmmm.


Scarf with pathetic fringe...

Jumper on the roof...

Jumpers, jumpers, jumpers...never again will I knit a jumper. A close friend of mine is about to have a baby in March and I thought wouldn't this cute little footed/hooded car seat suit (I call it a jumper) and matching blanket be just the sweetest thing to give her and her husband for Xmas. Well...I don't have a picture but I was less than happy with the final result. :-( Folded it looks really cute but I'm not convinced that the jumper will actually fit a human infant. It's a bit long and narrow. Very disappointing but the blanket was lovely. I was tempted to frog it and start over but I was already late with the gift so we'll see in March if it was a complete disaster or not! Fingers crossed...