Never on Time

I wish I was one of those people with perfect timing. Me - I'm always so early that I sit around twiddling my thumbs forever or, more likely, I am late. We're not talking the party's already over late but 5 or 10 minutes late at least is the norm. It's a terrible habit, I know.

So why should my knits be any different, right?

I present to you "Too Late":


Orangina languished on the blocking board for the better part of 2 weeks and now it is too cold to wear her. Oh well, something to look forward to next Spring. She'll probably be a better fit by then anyhow - did I mention I joined the gym? And spent valuable yarn money on 12 sessions with a personal trainer? Yes, this knitting girl is taking her recent expansion seriously. There is a history of hypothyroidism in my family so I'm always watchful of any rapid weight gain - in this case, I'm sure it's the amount of time I've been sitting on my rear both at work and at home this year that has brought on twenty pounds but I should be taking better care of myself anyway.

And here we have "Too Early":



It's too cold for a tank top but still not really cold enough for a scarf. Story of my life... This yarn has been next to impossible to photograph and the rainclouds this morning did not help. I love the colors - very rich although the photos aren't really reflecting that.

The prizes for last week's contest are all ready to send out tomorrow...I've got to say it's a little hard to let them go but it will be good for me. Build character and all that...no photos since I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. I've been knitting on Salina but no progress shots yet as I'm only about 8 rows into the moss stitch waistband! Should be significant enough for pictures by early next week...

Project Specs:
For Orangina aka "Too Late":
- pattern from Glampyre Knits (love it)
- yarn was recommended Rowan 4ply cotton in White
- love the look of the lace and it was fun to knit too
- I would do this again but would add an inch or so to the lace next time to make it a bit longer

For Cash Scarf aka "Too Early":
- pattern stitch was Flemish Block Lace from Vogue Knitting on 3.75mm needles
- yarn was super luxurious 4-ply 100% cashmere from Hand Maiden (so so soft)
- I would use this yarn again in a heartbeat probably with a different stitch pattern though
- Flemish Block Lace is not really suited to a scarf; the stockinette at the edge tends to curl it a bit

And The Winners Are....

The contest is now officially closed. :-) Thanks for playing everyone! The correct answer was Flemish Block Lace.

Prizes will be sent out next week to:

1. Netter for being the first to answer correctly.
2. Li gets the consolation prize for being right on her heels.
3. Anna get a prize for being the first to put a guess out there and, well, just for being Anna.

New Contest Clues

Well, there were no correct guesses on the contest yet so here is picture of last night's progress...



And a brand new CLUE!

This is the book the lace stitch pattern came out of.



This is a huge clue since there are only about 10 lace stitches in here... Send me an email if you think you know the answer...there is some yummy yarn up for grabs ladies!!

Karma in a Contest

I received a really cute package in the mail yesterday from Kim's Knitting World. She had a contest a couple of weeks ago to guess how much yarn was left-over after completing Katie. I didn't even win and I still got a prize!! She sent me a really cute card with 2 puppies and a kitty (right up my alley), an ice cream sundae stamp (yum!), a gauge check (much needed) and the cutest little sock-shaped point protectors (sock-shaped nuff said). If you haven't been to Kim's World - what are you waiting for? She's smart, funny and a darn good knitter. Not to mention designer..."Sexie" from Stitch n' Bitch: Nation? Yeah, that was her!



Anyhow, I thought it was really cool that I got such a nice little consolation package - I didn't even win the contest!! So, I was inspired to have a little contest of my own and keep the good karma going.

I started a scarf last night - grabbed a skein of the most delicious HandMaiden 4 ply 100% CASHMERE(!), a lace stitch pattern from one of my books, cast on 31 stitches and started knitting. Pictured below is said scarf - 3 pattern repeats in.

*******************CONTEST********************
Can you guess the name of the lace stitch pattern I'm using?? If you're the first to guess correctly, you get a prize!!

EMAIL ME WITH YOUR RESPONSES: knittenknots@hotmail.com


(Click the picture to enlarge...)

I'll post a new picture and clue every day until someone guesses correctly assuming no one gets it today! Happy guessing!
**********************************************

What Have I Been Up To??

It's been a while hasn't it? My camera was forgotten in a friend's car and I FINALLY got it back. It was a long, long week without it. So what have I been up to??

Well, Orangina is still creeping along. The second panel is completed and I've got about 4 inches of ribbing to do before I can seam. I would probably have her finished by now but we've been having a lot of movie nights recently and I needed things I could do with little light and even less brain power. Lace was out of the question.

So I made a Sophie last weekend while Michelle and I watched the Gilmore Girls, Lost Boys, Bridget Jones, and plenty of Most Haunted - love that creepy show. (The color on this photo is very accurate. Kind of a light purple.)



I also managed to finish up Brad's campfire socks and am very pleased with them. I'm planning to make at least one pair for his dad for Xmas. He is out in all types of weather on the farm and truly appreciates wooly handknit socks.





I realize a back view of a pair of socks is not really necessary - haha! - but I wanted to show off the heel stitch. Plus the rear view photo had more "flair" on the part of the model - you'll note the turn out on the foot - nice touch Brad. Well done.

I've also been very busy doing something else recently.



I've got 4 big jars and 2 small of dill pickles put up and with 5 batches of salsa under my belt on the weekend, I'll be bottling up 6 more batches tonight and then that is it. No more pickling for this year. If 11 batches of salsa sounds a bit excessive, rest assured we will be gifting about half of it! :-) But that still leaves half of it for us to eat...yum.

Project Specs:
For the Socks:
- Briggs and Little Heavy Sock pattern 3X1 rib
- Briggs and Little 100% Heritage Wool in Brown Heather and Natural White
- Love this pattern and love these socks. Might try adding some reinforcing thread on the neck pair to help those heels last a little longer.

For the Bag:
- Sophie Bag from MagKnits (http://www.magknits.com/warm04/patterns/sophie.htm)
- Made with Briggs and Little Heritage 100% wool
- I may throw Sophie back into the wash to felt a bit longer. It could use a bit more structure.

For the Dill Pickles:
- I used this recipe from Epicurious.com (http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/230707).
- I've never made these before but they were simple and smell great. I will definitely let you know how they taste in a couple of weeks. I threw a few hot dried chilis into the small bottles.

For the Salsa:
- It's a family recipe. Send me an email if you'd like to have it.