Knitting Has Been Happening

Knitting Has Been Happening

I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth. I have just been busy going back to school working on my Bachelor's degree (one class each semester so far), full time work, part time work, lots of knitting, and some traveling.

Color Affection

 I finished this Color Affection shawl for a friend who moved from our area. This is the second time I made this pattern and this time I really liked it. It turned out nicer than the first one and it is so soft. I am hoping that it will keep this friend warm as winter will set in out in Utah before very long.

I used Woolike yarn from Michael's for this shawl. I was surprised at how soft and wonderful it felt as it is an acrylic and nylon blend. In fact, I liked the yarn so much, I went back and bought enough to make a lightweight sweater or two for myself.

Ashton

 I knit this Ashton shawl by Dee O'Keefe for another friend who moved to California. This was a fun knit. The pattern didn't have beads on it, but I thought some little purple beads would look so pretty on this shawl. I really like how it turned out and I would like to make myself one, probably without the bead though. The beading slowed the knitting down quite a bit.

This shawl was knit with a Zauberball lace which is a single ply. I don't really like to work with single plies, but this one wasn't bad at all. I might even succumb and purchase another ball one day soon to make a really large shawl for someone else. The beads were some that I had in my stash from a project many years ago. I only used one tube of beads, so I still have another full tube left in the stash.

H's Modig

 This little vest, the Modig, was made for our twelfth grandchild. It is made with Paton's Encore yarn which I picked up at Second Story Knits in Bethesda during the Metro Yarn Crawl in April. In fact, I started this little vest the night I bought the yarn. I only had a week to make it before flying out to meet this new little baby. I love how the blue and green car buttons just fit the vest. Perfect for a little boy.

Truth be told, this is the second Modig I made. I also made one out of stashed Luna yarn for my niece's baby who is about the same age as "H" but much smaller. My niece says her little one can probably wear this when she is five.

Maryland Sheep and Wool 2016

May brought the Maryland Sheep and Wool show. I loved going this year. I probably spent more money than I should have, but I found some wonderful things. I found that the jumbo flyer for an Ashford Kiwi will fit my Ashford Scholor, so I bought the jumbo flyer and can now get a larger skein when plying.

I found I really like Turkish spindles and I found a couple of really nice ones. I also replaced my Trindle. My first Trindle's arm don't stay in very well, they keep flying off when spinning which is very annoying. I like the new Tridle, it spins very nicely. I also bought some yarn: Ella Rae worsted in a pine green and Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool in a pumpkiny color. I also bought one hank of fingering weight yarn from Dragonfly Fibers in their show colorway.

I have lots of new projects, lots of UFOs, and projects in the planning stages. I am hoping that getting back into blogging will help keep me accountable and give me a goal to get some things finished as I would like to share my progress on all these yarny pursuits.

Happy knitting and spinning.

BSJs and Grandkids

On Thanksgiving Day ES, C, and I got to fly West to meet our new grandsons/nephews and get reacquainted with the older grandson. It had been over a year since we had been to see the kids and it was good to be there for a week. This is a picture of all our grand kids with one mother, one father, and one aunt. The mother of the tyke in blue pants was out of the room while another aunt gave her a massage. I had one too and it was wonderful!!! Thanks AM!

Of course I couldn't go to visit without taking a knitted gift! I had to present these BSjs to the kids in person to tell them the story of the yarn and the sweaters. I couldn't just send them in the mail.
These two Baby Surprise Jackets, plus two and a half others, have been knit and waiting for delivery since the kids told me they were expecting. The yarn is ALL stash yarn, but not MY stash. It was my grandmother's stash yarn! When Grandma died my aunt took all of the acrylic yarn to make crocheted toys. I got all of the wool yarn, plus some of her knitting needles. I had used some of the yarn to make a wallaby for R, but there was a lot of yarn left over and in all different colors. Grandma at one time had made all of her posterity afghans, sweaters, jackets, and lots of other things. There is a lot of yarn to work with and even after making what I have so far, there is probably enough left to make at least three or four more BSJs. I hope the kids tell the grand kids about the sweaters someday----letting them know that the yarn was their great-great grandma and the sweater was made for them by their grandma. I think it is neat that Grandma gets to give something to her great-great grandsons and she isn't even with us anymore!

The orange BSJ is for AEK, the little one all in white (it was his baby blessing day) and the blue one is for BEK, the oldest grandson, and CJK his little brother, the one in the blue pants.

I get to have the pleasure of going to see the kids again in another two weeks and I have some knitting planned to take with me. Maybe a new sweater, seeing as how I now have a job where I don't have to wear a uniform and can expand my wardrobe. I have some handspun I've been eyeing and I think I have enough for a basic sweater.

In other news-----Christmas is less than two weeks away and I'm still not even close to being ready. There has been some Christmas knitting, but not as much as usual. There are some things that need to be blocked and gifted, then I can post about them here.

Until next time, Happy knitting and spinning.

Dropping in After Way Too Long

This past month has just flown by. There has been knitting, spinning, work, gifts to send, a new baby and one due this week, trips to plan, airplane tickets to buy, a fiber fair to attend, a cooking class and just life. For some reason though it seemed to get away from me. I really didn't mean to not post for a whole month, but that is what has happened.

First let's talk about the gift giving: With two grand babies due in October, one a first child, there was baby knitting to be done. This stack of bibs was sent in time for a baby shower for K & J-b's baby, who is due this week. They were fun to make and I hope will be well used. The cream colored one is one I came up with the pattern for and I really like how it turned out.

I also sent along this dishcloth patterned afghan made with an acrylic/cotton blend. It worked up really quickly with large needles and was a mindless knit on those nights after work when I needed to unwind and let my mind quit racing.

There is other baby knitting, but I will save that for another post.

Our second grandson was born Sept. 20 at five weeks early. He weighed in at 5 lb, 3 oz and is now up to 5 lb, 7 oz. He is still in the hospital, but hopefully just for another week or so. He is eating well and he is breathing on his own and from what his parents say, is quite a little trooper. We are anxious to meet him and his soon to be born cousin, hence the airplane tickets.

I took a cooking, well really a baking, class last week. We learned how to use meringue, besides for lemon meringue pies, which we didn't do. We made these really cute mushrooms!

Don't they look real. Ruth, our hostess for the class, said that she had made these for an open house and put them on the dessert table. No one ate them because they looked so real. I brought home the ones I had made, to share with the guys. They both got quite a kick out of the mushrooms and C said he was going to call R and tell him that "Mom is giving my mushrooms". Besides looking cute, they really are good and sweet. They just seemed to melt in your mouth.

The final two pictures today are of my new drop spindle. It is a Trindle with red granite orbs. It spins really well and is down right fun.
I came home and got out a sample of punta/wenslydale which Vicky was kind enough to send me to sample. It is spinning up very nicely and I am enjoying it.

I have also finished spinning some fiber which was on the Scholar. It is on the niddy noddy now and I will get pictures of it soon. There is a project in mind for it, so I want to get onto it soon. Well, as soon as I finish up a couple of other things first. Too many projects and too many proposed projects, but isn't that the way we all work. What is on your project wish list?

Happy knitting and spinning.

Stash Enhancement and Finishing

Last Wednesday night I got the opportunity to attend knit night again, after about five weeks of not getting to go. I hadn't intended buying anything that night, but my drink changed that idea. Why did my drink change my plan? The lid came off while I was setting it down and some of it spilled on this beautiful ball of blue. I ended up coming home with a ball of Zauberball. I don't normally by single ply yarn, I don't like it that much, but I really do like the color. I haven't decided yet what I will do with this yarn, but I'm sure it will sit in the stash a while before I get around to using it.

In other news, I have another completed project. I completed knitting this little sweater for our staff pharmacist's new little girl about three weeks ago, but it has taken me until this past weekend to get the sleeves sewn up and the button sewn on.


Speaking of the button, I really like how this button works with the sweater and it accents the flowers on the pockets of the little pair of jeans I bought to go with the sweater.


The clothes are size 6 - 9 month size and the sweater fits right along with the sizing of them. I really like how this little outfits turned out.

I have other completed projects to show, but have to wait until they get to their intended recipients before showing them off. I have requests for hats which I should get cracking on, but haven't found the inspiration for them just yet either.

I have been spinning still, about 15 minutes or so during the day or evening. I have almost one full bobbin which has taken me about ten days to spin. I always like it when the bobbins get full, it means I'm accomplishing something on the wheel.

Last night ES and I went to dinner with some friends. We haven't done that in a long time and it was fun. We spent about 30 minutes eating and about two hours sitting there at our table talking. There are so many different restaurants around here and we haven't even touched a fingertip to the iceberg in sampling them. It was fun to go eat somewhere where we haven't been before. It also gives us another option when C is with us. I think he will like it also.

Well off to get something done before work today. School started today, so the house is mine for an hour or two. Happy knitting and spinning.

One Bib Coming Up

Just a little bib. It didn't take very long to make. I should get busy and make it some of my car knitting. I'd like to get a few done for the new babies and as baby gifts for friends. There is always someone around me expecting or just had a little one. And I have quite a few balls of Sugar n Cream just sitting in a stash. I could free up some stash room and have gifts.

Not much else going on around here, just work, getting C ready for school, some spinning and a lot of knitting. Happy knitting and spinning.

Second Circular Baby Afghan

Here are pictures of the second circular baby afghan I made for one of the babies due in October. I really had fun with this pattern. The main body of the circle was done in Plymouth Encore yarn and the outside edge was done in a stash yarn. I didn't make the afghan to scale, my row gauge was off. But I think it turned out good anyways.


There are many more projects in the que. They are getting completed, slowly.

Off to have dinner with ES and C, for C's birthday (yesterday). Happy knitting and spinning.

Last Week - Chicago

ES and I were in Chicago last week. ES was presenting at the NFPA conference which was held at McCormick Place. I was able to spend the time wandering around, sightseeing, knitting, and doing whatever I wanted to do. I also listened to ES's presentation which went very well.

One of the fun things we did, along with ES's co-worker Mark, was attend the Chicago White Sox game on Tuesday night. It was c-o-l-d, 51 degrees at the start of the game, and I was glad that I had brought my knitting with me. It kept my knees and hands warm when the wind got blowing. Mark laughed when I brought the knitting out, ES just took it in stride. He told Mark, "she takes it everywhere."

On Tuesday afternoon, I went looking for a yarn store within walking distance of the hotel. There was one listed in the phone book, but when I got there it wasn't there anymore. So Wednesday morning I went looking for another store which was close to McCormick Place. I took the shuttle to the convention center and then spent some time walking around, Knitwerks didn't open until noon and I was down there at 10:30. Knitwerks was a fun little shop and I might have come home with some pretty yarn.

While walking around and waiting for Knitwerks to open, I happened upon a little park. I had a throughly good time looking at the gardens around an old house, watching a couple of men clean out the fountain and then watching the fountain, but the best thing was watching this dragonfly.
He was really well hidden in the foilage, but caught and kept my attention once I spotted him. I loved his black and blue wings. I think I ended up watching him and the surrounding area for about 15 minutes. I almost took out my knitting right there, but decided I was more interested in finding something to eat.

Wednesday night was spent at the outdoor concert at Millenium Park with ES and his mom. We took a picnic, got some popcorn, listened to the music, then wandered around Buckingham Fountain. After that, it was back to the hotel to pack and get ready to head home the next day.

Chicago was a fun interlude, now it's back to work and everyday life. I'm glad I got the break though, the stress has been getting to me and I needed the get away.

Happy knitting and spinning.

Tuesday Orchid Update

To start off with, there is a orchid update.

This week there is not much change in the orchid from last week. The buds are a little bit bigger and lightening up just a little and if you squint really hard to can see a little bit of white in the center of the bud. I know, probably not very interesting to you. But I've never had a orchid before these and I am really excited to get to see them bloom in my very own home.

I have been doing some knitting. These are my projects from the WWKIP day. They are another pair of the Pieces of Eight by Susan Lawrence. They worked up really quickly and I had them done by Sunday night.

I have also been packing more boxes. Are you tired of hearing that yet? One day I will show you the progress of the boxes moving across the "staging area" bedroom. It's amazing to me to see how much "crap" we have! Now I need to go pack some more. We have a house in Virginia so now I know how much I can take with me and what I will have to get rid of.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Productive Evening

After work today, I spent an hour or so plying the 4 ozs of fiber from Debbie Bass. I really like how the sun was shining on the fiber as I plied it. I ended up with 161 wraps on my niddy noddy which equals 268 yards. Don't know for sure what I will do with this as it is my typical thin spinning. I thought I might use it in some socks, but I don't know. It would also make a really pretty scarf in maybe a feather and fan style.


I have to show the newest finished baby sweater. The colors didn't show up the best here. The yarn is Patons Decor in Autumn Varg. It should look very good on a good looking young master. I was trying to find mustard colored buttons to bring out the mustard color in the yarn. The buttons ended up being a light brown, but I still think it brings out the mustard.

I just realized that the colors on the bobbin are about the same color as this little sweater. Is that telling you anything? Maybe I just like these colors right now.

Hopefully, this weekend I can get some flowers planted in the flower box. I need to get some "curb appeal" for the front of our house. Maybe the rain will hold off long enough.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Another Finished Baby Sweater

I have been busy knitting away for the grandbaby. "Au" is still trying to have the baby prematurely and so I am trying to finish as many things as I can. I finished this sweater about three weeks ago and did the little socks while at the hospital last week waiting. The little sock are the pieces of eight by Susan. They worked up very quickly and I had a pair in two nights waiting with "Au".

Life has been busy. I have sold the vehicle "R" wrecked the first of this month. A neighbor who works on cars as a hobby, and for airplane gas, bought it. He wanted the engine to put in another van for his daughter. I also got a few boxes packed today, bought new church pants for "C" and set the spinning wheel up in the bedroom. I haven't touched a wheel in two weeks and I needed that therapy today.

I have many more projects on the needles and need to get them completed so I can start the Summer of Socks 2008. I would like to get some Christmas gifts completed during this challenge period. It would be nice to have those done.

The orchid is still blooming and I have lots of new growth on the other orchid plant. I might even get blossoms!
Happy knitting & spinning.

Mid-Week Knitting

I have to show you what I found yesterday as I was checking out the plants in the sun-room. Susan was such a beauty that I thought I would share my copy of Susan also. This is the third year in a row that she has bloomed. It always amazes me that this amaryllis continues to bloom year after year. It must like the sunshine in the corner of the sun-room.

I got out for a bit tonight and attended UFO night at the LYS. I haven't ever done this before, but it was fun and I got a chance to catch up with a couple of people that I haven't seen in a while. Four people were working on socks, Tish was working on a baby hat, one lady was working on an Aran design and one girl was trying out a stitch pattern. Me, I was working on the third (in a month) baby sweater. It is almost done. I am really liking how the yarn is working up. I will bring it to spinners on Saturday to show it off. Along with Mr Greenjeans.

Last night I packed more boxes. J-g's old room is beginning to look like a storage unit! I still have a lot to go, but I can see some progress. I need to get the stuff in A-g's room packed before she gets home in two weeks. Her stuff is already packed from when she went to Bolivia. The stuff in her room is extra clothes, blankets and so on.

Well, I still need to do my spinning requirement for today. The silk is working up fairly quickly now. There's still one divided ball left to spin, so it shouldn't take very long. A couple of hours maybe.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Another Finish Baby Sweater

This is the latest project. Are you tired of baby sweaters yet? I have one more to do for my boss's daughter's baby, due in a couple of weeks and then it will be baby sweaters for the grandbaby due the end of July.

This sweater worked up in under a week. It is the same pattern I used last time. The only modifications I made was to do six rows of garter stitch at the bottom of the sweater. I like how the front ended up with a pink and a blue side. It wasn't intentional but, it looks kind of cool I think. The back was not so defined by color. It worked up more variegated like the sleeves did.

I have three full bobbins of the superwash from the Sheep Shed spun and about half a bobbin of the silk spun. The silk is spinning up better than I thought it would, but I have yet to ply it. I still don't know if I actually like to spin silk. As Lyn told me, it is spinning up about how I spin most of my other fibers. I don't know if I actually like the color it turned out to be. It might make a difference when I have it plied.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Fiber Weekend

Warning! This is a picture heavy post.

Yesterday was gray and dreary, heading down to the Spinner's group. You can't even see the mountains for all the clouds and that is unusual. It was fun to see how much snow, or lack thereof, there was in the fifty mile drive.

We had people there that haven't been in quite some time. It was great to talk with Betty again and see all the projects she has been doing. Betty is the lady in the blue vest she knit from the Folk Vest book. June is looking at the shawl Betty knit and asking questions.


Heather, in the grey sweatshirt, is the proud new mamma of twin lambs. Here she is showing the pictures to Sharon. Heather has one brown and one black lamb. The pictures are so cute. The first thought for Heather was that they were both black, but then she noticed one was lighter that the other and they were different shades.

Here is Lyn showing off her pi shawl. She says it took her almost a year to complete it. She dyed, spun and knit the silk used in this shawl and she did a wonderful job.


Here she is modeling for us. Don't you think she looks great in this shawl? Congratulations, Lyn!

We received our challenge fibers or rather fiber. We were each given about 2 ozs of a silk brick. The challenge, for about half of us who have not used silk before, is to dye (if you want) the silk, spin the silk and then make a scarf of some kind. We have until May to complete this challenge. It should be fun!

After spinners, C modeled his new hat. Ok, it's not really a hat, see it has the hole at the top where the vase is sticking through. It's the latest in the finished baby sweaters. This one is the first one knit for a new expected grandchild. The soon to be parents liked it.
Happy knitting & spinning.

Finished Baby Sweater

Remember the baby sweater from the January 3rd post? Well, today it is completely finished. I have it blocking right now. And tomorrow I hope to present it to the intended baby and her mom.


I found this cute clasp at JoAnn's. I had to make trips to two different craft/sewing places, but I think it works very well on this sweater. And I know her parents will like it as it is in keeping with their style. I also bought another clasp to keep in the stash for another project. Who knows when it might come in handy and I don't want to be driving all over town looking for something similar to this one, especially in the middle of the night when I always seem to need something.

My socks from last Saturday's class are coming along nicely. I have the cuff joined on the right sock and only one more picot to finish on the left cuff. The socks are working nicely for my Nascar tv watching knitting. I went to the LYS today, to get help with how to join the cuff, and while there one other lady from the class was there also. Her sock is coming out h-u-g-h, so we were talking about if the socks would fit or not. The pattern says distinctly that you don't have to worry about gauge, but we really began to wonder. I measured 11" around my calf when I started the sock. My sock is now, not stretched at all, at about 8 1/2", but it has more stitches than I normally use for a sock cuff. I usually use 48 stitches on size 0 needles and I have 60 stitches on the sock now. I am hoping the socks will not be too big. The last time I did socks with 60 stitches, they ended up going to E and they fit him just fine.

Well, back to sock knitting and finishing the second baby sweater of the year. There is still some time left in the night, you know.

Happy knitting & spinning.

ETA: Sorry the link doesn't work. Don't know what I did wrong.

Super Bowl Knitting & R's Birthday

Okay, so the sock class went really well. This pattern will be a challenge for me though. The pattern is: Button-up Socks Just for the fun of it! by Joan Goldstein. You knit the top ridges and then pick up stitches along the flat edge for the cuff of the sock. The sock is then knit flat until after the length you want the cuff to be. I have the right cuff knit to about two inches and have the ridges started for the left sock. I think I may enjoy knitting these, but we will see. I hope to have them done this month. I need the needles for the class in March.

On the baby sweater front, this is the picture from before the Super Bowl. The hood, yoke, one complete sleeve and the second sleeve about two inches done is how far I was. By the time the Super Bowl was over I have much more completed.

Here's the sweater now. The hood is at the top. See, both sleeves complete and about four and a half inches of the body are done. Only two more inches here and then I can do the pattern at the bottom and the picot edging. It could be done before the end of the week.

On the "kid" front, today was R's 18th birthday. It is hard to believe that child is that old now. It seems like just yesterday he was a snotty-nosed kid. Now he is a young adult with some of the teenage attitudes disappearing. I really like that fact! Sometimes I get really tired of the attitudes. Thank goodness there is only one more living at home right now. R has turned out ok so far, although I will probably always worry about him. That's my "mother's" right. Do I ever grow out of it? I know I may want to, but do I get to?

Happy knitting & spinning.

Zigity

Tonight, after dinner, E, Au, C, and I played Zigity. Zigity is a Cranium game which is really fun. It is actually four games in one. You have to match up the center action on your turn and it can get kind of wild. There is one section that you have to add up to 11, one section you match a planet and its rings, one section you have to make a word and the last section you match musical instruments. Sometimes it is hard to match up the items, because the cards are clear. But it is fun and a quick game. Your not stuck there for hours playing.


I found some yarn from the stash for the sock class tomorrow. I don't remember where I got this yarn, I think from an Estate sale. I think it will work up well and look good with green (or even beige) buttons. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of a pattern it will have in the knitting. Besides, this is one of my favorite colors.

The baby sweater is coming along nicely. I am halfway through the yoke and I don't think it will take me too long to finish the yoke. I am looking forward to knitting on this during the Super Bowl on Sunday. I might even get it mostly done this weekend.

Well, off to knit, to see what I can get done.

Happy knitting & spinning.

New Baby Project

I know I have too many WIPs, but I just couldn't resist casting on for Kendra's baby's sweater. The baby is now three weeks old and I only have eight inches of the hood done. Granted, I did start this while waiting for R to get out of surgery Monday. I have been trying to be diligent about working on this sweater daily, even if it is only a row or two. And I feel like I have to hurry with it, because there is a sock class on Saturday and I could easily get side-tracked.

I picked up the pattern for the sock class today. I think it will be fun. It is one of those socks that has buttons up the side. Can't remember the pattern title, but will post it when I have pictures to show of the socks progress. I haven't decided on the yarn yet either. I guess I need to spend some time with the sock yarn to see which, from the stash, would be the best to use. I don't think I need to buy any more sock yarn, but I have some winging it's way here now.

Remember Judy, who was going to try my wheel? Lyn said that Judy has ordered her Lendrum! I hope she will be as happy with her Lendrum as I am with mine. Speaking of wheels, I have been spinning on the Hitchiker. I am on my second eight ounces of Knowlton's dark brown wool roving. Now I just need to do some plying, so I can have some free bobbins.

Happy knitting & spinning.

Baby gifts

Yesterday, I had the funnest time turning these three items on the left into this below:











My friend Stacy will be a new grandma in about two weeks. They had a baby shower for the new mom, Kim, and the little one, Bryson. The receiving blanket is just a square of flannel with a decorative stitch around the edge. The bib is from the Mason-Dixon book that I had borrowed from the library. And the sweater is the "Buttons Cardigan #606" from friends of Cabin Fever. I bought the pattern from here when I was making the baby sweater for Anita and Aaron's little one in May. I did modify the pattern by not putting the collar on and I think I like it better.

The sweater and the bib were the only hand knit items that Kim received at the shower. None of the women there knit, so my friends in the group there were all impressed that I had gone to the trouble of knitting items for the baby.

It was impossible to find diaper pins locally though. I think I could have found some on-line, if I had thought of it in enough time to order them. I ended up using the brass pins for basting a quilt.

Meanwhile, on the Greenjeans front: I am back to where I was before the rip-fest two weeks ago. I am just starting the second skein and am almost to the point where I need to put all the
stitches on waste yarn to try the sweater on. I am working on this while watching the races, because right now all I am doing is knitting and purling, and I can do that almost without looking. When I get to the patterning it will not be race knitting then!

I am still working on my Railroad Rib socks also. I have about an inch to go on one sock for the cuff to be done and then its heel time.

Happy knitting & spinning!