Wee Tiny Sock Swap

Weeeeee, I am doing Emily’s Wee Tiny Sock Swap. How fun! How easy!! How wee tiny! =) Want to sign up? Go here . Do it! You know you want to! =)

 

The Spring Knitty is up!! I have already started on this for HRH. It is knitting up rather quickly and it is really easy. I am in love with most of the patterns in this issue. ~le sigh~ So many wanna knits so little time. =)

 

I finished the Odessa that I knit for my friends mother. I will post pictures of that soon.

 

Conversation between TK and I this morning:

Him: ~whine~ I used to be able to hop over things with ease. Now I creak and crack when I do it.

Me: Uhm honey, that’s what happens when you get old.

Him: OLD? Hell I haven’t even hit mid life crisis yet.

Me: Oh yesyouhave! You got chickens when you went through it.

 

Needless to say he didn’t think it was very funny. But honestly it was. ~grin~

 

As for me? Last night I went to fill up my car during my dinner break at work and well, let’s just say the cold must be getting to me. Seriously, it is really cold up here in Maine this week. Highs in the single digit range. So, there I am, at the gas station and the little door to my gas tank won’t pop open. Crap!! So I go back to work, call TK and ask if he has any special little tricks that might help. I was told in the truck there should be a cable right around where the gas tank is that I can pull and it will release it. Uhm, yeah. I couldn’t see it/get to it/didn’t want to rip apart the lining to my truck. So, uh, I kicked the little door. That didn’t help. So I keep pulling the little lever in the car, which conincidentally is right next to the one that releases the trunk. You know where this is going right? Yeah I was pulling the wrong lever. ~sigh~

And Sometimes

When we pick up some yarn and some needles to knit, we do it for all sorts of reasons.  The kids need hats, you want some mittens that match your coat, you saw a sweater pattern that you MUST make for your niece’s brother’s uncle’s baby.  And sometimes you knit for compassion.  I have a friend at work who just found out that her mother has terminal cancer.  If she has surgery she has two months, without the surgery she has two weeks.  There is still some talk about possibly trying to treat the cance but that is another story.  K was talking about how they bought her mother a hat because she couldn’t abide her hair always doing the bed head thing.  At first my thought was to make her a lap blanket, something to keep her warm and honestly?  I don’t think I have time to make it.  So I thought I would make her a hat.  I am making her Grumperina’s Odessa hat only without the beads.  I bought some yarn that was soft and machine washable, because really?  Who is going to want to fiddle with handwashing it at this time when all time for this family is precious right?  I can’t remember the yarn right now but I will take a picture of the hat when I am done.  I feel so helpless to help K and her family and yet when I am knitting on this hat I feel like I am doing something.  Not a huge something mind you but a little something to let her know that I am thinking about her and her family. ~sigh~ Life can be a bitch sometimes huh? So, here I sit, thankful for my family’s health, knitting this hat for someone who is at the end of her life, and hoping she goes with peace and love.

Maybe socks aren’t so bad?

On Friday evening I started a pair of socks for her highness.  I was done with them by Sunday morning.  I could have been done with them on Saturday night but I got caught up in watching a V!n D!esel movie.  Yeah it was awful but he looked and sounded might good in it.  So, socks! They were super easy!  Don’t get me wrong, these weren’t difficult socks and they were for a 2 year old for pities sake but still.  The  yarn is Plymouth Jelli Beanz in pinks of course because everything for HRH is done in pink. =)  Anyhow, I didn’t screw up the heel like I figured I would and it basically wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.  I have a ton of sock yarn in my stash bought because I liked it, but now?  I might just have to make socks out of it.  I had been looking for patterns that suggested sock yarn.  But hey, I just might have to do socks with sock yarn.  Go figure. =)

 

SPA 2007

This past weekend was SPA sit and knit, and it was awesome! I have never been to anything like this before. I mean, I knit and I go to my LYS but I have never been to something that was specifically geared towards knitting, spinning, just everything. It was fan-freaking-tastic. And I can tell you that I am going to go to more of these things! And while I suspect it is more fun to go with a friend, I went by myself and had an awesome time. I looked around, I fondled, I sniffed ::yes I sniff yarn!::, and generally walked around looking like a rube but I had so much fun! I didn’t buy too much but I was mostly there just to absorb it all but some people, were definitely there to buy! Holy cow they had bags upon bags of things!! It was great!

And? Everywhere there was a free spot to sit? Someone was sitting either knitting or spinning. Seriously. How awesome is that? I watched someone spin with her spinning wheel and I think I drooled. *heh* I have a drop spindle that I bought at the Fryeburg Fair but I haven’t used it yet. Yes I bought some Romney Wool handpainted Roving from Spunky Eclectic so I am totally ready to try it out!

Also? I bought two skeins of Malabrigo yarn in Purple Mystery. Ooooooh sooo soft. I touched it in the Quilt Essentials booth and nearly lost my mind. It is THAT soft. Just….yum. As you can see from the pic below I really didn’t buy much but I had so much fun just being there. It was , as the 16 year old would say, “Freaking awsome!” =) Can’t wait for next year. Hell I can’t wait for the Maine Fiber Frolic!!!!

Wow, I really need to post some pictures!

Of course I am not going to get to it today unfortunately.

This weekend is SPA here in Portland, Me ~squeals like a girl~ and I cannot wait!! This is the first one for me but I read about it last year and saw how much fun everyone had. SO, I definitely don’t want to miss out this year. Only thing? Big snowstorm coming in tomorrow. Yeah, huge. Biggest one of the year they are saying. I already told TK, “Oh I am going. You may have to drive me but I AM.GOING.” =)

We took the kids ice fishing this past weekend up in Dresden. Oh.my.gosh it was so cold but it was fun. The little ones and I left early and let the big boys “bond”. Next time? I am definitely taking my knitting.

So, we are getting ready to hunker down and weather out an Nor’easter. Can’t really complain too much about it because well, I live in Maine but geez it’s cold!

Mitts and Calories…Huh?

First off, I finished the peekab00 mittens from this months issue of MagKnits.  I loooove them with a firey intense passion.  They were super easy and quick to knit and I love how they came out.  I used Pattons Classic Wool Merino and I have to admit that I pet them while I am wearing them. *heh*  The classic wool was an absolute joy to knit with and this is only the second project I have used it for but I can tell you that I will definitely be buying more of it.  It comes with good yardage and very little splitting which is something that tends to drive me bonkers when I am knitting. So if you want to try a good wool yarn, I would definitely give this one a try.  I have been wearing them non-stop for the past two days due to the frigid temps here in Maine ::I know, nothing compared to other parts of the US:: and the mitt still look good and the yarn seems to bounce back really well.  So for a super fun and easy knit I would definitely think about knitting these and I definitely recommend the Pattons Classic Wool.

And for my next trick!! Err I mean project, I am taking on Knitty’s Calorimetry .  After reading about all the gauge problems people were having I cast on only 100 sts.  So far so good.  I am only on the 6th pattern repeat and I think I am only going to do 10 instead of 15.  We shall see how it turns out. =)  Wish me luck.

I am going to try and get pics up of my mitts and calorimetry when it is done. After that?  I need to finish Sproing’s :::my 8 year old::: balaclava that I am making him.  I don’t really have a pattern I am just kind of winging it.  So, THAT should prove really interesting!

Shhhh

I have a secret.  ~looks around sheepishly~ I don’t like knitting socks.  No, really.  I do not like knitting socks.  I have started plenty.  Broadripple, mock cable, jaywalkers.  Well the jaywalkers I finished and I really enjoyed knitting them; but the second sock thing?  Yeah, I don’t like that so much.  Just ugh you know?

Funny though, I don’t have a problem kntting mittens or fingerless mitts.  I loved fetching.  Serious love affair there.  I knit two pair in three days.  I loved knitting those!  But socks?  Eh, not so much.

I have yet to dare to make a sweater but I think that is going to be my next adventure.  I have a couple of cute patterns that I want to make for Missy so we shall see.

Just had to do it.

I just had to start a blog about my knitting. I really didn’t see any other way around it. Let’s see what can I tell you? Or rather what should I tell you? Hrm, let’s see

1. My mother in law taught me how to knit about three years ago.
2. I started off rather slowly making that one loooooooooong garter stitch scarf which I of course never finished.
3. I have since graduated to socks, well I have only made one pair. But I am getting better
4. I knit as a way to relieve stress
5. And believe me I have a ton of stress
6. Did I mention I was a mother?
7. Yep, mother to six kids.
8. Yes, six
9. Yes, I do happen to know what causes this.
10. Our TV was broken, what more need I say. =)
11. I also work full time out of the house
12. My husband watches the kids while I am working and vice versa
13. I am going to be 36 this year, no I really don’t want to talk about it. Just send a lot of chocolate okay?
14. I have struggled with my weight since I had my first child. It’s all his fault =)

I know there is more and I will get to it I promise. =)