Egads! Yes, I'm still knitting!

I'm on block 10 (of 12) for the lap robe for the CRR Elders. I'm using blue, dark green, burgundy (or is it cranberry?), and off white. It's one of those projects that I can't put aside...

*partially because I want to get it done & on its way to South Dakota

*partially because doing 12 different patterns is loads of fun and makes the process seem to go quickly

*partially because when I'm finished, the left over Red Heart will be shipped to my sister in Colorado (she doesn't like wool & I've decided I don't like Red Heart - it feels so rough)

So, I'm driven. Photos eventually.

August Updates 1

Sport is 6!

Here he is with some of the presents from his aunt DD1 (and the mama and great gran in the back ground.) Sport luvs to cook, so he got a set of measuring spoons & cups, a variety of mixing spoons, bowl scrapers, and even a timer.

Among the gifts from me was a Nickelodeon Kids Cookbook: Stir, Squirt, Sizzle.




Buster needs equal timing, so here he is, the bubble blowing champion of the family.

A New Sock Knitter! (August Updates 2)

I'm pleased to introduce D, one of my English friends who visited recently. Here she's casting on for her first sock. Yay!

D has emailed that she's finished the first sock - and has purchased more yarn for another pair :-) Don't ya just luv it?

Socks Forever!

August Updates 3

Warm Hands (for me!)

1. Knucks
Pattern: Knucks by Pamela Grossman from Knitty, Summer 2006
Yarn: Bernat Cashmere Natural Blends in Coal for the hands & I Love This Wool in Winter White for the ribbed wrists and fingers
Needles: 4 [US]
Knit for: Me :-)

2. Jared Flood's Almeara Gloves - I think the "natural" color would probably show the pattern better, but I'm knitting them in Knit Picks new City Tweed DK in the Habanero colorway. I'm nearly finished with the hand of the first glove.

I'm using dpns and started out with metal ones - but size 8 metal dpns are just TOO heavy and too slidey. So, I set this project aside and ordered bamboos dpns from Knit Picks. Wow! what a difference! I recently got a digital "kitchen" scale (but have only weighed yarn -- why didn't I have one of these before now?) One of the metal size 8 dpns weighs 8 gms, but one of the bamboo size 8s only weighs 3 gms. And not so slidey either. Photos will follow eventually. And so will a blog about the project I'll do with the yarn I ordered at the same time as the size 8 bamboos. :-)

August Updates 4

A. CIC Socks
I had leftover yarn from the Dune Twist socks (see previous post), but I didn't think there was enough for a pair of smaller kids' socks, so I ordered a ball of Chocolate Wool of the Andes. As it turned out there was enough of the Dune Twist added to the Chocolate to get two more pairs of socks for CIC. The earlier "Magic 36" socks have a 7" foot, these two smaller pairs have a 5" and a 6" foot. And yes that's the end of the Dune Twist and Chocolate.

B. Stash busting for a good cause
CIC knitters are encouraged to Go Local (sort of.) I have a bin of red heart worsted on the shelf in my closet and keep thinking, "I really ought to do something with this." In the past I've knit a bunch of hats, but this time decided on something for the Cheyenne River Rez Elders. I found a Red Heart pattern: Knit Sampler Afghan and it will work wonderfully. Smallish squares, variety of patterns, etc. The yarn is in dark (forest) green, off white, blue, and burgundy.

I've Been Censored - and FOs

I learned recently that this blog *does* have readers who don't leave comments. Hi, y'all.

D, a teacher from England, said that she'd tried to show my blog to a co-worker (on a school computer), but this blog was blocked because it contains "Malicious Content." My blog? Malicious Content?

The school's content censoring software probably didn't like the name of a pair of socks I referred to in the July 5th post. So I've edited. Wonder if I have to find every instance of that naughty word?

[ETA: I think I found every post with that word in it & swapped the "a" for "@" - except the tag/label won't allow an "@", so I just left that vowel out: Move Your Fnny. Hope this helps!]

On the FO front - yippee! - I got 'em:

* A cap for the group that CIC knitters are helping. Just one, but one is more than Zero
Pattern: generic watch cap, knit flat

Yarn: Left over bulky Wool of the Andes, with the white strips being double stranded worsted WofA

Needles: 10 [US] straight needles

Knit for: Hand of Help [via CIC group]


* The bigger kid's socks (the "Magic 36" pair) - thanks to my recently received Knit Picks order

Pattern: based on the "Magic 28", but for a larger foot -- this is a "magic 36" variation.

Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes [worsted] in Dune.

Needles: size 5 [US] bamboo from Crystal Palace, I think.

Knit for: CIC

* Mom's OPAL Cotton "2009 July Socks"

Pattern: generic rib on leg and borrowed the K1, P1 for the instep from the Move Your F@nny pattern.

Yarn: OPAL Cotton #2095. Bought at Knots & Bolts in Traer, IA.

Needles: Legs: 2.50 mm, 24" circs, and for the feet: 2.25 mm, 24" circs.

Knit for: Mom

I LUV Caramel Macchiato!

I'm so tickled! I never win anything. Well, OK, I've won a few things [like last year], but not many.

But, I'm the lucky winner of Jen's quiz prize!

So, J & D - if you check this blog before flying across the Big Pond - we're going to Starbucks on Friday! :-)

Baby Surprise Jacket #2

Yarn: Louet Gems Topaz in French Blue, Mustard, and Eggplant

Needles: Circular, US 8

Pattern: Elizabeth Zimmermann's Baby Surprise Jacket from The Opinionated Knitter / Newsletter Leaflet 21 (Fall '68)

Knit for: The soon-to-be born Baby B, if said Baby B is a male. [If Baby B is female, she'll get the February Baby Sweater and another baby-on-the-way will get this one.]

Long Time No Post

My perpetual excuse is: I've been busy. There's
* Work
* Housekeeping
* Grandkids (photo below)
* Knitting (photos below)
* Genealogy

WORK - the good news is that I still have a job. For now. There are threats of more layoffs in the New Year.

HOUSEKEEPING - Never ending isn't it? I've been trying to do a few extra "spring" cleaning things, because I have visitors coming soon. But, the older I get the longer it takes for me to do anything.

GRANDKIDS - They're gone to their other grand parents' lake home for the long weekend. They have SO much fun down there...a huge extended family, the lake, the beach, etc. I can't compete with all that. But, I take them to parks, & to a local ice cream shop, I let them help me cook, we read books, and they can get on my computer - their desktop has icons for Dora, Barney, Thomas, Sesame Street, etc. I let them print activities & color sheets, etc.

KNITTING -

1) Sent 3 pairs to CIC at the end of June. I've got another pair almost finished - but ran out of Knit Picks' Dune. I was making a bigger kid's pair and decided instead of Magic 28 I'd do "Magic 36." I didn't understand the geometric proportional difference until too late. Should I frog or buy more yarn? I'll buy more yarn and finish them later.

2) Working on a BSJ - possibly for Baby B, if Baby B is a boy. I still have the same 20 rows or so left as when I blogged on June 14th.


3) Mom's OPAL socks. I luv knitting socks! I've misplaced the ball band, but (-it was difficult to find an image online) I think this is #2095. Legs knit on US 1.5, foot on US 1. Mom requested that the instep be knit in K1, P1 (like the "Move Your F@nny" pattern.) The color changes make the knitting seem to go quickly. " Oh..! A new color!" I'm hoping I can get a matching 2nd sock, but mom said she'd be OK if the stripes don't match.

GENEALOGY - I've been working on collecting evidence to submit to the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Yippee! Got it! Except for my marriage license. Thought I had a copy, but can't find it anywhere. Maybe I tossed it out when I got a divorce? Now, I'll have to take time off work to go to the court house.

Belated Birthday Photo

Buster turned 4 [yeah, four!] on June 4th. I've downloaded the photos, but haven't tweaked the size/cropped etc. Actually, there are photos from as far back as April to deal with. Ugh.

Anyway, Buster's 4! Seems like he was just a baby ... wasn't it only a few months ago? He's talking in big sentences that if written out would include commas or maybe even semi-colons. He's all action, all risk-taking, all imp. Just like his mama was/is!

In photo: Sport [nearly 6] and Buster at his bd picnic..

Blog Browsing and other musings

Buster and Sport stayed overnight, and B. was awake before 7 a.m. as usual - even though they were up until 11 p.m. [Shhh...don't tell their mama!] He's content to watch a DVD so I can have my first cuppa and check my emails and my Internets.

Among this morning's browsings, I stopped over at Stitches of Violet and saw that her mom is doing better [looking good, actually.] She also mentioned, a few days ago, that Jean at Knitting Garden is having a Blogoversary [and a contest!] I never win anything, but left a "Happy day" message anyway. :-)

It's Charity Knitting Sunday here at the Mitch digs. I hope to finish another pair of CIC socks today. That will make 3 pairs for this challenge. Kathy has already sent in 12!! Way to go Kathy!!

Other OTN:

1) About 20 rows, or so, left on the BSJ...that I haven't blogged about yet. I will when it's finished. Promise.

2) Socks for my mother (2009 June). She picked out a ball of OPAL Cotton when we stopped at Knots & Bolts in April. I'll blog later with a photo and details. The ball band is in my room and Sport is still sleeping. The colorway is gorgeous - I think she'll like the way it is striping...I sure do. I was skeptical about how it would knit up - being part cotton and all. But it's met with my approval - Yay! For my next pair of big-people socks, I think I'll use the denim & white OPAL cotton that I bought last year at Knots & Bolts.

Gotta get ready for the day. Have a good one - whatever day it is for you :-)

Socks finally!

I started this pair in late March, I think. Finished them May 30th, took the photo May 31st, downloaded the photo this morning. I mentioned these earlier here. I'll call them my May 2009 socks.

Pattern: Generic ribbed
Yarn: Steinbach Wolle Sockenwolle in "brown" (think tan) #014 and a green/gray/brown twist#180
Needles: Size 2 [US]
Knit for: Me!

I'm not convinced

I've jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Ugh. I'm not convinced I really need this. But...you see, my boss thought we needed a blog for work. So I started this blog to learn how to "do" one, since the work blog would fall under my job description. I think the work blog has been vetoed.

Now the online world is atwitter with Twitter. Same scenario as with the blog...just in case we decide to have a Twitter account for work, I want to be familiar with it. I've got mixed feelings about Twitting / Tweeting.

However, I got a big chuckle over Conan O'Brien's prediction for YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Take a look, if you missed it.

NOTE: knitting or grandson or genealogy content coming soon. Stop by in a few days.

Mother's Day update

I didn't have to cook! And I got flowers and balloons and cards! And Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's Free-Range Knitter: the Yarn Harlot Writes Again.

DD1 said she selected the book because, "Every time mom reads Stephanie's blog, she laughs out-loud."

That's right. I do :-)

In which I admit to not having knit much lately

I've been busy. Just with busy-ness.

It's been so long since I've worked on my blog - I didn't remember that I'd changed the layout last time I was on! When the page open, I was startled!

I've knit a few rows on the socks mentioned here. And I started a BSJ -- possibly for the soon-to-be Baby B. More on that on a later date.

One of the things that's kept me busy is working on genealogy. I dabble here and there and don't make much progress. But, once in a while that dabbling yields results. A reply to a letter I sent to a county court house in Pennsylvania ended up giving me more information than I could have dreamed of. DD1 was here when I opened the envelope - I was so excited when I browsed through the contents, I jumped up and down. Believe me, it's been a long time since I'd jumped up & down!!! And of course, after that my spare time was spent on scanning the documents, organizing them in folders, and doing more searching.

But, tonight, I'm going to knit on those two projects. And watch hockey [Go Penguins!] And American Idol [switching back and forth as necessary.]

My DD3's BF is starting a soy candle business. He's test marketing various scents - so I'm a designated tester. Last night I burned the Lilac - very nice scent - lilac-y, but not too over powering. Tonight the scent is Mandarin Orange. I'm not a citrus fan, but this is OK. He has another orange candle - "Fresh Squeezed Oranges" -- that one I think I'll like! I think it would be a good scent for a Saturday morning - perky & peppy. You see, I'm NOT perky or peppy on Saturday mornings. I need some motivation - like smelling fresh squeezed oranges! :-)