I Gotta Knit!

Traditionally we have had the week of (or before) Christmas off - depending on what day of the week it fell on. But, this year we're doing a "better business" model and were open M-T-W. So I took some vacation days last week to finalize my Christmas shopping, etc.

Today the freezing rain started about noon. Then the power for the whole complex went out at 1:15 and was off 30 min. I called security and asked if there was any chance we would be sent home early. Hmmm...learned that there was no one at work who had the authority to shut us down. ARGH!!

Only two of us in my dept worked this week - everyone else took vacation time. V. and I were each working in different areas of our building when someone came in and said, "Didn't you get the email - we've closed." DUH. No we weren't at our desks.... I verified that we were shut and then we were out of there!!

Icy drive home, but I got here safely. Gotta unwind with yarn!

Happy Christmas to all!!

Grand dog's new sweater

DD3 emailed this photo of Q, the grand dog, in the sweater she knit him. :-) Not sure how Q feels about it, but I think it looks great.

Blogoversary #3

I've really not done a good job on this blog lately. I'm still knitting, but not "active" in the blogging world. I used to have about 25 blogs bookmarked in my favorites and would read about half of them each morning with my first cup of coffee. But, haven't done that in a long time. And then, my computer crashed. Most of my files were recovered, but none of my favorites OR emails in Outlook. So, I'm slowly rebuilding my Blog Favorites. Sadly, I can't remember all of the names of the ones I liked to keep up with. Hey...I just remembered two more. I'll be back....

Got 'em saved. Whew!

So, yes, today marks 3 years since I started this blog. I've spent some time reading through the first few months worth of posts. Great reminders! I have never been a diarist, but this blog comes close to being one.

While I've been not blogging, I've done socks for the Grandsons. Sport actually asked for a pair! Yay! I took him to HL and showed him the available sock yarn. He picked out Yarn Bee's Walk Away in a black/grey/white multicolor. He's very happy with the socks :-) And several times while I was knitting them, I discussed why I didn't want him to wear them to the daddy's on the weekends. (My excuse was that they needed to be washed in a special way. They're supposed to be superwash, but this way I know they won't get lost, or misplaced down at the dad's.) He's helped me wash them in Woolite.

So Buster wanted a pair, too. I tried to steer him to the variegated blues, but he selected Kroy Sock in Fern Rose Jacquard. The colorway is definitely Buster - busy, bright, fun.

I'll try to get photos of the boys socks one of these days soon. For now - they loved playing in the first snow of the season!

Finished a pair for myself a few days ago:

Pattern: Sunday Swing by Kristel Nyberg in the Knitty.com Summer09 issue.

Yarn: Malabrigo Sock in "Stonechat" -- however, all of the photos I've seen online for Stonechat are not even close to the color of my yarn. This looks much darker in person. However, this colorway is Perfect for my work wardrobe.

Needles: Two 24" Size 1 [us]/2.25mm circulars

Knit for: Me!

I'm Baackk!

And with a new computer. The old one was terminal, and I knew it. When it finally died, I didn't want to spend the $ to get a new one. But, it's difficult to carry on a "normal" life without a computer. So, here I am with a super fast HP Pavilion. Pages load in a snap - and I mean snap!

When I logged onto my computer at work on Thursday and it took all of 5 seconds to load my desktop, I was starting to feel impatient after 3 seconds.

Windows 7. I'm liking it, too. 20" flat screen monitor...takes a bit of getting used to. But... watching tv (hulu.com) or movies is awesome on it. :-)

I've done some knitting. Will report on that next time. Still need to get photos of the grandsons with their socks on. They were not co-operating when I tried last week.

More to come.... later.

This is for you, MG

I found this video on Howcast. I'm sure there are other videos out there for lefties. If you use another method to "load" the yarn around your right hand fingers, use it. I use the same method for knitting as I do when I crochet.

Stitches on the Bridge

One of the events for Homecoming Scotland is a knitting project stretching across the 1,640 ft Skye Bridge.

Horcrux Socks

Yay!

Pattern: Horcrux Socks by Susan Pierce Lawrence
Yarn: Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Tidepool Heather
Needles: Size 4 [US] dpns
Knit for: Me :-)
Modifications: Thought the leg was too short, so I added an extra zag in the zig-zig pattern.

Since these are knit with worsted wt. yarn, they are super warm. Love 'em!

Early Trick or Treaters!

My doorbell rang this evening and these two guys were standing on my porch.

Wolverine I recognized, but I called the guy in white a "ghost." I was corrected - he's Storm Shadow from G I Joe.

So, now I know. :-)

Lap robe for the Elders

I finished the sampler lap robe/afghan last weekend, but just photographed it this morning. I'll box it up this weekend and get it mailed to the Cheyenne River Elderly Nutrition Services on Monday. And I'll also box up all of my leftover red heart to mail to my sister in CO.

At the moment I have a total of ZERO on-the-needle projects! That won't last long, because I just finished the first Horcrux sock and it needs a mate. Also need to do the second Almeara glove. After the lap robe, these will seem like very quick projects.

Then... Sport has asked for a pair of socks - from yarn "just like my blanket" (this blanket.) I could buy more acrylic yarn, but I told him that we'd look for "real" sock yarn and he could pick out what he wants. Of course, I'll lead him to H. L.'s better than it used to be collection of Heart & Sole or whatever else they have of machine washable sock yarn.

Also told Buster that when Sport's socks are finished, he will get to shop for his sock yarn. :-)

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