Land o’ Sunshine

Wow, November 1st was the last time I even looked at WordPress.   There are reasons, most of them not worth the time to write out.   All is forgiven, move on!

Completed objects since last blog:

• Gave Dad his felted slippers.  He says he wears them all the time.   I do believe him.  Gifts of the wearalbe type have been known to languish for YEARS in this man’s closet.   Never one to use a gift before its time, Dad is making me feel good about making this gift. 

• Hats for the men in the family.   ALL OF THEM are too big.   I won’t bore you with the pictures, but here are the deets: variation of the Seaman’s Cap but for giants or least giant sized heads!   Sunshine Dad’s hat has been frogged.   He is coveting one of Mandy’s hats, but he better pray the Giants go to the superbowl in 2009, because there won’t be a Giants hat for him in 2008 (unless he can bribe/beg/plead/pay Mandy to do it!). 
• Angelina Ballerina was completed and given to Sunshine daughter.   Her clothes are a little wacky looking and the slippers are missing, but I love Angelina and hopefully, so does SD.   I used the mouse pattern from Knit2Together and then made the clothes, tutu, and shoes myself. 

• Sunshine son #1’s Wallaby was completed.  It is big, the yarn is pilling and looking particularly craptastic, but he likes it and wears it.   Considering the abuse it gets, the price tag for the yarn–$7.47 for the whole sweater, one big hat, and two mittens with LOTS of yarn leftover–is perfect.  

• My cousin’s baby is due in the next month or so and the Baby Yoda sweater is complete for little Master F. to arrive.   I hope she likes it, because I LOVE it.   Is it normal to be SO enamored of ones handknits???
• Pair of Saarjte’s are finished.   Confession, there are THREE done.  bootie #1 and #2 were not the same size.  Too many garter ridges.   Bootie #3 matches #1, so there is a matched set.  
• The Quinn purse is finally lined.   I used an old pair of jeans and some pick striped fabric for a cell phone and pen pocket.   The handles are bamboo attached with chocolate velvet ribbon.   I love it.   The handles look a bit big, but I don’t care.   The cables came out awesome.   The lining was a witch to get in and no you can’t see the inside (does that say something).   A fellow PTAer said she like the purse, so I’ll take that as a compliment of the highest order.  
• I made another crown for a princess birthday.   Anyone need a crown?  I LOVE making those things.   SO QUICK!!!
• Mini sweaters for the christmas tree.   They were fun and I did each one a little different, but three was enough.   I used my sock yarn samples from Cider Moon and my sockapolooza pal.  The hangers were pipe cleaners chenille stems.  These are my kind of sweaters!!!   :) 

More regular posting, because really, what else have I been doing?   See ya!

Here it is, finished at last, the Wallaby for hubby. 

Yarn:  Cascade Sierra, blue–7 hanks and charcoal (more just brown really) 2 hanks.  

Needles:  US 6

Size:  Medium.  

Modifications: Brown for the pocket and hood. 

Thoughts:  Go larger than you think.    My concept of the ease in this sweater was off, so it is pretty snug.    I should have done a larger to give a little more room.   Also, if I do the two tone, I will also do the ribbing in brown as well.   I wasn’t really thinking ahead, just knitting.   As the ladies at knit night said, I did learn alot, even if I don’t realize it.   I’m sure, given some time, I will knit the wallaby again.  

Well, the new camera arrived Monday (a 4:25pm arrival with a guarantee delivery time of 4:30pm.   That stuff steams me.).  

Our new potholder rug.   The kids like to slide it around the kitchen and family room.   I like it in front of the kitchen sink.   It could have been a little longer, but I didn’t want a $11 rug, so we stuck with the one bag.   These were cotton loops and I would highly recommend those.   I’ll let you know how much it shrinks.  

These are the Sockapalooza 4 socks.   Proof that they are indeed finished.  

A little washcloth for my S4 pal.   It is done in the remains of Wick yarn.   I love this yarn, but it really reminds me of how much I need to moisturize my hands.   It is super soft.  I hope she uses it…(or at least doesn’t think it is stupid).  

The Wallaby is finished.    It is still a little snug in the shoulders.    I washed and blocked it and it helped a little.    Pictures tomorrow.   I don’t think there will be action shots though.

Knitting to Do/Done: 

1.  Mason-Dixon Potholder Rug.   I was checking out some yard sales two weekends ago and I came across a 16 oz bag of cotton potholder loops.   The loops and a hardcover coffee table book about America’s baseball stadiums was $2.00.   The bag of loops sells in Hobby Lobby for $3.50.     I came home and taught the kids how to link all the loops together and then rolled them into a gynormous ball of many colors.   I bought the size US 35 straight needles (and contemplated buying more loops, but didn’t) and started knitting.  It looks fabulous.   It would be better slightly longer, but it is so cute.  Right now it is by the kitchen sink.   

2.  Wallaby.   This is the bane of my existance.   I am almost finished with the hood and will commence the Kitchner to finish it up.   Weaving in the ends is a daunting task, but I need the size 6 needles for another project, so I MUST finish it today.    Then I will wash, block, and let dry and PRAY it somehow transforms to fit hubby’s shoulders.  

3.  Scarf.   Sunshine Son #1 has been bugging, begging, asking to learn how to knit.   We started yesterday.   US 8 needles with superwash wool in a green color.   He is making a scarf for his brother and announced he would make one for his sister as well (pink, if you please).

4.  Retro Rib Socks.  These are for hubby.  I am using the Cascade Fixation for them.  They are working up quickly, but he nubbly nature of the Cascade doesn’t really enhance the pattern of the retro rib.    I hope he likes them.  

5. Quinn Purse.   A cable purse that I am hoping to start tomorrow.   I will be using bamboo handles rather than the knit handle.   This is the project I need the size 6 needles for.   

 Non-knitting to do list.   I am going to try to do some sewing tonight.   I have the following I’d like to get done this weekend:

1.  Pajama pants for hubby.   They are a blue flame fabric.   Pretty basic, I just need to get cutting and sewing. 

2. Pillowcase dress for Sunshine daughter.   I don’t have any ribbon for the it yet, but I think if I can get it measured and sewn, then the ribbon should be a peice of cake.   Now, anyone have ideas on how to get her to wear the darn thing?  

3.  Bend the Rules Sewing.   I purchased this last night with some birthday money from my MIL.   I think a purse and some placemats and napkins are up first.   I am going to look through my limited piles and see what I can come up with for those projects.   If you haven’t checked out the book yet, GO DO IT.   It is a great book, especially for the novice sewer or sporadic sewer.  

That is all the news here.  Monday I should have some pictures of the list above!  Our new camera arrives on Monday.   Have a great weekend!

Welcome Fellow Team 19 Dish Rag Taggers.  

I can’t wait to get started.   I have been working on dishcloths lately.   They are the perfect cure for those not-so-perfect knitting moments.  Introduce yourselves ladies!   What fun.   Stay tuned for updates.  

I got my invite for Raverly at the beginning of the week.  Wow!   The inspiration from the site is CRAZY.    It is mind blowing.    What is even more amazing are the two people who dreamed it up, created, fined tuned it, fixed it, added more to it, and still dealt (nicely)with angry people with pointy sticks!  Well done and BRAVO for Raverly.   If you haven’t checked it out, GO DO IT!  NOW!  I found my next project there.   I spent way too much this afternoon time looking at all the beautiful work. 

The Wallaby was refrogged, again.   It seems I can’t read.   Nine rounds equals nine times around.   I read nine rounds to be nine times the two rows–the decrease row and the knit row.   Yes, I am stupid.    The stupid thing is, I DID THIS TWICE (yes I am shouting!).    Thank you Mandy for helping me read the pattern and not calling me stupid (even though I was…twice!). 

Hopefully, our camera will be back early next week and there will be pictures of the Wallaby.   I didn’t have it to take pictures of the yards of blue yarn as I pulled it out.   I only frogged 5 rows this time instead of 18 from the first time.  

Enough self-pity, I can see the end in sight and I know what I am knitting next, so I need to get this thing finished!   I will not cast on my next project until I finish the Wallaby (dishcloths don’t count, I need to have something for my ego!). 

Uggh.   I have hit a Wallaby snag.  

Picture it, mid-morning.   I finds a minute amid morning routines (ha!) to count stitches.  146.  No. Can’t be.  Count again.  156.  Better, but not right.   Reread directions for bazillionth time.  Ok, so if I add 8 stitches….that is 164.  Still not right.   Either way, 156 or 164 is NOT 188 stitches.  TOO SMALL.  Ughh. 

Thread all stitches onto scrap yarn.   Try on hubby.   Not good.   TOO SMALL.  (Numbers do not lie.)  Rip, Rip, Rip.  9 rounds, 18 rows.  2 days worth of work.   Wrangle  loose stitches back onto needle.  Recount stitches, hoping the mistakes were all in those 18 rows.  

228 stitches.  Correct amount for a medium adult Wallaby.   It could be worse i guess, I could be reattching the sleeves.  

It seems I have been working on the Wallaby forever, ok realistically it has been two months.     Here is my progress so far: 

Sleeve #1.    Hubby has abnormally long arms.   The medium on the pattern calls for 18 in.   The sleeve in question is 23 inches.   

Main body.   I did the pocket in a contrasting color.   I regret that choice now, but I’m not taking it out.   Attaching the pocket was so cool.    I love the way the pocket looks (excepting the color!) on the body.   Needles are still in. b/c hubby wants it longer.   It seems that I knit and knit and the main body never gets any longer.   Where are my stitches going??? 

Currently, I am on the second sleeve.  Here is where I was this morning.  I am past the increases, so I should be able to finish pretty quickly.   The yarn and sleeve look great with my new mug.   It is from the NC Zoo.   I love the quote.   Lately, I have been thinking worrying wondering about where our world and environment are headed.   That would be another post though, no need to plunge everyone into worse case scenarios! 

I really love the yarn I finally decided on.   For me color and yarn choice seem to be the hardest decision.   The color on this one was easy–husband’s choice–but the yarn was another story.   I finally decided on the 80/20 cotton/wool blend, Cascade Sierra.     It is great to work with, though I wonder about stretching and the weight of the finished product.  I  went with the cotton/wool blend for two reasons.  First, I didn’t think my husband would wear it if it were 100% wool.   Second, I wanted to be able to wash it without too much concern.   Based on the swatch, I should be able to wash and even partially dry without any problems.  

Hopefully, the next wallaby post will be the attaching of the sleeves to the body.     

Who knows what happened to my blog?   Oh wait, you mean I have to write it?  What the heck?   I’m not a writer or a photographer.   What did I sign myself up for?  

Enough of the question mark hell.  

I have been knitting, knitting, knitting.  Ok, not that much really, but I have gotten a few more finished objects done. 

First up:  The striped socks.   Plain stockinette stitch using Ann Bund pattern book.   Nothing fancy and REALLY fast.   I had a great time knitting these.   They were done in a week–though I didn’t do any other knitting.  Sorry for the fuzzies.   It is Opal yarn, done on my #1’s. 

Second was a pair of Fiber Trend Slipper Clogs.   I LOVE these things.   They are even better than I hoped they would be.   I had some design problems, but that was user error and my inability to read something and believe it would apply to me.  The yarn is Cascade 220 in Charcoal and Red (though it is really more of a varigated fushcia).   Despite the pattern errors misreading the pattern twice, they were still a quick knit.  

The before shot with a book for size.  

The after felting shot.   Thanks to Mandy for the pattern and the inspiration in the first place. 

I knit these slips again for my mom and they are going to Syracuse today, though I think they need a little more shrinkage.  She’ll have to do that!  Her slips are knit in Cascade 220 in a navy blue and true red.  I didn’t save the bands.  

Here is what is in the works: 

1.  Wonderful Wallaby for hubby is cruising along.   I am ready to start the sleeves.   Picture to follow soon.   For the last two nights, I have knit for 2 hours and never seemed to gain any length (I know that is not true, but it never seemed to get any longer).  I am at 15 1/2 inches and frankly, it will have to do. 

2. Socks.  I am knitting a pair of socks.   It is a combination pattern.  No picture there either.  

More posts to follow as  I play catch up on some things.