J is for

JAG. One of the best ways to feel better when you are sick. Curl up on the couch with a season of JAG and this.




Some sock knitting. I really need to get these done but I am not feeling all that great and it makes it hard to knit for me. My mind tends to wander when I am sick and I hate that.

Have a great weekend.

I is for.....

Ice Cream. I love Ice Cream it is the most wonderful stuff in the world. This is my favorite. It is just hard to find in my neck of the woods sometimes. YUMMY!!!!!




On the knitting front, I have finished one of the two pairs of socks that I am making for the teacher and para in the Punkin's class. These two women are incredible. I feel very blessed to have people working with my daughter that geniunely care for their students and wanting to see them succeed. Thanks Mrs. H and Mrs. B. This pair is for Mrs. B.

Basic Sock
Regia Kaffe Fassett
Caribbean Stripe
Knit on Addi Turbo Size 0's using two circular method



This is the pair for Mrs. H. I am not very far yet. I totally forgot to take it with me to swimming lessons last night and missed out on 45 minutes of good knitting time. I am using some Dream in Color Smooshy in the Happy Forest Colorway. Is it bad that I want every color is this stuff?????

Have a great weekend and Happy Mother's Day to all my knitting friends.

H is for....

HAPPY to be HOME. We had to make a trip to Kansas for a funeral. Ten hours in the car each way is not fun. I do HAVE to say that the kids did great. There was very little fussing and fighting I am really glad that I HAVE such great kids. Buddy got to go to Grandpa's farm and see the tractor. Trust me HE HAD a really good time.




I tried to post last week but Blogger was messing up. This is some roving that I had dyed and then spun. It is about 400 yards of a fingering weight with a few slubs but it is getting better. I am really enjoying spinning I just wish I had more time for it. I think this could be a pair of socks maybe or a nice scarf.



I didn't get much knitting done on the trip but I did finish reading a book. I am still working on the socks for the Punkin's paraprofessional. I still need to get the teachers pair done before the end of May. I better get busy.

The Ten Dollar Experiment

I was gifted three fleeces or a big bag of wool however you look at it. Is it still a fleece if it is taken apart?? I have no idea what they kind they are but I figured oh well it is worth a try. The bag is pretty full and is pretty big.




So I am conducting The Ten Dollar Experiment. All I will be out if it fails will be a bottle of dishwashing soap and a dishpan. Both I can use for other purposes later so I guess I won't be out anything in the long run.




This is my attempt at cleaning it.




Just in case you thought I wasn't knitting here is a picture of the sock I am working on for the paraprofessional in Punkin's class. I am actually decreasing the toe now but this is the most recent picture I have taken. I need to finish this one and start a pair for her teacher and have both done before the end of May. I guess I need to quit blogging and start knitting huh???

Terrific Tuesday!!!!!!!!!

It is a terrific Tuesday to this transplanted Kansan.

First, how about those Jayhawks???????? I am so happy for them. It is always great when a college from your home state does well. They played a great game and it was so exciting to watch. The only down side was I was too nervous to knit and just sat there during the game sitting on my hands.



Second, I finished my second Swirl sock this morning. I loved this pattern and the yarn and they fit great.

Started March 12, 2008
Finished April 8, 2008
Yarn Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Wind in the Willows
Needles KnitPicks Options DPN's 2.25

Third, I received my Wee sock from the Wee Sock Swap over the weekend but forgot to take a picture. I will put it up next time. Shiloh, if you happen to look here I didn't have an email to send you a thank you. Thank you so much and it is a really cute sock.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk

They made it to Monday night. WOO HOO. It was a little scary there for a bit. (Coach Self says they went brain dead). Just Memphis to get past now.

GO JAYHAWKS

Though I only fooled one person, it was a joke. I am not giving up my fiber you will have to pry it out of my cold dead hands first.

G.....

is for GIVING up.

I am GIVING up knitting. GOING to sell my stash. Throw the wheel in the burn pile.

F.....

is for FINISHED the FIRST SOCK. I have FINISHED the FIRST of the Swirl socks. I really like the pattern and I like how it pooled around FOOT. I have seamed up the toe and I am ready to start the second sock unless I get the notion to start another pair FIRST.




F is also for FED UP and FINDING confidence in FIXING mistakes. It snowed again this morning but it has mostly melted off which is good. I noticed on the heel that I had slipped a stitch by accident and I was able to ladder down and FIX it. I was pretty excited. I year ago I would have ripped the whole sock out because I was never able to get it back on the needles after ripping backs a ways.

I haven't been spinning lately since I was FOCUSING on the sock. I guess I better get the other one cast on before my attention wanders.

The Sock Mojo Has Returned

Finally, my sock knitting mojo has returned. It was on a long hiatus I think. Maybe it was depressed from all the snow and cold weather but it seems to be back with a vengance. I finished these yesterday. The second sock seemed to just zoom by. On Thursday I was still working on the leg and all I had left to finish yesterday morning was the decreasing the toe. I so enjoy the Monkey pattern. It is so much fun to do and it is so easy to remember.

Details

Posh Lucia Sock yarn in Feather
Monkey pattern knit as written
Started sometime in February 2008
Finished March 22, 2008
Knit on KnitPicks 1.5 DPN's

I have had a great afternoon. Brett and the girls are spending time with his parents and grandpa at the hotel swimming and eating lunch. Buddy and I stayed home so he could take a nap and I have spent the afternoon knitting and listening to knitting podcasts. I have reached the heel flap on the Swirl sock and I hope to get in some more knitting time later after church tonight.

Last, but certainly not least. I hope you all had a great Easter. I am so thankful for having a Saviour that loved me enough to die on a cross. If you don't celebrate Easter I hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Forget Snow, Bring on the Yarn and Socks

First, the yarn. This is my third attempt at spinning and plying. I love to spin and wish I had more time to get better. It is Corridale top that I dyed with some green and yellow Kool Aid. There is about 420 yards of approximately fingering weight in the two hanks. The yellow didn't show up much but it made it a really pretty spring green. I am deciding what to knit with it. I will use this for something but I am not sure what.



Second, the socks. I will admit to having four pairs of socks in progress right now. Two pairs I haven't touched in a LONG time. These are the two pairs that are seeing a little knitting action. I am making a pair of Monkeys for myself and the first one is done. I am working on the second one now and I am almost through with the leg and hope to get to the heel this evening.



This is the beginning of my Swirl Sock. It is the Loopy Ewe sock club. I really like the yarn it is Cherry Tree Hill. I was obsessed with it for a couple of days and then life got in the way. I am hoping to have both pairs done by the end of the month. The picture does not do this yarn justice. I hope to get a better picture later.

E.....

is for ENOUGH.




ENOUGH said.

Stoles, Spinning, and Using the Snowblower

Clue 5 is finished. I am working on Clue 6 now. I hope to get this done soon. I am behind. Clue 8 will be out on Friday morning but I am not sure that I can get two clues done in two days especially since a little girl is having a birthday tomorrow.




I haven't had a chance to spin since Sunday but I can show you what I spent hours working on over the weekend. I finished up four ounces of the Corridale top that I got when I bought my wheel. I got about three hundred yards when it was all spun and plied. I am still learning but I see improvement already. WOO HOO!!!!!
This picture is before I washed it.





This last picture is both of the hanks after they were washed. I am really happy with them. I am not sure what to make with it but I will make something. Maybe a scarf or neck wrap. You can always use one of those in Minnesota.






We got snow overnight. We didn't get very much but it was more than I really wanted to shovel so I used the snowblower. I did all by myself and I hope my husband will appreciate it. I even did the sidewalk for the kids going to school.

D.....

is for a DETAINED and DELAYED post. I am a DAY behind on my ABC Along post so please forgive me.





It seems like I have been busy but I DON'T really have much to show for it. I have been bitten by the DYEING bug as this picture will show. I used some food coloring and it was lots of fun. It is fun to come up with stuff that is all mine and no one else will have anything like it.




This is some of the wool that I got when I ordered my wheel. It is a Corridale cross I think and it is called Vineyard. I am thinking of spinning it up for a shawl knitalong but I am not sure. I DO have some yarn that I have spun but I haven't washed it yet and I think it looks better after it has had a bath.





D is also for DISTRESS. Buddy was not very happy with me so I had to share this one. Before the picture was taken he pointed his finger at me and told me "DAT'S not nice". I am sure you will survive not getting another piece of cheese.

A Great Weekend

I had a great weekend. I was able to go on a small trip to Des Moines to go to a concert with my nieces and my sister. We had a great time eating lunch and staying up way too late Saturday night. Yes this is a picture of me. I hate to have my picture taken but it was worth it to have one with my nieces.




These are my two nieces. It is hard for me to believe that I have nieces and nephews that are old enough to be in college. Jordan here on the left is a sophomore and Rebekah on the right is a freshman. Jordan says she looks fat in this picture. I think I need to slap her.



What concert did I go to??? I went to see Brad Paisley. I am a huge Brad Paisley fan. I have his albums and I know the words by heart. It is always the music I listen to when I am not sure what I want to listen to. It was a great concert. If you ever get a chance to go see him go. It was the last night of the tour and all sorts of practical jokes were going on and the crew must have went through a case of Silly String that comes out of the can. Jordan and Rebekah thought that the guy who opened for him was HOT.




This picture was taken Sunday morning. The girls were showing their Jayhawk pride.




This last picture might get me hurt but this is my sister. She was the wonderful person who called and let me know that Brad Paisley was coming and asked if I wanted to go. She let us stay with her and drove us around Des Moines. Thanks sis.

Want to know the best part??? Coming home. I realized that I don't like to be away from my family overnight much. I do go on an occasional trip but I would prefer any day to sleep in my own bed and snuggle with my husband. I also came home to a clean house and a brand new microwave. Wonder what I would get if I left for a longer period of time??? A dishwasher maybe????

The Knitter Needs to be Smarter than the Sock

I think I have finally gone off the deep end. I have just spent about 30 minutes trying to figure out why the turning of the heel flap of my Monkey sock wasn't working out. I started over the turn twice I still couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. I finally figured it out. I DIDN'T READ THE PATTERN RIGHT. Do you want to know the sad part??? I have made this pattern before. I knew it was the operator and not the pattern, almost anyone who knits socks has made this pattern. I just felt really dumb. I kept slipping the first stitch when I was just supposed to knit the 17 stitches. Oh Well, you live and you learn I suppose. It might be that I stayed up way too late Saturday night but that is an entirely different post.




I thought I would show off my first handspun yarn. It has issues. It has spots where there is no spin and spots where there is too much spin but I am really proud of it. I have thought of using it to make a little scarf that would just fit in the top of my coat but I think I might just save it as a momento. I still have to get better at plying too.





I also have been bitten by the dyeing bug. I am really enjoying dyeing some of the roving and top I have purchased. I dyed the pink that is in the first handspun and I dyed this Friday morning. This is some Corridale, I am practicing on some more of this top and then hope to spin the top that I dyed into something I can use to make something for me.

Clue 4 and Getting Better

I have completed Clue 4 of the Secret of the Stole ii. I have also discovered that I enjoy knitting lace. It had always intimidated me in the past but now I am looking for new lace projects to knit. I am not sure what I will do with the stole when I am done with it. I am not really a stole kind of girl but I might just wear it to the grocery store or something like that. I think it would look nice with a turtleneck and some khakis. I might give it away too. I just don't know yet. I have started Clue 5 so I am not too far behind.




I really haven't spun much at all. I had spun twice (one of those two times was for maybe, maybe ten minutes) before I got my wheel. I really like my wheel and I really enjoy spinning. I have spun a little everyday since I got it on Monday. I could really tell a difference between Monday night spinning and what I spun up yesterday and this evening. I think this bobbin might even be worth trying to ply. The first bobbin I think I am just going to put it in a hank and keep as a memento from my first spinning on my wheel. I noticed a few pieces of grass and stuff that I missed when I was spinning it but oh well.

Robin's Got a New Toy!!!!!

I got a new toy and I think it has been stolen, by the Punkinbug. She had asked to treadle last night so I let her and all morning all I heard was "I want to pin on your pinning wheel".




I have went to the spin side. I have been thinking about it for a long time and did a ton of research on different wheels. I was not able to try very many out, I did try a Ashford Traditional single treadle and a Kromski Mazurka. I like the looks of the Kromski's and I wanted something that I could put away from little fingers. I got a Kromski Sonata.




The roving on the floor next to the Punkinbug is some Border Leicester that I got at my LYS. We dyed it with some Kool Aid in Black Cherry and Berry Blue.




This is how it spun up. I have some natural left and I am debating between spinning in natural or dyeing it with more Kool Aid just to have something fun to spin up. I am still waiting for the roving that I ordered when I got my wheel. I hope it gets here soon.

Meme

Linda tagged me and I have never done this one before so here goes.

Take the nearest book and turn to page 123. Skip the first five sentences and then put in the next three. I am reading Love Her to Death by Linda Palmer. It is one of the Daytime Mystery series books.

I had to use page 121 because 123 was a really short page.

"Some singers, and Al Pacino." Giving me Al Pacino's Michael Corleone stare, she lowered her voice again and whispered, "Freddo, you broke my heart".

I clapped my hands.

I think I will tag Guinifer, Janice, Hakucho and Tonni.


I have been making progress on the Monkey socks but not enough to post a picture. I am on the fourth repeat. I am still working on clue 4. I think I am officially behind but I might still catch up.

C.....

is for CHILDREN. I am very blessed to have three of them that are wonderful. Although this week the have been driving me CRAZY. It seems all I have heard is whining, CRYING, and fighting. I really love them alot and I am thankful that I have them even though sometimes they try my patience.




My two daughters are in school. Punkin is a first grader and Punkinbug is in preschool. I had a great Valentine's Day. I got some great handmade things from my girls and I really love them. I ask them on occasion if they will miss me when they are at school and they say "No, Mom, I will remember you." They are always so excited to share what they make and they are so proud that they made something for us.




Just in CASE you thought I forgot this was a knitting blog. I seem to have gotten a little of the sock mojo back. This is the first sock in a pair of Monkeys that I am making for myself. The yarn is the Posh yarn that has been seen in several attempts in the last month.

C is also for COCKY. I got a little too COCKY in my lace knitting and didn't take the time to move my lifeline and I had to frog about fifteen rows. At least it was only fifteen rows and not the whole project. I am plugging away at CLUE 4 and I hope to get CLUE 5 done this weekend since I think I will have other things to mess with next week.

Just the Stole Again

I still haven't been doing much sock knitting. I worked a little on the January pattern from Sockamania but just haven't been motivated to get very far on it. I keep telling myself that I will really like these socks if I finish them but I just can't seem to get into them. I am also trying to knit myself a pair of Monkeys but no progress there yet either. I am hoping the sock mojo will come back.


Or maybe it has been bought out by the lace knitting mojo. I am really enjoying this stole. This picture is from last week when I finished Clue 3. I am working on Clue 4 now and it seems to be going rather well. I am even learning to "read" my knitting which has helped a tremendous amount.





I am getting to the end of the first hank of the yarn I am using so I am hoping to be able to post a new technique that I have learned.