Summer of Socks Begins!!!!

I am one of the many participants of Summer of Socks this year. I am really excited about it because I am excited to see how many pairs of socks I can start and finish in a season. I cast on the first pair today. I am knitting the Horcrux Socks. I am using some Fleece Artist in Tiger. I am really enjoying the pattern and I am already about a quarter of the way through the leg. I hope to turn the heel today but I am not making any promises.





I have also started Teacher blanket #2. This blanket is for Princess Stinkerbug's teacher. She is due sometime next month. I am using a pattern called Cables and Crowns. The yarn is some Caron Simply Soft Brite in Lemonade. It is going rather well, not nearly as frustrating as the last one I did.



I will get to taking pictures of my vacation yarn acquistions soon I hope. I bought some really beautiful yarn. I have to show it off.

Happy Knitting

Call Me Toolbelt Diva!!!!!

Watch out Toolbelt Diva here comes Robin. I made my own yarn swift today. I am so excited. I found a pattern at this blog. I have built things before but this is so neat and I loved using it for the first time.

Here is the first hank of yarn that I wound up with it. It is some Lorna's Laces in Shadow. I got it from Sheri at the Loopy Ewe.


Here is the sock that I am working on now. It is in Socks That Rock Chapman Springs. I love this yarn. It is incredible. The picture isn't very good since the light was not great but I will post another picture soon.

Next time I will share the adventures that I had on my vacation. I didn't take pictures but I did acquire some yarn. Surprised???? Probably not huh???

Happy Knitting

It is Finished!!!!!

I finished the baby blanket last night. I wove in the ends this morning. It took a journey down to the school where the expectant mother was working diligently to get her room finished up for the end of the year. It is now in her hands. I think she really appreciated it. I deleted the whole picture of it that I took for some stupid reason so this is just the close up of the stitches. I need to make one more blanket but I have decided that I won't start it until I get back from visiting family in Kansas.


I just cast on a pair of socks in STR Chapman Springs. This yarn is AWESOME!!!!!! I am loving knitting with it. I will see what kind of progress I make on them this evening and if there is enough I will post a picture before I leave tomorrow morning. If now I will see you all when I get back.


Happy Knitting!!!

Must Keep Knitting!!!!!

I have not had much time to blog lately. I have been working frantically, yes frantically, on a baby blanket for my oldest daughter's teacher. She is expecting in the middle of September but her time with my daughter will be over in just two days. I am hoping to get it done by Tuesday so we can take it to her on her last "Teacher" school day. This is the blanket that I am making for her.

So back to knitting I go. I also started reading The Knitting Circle this afternoon. So far I don't want to put it down. I have to though because I am not coordinated enough to read and knit at the same time.

I will post a picture when it is finished.

Happy Knitting

I Have Been Tagged

Tabitha tagged me so here goes.

7 Random Facts about me

1. None of my children are born in the same state.

2. I met my husband in a grocery store.

3. We enjoy going to zoos on vacation.

4. I do the majority of the lawn mowing during the summer.

5. I love reruns of JAG. I am purchasing the seasons on DVD as they come out.

6. I am one of six kids.

7. My best girl friend is my sister in law. My brother did really well.

I am a stick in the mud so I am not going to pass this on but if you want to do go for it and consider yourself tagged.

Happy knitting.

Hubby's Socks are Finally Working

I have been trying to make my wonderful husband a pair of socks for about two weeks now. I keep having to rip them out and I was almost to the point where his socks were going into the "Knit Later" pile. I think I have finally gotten the start that is going to finish this pair. They are being knitted in Cherry Tree Hill in Slate. I will admit that I am not in love with this yarn. I find it very frustrating to knit with but I will probably buy more of it since some of the colors that they have are calling my name.




I also got some yarn recently from Yarn4Socks. It is some Zen Yarn Garden in Fuzzy Navel. I thought it looked like a good summery colorway.







I know Marshmallow Thief has been getting a lot of blog time lately and will probably continue to do so since he is in such a neat stage right now. I don't want anyone to think that I have forgotten about the Pumpkin and Princess StinkerBug. This is a picture of Princess StinkerBug in all of her "dress up" glory. She is such a fun little girl to have around the house. She even likes to do the dishes.
I wonder how long that will last.

It is kind of a chilly day here in Minnesota, so I think I will knit. Happy knitting all.

Okay So I Am Slow

I realize that I finished these socks over a week ago but here is a picture finally.
I guess I am should quit taking pictures of the Marshmallow Thief. Not going to happen.



I had to frog hubby's socks. Stupid sock did not fit a normal man size foot. That is what you get for wanting boring Vanilla Socks. NO ribbing caused me to Rippit Rippit. Since that happened I have been working on my Naga Socks and a baby blanket. I will finish these socks because my husband is wonderful and deserves a pair of handmade socks.



And yes little Marshmallow Thief, the bowl is empty. Where do you put all that food?????


Have a great weekend and Happy Knitting!!!!

Beware!!!! Thief on the Loose!!!! Danger and Havoc!!!!

I must warn you. There is a thief on the loose. He is considered dangerous until marshmallows are offered. He is charming and shy but can easily cause havoc in knitting baskets. As this poor dark picture can attest to.



Our marshmallow thief has learned to walk. Wow. He is so excited by what he can do. The only bad thing is he is into everything. He can't seem to stay out of anything which is starting to drive me a little crazy.


On the knitting front, as little as it is, my purple socks picture turned out blurry so I will try to get a picture tomorrow and post it.


Happy knitting!!!!

From Stealing the Mouse to Marshmallows

I think our Mouse Thief has started a life of crime. He has moved up the criminal ladder to marshmallows. I found the Mouse Thief in the kitchen with his hand in the bag of minature marshmallows. He really likes them. Oh I hope that motorcycles aren't next.


I also got my Socks That Rock yarn in the mail the other day but this is the first chance I have had to post it. The colors are Chapman Springs for a pair of socks for my wonderful sister in law and the other color is Knitty Rocks and that pair will be for ME!!!! There was no way that she was getting a pair with that yarn and I wasn't.



Happy Knitting!!!

Bumper Sticker

Your Bumper Sticker Should Be

Give me ambiguity - or give me something else

What Bumper Sticker Should Be On Your Car?

Queen Gizmo and Socks

One of my good knitting friends, Linda, commented that she had never seen Gizmo in the blog so I felt the need to rectify that situation. So Linda, this one is for you. Queen Gizmo surveying her domain in the way she is accustomed (laying in the sun). She is a very prissy dog. She doesn't like to go outside in the rain and snow is not a thing she enjoys.

I have been working on my Lace Cuffed Socks. They are almost finished. I just need to finish the foot. They are an easy knit and I am enjoying them alot. I will have to make more out of the book Steppin' Out.





I also think spring has finally arrived in Minnesota. It is 86 degrees here. I am glad that it is here. I was getting tired of snow and cold.

Happy knitting.

Rules???? What Rules?????

Remember recently when I said that I broke the "Robin Rules"????? Well, those rules have jumped out of an airplane without a parachute. I have not one, not two but THREE pairs of socks in progress right now.


These are the socks that are taking up my time besides recovering from this junk that I think I might finally be getting over.



The purple one has a mate already patiently waiting. The greyish one is in the process of becoming a pair of socks for my husband. The pink ones are for me. I will try to post better pictures of them when the sun comes back out in Minnesota. I have no idea when that will be though.

Happy knitting all.

Watch 5 Episodes and Call Me in the Morning

I spent the weekend sick and I think I have found a new cure all for the common cold. Watch half of season one and start season two of JAG. I was a big fan of the show when it was on and I was very excited when they started coming out with the seasons on DVD. I don't think it really helped but it did keep me company while I sat in the recliner feeling miserable. If looking at David James Elliott in a Navy uniform doesn't help than you need to go to the hospital because you are REALLY sick.





If the JAG cure all didn't work finishing a pair of socks has to help right???? I finished my Seacoast Socks on Sunday. (I would have posted earlier but I was sick and then the Mouse thief was just too cute). The colorway was Sunrise and I used a basket weave pattern. I had quite a bit of yarn left over but I never make my socks very high. I prefer ankle socks for the most part. I really liked this yarn. It is very soft and I love the colors. I will admit it tends to split but the plusses outweigh the negatives to me for the this one.





And if the other two don't help new yarn can cure anything. This is what I recently got from the Simply Socks Yarn Company. I got Lorna's Laces in Hawaii and some Claudia Hand Painted in Red Wagon. The other Lorna's Laces is Daffodil from yarn4socks. I am still trying to figure out if I should use one of these for the Six Sox Knitalong or use something else. Guess I will figure that out pretty soon though.

The Mouse Thief

There is a mouse thief in our house. His name is Benjamin. He has discovered that he can reach the pull out shelf for the keyboard when he is under the desk. Good thing he is so cute huh?????

Uh Oh!!! I broke the Robin Rules

This is just a quick post. I broke a Robin rule. I never have more than one pair of socks on the needles at a time but I just couldn't resist casting this pair on yesterday after I got home. The yarn is Reynolds Soft Sea Wool and I am using a pattern is Lace Cuffed Socks out of the Steppin' Out flyer for the Reynolds Sea Wool. If this pair goes well and I like how they feel on my feet I can see myself making lots of socks out of this yarn.

Cakes and Yarn

It has been chaotic it seems around here lately. I have been doing some babysitting and it is keeping me busy and tired. That probably explains why I haven't been blogging much. I really don't have a lot to blog about either. I am still working on my socks and I told myself I wouldn't blog about them anymore until they are done. I am decreasing the gusset stitches right now so I hope to be done with them soon. They are looking great so this will give you a reason to check back early next week.


I also got some yarn from the yarn4socks sock club. It was nothing like I expected it to look like but I really like it alot.


Emily and I decided to bake a cake for Brett (my wonderful husband). His birthday was last week but I was under the weather so we made one today. She had lots of fun cracking the eggs and she does really well getting it cracked just right. She also got to stir it up. I am so enjoying having little girls they are so fun to do the "cooking things" with. I hope Ben wants to help too when he gets older.

Take care and happy knitting.

I Have Been Knitting Honest!!!!!

I seem to have reached a "knitting block" it seems that everything I have worked on lately has ended up in the frog pond. I think I am starting to find the shore though.
I got some wonderful yarn from the Loopy Ewe that "spoke" to me. I got it in the mail and I must have had some kind of unconscious urge to mess up the sock I was already working on to use this yarn. So my Fleece Artist sock got frogged for the Seacoast Panda in Sunrise. This sock tried to be a Monkey sock but I couldn't get the cuff to work right no matter what size needles I used so it has turned into a form of a basketweave that seems to be going along just fine. I started the heel flap today and hope to have the first one finished by Sunday. I am not a big fan of tall socks so I think this is possible.

I also got another hank of the Seacoast in Maine. This yarn is so wonderful though it does tend to split a little but I think I can live with it.

I have been working on my Branching Out Scarf. It is moving along nicely. I think if I continue to enjoy knitting on it, I will turn into a lace knitter yet.

I also have to put in a big WOO HOO for the Kansas Jayhawks. They made it to the Elite 8. Rock Chalk Jayhawk GO KU.

KANSAS PRIDE

This little short post is so not knitting related. I am a transplanted Kansan. There are very few people that don't keep track of Kansas Jayhawk basketball, and the ones that don't pay attention just don't know what they are missing LOL. I will admit that I am not a very good watcher of basketball. I get way too nervous when they are playing and if it is not going "our" way I will admit I tend to turn it off because I feel that I jinx them. That sounds really strange I know but that is just how it is. Those Kansas Jayhawks are going to the Big Dance with a NUMBER ONE seed. I hope they do well. Go Jayhawks.

Finished Object, Frogging and Casting On

Well I am so excited that I finished a project that has been hanging out at my house for a VERY long time. I started the Pop Top Mitts (I think last spring or summer), I finished the first one back in October, I think, and I finally cast on the second one last Friday and finished it on Monday. Why did it take me so long to finish this project. It wasn't a difficult knit. I think I just didn't like the idea of having to make those fingers and rejoining the yarn. Why do I make things seem more difficult than they are???? That is something for me to ponder I guess.

The sock from the previous post has drowned in the frog pond. Yes, even after I had turned the heel and almost finished decreasing the gusset, I ripped that sucker out. I just didn't like the way it was turning out. I knew if I finished it the way it was it would probably always be a single sock and that yarn is just too pretty to be an abandoned sock. So I will look for another pattern that does that yarn justice.




Since I was disgusted with said sock, I cast on two new projects this week. I cast on the Branching Out lace scarf from Knitty and I am about done with the fifth repeat. I must remember to always use a lifeline. It sure does make lace knitting more enjoyable. I also cast on a different pair of socks. I had started a pair of Basketweave socks with my Fleece Artist Tiger and I thought that it looked like a bumble bee threw up so I frogged it. I have started on the Thuja pattern from Knitty I just added more stitches to accomodate the smaller weight yarn. They are looking pretty good so far and I am happy with them. I think I will spend some time knitting this weekend and see if I can finish a sock in less than a week.

Snow, Snow, and Conquering the Snow Blower

Well, if you are a watcher of the Weather Channel you know that it has been snowing in the upper Midwest. I, living in the upper Midwest, can attest to the fact that it has snowed. We got over ten inches since Thursday. I being a transplanted Kansan (go Jayhawks), can also say that this is the part of Minnesota that I don't appreciate. I do like the summers here though.

I probably would have appreciated it more if I wouldn't have had sick kids at the time. Ben and Elisabeth have both had ear infections and Emily had some kind of stomach bug. I think they are all on the mend though.




The snow blower and I got acquainted. Yes, I learned how to use the snow blower and I enjoyed it for the most part. The only part I didn't like was the snow being blown back in my face by the wind. This is the picture of the driveway after I finished blowing off the snow. I was pretty proud of myself.




On a knitting note, I haven't had much luck lately. Everything I have tried to knit has encountered problem after problem. I almost threw in the towel but my stash told me I couldn't. I have made progress on my sock. It is the Baby Cable Rib from the Sensational Knitted Sock book. I am using some Schafer Anne Yarn for it using 2 size 0 circular needles. I am still not sure if I like it or not yet. The previous sock from the last post got frogged because I thought it looked like a bumble bee threw up.

Elisabeth was feeling better so she was able to go out and play in the snow last night. This is a picture of her on the patio. The snow was up to her waist. She sure had a good time. Have a great day and happy knitting.