Well, I've officaially given up hope of finishing the Knitty project i was going to submit, since the deadline is tomorrow and I've still got half a back and a whole front to finish. Maybe next time! Or, I'll just finish it and post yummy pics for y'all to drool over, it's such a great color and that cashmerino yarn is so georgeous.


Here's a pic of the alpaca scarf I finished yesterday. It's 100% alpaca DK (by Reynolds, but can't recall the anme of it now and I'm too lazy to go upstairs to look for the ball band-so sue me!) in a really nice demin-y shade. I did it on size 8 needles, so it's got some awesome drape to it. It's my version of the bow scarf but I increase two stitches every other row instead of one every row, and I made it wider (worked to 30 stitches instead of 24). I didn't do the ribbed slot either, I split the stitches and did garter. So I guess it's a very loose interpretation of the original bow scarf, LOL (I just can't ever follow a pattern the way it's written! It's a complusion to design and change everything)

I wore it today and got several compliments!


In other knitting news, I am officially teaching again. I'm doing a class at the ymca, for the spring session,a dn I'm developing a sweater workshop, a teen class and a middle school class for the summer day camp program. I'm so excited to be back in class again, I missed sharing knitting. The best part is seeing all the things they've created at the end of the session though, so I'll have to be patient for that!


Started swatching for a raglan sweater for Ethan tonight. It's wool-ease chunky, since this kid is a one-boy demolition crew when it comes to clothes. I got the dark chocolate brown, thinking it will hide all the mud he's going to get into this spring. I'll post pics as it gets going.


And now for something completely different. The Friday Five


1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why?


Wonder Woman-I dug those bracelets!




2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?


My mother's approval




3. What's the furthest from home you've been?


California (I'm from NY)




4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?


To spin well




5. What are your plans for the weekend?


Swimming with the family tomorrow at the y, work on Ethan's sweater, have a fabu dinner tomorrow night with Dha fter the boys go to bed, teach Sunday school, annual meeting at church. Sounds so exciting, doesn't it?!?!




That's it for now, I think. Knit On...The Knitting Circle

Ohhhh, it's so much fun to spin! I sat watching the state of the union with my little drop spindle, creating yards (okay, maybe inches is more like it!) of fluffy, beautiful yarn. I'm so excited!



Pictures tonight, I promise. THe spindle, the yarn I spun, and the alpaca scarf I'm working on. It's been super quick, it's kind of like a bow-scarf, but instead of ribbing at the hole it's just garter. I think it'll be very warm, and so cozy around my neck.

Wahoo! I've fianlly given in to the urge to spin, and my little asford drop spindle arrived today, with a pristine bag of roving. I'm so anxious to get started, BUT (there's always a but)...the spindle did not come with a hook on it?!?! Of course, being the completely clueless newbie spinner that I am, I have no idea if this is normal. Am I suppossed to put the hook in myself, on the end I prefer? Right now, it seems as if this could be a top or bottom whorl, I just have to choose a place for the hook-thingy (very technical, I know).



Drat! I so wanted to get spinning tonight, and now I have to figure out about this hook problem. Of course, now it gives me time to dye some of this roving, so at least my first efforts will be colorful!



DH is, to put it midly, not thrilled about the spinning endeavours. He jokes that we've already got a dozen sheep's worth of yarn in the attic, and now we're going to add the fleece too? But I just couldn't resist the call of the wild, LOL.



In other knitting news, I am moments away from having the soaker pattern ready for public consumption. Just a few more pictures to put in place, and it will be finished. Finally.Knit Something!

sorry I've been rather neglectful of this blog lately, I've been spending all my free time revamping my site. Check it out: Knit Something!. I promise, more knit content coming soon, really.

We're finally back in the land of *normalcy* again. A scary few days with Ethan and his asthma, two sleepless nights in the hospital, and nary a stitch to show for it. Ethan was so sick he pretty much needed me to hold him and cuddle for the entire two days. Now we're back home and trying to readjust to life with round-the-clock nebulizer treatments, what fun!

Zero to report on the knitting front. Hoping to get soem dyeing done today for wool for the soaker kits. Still finisheing the write-up of the pattern. blah, blah, blah...Little Turtle's Garden

i was wrong. it can get worse. we're waiting for Dh to come home and stay with AJ so I can get Ethan to the hopsital to be admitted. there's nothing scarier than watching your child sit in your lap and struggle for every breath and you can't do anything. please pray, send healing vibes, positive thoughts and anything else you can muster for us.

Well, it can't possibly get any worse, right? Ethans got a double ear infection now, hasn't slept in three days, and I think he might have pneumonia as well. We're off to the doc today. AJ, poor thing, has ruptured a blood vessel in his eye from coughing so hard. And I'm not even going to get into the sinus problems I'm having. When it rains, it freakin' pours.

not much tor eport on the knitting fornt, I can barely think straight. Finished a soaker last night, starting another one today. mindless knitting for the doc's office, and with a 2 year old splayed on my chedst, there's not much else I can work on.



Please send all your spare healing vibes my way. I'd be ever so grateful.Knit Something!

I'm feeling a bit delusional. Must be the sinus medication. If anyone's got some secret way to cure sinus infections, feel free to share it, cause I've got a doozy coming on. Bugger-I hate being sick.



The Eagles are winning. Rah-rah.

WAHOOO!!! Finally got off my lazy bum yesterday and sent a proposal into the Y about starting a knitting class there. The program director called about 15 minutes after I sent the e-mail, she was so excited. So, I'm officially off sabbatical, LOL. I'll start teaching again in April. Now, to dig out the class outlines from that hellhole of an attic, and pick some new beginner's projects. This almost makes up for not being able to take that microbiology class this semester. Almost.

We're all sick here, excpet for Dh, who has abandoned us to watch football with his buddies. ugh. Can't blame him, really. I feel like crud and still wish I could get out of the house. At least I've gotten some work in on the picot sweater, since none of us can get off the couch. If I have to watch another Land Before Time video, I might just lose my mind.

The boys are sick, and that severely impedes my creative process. I did manage to dye some wool this morning, in georgeous jewel tones. Makes me realize I really need to get back into the dye thing-I always feel so happy when I do.

The picot sweater is coming along well enough, I'm not crazy about how the yarn is working-that darn microfibre is already becoming a blight in an otherwise ideal project. I can feel it pilling in my hands as I knit. Ick.

Working on a multisized sweater pattern, but can't decide the gauge I want to use, so I keep change it, and thus changing the whole stinkin' pattern. Time to let it fester for a while, I think. Maybe it's the yarn I need to change? It's Mission Falls cotton, but I'm thinking I might like to do it in Saucy instead. It's for kids, and I think the boys' sweaters in the Saucy have held up better than the vests in the MF cotton.

Won't get a lot of needle time this weekend-Dh has the Eagles game tomorrow, and I've got LLL District Workshop on Sunday. I suppose I can take the knitting with me to the workshop :) I love the odd looks I still get whenever I pull out a WIP. No matter how much the media hypes how coolknitting is, people still think it's odd when a 20something is doing something domestic-IN Public, no less. Oh, well, off to the boys, I think I hear wretching again :(

Another dreary day. It's suppossed to snow tonight, but only a bit. I'm desperate for a good, long snowstorm. I love watching the boys frolick in the snow-everything looks so pristine and fresh.

Finished the swatch for the cashmerino-18st/22r. It is so incredibly soft, I am going to love this project! Have decided on a picot edge treatment, the seed stitch did nothing for this yarn. Have 6 soakers to finish up, got a few more orders. Guess I'll pull out the old dye pots and have a color party.

Made a few pairs of wodden needles last night-they came out pretty awesome. I'm thinking I might add them to the site, but then again, I might keep 'em all to myself (but really, how many pairs of size 8's cana girl have?) I enjoyed playing with the sculpey for the beads at the top-such a nice change from the play-dough I'm usually mucekd in with the boys. I had forgotten how nice it was to knead hard clay into this soft, malleable little ball, waiting to be shaped into something grand. I must have been feeling sentimental last night, cause as I was molding the clay I was getting all warm and cozy feelings thinking about the boys, and how they are as malleable as the clay. They are my biggest UFO, and this is one I know I'll never, ever finish.

Really struggling with writing down the patterns. Just can't seem to get it from head to paper, even after trying the whole tape recorder at my side and dictating as I knit. Maybe I'm just not ready to let the patterns go yet? Who knows, but it's really starting to grate on me. Little Turtle's Garden

what a grey day today. Dreary, icky, cold-the perfect time to knit (what isn't a perfect time to knit?!?!) I woke up in the middle of last night with the inspiration of that autumn red Debbie Bliss Cashmerino that's haunting me-a 3/4 sleeve, raglan, boatneck sweater. I'm picturing it with my favorite cream beach capris, a pair of jute mules and big Jackie O sunglasses. Tres chic! Now to find the time to write tha pattern and knit it. wugh.

another flash of insight-I'm picturing a black, soft v-neck, fully fashioned form fitting sweater, with side pleats, rice stitch collar, and fold back cuffs in rice stitch. Now to find the perfect yarn-must be super crisp and great stitch definition. I'm thinking a DK mercerized cotton-must be somewhat shiny.

Now to finish the knit-a-long, and dye up some more wool for those soakers on order. Knit on...HTTP 404 Not Found

Forgot to add-Happy New Year!

Okay, at my friend Jo's insistence, I am going to make it one of my New Year's resolutions to write in this blog! We'll see how long I last, LOL.



Okay-on the needles today: a cotton preemie 5 hour baby sweater for the local NICU. Various handdyed wool swatches for a knit-a-long I'm starting on my forums. I'm having fun picking out the stitch patterns for the blocks-some of them are stitches I haven't used in ages. I'm also working on some new patterns (again, at Jo's insistence, LOL) and I'm rewriting my proposal for summer camp classes at the local community arts center. I want to teach a kool-aid dyeing class to the high schoolers, but the center's director isn't keen on the idea. Phooey!