What I Did With My Summer Vacation That I Didn't Tell You About

Also known as:
Stuff you most likely won't care about but get to hear about because this is MY blog and I'm just now getting around to updating so shut it, you jerks.

I knit stuff.

 As a favor to my mother, I knit this shawl: Henslowe.  Then I had a really hard time giving it away. But I did anyway because I'm awesome like that... and also, who needs another shawl when you have seven(teen) already.

 No, you may not see my face.

 Then I knit this for me! The pattern is Totally Biased and I knit it out of my own handspun yarn! I love it. So much I want to marry it. Yeah.

 Please, don't look at my face.

 I also finished the Epic Blanket of 2012. I think I mentioned that knitting this blanket was my only knitting goal for 2012. I'm such an overachiever! The pattern is Girasole.

It is just lovely. I'm really looking forward to this "Winter" when I can snuggle up underneath it and drink me some Herbal tea and watch Downton Abbey. If you aren't watching this show, you are dead to me.

Stay tuned for tomorrow so you can hear about more stuff you don't care about!

Playin' Hookey

When I was growing up my mother would typically allow us one Free Day per school year. Yes, that's right. we were allowed to skip school. I will add that it wasn't allowed to be on a day when we had an important test or anything (responsible parenting still intact).

These were the best days. I remember going shopping. I remember my senior year of high school, my mom and I went strawberry picking. That was the best. I think once my kids get into high school, I will enact this tradition. It will be my one redeeming grace; I'll be the cool Mom for one whole day. Maybe.

This morning Abbie woke up feeling awful. She was running a low grade temperature so I told her to just go back to bed. She agreed and basically slept all morning. Around 1pm she woke up feeling infinitely better.

So I let her braid my hair into what seemed like a million braids. I pretend like this was something she suggested, but in actuality it was my idea. I really enjoy having my hair played with and she was super excited to do it. And I looked awesome, as you can plainly see.

After that, I decided to re-teach her how to knit. The last time I taught her (about two years ago) there was a lot of frustration on both of our parts and not much success. 

Not this time! She spent most of the rest of the day holed up on the couch with her knitting. I really hope it's caught on.  However, I'm not sure I thought this through completely as now I'm going to have to share my yarn stash. Uh. Not cool. 

(My husband would like me to state that for the record, we do not allow our daughters to wear tank tops as clothing. It is acceptable as an undershirt or possibly as pajamas.  Since she is still wearing her pajamas, that happens to be what she had on.)

Two Pair

I admit that I am not a sock knitter. I appreciate warm and lovely handknit socks as much as the next person, but as it turns out, I didn't actually enjoy knitting them.

Enter Susan B. Anderson.

She posted on her blog a recipe for a very simple sock and it occurred to me that perhaps that was my solution. Knitting simple socks.
You see, sock knitting can get very complicated.
Toe up?
Top down?
One at a time?
Two?
Magic loop?
Short row heel?
Afterthought heel?
Wedge toe?

And honestly, this is just scratching the surface of plain socks. Don't even get me started on patterned socks.

At any rate, Susan told me exactly what to knit and how. I'm thrilled. I've cranked out two pair in a month.
And now my feet are warm. And now my heart is happy.
And I've got another pair on the needles.

Yarn is Serenity Sock Weight

Yarn is Patons Kroy Socks

Just because...

Even tiny babies need socks!

I knit stuff.

So, I mentioned at the beginning of the year, that I was hoping to knit through 5 miles of yarn in 2011. By mid August, I had met that goal.

Obviously, I haven't posted many of the finished objects I've knit. That would be because I haven't photographed them. Two of those items are sweaters which, frankly, it's just too dang hot to be wearing long enough to get pictures of.

But I do have two items to share with you.

 The first of which is this adorable sweater vest which I knit for a colleague of my husband They just had their first little baby boy. And if we're being honest with each other, we can admit that there isn't anything cuter than a baby boy in a sweater vest. Right?

 And the back. It ALMOST makes me wish I had a teeny boy to wear it.

 As it is, Libby looked adorable in it. This was just so I could make sure of sizing. It's about 12 months.

The other project is probably the most favorite thing I've ever knit.

 This is the Clara Dress. Unfortunately, you can only get the pattern by purchasing it as a kit. But I was desperate. I had to knit this tiny dress.

I think you can see why.

 I only wish I'd have made it a couple inches longer. I was worried about running out of yarn, but I totally shouldn't have been. I could easily have knit another 2 inches and still had plenty left over.

But I actually adore the length. I just put a pair of frilly bloomers on her and we're good to go. And I think she can continue to wear it as a tunic type top for quite a while.

I'll be back with more knit items soon.

Weekend Update

1. It's fitting that I use that title since I'm currently buzzing my way through Bossypants by Tina Fey. Hilariously good read. My husband even read it.

2. My husband had time to read it because he exploded his knee (ruptured his patellar tendon) on Saturday while on a Daddy/Daughter date to one of those wall-to-wall trampoline places. He had surgery earlier today and should be home tomorrow.

3. This throws a major wrench in our Summer plans. The first of which was to drive to a family reunion in Missouri. That now has a very real possibility of NOT happening since I'm not known for my long distance driving abilities, and the disploded knee was his driving leg.

4. It also ruins my plans of knitting all the way. This is more painful for me than having to drive... NOT getting to knit. Just cruel. I had several projects all planned out and I now stare disdainfully at the yarn I had selected. I'm blaming the yarn. It's easier that way.

5. My husband will be fine. He's currently enjoying a lovely cocktail of post-operative drugs. I wish I had some.

6. School is out on Wednesday. I will henceforth have a 4th and 2nd grader and a Kindergartener (why does this word always look wrong?... is that even the correct spelling?...blogspot says no, but they didn't like "disploded" either and that's OBVIOUSLY a real word.) My children really ought to either 1. Stop getting older. or 2. Get older much faster. It's painful like ripping off a band-aid super slowly. Either leave it alone or rip that bad boy off in one quick move.

7. I knit some stuff.

8. I finally picked up my camera last week for the first time since April. No lie. I'm contemplating challenging myself to take a picture a day during the summer. Which may also force me to actually do fun stuff with my kids during the summer so that I will have something to photograph. I even made a big old Pinterest board full of stuff my kids will enjoy doing. Find it here. (Are you on Pinterest? Let me know!)

9. Here's the stuff I knit.

A sweet little, slightly too big for Libby right now intentionally baby cardigan. Should fit her perfectly come the two weeks of so-called Winter we enjoy in January.


This is a neckerchief-ish shawl called Lacy Baktus. It started out really fun, then turned really boring, then turned positively excruciating as I just wanted it done already. Which is why I don't knit scarves, typically.

10. How bout that hair o mine? Crazy right? This is AFTER I had it severely thinned out.

11. Hope your weekend was much more injury free than ours.

Some FOs.

As in finished objects.
You see, I knit and knit and knit... and then never photograph anything. I'm super awesome that way. So, then I pull out all the items I've completed in the last uh... 2 months and photograph them all at the same time and then you receive this veritable dumping of knitted objects.

So where were we?

 I knit four pair of kids' mittens this "winter". Did I knit myself a pair? Uh.... no? I have a pair picked out, but it can wait till the temperature drops below 70 degrees again... in December.

 Remember that I own a spinning wheel? I do. I spun the yarn I used for this hat back in September. I knit the hat in December. It was one of Abbie's Christmas presents. But we don't often have occasion for hats. I used the Purl Beret pattern from PurlSoho and it turned out so, so cute.

 Abbie quite likes it, and so do I. It was my first foray into knitting with my handspun and it was quite the adventure.

Speaking of handspun...

 94 yards of bulky 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. I actually dyed this myself. Yes, I'm attempting all aspects of this fiber craze.

 The above yarn was spun in September/October. I have no idea why I haven't yet posted it here because I think it's just beautiful. I didn't dye this one. It came from the WoolPig Crafts Etsy shop. It is now 235 yards of Superwash Blue Faced Leicester in a DK weightish...?

 And the final installment in the spinning category is this lovely Merino Silk blend from Ashland Bay.  It's 372 yards of a 2ply laceweight. It took me absolutely forever to spin. Just ask my mother... I was spinning this before Christmas. I finally finished it last week and you'll be seeing it knit up into something soon... I think.

 Then I knit this lovely, WARM, chunky cowl.  It was my first chance getting to use Berroco Vintage Chunky and I was skeptical because it has a rather high acrylic content, but it was just lovely.

I also got to knit this lovely piece. I absolutely love it and it's sooo soft. Pattern is here and yarn is Misti Alpaca Lace.

Here's another pattern I started and finished FOREVER ago... it's called Opus Spicatum. It is knit out of Swish Worsted which I must say I really love.  I just wanted to add that it was about 82 degrees the day I took all these pictures and I was sweating mighty fiercely. Gross.

And lastly, not a finished object.  A WIP (work in progress.) Matt's Memory Vest. Knit out of Cascade 220 Superwash. The back is finished, the front is about 1/3 done. And now I'm off to go work on it whilst I watch me some Netflix.

Thanks for reading!

Priveledged Man

 Now, I love being a knitter and I love my husband, but sometimes he can get a bit pesty about his knitted "needs." (INSERT EYEROLL HERE).

He has already received mittens, and a hat.  But apparently that left his neck out in the cold, literally. I don't knit scarves. I find them boring. Sorry if you're a scarf knitter but generally it's just the same pattern over and over for 6 feet long... mercy!

So, considering my husband is a fashion forward metrosexual Asian... he opted for a Cowl. Yes, I know... but I promise it's manly.

 Everytime he wears it, it makes me love him just a little bit more.  Which is nice since he wears it almost daily right now. The pattern... funny thing... called the Simon Cowl.  And I used Noro Silk Garden Sock that's been burning a hole in my yarn stash since our summer vacation.

And guess what? Now the husband is pestering for a sweater vest. I've already purchased the yarn and the pattern... lucky man!

Now, you might have noticed that I added a www.knitmeter.com widget over to the right... My goal for 2011, is to knit 5 miles. Nerdy. Heck yes! And I'm on my way... already done with 3/4 of a mile! Go me!

(Sorry if you can't see some of the links... join Ravelry! It's free!)

Giveaway ALERT!

Really, this is just another ploy to get more of you to knit. Because honestly, I don't think enough of you guys are taking me seriously when I tell you about how awesome it is.

Leave a comment on this post and I'll draw for a winner of your very own Totally AWESOME braided Necklace on Wednesday. I might even let you pick the color! (Make sure you have your email address on there!)

ETA: Here's a link to the pattern! Glad to hear so many of you who are knitting!

Changing My Mind

I've been being very diligent about my knitting. I've knit almost exclusively items for other people for the last 4 months... I really wanted to be able to give my loved ones my hand knitted love this Christmas. And for the most part, I'm doing okay. All of my sisters will receive something. And my mom. And my mother-in-law, though she doesn't know it yet.

And with almost each finished object, I instantly become jealous of the person I knit it for. It's been very difficult for me to resign myself to the idea that I'm giving all of these fabulous items away.

Which is why when I finished this hat...

I put it on for these pictures.

 And quickly decided to never take it off.

It's mine now. And it even got cold last week which of course, meant that I had to wear it!

I apologize to the person it was intended for. You will never know who you are.
Because the good news is, I'm still knitting.

Multnomah

I wore it to church today. I love the blues and purples. And a simple, fun knit.






And yes, I'm avoiding showing you pictures of my face. Well, my hair really... it's huge. And weird. I'll show you better what I'm talking about this week.

And Now... For the Main Event.

I've been putting off photographing all six (yes, there are more) finished projects I have because I wanted to wait until this one was done.



This was another test-knit for a knitwear designer. It was an absolute delight to knit. Plus, I got to use a yarn that I've never used before and absolutely fell in love. MUST HAVE MORE YARN. I think this week, I'll have to take some pictures of my yarn stash so you can laugh at my "need."



Yes. More cables on the back. And the sleeves. I was actually asked to knit the size 8-9. Abbie is teeny. So, even though she's 8.5, she really only wears a 6/7. So, admittedly the jacket is a bit long on her. But I actually like the longer length... it gives it more of a swing coat feel, I think.


Overall, I think it's great. I *almost* wish it was for me, except for the part where I'm not really into nautical cables for adults who aren't on a boat. Sue me.

Coming Soon to a Neck Near You...

I made this.


I have forewarned my husband that it is time for me to move out of FL (as I type this, I'm sweating... our windows are open and the fans are going... it's too hot). I need seasons.

I need a reason to keep this for myself!

Grubby Mitts

Ok, not grubby. But I love using those two words together. About a billion (not an exaggeration, I swear) years ago, I finished these mitts.


These were the most fun thing to knit.  I learned how to do stranded colorwork (fair isle) and I'm hooked. I've been eyeing up a set like this. Tell me it wouldn't make you just thrilled to wrap that around you and head out into the cold...
But alas. We have no cold.
So, instead someone else will be enjoying these. I bet you wish it was you.



I think I need to make another pair for the 4 days it gets cold enough... what colors would you suggest?

Spinning.

As I mentioned before, I ordered a spinning wheel for myself for my 31st birthday. I spent the first 2 hours swearing.... and suddenly it clicked.

I've been having a blast. Someday I'll take pictures of my wheel, but for now, you get pictures of the yarn I've spun.

 This was my first attempts at spinning.  It wound up being 28 yards of horribly over/under spun and awfully plied yarn. I'll keep it for fun, but it's not likely to be made into anything.

 So, I tried again. This produced a "much closer to yarn" product. 216 yards of it!  I still struggle with overspinning but I'm doing better. This particular fiber is Corriedale (the variety of sheep it came from). It's sheep colored. I could overdye this if I'd like and even ordered the acid dyes necessary to do so... We shall see.

 For my birthday, my mom sent me a beautiful braid of fiber. It's a Superwash Merino Tencel blend. 253 yards of light fingering weight. I love it and have a project planned for it!

 For kicks, I attended a Fiber Conference/Convention (way nerdy, eh?). While I was there, I purchased a couple of braids of fiber. One being what you see below. Ashland Bay Colonial Teal Multi. Whatever that means. This yarn is 166 yards of worsted weight. The perfect amount for a hat or possibly some mittens.

So.... uh, that's the yarn. I made it. Yes, I'm doing a little "I am so totally awesome dance."