Once A Month, Ready Or Not

Wow, it's already been a month since I last posted. The time has gotten away from me - with end of the school year, end of the (girl)scouting year, company moving, and the downpouring of KALs.... Something had to give, and unfortunately it was this. I don't even have lots of great pictures to show for it!

This is a little over half of the swatch for the Mystic Meadows stole swatch. It was a smaller piece of the yarn I wanted to use, and from the little bit I did, I think I'm going to really like this choice. i will cast on tonight for a little bit.

My back is acting up right now, so it's hard to do anything but sit and knit...not that I mind. I did want to start work on a dress for my younger daugther- a yellow dress for "Wear Yellow To School Day" (Wednesday). Since it's Monday now, I don't have much time, but the pattern isn't too complicated. I should be able to crawl on the floor and cut out the dress, and maybe even start some of the sewing as well. I have some yellow ginham in the stash that would work wonderfully for this project (I think I better hurry and use up some of this material...both girls are starting to get a bit big for the gingham look...if you know what I mean.

After the yellow dress, I need to think about the older daugther. We have a pirate fair we want to go to this weekend, and she's outgrown her outfit from last year. DD2 is all set with something from the costume bin, and husband just needed some pants. I have a new bodice I'm finishing (need to put grommets in),and some bloomers/bottoms(haven't decided just what yet). DD1 needs new bodice, new skirt, new shift...she just keeps growing. I guess this is what happenes when you feed them :oP

After the pirate fair, she'll be needing clothes anyway. Like I keep saying - she 's a growing kid. She wants to learn to sew, so I will enlist her help to sew some of the things (with proper supervision). She should be able to help with shorts/pants and simple shirts. At least to start out with. She helped some this last Sunday with pants for DH. they were a very simple design and she helped to sew much of them up. I'm hoping for a good summer.

May Day...May Day...

Things have been kind of up-side down for me the last few weeks. Nothing tragic, just screwy. to cope, I knit. I have been able to finish the monkey socks (shown here in progress) started around the time of the wedding back in March. I haven't worn these yet, I need to finish tucking in the loose ends.



I made my "Incrdible Hulk Business Socks". A shorter, sportier sock. Picture doesn't do justice to the great green color. I haven't worn these either, just haven't had the occassion.


I have been working on swatches for another KAL I want to participate in, but I'm not happy with first swatch. The gauage is a little big, and I knit loosely , so this might not be a good thing.


Here's the Swatch-In-Progress. The color doesn't show, but it is a soft apple green (I think the vendor called it Aloe Vera or something like that). I like the color. Soft enough to be almost nuetral, but still a little color...light enough to oveerdye if the color isn't quite what you want.



What's In Your Wallet?

Here's my bag that I carry my STUFF in everyday. I throw my knitting supplies I take to work with me. It makes me laugh to think about all the knitting "crap" I have in there.

Here's my bag that I carry my STUFF in everyday. I throw my knitting supplies I take to work with me. It makes me laugh to think about all the knitting "crap" I have in there. Yarn (about 8 balls of yarn), knitting nnedles (1/2 doz sets of Dbl pt needles, and several circulars), plus knitting/Lace book...all sorts of stuff. the good thing about it being knitting stuff, it ain't too heavy. Yarn is far more bulky then weighty.

Now as I look at the picture, I find it almost embarrassing to show the picture of the inside of my bag....dope!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

BIGGER Happy Face!

I did it! I finally finished the Galveston Shawl. FINALLY! Now I need to block. I didn't have time this weekend to get there, but I hope to get it done tonight / tomorrow. I am so glad to finally have this off the needles. I laugh at it a little now, at the color choice. I had used cream colored yarn, as it was what I had in my stash, but I was wanting to maybe dye it a french blue. Now that it's done, I'm not sure I want to dye it, but not sure I like the cream color either. For now I will block it and see what I think.

On another note, I did finally rceive the wool/yarn I ordered at the end of February, thinking I would use for one of the many KALs I've sign-up for. Now I don't remember which I was going to use for what. In most cases, I found something else to use for the project because the box was taking so long from Canada. No worries though, cause we all know something else will come along that this will work for.

Happy Knitting

Happy Faces

In the morning when I arrive at work, I see a bunch of the flowers looking like this.. not too Happy.












By the time I go home, they looking something like this! Much Happier!


I can hardly wait for the Morning Glories to come into their own! One of my favorite things in the morning is to look out the back window and see a wall of Morning Glory...in all it's "Glory".






And here, you see the Galveston Shawl so close to being done. One small problem...the stitch count came out wrong. I am short by 2 stitches. I need to go back and look at the last edge and see if I can figure out where I "Oops" up. I know there were a few times I kind of zoned out while knitting the edge on, so I may be able to tink back some and correct the problem. Think good thoughts of it only being a small problem to fix ( not too muck tinking to correct).


Have a good weekend!

100 Rows of KnittingTo Go, 100 Rows Of Knitting...

We'll knit the row

turn it around

and do the same again.






You know how it is when you are so close to the end you start to get SOOOO tired of the project? SOOOooo close you can see the end, and yet it's seems to go on FOREVER.
I am trying to finish this project first. I have started a pair of socks, but I am pushing to get this in to FO pile. I'll figure out where to block when I get to that stage.



On another topic, I can't believe how much more mature my youngest seems these last few weeks. It's like it's sunk into her that she's graduating pre-school in a month, and soon she'll be starting elementary school. the change is subtle, but it's there. I can't quite put my finger on what's different, there's something in the way she talks, or retells her adventure (and mis-adventures) of her day, the way she interacts with her sister and the cats.... something in the way she moves. I guess turning 5 was a good thing for her.

Rounding Third

I've rounded the third corner, and heading for the fourth. I can see progress ( well, actually I don't see progess as much as I feel the needle holding all the stitches getting lighter). This will be a big shawl when done. Pretty AND big. I can't wait until I block the bugger.




And, of course I was bad. I started another side (smaller) project. Something portable to take easily in my purse. Just a sock - fat free snack for when I hunger for something to do and I can't take the shawl 'cause it's too big to lug around much. It's a Monkey sock.

I want to purfect my socking skills, so I thought I would try out some yarn that I Navajo plied to get the thickness I thought I needed. It seems to be working out well for me. I'll know better once the sock is done. I tried this yarn just doubled up, but the resulting sock was/is too thin. The yarn was labeled as sock yarn ( must have meant for sock knitting machine), I use it mostly for shawls. I do like how it's turning out. I am hopeful this will be a keeper.

The blue ball next to it, was some handspun I did last year. I was looking for sock yarn in my stash and found this. I think it will be ok as well. I found another pattern I want try using this with. I actually tried a sock with it last year ( soon after I spun it), but I didn't like how it was turning out. So I am trying again, but with a different pattern and a different needle size. I am such a loose knitter, that I am using a size 2.0mm/US 0, and the gauge is looking good. funny how natural these needles feel in my hands, and size 2.5mm/#2 feel huge. Amazing what you get use to in a short amount of time.