Tubey!

One more post before I leave...A finished Tubey. 11 days folks. 11 days. I HAD to have this sweater, and I'm extremely happy with it.

Photos Part Two

Photos of Xmas knitting:


A bag for a coworker's daughter



A bag for a coworker, stuffed with 3 scarves for her kids



Eyemasks from Holiday Handknits, filled with flax seed and dried lavender for coworkers



Body puff from Knitty for a coworker


It just occurred to me that all my knitting that I've showed you so far have been for coworkers. I'm quite generous, huh? Anyways, I have been working on something for me, and while I'm very happy with the way it's turning out, it was meant to be Florida knitting. Now I'm out of ideas for knitting projects while in Florida. I'm open to suggestions. Right now, I'm thinking socks. Small, portable and quick. Oh yes, my project for me. Tubey. I'm so in love with this that I've been up WAY past my bedtime knitting it. It's not great photos, but this should suffice til I can model the finished object:



I may not be back to the blog til January. If I don't get back til then, have a look at my favorite thing about the holiday season. My landlord puts this star on the house every year. This year I almost thought it wasn't going up. But I came home this weekend to see it in all it's glory. It's big and obnoxious, and you can probably see it from the moon...but it makes me smile. Happy holidays folks!

Pictures, part one

I'm a bad SP receiver. I haven't blogged about my last package, even though it was spectacular. Lynne, if you're reading this, forgive me. Here is a pic of my last box:


There you have some Lush goodies, some luscious yarn (Hand Maiden that was petted and threatened to be stolen at my get together), some wonderful tea, a grover book, a cute little star box and Knitticisms. Lynne, aka etcgirl, wrapped each individual gifty, putting a little Grover pic on each wrapped thing. I put all the Grovers together for a picture:



Thank you Lynne for everything!! You were a wonderful SP!

Next, a package that came in the mail for me. Nothing spectacular about the contents of the package, it was more sock yarn to add to my already large collection of sock yarn. What's interesting about this package is the way it was shipped. Here, take a look:



Yes, the yarn came to me in a ziplock bag, taped very well. It was the single most interesting package I've ever received. And when I learned that it was from Monkee, I laughed like a lunatic at the mailbox. I was thankful my landlord was not home to hear me cackling like a crazy woman. Thank you Monkee for my yarn and for the laughs. :)

Next, while I forgot to take pics of the knitting get together at my house, I did take pics of my craftiness. I made goody boxes for all the guests.


Inside a large chinese take out box (bought at my local restaurant, they're authentic!), I put a hand knit washcloth, a sample of Lush soap, a few limited edition cherry creme cordial Hershey kisses and a homemade fortune cookie. What can I say, I really have nothing better to do with my time/life.


The day after the get together, I left the couch for only bathroom breaks and food breaks. Why? Because I wanted a new hat to wear to work on Monday. So I whipped this up....a pattern from KnitPicks, using KnitPicks Merino Style.


Again, nothing better to do with my life. Next time, pics of my finished Xmas knitting, and the progress on Tubey, but until then, the obligatory cute kid photo. I'll explain it next time (and ignore the basket of overflowing yarn behind him next to the couch...).

Santa came early

Santa came to my house while I was at work today. He left me a brand new laptop computer. Hubby has to load all of my stuff/photos from the other computer on to this lovely laptop. When he does, you guys will get pictures. Oh there will be picture overload!

I had my Lasik surgery done on Thursday. When I went for my follow-up on Friday, they determined I was seeing at 20/25. Freakin' sweet!! I haven't seen like that without use of contacts/glasses since I was 9. I'm thrilled to see without all that stuff, but it's going to take some getting used to. I reached for my glasses this morning...it's an automatic thing. It was funny.

This evening on the way home, I finished the last of the knitting for Christmas presents. I already started blocking some of the gifts, and most ends have been weaved in. Now to just put some tags on them, and package them up. I'm thrilled to be almost done. Not just because I want the Christmas knitting over with, but because I was forcing myself not to start on a project for ME until it was all done. I did, however start something, but in an effort to finish the Christmas knitting, I only allowed myself to knit til one ball was done. I now have about a foot done to Tubey. Mmmm...and I splurged on the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. It's SO yummy to work with.

Off to play with my laptop some more...

Changes

I have pictures to share from my last Knitty SP 5 box from etcgirl, but alas, the hubby has hidden the pics from me and has taken the camera with him. I don't have any pics to share from my knitting get together on Sat., because I'm a dolt and forgot to take photos. I hope everyone had a good time; I know I did.

You may have noticed that the blog looks a bit different. I'm in the process of beautifying the blog and I needed a blank slate. Hubby made me a banner, which is wherever my pics are hidden, and will make a new button for the blog for you all to take. Now, if I could only figure out WHERE to put the banner in all that code....

Til next time, with pics, a banner, and without glasses/contacts.

My next post will not be 2 weeks from now

Some of you might remember my promise to blog more often. It's not like I haven't been online. Or that I haven't had things to say. It's just, I guess, I really didn't have a desire to blog. That and the fact that I've been knitting my little head off. My list of 15 knitted Christmas gifts has been whittled down to one. One lonely little scarf is left to knit. Well, I still have many ends to weave in on all the other projects, and blocking to do, but all the actual knitting is done. And that one lonely little scarf will be my project tomorrow at my little knitting party. Hopefully I will get lots of great pics of the shindig to post.

I look forward to getting all the Xmas gifts out of the way and focus on something for me again. I've got a lace shawl that I want to make and a hat and mittens from Knit Picks. Though, I can't seem to find my size 5 dpn's....guess I'll have to get another set. Poor me having to go shopping at The Point again. :) Is it sad that I'm already mentally packing my knitting projects for my trip to FL at the end of the month? Oh yes, FL. The hubby and little guy and I are driving down to FL to see the MIL for Xmas. And while I'm not making any promises, there may be a laptop in my near future, that would give me access to the net/blogs while I am away.

I am having Lasik surgery next Thursday.....wonder if I'll be able to knit that weekend...

Come out of hiding!

Ok, show me where you are! Even you lurkers!



Thanks Amy for the button! Real content later. :)

Guest blogger!

HI! My name is Daniel. Mommy likes to call me her little guy, but I'm not little. I'm a big boy! Mommy said I could do a post for her because she's trying to make Christmas gifts for everyone. I wonder what she's making me?

Mommy says she's sorry that she hasn't been here since last week. She's been busy knitting away on those gifts. We also camped out in the living room last Friday night. Wanna see? Here's our tent and us having fun. Mommy says don't focus on how funny she looks, just look at my cuteness.


Oh, you're here for knitting, not my cuteness, right? Mommy said I should show you these pictures and tell you about them.

Mommy made this for her friend Nicole for her birthday:

She said that it's a Sparticle, and that you can find the pattern at The Garter Belt. What's a garter belt?

This is a scarf that Mommy started at the beginning of the year and has neglected for a long time. It's made from a Blue Heron yarn that she bought when we were in New Orleans last year.


These are gauntlets for my Uncle Ray for Christmas.


This is a scarf for my friend Janine for Christmas. Mommy says the yarn is Gedifra Fashion Stripe, something that came in her goody bag when she went on the Knitty Cruise (I went to the Brooklyn kids museum with Grandma that day!)


And this is knit from a pattern in Mommy's new knitting book, Handknit Holidays (she got it for her birthday this week!). She said she was able to make two eye masks from the one hank of Fiesta La Luz.


And last, Mommy went shopping again at The Point. She said that all of this is to make more gifts.

She says that from left to right there's Art Fibers Ultramerino 4, 2 colors of Cascade 220 and a Lorna's Laces Shepard Sport.

Thanks for stopping by! Mommy says if I'm a good boy that I can come back and play on her blog again soon. For now, I'm going to go pretend I'm Chicken Little!

Christmas is coming

The goose is getting fat. Please to put a penny (or a dollar) in Karen's hat. I just made out my "to knit" list for Christmas and oh my gosh is it long. And sadly, only one item is complete, save for weaving in ends. I'm afraid that there won't be many pictures over the next month or so, as I'm not sure if my family and real life friends read this. But, we'll see what we can do.

Today's show and tell is a pair of gauntlets. My extremely sweet SP sent me a pattern for gauntlets and some great pink Koigu to make them with. Interestingly enough, the day I got the package, I was thinking to myself that I should make some gauntlets out of some pink Knit Picks yarn I have. I think my pal must know me better than I know myself! I started them Sat. morning, and finished them last night. They're so girly and pink and I love them.


My brother saw them and wants a pair. He's an iron worker and usually layers gloves but finds it difficult to move his fingers with several layers of "fingers". Gauntlets will keep his hands warm, but allow his fingers to move. And the fact that it only took me two days to finish them...an added bonus! I've already started his pair, out of a skein of Socks that Rock from Rhinebeck in the "Lucy in the Sky" colorway.


Did you dress up today? I didn't, but did my part by baking some pumpkin bread for the office (and brownies with mini peanut butter cups hidden inside for hubby's office and chocolate chip cookies for the little one's harvest party today). The little guy can't use the bathroom in his costume, so we opted for a quick costume for school, a pirate outfit that hubby wore for last year's speak like a pirate day. It's big, but it was easily fixed by a belt and some safety pins. The real costume is Mr. Incredible, which we wore trick or treating tonight.


Give Me Candy!!

Tap, tap, tap

Hello? Is anyone out there? If so, shield your eyes. *Blows the dust off the blog* I hope that didn't get in your eyes and/or cause you to sneeze. I have been a bad blogger and I deserve many skeins of 100% acrylic for being so bad. But I hope this post is entertaining enough that you will forgive me and not send me hate yarn.

So, what have I been doing while the blog has been getting dusty? I spent a week preparing for an Annual meeting at work, and then 2 days actually working at the meeting. Sure, sure, I ate like a pig with my coworkers at a few restaurants (Remi and City Lobster) and stayed in a hotel for a night even though I live in the city, but it was tiring and I had very little time for blogging and stuff.

I did go to Rhinebeck the weekend before, and while I'm SURE you've seen plenty of Rhinebeck pics already, you haven't seen MINE! Ok, I didn't take many, and they're all animals (I completely forgot to snap a photo of the mini Coffeeshop meetup!). How could you resist such cuteness?






I wanted to buy this angora bunny, but my mom stopped me.






Can you imagine your next haircut being like this?






My loot from Rhinebeck:










I managed to finish up the Adrienne Vittadini sweater before Rhinebeck and I wore it up. It was lovely, til the sun came out. Alpaca and Silk and the warm sun just do not mix. I had to buy a t-shirt and change after lunch. Ya'll want to see the t-shirt? It's pink and has a lamb on it. No, you want the sweater? Aw, you're no fun. But, you are the reader and the reader will always get what he/she wants on this blog.


It's not as body skimming as the one in the pattern book, but I don't need body skimming, and it fits perfectly for me. My only problem for me, is that it sheds. A. Lot. Oh well, I'll deal with it. I'm very happy with it nevertheless.









What else do I have for you lovely people? Oh, I made a scarf for one of the tech people at Vermont Web Host, the guys that maintain the Coffeeshop. I used Rachael's Good Ole Cabled Scarf pattern and 1 1/4 skeins of Cascade 220. Nice and easy and quick. I went thru a little over 3/4 of one skein in one day.


I got a great SP package yesterday. Can't wait to start coloring in my very own Hello Kitty coloring book! Finally, something I don't have to share with the kid!


I also started, and am almost finished with Sparticle, pattern written by the lovely Wendy. I have one more icord to do and weaving in of ends, seaming and felting. It works up great in Cascade 220, and it's an incredibly FUN knit.



And last but not least, my proud Mom moment. My little guy got his high white belt a few weeks ago in karate.


If I promise to come back more often, will ya'll come back again soon?

Where do YOU Blog?

I got home Friday night from a seaming party at The Point and found a box waiting for me. I was quite excited because I had no clue what it was. Then I opened it and remembered that Laura was sending me sock yarn. But when I opened it up, I found not only 6 balls of lovely orange Regia sock yarn, but 18 balls of Dukaten Soft-Effekt yarn in a great gold color. It screamed to me "sweater for the little guy". So that's what it's to be...and I probably have enough for a matching hat and mittens. So, thanks again Laura!!







So, last night while in Knitty Chat, I mentioned being in the closet. Not that kind of "in the closet", but actually being in the closet. My computer is in a large closet and that (this?) is where I blog, chat, and surf the web. I figured I should share my closet with you (ignore the mess...it's primarily hubby's living space).



So, where do YOU blog?






Next post: pics of my Adrienne Vittadini sweater...I should have it done by mid week...

A birthday and a new project

Last week, I spent the week cleaning, in preparation of my little guy's birthday party on Sat. The party was wonderful. Everyone had a good time. There were 4 pounds of chicken cutlets, a huge tin of baked ziti, and brownies...all made by yours truly. All the kids went home with Halloween tins of treats as goody bags:
















The birthday boy (he's FIVE now!!) eating cake with a fake smile:









And the second the guests left on Sat., guess who cast on for a new project? Yes, that would be me. I am making the Eyelet Cable Raglan from Adrienne Vittadini's Fall 2004 book, and I'm using Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk in shade 9. It's going quite quickly...I'm hoping it's just because I'm using a larger size needle than I normally use (a US 7) and not that I'm that speedy. I finished the back last night:

If the rest goes this quickly, I may wear it to Rhinebeck next Sat.







Next up: The Scarf Cowl from Knit Picks. I have one hank of Shimmer that I am hoping will make gauge. I can't see why not though...both Shimmer and Shadow, the yarn used, are laceweight.