Category Archives: Knitting & Crochet

Oh Winter, won’t you go away?

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I’m sitting here listening to ice pellets (sleet, but I prefer the term ice pellets – sounds more dramatic) hit the windows and house. I didn’t mind it so much when I was snuggled up in bed, but after two days of getting up at semi-normal times, Noah decided today was a great day to be up and at ’em at 4:30. The good news is that I believe it’s supposed to turn to rain later today. Hopefully it will melt away some of the snow at the same time.

Jake’s Nativity play was cancelled this morning (his CCD teacher called last night), so at least we don’t have to worry about going anywhere. It was rescheduled for January 6th, so hopefully the weather will cooperate then!

No big plans for the day, especially since it looks like we’ll be housebound. I should probably finish wrapping presents, and if I have time I still want to knit a pair or two of these super cute, super tiny mittens. I might even bake the brownies I was going to make for the post-play party. I’m trying very hard not to go overboard with baked goods or anything high in carbs, but I’m finding it hard this time of year. Once Christmas is over, I know I’ll be able to keep my focus again, especially since I know vacation is coming in February and I’m going to allow myself a lot of leeway. At any rate, we’ll see how the day unfolds!

Scrunchable Scarf

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Scrunchable Scarf

By now I think most of you have probably seen this scarf on Flickr, but I’m going to blog about it anyway. This is the Sheep Shop yarn I bought back in May. Originally I had purchased the yarn intending to knit the ubiquitous My So-Called Scarf. I started a scarf over the summer using that pattern and I didn’t like it but I thought I’d try again. And so I did. And again I hated it, so I ripped it back and looked for a new pattern. I found the Scrunchable Scarf pattern and knitted a swatch, but wasn’t in love with it. Still, I couldn’t find anything else I liked so I thought I’d start knitting it and if worse came to worse, I rip it back yet again. Luckily, I absolutely loved it. The pattern moved so quickly that before I knew it, I was at the end of my second ball of yarn. The result is a very cozy scarf. The wool doesn’t itch in the least — I think it’s even nicer than Manos and would buy Sheep Shop yarn again without hesitation. Plus, the colors are just gorgeous. Now I’m knitting my second Scrunchable Scarf. This one is for Jake, though, so the yarn isn’t quite as nice because he has a habit of losing hats, mittens, and scarves, or else leaving them somewhere. Great pattern, though!

Everyone deserves a second chance

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everyone deserves a second chance

And that includes patterns I didn’t like the first time around. When I bought this Sheep Shop yarn back in May I specifically had the "My So-Called Scarf" pattern in mind. I had tried knitting the pattern with some Manos during the summer and didn’t like the way it was coming out. So here we are again. I think the pattern will work well with this yarn because it’s just so colorful – not sure what other pattern would really do it justice.

Swap Goodies!

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OK, first the bad news: I didn’t have time this morning to take a photo of the lovely goodies I got from the Fall Into Autumn Swap.

Now, the good news: Risa sent me an amazing package that I absolutely love! She knit a dishcloth with a star on it and sent along two skeins of KnitPicks Swish in a beautiful shade of blue (I can’t remember the name because the yarn is at home and I am at work), a ball of Sugar ‘n Cream holiday yarn that is cream with gold running through it, a kit to knit up some little fall pumpkins, and a delicious smelling bar of chocolate-mint soap. I am so thrilled with everything and will add a photo to this post tomorrow. I know she has had a tough month, so I just wanted to let her know that I really appreciate the great package!

Discloth Exchange Question of the Week

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Q: How was your experience in the exchange? Did you enjoy the folks you met? Did you just love the cloth and goodies you received? Please share any thoughts, criticism, and things you loved!”

A: Now that my swap partner, La Verna, has received her package I can write about what went into it! I had a great time putting together her package which included some Euroflax, a couple balls of Sugar ‘n Cream, some yummy treats, some good-smelly stuff (including my favorite scented soap from The Body Shop — satsuma), and a pumpkin dishcloth that was great fun to knit. I love these swaps because they are quick and fun and everyone is really friendly. I have not gotten my package yet and only heard from my pal once at the very beginning, so hopefully she has just been busy and will come through! There is still another week left, so I’m looking forward to seeing what she has put together. I will more than likely join in on the next round in January!

NYS Sheep and Wool ’08, Baby!

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Sheep & Wool Festival If it’s late October, you know what that means? My birthday! Oh, wait… sorry, a couple more days until that 😉 Ahem. Well, if yo’ure a knitter, it means Rhinebeck (a.k.a. New York State Sheep & Wool Festival). Last year was the first time I went and it was so much fun. This year I went on Sunday instead of Saturday and Drew came to help with the boys. Honestly, there was so much stuff for the kids to do I think we ended up doing more of that than anything else! Last year I got there first thing and it was a madhouse. Some of the lines were so long you’d think they were rabid fans lined up for Celine Dion tickets, not sock yarn! Things seemed a little calmer this year, probably because it wasn’t the first day. That was nice on one hand, on the other some of the booths seemed picked over by the time I got to them. I’d been looking forward to revisited Briar Rose Fibers but nothing was really striking my fancy.

Rhinebeck Haul I came home with a tiny haul, as you can tell. Take a look at what I bought last year. Granted, some of that was for Secret Pal stuff, but still. I’m happy with my purchases though — a scarf kit to knit a scarf that appears to be woven (it came with three balls of Plymouth Alpaca Boucle), and two pairs of earrings from the Gem & Mineral Show that was also taking place at the fairgrounds. I didn’t get to see Yarn Harlot or any of the authors who were signing books. It was a little challenging with the boys, even with Drew’s help. I felt guilty everytime I went off to look at yarn and he was left watching the kids. He was actually bummed that I didn’t buy more stuff, if you can believe that! There’s always next year. I had wanted to get a needle felting kit but decided not to. I guess in a way it’s all for the best that I didn’t go too crazy. I really should work through some of my stash first.

But still it was a fun day. The kids’ stuff was awesome. Jake *loved* the Mad Science show, the bouncy pirate ship, the juggler, the animals, the Halloween maze… He also was really interested in all the rocks and gems at the Gem & Mineral show. Kids were able to “dig” out 6 rocks for free, so he did that and then we let him pick out a few at a booth. Some really pretty ones! I’m almost inspired to build a light box so I can try taking some photos of them. Noah was still too small to appreciate anything except for the animals, really, so that was hard. And of course you know how the day ended, so that kind of put a damper on things, but what are you going do?

Luxe Neck Warmer – C’est Finis!

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Luxe Neck Warmer - C'est Finis! I could have knit this in one afternoon. That is, if I actually had like 3 consecutive hours of knitting time. But even so, it was a quick project that turned out exactly as I’d hoped. The only thing I’m not in love with is that the bind-off is a little tight. That’s probably my own fault, even though I thought I was binding off loosely. At any rate, it will be great when it’s cold and I don’t want to screw around with a scarf. The misshawklet yarn was perfect for this project. I think I’m going to make a matching hat with the other hank.

Baby Knits

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Oh, excuse me? Bwahahahahaha!!! Uh, no. Certainly not for me. I have a friend who is expecting her second baby next spring (she doesn’t read my blog so I can talk about her – ha!). While I certainly don’t miss wearing maternity clothes (well, okay, maybe I do… I had some really cute outfits, but I’m not going to be wearing them again), I do miss all the cute wee baby clothes. I’d like to knit something for her new baby, but I’m hedging between a sweater and a baby blanket. I have a couple really great baby blanket patterns, but the only think keeping me from knitting one is the fact that I got so many baby blankets. I’m sure she’s in a similar situation. I was thinking maybe a little sweater would be more useful. Thoughts?