debi-doodles

Ok yes I am still here

2010-02-05T15:40:00.002-08:00

The pattern for Round 2 of Iron Knitter. The picot cast on. Just after I finished this cuff......the cable pulled out of my needle. After grabbing another needle one size bigger getting ready to find those stitches laying all over and a few deep breaths, a few hail marys (no I am not catholic but thought it would not hurt) a few swear words, and getting both cats out of the house.

Well that next needle same thing happen. Cable and needle did not want to be together.

Finally got them on another needle and started knitting again. They seemed big but you knit as per pattern.

Finally got to the heels and used the needles from the first accident.

Got to the foot and found a size 2.0mm. Only mods is I continued the diamond pattern down the foot on the sides.
Yep these suckers are way to big for me. So have a wonderful friend that happen to come by and visit just after I took the picture and before I frogged them. Yes I used the word frog Adrienne. I can spell it, I can type it, I can say it, I just don't like to do it.

Well they fit this friend. So I am blocking them now and hope to take blocked pictures later.

If you know Debbie ask to see her socks. Well maybe wait until I give them to her.

Don't ya love my solar lights (the tulip). I have all kinds of them. Guess with as many as I have one could say I collect them.

Waiting for round 3 to start. Date is set for Feb. 12th for that round.

Time flies when your knitting.....

2009-11-05T21:05:00.005-08:00

Wow where to start? Well I have been in trouble/teased for not posting so will post some.
So I suggest you go grab a cuppa your favorite drink as this will be a while.

The Yarn store I go to got in a new yarn. I fell for it. I wanted so badly to play with it. So I took some home. May I present a new pattern of mine..........This first one is very hard to get the colors correct. It is so much prettier in person. Trust me on this one. Any ways.....I love it so much I went back for a second color.

This one is still not great for colors, but is much better. Yes, they are 2 different colorways.

Start of a scarf. My pattern.
A hat and scarf start. Hat is Tab Hat on Rav. Scarf again my pattern.
Clog progress pictures.

Finished scarves and some clogs. These clogs will be given away unfelted. I love the look on peoples face when they get them and wonder what the heck....as they are huge. Pink ones remind me of Bazooka Bubble Gum.

Just a few more of the clogs I have done. Mine are the pretty blue ones in the middle, Ken's new ones are the gray pair beside them. Ours were felted already. I took them from Ken for the photo opt. I made over 24 pairs in about 3 weeks sorry lost track of how many. Doing my part to keep America Warm. lol Mine were made from a yarn I was saving...more on "special" yarns later.

The felted purse all deco'ed out ready for a little girl to take shopping. Shown in 2 pictures I know, but it is cute. Was not as easy as I thought doing the fancy work on a project that had been felted.

Hanna's clogs. These are gone so I can not show a felted picture. But going to a 2 year old. Dang cute I think. Yarn was from her Grandma's stash. These will be a gift from her Grandma.
I test knitted some socks that I can not show yet. So I did the Adrienne photo opt for them.
Don't ya just think they are soooo pretty. Notice the fancy..oh sorry guess I will have to post these later to show the cuffs. These are MINE ALL MINE.
OH just a few of the shawl I did . Top one is Dream in Color Baby. (gonna try this yarn again some day for ME.) This baby is big. This shawl is now owned by Bev and Paula Markham's Mom Caroline. OH yes and Gina, sorry Gina. Friends from High School that through knitting I have renewed friendships with. Fun that Bev and Gina are sock nuts as I am. Paula we will get you there. Some day I may have a picture of the shawl on her.
Noro Silk Garden Yarn. Shawl was made from yarn a friend gave me. But, I thought this friend needed a hug so I made a shawl from the yarn and gave it back to her. She has told me she wears it. I am so thrilled.

I also finished a test knit shawl I started a while ago. First shawl I have made using Zephyr. Zephyr is a mix of wool and silk. I bought this yarn years ago and was saving it for something special. Finally I thought, I could always buy more if I liked it. That I could knit with it. The shawl took just over 2 ounces. Still need to find something for the other 2 colors I bought at the same time. But, now that I have broken that idea of "special" it will be easier to use them.

And then.........Drum roll.....................
Adrienne's mystery socks done "MY WAY". I had problems with my bead holes, they were not uniform. I broke many, hurt my hands a lot trying to get the yarn into the bead hole. I like them. Adrienne is still shaking her head about them. But, it you look close at the lace work at the top there are beads. These also are MINE ALL MINE. I again used a yarn that I was keeping for "special".

I did finally receive a Thank You for the shawl that I had donated. I will say that I will think twice before I donate again. I have learned a wonderful lesson. I can now give away shawls thanks to that experience, I just learned to give them where I know where they are going and that they will be loved. I loved seeing the shawls with the new owners. That was priceless.

I am sorry I have not posted. But, I have been so busy knitting/crocheting. Many items are not here that I have made.

Want to say a big "Thanks" to Jess for the sock blockers. The blue forms the socks are on.

Never had heard.

2009-08-21T14:06:00.002-07:00

Just a quick update on the auction. I have been asked how it did. But, I have not heard anything about the shawl since it left here 3 weeks ago.

Kind of makes me leary to donate again. Time will tell.

But, sorry I do not know anything about it or the silk/wool scarf that went along with it.

New Baby

2009-08-04T14:00:00.004-07:00

I was asked to donate to the Para Olympics.

I thought a shawl might bring in some funds so off I went and started one. I did not know how hard it would be to give it up.

I finished this in time to block it and have it dry but sadly it was sunset when she was dry. This is the best I was able to do for pictures. I have been told that before it is auctioned that some pictures will be sent to me.

Here she is Blue Baby. Yarn is Mini Mochi in Neptune colorway. Yarn was donated to me by Susan at Crystal Palace Yarns.

Poof....July is almost gone

2009-07-27T21:35:00.001-07:00

Here July is almost over and I have not knitted a pair of socks this month. But I have been knitting.

I will try to go in order of finishing items. First off were a pair of clogs for my DIL's grandma. I so enjoyed her that I just knew I needed to knit her a pair. My dil showed hers off and the family loved them. So I did these as fast as I could. I finished them in 2 days. I can not show pictures of them felted as they are shipped to Wisconsin.

Here they are completed as far as I could do it.

The shawl bug bit me hard this month. I was so very lucky to get to test knit this shawl. I used a cone of yarn that I had had for many many years. I did not know how it would look but thought I would use it anyways. I love it.
Here those beginning rows that go oh so quickly.

Then here is my Sweet Tango Shawl all done and pretty. Have I said I love it. I am so happy with how it turned out.
In here should be 2 more shawls that I have started but later I will show them.

So I went on a road trip this past weekend. I brought some cotton and a crochet hook. I just played and this bag was born. Lucky I remembered to take a picture before I completed it.

I also started this bag. Which if you look closely at the crochet hook. I attended the NW Needle Market this past weekend close to Seattle. Wow many new fall yarns were shown. Oh my what fun. A new lace yarn that is coming out is oh oh oh. My lys did order it as I loved it so much. Visited with Cat Bordhi. Together we chatted about knitting socks and shawls out of the new yarn. She was a lot of fun.

Oh so back to the crochet hook. Rooms and Rooms filled with yarn.. What did I buy? A crochet hook. I have never owned a fancy hook. So this is a new one that Lantern Moon is coming out with. I had to play with it. So I made another bag.

Then the 2 bags together. I finished both of them up today. Then after completing them. I got the chance to test knit a hat. Here is the start on my clivia plant. It had 4 clusters of blooms this year. Was really pretty.
A few hours later and in 90degree weather I finished this hat. I do not care for pompoms so I made this one big. I thought a wool hat needed to have its picture taken by corn stalks. Most fallish I could do. If you look close you can see my Christmas snowflakes that are solar lights. I keep them up year around. When it is not Christmas I call them flowers.

Wow Shawl

2009-07-20T09:30:00.005-07:00

I know I suck at blogging as of late. I have been knitting but things seem to be going out before they get their pictures taken.

I did finish this shawl last week but waited for it to be released. Was a test knit that was great. When I get more details I will post them. Right now I am just happy with the shawl. A bonus I used stash yarn.

I purchased the cone of yarn on ebay many years ago. I had walked into a LYS to purchase some lace weight yarn. The gal working told me they did not carry it and that she had never heard of it. I left thinking one had to buy it online so I did. No wonder that lys went out of business.

Baby Hats

2009-06-17T07:53:00.005-07:00

I have been busy test knitting. I am turning the heel on the third pair this month. I can not post them until they are released to the public. So even though it seems like I am not doing anything I have been busy.

Some baby hats I have been making. Buddy the cat is not unhappy with the hats. He is in truth happy to get attention. I have always wanted to make the strawberry hat. It was a fun quick knit. The second hat was just winged no pattern, but I used buttons left over from a quilt. The yarn I purchased on the Yarn Crawl.

Below is another test knit that I can post as it has been released. Good Day Sunshine bag. Designer Katherine Vaughan. This bag took me a few starts. I was about to give up when I found out it does not look like much until many rows into it. I am not sure what I will do with this bag. The seaming was not something I really enjoyed.
Since I have been doing the test knitting I keep wondering what the next project to cast on will be. It almost seems sometimes like I an lusting after the next project before the current one is done.

A question for you.

How long after casting on a project are you lusting for the next one?

Bag Lady

2009-05-25T16:47:00.003-07:00

I was given some yarn and was challenged to "make something" with it. This is what I came up with. I knitted the bags, crocheted around the handle and then crocheted flower. I enjoyed making it so much I did end up with 3. I will probably make more.

Did I raise her right or what????

2009-05-22T14:26:00.004-07:00

My daughter went on part of the South Sound Yarn Crawl. This was sent to me today. Jess does not knit socks yet. The teal tags are hand dyed by the owner of a shop in Shelton.

This was a Thank You and Happy Mom's Day gifts combine.

Yep fun stuff. Her feet only wear mom made socks.

The Yarn Crawl Patterns picture heavy

2009-05-19T21:34:00.007-07:00

First I have to show my completed passport. Yipppeee. Now because I don't know how to quickly change the order I will go backwards. A few shop patterns I will post later due to ummm I forgot to take the picture and they are coming.

Beach Basket Yarn and Gifts had a knitted cowl and a crocheted scarf. *my sock is blue*
Ana Cross Stitch had the ear flap hat. *my blue sock will appear in almost all pictures it went on the tour with me*
Wild fibers...Mitts
Full Circle...Knitted Octopus and Crocheted Phone Case.
The Fiber Gallery.. Knit and Crocheted Starry Lace Beret
Village Yarn..mitts knitted
Village Yarn Felted crocheted tea cozy
Main Street Knitted Fingerless Gloves
Great Yarns Prayer Shawl Knitted and Crochet something was only allowed to chose one pattern
Churchmouse..Turkish Bed Socks
Seattle Yarns ...Face Cloth. Thanks I won the Thurs Daily Drawing. Yipppeee
The Yarn Stash..Knitted Felted Slipper and a Crocheted Jewelry Bag
Renaissance Evergreen Mitts knitted
The Knittery Hugs and Kisses Socks and the scarf is Lace Sampler Scarf.
Cultured Purls...Fingerless Gloves
Hilltop East...Drop Stitch Market Bag...they had a crochet scarf that I do not have a picture for.
Tricoter yarn for the scarf... Sorry picture did not turn out.
Acorn Street ..Happy Garter Jacket
Weaving Work... Cashmere Lace Hood.
Bad Woman Yarn ...Knit Lacy Cravat, Crochet Lacy Riple Shawlet
I will try and get the other pictures soon.

Yarn Crawl 2009

2009-05-17T08:55:00.003-07:00

This post really probably does not need too many words. But, I will try.

Fun
Wow
Wanna go again?

Round 5

2009-05-13T08:30:00.006-07:00

Round 5 of Sock Madness.....I was working on the cuff when a pattern ruling came out about the foot. I did the foot as per pattern released. I had finished the heels before 1pm PDT. The ruling came out at about 6PM PDT. I knitted the socks as per pattern.

The pattern Dimpled Diamonds came out yesterday. We have to do the pattern as written for the competition. This was a heel I have never done before. I will say there are fewer holes than some socks. Yarn overs in heels seemed strange but seems to have worked.

Even though I casted off loose the tops are still a bit snug. The toe box is very roomy.

Now to pack and get ready for the Yarn Crawl .

We are staying in Seattle so are making this a 3 day mini fiber vacation.

Sock Madness Round 5
Knitters going in: 32
Knitters coming out: 16
This knitter: so excited for the yarn crawl.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T17:52:00.005-07:00

My local yarn shop had a Mother's Day Sale. I decided to go and look for "A" yarn for round 5 that starts Tuesday. Well this is what came home with me. The top 3 on the left are baby yarns. The white is to finish a baby blanket I started last year. The pink and blue have a pattern and duck buttons tucked inside. The pattern is for a baby pull-over or a baby sweater. I am not sure which I want to make but loved the sample. I wanted something for in between rounds.

Chad told me I had to stay home for a delivery. Never thought it would show up at 6:30 pm by umm someone that if he did not have flowers would have been scary at my door. The flowers are from Chad and Brooke. Thank you you two,they are very pretty.
Then to finish off the day. Ken and I have worked hard in the back yard making it all pretty. We planted a bunch of annuals around today. This is what it looked like today. This is also the view we have out our "picture window". Hummingbird feeder included. We love it. Ken wants more flowers. The tulips I planted last fall as a surprise for him. He has watch them every step once he found them. After our long winter these were wonderful to see. Most of the plants, neighbors wanted to trash and we found a new home for them. That explains why some of the plants do not look the best right now. We are trying to make them all pretty again.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day and/or just a wonderful Sunday.

Round 4 Sock Madness

2009-05-03T11:46:00.003-07:00

Round 4 of Sock Madness. The pattern was released at 7pm April 30th our time. Had to wait 3 hours for it to be released. That was a long 3 hours. I decided to use the oldest sock yarn I had. I purchased it on ebay before I knew what LYS were. Yes it is not pretty. But, if it did not get used soon I was going to have to kick it out of the house. Which may not have been a bad idea. But, I don't like to waste so..... Here is the start. Pattern is Lucky Diamond by Melissa Goodale.
For Sock Madness we have to have a progress picture and a final picture on an adult feet.
I finished these May 1. I never thought these socks would end. The seed/moss stitch seemed to go one forever. I was close to tears doing that stitch. I don't care to do it again for a while. OH and while I am at it I don't want to do an afterthought heel for a long long time.

When I finished them I went to take the "finished picture" and I had left my camera on from the start picture. I had to recharge the battery before I could take a picture. Thank Goodness a 3 minute charge got me a picture. This is the shot for the contest.
They are not the prettiest socks I have ever seen. I did see a co worker of my hubby wearing a blouse that they match so may give them to her.

After I posted for Sock Madness I took out the cast off and redid the cuff longer. It was only 6 rows and curled.

Here is trying to make them pretty.
Round 4 entries...48
Round 4 exits.......32
This knitter tired.

Leave a comment do you...

Think these are the ugliest socks you have ever seen?
Or have you seen uglier?

Either way I am happy they are done and I get to move on.

Nebula Socks

2009-04-28T17:46:00.001-07:00

I first want to say that Sock Madness Round 4 starts Thurs between 4 - 7 pm PDT. The yarn I have chosen was the second time I purchased sock yarn. This was on ebay. This was before I knew I could go and buy sock yarn at any Local Yarn Stores (LYS). Hey it was years ago. I really did not know too much about LYS. I don't think I could tell you where one was. I also only bought self striping yarns for a long time. Now I want solids.

When the yarn arrived I thought it was the ugliest yarn I had ever seen. Well, I ordered enough for 2 pairs of socks the other yarn was also right up there on the ugly scale. I never did get rid of either yarns. I always hoped that I would find a pattern they looked great in as I do believe every yarn has a pattern. If I never found a pattern at least I would find someone that liked the yarn and I would knit them a pair of socks from it.

For sock madness I need two different colors. Here is what I am going to use. The colorful one is my "ugly yarn" the green I happen to have also. But, the two I think (I know what thinking gets one) so I hope will make a very nice pair of socks.

So here is one of the most mature skeins of yarn I own on the left. What do you think? Mixed together?
I finally can post about a pair of socks I got the pleasure of knitting. I was so thrilled when Cookie A asked for test knitters. I signed up. I got the email I could knit it (addressed to someone else but they corrected that and how I got it is way beyond me).

The pattern was suggested a solid color.

Well thank goodness for the New Years Day sale I happen to find. See Ken I do have fun when you are playing in the band on New Years Eve. There was a sale started at midnight o' one EST. Well that was 9pm here. So I ordered some yarn I had never even seen, then made it to the gig.

We got word today that we could post about the socks. I know I do not take great pictures. But, here is a new sock from Cookie A.

Nebula Socks:
I kept the twisting of the pattern down through the toes. I liked it that way.

I knitted these earlier this month. It is kinda of hard to do a test/sample knit then not be able to talk/post about it. I also did another project this month that I can not talk/post about for a year that is gonna be a long time. Then may as well admit I have another item on needles that I can not again post/chat about until maybe fall. But, I do love doing it so I can not complain. Just looks like I am not doing anything.

Wish me luck with Sock Madness 4..... There are 48 sock knitters entering only 32 will come out.

Round 3

2009-04-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Talias Wings.

Pattern was to be released between 9 am and 1 pm PST. Oh boy. That gave me time to do some house work, get dinner fixings going, and wait. I did a bunch of house work waiting. Then at 10 am the pattern was released. I printed it. Off I went.

I had my yarn and needles ready. Well a few choices just in case as we have no idea what the pattern will be.

A toe-up. Those don't scare me anymore. Last year would have given it some thought. But, in the last year I have done many toe-ups and many different heels. Your welcome for the socks Ken.

I casted on. I was knitting away. Wondering as I was going why my yarn seemed to tangle so much. I have never had this problem. I finished the toes and thought I better look closer. I had casted on 2 socks on one needle using the same ball of yarn. I was using the inside and outside. I cut the outside yarn and picked up the other ball that was behaving.

I am so happy to have a husband that understands (or is this my payback for years of being a band wife?). Thanks Ken for your help, I baked you cookies. Adrienne Thanks also I will work on your socks next. For the many that cheered me on Thanks also, it meant so much to have you all rooting for me.

I am done with them. I finish last night. This was an interesting knit. Fun pattern.

And now may I present my Sock Madness Round 3 socks......

Talias Wings by Yarnyenta
Smooshy - Cool Fire is the yarn
Tired is the knitter.

Round 1 started with 199 knitters
Round 2 started with 121
Round 3 started with 80
Round 4 will start with 48

Tokena Sock

2009-04-05T11:47:00.000-07:00

I present my Tokena Socks.

Not the prettiest picture but, taken at 3:30 am what can one expect. I finish these yesterday/this morning whatever one calls that time of day when you have not been to bed. The socks have to have a photo on an adult pair of feet for an entry that is the reason for the pose.

First time doing Fair Isle. Not sure I want to try again in the near future.

First time with this type of heel. I will do that again. Pattern is the same on the bottom of the foot.
I am so amazed at all I have learned so far in just knitting 2 rounds of Sock Madness. I am almost scared for Round 3 to begin. Lets see 199 knitter started. Round 2 started with 116. Round 3 will be 80 knitters. I am one of the 80.

Oh and thanks to Adrienne I fixed the link for any comments.

Happy Dance

2009-04-05T03:47:00.000-07:00

I will post pictures later but after knitting on the socks for ummm almost a day straight I just want to say I finished them. Yeah...... Thanks Ken for Untangling my balls when they got twisted yarn balls that is.

Round 2....

2009-04-03T17:46:00.001-07:00

Round 2 of Sock Madness 3 starts early tomorrow. I have my yarn and needles close to ready. I do want to see the pattern before I totally decide. But, I do know how I plan to spend tomorrow. Knitting away.

I have finished a pair of socks from yarn that has been sitting in my stash for a while. I received this yarn in place of a skein of mine that was defective. I have wanted to knit Lacy Scallops Socks since the first time I saw the pattern. But, just never got around to it. Finally it was time. I love how this yarn worked up into the pattern. The yarn is Trekking XXL.

More Socks????

2009-03-29T18:33:00.001-07:00

Yes, I knitted 2 more pairs. Yeah, I know someone that knitting pairs is odd. She knits a lot of single socks. But, I did and almost always knit pairs. Good news is both pairs are knitted from stash yarn. Yarns that had been waiting for about a year. No still no real dent in the stash. Matter of fact one could not tell any were gone. But...... here they are.
These are Chemo Socks. I know most people knit Chemo Hats. Well my neighbor has scarves and I knit socks. So, she received Chemo Socks. I thought having comfy feet was important also. I knitted the pattern Round Robin House from Adrienne Fong. But, as usual I did it my way. I knitted them toe up so my neighbor could see the Bird houses from her view when wearing them. I used a machine washable and dryable yarn so the care of these would be easy. They still are made from a superwash wool yarn. The socks are very cozy if I can say so myself.

I am hoping the socks get worn out and I am able to knit her another pair to replace these.

Then my socks. This yarn was purchased to be a shawl for me. I just had not decided what pattern to use but, a shawl was the intended purchase. When getting yarns ready for Sock Madness (what happen Huskies????) I decided to included a skein of this yarn. Then I happen to find a pattern that I fell in love with. I went looking for some yarn. I first looked at the yarns all balled and ready. I saw this and though was perfect for the pattern. So...... my shawl will wait. I do still have 2 more skeins so a shawl may still be in the waiting for the yarn.Pattern is Osnabruecker Muster. Casting on 127 stitches was interesting. I had not done a cuff like this. I do like how it looks. They Heel and Toes are both EOP.
A view of the oh so nice cast on and also of the pattern. This is closer to the yarn color.
This while a bit washed out does show the pattern better. We only get so many sunny days here and I finished this after 5pm. So wanted to quickly take some pictures before I lost the light.

Sock Madness is still about a week away before round 2. Waiting for a few more to finish this round. So I guess I will have to figure out what to cast on until then.

After April 1 I can post the test socks that I knitted as the pattern will be public then.

Sock Madness

2009-03-20T10:43:00.001-07:00

Yeah I know most people only know of March Madness in basketball. Yep, we know that at our house Go Huskies.

But, a while back Adrienne Fong told me I had to join Sock Madness. Not even knowing anything about it I did. When Adrienne tells ya to do something just go do it.

I joined and waited. I read the postings about it. Oh my. 200 knitters start in 4 divisions. First round 40 in each division move on to the next pattern. The excitement was building. How much fun this would be was unfolding. I spent the time before the start cleaning up the house, grocery shopping (wonderful items to have, grapes, baby carrots, quick easy foods that are not messy), I ball up the yarn and plotted my knitting time. I planned meals for the days I would be spending knitting the socks. I tried to clear my days and nights to be ready.

March 19th was the tip off date. Pattern to be emailed between 6 - 9am EDT. Well here that is 3 - 6am. Ya, got to be kidding?

I did wake up at 3:30 am but thought no not gonna do it, pattern may not be out, then 4:30, still pattern might not be there. Well when I woke up at 5:30 I thought I may as well get up. Going to the computer the pattern was there. Wow 10 pages. Downloaded them the hit print, decided to make coffee while printing.

Now I have coffee and the pattern I am ready to go. What a cast on I have never done? Back to the computer to learn that as one must follow the pattern exactly. After 2 different videos of it I think I got it. Gotta thank Youtube here for that save.

So cast on has began but oh, crap coffee is cold. Get up to get a warm up and off to the madness again. Sock was getting longer then an afterthought heel???? What the heck??? Pattern was wonderful and walked on through it with no problem.

Then off to the toes. Oh no it looks like I might run out of yarn. This worried me for a while. I did finish the sock with 5 yards to spare. Golly Gee Whiz. Still not sure why the pattern had you do that 4th row at the toe.

Twas a long day. I knitted most of it. Well I did check the computer to see if any changes were made to the pattern a few times. Checked to see if any one had any tips.

16 hours later I worked the final end in. Now this sock had a cast on I had never done and an afterthought heel. Afterthought heels not sure why one wants more ends to work in.

Ken took a picture of my new socks on my feet.
This picture was taken late at night so the pattern does not show well. I was hoping for some sun (oh that's right we do not get much of that here). I know in sunlight they will look like they have a pattern. Below is a quick daylight picture of them.

What a fun pattern. Very well written. Bring on Round 2 hopefully for the UW Huskies also.

Oh and now I get to be the bartender and pour the virtual Bailey's for the rest of the group.
Go Division One/For Whom the Ball Rolls and any other divisions.

More UFO's become complete projects

2009-03-18T11:38:00.001-07:00

I am still trying to finish up old projects. In truth I do not want to start new ones before Sock Madness that starts tomorrow.

I had this on the needles for a long time. When I picked it up this week it looked like a dishcloth. But I created the design as I went along. Kinda enjoy making there Market Bags.

I am not sure when I started this green one also. I again did not follow any pattern just winged it. I do like the handles on this. Handles are recycled from a garage sale purse. Might need to recycle a few more of them. (thanks Margo for the garage sale purse).

This has been a work in progress for years. The yarn is no longer sold in this area. I finally purchased enough to finish it on-line. Over the years I have made many of these for babies. This one is going to my daughter Jess to give to her new charity "Project Linus".

Clearing up the Needles and stuff

2009-03-16T18:31:00.000-07:00

Miss Cook's quilt that I finished up for her. I know not a knitting projects but come on how cute is this? These are the hand prints of last years class. Miss Cook is my sister.

OH the animal farm. Seems this are wanted by many so decided to knit up a litter (?) of them. The ones with the blue cuffs are the only ones completed. Love needle felting, I just wish I could do the faces I really want. But, oh well I love them.
Blue socks from the sock of the month club. This kit came when I was test knitting for Knit one Purl too. The yarn in this kit and the test knit were the same so these got put away. Glad to finally have them done. I am trying to keep up with the kits this year and to get all the old kits done. We shall see on this.
I really do not care to ever knit with this yarn again. It almost felt like it had been starched. Was very stiff. Another sock of the month kit. Both pair of socks are from Wooliedi.

Sock Madness starts this Thursday so I am trying to clear things off the needles. I have been lining bags, knitting and crocheting market bags, and just plain getting ready. I have not wanted to start a new pair of socks until I start on Thurs. Wish me luck.

Shawl Blocking

2009-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am going to try to help show how to block a shawl. If any one thinks I should add something or that I have forgotten something let me know. Also if this helps you let me know.

Here is my shawl getting its bath. I use a wool wash but you can use Hair Conditioner also. I run hot water. Add the wash so it is all mixed in with the water. I then add my shawl. I do not more it around too much as I do not want any chances of felting it I hold the shawl under water to make sure it is completely wet. This will stay soaking for...at least until the water is completely cool longer does not hurt. I go set up the mats for blocking.

After the bath, I pull the drain to let the water go out. If you used conditioner you may need to rinse in cool water at this point. I then gently squeeze out some of the water. I then place the shawl in a large towel and roll out the extra moisture. Sometimes it takes 2 towels, some people use a salad spinner at this point (I don't have one).

I use Stainless Steel Welding Rods to block with. They are 1/16". I purchased them by the pound at a welding shop. I wiped them down to make sure they are clean. I weave the rods in the areas I want straight. I am hoping these next 2 pictures show how I use the rods. I over lap the rods if I needed. I then pin against the rods to give the shawls a straight line. I start at the center and work my way to the edges. I do gently pull the shawl to stretch it out moving it along the rods as needed. The first time is for general shaping.

I then slowly work my way along the shawl pinning by rows back and forth. I keep going this way until it is all pinned out. I sometimes need to go back and re pin some parts as they become loose.

Clicking on the pictures you can see the pin placements.

Another picture to show rod weaving.

A picture to show using the rods to block points in a shawl.

Thanks Debbie H. for my mats that make this process easier.

4 day Shawl

2009-02-12T15:08:00.000-08:00

Here she is my shawl. Yes it only took 4 days to knit. Was a great stress buster this week. I took this picture on my bathroom floor to give size. The tiles are 13"x13". I will post in more detail later as I took blocking pictures. But, just had to show this baby off today.

Time Flys

2009-02-09T08:22:00.001-08:00

Wow where did Jan. go? I am happy as the weather is getting warmer. We are seeing Robins around here. I am not sure if they are confused on where they should be or if they had budget cuts and lost their winter homes so had to come back early.

I have been knitting. I did not take pictures of most of what I knitted in Jan. The month went by way to fast. Not sure why but my blog is not doing what I would like it to do. I am sorry things do not match up.

This pair of socks went really fast. They were knitted on size 2. They seemed to fly off the needles. They are the Dec sotm kit from theknitter.com.

The top light pink pair I was lucky to test knit.

The pattern is Bejeweled Diamonds designer Knittinpixie.

A fun pattern. I love the way the beads add a touch of class to these.

Both beads and yarn have been in stash for awhile. Close ups of the beaded. The beads are a Lavender but look pink even in person so all is good.

The bottom darker pink are going in the mail today. Jess is getting these for Valentines Day. They are the Jan. sotm kit from theknitter.com.

Both pairs of socks were knit in the same week.

My new shawl I am knitting. I have never played with Kanui before. I am knitting this as a KAL on Ravelry. It has a long way to go. But I am enjoying this knit.

Puppies new parents.

2009-01-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yep, that is my puppies with their new owner. I think the puppies look really happy to be worn by the bride Devra at the reception. Congrats to the puppies on finding such a wonder Bride.
Cindy received a pair from me for Christmas. I am guessing the Bride's Mom loves her puppies as much as the bride.
I am so sorry I could not be there to see this. But oh Cindy and Dev how cute. Love ya.

A Christmas countdown

2008-12-25T20:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day More Snow

2008-12-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

Over night we received 6" more of this white stuff. My poor car is not going anywhere for a while.

We now have over 24" of this stuff. It may go away.

I was NOT dreaming of a White Christmas

2008-12-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all. To friends and loved ones Thanks for all you have done.

I understand Santa's rosey cheeks now. Santa is at the door. Also Santa and Mrs. Claus peeking out the window above the door. To the very bottom left Ken shoveling to find the walkway. We got over 6" more of snow last night and it is still coming down. If you can make it soon the way is cleared.

The view out my window to the back yard. Sorry no squirrels right now. But, lots of birds and snow. Solar Snowflakes probably will not come on tonite as the panel is covered.

I guess Batman was trying to come dig us out last night. But he got stuck, this was all that was there this morning.

A picture of my Grand scarf. My very own pattern made by someone else. SHHHHH this is a gift. Not bad for Sandi's first lace project( Sandi said it was much much better than "Not Bad").

Kid Merino

2008-12-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Susan at Crystal Palace Yarns sent me some yarn to play with. I received some Kid Merino in rose musk colorway. I decided to knit this from their web site. The scarf took one skein to complete. It was fun. I wish I took better pictures but hey guess I should be lucky I got a picture. (my photo)

Then I have this (not my photos)

Ahhh socks I knitted. But, these are photographed by a more skilled person. I need one of these photo foot models and lighting and....... Like that would help. Dang, I want it all.Kinda fun to see what my work looks like when a pro takes its picture. Maybe I should send the scarf off for it pictures. I never thought my socks could look so good. I promise they do not look this good on my feet. The first and last one are in the new Panda Superwash yarn. Yeah no more shrinking socks.

The Carefree or not KAL is wrapping up. Congrats to all the winners. We used over 50,000 yards of yarn in a variety of projects. I think a good time was had by all.

I have been working on Christmas gifts. I have 1/2 of one left to make then comes the bonus gifts. The gifts that go to loved ones that love receiving "hand made items".

Slippers or Ski Boots?

2008-12-06T17:50:00.000-08:00

I got a chance to try a pattern from Fiber Trends. Natural Comfort Felt Slippers. The pattern is close to all the other fiber trends slippers. Doubled soled, felted, cuff. But this one is knitted flat for a while then joined into the round. I knitted the size 8. I used some Lion Brand wool I had had in my stash for a while.

Here they are pre-felted. I wish I had something to see just how large they were. But, when we measured the soles they measured out to 22". Yep almost 2 feet long.

Below is the slippers after felting. Together they weigh about a pound. The height in the back is 6 1/2". It is too high for my liking. Ken calls them snow boots. They will be very warm. They do no have the ease of putting on and off as the clogs.

Over all I am happy to have used up more stash yarn. I think they will be very warm, very cushy sole. If I were to make them again I would not make them so high.

Christmas Cactus

2008-12-05T22:05:00.001-08:00

I have not posted anything for a while so thought I would at least post of picture of my plant. I think it is pretty.

2008-11-13T14:12:00.001-08:00

Hey Adrienne your Frogs are calling.

Finally got some items finished to post. And yes I am not sure the names but I did finish Adrienne's friends. But, in keeping with how Adrienne puts thing off a few other things first.

This is the second Calorimetry I have done. The yarn from this came from a raffle. Took just under 100 yards. I only casted on 80 stitches and knitted until I was half way through the skein then started the decreases. It fits much better than the first on I made.
The second cowl I have test knitted. Same Manos Silk Blend yarn. Forest Canopy Cowl. I went with smaller needles to see if I could cut down on yardage. Used about 150 yards. Love this pattern.

This is my first try at a hat/scarf/mitt combo. I found the idea then went off on my own pattern. Knitted from Malabrigo worsted. So soft I am so in love with this yarn. Below are the mitts. Notice the pearl buttons at the ends. The button will attach the mitts almost anywhere on the hat/scarf so that when not in use like inside they will not get lost. Bottom picture is the mitts attached at the bottom of the scarf. These took 660 yards. But oh the fun of doing this.

And now I am not sure what names Adrienne has been giving the frogs at the pond. I am thinking I will find out soon. But here is my creation of "Adrienne's best friends" I am going with 240 yards. Oh and the tongues are Panda Soy loved how that worked up.

A Play with Patterns

2008-11-03T10:49:00.000-08:00

I was playing with different 4 stitch patterns and when I liked what I had I repeated it for a sock. Was a fun knit. I love how they turned out. Notice how well they match.
I have started a new family member to my critter slippers. Adrienne needed something to taunt her when at the frog pond.

Socks

2008-11-03T09:54:00.001-08:00

Here is Sweetie Pie Socks. I test knitted these for Kala Hotakainen for the Sockathon Yahoo group.

I did make a few changes to the pattern. I knitted the heel to fit the person I was knitting these for. I made the heel flap longer so I had to pick up more stitches on the gusset. I also instead of just knitting the 5 stitches on each side of the foot I keep the pattern going down the foot.

If I was to knit these again I would make a few more changes. I would either knit on the cuff as I went or leave a longer cast on thread to sew up the picot cuff.

I would change the pattern so the heel was half of the total stitches. I would also Divide the P2 into a P1 pattern P1. This way when one got to the foot the pattern would flow down to the toe.

I did these 2 at once on the Magic Loop.

I sent them off as a surprise before getting really good pictures of my changes.

Puppies ready for adoption and other fo's.

2008-10-12T12:24:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while one needs to post what has been going on. I have been trying for the month of Oct only knitting from my stash of yarn. Trust me I could probably try this for a year and still have some. But in truth I have been using my stash mainly since Aug. I did purchase the yarn for the puppies but did so in Sept. I think that was my last purchase other than the sock of the month club. One would think a dent would occur but not.

Calorimetry Never had made one but going through my stash found the yarn and thought why not. When I make it again I will cast on 8 fewer stitches as it is a bit big. Took another 100 yards of yarn out of my stash. One would think after all this there would be a dent. But, no not yet.

Husband's socks. Every once in a while if I make my husband a pair of socks, my stash does not get questioned. House socks or boot socks. These took 200 yards. Briggs and Little Tuffy yarn. I have heard this yarn wears like steel. Yarn is kinda hard on the hands. But, a quick knit after frogging them twice to get a gauge then size I wanted.
Big Sister to the puppies below. I was asked to make these for a young gal. Her feet grew really fast at a very young age and she missed the cute slippers. These are a size 13 womens. Dang big. I so hope she likes them.
More Puppies ready for adoption. I had a lot of fun making these. Faces are needle felted. One pair is going to the same family as the big sister above. The other pair to a good friend. I took about 4 patterns and blended them into one. The Big sister took a lot of math. All together this puppy family took 850 yards. Being that I did not know how they would turn out I am happy with them. I hope their new adopted family love them. They are all planned on being gifts. Hope they are box trained and stay quiet until ready. Tried to teach them manners.

Then I happen to create: A "Booby Pillow"

This will be a gag gift later on. I am waiting for Ken to take better pictures of it and then I will write up the pattern to be posted.

Oh darn now I need to start a new project. Going stash diving.

Contest

2008-10-08T07:12:00.000-07:00

Adrienne over at the bellybutton of cali is having a contest.

Go sign up and tell her I sent you.

Don't forget about the Carefree Kal. Still time to play.

Come on over and play

2008-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Join me over at carefree holiday (or not) kal. we are holiday knitting or not, depending on your mood. Regardless, there will be fun and there will be prizes (yarn and some other goodies). KAL runs from Oct 1 to Nov 30.

Kal is limited to 100 people, so if you want to play, you had better head on over soon!

Everyone who joins is eligible for the "welcome prize" drawing. Mention that I sent you over. Yes, it's the brownie point game.

Wrong I did the Fifth.

2008-08-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

I had started these before the end of the olympics so found out that they will count. Just not for gold. This is the Aug sock of the month from theknitter. The pattern is Stained Glass by Laura Andersson.

4th and final

2008-08-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the last of the 4 pair of socks I made for The Olympic Sox 2008. I casted on the first pair on Saturday Aug 9, took 2 days totally off to turn 50, finished this pair Friday Aug 22. Wow 4 pair of socks in 12 days. I broke my own record by a lot.

This last pair is "Crazy Over You" by Adrienne Fong better give her credit so she does not make interesting comments.

All 4 pair were from yarn in stash. Nope, still no dent in the stash but oh well.

Was a fun adventure.

Another Olympic Sox 2008

2008-08-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Yea it is letting me post.

My third pair of socks for the Olympics. These colors are out of my normal hues. I purchased this yarn while on the Yarn Crawl at Village Yarn and Tea. I knitted the pattern Twinkleberry. I was advised to frog them and knit a different pattern. As you can see I did not listen. I love the yarn and I love the pattern. I very much enjoyed making these. They are bright, loud, and happy socks.

Here are my Maizy (knotty) yarn socks. This was the second pair for the Olympics. I made this pattern up and have yet to name it. Yes, I will take suggestions. No, Adrienne not the one you already submitted.

Well for some reason I can not post pictures to the blog. But, I have finished 2 more pair and will post pictures when I am allowed by the blog powers to be.

OlympicSox2008

2008-08-18T16:23:00.001-07:00

Here is the first Pair of socks for the OlympicSox2008. I named these Dara Sock in honor of Dara Torres. She entered the swimming events in the Olympics at 41. I went into my stash and found one of my oldest skeins of yarn. I like how they turned out.

8 out of 9 Not bad NW WA Fair

2008-08-14T15:37:00.000-07:00

My pride and joy baby set. My Mother made this set for my daughter when she was born. When I was almost finished with the set it dawned on me we were the same age when making it. I designed the hat as the pattern did not have one.

I am sadden about the layout of the fair items. Note the corners of the blanket folded over. So much time and effort goes into them, then to be placed in the display cases like one is folding and putting away towels. That seemed to be the way with a lot of the knitted and crocheted items.
My blue ribbon baby booties. I love this pattern. I needle felted the faces. Sorry about the glare.
Here are the Blue and Red Ribbon shawls. Mine is the red ribbon. I will say I am sad that they are folded so that the designs can not been seen. Ok, Laura yes your is lovely also.

I also don't know how to get rid of the line under the post. Sorry about that as I don't even know where it came from.

This was all new for me. I had not even been to the fair in over 15 years. I will do it again. I entered 9 classes and received ribbons in 8. I received 4 Blue ribbons and 4 Red Ribbons.

3 of the items I entered were my original designs. I received ribbons for all of them. For that alone I am proud.

A childhood wish

2008-08-04T23:33:00.000-07:00

I did something today that I have dreamed about doing for over 35 years probably closer to 40 years. Wow that is a long time. I entered the local county fair. I remember going to the fair many years ago looking at the hand crafted goods and being impressed. Yeah, sometimes looking at a "Blue Ribbon winner" thinking I could do better. But, today I was not sure if what I brought was better.

I did the whole on-line stuff. I signed up weeks ago. I put in my work last week. I got a print out of what I had done on-line. I carefully guarded that sheet of paper. It was my entry. I got there today and there had been a computer glitch....I had done nothing as far as there computer knew. Oh I feel for those people that do all the entering. There was a LYS that you could drop off your work and they would bring it to the fair. I am so happy I brought it myself due to the glitch.

I have a number......That is what I am until judging.

I found out that I am a professional. By the standard of this fair I have been a pro.. oh probably since I was 8. I sold simple things I made to neighbors. That kinda took me by surprise but also I have taught knitting classes this year. I am ok with it.

Judging is Wed. I do not know other than going to the fair how results are released.

A contest give away

2008-07-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

Ok go here to win some addi lace needles. Be sure and tell them I sent you.
http://domestic-miss.blogspot.com/2008/07/knitting-give-away.html

Look soon for more critters and The Knitter's sotm offering.

Where did the time go?

2008-07-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Sure wish I knew how to post better. But here are a few of the items I have made lately. Love these critters. Jess took the mice home to be adopted by a friend of hers.
My first bag that I designed. I love it. I will make a few changes but with felting one can not just if you don't like something frog it.

Wanted to make another popular pattern for the heck of it. Here is Argosy. Fun, quick, enough of a pattern to keep from being boring.

Found the broomstick lace needle after about 30 years of not using it. Decided to try it out. Wow I did remember how to use it. Another very quick project.

Finished Items

2008-05-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

Knitted this on my 25th Wedding Anniversary. We did have a wonderful evening. Where the years went is still a mystery to us.

Sometime you spend a day doing only what you want to do. I spent the better part of the day knitting this bag. It is a new Fiber Trends Pattern with their new handpainted yarn. Took only one skein but one huge skein it was.
First finished item from the Yarn Crawl. First time playing with Malabrigo Yarn. Received the pattern from Hilltop Yarns in Seattle. If I was better at blogging I would link it. Was a quick knit. I am in love with Malabrigo yarn. I have 3 more projects that I got along the Yarn Crawl that uses this yarn. I am looking forward to them.

Yarn Crawl

2008-05-17T18:37:00.001-07:00

My new yarns. I went to 15 out of 24 stores on the Yarn Crawl.www.lystour.com Oh how much fun. I went by bus on Thurs to 6 of the stores. Then went with Debbie and we hit 9 of them. All but 2 stores were perfectly wonderful. Was after I got home I looked and decided I was in a teal/blue mood.

Too bad this is not a picture of all the finished items.

The little blue ball was a prize I won for guessing how many "one skein" projects the store had on display. That was fun to just see how many things could be made from one little ball of yarn.

Bay Scarf

I kinda designed this little shawl after one of my favorite sock patterns http://bellybuttonknits.blogspot.com/

Look there for Hanauma Bay socks.

It took less than a skein of Noro sock yarn. I wanted to see how the yarn would look and feel in a shawl. I like it.

Paddy Cakes

Socks that I whipped up while teaching a 2 on one sock class. The pink Yarn is "Sprinkles" I enjoyed playing with this.

Blocking Swallowtail

2008-05-16T21:54:00.001-07:00

Just a quick picture of the Swallowtail done. Took this picture to show the bead placement. I finished this in 8 days. Loved it. Added extra repeats to add some length to shawl.

I was waiting for a nice day to take pictures. We had rain for a bunch of days There is a teal color in the yarn and beads are different colors also that I hope sunshine will bring out.

We finally got some nice days but, a little thing called a Yarn Crawl took over. Wow what fun. I will post pictures of the Swallowtail and the Yarn crawl later.

A quick note to those doing the BAD gal KAL...now show yours!!!!! Ms. A I mean your shawl.....

Swallowtail Shawl

2008-05-04T10:30:00.001-07:00

Here it is the new project. Just a few rows into it. The swallowtail shawl. I am knitting this as a KAL with friends. That is if one of them gets going. She is playing with a scarf. I am hoping it is a full size shawl length. I am using 2 strands of lace weight on size 6 needles. It is fun and seems to be going quickly.

Mystic Light

2008-04-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

Wow it has been a while since I posted.

I have been getting things done. Just have not put anything on blog.

I just finished knitting the Mystic Light Shawl. Hoping to get better pictures later today.

Also a baby blanket I crocheted. I found this pattern in my Mom's stuff. My mom passed away 15 years ago. The pattern was a photocopy. Mom did not write in books. On the copy were the changes she made to the blanket and notes about the blanket.

Disappointments

2008-02-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had those times in your life when people just disappoint you?

I made socks for a family and never once heard if they even liked anything about them. One of the family members spent time at my house and never said a word. Is that normal? What ever happen to manners? Did some people get raised without them or did they just forget them when they should have been put to use? Or did they just plain not like them and I should never kit for them again. Are some people just so stuck on themselves that they can not see the time and effort put into home/hand made goods?

So many times in life you go out of your way for someone and they don't seem to know how to say Thank-You. Why is it people can be so rude?

I just want to scream today as someone dear to me put the final straw in the camels back. I just don't know what to think. Guess it is time for me to put this behind me and pick up the pieces of straw and knit a backbone for the camel.

If others can be so rude and unthoughtful I need to remember it is their problem and not mine. I will just have to made sure that they can not hurt me any more. Doing whatever it is I need to do to make that happen.

So "Today is the first day of the rest of my life". So be it.

Sunny Days

2008-02-22T08:27:00.000-08:00

First off I need to Thank Adrienne Fong http://bellybuttonknits.blogspot.com/for giving me hints on taking photos of my socks. Your tips work wonderfully.

Jeanne Townsend has used the picture of my Roses, Roses on her Yahoo group page. If I knew how to link I would do that here. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TownsendSocksKnitALong/
Might work.

Think I got linking almost down. Need to learn how to just put a word and have that link. Any ideas out there???

Still teaching sock knitting classes. Waiting for ideas on next class some want to learn. Will be running more sock knitting classes also.

Another thing to learn here is how to post my patterns. But that is another day.

We have been enjoying a wonderful streak of sunny days. It is so nice to see my solar lights still on for more than 30 minutes. They have been on past midnight. I know snowflakes are not nice this time of year so we are going to call the lights flowers.

If anyone out there tests my links please leave me a message on how they work. Any ideas on how to link by a word, and or post patterns also leave me a message.

If you read this you can just post a "Hello" message also.

Roses, Roses Sock

2008-02-17T12:12:00.001-08:00

I so love how this sock turned out. It is Roses, Roses Sock pattern by Jeanne Townsend.

The pattern was a combo of crochet and knitting.

Happy Dazes

2008-02-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

It is so nice now that the days are getting longer. We are almost half way through the month that can bring rotten weather. I am so looking to spring.

On the needles wow 4 socks in all stages. 3 are my own designs.
One is Jeanne Townsends Roses Roses. Wish I knew how to link that.
I am doing it in different colors it is so pretty.
I am test knitting a vest that I hope to finish up today. Will need buttons for it though.

A contest at http://mspalmtree.blogspot.com/2008/02/300-300-300-300-contest-300-300-300-300.html

I dont know how to link either but a 300 post contest. Wow guess she knows how to blog.

Oh and to leave a tip about knitting or crocheting. Guess I can leave one about both. I teach knitting classes and told my students always have a crochet hook for dropped stitches. Should be learn to link before you blog. Well we all started somewhere.

Time flys

2008-02-06T09:11:00.000-08:00

I am so happy with how this sock turned out. More so on what I learned knitting it. This sock other than the cuff has no purl stitches. I learned to knit backward and on this sock used that method.

I have finished up a bunch of UFOs. Nice to have the needles free only to fill them up again.

I got to play with the Addi Lace needles. Love those.

Seems I am in a learning mode now. I am learning patience with new sock knitters. I should repeat that so it is ingrained in me.

Love watching the knitting classes I am teaching learn new skills.

Watch out world new socks knitters are arriving daily.

Yipppeee

2008-01-30T17:26:00.000-08:00

Wow I feel so special I got my first comments. Thank you very much.

I have been busy teaching socks knitting at the LYS. This is fun but a challenge. Some catch on really fast other take a bit more.

Been getting to test knit a really fun sock. Can't wait for this one to go public to show it off.

Also I just taught myself to knit backwards. Sure make entelac socks to faster.

Posting

2008-01-22T12:19:00.001-08:00

Some silly designer gave me crap for not having a blog. I do here it is I just have issues with this. Here is the picture of a recent sock completed.

2007-08-13T15:46:00.001-07:00

wow it let me in without kicking me out. I have been trying to learn to use a blog for months but I am kicked out of netscape everytime.

May 29, 2007

2007-05-29T14:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new blog.
I am new at this so bear with me.