Treasures in the mail

Lately, the mail has been very kind to me!  A week or so ago, I got my Loopy Ewe package for July.  It had a pattern, a skein of Bugga sock yarn, a Namaste Buddy case, and a sheepy stitch marker. The yarn is red and burnt orange.  I don’t really wear those colors. I have decided that it should be a shawl. It is soooo soft.  I am going to make it into an Ulmas shawl. I just need to figure out what I want to combine with it. I am thinking of either a charcoal yarn or a camel color. I am leaning more towards charcoal since I wear a lot of black.

Yesterday, I received my package for the Reducio Swap (round 6).  It is wonderful.  I got a little Gryffindor sock, a tapemeasure that looks like a pocket watch, a tiny stitch marker, an owl button, two lion buttons, sock needle point protectors, some stickers, and some bookmarks.  It is such a wonderful package!  LB already has claimed a few of the stickers. He kept saying, “That bluebird sticker is so very beautiful.” I finally took the hint and let him have one of the sheets!

Today, I got my box from the Flat Rate Box Swap on Ravelry. The theme this time was “Local”.  My pal was from Kalamazoo, MI.  The box was packed full of goodies.  The card was a picture made by a local artist.  The card is also a magnet (already on my fridge).  There are matching Avani cards.  There were some preserves made in a nearby town, a candle that is inspired by a nearby community, cherry wafers to represent the cherries in the area, liquid handsoap that is locally made, goats milk soap that is locally made, a Michigan lighthouse pad and pen, a Michigan wooden ornament, a Petosky stone (the state stone), maple sugar candy (which we have already eaten…yummy), and postcards.  Also, there were two skeins of Kindred Spirits yarn (one worsted and one sock yarn). They are so beautiful! I am already thinking about what to make with them! 

 

Cuz that’s how I celebrate WWKIP day

Saturday was WWKIP day (or at least one of them). There was an event at our local mall.  DH agreed to watch the two boys (something he never does alone) so that I could go.  It was great.  I worked on my Shawl that Jazz. I got to the beginning of the ruffle on it. I am still on the first skein, so I am going to do the extra ruffly ruffle.  I might also make the ruffle a bit longer.  I learned that there is a local group that meets 2 Sundays a month.  I am going to start going to that. I am pretty excited. It is hard for me to go to group in Gainesville because the drive is so long. A 2 hour knitting group becomes a nearly 4 hour trip.  This avoids all that travel time, so I am able to go more often!  I am pretty excited.

We also had the option of making a donation and getting a goody bag.  The goody bag was great. There was a skein of yarn. It was Classic Elite.  It came with 2 soap sweater patterns. I love these things!  I can’t wait to make one.  I think my first one will be out of this yarn for my mom. I bought her some handmade soap at Hanks for her birthday (in January…yes, it is still in my house). I think I am going to put a sweater on that yummy soap!  The bag had all kinds of coupons and adds for local crafty places. There was some wool wash and lotion, a needle gauge, a ruler, and a button too.  It was pretty fun!

While I was there, several people were knitting 2-at-a-time socks toe up.  I have been thinking about knitting toe up socks.  I promised myself that I would not cast on any socks until I finished DH’s socks.  I had gotten to the toe decreases and realized I was still on my first skein of Lorna’s Laces (this was about 6 weeks ago). There is no way I should be able to get a whole sock for DH out of one skein of LL.  I had that sick feeling that the sock was too small. Naturally, I did what any good knitter does…I put the sock in a drawer hoping it would grow on it’s own.  While watching everyone knitting socks, I confessed that I had DH’s socks in timeout.   I was told to get them out, frog them, and cast on a toe up sock for DH out of the yarn.  I decided this was a fantastic idea as it kills two birds with one stone.  I have decided that I will not only do a toe up sock for DH, but I will go ahead and do it 2-at-a-time (on one circ).  I have an extra 47″ cable, so I just need some tips. I am going to make a Knit Picks order tomorrow and will add those on.  I ordered 2-at-a-time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes today too.  I think I am going to ditch the Monkeymen pattern for know. I think I am just going to do a ribbed sock.  So my knitting disaster that I have been avoiding has turned into an opportunity to learn something new.  So, I celebrated WWKIP day by frogging a nearly complete sock!

I have also finished the second April Square. I have one more April Square to do. Then I have to do the May and June squares!  For some reason, I don’t love knitting the April Square. I haven’t been working on them. I am excited to try the May one. It is a cabled square.  I have never done cables.  Even that has not gotten me moving like it should.  Once I get this last April Square done, things should pick up on the blanket making!

 

Catching up and the Great Garter stitch Glut

CB has been climbing… a lot. The other day, he climbed up to my laptop (it was on a desk…I had pulled the chair away from the desk, but he found another chair to drag over there). He popped most of the keys off of the keyboard. This doesn’t sound like a big deal, excpet that some will not pop back on.  On the back of the keys are really tiny (very flimsy) plastic pieces.  Unfortunately, the broken keys are R and K.  Two keys that I use a lot. I have not been able to post. I am posting from work (on my first light day in over two weeks). The good news is that I am getting a new keyboard and my lack of internet connection has allowed me to get lots of knitting done!

I knit two things for my Reducio Swap pal.  One of those things is a mini Ravenclaw sock (it looks just like the others that I have knit).  The other is the leaf bookmark!  It came out great. This appears to have started the garter stitch glut that I have been on lately. The leaf was super easy. I just made the I-cord long (to be a bookmark) and followed the Mountain Laurel Leaf pattern on Ravelry.

Then I decided to make booties for a friend at church who is having a baby.  I took a long time to decide on these. They don’t know if they are having a boy or a girl, so whatever I make has to be gender neutral.  I thought about trying another bootie pattern, but ultimately decided to make more Saartje’s booties. They are just too cute. To make them gender neutral, I decided they needed to look like frogs.  I used some of my Sunshine Yarns mini-skeins (I think this one is Algae).  I found some cute jet buttons (I looked for googly eye buttons, but didn’t find any small enough).  I really like how they came out. DH says they are still girly, but I think a baby boy could wear them.

Next I did another pair of Saartje booties. A girl from church asked if I could make a pair for a friend. They went to UM. That is my alma mater, so I felt like it would be fun.  I told her I would make these, but if she wanted more than I would teach her to knit!  These are made with random white acrylic yarn and Knit Picks Essential in Pine. The buttons were yellow, but I used some permanent stamping ink to make them a bit more orange.  They also came out cute.

Besides garter stitch booties, I have also made a lot of progress on my garter stitch Shawl that Jazz!  I love how this is turning out. The colors are amazing. I am still in awe of the cleverness of the design as well. It is knitting up so beautifully. My only (very small) complaint is that the yarn still smells like vinegar!  As I was knitting away, I had the sudden feeling my stitch count was off. I realized that I cast on 10 stitches too few.  I decided just to let it go. I was going to try to add them in, but I was worried about how it would affect the shape. I thought about ripping back, but decided that I was too far into it (I had about 3 inches done).  I think it will be plenty big despite the mistake.

Besides all the knitting I have done, I have also gotten some great mail.  First, I got my Loopy Ewe Sock Club package!  It has a great tote, a pen, candy, a beautiful pattern, and really gorgeous yarn!  It is called Luster Sox by Dye Dreams!  I love the greens. This yarn is so soft and has a sheen that pictures can’t do justice!

I also got my Reducio package from my pal. It has a mini-sock, a bookmark for wand tree identification, a journal, chocolate, Soak, two mini skeins (one Ron colorway and one hand dyed by my pal), and some tea.  My pal is so wonderful!  I can’t wait for the mini-skeins to join my blankie!

 

Crabbiness and the cure for it!

I have been very crabby lately.  I have had a lot of stress at work.  The Florida legislature has decided that all state employees making more than $45,000 will face a 2% pay cut in July.  It is rather insulting.  We have gone several years without a pay raise. Our budget has been cut so that each attorney is doing the job of more than one attorney (I carry almost two full caseloads). We have been asked to do more work with fewer resources. Now we are rewarded for all of that with a pay cut.  It has made me very angry. I won’t leave my job. I have faith that my boss will insure that my pay is restored as soon as it is possible under our budget. That being said, it is still unfair.

Fortunately, I got yarn in the mail the day that the pay cut was announced!  It is Twisted in Crabby McCrabbypants!  I love it!  I have been obsessed with the Shawl that Jazz pattern by Samantha Roshak since it was announced on the Lime & Violet Daily Chum.  I had been searching for the perfect yarn.  Yarn Harlot showed pictures of hers done in Twisted.  As soon as I saw it, I knew that was the yarn I had been looking for. I didn’t want to do it in the same colorway (too dark), so I spent hours looking at the little circles on the Blue Moon Fiber Arts site.  I finally decided on the Crabby McCrabbypants colorway. It is not at all what I expected. I love it so much more than I thought that I would. It is knitting up so beautifully too.  Fortunately, I had that project to cast on when I had such a bad day. Who knew that something called Crabby McCrabbypants would kill my crabby mood!

 

Wee Block Wednesday

It has been a long time since I have done a Wee Block Wednesday. I really put the sock blankie aside for a while (that is the beauty of that project…no deadlines).  I have started working on it again.  It now 58 has squares (only 57 are pictured…I did another one last night).

Here is a summary of the new ones:

1. This is the yarn from my Raphael Monkeys.

2. This is the yarn from my Reducio Pal. She dyed it herself and won an award on the socks she knitted with it.

3. This is the yarn that I got from my Sock Yarn from Stash Swap Pal.  I traded the rest of the yarn in the Easter one skein swap.

4. This is some of the yarn I got in the Easter one skein swap.

5. This is yarn from one of the swaps from the BlankieMania group. I am not sure what it is.

6. This is also yarn from a swap from the Blankie Mania group. I am not sure what it is.

7. This another yarn from a swap from the Blankie Mania group. I am not sure what it is.

I am going to be adding a random bigger square in there. I wasn’t going to add any bigger squares at all, but I have a yarn that demands it.  Who am I to go against the will of a yarn?

 

Easter is a time for stash enhancement!

After dying Easter eggs with LB, I had leftover dye in the little cups. I decided not to let it go to waste. I took my undyed Cherry Tree Hill yarn and painted it with the leftover dye.  I used the microwave method to set it (soaked in vinegar, handpainted, wrapped in Saran, microwaved for two minute intervals with rests in between until set).  It came out very bright. I am thinking of making it a scarf for one of my nieces.  I have several leftover tablets (the kit came with 12 tablets, but we only used four…too many colors would have been too overwhelming for LB).  I am deciding what I want to do with them. It is nearly impossible to tell what colors the tablets will become.  I am thinking of throwing some yarn and all the tablets into a giant kettle and letting fate decide!

I also participated in the Easter One Skein Swap on the Blankie Mania group on Ravelry.  I got my yarn last week sometime.  The mini-skeins are so adorable! I have already made a square with one. It seems the Easter Bunny thought to bring only my favorite things: yarn and chocolate!

 

Mom’s birthday stuff

Friday, I had to take the kids to the doctor (just their well checks).  Afterwards, we went to Jo-Ann’s. I needed some cord and a cord stop for my little bag that I made. I also decided to get more fabric since they were having a big sale.  More bags for more WIPs!

After that, we went to Hanks to meet Hank and pick up some soap. My mom’s birthday is today and she loves the handmade soap from Hanks. LB was fascinated by Hank. He talked about him all the way home.  I put the soap in my purse, and now my purse smells lovely!!

When I got home, I decided to make my mom a bath puff.  I had looked at some of the patterns, but hadn’t done one because my crochet is not so advanced.  I finally took a good look at a pattern and realized how easy they are.  I used the Pricilla”s Crochet pattern.  It took me about 3 hours to do.  It would have gone faster if I could keep count.  It would also have gone faster if I didn’t have to keep setting it down (kids…they can really interrupt a lot, even after they are supposed to be in bed).  I love this bath puff!  It is so soft!  I also love that it is quick, easy, and inexpensive to make.  Even greater, it is machine washable.  DH is begging for one in “man colors” now.

It took just one skein of kitchen cotton to make a puff the same size as the 99 cent ones at Wal-Mart.  Of course, this puff is nicer and won’t fall apart in a month (and it can go in the washing machine).  The color in the picture isn’t very true, but that is what happens when you take pictures at night. The color is actually a deep wine color.  I can’t wait to get it sent out to mom.

I am thinking I am going to whip a bunch of these up for birthdays for my secretaries this year.  I may also make up some homemade shower gel to go with them (still deciding on making it or just buying).

 

My new project

My new project…Christmas knitting for next year!  That’s right, I have started my knitting for next Christmas.  One of the techniques that has always intimidated me is entrelac.  I decided to try it in a dishcloth. I have been admiring the ones that Lisa did (Ravelry link).  I decided just to follow one step at a time in the instructions.  The pattern is Garterlac Dishcloth by Criminy Jickets. The pattern is really well written.  It is actually very easy. The knit was super quick. It only took a few hours to do a dishcloth (quicker than my last Grandma’s Favorite).

After finishing the dishcloth, I decided to try a Tribble too (by Abigail at 1870 Pearl).  I did the knitting over my lunch hour and finished it when I got home.

I even had time to begin another dishcloth and do a repeat on my shawl!  I love the quick projects. I plan to do sets of dishcloths and tribbles for Christmas next year.

 

New Yarn

Yesterday was Christmas, but today was the day when I got all kinds of new yarn!  Critter Bug and I went out today to hit the sales (and spend some Christmas money).  After the obligitory mall stop for new (badly needed) clothes, we went to Jo-Ann’s.  They had all their yarn on sale.  I got 7 skeins of yarn for gnomes and such (ornaments and other small stuff).  They had all their yarn on sale. I got three skeins of Vanna’s Choice (Dusty blue, black, and taupe mist), two skeins of Wool-Ease (Cranberry and Forest Green Heather), and a skein of Patons (white) (Ravelry links).  When I got home, I had my Christmas gift to myself in the mail!

Mountain Colors Winter Lace yarn in Wild Horse!  Yes, lace yarn. I decided that I wanted a shawl.  I am going to be making the Forest Canopy Shawl (Ravelry link) with this yarn.  I am so excited. I want to have it done in time to wear it to Wicked in April.  DH is buying me tickets for my birthday!  This yarn is a wool silk blend. It is so soft.  The colors are so pretty too. I can’t wait! It is going to be lovely. I had to pick up a couple of circs in size 4 and 5 for this shawl (not sure what size needle I am going to use…I will swatch some with each and see tonight).

 

Long Time, No Blog

I feel like I have been gone for so long. I have been here. I just haven’t been knitting much or blogging at all. I didn’t even log onto Ravelry for over a month!!

Work has been crazy. The kidlets are growing too fast. Home is a wreck. I just haven’t had time for me. I am officially reclaiming me time. I am having frequent migraines and am frazzled beyond belief. Time for me to do things I love. My house is going to be an even bigger wreck. I won’t ever catch up at work. At least, I can be a good mommy if I take care of myself. So, I am officially back!

I am doing only a small amount of holiday knitting. I am making another yuletide gnome (I will post a picture later) for my secret pal at work! He is cute. This time I am knitting it in the round. That is so much easier than knitting flat and seaming. I will post how I did it later, once I am sure it will work for the boots and mittens (that is an experiment).

I have also picked back up the monkeys I was working on. I have also done a few more squares on my blankie. Eventually, I hope to get back involved in some swaps!