Give Me My Sock!

Baby Boy B and the grand dog. Thank goodness, this is not a hand knitted sock.

It was quiet yesterday afternoon and evening around here. Very quiet. Bummer. But, soon enough Christmas will be here and I expect to have them all back again right after. Until then, I have knitting to do, lots of knitting.

Something I Don't Say Often

I'm Pooped! We have had a great couple of days with family since Thursday. Baby Boy A, his wife and our grand dog got in late Thursday night. After we spent a Thanksgiving different then we were normally used to in the last 30+ years. But, still it was a good Thanksgiving.

I've had my hands in more dishwater the last couple of days than with knitting needles it seems. And the eyeballs are a little gritty, the face is sore from grinning and definitely, the belly has way too much put into it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Got Plans?

Yep, starting today. I took the day off to do some errands and last minute stuff. Normally, Thanksgiving weekend is my weekend for knitting and sitting around. Things will be a little different this weekend as we have family in from Memphis and Chicago area. We are pleased that we will be together although a couple will be missing. That is going to be a little, shall I say tough, but we'll deal with that as it comes.

But, I digress from the real reason for the post today. I really have to get a handle on my Holiday Gift Knitting, mostly scarves and I have designated this weekend for that. So, wherever I go, I'll have my little bag of gift knitting along.

Have a safe Thanksgiving all!

I Have Been A Slug

When it comes to bloggin, this week, just did not have either the time anything great to blog about.

Yesterday was a beautiful day. As I usually do, I spent a great morning at Knit 4 Together. I got buttons for the top down purple sweater and a book that has been out for quite awhile, but did not really give it a second look until both Sue and Claudia used it. Then I took a second look and decided it would be a great reference to just tuck in the knitting bag...the knitting bag is getting heavy now.

Then bopped over to Grand Prairie to return some pants. I picked up a couple of trashy romance books for next weekend reading at Borders and of course had to check the knitting books out, but there wasn't anything I needed to get. It felt so good out, that I parked the car at one end, walked to Borders at the other end and then walked to Dick's where I did a little Christmas shopping and then back to the car.

Lordy, if felt good to be outside in the fresh air and semi sun. Hope, we get some more this week.

New Yarn

I am really trying to not buy new yarn. I am really trying to knit up what I have...re the top down purple sweater.

But, I could not resist this scarf kit a couple of weeks ago. It is really more than a scarf, it is more of a small wrap. Which will be perfect for outside a coat or wrapped around me at work. Easily tossed off when a little power surge happens.

I've been having those every once in awhile...guess we know what that means!

On a weather note, here in Central IL, we are smacked dab in the middle of major rain. Day 2 and I have those errands to run today after the dentist. UGH!

I Think I'm Done

Celebrating birthdays, I mean. My friends Barb and Kristy bought me plates and cups for my birthmas. Tomorrow, after my dentist appointment and before I have to be home for the phone guy, I am going to run out to Grand Prairie and see about buying the dessert plates and look at the mugs.

They bought me 8 bowls and 8 plates....I might buy 4 more plates and bowls instead. That way I will have plenty should our family grow one day.

Another friend, Kathy, whom I help sometimes with her knitting bought me this new Kate Jacobs book. It is #3 in the Friday Night Knitting Club Series.

I started to read it, and realized that I, somehow, missed #2, Knit Two. So, after Grand Prairie and before I have to be home for the phone guy, I have on my list to stop at Barnes and Noble and look for it so I can read them in sequence.

I have quite the list for tomorrow. It started out I was going to the dentist early and then knit at Dunlap before the eye doctor late in the afternoon. Then, the phone company thingy cropped up and my plans have been shot to heck.

Sometimes, this working thing interferes with what I want to do.

Check Out My New Running Shoes
Just to prove that I am still quite happy with my caribe blue, I had to show them. I am anxious to get them on and do a little test run. But, today it is raining here in Central Illinois,(and I am not getting them wet their first time out), so the tread mill will have to be it.
Then, since it is Sunday and Sunday has been the start of my week or rather my startover day, I am going to try and knit when the kitchen calls me to eat when I am not hungry! Just imagine how much I could accomplish if I was knitting?!

On another similar note, I need to spend less time over on Facebook playing Bejeweled Blitz....and more knitting. Hmmmmmmmmm.

Paris, We Have A Problem

What to do with a very long scarf or a scarf for a very tall person? Solution? Cut it apart and make two. That was the collective advice of the Radical Knitters on Thursday.

Fellow Radical Knitter thought the scarf she was knitting needed to be longer than her 40 inch needle...so she added some extra stitches.

And we all know how hard it is to really know how long a scarf it would be with all of those stitches bunched up, right? And a scarf is a scarf and sometimes it is what it is.

But, how was Jo to know until she bound off the stitches and bound off the stitches....you get the drift.

So, the solutions were kicked around a couple of different ways. Rip it all out (but she had already buried alot of ends in), machine stitch it and cut it in half and then somehow hide the raw edges, like sucking it up with a tassle, or adding fringe.

Or the final decision, put in two life lines about 2 inches in from the center.

Then, take the scissors and cut the very long scarf in half. Then, unravel both ends back enough to get long yarns.

Bury the yarns in the scarf. Eat birthday cake in the absence of alcohol.....


And voila, you get two scarves. One to wear as the Parisians do.


And a second as les Americaines do.


Good Save Jo!

Of Course I'm Still Celebrating

You have to see this in person to believe it! Each center is a yarn/knitting related fabric.

Norma outdid herself on this birthday gift. I love it! Did I say thank you??? My mother taught me to.

The celebration started out with dinner, some great knitting (and laughs with Jo) and cake....a huge piece of cake. True to what I said, I left the rest in the car in the very back. I'll take it in to work today and we'll eat it for dessert after lunch.

Tomorrow's blog is not for the faint of heart in knitting! Tune in tomorrow for a little surgery.

Yes, I Do

Buy jewelry to go with sweaters and vice versa.

I am lovin knitting with these two yarns for this Pure and Simple Top Down Vneck Cardigan. I am using a strand of Kids Seta and a strand of Valley Yarns Superwash DK. The superwash was going to be a sweater from Nora, but changed my mind after seeing it with the Kids Seta.

I started doing a swatch holding the two together, and when I was getting gauge almost immediately decided it had to be knit together. The sweater is going to be so soft to wear and just a little fluff to it. It's a nice interlude to knit for now.

Oy!

Penny is 52 today. How did that happen? In puppy years, I feel like 42.

Actually, yesterday, I got new glasses. You know how it is with new glasses! I question whether they got them adjusted right, did I make the right decision on style, should I have went with the type I have had for the last three times, should I have went with the square ones, do these let me see as well as my old ones?

Okay, so maybe I really am 52. Oy!

Just A Few Short Weeks

This is what we are left with. Of course, the leaves all fell to our yard according to the tall guy. He got the honors of raking them up, while I got to knit at Knit 4 Together on Saturday.

Upon my return, he asked if I wanted to help?! Huh?
Here is the afore mentioned tree with all it's beautiful fall leaves before Halloween. Amazing how all of a sudden, we are talking Thanksgiving.

We were lucky this weekend in Central IL to have some great weather and high 60s and 70s. I can remember when I was a kid that it could be chilly and spittin snow on my birthday.

Seedling Is Really Done

I got my buttons sewed down on Saturday morning. I tried to wear it out to the knit shop, but it was too warm for it. Which is a good thing for November here in Central IL.

It is going to need a turtle neck to go with it. The scoop neck I tried to wear with it on Saturday is just too close to the scoop neck on the sweater. I extended it from Cheryl Oberle's original intentions, because a shorty jacket just does not look good on this body!

This is the second time I have used Color Changes yarn from Ironstone and I do like it. The seed stitch throughout the jacket made the stripes not be so stripey, if that makes sense.

Time to haul the book out and get back to Box Top that I started in July. I may get to wear it this Fall yet!

The Extra Stocking

This is for just in case. Just in case we have someone extra around at Christmas that needs a stocking.

The ladies at lunch could not get over how the yarn does this patterning. The discussion was how the computer knows to dye it like that?

This was a quick knit and amazingly, the yarn is really softer than I thought it would be when I first looked at it. One more ticked off of the list.

What's next?

Having A Little Fun

with some Christmas stockings. Just taking a little break to knit a couple of stockings.

This one,not being of Christmas colors was fun to knit anyway. This is for our daughter-in-law. She likes purple and I thought it might be a fun addition to the stockings. Last year she got a temporary one.


The new one is fun just to watch the yarn evolve into a stocking. It is an extra for our group of stockings just in case we have company for Christmas.

Almost Done

The knitting of Lara is finished. Just need to sew up the sides and arms. Weave in the ends and block.

I'll probably save the sewing for tomorrow night and Dancing with the Stars.

I tried it on today and I like the extra stitches and rows I added to it.

In the mean time, I am giving thought to making another one. Initially, I was going to use this pattern from IK Holiday Knits issue, but after seeing that it uses a size 3 needle I rethought it. That and the fact that it would require more sewing up then Lara.

I've also found a yarn that I can add to this mohair to use a larger needle with it. I am still noodling it over, I'll blog later with pictures when I am sure about it.