Happy Halloween!

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The Secret To Becoming A Great Knitter

Did Anyone Else Look At The Calendar?

Today is the 24th of October!  The wind was a blowin in Central IL today and it very much felt like a week from now.

The realization set in on me today when I came home and saw our bush out front, it was turning red and green which reminded me that Christmas Eve is 2 months away.  Two Months Away People!!

I think it may be time to start actively knitting  on some of my Christmas presents.

Simple Circular Scarf 

Poppy's Stocking

Mona Lisa's New Blanket With Circles

Harry Potter Scarf

Frozen Hat

Simple Garter Scarf

Thankfully, all but two are fairly quick and easy knits.  And great projects to knit on at Knit Night!

Do you have any plans for Holiday Gift Giving Knitting?  If you do, you've got two months!

What's On The Needles

This week I seem to be a bit obsessed with the pattern and yarn I bought on Saturday.  I would have been much further along, but I changed up the needle size and added more stitches to my Vacillate.  Normally, I have to go down from the recommended size because I knit so loose.

This time I decided to go with the size on the pattern, and when I measured it on Sunday, it was about 6 inches too short in width.  I ripped it back, went up a size needle and after checking it out on Ravelry, decided to add more repeats to the pattern.

I am impressed with the designer, Cindy Garland (Wild Prairie Knits) and the presentation of the pattern.  The pattern is printed on a nice card stock paper  and is both charted and written out.  The chart is hilited in yellow for the contrast color which makes it really easy to see when the changes come along.   Her explanations and key throughout the pattern are spot on and very helpful (as long as you read them).   She included  a code so the pattern can be downloaded to my Ravelry Library.  The only problem is with the sticker that was placed over it, I think I lost one of the numbers when I peeled the sticker off.  Not a major problem, but eh.

I am using Leading Men Fiber Arts Fingering Yarn for it and I am anxious to see how the Evil Queen Gradients look as they progress through the shawl.  I don't normally choose either the pink or the purples so much in yarns, so this is definitely taking me out of the box on this one.

I could see myself knitting this one again down the road, maybe in just a step up from a fingering weight yarn.  Oy, already planning a new one before the first one is done!

See you on the purl side!

Stash Enhancement Saturday

Today was the Bishop Hill Fiber Guild's Spin In.  We had a wonderful day shopping, voting for our favorites in the contests and knitting.  

Although, I said the minute before I walked into the market that I was not buying any more yarn, I, of course made a bee line for Leading Men Fiberarts.  I was not expecting to see them there, but when I saw the Vacillate Shawl sample, I knew I was a goner.  They had it knit out of a gradient set (hot pink and gray gradients).  There were so many to choose from, but my knitting friends helped me step away from my normal Caribe Blue/Teal and I ended up with purple gradient set and Prom Queen.  You may remember at Stitches, one other gradient set followed my home, but in much different shades of purples.

Any who, I've had my eyeballs on the Vacillate Shawl pattern from sometime.  Megan over on the Stockinette Zombies Videocast knit one after Stitches Midwest in the coolest green and blue from Sun Valley Fibers.  I was super pleased to be able to pick up the pattern and the yarn to do one for me.

I was a bit disappointed in the lack of other yarn vendors at the Spin In, but I think the number of attendees might have been down as well, and perhaps that is the reason there was less yarn.  Even so, I managed to pick up some sheepy things for myself.

It was a great day with friends and I think we'll do it again next year.

Finally Finished Friday

While away, I did have some time to finish the Heavenly Heathers Hospice Blanket.

On Wednesday, I had a bit of time to sit outside at the kids house and knit in the sun, finishing up this Hospice blanket out of Cascade Pacific.  I used four colors of shades of greens and made my own gradient blanket.  It was so much fun watching the colors come up next.

While out there, I heard a bit of rustling behind me in the ravine, I turned very quietly and there she was looking at me.

We looked at each other for the longest time, then she turned and went back down the ravine.  How cool as that?!

Send Yarn I May Be Here A While

And can you blame me??

What We Have Been Doing Today

On My Nightstand

I got this in the mail late last week from Schoolhouse Press.  So far I've made it through the Shetland Chapter.  It just makes me want to the Shetlands even more.  If you would have told me I would want to venture to this place way back when I would have said you were nuts.

In my quest to try and use my Audible credits up, I downloaded The Martian.  More than once, I have shut it off and told myself it wasn't the greatest purchase I ever made.  But,  a couple of days ago I turned it back on and was bound and determined to just let it play through.  Oh, my gosh, on the way home tonight it finally took off.  I am so glad that I stayed with it.  I don't know how it ends since I have not seen the movie, so this is going to be interesting.

Now, back to the ball game.

Another Fine Sunday in October

We are so very lucky to have these beautifully sunny Sundays to enjoy in Central Illinois!

My Sunday has been a little bit of everything, how about yours?  I started off finishing some laundry and while doing it and trying to get my 10,000 steps into day, I did a bit of cleaning and pulling out of the Halloween decorations.  At one time, my table looked a bit like the decorations splatted all over the table.

In anticipation of getting a call this week that perhaps a baby is ready to born, I pulled out my bag to start packing a few things and plan my knitting projects as well.

Then I spent a few hours on the computer, AGAIN, trying to find some shoes that I can wear for work and for play in the standby color, black.  I thought I had it nailed with a pair of Born's I bought a couple of weeks back, but when I went to put them on with hand knit socks and even thinner socks they were way too tight!  Yes, I tried them on at the store barefoot, and I thought I had a bit of room in them, but obviously not!  I'll take them back later this week and see if they have a half size up, which is a full size larger than I normally wear.  When did shoe shopping become as hard as jean and swimsuit shopping?  I never used to have this problem twenty years ago!  I could wear really cute shoes back then and never have to think how they would feel after a days work.

Okay, so these are not for work and they are not at all fashionable,  but I found an old pair of Birki's in the closet that were slated for the garbage pile.  When I tried to wear them barefoot earlier this Summer they just did not fit the bill any more.  But, after trying them on with my hand knit socks, I am thinking these may just work for weekend wear.  The feet felt pretty good.  But----maybe just around the house.

The rest of this lovely day was spent knitting and enjoying the cool breeze from the porch.  I know we don't have a lot of these days/nights to do it, so I am taking full advantage to do some knitting.

Right now, I am in Hospice knitting.  I really feel like I have not been giving it the attention it deserves and so I've got a couple that I am taking with me when the baby is born to work on.

I love they way this blanket is working up.  It is the Heavenly Heathers pattern that I have about three or four times for boy babies and I really enjoy knitting on it.  The yarn is Cascade Pacific and is doubled and on a size 11 needle.  It is so much fun to make it through one group of stripes, I am always anxious to see what the next one will look like.

Also, in progress for Hospice is the Boneyard Shawl by Stephen West.  A free pattern, this one is easily knit on while waiting and easy to throw in my purse to run and go with.   It doesn't take up a whole lot of room and can be knit in the back seat of the car in the dark if that is when we are called.  The yarn in Malabrigo.

Last but not least is still the Kimono Shawl.  It is a semi peace and quiet knitting shawl.  The pattern is easy enough to knit on in public if I don't have to talk too much, but I'll be saving it for those times in the early morning or late evening when I'm just hanging out.

And now, already the sun is salting to head downwards.  Gosh, when did it get to be so Fall?! See you on the purl side!

No Finished d'Objects This Week

Too busy watching Cardinal Baseball!  Whose son is that anyway?

My favorite granddaughter!

Wednesday Website

I think you all will enjoy this one from Franklin Habit at Lion Brand

A Look I Am Seeing A Lot Of

It is funny, not ha ha funny, but funny how styles seem to come back every so often.  That would be why you should never give your knits away, you just never know when a few years later, they will be hot again.

Something I am really lovin is this year's take on a wrap/shawl/poncho.  The photos below are all ready-to-wear but I am thinking with some searching on Ravelry or in my file cabinet, there might just be a pattern out there for these styles.

 What I really like about these styles that you seriously could wear them right now.

 And how perfect would they be to keep you warm inside, but this Winter if you have any car trips planned and you just want something for in the car.

Or if you are doing some Holiday shopping in an enclosed Mall and you want to dash from the car into the Mall without hauling around your big ole Winter coat.

There are so many possibilities on making ready-to-wear on your own, just by tweaking the color or the patterns below found on Ravelry to make these styles your own for Fall!

A Fringed Shawl

Poncho

And the ever popular and my fave from Churchmouse Yarns, the many variations of the easy poncho

Let Fall knitting begin (if you haven't already started)!

Finally Finished Friday





Okay, I am not crazy about the finished results.  Those armholes are wayyyyy too big.

 





And, this is just not a good look for a hip heavy person!  But as luck would have it, I have a friend who can carry this one off.

So, after I soak and block this one, it is going to be a gift for her.  She is always so appreciative of my hand knits.  And lately, that is just what I need! 

Ok, whine over.