From My Library

I have used this book so much that it never makes it's way to the bookshelf.  I keep it right next to me in a bag of stuff I can't be without.

There are only two weights of yarn used in the samples in the book so I decided to write them in the cover for reference.

This is my go to book for baby blankets, but also for Hospice blankets.  

And there are more in this book that I see knitting, but the winner as you can tell from above is the Heavenly Heathers blanket.

This book is a must have for me!

It's Cast On Day!

And boy do I need it!  What a crazy weekend, what a crazy period and frankly I'm spent.  It is time to get to knitting.  I've turned off the t.v. today.  I've blocked people on Facebook and I am just tired of it all.  Don't get me wrong, I care what is going on around our world, but I need a bit of a break from it all to focus on what I love doing…KNITTING  and I've got better things to do.

In just a week, I'll be preparing for my return to work.  I really thought I would have accomplished more, but I've spent a lot of the last almost 10 weeks, sitting around, usually with my phone in hand, looking at emails, playing solitaire, reading Facebook (both of which I had to take off my phone because I realized that I wasted a lot of time doing nothing), following knitters on Instagram, watching Netflix and knitting video casts, eating whatever I wanted to and could hobble in to find, drinking a pot of coffee every afternoon (when I could make it on my own) and recently staying up late and sleeping in.

It is time to resume my regularly scheduled program of acting like someone who has to work again, watching what she eats, get moving more, reading books, going places like Hospice and knitting on Thursdays and Saturdays, just knitting and enjoying each day as it comes.

And today is cast on day!  What better way to start the week and my prep for a return to society!

Over in the Fans of Lost City Knits group on Ravelry, I am hosting a knit along for the Stranded in the Highlands Toque and Mittens.  If you are a Raveler, please join us in knitting along.  This project is a perfect start to some color work practice and best of all very doable before Winter is over.

I am using colors that I think will look good with my black coat for Winter.

Some are particularly loving the fingerless mitts and I think it is totally doable to make them into mittens if you like myself have very cold hands.  But, what I love about the fingerless mitt, for me is that I have a reoccuring bout with some palm, thumb and wrist pain, and I am thinking that a nice warm mitt out of Shetland could do double duty while knitting or typing.

Have a great Sunday and do something fun!

Friday Finds

New books from Kay and Ann of Mason Dixon.  They are calling these new little books they will be putting out every so often, called Field Guides.

From Leading Men Fiber Arts, Neon Pencil.  I actually bought this to see if it could be a color way in my Find Your Fade shawl, but decided after I got it, that it wasn't what I wanted.  Oh, but, I do have an alternative plan for it.

And ta da!  I am in real shoes after my Dr appt yesterday.  The first part of next week, I get to drive and will be going back to work on the 30th.

I gotta a lot of knitting to accomplish in a week!!

From My Knitting Library

I was reminded of these two books in my Library just this last week while watching an interview with  the authors Kay and Ann.

Kay and Ann were interviewed by Kristy Glass on her You Tube channel.  I've linked to the interview HERE and I highly recommend watching it.  The thing I like about Kristy's interviews is when she asks her guests first off, to tell her and her viewers their fiber story from birth to now leaving out whatever they choose.  There is so much to learn when the guest tells their story.  There are times when I can totally identify with their story, other times wishing that my story was the same, and almost always, they inspire me as to their journey in knitting, starting something from nothing and creating a business from our craft.

After watching the interview, I went back and checked out the Mason-Dixon Knitting website.  I followed both Kay and Ann many years ago and for some reason, they dropped from radar.  After watching their interview with Kristy, I checked out their website again.  It is new and updated and I think I'll start keeping better tabs on them again.  Here is their link if you want to check them out as well.  Mason Dixon Knitting

The website has lots of layers and there is a lot of great knitting information and directions, it may take me a while to catch up on all of it!

Me, Myself Again

I'm backkkkkkkkkk!  I want to cast on all the things!

 I've spent the last couple of days surfing the internet and looking at my faves, looking at other people's faves, dreaming of where I want my knitting to go.  I've cast on three shawls, the same one twice and then decided to use the yarn for another one that I cast on late last night.  I've ordered some cool yarns that I'll show you on a future Friday Finds when they all come.  I've knit on some plain stockinette to cleanse my pallet of all the dreaming of knits that I have been doing.  And at this posting, I am still trying to decide what project I want to concentrate on the most.

I've stumbled upon some really cool ideas through some new podcasts that I'll  be bloggin in the next week or so.  Plainly put, I am back, I am feeling pretty good, although still in a boot, but  I have all kinds of great ideas for the blog that I have been writing down in a little notebook.

I've tossed around the idea for sometime about doing a You Tube podcast.  I have been very close, but just recently decided that it is a whole lot of work and there are a ton of really good ones out there that I watch and they are doing that just fine.  For me, I'm going to keep doing my blog, hopefully tweaking it to be a little better and maybe even doing my own website (much later down the road).  I am hoping through the blog this year to introduce you to some of my knitting friends (with their permission, of course),  showing some of their incredible work and show how much I truly appreciate their friendship.

Tomorrow's topic is From My Library which will lead into a Friday Find.   Enjoy the sunshine Central Illinois.

A Little Color For This Monday

Since I took this picture this morning, it has gotten foggy on us in Central IL.  I'm not complaining since the freezing rain completely missed us this weekend and by the end of the week, it is going to be in the 50's.  Did someone forget to tell mother nature this is January?

Since it has been so dreary (temperament and weather speaking) lately, I thought it may be time to bring a little color into my life.  So, I cast on the Find Your Fade shawl that seems to be all the rave on Ravelry, Blogs, Groups and Instagram.

It took me a few trips up the stairs (a fete in itself) but I finally narrowed it down to these color ways in this order.

I was bound and determined to use stash yarn and these are all out of the stash.  When finished, I am hoping for the effect of this order.  The pink will be the start and the black will be the end, and when looped around my neck.

While deciding on if the color ways would all go together, some dear knitting friends came to visit and bought this lovely box with a cozy comfy blanket in it.  The box sat next to my chair and for a while it was housing my Find Your Fade yarns and pattern.

Until this morning, when I decided it is the perfect box for springy, colorful yarns that I could sit and look at when planning some future projects and also to house the leftovers of the Finding the Fade Shawl as I finish each color way.  Don't these just remind you of Paris in the Springtime?

There are more color ways in the yarn room that are going to make their way into my box eventually, but in the mean time, even though it is dreary and foggy outside today, I've got some gorgeous colors and yarns that are making me happy.  I hope you do too!!

Lazy Saturday

We are just hanging out here today.  It appears that we are not going to get very much bad weather, thank the stars, but the roads were a little dicey this morning according to the Tall Guy who made a quick grocery run.

Me, I'm hanging out with my Christmas Blend from Starbucks that the Knit Wits gave me.  This is starting to be an every afternoon thing for me.

I'm catching up on some Knit Girllls today.

Knitting on my Find Your Fade that I'll blog about tomorrow or Monday.  The yarns are being housed in this super cool box.  Don't you just love Paris?!  I think Sally from the Rainey Sisters would steal this box from me if she could!

And this short little video shows you just how lazy of a Saturday today is.

Have a great weekend and be careful if you have to travel in that stuff!

Finally Finished Friday

The Hospice Blanket I did while recovering from Surgery.  A simple corner to corner blanket out of a yarn called Cake Pop.  Two skeins and a most fun knit, watching the next color come up!

First Point of Libra.  Have you had a project that you just keeping looking at and say, dang, I really like this one?!  That is what I have been saying since I finished it on Wednesday night.

Happy Friday!!

Narrowing It Down

to a couple more

Look at that green coming through on the purple skein

And these three, can you just see them being worn with my black coat?

I may have to knit two OR do a sweater with the other choice.  Stay tuned!

I Am So Excited

Denise from Lost City Knits asked me to lead the first KAL starting on January 22nd, over on the Fans of Lost City Knits Group on Ravelry for her brand new pattern, Stranded in the Highlands.

The Toque and mitts are knitted out of Jamieson and Smith's Shetland Wool that Lost City Knits just started carrying 50 colors of.  And of course, I had to order some to play around with.  First off, I pulled out my old color card that seems to be very hard to get these days.

And then I chose some colors from my go to color guide.

And placed my order for a few colors ( I figured those that didn't make the cut can be used for future projects)

Then came the selection process.  It was quite helpful to have some nice sun shining in the front window to help with narrowing down the colors.

I think I have narrowed down to five.

Later this week, some up close looks and a narrowing more down of the choices.

Sunday Sunday Sunday!

Wow, has it been chilly in Central IL late this week.  But, as my dear friend Renate told me, I'm not missing much outside right now!

Foot Progress Report - I'm still in my boot, two of the five toes are being taped for swelling and my big toe is continue to fuse as of last week's doctor appointment.  I still cannot put it down in the shower, so I am showering on a chair, but was able to wash my hair in the shower with the help of the Tall Guy.  He's been a sport about this whole thing, but I can tell he is ending his patience with this whole invalid thing.  I am at 7 1/2 weeks post operation right now, but all is progressing well!  If I had to say one thing about the whole process is that I really did not realize what 10 - 12 weeks of sitting around in chair was going to be like.  I am so ready to get moving and get out, even if to smell the cold air.  But, I am not going to push it.  If you are still with me, thank you all who have been so supportive, by all means, and for putting up with the blather of this whole thing,  it truly has meant a lot to me!

And now for knitting, what is on the needles?  Well, as we all know, there are a lot of WIPS on the needles and I have one finished object so far for Friday, but for right now, I have been so dang monogamous, that it surprises me!!

I am working steadily on my First Point of Libra Shawl from Laura Aylor.  I was intently knitting on it as Laura is the guest instructor at January Thaw put on my Sun Valley Fibers later this month.  The yarn is also the Sun Valley Fibers that was originally going to be Breathing Space ( I blogged about it before)!  I am totally loving this shawl and by the time the Golden Globes start tonight, I am hoping to be on the last gray section, and maybe have this done for a Finally Finished Friday object.

What is needle adjacent?  I kind of sort of promised myself that when I finished the First Point of Libra Shawl that I could cast on something new.  My friend Becky bought me some lovely yarn and a pattern for my birthday, but we both decided that the yarn she bought for me was probably not a dark enough pow for the Back to School Shawl.  I ordered some new yarn for it from Leading Men Fiber Arts and asked them for their recommendation for the dark color to go with it.  They did not disappoint!

Totally not my colors now are they.  I thought I might change it up a bit for the first new project of the new year and surprise you all.  I am hoping to have this all knit so I can wear to the Pipeline Retreat mid next month.

What's on tap for this week?  I promise to tell you about a super cool project and my process for choosing colors and I'll blog about what other kinds of things I have been doing while being confined to the house, book I read, books I am reading, You Tube videos and podcasts I've been watching and other things that have been keeping me sane.

Until then, have a great Sunday!!

Friday Finds

The Mailman Cometh -

 From The Silver Shed USA on etsy.  I ordered a couple of interchangeable needle holders for some knitting friends birthdays later this year…I'm getting a head start

The non Starbuck's version of a travel mug that will hold a knitted sleeve I am told.

Yarn for Back to School Shawl.  The yarn is Leading Men Fiber Arts, but absolutely cannot cast on until my Hospice Blanket and my January Thaw Shawl is finished...

And ta da - for a very special project that I'll blog about tomorrow from

Some yarns to play with

Everybodys Doin It

The hottest pattern around right now is Find Your Fade  Over 900 projects in progress.  I must have looked at it a dozen times and have been on again off again, until yesterday when I finally bought the pattern.

A short trip to the Yarn Room netted these possibilities for it.

The thing about this shawl is that it takes a lot of fingering yarn and it is perfect from those stashes that have a lot of fingering yarn.  The problem with this shawl is having enough colors that go well or transition together.

I'm still on the fence.  Tomorrow, I am hoping with a little sunshine shining through the windows that I can see what my first pull of yarns looks like.

This Has Been My View

Jammies, Knitting and a Cuppa!

Things are looking up around here.  I'm doing a bit more knitting.  I finally got to take a shower tonight after almost 7 weeks (even though I had to sit on the chair to do it because I still can't go without my boot).  I am able to get around a bit easier in my boot these last couple of days and I even ventured into the Yarn Room upstairs today (shhhhh, don't tell the Tall Guy, he will want me to start doing laundry haha).  It took a lot out of me to go up and down so I won't be doing it too much, but it sure was nice to know that I can.

It is back to the doctor tomorrow so I am hoping for a good report.  I know that I will have to wear my boot for the next three weeks, but am hoping she will give me some info on where we are going from here in the next few weeks and what I can expect.

I'm waiting for the mailman to deliver a very special package so I can tell you about a project that I am doing next, so I am hopeful that he will deliver tomorrow so I can blog about it.

In the meantime, stay warm and pull out your knits!