Spread the Cheer!

I clicked on over to My Life in Stiches and saw that the pattern for the beautiful Bejeweled Scarf was for sale for a mere $2.50 with the proceeds being donated to the Mongolia Project at F.I.R.E. Then I find out that the pattern purchase is a total donation of $3.50. How could I resist . . . and how can you?

PS: Bet you're wondering why the heck I didn't add a photo of the scarf? Well I would have but I just couldn't get it to upload. But go to the link above for a good picture!

Go Eagles (the socks, not the team)!

I am still not over my latest fiasco (it looks fine until I put it on, and then . . . hoo, boy--roll, flip, flip, roll) but I did cast-on for my son’s socks in Scout’s yarn dyed especially for him. I am using Knitty’s Thuja pattern (love it!) so that it is interesting for me to knit, but with the striping, you can’t really see the pattern detail.


This is fun--not just the colors, and the football thing for him (and if you don't know let me just tell you, the Eagles are NOT on a winning streak), but because I am playing a little game with myself (and everybody else in my family!): I am knitting these socks (and any other Christmas socks I might venture to make) in secret. This means while everyone is sleeping, or out, or otherwise occupied, I am knitting and giggling. In front of them, I am still noodling around with the other unfinished sock(s) they've seen me working on. No one suspects a thing . . . We’ll see if I can keep this up past this week.

Let's get back to socks . . .

We knitted . . . we watched chick-flicks and knitted. She finished a pink newborn hat, and started a blue one (and finished it, and since started another pink one!), and I worked on Jawbreaker. And I worked it, and worked it. And finished it. And wove in a million ends, and blocked it. And blocked it. And blocked it. And the sides still rolled; and the collar--the whole fun of the cardi) still rolled. I starched it (yes, I did) and it still rolled. And then I re-pressed it, Then I thought to tack the collar down. So I sewed the collar down . . . ugh.


this sweater reminds me of my sewing project in 8th grade home ec. I had such high hopes. Great fabric, all the right stuff, tried really hard. Hated the outcome, and received a C on the project but wouldn't wear it so I got an F on wearability (seriously) so I received a D for the project, and a D for the quarter. Jawbreaker, I feel like I am 14 again.

Going back to socks . . . I have great yarn, and I can do a pretty good heel flap. And if they are ugly, they still end up in the drawer.

Pomegranates, Baby Hats and Jawbreakers

Look what the mailman brought today--Swag from Scout!


Take a look at that beautiful pomegranate yarn---yummmmmmmm! And just for the record, that is a fruit very loved in Persian culture and cuisine! And those notecards and knitted gift enclosures are from Glamscience--I have looked at those for so long and now they are mine, mine, mine! I will confess, my first thought was, I cannot use these, I must save them forever!!!!
Thank you, thank you so much Scout!

Half of my family is off to New Jersey tonight, so they can get up early to watch my nephew play in the high school turkey day game. My daughter and I have a plan for the night--we are going to watch "chick flicks" and knit! She has chosen to knit newborn hats to donate to the hospital for her service project (okay, I just love that!) and me, well, I am trying to finish Jawbreaker to wear tomorrow, or at the very least, on Friday! I am telling you, this is my kind of night!

We'll join up with everyone tomorrow afternoon for turkey, turkey, turkey!

An American Express Ad . . .

My name is……Melissa Sue........................................

childhood ambition…...............… to be a hairdresser................................
fondest memory…....................... the first time I heard I love you from the man I love..................
soundtrack….................…Pink Martini-Hang on Little Tomato…………………
wildest dream….....................Living in Paris and having everyone visit …………………………………
proudest moment......................…when my kids act self-less……....................……….
biggest challenge.....................…surviving a broken heart…........................….
alarm clock……I am the alarm clock…………………..
perfect day………10.8.94………………………………...
first job.........................................…babysitting the neighborhood kids…………………………………
indulgence……yarn, books and coffee: I consider these necessities……
last purchase……books at Barnes and Noble and turtlenecks at Old Navy, yarn before that...............
favorite movie……Pretty Woman…………………………………..
inspiration……........my daughter and son………………….

My life………is happy, and full of love and laughter……………………………….

My blog ………………is a little bit of me I share with anyone interested…………


________M.______
My life. My blog.

Meathead with Girl

She loved it, and she looks great in it. I, on the other hand, looked quite ridiculous. Thank goodness for being 12!

Two hearts in less than two hours

Fun, quick, easy--now that is just what I needed. I whipped this up in between soccer games, a bit of shopping, and just the general "It is Saturday, we have tons of things to do" stuff.
Larissa's writing a book, and this was a pattern for test-knitting. Her pattern calls for Brown Sheep bulky, but a trip to the lys, yielded a "We're closed, today and tomorrow" sign (I think lys should be open 24 hours!), so I dug into the stash (not such a bad thing) and came up with 2 skeins of Mauch Chunky in walnut. Perfect. I had been saving for a pair of felted clogs (I am so over that) and, I finished this in less than 2 hours. I bought the abolene hearts buttons long ago, but could never figure out what to use them for, so they ended up here, stitched on with some left over Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece. While the pattern is called meathead, I would call this hat two hearts are better than one.

Self-Inflicted

I really meant what I said about knitting for Christmas, several posts ago: nuh-uh, no-way. I knit for people I love (you know if you fall into this category), and I give it to them as soon as I am finished, holiday or not. I hated last year’s pressure of knitting for a deadline, and feeling behind the 8-ball on yet another aspect of the holidays.

And then I started knitting the CalaLilly pattern with Scout’s yarn, and I thought: I could whip up socks for everyone. Scout was ever so happy to dye yarn for me in the Eagles colourway, which will make a perfect pair of “Go Eagles!” socks for my-son-the-Eagles-fan.


Well then, that could go in his stocking, but my daughter . . . she should have a pair, too (like she doesn’t have enough knitted socks!). Enter Scout, AGAIN: “oh, allow ME to dye her something special in her current favorite colors” (which I certainly hope will not change between now and Christmas!):


Aren't these skeins of yarns just the best! Thanks, Scout!

Hmmm . . .
Cala Lily’s + Go Eagle’s + Big Girls' Colors . . . I need a pair of footies for my mother-in-law (unless I get mad at her!) and 2 men’s socks and that’ll do it. Pass me the doublepoints, I am feeling a little pressured.

A Jawbreaking Fix

I found this yarn at the AC Moore Midnight Madness Sale last night, marked down as a clearance item, and then an additional 25% discount, so after careful consideration, I decided: why not? I had the Jawbreaker Cardigan in mind (winter, Interweave Knits), and decided to cast-on for a sleeve and see what I thought.


Working on 10.5 addis certainly yields some quick results! My gauge is dead-on, and while this stuff is a bit rough feeling, it knits up really nicely! I am hoping that the cardigan's appeal is mostly due to the design, and not the fabulous yarn and color (the color of the yarn above is lavender, purple and grey--no way to know from the photo, huh?!) used in the magazine photo . . . and knitting with thicker yarn is a welcomed change from the sock yarn on size 1 doublepoints.

Pinks and Greens in November

This is the tourmeline clapotis, and as usual, the photo does not do it justice. For those of you familiar with this pattern, I have dropped some stitches already and it is looking terrific. I love the bright, happy colors in this yarn: I am hoping that the finished product does not look too "easter-eggy." As I cruise through blog-land, I see beautiful clapotis-es in fall and winter colors, which makes me a little nervous about these brights, but this is the color I really imagined for this . . . and me!

As if there's not enough to do . . .

Lookie, lookie what I will be reading in bed tonight--see that cover sweater on Yarnplay? That's on the list! And that beautiful, persian looking book, without a title . . . that is my new datebook!!! My little jaunt to Borders tonight! Back to knitting!

The Postman rings twice

As if yesterday’s package wasn’t enough to send me into a fiber fit, look what Karen sent me: the yarn on the right--Ruthie's Yarn in oceana-- was my prize for contributing to her diabetes fundraising efforts, and the skein on the left Grandma's Blessing from Briar Rose---is my “I wish you were here/next year you need to come to Rhineback skein” which she thoughtfully gifted to me from her travels to the fiber festival! EEEEK! What to do with this new stuff? I’ll let you know after I run out to buy more doublepoints!

The new, and improved (1400 yards of improvement) . . . clapotis

Mama-E dyed 1400 yards of tourmeline, for my clapotis. There is no possible way I can run short of yarn. I bet that while you are reading this, I am knitting towards the drops. . . well, maybe I am winding the yarn, casting-on, and THEN knitting towards the drops . . .

new clapotis yarn & not enough clapotis yarn (frogged & rewound)

Elves' Licorice Socks

I started this sock yesterday morning. Don't ask me how I knitted all the way through the heel flap. Maybe it was the pattern---I adore this pattern, and love the way it looks . . . maybe it was the 6" doublepoints--I bought them by mistake, usually buying the longer ones, but these seem easier to handle . . . it must be the yarn--this yarn flies through my fingers, feels so good to knit with and the colors are so fabulous. The color, reminds me of striped elf socks and licorice . . .


Scout’s b-marie + Sundara’s Calla Lily pattern + size 1 doublepoints = Elves' Licorice Socks, a lovely Christmas present for person-to-be-determined.

Adios, October

1 pair of sugar-free socks . . . on the feet.
1 lobster sock, to accompany my summer swap sock . . . on the feet
1 knee high, started . . .
1 side of Jack . . . the scary side
1 fingerless mitt . . . one hand warm.
1 harvest sock swap, heel turned . . . knit, knit, knit.
1 bamboo sock, ribbing, but not heel . . . knit, knit, knit.
5 scary books + 1 not-scary book finished
0=SAM for October

Good thing I am all about the process, and not just about whipping out finished projects . . .but I do think I need a finished project fix. And I think it will be just fetching . . .

Happy Belated Halloween~