Fetched and Bejeweled

Both finished. . . smoooooooooooooooooooooch!

Bejeweled in Mama E’s pretty in pink on size 8 needles
Fetching in Manos, on size 5 needles

I cast on (with Crystal Palace’s Fjord) for a Calorimetry . . . my 12 year old insists that hats give her a bad hair day, so I am hoping this will solve MY need for HER to be warm. The colourway is ultramarine. If I like it on myself, I may whip another one up to match my fetchings, since I have 1 skein left in my stash in the same colourway.

Swag

Scout’s swag arrived this weekend--while this colourway, kung hei fat choi! certainly is celebratory of Chinese New Year, it tickles my Valentine’s Day passion. And check out the sock-blocker, from Chappy's Fiber Arts & Crafts. I love the thought of having this to use!!!!!!
The ball of yarn is also from Scout, in colourway glampyre, which is ready for cast-on tomorrow.

It was a fit . . . of passion~

Saturday morning, I had a knitting fit: the kind where all of my knitting attention deficit comes to the surface, and I can't get a grip. It started with blocking my square for the square-along, and from there it went to ordering the silk ihora (colourway---charcoal!) for Poppy, and then it moved to Scout's glampyre yarn and not being able to figure out the accompanying sock pattern, and then . . . everything came out of my knitting bag(s), and basket(s) and I launched into a complete--WHAT SHOULD I KNIT fit. Now never mind I have one more sawtooth mitten to do, never mind I could quickly finish up bejeweled, don't think about the knitted + felted fortune cookies (5 of them) that I am planning to knit for Valentine's Day, and good grief, I couldn't even begin to think about the bamboo sock screaming--"finish me, you'll be so happy you did!" Mmmm-no. I cast-on for two new projects.

First I went for the quick fix: Fetching in manos colourway #106. But since it wasn't just a quickie I was looking for, I cast-on for Heartland's Fanning the Flames Mittens.

This is a photo from the Heartland website, just in case you
think I finished this entire mitten in the last 48 hours.

I am using the chocolate covered cherries sock yarn, and this definitely doesn't qualify as a quick knit. I am on fan 4, and their are 14 fans for 1 mitten--yeesh! Photos to come, when it looks a little bit more like a mitt!

PS: finished The Woman in White--finally--and loved it! It was so worth the effort.

More Mitts

I am having a mitten fit--in a good way. The mitten bug bit me this month, and I have been smtten with the mitten/glove/knitting thing. Here’s my latest:


This is a basic mitten, done in LanaGrossa self-patterning yarn (total bang-for-the-buck!). Instead of a ribbed cuff, I used the pattern from the Not Just Socks book to make this nifty sawtooth cuff. While it looks small, it is not . . . and I was happy with how it lays so close to the wrist--mostly because the ruffles on the XO mitts don't seem snug enough!

First Winter Classic is a real Chunkster

This cute little stickie was stolen from my friend at Stainless Steel Droppings. When my kids were really little, I used to tell them "Books are your friends" and then finish it off with something like, "so be gentle," or "so take good care of them" or "so put it in a safe spot" or "be kind to them." To this day, they still say, teasingly--"Books are your friends, mom, be kind to them!"

I have been reading The Woman in White, and love this book! I am intrigued by the characters, their motives and am wondering how it will all turn out. But let me tell you, this book is like the never-ending knitted scarf. You know, the one that no matter how much you’ve knitted, you still need to knit more . . . well no matter how often I pick this book up, I can’t seem to get it finished! This isn't something which often happens, so I am a little baffled by my slow pace! While I will finish it before the end of January (fulfilling the selection for KTC), this isn’t boding well for me with the Winter Classics Challenge (1st of 5!).

Square Along

Knitting a square doesn’t sound like much, does it? But it is---picking the right yarn, knitting the simple pattern, wondering if the colors will work with other people’s colored squares--whew!


This square is knit with the infamous chocolate covered cherries and I will be mailing it off to Larissa at Stitch Marker. It is for a test-knitting group: squares will be chosen for a photo and published pattern for a knitalong book she is working on. Any unused squares will be sewn together for a blanket to be donated to to charity--Love that!

XO Ruffle Mitts

I knitted 1 mitt this fall, and then tossed it and the ball of yarn--Lana Grossa, Meilenweit Magico--aside in favor of some other projects. When digging through the stash, I came upon the single-fingerless-mitt-with-a-ruffle and decided to whip up the second one (the pattern is from Not Just Socks). I am saving these as a Valentine’s Day surprise for my darling daughter:


I think they scream . . . I love you . . . hugs & kisses . . . be mine . . .
smmmmmmmmmmmmmmmooooooooooooooooooooch!

PS: Kim, over at Reading Matters, sent me this copy of Anita Shreve's Where and When since I won her latest book contest! Thank you so much, Kim!

Mileage Monday

In one week, here's what I have walked, if 2,000 steps actually equals 1 mile . . .

Warm Feet

Last night, I yanked out my Elve’s Licorice Socks . . . I started these in November and they got shoved to the side because of . . . well you know, they got shoved to the side. Imagine how surprised I was when I found that not only had I finished the first, but I only needed to knit the toe of the second, and I’d have a pair! So, knit, knit, knit 2 together, knit some more and . . . here they are, all stripey, with the little lace panel down the back of the socks . . .

Scout’s B-Marie Yarn--October's Swag

Sundara's Calla Lily Pattern

Warm Hands, Cold Feet

Well, after 3 sock attempts (first try: wrong gauge . . . second try: wrong pattern . . . third try: wrong yarn weight for pattern), the socks have morphed themselves into gloves. While the cuff is a bit long, the overall glove fits her perfectly, matches the new ski jacket and also matches the new purse and tote she’s been sporting. Can you tell the gloves from the tote?!?



This was my first attempt at gloves: and they were far easier than I imagined. I guess working with this beautiful yarn was a big help! I used the Picot Edged Cashmere Glove Pattern, which was easy to follow. Not socks, but her hands are warm!

Get Ready

I joined Runagogo, in an effort to get moving and support a more healthy lifestyle. While I am not going to run 100 miles (at least not yet!), I am going to walk them, with my trusty little pedometer clipped to my hip. Today was day 1 and at 7,000 steps, I need to step up the stride! Too bad I can’t knit and walk or run at the same time.

2,000 steps equal 1 mile.
100 miles by April 1st.
3.5 miles today.

And in knitting news, I have taken the plunge, and decided to knit Poppy in February. I joined the Poppy Along that Scout so nicely set-up (it is true, I am a scout-groupie). Here's the thing: I have had the Noro Silk Garden in my stash since last February, when I ordered 10 skeins EACH of 2 different colors for Lady Eleanor and the Knitting Olympics (can you believe that was a year ago!?). SO colourway 226 is awaiting, and I bought the book a couple of months ago, so all I really need is the Cash Ihoro, and it is a toss-up between burgundy or wine.


I have loved this sweater since the first time I saw it. I am hoping I can whip it up to wear sometime before February is over!

Quick Finish Fix

Cast-on, knitted, finished, seamed . . .


felted, now drying, awaiting zipper installment, and sushi attachment: done.

Lookie, here

Look what I ordered from Scout . . .

I think this is so totally adorable! When you open the lid, here's what you find:

Little balls of sushi, and a zipper in a chopsticks wrapper!

Friday's Fortune: hmmmmm

My Fortune Cookie told me: Follow the fire-breathing chicken, except on Tuesdays. Get a cookie from Miss Fortune

10 Things I love which starts with P (+1 more!)

Pails
I collect these cute little things
to stash stuff in. Target $1

Choose a letter of the alphabet and describe 10 things you love!

1. Peanutbutter: I consider this a staple: in my pantry and in my daily diet. I love peanutbutter from the jar, but not peanutbutter cookies, or cakes, or anything like that.

2. Pink: Someday, my daughter and I are going to own a store: either a yarn store, where in the month of February all pink yarn will be discounted, or a store called Think Pink, where everything we sell will be pink. I hope you will all visit us!

3. Pick Up Sticks: I loved this game as a kid, and we still break out the sticks and play!

4. Pink Coneflowers: The black-eyed susan’s best friend, I love them both! Here’s the thing, they are completely low maintenance. You plant them, they grow. It rains they grow; it doesn’t rain, they grow; the summer sun beats down on them, they grow. They are beautiful, and need so very little!

5. Pull Over! Lipstick: My favorite Benefit lipstick is called Pull Over! and you might imagine, it is a very sheer pink!

6. Pasta: I am not Italian, but I adore spaghetti, macaroni, and generally any type of pasta and sauce. Not a big lassagna fan, though.

7. Purling: I much prefer the knit stitch, but I have a great appreciation for purling. It is the other half of knitting, my favorite thing to do.

8. Pommegranates: Not only is it the most regal fruit when you break it open, but it is delicious.

9. Pirates: Hmmm, it isn’t the Pirate I love, as much as that little skull and crossbone moitf. I adore it, and honestly, it is absolutely unexplainable.

10. Persians: My family observes many Persian customs, I live with a Persian, I love the cuisine, the language is beautiful and they are wonderfully interesting people.

11. Paperbacks: a form of books---need I say more?

Welcome to 2007

Look what was waiting on my knitting chair:


Yarn and needles for the Bejeweled Scarf! I wanted to start something on the first day of the new year (never mind the knitting on the "to be finished" pile!) and this proved to be a perfect project to work on:

Scout inspired me (yet again!) to embrace what I have come to call "It's just not working for me." I hate to admit that there are plenty of things which fall into this category.


My daughter's blue java socks, are now destined to be a pair of gloves. Yes, I knit 1 spindle sock (loved the pattern/didn't love it with the yarn); yes, I knit all they way up to the heel of the anastasia pattern (loved the pattern with the yarn/didn't love the gauge), yes I riiiiiiiiiiipped both out, wound it up and cast on for gloves. I promise I will not discuss this any further until I have met with some success on a project with this yarn.


I started The Woman in White, this month's Knit the Classics selection, as well as the first book in my Chunkster Challenge AND The Winter Classics Challenge. This is a triple play! I have read over 100 pages, and I am completely intrigued by this story.

New bag--pink + paisleys . . . I just couldn't resist!