Progress?

I finished my Fixation Broad Ripple Socks on the 18th. They are lovely and comfy. I'm so glad I gave the yarn a chance. It was weird to knit with at first, but the end result was worth it. I might actually buy this yarn again, much to my own shock.
On other sock news I cast on my first pair using Trekking XXL yarn. I was not excited about the size 1 needles and 9 sts to 1 inch, but they are doing a very cool pattern and I'm not minding the itty bitty stitches as much as I expected. I'm trying to take my knitting to the park with the kids, so this might see some good progress. I'm half way done with the foot on the first one.

I'm working on sorting out a vest for the baby, but I'm having an "issue" with the pattern. I have no one to blame as I'm the designer. Uggh.

I also frogged my Dream in Color shrug. I love the yarn, but I look like a dork in the shrug. So, I rewound it and am making plans. It is too beautiful to be stuck in an unloved garment.
So one finished item, one frogged item, one stalled item and one in process. Not bad for a week's worth of knitting.

Mission accomplished

The emergency hat for Baby has been completed. The weather was nice today and I had some time to work on it during nap time. Now it is washed and waiting for the 50 degrees we are expecting tomorrow. I love it when a plan comes together. It is my standard baby hat using Encore Colorspun yarn.

I also started some new computer knitting. It is a purple linen dishtowel using sand stitch and a few modifications from the red one. We'll see how the 100% linen feels pre and post washing.

I picked up two books from the library which I had reserved. Yarn Harlot and Knitting Rules. Very excited! Now I'm trying to knit and read at the same time.

Emergency hat!

Fall has snuck up on me and I woke to some pretty chilly weather today. While getting the boys ready for our walk, I discovered that the Baby did not have a fall hat! I've made the older boys their own and saved them, so no hand-me-downs allowed on this one. I've picked out some cute leftovers of an orange/yellow/red Encore yarn which should fit the bill nicely. Now if he'd only sleep, then I'd be able to start it.

I finished my "computer knitting" piece; a Knitpicks Cotlin dish towel. I used sand stitch: 1)knit, 2)k1, p1, 3)knit, 4)p1, k1. Easy to remember and easy to tell if you make a mistake. I wish I had made it narrower/longer and more of a non-rolling egde. It looks like pique a bit. We'll see how it washes & dries. Love the color. Idea was from Mason-Dixon knitting, which is a good book.

Fall is in the air

I put up a bunch more F.O. in the galleries to the right. I still have a lot of my sweaters to photograph, but I'm getting there. It seems like it is time consuming to do them, but it is fun to see what I've gotten done. However, I've noted a serious lack of productivity after having kids. I used to be able to cruise through projects super fast. Oh well. I love knitting for them, so it all evens out I guess. Speaking of, I'm dreaming up my own design for the Baby. He is so cute and LITTLE, so it is a quick project to be sure.

Recently completed and ready to send are the three sweaters for the American Girls Dolls. I did two cardigans for the big girls and a Harlot-inspired poncho for the Bitty.

I also have been working on the Broad Ripples Pattern from Knitty. It uses Fixation yarn which is a cotton/elastic combo. It has been with me for a while and needed to be used. It took some getting used to, being that it is cotton and stretchy. I'm nearly done with the first sock. See?I hope I don't run out of yarn. If so, they are going to be gift socks for a small footed friend. I need to get these done so that I can start some of the Trekking XXL sock yarn I've picked up. I found a new yarn store nearby and bought some in a beautiful purple color. And some baby pink yarn spoke to me for a new cousin to arrive this winter. Pattern yet to be decided, but it is a merino & cashmere blend. Yum!

I figured it out!

Check out the picture galleries to the right. I'm in the process of taking pictures of my FO's and getting them uploaded.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a devote Cottage Creations fan. I love the simplicity of the designs and the patterns are cute little booklets. I usually alter every pattern I use, but I have few changes for these classics. I LOVE LOVE the Norski sweater. It is a great tutorial for knitting a sweater with a steek. However, I do a different button band than hers. I've knit up 6 of these little gems for my three boys and three friends' kids. I use Nature Spun Sport because it comes in tons of colors and seems to hold up well. A picture of my latest one, knit for my Baby is above.

An aside...the Knit Jane Knit picture is constructed out of Legos and includes the members of my family. I'm the knitting one on the right. It is amazing what you can build while trying not to freak out about your oldest child's first day of kindergarten.

Getting Started

Well, I finally decided I'd join the blogging world after reading and lurking for a while on a bunch of others. I've enjoyed reading all of the knit blogs out there and have been so inspired to make lots of new projects. I'm hoping to go back and do galleries of my finished projects of the past. I have to get more familiar with our digital camera too for some pictures.

Right now I have a huge list of to do projects and not a lot of time. I try to fit knitting time in when my kids are napping or after they are in bed for the night. I'm usually a pretty organized girl, so I keep records of all my yarn and projects. I usually have a few projects going at a time. If something sits too long I've been known to rip it out. I'll even rip out a finished projects and reknit it into something else I like better.

Right now I'm feverishly trying to finish three cute sweaters for my friend's daughters. We've been friends since the sixth grade. Their family came for a visit and they picked up American Girls dolls for their b-days. Too cute! I have three boys so I jumped on the chance to make doll clothes for the new dolls in their favorite colors. I'll post pics as soon as I figure out Flickr. So much to learn.

Back to knitting...