DINOSAURS........

A cutie dinosaur sweater for the grandbaby trousseau! A eweCANknit pattern #015 Dinosaur Fairisle knitted in Encore Worsted Yarn (superwash because this is a size 2T - Can't you just see the sticky little hands now?) Size 7 needles for the fastest fairisle knit in a long time. I thought I would take a little break from the Dale of Norway patterns on size 1 and 2 needles. How cute is this?



I think the dinosaurs need a little more color - Colored spots maybe? What do you think?



Last week, JoAnns had a sale on beads and I went a little nuts. Hubby was great about the bucks I dropped on my evergrowing bead stash. I threw a few pairs up on ebay because I could never use all of the stitch markers I make. It is good therapy for me - when I need a break from knitting.

CHOO CHOO..................................

Another baby sweater to add to my grandbaby trousseau. A wonderful fair isle pattern from Sandnes (patterns are similar to Dale of Norway). Book # 0105 Size 2T - Knit with Baby Ull yarn on size 2 needles. I love the look of the baby fair isles and although it is tedious knitting with such small needles the results are just great! What do you think?

A WELL USED SKEIN OF YARN.....

Last Thursday, I went to a doctor's appointment. It was just supposed to be a follow up but it turned into an adventure in knitting! I packed my knitting bag for the 4 hour trip and brought more than enough knitting for 8 hours in the car and an hour in the doctor's waiting room.
I also packed my brand new copy of One Skein Wonders thinking that I could have a chance to really look through and think about simple one skein projects to debulk my growing stash of orphan yarn. Little did I know that my quick little appointment would turn into a 6 day hospital stay!
Between tests and treatments, I kept my mind and thoughts busy with a little red baby sweater that was just pure knitting in the round. I even made the IV team place my IV in a spot on my arm where it would not interfere with my ability to knit! They got a real hoot out of that request.
Once the red yarn for the baby sweater was used up - I had only one lonely skein of Lambs Pride Wool left in my knitting bag. It was a lonely leftover from a previous project and had gotten lost in the bottom of my gigantic knitting bag. I pondered my options and decided to make a scarf out of this lonely little chocolate brown yarn.

I finished the scarf and had nothing left to knit. HMMMMM.......... I ripped it out and made a fancy hat. With still another day before I could go home and no more knitting to be had ---- I ripped out the hat and made this cute little brown bag! A skein of yarn well used I must say!

A lesson well learned to always, always pack as much yarn in my bag as possible and it will be a very long time before I knit anything brown again!!

By the way, this is a great book with excellent patterns. I highly recommend it!

IT'S GETTING MIGHTY COLD HERE IN THE MOUNTAINS........

With the temperatures here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, dipping into the teens at night - I decided to put a little warmth on the needles!
Reynolds Odyssey Pattern #82226 is a great knit! The diagonal stitching on the cuffs was a breeze to do and sure look gorgeous in this yarn. Stampato Extra - 100% Merino makes these mittens so soft and warm. I tried them out this morning with a walk in the garden.


I came across this Paton's Rumor Yarn on Sale at the Korner Knitters in Standish Maine. Hi Guys!(They follow the blog). I bought 2 skeins with no idea what to do with it but hubby chimed in that it would make a luxurious scarf - Okay, I'll give him the right part just this once!











This yarn is an Alpaca blend and is so soft! On size 10 needles it worked up quickly! I found the pattern on the Yarn Harlot Blog and it was just a repeat of 4 stitches!

UNDERSTANDING SELF STRIPING SOCK YARN...

I decided to take a break from my large projects this week and make up a pair of gorgeous socks for myself. I had bought this self striping sock yarn - Big Mexiko from Schoeller Stahl - last spring on sale for just this purpose. I have used this yarn before for another pair of socks and knew full well that it takes 3 skeins to make a pair of socks. The sale was too good to be true and these 2 skeins were the only ones left - therefor I knew they would have to be short cuff socks. I checked the lot and color numbers and Voila! they were the same.



Rules for using self striping yarn -
1. The socks are never ever the same striping pattern no matter how hard you try.
2. You have to buy the same lot number or you need to make one sock!
3. The finished project is always always gorgeous!
4. You must always pull from the same end for each sock. If you start with the middle strand for one then don't pull the center for the second.

But - with all of my self striping yarn know how - I never expected this! Look! These socks are exactly opposite striping patterns!!! I pulled the yarn from the outside of the skein for both and I knit both from the top down! Thank goodness they are for me and I love being different!



What do you think?

LIFE IS GOOD......

Thanks for the pic Lizzytish!

HOPPING OFF THE NEEDLES THIS WEEK........

Dale of Norway did it again!! An adorable froggy on the front with a worm on the back. I love the pattern and styling of these great baby sweaters!! Here is a face only the cutest of grandbabies could wear!

His friend the worm on the back.

Knit on size one needles with Baby Ull Yarn.

SPARTAN PULLOVER

Hubby has a new sweater!! This is the Spartan Pullover from the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. A great pattern, easy knit, with easy to follow instructions.



I just had to try Knit Picks Swish Superwash yarn - so I put it to work on this pattern. A soft 100% superwash wool that feels just great! This sweater is done in Coast Grey with a lighter color for the Fair Isle portion. This yarn is a wonderful yarn to work with except for one problem: It is unforgiving. You can see every tension change and small glitch in your knitting.

Hubby is excited to have another new sweater but really loves my Kangaroo Pouch sweater - Maybe he can have one for Christmas.........stay tuned!

I'M DREAMING OF.......

A WHITE HALLOWEEN? This morning, we awoke to the first snow of the season.

THE MORE I KNIT .............

I am trying desperately to finish 2 sweaters and the more that I knit them - the more there seems to be to knit. I keep thinking that I am getting closer to the finish when it seems that I just have soooooo much more yarn and pattern to complete.
Hubby's sweater's last sleeve just seems to go on and on and on and the latest baby Dale of Norway sweater is on size one needles.......I don't have to say any more do I?
So today you get YARN!! I found the top yarn at a cute little store in Vermont and it is anxiously awaiting the needles. Supersoft merino sock yarn.....MMMMMMMM.......I want to start them so badly that I swear the yarn gets closer and closer to my favorite knitting space everyday - Is it magic or am I just petting it too much? OOOOOH how I want to start these socks!
The yarn below is a Lambs Pride Yarn that is going to become a Christmas present! The color is Peacock Blue and there will be more pics after December 25.

All of my longing to finish projects had to take a break this week because I finally broke down and bought Mason Dixon Knitting. I just had to make a dishcloth!
All this angst because I promised myself not to have more than 3 projects on the needles at one time! I must curb my enthusiasm and be just a little more sensible - BAH..I think I'll start the socks!

KANGAROO SWEATER DONE!!

IT'S DONE!!!! YAHOOOOOOOO!!! This poor yarn has been through many a trial and tribulation - I just couldn't decide what it needed to be! It has been 8 different sweaters - all ditched due to lack of the correct pattern. Finally, I found a sweater that did justice to the yarn. Sirdar Aran Denim yarn in beige with flecks of brown, black and grey. It is gorgeous yarn but alas it just needed the right venue to show off it's luciousness.
I have wanted a huge comfy warm sweater (this is way too big on me) with super long sleeves for Fall days just like today. It has a great kangaroo pocket in the front and the hood is just as warm as toast.


I will admit that at times I felt like I was knitting a tent - So much of the same color without fair isle or cables. I think that the finished sweater will serve me well on cold New Hampshire walks. What do you think?
Pattern is from Book 2: The Purl Stitch by Sally Melville and is called the Kangaroo Duo. Easy to follow instructions with lots of options for sizing from little kids to size 2X.
Yarn Sirdar Denim Aran in color 0607
Size 6 needles (what was I thinking?)

LIZARD RIDGE

A sneek peak of things to come! I couldn't resist Lizard Ridge from Knitty's Fall Edition. Worked in short rows in Noro Kuryeon, it is a blast to work on! The color work and not knowing how it will look until the next section is done is like reading a really good mystery novel! A surprise at every turn.
Darling Daughter and Son-in Law were here this weekend and want it for Christmas. Hubby got a little animated at the thought and said, " That afghan is going nowhere!". After they left for home, DH mentioned twice that he really liked it and was hoping that we could keep it for ourselves. HEEHEE! He is so damned cute! I think I will have to keep him and get busy making 2 afghans instead of 1.

WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO........

I finished my first pair of mittens! A gorgeous pair of Gansey mittens knitted in Classic Elite. They are just too soft for words! A moss stitch with twisted cables - they were so much fun to make - I will admit that the pattern was for gloves but I chickened out and turned them into mittens! They almost make me wish for winter!
I picked up this knitting stand at a little antique shop in Vermont for $3.50. The fabric was falling apart and the inside was badly water stained. I had picked up some great fabric at JoAnns on sale and knew that I could recover it with a little patience and a lot of hand sewing.




Didn't it turn out great? I love the greens and pinks with a retro kind of print. It is now holding an unfinished sweater for hubby next to the couch where I knit. I have a few more of these stands and think that I will recover them all - A few great Christmas presents for my knitting buddies!



I just love the butterflies on this print with the green and pink paisley!




Hubby and I finished up his vacation with a cooking marathon. We visited the King Arthur Baking Store while we were in Vermont and picked up a load of new cooking tools. We love to cook for the family at big gatherings and love to try new recipes! We had pork roast with a port wine and mission fig sauce on this night - It was yummy!

ROAD TRIP!!

Darling hubby and I set off for a long weekend in Vermont this weekend. I was in charge of the map and the new sweater I am making for hubby. We did the usual sightseeing and antiqueing but the yarn shops drew us in. We met a lot of great people on our trip and had a lot of very interesting conversations with the owners of the lovely little antique stores and the yarn shops we visited. The yarn store ladies that we met were absolutely enamored with my hubby's interested in all things knitting! One store owner asked him if he would like to go in the back and watch the football game to which he replied, "No thanks, I would much rather look at the yarn with my wife". He continued to brag about what a wonderful knitter I am and how fair isle knitting is my passion right now. AAAAHHH..got to love a guy who loves yarn.
The first store that we visited was the Whippletree Yarn Shop in Woodstock Vermont. What a great little shop with lots of samples knit up! They had lots of the standard yarns available in most yarn shops but there were a few local yarns that were interesting too. Pleasant employees and a gorgeous window front had me frothing at the mouth to linger a little while longer. I bought a few patterns - the sweet little lamb hat in the window is one of their own and I had to have it!


Another favorite LYS on our trip was The Naked Sheep in Bennington Vermont. The owner of the shop was great and let me take lots of pictures. She has 2 little kids and there is a play area with lots of toys for all to share. A gorgeous roomy store with great lighting and lots of to-die-for yarn! I bought a few patterns and some Brown Sheep Yarn. The Knitting patterns are on turnstyle racks for easy access and lots of ideas. Thanks for the hospitalit
We also visited some other LYS on our trip to Vermont but these were the 2 worth mentioning. A great vacation with lots of foliage, good food, and some quality time with hubby. Alas, the only problem with Vermont was that the antique and oldies but goodies stores didn't have one vintage knitting tote!

EEK A STEEK!!!!

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star - It's finished!! Dale of Norway blanket made with Baby Ull yarn in shades of blue and yellow. Won't my (someday) grandbabies look wonderful snuggled up with me in the rocking chair wrapped in this blanket? I love the faces on the stars and moons! Just an FYI - It is Dale of Norway Booklet Nr 110


Lovingly knit in the round on size 2 needles.


The part of fair isle I like the least! Steeking. It still makes my stomach flip everytime I take a pair of scissors to a finished fair isle. I understand the concept but it just breaks my heart to cut through yarn.








I bought this gorgeous light yellow velour to line the back of Twinkle blanket (so no little fingers or toes get caught in the loops.


To the left is the backside - not bad for knitting a little more than a year!

THE LONG WEEK..................

This week has been a very long, long week with little progresss on the knitting front. I am caught in that place, where all of my projects are 80% done but still nowhere near finished. I do this all the time - I seem to synchronize my knitting so that all projects are at the same stage of doneness.
Therefor - you will recieve a little more of my knitting tote collection! TADA!! Don't change the channel - This is really good if you like vintage or if you are a little on the wacky side like me.
The knitting tote to the left is made by Tupperware in 1959 under the name of TupperKraft. It is huge!! 3 feet tall- It looks more like a hamper or garbage can than a knitting tote. AAAAHHH but the holes in the bottom and along the seam give it away - that is where the yarn comes out! I guess someone must have needed a place for about 100 balls of yarn! This is definitely not something to casually tote around with you like the others. I do love the swirls in the plastic - very retro!





On the other end of the scale is a 1960's Tammy (Barbie's friend) knitting holder. It is so tiny! I am always afraid that I will loose it amongst my other knitting goodies. The original set came with a ball of yarn and knitting needles for Tammy.









Okay - I'll give in - Just a little preview! The next Dale of Norway is called Twinkle Twinkle Little Star! Can you guess what it will be?

I WANT A STASH WEASEL!!!!

I shamelessly stole this picture from the Yarn Harlot's blog - yes I couldn't help myself. I want one! Actually I would like a herd of Stash Weasels and this is how I would use them.
Can you imagine having a bevy of these delightful creatures whose only job in the whole world is to care for your yarn stash. They would primp and preen and smooth your yarn. They would pick up any wandering balls of alpaca and cashmere and carefully snuggle any stray wool ends back into their cozy little niches. If a stray bug or critter dared to enter the yarn domain the Stash Weasels would hunt them down and make short order of them (thus they would be self feeding). The Stash Weasels would also take great pride in winding skeins of yarn into perfect balls without any tangles or knots.
The best would be taking these little guys yarn shopping. I would lovingly place my Stash Weasels in the back of the car and they would giggle and sing all the way to the yarn store - just like me! When I would bring my new wool purchases back to the car, they would begin to preen and purr over the yarn and would become watchdogs so that the yarn would remain safe for the rest of my journey.
Once home, there would be no need to remove the overflowing bags to the house in front of Darling Husband or other prying eyes. In the dark of the night, the Stash Weasels would strap on their head lamps and like Navy Seals begin the daunting task of securing the yarn to it's tactical areas without alerting enemy intelligence. All yarn and knitting paraphenalia would be stealthily moved and deposited without notice and the Stash Weasels would settle in for a nap with noone the wiser.
If I could only teach them to sew together my finished projects - I would be all set!

GOOD MORNING SEPTEMBER!

My favorite time of the year! The Mount Washington Valley of New Hampshire is certainly starting to look like fall. This morning it was 43 degrees and there has been snow on the summit of the tallest mountain in the Northeast. Some of the leaves have started to change and the pumkins in the roadside fields are starting to turn orange. Just a few more weeks and the mountains will be ablaze in color!

The morning glories are in full bloom and the apples are a beautiful red - just waiting to be picked! September 1st is also darling hubbies birthday. He got hot coffee and breakfast at 4:00 this morning before he went to work. I have called him every hour to sing him Happy Birthday on the cell phone. His new charcoal grill and all of the tools that go with it are wrapped in lovely paper. Darling Daughter is picking up the "Organic Charcoal",that he has been ooohing over, and there will be a big cookout at the house tomorrow.

A new winter sweater is on the needles for me and the wool is bought and wound for a lovely new fair isle sweater for hubby. Last night, it was so cool, I was glad to have a large warm project to work on instead of socks. If only it could stay like this!