Quick knits are good

I started my Christmas knitting this week. I hate the idea that I should be knitting pressies. It is not fun having that hanging over my head. I have in the past knit a few presents for a special people. If I see something that I know they will love and appreciate, I knit it. I only knit for people who understand the time, effort and love that goes into the item. Before long though, people start having expectations. I HATE knitting with expectations.

I have however found several VERY quick projects that I like very much.

I made a beautiful drop stitch ribbon scarf in about an hour. Then last night, I made a cowl for my Sillinesss. Not for Christmas, but just because I love her and she neeeeeeeds it apparently. The cowl is so soft and lovely and fun and fast (and affordable!) that I decided to make at least 2 more. No pictures until after Christmas for the obvious reason...

Recipe for perfection

MMMMM.

I think this may just be the perfect Friday night.

I'm sitting here alone amongst all my favorite things. I wish I had a working camera to capture the perfection.

1. Schlafly's Coffee Stout - It's empty now, i finished it several minutes ago. It was scrumptious. I hate that I can only get it for a couple of months in the winter, but I guess it wouldn't taste nearly as good if I had it all the time.

2. Jeni's Ice Cream - So rich and creamy and such amazing flavors.... Mads and I spent a heck of a lot of money bringing it back from Ohio in a cooler of dry ice. I have it hidden in the basement deepfreeze to keep the rest of the household out of it. Tonight's spoonful (because that's all I eat at a time) is Gravel Road. Salted Carmel ice cream and smoked almonds. OMFG, it is soooo good with the coffee stout!!!!!! almost as good as the Goat Cheese-Cognac-Fig that is waiting for tomorrow...

3. While typing I made a some hot cocoa. good European sipping chocolate, milk and of course Bushmills 10 yr. I have a few drops left from when I was last in Ireland... 5 years ago. I still can't believe it has really been 5 years. I want to cry!!!! I think the alcohol and a bit of freshly whipped cream should take care of that though....

4. 84 Charing Cross Road - It's on TMC tonight. I love the book. I love the movie. I feel a kinship with her. I'm forever calling (or emailing) across the pond for lovely things that I just can't seem to get my hands on here. Or if I can they are just not the same. This week, a case of my favorite liquor left Scotland and is making its way to my house. And a couple of pretty things are on their way to Amanda in York so she can bring them to me over winter break and I don't have to pay the ridiculous international shipping....

I miss home!!!!!!!

5. The best bit is in my lap - Blame Dean, that's my new baby. I've started a sock yarn blanket (as have at least 6 other people in the shop and we all blame Dean). I must be insane! The way I knit, I expect this to take me until I'm 40. Even so, I've been pleasantly surprised by how fast it is going. And how addictive it is. I seem to eat, sleep and breathe this blanket. Literally, the squares pop up in my dreams now. All other projects have temporarily been abandoned.

I've joined several swaps to get more pretties for my baby. I got my first package for it today. 10 baby balls of Wollmeise, the first of which is going into row 3 right now. I've heard so many good things about this yarn. It's so hard to get and I'm not willing to part with my bugga (which it the only way I'll ever get it!). The colors are so vibrant and it is knitting up so nicely! This could be bad...

but i'll never give up my bugga.....

never.

time flies

So ten months have passed. I am never good at sticking with things, but I have new things coming up that may call for blog posts.

I did finish that sweater. It is warm and cozy and I LOVE IT! It was worth the stress. It really only took 2 weeks. And that is through a bout of vertigo and while working on several other projects and being, well, me.

I made extra long sleeves and am so glad I did. The sweater is warmer than my winter coat!

In the last several months I have actually knit on a bunch of stuff and finished some things too! A blanket, baby sweaters, shawls, socks... I've started several more sweaters that I may finish some day.

I'll leave it at that for right now. I have too many things to write about... new projects, old projects, other events... I can't think of it all now.

especially since it is knit night tonight!

Thank all higher powers for Thursdays!!!!

Hate the pattern, LOVE the sweater

I lost 4+ good knitting days to stupid room spinning motion sickness. Thursday night at knit night, I finally got a bit of knitting in before the meds i was taking stopped working and i started getting queazy every time i so much as caught SOMEONE ELSE knitting out of the corner of my eye. It was aweful!

I, however, have nearly finished my sweater. 

This is the first time I've paid more than $6.00 for a pattern, and its the worst pattern I've encountered. Not only did it take me a week to get it emailed to me, but then I had to rethink more than half of it.

It took me 2 days to adjust my thinking to the pattern. I am a chart girl. I will always be a chart girl. There are no charts and it would take me longer to make one than my time is worth. So i'm winging this one. 

Every time I look ahead in this pattern, I get dizzy and confused. It is not sectioned out into parts. You just sort of happen on, say, a sleeve, in the middle of a row...

Rnd 40: C4b slipping 1st st pwise, , k to 2 before marker, ssk. [Move the piece away from the tips of the needles, and with a separate strand of yarn, cast on X sts for sleeve. Work 8” (or desired length) in stockinette st. 

Break yarn from sleeve. On RS, with strand from body 

of sweater: k1, k2tog, k to last 3 sts of sleeve, ssk, k1]. 

then you start knitting the back. 

the sleeve only connects with one stitch on the underside! I think not!

Right, so needless to say, I (with a bit of help from my dear Mad) am reworking the pattern a bit. 

I have knit up to the sleeve join, and am almost finished with the second sleeve. I want to finish the sleeve and (hopefully) up through the shoulders tomorrow. 

I intend to wear this sweater to Sticks N Stitches Columbus next weekend. 

Vertigo sucks when you have a new sweater to work on.

But the drugs aren't half bad. 

Time to go back to sleep.

Heaven trapped in a skein.....

Look what arrived in the mail today!

EEEEEEEEEEEEK!

If you think its pretty, you should FEEL it!

Its my Fiery Searcher Beetle Bugga! from my favorite dyer, The Sanguine Gryphon. 

If you can ever manage to catch an update either on her site or on LoopyEwe, I highly suggest you snag it! 

Early birthday pressies are the bestest.

oh, I almost forgot. I finished my sock today, and started a blanket. FUN!

SNOW DAYS!!!

The last two days, I've been home due to SNOW!

Now, snow is one of my all time favorite things.  If I could live in an igloo surrounded by a foot of snow 365 days a year, I think I would.... okay, maybe just for a year or two, but I'd jump at the chance.

This winter, this is the first snow that has stuck to the ground. I got up this morning and did my usual jumpofftheporchfacefirstintothesnow angel. It was FABULOUS!!!!

Then I sat on the deck in a snow-filled chair and knit for an hour. 

Of course it was then time for Drumgray Hot Cocoa and a warm Ceridwen bath.

HEAVEN!

I wish every day could be just like this one!!!!!!!!!!!

In knitting news, this time off has helped me nearly finish sock 1 of my Orkney Ocean Toes.

 This is my second pair of that pattern. Last year I got the greatest book ever and the greatest sock yarn ever, and I made beautiful socks. They were stolen by my mother. They are the softest socks ever, are wearing extremely well, and only get softer with every wash. I wanted a pair for myself, and I need them SOON! I'm doing my best to whip them up asap. I'm on the last chart now and hope to have the first sock done by saturday (yay for knit night!). I'd love to have the done by the following knit night (you never know, it COULD happen! STOP LAUGHING AT ME!).

For my birthday this year, I'm getting the stuff to make a hoody. Not just any hoody, but the Lyric Tree (rav link!). I've been dying to knit this. Madalene is getting the yarn in for me and I've got needles on order too. Hopefully it will all come in next week and I can cast on next thursday.

EEK! I'm excited!!!

School is apparently back on for tomorrow so I should probably go to bed now... 

I'll dream of knitting Scotland inspired socks and the kilt hose to match them (someday! sniff). 

What will you dream of?

Once Again

Wow. It's been more than 6 months! 

Amazing!

I've had so much going on that I doubt I'd ever catch up. Instead, I'll just, um, start over!

It's a new year so I can do these things, right?

I just finished a ton of projects. 

Over Christmas break (teaching does have its benefits) I knit:

1. A pair of fingerless gloves of my own designing.

The yarn is from the amazing Sanguine Gryphon. It is a dk weight organic wool called Free Range and named after chicken breeds. It is very soft and lofty. pills a little bit, but anything I wear 18 hours a day does! They are so warm! and I stopped the fingers just short of my knuckles so I can do almost anything in them, knit, type, drive, teach. It's been so cold lately I've been putting them on as soon as I get out of the shower and not taking them off nearly until bed time. Simply LOVELY!

2. Yoga Socks.

My favorite aunt is a Hatha yoga teacher in Michigan (doesn't she have cute feet!). She was talking about how cold it can get in the yoga studio (not in her private studio in her basement, she has HEATED FLOORS! and I am jealous!). I decided to whip up a pair of these for her. They aren't wool and won't be terribly warm, but it will be better than bare feet. I did the pair in one night while she was here so they are tailored to fit her feet exactly as she wants them for maximum traction. Next, I think I'm going to make her a pair of matching footies to wear over them. 

3. A pair of nearly knee high socks using the Houdini pattern as a guide.

It is AMAZING! I wish I could do all my socks this way! It was so much fun! and I completed them SOOOO quickly. i guess using thick yarn and big needles helps with that though.......

4. a baby sweater and hat

A friend from uni is having a baby! Well, actually there are entirely too many babies coming, but that's another story. When I heard K&J were expecting I immediately thought of the Baby Yours pattern. I had to knit it. I used a stretchy cotton that i thought may have too much texture and wouldn't show the cable. Boy was I wrong!!!! It popped so well I thought I'd fall over!!!! I love it and intend to make at least 3 more for the additional babies arriving before summer hits. 

After finishing so much in such a short period of time, I'm out of projects on needles. I have a few long term projects going, but I haven't yet started anything to work on daily. 

I should do that. 

Happy Knitting!!