Birthday Post 1.0

Pictured at right is one of the birthday presents I made for November. It is a cabled wristwarmer pattern that was on the ballband for Caron's Simply Soft, which may be my favorite yarn since Red Heart Symphony was discontinued. I like these so much, I may make a pair in a different color (probably black) for myself.
I also have another picture of a drop stitch scarf I made (in a pattern I am loving from Vogue Knitting), but it is on my phone and I am technically challenged at the moment in downloading to the computer. I'm sure once I figure it out, it will seem oh so easy.
Tonight I started a lace scarf in a silk/bamboo yarn. It is only 102 yards. I got it for a Christmas project and then ended up finding something that worked better so now I have one of those stray one skein projects going. I may end up ripping it all out like I did with my chenille hat Saturday, but we'll see. I will try to post the other birthday project later this week.

Cat Blanket Mama

Ha ha! Mondays are my new blog day apparently. I have been successful three weeks in a row now in updating my blog. Awesome. Since I have still been mostly sick, I have been relegated to cat blankets. The Idaho Humane Society has to wash and dry them all before they get used, so I figured I could get my knitting fix in without making anyone else sick. (I even took my knitting to the New Moon midnight premier and worked on it while waiting for the show to start.) According to the doctor, I will be coughing for another week or two still. Ugh.
This week I have a few last minute things to finish up (read sewing the ends in and wrapping them) for various birthdays in November/December. I often forget about these until the last minute and it interferes with my Christmas schedule. I guess it's a good thing I am such a fast knitter. The good news is, I will finally have some pictures to post next week! Hooray! I will try to be good and remember to actually take the pictures before I wrap them and give them away this time. I swear.
My one new project that I have been working on is a felted hat. I could not find any merino wool at Joann's (blast!) so I have been wearing those one-size-fits-all midget gloves to knit. Otherwise my hands get all itchy and scratchy since I am allergic to the one yarn they had (Paton's) that fit my instructions. All I can say is, this project had better work out! It is knitting up pretty fast since I am using size 11 needles (my those dpn's were expensive for such short work. I hope I can use them on another project some day.) The part I am sketchy about is the actual felting. I have never done it before and I sure don't want to have wasted all that time knitting such a large item to have it not turn out in the end. I ought to be finished with it by next week so hopefully I will have something positive to report about the fo (finished object.) Until then....

Ta-da! Sort of.

Well, the good news is I am back on one week later. The bad news is I have been laid up with a lasting cough. I finished my wrist warmers, but that's it. There has been no knitting for four days and I am starting to freak out. But, I don't want to give my cough to any of my gift recipients. (Even if it's not possible germetically-speaking (yes, I made that up), that's just gross. "Here, I made you this, *hack, hack* but don't get sick! *hack, hack*") I have thoroughly warned my husband not to touch any of my sleeves, or pretty much anything in our room as I have been holed up there for 20+ hours/day. I guess now the computer is off limits too. Or maybe I will just spray it with some Lysol. Ugh, I am going to go lie down. I hope to have more good news to report next week!

Designing

Okay, so the weekly thing is not working out, but I am on again at least within the next month. Whew! Progress.
I am still working with the Caron Bamboo/Acrylic yarn, but on the last bit of the project. I am currently using a ripple pattern, and it has turned out just as beautifully as the star stitch and the bramble stitch. Excellent.
I have also started using a transparency to graph out designs (on knitter's graph paper, which is different than regular graph paper) to incorporate into a project, intarsia-style. Note to all readers, DO NOT use dry erase markers on transparencies. It does not come off! After a long hunt, I finally found Vis-a-vis markers (which I did not know are also called wet erase markers, eureka!) at Fred Meyer. I tell you, that store has everything. So I mapped out my first project, but have not been able to work in it with the yarn b/c my elusive needle has disappeared yet again. I suspect the cats. They have stolen it twice already, argh! I think I am just going to have to purchase a back up, although finding one will be the challenge. I may have to forgo the Clover and suck it up for an Addi.
I also found a delightful cabled wrist warmer pattern on a super sized skein of Caron's So Soft that knits up quite quickly. The Evil Empire has them: a 7 0z. skein for $5. Awesome! One caveat: they don't have the color (plum wine) that is depicted in the picture on the label. Still a fun project though. Until next time.