Knit Zilla

September Anniversary

2018-09-26T09:41:00.000-06:00

September brought our 40th Wedding Anniversary this year. Quite a milestone! Being the crazy people that we are, we decided to celebrate by taking our entire family to the West Jordan Demolition Derby. Crazy . . . huh?@!

We started with Pizza at the local hangout. All of our kids and grandkids were there, along with my two sisters and their husbands.

We arrived at the Derby early and found our great seats.

As the night wore on, we became more and more involved in all of the craziness going on around us. It was loud! It was crazy! It was fun, fun, fun! I would highly recommend it for your next family outing.

Now on to knitting news . . .

She is finished. My Cabled Cardi, by Norah Gaughan. I basically only used Norah's cable design, as I used a Custom Fit Pattern to get the perfect fit. I love Norah's knitting designs. She designs cables like no one else.

I lengthened the sleeves from the original design too. Short sleeved cardigans never work for me. It is too hot in the summer for a full-blown sweater to be worn, and long sleeves are always my preference.

The bear-paw buttons were purchased at the Mountainman Rendezvous in Ft. Bridger, Wyoming. We attend almost every year, and I'm always on the lookout for great buttons.

This is my next project, which is well underway. It is Patty Lyons' Cabled Cardigan from the Early Fall Issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine. I'm knitting with the suggested yarn: Blue Sky Fibers, Woolstok Worsted in Dark Chocolate. The pattern indicates it was written for the "advanced knitter". As you can see in the picture above, I've had to photocopy all of the charts and paste them together on a separate sheet, complete with post-it notes to keep me focused on the correct knitting line. I must stay continually focused as I am knitting, to prevent mistakes.

I like to read when I knit, but on this one, I can only read when knitting on the wrong side, where you knit the knits and purl the purls from the previous row. So far it is moving along great, no need to rip back . . . YET.

Yarn has been purchased for Christmas knitting projects, so I'm hoping I can work them in between portions of this sweater. I'm afraid if I set it aside, I'll never figure out where I am when I return to it.

If you haven't already . . . become a FOLLOWER of this blog. I have some fun knitted giveaways coming in the next few months. Thanks for taking the time to see what I have been doing. Happy Knitting.

Early Fall 2018

2018-09-17T10:07:00.004-06:00

Summer is gone, and Fall has begun. You can smell it in the air and it's time to move forward into the cooler season. I love Fall, even though it always makes me a year older, with an October birthday and all. This year is especially difficult, as I hit one of those milestone birthdays, I thought would never come.

Here I am, holding $500,000.00 in my hands. This gold bar belongs to the Kennecott Copper Mine. It was really heavy, but fun to see and hold. You can't see it from this picture, but we are standing in the bed of a huge, mining haul truck, which was about the same size as a 7-11 store.

My Cabled Cardi, by Norah Gaughan is nearing completion. Knit of Rohrspatz & Wollemeise in the color "RH Negative O".

The sleeves are on the blocking board, and just need to be set into the body. Then it will be ready for wearing, just in time for cooler weather.

The Early Fall Edition of Vogue Knitting Magazine, brought my next project. Cabled Cardigan, by Patty Lyons. I agonized over the yarn and the color . . .

These pictures were my inspiration for choosing a color. I just love the look of chocolate brown, paired with denim. I decided on using the suggest yarn, which was Blue Sky Fibers - Woolstok Worsted, in the color Dark Chocolate.

The pattern indicated that it was for advanced knitters, and they weren't kidding. There are 7 separate cable charts, so I had to photocopy, cut and tape the first set all on the same page, to prevent the need to turn pages with every stitch, to make sure I was twisting the cables properly. This has really helped speed things up, and it is saving my eyes as well.

I also needed to learn the "Channel Island Cast On". Thanks to U-Tube, I was able to create this pickot edge. I'm happy with the what I've accomplished so far, and would you believe there hasn't been any ripping out. I better not say that too loud, as you know what happens when you do.

A recent reunion of my Knit Night group was so fun. It was so fun to see everyone again, and to see what beautiful things everyone has been knitting. They are all such an inspiration.

Anyway, I better get back to knitting, as Christmas gift knitting is starting to nag at me. Happy Knitting.

Busy Summer

2018-08-01T09:44:00.000-06:00

It has been a really busy Summer, so there has been no time for Blogging. Needless to say . . . there is always time for knitting. I've been plugging away on my knitting projects, and although they've taken longer than usual to knit, they are still progressing.

You may remember from my last post, that the project on my needles was "Sprossling" by Anne Hanson.

Here is Anne, wearing her creation. I just love knitting her patterns. I never have difficulty following her instructions, and I never find any mistakes in her patterns. I though this was the perfect Summer knit.

So I knit up a swatch in Wollmeise Twin - 80/20, in the color: Sternschnuppe. I thought the color would pair perfectly with navy, black, gray, khaki, etc.

It took me a full two months to knit this one, because I didn't like the way I was originally doing the body shaping. A bit of ripping helped me to achieve the perfect balance in the lace design. Look closely, you can hardly see the waist shaping, as it pertains to the lace repeat. I'm glad I took the time to correct it, as I'm much happier with it now, and I used the same method on the front pieces.

To make the buttonband lay flat, I sewed buttonholes into a length of ribbon, and hand stitched it to the knit buttonband, taking care to match up the knitted buttonholes. It was a tricky process to get everything to match up, and although it is not perfect, I think I can live with it.

This is the project currently on my needles, "Cabled Cardi", by Norah Gaughan. This pattern is found in Laura Zander's "Knit Red - Stitching for Women's Heart Health".

Once again . . . I'm knitting with Wollmeise DK, in the color: Bussi. I am absolutely addicted to this yarn. It is a dream to knit with, and it always looks brand new. I have a really hard time branching out, as you can plainly see.

The back piece is finished, and here are the front pieces knit up to the armhole decreases. It is really fun to knit. I understand there are multiple errors in the pattern, as seen on the Ravelry project pages, but I am using a Custom Fit Pattern to get the perfect fit, so I'll never notice. I am lengthening the sleeves, but the rest should look just like the picture on the pattern. Norah Gaughan is just one of my favorite designers. She loves cable variations and babbles, and I do too.

I took a class from her a few years back, at the Make, Wear, Love Retreat in California. She is the most bubbly person, and I learned so much from her. Especially, how to let your designing go wild.

I can see some Christmas knitting in my future, so this will likely be my last sweater for a while. However, a new sweater has caught my eye.

This is "#12 Cable Cardigan - in Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2018 Edition", by Patty Lyons, Patty is another of my favorites. Can you see that all of the body shaping in this sweater is done within the cables. A new challenge, and I love the look. She taught a class at our local knitting guild a few years back, and I just loved her teaching style. Since then, I have followed her teaching travels on Instagram. She is so funny, but also so talented when it comes to teaching. I'll likely be ordering yarn for this one soon, and I hope to get it on the needles as well.

Along with our trip to the Grand Canyon, over Spring Break, we have also spent a week camping at the Hebgen Reservoir in West Yellowstone. We had a great time. This is us and all of our grandchildren at Quake Lake and in the Park.

We have a trip planned to Mt. Rushmore next week, so we are off again. Of course the knitting is already packed. Happy Knitting . . .

Spring Break 2018

2018-04-17T09:27:00.000-06:00

Once again, it is Spring Break. We were lucky enough to be invited on a Grand Canyon adventure with my daughter and her three children. We spent a night in Kanab, UT, a little western town in the heart of "Red Rock Country". We even had an Easter Egg Hunt in the limited landscaping of the parking lot of our hotel. Oh well . . . we had to make due. We then traveled over the Glen Canyon Gorge and on to the magnificent Grand Canyon.

The remainder of the week was spent at the "Bison Ranch" in Overgaard, Arizona. The resort had great swimming pools, a fishing pond and horseback riding. It is in a tiny logging town, with not much else to do, so we had a very relaxing time. It was a fun time! Overgaard's claim to fame, is the only documented alien abduction. We spent some of our time researching this incident, which occurred in the 1970's. To learn more, go to Fire in the Sky.

While I was relaxing, of course I was knitting. This is the back of my Sprossling, by Anne Hanson. During our time at the Bison Ranch, I knit this piece up to arm decreases. I didn't like the way the body shaping looked, so I ripped it all out and knit it again. It took some time, but I'm much happier with the outcome. I've decided it is always worth taking the time to make things look right. I'm now knitting on the front pieces (both on the needles together). This time I'll know how to decrease and increase in pattern.

When we returned, I finished up my version of "Mousy Tail Clone". The original was knit by Jankee, but there was no pattern for it. However, she made detailed notes on her project page in Ravelry, so with the use of a "Custom Fit" pattern, I was able to create my own. It was knit of Wollemeise DK, in the color: RH - O Negative.

I'm so happy with the outcome, and the fit is perfect. The only trouble I had, was knitting the buttonband. I chose to use US1 needles and knit the entire band in one continual picked-up piece. I guess my age is catching up with me, because knitting it was really hard on my hands, arms and shoulders. There was a lot of muscling the stitches around the needle, so I had to knit it with a lot of breaks. However, it was worth the trouble, as the buttonband came out perfect. I learned this technique from Jankee, and I'll never do it any other way.

I may be setting my "Sprossling" aside soon, as my Sister is about to get her first Grand-daughter, and I've got some knitting to do for her, I'll keep you posted . . . . . . . . Happy Knitting!

Important Finishing Techniques

2018-03-29T09:57:00.000-06:00

As I mentioned in previous posts, my sweaters continue to improve. These improvements are mostly because I have improved my finishing techniques.

Although I have vastly improved the buttonbands and neckband on this cardigan I knit in 2016, I haven't really mastered the "selfy". My intent was to show you how this sweater looks on ME. The new buttonbands don't stretch out, causing the front of the cardigan to hang funny. It used to be difficult to wear, because I was forever trying to get it to hang properly on my body. Now I love wearing it! This makes the time and expense well worth it.

The finishing skill employed here, was using a much small needle for the bands, than called for in the pattern. This cardigan was knit on US6 needles, and the buttonband is knit on US2 needles. This creates a more stable fabric for making stable buttonholes and attaching buttons. You'll note that I used a sewn bindoff on the button side. This is a stretchy bindoff that lays really flat. To learn this technique, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Fy4GkpjPg. The rolled edge employed a standard bindoff.

I like the new button choice too, and the buttonholes match them perfectly, without any strange holes or pulling when they are buttoned. In addition, using the small, clear buttons on the back, makes the buttons much more secure, and keeps them from drooping when the cardigan is buttoned. To learn this fabulous, one row buttonhole, go to: multi-stitch buttonhole.

My "Mousy Tail Clone", copied from Jankee, is nearing completion. You can see the body shaping I've used on this sweater to assure it will fit me perfectly. I used a Custom Fit Pattern in getting all the numbers necessary and shaping instructions to get this custom fit, just for me.

Can you see the side seams? The only thing that gives it away, is the curve that adapts to the curves of my body. I didn't used to think that using the "Mattress Stitch" was necessary to create a great seam. I was wrong! Now that I take the time to seam with the "Mattress Stitch, my seams lie flat and they don't pull apart. To learn the "mattress stitch" technique, go to: Seaming with the Mattress Stitch.

Lastly, I thought I would talk a little about my blocking technique. I always soak my sweater pieces in cool water, roll them in a fluffy towel taking care not to stretch the pieces, and squeeze out as much excess water as possible. DO NOT TWIST KNIT PIECES. Then lay the pieces out flat on a blocking board and carefully manipulate the pieces to the measurements on your pattern schematic. Pin where necessary to hold in-place until the pieces dry. Do not stretch and pin any ribbing, as you'll want this stretch to spring back with each wearing. I love these Blocking Combs, they prevent points in your knitting. You may not be able to tell from this photo, but I have stacked two sleeves here, to dry together. This assures both sleeves will be the same exact size when they dry. I do the same with the back and front pieces. My arms may not match exactly, but my sleeves always will. You have to use optical illusion whenever possible, haha.

I'll have pictures of this finished sweater in my next blog post. I'm currently working on the buttonband and adding the buttons, as discussed previously.

I'm busy planning my next sweater projects. Here they are:

First, I'll be knitting "Sprossling" by Anne Hanson. I'll be knitting with Wollemeise Twin. It is a great yarn of 20% nylon and 80% wool in a fingering weight. I'm planning this as a summer sweater to wear over summer sundresses and tank tops.

Second, I'll be knitting "Cabled Cardi" by Norah Gaughan. I'll be knitting with Wollemeise DK. I just love this yarn and can't seem to move on from it.

You can see that I have my swatches all knit up and ready for generating my Custom Fit Patterns for each. I'll be knitting Sprossling as written, but Cabled Cardi will have long sleeves and a slightly longer a-line fit. I'm hoping these changes will be more flattering to my shape.

I hope these little tips and tricks, that I've learned recently, will help you too. Being open to change is the best possible way to improve. Thank you to those knitters who have gone before me, and figured out the best possible methods for knitting perfectly beautiful sweaters. If you are a member of Knit Night Group, take a good look at these techniques and let me know if I can help you with future projects. To the rest of you . . . . . . . Happy Knitting.

Change?

2018-03-20T14:04:00.001-06:00

One thing is always constant, and that is change. It may seem like a contradictory statement, but it is a definite truth.

This is a recent picture of my formal living room. A few things have changed over the years, but for the most part, everything has been the same for the past 30+ years. It takes me some time to decide just how I want a room decorated, adding a piece here or there, as I find the things I really love. I'm not much for following the trends, as I prefer timeless pieces, that I plan to keep for many, many years.

The floral couch was a hand-me-down from my parents, and they found it in a chicken coup when they were first married (back in the 1950's). It has been re-upholstered several times, even twice by me, but I still love it and plan to keep it for many more years. Curious, that it was stuffed with horse hair and originally had 3 cushions, rather than the current 2. The tables were an early marriage purchase that I had to save and save for, and even though my daughter took a hammer to them, when she was 2 years old, I continue to polish and care for them. The coffee table does have a new top, which I had custom built a few years ago. I have replaced 2 chairs, but only because they completely fell apart. I replaced them with matching antique chairs, found in a re-sale shop. The wood floors and the purple loveseat are a recent edition, but the only new additions in the past 10 years.

I'm afraid I'm not the same when it comes to knitting. My knitting abilities are continually improving, and I learn little tricks and hints from other expert knitters. The downside to this improvement, is the fact that I start to hate wearing my older sweaters, as I produce better ones. The new sweaters have improved technique, and fit and drape better than the old ones. Good yarn is far too expensive for me to allow sweaters to just lay around, waiting for moths to get to them. I've been known to completely rip a sweater apart, and to re-knit the yarn into a completely different design.

You may recognize this sweater, completed back in 2016. It is a custom fit version of Effervescence Cardigan. [to see all the details, view in a previous post]. I've worn it a lot in the past few years, but have come to hate the buttons. Even after sewing the buttonholes to make them smaller, the buttons will never stay buttoned. And, the front buttonband fans out during wearing, causing the front of the cardigan to hang oddly on my body.

Recently, I have learned so much about buttonbands and buttonholes. This new knowledge has made this sweater completely irritating to wear. So, I cut off the button and neck bands, and re-knit them, using my newly learned techniques. Complete with new buttons, I love wearing this sweater now. It was well worth the time and effort to make it wearable again.

I guess change is not always an irritation, especially when it is your skill that is improving. I learned these new techniques from Jankee. You can learn them too, by reading all of her project comments on ravelry.com. This is a great knitting resource, when you want to learn, without the expense and time of a knitting class.

Sweaters do not have to be completely scrapped and re-knit. Sometimes, just some simple adjustments can turn a "sweater dud" into a "sweater love".

Keep your knitting skills progressing, by learning from other's mistakes. Check out all of the projects on ravelry, especially the projects already completed on the project you are about to start. This can save you countless hours in overcoming errors in the pattern design. Happy Knitting . . . . .

Herringweave Complete

2018-03-05T10:52:00.001-07:00

I started my Herringweave, by Anne Hanson, back in November. I can generally knit an adult size sweater in about a month. This one was the exception. The intricate herringbone pattern made it difficult to get into a smooth, knitting rhythm. Needless to say, here it is . . . 4 months later, and I am just now finishing it up.

This was my problem a few weeks ago, I had added back too many stitches on this buttonhole, causing it to flair out. It was not a good look. I had created a sewn bindoff (a first for me), so it took hours and hours to unpick it. In addition, it completely ruined the length of yarn, which I was short on anyway. But . . . it was well worth the effort.

You can see here, that I didn't have enough yarn to complete the buttonbands, so I had to rip out my swatch to complete them. Thank Heavens, I had a swatch, the buttonbands still were no as wide as I preferred, but sometimes you have to take what you get.

The much improved buttonholes with the sweater unbuttoned and completely buttoned up. The sweater was knit of Wollemeise DK, in the color Grundfink. This is my "desert island" yarn, and it is hard for me to chose anything else. It is so smooth to knit with, the colors are so vibrant, and it wears like iron. There is very little pilling that happens with this yarn.

As on all sweaters I knit, I learned some great new things on this sweater (which always makes it hard for me to go back wear my old ones). As always, I did a thorough search on Herringweaves knit by others on Ravelry. This is such a great resource. I looked for problems others may have had with the pattern, the yarns they had chosen, and any suggestions they might have for future knitters. This helped me to know how the pattern would knit up in my beloved Wollemeise. I also looked at the button sizes used by others, and any modifications they might have made. Since I was also working from a Custom Fit Pattern, I knew it would fit, but I wanted to get the best possible look.

As I was planning my next project, I came across a finished sweater in the Custom Fit Groups, knit by Jankee. In her comments, she gave specifics on how she achieves the perfect buttonband. I used all of her recommendations for this sweater, on how to knit the buttonband, how to place the buttonholes, the best possible size of buttons, and how to properly sew a shank button using a Lucifer, and placing a small button on the wrong side.

Wow, what a difference these things made. I'll never knit a buttonband any other way. It really reduces gapping when a sweater is buttoned all the way up. She also recommended using a sewn bindoff, for its stretchiness and the nice clean edge it provides. It is time-consuming, but well worth the time (even when you have to unpick it). I highly recommend her method.

I've nearly finished the fronts of my next project, which is basically a copy of Mousy Tail Clone, by Jankee. There is not a pattern for this sweater, but using a Custom Fit Pattern, you really don't need one. All of her suggestions have made it easy sailing on this one.

Since my last post, I've spent some time with my Mother and Sisters, celebrating a milestone Birthday for my Mom. It was a great evening spent with a great view of the Salt Lake Valley. These are some of the most valued people in my life. They are the ones I whine to, cry with, ask for advice, and best of all . . . laugh with. I hope you all have people like this in your life. All though it helps to calm and center us, knitting is not always the only solution. HAPPY KNITTING . . . . . .

January -- Blahhhh

2018-02-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

January is not always the best month for me . . . and now that February is on it's way out, I can talk about it. Here in SLC, January is when we experience the worst "air quality". In fact, we are often ranked as having the worst "air quality" in the country during this time. We live in a bowl, surrounded by mountains. The mountains are beautiful, but at this time of year you cannot even see them. The cold air in the bottom of the bowl and the warm air above, traps all of the pollution down where we live and breath. As if January weren't drab enough . . .

My Herringweave sweater continues, and like January, it has some issues.

I'd like to think every sweater I knit, gets better and better . . . and that is generally the case, as I learn new tips and tricks to make them more and more perfect. However, although I've learned some great new tricks for buttonholes and button bands, I need to be more careful about the number of stitches I add back in for the buttonholes. You can easily see that I've added too many on this buttonhole, causing it to flair out. Another new trick I've learned is a sewn bindoff, which is the technique I have used here. This sewn bindoff is super stretchy, and still lays really flat. A great trick, except it takes hours and hours to sew. This would not be a problem, if I didn't need to tear it all out to fix the buttonhole!

In addition, I ran out of yarn before I could add the buttonband. I had to rip out my swatch (thank heavens I had one), and soak the yarn for reknitting. Therefore, my buttonband is not near as wide as I would prefer.

The lighting in this picture makes the yarn color look completely different, but you can see that I've got all of the pieces sewn together, and after setting it aside for a week, or so, I'm ready to start ripping back. Wish me luck. . . .

As long as I'm whining, I thought I'd show you how my new dishes arrived, via UPS. I've been wanting to purchase these everyday dishes for a while now, and I finally took the plunge. I ordered two sets of 4 place settings of these stoneware dishes. I loved the natural pottery look to them, and thought they would be great for everyday use. All arrived fine, with the exception of this salad plate. I couldn't bring myself to pack the entire set back up and try to ship it back to the manufacturer, so I simply called Target. Here is one bright spot . . . Target sent me a $10 gift card so I could go to my local store and replace the single, $4.00 plate. Target is the BEST!

January and February also brought the 80th birthdays of my parents, so we hosted a big party for my Dad, and a non-party/Valentines Dinner for my Mom. I purchased this cute banner from a dear friend, who has the cutest, hand-sewn items in her etsy shop: The Brass Button Shop. You should check it out, she makes very high-quality items out of the cutest fabrics.

I also added two greenery wreaths to my french doors. I attached them to the metal doors using magnetic hooks. The perfect solution. Since we removed the curtains, I have loved the light that comes into the room, but that end of the room always looked so plain. I think the wreaths are the perfect addition. Sorry you have to look at my covered patio furniture out on the deck.

My Husband's friend made this long, wooden tray for us, so during my disappointment period on the Herringweave, I knit up some stuffed hearts for Valentine's Day. Look closely, they actually are hearts in several Valentine colors.

I also started my new project. I'm not sure what I'll call this sweater, as I'm trying to copy a sweater knit by "Jankee". I just love her designs, and she teaches me so much. She didn't produce a pattern for this sweater, but she added lots of tips on her Ravelry page. I have the back finished, and I'm hoping the final product will look like a version of this:

Winter seems to be in it's final stages here, so I'm hoping Spring is just around the corner. We've started a bit of ground prep for our Summer garden, and I've grudgingly started a bit of Spring cleaning. Our pantry has been a huge mess for several years now. Hopefully, getting this room cleaned out, will motivate me to move on to a few other messy rooms in our house. One thing is for sure, I'll always be knitting. Happy Knitting . . .

Time to Knit Herringweave

2018-01-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

You may remember from a previous post, that I am currently knitting "Herringweave", by Anne Hanson.

I started back in mid-October. Generally cardigans I knit for myself takes about 30 days to complete. This one is taking a bit longer. I work full-time and have all the general responsibilities of a Wife/Mother/Grandmother, so none of that has changed my knitting time. This pattern is just bit more complicated. There is no easy knitting rhythm to settle in to. When knitting on the right-sides, every stitch taken must be carefully watched, to prevent mistakes. I love Anne Hanson's patterns. They are always have a unique stitch pattern, and that is what I love about this design, so I think is will be worth it.

I've finally got the front and back on the blocking boards, and the perfect buttons selected. When I left for a little trip to Texas, during the Christmas break, I was sure that sleeves would easily be finished during nearly a full week endless knitting. That was not the case. I'm still knitting away, but haven't even reached the underarm decreases yet.

This little cabin on the lake is where we stayed for a much needed rest. It was quiet and beautiful, and you can see my knitting sitting on the chair. We spent 7 restful days at a ranch near San Antonio, while my husband, daughter and son-in-law did some hunting. Even though I didn't reach my knitting goal, I had a wonderful time. The Ranch Owners are fabulous people, and made us feel so welcome, with lots of comfort food and some historical home tours.

We even managed to make a little day trip to visit my nephews, who just moved there, and to the Magnolia Market Silos in Waco. Both were so fun to see.

The holidays are always so full of fun and family, but now that January is here, it is time for some New Year planning.

Here is my upcoming knitting project. This is Rohrspatz & Wollmeise DK, in the color: "O RH Negative." I thought it really funny that the color was actually a bloodtype. The yarn does look like blood.

My plan is to make a "Custom Fit" version of this sweater, which belongs to Jana Jankeena. She hasn't written a pattern for this design, but she has given some direction on her Ravelry page about how she did it. I'm really excited to give it a try. I have knit one of her patterns before, and it was amazing. She combines both hand and machine knitting in her sweaters.

January also brings my husband's birthday, and he likes to celebrate with a night on the town with our adult children and teenage grandchildren. This is our annual group selfie, which is always taken on an escalator. This works really well, until we all pile-up at the bottom.

It was really cold that night in SLC, and my two oldest daughters both chose to wear their matching coats and hats. Who do you think knit those hats?

I hope 2018 brings you great success in your knitting projects and the rest of your lives. Happy Knitting!!

Warning -- a non-knitting post

2017-12-12T13:53:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time coming . . . in fact it has been 10 years in the making, but we have finally finished the re-vamping of our kitchen.

Painted cabinets, walls and furniture; new granite countertops; a new sink; hardwood floors; and a custom built barn door. I just love it! Here are some pictures of all the new, along with some of our old, that I still love, such as: the teacup chandelier, the magnetic spice rack, my pumpkin dishes, and a great cutting board. Otherwise, the wall art, the window blinds, and everything else is new. We carried the wood flooring into the living room and up the stairs into the hallway.

This is the Christmas version of our decorating, but you get the idea. Many THANKS to Tyler for the great granite counters. And to Kevin, Hunter & Trever, for helping Steve lay the floor and for crawling around in the attic to move the electrical. And especially to Steve for doing everything else, including using his alpaca shears to cut-down the nap of our new entryway rug, which was too tall to accommodate the opening of the front door. He can always turn my poor judgment in purchasing into a "WIN". I am so happy with everything!

Speaking of our alpacas . . . we have 16 now (12 females and 4 males). Last Sunday morning, we took these two little cuties out to feed them. They were so brave, and hand-fed little treats to them through the fence. You can see we were all ready for church and we really enjoyed our time with them.

No knitting talk this time . . . although my "Herringweave" cardigan is coming along nicely. I'm about to start the decrease for the arm scythes on the front pieces. We'll be travelling after Christmas, which will be the perfect time to finish it up. Have a Merry Christmas . . . and I'll be back in the New Year.

Gift Knitting

2017-11-15T10:22:00.003-07:00

Every year at Christmas, I have a long list of Christmas gift knitting to do. This year has been no exception. Thanksgiving will be here soon, and this is what I have completed, so far:

Three pair of Lumberjack Socks, by: tincanknits. I found this pattern last year, and knit two pair for my husband's birthday. He has loved them, so gift socks were knit for this season. Each pair is planned for different friend. They are all knit of Berroco Vintage DK.

A Maris Stella Lace Shawl, by Anna Victoria, to be gifted to another dear friend, and presented with a Treble Clef Shawl Pin. This was a fun knit on a long circular needle. It was my first experience with gradient yarn. Knit of KnitPicks Stroll in the color - Sea You Later. It was really fun to watch the colors slowly change, as you knit along.

I've started a new cardigan too. Currently, my favorite sweater designer is Anne Hanson. Of my collection of hand-knit sweaters, Leaving, is the sweater that I wear the most. So I've decided to knit another of Anne's designs, Herringweave.

I thought this was the most beautiful design, and I've chosen to knit it out of Wollemeise DK, in the color Grunfink. There is a man's pullover style included, and if I'm happy with mine, I plan to knit one for my husband too. The Herringbone stitch pattern in unlike anything I've ever knit, and I just love the way it looks and feels. Here is what I have knit of the back, so far:

It is always so fun to try something new. There is no chance of growing bored with this one. Anne is truly a knitting wizard.

Pictures of my newly updated kitchen are still to come. We are having wood floors installed in the breakfast area and living room in the next few weeks, so everything is a complete mess right now. This is the final step, and I just can't wait to decorate for Christmas. We will be travelling to our daughter's house for Thanksgiving, which is a good thing, because I couldn't cook a thing at my house right now.

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all of my readers.

SURPRISE!

2017-11-09T15:37:00.002-07:00

It is the end of a very busy Summer, and as things are settling into a slower, colder, season, I'm feeling the neglect of this little Blog. Although I've been away for over a year, I haven't even once slowed down on my knitting (the passion of my lifetime).

Here is what I have been doing . . .

Just before Thanksgiving last year, I went on a week-long vacation with my sisters and Mom to Park City. If you are a skier, you've probably been there before, and you know that it is a little, old mining town turned high-end ski resort. We stayed at the Marriott resort and spent the week shopping in their little boutiques, cooking together, crafting, and laughing. It was a great time for us to spend together. In one of those boutique shops, I ran into the most beautiful, fashion knits. The one thing that really caught my eye, was a hand-knit ski hat with a real fur pom-pom. The hat was $250.00 (a little rich for my tastes).

When we returned home, I couldn't stop thinking about those cute ski hats, so I went on a search on the Internet for real fur pom poms. I found the most beautiful, raccoon pom poms, I ordered them and I was "off to the races". Here they are, one for each of my daughters and grand-daughter.

They were really fun to knit, and at the end of the season I was even able to make one for me. However, there were no raccoon pom-poms left, so mine is gray with a gray rabbit pom-pom.

For Christmas gifts for my grand-children I made each of them a pillowcase with their name appliqued on. This with a new pillow was the perfect gift. I made 11 of them. 9 for our grandchildren and a set for my husband to use when he is hunting.

I also tried out a little "wool applique", making this pumpkin pillow from a kit, for my kitchen bench. Although that bench looks completely different now, since we have changed-up our kitchen during the Summer (pictures of finished product to come). I worked on this pillow while we were on a hunting trip to Texas, where I also knit Lumberjack Socks for my husband's birthday.

Then I launched into the knitting of a Derica Kane Sweater, and an Effervescence Cardigan. Both knit in conjunction with a Custom Fit Pattern.

Well, that should certainly be enough over-load for now . . . but, I'll be back soon, with pictures of my newly styled kitchen, my Summer knitting projects, and what I'm working on now.

I'm back . . . . . .

2016-09-12T13:23:00.001-06:00

Summer has been busy, busy, busy . . . . for me. Thus, my neglect of blogging. But I'm back, just in-time to dive into Fall and Christmas knitting.

You may think I've gone through a knitting slump, with the business of Summer, but that is never the case for me. Whether vacationing, camping, or working like crazy at my full-time job or just in the garden . . . I am ALWAYS knitting.

Here are the sweaters I've been knitting on this Summer:

This short cardigan was based on "Flame Stitch Cardigan", designed by Shirley Paden. The actual pattern came from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005. I knit mine of Wollemeise Twin in Rust. I didn't like the way the pattern was written, so I took the flame stitch design, and created my own sweater design, with the ultimate goal to have a sweater that looked very similar to the original. I'm really happy with the outcome. It fits perfectly. I knit the sweater to wear with a dress I received from my children for Mother's Day. A black and creme batik print. However, I ran out of yarn before I could knit the sleeves and ended up making it into a vest. This could not be worn with the desired dress, so I spent most of the Summer waiting for more yarn to be dyed in the same color. I guess I'll get more wear out of it next year.

This sweater came from a free pattern provided at the Knit, Wear, Love Retreat in Monterrey California. It is "Curlew", designed by Amy Herzog. Mine is knit of Shibui Knits Staccato and Shibui Knits Angora, held together, in the color Lime. I thought I might have been a bit off on the fit, but now that I look at the picture of Amy in the pattern, mine has the perfect fit. This sweater was knit from cuff to cuff. A completely different method for me. Knit in this direction, the sweater stretchiness is from top to bottom. I'll have to get used to this, as if feels strange when you are wearing it.

This cardigan was based on "Sunshower Cardigan" designed by Andi Satterland and purchased through KnitPicks. Mine is knit from Wollemeise Twin. The pattern was constructed from the top down and I knit mine from the bottom up, thus border pattern is upside-down, but I'm fine with that. It is another short cardigan and perfect to wear with summer dresses.

The first Knit Night of the 2016-17 season was held on the first day of September. We'll be knitting some cute little critters as our Knit-a-long this year. Here is my little sample for the group. It appears there will be monkeys, elephants, bears, mice and rabbits by the end of the year. I'll be sure to share all of the pictures when they are finished.

This is what I'm knitting on right now. It is "Derica-Cane", designed by Bonnie Marie Burns. However, as usual, I'm only using the lace design from the pattern, and I'm creating my own bottom-up cardigan with the a Custom-Fit pattern. For me, this is the perfect way to get a good fit. I'm knitting with Wollemeise Pure in the color Seaside.

Despite all of the craziness this year, we were still able to fit in a trip to the Mountain Man Rendezvous in Ft. Bridger, WY. We had a great time, and of course, I did a lot of knitting.

I'm gearing up to do some Christmas knitting for some of my smaller grandchildren. This little cardigan is: "Gingersnap", designed by Kristen Rettig. It is a free pattern, and perfect for using up all of the yarn scraps in your stash. I'm planning four of these little darlings in a variety of colors.

Keep me posted on what you will be knitting for Christmas. Happy Knitting!

Make, Wear, Love Knitting Retreat

2016-04-29T09:43:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago, my Mother and I travelled to Pacific Grove, CA to attend the Make, Wear, Love Knitting Retreat, sponsored by Amy Herzog. I've been using Amy's Custom Fit software for several years now, and have loved the results I've gotten on sweaters I've knit for myself. This made me so excited to finally be able to meet Amy and to take some classes from her.

The retreat setting was beautiful, at the Asilomar State Park on the Monterrey Peninsula. It rained nearly the entire time we were there, but it was pretty just the same.

We took classes from Amy Herzog, Clara Parks, Julie Wiesenberger (Coco Knits), and Norah Gaughan. The classes were fantastic! In addition, there was a great fashion show, where everyone modeled their Custom Fit sweaters.

The meals were all included in the retreat cost, and the food was delicious. We made so many new knitting friends, many of which I have been talking to in the Ravelry groups for years. I was even a little starstruck, when Amy joined our table at lunch. It was so fun to meet her in-person and to talk to her about her upcoming book and all of the new features to be added to Custom Fit.

The humidity made sure my hair was nice and straight, the entire time we were there, but I didn't care because I had the opportunity to meet some of the Bloggers I have been following for years. Such as Kristen Rettig of "Knitionary", Kim McBrien Evans of "Indigo Dragonfly", and Leah of "Yarn Stylist".

Many thanks to "Wendy of Chicago". It was so fun to meet you, and you made my day, with your compliments of the custom fit sweaters I modelled in the fashion show. I hope to see you again, as I think we have a lot in common.

I learned so many new techniques and methods to add to my knitting. One of my favorites was an English tailored shoulder for top-down sweater construction. It is the perfect alternative to a raglan sleeve, or even a continguous shoulder, which I do not like (no stability to hold the garment on your shoulders). The sample we started in class (Julie Wiesenberger's English Tailoring on Top-Down Sweaters), turned into this darling little cardigan for my Grand-daughter "Stevey". I used the lace design on the cardigan to make her a matching bonnet.

I know it has been a while since I've blogged, but you may remember this Flame Stitch Cardigan that I had started. It was to be a cropped, summer cardigan to wear with my sundresses. I love the way it turned out, however, I ran out of yarn before sleeves could be knit. I even had to pull apart my swatch to add the collar and arm bands. As you can see, it is now a cropped vest.

Next in line, was the "The Sunshower Cardigan" by Andi Satterlund. I loved the design of this cardigan, but didn't like the construction. So, I have completely redesigned it, as a bottom-up cardigan, rather than the top-down, as written. It is coming along, as I've just split for the armholes.

Here is my swatch. It is knit of Wollemeise Pure. I hope I have enough yarn for sleeves this time. We'll see.

We are getting close to the end of the season for our Knit Nights. The following are some of the completed projects from our group this year:

Some projects were knit, some crocheted, some quilted and some baked. It has been a great year, and we have had a lot of laughs. Next year our knit-a-long will be chosen from some cute little critters, like this bunny. We'll be starting up again in September. Everyone is invited.

In family news . . . my cute little twin grandchildren; "Zach and Zoey", just turned "1", along with moving into a brand new house.

We are so excited for them. Those little guys could unpack the boxes faster than they could be packed. They are just two little disasters. Zach is walking now, and Zoey can crawl faster than you could believe. I wish their parents good luck in keeping their new house clean. Happy Knitting . . .

Vertical Owls

2016-02-25T09:59:00.001-07:00

This is where my "Vertical Owls" sweater was left, back in November, when Christmas gift knitting took over. I didn't return to it, until December 23. Since then, a few little projects have jumped in the way.

The fronts were completed by January 15. Then it was on to sleeve island, for another 12 days.

Then it took 16 days to knit the front/neck bands.

Then miles and miles of seams. It is "Vertical Impressions", designed by Jana Jankeena. The pattern was beautifully written, right down to the smallest detail. I incorporated the owl design from the "Ginny Cardigan", designed by Mari Chiba, into the back panel. My sweater was knit from Wolmeisse DK, in the color Spinaci.

It is all finished now. I'm so happy with the finished product. It was really fun to knit, and using a Custom Fit pattern has given me the perfect fit. You can see the body shaping built-into the sweater above. I'll hope to post pictures of me wearing the sweater soon. Wolmeisse has quickly become my all-time favorite yarn to knit with. It provides such even stitch definition, and very little splitting.

This is "Alecia Beth", designed by Justyna Lorkowska, which I started back in September and finished up in October. It is also knit of Wolmeisse Twin in the color Vamp. This was a fun knit too, however, my excitement over knitting my first contiguous shoulder, had proven that a stabilized shoulder seam works better for me. I have narrow shoulders and wide hips. I've found that as the day goes on, the neck seems to grow larger and larger. Although it was easy to knit from the top-down, all in one piece, I won't be using this method ever again.

It has been years since I've done any piecing and quilting. My sister and I have decided to participate in a block-a-month group, at our local Bernina store. I'm a bit out-of-practice, but have had so much fun piecing these first two blocks. I'll keep you posted as each month, I add to the collection. I do think the colors are a little off, and I'm hoping this doesn't drive me crazy. We don't get to select our own fabrics, as we receive them in kits, along with the construction instructions.

This is my next project. The "Flame Stitch Cardigan", from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005. I can easily see that the pattern is really poorly written.

I've swatched in Wolmeisse Pure, on size US4 needles, and will basically be re-writing the entire pattern. However, I love the flame stitch design, and felt it was worth the effort. I felt it was the perfect sweater to wear over summer dresses. I'll be casting on today.

I'm finally back-on-track, and knitting away. I hope your knitting life is going well too. I'd love to see what you are working on, so add a picture to the comments section below. . . . . . Happy Knitting!!

I'm BACK

2016-02-10T11:01:00.001-07:00

Since my last post . . . life has been nothing but crazy. I've still been knitting, but haven't accomplished a great deal that I could blog about.

So here goes . . . an explosion of what has been happening in my life over the past 4 months:

In October Stevey Quinn joined our family. She was a few weeks early, and born by emergency C-Section. She weighed barely 5 lbs., and although tiny, she was healthy and strong.

Here is my oldest (13 years) and youngest (2 days) Grand-daughters. I'm just crazy about them both.

This is what she looks like today. She is up to nearly 11 lbs. She is just a sweet, happy little girl. We just love her!

At our annual trip to the pumpkin patch, these 3 all chose to wear their Robin Hood Sweaters. It was a cool evening, and I'm sure they were the warmest of us all. Stevey wore her pumpkin suit too.

This is the pumpkin my Husband chose. I thought it looked rather strange, when we purchased it, but he always has a vision. . . . . . He loves to carve pumpkins, and this one was just in time for the release of the new Jurassic Park Movie. A dinosaur and a happy zucchini.

During the Summer, my daughter found a piano, free for the taking. Dear old Dad was asked to drive to another city and pick it up. It was stored in her sister's garage for several months, while she worked on it during her trips to visit us. In November, it was finally finished. We borrowed a box truck with a lift, and delivered it to her home in Idaho. It looks great in her home, and her oldest daughter has started piano lessons, but I think Dad is finished with the moving business.

My "Knit Night" group has been participating in a knit-a-long of the "Tolt Folded Bag", by Veronik Jobe. The bags are knit from a thick tee-shirt yarn on really large needles. This is Joan and Percy, with their finished bags. Others are still working on their's, and I hope to have more pictures soon.

I finished "Movie Poncho", pattern by rix-striserier. I love it. It is the perfect thing to throw on, when going to the movies, where it is always cold, and it frees up your arms, so you can always reach the popcorn.

My next project was Vertical Impressions, by Jana Jankeena. Knit from Wolmeisse, in the color Spinaci, with a planned owl lace design running up the back from the "Ginny Cardigan" from the Harry Potter Knits Collection, and designed by Mari Chiba. Christmas knitting threw this project completely off-track. It is now February, and I am still knitting away on the neckband for this sweater. I am on the homestretch, and should have pictures for my next post.

In late November, my iron scarecrow frame turned into a Bride for the Bridal Shower I hosted for my Nephew's future Bride. It was a fun afternoon, and their wedding was the funnest affair, with the best Korean food I've ever eaten.

The scarecrow was replaced with this snowman, at Christmas-time. He stood guard over our house on through to the last day of January. It was sad to take him down, and look forward to Valentine's Day.

This is what held up my knitting project. I knit 15 pairs of these fingerless gloves as Christmas gifts. They were fun to knit "Leaves" Fingerless Gloves, by Valentina Georgieva, from all of the scraps of yarn I had laying around, but 15 pairs was enough to kill me. I won't be knitting those again soon!!

My favorite teenager got braces for her birthday. She is looking really cute!

Mini-Me made this cute Christmas Tree to help her with learning her shapes. She was so proud of it.

2016 arrived with BANG. I spent the evening with these little cuties, playing games and eating lots of yummy food.

In January, Baby Stevey was blessed. I made her dress, even though it is a bit hard to see in this picture. It was crocheted from a doll pattern, her Mother found on Pinterest. She was so cute!

Emery made these yummy Valentine's cookies for my recent "Knit Night". We had a fun evening, and the cookies were delicious. Several of the ladies were knitting these darling Christmas Stockings, with the names knit right in. I'll hope to have some pictures to share when they finishing them up next month.

The twins are 9 months old now, and getting into everything. We feel so blessed to have 9 healthy grandchildren, and we hope there are still some to come . . .

Now that the Holidays have passed, I'm back knitting on my owl sweater. I know this has been a bit of overload, but I plan to get back to regular blogging now that my life has settled back down. Happy Knitting . . . .

Summer is Running Away!

2015-09-22T14:07:00.000-06:00

I can't believe it has been an entire month since I've blogged. Summer is "running" out of my life. . . .

One really good thing about the "end of Summer",... is the cooler weather. I'm always anxious to get back into my sweaters.

The last month has been a flurry of activity. I knit this shawl for a friend, who had become frustrated with the pattern. I thought it was really fun to knit, and she was so excited to get it back. She is planning to use it when sitting in meetings, when the air-conditioning is running too high.

I finished crocheting a Blessing Dress, Bonnet and Booties for my expected Grand-daughter. She should be arriving in early October. It was a trick, as the pattern was written for a small doll, so I had to resize it. I think it will be really cute on her, and luckily, her Mom loved it.

We've had some really rainy days. It is always fun to play, barefoot in the puddles, and to float home-made boats in the gutter. Even when your Grandmother only has a flowery umbrella.

Alivia is "3", and it was her turn to make a trip to "Build-a-bear". She named her little bear "Cookie", and she even has pink glasses, just like Aliva. We had such a good time, and Alivia was sure to eat all of crunchy stuff on the stick of all our corndogs.

There is nothing like dancing in a field of BUBBLES on a warm evening.

We spent some time in the Idaho Falls Zoo. A small zoo that is just the right size for a non-zoo loving Grandma.

I spent an evening with all of my kids and grandkids at the West Jordan Demolition Derby. It was a first for us, but we quickly discovered this is the perfect activity for people of all ages. We spent all of the time before the show began taking selfies.

It was really fun and really loud! Little Zoey made good use of our noise-cancelling headphones. We had to protect her new little ears. The rest of us were yelling just as loud as the engine noise and crashing of the demo trucks. This was "do-again" activity. We all had so much fun!

School is back in session. This was 3-year old, Alivia's first ride on the school bus. She has started attending the State Funded Head Start Program. This is the first time in my lift, that I was thankful that we have to pay taxes.

Zeke and Hayden are now wearing their "Robinhood Sweaters". It was a long wait, but it is finally cool enough that these sweaters are of good use. They both look so cute in them, and they love them too.

I've started me Fall Knitting. "Alecia Beth" in Wollmeise, in the color "Vamp". This is my swatch, knit on US 4 needles. The needles are small and the yarn is fine. This one is going to take a while.

This is the perfect lunch . . . a hamburger, a good book, and a fun knit. You can see that my "Alecia Beth" is coming right along.

It has been a really busy month. Hopefully I'll be back before another month has passed. Happy Knitting!

Busy, Busy . . . Babies Coming

2015-08-21T10:02:00.002-06:00

It has been a busy few weeks! Knitting, knitting & knitting. I have a small pile of completed baby knits, all ready for the arrival of few new babies in my life. The funnest knitting ever, are little baby things. They are always soft and cozy . . . and knit-up in a quick hurry.

Two little pumpkin picking suits for my grand-daughter and great nephew. They are all set to arrive in September and October. Just in time for a trip to the pumpkin patch! Please send me lots of pictures of them! They are both knit of the softest merino/cashmere blend KnitPicks Capra, and created from the pattern Small Things Romper, by Carina Spencer. I added some little pumpkin hats, as I'm sure it will be cool and windy on those early autumn evenings. Knit from one of my free ravelry patterns Lil Pumpkin Hat.

In addition, I have a good start on this little crocheted blessing dress. I started it with a soft, washable acrylic yarn, but soon decided the lace wouldn't stand out, so I switch to "Skinny Cotton". It made such a difference. The yarn was leftover from my "Botanical Medallion Vest", and I quick ran out. I've ordered some additional skeins and will just need to finish up the sleeves and make the hat, diaper cover and booties. Once blocked, this will be added to the pile of little baby things. The funny thing about this pattern, is it is written for a doll. No instruction on size, yarn or hook size. I've pretty much had to size it myself. I should have just written my own pattern.

In addition, I've been doing a bit of "knitting for hire". An Ohio Grandmother contacted me wanting two "Poor Baby Swearters". She was expecting two new grandbabies in the month of August. I quickly cast-on, and had these two little beauties ready to mail in about a week. I hope her little ones enjoy them!

I finished my Tolt Folded Bag, by Veronika Jobe. Knit from HOOOKED Ribbon XL, on US 15 needles. The yarn felt and looked just like cotton shoelaces. It knit up fast, and was sewn together in such a creative way. I am going to use and love this little shoulder bag. It will be my "Knit Night" knit-a-long for Fall 2015. A great beginner project, that won't be too overwhelming. Our group doesn't meet during the Summer, so I am so excited to see everyone again, and to enjoy some winter evenings filled with laughter, story-telling, knitting and treats. Watch for the 2015 pictures of our Annual Witch Knit . . . coming soon.

I've finished up my Poncho Sweater, by rix-strixerier too. It turned out just like the picture on the pattern, and I am so happy with it. Knit of Rasmilla Luksusgarn in Charcoal and KnitPicks Aloft Super Kid Mohair in Carbon. The two yarns were held together and knit, creating a warm, light, super soft fabric, with lots of drape. It will be my perfect "go to the movies" apparel. The cuffs will keep it in place, and will make it easy to reach the popcorn. No more dragging a blanket to the movies . . . I'll be cozy and comfortable.

I've got a pile of yarn to put on the winder. This one will be for me, and I can't wait to get started. There is nothing like starting a new project.

An Alecia Beth, by Justyna Lorkowska, just for me. I need to get swatching, so I can assure a perfect fit.

I hope your Summer is coming to a smooth, memorable end. School is starting and the days are getting shorter. There is just a touch of Fall in the air. Happy Knitting!

The Year of the Grandbaby

2015-08-07T10:21:00.001-06:00

It has been a great year, so far . . . twin grandbabies in April, and a new baby girl expected in October. I'm expecting to hear of a new Grand-Nephew, born any minute, and another expected in September. As always, new babies create a flurry of baby knits.

Grandchild #9 will be sporting this little Romper. She will be named after her Dad, and GrandDad. She has been trying to make an early arrival, and everything is being done to keep her in the oven until October. In addition, she is measuring small, which may just mean she is taking after her Mom. We are excited to meet her!

You may remember that I made these for the Twins, back at the first of the year. The Twins came home from the hospital in them, and have worn them for many special occasions.

However, they are 5 month old now, and have both grown out of them.

Small Things Romper, designed by Carina Spencer, has become my favorite baby knitting pattern. I discovered it, when my Cousin Jill was knitting one for her friend. Thank you Jill, I'm sure I will be knitting these for years to come. You may have seen on Instagram or Facebook, the first of two little pumpkin suits, that are "in process". They should be finished soon.

This is the blessing dress, which has been requested for that new little Granddaughter. It is just beautiful. When I purchased the pattern, I discovered it was a pattern for a doll. I haven't crocheted for a while, and I'll need to upsize the dress and bonnet. Hopefully, I will be successful . . . we'll see. I hope to get started in the next week, or so.

This hasn't been the best year for our vegetable garden, even with all of the Spring rain. However, it has been a great year for the flowers on my deck. The marigolds were planted from seeds harvested from last years flowers. The other pots were given to my Husband, by our local nursery, because they appeared to be completely dead. He has nursed them all back to health. They are really beautiful. The strawberries have done well this year too, you can just see them in the side of the picture.

Also, seen on Instagram/Facebook, you may have seen the big pile of beautiful yarn I just received in the mail from Germany. It is the first time a package of yarn has needed a signature from the UPS guy. It is my first batch of Wollmeise, in the color "Vamp". I am so excited to get started knitting it. I've seen so many sweaters on Ravelry knit from this beautiful yarn, and many are calling it their "Desert Island Yarn". From the look and feel of it, I expect to be claiming the same.

This is the pattern photo of Alecia Beth, designed by Justyna Lorkowska, which will be knit up in my new Wollmeise, in a bright red (Vamp). I can't wait, but as you can see above, I have quite a pile of knitting that must be completed first. In addition, I received an order this morning for two "Poor Baby Sweaters", which must be knit, packaged and mailed by the end of the month. I better get cracking . . .Happy Knitting!

Even When It's HOT . . .

2015-07-10T10:04:00.000-06:00

Even when it's HOT, you'll find me somewhere knitting. Sometimes, I'm parked under a shady tree on my lunch hour . . . knitting away. Sometimes, I'm sitting on the deck with a cold drink in the evenings . . . knitting away. Sometimes, I'm on a long car or plane ride, watching the sights go by, and . . . knitting away. If I have a minute to myself, you'll always find me knitting, and often reading too. It is never too hot, or too cold to knit. If it is too hot to hold the project in my lap while knitting, I simply flip the piece over the arm of the chair or put it on a table. If it is really cold, I've been known to knit my gloves right into the project. (I need to knit some fingerless gloves for cold weather knitting).

Knitting is my ZEN. It helps me to relax, refocus, and just generally be a nicer person.

I've just finished my most recent projects. Two "Robin Hood Jackets, by Zoe Mellor". I've knit many of these jackets over the years, but it is one of those patterns that I just keep returning too. It's really warm, knit in a bulky yarn, and everyone just loves wearing it in the Fall and Spring, when it is not cold enough for a coat. It is fun to knit and knits up really fast. Since it is 100 degrees in SLC right now, I do not have pictures of Zeke and Hayden wearing their jackets, but I'll hope to post some pictures in the Fall.

I've got a good start on my next project, "The Poncho Sweater", by rix-strixerier. I'm knitting it in "Rasmilla Luksusgarn" (Charcoal), and "KnitPicks Aloft Super Kid Mohair" (Carbon). The two yarns are held together, and are so smooth to knit with. I plan to wear this poncho to the movies, as no matter the time of year, the theaters are always soooooo cold. I'm guessing the theaters don't want people falling asleep during the movie and requesting a refund ticket. I always have to drag a blanket along, or enjoying the movie is nearly impossible. I hope my new movie poncho will do the trick.

I've also been working on the "Tolt Folded Bag", but Veronika Jobe. This will be my "Knit Night", KAL, to begin in September. The bag is knit on large needles of "Hoooked" yarn. The yarn feels just like cotton shoelaces, and is really fun to knit with. I'm thinking it is the perfect project for T-Shirt yarn too, so those in my group will have some options for making their's.

I've been struggling to find the perfect filler, to stabilize the handle. I think I finally found it . . . I'm using a flexible, reusable straw, that you find in refillable cold drink mugs. http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Straws-Reusable-Assorted-Classic/dp/B00D3QI37A/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1436543483&sr=8-5&keywords=reusable+straws. They are strong, yet flexible and one can easily be sewn into the handle for stability, yet it will be comfortable on the shoulder.

I have another grand-daughter due in October, so I need to start knitting some cute little baby things for her. I have a fun "girls only" trip planned for later this month, perhaps I'll have time to start on them then. Little baby knits make the perfect travel projects. Keep cool . . and Happy Knitting!

New Baby Alpacas

2015-06-25T10:07:00.000-06:00

We have ~~two~~ three new baby alpacas (crea). Both born earlier this month, within a week of each other.

This Cocoa Bean (Momma) and Tootsie Pop (baby girl)

This is Twinkie (baby girl) daughter of Licorice Whip

Kissing cousins

Just as I made this post, I received information that we had another arrival. This little girl was late to the party, but better late than never. She is the daughter of Cupcake, and we are going to call her "Candy Sprinkles". Such a great year for us . . . 3 new alpaca babies, and all girls.

I've found a dyer for our yarn. I met her at the Salt Lake City Knitter's Guild. Sarah Marsden of Intrepid Tulips. Check out her website. She does beautiful, hand-dyed yarns, and she agreed to experiment with some of our worsted alpaca yarn.

This is what the original, raw yarn looked like, when I passed it off to her.

This is what I received back from her. She selected the colors, and I think they are just beautiful! I'm so excited about the way she painted the yarn, and how it took the color. I have enough to make a striped sweater and some smaller items, such as scarves or hats. Now to find the perfect striped pattern. Perhaps I'll have to gather some inspiration and design my own. I hope we'll be working together again. She gave me some great suggestions for having future fleece processed. She is such a wealth of knowledge, and I can't wait to learn more from her in the future.

The first of two Robinhood Sweaters is complete. It looks rather blue in the pictures, as they were taken at twilight. However, the yarn is actually a medium gray. This sweater/jacket is for Zeke. He is so excited as it has the perfect fit, but he'll have to wait until Fall to actually wear it, as it is close to 100 degrees in SLC. He has also requested a gray/blue striped scarf to wear too. I don't think it will ever be cold enough to wear them both together.

This is the second of two Robinhood Sweaters, a work in progress (WIP). This one is for Hayden, and will work up much faster, as she is only 2 years old. It is nice to change the color I am knitting with, as these chunky yarns and large needles are a bit hard on the hands. I'll be happy to return to knitting with a finer gauge yarn on smaller needles.

This will be my next knitting project "Poncho Sweater", designed by rix-strixerier. I've ordered the suggested yarn Rasmilla Luksusgarn and Mohair by Canard Brushed Lace. Both came from a foreign website in Sweden. It was rather tricky placing an order, when you cannot read the language, and you need to convert the currancy, but it all worked out fine, as I have received the yarn, and can't wait to get started on it. It is my plan to wear this garment when I go to the movies, as it is always freezing cold in movie theatres, even in the Summer.

There has been a lot of chatter on blogs and Ravelry about Wollmeise yarn. Many have called it their "desert island yarn" . . . meaning if they were stranded on a desert island, this would be their choice as the thing to have with them. It does produce the most beautiful sweaters, with fabulous stitch definition. It has been floating around in my head, and I'm hoping to get a sweater's worth for an upcoming project.

Our little twins are really growing. I just can't resist sharing a few pictures with you. Thanks for stopping by. Leave me a comment, as I'd love to know where you are all from. Happy Knitting!

A Special Day

2015-06-10T09:19:00.000-06:00

Another special day has come and gone in my life. My darling twin grandchildren were blessed last Sunday. It was such a beautiful day. I just can't resist showing you how cute they were in their little knit blessing outfits.

They may not look really happy here, but they were perfect little angels during the service. They were alert and curious about what was happening to them, and they showed off their little outfits to perfection.

Their parents hosted a nice little BBQ in their backyard afterwards. All of my children and grandchildren were there, along with lots of family friends. A Grandmother couldn't ask for anything better!

It was a warm, sunny day, so these little blankets were just perfect to keep them warm in the air conditioning. The blankets and outfits have all been wrapped in tissue paper, and placed in a box with a pretty satin ribbon. They are all ready to pass on to them, possibly for one of their children. Knitting for your grandchildren is the best!

We all spent the Saturday before, helping them get their yard in order. Who has time for mowing the lawn, when you have brand new baby twins. Of course, everyone took a few breaks to have fun. These little wiggle cars are the perfect way to go for a ride. Even our grand-dog (Blaze) got in on the fun.

I am still working on the sample for my next "Knit Night" KAL. I'm trying to find the perfect stabilizing insert for the shoulder handle. It needs to be flexible and soft, but with enough structure to support some weight. I'm making a trip to the hardware store, to find the perfect thing. Perhaps a short length of hose, some pool noodle-like pipe insulation, or even a curved piece of wood. We'll see . . . . My husband is usually a genius and helping me solve these issues, so I'm sure he'll have some great ideas.

Kristen was the winner of 2 rolls of HOOOKED yarn, to knit her KAL project from. It is a great cotton, shoelace-like yarn, that provides great stability. She guessed from the picture above, that it would eventually be some kind of bag. Congratulations Kristen! Your yarn will be waiting for you at the September Knit Night.

. . . . and ta da, this is what the KAL will be. "The Tolt Folded Bag", but Veronika Jobe. It is the perfect cotton tote, to carry all of your summer needs. It is light-weight, yet big enough to hold your sunglasses, a bit of cash, the sunscreen, lip balm, and a crushable hat. You can see why I need the perfect handle liner. It will stabilize the bag for carrying on your shoulder, as shown in the picture. HOOOKED is the recommended yarn for this bag, but I thought it was also the perfect T-Shirt yarn project. Creating your own T-Shirt yarn would be a practical and inexpensive method for creating these bags for all of your friends. They knit up quickly on extra large US 15 needles, so you could knit a bunch, in no time at all. The method for folding and sewing this bag together is genius, as it creates the perfect shape. I can't wait to get mine finished up and ready for use. Mine will likely be all worn out, but the time our KAL begins in the Fall.

Remember how I mentioned in my last post that I was starting a "Robinhood Jacket" for my grandson? Well . . . I thought I would share my current view at lunchtime. Here it is. I'm parked in my car at a Park near my work. I've worked for an Engineering Company for the past 15 years, and I've found this to be my favorite way to spend my lunch hour. I eat my lunch, and spend the rest of the hour reading a good book, and of course . . . knitting like a "mad woman".

Zeke's jacket is coming along. I've had to add a few sizes to the pattern, as the largest size provided is a Toddler 3/4. Zeke is 5 years old now, and looks more like a 7 year old. He is so excited for it to be finished, even though the temperature here in SLC is nearing 99 degrees each day. He has chosen a light blue yarn to go with this charcoal heather, for a striped scarf. It should all come in handy when he starts Kindergarten in the Fall. I'm sure it will even be great for Winter wearing in the snow. It is a really bulky yarn and will likely make a good coat.

This is a really poor picture, but you can see that I have finished the body and have started on the hood. Two sleeves, a tassel and 10 toggle buttons, and it will be finished! Then I'll be starting a second, in a smaller size, for my darling little grand-daughter. This time in Purple. It is always fun to knit with an unexpected color, that an adult likely wouldn't wear. I can't wait.

I've heard that it is difficult to leave a comment on this blog. I have tested it, and it seems to be working fine for me. Please leave a simple comment here, when you visit, so I'll know if something is wrong with it. Thanks for visiting and Happy Knitting!

Oh Baby -- Baby!

2015-05-29T10:45:00.000-06:00

I'm finished! Blessing outfits and knit blankets to wrap them in. We are ready for the special day.

"The Lotus Baby Blanket" by Shana Schasteen. I've made several of these little blankets in the past. Here is one in pink for Baby Zoey, and one in blue for Baby Zachary (they are folded on top of each other). Knit of KnitPicks Palette Fingering Yarn in Blush and Sky. It is a great pattern, although a bit confusing at first. It is knit on a circular needle. As it grows bigger, with your knitting, it creates a little bag, which is the perfect spot to carry your ball of yarn. However . . . because you cannot look at it laid out flat and catch your mistakes as you work. Thus, there are a few mistakes in each, that will just have to serve as my "humble spots".

This cute little guy has outgrown his hand-knit sweater, and has been begging me to knit him another. He just loves a loose cabled cardigan with a hood. He has picked out the yarn, and I've cast on in KnitPicks Brava Bulky in the color Cobblestone Heather (dark gray). He has also requested a striped scarf, which will be knit in Cobblestone Heather and Sky (light blue).

The pattern we've chose is The Robin Hood Jacket, by Zoe Mellor. I've knit this pattern many times, even adjusting the sizing for an adult. Here my daughter and daughter-in-law are both wearing their's.

He is so excited to get it. Even though the weather is much too warm to wear such a sweater, he asks me every day if it is done yet. I keep telling him it will be ready for his first day of Kindergarten in the Fall. My two-year-old grand-daughter also wants one. Her's will be knit in the same yarn, in the color "Fairy Tale" (plum purple). Her's will be knit second, but should be ready for Fall wearing as well.

These are the tease pictures I posted for our next "Knit Night" KAL. We'll be starting up our gatherings again in September, and this is what we will be knitting together.

Here is another picture. Can you guess what it will be? Write you guess in the comments. If you are the first to get it right, you will win 2 skeins of "Hooked" Cotton Yarn ($30 value), to make your own??? No need to be an attending member of our "Knit Night" group. If you are the winner, I'll send a copy of the pattern to you, along with the yarn. [I can only mail to those in the continental USA.] Happy Knitting . . . . . .

Relaxation and Knitting

2015-05-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted for a while, and that is because I've been too busy relaxing! I just returned from a 15 day Cruise through the Panama Canal.

Along with passing completely through the Panama Canal, we visited many ports: Cabo San Lucas, Porta Vallarta, Guatamala, Costa Rica, Panama, and Columbia. Would you believe there was also a knitting group on board? We met on each of the 7 "sea days". It was a really fun group, and I made some great new knitting friends from all over the world. You never know when you'll run into some fellow knitting enthusiasts. So . . . besides relaxing, I was able to get a lot of knitting done, and some good books read (see the "Books I've Read" tab above).

These two little darlings arrived just before our departure. Born on Sunday, we flew out for our trip on Tuesday. Welcome to the world, Baby Zoey Beth (6 lbs.9 oz.) and Zachary William (6 lbs. 10 oz.). I was thrilled to be there for their birth. Zach gave us a little scare, as he was born a full 20 minutes after Zoey. But everything went smoothly, and they are already growing like crazy.

What could be better than getting two new babies? One for each Grandma! Both babies look just like their other Grandma (Janet). They are both sooooo cute.

Here they are on the day they came home from the hospital. Both wearing the little suits I knit for them. Their hats are on backwards, but that doesn't matter. I was really happy they fit.

You may wonder what I was knitting, while on my cruise. This is it. Little blessing outfits for the babies. Small knitting projects are perfect for travel. These little projects fit perfectly into my cross-body bag, so I was even knitting on excursions.

At the end of my trip, I started a pink "Lotus Baby Blanket", by Shana Schasteen. I should be finishing it up tonight, and casting on for the second (blue) blanket. This is a tricky pattern, but so worth it, once you get started. It is knit on circular needles, so as the blanket grows larger, you can easily through your ball of yarn into the bag that is created on you needles, making it an easy grab and run project.

As always, my mind has started clicking away, about what my next knitting projects will be. I really need to buckle down and make myself finish up the projects from the Winter and last Summer, which are still on the needles. Hopefully, I'll find some self-control soon. I am just addicted to the planning stage of a new knitting project.

It is time to plant the flowers and the garden, and I've returned to my full-time job, which I really missed. So much to do, and so little time. I guess this is just my life's motto. Happy Knitting!

Spring has Sprung

2015-03-30T10:45:00.000-06:00

I just can't resist taking pictures of the tulips in bloom, each year. It is always such a joy, when the weather warms and all of the flowering trees are in bloom.

These tulips are growing in the planter boxes just outside my office. They are so pretty to look at each morning.

The Spring weather can be quite fickle here in SLC, but even with threat of frost, everyone is always in a hurry to bring out their shorts and tank tops.

Like always, we are planning our Summer vegetable garden, although it may not do as well as in years past, since I am sure we will be put on water restriction this year. It has been such a mild winter, with hardly a snow storm here in the valley. I hope we'll have enough water to keep our lawn semi-green.

We making a fast approach on the arrival of our new little twins. A new grand-daughter and grand-son (#7 & #8). I've been neglectful on my baby knitting, but do finally have a few things finished and wrapped.

This is the "Small Things Romper" by Carina Spencer, along with a couple of little newborn hats. My overnight bag is packed, and in the car. Just waiting for the call. We'll be leaving soon, for an extended vacation, that was planned long before these little twins were on their way. I'm just hoping I don't miss their arrival. I'm hoping the packed bag will hurry them along.

I have selected the patterns, purchased the yarn and have started knitting little Blessing Clothes for the two of them. These will be the perfect little travel projects. I've knit the 2 legs for the little boy's romper. I knit them both at the same time, on US 2 needles. Although it has just been a week, they seem to have taken forever. I've now joined them together and I'm knitting away on the body. A long dress and bolero will follow for the little girl.

If time permits, I hope to knit them each a blanket as well. The "The Lotus Baby Blanket". I've knit several of these little blankets, and they knit up really fast.

We've just been informed, that grandchild #9 is also on it's way. Being a Grandma is so much fun!

I hope Spring is shaping up to be a glorious time in your life too. Happy Knitting!