I found my next project finally! It's a lovely hat, top and pants set for baby Anna, done in waffle stitch. I don't plan to use waffle stitch for mine tho, I'd like three little cabled owls on the shirt or perhaps a color pattern instead.
I'd post the pic of it, but the URL doesn't paste well at all, so not sure I should use someone else's pic without that. I'll just wait and post my finished work instead. Suspense is good!
My pretty new sock yarn arrived yesterday from Knitpicks.com, but...I need a new set of dpn's to accomodate it. I'd love to find some size 3 USA Inox dpn's. I haven't used Inox yet, it would be fun to try them.
Yep, I'm obsessing quietly with my yarn so the usual chaos at our house won't drive me mad. And it's going to be chaotic for quite a while, since two of our kids are planning to combine their family efforts to revive our old home. (My husband and I moved from there to a wee, cozy cottage with 20 acres for our retirement, all of four miles away!) It's a monstrous house on about 11 acres and we're all oddly fond of the place, so we cling to the fantasy of restoring it. I love the pond there...lots of memories of kids and moonlit swims on hot summer nights. The old swamp willow that shaded our favorite fishing spot finally surrendered to age and my husband made a beautiful wooden jug from a little of the tree. So it really isn't altogether gone.
And now our grandchildren laugh and swim and fish in the pond while our children remember...

Oh..and while I wasn't knitting today, I made a few more needles. The darker set is red oak.
They make nice gifts, my mother likes the ones she got for Christmas. Ulterior motive there, I was gently enabling her new knitting skills.

They're fun to make, so I don't flinch when Corky hides one under the sofa.

I am going to knit some baby pants. I was very sure of this until I got to the part that gave instructions to knit 'em.
Apparently my inability to follow simple instructions (or in my case, destructions) has carried over into my knitting. This gives me two options. Or three. 1: I can scream hysterically and bury the evidence of my ignorance deep in the trashcan. (Tempting!) 2: I can drive smarter knitters crazy trying to explain these quantum theories that are blithely called patterns. 3: I can do what I usually do-bury the destruc..umm... instructions in the bottom of the trashcan and make up my own pattern as I go.
I like the third choice, it's always an adventure and someday I'll learn to follow a pattern without weeping helplessly amid piles of yarn.
AND...I'm going to make myself a sweater. Or I will as soon as I figure out where Corky spit out my homemade (yes...it's homemade, suits me fine, is biodegradeable and toothmarked by the pooch) cabling needle. Oh...that and I learn how to cable where I'm supposed to. I'd rather do one in Fair Isle but the yarn I happen to have is a dark green wool. And some brown, couple grey...no..I don't buy yarn with a project in mind, I buy yarn that that feels wonderful and wants to cuddle.
Fair Isle is wonderful fun, by the way!! And for the first time in my life I'm so VERY thankful to be ambidextrous! It makes things easy and neat! Maybe this week I can get more nice colors to complement the dark green.

Yes!!!

I did it! I made a Button and it works!!! Now ain't that purty!! I like the brightly colored one best.

Yep..this is getting rediculous...
These silly little mindless hats are great for very small kids tho, they can put them on easily and not have them flopping over their eyes.
Meantime...am wracking my brain for a new project while I get rid of scrap yarns.
If I make gifts with wool the recipients will inevitably forget and drop them into a hot washing machine. Instant and efficiently felting said items...but I'm tired of synthetic yarns.
What to make, what to make...hmmm.

And..voila! As I whisk his hat off for a quick scan...

And then there's the Hat...one of them, the other's on the little one's head at the moment. Bet they won't mix this one up at the Nursery, lol. Quick, easy and fun way to clear out the leftover yarn bits that collect in the bottom of the stash bin.

The infamous Shawl is done!! Still needs washing and blocking and fringe, but it's officially done! At least the knitting part, which I was getting a bit tired of the thing.. And then, while reclining in my recuperative sloth, finished a new hat for the littlest grandson and am halfway thru the next one as well. I'll stick a pic or two up soon as I can, the new printer apparently can read the camera chip and do the pics from that. At least I hope..
It was a definite learning experience. Next time I tackle a thingie I "see" in my mind, I'll work it out on paper first.

Having overestimated my strength and recuperative abilites this week, I knitted for a couple days. That ghastly orchid pink yarn that looked so wonderful on the moniter is ...ghastly. I slog onward tho, armed with a ton of kool ade for when it's finished. The dye test swatch turned out a great color, so there's hope!
I learned a few things in the making of this shawl. My attempt to put some texture and design into it is a definite learning process and however this monster turns out, I'll treasure it for that at the very least. I should have started at the top and worked down, to insure it tapered porportionally into a triangle...and probably will work out some basic arithmetic next time. It's a bit elongated so far, so the increases should have been consistently more increased. Doesn't help that I can't really tell the shaping, since it's overgrowing the needles. I'm using my dear old Addi's for this.
I did get a set of the Denise Interchangable and fell totally in love with them. They've never come apart in the knitting, but they snap together so easily I'm constantly afraid they'll snap apart just as easily. I'll get over this in time, lol, they're almost too comfy to be real.
Having corrupted my crocheting mom into learning to knit, she needed a circular needle or two, so I passed the old Needlemaster set to her. Mom will be 83 in March, she's going great guns with the knitting challenge.
I kind of miss the old set, (probably one of my sentimental things) but I have a few Addi's and absolutely love them and the Denise kit.

Ouch!

Trip to hospital and had bit of surgery. Back when feeling stronger, but am home today. (Yay!)
Remember me grumbling that my tummy hated me lately? It got really mad at me again Monday night so I wimped out and went to the ER. They removed nasty gall bladder yesterday, lol. (Owie!) It's been sore and chronically inflamed for quite a long time, but I attributed that to adhesions from the exploding appendix episode ages ago. (I never really get sick, but when I do, it's an epic.)
Why am I sitting at the puter? Cuz...this is most comfy chair in the house...and I ain't gonna try getting in bed til I find all the pillows.
Toby (bless him!) got most of the tile laid in puter room while I was loafing around and fending off nurses with sharp objects. He forgot I wanted the under-stuff under the tile so not sure how that's going to progress. On the other hand, doubt I'll be in here yanking anything up this week. (Sigh of relief from beleagured familykins...)
This post is probably a little incoherent, I still have Gecko vision.

Okay, I have to admit, the baby blanket is very pretty! Here's a scanned shot of it.
(Of course I still have to put the strips together..next time I'll forego the "portable" and just make it all one piece.) Matter of fact, I think I might make a couple more of those.
And..while goofing around, I discovered a way to make moebius scarves on a circular needle (that I won't have to seam..) and it's fun! Cat Bordhi shows how to do that in her Magical Knitting book I think, but since I don't have that book, I just goofed with it til it happened. Think spiral..cast on...knit one row, join that, then pick up another round and knit from there on.. Spiral happens. I'm sure that sounded perfectly clear as mud. A nice long corded circular helps, short ones won't do as comfortably.
I promise to put all this stuff together and have dear Toby snap some pictures so you can see. It's one of my resolutions.
Now...what to do with 9 balls of green and 3 more balls of brown acrylic/wool blend? Got that blend on purpose, so as not to accidently felt something by accident. Somewhere there is a nifty afghan idea that won't tax my brain too much, but will still be fun. I'm searching...suggest something!

It was a most lovely Holiday here! I wish such a heartwarming time for everyone out there.
Kids making noise, toys making noise, family chess games, more kids making noise, tons of food, more toys making noise, lots of laughter and people I love..yep, it was a lovely time.
Be well..and I'm going to totally goof off today, we've earned it. Feet up, clutching my knitting (finally I get to knit something just for us) tv on some silly movie..pour us a cup of tea and join me!
(Matt, thank you for signing my Map! I bet it's freezing there!)

ACHOOO!!!!

I haven't finished a thing, have had to tink back on the baby blanket a few times..(what was I thinking when I was counting those rows??) and spent a few days miserably sneezing, honking and sipping tea. Not to mention having two teeth filled.
There's so much that needs doing! That's probably why I catch the yearly head cold in December...trying to do everything at one time is apt to plummet energy levels and immunities into the negative realm.
Next year will be different! Honest! (uh huh...)
The baby blankie will be so lovely.... knitted in strips, so it's quite portable to work on.

Regarding aforementioned tiny sweater...

I love knitting...I absolutely hate putting the parts together.
Got one sleeve attached tho, this is progress....and am working along on a strip of lacy stuff. It's pink (yes, the new baby is a girl, we're rather sure) and white strips sewn together to make a little blankie.
Presently looking for a wool soaker pattern that I can convert into some kind of bottoms for the baby so it matches the sweater.

This bright morning....

Morning dew on gossamer...it reminds me of a lovely story of the faerie wedding and the little mousewife.
On one of those pale golden mornings when the light is so clear that the hayfields blend into the dawn and obscure the idea of horizons entirely, the news traveled quickly.
By chirp and whirr, by wingwhisper and squeak it traveled. The creek tickled the stones with the news, the trees told the winds and the birds told everyone that would listen.

Sweater done! (Mostly..)

The little sweater is done, all it needs is putting together and some pretty little doodads done on it. Soon as I get time...
I found the cutest sweater pattern, the three cables on the yoke look like little owls with button eyes. My plan is to make the yoke and if all goes well, I can pick up the stitches and do the remaining sweater. It's a wonderful little design! I love owls, so it would be just perfect.

And as for knitting..

I'm working diligently on a baby sweater for the fifth grandbaby (due in March-April'ish) and..I don't know what's otn in that basket. There's socks and sleeves and a frogged griffindor scarf, a few hats (one is pinstriped, which is a fun experiment) an eclectic mishmash ofyarns...my plan is to organize the mess this week.I've discovered the neatest trick with a rectangle that's half split to form a wrap. After the baby sweater, I plan to knit one up and write it down as I go. It's almost an open-front poncho, but since it's the same width all the way, with just that split thru half of it, I hope to work it in semi-lacey stitches. My ability to figure out stitch repeats lace doesn't yet extend to triangular shaping.

October was a lovely month..

A wedding topped it all off!
Amanda was all glowy and it went so smoothly with plenty of laughter.
Grats to Toby, Amanda and little Taylin!

Aha

A work in progress here! And I'm adding my new tag for storage!