Finishing a couple little projects

I'm feeling very proud of myself these days. I'm finishing projects rather then simply starting more.

These are my fingerless mitts. A pattern by Danielle Kessner called Veritas, Equatas (rav-link). I love them and happen to be wearing them as I type this. :) Tapestry crochet is very enjoyable and not as daunting as it may look. This won't be my last project that's for certain. Danielle has another pattern called Cloister that I love and think will be my next project.

The Gymnast is on a sock monkey kick and asked if I could make her a hat. Needless to say she LOVES it! Luckily I got this picture of it when I finished it because it hasn't left her head since. Now the Fey-Goth wants to have one as well. So I'm going to pick up a ball of gray today and make another one. The pattern is supa easy and it's done out of bulky so they whip up really quick.

So much for not starting any more projects...

Teddies for Tragedies

The news is full of heartache and terror in Haiti these days. When the immediate need of medical, food, water and shelter has been answered then the healing can begin.
If you are not aware of Teddies for Tragedies then please follow the link. It only takes an evening to knit one of these little bears.
I have been trying to find a knitting charity for this year. "A little charity knitting is good for the soul,"my mother used to say.
Previously I knit the Pneumonia Prevention Vests. The side bar link, under "Free Patterns," will take you to the pattern on this blog. This post receives the most hits on our blog and I hope many vests have been donated as a result.

Back to the Teddies. The web site link will take you to the pattern page. They are very simple to knit as they are primarily garter stitch. For the following bear I used 2 strands of 4 ply Shetland wool, left over from Michael's Heritage Vest and a 3.75mm Addi needle. The knitting needs to be dense so the stuffing won't show. The following is a pictorial representation of the written instructions.:


Knit two legs separately
Knit across the tops of both legs and continue for the top of the pants.
Change to the colours of your choice and knit the body.
Back to the teddy colour and in Stocking stitch knit the head (I knit 18 rows)
Now reverse the process and knit the "back."
Fold in half and Sew up the side seams of the head and pick up the sleeve stitches. Knit the arms.
Stitch across the "corners" of the head for the ears. these will not be stuffed.
Now, knit the other arm. sew up the seams leaving an opening for stuffing. The directions suggest leaving an opening at the inner leg. I find the outer leg seam easier to sew up after stuffing. Embroider the face and you are done.
I will post a picture of the finished guy as soon as I can get out to get some poly stuffing. Great ways to use up left over sock yarn!!
If you are in the London, St Thomas area of Ontario, the bears can be dropped off at Little Red Mitten.

The world's most awesome mug!

Mum and I both got one of these mugs from Matt & Sophia. Aren't they the sweetest. It saves a lot of time and energy. Instead of trying to explain that you are in the middle of a difficult pattern or counting rows you can simply lift your mug and the intruder gets the hint. LOL
If you would like you own here's the link.
This picture is a bit of a twofer. One, it shows off my uber-awesome mug. Two, it shows my newest project. I'm on a crochet kick right now after taking the Jacquard (tapestry) crochet class last weekend.

When I finished my thummed cowl (picture below), I had yarn left over so I'm tackling another of Danielle Kassner's Patterns. A pair of fingerless mitts called Veritas, Equatas (rav-link). After working on the cowl where I was balancing 2 strands of yarn and pencil roving, this glove is almost easy. LOL Also I've been able to use up some left over fingering from a couple old projects.

I'm very happy with the way my cowl turned out. It's really warm as well, perfect since the temperature here has taken a nasty downwards turn again.

~Daughter #1

Guaranteed Knitting Time

Things have been very sad here in Nantyglo. We have not had a good start to year 2010. My wonderful Mother and adored Granny Ann has passed from this world.
She used to say that her "Mam" used to say, "These things are sent to try us." Well, I have been well and truly "tried" over the last 8 days. Enough that the emotional me got beat up now the physical is hurting as well. If I heard once I heard 50 times, from her friends, "Oh your the knitter." She wore every sweater I knit her with pride and she told everyone where it came from. I was the luckiest daughter in the world to have her.
Friday evening I had a nasty fall in the side hall. It is a miracle I didn't fall down the basement stairs. Turns out it is not broken but badly sprained. Too bad really a brake heals in a given time a sprain lingers on and on....crap.
Once you have one of these (above) no one expects you to do anything other than knit.
My mother always said, " There is a silver lining to every cloud." I find knitting soothes my mind and my body.

Doncha love my jammies? My grand daughters picked them out for me because and I quote," I am the funnest Grami."

So this is the "Lovely Sophia Sweater" finally on the needles and progressing nicely. Zara is like knitting with butter. Soft Mmm I love it. I have one complaint. Get with the program people ...50 gm balls??? I mean come on. I would like to petition for a 200 gm ball.
I am just about at the end of the first ball. Do you know how many ends that is going to be?
Above the knitting you will see the new toy I got from my friend Sandy. It is by Clover and is the greatest counter I have ever had. I took a few moments at Christmas and made my self a snazzy cord so it hangs around my neck and the numbers face up toward me. Wonderful I love it. (I know it is lime green, but no, Corinne you can't have it).

In the "Welshwomen Who came Before" I give you the following picture, which my brother came across in my mothers papers.

The little girl is my grandmother's sister Mary Ann, on her right is Granny Jones, (you can't be welsh unless you have a Granny Jones, lol), on her left is her grandmother Sarah Rosser and behind her is her mother Hannah Hale. Four generations before my mother. Just a bit of trivia I thought I would share.

How to spend a snowy Sunday afternoon

I signed up for a class at my LYS, Spun Fibre Arts . I was really looking forward to learning something new. After loosing my Gran on Saturday, to be honest, I wasn't feeling particularly social. My plans for the day revolved around sitting in the corner of the couch and crying into a cup of tea. BUT Gran was a practical person and she would have been the first to kick my ass for ditching a class I had paid for. After much deliberation, I decided to go after all. I'm glad I did it was a lot of fun. I met people I only knew through name on Ravelry and learn something technical enough that it kept my mind and fingers busy.

I attended a crochet class taught by designer, Danielle Kassner. (Lauracroft on Ravelry)She was teaching us how to do Jacquard (tapestry) crochet and create a thrummed cowl. I'm making mine out of Louet Gems with Briggs & Little pencil roving inside. you can't really see in the picture but the red is actually a purple and red twisted together called Red Current. I love it and plan to make a pair of mitts to match. Okay, I want to make all Danielle's patterns! I'm in love with her Gryphon. (rav.link)

I'm still playing around with it, getting used to balancing 2 strands of yarns as well as the thrumming. So I'm not entirely certain what the designs will be when I'm done. LOL We got snow yesterday and it looks like the temperature will be staying below 0 for the foreseeable future. At least,my neck will be warm.
~Daughter #1

Day One

My front door ...too pretty not to share.

Finally we have some snow ... for the New Year at least. Carl has gone to work so once I have finished posting here I am off to finish his grey socks.

Thrilling news. Work on the Heritage vest progressed to this ....in the last couple of weeks.

First I decided to crochet up the steeks and then cut them. As you can see I was being cautious and ended up with freaking huge steeks. The crochet line had to be removed and the steeks trimmed down to a more manageable size but I leave it here by way of pictorial explanation.

This picture should be right up there with Friday the 13th. Scissors AND knitting. It was very scary.
Washed and blocked at last I give you the back and the front. In reality it is a little lighter in colour. The wool is wet. I read an interesting article that said the beauty of Shetland wool is that it is "sticky," which is an excellent description. The wool has a fine halo, ergo, the stitches do not "run" like cotton.
The extra steek stitches had to be drawn out one stitch at a time. Well, now I know for next time. I doubt that I will steek again. This was meant to be a Heritage Vest so it is fitting that it was done in the traditional method. I am just to fussy about "ends."

He specifically asked for a deep "V" so he could wear a shirt and tie. Pictures "in situ" on the human to follow later.

My last completed project for 2009!

As soon as the yarn arrives for the Queen Susan Shawl pictures will be be posted here. I will leave the progress bar up for a while on the Heritage vest. I just want to revel in the 100% for a while.

P.S. If I have a fault or a weakness ( It depends on the situation) it is that I trust people. So I got a message on Ravelry from a woman who wanted some Opera cotton. The same cotton I used for my Welsh Daffodil Tea Cloth. Anyway the long and the short of it is I sent her a package with 5 balls of Opera cotton. Now she has deleted all her information from her Ravelry account and I am out about $40. in yarn and postage. I have her name and address and I would really like to think that she is sending me a money order. BUT saner minds prevail. Why did I think knitter's had more integrity than non knitters? More the fool I. So do I waste the money on another stamp and write her a letter? I do so hate being made to feel like an ass....again. I will never hear the end of this if Carl finds out.

Concentration has gone all to .....

Here I am right where I did not want to be. The Saturday before Christmas and Michael's vest is not finished. My whole knitting plan has gone out of the window....sigh

I am not happy with the steek treatment on his sweater and I am trying to soldier on. My mother has literally been ringing God's doorbell this week and that last minute decided not to move in. The emotional upheaval has been astronomical. I have a stiff neck and a frozen shoulder which makes knitting hard also.

My shopping is not finished. Baking isn't going to happen. The house looks like a tip and I have laundry to do. Tomorrow is back to the hospital to visit with Mummy. Today I have to go to the mall "the minute it opens" in the hopes of avoiding the insanity that is Christmas shopping. My budget is shot all to ---. No credit cards to fall back on so I am trying to figure out how to stretch a dollar even further. This is going to be creative.

I downloaded a pattern from Knit Picks for this bag. Only $1.99...ok $2.11 by the time tax was added. I see a stash reduction happening in the new year.

There are some interesting knit along projects for the the new year one is 10 shawls in 2010. Woo Hoo. Now there is a challenge. I will be working on the vest this afternoon in between laundry loads. Pictures to follow.

I've been a bad, bad, blogger....

I know I haven't contributed anything here for AGES.... Part of it was because of a book deadline. The other was because I had so many projects on the go, I didn't have anything finished.

Happily, edits are done and I finished some projects. *G*

Remember last year I was all about the hats. This year...Cowls. I'm taking a class at SPUN for a crochet thrummed cowl. Doesn't that sound cool? It's on the 30th. Pictures to follow after.

This is called "Cowl at the Moon" (Rav.link) I love the elegant swoop around the neck. It's all done with short rows that you cannot see. An easy knit ta ht I'll be doing a couple more of.

This is the Crofter's Cowl(Rav.link) and it's for my girlfriend at work. She loves that shade of gray.

This is one of a future pair of mittens. I really, really, detest fairisling but I loved this pattern. It's called Icewine Mitts. (Rav.link) My tension on them sucks bad, but I don't care 'cause there for me.
This is my contribution to HAT SPARRING, a non-lethal form of HAT ATTACK. Personally I'd have changed the pattern so that the cables show on the flipped up bit and on the crown, but the rules are to knit as written.
Finally, my socks I started on the train to Montreal all those months ago. I love the colours on them and they are really cozy, especially since I made them extra tall.

So that's it for now. I'm actively working on the miles and miles of border to accompany my Steampunk shawl, and my Hubby's Skull sweater. Perhaps a couple more cowls and a pair of socks or two. Look for more pictures in the new year. ;-)

~Daughter #1

I put it in a safe place....

How many times have I said that? My youngest has been known to reply with,"Mom, if you used the same place everytime this wouldn't happen." Bless him, he knows not where of he speaks. You can only get so much wool in the cedar chest.
Let me explain. Back in Connecticut last August I bought 2 balls of all the colours for this vest and four balls for background. Last night I finished ball #3 of the grey. You guessed it. While I was knitting someone must have broken into the house and put the other grey ball somewhere else. Cause it wasn't with the other colours. I looked in the closet, in all the knitting bags ( I have a plethora), top shelf in my den (which requires standing on a chair), behind my knitting chair, bed room closet, sock yarn stash, drawers in the secretary........panic is setting in...I know I bought four...I begin doubting myself....bad sign.
My mother always says,"If you have looked in the likely places and can't find something look in the unlikely places." Found it!!!! in a bag of bunnies I was going to dress for Christmas but will now be dressing for Easter. Don't ask... me I have no idea how it got there.

Half a motif to go and it will be time to crochet the steeks and then get out the Really Big Scissors. I will be sure to post pictures of the proceedure. Those who are faint of heart may look away.

Knitting with a hot needle

Pictures will be added later, suffice it to say I am knitting furiously on "THE" vest for Michael. I thought I had every thing planned out to the row and now it appears I need another motif to gain the required length. Grrr.

I have decided to crochet the steeks before cutting them. I have used the sewing machine in the past but want to try something new. I haven't even touched the double knitting scarf in over a week. Carls WMBSE is at the heel gusset on the second sock. woop-d-do

Once the vest is done the next big project will be the sweater for MOI out of the teal Galway wool. Me thinks Carl is looking for another sweater. The last one I knit him, an Elspeth Lavold Silky Wool, dk, with cables, was too short in the body and I have no more yarn to lengthen it. (weeping softly) So there it languishes on the shelf.

I found this picture and I am not sure if the needles are being stored this way. Perhaps it should be labled, "What to do with the straight needles you no longer use." I see a hot glue gun taking part in this project. I offer this for the crafty reader. If your into it I could donate an appaling amount of needles to the cause. Ugly little buggar isn't he? Not exactly something you could "kootch up" to.