There is NO WAY I can not have a skein of Red Heart Red around here. I am making the coolest hat for my friend's son (and then one for Nicholas the way it looks), and I've found nearly all the colors I need but no red in my entire house? That can't be right!
So I'm ready to start my first duplicate stitching attempt. After this I can officially say I tried something new. I just hope it doesn't look like complete crap, because then I have to remake the hat using intarsia (which I might try for Nicholas' hat). I've seen lots of people's projects that are duplicate stitched, and they look great, so there is hope.
Next up is Miss Dashwood from Knitty for Miss Lanie, then some super warm mittens for Mister Alex. It feels good to be knitting and reading so much!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, January 24, 2011
...And Felted
I felted the girls' mittens this afternoon, and they turned out beautifully, and perfectly sized. Which is good, because I got distracted while they were in the washing machine and forgot about them. Fortunately they felted down to the perfect size in one cycle!
I have to say, the Cascade 220 felted much better than the Lamb's Pride. The Lamb's Pride took 3 times to felt down--the Cascade did it in one, and you can hardly see that there was ever any stitching.
I'm also happy to report the girls love them ;)
I have to say, the Cascade 220 felted much better than the Lamb's Pride. The Lamb's Pride took 3 times to felt down--the Cascade did it in one, and you can hardly see that there was ever any stitching.
I'm also happy to report the girls love them ;)
Now I am a Good Mom
I have finally done something I wanted to do for a long, long time--all 3 of my children now have felty mittens. OK, so the girls' mittens need to be felted yet. But now they will have warm toasty hands until they lose them:
The pinks are Anna's and the purples are Emily's.
I used Cascade 220, and they are very thick and soft. I do have to say I used Lamb's Pride Worsted for Nicholas', and I so so love the way the twist looks on that yarn, and I think it's my favorite. Not that you can see how the stitches look once you felt it, but when it's done, I think it's beautiful. But Cascade 220 is much softer than the Lamb's Pride.
I just signed up for the Sock Yarnista Club at Three Irish Girls . I decided I work hard (Hey, I made about $7500 last year--it took 3 jobs, but I still made that much money. hahaha) so I can spend $32 a month for some enjoyment. Now I just have to keep on it--my goal is to make a pair of socks every 2 months. I think that is doable, and I haven't made socks in ages. I plan on doing a lot of traveling, so socks are a good travel project.
The very cool thing about this sock club is that you actually get a choice of colorways before they send it. I've never heard of that before ("You get what you get, and you won't throw a fit." I mean, we're sure you'll love it, but if you don't, you are stuck with it) so I am really excited to get that email!
My next knitting conquests? I want to make my friend Jess' kids mittens or hats. They are little, so I am hoping (fingers crossed!) they go quick. I love making kid stuff, and my kids don't always appreciate it. At least I know Jess will appreciate it, even if her kids are going, "Oh great. Mittens." HAHAHAHA
I also am going to see if I can get back to my February Lady Sweater. I have to see how much of my yarn survived the Great Moth Invasion of 2010. Or I could be restarting...which would be fine, but then I have to go through the pain of choosing yarn again. It's bad enough the first time.
Oh well, I'd better get ready for work.
The pinks are Anna's and the purples are Emily's.I used Cascade 220, and they are very thick and soft. I do have to say I used Lamb's Pride Worsted for Nicholas', and I so so love the way the twist looks on that yarn, and I think it's my favorite. Not that you can see how the stitches look once you felt it, but when it's done, I think it's beautiful. But Cascade 220 is much softer than the Lamb's Pride.
I just signed up for the Sock Yarnista Club at Three Irish Girls . I decided I work hard (Hey, I made about $7500 last year--it took 3 jobs, but I still made that much money. hahaha) so I can spend $32 a month for some enjoyment. Now I just have to keep on it--my goal is to make a pair of socks every 2 months. I think that is doable, and I haven't made socks in ages. I plan on doing a lot of traveling, so socks are a good travel project.
The very cool thing about this sock club is that you actually get a choice of colorways before they send it. I've never heard of that before ("You get what you get, and you won't throw a fit." I mean, we're sure you'll love it, but if you don't, you are stuck with it) so I am really excited to get that email!
My next knitting conquests? I want to make my friend Jess' kids mittens or hats. They are little, so I am hoping (fingers crossed!) they go quick. I love making kid stuff, and my kids don't always appreciate it. At least I know Jess will appreciate it, even if her kids are going, "Oh great. Mittens." HAHAHAHA
I also am going to see if I can get back to my February Lady Sweater. I have to see how much of my yarn survived the Great Moth Invasion of 2010. Or I could be restarting...which would be fine, but then I have to go through the pain of choosing yarn again. It's bad enough the first time.
Oh well, I'd better get ready for work.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Felty Goodness
Yay! Another FO for this year, and this one I feel pretty good about. I finally finished some felted mittens for Nicholas--and they turned out great, if I do say so myself.
Before:
After:
Of course, black Lamb's Pride is pretty easy to felt, so we'll see if I do so well with the girls' mittens in Cascade 220.
Nicholas loves them, which makes me pretty happy. Now if I could only put gps trackers in them for when they get lost--although Nicholas IS my most responsible kid, so hopefully these will last. Anna I am anticipating mitten loss in about a week. But if I worried about her losing stuff, I'd never knit her anything.
Emily is having her first sleepover at a friend's house tonight. She couldn't be more excited...I am hoping that there are no 2am calls in the near future. She's slept at Grandmas' houses, but never a friend's house...but she's a brave kid, so I'm not too worried.
Brian and I are planning a trip to Vegas next month for our 15th wedding anniversary. It will be the first time in over 11 years we've gone anywhere extended by ourselves.
Before:
After:
Of course, black Lamb's Pride is pretty easy to felt, so we'll see if I do so well with the girls' mittens in Cascade 220.
Nicholas loves them, which makes me pretty happy. Now if I could only put gps trackers in them for when they get lost--although Nicholas IS my most responsible kid, so hopefully these will last. Anna I am anticipating mitten loss in about a week. But if I worried about her losing stuff, I'd never knit her anything.Emily is having her first sleepover at a friend's house tonight. She couldn't be more excited...I am hoping that there are no 2am calls in the near future. She's slept at Grandmas' houses, but never a friend's house...but she's a brave kid, so I'm not too worried.
Brian and I are planning a trip to Vegas next month for our 15th wedding anniversary. It will be the first time in over 11 years we've gone anywhere extended by ourselves.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
First FO of 2011
Yay! The only good thing about a funeral an hour away is the knitting I got done on the drive. I've officially finished the first of (hopefully) many objects this year. Picture to come as soon as the recipient gets it...I don't want to ruin the surprise!
Now to work on the mate to Nicholas' first mitten. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Now to work on the mate to Nicholas' first mitten. :)
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Saturday, January 8, 2011
At my Funeral
There is very little in this world that makes me more upset than making someone do things for "appearance sake". I could give a crap about "what people think", honestly. Guilt trips suck, especially when no one can give you a good reason why.
Anyway, Brian's step grandma died. They were not close. So we were off to the funeral. I had no desire to go, I wasn't asked to go, I was "required" to go...mind you, this is Brian's dad's stepmom...Brian's dad died 5 years ago, and he had a family before he met Brian's mom, so they have all always been "second best". So what did we get today? Snubbed by Brian's halfsister during the "passing of peace" at church. Now, if anyone could use some peace, it is probably her. Or a sharp smack to the head, which she almost got from me today.
So it got me thinking about my own funeral watching this elaborate charade for someone they never called "mom" or "grandma", but can now pretend they are all upset about her death.
1. Do NOT buy me a casket and put me on prime real estate. Cremate me the cheapest way possible, and scatter my ashes. If you have to, buy a marker at a mausoleum. But here is a hint: I'm not there. If it makes you feel better, I am claustrophobic and I hate cold and dark places. Don't bury me.
2. Speaking of me "not being there", these are guidelines I think make good common sense, but I'M not there, so don't worry about what I would think. Wherever I am going, I'm gone. Do what you gotta do.
3. Take whatever money you were going to spend on a funeral bemoaning the fact that I am gone and have a good old fashioned Irish wake/party. I want everyone to have a shot of whiskey on the house, and tell happy stories about me. There should be a couple (I hope).
4. Do NOT under any circumstances guilt trip someone into going to my party, or make them feel shitty if they don't go. There are people that simply cannot deal with people dying/funerals/etc (like me), and no one should feel bad if they don't show up. Once again: I AM NOT THERE AND DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE THERE OR NOT. However, you can let them know I said they are missing a hell of a party.
5. Please, for the love of everything holy or not-so, do not have some clergy member get up there and pretend that he knew me and talk nice about me from what a few people told him and what he read in the obit. What a waste of time and pretty much a joke. Get up and tell whatever stories you want about me, the funnier the better. That's who I am, and that's how I want to be remembered. Not that, "She loved knitting" because he read it in the paper.
6. Speaking of obits, mine had better be fun. I know that people think it's so wrong to have anything but the regular run of the mill obit. Please don't let the funeral home guy/newspaper guy/etc talk you into anything but what you think I'd want said about me (unless it needs to be edited for a "family paper"...I get this). I know that if it's really wordy it costs more...this is why I have life insurance--for the party, booze and the write up in the paper.
7. Most importantly, I'm not really gone. Not that I am anticipating haunting anyone or anything, but as long as you remember who I am, and remember the good times, a part of me keeps going, whether it does on another plane or not.
So that's it. And if anyone gets out of line or is being a bitch at my funeral, please feel free to smack them in the head. You can use the life insurance money to throw your bail in the event of an assault charge. ;)
Anyway, Brian's step grandma died. They were not close. So we were off to the funeral. I had no desire to go, I wasn't asked to go, I was "required" to go...mind you, this is Brian's dad's stepmom...Brian's dad died 5 years ago, and he had a family before he met Brian's mom, so they have all always been "second best". So what did we get today? Snubbed by Brian's halfsister during the "passing of peace" at church. Now, if anyone could use some peace, it is probably her. Or a sharp smack to the head, which she almost got from me today.
So it got me thinking about my own funeral watching this elaborate charade for someone they never called "mom" or "grandma", but can now pretend they are all upset about her death.
1. Do NOT buy me a casket and put me on prime real estate. Cremate me the cheapest way possible, and scatter my ashes. If you have to, buy a marker at a mausoleum. But here is a hint: I'm not there. If it makes you feel better, I am claustrophobic and I hate cold and dark places. Don't bury me.
2. Speaking of me "not being there", these are guidelines I think make good common sense, but I'M not there, so don't worry about what I would think. Wherever I am going, I'm gone. Do what you gotta do.
3. Take whatever money you were going to spend on a funeral bemoaning the fact that I am gone and have a good old fashioned Irish wake/party. I want everyone to have a shot of whiskey on the house, and tell happy stories about me. There should be a couple (I hope).
4. Do NOT under any circumstances guilt trip someone into going to my party, or make them feel shitty if they don't go. There are people that simply cannot deal with people dying/funerals/etc (like me), and no one should feel bad if they don't show up. Once again: I AM NOT THERE AND DON'T CARE IF THEY ARE THERE OR NOT. However, you can let them know I said they are missing a hell of a party.
5. Please, for the love of everything holy or not-so, do not have some clergy member get up there and pretend that he knew me and talk nice about me from what a few people told him and what he read in the obit. What a waste of time and pretty much a joke. Get up and tell whatever stories you want about me, the funnier the better. That's who I am, and that's how I want to be remembered. Not that, "She loved knitting" because he read it in the paper.
6. Speaking of obits, mine had better be fun. I know that people think it's so wrong to have anything but the regular run of the mill obit. Please don't let the funeral home guy/newspaper guy/etc talk you into anything but what you think I'd want said about me (unless it needs to be edited for a "family paper"...I get this). I know that if it's really wordy it costs more...this is why I have life insurance--for the party, booze and the write up in the paper.
7. Most importantly, I'm not really gone. Not that I am anticipating haunting anyone or anything, but as long as you remember who I am, and remember the good times, a part of me keeps going, whether it does on another plane or not.
So that's it. And if anyone gets out of line or is being a bitch at my funeral, please feel free to smack them in the head. You can use the life insurance money to throw your bail in the event of an assault charge. ;)
Friday, January 7, 2011
Squee!!
In case you haven't found your way over, you really should pop in on DBNY.com. Every year they have a Cherry Tree Hill yarn sale. I love Cherry Tree Hill yarns...I think they are my favorite sock yarn. So I picked up 2 very cool skeins that cost me $12 each. The first 200 orders got Goodie bags--I ordered at 12:45am EST January 1st, so I figured I'd be on one of the 200 ;) Fortunately for me I was and got a whole lot of happy in the mail today!
First, the skeins that I ordered. Won't the Red and black make GREAT Badger socks??
Then I got some BEAUTIFUL Ivy Brambles Romantic Merino lace...1000 yds. The stuff retails for $26--more than my total order for sock yarn--and it's so soft. I love the buttery-ness of the color. I also got some Spangle--it's rayon-y and has little sequins in it. It's kinda cool and soft, but I have no idea what to do with it yet. I bet I could dye it!
Then I got ball of Jam from Knit One Crochet 2 and 2 balls of Fizz by Crystal Palace. The prices marked on them are over $25. I am not a big novelty yarn person, but I am thinking my cats will like some cat toys.
I also got this cute little 50g skein of CTH Louet gems Merino in Winterberry. It's pretty, and I think I can use some add-ons from my stash to make some cute sockies for Emily.
I got 2 patterns too...one for some Possum Swag Socks from CTH and another one for a tank top.
So it's a good day--and I've been knitting...but this is the only view you get so far! :)
Have a great day! Hope your 2011 is going great :)
First, the skeins that I ordered. Won't the Red and black make GREAT Badger socks??
Then I got some BEAUTIFUL Ivy Brambles Romantic Merino lace...1000 yds. The stuff retails for $26--more than my total order for sock yarn--and it's so soft. I love the buttery-ness of the color. I also got some Spangle--it's rayon-y and has little sequins in it. It's kinda cool and soft, but I have no idea what to do with it yet. I bet I could dye it!
Then I got ball of Jam from Knit One Crochet 2 and 2 balls of Fizz by Crystal Palace. The prices marked on them are over $25. I am not a big novelty yarn person, but I am thinking my cats will like some cat toys.
I also got this cute little 50g skein of CTH Louet gems Merino in Winterberry. It's pretty, and I think I can use some add-ons from my stash to make some cute sockies for Emily.
I got 2 patterns too...one for some Possum Swag Socks from CTH and another one for a tank top.
So it's a good day--and I've been knitting...but this is the only view you get so far! :)
Have a great day! Hope your 2011 is going great :)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year
Happy New Year 2011. I'm kind of sad to see 2010 go...all and all, over the past few years, 2010 was not all that bad. But maybe 2011 will be good too :)
I'm very excited that I will be going on a couple of trips this year (after going on none last year!) In October I am going to visit Thora, and we are going to Rhinebeck! I haven't seen Thora in years, so I can't wait! Rhinebeck is just an added bonus. My friend Lisa also wants to get together, so we figure we'll both drive halfway and meet in the middle.
Resolutions--ah, this again. I DID start a sweater for myself...I just didn't finish it. Just in general knitting-wise to knit more. That's it. I have hardly knitted the last half of this year, and that's just no acceptable...I need to get my butt off the computer (as I say this from the computer!) and knit more. I did do some knitting today, so I'm happy. But it's a surprise, so no pictures ;)
And that's it from this front. Still loving my job, might go out for my birthday tonight, still pretty happy, so that's something!
I'm very excited that I will be going on a couple of trips this year (after going on none last year!) In October I am going to visit Thora, and we are going to Rhinebeck! I haven't seen Thora in years, so I can't wait! Rhinebeck is just an added bonus. My friend Lisa also wants to get together, so we figure we'll both drive halfway and meet in the middle.
Resolutions--ah, this again. I DID start a sweater for myself...I just didn't finish it. Just in general knitting-wise to knit more. That's it. I have hardly knitted the last half of this year, and that's just no acceptable...I need to get my butt off the computer (as I say this from the computer!) and knit more. I did do some knitting today, so I'm happy. But it's a surprise, so no pictures ;)
And that's it from this front. Still loving my job, might go out for my birthday tonight, still pretty happy, so that's something!
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