Happy New Year

OK, I know I'm a little late, but Happy New Year!

Brian and I did go out for New Years Eve (the first time in about 15 years I think) but it was a bust, and I was sick (self induced) the whole next day, so I won't be doing that again. We started at Sergios Restaurant, where they were doing country karaoke (I decided anyone can be good at Country Karaoke. I didn't have nearly enough drinks in me to get up and do it though). Then we went to this little dive bar in Menasha, where the clientele were a little old and a little rough. But they had food, we had a table, drinks were cheap, we should have stayed. My brother decided we should go meet his friends at the Waverly, where they had a band. And a $10/person cover charge. And no free beer (as a matter of fact, beer was $4 a bottle!). And they weren't going to let Brian in without his ID (which is pretty hysterical) Anyway, the band could have been better, the beer was expensive, and my Sister In Law invited her friend who just broke up with her baby daddy (again), so she spent the night sobbing. Oy.

Live and learn.

I have finally uploaded my Christmas pics to share:





Anyway, I have been working on Judy Gibson's Butterfly Bows sock pattern (also in Socksx3) for Anna. I am done with the first one and a quarter done with the second one. They are turning out nice, and you can see how pretty the Regia is knitting up. I had this yarn in my stash for ages, trying to figure out what to do with it--It's as pretty as I thought it would be.



Today is getting a haircut for Nicholas (It's too long), finding new snowpants for Anna (they're too short) and anticipating my birthday tomorrow (I'm too old). I'm going to lunch at a fancy schmancy restaurant downtown with Maureen from work, then I'm going out that night to HuHot with the kids. So that will be fun! And maybe I can sneak to Iris Fine Yarns and see what I can pick out--of course I need all my money for a new cell phone, but heck! Birthdays come once a year--yarn is forever LOL!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas to my knitting friends!! I hope that Santa was good to you, and you got the gift certificates for more yarn that you wanted! :)

The reactions to my gifts you ask? I knew you would. Here is a breakdown:

Jamie: (the SIL, made the SIL hat) "It's nice. I'm not going to try it on, because it will wreck my hair, but I think it will fit."

Dad:(the Seaman's Cap) "It's too big."

Mom: (the felted mittens): "Great. Now I have 2 pairs of warm mittens."

Mother-in-Law (felted mittens): "Very nice. Thank you" (and puts them back in the bag. I don't even know if she knew I made them. She didn't even look at them.)

Let's just say I hope next year that I have enough money to BUY people gifts. I will make gifts for my friends who knit and know how much work and love I put into them.

My dear husband took the kids to my relatives for a little bit, since it appears that I am getting the flu. So I am going to go lie on the couch for a bit.

I hope everyone had a better Christmas than I did!! :)

Happy Day-After-Festivus (Christmas Eve)

I was going to post yesterday, but Brian had a paper to finish for school, so my computer privileges were limited yesterday! I was going to call my Mother-in-Law up for the "airing of the grievances" but I was a good girl.

I finished all my Christmas knitting yesterday (whew!) I could have done more, but I said "Nah!" I am going to start my gma's hat that I have been putting off and I already started a pair of socks. I'll take a picture of those soon. I am using some pastelish-Regia yarn I have been wanting to knit up forever, but never got around to. It is knitting up as beautifully as I thought it would.

I had quite the adventure with my mother-in-law's mittens. For whatever reason (It was 2am, yadda yadda...) I mattress stitched one seam with the right side out (like you are supposed to) and one inside out. The result was a hideous seam on the outside. I couldn't hide it, and didn't notice it until they were already felted. I was going to make another mitten, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it. For one thing, I am tired of mittens. For another thing, it is for my MIL, and she isn't going to like them or appreciate them anyway--but I didn't want to not give her my best work either. So I took a chance and ripped out the seam, sewed it up again and hand felted just the seam--and it worked! Here is a picture of the terrible seam as I was ripping it out:



So here are my photos. Here are my Mother-in-Law's mittens, unfelted and felted:




Here are my mom's mittens, unfelted and felted (they are so soft--when I get out of my mitten-funk I am making a pair for me!):




Here is my brother's KC Chiefs pillow (no accounting for taste):

So now I just have wrapping to do, which I'd better get to before Brian comes home with the kids. They are sledding--our snow was about to disappear in 40 degree temps until we had a nice little snow storm yesterday. The snow blew sideways, and we had 50 mph gusts. I tried to take a picture of it...not great, but here is what I came up with:


So I'm off to wrap! The cookies are baked and the necessary knitting is done!!

Merry Christmas to you!!

Christmas Knitting, Part 2

I finished the Sister In Law hat for my SIL Jamie. It turned out really great (although hard to photograph in black.) What a great pattern--thanks Kody May!




I am also working on a scarf to go with it. The nice thing is, I can feel good about having the hat done for a gift, so if I don't get the scarf done, it's ok.



Next up is mittens--my mom, my MIL and Brian. Brian wants his before Christmas, so I will work on them next (he wants some nice warm mittens to go sledding with). Actually I think I'll make Nicholas some first. He has been slighted on my knitting adventures lately--his sisters got new mittens and Anna got a new hat, so it's his turn.

I am tired of knitting with black--I will be happy when these main presents are done (and I sew my brother's KC Chiefs pants.) and I can go back to knitting with pretty colors. LOL

Christmas Knitting Part 1

I've just been working on getting some Christmas knitting done. I tried working on the ornaments for Nicholas' teachers. Only the ornaments that I usually use (and like) are on the other hard drive, and I don't have access to it (I should take a picture of the computer I'm using. It would be amusing if it wasn't so sad). So I hunted on the web, and found..not a whole lot I liked.

So I thought, "Jean Greenhowe!" I started a Frosty Friend snowman. I got the bottom done (40 rows, size 2 needles, you get the picture). I did the decrease for the neck, thought of doing 17 more rows of white and another 16 for the hat, plus the arms, plus the facial features, plus the cane, AND another one, saw that it was already 9:30 pm the night before (Of course it was) and I had to work the next morning (of course I did) and started to make a little gift doll instead.

I got the body done and an arm done and couldn't take it anymore. It looked crappy. And my patience was thin. And it was 11pm.

So I bought them plants at Walmart. Case closed.

Yesterday and today I worked on the Seaman's Cap for my dad. I like it, and I highly recommend the pattern to anyone looking for a good basic hat. I think he will hate it. And he already told me he wants money for Christmas. OK, you really don't have to ask what kind of a father tells his extremely broke ("Uh, Mom, can I bum a roll of toilet paper off you?") daughter that she should give him money for Christmas. "Alright Dad, here is the $3 I spent on the yarn for your hat. Merry Christmas" *sigh* Anyway, I think it turned out great. If he never wears it, I will sneak it from their house and bring it home for myself:



Next up is the Sister-in-Law hat(aptly named!) for my SIL Jamie. If I have time (and I am so inclined...both of which probably have a snowball's chance in hell) I will make her a scarf too. Mittens (the big Lopi ones) for my Mom and MIL. KC Chiefs pants for my brother (these are sewn. I am not daring enough to try to knit them.) Something for Anna's teacher (Maybe the $5 plant at Walmart again, as by this point next week I will be rocking in a corner, still with knitting needles in hand)

Winter has arrived

All of the sudden, out the window, it looked like this:



I can't remember the last time we had snow this "early". Sounds strange in Wisconsin, but a few years ago it seriously didn't snow until February! Good thing there's no global warming! We're supposed to get another 2-4" tonight, and possibly another storm on Sunday. Gentlemen, start your snowblowers!

So I made Emily a pair of mittens (exactly the same as Anna's--Jiffy yarn, Ann Budd book, just a smaller size).



And I quick finished up a bonnet hat for Anna this morning (started it last night). I found the pattern at cheapknittingpatterns.com. It cost me 99 cents. I used some stash Woolease in Tartan Twist.




Today--Christmas ornaments for Nicholas' teachers! The only hard part is all my ornament patterns are on the old hard drive I can't get to, so I am starting from scratch trying to find some. Everyday is an adventure!

Mitten Knittin'

It's going to get fargin cold here in Wisconsin the next few days--with snow. So I am frantically trying to get mittens and hats made for the kids. The first pair I made were from hot pink Woolease for Anna. Unfortunately they were too big for Anna...and I am SOOOO tired of frogging. So now I am blessed with a pair of hot pink mittens. They'll be lovely with my blue coat LOL:


I got out some yarn from my stash and let Anna pick what yarn she wanted her mittens made out of. She picked some baby blue fluffy Lion Brand Jiffy yarn.


I was amazed how well it knit up--very soft with nice tight stitches. I started and finished those today--and now have to start an identical pair (only thankfully, in a smaller size) for Emily. I'm using Ann Budd's Handy Knitting Patterns book. When I first got this book I never used it....I was so not into using a pattern that wasn't exactly written down word for word. I'm still not great at improvising, but I can "improvise with a recipe".

Nicholas also had a birthday. I can't believe he's 5 already! He had a part with his little friends from Preschool. And if Nerf guns were made of gold, he'd be the richest kid on the planet.