Monday, September 29, 2014

Happy Fall!!!

Is it fall for you?  It is officially fall here in Texas, but that does not mean much.  We have been bless with a little bit of cooler weather.  So yesterday the Hi yesterday was 85 and the low was 63.  We will be getting back into the 90's later this week....but the 85 and 63 degree temps have been welcomed!

So....whatcha knitting on?  Well, back in August, I started the Tan House Brook Shawl in a colorway called Queen of Hearts.....then, a couple of weeks ago, I had a friend come to SNB and she was using the exact same yarn as the contrast of a lazy girl sweater...so I ripped out my THBShawl and was going to do a lazy girl with it....but then, I did not have just the right contrast colors....so, I restarted as a THBShawl (it must have been meant to be).....



Then there is the Susanna IC MKAL...this is clue 3 done....sorry for the 2nd pics, the white of the yarn is a little washed out with my bed duvet/comforter in the background.




I also got some Hiya Hiya SHARP 9" sock needles.  I had some regular stainless steel needles, but wanted to try the SHARPS with the new Panda Li point protectors....these needles take a little getting used to...but I am told that if I stick with it, I will love them......



Trinh from Purl Pointe takes such good care to wrap your packages and always throws in some 'extras'


I won a pattern this week....from Hot Pink Socks Review, I won the Quibble for Girls pattern by Amanda Woeger.....I cannot wait to make the grand daughters this sweater....here is a picture stolen from the pattern, so the copyright is to niteowl on Ravelry:



I started that fox cowl for my friend.  I just have like 7 more inches and then to attach the ears (already knitted)....so I am hoping maybe I can finish tonight during Monday Night Football....we will see!


I got some new yarn for a SAL/KAL....now that is supposed to be a Spin A Long and then Knit A Long (with the yarn you spun) but being that I am not a spinner, the lady who dyed the fiber for this SAL/KAL also dyed some yarn for us non spinners...but I think it is just a matter of time before I give spinning a 'spin'.....ha, ha!


Darlene, aka AwesomeGrannie, came to SNB with her granddaughter, Peyton, this past Saturday.  I started to teach Peyton how to knit.  It was funny because Peyton said to Darlene, "Grannie, this is hard." and Darlene replied, "Well of course, if it were easy, boys would do it.".....that was so cute, I had to share!

Well, I think that is about all I have....sometimes when I recap the week it feels like I knit all week, but then when I post the pictures on Monday, it does not seem like that much....I guess that just means I need to knit more and knit faster!


I know I usually close with pics of my grands or of cute sayings....well this week I close with a picture of my two kids (A huge treat for me).....Yes, I know you have seen pics of Paige before, but not many of you have seen my son Erich...I try to see him as often as I can and so does Paige (he lives in North Texas)....well, Paige went to see him a few weeks ago....and they took a picture just for me.....I love this picture (of course, they both hate it).


Till Next Week.......Happy Happy Happy Knitting!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Same thing....different week!

Well, it is a new week, but I am still doing the same thing......KNITTING!  What have you been knitting on?  I got done with clue 2 of the Susanna IC MKAL shawl and I must say it is looking good and I am really enjoying it.  I am not much of a lace knitter, so I am a little surprised how much I am enjoying it.


Remember those awesome socks I finished last week and I could not decide on whether or not to give them to my niece?  Well, my sister said the second yarn was more her current school colors.....so I bought 3 skeins of the yarn


and I started some new socks for Grace


I am also planning on making the monster cowl with it and a smaller version of the sock head hat.....that is why I got 3 skeins.

Other than the mystery shawl and the socks, all I have been knitting on is Paige's sweater.....can you tell it further along?


I also have some stash enhancements.....Darlene of course had some new Halloween bags in her shop I had to snag....I love the one with the spider on the inside going down it's web....the outside of the bag is actually a light purple...lilac-ish...it is hard to photograph.



Then, I had a friend text me....and she asked if I could make her kids this:


So I went searching and I found the pattern here.  I ordered some Lion Brand Thick and Quick in Apricot, Fisherman, and Black....it should be here tomorrow so I can get started on this cute hat/cowl....this designer has tons of cute designs!!!!


Well, I honestly felt like I did a lot more knitting.....but I guess since I worked in 3 different things, it does not look like I have progressed much.....Maybe I can have more done for next week......

Happy Happy Happy Knitting everyone!




Monday, September 15, 2014

Happy Happy Happy Club Deliveries!

Hi everyone!  My blog today ha a title with club deliveries because I got two packages this week.  Both the Miss Babs Knitting Tour 2014 package and the Martina Behm Strickmich!Club pacakge were delivered this week....I also had a few other stash enhancements I will explain (is an explanation really needed?) in a little bit.

Here are the two club packages:

1)  Miss Babs Knitting Tour 2014:






2:  Strickmich!Club 2014:





Aren't they awesome!

After making a few dishcloths last week for the KAL with BagsByAwesomegrannie....I decided I wanted to make some more so I ordered some red and brown (colors of my kitchen)...so here are a couple of stash enhancements:



Then, The Loopy Ewe announced a new 'thing' called Loopy Academy....I was resisting and I was not going to join, but then my friend MK (Mary Kay) started talking about her doing Loopy Academy and before I knew it, items were in my cart and I was checked out.  There is a long detail here for Loopy Academy, but the bottom line is you need to make a Cowl with 2 colors in it in fingering weight, a hat in DK weight and some mittens in Worsted weight by the end of the year.  Here is my yarn:


The cowl will be in the red and beige self striping yarn, and the hat and mittens will both be in black (hey, I am not really sure who these will be for, and black goes with everything!)  I did start the mittens, but I only have like 2 inches done.



I finished my socks for my niece...but I have a small dilemma:  I asked my mom for her favorite colors and she told me red, blue and black....somewhere in my head, it took that to mean red, white and black....so know that these socks are done (and I love them).....do I give these to her?  OR.....get a skein of blue, red and black yarn and make her a new pair of socks?  There is no deadline for this....just because I love my niece (and nephew) and my mom thought she might like a pair of hand knit socks....

Here are the finished socks




This is the yarn I am thinking of getting for a new pair of socks for her.


What do you think?

I also worked on Paige's sweater a little...can you tell it is growing?

 I also started one sleeve, but Paige is always worried about the arm hole (at the underarm) being too tight...it said to pick up and knit 8 stitches at the underarm, and then do 2 decreases every 11 rounds, but I picked up and knit 14 stitches at the underarm and I am doing decreases every 9 rounds.


Then.......on Saturday it was Mystery KAL time....this is my second attempt at a Mystery KAL.....the first one I bombed, and frogged years later...I hope that does not happen this time.  This is a Susanna IC pattern and it is her 6th MKAL....I chose some awesome pearl lace yarn with clear translucent beads....I got my knitters ready, beads, and crochet hook and went at it.....


and at it.....


and at it.....


and at it.....

I am still not done....I have lots more short rows to do....bit I think it is looking pretty good....my lace yarn has a cute little hole thru the middle.....



Oh, and I also knit a little on my scarf swap scarf, but I cannot show you that.....till the recipient has it!


Before I share some great pictures at the end of my blog like I usually do....I want to thank Always Alice of the LSSK group.....I also want to give her credit for finding almost all of these pictures....not all, but almost....thank you Alice!


 (but just as addictive!)

Happy Happy Happy Knitting everyone!  I hope you have a great week!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Happy Football and Grandparent's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know that not many knitters out there are also football fans...but I am a football fan and I am SOOOOO happy that Football season is back.  I watched lots of games this past weekend and got lots of knitting time in.  My boys did not do so well, but that is okay....I got to knit while I watched them loose.....It was also GRANDPARENT'S DAY....did you have a good Grandparent's day?  I did!!!!!

I got to knit on lots of things this weekend......first up is Paige's Sweater


It may not look a lot different from last week, but I did add a few inches to it.


I had SNB at my house this past Saturday and it was a blast....Darlene even came over and we meet up with Jennifer who was a blast to knit with...and Darlene finally got to meet Bobbie of Bobbie Sox Yarns.  Carol and Evelyn were there too and we just had a blast.  I think it was one of the best SNB's ever......Well, Evelyn was working on her Lazy Girl....she tried to start hers in March of last year but she had this mental block....and then she taught herself continental knitting and in like one week, she was more than 1/2 way done with the shawl....it was amazing...and enough to get me and Darlene inspired to pull ours out and do some knitting on ours too.  I started this in March of 2013...it had about 10 repeats on it and now it has about 20 repeats.....I do love this pattern!


Darlene was a dear and blocked my clapotis for me because she has this awesome quilting wall that I told her would be awesome to block on...and so she and her granddaughter, Peyton, blocked it for me....it is super long!  Thank you Darlene and Peyton!




I am not sure if I have mentioned it...but I signed up to do one of Susanna IC's Mystery KAL's.  I met Susanna a few years ago at a local knitting group, and then got to know her better at a Fiber Retreat earlier this year.  I am going to do this pattern with some of my Black Pearl Yarn.  Not the exclusive kit I won a couple of years ago, but some lace weight I got a few Yarn Crawl's ago.  I did a swatch on size 7's but I thought the knitting looked loose and sloppy.....


This pattern also calls for beads, and I prefer size 6 beads over size 8, so I did another swatch on size 4 needles and I added beads and I think this looks much better.  So I am all set and the first clue comes out this coming Saturday.


Remember I told you last week I was going to do some socks for my niece?  Well, I got them started and I love them!!!!!!!




Oh....and while I was watching the Longhorns game, I had some friends come by....they have a little girl (I think she is about 9 years old...but I am not sure exactly)....and their daughter, Kimmy, saw me knitting....so I pulled out a hat that I had the ribbing started on (to teach someone else) and I taught her the knit stitch....she caught on super fast...and I told her to take it home and bring it back when she has about 5-6 inches done.....Next I am going to try to teach Darlene's granddaughter, Peyton (pictured above) to knit...she is 6 so a little younger, but I am sure she will do great!  Here is Kimmy knitting:


Lastly, it would not be like me to not mention my grandson, Antonio.  He starts a new daycare today and I cannot wait to see how is day went.  I baby sat him a little last week and he wanted me to make him a bed on the floor so he could sit with my dog, Precious.....so I did (using my Bed Lounger):


But then he decides that the bed is really much more comfortable than the floor (smart kid)!


Well, that is all I have....I feel like I did get quite a bit of knitting done.  Jaime was gone on his semi annual motorcycle ride with 'the guys' (where he forgot to pack the socks I made him).....and I had a very lazy weekend of knitting and football....it was awesome.  I wish I could do it every day....but, reality is that I am:


So remember:



Happy Happy Happy knitting everyone!!!!