Bye-bye '07, Hello '08! One Project done, a new one cast on!

Well, a Happy New Year to any and all who may read this!
My completed project, as of last night, December 30, 2007, the "Waiting Room Socks." Here they are, in all their glory:

A bottom view: Between "Second Sock Syndrome," the holidays and the Bass Section hats for Chicago, I was beginning to think they'd never get done. But done they are.

And now, for my next cast on...Michael's sent out a mailer for their current sale, 30% of all yarn!! And a 50% coupon good for one regular priced item...so I bought Mason Dixon Knitting (yay!) and enough yarn to knit up a Log Cabin Moderne! I bought this yarn:

It's brand new to my Michael's (at least around here) and to me. I liked the way it felt in the skein, a little more weight and body than Simply Soft, and quite a bit softer than Red Heart. I was thinking Vanna's Choice, as I've heard some good things, but I preferred these colors. Of course if I had the budget, I'd have gone nuts at Tempe Yarn and Fiber, but that's just not in the cards right now. Hopefully it will wash well!! I'm going to swatch it up today (if I ever get off this computer) and decide on a needle size.

I'm hoping to get several projects done this coming year. I'd like to complete the Log Cabin, and an afghan for Naomi (the Babette Blanket, as mentioned in earlier posts.) Also I would love to do a pair of socks every (other???) month, and complete the projects to the right. Beyond that, I have a HUGE Ravelry queue, and would like to try to do a project or 3 from there:) Maybe begin my first sweater???

The kitties are looking forward to being spoiled for another year, and I think Frosty has a future in computers, or at least computer decor:


By the way, notice he's on Ravelry!!!

Well, Happy New Year, once again!

Christmas come and gone...

Well, I got through another Christmas. While I am so amazingly grateful for the birth of Jesus, since Mom died in October of 2005, it's just been really tough.

We had a nice, quiet family time this year, really all I want or can handle. On Christmas Eve, we got the tree up, and baked some cookies. The day before, Naomi and Anthony did a bit of decorating in the house, they were so sweet. We also made the fudge and divinity that day. Yesterday we opened gifts, talked on the phone with a few friends and family, and had Mat, Tabitha, Brennan and Austin over. We did our brunch with them, then hung out and watched movies and played games. Cassie worked, and when she got home she joined in, and we exchanged gifts with her. Ron, the kids and I never got out of our jammies!

Frosty got into the spirit, investigating boxes. I wasn't quick enough with the camera to get a pic when he was inside the box, looking out at me, but here he is snooping around it!

And here is little Austin Shane, on his very first Christmas:

Now it's time to get to enjoying the vacation time with the kids! And back to getting to work on finishing some of the UFO's!

I seem to be drawn toward afghan projects, so I'm hoping to do some. I want to make a throw for my cousin and her new husband, who ran off and got married. Congratulations Nicole and Lance! I need to make the Babette Blanket for Naomi, as mentioned in an earlier post. I also want to do a Rambling Rows afghan (for Cassie), a Log Cabin Moderne (for ME!!!) and for Brennan, a Joseph's Blankie of Many Colors.

And, of course, Ravelry keeps inspiring me and giving me multitudes more ideas....that queue just keeps growing!

Christmas rush...finally back to my socks!

Well, DH and I did our shopping yesterday, finally. With finances what they are, it was as minimal as possible.

In trying to get everyone together to do anything in the way of baking and decorating (no, I don't have a single light up!) I have discovered how things change when you have teenagers. Josh got back from the trip on Friday night, went out last night, and will be gone to a party and a gig tonight. He seems to think we can cram it all into Christmas Eve. Sigh.

As for my knitting, I'm working on the gusset decreases on the waiting room socks. My Ravelry queue keeps growing, especially with big projects (i.e. afghans and more afghans, plus a couple of sweaters from the Starmore book I checked out from the library...I think St. Brigid may be the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!!). My feet may never get warm again. I didn't buy any socks this year, thinking I'd knit a sock wardrobe...I've been wearing lots of thin and holey socks. The next pair up is New England from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. I love the pattern, and they look so warm done in a sport weight. I've got 2 skeins of Nature Spun Sport ready to go!

Today is fudge and divinty day, they need to set, and I will want some when we trim the tree tomorrow. Sorry Josh. We'll do the spritz cookies tomorrow.

If I don't post, I wish any and all who may read this the merriest of Christmases!!

Josh is off...scarf done, but no photo!

Okay, so the Obnoxious Orange Scarf did get completed, even though I was knitting at 2 in the morning! My hands are so stiff I can barely type today! Stuff just kept getting in the way of my getting it done! But done it is. As soon as he either gets back or sends me a photo, I'll post it. It was a simple k4 p4 rib, in RH Super Saver "Pumpkin." It should be called "Traffic Cone Orange" or something. If I ever see a pumpkin that bright, I'll assume it grew near a nuclear power plant or something. I used the yarn left from the trim of his Camo Earflap hat.

As I write, the Orchestra is on the plane to Chicago, the bass section with their bows and hats, and everyone else with their instruments. Basses are being provided for them their, thank God.

Josh was so excited, and I'm excited for him, I only wish I could go, too. Here's Josh and a couple of orchestra buds on their way to a previous clinic:

A Truce!!!

Well, it's been pretty cold this week, and the boys have been scoping out whatever blankets are around. This fleece on is a feline favorite. I put it on my chair for Beasley, whose old bones suffer in the cold. (Beas is the dark ball of fur hiding his head!) Next thing I know, Milo is snuggling up with him. This isn't surprising, as they nap together occasionally. But when Frosty joined them (the cushion on the chair is one of his very favorite spots), I thought I'd have a heart attack. They were SO cute, I had to get a photo. Or two:

Of course, when Beasley woke up (about 3 hours later), the cease-fire was officially over! Oh well, you can't have everything, I guess...

Bass Section Hats DONE!!!

Well, I got the girls hats done! This is Molly's:

I did it in RH Super Saver in the hot pink, with some black acrylic from my stash. I crocheted the flower, and added a black sc border for some contrast. I opted out of a tassel on this one, and did the braided long tassels on the sides.

Here's Shandon'sThis was my first "fair-isle" experiment, and I'm pretty happy with the results! I did an i-cord on the top, adding the purple in, and double-stranding it, endid with a tassel. The side ties are also i-cord.

Now it's off to finish the Obnoxious Orange Scarf. I've decided to name it that officially, thus the capitalization!

I looked at my ticker, and I am stunned that Christmas is a mere 2 weeks away. Please excuse me for a moment while I go in the bathroom and scream at the top of my lungs....

Guess I better be off to do SOMETHING Christmas-y!!!

What's new...tea poll closes today

I'm moving right along on the hats! To keep it interesting, I've been doing something a little unique with each one. I made this one second. I striped it, and decided on a tassel for the top, rather than a pom-pom. I like the result:




I did this one next, and did an i-cord knot on top, and did i-cord on the sides, instead of braiding the yarn. It looks pretty cool, I think.

I'm almost done with the first hat for one of the girls.No pics yet, but soon. I'm doing a bit of fair-isle (my very first, and without instructions!) on one, and will probably do a flower on the other!

I'm actually having lots of fun with the hats, and will insist on a pic of the whole bass section together, in hats!!!

Today is the last day to vote in the tea poll!

Knitting Hats like a Crazy Person! Big Crochet Project(s?) on the Horizon...

Okay, so I am knitting the hats for the whole bass section of Josh's orchestra. On his dime...I'm about 2/3 of the way through one. I will post pics when I can. He even took "orders" for colors...knitting round and round and round for the next week!

As for the new project, I've been trying to find an afghan Naomi likes forever. I was cruising Ravelry, and saw the Babette Blanket, check out pics on Flickr here, and a gorgeous Hexagon afghan, pics here. She's rejected everything I've shown her so far, so I didn't think she'd like them, but I did, and wanted to make one for myself. She LOVES the Babette. Her room is in aqua, teal and other cool colors, so I'm thinking that's what I'll do, then she saw this. So I'm doing one in warm colors like these. She'll have the afghan longer than the room, so I'm good with that. It is gorgeous. Oh, and of course, me, who LOVES (dripping with sarcasm, btw) finishing, will be making this in 2008. I ordered the back issue of Interweave Crochet, so I could get the pattern. (IW Crochet, Spring 2006) And I still want to make one for myself (similar to this colorway...and Josh (who already has an afghan, btw) wants one (he likes this). Maybe I'll get him one before he goes off to college. Oh, and Ron digs the hex...link above. Funny I'm in a knitting obsession, and here come some enormous crochet projects....will my "waiting room socks" ever get done??? Will any of my socks ever get done????

I know the furbabies will love all this "afghaning," lots of yummy warm yarn to sleep on!

Only 4 days left to vote on the "What's in Your Pot?" poll!

Fastest FO in a long time!!! It's RAINING!

It's raining...it's actually raining. In Gilbert. In Arizona. The desert. How cool is that? Two weeks ago it was about 90 degrees.

The downside is, my fibro does not like the rain. The rest of me loves it. You folks in the Pacific Northwest probably aren't impressed. But I love the rain. Probably because it's such a rarity in my life. Perfect knitting, sleeping, reading hot cocoa or tea weather!!! (Speaking of tea...the poll closes in a week!)

Oh, and the Camo Earflap hat is DONE!!! An FO in less than a week. Maybe I'm slipping. My knitting ADD took a sabbatical. I don't know, but it is done, and done in plenty of time. Note this day, it may never happen again. Of course, now Josh wants me to make one for ALL the bassists in the Orchestra. That would mean 4 more hats. Before December 17. I find out today if this is something the rest of them want to do....and I was all set to do a scarf (already cast on in that truly obnoxious orange!) and possibly wristwarmers to match. Oh well, we will see. Here's the hat in all it's pom-pommed and tasseled glory:

Off to knit on aforementioned scarf.....

Cloudy Days, Earflap Hat Movin' Along! 8 days left to vote

So here's the masterpiece so far, on the head of it's intended wearer! I still need to make the pom-pom for the top (in the bright orange) as well as long, braided tassels (also in the orange, with some of the "camo" mixed in) for the ear flaps! I have a nice big skein of the orange, which I am going to knit up into a ribbed scarf, possibly with a bit of fringe. Josh is ready for the ear flap tassels to be about 4 feet long...I'm thinking more like 9-12 inches....

Today was a very November-y, overcast day. I don't think I've seen any sun. Quite different for the AZ desert. Good tea, reading, and knitting weather. Not too bad for blogging, either!

I checked out Debbie Macomber's book Susannah's Garden on Monday, and finished it yesterday. Since Susannah was mentioned in the latest of her knitting books, Back on Blossom Street, I wanted to get her story. A nice, quick read. I figured out the "mystery" within the book maybe halfway through, but I still enjoyed it.

The kitties are loving the weather, all except poor old Beas, his arthritis and the cold don't mix too well. I need to get him back on his glucosomine. It's good snuggle weather, so they all pull up an afghan or a lap, and nap their furry little buns off. Milo and Frosty are trying to work out sharing our bed with us. First one in seems to get my side, the other get's Ron's. Beasley likes the blanket on the sofa downstairs, so he usually doesn't come up 'til it's time to yell at me for breakfast.

The tea poll closes in 8 days...vote even if you don't drink tea!

Prayer Shawl is Done, New WIP, don't forget the poll!

Well, I finally finished Gloria's Prayer Shawl. I hope and pray she will feel God's love and comfort wrapped around her. I'll get it off to Oklahoma today.

These are the photos I took while it was blocking. The pattern can be found at Elann.com-Pacific Waves Shawl.

I cast on a new project yesterday. It's the Camo Earflap Hat from Knitty Gritty. Josh and I were watching one day, and he thought it would be a cool hat to wear for the Chicago trip in December. (His Orchestra was invited to the Midwest Orchestra Festival-a big deal!) Since we live in AZ, and he won't get a lot of wear out of it later, I substituted the called for yarn with something a little more economical. It's knitting up fast!! My first hat, and I like the progress so much, I doubt it will be my last! Here's what I got done yesterday:

The yarn color is "Woodsy." There will be a bright orange border, pom-pom and tassels (a sort of "hunter's" theme.) I will be using "Pumpkin" for those. I find it funny that Josh wants these, since he's such a tasteful guy, normally, but he's going kitschy for the trip.

There are 10 days left to vote in the tea poll-if you aren't a tea drinker, there's a place for you, too!!! I leave you with a cool tea quote:

Strange how a teapot can represent at the same time the comforts of solitude and the pleasures of company. ~Unknown

No shopping for me today! Take my tea poll!

I know lots of Americans are out shopping the "Black Friday" bargains. Me, I'm home, putting fun stuff on this blog. As you can see, I've put a countdown to Christmas up!

Also, there's a poll to the right and down a bit. I have my little "What's in My Pot Today" blurb up, and I got to wondering what's in everyone else's. So take a sec to vote! Although I have a pot of the Irish Breakfast every morning, my afternoon cup can vary. Right now I'm sipping on a double-bergamot Earl Grey, with a bit of Splenda in it. It smells wonderful, and is really satisfying.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving, with the four of us, our nephew and his wife and two boys, and our niece, Cassie, who lives with us. Tabitha, Mat's wife, made a yummy pecan oatmeal pie, and I made pumpkin pie, of course. We had turkey with all the trimmings and it was fun to have baby Austin and his brother, Brennan, who is 3. Though I'm in the midst of a pretty decent fibro flare, I was glad to have us all together. I think Thanksgiving may be my favorite holiday, less commercial and more family and God-focused.

I was pretty pooped from all the cooking, so I didn't really get any knitting done, although I've begun the heel-flap on my pink socks today. I'm hoping to get to the heel-turn by tonight, and finish them by the end of the weekend.

I bound off the prayer shawl, it just needs washing and blocking, then I'll send it off to Oklahoma. That leaves me with 3 WIP's. Josh wants a hat for the orchestra trip to Chicago, so I may have to put aside the others for now and get that done. I'd like to do a scarf to go with it. He wants the camouflage ski hat from Knitty Gritty on DIY. I will probably substitute an inexpensive yarn for the Lorna's Laces that the pattern calls for, since we live in the desert, and he won't wear it much after the trip. I know Bernat makes a camouflage yarn, so that's probably what I'll use. I might even brave a trip to Joann or Michael's to pick it up this weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving

Just a quick note to wish any and all who read this today a joyful feast and a Happy Thanksgiving. I pray that God will bless you all.

I am so grateful this year for my wonderful family. The blessing of my faithful man, my awesome kids, a healthy new great-nephew (Happy first Thanksgiving, Austin!), all my nephews and nieces. I'm thankful for my furry children, without whom my life would be so much emptier and lonelier. They bring so much comfort and joy.

Another chapter in the saga of Cats and Yarn, Zoe goes hi-tech,and some knitting progress!

As I photograped yet more of my stash for Ravelry, Frosty could not be left out!

Of course, being the pretty boy he is, he simply struck a pose!

Being the cat he is, though, he couldn't resist getting paws on with all that lovely string!!!

Of course, since this is my yarn eating cat, I had to take it away as soon as I snapped this!!!

I really like the photo on the left, it shows his flamepoint mask better than any I've taken. Most of the photos I have, he looks white.

There was a low-cost microchipping clinic at the local Pete & Mac's on Saturday, so Zoe finally has entered the computer age! It's a real relief to know that if she got loose (God forbid) and didn't have her collar (yikes, naked puppy!), she could still find her way back to us!

Despite the busy-ness with the furry fam, I did make some headway with my knitting! I've finally gotten over second-sock-syndrome with my pink and white socks, hooray! It started Wednesday in the waiting room at the lab...I had to get some bloodwork done, and apparently so did the rest of the town! I only had my first row done, but got a good inch or so of cuff there! Then the doctor's office was running behind, so I worked on it for a good hour and a half. Did some more on Saturday, here are the results:

Simple Sock in Three Sizes

From Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles by Cat Bordhi,

knit in Marks & Kattens Clown

I also got about 8 more rows on my Prayer Shawl (no new pics, sorry). Not bad, considering I had to tink back about half the width of the shawl twice yesterday! (One should not knit lace, even simple lace, while on the phone!) All in all, not a bad knitting weekend!

Cats and Yarn, the ongoing saga...

Okay, so I'm trying to get my Ravelry profile looking good, and had a few minutes to photograph some of my stash. So I try to get just a little artistic and pull out some tablecloths to make a nicer background for my yarn.

Milo reminded me why I don't keep tablecloths on my tables most of the time. Nosy, playful cats who like to play hide and seek. He also reminded me, with Beasley's help, that cats, not yarn, are the appropriate subject to photograph. (How COULD I have forgotten!)

In the above photo, Milo was still okay with checking out the tablecloths.
Then:

Look at ME!!!!

And, of course, Beasley HAD to get in on the action...

I may be old, but I look GOOD! Gimme some of that yarn!

All this before 10 a.m. on a Saturday!

LYS trip today....

So, I had a Dr.'s appointment today in Tempe...about 20 minutes or so from the house. How lovely that this particular Dr. is close to my favorite LYS-Tempe Yarn & Fiber. I do some shopping online, but there's nothing quite like touching and seeing the yarns in person. The lovely thing about TYF is that Terry and Fred even encourage fondling! The only no-no is drooling, wouldn't want to felt the wool, you know! They are so gracious and helpful. Of course, I fell in love with a bunch of yarn I really can't afford right now...but restrained myself to two skeins of Nature Spun Sport...I want to make the "New England" socks from Nancy Bush's Knitting on the Road. The pattern calls for Koigu Merino...not in my price range, and all my fingering yarns in my stash are too fine a gauge. I bought a tan color-almost a light brown, really, called Bev's Bear. I thought it would show the stitch pattern nicely.

I also stopped by another LYS on my way home, as they carry Elsebeth Lavold's books, and TYF doesn't. They didn't have the one I want, but will call me when it comes in. It's her 13th book, which I want for a pattern I saw in an ad in the Vogue Knitting 25th anniversary issue-it's called "Grove," and it's really beautiful! Yet another pattern to add to my ever-growing queue on Ravelry!!! I don't know how I'll ever knit all the patterns I fall in love with...or find patterns for all the yarns I fall in love with!!! Every knitter's delimma, I suppose.

Yarn Eating Cat....arrgh!!!

Okay, so look at this adorable angel...

Is that the face of destruction????

This little darling chewed through the working yarn of a prayer shawl I've been working on for a few months!!!!

Thank goodness the little termite didn't eat the shawl itself...I REALLY need to get it done, and had been working at a nice clip. I was so bent out of shape, I didn't think to get a picture of the drooly, chewed end.

Here's the shawl itself:

The photo isn't the best quality, I took it with my cell phone

.

The pattern is from Elann.com, it's the Pacific Waves shawl.

I'm using Red Heart Super Saver Yarn in

colorway Cherry Chip. It's actually a much nicer color than the photo shows. Because the gauge of the yarn is quite a bit heavier than the pattern calls for, I modified it by doing fewer waves so that it would be fit for a human being, rather than Bigfoot!

Kitty Wake Up Call!

I LOVE this little cartoon! To all who share my love of kitties:

Notice the damages to furniture and other goodies. The joy of my Friday was Frosty chewing through the working yarn of my prayer shawl, right in the middle,when so far I had managed only to change yarns at a new row. Sigh...

Austin Shane is here!

Well, Austin made his appearance at 9:42 a.m. I guess he decided he wasn't going to wait until Thursday. He weighed in at 7lbs. 10oz, and was 20 3/4 inches long. The pics were taken with my phone, so you can't really see his hair color too well. It's brown, with some golden tints.

As you can see, he found his thumb right away!

Welcome to the world, little guy:)

Yea for Ravelry!!! Austin on the way?!?!

I figured out the photo glitch on my Ravelry page...so for anyoned interested, my ravelry name is knitteakitty!

Well, my great-nephew, scheduled to be born on Thursday, has a mind of his own. Mom has been in early labor for at least 2 days now...so we may be at the hospital today:) I'm so excited to be able to be there for the birth.

Austin's Blankie

I completed the afghan for Austin Shane, who should be here any moment now. The birth is scheduled for the 8th, though he's been trying to get here in the last 24 hours, so who knows.

Anyway, here's the photo-I modified the pattern a bit, so there's sort of a ridge bordering the granny squares. I can't decide if I like it or not. But it's soft, and will be nice and cozy, so hopefully Austin and his mom and dad will approve.

Now all I have to do is figure out how to get this photo onto Ravelry...

At last...Homecoming photos

Okay, they finally made it...

My son, Josh, and his date, Arielle.

Naomi and her boyfriend, Anthony

Aren't they the cutest???

I finally got my Ravelry invite:) Homecoming and Halloween, too

Okay, so I am on ravelry now!!! My screen name there is knitteakitty. So if you want to be Ravelry buddies, that's my "handle." Now I REALLY have to get this picture thing rolling!

Thid kids had Homecoming this past Saturday...I'm waiting on DH for my photos, he takes his camera everywhere with him....time for me to get a digital of my own! They looked so cute...photos ASAP.

We had quite a few kids for Halloween, though I do have some leftover chocolate (TOO bad!) Lots of Hannah Montana's and Star Wars characters. Zoe loved handing out candy...though I think she really wanted some for herself. Naomi and Anthony handed out...and watched scary movies with us. I fell asleep during the Omen. 1408 was pretty good....gotta love John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson! It was hot yesterday, a typical Arizona Halloween.

Check out my furry fam!

I managed to add some pics of the furry kids! Aren't they the cutest!! Now I just have to get some photos taken of some of my WIP's so you'll know I really do knit!

I'm actually really pleased at how well the pictures came out, I took them with my phone...I don't think the knitting will translate as well, though...not enough detail.

It's about time!!!

Okay, so I waited almost 2 years to post. Life is like that sometimes!I seriously doubt anyone has read it anyway:) Hopefully that will all change.

In my knitting (uh, in this case, crochet) life, I just finished an afghan for my due-at-any-moment great-nephew, Austin Shane. I'm over halfway through a prayer shawl, and have 2 pairs of socks on the needles. I also have an entrelac bag going (something for ME). I also have a bunch of pattern ideas in the works for my stash (which I'm desperately trying not to add to.

As soon as I learn how, I will post some pics!

It's been really nice the last couple of days, in the 80's, it feels like fall to me!!! I want to go get my pumpkins and make something with gravy!! It's supposed to go up to the 90's by the end of the week...boo hoo. I want to wear a sweater already!