And hat finished :)

Quick knit hats always make me smile and I think that is why I have knit so many lately.

 

Blocking the fool out of the Rivendell Hat from Ravelry.  I didn't use hardly any of the skein, it was crazy fast.  This is a very airy hat for the milder mornings....not for frost biting cold.

 

And in the mail today was my WPI (wraps per inch) tool I found on Etsy.  I purchased from 7 Yaks Design  and they shipped so fast and it was a total of $2.14.  Can you believe that?  Wonderful!!!  Now I feel so important!!!  I don't have to fiddle with the ruler and then confuse myself anymore.  :)

It'swheel love in my house!

 

My new wheel :)  She is a Louet Victoria and precious.  Folds so neatly into her little bag and light as a feather.  I tested her out with a club roving and she worked like a dream.

Corbin, Ava, and Finley were quite thrilled with the box and packing peanuts.

I'm thrilled with the wheel who needs a name!

Knitting buddies....

Finley is one of the best knitting buddies in the world!  It has been so cold here this past week and I have buckled down to get some warm wollies knit up and off of the needles.  Cold weather means we aren't playing outside as much, so we snuggle on the couch and knit.
Yep, that's Finley Muldoon across my lap as I knit :)
So what has he been knitting on?....

A pair of 75 yard -fingerless-mitts for a gift, knitted with hanspun and size 8 needles.  This is my go to mitt pattern, because it is the bomb!!!  Problem, I want to keep every pair I knit :)

I am still trudging along on this lovely little shawl, Vermillion. I am using a BFL I spun this past year that I named Fire Roasted Lasagna, because it reminds me of the lovely colors you get with a hot, bubbly, cheesy lasagna....I'm hungry now!

Since I am knitting up some handspun I had lurking in my stash, I decided to pick up a destash on Ravelry.  It is a gorgeous merino that has been slipped into the spinning rotation...future spinning :)
And keeping up with using up my stash (which I realize is minimal compared to everyone else's stash) I am using this beautiful lilac chunky yarn for a hat.... the Slouchy Beret  from The Sweatshop of Love.  Casting on today!

And last, but not least I have to share my gorgeous yarn from Purl's Yarn Emporium in Asheville, NC.  If you are ever in the area...GO THERE.  It is a wonderful shop and the ladies are GREAT!

My big melon...

upside down view, which I can't get to turn around!

 I finished my Chunky Slouch Hat, washed, blocked, and discovered it was huge.  Would fit a watermelon huge....yep, huge.
I threaded a little bit of elastic cording around the brim to tighten it a bit and it doesn't slide down over my eyes like the dude from Fat Albert, that looks like he is wearing a jello mold....

Why this picture looks so much redder is a mystery.  It was an impromptu photo session to capture the hat's essence and I think I missed it ;)
Oh well, very easy knit, but beware it ends up huge!

Multitasking :)

I decided today would be the day to finally finish the Tuscany socks that I began last year.  I hated these socks, that is why they remained in a bag in the guest room.  I just didn't like the way they were looking and felt like they were a disaster once I hit the heel.  I finally realized I didn't have to keep knitting them, I could just finish them and make anklets or frog and start over....

I went with anklets, so while at the gym I finished :)   They are drying and blocking right now and once I slip them on I will know whether or not I made the right decision.  I'm still not happy with the heels and will definitely be knitting afterthought heels on the next pair of socks I cast on, which will be this week!  Back on the sock horse...

And the shawl horse.  I just cast on for the Vermillion shawl and hope I can do such a pretty pattern justice.  I'm using my handspun.  So overall, today was a good day.  Oh yeah, finished a hat too, but no pictures just yet.  (That's what happens when the poopies wake up on a Saturday at 5:30 a.m.!)

My head must be huge :(

 Blocking my just finished hat and trying to stretch this puppy out for my huge head!

This is the Not Just for Chemo Reversible Cloche and a nice pattern to knit.  I used my handspun and was happy with the end result, even with my huge head :(





The top is adorable!

 

My self photo taking skills are atrocious, so overlook me please!  

I need to weave in the ends and work on getting it stretched to cover my ears and allow for the little flip up on the edge like in the pattern picture.  She looks great in hers...

 Now for other exciting things....I had a bellydance recital this past Saturday night and spent most of Saturday working on my costume. 

I was slack the past few months and put it off until the last minute...I wanted more knitting time.  The downfall, I realized at 4:30 as I was getting dressed (needing to leave at 5pm) that I had completely forgotten to make the bra that matched my hipscarf!!!!  How could I forget that??????

I dug through my sewing basket and grabbed some scrap fringe and ribbon and hot glued this puppy together on me.  It made it through the troupe number (the troupe that I am a member of) and now is ready for a proper blinging out!!!

 One of the few pictures that His Majesty took...in which you can see me.  Yep, me with my turquoise/peacock feather fans.  I love feather fans!  I love bellydancing!  I love the gals in my troupe!!!

I'm working on converting them into the fiber fold.

I came home to snuggly puppies that are always precious when they are sleeping.