I'm a slacker! :)

It has been great weather for the most part here in Western NC. We have had some major storms with tornadoes and flooding, but today has been beautiful.

The gorgeous days mean outdoor poopy time for me :)  I love playing with Finley and Ava, but that also means no knitting.  Ava tries to eat the yarn :(





But I did get to make a few more drawstring project bags and will be sending a few as gifts ....fun!

  Here is one of the project bags I cranked out to hold knitting fun. 

I did break my Van Dyke shawl out of hibernation and knitted about 5 rows, then back into hiding.  The cream color is soooooo boring.  I should have dyed the yarn first, but it was purchased the day of the class and all I could find...so no other choice.  I will be so happy to finish it and dye it! 

I made it to the point of starting the heels on my Tuscany socks and now I have frozen ... these are my first Toe Up socks and I am terrified at this point of screwing up.  I need to just jump right in and start trying to figure out the pattern, after all I can always rip them out ;(

I guess that will be tonight's knitting before bed...trying to defeat the fear of heels.....to be continued...if you have any suggestions for overcoming this heel fear PLEASE share.  I am used to heels on top down, but this way is confusing me.

What about an afterthought heel?  Thoughts on those????? Anybody????

Knitting project bags

I love project bags, LOVE them!  But right now my budget is slim, so I can't buy all of those pretty bags I keep looking at on Etsy.  I decided to use some scrap fabric and make a couple of bags this weekend.

I made a small drawstring bag for socks (right now holding a half knitted washcloth)closed drawstring

opened, nice large opening

And then my big project bag. 

I added pockets inside to hold my post-its, pen, pattern, tape measure....Right now it holds my cap sleeve cardigan vest.  I am almost finished with this project, yahoo!  I am on the bottom moss stitch band.  I will finish the neck and arm bands and done! 

I plan to make a few more drawstring bags this week :) 

Furry love

Ainsley...the dark princess    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is rainy, cold, and dreary here which is perfect knitting weather.  I hope to get a little done this evening after my Ibuprofen kick in....major headache!!  But there is lots of kitty napping going on and this is the only time Ainsley is sweet...when she is sleeping :)

Otherwise, she is a gangsta and will cut you!

My February swap came!!!

 I am so thrilled that my February swap package came this weekend :)  I won't lie, I was sad that it hadn't...like someone missing your birthday.
But it came and I LOVE it!

I had some beautiful notecards, 2 skeins of gorgeous yarn (a KnitPicks Imagination, a Mirasol Hacho), a luscious strip of roving.

Also, a bag of beads for future markers :) and 2 sets of beautiful stitch markers.  I LOVE it all!

I want to go make something with the baggie of beads right now!!!

The Handmade stitch marker swap group on Ravelry is fun and I highly recommend it!  Go give it a look and join in the fun!

 Happy Birthday Finley!  My big boy is 2 years old today.  Peanut butter chews for everybody!! :)

Wednesday wish list...

Vegancraftastic has a very cool "knitmare knitting bag" that I love!  Skeletons and skulls get me every time :)

Millykins has a precious knitted cap that needs to come home with me!  I'm really enjoying knitting hats these days.  Probably because they are fairly quick and I am so slow, so that means not too long on my needles.

cowgirlknitz has some gorgeous yarn here...one of each please.

cristinamariepotter inspires me!  All awesome!

Gotta package :)

My March swap pal in the Ravelry Stitch Marker swap group sent me a package, yeah!  (It means a lot, since my February package has not shown up...very sad)   So I received 5 lovely stitch markers in the green theme, which will start to be used tonight!

And this gorgeous worsted yarn!  I love this stuff.  It is Araucania (I think that is spelled correctly, maybe...not sure...too lazy to go look it up).

Thank you swap pal, who is nameless at this time and I must go onto Ravelry to find you and thank you!

Fun stuff!

I started this afternoon off with a mani-pedi (Christmas gift certificate in March...I'm slow).  Sparkly red toes and baby pink fingers.  I don't have nails, part of my job...no long nails.

 Getting ready to mail out my March stitch marker package.  Here are the stitch markers I made and I will be adding a tissue pouch (cupcake fabric), oversized nail file (really cute, candy print), HUGE dark chocolate bar, notepad, and a beaded keychain.  Fun stuff!   The theme is green.

The bummer about swaps....my February swap partner stiffed me :(  I sent her a cool package and she never sent mine.  Why do people do that?????

Now on to what I have accomplished in knitting the past few weeks.  I am trying to get more done on the cap sleeve cardigan vest and I have just finished the decreases and getting ready in a minute to start the increases....

You can't really see them, but these are the 4 decrease areas.

The front band...I adore moss stitch.  Don't you?

 And the full view of this wonderful pattern.  Truly love this and it really isn't a bad knit, I'm just slow.

I think that is cat hair all over my shirt :)

Another wishful Wednesday...

KnitterBag has adorable Lucky Sheep project bags on Etsy.  I love bags and always need a new project bag...adding to the bday list now!
GirlGoneLoop has a beautiful spring green/blue/yellow yarn that would make yummy socks!
Cowgirlknits has a page full of gorgeous yarn, I want every color she has!See, beautiful colors over there...
FeltstudioUK , need I say a thing????  This is just so luscious...I have never spun Wensleydale, but want to now!
Hollyeqq  has my favorite crazy batt of the day.  It reminds me of fruit, like a big smoothie!
Grigiodesign has my absolute fave for today....I'm a sucker for a skull!  :)

My little baby!

 

My little baby Ava is a year old today!  

 We celebrated with big chewies and a couple of M&Ms.  Happy Birthday sweetie-pie, love you bunches!

Not much action here...

Cat napping on dog pillows is happening.  Bold cat to nap beside the bone!

I haven't made much progress knitting, because I am preoccupied with my baby brother leaving....he joined the Army and is leaving today. 

I am sad.  Not that he joined, but that I will not see him.  That makes me very sad.  I am so proud of him!  I love him dearly!  I want him to be safe and happy!  I just don't want him to go, I am selfish that way.

So I have been preoccupied about it, more so than I thought.  He is my baby brother, so I worry (I'm 13 years older than him)...that is my job.

He has been in dessert school for a long time and had 2 extensions on when he was to leave, due to the deaths of my grandfather and my uncle.  Today he officially leaves :(

Conference = progress...

 

I'm not a huge fan of conferences, because I don't like being away from home.  I miss my bed, my babies, my food...and I always get behind at work.  But conferences do have one "fun" aspect for me...I can knit!  I'm one of those people that are better focused in a long lecture/meeting when I can knit.  It keeps my hands busy and helps me take in what I'm there for.

So, I took 2 knitting projects with me last week when I went to my conference.  I was able to knit a few more inches on my toe-up Tuscany socks.   (Sorry, the sock is inside out, but you get the jist of it).  I'm happy with it :)

 

I also knit a little more on my cap sleeve cardigan.  (I love Malabrigo!)  The moss stitch is popping out now on the front band.

And the  cap sleeves are adorable.  I like this pattern and that's a good thing, since I have yarn for a pink one too!

Ava was happy I came home, she just isn't showing it.  She is showing her spoiled little girl side :)

I'm so freakishly slow!

I believe I am the slowest knitter known to man!  I'm sooooooooooo slow!  Why??Even Truman thinks I am slow, he told me so.  It takes me forever to knit socks, but I love to knit them. I'm still trucking along on my Tuscany socks....slowly knitting on them.

 I decided to cast on one of the sweater patterns I picked up over the summer and sat down to get started.  (What is one more project?)  Truman gave me the look; the "you know it will take you forever to knit this" look. 

I'm using Malabrigo worsted in Bijou Blue.  I LOVE Malabrigo, but who doesn't????

Here is the pattern.  It is from Knitting Pure & Simple and is the cap sleeve cardigan vest.  Surely to goodness it won't take me months to make this :), fingers crossed.

Truman, quit looking at me that way!

My swap box has arrived!

 

Ta-da, my swapbox from the Ravelry The Swap Stop Have a Cuppa swap arrived yesterday and I was so excited to get into it!  Look how neatly wrapped everything is!  (Makes me so embarrassed that I did not do such a hot job on mine)

I pulled out all of the LOVELY items in my swap package and fawned over them.  My swapper did an awesome job on my box and I love it!

I have this cool LOST (dharma initiative with knitting ball) mug, a bag of Hazelnut coffee, and box of Yorkshire Tea, a pair of HiyaHiya puppy snips (they look like a puppy!), 2 skeins of Noro yarn (so exciting), and a bar of Belgian Milk Chocolate (hiding from DH right now).

Can you believe how beautiful the yarn is?  Can you see the adorable puppy head?

Thank you so much DeathByYarn for making my swap experience so wonderful!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!

Prisoner of Love Sock Monkey

I awoke this morning to this handsome little sock monkey in a coffee mug waiting for me.  My "children" had left me a Valentine's Day present :)  I love sock monkeys!

I'm not a huge fan of Vday, never really have been.  I would rather have all of the goodies on a plain day, a just because day...know what I mean?

Yesterday I was getting a few things at Wal-Mart (okay the essentials = ice cream, diet sun-drop, and dog chewies) and one of the ladies in the produce aisle came up and gave me this rose.  She wished me a Happy Valentine's Day and walked on down the aisle to the next lady.  How sweet was that?????  It made my day.

 

 

I finished the Pacific Beach Beret from Ravelry last night and blocked it on a dinner plate.  I have to weave in my ends and add my button.  I'm pleased with the results and recommend this pattern if you are wanting to make a quick knit beret.

 

 

 

Pacific Beach Beret

Black Purl...

A recent Ravelry destash purchase I made and love. Lorna's Laces Black Purl.  I look at it and think of Captain Jack Sparrow, a man that makes me want to be a pirate, as well as want to take a shower.  He is so dirty.

Do you ever watch movies and think of how dirty the people look and just know they smell????  Yes, I know it is a movie and they are actors, but ick!  How did anyone ever reproduce????  I wouldn't let him near me smelling like that....

Anyway, I love this yarn.  I also love the little hedgehog that is protecting it from the cats.  His name is Bob (seriously, he has a nametag) and was a gift from a wonderful lady, Miss Gigi.

Now, what to make with this gorgeous yarn???????

I

Stitch markers are happening...

I spent some time today working on stitch  markers for a swap I am participating in...a February Stitch Marker Swap in Ravelry.  I love swaps, I'm hooked!  I made a few extras for my other February swap partner too.

Then I made a few keychains to throw in the packages...And then I made a few pins to add just for the fun of it :)

(my picture taking skills are for the birds!!!!)

And I started my Pacific Beret on Friday night, worked a little on it last night, and a dab on it this evening.  I'm pleased with it so far and love my colorway. 

This is a yarn I dyed during a SAFF workshop this year.  Maybe last year, I don't know.  I lose track of what I take each year :)

As I said, my picture quality is VERY lacking.  But the colors are a beautiful variegation of blues, greens, and purples with a little white throughout. 

I highly recommend the dying workshops at SAFF. 

And I want to throw a shout out there to all of you knitters and crocheters....show some love and support to our fiber sister Sillyfru over at SassyPantsKnitter podcast (and Adventures of a Silly, Silly girl blog) and donate a dollar to help her go to CampKIP in April.  Details on her blog.  Thanks for helping her out!!