I have been agressively reducing my stash for various reasons including a declutter frenzy and I feel guilty having yarn I am not using taking up space. I noticed that a lot of stuff I am destashing has been my early purchases of yarn. Well, all went well until this Ten Stitch Blanket entered my life and all I had was four skeins of Noro Silk Garden Lite. Sheila gave me as a gift which I completely appreciate because I love the yarn and it is a pretty colorway. It sat in my stash for a while hanging out in a box with other skeins of Noro and some Karaoke. When I started this blanket it was on a goof.

I am addicted to it and I want to finish. Now, I realize I can knit this blanket utilizing different colorways of Noro but I am boring and a traditionalist. After Googling the name and colorway, I found skeins available on Seaport Yarns and Yarn and Fiber Shop. Yarn and Fiber was slightly cheaper but was offering free shipping. I ordered this yarn on Thursday and got it Saturday and it was free shipping. I am very happy.

Irony: the money I made on yarn destashing went to purchase this yarn. Go figure!

I found the ten stitch blanket and Ravery. Yummy. So, I pulled out the four skeins of Noro I have and started and knitting. I then realized that this colorway is discontinued. I wanted to stick with this color, so after research I found two shops that sell the specific colorway and sadly for full price. Ironically, the shop emailed me a coupon for their store right after the purchase.

Here is the blanket (without the cat posing).

Here are the Hot Mama Socks. My aunt, Titi Estelle, wanted a pair of socks. Titi Vicky wanted conservative socks in earth tone colors which worked out very well. Estelle wants socks to reflect her personality. She is pink and red, so I found this skein of Colinette Jitterbug in Cherry colorway ( a few people at the shop voted on the color). I think she will enjoy them.

Irony of irony is that both of my aunts live in warm areas (Florida and Puerto Rico). Yet, they want the socks and I love them so socks are coming.

So, I combined two patterns into this one and sorta just went with it. I hope it fits the baby it is intended (at some point in its lifetime).
It is the Cascade Superwash Handpainted yarn which is really nice to knit.

I thought the buttons were very cute and afterwards I realized I could have made the heart pattern larger.
If I made it again I would make the body in one color and the trim and heart in a contrasting color. I am still thinking about this whole pattern process.


Of course, another baby surprise jacket. I intentionally buy the Socks that Rock mediumweight at Rhinebeck just to make some baby surprises. I am going to attempt a hood to go on top just for something different. At this point all my STR is gone until Rhinebeck 2009.
Speaking of Rhinebeck (nine months away) I finally picked up the Sheldridge Farms yarn and I am so in love with this yarn. It is incredibly soft to knit and it definitely deserves its name "Soft Touch". I will post photos of the sweater I am making. Again, I am just playing with a sweater pattern from Custom Knits but making modifications here and there.

We had a good time during our snow day today. I made Farina for breakfast and pizza triscuits for lunch and chili for dinner. Luckily we had a movie from Netflix so Ben was able to finally appreciate Best in Show. Lots of knitting took place AND I took a mid day nap. It was a great snow day!

I have a slightly obssessive personality. I call them Monk-isms, named after my favorite tv character.

So, when I wanted a quick and mindless project and thought I would also finish off some orphan skeins, the umbilical cord baby hat from stitch n' bitch. Sheila had given me some Adrienne Vittadini Diana (cotton blend) skeins which turned into two hats.

So, then I found some Cascade Superwash Handpainted yarn in the cute baby colorway. I made the quick baby sweater for a newborn and then made a matching hat with the leftover yarn.

Well, I am hoping there is a snow day tomorrow, let's keep our fingers croseed.

If I do, I will be working on the Log Cabin Blanket (three skeins from finishing) and a top down sweater in Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Yarns. Ok, the Shelridge Farms yarn is so incredibly soft to knit that I am thinking of picking up more yarn for another sweater. hmmmm.... It is really nice. For anyone going to Rhinebeck in October definitely check this vendor out!

The retired Log Cabin Blanket was pulled out on the first night of my Christmas break. I finished the red band (on the right), the green band, and the brown. I am a few skeins away from finishing this generous lap blanket. I will probably start another lap blanket for Ben's office when I finish this one.

I really am hoping to finish this log cabin blanket this weekend. We all have goals.

With the new Punta yarns Mericash Handpainted. I started a plain seed stitch scarf and there is no pattern or color pooling. The yarn feels amazing and I just love all the new colors stix got in to the shop. I am making a scarf for myself (I think).

I have a lot of button sewing to do tonight. sigh.

What I really need to do is organize my knitting room. A few friends gave me yarn and I have finished projects that seriously need to be mailed out so that plus cats chilling out equals a day of organizing my space and cleaning.

Other than that, I spent three hours shoveling rocks into barrels to get my fall planting ready. Can I just say that white rocks should be illegal on a lawn. All two tons of white rocks. If anybody wants white rocks email me they look lovely covering a backyard (yeah, right).

Well, I don't have finished pictures but here is work in progress.

This was how much I finished when I got back from Vermont.


This was a week later.

I finished the sweater but just need to weave in ends and sew buttons. Speaking of sewing buttons, I have a few baby sweaters that need buttons to be sewn on primarily because the babies are born.

Actually, there has been no knitting going on lately since I got a job. Yup, I graduated in May and got my certificate from NJ two months later, and yes, I have a job that starts in two weeks. I am very excited and also incredibly anxious.

I did start a seed stitch scarf today in the new Punta yarn we got at stix-n-stitches. OMG, I am so in love with this yarn. So far, no pooling. Tomorrow, I clean the house and read paperwork.

I did a tour of 10 (out of 18) colleges in Vermont. I loved the cat from University of Vermont. It was extremely interesting and informative. Although, I am very happy to be back in the Garden State where a bagel tastes like a bagel and coffee is strong and aromatic.

Of the 20 hours on the bus, I passed four yarn shops and did not make it inside the walls of any of them. Sigh.

I did make great progress on the Lady February Sweater and then realized I was not paying attention and spent one night ripping back ten or so rows. Here is the sweater the night I ripped.


Here is the progress on Saturday at the shop. I am now on the lace section which gets to be a little boring. I am loving Creme, the yarn is silk and wool and feels oh so nice. I always resisted buying because it doesn't feel so nice in the ball, but when you knit-it's all good.

Ok, I am getting back to Law & Order Criminal Intent.

Well, I am not, but I certainly hope this creme and the other skeins I picked up will be transformed into the Lady February Sweater.

I am really excited because this is not a color I commonly use or wear and thus stepping outside my color comfort zone.

It's Saturday night and I have my pattern, some Sprite, and the beginning of the sweater which I cast on at stix-n-stitches today.


Warning: Future Rant
Okay, so I rarely go to the movies but I caved and went to see Hellboy 2 with my husband. We got there early, we got our snacks, and we got a good seat. Perfect, until a woman came in with two young kids after the movie started and of course sat next to us. My inner monologue began wondering how much talking would take place. Oh man, way too much, and most of it by the mom. I think my tolerance reached its peak when in the middle of the movie she yelled at her daughter (who was too young to be in the movie) because the little girl had to go to the bathroom. When she returned she snapped at her son for not paying attention to the movie and explaining what happened. She wanted her son to explain what a "Forest God" was something I as an adult watching the movie could not explain. All of this further reinforces why I have a Netflix subscription and rarely go to the movie.

I am not broody, I am just determined to cut down on my stash. I have been de-stashing some of my yarn on Ravelry which makes me feel good that I am clearing space up in my office.

I made another Pretty Newborn Baby Sweater in Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora in a teal.

I picked out some buttons and just need to sew them. The yarn is yummy. And it's a great stash-buster because now that yarn is gone and done.

This baby sweater will go to someone some day.

And this will become another Baby Surprise Jacket. I have been oogling and desiring this Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Yarn for months now and finally took the plunge to Baby Surprise it. I do have someone in mind for this project.

Next Saturday we start the Lady February Sweater KAL. I still have not formally decided on the yarn. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

One addiction of Ravelry is finding new patterns. When you friend someone you can totally check out all the things they add to their queue and thus find new projects. Thus, the Pretty Baby Sweater. I am under the impression this is a variation of the 5 hour baby sweater. I knit it in a few hours.

It's knit in Scoubidou in a pink variegated color and it only took two skeins. Granted this is for a newborn, I was impressed how quickly it knit as well as how little yarn. This will be someone's gift someday. I have two more skeins left which means another sweater for someone else but another day for the second one.

I have to admit I have a second one on the needles with leftover Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora in teal. Hmmm...

Ok, so I finally added the buttons to the Baby Surprise Jacket. This is good because the baby boy was born recently and I love his name: Flyn Thomas. How cool! So, he gets a cool jacket.

I enjoyed the jacket so much I picked up the Socks That Rock in Harlotty and made a BSJ with a collar. This is not made with anyone in mind, but just because. Here's the thing: I picked up STR Mediumweight at Rhinebeck and I wasn't in love with it. I love the colors, but somehow the yarn never knits how I expect it, but it worked fabulous for this project. It just needs buttons. I cast on Wednesday and cast off today (Saturday) not bad in my opinion.

I also had this project hanging out in my home and I think it is time. If Flyn is getting a sweater and blanket (remember the Babe Blanket) then his sister Gracie should get a poncho. I think this should fit her (it goes over my head).
I am tempted to make all the straggling sock yarn into a baby surprise jacket, but I think I may have to experiment with some other projects.

Oh-so our July 4th was a blast. We visited my folks on the lake with Maya and Skye. Maya ended up chasing a gaggle of geese into the lake and then across it. When we realized she wasn't coming back, we jumped in my dad's electric boat chasing her with all the neighbors fishing watching the activities. A boat that was passing by turned around to chase her. So, picture this- a goose swimming across the lake with a mini black lab two feet behind with a boat of six people four feet behind and another boat of three people eight feet behind. Luckily, the other boat grabbed Maya and then commented what kind of dog she must be (the lab is the swimmer, the terrier is the overly focused). We then maneuvered the boats to load her on the boat to go back to the house with all the neighbors then asking, "Does she have lab in her?" Sadly, no photos documented this event.

Have a great weekend!

This is such a quick knit. It went super fast and only towards the end was I grinding my teeth because of the feather and fan part (which is much better because I usually do that in the middle of the project).

I used Cascade Eco-Wool in a lovely Chocolate color. It took two skeins and I have half of the second one in my bag.

I may make another one or two of these for family members.

I am debating who gets one though. It is so tempting to make this!

I blocked the hemlock ring this afternoon. Yeah!

Ok, other projects I am working on:

Juliet in Malabrigo. I am ripping the bind off and adding another repeat of the lace pattern and adding some sleeves.
Lady February Sweater KAL will start shortly so I am getting everything ready.
Hex Coat, I am working on the first sleeve.
Children's Cotton Hat, I just finished a store sample in Cotonade.
Flying V scarf, I just finished a store sample in the Great Adirondack yarn.

So, I am always shopping for ideas for fundraisers for PAWS and I came across the ice cream social held at St. Hubert's. What a great idea! Ice cream for humans and their four legged companions. They have kiddie pools set up for the dogs and everyone gets to enjoy the lovely weather!


Skye enjoyed the day, but not the Frosty Paws chicken flavored ice cream.


Maya, on the other hand, really loved the chicken flavored ice cream. Here she is focused on the ice cream that she pushed under the table.


Ok, I have much much knitting to post. For instance, I should post a picture of my hemlock ring blanket and my juliet sweater and the flying v scarf I am making, and the hex coat I picked up (again). We will just have to wait a few more days as I have many hours to work this week.

I graduated.  I didn't attend the graduation.  There's something about a stadium full of 20,000 people that doesn't interest me even if I have to wear a robe that makes me sweat with complete strangers.  I called the school and they are mailing my diploma (it should arrive eventually).

I have been working on the Hemlock Ring Blanket.  Yeah!  I love it.  Two skeins of Cascade Eco-wool and I haven't messed it up.  It's lace and I haven't messed it up.  The picture is the first night I started the project.  

This is Yarnahoy Yarn and it's nice.  

The socks are being mailed to my Titi Vicky (my aunt) who asked for a pair a long time ago.

Ok, so I owe more pictures.

Other than that, all is well.