Ive been knitting again!

A friend of mine had a little girl about a month ago. She is a preemie and has a little bald head. Momma was having trouble finding little hats for her cold little head so I knit up a few!

Now I am working on finishing the baby blanket I started for my best friend, when she was pregnant, 3 years ago... my goal is to have it finished by the boys third birthday in February.

Short Updates.

resting after a busy day at the vet.

Renji was sick last week. He got something up his nose, and was making terrible snorty noises. The vet decided that he needed to look up his nose so we had to knock him out and scope his nose, they found hair. Hair doesn't belong in the dogs nose. After a round of antibiotics and steroids, and hair removal, he is doing much better. (we assume he had snorted the hair up there)

fun, fun, fun!

But just days before he was due back for his check up I noticed a smell. It took me a few days to realize where it was coming from. It was his bum. Aiko had anal gland issues a few years ago, I guess now it was Renji's turn. Thankfully his wasn't impacted like her's was. But DAMN does he stink, Aiko's didn't stink at all.

i don't stink, that's just mean.

So today at the vet he got his all clear from his nose, he got his vaccinations, and he got his butt cleaned out.

I've also been knitting, I've got friends with babies so I've been making baby gifts.

I found this pattern here from ravelry. I adore it.

F.O. February!

F.O. It's a knitter/crocheter term for finished object. Currently I have 2 scarves, one pair of socks (the first of the pair) and one blanket, on needles. that I know of. I herby declare February and FO Feburary! Spread the word! My goal this month is to not cast on any more projects and to finish the ones I have started! I already finished one, the cowl I started for Paul while he was in Afghanistan, I am terrible at finishing things, so finishing these few should be a huge task for me, especially when you throw school and my new job (more on that tomorrow) in the mix.

Here is my first FO for the month: Paul's Dark Side Cowl (ravelry link)

Noro Knitting

I totally am in love with the Noro Striped Scarf

Flickr shows some amazing scarves.

I love it, I really, really love it.

Hemlock Ring Blanket

A few weeks ago I finished knitting not only my first lace project, but my first project in over a year. The Hemlock Ring Blanket (ravelry link) Brooklyntweed I think first published it as a blanket, and TheRaineySisters have a corrected version of the pattern and chart in PDF file

The pictures don't do it justice.

Since then I've started a Noro Striped Scarf, but It's still a WIP

Noro Striped Scarf (Rav Link)

guess what i've been doing?

i've been knitting!

it's a neck warmer thing for Paul, that he can pull up over his mouth/face when he gets cold. it's almost done!

and andrea will be here in 18 ish hours!!!

Summer Time

It's that time again. Summer term started last week, and it's time for my life to take the back burner to my education again.

On another note Paul will be home next week, and I've made progress in some of my bad habits. I pick up after myself, I play with and/or walk the dog almost every day. I've been keeping the dishes done. I think he will be proud of me. I've also been getting up at a decent hour almost every day!! 

oh and I can kill my own spiders

(this one is dying slow and painfully after being doused in spider spray)

And Aiko and Callie have been having way too much fun.

Here they are at Courtney's house, because I lack AC in my downstairs right now, and thats a recipe for dog disaster, or heat stroke (it's hotter in my downstairs than it is outside, but i wont get into that)

So much fun in fact that for the first time in an eternity she fell asleep before I did. 

I need to start knitting again

i have this failure problem, when it comes to knitting, i try to make things for people (nikki's new baby chael) and i dont finish by the time the gift is due (in this case the day he was born) and then i give up on myself. 

i am ashamed to admit this but i havnt touched my needles in (well except for two nights one where i worked on the blanket and one where i started to start another gift) in over a month. what makes all of this worse is WEBS is having their anniversary sale and well that means that i can stock up on my yarn for the year. how can i justify buying alot of yarn when i still have a ton of yarn left over from last time. the only difference is as you progress as a knitter you learn things, and your tastes change, an now i want different yarn, i dont want the stuff i have shoved around in the back, i want the different stuff. ugh. we'll i'm gonna get it, and then feel guilty.

(i still havnt even done the second mitten, or second sock to the projects i was working on LAST YEAR!!!)

i guess i better start knitting. 

oh one more tiny thing

Finished mitten numero uno!

what have i knit?

i had to take  a short break from the monotony of my term paper (which is going quite well i may add) i have 7 pages down, it has to be at least 5-8 pages, more is acceptable, i am pretty confident i'll hit 10 pages, but my spacing/font/ formatting will not stick because i'm a mac and Teach is a PC so he will receive the paper in very basic form so he can easily open it on his PC. so for him i have no clue how long it will be, the way i see it the longer the better. 

on to another meme (i really think i like doing these)

Things in green i've done!

• Afghan
  
• I-cord
  
• Garter stitch
  
• Knitting with metal wire
  
• Shawl 
  
• Stockinette stitch
  
• Socks: top-down
  
• Socks: toe-up
  
• Knitting with camel yarn
  
• Mittens: Cuff-up
  
• Mittens: Tip-down 
  
• Hats: Top-down
  
• Hats: Cuff-up 
  
• Knitting with silk (i do however had silk, just never knit it)
  
• Moebius band knitting
  
• Participating in a KAL (hence the mittens i'm knitting)
  
• Sweater
  
• Drop stitch patterns
  
• Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn (again i have some just not used it)
  
• Slip stitch patterns
  
• Knitting with banana fiber yarn (Bananawhosit yarn? You can do that?)
  
• Domino knitting (?)
  
• Twisted stitch patterns 
  
• Knitting with bamboo yarn
  
• Two end knitting
  
• Charity knitting
  
• Knitting with soy yarn
  
• Cardigan
  
• Toy/doll clothing
  
• Knitting with circular needles 
  
• Baby items
  
• Knitting with your own hand-spun yarn (as soon as i learn to spin!)
  
• Slippers 
  
• Graffiti knitting (it's on my list, you blog followers will love it!)
  
• Continental knitting 
  
• Combination knitting
  
• Designing knitted garments (i've designed, just not garmets)
  
• Cable stitch patterns
  
• Lace patterns
  
• Publishing a knitting book 
  
• Participate in an exchange 
  
• Scarf
  
• Teaching a child to knit
  
• American/English knitting 
  
• Knitting to make money 
  
• Buttonholes 
  
• Knitting with alpaca 
  
• Fair Isle knitting 
  
• Norwegian knitting 
  
• Dyeing with plant colors
  
• Dyeing spinning fiber
  
• Knitting items for a wedding (Soon i'll be starting a wedding gift?)
  
• Household items 
  
• Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on one or two circulars (Preferred.)
  
• Knitting with someone else’s hand-spun yarn 
  
• Knitting with dpns
  
• Holiday related knitting 
  
• Teaching a male how to knit 
  
• Bobbles
  
• Tassels
  
• Knitting for a living 
  
• Knitting with cotton
  
• Knitting smocking 
  
• Dying yarn 
  
• Steeks 
  
• Knitting art 
  
• Knitting two socks on two circulars simultaneously 
  
• Fulling/felting 
  
• Knitting with wool 
  
• Textured knitting 
  
• Kitchener stitch 
  
• Knitted flowers 
  
• Purses/bags 
  
• Knitting with beads 
  
• Swatching 
  
• Long Tail CO
  
• Entrelac 
  
• Knitting and purling backwards
  
• Machine knitting
  
• Knitting with self patterning/self striping/variegated yarn
  
• Stuffed toys 
  
• Knitting with cashmere
  
• Darning
  
• Jewelry
  
• Knitting with synthetic yarn  (acrylic)
  
• Writing a pattern 
  
• Gloves (mittens?)
  
• Intarsia
  
• Knitting with linen
  
• Knitting for preemies
  
• Tubular CO 
  
• Free-form knitting
  
• Short rows 
  
• Cuffs/fingerless mits/arm-warmers
  
• Pillows
  
• Knitting a pattern from an on-line knitting magazine (where 90% of my patterns come from)
  
• Rug (soon, for my new bathroom!)
  
• Knitting on a loom
  
• Thrummed knitting
  
• Knitting a gift
  
• Knitting for pets (again soon)
  
• Shrug/bolero/poncho
  
• Knitting with dog/cat hair (On purpose or accidentally?)
  
• Hair accessories
  
• Knitting in public
  

i guess im still a novice knitter and i have alot to try.

Knitten a Mitten

anyone who has been following me on facebook has seen my status over the last few days. i've been knittin a mitten, not just any mitten but my first mitten, this week i cast on my first cuff, added my first thumb gusset, and almost completed my first mitten. 

almost. see that little guy sticking out there, well he needs a home, hopefully i can finish the thumb tonight and i can start the partner to this little guy.

i dont think you non-knitters have any idea how hard knitting cables on size 4(?ithink)needles with worsted weight yarn is, it's damn near impossible, and i've done it ninety two billion times. 

Thats what friends are for

As you may have noticed, i had a few extra dogs for a few weeks. Well Gerty and Oliver have gone home, their mommy is home from the East Coast now. (Aiko is so terribly lonely at times it's sad) but one of the ways she thanked me was with yarn, and it's some amazing yarn! it's all alpaca, it's so soft i cant stop touching it! i've already started with the cream one, i'm working up a cowl (neck cozy) designing my own pattern so it's going slow but i will hopefully be able to cast on the actual pattern instead of swatches tonight after dinner! behold the power of yarn (sorry the pic's arnt great, the weather has been iffy so the lighting was poor, and it was cold out!)

updates

well i've failed to actually blog lately, posting a series of pictures is not blogging. 

so i'll try to do better.

first i would like to congratulate Nikki on her pregnancy and she's having a little boy (along with everyone else it seems) and i am knitting her a little present for Chael. I actually have several little present ideas floating around in my head thanks to my newest book purchase Mason Dixon Knitting  at the very least this little boy is getting a Moderne Baby Blanket, and

 though this is the most monotonous thing i have knit so far, it is growing to be one of my favorites.

Next... Christmas will be fun here this year we are hosting two puppies (well technically they are full grown dogs) but Gertrude and Oliver will be spending the holidays with us as their human mommy is going back to the states to be with her family while her husband is deployed. 

we are tossing around the idea of moving off base, which is becoming more and more of a certainty every day, first it was the lack of yard for Aiko, then it was the hatred of running up and down the stairs, then it was the ants, a plethora of ants flood into our building when it rains, and the other day while christmas shopping, i was looking at books, and spotted a book on quilting. Paul says no quilting, i take up too much space with all my yarn (i think he may be right) and there is no where for me to put a sewing machine (also he is right) so now we need a bigger place so i can have a craft room. 

i've been knitting!

HOLY COW! I'VE ACTUALLY FINISHED SOMETHING!

okay well i still have to weave in ends but it'll happen before i give this gift! 

it's a Lacy Beanie out of 101 designer one skein wonders knit in Classic Elite Yarns: Classic 150 which is just lovely to work with!

this was a really quick knit i finished it in two nights i think, really easy lace pattern!

and this afternoon i cast on a Moderne Baby Blanket for a very special friend who is having a very special baby! i'll post some pictures when i get further in, i'm only about 5 rows into it thus far. 

oh and i'm almost done christmas shopping!! wooo!

another wine cozy & craft fair

(i really hate how yellow my kitchen looks)

i really love this pattern, and i love how it looks with variegated yarn. 

i have 15 days to decide if i am going to enter into the craft fair. i think it would be fun, and i could sell some knit crap. i dunno. it would take alot of time to knit stuff up. part of me wants to just go this year and have a look and enter next year, and part of me wants to just do it. 

Blocking a-la-irish hiking scarf

as you may remember i have knit two irish hiking scarves one for my Mom in law and one for my own mommy. they were part of the Christmas Scarf Disaster of '07, so called because i promised every damn family member i have a scarf, (totaling maybe 5-6) and i finished 1 (MIL's) on time. i finished the second (my moms) a few months ago, but she has still not received it. i've nearly finished the one that will be gifted to my SIL hopefully by this christmas. (i relly need to get on the ball) but anyway back to the point. MIL's was gifted as soon as it was finished, and i never gave a second thought to it. but nearly a year later when i have finished my moms, i have learned more about knitting and a technique called blocking

Blocking (textile arts), the process of stretching a knitted garment into shape while wet or using steam

i have always known of this technique i've just never used it because i never thought it was necessary, but i decided to give it a shot on this scarf.  so here it is, moms scarf (well half of it) pinned out on my brand new blocking board (1 yen per piece 4 pc total) laid out on the kitchen counter. hopefully i will get it all blocked so i can get it in the mail by tomorrow. 

Warm Beer

Warm Beer

i used:

4 size six dpn's 

Red Heart Super Saver Multi in Camo.

Loosely cast on 24 st. divide between 3 needles. continue in 3 x 3 rib for 13 rows. switch to K and continue for 5 1/2 inches tightly bind off. 

this is tightly bound off so it will not slide up over the bottom of the bottle. bottle goes in through ribbed end. 

Weekend wrap-up

he says he doesnt love her, what do you think?

aww who wouldnt love that face
mom i hate this hat
almost a sock!
beach (lens error)
she can swim
look at her go

one more down

just a tad too small. i need to get myself some real size 4 needles, instead of using japan size 3.4mm they didnt quite work. but i am proud of my work, and i am holding a great buzz, because i couldnt put a full bottle of wine in my cozy...

Monogamy or Polygamy?

i've always been a polygamist knitter, always having two or more projects going at a time. This has made me happy, i like having choices, if i get bored with scarf A i can move to scarf B or scarf C, or beanie D. I have ADD, having something keep my attention for more than 5 minutes is an amazing feat in itself. But recently the Ravelympics have quite possibly changed me, i have had a slew of projects to complete and only been working on one at a time, with the feeling if i at least finish three instead of getting half way done with 5 then i will be proud of myself. i have finished 2 projects and am well on my way to finishing my 3rd. All three have been completely monogamous, one project at a time is a new thing for me, and i think it like it. i think i just may have been bitten my the monogamy knitter bug.