'Tis the season

After knittying the last multi-directional scarf from Noro, I wondered what other yarns would work, so I pulled out this cool merino wool from La Lana Grossa called "bingo." This yarn is super soft! It is squishy and springy and just downright fun to knit. I hope to get this one out to my cousin. I thought I would upgrade him from the last scarf I knit (an awful synthetic) . . .though he actually said his friends raved over it (I was shocked) . . .

I have another (yes a third) scarf that I will show off soon. until then. . . enjoy.

Brick by brick

. . . or maybe block by block. I have finally picked up the blanket again and so here is the last color to the "cabin." From now on, it will be a matter of building on this foundation. Whew! It felt like I would never make it this far. I still think I can complete by December 22. Really! I only have I think 6 more panels to go, and they just keep getting longer and wider and . . . okay, okay deep breaths. . .(yowza)~

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go!

Here is one of 5 bridesmaid necklaces that I am creating for a wedding in October. While I often wonder how I find time to do anything, let alone any side work, I manage to add one more item to my "to do" list. It has not left me with much time to knit, however. But then, variety is the spice of life, isn't it?

I will try to post the entire wedding party jewelry if time permits.

Modern Log Cabin

This picture had to be "photoshopped" because my big toe got in the way and I was too lazy to take another shot. Hopefully, this shot provides a sense of how far I've gotten and how much fun I'm having.

I am about to add the next color block. I hope it blends in reality as it does in my mind's eye.

Beating the rush

Usually, I wait until November to begin my holiday gift knitting and then I am knitting like a mad woman. I thought I would get a jump on the season by doing a little bit along the way. Coming directly from the Mason Dixon Ladies, I am working on a modern version of the Log Cabin blanket. I am using Brown Sheep & Co. Superwash wool. I will keep y'all posted with the color scheme. I am not much of wool fan, but after working with Cascade 22o, I think that I can handle wool. . .we'll see.

It's summer and a girl's fancy turns to. . .

tank tops! This is the 1st half of a tank. I am using Crystal Palace Yarns Deco Ribbon. I picked up this yarn at my LYS in Old Town, Alexandria, VA. I thought knitting with ribbon yarn would require that I become proficient in knitting. I thought that I would have to be an "intermediate" knitter. Sometimes, yarn is just yarn. A pattern is just supposed to be knit. No analyzing, waiting until the sun, moon and stars are in alignment. Just knit. See what comes of it. Frog if necessary. Knitting, like life is only as complicated as we make it.

Third sock's a charm

Not to be beaten by the sock, I am giving it another
chance. I've decided that I will not be defeated by 3, 4 or even 5 dpns.
I will not allow short row heels slow me down nor will I allow
the picking up of stitches to deter me from my goal: an entire
pair of socks!

And to that end, here is the beginning of my
sockorama:

I shall not be moved.

A dinky shrink

My knitty friend was telling the group that she was looking forward to picking up and crafting with some shrinky dink. I have no idea what that is, but I can tell you that I have witnessed a dinky shrink! No, not a psychologist who fell short of his goal. . .so to speak, but a bag that started out BIG and turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. To get an idea of what I mean:


now the I-cord worked out well. It did what I hoped for--it shrunk and softened and looked felted. The 1st photo is after and the one here, is the before shot:

Here is where it goes wrong. I was so proud before the wash. . .I took this photo



then proceeded to get a close-up so I could see how long it was then and once I washed, what it would look like. 36 inches!! Of course it would shrink, right? It just has to, I worked for months (not each day, but still). Now to its credit, it did shrink from the 36" to 22"; I was expecting a 50% shrinkage. Hope springs eternal. . .



The last thing I expected was to get a brand spanking new dvd holder. I must admit, I do like it even if it is not what I expected:



Another knitty friend says that I can reconstruct the dvd holder to a bag with a pair of scissors, some thread and beads. Stay tuned, there is some serious design work about to happen!