Thursday, January 31, 2008

Should They Stay

or should they go?




So the scarf kit I purchased over the weekend is from the same store I had a less than satisfactory experience in some time ago. I'm trying to remember if I told you all about it or not but I have no idea. I think I purposely block out the things in life that make me crazy. You see, we spent an entire day one weekend driving around aimlessly trying to find this damn yarn store in the middle of nowhere. It was pouring. Buckets. Of cats and dogs. And we had all 3 of the kids with us. Who knew we had set out for a trip to a yarn store. But the ads I had seen for the store were amazing. Well worth getting lost for hours in the pouring rain with 3 kids loudly protesting a trip to a yarn store. It was supposed to be packed to the rafters with more yarn and other knitterly things than you'd ever find in one location. But when we got there the cupboards were bare. Seriously. They had very little inventory. Not enough of one yarn to knit even a baby blanket. Hardly any needles. Very few modern patterns. I wondered if I was in the right store or not. I politely asked if there was another floor or stock in another area since the ads I'd seen made the store look much larger and much more full of merchandise. In fact, they advertised an extensive list of yarn lines and patterns that they didn't even have a quarter of. The sales woman was very snippy and rude and told me that they have the largest store with the biggest inventory in the entire state of NY. I knew that simply wasn't true since even the little hole in the wall LYS here in Saranac Lake carries a larger inventory than they had. Nope, that was it. A few minutes later a man walked in and the clerk loudly told him I had asked if there was another part of the store I was missing. He got rude and started swearing. I placed the few things I was going to buy back in their places and walked out of the store empty handed. I emailed the store that night or the following day hoping to get some sort of justification for the obnoxious behavior of the clerk and her friend but was pretty much blown off. I vowed to tell everyone I knew about the store and hoped with all my might that they would be out of business soon. Obviously I didn't get my wish.

My problem? I really, really, really love this scarf kit. And they are the only ones who sell the kit. It's their yarn and their pattern. Even though I bought it at a different store, I'm still supporting that nasty store back in Woodstock that I'd still love to put out of business. What to do, what to do? Should I pull up my big girl panties and get over it? Should I return the kit to the store I bought it from? Help me decide.

My other little problem is trying to decide if I want to keep going on these socks for my dad.



It's the Thuja pattern from Knitty in Bearfoot's Tamarack colorway. I personally love the pattern and the yarn but given the fact that my dad thought the cabled socks were "womanly" I'm wondering if he'll think the same of these. I'm currently working this on a US 2 Addi over 52 stitches. If I keep going I'll definitely have to go down to a 1 once the leg is completed. Do you think there's enough stretch in that rib to not increase the number of stitches I work for the foot?

Can't wait to hear your advice on both topics. :-)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

K, My Name is Kerry

and I come from...

Ok, so I don't come from a place that starts with K but I sure as hell went shopping and bought some...

KA cable needles. Oh, and a few other things too. Like an Addi Turbo to start another Chevron Scarf. Yeah, I'm that addicted. An Addi Lace needle to start the Fiber Trends Angel Lace Shawl pattern I also purchased. Then there's the Claudia's Hand Painted Silk Lace that will become the shawl. There's also a great green Alpaca Sox for Bran and some Schaeffer Anne for me. Also for me is the Gems that will become some fingerless gloves. For me. And an incredible Woodstock Wool Company scarf kit. For me. (I must go Google this company now to be sure it isn't the same one we visited several years ago that not only employs, but is also owned, by some of the rudest people on the face of the Earth. I hope it's not because I really love the pattern for the scarf and really would hate to have to return it. Will let you know tomorrow if it stays or goes.)

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!

On January 29, 2003 my littlest princess was born. Here she is just a few hours old in her daddy's arms. I'll never forget the look on his face and the tears running down his cheeks the second she was delivered and he saw her. We've been madly in love with her from the time we found out we were expecting her.



Here she is on her first birthday. Every kid has to have a good ole chocolate cupcake to celebrate their first birthday, right?



And her second birthday. In the box one of her presents came in. She played with the box more than she played with the toy. Isn't that typical kid fashion?


And with Mickey on her 3rd birthday. I'd like to say she had outgrown tormenting the poor cat by the time she turned 3 but that would be a lie. In fact, she still torments him now.



And last year when she turned 4. Eating breakfast in her summer nightgown. The kid refuses to keep clothes on so I consider myself fortunate to have even summer clothes on her in the dead of winter.



Today she is 5. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone. She's kind, smart, and hilarious. Really. Just this weekend she was giving my dad all kinds of grief for giving her money for her birthday. She demanded to know why it was that they had to give her money instead of buying her presents. My father explained that they'd rather give her cash so she could buy something she wanted and so that they wouldn't have to return something that she might not want. She got even more disgusted, put her hands on her hips, and said, "presents are a very important part of the birthday experience." Yeah, her papa was speechless.

Her shirt says here comes the sun shine. Very fitting. Oh, and there's the new sheep I bought to replace the lost one. She came into the dining room with her hands behind her back. I asked what she had and she held it out. She played with it for the better part of an hour. Honest.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Part 2

Yes Kelly, there is a huge cliff beneath the truck. I think if the accident didn't kill me I'd have died of a heart attack when I saw that drop off.

Thanks for sharing this with me Sandie!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Part 1

I know I was supposed to treat you all to pictures of my stash from yesterday but I got this email from a dear friend and I just had to share it. It's coming to you in installments and you're never going to believe how it ends. See that truck down below? It was travelling from the right of the photo to the left when it went through the guardrails, flipped end over end across the culvert and landed right side up facing the opposite direction it was originally coming from.

That's it for today folks. You'll have to tune back in tomorrow to see how it ends. You really don't want to miss it. (I feel like I'm running sweeps week on my blog or something...don't miss tomorrow's exciting episode of As Kerry Knits. hehe)

Fudge

We took a trip to Albany this afternoon and I thought all the way down about what I would post. It was going to be funny. And witty. We stopped at Saratoga Needle Arts on the way and I bought a little yarn. I took pictures from the cell phone to show. We had dinner and got back in the van to continue on to Albany and I tried logging in to Blogger from the cell phone to post my funny, witty post. And I couldn't get in. Seems Verizon doesn't trust Blogger enough to let me in from the cell phone. So what do I have now? Nuthin' but a pissy attitude. I'll have pictures tomorrow. And maybe I'll be funny and witty too. But I doubt it. ;-)

Friday, January 25, 2008

Oh My! You're HUGE!

Is exactly what I said when I opened my package from Simply Socks and pulled out my very own hank of sKNITches! It's 420 yards but damn it feels like twice that amount. I chose the Mint Mocha Latte color and it looks as good as it sounds. I can smell the mint. I also got a hank of Classic Elite's Alpaca Sox to try. I think my dad will love a pair of simple black socks. Oh, and another sheep tape measure since I can't find the one I previously had. I have a feeling if I checked the kids rooms really well I'd find it. My three kiddos find nothing more amusing than pulling the tape measure out of the sheeps ass and watching it get sucked back in.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Copy Cat

That there is An Unoriginal Hat. As soon as I saw the pattern from Yarn Harlot I knew I had to knit it. I used Catalina Yarns Painted Lady that I got at Adirondack Yarns. It worked so well with the pattern. This is such a quick and easy knit. And I have to thank my hubby for modeling it. I'm sure you can imagine how thrilled he was about it. LOL

Melissa - If you click the yarn tab at the top of the page in Ravelry and enter the yarn you're looking for in the search box it'll show you a page (if you're not specific enough in your search you'll get a page with all the yarns for a manufacturer, if that happens just click your choice to get to the main page for the yarn you want) which has other tabs at the top. If you click the stashes tab at the top it'll show you what everyone else has in their stash. The people who are willing to sell or trade what they have in their stash will show first and there is usually a little envelope you can click on to get in touch with the person about buying or swapping. Don't say I didn't warn you about this being addictive. ;-) Could you please leave me a link for your chevron kal? I'd love to look at it.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Mail Call

I finished this up for my dishcloth swap and got her package in the mail. I hope she likes it.

I also got lots of goodies in the mail yesterday.

Some gorgeous lilac Zephyr for my Spring Shawl Surprise.
And some Koigu for a chevron scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I found these 5 hanks of Koigu on Ravelry. Not only is Ravelry dangerous for those of us with startitis, it's also dangerous for those of us looking for yarn.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I'm All Heart


I knit these up last night for a dishcloth swap I joined. The pictures are really crappy. There's a heart in the center of the red one and the white one has a total of 9 "quilted" hearts on it. The designers have awesome photos on their blogs and you can see them and get the pattern by clicking the links. Since we're swapping near Valentine's Day I thought it would be fun to knit some dishcloths with hearts in appropriate colors. My pals favorite color is blue though so I'll also be knitting a circular cloth in shades of blue to include in her package.

Kelly - I've mostly used worsted Lamb's Pride held double for the soles of the clogs I've knit and they seem to be holding up really well. If you wear them on carpet though they won't last as long as the friction wears the soles much faster. We have all hardwood so there's no issue here. I think if I had carpet I'd buy the leather soles Fiber Trends sells to prolong their life. Hope this helps! :-)

Monday, January 21, 2008

Good Sports

If you didn't watch the Giants play the Packers last night you totally should have! It was an incredible game. I was right on the edge of my seat. I have to admit I thought there was absolutely no way NY was going to make a 47 yard field goal. Especially after missing a 36 yard kick not too long before. But they did it!!! Now they're off to Arizona to take on the Patriots in the Super Bowl. I can't wait! February 3rd can't come fast enough. Then the Daytona 500 comes just 2 weeks after. I'm getting lightheaded just thinking about it.

I finished the Stulpen Fingerless Gloves (scroll down for the English version) up last night watching the game:


Here's a close up of the cables:

These were such a great knit and I can't wait to make more. They went really quickly and are so super cushy. Love. Them. These will be gifted to a special lady at Duder's school. I hope she likes them.

Oh, Leslie answered this question in the comments yesterday but just in case you missed it, the pattern for the clogs is the Fiber Trends Felted Clog (AC-33) pattern and it's one of my favorites. I've knit lots of them and they've always been well received. The pattern looks way more complicated it than it is because there are so many lines. It really is quite simple to knit and there are absolutely no errors in the pattern.

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Clog Dancing

I bought some Noro Kureyon about 2 years ago specifically for a pair of clogs for Bran. Then it got lost in my stash. Yikes. That's scary isn't it? It is to me. Anywho, I dug through my stash shortly before our anniversary searching for the Noro I knew I had. Way at the back of the closet in one of the bottom bins I found it hiding. I brought it out and knit it up into these:

My hubby loves them. Don't his feet look happy?


I wasn't crazy about the way the Kureyon felted. It took forever. And as I'm sure you can guess, it felted much more slowly than the other yarn I used for the sole and trim. Oh well. He has no idea the trouble I had and quite honestly, he wouldn't care if he did. He's just happy to have some new clogs.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

I Want To Love Him and Pet Him and Call Him Baldy

Several weeks ago my mother called all excited. She asked if Brandon could see the HUGE bird that was out back in the tree. We looked and looked and saw nothing. I went back to the living room and a minute later Bran hollered that it was moving. I ran out to see what the fuss was about. There was definitely a bird in the tree out back. And it was definitely big. My mother insisted she and my father thought it was a bald eagle. I didn't agree. I thought it was an owl. Brandon got the binoculars out.



As Duder says, "HA, I was right!"

The strangest thing about this (other than the fact that 3 grown adults mistook an owl for a bald eagle) is that in all the years I've lived here I've not once seen an owl. I can't even remember hearing an owl. This was definitely a treat to see.

We've affectionately named him Baldy. You know, just so my parents and Bran don't feel so bad. ;-)

Friday, January 18, 2008

In My Room

We did a little construction over the holidays. Dan built an incredible platform bed for Darcie with storage bins underneath. We moved some things around and freed up a lot of floor space in her tiny room. She loves it. We have a hard time getting her out of there now.

He also built a wall between the dining room and kitchen. The dining room is now our bedroom. Do you hear that? Our very own bedroom. We haven't had our own room in almost 5 years. It's small and our laundry room is right off it but it's all ours. With a locking door. I'm in heaven.

SO, that means the little monkey now has her very own room as well. And guess what? She loves it! She plays up there for hours on end. She cleans it at night before she goes to bed. In her own bed. Where she sleeps most, if not all, of the night. Her toys have been moved from the living room. There's no more mess. It's amazing.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

His and Hers

And Hers
I saw the brown sock yarn and eBay and immediately thought of Bran. Then I saw the pink and thought of me. And when the Barbara Walker book came through one of the swap lists for only $10 I couldn't resist.

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

MMMalabrigo


Duder asked for a new hat and mitts this year so I dove into my stash and pulled out some Malabrigo. The mitts are an old classic pattern I found here and the hat the Fiber Trends Ear Cozies pattern that I can't get enough of. Don't worry, Duder hasn't been freezing since I knit these at the end of fall but am just getting around to posting about them now. I also ripped the hat back after taking the picture because I realized I hadn't knit it long enough. It fits great now and she loves the set.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Send Sweaters


I seriously need some help. This fingerless mitt addiction seems to be as bad as my sock addiction. This is the Stulpen pattern and it's lovely. These will be a gift for nice lady at Duder's school. I hope she likes them. I'm knitting them in Frog Tree sport weight alpaca. What's not to like, right?

Monday, January 14, 2008

Right Hand Mitt


I can't stop knitting fingerless mitts. I want to knit them for everyone I know. Fetching truly got me hooked. I'm knitting up this pair of Honeycomb Fingerless Mitts in Willow sport weight Louet and I love them! They work up really quickly on size 2 needles and are so very pretty. These will be for Darcie. She requested a couple more pair of mitts in addition to her Fetching so I thought it would be fun to knit some different patterns for her. She loves this one too and can't wait until the pair is done so she can wear them.

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Just Call Me Angel

Here are the angels from Christmas Eve mass.

I'm sure you've probably all guessed by now that Duder is on the left. See her little purple sweater peeking out from under the sleeve of her costume?


The plan was that they would all walk up to the alter together and then turn around so we could see their smiling little faces. Yeah, they forgot to turn around. And for most of them it was their first time being in the procession and standing at the alter so they really weren't smiling. They certainly were mesmerized though and Duder can't wait until she gets to go back up front for story time again. :-)

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Butterflies & Bumble Bees

I finally finished the little Baby Bees Sweater I started for Duder way back in June of 2005. How pathetic is that? It was finished in November so it took 2.5 years to get this thing done. In my defense, I foolishly started knitting it in Red Heart so it could be easily thrown in the washer and dryer. What a moron I can be sometimes. I don't know why it is that I insist on knitting things for the kids in acrylic when I know damn right well that it's going to drive me crazy to knit with it. LOL



She really loves her sweater and has worn it alot since I finished it. She even wore it to mass on Christmas Eve under her angel costume.

This was the day after I finished it. We were getting ready to leave for school. She wasn't picking her nose, she was giggling. I think. ;-)

Friday, January 11, 2008

Classic

Let me tell you something...secret knitting makes for some seriously boring blogging. Thank goodness I didn't blog for a month and have lots of FOs to show you. See, there really is a method to my madness. ;-)


This is the Country Style Cardigan by Sirdar. I knit it in Jaeger Extra Fine Merino DK and absolutely loved working with it. I'm really sad that it's been discontinued because it really is a lovely yarn.


This is the 3-4 year size. The ribbing was worked on a size 3 and the body on size 6. I wasn't crazy about the way the sleeves set and like usual with Mary Elizabeth's knits, I didn't have time to block. She seems to know how to take great care of hand knits so I'm hoping she'll press them as suggested to take care of that.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

If Everyone Else Jumped Off A Bridge

I most likely would too.


I'm weak when it comes to joining in when everyone else is having fun. So that up there is 6 ounces of Garnet Zephyr for the Secret of the Stole II that will go to my aunt for Christmas this year. If I actually finish it. I'm hoping that having someone in mind and buying yarn specifically for that someone in mind (my aunt's birthstone is garnet) will be the encouragement I need to finish.

My poor Mystery Stole 3 is still sitting here on my desk not even bigger than the first clue. I really need to pick it up and finish it because I love the pattern. Of course I have absolutely no idea where or when I'll ever wear it since beautiful lace stoles don't exactly go well with jeans and tees.

Now that I've finished ranting you'll have to excuse me while I run off to order yarn for the Spring Shawl Surprise. What? I said I was weak.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Christmas in January

I can't believe I never posted about my awesome, amazing Christmas gifts this year.

This is one of the lamps form the pair that my sweet baby boy (good thing he doesn't read the blog, he'd have a fit that I called him that) made just for me with his own 2 hands for Christmas. He didn't get to finish them until after they got back to school from break but let me tell you what, they were so worth the wait! He never ceases to amaze me. Gorgeous!

I also got the most beautiful cashmere scarf from Sue. I'd show you a picture but my camera doesn't seem to be cooperating. It's awesome. And soft. And warm. And I love it! Thanks again Sue! You're the greatest!

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

My Box

One of the participants in the Mystery Jacket KAL asked yesterday if it was ok that she always ends up choosing the same colors for everything she knits for herself. I wrote her back and said that we all have a color or 2 that we find work really well on us and that it's very common to gravitate towards those colors when we knit. I went on to say that I used to be guilty of the same thing but that recently I've been stepping out of my little box. That was a lie.


I always tend to go for blue when I knit for me. See all that gorgeous blue wool up there? That is to be my Mystery Jacket. Oh sure, I own shirts and coats in other colors. BUT they were bought at the store. Not knit. By me. With my time. And if I'm going to knit something for me with my hands and my time...it's very obviously going to be blue.

I've set up a Ravelry group for the KAL too if you want to check things out there. 17 people have signed up already. This is going to be SO much fun!

ETA: I completely forgot to add this in here before hitting publish...

I answered Leslie's questions in an email to her but thought you might all be interested in hearing them:

1. No steeks! LOL
2. It's a cardigan.
3. No colorwork. The contrast color is brought in (if you want to add a contrast color, the choice is yours as the jacket can easily be worked all in one color) as a border around the jacket panels after they're knit.

Monday, January 07, 2008

It's a Mystery to Me

Ok, so I have this idea. The class we're doing at the LYS is a sampler jacket. We're doing 7 classes, one each Sunday for 2 hours. I've seen the jacket and it's so very cool. I'm really excited about it and as my excitement grows I want to share it with everyone. So, how about we do this as a Mystery Jacket Along??? Come on, it'll be fun. I promise. We're working the jackets in Lamb's Pride Worsted so it's super affordable and there are tons of colors to choose from. Wanna jump in and get knitting??? Here's what to do...

1. Go check out the colors of Lamb's Pride here.
2. Choose either one color for the entire jacket OR choose a main color and one contrasting color.
3. Call (518-523-9230) or email Sue with your color choice(s) and your email address.

Sue will order your yarn and forward your email address to me so I know you'll be participating. As soon as I receive your email address I'll send you the gauge and suggested needle information.

The official start date will be February 9th so everyone has almost a month to get their yarn and swatch. On February 9th I will email everyone the first panel of the sweater and will continue to release a portion of the sweater each and every Sunday until the entire pattern has been handed out.

Get on over to the Brown Sheep website and choose your yarn! It's going to be a blast!!!

ETA: This pattern was originally written as a way to teach sweater construction as well as different techniques. There are different options to match your skill level. Don't be afraid to try this if you've never knit a sweater. It's easy enough for a beginner but exciting enough to keep even an expert knitter interested. :-)

Sunday, January 06, 2008

New Pets

You thought I was going to show you pictures of new puppies huh? We have our hands full with Dexter at the moment. Each morning is a little like Christmas with him. We come down to see what sort of presents he's chewed and left on the floor for us. No matter how well we think we've put everything out of his reach he still manages to find something to get into. I must post a current picture of him soon so you can see how big he's gotten. He'll be 5 months old tomorrow and already weighs over 50 lbs. Dixie seems to be shrinking as he grows. She looks so tiny compared to him. Anywho...


Here are the pretty, pretty yarns that found their way into my home within the past week or so:


Damselfy Yarns Sturdy Sheep Blend in Midnight Storm I received in the Black Yarn Junkies Swap. Thanks Melissa!

Lightweight Socks that Rock in Jade that I traded for on Ravelry.

Mediumweight Socks that Rock in Monsoon that I bought from another Ravelry user.

Vesper Self Striping in Crew that I bought from a Ravelry user.

There's also a gorgeous hank of Yarntini that I had photographed that my camera seems to have eaten that I'll show you later. It's called Designated Driver and it's a gorgeous blue. Yum!

Hope you're all having a great weekend! I'm off this afternoon to teach a class at the LYS. We're doing a sweater pattern where you get one piece of it a week for 7 weeks. I think it's going to be loads of fun. I can't wait to see what colors everyone chooses.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Energize Me

That is 9" of reindeer sweater numero tres. I'm knitting it in Reynolds Signature. I know, it's acrylic. But for some reason it doesn't feel as acrylic-y as the Encore I used for the other 2. Thank goodness. There would be more completed but I had to stop and admire this:


It arrived in the mail and will become this cardigan for Duder. It's amazing to me that they offer so many gorgeous FREE patterns. This will be my first attempt at steeks. Wish me luck.

Velma - Duder is my littlest monkey's nickname. We also call her Dudette. Which is more gender appropriate but for some reason Duder gets used more. My hubby's name is Brandon but I call him hubby or just plain old Bran. I know, not very creative am I? LOL

Dexter has been quite lazy since the cold weather set in. He no longer begs to go out for hours at a time and has been content to lay on the couch. I can only assume this lack of playfulness is out of his control as his stealing a brand new 4 pack of AA batteries off the kitchen counter and eating one of them screams ENERGIZE ME!!!

Friday, January 04, 2008

Sleep Sucks


I finished these up before I left to get Darcie from school yesterday. She put them on as soon as she got in the van and only took them off to eat dinner last night. She's requested more in other colors which I'll happily knit. As soon as I get a pair.

And I did cast on for Duder's reindeer sweater but only got 3 rows of ribbing worked before she woke back up last night. Around 7:45 last night she decided to start throwing things around the house so I decided it was time for bed. I brought her up, read the next chapter in her book, then told her it was time to go to sleep. She laid down and snuggled up with me and told me that sleeping was no fun and she didn't understand why I was making her do it. I explained how getting a good night sleep was important because it keeps us healthy and gives us energy. She pointed out that she's perfectly healthy and has plenty of energy and told me again that sleeping is just not any fun. I told her I was sorry she felt that way but she needed to do it anyway. 2 minutes later she was snoring and I headed back downstairs. I switched the laundry, cleaned the kitchen, and putzed around online for a bit. Then I gathered up all my needles and yarn I would need for the sweater, threw it all in a bag, and plopped on the couch. I cast on and began working the much dreaded 1x1 rib. 3 rows in she started screaming. Bran went up and tried to console her but it didn't work. She NEEDED her mama. I went up and laid down with her to get her to go back to sleep and woke up at 7 this morning. The first thought that ran through my head was that sleeping really isn't that much fun. Especially when it cuts in to my knitting time. Maybe I'll get to have some fun tonight and will have a picture of a cute little green and red reindeer sweater worthy of posting.

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Lazy Day

Little Miss Sunshine is still sleeping (btw Leslie, she's STILL sleeping with us), the laundry for the day has been started, and I'm getting ready to finish up Darcie's Fetching that I didn't get a chance to do last night. All I have left is the thumb and my ends so I should only be a few minutes. I am so in love with these mitts that I have to knit a pair for me too. I'm just trying to decide if I want them knit in Malabrigo or not. I know, sounds crazy that I'm having a hard time trying to decide that. This yarn is really nice. I love how soft it is. And warm too. Yum.



If you've not yet knit a pair of these you need to drop everything else you're working on and do them. I made a couple modifications to these like adding some repeats to the cuff and after the thumb hole as well. I used worsted Malabrigo on the size 6 needles the pattern calls for. Oh, and I didn't do the cable cast on or the picot bind off. I just worked my usual long tail cast on and did my bind off following the rib pattern as I wasn't crazy with the look of the picots.

Amy - Since I was only using 2 colors for the sweater I chose to carry my contrast color when I worked the reindeer. I probably should have wound 3 bobbins and worked each deer separately from them but I was being lazy. Since there were just the 2 colors to deal with though it was really ok. If you've not knit with more than one color before, you have to be sure to twist your yarn before starting the new color (just bring the new color under the old color) to avoid holes at your color changes. Also, don't carry your yarn more than 3 stitches (I also broke this rule on these sweaters because I was trying to hurry) so you don't have all those long floats. That will keep the inside of your work nice and tidy. :-)

Thanks so much for all the great compliments on the sweaters and Duder. She has grown so much and is still a constant source of entertainment. LOL I'll be sharing more about that later.

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Raining Reindeer

The kids are all back to school today and I'm trying to settle back in to our routine. I love how busy the house is when the kids are home and I really miss it more after we've had a long school break. Today is just a bit too quiet for this mama.

So remember I told you awhile back that I was knitting sweaters for a lady? Check out the 2 I knit this month for her to give them for Christmas:

These photos are of the size 2 sweater knit in light grey Encore:


These are the size 6 knit in charcoal Encore:

Duder liked these so much she's requested a green sweater with red reindeer. I hope to get Darcie's pair of Fetching finished up today so I can cast on for the sweater tonight. The pattern is from Yankee Knitter and is #1.

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