I'm a Bad Blogger

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I feel like I should be posting, but I really don't have much to say! I've felt like I'm sort of floundering since the Knitting Olympics. Not in a bad way...more of a "I really need to get back to all those projects" sort of way.

Breathing a sigh of relief

As much as I enjoyed the Knitting Olympics, I have a confession to make. I'm so glad I'm finished!! I truly did enjoy knitting my Clapotis, but I did really push myself to finish early...what that translates to is lost and lots of neverending knitting.

Anyway, I picked up some very soft yarn and am leisurely trying a sock with a short-row heel. The first attempt was fine on one side (the knit side of the gusset), but had significant holes on the purl side. So I frogged it and tried again, this time, with success.

That's all the news from here.

Bringing Home Gold

Here it is. My finished Clapotis. Completed in 9 days.




Materials used:
Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Socks That Rock" yarn (fingering weight) in Moss Agate
Size 4 needles

It was a whole lotta knitting, but I absolutely love the finished product and I'm thrilled with my yarn choice!

KO, Day 9 and SPS

More good progress on Clapotis and now I'm just going to make you wait for the final picture. mwuahahahahah

It's also Self-Portrait Sunday! I actually took this one when we were outside in the snow yesterday.


And here's one I just thought was kinda cool - a tree stump in our neighbor's woodpile.

KO Day 8 and what we did today

Day 8 of the Knitting Olympics and still no picture of my Clapotis. I'm making progress...believe me! In fact, I will, without a doubt, finish before closing ceremonies. Maybe I can get you a picture tomorrow...

Here is what we did today.

KO, day 7...So Sue Me

Ok, ok, I missed a few days AND I'm updating today without a picture. SO SUE ME!! Here's why I missed a few days...Monday and Tuesday were both busy days, so I made very little progress and felt there was no point in putting up a picture. Yesterday, however, I made a *lot* of progress. Unfortunately for you, Dear Reader, it is a very gloomy and overcast day here, which means that any digital picture taken inside this house will look really bad. Here's hoping tomorrow will be sunny just for that reason!

I have now dropped the 12th ladder in Clapotis - that's the one that goes all the way down to the point at the bottom. Now it's just a matter of getting to the 55" mark so I can start decreasing. I did realize last night that I could be finished with this by the end of the weekend if I really buckle down, so that's the plan.

KO, Day 3

Another day, some more knitting. First, a close-up.


Then, a progress pic.


Lastly, here is Maggie in her favorite spot (on our bed).

KO, Day 2

Day 2 of the Knitting Olympics finds me almost finished with the 2nd pattern repeat of Section 3. I'd hoped these colors would be more accurate in this picture, but alas, they are not. But you get the idea...

KO, Day 1

So far, so good. I finished the Section 2 increases, but because I'm using fingering weight yarn and smaller needles, I'll have to add a few more pattern repeats (3, actually, which equals 36 more rows) in order to make the Clapotis the proper size.

Today's the Day!!

It's finally here!! Today is the day the Olympic flame will be lit, which signifies the start of both the Olympics in Torino and the Knitting Olympics around the world. I'm itching to get started because I'm just dying to have my finished Clapotis to wear! I'm so pleased with my choice of yarn - I think it will be really nice to work with.

I do have a cramp in my right shoulder, those muscles right at the base of my neck and at the start of my shoulder. Perhaps I should do some stretching. It's a pity I don't have access to a massage therapist. I mean really...I need to be at the top of my knitting game.

So I raise my needles along with the nearly 4000 other Knitting Olympians and say Godspeed to all of us. May our needles be swift, may our hands not cramp and may our yarn pull out of the center-pull balls with ease.

Wednesday...just Wednesday

Getting ready for the Knitting Olympics...exchanged my size 3 needles for size 4 and got my first skein wound into balls, so I'm good to go. Opening ceremonies here we come!! It really is amazing to think of how many people have committed to this, though. Really, 3100+?? That's crazy!


This is a new baby blanket I started for a friend who is expecting her first baby in a few weeks. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft on size 10 needles. The pattern is from a Leisure Arts book of 4 baby afghans.


And finally, artwork by Natalie. I keep forgetting to do thank you cards for Natalie and Ethan's birthday presents, so when I was at Michael's this morning, I picked up a pack of blank cards and figured Natalie could do her own. I'll write a short note in each of them, too. Those are Cinderella/princesses, in case you couldn't figure it out.

It's official...he's a boy

So today, the kids and I took a trip to the grocery store because we were out of everything. Seriously. My ears and head are still pretty stuffy and my energy level is low, so I knew it wasn't going to be a lot of fun...but we do what we have to do, right? Natalie had a hard time listening and doing what I asked her to do, but we eventually got everything we needed and headed to the check-out. Both she and Ethan had been asking for a mint, so I gave them one while we waited to start putting our groceries up on the check-out thing...what do you call that anyway? conveyor belt? Anyway, of course there was only one lane open other than the self check-out, which normally I don't mind, but with that many groceries it was too much to think about. AND the girl in the only open lane is one I've had several times before and bless her heart, she makes molasses look speedy.

I'm trying to get all the groceries sorted out and all of a sudden I realize Ethan is fussing and saying, "Mama...nose...hurt...MAMA! nose...hurt..." Yep. You guessed it. My newly-turned-2-yr-old son put his Tic-Tac up his nose. And yes, it was one of the white minty ones. And yes, in his 2-yr-old attempt to cope, he promptly inserted a finger and managed to push it up to where I couldn't see it. So at that point, I really wasn't totally sure he really *had* put a Tic-Tac in his nose, since 2- and 4-year olds aren't always reliable sources of information. However, Ethan kept on with the "nose...hurt" chant and I silently willed the check-out girl to go faster. I tried to call Greg in hopes that he could call the pediatrician's office to find out what I should do, but he didn't answer. We finally paid for our groceries and got outside and I managed to remember the phone number for the pediatrician's office. Thankfully, I was able to speak to a nurse right away. She laughed, of course, and told me I could bring him in and they would retrieve the Tic-Tac. In the meantime, Ethan was sneezing every so often, so the nurse said if he happened to blow it out, just let them know.

When I went back around to check on Ethan before we headed home, he had sneezed again and his nose was running. When I wiped it, it smelled suspiciously minty.

Thankfully, he did manage to sneeze the Tic-Tac out, saving us from going to see the pediatrician (and thereby, saving us money).

I'm sure one day I'll laugh about this.

SockapalOOOza

As you can see over on the right, I have joined the new round of SockapalOOOza! I do have yarn in my stash that I'll probably use, but I haven't decided on a pattern yet. Too many choices. I will post pictures when I make my final decision, though. Can't wait to start seeing everyone's updates!

Self-Portrait Sunday

I have a nasty cold.

Jaywalking With Both Feet

It's been a long road, but we're finally here. Not long as in "lots of trouble"...it's just that all that holiday gift knitting had to take priority for so long. But finally, my Cedric Jaywalkers are FINISHED!!! Once again, if you're not an HP fan, you won't understand why I call them "Cedric," but that's ok!




And one last time, this is the Jaywalker pattern with Cascade Fixation Spray Dyed yarn in Mushroom, worked on size 3 dpns.

My feet are very happy.

My First Design

I don't know what got into me. I had this super-soft, baby blue yarn in my stash. I also have a friend who is expecting a baby boy soon. I thought to myself, "He needs a hat." But I couldn't find a pattern that I really wanted to do.

So I created my own. My very first knitting pattern. If you would have told me six months ago that I would be knitting AND that I would create my own pattern for something, I would have laughed. A lot.

Anyway, here are the pictures. I might make a few changes the next time - I'm still not sure. There is a bigger cable in the middle of the smaller ones and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

The yarn is Jo-Ann Sensations "Dolcetto" yarn in blue. The hat was worked on size 8 double-pointed needles.











Here is the pattern:

Little Twist Baby Hat by Julie Persinger

Jo-Ann Sensations “Dolcetto” yarn in Blue (approx. 1/3 of a ball) – This is a heavy worsted/light bulky weight yarn.
Size 8 dpns
Tapestry needle

Gauge: 5 st per inch on size 8 needles

This hat has a circumference of approximately 13”, unstretched.

CO 80, join
Knit 5 rounds
Row 1: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 2 & 3: Knit
Row 4: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 5 & 6: Knit
Row 7: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 8-12: Knit
Row 13: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 14 & 15: Knit
Row 16: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Row 17: Purl

Begin decreasing:
Dec Row 1: (P3, P2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 2: (K2, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 3: (K4, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 4: (K3, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 5: (K2, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 6: (K1, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 7: Knit
Dec Row 8: (K2tog) to end of round

Cut yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Thread this yarn onto a tapestry needle and thread through the remaining stitches. Pull the yarn tail to close up the hole. Bring the yarn through the top of the hat and weave in.