Knitting Content

Here is my progress on DomiKNITrix's little red ridding hoodie. Fast Easy knit. I love it I needed something mindless and this fit the bill. I am using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in M075 Spice. It is a deep red color since I am not too big into the cherry red and it is a perfect color for me. I love and cannot wait to be done with it but alas I do have to work on my Socapalooza Four socks too and I am out of yarn. I am waiting for more to come in hopefully it is close to same dye lot. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Now.........

My Sockapalooza four socks. I think they are really cute. I am using Claudia's Handpainted in John B. The picture doesn't do it much justice as it is a very deep fall deserty colorway. Mauves, plums, greens, burnt oranges, and some brown tones. As you can see I have just turned the heel on sock 1 and am about to do the gusset. It is quick to knit I am doing a faux eyelet rib type pattern and it is wicked stretchy. OMG did I just use wicked I have lived in Maine too long. Holy cow that is such a New England term. Time to move.

Ok well that is all the knitting I am currently doing. My HP socks are done but I still cannot get stitch markers that I love I have made about 40 different ones and just haven't hit the right combo yet. Hopefully after I get back from NJ. Yes I am making another trip this weekend. I am leaving Friday to return Monday or Tuesday. So check out the new camera bag I got. It's so cute it looks like a little purse. Lana thinks it is her little purse. I have to hid it or she steals it from me. Mine.

Now my foray into gardening. I do not garden. I am not good at gardening. Plants hate me and they commit suicide around me. But I love them and I do try. So I have been dying for some lavender. I had to have some Lavender. So what do I get. A neat lavender hybrid type thing that doesn't have to be planted outside. I can keep in the house during the harsh Maine winter and hopefully it will survive. I also got Punky Violet Moon Tourein type thing that I hope to hang in my kitchen window. I don't know why but the picture just won't show up no matter what I do.

Ok off for now I have to go pack and get some stuff done and some sleep. Be back Monday or Tuesday.

Gratuitous shots of my adorable kids!


Sissy I wanna swing too!! She tried so hard to get on the big girl swing.

Then she gave up and decided my new bookcase was more fun.

Hi mama!

They love the playplace. Lana is such a monkey we couldn't keep her from climbing all over even tho she is not big enough. She was ok sissy stayed with her and they came down the slides together. Lots of fun.

Look What my wonderful hubby made me!!!

My very own wooden sock blockers. Of course I had to draw the template, size it, transfer it to the wood, he cut it out, I sanded it and put 4 coates of poly on it. I am so happy to have my own sock blockers. I love them!!!

Here are my completed entrelac socks. I will so hate to part with these. I love them and they are Harry! I do hope my pal loves them as much as I do.

Look what came today. I am so excited. Charmed Knits!!! I cannot wait to start one of my surprises for my pal out of this book. Woo hoo! off to knit.

Hogwarts update!

Almost done. I love these socks. I love this pattern and technique but with these colors it really has a Harry Potter feel to it. I will really hate to part with them.

I've been messing around with the Fimo. I came up with these for stitch markers but I'm not 100% sure I love them.

I did some on the diagonal to make an extra surprise but I'm still not sure I love them.

Here they are all together in their Hufflepuffiness. What do you think?

We Love Summer!!

Whoo sissy slow down!

We just got back from our trip to NJ and Mass. We had a good time and finally since I had another capable adult to drive I got to knit. progress to come

I can't wait for Prom to show this to her date!

While we were in NJ we went to go see my brother's band play. They were very good and it was a good time for all. Thank You again. It was so good to see everyone and hang out and have adult time.

Pal sock update

This is the yellow I bought it is the Blue Sky alpaca in Lemondrop. This was way not yellow enough so.......

It turned into this Yellow with a little help of Cushing Dye in Lemon. I love the way it turned out. I really love these entrelac socks so I thought I would be really nice and really spoil my pal and do a pair for her. Hopefully she will like them. They remind me of any of the Pittsburg team colors. LOL too bad she lives in the west it would be perfect and double the fun. This is all I was able to get done in the car. I ended up driving most of the way so I only got about an hour of real knitting time. Thats ok I got a good start and I will just have to work my butt off on them now. Sake wanted to be my Barker girl. See her modeling the yarn for me. :-)

We just got back from a quick trip to NJ. We left Thurday morning and got back last night.

Another trip to Build a Bear. Lana did have more fun this time around tho LOL. she got a cute flop eared bunny named Snuggles

Kiki got a Hello Kitty.

Kristen got her first Build a Bear for her 1st birthday named Peanut.

Poppy (my dad) and Kristen the party was just too much.

It was a great trip the kids were good. We loved being able to see everyone and I got a DVD system for the car so the drive was so much easier. Hubby and I are going back in 2 weeks since he couldn't come this time.

I joined the Hogwarts Sock Swap today.
I need another project or hobby like I need another hole in my head. LOL
This just looked too much fun and I love Harry Potter so I had to do this.
I took the sorting hat quiz and it placed me in Ravenclaw. Not too bad, at least I like the colors (film).
Here is my questionnaire:

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Ravenclaw

2. Shoe size?
US 9

3. Foot Length?
9 ¾ inches

4. Foot Circumference?
9 ¾ inches

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.

a. Addi turbo magic loop 100 cm

b. KA

c. Clover

not picky on length or size just whatever gets the job done for the pattern.

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
Any I haven’t used yet I would like to try. Possibly a set of Lantern moons made better then the ones I bought and won’t break in the first 10 minutes.

Or Brittany's I don't have anyone near me who sells those and I hear they are great.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book?
Film

8. Do you have a strong preference?
Yup I do not like the blue and bronze just cuz the bronze ends up looking yellowish but if done right I wouldn't mind book colors.

9. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
Yes

Look what we woke up to this morning!

Ugh I am so ready for the snow to end Hello! I thought this was over. It was close to 50 degrees sunny and the snow had all melted. What is up with this?

Lana is now fascinated by sissy's undies she has taken to putting them on over all of her clothes. How cute. Super baby!

Second try on entrelac sock. Guess what? I went up two needles sizes since I am using slightly bigger yarn and the first sock was too small. Nope now this one is too big. I think I am just not destined to have a pair of these socks. Oh well!

I think its time to make another booga j bag. Lets go get some Noro! I need a break.

It's an entrelac sock.

It is not as long as it should be but when I went to try it on it wouldn't fit so I said frig this and started the cuff. I got the cuff done and off the needles. I am so happy. Since it doesn't fit and it has been the Sock of Doom I brought it to my favorite people at the Best Yarn Shop Ever and gave it to them to hang up as a sample.

Finished with the tassels on it. Gone! The bad Karma and Mojo better go with it too. So if that isn't enough and I am a glutton for punishment, while I was there I got The Blue Sky Alpaca in a chocolate brown and a pink heather to do another pair, but this time instead of the pattern called for 1's I am using 3's and I got the toe done last night. Already I know this will be much better and easier and fit me. Let keep our fingers crossed.

TA DA!!
All about finales.


My finale cake from course 2. Yes I made all those flowers and the butterflies by myself. And that is a lovely basket weave on the sides of the cake done by me!

This is Spunky Eclectic Sangria. After the sock of doom ( See above post) I needed a break so I got this Sangria and that glass (bottle) of white zinfandel and sat down to relax and watch the Godfather (yes I have never seen it) and I made individual toe socks out of this. Well they are no longer now as with the colors it looked like monster feet from Sesame Street and I just didn't like the flow. But it relaxed me and got the sock of doom off my mind. Now what do I make with this?

Kiki met the Easter bunny at a local restaurant we went to for dinner. Lana was petrified of the Easter bunny and cried the whole time we were eating dinner and buried her head in me. Poor Baby.

But when we got home all was OK when she could play with the kitty cat's new play cube tower thing. The kitties were not impressed. They wouldn't come near me the rest of the night they were so mad at me for letting her touch their home.

So here is my entrelac sock.

Here is the progress I have made. Not much I know. Wanna know why it has taken me so long to get this far? Lets put it this way these socks I have come to think are the socks of doom. Since I started them My life has gone to hell.

Since I started knitting them I have had nothing but problems. And not knitting problems. For the most part the knitting has gone smoothly. Just all friggin sorts of other problems.
1. The broken needle started it, then
2. My dog got run over and killed
(she ran out and I didn't know she got off the gated in porch at my mom's house and she made it to the street and got run over)
3. My brand spanking new $400 KitchenAid Pro 600 series died. While I was making the frosting for my afternoon class Sunday morning.
After class went back to linens n' things and got a replacement it was less then 3 weeks old and you just can't kill a KitchenAid Hello!
4. On the way home from class my van starts smoking and I have no heat.
5. It's not covered under the warranty and it cost me $485.00 to fix.
6. My favorite glasses which are just a year old break and that frame has been discontinued so I have to buy new ones.
another $160.00
7. My electric LitterMaid (kitty box) dies. They are $ 200 I went with the $30.00 scoop roll over box.
8. My office flooded this weekend and everything below 2 feet got soaked.
9. I get the smart idea to try my socks on and break another needle.
10. I fell and twisted a vertebrae in my back.

So this is why I have barely made any progress on these lovely socks. And I do love them. It is actually a very easy knit. I have not cursed them, I have not bad mouthed them, and I have worked on them at least a little everyday. But for some reason since I started knitting them bad things have happened to me. At least we are all healthy and OK. At this point I am now bound and determined that I will finish, they will not get the best of me. I will beat them and things will get better. And if they fit me I will wear them proudly and remember this point in my life forever with all the pain that is stitched into each rectangle. Then I will make more!

I love this. Kiki looks so cute here.

Lana so happy.

My goober heads.