Yarn shopping...

Call me NUTS but I was up bright and early this morning at 5:00 AM to hit the Yorkshire Yarns after Christmas sale. I had my shopping bag and my strategy for fighting the crowd all ready to go... luckily since they are now in a new, larger shop it wasn't so bad. It was busy, it was crazy, it was a yarn frenzy and I had a ball. Heck, who can pass up a 40% discount on their favorite yarns? I know I couldn't (guess I must be the only die-hard in my knitting group... lol) and I wasn't disappointed (other than the fact that the yarn I REALLY wanted, Malabrigo, wasn't on the shelves :( I had no problem filling my shopping bag though with all kinds of yummy yarn. I think I have enough "stash" now to last me all through next year. At least until the next annual sale that is! Thanks Sonya for my most favorite Christmas presents of all!!

Santa's coming...

Well tomorrow is Christmas Eve... did you get all your knitting done? What about me you ask? Ha, ha... I sure as heck didn't. I'm such an idiot for thinking "hey, the kids are on break, I don't have many places, I can sit home and knit and I'll get a lot of knitting done". I must have been drunk or something (too many hot buttered rums), I don't know what I was thinking. Guess I'll be pulling an all-nighter to get as much done tonight as I can since most of it needs to go out the door tomorrow evening. Oh well... there is always next year. Best of luck to you if you are still knitting into the night like me!

I wanted to wish all my knitting buddies, friends, relatives and everyone else out there a VERY Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year! Relax and ENJOY!

Christmas...

Decorations are up, the chill is in the air, excited children are every where... all we need now is a little snow! I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. My how this year just flew by. I can't believe how all the holidays just seemed to creep up really fast on me this year. Christmas is next week all ready and I still have a ton of knitting to accomplish. Will it all get done? Probably not... I'll have to figure out what will have to wait until the new year. Can you believe it will be 2010? Seems like only yesterday we were ringing in the new millennium, the year 2000, the year my beautiful daughter was born and now she is going to be 10 years old. I guess my Mother was right... the older you get the faster the years go by. I didn't want to believe this but this past year flew by like the blink of an eye. If only I could slow time down (and keep my kids from growing up).

I do love this time of year though... the hustle and bustle of busy shopping centers, the look of wonder in the eyes of children and the hope of a white Christmas. I also love going into my local yarn shops to see all the new, wonderful, wool yarn in brilliant winter shades. I just love all the cool colors of winter and I get so excited to see and feel all the marvelous wool that fills the shelves in my favorite shops. I recently visited Yorkshire Yarns in Lakewood and found some yummy new Dream In Color yarn called Be Your Own Superhero (Knitosophy). As you can see in the picture above, the colors are just beautiful. I also found some pretty green and blue sock yarn, my son keeps hounding me for "Seahawk" color socks. My next stop will be Renaissance Yarns and Allyn Knit Shop to see what's new there and get my hands on some more of my favorite... Punta Yarn. I can't wait to see what new colors they have in so I can decide on my projects for the new year.

I hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and safe New Year! Here's to 2o10... may it be the best year yet! Happy Knitting!

Knitting time...

Christmas is in the air... and the needles are in my hands working as fast as they can to get all those hand knit gifts done. My most recent project was coffee cozies for the bazaar at our school. I made quite a few but than, just days before the bazaar, I stumbled upon the sock monkey cozies. I was only able to get a few made but they were a big hit. I loved making them and that's a good think since I have 4 more I need to make. I just used leftover yarn, they were pretty quick to make. The pattern can be found at www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/george---sock-monkey-cup-cozy. Anyone who is a sock monkey fan will love these little cozies.

I've got cramps...

Knitting two hats in one day I believe is called "a knitting addiction". Ok, OK, most of you would probably say "idiot". I agree... my hands really cramped up from that. I haven't knitted all day because of it. But, I popped the motrin and let my hands rest most of the day. Now I'm ready to go again. I need to get some more coffee cozies done for a school bazaar on Friday. I sure hope someone buys them :)

My first hat above is another Orvieto, requested by a friend. She has been fighting the big "C" and I've been wanting to make her a hat for a while now. It was knit, of course, out of my favorite yarn, Merisoft from Punta Yarns. This pattern is so quick and easy and can be accomplised in a day (hey, if I can do it you can too). The second hat is the Dean Street Hat I also found on Ravelry. This was a fun, easy, quick hat also... the best kind. It was also made out of the merisoft yarn for my nephew. The third hat is the Koolhaas Hat (also on Ravelry) made out of di've yarn and was made for my sons teacher. My Christmas pile is happily growing daily but it still seems like I have a ton more to do. Does it ever end? NO... I believe that a "true" knitter has a never ending pile of stashed gifts and a never ending pile of stashed yarn to keep that pile going! I AM A TRUE KNITTER! (lol) Or, as my husband would say, a knitting nerd :)

New sock yarn...

I'm in heaven... today I drove out to Allyn Knit Shop and surprise, surprise, they now carry Punta Yarns. If it wasn't clear before (lol) this is one of my very favorite yarns. They had some beautiful colors for sock yarn so, of course, I bought some. The colorways are so vibrant and pretty it was really hard to choose just one. The nice thing about this sock yarn? Besides being soft and wonderful it is a bit cheaper than most but oh so darn pretty. I was in a rut with socks but now I can't wait to start a new pair. They will have to wait until after Christmas though. If you haven't been to Allyn, it is a great little shop with a nice big selection of yarn. It has become one of my favorite shops. Check it out sometime (http://www.allynknitandspin.com/).

Christmas in coming...

It's almost Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner. I can't believe how quick it has snuck up on us. I'm in full swing with Christmas knitting now. Finished several projects and am working on requests from friends. Once I finish that it's back to my own gifts. Last week I went to one of my favorite shops, Renaissance Yarns. They carry the yarn that I seemed to be obsessed with lately, Punta Yarns Merisoft. I can't help it, I'm addicted to this yarn (http://www.puntayarns.com/all-yarns.htm). It is so nice to knit with and the colorways are just beautiful. Everyone is getting a gift with this yarn this year. What can I say? I LOVE it!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! Be thankful, be happy, have fun!

(PS: Purple hat & headband were made with Malabrigo and the pink gloves were made with the Punta yarn)

The weather outside is... FREEZING

Today was the last day of outdoor soccer... thank goodness considering it was only 37 degrees outside. And, silly me, with all the hats I've been making I go and forget to wear one. I decided I don't care what I look like, darn it, I'm going to wear a hat. Now I think I have an ear infection so a hat today would have been really nice. The wind put a chill in every part of my body, two hours later I'm still sitting here with my coat on. So, I just printed out a free pattern from Ravelry.com for a cute headband. Maybe that will look better on me than a hat... it will at least keep my ears warm. Winter is here... darn it!

A shopping we will go...

Today was a fun day. Our knitting group decided to go on a field trip to Fibers Etc. in Tacoma. I had never been there before and I had heard that they have yarn from floor to ceiling. Well... not only do they have yarn from floor to ceiling they have isle after isle and bin after bin of yarn and their button collection was AMAZING! I've never seen so many buttons in a yarn shop before. There definitely was something for everyone! It was so much fun seeing and feeling all the different yarns. My mind was rolling with all the projects I could make. Then what do I do? I pick out my usual favorite Merisoft by Punta Yarns instead of something new. I can't help myself, I just love this stuff. Also grabbed a couple of new needles and headed out the door. Even though this little shop has very odd hours I will definitely make a return trip.

On another note... tonight I didn't listen to my head telling me to "go to bed, your eyes are getting tired, put the needles down and just go to bed". I just had to keep on knitting and knitting and knitting until I took a break and realized that, crap, I was doing something wrong. I was so focused on finishing the hat I was test knitting for Lisa (www.lisaellisdesigns.com) that I didn't see that I had read the pattern wrong. Now I must pay the awful price that us knitters dread... rip, rip, rip! This is not going to be fun but I must bite the bullet and do it. I hate ripping out cables, I'm just hoping I don't end up having to rip back to the beginning. Wish me luck! I'm going to bed now...

Along came a spider...

I LOVE this hat! Granted, I hated all the purling but the end result is just fabulous. And, to top it off I actually blocked it and it now looks even better. This was really fun to make, the pattern can be found at http://www.ravelry.com/stores/kate-atherley-designs. I used Cascade 220 for the orange and Steinbach Wolle Echte Schafwolle for the brown on the trim (only because that's what I had laying around and the pattern didn't call for much). My daughter even wore it to school, it was a big hit! I don't think I will get around to making one for my son until next year though. Heck it's almost Halloween and I just don't have the time. Guess they will just have to share!

Going once, going twice... SOLD!

Our school had a big silent auction for a fundraiser this year and I donated 2 pairs of felted slippers. They both sold and here is the first pair. Made with Cascade 22o and fun fur, I love how the colors turned out... basic but pretty. The pattern is from FiberTrends, I've made tons of these and it is a great pattern. I did worry about getting the size right but luckily they fit perfect! Now onto the next pair.

Craft room, craft room, I love you...

My craft room/office is almost done... I'm so excited! I finally will be able to work comfortably in my room again and it's only been, yikes, 3 years! Now I just have to get my husband to finish the trim work. Hailey can't wait for me to get back in there and finish up some more scrapbooks. She loves looking at her books. I will also finally be able to get my yarn organized too. As you can see from the photos I started putting some of it on my shelves, I'll finally be able to see what I have. I also have more tucked away in the fabric baskets on the bookshelf. This is just too exciting... I love it and I really LOVE my purple walls too, it's so girly! I have to give a great BIG thank you to my sister for coming over last week and helping me decorate and put up some shelves. I'm not exactly handy with a screwdriver and hammer. I can never seem to get things straight. My room wouldn't look so darn pretty if it wasn't for her. She has so much more of a "decorator's" eye than me, she is amazing! THANK YOU SIS! Now, off to organize and put more stuff away!

Here comes the candy corn...

My charity knitting for this month is now complete. I made a total of 12 Halloween hats for the wee little babes of Madigan Army Hosptial. I got on a kick of making the candy corn hats because they were just so darn cute, which means I only finished 3 pumpkin hats. The candy corn hats were just fun and I loved the yarn I used even if it was a cheapy yarn. It's called Little Grins and is 60% cotton, I just love how it feels and it was pretty nice to knit with too. Now I just need to get them delivered today. Next up... Christmas hats.

Pattern: Candy Corn Hat found at http://www.skeinsandbeans.com or on Ravelry at http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/candy-corn-hat.

Yarn: Little Grins was purchased at Artco Crafts in Tacoma, WA.

Pumpkin Hat: http://sonnentaler.blogspot.com/2008/09/krbis-baby-hat.html and

http://randomstitches.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/hello-world/ (various yarns used).

Wow it's early...

I can't remember the last time I was ever up at 4:00 AM (other than still being awake at that hour), guess that's what I get for falling asleep on the couch so early. At least I got a good 7 hours of sleep, that's unusual for me. It is now 5:13 AM and I'm trying to decide what knitting project I should get out (or should I jump in the shower before the kids get up? nahhh). I was looking at my projects and I sure think that I have knitters ADD... does one ever overcome this? I really wish that I could complete an entire sweater for myself before it becomes a "frogged" or "hibernating" project. I look at my friend Sue's projects and she has so many beautiful sweaters to wear this winter and me, well, I have a vest or two that I don't even know if I will wear. Do I sound a little jealous? Well I certainly am! But, I have no one to blame but myself. I think I will set a knitters New Year's resolution right now... finish at least one sweater next year! Maybe I can stick to a knitters resolution since I can't seem to stick to any other's I have made in the past.

I think I will go work on my sister's birthday present now. Halloween will be here before we know it. Won't be posting pictures until after Halloween. Maybe I can keep this on as a surprise since she was snooping through my projects and saw the other half of her gift last month. But, that's OK, at least I know she likes it!

Hopefully the sun will be shining again today! I'm enjoying the cooler weather but it's nice to still have some sun. Have a great day!

Sick or not...

Sick or not my week must go on... I was pretty much down on the couch all weekend long with a terrible head cold. But, come Monday, I just couldn't sit around much longer. After all, I have a mile long list of things to do this week. So, what do I do first? Head to the yarn shop, hey I needed needles. I've been on such a hat kick lately that I figured I better build up my stash of 16" needles before I hurt myself out of frustration for not having the right size when I want to start a new hat. Of course, I also found some great yarn to add to my other stash (I need more yarn like I need a hole in my head). Tuesday we were off to the Puyallup Fair which was exhausting but fun, at least the kids came home smiling while I came home with a headache, feet that were on fire and a mild backache. Oh, the joys of getting older! Wednesday, ahhh, I love my Wednesday's because that is knitting group day. Thanks goodness for these wonderful ladies, if it wasn't for seeing them every Wednesday I'd probably be a... well, let's just not go there. I could be having the worst day, or the worst week, and the minute I walk in the door my troubles just drift away! Then Thursday hits, back to the school for volunteer time in two classrooms and a meeting after that. Friday, wind down day right? NOT, Friday is our big school fundraiser. It's a silent auction and Italian dinner catered by Olive Garden. That will be one busy day and evening.

So... that is a run down of my week. I'm not trying to whine and I'm not trying to complain, I know there are crazier/busier people out there than me (yes, I'm talking about you Sue). This is just a crazy schedule for me personally... and I wonder why I can't get my house clean. When I am finally home, able to rest, cleaning is the last thing on my mind. I think I'll make some tea and settle down before everyone gets home from soccer. Thank goodness for my husband, he has been such a trooper. He hasn't complained about soccer practices yet and he has taken Hailey to every single one. He hasn't even complained about the funky things I come up with for dinner lately (whatever I can fish out of the freezer or pantry) and he hasn't even complained about the house... YET! Gotta love him!

Now I need to go find something to knit...

I hate being sick...

Being sick is the pits and it cuts into my knitting time. Luckily, two days of laying on the couch gave me a little bit of knitting time (once my pounding headache went away). I have been on a hat craze lately, I'm stocking up for Christmas. Seems everyone wants nice, warm, wool hats this year. Do you think they are anticipating a cold winter? I sure hope not. Along with making some baby hats for charity, I have finished two "gift" hats to start my stash. The first is The Amanda Hat found at http://www.yogagardennh.com/Patterns/AmandaHat.pdf. I used some yarn I picked up on clearance from Southwest Trading Company called Saphira. It's a super wash wool in a beautiful colorway but I'm not sure I like knitting with it. It seems to split and snag on me and it's not as soft as I thought it would be. Maybe after it is washed and blocked it will be better. Some yarns do feel better after washing them. I have one more skein of this yarn so I'll see if it does the same on my next project. The second one is called the Rib-A-Roni hat found at http://knitjaneknit.blogspot.com/2007/12/holiday-half-time-and-rib-roni-hat.html. I wanted to make this hat in Seahawk colors and found some Cascade 22o in blue and green in my stash. I was happy to be able to use up some of my stash. I will probably be able to get two more hats out of my yarn too. Both patterns can also be found on Ravelry, they are both free downloads.

The last picture is my beautiful needle case purchased from http://www.lisaellisdesigns.com/. You can also find her at http://www.lisaellisdesigns.etsy.com/. All her needle cases are made with TOP quality, designer material and they are absolutely beautiful. Pick one up for yourself or your favorite knitter this Christmas, you won't be disappointed.

Adding to the pile...

Candy corn hat... I just love Halloween. This was a fun project and quick too. Wish I could sneak into the maternity ward and get some pictures of the little ones wearing their hats. On to making one for Hailey, after all, candy corn is her favorite!

Made the hat out of a yarn I saw at Artco yesterday. Yes, the yarn snob bought yarn at a craft store and, yikes, it's part acrylic too (and cotton). The colors were so pretty and it actually felt pretty nice too. I'm happy with how it knit up, hopefully it holds up OK to hospital washing machines. The yarn is called Little Grins. I think I have enough to make quite a few hats. Watch for Christmas hats coming soon... can't wait to make those. Oh, I almost forgot, the pattern is free on www.ravelry.com, just type in "candy corn hat" and it will come up (and pumpkin hats too).

Knitting again...

Summer is coming to an end, school is back in session and my knitting group has started up again... thank goodness, I was beginning to go through withdrawls! Plus, I was told my blog was suffering from a busy summer schedule (thanks Sue :) Ok, Ok... I really was getting desperate to get back to my knitting! I started out this week making a quick ribbed beanie for my son. He finally got his long hair cut short and was saying his head was now cold. So, out came the needles and some Debbie Bliss donegal chunky tweed for a hat that knit up in a matter of hours (thanks Lisa for recommending this yarn, it was perfect). He was happy!

Next came another quick project for charity knitting... a cute little Halloween pumpkin hat. I just love these hats and, since it is for an infant, it also knit up in a matter of hours. I've already started my second one in Dale Baby ULL (purchased at Yorkshire Yarns in Lakewood). These hats will be for the maternity ward at Madigan Army Hospital. Next I think I will tackle some hats for our local cancer center. Can you tell I've really been into making hats lately? I just love that they are quick and fun projects. Quick is always good with me since I have the attention span of, say, maybe a 5 year old! If a project is too big, in the zzzzz or frog bin it goes. I need QUICK, I crave QUICK! My stress level (and blood pressure) can't take complicated these days! Oh ya, that cable sweater I started? Already in the "frog" bin. Darn it, maybe I just need some good pills to overcome my lack of follow through on a project, LOL!

Must get back to knitting now... Oh, by the way, what a good Mom I am :) take a look at the great poster I made my daughter from the Jonas Brothers concert back in June. Did it through Costco and, guess what? It was QUICK and it was EASY... my new motto. I framed it and hung it in her room before she got home from school. She gave me the biggest hug I've ever had, that sure brightened my day! Have a great night!

Life is crazy...

Life has been a little crazy lately and knitting has not been at the top of my list. This month has been a whirlwind... at least one person in my family has been sick for the last, oh, 5 weeks or so, my parents have been in and out of town and Hailey's 9th birthday was thrown in there too along with back to school and PTA stuff...crazy, crazy. Luckily everyone is healthy now so we took a camping trip last week to Leavenworth. It was a lot of fun, the kids got to swim everyday, I got to work on my socks a little and we even floated down the river which was a first. I also got to visit The Wooly Bully yarn shop in Leavenworth where I picked up some pretty sock yarn and slipper bottoms for my felted slippers. The shop owner was there knitting away, it was a cute little shop. I'm amazed at all the yarn that they fit in such a small space but yet it didn't feel overcrowded. She was very nice and they had a pretty good selection. I was bummed though... after we got home I found out that there was also a yarn shop in Cashmere and I missed it. We were there too, guess I need to remember to do my research before I go anywhere. It's fun to hit shops you have never been to.

School starts next week so our knitting group should be back in full swing. Hopefully I'll get some new projects started or pick up on some old ones. Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Peace out...

Here are a few pictures of Hailey's birthday party. It was a "hippie/peace" theme with costumes and everything. We had a really great time, the party even turned into a sleepover. I didn't get pictures of everyone's tie-dye t-shirts but here are a few with my kids. Also, the blue hat Hailey has on is the other Meret (Mystery Beret) that I made. I'm really loving this hat and I'm now on my third one. Peace out...

Knitting again...

After shopping at the mall with my mom and niece, my niece inspired me to make a hat. She was trying on some really cute hats in a store and I thought "I can make that". So, yesterday I got out the needles and surfed Ravelry for a pattern. Found a cute one called Meret, it was similar to what my niece was trying on at the store. I found that this pattern was really easy to follow and was so quick to knit (one day) that I also made my daughter one (after I made her beg a little). I'll have to post pictures later when I can get her outside in the sun to take one. It was really nice to be able to finish a project in a day and it gave me a nice little break from party planning for Hailey's birthday. Hailey will be 9 on Wednesday and we are having a few friends and family over. I made her invitations again this year and they turned out pretty darn cute. She had decided she wanted a "peace sign" party so we settled on a hippie theme. We are having a "best dressed hippie" contest, going to tie-dye t-shirts and paint our fingernails and toes in funky colors. A friend of mine is even making a peace sign cake. I think it will be a fun little party. I may even have to make myself some "special" brownies for later... LOL!