One Sock, Two Socks, Red Sock, Blue Sock

The End Is Near

2011-03-30T06:34:00.000-07:00

I started knitting a sweater right around the first of the year. I set it aside to knit a sample for a dyer in our area. That was a tunic style sweater with short sleeves and an attached collar. The collar was knitted separately and sewed on after all knitting was complete. I finished and mailed it off to the dyer for her upcoming trunk show. I then picked up my first project of 2011 and continued on with the cabled sweater. A co-worker was having a baby shower so I had to knit a baby sweater. I decided to use a pattern on Ravelry which was free and very cute. It would have been fine had I not chosen super fine fingering weight sock yarn from Yarn Pirate. It turned out very cute but took 10 days due to the gauge being 11 rows to the inch in stockinette. I then picked up my sweater and have since been knitting continually. I am an inch and a half from completion, it is slow going as there are close to 400 stitches on my circular needle. I should be finished today and I am very happy to be moving on to a new project. Unlike many knitters I like to have one project on the needles at a time. This does not include my sock yarn blanket that is made up of small squares. That is ongoing and I knit on that when I think of it.

I have completed most of my lingering 2010 projects. I blocked two sweaters, sewed the buttons on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan, finished Delaney's socks, and named my wheel. I decided I wanted an Irish name as I am of Irish descent as was the original wheel owner. I went

with the name "Fiona". Fiona is a form of Jane and my grandmother was named Mary Jane and the love of my life as a child. I have fond memories of her and will definitely reflect while spinning. The kids will of course think she is named from the movie Shrek! This might spark an interest in spinning for the kids.

I am off to finish my remaining 1 1/2 inches of button band and watch The Good Wife while doing it. Pictures to follow completion.

Knitting What Else?

2011-01-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

I tried to finish a few loose projects that I had laying around in 2010. One project was a pair of socks that I had knitted for Delaney and for whatever reason they had holes in them before I gifted them to her. We went on vacation and upon return there were holes, she would like to think there were moths... I believe there was a cat involved but who knows? Needless to say they are now a pair again and they had laid around for a year. I finished spinning some fiber I had on my wheel for months. I also tried my Louet S90 that I took delivery of in August. It had sat there waiting to be spun on for five months. I spun up a corriedale batt from Grafton Fibers and it was in a rich jewel amethyst color. Delaney of course loved it & I loved the wheel. It was fun to spin on and I need to come up with an appropriate name for her. I received the wheel from a lady in Illinois and it was her mothers wheel before she passed away. Her mother was of Irish descent so I need a good Irish name other than the one I already possess. I still have to sew some buttons on my Tangled Yoke Cardigan and wash and block 4 others but then I am totally finished. Oh there is that blanket on my loom I started, but I decided to dedicate 60 minutes every afternoon to spinning or weaving. So I have worked on it this year and it really doesn't count as unfinished as it is a continual work in progress.

I am going to be test knitting a sweater for The Plucky Knitter. She is a dyer from Delton Michigan. The yarn is merino & silk and the colorway is Dark & Stormy which is in the charcoal family. I am excited to help out a fellow Michigander, she will be displaying the knitted goods at an upcoming trade show. I was in the Plucky Knitter Classics Yarn Club for a while and enjoyed her yarn and color choices. Off to grab a cup of coffee and knit on my sweater for a few minutes before the not so wee ones return from errands.

Knitting Sweaters

2010-12-09T20:20:00.000-08:00

I have been bitten by the sweater bug. I have finished 6 sweaters in 4 months. It started in August with the Garter Yoke Cardigan, then the Tangled Yoke Cardigan, on vacation in September I knitted the Neck Down Shaped Cardigan, then the Lightweight Pullover, Folded and finally the Effortless Cardigan. I knit the final cardi for Delaney as a Christmas Gift. You better love the recipient of the gifted sweater as there is some serious knitting involved with a sweater. The sweater pattern Folded was knit out of sock yarn and it seemed like I was never going to get finished. I am now getting ready to knit the Featherweight Cardigan out of Tosh Merino Light a single ply yarn. I am anxious to use this and see how it knits up. I have the colorway Molly Ringwald in PINK of course!

School Has Begun....

2010-09-07T07:03:00.000-07:00

Where did the summer go? I failed miserably during the Tour de Fleece, and my wheel remains nameless. I was working on a sweater and managed to finish that one & begin another during the time I should have been spinning. I have been on a sweater knitting kick, and it is a blast. I have knitted three sweaters in the past couple of months. I managed to knit a complete sweater in 9 days during vacation. I am trying to find the perfect sweater fit and this requires experience. So with each sweater I learn a bit more. I am a tight knitter so I usually have to go up a sweater size due to the fact that once I get in my groove my gauge gets tighter. I also can go up a needle size as well and a good piece of advice is "swatches lie". I swatch, I get gauge, I knit and finish a big project and then said project doesn't fit. It makes me sad, really sad. I have knit three sweaters and they all fit but the first one is smaller than I would like. I ended up only putting 4 buttons on the yoke and that solved the problem. I am now planning which pattern shall become the 4th sweater.

Who knew my life would be simpler if I got up earlier. I am not gonna lie I do not like morning. I usually go to bed after midnight and sleep until the last possible minute. Which results in being sleep deprived all week long and getting less sleep on the weekends due to my work schedule. This begins the neverending cycle of trying to catch up on sleep which doesn't ever happen. All summer long I slept until probably 10 a.m. when I wasn't working, but I also stayed up until 1 or 2 a.m. My plan for this school year is I am going to try and go upstairs around 9:30 p.m. and read and get up @ 6:30 a.m. I did this last night and our morning was way smoother than previous first days of school. We will see if this continues. This year I have from noon until the boys come home @ 4 p.m. almost to myself. I have Delaney coming home around 3 p.m. but she is self managing and I wouldn't necessarily have to be here. So I am excited about all of the possibilities! Cleaning, cooking, laundry, shower, errands the possibilities are endless.

Tour de Fleece

2010-07-01T08:19:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

The tour starts Saturday so I will be spinning everyday for a long time. I need to come up with a name for my wheel. It has been a year and I've got nothing. I will be spinning 2 lbs of superwash merino for a sweater during the Tour. That is my personal goal, I need to prep the fiber so I will just have to grab it on Saturday and start spinning. I am hoping to spin a sport/worsted weight yarn. I will need about 1100 yards of finished yarn. No pressure here....the color of the fiber is Dragonskin it is a teal and it is gorgeous. I purchased the fiber from Funky Carolina. I will try to take a picture & post here so we can see the before and the after. Wish me luck!

More Socks

2010-06-09T09:23:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I knit these right before I started the ten stitch twist blanket. I loved this pattern with the twisty stitches and no cabling. The yarn is Madeline Tosh and the colorway is Gracious. They are for me and fit great. The sock pattern is from Cookie A and it is called Angee. I would encourage anyone who is new to sock knitting to try this pattern, piece of cake.

Preschool Teacher Gift

2010-06-09T09:14:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is a blanket I knit during May. I decided since it was our last year for preschool, Easton's teacher deserved a special gift. She has taught all five of my children preschool from the year 2001-2010. The span of years is nine so I made sure the blanket represented this and knit nine rings around. The pattern is called 10 stitch twist as the entire time you knit only on 10 stitches picking up a stitch as you go to attach it to the previous row. It was fun and addictive knitting. I used 12 skeins of Noro Kureyon and it was a bit tough on my hands. The blanket softened up nicely when it had a warm bath in wool wash. Mrs. Swainston loved her gift as much as I enjoyed giving it to her.

My Creative Writer

2010-06-09T09:00:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I got a phone call at work from the principal of the kids school. He started the conversation "this is nothing bad"...., I wasn't thinking bad I was thinking injured. Anyway there is a kind of theatre group that takes kids creative writing submissions and turns them into skits. Delaney's was selected for the sixth grade. She is not one to jump on stage and be comfortable. I asked her what she thought when she saw myself & Rob in the audience. She said she was hoping during the entire assembly we were there for one of her brothers writings. The group called Brainstormers acted out her skit, while she sat in the director's chair with a bit of help from school mates. I enjoyed myself and the proud moment.

Playing Soccer & Found Mud

2010-06-09T08:54:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

It has been a while since I have blogged. It always seems like there are so many end of the year school activities, parties, and sports. Needless to say it has been busy. All four boys are playing baseball & t-ball, soccer and water polo have ended. We still have piano lessons for the summer.

Easton and his brother were playing soccer in the front yard and of course there was mud to be found!

The Killing My Hands Hat

2010-04-21T09:03:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is my work in progress, The Snapdragon Tam. It is knit out of Madeline Tosh's worsted weight yarn in the colorway Faubourg. I received the yarn in 2008 when I was a member of the Magnolia Society which is a yarn club. It is a deep purple with hints of almost black. It is my first pattern from Ysolda Teague, a younger designer from Scotland. All of this cabling is doing a number on my hands, wrists, and thumb. It doesn't help that I knitted non-stop last night on this. I have about 15 or so rounds to go and I am happy about that. Then I have to give it a bath and block it over a dinner plate to get its tam appearance. This will be a Christmas present for Delaney, I am getting quite an early start. The problem with early gifts is I usually forget I knitted/bought them or cannot locate when December comes around. Here's hoping that is not the case.

The Craigslist Kitty

2010-04-21T08:53:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is Rufus he joined our family on February 12th. He has been adjusting to the chaos and the two big dogs. He came from a house with dogs so that wasn't a problem for him. The kids were a bit much at first as they followed him around and sometimes chased him. That novelty has worn off some. He came with his name so we kept it. He is what I would call a talker, he meows nonstop. Rob stated he wishes he did not have a voice box. The cat seems to enjoy me, he comes out and follows me around all day. He comes down at night and messes with my yarn & goes upstairs to bed when I do. It is fun to watch a cat that is five play. I forgot how playful a younger cat is. While we miss our cat Jazz, Rufus is a nice replacement for our family.

Textured Shawl

2010-04-21T08:20:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I spun this fiber and navajo plied it to give it some long color runs. The fiber is from Funky Carolina and the colorway is Lovesick. I am not sure how much use I will get out of this shawlette, but it is beautiful & I love it just the same. I knit it over Easter weekend and it was a fast mindless project. I am trying to knit with some of the handspun I have piling up. I have not bought any yarn in 2010 and have stuck to my knit through the stash resolution. Everytime I spin I know I am adding to that stash and must knit MORE! I don't think that is even possible without a cleaning lady. :-)

My Mom's Birthday Socks

2010-03-31T09:07:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here are the socks I finished last week. My mom likes muted shades of color or lack there of. I am her polar opposite as far as socks are concerned. They are finished, I have to get them to her but they are complete and it is still her birthday month! That is what I get for starting a sock 4 days before her birthday. The pattern is Cookie A.'s Glynis & Chameleon Colorworks in Dove, I hope my mom loves them.

Holden's Flip Top Mittens

2010-03-19T16:55:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

First, these mittens are a much deeper red than the picture. Holden chose these cabled mittens as they are flip top. The underside has a interior cuff and the top flips over and has a button to secure it. They are pretty nifty and that way he can do all his important kindergarten stuff that you need fingers for on the playground. Rob tried to steer him towards a more "manly" color and it cracked me up. Holden just looked at him and said "no Dad, I love that red color". He was suggesting the heathered brown. These mittens are from my book Knitting New Mittens & Gloves. The pattern is called Jack In The Box. I just have to sew on the buttons and he is good to go. C'mon snow!

Lance Armstrong Hat

2010-03-19T16:50:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I received this roving of merino & silk from my participation during the Tour de Fleece. Delaney wanted some mittens and a hat and I spun the yarn and knitted the requested items. She got a new winter coat that is silver and wanted some accessories to compliment it. It was hard to get motivated during the last few weeks of weather in the 50's & 60's. I noticed that the snow was coming so I plied the yarn, washed, whacked and dried it last week. I started the hat on Wednesday night and knitted steadily on it. I finished it tonight which is Friday, I think the freezing weather is due tomorrow. The pattern is Lisa's Beret from Kirsten a.k.a. Through The Loops. A nice knit with an easy to remember broken linen stitch pattern. The roving was from GLBLF, which stand for Girls Like Boys Like Fiber. They are a seller on Etsy and this was hand painted merino silk. The colorway was Racer and I will enjoy seeing her in it. It reminds me of being up north this summer during the Tour de Fleece and spinning away.

Mom's Birthday Socks

2010-03-19T16:39:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I have been knitting non-stop during the month of March. My Mother's birthday was March 14th. I called her the Wednesday before and offered some sock color suggestions. She is a boring sock wearer, it is a wonder I wear anything other than beige! I say that with much love as she has great taste & style for someone any age. She chose grey and the yarn is from Chameleon Colorworks and the colorway is Dove. I wanted to keep this yarn for myself after skeining it up. Who cannot use a pair of grey socks? These are the first pair of socks that I have knitted out of Cookie A.'s book Sock Innovation. The pattern is called Glynis, and the knit 3 together that is throughout caused some serious pain in my left wrist. I am a tight knitter to begin with, but trying to get the k3tog off of the left hand needle was agony. I decided to opt out of the pattern on the foot and just have it on the leg. I don't think it made a difference, it is still an awesome looking sock. I knit this sock quickly considering I started it Wednesday night late and finished Tuesday night. I also worked 30 hours during that time period & volunteered in the kindergarten classroom! One down and one to go..............

Bad Blogger

2010-03-09T06:11:00.000-08:00

Well it has been almost two months since I have written. The last couple of months have been very busy for the family. Cooper, Holden, Wilson, and Rob all have hockey. The younger two have learn to skate and Rob & Cooper play on a team. Cooper has practice twice a week and games on the weekend. Delaney has piano & figure skating so that keeps her busy. Rob is also coaching the "B" girls basketball team, and teaching cathecism. We have also had our share of illnesses just to keep us on our toes. Last week Easton had the flu and I was in the house with him for four days. It was a bit long and draining and I was very happy to get out of the house on Saturday even if it was for an 11 hour day at work.

On the knitting front, I have been very busy. I have knitted two pairs of mittens, a pair of socks, working on a handspun shawl and weaving a panel for a woven blanket. I have also spun some merino silk for a hat Delaney requested. It is in the colorway Racer, it was a given to me for my participation in the Tour De Fleece. The colors match Lance Armstrong's team colors. I am anxious to finish the shawl & move onto another project. I have 2 lbs of superwash merino in Dragonskin which is a teal colored fiber. It is beautiful and it was dyed by Funky Carolina. It is destined to be a sweater for myself. This is the biggest project I have taken on and I hope it all works out. I have read on Ravelry that others have attempted this and failed due to no enough yardage. They start and run out, colors don't match, have to knit a different colored yoke. I want a solid color sweater, so I have to swatch & reswatch to make sure I am on target.

It has been warm here for over a week which makes spinning/knitting winter wear not as much fun. I love knitting when it is snowing, not so much fun when it is sunny and 52 degrees. I am not complaining I love the sunshine. It doesn't have as much inspiration for wool as snow. I am off to take pictures as I have a sunny day and then will have something to post.

Take These Broken Wings And Learn To Fly

2010-01-13T07:59:00.001-08:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

The final month was December and my Rockin' Sock Club days are now over. I love the club so much but just can't justify the expense for 2010. I have a lot of yarn and a bunch of fiber in my possession. Until that dwindles down..... it is knit/spin/weave from the stash for me in 2010. The pattern was designed by Cookie A. I am not sure if I love the pattern or not. I loved the lacework going down the back of the leg. That is why I posted that picture to show it off. The colorway is Blackbird, which is also one of my favorite Beatles songs. So I present my first completed item for 2010. So long rockin' sock club, I do love you so......

The Matching Baby Hat

2010-01-13T07:53:00.001-08:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is the matching hat that completed the set for baby Elise. It was quick and turned out so cute!

Baby Suprise Jacket

2010-01-13T07:51:00.001-08:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is a sweater I had anticipated making for Zora's 1st Birthday. It became clear early on this was going to be too small. Luckily a very good friend of Wilson's had a new baby sister arrive. So Elise got a welcome to the world baby sweater and a matching hat. It was nice to knit this pattern that has been around for almost 45 years. It has a very strange construction, you knit as instructed and you end up with something that resembles a plus sign. When the seaming begins you fold the sweater per instructions and presto chango a sweater immerges from the plus sign.

The Afghan Is Almost Done

2010-01-13T07:34:00.001-08:00

The Afghan Is Almost Done
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I am just finishing up the edging on this afghan. We took a class in 2008 and knit a square a month. The class was fun but the knitting pattern was a bit too beginner to keep my interest for very long. I usually knitted my one square and let it sit until the next month. I finally pulled this out last week and said I have to get this done! I decided to knit a contrast color in between the patterned rows. This would save me from blocking the strips as I knit some larger than others and extended each row by an additional square. There is no way they were going to line up perfectly and that would have bothered me. I have twelve more rows until I am finished with this and the family can enjoy it while watching American Idol. If I could keep the dogs off of it! :-)

The Sick Wee One

2009-11-11T17:54:00.001-08:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is Easton last week in his jammies. We spent the morning in the living room, me knitting & Easton playing the Wii. While he was not feeling well he wanted me nearby always. Needless to say I knitted the entire hat that morning. The pattern is Armando and a really simple knit. It would show off the pattern better in a solid yarn, but I wanted to use this handspun that was gifted to me. The fiber was Romney and it was from Hello Yarn's fiber of the month club. The colorway is Alpine, I love blue and brown together. I am going to pick up stitches on the sides and knit earflaps for it as it needs to be a bit longer for warmth. This is as long as I could knit it as the handspun ran out. Fun, fast, and easy.....right up my alley.

More Mystery Socks

2009-11-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here are my completed mystery knit-a-long. Each week there was a clue released starting with the cuff, then leg, then heel, and finally the toe. It was fun to knit and watch everyone's progress. This sock was designed by Kirsten, her blog is Through The Loops. She hosted a KAL last year as well, I love knitting them.

Quant Everybody Wants One?

2009-10-18T18:16:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is the notorious "Quant". It was featured in Knitty.com in 2007, designed by Star Athena. Star is also the one that started the Tour de Fleece. This is a headband, it will end up 15 inches long and have 10 inch ties on each end. The technique is entrelac which is basically knitting triangles and turning and picking up stitches every which way. It is fun and really shows off the changing colors of the yarn. This is handspun of mine, I spun this up a while ago and have been looking for a small project to use it on. I am thinking Delaney wil wear this as my hair might not work with this.

I'm Weaving

2009-10-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I don't exactly know what moment I decided I might want to try weaving. I remember reading a class description about weaving and thinking hmmmm. I did weave a bit in school maybe my Freshman year? I think we made the looms and then wove on it. This is a Rigid Heddle Loom built by an american company in Colorado called Schacht. It is well built and I am having fun reading my weaving books and working on this scarf. I think it will be a great tool for using my handspun or mountain of sock yarn. YAY ME!

Aren't They Handsome?

2009-10-18T17:40:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I have been neglectful of my blog. I have been very busy the past six weeks with soccer, hockey, football, piano, cathecism, lego league and just plain getting back into the swing of things. I have been knitting a lot. I have knit a couple pairs of socks, a sweater on the needles, a couple dishcloths out of organic cotton, a headband out of handspun and a mystery sock KAL that I just turned the heel on. I have also been spinning a bunch or maybe I should say plying? I had a bunch of singles just waiting to become yarn and now they are. I plied the last 4 ozs. and that is the only one left to be wash and the twist set. The photo of Rob & Easton is from last week as we were having a bit of family time and watching t.v. Everyone always tells me how much my boys look like him...maybe they are right! :-)

Another Trip Another Project

2009-09-10T15:48:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

We decided to head back up north after our vacation time up there. I had six days off from the restaurant and Rob's Dad was there and said we were welcome to come up. This was my in the car on the way up project Garterlac Washcloth. I did rip this out as it appeared to not be right at all & it was! Of course the pattern said it would look wonky, but I still could not believe it. I quickly re-knit everything again and it was a fun, fast knit. I left this at the cabin for the kitchen. I will have to make another one or two of these for sure. I started some socks while I was there as well. I am on the foot of the second sock and it should be finished soon. I have of course been spinning in between knitting projects. It is so addictive.

Rainbow Socks

2009-09-10T15:40:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is my knitting project during vacation in the U.P. they are for Delaney. I am planning on giving them to her on her birthday. She picked out the Rainbow colored yarn when we were together in the yarn store. The yarn is Mini Mochi by Crystal Palace Yarns. It was fun to work with...anticipating the next color change. It did however turn my fingers green when I was knitting with that color. I finally had a green thumb! :-) Rob's 95 year old grandma loved watching the progress and the modified Monkey pattern appear.

Tour de Fleece Spinning

2009-08-01T14:49:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I participated in the Tour de Fleece. It is a spinning group where a lot of participants spin during the Tour de France. It was a blast, everyone sets personal goals. My goal was to spin daily and to try different fibers. I did accomplish this, the only day I did not spin on the tour was when I worked Saturday and came home and left for the U.P. I ended up spinning two pounds two ounces of fiber. I can't wait for next year, the whole family had fun and we watched the bike race more than we normally would have. The posted picture is of a batt from Enchanted Knoll Farm called One Fish, Two Fish. It is very fitting considering....

I made this!

2009-07-13T07:08:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

It is hard to believe that someone shears a sheep, prepares the fleece, someone buys that, dyes it and resells it to someone like me. I do not want to even think about the long process before I got the roving or batt as it does not inpsire me at al. I am glad that process does bring joy to some and it brings me joy that I am not one of them. :-) Once I purchase the prepared fiber I then strip it down into a bunch of manageable pieces to spin. I spin & spin & spin until they are all spun into similar thickness and then they rest for a day and then I ply. This either entails two or three different strands being twisted together in an opposite direction as originally spun to make yarn. Then you skein it up, soak it in warm water, rinse, whack it (to even out the twist you put into it) and let it dry outside. The part I participated in is a process I love and the best part I end up with yarn! YAY ME! So here is a skein of yarn I spun up. I was in a spin-a-long and the fiber color & content would be a suprise. This is what was sent, a beautiful blue/green with pops of cream and a bit of orangey yellow. There was a lot of us in the SAL and we had until the end of June to spin and post a picture. A random number generator chose someone in the group to win a prize--fun, fun, stuff! I had a good time and it was by far the thinnest yarn I had spun. I am not sure if I will knit socks or maybe some sort of wrap? Got a bit of time and I am off to spin!

A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose!

2009-06-18T08:15:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I ordered a Majacraft Rose the end of May. It shipped from New Zealand to Michigan and arrived on Monday June 15th. I could not be happier, well I could if I had never spun on this wheel. I would not have known what I was missing. I had my Majacraft Little Gem and was content with it. It just seemed to take me longer to spin than everyone else on Ravelry. I just chalked it up to beginner spinner, well that is not so. Rob & I assembled the Rose after the kids went to bed and I spun up 2 ozs. in no time at all. I finished all 8 ozs last night just spinning while watching t.v. It would have taken me much longer on my little wheel. I am finishing my spin-a-long fiber for June on the Little Gem as that is what I started spinning the fiber on. Then I will play more of my Rose. The Little Gem will be going to Lake Superior with me for spinning lakeside in July! I am looking forward to that. The kids are at swimming lessons so I am off to spin for a quick minute.

School is almost over!

2009-05-26T06:47:00.000-07:00

We just had a long Memorial Day weekend. I worked Friday thru Monday at the restaurant. I am not complaining at all as we are getting new vinyl replacement windows throughout the house tomorrow. We can definitely use the extra money for that big job. I am looking forward to the windows but not the: "moving anything within two feet in front or beside any window". Yuck- that is a lot of things to move...beds, pianos, dressers, and all window furnishings.

I knit Delaney one sock during ball games last week. I will try to knit a mate this week. I knit a chevron cuff and a stockinette foot out of self striping yarn. I used the Yarn Pirate's BFL in the colorway Cupcake. I knit a ton of socks and this is really thin fingering weight. I did not enjoy the yarn that much but do like the color.

I have been spinning nightly. I am currently spinning some superwash merino from AllSpunUp. It is for a spinalong, we are aiming for sock weight yarn. I shall see it is taking so long as I ordered 8 ounces. I keep looking at the pile of roving stripped down and it is overwhelming. :-)

I must get busy with the bedrooms so the window guys can start there in the a.m. I must not knit/spin I must not knit/spin I must not knit/spin I must not knit/spin no spin/knit!

Here is sock #1

2009-05-08T10:33:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is Cooper's first sock finished. I love children's socks and ones knitted on size 4 needles. Usually it takes so much time for socks knitted on size 1, and a leg that is 6 1/2 inches long! This was a piece of cake and done in one day. I might add kids also need that immediate gratification and they love trying the work in progress on.

This is what I have been up to

2009-05-08T10:29:00.001-07:00

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Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is my fiber from the Spunky Eclectic fiber club. The colorway is Myrtle and it is dark blue face leicester. I am making socks for my 9 year old Cooper. I did a twisted rib cuff and stockinette leg and it fits him perfectly. Of course all of the other kids want socks now. It is 73 degrees here and we are talking wool socks! I spun my 8ozs onto 3 bobbins, there was apporximately 34 wpi. I then plied the singles into a 3 ply at 17 wpi. I am happy with my first sock weight yarn. I would say this is a heavy fingering weight. I was hoping for more yardage but love the finished yarn and I am completely smitten. I am sure as I get to be a more seasoned spinner my plying will be not be so overly twisted? I hope and maybe that will give me more yardage.

Better Late Than Never

2009-05-08T08:50:00.001-07:00

P5040010
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I finished these earlier this week they are Breathe Deep Mittens by Kirsten Kapur. I decided to join a knit-a-long on Ravelry for this pattern in March. Needless to say I got sidetracked with spinning and never casted on. They are done now, the yarn is Malabrigo and the colorway is Frank Ochre. I will be gifting these to my 17 year old niece Whitney. She wanted a hat for her birthday and we never decided on a pattern so the hat never came to be. I think she will love these. By the way--- her birthday was December 22. Yikes!

Spinning Has Taken Over

2009-04-13T10:28:00.001-07:00

P4090043
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is my third skein of handspun. It was a roving of Gale's Art merino called Rose Garden. I bought it last year from The Loopy Ewe after I bought my Majacraft Little Gem. I did not want to spin with it until I had a class. I took a spinning wheel class in March and haven't stopped spinning since. This is a two ply yarn and is about 153 yards. I am not sure what I am going to knit with it as of yet. I am excited to though.

The Final Swap

2009-04-13T09:16:00.001-07:00

P4100047
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

These are the socks I knitted for my final swap package. They went off in the mail last week to Washington. I have decided to lay very low on the swap front. I loved doing it and met some really nice people. It tends to cut into my knitting time. There are some projects I want finished yesterday! These were a fun knit, it is hard to remain focused when the finished object is not for someone you will see wearing the item. I hope my swap partner will love them.

Knittin' Slippers

2009-03-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

P3150006
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I participated in a slipper swap. It was a fun pattern to knit, I found it on Ravelry it was for a mystery knit along. I did not participate during the knit along so I knew they were slippers from the beginning. The others knitted a part of the pattern each day and knit it and then on the final day they finshed and seamed it and it was a slipper. Oh the fun! It was a quick fun knit. I used Noro Kureyon and Lorna's Laces yarn. I found the buttons @ City Knitting in Grand Rapids. I finshed up and mailed a few other goodies & the slippers to Fairbanks Alaska. I hope she likes them!

I took a spinning class at City Knitting, it was informative and got me spinning finally. I purchased a gently used Majacraft Little Gem at the end of last summer. It has not gotten much use until now. We picked the wheel up on a horrible windy, rainy, thunder & lightning day. I promptly named the wheel Stormy, it is fitting. I had tried to spin before and did (rope), but it was such a frustrating experience. The class helped my with the drafting process and I haven't stopped since. Now I am dealing with cramps in my hands from holding the fiber. I will post soon when I finish my second bobbin of merino. I have the first bobbin filled with dark brown romney. I am going to ply it with the merino that is hand dyed. The color is called Accidents Will Happen, I received it from a woman in New Zealand. It is very pretty with blues, browns, and cream. I am hoping for a pretty yarn when I am done. The plying process scares me a bit...we will see.

Malabrigo Slippers

2009-02-25T08:59:00.001-08:00

P2130003
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is the second pair of Malabrigo Loafers I have knitted. They are a fast knit you just have to pay a bit of attention as there are many short rows. I was watching t.v. and not paying close enough attention and had to rip back a few times. They go very quickly and I love knitting with the kettle dyed Malabrigo. The colors are many and vary so much. This was for a swap partner I had from Minnesota and I was sure she would get some use out of them. I still have to knit myself a pair. I wear slippers every day and I am sure I would love these.

My Little Sister's Birthday Socks

2009-02-25T08:37:00.001-08:00

P2150020
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I am not going to lie, I knitted these for myself. When I finished the socks they were too big. Kim's birthday was in a few days and although we usually do not exchange gifts....I know for a fact her foot is bigger than mine. I went through all of the usual knitting things in my mind. Will she know how long socks take to knit? Will she appreciate the gift? Does she know how much a skein of Socks That Rock costs? In the end I gave them to her during our knit night which was on her actual birthday. She loved them and tried not to cry...It seems her husband had forgotten her birthday so it all worked out and she did not feel forgotten on her day after all. What are sisters for?

The pattern for these socks is: Kites by Anne Hanson. A very easy pattern for anyone. It went fast, I did not like the look while knitting. I do like it on the foot.

The Mystery Socks

2009-02-25T08:31:00.001-08:00

P2240037
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I found a pattern a couple of weeks ago on Ravelry. It was for the Through The Loops Mystery Socks. It was a knitalong back in October. The designer was Kirsten Kapur, she has a wonderful blog called Through The Loops. She released the pattern with a clue weekly starting with the cuff. In my picture there is a cable that runs down the sock that is barely visible...but it is there and adds so much to the pattern. I loved the pattern and the yarn which is my first installment of the Rockin' Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The Colorway is My Blue Heaven. I knitted these during the day while Easton and I were hanging out as he calls our time from 12:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. then the older kids come home from school. It was a fast and fun knit for sure! I hope she has a KAL this year.

Out Of The Mouths Of Babes!

2009-02-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

I took the boys to the Dr.'s office yesterday morning. I had Cooper (9), Wilson (7), Holden (5), and Easton (4) with me. Easton & Cooper were the sickest w/headaches, stomach issues, and a sore throat. Cooper went first and the Dr. checked him all over and swabbed his throat for strep. Then it was Easton's turn, up on the table he went. The Dr. came over and asked Easton "what is bothering you?", Easton didn't say a word. The Dr. chooses to rephrase at this point and asks "what bothers you?" Easton looks at him and replies "Cooper". It was so hilarious we all started laughing w/the exception of Easton. The Dr. said "I am sure he does". I explained to Easton the Dr. wanted to know what was hurting him. Easton chose to start crying at that point and was very concerned he did not tell the Dr. about his headache and throat! It is a virus so we are home today hanging out together crying every so often (them not me) because someone looked at them funny. Oh the joys of motherhood! Tomorrow will be a better day for everyone.

These Nutkins almost whipped me!

2009-01-16T08:57:00.001-08:00

P1150014
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I knitted the first sock very quickly. It was so easy to memorize and it was fun doing a short row heel and toe. I loved the toe. I had knitting to do for a swap and set it down for about a week. I then started the second sock and for some reason it was giving me trouble. It was the toe, I couldn't remember what I was doing. I am a very literal person and kept reading the pattern. Finally after I ripped out the toe for the second time I went to bed w/the pattern. I laid there and read the instructions and then finally figured out what I was doing wrong. I was not a ecstatic about the second sock as the first. I will do a different cuff, heel, and toe for the next pair. I will definitely make them again. I had fair warning from Ravelry re: the heel, toe, and twisting of the sock but I pushed on. I am happy though and they are for me. I used Spunky Eclectic in the colorway Lichen. Off to knit some Malabrigo Loafers.

My New Niece--Zora

2009-01-09T09:49:00.001-08:00

P1020044
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is Zora Ann, she is named after the author Zora Neale Hurston and Ann Pratt who is G.G. (see below) This was the first time I had met her during Cooper's 9th birthday party. We love having the 12/24 & 1/2 birthdays.... A lot of parties in a few days. Zora was here w/her brother Owen & parents from Madison, Wi. I was very happy to meet her. It will be fun to knit something for a teeny tiny girl for a change.

Zora is the only niece I have on my husband's side of the family. At first I was not sure how my darling daughter Delaney would take that. She loves being the only girl on that side of the family, especially when it comes to her Great Grandma (G.G.) who is almost 95. She is fine with now that she has met the wee one. :-)

Will Hat Attack 2 Ever End?

2009-01-09T09:38:00.001-08:00

PC300042
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is the hat I received in December. Well it was a bit wide should be somewhere in the vicinity of 7" give or take an inch. It was the strangest yarn, stretchy and sprongy. I did try to wear it around the house and it just grew & grew. This is the second hat I received that the knitter did not get gauge. :-( So it has been forwarded to Amy in Georgia to reknit for me. I will die this month sometime.... This lovely game started in September who knew we would still be playing in 2009? My wish for this game was to get a hat I could wear, I am hoping. I know Amy will get it right...third time is the charm right?

The Final Afghan

2009-01-09T09:33:00.001-08:00

PC270041
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

This is Easton's afghan, I have made one for each of my children. I told Easton it would be done by his birthday and it was. I worked on his periodically over the past 6 months. It is knit out of Caron's simply soft. This is a very nice washable yarn if considering making something this large. The yarn is also affordably priced. The blanket shown is folded in half and is very large. I single crocheted the edging and I thought it was going to take a quick minute....think again it seemed like it took me hours. It is done though and has been washed more than once already. He loves it and it seems to be very warm.

My Incredible Hulk turns 4!

2009-01-09T09:25:00.001-08:00

PC250033
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Easton turned 4 on Christmas Eve. We celebrated with family by hosting a brunch for 20. The weather was horrible the night before but everyone made it for his "BIG" day. It is hard to imagine that he was born at 30 weeks weighing in at 4 lbs 2 oz. Well he certainly hasn't stopped since then. He is so busy all of the time. He is fascinated with the Incredible Hulk, he has movies, books, and of course Hulk Hands! He does not know there was a series starring Bill Bixby and I hope he doesn't find out for a long time.

My final hat in Hat Attack 2?

2008-12-09T11:43:00.001-08:00

PC070011
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Well this is my 4th hat for Hat Attack 2. This one went so fast compared to the other three. I finally don't have to sweat every row and know what the round is once I start the row. That only took about 24 hours of knitting to sink into my brain! There is an almost complete hat for me that will be coming from California. This has been fun, I have tried not to read all of the posts on Ravelry as some folks can get downright nasty during competition. I have met some really nice people along the way. For that I am thankful. Now that this hat has been mailed I am moving onto more Christmas knitting. I finished this hat Saturday so I started Nutkins for my Mom for Christmas. She was so appreciative of the pair last Christmas that I had to do it again. It is very nice when people love handknit items and let you know. I am knitting the socks out of some Spunky Eclectic that I have had in the colorway Lichen. It is a nice muted green with some occasional purple in there. A fun pattern and easy to memorize right from the get go.

Baptism

2008-12-03T08:11:00.001-08:00

PB300008
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Well we finally got Holden and Easton baptised on Sunday. It was supposed to happen over the summer and then that was cancelled by the church. I think we were trumped by a wedding. :-) It is over, the 25 people at the house after--we survived. It of course took quite a while as there were also six babies and two of them had older siblings. So it was quite a production. We feel very blessed, Holden and Easton did a great job!

So Much For Rob's Christmas Present

2008-11-19T09:57:00.001-08:00

PB180005
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is Wilson in the stolen Christmas present. I asked him to try it on and he started asking when would his hat be done. I told him more than once it was his father's hat. This morning he woke and asked if I had finished the hat. Well this is him walking out the door for school in his daddy's Christmas Koolhaas. He looked so happy I didn't have the heart to take it off of him. Now I have to find something to knit for Rob for Christmas. :-)

Koolhaas Complete!

2008-11-19T09:55:00.001-08:00

PB180004
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Well the hat is done. I definitely had to pay attention to this one. Wilson has been asking for a hat for a while. I told him this was his Dad's Christmas present but I let him try it on. He asked today if his hat was finished and then off he went with it on his head. I rolled up the ribbing as it is too long for him! I have to figure out something to make for Rob now!

Holiday Themed Swap

2008-11-14T16:32:00.001-08:00

PB140005
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here is Easton after he (we) opened my package from my friend Judy in California. He had a blast as everything was wrapped in Christmas paper. I received some new sock yarn, a holiday mug, some See's suckers (yum), skittles that the kids devoured, red vines, a Knitting magazine, some Kona coffee, stitch markers, chocolate bar, a ceramic candle holder & candle, burt's bees lip balm, and a new needle to do magic loop. It was a great swap and the best part was meeting Judy.

Me and Jared Flood at the Koolhaas Class

2008-11-13T05:52:00.001-08:00

PB070001
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I attended a Koolhaas class with Jared Flood last Friday. He was a really good teacher. There are some who are great knitters but cannot explain how to do it. He is not one of those, for the knitters who were attending and needed some extra instructions he was there w/good direction in easy to understand terms. He was aware of everyone's needs and made sure he met and talked to everyone. A very likable young man. Hi Mom should be proud. Someone asked him where he buys his yarn in New York and his answer was he did not have to buy yarn anymore. It was at that moment I wanted to be Jared Flood! Nice job Jared, keep up the gorgeous blog you have and you may never have to buy yarn again. :-)

Falling For Ewe Swap Question #6

2008-11-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

“What seasonal knitting projects are you looking forward to”

Okay so here is my final question for my Swap on Ravelry. I am looking forward to knitting my mom a pair of socks. She liked them soooo much last year it will be fun to knit for her again. I had a blast knitting the fingerless mitts for the kids on Halloween. I am knitting socks for Cooper right now I will probably give them to him for Christmas. I will then have to knit 4 other items for the other kids so everyone can have a knitted item to open. I am taking a Koolhaas Hat with Jared Flood Friday and will be knitting Rob a hat for Christmas. I hope he likes it and it isn't too feminine. Here's hoping.... anyway those are my projects and I am looking forward to them all.

Great Googlie Mooglie

2008-10-29T16:22:00.001-07:00

PA280017
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

The yarn is called just that.....great googlie mooglie. It is from knitterly things and it is Vesper sock yarn. I am not sure I love the 3 ply yarn it seems to not have enough twist in it? Anyway I am starting another pair of these tonight for the three year old. He saw them and said where are mine? I had already knitted him Halloween socks! These are very cute and a free Ravelry pattern. Holden came home from school today wearing them. It is in the high 40's here, great day for fingerless mitts!

My Swap Knitting

2008-10-29T16:17:00.001-07:00

PA270013
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

My swap partner in the Color Swap on Ravelry likes purple. I do not... I have tried to find some purple love it is not there. So I searched and ordered on line some Malabrigo kettle dyed worsted weight in velvet grapes. The yarn was a bit more maroonish than I had anticipated, but I am assuming a purple lover--loves shades of purple as well. The pattern is Dashing and I have knit it before twice, it is easy and a good beginner cable pattern. I think if someone had not knitted cables this would be a great pattern for the cable intro.

Hat Attack 2

2008-10-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

I am dead woman waiting for a WIP from Hat Attack 2. It is very frustrating, I want to play the game but cannot w/o a hat to knit. The first kill I had was in September then it took 19 days to get a hat to work on. Now I made another kill and the WIP is nowhere to be had. Apparently the person who is supposed to mail it to me has had a number of things happen in her personal life. Which is understandable but just email someone and say yes I am playing or I drop out. The game can continue without you, instead we email and wait. I just don't want to pay another $20 in yarn to continue. It was supposed to be $2 fee and you make & get a hat. The participants are not supposed to buy more yarn to continue. It looks like that is what is happening.

Well I am off to work on my Dashing fingerless mitts for a swap on Ravelry. I am on mitt #2 so hopefully they will be done tomorrow!

Falling For Ewe Swap Question #5

2008-10-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here is the next question:

Do you like football? Who is your favorite team?

We do like football in this home. We have had the misfortune of being Detroit Lions Fans for many years. But what do ya do.....My husband always has the Michigan State Spartan football game on as well. I have 5 boys in this house you can pretty much count on sports being on the t.v. on any given day.

We are huge hockey fans, Go Red Wings!

Lake Superior Sunset

2008-10-14T18:31:00.001-07:00

DSCF1221
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I had to share this with everyone, I think it is gorgeous. There are so many beautiful sunsets this is just one we captured! Our little slice of heaven.

My New Socks

2008-10-14T18:27:00.001-07:00

PA070012_01
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

Here are my new socks I knitted last week. They are from my club Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Club. The colorway is Tide Pool. I love them, I just knitted a plain vanilla sock to show off the skein's spectacular colors!

Cloudy Day In Michigan's Upper Peninsula

2008-10-14T18:24:00.001-07:00

DSCF1163
Originally uploaded by kelly.pratt42

I was looking thru some pics tonight to change my Ravelry Avatar, and came across this picture from Lake Superior last summer. I love it and we truly are blessed. We all love it up there and enjoy our two weeks at the cottage every summer.

Falling For Ewe Swap Question #4

2008-10-09T07:49:00.000-07:00

Here is our next question:

What do you plan on dressing up as for Halloween? If you are not dressing up, what will your kids be?

I do hand out the candy but do not dress up. My kids are going to be Indiana Jones, Wolverine, hippie chick, I am not sure what the other 2 boys will be? It is hard when there are five trick or treating. I usually stay home and pass out candy. My husband takes the kids around. My Sister usually joins us w/her two that are still of that age. My daughter has a feast planned including a punch bowl w/floating hands ice. Take a plastic glove and fill w/water, tie it off and put in freezer. Cut the glove off and there you have hand shaped ice for your punchbowl.

Last year was rainy and cold hopefully it will be better. In Michigan you can never tell. Today is 70 and sunny. It is supposed to be 75 by the weekend, but some of the nights have been in the 40's. Go figure. Well I am off to get lunch for the kids before afternoon young 5's. I told them we could get Wendy's! They are living large now! :-)

It is COLD!

2008-10-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

This week has been down right chilly. I finally turned on the furnace yesterday. It was in the high 30's last night, I scraped frost off the windshield this morning. The 5 year old had the lovely apple orchard field trip today. He was not happy that he had his winter coat and mittens on. I told him other kids would be dressed the same way, he was certain he would be the only one! Much to my delight I walked in and his friend from down the road had winter coat, mittens, and a hat!

I am knitting socks from my September Socks That Rock sock club kit. I was using the pattern that it came with and then I ripppped it out. I personally could not see the pattern, according to others who stuck with it....when it is on the foot is when the pattern pops. Well it was not exactly fun every 4th round cabling the entire round on an 8 row repeat. So now they are gorgeous Plain Vanilla Socks. I have to knit something for my Color Swap on Ravelry. This is a swap where everything is related to whatever color your swap person likes. I get to pick the color. She likes purple which is fine w/me because I do not enjoy purple. I have purple in my stash and would love to knit her something out of purple~! It said in the swap requirements something homemade. I don't know what else to do and meatloaf probably doesn't travel that well--so knitting it is!

Well I have to pick up my 5 year old in 40 minutes so I am going to knit in the peace and quiet.

Question #3

2008-09-25T11:19:00.000-07:00

What meals or foods mean ‘Fall’ to you?

This is for my Falling For Ewe Swap. The answer is Chili. I love to have chili cooking on the stove when it is cool outside. There are also other foodie things that mean fall to me: Apple cider warmed w/a cinnamon stick. I like carmel apples, crock pot meals, apple pie, and pumpkin pie!

I love fall, my birthday is in October so that is always fun. I love the apple orchard, carving pumpkins, crisp walks, and hayrides. The colors are so warm the fall equinox, indian summer what is not to love.

Knitting news! I have nothing on the needles right now besides my afghans. They don't count as they are always a work in progress. I am going to cast on my Socks That Rock Anemone Socks.
I just got it in the mail today, I have never knitted a kit around the same time I receive it. It feels kinda strange, I usually hold the yarn, admire it for a long time this will be new. I am off to cast on.....

Is There Such A Thing As Too Many Swaps?

2008-09-20T19:46:00.000-07:00

I have several swaps in the works, I was out tonight and went to a local bookstore and was trying to remember what I had already ordered and for whom. It got a little overwhelming: hmmm now who likes citrus, who likes McCain, who is a wine lover? There were some funny paper dolls that were Obama and McCain. They each had their own set w/their wives...The dolls had each presidential hopeful in an undershirt and boxers. There were some very nice punch out clothing. Very Funny Gift! I am in a lot of swaps, but they should be over by the end of October. I probably will take a break over the holidays as this is cutting into my knitting time. I finally got out my spinning wheel and put it together. I was busy/scared. I have a Majacraft Little Gem. I spun up some lumpy thick (wish I was yarn ) stuff! It was stressful and intriguing. I watched some "spinning on the wheel" youtube videos today w/the kids. I know my problem is the drafting so I need to get a lot better at that. At least it is out and put together, if there was a quiz on what everything on the wheel is called, I am not sure I would pass. I got my first kill in Hat Attack 2. I found out via my intended target's blog! She liked her hat too! I am glad, you always hope people will like what you knit but who knows?? Different tastes, different color palatte. For those of you who don't know.....Hat Attack is a knit and kill game. There is a pattern, yarn, gauge & a target. The pattern is released on a certain day and you have to knit your target the hat according to pattern as fast as you can. When it is complete you mail it to your target and when they receive it in the mail....they are dead. They mail you their unfinished knitting for you to complete. Then you are on to your next kill, until there is one person left. Oh the knitting joy! I am off to bed as I work tomorrow. I took today off to see my children play soccer. It was a beautiful day for soccer, cool in the a.m. and warmer by mid-morning. I went to the store and purchased Speed Racer for the kids, they loved it!

Question #1

2008-09-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

I thought I had already answered this one....hmmmmm

I believe the question is what is my favorite thing about autumn. I love the changing colors of the leaves. I also love the cooler weather, it makes knitting warmer items so much more enjoyable. I like working on the afghan while I am actually using it to keep warm :-). I like coffee, cider, hayrides, and halloween. My fav would be the color change!

Question #2

2008-09-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

The Falling for Ewe question #2 was: What cold weather project am I looking forward to? I will
say w/o thinking about it The Gathered Pullover from Interweave Knits. It is for me and I have had the yarn and have never made a sweater for ME! I can't wait. After Hat Attack I will start.

Off to bed as we have been up w/sick kids for two nights in a row. There are now 3 of the youngest sick. It is the same illness which is kinda unheard of. I am always saying they never get sick at once. It seems it is always a few days apart, something different or not at all. Not this time. Yuck.

G'night

Let The Sickness Begin.....

2008-09-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

At the end of last week there were a few stomach aches in the house. This usually happens when school starts. The little ones that are not in school get ill. My husband teaches at a different school district than we live in, so he brings home a different set of germs. Everybody was weathering along w/the stomach thingy except one, Wilson (7). He kept saying my throat hurts when I swallow. I let it go for two days, then he was hot, then there were spots. The spots were not white so I was hopeful it wasn't strep. I took him to the Dr. today Tonsillitis. I think this means virus and you have the red spots on your tonsils! Yuck so we are hanging out drinking Sprite and watching way tooo much t.v.

On the knitting forefront....I finished Easton's (3) special socks. That is Easton that is 3 not that he needs 3 socks. He is not a three legged boy let me just put that out there. That is his name for them Special Socks. They are Halloween socks knitted out of Vesper's Trick or Treat I had from last year. They are very cute. The problem is now that Holden (5) saw them and he wants a pair. I have a skein of Great Googlie Mooglie but I was going to use that in the Halloween Swap. Hmmm not sure what I will do now. I am swatching for Hat Attack 2 which begins on 9/16. That should be fun, another knit or be killed thing I joined. :-) I have to knit a bag for another swap I am in. I will not name the bag just in case my swap partner reads blogs. I have to start that this weekend. It is a felted bag so I am going to check my stash for some Lamb's Pride. I work the next three days which I do every weekend. I am assuming it will be very busy at the restaurant due to the forecasted rain. I will not have much knitting time.

I am off to finish swatching before the non sick kids get home. I still have to finish my Monkeys, which are 3/4 of the way done on the second sock. The Monkeys have been at work since the holiday weekend. I brought them to work on in case it was slow. That was not the case and they are still there locked up in the cabinet just waiting to be finished. Then after Hat Attack I can begin my Gathered Pullover which I have been wanting to begin! Oh my this seems like a lot! Okay I am swatching.

Sssh They Are Asleep!

2008-09-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

Since school has started on Tuesday I have had the luxury of the little ones sleeping in til 8 a.m. or so. Long enough for me to enjoy an uninterrupted cup of coffee. What a difference that has made to the start of my day. Yesterday I even managed to knit a few rows on my two at a time socks. They have been laying around all summer while I finished those squares, Delaney's sweater, and now the Sweet Lime (Yarn Pirate) Monkeys. I started the 2 @ a x socks when the book first came out.....maybe 4 or 5 months ago, I am using Lorna's Laces (pistachio) and a coordinating green for the toes in Panda Silk. I am on the toe decreases, so they will be done today. It will be nice to have zilch on the needles. I usually don't have more than one project going at a time. I bought my Therapi for Hat Attack 2 a couple of days ago. The LYS only had 4 choices 2 were a total clash so I went with red and blue. We will see what the pattern holds for me. I'm a bit nervous about the lack of color choice. I have to do a swatch...I never swatch but I am going to this time. Well lunch is in the oven and then the afternoon kindergartner is off to school. I will then have 4 hours of just me and the three year old. BLISS!!

My Time Here Is Over

2008-08-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Today is my last day in the lovely cottage in Brimley. It is a sad day. My family is staying for three more days w/o me. I am heading back to Grandville to go to Def Leppard/Billy Idol and working the weekend. I do not mind the drive back it is kinda fun to listen/blare the radio with the windows down. I knitted my squares for the block exchange on Ravelry and mailed them off. I have since started a sweater for Delaney. I am on my second sleeve after completing the front and back. So I just have to sew the sleeves on and pick up stitches around the neck and knit six inches of ribbing for the neck. I was a fast/easy knit. I belong to the club of I don't like the finishing work on a sweater. Anyway I am off to knit and get dressed! It is only 2 p.m. :-) The joys of vacation!!!

Vacation here I am!

2008-08-04T10:44:00.000-07:00

I jumped in my car after work yesterday and drove 299.3 miles north to the Upper Pennisula. It was a beautiful evening for a drive and I drove super fast and made it before dark. I also stopped to gas up and get an iced carmel marvel at the Biggby in Gaylord, Mi. So I stayed up way late due to having that drink too late. I woke today at 10:15 a.m. and so far I have knitted, played word twist, drank 3 cups of coffee, picked blueberries and made lunch for the kids. This is vacation. It is sooo nice. It is only 72 here and at home it is storming, humid, and almost 90! I am going out to watch the kids swim and pick more blueberries so we can make a blueberry crisp. I of course brought major knitting with me. I have two more blocks to knit for my exchange on Ravelry. I am never doing that again. The blocks were boring and they seemed like work. I should have done two at a time, maybe it would have gone faster. I brought yarn for two sweaters, one for myself--the gathered pullover from Interweave Knits and one for Delaney from Creative Knitting. I brought my yarn pirate yarn to knit the companion Monkey sock. That is all. I figured for two weeks that should be plenty. Oh I also brought a skein of Manos to work on my Four Seasons Throw. There are not any yarn stores that I am aware of up here. I did see there was a store called Gloria's Happy Hooker in Sault Ste Marie. I have never gone searching for it though. The name scares me....Anyway off to work on my squares so I can mail them soon!

Has it really been 25 years?

2008-07-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

I had my high school class reunion on Friday night. It was quite the adventure. The adventure was trying to figure out who the guys were. The girls were pretty easy to identify, the guys another story. There was major hair loss or they wanted that hidden so there were a lot of shaved heads. It is so nice after all of this time everyone was so friendly to all. There were not any I am better than you, you are in "that" group and I can't be seen talking to you. It was just fun.

I received my second installment from my summer of love yarn swap. It was pure fun! I had let my mysterious swap pal know I had gotten a wheel. She told me she was attending a fiber festival and got me fiber!!! Yeah, and I loved the colors. She also got me a funny notebook to track my spinning progress. A nice Lavender Sachet in cute fabric, and a Mary Engelbreit soap. Which is too funny as I bought the same thing for another swap! Well I am off to knit my square for the NYOBE on Ravelry I have 6 more to get done in friggin' 10 days. YIKES!!! I am also mailing my packages for my two swaps tomorrow! I have had the stuff for a while I just haven't packaged it. It will be mailed tomorrow. That will be fun. ;-).

I am waiting to take out my spinning wheel until I finish my block swap. So I will probably use my spindle to practice my drafting skills. More later.

Favorite Summertime Memory

2008-07-12T15:36:00.000-07:00

This post is a response to my Summer of Yarn Love Swap. My favorite summertime memory is from 1975. My parents told us we were going somewhere in the morning but said we would find out in the morning. As a parent myself I would never do this ever--I do not reccommend it! I did not sleep and neither did my siblings. My father was self employed, he had a commericial roofing company. He worked long hours all summer long, we rarely went away. When we woke that next morning we loaded up in our car and my parents gave us a brochure for Cedar Point. Which unless you are from the midwest probably don't know what it is. It is a huge amusement park in Sandusky Ohio. I live in Michigan and it is a 5 hour drive to the park. The ride in the car w/my siblings and the stay in the hotel there were a blast. We made this a family tradition for a lot of years. We loved the fries w/vinegar, taffy, and handmade lemonade (the kind that is shaken). I always got sunburned...but to this day I love rollercoasters!

Where have my three days off gone?

2008-07-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

Well I am trying to knit my blocks for my NYOBE on Ravelry. I am just plugging along. It is funny how when you have to knit something for a deadline there is a million other things you'd rather be working on. I bought a Majacraft Little Gem a week ago, I have not even
taken it out of the case. I promised myself I wouldn't until I finished my blocks. WHATEVER!!! I don't know how to spin on a wheel yet, but just the thought of it---YIPEE! I did check out a book at the library and have read quite a few books on spinning. Of course I want to spin sock yarn immediately, so it will be hard for me to like any results I get in the beginning.

I have to get my next package out for my Summer of Yarn Love Swap. I have most of the contents and I am waiting for a package in the mail to finish it off. My dear little swap partner
is a bit snoopy :-). It is supposed to be a secret swap but she went through all of the members and figured out it was me! Sneaky, sneaky!! I am curious too! But I am way tooo busy to try
and figure out who is shipping me my packages! ;-)

I have four days off this week and three are gone already. I napped, knit, played wordtwist on facebook and just plain lazed. I did ride my bike, go to the library, and drink large amounts of caffeine! My favorite pastime. I have tried to read up on my fav blogs. I am so far behind. I caught up on the Yarn Harlot. That is about it. Well I am off to knit blocks in cream no less!

Ciao!

June Is Almost Over

2008-06-25T08:04:00.000-07:00

Where Has A Month Gone? School for the kids was done the first week in June, which means my husband (teacher) is on summer break as well. Normally I would be ecstatic but.....WORK. The restaurant I manage has another manager who had shoulder surgery and will be out for months. It is a long recoup process. I am working more than usual, as much as I love work it does cut into knitting time. I already knit at all of the t-ball, baseball, and softball games. We are now into tournaments with softball, so every win means you play again the next day. I have been knitting a lot. I was in the Loopy Ewe swap on Ravelry. I had my knitted item for that a while back, I made Tidal Wave Socks. The theme was Spring so I used the yarn Sheepaints in the colorway First Blossoms. They turned out great and I loved the yarn it was Wool, Bamboo, and Silk--very nice. I also had this great idea to knit the teachers floral shaped washcloths for end of the year gifts. Well there are the two preschool teachers, then the Kindergarten teacher, a 2nd grade teacher, and the 4th grade teacher, oh and don't forget the busdriver for the preschooler! It was a fun pattern but I waited way too long to start and then I was running around buying bath scrubs and lucious handmade soaps to go with them. I also decided to make one for my Loopy Ewe swapper. During that time I was also participating in Sock Wars III. That was fun I got 2 kills before I was killed. That was the first time I knit with Tofutsies. I also started my first pair of Monkeys. I used yarn I received from the Yarn Pirate Sock Club. The colorway is Sweet Lime very summery with pink and lime green. I love green. I have one monkey complete but have not started the second as I had to mail out all of my swap stuff and my gambling yarn. I joined a fewish pools on Ravelry: Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, So You Think You Can Dance, American Idol. I think that does it and so far I have lost them all. I did place second on AI. Do you know what second gets?? NOTHING. Anyway the whole idea around it is that you all receive one participant and if they are the final person standing all the others who joined mail you $15 work of knitting goodness. A great idea if I ever win! I keep hoping. I am mailing off my Top Chef winner something today, and my Summer of Yarn Swap package. Then I have to start my 11 blocks that are due for my block exchange swap by July 31. I can pop those out fairly quickly during games. My problem is I'd rather knit something else. I did go to Manos Four Season Throw class on Monday and the block is garter ridge--Yeah a no-brainer. That will be done today and I am off to Michaels as the yarn for the block exchange is Lion brand Wool-Ease and I have coupons. Everyone is gone so I have the house to myself for probably an hour, I am going to enjoy my coffee and watch the vh1 countdown and knit for a while. I will try to upload pictures of my finished object very soon! We also got a laptop last week, more about that later.

Just Another Day In Paradise

2008-01-29T09:52:00.000-08:00

I broke down and joined the blogging world! I worked all day yesterday, came home very briefly to check in with the family. I then headed back to work where we hold our weekly "Knit Night". I am the designated knitter who stays late to lock up. I enjoy being there and I know this is the only night out for a few of the ladies in the group. I do not mind staying and I am usually way too jacked up on coffee to go home and sleep anyway. Monday was no exception--I got home read blogs and headed up to bed @ 12:30 a.m. The first child (Easton 3) was awake by 1:30 a.m. got him settled down and then another one was awake @ 5:30 (Cooper 8). Easton got up for the day @ 7 a.m. which is fine normally just not on Tuesdays. I am usually tired from knitting and would like that extra 30 minutes of peace! That was not in the plan....I received my first installment of the Rockin' Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts. The packaging was nice and everything was explained, so the newbies would have less questions and the old timers were engaged in the other notes and whatnots in the box. I just laid Easton down for a nap and I am going to do the same. I have been fighting the long lasting virus for a long time. I am in my third week I might have gotten a handle on it. I know this took years off my life, or maybe it is that every recovery takes longer the older you get. I can't explain it I just know I spent 17 hours in bed 17 days ago at the beginning of all of this! Yuck. I would like to be knitting on my sock, but I am way too tired. There is always tonight. I think American Idol is on!! YEAH--a show we can all watch!