Friday, June 26, 2009

Welcome Trooper!

Here is our latest foster dog. He's a West Highland Terrier. And cute as a button!! I just got a new camera, so I spent waaaaay too much time today trying to install the software to get the darn pictures off of my camera and onto the computer. But I think they are worth it! If you are interested in adopting Trooper, contact MARS.




On the knitting front, I frogged the Pulsations socks. The pattern was written for a sport weight yarn and I was using a light fingering. I thought that by increasing the stitch count, I could make it work, but I was wrong. Horribly wrong. So into the frog pond it went and I immediately cast on Eleanore. (It's a Ravelry download only. And if you're not on Rav - you should be!!) It's a lovely pattern and a great match for this yarn. I'm almost to the toe decrease and should finish the first sock tonight (now that I have the darn camera issues resolved!)

Knit on!!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I couldn't do it any longer!!

UFO week (or weeks) was a great idea, but I just couldn't hold out any longer. I cast on a pair of Pulsation socks for me last night. This is the yarn the kids picked out for me for my birthday. It's Aruacania Itata in color #1005. It's a fabulous mix of purple, pink and blue.

I'm knitting on a 9" circular HiyaHiya's. (They don't really list them on their website, but trust me, they are tiny!) I've tried one of these circs before, but it was a borrowed set and I didn't get much of a chance to play with it. My MIL got me a gift cert to Amazing Threads for my b-day, so I bought one for myself. I love the idea of knitting a sock on a tiny circ, but it's taking some getting used to. I'm hoping to complete an entire pair of socks with these needles before I pass judgement. (But I'm afraid that my wrists, thumbs might not hold out. We'll see.)

And the final object from UFO week(s) was the pair of No Purl Monkey socks for my MIL's b-day. I know she wants nothing more than a *really* warm pair of woll socks for her birthday in July. But, I'm pretty sure she will love them in January while she's waiting for the bus. She can't help it that her birthday is in July!

On another note: The lovely MacKensie was adopted last week. She was only with us for 5 days - and that is unusual for a foster dog. But she was a great dog so it's no surprise to me that she was snatched up quickly! We're picking up a new dog tonight. A puppy mill Westie that needs to learn how to be a dog. Sad. So very sad. I'm hoping my son will take some great pics of him and I'll post them soon. (Shameless plug for MARS. They do great work.....if you're looking for a pet and are in the midwest area - check them out.)

Knit on!

Monday, June 15, 2009

UFO Week.....continued!

UFO week was a great idea for me. And despite the fact that I got some *fabulous* new yarn to play with, I'm continuing UFO week. I have too many projects on the needles right now and I need to get a few more done. I guess that makes it UFO week #2.

In the finished category now goes the Green Holey socks!! I really like this pattern and will make another pair. But I think I'll use size 1 1/2 needles (2.5 mm) and only cast on 64 stitches. I'll keep you posted!

I have also re-started the No Purl Monkey socks for my MIL. I had turned the heel and was onto the foot of the sock, but it was just too small. It needed to be a UFO for a bit - until I was ready to frog an 2/3's completed sock and start over. I'm over it now, but it's never fun to frog something that far along. Anyway, it's re-started on size 1 1/2 needles and I've started the heel flap for the first sock. They are moving along nicely.

And for family news: Our family is now the proud foster family of a lovely dog named MacKenzie. We picked her up on Friday. She's an Australian Shepherd mix, approx 38 lbs and 2 years old. She's really a very mellow couch potato. (And now that we've got the worm thing under control, she's a great dog. Really, don't ask.) We are fostering her through an organization called MARS; Midwest Animal Rescue and Services. The folks at MARS seem to think she'll be adopted fairly quickly.......then we will start the process all over again!
Knit on!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Last day of Kindergarten

Today was my son's last day of Kindergarten. I made him a quick card to let him know how proud we are of him!!


I decided to use Kristina's color challenge as the starting point. When I first saw it posted on her blog, I was fairly certain that I has some older Scenic Route paper that were the right colors - and lo and behold - they are!! The stars were perfect for creating a "Super Star" card.

Stamps - Papertrey Ink Star Prints
Ink - Pumpkin Pie, Cool Caribbean, and Taken with Teal - all SU
Paper - Teal from Bazzil, Kiwi Kiss - SU, White, Star DP from Scenic Route
Accessories - Fiskars large star punch, Making Memories foam adhesive.


On the knitting front, I'm still working on my UFO's. The Green holey socks are coming along. I've turned the heel and completed the gusset. Almost done!

When those are done, I'll be frogging the socks I started for my MIL. They are a 100% cream wool that I recycled from an old sweater and dyes various shades of blue. I used size 1 needles since that was all I had available at the time. Well - they are too small. The cast on is so tight I can't get it up my calf. Poop! I placed an order with Knit Picks last week that included another set of size 1 1/2 needles. So I will frog these next and start over with the size 1 1/2's.

I also ordered lots of pretty yarn. Lots. And I picked this week to be UFO week. Double poop! At least UFO week ends on Friday.....at midnight :)

Knit on!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

UFO Week - Update #1

UFO Update - Item #5 - Fetching fingerless gloves are now completed. (I'll admit, I kind of cheated. These were the easiest thing on my list, and the only one that could be completed with just a few hours of knitting. But none the less, they are now done.)


I originally started these for a friend (she didn't know), so I'm not sure if they will be mailed off, or if they will make their way into my wardrobe! Considering it didn't get above 60 F in Minneapolis yesterday, these are looking awfully tempting!

The green holey socks are moving along nicely as well. I'm almost 2/3's done with the leg!

Knit on!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

UFO Week

I decided it's time for a UFO week. (UFO = Unfinished Objects) So nothing new can go on the needles this week. So here is the first UFO that is now a FO:

The Jorah sweater. (Rav link) I made some major mods to get this to fit my non-36" size. I did short row shaping for the first time to accommodate my bust. It was a partial success. I got the size I wanted, but I had to frog back a portion including the short row section and it got all goofed up. I did some duplicate stitching to tighten it up and it looks much better. Not perfect, but better. The bottom 9" is a decorative rib. And I hate ribbing, so I don't know why I chose to make this sweater!! Not to mention, it highlights my muffin top beautifully......yuck! I really like the color and overall look of the sweater, but I need to loose some weight to wear it comfortably. *sigh*

Next up in the UFO pile are my green holey socks. These are being knit on a size 0 - blech. I started out knitting with a size 2, but this yarn (Lion Brand Sock Ease) is rather thin and the fabric was just too flimsy for me. I'm not thrilled with this yarn at all, but I like the colors and I love the pattern I chose.

These are actually coming along nicely....or as nicely as something can when your knitting on size 0. First sock is done and I'm on to the leg of the second.

The items remaining in my UFO pile are:
1. Ruffled Cravat Socks
2. Gloves for Linda
3. Gloves for Kirk (made out of the same yarn as the gloves for Linda, but I'm making my own pattern. And I've never blogged about them.)
4. Socks for MIL's Birthday - I'm doing the No Purl Monkey's but they are coming out too small. I've got them on size 1 needles, but I think I'm going to frog them and re-knit them on 1 1/2's. (The link is to the Monkey Sock. The No Purl version is just that - no purling.)
5. Fetching fingerless Gloves

I'm not sure how much of a dent I can make in this pile in a week, but I figured I really shouldn't cast on anything new until I get a few of these completed.

Until later, knit on!

Friday, June 5, 2009

It's done!!

I finished my February Lady Sweater on Wednesday. Washed it, blocked it, and wore it to my knitting group on Thursday night. I'm thrilled with it.

The yarn softened quite a bit after it was washed, and the whole sweater grew quite a bit. (Nearly 1 1/2 inches for the sleeves, and about 3 inches on the body!!) Pictures to follow.......stay tuned!

ETA: Picture!! (The weathers been cruddy, so it's not a great picture - sorry!)

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

My FLS

It's coming along nicely. I originally started the garter stitch band for the bottom at about 18 inches. Before I cast off, I put it on waste yarn to try it on. Sooooooo glad I did......it was WAY too short. The style of this sweater looks much better long on me. So I ripped out the band and knit another 3 inches of the lace pattern. Much better :)
The color on this picture is much better than the last. It's really a very natural dark brown....think "black sheep." It is, however, VERY scratchy. I'm hoping it will be less itchy after a good soak in some wool wash. I'll mostly be wearing it with long sleeved shirts, so it shouldn't be that big of a deal if it's itchy, but I'd love it if it wasn't!

Now I'm debating how long to make the sleeves. I'm currently at just about the elbow, but I think I want it to be about mid-way down my forearm. It's the great dilemma, not too long, but not too short either!

Knit on!