Sunday Knitting

Today I will work on the Irish Hiking Scarf at my Open House from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. I should be able to get some inches accomplished in that amount of time. My mother is home from the hospital so hopefully there won't be any more hospital knitting for a while. I had a good visit with my kids, in from Delaware and Slippery Rock, PA. I'd like to have had a few more days with them but life goes on. Tonight I will not go to bed until I finish the front of the baby's sweater. I have to have it ready for our monthly "knitter's night" at the LYS. I'm sure I'll need help with the neck as I'm not so great following directions like that yet. That's what you get when you've spent your life knitting in a straight line! I am committed to improving my skills this year. I will try new things if I can tear myself away from socks long enough. My dream is to be able to knit the really complicated ARAN designs with the graphs. At this point they just confuse the heck out of me. If the directions are written out, I'm fine. If I have to look at a graph, I have problems. I will persevere and overcome!

Hospital Knitting

I planned to spend last evening cleaning and getting ready for my kids to come home for the weekend but instead ended up sitting at the hospital with my mother. She is in and out of the hospital a lot ... a 77 year old dialysis patient with other health issues as well. So, I ended up knitting after all. Got about 2 inches of Charlotte's second sock finished. I find socks to be excellent hospital knitting. The patterns I use are usually mindless. I should venture out into something a little more challenging but I love the fact that I can just knit like crazy on them without having to concentrate. Socks are also good to keep in the car and work on when I'm sitting and waiting for clients to show up at properties. And, if you think about it, what great gifts hand knit socks make. People LOVE them. Not to change the subject but I discovered Elann.com yesterday. I must say I probably should not have gone there. What great prices! Hey, I didn't need to know that. I'm ready for yarnaholics anonymous as it is. Oh, back to the hospital. You should have SEEN the cute young surgeon who came in to see my mother. Wow... where was my daughter Cate when I needed her????? (actually my Dad said that when Dr. Hottie left the room and I about fell off the chair..my Dad is a riot!)

Irish... looking sad after ruining my nice area rug. Poor thing!  

Blah!

No knitting news today... last night, for the first time in weeks, I did not knit. I was so depressed that my dog ruined my area rug in the living room (she ate garbage, got sick, the rest is history) that I layed on the couch all evening and fed my "Law and Order" addiction. The whole time I was watching television, I was staring at my knitting willing myself to pick it up but I didn't. I think I just needed a break. I refuse to buy more yarn and start one more thing until EVERYTHING (except the afghan) is finished. I really have my eye on that Coronet hat pattern... thinking it would be good in green for the St. Patrick's Day parade (I already have the yarn) but I have to put it out of my mind (yeah, right, like the Irish Hiking Scarf that I wasn't going to start) for now. Since I don't have any yarn photos, I'll try to find one to post of the rug ruining dog. Sorry, cat lovers. (I'm still trying to figure out why all knitting bloggers are cat loving democrats)

This is the Irish Hiking Scarf I started last night for my husband. It's Baruffa Maratona 100% extra fine merino and it's wonderful to knit with. I read a "not so great" review of this yarn but I'm finding it nice to work with. Of course my conservative husband is freaking out over the color but I have assured him that this will look very classy with his charcoal gray dress coat. Tonight I intend to finish the front of the baby's sweater once and for all. I HAVE to get that thing finished for him.  

Finished Irish Sock...this sock knit up so quickly in worsted weight. It feels heavy and warm. I think I'll have to wear clogs with it because I doubt it will fit under any of my shoes with the exception of sneakers which I don't wear in the winter. Anyhow, I'll be stylin at the St. Paddy's Day parade...even if I'm the only one who knows it! One down.... 

Getting "Socked"

Excuse the pun... but we really are getting "socked" with snow. So it's a great day to knit. I finished the first Irish sock this morning and I'm almost done with Charlotte's first sock. So I MUST concentrate on the baby's sweater now. I know I should do some cleaning but, hey, what a great day to knit! We are supposed to get 10 to 13 inches. No photos today because I left the cord to my digital camera at the office so they will have to wait until Monday. Here's a head scratcher for you... if the people next door take the time to get out an industrial strength snow blower, fill it up with gasoline, and bring it out to do 20 feet of snow blowing in front of their property, wouldn't it just make sense to keep on going down to the end of the block so your neighbors don't have to do back breaking shoveling? Just a thought. If I had one, that's what I would do. I don't know..maybe it's just me. Heck, I usually SHOVEL the neighbors walk once I get going!

The progress on the Irish sock. I didn't have much time to knit last night. We found our way to a little Italian restaurant ...best spagetti I ever had. Definitely a carb overload but I was due! Anyhow, back to the sock. I wish all socks knit up this quickly... using worsted weight is so much fun. The thing I love about these socks is that I know I won't be tempted to give them away (which I usually do) because no one but me would want them! Except maybe Cate, who has a habit of talking me into giving her almost everything.  

Charlotte's sock.... ok, I was going to keep these but I've decided to give them to a co-worker. Early in December, I commented to a co-worker that I liked her sweater. The next thing I knew, it was sitting on my desk. I told her I didn't compliment her because I wanted her to GIVE it to me! She said, no, I'm tired of it, I want you to have it. !!! Turns out it's a very expensive sweater in practically new condition. So, how do you thank someone for something like that? I've decided hand-knit socks are going to have to do. I'll have to get back to you on the yarn. The name of it escapes me at the moment. I know it has a German name. It's superwash wool made in Italy. I hope she likes them. 

Grrr....

So... notice how all of my personal info went from the right top to the bottom when I tried to add the color profile thingy. Did I get the color thingy in? Yes, I did. And I consider that a major accomplishment. Can I fix what went wrong? Um, no I can't. I don't even have a clue how to fix it. Somebody... help!

Irish Sock.... In worsted weight woolease. These babies are going to keep my feet warm at the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Pittsburgh. That day is always a lot of fun. I will also use these for the "Sock It To Me" contest. What fun! 

Go Steelers!!! 

Another Day in the Freezer

It's c c c c cold!!!! I got lots of the front of the baby's sweater done last night. What else are you going to do in weather like this? I scrapped the idea of the Debbie Bliss cable sweater. In reality, I didn't like the sleeves and I didn't like the bottom edge... AND, I found a photo of it someone had done on a blog this morning, and, I'm sorry, it looked TERRIBLE. So, I'm back to looking for another pattern to knit myself (yes, myself) a sweater with chunky yarn. I think that Debbie Bliss pattern was called "simply marilyn" or something like that. There was something romantic about it but, hey, I'm over it now. And, that yarn it called for is EXPENSIVE. So, adios to that!
Still trying to figure out how to edit this blog. I don't get it. I may never get it. I have my "100 things about me" just dying to get in here. I'm amazed that so many people have mastered this whole website thing on their own. Oh well, I know how to sell real estate, and at the end of the day, I guess that's the important thing.

Cats

Why do most of the knitting bloggers have cats? Have you ever noticed that? Someone should do a study. Are cats attracted to knitters or are knitters attracted to cats? And, they not only HAVE cats, they love to talk about their cats. And photograph their cats. I, for one, do not own a cat. I like cats. But, I like my son too and if I had a cat, he'd have to move out because he's highly allergic. If he doesn't get a decent job soon I might get a cat. So, about knitting.... well I got the sleeves finished on Benny's sweater and I'm now in the middle of the front. It won't be long until it is finished and I can move on to bigger things. I found a Debbie Bliss pattern ... a cable sweater.. that I'd like to do for myself. I'm not crazy about the lack of ribbing on the bottom though. It's just a rough edge. But I love the sweater. Oh, who am I kidding? I never knit for myself. I should see a therapist about it. I actually feel guilty when I knit for myself! There are so many more deserving people out there! Yep, time for therapy. It's very cold here in Central PA today.
12 degrees as I sit here typing... and we had our first real snow fall of the year yesterday which is absolutely amazing. Normally we'd have had a ton of snow by now. I hibernate in weather like this. I have a feeling a LOT of knitting will get done in the next few days if it stays like this.

Benny's Sleeves. While they do match a part of the body of the sweater, this was not the original pattern. I think they will look alright. I wish we could have figured out that Phildar pattern but this will have to do. 

These socks will be great. I love the colors. 

Socks...

I did try hard NOT to start a pair of socks last night but those size 2 dpn's looked so naked without yarn! I couldn't help myself. The only thing that disappoints me is that I was too chicken to try a new pattern. I like the Regia basic sock pattern (even though it IS flawed) so I used that again. I'm just not happy unless there are socks on needles....what can I say?
Maybe now that I started them I can finish up the sweater just knowing that a pair is started and not constantly thinking about which ones I want to start. I found an awesome scarf pattern online this morning. It's on a blog called "Sheep in the City". www.sheepinthecity.prettyposies.com. I never saw the stitch before but I'm definitely going to make one of those for myself and maybe a few for gifts for next Christmas. It's on size 11 needles so it should knit up pretty quickly. Check it out.

Phildar Sweater

Well I finished one "recreated" sleeve of the baby's sweater. It looks really short to me although I made it the length indicated on the pattern. As compared to the body of the sweater, it looks way too short. I will never knit a phildar pattern again although I just love their designs for kids. I guess once I learn to be a little more resourceful and creative I can make them what I want them to be. Until then, I'm stuck following poor directions. I wonder if the problems with those patterns happen when they translate them from French to English. My guess is that is where the glitches begin. I should brush up on my Francais. ha ha.
I miss sock knitting. But I know if I start a pair, I'll put the sweater down and I can't do that!!
That kid is bigger at the end of the day than he was at the beginning! They really do grow like weeds! Gotta get it done!!!

No Hat Photo

Well, Cate has gone back to school and it's too late now to get a photo of her wearing the cap. Shame because it looked so much better on than off. I brought the Autumn Leaf afghan to work with me this morning (not a paid day!!!) and I can't stop reading blogs long enough to work on it.
Speaking of blogs, I am amazed at the number of knitters out there who hate George Bush. Aren't there any knitting Republicans out there??? I'm not real political but I certainly lean toward the republican way of life. (much to my mother's dismay) But, on the flip side, my firstborn is about as liberal as they come so it all balances out.
My frustration level with this blog is on the rise to the point that I'm thinking of scrapping the whole thing. I can't figure out how to join the webrings. They give me some programming gibberish to add to my site and I can't figure out how to do it. I also (inspite of hours spent) cannot figure out how to add things to my sidebar, like links, photots, etc. Does every blogger out there know computer programming? I highly doubt it. I'm usually half way decent with the computer but I sure can't figure this out.
To get back to knitting, I made a cute little miniature cap pin last night in the Pittsburgh Steelers colors for Cate to wear at school. Go Steelers!!! Could this possibly be a Steelers Superbowl year??? This pattern can be found free at knitting.about.com. I'll have to make another one and take a photo because the one I made last night is on it's way to Slippery Rock U. Why don't I think about these things before it's too late???

I finished this hat last night. Did it quickly for my daughter, Cate. She wanted it to take back to school with her this Saturday. It flew off the needles using woolease chunky and #10 circular needles. She made herself a scarf to go with it. It stretches into a more "short and wide" shape for lack of a better way to explain it. Maybe I can get her to model it tonight for the camera! Anyway, now I can get back to the baby's sweater and try to make some sense of that whole Phildar ordeal. I still have not figured out how to do anything with this blog page... like ad things to the side bar. 

Stumped!!

I have to admit I am frustrated that I cannot figure out how to get my blog read. I look at all the knitting blogs and they all link to a million other knitting blogs and I can't figure out how to get one person here. Grrr.... Anyhow, I taught my son's girlfriend to knit last night. I gave her yarn and needles and got her started on a simple garter stitch scarf. She said, "wow, I could sit here and do this with you every night!". I think I've created a monster! It's nice that she's interested. Between giving her and my daughter needles, I'm going to have to get re-stocked. Yet another reason to visit the yarn store and get sucked into buying even MORE yarn that I don't have time to use! I wish I could take a week off work to knit. Everyone wonders why I like to do Open Houses... it's because I have two solid hours to knit if no one shows up!!!

Finnegan Purl

Well, since so many of you have asked (not), I will explain the name. I have decided that my next dog's name will be Finnegan Purl and I just like it so I used it for this blog. I want a westie in the worst way. My husband says no to two dogs so I will have to wait until after the monster dog moves on to doggie heaven...which will be a very sad day. But she is old and I'm thinking ahead to a lap dog now... picturing cute little knit doggie sweaters and such. "Finnegan" means "small white one" in Irish and I just thought that changing "pearl" to "purl" would be cute considering my passion. So there you have it. I know you'll all sleep better now that you know. Ha Ha.

Benny's Sweater

Well no one could figure out the sleeves in the Phildar sweater pattern so we just designed our own to somewhat match the body. That is SO frustrating. Do they READ those patterns before they print them???? Grrr! Finished up the remnant socks and they went straight to MY sock drawer! So now I have the autumn leaf afghan and Benny's sweater on the needles. I'm dying to start another pair of socks but I'm trying hard to restrain myself until I get this little sweater finished. That new Opal sock yarn is calling out to me. What is it about SOCKS???? Addictive little buggers they are!

Knitting Night

Well this evening I will join some other knitters at the yarn shop for a little socializing and knitting and get help with the baby's sweater. Darn Phildar patterns! My mind doesn't do the math that they expect very well. I need things written in more "user-friendly" fashion! I mailed Meghan's hat today. I think it will look adorable on her. The remnant socks just need the toe sewn in the second one and the tails woven in. I just love those things and since they are not perfect matches, I have talked myself into keeping them for me. I have trouble knitting for myself. I wonder if I'm alone in that. Anyone out there feel the need to knit for other people more than themselves??? Every pair of socks I knit, I think this person or that person would love these and I give them away. (We're talking relatives here.... not mere acquaintances!) I'm not totally crazy! Off topic... I started the South Beach diet on the 2nd of January. I want sugar and I want it now! I also want to lose 20 lbs. so I guess no sugar for me for a while. :-(
I'm wondering what I have to do to get people to read my blog. I have no clue. If anyone reads this and can help out with that, let me know. Because, really, I already KNOW what I'm knitting....geez!!!

Here is my current stash of yarn...mostly socks yet to be started. The kelly green woolease was for golf club headcovers. I made one and my husband didn't like it...now what to do with kelly green worsted weight??? 

Baby Benny's sweater. I have the back finished. Strangely, I got stuck right away on the front. So, tomorrow to the yarn shop for help. Phildar pattern books are difficult for me. I find them hard to understand. I have to get this finished or the kid will be grown out of it before it's even off the needles! But, I have a feeling I'm not the only one who has ever done that.  

Here are my New Year's Day purchases at the big yarn shop sale. I will of course make socks out of all of this. There was a sock done up in the opal and it was beautiful. One of these will be for my sister. I think she is the only person I haven't knitted a pair for yet. I was going to give her the remnant socks but I'm overly attached to them. They're keepers as far as I'm concerned!  

Here is Meghan's finished hat. It turned out so cute! And it is definitely NOT too big. Why do things always look so big on the needles and then when you sew them up, they're fine. I had some trouble with the graph. I found if I wrote the instructions out, it worked better for me. That has to be some type of a learning disorder! Anyhow, a cute little irish hat for a cute little irish girl. Right? 

Happy New Year!!

I'm working on Meghan's hat today. It's coming along fast. I know it will be too big for her but she'll just have to grow into it. Pattern says for 2-3 year old but from looking at it, it would have to be a very BIG 2-3 year old. Our yarn store is having a big sale today so I'll definitely have to check that out. I have so many projects in my head. My boss is having his first grandchild this year. I'd like to do something for that baby... but what? I hope they find out the sex to make it a little easier to decide. The weather here is Central Pennsylvania is strangely warm. I fear it has to be the calm before the storm. The kids who got bikes for Christmas are happy happy but those who got skis must be very forlorn. As for me, hey, this works. Photo of Meghan's hat probably tomorrow... take care... all my millions of readers. I know you're out there. :-)