Ugh.

I sure hope there are a few good articles in this issue... because there sure are not any patterns that I like.

I shouldn't have purchased it!

Knitting. Yes. I still knit.

On Sunday, I overheard someone at Maryland Sheep and Wool say that she was "wrap obsessed". I'm so glad I'm not the only one. Below is my second basketweave wrap made with Kraemer Yarns Summit Hill - worsted weight washable wool. I love this yarn. It's so cozy. My green basketweave wrap is really my "go to" wrap. I keep it on my bed in the winter and grab it when I get up. It's warm and large and it just feels great to wrap up in it. This one will look great with jeans for chilly summer nights.

I thought I'd do a summer top for something different. This yarn is Kraemer Yarns Tatamy Tweed which is a mixture of cotton and acrylic. I've made other projects with this yarn and it's great too. In fact, all Kraemer yarns are nice and they're made right here in Pennsylvania. I love their Alpaca yarn too.

We'll see if it fits. For as much knitting as I do, I haven't had much success in knitting things that actually fit.

I guess that's why I'm so "wrap obsessed" !

Happy Easter Everyone!

Things are beginning to turn green....even my grandaughter.

Mr. C. thought it might be fun to help his sister paint.

So, he opened the jar of paint for her.

Madness ensued.

Fortunately, it's non-toxic!

There is knitting going on. I'm making another basketweave wrap in cornflower blue. I know, I know... another wrap. There's just something about knowing that, no matter what, it will fit.

Ha ha.

What to say....

I'm not sure how to keep a knitting blog interesting when all the projects you are in the middle of are a secret. When you just know the recipient of a gift that you are making visits the blog on occasion, you're not going to plaster photos of your progress all over the place for them to see.

I will just say that lace is continuing to kick my butt. SOOOOO frustrating. I wish I had a dollar for everytime I come to the end of a row and do not have the appropriate number of stitches. I'd have enough money to pay people to knit lace for me.

The link below is the blog of one of the yarn shops in Charlottesville, VA that I visit on occasion. Check out the felted flowers. So cool.

The Needle Lady Blog

On the family front, Clare is turning into a little monkey. She loves to climb onto and jump off of the furniture.... and she isn't even walking yet so it's a little scary. Hard to believe she'll be one in May. Gratuitous grandchildren photo to follow. (of course)

COLIN AND CLARE ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

I'm Hooked!

Castle

ABC Monday 10:00PM

One episode and I'm completely hooked.

Next Monday can't come fast enough.

Finally... A New Finished Object

The yellow wrap is Aran weight 100% wool from Kraemer Yarns.

I loved it and had to have it.

I have no clue what I will ever wear this with other than jeans.

It doesn't go with anything I own.

Other than the fact that I think I "over" blocked it, I like it.

Do you think I have a "Wrap" problem?

And, truthfully, this pile is missing a few.

I start to think that I should be knitting other things, but I do wear

these all the time.

And, of course, I'm always knitting socks too.

I can't remember the name of the sock yarn pictured below because I lost the band

to it a long time ago.

But as you can see, it's a pooling mess. These are Catie's Christmas socks for this year.

She picked the yarn in a cute yarn shop in Charlottesville. But I don't think this is what she had in mind for the end result.

Below is a stash busting project for Clare.

My daughter says she loves these little socks but can't keep them on her feet.

So, the next pair will have some yarn overs so I can wind some ribbon through

to tie a bow to keep them on her little feet.

60 Minutes

Chesley Sullenberger

After watching "60 Minutes" last night, I've decided that I want to marry this guy. Oh, wait, that's right, I'm already married! :-)

Check out the article in the link below, and tell me those aren't the luckiest 155 people alive to have had him in the pilot's seat that day.

Chesley Sullenberger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Those people were obviously living right.

Cate's Wrap

4 skeins of Rowan Big Wool

size 15 needles

32 stitches (I think)

Sheeeee likes it!

Frenzied Knitting

My latest project. I can't put it down.

Every now and then you get a project like this. One that you

can't stop working on for no particular reason. It's for me, and I don't have any special

occasion to wear it, but you would think by the way I'm working on it that I need it tomorrow. It's just fun and easy.

I made up the pattern, but you can see the design is a take on a pattern I did before

pictured below. The one below was featured on the monthly web magazine called

Magknits.com and it was a free pattern. That site is no longer up so I don't know where you

would find it now. Ravelry features it but the link leads nowhere.

It's called Trellis and Vine by Sauniell N. Connally and it's a lot of fun to make.

A great pattern for beginning knitters to learn a few new "moves".

Anyhow, my version is in aran weight as opposed to DK and it will be larger and warmer which is what I like. The yarn is Kraemer Yarns Naturally Nazareth and I'm liking it alot.

Check it out, then order it here.

(In case the links are not highlighted, click on the words "Kraemer Yarns"

and the word "here" to link to the yarn and the shop. I've noticed the

highlight function doesn't work well with these fancy templates.)

New Year, New Projects

This is the second pair of socks I made for Clare. This is some left over sock yarn and the other pair was also a stash-busting accomplishment. My daughter tells me they are difficult to keep on her feet. Maybe the next pair should include some yarn-overs (holes) with an i-cord lace strung through to keep them on. I'll work on that.

I made a simple stockinette stitch wrap for Catie (daughter # 2) and sent it off to Charlottesville without thinking to take a photo. She is charged with sending one to me soon. It's cute, and it was made with Rowan "Big Wool". It knit up in three nights on size 15 needles. I made up the pattern but there wasn't a whole lot of magic to it. Knit a row, purl a row. I blocked the heck out of it so hopefully it won't roll. We'll see.

Below is a scarfette for Kelly. (daughter # 1) I made this pattern up too. Hopefully if I ever want to duplicate this stuff I can remember what I did. I didn't write any of it down.

Don't ask me why Blogger turned this photo sideways. I can't figure out why Blogger does most of what it does. Anyhow, it's done in Manos del Uruguay that I bought at Purl Soho in NYC. Two strands held together on size 10.5 needles. It should be very warm around the neck. Also a stash-busting accomplishment. (yay!) It's currently on the blocking board and I'll get a better photo of it after I sew on the buttons. And, for those of you who were wondering..... yes, I do know that cables are best left for solid colors. But I was in cable-y mood! What can I say?

Right now, I'm working on a rectangular cable wrap of my own design out of a pretty yellow aran wool. (I have to admit that I just re-worked s few small things from another pattern that I already did) Photo to come.

The diet is going ok. I'm still grumpy. I like sweet stuff. I like Starbucks coffee drinks that are a calorie nightmare, I like wine. Oh, I love salty snacks too. Ugh. Thank God I still have knitting.