Joyful, blissful, mindless knitting...

The new basketweave wrap:


































This is the kind of knitting that sucked you in in the first place. Fast, easy, and gratifying.
Of course now that I'm this far I realize that there are a few things I would do differently if I ever made another one. First of all, I put too many stitches on. I'd cut it down to 90 stitches from 110. And I'd go down a needle size. I think I'm using 9's. 8's would have been better. It's more like a blanket than an wrap! But I still know I'm going to love it. I have a self-imposed deadline for this and that is March 28th. I should be able to get it finished. I don't have plans to wear it, I just want to get it finished so I can start the baby blanket (which I said I would never knit) When my kids were born I bet I got 10 crocheted baby blankets and never used half of them. That's when I said I'd never put the time in to do one of those. But then I came across a great pattern, and some great yarn, and I just have to do it. I'd show it to you... but there are lurkers here... and it's a surprise. :-)

Wrap Obsessed

Because I am totally crazy, I started another wrap last night using this yarn. What is it about wraps? I think I know what it is. I love to knit things that have absolutely no shaping that I know I will wear. I was watching the movie "Sweet Home Alabama" with Reese Witherspoon and there is a scene where she's standing on a dock talking to her hunky not-quite ex-husband and she has on the most adorable basketweave stitch wrap on. So, me being me, I get on the computer and google a few words to see if I can come up with a pattern and I find nothing. (Although someone on Ravelry writes something about it but has nothing to show for it) Anyhoo.... I just started knitting and I think I like it so far. Hopefully I'll have a photo tomorrow. It doesn't look like much yet.

A word about Kraemer yarns. I really like them. A Pennsylvania product, I've been buying them here:

Victoria's House of Needleart

for a few years now and I haven't found one I haven't liked yet. They have a little bit of everything. The Summit Hill is a superwash wool worsted and it feels great. I was hooked on Cascade 220 for a while but this is much softer... and washable! I made Mr. C. a sweater with some of their cotton yarn and it turned out great. I made myself a shawl using their Alpaca and it is totally awesome. Anyway, try it, you'll like it.

As I was surfing the web this morning, I came across this incredible afghan:

theraineysisters.com » Great American Aran Afghan

I would absolutely never have the patience to finish something like this, but it sure would be fun trying. I love the square with the sweater on it. I made an aran afghan once that was only a fraction of the work, and it took me 10 years to finish it. Yes. Way.

Nupps From HELL

I decided to get the Estonian Garden wrap back out since there is no longer any urgency for Colin's ex-sweater (which is now slated to be gifted to a baby to be named later). I have finished the middle of the wrap. But before I get into my rant, which of course I'm going to, I just have to say to you lace knitters out there, if you haven't tried addi turbo for lace needles, you don't know what you are missing. They are awesome beyond words. What a difference they made after doing the bulk of the work with regular needles.

Here is a photo of my finished "middle".

Here is a photo (from the pattern) of the border that I attempted to start last night.

Because the photo is crappy, you can 't see the "nupps", but they're there. I read the pattern, I practiced on old yarn, and I got it without any problem. But there was a problem. At the end of the first nupp row, which is always a right side row, I was proud of myself because I had the correct number of stitches and just assumed I did everything right. On row two, everything was screwed up. I did this SIX times! I finally had to put another 8 row repeat on the body of the shawl just to finally use that beat up yarn so I don't keep abusing it trying to figure this out. And don't even get me started on how difficult it is to purl the 5 nupp stitches together, even WITH addi turbos for lace! My problem, obviously, is in trying to stay in sequence with the pattern on the initial row, although every time I did it, I had the correct number of stitches at the end, so that really doesn't make any sense. And the pattern can't be wrong. Too many people have made this and there is no mention anywhere of errata. So. Frustrating.

My plan of attack at this point is to find a simpler border. Something easy that will still look nice. I'm open to suggestions. I really truly do not want to revisit the original instructions. Way too frustrating!

Candle Countdown... getting there slowly.

Since yesterday was a bank holiday, I lit the little bugger before I went to work knowing DH would be home all day. (heh heh)

The Fun Factor

If there is one thing I've learned over the years, it's that you have to stop every now and then and just knit something little for fun. Wendy Bernard's Dream Swatch pattern is exactly what the Dr. ordered for times like this. This pattern is so much fun to knit. I just love switching those stitches around on the needles. And dropping the wraps is almost as much fun as letting the stitches run in the Clapotis pattern. One word of advice though... if you are using left over Koigu from socks, you'll run out of yarn for this pattern. Mine is not nearly as long as it should be, but I still think it will tie around someone's head without too much trouble.

I babysat Colin over the weekend and I found out for sure that his sweater will never fit him. That is why I am redirecting the love with that one. I have another intended recipient now... he just has to turn out to be a boy. I have a 50-50 chance. Not bad odds. And I think the little mother knows what she's having and isn't telling. I guess I'll just keep my fingers crossed on this one.

CANDLE COUNTDOWN

Maybe 1/16th burned. A LONG way to go. (cough, cough)

T.G.I.F.

I've had such a boring week. Nothing is going on at work. Real Estate is so weather driven. When the weather is bad, real estate activity dies. And we're in the middle of a dry spell. But it is the calm before the storm. The tide will turn in March as it always does. So I guess I should just shut up and enjoy the lull. But I do hate to be bored.

I made some progress on Colin's sleeves last night.

I've never done two sleeves at a time but it seems like the way to go on a baby sweater. I just want to get this sweater done an move on. I've had such trouble with it. And, truly, I think it's going to be too small now. If I would have finished it when I had planned to, he would have gotten some good use out of it. (But don't get me started on Zoe.....)

My son's girlfriend is visiting for a few days so that should be fun. She lives in Cecil which is a town I'm sure my Pittsburgh buds are familiar with. I'd like to take her to the LYS tomorrow. I got her knitting over the holidays but I haven't had a chance to ask her if she has kept at it.

Valentine's Day was interesting. I love Yankee Candles. But there is one that I abhor. It's the one people should keep on hand to use if someone passes out. Stick it under someone's nose and use as smelling salts. It's that strong. And, yes, it's the one DH chose to get me for Valentine's Day. Out of how many????? I thought I'd take it back but he thought it would be nice to light it last night when I wasn't paying attention. Naturally I didn't tell him I didn't like it... because, after all, it's the thought that counts. But I can tell you now I'm going to light that thing and let it burn forever just to get it out of my house! And in case you were wondering... It's Home Sweet Home. A better name for it would be Die Lungs Die. But my sweet Mr. C. made up for it with chocolate covered strawberries. He's such a good grandson to know exactly what I'd like.

I have thoughts of the Pinwheel Blanket running through my head for Clare. I'm trying to ignore them. (Did I tell you the new baby's name is Clare??) Anyhow, I really want to cast on for that but I must. get. other. things. finished first!!!!

Happy Weekend. Knit on.

Happy Valentine's Day

What could be better than some red yarn today?

Check out the yummy stuff below.... you can buy this here... and I'd like to... but, alass, funds are low and it would be too much of indulgence for me. But can't you just picture a cute scarf for next Valentine's Day out of this stuff? That Natasha is one fiber artist extraordinaire. I love all of her stuff!

Or you could satisfy your hunger for red on Ebay. Below is a current offering for RED 100% Cashmere. That would work for me too.

There was knitting last night. With the help of a girl on Ravelry, I was able to proceed with Colin's sweater sleeves. Her suggestion was something I should have thought of myself, so simple it's too embarrassing even to relate, but like I've said 100 times before, that's how my mind works (or, um, doesn't work). I have a real thing for numbers. They hate me, I hate them.

Unfortunately it's a trait I have passed down. But back to the sweater... the sleeve instructions are so wrong in that pattern. Doesn't anybody ever proof read? It's very frustrating. You would do well to steer clear of this book:

Just sayin...

Snow Day...

This is our downtown area at 8:00AM this morning. This was taken from outside our court house. Not a lot of activity. The roads were terrible. I barely made it to work. Although it's not deep, my tires were spinning everywhere. I really need an SUV. My boss is vacationing in Phoenix. He had the nerve to call yesterday

and say he was relaxing by the pool. Ugh.

I'm feeling better but I still don't have my knitting mojo back. Of course the sleeve instructions are incorrect on the Zoe Moller sweater I'm making for Colin so that has me stalled once more. I think I can figure it out, I just need to be in the mood to sit down with it which I haven't been. If I ever get that finished, it will be a miracle. And I'll never buy another one of her books again in this lifetime.

Valentine's Day came too fast this year. Maybe it's because I was so sick, but I am not prepared. I didn't get any cards in the mail which isn't like me. I guess they will just have to be late this year. I'm going to take Colin to Barnes and Noble for Valentine's Day. Because if I have to read those books of his one more time, I'm going to scream! We definitely need new books! The thing is, HE doesn't seem to get tired of them!

Sick as a dog....

You know you're sick when you're too sick to knit. I don't know whether I got the flu at home or at the office because people are dropping like flies in both places. And I didn't escape. Today is day 4 of feeling totally lousy.

I had a few rows to finish the back of Colin's sweater and I forced myself to do that last night. I didn't want to, but I got it finished.

Yesterday marked one year since my father died. I don't think I ever knit anything for him ever. Which is strange. But he didn't wear hats or scarves. He wore baseball type caps, but not warm hats. He probably would have liked a warm pair of socks though. I sure wish I could still knit him a pair of socks.

Weekend Chalet Knitting at Blue Knob

My chalet knitting resulted in a Koigu sock. The second one is moving right along too.















Blogger doesn't want to cooperate today so most of my photos won't load. But here is Kelly, Marsha, and my sister in the background knitting away. Kelly learned some lace stitches and decreases so I think she actually accomplished more than anyone. She is making the baby bolero from the One Skein book. It's looking great.


Here we are early morning yesterday with sleep still in our eyes I think. You have to love these no makeup photos.

Lots of knitting was accomplished and many calories were consumed. Oh well, you have to have to have fun every now and then. But back to the diet today!

Knitting Update

Wow. It just took me 20 minutes to figure out how to work my digital camera on my new computer. I got new camera software and my brain isn't fully awake enough yet today to figure this all out. But I think I got it. I guess we'll see.

Ok. Why did it post sideways? Anyhow there you have it. The "almost" finished back of Mr. C's sweater. I'll work on this one all weekend at the Chalet. (and, yikes, I'm pretty sure at this point that it is going to be too small for him. If Zoe Mellor or whatever her name is would have responded to my request for errata in a timely fashion, or at all even, I wouldn't have this problem)

In other knitting news... finished Opal socks. FOR ME!!!!!!!! They don't even come close to matching but I don't care. I love the weight and feel of this yarn. These little buggers are going to be warm.

I borrowed the books below from my daughter. If you haven't browsed through these yet, take a look. There are some truly adorable things in them. Perfect quick baby gifts.

Once again, let me just say that I wish I could quit work and knit all day long. Ahh... Heaven!

Sugar and Spice and Everything... PINK!!!

Mr. C's getting a sister!!!

Is there enough pink yarn???

Things that make you go....hmmn...

Everyone knows I am a huge fan of Vogue Knitting. Why I say that, I don't know because I've never once knit anything out of my vast collections of these magazines. But I want to, I really want to. It's all a problem with time. Because most of what I want to knit out of these magazines is very time consuming and I can't stop knitting things for other people long enough to accomplish anything so time consuming for myself! After leafing through this magazine, it stayed on the newstand. I like Vogue... but this issue.. not so much. There is an adorable hat and scarf set, but that is all I saw that I would knit. (someday)

I have no significant knitting to report. But next weekend my sister, our daughters, and a friend are going away to the nearby ski resort to knit (and eat :-). So lots of knitting should get accomplished by all of us. Hopefully we can keep my sister off the slopes long enough to knit. There are no other skiers among us except for my little pregnant niece who will have to sit this season out!

Tonight we decided to have a soup sampling at the office to chase away the winter blahs. I made this:

Recipes : Cheddar Corn Chowder : Food Network

It's excellent, but you have to really season it at the end. It's pretty bland to start out. And I'd do the whole pound of bacon next time instead of just 8 oz.

Happy weekend. Happy knitting.

New Socks

These need blocked, but they are finally finished and now it's back to work on Colin's sweater. I did have to buy more yarn. I found out that this yarn is heavier than the Opal I'm used to and that is why I ran out. I didn't even notice the difference because it's been a while since I used Opal. I tried to match them and failed. Interestingly, I noticed after I added the new ball right below the heel on the second sock, and was too far gone, that the pattern was going in the opposite direction on the second skein. After unwinding half the ball, and trying to find the same place in the pattern, I finally gave up and started knitting. It finally hit me after looking at it, that the pattern was reversed on the second skein. Duh. If you look at the thin solid grey stripe on the foot, and follow the pattern on both socks, you will see what I mean. It shouldn't have been that difficult to figure out. But at the time, I just couldn't see it. I'll know to look for that the next time.

The lovely Cate, the ex-model of my FO's and second daughter has finally found a teaching position in Virginia. Yay Cate! She will be teaching autistic teenagers and hopefully making a difference in the lives of some special kids. I'm proud. :-)

Cate and Joe

New Knitting

I'm taking time out from Mr. C's cable heavy sweater to do a quick pair of socks.

The colors are not showing up well here. They are truly much better. I am rediscovering the perfection that is Opal sock yarn. This yarn has a real strength and thickness to it that's hard to beat. It feels awesome on your feet. I was going to put this in the Christmas box and get a head start for one of the girls but I've fallen love with these socks. There is only one propblem:

This is not looking or feeling like enough yarn to finish the second sock. And I don't remember ever having a problem with that before with a skein of Opal. I use the same sock pattern all the time. I am so famous for this. Grrr...

So Long 2007...

I guess this is the last post for 2007. What a year. It was certainly a big one for our family. In good ways and bad ways. A lot has changed. My dad died, my kids moved out, then moved back in, and one has since moved away. My mother is doing well living on her own which still boggles my mind. Mr. C is not much of a baby anymore with an ever increasing vocabulary. Our niece had twins over the weekend in San Diego. And two more babies in the family due this year. Wow. A lot of change.

I've been knitting. And here is proof:

I just did the decrease for the arms. This is fun knitting but it's difficult to knit and watch TV with this pattern. It require a lot of concentration. I was knitting and trying to watch The Sound Of Music for the 900th time last night and it wasn't going well. It's hard to concentrate on serious knitting and a young Christopher Plummer at the same time. The knitting lost that one let me tell you.

I went to see my first movie at the theater IN A LONG TIME. I highly recommend P.S. I Love You. It was slow in a couple parts, but overall it was really good. And great scenery of Ireland.

Have a happy New Year's Eve. We're babysitting Mr. C. tonight. As long as my DH and I stay as exciting as we are, our kids will never have to worry about a babysitter on New Year's Eve!

Happy (almost) New Year!!

I usually review my finished projects for the year at the end of December. I was sitting here thinking that I didn't knit much at all this year compared to other years. I made some soap and I did some sewing. But after reviewing my blog archives, I realize that I did more than I thought. Not as much as previous years, but still more than I thought. FO's are as follows:

Koigu brown socks for me

Michael's neck gaitor in Kraemer washable wool

Fetching fingerless mitts for me

Emily's hand dyed socks (Shelley's sock yarn I think)

Misty Garden scarf for me out of Shelley's hand spun green wool

Opal socks for my mother

Blue hand dyed socks for Kelly

Dream Swatch headband for Kelly

4 cork people

Colin's blue socks

Kelly's Manos scarf and hat

Clementine Shawlette from Maryland Sheep and Wool hand dyed (for me)

Prayer scarf (requested by a sweet nun at a local nursing home)

Purple socks for Cate

Felted bag (that ended up in the Salvation Army bin... I hated that thing)

Vintage shawl (for me) Kraemer Alpaca

Sock Monkey hat for Colin (which he refuses to wear for some reason... my husband says he is smarter than we give him credit for :-P )

Socks for new baby

Spa Socks for my aunt

Lady Eleanor for me ( Best of The Year Award :-)

Giorgio's socks

Charity scarf and hat (which I still have... yikes)

Dashing Mitts (intended for Michael... for me in the end)

Not bad for not much knitting, huh?

Unfinished objects include one pair of adult socks, Meghan's lace sweater (hopeless), the pink lace shawl, and Colin's Aran pullover sweater which I am currently working on.

We went to Barnes and Noble last night and I got his book:

For those of you who like to knit the classics.... this book is for you. There is only one sweater (vest) in this book that I wouldn't knit. Everything else I love. Especially this one..

The scallops at the bottom are knit separately and then sewn on. It's so different. And yet still pretty classy looking. There is another turtle neck pullover that I love with a cabled edge at the bottom and on the sleeves but I don't like how the sleeves are set in. They create some pointy edges at the shoulders which reminds of something Dr. Spock would wear on Star Trek. Check it out:

Am I crazy or is that weird?

Almost out of time....

Yes, I realize he's eyeless. I can't believe I got this far. I figured out the whip stitch thing for the mouth, ears, and arms. Now I just have to decide what kind of eyes to give him. I hope he ends up loved. You never know about these things. It could go either way.

I hope everyone has a safe, happy and healthy Christmas and New Year. From our house to yours.... enjoy your family and friends. That's what it's all about.

And don't forget to EAT the gingerbread house. That's really what it's for.

Christmas Craziness

Is it just me, or does Christmas get crazier every year? I've been out every night for 10 days straight and it isn't going to stop any time soon. I'm either going to pull a few all-nighters or there isn't going to be a Christmas at our house. I'm doing everything but what I should be doing.

I have three Erin bags to block, line, and sew handles on for daughter #1. She did the knitting and left the rest to me. I'm just so glad she's knitting that I don't even care. I'm happy to do that for her ... I just need to find the time.

I thought I might get this finished for Mr. C... but it's not looking good.

I have to say that these things are not quite as easy to do as they look. The cutting and machine sewing isn't a problem, but I'm having trouble visualizing hand sewing the (stuffed) mouth and ears onto the sock with a whip stitch. This could be a job for... I don't know... someone who knows how to sew or something. Ugh.

I got the Dashing fingerless gloves finished. They are definitely too small for my son so they will be mine. I love them. Merry Christmas to me. :-)

Cate informs me that she is probably coming home early. I've been using her room as a catch-all. In fact half of my summer clothes are still laying across her bed. So I guess tonight would be a good night to start with the first all-nighter.

Yawn.

Here's a photo of Mr. C's latest encounter with Santa. He was not impressed. We may try again tonight at the mall.

Then again, we may not. (click on to see the terror!)

Blind Sided....

I've been blind sided by Christmas. It snuck up on me. I'm not ready. But, really, are we ever? I think we just keep preparing until we finally have to stop.

I saw this little guy at Barnes and Noble last night. Isn't he adorable? I have to have one. With the maiden name of Barnes, I have a few people (my husband among them) who still call me "Barnsie" from time to time. Gotta get Barnsie.

I started "Dashing" from Knitty Spring 2006. I shortened it. The pattern really made it too long and uncomfortable. Who needs that clear up your arm? But I like it. It won't fit the intended (my son) so I'm sure I'll end up with them. I'm having trouble with mittens these days. The charity mitten would have fit the jolly green giant and I can tell this one is too small for Michael. I'm sure you're wondering about gauge. Hmmn.... gauge. She who does not check gauge gets exactly what she deserves. (In this case, a great new pair of fingerless mitts.)

Musings on the new Winter Knitty

So far today, I've managed to lose my gloves, spill coffee in my keyboard (no ill effects so far thank God), and take a chunk of skin off the knuckle on my right pinky finger. Things can only get better. Right?

I'm really impressed with the new Knitty. (Winter knitty.com) There are patterns on there that I will definitely add to my "someday" list. Some of my thoughts are as follows:

Ice Queen - I love the look of this as a scarf. I'd never wear it on my head. I might try this someday. I'm not a great lace knitter. (I'm not really even a mediocre lace knitter come to think of it)

Quant - How could I not make one of these to match Lady Eleanor with my leftover yarn? It's adorable.

3 Tams - These are really cute. I'd never take the time though. I don't like Fair Isle knitting.

Tudora - I really love this. What a great quick gift for someone. Super for leftover yarn.

Halcyon - I like a lace scarf. And this pattern is pretty. I just don't get the ribbon thing. I wouldn't mess up a pretty scarf with ribbon like that.

Justify - This one I will put on my "to do" list. I want to make this. For sure. It's different and interesting.

Dahlia - For some reason, this sweater reminds me of my son's former girlfriend. She would look adorable in this. If she was still around, I'd make this for her. I have to say that the sweater doesn't fit the girl in the photo very well, but it's pretty darn good for a ninth grade designer. You go girl.

Aoife - She had me until the sleeves. I'm not a fan of bell sleeves.... and these are pretty..um.. belly. I'd lengthen the sleeve and end with the braid.

Abotanicity - How cute would this be on someone with a baby bump? It looks like an adorable maternity sweater. I don't think I'd wear it unless I was pregnant. (and we can safely say that ain't gonna happen)

Stardust - Very cute. Perfect for that dressy occasion.

Laughing Carrots - This is so cute. And it looks so warm. What a perfect Fall and Early Spring Jacket-type sweater for kids. My only problem with this is (and I'm sure it's just me being weird) that I don't like it for a boy. I'd love to see it in pink or light blue on a girl. There is something about that design that looks a little girly to me. Actually, I think I've just lived with my husband too long. That sounds like something he would say.

Fair Isle Rapids - This is the kind of scarf you want someone to make you. It's awesome. But I'd never take the time to knit it. Check out his other stuff on his blog. He's good. Real good.

Jeanie - I LOVE this. I'm all about wraps these days. I'll make this.

The other patterns: If I havent' mentioned it, it's because I don't like to knit patterned socks (I'll take my sock patterns totally mindless please), I don't get knitting for pets when you can knit for humans, I'm not into knitting toys, I'm extremely picky about purse patterns, and glove and mitten knitting is cool but I'd rather do socks. They are all nice patterns though.

All in all, a really good issue of Knitty. Check it out.

In other news...

This is the new, heated floor mat that I bought for my office. It is AWESOME. After finally realizing that what I go through with my feet every winter might not be normal, I've come to the conclusion that I have Raynaud's Disease. And this little bugger has made all the difference. Since my doctor has just completely fluffed off every conversation I've ever tried to have with her about how cold, numb, and painful my feet get in the winter, I decided to google it and got my answers online. My symptoms were NOT normal. So if you have that problem, you probably have Raynauds.. and you need one of these mats! (this has been a public service announcement for those of you who's doctors don't take you seriously :-)

Ok.. it's time to work. Have a great day.

Knitting Kleptomania

I didn't realize it, but I'm a knitting kleptomaniac. I stole this project from my daughter.

Truth be known, I think she is somewhat happy and relieved that I ran off with it. But there was no way to know that when I did it. It was agreed that I would simply connect the round on a circular needle without twisting and give it back to her. This yarn is impossible to read. There's no way to know whether it's twisted or not. So I did the best I could and just connected and started knitting and praying. Things seemed to be going well. So I kept going. And going. Next thing I knew it was almost finished. So, yeah, basically I stole my daughter's knitting. Like I needed another project!

I decided to block Lady Eleanor after all.

The knitting "purist" in me just couldn't let it go unblocked. I hope I don't live to regret this decision. I have lots of yarn left over. I see a felted purse in my future. I can't wait to wear this thing. I'm going to work on the fringe tonight.

And, lastly, a pair of toddler socks. (sans kitchener) These are not for Mr. C. but for another cute little buddy of mine I'll see on Saturday in NYC. I hope they fit him. They are worsted weight so they may be more "house" socks than shoe socks.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

We're celebrating our Thanksgiving tomorrow so yesterday was a knitting and soapmaking day for me. Very enjoyable. Until I ripped out an hours worth of work on Lady Eleanor because I thought I ended on the wrong row to finish it..... turns out I was correct after all and ripped for nothing. So tonight, I'll try once again to finish it. I'm almost there.

Here are a few soap photos. I've had lots of requests for my soap to use as stocking stuffers and teacher's gifts. So I'm finally getting that organized. If anyone is interested, email me and I'll give you the details. It's pretty awesome stuff if I do say so myself. If it helps my dry skin, you know it's good. I don't have as much of it this year as in previous years, but I should have a good bit leftover.

My mother couldn't wait to give Mr. C. one of his Christmas gifts. He LOVES Elmo... or "Melmo" as he calls him. Check out the sweater... remember that one? It's just now fitting him.

I'm Knitting!

Not a lot.. but I am knitting. Two out of three charity items are complete:

I still have the mittens yet to finish.

Lady Eleanor is still growing.... yet another photo:

I was studying this piece last evening and I just love the look of the un-blocked fabric. It's very 3 dimensional. I remember reading a post in the Scarf-Style Knit A -Long blog where a girl did this pattern and decided not to block it. I thought that was the dumbest thing ever. But the more I look at it, the more I understand not wanting to squash what makes it so interesting to the eye. The last one I made was a solid color and it didn't seem to make that much difference. I guess in the end, I may block it very lightly. This pattern is like Clapotis. You just keep wanting to make more.

For those of you who like to cook, I found an amazing lasagna recipe. It's labor intensive, but worth every minute. Enjoy.

World's Best Lasagna - Allrecipes

Nothin exciting goin on....

I had a great time at Nemacolin. We were kept so busy that no knitting was accomplished. I took it, but I didn't do it. I went to a gourmet cooking demonstration (too much work) and a wine tasting seminar which was great. Our meetings were also excellent. They had a "knock your socks off" motivational speaker whom I think was the best I ever heard. (Kevin Freiberg in case anyone is interested.)

I'm still plugging away at the charity knitting. The scarf is finished and the hat is half finished. Except for some socks that were finished a long time ago, there will be no knitted gifts this year. That bums me out. I had lots of great ideas, but no time to follow through.

Tonight is our holiday party at work. As usual, my boss decided to do it early before everything gets crazy. At least we're having snow. That might get everyone in the mood. (More likely it will be the open bar that does the trick.)

Back in the saddle...

with Lady Eleanor

My replacement yarn arrived yesterday. Same dye lot and everything. I was very lucky. Because I let this yarn sit for a long time before using it, I was afraid everyone would be out of it. But I got what I needed. And Knitch, in Atlanta, Georgia, wrapped every skein individually in tissue paper. That's a first for me. Cute!

This is the charity knitting. I have a scarf, hat, and mittens to do. The scarf is going quickly. I need to get this finished fast so I can concentrate on the wrap and Colin's sweater. I need some FO's!! I feel like it's been a while.

Mr. C's been sick with the flu. Poor kid. Then he gave it to his mom. So far, Grandma has escaped.

I'm holding my breath. Next week is three days at Nemacolin. And I refuse to be sick for that!

Still alive...

I've been a bad blogger. Actually, I've been a bad knitter as well. We had a yarn disaster of major proportions and that really threw me off my game. Last Thursday evening, I settled in to work on the Lady Eleanor and realized I was at the end of my skein. I went to the spare room to get another one out of the box and the box was gone. No problem I thought. DH cleaned and straightened up the room (which tends to get very out of control) and I thought I just needed to look a little harder for it's new resting place. Nope. Gone. The box was gone. I'm going to say roughly $70.00 or a little more worth of yarn... gone. It was in a priority mail postal box. Gone. He thought it was empty. He threw it out. And, to add insult to injury, it sat outside for 5 days and if I had sat down to knit one night earlier, I'd have been able to rescue it. As it was, the trash man got it about 7 hours before I missed it. That will teach me not to knit. I missed it by only 7 hours out of the 5 days it sat outside with the trash. Thoughts of rumaging the land fill ran through my mind. Nah... I got on knit list and found the yarn. I have it now. But it cost him. Big time. I think we can safely say that he will never do that again. So how angry and upset was I over the whole situation? Well, I got these the next day:

That should sum it up.