My mother was right...

When she told me as a child, not to run with sharp objects, usually scissors. (WALK WITH THE POINTS DOWN!) Though, she never let me have anything sharp! I should have remembered that today. However, I was too concerned with answering the door. I had my knitting needles (DPNS)in hand, when I heard the door bell ring. I jumped up to answer it and must have frightened "Nervous Nell"(my Maine coon cat, Allegra), because she shot out in front of me. I became an instant ballerina, trying to pirouette out of her way. As I grabbed for the doorway with needles in hand, I realized to late, I was about to become stab victim! Those damn needles are sharper than they look. I actually put a small hole in the palm of my hand!! It's minor compared to what it could have been. I think I just put a detour in the life-line of my palm!! That cat needs valium! A bandaid and neosporin did the trick.

In March, I took a knitting class. At the time, We were instructed to find a pattern to work on in class. That way, If we had any problems, the teacher would be able to help us problem solve. I decided to work on a pattern from the book, Loop-d-Loop.

I really love this sweater and I especially love the color... And don't have much green in my wardrobe. This would be perfect winter wear. Oops, I digress...The yarn.
I thought I would like to make it using the yarn the designer used. I had seen other knitter's blog pics of the completed sweater in a variety of nice yarns, with excellent results! I could have easily substituted a similar yarn as did others. But noooo, I had to have the King Filtes-Van Dyck yarn. It was hard to find locally, and on the net. Especially, in the color I wanted. So, I searched the internet and found a site that would order it for me. Guess what? I ordered it in March. (the first week) and received it in June (last Friday). It was definitely a "Murphy's Law" purchase. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. I won't go into further details (You're all prolly noddin off at this point!) I nearly cancelled the order several times, but my knitting OCD wouldn't let me. Also, I'm a sucker for nice people.The woman who does the ordering was so nice about trying to get things straightened out. Needless to say, the class is long over,but the yarn was definitely worth the wait! It's a beautiful yarn and the color true to the pics in the book.

I have three outstanding projects to finish. So, although my fingers are itching to start the sweater and some other projects, I am not going to do another thing until the current projects are done!

Sock Progress
Here is a picture of progress I've made on the current sock. I hope to finish it in a couple of days. After that, I'll either continue and make the mate to a previous sock or continue to this one gets a mate right way...Maybe both at same time!

Lately, blogger's be a pain. It's so hard to get pics put up. Today, I got around it using "Hello" a free program for uploading pics and sending e-mail pics. It's easy to use and does a decent job.

Summer Reading Challenge Update
I've finished reading the first book on my list by Lisa Jackson and I'm onto another book on the list. "Breakfast on Pluto" by Patrick McCabe. This one's a fast read and really funny at times. It took me a little bit to get used to the Irish syntax and expressions. It's a good read!

Project Spectrum
The color is Blue. I'm blue because I haven't any blue to show for it. I wonder if "Singing the blues" counts. This month hasn't started off well, but it's ending on a better note.
Hope all is well with you bloggers out there!!!
Get knitting!

House of Flying Needles!

No, I'm not writing a screenplay for a sequel to the movie "House of Flying Daggers" It was how I vented my frustration over not "getting it" on a sock heel that I haven't done before. I went to the frog pond several times and ended up with holes where there shouldn't be holes, stitches that kept slipping off the needle, and split yarn. Instead of the calm, "Hmmm,let's see where I went wrong" or the Zen/yoga like approach of just meditating and letting the answer come to me...I sent those suckers flying across the room!!! I left the damn sock alone for 3 days and when I couldn't stand it anymore, I sat down and tried it again. This time, "light dawned on marble head". So not a lot of knitting this week, but I should have something to show for my recent efforts soon.



In other news, It's the summer reading challenge and I'm off to a good start. I'm 3/4 of the way through the first book: Lisa Jackson's "Cold Blooded". Its a suspense thriller with a serial killer, hard boiled detective, and a beautiful woman with visions of the murders and romance thrown in. Here's a list of my other summer choices:
Arthur Golden - Memoirs of a Geisha
Dan Brown - Angels and Demons
Edward Rutherfurd - The Princes of Ireland/Dublin Saga
Stephen King - Dark Tower V - The Wolves of Calla
Stephen King - Dark Tower VI - Song of Susannah
Stephen King - Dark Tower VII - The Dark Tower
Patrick McCabe - Breakfast on Pluto
John Connolly - The Black Angel
F. Paul Wilson - Crisscross

This list of books will keep me busy for a while do have list of other books that I can't wait to read, should I get through these before the challenge ends! Anybody in blogland knit and read at the same time? Just imagine what I could get accomplished...Just kidding! I think I like the idea of just doing one of these activities a time to get the most pleasure out of each!

Have a good weekend everyone and keep knitting!

Fun, Fun, Fun!

I'm having too much fun on the internet and I blame it on all of you bloggers! Lately, I have to limit myself to a certain amount of time for blog reading. I really enjoy reading the knitting adventures, daily happenings, and all the other talents y'all possess. Sometimes, I'm nodding my head in agreement with people's opinions, empathizing with someone's plight,happy for other's good news or laughing myself silly over amusing stories(that I can see myself in or have experienced) !! So, thanks for sharing. Do I have a life? You bet your ass!!! But, I have to find time for my blog friends! This brings me to why I'm blaming you for my abundance of fun. I've become a join-a-holic. I'm gonna need more steps for recovery than there are in the empire state building or eiffel tower! So, if you hear me complaining in this blog that I'm too busy...Just say "shut-up".
Below find updates of knitting and my joining list (I've stopped! For now, Anyway!)

The color this month is green. This month I'm in the better later than never group for posting my observations/projects. I didn't do anything knit related, but did look around my environment to see how "green" affects me. I am a nature girl and love when every thing blooms. There is rhododendrum bush outside of my bedroom window that's beautiful. It started to bloom this weekend.
I also enjoy green tea and and have two cups I usually use. Both happen to be green. One says "Cat Lover" and the other has a sheep on it and says "Baa...Time 2 dream". Of course, there's green yarn.

and last, but not least is a green bottle of "millions of bubbles", because I always have to nurture the child in me. It's a great stress reliever too. Come on, go ahead. you know you want to play with bubbles (lol)! WAAAAAAh! blogger's not cooperating in getting the pic. It was a good one too! It seems that blogger has decided I have enough photos for the day, so...
Stay tuned. I will have more progress pics and banners to show for the other groups I've joined:
1. Summer reading challenge
2 socks that rock sock club
3. Summer of socks and traveling sock contest
4. Illustration Friday (I've yet to draw something!)
I think Im missing one...

Socks, Socks and more Socks

For the last few months, I've been hooked on knitting socks. I made my first pair during a stash-a-long to use up some yarn from my project bins. In a previous post, I stated: " Socks are a waste of time" (I know, it's high treason. If I were the President of America's knitters, I'd be impeached !). I had so much fun making them, I didn't understand how I had waited this long to try! When it comes to store bought socks, I always stuck to solid colors (usually med to dark colors). Now, look out! Any color, colorway or self striping yarn, is likely to become a sock. I love seeing how the pattern and the color of the yarn become luscious, warm socks.

Here are a few reasons I love making socks. They are portable, work up quickly, and are great for learning new techniques in small doses. I'm working on a sock called the "sixth sense sock". It's being knitted on U.S. size 2 DPNS in a denim yarn (sockotta). I really like the way this sock is turning out. It's hard to see the pattern from the picture, but it creates a look. From working on this sock, I've learned to make a knitted hem, instead of the usual ribbed cuff and will be learning a new heel and toe technique. (wait till you see the finished sock!).

The orange and yellow sock you see here is a project spectrum knit. It still needs it's mate. I'm working on finishing it now. ( I couldn't wait to start the other sock!!) It's called the "seaweed sock". Again, the photo doesn't do the sock justice. The pattern was fun to knit and at the end of the first 12 rows, I was like "Wow" because of how the pattern was emerging. It's definitely not boring. With this sock, I learned how not to get those little holes around the gusset and heel that make sock knitters crazy! I used Knit Pick's 100% merino wool in "Zinnia".

Several months ago I saw an invitation on www.bluemoonfibers.com to join their "Socks that Rock club". You pay a fee for a set number of months (you choose the length of your subscription)and receive patterns and hand dyed yarns before the public does. I waited to long to decide whether I wanted to join. As usual, by the time I made my decision, it was too late. I put myself on the waiting list. Well, Lo and Behold! They opened the club to 200 more members and I jumped on the STR bandwagon. I'm so glad I did. The colors and feel of the yarn are YUMMY! It's really beautiful yarn. I can't wait to start knitting with it. OH, PLEASE SOMEBODY SAVE ME FROM MY KNITTING OBSESSION! No really, I didn't mean it. I want my addiction (LOL)!

Hi secret pal I have guessed who you are, but wanted to give you a shout out! Hope your having a good week!!

Get knitting!

Handmade versus Homemade

Ever since I started knitting again (2 years ago), I've been just as obssessed about increasing my knitting library as I am with increasing my yarn stash. I started out with basic technique books, so I'd be ready to tackle any pattern! I haven't reqretted any book I've chosen, but I started seeing a trend in the books I'd bought. Different set-up,patterns, and layouts, but the same techniques explained in slightly different ways. I'm not knocking it, but... I needed to find something with more finishing techniques, especially after the last knitting course I took.

The woman teaching the class discussed how knitted garments, bags, socks...whatever you knitted should look handmade not homemade. She went on to explain what she meant. It made me think back a woman I worked with, who knitted beautifully! However, the moment I saw the finshed garments (she made lots of sweaters and baby items)I thought to myself "yep, anyone can see it's homeade). She didn't always block garments and they just didn't look finished. I thought it was too bad, because she was an excellent knitter, who could pick up any pattern and make it!


In terms of my own knitting, I'n no stranger to frogging when things don't look right, or spending as much time putting the garment together as I did knitting it!
Well...I was in a craft store with no intentions of buying any books (believe it or not, I had hit the book buying wall!!). After picking up the dpns I needed, I headed for the checkout. You all know how it is. Stores put enticing items near the register, so you'll by more things on the way out. I didn't want to look, but I saw a book titled "The big book of knitting" by Katharina Buss. It couldn't hurt to look...could it? I'm not going to buy it anyway. It'll be more basic techniques and easy patterns. I"M NOT GONNA BUY IT! I flipped though it. Next thing I know, I'm pouring over it like it's the holy knitting grail. It may not be, but I have to tell you readers, I fell in love with it! It's all about the finishing! Anything you could ever want to know to make items look professional!!! The explanations are good and the layouts help support the instructions. I really could just stare at the pictures for hours. ( I know, I'm a knitter over the edge! 8-})

I've included a couple of pictures from the book. My photography techniques could use some fine tuning, but they'll give you an idea of what's included. Anyway, enough about my book crush (LOL)! Have a good evening. I'm going to check out American Idol ( How could I have gotten sucked into this...it's my first season!)
Get knitting!