Fall is here

So glad that it is raining today.  We really need it.  Fall, it reminds me that I need to get knitting.  What a great time of the year to do that.  I sure am not lacking for yarn.

I got some Jojoland Rhythm yarn in color RS71 to knit the Preppie Scarf by Anni Howard.  I love how you knit the fringe.

Marble Chunky in color MC15 to knit a prayer shawl for my mother-in-law who is in a nursing home.

Freshile Fibers Double Down fingering yarn in Watermelon to knit socks.

And Sanguine Gryphon in Skinny Bugga (I just love Skinny Bugga and Bugga) in Faithful Beauty.  Maybe for a shawl or small shawl and socks?

I did finish a dishcloth from my Monthly Dishcloth KAL group.  The pattern is called Leaf Patterned by Andi Worthy.  I used Peaches and Creme in verde green with a size 7 needle.

Off to knit!

Where did two weeks go?

Time flies I guess.  Well, I haven’t been blogging lately because I took a full time job.  Am I crazy?  I think so.  We shall see how this goes, but if it doesn’t work out then it’s no big deal.  Something was calling me to do this and I guess there is a reason.

As a result I haven’t been knitting much these last two weeks and I have a lot to catch up on.  I did frog the Madelinetosh sock I was working on.  After casting on several times, I gave up.  I didn’t like how it was turning out so I ripped it out and threw away the yarn.  Sometimes you just have to give up on it.

I have some new yarn and projects to blog about, but I will save that until later this week.

Wool Girl – August Sock Club

I got my Wool Girl sock club shipment for August.  The theme is Butterfly Kisses.  It included:

• A skein of Zen String Serenity 20 fingering weight sock yarn in the Butterfly Kisses colorway.
• Flutterby sock pattern designed by Debbie O’Neill
• Butterfly Tattoo Scarf designed by Renee Strouts
• A set of embossed and glittered butterfly diecut notecards
• A Butterfly notions tin
• A fabric sticky note post-it note holder
• 2 Butterfly stitch markers
• A handmade gift tag

So cool.

 

Time Flies

Time sure flies.  I can’t believe that it’s after Labor Day already.  I really enjoyed my summer this year.  I finished the Calendar Scarf, but need to block it.  I hope to do that in the next few days and will post pictures after it is blocked.

I did complete the Sprout hat that I working on for my niece’s baby boy due in November.  I used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino in color 340003 (green) with size 2 and size 3 needles.  It had a tricky stitch in the directions, but I emailed the designer and she sent me a tutorial, which was very helpful.

I also started on the Twist hat by the same designer.  Pictures to come later.

I finished the Flounce scarf.  This was a fun knit.  I used color 06 (green and purple) with size 9 needles.  This worked up quickly.

Doesn’t Maggie looked thrilled modeling it?

 

I finished two dishcloths.  The August Mid-Month cloth.  The pattern was Ice Cream cone by Andi Worthy.  I used Peaches and Creme in cream with size 6 needles.

  

I also completed the September KAL.  The pattern was Do I Smell Cheese by Elaine Fitzpatrick.  I really like her designs.  I used Peaches and Cream in silver grey with size 6 needles.

I did pretty good in the last several days finishing up some projects, didn’t I?

More yarn to add to my stash

What a yarn week it was.  I got quite a bit of yarn this week.  I had to get more colors from the Sanguine Gryphon.  After finishing the Maelstrom sock, I am so in love with this yarn.

From the Loopy Ewe, I got Bugga in Familiar Bluet and Skinny Bugga in Painted Damsel.

From the Sanguine Gryphon direct, I got Red Spotted Purple Butterfly and Charaxes Tiridate both in Bugga.

I also got quite a bit of yarn from my LYS, The Knitter’s Edge.  I am planning on working on squares for the Great American Afghan, so I am using Plymouth Select from Plymouth yarns in color 35 a really pretty green.  Two of my other knitting friends are also going to knit this afghan.  We are going to be picking our own squares from the three afghan books.

King George yarn was on sale, so I got two skeins of color 2786 (grey) to knit a hat.  The yarn is a baby alpaca, merino, and cashmere mix.

 

And, I bought on a whim, this pretty ribbon yarn to knit two scarves.  It comes out like a potato chip scarf only you don’t have to do as much knitting.  I got color 08 (black and grey) and color 06 (green and purple).  I am going to try to cast on for one of these scarves this week and will take pictures.

I’m was really excited to buy this cool knitting bag by Laurel Burch.  It is such a big size that I needed and the colors are perfect.  The price was right too.  This bag will come in handy since I have so much yarn to knit up.  Don’t you think?

Now, off to knit so I can post some pictures later this week.

48th Pair of Socks

Can you believe that I have knit 48 pairs of socks? When I started this journey of knitting socks, I was determined to master it. I struggled for awhile. I had a hard time picking up stitches and getting holes in the corner. After much persistence, I found the solution to fix that problem. Then I had some trouble with socks being a little snug. I figured out how to resolve that by the number of cast on stitches to use with the size needle I chose. I even knit socks on size one needles, which I never thought I would do and tried two socks on two needles and found that I love one sock on two needles even better than double points. Who would have thought that? I tried a toe up sock and found out that I really liked it and while I haven’t memorized the Kitchener stitch, I do use a cheat sheet and it’s not hard to do. I stuck to a basic sock pattern for a long time, but finally tried knitting a patterned sock. Now, I love knitting patterned socks. I also have knit socks using a chart, which I also didn’t think I would ever do. I still struggle with pooling, so I guess that is the next thing I have to conquer, but I have come a long way baby with knitting socks!

I finished the Maelstrom socks by Cookie A. I used Sanguine Gryphon’s Skinny Bugga in Blue Lobster with size 1-1/2 needles. I really love this yarn and the pattern was really nice to knit. Now I have to look through my stash for another color to use for my next pair of socks or maybe I will knit a shawlette?

I had to order more yarn from the Sanguine Gryphon since I loved using it for the Maelstrom sock. I got Praying Mantis and Dawn Dropwing in Skinny Bugga and Blue Copper Butterfly in Bugga. Aren’t the colors wonderful?

I also finished day 19 of the calendar scarf. Five more pattern days to go. This is so fun. I really need to order more yarn for another year’s pattern. Maybe a green this time.

I got my next shipment from the Rubber Ducky club. The yarn is pima petite in the color way Cool water. I just love this color. I also got a bar of soap from Mimi’s called Sunny day and a small bottle of Bath Bubbles.

Well, I will be working on my calendar scarf this coming week and I have an itch to start a new pattern, but should really go back through my unfinished projects and work on completing something. Let’s see what happens.

Sanguine Gryphon

I just love the Sanguine Gryphon and the yarn she dyes.  I especially love Bugga and Skinny Bugga.  Bugga has 20% cashmere and Skinny Bugga has 10% cashmere. 

I am currently working on the Malestrom sock by Cookie A.  It’s a great pattern.  I am using Skinny Bugga in Blue Lobster with size 1 1/2 needles.  I have finished one sock and have moved on to the second sock.

 

I am also working on a basic sock pattern using Madelinetosh sock.  I love the colorway.  It’s called Plum Tree, but I hate how it’s pooling.  I started with size 1 needles and then moved to size 1-1/2 needles.  I’m still not happy.  Here it is with the 1-1/2 needles.

Here is the other side of the sock:

So, I started again.  I went back to size 1 needles and I split the ball of yarn in half.  I am knitting two rows from one ball and two rows from the second ball.  I will post pictures when I am further along with the sock.  It looks better so far.

I am not a fan of yarn that pools, but when the yarn is hand dyed it tends to do that.  I have to watch that in the future when I buy yarn.  

Reading is Fun

Well, it’s about time that I catch up with what I have been reading.  Surprisingly, I have been reading quite a lot.

A Reliable Wife – by Robert Goolrick – a very good book

U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton – I love these alphabet books

9th Judgement by James Patterson

A Christmas Visitor by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer

Brava Valentine by Adriana Tirgiani

A Christmas Star by Thomas Kinkade and Katherine Spencer

Falling for Him by Debbie Macomber

Ending in Marriage by Debbie Macomber

Midnight Sons & Daughters by Debbie Macomber

True Colors by Kristin Hannah – another wonderful book by this author.

Hannah’s List by Debbie Macomber

Miss Julia Stands Her Ground by Ann B. Ross

Home is Where the Wine is by Laurie Perry

Naked in Death by J.D. Robb – excellent!

All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris

Glory in Death by J.D. Robb

Troublemaker by Janet Evanovich and Alex Evanovitch

Miss Julia Strikes Back by Ann B. Ross

Immortal in Death by J.D. Robb

Orchard Valley Grooms by Debbie Macomber

I’m still on target towards my goal of reading 65 books this year.  I hope I can keep it up.

I love Skinny Bugga

I am in love with Skinny Bugga yarn by Sanguine Gryphon.  I am knitting Cookie A’s Malestrom pattern with Skinny Bugga in the color Blue Lobster.  This yarn has some cashmere in it and it is so nice to work with.  I love this pattern too.  I am using size 1.5 needles.

Still knitting on my calendar scarf.  This project should be finished in about 3 weeks.  I am loving this.

I bought some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino to make some baby hats for my niece who is pregnant and due in November.  She is going to have a boy.  I got the color 34003 (lt green) and 340027 (a denim like blue).

I went to Musicfest in Bethlehem, PA last night.  Thanks to the generosity of a fellow knitter, I got to see Allison Iriheta and Adam Lambert.  We had front row seats and got an excellent view of the stage.  It was a great experience!  Adam is a wonderful entertainer.

 

Finishing Projects feels good

I finished knitting the Angee sock by Cookie A.  I really enjoyed this pattern.  I used Numma Numma in grape jam with a size 1 1/2 needle.  Love the color and love the yarn.

I also completed the August KAL for my Monthly Dishcloth group.  The pattern is Baby Starfish Dishcloth by Elaine Fitzpatrick.  I used Peaches and Creme yarn in the color sunburst with size 6 needles.  This was a really cute pattern.

I was able to get the Loopy Ewe 4th Anniversary Kit.  We got Dream in Color Smooshy with cashmere yarn in the color Joy in the Morning.  It’s a beautiful color – Like a Robin’s Egg blue.  Also a sock pattern called Argonauta by Debbie O’Neill and a Loopy Ewe tumbler by Hadley Pottery.   Love it!

A Good Knitting Week

I had a good knitting week this past week.  I finished one Angee sock and started on the second sock.  I love the yarn and the color. I should finish this up the first week in August.  Just in time to start knitting the Maelstrom sock by Cookie A.  Three of us from my Friday knitting class are going to knit this together.  I plan on using Sanguine Gryphon’s Skinny Bugga in blue lobster.

I’m still working on my calendar scarf.  After this week we should be half completed with it.

I did get some new yarn this week.  From the Loopy Ewe, I got Madeline Tosh sock in Cherry and Black Trillium in Fallen Leaves and Northern Pines.

From the Sanguine Gryphon, I got two skeins of Bugga.  They are slightly irregular skeins and she ran a contest to get a $28.00 credit.  I was lucky enough to get the credit and I’m just waiting for her to send it to me.  The colors I got are Fiery Searcher Beetle and Blue Lobster (yes, I know I got this in Skinny Bugga, but I really liked the colorway).  I also got these skeins at a reduced price because they were irregular. 

A few weeks ago, I finished the blanket I was knitting for Maggie and thought you would enjoy a picture of her using it.

Isn’t she cute?  She just loves her blanket.  The color is great and the pattern was a fun knit.

Summer Lovin

Yes, I finally finished my Summer Lovin Sock.  I really worked on it a lot this past week as I was determined to finish it.  I used size 1 needles.  The yarn is Sweet George superwash sock in orchid and the pattern is by Dawn Matkovic.

Two of my other knitting friends also knit this sock.  We are trying to knit projects together, although we aren’t finishing them together.  I have been the person lagging behind for the last two socks.  Here are pictures of the three socks together.

And a closeup:

I also completed the July Mid Month Dishcloth for my Monthly Dishcloth group.  The pattern is Ribbons and Lace by Janet Nogle.  I used size 7 needles with Peaches and Creme cotton in tea rose.

Another project the three of us are working on is the 2007 Swedish Calendar Scarf.  We are only doing 3 days of patterns in a week so we can work on other projects.  We should finish this by early September.  I am using a size 2 needle and Dale of Norway Baby Ull in an off white colorway.  I am really enjoying this as the pattern changes. This picture is through Day 7 of the scarf.

Now that I finished the Summer Lovin Sock, I can start back up on my Angee Sock by Cookie A in Numma Numma grape jam.  I will have pictures next week.  I want to finish this sock as we are starting a new sock the first Friday in August.  Working together like this on a project really gets you focused on knitting.  I don’t want to lag behind on the next project.    

Knit, Purl, YO, SSK, K2T

I’m so excited.  I finally finished one of the Summer Lovin Socks and even got started on the second.  I would really like to finish this up by the end of July, if not sooner.

Here is the finished sock, with part of the second sock completed.  I am using Sweet Georgia superwash sock in orchid with size 1 needles.

I also got through Day 4 of the 2007 Calendar Scarf.  I’m really enjoying knitting this.  I will definitely take on the 2008 and 2009 pattern.  I am using Dale of Norway in Baby Ull with an off white color and size 2 Addi Turbo needles.

I got my Loopy Ewe Sock club shipment for July.  It is a nice package.  I got Alchemy Juniper yarn in Autumn Ecstasy colorway.  Two patterns (one sock by Monica and one cowl by Wendy Knits).  A Loopy Ewe measuring tape, scissors, and post-it flags in a case.

I also got a shipment of yarn from the Sanguine Gryphon.  I just can’t resist her Bugga and Skinny Bugga yarn.  The colors are Skinny Bugga in Blue Lobster, Bugga in Robberfly, Smaller Yellow Ant, and Karner Blue.

Off the Needles

I finally got finished with some projects.  I guess that is what happens when you are working on several items.  Eventually it all comes together.

I finished the Ripple Afghan made out of Fantasy Naturale in color 9005 (purple).  I used size 8 needles.  The pattern called for 8 skeins, I had 9 and used 7.  So, I have enough left to make a market bag. 

Here is a closer picture of the pattern:

I really enjoyed knitting this and the pattern was easy.

I also finished the Ulmo Multy Wave Scarf made out of Aracania Ulmo Multy yarn, color 715 with a size 7 needle.  This worked up pretty quickly and was fun to do. Can you tell I am partial to purple?

 

I also completed the July KAL.  The pattern is Felicity the Flamingo by Shama Dawson.  I used size 6 needles with Peaches and Creme pastel pink yarn.

I loved the Fantasy Naturale yarn so much and enjoyed knitting the two flags, so I bought full skeins of red, white, and blue.

The blue is color 2550 (marine), the red is color 9006 and the white is color 8176 (natural).  Now I can knit flags to my hearts content.  I’d like to try some coasters and maybe a placemat.

I also got a good deal on the light denim colorway.  It was a special at the Knitter’s Edge for $3.75 a skein, so I bought 12 skeins for another afghan and if I have any left, I will make a market bag.

Now, I am back to knitting my Summer Lovin Sock and started the 2007 Swedish Calendar Scarf.  It’s an advent calendar scarf and there is a different pattern for 24 days.  The patterns come out in December (one day at a time) and are free until around Christmas.  I am enjoying this one so much.  I think that I may try to knit the 2008 and 2009 and be ready to knit the 2010 scarf when it comes out in December.  I am using a size 2 needle (3.0) with Baby Ull yarn from Dale of Norway in color 20 (an off white color).  It’s really a nice soft yarn.