Did you feel the earth stop spinning?

Last week I was couch bound by some wicked upper respiratory crud that still has me a bit winded. The crud was so bad I couldn't even knit.

Yesterday, however, I did take my friend Kati's "Cotton String Bag" class and get started on the bag with some varigated cotton from my stash. I got the handles done, the edging done, started the bag itself and then prompted screwed up the bag's body pattern requiring me to rip back to the edging. The cotton yarn is extremely difficult to knit with and I feel like I'm wrestling with it. However, I will love the completed bag and will enjoy taking it to the farmer's market with me.

Father-in-Law Socks...

I've turned the heel on the socks for my father-in-law but now am a little concerned that they aren't the right size. I used the charts in Charlene Schurch's Sensational Knitted Socks as a guideline, but I think I started turning the heel too early. I think I'll head to the yarn shop either today or tomorrow to find someone with a women's size 9 foot to try them on. Yes, I happen to know my father-in-law wears a woman's size 9 shoe...(snort)

Nothing else new on the needles, but I did teach a private beginning knit lesson yesterday afternoon and enjoyed it very much.

Father's Day Socks for John

Father's Day Socks for John
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

Here's the start of the socks for the yarn that my father-in-law picked out last weekend. I'm a little nervous about fit because I can't have him try them on like I do with Dirk or myself. The only other person I've made a pair of socks for outside of Dirk and me is my mom -- but she has the same size foot as me so I tried them on as I went.

I'm using the sizing charts from Sensational Knitted Socks and am going to find someone at the knit shop with similar sized feet to try them on before I get too far. Though if they turn out to be too big, they will fit Dirk so not all will be lost.

These are also the first socks of mine that can count towards the 5280 project. (See blog button at the side for more information about this project!)

PS These are plain vanilla K2, P2 ribbing. I wasn't feeling inspired.

Friday Night Sit 'n Knit

I love to go to YarnArts on Friday nights. This Friday we had a special guest stop by....my husband and his father. I really thought Dirk was kidding when he said "maybe I'll bring dad by the shop..." as I couldn't imagine anything more boring to my father-in-law! However, I forgot that he does enjoy pretty women and there is no shortage of them at Sit 'n Knit!

They stayed for less than 20 minutes, however both men did pick out sock yarn and put in a request for socks. They even picked the same yarn -- Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn in the 'Tom Cat' colorway. :) I cast on the first pair last night and will need to decide what foot/leg patterning I want to use once I get the toe increases done.

Tomorrow night I have another 'Toe-Up Sock' class that I'm teaching. I love to teach these classes! If you are in the Denver area, the class is from 5 to 7 PM and is $20.00 at YarnArts of Parker and I've got room for a few more students!

FO: Wool Peddler's Shawl

It's DONE!

And the photo is pretty crappy....and it still needs to be blocked. Once I sorted out where the markers go along with how and when to move them, the pattern was really easy. The only difference I'm noticing in mine is that I didn't do any "partial" repeats of the pattern in the middle, so I've got some stockinette stitch were on the cover of the Folk Shawl's book, there is lace. However, I love it!

Knitting Update

I'm on the second to last lace pattern repeat on my Wool Peddler's Shawl. Goal is to try to have it completed by this weekend so that I can wear it during the impending snow storm I've heard is heading our way.

I turned the heel on my cute little lace socks and now it's dreadfully boring knitting round and round and round up the cuffs. This is why my socks always wind up as ankle socks... However, I'm determined to make these really tall. I also am dying to cast on with the Sockatta gift yarn that I got recently, so I have to either finish the lace socks or buy another Addi Turbo 40" in US 1. However, I don't think the husband will see the merit in purchasing a new needle because I'm bored with the project currently on the needles...

Let's see what else is new....erhm...nothing much. Well, if I want that shawl done I think I better go get knittin' on it!

Great Adirondack Yarn.....

...sigh.... Yarn Arts just got in some of the most beautiful yarns!

They are G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!!!

Neck Down Sweater -- 100% Complete

The final decision on the length was determined by the tiny bit of yarn left over after I finished the neck -- which was very little. Because I don't want to use a whole 'nother skein of handpainted yarn at $24.95 for just another 1-2 inches in length, I'm going to leave it as is. *unless of course I change my mind again -- laugh*

Oh, the photos? Of course! Here's the finished product and a shot of the *beautiful* neckline with the correct decreases:

Sockotta Sock Yarn

Socketta Sock Yarn
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

A very dear friend gave me a surprise gift today -- Sockotta sock yarn! YIPPPPPPEEEEE! I've heard fabulous things about this yarn and I'm excited to give it a whirl. I love that it's a cotton/wool/nylon blend because it will make great summer socks! And my first pair towards the DenverKnits 5280 sock challenge. However, I must first
finish the lace socks currently on my favorite sock needle.

[Note: Rumor has it that this yarn may be coming to my LYS soon.]

I'm 3/4 of the way through the first lace repeat in my Wool Peddler's shawl, it's going very well -- FINALLY. I had a *very* rocky start on the lace which had me on the verge of tears and ready to throw the whole thing in the trash. I actually yelled at the cat for purring too loudly while I was trying to decipher the pattern. (snort) The pattern wasn't written clearly to me about where the markers go and when you increase stitches INSIDE of them. Then I found an extremely helpful worksheet online where someone had written out how many stitches were between which markers on which rows and now it's perfectly clear to me!!

Sweater Update: I picked up the stitches for the neck ribbing last night. Got it all done, looked at it and noticed that it was very apparent this was my first go -- the decreases were will-nilly, some were backwards -- all and all it looked like utter shit. I pulled them out, got some good advice a YarnArts and a fellow knitters blog. I'm now confident the neck will be completed tonight and I will be happy with the results.

Secret Pal 10 Gift

Secret Pal 10 Gift
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

How lucky am I? Look at the goodies I got in the mail yesterday from my Secret Pal!!

Chocolate, yummy smelling soap, a cute notepad and a delicious hank of hand dyed fingering weight yarn!

I love the colors on the yarn and I'm picturing it as a little lacy wrap/scarf!

You can see the edge of the box that everything came in and it's so pretty I don't want to throw it away. I told my secret pal that I was going to send it to my assigned secret pal with a note telling her where I got and suggesting she use it to send her package to HER secret pal with a note asking her to send it on and so on and so on...

Wool Peddler's Shawl

Wool Peddler's Shawl
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

knit, whoops! don't forget the yarn over, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit, knit..and on and on and on.

This shawl is going to be gorgeous. I love the yarn.

And to give you a better idea of the size thus far, here's a quick photo of one of the world's most annoying cats enjoying himself by rolling all over the shawl while I was trying to get a decent photo this morning:

Wool Peddler's Shawl

Wool Peddler's Shawl
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

I've had the book Folk Shawls for about a year and last night I finally started one of the patterns in it. :)

It's the Wool Peddler's Shawl and I'm using a heathered red 100% wool by Galway. This is the first time I've used this yarn, but I recommend it all the time at the shop as so many people really like it. Now, I can confirm that it is wonderful -- it's soft, spun very well and is working up evenly.

Stay tuned for details!

It's done -- I cut up a fair isle sweater!

Here is the body and sleeves laid out for measurements.








Here's the first armhole for the sleeves cut open.

woo-hooo!






Here's the the front cut open so that the sweater becomes a cardigan!







In case you are interested in seeing what the sweater looks like inside out







And finally here's the sweater being modeled by my bunny!

Top Down Sweater 03-2007

Top Down Sweater 03-2007
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

99% done and I have just a small bit of yarn left on the current skein.

I hope it's enough to finish the neckline, if not I do have another whole skein of this yarn. I was hoping to not have to use it so that I could return it for something else, but oh well, if I do, right? It's better to have too much yarn than not enough. :) If I do have to use the final skein, I'm also going to unravel the bottom edge and make a turned under hem instead of the ribbing and make it a bit longer.

Ok, I've mentally worked through this sweater via this post....I'll use the last skein so that I CAN make it longer and with a turned under hem.

On Friday I was looking at the little lace socks, decided I couldn't live with the miscount in the lace and pulled both of them off the needles and re-balled the skein. I re-cast on and am almost back at the same point at the picture in the post down a little further on this page. I also started and almost completed the first arm for my bear sweater this morning at the shop, thought it looked to big, pulled it all out and THEN asked Kati's opinion to which she replied that the arm should look big in comparison to the body since teddy bears aren't shaped like people. shit...back to square one.

I stopped at Blockbuster and got three movies, so in about two minutes I'm going to head back out to the sunroom, pop in a movie and crank out two sleeves for the bear sweater before I reward myself with an amazing bottle of wine. :)

Golf Club Cover - Stripes

Golf Club Cover - Stripes
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

Here is the version of the Golf Club Cover that I'll actually be using for the class I'm teaching in April. I think it came out really cute! Almost makes me wish I golfed so that I could knit up some fun and funky covers for my clubs...

This week I also got the information for the SecretPal 10 swap. Woo-hooo! I love to make up gift boxes and I've already started a box by my desk of things to send off to my pal as well as making a list of things I need to go get or make. :)

I got up really early this morning, cranked out all my work so that I could curl up on the couch with some knitting, my boxers, my husband and watch a DVD this afternoon. I will sheepishly admit that we are addicted to "Nip/Tuck" which is what is on the DVD agenda today.

Yes, I've been Knitting!

I've gotten a lot done in the past week! Finished the body of my top down sweater and started on the first sleeve in addition to the following projects:

I finished my new felted clogs. My previous pair had to sadly be tossed into the bin after I walked holes into the bottoms of them. :( They will be sorely missed, however, I *LOVE* these hot pink ones! Wool is Cascade 200 and the novelty by diVe is called "Vermicelli". As always, this is a quick and easy pattern to knit up and since my feet are the smallest size, I can crank these out in a weekend.



How could I not have a pair of socks on the needles? These are a lace pattern that I've managed to screw up about 5 rows back and have no intention fixing since it's not life threatening that it's wrong and quite honestly, I'm probably the only person who will ever notice. The yarn is Trekking XXL in colorway 107. I like how they are coming out. The heels will be the Queen Kahauna gusset heel for toe-up socks.



Here is one of the current projects that I am the most proud of! This is my first go at Norwegian steeking, you can see the row of stitches up the front of this fair-isle tube where I will be (gasp!) be cutting this into a cardigan. I then have to cut out sides where the sleeves will be placed. Ok, so it's only teddy bear sized, but none the less I'm jazzed about learning a new technique and am thrilled at how it's come so far. Recognize the Cascade 200 leftovers from my clogs? This actually knit up really fast, I did the whole body yesterday at the shop.




And finally, yesterday at the shop we were brainstorming about new class ideas, so I volunteered to knit up a golf club cover for as a store model for an April class. I still need to duplicate stitch in a number "'3" to mark which club it goes on. This was pretty fast as well, I started last night, got 1/4 of the way through the houndstooth in about 2.5 hours. I finished it today in about another 2 hours.

I've really gotten into colorwork lately and have been working very hard at practicing the tension on two handed stranding!

Sweater Update!

I'm at the end of the body!! Woo-hooo!! I can't believe how FAST this sweater went. However, I can't decide how to end it -- ribbing? a hemmed edge? I think I'm going to hold off on this part while I can get the opinion of Sophia at the yarn shop.

Onto the sweater arms this week -- ugh -- which means math to sort out where and how many decreases to get to the cuff. Which I will then have to wait to figure out how I want to finish.

P.S. I'm also wearing my new black & pink felted clogs. :)

My Sweater is growing!

DCP01884
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

Here's the progress after one week. I'm at the "quick" part now -- round and round and round on the body. This morning I started at where the arms were divided so I got a TON done today while I was at the shop. It's easier for me to mindlessly knit while chatting -- and I had a wonderful afternoon of idle gossip and chatter to keep my needles flying.

I don't really want to do the hem with standard ribbing, so I think I'm going to give whirl at a turned under hem.

DCP01885
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

Last night I stopped working my sweater at the armpits so that I could stop in at the shop to get confirmation that I was stopping at the right spot.

And because I can't bear to watch a movie and just sit on the couch, I started new felted slippers! I walked big holes in my first pair and really needed to get moving on these. This is possibly one of the *easiest* and fastest projects around. I started and completed this last night, I do need to make the outer sole and the second slipper, so by Wednesday I imagine you'll see them on my feet.

Yarn: Cascade 200 with 'Vermicelli' novelty yarn in the cuff.

A New Sweater on the Needles

Neck Down Sweater
Originally uploaded by BoxerPixie.

I started a neck down 'V' neck sweater over the weekend. It's a "non-pattern" pattern - which means I'm making it up as I go.

The yarn is JJ's Handpainted and it's being knit on US 9 needles.

Column of Leaves Scarf - DONE!

It's done and being modeled by one gorgeous boxer boy!

(yes, I'm a photo moron and that's the edge of my sweater sleeve in the upper left corner).

Call me mean, but I'm excited it's going to be cold and snowy this weekend so that I can wear my new scarf. :)







Here's a better shot where you can see the detail of the pattern: