Holiday knitting

I told myself this year I wouldn't.

The last time I did it, I never got all I wanted done and I still have the yarn floating around, AND I want to try and finish some projects I still have on the needles (mainly Phoenix Rising and Mr Greenjeans) so I can move on to some others like Mystic Waters*, Silver Birches or Elsewhere, the latter which I am thinking of spending my birthday money on to buy the yarn for. Madelinetosh..

But my mind keeps insisting. Budget is tight this year.. you have ALL this yarn, and planned to make stuff anyway. Why not make the remaining tea cozies? (Two.) Make some mittens (three pair). That clears away a few people, and they are small projects you can take with you.

But! I no longer bus it. I have lost all that prime knitting time, not only that but if I do take the bus from where I now live I have about five minutes seated then stand the rest of the way. Not conducive to knitting because if you stumble you might stab yourself or a fellow bus rider.

And! And my knitting is all scattered. I have some pieces here, some things there, a couple tubs of rubbermaid to dig through just to find all the needles and yarn I need for it.

But all I can think is how nice it would be to make some people some gloves or mittens for winter.

Bah.

*We're going to the ocean next year, wouldn't it be nice to have the Mystic Waters shawl to keep me cozy?

Once again..

It has been forever. Not a lot of knitting happening, mainly I work at my Phoenix Rising shawl when I get a chance. I only have about 30 odd 46 rows to go, so I really ought to keep working and finish so I can allow myself to work at Silver Birches! I've decided to skip doing one repeat of the edge like some people suggested because I'm not quite sure if I'll have enough yarn as many people were a little short. But it will look lovely when I finally finish and block it out!

Been also crocheting a little, just some basic dish cloths but I prefer the crocheted or knit ones to the store bought, so much sturdier and much more scrubby power.

Lots to life happening, things are just hectic and fun at times but rough at others. But that's life, hey?

Maybe I should work on the knitting and blogging a bit more..

Long time gone..

Man it's been forever since I blogged. Far, far too long. I am a horrible blogger.

What's been happening? Lots of stuff. Next to none of it having to do with knitting. I'm steadily working on Mr Greenjeans, now that I have my gauge I've finally moved on from the top part to the cabling. I'm also working on a sock, a Saturday Sock and the special thing about this one is I'm working on it the way Yarn Harlot showed us in the class she taught at last year's M1 retreat. I think I'm finally getting the motions down, it seems to go faster (at least when knitting, purling just doesn't seem to co-operate much).

That's it for knitting, no finished objects, no pretty pictures (too gloomy this week for pictures and I didn't think of it last week when it was 30+ Celsius).

I'm also working on a craft room! Since we moved I have a nice little corner where I can put my stuff. For now it's full of boxes and bags, my sewing machine (still boxed) and my wardrobe (there's no closet in there to stash stuff). I picked up a table at the flea market for thirty dollars and it's a nice sturdy smallish dining room size table which will be perfect for my sewing machine and laying things out (once I get it too set up). I might even be able to display my porcelain dolls again!

Lots to do though. Back to the plotting and working..

New Yarn! Maybe?

My Blue Moon Funky Sock Monkey kit (I got 3A Thistle and Cockcrow) is here!

Sort of.

Mom was out today, so no one was home to sign for it and thus my sock monkey kit is currently sitting at the post office. *sobs*

So tomorrow, before I go to knit night, I go to pick it up! Yay!

I decided to go with this instead of the Moroccan Days/Arabian Nights kit as my tax return splurge to myself. Partially because I have a lot of laceweight and many patterns I wish to do (*coughs* Year of Lace, and other things) and because I decided I don't like the purple as much as I thought after all, and I never really liked the yellow. So if I DO do that pattern, I think I'd just buy the pattern and pick up some Knit Picks Shimmer in Spice once it becomes available.

Maybe. We'll see. I have other things to spend money on, and most of it has been tucked away for a rainy day.

I'm back to where I need to take the sleeve stitches off for Mr Greenjeans, working steadily but slowly away at it..

ETA: And dare I say it.. but has Spring finally arrived?

Books + Knitting = ???

You know.. I think it says something about myself and what books I prefer to read when the first thing I think about when I hear of an Edward Amigurumi is not Twilight but Anita Blake.

I'm just not sure what it says about me..

(I've tried to read Twilight, just doesn't do a thing for me. If I want angsty vampires I prefer Annette Curtis Klause, Amelia Atwater-rhodes or LJ Smith. I actually stopped reading Anita Blake awhile ago, but THAT is the first Edward to come to mind.)

Jumping on the bandwagon..

Myself as a hero!



Make one for yourself here.

Claire Needs..

I stole this from Dana, google your first name with needs after and make note of the top ten things you need.

I need:

1. a Visit to the Bunny Planet
2. private support
3. Drake
4. shows on MySpace Music
5. help
6. an intern
7. a lake
8. booze to kiss
9. a boyfriend
10. our prayers

We already knew about number nine, I wonder where the bunny planet is and why I would need to go there and most of all why I would need booze to kiss. Really, who wants to kiss booze?

I actual knitting content, Mr Greenjeans is coming along nicely. I think I may need more yarn, but I'm not sure. I'm using a thicker yarn, so I may not.. then again since I will need to add to the sleeves I probably will. So I have to hunt some down.

Oh, and we have windows again. The house is still not put back together, but it is MUCH cozier inside. I no longer have to wear knitted socks AND slippers. The floor is only slightly cool now (pleasantly cool), instead of a glacier.

Packing..

Why am I packing?

We finally got notice that they were going to replace our windows this week, weather permitting.

Looking at the weather forecast, I don't know if they'll get to it this week (downturn, supposed to snow again and it's durned cold so if they plan to do it when it's like this they better do it fast so we don't freeze).

But we have to pack up and shift everything beneath the windows, move stuff off the walls etc.

So now all the yarn that was in my plastic drawer thingy (which I was thinking of getting rid of anyway as it doesn't work as well as I'd like) and on my bookshelf in baskets (what, you don't decorate in yarn?) is stashed in two large tubs. Not counting active projects and another, smaller, tub for needles and notions.

That is just tonight's work, I still have to box up books and shift breakables down or away, probably pull out one whole bookshelf from my bedroom.. it'll be worth it though, when I can finally put my bed beneath my window and I won't freeze because the cold seeps through. It'll be REALLY nice in summer, when I can leave the window open and not have bugs sneaking through the gaps in the screen (I stapled tulle to the frame to act as a proper screen. You read that right, the windows must be from at least the early 80's because wood was common in windows then, I doubt I'd be able to do that with new windows).

I'd had wanted to go to knit night, but that obviously fell through due to packing.

Thanks..

for the ideas on what to do for my friend's pup!

They were helpful, and I think I have some yarn that would be perfect to make felted booties for him. It's been hanging around and I didn't know what to do with it.. now I do!

New year..

Wow, it's been awhile since I posted. Soo much happening, between work and then the holidays and now it's the new year and my friend just got married! Yesterday in fact, I even caught the bouquet. (Hmm.. now I need to find a boyfriend..)

Not much knitting time though I've managed to complete a few more rows on Phoenix Rising. Slow and steady.. more slow than steady right now though, I come and go with my projects.

But I have a request. I don't usually do requests, but this is for a good cause. My (just married) friend's shitzu/bichon mix was having issues with his paws this winter. It was so cold that his poor paws were cracking, and he'd go out in the snow and get ice stuck in his paws.. so I've been asked if I can make him some booties.

I told them I'd see what I could do. I figure they wouldn't be too hard, I could find a pattern somewhere on Ravelry and bang them out and bob's your uncle.

Well Ravelry isn't spitting something out, I found a pattern for Doggy Mukluks but there's no pictures (except for one heavily modified) and I can find oodles of sewing patterns around but I think knit ones might be better.

So I'm thinking of doing basic baby booties/socks with an i-cord you can snug them up with. Next issue would be what to knit them out of. Something washable, easy to care for and able to stand up to a dog running around with them, maybe even chewing on them. Superwash of some kind or acrylic probably.

I'll come up with something.