Summer Vacation

While I'm back now, I'm going to post one day at a time to keep the photos in check. This was a great vacations for photos and I did a little knitting too. The first day was all driving. We got up at 4am and drove until a late bed time.

There was a stop 5 hours in for some Kansas history

The rest of the day was spent counting trains.

and water towers, grain elevators, and windmills, but I don't have photos of them. I wish I had thought of getting a snap of the wind farms we past.

I knit a One Skein Wonder for the trip. I knit the first 3/4 over 2 days a week before leaving thinking I could finish the last 1/4 over the next 5 days and have it done in time to pack. Nope, I still had the last 1/6 to knit in the car. I finished it at the Grand Canyon and wore it, but sadly it looks stupid in those photos. This is a knit that only looks cute posing in the mirror. It looks so cute posing in the mirror that I will wear it again even thought I have proof that it doesn't look cute out and about. In fact, it looks down right weird in the photos.

The yarn is a cotton/rayon blend I bought for weaving years and years ago. I used a size 2 needle, cast on the smallest size and knit until it was big enough. The swatch skewed so the back is in seed stitch to stabilize the yarn. I have hopes that the skewing on the arms won't matter. After half a day wearing it stretched out of shape and I'm going to wash and dry it to shrink it up a bit.

I'm digging the bells sleeves. I made it by not decreasing the arms and adding 2 stitches after the elbow. I had no idea that 2 stitches would be all I needed at such a fine gauge. I also made the sleeves 3/4 in length because I hate how bell sleeves drag in food at the table. They are the best part of the shrug.

What a trip

Squirrel

Eating candy on my deck

Why the funny faces?

Taffy, it gets stuck in everyone's teeth.

From my SP

My SP Victoria is so nice. Lookie what I got. She sent me enough yarn not for one project, not 2 projects, but 6 projects. 6!!!! And to top it off the book 101 Designer One Skein Wonders . The yarn is fantastic, the colors are so me.I'm thinking of doing a thin scarf/belt using the recycled sari silk. I have lusted after that yarn for a few years now but never bought any. Thank you SP.The 2 balls of bamboo along with the navy in my stash (the colors look great together) I should have enough for a sweater! I'm knitting on that sweater right now. Photos later.
The large ball of mohair, I think I will make a feather and fan scarf. I can't think of a better use for it and there is a pattern in the book. And look at the raspberry colored roving. I'm going to spin it for mittens or knit mittens from roving. I have always wanted to try that.

I can't wait to use the green wool (from Estonia) in some color strand mittens, it seems so fitting. And the color is so much fun.

The KP Gossamer using one of the wrap patterns from the book. I love it.

And I must talk about that dog cookie. Joey actually mugged me as I walked into the door. His head was in the box and he got to the cookie faster than I could get to the yarn. And watching him eat it was a hoot. He completely blissed out and was rolling his eyes. It was like a cat with catnip. I have never seen anything like it

Thank you SP, you are the best!

Valentine

Let me unveil everything I have knit this year.

Flamingo by Opal



The Knock-Around Weekend Sweater

Gaunsey Socks

I've spun some merino

Knitting this yarn for the 3rd time



Look, I finished the 2007 car socks

The Puff Sleeved Sweater

After Needlefingers Green and Purple post. I love that post. I took a good hard look at my own knitting and noticed that everything I had knit in 2008 was pink, chocolate brown, or white. It seemed fitting to unveil it today. You can thank me for not pulling out and taking photos of my stash to could show that I could spend the rest of 2008 knitting only pink, brown, and white.

Needlefingers, how about sending me a skein of green and purple sock yarn to cleanse my palette? I have Bewitched soap and Blue Lotus lotion with your name on it. I would send you some pink yarn as trade but I know that would never do.

SLR

I'm required to take a photography class this year (yes, life is rough) and for it I had to get a good SLR digital camera. In the tradition of knitting blogs everywhere let me present my cat.

I love how a shallow depth of field makes my dirty kicthen just look like pretty colors.

It's not all fun and games, or should I say, point and click. A nice shot setup. Look how the yarn matches his eyes? And I miss on the focus.

January Socks

I'm very pleased with these socks even if I can't get the pattern to show up in photos.

I started knitting socks 7 years ago. For a long time socks was pretty much all I knit. But some how once I hit 14 pairs I stopped knitting socks for myself. After all, my 7 year old socks still look like new.

This year I want to change that. I want to knit a pair a month for me to keep. 12 new pairs of socks. Think of the wonder. I'll probably forget by July but I hope to remember to at least knit a pair for myself before knitting a pair for someone else.

I also want to knit 12 sweaters this year too. That might not be as good of an idea. But I did start 2 new ones in January, and now both are stalled. Watch me have 12 new sweater UFOs next December.

Classes have started so there is not much time to write but I wanted to post some more photos.


New Years Eve Gifts for the little ones.


Dinosaur Helmet

3 Little Felted Mittens

Some were not well recived.

Everyone had to try on the House Elf Hat. (look at the cool inside)



All knit from my stash. All knit out of wool. Mostly KP Merino Style.

African Inspired Sweaters

For the past 3 years I've knit a ethnic sweater from some spot on the globe for the little people in my life. This years theme is Africa and I knit dashikis for everybody. 3 came from my own head. 1 is the Orphan for Orphans pattern modified quiet a bit and the last is haiku from knitty modified not at all.

Snow Flakes

I was in a winter secret pal swap with my online knitting group. I got a nice package of yarny goodness.

It was all so much more than I can exspress in words so I'll just let the photos do it.






I got 4 balls of really yummy Frog Tree alpaca to knit some color work mittens
1 pair of color work mittens in case i never knit my own
1 organic chocolate bar
1 pair of cat toy mittens



Sumi-e could smell the cat toys and had to help






Thank You

Old and the New

For the most part I don’t reflect too much over the old year or make resolutions for the new. But a few things of happened this year that are worth noting.

Joey: a year ago I called a halt to his cancer treatment after 2 rounds of chemo didn’t eradicate it. He had been on the chemo drugs for 6 month and I felt that putting him though any more would be cruel. The next step was amputation of his back leg and radiation. I stopped all drugs, all treatment, and expected him to last another 3 month. He is still with me today and feeling much better than he did during treatment. The tumor is still there and is still growing but I have hope that he will make it another year.

School: That has gone better than I ever could have hoped. For the new year I want the same success and for it to pay off. A job would be nice. Finishing off the program instead would be nice too. With my being satisfied with either option it should make it easer to be happy with my choices this time next year.

Self Image: I’ve been told a few times in the last year that I’m looking good. That was very nice and they are right. But looking in the mirror I wish I had arm muscles. Strong arms capable of doing anything, especially wearing sleeveless tops. That’s the motivation; the reaction is I’m looking for a yoga or aerobics class to join. I realize that for what I want I would be best served by lifting weights. I've already found and discarded classes for that. I’m full of contradictions that way.

Knitting: I was able to knit 5 sweaters this fall and 3 of them fit great. Really, really great. I am very pleased with myself and my hope in the New Year is to rival those successes. Right now I’m in a slump. Oh, I’ve started and finished a pair of socks in 2008 all ready but I don’t have any passion* about starting any new projects. I suspect that I’ll keep knitting socks until something grabs me. And as much as I need new socks I hope it doesn’t take long.


*In the time between writting and posting I've cast on for a sweater. The slump didn't last long.

2007 Down the Drain

I came home from my New Year Eve party to this.

Sumi-e must have had some strong thoughts about 2007.

Pay it Forward

I saw this on Needlefinger's blog.

Thought I would play along.

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise!

The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I won't go so far as to demand you be a blogging reader, I know the premise is to make it visible in blogdom. But there are ways blogless readers can pay it forward. They are connected through knit groups and friends. It would be easy for them to continue the movement without a blog.

So, who's game?

Fini

Photos of the finished sweaters...

Cobblestone

Handspun Sweater, I did weave the ends in last night.

Briggs & Little

Lopi

Tree Jackett