Jofrog is Knitfrog!
December 31 2005
How could I have forgotten, there were two more knitterly gifts I was given! I got an issue of Spin-off Magazine that has some really awesome felted lace projets in it. They look majorly labor intensive, but give an awesome product. I also got this super cute frog project bag... As you can see it already has a new project in it! This bag is a bit bigger than my sock purse, so it can accomidate a slightly larger project and ball of yarn. I'm sure you can't wait to see what's inside... ...but you'll have to wait for next week! Happy New Year!Two More!
December 30 2005
I've had my eye on these three books for ages, and Santa left them under the tree Christmas Eve morning! Over Thanksgiving my mom and I visited Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury CT. They are a very cute farm market with... wait for it... Yarn! I fell in love with this beautiful stuff and Chanukkah Harry bought it for me and left it under my mom's Chanukkah bush this year! The last gift is more of an inheritance than a gift. My great aunts gave me the remainder of my great grandmother's wool yarn and knitting and crocheting books. There are some real gems in there and also some things that you might see in a future Museum of Kitschy Stitches! Have a wonderful New Year's Eve and New Year's Day! Be safe and responsible and knit your way into the new year!More Gifts
So, you've seen what I've gifted away, now it's time to see what I've been gifted (knitting-wise) so far this holiday season:
December 29 2005
I've finally gotten almost everything together to show you all of the gifted items from the needles of yours truely. No need for an intro, lets get right to it. You've already seen my sister's hat and scarf set, made out of Blizzard. She loved them, and no one could believe how soft they were! Success! I made three little baby/kid sweaters this season. Two were matching for brothers. The baby was born just one week ago and the older brother is two. Won't they look handsome? I made and gifted three hats, (Royal Tweed Hat, Shedir, and Jen's Double Knit Hat), before it was even December, but they still count. (You can click on the left sidebar pics to refresh your memory if you'd like.) Two pairs of socks were on the list this year, and despite the fact that one pair had to be done in complete secrecy, even in my own home... they were finished in the nick of time! The second pair, the watermellon socks, were absolutely loved. Slipped on right away and not taken off again that night. I've never seen a nine year old so excited about a pair of socks! I'd planned on crocheting lots of little baskets to put cookies in, but ended up with just one for the neighbor's dogs, complete with home made doggie biscuits of course! Lastly, I made three fresh water pearl necklaces for three important women in my life. All three were so well recieved and I loved making something so different for a change. Of course there is my holiday top. Barely anyone realized that it was knit because of the small gauge! I had almost no recognition for it, and it was both good and bad. Nice to not be flashing "HOMEMADE TOP", but also I'd have loved if someone had asked without me mentioning it first! You guys will have to wait one more day to see it... still no good pictures, but I will leave you with one of me and Mike at his department holiday party in a revolving resturaunt overlooking Boston. Holiday Bonanza
These were made from Cashsoft DK for my husband who specifically asked for cashmere socks. He was even more excited than the nine year old to get his socks!
I am wearing the top, can you see it?
See the Citco sign? Prudential Building? It was a beautiful view!
December 28 2005
After an exhausting month, ending in an INSANE week, my body has caught up with me and made me stop. I woke up with a little headache yesteday, proceeded to sneeze all day yesterday and fell asleep at 8PM. For the first time EVER, I'm taking a sick day. Yup, a whole day for me to get well. What a concept! I'm off to drink lots of vitamin C intensive drinks and I may be back later to show off all of the goods. I'll try my best, but you've already been so patient, what's one more day?Sick
December 27 2005
Well, I'm back from my longest unplanned blogging vacation ever. The week before Christmas was INSANE at work and I was basically a walking zombie, completely incapable of putting together a coherant post. We are back home now, ready for reality again... I guess! There are lots of pictures to show and projects to reveal that you've never even heard of! What fun. Look forward to it tomorrow. As for now Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukkah, and welcome back!I'm Back
December 16 2005
The zipper is here for the Smart Zip Jacket! ...however, I'm still at almost the same place I was last time I posted a picture. Raglan seams joined, collar is now knit, but no side seams are sewn. I really want to sew them and throw it through the washer before I sew in the zipper. Somehow though, in the last three days, these have appeared on my coffee table! It's the pieces for a Baby Smart Jacket! Baby's will have buttons rather than a zip, and probably a hood, (depending on how soft it washes up). I've had very little time, but I have been knitting a little. Good thing the little bit I've been knitting has been on a sweater for a little bit!The Zipper Is Here!
December 14 2005
My LYS just got the new Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton book "Araucania Moments" yesterday. I love this sweater: Ms. Hamilton, could you please stop doing this. There are too many great patterns out there, some of which I already have the yarn for. Adding more to the list does not help. Fellow bloggers and readers, please someone knit this sweater, wear it every day, have it be your favorite, because I just can't do it. le sigh, a knitter's life is so hard! ;-)Somebody Please Knit This Sweater!
December 13 2005
Finally, after all of the pieces have been sitting on my knitting table for a year, I starched and assembled our tree topper angel. I am overcome with how beautiful she is. I just love her so much! For those of you who can't find this magazine (or others for that matter), check out your public library system. No hassles with trying to get backorders or searching ebay. Our system has Knitter's magazine, I bet yours does too! Happy Knitting!WIP No More
Click for an upclose angel picture.
The knitting wasn't as arduous as one might expect, but the sewing together was! I broke two needles in the process and had to use plyers to help me pull the needle through. The spaces to sew were tight, even for my little fingers, but it was all worth it. Don't you think so?
December 12 2005
We had a small holiday party here this past weekend and there was a lot of baking done before hand. Exhibit A: Lots of Cookies, Lots of Decorating Hours Exhibit B: Why so many star cookies? Click to find out. My holiday top was worn, but no pictures were taken of it! Good news is I'll be wearing it to another party this Friday, so maybe we'll get a good pic then. Can you wait that long? C is for COOKIE!
December 9 2005
Very little knitting time, very little knitting progress. Lots of cooking and a teeth cleaning, but very little knitting. Next week will be better... much better! That said, all of the pieces are done and raglan seams are seamed on the Smart Zip Jacket! Zipper is ordered, (right Colleen?), and stitches are ready for a collar! Not too much longer... next is a matching infant one. First though I'm going to wash this to see how much it softens up. Can't put scratchy tweed on a newborn!So Almost There
December 7 2005
A word to the wise: If you aren't handy with scissors, don't try to take a tag out of a VERY LOOSLY KNIT sweater! After I fixed Mike's hat I came upon a situation where someone asked me to fix this horrible hole in her sweater. Normally this isn't something I would say I could do, but riding on the confidence of the hat fix I thought I'd give it a shot. I was given a hole with two live stitches and four pieces of cut yarn... no extra yarn, still some tag in, and a spare button. First things first I removed the rest of the tag, (seam rippers are beautiful things), then I removed the extra button to free up the other side of the hole. A little bit of weaving, a little bit of tying knots (GASP, I know, but it was so loosly woven in that if I hadn't the ends would have all come out in a week), and here we are... fixed: Just so that you don't think that I've only been fixing holes and knitting late night necklaces, one more picture for you. Monday was my MIL's birthday. Briefly I worked as an ice cream cake decorator and I loved that job, so now I go all out when I can at home. Do you live in the Boston area, want me to make a cake for you or your children for their birthday... drop me a line, I'd love to do it! Added bonus, they are tastey too! This one had appricot filling and chocolate ganache frosting with sugar cookie giraffes. What fun! Happy Birthday again Debbie!Don't Try This At Home!
Here we go again. Scissors are for size reference.
This was a big hole!
Good as new.
December 6 2005
...to start and finish something from the new Knitty? Another great issue. I can't even imagine the things they reject if the things they accept are so good. I finished my holiday top, Missy, (it will be debuted on Saturday and you'll have to wait till Monday to see it, but it's all finished, ends woven in and all!). It fits well, but I'm having a bit of a tough time with the rest of the ensemble. I figured out that one of the problems was that I really needed a nice necklace to go with it. I tried out one briefly, and it was alright I guess, but not great. Enter the new Knitty and Knecklace! After another busy day and evening I cast on 214 stitches with some of the leftover 4-ply Soft at 11:16PM last night. I bound off at 12:49AM and had finished unraveling the stitches by 12:57AM... that's when I went to bed! ...and if the blob on the kitchen island isn't quite doing it for you stylistically, here it is draped around my neck with no closure and still not blocked.Am I the First?
Here it is unblocked this morning
December 5 2005
A hole in a hand knit hat! Worse yet, a double knit hat! This was unacceptable of course. I got right to it with some double pointed needles, and a lot of faith in my abilities... Some new yarn, a little grafting, and done... almost as good as before. If it wasn't for the different colors it would have been as good as before! This hat has always been just a tad too short for Mike. He likes to have full ear coverage, so while I was fixing the hole I picked up some stitches and added some length to it as well. I think he's happier with it now, don't you? Now back to the holiday knitting?We Interrupt The Holiday Knitting For This
Click to view the horrors closer.
Phew, stitches picked up.
December 2 2005
Do you ever try to wear sweaters you haven't knit yet? Yesterday morning I got up, found some pants and a shirt to wear and went to get a cardigan to match... "Ooh", I think, "my brown cardigan would be perfect". My brown cardigan currently looks like this: Getting Dressed
December 1 2005
Rather than being at home knitting last night, I was out and knitting... kind of! I taught the first class of a two class magic loop workshop last night. What fun! One of my four students, (that showed up, there should have been six), had knit socks before on DPNs and the rest were new to the world of socks and sock yarns! Everyone picked it up really quickly and, by the time they left for home, most were done with their cuffs and racing down the legs of their socks! Woo hoo. Knitsmith Lisa B. says that it takes two-thirds the time to make a magic loop sock as it does to make a DPN sock. What's your experience? Personally, I knit with whatever needles are free when inspiration strikes, but I am becoming partial to the ML! Happy knitting, whatever technique you use!How Do You Sock?
