Sock #1 is coming along. I hope to finish the 6 inches of ribbing today and move on to shaping the foot--the fun part!! I don't think I will have second sock syndrome with this yarn. It makes me look like a master knitter. The stitches all look awesome. Not to mention the yarn is so incredibly soft!! I promise I will finish the second glove as soon as this sock is complete.

I just want to give a birthday shout-out to my sister!! Happy birthday, Becky!

So, I have been in training for the last couple of days. I brought my sock knitting and intrigued quite a few people with it. Everyone seemed to be very positive—which is nice.

I have been working on my sock with the Cherry Tree Hill yarn. That is some nice yarn!! I may have to get some more of that at some point. I have also been working on the replica boss-an-oh bag. It is coming along. I need to design or find some sort of appliqué for the front of it, so it may not even be put together until that happens. I may begin the matching needle case here if I am waiting on a design.

Yes, I am hiding from the second glove...

So, since I am putting off doing the second glove, I have started some socks. I did say before that I might do a sock then the second glove...

I also have the urge to buy up the yarn needed to do Klaralund...But I need to remember that Christmas gifts need to be done. Arg! Too may projects, so little time!

Thank you, Secret Pal!! I received another package from my secret pal. She is awesome!! On my husband's birthday, I was the one getting the gifts. :-) She sent sugary candy (much better than chocolate), a spooky bat candle, Burts Bee's Lip Balm, a glow in the dark dog bone for Yoda, a UK knitting magazine, and two balls of Tahki Shannon in a purple colorway. The yarn is so pretty. I think the new Knitty Surprise sock pattern might be in the future for the yarn, or maybe a bucket-o-chic hat...

Here is the knitting tote I made Sunday. Pink and white Burberry patterned fabric. It is reversable--I used an Amy Butler pattern.

Wool Felt and Dupioni Silk for the replica Boss-an-oh bag...

Obligatory Yoda picture. Notice her new 'scarf'.

Here is the front of the first Glorious Glove. I have yet to sew in all the ends. I might wait on that.

Here is the palm of the Glorious Glove. I have already begun the left hand. Hopefully I will do a better job. I know it is a good first try, but...

Absentee Amanda

Sorry I have been missing for a couple of days...I have been really busy and feeling under the weather. I will post a knitting related post later today.

Have a good one!

Who can really afford it?

These are the cutest new knitting bags from Boss-an-oh :

But the price tag is a little on the steep side--$195 for the knitting bag and $110 for the needle cases!! Seriously cute, but are they worth the $$? So, I am on a mission--a sewing mission. I have a bunch of silk dupioni laying around from curtains I have made, so I just needed some wool felt. Lucky for me Jo-Ann Fabrics was having a sale on all their by-the-yard felt (including the wool felt). Now, I just need a pattern--Wildthings! is a pattern generator for hats, wraps, bags & footwear. I just put in the dimensions and viola! A pattern! So, I am hoping to have this all done for less than $25.


The not so Glorious Glove Update
I finished the right glove last night. I hate the fingers! There are holes in between them and I don't know how to fix it. I guess I may just have to take some yarn and sew them up, but I want to do it the right way the first time. I will have a picture as soon as it is 'finished'. I will begin the left one today...the sooner it is done, the sooner I don't have to make gloves ever again! Can we say mittens?

Ei asked what pattern I am using, so I am sure a couple others are still wondering, too. It is Knit One Crochet Too's Glorious Gloves Pattern using the luxurious Richesse et Soie yarn (part silk, part cashmere).

Here is the first Glorious Glove. I have one and a half fingers left to do. I am not sure I like knitting gloves, but I will finish the pair before I make that decision. It may be that I am just too new to it.

I finally hooked up the card reader...

While I was cooking dinner, the doorbell rang. I was afraid it was someone selling something, but I found it was the mailman with a package from my secret pal!! She sent me 2 skeins of Lamb's Pride worsted in Sable. A package of the non-chocolate Tootsie Rolls (yummy), a witchy Pez dispenser, some Halloween stickers, and point protectors for circulars. I love it Secret Pal!!!

Here is a closeup of the yarn. I have never touched Lamb's Pride and I am very surpised at how soft it is....must be the mohair.

Yoda's Sweater is done!! She was not very keen on modeling it, but you can see the Princess seems to like it.

Here are your options for the poll: Ladybug

or bumble bee.

Let me leave you with my two sweeties!!

Yes, I actually get dressed in the dark

So I get dressed today. I put on a skirt I haven't worn in a while with it's matching sweater. Then I put on my leather knee-high boots. I went through the rest of my morning routine, which does not require walking past a full length mirror in bright light...

...I walk into work this morning and look down. One brown boot, one black boot. Very cute! Let me tell you, I now have a date to meet my husband with the other black boot. I guess this is a reason to not buy the same shoes/boots/etc. in different colors.

Enough of my craziness. I have the back of Yoda's sweater done. I also have a front done, but I think I may start over and hand knit that part. It is supposed to be 1-by-1 rib, which is possible on the knitting machine, but I think more time consuming than actually doing it by hand.

The gloves are on time-out. I just don't have the patience to work on the fingers right now. I guess as soon as Yoda's Pretty Pink Sweater is done, I'll finish the right hand and begin the left.

Now on to a plan for getting out of the plant without having anyone notice the boots....

Damn you, Bonnie Marie!

Bonnie Marie of ChicKnits fame recently had talked about knitting machines and how they are positively the best way to take care of tons of stockinette. Well, I don't have one of those fancy smanchie knitting machines, but I do have a Bond Ultimate Knitting Machine. And I pulled it out last night.

I was knitting away at Yoda's sweater and I realized that the pattern figures were not going to work for puggy. The thing with pugs is that their chests are extremely large compared to the rest of the body. So if I make a large based on the chest, it will be too long for her little body. I noticed this after a whole day's of knitting. So I ripped it out. I then decided to try to Bond to make up for lost time. I also was hoping that I could gauge the dimensions I would need a lot easier.

Well, it is working fairly well, but I am still trying to work out the kinks of the sweater....Now I am afraid I might be hooked on the sweater machine-Damn you, Bonnie Marie!

I've been neglecting my yarn and needles

I know I have been promising pictures of the Glorious Glove, but I have been getting so busy after work and on the weekends. Jeremy and I have been procrastinating all the outdoor projects we should have been doing this summer, so now we are scrambling to get it all done....That means little time for knitting.

I was able to get a thumb on my glove and a pinky. It is far from perfect, but I think this is one of those things that will take practice to get. The finger knitting seems so straight forward, but I will tell you it takes a lot of patience. Hmmm...maybe I should be knitting mittens :-)

Since it is getting cold, I have decided that it is time to get going on some sort of sweater for Yoda. I am going to use this pattern from Lion Brand:

I am however NOT going to use fun fur. Hobby Lobby had a bunch of Kool Wool on sale in this color:

I think the pink is appropriate for my princess! I figure the Kool Wool will be great with the warming of the wool, but the washability of the acrylic. Yes, there is a place for acrylic--dog sweaters for messy doggies.

chugging along...

I am still going strong on the first Glorious Glove...I think I may do a sock after this and then the next glove and the next sock. I think that may break up the knitting, but it is not set in stone.

I will try to get pictures tonight. Jeremy is at class, so I don't have to worry about him saying, "Let's go to Menard's and get some things." Somethings turn into a huge project! I am sure most of you with a house understand the constant flux of home improvement projects that seem to pop up!!

Thank you, thank you...

Thank you, Diana!! She heard my pleas for some help with the thumb of the GGs and sent me a link to a little video: Mitten Article with Thumb Video. That made so much sense!!

Jeremy and I participated in the one activity last night we hate more than going to the dentist's office--grocery shopping. It drained me! By the time we got home and ate dinner, I was falling alseep. I did another round of the pattern on the gloves, so I am at the thumb part. I have much more confidence about it, so I am ready to go with that.

I have begun knitting at work on my lunch. Any other time would probably be frowned upon, but the gloves are so small and unobtrusive...So that is how I am actually accomplishing something on the gloves!!

I forgot how much work it is to get ALL the transcripts I would need for grad school applications...Now on to the easy part--the essay.

I know I promised pictures today, but Jeremy moved his computer and didn't get the card reader all setup, so I wait until that is done. Or I steal it for my computer....

I completed Jeff's hat. I used the fuzzy hat pattern from the Yarn Girl's Guide to Simple Knits . I LOVE that pattern--so easy and quick no matter what the yarn. On to the next gift...

I worked a bit on my Glorious Glove. I guess I am afraid of the thumb since I don't get it by reading the pattern. Any one have a good pictoral of how this works? This is what the pattern says:

Thumb placement: K3; with scrap yarn, k next 9 sts and sl back to lefthand ndl. With main yarn, k across these 9 stitches and rem sts in rd. Cont until 2" from thumb placement. Leave stitches on holder...Thumb: Remove scrap yarn to frr 9 sts at base of thumb, then place 9 sts from bottom opening on first ndl, and 10 sts from top on 2nd ndle...

To me I see that if I knit the stitches after I use the waste yarn, and I remove the waste yarn I will get the ladder effect? I don't know. I think I may be over analyzing it.

It really wasn't as eventful as last weekend, but still very busy. While on my mis-adventures, I picked up the newest issue of FCEK:

There are some really cute patterns and worth the money.

I also saw the a new magazine called "Women's Day Quick and Easy Knitting and Crocheting". Since I didn't have time to look at it in the store, I bought it. Now I wish I had left it where it was--33 of the 62 patterns were crochet, a couple were a mix of knit and crochet, and one was questionable (I think it was just a yarn project). Also, every yarn used was a Caron, Lion Brand, etc. No Higher end yarns. I understand that not everyone can afford the higher end stuff, but does the entire magazine need to be in the cheap acryllic stuff? I also know that there are a lot of people that like crochet, but I just learned knitting, why would I want to learn a new craft so soon? The funny thing was that everything I thought was cute (which was all kid's stuff) was all crochet!

The last reading material I picked up was the Quick! Easy Crafts mini-mag. After seeing it at Target and in Heather's blog , I thought I need that. I have most of the patterns in the book already, but the cashemere teddy was a must have.


Now on to the knitting...
I am now to the palm part of the Glorious Glove. This is where I was when I frogged it. It is looking good--pictures tomorrow. I have never made gloves before, so if someone can help me with this thumb thing (and the waste yarn) when I get it, I would love you forever!!


Shout out to My *NEW* KR Secret Pal!!
I received an ecard from my secret pal this weekend. It was very nice of her to send that and brighten my day. It reminds me too that I must get my gift in the mail to my secret pal...

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

I'm not even going to mention the debate

I am about halfway to where I was before I frogged the glorious glove. I guess that's not bad.

The other night I was organizing my yarn and I noticed a couple of hanks of yarn in my basket. So, I decided to try out the new swift and winder...That is damn cool! I quickly became addicted and started winding everything into neat little center pull balls. There was sort of a learning curve with where to hold the yarn for the best balls, but I quickly got the hang of it. I recommend these little toys to everyone--not just to wind the balls, but for the pure entertainment of it!