More photos to share!

A Watch Cap made from a thick tweedy wool I had in my stash. I think I have enough left to make a second one


A Baby Watch Cap I made using basically the same pattern as above, and some neat cotton cord. I love how this turned out, I think I will keep this one for my baby.


A sweater using the bulky bibbed baby sweater pattern


My first attempt at crocheting a snowflake, using leftover cotton cord


A photo of part of the double cable in the BPT sweater I'm making. I'm using Alafoss Lett Lopi In a very dark brown.

I just keep starting new stuff! I got started on BPT from the new knitty.com yesterday. I made pretty good progress, after I got my head around the cables and everything, but I was still a little unsure I was doing the increases right. I started composing an email to the author to check, when I found my error. I was only doing 4 of the 8 increases needed on each row. DAMN! There go the 11 rows I'd already completed! At least I better understand the pattern now, it should just fly along. I'm using Lett-Lopi, a neat icelandic wool I found at a thrift shop a while ago. It's a great brown/black colour and should look great. This will be a gift for my sister for christmas.

I didn't manage to finish the socks. I managed to kitchener one toe up almost completely before I realised I was doing it at a 90% angle to how I should be........like I grafted the left half of the sock to the right half instead of the top to the bottom. ((sigh)) so I had to rip that out and redo it. Then I found the socks are too small for me, just a touch. I guess they will become christmas presents for someone!

I am working on another quickie gift item for my brother, something more portable than the larger multi-piece project I started the other day. I'm trying to use up some stash yarn to make more space, and this will use up most of one ball anyways.

Making good progress on the christmas gift for my brother. Haven't asked him yet if he reads here. I will share a photo when it's done though. I'm also trying to finish up some of the many WIPs that I have filling up my yarn containers. I nearly finished a pair of socks last night, will finish them today. I also have a pretty sweater top that needs I think one more (short) sleeve to be done, so I should work on that. It would probaby fit me now, but not for much longer as my belly grows. Also have a baby sweater that needs one more small seam and the new buttons I bought sewn on. If I get busy tonight I might have a whole mess of photos to share tomorrow or Friday.

I made some good progress on cleaning up the yarn mess. I have traded some away for knitting books (YAY), and have some in mind to give away. Beyond that I think I just need to get knitting and fast to use up a lot of this yarn! I have the "baby corner" clear now, though the large yarn cart and a couple boxes still need a home. I have barely touched the stamp mess, but I have been sick this week. (excuses, excuses)

I'm looking for a good jacket pattern to adapt into a maternity sweater/jacket. I found a neat one meant for Homespun yarn: http://pages.e-yarn.com/6030/PictPage/1920694972.html which is close to the Bernat Soft Boucle I have in mind, but it bugs me to pay $6 for the pattern booklet when the pattern is fairly simple, and I wouldn't do anything else out of the booklet. I'm hoping to find someone willing to trade me that or another similar pattern ;)

I've started on a christmas/birthday gift for my brother. I have to find out if he reads this thing before I post much about it though. I doubt he does, but it's not like I hid the blog......

My craft area currently takes up an entire nook off the living room. Half of this nook is what will become "baby's space" so I need to organize, downsize, and just plain clean up my crafting! I started with the yarn, since the bags and piles were actually starting to take over the living room too:

I've got it all into the two carts, one bag, and a box now. I'm working on a trade with someone for yarns I'm not fond of, in exchange for knitting books - YAY! I bought a lot of it at thrift shops when I first started knitting, or my mom picked it up for me, before I knew what I liked knitting with. Now that I know, lots of what I have just doesn't suit me, even though it's nifty yarn. If I can swap it for things I like I can actually make things, rather than feeling overwhelmed by piles of yarn I don't like. I have a few things posted for trade at TRADE if you want to check it out.

Next will be the stamping table:


Which will need to also hold any miscellaneous crafting stuff, and my couponing/refunding stuff. It's a big project getting it all organized, but I will be so happy when it's all neat and useable again!

I forgot to post my big news! I was waiting until I got a meeting with my boss, just in case anyone at work stumbles accross this little blog, but now that he knows, everyone can....

I'm Pregnant!!!!

My due date is January 29th, and hubby and I are thrilled to pieces. This will be our first child. (and the first grandchild for both sides) I haven't managed much knitting for myself yet though, as all my friends keep having kids first! I also didn't get to find out the sex at the ultrasound last week, so no pink or blue for me. I am considering making the Before & After Sweater from Canadian Living's site. I love the idea that you can wear it after the baby is born by taking the panel out, but I don't like the design or instructions. I may just adapt a simple boxy cardigan to do the same idea myself. I have some Bernat Soft Boucle in rich blues that would be perfect.......

Comments are down but feel free to EMAIL ME if you have something to say!

I have SO MUCH YARN!!! I decided to organize my stash, pulled it out of all the piles and bags and stuff, seperated, organized.........and realized I have TOO MUCH YARN! Most of it is stuff my mom or I picked up when I was just starting knitting, before I knew what I liked. Lots of mohair, some buffalo wool, and tons of really weird stuff. (nylon ribbon that would suit weaving a lawn chair maybe?? raffia yarn??) ICKY! I did manage to pack it back up nicer, but its still a whole lot of yarn I don't see myself using. So I have to decide how much of it to discard, how much to knit, and if any of it is even remotely swappable. I do have 4 balls of Pengoin cotton slubby yarn in lime and blue that might interest someone...........

I finished the baby towel. I don't know if I will make another one any time soon though. It was easy and knit up quick, but it was SO BORING! Nothing but garter stitch the whole way through - yuk! I used Bernat Cotton Handicrafter yarn, which is really cheap, and once I washed and dried it, it thickened up and softened nicely. Here is a photo of the finished product:


I couldn't pick my next project, so I just started on a baby hat. I had some pretty blue yarn to use, so I figured I could make it, and one of the two friends still expecting, or even myself, one of us would have a boy!

I started counting up the active WIPs and WIMs that I have.....about a dozen, for all the ones I'm actually serious about. Most are christmas gifts, but a few are needed sooner, and some very soon (a week and a half!) so I'm getting a bit worried. I need to keep the needles moving! I started a hooded baby towel for the first baby gift. I haven't decided about the yellow blanket yet, so I can give her this new project instead. I'm halfway done almost, and I only started on Thursday. Photos this weekend if I finish it!

I started a lace scarf for the raffle. I've done one full repeat of the lace pattern (12 rows) and I like how it looks. It will take a while, it's on 3.5mm needles or something like that. The wool I'm using is some unidentified stuff in a naturall beigy grey colour. I am thinking of koolaid dying it after I knit it all up. Even just to add a touch of colour, I really don't like the plain colour it is now, but I wanted to work from my stash.

Still working on the baby blanket, I'm about 1/3 done. I will need to have a baby gift to give my field hockey coach in two weeks. She may get this blanket, or I may have to whip up something else, we'll see. I may like this blanket too much to give it away too........

This other baby blanket I'm working on is turning out nicely. I'm not in love with the pattern, but it's nice enough. I've done about 7 inches so far, so it's coming along. It will probably be a gift for one of 3 upcoming babies.

I'm still mulling over ideas for the daycare raffle. I thought about doing a mohair shawl, as that would use up some of the MASSES of mohair I have. Of course, when I checked out my stash I found a lot of it is "mohair like" but not actual mohair, and that I didn't have more than a ball or two of a lot of the colours/styles of yarn. I also haven't found a pattern I like. There was one in the knitter's stash, but the one mohair yarn I had enough of, is WAY too fluffy so it looks funny knit up. I may do a fancy scarf instead, that doesn't take as much yarn.

As painful as it was to frog that last baby blanket start, I'm glad I did. I'm just starting the new pattern, and I'm liking it much better already. It's a fairly simple repeat of stockingknit sections and little lacey bits that will make a sort of basketweave. I think it will look nice, but not be TOO complicated, and yet interesting enough to keep me at it.

I got a flyer for this year's Daycare raffle at work. Last year I donated a packet of handstamped cards I made, plus a hooded baby sweater and booties in Lion Brand Microspun. They turned out really cute and I had fun making them for a good cause. (the raffle earns money for the daycare to buy new books and toys, since they don't charge too much to parents who have their kids there, most of whom are students) The thing is, last year, I didn't have any other kids to babies to knit for. This year, I have TONS of babies to knit for, so I don't know if I have time to knit something for someone else. I might have to look for a really quick pattern, maybe make another "5 hour baby sweater" or something. I'd really like to donate something.

Off to the frog pond! I took a pattern out of A Passion for Knitting and adjusted the width a bit, since I was using a thicker yarn than they called for. Well, it was STILL ending up about 20% wider than the pattern, and I know I would have run out of the yellow cotton I was using. Plus, I hated the pattern. It was excruciatingly boring, so far consisting of a wide garter edge and plain stockingknit. Ugh! So here is a photo, pre-frogging:



I think I may try the Cabled Eyelet Blanket as it looks much more fun and interesting. I did a swatch of it in acrylic about the same guage as the yarn I have, so I should be able to adjust the size ok.

I've had a few suggestions of what to do with all the mohair. Some peple suggested mixing it with another fibre to make soft mittens and stuff, so I might try that. I also might try to make a nice lacey shawl or scarf for my mother-in-law for christmas. She really liked the eyelash and snowflake scarf I made her last year, so I just have to ask my husband if she'd wear a shawl........

The felted camera bag was less than a success. It felted up but in the wrong porportions, turning into a funky purse more than anything. And the strap didn't shrink at ALL! I may give it another run through, see if that helps, otherwise it may become a christmas gift in purse form. I am still happy with the colours, so it wasn't a total loss, and I had fun making it.

I want to think up some projects to use up some of my overwhelming stash now. It's such a mess and there is so much there, I can't rationalize buying anything more until I use some of it up! Here's a photo to give you an idea:



There is still more hidden behind that too! A large portion of what I have in the bags in front is mohair or mohair blends, so I need to think of some ideas for that. It's not really appropriate for baby projects unfortunately.........any ideas??

I forgot to mention another nifty birthday present I got - a knitting book! I received Knit It Your Way from my mother in law, along with a nifty yoga/pilates book. Knit it your way shows you each of the patterns in the book in 2 or more types of yarn, and discusses substituting different yarns in patterns. This will be great for me, since I rarely, if ever, use the yarn listed in a pattern. She knows I get much of my yarn from thrift shops so she figured it would be useful for me.

Getting farther on the camera bag, I hope to finish it tonight and maybe even felt it tomorrow!

I started playing with my digital camera last night and took some photos of the camera bag I'm working on. Having a digital camera is GREAT, I can take realistic photos of my knitting, and not have to wait to finish a roll, develop it, scan them in and then mess with the colours so they don't end up too dark.

I dyed the yarn by submerging part of the skeins (did 2 at once to make them sort of match) into the dye bath on the stove, and propping the rest up on a plastic utensil. This is the lovely green colour I got from a couple of packets of "changing cherry" flavour:



Here is a photo of the skeins drying on my balcony railing outside. It shows the colours fairly well:



And here is the bag so far. See how great the colours are coming out in the knitting? Exactly the effect I was after:



I think the bag might end up a little large, but if it does I will just make it into a purse or something for a christmas gift. I have one more skein of undyed wool, and will only need part of the second dyed one for the flap and handle, so I should have plenty for a second try.

Well the socks have been set aside for now. I just don't enjoy making socks on thick stiff wool! I hope that stuff softens in the wash, if I even get back to making them.

I haven't been able to keep my mind on one project lately. I did a bit on that Bob sweater (only 1 and a half sleeves left), dabbled with the thick wool socks, made half a baby sock, and then the other day started a new project! I koolaid dyed some wool in pretty blues and greens, and am knitting up a camera case to felt. It looks neat so far though I think it might be too big. If it is, I'll make it into a purse. I have another ball of dyed wool so I can take a second try if this doesn't work out. Once I learn how to get the photos out of my digital camera I will share :)

I have been trying to make some socks for my aunt out of that pretty green wool she sent over with grandma's stuff. It's worsted weight though, so they are coming out way thicker and stiffer than I'd like. I'm going to have to try bigger needles again. The stiffness should improve a little at least with washing.

I've got a new project in mind too. I want to felt myself a case for my digital camera! My birthday was yesterday and my husband bought me this cute little digital camera. I love it! Now I can snap photos of knitting projects, instead of trying to fit them in the scanner :) I want to koolaid dye the wool before I knit and felt it, so the dying will be the project for tonight. I have a ball of fine wool from my aunt. and some thicker stuff, so I will have to decide which I'm going to use......