For Haiti

If you can, please click the icon to donate. This is a charity that I have worked with for a number of years now. They do good work and have been in Haiti for several years.

The Chemo Cap Rides Again

It's been awhile, and I started to feel bad. I only have about 8 of these left to knit to hit my goal.



Knit Picks Shine Sport in Willow, pattern also from Knit Picks.

December Knitting

It was a busy month. Since funds were in short supply, I decided to do some Christmas knitting.

I made these for three of my nieces....

Sweetheart Bag for Audrey



I found this pattern and thought this would make a cute bag for two of my nieces. I made a larger one for Audrey, which in the picture looks a little wonky, but came out quite nice. The pattern is by JanKnit Designs and can be found for free on her blog.

Sweetheart Bag for Leah



Leah's, knit to pattern spec, came out quite cute as well. Both were knit using Cascade 220.

Fingerless Lace Mitts for Kaitlin



When I was in Idaho, I went to the local yarn store with my MIL Sharon and SIL Kelli. I asked Kelli what colors the girls liked, and found a skein of Brown Sheep Wildfoote that Kaitlin might like. Searching through Ravelry, I found this pattern by Monica Jines. Luckily, I had purchased this pattern previously, and they came out great. When I have time, I want to do a pair for me!

Stella for Mom



The pattern is from Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders - one of my favorite series so far. I found some Bernat yarn in my stash in a color I knew Mom would like. It only took a couple days to knit up, the pattern repeat was an easy one to remember. She loved it!

Other things I knitted in the last month.....

Chemo Cap in Sky



This is a picture of one I did a couple of years ago, but they look the same. This pattern is from Knit Picks, and it is another in an ongoing charity project I have been working on. I completed this on our way home from Idaho.

Funky Little Sack



I thought the name fit. It came out much better than I thought. I didn't use a pattern, instead I'm calling this free form knitting. The beads were purchased at Joann's, as was the yarn which is Bernat Felting Natural Wool.

Half of Starry Starry Night



My MIL mentioned that she liked these socks. I had knit a pair earlier this summer for someone else. Best of intentions and all that, I finished one in time for Christmas with an IOU for the other after the holidays. I wanted to get the gifts for the girls done, so that took priority. Mom's scarf was started on the trip down to LA, and finished while I was there. Hopefully, I will cast on #2 tomorrow.

Well, that's it for my projects for this year. I hope all of your had a happy holiday with your family and friends. Mom was very happy to have us home for the holidays and we were able to spend some time with friends, which happens far too infrequently.

My best wishes to your and yours for the coming New Year. May it bring hope and prosperity to us all.

FO Friday

I've had a crazy week. Studying. Taking the test. Going to LA to say goodbye to Grandma.

Yesterday, after I took my test, we headed down to Southern California. My Grandmother-in-law's ashes were going to be buried next to Grandpa. My in-laws were driving down from Idaho, and it was an appropriate opportunity to be there for support and to spend some time with them, however short.

We went to the Riverside National Cemetery, by March Air Reserve Base in Southern California. The grounds are beautiful and the grave site is near a stream. There were several young trees in the vicinity. As they mature, the area will take on an even more park like setting. I saw a hummingbird flit by. Erma loved hummingbird's.

I got some knitting done in the car. I finished two more chemo caps. It just seemed "right" to be knitting something for the benefit of others. I'm getting very close to my goal of 36.



One in Green Apple and one in Coral, Knit Picks Shine Sport.

The other knitting I finished this week was also for the benefit of others.



A simple snuggle blanket, about 16" by 16". Made from Red Heart in the color Blueberry Pie, the garter knit blanket was the perfect thing to keep my hands busy while I was reading the chapters for my test. I hadn't tried knitting while studying before, and it certainly kept my mind from wandering too much and I didn't feel as sleepy as I usualy would get reading such dry stuff. I'll have to remember this when I take my continuing education.



I only finished one of these. The other was completed by Sonia Whitely in Australia. There are Detonator socks from the Socks Wars III KAL. I'm surprised I'm still in it. I started my contribution Sunday and finished it Tuesday morning so I could get it out in the mail. There was no ball band, but I know it was Tofutsies. It's the same colorway that I used for my Wild Kat socks that I finished a couple of weeks ago. Or was that last week? I'm suffering from brain damage after cramming for a week. It was just a really weird coincidence.

FO Friday

I have no finished objects today, as I already showed them off. However, worth noting is the fact that I am working on a scrap blanket.



I have made a lot of Chemo Caps for charity. A lot - almost 3 dozen. I have made them all from Knit Picks Shine Sport. They just came out with new colors that I have to order. Darn. Anyway, the cap calls for 2 skeins, which you only use about 1/3 of the 2nd skein. That makes for leftovers.



A whole bunch of 4" squares. I now have about 80 of them, enough for a baby blanket. With the new colors that Knit Picks has released, it will add some additional depth to the the blanket that I am going to make. I spent some time this weekend and re-knit some of the obviously misshapen ones.

For these squares, I start by casting on 2 and knit one row. At the beginning of every row after that, I knit one into the front and back of the same loop, thereby increasing one. I continue this until I have 30 stitches. I knit one row with no adds. On the next row, I knit one and knit 2 together, knit to the end. I make this decrease at the beginning of every row until I have three stitches left. I slip the first stitch, knit 2 together and slip the first stitch over and pull the tail through. I knit these on US5 needles, and it makes a 4" square for me.

I am going to be making blocks of 4. The garter stitch in this case makes for depth and interest since, when sewn together, it will form squares and chevrons and pleasant geometric designs. I still have about 7 hats to finish, and of course, whatever my next order from Knit Picks will include!

Finished Friday

The hats are done. I ended up with two from the Sensations Dolcetto.



These will both be going to charity.

I also finished socks!



These are my Gryffindor 2nd Year Socks finished. The yarn is from Dharma Fey's Cosmic Fibers in the colorway Gryffindor 2nd Year. I think I would have preferrd a broader stripe, but I've never knit anything so funky before. It was fun - and quick! They were completed in a week.

What's On The Needles

This week, Nagini is still on the needles. One sock is done.

Here is something else that I've been working on:

This is going to be a kid's hat with yarn I purchased at Joann's. It's called Sensations Bellezza Collection Dolcetto, a wool blend. I'm using size 10.5US dpn's for this one.



I just got this yarn last weekend from the Yarn Barn at Stitches West. It's Fortissma Socka Mexiko Color, colorway #24. I am doing a ribbed sock, so I am calling them Ribby Goodness.

The preemie blanket is still in the needles. I also cast on for a sock I am test knitting, so not too much I can say on that one, other than it is really cool. Sweaters have been untouched. I'm just wondering if I will have anything else done by Friday. We shall see.

Finished Friday

This week was a pretty good one. I managed to knock out a couple of things


Yarn: Rowan Cotton Wool - Pattern: Improvised - Needles: 6US


Yarn: Some kind of acrylic - Pattern: Basic Garter - Needles: 7US


Yarn: Rowan Cotton Wool - Pattern: Improvised - Needles: 6US


Yarn: Patons Be Mine - Pattern: Improvised - Needles: 9US

The hats I think were pretty cute and worked up fairly quickly. The squares are numbers 10 and 11 that I started back in October. These were done for various charity afghan drives. I am just happy to be through with the black and to be able to say I busted some old stash!

Next week I may have my Nagini socks done and I started a preemie blanket. I should have at least one thing for next Friday!

On My Needles.....

No pictures today of work on the needles - ran out of time. You get to see yarn, though.

I've been working on a sweater for my husband. It's called Big Easy and it's nothing but stockinette. I don't have a picture of the piece, but here is the yarn.



I love Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4ply. It's almost fingering weight, and it takes forever to knit up to a decent sized sweater, but it is sooo pretty.

I started a preemie blanket. Had to frog the thing and start all over. I'm doing that in a Patons cotton blend that is machine washable.

I've been working on afghan squares - got three more done. Their siblings look like this....



Black - can't see any detail in the shots. Oh well.

I started my Nagini socks. I'm using MacKintosh Yarns Voldemort.



I have finished stuff to show off on Friday, so check back then.

FO Friday

This was a good week. I finished a few things.......


Child's First Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. The yarn is from Yarn Pirate's Booty Club in the color way Kalamata. I used 2.25mm Needles. I love these socks!


For Superbowl weekend, I decided to do a bunch of charity baby hats. The two on the right are Filatura Di Crosa Zarella, knit on size 8US needles. The three on the left are Cascade Cherub Collection DK knit on size 6US needles. Aren't they cute?





I had a skein of TLC Wiggles and I figured it would make a decent hat. It looks a bit loud, doesn't it? I'm thinking of giving it to charity, but if I wore it in San Francisco, I wouldn't really stand out. I had enough left over to make a baby hat. I used size 6US needles.

I'm casting on a new pair of socks this weekend, and continuing with the hat knitting. It is a great way to get through stash!

FOF (Finished Object Friday)

Last September, I made a felted handbag. I thought it was a bit plain, so I did some surface embroidery and beading. I am very pleased with the results. I want to line it, but I know that won't happen anytime soon.

May I re-present the Lavender Haze Bag....



I have all these different ideas running through my head for different types of bags I want to do. I have found all these wonderful beads and trinkets that will look amazing. I wish there were more hours in the day - or that we win the lotto!

Ok - now for things I finished this week.

Last Sunday, I spent the day watching football. The NFC and AFC championship games are usually better than the Superbowl, and this time was no exception. I had enough time to finish a cowl.



It's called a Fishbone Lace Cowl. Here is some more detail to the pattern:



It's from a book called Ocean Breezes: Knitted Scarves Inspired by the Sea. I got the book when I was in Solvang last summer, and the yarn is Lorna's Laces Lion & Lamb. The colorway is Seaside. Oh my, this is so soft! I really like the way it turned out. I have four skeins of Lorna's Laces sock weight in this colorway, and I planned a pair of socks and mittens to go with.

The other thing I finished this week was from One-Skein Wonders, called One-Skein Scarf.



The yarn is Vergnasco Teseo di.ve. I bought it at the Yarn Connection in Idaho Falls back in 2006 when we were visiting for Thanksgiving. I also bought sock yarn to match these colors, as well as some mohair blend for a hat and mittens. That was my "matching accessories" stage. I've gotten better. It took two skeins, since the pattern called for about 200 yards, and these were 98 yds each. I made this over two nights.

I have a pair of socks that I will probably have done before Wednesday. I would like to cast on some lace, but will probably cast on another pair of socks.

Until next time.....

Feeling a little soggy/ FO Friday

The storm is here. We lost the power at home yesterday afternoon, and it really wasn't that severe at that point. This doesn't bode well for the rest of the weekend.

It has been pouring since early this morning. It took for-e-ver to get into the City this morning on BART (the commuter train). They usually run 10 car trains for the morning commute, but I got lucky and got a 5 car train that was running storm slow and packed like a sardine can. The true fun was coming, though.

I heard on the radio this morning that the rain was really coming down in San Francisco - hurricane force winds were expected. It is a 4 1/2 block walk to my office from the BART station.



I actually went into the restroom when I got to work and wrung out the hems of my pants. The light stops are dry. The next one is more telling.



This is a puddle created by my tote bag. There was water inside the bag too, that I poured out. Luckily, the extra pair of socks I brought were in a pocket, and remained dry. The rain is coming down much harder now. Hopefully it eases up by the time I leave to go home.

At least it isn't snow.

Off to nicer topics. I have finished objects to show off.



My first FO of the year. I started the cap on New Year's Eve and finished it New Year's Day. I wanted my first finished object of the year to be a charity item - start the year with some good karma. It was made with Rowan's Wool Cotton, knit on size 5US needles and required nearly two full skeins. It has a nice feel to it, and should be very nice to wear. I have 4 more oddball skeins and the colors mix and match well enough to make two more hats.



A quick finish. I showed this off on Wednesday, and here it is finished. I used 3 skeins of Baruffa Merinos Otto Shadow and it's just long enough to wrap around and tuck. I folded it in half, so you're seeing only half the length in the photo. I wish I had more of it. The pattern is My So Called Scarf and I used Size 11US needles.

I think it may have stopped raining. Will I make it to the corner store and back before it starts again? Probably not. A Diet Coke would be just a thing to keep me going for the rest of the afternoon.

Last Post of the Year

Wow - another year is over. A lot happened this year. For one, I started blogging. I got a new job. We got a new car (and had to say goodbye to a good old car). No one in my family died. I became a knitting fanatic. My needlework suffered mightily. My scrap booking slowed down a lot. We explored the northern coast of California and became familiar with Southern Oregon. Did I mention I became obsessed with knitting?

Let's get the latest finished objects out of the way, shall we?



Heelless Sleeping Socks for my mother-in-law. Yes, I was in a rut. There's one additional pair to follow. The pattern is from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. These are the easiest things to knit, and they are soooo comfortable. I will make more of these in the future, no doubt. The yarn used was Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular X2 in the colorway Favorite Jeans. Knitted on size 3US needles.



A pair for me - Interlacements Tiny Toes in Reds Plus (#205). All other info is the same as the previous pair.

Charity knitting - Chemo Hats from Knit Picks, yarn is Knit Picks Shine Sport:


Colorway Sand


Colorway Orchid

I also knitted Christmas ornaments - mini socks. I also knit a Sock Blocker Key Chain Sock for my MIL.





It takes approximately 35 minutes to complete one sock. I really learned to appreciate the 2 hours of commute time on weekdays.

Also, for my mother's birthday, I made her an Advent Calendar. She loves the albums I put together for her, and this year I went all out. Last year, I removed all the negatives and slides from her house. The place is devoid of humidity (she lives near Palm Springs and either the air conditioner or heat are going). The Bay Area is very moist compared to her region, and we don't have the dehydration unit in our house. My Dad loved to take pictures, and had a thing for slides. I brought home 18 reels of slides - 1800 pictures. There were about that many negatives as well. I have been a busy bee. Anyway, after some restoration work (dust, scratches, fading, etc.) I came up with a small selection of goodies from the early years and slapped them in a book with fancy paper and ribbons and such. Here is the title page, as an example:



If you want to see the rest of it, you have to go here. I have to admit, it's probably my finest work to date as far as "creating" an album.

This was a rough year, and I am thankful I discovered the community of knitters. The craft and those that belong to it made my world a much richer place. I certainly improved my skill level, and have truly begun to appreciate the feel of a well crafted wool sock. I almost wish it would stay cool enough year round so that I could always enjoy my knitted creations. Alas, I love my sandals far too much. My stash, which was insane prior to the beginning of the year, grew enough so that I am now scared. I really need to bust it out in 2008. Having a real job again should curtail my shopping sprees. Then again, as long as I have Internet access, I'm still in trouble (Loopy Ewe order placed tonight - 4 more skeins - damn, but they were pretty).

Thanks for stopping by and seeing what I am up to. Drop a comment every now and then. It's fun to get them.

Happy New Year!

Still alive - I think

Yes, it's been forever since my last post. I started a new job Oct. 22nd, and it's been interesting. I was very used to setting my own schedule and prioritizing. Not so much anymore. Combine that with a trip to Las Vegas, a trip to Idaho and just the usual stresses of life, and well, I'm what you would call "behind".

I have been busily knitting away on my commute every day. I have around 2 hours a day on the train, so that allows for some decent knitting time. I have finished a several pairs of sleeping socks and mini socks for Christmas ornaments. I also finished a couple of chemo hats, started the Einstein Coat, and made a dent in my husband's sweater.

I am enjoying my new job very much. It is a renewable energy finance company, and they hired me to run the mortgage division. This is my third start-up in this field, and it gives me great reasons to get up every day. The guys I work with are wonderful and very supportive. Even with the market being in such distress, due to the niche factor of the product, I truly believe we will be successful and prosper. The only drawback is that I am up before 6am and home hopefully by 6pm. It makes for a very long day, and I always worry about wearing myself down. There are consequences when I let that happen.

With Christmas a week away, I was very pleased with myself that I was able to get my little gifts off to Norway for my aunts. This year it was mini socks that could be used as ornaments. They love that type of thing. I sent a pair to each of my aunts, and also a pair each to my two surviving uncles. It's been a few years since they got something fiber related, so that should be a good thing. They came out so cute.

I also did some for friends, which went out in my husband's annual "What Were They Thinking" Christmas CD. For the last 3 years, Hubby has put together some of the worst Christmas music ever made. It can't be intentionally bad, meaning that when it was recorded they intended for it to suck wind. He's including a Christmas Pageant piece this year from an elementary school band performance. Parents suffer so much for the sake of their kids. There are some real winners this year, which I am sure will delight several recipients (under the age of 15 - they love this stuff). A friend of ours puts out the "pretty" Christmas Cd, and Hubby's is the antithesis. It all balances out in the end.

I bet you want to see what I have been working on. I am not up to date on my pictures so this posting will be for some of the stuff I finished in November. In the immortal words of Peter Pan, "here we goooooo..........."



Yes, another Chemo Hat. The yarn is Knit Picks Shine Sport in the colorway Violet. The pattern is free from Knit Picks.



From Knitting Vintage Socks, these are Heelless Sleeping Socks. The yarn in Scarlet Fleece in the colorway Easter Basket. Beautiful yarn, easy pattern. In fact, so easy, I have repeated it 4 times!



Here is another one of the those "times". These are also made with Scarlet Fleece, in the colorway Wrangler.

I have another pair I need to post that I finished up earlier this month, and then there are the 28 or so mini socks. Too cute!

I'm being a bad girl and posting while on my lunch hour. Next time there will be a link to an album I created for my Mom for Christmas - an advent calendar. Sorry, no knitting, no stitching. Just paper, ribbons and embellishments. Yes, I scrapbook too. It's a wonder I have time to sleep or eat.

More to follow - stay tuned!

A Really Long Update

This is what happens when I fail to post as I complete or do stuff. It backlogs and I feel bad. So get your adult beverage of choice and enjoy the post.

September Baby Hats

I wanted to do some baby hats for Hats for Alex. I managed eight! The yarn used was Lion Brand Baby Soft in Pastel Yellow and Candy Print. Here they are...


Ribbed Baby Hat - pretty typical ribbed pattern - single strand


Lattice Baby Hat - alternated rows of stockinette and rib - double strands


Spiral Eyelet Hat - single strand


Raindrops Baby Hat - a combination of single and double strand - when stretched there is a faint pattern.


Rolled Brim Hat - double strand


Subtle Strip Hat - alternating yarns for a striped effect.


Spiral Eyelet V.2 - single strand


Seeded Hat - double strand - alternating k1p1 to create the seeded pattern

So that is it for the hats. Aren't they cute?

The Bag

I wanted to create a felted hand bag, and embellish they hell out of it. Here is the bag felted:



I used a little over 2 skeins of 2 Cascade 220 colors (8912 & 5015). The fabric is dense and rigid, which is what I wanted. I will be lining it. I have finished beading it and adding some surface embroidery. Once it's lined, I will post and update. I wrote a pattern for this, and I want to do it again to see what I need to do to bring it under 4 skeins of Cascade. When I have it done, I will post the pattern.

All Scarfs Should Be Made from Alpaca Blends

I had two skeins of Cascade Bulky Leisure, which is a 50/50 blend of Alpaca and Cotton. OMG it is so soft! I had planned on this going to the Red Scarf Project, but I had already made two scarfs and they had asked for quality not quantity. The other two were machine washable, and this is most assuredly not. So I got out the stitch dictionary, and decided to use the Moss Stitch.


The picture doesn't do it justice. The color is a much deeper red. I want it to get cold so I can wear it.

We're better than half way through.

Another Chemo Hat

I still have enough yarn for at least 10 more Chemo Hats, so I thought I would get another done. I have completed this pattern so many times, I now can get it done in one night.



And Then There Were Socks

So here are three of the 4 pairs of socks I have done this month.


A whole bunch of Mini Socks for my Sock Blocker Key Chain. I now have a mini sock for every pair of socks that I have made.


I call these Broken Rib. This is a pattern I wrote myself, and I am quite happy with it. I will be testing it again before I publish it. I used 2 skeins of Regia Design Line Kaffe Fasset #4252 on size 0US needles.


Heelless Sleeping Socks, from Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush. The yarn is Super Socks Color, 2 skeins in #29 and knit using 2US needles.

I participated in Sock Wars this year, and I "died" today. I was able to "kill" my target, so I have that. It was brief, but fun. These are the socks that I knit:


Lana Grossa Meilenweit 6fach Special, the pattern is Scar by Julie Gardner and I used 3US needles. There was enough yarn left over to make a pair of ankle socks. I will post that in a separate entry later this week, along with the other stuff I finished the last couple of nights.

Well, that's it for now. I will be posting again tomorrow or Thursday with some cool news. Come back and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by.