jUsT kNiTtiNg..

Here is my progress....I've been slowly working on the sleeves.. the pattern says to make the sleeves 12" long.. i thought that was overly long and would end up looking like a sweater out of a dr. seuss book. so i stopped ribbing when the sleeve was 9 1/2"... i hope that will be ok..it looks about right to me... I just picked up the stitches for my second sleeve and have knit about 4 rows... click on the picture for a closer look.. (^_^)....

I have been letting my lace sit on the table untouched.... I'm working up the courage to rip back and try to fix my pattern....in the mean time I've been working on a baby bolero here and there....... news from WoW...> my fellow players on WoW have turned lvl 60 and we were working on getting some epic armor items... so we can be all fancy....such hard work.. 0.0...

kNit On!!

I'm working on the boarder now of the pinwheel baby sweater... at first when i read the directions.. i thought "no way!!" but decided to try it.. at this point there should be 224 stitches on your needle.. (0.0).. so 3 stitches at a time are worked in an I-cord for 6 rows.. then knit together with 3 stitches from your left hand needle from the sweater.. then u repeat it all the way around...
















Picture 1... 3 stitches on a dbl needle..
















picture 2... knit 6 rows of I-cord on 3 stitches
















picture 3.. line up the 3 stitches from the I-cord with the next 3 stitches from your sweater
















picture 4... knit 3 I-cord stitches together with the next 3 stitchs from the sweater.. 3 stitches will again be on the dbl needle.. repeat all the way around..

This is a bit time consuming but I think it's worth the effort...I was debating on adding a crochet edging at first but there isn't a lot of yarn left in this color.. so it might not have made it to the end.. I have about 1/4 of the edging left to finish and very little yarn.. I'm hoping to be able to finish.. without having to order another ball of yarn..

Eve needs help...!!! She can't decide what to knit with 5 balls of the SOFTEST 100% alpaca..I touched this yarn last night at our KYGK group.. and it is the SOFTEST!!!
Well.. these 2 patterns came to mind.. Ms. Marigold and The Isabeau Shrug
that was my 2 cents worth of suggestions... I think either would work up fabulous in her beautiful yarn....
I had fun at the meeting last night... lots of chit chat... lots of projects flying on the needles...got to browse through more knitting books...and little Emily was in attendance....how precious.. the youngest member of KYGK (^_^)

wHo kNeW!!!

Who knewI was going to be so addicted to knitting this sweater !!.. I can't stop... as u can see I'm up to the provisional cast on for the sleeves...(all sleeve sts. on a st. holder...saving these sts to make the sleeves later) I also changed my color set up.. using the darkest shades in the center fading to the lightest for the border.. I really like this yarn btw..very soft and not itchy at all..it's very nice to knit with... so far im very pleased with this project.. (hope i dont jinx myself.. 0.0...)
















Here is a picture of the sleeve set up... and now I'm knitting away on my 5th color moving towards the garter st. part of the boarder. I'm definately going to have a lot of yarn left over..especially for the colors used in the center part of the sweater. I could make another sweater with the left overs by just buying more yarn for the sleeves and reversing the color set up... hummmm...














This is what the sweater should look like when it's done.. so cute for a little girl..!!!

tE yArN

It's here!!!! my yarn arrived late yesterday... for my KAL...I picked the dusty pink hues... I can't wait to cast on..

















I was looking through my notions bag today and ... man there was a lot of stuff in there !!!...how many stitch markers could i possibly need???... and row counters...if I pulled all my knitting needles out.. they would probably fill up the living room.. 0.0...I wont even think about the yarn in the closet...although.. if u read any of the Yarn Harlot's books.. I could never even think of competing with her stash... well... we knitters do need our tools...and ...pattern books.. and magazines...
















sigh...this is not progress... this is the process of ... ripping.. back.. with no life line...black yarn...who knows how many rows... `(~.~;);` ... see my tears... this is what i will be working on for the rest of the day until i figure it out.. its like a vast black ocean of little strings...

iT's A seT NoW...

Here is the finished set.. this is the first time I have made these booties...I like making patterns that i haven't made before......
Yes I'm still working on my lace.. (^_^)

i StaRtEd a KAL!!!

I started a knit along today!!!... here is the info if you want to join..(^_^)

aNoTHer BaBy bLanKeT...(^_^)

Yay!!! another blanket finished... I'm going to make this part of a set with booties and a hat..which is being worked on as i type.. i cheated on this blanket also.. 0.0... the blanket was knit on my machine and the crochet edging added after... here is a close up of the edging pattern.















If u want to make this blanket .. it can be knit by hand... here is the pattern..

Yarn- 2 skeins of simply soft (for a one color blanket)+ any other worsted weight yarn for trims in different colors (some times i use cotton for the edging for some texture)
I'm guessing around a size 9 needle
gauge 16 sts = 4"..(thats aprox)

cast on 100 sts.. knit in st. st. for 155 - 180 rows.. or your desired length..cast off
(that part is easy) u can knit as many stripes as u like or use only 3 colors and make 3 big stripes of equal llength or just make it one color..

To start the crochet border u need to make one row of single crochet evenly around the blanket edge.. one single crochet in each stitch along the top and bottom of the blanket and on the sides i made a single crochet in each of the next 2 row ends.. then missed one row and repeated that along both sides making 3 sc in each corner.
at this point i picked an edging from a stitch dictionary that i liked..I will give u directions for the easiest one..

with the same color as your foundation row of sc... (hoping that u are at the corner)
Chain 6 *skip 1 sc, sc in next st, chair 4* repeat pattern until u reach the next corner, chain 6 and repeat the pattern again until u have gone all around the blanket.. slip st in the bottom of first chain..change color by not completing the slip stitch and pulling new color thru as your ending of the slip st..

Next row.. chain 6,* sc in next chain 4 loop, chain 4* repeat this around chaining 6 in each corner for as many rows as u would like to add..
For the solid blanket I made some easy flowers each from a different yarn and sewed them in place.

sMiLe (^_^)

This made me smile today..... it's from The Amazing Lace summer KAL (knit along) ...knitting lace for me is challenging enough.... they have added challenges to the challenge... the third one being poetry... this is one of the finalist... and.. finally I made a decision as to which edging to use on my baby blanket..this is just the beginning.. i plan to make many different color rows of the same stitch..

pRoGreSS

progress... knitting lace is addicting for some reason.. I'm happy to say that this pattern likes me. the knit picks elegance is knitting up very nicely... soft and smooth...right now it feels kind of springy.... almost 2 repeats done... a little more that 4 to go..


















this weee little baby hat knit up really fast...another machine knit blanket off the machine and ready for a crochet edging... it takes longer to decide which edging to use than it does to knit the blanket.. do i want a wide flat edging... or ruffly edging... a small shell edging... sigh...

I didn't realize i had the yarn for this hat (the children's cotton hat from last-minute knitted gifts) sitting on my craft table... so of course i had to make it.. now i have to find a nice bootie pattern that will look nice with the hat..















yes it's off the needles .. blocked .. and finished.... not perfect.. but neither am I... I'm not really sure lace and i get along...my hands somehow get disconnected from my brain and do their own thing sometimes....... but maybe practice makes perfect... I'm casting on my next lace project ... perfection is my goal... anyway ... lace is fun to do... my feeling is... if its fun ... do it..
(^_^)

I was looking through an old knitting book my mom gave me and saw these socks.. the bottom pair are made in worsted and the top pair has that cute lace cuff...I'm thinking that.... I would like to make these... maybe as my in-the-purse... project that i carry around with me for those moments of waiting in lines and for food at restaurants... 0.0....
















aren't your tired of seeing this set...heheh.. i promise this is the last time... look close there is a hat now..!!

aLL SeT..

All set for the next project... got yarn.. got pattern.. got nice pointed needles.. ready set go!!!!

















Yes.. it's growing!!!( it looks kind of crunchy right now..)

Can't forget about baby boys....I've been knitting lots of items for baby girls.... The blanket was done on my knitting machine and the crochet border added after..this blanket can also be lined with fabric..i haven't decided if i want to do that yet... I kind of like these colors together. ... and... here are the finished socks... I'm not done yet .. a hat will follow.. and then some....

sTraNgE

Tell me this isn't wierd (and kind of awkward to knit)....I have a very old pattern for socks that my mom gave me and the heal is done this way... i never attempted to make them...these are made by knitting the sock in a tube and knitting in a piece of waste yarn where the heal should be... finishing the sock.. then removing the piece of yarn and picking up the stitchs to knit in the round.. then completing the heal.. maybe it would be less awkward if it wasn't a baby size sock..i really need to go and buy some shorter double pointed needles for these..

















this is how the adult size sock is done... something like this is also used to replace a worn heal.. I guess u REALLY have to love your socks to do this..
soon to follow completed baby socks and more stuff.... (^_^)

fRoM tHe sTAsH...

More baby items... this was fun to make.. it was a little knitting... a little sewing.. and a little lace(on the edging).. what was also nice was using some yarn from my stash, although i only used one ball.. see.. one ball left.... guess ill have to make something else too....maybe another dress..
















wow!!!!... it took so long to find some buttons for the back of the dress... how did i get all these buttons anyway...
















i finally settled on these.... there were just 3 of them and that's just what i needed...
















yes... I'm still working on my lace..
A little note to mega(k)nits.... gratz on your beautiful baby girl..
(^_^)

Still working away on my lace... I have almost 4 of the 7 repeats done... I like the way it feels as I knit it... I've noticed how sometimes i pick up something right away and other times i have to practice a bit before i get it. This is one of those projects where it takes a bit of practice before u get it.. (for me anyway) but all in all I'm enjoying knitting lace and i don't think it will be the last lace project i will make.. um.. i think i bought some yarn for my next lace project already...
If u haven't seen the new Knitty ... go and look!!! lots of cute projects for feet and hands...
...here is some fun stuff from knitty..(thank's knitty.. for being there)
finger knitting
woah.. do it backwards
and my favorite pattern in this issue (^_^)

oN gOiNG prOjeCtS..

Another baby blanket, sweater and booties.. yes for a little babie boy.. I made the stiped part of the blanket on the knitting machine again and I'm working on the crochet border.



















This is the lace project I'm doing for the amazing lace KAL.. (ooo nos I see a boo boo way down on the last few rows of the first repeat)... well... at this point I don't think im going to rip it rip it...I guess it's not good to knit lace at 2:00am... things could happen.