Something different...

I don't know why but I really like her music. It's interesting and different.

I used the sewing machine...

Abby received her sunflower doll and I heard that she liked it..
I'm still working on the shawl and the socks daily and I pick up the spindle at least once a day. Everything is as normal. The weekend is here and so is work so knitting time is a little less but I seem to be moving right a long on all the projects.




































Mary asked where I got the pattern for the 2 summer sundress. It's a free ravelry download. I attached the knitted bodice to the skirt with a sewing machine and it was pretty easy. Easier than I thought it would be to sew hand knits to cloth. I have done this before but by hand because I thought that the sewing machine would stretch out the knitting. But it didn't and worked out well. Any way she gives the full directions in the pattern for both the knitting and sewing parts. (^_^)

yes.. I did..

The last few days I have actually been working on my projects. I thought I was on my last repeat of chart #1 of the Icarus shawl but I have to recount .. I think I have to work one more repeat to get to 343 sts.. I'm about to do that now. I love how the colors change on this yarn as you knit. The last few rows were purple and now its blending into greens and I see some yellow in the near future.





















errrm uuuhh.. well I actually finished the flame pattern on sock #2. I have 13 rows to knit until the heal flap. When I finish the heal flap and gusset on this sock I will put both socks back on the needles and work them together to finish them. Hopefully that will happen in the next week or so.





















I finally completed these little sundresses. They will be for Abby. I just have to box them up now and get them to the post office sometime before she outgrows them. (^_^)

old projects...

My good knitting buddy Elaine gave me this wonderful present for my birthday. It's a faux Fair Isle pattern yarn. I already have a specific pattern I'm going to use this for. It's the Sandi's squares sock pattern. I can't wait to start.. I would cast on today except for.....(see pictures below)


















I have 2 projects that I actually started last year and have been trying to pick them up again and work on them but all kinds of things get in the way.. like Christmas knitting, work, more gift knitting.. more work..spinning.. so anyway I have actually finished all my gift knitting and don't want to start anything new although I do have some beautiful yarn and exciting patterns that I would cast on today.. instead I am going to finish these 2 projects. The flame socks and the Icarus shawl.. the shawl at this point is a challenge. I haven't worked on lace in a while and there are over 300 stitches on the needles at this point .. which is the last repeat of chart 1. This will be good practice before I start the next shawl that I purchased yarn for. Time to bite the bullet one more time and get these projects finished..!!!

the spindle

With all the knitting parts finish on the little sundresses and just the sewing parts to finish, I haven't had the energy after work to start sewing. I'm waiting for my day off to finish all the sewing. In the mean time I have been enjoying spinning on my spindles after work and just relaxing. In this picture the spindle is almost full to be equal to the other ball that I had already spun. I still have some fiber left over ..enough for a smaller skein probably.




















This is what I worked on last night. Plying the 2 balls together. This is the first time I have plied yarn on a spindle. I have been spinning on the spindle and then plying on the wheel. I didn't think I would like plying on the spindle but you never know until you try something. I'm loving it and I like how the yarn is plying together. At this point I'm at about the half way mark to being finished. I can't wait. This will be my very first completely spindle spun skein of yarn..!!
My progress on the little glass flower spindle is below. I just love this spindle and the hand painted fiber is so silky and soft. I was planning on making a sock yarn.. but it feels so silky more suited for lace. I have to see the finished yardage and then I will decide. Maybe I wont use it at all and just look at it..(^_^) (click the pic for a bigger view)

almost there...

All the knitting is finished and the fabric is all cut out for the skirts. I just have to sew them all together. I probably wont get to that until Monday maybe. The AC guy was supposed to show up at 10am this morning.. It was a no show and now the new inside AC unit is just sitting in my garage all boxed up. We are still using the old leaky one. I'm afraid to see the utility bill bill for next month.. !!

starting something new..

The little sunflower doll is in the mail on her way to her new home. That means it is time to start something new again. This will be a little sundress for Abby. The pattern is called the Two summer sundress. I hope she will get two summers use out of it. If not I can make the next size for next year. I'm making size 3. This project is pretty inexpensive. One ball of Lily sugar'n cream and one yard of fabric. I bought the fabric on on sale at Joanns. I took this picture earlier in the day and I'm knitting the straps already. I don't think I'll get to the sewing tonight but I might cast on the Two summer sundress #2 later and probably do all the sewing at the same time for both dresses.
My birthday is this month and that means that my drivers license will expire this month also. So I took time today to get it renewed. I was surprised at how fast I was in and out of there and also that I didn't need my glasses to take the eye exam. My perscription is very light and mostly for one eye so I was ok. The other surprise was that my picture actually came out decent too. I was expecting something terrible ... hehe.

She is finally finished...

Yay.. this little sunflower doll is finally complete down to her little toes. I finally finished the little shoes late last night. Now I just have to wrap her up and mail her out to Abby tomorrow. (^_^)

Happy Mothers day..!!

May every Mother have the most wonderful day today. You deserve it. Being a mother is the most rewarding yet hardest job there is. A mother is a childs first teacher, first love...Enjoy the day with your mom..(^-^)

so .. tired....

I don't know why I have been so totally exhausted lately. I've been getting the required amount of sleep but it just doesn't seem to help. It has been taking every fiber of my being to knit and go to work and run around DSW asking people if they need help finding shoes and if they are rewards members. I sit at home and fall asleep at the computer on and off all day. Maybe it's the stress from still waiting for the AC to be fixed.. the thought of the tremendous utility bill I will have to pay next month because we have been running the air and it's not turning off very often because it still leaks gas from the inside unit. Hopefully this will all be over on Saturday when the inside unit will be installed. I was 3 days late paying my utilities this month and they already sent me a disconnect notice and added a $10.00 fee to the already high bill. DSW is cutting hours and now I have 3 days of work there. I guess it's time to hit the pavement so to speak for another part time job. I have been trying to knit in my spare time to get this little sunflower doll finished before Abby's birthday.. but the day is aproaching pretty fast. Why does time pass so fast now. According to the pattern I have knit the right amount of sunflower pedals for the hat, but I think it could use 2 more so I'm hoping to knit those before work today and knit the shoes tonight if I'm not to tired... I'm also picking up the spindle and spinning a little everyday even if it is just for a few minutes...
Abby

Nine down.. four to go..

WIP's for the day. I like to spindle a little each day. It's so relaxing and just fascinates me to watch the fleece twist up into yarn. I have two spindle projects at the moment. The yarn on the cedar spindle will be the second ball when I'm finished and I will be able to ply them together. The yarn on the pretty glass flower spindle is supposed to be sock yarn. I'm trying to get some extra spin on it. I tend to under spin on the spindle. Actually the process of spinning the yarn is probably more enjoyable then the actual finished yarn will be. Spinning with that little glass spindle is like spinning with jewelry it's so pretty. It has gold flecks in the glass that reflect light and glitter when it spins.


Doll progress: Right now I'm in the process of knitting 13 little sunflower pedals for the sunflower hat. Shew.. Nine down four to go..