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.