Birthdays first then Christmas.

Not much progress to show. We now have 5 birthdays to get through before Christmas.
I have started the second front piece of the Top Secret sweater, and almost finished the first front of Caitlin.
I did have to stop and knit a hat for Miss "P". She picked the pattern and the colours from gramma's stash.

Presents..............

Look what Mr. D bought me.
I would have put it on my truck, but he's been driving it all time, and I didn't think it suited him. I found it here.











And just a little more stash enhancement. Cherry Tree Hill mill ends ( a whopping 9oz, about 950yds), and a handpainted skein of yarn from Sunshine yarns, colour Hedwig ( after Harry Potters owl).















Lady says "My mommy has really lost it, but she's happy!"

Santa has left the building!

Not much knitting was done around here this weekend. Miss "P" was here for our Saturday night special.
Santa came to town though. The weather was perfect and you have to love living in a small town. The crowd is never to big, and there's always a place to stand. There were marching bands.














Horses dressed up.















Paisley's buddy the town chicken.














The big guy was up too high to get a good picture.

But "P" made out like a bandit. There was lots of candy for everyone.

Mmmmmmmmmmm.....

Look what Mr. Mailman brought me today!
I had to see what all the fuss was about for myself.
Socks that Rock!
Scottish Highland and Rocktober. The colours are much more vibrant than the picture. And SOFT!!! Can't wait to start a pair.














Last night I thought I would take a break from Top Secret sweater so I started this. It's Caitlin from Debbie Bliss Junior Knits. Miss "P" picked this one out herself,( so don't tell her) I might even have it done for Christmas. I'm using Dale of Norway Freestyle. Nothing but superwash for that girl.







Duece says "I don't care if it is Merino, I want to be alone."

Slow progress.

NO knitting pics today. I did get the back of the top secret cardi done and it's blocking now. I'm having second thoughts about it though. The schematics show different measurement than the finished measurements at the beginning of the pattern, like a few inches difference. So I'm blocking by the finished measurements and it still seems like I had to stretch it out too much. My gauge was on when I started knitting but this yarn has alot of sproing to it. I know lace is supposed to block out quite abit, but this doesn't feel right. Am I obessing too much?
I think I'll wait till it's done drying and see how much it bounces back when it's unpinned.
I'm hoping there's no ripping back in my future.
I should have picked something with larger needles if I wanted it done by Christmas. DUH!!!!!

I'll be back in a couple of days to report, so I'll leave you with my daughters two new cats...


Tux















and Jalepeno!

DUECE

These were just to cute I had to post them. This is our new Duece. Check out those paws!
Seven toes each.

Post Office Closed today.

There's nothing I like better than and extra day off. The Post office is closed today because Rememberance Day fell on Saturday, so that means a stat holdiday for us on Monday. Whoo Hoo! So you know what that means and extra day to do what I do best. Knit, knit and knit some more. So without further ado..........pictures of progress.............
My shawl is coming along, I'm still only on the first ball of yarn . 4 more to go.












My top secret knit-- the back is almost finished.













I blocked the back of the sweater for my daughter. She is knitting this for her boyfriend. I'm so proud. It's her first try at cables and a full size sweater. But rumor has it she was knitting Barbie doll clothes last night.















And the new addition to our family "Duece". He is Miss "P"'s cat but will be living with us because he needs other feline company. So far things are going well and I'm hoping that all three boys will adjust without too many "cat"tastrophies. He certainly is not afraid of the dog. But then again he has two extra toes on his front feet for self-defense.

I knew I was Fall!

Thanks Wannietta!

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times... You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

Still madly knitting. Pictures tomorrow!

Interweave Preview!

Looks like the Interweave Knits preview is up!
I see a few new items in my future!

Top Secret Knitting! Shhhhhhhhh!

Well, since you last checked in I did not finsh my last pair of socks for Socktoberfest, but they are still in progress and maybe they'll be done for November.
I have however knit 2 blocks for the Great American Aran Afghan. Our guild decided that this would be a nice project to work on at our meetings. We have all just started randomly with the blocks we like and we'll be able to help each other if anyone runs into problems.



My next project is a secret. I'm sorry I can't share it with you because it's for someone special for Christmas and she reads my blog. (NoSamantha it's not for you!) I would actually like this one to be a surprise for a change.
I had started it in Dale of Norway Tuir but found it was a little too scratchy for my liking, so I broke down and had to buy yarn. It's knit with Filitura Di Crosa's Zarina. OH MY GOD!
This yarn feels like butter. I may not want to give it away when it's done.

Now I'm off to cast on, I hope the Halloweener's are quick tonight, I have alot of knitting to do.

Socktoberfest...9 days left.

There's nothing quite like a quick project to get your mojo flowing again.
2-day socks for Miss "P".
1 ball of Bernat Sox, perfect for an almost 3 year old. Machine wash and dry. Easy for mom.
Yarn bought in the discontinued bin for less than $2.





Now on to bigger things.........

Shelagh is done.

It's done!
Shelagh is done.
Pattern: from the Garter Belt
Yarn: Super10 Cotton 5--125g skeins
Needles: 4.5mm Addi turbos

I love doing top down sweaters. No seaming.

This was a great pattern easy to follow, lots of sizes, and you could do it in a lot of different yarns.








This is what I took home today at 1pm. I only left the room for a minute, I needed a pee break, honest. I should have elaborated on the make-up. These were the new stamp markers we bought at the dollar store.

Last sleep.

Another wet day for Gramma and Miss "P".
So there was storytime for Mr. Tibbs and
Lady-dog.
A little craft time to make momma a welcome home card.







Then Aunt Valerie went shopping with us. That was girls gone wild. It didn't take Paisley long to learn her aunties shopping habits. A couple of new pairs of jammies and off to Swiss Chalet for lunch then home again.



Instead of a pumpkin she turned into a princess.
And this princess did her own hair-styling.
















And now the little princess is having her last sleep at grammas.















I did get some knitting done but I'll post about that tommorrow.

Day 2!

Julie's bag is done. Miss "P" and I will making a trip to the store tommorrow to drop it off just in time for the Creative Festival.













We took these pictures for momma. Hope she's not missing us too much.
These are from Sunday. Paisley loved beading and she was at it all day. Got to love that cheesey smile.





































It's cold and
rainy today so we're having another indoor fun day.

We went to the dollar store and got some scissors, stamp markers, and more beads.

Not sure what we're cutting out. I think it's supposed to be a pumpkin

Now we're off to the library and the grocery store for milk, brocolli and bologna, and Gramma desperately needs a Tim Hortons. Then we'll be making some supper for Aunt Valerie tonight.

It's dryin' time again....

I was so excited about getting Julie's bag done and felted that I forgot to take the before picture. So here it is felted and drying.

Pattern: Nashua Handknits Holiday.

Yarn: Naturally Vero

Needles: 5mm , crochet hook 4mm

All are available at the Needle Emporium.

This bag was a lot of fun to make. The flowers, seedpods and corkscrews are crocheted and the leaves are knit. I'll post another picture when the bag is dry and the handles are attached. (if I remember)

So the rest of the day has been for cleaning up the house, bringing in the plants, and keeping the dog occupied. She really misses Mr. D.

This is for mommy. We know she'll be checking the blog when she has time.

Love ya momma.

So now it's back to the Shelagh cardigan and socks, socks, and more socks.

It was a cold and rainy day.......

Man is it cold and wet outside. This just makes a girl happy that she didn't have to go and work in this today.
Right now Miss "P" is having a nap, so I made a hot cup of tea, and thought I would share Miss Lolly's Socktoberfest questions:

When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?
I started making socks about 15 years ago. I taught myself with a very basic pattern.

What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair was with Koigu handpainted sock yarn. You would think a girl would start with a less expensive yarn, but I had to have it. Unfortunately I did wear holes in the bottom of the heels because I wore them so much, probably about 5 years later. I thought they stood up quite well.

What would you have done differently?
I don't think I would have done any thing differently, they were the best socks. They just made me want to make more.

What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
I have enjoyed almost every yarn I have knit with, Regia, Opal, Lana Grossa, etc.
I have some Trekking to try and I would like to try Socks that Rock.

Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?
I prefer to knit my socks on DPN's. I have tried circs and the Magic Loop method and didn't care for them much.

Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)
I like the flap (dutch heel). I find the short row heel doesn't fit as well.

How many pairs have you made?
I have probably made 30 or so pairs (for myself and gifts). I never really kept track.


These are the ones in my personal drawer.











This is my sock stash right now.














Here's is Julie's new project I'm almost ready to put it together and felt it.
Can you guess?












And these are my new Cherry Tree Hill socks.












Next week I have the whole week off from work.
Mr D has gone hunting with the boys and Miss "P" is coming to stay with me because Momma is going to Winnipeg to see her friend and Daddy has to work all week. I'm not sure how much knitting will get done, she has a lot of fun things planned for us to do.

Socks in the Mailbox!

Yes, they're done. And in honor of Irisheyes Knitting I give you Socks in the Mailbox!


















And just in time the mailman brought me this......






but they will have to wait because I'm working on a new project for Julie to take to the Creative Needlework show.
And you'll have to keep tuning in to see when it's done.









So I leave you with Mr. Relaxo.......

Socktoberfest 10-04-2006

Sorry, can't talk right now, I'm trying to get my sock finished.