Ta Da!


Knitting is DONE! Holy crap people, I knit a sweater! Yep, that's Arwen, knitting complete and blocking away. Now I just have to sew this baby together - it will be a challenge, I'm sure! Blocking wasn't easy. I grafted the hood together before I blocked it, so it is one really long piece. Trying to find a place to big enough to spread this out was a chore. (I couldn't even get the whole thing in one picture!) But I managed. I measured, I pinned, I finagled. Now I keep hovering over it checking to see if it's dry yet!

I am so excited! I knit a sweater! I guess I should temper my excitement until I get it sewed together. It could be a nightmare. But I'm hoping for the best.

I had to reknit the left sleeve yesterday. I am not sure where my mistake was, but it turned out much smaller than the right sleeve. So I ripped back and added some rows. I had to cheat a bit to make it work. (I didn't want to have to rip out the hood and front panel just to fix the sleeve.)

Hopefully, by Wednesday or so... I will have a completed sweater to show you!

I've been looking around on the internet to find a button. The pattern doesn't call for one, but I think I want one toggle button on it. Sadly, I have something specific in my mind, and I can't find anything close.

In other news... I have a new toy!


My mom gave me her old sewing machine. Something else for me to obsess about! I've been kind of playing with it a bit, but I'm still new. I haven't really used a sewing machine since I was a kid, so I quite rusty. But I'm happy to have it, and hopefully I'll eventually learn how to use it properly.

I'm getting very excited for Sheep and Wool! It's only a few days away! HURRAY!

Here are a few cute pictures for you...

Poodle in motion!

Impossible to get her to sit still for a picture!

Thirsty kitty

That's one of my sister's cats - Cookie. She's having a little drink. And the goldfish is having a little heart attack!

Wee Distractions



Sometimes, you just need to take a break from miles and miles of stockinette and make yourself a cow!




This is Pepe and I love him. Jody came into knitknite on Monday with a copy of Simply Knitting magazine. It's a British magazine and I had never seen it before. After I saw the "Farmyard Frolics" patterns, I immediately went to Border's and bought my own copy. In this month's issue, there are patterns for cows, sheep and horses. In the April issue, there will be patterns for pigs, chickens and geese. SO CUTE! I may need to make one of each animal. The cow was super easy and fast to make. He is made out of some Nature Spun I had in my stash.

Arwen continues. I am pleased to say that I am finished with the back.

I know it looks like a comforter for a queen sized bed, but it's just my gigantic sweater back. It's not nearly that orange in real life.


I cast on for the left front last night, but the cable panel is vexing me completely. I'm not sure what the problem was, but it has been ripped and restarted. I haven't gotten to the cable panel again yet, but hopefully it will go better the second time around.

I took another pause from Arwen earlier this week to make this:


I seem to have a lot of leftover sock yarn, so I thought baby socks would be a good way to use some of it up. This came out a little, um, round but I think it will stretch comfortably over a baby's foot. I am almost to the heel on the second one. This will be a gift for a co-worker's baby boy who will be arriving in June (I think... maybe July...) My co-worker asked if I could make a string on the socks that goes through the baby's pants, (like you would put on a pair of mittens) because his other son lost so many socks when he was a baby. Interesting concept.... anyone else ever heard of such a thing?

And one last FO to show you...


It is the finally finished Baby Kimono from Mason Dixon Knitting.
The lovely and talented Jolene was kind enough to do the finishing on this for me. Despite Pepe's good looks, I am not so good with the sewing!

Came out pretty cute, huh? This is a gift for the baby of one of the trumpet players in the orchestra at the theatre. He hasn't been around in awhile, so the baby may have already arrived. Hopefully, he'll turn up soon so I can give this to him!

Babies everywhere! Boy boy boy boy!


And finally... a little hint of spring....

Rainy Yucky Day

I don't think it could possibly be any more miserable outside today. It's COLD and rainy. Very rainy. I should mention that yesterday morning, the temperature was 7o°. Today, it is currently 35°. There are ice pebbles on my car. The stream in the back yard is a raging white water river. We're in a flood watch. Miserable. Spring came in and then apparently decided to reconsider.

On top of the miserable weather, I'm not feeling great either. I think I have a little spring cold. Coughing, runny nose, icky.

Fortunately, I don't have to be anywhere until my show tonight. So I spent the day watching movies and knitting. Always a good combination.

My knitting ADD is rearing it's ugly head again. I have way too many projects on the needles.


Second Monkey Sock

So close to finishing. And yet, I'm stalled.



Second Anemoi Mitten

Gotta say, the rediculously warm spring weather we had been having made me less inclined to work on mittens. But I do love them and want to finish them!


Picovoli

I have become disenchanted with this. I just don't like it. I'm not sure if I'll rip it or what, so for now it just languishes on the needles.


The above is a baby hat for Jolene's collection. I hate it and will rip it and start over.

So, with all these projects going.... What is this???



That my friends, is the back of the Cardigan for Arwen.

I've been thinking about this pattern for a long time so I finally decided to cast on. I started it on Wednesday, March 14. (Actually, I really started it on Monday, March 12 - but there was a horrible accident involving me being completely stupid, so I had to rip and start over.) I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far, though the endless stockinette is fairly mind numbing. I'm looking forward to starting the front so there will be cables to keep me interested. I really really want to finish this. I hope I can stay focused and interested. Begone knitting ADD!

I know I am a little late with this, but I wanted to give big congratulations to our pal Eunny. I am so excited for her and for all of us knitters who will benefit from this amazing news!
Hooray for you friend!