Happy Old Year

Are you sick of seeing these mitts yet? To tell you the truth, I am. :) I liked knitting them. It's a fast and easy project, it's just that I got a little frustrated when I didn't finish them on time. Now that they are done, all I have to do is get my butt to the post office to mail them. Which for some reason always takes longer than it should.

In other knitting news, I started a scarf for myself on Saturday. It's an undulating cable scarf - you can find the pattern at the Yarn Garage. Two of the women at my LYS have been making them and I just fell in love with the lazy cables. (yep, I'm a joiner, it's OK, you can say it) The best part about the pattern is that because it is done in P1K1 ribbing, the cables are pretty from both sides. I forced my hubby to sit down and look at the engineering miracle that makes this happen. The poor guy has lived all of his 34 years up to this point without ever noticing that cabled items had a pretty side and an ugly side. Seriously, what would the man do without me?! The other part of this scarf that makes me ecstatically happy is the angora. Mmmm... angora. It's elsebeth lavold in 009 burgundy red. I've heard that it's being discontinued, but I might be mistaken on that one.


This is the yarn for my Sock It To Me Again pal. I'll have to check the ball band to see exactly what it is. It's a silk blend... dang, I hate when I buy things totally on impulse and can't remember what it is. I've decided to do a short sock with a lacy fold over cuff. Something totally girly and fun. I'm totally in love with the colors. The brown is a deep chocolately brown. I think I'll use that for the cuff and the toe and do the main body of the sock in pink. It reminds me of a Charleston Chew!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

I gave it my best effort. I knit on the way down to my in-laws (2 1/2 hours). I knit at my in-laws. I knit while playing Scrabble. I even knit at the bar. I was a knitting fool (although not a drunken one because I volunteered to be sober cab.) Proof of knitting at the bar. Side note - Check out the light behind hubby, it was the source of much amusement for us. I think my brother-in-law was most intrigued when I was knitting at the bar and talking to him at the same time, while looking him in the eye. He was somewhat amused that I didn't have to look at the knitting. I got a lot of strange looks from complete strangers. Apparently people don't knit in the bars in Stillwater.

However, the knitting did not get done in time. Rachel (sister-in-law) received one mitten and a part of the other. I am now close to getting the 2nd mitten done. Hopefully I can mail it out to her sometime this week. I feel really bad that she didn't get her gift in time.

In other knitting news, this is the stocking I knit for my nephew 2 years ago. Last year, my sister took it out of storage and hung it up. My then almost 3 year old nephew found a loose string and pulled.... and pulled. He pulled out the heel. So I had to do a repair job on it this year.

This isn't the best example of fair isle knitting in the whole world, but for a first timer I think I did an OK job. The only thing I would change would be carrying the 2nd color a little looser in the back.

I hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas/Festivus/Giftmas.

In Summary...

Christmas at our house has always meant making something crafty. Growing up we would watch Mom make presents for the people she worked with, for us kids, and for other members of the family. To me, it means more if it is made by hand. It's just a nice personal touch. Surprise, Surprise, I'm knitting this year. I'll also make a couple of plates of cookies to send to the neighbors, but that hardly counts. So here is a summary of my Christmas knitting.

The hat that Addie is wearing is a Lavender Lace Beanie from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. It's being sent across the country to my Christmas Around the World swap partner.

Here's a mitten to go with a Calorimetry for __________. What? You didn't expect any Christmas spoilers did you? Sorry the color is so horrid in this photo. I swear that we are the land of the midnight sun (or in winter the land of total darkness), we're just overlooked in favor of Alaska. If it would just be sunny for part of a morning I could get a decent picture!

Here's a Lola's Flip Top Mitten (also from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders) for __________.

Complete with a scouty button to secure the flap. Thanks Adam!

_________ will also receive this Spiral Hat from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders (do you sense a theme here?) to go with his/her mittens. I had really hoped that the colors of the two would match a little closer. Looking back, I should have used a strand of rust colored mohair in with the mitten to give it a nicer girly feel. Oh well, at least it's machine washable this way!

I'm kind of amazed that all of my knitting has come from this one particular book. That's not my usual way. However, I just love the almost instant gratification of knitting from one skein. That and the patterns are just too adorable!

In case I don't see you, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!
-Jess

Finished Objects (Mostly)

Here's the snowflake mitts. Hmm... you only see one? Well I guess it's not completely finished then. :) I've got Christmas presents to make. I can't go around knitting something for myself when I'm on deadline! We took the photo on a minus 6 degree night. I don't mind telling you it was a little chilly!

The Spiral Hat from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. It fits quite well on my head, but Lily's photo turned out sweeter than mine did. I think I was shivering too hard in my photo for it to look good on me. This is an insanely easy hat. Just knit 6, purl 4 all the way around until the decreases. I think it took me all of 2 days to finish. This will go to one of my relatives for Christmas. Now I just have to finish the mittens to go with.

Take That Delores

You can call me a bad mother.

I entered Lily into a Delores Look Alike Contest over at the Panopticon. I was so sure we were going to win. After all, with a look like this....

How could you go wrong? She's got the walk of a runway model, the raised eyebrows as she looks down on her minions and the style to pull of a purple boa with orange sunglasses.

Perhaps it was this photo of Lily holding her baby by the neck that was too Britney Spears and not enough Delores.

Either way, I think they're hilarious.

Good News & Bad News

Good News: I got 2 swap packages. One yesterday and one today. My mother-in-law (visiting us for 3 days) is a little baffled (and intrigued?) by how these swaps work. The girls love the swaps! They think it's fun that mommy gets presents and sometimes there are little things for them too!

Good News: My in-laws brought with them the yarn that I left at their house over Thanksgiving. I can now start the mittens and hat for my Sister-in-law.

Bad News: The hat I wanted to make for my Sister-in-law takes more yarn than this skein has. So I've revised my plan and will make a less cool hat for her.

Bad News: This little item didn't work out quite as I had hoped either. I ran out of yarn (which was totally my fault) about halfway through the project. I finished it with what I had left, but I'm not sure how it's going to lay on the recipients head.

Good News: I'm going to pick up the $20 and the Christmas CD that I won playing trivia on the radio the other day! Yahoo for having tons of totally arcane trivia burned into my brain!

27 Knitting Days Left

There are 27 knittings days until Christmas. That assumes that you can knit right up until (and including) the 25th. I'm making progress in the knitting. I finished up one pair of mittens and I'm starting something else to go with them. The something else is somewhat of a mystery at this point. It might be a neck warmer, it might be a hat, I just don't know yet.
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

...Everywhere you go. Yep, I'm singing, badly.

It must be time to take some pictures because I don't have a photo to add to this post. I've made some dents in the Christmas Knitting list

1 1/2 mittens - done (I have this vision of the FINISHED stamp from Monster House coming down over the top of the photo)
1 fingerless mitt - done
Christmas Around the World hat - done
Hat and Mittens for SIL - Yarn bought

Funny story about that yarn... well funny to me anyway. My brother in law (Adam's sister's husband) took me to a yarn store. Now the poor guy has never seen a yarn store before. The original idea was that he would drop me off at the store, go work out for an hour, then come back for me. After seeing the size of the store, BIL decided no one could possibly spend a whole hour there. Hee hee! It turns out he was extremely interested in how things are knit and was really helpful in picking out colors for his wife. Now I just have to finish the projects!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I am thankful for...

1. My husband. I don't know what I would do without him. He's my best friend and the one I share everything with.

2. My 2 beautiful daughters. They are the reason I get up in the morning (and why I sometimes get up in the middle of the night!) I am stunned that I could love someone so little so much.

3. My husband's and my families and our extended network of friends. We may complain about family, but they are always there when we need them. :)

4. My job

5. Dairy-free chocolate and other substitutes. :)

6. Shaving cream is an incredible invention. It can keep husbands cheeks feeling nice, plus it entertains kids forever!

7. Free knitting patterns! (Hey, it's a knitting blog, what do you expect?)

8. My cell phone - I don't know what we did without them. I feel so much more safe while traveling.

9. Coffee. When Lily wakes up at 5am and won't go back to sleep, it's the only thing that gets me through the day. :()

10. Last, but not least, it's snowing outside and I love the snow.

Sock It To Me Again Questionaire

Dear SITMA Partner,
Here are the answers to my questions. You left a comment asking me to email you, however I don't have your email either. :) You can email me at jessica DOT p AT mx3 DOT com

1. How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced? I've been knitting for several years, I really don't remember when I started exactly. I would say I'm an intermediate knitter. There really isn't any knitting that I won't try.
   
2. How long have you been knitting socks? I've only been knitting socks since last April. I'm not sure what took me so long! I started out with a lace sock and have gone from there.
   
3. What are your favorite fibers to work with? wool, alpaca, silk - anything soft really.
   
4. What is your favorite color? I love blues, greens, reds...
   
5. What are your current WIPs (works in progress)? I'm working on Snowflake fingerless gloves, a recycled silk scarf and a lattice cabled hat. I also have a baby hat that is in time out right now for having the wrong gauge.
   
6. Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.). I am totally in love with Pagewood Farms fingering weight yarn right now. It's beautiful and comes in a huge skein. I also really like Lorna's Laces. I'm open to any colorway... I'm in a bit of a blue/red color rut so I'm open to change. Edited to add - I am currently in love with Rowan yarns. Not necessarily their patterns but I love love love their yarns.
   
7. What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from. I stay away from dark colors if I'm the one doing the knitting. My eyes go kind of crazy knitting with dark colors. That being said, I wear a lot of black and brown.
   
8. What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?) I have a husband, 2 little girls and a cat.
   
9. Name some of your hobbies. Knitting, reading, knitting, baking
   
10. Name some of your favorite movies? I love chick flicks because I rarely get to watch them. It's kid movies or action/adventure most of the time at our house. :)
    
11. Do you like to read? Yes! Right now I'm reading "Eat Pray Love." My little sister has gotten me to read almost all the books her book club has read.
    
12. Do you collect anything? Willow Tree Angels. My 3 year old names them after the people in our family.
    
13. Do you own an iPod or mp3 player? nope. But Hint hint I think that would be a great gift!
    
14. What are your favorite type of knitting needles? I like wooden needles for socks and lace, but Addie turbos for thicker yarns.
    
15. What knitting notion could you not live without? Stitch markers and measuring tape. I never have uninterrupted knitting time so I need all the help I can get.
    
16. Who are some of your favorite designers? Cookie A. I think Cat Bordhi thinks in some loopy backwards wonderful way. Seriously, how does she come up with some of that stuff?
    
17. Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.) No, but I've started intermittently buying Interweave Knit
    
18. When is your birthday? 9/11/77
    
19. Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)? Not yet. I didn't realize Ravelry had a wishlist function yet. Must check that out.
    
20. Do you have a Ravelry ID? knittingupnorth
    
21. If you had a sheep, what would you name it? $Money$
    

I'm Such a Blonde

I'm feeling like a total dork. I just realized that I wrote this post about my new hat I just finished and I posted it to the wrong blog. A sock making blog. Now to be fair, I am subscribed to about 8 blogs. But seriously. Sheesh!

Anyway, here are the details:
It's the Lavendar Lace Beanie from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders. The pattern called for one skein of 131 yds, however, it took a lot less than that. The yarn is worsted weight Naturally Sensation - 70/30 Merino Angora. It's really a bit more subdued in color than this picture - more of a burgundy. I'm totally in love with this yarn. I've bought enough for the recipient of this hat, a extra skein of red for a hat for me, and a skein of purple for a hat for Lily. I'm hoping I'll have enough left over from my skein to also make a hat for Addie. It is some good stuff!

Sweater Weather

"Mom, I am so embarrassed. I can't believe you dressed me in this!"

The temperature has finally dropped to "sweater weather." Officially it's 37 degrees F right now. These are the finished shots of the Cottage Creations' Babies & Bears Sweater. I have almost enough yarn left over that I may do a hat as well - I'll probably need to add a contrasting stripe though to make sure I have enough yarn.

These are the mittens I made to match. Pattern is "Fittin' Mittens." Can you tell which one I did first? Pretty sad! I made the second one slightly larger which seemed to make the thumb go much better. The first thumb was so tiny I had barely picked up the stitches and I was decreasing.

A Yarn Bender

It seems I've been going on a bit of a yarn bender recently. It just occurred to me that I've been buying yarn with the intention of making a lot of Christmas presents. However, I'd better get going if it's going to happen. Also, I'm feeling a bit disorganized about the whole thing. I'll do what I always do when I'm feeling disorganized, I'll make a list. If I'm really on top of things, I'll take pictures and add them in!

Recycled Silk Yarn - 2 skeins - scarf for Mom
Wool/Acrylic blend in pink & brown - Cottage Creations Sweater for Addie
Lace Weight in gray - I don't know... maybe a Secret of the Stole. Maybe something completely different.
Varigated pink fingering weight merino wool, superwash - 437 yds. - I have no idea... perhaps socks for all the girls in the house? It's a ton of yarn in one ball. I had to buy it, it was calling my name. Pink, superwash, who could ask for more?
Red/Orange/Maroon sport weight wool - possibly socks or mittens for my Christmas Around the World Secret Pal
Pagewood Farms Denim - Blue Varigated Fingering Weight - I dunno, I'm thinking fingerless mitts... but I need to find a good pattern.
Pagewood Farms Reds - I think I might make something for myself out of this.
Jaywalkers for D - I need to finish the second sock.
Knitted ornaments - Knitted & Beaded Christmas Ornaments from Leisure Arts - I think I will be whipping up a few of these for my Christmas Around the World Secret Pal.

I also have to fix my nephew's Christmas Stocking. He pulled a loose string and somehow the entire heel came out. I have no idea how that happened!

All that in 2 months! Whoa!

Sock It To Me

Here are some pictures of the socks I made for my SITM pal. I found a model that had the correct size foot!

A fun, in-progess, shot. The socks are Small Capitals from Sensational Knitted Socks, made with Soxx Appeal from Knit One Crochet Too. I really like the pattern. It's toe up which I know makes some people crazy, but I kind of enjoy it. It was a 8 row repeat of 12 stitches so it wasn't until the 2nd sock that I was able to go without following the pattern religiously. The book is fantastic if you don't have it. Each sock has a "recipe" that you can customize to get the right sizing.

Done Baby Done!

One more for the finished pile! This is the Cottage Creations Babies & Bears Sweater. It still needs buttons, but I don't have a needle that's got the right size eye. Crazy, yet true! I also weaved in the ends after taking the pictures - I was just too impatient! The color is slightly off in these pictures. It's a very soft green. The yarn is Rowan Soft Baby. Love it!!

Front

Back

Now if I could only hold Lily still long enough to get this on her! I try to put it on her and she says, "No jacket Momma." Ugh! Wouldn't it be my luck that the child doesn't want the sweater I knit for her?

The Socks Are Done!

The socks for my Sock It To Me pal are finally done. I don't want to post pictures yet until she receives the package - it might be a week or so since it's going to Denmark. I think they turned out pretty well. Someone asked me to review Soxx Appeal yarn from Knit One Crochet Too (the yarn I used for the socks.) I have a bunch of people who will disagree with me on this one, but I really disliked the yarn. I knit very tightly and I had a really hard time getting consistent tension with this yarn. It was just too elastic for me. I also didn't like that the yarn seems to be frizzy in sections where the plies weren't sticking together. That being said, the owner of my LYS is making mittens with Soxx Appeal and 2 strands of cashmere that are just gorgeous. She really likes working with the yarn.


Since I can't show you pictures of the socks yet, here is a picture of the big gray wrap which is coming out of hibernation. :) It's a basic feather and fan pattern made using baby alpaca from Knitpicks.

Poor Little Pumpkin

Forgive the silly formatting issues, I can't get it to fix itself! This picture was taken on Sunday - 2 days after a mega shot of amoxicillin. Believe it or not, she was starting to feel better by this point.

Hi.  As some of you know by now, Lily was in the hospital on Friday
night for a brief stay.  She had been sick with a fever and stomach pain
since Tuesday afternoon.  I brought her into the clinic and the doctor
decided she was too sick to go home.  The doctor initially thought she
was having an appendicitis so he told us to walk over to the hospital
and be admitted.  After a battery of tests and several long hours, she
was diagnosed with strep throat and slight dehydration, given a shot of
antibiotic and sent home.  Lily is feeling much better today, but she is
still very tired and neither of us are sleeping well at night.  (you can
read the whole story on my blog, www.poskozims.blogspot.com )

When we were admitted to the hospital, all I had with me was the
contents of her diaper bag.  I had wipes (no diapers left!), one book
and a change of clothes for Lily.  I didn't have a blanket or any toys
for her; none of the comforts of home.  I've got to think that most
parents are in the same boat when their child is admitted to the
hospital.  The nurses were able to give us the necessities.

I have several handmade blankets that I have been stockpiling to donate
to the Birth Center from the Optimist Club.  I am going to donate them
to the pediatric wing of SMDC instead.  If anyone has blankets that they
would also like to donate, I would be happy to take them over.   My
blankets are knit, however I think they would be happy with any
crocheted, tied or quilted blankets as well.  Any blanket for the kids
to snuggle with when they are not feeling well is appreciated.

I don't want to pressure anyone or make them feel guilty, I just see
this as an area where we can all give back to the community and help
some kids feel better.

Thanks,
Jess

8 Things About Me

I got tagged by KnittyMuggins for this game.

The Rules:
Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I took a sick day to stay home with Lily who was running a temperature today. I put her and Addie in the recliner with some juice and rearranged the furniture in the living room. There wasn't much cuddling going on this morning. I am appalled by the dust bunnies that were living under my couch. I probably won't win Mother of the Year for this one! *edited to add: Go Here to see the whole story about Lily being sick. She's finally feeling better, but we're all wiped out from the experience.

2. I love cookbooks, I read through them like novels. Whenever we go on vacation, I collect a cookbook from that area. I don't need anymore cookbooks. Hmmm... maybe that's why we haven't been on a real vacation in years!

3. I am a compulsive house shopper. I love driving through neighborhoods looking at the houses for sale. I even do this in towns I don't live in nor do I ever plan on living in. I am a realtor's worst nightmare, always shopping - never buying.

4. I cannot sew a straight seem. I'm actually kind of afraid of sewing machines. I'm really afraid that I will get my finger caught under the walking foot and sew my finger by mistake. In 7th grade we had a portion of home ec where we were supposed to make some sort of sewing project. I missed the day where we learned to use the sewing machine and got to practice. I made a small (very small) drawstring bag. I think the teacher had to help me with the drawstring part. Poor Mrs. Bisson, I think I probably failed that portion but she liked me so I passed. (Just for the record, I aced the rest of Home Ec.)

5. My feet are almost always cold. My kids, on the other hand, take after their Daddy and always have toasty warm feet. I can't keep the socks and shoes on those kids!

6. I carry a Hormel Cup of Soup in my knitting bag. This is because I carry my knitting bag with me most places when we are travelling. I know that I can't always find food that is dairy-free for Lily so this is my safety net. If nothing else I will find a microwave somewhere. I suppose I could just put it in the diaper bag, but instead it's in my knitting bag.

7. I am fiercely loyal. I will protect my friends to the end. On the other hand, if you upset me I will bash you to the world. See, for instance, my rant against Gerber. Seriously, I asked them to develop some dairy-free products and they sent me coupons for things that have dairy in them along with a note saying that they develop products based on demand. Well, I'm a consumer and I'm telling you that food allergies in children is at an all time high. Why would you produce products that makes a large number of children seriously ill?! Get with the program folks!

8. I would like to go back to school for nursing. I was a pre-med major in college and I decided to take a year off before taking the MCAT. 7 years later I'm selling advertising for a newspaper company. Don't get me wrong, I like my job - it's just not where I always want to be.

Now I have to tag 8 people. Yikes! This is definitely the hard part. I will tag Darla, D, Kris, Another Jess.. umm... that's all I can think of right now that I think will do this. I will link to them later when I don't have cranky kids hanging on me. :) Or better yet, leave me a comment with a link to your site. I can't link today.... take pity on me.

Look Ma, No Needle!

Not only are these my very first cables, but they are done without a cable needle. I was amazed at how easy cables really are. For some reason they look all hard and complicated. All you do is drop 3 stitches off your left hand needle, knit the next three stitches, then pick up the dropped stitches and knit them like you didn't do anything different. Cool! Kind of like riding a bike, it seems a lot harder than it really is.

The Return of the Blob...

Coming soon to a theater near you... it's The Return of the Blob! Whatever could it be?

Sock It To Me Jackpot

I got my package from Germany in the mail today. The mailman brought it to the house while I was in the shower so I had to go to the post office (not once, but twice!) to pick it up.

First of all, Lily would like to say thank you or "well ome" as she would say, for all the yummy chocolate. She's very happy that you took her not so subtle hint. Please ignore the dirty face and dirty clothes, she just came home from daycare where I swear they roll in dirt. :)

My package had lots and lots of chocolate (The little pieces didn't even make it home). Notice the little hand trying to grab some of the chocolate? My husband is pretty sure Christmas came early this year since there was chocolate covered Kirsch cherries, something he only gets once a year - and the US ones don't normally have the Kirsch in them. Adam's quote is, "dark chocolate and alcohol, how can you go wrong? I don't know this woman, but I sure do like her." There was also a sock blocker key chain, some post-its, a fantastic satchet from Scout's Swag (I want one for every room of my house and one for each car it smells too fantastic to just keep with my yarn!), and beautiful socks.

They are Embossed Leaves from Favorite Socks in Fiber Artist Merino - Marine colorway. Kris did an incredible job on these. The picture doesn't really do them justice. The colorway is beautiful shades of blue with hints of purple and just a touch of green. Kris was an awesome secret pal. She sent me little notes all along the way and was a lot of fun to email. Thanks Kris, you're the best!

I've Been Busy

Even though I've been sticking to my No Knitting Rule - I did cheat a little, I cast off one of the secret items I've been making. However that hardly counts since it was about 30 stitches. I finished the phase where all you think about is your addiction. I think I am almost over the shaking hands part of withdrawl. I did carry my knitting bag with me all weekend *just in case*. I guess I am truly a junkie. But I can quit anytime. ;)

KnittyMuggins sent me a neat link (sorry the link to the tutorial is at work and I am at home) to make your own Sock Blockers. This afternoon while the girls were sleeping (prime knitting time at my house) I worked on the blockers.

I found 2 kids placemats at Target for $1.99 each. Only one is needed for a pair unless you have absolutely huge feet. My husband has size 12's and one placemat worked for his. I wanted to make a large (husbandish size) and a smaller (me and most of my family) size. I traced a sock onto white drawing paper - good thing I have all the art supplies from the kids. I cut out the paper socks and taped them onto the placemats.

I feel that I should add that the placemats I used were the thick foamy type with the plasticized front. I think the tutorial called for the thin type that are basically laminated - although I could be wrong on this. I think the foamy ones will hold up just fine, perhaps even better than the laminated ones.

Next, I cut out the feet. I added an extra bit of length to each because I wanted the tops to stick out and to be kind of decorative. I wasn't very scientific about the whole thing, my feet cutouts are not exactly the same and if I were to do it again I would add extra width to the ankle/leg instead of keeping them straight all the way up the leg. Otherwise, I think these will do just fine and are pretty cute.

The man blockers.
The girly ones. These are slightly thicker at the cankle because I learned my lesson on the first ones. I also should add that my husband (because he's better at finishing details than I am) took some light sandpaper to the edges to smooth everything out. Now the socks just slip right on the blockers.

No Knits for You, One Week.

My husband has declared that I must not knit for one week to see if that will help my hand feel better. My wrist/lower arm has been sore for about a week now - I'm not sure if it's a pre-arthritis thing, a repetitive stress injury, or just a goofy it's been raining for 2 weeks straight and everyones bones ache sort of thing. I tried to argue that typing and using the mouse at work aggravated my wrist just as much as typing, but he seems to think that I need to keep my job. :) Darn, I'd much rather have all that time to knit! So I'm using ibuprofen/aleve and seeing if that will help the pain and icing at night. It's not like it's agonizing pain, it just is achy whenever I move my fingers or wrist. It's just annoying!

So, my Sock It To Me socks will have to wait a little bit. I am so sorry that I will not have them to you in time. I feel horrible about it. You will get them though, I promise.

One More Thing...

Does anyone have any good recommendations for Sock Blockers? Do they work? Are they just for show? What are your thoughts? I know I could just bend a wire hanger to my will, but I feel like splurging just a bit.

For my non-knitters - a sock blocker is a flat piece of wood or plastic that is shaped like a foot. When you wash a hand-knit sock, you put it on the blocker to dry & to retain the "foot shape."

Bad Blogger, No Yarn for You!

OK, I can't believe everyone let me slack and not blog for over a week! It must have been the incredibly cute picture of Lily signing "more" that diverted everyone's attention.

I have been knitting some super secret projects right now. Do you want hints? Well... it may include some of this....
And some cool Koigu. (although not together). And without the red beads you see here.
And it will be made in very small sizes. That's all I'll say because a certain somebody reads this blog.

Dear SITM Pal

Dear SITM Pal,
My name is Lily. I am almost 18 months old and fluent in babytalk and some basic sign language. You can see me in the above photo signing "more" as I say "please" (it comes out peeese). It has been said that this signing/talking combination has been known to melt more than one heart. You may also notice that I have a ring of chocolate around my mouth. It is the Laderach Edelbitter Chocolate 70% that you sent my Mommy. This is some of the first chocolate my Mommy has let me have as I am allergic to dairy. My tummy gets very upset and I get a nasty diaper rash (the likes of which you never want to see or experience!) if I eat chocolate. However, the Laderach was the best chocolate ever! Thank you so much for sending it to her.

Would it be possible to send my Mommy more of this chocolate (it's the long skinny one with gold foil if that helps)? She keeps it in the cabinet and just eats a little bit at a time. It keeps her happy. And we all know, a happy Mommy is a happy kid!

Sincerely,
Lily

P.S. It is my fondest desire to learn to knit someday. My Mommy says she will teach my older sister and I when we turn 6. Until then, I practice by taking Mommy's knitting and running across the room with it. I have also been known to compete in speed trials by seeing how fast I can unravel a skein of yarn. I believe I am the world champion to date.

P.S.S. I hope your boys enjoyed their first weeks at kindergarten!

Shhh... Don't tell...

I finished Sock #1 for my Sock It To Me person last night at Knit Night. Luckily there was someone there who had the same size foot as my downline swapee.

Christmas Around the World Knitters Swap

Yep, I joined another swap. I just can't help it, they all look so fun!

1. Are you religious? Yes, I'm Catholic but not good at attending mass.
   
2. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider yourself a Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced? I've been knitting about 5 years, give or take. I'd say I'm an intermediate knitter. I like trying new things and can almost always figure out the pattern.
   
3. Do you have any other hobbies besides knitting? Scrapbooking, reading, cooking (I love to cook and Christmas is such a great time to go overboard!)
   
4. Favorite color(s)? Blues, greens, earth tones, nothing too wild.
   
5. Do you collect anything? Willow Tree angels
   
6. Are you allergic to any fibers or animals? acrylic! ;)
   
7. Do you have any pets? A cat named Agamemnon
   
8. Coffee, Tea, or Hot Chocolate? Coffee - the nectar of the Gods. I love all coffee, but there is a special place in my heart for Dunkin' Donuts. Unfortunately the closest DD is in Chicago, 8 hours away.
   
9. Cookies or Sweets? Both! My youngest daughter is allergic to dairy, so I'm not sure how I'm going to bake cookies this year. I'm going to do some experimenting with non-dairy margarines and dairy free chocolates. I try very hard to limit the amount of dairy we have in the house.
   
10. Do you knit socks? Yes. That's about all I've knit lately.
    
11. If not socks then what? (tell us about your favorite knits) I love knitting baby items. I desperately want to do a EZ Baby Surprise Jacket but I don't have the pattern yet. Otherwise I knit a lot of hats for my girls and to donate to the hospital nurseries.
    
12. Do you put up a Christmas tree? If not then what do you do? We have 2 fake trees that I put up - one is a hodgepodge of decorations, the other is a cream and gold Victorian tree.
    
13. Favorite holiday treats? Lefse, Krumekakka, rosettes, all the Scandinavian cookies my grandma makes.
    
14. Favorite holiday smells? Pine, cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg.
    
15. Do you celebrate Christmas in a traditional or unconventional way? Please elaborate. We are very traditional. We have an advent calendar for the girls that is little socks (not hand knit yet) with numbered clothes pins. I put a little something in each one for them to open on the appointed day. We usually celebrate with our extended families on the holiday depending upon my husband's work schedule.
    
16. What are your favorite holiday traditions? Baking cookies. Making lefse with my Grandma (new tradition). Waking up first thing on Christmas morning and opening the stockings.
    
17. Finish the sentence: “For me Christmas is all about....” Spending time with my family.
    
18. If you were a Christmas ornament you would be…….? a hand knit Christmas stocking - is that too predictable?
    
19. What was your favorite gift you've ever received? Or given? We found out I was pregnant with my oldest child right before Christmas. We gave each of our parents a little gift to open early - they were bibs that said, "I love Grandma/Grandpa"
    
20. When do you start your Christmas? I do not start anything (except lefse, that gets made in November usually) until the 1st of December. I believe in letting Thanksgiving pass before starting a new holiday. I do, however, shop all year round.
    
21. Do you send Christmas cards? Do you make them or buy them? I generally buy the ones that have an opening for a family picture in it.
    
22. What is your favorite Christmas dish? turkey and stuffing.
    
23. Carolers are at your door. What do you do? enjoy the fact that someone can actually carry a tune!
    
24. When do you open presents? Christmas eve or Christmas morning? Depends on where we are. The bulk of the presents always get opened on Christmas morning unless we are at my in-laws.
    
25. Do you celebrate with family or friends or both? Mostly family.
    

I Swear....

I swear I'm knitting. I'm working on my Sock It To Me socks. It's toe up and I'm almost past the gusset on the first sock. This is taking me an incredibly long time but I promise they will get done. I actually got to work on the socks a lot this weekend at the cabin. Adam and his friend Chris spent a lot of time playing with the girls and I got about a half hour of completely uninterrupted knitting time while they were napping and my spaghetti sauce was bubbling on the stove.

I did take some sock pictures, but I'm hesitant to put them up in case my SITM pal knows who I am now. It does me no good to try on the socks myself, my pal has much longer feet than I do. I just have to hope that the yarn has enough stretch to cover any sizing issues.

So here's some yarn to drool over. It's Wool in the Woods, in unknown (Royal Jubilee or something like that) colorway.

You've Got Mail!

My Sock It To Me Package arrived!! The girls were very excited to help me open up a package I received from Germany. It distracted them from wanting to go outside into a brewing thunderstorm. :) It was full of fantastic dark chocolate, some scents for tea lights, a notebook, some pretty tissues (how did you know I have a snuffly nose?), and wonderful yarn.
The girls were very excited about the chocolate. Lily kept saying, "Some?" "Treat?" I was very excited to see that because the chocolate is very dark and because Europe has wonderful chocolate laws (or guidelines or something like that) that Lily can actually eat it. The chocolate doesn't have any milk in it! Yahoo! So Lily got to sample her first European chocolate (probably her 2nd taste of chocolate ever). I can safely say that she is hooked. I've got a picture of her with chocolate running down her face, but am having trouble rotating it - silly computer.

And this. Lots of sock yarn! Beautiful sock yarn. Two skeins of Regia in a beautiful muted blues and greens and one of Wollmeise Sockenwolle in brilliant blues. Both German sock yarns, I'm such a fan of buying what you can get locally - this is awesome. Although I've seen the Regia (not this colorway though, and I've never bought any) I've never seen the Sockenwolle up close. It is very pretty. Thank you knittergrrl!

One Sweet Deal

Wanted: Babysitter for 2 little girls
Will Trade: Hand knitted socks (see photo)


Thanks D, you're the best! I'm not sure which one of us gets the better deal, but I think we both win. See, crazy things happen at Knit Night. We talk about making chocolate orange port, drink a little of said port, swap socks for babysitting.... imagine the things you miss if you're not there!