Garden of Color

Every sweater needs a matching hat

2008-07-24T05:29:00.000-07:00

This hat is a cross between the marley hat in Itty Bitty Hats and the Tulip sweater pattern from Dream in Color. I still have a lot of yarn left and am accessorizing away.

Back to blogging

2008-07-24T05:26:00.000-07:00

When insight was bought out by comcastic, I ran into some technical difficulties. I think I'm all sorted out now and can blog again. The sweater is the Dream in Color Tulips baby sweater. I knit it out of Bunny Hop from Crystal Palace and I love it!

too cute!

2008-07-24T05:24:00.000-07:00

Random Projects

2008-06-06T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some random projectss that I have been working on. There are two sideways sockyarn baby sweaters, and two pairs of baby socks. I've been knitting as much as possible, but haven't had much time for blogging. I'm still adjusting to being a mom of six.

More modeling

2008-05-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

Modeling all this knitwear is hard work!

2008-05-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

I have been knitting!

2008-05-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is a baby dale sweater, not knit to gauge. It's topped off with the Upside Down Daisy Hat from Itty Bitty Baby Hats.

Still alive, barely

2008-02-12T14:34:00.000-08:00

All 7 of us have a nasty respiratory bug that is going around. This is day 8 for me. The first two days I was too sick to knit. Day three I was able to knit 1-2 rows on a sock before I had to take a nap. Things have been steadily improving and now I am able to knit quite a bit. The hat is from Itty-Bitty Baby Hats. I used sublime yarn to match the Lily the Pink sweater I finished a while back. I also finished the baby ull socks for my 3 year old.

4 years later...

2008-02-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

they're finished. This was my first February goal.

Showing Off!

2008-01-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

These are my "Little Coriolis - your second learning sock" from Cat Bordhi's new book, "New Pathways for Sock Knitters." I originally had no interest in this book. I have a sock recipe for each member of my family who I knit socks for. It's taken a while to get it down so everyone's socks fit properly. A customer at the Yarn Shop that I teach at wanted someone to run a knitalong for this book. I choked on the price of the book, but eventually caved and bought it. Since then, I have had the best time knitting the first two socks. I've sucked in another friend who has had an equally good time. These socks are addictive. The downside is that one does have to read the directions, taking the mindless bit out of knitting socks. If I did one sock multiple times, I think that I would hit the mindless knitting phase with these patterns also. The instructions are well written, and there are videos on Cat Bordhi's website to nurse you through the first sock. I only had one problem on the first sock that I had to check the videos to clarify.

Exceeded Expectations

2008-01-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

First Up: Modified Dublin Bay Socks for mom knit out of Great Adirondack sock yarn with silk in it.

Next up, Noro for me!

bonus January knitting: Size 10 Children's sock out of Opal 6 ply. I can get one ladies size 8 pair and one children's size 10 pair out of one 150g ball.

January Goals Met!

2008-01-27T18:14:00.000-08:00

I'll have to take some pictures. I'm now pondering my February Goals. How long do you have to own yarn for it to be considered "knitting from the stash?"

Finished objects!

2008-01-20T20:03:00.000-08:00

Lily the Pink from Sublime made with Sublime yarn and a lot of modifications. This pattern needed a lot of help. The moral here is think before you knit. The shaped shoulders (shaped with cast-off stitches) and shaped back do not sew up well. I wasn't smart enough to figure that out in advance. I should have reknit, but was too lazy. The shoulders have a seriously deep seam allowance. I woke up on the sleeves and instead of casting off two stitches something like 12 times, I did decreases every row to make a nice gentle slope that was much easier to sew in. I also changed a lot of the decreases so that they sloped the proper direction.

A back shot of the sublime baby sweater.

Little Sky Sock from Cat Bordhi's New Pathways for Sock Knitters. I had the best time knitting these socks and remain totally proud of them.

Another FO!

2008-01-14T22:24:00.000-08:00

I just finished the Valentine Socks. I'll post pictures later. I'm looking at the rest of my January Goals and how many days are left in the month. Realistically speaking, it doesn't look good. I still only have 1 noro sock finished and it's mate is cast on and I think the ribbing is completed. Mom's first sock has about 3" left and it's mate is a mere glimmer in my eye. The Sublime baby sweater is coming along with many pattern alterations which have involved some ripping. I'm almost through the second sleeve. I then have to block it, sew it up, pick-up the neck band and knit the cute little frill. I'm guessing it will take a couple of tries on the neck band, sewing up and the frill. If the children cooperate, I might get it all done. I'm already starting to think about Feb. goals.

Socks from Stash Club

2008-01-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

I just found this knitalong on the 2008 knitalong site and it looked like a good idea. Knitting stash sock yarn is one of my many knitting New Year's Resolutions. I've actually finished one pair of socks from stash yarn and I'm working on a second for the New Year. I'll post pictures later.

Not so good pictures of what is in my knitting bag...

2008-01-08T17:24:00.000-08:00

These are all the items that I am carrying around with me and working on diligently. Well, most of them anyway. I hope to come up with 3 pairs of finished socks and one finished baby sweater by the end of the month. I already have a pair of felted children's slippers knit, I just need to find my pillowcase to felt them.

First FO of 08

2008-01-08T17:21:00.000-08:00

Socks for my mom. I finished them on New Year's Day. It's true, they were a Christmas Present and should have been finished sooner. But, they are done now and I am pleased.

Christmas Gifts Continue...

2007-12-21T07:41:00.001-08:00

We are making two of these. A LOT of MISTAKES have been made, slowing down the process and resulting in very little sleep. I think Grandma would notice if a whole row was on upside down.

Yes, I do still knit

2007-12-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

The plain colored are Shi Bui dk baby alpaca and the self-striping are Opal 6 ply. If I am disciplined, I can knit a pair in 4 days.

A distractor

2007-12-11T21:48:00.000-08:00

The Christmas knitting continues and we wouldn't want any spoilers. Pictures after the holiday. In the meantime, enjoy some "Snowman Soup" and stay warm. The stamps are from Stampin Up.

Christmas Treats all in a Row

2007-11-23T08:56:00.000-08:00

Christmas Candle

2007-11-23T08:55:00.000-08:00

Treat Boxes

2007-11-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Bunco on Thursday night with my Stampin Up friends. It's my turn to "host" a party so I'll be giving out treats and possibly some door prizes. These will be filled with hersheys kisses in cello bags with a ribbon. I'll probably post a picture of them when they are finished.

Holiday preperations

2007-10-30T13:45:00.000-07:00

These are a few of the things I've been working on for the holidays. We made over a hundred of the little pumpkins. Each one has 4 hersheys kisses in it. They've been a huge hit with children and adults alike. I've just started making Christmas cards.

Needleworks Ebay Store

2007-09-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

Overstock from my favorite knit shop is now available in an Ebay store. Click on the title to look around.

Open House at Needleworks in Champaign - Urbana

2007-09-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Fall Open House is September 28, 29, and 30
There will be trunk shows (from Shibui, Classic Elite, and Joy's Needlepoint), door prizes, special discounts, and refreshments! Friday and Saturday the shop will open during our normal hours (9:30am to 5:00pm), but on Sunday, the hours are 9:30am to 4:00pm for the one Sunday a year we are open.

Remembered my password!

2007-09-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

It's been such a long time since I blogged, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to. The pictures are from a shower last weekend. I made the treat bags for the guests. I used Stampin Up products. The stamp sets are Delight in Life and Doodle That. Both are retired. The sweater is the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise in Laines Du Nord Baby Star. There is nothing like a good superwash merino for baby knitting.

More Cards

2007-08-19T06:07:00.000-07:00

I taught Magic Loop Socks yesterday. I made each member of the class one of the sock cards. My handwriting is not so good, but other than that, I thought they were pretty cute.

End of the semester treat bags

2007-08-16T20:01:00.000-07:00

that I handed out to my beginning knitting students. They have a retractable measuring tape and stitch markers in them.

Long time no blog

2007-08-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

It's been very busy around here lately. I'll try and catch up soon. I am still knitting. One of my students made me this really nifty shirt and gave it to me at our last day of class party.

More stampin up

2007-07-25T10:12:00.000-07:00

I really do still knit. I'm working on a circular shawl class right now and the plain old boring vanilla sweater continues.
The cards are made using the stampin up sets Hedgehog Happiness and Delight in Life.

Hedgehog Happiness from Stampin Up

2007-06-30T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is a card my friend, Theresa, made this weekend. We've been quite enjoying the papercrafts. I chose to post this picture instead of my sweater progress. My sweater is a plain vanilla stockinette cardigan. There's not much interest there visually. Today I picked up my Lucy Neatby Sock Essentials 1 & 2 knitting videos. I'm quite excited. I'm sure that after I watch these, I will be a supreme sock knitter. Those socks should just flow off my needles and I'll be a much better teacher too. Well, back to nursing a sick toddler.

More stampin

2007-06-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

It's a birthday gift.

Stampin Up

2007-06-26T07:08:00.000-07:00

I helped my friend, Theresa, make these shower invitations. I've been going to Stampin Up parties with the nice people I worked with on the fundraiser for the baby on the ventilator. The knitting related bit is that I am waiting for a stamp set that has knitting needles and yarn in it. I'm so excited about my wee ball of yarn stamper.

2007-06-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

Almost a ripe tomato!

2007-06-26T07:05:00.000-07:00

This gives a clue that there has been limited knitting. I've been under the weather and had to have some icky medical tests and spend lots of time at the clinic, the ER, and even GI lab. Things seem to be sorting out. My plain vanilla sweater is coming along. Less than 3" to the ribbing.

Been Gardening

2007-05-31T08:35:00.000-07:00

My flower pots are all lined up and filled for the summer. I put some purple dragon in the flower garden and peppers and tomatoes in the vegetable garden.
I have been knitting, but it is literally a plain vanilla stockinette stitch cardigan sweater. One can't appreciate this sweater without feeling it. The yarn is called sublime and it is really soft. It has a touch of cashmere in it. I'm also playing around with some Boku double stranded to make a bag.

Still here

2007-04-28T19:22:00.000-07:00

I taught magic loop this morning and it went fantastic. The two hours flew by and we all had a bit of a sock completed by the end. I tried out the new addi lace needles and quite liked the tip. I was working with tofutsies (sp?) for the first time. I had to rip because my usual number of stitches looked a bit small. I use lots and lots of wool and had to accomodate the lack of stretch.

In other news, my latest STR sock kit came and I love the yarn. The color is much better this time and it is a new STR that has silk in it and it is very soft. Unfortunately, I'm still working on the last sock kit. I'm falling way behind.

Dear Kate,

2007-04-25T14:23:00.000-07:00

The scarf you knit for the silent auction is lovely. What's that, where is the picture? It's coming soon. I'm off tonight to Peg's to work on packaging up gift baskets and taking pictures. In the last 24 hours I have typed in no less than 191 auction item entries. I then updated the excel spreadsheet to show the total of retail value auction items is 7,533.12 and the amount in retail value of door prizes is 292.00. I've managed to keep all five children alive, even after Noah stole Caleb's cinnamon roll from Panerra. I did replace the swings (took all 5 children to Home Depot) and Abby hung them. I think there were 5 other errangs in there including stopping by the shop to buy some needles yesterday. I'm itching to visit my lace knitting, but I suppose I should cook the children dinner before I go back to work on the auction.
Love,
Kara

The auction committee relaxing after another tough day fundraising

2007-04-15T22:11:00.000-07:00

Well, not much knitting time. A fellow knitter has a little baby at home on a ventilator. He was born premature with birth defect. So, since having 5 children and homeschooling wasn't enough to keep me busy. I decided to have a HUGE fundraising event. We are having a silent auction, craft sale, bake sale, children's games, refreshments kind of fundraiser. The above fellow was donated by Dallas & Co. Until this afternoon, I didn't fully appreciate his potential. I had taken a picture of him last week and the lighting wasn't good. So one of my partners in crime, Peg, suggested a reshoot. When Peg and her husband put him in the lawn chair, I took one look at him and said, "He needs a beer!" The couple said they had said the same thing. So, John went and got a beer. This tiger is growing on me, but he is not, let me repeat, NOT, coming home to live with my five children! He takes up more room than the three youngest.

Easter at the Cake Artist Studio

2007-04-09T10:46:00.000-07:00

The Cake Artist Studio donated a gift certificate for the auction. Here are my Easter purchases from there. They were really good!

Highland Thistle Scarf

2007-04-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

Kathy in the comments asked for a picture of a highland thistle scarf. These are all the same pattern made from Highland Thistle from Hobby Lobby.

Attention Midwest Knitters!

2007-04-03T10:01:00.000-07:00

It is now time to get out your "storm siren knitting." This year I am going to put together a kit for when I'm in the basement bathroom listening to yet another storm rip off yet another storm door. I had no idea the name "storm door" comes from the fact that the storm takes the door and then you have to buy another. I have less than an hour to decide what this year's project will be. I plan never to be trapped in the bathroom with 5 kids and no knitting again.

An FO!

2007-04-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

This took a bit longer than I thought. It's the Panes Bag from Bloomin' Knitiot. I'm going to try really hard and line it with pockets.

On a sadder note, the quilt my husband and I made together before we were married 15 years ago did not survive Mr Washy today. It has been well loved for the last year by our toddler. The binding has disintegrated and the batting is escaping. Grandma is going to try and salvage what she can.

On an even sadder note, the little boy who lived next door to us in family housing died recently. He was Pakistani. He was actually 23 when he died, but he was 12 when we knew him. The family had sent him home after 9/11. The family was concerned for their sons' safety because of the anti-muslim sentiment in the US after 9/11.He hadn't lived in Pakistan since he was quite
small and had to learn the language and everything. The mother had planned on joining the two sons in a couple of weeks but found out she had breast cancer. She remained in the US for treatment with her two other children. The young man was just getting ready to come back here to his family after many years seperation.

Barely knitting

2007-03-27T14:33:00.000-07:00

All my time is consumed by my family and the fundraiser that I am chairing. I cannot tell you how many businesses that I have called. Most small businesses say yes. Most chains say no. I need to go to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target etc and fill out forms. I also have a list of places to fax. I know that Walmart and Sam's give to local causes. I will seriously consider whether or not to shop at a business that says no to all local fundraising. That includes a lot of places at the local mall and the factory outlet mall I drive to regularly that is 20 minutes from town.

Well back to the unhappy teething baby. The family is starting to refer to him as Sunny. Sunny is a character in a Serious of Unfortunate Events.

What I suffer through!!

2007-03-21T19:33:00.000-07:00

One six+ month baby boy stuffed (literally!) into a newborn baby girl hat to see how it will look. It's not easy being the child of an avid knitter.

View from Above

2007-03-21T19:28:00.000-07:00

This is the super cute upside-down daisy hat from Itty-BittyHats by Susan B Anderson. It's the newborn size. I was onlyable to fit 5 petals on the top. The pattern called for six.The yarn is Shepherd "Colour 4 Me" in natural #1865, Pink#4953, Baby Pink #2008, and light green #4952. I used additurbo size 6 12" circs and bryspun size 6 dpns.

I want it all!

2007-03-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

I"m having a little trouble with wanting to buy all the new knitting books that are coming out. I will definitely buy the Yarn Harlot's new book. She entertains me every time I read her blog. The least I can do is purchase her book so that she can afford to keep working from home and entertaining me. I also read Alison's Blue Blog and have joined her holiday knitalong the last two years. She's coming out with the book Charmed Knits real soon. Then there's the book More Sensational Knitted Socks that should be out this month. If I don't buy this one, I won't have a complete set! This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many books coming out that I want to own. Then, there's the stuff that is already out that I feel the need to buy like Knit Fix and Lucy Neatby's DVD series. I need to join a support group, I'm obviously over the top with my knit buying obsession, especially since I don't have a job. My husband has informed me that teaching at my LYS is not a job. It is hanging out at the knit shop, and I should call it what it is and it IS going to cost him more money! He's probably right.

Yes, it's a knitting picture!

2007-03-13T14:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a bit busy here. I'm working on the fundraiser and
getting ready to teach classes. This is the panes bag I've been
working on. You can buy the pattern here in the sidebar.
The bottom was a bit dull, but the sides are quite fun.

I'm hoping to start my Rockin' Sockin' Club socks today also.
I've given myself the day off teaching as I took two kids to health
care appointments. The news was not encouraging at the
hematologist so we'll try something different for the next three
months with meds and see if there is any improvement.
Bleeding disorders are a drag. That visit was for the oldest son.
The youngest son saw the dr. yesterday and he's not gaining
weight well. The good news is that he's got my metabolism and
will be able to eat everything in sight and stay skinny. The bad
news is that it's a battle to get enough calories in him.This has
led me to retreat with my knitting needles. I'll return to life tomorrow.

It came!

2007-03-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

My first kit from the Rockin Sock Club. I was so excited that I got out the swift and ball winder before I even took a picture. Maybe I can cast on later.

In other knitting news, I'm going to teach a few knitting classes at my lys. If anyone signs up, that is. I'm hoping to teach a Sat magic loop class and a Thurs. night beginning knitting class.

I'll post pictures later!

For DeFeets of Cuteness

2007-03-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

It's possible that I've put in a bit more of the baby than
I was supposed to for the contest over at JenLa's. These
were the only feet pictures I had. This was a couple of
weeks ago when the amazing toe/feet discovery was made.

Squash -- Not a favorite

2007-03-02T06:10:00.000-08:00

The paper is in splendid from the Shabby Princess. It's free and you can find it here The alphabet tags are also from the Shabby Princess. They are from the Spring Breeze kit which is free also.

New Teeth!

2007-02-28T14:10:00.000-08:00

Since I have no knitting pictures, I will substitute digital
scrapbooking pictures. The digital papers and elements are
"retro robot" by Leah Riordan. I purchased it for the bargain
price of $1 at Oscraps.com. You can find her blog here.
The program I use to put this together is called
LumaPix photofusion. Although I have the new version for free,
this was completed in the old version because I'm still
tinkering with the new one. I don't do upgrade well.

8 rows to go

2007-02-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

I have 8 rows to get to the increases on the EZ baby surplice sweater I am working on. Nothing like a little garter stitch therapy when things are going south. In order to encourage myself to get this sweater finished I refuse to post a picture until I get to those increases. Maybe tomorrow.

Non-knitting picture

2007-02-24T19:54:00.000-08:00

My husband and I did this today for thank you notes for the big fundraiser we are working on together.

Well, still no pictures

2007-02-24T19:31:00.000-08:00

I'm knitting an Elizabeth Zimmerman baby surplice out of Laines du Nord Baby Doll in a blue and white color. I thought the part up to the increases would take 3 days. It's been a lot more than three days and I have something like 28 more rows to go to get to the increases. I need to knit faster. I am using addi turbos, you'd think it would just fly off the needles. I think the five kids slow me down. Well, then there is the giant fundraiser I'm working on too. The raffle that I did ended today. The winner is donated his winnings back into the trust fund for the baby. This makes me enormously happy. When I called the gentleman and told him he won he told me I'd better talk to his wife. He handed her the phone and she said that he'd never won anything before and of course he would be donating the money to the baby. The poor guy never had a chance. It reminded me of my husband and I. I called the couple back and asked if the husband could eat baked goods and his wife said he could. I offered to have my husband bake him something. A cherry pie was settled on and I feel much better now.

What I've been doing lately...

2007-02-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

Working on Bo's Fundraiser. I've been blogging
and making calls. I've sold a few raffle tickets,
made a lot of calls and even some new friends.
I've met Cindy and she is amazing! She can
keep up with me and she's super nice. Do you
think she knits? I haven't asked her yet. I
finally met her yesterday after numerous phone
calls. She is co-chairing this huge fundraiser with
me. I no longer feel so alone. I'm going to go knit
a bit on Sam's sweater.

Too tired for pictures

2007-02-18T20:34:00.000-08:00

I'm splitting my blogging time between here and the fundraiser for Bo. I finished a Baby Surprise Jacket except for the sewing up and the sleeves. I've started a baby surplice for my littlest person. Maybe I'll snap some photos tomorrow.

The Walker Treasury Project

2007-02-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

I was looking for podcasts to listen to while I'm "enjoying" - ha ha ha, a wicked winter cold. On one of the podcast sights I found out about the Walker Treasury Project. To me, this is very exciting. Despite my mother of five not working status, I've managed to collect three of these books. I'm going to look through the books this weekend and find some patterns to knit and join.

2007-02-14T17:26:00.000-08:00

I think this drift can stay til spring thaw

View from the 2nd story

2007-02-14T17:24:00.000-08:00

So much for snow days

2007-02-14T17:23:00.000-08:00

I thought snow days meant I could
snuggle up & knit & knit. Instead,
I shoveled, shoveled & shoveled
somemore. My two year old needed
to goto urgent care for an ear infection.
He has Bells Palsy from ear infections
so we have to be on it. My husband
braved the maybe they're open county
roads, then again maybe they're not.
The sheriff's office couldn't even tell
me if they were clear. They made it
safely there & back. In the mean time
the county came & plowed us in soI
had to shovel some more.
MaybeI can knit tonight.

Shopping

2007-02-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

I picked this Nashua wooly stripes up to make
a calorimetry to match my coat. It's on top of my
current Baby Surprise Jacket for the knitalong
I'm working on. I'm on Day 4. Underneath the
pile is the Baby Surplice in for repairs again. Kate
fixed it at knit night on Thursday and then it was
eaten again this morning. I picked up another ball
of yarn to reknit the cuffs. These cuffs are proving
mighty expensive.

Yes, I ate my sweater

2007-02-08T11:39:00.000-08:00

The first time I wore it, I ate it.
It's The Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby
Surplice sweater that my mommy
made me while she was pregnant.
She put the buttons on last night
and sewed in the ends. It was a
beautiful fit and a yummy color.
I couldn't resist. Do you think Miss Kate
can help mommy fix it at knit night
so I can eat it again tomorrow?

Cute puppy button. I can't reach him yet to eat him.

The damages

It's too stinking cold...

2007-02-07T15:44:00.000-08:00

to go out to the garage to get into my stash. With the arrival of the fifth child the stash was relegated to rubbermaid in the garage. It's below freezing right now in the garage. I want to start a Baby Surprise Jacket for the knitalong, but I have to work up the energy to go freeze in the stash. I wish my LYS made deliveries.

Fat Hat from Hip Knits

2007-02-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

The two year old has decided he quite likes his big sister's hat. I guess I'll have to get some yarn and make him his own. This is Fat Hat II. Fat Hat the first has disappeared and it is wicked cold in Illinois right now.

Fat hat from the back

2007-02-06T18:48:00.000-08:00

2007-02-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Raising Money for Bo

2007-02-05T13:30:00.000-08:00

I'm raising money for a friend. Her son is at home on a ventilator. He spent 265 days in the hospital and the family's need is great. You can click on the title to read Bo's story.

Calorimetry

2007-02-05T13:05:00.000-08:00

I made this from Mexico on Friday and Saturday. I had to have it finished to keep my daughter's ears warm for Sunday school. I'm sure that if I didn't have five kids I could have knit it in one day. Anyway, I did four less short rows. This led to a slight miss match. If you want to make it narrower, I'm guessing you need to knit an odd number of short rows. I've made a mental note to self. Next one I knit, I'm going to knit it on smaller needles. I'm sure it would be fine in most parts of the country, but it's -18 here today with the wind chill. Double knit probably wouldn't keep one's ears warm today. Since this cold spell is continuing, I'm now knitting wool hats. Maybe I'll have another FO tomorrow.
The color is a bit washed out. I'm still on the learning curve with the camera of my dreams. We'll see if it is still the camera of my dreams next week. The button is an antique mother of pearl from my grandmother's button bin.

A new camera

2007-02-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

This is going to take some practice! Apparently, if you're too close, the pale skin + the flash = casper pictures.

Spring Cleaning...Early

2007-02-01T15:26:00.000-08:00

I just worked on this poor neglected blog. I went through all the links and deleted anything that wasn't working. Now, if I just had the time to knit, or even do anything crafty at all I could blog some. I'm still in the adjusting phase to being a mom of five as opposed to a mom of four. I'm sure sometime in the near future I'll start making it to places on time and be organized enough to take some knitting with me to appointments.

This little guy will be 5 this week!

2007-01-19T14:59:00.000-08:00

How does the time go so quickly? I'm finally knitting again. I'm working on Norberta from knitty for his birthday. I'm using lime and purple. My knitting will probably shrink back to nothing again, as I need to work on a fundraiser for a family in need.

Cropped til we dropped

2007-01-08T10:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I drove 75 minutes to scrapbook for 6 hours and then drove the 75 minutes back. My mother, mother-in-law and I cropped 20 pages for 8 albums last night. We're getting together in two weeks to glue, embellish and journal. These are memory books for my father-in-laws four children, wife and 3 sisters.

Still no knitting

2007-01-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

This year both of my children's grandfathers passed away. I've been strolling down memory lane and doing some digital scrapbooking along the way. I think Walgreens is a bit sick of putting my negatives on disc. I made this New Year's Day. Before I had five kids to keep track of I used to torture my family with Christmas head gear.

Even Christmas Has Challenging Moments

2006-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

When I was trying to take the children's Christmas pictures, the 2nd youngest accidently kicked the 3rd youngest in the head. There are no good pictures of all 5 kids together. I can always try again next year.

Remembering

2006-12-30T14:55:00.000-08:00

On the 16th my father-in-law passed away. Between the out-of-town funeral and the preceding illness, knitting was slim this holiday season. My brother-in-law had found a collage program that was downloadable for about $40. I used it to make this collage of my father-in-law. Inside my husband wrote something beautiful and used his own artwork to embellish. It was a very personalized funeral which makes it more meaningful, I think.

The top middle picture is of my father-in-law enjoying a barbie tea party with my daughter and his youngest daughter. It's one of my favorite pictures of him.

Finished Gifts

2006-11-14T05:57:00.000-08:00

This is a bad picture of some finished gifts.

Christmas in full swing

2006-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:00

Christmas Craft Zone

2006-10-12T13:17:00.000-07:00

I helped the kids make memory wire bracelets. They are making them for family members for Christmas. For the older two, I just have to cut the wire and twist the ends for them. The four year old takes a lot more help to finish a bracelet. After much experimenting, I've found that the only memory wire that works well without a cancer/birth defect warning on it is from the Darice company. It also happens to be the cheapest. The other brands make the bracelets too tight for even my tiny wrist. So far, I've only found the Darice at Prairie Gardens (Jeffrey Alans) and JoAnn Fabrics. It's regular price is 99 cents and it is on sale or 69 cents at JoAnn's right now. It will make atleast 4 bracelets per package.

Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sport

2006-10-01T08:49:00.000-07:00

This is a super soft sweater that I made a while back. I rolled the sleeves up so that the little guy can wear it now. I think the sweaters turn out softer that are knit as opposed to in garter stitch.

Back to my regularly scheduled blog...

2006-09-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

Since I last blogged, I've finished a snowflake sweater for my husband, 2 hats for the latest member of the family, and 2/3 of a sweater for my four year old. I've also picked up some unfinished leg warmers from last winter. I'm trying not to think about the Christmas knitting. I have four and third Snowflake sweaters to go for family pictures.

Top down hat

2006-09-25T19:01:00.000-07:00

This hat is made from Sock it to me Esprit from Elann. I used a hat pattern from Knit Hats!

Pumpkin Hat

2006-09-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

This is made with Star (orange) and Cascade Fixation. I used the Ann Norling Fruit Hat pattern for the basic shape.

Weekend Sweater

2006-08-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is my version of the Weekend Sweater. It's a 45" chest. The design in the yoke is a modified chart from a baby dale book. I used dye your own from knitpicks, wool of the andes for the body and cascade pastaza for the color work. I've also almost finished the EZ baby surplice sweater. I'm putting on the last cuff. Hopefully, I post a little more frequently, but there's not much to say about miles of knitting stockinette in the color natural. My tummy is currently too large to spin. Thanks to the heat wave, we've been spending every night at the pool.

close-up of the yoke

2006-08-02T10:25:00.000-07:00

My latest Christmas FO

2006-07-10T11:04:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite way to knit the Noro stripey yarns. I do a gauge swatch and figure out my sts per inch (in this case about 3) and multiply by 60 for a 60" scarf. I cast-on with a softer yarn and do 2 ridges or so of garter stitch. Then I switch to the Noro of my choice and do k4, *k2tog, yo, repeat across from * to last 4 or 5 sts and then knit them. I then knit 3 rows and the next time across I k4, *yo, k2tog repeat across to last 4 or 5 sts and then knit those. I continue on ending the noro with the yo, k2tog row when I'm out of yarn (this usually involves tinking a row or two of knitting because I misjudged). Then I pick up the original yarn and knit 3 or 4 rows and bind off. The current yarn is knitpicks Andean Silk in pitch, Noro aurora in color 3. The needles are Addi turbo circs size 11, 32" length.

This is my current portable project...

2006-07-10T11:01:00.000-07:00

SIP - sock in progress

Weekend Sweater Knitalong

2006-07-10T10:47:00.000-07:00

I belong to the Knit Baby Surprise Yahoo group and we are currently working on the Weekend Sweater from Wool Gatherings (#65 I think). I started early and have one sleeve finished and another started. I'm using Wool of the Andes Natural from Knitpicks. I didn't think it would be soft enough, but I've been pleasantly surprised.

Twisted Rib

2006-07-10T10:44:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorites for handknit sweaters.

More Christmas knitting

2006-07-03T20:47:00.000-07:00

If all goes well, this will be a felted kitchen set. I planned on felting it tonight, but I can't find my zippered pillowcases.

Check your calendar!

2006-07-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

It's July 1st and I have two, count'em two presents finished for the gift giving season. This is pitch Andean Silk from knitpicks with Silk Garden. I think it's the new lightweight kind. I started it around March and have long lost the ball band. I winged the pattern. I like to knit the stripey stuff lengthwise. I think it looks better. My first FO for the holiday season is below.

Close-up

2006-07-01T17:41:00.000-07:00

My first finished Christmas present for 2006

2006-07-01T17:39:00.000-07:00

I found this yarn at a garage sale for a buck. It was from a knit shop that had gone out of business and the left over stock was someone's inheritance 15 years after the fact. It's a mohair blend.

Close-up

2006-07-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

1/2 an FO

2006-06-30T12:31:00.000-07:00

I've been working on this sock for three days. I'm not sure I like how it turned out. I don't know if it is the pattern, the yarn, or me but I don't like the way it feels on my foot. It is supposed to be for my mom. Her fit is slightly bigger than mine and I'm doubting it fits.

I made this bag yesterday

2006-06-29T14:54:00.001-07:00

I was over at Susan's and saw her finished bag. The pattern is here. My daughter picked the yarn out of my stash. Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn so that is where I stopped. You can see the completed bag at Susan's or with the pattern. I'm not sure I followed the instructions either, but my daughter was pleased to have a bag in a few hours.

My three season knitting spot

2006-06-29T14:54:00.000-07:00

Miss Moonbeam shared her favorite knitting spot, so I thought I would share my current knitting spot. I don't know that it is my favorite, but it's practical with little kids to watch playing with the Brio waterway on the driveway. I spared you that view. The birdhouse in the background belongs with my collection on the porch. The house wrens that lived in there were taken out along with the door in a storm that produced a tornado within a mile of our house. The new tenants are bumble bees. We had a disagreement about using the front door so they were relocated. For two days they still held the front door hostage. I think we have a truce. As long as no one goes any further towards the birdhouse than my knitting chair, we coexist peacefully.

Another view of my knitting spot

2006-06-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

One view from my knitting spot

2006-06-29T14:49:00.000-07:00