Slouch for toddlers

I whipped up a quick hat for my cousin's daughter, Addison. She's 3. Her dad is a fisherman. I had one lonely skein of fly tying yarn left, so I knit it into a slouchy beret for her.

I'm sending the hat and Izzy's outgrown wool socks to Alaska today. Miss Isabel is a little jealous of the hat. I'm not going to tell her about the socks. My family is very practical. It's fine to give cotton socks to the Salvaiton Army, but handknit wool? We hand those down.

In case of emergency...

Erin at The House on Hill Road was asking about carry along stitching projects. Here is mine. (That ball of pink cotton yarn has been in my car for at least six months. I forgot why. It lives in the glove compartment.)

I'm a knitter, but I need to crochet once in a while. I love watching how fast crochet grows. I love throwing crochet in a corner and knowing I won't lose every stitch due to carelessness. I hate how bulky and stiff it can look. That's why I've started doing all of my crochet in lace weight.

To make your own emergency crochet kit, purchase an outdated first aid kit from and Army Navy Surplus store. (No, this isn't stolen Air Force issue. They use soft sided paramedic bags. Army boxes are waterproof.) Empty out all of the pesky medical supplies except for the cool scissors. They will cut through a nickel. I've seen it done. Place delicious lace weight merino yarn, a size F crochet hook, and a couple of safety pins in the box. Start an easy shawl at home.

P.S. Happy Veteran's Day to my wonderful husband. He's a veteran of Desert Storm.

Me love him long time!

6 Days to a Sweater

It's done! This is the first time I've knit a sweater in less than a week. It's blocking now, but here are some lumpy pictures.

I am so in love with this yarn.

My husband enjoyed pointing out that I was over generous with the bust shaping. This is why I never ask him to take pictures.

So far, those weird tucks around the neck seem to be blocking out. The rings formed by the different colors aren't giving me as many belly rolls in other lighting.

I've casted on a garter stitch cowl to wear when I'm in the mood. I hope to have pictures of both tomorrow.

Loot!

I got a package from my very best friend today! It was the pick-me-up I've been needing. November is really the toughest month for me. Seasonal depression and holiday pressures start full force at this time a year.

For those of you following along at home, those are mother/daughter Calorimetry head wraps. She also fulled an orange bag for me. (I have a thing for bright, happy colors.)

I also got some books. I was really excited to get Vogue Sewing. There is so much information in this book. It's full of fiber content, fit, figure type, seam finishes, types of pockets, etc., etc., etc... I also got a copy of Hookorama. A lot of the patterns are strange, but there is a pattern for a moth in there. I have a thing for moths. I have a tattoo of Mothra. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I plan to crochet some lavender moth repellent sachets with this pattern. It was a private little thrill for me. That's one of the great things about have a best, best friend.

Isabel got a signed copy of The Kids' Knitting Notebook. It's adorable. There are pockets for swatches, cute projects, and a lot of ways to document a child's learning process. Iz is at the point that she can crochet a chain--she can't wait to knit.

Clouds

I miss my little girl. She's having fun with the puppy. His name is Chewy. Chewy the Chihuahua. He needs a sweater--I just know it.

On the up side, I have gotten a ton of knitting done. I'm doing a bottom-up raglan with the handspun blue yarn. I have the body and almost one sleeve done. I decided to block the body to see how this lumpy, bumpy yarn looks. I like it. Actually, I love it. It's squishy and bouncy. It's feels like clouds this color should feel like. Not fluffy like white clouds, but dense and buoyant.

Wide Open Spaces

We dropped Izzy off at Grandma's house today. My mother has a new chihuahua puppy and she wanted him to meet Iz. He's adorable, but doesn't yet allow flash photography. (I guess it makes him pee on the carpet.)

I finished a requested pair of slippers for my Aunt Peggy. They are hideous. They look like something you'd steal from a demented nursing home patient "for her own good." Oh well, they're done.

On the way home, I started a sweater with my cloudy blue handspun. It matched the sky perfectly.

High Tech Fabric Box

I sewed something I like! I made a bed for my iPod, camera, and phone plus their cords. I bought these fabrics at http://www.bigskyquilts.com/, having no idea what I would do with them. Then I bought the wrong interfacing at Joann's. I ended up buying this awful stuff that's as stiff and thick as posterboard.

This box was in no way fun to make. I broke a needle, went through 2 spools of thread, wound the bobbin 4 times, and broke the top thread a minimum of 25 times. I never did get the bobbin tension properly adjusted for the thick interfacing. I should have gone back to the store to the the Microtex needle suggested online (but nowhere on the interfacing package) but I was determined to get it done today.

Well...it's done, and I never have to do it again!

Le Steek, Le Chic

I knit 'er done. Actually, I stitched 'er done. I sewed that zipper three times before I figured out I had to sew it by hand. Then I added a little onto the collar so the back of my neck won't freeze. I think I'm ready for ski season. (Ready for hot toddy season anyway.)

Specs

Yarn: My handspun, plus oddments of Lamb's pride

Needles: Size 7 circular, 2 circulars for sleeves; sewing needles for steek and zipper

Pattern: None, except I borrowed the chart for Cheesy Love from Knitty so I could have some hearts on my sleeve, cuz I roll like that.

In other news, I bought some sweater stamps at the post office. The lady at the counter was a little freaked out by my enthusiasm. I'm sure they've seen nerds freaking out over stamps before...they sell Star Wars stamps there. Oh well, at least I did her the service of making her feel normal and well adjusted for the day!

Fat Baby Cables

I never thought I'd own a pair of cowboy boots. I was a sulky teenager stomping around in combat boots (even under my dresses.) I was never a country music fan. I've never ridden a horse.

Then I married David...

I know who Keith Urban is. I've been to two rodeos. I know the names of several professional bull riders and can recognize them on television. I also own two pairs of Fat Babies the coolest, comfiest boot ever! I have bad foot problems, but I love these boots. Fat Baby Cable Socks were knit to match my red/tan pair of boots. I used Wildfoote sock yarn on size 0 needles and used fly tying thread as a carrying yarn to get a heathered effect. I did a traditional heel flap to prevent wear and tear. I also did a row of purls along the toe to make them look a bit more like commercial socks.

I'm rural. It's not so bad.

Speaking of rural, my dad never tells me what he wants for Christmas. While shopping for a new rabbit hutch, we came across this product:

I'm not sure of its exact function, but it's a sportsman's necessity. Next time he'll request socks...I can just feel it!

There is no light in Montana today

The lack of sunlight up here makes photo taking difficult. It also causes Seasonal Affective Disorder. I used to have a Happi Lite to stave off seasonal depression. The cats sat in front of it and watched it like television. Slightly creepy... For now, I'm taking Effexor.

I'm reworking a golfing vest for my grandfather. I had a lovely one almost done when I remembered that he is an avid sportsman and, therefore, not morbidly obese. I ripped it all out and began again without a pattern. I'll succeed this time.

I have a rare form of Oppositional Defiant Disorder when it comes to patterns. I must subconsciously will myself to fail whenever I follow another person's directions. When I fly by the seat of my pants, I usually make the best stuff.

More Spinning

I've been busy with the wheel. I spun 940 yards of bulky weight faded cloudy blues yarn. I'm swatching, but I'm not sure what to do with it. This is by far the largest amount of any lot I've ever spun, but not quite a full sweater's worth. I'm thinking of doing my old standby of a top-down raglan. I'm going to unravel the swatch and measure the yardage to see how far it may go first. Maybe I'll make a hooded vest...that sounds fun.

The pink is a handpainted roving I threw in the crockpot with the Lumberjack sock yarn. It's a navajo plied dk/sport-ish weight yarn that would make excellent socks or mittens. I might send it to my friend in KC. (The recipient of the blue yarn.) She shows off my handspun at her local knitting store and they all fondle it. That gives me chills. Validation--it's not easy for a rural housewife to find.

I ripped out my Icarus shawl. It felt so good.

Remember Lumberjack? He's now Lumberjill...

It worked! Isn't she lovely? I can't wait to get back to some real acid dyes, but for $1.48, I have some actual usable sock yarn. Sweet.

I'm a sewing fiend these days...I'm working on a hoodie for Christmas for my 14 year old step daughter. She's the opposite of my 4 year old, who cries when she is forced to wear jeans, but sometimes it's just more fun to sew for my oldest. She takes chances. She likes wild.