Krafty1

Here a Hat, There a Hat!

Must be the change in the weather. Last summer (2006), I won some yarn from Shelby.  This week, it started talking...it really wanted to be a hat.

And so, I let it.  OR should I say, I knit it.  It's a hat!

Pattern: Odessa (without beads)

Yarn: Salsa by Dancing Leaf Farm 60 grams of DK weight is all it took!

Started: Nov 26

Finished: Nov 27 (Hey, I needed to do something while waiting for the next Mystic Waters clue to be published!)

Then, I listened to Stash & Burn #38...it's all about hats and scarves...with plenty of links!!!  Going to have to "listen" to see if any other yarn wants to be a hat!!

What's Not on my Needles Wednesday

The secret knitting season is in full swing.  Certain projects will not be shared here until the recipient has them in their possession.  What can be shared are the projects that will NOT be on my needles this holiday season.  Enjoy!

Though Doogie DOES ride a Harley, he's happy to have me skip this knit.  It won't EVEN be close to motorcycle weather come December 24 (snow would be nice) but If there were snowmobilers in my family, it would be a serious temptation to knit one of these up!

Doogie DOES share a birthday with Elvis (Jan. 8th), but there's NO WAY that I would see another day of knitting if he unwrapped one of these Elvis wigs!  Where were they at Halloween!?!

This weekend there WILL be card making.  Sheepy holiday cards and sheepy thank yous.  Lots and lots of them.  I was planning on making them anyway, then Ysolda passed along a fabulous idea...she has submitted a request for holiday cards.  Her promise is that she will send you one if you agree to send her one.  What a great idea to spread cheer around the world.  So, I too will make the promise...just email me (krafty1designs@yahoo.com) your snail mail address and I'll send you one of the upcoming holiday cards...in return, if you are able, send one to me as well.  I really think she's onto something to spread cheer worldwide this holiday season!!

Parcel Day

We didn't get out to do much shopping on Black Friday, but we did some on Saturday.  With so many beautiful socks in my sock drawer and cold weather pressing in, it was time to give up the sandals and purchase a new pair of clogs. 

Only Birkenstock would do.  The dark brown pair are mine.  The lighter pair are Panda's.  Getting new socks inspired her to want a pair of shoes that weren't athletic or work shoes. (Birks...what an excellent early Christmas present.)  Who knew it could be so easy to get a kid into "dressier" shoes!?!

Then we went to Coldwater Collaborative for some stash enhancement.  The blue yarn (Dream in Color "Smooshy" sock yarn) was Panda's pick for ANOTHER pair of socks.  Her argument: now that she had new shoes, she needs to have several pairs of socks to show off when she wears her new shoes.  How could a mother refuse!?!

Behind the new Birks are two patterns.  One is a gift knit for _______.  Shhhhh, don't tell.  The other is for this seed stitch vest (a shop exclusive).  My knitting "dance card" is pretty full at the moment, but it'll be the first thing on my January "selfish knit list".

BTW Coldwater also carries an adult version of the Baby Tulip sweater.  Maybe you need one for your own "selfish knit list."

An email from my Secret Pal sent me to the phone.  She'd mailed a parcel so I called my Dad and asked him to check our mailbox.  He said that he'd be sure to check since he'd received a parcel that day.  "Sure Dad, you got a parcel so it MUST be parcel day!" is what went through my mind.

When we returned to Fairy Godmother's house, they had received a parcel.  Hmmmmm...maybe Dad is onto something.  When we arrived home, sure enough, he was right...Saturday WAS "parcel day".  What a fabulous "welcome home"!

10 skeins of Nikke Victor Shetland 9 (88 meters/50 grams) and a pattern suggestion: the Hemlock Ring Blanket. So much fun stuff plus grapefruit treats and blueberry gum. I am a lucky pal!!! (And I have a smart Dad: "parcel days" for everyone!)   

Thanksgiving Knits

Did you guess socks?  Then you guessed right.  Besides, what else would I knit while brunching with the in-laws...surely not lace!

Notice the pooling?  The left sock was knit while "visiting".  The right sock was knit on the ride home.  Guess my gauge tension was a bit looser for the right sock.  Interesting.

These are for Panda.  The pattern: Crosshatch Lace from More Sensational Knitted Socks.  Toe-Up over 48 stitches; size US 2 needles.  The yarn: Duet Sock Yarn in Middy weight Chocolate Crunch colorway. (Something else that came with the sneak up Wollmeise.)  It was yummy to work with, even though it smelled faintly of vinegar. 

The car ride to the Twin Cities was the perfect opportunity to work on Clue 5.  All but two pattern rows were complete by the end of the drive north.  The remaining two rows were finished at the beginning of the car ride home.  Then the second sock (from above) filled the remaining hours of car journey.

Notice that the shawl is now sufficiently large enough that it needs to be at least five feet beneath me in order to get it entirely in the frame. 

Yes, those are my toes in the shot.  They need socks...hmmmm, know where I can find some!?!  There seems to be enough leftover yarn from Panda's socks for a second pair...though maybe not for my size 11 (EU42) boats! Maybe with more brown they'd make some fab Mad Cows!  Post Turkey Chocolate Crunch Mad Cows.  Sounds like fun.

Headed Home

Thanksgiving has come and gone.  The turkey has been eaten once for dinner....sandwiches....and enchiladas!  One bird, three meals. Now it's time to head for home.

Any guesses (those of you who don't already know) as to where we may have ventured?  Hint: We went somewhere that Mystic Waters Clue 5 could be finished in one car ride!

Time to head for home!  What knitting will be finished on the return trip?  Any guesses?

Wool Wednesday

The holiday season is upon us.  Friday, in the US, is known as "Black Friday"...and is supposedly the biggest shopping day of the year (besides Christmas Eve).  However, if you'd like a fiber gift that keeps on giving check these out:

• Surprisingly, the Rockin' Sock Club still has openings for "domestic" fiber enthusiasts.  $222 yields six kits and, I would assume, bragging rights.  A full year of fun, yarn, and patterns.
• Subscriptions will open on Dec. 15th for the Yarn Pirate "Booty" Club.  (The name itself is a lot of fun!)  $80 for three months.
• Sorry, it's too late for Sundara Seasons Club...no new openings until 2009
• The others are tempting, but the one that is currently at the top of my wish list is the Harmony Sock Yarn Club....all semi-solids from the Zen Yarn Garden.  I figure that with semi-solids there is less chance of "What if I hate the colorway!?!"  Plus a choice: 3 months for $90 or 6 months for $165.

Yarn clubs are not something that I would go out and purchase myself...it seems a bit too indulgent considering the amount of sock stash I currently have.  It seems funny to think of at this time of Thanksgiving.  We have SO much, yet that doesn't stop us from setting a day aside to gorge ourselves with even more and follow it up on Friday with a shopping frenzy.  See...we knitters are not so different from everyone else...we have SO much, yet that doesn't stop us from feeding our stash and going back for more!  Thankfully, yarn contains no calories and plenty of the much recommended "fiber".  Happy Thanksgiving!

Clue 4 and socks

Clue 4 is finished.  Since finishing Clue 3 on Friday, Saturday there was NO STARTING Clue 4 until x, y, and z (household chores) were finished.  Yes, fiber bribery does work as an excellent incentive for me!

I'm excited to have caught up.  I'm excited about the pattern.  I'm excited to have a day or two off from it to catch up on other things...okay, maybe that's an exageration.

Don't fret.  Socks have not been forgotten at Chez Krafty1!

Tis the season and all of that.  One secret pair of socks is completed and will have its own post once the giftee receives them.  (That would require my going to the post office and shipping them first, of course.)

The other pair, should be finished Wednesday.  Unfortunately, it won't be able to come out of the shadows and make an appearance here until Christmas Day.  Shhhh!   ________ is going to love them.  The yarn is ________ that I brought home with me from Europe last year.  (What kind of sad blogger am I!?!  There isn't a photo of my yarn purchase in the archive!!!  Shame on me!)

Once these are finished, and clue 5, and the fair isle caridgan, and a pair of socks for Panda, and....no, there may not be any other Christmas knitting around here.  _____ may be the lucky one and only!

Sweet Weekend

Isn't it sweet when the heavens reward you with a fabulous weekend after a hectic week!?!  My weekend started with a parcel from The Loopy Ewe. 

Boy!  Those Ewes are quick!  The sneak up was on Tuesday night and my parcel arrived on Friday afternoon...talk about customer service!  Look...Wollmeise lace.  It's absolutely beautiful!!!!!  There doesn't seem to be a way to capture an image of this to do it justice.  (There is an incredibly rich purple in this as well that the camera just doesn't pick up.)  The skein is a veritable cornucopia that could easily be part of our Thanksgiving centerpiece.  How sweet it is!

Speaking of lace, clue 3 is finished.  Now my Mystic Waters is all caught up.  (Clue 4 came out on Wednesday.)   And it is growing!

The finished size is supposed to be 50 inches to the tip.  At 22 inches (after clue 3), it seems that this one is on target.

Thank goodness that the bed makes a great place to lay this baby out for photo shoots.  Soon though it's going to be difficult to get a shot of the entire shawl at once.

The pattern has been a joy to knit and the yarn is a pleasure to work with.  Such a nice "reward" to sit and knit with after an incredibly busy week.  Aren't simple pleasures the sweetest!?!

"Ravelry Promotes the Search for MIA"

That has been the headline around here for the past couple of days. 

Last week when I opened up "My Projects" on Ravelry, I noticed a pair of socks called "My Blue Stans".  They were finished on my way home from Stitches back in August.  For the life of me, I don't remember wearing them a single time!!! 

Every time Ravelry was opened (and we all know how often that can be!), there they were staring back at me.  In my mind, the photo was beginning to appear as if it included a Missing Socks subtitle: "Have YOU seen these socks?"

Then Pat flashed a photo of her sock drawer and it pushed me over the edge encouraged me to dig through my meager drawer.  Nope, no Blue Stans...where the heck!?!  For over a week, while the "craziness" of my outward life was speeding along, inwardly my brain has been carrying on its own private side conversation as to the possible location of My Blue Stans. 

• "Were those the socks that accidentally fell into the dryer?"
• "Did they end up in Panda's drawer?"
• "Where have you travelled since then?"
• "Did you plan to wear them for lunch with Franklin and end up leaving them in a hotel?" (Personally, the thought of them being left behind in Chicago actually scared me the most!)

Then a wild thought, "Did they get mixed in with Special K's clean laundry?"  TaDa!  The lost is found!!!!   Still brand new!  Never worn!

Ravelry takes on a new "enabling" aspect.  In this case it enabled me to remember that there was a new pair of socks finished and waiting to be worn...they just needed to be found.

Ahhh, nothing like a new old pair of socks!

Missing the Boat

I'll admit it: there have been Mystery KALs that I've signed up for that never even made it through the "purchase supplies" phase.  Then there was the time that I purchased the supplies but, by the time they arrived, enough clues had been revealed that I no longer wanted to knit the "mystery".

But THIS time, the description and first clue inspired me to find the right yarn and get caught up.  Tonight, Clue 2 is finished, Clue 3 is started and Clue 4 came out this morning.  Soon it'll be all caught up.  The boat has not been missed OR passed me by.

But, since it's Web Wednesday, time to share a few that have been missed.

• Meg Swanson's Christmas Stocking KAL: this thing had flown under the radars!  Thanks to Nancy (now with her very own blog!)  They aren't finished and you can still KAL.
• Mystery Fair Isle Hat: the mystery is over, but the hat looks great! It looks like it would have been a fun mystery to play along with. (But you can still knit the pattern.)
• Sock it to me Twice: sock swaps are so much fun!  Unfortunately, sign-ups closed for this one as I write this.  (Though there is a call for "one more".  You, maybe?)

I'm sure there are many others that I've missed. No regrets.  Are there any boats you wish you hadn't missed?

Clue 1 Complete

Anna really touched on one of my nerves when she designed the Mystic Waters shawl.  It is entirely mesmerizing!  Clue 1 is complete.

However, so in love am I with this design that it was with great difficulty that it managed to get photographed.  But, since the next clue needed to be "assembled" anyway, it seemed an appropriate time to lay it out on the bedsheet (white backgrounds are much better for a good visual) and snap a photo.

Mum is going to ask about the second button band...still hasn't happened. Thankfully, clues for this design only come out once a week.  There will be a day when I DON'T have any more instructions to knit from...maybe...soon...maybe...

Do you have (or have you had) something that has completely "stolen" all of your attention?

Weekend Wonder

It was a wonderful fiber weekend!

Saturday I taught a Log Cabin class at The Knitting Room. (Yippee!!!! They have a link!!!)  Everyone seemed pleased with their results.  We had a good time playing with the log cabin construction while using Noro (no need to change yarns, just turn a corner). 

After returning home, it seemed fitting to "run with scissors" straight up the center front steek of my fair isle sweater.  Phew!  That went smoothly.

Thankfully my first guess-timate for the number of stitches to pick-up seems appropriate.  The buttons are laid out for placement and now to figure out the size for the button holes...in other words: time to pull out the swatch.  Where did I put that swatch?

Nevermind...let's to dive back into the Waters.  Chart A: completed.  Chart B: 3 rows to go (photo on Monday).  Chart C and D: waiting patiently.  Chart E: due out Wednesday.

The yarn: yummy.  The colors: changing constantly with the lighting. The design: challenging yet rewarding.  And just like swimming, I can tell when I'm getting tired and need to get "out of the water".  Wonderful!

Let the water wash over you...

...figuratively, anyway. 

That's what I decided to do last night instead of blogging.  Imagine, a knit blogger who knits!?!

This week the third clue was unveiled for the Mystic Waters shawl.  So far, all that I had to show for it was the yarn...not anymore.

After the crazy week that had been, last night the idea of yarn, needles and a comfy chair were incredibly seductive.  Granted, at the end of the evening the only thing I had was a swatch, but it was more than was there previously.  It hasn't even been blocked yet, just layed out on the mat. At least I know that I have the right yarn and needles.

Tonight, Chart A of the first clue is finished...only 3 more charts and I'll be caught up!  (At least until Wednesday when the next clue comes out.)

Where Did Wednesday Go?

What a week!  I can hardly believe that it's Friday already!!!  Some of you may be wondering, "What happened to Web Wednesday?"  Hopefully you won't mind if I'm a day late and a dollar short. (Or would it be worse because it's two days later?)

• Ysolda has posted her cute Elijah elephant pattern.  Elijah is cute enough, but then she gave him a story and challenged others to knit and come up with their own additional story as a contest.  Cool.
• But, what if animals aren't to your taste.  How about a celeb-knitty?  Who would you like to see knit up?
• With the holidays coming, my eyes are "project wandering".  Look at what caught my eye!!!  Judy's Colors Christmas Stockings.  The colors and patterning totally appeals to my eye.  However, the price tags have me considering the fact that I should use them to inspire me to come up with my own designs.
• But instead of "project wandering" I should take a cue from Celia who has called for a Pajama Day for this Sunday.  Think I should finish up some knitting projects.  How about you?

Coat Tale

No blogging Tuesday night.  We were on a mission.  Special K needed a coat.

Not like we hadn't checked these things BEFORE the cold hit.  Checking winter coats was one of the projects this past weekend.  Her coat, the one that had seen five years of playground use on not just one but both girls' backs during the tween years, was fine on Sunday.  In fact, Doogie and I had a quiet celebration that "the coat" would make it through one more year.  We could wait to look for a new one during the "end of the season" sales.

Best laid plans.

Tuesday, the coat had a major zipper blow-out.

Our mission Tuesday evening: find a new coat.  Done.  By supper time Special K had a new coat.  That's when the fun began...she mentioned to her sister that Mom might be able to make her a new hat to match her new coat (sometime in the future) since the old hat (gold & burgundy) would clash with her new blue & brown coat. 

I'm a sucker for a hat request.  We even had leftover yarn (from Panda's hat and mitts) in the house that thought would fit the bill.  Hmmm...could I do it in an evening!?!

Then, a pleasant surprise, the instructions for her previous hat were right here!  (Another good reason for a blog!!!)  A couple of modifications in the striping thanks to the recent mad cows and voila!  at midnight there was a new hat.

This morning, the smile and hug were entirely worth the sleep loss.

Repair Work

How's everyone adjusting to the time change?  No, not the change from daylight savings, the change from Halloween to Christmas!?!

Check out this ad: "The more the scarier".  Finally, truth in advertising!  A Halloween ad advertising Christmas M&M's.  Those babies were on the shelves as soon as the official "trick or treat" hours had ended in our community! 

We've completely skipped Thanksgiving.  Then again, it made me wonder...for those of you who don't have a November Thanksgiving holiday anyway, has all of the Christmas advertising started in your part of the world as well?  I even heard my first Christmas tune on the piped in music while shopping on Saturday!

Anyway, the snow hasn't begun to fly quite yet, but a parcel arrived that reminded me that the time is right around the corner.  Laura was vacationing in Albuquerque recently and picked up this Opal Hundertwasser as a souvenir from her trip to Vienna.  She also included her favorite mittens.  Aren't they beautiful!?!

However, the right one isn't as beautiful as the left.  In fact, when you look at the palm side, it's downright ugly!

She'd mentioned that she had a couple of holes in her favorite mittens.  Me, I suggested she let me take a look at the holes and see if there was something that could be done to save them.  Silly me.  Little did I know that "holes" were synonymous with "gaping wounds".

If I found a close match on the yarn, the thumb would be easy enough to frog and replace.  It's the gaping wound where the second and third digit should be safely tucked away that has me stimied.  Any suggestions?

Catching Up

It was a great weekend!  On Friday, I whipped out my trusty purple steno pad and started a list of everything I "hoped" to accomplish this weekend.  No, not everything on the list is finished, but there is SO much that is finished that I feel great and can start the week tomorrow not feeling like I'm still "behind" back at home.

As a reward for all of the hard work (and because the weather is cooling off) the Fair Isle Cardigan was pulled out of timeout.  We got reacquainted.  You might even say that we bonded.  All in order to figure out what needed to be done next.  First up: Answer the question as to how long the sleeves should be.

Forget using a tape measure!  I cut open the sleeve steeks and pinned the sleeves into place.  The photo on the left shows the shorter sleeve.  The photo on the right shows the longer sleeve. Do you see what I see?

That's right.  The longer sleeve is TOO long.  It looks terrible with it's poofy bunchiness. In fact, the shorter sleeve was pinned one repeat shorter than I had knit.  Decision made.  Frog pond for the excess sleeve repeats. (BTW, the longer sleeve is the knit according to the tape measure!)

Much better.  Now the sleeves are officially finished and waiting to be attached.  Plus, the collar is knit.  With any luck, the center front steek will be cut open so that first button band can be knit.  That is unless the eight ball finds me again and I'm relegated to my position behind it.

November Goals

Wow!  This writing goals down really works!

Let's review Socktober Goals...

Fawkes- finished.  Though before I could eliminate the yarn from my Ravelry stash...

Mad Cow Socks- finished.  Though the Socktober pair ended up being made from the leftover Fawkes yarn instead of the Chevron Scarf leftovers.  (Hey, it still counts!)

Shetland Triangle #2- IS finished...somehow it just hasn't made its way to photography.  That requires either a model or a photographer...and daylight.  Ever notice that we can knit more in the fall/winter when there happens to be less good daylight!?! (At least for those of us with day jobs.)  ST#2 should manage to get a snap or two this weekend.  There, I've written it down...not it should happen.

Two other gift socks- only one was finished, the other is half finished.  Half+ actually since tonight the heel on the second sock will be turned.

Not bad overall.  Three of the four pairs of socks and a shawl were completed plus 6 dishcloths & a recorder case.  I'm not at all disappointed that I fell one hat and one pair of socks short of my project goal.  My "stash used" goal was to eliminate 7 more yarns from Ravelry stash...instead, 10 were eliminated.  (Granted, several were added, but I'm not worrying about additions, just subtraction!)

For November:

As tempted as I was to join the NaKniSweMo 2 (a challenge to knit a 50,000 stitch sweater in a month), I already have two unfinished sweaters that have been in "timeout" for far too long.  Instead, the November Sweater Challenge is for those of us who want to take care of a few UFO's.

As added incentive, Fairy Godmother has challenged me to finish these two sweaters.  She threatened (in comments) to withhold Christmas stash enhancement unless they were finished.  Would that be considered "ransom" or "extortion"!?!  In any case, sounds like a good goal for me!!! (And let's throw in three pair/s of socks for good measure.)

Treats without Tricks

Remember Gremlins? Kate hates Christmas because her Dad died in the chimney. Hollywood likes to create characters who "hate" a certain date/holiday because something traumatic happened then. Well, thankfully, I don't have a reason to hate Halloween.

Halloween was "first flight" for Panda.  That's right, she and two of her classmates each FLEW the plane(shown here) first think Halloween morning!  They each took a turn at take offs and landings.  They also had an opportunity to fly over their homes and school.  (I'm still waiting to see the aerial shot of our house!)

Typical teenagers, when I dropped them off they said, "Bye Mom!" as if to send me on my merry way! I left, downhearted...went and got a cup 'o joe and headed back.  Darned if they were going to keep me from getting a photo!

By then they had completed their pre-flight checks and were ready to take off.  I snapped the photo of the three of them and my daughter's gal pal, JJ, gave me a big hug!!!  Then Panda hugged me.  I turned to the young man (unknown to me before giving him a ride to the air field) and asked if he needed a hug as well.  His response: "Sure." 

And then they were off.  No, I didn't stay.  I needed to get to work.  My Mom met them as they did their final landing and got post-flight photos. I'm sure they are grinning from ear to ear in those photos considering how pumped Miss Panda was last night about the flight: "Wicked SWEET!!!" was the most common description.

For my calm attitude, the universe payed me off in yarn!  This is Yarn Chef.  Her yarns are broken into food-themed categories (this is Buttercream laceweight merino).  The yarn...it's for the Mystic Waters Shawl KAL. Clue #2 was just posted yesterday.  I like what I've seen so far and can't wait to get caught up this weekend. The hard part was deciding on a yarn (The designer used a yarn not found in the US).  The pattern calls for something heavier than typical laceweight and finer than fingering weight. (And the finished project is HUGE: 98 inches wide by 50 inches nape to tip!) 

Yarn Chef's Buttercream closely fits the bill (and may result in a slightly smaller shawl). She was so helpful and prompt!  She even included a stitch marker with the order...all neatly wrapped in tissue.  I'll definitely find a reason to order from her again! 

Hopefully your Halloween was also filled with treats and no tricks!