Seasons Greetings ~

Hockey season has begun! After baseball lasting forever, it is great to be able to see the Red Wings skating again. We were able to watch the Red Wings skate against Toronto in an exhibition game.

The Red Wings have lots of new players this year, so they will be fun to watch as they develop into the great veteran team we have had for years!


Always a great opportunity to get some sweetie time and knitting time!

Still in love ~

I still love this yarn by Apple Laine. I love the colors, I love the twist and I love the soft feel as it moves through my fingers.

I love how vibrant the colors are in the sunshine.

I love the memories of the Sock Summit that continue with every stitch.

I think our cat likes it too....

Or perhaps she just likes to be on the deck with me while I knit...with a view of the hanging laundry and the new grass....

Ahh, a perfect afternoon, knitting Apple Laine on the sunny deck with the cat!

Birthday belated ~

Remember when I told you about getting mysterious packages in the mail after my birthday? Those wonderful and mysterious packages that turned out to be beautiful Apple Laine yarn?

You might remember that I was actually the one that ordered those birthday gifts for myself. Did I mention that the entire order had not arrived when I took those great pictures with the birthday balloons?

Did I mention that another mysterious package arrived...the contraption inside was wrapped with bubble wrap....

It was easy to assemble, and somehow I had some readily accessible Sock Summit yarn to give a whirl! (you may recall that this was the mystery yarn with no tag...)

After a few fits and starts, I was actually using the swift and the ball winder...

Together hey worked much better than my previous "wind around the back of the chair first" and then wind the ball on to the ball winder... Hurrah!

Ta Da!!!!!!

...And the crowd is on their feet yelling, "Hurrah!! Hurrah!!! Bravo!!!!" as the completed Central Park Hoodie sprints to the finish line in all its 100% alpaca glory!!!!

Wow!!!! It looks great on Sweetie H too!

It is beautiful and so soft!!!! And DONE!!!!!! WHoooo Hoooo!!!!!

Block head ~

Can you believe that I'm blocking the Central Park Hoodie....that's right, blocking.... that means I cast off the button bands..... (I can't believe it)

which means that I'm nearing the end of the finishing part...

and still a bit nervous about the bit where I sew the sleeves on to the body.... I can't believe I'm blocking my Central Park Hoodie...

More Late Bloomers ~

I told you about my sunflowers that were a month later than "Jerry at work" had his sunflowers bloom. Today, on my way out to the kids' bus stop, this is what I saw...

Really late bloomer....and what a pretty color!

These bright yellow ones (below) are really late as well, and falling over due to the rain we received this weekend...

One good thing about a rainy weekend is there is no guilt to stay inside and be cozy and knit like crazy!

Day off ~

I work my 40 hours in 4 days, so I get a "day off" during the work week. My sweetie typically takes that day to work at home, book work, billing etc, so we can be together (how sweet, eh?). After taking our #1 to an emergency orthodontist appointment before noon, and then a long grocery shopping trip...he was being busy in the kitchen while I was hanging a load of laundry out on the lines....and this is what I came back to find..

As he says, "I do dote on you sometimes, don't I" To which I replied, "and you should!"

So we enjoyed a delicious (and healthy) lunch on the back deck while viewing the beautiful new grass and bamboo garden....now I have the energy to get back to my knitting!

Button band finale ~

I can hardly believe that I'm picking up stitches for the button band for the Central Park Hoodie. I am knitting in the same location that I started knitting this sweater over the 4th of July holiday in 2008! Yes, on the deck, by our tomato towers!

Doesn't it look great!

P.S. I've been listening to podcasters that are knitting 12 adult sweaters in a year...NaKniSweMoDo and I can't imagine knitting ONE sweater in a year!!!!)

Hoodwinked ~

I am thrilled to report that I have finished knitting the hood on my Central Park Hoodie. I chose to continue the cable pattern on the hood, and it looks really great. I used a 3 needle bind off for the seam.

Now I can begin picking up 154 stitches up the left side for the button band, and then knit one and a half inches...then bind off that side, and pick up another 154 stitches on the right side for the button band....then blocking.....then attaching the sleeves.....I'm getting closer to the finish line!!!! (I can almost hear the crowd cheering me on!!)

Birthday bonus ~

I had a great birthday this year, as I always do...I had a great day with my family and lots of laughs and fun, and some very special gifts. Yesterday, I arrived home to these packages (photographed with the balloons from work ~ I love balloons!).

And to my surprise, guess what was in the packages?

Well, OK, I guess I wasn't surprised...as I decided that since I didn't get any yarny goodness for my birthday, I would treat myself! (Have you ever done such a thing?)

It is Apple Laine, the same yarn that I'm knitting my Sock Summit socks out of...different colorway: Party Time...which sounded appropriate for my birthday, right?

Traffic Calming Device ~

Did you know that a roundabout is a traffic calming device? Meaning that the traffic slows as it moves around the roundabout, and cars and able to enter and exit the roundabout in smooth even speeds....Well, our fair city is in the middle of building a roundabout along the route I drive home...and...well, my typical 15 minute commute home the other night was over an hour. So, what did I do while stopped in traffic during the construction of this traffic calming device?

You guessed it.... I began knitting.... I know that text messaging from the drivers' seat is illegal, but not knitting....(yet!) So, always keep some knitting in the car, just in case!!!! Does this count as Road Trip Knitting???

Fear of finishing ~

Remember this beautiful project? I cast on 4th of July week in 2008, with the genius idea of having the sleeves done during the summer, and then only having the front & back to finish during the fall & winter of 2008. Remember hearing that everyone has knit the Central Park Hoodie? There are hundreds of finished Hoodies on Ravelry ~ actually, I'm afraid to check, as I'll really feel like a looser, what if there are more than hundreds? How come I can't seem to finish...

I have a fear of finishing...it is so beautiful now, with the yarn so soft and the color is so warm and lovely, and the cables so perfect...and what if I louse it up when I'm knitting the button band? What if I'm not patient enough to make it look as beautiful without all these knitting markers attached? It is much easier to finish a hat or scarf...not much to louse up..although I've done my share of messing up hats & scarves, but the commitment level is sooo different.. So I'm back to knitting the hood today....(and perhaps forever.....)

Casting off old friends ~

This is the second time I've finished this scarf, as the first time it was too short. As a horizontal scarf, it is difficult to gauge how long it will be when complete. I wore it once, and it felt like a weird collar bone cover, so I ripped it out and started again. It was the project from the 2008 Sewing Expo class with Roberta, on unique yarn ~ some out of soy, milk, crab shells, corn, bamboo and all those great experimental yarns that are fun to try.

Roberta gave us each a sampler to knit a horizontal scarf, and I had a lot of fun trying all the yarns.....

Since the weather was so beautiful today, the cat & I sat outside and I finished this scarf....

See how excited she is that I'm casting off?

Spectabulous Bamboo ~

I know I already mentioned our wonderful bamboo we just planted in our backyard. No, we're not quite ready to harvest it for yarn just yet...but I'll keep you posted....

I wanted to show you a close up of these whimsy canes on our bamboo, I think of it as Dr. Seuss whimsy, and the Latin name is Spectabulous...parts of the canes (trunk) twist into right angles instead of being straight ~ can you see the cane in the middle already at right angles? Such happy looking bamboo!

Here are the canes looking toward our deck, and you can see me up there knitting, just beyond the tomato towers!

Remembering projects ~

Since casting on so many socks since the Sock Summit, I began to think about projects that had been, perhaps, languishing in my knitting area....and after reintroducing myself, I gave them a bit of a thrill by knitting a few rows...I'm pleased to report that I still like this one, the "one stitch below" scarf with some sale hot pink and some Noro.....

it really looks lovely....

Football knitting ~

Great news that football season has officially started, although I do miss John terribly already. We watched a great battle between the Packers and the Bears....

... with the Packers winning, Hurrah!!!! Plus many more rows on my Sock Summit Socks in Apple Laine's Funny Girl..

Perfect way to spend quality time with one's sweetie, plus get some quality knitting time, too!

About time already ~

Finally, after waiting over a month for this...it finally has appeared in my mailbox....the envelope I've been desperate for....

so...please excuse me as I dive into this issue.....Fall 2009 that you all have had since before the Sock Summit....

I'll be back tomorrow.....and hopefully very inspired.....

World Record Project ~

The scarf project that I was knitting during the Sock Summit Work Record Knitting event is now completed, and it looks lovely! The yarn is a combination of Marisa from my Sisters Oregon vacation, and the pattern is a great easy "one row lace" from Ravelry...

I wish I could take pictures like Brooklyn Tweed.......

but, not quite yet....

Bamboo garden ~

If I can't have my own alpaca farm, perhaps growing bamboo will provide another local source of yarn? Or not.....

Anyway, we planted some beautiful bamboo in our back yard this weekend, and now I can have a knitting fantasy of smooth & silky bamboo yarn locally grown & processed...

I think having alpacas would still be fun...in a fantasy world.....doesn't it look like there's enough room for alpacas in our back yard?

Sock Summit heel turns ~

Wow ~ I've reached the heel turn on my Sock Summit socks and they are looking so beautiful! I use the Queen Kahuna method for heel turns, and they work perfect every time.

This yarn is so pretty!

I wonder what stitch pattern I should use for the leg & cuff, as the yarn colors are so busy....what stitch pattern would show up?

Birthday Knitting ~

A great part of my birthday this year was another road trip. Last year's birthday road trip took us to sunny beaches and included ferry boat rides.... this year....

yes, it snowed....Sweet E's socks are at the gusset stage, with an inch of snow on the picnic table beyond...

As much fun as we had, I think I'll try the sunny beaches road trip again next year!!!

He's Dashed ~

Remember when I was grousing about knitting acrylic and the "dashed" stitch for a baby blanket? Here is one of the entries...(I'll wait while you check back)

well, here is the recipient of the Dashed Blanket....he's so cute that I've forgotten about the acrylic...Welcome, Finn!

New arrival ~

I found a great knitting chair this year, thanks to creative neighbor Tif, and my sweet H found a great reading chair as well, from neighbor Virginia...well, sweetie E found a great reading chair this weekend....from neighbor Elisabeth.... I love this neighborhood, as there is nothing as wonderfully cozy as curling up in your very own chair in your very own room.....

Cozy, eh!!!! Check out the other admirer of this cozy chair here....

Birthday choice ~

Well, if you saw the yarn choices from yesterday, you'll know that picking which yarn to cast on for my birthday socks was not an easy choice. Yesterday I narrowed the choices to two, and wound both choices into cakes....(birthday cakes you say?) and the winner is......
Tropicana, by Claudia's Hand Paints.....when I tell you what happened today, you may understand why I chose such a tropical summer color.....

The Jitteryknitter will be so pleased, as she really likes this yarn too!!! :)

I didn't get to cast on until the evening of my birthday, around 9:00 PM...and I've made it past the increase of the toes...(below) although the colors aren't true in that picture...

Not bad for just casting on!!!! I had a delightful and full-of-fun birthday...I'll tell you more about it soon....