Lucky Me!

That pesky Random Number Generator finally took a shine upon me - I love to enter contests on blogs, podcasts, etc.  In fact, years ago I won some wonderful knitting needles from Major Knitter who is now a good knitting buddy.

Well, imagine my surpise when I found out I won a contest on the 2 Knit Lit Chicks podcast!  They were giving away several 3month gift subscriptions to Audible.  Now, if you haven't listened to this podcast, you should check it out.  Not only do they talk about knitting, they also talk about books.  Got to love that combination!

The format is a mother and daughter duo - Barb (mom) and Tracie (daughter).  They live in California and both are knitters - Barb more experienced of the two.  The banter back and forth is delightful, they have fun segments including a "Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down" section.  They podcast one time around Thanksgiving and my favorite line came from that - while drinking some alcoholic holiday beverage, Barb pointed out that that particular episode (if they weren't careful) could be called 2 LIT Knit Lit Chicks.  Cracked me up.

They have a strong Ravelry group too.  Go join the group as they have had contests for every 100 member signups.  Check them out and THANK YOU Barb and Tracie - now, what book should be my first download???

Also, one more lucky bit of news...my husband's niece just announced she is pregnant and due in September.  More baby knits for me!

Must Be Something in the Water

There definitely must be something in the water in our town as there are lots of teachers expecting babies.  This fall there were 3 elementary school teachers ready to pop and then late fall/early winter revealed 3 teachers in 6th grade, 1 in 5th grade, and 2 in 7th grade are expecting.  I already knit the hat and booties for one teacher who taught our daughter and was my secret Santa.

Then when I found out a teacher who has become a good friend was expecting her second child I whipped up this baby blanket.  Once I know what "flavor" she's having, I'll make a gender specific item.  The pattern is Garter Rib Baby Blanket and I used Stylecraft Luxury Merino which I got on sale at Webs - one of Steve's Deal of the day.  It's superwash and it really softened up so nicely when I blocked it. 

Another teacher I often sub for is having her second child and she knows it is a girl.  Knowing she wasn't a mom who likes pinks for baby girls (and she confirmed it when I said I'd make something and she said "please not pink"), I got this lovely teal.  I couldn't find a free pattern that rocked my world so I designed my own sweater for her.  I used a bunch of resources and knit this in one piece bottom up.  I forgot to give extra room for the button bands but I planned that it would only have two buttons at the top.

I got the cutest buttons at The Tender Button in NYC - little bunnies.  Too great!



Here's a  detail of the lace pattern on the bottom.  I repeated the yarnover section for the collar and the wristbands.   Overall, I'm happy with it.  Originally, I thought I'd write it up but I don't think anyone would really want it.  I kind of like giving a one-of-a-kind sweater to my teacher friend.



I Think Only A Knitter Would Understand

Yesterday morning I was at our church coffee hour with the kids and I was wearing my "Tube of Warmth" which I'm finding with the other capelets I've made is the perfect layer to indeed keep me warm.  The coffee hour was like a job fair for all the ministries of our church and I was helping out at the youth group table making mini-milkshake samples (our daughter called them Frosty Shots).

A woman who I have met before told me how much she liked my capelet and asked if I made it.  We then started discussing knitting and she could get back into knitting with my help.  She then told me her niece is a designer and has an online knitting magazine and she asked me if I had ever heard of Twist Collective.

Have I ever heard of Twist Collective????   Have I been living in a cave - no so I obviously HAVE heard of Twist Collective and I told her how much I lived it.  Well, her niece is Kate Gilbert.  At that point I had to hold on to the edge of the table as it was a less than six degrees of separation moment with a knitting goddess.  I think this lady knows her niece is creative but I don't think she realizes just how well known she is to the kniterrati.

Of course, when I told my kids about it they were totally non-plussed.  Maybe I need to show my fashion savvy daughter some of Kate's amazing designs, such as:  Wisteria, Cinnabar, A Cardigan for Arwen and the adorable Roo. Maybe then she'd understand why I was so excited!

Done!

Thanks to my dentist's wife I had a large commission to make her 5 capelets - one for each member of her staff and one for her.  She picked the pattern based on my Corrugated Lace Capelet which she really liked on me when I wore it to get my teeth cleaned...pays to wear your handknits.   Anyway, I ordered some Valley Yarns Berkshire and started knitting these just after New Year's Day and just yesterday I bound off the last one.  Here they are in all their glory. 

I deliver them on Thursday and she will gift them in March to her staff...I'll be sure to make her promise to get a group photo.  I'm so done with this pattern - I have it beyond memorized and don't care if I ever knit it again.

Not the Best Sport for Knitting

For years I've been knitting at our son's sports events - baseball, tennis, flag football.  For a while he pitched in baseball and that was very stressful knitting - my gauge would get all wonky as I worried about his pitching.  I even knit an entire blanket during a baseball season.  I often think of certain projects as things made during a season - like this scarf was knit the year my son's team won the town "world series".

Now he has a new sport - pole vaulting.  Yes, I knit while he vaults - there is lots of down time between his vaults as the sport gives every vaulter 3 chances at each height...kind of like baseball's 3 strikes before you are out.  When he vaults I do put my knitting down as seeing your kid hit 9 plus feet is stressful.  This photo is from when he hit a new personal best of 10'...he actually hit 10' 6" later that day.  I was not knitting at that moment - instead I was jumping up and down and cheering for him.

A You're Adorable

When my son was born my godmother gave him the book "A You're Adorable" which goes on "B You're so Beautiful, C You're a Cutie Full of Charm"...all true about this sweater.  It is Baby Sophisticate and I used leftover Berocco Pure Merino. 

I made it for my cousin's second child which they knew was a boy - he was born yesterday and named a family name - Cornell.  Seems this grown up looking sweater will be perfect for such a grown up sounding name.  I mailed it off today and asked they take a picture of him when it fits him..

Looking Fantastic

Mom just sent me this - it really looks fantastic on her.  Perfect length, perfect color and a perfect necklace she's wearing with it.  LOVE this...in fact, I think I gave her the necklace.  Hmmmm...meant to be.

My Dad Always Said...

My dad has a lot of sayings - some will crack you up and some ring true. One he used a lot while we were growing up was "If you are going to do a job half-assed, then don't do it at all". Sort of along the lines of "do it once, do it right".

When I knit my Noisette this summer I just sewed on the buttons willy-nilly with the yarn I used to knit the sweater. I knew that wasn't the right way to do it but I was lazy and just wanted to get it done.

Well, in the end my laziness ended up getting the better of me...the buttons started stretching and pulling and I stopped wearing the sweater. Then I got to thinking about how the Knitmore Girls are always talking about the grosgrain buttonband method they use on their sweaters so I checked out their tutorial and their other tutorial for sewing on buttons.

I recently discovered a website called The Ribbon Retreat and I ordered a bunch of different ribbons and settled on using a matching fun one with little squirrels which really surprises me as my dad always called them "tree rats" (yup, another on of his phrases - other ones are far more colorful).

We had a snowy day today and I got to work - here is the result. I'm SO happy with how it turned out. The buttons have more stability now and I know the stretching of the yarn sewn buttons won't happen.














Isn't this just the cutest ribbon? I even have a turtleneck that matches the fuschia colored squirrel. I know I will be wearing this a lot more and while not everyone will see my button band I know it is there and just the thought of it will make me smile.

Thanks Dad for reminding me without realizing it that I shouldn't do a job "half-assed".

It Fit!

I got a call from my mom yesterday and it only took 2 days for her sweater to get from Connecticut to Florida. She said it fit perfectly - the length was perfect too! My dad who gets a bit bossy when it comes to opening packages was the one who opened up the sweater and his first comment was on how wonderful the color is. I told my mom that every time I was working on it in the presence of anyone they would always admire the color...it is a winner.

I put a tag on it that I got from Knitterella. In the "made by" section I wrote: Estella. In the "for" section I wrote: her wonderful mother. My mom was so cute when she said that a friend saw the tag and said she should keep it on the sweater - like Minnie Pearl.

No pictures yet as it was a warm day in Florida and she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. She might get one today or tomorrow and I promise to post it.

Lots of knitting this weekend - track meet and the Giants game. GO GIANTS!

At Last!

At last, I'm done with this yarn, this project, this sweater! This is the Estelle Cardigan (without waist shaping) that I made for my mom after the terrible flop of the Elizabeth cardigan. Funny but i just realized that both sweaters are names she's familiar with - while my name is Estella not Estelle, my sister's name is Elizabeth. Huh, kind of funny.

I'm so much happier with this and can't wait to send it to her. I'll be sure to post a photo of her wearing it. I wove in all the ends during the Houston/Baltimore game which was a good call as the Giants game (GO GIANTS!) was so exciting I could barely knit let alone weave in ends!

One Down, Four To Go

I finished the first Corrugated Lace Capelet which my dentist's wife commissioned me to make. (Note for Millie - this is not the one I made at the beginning of summer it is the one I made in late fall). I used Valley Yarns Berkshire and had only planned on 3 skeins but due to their discount when you buy a lot I decided to buy 4 skeins. It was a good thing I did as I needed about 20 yards of the 4th skein to finish this.




















I love the color - it is called "Blue Ming" and this photo is pretty true. I'm working on a plum colored one right now and am already fighting the boredom of the same pattern...they aren't due until March but I want to get this off my plate.

My mom's sweater is about dry (Note to Millie - the color changed cause it was wet when I photographed it and I think the true color is somewhere between the two). I'm hoping to pick up the neck edge tomorrow and finish this sucker while watching lots of football.

In The Home Stretch

I'm winding down on the Estelle cardigan I'm knitting for my mom...I finished the body and have to block it before picking up the stitches around the fronts and neck to do some more feather and fan detail work. I'm SO much happier with this than the previous version. This is knit out of Classic Elite Premiere which has really held up to one blocking then a frogging and washing and then another blocking. It's 50% cotton/50% Tencel and it has really done well.

I'm in the home stretch - my mom said Florida was getting a cold front on Friday and asked if it could be to her by then - we both had a good laugh.

Yarn Diet Solution

Due to finances, I'm on a yarn diet. It is hard seeing yarn sales and not buying a deal...and it is hard going to fiber festivals and just looking (hence no Vogue Knitting Live for me this year). But I've found a way to feed the fiber beast...use someone else's money!

Our dentist's wife saw my Corrugated Lace Capelet and fell in love with it. She asked if I could knit one for each member of their staff and one for her too - 5 capelets in all. So, I got to go shopping with her money and got some Valley Yarns Berkshire and look at how many pretty skeins of yarn I get to play with!
















Here's the first one I'm working on - it is called Blue Ming and is far more teal than this picture shows...next I'm thinking purple or burgundy.

Best of all, she's paying me for my time - I don't know if she decided to do this as she knows our life situation or not - she's that kind of sweet person. Doesn't matter...I get to shop for yarn and knit and she gets some lovely capelets.

One Sleeve Done

I spent New Year's Day watching football - almost 12 hours worth! What did I do? Knit of course. I finished one sleeve on my mom's Estelle cardigan and am halfway done with the second sleeve.
I put all the body stitches on my Try It On Tubing and am waiting to see how much yarn I have before doing the pretty feather and fan detail on the bottom edge - I want to make the sweater as long as I can for her and make sure I have enough to go around the neckline.



















As I told my mom when I emailed her this photo - the detail looks much prettier in person.

Out with the Old, In with the New

As you can see from the post below, I knit a lot - here's what my KnitMeter says for this year. I realize that a lot of it is guestimate but I try to be accurate based on what I record in Ravelry. This is more than last year's number and to think I frogged about 1200 yards of it and am reknitting it right now.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year - no major reflections this year - my heart isn't in it right now. No goals set either - with the bump in the road that has hit our lives I'm just focusing on each day as it hits me.

Happy New Year! May 2012 be a good one - someone I know turns 50 in 2012! Yikes!