When in Doubt

Make another ornament - I have to get out and get some wire to make hangers. I've basically started inventing my own combinations. This is leftover Blue Sky Alpaca and Silk. Tried to make it a v-neck...not quite but still cute. I think I'll give it to my friend Jackie who has the hat I made with this yarn...

One Word - Perfect

You know when you're knitting up something and you spend a lot of time worrying if it will look right or fit or just work??? Well, some worry was spent on this and all for naught - this is simply "perfect".

My daughter sketched up this pattern and I took out "The Knitter's Handy Book of Sweater Patterns" and started creating. I learned a lot as it went along and am so glad I could experiment.

Yesterday we got these cool coconut wood buttons which have a slight leaf pattern scratched on the surface.

Today she proudly wore it to school. It fits her perfectly and while we may only get one season out of it, it doesn't matter. Right now it is Perfect.

Two Years Have Flown By!

Two years ago today we adopted Missy from Adopt-a-Dog in Greenwich, Ct. She was missing half her fur due to allergies and a deficiency in her immune system. She was looking pretty awful but as Miss America put it "it doesn't matter what she looks like on the outside...what matters is the inside".

She took our love and healed and now her outside matches what we saw on her inside. This dog has won all our hearts - she gives us all joy.

She doesn't wear anything knitted but she does love my baseball blanket - I took this photo this summer as she was enjoying it thoroughly.

So, Happy Birthday Missy! We don't know how old you are (shelter said 2-3, vet says 7-8) but you have given us 2 years of love, licks and wagging tail.

Christmas on my Mind - Already!

So, I've been knitting a lot of little projects lately. I substitute teach in our school district and every now and then I get a great slot in the middle school where all you have to do is monitor the kids while they work on packets. This lets me read while they are reading and I've perfected reading and knitting at the same time. Over the last few weeks I've whipped up these mini-sweater ornaments with some remnant yarn. I used the Minutia pattern for some of them but also started creating my own designs. Lots of fun!

Rhinebeck 2008 - Lots of pictures

Yesterday morning at 7:30am, Miss America and I got in the car, cranked the soundtrack to Hairspray and drove to Rhinebeck. We were both itching with excitement! My daughter usually sleeps until 8am on the weekends - she was up and ready to rip at 6:30!

My daughter was in charge of photo...I've picked a few. This guy reminds me of the sheepdog in the Loony Toons cartoon.
Lots of amazing fiber - almost overwhelming at times.

These baby alpacas were only 18 months old. Miss America couldn't stop petting them. In fact my little fiber lover fell in love with roving. She found a HUGE pink ball of roving and wanted to buy it just to stroke and cuddle. Got to love that!

We watched the frisbee demonstration by "Pawstars" - it was so much fun. All these rescued dogs are amazing and so focused on the frisbee. This one had just leapt off his trainers back to catch the frisbee.


A sampling of what we brought home - I love that this one was on sale - okay only $4 off but on sale! This skein is from Brooks Farm Yarn and I think I'll make some lacy cowl like Wisp. I remembered this vendor from last year and regretted not buying some of their amazing fiber.

These two skeins are from The Good Shepherd and I think I'll make a clever scarf with them.

I don't know why I bought this one - weak moment when asked by Miss America. Perhaps she can make something with it. It too is Good Shepard yarn.

This lovely pile is from Shelbridge Farm and is destined for a sweater designed by and for Miss America to go with the butterfly buttons.

Speaking of buttons, we got these two by Melissa Jean.

Here's a Melissa Jean pattern I picked up to make a baby cardigan.

I also got this issue of Knitscene for only $3. I really wanted it for the Wendy Bernard pattern.

We're ready for next year! Hopefully, we'll get my knitting sister to come along. My daughter and I are already thinking in a few years we can go up for the whole weekend and spend the night and explore Rhinebeck and go back on a Sunday to get all the yarn that we had second thoughts on purchasing.

20 Hours and Counting

9am tomorrow my daughter and I will be pulling into the fairgrounds in Rhinebeck for the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. When she woke up this morning, my daughter gleefully announced "Tomorrow is Rhinebeck". I think she's more excited than I am. I've told her she is my official blog photojournalist for the event. She can't wait for the spun maple sugar (cotton candy). I can't wait for the fiber overload. Okay, I'm also looking forward to the fried artichoke hearts and the spun maple sugar.

We'll update you on our adventures...I do have a "shopping list" which may or may not be filled but it will help me feel productive.

Another Daughter Directed Design

I was checking out Leslie's blog and saw this wonderful sweater she made for her daughter. I showed it to Miss America and she fell in love with it. So we hit my stash of Cascade 220 and I had these oatmeals and browns and she agreed to them (originally they were intended for a felted bag). She then sketched up exactly what she wanted and I started to figure out how I could knit it without a pattern.

Here's how far I got in one weekend. I'm almost to the point where she wants the garter stitch across the chest before switching to another color and binding off for the armholes.

I started Blush as a mindless knitting pattern using my single skein of Blue Sky Alpaca and Silk. I love this neckwarmer/cowl! It is perfect for wearing on a chilly day and I have a feeling that I might be sporting it at Rhinebeck this coming weekend.

Buttons are Inspiring!

Thanks to the DVD set of John Adams from the local library and a few quiet days recuperating from a cold I finished my daughter's Starsky Junior. We zipped to Banksville Fabrics and she selected some buttons to finish the sweater. It was finished just in time to go to church with the dog for a special Blessing of the Beasts service.

As you can see she loves it and will be wearing it to school today.

While shopping she fell in love with these butterfly buttons. So I bought her 3 sets and told her we could design a sweater around them. Well, she was inspired to design.


As we drove home she sketched these designs. We agreed the cable sweater on the bottom right would be too "heavy" for these dainty buttons. I drew the top left one while driving which I told her was something she should NEVER do...my mom always used to say "do as I say not as I do".

She then took these sketches and redrew them and went onto KnitPicks website and picked out fibers and colors for each design. I never knew that buttons could be so inspiring! Next time we go to the city I might have to take her to my favorite button store ever - the Tender Button.