WIP Wednesday

I've spent the past two days nursing a nasty cold...for me to sit on the sofa and do nothing but knit and watch movies for 2 days is extremely rare. The good thing is it let me focus on several projects and get to a new point on my Mountain View Cardigan. I am knitting it in one piece (less seaming thank you very much). I finished the body of the sweater yesterday and have now cast on for the sleeves.

I also bound off on the jumper I'm making for Miss America - now she wants it to be strapless which I just don't think will fly but I'll weave in the ends and block it and see how she feels. Not worth taking a picture until it is on her body - it's a shapeless blob right now.

I just ordered yarn to make 3 more Wallabies - yes, I've been bitten by the bug and I promised my godsister a full set for her kids.

I Don't Know Why I Didn't Start This Sooner

Last May I won a contest on Lynne's blog and received all the materials to make this wonderful Cape May Bag. I just love the Amy Butler fabric.

I had every intention of making this last summer. I took the sewing machine to the Jersey Shore and it just sat there. Turns out it was a sewing project for our house down there which inspired me to pull this out and make it. I'm so glad I did! What a fun bag for the summer and the beach - thank you again Lynne!

This is the project that got me going for the bag. We just repainted our bathroom and I used our son's old sailing award flags to make a valance for the window. I used blanket tape for the rod pocket and sewed the flags to the tape. I think/hope it will look perfect in the bathroom.

Such An Honor

Imagine my surprise when I was doing my daily surf to find I had been nominated for The Beautiful Blogger Award by my knitting buddy, Jennifer (aka Major Knitter). Thank you Jennifer! Wow and
as I was saying to you that I was thinking of abandoning my blog but just can't bring myself to do it yet.









Now, here's the tricky part - I have to reveal 7 interesting things about myself as part of my "acceptance speech" - this comes at a time in my life where I am not feeling very interesting at all...but I'll give it a shot.

1. When I was 12 we moved from a gated community in NY to a farm in Virginia. I consider myself lucky to have had 2 different worlds as part of my life and experiences. It is why I know how to use a fingerbowl and which cutlery to use first at a fancy restaurant AND I know how to bale hay, pick corn and get a possum out of the henhouse.
2. I am not good with blood and when I cut myself I tend to get "woozy". We realized this when I was 6 or 7 and fell off of the milkbox (they are not stable to stand on I learned the hard way) and when I really cut my knee I got all woozy. Now I know the feeling and lie down right away. I can't give blood (I have tried) and the only time I did give blood and didn't pass out was when I was pregnant (mind over matter).
3. I can't stand the feeling of velvet. My mom recalls that even when I was little I couldn't touch it and was cranky when I had a velvet dress on. When Miss America was a baby and was given a velvet dress I'd somehow get it on her but when I had to pick her up I'd scoop her up underneath her dress so I wouldn't touch the velvet. My sisters all thought I was batty with this idiocincracy but my knitting sister realized her son has the same texture problem and was a bit more understanding. For this reason (and others) chenille is not a fiber I will knit with!
4. I'm one of 4 girls. I'm the eldest and my youngest sister is 9 years younger than me. It's almost a generation gap as I was out of the house and in college and working for a good part of her teenage years. My parents used me as the best cheap babysitter when they were little - I was paid 25 cents an hour.
5. I have battled with my weight for a good part of my life...from high school through college and my first working years I was 35+ pounds heavier than I am now. When I was 25 or 26 I buckled down, went to Weight Watchers and got the weight off...it fluctuates every now and then and sometimes it drives me crazy that I always will have to monitor what I eat (which is hard when you love to cook as much as I do).
6. I can stack firewood like a pro (this probably ties in with point #1) - when we lived on the farm we had a wood burning furnace and my dad got 40 cords of wood one fall. That was one big woodpile. Whenever we get firewood now, I'm in charge of stacking it - my DH likes to joke he as the best stacked wife who knows how to stack firewood.
7. I love my husband and children fiercely...don't ever put them down in my presence as I become a mother tiger.


Now, I after all this I get to pass the torch of the Beautiful Blogger and while there are so many bloggers I find worthy, I nominate my friend Kimberly.

Kimberly spends her summer in the same small town I do...we had met a few times but it really clicked when I ran into her and I had a crochet hook in my hand after helping another neighbor finish a sweater. She asked if I crocheted and I said no but I knit. Kimberly does both and she also designs GORGEOUS crochet patterns. From that moment I feel like I've found a new dear friend who I can talk to about everything and anything and who has a passion for fiber and understands my passion for knitting. She is beautiful inside and out and I wish we lived closer.


So, Kimberly, congrats you Beautiful Blogger - can't wait to see you soon.

A Special Day

Yesterday was a special one in our house as #1 Son was confirmed. We had a lovely day, a fascinating bishop, good friends and lots of fun.

Finishing Friday

I love the Finish or Frog It group on Ravelry that Jennifer started. It really pushes me sometimes to finish up a project on a Thursday so Friday I can proudly post what I've done. Last night I finished the hood and wove in all the ends so this morning I can present my first Wonderful Wallaby. I have a feeling it might be the first of many - you see my godsister has 3 kids and I think they all need Wallabies!

We have a busy weekend here - today is our 16th anniversary, tomorrow and Sunday we have baseball games and tomorrow afternoon our son gets confirmed. All good stuff which requires a busy morning of cleaning, etc. I know I'll get some knitting done during baseball but that will be it. Have a great weekend!

Fun to Knit

Yesterday I went to Jennifer's so she could show me how to work the pouch on the Wonderful Wallaby. Jennifer is a Wallaby wonder herself - she's made a ton of them. So after a quick instruction I got my pouch started. When I got home I knit it to the body and reached the point where I had to finish the sleeves. One sleeve down, one to go. This really is a fun knit.


I've also been working on this while at baseball games. It looks like a very long turtleneck but really will be a jumper for Miss America. The skirt part is mindless and before I know it I'll be knitting the straps.










I'm beginning to get cast-on-itis but am holding off to finish my Mountain View Cardigan - I'm almost done with the body and casting on sleeves should take care of my need to cast on something new.

Ravelry Enables My Obsession - Yet Again!

The other day I was on Ravelry and was checking out one of my favorite groups - The Destash & ISO Library. I've scored some good deals here and found a huge book destash and couldn't resist treating myself to a good bargain - 3 books and shipping for $39.

First was Knit One Below - this technique is fascinating and there is an adorable baby blanket that might be my next stash buster.

I've wanted Reversible Knits for a while now so I could learn double knitting.

Lastly, I know I've sworn off socks but I'm still intriqued and this seemed to be a good place to start. I had checked it out of the library and perused it a few weeks ago and when I saw I could get it for only $10 I figured it was a good addition to my library.

Hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day with lots of love and knitting!

When Webs Has a Sale

I go shopping! I can't resist when Cascade 220 is on sale...it is a wonderful workhorse yarn. I picked up this lovely colorway called Pacific which I think I'm going to make a Christina sweater with... got to love that you can make a sweater for $30!

You can see some Plymouth Encore (also on sale which I picked up for $15 to make a Wallaby).


Then I got some heathered black called Jet which I want to use to make a Monday Morning Cardigan.















Last is some Northhampton Bulky by Valley Yarns (not on sale but still affordable) to make a Shalom for Miss America.

Now Webs has new yarns on sale in May! I might be in trouble...there are some that I want to try.

The First of Many

I have to admit to my addiction in making this scarf...the Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf (Rav Link). I cast on using odd bits of skeins of Cascade 220, Brown Sheep Lambs Pride and other unknown worsted weight skeins. Putting the colors together was addicting!

I know I'll be making more of these - this one needs a good blocking and then it is done. Just in time for this HOT weather we have - it is hard to believe last week I was freezing at my son's baseball game (4 layers and no knitting it was so cold).

Now I think I'll work on my first Wonderful Wallaby - I cast on for a size 2 and it looked much too small...I'm hoping I have enough yarn for a size 4 and I'll start that.

Lots of teaching this week so I might be quiet for a few days...that and I'm in a funk - can't explain it but I just need to snap out of it.

A lovely surprise

Yesterday when my godsister Anna arrived for "Dodo Day" (I made chocolate chip cookies to honor the day), she had a bag with her - a wonderful bag with lots of pockets. This bag came from my other godmother, ML (aka my Fairy Godmother). I know all these "God" prefixes are confusing but bear with me.

In the bag, was this lovely array of yarn - a medley of colors that all work together. Apparently, she was cleaning out her closets and found this. She forgot what she was going to make with it but it must have involved lots of colorwork as there was a bag with stitch markers, bobbins, needles, DPNs and a stitch counter. This was a wonderful surprise for "Dodo Day" and lots of fun to start thinking what I can make with these skeins. Thank you ML!

My Mountain View Cardigan is trudging along - I'm doing the armholes and neck decreases all at once - this requires lots of paying attention and 3 skeins of yarn which love to get tangled up. I'm almost done with the body then on to the sleeves.

A new Holiday

No pictures, no knitting...just a great/cute story.

My godsister has 3 kids - John (5), Robin (4) and Nick (2 and my godchild). John decided yesterday he wanted to come visit his Auntie Dodo - that's me (long story short...kids can't say Estella and more often than not it comes out as Dodo). Robin and Nick chimed in they wanted to visit too and a call was made. So we agreed that today they'd come over after school.

This morning John woke up and stood a the top of the stairs and announced very loudly to his sleeping family "Today is Dodo Day!" So, in honor of Dodo Day (a new family holiday), I'm not enjoying my knitting time but instead baking chocolate chip cookies so we can celebrate the day in style!

Hope you all have a wonderful Dodo Day!

Where did the time go?

I can't believe it has been almost a week since I last posted and I can't believe April ends on Friday! Where did the time go? I worked 3 days last week and I know that keeps me from being a bad blogger but it does give me some good knitting time. Baseball also helps - only 2 games this week so I got a bit done.

When I was looking for mindless knitting projects I came upon the Scrappy Lengthwise Scarf "recipe" and decided to cast on at a baseball game. Little did I realize that this pattern is totally ADDICTIVE! I'm using old bits of Brown Sheep Lambs Pride and Cascade 220...I have a full skein of the light grey and am using that as the base color.
















It almost looks woven not knit...I can see another one of these in my future. I don't think I'll be weaving in all the ends - instead, they will become a fringe end.

It's All Jennifer's Fault...

Okay, I'm blaming Jennifer for my mini-shopping expedition yesterday while running errands. You see, she has been making these Wonderful Wallabies like crazy...every color and all sizes. My first cousin had a baby boy a few months ago and I realized his son needs a Wallaby. So, I got the pattern to start one soon.

Now, while I was there I realized "I need size 4 needles" for that project for Miss America. I knew I could probably borrow a pair (from Jennifer who emailed last night to offer a pair and further enable my cast-on-itis) but I figured two pairs of size 4 needles is a good thing to have.

Yeah, right Estella, what else can you justify and blame Jennifer? Sorry Jennifer I won't blame you any more - you are my favorite knitting enabler!

PS When I went to get the link from Jennifer's blog she had a new post talking about the another Wallaby she's cast on for! I'm afraid once I make one of these I might be making a lot of them.

Grrrrrr!

Yesterday during the very long baseball game (when boys hit 14 they go to 7 innings) with mist then rain and 45 degree temperatures, I swatched for this jumper for Miss America. She chose this aqua color in Araucania Nature Wool which I got on sale at Webs.

I got gauge right off the bat (pardon that pun) but then realized in order to make it fit I'd have to do some recalculating. Did that and am set to cast on only to find that the size 4 (24" circs) are currently in use. Grrrrrr! I can't keep buying needles to support my many projects.

So the project is on hold and I'm still in need of a mindless knitting project for today's game. Back to the drawing board!

Music to My Ears

Baseball season begins today and at breakfast I mentioned I need a mindless knitting project for today's game (and tomorrow too). #1 Son turned to me and said "why don't you knit another blanket? I love that blanket!" I replied "I don't think I have enough yarn." He retorted with a big smile "Well, then buy some more!" Got to love that way of thinking!

Instead, I'm making Miss America a jumper...more on that later...today I'll swatch and cast on.