A finish and a first

I have been busy today finishing up a couple of things. I only have about a week and the Heet the Feet challenge is over so I want to do as much as I can before then. I still have a couple of pair of booties I want to do and then I think that will be all for this year. So here are some pictures of some FOs:


I finished the other sock and it came out pretty good. The first one is a little bigger than the second one, but I do that with mittens, too. The next pair I make I will write down how many rows I do instead of trying to match inches. I hope they keep someone's feet warm this winter.



This is a rolled brim hat I made using RH and size US6 circular needles. I cast on 74 stitches and knit for 8 1/2 inches then knit two together for three rows. Gather the last few stitches and you are done. Very simple and a great project to take anywhere. I almost always have a little hat on the needles to take to work with me.





Here is some Lion Brand's Fishermen's Wool. I wound it into a skein then dyed it with Kool Aid.





Here it is in the crock pot "cooking"




And the finished product. I turned out to be a deep redish pink. I like it and can't wait to knit with it.




This was the first time I have ever dyed yarn and I found it to be very easy to do. I followed the directions on this blog: Carol's Lunatic Cafe. She has it all worked out step by step and made it very understandable, even for someone who has never done this before. I plan on using the yarn to make hats and booties for a4A. I will diffently be doing this again.

I am sorry about how the pictures look. I think I need a new camera and it will have to wait for a few months. So please bare with me.

That's all for now. Take care and be nice to each other.

Some stuff waiting to be sent

Here are some FOs that I finished during the last couple of days. They will all be going up to the reservation for the Heet the Feet challenge.

First are some infant tube socks I made. Super easy and quick! They were made with a size 8US dp needles and RH yarn.




Second are a pair of crocheted socks. They are the same pattern of the toddler crocheted socks that were posted a few days ago. These were made with a G hook and RH yarn.





The next two pictures are crocheted slippers. Very simple and could be made almost any size you wanted. These were once again RH yarn and size G hook. The second pair had sock yarn knitted with it.




An infant hat made from some very vintage Dazzleaire (do they even make this anymore?) that came in a bag of yarn I bought at the Thrift Store. Made with size 6US circular needles.





And lastly, (Drum Roll Please!) my FIRST KNITTED SOCK EVER! I am so very proud of this sock. I told DH that I might have it framed and hang it where I can see it all the time. I actually turned a heel and did the Kitchener Stitch without too many problems. It is not the best sock in the world, when I look at it I can see where I didn't pick up stitches too well and the Kitchener Stitch needs some work, but all in all not too bad for a first sock. Now to make the second one and put them in the box to be mailed.

That's it for now, I have to go to work darn it. Take care and be nice to each other.

WIPs and FOs

First the FOS:





This is a baby sweater I made this weekend. I haven't decided yet where it will go, but probably to the reservation. Once again the color didn't work out, it is bright red. Made with Red Heart Super Saver on size 8US needles.





These are some crocheted toddlers socks for the Heet the Feet challenge for the reservation. They are made out of Lion Brand baby yarn with a F hook. Only took a couple of hours to do, so I am hoping to make some more. They are baby blue.

This is a hat for the reservation. It was made on size 6US needles with the same baby yarn as the socks but I added some sock yarn to go with it. It came out very thick and warm.

Now for the WIPs:

Moving clockwise from the left; 1. A purple shawl that I am making for myself to keep warm. 2. A green Reader's Shawl, pattern from Annie's Attic. 3. Yarn that I will use to make some kid's slippers for the reservation. 4. A Homespun Prayer Shawl for Iris. At the top of the picture are the shoes worn by my oldest DD. Found them the other day. That "baby" is now 32 years old. Where did it all go?

There are more WIPs but these are the main ones I am working on. I have also started another sweater for the reservation, but will show that when I have a little more done. That's all for now, I have to get to work. Take care everyone and be nice to each other.

Still sick

I am still out sick with this cold. I slept most of the afternoon and was feeling a little better, but now I just want to lay down again. I either have to go to work tomorrow or go to the doctor's for a note. It looks like I will be going to work because I have no desire to sit in the doctor's office waiting to be seen. I will just have to take it easy.

Here is a picture of some booties I will be sending to the reservation for the Heet the Feet challenge. Sorry it is a little blurry, but I think my camera needs new batteries.

I am taking a workshop called Next FAIS and it is lead by two women who couldn't be nicer if they tried. The workshop is 10 months long and will be over in June. I want to make each of these ladies something and have been trying to decide what. I think I finally came up with a couple of ideas. For Iris I will make a Prayer Shawl using Lion Brand's Homespun with a note attached explaining what it is. Then for Amy I will make a couple of washcloths from: Amazon.com: Mason-Dixon Knitting: The Curious Knitters' Guide: Stories, Patter . I will add some bathsalts and some nice soap and a note telling her to take a long hot bath and relax. What do you think? Does this sound OK?

Well that is about all I can write this evening. Take care and be nice to each other.

Out sick with a cold

I am home sick today. I have a terrible cold. I received this cold from Justin who is one of my kids at school. I do not understand why some parents will keep their kids home for no reason at all ("The cable guy was due today so I couldn't bring him in.") and other parents send their kids even if they child is on a gurney with an IV stuck in their little arm. So, because Justin came to school with this dreaded disease I ache all over, have a runny nose, cough and am freezing to death.



It is still cold and rainy here. I don't remember when we have gotten so much rain. The kids are going crazy which means they are driving us nuts because they can't go outside. Then when it isn't raining and it is just cold out we take our kids out and parents complain because they think we are making them sick. Have I mentioned lately that it is the parents who drive me crazy and not the kids.



What have I been doing all day? Sleeping has filled a lot of my time. Watching Charlie Chaplin movies and knitting on this:

It is a shawl I am knitting for myself to wear around the house. The color didn't come out right. It is purple with shades of blue knitted into it. I got the pattern from "200 Ripple Stitch Patterns" by Jan Eaton. One of my favorite books which I have used several times. The pattern is called "Soft Chevrons", it is turning out to be very easy and relaxing so I am enjoying making it. I have several different kinds of lace weight yarn that I am thinking about using in one of the patterns from this book; I just haven't decided which pattern.

I have been doing a lot of reading lately. I joined two book clubs on Ravelry and have to read everyday to keep up. One of them tells us what book to read and the other we make a challenge for ourselves and try to meet that challenge. I am going to try to read 50 books this year. That's almost a book a week. Fortunately, we can count books on tape, which I listen to while going to and from work and at lunch. I think I am going to post here the really good books I read, maybe someone out there will enjoy them too.

The first book is "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. This is one of the books we are required to read for one of the book clubs. Even though it is for a young adult it kept me interested throughout the whole book. It is about a young girl who is raised by foster parents in Nazi Germany. She goes through many terrible and exciting adventures in her young life, one such adventure is when her foster parents hide a Jewish man in their basement. A very good book and it shows us a side of Germany during that time which we don't usually see. I enjoyed it and am happy that I read it.

So, that is about all I can do today. Back to laying under the covers and knitting. I think I am going to watch "Giant" if I can stay awake. Take care everyone and be nice to each other.

Finally Pictures

This is the first finished project for 2008. It is a little hat that will be sent to a4A. It is made with KnitPick's Wool of the Andes and the pattern is from Morehouse Farms. You will be seeing a lot of this pattern because: a) I love making it, very easy, and extremely portable b) it is what I send to a4A c) I have a lot of this wool and want to use it up.





Last Saturday we went to San Francisco for the day and played tourist. Stephen, Jessica, Zoe, Shane and I took BART and walked our legs off. We took a Cable Car from China Town to the Wharf and had fun. This is a picture of Zoe at the beginning of China Town (Stephen is standing to the right and Shane is behind him). China Town is a great place to shop for jewerly. I got a pearl ring while I was there




Here we have another picture of Zoe sittning on a bench at the Wharf. She sure does look like her "friends" doesn't she?



This is near Pier 39. They have a lot of sea lions which hang out down there.


Sea Lions relaxing.

Just too tired to move.

And lastly, Zoe, Da and Shane behaving normally. Aren't they cute?

Happy New Year

So it is New Year's Eve. I have no plans other than watching movies, probably a "Lord of the Rings" marathon, and knitting. I don't like to go out on this night because of all the drunks out there; I don't want to be a statistic. So, we will stay home and watch movies.


I decided to list what I made this year. Most of it went to the reservation and the others went to Grandmas who were expecting a new grandchild. Anyway, here is my list.

round crocheted ripple baby blanket - 2
crocheted afghans - 3
children's hats - 7
children's mittens - 5 pairs
quilted child's blankets - 3
baby sweater - 1
baby booties - 6 pairs
dishcloth baby blanket - 1
knitted baby blanket - 2
infant mittens - 3 pairs
infant hats - 5
toddler mittens - 2 pairs
child's slippers - 3
knitted dish cloths - 7
crocheted dish cloth - 1

I know there is more but I forgot to write it down, but this is pretty close. I hope to do better in 2008 than I did in 2007. Especially for the reservation, they need sooooo much more.

Now here is my New Year's Resolutions, well most of them anyway, some are too personal to post on the net.


Lose Weight - I don't care how much so long as I lose some. This is a "have to" one because of the high blood pressure and diabetes. I will use the DASH diet and walk during my breaks at work. I even bought a pouch which hangs from the belt loops of my pants so I can knit while I am walking. The yarn is in the pouch and the knitting is in my hands. I figure I will walk farther if I am knitting.


Keep House Clean - This is another "have to" because I am much happier when the house is cleaner. I feel better physically and mentally, so I need to keep up with it. I cleaned it pretty good while I have been on this break from work, now I need to come up with a plan to keep it that way after I go back to work.


Finish all my UFOs - I am making myself a promise to finish one UFO before I start a new one. There are several here and I really want to get them out of my house. So, before I can start a new project I have to finish an old one. This will be a hard one to do because there is always one more I want to start.


Don't buy any more books, use the library - This is a hard one because I love buying books almost as much as I love buying yarn.


And now for the hardest one of all:

DO NOT BUY ANYMORE YARN UNTIL YOU USE WHAT YOU HAVE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The exception will be wool yarn for hats for a4A because I do not have much wool, most of it is acrylic. The other exception is if I need to buy yarn for a special project, but I am going to try to stop doing so much of that and concentrate on making stuff for the reservation.


Well, that is it. I am hoping that because I have written it down and sent it out to cyber space I will be able to keep most of them. Periodically, I will be posting here about them, just to keep myself honest.

I am wishing everyone a wonderful New Year! Take care and be nice to each other.