Grandma's Dresser Scarf is blowing bubbles!

Yesterday was Christmas in July in April for me. I've got the long and hard awaited Artyarns Supermerino, which took weeks to find its way to my home. It's glorious! It's pure Luxury! Of course I have favourites - the yellow and cream I 'll never use for knitting, it's just too beautiful. Well maybe I will.
And since I have a million other things in mind I had to get the grandma's shawl out of the way. So it got my full attention today and it is wallowing in its bubble bath blowing me kisses. It will soon be relaxing on the beachy sun towel if a bit stretched out. No worries, it will enhance its beauty (I hope).

Dresser Scarf jumped right in, ahhhhhhhhh!

Finished Dresser Scarf before the well deserved bath.

Yesterday evening after 30 rows knitting the Dresser scarf, I was ready to have some fun again. So I took out the Mason-Dixon book and looked up the dishcloth pattern. I love it. It's that simple! The color possibilities are endless. I have a huge stash of cotton yarn (since my knitting started out knitting dishcloth) and I'm planning on making uncountable amounts of these. ;o)

How come?

The Dresser Scarf/shawl - three balls down, three more to go. This is a rather boring 10 row repeat pattern, but nevertheless you have to pay attention or you'll forget a YO and you'll notice only later (speaketh from experience). I'm looking forward to finishing this one! But I do love the color!


Also Mason Dixon inspired (nice book with simple projects) is this Log Cabin blanket, or the beginninng of it. It's made of yarn from my stash, so there are limited numbers of colors. I love the grey with the speckles in it. Unfortunately it's discontinued (Dale of Norway, Sisik). It's the softest yarn I have worked with so far. This is a fun project and I use it as my in-between-relaxation work. Not much thinking involved. So as not to get too boring I included rows of eylets and one black row so far. As i said, it's fun.



For no reason AT ALL (I didn't do anything to fix it yet), the PC took the pictures which it scorned yesterday! Well, be thankful and go on with it. Here they are:

The Mason Dixon inspired hand towel made with Euroflax Athens color "Moss Lake". I ran out of yarn last night but ordered another hank already. I made it wider (as in the Mason Dixon book) and used a pattern from Barbara Walkers Book, which I love for this project. It's wavey. I can only hope this yarn gets softer with washing and drying and ironing, because right now a man could wipe his face and NOT have to shave afterwards!

No Pictures!

Today is a sad day. My PC refuses to take the pictures off my good old Casio Exilim 5.0 Mega Pixels. Puuh! I was so busy knitting last weekend. The rain helped a lot. I didn't feel so bad being inside and enjoying myself. I have four projects I'm working on. If one gets boring I move on to the next one. I've finished my mothers day gift. It's this ? - but no pictures before the May 14th! - or as it looks like any time soon. :o( I have to figure out what's going on with this PC of mine. Trouble making hunk of chunk!
Meanwhile back to the needles, since all the other work is done.

This one's for my "sista"!

She wants to see more pictures. These are what started all the knitting crazyness, way back in November '05 - dishcloths! After knittingn nothing but socks for the previous years, I wanted to do something else, but small. It's great to try out new patterns. At first I thought people crazy for knitting these things, but soon I expierienced first hand the usefulness of the dishcloths'. The sponge is banned from my kitchen now. Of course, soon dishcloths' didn't just cut it anymore. I needed an even more challenging thing to knit and after that "knit-o-mania" reared its ugly head. ;o)

More up to date, I've started the Regal Silk Scarf 5 times yesterday! After that I had to give the poor Silk a rest and do something else. I've started a Log Cabin Blanket with yarn from my stash! Oh yeah, that's right. But, since the Regal Silk Scarf is supposed to be a mothers' day gift, I better get a move on. Bye for now.

The yarn fairy stopped by!

For my very special Noro Kureyon Blanket, the second half of the yarn came from Webs today. They had the # 126 at a very special price (I thought I was dreaming it). The other half of the yarn # 150 I bought on e-bay and the price was not so bad either. Anyway, this is a longterm project, which I will keep (because even with the super special price, nobody would pay me for that).

So, if you don't hear from me for a few days, it's because I'm getting "tight" 'with my yarn. But don't be fooled by this abundance; there is more on the way. ;o) - and only two hands to knit and so little time.



These lovely gifts came with the Debbie Bliss yarn, curtsey of the Get Knitted Store.




This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Debbie Bliss maya (discontinued), which sailed in from the UK - Get Knitted - thank you very much. One color is still on its way. My washing mashine burped bubbles, when I walked by, because this is prime felting material! At least one other Lucy Bag will be forthcoming.

The long awaited Artyarns from Fabulousyarn came today! Two skeins of Regal Silk " 117, which will be a mothers' day gift. Some Supermerino Cappuchino and the Fern green Supermerino for another blanket. I thank you Judy for your support through this long waiting period! ;o)

Done, done and done!

Finishing this Blanket was my Easter weekend project. This one was hard to take a nice picture off because of the colores (or the lack thereof). Anyway, I'm pleased with the border. I was horrified of sew-on borders and raked my brain to come up with an alternative. I am the worst when it comes to sewing knitted items. So, yeah, a big pat on my sholder. It's just a pitty that I haven't used a nicer yarn. I will never use this one again. I still hope Daniela and her Baby will like it.

As a reward for finishing it yesterday, I ordered some yarn online. I have an idea for another blanket inspired by the "Mason-Dixon" Ladies and their book. "Log Cabin" mean anything to you? But before that I'll have to finish the Dresser Scarf and hopefully the Artyarns Regal Silk will arrive in the mail today? soon? ever?

My Knitting Books Library

I've mailed my "warming Grace" squares. They were knit with cotton yarn 5"X5". I'm glad I could participate with this project.













I promised some pictures, so here you can see my knitting books. I'm still building on it. In fact, there are two new books ordered and hopefully in the mail already. Some books are waiting to be released before they find their permanent home with me.
I'm still working on the BB border. I'll finish it today though. After that, weaving in the ends, washing it and drying it and off it'll go to Europe.

Knitting 'til the fingers are swollen!

This weekend I was working on the Baby Blanket only. I really wanted to start a new Lucy Bag and I really wanted to resume knitting on the Dresser Scarf, but I'm strong willed (not) and that's why I'm tackling the border of the BB right now. Hopefully I'll be done by tomorrow. Fingers crossed! (I don't have enough fingers to cross for the things I have to cross them for!)



Since I don't know how to put this darn thing on my sidebar, here's the "OneSkeinsecretpal" button, which I'm a proud member off.
http://www.oneskein.com There you go.


Tomorrow there will be some new pictures, I promise, but now back to the needles and the "one time only because I hate this yarn" BB. See ya!

Dresser Scarf

This is the Dresser Scarf. The pattern came from http://knitting.about.com/library/ndresserscarf.htm

I used up one ball already and will need all six of them. Of course it doesn't say much right now. We'll see what it looks like after blocking! The color is pretty accurate.

And here is the progress report of the BB: 17 squares to go. How this yarn ever got in my possession, I'll never know. It must have been temporary insanity. It's so not like me. I don't like Baby Pastells.

Happy Easter!

Knitting in between.

After spring cleaning today, I had time to continue knitting on my Baby Blanket. I got so bored, I wanted to poke my eye out. So, I decided to put the BB down and try something new. Lace knitting! I have had my eye on that for some time now. I brought some books home from the Library and was in awe! I'll never be able to make these blanket sized triangular shawls. I've got some Peruvian Highland Silk on hand (more wool- less silk), which I use to make a lace scarf. It's not especially lacy but for the first time it'll do. I like the color. It's Ruby Red, you'll see. It's rainy and dreary outside, so no pictures yet. After that I'm sure I can finish the BB. It's just 2 rows of squares (18 squares) left to do and of course the border.

Voila! First Lucy Bag!

There you have it! This was a fun project to make. I'll definately make another one. This is the large size. Next time I'll make it with the short strap. This one is 11 inches high and about 26" around. I like the color too. It's called Henna.

The bag is still a little wet and stuffed with garbage bags.
This pic is just to show off the long strap.
So, Roswitha. This bag was intended as your "Thank You" gift, but as you know, I couldn't wait for the yarn to arrive. Oh well!

Little Knitting Accident!

This is the felted Lucybag.
... and before felting.
The finished product is still drying and is shy. (Picture in all its beauty after the final touches. ;o)
It took three cycles in the washing mashine until there was no stich definition left to see.





Have you ever tried to take a picture of your right hand with your left hand when you're right handed? That's the outcome. I pierced my hand with a 4 mm plastic double pointed knitting needle! It fell to the floor and I wanted to grab it. It got stuck vertical in the oh-so-plush carpet floor and didn't even bend -went right into my hand.

Well, that's not even a minor set back. I started knitting squares for "Warming Grace". The squares will be made into blankets for sick children (Grace is one of them). It depends on how many squares there will be. Here's the Blog where I've got the information from: http://twowoodensticks.blogspot.com

Visit to the Vet!

Sam got me out of bed in a flash this morning. He had to vomit and we got outside just in time. Unfortunately he pumped his bad knee and now it seems, he doesn't use it as much as before. The Vet said, it's just a small set back. I really hope so. We started doing physiotherapy with Sam. He didn't like it a bit when the Vet showed us how to do it. We have to massage his muscles on the injured leg, so he'll not loose it too. It's called "limiting muscle atrophy". Well, if it were up to Sam, he would rather be running in the backyard to avoid this. But - he'll have to take it easy for at least another couple of month!!!

On the knitting front: I've finished knitting my first Lucy Bag (I'll be making another one for sure). It's too late tonight, but tomorrow I'll take a picture and I'll felt it. We'll see how it will turn out. And wouldn't you know it - I continued the BB with more enthusiasm!

I'm still waiting for several packages from online orders. They are trickling in from all over the place. Today I've got a partially fullfilled order from the UK. Wonderful yarn for felting.

Bored to tears!

I was working on my BB yesterday, when I suddenly felt very bored. In all fairness, it's not my only mitered squares project I'm working on right now:

1. Baby Blanket
2. Noro Kureyon Blanket for - moi! (on hold until I get more yarn, which I've ordered online)
3. a shawl for my granny

So, I dug out the "Lucy Bag" pattern from Two Old Bags, I had purchased some time ago. The yarn I use is Berroco Ultra Alpaca - Henna. I'll have enough left to make another one, maybe together with the Ultra Alpaca chocolate brown. We'll see. It's fun and I'm looking forward to do the felting. I hope it'll turn out nice. This was supposed to be a gift for a friend, but the yarn didn't arrive until the day I mailed the "Sam" scarf.
We'll see how long I can keep up the knitting frenzy. It's getting warm outside and there will be a lot of gardening to do.

One time only - Baby pastel!

My latest project is a Baby Blanket for my cousin Daniela. She's expecting her third child. I'm either going to make it with 63 mitered squares or 72. I'm not sure yet. And there will be a border. I can't seem to find a pattern for a knitted on border though. I've got time to finish it until June. Easy!

This is Sam one of our two White Shepherds. He's torn a tendon in his knee and had sugery last week. He thinks he's fine and he want's to play and run and do doggy stuff, but he's going to take it easy for a long time.

This is my "Sam" scarf. I made it while sitting with my dog Sam, after his surgery. It's one week after and he's doing fine.

The scarf was made with Artyarns Handpainted stripes # 135 and Artyarns Supermerino # 202. It is on it's way to my friend Roswitha as a "Thank you " gift. I hope she likes it!

Finally!

Today is the day! I'm one of many - blogger that is. So here I am and welcome to my blog!