A sock count you say!

Well, since I'm really more addicted to reading other peoples blog posts than to writing my own, I've noticed that some people actually keep track of what they knit! Novel concept I know...I've always meant to...but somehow...things get lost in the scuffle. I always meant to keep a book, with a picture of each thing I finished and the pertinent information...but that hasn't happened yet either..I guess blogging and ravelry are the closest I've come to actually keeping track of anything outside of my head....

....this lead me to (in my head) count up the number of socks that I've knit...(or rather sock pairs). I'm including worsted weight and bulky socks..because well, otherwise...I'd have no socks....the only tiny needle socks I've made got frogged once they made it to the heal.

So..here's my sock count...from what I can remember
(I'm not counting all those single socks that I made in my late teen years...I don't think I ever completed an entire pair...so...they won't count......hmmmm...only since the knitting resurgence in my life will I include....funny....knitting started up again right around the time I "became Christian" or however you word such a life changing event...(I mean the Christianity...not the knitting.....although it has brought it's own form of fulfillment...not on the same level :-)

Ok, really, here's the sock count:
1 - red socks from Erin's pattern, knit while I was in Nova Scotia, just tossed them out :-(

2 - socks for Joel - as part of a wedding present

3 - baby socks for Sienna, whipped up during our summer vacation b/c her tootsies were cold

3 1/2 - socks for Harold - a direct copy of Joel's sock...but for Harold these are just not moving along.

I thought that I counted 5 in my head...perhaps I've missed something...but...it's probably just 3 1/2 ......hmmmmmmmmm
This is less exciting that originally thought hahaha!

Is it possible

Here I am....on the first side of the front...moving right along...man... I can get a lot more knitting done when I don't go to work :-) If this continues...there is a distinct possibility that I will actually be able to get this sweater done for Sienna's first birthday party....(January 5th is the party date)

Can she do it?...can she do it?....well... that all depends on how much it offends people to be ignored while I knit :-) just joking...I can talk AND knit....it's talent you know

Oh...I hope I hope I hope......I hope I can get it all done. I think I'm deceiving myself by thinking that I've accomplished a lot, I betcha the hood is going to take the longest of all the pieces!

No more slippers

Seriously...I'm all done with slippers...I might put pom poms on these..but really...that is IT!
I made these yesterday...and was oh sooooo happy that the pattern agrees with the name...these are Patons "Speedy slippers" an ancient pattern.... and oh so speedy

I'm so excited to be working on THIS again! It's really nice to knit. It's the most cabley thing I've ever done...and I've decided that I enjoy knitting cables... I finished the back yesterday, and then today while H was watching football, (and yelling due to the less than stellar score for Greenbay at that time....how DID that turn out anyways?) I casted on one of the front pieces....H is napping now....due to a very frustrating afternoon of football, and well, it is Sunday...which means Tim Hortons coffee, church, Swiss Chalet chicken, football accompanied by knitting for me, and nap time....(obviously not in order of importance...but there is an rather stringent timeline associated with this schedule :-)
I gave up nap time today in favour of knitting....so I've got about 3 1/2 inches done on that front piece...woo hoo....I'm on fire :P

Pablo the penguin says Merry Christmas

Grey sweater update

My my! I never posted...I finished my grey sweater AGES ago...and I love it...although ...I need to reblock (read stretch) it out a little bit longer...I will attempt this next washing.
I finished it in OCTOBER!!! I knew I'd been not on blogger for awhile..but I thought for sure I'd posted the grey sweater! I guess not!

Here are some pics:
Nope...still can't rotate pictures...so...my posts will always look silly...(if not for the weird pictures themselves...then definitely for the fact that they're on their sides)

Christmas slippers

I knit Christmas slippers for almost everyone in my lab this year. I had to deliver them in secret, because I was one pair short, (which means another pair to make over the holidays). Most of them were felted, and the last pair I made was given to the recipient while still a little bit wet...hahaha...good thing she's a close friend, and she knits .....so she understands the value of a soggy slipper :-D


The next day I got the picture in a thank-you email. Her two year old son helped her unwrap them and said "Nice slippers mommy" hehehe...he's such a cutie!


So, now I'm back to working on the cabled baby sweater for my neice.
I just finished the back a few hours ago....I finished casting off, and then went for a nice long nap. Ha! It's the first day of Christmas vacation....I'm off work until January 2nd!Merry Christmas!!!

Ravelry!!!

I got my invite today!

Woo hoo...I'm so very excited...

I decided that I needed a new username...because I've been using the same one for a looooooong time...I feel I've outgrown it....but...not too much time to come up with a new one...

I'm scubaknit.....not very inventive I know...but hey...it's new....

Up to much...

Well, I've had computer issues...and camera issues...and iTunes issues....hmmmm...could it be because of the highly suspect firmware update that I installed just like I was told...being a good computer owner and always keeping my updates up to date....yes...I'm blaming the update.....

...but ...at least I've got some knitting done....not much on baby niece's sweater.....it's the most fun....but...I'm trying to force myself to finish other things...so here it sits...
I made some felted slippers...as a test for possible Christmas presents for people...I definitely need to make the larger size....but I think I like the pattern....couldn't be simpler....just knit a big rectangle...then sew up the heel, gather the toe...and sew a bit up for the top of the foot...throw it in the washer and felt away......
I just finished the first sleeve of my grey sweater today...and picked up the stitches for the second sleeve...I'm soooooo excited! If I didn't have to be out of the house every single night this week....I could get it done...but..I DO have to be out .....so....the sweater will wait ...perhaps next weekend I will get more done......
It's funny...I'll finally be finished the grey sweater I've been dying for....and all the new clothes I bought (because I was starting to look like I was falling apart at work) are BROWN!!!! LOL, Oh well, it will still go with jeans! And it seems like it's going to fit me perfectly...so I'm quite pleased.
Finally! I've got a gift for my good friends baby...that was born 2 months ago! I mailed it off yesterday....hope she likes it.....just a simple rag quilt...but I thought it was cute with the monkey fabrics...and the flannel is nice and soft...
These pictures are pre-wash, so it doesn't look as frayed. I washed it twice before I sent it....and it's fraying nicely.
I still can't believe I found three monkey fabrics! I love them!

Progress!

I've been alternating between working on the cable baby sweater, and on my grey sweater. Grey sweater when I want to plain old knit....(like when I'm half asleep) ....and cable sweater when I've got the itch to knit. I love it! These cables are so fun! I've never done anything with multiple cables before.....luckily...this is a pretty easy pattern to keep straight.So, not a lot done...but pretty good I think considering I actually have to go to work....and then I have some sort of evening thing happening almost every night this week (and last week...and next week...lol) I think I need to clear my schedule.....just so I can knit!
Awww, I'm going to go knit now...until I fall asleep, hopefully I'm conscious enough to put the needles down before I actually fall aslzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Continental knitting

I've always wanted to learn how to knit the continental way...but whenever I've tried it just doesn't work....looks easy...but I just can't do it....
So anyways....I was browsing around and stumbled across this video on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRLFl36tDY&mode=related&search=

I soooooooooo want to try this!!!! (with some scrap yarn of course...maybe I could practice on washcloths or something. I'm glad that she mentioned that she has to go down about 2 needle sizes when knitting the continental way...I never would have know that....I think when I tried before...one of the things that bothered me was that everything was so loose and sloppy, I thought it was hopeless....

Anyways....I'm gonna try again!

Knitting bug

I officially have the knitting bug. I'm looking around at all other crafty things with uninterested and uncaring eyes. The knitting however is all I can think about!

I pulled out the lacy little tank this morning...it was over in the corner underneath and crocheted blanket that only needs to be pieced together. I've been thinking about it a lot this summer, and I had decided to rip out what I had done and start fresh. Not a big deal because I'd only knit about 2 inches. Then when I looked at it,....it just looked so pretty so I knit two rows of it...and then decided that it would be a good idea if I knew what size I had started on LOL. After digging through the paperwork I noticed that the date on my invoice is november 2005!
While trying to figure out if I actually had started on the medium size or not (I could have just counted the stitches...but...that just sounded too painful this morning) I looked up the pattern online, and saw that the sizing had changed...and so had the way they wrote the needle size. I checked on my pattern and it said US3 needle (I guess I hadn't really bothered to check further than that, I was using US3, but online I noticed that it said US2.5, 3.0mm. Hmmm, my pattern said US3, 3.0mm. Gauge was listed as the same....of course I hadn't checked the gauge before...I never used to bother with that...after all...I never finished anything anyways! So, there we go again with my needle size issue lately...go figure...did I just never notice the difference before? Anyways, my US3 that I was using is a 3.25mm. So I went online and bought a new circular, and set of dpn's in US2 3.0mm.....and the site I bought them on said you could get US2 in 2.75mm OR 3.0mm.....I'll never deviate from metric again...I've learned my lesson...I can't wait to get my new needles! I'm ripping this out and starting completely fresh...and I'm even knitting a gauge swatch this time! Ha! Watch it turn out that the new needles will cause my knitting to be too tight hehehe...
So, while I was digging out the lacy little tank, I found in that knitting basket the needles that I need to start the hooded cabled cardigan for niece. They were right there all along...I've been wanting to start it for a few weeks, but thought I had to go needle shopping first...Perhaps I should go through ALL of my needles and such, and write down what I have, maybe even store everything together in one spot...gasp...imagine the organization....I really really really can't wait for my invite to Ravelry to come!

Here's what they tell me:

• You are #29962 on the list.
• 16596 people are ahead of you in line.
• 3114 people are behind you in line.

I was busy this morning! I was really on a mission to find the needle I needed (heheehe) to finish my grey cardigan! While digging around in everything else I found the two sets of double points that it says I will need for finishing the cuffs....one set of them is still attached to H's sock...so....I guess that means I'm gonna hafta finish that sock in order to finish my sweater. Then I walked down to the extremely small and snooty yarn shop which is really only about 3 blocks from my house, but really so small that if you pick up anything...an entire pile of things topple to the floor, things are all just piled up, it's really annoying I'm afraid to touch anything...I'm like Mr.Bean in the yarn shop. I can afford nothing there without missing a car payment...except the needles...which they ACTUALLY had in stock...so YEAH! I can finish the sleeves on my sweater!

This is a picture of where my short row sock lies....just sitting there.....I will probably rip it out and start a different pattern...but I'm not sure what...I really like toe-up, and I like the idea of short row toes and heels, but this method I'm just not getting....it's the wrap method, and I'm just not getting the proper way to pick up the wraps without leaving holes. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I 've read that there is another method PG-R's but I don't know anything about that...perhaps I'll try to find a pattern and give it a try...can I do that method while working from the toe up?Soooo, I casted on the baby sweater. There is a lot of cabling in it, which I've not done very much of, so I thought this could be my more challenging and interesting knitting project and my gray sweater can be my more relaxed one...that is until the needles arrive for my lacy little tank..hehhe....I'd better knit this baby sweater quickly...so that I actually finish it before it's too small :-D I chose to do the largest size..so she'll have room to grow ...in theory...or maybe just so that it will still be her size by the time I get done. I've already found a mistake in this pattern, I have yet to see a pattern from MM that doesn't have mistakes. My mother-in-law buys a lot of them, and she's always finding that they just don't work....until we figure out the typos...and then it usually runs smoothly :-) Happy knitting!

Sweater neck done....man...and stalled again!

Ok, So I actually sat down and finished picking up the stitches around the neck and I finished knitting the neck of my sweater.....Great! I did while watching 3 back to back episodes of What Not To Wear....poor H, I just love that show..... anyways, I'm so excited to pick up the sleeves and get going......buuuuuuut...guess what I just noticed...the new needle I bought to do the sleeves...the no.6 16inch.....is 4.00mm, while the one I used for the body of the sweater was a no6 24inch .....but that one was 4.25mm DOH! Why oh why isn't there a standard needle size for standard needle sizes...why oh why do they differ between brands....why oh why do I always have to remember the metric size....and why oh why did I buy a different brand in the first place! Doh! because it was about 1/3 the price that's why! Even though the other one (which may not have even been available) would have been sooooo worth it....

Oh well, stalled again until I find the right needle size....you wouldn't believe how long it took me to find in the first place....nobody stocks these needle sizes around here...everyone said they would have to order them in special.... seriously...I'm not lyin'!

Oh well, I will have to finish H's socks...and a gift for my friends new baby...who is now nearly a month old....I think I'm going to make a simple but hopefully pretty baby quilt...because I really don't know of very many baby knitting patterns (strange I know!) and my friends mom is a wonderful knitter anyways...so I'm sure she's go tons of knits already.

Finally....diving!

Well, I finally got to go diving last weekend. We went up to Tobermory for labour day Monday... it was fantastic! Boy, I forgot how good it feels to be underwater, anyways...I was so anxious to get myself under that water, that I kindof had a bit of a fall on the rocks on the way in and I pulled a ligament in my knee, I've been hobbling around all week...ha! I look very silly...but luckily...I didn't tear anything so I should heal up nicely.

I did get a whole lot more of my sock for sweetums finished on the way up....and back.... but....I still haven't even finished a whole sock...and as for my sweater.... I still haven't finished picking up the stitches around the neck!

I'll post some pictures SOON!

Back from vacation

As you can see by the picture....we had a lovely cottage right on the water...hehee..my niece learned to wave while we were there...lol.....doesn't she look like she's parting the sea...so cuteIt was cold the first two days we were there, and poor little one only had thin baby socks...so the first day I whipped her up a set of woolies....the whole time I was knitting them I was thinking.....these are going to be WAY to big...but....on the contrary...they barely made it onto her feet!
I had just ripped out the socks that I had started for H, they were turning out to be more my size.....apparently I failed to write down the needle size when I made socks last time.....oh well, after the baby socks I started working on his again...the first one is about to turn the heel.
Thats me and sister-in-law sitting in the chairs....I'm knitting baby socks in that picture. It was the perfect place to knit!
AND...believe it or not...I actually finished the body of my grey cardigan, oh yes...that's right....I finished it! No! Not the whole sweater...just the body...I still have to do the neckline and the sleeves, but it felt so good to finish the body that I'm now all motivated to do the rest of it again! Yeah!

Hedgehog has a face!

Here's hedgehog!

Here is Mr.Hedgehog...right out of the washer....I actually got talking on the phone and forgot about him in there....poor neglected hedgehog...he sort of smells like a wet dog right now....hehe...silly hedgehogHis hair is more tuffy and squiggly than hairy....sort of like what happens to really really old stuffed animals......Ha! this one is pre-aged! I had to give him a little brush to pull some more of the hair out of the wooliness
No eyes or nose yet....still a faceless hedgehog...but...maybe tomorrow...maybe tomorrow ;-P

Every little girl needs a hot pink hedgehog!

Here is mister hedgehog, sooooo close to being finished...but still a little to do at the bottom of the back....then...into the washing machine with him....to be felted felted felted.
He looks a little hairier in the picture than he does to me here. I hope that when he comes out of the washer he will look very fuzzy....since the wool should felt but the fluffy stuff should not. I love this pattern...it's so quick! I've got the fiber trends penguin pattern too....I wish I had bought the black eyelash wool when we were at Mary Maxim...but I thought it would be months before I got to it.

Nope, my sweater is no closer to being finished than it was before....lol...but....I did get the other needles that I need for the sleeves....so I'm on my way...it seems I've been bitten by the knitting bug again.

Happy knitting...

No Sheep for me!

My sweetums ordered the book "No sheep for you" from Amy R.Singer for me...how sweet of him...it arrived today...I had no idea how much information would be packed into it....I've just sort of flipped through...but it looks like a great resource...I'm excited!

No No...I'm not giving up sheep....but....I love knitting with cotton and silk..and the little bit that I've done in hemp....and really really want to try linen.

Nope.....still not finished my sweater...buuuut...I've started a marvelous hot pink hedgehog for my little neice....every little girl needs a hot pink hedgehog don't you think?!?!

Hedgehog pattern picture

We (I mean me and H's mummy) went to Mary Maxim last weekend for a little daytrip...I had a great time....hope mom R did too! Anyways.....we came back with enough knitting/craft project stuff to last till spring!

My knitting progress

Well, I started this sock for my sweetums. I actually started it almost exactly a month ago. I casted on in the van on the way up to MBC for the retreat weekend with the ladies.....I knit in the car on the way up and back (between drifting naps of course)I got right up to the heel, and that's where it ended....they've been patiently sitting in a ziploc bag next to the other pair of socks that I'm not finishing.....on top of my sewing machine that is also not being used.
I have made a little more progress on my sweater....ha! maybe it will be done for Christmas! hehehe.....then I can start the tank top :-P It's not actually as small as it looks....but I was trying not to drop any stiches off my circular.....and...there's a nice little look at my new scrapbook station (and pile things up desk). I've been a little stuck with the scrapbooking lately too....I'm never going to have a wedding album...oh..well....I've got like 3 pages now! Not exactly efficient....so if I really want to see wedding stuff...I visit my Mom-in-law's album.
Oh sweet sweater...only 3 more inches to go, and then I start the bottom hem....I'm hoping my really elasticy tight but stretchy border stretches and flattens with blocking so that it stops being all puckery.....hmmm I'm telling myself that it will be just fine...
I still haven't found the needles that I need to do the sleeves....it seemed like sleeves were so far away...I would just get the body started and worry about finding that other needle later...but....now....it's very much later....and I still haven't even ventured out on an honest mission to find that needle!

I can totally drive a tractor!

Ha! I got to drive the tractor today! Now I want one....with a nifty bucket on the front to carry stuff in....I think I'll trade in the yaris....I'm pretty sure I could fit all of our groceries in the bucket of the tractor and be just fine...perhaps get a few stares....but....it would be worth it...hehehe....I got to move half a tree across the lawn hehehe...oh who knew it could be so much fun!

I'm still here

Really I am...and I've even been knitting ...honest....I'll have pictures soon...but...I just got back from our women's retreat weekend at MBC (Muskoka Baptist Conference), and I'm oh sooo tired. The weekend was wonderful! And Elizabeth George was great!
zzzzz zzzz zzz

First Afghan square complete

Here's my first afghan square, I'm debating with myself on whether to mail it out now, or wait and do another one and mail them together. Hmmmmm, it looks kindof mis-shapen in the picture.....(reminds me of how hard it is to hand draw a nice circle, perhaps it's the same sort of deal with handknitting a nice square...errr...ummmm yeah, probably just me...)

Afghan square, first to come

I started this square this evening. I decided to be pretty lazy, so after supper I did nothing but knit and absent mindedly watch television, (I can barely even remember what shows were on other than 24, much less have a clue what they were about, I think there may have even been some relatively painless moments of hockey sprawled in there since I was knitting, I didn't really CARE what was on!)I've decided that it is in fact true....I am a very slow knitter, I believe I was working on this from about 7:30 till 10, I should have finished this one at least, I would think...but...noooooo. Oh well, I enjoy it just the same. Hopefully it's not too ugly :-D And I'm hoping that cotton is OK. I have loads of cotton in my stash, this was left over from making "Anouk" from the knitty.com website for my neice, I was going to make her some patchwork stuffed animals from it...but...who knows if I'm ever going to get around to that, so it's a square instead...again...I hope cotton is OK....it's snuggly soft..
This is one of my very favourite baby pics so far, I love how her tiny fingers are wrapped around her dad's...... 4 months old!

Afghan squares

I really want to do this. I know no one will see this on MY blog, except perhaps the person who's blog I found the info on in the first place :-) But I'm posting it anyways!


It's a plan to make 8" blocks for afghans to be pieced together to give to the people of Greensburg. We are so very far away, and have never seen anything like this, I cannot imagine losing everything, just like that.

Still knittin' among other things

Wow, the weather is beautiful, our house is stifling but the weather is beautiful!I HAVE been doing some knitting...although not as much as I'd like, with all this nice weather there are so many other things that I need/want to do. Like today, it's Saturday so I could pretty much be lazy and do nothing but knit, that would be wonderful, but there are soooo many other things on my list....oh well, if only there was more free time less work time...lol....but then I'd miss my work ha! I think I will probably take an hour or so and sit in the backyard knitting anyways....because the back yard does look so very inviting right now!
Well, I had the same plan last Saturday, but after getting groceries H's mom called and asked if he could come out and help with some farm stuff, (which ended up just being yard work as the farm stuff got pushed back to Monday). So, I WAS lazy and DID knit most of the time, aside for some picture taking maniac breaks,.....I pretty much sat around knitting and watching people work...ha! what a good daughter-in-law I am.....really...it's helpful if I stay out of the way....I'm just a menace in a garden!
There's poor Nika, all stuck on her side because I can't seem to figure out how to change the picture format to turn her upright, I can do it on a PC, but can't figure it out on the mac stuff.....I guess I'm still learning the Mac. She's a cute dog though,....even if you DO have to turn your head sideways to look at her :-)
Oh, and by the way, all those beautiful flowers are obviously H's mom's....and not mine :-)