lesson learned this week. if the box says quick kit, it will take at least 4 days to complete.
Dante and i worked on a ginger bread house last week. we started off bad when we opened the box and every piece except for 2 side walls were broken. it took a large amount of the included icing to glue them back together and by the time we were finished, there just wasn't enough to attach the roof. i had to make royal icing and attach the roof, and then we used the rest to put on the rest of the candy. my icing is tan compared to the icing that came with the box. i used the recipe from the food network but i think i put too much vanilla in and i had to add almost a full cup of additional powdered sugar to get the right consistency. anyway, i've been knitting christmas gifts that were commissioned so i haven't had time to even put up our tree, and Aaron's burning the candle at both ends to try to complete projects for school. this is hopefully his last 2 weeks of school and he'll be graduating with an associates in Web Design. Dante's progress report comes out on Wednesday and if we're lucky (he has been working very hard) he brought up his math grade and he can buy the video game he wants with the money we earned for raising the second highest amount of money for the school PTA with the Yankee Candle order. almost $600 bucks! I have an elephant and his mitts to knit before Christmas. that's 10 days. can i do it? here's the blasted house, enjoy.

holiday mitts part 1

I finished the first of the mitts that my friend Natalie commissioned from me yesterday. this pair was knit with Flat Feet and Knitpicks Bare Merino on 3.0mm circular needles using the magic loop. they took just under a week. i really had fun with this pattern. it reminded me of a leopard print in rainbow colors. the only issue i have with them is that when i went to wash the mitts, the hand painted yarn bleed as soon as it hit the water and the Bare sucked the dye right in so the finished result was a pink mitt. it's very pretty but not what i intended. i think that i expected the dye to have been set in the Flat Feet yarn and it wasn't. i also didn't really enjoy knitting straight from the flat because the stitches were crimped and it gave a really uneven tension to my knitting that soaking almost couldn't fix. IF i use this yarn again, i'll rip it back, wind the yarn into a hank and soak it, and then hang it so that it'll straighten out.

Porecca's sister-in-law socks

i've finished the first of the two socks and i really love this pair. i'm going to have to make a similar pair for myself. the color work keeps it interesting and really looks lovely and complicated on a sock. the stripped bottoms are a nice break from the monotony of the pattern. by the time i reached the foot i was pretty sick of it. i used an after thought heel here for the first time ever and i can see why people like it. if it wears out it will be easy to replace. my only change is that i might not work the decrease 1 stitch from the edge like i do on the toes as it creates a very defined line on the edge of the heel. i really liked the red toes and heels on this sock. it reminds me of the hard wearing socks that are used to make sock monkeys. there's just something about brown and tan with a splash of red. on the next pair, i'm going to work one of the leaf clusters in red for a little surprise. i know that the future owner of this new pair is going to love them.
my friend Porecca, who ordered this pair for her SIL, had to wear her pair to bed last night because her heater went out on them. she said her feet were toasty warm and she was glad to have them last night. i was really glad to hear that. it's really nice to have my work noticed and appreciated after so much hard work, and so many unsuccessful projects. it seems funny to me how my skills suddenly leaped into the more advanced levels and now i can just knit socks, gloves, and mittens with out a pattern now. i can finally make things just the way i see them in my head. now all i have to do is reach that same skill level for my sweaters and i'll finally have sweaters that both fit well and are lovely, and just what i can't find in the stores. i have purposely avoided putting knitting needles into the hands of my youngest son until i felt that i was a "master knitter" so that he will be gifted with the skill of a master, according to legend. i don't want to hand them to him while i'm still just barely average and curse his ability, lol. it's too late for Dante. i didn't know about the legend before i handed him a pair of needles.
so anyway, here's what you came for:

christmas socks

i've been working on the socks for Porreca's sister and they're coming out really well so far. i'm just getting tired of the pattern, or was it that i'm tired of the amount of the pattern that i'm knitting. hand warmers would be done by now. but here they are...

and the other side...

Saturday night

yesterday i went with my friend Heather to the Make-a-Wish benefit concert at the Blackstone in Pawtucket RI. There were several local bands playing, including Days Unknown which is a band that is fronted by a coworker. They rock out so hard that it's really mind blowing. funny because i know him from work and he's completely different at work that on stage. much hotter on stage. very silly and sort of a doof at work. I've seen him perform once before but i got there late and only got to see the last half of the last song in the set. this was much better! they did about 4 of their original songs from their upcoming album, and 3 covers from Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, and Nine Inch Nails. it was a really great show.
when i got out of my car to go into the bar, my hand warmers fell off of my lap and out of the car onto the ground. it rained all night so after 3 hours in the rain, in the parking lot, they were really wet and really gritty. i'd been wanting to wash them for a while anyway but i didn't mean for this to happen in order to force me to get it done. so i soaked them in Soak, (what else?) and then squeezed the extra water out between a towel, and hung them out to dry. they'll be really soft and they're much brighter so i guess it all worked out in the end. one was right on the ground right next to the driver side door, and the other was about a foot under the car due to the high winds. i was just really glad that i didn't lose them completely.
i finished the hand warmers for Heather and gave them to her yesterday. it just made sense. and now i've spent the last 2 days working on a pair of socks for Porecca's sister for Christmas. i've started and ripped, started and ripped, and repeated a few more times till i finally pulled out the brand new copy of 1000 Great Knitted Motif's that i just picked up from Bella Yarns yesterday to help out with all the hand warmers, and after 3 failed attempts i found a stitch combo that i thinks going to work well for the socks. on my Ravelry page i have a photo my baby just because i really don't like having empty photo boxes there. its distracting.

jana's gloves in progress

i'm really loving this pair. i'm not a big fan of gray but the tweed is really lovely. i've been working these without a pattern, just using my gauge and tape measure to figure out how many stitches i'll need for each finger. i finished the first glove yesterday and it's really nice...very understated.
when i brought the glove in progress down to Jana's department and forced her to try it on, one of her employees fell for them and if i'm not careful i'll be knitting gloves for the entire fulfillment department of my bank. i'm still making hand warmers but right now i don't have any of the colors that have been requested and i need to place an order. so in the mean time, i'm working on items that need to be done by the holidays. i have a pair of silk/merino mitts for Heather, socks for Jana and for Porreca's sister, and mitts for Natalie's sister.

my boys

photos taken of the boys today.





and my finished mitts for Maria, inspired by Sister Wilson

one mitt down

i finished the first of the mitts and i'm completely in love with these. you can't see it here but the colors are pink, brown, and tan in the middle of the large brown diamonds. i think that i'm definitely going to make socks from this pattern. i just love it.
i've also knit a gauge swatch for my Hourglass sweater. i can't wait to knit this. it'll be just great for this winter. maybe when i get done with all these wrist warmers, i'll get back to my socks and have warm and pretty socks for my feet. but before i can do that i have to order more yarn for my back ordered mitts.

all new stuff

today was a very transitional day for me all around. i'm trying to get over the surreal feeling that the election left me with. never in my widest dreams did i think i would see a black president elected in my lifetime and it still hasn't sunk in. i'm so proud to be an American right now and i think that the election and the way it was handled at the end by both candidates helped us gain some of our dignity back in the eyes of the world, (or at least that's what i'm telling myself). i was very proud of what McCain said in his speech and how he would not allow the crown to boo, and how he asked that they back Obama as he will. and i'm very proud of our country for showing that we can make decisions based on what we think is best for us regardless of race, color, religion or anything else when it really comes right down to it.
on the work front, i moved into my new desk and spent the better part of my day reestablishing my email account, assigning printers to my computer, and pulling things off my H-drive back onto my desk top, not to mention having to set up all my junk again. it's a huge process. i also had to have my manager call maintenance to come and reinstall my keyboard drawer into my new cube. the only one who doesn't seem to be having any trouble adjusting to the move is my fish, Emmett.
today my friend gave me a new pair of pumps that she can't wear because they're too narrow for her feet. they fit me perfectly and i love them. then i looked at the bottom of them on the way home and saw that they had the coolest pattern in the rubber on the sole and now it's my mission to try to translate that pattern into a graph for a mitten or hand warmer. this hand warmer thing is getting a little out of control. it's replacing my sock obsession for the time being. as soon as i can get a decent sketch and photo, i'll put it here and see what everyone thinks.

Election Day

today is a big day for the country and a busy one for me. i got out and voted, and donated blood all while still managing to finish up all my work for the day and make decent progress on the newest pair of mitts for Maria. i love these best of all. they just might become a pair of socks one day but for now they're mitts. Maria made an adorable fleece blanket for Alex which he loves and so these mitts will be spectacular as a "thank you" for making something that my picky baby boy loves.
although you can't really tell in this photo, the light yarn is pink, and the middle of the brown diamond is stitched with tan. it's really cute in person.

cabled mitts

i finished the cabled mitts for Penny this weekend and have started working on a pattern for a pair or argyle mitts for my next coworker. it's been fun because i've had a chance to play with patterns and stitches that i've not used before and my coworkers are so happy to have warm hands that they've all been happy to wear them. i don't give them an option of what they want in the mitts. i only ask them if they have any colors that they don't like and work from there.
these mitts were fun because they were knit with worsted weight alpaca on 4.5mm needles so they were lightening fast! they're hanging over the baby gate right now drying for tomorrow. i know that Penny will be very happy with them. Maria is going to flip when she sees her argyle mitts.

Salem

yesterday i went with my friend Heather to Salem MA to check it out. i've never been there before and it was a neat experience. Heather suggested that we stop at the vintage photo place first thing before the city got crowded. we had a great time playing the part. then we went to the Witch History Museum and took a tour of a dark basement that had life sized figures set in scenes of some of the historic happenings of the time. it was a bit creepy but it certainly helped to bring the history to life. we also went to the Witch Dungeon where they reenacted a part of the trial of Elizabeth Proctor from actual court records and transcriptions. the actresses were fabulous and they really helped me get a feel for what the accused experienced in those days. they also made sure to set the tone for the climate of witch hysteria by explaining that the settlers had experienced up to that time, dealing with wars with native Americana's, death by diseases, shortages of food and extremely harsh winters. when we went down into the dungeons we got to see a recreation of what the jail houses were like and where the poor prisoners were kept who could not afford to pay their own upkeep while in prison. there was even a large beam of wood that was recovered from the actual dungeon site mounted in the exhibit for all to see and touch. i touched the beam and felt how cool and rough and solid the wood still is after all these hundreds of years. i got to touch history for the first time in person. there is a legend that if a lady touches the beam it's good luck for you, and if a man touches the beam it's good luck *to* you. i did touch it, but not for the luck. i just wanted a chance to touch something so old that had been where these events happened.
there was even a yarn store in the center of town that i got a chance to go into and browse. i bought a single skein of pumpkin colored wool yarn in fingering weight for a set of hand warmers. i'm on a run with these now. after finishing my Lambertson's, a coworker asked to buy them and since they were my own creation i was actually able to sell them for once. then i had two other women ask for a pair so i had to go home and get started on another pair first thing that night. i worked on them all the way up to Salem, and while waiting in line at the exhibits. i'll have the pair done hopefully by Monday night.

Lambertson

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Today i finished the Lambertson mitts. i'm going to need to have them test knit before i can put the pattern up, but i'm pleased with them. they've drawn some attention from the ladies at work, one of whom is looking to buy them. i have to cast on soon for my Wilson's and Jones' mitts.
i'm also knitting another Shedir out of ultra alpaca in a beautiful red color for Samantha. she's asked for a hat and i really liked this pattern so i'm making it again. dante will be getting one in navy blue as well. and then on top of my knitting overload is the Gothic Temptress pattern that i'm knitting right now as well. as soon as i've finished the hat, i'll be splitting my time between the socks at work and the mitts at home.
on the home front, i had some excitement when Dante came home from X-country practice with a badly swollen left middle finger. i took him to the pediatrician today and he had x-rays. no broken bones, but its got a bad sprang and has to be splinted for the next few days. the doctor found if very funny that i knew exactly where the urgent care/ x-ray center was. i thought it was funnier because i knew where it was due to my own clumsieness. i guess he got it from me.

return to knitting

it's been so long since i've taken the time to post to my blog (as noted by my mother) but i have been a bit distracted with reading the Twilight Saga, and knitting for my little guy. Alex has a new hat and a new pair of socks, and i'm working on wrist warmers for our new Sister Missionary trio. i'm designing the pattern for the first pair on my own using excel and word to map out the pattern as i go. i've found that excel has been really handy while i've been trying to work out the gusset and i think i've finally nailed it! i'm doing the set of three in dark brown and tan stranded knitting so i really need to chart out the thumb gusset ahead of time. i might use the same pattern for the gusset for all three pairs, but i plan to have the pattern on the body vary a bit so that they can tell them apart, but they won't be so different from each other. i want them to have something to remember their time in Rhode Island by, and it's unusual for there to be three paired up so i figured i'd work the mitts as if they were tripplets. a funny fact... there are only 9 sisters serving a mission in the entire RI stake, and we have 1/3 of them. :)

closing ceremonies

today i completed my 3rd unfinished object for the unfinished olympics, just in time for the closing ceremonies tonight. i really earned a medal this year. these are my Millicent socks that i started knitting in april of 2007. i just ran out of steam with the 2x2 ribbing but having the olympics on really kept me on track and i got them done. now it's back to more fun knits.

momma's 3rd pair of socks

these are my mom's latest socks made from Regia cotton, or at least i think it's regia cotton...i know for sure it's cotton. i've had this yarn in my stash for a few years now and i finally found something to do with it. and i have enough for a whole other pair of full length socks which i think i'll make for me because after i was done with these i realized that i like them. they'll go in the mail this weekend.
i also finished my UnFinished Olympic project yesterday and it's blocking right now. it's the Swallowtail Shawl for my MIL, Linda and i can't wait for her to get it tomorrow. aaron's going to take it over when he goes over to help out around the house. and since i'm on a roll finishing stuff up during the Olympics, i picked up my Milicent socks and started them again.

Whispering Pines, Completed

so, yesterday i cast off the whispering pines shawl from Knitspot.com and blocked it for my friend Heather. she's attending a wedding today and wanted a shawl to "cover the arm fat", as all women want to do, and asked me to knit this for her about a week ago. yes you heard me correctly... a week ago. so we ordered the pattern and i knit it every day for the last week, trying to complete one chart every day and hoping that it would be bit enough for her to wear today. i was planning to have her take it and wear it, then give it back and let me cast back on to finish it after. then i realized that she's only 4' 11" and that the full sized shawl would dwarf her, so we both decided to stop at chart G and just leave it. it's all snow flakes, no trees. but it's still beautiful, and i loved the Zepher yarn. i will post photos when i get home. (i actually took them this time.)
now! it's time for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and for me to get started on the unfinished olympics. i'm going to pick up linda's shawl again to see if i can bang this out over the next 16 days, plus i also have my mom's socks back in hand too. they're back as my work knitting project. i'm so excited for the olympics!! i can't wait for track and field.

Whispering Pines

i don't know what happened to my photos but i have been knitting on the Whispering Pines shawl by Ann of Knitspot. it's brilliantly written and i really love knitting this. i've been working on it for my friend Heather to wear to a wedding in 8 days. I've been trying to complete one chart each day and every night i've taken a progress photo, only tonight when i went to download them, i found that the camera is empty. i don't know what happened to my photos!! usually i forget to take them, and this time i've been taking them every day and they're just gone. (sigh)
anyway, tomorrow night i'm going to Fenway with Heather to see a Boston Red Socks game for the first time. they're playing the A's who happen to be my home team so it should be cool. luckily for me i got my schedule changed at work so that for the first time in 12 years, i don't have to work every Saturday anymore. i'm now a monday through friday girl and i only have to work one saturday per month. no saturday's until august 16th! Nice, right? so i don't have to worry about how late i get home from the game tomorrow.
there will be knitting at the game and i'll take some photos to post. hopefully my camera won't eat them.

current projects

I've been knitting on a pair of cotton socks for my mom. They're turning out really well considering the fact that I'm not in love with the yarn. I got it years ago and never used it, but it actually works up really well. Not a bad color at all. These are my first priority right now and I work on these at work mostly. For this pair, just to keep things fresh, I used a traditional heel flap heel, and worked a short row toe and grafted the top of the foot closed. I hope that they soften up after a good soak because right now I'm not impressed with cotton sock yarn.
As far as my Petticoat socks go, I didn't bother to fully read the pattern and now I know that the size issue I've been battling is that I'm not hitting gauge. I was supposed to be using a 2.75mm needle but I wasn't, so I hope that this next go works out really well.
I talked to my Grandma this week, and I realized that she needs something special knit from me. I've never made her anything and I decided that after a life of such hard work and practicality, she needs something totally impractical for everyday use. So I'm knitting the Zetor Scarf out of my 100% silk Socks That Rock Silk Thread. Grandma is sensitive to most forms of wool and she's living in Nevada now so alpaca is really out of the question. It's a small sacrifice to make for Grandma. I hope this pattern works out because right now it seems a lot looser that I'd like but I'm going to remain hopeful.

house warming

I've moved my blog. it was on a whim but i decided that i haven't been blogging enough lately to bother paying for a blog anymore, and i really like blogger more anyway so, here i am.

To celebrate my move, i have a brand new finished object. My Central Park Hoodie! I wore it all over yesterday and i LOVE it!! I finished it on Friday night and brought it straight to work to wear in the office. I keep forgetting about the whole "seam allowance" thing and i've realized that I need to knit the next larger size or add on an additional 2-3 stitches on each side to allow for the half inch that I lose every time I seam something. But I finally did a good job with the finishing and it came out really nice for once. I feel like a real knitter now!

As for my Petticoat Socks, I don't think that they're going to work out for me. I've played with the pattern as much I figure I can without changing the whole look of the pattern and it's still to tight. Although, I just now thought of a way to make it work...so I guess it's back to the drawing board again with these. They're just too pretty to give up on. I also have a shawl to knit for me, a new pair of socks for my mom per her request, and a hat for my friend Matt who's a rock-in-roll god. Lead singer of the band Days Unknown, and completely sweet, not to mention hot and SINGLE ladies!! Check out his band.