Mouse... you picked the wrong house.

More knitting content later, I promise...

This morning, I came into the kitchen to see the dry cat food all over the place. With 2 cats, some altercation or other is always going on, so whatever, I thought. Both cats were hunkered down in the kitchen looking in the direction of the food, but whatever, I thought. I started sweeping up the cat food, and one piece skittered away towards the dining room. That's when I saw something bigger than cat food careen through the dining room. Murray took off like a shot and captured a MOUSE. Eeeeeek! I'm afraid I completely lost my head and started yelling for Lee. I told Lee to get a trash can. Then he lost HIS mind and said "They're all full!!"

Meanwhile Murray is hunched over his prey alternately growling low with the mouse in his mouth and releasing the mouse to hiss at it. Sibbie, of course, has her tail puffed out big and is looking on veeeery curiously. Murray wouldn't release the mouse for us to get it into the trash can, and he moved away from us when we came near. Finally, I opened the front door, so that we could at least get them both out of the house onto the porch. Lee got them both out, then got Murray in the house sans mouse.

Both cats were on HIGH ALERT when we left for work...Both patrolling the perimeter. Murray was acting like Big Man on Campus... I swear he was strutting. And why shouldn't he?! Go Murray!

Ever have a crappy day suddenly get better?

After an emotionally draining day at work where the news was bad to worse, and you just have a gnawing pit in your stomach, then have to lead a Bible study, then drag yourself home, wander around the house, finally decide to put pjs on, you walk in the living room and see that those darn cats have been in your pile of dishcloths.... but wait.... cats wouldn't have left you a message drawn in dishcloths... would they? All together, Ladies... "Awwwww...." What a good, sweet man I married!

Irish Hiking Scarf... not just for hiking anymore

Got this pattern from http://www.helloyarn.com/. I used 2 cables instead of the 3 because I used bulky. I also used bigger needles. I was going to get rid of this yarn, but I dragged it out of exile because I maybe have enough for a scarf. Maybe. Er... remember that talk about guage? It's a really nice, free pattern. 2 alternating rows for 7 rows, then the 8th row is the cable row. Simple. Plus, bulky yarn is always fun to use, because you can get this much done in less than an hour:

Check your gauge, Ladies!

So, my friend Katherine and I were discussing gauge, and how we NEVER make a swatch. See here for Kay's (of MasonDixonKnitting) take on it. http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2007_01.html#001786. So here Katherine is with a sweater for charity. It's a "toddler" sweater. It fits me... although the sleeves are 3/4. She has a good humor about it and even let me post her picture. :) She claims there COULD be toddlers that big in other countries. We vow to SOMEDAY learn to check gauge. Ha. No, really... we will!

Theresa... one glove is done!

The pink (Lotus... excUuuuuUse me) is a bit darker than this. I think it's totally cute. Got the second one's cuff done. Hope you like it. I had to frog one glove that I'd gotten up to the end of the thumb increase because the pattern was dumb, but I LOVE these mini-stripes. I may have to make a pair for myself.

2 for 1

I have sometimes wondered if I could knit if I were to go blind. Don't tell me you haven't wondered the same thing. Anyway, I closed my eyes and was able to knit for quite awhile without looking... even increasing for the thumb of a mitten. Then I thought, "Hey! If I don't have to concentrate to knit mittens, maybe I can READ at the same time." Guess what? I can. I'm in rapture... 2 of my favorite things AT THE SAME TIME. What could be better? :) Here's my view of the process. Of course, the book has to be able to lie flat.

Froggy McFroggerson

Well... this hat has been sitting around for 2 years now. It never found a home on anyone's head... too big! too heavy! I frogged it to make something else. Is it wrong to love the little graduated sized balls of wool? Oh rats... just noticed one is out of order. Is it wrong to want to re-photograph so that they're right? What does that say about me? Never mind, I don't want to know. :)

I am SO in love with this basket...

...that I might have to marry it!!

The body is the Nantasket Basket (see previous post). I made the little handles with a 3 st I-cord. This yarn was larger than bulky, and slightly more yarny than roving. I don't know what it is called. It was not spun tightly. It did not felt as much as I wanted, but still, I love it. This yarn has been in my stash for a loooooong time. I used up ALL the gray. Note the 4 rows of gray in the handles... every last bit of it, I say. Dishcloths were very soothing to knit after this big needle/big yarn project... ow! my fingers. :)

Dishcloth Frenzy

My name is Chris and I'm a dishclothaholic. I am apparently unable to stop making them. I need an intervention.

Murray Strikes Again

After a mobius strip, Megan is on her way to completing her first mitten. Huzzah! This mitten is courtesy of Mean Girls, Freaky Friday, and Gone With the Wind.

Murray keeps himself available to keep the right tension.

You know you've got it bad, when...

http://elmore-pisgah.com/solid%20colors%209-14.htm

I ordered a color card. I think I've officially crossed over into obsession. My stash is NOT large, and I do finish stuff, so maybe that makes it ok. :)

I dreamed about knitting last night. Is that bad?!?!?!

You can tell she's loved by the amount of handmade items on her!

Lookie who stopped by last night, all decked out in her hand-knitted/crocheted yummy goodness. It's Sophia, who, with mom Katherine, came over for a knitfest. Bib and blankie by Katherine. Hat by a friend, actually made for Sophia's older sister.

Doomed from the start

I loved this pattern, and I'm not one to back down from a difficult project ... BUT... a) it took 16 different colors, b) my local yarn store didn't have them all, so I substituted rather than order the right colors, c) it uses size 2 needles, d) CO 136 ?!?!? I can't count that high, e) I did the 1st inch and found myself with a mobius strip, f) I did the 1st inch again and realized how many ends there would be to weave in, g) after said inch was done, I sprained my left wrist badly...

Soooo...now I've got 16 colors of fingering weight yarn that have been stored in my white socks for, oh, 3 years. I finally have drawn out a plan for useage. I am having trouble working up the desire to implement.

Don't leave home without it

I love my Altoid's tin. This is my stripped down knitting supply kit.

- cheater notes for mittens
- stitch holders

- fancy stitch marker rings made by friend Katherine

- needles

- row counters

- cutting implement

- cheapie stitch markers

Even Dirty Dishes Deserve Clean Knitting

I'm also in love with Ballband Dishclothes. The colors make me very happy. If you're a friend of mine, forget you saw these, as you'll be getting one for Christmas. :) I can't stop making these guys.

I blame Mason Dixon Knitting for my dirty house.

I received the MD knitting book on December 24. By December 27, this was done. My stash of leftover Lamb's Pride Bulky is used up. It's not very big, and it was telling me to felt it, so now it's even smaller. Not sure what it is yet, but it's on my dinner table.

Learning to Knit

I 1st learned to knit from a friend's mother, Juanita. I had to be about 11 or 12. I think I only learning the K and possible the P. She made me a Christmas stocking with a big Santa head intarsia'd (http://www.sweaterscapes.com/intars.htm to learn how) on it. His beard is made of white angora. I still have this stocking although it's not quite as fluffy as it once was.

I re-learned in High School from my mother. My first finished project was a pair of white acrylic mittens knitted in the round on 4 DPNs. They turned gray awefully quickly. Mom taught me in the English throwing way. (vs. the continental picking way.) [http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/articles/continental.shtml for the differences and the debate about which is "better"] The mittens were my only project until later...

About 6 years ago, a friend was taking a knitting class. She brought her stuff over one night and showed me the continental stitch she was working on. I had seen this done once before by a friend in Austria a couple of years before that. (I don't actually remember knitting in Austria, but I must have because I remember the Swedes and Poles asking why I held the yarn in my right hand, and they demonstrated this crazy fast way to knit with the yarn in the left hand.) Anyway, my cousin was about to have her first child and I thought, "huh, maybe I should knit something." I believe I knit that baby blanket "Englishly" and it took forever.

My next project was socks, and I had my friend show me again how to knit continentally, and an "aha moment" was born. (The Sock Story: My husband and I were in Galena, IL with friends and there is this barley/granola/essential oil/natural soaps, etc. store. Also, there was hand spun/hand dyed wool that came in clumps of 5 or 6 colors with a pattern for socks. I really wanted the yarn and my husband said "Let me get this straight... you want to pay $36... for socks... that YOU have to make?" YES. So I did.)

Since then, I've cranked out more mittens than I can remember. My taste in yarn has changed from acrylics (not that there's anything wrong with them) to the natural fibers. I still make baby stuff out of completely washable non-natural, but oh-so-soft fibers.

I've taught multiple people how to knit, and it's so gratifying to see their personalities come out in their knitting. Some have tackled projects I never would and choose colors that are, well, not what I would choose, but that please them. I now have knitting buddies who can walk up and down and up and down the yarn aisles and not get bored imagining projects for all that yummy wool goodness. Recently, a college student (who has just finished her 1st project and is working on her 2nd) and I went yarn shopping. At one point we both picked up a particularly cushy yarn, held them up to our faces and looked at each other dreamily over the top of the skeins. It was a bonding moment. :)

Nostalgia

I got this book from my mom, who got it from ? Her grandmother? (I know my mom's mom didn't really knit.) I'll have to find out. It is from 1953. I learned to make mittens and gloves from this book. It's still the book I use to make mittens and gloves. I think you can still get it... I bought a newer copy at Hobby Lobby recently. But, it's just not the same using the new book. I lend out the new one and keep the old, crappy one at home. It now looks like this.

I feel connected to the knitters who came before me when I use this book.

Dilemma

ok, so... this is the first pair of fingerless with the flap gloves I ever made. They're made out of an expensive wool/silk blend. They're pretty lightweight and very soft. BUT, the thumbs are wearing out and they're feeling, well, worn, frankly. I don't have any more of this yarn. I haven't actually worn them in a year, since I've made myself other gloves. I ran across them last night and couldn't get rid of them. They have a strong emotional hold, even though I've moved on to new glove/mittens. Wondered if photographing them and writing about them would let me let them go. They really are sad looking. They gave me 3 good years of service. My babies!

Kittens and Mittens

I know that over at www.masondixonknitting.com they have a "no cat blog" policy or somesuch. I suppose it's a good idea, since I could talk and talk about the little critters. But, sometimes, the two come together in such a cute-tastic way, who can really resist?

This is Murray. He is helping me keep my tension right.

That pink stuff was SOOOOO soft. I made legwarmers, mittens and a scarf for a little girl. I love the natural fibers, but this fakey, fake stuff was delightful on the hands.

Anyway, no wonder Murray couldn't resist.

Rachel's mittens

So, friend Rachel commissioned me to make these mittens after seeing mine. I love making mittens!! The fingers are the trickiest part for me, but it's getting easier. I like to make the fingers different lengths so that they hit the finger in between knuckles.


I loved knitting these for her, since hot pink is not a color I regularly choose. I think they're adorable. My DH designed the "star" motif, since I was frustrating myself trying to do it. He saw my frustration and basically snatched the grid paper out of my hand... "Gimmee that..." and 2 minutes later had the cutest design made. Love him.

Basket A Go-Go

Spent several hours Tuesday night knitting this up. It's shape is rather wonky, but hey, 1st one!

The original pattern looks much better.

BUT, I learned 3 new stitches. Finally got my mind wrapped around i-cords.

Got the pattern from http://ma2ut.blogspot.com/2006/06/nantasket-basket.html. Well worth the $5.50 to buy the pattern.

AND, I was able to use up a bunch of little balls of leftover yarn from other projects. So glad I saved that teeny tiny piece of lime green so it could go once around the basket.