Knit O' Bit - Jewelry

I took the idea of the crocheted earrings that were worn by one of the contestants on American Idol and made a pair of those. Then I found an i-cord necklace idea that morphs from a crocheted circle into the knitted cord finished off by knotting the end of the cord and popping it through the circle.

These are easy and lots of fun to do. Another bit of accessory that could be beaded for something more special. Great for a summer knit and gift for a friend.

The Beginning of Summer Brings...

Potted herbs to Camp Mouse. This is the beginning of my herb garden for my patio in town. Currently they are living at Camp Mouse until I get home from my road trip.

This morning we trimmed some chive and basil to add to an omelet, They are a yummy addition for summer fare.

And there is also a tomato trolley to hopefully grow some yummy 'maters for dad this year. It goes in every evening and comes out every morning. See, even the wheels are made for four-wheeling tomato growing. I hope everyone is growing their dreams for summer ~!

The Beginning of a Cat

This project has a secret recipient however I have to tell the story so if you realize that I am talking about you, try to act surprised when you see the final result.

I have some friends that used to be my neighbors and when they moved, my precious pussycat Pedro, was devastated. Even after two years, he will go out on the porch and look at their door to see if they will come out to see him. And they loved him too and I understand keep a picture of him on their computer as wallpaper.

So, I am going to have the opportunity to stop in their new town and visit them this next month so I am making a Pedro stand-in for them. I have to thank Dangercraft for making the perfect pattern for my knit a kitty venture. It is her Greta the Cat pattern that will be the basis for my Pedro look-alike.

And here is the beginning of a kitty. I am knitting it with Plymouth Encore Colorspun in 7142 called (can't find that it has a name so I will call it Pedro). So far it is a fast knit on the Magic Loop method that I am doing on my Denise needles (have to report they are not ideal for this method). I will not show you a picture of the completed item until it has been gifted so not to give away the complete surprise. This is my first toy project from Dangercraft and I think her patterns are fabulously written and lots of fun.

I hope everyone has fun things planned for their friends~!

Things That Say: FO

I am happy to report that I have finished items this week to show and tell.

First up, my Froot Loop hat made from the Sockhead Hat pattern. I made this lightweight, slouchy beanie out of a mystery skein of Sockotta sock yarn. The colors remind of Froot Loop cereal hence the name. It is a fun knit in the round and works well for TV watching or road trips when you just want to knit and not think about the pattern. I did this one on size 2US, 3.0mm needles which seems on the larger size of the 2 options.

And I finished a pair of the mini handmitts from the Sock Yarn Mini Warmers pattern for my sister in the Marine Life colorway in Felici yarn from KnitPicks.

These are a really fun knit and I tried them on two circs this time instead of DPNs. They work up faster this way. I adjusted the pattern a bit by doing three rows of k1, p1 rib after the cast on to get a little fit at the wrist. I really like these for warmer weather wear in an extra A/C office setting. You get lightweight warmth and really fun colors.

I hope everyone is making happy accomplishments~!

LOST: The Finale

It is difficult to believe that it has been six years since this series began. I must admit I have not watched it on TV from the beginning. I started about three years ago when some friends convinced me I should get involved. I did the catch up on three previous seasons in about 6 weeks so I could start watching at Season 4 premiere.

Since them each new season I have to pre-prep with a fast review of the past season. It is just too much to remember all the intricate details of this show.

Sad to say, tonight is the final episode. I have no idea how they can answer all the questions and tie up all the loose ends, but they claim they will in a scant 150 minutes. I will be there with countless others watching to see if this claim is true.

I hope everyone is finding fun things to be a part of in their lives~!

Other Things on My Needles

I put the second of my Mulberry Stripes socks on 2 circs on needles this week to try to get them done. The yarn is Patons Kroy Sock and knits up very nicely. I am doing the basic ribbed sock pattern from Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles book. I think I am liking this technique more now that I have started the second sock.

Also on my needles is the remaining three inches of the Sockhead hat. I am trying to get this one done for a shop sample. Then there is the pair of mini handwarmers that I am making for my sister. She picked out the yarn yesterday and today I finished the first one. Yes, they do knit up that fast.

I also have to finish the second Monkey sock which is halfway down the foot. I just have to figure out where I am in the pattern and start knitting again. That one is still on dpns. I have other things that I need to review where they are in the line up so I can update their progress.

I hope everyone is anticipating their beginning of summer~!

What I Knit To This Week

This week I finished the Dashing in Black handwarmers as my car project and started working to finish the sockhead hat. I listened to Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton at lunch time and started The Reliable Wife. Both are good reads.

In the house knitting, I knit on some sample squares for my July knitting event that will include a decorate your knits station. I am also assessing my next sweater project. I have all the yarn and pattern to make up my Christmas gift project. And I bought two more Knitting Pure and Simple patterns, one is for a summer cardi that I may be able to wear to work in lieu of my suit jacket and the other is a front tie cardi.

I watched Singing in the Rain - excellent; Men Who Stare At Goats - interesting; Next Stop, Greenwich Village - not my cup of tea; and I did go see Letters to Juliet - wonderful.

And I discovered a wonderful German bakery and deli on the southwest side of town. Had to try ham and onion rolls, plus beerwurst, salami and some cheeses. Made for good weekend picnic fare.

I hope everyone has fun pursuits in their life~!

Cardi Progress: Finished and Lesson Learned

The Top Down Wrap Cardi (Harlot's favorite sweater pattern from Knitting Pure and Simple #263) is nearly finished.

I finished the neck band yesterday after I took this picture and started weaving ends and making the couple feet of I-cord for the ties. I should be able to wear it this next week.

Does anyone see anything interesting in the picture? Yes, it is true, the colors are off. This is my visual lesson in matching dyelots and how important they are for large projects.

The yarn is Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Blue Mist. There are 5 skeins in the sweater and three of them were in one dye lot and the other two were not. I will be using this as a class lesson in the future.

Other than that, I love this sweater and plan to wear it with great pleasure and often. It will make a great sweater to wear with my jeans any cool day I can find.

I hope everyone is happily pursuing their favorite things~!

Porch: A New Look for Summer

My porch got a little makeover with new chairs and some removeable cushions. This will make it nice to go out with Pedro and watch the world go by.

I will be spending a little more time outside as soon as the weather looks at the calendar and realizes that it is only 2 weeks away from the official start of summer.

It rained, snowed, sleeted and hailed most of this last week and is still gray and wet for this weekend. Amazing~!

I Got It! I Got It!

My first skein of Vesper sock yarn is on its way to me! I am so excited. Now it is time to stalk the Vesper forum over at Ravelry to find out which plain vanilla pattern everyone is using to knit up this super stripey socks. stalking, stalking, stalking......

Shreddies: Ready! Steady! Knit!

This should become a viral hit. Check it out!

Breaking News: Sock Summit 2011

I just heard on Round the Twist that the dates for the next Sock Summit are set for July 28-31, 2011 in Portland. That is very exciting! I am putting it on my calendar and will be stalking the group at Ravelry for more details. Until then, happy knitting to all~!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope everyone has a fabulous Mother's Day celebrating your mothers and motherhood~!

What I Knit To This Week

The lunch time reading consisted of David Baldacci's The Whole Truth, it was a very interesting book. And in the movie category: Secondhand Lions - excellent; XIII - The Conspiracy - interesting political sabotage plot; Where the Wild Things Are - superb; and three nights of Pirates of the Caribbean marathon.

I got a lot knit with finishing the Mara and working on the first sleeve of my Top Down Cardi. I am on to disaster movies for this week. They are my secret favorites.

I hope everyone has enjoyed all the things they love this week~!

Next Up: Dashing in Black

This is my new car project for the first half of May. My brother, aka The Evil Elf, let me know that he was envious of the handwarmers I had knit for his wife and kids at Christmas and had decided he needs a pair for work.

So I told him there was a great pattern, Dashing on Knitty.com I could use, and asked if I could make them in blue or maroon or grey, nothing would do except black.

So I will be knitting these in daylight only and hopefully get them done to send by end of the month.

My First Pattern is Available!

I am happy to announce that my first pattern (mentioned in my April 13th post) is available at Ravelry. It is called Both-Ways Striped Handwarmers and is so fun to knit.

It incorporates an interesting two-color cast on and knitting with two colors of yarn throughout the pattern.

These make great gifts for friends and family and can adjusted for lighter weight yarn for warm weather climes.

Check it out and let me know your thoughts.

I hope everyone is chasing what they most enjoy today~!

Mara Challenge Complete

I completed the Mara for my mom with time to spare. It is a really fun knit and she looks great in it. I will be making another one of these in the future for myself.

I hope that everyone is finding great projects to keep them motivated~!


The shawl is Oxford Grey however my camera was flashing too bright and washed the color out.

First Project from the Loopy Haul

On my needles is the first project from my Loopy Fling purchases, the pattern is from Archknitist and is a handwarmer called Caulk. It is actually a wrister that is designed to cover the gap between your coat sleeve and go over your glove.

I am knitting it in Huckleberry Knits Willow in Two-Flower Mochi colorway. I have more than enough to make these with leftover to make short top socks.

I hope everyone is finding new ways to celebrate their passion~!