Stupid Stupor

I'm Back! I visited with my lovely Mum and Dad. Dad is stable, but his pain is unmanageable. I left feeling very glad I'd visited but it was so hard to see him in so much pain. It is so hard to see our parents age and suffer but I find having a parent so far away particularly hard. If my dad is given the go ahead for being able to handle surgery in the next month or so I will be jetting across the pond to be there to help again.

While there I did get to visit briefly with my dearest friend, Emma (can't say longest as I'm taller and can't say oldest and I'm older - debated this with friends already, it would appear I'm at the disadvantage either way, so dearest it is). It was wonderful to see her and delightful to experience how no matter how long it is that we see each other its as if no time has passed at all and we pick right up where we left off. Oh to have such a dear friend.

But on to my issue right now (yes, I know, I always have issues, no need to say it). I'm in a knitting stupor. I have plenty of projects on the needles that I could knit on, but I don't feel like it. I have plenty of projects to cast on but I can't decide what to do. I'm dithering around putzing here and there on this and that and just not that jazzed by what I'm knitting. I don't know why.. I'm all set to go. I bought myself two lovely new Cath Kidston bags in England that I'm planning on using for knitting that are just itching for a nice project to be placed in them. They're practically gagging for them. Help? and do me a favor, no telling me to block any shawls, I'm not in the mood. Come on help a girl out. Any suggestions. Jess, you're always good and telling me what to do and getting me back on track, be the voice of reason.

Please help me get out of my Stupid Spring Knitting Stupor!

Across the Deep Blue Sea

Things have been more than a little crazy around this neck of the Northwoods. My father has been not well and I'm heading over to the home country for a visit, leaving tomorrow to see my mummy and daddy. So today I've been running around like a one-legged man in a butt kicking contest. Of course, I had to squeeze in a manicure as I couldn't see them in mangy nails, what would my mum say about that. Priorities, my darlings, priorities!

Talking about priorities, I need to rush and get my travel knitting together. Just thought I'd stop by and update about what's happening with me. Sometimes blogging feels very narcissistic. (Jessica please tell me if I'm using that in the correct context - my grammar guru).

Curled Around His Little Finger

I've been gone for awhile because I've been so busy with the kids. Four kids and their activities keeps me a little busy (read crazy) sometimes. However, my oldest son Caleb is such a pure delight and truly makes life as easy as can be. Over this past year or so of my not being well he has been my rock. I adore this child and try to support him as much as I can in all of his endeavors. He is so passionate about Curling, which is a huge sport in Wisconsin. Yes, it is a sport. In fact, it's nickname is Chess on Ice. It takes a great deal of skill, effort and strategy. He has been busy with a lot of games and Bonspiels over the past month of so. He and his buds put together a team for Badger State Games and took Silver and this past weekend, his High School Varsity team participated in the High School State Championship for Curling in Portage, WI so I went to watch him. They won most of their games and lost out from getting into the Semi-finals on a shoot-out when they tied for a place for the semi's. It was pretty intense. I couldn't be more proud.

So I find it funny that as he is my rock many times, he also has a love for the Curling Rocks. We have a very close relationship and I loved watching him as he played this past weekend. It was so intense that I was knitting a baby sweater and I was supposed to start the armhole shaping at 3", but I found that I'd knit right on through to almost 6" before I'd realized what I'd done. I thought I would share some photos from this past weekend to show you what I'd been watching.

Enjoy the pics. Caleb is the handsome blonde with the glasses. So handsome! I am obviously completely curled around his finger.

This is an old picture (Christmas 2010) but I love it. I couldn't love this kid anymore!

Baby Love

This week I had yet another baby shower to attend so I to go along with a gift I was going to give, I always like to knit something. So I quickly whipped up this hat (thanks to Beth at Black Purl who had knitted the original and was the inspiration for this hat). It was ridiculously fast (an hour) and so much fun to make. Classic Elite Ariosa yarn (one of my go to yarns these days) and scraps for the x's and o's. The baby is already three months old and I felt she needed a valentines hat, I mean who doesn't need a valentines hat?! I cheated a little and stitched the hat and duplicate stitched (rather quickly and a little shoddily - though we'll call it rustically) the x's and o's on the hat with scraps. I love it. Madison wants one in her size for Valentines day but I have a different hat in mind for her, so I'm sure she'll live.





Pattern: Beth at Black Purl
Yarn: Classic Elite Ariosa 0.7 White and scraps of Red and Yellow
11th Project for Warm Up to Winter 2012
13th Project for 2012



I do love how much my children appreciate the knits I make for them. The boys are starting to complain that they have been being neglected and I'm going to have to work on that very shortly. I'm struggling to find just the right green for Declan's ski coat.

Here is a picture of Declan skiing which he and his friend made that shows his Sexy Ski Outfit (his words not mine - he's 13 just go with it) Any suggestions on colors? Jess, what cascade color would I use and do you have it in stock, oh Queen of 220?!




This is off topic, but doesn't he have the most beautiful eyes, if I do say so myself. I made a good one there. Pat on mine and husband's back.



I also knit another Viveca Beret in Berroco Flicker Black for a friend. I have friends galore asking for this hat. I don't mind, it's relatively a fast knit. I just dislike the k4tog. Never a fave of mine. It's not hard, just a pain in the hinder.





Pattern: Viveca by Berroco
Yarn: Flicker by Berroco Black
10th Project for Warm Up to Winter KAL
12th Project for 2012

I'm currently working on a cowl to match the Beret for the same friend. Once that is done I have a couple more hats to knit and maybe a couple mittens to knit before the Warm Up to Winter KAL ends on February 8th. It has been such a great motivator for me and I have used a lot of stash and crossed some projects of the queue. I've felt so productive. In between I have made some progress on some of wip's but they still have a little to do to get done. February seriously needs to get some focus on them. I also have a red sweater that I'm planning on casting on and working on. I've been so excited to knit this for a while and now is the time. More to follow on that soon.

Color Me Hatty

I've been whipping out hats left and right this month since participating in the Warm Up Winter KAL. Although that's not to say that they all haven't been needed or put to good use, but many of them hadn't been a real stretch of my skills or a challenge to complete in any time period, so I dug into Ravelry and my queue and fave's and came across a Kate Davies pattern that had caught my eye. Peerie Flooers Hat. It seemed the perfect project.I could use a new hat to wear under my ski helmet or before I put on my helmet at the ski resort and want to look cute, and this looked like fun to knit with lots of color changes, small needles needed (a personal favorite of mine to use). I dug in the stash and found I had colors that would work perfectly.

The project flew off the needles as I was excited to see each new phase of the hat emerging. I really love that about chart knitting. I'm a sucker for a good chart. Give me small yarn, size 1 or 2 needles and a intricate chart and you have one happy camper.

I only have the ends to weave in, which don't worry those followers who have seen me procrastinate in the past, I've already started and will finish it up tomorrow and take a modeled shot later in the day... promise! In the meantime, enjoy some pics of the fun project. I highly recommend it to those who want a fun fast color project. Remember Meg Swansen also says that knit hats as often as you can, there's always a head out there that needs a hat somewhere. That's why I tend not to swatch for hats, I just figure if it doesn't fit me, i have at least five other heads in my house alone, and many other friends to try, plus charities that are always looking for hats in the cold northwoods. I don't feel naughty at all about not swatching, as I know that Meg S. herself doesn't swatch either and usually considers her hats her swatches. See, I'm in good company.










Pattern: Peerie Flooers Hat by Kate Davies
Yarn: Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight - Jamieson's Shetland Spindrift
Needle: Size 1 Circ

10th Project for 2012
8th Project for Warm Up To Winter KAL

If At First You Don't Succeed

I've obviously been on quite the hat kick lately with the Warm Up To Winter Knitalong and have been happily checking lots of hats off my to-do list for others. A lot of the projects I've been doing however have been fast and quick and that's starting to get a little old. Like really fast, a few hours fast! I feel like I've been dumbing it down. I want to do some hats for me and a couple friends. I'm liking the Jane Richmonds hats and have never knit one of hers. I have knit the Rustling Leaves Beret before, but am thinking I'd like to do another one as it's such an interesting knit. Maybe some more complex gloves or mittens. I'd really appreciate some suggestions. How about a real humdoozie?! One that really challenges me. Like a five alarm project. Please give me your best suggestions. I'm up for it.

Pattern: Snappy Hat

Yarn: Ariosa

Needles: 10.5

No modifications

6th Project for Warm Up to Winter KAL

8th Project for 2012

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Pattern: Easy Peasy Eyelet Wristlets

Yarn: Ariosa

Needles: 10.5

No modifications, but pattern has an error on row 29, states there will be 25 stitches when there will only be 24.

7th Project for Warm Up to Winter KAL

9th Project for 2012

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Pattern: Flurries Baby Beanie

Yarn: Flicker

Needles: 6

No modifications

5th Project for Warm Up to Winter KAL

7th Project for 2012

In the meantime, I've whipped up another snappy hat. Madison had fallen in love with the pink one I had knit for a friends granddaughter that she modeled so I made her one. It takes just over one skein of Ariosa, so I looked on Ravelry for a pattern to make some mitts for her using the remaining yarn. I came across the Easy Peasy Eyelet Wristlets, which besides the crazy amount of typos (pearl=purl) and a couple other mistakes, were very simple. I decided to knit these using the magic loop method, which is a method that I usually detest, but thought I'd give it another whirl. Remember they say it takes 21 tries before it becomes a habit (don't know if this is actually true or just something my mum said to get me to east liver and onions, which I now actually love). Well, maybe this was try number 21 or I finally learned the correct way to do it because I didn't hate it, I actually liked it. I still wouldn't say it was my favorite method... 2 circ's is still at the top of the list, but it's yet another tool to put in the tool belt. It's always good to being open to new things.

I also hosted a baby shower this weekend, which I'll post about later this week (I think I did a bloody good job if I do say so myself and thanks to Pinterest - thanks Earthtonesgirl for getting completely hooked on it). One of the gifts I had gotten for Baby Lucy was a chic little Black and White outfit. It needed a cute blingy black and white hat. I know that black isn't always the color you expect to see at a baby shower, but I like blingy things and luckily so does Lucy's mum. I still have to whip up some Blingy Saartje booties like I have knit before to finish the whole ensemble. Forget pastels or naturals for babies when you can have bling!

While we're talking about Madison, here is a picture she snapped of Sir Winston on my phone this afternoon using the Poster setting. Could he be any more handsome?! No, I don't think so. I'd make him a hat if I didn't know that he'd eat it within 30 second.

Quick as a Snap

It's the middle of January in the Northwoods and as usual that means the bitter windchill and freezing temps are in full force, currently it's -6F with a windchill of -25F. Strangely kids still play outside and we still ski, ice fish, snow shoe and cross country ski. So warm hats are a biggie. I had been asked to knit a couple of hats for two girls at Madison's Ballet School, so I wanted something quick but very cute. The colors requested for the sisters were Red and Pink, and knowing the mother I knew I was safe in going with better quality yarn. Let's be honest, the only way I was going to knit these hats was if I could knit with whatever yarn I wanted to.

I decided on some Ariosa yarn (merino/cashmere blend) and found the Snappy Hat pattern on Ravelry. The first hat (pink) took me about 2 1/2 hours and the second hat (red) took me closer to 2 hours. The difference being I was reading a book with the first one.

I asked Madison to model them for me and she fell in love with both of them and has now requested that I make her some more as her coat allows her to pick and choose whatever color suits her mood. She looks so darn cute in them that how can I resist.







Pattern: Snappy Hats (Free Pattern on Ravelry)
Yarn: Classic Elite Ariosa 1.1 Skeins
Started: Pink 1/18/2011 Red 1/19/2011
Finished: Pink 1/19/2011 Red 1/19/2011
Took approx 2 1/2 to 2 hours each
5th & 6th Project for 2012
3rd & 4th Project for Warm Up Winter KAL

This is a great project for quick gifts. Highly recommend!

What's your go to quick gift knit? Any suggestion for what hat or mitts I should knit next?