Here's Yer Hat....

.... what's yer hurry?

Hehehe.

I had to start it over because the first time, the cast-on was too lumpy-bumpy. However, it took a couple of inches to decide that though. I simply cut the yarn and started again ... and if I don't have enough yarn, I'll unravel it and use it, but I think I have enough yarn.

I haven't started the sock KAL yet, but it's easy enough to knit and I've got time on my hands. I did put the pink and the Easterish color sock yarn on the scrap yarn afghan, and finished the ribbing on the back of the October Frost cardigan. So, I have been busy.

Know to get more coffee and work on the hat :)

Easterish Socks! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

My Easterish socks are done and it's only St. Patrick's Day!! Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

I'm pretty happy with them. The yarn is quite cotton-y feeling, not so much wool-like, and that means it doesn't have the stretchiness and give of a wool sock. There's quite a bit of superwash wool in there though. Tofutsies contains 50% superwash wool, 25% soy silk, 22% cotton, and 2.5% chitin, which is from shrimp and crab shells. It makes the yarn antibacterial. I would like it more if the shrimp and crab came from Maine, but it comes from China... good for the Chinese I guess :)

I have a multitude of upcoming projects. One that is ongoing is the sock yarn scraps afghan:

Endless.

Another is the October Frost cardigan from A Fine Fleece by Lisa Lloyd. It will be a challenge! I'm hoping it is not an insurmountable one though. Here are some pictures from the book:

      

And here's what I've got done so far:

I've got the ribbing almost done. It seems to be getting easier, I'm getting better at moving the stitches along. I would love to say it is because my hand and arm muscles are coming back, but sadly, that is not the case; I'm just getting better at finding other ways to push the stitches. I guess if that's what gets the job done, that's all I can hope for. It will be a sorry day indeed if something happens to my left hand too!

Today I hope to start a hat with this:

That's 100% Secret Island Wool from Good Karma Farm that I got at the Spa. I'll make a hat out of it for the Ships Project, unless somebody really wants it for Christmas. Isn't it a nice bright color? 

Tomorrow is the day I start the Learn to Knit Socks KAL. I know, I already can make socks, but this one uses a toe-up construction with a fleegle heel in fingering weight yarn, much easier than trying to devise such a thing myself.

I'm using Knitter's Brewing Company's Sweet yarn this time, in Cordovan (dark red or brown, take your pick). It is a heavenly blend of 60% superwash merino wool, 15%nylon, 15% bamboo, and 10% silk. It is very soft and feels quite luscious. I didn't choose to use it for the Family Jewels Sock KAL, because I was worried that it might be too slippery for me to manipulate those intricate stitches (though it wouldn't be for most people) and I think I was right. But for this pair of socks, it is very good. I think this may be for my husband for Christmas, unless I throw it all out; you never know, it might happen. I doubt it though.

Fat Tuesday

I know it's Thursday. But I'm slow.

I celebrated Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, by getting as fat-filled as possible, and I enjoyed it very much, thank you Lynne! Lynne came over to the house with a fabulous cheeseburger from Scott's Place, and chips, and a luscious coconut coffee from Dunkin' Donuts, and we gobbled it up. But we weren't done there.

Next I find myself amid the makings for coconut macaroons .... with Hersey's dark chocolate kisses to put in the middle. It was good to make macaroons, messy, but very, very good. And then we had to eat 3 or 4 to test the while the chocolate was still gooey, yummmmm. We got to giggling so much about nothing at all that I had a flashback to junior high school, except Lynne wasn't in my school, but still. Joe came home in the middle of it all and I'm sure he thought we were crazy, but he did like the macaroons. And he doesn't like coconuts. Go figure.

My Easterish socks are nearly done:

Almost time to start working on my sweater... and a few other things. But I'll get to that later. Right now I'm too stuffed with macaroons.

Happy Dance!

Just got my new MacBook Pro! 

{twirls it around}

Doesn't it look beautiful? I can write much better posts with this. For one thing, the "i" and "o" keys don't fall off when I type, much easier!

... Beth runs off to see what other cool stuff she can do ...

Success!

Yesterday I finished my Family Jewels socks! They're so pretty. It's a lovely pattern. The yarn from Knitter's Brewing Company is wonderful!

Now I can go like mad on the Easterish Socks:

They look disheveled because, well, they are. But now I can work quickly on them because I don't have to follow a pattern, and it's just knitting. 

Here's a picture of my Spa haul:

That's the Good Karma Farm pin drafted roving in the background; I already like it! And on the right is their Secret Island wool. Don't you just love the bright color? It's destined to be a hat. On the left is a pattern for Springtide Farm's L'Oreal Cashmere Fingerless Gloves, which I got the cashmere for last Spa. Remember the pumpkin colored cashmere? Well, it didn't like life as a scarf, it really wanted to be fingerless gloves. In the foreground is a beautiful button that Helen gave me for doing the Facebook page for New England Textile Arts. She didn't have to do that, I would have done it for nothing, but I do love the button! Thank you Helen!