Down to Six!!!!!

I started on a knitting journey a few years ago (when Knitting Daily did a UFO count) of trying to get my unfinished knitting items down to a reasonable number. I defined UFO to be on the needle or hook. My initial count was over 30. I immediately frogged some to get down to 24. I've been working on those 24 ever since. Of course, there were many another new project that I started within that time frame. However, I made a rule that I had to finish anything I started. I didn't do too badly with that rule either.

Drum roll please...I'm down to six UFOs!!!!! Now, I did end up frogging two more projects last night, but for good reason. I decided to use the yarn for one project for my upcoming Adult Surprise Jacket. The other project I took out because I knew I would never wear it and the yarn is too yummy to waste.

The six remaining UFOs are

• Rusted Root: about 75% done. I actually plan to finish this one today or tomorrow.
• Myrna: about 70% done. This will get my attention next. I should finish it no later than next week.
• Babette Blanket: about 60% done and has been in hibernation. This is my only crochet project right now, so I will probably change this one to active after I finish up Rusted Root. It is a nice light project to work on throughout the warmer months.
• Crayon Box Jacket: about 60% done and has been in hibernation. I will start working on this again at some point this summer. It will be a perfect weight for wearing in the fall, so I want it done by then. I have a feeling that if I picked this up I could finish it off in a week or two, just need to do it.
• Marmalade Sweater: I have both sleeves done and ran into a gauge issue with the body. I need to figure out what to do before I can proceed. Not feeling good about this project at all. I should probably frog it and use the yarn for something else, but I haven't come to terms with that idea yet.
• Iain Sweater for Patrick: This is a heavy yarn with lots of thinking. I want to have this done for Patrick to start wearing in November/December. I need to work out a time frame plan for this one.

After finishing Rusted Root and Myrna, I do have plans for new projects. Next up (but hopefully one at a time):

• Juliet
• Adult Surprise Jacket
• Blanket for Wedding Gift
• Textured Tweed Cardigan
• Blanket for family room

I also have plans to start knitting Christmas presents throughout all of these other projects. If you are a girl who gets a Christmas gift from me, chances are strong that you will get a hat this year. Sorry to ruin the surprise. I promise that they will be cute!!!!

Cake

Last Wednesday was PK's birthday and I surprised him with a cake from Pat-a-Cakes and Cookies Too. If you live in the Westfield area, this is the BEST place to get cakes and cookies (go straight for the buttercream). Yummy, yummy, yummy. Here is a picture of the cake they did up for me. I requested a beer because Patrick's homebrews and books because he is a poet. I was really pleased.

Here's a link to their site: Pat-A-Cake and Cookies Too

Spring/Summer 2009 Classes Added

I added my classes for spring/summer 2009. I hope that you all find something that you would enjoy making.

• Beginning Knitting Thursdays May 7th & 14th 6-8 $30
• Felted Bags & Fair Isle Saturdays June 13th & June 27th 9:30-11:30 $30 (Make the Lucy Bag or venture into fair isle knitting with the very popular Medallion bag.)
• Rusted Root (Top-Down Sweater) Saturdays June 13th & June 27th 1-3 $30 (Learn the ease of top-down sweater design. This pattern also introduces basic lace.)
• Beginning Knitting Saturdays July 18th & August 1st 11-1 $30
• Ella Shawl Workshop Saturday July 18th 1-4 $25
• Rusted Root (Top-Down Sweater) Wednesdays July 8th and July 22nd 1-3 $30 (Learn the ease of top-down sweater design. This pattern also introduces basic lace.)
• Felted Bags & Fair Isle Wednesdays July 29th & August 5th 1-3 $30 (Make the Lucy Bag or venture into fair isle knitting with the very popular Medallion bag.)
• Beaded Shawl Workshop Saturday August 1st 1-4 $25
• Baby Surprise Jacket Saturdays August 15th & August 22nd 11-1 $30
• Felted Bags & Fair Isle Saturdays September 19th & September 26th 1-3 $30 (Make the Lucy Bag or venture into fair isle knitting with the very popular Medallion bag.)
• Adult Surprise Jacket Saturdays September 26th, October 10th, October 24th 9:30-11:30 $45

Colinette Blanket Is Finished!

When I first started knitting I fell in love with the Colinette blanket kits that I saw in all of the stores. I really wanted to make one and I finally purchased one last year for myself. I actually special ordered it from them because they don't sell the kits in all colors and I REALLY wanted one in red. I know that red shocks all of you who know me well. : ) So, they put together a kit in the Fire colorway for me. I started it right away and then got side tracked, of course. It became a hibernating project that was on the needles on 1/1/09 so it was a must finish in 2009 project. I picked it up the other day and started knitting it again. It went so fast after that and I happy to announce that it is done!!!!!! I love it. The colors are great and I love the scallop pattern. The throw is for my yarn room and looks wonderful on my over sized chair.


I just put together my own kit of creams and beige (leftovers plus a few new skeins of yarn) to knit it up as a gift for a wedding. I also have a bunch of green variegated yarns that I've been collecting over the years that I am going to knit up (probably in straight garter) for my downstairs. Although I love to make sweaters, I also consider myself a blanket knitter. The second project I made was a blanket and I've made at least 13 adult ones since and tons of baby ones.

You can see who promptly tried to take it over!

Jack in His Baby Surprise Jacket

What a cute little bug!

Happy Birthday, PK!!!!!

Today my husband turns 38. He is simply the most fantastic husband ever. I used to say when I was growing up that I would never get married. When I met Patrick we became friends and worked together for years before we dated. From the first moment that we talked about dating, I knew that we would get married. I had zero doubt. Through the years, we've gone through all kinds of things together and no matter what the situations, we support each other and laugh a lot. Since this is a knitting-related blog, I decided to list the 38 knitting things that I love about My PK. The non-knitting reasons would be a million points long!!!!

1. He encourages me each and every day to pursue my dreams.
2. When he comes in contact with students or customers at the store and hears them criticizing themselves, he encourages them too.
3. When at festivals and stores with me, he always helps the ladies with the door, picking up something they dropped, or getting yarn off the high shelf.
   
4. He takes me to all kinds of yarn stores and spends countless hours talking to shop owners all across the country while I shop. He's learned a lot about how we, someday, want to run our own store. He's also had some strange conversations too!
   
5. He feeds my yarn and stitch marker addiction. Last year for our anniversary, I got 5 stitch markers every day for a week!
6. At fiber festivals he plays a game where he guesses whether or not I will like the yarn based on touch. He also has gotten great at predicting (by sight) if a fiber is merino or silk.
   
7. He tried to learn the knit stitch.
8. He recently tried to help me out by typing in class instructions while I was yelling them out in a panic (stupid computer). Not many men would try to type in "Slip one purlwise with the yarn in front."
9. He appreciates knitting (all knitters) as an art form.
10. He knows who Chris Bylsma is.
11. He modeled a sweater for Lily Chin once.
12. He helped me to put all of my yarn and projects into Ravelry. Yes, that's right. He did.
13. He asks me to make him things and he WEARS them.
14. He carries around my business card and gives them out all the time.
15. He sends me links to yarn stories that he hears on NPR or articles he reads about in magazines.
16. During KnitPick book sales he tells me to order everything.
17. He buys tapestry needles and keeps them in a hidden spot. When I can't find mine, he gives me one from the stash.
18. He puts tapestry needles into my stocking each and every Christmas.
19. He tells me his honest opinion about what I'm knitting or crocheting.
20. He didn't freak out when I starting rug hooking too. Instead, he looked it up and learned about it.
21. He knows who and what EZ means.
22. He reads every blog entry, even if he hasn't a clue what the words mean.
23. He blushes when I tell him ladies from the store were reading his poetry.
24. He converted the guest room into my yarn studio.
25. He once told a friend who said she tried to knit and it didn't work out that she might try holding the needles toward the middle or upper part because a lot of people try to hold them at the joins and that doesn't work.
26. He knows the difference between knitting and crochet.
27. If he sees I'm not knitting, he asks if I feel okay.
28. When we got Tivo, he set up a knitting keyword playlist.
29. He is planning to take me on a fiber festival road trip for my birthday and suggested that we stop at all the yarn stores along the way.
30. He knows what frogged, WIP, UFO, and hybernating all mean.
31. He doesn't understand whey I worry about how many projects I have on the needles. He will always tell me to go ahead and cast on something else.
32. He knows how much we all hate weaving in ends.
33. He knows what my favorite yarn is and has fully accepted that our next girl dog will be named Karabella.
34. He never ever makes a joke about knitters being old ladies who knit in rocking chairs. He knows better.
35. He does, however, believe that we are all in a secret cult that worships yarn. I don't think he is too far off. He even pointed out that we have our own language and codes.
36. He asks me what my knitting goals are every weekend.
37. He will tell other husbands what their wives really want for Christmas and birthdays. Little do they know that we are feeding them the info.
    
38. He once bought a book on the history of knitting and women to just learn more.
    

Minature Rug Hooked to Be a Sunflower

Patrick gave me a miniature rug hooking kit for Christmas. I had asked for a small sunflower pattern that I could hook and frame for our downstairs bath, which is yellow and decorated with sunflowers. This is perfect and I hooked it in about 45 minutes (with interruptions). I need to steam it and then figure out a frame. I was happy with how it turned out. I can't wait to pick up some more rug hooking supplies when I visit the many fiber shows I plan to attend this year. I really want to find a brightly colored kit that has some type of ladybug in it. I'd also like to create a Christmas rug. I figure that would probably be my limit for this year.

Do any of you bind and frame rugs? (I know Tonia and Margo will tell me I can do it myself, : ) but I don't really care to even try. Lazy, huh. I'd rather use the time to knit and hook!)

Ella Shawl

I fell in love with the Ella Shawl pattern on Knitty.com and when the Koigu shipment arrived, I decided to play around with colors. I used four different colorways and I really like the end result. I can't seem to get a picture to turn out that looks as good as it does in person, so don't judge just on this pix. I'll have it in the shop starting Saturday (3/14). Ella is available as a workshop in May. It can be made out of sock, DK, or worsted weight yarn and you can use various colors or one solid or semi-solid color.

If you haven't knitted lace before, this is a perfect class to get you into the basics.
May 2nd from 10-1
$25 class fee
Pattern is a free download from Knitty.com (please print your own copy)
Yarn must be purchased at Stitches & Scones

Doube Pointed Needle Holder

Last year at the Greencastle fair I picked up this little device to hold your DPNs while you are knitting but not working on the project. I don't knit a lot of socks, but I just knitted up the baby shoes and used this device. I love it! What a great tool. If you are headed to the festival, be on the lookout for this item. It would make a great gift for the sock knitters in your life.

Little Girl Shoes

My sister-in-law enjoyed the knits I've been making for son so much that she asked me to knit something for a friend of hers that just had a little girl. I'd been waiting for a little girl to knit for...so many options! One of the patterns I had on my list of things to knit was Saartje's Bootees (free pattern in Ravelry). Here are the little pink and green shoes. A very fast and fun knit.

Yarn: Shi Bui Sock in color 4201
Needles: US 1.5
Adjusted the loop closures to be crocheted.

Baby Surprise Jacket for Jack

I just finished knitting up another BSJ. This one had two purposes:

• Knitting it for Jack.
• I typed up row by row instructions for the pattern while I knitted it. I found in teaching the class that most people want to have more spelled out instructions than EZ offered up. I completely understand why she approached her patterns in the way she did, but I also need to provide students what they expect. After all, I want them to succeed and come back again. : )

You will notice that this version has a little pocket on the front. Three guesses what it actually is?

1. Covering a knitting error.
2. The swatch for the sweater.
3. All of the above.

You guessed it, number 3 it is. I knitted this up fast...and in some less than great nights of sleep. Because of this I forgot an increase on one of my rows. It created a tiny little gap. I had the students play spot the error and only 1 out of 5 located it. I probably could have left it, but as soon as I finished knitting my swatch I thought, "This looks like a little pocket." I knitted the swatch on size 5 needles, saw that was too big, switched to a 4--still too big, and then a 3--just right. You can see how the tension changes when you switch needle size. Are you someone who hates to swatch? If so, I strongly encourage you to search for the beauty of the swatch. It saves you lots of wasted time and energy if you are making a sweater. After all, you want it to fit, right? Well, you can use your swatch as a pocket or other project. I've seen people save all their swatches and then whip stitch them together to form a blanket.

Partial ball of Dream in Color Smooshy
6 stitches per inch
Adjusted pattern to 1 button
Added pocket

And the Winner Is...

The winner of the blog giveaway is Carol Pogoni! Congrats, Carol.
I will have your prize waiting for you when you drive up for class.

Carol's suggestion is Rusted Root.
I'll be exploring this pattern in the next week as a potential add for a class in June.

Pictures of Sunny the Dog in His Coat

Just got these in of the Rhodesian ridgeback in his sweater.
He is getting a lot of us out of it this weekend!!!
Baby it is cold outside!