Pitiful Blankie Update Friday

Well, not much has been done on the blankie this week. It's that stupid baby set that is taking up so much valuable knitting time. I'm so freakin' tired of pink. I treated myself to a couple of hours of quality time with the blankie, but only got four measly squares done.

On the upside, Tara (a.k.a. Tata, Tata Dog, Tattoo, Toodle Bug, etc.) graciously volunteered to model it for Blankie Update Friday. Well, at least she didn't run away when I draped it over her, so I'm taking that as graciously volunteering.

Here she is saying "What a lovely blankie. Thank you for allowing me to model it." Either that, or she's saying "Hey, somebody get this thing off me. I mean it...now...or I'll rip it to shreds." I choose the first option, but then again I have been told I'm delusional when it comes to my girls.

Confession time

I have been a very bad girl. Two weeks in a row I have placed orders with Knit Picks. Naughty, naughty, naughty. In my defense, their prices are really good, and I have fallen in love with their needles, both circs and dps, and, well, I am weak. No self control whatsoever. But look at the really cool hat I'm planning on whipping up. Yes, it's called a "scrappy" hat, but what's a girl to do if she doesn't have enough scraps? Have cold ears? No...BUY MORE YARN!

What's that??? Oh...a little voice inside my head just reminded me that I am under a deadline for the baby set. Yes, the sweater parts and bonnet parts are done, but they still need to be assembled. The blanket, however, is taking longer than anticipated. A LOT longer. 363 stitches of a lacy pattern on size 3 needles doesn't move along as quickly as one might think.

Pardon me???? Oh...the voice again. Yes, I have fallen behind on making squares on the mitred square blankie. That pain in the patoot stupid intricate baby blanket has taken up so much time.

What is it this time, little voice??? Yes, I know. Don't even ask how long it has been since I picked up and worked on one of the five (count 'em...5) socks I currently have on needles in various stages of completion.

How am I going to get that little voice to shut the heck up? I know...I need a hat to cover my ears. I know of a great pattern for a scrappy hat, but I'll need more yarn.......

And so it goes....

Cute Baby Picture

This is a gratuitous cute baby picture, to show everyone that dogs are not the only things in the world that I care about and love to pieces. This is my grand-niece. Is that the right term? Colette is my nephew's daughter -- my sister's son's daughter. That's right, my sister is a granny. My OLDER sister, you understand.

Yes, it's a crappy picture. My sister took this picture, and I have no idea how she got Colette's face sooooo out of focus, but the sweater is pretty clear. Good thing, though, because I made the sweater for the little sweetie. It is a fairly easy pattern (once you get past the lacy part on the bottom) from Zoe Mellor's book Adorable Knits for Tots. I've made a couple of sweaters from this book - I'll see if I can dig up some more photos.

12 Squares and Happy Birthday!

Well, another week has come and gone, so it is time for a blankie update. Twelve squares - not as many as last week, but still not too bad. Here is a today's pic:



Here's a close-up of a new scrap yarn that has been added to the mix. This is the leftover yarn from my first pair of Jaywalker socks. I just love the wide bands of colors, and like the way a large block really shows them off.

The back of the blankie is looking pretty hairy - I haven't taken the time to weave in the ends for quite a while. One of these nights I'm going to have to resign myself to it. For now, the just-one-more-block thing is just too much temptation.

On another note completely unrelated to knitting or Brittanys, I have to wish the man in my life a happy birthday. He's a wonderful guy and I love him to bits. Today is the 42nd anniversary of his 29th birthday (hope I did the math right). That's right...it's my dad--the grandfather of my dogs! Dad, if you're reading this, yes you ARE their grandfather. They are the only kids I'll ever have, so that makes you their grandpa. Big birthday hugs and kisses to you! Especially sloppy wet lickey-face kisses from Mellie, Emma and Tara, aka "the quiet one" "the one who jumps on you and scratches your arms" and "brown dog with a tail"!

Hip Hip Hooray!

My car is back - Hooray! Time to celebrate! After almost 6 weeks of rental vehicles, I finally have my car back! And how many wheels does it have? FOUR! Count 'em: 1-2-3-4, FOUR WHEELS!!! I should be thankful that the other insurance company paid for the repairs (almost $5,000 - ugh), but then again it was their crazy old coot of a driver policy holder who hit ME. Who would have thought you could miss a car so much? I left my favorite CDs in the CD player, and I finally have them back. Welcome back, Livingston Taylor, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bram Taylor and Grainne Hambly--you were missed!

Now I'm going to treat my car to an oil change and a car wash. I might also treat myself to some knitting needles from Knit Picks that I have been anxious to try. Good times...

Blankie update: 19 squares

Well, even though I have not set a goal for the number of squares to be completed each week, I think 19 squares is pretty darn good. Especially since I have made no progress at all on the baby set. Couldn't be helped, though, as I've been sick this week and didn't want to knit any germs into the sweater & bonnet that might linger and infect the baby. No, I don't really think that could happen, but it has eased my conscience about neglecting all other knitting in favor of the blankie. Also, better safe than sorry, right? Who knows how long sore throat germs can stay alive?

Here's an updated shot of the blankie.

And here's a close-up where you can see the cotton yarn I use to keep track of progress from week to week. Now I'll just rip out the cotton yarn, and re-insert it along the new top edge of the blankie, and I'll know how many squares I have knitted since the previous update. You might also be able to see four safety pins - these are marking the spot where I want to add a large block. It's just a reminder not to add a small block in this spot as I am knitting along.

Hey - who's that checking out the blankie? Why, it's Mellie, of course. She had to get into the action. She is such a helper!

I'm off to make myself a cup of tea with honey, take my cough medicine, and hopefully fall asleep for a few hours.

Jaywalkers done at last!

At last. Done. Complete. Finished. Only two weeks late for a Christmas present. That's not so bad, is it? Yes, it is. Anyway, here's a picture. Don't you love the colors? This is my first pair using the Jaywalker pattern from Grumperina's site. The yarn is Opal, but I forget the name of the color.

How do you celebrate the completion of a pair of socks? Cast on another pair!!! I started another Jaywalker, but have cast on 84 stitches instead of 76. The first pair (at 76 stitches) was just a bit too tight for me, so we'll see how much of a difference the 84 stitches makes. Here is a shot of the socks so far. The yarn is from Knit Picks.

Yes, this is taken at the beach, specifically Fortescue on the Delaware Bay. It was such a beautiful day yesterday, could we stay inside? No. It's so rare to have such a lovely day in the middle of January in New Jersey, we had to take advantage of it. Here is a shot of the cottages along the shoreline.

And, of course, a picture of the dogs. Mellie was shy today, so this is just Emma (on chair) and Tara (on ottoman). My sweet little babes!

Happy knitting!

Blankie Business

Well, last night I did not work on repairing holes in old socks, so you might think I finished the Jaywalker socks, right? Wrong. I only have a couple of inches to go on the foot, but every time I pick them up and get going on them, my carpal tunnel flares up. It's been bothering me for several weeks (again) and I'm trying to ignore it. When I can't ignore it, I pop some Advil or whatever is handy and give the wrist a rest. Anything to avoid getting an evil injection again. [shudder]

Anyway, I put down the Jaywalker socks and picked up the baby set - very soft, larger needles (size 2 & 3), a loosey, lazy, lacy pattern that doesn't bother my wrist so much. Almost finished with the sweater front & back.

Since it's Friday (TGIF), here is my first Mitered Square Blanket update:

NO PROGRESS AT ALL...NONE.

But here are some pictures anyway. This is the blankie covered with the scrappy sock yarn that is just waiting to be turned into blocks.



This is a shot of just the yarn ---- oooooohhhhhhh. Much easier to see it on the floor as opposed to the blankie. Kind of makes you want to jump right in and roll around in it, doesn't it?


I promised myself that I would finish the Jaywalkers, since Christmas was a couple of weeks ago. They are for a dear friend, and she doesn't knit, but has a great appreciation for hand-knit socks. I know all will be forgiven when she sees the Jaywalkers - the colors just scream her name. I will finish the jaywalkers this weekend. Repeat after me...I will finish the Jaywalkers this weekend. Look for a picture of the FINISHED Jaywalkers on Monday. Really.

Holey Moley...

....what happened to them there socks? As I was pulling out my mitered square blankie to work on (after too many weeks stashed in a basket, pining away for me to give it some attention, like those poor souls from the Land of the Misfit Toys), and look at what I found. A bunch of socks in sorry need of repair. With all good intentions, I packed the blankie back into its storage basket, and decided to share these pics with you in an effort to shame myself into finally, FINALLY, getting around to repairing the poor socks.


This sock is just worn out, and even though this is a "replaceable heel", I hate doing this heel, so these socks have been sitting in this state for forever and a day:


Could be just worn out, from the location, but I don't think so. I will, however, give the dogs the benefit of a doubt and not blame this on them.

Again, could be normal wear and tear.

This one I KNOW did not occur naturally. I know this because I had to wrestle it out of my precious Emma's mouth....

See, she can't stay away from my socks. While shooting these images, she had to come over to investigate what I was doing with her woobies. Hey - I keep telling her that my socks are NOT her woobies, but I think it is falling on deaf ears. She thinks that anything soft and squishy that fits in her mouth is a woobie.

Anyway, the blankie went back in its basket. Just when I have officially joined the Mitered Square Blankie Knitalong, too. Shelly will be doing weekly updates on Fridays, and I am determined to do the same. Now it's a toss-up. Should I do the repair and replace routine on theses old socks, or should I work on the Jaywalker sock that is a Christmas present? Back to the Jaywalker...NOW! No excuses! Really, who would choose to darn socks when you can work on a pretty new one?

Gotta go and get another woobie away from Emma...

Happy Happy Happy

Three reasons it is a Happy New Year.

1. My family is in good health.

Hey, what more can you ask for? Well, you can ask for a lot more, but when it comes right down to it, isn't that what matters most?

Resolutions? No, I don't think so. New Years resolutions are just asking to be broken, and who needs that pressure which ultimately leads to guilt?

Not much knitting to report, other than working on the baby sweater & blanket set. No photos, since there really hasn't been all that much progress with Christmas & all. I'm determined to get some knitting done on the baby set, the Jaywalker socks (especially since they are a Christmas present - oooops) and the mitered square blankie. At least enough progress so that I can take some new photos to post either later this week or next week.

Just one cute picture today. This is Emma, curled up on the sofa with Uncle John. They just love each other so much! He wears a special aftershave for her, and she just licks and licks and licks it off of him! I'm sure she prefers his aftershave to just about anything else on earth!
Happy New Year, all!

Dianne