Dogs on Thursday...and more February is for Finishing FOs!

Happy Dogs on Thursday, everyone! Here is the lovely Tara modeling the latest fashion. The pattern is Asminah's Hat, and the yarn is Soy Wool Stripes from my SP11 spoiler Criquette.

Here is a better shot of the hat, along with socks made with more yarn from the lovely Criquette. Thanks, Criquette! Notice how she cleverly matched the colors in the yarn to Emma and Tara? How thoughtful!

Hmmm, what is that thing that the hat is sitting on for the photo? It's, Emma and Tara's treat jar! It was the perfect size to show the patterning in the hat. Emma is not 100% on board with using HER treat jar for photography.


She felt better about it after chowing down on some doggy cookies, though!

One more FO to show...here is the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket made from Knit Picks Shine Sport. In this photo it is blocking on some of those interlocking foam floor tiles.
Nine more days until I can cast on a new project. I like the fact that I'm knocking off so many projects that have been sitting around on the needles, but it gets harder every day to keep myself from diving into my stash and casting on something...anything...how about a pair of socks? They're small! No...I can do it. Nothing new until March 1st.

February is for Finishing (continued)

Excerpts from a recently overheard conversation with myself:

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I hereby pledge that February is for Finishing. I will finish all of my WIPs in February.

Who are you kidding?

OK, I guess there is no way I can finish everything this month. How about this. My knitting this month will be limited to projects that are already on the needles.

Yeah, that's better.

Great, so I will not cast on any new projects in the month of February.

Except for socks.

NO! Socks are included in this ban!

That's cruel and unusual punishment!

Too bad. That's the way it's going to be. You have to learn to make a committment and stick to it. You will abide by this ban, and you will like it. And if you don't like it, tough!

Wow, what a &#@)*

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So, in the interest of full disclosure, here is the list of my current (and I use that term loosely) works in progress (again, another term open to interpretation).

Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket that I found on Jennifer's blog. Still don't know the baby's due date, but I will get this thing done by the end of February.

Mitred square sock yarn blankie. I love this so much! I found it on Shelly's blog. I'm thinking I should have made it a little wider, though. I can't think about that today...I'll think about that tomorrow.

Soy Wool Stripes hat. The yarn is from my SP11 spoiler, Criquette (thanks again!) and the pattern was found on Ravelry

Emma and Tara colorway socks. This is yarn is also from my generous SP11 spoiler, Criquette, and I can't wait to wear these socks! Just a half of a foot and a toe to go!

Shelly Dyes Sock Yarn socks. Yes, the same Shelly from the mitred square blanket! She is an awesome mom to two little girls, and yet she still finds time to knit and dye yarn! I'm loving the way the colors spiral down the sock. Just a heel, a foot and a toe to go!

That's it for current WIPs, except for a super-secret project for a friend who occasionally drops by here. Shhhhh! These next three have been fermenting in my yarn cupboard, and I thought this would be a good time to bring them out and get the stink blown off of them ahem... let them see the light of day.

This is from the Summer 2004 Knitter's magazine. It is "A Step Above" sock by Kathleen Power Johnson. This is the third pair I have made from this pattern, but I made a really poor choice of yarn with this pair. You can't even tell, but the whole thing is entrelac. That's a lot of trouble to go to with a semi-solid yarn that just makes it look like any old sock when you're done. Not to mention that fact that I hate to do that type of heel, where you mark the spot with waste yarn, then come back and pick up the stitches later on and work the heel. Hate it. Absolutely hate it. I can't stress that fact enough. Oh well, just a half of a foot and a toe to go and then they would be done, so I really want to finish these suckers. Damn, forgot the heel. Did I mention that I hate that heel?

This pattern is called "Cable Lattice" and it's from the “Classics in Kroy” pattern booklet #922, from 1998. I've made about seventy bajillion pair of socks in this pattern, and then one day, half way through a pair, I decided I couldn't knit another cable or lattice or I would puke. If only that happened when I was a little closer to finishing the pair. Oh, well. Half a leg, heel, foot & toe, and then "Bob's Your Uncle"!

Now for the final WIP. These are not what I would call a mind-numbingly boring knit. In fact, I have to pay pretty close attention. In Ravelry, I've gotten five comments on this sock, and seven people have marked it as a favorite. I found the pattern for the leg & foot online, and am using the heel pattern from the “Sock Hop” book. I've really got to pick these up again and get working on them. Just look...they're almost done. Just a whole leg, heel, foot and toe. They're practically finished! Just another half hour of work, and viola!

Ha! More like a half YEAR of work, you moron!

What are the symptoms of withdrawal?

I'm here at home waiting for 10:30 am to roll around so I can go and get blood drawn and then come back and have a freakin' cup of coffee. When you have to fast before an appointment to get blood drawn, there is no way that "fasting" should include "no coffee." That's just cruel and unusual punishment. If I'm a little crabby in this post, that's the reason why. I'm on caffeine withdrawal. Anyway, it's been so long since I sat down to read blogs, or write a substantive post, that I'm ashamed of myself. "Life" has somehow gotten in the way.

You know that old question "If a tree falls in the woods with no one around to hear it, does it still make a sound?" Well, if I cast on, knit, finish, and give away a project without taking a picture for the blog, does it still count as a completed project? I cast on & finished a pair of fingerless glove things for my niece, and gave them to her without taking a picture for the blog. Oh, well. I say they still count. My blog, my rules!

I've been furiously knitting these socks, for the same niece:

I had hoped to get them done my tomorrow, as she is coming home for Thanksgiving, but there's just no way. She is loving her job at the cat sanctuary, but more on that later.

I cast on for another alphabet blanket for a very dear friend. Actually, it's for her daughter, who is expecting a baby. For some reason, I was positive it was a boy, so I bought a lovely turquoise blue and got right to work on the blanket.

I guess I dreamed the "it's a boy" part in my head. They actually don't know the gender of the baby yet, so the blanket is on hold for now. Luckily, my friend Pat needed to fill out an order to Knitpicks to qualify for free shipping, so being the *martyr* that I am, I just had to help her out, and I bought more yarn in case the baby is really a girl. The colors are a little vibrant in this photo.

Speaking of Pat, she is no longer "blogless Pat", she is now (drumroll, please...) Patty Ann, Quilter & Knitter! Go check out her blog, and keep watching for her beautiful creations.

Back to my niece Jenny. She started working at Tabby's Place a few weeks ago, and it is really a perfect fit for her. She said that one of her favorite cats is featured on their website right now - his name is Ringo. Go click on his picture - he looks like such a sweetie pie! If you are considering getting a cat, they always have a wide selection available for adoption. All ages, colors, and even some special needs cats, if you are up for a challenge!

If dogs are more your thing, go on over to Nichole's blog. She is an awesome doggy mom, and generally has a foster dog staying with them. Right now, it is the lovely Sophie. Nichole is having a contest that I first posted about here. The rules are on this page. Hurry - the deadline is November 30th!

Ok, off to get a cup of coffee now. Crap, it's still an hour and a half until I can have coffee. Crap, crap, crap.

Lots of Pink, and Tired Dogs on Thursday!

I think I finished quilting this blanket in record time -- eleven days!

This is the quilt that mom pieced and sewed, and I just did the hand quilting. The reason for the rush? A new baby, of course. Well, not the actual baby yet, just the baby shower, but a deadline is a deadline. It was so much fun, though. I kind of miss quilting. I haven't made a quilt since I discovered the joys of knitting socks. It is so much easier to throw a sock-in-progress in your handbag versus a quilt-in-progress. I have always carried large handbags, but one that would hold a quilt is too big, even for me!

Here is the new mom-to-be with the quilt...

...and here she is with the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket I made.

It was a small shower (a "sprinkle", I suppose) and that was what made it really nice. Kris has two boys now, a 5 year old and a 3 year old. She had a third boy but he did not survive. Long, and very sad story, and we are all focusing on the positive right now, and what a miracle it is that she was able to get pregnant again, and carry the baby this far. She is 34 weeks, and is seeing specialists weekly--stress tests and ultrasounds for the baby, and a cardiologist for Kris. This little girl is due around Thanksgiving, and we will all be truly thankful for a happy, healthy baby and mommy.

Emma and Tara would like to have done something exciting and blog-worthy this week, but they are both just so exhausted from having company over to the house.

Jumping up on people...licking their faces...it's a lot of work, but somebody has to do it!

Dogs on Thursday

Yes, it is Dogs On Thursday, but I have to start out this post with some lovely sock yarn that I bought from Shelly Kang (aka The Heathen Housewife) this past week. Oh, and see the pack of note cards on top? She added them to the package as a bonus. Don't ya just love surprises? The yarn is so soft and luscious, and the colors are beautiful. Can you believe Shelly dyes these herself? I can't wait to find the perfect sock pattern for the yarn. Well, one of them is for my Secret Pal, but I won't include it until the final "reveal" package just in case she stumbles onto this post and figures out who I am. Treat yourself to a visit to Shelly's website and take a look at her lovely knitting, and her impossibly sweet daughters!

Why does the sock yarn get top billing (aside from the fact that I love it so much)? So I could segue into this picture of Emma:

She was "helping" me take the picture. Such a helper. What would I do without her? Tara just sat quietly by, chewing on a nylabone, wondering what all the fuss was about.

While you are visiting other blogs, go on over to Nichole's blog. She is having a contest, and the cause is near and dear to my heart - homeless pets. There are lots of ways to help homeless animals, and several ways to enter into her contest at the same time. I've cast on for a snuggle, but haven't gotten very far yet. Still quilting that baby blanket. Quilting, quilting, quilting. It's has to be done by Saturday, so I'm taking tomorrow off from work and will be quilting my fingers to the bone.

Now for some answers to questions:

Regarding Crocs, Covered In Yarn said "I love love love the little ballet slipper style, but I have an uber narrow foot. The regular crocs swallow me whole, are the ballet's the same way or do you think I may be able to swing them?"

Well, I'm not sure, as I have an average width size 8 1/2 foot, and crocs only come in whole sizes, so the ones I ordered are size 9. They do seem to be a little narrower than the "Cayman" and "Beach" style of crocs. All I can say is to try them for yourself. The advantage to http://www.zappos.com/ is that the shipping is free, both ways. I've sent shoes back before, and it was super-easy to do.

Regarding the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket, silfert said, "Spectacular! I've never tried a pointed edging. Was it hard?"

It was really pretty easy to do, once the edge stitches were all picked up and ready to go. I didn't follow the instructions exactly - it said to work each of the four sides separately and seam the corners. I picked up all four sides at once and worked in the round, thus eliminating the need to seam each of the corners.

Finally, some knitting content

You know how when you get to the end of something, you just don't want to finish it, because then it would be, well, finished? Like the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle, or the last bite of cherry pie... that's how I've felt about the Alphabet Blanket that I made for my niece Alexis. No problem, though, as she is still in her mother's belly until (hopefully) mid-November. Well, my mother has made a quilt for little Alexis, and I offered to do the quilting, so I figured it was time to get off my butt and finish Alphabet Blanket so I don't have to worry about it while doing the quilting.

Ta Dah! Here it is being blocked. (The pink is way too pink in this picture!)

Now, to give credit where credit is due: I first saw this blanket on Jenn's blog. She made one for her son before he was born. Go take a look - she has an adorable baby boy. I had a great time with this pattern, even though there were some errors in the charts. It's from Debbie Bliss' Baby Knits book. No worries though, as a fellow Raveler emailed me this link with errata for Debbie Bliss patterns. Gotta love Ravelry!

Loving Ravelry!

If you haven't signed up for the waiting list to join Ravelry, just go over there and do it. You won't be sorry. That is, if you knit or crochet. Otherwise, well, never mind.

Anyway, I've been loading pictures of my stash and WIPs, and there is a little place for comments on the projects. As I was entering the information on the Debbie Bliss Alphabet Blanket I've been working on, I wrote a short comment - something like "there are errors in the pattern-- must remember to search for errata on the Internet." A couple of days later, there is a message in my Ravelry mailbox:

Hi Dianne,
In case you haven't located it yet, the Debbie Bliss website has the errata for this pattern.

http://www.debbieblissonline.com/revision.htm

I love the color you are using. Have fun!
Hope

How cool is that? I didn't even know that my comments would be viewable (is that a word?) by other Ravelers (now that CAN'T be a word!) but they are, and someone was kind enough to help me out. Thanks, Hope!

Here's a recent picture of the blanket. Half way done! Woo Hoo. That is, it's half done if you aren't counting the border, which I am totally NOT counting. I'm going to do the border, but I don't start counting that until the body of the blanket is done. Weird, I know, but my knitting...my rules!

One Step Forward...

I finished the first row of blocks on the Alphabet Blanket! I decided to take time to admire my work in each of the blocks. Mind you, I was not looking for errors since I knew there was no way I could possibly have made a mistake. I had checked and double-checked each row as I was working, and counted and double-counted the number of knits and purls, and I thought twice... three times... four times(!) before doing each yarn over and decrease to make sure I was doing the correct one - left leaning or right leaning. So, with all the confidence in the world, I stopped to admire (and photograph) the fruits of my labor.

AHHHH! WHAT IS THAT?

After several minutes of avoidance, in which I tried to convince myself that that is, indeed, how the "X" square is supposed to look, I tried to figure out how I could blame this on someone else.... anyone else.... even Emma and Tara (I'm a bad dog mom, for even considering this). What to do....what to do. Those who know me know that I will do just about anything to avoid frogging. "Rip it, rip it, rip it" to all of that hard work? It makes me shudder just thinking of it. Could I fix it with a darning needle? No. Could I just rip out that one portion down to the offending area and re-do? Right, try and figure out all of those decreases and yarn overs again, but this time in a very tiny space. I don't think so. The only mature, responsible thing to do is to face up to the fact that I made mistake, correct it, and learn from this valuable lesson.

After the screaming and crying and tantrum-throwing was over, I downed a fist-full of Prozac and riiiippppped away. Here is the blanket, ripped back to the row before the offending portion.

Sad, isn't it?

Whole Lotta' Pink

Now THAT is some pink yarn!

I've cast on the Alphabet Blanket from this book:

After a couple of rough starts (rip, rip, rip), I got myself straightened out, and am having fun with this blanket. Here is the progress so far.

Looks kind of pitiful in the picture, but it's a lot of fun. It's one of those pay-attention-to-what-you-are-doing-and-read-the-chart-you-idiot kind of projects, but I like the yarn, and it's moving along faster than I thought it would. I first saw this blanket on
Jennifer's blog, and just had to buy the book for myself. Treat yourself to a peek at her blog. She has a cutie pie of a baby boy - just two months old. So sweet!