Goodies In The Mail

Don't you just love waiting for the mail to arrive when you know you've ordered something from Amazon? Last Friday my goodies arrived. I ordered Susan's book 'Itty Bitty Hats', and I just love it! I have spent all weekend just browsing through it from front to back, back to front - I just don't know what hat to knit first. I also pre-ordered Susan's new book 'Itty Bitty Nursery' but that won't be released until October.


And because I wanted to get free shipping from Amazon I topped my order up (to reach over $25) with the 'Knit 2 Together' book by Tracey Ullman. It was reduced to only $5.50.


I've seen this book reduced in the book stores too and it made me wonder if it was because it wasn't very good. I have to admit I've never been crazy about the front cover. There's just something about that sweater they have on that is 'disturbing' to me - it just looks a little (dare I say it) "deformed"?!!! Well I was pleasantly surprised with the book, there are some nice patterns in that I might one day have a go at. This one for instance which is the first pattern in the book, and looks so cute....
And this one looks nice....
I really like this lacy shrug too, but I don't think I would wear it much so I probably won't attempt that one....


And just for the record, they do have the pattern for the 'knit 2 together' sweater on the front of the book - which I KNOW I will never knit ;-)

It's back to knitting my chunky shrug tonight, I've only got one sleeve to finish, then pick up the collar and I'm done!!!

And on a different note... is it just me or is anyone else having problems uploading pictures in to their sidebar? Every time I try to do it from blogger it's enlarging and distorting the image? I had to upload the pictures of the knitting magazine to my server and then link to it from there?

Call Me Crazy But.......

........ I've changed my mind (again) and decided against knitting the Summertime Tunic with the classic silk. To be honest I'm not really enjoying this yarn, it already looks like it's 'pilling' and it hasn't even been worn! And also, while I'm knitting it, I can look down and see tiny black flecks of 'stuff/fluff' on my t-shirt (I'm assuming that's stuff from the raw silk in it?) hmmm, I just wasn't crazy with the look of the st st on the tunic. So while I was browsing, (yet again) all the lovely 'free' patterns out there in the big www, I saw 'Lotus Blosson'. I've seen this on the cover of Intweaves Knits just a month or so ago and really like the style, so that's what I'm trying now.

Of course this isn't 'growing' fast enough for me (and I'm just dying to get an FO on here at some point) so I went out to Michael's yesterday and found some super chunky yarn.

I saw this pattern in my July issue of Creative Knitting and thought I would give it a go. Hopefully we'll have cooler weather here soon, although in reality, I probably won't even need to wear this until at least January, even if I do get it finished next week!

I started it yesterday and did the back already. The yarn is Lion Brand 'Wool-Ease', the color is 'Spice'. It looks so Autumnal, don't ya think? I started the left front last night too but I read the pattern wrong regarding the inc, so I had to pull it out and start again this morning. It literally only took me half an hour to get back to the point I pulled it out! This is my kind of knitting ;-)

I'm hoping you can click on the pictures to see a larger image.

The socks are on hold for now!

You've Got Mail

I just wanted to share what I got in the mail yesterday - finally my 'gift' arrived from one of the give-aways I won at Dog Days of Summer Giveaway. Thank you Carol. This as you can see is one beautiful Vera Bradley Purse. I love it!

And it's just perfect for carrying my latest WIP (work in progress) which is NOT 'Sahara' I might add.... ok long story......... well not actually, but I've been putting off blogging about if for days now because I am just so devastated :-(

My Sahara doesn't fit!!! It is Waaaaaay too small. I finally tried it on last Friday only to find that it doesn't even come close to fitting me. I think the error was that the yarn I picked doesn't really knit with a negative ease? At least that's what I'm thinking. I cast on for size 33" because the pattern said there would be a negative ease of 3 inches? Suffice to say, it's too small, no good, will have to be ripped out. My only problem - I HATE ripping things out and starting again. I totally lose all motivation, unless it is something completely different! So that's what it is - it's completely different - it's the Summer Time Tunic. I've seen this knit by quite a few people too (there was a KAL, but I don't have the link off hand). So that's what you can see in my new VB purse. I haven't even pulled out the Sahara yet, I just can't bear to! I might try to knit that later at some point and pick some other type of yarn - then again, I might not.

For now I think I need to get some projects finished before I start on anything else. I did get the heel started on my sock, and I'm just about finished a baby sweater that is a gift. I've also got a Christmas pudding hat on the go ;-) (the hat is done, I just need to knit berries and holly) and I will continue steadily with the tunic, which feels like it will take forever too. Also in the meantime I continue to get hooked on knitting blogs and well, just how is a girl supposed to get any knitting done when there are so many cool blogs out there to sit and read... and look at this one Knitty Bloggy Baby Bumpers I just can't stop browsing all the archives and seeing all the cute stuff people are knitting for babies!!!

Knitting Fiend!

I mentioned on my 'daily blog' that I had been itching to start knitting something for myself this week. I know I'm doing the sock, but going round and round with knit3, purl1 was just getting a bit monotinous for me and I felt like more of a challenge. I will of course continue with the sock/socks, but in the meantime I am making HUGE progress on the top I finally chose to knit.

And it was no easy choice either - it took me days to find something I actually thought I would wear once I knit it (unlike this top that I knit last summer and haven't been seen out in public with it on once!)

It's not that I don't like the top, I think it's quite cute, but I have never gotten round to buying a flesh colored bra (with clear straps) that I can wear underneath. And I'm not a 'layers' kind of gal, so I don't want to put it on top of another cami or t-shirt. So for now it sits in the drawer - waiting.

But here is what I did pick - it's called Sahara and I bought the pattern on StichDiva. I have also seen this pattern featured on the 'SexyKnittersClub' blog. I have to say the way this is knit is totally alien to me. I have never knit a top from the top down. I was totally baffled by the pattern once I got it and read it. In fact if I could have read it before I bought it I probably wouldn't have bought it! It sounded so totally complex to me. But I'm glad to say that as I knit and then read the pattern, it is all making a little more sense to me, and as you can see from the picture I've already got the top knitted up to the armholes (or down to the armholes!)- and I only started this on Wednesday. Yes! I'm a knitting fiend and I just can't stop.

I went to my LYS on Wednesday night after Jason got home from work. I took my time chosing a yarn that would work with the gauge (with huge help from the store owner Pat), and because it was 'Chicks with Sticks' night, I actually sat there for a couple of hours, knit up a swatch and then cast on. A provisional cast on I might add too, another thing I have never even tried before. I tell ya, I just amaze myself sometimes, ha ha :-)

The yarn is Classic Silk (50% cotton, 30% silk, 20% nylon) by Classic Elite Yarns. The color is #6904 (it doesn't have a name on the label) but it looks true to the picture, a nice fresh aqua color. I had intended to knit the whole thing in the same yarn, but I may end up looking for a contrast yarn to do around the neck.

As for my sock, well it's on the back burner just for a few days ;-)

Meet My Sock....

Here he is! Doesn't he look lovely :-) My first attempt at knitting a sock on dpn's. I have to say I'm enjoying knitting this but I am finding it rather slow going. I really do wish I'd started with fatter needles and thicker yarn. I feel like this will take forever, but I'll persevere. It's a simple pattern of knit 3, purl1 for 6 inches then I do the heel. That's the part I'm eager to get to, to see if I can do it.

I have quite a few things on the needles right now, but I can't show anything else because the other things are gifts! Once I get a few things finished I'd like to think about knitting something for myself. I was in the local yarn store at the weekend and saw some of the things that other girls were knitting. One girl had knitted 'Eiffel' from Knitty.com but had adjusted it to have short sleeves. It looked really nice but I'm undecided if I should try it or not. I also liked Soleil from Knitty too. I just can't make my mind up right now, so I'll keep searching for patterns.

That's all I have for you this time, come back soon to see more sock progress :-)

Look What I Can Do......

Look at me! I'm using dpn's (double pointed needles) for the very first time - EVER!!! I bought size 7 needles to try my hand at a little hat first. I thought it might be easier than trying to pick up size 0 needles, which seriously, are no fatter than a tooth pick! And I'm so pleased with the result. It wasn't really that difficult either. It felt a little awkward at first, but I soon got the hang of holding the needles. I couldn't put this down the other night, then I realized I might have it finished before I'd had a chance to get the camera out. So I stopped for a bit just to take a picture.

And a couple of hours later I'd actually finished - stalk, leaf and all :-)

I've already got the sock started! I will take some pictures of that next. I do wish I'd started with bigger needles and thicker yarn, because I feel like it will take me weeks to finish just one sock! But at least it's good practice for me if nothing else.

If this works right, you should be able to click on the photos if you need to see a larger image.