pom pom! i'm the kind of knitter/crocheter that likes *accessories*. i made my pom pom with the help of this colorful gizmo. and i learned, it's really called a pom pon. hmmm ... pom poms!


i only have one slipper to show for now. the mate will have to wait ....


and here's a sample of my wonderful photography skills! let's just say that without a tripod (and, i do own one), a low light revolving tree with revolving light will certainly be out of focus.

ummm hmmmm ....

i can't seem to stop crocheting. i just had to finish these elf slippers from gourmet crochet this morning. and yes, it IS red heart yarn !

i imagine there's lots of sock, scarf, and hat knitting going on for fathers this christmas, but i'm cross stitching my dad something for his office! mom and i sometimes refer to him as a drama queen ... we're bad. and we know we're bad. and when i saw this dolly mamas kit by janlynn, i had to buy! i have not cross stitched in years. i don't have time for cross stitch, but ... i will make time for cross stitch.

also, while out & about today, armed with many coupons, i ran across a couple of books ...


i got each with a 50% coupon. can't beat that! i've had my eye on the _knit 2 together_ for some time, but the crochet book was new to me, and demonstrated techniques i hadn't seen before.

but, i am being good tonight, and working on the commissioned knitted stockings ... though i so badly want to crochet something ....

i certainly have a bad case of the crochet bug ! i ordered these two booklets from gourmet crochet just before thanksgiving. inspite of the holiday, delivery was fast.

leaving mom & dad's was heartbreaking today ... because i left behind my beloved stash of redheart and all my crocheted squares! i decided they can wait until my visit at christmas, because i have way too much stuff to work on and worry about, without the distraction of a growing blankie. so, no more crochet square shots until next month!


my copy of winter IK got lost in the mail, so my replacement copy arrived today! i'm many weeks behind in the oooh-and-awwww, but tonight i will enjoy some good knitting related reading!

mr. gobbles is in the oven, and the house is a wreck, but i have some squares done! mom fell asleep in a living room chair last night as i was crocheting (around midnight). i just let her sit and sleep, because i wanted to finish one more square.



... see, a nine patch !



each square is about 8", so i figure i will have to make at least 64 squares to make a nice afghan for snuggling on the sofa. maybe.

it is true ... i do like the cheap stuff, though i love the not so cheap too !



and i will admit, it does feel kinda nasty to touch. i guess i never really noticed that before, at least not before comments from my previous post. but, i still like the stuff!

i had to ask myself why i like red heart so much ... well, it's so darn cheap! it's the first yarn i ever played with. i remember crocheting chains as a child. it's easy to care for. no dyelots ! i don't think i would ever want a garment made from the stuff ... but it's pretty darn good for a blanket! and the colors are unnaturally vibrant! and, you can buy it pretty much anywhere.

i guess it's a cheap love affair ....







these labels are from the old stash. you just don't see labels like this anymore!

i'm really not a yarn snob

i am crocheting when i should be doing other things .... but, all i want to do right now is crochet squares from this book with this yarn.

but, it's bedtime, and square #6 will have to wait until tomorrow ....

i finished something today! i started it last year ! this is an 80" ribby cabled scarf from this free online pattern. i used two hanks of misti alpaca chunky on size 10.5 needles. it's long, it's heavy, it's soft, and it's beautiful ! is this a christmas gift? i don't know .... 'cause i did start it last year, with only myself in mind. hmmm .....

it was another wonderful knitting sunday at jackie's. she couldn't knit all day today, because of dancing.


oh! and this is the shot of the hippie and jackie ... i think something has gone awry with his knitting.....


ps. brrr ! i think it's about 57* in here ... because, my doors are open, and that's the outside temp, and it hasn't really been warm inside here since the last time it was warm outside here ....

ho ! ho ! ho !

yes, that's me, incognito ... i finished knitting this little stocking cap at work today, but brought it home to block. it just needed a little touch up with the steam iron, as it's knitted in encore dk (an acrylique & wool blend). it's a really cute hat, knitted in the round from the top down ... cabin fever #115.

and other stuff that's not for me ...




christmas stockings! i am making two stockings on commission. the client has been working on these off and on for four years, and decided that it's just not going to happen unless she has someone else do it. that's where i come in. i am using her materials, and a few of my ideas, to remake these stockings. the original pattern is published in a leaflet by nicky epstein. though i would have not picked these yarns, it's a fun challenge.

the top picture is of the client's progress ... i'm knitting it in the round as seen in the bottom photo.

'tis the season ....

and though i have a million unfinished projects, and a ball of noro still missing and on the loose, i have started my holiday knitting! ... so i feel a bit virtuous.

i will be posting the holiday making on my blog. so, if you see your gift here, i'm so sorry! if you see something you thought was for you, i'm sooooo sorry!

i have a hard time keeping secrets. i like to post makings and happenings here. i will try to give a head's up as to when to avert eyes. i will try to hide some things in holiday wrap with a mouse-over.

i have many ideas and good intentions ... but ... let's just see how the holidaze pan out .....

ps. i am on row 87 of somebody's something-something, to be ____ed when i can get so a washing machine ! ... and if i don't run out of yarn !

OH NO !

minimal progress here ...

i managed to decide that using the size 7 turbos is probably my best route. i knitted a ball's worth of silk garden yesterday ....

so, that's what 2 balls of silk garden looks like in entrelac!




i also managed to sqeak out 12 more rounds of my lace leaf sock. the pattern is quick to memorize, so it's fairly mindless knitting.

though, lots of knitting and making has been on my mind lately. i actually have a list of goals and gifts to make for christmas, and i find myself spending more time staring at the list and not getting anything done!

i have a feeling there's going to be lots of sewn gifts this holiday, as i can sew faster than i can knit. or, i could just kinda freak out and get absolutely nothing done! (it's happened before)

i am back on track i think with lady eleanor. this time, i am knitting with size 7 turbos, as my gauge was really loose with 8's, once i began to knit and purl backwards. of course, i'm still sitting on the fence about this ... and essentially have two lady e's in progress!





but, i am not on the fence about this sock any longer ... it's a keeper !

click the picture

third time's a charm ....

this is my third attempt at knitting these socks. my first attempt was with koigu. the koigu was ripped and became this instead. then i tried some hand jive nature's palette. but, the twist was very much like koigu and kinda obliterated the delicate leaves. now i am using froehlich wolle silky baby-lambs. i think i'm on the right track.

ps. if you click on the link for this yarn, you're taken to the web pages of a site no longer maintained. the yarnshop is now under new ownership and has a new webpage under raveknits. i think the older website is more comprehensive, and they do have TONS of needles and hooks. it just happens to be about a mile off of I-85 in concord, nc, ... which i pass anytime i go home to visit my family.

as the holiday season creeps in, which i do love ... i am feeling some pre-holiday stress with my list of what to make. i seem to spend more time worrying about the list vs. just casting on or sewing!

subversive knitting ....

before ...


after ...


kinda like the fried egg commercial ....

i went to an artwalk in durham this past weekend. the lovely ms. rrrrita was my partner in crime. it was an absolutely glorious day for being out and about ...


the maples were showing off! the sky was a deep carolina blue, and the air cool and dry.


because the intense sunlight deceived me, i went a'walkin' without my hat. but, that was just fine, as a knitter friend had a little tent set up, and she had for sale just the hat i needed !
it's knitted in the round, from noro's kureyon. the shaping reminds me of a yankee knitter's pattern, as it's simple and basic, and just perfect !

see the cute doo-dads hanging off the end ?!

knitterly note: the gauntlets were not knitted by me, but by a ms. agent aubergine. the pattern is from sally melville's _the knit stitch_, knitted with yummy koigu ! she can have them back if she pays the ransom ! otherwise, they look fab with my new hat and my old kiwi felted bag !

more socks?

these socks have languished for months, and all i had left to finish them was to knit the toe of the mate. that's all ! i knitted them top down, but with a short row heel. i was impressed that the colors just fell into place and let the heel be all one color. the yarn is opal's chameleon colorway from the rain forest collection.