Knitter in Progress

Secret Pal Package #2 Okay--I just may have the coolest secret pal ever. I got my last package on Thursday, but saved the post for today because of it's theme--Halloween. I got two balls of a fabulous merino/alpaca/silk blend(which may very well become my Log Cabin socks), some DMC floss in Halloween colors, some Jelly Bellys, some tic tacs(orange of course), some Halloween themed hankies, a LOTR bookmark(loving that, by the way), some stitch holders, some stitch markers(which Little Diva loves because she is learning how to read and they spell knitting terms), and possibly the coolest bit of all--all the fixins I need to start beading(what will I be making--stitch markers of course). And she packaged some of this glorious booty in the very cool pumpkin bag(which Little Rage keeps carrying around and yelling, "Scarey!!" at the top of his lungs). You ROCK, Secret Pal 'o Mine!!!

As a reward for finishing my NaNo novel(I gotta have some incentive you know), I'm going to add another project to my stitching list at the end of November(if I make it to 50K, that is). I may need to order fabric and/or get more floss so I'm planning ahead. I'm leaning somewhat towards Motherhood as I already have the fabric for it, but I'd love to hear some opinions. Before you comment, let me just say that I LOVE all three of these, but there is no way I'm starting all three--one is enough until I finish something else. Motherhood: Artist Selina Fenech, charting HAED I just love this picture; I have even thought about purchasing the print. To me, it captures that feeling you have with your newborn--the peace and beauty in having been blessed with something so miraculous. Storykeeper: Artist Selina Fenech, charting HAED When I first saw the print of this, it spoke to me. Reading teacher, recreational writer, English teacher. . .this captures all of that f...

Log Cabin Sock Here's my contribution to Socktoberfest--hopefully, I'll have its partner done by Monday. It's the Log Cabin Sock from Handknit Holidays--awesome book, by the way. I made it with Cascade 220 on sz. 6 needles. These are the men's size--they are for my husband to keep his feet toasty this winter :) Happy knitting, stitching, and reading, aloha:) Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" was suggested by Outi (http://www.livejournal.com/users/snowprincipessa/ ) and is: Have you ever stitched something as a gift and later realized that receiver doesn't respect your stitched gift a bit (for example it's never on show, or you have other reason to suspect that it may even be nonexistent or at least placed in some dark storage room corner)? I usually only stitch or knit gifts for family and/or people I am sure are going to give the piece the proper respect it deserves. If so, what have you done? If you've been lucky enough to avoid ...

I have been stitching for most of the week and this is what I have to show for it at the end of the weekend. It's not as much as I'd hoped, but it's quite an accomplishment considering that Little Diva was off from school this week and I couldn't stitch everyday. The big revelation of the week for me was "parking" --if you're stitching a monster piece like this that is chucked full of "confetti" then you definitely need to learn how to park(at least in my opinion). I had never tried it before(I didn't really understand the description), but after reading the above linked post, it just clicked. If I hadn't been "parking" this week, I would have gotten about half of what I've accomplished done. I am a parking convert and I will sing it's praises from the roof tops--to anyone that cares about these things anyway ;) Let me put it in perspective, last month I stitched about 2500 stitches(for the entire month)--last week...

9 years ago today my first babies were born. They are twins--a boy and a girl--and they are their mother's only children because she started hemorrhaging after they were born and had to be fixed. I adopted them when they were 12 weeks old. I had done months of research into exactly what I wanted and that's exactly what I got. These two kiddos have really traveled the US--Texas, New York, Oklahoma, Utah, Colorado, and Hawaii(including an excruciating one month quarantine)--if only they could get frequent flyer miles. They are spoiled rotten and they know it. They have put up with countless hours of screaming and craziness that their human siblings inflict on them daily and they never complain(although they do hide under the bed quite a bit). They were my first big purchase after I got a "real" job. So today on your 9th Birthday I salute you both--Dreamkatcher's Bailey and Dreamcatcher's Kahlua(AKA BB and Cracky(as in crackhead--if you met her you'd ...

I have added yet another knitalong to my list. It's been a while since I have knit socks and frankly I am having sock withdrawal. There are a few that I've had my eye on: Mim's Razor Shell Socks , quite a few pairs from Sensational Knitted Socks, and I'm sure there will be a bunch in the new Nancy Bush book(which should be arriving here within the next week). My newest knitting love right now is handknit HOLIDAYS--what an awesome book. I am doing my Socktoberfest socks from a pair in this book. Anne Woodbury's Log Cabin Socks to be exact--we're not slipper people, but a thick, toasty pair of socks to pad around in. . .that's nirvana :) Don't be turned off by the book jacket of this book--that hood thing on the cover is weird at best--remove the jacket and there is a very decent picture there :) For those of you who didn't know me last year(pre-blog days), I thought it would be a great idea to knit everyone socks for Christmas and I was also kn...

I feel like I'm finally making some progress. I know that every time I knit I am making some progress, but when I actually finish a part of something THEN I feel like I am really progressing :) One Sleeve Done I'm limping along on my second Rogue; it's only taken me, what, two months to complete one sleeve. But that's okay; I raced through the last one and I really don't mind taking my time with this one. Little Rage's Sweater(back) I finished the back of Little Rage's sweater this week. It's a Debbie Bliss pattern from one of the "Knitting on the Go" books. I wasn't sure if I liked the cabled rib on the top but it's kind of growing on me. I'm using Plymouth Encore; I love this yarn for kid's stuff. It's not too expensive, it knits up well, and it holds up to washing well. This week will be mostly a stitching one--I'll knit if I need a break :) Well, it's off to get some haircuts. Let me just fill you in on t...