1000th Amanda Hat!!!

It's official.....

The Amanda Hat has been knit over 1000 times!!!!!

Holy crap!

I've been keeping track on Ravelry of the number of people who have been making the Amanda Hat and this week, someone has posted the 1000th hat.

Woo-hoo!

Her Ravelry name is Avalonne - a lovely gal from Austrailia. You can visit her blog here to find out more about this interesting knitter.



I'll be sending Shelley a special gift in the mail as a prize...

Honorable Mentions for Amanda Hat knitting:

1. Feliciah on Ravelry - who was very close to posting the 1000th Amanda hat - and who has made at least 3 so far. Her blog is here. (She will receive a SleepyEyes pattern of her choice...either the Radiance Lace Headbands, Lisha Lace Scarf or the Lovely Waters Tablerunner pattern.)

and

2. Kermit on Ravelry - who has made the most Amanda Hats in the history of the pattern - I love how she used so many different yarns, as well. It's great to see how differently the hat looks with various fibers and weights. Her blog is here.

I would love to hear how many Amanda Hats that you've knit up and which is your favorite. Dazzle me with your creativity! And....keep knitting those Amandas!!!

(Thank you sooo much!)

P.S. VERY soon.....lots of knitted FOs and more birthday gift pics to share. Yipppeeee!

Teddy Gained a Sweater, I Lost 50 Pounds!

"Poor Teddy is so cold!", says my 6 year old. "He needs a sweater!"

So, in my mind, the ONLY thing to do in this situation is to whip out the laptop and check Ravelry. Wouldn't you? (he he)

Almost immediately, we found the pattern, "Monkster's Sweater" and we both thought it was adorable. We rushed out to the yarn store (which I'd just left at 1 pm) just before they closed to pick out yarn. Ben chose 3 skeins of Noro Kureyon in color 226 - a blend of dark greens, reds, dark orange, purple and blues. It wasn't a color I would usually pick, but Ben (and Teddy) loved it.

I was so psyched to make this (after knitting the baby cardigan on size 2s for so long, I wanted something quick and fun) that I ended up working on it all night and made it in 4 hours! I was so much fun to knit and I'm very glad that I ended up spending a little more on the yarn because the sweater came out FANTASTIC!! (I'm even thinking of making Ben a sweater in the same yarn to match)

You can find details of this project HERE on Ravelry...I also added some hints and things like that, too.

Hmmm...what else is new? Well, I finished my Fabulous Scarf (see pattern link on right or HERE on Ravelry) out of the remainder of the Ivy Brambles Superwash Worsted to go with the Amanda Hat - both shop samples.

What do you think?


I think it's pretty convenient that you can make both out of only 1 skein - would make a really cute gift for someone, I think. I just used the same size needle that I used for the hat to make the scarf and, although the yarn in thinner, the scarf comes out lacier and has a nicer drape. Plus, the colors of this yarn are sooo pretty!

I'm still working on the baby cardigan, which I need to finish in the next week or so...and I'm designing a new pattern, too, which is super fun to make (of course I'd say that, right! LOL)

I have a new FREE earth-friendly pattern coming out right before Earth Day in April, so keep an eye out for that, k?

Oh, and before I forget.....guess what???

I finally made my second goal of 50 POUNDS lost on WW!!!!!

I'm very happy and I'm crossing my fingers that I can keep it up until I reach my goal weight. (please, please)

Here are the things I do everyday to stay on track:

1. Exercise for at least 30-40 minutes (a mixture of aerobics, Wii Fit and yoga) 6 times a week or more
2. Be vigilant about keeping track of every single thing I put in my mouth in my WW journal
3. Eat one Flat Belly Diet food with every 8 point (approx. 400 calorie) meal - this TRULY keeps me fuller and more satisfied
4. Drink at least 64 oz of filtered water per day...or more
5. Knit or spin whenever I feel like I want to eat
6. Eat more veggies, fruit and protein than carbs (I love carbs) because carbs make me so much more hungry - and I eat one carb per meal, but it's whole grain and full of fiber.
7. Only eat out once a week at a restaurant, if possible. (sometimes, it's twice, but if I do go out again, I only order a salad and grilled chicken and bring my own dressing)
8. Journal!!! (I can't tell you how addicted I am to journaling - even my iPhone has a Gratitude Journal app!)
9. Take some nice, deep yoga breaths (with or without music) to make me feel calmer
10. Eat my favorite food once a week so I don't feel deprived - but I make sure to count the points.

And, finally, a picture of me from last week with my new haircut - you can't tell, but back is to my collar and the front angles towards my face and it's longer. Do you like it? (My oldest took the picture -he's so nice)



This week I lost just under 4 pounds to make my goal. I'm freezing all the time now, but it's sooo worth it to feel better and fit more easily in my clothes. AND, I'm actually looking forward to my yearly doctor's appointment this year. Go figure!

I wanted to thank everyone who posted supportive and loving words on my weight loss - I can't tell you how much it means to me. You're like my Blogging Cheering Section and I love you guys for it. Really : )

I Spun, I Dyed...and I will Knit. (Sometime)

Look at what I made!!



After a year (off and on...mostly off...lol) of spinning this fiber, I'm finally DONE!!!

I bought this fiber at last year's NETA Spa Retreat in Freeport, ME from the Fresli Farm booth. I'd never spun either Icelandic Lambswool or mohair before and I was excited to try it. It had such a nice feeling - not soft - but interesting and touchable...and fuzzy.

One of my spinning goals is to try to spin a consistent, 2 ply laceweight yarn...I thought I'd done it this time...but, sadly, I was not quite in the laceweight catagory.



I was able to spin a 2 ply light fingering at 20 wpi (wraps per inch), though...and it came out really nice.



After it was all spun, plied and set, I thought that the yarn wasn't quite as white as I'd hoped and decided it would be fun to dye it as well. So....I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what color I wanted.



I took at look at that pattern that I'd like to use for this handspun, The Spinner's Lace Shawl (very appropriate I think!), and thought that the yarn was calling out for a light turquoise.

After some trial and error in mixing the dyes, I came up with this color. AND I LOVE IT!



Only thing is...the pattern calls for 600 yards of laceweight/light fingering and I've only got 520 yards of my handspun. I thought I'd have enough, but not quite>. So, what I think I'll do is...

1. Use a larger needle and hope that I can finish it close to the end (and hope it fits) or do I repeat less.

OR

2. Knit the edging in another of my handspun yarns in a coordinating color or use a yarn from my stash that matches.

Any other ideas??

Now, I'm not sure when I'll start this...I'm still working on the Golle Molle Baby Cardigan, some Lisha Lace Scarf samples for Heather and my Fabulous Scarf (see link on right) store sample using Ivy Brambles new yarn, "Superwash Worsted" in colorway "Tulips" (see below for matching hat). But...I WILL knit it soon...probably around my birthday in May.

Here are other FO's that I've worked on or finished since the last time I blogged (soooo long ago!! he he):

The Amanda Hat



I used the Ivy Brambles yarn I mentioned above (available HERE) and it came out very cute. I love the pooling and color pattern it made with my hat pattern. (I think Ben looks adorable in it, too)

Crocheted Dishsoap Aprons



I saw these and knew I had to make them ASAP...they were sooo much fun to make (and I'm really only a beginning level crocheter)...and I was able to finish 3 of them in under an hour! What awesome instant gratification.....

See HERE for more pics on my Ravelry project page.

Hoping to finish more handspun by the end of the month! (It's for a beautiful beret pattern...more details later...)

Amanda Hat Winners!

I am SO sorry that this post is extremely late. Little Ben has had a fever and stomach virus since Friday night and I've been sitting beside him for days....("Pwease, Mommy, sit with me!")...so most knitting/spinning things have been pushed aside for some big, healing hugs.

Yes, the fantastic Blogless Amanda did pick out the winners on her birthday and...without further delay...here they are!!!

1. Winner of the Best Hat knit in a MALABRIGO yarn:



Nikkiana of Every Tomorrow
Colorway: Sapphire Jade
Ravelry name: nikkiana

She is the winner of this yarn (as well as other goodies):


Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in colorway, Cuarenta


2. Winner of the Best Hat knit in a NON-MALABRIGO yarn:



Tanis of Canada
Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Worsted in colorway, Flame
Ravelry name: marquessa

She is the winner of this yarn (as well as other goodies):


Yarn: Malabrigo Laceweight in colorway, Lavender

3. Winner of the Best and Most Original Amanda Hat photo:



Boo of Cats N Co
Yarn: Lopi Worsted in a handpainted colorway, Grapes of Wrath
Ravelry name: carys

She is the winner of this yarn (as well as other goodies):


Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in colorway, Apple

I want to thank every single person who knit an Amanda Hat (especially those of you who knit more than one!!). I've truly enjoyed opening up my email and seeing a new hat (or hats) every day. I still have about 5 hat pics to add to the Gallery...though those were sent after the contest was over. Please keep those hat pics coming if you have them -I would love to see them!

Another HUGE thanks to Caroline, who knit 8 Amanda Hats...got other people to knit them...and who made me feel so happy about my pattern. You Rock!!! (I'm mailing your gift to you, too! Yours is a surprise!)

One last, amazingly big hug to Sonya, who asked me to create this pattern. If she hadn't said anything, there wouldn't be over 180+ hats out there today. Woo-hoo!

Before I go, I wanted to share my progress on my winter white Icarus Shawl...I love it!!!.....I've just about finished all the "plain" knitting and I'm ready to start on the lace. I'm a bit nervous about that, but I think, once I put my lifeline in, I'll be okay. Each row takes l-o-n-g-e-r and l-o-n-g-e-r to finish, but I know it will be worth it in the end. I've definitely been in the lace knitting mood!


Yarn: Alpaca with a Twist's FINO in First Frost.

Now that Ben's snuggled into bed, I'm off to watch a scary movie with Tim (and hope to get some more lace knitting done, too!) Happy Knitting!

P.S. A quick pic of my mom blowing out her birthday candles...Happy Birthday, Mom!!!!

I'm Alive!!

Before I headed out to knitting group tonight, I just wanted to say hi to all of you...my wonderful friends...and thank you so much for all your well wishes...it's so nice to open up my email and see such kind comments : )

I'm FINALLY better. I had a double ear infection, sinus infection and, because of my migraine meds and infections combined, had very high blood pressure. And I'd no idea! I'm finally off all meds and now only taking a very low dose of hbp pills until everything is "normal" again. My head is feeling sooo much better and it was so funny because I felt like dancing around today. Woo-hoo!

I was able to go back to the gym (never thought I'd be happy for that!) and today was also Ben's first day back to school after being so sick himself. He was even able to wear the new mittens I knit for him. His teacher and friends loved them!

Check these out: (well...this one anyway)



Pattern: Morehouse Merino Critter Kit "Lobster Claw Mitts" for kids
Yarn: 1 skein of Morehouse Merino 3 ply in red
Needle: Knit Picks size 5 32" circ and extra bamboo dpns
Fun Level: A (So quick, so fun, loved this yarn and the mitts are soo warm!)

Ben was wearing just one of these the other day and looked so sleepy and cute....



One more belated FO:



Pattern: Bea Ellis "Moose Hat"...scroll down for patern.
Yarn: 1 skein of each color of Dalegarn Heilo and 1 skein of Mandarin cotton
Needles: Knit Picks size 3 and 5 16" circs
Fun Level: B (Very interesting knit, really liked this yarn, though I think I let my carries go a bit long...5 stitches, instead of 3 or 4.)

This hat is for my father-in-law...as a very belated birthday gift. He lives in TX, but when he comes here, he needs an extra warm hat..and, man, this hat will be VERY warm. Hope he likes it!

Now...onto the bigger stuff....

Number 1: Yes, I am VERY behind in adding the Amanda Hats to the gallery. I have about 15 hat pics all ready, sized and labled to go in. I will be adding them tomorrow and asking Amanda to pick her choice on Friday, instead of on her birthday tomorrow (Happy Birthday, Blogless Amanda!!).

Number 2: Remember that there will be 3 prizes plus a special prize for Caroline for knitting the MOST Amanda Hats...8! The other prizes will be for the:

-Best Amanda Hat knit in malabrigo yarn.

-Best Amanda Hat knit in a non-malabrigo yarn.

-Best and most original photo of the Amanda Hat.

Good luck to everyone and I'll let you know after Spa who the winners are...though it will probably be the last day of Feb before everything gets figured out, blogged and such. I'm so excited!!

Will try to blog before I leave for Spa on Friday, but I may not have time to. So, if I don't....I'll miss you!!! I can't wait to SPIN!!!!

Caroline....The Amazing Amanda Hat Knitter!

If you can believe it, my wonderful friend Caroline has knit...count'em....8 AMANDA HATS!!

Every time we'd get together for knitting, Caroline would look at me with a slightly shy (and sweetly guilty-ish) look and say something like, "You know, Gina, I'm starting another Amanda Hat." And I would always be so surprised and excited! (After the 5th hat, I was less suprised, but just as excited.) Wow! Each "confession" prompted me to ask...."So, what yarn are you using??" and she'd take out some beautiful skein of yarn that was either perfect for her complexion/hair or perfect for someone else in the group...who'd immediately say, "Ooh, let ME try it on!"

I've had a number of knitters make 2 and 3 hats, but no single person has made more than that...except for Caroline. With that in mind, I decided to crack open Caroline's brain and feast on the gooey insides....oh, wait...I mean, gently probe into Caroline's brain and investigate her Amanda Hat Obsession (which I am totally in approval of).


(Caroline with Amanda and all the hats that were made so far)

Here we go!

1. So, Caroline, what made you knit this many Amanda Hats? I made the first one because I loved the one you brought to Grand View weekend, and was impressed by the way it looked good on everyone. I was working on a long term project at the same time, and it felt so good to finish something that I thought I would like to do another. I started thinking about all the yarn options for the hat and just decided to use a different yarn each time. I had no idea that I would do this many.

2. If you didn't know me or Amanda, do you think you still would've knit the pattern this many times? I hate to admit it, but I might not have made one at all! I would probably have saved the pattern to my file of "I like this but don't have the nerve to make it" patterns. But you were so encouraging and put the pattern right in my hand. If I had made the one, without knowing you or Amanda, I might have stopped at 2 or 3. It was fun to keep bringing another hat in to knitting.

3. Not many people know that you used a different yarn for each hat. Which yarn that you used was the most enjoyable to knit with? The best was the last, Malabrigo! Dream In Color was a close second.

4. Which yarn knitted up the prettiest hat? I think, maybe, the Patons SWS or the Lorna's Laces.

5. Which hat is your favorite and why? That one is a lot harder to answer. The Malabrigo, for its color and softness and the fact that my technique was so much better than in my earlier hats. Or the Manos, for its awesome color, even though its tension was all over the place.

6. What will you do with all these hats?? I'll keep at least one and gift the others.

7. Did you change your needle size for any of the hats?> No, I'm too much of a rigid instruction-follower. You said 9's so I used 9's. I will make this hat again someday and I might try changing needles then. I would like to make the hat in both larger and smaller sizes.

8. Was there anything you would change about the pattern? Not a thing!

9. How many people have you "converted" to "Do-ing" Amanda? Definitely my mother and my sister, Kathleen (well, I don't know how much credit I get for Kathleen). Through my mother, a handful of women down in Key West (do I get any credit for secondary conversions?). And I "pattern-dropped" in a couple yarn stores and in Borders, but I don't know if those took root.

10. Will you be submitting a unique and crazy photo for the last hat entry for the Gallery/Contest? I've got a pose in mind, I just have to have someone take the picture.

Caroline, I am so thrilled that you loved the pattern and the hats and thank you so much for taking time out of your hat knitting (ha ha) to answer all my questions. It's been such a treat to see all of your hats and the choices that you've picked for yarns. You are an Amanda Hat Inspiration!!

Please check out Caroline's blog post, I Will Not Be a Guppy!, for a deeper look inside Caroline's brain...it's a really good post ; )

Now...onto my FAVORITE AMANDA HAT PICS!!!! (remember, I won't be the one judging...only Amanda is..so I can be as prejudiced to my friends as I want...he he)

Jackie's Hat with Her Sweet Girl


Marion's Hat (Caroline's mom)


Elizabeth and Mom's Hat


Melissa from Minnesota's Hat


Donna B's Hat


Laurie from Salem, MA's Lime Set


I have some prizes picked out, but waiting on a few, so I thought I would wait until they are all together before taking pics. But, there will be at least a couple skeins of Malabrigo yarn, stitch markers, fancy knitting needles and other skeins of yarn (as well as goodies...that means chocolate) for the winners.

There's still time for more hats and if you know anyone who has knitted an Amanda Hat and hasn't emailed their pics/info to me, make sure to tell them ASAP!

And, again, you can check out the Amanda Hat Gallery anytime you want : )

Comment with what hats (or pics) are YOUR favorites!

Not My Sunrise Circle Jacket

I know I promised that I'd be blogging the "Amanda Hat" interview with Caroline today, but that will be tomorrow's post...along with some SASSY pics of a new crocheted gift I received last night at knitting and my favorite Amanda Hat pics. Caroline is very carefully finishing up her 8th (!!) Amanda Hat and crafting her answers to my questions. I'm really looking forward to seeing what she says, aren't you?

Speaking of Blogless Amanda, I've been bidden to show my beautiful friend in her newly knitted Sunrise Circle Jacket by the fabulously talented, Kate Gilbert.

Since Amanda doesn't have her own blog (hence the "Blogless" part), I'm going to show the pic I took of her myself...woo hoo!



Doesn't she look amazing? Though, truth be told, she looks good in EVERYTHING...damn her.

YARN: Lamb's Pride Worsted in varigated reds

Kate, you like?

Oh, btw, before I go back to knitting.... the Amanda Hat Gallery is completely updated! At least 56 hats now! Woo-hoo! Remember to send in your Amanda Hat photos before the 21st!

Have a great day (it's snowing here) and report back tomorrow, knitters!

Slightly Wavy

Whoa, I can't believe it's been almost a week since I blogged. I am BEAT! I still have my Christmas decorations up and my house is very slowly becoming a pigsty. Just enough so that I can feel it creeping up around me....damn dust bunnies and other crap!

Meanwhile, I've been working on no less than 5 PROJECTS at once:

-A new design using Heather's gorgeous Sereknity yarn in "Luxe", the 100% handpainted cashmere....oooooh....

-My Winter White Icarus shawl, which is about 12 inches long and coming along sooo beautifully. I just saw Hilary's last night and it's just lovely.

-My Wavy Scarf, shown above....which is about 2/3 done and coming along quickly. I bring this everywhere and I can work on it anytime...easy and mindless...compared to last time when it was kicking my ass. I think you get the hang of it once you make it once. I'm using Ella Rae Classic 100% wool, it's practically identical to Cascade 220.

-Tim's "Spherey" toy, which is also half done...in Lamb's Pride Worsted. It's going to be MUCH smaller than "Squarey", but very cute.

-A shop sample using SWS Oasis in Bistro for the Phiaro Scarf, found in the newest KnitScene. Very simple, but somehow this keeps getting pushed to the side. Must work on it more at work.

I've got the sniffles today and, thankfully, Ben hung out in bed and played with toys while I snoozed for a few extra minutes. I had lots of fun last night at knitting group, though we were missing some of our "regulars"....hopefully I'll see them on Friday. We had two new ladies join the group and I hope we didn't overwhelm them....we still had a HUGE group, even missing about 6 people.

I wish I could say that today I could rest, but I've got to take both kids (Tim's got midterms today so he'll be coming home from school early) to Exeter to get Ben's birth certificate. I can't believe I never got that! DUH! He's 5 years old now! Jeez...

AMANDA HAT KAL UPDATE

Gallery Photos: 40 HATS and more than 6 that I haven't had a chance to add yet....it's sooo cool! (BTW, the Gallery, I've just found out, is only viewable if you actually go to my blog itself here. It doesn't show up if you're on a blog reader, for some reason.)

Bobby Awards: If you're on Ravelry, they are having a mini awards ceremony and The Amanda Hat is one of the chosen patterns for BEST FREE PATTERN 2007. Isn't that awesome??? If you're on Ravelry, I would truly appreciate your vote! Thanks!

Prizes: Pictures of the prizes are coming soon, so please keep a look out. If you have something you'd like to contribute, I'd be happy to advertise you and your blog/website, as a thank you. Anything knitting related is welcomed. Please email me if you'd like to contribute ; )

What Amanda hat is your favorite so far in the Gallery?

Squarey...and the Amanda Hat UPDATE!

I am in LOVE with this little knitted guy that I made for Ben this week. Ben couldn't wait for me to finish him and asked every, single day if he was "done yet ?". I had lots of fun knitting this toy, too. Tim, trying not to look interested, kept passing by while I was knitting Squarey and then, finally, he couldn't contain himself anymore....he started looking at the pattern book and pointed to "Spherey" and said, "Uh, can you make me that one?" (of course!)

Here is Ben loving his Squarey:



DETAILS:

Pattern: "Squarey" from "Unusual Toys for you to Knit and Enjoy" by Jess Hutchinson
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted- 1 skein orange and a few yards of purple and turquoise
Needles: Size 8 32" circular for Magic Loop
Time: 5 days
Fun Level: B+, loved knitting with this yarn, the pattern was very easy to understand, well written and cute as hell...the only thing that took away from super fun is the final sewing up of the body, arms and legs. That was a bit tedious.

I'm looking forward to starting Tim's "Spherey" and I think he'll be even easier...he's knit in the round! I'm getting the yarn on Friday at the store. Woo-hoo!

Now....on to....the "Do the Amanda" UPDATE!

Ravelry: 133 people heart my hat pattern and there are 49 knitted hats finished or in progress at the moment. I am thrilled!!!

Gallery: I have 25 hats in the gallery so far and I have at least 4 more that I need to put in. I've been adding new pics to my other galleries, as well, so make sure to check those if you're interested.

Other News: The yarn store, Nana's Knitting Shop in Illinois has asked my permission to have an "Amanda Hat" class! They'll be taking pics of everyone knitting their hats and pics of the shop, too, to send to me to share. I can't wait to see the diversity of those hats and how nice they'll look wearing them....

Prizes: As of this moment, I am getting together delicious skeins of yarn, stitch markers and other goodies for the winner of the contest. (so much fun!) And, Blogless Amanda has had another idea as well. Giving three prizes...first, second and third prizes. This way, more people have a chance to win...Amanda is the judge!

There will be a prize for:

1. Best Hat using Malabrigo yarn
2. Best Hat using a non-Malabrigo yarn
3. Best and Most Interesting Photo wearing the Amanda Hat

There is still over a month for the contest, so you have plenty of time to knit another hat, if you'd like. There is no limit on the number you can enter. I love opening up my email and seeing all these new and beautiful hats. It's like Christmas!

*A few people have sent me links to their photos or told me where they are so that I can add them in, but...if it's at all possible...I would really appreciate the pics being sent to my email address if you'd like to be added to the gallery. I'm getting a bunch every day and need to edit the pics as well, so I don't always have time to go and find a picture. Thanks so much!*

One more thing....I wanted to give Sonya a HUGE thank you on the blog because she is one who gave me the idea to make this hat. She is the inspiration behind this super comfy and quick to knit hat that we're all enjoying and I wanted to make sure that she knows how grateful I am for her great idea. You rock, Sonya!!

Before I go, I wanted to say a HUGE "HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!!" to my hubby, Ian and share a pic of Ian (and Ben) blowing out the candles on his ice cream cake. He turned 35 on the 8th (and I can be younger for another 4 months!!! he he) and we had a small party while his parents were visiting from Texas. Love you, Ian!!



Happy knitting and keep those hats coming!!!!

"DO the AMANDA" KAL/Contest

It's almost FO Friday!

To start off the first Friday of 2008 in the best possible way, I am having a KAL/Contest!

Wanna know more? Read on...!



DETAILS:

What? A Knit along for my Amanda Hat pattern...a contest and prizes!
Where? Here, on my blog, of course!
When? Starting now until Blogless Amanda's birthday - February 21st, 2008.
How? Knit as many Amanda Hats as you'd like to win a prize and to have your hat (plus name and webpage link) in my "Amanda Hats" Gallery! Grab the button on the right (link to this post) and you're ready to go...!

*Note: The Amanda Hat was named after one of my closest (and most fabulous) friends, Blogless Amanda. (She is the model for the hat on the pattern.) After all of the Amanda hats are knit and pictures posted (pics must be sent!) to the Gallery, Amanda herself will pick her favorite hat and that person will win an awesome yarn-y prizes!!! All submissions must be sent to me by midnight on the 21st and the winner will be revealed on the last day of February.

Wanna join in? Start now...!

MATERIALS:

The Amanda Hat pattern

Size 9 16" circ and dpns (or needle size to get gauge)

2 oz/60 grams of Malabrigo worsted yarn or a heavy weight worsted yarn of your choice. (You can click on the Gallery at the right to get yarn inspiration!)

*Note: I was able to use only half a skein of Malabrigo for this hat, so 2 hats are possible with this exact yarn, but you must be very, very careful...leaving a tail of only 3 inches at the start and a 5-6 inch tail at the end. Knitting to gauge (though I know is tedious, but necessary) is a must if you want to get 2 out of 1 skein. I was also able to make 1 Amanda Hat and also a pair of little boy mittens out of one skein with a yard left over.

One more thing about the yarn- I strongly recommend Malabrigo, not only because of the yardage and thickness, but because the hat becomes just truly LUXURIOUS and SUPER CUDDLY and you'll love it more if you use this yarn. Some have used other yarns and still fell in love with them, but others thought the yarn they used was a bit scratchier than they thought and were slightly disappointed. But, it's totally up to you! Amaze me (and Amanda) with your gorgeous hats!

If you have something you'd like to DONATE for this KAL, I would love to hear from you. I will advertise and link to you, if you have a store for the entire duration of the KAL/Contest.

*I will try to get this on Ravelry as well, so if you get a chance, you can check it out there...I can't promise I'll have time, but I WILL try!*

Now...go on...."DO the AMANDA"!!!!

A Couple Fo's, Boiling Water, and Strep Throat

I thought I'd use a title that really conveyed the essence of the past weekend or two. What do you think? (Above is the beautiful Blogless Amanda....read along until the end to see why she is featured above....)

I've been so behind in blogging that it's getting me down. I didn't even talk about or show pictures of the Grand View trip and that was almost two weeks ago. Needless to say, things have been pretty difficult around here for the House Family.

I think I'll share the abbreviated version, okay?

LAPTOP UPDATE

As I shared in my last post (thank you so much for the people who commented), Ben accidently poured water into our iMac laptop. Luckily, Ian was able to save it and we probably only need a new keyboard (which is on it's way in the mail). If the new keyboard doesn't work right, then we'll need to buy a whole new computer. Cross your fingers for us, k? In the meantime, I have graduated from typing on Ian's homemade arcade machine (which he made himself from SCRATCH) to using a foldable usb keyboard. It's like typing on a sheet of bubble wrap, but it's better than nothing! Here is a pic of the arcade machine so you can visualize me blogging on it. Funny, huh? This is for you, Lora!



BOILING WATER ON MONDAY

On Monday, I woke up to a bizarre, high pitched whining sound. I went downstairs (half groggy) to find out what the heck it was. As soon as I got to the kitchen, I noticed that the entire white room (our big playroom/greenhouse room with full glass doors on all sides, white tile floor and white walls....sorry, no black curtains.) was filled with (what I thought was) smoke. I started freaking out. Ian was away in MA visiting his friend and I was alone with the kids. As I got closer to the room, I realized that the smoke was actually steam. I ran into the laundry room and saw that the smoke alarm was going off and the room was filled with steam and gushing boiling water.

I freaked!

Ben started crying and I was trying to figure out what to do and how to keep Ben from getting hurt. Finally, I was able to get him to sit in the living room while I went to turn off the smoke alarm. I had gathered some of my senses and turned off the boiler first. There was a pipe that was blasting hot water out onto the floor and none of the knobs around it seemed to turn it off. I called Ian (he doesn't have a cell so it was hard to get a hold of him) and his explanations didn't really help me. He thought I was hysterical because I was yelling over the water blasting and Ben's crying, so he started yelling at me! I hung up on him and called my parents in RI. They calmed me down and suggested I call the boiler company, which I ended up doing once I was able to breathe. Once I got in touch with the boiler company and they were on their way, I started putting buckets on the floor to catch all the gushing water.

Finally, after an hour, things were back to normal and it was just a rusted out bolt in the heating thing or whatever. The guy showed me how to turn things off for next time and I was relieved. BIG BREATH and then I could collapse from shock and exhaustion.


STREP THROAT

After such a stressful morning, Ben started to say that his ear was "on fire" and crying non stop. I was able to make an appointment at the doctor for that day and, come to find out, Ben has an ear infection AND strep throat. This morning, I found out Tim has strep, too. AHHHHH!

After Ian being away all week, me working most of the weekend and then the boiling water thing....this was just too much for me. The poor kids are miserable, cranky and feeling horrible....and I am barely keeping it together. BARELY. The moments not spent giving the kids medicine, cooking, hugging, cleaning or crying myself are being spent on knitting. Just slowly, slowly knitting and using that as my own medicine for calming and centering. Amazing how well it works. Just knitting and purling on my newest project (more on that the next blog post) has really saved me this week. I have such a grand respect for knitting....more than ever.


BEN'S SWEATER DONE!!!



I was actually able to finish Ben's sweater at Grand View. The collar is a bit too tight and I ran out of the blue yarn, so I had to use the white colorway to make the "B" and the collar, but Ben loves it and it's so soft. I'm just going to redo the ribbing in a bigger needle and bind off a bit more loosely. Ben's got a BIG melon head, I guess.

DETAILS:

-6 balls Frog Tree Alpaca in Cobalt Blue, sportweight
-Size 2 and 4 needles
-Pattern-Reversible Crew Neck Sweater by Jacqueine Fee's book: The Sweater Workshop

I'm pretty happy with it and hope it'll keep him warm this winter. It almost matches the socks I knit for him, too. He looks so cute in both. Once he's feeling better, I'll take a pic.

TIM'S SWEATER COMING ALONG...



I started working on Tim's sweater again so he'll have a chance to wear it this winter. I got at least a few inches done at Grand View and now I only have two inches to go and then the body will be done. Sleeves next and it's done! I can't wait to see him in it. It's the same size as the one I made for Ian last year while I was at Grand View...except I've added a few color accents to it and am not under the same amount of pressure to finish it as I was for Ian's. Hopefully, it should be done in a few weeks.

LASTLY, The "Amanda Hat" pattern!



I am sooo happy to finally announce my newest pattern, The Amanda Hat!!! Thanks to Sonya, who said that a hat looking like the Radiance Lace Headband in the Amanda style would look very good....and she was SO right! This hat is so cute and, so far, has been flattering to many types of heads.....and is also very, very soft.

I used Malabrigo worsted wool for this pattern in the "Jacinto" colorway and I can't tell you how wonderful it is for this pattern. It may only take 1 skein to make 2 hats....Ericka is going to do the test knitting for me on this. I know it takes less than one skein to make 1 hat in the largest size.

Try it and let me know if you like it! Ben's already stolen mine so I think I might have to make another in pink! Or blue!

Of course, the hat pattern is being modeled by the amazing Blogless Amanda and is named after her as well. I wonder if I can do something with the Jacqueline pattern, too.....what do you think, Jackie ?

GRAND VIEW: Quick and Painless...kinda

Good:

-Lovely company, got Ben's sweater finished, laughed a lot on Saturday evening, loved seeing the other things people were working on and ate yummy things....Blogless Sarah, you're kielbasa and salad were awesome and thanks so much for the alcohol-free jello shots! YUMMY! Another great thing....riding in Sarah's van. She is the BEST driver (fast but responsible) and was so generous to drive all 6 of us to GV. Big hugs, Sarah!!!

Bad:

-Horrible confusion over rooms, uncomfortable sleeping, bad news/experiences for friends of mine, bad attitude of owner, a bit more subdued fun and so much dust that it was almost unbearable.

I'd say more, but I'd really rather not. It's over and we're picking somewhere new and exciting to go on our Knitting Retreat next year!

MY FAVORITE PICS FROM GRAND VIEW

1. Laurin was looking like the Godfather on the last morning we were there. She was not only granting requests for the extermination of husbands (joking...kinda), but also sharing with us her wise advice for living a knitter's life...."Eh....listen, chickees...you must SHARE the yarn in order to REAP the benefits of the knitting experience. Believe your Yarnmother....and I will protect you. Eh....alright?" (again...making this up entirely....but you get the idea, right?)



2. A peek into one of the nights of my shared room with Jackie and Heather. There was a little more than knitting going on in OUR room!



(yea....sneezing and coughing! LOL!)

So, that's the update. Hope I didn't bore you much and would love you to send some loving and healing thoughts to me and the kiddies. Please check out the new hat pattern and don't forget to spread the word about the Month of Mittens (button on right). Make sure to email me a pic of your mittens when you're done to be in the drawing for tasty yarn! Woo-hoo! Stay healthy and remember to keep knitting.....I know I will : )