When is it MY turn???

Hi you! I know...I've been pretty lazy about blogging lately.

I feel as if there are these weird excuses priorities for knitting, like:

ONE: Find pattern
TWO: Find yarn
THREE: Knit item
FOUR: Admire/wear/share item
FIVE: Find time to take pictures of item
SIX: Swear profusely when you can't get a good picture of item. (Apologize to children for swearing)
SEVEN: Remember to load pictures of item to computer, once you find your camera AND camera cord (This sometimes takes days)
EIGHT: Post item on Ravelry...after many side-tracked hours of pattern-surfing.
NINE: Go to Blogger and attempt to finally share a new blog post (which is usually at least 1-2 weeks behind), but get side-tracked (AGAIN!) in reading friends blogs.
TEN: After much effort, getting to the "Create New Post" area and listing 10 reasons why you haven't posted until now.

Pretty clever, huh?

So, now that I've done my necessary blabbering, I will show you a new FO (woo-hoo!!) and share some other stuff, too. Most of it is pretty interesting, too! Imagine that!

Ian's Felted Clogs

Yarn: Cascade 220 in a dark gray #8400
Pattern: Fiber Trends' "Felted Clogs"
Needle: US 13 (20 and 32" circ - I used Addi Turbos)
Time: Took about 4.5-5 hours (of actual knitting time) per slipper, not counting the sewing on of the suede sole (which took 1 hour total for both). Started on 1/ 06/09 and finished (with knitting, felting, felting more, and sewing up of both) 1/17/09.
Fun Level: B+ (I liked this pattern very much. It was clearly written, even though it was a bit complicated at parts. Once you make one slipper, the next one is a breeze. The only two things I didn't like were making 2 soles and sewing on of the suede sole - that was a pain in the a**!)

Picture of the slipper in progress:



Picture of the unfelted slipper on my hubby:



Pictures of the slippers on him:



He really loves them and has been wearing them since I finished them. They're a little big in the toe area (a little too wide) but, other than that, perfect!



Now...I'm working on a pair for Tim! (Black with red trim)

I just bought a number of skeins of yarn this week...I know, I know...I don't need them! But, I've had more requests for knitted items and I just can't say "no". (This is a weak point of mine.)

Let me share with you my yummy yarns:

1. 2 Skeins of Malabrigo (for Armando and Amanda Hats!) and 1 skein of Berroco Comfort in red.



2. 1 skein of Berroco Comfort in teal and 1 skein of Jojoland 100% cashmere laceweight in the most beautiful blue in the world!!



The Comfort yarn is for this: Hai-Riyo Dragon! (Rav link) One for each of my boys- and I bought some matching Berroco Lumina (sparkle, sparkle!) yarn for the dragon-y accents.

Since the beginning of December 2008 (so...about a month), I've been working on a number of items of other people:

-The "Branching Out" scarf for my mom's boss
-My dad's crocheted (acrylic!!) blanket
-Felted Tote for Felice
-Knitted Flower washcloth for Tim's piano teacher
-Felted Clogs for Ian and Tim
-Knitted socks using Sereknity yarn for Gigi (in exchange for a gorgeous pink, angora crocheted scarf!)
-Lace sample for the yarn store

And, I'm asking myself...."When is it MY turn???" When will I finally be done knitting things for others so I can knit for me??? I know this sounds horribly selfish, but knitting starts to become more like a chore than fun at some point. I DID get to knit a couple of things that I wanted to since December...like:

-My Mr. Flurry snowman (Rav link)
-A design item that I sent in
-Bella's Mittens (Rav link....oooh, see pics below -these were VERY fun!!)



AND...I have a baby sweater to knit (which I'm actually kinda excited about because it's soo cute!) for my mom's boss' daughter's baby-to-be - which is due late Feb.

Will I finish everything?? Will I end up having a nervous breakdown before then? Stay tuned for the results.... (he he)

P.S. Weight Watchers Update: 37.5 pounds total in 14 weeks!! I'm very excited. I've been doing yoga every day and also working out on the Wii Fit 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes. I'm trying not to eat too many snacks in between meals and still following some of the Flat Belly Diet rules along with my WW rules and points. I'm drinking TONS of water and eating TONS of vegetables -which, to me, is hard to do in the winter. Must-keep-gooooooiiiinnnng!!!!!

The Armando Hat, A Felted Bag and Me

A new free pattern! A felted bag (though not so new) and Me! Woo-hoo!

It's been almost 2 weeks (more?) since I've blogged. I feel like I'm having a hard time keeping up with my blogging, holiday knitting, Facebook (ugh...something else to get addicted to!), Ravelry and the couple of swaps I'm involved with. Anyone else feel the same? I think about cloning myself, but...well...I just couldn't do that to the world. One of me is PLENTY! (poor Ian)

First, an update on my never-ending food deprivation torture weight loss. (If this bores you, please scroll down to more important, yarn-y things below. It's fine...I don't mind!) I'm up to just over 22 pounds as of last Wednesday in 6 weeks. I'm still feeling motivated (which is a relief), but still get bogged down in thinking about how much MORE I want to lose - and how long it might take me. Sigh. It's a difficult thing - especially when your family is munching on pizza, chips and dip, apple cider and donuts and other delicious stuff. Ian, bless him, has been extremely supportive and cheers me every time I lose (even if it's only 1.8 pounds, like last week) and tells me how nice I look. (Love you, honey) I also wanted to say a very large and squeezy "Thank you" to everyone who commented on the last post - oh, all of those lovely words, compliments and support. You guys are THE BEST!

Second, The Armando Hat!!!



A free pattern that compliments The Amanda Hat pattern perfectly. I got a few requests for child size hats (check Ravelry for inspiration) and some for a more masculine Amanda hat. So, I came up with this. The first hat was named after the awesome and lovely Blogless Amanda (PandaPoison on Ravelry if you want to compliment and/or ravish her...he he), so I thought it would only be appropriate to name the male version of that hat after someone in her family -which would be Uncle Armando.

(Vibrant Orange is good for hunting/geocaching/hiking men:)


The pattern offers three sizes: beanie (small), medium, and full (large) - they're all the same in circumference, but differ in the length from the top of the head down. Beanie doesn't quite cover the ears, while the full covers the ears nicely. You can make 2 hats from only 1 skein of Malabrigo - buy here at Yarnzilla.com - two medium or one beanie/one full. Makes a perfect gift for your husband, brother, boyfriend, nephew, etc. and you can make a set for your favorite couple - guy/gal-Armando/Amanda hats.

The back of the hat:


You like? (Here is the link for the pattern on Ravelry)

Third, an FO! (Meant to be posted last Friday...or actually 2 weeks ago on Friday!)

DETAILS:

Pattern: Felted Tote by Two Old Bags (Rav Link)
Yarn: Cascade 220 (4 shades of green)
Needles: Addi Turbo 10.5 (circs)
Fun Level: A- (Finished it in a little over or under 1 week and is a very easy and enjoyable knit. This is actually my second tote bag using this pattern. The first I knit 3 years ago using Manos (must remember to put on Ravelry!). Only thing I didn't like so much was that I decided to stripe the bag (using the Fibonacci sequence) and that made for a LOT of ends to sew up. And also the straps took forever. But, besides that, I loved making it and I love how it came out. It's for my sister-in-law, Felice, for her holiday gift.

Before Felting:


The final touch was a pewter turtle button that I bought at Yarn and Fiber (last one!) for only $5 or so! I think it totally makes the bag - ka-pow!



Finally, a sneak peek of the "Branching Out" lace scarf I'm making -it's slow going but very nice so far! I'm using Filatura di Crosa's Superior in a steel gray (50% brushed cashmere/50% silk):



How was your Thanksgiving holiday??

Vermont Knitting Trip

Whew...finally got some time to post about our Vermont knitting weekend. I've had sick kiddies home most of the week and I finally think they're on the mend. Me, on the other hand.....

Anyway, I wanted to share with you all of the beautiful yarn that I bought, the fantastic inn we stayed at and the yarn stores we visited.



First, the Marshfield Inn and Motel - eco-friendly (which I loved!), extremely delicious breakfasts (esp the local eggs and bacon), very friendly hosts (they were very accommodating and friendly!), clean rooms/bathrooms (and hot water!) and a beautiful view. The only things that I wished for were a bigger room for all of us to group together for knitting (we ended up taking turns in each others' rooms) and clocks. Besides those, I would definitely stay there again - what a lovely place!



The first yarn store we visited was just around the corner from the Inn in Plainfield and only sold Vermont (non commercial) yarns, which I thought was a nice idea. The store was big inside (perfect for staying there and knitting) and had some nice yarns....Green Mountain Spinnery, Cherry Tree Hill, This and That Farm, a nice pattern/book selection and cute knitting accessories. The owner was very good to use and gave all of us 10% off our purchases. I think the biggest hit was the "This and That Farm's" Cormo/Tussah Silk 2ply (4 oz and 254 yards of heavy worsted). Sooo soft, soo squishy and nicely spun - I bought 3 skeins. I think almost everyone bought some.

Here is the whole group at the store:


(Back L-R: Christina, Me, Jackie, Lora, Vidhi, Patti, Heather, Julie, Amanda 2.0, Blogless Amanda, Ericka)
(Front L-R: Chris, Brittany, Donna, Gaye, Sarah, Denise, Donna)

After this, some people went to the Cabot Creamery, Ben & Jerry's or to another yarn store further away. Some of us stayed behind to knit - which was relaxing and fun. That's when I started giving out the hourly prizes for the weekend - everyone in the group donated something and was able to get at least one prize in return. That was awesome!

Later that night for dinner, we had reservations for the Main Street Grill in Montpelier and it was FANTASTIC! We paid to have our own room (with the wine bottles and stone walls...very cool) and had a hot, sexy nice-looking waiter to serve us. From salad to dessert, the meal was exquisite and delicious. I think I had the most fun of the weekend that night. I highly recommend this place!

The rest of the night was an orgy of knitting, playing Apples to Apples, drinking (some of us didn't) and some nakedness. I got a lot of knitting done on my sister-in-law's felted bag (pics next post) and laughed a lot.

Sunday was mostly spent packing, knitting and getting ready to go over to The Knitting Studio in Montpelier, VT. We had an appointment for the day - there was even a sign on the door saying that the store was closed for a "private party" and it was thrilling that it meant US! The owner, Brigette, was funny, welcoming, and adorable. I loved the store, the yarns and the whole atmosphere. I hope she visits us here in NH at one of our knitting nights. What a super store she has! (She even baked goodies for us and refreshments!)



Now...onto the luscious yarns I bought!!!



1 & 2. Green Mountain Spinnery's "New Mexico Organic" -2 skeins in white - for socks. Sooo soft and lovely. (shown on bottom) and This and That Farm's "Cormo/Silk" - 3 skeins off white- for a shawl. Again...extremely soft and squishable.



3. Regia 4ply Sock Yarn - 2 skeins for a gift for my grandmother-in-law



4 & 5. Classic Elite "Star"- 4 skeins (on sale 40% off!) in different colors for my sister-in-law's scarves and Classic Elite "Princess" - 1 skein for fingerless mitts for me

Then, I also got these yarns/fibers in the mail for other projects (I'm up to my eyeballs in softness and yarngasmic yarns!...not that I'm complaining....)


1. 4 skeins of Malabrigo in two complementary shades of yellow for a tea cozy (Ravelry Link)


2. 2 skeins of Malabrigo for hats for Ian for the winter


3. 2 bags of London-Wul's polwarth fiber for spinning - one bag will be for making yarn for this beret (Ravelry link).

I'm in Heaven!!!! What do YOU think? LOL

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 : )