17.5 Projects Finished so far in 2010!!!

Hi everyone! I know it's been forever since I've posted. I've been frantically working to help my oldest son, Tim, to get into the WPI Frontiers summer program for Interactive Gaming and other school related tests - AP Computer Science and SATs. I can't believe this fall will be his last year of high school and then he's off to college. The whole process so far has been overwhelming, confusing and exhausting...and he's only a Junior! Things are so very different from when I was getting ready to apply to college. It's like a whole other world! So...that's what's been keeping me away.

During this time of confusion, my knitting has definitely helped to keep me sane and more patient. I've been whipping out projects that I've wanted to knit for a long time, though I've been postponing finishing Ben's Log Cabin Square blanket for a while. I finished knitting all 16 squares (using Noro Kureyon) in early February this year, but adding the garter stitch borders is sooo boring, time consuming and frustrating. (It's VERY pretty, though.) I hope I'll be able to get myself to finish it before Christmas! LOL!

Here are a couple of things that I've knit and finished since the last time I blogged:

TOYS (with Ravelry links)

1. Knitted Cacodemon (character from the DOOM game) for Tim:



2. Knitted Eyeballs for the boys:



3. Captain Underpants for Ben:



4. Holiday Stocking for Ben (with one for each of the rest of us on the way) in Cascade Eco Wool:



and, not a toy, but a Jade Sapphire cashmere "Robin" scarf for Jackie for her birthday this year:



Also, I've become obsessed with knitting shawls from the book, "Traditional Knitted Lace Shawls" by Martha Waterman. Though the information for the patterns aren't as detailed as I'd like (ie. yarn used, yardage, sometimes gauge or dimensions), they've all been super fun to knit and I love every one that I've made so far.

(listing in order of the first knit to most recent)

1. Garter Lace Triangle shawl in handpainted cashmere



2. Children of Luir stole in Knit Picks Telemark wool



3. Fan Stitch Half Circle shawl in Ivy Brambles Romantica, Cherry Tree Hill Suri Alpaca and Zephyr lace



4. Gate and Ladder Circle Shawl in Kauni EE



5. Cat's Paw Square Shawl in Aurora Inca Tops baby alpaca



I only have 3 more left - I'm working on the Cocoon Stitch Half Circle shawl at the moment and then plan to knit the Kerry Blue Square Shawl and, lastly, the Os and Vs' Circle Shawl.

Whew! I've got Shawl Fever!!!

This past Saturday, I went to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival and bought:

-Sereknity "Wattamelon" Faulkland fiber and "Margharitaville" Classica fingering weight yarn (for the Os and Vs shawl!)



-Ball and Skein Arequipa (80% alpaca/20%silk) in "Peacock Strut" with lovely semi solid teals/blues



-A gorgeous hand-dyed silk scarf (from Purple Hummingbird Woolens) with hand felted flowers on the ends by a girl who is making/selling these to help pay for the harp she wants. So cool! I could've bought at least 2 more of her scarves. Gorgeous stuff.



Here I am with Heather/Sereknity at her booth at S&W:



and with Dendrea - it was her very first time to S&W!!! We had a blast!



So far this year, I've knit and finished 17.5 projects! Yay!!! My goal is to finish: 3 more shawls (named above), 3 more holiday stockings, finish Ben's blanket and finish my October Frost cardigan. Will I do it??? We shall see.....

UPDATE on my Dreamscape book: So far, I'm very, very happy with how the book has done. I've sold 225 books since December 2009. Yayyyy!!!! I'd love to sell the remaining 75 I have before this December.

Hard copies of my book are now available here:

1. My Etsy shop
2. Yarn and Fiber Company Website
3. Fran's Willowgate Farms Website

PDFs are available here:

1. The home page of my blog on the right sidebar
2. Ravelry

As a little motivation to everyone out there (and in celebration of my upcoming birthday), I'd like to offer a FREE PDF of my Dreamscape book for you AND a friend with every purchase of a Dreamscape book (hardcopy) from my etsy shop or from either of the online stores that I've listed above.

After purchasing the book(s) from any of the three websites, email me that you'd like your free PDF copy of the book, along with your order number. Send me either both your Ravelry name and your friend's (much easier for me to send there) or your two email addresses. (For a limited time, your book(s) will come wrapped in black gauzy ribbon and come with a handcrafted stitch marker.) Please let me know if you'd like to have your book signed and whose name you'd like in the book.

Thanks so much and Happy Knitting!

Stockings, Apples and Llamas

Jackie guessed it!!!



I am making 4 Christmas/Holiday stockings for my family. I am pretty sure I won't be done with them by the Winter Solstice or Christmas, but I'm starting them now....in hopes that I might. I got the wonderful pattern for these stockings at the Knit and Crochet Show a few months ago.

This pattern, called Judy's Colors Candy Cane Stockings, is only ONE of many beautiful stocking patterns. I'm also thinking about getting the "Mark","St. Nick" and "Mrs. Claus". Scroll down the page to see the adorable "Racecar" stocking! Such clever patterns.

I'm using the 100% wool yarn, Tove for the pattern. (You can buy some of patterns, this yarn and kits at the Yarn and Fiber Co. store I work at!) The yarn is pretty scratchy, but perfect for stocking and what GREAT colors!

Here are my plans:

Ben: light and dark blue for the candy stripes with the lime green for the cuff/ankle/toe
Tim: light and dark red for stripes, pine green for c/a/t
Me: light and dark pink for the stripes, lilac for the c/a/t
Ian: light and dark green for the stripes, bark brown for the c/a/t

(all our favorite colors!)

Jackie has been gifted the 5 skeins of Merino Style in Cornflower and the second prize winner for the most creative guess goes to.....

CAYLI!!!!

Cayli guessed the "Color on Color" scarf from the Scarf Style book which, strangely enough, I thought on the same day I bought the yarn that it would be perfect for that scarf. (I actually tried knitting that scarf once, but the construction was so complicated that I just quit. It's very unique, though) Cayli, make sure ot pick out what yarn you want!! (I'll email you...)

Thanks to everyone who guessed! All of your guesses were so original and fitting for each of the projects you suggested....like the Log Cabin Blanket (which I love) and the adult Tulips sweater or the Composed Mittens from IK. I also liked Glyn's idea of the knitted Babette and Sonya's idea of the Elizabeth Zimmerman Baby Surprise Jacket.

I also wanted to share my current spinning project: spinning laceweight llama down.



I bought 8 oz of llama down at the NH Sheep and Wool festival in May from the interesting Lars of West Mountain Farm and it is Soooooo soft. It's almost as soft as cashmere or merino. I've been spinning it off and on for a week, whenever I get a chance, and it's almost spinning itself. I was hoping to spin enough to make a laceweight shawl...which I think I might come close...but I don't think it's thin enough for a 2 ply laceweight. Either I use it as a single or ply it...in which case it will be more like fingering. Anyone have any other ideas?

Last Sunday, the guys and I went to Mack's Apples in Londonderry to pick apples...my favorite place. It was such a beautiful day...and extremely busy!

Here are the guys posing in the apple orchard...this is the pic I got after 5 tries.... crazy pics of them all making funny faces.



Ben loves eating apples! (although I spent half my time taking pics and the other half of the time eating all the skin off the apples for Ben...he kept saying..."Mommy, eat the skin off FASTER!")



And, finally, everyone running ahead of me (trying to hold apples and the camera) back to the car. It was so much fun. And the apples....delicious!!!!



Tonight is work again...and the Friday Night Knitting Club....remember to come and visit us if you're free! (5-9:30 pm, Windham, NH) Have a great weekend!!! : )