Knit One, Purl One

I saw a picture of a sweater similar to this one in a knitting magazine. I loved the sweater and decided it was something I could handle knitting. I bought the magazine for the pattern. There is a matching hat, too. I started it on Monday this week. I still have to knit the sleeves for this, but my hope is that Quincy can either wear it to school tomorrow or to Gramma Margie's birthday party on Saturday. Needless to say: It knit up quickly! Yay! I love fast-moving projects....not to mention that for me, knitting stripes is very addicting! I might even have time to squeeze in that crazy color combo request of Quincy's. He wants a Halloween sweater in black, orange and green. ;)

Touchy Feely

I'd just finished my "Just Enough Ruffles" scarf by Laura Chau ... and no sooner laid it down, when Jack hopped upon it to snuggle into it. I can't say that I blame him one single bit. The yarn is Brown Sheep Company's Lanaloft and is surprisingly soft and of course it is warm. :) The pattern was a relatively quick knit and I absolutely LOVE the finished product. More photos of the scarf to follow.....

Many thanks to Jason who fixed my computer and helped me get back online....I was suffering withdrawals. I'm glad to be back!

xoxo

Ms. Java

Appreciation...

...another little short list of five wonderful things:

• Tea time with Susan today...we even used the pretty china cups!
• Skype
• FRIENDS (are wonderful! Aren't they?)
• my camera
• my home...it's been weatherized. I hope it helps save us some money this winter!
  

122,884 Stitches

This is a Christmas gift for Ryan. Yes, he's seen it and he knows it's finished.

What went into this:

• 130 hours of time
• 12 skeins of yarn by "I Love This Yarn" (Hobby Lobby's affordable yarn)
• 122, 884 stitches

It's very warm, and very soft. I need to wrap it up and get it ready for Christmas giftgiving!

Loving The Life I Live

Live the live you love...

I do!

Last night, I sat down to watch a movie with Quincy and within 15 minutes of starting it, he zonked out on the couch. I just let him lie there and I continued on with my knitting and listening to the storyline of the movie. The day was cool and rainy; it was my favorite kind of day. I treated myself to the warmth and aroma of several candles burning.

It was quiet. I felt happy.

The past week had been emotionally trying, yet I was determined to take a deep breath and relax and enjoy.

Wishing you a quiet moment in your life that you love to live.

Christmas in July!

The Christmas crafting is underway. I found a lovely and easy knit pattern for a bed cover in Debbie Bliss's Summer magazine. I decided it would make a great gift idea for my older son, Ryan. He chose the color, then I cast on the 236 stitches and got started right away. It's knitting up quickly. YAAAAY!

Seeing Red - A WIP

This is what is on my needles right now...well one set of needles. I really love this yarn! It's

Shetland Chunky Tweed by Patons. And the color is called Deep Red. It's a simple pattern of K2 P2 Ribbing...and it looks like two balls will do the trick perfectly.

For all you fellow knitters out there...the squish factor rating is: HIGH!

I think my favorite thing about this project is not just the squish-able-ness, but also the fun flecks of color throughout.

Seeing GREEN!

His birthday is on Saint Patrick's Day. He will be four. He is practicing holding up four fingers on his little hands. He's made a wish list...and has even requested cupcakes on his special day.

I wanted to knit another sweater for him to wear on his special day.

Everything lined up for a special birthday sweater...why not make it GREEN! My skills and confidence were stronger during the knitting of this sweater and I really enjoyed it.

The best part is...this picture was the result of Quincy putting the sweater on and buttoning it up all by himself. Capturing the photo was the most difficult part of this post! How 'bout THAT?!?

Knitting and Coffee

I snapped this with my camera phone as a coffee tag. The project is a beret while still in WIP stages...I am proud to announce it is now complete and....on my head as I type! Now to knit up the matching mittens!!! Ahhhhh coziness!

A Peek at a WIP

...it will be a scarf.....I love this color! It's is so regal!

Knitting Again

I love how this item feels....100% cotton! Three strands knitted simultaneously for the ultimate "squish factor!"

Des Colores!

I was happily knitting this hat for my friend, Ric, who is battling cancer and just went 6 hours of chemo last week. I picked up my mug of coffee to take a sip and I realized the colors of the yarn and the colors on the mug were so similar!

While I had the knitting project on the floor for the picture, Moses plopped down on it and made herself cozy. I think she likes it. She kinda has that "ZEN" look on her face.

I really love this hat! It was a super-eazy knit. My mom saw the hat and squealed with delight and told me: "I WANT ONE!"

PERFECT! She has a birthday coming up soon!

I LOVE IT!

I attended my first knitting class. I was the only learning knitter. Although, I'd hoped to maybe make a new friend or two, It was nice that way.

I sat down at the table and Jan and I introduced ourselves to one another. She was the epitomy of a knitter to me. She had long gray hair that was pulled back into a loose bun or maybe it was even a loose folded ponytail. She was "fluffy". She wore glasses and carried a huge bag of knitting supplies.

One of her first questions to me was, "So, how long have you been knitting?" I chuckled and said, "Um....maybe a couple of weeks?" She looked at me like.....oh! And i think she was thinking...."WOW!! THIS is gonna be interesting!" She explained all of the basic yarn exchange information with me, but I have learned a lot of that from crochet projects and from the geeking out on all the knitting books and knitting websites I've read lately. Then she asked me to go ahead and knit up a gauge swatch. When she measured it out, she was happily relieved and I think even a little bit surprised. She said, "Okay! You're dead on with the gauge!"

I am certain all the previous exposure to yarns through the crochet was extremely helpful with getting a feel for tension etc. I told her I'd made a few little projects and was working on finished up another little toddler sized sweater.

She gave me a photocopied version of a sweater she said she made up to cover a lot of basic groundwork. She walked me through every step of the pattern and showed me how to increase and decrease stitches. This sweater will produce a little cardigan. I'm excited about it. My goal for the next two weeks is to complete the back of the sweater, the two fronts and IF I can, the two sleeves. I don't think it will be a problem at all getting all the pieces made. If I got the other sweater pieces made in less than a week, I should be able to get this one done, too.

I love this new hobby.

Reading Pleasure

All right!
I admit it!

I am a pattern junkie!
I love patterns!
Patterns for anything!
Patterns of all sizes!
Quilts, clothes, slippers, aprons, dolls, bags, pillows.....

I love patterns!

(Thanks, Danielle for helping me come to this realization!)

For The Love Of Yarn

I finished up the halloween afghan I started last year. My sister and I were going to make them at the same time and have matching afghans. I didn't meet my halloween deadline and got tired of working on it last Fall. I packed it up in a basket and set it aside. I pulled it out recently and worked on it til it was finished. I like the color combination, but the little camera was set on vivid color and blew things out a little...but the pattern of the single crochet stitches makes a nice texture.

I had some leftover orange and green yarns. I used the green to make a basic little "Critter Hat" for Q. I need to photograph the finished hat and post it here. He loves the hat and it was a super easy knit project!

Earlier, I'd posted about how I was so excited that I'd signed up for a knitting class. Originally, I enrolled for a basic 101 type of class. But after I'd finished the scarf and hat, I decided 101 might be too basic. I upgraded my class to a sweaters class. I took my supply list shopping and used my birthday gift card to buy the needles and yarn. The instruction for the class would produce a sweater sized for a toddler. LUCKILY, I have a toddler! Since the sweater would be for Q, I allowed him to choose the color of the yarn. This was what he chose.

I think it is a lovely color. Sadly, the instructor called me and told me she had a family engagement from which she could not excuse herself ... and had to postpone the class to OCTOBER! YIKES!

What's a girl to DO?!?

Well, I'll tell you!

I grabbed a pattern for a sweater I tried to knit last year and just couldn't grasp and sat down with great determination.

This time, magically, the pattern made sense! I made the back of the sweater yesterday. I wasn't feeling well, so it was the perfect opportunity to just sit and concentrate on the sweater. Today, I made the front of the sweater. My kids are really proud of me. 'Manda was so impressed yesterday, she asked me to sit with her and teach her, too.

This is another toddler sized sweater. Q knows it's his. He told the kids when they got home, that it's a sweater! Mommy's making a sweater.

I was thinking ahead ... like say....to Christmas and I asked Alex, "So...if I made you a sweater, would you wear it?" He wrinkled up his nose a little bit and told me, "Uh...well, I don't really like to wear sweaters."

OUCH!! ...at least he was honest with me before I spent hours knitting and purling for a garment that woudln't get worn. Honestly? I want to make a sweater for myself ... eventually! Maybe after all the holiday crafting?

Stamp of Approval

My third knitting project is a miniature scarf. I made it for Quincy. It was actually made of leftover yarn I used for the baby afghan I crocheted for him while I was pregnant with him.

I set the project down to get a coffee warm-up and came back to find that Moses was testing its warmth factor. The fact that she is all curled up on it, tells me she gave it her stamp of approval.

Knitting 101

I was so excited yetserday when I signed up for a beginner's knitting class. When I got home, I broke out my Knack For Knitting Kit and found a simple pattern for a dishcloth. I pawed through my basket of cotton yarn and found a whole ball of this lovely pink and white yarn. I think, originally, I'd planned to crochet a dishcloth with this, but since I couldn't remember why I'd bought it, I decided yesterday was the day it would become something. I was really excited when once I found a "groove", the project was so MUCH easier than I thought it would be. I think I will change my reservation from Knitting 101 to Knitting 201.