Weekend Away

My husband and I are going away this weekend. Lots of knitting in front of a fire. Mmmm. Sounds like heaven to me. I'm taking my toe up sock candy, my booga bag (did I mention I started this), and my log cabin blanket from last night's class. See you on the flip side. :)

Another New Knitter

I manage a group home for adult men with developmental disabilities and mental illness. Well, one of my guys asked me to teach him to knit. How could I resist??? So, Sunday we took a trip to Wally World and he purchased a set of aluminum needles and a skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease (thick&quick, of course). So we sat down yesterday and he carefully watched me knit a row and then I guided him through a row, then I knit a row, then he knit a row, and so on. He is making a scarf that is 12 stitches wide and when I left today he had about 8 rows. He has each of the steps down, but is struggling with putting the entire process together. Twice he has come to me while I was at my desk all concerned that he "ruined the whole thing". Luckily, they were both easy fixes and he hasn't dropped any stitches yet, however he did throw his knitting once. :) I knit continental and that is what I taught him, but I am thinking that maybe I should teach American because I think it takes less hand/finger dexterity. He is also a little frustrated with me that I don't have the time to sit and knit with him each day. Maybe American style will give him a little more confidence. We'll see.

Last Saturday my friend came over with her scarf that I helped her start last fall. She used white baby alpaca and did a beautiful job. She only had one obvious mistake and it was her first project. Very impressive! I taught her how to cast off and then tried to convince her that she is ready for a felted tote bag. She's not convinced. I'll keep working on her!

I took a class last week for making hats that were recently on the cover of Spin Off magazine. It is a felted hat with embroidery on it. I finished my hat and felted it. I used a little more than two skeins of Manos. I LOVE Manos. I've never used it before but I will use it again! I intended to make a cloche style which has a little brim that flares out a bit. I followed the pattern exactly, but it did not turn out as it should. The brim was a little too long and it didn't flare. Afterwards I realized that the brim should have been more stitches then the rest of the hat-although the pattern said that it is all the same. Odd. Well, "necessity is the mother of invention" so I decided to just flip the brim up and I think it looks darn cute! I blocked it over an upside down mixing bowl and it kept its shape. I did take some before pictures, but I am not going to take the after pictures until I take the embroidery class next Tuesday.

Tomorrow I am taking a class for knitting the log cabin blanket from Mason Dixon's book. I completed the first rectangle tonight. I chose Blue Sky Alpaca cotton in various off whites, beiges, and greens. I am making a very neutral baby blanket, with no particular baby in mind. Actually, I do have a baby in mind, but since it has yet to be conceived I probably shouldn't be knitting for it yet. ;)

This weekend my husband and I are going away. I CAN NOT WAIT! We did not give each other Christmas presents this year and planned this weekend instead. We will be spending two nights and three days in a small inn in the Adirondacks, with a king size bed, jacuzzi tub, and our very own fire place. I will be taking lots of knitting, a bottle of champagne, bubble bath, i-pod, and candles. Perfection!

Lost

I've been lost for weeks. I couldn't sign into my new blogger beta account which means that I couldn't blog or leave comments. The HORROR!!! OK, so I am back. But I am making dinner and I have a friend coming over, so I'll have to blog later. Hopefully blogger will let me back in! :)

A Week of Christmas

This year Christmas went from Christmas Eve straight through New Year's Day. We went to my parent's three times, visited with my brother's family who were in town, saw my husband's parents, both of my husband's sisters' families, celebrated my brother-in-law's 40th birthday, and went to my sister's family to exchange gifts with them. Plus I worked Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. We still have one more family to coordinate with. Every year I wonder why I don't take the year off between Christmas and New Year's Day. And every year I promise myself that next year I will. Then I always forget. Maybe I'll get it right in 2007!

I finished (on time, no less) my mother's and my mother-in-law's scarves. They both said that they LOVED them. :) I am thinking about using the left over skein of yarn and attempting my first pair of fingerless gloves for my mother. I saw a simple pattern on Knit and Tonic for them.

I received four knitting books. Both of the one skein books. One is the older one with the green ball of yarn on the front. The other is the one that is a compilation of all the patterns that yarn stores give out with a purchase of yarn. I also got my first Elizabeth Zimmerman book and the Sensational Sock book.

I also received 2 sets of size 1 and size 3 circular needles from Knit Picks for knitting two socks on two circs. I also got some of those little plastic things that you put on the tips of needles to prevent them from falling off.

We gave our niece everything she needs to make one of the Noni bags. I got her started on Christmas Day and I am anxious to see how it is coming along. I taught her how to knit last Christmas and now I give her a "project" and the knitting lessons to go with it each birthday/holiday. She spent a month and a half crocheting an afghan for her mother's Christmas present. I can't wait to see it!

My sister-in-law wants to set a day and go to the yarn store and do the same thing with her---help her pick out a project and yarn and then get her started while drinking coffee. Twist my arm!! :)

I'd say it was a good knitting holiday.