Give me a break!

I'm a terrible blogger........I've been so busy with the kids back in school, me back at work, sports for the boys, medical scare (everythings fine!) .....yada, yada, yada. Have I had time to knit? Heck ya! It seems that all my sons' friends want winter hats, after they saw the london beanie I made my eldest. Very mindless knitting, but it keeps me out of the refrigerator!

I've taken a class in Fair Isle knitting and completed my first hat! I would normally have a picture to show, but it's very cold today so my husband wore it to work. I think that's the best compliment you can give a knitter is when you wear something they make you.

Currently, I'm making my neighbor some hunting socks.......he leaves tomorrow......so it looks like he'll be able to wear them next year. Honestly, he didn't give me a lot of time! I've been feverishly working on them, that I ended up getting a cramp in my hand! Do ya think I can get worker's comp for that! Ha!

With only 39 more shopping days until Xmas, I decided that I needed to get some things done. I baked 3 batches of cookies and completed all my Xmas cards! To make it easy on myself I just downloaded pics from my camera to www.kodakgallery.com, picked a design, an envelope color, a little saying and "poof" I'm done! Now I don't have to worry about that stuff and instead can sit calmly back and knit on those cold, cold, wisconsin nights.

I've also had some guidance on making the new pocket scarf craze. Ann (my knitting guru), showed me how to double knit the pocket, then I cast off half the stitches and am using the moss stitch for the pattern. I have a crapload of cascade 220 stash, so I thought I'd call it the "crazy cascade scarf". So far it looks pretty good......the pocket curls a bit, but I think I can probably block it out.

This weekend I'm hitting a couple of craft fairs and in my house a Sunday wouldn't be complete without watching the Packer game. My eldest turns 15 and is having 4 friends over to watch the game and sleepover. I've decided that's too much testosterone for me, so I'm off on my own. This will probably be a good day to find a nice coffee shop and knit.

I hope that everyone who reads this has a safe Thanksgiving Day.

Twisty Turn Complete!

It's been awhile, but I have one thing to finally post!
















As promised here is the completed Twisty Turn wrap from the Wrap Style book. I made it with Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran yarn I bought at Stitches. It was pretty mindless until I had to put it together! It looked simple enough, but my problem seems to be that I over think things sometimes. What looks easy seems to be hard for me! Anyhoo...all that matters is I love it! I tried to take a picture of it on me, but I was alone and was getting frustrated, so I put it on the chair instead.

The next project I'm working on is the spriral shawl from the same book. Easy enough to do, but you have to pay attention to those dang YO's! I'd post a picture, but blogger keeps screwing up!

Thanks for the encouraging words about that stupid hat! It was driving me crazy! I haven't started a new one......hopefully soon.

I'm still working on my Rowan cardigan. I would have taken a pic, but I started seaming it and I didn't want to have to lay it out and yada, yada, yada! All I have left to finish is the button band and decide on some buttons! Hopefully, I can get his done before it starts to get really, really, cold here. It looks kind of big on me and my husband said that he would be glad to take it off my hands!

Next on my knitting agenda is some socks. I bought some great sock yarn at stitches and can't wait to start them. I told myself that I will not have more that 3 projects going at once! The pattern for these socks are on size 1 needles! I never worked on such small needles and am a little nervous, because they look like toothpicks! Tonight I'm going to Starbucks to do a little knitting, drink a little coffee, and do a little chatting. You need to check out another knitter from our group, Stacy. She has a blog Clickity Click She's got a hedgehog as a pet and has a picture of him. It's too cute! Happy knitting everyone!

Stitch n' Pitch at the Milwaukee Brewer's game!

So here's Rose Ann knitting up a storm at the Brewer's game in August. But what's wrong with this picture? The Milwaukee Brewer's dropped the ball and didn't jump on board like other teams did.....so......only 18 people showed up! The other yarn shops in the Milwaukee area dropped out....except for one.....The Yarn House in Elm Grove! The owner Shirley showed up and brought us each a gift! What a great lady! She had light up needles and tshirts! Me? I picked the light up needles, because I have enough tshirts! I already used them and they work great when my husband wants to watch a movie, and I want to knit! We can now shut the light off so there isn't a glare on the TV and I can still get some knitting done!














Here's Rachel from my Thursday knitting group (aka The Yarnivore's) knitting her first sock! She certainly was taking a risk attempting to knit the gusset, with all the beer and peanuts being passed, but she prevailed! Sitting next to her is my knitting and drinking buddy Jan! She hasn't been to a Brewer game for 15 years and didn't have a chance to see the new stadium. She sat there and just took it all in! Miller Park is a great place to knit, because they have the roof in case of crappy weather!














Here's Rachel sock in all its' glory! She was so excited that it was beginning to look like a sock. Our whole group is so proud of her......She came to our group as a beginner knitter making a scarf and we told her it was time to move onto socks. With some hesitation she agreed and couldn't be happier with her new knitting talent!















I'm still knitting things for myself! I vowed that this year I was going to try and make more things for me and less for everyone else! I just finished the Twisty Turns from the wrap style book and I love it. Everytime I wear it people stop me and ask me where I bought it! I snootly reply......You can't buy anything this beautiful, this is something you can only make with your hands! Now that it's done, I'm working on the Spiral Shell from the same book. It's pretty easy, but if you mess up on the 12 stitch pattern repeat, you need to go back and fix it. Case and point......I'm watching Dancing with the Stars and I notice that I'm off by one stitch. When I started counting backwards, I noticed that I forgot to do a YO in the row below! Dang! So as I sat laughing at Jerry Springer dance and enjoying a glass of wine.......I went backwards and tore out to the missing YO!

Do you remember my last post about that "swell hat" from Knitty? My wonderful knitters on Tuesday, Kris and Stacey, suggested that I go to the knitty coffee forum to see if anyone else had a problem with gauge. Well, guess what? I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE! In fact, everyone who has tried to knit that hat had a problem with the gauge. So what does a knitter do? Try and make their own pattern.....which is my next task!

This Hat Looks Swell!

I know that it's been a loooooong time! The weather here has been hot and sticky which makes it not a good time to knit! However, I did see something on knitty that my 11 year old wanted me to make and that's the "swell" hat. I know that from the look of things it looks great! Easy to knit, great yarn, fun to knit etc; etc; etc; But there is one thing that's wrong with it......and it's too dang small!



I'm one of these people that doesn't believe in gauge! I figure....Hey! It's a hat! No big whoop! This hat is so small it would fit a baby! (I hope Sara has a boy!) I knit it exactly how the pattern called, so I will need to go up a needle size to fit on my boys' noggin. When will I learn? Probably never!

This weekend I'm looking forward to attending stitches with my knitting homies! We leave on Friday morning to shop at the market, then we'll be attending the fashion show, and then hooking up with some fellow knitters at the Embassy Suites later that evening! I can't wait! It seems like forever since I last picked up some needles.

On the homefront.......my husband passed his last appraiser test, so he's getting closer to "super appraiser" status. There's another class he can take in CA, but it's so darn expensive and it takes place during the school term for our boys. He told me we both could go, but I don't want to sit in a hotel room or roam around the city by myself.

We just got back from our first cruise and it was quite an adventure. First of all, we decided to drive from WI to FL.......when we left our youngest said "My ear hurts". Not a big deal.....that is until that evening when he's crying in pain! So.....we stop at the medical center in Columbia, SC, where they try to clear his ear out and inform me that it could be a perforated eardrum! What the heck? No swimming, no sun, no ipod, etc; etc; etc; They throw him on all kinds of drugs and tell me to visit the ships' doc on that Monday. But wait.......when we get to FL we are informed that our ship is delayed because on it's previous voyage it had the norovirus outbreak! What the heck?

Now onto the ships' doc.....nice guy......couldn't speak english....but nice guy! Informs me that the infection is so great that they need to put him on a stronger antibiotic! Poor guy! Here we are on a cruise in the caribbean and he can't go in the water! He made the best of it by wearing a hat, 50 sunscreen, and wading in the littlest amount of shade he could find in the pool.

Therefore....I think I deserve to buy something fantastic at Stitches! Don't you think?

Summer Knitting

Well....I know it's been awhile, but after I got done with the Shadow shawl, I decided to take it easy in the knitting department. Mind you.....I'm still buying yarn and I'm still knitting....but I've downscaled it a bit. Currently, I'm knitting some bibs and dishcloths from Mason Dixon Knitting. I love their website and their book! The book was a little pricey at $30, but I tell myself that if I make 3 things from it, then it's worth the price. The best part of the book are the stories they have concerning knitting. I loved the bibs so much that I designed a shadow knit one! I'm still knitting and working out the kinks, but should have it done by this weekend.

My birthday is on Friday and I'll be 43 years old. I certainly don't feel like I'm 43, and some out there would say I don't necesarily don't act 43, either. Having a summer birthday kind of sucks.......People always have stuff going on over the weekends and such. That's why I always make sure my youngest (who's bday is in August) has an extra special day. Me? I'm thinking that I might take my boys to see Superman and then in the evening I would have dinner with MY Superman...aka the hubby. I could go to Summerfest, the nations best music festival, but on Friday nights it can get a bit crowded and my hubby doesn't like crowds.

I'm also getting ready for a cruise! Whee! I've never been on one and am looking forward to relaxing. I should get some knitting done, since we are driving down to Florida to the port. I'd like to finish a few more bibs and a couple of burp cloths too. Then......I need to begin my Christmas knitting! Argh!

But before the Christmas knitting I get to attend Stitches! I going with a group of fun women who love to knit and have a few cocktails in between! A good friend said to leave my credit card at home, because I'll end up spending way too much! I'll just have to control myself and bite the bullet as they say! Next year I'm bringing my knitting buddy Kris, she's got a cute blog and is so much fun to hang and knit with! We laugh everytime we are together knitting!
But we all know how our schedules are and this year it didn't work out, but wait until next year!

Can we have a drumroll please?

Yes! It's taken me a little over 1 year.....but the Shadow Knit Shawl by Vivian Hoxbora is now complete! Phew! I received an email from a friend of mine, asking when I would update my blog and I said "Not until I can take a pic of this shawl!"


This is a close-up of the "shadow" that takes place.

A couple of things I learned while knitting this shawl....

1. Don't always go by the colors they have in the book. I really liked how I changed the edge and center colors.

2. Don't give yourself a timeline. I kept thinking that I needed to get it done in a certain amount of time, realizing I enjoyed knitting it more when I relaxed about it.

3. Don't worry about the little mistakes. That's what makes it your own.

4. Make sure to have extra projects going at the same time. This made me from going insane!

5. Expect that not everyone is going to like it, what matters is if you like it!

6. Most of all......BE PROUD OF YOUR WORK!

Now that I have that done, I can finally knit with my "homies" on Tuesday night! I've been so busy as of late, that I haven't had the chance to knit with my friends. Ahhhhh! I can't wait to sit back and show off my new shawl! (Kris and Anne will be so proud of me!)

Next on my knitting agenda? Finish up the raglan cardigan.....I'll probably need help from Kris, Chris and Anne and I saw a tank I would like to make from Knit Picks before I leave on a cruise in July. I also fell in love with the felted rug from Oddball knitting that seems easy enough.

For now.......I'm going to finish up a pair of socks and relax!

Visiting the newest yarn stores!

I'm still working feverishly on my shadow knit shawl. It seems that I just keep knitting and knitting and getting no where fast! I did take a break though and had the chance to visit a new yarn shop in Mayville called Loose Ends Yarn Shop. (thanks to Kris for helping me figure out links!)

Let me say that our day started by having lunch at a quaint little place that I believe was called the Celtic Cafe. Everything is homemade and was delicious. The staff were pleasant and had a great love for their little cafe.

As we approached the shop, you couldn't help but notice the front window. Beautiful hand knit shawls, yarns, and notions made you want to go in there immediately and take a look around! As we walked through the door we were greeted very warmly by Michele the owner who told us to touch all the yarns and look around. There is a sitting area with a nice comfortable sofa and chair that you can sit and knit. She had jelly beans and store copies of the latest magazines to look at. Michele didn't have as many yarns as some other places, but she made up for it by her georgeous displays. What I loved about her shop was that there weren't all these hand knit scarves laying around. Arent' we tired of scarves? As I was eyeing up some of her shawls, I saw that she too had a shadow knit shawl from Vivian Hoxboro in the works. It was good to know that someone else is attempting this shawl, besides me!

Michele is very knowledgable about her knitting and crocheting. My friend Teri and I spent 2 hours there and walked away with some yarn, free patterns Michele designed , and a class that we are going to take. It was definitely worth the trip.

I must admit thought, that I am working on a very lacy mohair shawl for a cruise that I'm taking this summer. And before Kris blurts it out to the whole blogging world........I've been taking a stripper pole exercise class! Now let me tell you.......it's a lot harder than it looks! After the first class my thighs and arms were killing me! Of course, everyone in the class is laughing because the instructor does teach us "stripper" dance moves! Give me socks to knit anytime and I can do that........but trying to whip myself around that pole is virtually impossible!

Mindless Knitting

These are the dishcloths I've made while teaching my friend Sara how to knit! I would normally bring my shawl, but it's so big and the lighting isn't very good, which makes it difficult to travel with. So.....when in Rome do what the Romans do! Since she's knitting dishcloths, I thought it was the perfect time to learn some new stitches! My sis-in-law Peg bought me the calendar 365 knit stiches a day so I thought I'd try some! I only had to rip one out, because my husband said it was to "holey" for a dishcloth!

The shawl is still coming along nicely......even though the weather is warming up while the shawl gets heavier and heavier! I'm really looking forward to meeting with the "ladies" and knitting tonight at Starbucks. However, there is one person missing from our group and that is Anne! She will be laid up for a few weeks until the doc says she can drive. Good thing Kris, Chris and Lois are there to help me if I need it! Goodness knows I need it sometimes!

I also found out that there might be a new yarn store that I'm not aware of! I read about it on Kris' blog and I can't wait to find out where it is! Like I need more yarn!

Moving along.........

I do not have pictures to post, because I'm still working on my shadow knit shawl! I'm bound and determined to get this thing finished if it's the last thing I do! Everyone who knows me thinks it's hilarious that it's the only thing I'm working on.......but I want to get it finished! My youngest has seen me drag this out everyday and has figured out that just one side of the shadow part is 56,840 stitches! That's a lot of stitches! Figuring it takes me about 1 hour to do two rows (there are 280 rows with 203 stitches on size 2 needles), that means that I have worked on one side for approximately 8,400 minutes or 140 hours! Phew! That's a ton of knitting! Currently I'm on row 160.......only 120 to go!

The purses I made for the auction went for $30 and $20 a piece. After talking it over with Peg, we thought I probably should have donated some scarves. I was a little bummed, but unless you knit, you have no idea the time it takes to make something like that.

Right now I'm currently teaching a friend of mine to knit. Instead of a scarf, I'm making her knit a dishcloth. Why a dishcloth? They are fast.....they are relatively easy.....and it's instant gratification! We were at Caribou Coffee (I love the campfire mocha...Yum!) and we're knitting away when all the sudden she drops a stitch! She says *shit* pretty loudly and this woman comes over and says "A good knitter says *shit* and fixes it, a bad knitter says *shit* and gives up!" We cracked up laughing! This woman must have been 80+ years old! She sat with us for awhile and chatted. My friend is now ready for the "bind-off" so I'm meeting her tomorrow to show her how. I'm thinking I might bring her a little knitting gift because she's doing so well!

*Note to Joan.....maybe we should start you off on a dishcloth, I think the scarf was too much!

My husband is planning to take my boys camping this summer for a long weekend! He told me that he felt bad leaving me home alone! Is this man crazy? I've already thought that I should probably meet a bunch of my knitting buddies, hit some knitting stores, come back to my place, eat, knit and drink! Now I just have to get him to set a date so I can put my plan into motion!

Awwwwwwwww!

Aren't these the cutest? These are the umbilical cord hats I made from the Stitch n' Bitch book. I used 1 skein of Plymouth Encore worsted and got a total of three hats! I'm thinking I should have another baby, just so I could make him/her a hat! Trust me.....there isn't any way I'm going to have another child.....it was just the "knitting crazies" talking!

I'm still working on that dang Shadow Knit Shawl! I've declared that this is my March Madness month and that I'm bound and determined to get this done! Enough already! How many times do I need to look at that and say "Tracy, pick up your needles and get cracking!" So that's what I'm going to do! See ya later socks....I'll be back! Hey you! Rowanspun cardigan! You'll have to wait your turn, because the shadow needs to get done! Don't feel bad dishcloth......it's not personal.....but this shadow has been looming around long enough!

My newest addiction is podcasting! I love to listen to people talk about knitting and give reveiws and such. I've added a few to my blog so try them out! Also, I'm going to put on some "comedy" ones, too! Anyone who really knows me, knows that I love to laugh! Some of these are so hilarious! My son and I want to start our own podcasting, too!

Well, enough of this blogging stuff! I've got me a shawl to finish!

Charity Knitting!

After much delibiration I have decided to keep the coral/brown bag for myself and donate this Blue Sophie bag with Glamour yarn to my sis-in-laws auction. This one turned out so great! It's a bit bigger than the first one, so it would be a great tote for books, shoes, etc;


This is the close up of the bottom of the bag. I like the "glitzy" look that's achieved with the glamour yarn. I'm also donating a felted purse for her auction. I'll let everyone know how much they both went for.

On the knitting homefront....I'm still working on my socks and I've begun a raglan cardigan using Rowanspun Chunky. I already have the back and left front completed. This time around I'm going to attempt to knit this sweater without any help from my knitting guru Anne! I want to see if I can "go it alone". So far.....so good! Keep your fingers crossed! I would have taken a pic, but my camera battery ran out. Oops! I also have to begin a baby hat for a friend of mine. I think the "fruit" hats are cute, but I also like the umbilical cord hat from Stitch n Bitch. Maybe I'll just make both!

I've missed out on a lot of knitting due to my boys sporting events, however it's almost over and I'm able to see the knitting needles at the end of the tunnel. This Thursday I'm having a group over to knit and drink. It should be a great time! It was an impromptu gathering, because where we normally meet (a Cafe) is closing, and we had nowhere to go on March 2nd, so I told everyone if they wanted they could come to my place! We found a new home......but we can't meet there until the 9th of March, so what the heck! My boys are going to hide out in their room, but said they would come out to see what kind of snacks are out!

Today I'm going to watch the movie Mad Hot Ballroom and do a little knitting. I absolutely love those kinds of days. Happy knitting!

I'm in love with this bag!

Here's a photo of my first "Lucy" bag! I love it! Shhhhh! This is the one I'm supposed to donate to Peg's auction, but I'm falling in love with it! I made it a little different than the pattern. After round 28, I turned my counter back to 0. Rows 1-23 were made with the coral, rows 24-45 were done in the mosaic stitch (using the brown) , then rows 46-78 were knit in the coral. I then started the strap set-up and only knit that 88 times or 176 pattern rows. Doesn't it look fantabulous? I'm going to felt the one below and see which one I like the most and then decide which one to donate.


Now this is an unfelted "lucy" bag with some glamour yarn at the bottom. This is knit according to the pattern (tall version) along with the strap length. You can see the difference in size and how much it shrinks when the felting process is complete.

On a more serious note......I was referred to as a "yarn snob"! I knew that deep down in the crevices of my soul that I was, but to actually hear it....how painful! I was in denial, I admit it! I love the way cashmere and wool feel against my skin! So I knit with my head held high and my needles pointed upward and announce to everyone that.............

I AM A YARN SNOB AND PROUD OF IT!

My next project is a cardigan from a Rowan magazine with Rowanspun Chunky. It doesn't look too difficult, but it seems that it's always the patterns I think are easy, end up being a pain in the arse! This time I told myself that I would do a gauge swatch.....seeing that I had to rip out 20 rows from my cable sweater, because it would have been too small. Tsk! Tsk! When will I learn.....

Today I'm meeting some women on the North side for some knitting and chatting. These women crack me up! The whole time I'm there I just laugh! They tell the funniest stories about their husbands and their knitting. I can't wait to see them.....I need to laugh today!

Bang the Thrum!

Here's what "thrumming" looks like! I know that it's difficult to see but I think you get the picture. You knit your cuff in a K1P1 rib for about 3 inches, then you start with another color, along with your thumb gusset and then you start adding your wool according to the pattern. The pattern is from Fox and Geese (or something like that!). Now all those dark blue things sticking out is the wool.....you see....that will be on the inside of the mitten. After time, it becomes matted and kind of felts! I know it sounds weird, but I've been told that's what's going to happen. If you've knit mittens before (like I have) then thrumming is really easy. Also, it can be a little boring, but I'm here to learn new techniques......right?

This week I bought a new knitting bag! Whoo! Whoo! Actually, it's a bag I saw at Bath & Body Works and I decided it would make the perfect bag. It's got two big pockets on the outside! (great for patterns!) Two pockets on the side! (great for bottled water) One zippered pocket on the inside!(great for holding money) Two pockets on the inside! (great for needles, notions etc) It has a handle and a shoulder strap and is made of fabric! It's fairly big, but it prevents me from bringing 2 bags when I go and meet my fellow knitters. So before I use it, I sprayed it with scotchguard, (it stays cleaner that way) and am awaiting anxiously for it to dry!

I've done a fair amount of knitting this week.....but it's difficult because it's been pretty darn nice outside. There isn't any snow and it's been mild, so my husband and I have taken advantage of the great weather and have been outside.

Currently, I'm working on a pair of socks using Knit Picks "dancing" sock yarn! I LOVE IT! I decided to use the pattern that was on their website and so far so good. I remember not to long ago I said that I would never knit socks, because it seemed really difficult to do. What was I thinking? They are so easy to take along and I always get compliments when I wear them! Now back to knitting..........

These are Off the Cuff!

Hello my fellow readers and Happy New Year! I know that it's been awhile....but I've been rather busy. I had to finish up Joan's scarf.....which she loved! I made her a scarf from Knit Picks baby Alpaca! It was so soft! My Mother-In-Law, Mary made me a beautiful lap afghan! I was so surprised! It's just gorgeous! I'll take a picture and post it, but let me tell you that the picture won't do it justice!

As you can see, I finished my "Off the Cuff" socks! I like the color, the pattern and how quickly they knit. I picked this color scheme from sockotta because it brightens my day! Here in the Midwest all the snow has melted (since it's been in the 40's & 50's), so we are left with the color brown! When I wear these I think of summer and warmer days ahead!

I've picked up my Shadow shawl again in an attempt to try and finish it. It took me one hour to try and figure out how I did it! My persistence prevailed and I figured it out! Phew! I was getting scared!

This is my newest felting project.....the Lucy bag from the Two Old Bags patterns. I'm making it from Cascade 220 (Coral & Brown). The camera makes it look orange, but trust me, it's coral. My sis-in-law Peg has a fundraiser for her church and I told her I would donate something for their silent auction. But the more I knit it, the more I think I want to keep it myself. The stitch sequence in the middle is a mosaic stitch. I wanted to make that part 46 rows, but my knitting guru Anne told me that it could become tighter because you slip a stitch every other row. I caved in and did only 23. I can't wait to see how it turns out. The great thing about felting is you can manipulate it as you go.

This weekend I'm doing a little gambling up in Green Bay........and since I don't have to drive, I'll just sit in the back and finish up this bag! Maybe I'll win so much money that I can put it all in here! Wouldn't that be sweet....

My next project I'm working on is thrumming. This is when you knit raw wool into a mitten which creates additional warmth. The most difficult part is preparing the wool. You need to separate it, roll it between your hands, twist it, then knit it with the regular yarn, making sure the regular yarn doesn't show. What a pain! A friend of mine said she only made one mitten, because it was slow going.........

Again, my apologizes for not keeping up with my blog......but I promise that I'll be better!