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!