Wednesday Blog Along #15

Forgot today is Wednesday, I'm very exhausted from running the roads so much doing this errand or that. Oh, and this week is rehearsal week hell. Daughter's ballet troop is performing this weekend and they put on three shows. Two on Saturday and one on Sunday. But, leading up to that is a lot of practice on the stage getting all the chinks ironed out.

Finished reading the Free-Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee over the weekend. Reading it was like setting down with a good friend and having a chat. A very excellent read and would recommend it for others to try.

I'm about to start on the chart for the Helix socks.

Wish me luck, I've not worked on charts all that often :)

Also, still working on the new design project.

The Boyle bag (shown in the picture above) is awesome. They come in a two-pack set and are perfect for small projects for on the go. The bag can be worn hanging from the wrist, belt, shoulder, or over the neck. I've bought one set and am planning on ordering more.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things

All reviews stated above are my sole opinion (and you know what the saying is). I've not been paid, compensated, or given anything in return for these reviews.

FO Friday #18

As I was working on the Hexipuff's for the Geek Chic Hexipuff post last week I kept thinking on how cute and puffy the puffs were. And then it hit me, why not enlarge the puffs and turn it into a pillow.

Of course I changed up the pattern a bit. Instead of a hexagon, I turned it into an octagon. Surprisingly, it didn't take long to make; I finished in just a few hours. My Octipuff ~grins~ has already been in a pillow fight, used for a foot rest, and has been slept and drooled on. So, I believe it has been met with approval.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis for more awesome FO viewing.

Wednesday Blog Along #14

Y'all, I was a really good girl and finished a project. ~gasp~ I know! So, for my reward lookie what I got to cast on.

Right now the Helix socks are shiny and new. And I love them and want to work on them so much. Wonder how long this infatuation will last?

Oh! Oh! I love, LOVE my new circular knitting needles from Knitter's Pride. They are fabulous!

Yesterday, I went to the Green Valley Book Fair (if you're a great book lover, this is the place you'll want to go) and bought Free Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Started reading it immediately and am enjoying it. Oh, and I finished Ghost Story by Jim Butcher. Excellent book! And I couldn't believe the twist it has. I'm already itching for the next one; I'm anxious to see were Dresden is going to go from here.

Now, I am reading Born of Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon and working on a new design.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things for some awesome WIP viewing!

FO Friday #17 and Hexipuffs!

Months back, after reading many blogger’s posts totting hand spun/dyed yarn, I decided to give it a try (I know I’m behind times). Searching through Etsy, looking at all the wonderful dyers, got me thinking to what purpose I would use the yarn once I got it. Hexipuffs! And there were so many wonderful options for mini skeins.  

For my first Indie Dyer I went with Geek Chic Yarns. She is an excellent seller.

The Doctor Who theme is what hooked me. The yarn is very soft and defines the stitches beautifully. I was able to get 3 Hexipuffs out of one mini skein each.

I really enjoyed working with the hand spun/dyed yarn and have since the initial purchase of these, acquired more from different sources.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis for more FO viewing.

This is not a paid advertisement. I purchased this yarn and the review is of my own accord. Thank you.

Wednesday Blog Along #13

While I have been waiting for the Knitter's Pride Trendz Interchangable Circular Deluxe Set to arrive, so I can knit the Helix sock pattern, I have been wracking my brain to find something to keep me busy. And because of this my mind has been filled to capacity with ideas for patterns. So much so, that it is all I've been able to think about. I spent the majority of yesterday tweaking a pattern I'm currently working on.

Once it's finished I'll reveal what it is ;) In an effort to escape the pattern madness going on inside my head, more reading is getting done. Especially, these last few days I've made a lot of progress with Jim Butcher's Ghost Story and have almost completed it.

And wouldn't you know it. Finally find a project to occupy myself and look what arrived in the mail.

Of course they would arrive now, when I have a million things going on and no time to cast on the socks I so want to make. They weren't suppose to get here until the 22nd. Any other time I would be so lucky for them to be delivered on time. But, no. I come to terms that I have to wait to make the Helix socks, get involved doing another project, and they arrive early. Early! Of course!

Okay, tantrum over (for now, you know those needles are over in the corner whispering for me to come play with them, right) most get back to work. So, with that, hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things for more WIPs in action.

FO Friday #16

They are finally done! I present two complete pairs of matching socks.

The red pair:

And the green pair:

As I've talked about in previous posts, these were worked using the tutorial in Toe Up 2 at Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I enjoyed making them and they worked up fairly quickly. They are child size, more into the toddler range and are like bedroom socks or boot socks. These I will be donating to our local United Way. I hope they find a good home.

Oh! Oh! Yesterday, I took the plunge and bought my first set of interchangeable needles. They're not fancy or top of the line, just something simple that I could afford. The longest cord goes up to 47" but I can buy longer ones at a later date to add on. I'm so excited! Wish they were here now. I'm really itching to get started on that Helix pattern. 

For some more awesome FO viewing hop on over to Tami's Amis. Happy Friday!

Wednesday Blog Along #12

Whenever my guard slips, with three cats, this happens. They are always looking for an opportunity to run off with my yarn. And act in all innocence when they get caught, "What yarn? Oh, that yarn. No. I wasn't messing with it. Honestly."


I tried to start my official first pair of 2-at a time toe-up socks. The longest circular needles I have are 24" and my local yarn store (Micheal's :( ) doesn't carry anything over 24". We had three yarn stores once then Micheal's moved in and put them out of business. Now Micheal's doesn't stock half the stuff they used to. Very disappointing.

The pattern I'm hoping to work on soon is the Helix out of Toe Up 2 at Time Socks Melissa Morgan-Oakes. I did start the socks just to see how my new yarn would look. It's Stroll Fingering from Knit Picks in Tree Fort.

The yarn looks very lovely but, I can't continue on with these needles. The stitches on the sides are starting to stretch. Bummer. I hate waiting.

Currently, I'm reading Fitness Rx and Interweave Knits magazines. I'm still chugging away at Ghost Story by Jim Butcher and A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. But, it is only in passing, a line here, a paragraph there. Just so much going on, I really don't have the time to do more than that.

This morning after waking Husband for work and making sure he was up and moving around, I fell back to sleep and dreamed that I was tired. In the dream I kept trying to find a place to lay down and take a nap but, people kept finding me and waking me back up. It got to the point in the dream, where I was running away from these people, desperately looking for a secluded place to sleep. When the alarm went off to get the kids up for school, it felt like I hadn't slept at all. You know you are really tired when your subconscious is trying to tell you to sleep. Today, looks like a nap day (I wish) :p

Now, for wonderful WIP viewing, hop on over to Small Things and Tami's Amis.

FO Friday #15

I don't know if I'm excited that it is Friday or if I'm left wondering where my week went. Well, I'm definitely glad it's not Thursday anymore. I thought yesterday was never going to end. Our window unit went out Wednesday night, so, I ventured to the city yesterday to buy a new one. Forgot that it is graduation weekend for one of the colleges. Everyone and there grandparents are in town = lines out the ying-yang. And because of the heat everyone in my household Thursday evening was whiny and temperamental (emphasis on the mental).

Okay. Enough of my whining. For today's share, remember this?

Our new dog Shep thought it need a little something "more".

Finally, I have made the replacement hat for Son.

Just in time for Summer. Go me!

For more awesome FO viewing check-out Tami's Amis.

Wednesday Blog Along #11

Wow! A lot has happened since I last posted for WIP Wednesday. I was gearing up for our local Spring Festival Art and Craft show when my upper back molar broke. Went in for a consultation to see what could be done for it, luckily it was a freak accident and the tooth was perfectly healthy. The dentist said he could fix it with a filling but, the day they could work me in was the day of the show. I was extremely bummed that I had to cancel doing the show but, relieved that the tooth could be fixed so easily.

I participated in the 3rd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog week 2012. It was lots of fun, I enjoyed reading everyone's post, and my contributions can be found here.

Now, for today's share.

I've already made one pair of the tutorial two at a time toe-up socks. Following the recommendations in Toe-Up 2 at Time Socks by Melissa Morgan-Oakes, I made the socks in two different colors. So, wanting matching pairs, I'm doing the tutorial again. Which is really good practice.

I've made some progress reading Ghost Story by Jim Butcher and A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. But, what little "free-time" I've had has found me in front of the TV numbly watching it. I don't know why, I've just not felt like reading, which is really unusual for me.

Hop on over to Tami's Amis and Small Things to view awesome WIP's in action.