Life has been a bit crazy lately and my blog has suffered. I’ve wanted to sit down and write something for awhile but things keep popping up. So now, while I have a quiet moment, I’m posting some stuff that’s been sitting on my camera for awhile.

First is my [Touch of Whimsy Scarf] I used one skein of Malabrigo. It was a wonderful knitting experience. I was sad when I realized I was at the end, a great way to end a project, actually!

  

Here is what I had left when I was finished:

While going through some supplies and old stuff I inherited I found this:

This yarn is still produced but I wonder how old this ball band is. My husband’s bestemor(That’s grandmother in Norwegian), who was most likely the one to knit the yarn, died in the mid 1980s. Interestingly, the yarn is now sold in 50g balls. The band says it was 100g. Someday I hope to search deeper in the part of the house that holds these treasures of knitting days gone by. This is part of the joy of living in a house that has had the same family living in it for 4 generations.

The other day I said I would be starting something new. Well I kind of started. And then stopped. But I will be working on this again. The winner from my list was…. Miters!

Here is my first miter using the technique in Mason Dixon Knitting:

Here is my second attempt using some stuff I learned from Entrelac, Jaywalkers, and other places that I’m not quite sure about. It need tweaking but I like it. Once I get it perfected I’ll post instructions I plan to alternate colors in the real blocks. I really want stockinette stitch with a raised diagnonal line.

I got a nice present in the mail from Wendy Knits for working on her website.

Thanks Wendy!!!!!

I have not gotten gift yarn before but I have discovered something. Choosing a project for yarn that was selected for you by someone else is much different than when you buy it for yourself. There is more anticipation and care involved. It almost seems like it needs to stay yarn for awhile because in it’s current state it is so full of potential. Each yarn could become so many different things. Once it’s knit it can never be anything other than what it is. It is an interesting sensation that I had not anticipated. I guess this is how stash grows, isn’t it?

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Greeetings from Daisy’s ghostwriter. I’m Pete, her husband and Daisy has worked her wiles on me…I just started knitting! I wrecked my knee three weeks ago and, as a get well gift, Daisy gave me a bag with 5mm plastic needles and a skeine of new denim Patton’s classic wool. She’s been very patient and I’ve managed to get 9 rows of knit done so far. Its also been a nice way to spend time with my wife.  Thank you to all of you that have connected with her. She’s enjoyed working on Wendy’s blog this week.

I’ve hardly done a bit of knitting for a couple of weeks.  You can see some of what I’ve been doing over at Wendy Knits  Its been such a fun time to fiddle with a blog other than my own.  Her needs and preferences are a bit different than mine.  I’ve gotten to go on hunts for just the right tools to suit the way she blogs. I’ve found a few for myself along the way too!  There’s lots more to do over there.  I hope every one loves it as much as I do!  Spending all one’s time tweaking a blog and not actually blogging sort of defeats the purpose, eh?  So here is a post just to keep things moving.

Tonight, I need to knit.  I’m bored senseless with my Garter Rib Socks.  I’ll finish them eventually.  But for now I need something simple yet entertaining.  I have a few thoughts on what to do next.

1. Cheveron Scarf with Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock
2. A Touch of Whimsy Scarf modified to be a headband.  Using Cascade Fixation.
3. Some miters (I’ve been meaning to try this)

What would you do? I will be starting one or more of those things tonight.  I’ll let you know what I end up with in my next post.  I really want to start using more pictures.  Soon, I promise.

Now that I’ve got the Wendy Knits site up and running I think I’m going to take some time to freshen things up here on my own blog.  Not sure what I’m going to end up with or how it will look, yet but expect some changes in the near future!  Eventually I might get back to knitting….

 I found that I made a shortlist that included Wendy Knits and Yarn Harlot at Warm With Love I’m just tickled! 

Well I’ve decided that, for this weekend at least, I will be putting my needles away and finding my inner geek.  Actually, my inner geek is pretty close to the surface.

I have the honor and privilege of moving the Wendy Knits site to a new blog software.  So that will be taking most of my spare time for the next couple of days.  It has been at least as entertaining for me as my knitting normally is!

I must admit that since Wendy put a link to this blog on her site earlier today I’ve sort of been having fun checking my stats periodically.  So welcome visitors from Wendy Knits!

Ok so I  know that I’m not the only one anxiously awaiting an invitation into Ravelry.  FreckleGirl  just posted on her blog that there are over 4500 people on the list.  I think the response to the site is way more than they ever expected so quickly.  My point?  We all just need to take a deep breath and get back to the knitting that we are neglecting while refreshing the Ravelry page.  If all 4500 people were to rush in to the site and start posting thier projects and stash and everything else EVERYONE would end up locked out so it’s best if we just stop whining and be patient.  I’ve heard about the state of the Loopy Ewe website when an update is made.  Well this would be way worse.  I don’t know the state of thier web hosting but I expect that a site that is just starting out isn’t exactly going to have 3 or 4 dedicated servers to handle the traffic that will, no doubt, rush to the site if it were opened up to everyone right now.

 So that’s my perspective.  It will not stop me from being impatient but it will keep me from complaining!

   I got more yarn.  I must be rebelling against all the stash busting going on.  But now that I’ve got the last of what I ordered I’m officially cut off from yarn shopping until I get some of my planned projects completed.

 Lornas Laces Shepherd Sock - 2 solid and 2 multi - I think I see a chevron scarf here.

Cascade Fixation in Red.  Planned for a bikini from Naughty Knits.  Subject to change.

Misti Alpaca Lace for some kind of shawl

More Lorna’s Laces - I think these will be socks

Two Waters Sock yarn.  Socks, I think.

I finally got a picture of my newest WIP - the Touch of Whimsy Scarf

I’m a bit over half done.  I love this pattern!  It’s in Malabrigo and now I see what all the to-do was about surrounding this yarn.  It’s glorious!

I have seent he buzz in the blogosphere surrounding the new site Ravelry I must say that I’m very excited and really impatient for my invite to come.  I signed the waiting list as soon as I heard about it.  They were very smart to give the podcasters access early.  I’ve heard it mentioned on countless popular blogs and it’s killing me that I can’t get in there and see it for myself.  I think the part about this site that excites me the most is the community building potential.  My life does not allow me to participate in live knitting groups or even to make it to a LYS without an act of congress so this new myspace for knitters concept is very exciting.  I guess I’ll have to keep myself busy while I wait by knitting as much as possible.

I’m all proud of my literary title to this post but if it is really curtesy of “A Tale of Two Cities” and the [CraftLit Podcast] 

Things are going much better today.  My husband found that he may NOT need to have surgery on his knee.  The quadricep tendon is torn but not nearly as badly as we feared.  It is possible that it may be able to heal on it’s own.  So we are in “wait and see” mode now.  He will se the Dr next week to discuss options and make some tenative plans for physical therapy and anything else that may need to happen.  He also has some damage to his knee from an old injury that may need surgery but it involves a few days recovery rather than several months. 

I also had a terrific professional non-knitting oportunity come up so it was a pretty good day all-in-all.

 I’ve had a bit of time to knit but no time to take pictures.  So I will have to post some pictures I took a few days ago.

Here is my sock in progress with one sock complete and not much complete on sock 2.  I am just about to start the garter rib pattern on that sock now.  It’s not been my project of choice this week. 

Here is my blue suede bikini bottom.  The knitting is done, I’m working on the crocheted borders.  It’s not intended for public viewing but it’s fun to make anyway.  This is the type of thing I knit to encourage my husband to allow me to buy more yarn.  It’s a pretty good tactic.  heh.

 My newest project is the Touch of Whimsy Scarf.  I’m using a gorgeous rust colored Malabrigo that I got at Christmas time.  It is wonderful to work with and I’ve got about 18 inches done.  Pictures will come eventually.

I was on a great roll with my blogging.  I had plans for a nice post with pictures of projects, discussions on more upcoming projects and a story of helping someone at a craft store.  But then it happened….

 My wonderful husband, while bonding with his 6 year old son, took a wrong step and ended up being carted away in an ambulance.

Here’s the full scoop.  It was the last day of soccer.  A very casual soccer class at the town rec center.  They invited the parents to play with the kids.  So, being a good sport, he joined in.  I took the 3 year old over to the section he was signed up to play in (he refused to actually play but liked to watch)  We got a bit bored and decided to find Daddy.  We spot him being carried accross the gym to the lobby of the center.  Now, you must understand, that my husband is not a small individual at 6′ 3″ and 295 lbs.  So seeing two relatively small men trying to carry him about 40 yards is a bit scary when you have no idea what has just happened.  Some time passed and he was still unable to walk.  It was decided that an ambulance would need to be called.  They took him to the ER and he was released with a “sprained knee” diagnosis a couple hours later.  A trip to the Orthopedic Dr. today revealed that, rather than a sprained knee, he has actually ripped his quadricep tendon.  This means surgery and a 6-10 week recovery period.  Fun.  Tomorrow he will have an MRI to verify the Dr’s determination of the problem.  Getting him out of the house is an interesting experience that can only be accomplished with him sitting on the floor of his father’s conversion van. 

So, no pictures today.  It’s late and nurse duty makes me tired and cranky so it’s off to bed for me.  Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day for blogging.  I have started a new project, it’s quite nice.   More on that later.  I’ve also recieved more yarn and have a bit more yarn and 3 books on the way. 

  I got most of my recent [Webs] order today.  It was like Christmas.

I have a bit more that was on back-order.  But I’m pretty sure this will keep me quite busy.  I spent part of tonight loading my knit que. So the following items will be joining my WIP list in the next few days…

• Blue Suede Bikini
• After Dark Night ala Mason Dixon
• Icarus Shawl
• Elizabeth I Scarf
• A Touch of Whimsy Scarf

I like having a lot of projects going.  They don’t get finished quite as fast but I’m sure to have something to fit my mood at any given time.

The other night I had a bit of stash amnesia at the same moment I saw that [Yarn4Socks] was having a closeout sale on Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock and Two Waters Fiberworks.  I in today’s box there was enough sock yarn for 6 pairs, I had 11 pairs worth already in the stash and now I have another 4 on the way.  So that is 21 pairs of potential socks.  Eep!

 And now I’m officially on a yarn diet!  Promise.

Last thing for today:  I don’t have a modeled picture yet but here are a couple of shots of my Radiance Lace Headband: