It's all in the numbers. . .

This week the magic number was 24:











I understand that may not mean a lot to you right now, but let me clarify for you! See, as we have established in some of my previous posts, I really like knitting the challenge, like doilies and fair isle and arans! So, it feels like I have knit a mile on Caryn's Charm Wrap, when in actuality I have only knit 24 inches. . . that's, 1,182 feet, not even a quarter mile, but it's 1,182 feet of yarn, or 24 inches of almost exclusive stockinette!!

Lord! Help me! She wants this wrap to go just a little bit past her arse, so, it has felt like I have been knitting a long time just to reach her armpits! lol! I have two fronts and two arms to go! Well, who am I to complain? I normally only knit for myself as no one in my family wants a hand knit as they are all too warm blooded, so I will stop now. It has been rainy and gloomy here lately ( I am not complaining, just stating facts). So the pictures are hard to get the right colors, and here is Nitrous helping me measure, just to be sure I do it right. . .

Um, well, maybe he just wants to eat the tape measure! I literally had to beat him away from the board to measure this back, and I don't usually pin out to measure, however, since this is for someone other than myself, I want it to be right, so I am taking all precautions!

Ok, on to other items: I took Friday off with all kinds of plans to spin and knit all weekend, well, we all know what happens to plans, but I did try to spin up this roving I bought from a vendor on Etsy:

But what, what, what? Is this?

Well, it is full of that - you can put your own choice of words in here. So, it makes for slow spinning and a lot of this:

I am working to get enough yarn to make Knucks from Knitty. Here is the bobbin almost finished, I hope to complete the spinning today, and ply next weekend after it rests for a while.

The sun has finally come out and these are pretty close on the correct color - so I hope to so you some yarn next weekend!

More Campus Tours -

You know, I am getting anxious for the time to change. It's so hard getting up when it's dark out isn't it? So normally on the weekend I sleep in a little (yeah, like to 7:00 instead of 6:00, but hey, it's not dark out at 7:00!). So as usual, we did that yesterday, then took off around 9:00 am to venture to places we had never been in Kentucky. We were headed to the campus of Murray State University, out in no man's land! It was only 120 miles from our house but it took 2 hours and 40 minutes to get there. We saw some gorgeous scenery on the way, the tree colors are really coming out now! We passed through the land between the lakes, and saw Barkley Lake and Kentucky Lake, oh it was so sad to see how low the water levels were. So, in any event when it was all said and done, and we finished getting a little turned around on the way home this is the final verdict from Caryn:
This camera shot was actually not intended for public use, so let's keep this one to ourselves. She was mugging up for the camera in a totally different content, but hey it works for me!

So lots of driving time results in some knitting time for Me, I had started the Charm sweater for Caryn, and it was a bit too small, meaning it fit exactly right, and we wanted it to have more ease, so here is that result, with Nitro supervising my camera shot:

It's kind of hard to see but, the top garment is actually wider and has more give to the fabric and I think this one is right where she wants it to be. All of #2 was done in the car yesterday, except the cast on and a few rows of the lace pattern! I am almost to where I measured the first one (on bottom) again, and decided it was too small.

I have been spinning too, this is Colette:

She is spinning up so much differently than the Painted Desert or Georgia! But, she is fun, and actually half of her fleece from this year's fleece is still available on Skylines Farms website. She is spinning up like this:
I don't have any stats yet, I will try to get that together the next time I post about her.

So, there is not much left to say this week, except I am tired! Whew! It's been a whirl wind at home and at work. So, I will leave you with this shot of Bailey in the paddock, where she doesn't belong, and look at Jake in the background! This is just so typical for our two doggies. Bailey runs the show and Jake is say "huh? what's going on?"

I love that big dumb doggie! I love Bailey too, but she is too smart and cunning for me sometimes! Have a good week everybody!

Disappointing Knitting. . .

So, can someone tell me why I have been turning out trash as far as finished objects go? I mean look at this:
It looks great doesn't it? And it starts to stretch out:
But man, I have tried to super steam it with the iron and this is as far as it would go:
But isn't the edging so very pretty?

And it's really funny to turn around and see this:
I am thinking it is the best use of this blanket right now! Crazy cat, he's sitting on pins! BTW let this be a warning: if you try this at home, let me tell ya that the dogs could scare the cat,who in turn throws the whole mess on it's side, the pins end up down the heating vents and you could almost have a broken iron and window screen to the your fireplace. The ironing board was promptly put in it's place after that, and I have given up on this one! OK Enough Helmlock!! God, gag me already - huh?

So, we will move along to the contest winner. Karen! Come on down and choose the color you want for stitch markers! Yeah, she knows me best, I guess! I mean after all she's my bosom buddy! :) It may have seemed she had an unfair advantage since she works with me and all, but hey, there are a few more of you that knew and didn't guess LACE and all it's glory is my favorite! So, just to show you that yes, I can knit without it looking horrible here is my evidence:

This was given to Mom for Christmas one year, and it was a German pattern done on size 0 needles and size 10 thread. This one was my first doily ever!
This one was given to my Mother in Law: Another German pattern, size 0000 needles and size #20 thread.
This one is mine: Mommes Lysedug - size 20 thread and size 0 needles:

I'm off to knit plain stockinette, maybe I can do that. . .

My 100th Post! Let's Celebrate -

Wow, guys I noticed as I was logging in today that this is post #100! Can you believe that? Well, I guess it's not all that momentous or anything, but let's do something to celebrate! I will give away six stitch markers that will look something like this:




These are sterling silver rings and there will be two of each color, unless the winner wants all one color - now here's the question: What is my #1 favorite knitted object, or what is the one thing I like to knit above all others? And here's a hint: I love to knit these but I have given all of them away except for one. I will show it to you (again) next week.

I worked all day yesterday finishing this:

Sorry about the messy photo shot, but I'm kinda perturbed with it right now. You wouldn't believe how lonnnng this took me! from 10 am to 6pm with small breaks for my neck and lunch! Lookey at the pretty knitted lace edging:



I am hopeful it will block out correctly, and not be too small. This took five skeins of Malabrigo all together, so I am sure hoping it wasn't a wasted effort.

Next on the needles is this:
This is a freebie from Knittingdaily , called Charmed Wrap, that I am making for Caryn. Yes, I did type that right, it's for Caryn. She asked me originally for a heavily cabled knit out of an AS book for a bathrobe.

Well, I don't think she wants a full fledged bathrobe, as we looked at them in Dillards and not one was "right". So I presented her with this sweater and the answer was a resounding yes! The AS sweater would have taken me all winter plus as you will read below, I had misgivings about knitting it for her.

Now, on to the yarn choice. Well, let me tell ya, I have made her several things in the past and they never are worn more than once. Therefore, I was not shelling out the $ for another possible sit in the closet sweater, so I had her choose from Lion Brand yarns. This color (which I had a skein shot of that blogger will not let me upload. . .) is Delft Blue which I think will look fabulous on her! Well, that is if she wears it. . .