Did you say you wanted to see more hats?

Now that is a request I can fulfill my friends. Finished the above this last Friday. It is for my sister's birthday and college girl decided to model it when I was finished. So nice of her, dont cha think? Until she got kooky and decided that it makes her stronger and she tackled the boyfriend, below.

This is the fast cap with ear flaps from Elizabeth Zimmerman, in most of her books. I used Noro for this one (so love how the colors change). I have loosely been following that pattern for the others that I made and have done okay. I kept messing with the decreases at the top because I did not understand her directions at first for same. After reviewing other hat patterns directions, I finally got it and am pleased with the decreases now. So I made another one for me.

I am loving how the decreases come together at the top looking like a star. Really simple and easy. I started mine Friday evening while watching the debates ( did you all see those?) and finished this afternoon while watching the Chiefs and Broncos play here in KC. GO CHIEFS!
I would love to share the pattern but it is protected by copyright, so if you have not discovered EZ yet, go and get you some of her books here. They will free your knitting from the first time you read her.
See, I am a self taught knitter. I never had anyone that I could go to and ask questions of. Always had to just keep reading directions and trying to figure it out. This was about 8, 9, maybe 10 years ago. It was very frustrating, but I kept trying until I got it. It took me forever to get that damn purl stitch! EZ is not fond of the purl stitch either. Alot of her patterns are knit in the round and when I discovered this and how to do it, I was hooked!
I used to live in Iceland when my dad was in the Navy. We did two tours there when I was a kid, I spent half of my teenage years there and did not appreciate it at the time. I always loved the Icelandic sweaters though which are done in fair isle, so when I learned how to knit, I absolutely had to learn how to make those. And the more I knit the better I get. I also like the fact that my knitting items will (should?) be around long after I am gone so that my kids and their kids will have something to remember me by. That is another reason that I like to make knitted blankets and quilts (although not near enough of these yet). I know that blankets will always be in need, so if it is something made by a ancestor, I hope that my future generations will treasure them as much as I treasure the very few that I have my ancestors. Okay enough about me. Why don't you comment and let me know what you are working on now that fall is here. I would love hearing from you.
For now, keep on crafting.

A little show and tell

Above is the lovely fair isle sweater that is still too big for me. I had the married daughter try it on and it fits her. She usually does not like sweaters with crewnecks, but this one was a little bigger than most and it did not ride up on her throat and make her feel like she was choking. She said she will take it, so it will be hers as soon as I am done weaving in the ends. At least now I know what size my sweater needs to be. I kept better written directions this time around. Now if I can only remember what I did with those?


And here we have some fair isle hats with earflaps. My latest projects. I sorta made my own patterns by following Elizabeth Zimmermans directions in the book Opionated Knitter. I have discovered that I can knit fairly well with both hands, but when I go to just knit with my left hand ( I normally knit the English way) I am at a lost. Hmpf, I was really wanted to become a picker instead of a thrower too. One is for the son in law and the other is for a family friend. Their birthdays are this weekend.




Speaking of birthdays, mine was last weekend. I was able to attend the weekend Plaza Art Fair and make a trip to the local yarn store there. I then went to my sisters for a little get together to celebrate my birthday. Fun time had by all. Yes, that is me in the middle at the grand old age of 41 trying to jump on the trampoline with the younger kids! Who Yoo for me. I did not last long.

So here is the hubby with his FREE riding mower. A neighbor gave it to us because it is 16 years old and would not start anymore. The neighbor went and bought a new one, and the hubby went and spent about a hundred bucks for a new starter. This was his first ride on it in the backyard a few nights ago. It worked Fabulously! Then on his first trip around the around he hit one of the landscape edgings and sliced a hole in the back tire. Bummer! He ended up having to finish mowing with the push mower.

The above sounds alot like how my recently finished fair isle sweater ended this past weekend. And no, I have no pics yet. The biggest error was that it came out about 3 sizes too big for me, ugh! My gauge was good, I just made it too big, I wanted a loose fitting sweater and that is what I got folks. I still have to weave in the ends so when that is done, I will post a picture. For now though I am thinking of giving it to the married daughter whom it would fit and not be too big one, but I know that she does not like to wear wool sweaters. Hmmm, what to do?

This was my view for most of last night. My work on the fair isle sweater continues. I have about 2 more inches of plain knitting to go before I can begin the fun part, the color work. Yippee!

I still have to wind up the skeins of color I have picked up, all in the pink and purple family. Then do a swatch of the pattern to see how it turns out before committing it to the sweater. I should do like EZ says and make a hat. I really just want to get to the color work and begin that part though but know I need to take my time with the colors and make sure I get it the way I want. Otherwise I will not wear the sweater if I do not like it. Too much work involved at this point to hurry thur.

Today is knitting/crochet day at work. THere are now only two of us that meet at lunch for this time and it is what makes us look forward to coming to work on Tuesdays.

Keep on crafting...

Did you say you need a blanket?

This is why I like to make blankets. One of the nephews using the first ripple blanket I made on the car ride last weekend to the camping area. That car ride was horrendous! I was looking forward to working on the new blanket for most of the car ride. And I did on the ride down. It was the ride back that I did not touch the wool yarn at all. Why? Because the truck had a frigging leak in the air conditioner and we had no air on the ride back! Which would not have been too bad but it was over 90 degrees that day and so humid. Oh, and I was sitting on the sun side of the car for more than half the ride. I am talking a 8 hour car ride here. UGH!
Anyways, the trip was lots of fun for the nephews and the grown men and I had a lovely time being some place new to explore. We went to Arkansa in the Ouchita Mountains. Reminded me of parts of Colorado. It was very humid there and we left Monday morning and saw lots of relief vehichles headed down to New Orleans to help out with the Gustav hurricane.

Above is the progress I have made on the new ripple blanket. Super easy and I sat there last night working on it for 4 hours!! I also realized that I have several projects going at once again. I think I will work on the EZ sweater tonight as my extra skein of yarn came in over the weekend. Not sure if I said anything about that project, but it is another fair isle piece, similiar to the one I made for my mom, just this time it will be for me. Then there is the project that I have to get started to make mom a poncho for her birthday in November. There is also a pair of socks waiting to be finished that I started last winter. And a quilt I started in the spring for a quilt a long. And, and, and, oh hell, I give up! I will just work on whatever pleases me at the moment.

Keep on crafting.