End of an Era

Well, we survived the dance marathon recital weekend. Barely.

First, Dancing Diva has been battling an ankle issue for a few months. We've been to see a podiatrist recently and she has posterior ankle impingement syndrome with evidence of an old avulsion fracture on the back of her heel. We had DD in for an MRI on Friday and are awaiting the results before determining a course of treatment.

Second, DD has had an allergy to latex that has been escalating lately, and she had a serious reaction at the finale of the jazz show on Saturday night, when there was a balloon drop. She was checked out by an EMT who happened to be in the audience and she is okay but it really zapped her energy level for the final shows on Sunday. She was a trooper and battled through the pain from her ankle and the fatigue on Sunday and finished the recital weekend.

However, because she will be attending the local high school in the fall, the significance of the ankle issues and the escalation of her allergies to a component in many dance outfits and tights, Dancing Diva has decided to stop dancing completely.

Naturally, I am very sad because it has been a pleasure to watch her grow in grace and beauty as a dancer but am fully in support of her decision. She knows what she wants to study in college (architecture, with an emphasis on historical restorations and hotel design) and she is very interested in doing more theater and learning to play drums. So she will no longer be Dancing Diva in the blog. I haven't come up with a new moniker for her yet but will wait and see what develops as she pursues some new interests.

In the meantime, to battle the post-recital-let-down-and-sad-she's-not-dancing depression that has been plaguing me this week, I am actively working on my latest obsession love affair favorite project.

Unfortunately, the color in the photo is not accurate. Hockeyman has been messing with the settings on the camera again and I'm clueless on how to remedy it.

To admit I love this pattern would be an understatement! However, I have modified it slightly, carrying the right twist cable past the lower ribbing, the full way up the bottom half of the vest. I felt the added elasticity of the extra cable would really pull the bodice in on the thinnest part of my torso and be more flattering in the long run.

This photo really doesn't do the pattern justice either, because the cables and lace patterns really pop in this Debra Norville Collection Premier Yarn Serenity Sport Weight. Hopefully, after I torture ask Hockeyman to restore the settings on the camera, I'll be able to take a far better photo.

If not, he'll have to start doing the photography for this blog - pro bono, of course. I refuse to pay a camera saboteur.

Can't blog right now . . .

Been super busy this week with end of year stuff. But I've been spinning up a storm in my spare minutes.

I've finished spinning up 8 ounces of Louet Northern Lights in the Ocean Wave color way. I'm having so much fun.

In non-fiber news, we have a new licensed driver in the house as of 12:00 noon today. Guess I'll have to start lifting weights in case we start arm wrestling for control of the keys around here.

Where to begin . . .

I know I've been MIA for awhile. What can I say? First there was the Shepherd's Harvest Prep week, when I could do nothing but make lists, plan and pack because my excitement level made concentrating on anything else impossible.

Then there was THE WEEKEND. Yes, those are red letters because it was a red letter weekend.

Then there was the Post Shepherd's Harvest let down.

To say I had a wonderful weekend would be an understatement. It was fabulous. To start with, although the weather was a little chilly, the predicted rain never showed up. It was a true blessing because I had to carry around my spinning wheel and accessories and the last thing I wanted was to shlepp everything through mud puddles, like I had to last year.

Because I've been to the festival in very cold weather, I was prepared with warm enough layers, hats and gloves and such. I even remembered a cushion for the chair, so my rump stayed warm this year. Good planning and preparation are the first step in preparing for a red letter weekend.

In addition to the better than expected weather, the classes were wonderful. Patsy Zawistoski taught the Luxury Fiber class on Saturday. Of all the teachers I've ever had, her teaching style was the most perfect for my learning style. When she explained things, lights went on, bells rung and all the pieces fell into place. I learned not only how to handle the more tricky luxury fibers like mohair, llama, alpaca, angora, etc., but learned how to properly card and comb fibers for specific effects. I ended up purchasing a DVD from her on how to spin specialty yarns. I am so impressed with it, I hope to buy all of her DVD's and booklets to make a complete library. All I can say is if I ever get the chance, I'll take more classes from her in a heartbeat!

On Sunday, Carol Wagner taught us how to make novelty yarns. In spite of some technical difficulties with her wheel, she managed to do a great job teaching us how to make slubby singles, knot yarn, marled yarn, and beaded yarn. I walked away with some new techniques in my basket of tricks. So much fun.

I managed to buy plenty of new toys and fiber, too. First, I picked up a mini niddy-noddy and a new flicker first thing Saturday morning from Mielke's Fiber Arts. I visit their booth every year because they have such useful tools and supplies. I can count on them having exactly what I need every year. I knew I would need a much smaller niddy-noddy for the classes and Andrea came through for me.

Saturday afternoon, I picked up some silk hankies, two bags of merino/silk blend slivers and two balls of navy blue wool top from The Fiber Studio. I had a lovely chat withPam Angier about joining them for their open spinning sessions. I'm so excited about finding a spinning group to join that I'm hoping their classes will fit with my schedule. It's not a great photo of the fibers but it's kind of a gloomy day here in Minnesota.

Sunday, I found some mini double row combs so I can keep experimenting with preparing fibers for the novelty yarns. I'm sorry I can't remember who the vendor was because they used generic sales slips and didn't include a card in the bag. I suspect it was Earthsong Fibers but wouldn't bet one of my children on it. There were so many fabulous vendors and I circled all four buildings so many times, things began to mush together in my brain.

My last purchases of the weekend were two baskets and some sock yarn from Tall Tale Yarn Shop. The small basket hangs nicely from the spinning wheel, to hold tools and accessories. The larger basket is the perfect size to carry my larger accessories to and from classes and such.

To make the weekend even more perfect, I had a very nice stay at Holiday Inn Express in Stillwater. I reserved a king room with a whirlpool tub for the night and it was the perfect choice. After sitting in a cold fairground building for six hours, taking a warm bath was heavenly.

When I got home on Sunday evening, there were cards and flowers waiting for me. Talk about the perfect ending to a red-letter weekend.

Now, there are only 360 days until Shepherd's Harvest 2010!

Teenagers - sheesh!

I've been dying to post this week. Not only do I have a finished object to show off but some significant progress on a new sweater and some other projects that have jumped to the front of my summer to-do list.

Alas, Hockeyman has sabotaged my efforts. He has fallen in love with photography and commandeered our one and only digital camera. Somehow, he managed to alter the settings in such a way that makes all my pictures turn out over-exposed and blurry.

He keeps promising to figure out how to reset the camera to its original default settings but our crazy schedule has kept him from accomplishing this feat of photographic prestidigitation.

Alas, you will just have to use your imagination.

First, the FO is a table runner and/or scarf made from the leftover yarn from my version of the Daily Sweater. There was just enough yarn to eek out a basket weave patterned table runner, much like the one pictured in the latest issue of Vogue Knitting. It is 4 feet long, so it could be worn as a scarf, too.

Second, remember this project? Well, it is now a pile of rag balls and the beginnings of a knit log cabin rug, from Mason Dixon Knitting. After struggling to make the rug lay flat and attempting to block it out, I gave up the battle and unraveled the whole thing. I think I'm going to like the more modern graphics of the log cabin rug anyway. (At least, that's what I kept telling myself as I laboriously ripped out all those rows of toothbrush knotting - oy!)

Third, I've been plugging away on a new top-down sweater from Knitty.com. I have some inexpensive acrylic yarn in a lovely sea foam green shade that is working up nicely for this summer t-shirt. I have already progressed past the place where the sleeves are put on holders and am working on the main torso now. I can't wait to finish this sweater!

I am thoroughly sold on the top-down concept and plan on making several more top-down projects in the near future.

I've also been shopping at a local quilt shop and picked up supplies to make a rug hooking project this summer.

Well, guess I should go light a fire under the teen saboteur to get the camera back into some semblence of normal so I can take some pictures.


Gah!

Pride . . .

And prejudice. This is, without any doubt, my favorite sweater of all time!

At least so far . . .

This is my short sleeved version of the Daily Sweater from Mason-Dixon Knitting Outside the Lines. I used Ella rae Silkience (about 8.5 skeins) and size 2 needles for the body.

Modifications: I felt the neckline was way too floppy after knitting it according to the pattern, so I cut it off and picked up the live stitches and re-knit the collar with fewer stitches. I split the sleeve ribbing, to mirror the side slits at the lower hem.

I have also fallen in love with the tubular cast on and bind off. It was the technique I learned on the Pink Cardigan and it is, without a doubt, the slickest trick in my knitting arsenal.

What I can't believe is that it took me 30+ years of knitting to discover this gorgeous binding off technique.

Just goes to shows, you can teach an old dog knitter new tricks.

(In related news, my deepest condolences go out to Kay Gardiner of Mason Dixon Knitting for the loss of her beloved husband, Peter. My prayers are with Kay and her family.)

A new obsession

I seem to be in the grip of yet another compulsion love affair. My latest project is The Daily Sweater from Mason Dixon's new book, Knitting Outside the Lines. It's been on my mental to-do list since I purchased the book but I finally bumped it up to the top of the list when the Pink Cardigan was finished.

I cast on in the car on the way to Easter dinner on Sunday and have had an incredibly difficult time putting it down, as you can see from the significant progress I've already made.

The yarn is Ella Rae Silkience (purchased from Webs on sale) and it has the most delightful hand of any yarn I've worked with recently. I love it so much I went back online yesterday and ordered more of it in another color.

Since I only have 10 skeins of this color, I'll have to modify the pattern somewhat by making it a short sleeved top. I'm hoping to have enough yarn to eke out a 3/4 length sleeve but will make do with what I have. After all, summer is coming and a new t-shirt would be just fine, too.

If you look closely, you'll see the sheep stitch marker I recently purchased from Glastonbury Glassworks. She is so cute, I just had to use her on this project. Isn't she sweet!

Well, I've been away from my knitting long enough. One more row, then I'll fold the laundry. Or maybe two more rows. Or ten . . .

Happy Easter

Nothing like wearing a new sweater on Easter morning.

Hope all my friends have had a most blessed Easter!

A Cautionary Tale

It was a dark and stormy night, as I sat in my car outside a local church. At approximately 6:45, my children left the car to go to a fashion show/concert. Not being in the mood for loud music or a raucous roomful of teenagers, I opted to leave and run some errands.

At 7:00, I entered a grocery store to purchase laundry detergent. Mission accomplished.

At 7:10, a stop was made at the Walgreens to pick up some necessary medical items for DH.

At 7:15, I entered a local restaurant and enjoyed a Oriental Stir Fry Salad and piece of pie.

At 7:45, having paid my bill and exited the restaurant, I made the strategic decision to go back to the church and wait in the parking lot until the concert was over.

After circling the parking lot a few times, looking for a spot that had either a street light above it or some other source of outside lighting, I parked near the front of the church where a powerful floodlight illuminated the entire front of the building. There was enough reflected light for me to sit and knit without having to keep the car running or use the inside lights of the car.

There I sat, knitting away happily in the absolute silence and solitude of the car. I reveled in the peace I so seldom get to enjoy, being a full-time, homeschooling mother of four.

Until . . . .

A car pulls up beside my car and a large flashlight is turned onto my visage. After a moment, the car speeds away and I'm left wondering what on earth that was all about.

Five minutes later, the car returns and the window is rolled down. Cautiously, I start my car and roll my own window down.

A red-faced police officer, suddenly abashed by my middle-aged appearance and knitting-in-progress clutched in my startled hands, stammers, "I'm sorry to disturb you but I thought you might be a hooligan."

That's me, a knittin' hooligan.

You can't just buy one . . .

Once again, I find I have little to blog about when I'm working hard on a larger project. The pink cardigan is consuming my time and attention. You could say I've been a little obsessed with it. The yarn is wonderfully soft and has beautiful drape. It is a dream to knit, even when it's just plain stockinette or simple ribbing. It is one of those yarns that keeps you saying, "Just one more row, then I'll go to sleep."

However, I found that the 10 skeins of yarn are not going to be adequate to finish the sweater. I have 2 skeins left and I still haven't finished the main body of the sweater. I have at least 6 more inches of modified 3x1 ribbing before I'm ready to bind off and start on the sleeves.

So, of course, I had to order more yarn from Webs before they ran out of this discontinued color. Well, you just can't buy one thing at Webs, so I picked up some gorgeous red cotton/silk blend yarn for a tank top as well. It shipped today, so I can't wait to show you all the new yarn, not to mention, keep going on this beautiful cardigan. My only fear is that I'll run out of yarn before the new shipment arrives. Gasp!

I did get a wonderful little treat in the mail this afternoon. Live and Let Learn has a wonderfully talented glass artist for a husband. So when I was hunting for the perfect button for the pink cardi, she was the first person I thought of asking.

As usual, she came through for me with flying colors. You can see how lovely the button at the right looks with the pink yarn. Unfortunately, the photograph doesn't begin to do justice to the depth of color in this beautiful custom glass button.

Of course, you can't buy just one at Glastonbury Glassworks, either. So I just had to pick up these sheep to socks stitch markers as well. They are so adorable, I may have to get a special necklace like this one so I can wear them like jewelry.

Well, back to my compulsive knitting binge . . . Just one more row, then I'll clean the kitchen.

DOH!

Have you ever had one of those days?

As a fiber artist, I really should know better. Ninety-nine percent of the time, I check labels on any new sweaters, to make sure I launder them appropriately.

This was Hockeyman's favorite sweater, purchased at a local discount clothing store. Not even stopping to think about it (discount store sweaters are always polyester, right?) I tossed this beloved FS into the washing machine, then the dryer.

GAH!

Fortunately, Hockeyman laughed long and hilariously at my fiber gaffe and thought it great fun to squeeze into the micro-mini version of his FS. Then he cheerfully handed it to Peeps, the smallest member of the clan, whom it fits like a dream. She loves her new felted sweater and now I need to knit or buy a new sweater for HM.

In knitting news, I hit a bit of a snafu in my swatching. I've dutifully knit 4 inches of stockinette, 4 inches of 1x1 ribbing and 4 inches of modifed 3x1 ribbing. The 100% cotton is knitting up beautifully and the stockinette stitch swatch is dead on for gauge. However, the 1x1 rib gauge is supposed to be 20 st./in. and I get 24 st./in. And the modifided 3x1 ribbing is supposed to measure 24 st./in. and I have 26. So, here is my question - since this is cotton yarn, which has no rebound or stitch memory and will probably grow some with wear, am I safe in sticking with the same needle size throughout the project. Or should I change to larger needles that will get the gauge when I reach the ribbing sections and pray that the growth that is inevitable is vertical and not horizontal?

I've been burned before with knitting cotton to the ideal finished size, only to have it stretch and grow with time. However, I LOVE this sweater so much, I don't want to take any chances with it being too loose and floppy.

What would you do?

And we have a winner . . .

After some concentrated effort and a long search (hey, 24 hours is a long time for me), I have found the perfect pattern.

I went through at least a dozen magazines, spent hours online browsing through Ravelry, Knitty.com and a multitude of other online knitting pattern sources. After hours and hours of disappointing results, it turns out that the perfect pattern was just waiting in the latest issue of Interweave Knits.

This is a top-down knit project with an interesting slip-stitch i-cord detail for the front facing and a very flattering shape. I am also planning on looking for one fabulous button to add to the neckline, just because I like top closures on cardigans. The simple pattern should look wonderful with the slightly slubby yarn texture and it will be the perfect weight for spring and summer sweater weather.

In stupid kitty news, Harley has decided that since we have put him on diet kitty food, that cotton dishcloth yarn makes a great between meals snack. I fell asleep early this morning, in the midst of knitting on a washcloth. (Don't ask why I was up at 3:00 am. Let's just say I was a bit indisposed.) When I woke up a few hours later, the skein of yarn was detached from the knitting-in-progress and a large section of it was all soggy and nasty. Evidently, before he made it all the way up to the bamboo circular needles, his tummy decided that this was too much fiber and caused him to . . . well, regurgitate it back up. I'm fairly certain he "regurgitated" all of the fiber but to be on the safe side, we have dosed him with preventative meds, to make sure any remaining amount should pass without incident.

Now I'm in the process of removing all sources of temptation from Harley's living spaces. All yarn is being put away in sealed containers, on high shelves and ledges (he's too fat to jump very high) and in areas where he has no access.

Obviously the "D" word has an adverse affect on Harley's appetite, too.

Let the Dancing Begin!

The Christmas Gift of 2008 is now complete. A teenage Dancing Diva feels completely loved and embraced by her mother and all is well with the world.

The whoop I let out when I finished did manage to terrify the cats and cause Hockeyman to holler out, "WHAT?" I guess my celebration should have been more dancing and less whooping.

As a reward for toughing it out and finishing the blanket, I am going to cast on a new project for myself. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect summer T pattern. I am really intrigued by the whole top-down concept, so I'm looking specifically for something in that style. I recently ordered some 100% cotton yarn in a lovely ballet pink that I'm just dying to cast on.

I'm open to suggestions. In the meantime, back to the search . . .

I'm goin' to Shepherd's Harvest

Whoop!

Registered right after midnight on the 15th, just because I'm anxious to get into my first choices. And just a wee bit too excited to fall asleep, anticipating another great weekend of fibery stuff.

On Saturday, I'll be in the Luxury American Fiber's spinning class all day. It will be a great chance to hone my spinning skills on some more exotic fibers and prepare me to handle more difficult fibers on my own.

On Sunday afternoon, I'll be in the Novelty Yarn's spinning class. More fun spinning experience. Yay!

Oh, and I'm staying in a hotel in Stillwater Saturday night. One with a jacuzzi. It's going to be SWEEET! One whole weekend to myself, doing what I love.

I'm really hoping to hook up with some Ravelry mates and some old friends at Shepherd's Harvest, so let me know if you'll be there.

In other news, I am nearly done with Dancing Diva's Christmas Present. I am hoping I can finish it tomorrow. Since it was a big weekend for hockey, I managed to knit quite a bit while watching some High School playoff hockey (WTG! Eden Prairie Eagles! I saw both the playoff games and E.P. rocked!), Minnesota Wild hockey (gah, they lose in overtime - again.) and the Gophers beat St. Cloud to go to the WCHA Final Five (Woot!).

In related news, Hockeyman has been signed up for a spring league, so he'll be starting hockey again on Thursday. In the meantime, he got a job at a local grocery store and will be starting his training on Monday. It'll be a big week for the HM. For those who have asked, at this point, he fully intends to return to the High School hockey team in the fall, since the young men managed to mend their ways for the remainder of the season. He just loves the sport too much to let some jerks keep him from playing hockey. We'll just have to see how next year goes.

Well, the adreneline rush is fading and so am I. Nighty, night all you fiber artists and friends!

Eventful week = little knitting

It has been nearly a week since my last confession post. So many things have been happening around here. Unfortunately, none of it has been fiber arts related - at ALL!

Friday was not only the start of spring break in our district but also our homeschool academy classes. Not out of the ordinary except for the fact that I unloaded 2 kids to play dates and inherited 3 more teenage girls for an afternoon at the mall. I haven't gone and just "hung out" in a mall in my life but this seems to be the favored social activity of teenage girls. Hence, I spent hours following them around from shop to shop, watching them try on clothes, sunglasses and accessories and trying to keep from embarrassing them with my presence.

Saturday was spent power cleaning the house. Things have gotten a little behind, given our crazy schedule and having a full Saturday with no outside activities (thanks to spring break) meant we would get down to the nitty gritty and really get things sparkling. Of course, that sparkling state is already destroyed but, hey, we LIVE here.

Sunday was church and nap day. Literally! Since I'd been sick the previous week and worked so hard on Saturday, I ended up taking a 3 hour nap on Sunday afternoon. It was SWEEEEET and I refuse to feel any guilt at all. ;-P

Monday we spent at the local ski area, at the final Homeschool Ski Day of the season. Hockeyman is not allowed to snowboard during the regular hockey season, so he's been anxiously awaiting the chance to go out this year. Dancing Diva has skied numerous times but wanted to learn to snowboard this time. Bubba and Peeps have never been skiing, so this was their first ski trip. Since I don't ski or snowboard, I spent my day wandering back and forth between the different runs, checking on 4 kids who were spread out all over the place. My thighs and calves got quite the workout, tramping back and forth in the snow, so who says you have to ski to get a workout.

I've been researching a weightloss program the past few weeks and decided to give it a shot, so Tuesday was spent picking up some groceries and supplies for the new regime. Since we were expecting a "weather event" of some significance on Tuesday afternoon, it was a good thing to do my shopping early. The afternoon was spent watching weather reports and watching the ice build up on outdoor structures and praying that hubby would make it home from work at some point before midnight. He did but the roads were nasty. Thank Heavens for spring break and the lack of outside activities yesterday. I was more than happy to stay home. Of course, I didn't knit because I was finishing up the weightloss program preparations.

That brings us to today. I started my program (I refuse to say the "D" word because it only makes me crave chocolate, chips and chimichangas - this is a lifestyle change - OKAY!). It has been an okay day - not stellar - but okay. This program requires extra cooking and food prep, so lots of time was spent making food and cleaning up the extra mess. I have a bit of a headache, due to the fact that I've cut coffee out of my life. I spent the last week weaning myself off caffeine but I'm definitely doing much better today than I expected. A couple more days of this and I should be past the withdrawl entirely.

This program does have one advantage. It does utilize frequent "rewards" for goals set and reached. I'll have a goodie coming to me in 2 weeks if I can stick it out for that long. Any suggestions for non-food related rewards?

Can you spell L-Y-S t-r-i-p?

Will the madness never end???

If it's not entirely clear from the title, I assure you that I am still knitting endless rows of garter stitch. While this may not make for an earth-shattering revelation, it is, alas, what it is.

I'm also getting over another of those annoying virus thingies that have plagued me this winter. While I try to inject a little humor into my blog, I lack the great comedic genius of those who wring every ounce of laughter from a bout of the flu and subsequent infections and narcotic cough syrup episodes.

I've just managed to spend the past weekend, and bulk of the week, miserable and crabby . . . while knitting endless rows of garter stitch . . . when not collapsed in a Nyquil-induced haze of drowsiness.

However, as the fever dreams are subsiding and the cold symptoms seem to be retreating (I can almost smell things again), I am actually hopeful that the end of the garter stitch is in sight.

Who knows, maybe I'll even have a FO to show by the end of the weekend.

Then again, hubby now has symptoms of coming down with the virus thingie. There's nothing like nursing a sick husband to put knitting on hold.

Quintessential Conundrum

What to blog about when you are deep in the middle of a large project . . .

While I enthused about the possibility of letting go of guilt and just going with the knitting muse, casting on new projects with abandon, the reality is I live with a teenage daughter. Whilst I was more than ready to release the constraints the bound me and move on to newer, brighter, more thrilling projects, a little voice whined reminded me that I hadn't finished the Christmas Gift.

Alas, though my spirit longs to soar free and surrender to the Chronic Startitis, guilt has reared it's head and I am chained to never ending rows of garter stitch.

Granted, I am a fan of garter stitch. It is the ultimate T.V. watching stitch. I've managed to even knit during Wild and Gopher hockey games because I don't have to look at my hands as much while knitting garter stitch. However, there comes a time in every afghan/blanket project when I would swear that there has been a breach in the time/space continuum and the knitting is actually going backwards. While I know I have passed the halfway point, the end actually seems to be retreating faster than I progress toward it, like that ubiquitous door at the end of the ever lengthening hallway in horror movies and bad dreams.

Alas, I am trapped in this round of never ending garter stitch. All because a teen age girl seems to think a mother's love can only be expressed by actually finishing a Christmas Gift before the next Christmas rolls around.

Sheesh!

In the Spirit of Vicki Square

In the Spring 2009 Interweave Knits, there is an article by Vicki Square entitled, "Start As Many New Projects As You Can."

I think you can see where I'm going with this post.

Here, I've been kicking myself around the house, up the stairs and through the stash for the inability to finish some of the UFO's hanging around the manse. Although I had thumbed through the latest IK on arrival, I hadn't gotten around to reading it, cover to cover, as is my wont. Imagine the "doh" moment when I read this quote yesterday.

"Whatever you do, refuse to make yourself a hostage to the undone. Release yourself from the tyranny of a timetable whenever you can. Enjoy the creative flow of having many knitting projects going simultaneously, just as you enjoy a car ride without worrying about each individual moving part."

Fate managed to underscore my newfound freedom by allowing this little package to arrive today. It contains the yarn for a Vintage Gopher Hockey Sweater I'm making as part of a KAL on Ravelry. I also picked up some heavily discounted cotton yarn for a new summer sweater for myself.

Vive la nouveauté!

Surrender

There are times when you need to wave the white flag. What is the point of battling on when the battle is already lost. You can't fight nature. It is what it is. I surrender.


I simply have to go where inspiration leads, whether I leave a long trail of UFO's in my wake or not. Sometimes, inspiration hits and you are just forced to go with it until the bitter end. Hence, the latest FO is a completely new project.

DD#2, (aka Bubba) has been in need of a bag for her swim fins. I've been looking at swim meets but not be satisfied with the selection of bags available for purchase. Everyone has the same thing, which makes it harder to identify your stuff at the end of the day. So, after mulling the situation over for the entire swimming season, I had a brain blast.

Years ago, I was on one of those hunts for unique crafting materials at the local hardware store. Don't ask me why. I suspect I'd seen a craft show on HGTV that used unusual materials and was tempted to follow suit. As a result, I'd purchased lots of rubber gaskets, metal washers, chain and twine and tucked all of these various items into my stash, hoping I'd find something inspiring about owning them.

Fast forward several years - I am seeking the perfect yarn to make a string bag for swim equipment. It had to be waterproof, fade-resistant and stand out from the bags everyone else uses for their swim fins and goggles. Inspiration strikes and I remember my crazy hardware store shopping spree.

As a result (and with the help of Ravelry), I found a pattern for a crochet string bag. Super simple and fast, with the only modification being I replaced a side to side strap with drawstrings. I made it to fit Bubba's swim fins, with room to grow, since she'll move into bigger fins later on.

The Rainbow Twine is 100% nylon and should be impervious to the clorine and water at the pool. And since our homeschool group has weekly beach days in the summer, it should be a great tote for the beach as well.

As for standing out . . . well, I've never seen another one like it. Have you?

Shepherd's Harvest is coming . . .

I checked in at the Shepherd's Harvest website this morning and class listings should be available sometime today. Woot!

Registrations won't start until March 15 but at least I can start my . . . wishing and hoping and
thinking and praying, planning and dreaming . . .

Time for a change?

Thought I'd try a new look for the blog. We'll see how long I keep this style, though. I've got a touch of spring fever and I'm restless for change.

I started crocheting a beach bag with the plarn made this past week. I thought that the openness of the double crochet net pattern would allow sand to filter out and it would be less likely to mildew than cloth bags. Plarn is tough stuff to crochet with, since it likes to stick and drag as you use it. I have used almost all the red/white plarn up and am about half way done with the bag. Fortunately, with my largish family, I get a new batch of these bags every week. Another week or two of grocery shopping, and I should be able to finish this bag up.

In spite of the nagging guilt regarding the UFO/WIP pile, I have to admit that the arrival of the newest Interweave Knits magazine has cause a major flare-up of the chronic startitis I am battling. This project jumped out as a fun dance item for Dancing Diva, although she preferred this one for my ever-increasing "wannado" list. I fell in love with this one for myself. And the Net Duffel Bag - so cool!

Oh, and lets not forget the vintage hockey sweater KAL for Puck This on Ravelry. Hockeyman has picked this sweater for me to reproduce for him. This sweater was worn by the Minnesota Golden Gophers between 1936 and 1948. I've ordered the yarn, but it hasn't arrived yet. So in the meantime, I'm trying to work a little each day on different UFO's. That way, once the yarn arrives, I won't feel quite so badly about starting yet another project.

Then again, the double whammy of spring fever and chronic startitis may prove to be more than I can withstand.

What would you do if your mother asked you?

What is a knitter to do?

I have a list of UFO's a mile long. Some of them are close to done (one sleeve and some ribbing) and some are not so close (half of a twin-size blanket left to knit). I have a yarn stash so enormous, I have to use large laundry baskets and plastic tubs to corral it. I have patterns galore, shelves of books and magazines and a folder full of patterns downloaded from the internet - a veritable who's who of "wannados" lined up in a row.

What did I work on this week?



Slicing up plastic bags to make plastic yarn.




I know, I know, I'm pathetic.

Busy Wednesday post

No time for chit chat - gotta keep on movin' on - big day ahead. But another FO bites the dust.

LOVE this one. It's a Ravelry pattern called Darkside Cowl. Very fun and fast way to use up the leftover Noro Taiyo yarn.

Gotta go finish up Awana stuff and get the kids done with school before the race really begins tonight.

Ta Ta for now.

Addiction 101

I have to admit that the Hat Trick 2009 at Ravelry ended up being a blast. But I found it hard to quit knitting hats at the end of January. Hence, yet another hat FO for the blog.

This is the Sea Urchin pattern (Ravelry link) made with Noro Taiyo. It has a generous 220 yards, so I also managed to whip up a coordinating cowl with the leftovers. (Pics later)

I'm hoping that the hat addiction will slowly subside. Otherwise, when the snow melts this spring, the authorities may find we've been buried alive under a mountain of hand-knit hats.

For now, I'm chanting - must finish UFO's, must finish UFO's, must finish UFO's . . .

Week in review

Well, the hockey news continues to be good. Team members are being respectful and Hockeyman is actually playing more shifts in games. Although we lost badly to Eden Prairie last night (no surprise there - they are very good), and HM got a Unsportsmanlike penalty (his first EVER) at the very end of the game, HM actually played a great game.

As for the unsportsmanlike call (usually reserved for bad language and/or taunting and inciting the opposing player to fight, among other things), the whole situation was very humorous. The refs were calling things tight because (a) there was a major brawl early in the first period and (b) there is a history of fights between these two rival teams, both on and off the ice. The rivalry is so serious that several squad cars and multiple peace officers are in the building during games like this. So needless to say, the referees were working hard to keep things under control on the ice.

After a major collision in front of our net, in which HM was involved, there was a little pushing and shoving going on. HM stepped in and told an E.P. player not to touch the goalie and to back off - repeatedly while standing chest-to-chest and nose-to-nose with the player who was roughing up the goalie. The Ref hurried over to break it up, without hearing the actual conversation, and sent both boys to the box.

Everyone was laughing about the call because everyone on the team, including the parents, knows that HM does NOT swear or trash talk. HM was laughing & waving to us from the box in the final seconds. Frankly, it was the funniest ending to a game I've seen in a long time. A great ice-breaker for the team, which has been pretty subdued since the Great Locker Room Brouhaha.

I think we're going to have a decent end of the season after all.

Dancing Diva continues to improve after her bout with the flu this week. She has some lingering lung congestion, so we'll probably take her in for a quick check tomorrow morning. It will be nice to return to a normal school schedule, after days of sick kids and way too much television viewing.

In sewing machine news, hubby dismantled my precious baby and thinks he can fix it himself. We need to order a couple parts but the part I was most worried about (motherboard) is not damaged and doesn't need to be replaced. Whew! Huge sigh of relief!

As for Stupid Finger Part Deux, it has healed over nicely, although there is still significant bone tenderness. It only hurts when I bump the scar but as there is no swelling, I think the Stupid Finger will soon be a thing of the past.

In knitting news, I cast on and promptly frogged the first version (picture #2 above) of the baby blanket for BFF's 6th baby. The yarn in the first picture just jumped out of the clearance bin and into my shopping basket at Coldwater Collaborative on Wednesday. BFF, having had so many babies, confided in me several years ago that she was heartily sick of pastels. So when this bright, sunny Lana Grossa New Cotton followed me home, I knew it would be perfect for the August arrival of BFF baby version 6.0.

My first thought was to do an entrelac blanket. I cast on the base squares, loving the hand and drape of the fabric. However, as soon as I started the next set of entrelac squares in blue, I didn't like the size of the squares or the colors together in such large blocks.

Not being one to shy away from frogging, I promptly ripped the whole thing apart and went searching for another idea. I found the Joyous Stripes pattern in the Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns, I knew I had a winner. While the colors of the two pictures of the blanket in progress are not true (photographing red is horrible!), it does show the intricate look this very simple slip stitch pattern creates. I am totally loving how this blanket looks, feels and drapes. And the "wrong side", while not identical to the right side, is pretty enough to be the "right side", if I wanted it to.

I am feeling some guilt over this latest bout of startitis. I promised myself that I'd finish some UFO's after the Hat Trick 2009 KAL. However, with the stress issues this past week, I've given myself permission to be a bit selfish and go for any knitting that brings me joy.

And a gift for a new baby is the most joyous knitting project I can think of. How 'bout you?

New FO

I'm out of snappy titles for the time being. After the Great Hockey Brouhaha and a couple sleepless nights with feverish, vomiting girls, I'm not feeling particularly clever or witty. However, I do have some odds and ends to clear up on this blog.

First, a new FO to show. This is my version of the Palindrome Hat. I misread the directions and didn't stop cabling after 3 inches. So I had to improvise on the decreases at the crown. I'm not terribly pleased with the result and am considering adding a huge pom pom to the top to hide the rather wacky top. Since this is hat #6 for the Hat Trick 2009, I'm not going to do it over, since the KAL ends tomorrow.

On the other hand, this yarn is so pretty in the cabled pattern, I'm considering making another cabled project with the remaining skeins. (This yarn was the yarn I rejected for my Mom's afghan because the "no dye lot" yarn had definite color differences. I happen to have numerous skeins in the different shades to play with.) Who knows, I may make another Palindrome Hat with the correct length of cabling and decrease rows. And the matching scarf.

In Hockey News: For those who asked, it is possible to petition to have Hockeyman moved to a different school district to play hockey. It is a long and involved process because of MSHSL rules. Because in the past there were problems with kids using the Open Enrollment to switch to schools with better sports teams, they implemented a rule that makes players ineligible to play any sport for 1 calendar year after transferring to a new school. That rule applies to homeschool students as well. There is a petitioning process that can be followed to get a waiver but it is difficult to get approval unless you are transferring to a school with a team that is worse than the one you are currently on. HM is not terribly interested in transferring to a worse team at this point.

Also, due to the fact that our district is splitting into two high schools next year, they are going to be adding an additional J.V. squad next year. Given that we barely had enough kids available for two teams, the coach has asked that HM stay on the team. They will need every player (especially experienced HS players) they can get next year to field 3 H.S. teams and the coach is not likely to support the petition for HM to transfer.

At this point, HM only needs a team that is respectful of his religious beliefs, personal property and physical body. If the players can actually abide by the code of conduct contract they signed at the beginning of the season, HM has no problem with staying on the team. He doesn't expect them to be best friends, only mature adults. And since the team meeting, they have modified their behavior and we should be able to finish the season with no problems.

Now, for the bad news. My sewing machine is sick. I'm very worried, however, that this may be terminal.

Keep you fingers crossed for a miracle cure, especially since dance costume alteration season is upon me and I NEED a sewing machine.

Could this week get any worse?

The Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

Yup, stole the title but it perfectly sums up a 24 hour period of time, starting Monday after hockey practice.

You see, I nearly stopped being a hockey mom this week.



Take a moment to catch your breath . . . I'll wait.


I can't blog about the details. I promised HM that I wouldn't. But there was a sleepless night, plenty of tears shed (on my part) and a very intense meeting between HM, Hubby and the coaches of the hockey team on Tuesday afternoon. As a result, HM will finish the season with the team, some rather nasty hockey locker room incidents will be suitably punished and steps will be taken to ensure HM's physical safety while at the rink. So, for the time being, I'm still a hockey mom. I've got some mixed emotions about it all but being a hockey mom means standing behind the player, 100%.

All this came on the heels of a long weekend in Red Wing at a swim tournament (which went GREAT - Bubba won a 6th place ribbon for 100 yd. backstroke - her first ribbon - WOOT), so I'm way behind on blogging about fibery pursuits.

For those who are breathlessly awaiting my announcement of which projects I took to Red Wing . . . I took the Center Medallion Sweater, Dancing Diva's Blanket and Hubby's Annual Birthday Socks. I actually finished HAB Socks and managed a few inches on DD's Blanket. I had far less knitting time than I thought I'd have. And definitely no quiet time to figure out how to recreate the pattern alterations I made to the CM Sweater's sleeve. I'm saving that project for a time when I have a few hours of peace and quiet to work it out.

I can't post a pic of the HABS - Hubby took them and immediately wore them to work the next day. He likey! I'll have to snag a photo after I wash them.

I finished another hat yesterday for the Hat Trick 2009 on Ravelry. I can post a pic but probably shouldn't. It's not a great shot (color is not accurate and look at my messy hair!) but all I have time to take at the moment. I'm still looking for a Wild logo to add to the hat and it still needs to be washed and blocked. Still, the bad photo is at least proof that something besides hockey drama is going on around here.

I'm nearly finished with the last hat for my third hat trick and will hopefully have a picture of it tomorrow.

Time to finish up a few things before driving HM to hockey. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a very uneventful practice today.

Getting Ready to Head Out

Not much knitting progress to show, yet. Still plugging away at the Annual Birthday Socks for Hubby. I have a couple inches of cuff left to knit before casting off. I also finished another preemie hat for charity this morning but since it looks exactly like the other two pink preemie hats, it's hardly worth photographing.

(I'm trying to use up the rest of the pink yarn, left over from Dancing Diva's leg warmers. It's staggering how many preemie hats you can get out of one partial skein of Bernat's Softee yarn. Unfortunately, based on my experience, there is at least enough yarn for two more hats, if not three. Blast those bargain yarns that pack so much yarn into one skein!)

Anyway, here's my query . . . I will be out of town this weekend, starting tomorrow, for Bubba's swim meet in Red Wing. I'll have lots of extra knitting time and am trying to decide which UFO's I should take with me to finish. After all, I did make a resolution to finish three UFO's this year before casting on anything new.

(I'd really, really, really love to cast on a new project - socks, sweater vest, or maybe a big cardigan for which I already have this gorgeous yarn. Blast these New Years Resolutions!)

I have the Center Medallion Sweater, lacking a sleeve and bottom ribbing yet.

(I've forgotten how I modified the pattern for the first sleeve and it will take some figuring to reproduce it. Blast my bad note-taking ability!)

I have another Tweedy Vest in the works in this yarn.

(A fun, fast knit that makes me feel guilty when I work on it because it's the newest UFO of the bunch. Blast my over-active conscience!)

I have Dancing Diva's Blanket.

(Lots of easy garter stitch but a huge quantity of yarn to lug along. I mean LOTS - two knitting bags worth, since it is all in 1 pound skeins. Blast these large projects!)

Yarn for another hat that hasn't been started yet but would finish the Hat Trick for the Ravelry Group KAL.

(More guilt, since I've finished a total of 5 hats already, not counting the 4 preemie hats. Blast that ethnic heritage that developed this crazy guilt complex!)

Now, tell me, what would you choose to take on a 3 day weekend trip?

Wow!

Oh, and AMEN!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled hat knitting . . .

I've been fanatically knitting away on hats for the Hat Trick 2009 group on Ravelry. I don't know why this particular KAL captured my interest but I'm having a blast knocking off hats, left and right.

Tally so far is 4 completed child/adult hats and 3 preemie hats. Preemie hat #4 is nearly done, as is adult hat #5. However, a quick check of the calendar revealed a rather shocking fact . . .

Hubby's birthday is this week!

So hat knitting is moved to the back burner while I continue the annual tradition of making Hubby a new pair of hand-knit wool socks for his birthday. I had started a pair of socks for him back in November. It was a rather disappointing start because the self-striping yarn did not seem to have any repeats. I had carefully wound the skein into two equal weight balls, as is my usual custom. I pulled yards and yards out of each center-pull ball, trying to get the yarn patterns to align. No matter how much yarn I pulled, nothing lined up. So I gave up and just started knitting from the beginning of both balls.

Fast forward 5 inches of knitting and all of a sudden, the patterns did have a repeat. The problem was, the matching stripes were 3 inches apart. Knowing my Hubby's disposition (perfectionist, symmetry-loving, engineering-type person), I knew he'd never actually wear the socks unless I fixed them. So the socks were set aside while I pondered the manner of their redemption.

Fast forward again to this morning. Knowing I only have a few days to finish these, I decided to be bold and cut off the toe section of one of the socks, unravel the sock up to the point where the toe shaping started on the other sock and re-knit the toe down. Two hours of surgery and reconstructions and you see the results above. Also, since the surgery left the sock 3 inches shorter than the other, I've spent the rest of the morning knitting it to the same length as the original sock.

Granted, I might have unraveled the offending sock completely and restarted it but by choosing the above method, I was able to get the stripes to match perfectly. Whether I save a significant amount of time by doing it this way is open to debate. I did have at least 1.5 inches of knitting that was saved, that would have had to be re-knit had I started from scratch.

Needless to say, I'm pleased with the results of this morning's attempt. Not only did I salvage a pair of socks that might have languished in the bottom of Hubby's sock drawer but I figured out that it is not all that difficult to re-knit toes. Should socks pop a hole in the toes, I know I can save them by knitting new toes. Sweet!

Now if I could figure out how to re-knit holey heels. Hmmmm?

Storm clouds

No, I'm not talking about weather, although I've noticed the arctic blast this past week dominated all my favorite blogs.

No, we're talking about the mood here at Chez Chapeau. Two of my girls had friends spend the night last night. Granted, grumpiness due to lack of sleep is a normal result of slumber parties. However, we have had a bit less sleep than normal at this particular party, due to some rather unusual excitement late last night.

Earlier in the evening, Hubby took Hockeyman, Dancing Diva and DD's friend to a concert in Minneapolis. After watching a full day of hockey (with some "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers" during intermissions of the Wild Game), I tucked the Bubba, Peeps and Bubba's friend down to bed for the night. While making the rounds of the house to turn off lights and check doors and windows and such, I heard a ruckus going on in the basement. With the intuition born of an insane and illogical paranoia about mice, I concluded that one of the cats was chasing a heat-seeking rodent around the music room.

Completely committed to keeping the knowledge of the vermin invasion from the slumbering elementary-age girls, sleeping on the floor on the main level, I surreptitiously grabbed the telephone and called Hubby to see how soon he would be home to rescue me from this life-threatening situation. While he was already homeward bound and a mere 10 minutes from the house, he advised me to take some towels and block all the cracks at the bottom of doors in the basement, to keep the mouse contained until he got there.

Well, being the ever obedient wife, I faced my worst nightmare and ventured into the basement to do his bidding. All was going well, with the mouse cowering behind a bag and trapped by Harley. I was able to get the doors blocked as instructed and was tiptoeing back toward the stairs and my haven of safety (under the covers of my bed on the top floor of the house) when Harley managed to flush the little varmint out. With a leap and a dash, the mouse scurried past my feet, causing me to scream wildly and jump onto the nearest high surface.

Well, so much for keeping the knowledge of the mouse from the girls.

As I perched atop the arm of a chair and watched Harley make a valiant effort to capture the horrid thing, I hollered words of reassurance and comfort to the now wide-awake and hysterical girls and prayed Hubby would arrive soon to rescue us. Which he did - eventually.

After a good laugh with Hockeyman at my expense (perhaps I should have reminded him of a certain arachnophobic tendency in his own make-up), the men managed to catch the mouse in a shoe box and release it back into the wild.

Needless to say, after the adreneline rush, it took quite awhile to get the girls settled back to bed. And now I have a very tired, grumpy Peeps on my hands.

The moral of the story - don't ask your normally camera-loving child to model your latest FO for a photo after a late night of panic and mayhem unless you're willing to settle for a grumpy, pouty-lipped shot for the blog.

Fly by posting

It's a big day in Minnesota. Anyone who is anyone in the State of Minnesota is reveling in the first above zero day since Monday by watching hockey. After all, it is Hockey Day Minnesota and we are the State of Hockey, doncha' know.

I'm off to watch the Gophers play hockey next (after a good afternoon of HS hockey viewing).

But I couldn't pass on showing the latest FO.

It's from the Swirly Girl Tam & Mitts pattern from an e-PatternsCentral.com. It looked like an interesting knit because of the short-rows and garter stitch stripes. And it was fun. The color isn't terribly true, but that was the best light of the day. Guess the warm front brought with it some pretty thick clouds and light flurries. Guess you can't have both heat and light in winter.

The pattern calls for a large pom pom on top. I haven't decided if I want to cover the cool center swirl with such a fluffy addition. I'll probably let Bubba decide if she wants one or not, since this is her hat.

Back to my recliner to enjoy a Gopher game now and a Wild game later. Go Minnesota!

She's a Super Star

There are just some kids that are loved, no matter how much trouble they cause their parents. And there are some projects that turn out stellar, no matter how much cursing, muttering and bitter recriminations they inspire.

This was, by far, one of the most frustrating knits I've created in recent years.

Mistake #1 - using the magic loop method instead of buying a 16" circular needle in the right size or using dpns. The fact that I was working hard to control the tension of the floats on the reverse side of the fabric made tightening up the "seams" on each side tough.

Mistake #2 - using the wrong size stitch markers instead of buying or making smaller ones. Compounding the problem was the fact that they were open rings, which meant the yarn was constantly getting caught in various markers and pulling them out of the fabric.

Mistake #3 - not reading the pattern instructions closely enough and getting myself off on the decrease rounds right from the beginning. I was supposed to work 2 rounds of the pattern before doing a decrease round but I decreased right off the bat. That made my chart off by one stitch right from the beginning. Trust me, the idea of tinking back with this rather grippy, snarly yarn, over-sized open ring stitch markers and the magic loop method was not something I wanted to attempt. So I just forged ahead with the pattern, adapting the pattern as I went and being complete surrendered to the idea that this was just a "teaching" piece and it didn't matter how it looked when I was done.

Mistake #4 - attempting to perfect the two-handed Fair Isle knitting technique with all the above handicaps in place . . . and a Stupid Finger, to boot.

Mistake #5 - not stopping and taking measures to correct any one of the above mistakes in mid-stream and forcing myself to continue to the bitter end with all the moronic handicaps that I'd created for myself. Sometimes I can be just a tad too stubborn for my own good.

I hadn't looked too closely at the tam when I cast off. I wove in the million or so ends, sought a proper sized plate for blocking and finished stretching it out for steam blocking before really looking at the finished product.

It was a "WOW" moment. In spite of all the difficulties and awkwardness in knitting it, it turned out very pretty. The "seams" are not all that visible (a loose looking stitch here and there is all) and the float tension issues seemed to block out beautifully with a good burst of steam.

When Peeps saw it, she immediately fell in love with it and claimed it as her own - which is a good thing because it turned out pretty small. (Being the theatrical little lady she is, she couldn't resist hamming it up for the camera a little.)

Harley was even impressed.

Then again, maybe he just wanted me to pay attention to him, instead of staring, entranced at the wonder I had wrought.

Snowy Weather and Little Blessings

While schools in our immediate vicinity have not been let out early, there was enough of the white stuff dumped on us this afternoon to get the girls a snow day from dance this evening. While most people would probably consider this a "so what" kinda thing, for me it is a little blessing (#1).

You see, I have this issue with books. When I read something that I like, I have a dickens of a time putting it down. Alas, I made the mistake of starting a book yesterday morning and I ended up spending most of the night finishing it. I managed to squeeze about 2.5 hours of sleep in this morning. To compound the stupidity of my error, Peeps had an early morning eye appointment and we just had to get up by 7 a. m. to get her out the door and to the doctor to make sure that her eye issues were still under control. (Note: They are - she is 20/20 in the good eye and 20/25 in the weak one and the crossing continues to lessen. Little blessing #2!)

I've never been so thankful in my life to have a teenage driver in the house. When I got him up and asked him to drive us to the doctor, he was eager to help. More than that, with the snow just beginning for the day, it was an opportunity for him to work on his driving-in-snow skills before he starts his behind-the-wheel training tomorrow. Even with his novice driving status, it was probably far safer with him behind the wheel, that his poor, sleep-deprived mom. Little blessing #3!

And yet, Hockeyman still has hockey (they NEVER cancel hockey in Minnesota - that would be sacreligious) and Bubba still has swimming (as of now). So I have a couple little trips to make today but not nearly as much as usual. Having taken a little nap earlier today (little blessing #4), I feel well able to deal with the two activities that remain.

As for another type of little blessing, here is a preemie hat for the KAL on Ravelry. I pray that eventually this tiny hat is a blessing to someone welcoming a wee one into the world.

Now if I could just get a good, solid night of sleep tonight, we'd move into the big blessing category.

You just can't keep a good woman down!

Well, the Stupid Finger is coming along nicely. Because I splinted and kept the blasted thing dry and clean for 2 days, I've got a good seal on the wound and have graduated from the full finger splint to a regular band-aid with some sports tape wrapped around it while knitting and doing other things that might irritate or open it back up.

I have to admit, I must have knicked the bone pretty good because it is ridiculously tender and sore. It actually hurts more than the avulsion fracture of the middle finger back in June.

All that to say that I'm back to my regular knitting style and have knocked off a quick preemie hat for the Hat Trick 2009 and k3tog PHK group on Ravelry. My next goal is to finish the Fair Isle Tam this weekend, before returning to the preemie hats.

Once January ends, I'll have to get back to my usual New Years Resolution of finishing off 3 UFO's before casting on anything new. Definitely should NOT be a problem finding plenty of projects to finish, since I think the UFO's have been breeding and multiplying in the basket. They are overflowing and threatening to overrun the house.

I just hope they don't start plotting a coup. Yikes!

Stupid Finger Part Deux

I don't know whether to lay the blame on my husband for buying me a new set of razor sharp kitchen knives for Christmas, myself for jinxing myself while opening gifts by saying I'd probably end up cutting off a finger because these knives are for professional cooks or the fates because they seem to have it in for my left hand fingers. But the "Stupid Finger" made a dramatic return when I managed to slice my left index finger to the bone last night.

Unfortunately, I manged to cut across the first knuckle, exactly along the area where the yarn traverses as I knit. Though I was able to stop the bleeding within 20 minutes, and I knew my tetanus shots were up to date and avoided a trip to urgent care last night, it tends to crack open and bleed unless I splint it and keep it immobile. Alas, my knitting ability is now compromised. (Stupid Finger!)

Thus, my second "goal" for Hat Trick 2009 for the Ravelry Puck This Group is on hold. I had spent a few days reading Knitted Tams by Mary Rowe, had worked up the charts and color plots for the hat and had even managed to get 3" of the hat done before the cutting catastrophe occurred. While I can knit a little by modifying my picking technique, it is just too hard to practice the two-handed Fair Isle knitting technique with a Stupid Finger.

Fortunately, I can manage garter stitch. So I'm back to working on Dancing Diva's blanket once again. And I may cast on a simple rolled-brim baby hat to work toward Goal #2 for the Hat Trick 2009.

In the meantime, my silver lining radar has already come up with some positives about the return of the stupid finger . . . like pawning laundry & dishes off on the kids for a week.

Hooray for silver linings!

First FO of '09

My needles have been smokin' around here. Nothing like some New Year inspiration to get the mojo goin'. Here is Koolhaas from Interweave Knits Holiday 2007 magazine, modelled by the ever lovely Dancing Diva, who promptly fell in love with the hat and has claimed it as her own.

I joined a knit-along on Ravelry, kinda as a way to get motivated to get back into regular updates and posting over there. Being a hockey mom, I've been part of the Puck This group for quite awhile. So when they announced Hat Trick 2009, it sounded like a blast. Three hats in the month of January was the challenge. I cast on around 5:30 am on New Years Morning and finished at 2:30 pm on January 2. SCOOOOORE!

Ergo, I have my first "goal" of the month. I decided to try Koolhaas again, which had me kerfaffled the first time I attempted it. This time, however, the pattern made sense. It was one of those "doh" moments when I realized that k2tbl was not a decrease but, literally, knit 2 stitches through the back loopS. You can see how cleverly Brooklyn Tweed worked the crown decreases in the photo. Absolutely brilliant!

So brilliant that it took me a year to figure it out.