guilt free knitting!

i pilfered this from the twist collective website. i do not feel the least bit guilty about doing so as i really believe that all knitters should heed this advice and 'knit on'!!!

mele kalikimaka!!!

is the island way to say merry christmas to you!!

aloha, i may be just a tad bit tardy in wishing you the best of holidays but i've been a tad bit busy these past several weeks - seems i was forced to kick back, put my feet up and knit under the swaying palms you see in the above pictures! rather rough life, ehhh.....

i've just returned from my annual soiree to the islands! and it was one, hell of a way to miss the biggest snowstorm in history! i did see it on the news everyday and i did feel your pain even though i was basking in 80 degree weather! well, yes, someone has to do it!!

and so...on to the knitting! and first off i must say, i have finally learned my lesson about not completing a pair of socks in a timely manner! i.e. knitting one, setting it aside, and waiting a year to finish its mate! does not bode well! my brain just cannot handle it anymore! it is really a bummer when you have to frog because you weren't using the same size needle as the pattern called for but you forgot to note your change!

however, i am happy to report that at long (and i mean long) last all of my single socks now have a partner! yippee! and i will not, and i repeat, let single socks live alone anymore!! i promise, i promise, i promise! gosh, i see a new year's resolution in the making!!

keep on knitting in the free world!

over the moon!

my cup runneth over! well, actually, it would be my studio area!

i was in yarn heaven on saturday when i attended the blue moon fiber arts destash sale (believe me, i had absolutely no trouble lending a helping hand with the destashing!).

it was a bright sunny, yet crisp, late fall morning when the mergster and i set sail for a delightful outing to scappoose. the amazing thing about the start of this adventure was that i had actually done a little pre-trip planning and map quested the sale site - not that spending hours wandering around scappoose wouldn't have been delightful but i had other fish to fry that day!

instead of following the map totally, i took a shortcut on the back roads through north portland and over the st. johns bridge. i would have to say that of all the bridges in portland that just might be my favorite. there is absolutely nothing like heading east over the bridge on a clear, sunny day - the views of mt. st. helens and mt. hood are to die for!! but, i digress.

anyhoo, as bernice would say, the voyage was extremely pleasant and we had absolutely no trouble what so ever finding the site! yippee! gosh, maybe i should preplan all the time! and the mergster's wish was granted - they had coffee and doughnuts by the door!!

once inside, i knew i was in trouble! yarn was everywhere! within minutes, my arms were full! it's amazing what one can accomplish when one is on a mission! yes, believe it or not, i did have several knitting projects in mind, such as the february sweater kal but, then i saw it - the str mill ends - and i knew the party was over!! and yes, indeed, it was!! i did my christmas and birthday shopping for myself, of course, in a matter of minutes! and...i actually put a couple skeins of yarn back which is pretty unbelievable!!

in this fun and festive environment, i met a number of my fellow knitaholics, and, just like every other addiction, they come in all sizes, shapes and ages!! we happened upon a wonderful young women that has been knitting the infamous sock monkeys, something like 25 so far!! she had a ton of them with her and they were wonderful - this prompted a trip back to the pattern area! i'm quickly advancing these little cuties to the top of my 'must knit' list!

my damages amounted to three bags full - sort of prophetic, i think!, loads of laughter, some great donut holes and coffee and a chance to chat with my fellow addicts, tina and her fellow sockateers - beats the hell out of a shopping mall hands down and i was home by noon! 

now that i'm done with my holiday shopping, i spent yesterday balling up and fondling all of my new acquisitions. i was winding my year at such a furious rate that i am now sporting a lovely bruise on my knuckle from the handle of my ball winder where it kept whacking me when i would let it go! ah, the scares of battle! 

o.k., now that that's over, where to begin! who's holiday gift is first on the needles? or, could it be a monkey or two, or three?

tres chic!!!

word on the street is that this little number is 'hot' down in duckville (u of o land). it's a knock off of the sweater floral earwarmer from www.urbanoutfitters.com. a fast and easy holiday knit for those favorite folks on your list. my friend janice sent me the pattern as she has been making tons for her niece and friends. here's how i did mine:

sweater floral earwarmer

supplies: worsted weight yarn (great stash buster as it doesn't take too terribly much - you can get several out of a skein of brown sheep!); size 7 or 8 circular needles - 16 inch length (i am a loosey goosey knitter so i've opted for the smaller size!); stitch marker.

directions: cast on 100 stitches and join for knitting in the round (be careful not to twist your stitches or you'll find yourself in a world of hurt and froggin'!! argh!!). place stitch marker at beginning of round and k2 p2 for 3 1/2 to 4 inches. bind off and work in ends. could it be any simpler than that? i mean, really, a great beginner project with immediate results - a great ego booster!

rosette: i make two of these.

cast on 112 stitches.

row 1: knit to end.

row 2: k2, *k1, slip this stitch back onto left hand needle, lift the next 8 stitches on left hand needle over this stitch and off needle, knit the first stitch again, k2; repeat from *a total of 10 times.

row 3: knit 24 stitches, *wrap next stitch, turn work.

row 4: knit 24 stitches to end of row.

row 5: knit 16 stitches, wrap next stitch, turn work.

row 6: knit 16 stitches to end of row.

row 7: knit 8 stitches, wrap next stitch, turn work.

row 8: knit 8 stitches to end of row.

cut yarn and thread this yarn through stitches on needle, pull tightly (or looser to create desired size) to create a rosette, secure with a few stitches. make a french knot in center of rosette. the second rosette should be stretched out more to surround the first rosette and secured to first rosette. secure the completed rosette to the headband (i put it over the area where i worked in my ends) stitching it at several locations so it is well secured and doesn't flop around and voila! you have created a work of art that is oh, so, tres chic!! ho, ho, ho!

my vote for sock kal!

well, the tuesday of thanksgiving week i received my final bundle of joy for the 2009 rockin' sock club (which i am now 2 1/2 pairs behind! argh!), a gorgeous hank of muted fall tones - perfect for late fall! yum! yum!

in her dyer's notes, tina was chatting about sock patterns that would be great for sock kals. she mentioned patterns such as cookie a's 'monkey' and grumperina's 'jaywalker'. this got me thinking about what my choice would be so i am nominating this dandy little number - 'hepsi's sock'. i found this pattern on ravelry.com. it was designed by heli heikkila, who hails from finland, the land of reindeer (fitting for this time of year with santa and all!).

it is a four row pattern that really only has any action on row 1, so any feeble minded person can pretty much memorize it rather quickly (i managed!). it is pretty easy to maneuver through the english translation. god bless those people who speak a foreign tongue and have english as a second language - sometimes the sentence structure leaves a bit to be desired but, hey, at least they know a second language which is more than i can say for myself! and according to friends, my sentence structure also leaves a bit to be desired!

the greatest thing about this pattern is that you can choose to do your own heel thing! yahoo, that works for me as i am currently having a love affair with the short row heel. it is a real slammer, once you get the hang of it - wham, bam, thank you, mam! done in no time at all! i know what you skeptics will say, it probably won't wear as well as the standard, government issue, gusset heel but, hey, if it wears out, i'll just have to knit a new pair, it's not like i don't have any extra yarn on hand!!! :-)

once i complete the yellow pair, i am on to holiday knitting. i've decided to knit cowls for friends and relatives. i found a number of fun and challenging freebies in the pattern section of ravelry so i'm dying to begin. and besides, i think i'll design a pattern of my own!! happy knitting!