A Finish and My Favorite Models

Here's the finished jumper.  That smocking was a lot of fun and is all done by knitting.  I think it'd look great on a pair of mitts!

When we delivered the jumper, Missy happened to be wearing a top the same color as the buttons!

Recently our littlest fashionista discovered that the sweater I made for her last fall finally fits. I was told she picked out the rest of the outfit herself including the shoes after trying on all of her varied shoe choices first.  Impressive!

Here's big brother, who's almost always in a good mood, wearing his new birthday hoodie. Looks like size 3 fits pretty well.

DD#1 sent this photo of the Chicago threesome in their Christmas knits. I got a sweet letter the other day from our grand daughter that said,  I'll never it (the purple hat) off. "  Guess I'll have too make another. A girl can't have too many hats or shoes, right?

I am such a lucky grandma! Check out Patchwork Times for other knitting project ideas.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

How'd it get to be Friday again so fast?  After singing twice last Sunday (to a pretty empty church the 2nd time), we hurried off to our friend's house to watch THE game with her.  It took most of the week to recover! The town is lit up with blue and green lights at night, and lots of "12's". In the midst of the excitement, I tried to knit.  Knitting keeps you calm, right? I'm working on a cute little jumper for Stella, and it's coming right along.  The smocking has 
been fun to do. One more smocking sequence and it will be time to bind off and make the straps. The yarn is Cascade Quatro and is nice to work with.

On Monday we had book club. Have you ever read  The Count of Monte Cristo?  It is LONG but exciting, but I still have lots more to read. Only half of the group had finished, and we met earlier in the month than usual.  (I'm on chapter 73 and only 64% done; can you believe it? The chapters aren't short either!)  Maybe we should just watch the movie?  Anyhow along with the usual weekly stuff like volunteering and choir, I did finish another washcloth.

I'm also part way through Clue 2 on the Mystery Sock.  It took me 2 tries to find the right yarn though.  Meanwhile, GO Hawks! And check in at Patchwork Times to see what others are knitting.

One Declared Done and Two Finishes!

In 2010 I started an Advent Scarf as part of a KAL and got through Day 16 before the December crazies arrived in full force, so I put it away, vowing to finish it sometime.  In the ensuing years, I've gotten it out and finished Day 17 and part of 18.  Finally this year, I decided it was time to declare it finished because it's now 84" long with 6 1/2  more days to go.  Enough already! It. Is. Done! (And I am keeping it!)

I also finished another one of these (Thanks, Mere!)

and another one of these:

That's 3 headbands from 200 yds. of worsted wt. yarn with a small ball left over.  On my needles are a couple more projects, a pair of mitts, a different head band, and a sock as part of Kirsten Kapur's KAL.  Fun!  See what others are knitting at Patchwork TImes.

January Birthdays, a Grand Celebration!

We had a big celebration at our daughter's house on Sunday and not just because the SeaHawks won either.  Three members of the family have birthdays in January, so DD#2 hosted a grand celebration.  She also made a spectacular cake!

Max had requested a digger cake, and here it is, a bulldozer, complete with a pile of dirt. (Crushed chocolate graham crackers.)  It was delicious, too, as all that frosting had brownies beneath it!

Here are all but one of the Seattle cousins. Max turned 3 last weekend and Katie, in the plaid shirt, is officially celebrating today.

And Daddy got to attend the BIG game on his day and watch them win! That's not a bad way to celebrate, is it?

And I gave this scarf to Grandma S., who was quite interested in the scarf I had given DD for her birthday. Hope she liked it!  Gotta run; today is volunteer day. Bye.

All Done! Well Almost.....

Max turned three last weekend, but since Daddy's birthday is on Saturday, there will be a joint celebration this weekend.  I just finished sewing the seams and attaching the buttons today.  This sweater is to replace an earlier one which he's outgrown.  Hoods are so useful in our PNW climate! (You can see the tweed better if you double click on the sweater.)

Brent's fingerless mitts are done, too.  The pattern was in the Winter 2013 issue of Knit Simple; it was easy and pretty quick....and hopefully, useful. This is the first pair of mitts that I've made with an opening for the thumb instead of a thumb gusset. To make the opening the pattern said to knit back and forth rather than in the round and then reconnect after about 10 rows.  Interestingly enough, it worked!

And then, just this afternoon I learned that there will be a birthday girl at the celebration. Yikes, what to do? Luckily I have yarn left from this project. She has long hair and is a skier, so maybe she will like a headband? I'm about 3 inches into it, and Sunday's a long way off, right?  Wish me luck.

Happy knitting everyone! For inspiration, go to Patchwork Times and see what everyone else has On Their Needles.

Still Celebrating!

Happy New Year!  In our family Christmas Day is just the beginning of several weeks of celebrations.  DD#2 has a birthday on the 28th, and this year we managed to surprise her with a party at our house.

Almost all of her relatives were there except for one nephew and her sister's family in Chicago.  It's been a long time since we had so many folks at our house, and it was fun. She seemed to like the scarf I made.

At the last minute, Dick and I decided to spend New Year's at Cannon Beach, OR, which is one of our favorite places to relax. It's such a beautiful spot.

At low tide, you can walk right out to Haystack Rock where  puffins nest in the summer.

After New Year's comes  Max's birthday on the 4th and Daddy Brent's on the 10th, so we are having a joint celebration next weekend.   Here is Max with Uncle Carl; they are great buddies. Max liked the penguin I made for him, and it was a fun and quick project!

Off in Chicago celebrations were happening also.  Daniel lost his first tooth, and one of the chickens laid the first egg!

Yes, 2015 is off to a good start in our family.  We hope the same for yours!

Off the Needles and Just in Time!

Now that Christmas is past, I can show a couple more finishes.  For the two joggers in the family I made  hats with Schachenmyr's Lumio yarn.  Iit reflects the light, thanks to a thread that's wound in with the yarn.  The yarn itself is really bulky, so it knits up fast, and the hats should be warm. Surprisingly, I had yarn left over from each skein.  If you double click on the blue hat, you can see how it picked up the flash. The other day I saw some similar yarn at Jo-Ann's, but I got these two online.

This prayer shawl was delivered today to a quilting friend who is undergoing cancer treatment for a very aggressive kind of cancer.  Sure hope it lifts her spirits a little.

I was happy to receive this photo the other day of all three of the Chicago gang wearing their knits.  They are a happy bunch, aren't they?

There are still a couple more finishes to show but not till the upcoming birthdays are over.  Happy New Year Everyone!  How can it be 2015? Check out what others are knitting at Patchwork Times.