Off the Needles

A couple of projects were finished this week, and both were fun in different ways.  When I saw the pattern for Music Mitt, I knew just the person who needed them.  We have a very talented person in our choir who is an accomplished pianist and composer, and she is always complaining about cold hands.  Here is my solution:

She loved them and told me she can even play the piano with them on . That was good news!

This yarn is called Jester and was really fun to work with as it always kept you guessing as about when the next pom pom would show up. The pattern is called Mistake Rib and looks the same on both sides which is a great stitch pattern for a scarf.  I chose to keep the pom poms on one side for ease in wearing.  I needed two skeins, and it appears as if the color sequence on the pom poms is slightly different.  It would have been interesting to have had a third skein to see. Check Patchwork Times to see what others are knitting.

Feeling Guilty!

Last weekend DD#2 sent us this photo of their house and yard with the news that school had been cancelled once again due to cold temperatures.

On very the same day, while I was at my quilt group, DH took a photo of our yard because we had a surprise visitor. (Look at all that moss!)

He, or maybe she stuck, around for quite a while before strolling off into the alley behind our house.

Before leaving though, a demonstration in agility was performed.  Wouldn't it be nice to be this limber?

Even our indoor plants seem to think it's spring.  Our Canary Island pine just rewarded us with a new set of leaves.  As you can see, it's quite tall and may need to be moved in the near future.  All this greenery means it's time to think of yard work. In February? That is unheard of, but I did prune and fertilize the roses this weekend and deadheaded the hydrangeas which are budding out.  And now besides feeling guilty about our good weather while everyone from the Midwest to the East Coast is freezing, I am worried that we may get a killing freeze. We have had snow in March before............ I sure hope not!

Dishcloth Crazy and SKYP!

While we were traveling, I had plenty of time to knit in the car and on the plane.  Whenever I could really concentrate, socks were on the needles and then when less concentration was needed, out came the dishcloths.  After I finished the dishcloth I'd started at home, we had to make an emergency trip to Michael's for more cotton yarn.  Here they are:

  

These four are Mere's pattern, the Almost Lost Washcloth.

And these two are one of Dee's favorite patterns called Grandma's Favorite Dishcloth. I have both patterns memorized and could maybe even do them in my sleep!  I'll bet Dee and Mere can, too. (Both patterns are on Ravelry.)

 All but these two are living in new homes. Dishcloths make perfect hostess gifts, especially paired with homemade soap from Cranberry Morning!

The above one is made from leftover yarn (can you tell which one?) and is made using the mistake rib pattern over 31 stitches. It was finished after we got home.

Ta Da! Here are the SKYP socks, finally finished. We won't mention when they were started. I love the skyp stitch and this yarn, but sadly I believe this yarn has been discontinued.

So there you have it, ten days worth of knitting! To see what others are knitting, go to Patchwork Times.

Fun in Florida!

Did you miss me?  We just returned  late Wednesday evening from a bit more than a week in Florida  and are almost back in our time zone. Choir last night helped!  It was hard not to think of what time it was in Florida though.

We saw a few beautiful sunsets, 

had fun with relatives and friends, (Can you guess which one is my sister?)

went to the Mote Aquarium in Sarasota, (Did you know that manatees consume 72 heads of lettuce every day?)

saw some wildlife, (Do you think this bird is going shopping?)

and visited my aunt who's recovering from a stroke in mid-January.  We had a great time, but it's really good to be home!

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.