See Eunny Knit!

I got my IK the other day in the mail and it was just jammed packed with great stuff. The patterns were ones that I would see myself making. The pictures were great and so were the articles....Until I saw the tutorial on steeking by Eunny.

I've done my fair share of steeking and find it fun and exhilarating! Just the idea of cutting open what you just spent countless hours knitting is a rush indeed. As I'm reading the article, it was just a refresher course until I got to the next page and she mentions sleeves and steeking!

Who would have thunk? Honestly? It sure as hell wasn't me but hot damn! I just have all of these new ideas in my head for this. And why not? It would make the sleeves go sooooo much faster AND you can knit a set in sleeve in the round and still have a great looking sweater. This clearly warrents investigation. I'm excited about it and really look forward to pursuing it!

As you may see, I have a Christmas Knitting Deadline ticker at the top of the page. Well that is when MY Christmas knitting needs to be completed so I can get it all in the mail. SO far I have my sister, neice, and mother-in-law completed.

Now for the dilema. I'm seriously considering selling a pattern. Its the hat that I designed for my sister for Christmas. I have the pattern written and all charted out. The quarks are all squared away. I just have to take a picture. Now for the tough part and I need your help with. Should I submit it to the pattern companies OR just offer it as a free pattern here on the site? The choice is yours as I'm incapable of making this decision on my own!

The First Time, Ever I Saw Your Face...

Every time I hear that song sung by Celine Deon on her Miracles album, I think of you. Dad says that they showed you to me right after you were born, however I don't remember that. I do remember them placing you right next to me by my head on the bed as we were wheeled from the operating room to the recovery room. You just looked at me with your big blue eyes and dimpled cheeks and rosy lips. I could just look at you forever.


That was two years ago today. Its hard to believe that you have been in my life for two wonderful years. Its seems like forever. I'm looking forward to the rest of our lives! I love you baby, Happy Birthday!

Mission Accomplished

This is Christine.



Christine has been working on this mitten for quite some time now. This mitten has been started, re-started, frogged and then re-started again about 5 times. There actually came a point when she was tempted to buy a mitten. I told her she worked too hard to just buy one. Sweat and tears went into this mitten. She has learned how to knit in the round on 2 circs during this process, add a thumb, and increase and decrease stitches. I'm extactic for her!



The look on her excited face telling me she finished? Priceless.

Trick-or-Treating

We went trick-or-treating last night and had a great time! I just love watching her do fun stuff.


At first she didn't get the hang of it. At the first house she tried to give the candy back!

After a couple of houses, she knew if she put her bucket out here, she got candy. Its all about the candy! We went to one house that had the light on and they didn't answer the door. Did she ever get mad cuz she didn't get the candy. Luckily Bob, our neighbor, made up for it. He let her just grab what she wanted.


We had a great time and Halloween is starting to become my second favorite holiday. Christmas being the first!












See these? These were found at JoAnns one day and I thought they would be great on my Kiri.

I got them and decided to add them to the edging. I really like that they are not all the same color and that they all magically match. I love it when a plan comes together.

Bri asked if this was for me. She was hoping that I would wear this with a slinky black dress. The answer is no. No this is a Christmas gift for my MIL. I'm hoping that she likes it. All of the ladies at Knit Night are in agreement that she will adore it.

Curves

I officially joined Curves. I'm pretty excited about it and I'm going on my lunch break 3 times a week and then on Saturday. I have more energy now and I'm feeling great. I also noticed a little muscle in my arm.

For those of you not familiar with Curves, its a 30 minute workout for women. They have these hydraulic machines and cardio boards set up in a circle they call a circuit. Well you just get on at any point, get off after you did 2 rounds and then stretch. They calculated if you do this you will have exercised for 30 minutes. You do each machine and then board for 30 seconds. And hey, I can do anything for 30 seconds.

Friday was my weigh and measure day. We do this once a month to track progress. Well I lost 1.5 pounds and 5.5 inches. I'm really excited about this.

Noro's Next Move

Now that I'm at the armpits and have decreased 2K (76 sts) at each point, Elizabeth tells me the next thing to do is INCREASE at the same point until I have recovered my 76 sts. Release the cows! Send them back to greener pastures.

Elizabeth dear, I just decreased all those lovely stitches. It was starting to become managable not having to knit all 342 sts at once. And now I'm supposed to add them back? Anything you say Elizabeth, Anything you say!

Making A List, Checking it Twice

Anyone who is a knitter knows perfectly well that the Christmas season really starts in July/ August. Then the relatives remember that Christmas is coming around September/ October. And yes, you are expected to complete all 354 items requested.

My sister was the first to actually request something. All she wants is a "mother/ daughter hat set." Now mind you this is not just any mother/ daughter hat set. That would be too easy. She wants one that is cool that she can wear on the ski slopes, and "can it please not be neon green." (That was the color of our house growing up, but that is a story for another time) It also must be personally designed for her and Alana. This would ensure that it is a one of a kind. Please no pom poms on the top... and while I'm at it nothing too offensive....

So here I am thinking while she is talking about something....

mom/daughter hat. check.
no pom poms. check.

I'm thinking maybe some fair isle or intarsia... and then she mentions.... "Libby, no animals... I don't do animals."

no animals... check.

"no geometric shapes"

no shapes..check.

"maybe you could do snowflakes, but they have to be cool looking. Nothing dorky"

maybe snowflakes..

"no scratch the snowflakes, definately no snowflakes"

So now I'm just wanting to play with her a bit..


"Mary, maybe I could make you a neon green hat with some orange dots that resemble snowflakes. On the top I'm thinking of leaving off the pom poms but adding a flying saucer. It would be a one of a kind and the talk of the slopes! Alana would be just darling in it!"

Now she is hystrical... "Libby, are you kidding me..I thought we just covered this..no ...(yadda yadda yadda)"

OK Mary, mommy/ daughter hats it is... coming right up!

Tag, I'm It!

Four jobs I’ve had:
Mt Rushmore gift shop sales: I once had this kid convinced that the Indians invented ice cream and they kept it cold by keeping it in ground cellars. I'm sooooo going to hell.

McDonalds girl: "Would you like fries with that?" I'm proud to say that if I ever get fired from growing rust I still have options!

Paper girl: It paid the rent in college.

Telemarketer: I had to call people during dinner time trying to sell them an add so they can sell their car.


Four movies I can watch over and over:

The Little Mermaid
The Man from Snowy River
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Elmo's World~ Karolyn loves them.


Four places I have lived:

Post Falls, ID
Toledo, OH
Moscow, ID
St. Clair Shores, MI


Four television shows I love to watch:

House
Battlestar Galactica
Flip this House
A Baby Story


Four places I have been on vacation:

Mazatlan Mexico
Hawaii
Glacier National Park: See Picture
Niagra Falls


Four of my favorite dishes:

My mom's pierogi~ sauerkraut all the way!
Grandma's chocolate chip cookies~ yes this does actually count as a dish. If you had them you would completely understand.
Aunt Pat's Cranberry Pot Roast~ This stuff is to die for.
My husband's salmon~ that man can make a mean salmon. I'm spoiled!


Four websites I visit daily:

Elann.com
various blogs
ebay
cnn.com


Four places I would rather be right now:
In Germany with my sister
Salt Spring Island
In a log cabin sitting next to a roaring fire knitting. There would be no TV, phone, kids, husband...this is to ensure that there would be no interruption to the knitting. There would be servants.
Diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Kiri

After all of the sts associated with Noro I'm needing a break from that one. So I casted on Kiri. I'm using Acapella by Austermann. Its a mohair/ acrylic blend that I'm using US8's on. (I can't use the 7's cuz those are being used by Noro.) The fabric is light and airy just as I want. I currently have 3 repeats of chart 2. I'm thinking that I need about 7-9 more repeats. Its an easy knit and now that I have the pattern memorized its going quite fast.

Hat Questions Answered

Money Question
I still have some of it but the bulk was spent on some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. I got some blue and is it ever the most wonderful stuff. Cuddly soft, no itch factor. It passed the bra test ladies! Its a keeper. If it ever comes up again, I'm getting more. Lots More.

Technical Question
I tried the hat on me and while it is snug, its comfortable. You can make the hat out of another yarn that doesn't have elastic incorporated into the yarn but I would suggest to add more stitches. This hat was designed with a negative ease in it. Basically its smaller than what you would normally make a hat. I did this on purpose cuz the yarn is elastic and I'm counting on that to stretch when wearing. It worked out great!

To make it larger for use with a non-elastic yarn would be incredibly easy to do. The decreases are based off of multiples of 5. So increase the # of sts by a multiple of 5. (5, 10, 15, 20) However many YOU need to fit your noggin. Don't know how big your noggin is? Well you're gonna have to measure it then!

1) Find YOUR gauge with the yarn YOU are using.

2) Measure head and subtract about 1 inch. So if your head is 20 inches...you will be casting on 19 inches. This is so that when the yarn stretches the hat will still fit. Also you want the thing to be a bit snug don't you?

3) Determine number of stitches you need for the hat. If your gauge is 4.25 sts / in and you are gonna need 19 inches... just do 4.75 * 19 = 90.25. Because I have abolutly no idea how to knit a quarter of a stitch we are gonna call this 90. Is 90 devisible by 5? As it turns out it is! 90 / 5 = 18. Fantastic. We can now move on! What do you do if your # isnt devisible by 5? Well pick another #, usually going up or down a couple of sts will get you where you need to be. And dont be worrying about a couple of sts...its not that big a deal in the grand skein of things! Everything is OK, just settle down.

4) When making the strip, make it 19 inches long and then put your twist into it.

5) Pick up 90 sts around the Moebius strip band. (Remember we figured out this in step 3).

6) Knit in stockinette until the hat is about 2-3 inches from the top of YOUR hat. You will most likely need about 10 - 11 inches in total length. So when the hat is maybe 7-8 inches start the decrease.

7) Decrease.. We figured this out in step 3. This is where the divide by 5 business comes in. We want 5 swirl things on the top right? Well if you want more just make sure that the number of swirls divides by your sts evenly. No remainders...its important. Our magic swirl # was 18. (18 * 5 = 90) This means that we knit 16 sts, then knit 2 together, 5 times. (16 + K2tog = 18 sts). Next row is K15, K2tog. Decrease in this fashion until you have 5 sts remaining. Draw the loop through the remaining sts...weave in the ends.

Your Done!!!

Noro is playing with EZ!

Remember the Noro that I was going to make the EZ adult suprise jacket out of? I raided the stash a bit more to see if there was anything in there to match Noro. Nothing. Well I found some more of this color online. I'm taking that as a sign that this jacket was meant to be. Purchased it before anyone else could and started to read the instructions.

Elizabeth tells me to find gauge. Thats easy enough. I figured that I'm getting 4.75 sts/inch.

Next she says to figure out your body width, multiply it by my gauge and divide that by 3. Now here is where I actually have to sit down and figure out exactly what it is that I'm wanting. I know that I want a coat/jacket. I know that I want to line it and I'm still debating on buttons or a zipper. I'll figure that part out later. No need to concern my pretty little head about that just yet.

So I got my fave sweater (the Fair Isle I was raving about on my first post) and it is 50" around. Divide that by 2 and I get 25 for the body width. Unfortunatly that is not divisible by 3 neatly. 25 may not be but 24 sure is! I'm in luck.... So I'm deciding on 24 to be my lucky #.

My Key Number is 24 x 4.75 = 114. 114 / 3 = 38. 38 = K. I'm guessing that everything is based off of this lucky number. I sure as hell hope that I got that right and I'm wanting a 48 inch around jacket. I'm a bit nervous here but I've got Elizabeth on my side telling me to settle down!

Reading on she says to cast on 9 x K... ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? That is 342 sts.... Redo the math... Nope 342 it is..... Good Lord Baby Jesus....I'm gonna be casting on till the cows come home. They might not be coming home. EVER!

Next I'm supposed to mark 2K (76 sts) from each end and at this point do a double decrease on every other row. When I have 5K (190 sts) remaining I'm at the armpits.

The cows actually did come home and I made it to the armpits.

Now no offence to Elizabeth, but I have to say that I'm just blindly following along here. She has never lead me astray in the past and I'm counting on that now. I'm not really seeing where this knitted fabric is going but I'll just follow along. Extensive research has confirmed that there are other people that have done the very same thing that I'm doing and have been completely successful.

The worse that can happen is that I'll have to frog the thing right? OK that just sounds very very painful and we will not be speaking of that ever again. EVER!

I'm Published

A couple of months ago Elann had a contest. The rules were simple. Create a stylish chemo hat out of their Esprit yarn that covered the back of the neck.

I thought, and thought, and thought some more. By the time that I did all my thinking, there was about 2 weeks to finish figuring out what I was gonna knit, knit it, write the pattern and send it to Elann.com for judging. Well I knit, and knit and knit some more. Wrote up the pattern instructions, sent them in and won the contest!

I would have posted about this sooner. Don't you be looking at me like that cuz I would have... I was pretty excited about getting $100 in yarn money for a hat! Well when I finally sat down to blog about it the next day, the winning pic was taken down. So I decided to wait until today when it was offically published to tell you all about it.

You can find the pattern here. Enjoy!

Katrina

I finished the top I was making with her and just for the record, I didn't cheat on her at all. I may have lusted after Noro but there was no actual cheating. I think that I should be awarded a medal or something. The temptation was definately there.




Details:

I didn't actually make gauge. I was a half a stitch more than I needed when I swatched but that didn't seem to matter, for she is still a tad bit tight. Ray thinks it looks fine. I'm concerned about the curling at the bottom. OH she likes to curl. Did I mention that? I couldn't even block the curling out. I made the size that I would normally make to fit me (Large) but it was a bit too small for my personal comfort. I may make this top again but a bit bigger.

The fabric is thick and lovely and oh so warm next to the skin. I'm glad that I got the amount that I did. I'm thinking that I could use a v-neck t-shirt out of it as well. However this will have to wait as Noro is calling.

Pot of Gold

Today I went to Chelsea Michigan to the Spinners Fest. There was a ton of roving and would make any spinner salivate. I saw some ladies from Thursday Knit Night and they were trying to talk me into spinning. I have to admit, I almost went for it and then remembered the size of my home and we absolutly DO NOT have room for a wheel plus the roving stash I would eventually accumulate. I did find some yarn, some buttons and a book.

Now I know that I'm spending a lot of time with Katrina. And I'm almost done with her, and I know that there is more Katrina that does in fact deserve my attention. But there has been alot of talk about miters lately and I'm not really all that interrested in making a bunch of squares.

Then the stash was calling. "Libby, Libby remember me? The Noro at the bottom of the big crate in closet? I'm perfect for that project you have in mind" Well I came a runnin' and swatched and sure enough I agree with it. The Noro is gonna be EZ's Adult Suprise Jacket. Now I know I don't have enough for the jacket but then another yarn came a callin' and I said that it was OK for it to play along as well!

TGIF

Its over. Its finally over. I keep telling myself that. The week that is. I really didn't think that it would never end and next week is worse. Honestly, but more about that later.

Around July at my daughters 18 month well baby visit the doctor was concerned about her not talking. Sure she talks but not as advanced as other kids her age. I think that she says about 10 words and those are hard to distinguish. Sure I know what she is saying cuz I'm the mom and all but others? Well that is gonna take some getting used to.

The Dr. said that there wasnt anything that we could do about it at that time and to come back in 3 months. We did and he said to go to the Ear Nose and Throat Dr. He ran some tests, said she has "diminished hearing" and recommended for Karolyn to have tubes because of the number of ear infections during the summer. Apparently the winter is worse. Is that even possible? The surgery is scheduled for this Thursday. I'm scared to death.

We also saw the Speach Pathologist. She agreed that K has diminished hearing and said that she is about 3-5 months behind other kids her age. I told her about the upcoming surgery and she thinks that while Karolyn can in fact hear, to her it sounds like her head is under water. I just want her to talk. I keep thinking "Please talk, Please talk, Please talk"

Dinner is always tough cuz she is a picky eater. On the menu tonight was chicken and cooked carrots. She fed the dog all of her carrots and then ate the chicken.

Then she said "Nana" She was asking for a banana, I gave it to her and thanked God.

Wednesday was homework night. We colored and put the stuff she did at day care on the frig! Thursday was Purple Day at day care. We wore puple.

Next Wednesday I have to talk my way out of jury duty so I can take Karolyn for her surgery on Thursday and then we can recover on Friday.


So tonight I'm having a drink!

Morgantown, WV

Morgantown is gorgeous. It is a quaint little college town, home of the West Virginia University. Everything is on a hill. If you have to go anywhere there is a hill involved! It reminds me of my college town of Moscow, Idaho, home of the University of Idaho. It too is situated on the top of a hill. I think that the University developer said.... "Joe? Where is the tallest hill/mountain in the state?" "Why Bill, I think that is located in Moscow." "Then that is where the University is gonna be located!" Oddly enough about 10 miles across the border into Washington state is the Washington State University which is as you guessed it, on a hill.

Now Labor Day weekend in Morgantown is fun. There was a big game going on between the WVU vs. Marshall. From what I understand, Marshall is a lesser University and not even in the same league as WVU. Well Marshall really really wanted to play the University so they got the governor to mandate it and now its called the "Friends of Coal" Bowl. It was on ESPN and everything! Jonathan and Andrew were able to get scalped tickes for about $65 a piece. Ray, me, Cathy and their aunt and uncle stayed at the house and heard all of the commotion going on at the stadium (down some hill and up another). Everyone had a great time! While the guys were at the game getting drunk, we were at home getting drunk on some local wine.

This stuff is simply great! We were feasting on the "Niagra" wine. I have an incredible sweet tooth and I'm not a fan of dry wine however this stuff was not dry and just sweet enough. Cathy, Ray's sister, and I enjoyed a bottle with some of Aunt Darron's bread pudding with some wine sauce. It was soooooo good I thought that I died and went to heaven!

Knitting Reviews

On the 7 hour drive to Morgantown I was reading my new book. I have to say that I'm not all that crazy about it. Sure its chatty and has some funny moments but for the most part, I could live without it. I know I know, I'm gonna go to hell for saying that but its the truth. I think that the majority of the projects in the book are not by the authors and the one blanket that I did like which was pictured, did not include a pattern. To their credit, they did tell you where to go and get the pattern, but still. I'm wanting instant gratification here and it just wasn't there for me.

Dear Ann and Kay,

Please refrain from giving us a picture without the pattern, that is just plain cruel and mean and could be considered cruel and unusual punishment. I think that there should be a law against that sort of behavior. I'm tempted to get the governor of West Virginia on that cuz he has more time on his hands now that he got the game between the WVU and Marshall all sorted out.

Thanks
Libby


Questions Answered

Sandra asked if the knit picks needle cord was long enough. I have to say that I believe that it is. I was knitting with them on the drive to WV and had no problem with the needles being short. I was using the 24" cord with the US6 and US7 needle and had no problem at all.

Happy Labor Day!

This weekend is one that I'm looking forward to. We have been invited to go to Morgantown, West Virginia to spend the weekend with DH's aunt and uncle. His sister will be coming in from Florida and his cousin will be home as well. Tonight I have been packing and doing laundry like a mad woman!

Karolyn's packed? Check

Extra pack of diapers? Check

Snacks for the road? Check Check

Toys to keep a toddler occupied for a 7 hour car ride? Check Check

Knitting project all packed and ready? Check Check Check....On second thought I'd better get some sock yarn in there as well.

We got new tires on the car today and Ray changed the oil and checked the fluids yesterday. The car is ready to go! Did I ever tell you about our car? Its like the Energizer Bunny in that it has over 220K miles on it and its still going. Furthermore, we are taking it on a 6-7 hour car drive from Detroit, Michigan to Morgantown, West Virginia this weekend. In addition to that, we are going to drive it from Detroit to Atlanta over Christmas. My husband is a master mechanic and is able to fix anything that goes wrong or even thinks about going wrong on the car. Last week he had to replace the starter and now it works like a charm!

Knitting Reviews

I told you that Ray got me the Knit Picks needles for my birthday but they were still in the mail. Well they came. HOLY GOD IN HEAVEN are these needles to die for! The points are just sharp as ever. The metal finish is smooth as silk and the join. Lets talk about the join. Seamless.... I'm telling you, you will not even know that its there. I swear to God and everything that is good and holy. The cords are slim and flexible. It comes all packeged up in a wonderful case which includes a 6 ring binder and plastic inserts for expanding and adding extra goodies. The binder zips closed so you have a less chance of loosing stuff. The designers really hit the mark on this one. They did a fantastic job. Now I want the knitting travel bags they just came out with! Maybe for Christmas.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday! I had a great day. My husband made me a cake, my daughter refused to eat dinner and my brother and sister both called me!

Now lets talk about this here cake. My DH MADE the cake. He went to JoAnn's, bought the checkerboard cake pans, got the mix and on Sunday he made it. It is 3 layers high and put frosting in the middle of it! He then got the special frosting tips to make the pretty lettering and then the pretty ribbon on the side and along the edge of this cake. I'm feeling pretty special right about now.

And he didn't stop there. He ordered me the new knit pick needles AND the Mason-Dixon knitting book! It didn't come in the mail yet but I'm getting excited about it.

All in all, it was a wonderful day!

Day at the Zoo

This weekend we went to the Detroit Zoo. I was looking forward to going all week long. I would get to spend quality time with my baby and husband that didn't involve me cleaning up the house at the same time. Quality time is hard to come by around here. What with work and work and ... did I mention work? Well needless to say I was really excited. I was really hoping that Karolyn would be as well. Not so much. Not so much at all. In fact she cried the entire time. The second we got in the door, when we were eating lunch, seeing ALL of the animals... all six and a half hours of zoo time. I really don't think she shut up until we left the place. Yep, we were THOSE parents. I have to say that I was really glad that we finally stepped foot in the house cuz then the incessant crying stopped! Peace and Quiet. I love that sound! Silence.

Now I know that this is a knitting blog and I have not really been talking about much knitting lately. I have a good reason for that. I have been working on a couple of projects that I can't talk about. Well ONE project that I'm sworn to absolute secrecy to and the other is for a contest. Both projects are now complete and I'm starting another project. I know, I'm cheating on the FI but I'm working with Katrina here. The stuff is soft as a babies butt and wonderful to knit up as well. I'm actually making the pattern that comes with it. I didn't make the swatch match perfectly. I'm off a stitch. Now I do understand that this is in fact a very big deal, but I'm not to worried as this pattern has a negative ease. So the way I see it, its just not gonna be as tight fitting on me and that is OK as far as I'm concerned. I'm also adding a couple of inches in the length as well. So far that is the only changes I'm making. I'm about half way done with the back. I'm hoping to be done soon.

Baby Bumkins

Lately I have been sewing baby things. Diapers to be exact. Cloth diapers are known to be better for the butt. Sodium polyacrylate is added as an absorbant to the diaper. This chemical has the ability to absorb more than its molecular weight. Basically that means that this is some really absorbant stuff. So when you put in a little bit of the chemical (it comes in little bead form) and you add water to it, you will get a gel. This wonderful little absorbant ball has also been known to cause TSS or toxic shock syndrom. Not something that I want my baby to get.

There is also the environmental factor as well. Think about it. Babies use on average 5-10 diapers/day. Multiply that by 365 days per year, times the number of kids wearing diapers and that is a crazy amount of diapers that end up in our landfills each year.

Furthermore, do you have any idea how much diapers cost? A crazy ton of money, and that is for the store brand stuff...I'm not talkin' Pampers over here. This crazy ton of money is taking a toll on the yarn money! So I'm coming up with a solution to the problem. I'm sewing diapers.

Not just any diaper mind you. These are not the gross leaky diapers that your momma used on you that you had to have the plastic pants for and got poked with the pin each and every godforsaken time she put it on you. These are state of the art, 21st century diapers!

Thanks to microfiber, that will wick the moisture away from the little bottom, and laminated fabric that will replace the plastic pants. And lets not forget wonderful velcro! Put it all together you get the 21st century diaper.

I have been using them on the weekends as the daycare will not allow them there. (Too much work.) They are just great! They don't leak and are really easy to launder. Hot and Hot all the way. The microfiber dries fast as well and there is no problem with shrinkage.

Next is the baby wipes and the bibs.