You make my Day

I was nominated for a 'You Make My Day' award by Liberty's Yarn and was absolutely flattered to hear this!!!

Now, I will nominate those that Make My Day all the time...

Though I am probably not supposed to nominate the person that nominated me, Liberty deserves this award is soooo many ways. She is the first to offer help whenever I am in a pinch, she remembers everyone's birthday, she remembers what you did last week and askes you how it went, she is always calm in the midst of two very active children, she knows every cool fibery activity that is going on AND participates, even with two very active children, she is an amazing chef, a talented knitter, and a spectacular friend. Liberty is a Rock Star and she makes my day all the time.

I will also nominate my hubby, Mr Ken...this guy is the most happy-go-lucky guy you will ever know. The best friend you could ever hope to have. The most inventive carpenter a girl in need of knitting do-hickies could ever hope for. Calm and kind to everyone, silly and goofy whenever possible. All around, one of the most amazing people I know!!! He makes my day every day.

And three other people, whom I have never met, make my day...Macoco, Jana, and Thomasean, make my day with their wonderful comments, e-mails and ravelry posts. These gals encourage me in so many ways, and I bet they didn't even know it!!!

Thank you for making my day!!!

January's Lucky Lurker Yarn of the Month

I am really excited about January's Lucky Lurker Yarn of the Month!!!

I present to you Glitten (designed by Liberty's Yarn)...the first ever pattern for the Lucky Lurker Club that was not a sock design. These are a gorgeous pair of fingerless mittens with a flap...notice the little bit of fair isle of the cuff?! Great details!! I couldn't be happier with the first 'non-sock' pattern. (please forgive the color variance from the actually January colorway...purpler is very very hard to photograph) Judging by all the e-mails I have recieved from Lucky Lurkers, this pattern has been very well liked!

Can't wait to see some finished Glittens out there!!!

I actually felt Glee

It's a word that doesn't really get used all that much-Glee!

It's that super happy feeling of excitement over something...that something for me was this

This is an instruction book on how to make socks on a flat bed knitting machine (I am so excited to tell you about this my fingers won't even type correctly). The knitting machine I showed off in my last post can whip out socks in no time flat. HOW COOL IS THAT??!!

There will be a seam, but there are things you can do like put it on the inside of the foot or get really really good at seaming so no one notices...for now I am going for putting it on the inside of the foot.

I CANNOT wait to get some yarn on the knitting machine to try it out. You need multiple weights when making socks, so I had to order those and now I have to wait until they arrive to get started..UGH, the agony of waiting until a package arrives....

Now I know how you all feel when you are waiting for the Duet Sock Yarns to arrive at your door :)

Snow Day!!!

It's been frickin' cold here lately and we haven't gotten a smidge of snow!!! I know that to most people, the lack of snow is a very good thing, but I like snow!!!!!

So, to cope with the lack of snow, we headed to the mountains to go play for the day! We had a ball! We took all the doggies with us and a couple inner tubes. The inner tubes turned out to both have leaks so we didn't get to use those, but we threw snowballs for the dogs for hours.

I was so impressed that the dogs didn't mind the cold a bit!!! Not even Guppy!

The we attempted to make a giant snowman, but by the time this snowball was as big as it is, it was to heavy for us to move it to a better spot to make the belly and head so we made a giant snow face instead....

I LOVE THE SNOW!!!!!!

Then it was back home and I made great progress on February's Lucky Lurker Pattern...obviously I can't show you what I have so far, but it's coming right along :)

Then I started feeling super crafty and dug out my long lost knitting machine. This thing is a kick! You can whip out stockinette like there is no tomorrow! Adding ribbing is a bit time consuming, but no where near the same time it would take to knit the entire thing by hand.

This was a little project I have been wanting to do for a long time...Legwarmers! Yes, seriously, legwarmers!!!! I go walking and I don't have many long socks and each night I do go, I think 'man, I wish I had a pair of legwarmers' :) Don't laugh!! Yes, seriously, legwarmers!!!!! The 80s are coming back you know!!!!! :)

I will be showing these bad boys (or would it be girls) off real soon!!!

I am on a ROLL!!!

For 2008 I made myself a resolution...Along with usual resolutions; exercise more, eat better, etc for 2008 I am going to knit 4 of 7 days a week! May seem like an odd resolution since I am sure there are a few compulsive knitters out there (you know who you are) that knit 8 of 7 days a week that may have had to resolve to 'put the needles down! from time to time'. Me, on the other hand, I have found out I am a smidge of a workaholic...But you would be too if your job was dyeing yarn!!!!!!!!

At the very beginning of the year I looked at all my knitting bags (I have a bag for each project) and wondered why in the world I have so many unfinished projects. I am a great starter of projects, but I am pretty good about getting a project done...Then I realized I was working about 12-14 hours a day, about 6 days a week and I was barely knitting ever!!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!

So I made a resolution right there! I will knit 4 days a week and I will finish the projects I have going! As you can see from last posts, I have been doing far more knitting than usual and it's been GREAT! So check out one of the projects I am finishing up!!!These are (obviously) Duet Socks in Middy. The colorway is Mod Chic from a few uploads ago. Pink and green, my absolute favorite colors in the whole world...I was so happy when there was an oops in this colorway, because I let myself keep the oops to knit with!!!

These are going to be such comfy socks!!!

The wrap continues

I keep plugging along on the 'Oops Duet' wrap (using only oops yarns). It is about 2/3 the width I would like it to be so the next time you see it will be in about 5-6 more row sets. I have calculated that each skein (not including the solid color) will do 3 row sets each and I made this thing really really long. That tells me that this would also be fun in whatever sock scraps might still be hanging around...probably do a 1 row set each!

As I am sure you have noticed, I love wild colors and I am totally digging this wrap! I can't wait until it's done!

Oh, and if you are wondering what the stitch is, it is a crochet stitch called Cathrine Wheel IV in The Harmony Guide. That's not actually where I came up with the design, but it's the first place I was able to find with a name for the stitch. It is so easy too!!!!

Ta DA!

And the sweater is done!!! Baby size is quick to make.....I will have to start trying all new technique on little projects. This little sweater was done in (if you don't count the frogging and reknitting to the same point) two evenings. How's that for finishing a sweater-WOOHOO!
The yarn is Lion's Brand in the Landscape line. It's the only Lion Brand yarn I can't resist, it's so pretty even in the ball :)
I think this turned out really adorable so I am going to start scoping out some top down patterns in a DK weight. The Duet Sock Yarns would be soooo cute for one of these sweaters!

Fun Craftiness

Well, I have bit the bullet and I started my first ever top down sweater! Amazingly, I have been too intimidated to attempt a top down sweater before now. Now that I have gotten as far as I have, I can't believe I was intimidated by it (isn't that always the way a techinque is? "oh my gosh, that's way too hard for me" turns into "that was easy, what was I thinking?!")

This is a little baby sweater. I figured I would start small for my first try. After a bit of frogging from not understanding the directions correctly, I am glad I did because had this been an adult size and I had to rip back as far as I did I would have given up on the sweater entirely!

Once I have mastered the top down in the chuncky yarn, I already have visions of a top down in the Duet Original! How cute would that be?!!!!!!!!

Then, while the Seahawks battled Greenbay, I had a fun crafty day with the girls and made some adorable little magnets!!! Oh they are so cute and a snap to make! I LOVE instant gratification and this was a great project for that! Punch, glue paper, glue magnet and VIOLA! There were gorgeous magnets made by some of the other gals too...some even adorned with sparkly gems! Oh la la :)

I love having crafty weekends...it really recharges my batteries if you know what I mean!

PHEW!

Am I the only one that is just now letting out a sign of relief that the new year is here and we have made it through another holiday season?! Don't get me wrong...I love the holidays; the lights, the music, the smiles, the wrapping paper...I love it all. It just seems to rush up on me and then it's gone in a blink! This year, I did what no knitter should EVER do! I said yes to making a knitted gift for someone to give to someone else. I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING! 4 doggie sweaters was the request, yes there are only 3...I didn't get them all done! This is because in addition to making these sweaters I made my Christmas gifts this year....and at the risk of spoiling the suprise for everyone who hasn't gotten theirs (which is more than half of the recipients) I am going to share a picture of the hand crafted goodies.I went allllll out! I made soap (the kind with lye and oils), I made body butter and fizzies, I made laundry detergent and surface scrub, I made lip balm and bath salts and it was a BLAST!!!! Most things were fragranced with Lavender and it turns out that I am HIGHLY allergic to Lavender. Yes, in the midst of all my crafty fun I was broken out-ankles to wrists-in a horrible rash!!! Needless to say, there won't be anymore Lavender in my home!!! So far, those that have tried all their new goodies love them...especially the detergent, which even Mr Ken remarked that it makes the clothes amazingly soft! :)

Then, without a moment's pause we began what was to be a quick weekend project of putting up new shelves in my 'yarn workshop'. This quick weekend project turned into this knitter learning the ins and outs of insulation and drywalling. Dang, that stuff is ICHY.

And even though there are still no shelves in the 'yarn workshop' I have to say that it is now fabulously warm out there and I am quite impressed at Mr Ken's new found electrical skills....hmmm, now it's time to decide what color to paint :)

I do hope everyone had a great holiday and has had a great start to the new year! Stay tuned for all the new yarns that are getting posted this weekend! I have been a busy bee and I am really excited about some of these new colorways....oh and yes, there is some Chocolate Crunch...just like what Yarn Harlot knit with! :)