This little piggie...

What to make next

My knitting obligations are all met! I finished the baby blanket I was making for my mother-in-law to take to a baby shower. I was really happy with it and only found one mistake which, of course, I didn't point out since it was so minor. I forgot one small section (5 stitches?) of knit on a row of purling, so the garter stitch border is missing one ridge. No big deal. Other than that it is lovely. I just used TLC Baby Yarn by Coats and Clark in Powder Blue. I had my mother-in-law buy 5 skeins, but I only used one full skein and a few yards of another. Amazing how much yarn is in one skein! I also used my good circular needles to make it. It's the first time I've stuck it out with the circulars. Just seems like I'm always slowing down to push the stitches up onto the bamboo part of the needle even though the circulars are well-made and have a nice smooth join. I noticed it more on the rows with several yarn overs. I'm glad I stuck it out though because I want to get used to using circulars and they are nice for toting around a project...no big needles sticking out.

I also finished the socks I was making for Karen, my mother-in-law's friend. You can read about them at the end of this post. There's a picture there of one of them. The other one looks the same. Ha, ha.

I finally put the finishing touches (i.e. buttons) on this cell phone bag...another felting project. I'm waiting for some books of felted purse patterns to arrive at the library. I know I could probably play around with some existing patterns and figure out what I want, but I'm not much for improvising. Give me a pattern and I'll follow it! I'd like to make one for Claire's Girl Scout leader and I told my sister I'd make her one, too.

So, now I'm at that happy place where I'm anticipating the next great knitting project! Elliot and I went to Knit One in Squirrel Hill on Wednesday. It was pouring down rain, but we braved the weather and found the yarn store I've been wanting to check out for months. The Yarn Harlot was there last year and I know she's made other visits, too. Elliot was a very good companion in the yarn store and wanted to touch everything. Well, so did I. He was particularly fascinated with the ball roller and helped me roll my new purchase...Jitterbug Merino by Colinette in Mardi Gras. It will make some really wild socks! Watch Elliot's awesome winding ability!

The end is my favorite part!

THE SUN IS SHINING!!!

I realize that it is considered bad form to ever type in all capital letters or use exclamation points when blogging or messaging, but

HOLY CRAP! THE SUN IS SHINING!!!!!

The DJ on the radio yesterday played Katrina and the Waves "Walking on Sunshine" and said he was going to play it all day (which he didn't).

So, click on the video and turn up your speakers!!

THE SUN IS SHINING!!!!

A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes

Ever since Christian was 5 or 6 he's had a great love for Kennywood Park. He can tell you any bit of information about its history, its layout or its rides. When Christian was younger his friends use to tease him and told me that Christian could somehow use the word "Kennywood" in every one of his spelling sentences. He has Kennywood posters in his room and a bolt from the original Steel Phantom.

Well, this past Friday, Christian went to Kennywood for his employee orientation!! He will be working on the rides in Kiddieland. Usually the younger kids (under 18) get to work the games or concessions so he was really happy to get to work with rides, even if they are mini rides for kids. It's a dream come true!

Saturday we dyed Easter eggs. There were no major dye incidents but I had the dropsies. I dropped 3 or 4 of the kids eggs and even made Claire cry! But it all turned out in the end.

Easter Sunday we had a lovely morning at our church, Jefferson United Methodist, beginning with sunrise service, followed by a pancake breakfast cooked by the men of the church. Yummy!

We had another service following breakfast, then we went home and enjoyed a nice day with family. Here we are before we all ran off to put on our comfy blue jeans. Usually we wear jeans to church anyhow (well, not Keith) but decided to wear something a little nicer for the holiday. God is good!

So Excited!!

It was so much fun!!! I went to Joseph-Beth Booksellers on the South Side Friday night and saw The Yarn Harlot!! There were quite a few people there...I think the manager said about 125.

Here's a review of the evening in pictures.

These are the ladies from my knitting group that went with me...


Jaretta did say she would sue me if I put her picture on the Internet, but I'm really hoping she was just kidding.

Here is the spot where Stephanie would eventually dazzle us with her wit and charm...


I love this shot of part of the crowd. Take a good look at the sign I circled. (click on it) HA!!


Jack was there...


...and then SHE came in (!!!!!) and after being introduced...


...took a picture of all of us with the SOCK!!...


...and then I got to MEET HER!!...


...and now we're best friends.

The End.

For Stephanie's version of the evening go here. You can sort of see me in my blurry best in the third picture. I'm standing in the back, directly above the middle of the sock. I have on an olive tank top. You see me??

I have to also mention that The Yarn Harlot LOVES Pittsburgh (as she should)!
Yay us!

Demented and Sad, but Social...

Guess where I'm going tomorrow night???!!! Go ahead. Guess.

I'm going to see The Yarn Harlot!!! In person! Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, writer and knitter extraordinaire is going to be in Pittsburgh at Joseph-Beth Booksellers on the South Side. I have forced, uh, convinced, some ladies from my knitting circle to go with me to the book-signing tomorrow evening. I'm sooo excited!! I plan to take my camera and two of her books that I currently own. I suppose I'm nearly obligated to buy the new book, don't you think? Wonder if I'll be in any of the pictures on her blog. What should I wear? Should I take knitting with me? What should I say? Should I get a picture of us together? Where does one draw the line between admiring fan and crazy stalker? (Then again, it is the South Side, and "crazy" is a relative term.) Will my new-found friends disown me? Stay tuned for more up-to-the-minute information...

In other news...

Claire got her hair cut today! It's been a long, long time since it was last cut. Here are some before and after pictures in this slide show. She looks like such a fashion plate. Don't know where that girl got her great hair.

I always kind of laugh at the people on TV who get their hair cut on some make-over show and cry, but I have to say, when April (my knitting group leader) started cutting I felt a bit light-headed and sad. Don't know why. Claire didn't mind at all! April did a great job. Leave it to a knitter to really give a great precision cut.

Claire is donating her hair to Locks of Love, a charity that collects hair to make hairpieces for children who suffer from long-term hair loss. Most of the children have lost their hair due to alopecia areata, a disease which has no known cause or cure. I'm very proud of Claire for her willingness to share her lovely locks!

For Keith

I'm 100%

You are 100% Pittsburgh.

Great job! There's nooooo doubt about it. You're from Da Burgh. You deserve a reward, so go have an Ahrn City or two. And GO STILLERS!

How Pittsburgh Are You
See All Our Quizzes

Notes...musical and otherwise

Goodness! It's been a long time since I last posted. Here's a quick glimpse of what's been going on...

The Thomas Jefferson High School spring musical, The Music Man, was a big success! This was Christian's first musical and he had a very good singing part. He was one of the school board members that forms a barbershop quartet. There was a lot of singing and he had the uppermost part...he had the best falsetto! We were very very proud of him.

Here's a picture of the curtain call on closing night and Christian in one of his costumes.

We had beautiful weather for a couple of days and the kids got to go outside and play a bit...




Kate and I made another trip to NYC. She took this picture and got to see Phantom of the Opera while I did some shopping and had a fabulous lunch in Little Italy.


This is the felted purse I was working on.
Before...


...and after.


Felting is so cool! It's amazing that it really works! I kept calling Keith down to the laundry room to "see it now!" I finished knitting the purse the morning of our trip and didn't finish sewing on the strap and button until 11:00 PM. (Our bus left at 1:30 AM and returned at the same time Sunday morning...uggh!) I told Keith I was taking that purse with me even if it was still damp! The flap was my own little creation...whoopee! The original pattern had the purse open at the top and I thought that would never do for the city. So, I just picked up some stitches and added the flap and a magnetic closure (which are super cool).

Christian also found out that he was hired by Kennywood Park to work the rides in Kiddieland. He was super excited! He has loved Kennywood since he was a toddler and working there is a real thrill!

Those are the highlights of the last few weeks. The truth is that for the better part of two weeks Claire's been very sick with a cold and an uncrontrollable cough. We had her to the doctor for the second time yesterday and they prescribed a different antibiodic. Hopefully this one will do the trick! She is one miserable little girl and I miss her *BLING*!!

I sat with her this morning and finished up one of the socks I'm giving my mother-in-law's friend, Karen. I found the pattern here. I really love the cable twist pattern.

The yarn I used made them a bit bulky, but they should be lovely for lounging. I'd like to make a pair in a lighter gauge to wear with my new ballet flats.

And, ANNY HAD HER BABY!!! He's soooooooo sweet. Check him out here.

Uh-oh

Cake Mania Mania!

My embarassment at admitting that I am sometimes addicted to computer games is WAAAAAAY overshadowed by the exhilarating fact that I JUST FINISHED MY CAKE MANIA GAME...ALL LEVELS! DONE!! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!



"What," you may ask, "is Cake Mania?"

Cake Mania is a game I initially found here and downloaded to my computer for a trial run. (Well, several trial runs...can you say "delete cookies"?) Eventually Keith bought me the full version and made an honest woman out of me.

Poor Jill, the brave heroine in our game, has to save her grandparents bakery by successfully waiting on customers of all types and filling their culinary orders in a timely and efficient manner. Easy? At first. Then there are more customers and grouchy customers and higher goals to meet. If you aren't quick enough for certain customers they just up and leave and then you're stuck with their cake which brings down your final profit. This is serious business! I have actually found my heart racing while I try to beat these levels.

Here's one screen shot of the game. You can see the different customers and the cakes they are ordering in the little thought bubbles.



As you earn more money you can buy faster equipment, super-speedy tennis shoes and a TV to keep your customers happy. You can even buy a microwave that makes cupcakes to give the impatient people in your line. The trick is knowing who is patient (college students with lots of time and little money) and who is not patient (the Cupid and Easter Bunny characters, not to mention the brides!).

So, now I feel all empty inside since I've finished all the levels. But it is nice to have the feeling back in my "mouse hand" and my heart rate has returned to normal. I strongly suggest you try this game! Don't think I haven't searched for a knitting game, but I haven't found one...yet.

Survey says...

If you really want to know if the sleeves will go into the sweater if they're knit in the round...take a sleeve out of an existing sweater and try it!

(Be sure to use as many colors as possible so that it looks ridiculous!)

This is soooooooooooo not like me to try something out to see if it works. I'm a "give me a pattern and I'll follow it really well" kind of person. But...I did it and it seems to work even though I didn't actually finish the sleeve in question.

Since I'm sick to death of Winter (even though we've only had about 2 weeks of real winter weather) I thought this awesome bright pink felted purse kit would give me a nice pick up!

Isn't it great? And yes, it really is that bright. I've never felted anything before so I suppose this could be considered a learning experience and not just therapy knitting.

To be honest, I bought the whole darn kit because I loved these...

Can't wait to sew them on the finished product.

This very pretty picture is a quick look at the before-mentioned ucky Winter.

Good News, Bad News

Well, there's been no more progress on the Fair Isle teddy bear sweater. I have the entire body and one sleeve finished and just don't seem to feel like casting on the second sleeve.

Instead, I've been working on adapting my favorite teddy bear sweater to work it in the round. The good news is that it began beautifully! There are no side seams...



and I sewed up the shoulder seams using the Kitchener Stitch...just lovely.

However, I didn't make the armhole decreases as usual because I didn't think the sleeves would turn out right. So, the bad news is...the neck is way too wide.


If I make the armhole decreases like the pattern states, will I be able to pick up stitches and knit in the sleeves? Seems like they will set in funny. I'm taking the whole thing to my knitting group tomorrow night for some expert advice!

In the meantime, Kate is knitting this awesome iPod cover...she even learned how to change colors. Isn't she amazing?


I also got these lovely orchids for Valentine's Day from my darling hubby.


In Holiday Inn, one of our favorite movies, Bing Crosby's friend orders orchids for one of his performers. He goes into a flower shop late on Christmas Eve and orders "Orchids. Lose. Looking like they don't care." That's what I got! They're so pretty.

Something new

This weekend I started some teddy bear sweaters using a new pattern I saw on Knitty Gritty. I have made 10 or 12 sweaters with a different pattern, (you can see some of them here, here and here), but I have wanted to learn how to make one in the round so that I can cut down on the seam-sewing. I absolutely loathe sewing sweater pieces together (which is funny because I like to sew, but if I'm knitting I want to knit...but I digress) so I couldn't believe it when this pattern fell into my lap! I missed some of the footage from the show because the show is inconveniently scheduled for 11:00 and I need to meet Elliot's bus at 11:20 each morning, but I think I can figure most of it out.

The first thing I had to do was get some yarn that would get my gauge close to the gauge used in the project. Of course everything I had was too heavy or too light, and I really hate to use yarn that doesn't feel nice, so most of my acrylic junk was out of the question. Now I know what you knitters are thinking..."You just HAD to make a trip to the yarn store! Clearly you had no choice!" Well, that may be, but instead I only went as far as the Joann Fabrics in town. As much as I love a good trip to Joann's, their yarn selection leaves much to be desired. I ended up buying the Lion Brand Microspun yarn (which I've never used before) in lavender and lime. It's not exactly what I wanted, but I'm approaching this as a prototype to be perfected later.

Anyhow, (my! she's long-winded) I cast on and got this far the first night...

I'm really happy with the color combination and the yarn is very soft, though it splits easily.

One of the things I liked about the pattern, and had seen before, was this hem facing that will be turned under to make, well, a hem.

Even though I also like the ribbed hem of the previous sweaters, this is a nice alternative.

So, today I finished the body of the sweater. It turned out pretty well.

It's difficult to minimize the ladders (loose stitches) between needles because you have to leave enough ease as you change colors so the sweater will stretch as it should. Perhaps some blocking or a fluff in the dryer will even out some of the rough patches.

There is no neck band as in the other sweater pattern. Rather, the shoulders are sewn and the remaining opening is the neck. Apparantly I'll be using these purl stitches (one round of purling before casting off) to magically sew the shoulder seams together.


It looked like a breeze on the show...we'll see!

What I'm trying to determine is if it is worthwhile to make the sweaters this way even though I am so much more familiar with the other pattern. A deciding factor may be the steeks. I have never (intentionally) cut something I've knit and I'm not really looking forward to it! I'm hoping that it is a technique that gets easier (and less daunting) every time you do it. Seems like you can get such wonderful results!! I'd also like to be able to make textured sweaters with cables and all-over stitch patterns, but I've never done this in the round either. Do I just adapt the pattern as I go since there is no "wrong side"? So much to figure out! I'm going to need to make a nice simple pair of socks after this. And that will definitely require a trip to the yarn store!!!!

We entertain on Fridays

Kate and I found evidence of one heck of a party that took place in our back yard tonight...

We were a bit unnerved by how close this party occurred to our house!


But nothing could have prepared us for what we saw next. Brace yourself...

According to the Discovery Channel, there are only four of these creatures currently being raised in captivity! Amazing.