Been awhile - done a lot of knitting and not much to show for it. Knit two hats for the local Y, a touch me scarf that still needs to be felted, mittens for Abbie because she loses them faster than I can knit them. My favorite over last month:




Johnny loves it.

Crummy pictures - this is such a cute hat and was so much fun to do. It was from a Fiber Trends patterns.

Next up: three baby sweaters!!

Moths, Scarves and Socks

My two favorite felted bags have been washed twice in very hot water, dried for a week and are now in ziploc bags to see if any moths develop.

I worked on some nonwool stuff this week. I really like this scarf - it looks like silk and reminds me of silk ruching.

I then started on some socks as a gift for a woman who helped us with some stuff this fall. What is it about socks that is so gratifying?

Fast Way to Knit Up UFOs

Yes, the moths win.

I decided to pitch a ton of my UFO's and stash yarn. I keep everything I am working on downstairs in open baskets or bags. Several showed signs of moths - very gross signs in some cases. After reading up on moths - the University sites are particularly gross - I decided I need to pitch about ten projects. Sounds worse than it is. In most cases, there was a reason it was a UFO.

Most of my yarn is upstairs in airtight containers. I haven't looked there yet, but hopefully it will be safe. It isn't too much right now - maybe four yarns I really want to keep. I will put each in a separate ziploc type bag and keep my eye on them. From now on, each of my yarn purchases will go in their own ziploc.

Don't know yet about my felted bags. One site said hot water for 20 minutes will kill all stages, but I think 20 minutes on my already felted bags could turn them into itty bitty pieces of plastic. I have to try.

Now, off to clean. That's what they say to do. I always hoped one day to have no UFOs and a clean house. Today is my lucky day!!!!

YIKES!!!!

Today I decided to make a dent in some of my unfinished projects. I thought I would start at the oldest. It is my 2004 SAM afghan. My LYS, which I adore, has a square a month and at the end of each year we knit them up. The 2004 squares were all different techniques - all really fun to do and came out great. I did 9 of the 12 months and needed to do the last three. So, I lay out all 9 squares:

Well, first problem, only eight squares. I pull out each month directions and I KNOW I did May, but can't find it anywhere.

Next and MUCH BIGGER PROBLEM:

It is a hole, A HOLE - knitters do not like holes. I notice there is sand all around it and it is sticky. I'm thinking maybe a scissor did it - or a needle. But, wait, there is sand and sticky stuff on a lot of other ones. Then I see it - my blood run colds, then I sweat, then my heart pounds, I am dizzy:

It's about 10 stitches completely disintegrated on another square. What is going on? Then I see the little white balls in with the sand. It can't be. Yes, I find on the bottom of my bag, MOTHS. I am sick. Virtually every square has an area of damage - one some squares, the yarn isn't broken, just thinned. Those buggers.

Now, I have to decide, do I wrap it all up and pitch it? Do I reknit the bad squares? Do I try some repair work? I think for now I will seal it all up tight and decide later. I have always felt that if something isn't coming out well or I'm not enjoying it, to stop. Right now, this isn't coming out well and I definitely am not enjoying it. It is making me sick.

The yarn shop has a 2006 afgahn starting this month, perhaps I should just start with that and chalk this up to "experience." #@^A%$*@A@#$

More UFO's than Roswell, NM

Started looking through my yarn / project closet (aka total wreck) and realized that I sort of dropped everything in November to do my Christmas knitting. Here's what I still have on the needles:

1. 2004 SAM afghan
2. 2005 SAM afghan
3. Red "My So Called Scarf"
4. Debbie Bliss Scarf
5. Marine Blue sweater for son
6. Aran weight stripe sweater for son
7. My Monet scarf
8. Irish Hiking Scarf
9. Baby Sweater for friend (who had her baby in early November)
10. Artyarns clapotis


I think I'll finish up my Baby Alpaca scarf since my LYS want to use it as a sample, then move through these. Fortunately, some just need to be seamed. Others, well, they are not too far along. Can't believe I have TEN items on needles. This is an all time record.

WHY???

Why was I so drawn to this? I don't care for novelty yarn, mohair, "trendy" patterns or large needles. So, of course I LOVE everything about a mohair, gold sparkly, garland scarf knit on 17's!! This pattern was a hoot - very fast and not like anything I normally knit. Probably why I stopped all work on the DK weight scarf, the Baby Ull baby botties, cotton DK toddler sweater and two pairs of kids socks to knit this thing of beauty:




Funniest part was I couldn't decide which yarn to do it in - I loved them all!!! The shinier, the better.

Purple "Lace" scarf

Here is what I am currently working on. It is a Plymouth lace scarf pattern - I chose it because I LOVE their Baby Alpaca DK yarn - it is in Lilac here. It is so soft and I love the drape. This is some fairly slow knitting especially since I like my scarves fairly long. Pattern calls for two balls, I'll use three. Two balls makes a 42" scarf - who wears a 42" scarf????? Maybe if you don't want to wrap it around some? Wouldn't consider it much "lace" work - just a few yo's every other row, but it is pretty.



Time to start putting some of decorations away. These are the stockings I knit for the kids this year. Maybe Mom and Dad next year?? Anyway, I loved this pattern. It is from Annie's Woolens. http://www.annieswoolens.com/ A fairly quick knit - heavy worsted on #8's. This is the Holly pattern. Lots of other cute motifs. I did the regular heel - although she offers an afterthought heal section as well. Her patterns are extremely well written with great colorwork charts - the best I have ever seen. They each took about 4 nights to do. I like the size - big, but not too big for our Santa. Because of the fair isle work they seem pretty durable as well. She suggests using duplicate stitch for the letters (a great letter chart provided with both caps and l/c). I just knit them in. This pattern also had a cool way of doing the hem at top. Can you tell I thoroughly enjoyed these????? Mostly because I am so pleased with the result.

First Time Blogger

Well, this is it. My first entry. New Year's Resolution #1 begun - Start and Keep a Knitting blog. Nothing to say yet. No pictures to share - digital camera is charging. Hopefully will get more interesting. Perhaps without a two-year old pushing buttooons faster than me.