Almost an FO and New Boku!

I am almost done with the never ending Pulse cotton sweater. I Just have seaming and the neck to finish, Yay! I am not going to post any more pictures of it here until the recipient models it for me, after all a little suspense won't hurt anyone!

I must confess, Ravelry has been my downfall. I saw an afghan on Ravelry a couple of months ago and I couldn't get it out of my mind. When the yarn went on sale, it was the last straw.

I bought 20 balls of Plymouth Boku color 10 and I cast on for an afghan! An afghan, I tell you, what am I thinking?!?? Will it ever get done? What about all my other wips and stash projects patiently waiting to be cast on? All forsaken in my project boredom and Ravelry induced afghan lust.

I am making the Plymouth pattern # 1063, mitered square afghan in Boku. I am loving it. I cast on and the next thing I knew I had 13 squares done.

I am making a bigger afghan than the pattern suggests I am just adding some squares so that it ends up a square in stead of a rectangle, 9x9 instead of 7x9. That gives me 81 squares so if I knit at least one a day I will be done in less than 3 months. Plenty of time before it gets cold again. It might even be quick and easy enough that I get some hats and mittens done before the snow flies again! ( I mean NEXT winter, not the crazy spring we have been having!)

All Knitting and No Spinning.......

After I went to the spinning tea I was on a roll. I finished spinning the Rose Wensleydale roving into singles and then I Andean plyed it. I ended up with this lovely two ply that is about DK weight. It turned out quite nice and I already have some ideas what I want to knit with it!

Since then I have been concentrating on the Pulse cotton sweater that has been on my needles for almost two years!!! I hate knitting this. I don't quite know what I dislike so much but it has been sitting in my knitting basket taunting me for way too long. last night I finished the front. that only leaves the sleeves and the finishing! A big mile stone reached!

I imideatly cast on for the sleeves, two at the same time, so as not to lose my momentum. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

As the crusade of the cotton sweater continues, My pretty little fiber basket calls from the corner.

I am itching to start spinning up some of this roving for socks but I will just have to wait until I finish some of my WIP's. My knitting time has been taken over by moving and now a job. Pesky little things, jobs. They do tend to cut into the knitting time.

Look what I found in my fiber basket when I went to take a picture this morning!

See that? A tasty little treat. No, not the spindle, the licorice!

My Gummibaer has been leaving little treats for me to find all over the house.

He hid one with my morning tea and one in my knitting. I never know when I will come across a little treat hidden just for me!

Isn't he a sweetie!

Snowed in = lots of Knitting

Mushu Kitty likes the snow too!

I have been holed up in the snow here and that means knitting and lots of it!

I finished both the girlfriend swing coats

and I started my Birch! I love, love, love this project! The yarn is to die for, the pattern is perfect and I am enjoying the lace. Did I mention I can't wait to wear this shawl!??

I also started a hat for my brother using the Zeebee pattern. This is a fun knit. He picked the colors to go with his winter jacket. I think they look like cantaloupe and honeydew so I am calling this the melon hat.

I am teaching my sister to knit. She is making a simple hat. I think a hat is a great first project because it is small, simple, everyone likes them and not boring to knit. She is doing very well and learning fast! We might have a new knitter on our hands!

When I am not knitting I'm in the kitchen getting ready for Christmas!

These are my favorite Gingerbread cookies, we have made them every year since I was little.

Jaywalkers and Swing Coat #2

I have not been feeling at the top of my game recently. I am a little sick and that always makes me grumpy.

I have been knitting though! I have an FO!

My Jaywalkers are done.

Gummibaer took some glamor shots for me. :)

Yarn: Opal Rodeo

Needles: US#0

Pattern: Toe up jaywalkers with a short row heel and a garter stitch cuff.

I am happy with these socks I will wear them often I'm sure.

I started my second Girlfriend's swing coat, this one for the little sister of the girl the turquoise one is for. I am hoping to have them both done for Christmas. The other one is back in Vermont and just needs the ribbons on the front and this one won't take long to knit up.

I am hoping I have enough yarn. I can get more if need be but keep your fingers crossed!

PS If you are on Ravelry, Look me up! I'm Bluemoonturtle.

UFO's and A Yarn Store.

I visited the LYS here and found some fun sock yarn! They had a great sock yarn selection. I don't know how much of it is available in the states, I think most of it, but I have never seen so much nice stuff in one place. There was no hand painted or any indie dyer stuff but lots of good self striping and such. I picked the bamboo because I can never resist bamboo!I am in love with bamboo, every time I see it I ohhh and ahhhh even before I look at the ball band and see that it is bamboo. I really want to start spinning bamboo top on a drop spindle but I guess I should learn how first!

I also found some cotton to use for dish clothes. I wanted to make my apartment feel a little more like home so I got some. Isn't it pretty?!

I am using the Garterlac dish cloth pattern from Dave of Criminy Jickets. It is a very well written pattern and I think it's fun to knit. Plus, it looks cool!

Now, I have to 'fess up, I have a UFO. I think I started this last November or something like that. It is not a hard knit, I am just board with it. It is the pulse Cotton sweater from Denim People. I am making it in Tahki classic cotton because I don't think the recipient would like anything in white.
The back is almost done and I am trying to buckle down and make some headway now that I have so much knitting time!

Pitfalls of Packing

I don't know about you, but for me packing is one of the activities that tends to be put off until the last minuet. I plan, I scheme, I organize, but I don't pack. This time seems to be better, I have moved so much and this apartment is so small, that I already know exactly what is here and how to pack it.

I have moved eleven times since I left home in 2000. Military, School etc. I have lived in Chicago IL, Port Townsend WA, San Diego CA, Montpelier VT, Boston MA, and Jonesboro AR. As well as three ships.

Now, I have packed my clothes, most of my stuff and my yarn. Yarn is new. This is the first time I have had a stash to pack. I organized it, and in the process I rediscovered a couple of projects that need to be done soon, because the recipients are growing fast as is the custom for small people.
Such are the pitfalls of packing, you find everything that has been forgotten and stuck in the back of your closet. You can spend hours looking at old pictures, get caught up in an old project, or even go on a dust bunny crusade!

I am making two swing coats for my friend's little girls. I am using Mission falls 1824 wool in Macaw #27 and Mallow #25 I plan to use ribbon ties instead of buttons for the front. A quick and easy project that helps to keep my mind off my empty house.

A Button and a Hat

And now..... the button!

My sweater is finally finished.

I have been insanely busy at work but I have managed to cast on Shedir (Rowan Calmer in Garnet). I unfortunately only have bamboo needles in the right size for this pattern and I think I would enjoy it more if I knit it on my knit picks. Oh, well. I am enjoying the crazy cables in this pattern, I have been cableing without a cable needle! Between this and my Smoke ring socks I have been getting a fair amount of practice in "freedom" cabeling. I certainly find that a sharp point comes in handy more than ever using this technique. More knit picks are definitely on my wish list!

It Worked!

I fixed my Leaf sweater! I blocked it and it came out great. I was so worried about it that I had put off blocking it. It fits now, Yay! I even found a button for it. (scroll down to the silver flower on the left under the crest) As soon as it gets here and I finish the sweater I'm sure the weather will get warm. It was surprisingly cold today. We even had a hard frost after the leaves came out. A very strange spring we have been having eh?

In Search of a Perfect Button

Not a whole lot of knitting going on here. I can't seem to relax and sit down long enough to really get much done.
I have almost finished the Lace Leaf Pullover, It just needs the perfect button and maybe some blocking. I am not too happy with the way it turned out. It doesn't fit right in the shoulders. The rest of the sweater is really nice and the overall size is good it is just too tight in the shoulders and it pulls on the sleeve seems. I don't like the construction of the shoulders and sleeves. I am hoping that with some blocking it will work out but I am not sure how to block it to get my desired result. Suggestions anyone?
The Shetland triangle was sort of put on hold while I worked on the pullover and now that I am done with that I am getting back into it. It is a truly enjoyable knit.
The smoke ring socks are coming along slowly and of course the pulse sweater is filling in when I get bored with whatever else is on my needles.

Happy Easter everyone!

Leafing out!

Spring is here! The trees are green and the weather is warm, too warm for a sweater. Which of course means I am knitting one! I finally cast on for my lace leaf pullover and am almost half way done with it, talk about instant gratification!

I am loving this project. I am using lambs pride bulky in Kiwi and my knit picks needles in us 15. Because I knit backwards, (I'm left handed) I had to do some serious tweaking of the pattern to make the placement of the leaf motif and the button hole come out just right. But I am very happy with the results. I can't wait to wear this sweater! I love the pattern and I am excited to have a warm comfy sweater that I can hang out in. Now I just need to find the perfect button for the neck.

PS:

The color is a little off in this picture, The green is actually a bit brighter. I have been using my scanner until I get a digital camera :(

New Needles!

I am one very excited knitter. I have finaly ordered the knit picks options set! I have been dreaming of these since they came out.

While I lay in wait for the postman I am slowly making headway on the pulse cotton sweater. I think I have out grown this project. I got the yarn (Cotton classic) and started this project many months ago intending for it to be my introduction to color work. Now, I feel so confident that I want to jump into some fair isle socks! I am only one third of the way up the back of the sweater and I am bored with it. I know it has a cool stripe, a vertical stripe, bit I am still bored. I am finding that I like working with the cotton yarn although it is a little heavy. Still bored. Maybe it is the endless 2x2 rib. The whole sweater is in 2x2 rib. Maybe I should have seen this coming? I shall persevere. It is nice to have an easy project on the needles and I know the recipient will wear this sweater until it falls off of him so there is that to think of.

I have finished the baby things and sent them off in plenty of time as the new arrival is expected at the end of March.

As spring break nears and with it the middle of the semester I find myself thinking about what is next. My boyfriend is done with school here in Arkansas at the end of this term and will be going to Germany. I will be moving our house hold back to my home state of Vermont, putting it in storage and joining him at the end of August after my sister's wedding. It will be a busy summer! I have moved quite a bit in the last few years so I think I have the hang of it now. I am a little unsure about moving overseas though. I have been overseas before, but always with the Navy so I have not had to move my stuff and find a place to live. I'm sure it will all work out and I am very excited about going to Germany!

Project update #1

First off, I am sorry that I don't have any of my own pictures! Please bare with me until I get a camera.

So my projects,
lets start with the Top Knot Tie Cardigan from iknitiative. (scroll down)


I started this over Christmas because I don't have the needles I need for my lace leaf pullover. I had been waiting until it was warmer for this because it is very light and only intended to keep off the chill of summer air conditioning.
I am loving this project! I am using Kid Seta yarn 70% mohair and 30% silk in a light spring green #725, Yummy! I found some awesome beads that match but have several shades of green in them. I am using #10 bamboo circulars, one size up from the pattern for gauge. I usually need to go up a size because I knit a little tight. I have finished the front, back, and one sleeve. This has gone much faster than I thought it would! I am very excited to finish this. It is airy, and fuzzy and I think it will fit just right!