Knitting in Transit

It's a tie! The Mitten and the Dragon Hoodie each got 5 votes, leaving the Wee Willie Whistle Sweater and the Yellow Sweater in the dust. The Pillow made a strong showing, and will be worked on soon. I'll work on the mitten first, and then finish up the Dragon Hoodie . The Yellow Sweater I plan to frog and perhaps use that yarn for another purpose. I'd like to make a cardigan, perhaps. Thanks to all you sweet people who voted! And, I found the stripey hat! It got stuffed inside the non- handknit hat I wore to work last Wednesday. When I got home, I threw the hat in my closet and forgot all about stripey. While I cleaned the closet last night to make a space for Zoey the cat's litterbox (more on that later), I found the hat! It has been finished and given to my co-worker. Yay !

I lost a hat. I knit a cute little stripey hat for a co-worker. She's due to have a little boy any day now. I brought it to work last Wednesday to weave in the ends and make the curlys for the top. Never got around to to it. Wednesday night, I didn't have it, so I figured I'd left it at work. Well, it wasn't here Monday. So I looked some more at home last night. NO HAT. I am really bummed. What better way to cure the knitting blues than to work on my other current WIPs? Here is the latest progress on the Thinking Dress. And a close up of the cable. I am also making some Monkeys for my friend, Carrie. Here is the beginning of the second one! Less than a day left to vote on the next UFO I tackle!

Did you have a good long weekend? My weekend started with the sad news that Torii Hunter has left the Twins for the Angels . I wasn't able to watch the news Thursday night. Then, Saturday I sat through another poor performance by the Timberwolves . Once again, they lost it in the 4 th quarter, this time blowing what at one time had been a 20 point lead. It was refreshing to see the Vikings actually win yesterday! You'd think I might know a little something about sports, but my knowledge is actually quite limited. I'll post some knitting pics later today. I broke down and bought Itty Bitty Nursery yesterday! Only two days left to vote in the UFO survey. The mitten is pulling ahead, but the Dragon Hoodie and Pillow are close on its fingertips! Which will be the winner? Oh, and I'm on Ravelry now. I am AuntieMimi, so look for me there!

Only one more UFO! I guess that's pretty good...that I only have 5 UFOs. The last one is the Wee Willie Whistle Sweater from Miss Bea's Band by Louisa Harding. I am making it out of Lion Brand Cottonease. I knit another one exactly like it a few years ago...actually, this was the first attempt. This was the back and it was too big, so I started over. I had plenty of yarn, so I figured I'd keep this back and make another one. If I were to finish it now, I would probably give it to my nephew, Nathan. Now, you all get to vote! Which UFO should I finish first? I am going to make a survey that will be over on the side and you can vote there. Hopefully I won't be too demoralized when only two or three people vote. To re-cap the UFOs (you can click on the name and it will take you to the post with the picture). 1) Yellow Sweater 2) Mitten (I would need to complete this mitten and knit the second) 3) Dragon Hoodie 4) Pillow, perhaps? (this is the intarsia square) 5) Wee Wil...

I am so excited! I can't wait to get started! Back to the parade of UFOs. This next one is the Dragon Hoodie from Marnie MacClean . Below are several front pieces, a couple back pieces, and one sleeve? It's made out of this lovely yarn called, Lullaby . This sweater is really an example of when bad things happen to good knitters. I started this several times...and every time the strangest thing would happen. The sizes didn't match. The front pieces didn't match the back, or the right front wound up bigger than the left front. It just got to be too frustrating and I gave up. I actually knit more pieces than what you see here. I would like to finish it some day. The poor thing has been crumpled up in the bottom of a bin for a couple years now. ____________________ I had a wonderful weekend, although little knitting got done. I went to the Gopher/Badger game on Saturday and the Timberwolves /Hornets game Saturday night. Two sporting events, two losses by the hometeam . Su...

A long time ago, in a land far, far away (southwest Minneapolis), I took an intarsia knitting class. Here is what I started (and did not finish): It's made out of Rowan Felted Tweed. In the class, we just got a chart to work from, not a pattern for anything specific. I always planned to turn this into a pillow when I was done. Maybe someday I'll get around to that. Once I have posted pics of all my UFOs, I plan to make a survey and you (my loyal readership) can vote on which project I should finish first!

...that is how many people are still ahead of me for a Ravelry invite. Sigh.

Here is another UFO I pulled out of the closet over the weekend. It is the "Sweater with Cable Patterns" (how's that for a descriptive name?) from Rebecca no. 28 . It's made out of GGH Savanna in Maize Yellow. Oh, what will become of this sweater? I just don't know. That's the back and sleeves you see there. I've actually thought of ripping it all out and starting over, or using the yarn for something else. What don't I like about it? 1) It's a turtleneck...made of scratchy yarn. What was I thinking? I barely like turtlenecks, much less turtlenecks made of scratchy yarn. I do not like the scratchy against my skin. 2) The sleeves.... eck . I don't like them. They seem short...and wide. 3) Ummm ...I don't really want a cable pattern on my back. This seems silly to me. 4) I just don't know that it's going to fit me. I made it with the medium size, and looking back over the bust measurements....it ain't going to work. So, what to...

My weekend was just about as good as they come. I did some knitting, watched some football, enjoyed some unseasonably good weather, and played video games ! I have varied interests! I also photographed my entire stash and all my UFOs (unfinished objects) in preparation for my Ravelry invite! I think there are only 3,000-some people ahead of me, and I want to be ready when that invite comes. Here is one of the UFOs I came across. These are actually mittens that my sister, Gretchen, started. Gretchen actually taught me to knit, and she will be the first to admit that I have far surpassed her in knitting skill. I'm not sure if this mitten has a pair or not. G made me a scarf of this yarn, and these were to be the mittens. So, let me know G...do I need to knit a thumb and an entire mitten, or just this lonely thumb? I'll post more UFOs soon, and perhaps you all can vote on what I should finish first! I also got the back of the Thinking Dress done. Okay, this worries me. I followed ...

I'll be at a conference the rest of this week, so no posts for a few days. Where am I going? Florida? New York? Boston? No, Iowa. I have nothing against Iowa...it is a lovely state. But since it's only the next state down, I can't get too excited about visiting. I'll leave you with a picture of a cute knitted item. Pattern: Cherry-O! Hat from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan Anderson Yarn: Crystal Palace Yarns Merino 5, 100% Superwash Wool in colors 5220, 0204, and 5212...otherwise known as red, white, and green For: Lilla...a cute little girl born to a co-worker in October I hope to get a lot of knitting done on the Thinking Dress on the way down and back. I should have some progress to post about soon! In other knitting news, the Sock Savior socks are on their way. I put them in the mail today! I hope she likes them!

About every other week, I meet with a group of women from work for lunch, chit-chat, and crafty goodness. This week, we decided to take a little field trip to a new yarn store in Northeast Minneapolis, Bella Lana . It means "beautiful wool", and there certainly was a lot of that! Holly, Cathy, and I headed outside into a blustery wind. By the time we got to the yarn shop, only five minutes later, we were seeing our first flakes of snow! How exciting! Of course, nothing stayed on the ground, but it was lovely. Bella Lana is a beautiful shop. The shelves and interior are all white, which shows off the yarn wonderfully. The lighting was amazing. Check out the ceiling! It was covered with paper lanterns. When we came in, we were greeted by Enzo, the shop-dog. He's an Italian Greyhound. Friendly little guy...he seemed a little cold. I love a yarn shop with a dog running around. Of course there was a lot of beautiful yarn. This was my favorite: Jill Eaton Lamberino. I didn'...

For my non-knitting friends, that means a Finished Object and a Work In Progress. But, before we get to the knitting news...how about those Vikings ? I don't know a single person that expected them to win yesterday. Woo- hoo ! I spent my entire day watching football, eating chili, drinking beer, and not getting as much knitting done as I wanted. I forgot the needles I needed at home. Sigh. So, here is what I did finish. The second Stripey Hat. I love it even more than the first one! Same pattern, same yarn as the Stripey Hat from a few posts ago...I'm sure I'll knit a few more of these, but I probably won't post pics of the rest of them. And here is my WIP . It's going to be the Thinking Dress from Louisa Harding's Miss Bea's Rainy Day . If you ever need to knit something for a child, the Miss Bea series is wonderful. I love the patterns and the books as well. I'm knitting this from Lion Brand Cotton-Ease (I picked up a bunch when it was discontinued). ...

Well, here they are! My "Sock Savior" socks. This summer, I participated in Sockapalooza 4 . Over 1,000 knitters in 26 different countries participated , knitting socks for strangers and receiving some knitted goodness in return. I received some beautiful socks from Tanya , and Linda was the recipient of my first pair of Sockapalooza socks. Unfortunately, not everyone held up their end of the bargain, and some knitters found themselves waiting...and waiting...and waiting...for socks that never showed. These knitters needed "sock saviors" and I answered the call! Details: Baby Cable Rib from Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch , done toe-up with the round toe. Yarn: Fleece Artist Merino 2/6 I LOVE the yarn! The socks worry me a bit. As I did with my first pair of Sockapalooza socks, they are a bit too long. Not only that, but one is longer than the other. Where did I go wrong? Do I need a new tape measure? Well, I had a lot of trouble getting started ...

Over the weekend, I had the chance to visit Crosby Farm Park , here in St. Paul...not once, but twice. The weather was beautiful both Saturday and Sunday, and I had the chance to meander around Crosby Lake and the Mississippi river. While there, we saw many geese, and one very large grasshopper. If any of you ever get the chance, I would recommend heading over there for a little visit. I'm starting to get the hang of Blogger. I've been adding links to my site, and have figured out how to make words be actual links to cool information . I cast on Tuesday night for the second stripey Marley hat...which shall be known as "the stripey hat" from this point forward. Expect pics soon. Also, there are now *only* 10,091 people ahead of me in line for a Ravelry invite. I'll just be patient I guess.