A visit from the Queen

Margie, you have been doing so much! I am so proud of you.

I did finish the bug - here is a picture! It's so cute. :D

I have also been doing some mending, as I have recently moved and discovered there are many clothes I like that were stuck in my fabric bin, waiting for just a few stitches or the cuff sewn back on, etc. I also fixed one shirt only to discover it's much to small for me (even though I'm at my smallest size in about 5 years) - what a mystery?! Anyway, off to Goodwill.

The new project I'm cooking on is to make quilts for refugees. I'll tell you more about that another day. For now, some actual cooking - we're celebrating early Thanksgiving in just 9 hours!

Catherine

Christmas!

I think Christmas is both more fun and more stressful now that I have become enamored with knitting.  I want to make everyone something, and there's just not enough time.

I have plans for things, and I admit that I am going to suck up to MyFriend's daughters by making them things this year and not make so much for my kids.  Bad mom.  Oh well.

I'm going to make boot cuffs for the older daughter, who is in college, and for the younger daughter
I'm going to make these slippers:

They are just about the cutest thing ever.  I'll make some for Middle and Smallest too, because how can I not?  I started on my test pair (for Middle) last night and I think they'll go really quickly.  They're felted, and I've never felted anything before, so it could be an adventure.

I will document the progress.  And I probably won't have time to make the Link gauntlets for Darren this year, Catherine.  Or some other cool things I wanted to make for you.
I did manage to lose a really nice cowl I made last year.  I don't know if I gave it to Mom, or Put It Somewhere in the house?  I am baffled.  It was really soft and warm and I'd sure like to wear it at work sometimes.  Ah well.  Maybe it will turn up in the sleeve of a coat!  I'll have to go check.

Margie

One down

For some reason, I believe that if I am a knitter, then I muse make a pair of socks.  I bought my first sock yarn probably 15 years ago and messed around with the yarn and the double-pointed needles.  I had a book with some sock patterns, but I never ventured into the Land of Socks.

Finally, I bought some nice sock yarn from a local dyer (at my LYS that is now closed) and after only nine months or so, I made a bunch of swatches to test needle size and then I just decided to go for it.  It if turned out just right, they would fit me.  Too big?  Middle can wear them.  Too small?  Smallest is the winner.

I finished the first sock about two weeks ago and while it fits me, I think it fits Middle better.  I have cast on the second and am about 2/3 of the way through with the leg portion of the sock.  It goes fast, but I didn't take full advantage of my six hours of airplane time this past weekend, so I'm not to the heel yet.  The heel was easier than I expected.

At any rate, I think for the next pair, I will indeed go down a needle size.  Maybe then Smallest will get the socks!  Who knows.  I have some other sock yarn stashed away.  But Xmas gifts for MyFriend's daughters will have to come next.

Here's Sock #1

Subversive Cross Stitch

Many years ago, a friend gave me this book called Subversive Cross Stitch. (http://www.amazon.com/Subversive-Cross-Stitch-Julie-Jackson/dp/0811853470/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1443572552&sr=1-2-catcorr&keywords=subversive+cross+stitch)  It has cute designs with snarky sayings and I loved it.

I finally got to use it to make MyFriend a birthday present.  I wanted to do something a little more elaborate than just the words and a little border, so I adapted a sampler I found in an old cross stitch magazine I had.

Here is the final result, presented to MyFriend on Sunday evening at one of his many birthday celebrations this weekend.  He loves it.

We will frame it, and he can display it somewhere in his house.  He can't wait to show it to his mom, as he thinks she will find it amusing as well.  They are good people.

Now I have to figure out what to do next.  The sweater?  Finish the socks I started?  I need to finish the bee I started for our brother.  I've almost finished all the stitching, then it's just the backstitching to do.  Maybe that's the one to do first.

Yay for finishing!  Even better, I had all the supplies for this except for two colors of floss.  That was nice.

Margie

Too many projects!

I finished my swatch of the sweater for MyFriend.  I think I need to go back and measure and plan a little bit.  I should probably use the actual yarn this time, instead of the test yarn I was using.  I do now know that the pattern works best when making actual cables rather than do the stitch as explained in the pattern.  I need to figure out how to do it without a cable needle to save time.

While waiting to decide what to do with the sweater, I forged ahead with the sock, hoping for the best with the gauge.  If they are small, then Smallest can wear them.  If they are big, then Middle can wear them.  If they are just right, then I will wear them!  So many choices in feet!
I thought I had a sock picture and a swatch picture, but apparently not.  Oh well.

So...now I am working on a project for MyFriend's birthday.  He will be 50 on September 28th.  We had been looking a while back at a silly book I have called Subversive Cross Stitch and he said he would hang one up if I gave him one.  I've taken a very sweet sampler thingie and I'm swapping out the nice words about friendship for "Be my bitch".  I think he will like it.  Here is the beginning.  I had to take out a row of fancy stitches as I used two threads instead of one.

I'll post more pictures as it progresses.  Or maybe just one when it is done.  I'd like to get it framed before his birthday, so I need to finish it quickly!

I am also having a bad case of startitis.  I have a bunch of yarn sitting around and I'm wanting to start all the projects that I've been saving the yarn for.  Part of this has been brought on by finding moths in my closet.  I don't know what they're eating - old sweaters or new yarn - but they're munching on something and I need to go through and clean stuff out!  When I pull things out, I will think about what it's for and want to start on the project, so this will be tough.  Fortunately for me, Ex-Darling is in town this weekend and will have the kids, so MyFriend has some other things to work on while I sort through the stash, plus piles of paper that have accumulated.

Good times!

For me!

Well, with the baby sweater done, and the gauge on the socks being completely discouraging, I had nothing prepared to work on except my cool stripey shawl.  I was pretty close about color changes in my last post.  There were fewer left than I thought, so now it is done!  I haven't blocked it yet, but I am wearing it as I am sitting in my chilly office at work.  Good stuff.  Here are pictures.  Smallest is modeling it for me.

So now I am knitting up a practice swatch for My Friend's sweater.  I'm testing the pattern as well as gauge.  I have to say, I don't really care for the pattern that much.  The main design stitch isn't coming out clearly and it's a big pain as well.  I've told My Friend about my discovery and we will take a look at it together and see what we think.  He is currently out of town visiting his girls.  He is a good dad.

Middle and The Boy are with my parents in Colorado this week, and Smallest is at camp so I am home all alone.  I am finally getting to some projects from when we moved into the house.  I painted my kitchen window.  The frame was new and gleaming white, but the window was not white.  So now it is.  Much better.  I'm painting some bookshelves we put in the girls' rooms not quite two years ago, and I'll be painting the trim in their rooms as well.  Fun times.  Lots of painting.  I need to paint the trim all around the house.  I need to replace the trim all around the house too.  Sigh.

At some point in the next couple of weeks, work will begin on re-doing my downstairs bathroom.  This is the one I share with The Boy.  It is not so nice now.  It will be very nice when we're done.  I am not doing the work, and that is okay with me.  It will get done a lot faster that way!

Margie

Still not counting hours.

Wee Babies

I have made a rather happy discovery - My Friend likes to drive on long trips.  This came in really handy when we drove to New Orleans for a belated 50th Wedding Anniversary for my parents.  My brother, Catherine and her beau were there as well and we had a wonderful weekend of eating and playing games.

On the way there and back, I worked on a baby sweater for a friend at work.  I don't know many people having babies anymore, so it was fun to get to make something cute.  I saw the sweater on the Yarn Harlot blog and it looked super easy and in fact, it was!  My friend is having a girl, so I wanted it to be pink, but not Too Pink.  I found a great cotton yarn that can go in the washer and dryer (!!) at Knit Picks and the pink is just right (Flamingo).  I got a darker pink to put on the edges and it looks very cute.  The picture is before sewing in all the ends, but I gave it to my friend this morning without taking a picture of the finished product.

So... now I am still trying to get gauge on some socks that I want to make (my first pair) and in the meantime I'm making a shawl with Caterpillar Green self striping shawl yarn in the Boneyard shawl patter from Ravelry.  I think I only have about six color changes to go, and this one is for me (in theory), so I'll get a picture of the finished product for sure.

The next projects include a sweater for me and a sweater for My Friend.  I have decided that it is okay to tempt the boyfriend sweater superstition because I consulted with him on the pattern, the yarn and the color.  We'll work on the fit together as well.  No nasty surprises!  I also want to make his younger daughter a hat and some mittens.  She and her mother have moved to Germany for a year so I think she'll need something to keep her warm and cosy.  I might use the same yarn as I did for the fingerless mittens I made her last Christmas.  I'll get Middle to help me pick a hat pattern that is appropriately cool.  I don't want to give a teenaged girl an uncool hat!

I also need to finish the bug cross stitch for our brother.  That is overdue!  I don't know if Catherine finished her bug or not, or how far our mother is.

Oh, and last but not least, The Boy took his driving test with a third-party tester here in Houston and he passed!  Now we have to get some paperwork corrected and we can go get his license.  Whew!  That will be SO nice.

I've stopped keeping track of hours.
Margie