On Vacation ...

*posted a name at the bottom

Just knitting, visiting DH as often as weather allows me to get out and contemplating doing some housework. I might only get 2 out of 3 done. Guess which.

I got a new member of the household sent to me for Christmas direct from Holland. Isn't she cute? The black sheep in the family has come home.



I think she needs a name. Any suggestions?

See ya next week ...

I've picked a name ... how about Sally BaaBa? Yah, I like it!

Christmas knitting isn't done yet?

~ Author Unknown ~

’Twas the night before Christmas and all around me
There was unfinished knitting not under the tree.
The stockings weren’t hung by the chimney with care
’Cause the heels and the toes had not a stitch there.


The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
But I had not finished the caps for their heads.
Dad was asleep—he was no help at all.
And the sweater for him was six sizes too small.


When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I put down my needles to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash.
Tripped over my yarn and fell down in my stash.


The tangle of yarn that lay deep as the snow
Reminded me how far I still had to go.
When out on the lawn I heard such a noise,
I was sure it would wake up both Dad and the boys.


And although I was tired and my brain a bit thick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nic.
Yet what I heard left me very perplex-ed
For nothing I heard was what I expect-ed.


"Move Rowan! Move Patons! Move Koigu and Clover!
Move Shelridge! Move Starmore! Move Spinrite! Move over!
Lopi, don’t circle around, just stand there in line.
Pay attention you sheep and you’ll work out just fine!

I know this is hard, as it’s just your first year,
But I’d hate to go back to 8 tiny reindeer."
I peered over the sill.What I saw was amazing!
Eight wooly sheep on my lawn all a-grazing!

And then in a twinkle, I heard at the door
Santa’s big boots stomping on the porch floor.
I rose from my knees and got back on my feet.
As I turned around, St Nic I did meet.


He was dressed all in wool from his heat to his toe
And his clothes were hand knit from above to below.
A bright Fair Isle sweater he wore on his back,
And his toys were all stuffed in an Aran sack.


His hat was a wonder of bobbles and lace,
A beautiful frame for his rosy red face.
The scarf on his neck could have stretched for a mile,
And the socks peeking over his boots were Argyle.


On the back of his mitts was an intricate cable.
And suddenly on one I spotted a small label:
"S.C." in duplicate on the cuff.
So I asked, "Hey, Nic, did YOU knit all this stuff?"

He proudly replied, "Ho, ho, ho, yes I did.
I learned how to knit when I was a kid."
He was chubby and plump, a well-dressed old man,
And I laughed to myself, for I’d thought up a plan.

I flashed him a grin and jumped up in the air,
And the next thing he knew, he was tied to a chair.
He spoke not a word, but looked down in his lap
Where I had laid my needles and yarn for a cap.

He began then to knit, first one cap then two.
For the first time I thought I might really get through.
He put heels in the stockings and toes in some socks,
While I sat back drinking a scotch on the rocks.

Quickly like magic his needles they flew,
Good Grief! He was finished by two!
He sprang for his sleigh when I let him go free,
And over his shoulder he looked back at me.
I heard him explain as he sailed past the moon,
"Next year, start your knitting sometime around JUNE!"

_________________

Hohoho,

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all good knitters [and crocheters]!

And to all a good Knit night.

Z= is for Z socks

Zitron Trekking (XXL)

The year in pictures and the alphabet is over with my last entry being Zitron Trekking socks

and ...

Thank you to Zarzuela for the fun!

Now I'm out of here to finish my Christmas knitting .... hopefully ... soon ... must be finished ... [but why do I do this to myself?]

Put your Hat on this Winter ...

Because it looks like we'll have a "White Christmas" and a very cold Winter this year.

My intuitive knitting gene helped me to produce some finished MIA's ....



For a granddaughter perhaps?



Can't tell you the pattern because I started it last Spring and sort of made it up as I went along with left over yarns. This past weekend I simply finished it up with a ribbed brim. I kind of like it. Hope one of the grand daughters will also.

Then there was this crazy mishap of a hat. Came out too big but rather than ripping it, I felted it and then knitted on a ribbed brim. It's still a little loose. Wonder if someone could still make it work. Someone with a bigger head?

What to you think? Is it salvageable?
Other than needing a little shaving that is.





Another one I made up as I went along ... that's why it took so long to finish. It's made up of Blue Sky Alpaca Chunky Dualtones (gray) and Cascade 220 (black).

But then I have also knit a Beret for myself. This one is a keeper ...

Project info

Name: La Chapeau Beret

Pattern from: A Swell Shop

Needle and yarn

Needles

US 4 / 3.5 mm

US 6 / 4.0 mm

Yarn: A Swell Yarn Shop DeKAY Duet

How much? 1 skeins = 360.0 yards (329.2m)

Colorway: Beau Monde

Purchased at: A Swell Yarn Shop in the Lucky Lurkers Club

Oh I love, love this hat ...



So let the North Wind blow, my head will be warm this Winter!

Update on the man in my life ...

Surgery was a success!

He's resting comfortably at Mass General Hospital. Waiting to go to another rehabilitation center in Boston. They will be working to get him back on his feet. Well, that'll be soon enough. He can rest a few days first. Even though there's still a long road ahead, he has jumped a tremendous hurdle toward recovery.

Thanks to everyone who's been praying for us.

Y = Yarn Obsession

I know I've gotten really, really, really obsessive over yarn ...

and I won't bore you with all of the pictures. But if you're on Ravelry you can always go check out my Stash. Witness my guilty impulsive compulsion to buy more yarn and squirrel it away. For a rainy day you say? Retirement? For when I have no time [or money] to go to my local yarn shop? I've got it all right here don't I? Lining the walls and keeping the Winter winds out perhaps.

But at times ... well, I do make some up into something to keep me warm.



And then I have more room for more YARN.
Another shopping spree, right? [Please, somebody STOP me!]

X = X-ray

After the original x-ray was taken when DH had his fall last June 28 ... there's many many more. But the most recent is for a good reason and for an amazing process. To replace a piece of skull bone that had been left off while he was healing from when he had the original brain surgery to save his life. He will be having surgery this Friday. It was suppose to be December 22 but they've moved it up. I just found out Monday. It's good news. Positive news. Something our family has been waiting for for a long time.

A three-dimensional X-ray was used to create a prosthesis. Custom made. This is video on dentistry 3-D x-rays but it's on the same idea.




Now it's time to do some more knitting ... while I wait.

W = Wool

An obvious choice isn't it? I mean after all, I live with mostly wool in my stash these days. It lines my walls almost. Sure there's some Alpaca in there and a little Cotton too. Heck you might find some of the dreaded Acrylic in there that I'm saving for doll clothes for the grandkids' dolls or even a teddy bear. Or the Amigurmis I'm planning on making lots of.

But it always comes back to Wool.

Even objects I didn't make myself but I couldn't resist buying ...



But then I couldn't keep my hands off something that I DO WANT to knit. And finally I bought a kit ...

Elizabeth Zimmermann's Ribwarmer kit and a DVD with Meg Swansen.

I have long admired the knitting and sense-ability of EZ and her daughter. The designs are timeless and the wool that comes in this kit is Unspun Icelandic.

Now I figure that's getting right down to the basics. Unspun!



There's nothing like the feel of knitting with wool.

V = Variety ...

As a variety of knitting is waiting in the corners of StitchingNuts home!

**[edited to add more to my habitual stashing below ...]



A Swell Yarn Shop's KeKay Duet is waiting to be a Slouchy Beret Hat!



A Fiddlehead Rainbow Shawl ... another luxury item for me is sulking until I can start working on her. But it doesn't call out to me any more than this one that includes the JoJoland yarn somewhere too. Remember this shawl? And my intentions of knitting her before Winter? Oh ya, it's still waiting for me to make it a WIP.



And ...



I couldn't help myself when I bought this JoJoland Swirl Scarf kit. There's something about scarves lately that have been atracting my attention.

Such as ...



Do you believe I plan to begin this one in January? [and Fabric N FiberFanatic remembered I said January 5th. But only if you cast on also, Sara.]

And I'm way behind on the socks ...



But they're waiting in a corner for me also.



Not to mention the Undertow Cape.

But when am I going to find time to do ...



This bag?

Time oh time, is time on my side? Will I finish these in this life time?

Well it would help if I would start this THIS Winter ...



And just go from there ...

[If you think there might be more in hiding ... well you could be correct. But if I confess to any more, I'll never get anything done.]

**Okay I should at least add what I bought just THIS week ...




But you see what I mean about the scarves, right?

What? Did you just say, "It doesn't matter"? It's all an obsession?

All I want for Christmas ...

If any song can make me cry ... it's this one!

I said I was laying low, but ...

this was something I felt compelled to share.

It's just so true.

My result for Candy Bar ID Quiz...

Moderate Candy Eater

47% Chocoholic!

Well, you may like the taste of the occassional candy bar, but you probably like one kind and keep to it more than not. It's okay, not everyone has what it takes to be the true candy bar connoisseur or enough saavy to be an honest to goodness chocoholic. Maybe you occassionally just drown yourself in a vat of chocolate to ease your troubled soul when life is getting you down. Go ahead and treat yourself!

Take Candy Bar ID Quiz at HelloQuizzy

Winter colors don't have to be dark ...

Brighten up the Winter with flowers and bright colors on your bed!

While finally getting my bed ready for a long cold winter night this past weekend, I came across an afghan throw I crocheted years ago. In another lifetime. Another home. With someone else. I had put it away and hadn't taken it out in over 10 years. Not the afghan's fault. I just forgot about it. Until now.



Crochet Intarsia!

It's like new again. A bright spot on a dreary Winter day or night. I'll lay on my bed and read a book ... if I'm not knitting. And there it is ... warm and cozy upon the foot of my bed. Waiting for me to cover up with it while I read. Yup, it has a new life.



I'll be back next week ...

I'm taking a short break with a good book.


[ I know you will ask ... I'm on the 3rd book of The Twilight Saga.]

And then there were two ...

Mittens!

Dressy mittens. I LOVE these mittens!! I'm going to make more. But maybe I'll try knitting them in the round and kitchener the fingertip end. Would be easy enough to convert this pattern and save on the process of sewing up the side seam. I could even do a 3 needle bind-off on the end if I wanted to. In fact, I did on these. Then I sewed down the side.



At any rate ... these mittens are so nice on the hands and you can feel through them. Which makes it nice to pick up stuff etc. Pretty color too. Looks blue to me in these pictures ... but they're really PURPLE.

They took only one ball of yarn and there was only a tad bit left that you see me holding in my hand. That’s for a Medium size mitten. If you have large hands you will need two balls of Kimono Angora Pure. But it’s worth it. These are wonderful feeling “dressy” mittens!

Trim is done with left-over Louisa Harding Thalia ribbon yarn … in the yellow & purple

Project info

Name: Embelished Mittens

Pattern:

Elsie Mittens by Louisa Harding

Size: medium

Needle and yarn

Needles used:

US 4 / 3.5 mm

US 6 / 4.0 mm

US 8 / 5.0 mm

Yarn: Louisa Harding Kimono Angora Pure

How much? 1 skeins = 125.0 yards (114.3m)

Colorway: purple #7

Color family: Purple

Purchased at: Webs in Northampton, Massachusetts

But of course they're for "dress up" ... so I won't be wearing them in the Winter winds on the canal waiting for my train. But there will be a time I want something a little dressier than my felted red & brown mitts.

Just have to make me some.

These are of course for someone else ...

Now I just wonder who?

The Knitting Goddess smiles upon me and says ...

Finish some projects!!!

Okay, okay ... another Juliet Scarf is done. This one in a Plum. I love this pattern as well as the yarn. Took me a week vs. the 4 days for the first one I knit tho. But it was a busy week.



And I finished the Charlotte Purse I started in Louisa Harding's class/workshop.



And of course I have to use up some of that Left-over yarn right? The Thalia must be used for some Elsie Mittens ... the none striping ones. The Embellished Mittens. I just have to stitch up the side of the 2nd mitten tonight. These 3 patterns come from Louisa Hardings' book, Knitting Little Luxuries: Beautiful Accessories to Knit.



What a NICE feeling mitten ...



Then I finally finished my Valour Vest from the Colourscape Collection.



And of course I had to spend some time with some of my Grandchildren on Thanksgiving Day. So while I did that, I put "pause" on my knitting gene ...






And it was like there was no end to the cooking and EATING ...



Hope you all had a very Happy Thanksgiving also!

Fly-by-knitting spree ...

and a wonderful time with a charming lady!

I amazed myself when I found 5 of Louisa Harding's books in my home library [who knew I would have that many?] and heck, I had to buy one more before the weekend was over too. Louisa signed them all!



Seed Stitch Fine Yarn and the Greater Boston Knitting Guild hosted the visit from Louisa this past weekend. I was happy to get my books signed on Friday night and go out to dinner with her and a couple of the girls who work at SSFY. We went to A Passage to India Restaurant. Yummy! And we had a lot of laughs and discussions about design, fiber and other miscellaneous subjects. I think we even talked about kids and grandkids at some point, LOL.



A workshop on the Juliet Scarf was held on Saturday and I stopped by when they were done. Sounded like everyone had a wonderful time. Once again we had a lovely dinner. This time at the Lyceum. More fiber discussions and the time just flew right by!

I then attended the Sunday workshop for the Charlotte Purse.

With a full class and a lot of enthusiastic knitters all working on a their own creation. Here's a sampling of our day ...

Did I mention that a couple in our "Knitting Kittens" group was there? We're part of the Thursday night Community Knitting group that get together an extra night to continue our shenanigans with knitting. They've been my life savers these past five months.



And before Louisa left she was gracious [brave] enough to get into a picture with the StitchingNut. Mei.



Well if only I could keep a straight face and stop all that laughing ...



Must of been the cashmere behind me that was tickling the back of my neck, huh? Couldn't be because I'm such a "ham" ...