Who's on my Christmas List?

Friends and Family of course ... but not everybody wants knitted items. Sometimes I'm told that and other times I notice the recipent has never been seen wearing what I knit. At least not by me. Some probably just don't want to hurt my feelings. Or maybe they don't wear hats or don't wear mittens. And sometimes I listen! Other times I hope to maybe make something that ONE person really, really WOULD like. I just love to knit so I always say, "If you don't like it ... it won't hurt my feelings if you give it back or tell me you would like another color." Honestly, I would rather donate it to someone in need if you don't want it. But as you see, I still have plenty to knit for ...

This is the year; handwarmers ... fingerless mitts ... wrist warmers ... flip top mittens.







I really want to knit for myself right now also. Those gray ones maybe? In another color?? And I really want a sweater or vest or ... maybe a hat for myself. I'm constently distracted as you see.

I swatched (don't snicker, I really do swatch once in awhile but only if it's to be worn & needs to fit right) for a sweater or vest or something like that ...

And yes, I cast on before stopping myself and refocusing on the Christmas gift knitting again.

 I did knit at least one scarf in the bunch.  (BTW, all patterns above are listed on my Ravelry page)

That's only because the one receiving it ASKED for a red scarf. You know what ... she's getting wrist warmers to go with it too because she obviously ... LOVES my knitting.

Ah ha!!



I haven't deserted you Blogger, honestly!

I've just been very busy working on my Christmas knitting, as well as a donation and completing something for myself that I had started ... like a year ago already.

Yup, this hat is for me. It was on the needles for a year (maybe longer), lanquishing away ... but now it's done and I'm so happy I finally got back to it and finishing it before it was totally forgotten. But that's one of the great things about Ravelry ... it doesn't really let me totally forget what I've started. It wasn't a difficult knit either ... it's just that other things distracted me from finishing it.

But this next hat (also from Twisted Woolly Toppers by Woolly Wormhead) only took me a couple of days. It's to be donated as a Cemo Hat for a friend's daughter. I knit faster when it's for someone else I think.



Then of course there's all the fingerless gloves and mittens that I'm still working on. The Christmas gifts!




The one without the picots is for a grandson and the other will be in various color combinations for the grand daughters. Also more of these to have their pictures taken or to come off the needles. Like these Flip Top Mitts I just finished today ...

Heaven knows that Christmas is just around the corner. And there's just too many to knit for. I think I should have taken a poll on who would like to be taken OFF my knitting list. Mmmmm?

But we all know ...


I have a problem!!

It's always exciting to win a BLUE ribbon!!

I decided to enter something into the Topsfield Fair this year. This time a shawl.
My "Waiting for Earl Waves in the Square Shawl". The pattern name is: Waves in the Square.

I loved it so much in the orange Madelinetosh light yarn that I used that I saved it for the Topsfield Fair in Topsfield, MA. Now I can wear it just in time for the month of October right? I have a knitting party to go to on the 30th and I know I can at least wear it to that.


And I'm happy to announce that I won a Blue Ribbon ...

It was all folded up so a couple of the Fair Volunteers asked if they could open it up to see it.

Maybe I'll enter something again next year. Maybe even two or three things.

I also loved spending the day seeing all the sights at the fair  ...

I just love the smells and sounds of a good fair and this one was no exception even though it was a small one. Small compared to the ones I use to go to in New Hampshire anyway.  

In the pink ...

I knit a lot of shawls, wraps and ponchos as you probably know by now if you've been here before.  I know it's a lot and I've been asked many time if I knew how many I had, but I've refused to count them. And I thought I was doing pretty good with using a variety of colors too. Until that is, I stacked most of my lace shawls together to get of better view of what colors I've used already and what might be missing and deciding what color to do next. Am I a PINK person? Really??

This doesn't even count the two shawls I have missing from this stack. One is on display at my Local Yarn Store (Seed Stitch Fine Yarn) and it's also PINK. And one that I had already pulled out of my shawl drawer stash to give away as a Christmas gift and quess what ... yup, it's also PINK. Now there's 3 here in the picture as you see. So why do I think I've been changing up the color I use in my shawls? WAIT, I have one at the Topsfield Fair awaiting the judging to be done and that one is ...


ORANGE.

October 3rd is when I find out if I've gotten any kind of a ribbon.

Would be nice if it's a BLUE ribbon!

Little things add up ...

First it's a trivet and then it's a pot holder ...

Grandma's Potholder

But that's only a prototype. I had to make an bigger and better one right? So I made this one ...

One with a little more imbellishment. But could I stop there? Oh no, there are lots more to do with those crochet hooks. And plenty of left-over yarn to use up. Waste not; want not. That's right ... they're all crocheted too. I don't know what's gotten into me. So I decided to do another 3-dimensional trivet. Another hot pad ...

I've got to keep this one for my tea pot. I might even make a few for Christmas gifts though.  And about those shawls that have taken over my life lately ... Well I finished one for my Mom too.

Blocked and put away for Christmas. If it looks familar it's because it's the Stacy Shawl pattern from the book "Wendy Knits Lace". I love that book and especially this shawl.

But then I also love the simple shawl by Stephen West called the Boneyard Shawl. I finished this one 2 days ago and before you give me high praise for being a really fast knitter ... let me explain that I've been working on this all Summer. It was my "go to" project when I needed something simple to relax with or to knit on while talking to friends.

I wore it yesterday and love this one as much as the others too. So that's the picture story of my knitting life lately ... with crochet stepping in now and then.


(All details for all the above projects can be found on my Ravelry page)

Go ahead and make something!

Busting the Stash ...

A reversible flower hot pad ... a trivet for setting hot stuff on like a tea pot to protect your table!

I'll be crocheting up more with either cotton or wool or whatever I have stashed away leftover from past projects. Having trouble figuring out how to do it? How about coming to my workshop at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn in November or December. (dates to be determined)

Bust that Scrap Stash!!

Summer dreams produce lovely shaws for the Winter.

Another Madelinetosh luxurious creation. This time I used Madelinetosh Pashmina. I love that yarn so much! In fact, I have loved any Madelinetosh yarn I've used so far and I can see that there's more to try. Oh my goodness! Thankfully, they'll be even more to pick from down at my favorite LYS, Seed Stitch Fine Yarn in Salem.

I had to knit another Summer Mystery Shawlette by Wendy D. Johnson. Only this time I wanted it to be shawl size.  So I cast on 96 more stitches with the colorway Forest and here is my creation ...

I call it Summer Dream Shawl and you can see more pictures on Ravelry.
It felt so good to put on that I had to wear it going out to my DH's birthday dinner at a fine restaurant.

It suited the occasion wonderfully!

New England marine life display

A community art project at Seed Stitch Fine Yarn has volunteers contributing to their display.

I just brought an Octopus down for the display. A few other things of mine are there also, but a number of knitters both young and mature have contributed some really neat stuff. See if you can recognize what are in our New England waters.

That's the general picture ... how about some closeups, huh?

Even that tire was knitted. Cool huh? And I love my Octopus ...

And I think HE loves the tire ~ !!