Happy New Year!

I hope my January greeting finds you well and back on track after the Holidays. This is a picture heavy post but truth be told, that's how I like it. I like seeing BIG pictures of what you are working on.

The lack of daylight-accessible hours for me to take photographs of my projects is a challenge during the winter months. For now I will stick to taking photos on Saturdays, posting on Sundays, and linking up on Tuesdays/Wednesdays. 

Our daughter was home for a few weeks from college and it was one of our best visits ever. It's so wonderful when your kids finally 'get it'. We talked, played games, hung out, cooked, shared cocktails, and enjoyed each others company. It was wonderful.

I've finished a few projects since my last post.

This is a pair of my own hand dyed self striping.

I'm still not jazzed with my color choices.

But I'm very happy with the stripe length.

I finished these the night before a fresh snowfall and couldn't resist taking them outside.

I bought a skein of Quaere Gradient in the Dark Rainbow colorway over a year ago.

I'm trying to use up some of my stash yarn and this skein had been calling to me for a while.

I uploaded the Ginkgo Crescent pattern quite some time ago too, but was hesitant to start it because so many knitters had to modify their projects. I like my knitting to be relaxing and theraputic, not so challenging that it causes stress.
 

I made my own changes to the shawl and am very pleased with the results.

I've purchased several skeins of yarn from Janel at Quaere and have loved them all. This gradient is no exception.

Our Goddaughter is pregnant and due in April. I've been on a roll knitting cotton baby blankets of late.

I ordered 5 skeins of Knit Picks Comfy Worsted and this sweet little blanket flew off the needles.

My daughter bought me this project bag for Christmas and I love, love, love it.

When my Mom moved out of our house a few years ago she left behind many skeins of yarn. With the yarn in one box, the pattern in another, and the needles in yet a different place I've had an interesting time trying to figure out what her intentions were.

This Shibui yarn is dreamy but the project could possible take FOREVER.

Warm wishes to all of you, but especially those of you 'in the middle', our cold spell should only last a few more days.

Linking up with Ginny & Nicole this week.

Later!

Melissa

Gah!

I MUST have this book.








http://www.loopknittingshop.com/product/6507/Loops_10

Has anyone seen it for sale in the US yet?


Love,

Lady who can't live without silly little things like this book.

Change is good.

These words rarely ever come out of my mouth.

Change is my LEAST favorite thing. Good or bad, change scares me.

After several years of eating the same things, getting into routines of eating crappy food and always in a hurry, I decided I need to change. I'm not the one who does all the cooking in our house. This will not be an easy task.

Breakfast seemed like a good place to start.

My son has been on a lifting program with a buddy, and asked for a smoothie type blender for protein shakes. So I ordered a Ninja.

I've been drinking green smoothies for breakfast for nine days now and the difference is already measurable; in my energy level, weight and pants size.

Next on my list is to get my husband involved. I can't do this alone, and he needs to do it as bad as I do.

On to knitting stuff!

I finished these super fun socks.

This yarn was a dream to work with and the colors are so vibrant and saturated.

This Araucania yarn has been in my stash for several years. My daughter did a geography report on Chile and my Mom purchased this yarn for her to display with her tri-fold board.

This Campside pattern has been in my queue for months and I was dying to get this started.

It's 100% Alpaca and very, very itchy on my skin.

Some of my favorite stitch markers from my knitting buddy.

Sadly I frogged this project last night. The yarn has too much light/dark contrast resulting in the stitch pattern getting lost. I will definitely try it again with a semi-solid/tonal yarn.

I have seven skeins of this yarn (770yds.) and need to make something that will not touch my neck. I will need to make mittens with it or chose a different shawl pattern to gift or sell.



This skein of self striping yarn that I dyed a couple weeks ago has been calling me from the bookshelf across the room. Shouting to me, really.

I wasn't a fan of the fawn color at first, but its growing on me.

Even looks a little Holiday-ish! (And Oooooh, glitter polish!)

Looking forward to seeing everyone's projects this week!

Linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO today.

Later!

Melissa

Not much action

I've dyed more than I've knitted since my last post.

I've finished the first of these yummy socks. Yep, pasty white Minnesota-grown legs, and Hey! nice bunion!

Our tree is finally up! It is a big one, lots of work to get assembled and decorated, but it puts me in the spirit every year. Its very sparkly & twinkly in the evenings.

I dyed some yarn this past weekend, all for myself. A couple skeins of self-striping, one tonal/variegated, and two sock blanks.

So lots & lots of skeins to play with in the coming weeks. YAY!

Looking for ward to seeing everyone's posts of Holiday progress today!

Linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO.

Later!

Melissa

Fall socks update

Working residents in the Midwest are accustomed to the concept of  "dark when you leave for work, dark when you get home from work".

Thus I have resorted to taking all of my knitting photos over the weekends when I am home during daylight hours. Merp.

I finished these self striping sock on SSYC's Poste yarn. I knit them on size 1 circulars in my preferred size of 56sts with an afterthought heel.

Although not exactly perfect. I love them.

I started these cotton socks some time over a year ago and in a bit of a FINISH SOMETHING! moment, I knit the second sock. They were knit on size 2 circulars in Cascade Ultra Pima Paints, which is one of my favorite yarns to knit with.

My Christmas cactus has bloomed without any effort. I didn't have to move it to the cooler basement or back off on watering it. Squee!

I haven't worked on this shawl AT ALL. I'm thinking about frogging it. The longer I stare at it, the less I like it.

I am looking so forward to the Thanksgiving holiday. My son is flying to Phoenix for the week to visit family, and my daughter is come home for a week to hang with us. Days full of coffee, cooking, cocktails, cards, and tamale making!

Linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO this morning!

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!

Melissa

Fun Fall Socks

Good Morning!

After FINALLY getting the Autumn Knitting Bug I started these socks.

The yarn was a gift from my Mom about a year ago. I believe it is SSYC's House brand.

They seem to be working up quickly even though I'm knitting them two at a time.

Althoug I don't actually READ much, I do listen to several audio books per month. I have a lengthy commute back & forth to work, so get most of my listening in while driving.

I shamelessly bought a skein of yarn from SSYC last week, JUST so I could get this bag. Awesome!

Did I mention how much I LOVE AUTUMN?

When a 5 year old boy calls and asks you to make him a pumpkin hat...

You make him a pumpkin hat.

And then you make his Dad a hat too.

Boy do my countertops make photographs look barfy. Ew. This hat is much more fun than it appears in this picture. The orange is the same yarn as in the photo above.

Sheesh.

A slight bit of progress was made on this Ashburn shawl.

I though this would make a lovely Holiday item to wear. The colors are a bit bold for me to wear, so this may turn out to be a gift or something for sale.

The middle section of the shawl is a textured pattern in the light green color. I'm loving it.

I'm excited to have a bit of a date tonight with Big Daddy tonight. He has the day off for Veteran's Day. We plan to go see Spectre (the new James Bond movie) as soon as I get home from work. YAY!

Looking forward to seeing everyone's project progress today. Linking up with Ginny's Yarn Along and Nicole's KCCO.

Have a great week!

Melissa