FINISHED! Hilja's Mittens

I finished these a coouple weeks ago but am finally finding time to post them.



These are for my No-More-Humdrum Mittens Swap pal, Katie Franceschi of Yarn Love (OMG her yarn is to die for!! I am searching for Valentine and Plum Cake (I think that the name of it))



I hope she likes them.



Presenting......Hilja's Mittens from Folk Knitting of Estonia

My No-More-Humdrum Mittens

I received my beautiful mittens from the first round of the No-More-Humdrum Mittens Swap. They were knitted by Jenni in Finland. Aren't they gorgeous? I wear them everyday because they are super warm.

If you like these, you may want to consider joining our second round. The details are located on the blog. We'll be starting mid-January but it's not too early to sign up and get your questionnaire up on your blog.

Tee-Hee

I am hosting a new mitten swap

If you would like to join my next Mitten Swap, you can find it Here

This last one has been great. I learned a new technique (Stranding) and the next one I plan on converting a sock pattern to mittens with a technique I found online.

Come and join us and try something new!

Death of Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel

Not sure if you heard this or even remember who he is, but Evel Knievel passed away yesterday. I was watching a story on ESPN about his life and it brought back many memories from the 70’s. At the end, it said his real name was Robert Craig Knievel, son of Robert and Ann (Craig) Knievel of Montana. My maiden name is Craig so I sent an email to my sister and brothers saying, “I wonder if...”

One of my brothers just replied with this, “I thought you knew he was a relative of ours. Call dad and have him make a copy of his info from the Craig family book.” (a relative of ours did a complete genealogy of our family and made it into a book. My dad has a copy).

Isn’t that COOL?? If my family talked about it back in the 70’s, as young as I was, I wouldn’t remember it.

And now that I have been reading a little bit about him, I have found that before he started his daredevil career, he sold Insurance for “Combined Insurance Company of America”. Coincidentally, the company I work for acquired that Insurance Company a few years ago, so I work for the same Company as he did. WEIRD!!

Stitch Markers I made for my Coffee Swap pal Nancy

I have been waiting until Nancy got her package to post these. I made them out of clay. Don't they look like real coffee beans? LOL I also made a cup with a bit of brown atthe top to look like coffee. I am going to make a set of these for myself too!

Ugggghhh

My life is so boring I have not had anything to blog about lately.

I found out this weekend that we have been deserted for Thanksgiving. We usually celebrate at my IL's but overheard at a party this weekend that they are going somewhere else this year, inviting everyone form our usual dinner except us.

So, alas, i will be cooking Thanksgiving for the first time in years. It'll be the first since I married DH. I am ok with this, now that I have had time to get over the initial anger and resentment I felt earlier in the weekend.

The biggest perk of this is that i will have total control over the menu and am going to make it as healthy as I can while still allowing the splurge a holiday i famous for. I am making pies that will count as little points and will make things like my potatoes and squash as close to core as I possible can so I don't blow it too bad.

I went shopping this weekend. I can triumphantly say that I am now a blissful shopper on the "other" side of Fashion Bug. (Big gals on one side, sexy slim gals on the "other".

:)


Happy Monday everyone!

Red Sox - 2007 World Series Champions

Congratulations to all Red Sox fans out there!!!

Our Father, who art at Fenway...
Baseball be thy game.

They Kingdom come,
Series need to be won,
On Earth, then on to the Cask 'n' Flagon.

Give us this day, a perfect Papi,
And forgive us our losses,
As we forgive those,
Like Bill Buckner.

And lead us not, into desperation,
But deliver us from any losses.

For thine is the Power,
And the Glory,
To beat the Rockies,

Forever and ever....the Yankees suck
A-men

My Latest Felted Bag

Here is the bag I made for my Fall Felted Bag Partner. She's received her package so it is safe to post the picture. It's a bag from Knitty.com Their model was done in purple and green. It's a slip-stitch pattern. When I felted it, the squares got distorted, but i think it adds a bit more character. (or as Mary Beth Temple, author of The Secret Languiage of Knitter's, would say; it's a Design Modification - LOL)

The yarn for the bag is Lamb's Pride Worsted. It has grommets in each of the holes where the straps are fed through.



The flower is a Noni Camelia. It was hard to grasp the concept of the pattern at first but then something clicked. The flower is knitted with Cascade Quattro.

I can check one more thing off of my knitting "to do" list

I have a link to a list of things I have done and things I still want to do....



I can mark one more thing off the list. I am doing stranded knitting tonight. :)



This is how far I had gotten this afternoon and tonight I have started on the rows that have more than one color. I think I am getting the hang of it. I am keeping both strands in my left hand and don't seem to be having a problem with it so far.



This is it before I started the hand. I turned it black and white so my mitten swap pal wouldn't know they are for her...

..back from Rhinebeck (aka New York State Sheep & Wool Festival)

We had a blast! I went with 4 women from the CT SnB group that I knit with once a month (which i am going to try to make at least 2-3 times per month now). The drive up was BEAUTIFUL and I regret not taking my camera. dumb mistake. We went on all back roads through CT and NY. The fall foliage was unbelievable and we passed a number of gorgeous horse farms.

It was great to get to know Eina, Jenna, Margo Lynn and Regina better. I found scary similarities between Eina and me, including our favorite colors (Lime green and Chocolate Brown) and our tendency to gravitate toward the same kind of knitting projects. She is an Art teacher, and I went to school for Art thinking that was what i would eventually do, but it never came to pass.

While walking from one building to another we saw a sheep on it's way to one of the barns, who clearly did not want to be on the leash he was on. Every 10 seconds he said "BAAAAAAAAH" and reminded me of the laugh of Arnold from Happy Days. (the Asian one) (Remember him? BAAAHAHAH)

We got there when it first opened and went straight to Socks that Rock. I bought three skeins figuring it would be nice to leave something for others AND keep my budget intact for the rest of the day.

LunaSea

Watermelon Tourmaline

Oregon Red Clover Honey

I tried to get stuff that I couldn't get anywhere else. I got some Bison yarn which is soooo soft. I am going to make a lace skull cap with it.

Some Aussie sock yarn (Faded Valentine)





some Araucania that was dyed in Chile.



I also got a thrummed mitten kit



and then we went to Morehouse (which is closing it's brick and mortar store and focusing on the web store). I got a heavy weight sock kit, another mitten kit and a lace shawl kit.







I guess I'll be pretty busy for awhile.

I'm definitely a child of the 70's.....

YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 70'S...

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked. (actually I didn't but my best friend did and we played with it all of the time)

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it. (I got mine around 1976 and it was red, White and Blue for the Centennial LOL)

You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels. (My best friend and I would get dressed in our light pink bodysuits from gymnastics and do roller skating shows in my basement for our parents - we were soooo talented!!)

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island . (Yep!!!!)

You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie", not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill". People sometimes thought you were a boy. (I had a Dorothy Hamill for YEARS!!)

You had Moon boots for snowy days.

You owned "Klick-Klacks" and smacked yourself in the face more than once ! (OMG these things were so much fun and I was so good at them. I loved them and used to drive my dad nuts with them!)

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession. (I still have a ceramic figurine which is in one of my daughter's rooms. LOL I even owned a Hollie Hobbie tea set as a little girl)

You wore gauchos.

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once. (My brothers and sisters basically destroyed this so by the time I was old enough, it was just the frame but we used to do "penny drops" from the bars - hang from your legs and swing back and forth until you got enough momentum to fly off in a forward motion and land on your feet.)

You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (Mine had beads on the ends of the ribbons LOL)

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (my dad wouldn't let me get them, and when they resurfaced a couple years ago, I actually considered buying them just so that I could say I had, had them LOL)

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture (6th grade for me!!) and you despised Nellie Oleson!

PONG! ("video tennis" ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of ! (We had this and there wasn't another family we knew who did...)

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. With the thermos inside some were glass and broke the first time you dropped them. (my mom actually worked at Thermos and I had tons of them and always the best, hard to find ones!!)

You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend. (even though I wanted the dark haired guy)

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker. (I got mine for Christmas one year and can very clearly remember walking down the street listening to it on Christmas Day. It was rainy that day which hardly ever happened in CT on Christmas back in the 70's)

You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books.
(Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.)

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer. (watched it every week, along with Dance Fever with Danny Terio LOL)

You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first
"real" perfume you ever owned.

You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off. (It was Bonne Bell wasn't it?)

SP11 Flash your Stash Contest

This picture was taken right before I bought a second cabinet. I now have a closed door cabinet with these cubes stacked on top. They are much neater looking now. Mmmmmm I love my stash! My sock yarn stash has also grown considerably over the past couple of weeks.

I also have a shoe holder on the back of a closet door in my dining room that has leftover skeins from prior projects.

What's making you laugh right now?

This is what is currently making my household laugh.....



ARGGGGHHHH get it out of my head!!

Ravelry insanity

Since I received my invite, I have uploaded and documented 24 project photos and 68 stash photos along with info (some photos have more than 1 skein if they are the same yarn and color). OH MY GOODNESS! I need more, I guess. LOL

I'm in!!!!

I got my Ravelry invite today as predicted. I am "knitiot" if you want to look me up. :)

I am busy looking around....and of course WATCHING SURVIVOR!!!!

ANOTHER Ravelry update

You signed up on July 7, 2007
You are #14790 on the list.
1487 people are ahead of you in line.
18211 people are behind you in line.
40% of the list has been invited so far

Almost there!!!!

I just spent a couple hours taking pictures of my yarn and works in progress, and writing down the details of each yarn as I photographed it so I am ready to play when the big day gets here. So many more people have joined since I started watching for my time to come. I can't believe how many people are behind me now. I am sooo glad I signed up back in July when i still had no clue what I was signing up for. LOL

Fall Felted Bag Contest #2

1. Here's a peek at my bag in progress.....

2. Here is a link to the blog of one other swapper that I 'met' and have continued to read through the 3-2-1 contact post! I found this one by following links from everyone's contest answers http://stringsandpurls.blogspot.com/ We seem to have a lot in common!

another Ravelry Update

Where I am...

You signed up on July 7, 2007
You are #14790 on the list.
3211 people are ahead of you in line.
17025 people are behind you in line.
36% of the list has been invited so far.


So that means I have only moved up by like 200......getting IMPATIENT here.

Now back to your regulary scheduled rambling....

My New Swap

Do you like mittens? Do you want to try out a new technique such as Latvian patterns or embroidering on your work? Come and join my No More Humdrum Mittens Swap!

Look at these AWESOME new needles from Knitpicks

OMG! I covet these needles from Knitpicks! Aren't they gorgeous? They reflect my personality so well. :)

I put them on my "things I want" wishlist for knitting socks. Who could resist?

I won something!!!!

I won a felted Bag Kit from SheKnits . Isn't it awesome? You should visit her etsy store . She sells knitted bags, patterns for her bags and Bag Kits. Something for everyone! I am so excited to win this!

Thanks Sharon!

Ravelry update

Where I am...

You signed up on July 7, 2007
You are #14790 on the list.
3450 people are ahead of you in line.
16360 people are behind you in line.
36% of the list has been invited so far


I am getting really anxious. They must not be on their new servers yet, becausethey said that they would be inviting 5000 per week once they are and I have ben withn 5000 for a week or more.

Nicky Epstein Felted Cherry Blossom Purse

Well here it is....FINALLY! This is the Nicky Epstein Cherry Blossom Purse from the August 2007 issue of Knit N Style magazine.


It was knit with Cascade Pastaza, and I had a very bad experience with the felting. I knitted to the exact gauge at a normal tension for felting, and it just wouldn't shrink enough width-wise. I ended up cutting it at the seams on one side, cutting off the excess and sewing it back together. Also the dowels that it calls for in the pattern for the rod pockets were 12 inches....how does that make sense for a purse that is 16 inches wide? Still, I didn't catch onto that until I was assembling it. LOL So, I need to go buy new dowels and some end caps for them to complete the purse.

Although it's not complete, I decided to begin using it, since the warm weather will be coming to an end very soon. This is clearly a "Spring/Summer" looking bag, so I wanted to get some use in before I had to put it away for Winter. LOL It has a pink lining to match the flowers, one zippered pocket and a cell phone pocket. I still need to add snaps at the side to keep them poking inside when closed.

BEWARE!!!!

A recent study indicated, that Yarn and thread gives off certain Pheromones that actually hypnotize women and cause them to purchase unreasonable amounts.

When stored in large quantities, in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones, (in the yarn,) cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome, (similar to the one squirrels have, before the onset of winter, i.e. the storing of food,) therefore, perpetuating their species and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut into pieces and mixed with others.

Sound tests have also revealed, that these yarns, emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few, a breed of women known as"loomers." When played backwards on an LP, the sounds are heard as chants, buy me, loom me, and wind me into a ball ".

In order to overcome the so called "feeding frenzy effect," that these yarns cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs, to avoid being pulled into their grip.(One must laugh, however, at the sight of customers in a yarn store, with WW2 army gas masks and headphones!).

Studies have also indicated, that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effects, that these yarns have on the human population. They are called "YARN STORE CLERKS".

It's also been experienced, that these same Pheromones, cause a pathological need, to hide these yarn purchases, when taken home (or at least blend them into the existing stash.) When asked by a significant other if the yarn is new, the reply is, "I've had it for awhile."

Author Unknown

HEHEHE

Fall Felted Bag Contest #1

1. What is your favorite yarn for felting, and why? - I would have to say that it has to be a toss up between Cascade 220 and Lamb's Pride Bulky. Bulky gives quicker satisfaction, but Cascade is very reliable too. I've had good luck with both and love how sturdy the fabric turns out.

2. Name one person in the swap who is not from the U.S. and tell us where they are from, and link to their blog. Kaili is from Estonia (note to self - get to know Kaili) :) LOL

3. Find one person in the swap who has a dog, and let us know the name of their dog(s) and link to their blog. I can answer this without even loking because Laurie D. was my pal last time around and she has an adorable dog!

4. Find one person in the swap who has a child or grandchild and link to their blog. Leslie N. has 3 kids. :)

5. And finally, tell us if you like October or November more, and why! (Yea, I know part of September and November are technically fall, but for this question, only October and November matter!) I like October the best. Autumn is my favorite time of year and November is when Winter starts where I live. I love the crisp air and the beautiful foliage. I love hayrides, and pumpkin patches and all of the other good stuff. I can't imagine a more beautiful Fall than in New England!