Does Almost Count?

I’m almost finished with My Hero sweater.  I’m working on the collar today and I’m going to call it finished.  I can’t block it until I’m home.  The thing takes up some floor space!

I was a little concerned because it looks small.  Honey tried it on this morning as well as he could without seams.  I think it will be fine.  I am hoping I can gain some length and width when I block it.

The color isn’t accurate at all.  It’s a much darker teal blue.  I’m hoping when I get modeled shots, I can get closer on the color.  I’ll post all the details then too.

I love the saddle shoulders.

Mom and I went knitting last night with her local group.  Here are parts of some of the conversations:

~Diamond studded rats

~Running for the border

~Frogging a sequined tube top!?!

~2:30 AM yarn sales

~Monster skeins of brown and teal yarn

~Black and red hair

~Children at truck stops

I’m sure there was a lot more, but that’s a start!  It was a fun night.  I also got a lot of knitting done.

Tonight we’re going to my brother’s home.  They have an awesome fire pit.  We’re having hot dogs and s’mores.  I think there will be about 14 little kids there.  The older kids are having  a party at my other brother’s house.

Jan 1, 2009….we reload the motorhome and go back to Minnesota.

Koigu for Christmas

Finally, the last of my stealth knitting!

I gave my mom a Charlotte’s Web kit for Christmas several years ago.  She took one look at the pattern, and gave it back to me.  I used all the yarn on a shawl for myself.  So, about a month ago, I decided to knit one for Mom.  That gorgeous turquoise on the bottom is what got me started.  That’s her favorite color.

I used the Charlotte’s Web pattern.  (I don’t love the pattern!)  I then added the border from the Forest Canopy shawl.  The numbers worked out with the repeats of the shawl pattern. I used 5 colors of Koigu, but don’t ask which 5 they are.  If you saw the way we left our house, you’d know why I’ll never find those ballbands.

Kid 2 very willingly (not!) consented to model for me.  Actually, she consented for Grandma.  I took a straight photo for my family.  They’re all making fun of my crooked photos.

Mom had to get in on the action and try out her new camera.

This week I’m back to working on Honey’s My Hero Sweater.  (Rav link)  I’m half way through the front and then it’s time to put the whole thing together!

My next big decision is whether I should knit or take a nap.

Surprise!

Guess what?  After all that drama, we made it to Texas.  Honey woke up on Tuesday morning and the drugs were doing their thing, so we packed the motorhome and left.    Here was the scene on Christmas day.

We bought Mom and Dad a gift to class up the neighborhood!

Drumroll!!!!  After two years, I finally finished a jumper.  Take a look.

This is my youngest niece.  Do you want to  see her personality?

This is the Brittany Jumper from the Minnowknits, Too book by Jill Eaton.  I knit it with Tahki Cotton Classic.

I changed the bodice a bit.  I did the rib by knitting through the back of the loop on the front, and purling through the back of the loop on the back side.  I love the braided look of the knits.

The lace bottom thrills my heart too!

I love the day after Christmas!  It’s 1:45 PM, and I’m sitting around with Mom an Dad and Honey.  I’m still in my pajamas.  And we get great leftovers tonight!  I’m planning on spending the day doing nothing.  Oh, knitting too!

I’ll be back soon with a Koigu project I made for Mom.

The Christmas Story…PassingDownCrazy Style

There once was a family with five children.  They were ordered to go to Bethlehem Texas, to be with their grandparents, uncles and aunts, and cousins.  When a census was completed, there were 28 people in said family.

But before this family could get on their donkeys in their motorhome, it was determined that Honey had a nasty case of shingles and in spite of many drugs, was unable to travel.  The shepherds doctors announced the nasty event.

When the angel mom issued the good tidings to the children that there would be no trip to Bethlehem Texas, the children were afraid tearful.

After much pondering, the mother consulted the wisemen her sister and mom and it was determined that the children should go to Bethlehem Texas without their parents.  The children responded to the good news with tidings of great joy.

So, on Christmas Day, Mom will put the children on their donkeys on a flight to Bethlehem Texas.  Her only remaining job will be to convince Honey that Silent Night is a good thing!  He likes having his flock around!

Oh, and mom has to watch over this little sheep girl.

If you’d like the good news, go read Luke 2.  That’s what Christmas is all about.  A Savior was born.  That makes disrupted plans and temporary illnesses pretty inconsequential.

So, have a Merry Christmas!!!  I’ll be back soon with the big reveal of the last two stealth projects.

What a Weekend!!!

Wow!  This was a weekend with a ton of action.  Here’s a quick rundown.

-Had our Christmas party with just the 7 of us.

-Drove 100 miles in a snowstorm.

-Took Honey’s mom out for dinner for her birthday.  Yum!!!

-Had a Christmas party with Honey’s extended family.

-Finished stealth knitting.

-Ate a ton of good food.

-Re-enacted the Nativity with some interesting new costumes.  The dog was Baby Jesus!

-Introduced our puppy to her puppy cousin.

-Drove home in sub-zero weather.

-Took Honey to three different doctors.  He has shingles, and one eye is swollen shut!

Here’s a recap:

We’re supposed to leave for Texas tomorrow to spend Christmas with my family, but there’s more snow on the way, and Honey needs to feel a whole lot better before we’re going anywhere.  I can drive the motorhome, but probably not 900 miles!

Here’s a little bit of (kind of) knitting content.

It’s my new Snowbaby, and it’s called “Hooked on Knitting”.  So cute!

And this one, for the camping family.  Notice the 5 kids!

I’m off to clean and repack.  I may need to make some Christmas cookies too!

Guess What?

I can’t tell you.  Blogging about monogamous knitting is really boring.  There’s one thing that’s even more boring.  Blogging about stealth knitting.  Here’s a little clue.  (If you want to play I Spy, look for the ornament with the puppy in it.  Thanks Nana!)

Pretty tree, huh?  If you look really closely at the bottom of the photo, you’ll see a blob.  Yes, it’s my knitting.  That’s all I’m going to tell you.

I’m working on two projects right now and both recipients read the blog, so you’ll just have to wait until December 26th.

So, since I can’t show you knitting photos, I’ll go for my old standbys.  Honey and the puppy.

I’m guessing they’re reading the Wall Street Journal. Did you know that you could subscribe to the online version?  That little fact totally excites me…..not!

I’m off to my stealth knitting, since it’s only 1:00 AM.  Who needs a brain tomorrow anyway?  Thinking is so overrated.

Mission Accomplished

Another Ruffle Fluff added to the gift list.

College kid knit a little bit for me, and then did a fabulous job kitchener stitching the pieces together.

In the interest of full transparency, for this photo shoot, I put foundation on my chin only.  I slapped on some lipstick and put a black velvet coat over my 15 year old coffee cup very stylish pajamas.  The kids are home from school today, thanks to a snowstorm.  I’m not getting dressed!  I’m doing laundry, and the kids don’t know it yet, but they get to help me clean up a bit.  I’m also putting ribs in the oven for dinner.

It’s -9 degrees here today with a windchill of -31.  Yes, that’s fahrenheit, folks!  The pajamas stay where they are.  I’m not going anywhere!!!

Basketball and Knitting

What a perfect combo!  Kid #3 had a tournament all day yesterday.

Yup!  #22 is my very long kid.  And yes, he did make that basket.  Then he came home and slept for 18 hours straight.  He wasn’t feeling the best.

I got to knit for about 4 hours straight yesterday while I watched basketball.  What a great combo.  This is what I almost kinda finished.

I’m knitting another Ruffle Fluff scarf.  Kid #1 is home from college as of Friday, and I talked her into finishing the garter stitch on the second half.  It’s gorgeous, knit with two skeins of Fiesta La Boheme.  The colorway is Tequila Sunrise.  I’m thinking I bought this yarn for the name!

I very rarely knit the same pattern twice.  This is the second time I’m knitting this pattern, and I have more in the works.  This one is also a gift and I want one or two or three of my own.

I have ginger cookies in the oven right now, and I wish you could smell it.  We’re sorta getting a snowstorm.  I woke up early this morning to snow thunder.  Now that’s weird!  We’ll have to see if the kids have school tomorrow.  If not, we’ll make sugar cookies.  It may be fun, and it may make me run screaming into a snowbank.  I’ll let you know!

A New Tradition

I bought a new book last week.

The Elf on the Shelf is a book about a little elf that watches the kids and reports to Santa.  Every day he shows up in a different place and the kids have to find him in the morning.  The book also came with the elf.  We named him Alfred.

What does our Nativity Scene have to do with Elf on the Shelf?  Look a little closer.

Yep, that’s where the kids found him one morning.  The night I read the book to them they were making fun of it, but I knew once Alfred started moving around they’d get into it.  I was right.  Even the teenagers are having fun with Alfred.

Our dinner went so well last night.  Honey grilled pork tenderloins.  We had mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and a salad.  Our guests were young adults that are on two music teams with CTI.  We had a great time blessing them.  And wow, can they play Rock Band!!!

There has been knitting.  I’m making another Flirty Ruffle Scarf.  There’s also some Koigu that made its way out of the stash.

Honey is gone tonight.  Part of my house is clean.  So I’m going to go move Alfred to his next spot, and then I’m going to knit for a while.

The Best Christmas Scarf Ever!!!

I know I promised a photo shoot already last week.  Sorry!  It’s the most wonderful time of the year!?!  Anyway, without further ado, here we go.

This is the Ruffle Fluff Scarf by Amy Swenson.  I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran.  I used almost all of 3 skeins.  Amy used cashmere for hers, but there was nothing I could find that would be less than $120.  I like my sister in law a lot, but not that much.  I wouldn’t spend that much on me!  The Cashmerino feels wonderfully soft.

As you can see, there are two sets of three ruffles.  Each set took me about 90 minutes to knit.  That’s not bad at all.  I knit the garter stitch part of the scarf in the dark at concerts this week.  (It kept me from killing the little kid in front of me that talked through the whole show.)

I can’t rave enough about this.  It was so fun to knit.  I already have a few more planned.  In fact, I need to get another one started before our weekend of basketball tournaments and kids concerts.

Gotta go!  There are 20 people coming for dinner tonight.  The food is almost ready.  It’s the house cleaning that always gets me.

Must. Go. Clean.