HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Beware--it's Jack-O in a skirt? No! It's-it's Jack-O surrounded by the SILVER BELLE! Ohmygosh, those gnarled tangles of cables will soon choke him. Run for your life Jack...oh the humanity! Hey, this might look more attractive on him than on me. Well, that's about as scary as my knitting can get right now. Kathy's looked so good, I decided to dive in and work on mine.
Tonight's going to be a great night for Trick or Treat. Cold and windy. I have to carve my pumpkins today. I'll post photos of those later. It's time to get out the rest of the decorations for tonight.

BOO!

Knitting rant...

I was just working on the little charity sweater. Something's clicked with that. I actually enjoy it!! I'm also excited about refinishing the pansy sweater.
Here's the deal...lately, I've not enjoyed many of my projects (or anyone else's!). The Bianca's Jacket was about the only one I've liked well enough (heavens--I made two of them). It's frustrating as a knitting instructor to come across poorly written patterns, of which I'm seeing more and more. The books in the bookstore are boring (how many "fun and funky" projects can one do?) and knitting lingerie is ridiculous--I don't want my knitting on my body where the sun don't shine--eeewww! I may never knit one of those glorious sweaters from that Kaffee Fasset book, but I can still remember how I felt when I saw those designs. It made knitting exciting. Don't get me wrong--there were some real stinkers out there, too. It's funny to look through my old books and see the big hair and big silhouettes. People would write in and complain about the lack of style and sizes of the designs in the 1980s, too. I have high hopes for Kristin Knits, which I ordered from Borders. I've always liked her color work and designs. It's supposed to arrive on Halloween, so we shall see...
There, I feel better. Thanks!
Detail of pansy sweater with watercolor effect.

Proud Mom

Ben gave his speech last night. He is very good at public speaking. It's amazing how many of the professional scouters and businessmen and women know him since he became Outstanding Eagle Scout--I just HAD to too his horn because we're sooo proud of him.
Anyway, we're enjoying the lovely weather. Wouldn't the colors in the photo make a pretty Fair Isle combination? I'm working on the little sweater and need to felt Ben's slippers tonight. I'm a bit burned out on large projects right now. Oh, I did bite the bullet and began to un-sew the Susan Duckworth pansy sweater. So far, so good. Eesh! I'm horrified at my sewing technique. I did have an excuse--Ben was a baby, we'd just moved back to the USA, and were building our first house. The image on the left is the outside and the one on the right is the inside--my knitting technique is really good. I must've been nuts--23 colors on separate bobbins. It's gorgeous, although the photos don't do the colors justice. I swear the yarn is as thin as some sock yarn. I'll be happy when I fix it--then I can show it off with pride.

Felty Feet

It's that time of year--clogs and socks! I made Ben a pair in Scout green and red. I have one sewn together, as you can see. I like to make Baba's Bed Socks better than the clogs. They're fast on the needles and I can knit a sock during a swim meet! None of those pesky short rows and losing my place hassles like the clog pattern.
Once I finish the charity sweater, I'll revisit my red and green cardigans before I start the new stuff.
The swim season is gearing up and I have to get some sign-up sheets made. Today I have to go through the box and work on the t-shirt design.

It's all about fall...

I went to Shepherd's Choice on Saturday morning to drop off the little sweater. It was a beautiful drive! I wanted to visit the sheep, but they ran away when I approached the fence. Bah-bah! Instead, I took photos of the pretty leaves. Despite the dry summer, the leaves are still really pretty.
Today I decided to clean my windows. I got three sets done today. The box elder bugs (ugh!) are bad on the back side of the house, so those windows will just have to wait. Even managed a walk with Eevee and got to class in time. Tonight's Help Night--and I can see that it's about time to go!

Another FO!

I finished the little Knitting for Peace sweater last night. Naturally, I didn't do the pattern that was included with the yarn--didn't like it. I found this one while browsing the freebee websites http://www.margarethubertoriginals.com/CHILDBLUE.html and it's perfect for this project! The sleeve was a bit wide and short, so I picked up half the stitches and made cuffs. Next time I'll CO half and knit for six rows, and then increase for the sleeves. Today I'll make a run to Shepherd's Choice and pick up another kit. The Blue Sky yarn is wonderful.
We had fun at the 10th Anniversary of the troop last Sunday. Here's one of the cakes that a troop mom decorated. It was freezing cold and damp, but that didn't stop us. Some of the older boys came back and one even had a part in one of the adults' skits. He was Little Ole, who "vanted to be a Boy Scout," in the Ole, Lena, and Sven skit. Lena's played by a bearded man, which is hilarious in itself!
So far it's been a nice long weekend. The kids are out for MEA. We did a second visit to Gustavus with a side trip to the yarn store. I started a punch card "just in case" I'm there more often after September '08!

Coffee and conversation

Howdy do, how are you?

Jack came to coffee with Kathy and I today (Friday). He looked quite dapper, too. I just love this guy. He makes me smile every time I look at him. I decided to knit a girlfriend for him, so we'll see how that goes.
Monday--It was a crazy weekend. Ben made some money for our German trip at the yard sale, we managed to get to the swim meet, and yesterday was the 10th anniversary of the scout troop. We had a pig roast. Being outside in the damp cold takes its toll, though. Let's just say I haven't needed my fan lately!
Thankfully this is a short week for school and we have a second visit to Gustavus planned. Last week was tough and a break will be very welcome! Mmmm--maybe I can manage a visit to the Tangled Skein yarn shop. I like that name, gee--it reminds me of the yarn in my multiple knitting bags--always tangled!

FO--Fabulous Object

Look at that handsome fellow. I just put the finishing touches on Jack O'Lantern. I didn't make his lantern, yet. He wants to go along when Kathy and I meet for coffee tomorrow. The tiny buttons are antiques and his eyes are from my button stash. I'm pleased with the result.

Getting Stitched

Stuff and stitch is the name of the game today. J's sitting in Ben's little rocker, so you can see his height. I was sewing together one of the hands and when I snipped the yarn tail I caught the knitting--crumb! I'm going to stop and walk the dog. Jim thinks I need to give my hands a rest, which translates to, "you're way too obsessed with this right now."
Well, as usual I got sidetracked. The German Trip group is having a garage sale on Saturday and I didn't have much to sell, soooo I went through my yarn and bagged up some orphan skeins in felting yarn, craft/novelty, and crewel yarns. Now I have room in that little cedar chest outside my office to put some of the projects in progress that I keep tripping over in here! I also found some toys that Ben can get rid of, as well as some extra Halloween stuff. I loathe garage sales, but any money Ben can put toward the trip is helpful. He's got an interview on Friday at the fitness center (lifeguard), which will be great if he gets the job.
Eevee's waiting patiently for me, and it's time to take a nice, long walk in the crisp fall air!

I'm stuffed!

Now the fun begins! All those pieces are coming together to make Jack. Isn't he a handsome fellow so far? I bought a large bag of fiberfill and began stuff and stuff. The legs and boots come next. I have help night at the shop in 30 minutes, so I have to go. He's going to need a girlfriend or a mini-Jack. I have lots of yarn and this is just too funny not to make some relatives for him.

I'd like to offer you a laurel and hearty handshake...

I figured it out!!! The hand pattern for JO'L was missing a key step. I spent way too much time on it yesterday. In the car on the way to work I had an epiphany, and by golly, my hunch was right. In order to get the stitch count correct you have to KNIT 4 STITCHES to make the 15 on the right needle you need to distribute the stitches correctly across the hand (du-uh!). That way the thumb is on the side so you can flip the hands to have a right and a left. I was going to take a photo to post, but my camera's out of juice--you'll have to WAIT to see mine, however, here's a photo of how it's supposed to look...photo detail from Simply Knitting, October 2006

Pumpkinville

I spent the day yesterday putting up some of the decorations. I always enjoy the town. I have another train, station, and ship--but there's only so much room on the TV cabinet. I'd have a photo of Jack O'Lantern, but he's in lots of pieces right now. It's a putzy project, but the shaping is interesting and fun to knit. I think the end result will be great. Naturally, the color I chose for his jacket was in one of the smaller leftover balls. I had to get another skein to finish his jacket. Now, if he wants a wife, I'll have enough for her jacket. If he doesn't want I wife, I'll knit him a pet in that color!

Pumpkin progress

I love this time of year. It's about the only time I have color in my front landscaping! My dog and I started a walk yesterday, but the rain turned us back. I do not like the smell of wet dog! We'll go this morning. It's clear and beautiful today.

I'm making great progress on the Jack O'Lantern. You can see the pieces-parts in the photo. The stem even has the little ridge at the top. I'm using worsted-weight, smooth wool yarn and 3mm needles. The fabric is firm, which will be nice for stuffing (the fill won't show through). The face will be different from the original. I don't know about that, yet. The fabric in the photo is some that I bought last year. I have a blouse out of the matching polka-dot fabric cut out and ready to sew.
Mmmm--more projects.