one month later

I guess my blog will be monthly while I am in school. It is hard to find time to make dinner let alone do anything like blog about knitting. I am still finding time to knit though. It is what saves me during a stressful week!
I just unearthed this vest that I finished knitting about two years ago. It was supposed to get a zipper front but I hated the way the collar looked and it was kind of itchy to wear zipped up so it sat and sat. I got motivated to finish it up so I took out the neck and just crocheted a simple edge up both sides and around the neck. It is drying now and then I have one of those silver clasps I will sew on and voila!- a finished project. It is one of the great things about WIP's. I feel like I got a lot done in a short time!
I don't know if I will actually keep the vest but if not it will make a nice gift and Christmas is coming.
Up next is another WIP that I have been slowly working on for at least six months. I loved the Koigu yarn but I wanted to see it instead of having it on my feet so...

It is a twisted rib pattern from Mountain Colors that I got at last years NH S&W Fest. I just finished it this morning and now it is blocked and drying. yeah-a new fall scarf.
These are some simple wool/silk garter stitch scarves for an upcoming craft fair. I used the J Knits yarn and I really like it. I stopped by my LYS one day for a pair of needles and came out with a hundred dollars worth of yarn. It happens.

This last photo is a project for a good friend who is having a baby soon. I was making it for someone else but you know how as you are making something it tells you who it belongs to? that is what happened here and I am glad. This way I will see it on the new baby. The yarn is Noro Kochoron which is great to work with and it is a simple vest.

There is not much more to show except a room full of half finished project and a desk full of books. School is awesome. I love all that I am learning and my clinicals are great. I am at a nursing home right now and i didn't realize how much i would love it. I could do this for a job when I am done. I have three more weeks in the first semester and I am really looking foward to a much needed break. It is amazing how much i get done when my time is really limited although if you walked into my house it is apparent what I have let go of!
I was sad to have missed Rhinebeck but it is fun to look at other blogs and read about it. This is why I am in school- to get a job and not worry how much I spend on yarn and fiber!

bad blogger

I have become a spinner!! I love doing it and I get started on a color and I just go until I finish. This is what I made yesterday and this morning. I got this roving at the VT sheep and wool festival last weekend. I love going and besides the vast amount of wool that I came home with I had other exciting things happen. I met some blogging friends in person!! Pippi Knee Socks was there selling her beautiful hand dyed fiber and yarn and Amy from Spunky Eclectic was right next door to her. Amy is the first person I bought roving from and I happened to have the first yarn I had spun with me so it was neat to show it to her and meet her.
My good friend Brigette was there with her handspun and beautiful felted containers. She won first prize for the vase she entered at the festival. Pretty cool.

Here is a picture of my new identity which has taken up most of my time for the past month...nursing student Heather:

I love school and have been learning really great things. It has been a big adjustment for my family to have me gone most of the week. It is like having a full time job without the pay and homework! I do get a little knitting done on the side but not as rapidly as I used to! Here are the promised picutres from my vacation knitting back in August. I finished the motego bay scarf from IK. It was the first time using Handmaiden Sea Silk and as nice as it is to wear and feel it was kind of a pain to knit with. I do love how the scarf came out. I still haven't decided if i want to go with the fringe or not- we'll see.

This little bag is now felted along with three others just like it in different colors. I love things i can whip out in a day- it made for good vacation knitting and now I have a few things made for my fall craft fair.

I made a quick pair of socks out of Noro which I traded with a friend for a massage. She is a great friend who i only see for short periods of time each summer when we go to the island so I wanted her to have something nice to take home until next year!

This last photo is something I am so proud of. My first cabled project! I was afraid of cables and now that I tried it I can't belive it has taken me so long. I am already half way through another hat! This one is made out of some handspun I bought at the NH sheep and wool. I am keeping this project for myself! I want to become braver with the cabling but most of them seem to be on charts and I haven't started with charts yet. They give me anxiety to think that I have to follow them when usually I am knitting with three young'uns running around. We'll see.

I have the body finished on my cardigan sweater and will start on the sleeves this week. I hope to have a finished object to show you soon.

i'm back!

It's another pictureless post. I was away on vacation and actually have alot to show you as i worked hard to finish things up and i did my first cabling project. I can't believe it took my so long! We came home to a jungle of a garden and tons of food to process and I start full time nursing school tomorrow. I have been frantically trying to get my desk in order and I wish I had time to clean the house once before it gets ignored for the year but alas, there are not enough hours in the day and it was worth it to be with my family for vacation. I will update later this week with the knitting photos and send warm, hardworking thoughts my way!

very little progress

I don't have much new work to show. I have been bogged down with freezing food from the garden and getting the kids to the water as much as possible. I decided to bail on the Harry Potter sock swap as I had to get a new blogger address for it and i just don't feel like I can handle any more right now.
My drama for the day is that a large bird flew into my windshield this morning and four hours later I found it in the back of my pickup still alive. It was a Pileated Woodpecker and it was just stunning. I was in town and it was roasting hot and I didn't know what to do and I felt very guilty for being the one to injure it in the first place. I finally found a nature center that took it and was going to get it to the bird rescue place so I do hope it will survive. It distressed me way more than I thought it would have. Anyway...in the world of knitting I am just plugging away at the two pairs of socks, two scarves and one sweater I have already posted about. I did manage to make two little felted bags. I am going on vacation for a week in a couple of days and am hoping to finish a few of these things before I go. I hope to have something to show soon. Hope everyone is having a fun summer.

Sock Swap 2!!

I just couldn't help myself and i joined the Harry Potter sock swap 2. It was so exciting to have someone make me socks and it was fun to get a package together for someone else so... here are the answers to my questions.

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

Second Years

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Gryffindor

2. Shoe size? Foot length? Foot circumference?

Shoe size- 9 ladies, Foot length 9 1/2 inches, circumference- 9-9 1/2 inches.

3. List your three favorite sock yarns.

a.Koigu

b.claudia's handpaint

c.fleece artist

4. Would you like to try a new brand of sock yarn? If so, which brand?

i would love to!! No particular brand- surprise me!!

5. Do you prefer variegated or solid sock yarn?
Variegated.


6. What colors would you like to add to your sock yarn stash?

Any. I like purples and greens. (Also reds, oranges etc!)

7. What kind of sock patterns do you gravitate toward? Lace? Ribbed? Fair Isle?

Ribbed, plain. Sock knitting is my travel knitting so it is great when it is simple to follow. I have done a little lace and loved it but it would need to be a simple pattern.

8. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, animals, etc.)

no.

9. Will your socks be exposed to cigarette smoke or animals as you knit them?


An old dog who does not touch the yarn.
10. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
yes.

Owl Post!

I have an awesome Harry Potter sock swap pal! I opened my mailbox the other morning and look what I found!


There were HP candies that were promptly gobbled up by little people, a pair of Brittany DPN's, stitchmarkers that are so lovely I could wear them for jewelry and the yarn leftover from the socks she made- enough for me to make another pair for one of the boys! The socks you ask...


are beautiful! They were immediately on my feet and they fit perfectly. I am so touched that someone made me a pair of socks because I know how much work goes into them. thanks so much Erin.
I really enjoyed this swap thing and look foward to doing it again. There is a HP sock swap 2 if anyone missed out the first time.

it's raining, it's pouring

We finally had a rain free day and the kids and I hit the beach. I did manage to take a few pictures too! This is the Montego Scarf from IK summer issue. It is the first time I have used Seasilk and it is quite luxurious. I find that it is a little slippery so I can't work on the project for too long at a time or my fingers ache. I hope to get it done soon so it can be a summer accessory.


This next scarf is made with two skeins of Koigu I had in the stash. I loved the colors so much that I didn't want to put them on my feet- I wanted to see them so... The pattern is called the Twisted Rib scarf by Mountain Colors. This pattern would be lovely in the Bearfoot yarn also.


This is a cardigan sweater I am hoping to have done for fall. It is made with the Lavold wool/silk blend and the yarn is really soft. It knits up nicer than I expected from the feel of the skein. The gauge was only measured in width and there was no gauge for length so I hope it works. The pattern has me knitting until I reach a certain number of stitches (after increases) instead of to a certain number of inches so we'll see. If it doesn't work for me I have a nice gift for someone smaller!

This next picture is really exciting for me- it is my first few skeins of handspun yarn! I LOVE spinning! I had used up some random roving from someone when I first tried it a month ago and it was really hard to draft. I decided to order nice roving and it has just been great! I spun up the blue/green in a few days and all 4 oz of the darker wool in one day. I have more ordered and it is challenging to wait for it to arrive. If there was a local source (I am sure there is, I just haven't sniffed it out yet!) I would already be fast at work. I told my husband we will save money this way because I get to enjoy the fiber twice when I spin it and then knit it!
I got the roving from Amy at Spunky Eclectic online. The lighter colors were Falkland top which is so soft and the darker is BFL wool. I ordered more BFL and a little Merino to try out next. I can't tell you how proud I am of these two skeins of yarn and I can't believe they came from my own two hands!
Anyway... This last photo is just a treat from our Vermont summer. The delphiniums love our climate and grow beautifully. Hope everyone else is surrounded by flowers these days!

Rain rain go away...

So it looks as if we may have a rain free day here in Vermont! We have had rain every day for weeks and there are parts of the state that are flooding and needing Federal help. I hope to get some pictures today when the sun finally shines. I have been working on a couple of projects through this gray period although nothing is completed. I bought my first skein of Sea silk and it is gorgeous! I am making the Montego Scarf project out of Interweave Knits Summer 07. The yarn is a little slippery and I can only work on it for so long before my hands get sore from holding so tight to the yarn. I am still plugging away at my Koigu scarf and a pair of socks made from Mama E's cyber fiber. Beautiful colors she uses! The most exciting thing that has happened is I am spinning again. I spun up a bunch of white Romney last month for the first time and then for some reason I couldn't seem to spin anymore. It turns out that the flyer wasn't spinning and once I figured that out (a month later!) I have been spinning away and I love it! My first skein is drying right now. This is just a quick check in as I have been away from the blog for a while but I will get pics up soon!

it's been a while

This is the grey neckwarmer made out of the baby camel yarn I wrote about earlier. It is so lucious. I used a larger needle size then called for, and to be honest, I can't remember how many stitches or what size needles I used and I already gifted it to the intended. I wanted to show you the project as I recommend people try out this yarn. Classic Elite Baby Camel.
This baby sweater is for my new neice. I used Manos Stria- it is my favorite cotton. So soft and always has a nice drape. The project is Yoda Sweater from Dogs steal Yarn. Baby sweaters leave me with such a sense of satisfaction as I can complete a sweater in a few days. This following picture is the recipient of the sweater, Morgan.
I finished up a pair of socks that have been on the needles for at least half a year. They will be a gift for my son at Christmas. He already has two pairs of socks made for Christmas. i am knitting myself into a little bit of a pickle; if one kid gets two pairs of socks they all want two pairs of socks! At least the other two have smaller feet!
These last socks are for my Hogwarts Sock Swap partner. I double stranded Brown Sheep Nature Spun sport and they knitted up beautifully on size 7's. I love the Cowgirl Slipper Sock pattern in last winters Interweave Knits and I wanted to make them again. It was a little challenging to find a pattern I liked with the colors I needed to use. I hope my pal likes them.
I also did manage to find the Addi Turbo DPN's again in VA. They are my favorites and i only had one pair (I now have three!). I went to one yarn shop and the owner didn't believe me that they even make DPN's and instead told me they make circulars, "you know two needles with a string in between". I was a little offended. Anyway, my second stop at Uniquities in Vienna, VA had the Addi's and a very nice woman working there. It is a lovely shop if you are in the area. I go to see my family a few times a year and have to visit all the shops around. One of these days I would like to do a yarn crawl from here to there and stop all along the way. i know that trip will not involve my husband or children!
On a final note my Herb Conference was amazing and i met many new teachers. I took a four hour intensive in Hula dance with a magical woman from the big island of Hawaii . It is a powerful dance and she is a powerful woman. I learned alot about medicines from all of the other plant lovers there and came home feeling renewed. It has been a challenge coming home to my life of chores and children but I just go off the good energy there and count my blessings that I have chores and children to tend to!

busy, busy, busy

My computer is acting funny so I have no photos today but I do have some fun things to show when I get it fixed. I used Classic Elite baby camel yarn recently and I have to tell you if you see this yarn you want to buy some. It is so soft and creates a beautiful and lucious fabric. I made a neckwarmer for a friends husband and I am looking foward to using it again.
I have been under famly travel deadlines which have made me whip my garden into shape. We grow a lot of our food and getting the crops in has been a big feat. I bailed on planting corn this year but I managed to get everything else in. I also have full flower gardens for the first time! I created these gardens five years ago and up until this year they have small plants with alot of dirt. This year the plants have filled in and the dirt is minimal. I am now trying to move things and figure out what blooms at which part of the year so there can always be color. My mom is an amazing flower gardener so I have learned from her.
There has been knitting. I was on a 12 hour car ride twice this week and I finished the Hogwart's socks for my sock swap pal. They turned out to be pretty good and I hope she likes them. Bright yellow and black were new colors to work with!
I am headed off to the International Herb Symposium this weekend. I love these conferences and this is my second year going solo- without any children. I get so renewed and I need that to get through the summer.
I hope to get pictures for the next post when I get home.

look what I did!

I actually spun some yarn! It doesn't look great and I have a long way to go but i have figured out how to use my foot and hands at the same time (quite tricky!) and there are moments when the yarn spins itself and I feel like I am really doing it. I have already used up all of the roving in my house and am looking for more- does anyone have any suggestions?
Of course I want the soft merino beautifully dyed but I think I need to stick to wool that is easier to spin until I have more control on the wheel. Here is the wheel:
It is on indefinite loan from a friend with three young kids who is a weaver and wants to focus on that for a while. I have been wanting to learn to spin for years and the drop spindle just hasn't done it for me.
On the other news. I am working on a wrap sweater for my cousin's baby. The yarn is Manos Stria in light green. What a nice soft yarn to work with. I am using size 6 needles which are a little big so the fabric is more flowing and has a nice drape. I hope to get the sleeves done today and it all put together over the weekend.

A last picture to show you the stash enhancement that happened at WEBS the other night. It is almost all new to me yarns that I haven't used before. The possibilities are endless...

yarn harlot

I am lame and have no pictures to show but I do have a story to tell. I went on a road trip yesterday with my friend Deb to Northhampton, Mass to see the Yarn Harlot! We got to town a little early and went out for a berkshire beer (Deb's favorite and not available here in VT). We then went to see Stephanie and she was so funny. I loved hearing her voice and seeing her in person after years of reading her blog and all of her books. After the talk she was heading to WEBS for book signing and Deb and I made our way to the Northampton Brewery and had more beer and dinner. They had great shirts there with a peace sign on them, heart and beer. Peace love and beer. I had to have one! We then headed over to WEBS where I was rendered speechless for at least ten minutes after walking in the door. It is a knitter's dream and if you ever get the chance to go there you definently should! We roamed around touching yarn and filling our baskets for about an hour. I then start talking to a woman who says " Now that I figured out the warehouse I come a few times a year". The warehouse? I thought we were in the warehouse? Nope. If you head through the door at the back of the shop you enter a huge space with shelves up to the ceiling filled with YARN!! It was so exciting. We actually closed the place down. Poor Stephanie- I think she was tired by the time we left. I loved meeting her as the meditation book she wrote was the first thing that made me aware that there are other people in the world as crazy about knitting as me!! Thanks Stephanie for being so inspirational!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all. I hope it is a day full of appreciation both by your family and by yourself for the job you do as a mother.

I have had a great weekend so far. I spent all day yesterday at the NH Sheep and Wool Festival with two good friends. Kimberly left with two Angora bunnies and Deb and I left with a few new skeins of yarn.
This is all the yarn I added to my stash. There is a beautiful skein of cashgora/merino blend from Spirit Trail fibers. I love all of her yarns. It was hard to leave with just one but I am sure I will visit her website often. The peach colored skein is handspun by the woman from fiberfetish. She was so personable and fun that I wanted to stay all day and watch her spin. The little purple and green skein is a wool/silk blend that will make a perfect spring and fall scarf. I got it from a local woman- Ellen's half pint farm- I don't know if she has a website. I think this is the first thing I will knit. The two skeins of variegated green are destined to be socks for my husband. He gets a pair every Christmas and he has had his eye on some green that I bought for myself at the VA S&W last fall. Now we both will get our green socks! I got a skein of lacy silk and two skeins of a to die for angora blend that I bought and used last year too. It was the one vendor I knew I had to visit again this year!

I bought a few patterns and a book- Sweater Workshop based on Elizabeth Zimmerman's sweater formula. The woman who wrote the book was so great and she has been knitting forever.

I found a new pair of needles that I can't wait to use. They are ten inch circulars with a strechy cord. The idea is they will stretch so it is easier to knit socks on them. I can't wait to see how they work and if they work as well as I am hoping I will be purchasing them in many sizes. I can crank out socks on small circulars!

The last skein of yarn needed it's own photo...
This is what my daughter calls Double Pink and is currently her favorite color. I have no idea what I will do with it although I would like to just use half and keep half for her to fingerknit with when she learns. I think she will love to use the yarn too and we have to get them started young- right?

Onto the knitting...
This is the first of the Horcrux socks. It was a fun and easy pattern to knit although it is going to be a challenge to finish the second without diving into the new lucious yarns I now own. I did cast on the second to keep myself from second sock syndrome completely!

So, that was my mother's day gift from the family and what a treat it was! I went to bed last night dreaming about yarn and colors and do wish that I had many more dollars to go back again today! We instead just got our three piglets and are introducing them to our land. This makes for a fun mother's day treat too!

Green socks finished!

I finally finished the green socks out of Fleece Artist yarn. I whipped the first one out in a week and then got a wee bit distracted by the other yarns calling my name and had to do a few projects in the interim. I just buckled down and worked on the second sock this week and I am so happy I did. They feel so nice on my feet and the color is great!! Here is a close up that shows the color better.
I just got a few new books in the mail and since I love to read and knit it is a treat to read about knitting! I got the Yarn Harlot's new book. She is going to talk at WEBS in Mass and I am planning on making the trip down to hear her if any Vermonters are interested in carpooling. I have never been to WEBS and am looking foward to a yarn store where I can have a shopping cart!
I also got the new Harry Potter pattern book which my kids have pored over. I love that the projects they like the best are the bookmarks and the mini sweaters. They may actually get those! The last book is by Elizabeth Zimmerman. I can't remember the name right now but it is the first book of hers i have read and it is so amazing. I have been hearing her name for years now and I can finally understand why!
There is currently no new work in progress- I am carrying around a few balls of Koigu trying to figure out what I want to knit with them. I don't want to do socks as I love the colors and I tried the clapotis but got off in my numbers really early on and ripped it out. ( Lace overwhelms me as there is very little knitting without young children around!)
I will have to get a photo of the yarn soon so I can hear your ideas!

Spring has sprung!

Spring has finally happened here in Vermont. I have been busy pulling weeds and planting seeds- it feels so great to dig in the Earth. I also finished my final exam for my last class until fall. It feels a little strange to not have thinking work to do every evening but I like it. I am trying to decide what book to read first.
On the knitting front I have finished the Kochoran afghan.
I thought about making it bigger but I just had to use it. It fits perfectly over my lap and down past my toes and I am the one who will use it so I sewed in all the ends last night and snuggled up!
I made a beautiful head wrap/ scarf from a pattern by Wendy Bernard- the Dream Swatch
Here's a closeup of the stitch pattern:
Isn't it lovely? It looked a little complicated until I started knitting and then it knits up pretty quick. I would like to try some with nice sock yarn. This is made out of silk and it is already getting a little furry.
A good friend is having a baby any day and I found this cute bolero in the One Skein book. It was a fast knit and I used a cotton/tencel blend that is so soft. It is perfect for a spring baby! I have to get it off in the mail tomorrow as baby's grow so fast!
Once again I did not finish my socks for the sock a month KAL. I finished some in February and the Fleece Artist socks have been next inline. I am finally in sock mode again (at least until this pair are finished!!)

i have a problem

When I started the blog I wondered if yarn addict was a silly name but today I realize that it is the truth. I am a yarn addict. I don't know if it is the winter blues or spring fever but I have made alot of purchases this week and I have an almost overwhelming amount of WIPs. I just received a box of Noro Kochoran I bought on ebay today and have already casted on for an afghan I am going to make by mixing two colorways. I have no idea how they will look together, as with Noro it is hard to tell until you knit it up, but I am looking foward to snuggling up in a blanket so soft. These are the colors.
I have had some finished projects though. I finished the purple silk scarf and made a second which I am wearing and I have gone a little crazy with the washcloths. They are really fun and fast to make and I think I just needed something like that. I am trying to make a set for each teacher I work with for an end of the year gift. I will be leaving my job at the end of the school year to go to nursing school full time. I am looking foward to the school experience but I will miss all my colleagues and students.
I am going to work hard to finish my research paper tonight so I can spend the next snow storm doing nothing but enjoying my knitting. A big one is coming Sunday so wish all of us New Englanders happy thoughts!

My sock swap questionnaire

Here are the answers to my Hogwarts questionnaire. I look foward to finding out who my pal is!
1.

What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?

Ravenclaw

2.

Shoe size?

9-9 1/2

3.

Foot Length?

9-9 1/2 in

4.

Foot Circumference?

approx. 9 in

5.

List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.

a.addi turbo bamboo

b.any wooden needles

c.

6.

Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?

sure- shorter is better- 5-6 inches

7.

If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?

I think I would like either

8.

Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?

yes

sock swap

I am excited about the new sock swap I joined. It is the first swap and it is a Harry Potter sock swap. You can check it out here. My oldest son and I have been reading the HP series and he is so into it. He helped me with the sorting quiz and did it for himself too. He was not sorted into Gryffindor and now wants to try all the sorting quizzes we can find online to see if he will get in at a different site. It is fun to see him so excited about books and reading. Anyway, I think he is just as happy as me about the socks and it will help us have some good knitting time together.
I went crazy with the cute washclothes this weekend and have already made seven more. I will get a picture up soon as well as a new photo of all the kids comfort dolls!

king winter returns

I had high hopes that spring was on the way but Mother Nature fooled me again! the daffodils were starting to poke up and I found a couple of tulips peeking out too and they are now under a foot of snow. To add insult to injury my car is in the shop and I have a 2WD loaner with no snow tires so I am forced to stay home. The good part about staying home is that I make time to knit while I hang out with the kids.
I just received my first online order from WEBS. The Cascade Cloud nine is new to me and a little different color than I thought I was ordering but it seems quite soft and will make a great baby gift. I love the Debbie Bliss Alpaca/silk. I have a hat pattern I have taught a couple of people that works beautifully with the yarn. I am really excited about the italian merino in deep purple and green. I knit with it once a few years back and loved it! All of the colors I received are a little different than what I thought they would be but yarn is yarn and I do love it all!
The next two photos are the projects I whipped out the last two days during the blizzard. The color is off on all of the pictures but the scarf is a really beautiful, shiny purple silk that I purchased a few years back at the VT sheep and wool fest. This scarf is for a friends birthday but there is so much left and it is so soft I am working on one for myself too. I love the feeling of silk wrapped around my neck!
I also just made these washcloths following the pattern from the book Mason Dixon knitting. I have been wanting to make them for a while and now that I have I wish it hadn't taken me so long. They are fun and easy to make and they are the most lovely cloths I have knitted. I am sending them to my mom for her birthday.

I have made a few exciting knitting related purchases this week. I found a copy of Lily Chin's The Urban Knitter discounted at a small bookstore. I can't wait to make the empire waist dress. I have one made out of wool from a friend and would love a lighter weight one for the warmer months.
I also won a skein of qiviuk on ebay last night. I am so excited!! I have had my eye out for this yarn for a while now and haven't found it at any of the stores I have been to. I hear that it is at the Burlington YS but I have not been up that way in a while. Qiviuk is supposed to be softer than cashmere--Is it possible?!? I imagine it will be knit up quickly once it gets here. I guess that is one great reason to give thanks for this extended winter, right?

one down and many to go

I finished the calorimetry and I love it! I have worn it many times already and besides it's comfort and warmth it covers my hair on dirty days when I don't get time to shower!! Such a mom reason for loving something. I actually want to make a few more in other colors and definently one in cotton for the summer months.
Of course I can't finish one project without starting another so here's the new one. It is a baby blanket for a friend. I bought some yarn from the closeout section of WEBS. My first time shopping there online. I got some good deals on yarn I am familiar with and then this new to me yarn. It is a wool, acrylic blend so that it can be machine washable. I am such a fiber snob that I have a hard time with the acrylic. I hope that after I wash it it will be softer. I just envision new babies wrapped in cashmere but I can't afford that! I think I would just like to be wrapped in cashmere! Anyway, the colors of the blanket are lovely and it is a basketweave pattern with 9 stitches for the middle and basketweave with 3 stitches for the border. Everything else is on hold while I make this as babies do not wait when they are ready to be born.
I found my first daffodil sprouts this week so I worked hard and removed all the hay bales from around the house. Such a Vermont spring- it snowed within four hours. I was a little down about it all day yesterday but I am feeling better now. I know warm and sunny days are on the way!

WIP's

This past month I just wanted to knit for knitting's sake. I suddenly did a 180 and now i look at my stash and wish I could knit faster as there are so many things I want to make. I have been wanting to make a calorimetry (pattern on knitty.com) this winter and decided I better get to it if I want to wear it this winter so here it is so far...I am using a handspun yarn that I purchased at last years NH S&W Fest.
These are the socks I started on my Florida trip in February. It is made with the Fleece Artist sock yarn which is very nice to knit with. I tried following the pattern on the label to try something new but it wasn't working for me so i switched back to my pattern at the heel. How exactly is it supposed to work with an odd number of stitches on the heel? Has anyone else tried that pattern?
And here are the squares for the Lizard Ridge which are so addictive that I get nothing else done. they are done in repeats of 6 rows and it is so easy to say just one more repeat. I may have to make a second when this one is finished.
I have one other project on the needles for a friend who might read the blog so I can't put up a photo. I am trying a new (to me) Noro yarn that is a wool, acrylic, cotton blend. It is a kind of slubby nubby and I am not sure if I am going to be inspired to finish this one but I know that the recipient will love it so I knit on!
The last photo is of my beautiful three year old princess. The party was very pink and very fun. Quite different than the parties my two boys have had over the years!
Can anyone enlighten me on how to highlight something so that people can click on it and go to that site? (ex:knitty.com) Thanks.

update

I just wanted to show off all of the work my students have done so far. We have about 40 dolls and hope to have a lot more in the next few weeks as everyone finishes. Give me an e-mail if you want to participate! I will have updated pictures of my home knitting after a three year old pink birthday party tomorrow!!

Tamponification

I got an e-mail today sending me to the Seventh Generation website for tamponification. You click on a state and they will send free environmentally friendly feminine products to a women's shelter in that state. It is so worth the minute it will take to type in www.seventhgeneration.com .
In knitting news I am plugging away at my Lizard Ridge squares. I will put up pictures soon. I also finished the first of my March socks for the SAM KAL3. I made it out of the Fleece Artist and it is the first time I have used the yarn. I do love it! I started the sock following the pattern they have on the label but having an odd number of stitches on the heel threw me off and I just switched half way to my own sock pattern. I thought the one on the label was a little unclear. Anyone else try that pattern? How did it work for you?
The comfort doll project is chugging along. We were hoping to have 100 dolls in the next month but we are falling short. I have been trying to encourage parents and others to make one as the kids have put so much into the project. I don't want them to be disappointed. If anyone out here in cyberspace is interested in whipping out a doll (they are really quick) the pattern is in my archive and I will give you the address to send it to.
Sorry about the lack of pictures. I will take some in the next few days and get them up! Peace.

more blocks

The lizard ridge squares are coming along. (pattern can be found at knitty.com ) They are addictive to knit as most things are with the kureyon wool. I have been finding that alot of my skeins may not work as well as I hoped. For each square you knit from both ends. After 6 rows you change ends and supposedly get a sharp contrast in color. The problem has been that alot of the skeins have the same color starting on both ends of the skein. I have been going through all of the skeins I have, which seem to be alot, and it looks as if I will have to purchase more if I want the dramatic color changes i am looking for.
I have also really been needing a garter stitch project so I can just knit and meditate. My children have had so much vacation that I am going crazy and it seems like they may be too. We had our Feb vacation two weeks ago and now we have Mon and Tuesday off too for town meeting day in Vermont. I do not know why Monday when all of the meetings are Tuesday but it is what it is. The children are so needy and grumpy with each other that I have not had time to sit and knit the projects that I have to count for or really pay attention to. Any ideas? I may just start knitting away a big square that I can add onto as I go out of Bartlett wool that I have in the stash and see what happens. Another blanket is always useful and as it takes me a long time to finish blanket projects it may be ready for next year.
My big family news is that I have been accepted into a full time nursing program starting this fall. It is a little overwhelming as it will take alot of time and money but I am determined to keep my eye on the prize and this will help my family immensely in the long run. I am looking foward to all of the great things I will learn. Well, the children are getting to watch a movie today so I am going to use that time to sit next to a cozy fire and knit by myself.

Back home

Well, I am back at home and the work begins again. I was lucky to have alot of knitting time on vacation. I finished the baby socks and my mother's hat and scarf set. I also made a scarf for my niece
and finished two blocks for the Lizard Ridge afghan. I was amazed at how quickly the squares knit up. This is a picture of them unblocked. I am going to block these two to get a feel for how they will really turn out. I also changed the pattern a little and did four repeats instead of three because I seemed to have alot of extra yarn after three. I have small balls left after four which I am taking for the kids to use with the comfort dolls. They (and I) love the yarn that changes color!
I have been so grateful for the warm and sunny days we have had here in Vermont. I was very cold the first few days back and the nice weather helped me to adjust. I have alot of photos to send off for developing so ta ta!