Major Knitter

Chickens Here, Chickens There

Chickens, Chickens Everywhere!

I just saw graylagran's Chicken Potholders on Ravelry and instantly fell in love.  I don't even crochet (much) and I just want to gobble these up.  What is it about chickens?  Why have I fallen so hard for this chicken craze?  Will it ever stop?

Unfortunately, when I went to buy the pattern, I discovered that it's out of print and now sells for anywhere between $118-$304 on Amazon.  While I like these chickens, and I'm most likely crazy, I'm not crazy enough to spend several hundred dollars on the pattern.  Thank goodness for ebay.  I found the pattern for a reasonable price and it's on its way to me.

I wonder if Michelle and Joanne will join me in this Chicken Craze Continuation...

Susie Rogers' Reading Mitts Pattern is Available Once Again

Hallelujah!  For all of you who asked me for Susie's pattern (and I ignored you because it wasn't mine to give) - take heart!  The pattern is available once again.  Click HERE for the free Ravelry download.

Whew!  I know how pleased you'll all be.  Go forth and make lots of mitts!

Camping in the BSA Klondike Snowstorm of 2012

OK - ready for this?  I went camping in a tent this weekend during the great snowstorm of 2012.

In the early morning hours it started to snow.  We woke up to about 2-3 inches of snow, and it continued to snow all day until accumulation reached 6-8 inches.  We spent the entire day outdoors for our District Klondike Derby and had great fun!

There was a sled race... but also just funning around on sleds.

We ran the ice rescue station (not on a real lake!) - the roped off area was the thin ice and the blue tarp was where the boys fell through the ice and had to be rescued.  Here's our Troop making a human chain to rescue THREE boys (because the first two ran out onto the thin ice to rescue their buddy and fell in themselves!)

There was a really fun two-man saw competition - here are some of my adult friends taking a turn at this competition during a break.

Then there was a homemade snowshoe relay race - and two of our Scouts made the most awesome homemade snowshoes!  Unfortunately, we didn't know it was a relay race and the attachment mechanisms were really secure... too secure to switch in and out of for a relay race.  But they did a fabulous job creating snow shoes!

Finally, we used two of the burners of the six-burner stove in the warming house to heat up our chili for lunch.  One of our dads and his Scout made the chili before the trip and we only had to warm it up.  Guess what?  Dad is a gourmet chef.  This was the BEST chili ever!

It was a fabulous campout and I was so worn out I slept for 13 hours last night when I got home.  Ahhh - it really only takes a cold winter campout to make you really, truly appreciate your own warm comfortable bed.

Project Update

Thanks for all your votes on my WIPs and UFOs.  

I decided to finish the socks (since I was traveling and they were easy).  So here's a peak at my Appalachian Trail socks in Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in the "birch" colorway.

These are a gift for a Scouting friend of mine.  I think they'll be really appreciated.  

Now that these are complete, I need to concentrate on finishing the next project.  The votes nearly unanimously came in for the Faery Ring - and I agree.  I'm very close to finishing it.  I think I can focus on it this upcoming week and still wear it this winter.

I do want to focus my energy on the Alhambra, too, as it's intended to be a gift for a friend.  I'd like to give it to her this winter.  Maybe I can finish the Faery Ring next week and the Alhambra the following week.  

How's that for some serious knitting goals?  Did I mention that BF will be traveling a lot in the upcoming month?  I'll have lots of alone time to focus solely on my knitting.

Thanks for all your input and votes of confidence.

Sorry to all of you who are still pining away for a finished Floral Jacket.  She's not on the short list... yet.

Happy 90th Birthday!

After Las Vegas, BF and I flew to Miami for BF's Grandma's 90th birthday party.  It was fabulous weather (Las Vegas was COLD!) and we really soaked in the Florida sunshine.  

We celebrated at Barton G's in Miami - which is truly a magical place for fun festivities.  Everything is presented in an over-the-top manner.  Here's the popcorn shrimp appetizer.  How funny is that?

The lobster pop-tarts were served in - you guessed it - a toaster!

The chicken dinner was served in a chicken bucket!

The desserts were oversized and fabulously presented.  The S'mores (that's a GIANT marshmallow with chocolate sauce in middle - YUM!) came with sparklers.  It was such fun.

GiGi is caught peaking through the bushel of apples with apple cobbler and some great candles.

Happy Birthday GiGi!  What a way to celebrate!

 

Valley of Fire

Last weekend BF and I went to a wedding in Las Vegas.  The actual ceremony took place at Valley of Fire state park which was picturesque and the perfect backdrop to the wedding.

The color for the wedding was saffron.  Even Mother Nature complied for the ceremony.

The ceremony was beautifully done with incredibly thoughtful vows.  I honestly think it was one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to.

My favorite part was the cleaning up of the orange colored rose petals after the ceremony.  We were all in true "Leave No Trace" mode and everyone chipped in to help clean up.

Best wishes to the happy couple! 

 

To Knit, or Not to Knit

Or better yet, WHAT to knit.

I need to be inspired by my current WIP queue and I'm not really sure which one is calling to me the loudest.

Here they are in the order they were cast on:

1. Appalachian Trail Birch socks (these don't really count - I always have socks on the needles!)
2. Aidez - cast on 9/10/2011 - I only got as far as the waist band.
3. Eco Quilt & Cable Blanket - cast on 8/1/2011.  I was confused about the wrap, but now I got it.  Personally, this one is pretty high on the list… mostly because Lisa just got her yarn, and I know she'll be done with her entire blanket before I even pick mine up again.  Not that I'm competitive or anything!
4. Alhambra - cast on 9/21/2011 - I like this one - but it's lace, so I have to give it 100% of my focus.
5. Faery Ring - cast on 11/01/2009 - I'm very, very, very close to being done with this one.  If I could just pick it up and focus on it for about one week, it would be done.
6. Floral Jacket - cast on 6/18/2008.  This one has been sitting for a very long time.  I can't put it in the ZZzzz pile because I'm afraid if I do that I will never, ever, ever pick it up again.

Happy Birdies

Our Bird House is progressing along nicely.

Joanne, Michelle and I met today to start glueing and assembling our diorama.  I lashed together a miniature fence for the chicken pen.  It's a hoot.  Michelle stitched the eggs and purple bird to the nest.  She perched the orange bird inside the house.  Joanne created a pond for the ducks.  Not pictured is the greenery she brought along to jazz things up.  

Will our bird house get any bids?  Will one of us have to buy our own bird house?  Will we get a legitimate buyer or just a pity vote?  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that someone will buy our adorable Happy Birdies with joy in their heart.

What do you think?  Are you going to the Project Return Bird House auction?  Will you bid on our bird house?

Alpaca with a Twist

I had three random skeins of Alpaca with a Twist in a purple, green and yellow.  I purchased them a few years ago while in Maine, thinking that they would make something soft and cuddly for a baby.

Wrongly thinking this was a worsted weight yarn, I didn't make a gauge.  The yarn is a DK weight, so the first baby hat - the green one - turned out to be the size of a medium-to-large preemie hat.  So for the next two hats, I cast on 70 sts and knit a 1x1 rib before continuing with the hat.  Same number of sts for the purple and yellow hats, but I was apparently more relaxed with the yellow hat because it turned out slightly larger than the purple hat.  Funny how all that works.  At any rate, I have three new hats for babies.  That's a good thing.

Judy! Judy! Judy!

Last night BF and I trekked into the city to the Apple Store at Fifth Avenue to see our friend Judy give a presentation on animal photography at the Central Park Zoo.

We haven't seen Judy in several months, so it was the first opportunity I had to present her with her birthday scarf.  It's an orange palindrome scarf to keep her warm this winter (although if our winter thus far is any indication, I should have bought her some sunscreen, instead).  This scarf is a throwback to the first scarf I knit for Judy during the Gates Project in Central Park where she volunteered in February 2005.  Remember the Gates Scarf?

Anyway, Judy gave a fabulous presentation on her animal photography and you can catch her at the Central Park Zoo most days taking pictures of the animals and their myriad antics.  If you don't see her in person, you can catch her animal photos here  Congratulations Judy on a job well-done!.

It's a Cultural Revolution

I'm finally getting on board with an e-reader.  It took me several years, but for the holidays, we received a Kindle from BF's grandmother.

You might be laughing at me for posting a picture of my Kindle with my yarn.  But I'm not.  This Kindle is for the family, and Secundogeniture downloaded a book for school in the audible book department - so we can listen and do other things at the same time.  This could be a fabulous thing for all of us!

So everyone will get their own category to download books.  I foresee the boys using it when they have homework and have forgotten their book at school.  (Does this happen a lot at your home?)  I already downloaded my book club selection for next month (in the text version) and also all my favorite classics by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and the Bronte sisters.  The classics are free - so it was an easy decision.

How about you?  Are you hooked on your Kindle, too?

New Favorite Portable Knitting

For some reason, I've out of sorts with my sock knitting.  It's not calling to me.  What's a girl to do?  I must have my portable knitting.

I think that baby hats are my new portable knitting.  They're quick and easy and have the added benefit of knitting up on US Size 7 needles which is definitely a good thing for my body.  The cotton yard is somewhat harder on my hands and shoulders (do you find that, too?) - but I do love the instant gratification of being able to knit up a hat in an hour or so - and then having it to pass along to a good cause.  What could be better? 

Progress on the Bird House

...or, a meeting of the minds.

Today, Michelle, Joanne, Lynn, and Kristin and I met to decide how best to display our knit miniature birds with the birdhouse (from Iowa)

Here are my hens - desperately in need of a coop or fence to keep them safe.

Take a look at Joanne's mini ducks.  Aren't they adorable?  She's going to make a pond for them to swim in on our birdhouse diorama.

Michelle knit this itty bitty bird which is sitting on the birdhouse perch.

And finally, Michelle also made the cutest felted nest with knit eggs and a proud mother bird.

Now we need to assemble and decorate our bird house entry and hope that someone bids lots of money to help young adolescent girls at Project Return.

Boy Scout Popcorn for the Troops

This weekend I delivered Boy Scout popcorn from the Connecticut Yankee Council to the 500+ Marines and Sailors at 6th Communication Battalion in Brooklyn, NY.  Here's a picture of some of the younger Marines posing with the wall of popcorn.  Marines don't smile, but let me tell you - they were so thrilled with all this tasty popcorn.

I even had one of the Marines ask me how to find a Cub Scout pack in Bay Ridge Brooklyn for his son.

My favorite part of delivering the popcorn is seeing the Marines' reaction.  Marines are a very humble lot when it comes to donations.  I set the popcorn out - spread the word that it was a "Thank the Military" gift from the Boy Scouts - and even then, they all asked 'How much is this?" - when I told them it was free to thank them for their service - their faces really lit up.  

How do you thank the men and women of our armed forces for the work they do? 

Hello My Little Chickadees

I bought some mini googly eyes today (I just love saying "googly eyes" - don't you?) and knit up two more mini chickens.  These are really so much fun.

I also learned something interesting about a chicken's coxcomb.  They are red because of blood and were genetically a source of cooling down for the chicken.  Interesting, no?

I also googled chicken images and decided to knit mine in the truer colors of the birds.  I like yellow and orange, but chickens are not really those colors.  So here you have my white, red, black, tan and brown hens.

I think the black chicken is my favorite.

So, there you have it!  My chicken clutch is ready for the auction!

 

It's a Hen Party

Or the return of the chicken craze.

My friends and I are helping knit birds for the Westport Young Woman's League entry for the Project Return Bird House auction.  Today I knit four mini chicken egg cozies - but this time I used fingering weight yarn (Knit Picks Palette) and US Size 1 needles.  Take a look at this year's blind chickens compared to last year's chickens.  I don't have any mini googly eyes - so until tomorrow, my birds are sightless.

I can't guarantee that I'll stop at just four chickadees.  They're like potato chips.  It's hard to eat just one.

Baby Hats for Charity

I decided to start the new year off on the right foot by knitting up some newborn caps for charity.  I have so much yarn for baby projects that this seemed like a good idea.  I designed some patterns for baby caps four years ago, but haven't made any new baby caps since.  I thought now was as good as any time to revive these favorites.

The first hat is my Basic Newborn Baby Hat in 2x2 ribbing

The second is the same Basic Newborn Baby Hat - but this time in 1x1 ribbing

Third in line is the Basic Newborn Baby Hat - Rolled Brim

The fourth and final hat is the Basic Newborn Hat - Garter Stitch Brim.

 You can click on the links above for the Ravelry links and patterns, or you can find these, and all my free knitting patterns HERE.

Happy New Year!

BF and I wrapped up 2011 doing what we like best - having a quiet evening at home (because it's absolutely crazy to be out on the streets on a night like tonight!) and enjoying our time together.

I managed to finish my final FO of 2011.

And I also finished my first FO of 2012.

Not bad for a night's work.  

These are Let It Snowman by Lisa Wilt.

Details - Knit Picks Palette (white and orange); US Size 1 needles and some unlabeled leftover mohair for the hat & scarf.  I used some black beads for the eyes; and some random colored beads to top the end of the hat.  These are too cute and I'll definitely make more for next year's Christmas tree.

Happy New Year to all!

Good-Bye Old, Hello New

Another year has come and gone.  It was a very good year.

 

I love this youtube video of Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Aren't they adorable?

I hope you all have wonderful plans for New Year's Eve -- however you define wonderful plans. BF and I prefer to stay at home and spend it together.  We take stock of the past year and look forward to the new.  We make plans for the new year and try to come up with something exciting to do in the new year.  Remember the year of the Caper?  Remember the year of trying to eat at all the eateries in town?  I think 2012 is going to be the Year of the Walk.  I'll probably have to create a log to see how far we walk on a weekly, monthly and annual basis.  

How about you?  What will 2012 bring for you?

 

I Managed to Knit on the Sly

I did it!  I finally did it!

I managed to knit BF's Christmas cashmere socks on the sly when he was traveling earlier this month.  He never saw me knitting these.  Usually, I'm knitting away on the sofa right next to him while we're watching football.  This year I was stealth.  I even managed to hold off this post until after Christmas.  This is a good thing.  Everyone in my family knows I can't keep a surprise secret.  I get too excited and usually blurt it out.  Maybe I'm growing up?

Here are the details:

• 2 skeins Jade Sapphire 6-ply Cashmere
• US Size 5 needles
• I cast on 48 sts for this sock.  I think next time I should cast on 50 or 52.

The only bad part is that I also gave BF a pair of fleece socks.  I think he might have actually liked them more than his handknit socks.  Hmmmmm.  

Stockpile

Today was our big stockpile day.  BF and I went out to Jo-Anns and Wal-Mart.  We stocked up on DMC floss for more Santa ornaments (but unfortunately, only about half the colors were in stock!); and then we headed over to Wal-Mart to stock up on all our paper supplies for the year.  

I am going to repeat a lot of the Santa ornaments from years past... and also create some of my own.  The hardest part was finding the plain white 14 mesh plastic canvas.  Fortunately, Jo-Ann's had some, so I bought 6 sheets - which is enough for 36 ornaments.  I think I'm set for the next several years.

Unfortunately, I was only able to cross off about half my required DMC floss colors for both the Santa ornaments and some new heirloom Christmas stockings.  I think I'll have to make another trip to Milford and check out the Michael's (oddly enough, right across the street from Jo-Ann's) and see if they have any floss in stock.

I'll spare you pictures of the newly acquired stash of toilet paper, kleenex, garbage bags, etc.  But suffice it to say that I LOVE being stocked up on non-perishable supplies.  How about you - what do you buy in bulk (aside from yarn)?

Wilma on Wednesday

And Christmas for this year is a wrap.

Wilma had a ball.  How about you?

As for me, it's time for the post-Christmas eat-healthy-and-exercise-plan.  

Mets Baseball Ornaments

We have a few themes on our Christmas tree.  Baseball and the New York Mets make up a part of our tree.

Mr. Met

My first hand knit Mets sock ornament.

One of BF's baseball cards.  It's not a Met, but it's a pretty funny baseball card!

A classic Mets glass ball ornament.

A Mets jersey - #45

45 is Pedro Martinez' jersey.

The 2011 striped Mets hand knit socks.

Hmmmm.  I'll have to start looking early for some new baseball ornaments for 2012.  Have any ideas?  Will you keep on the lookout for me?

 

The Magic of Mitts

What's so magical about fingerless mitts?

They knit up in a blink of an eye.