Major Knitter

Gifts, For Me?

I was in Knitting Central recently on Tuesday's weekly Sit and Knit group when Pam called my name and gave me a copy of this great pattern book.  I was touched.  Wow!  For me?  Then she explained that this was the Tahki Cotton Classic Spring/Summer 2006 book I had ordered and it just came in.  (How embarassing!)

When I got home later that day, I had a soft squishy package in the mail from Knitting Iris.  Wow!  An unexpected gift.  Two in one day.  How cool.  I could hardly wait to open it.  I wonder what she sent me.  Imagine my surprise to discover it was two skeins of yarn from Knitting Iris' Etsy shop that I had ordered last week.

I guess they really were gifts, I just bought them for myself.  And they were definitely surprises since I had forgotten all about them.  Silly me.  But Knitting Iris did include a wonderful little sachet.  It's a simple 2.5 x 2.5 square of fun fabrics with a teaspoon of lavendar sewn inside.  It's pure and simple and 100% genius.  I think I'll have to plant some lavendar plants in the garden so I can do this, too! 

But speaking of gifts, I did receive an amazing gift from my knitting buddy Jean way back in May that I forgot to post.  Jean is so generous and I'm truly sorry to have let this acknowledgement slip. 

Look at the amazing knitting basket Jean gave me in brilliant blues and natural tones.  Plus a copy of Strickdeckchen with knit lace patterns.  As if this wasn't enough, Jean made me some note cards from her Shutterfly account, some homemade goat milk soap (which has only just now cured and can be used!) and best of all, some of her handspun yarn in a luscious blue colorway.  I'm just thrilled to pieces.

And in today's mail there was another squishy package from Glacia.  I tried to remember what I could have possibly ordered from her.  You know I wasn't going to fall for the old "a gift -- for ME?" trick again.  But it really was a gift.  In fact it was a thank you gift.  Last fall I supplied her with a whole winter supply of good ol' American grits.  She sent me three hand embroidered dish towels.  The funny thing is, she had no way of knowing that these are my all-time favorite towels ever.  In fact, I'm taking a crochet class at my LYS this weekend so I can finally learn how to do the crochet edging on these dish towels. 

It kind of feels like my birthday this week.  Such a thrill to get gifts in the mail (or at the LYS).  What a treasure to have knitting buddies like you.

Curious George and Baby Georgiana

I finished the gift despite postponing our trip to Boston.  Since Baby Sadie couldn't model the finished thing, I found another little girl to show off the goods.

Here's Curious Georgiana sporting her matching hat and booties in the arms of proud papa Curious George.  Here's a close-up of the hat and booties.

It's a Morehouse Farm original pattern   With just one skein of yarn and 1-2 movies, you too can have a finished gift for the new baby in your life.

Knitting on Demand - But Only For Baby Sadie

I can't believe it.  Sadie isn't even a full week old and she's already got me doing something I NEVER, EVER DO.  I'm knitting on demand.  BF, the boys and I are traveling up to Boston this weekend to meet her.  We already sent a great gift last week, but I can't go meet her without a handknit gift!  Thank goodness I bought three skeins of the Morehouse Merino 3-Strand when Jean and I were at their store in Rhinebeck last fall (just before it closed).  I bought the pink, the blue and the yellow for future babies.  I also purchased the pattern "Hat & Booties For the New Arrival" figuring it would always be handy to have a gift ready to go.

In 75 minutes, I managed to knit the booties on my US Size 5 Lantern Moon straight needles.  Fortunately, I have two pairs of these magnificent needles, so I knit both booties at the same time.

I immediately cast on for the baby hat and began knitting.  This time I opted to use my 40" Turbo Addis - also size 5 - but I was beginning to suffer knitter's fatigue, so I left the hat for the night to give it and my shoulders a good rest.

Gifts Galore!

I came back from Sioux City to lots of mail and lots of packages.  I never expected this one from Carolyn W who was one of the winners of my "How Many Stitches in a Sock?" contest.  She recycled the wrapping, ribbons and box and shipped everything back to me.

How green is that?  Inside I found some lovely surprises.

She sent me a lovely red dish cloth, a miniature handknit sock, some Burt's Bees with Honey Chapstick, a skein of yarn (perfect for a hat I want to make); a hand quilted Starbucks eco-friendly cup insulator; and the most comfortable pair of hand knit slippers.  Wow!  That's quite a gift.  I confess that I was thrilled with my gift and doubly impressed with all the green going on.  I'm trying to do my part slowly and surely.  I'm still pretty certain I have a huge carbon footprint based on where I live, my house, number of light fixtures, etc, but baby steps help.  The local grocery stores are starting a big campaign for green grocery bags.  I like that.  I should probably just come up with some sturdy lace mesh bags so I can incorporate knitting into the theme.  In the meantime, I purchased a handful of reusable grocery bags that will be kept in the car for shopping.  But for now, I'll just take baby steps.  Speaking of baby steps, here's a shot of Secundogeniture modeling the handknit slippers

Thank you Carolyn!  You made my day.      

A Gift of Love

BF and I went to Knitting Central.  This is what we found

An Ann Norling pattern Crib-Blanket-Afghan I for a baby afghan (increased many-fold to be a full size blanket); 2 sets of Turbo Addis (US Size 10 and 10.5); and 26 skeins of SuperCashmere by Karabella in a yummy chocolate brown.  This is my wedding gift to BF - a full size cashmere blanket knit in his favorite stitch (stockinette) with a small garter stitch border.  It won't win me a blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair for creativity, but it will sure do wonders to warm the man I love.

A Knitting Marathon

Today was all knitting all the time.  It was pure heaven.  It all started at nine o'clock this morning.  Joanne came over and we knit together in the Knit Nook. Joanne is making a sky blue sampler blanket for her bedroom.  I'm so sorry I don't have a picture of this gorgeous blanket.  I knit on my Mission Top Secret.

At 11:00 a.m. I went to Knitting Central for the Tuesday Knitting Club.  Susan and Susan were there.  I also met Lydia.  I had a great time knitting on my Mission Top Secret.

At 1:00 p.m. I went to Assumption Parish for the prayer shawl group.  Shhhh.  Don't tell anyone, but I didn't knit on my prayer shawl today.  Instead I knit on my Mission Top Secret.

At 3:00 p.m. I was in the waiting room of the orthodontist with Primogeniture.  Guess what I was doing?  Yup - knitting on my Mission Top Secret.

At 5:30 p.m. I was on the phone with my sister Ellen (who was at Chuck E. Cheese with her three kiddos).  While we chatted, I finished my Mission Top Secret.

Wow!  My first FO of real significance in awhile and I can only show you this picture.  See, Wilma the Bulldog is guarding this Top Secret Item with her life.

Don't even think about it!

Suzanne Urban Designs

I put a lot of things on my Christmas Wishlist this year.  I tried to give generic ideas.  BF is so good to me - he got me everything on my list.  One thing I wanted was a OOAK (one-of-a-kind) ornament by local fiber artist Suzanne Urban.  She has many websites - but the one that combines everything is Walnut Beach Artist.  Suzanne makes these amazing felted creations and auctions them on ebay about twice a month.  I've tried several times in the past to *WIN* one, but I'm not the best ebayer, so I called in the big guns.  Yup - BF.  He managed to win, not one, but two felted ornaments.

Great Santa Spirit OOAK needle felted art bear portrait head ornament is hanging from the fireplace in my Knit Nook.

Rudolpho OOAK needle felted art-bear portrait head ornament is gleefully adorning the Christmas Tree and bringing smiles to everyone.

To see more of Suzanne's amazing creations (felted ornaments, illustrations and more) check out her blog at Walnut Beach Artist.  Tell her Major Knitter sent you.

Just Knitting

Last night we celebrated Christmas at our house.  It was magical.  I got many wonderful gifts, but this one is extra special and required immediate attention.  It's a handmade creation that was the brainchild of Secundogeniture.

He asked me for a white shirt - you know - one that might fit you, Mom.  I got one and he decorated it with "Just Knitting" and a picture of some knitting needles on top of a smiley-face sweater

It's the best knitting t-shirt I've ever owned.

I Love Receiving Gifts!

Jane of Pink Hebe surprised me with a little parcel in the post this morning (I have to talk that way because she's British).  I couldn't wait until December 25th, so I tore the packaging open and was so thrilled with my gift that I wore it immediately.

It's a handknit red neckwarmer!  It's so soft and comfy and it brings a touch of color to my otherwise pale face this morning.  It was the perfect hug for a cold wintry morning. 

The Mets Ornaments

I had so much fun making the Christmas Tree ornaments that I quickly whipped up a complementary pair of Mets Stockings for the Christmas Tree.  Thank you to everyone who expressed concern about my Red Sox knitting spree.  Yes... BF is a huge Mets fan and I felt a little Mets knitting was in order.

I think I'll have to make a series of these little ornaments.  They're fun and fast and a great way to gift a little fibre heaven into the holiday theme this year.

Knitting Gifts are a Home Run!

Our annual party at the Four Seasons was a spectacular event.  We had such a lovely time and knitting played a fun part in the gifts.  I gave a few knitting gifts and even got a few.  Here I am with the lovely felted scarf and my new knitting book:  KnitKnit Profiles + Projects from Knitting's New Wave

Michele got a copy of this Sublime knitting book and a gift certificate to Stitches East - which is conveniently located a few blocks from work.

Erika, who doesn't actually knit (but for whom I still hold out great hope!), got this precious little ornament from Anthropologie of a knitter complete with knitting basket and needles.

I made a Red Sox ornament for Bill and the lesser known Mets Sox ornament for Leon.  I had a lot of time in the afternoon before the party, so I went to Stitches East to sit and knit.  I used to stop by here once or twice a week for my regular fibre fix when I worked in the city.  Now that I'm a suburban housewife and mother, I rarely get into the city.  It was great to see Joyce.  I knit these ornaments with Stitches East yarn - orange/blue is Zara and the red/white is Paton's Classic Wool Merino.  I used the same needle and the same pattern, but they turned out to be slightly different sizes based on the wool.  I think I like the Zara better.  It had a more finished look to it.

There were countless wonderful gifts, and I wish I could share them all with you here, but I limited myself to the knitting gifts since this is a knitting blog.  I hope all your holiday happenings are equally as fibre-licious.

Happy Holidays!  Happy knitting!   

Put One Foot In Front of the Other

I couldn't bear to go to sleep before finishing all the miniature socks.  These little quickies are quite addictive.  I wish I had about thirty more of these miniature wooden sock blockers.  They're entirely too much fun.

Now I have a little gift for each of the ladies in Saturday kNit Live.  But I'm starting to think of all the other people I'd like to make a miniature sock for as a little gift.  Hmmmmmm.  This is fun.

Miniature Keychain Sock Blocker Socks Are the Perfect Gift

I whipped up two of Debbie Jenning's miniature socks tonight for my friends from Saturday kNit Live.  I can't make it to the holiday get together, but I'll be sending my gifts along. 

Here's a close-up of just the keychains.

The gold Koigu is leftover sock yarn that Betsy gave me for my Knit Notes.  The green Lorna's Laces is some new yarn I have in my stash, but which just happens to match Regina's newest sweater perfectly.  I'm trying to knit up the rest for the gals... but I think they'll have to wait until tomorrow.   

Christmas Goodies

Look what came in the mail today?

It's my Christmas gift from James in New Zealand.  He's so amazing that he actually designs and knits the pouches for his gifts.  Martha Stewart could learn something from James.  I can hardly wait to open it. 

What will you be knitting for the holidays? I'm going to knit up some miniature sock ornaments.  I generally do not knit gifts for others as I simply can't stand the pressure.  Knitting is my escape from deadlines and demands so I refuse to knit gifts with a purpose.  Instead, I knit gifts (usually in stockpile fashion) and then when there is a need for a gift, I have something available.  If I set out to make a gift for a baby or a friend, it generally dooms the project's chances of every becoming a FO.  There are a few exceptions.  I finished one baby sweater this fall and am nearly done with the Pixie coat.  I chose larger sizes so that the babies would grow into them and I wouldn't feel so pressured to have them done in 5 days (although truth be told, I'd probably be more successful with an unreasonable deadline than with all the time in the world).  At any rate, I am trying to finish up my red Cables, Cables Everywhere socks so that I can use the leftover red Koigu KPM yarn for some miniature stockings.  BF and I drove into Manhattan for a Christmas party today and I was busy knitting away on my socks.  I hope to have them finished this weekend, so I'll hold off from showing you the progress as I'd rather share the FO.  While driving BF saw this driving up the West Side Highway.

Of course I had my nose in my knitting, so I missed it.  I still haven't caught a ride on the Flying Fingers yarn bus.  Have you?  Want to make a day trip out of it?

Back to the party.  We sat with some other bloggers and guests and had a nice chat.  Sarah mentioned that she saw this great little post on Not Martha about a Martha's Vineyard Fibre Farm CSA. 

 

I had never heard of a CSA but now am fairly intrigued.  Have you signed up for this CSA?  What has been your experience?  Would you recommend it?  Those sheep are so cute.  What's not to like?

 

Knitting Humor

I got another fibre cartoon for my birthday.  It finally arrived.

To see a better picture of it - click here.  I bought the matching t-shirt, too.  See how knitting can come in handy if you ever find yourself face-to-face with a dinosaur?

Irish Chocolate

James just arrived from his UK trip.  He picked up this adorable chocolate bar with a sheep on it. 

No pictures of us tonight.  James is jetlagged and I'm a bit tired myself.  Tomorrow we start on our yarn crawl in Connecticut.  Thursday we'll be heading to NYC to visit Purl and Habu.  What other spots should I take my Kiwi friend on his first visit to the US?

Cashmere Socks are a Huge Success

BF had his wisdom teeth out this week and has been a bit under the weather.  He actually scheduled the procedure at the first possible opening the oral surgeon had, which happened to coincide with my trip to Iowa.  So he used his new cashmere socks to cuddle him and keep him comforted in my absence.

120 Degrees in the Shade

The Heart Sweater is growing quickly.  Eight hours on the plane and 17 hours in the car can really do wonders for the progress on this WIP.  After leaving Los Angeles, BF and I stopped in Cabazon at one of my favorite desert oases - Hadleys.  Yum. 

After picking up some nuts, dates and trail mix, and slurping a banana date shake, we continued on to the neighboring tourist attraction for a Must Have Blog Picture

Ty-Rex and the baby sweater.  Hey - those are BF's fingers in a picture.  That might be the most you'll ever see of him on my blog, so pay close attention!  Here's one of me with the sweater and the dinosaur.

It kind of looks like the dinosaur is wearing a diaper, doesn't it?  Oh well.  It was a very windy day.  Actually the Cabazon-Palm Springs corridor is always windy.  That's why they plant turbines everywhere in this valley.  Look a Windmill Farm!  Nice clean energy.

After our stop in Cabazon, we headed west on Route 62 to the high desert - specifically Twentynine Palms.  That's where I was stationed with the Marine Corps from 1991-1994.  Many things look the same, but there have been numerous improvements to the base since I lived there.  Most notably is the new housing for enlisted Marines.  I have always loved that about the Marine Corps.  We look out for our Troops before we take care of ourselves.  Let the junior Marines eat before the SNCOs and Officers eat.  Make sure they have new housing before giving new housing to the SNCOs and Officers.  I think it's a great life lesson.  I wish corporate America would follow the same lesson.

This is the Commanding General's building on base.  It's where I worked when I was on active duty.  It's basically the same as it was 13 years ago when I left, except it has a few "facelifts" and has this nice desert garden in front of it (which I'm guessing is an aesthetic protective barrier to the office).  After our quick visit to the base, we headed for Las Vegas on the backroads via Amboy.

Here we are on Historic Route 66 in front of Roy's in Amboy, California where we made a pit-stop.  The strangest thing about driving through the desert was accidentally brushing my arm up against the window and realizing that at 10:00 o'clock at night the window was still about 105 degrees!

It was a great drive from L.A. to Las Vegas and I'm really glad we chose to take the back roads.  It's a part of this country that is rarely seen and definitely worth the view.  Yes, it takes a bit longer, but I think it's worth it.  Just make sure you have plenty of water for you, your passengers, and the vehicle.

Baby Knitting

My dear friends wrote to tell me that they're grandparents for the first time.  They have a baby granddaughter.  As if that weren't enough good news, they're other daughter is expecting her first child in just a few months.  I had to knit something special for these two grandchildren so I decided to get out my Zoe Mellor book and make the sweater on the cover - one in the suggested colors and the other in pinks/orange and white (maybe red?)

I might replace the star with a heart for the pink sweater.  We'll see.  I'm pretty excited about knitting these little sweater up into adorable little gifts.

Brazilian Weaving

Here's my final post from my Brazil trip.  I met with my friend Doreen and she was so sweet that she brought me this wonderful gift.  It's a weaving kit - sort of like the ones we used as children to make potholders.  This one has a thousand little needles and uses the finest yarn to make baby outfits and more.  Doreen brought along a little set she had made as a baby gift to show me.

Do you recognize the coffee cup?  Yes.  We had coffee at the only Starbucks in Brazil - in the Shopping Morumbi.  The Starbucks is attached to the book store Saraiva.  It kind of felt like I was at a Barnes & Noble in the U.S. 

Sergeant Benny, Reporting for Duty, Sir!

Remember last year I knit this sweater out of some camouflage acrylic yarn for my friend Judy Wolfe's dog Benny?  Well, this is the first time that it's actually been cold enough for Benny to wear his new utility uniform.  I present to you, Sergeant Benny:

C'mon everybody now - "Awwwwww!"

The Christmas That Keeps on Giving

Look at this fabulous Vera Bradley knitting bag that I got as a gift from BF's mom. Isn't it great?  And you know how much I love blues and blacks.  Thanks! 

We also got these fun personalized holiday M&Ms with our names on them from a dear friend.  Half say BF & Major Knitter and the other half say Primogeniture and Secundogeniture.  How cute is that?

Santa Knits!

as BF gave me the perfect gift for Christmas.  It's a Santa Claus from the Clothtique Possible Dreams Collection (which I collect) and guess what?  Santa's knitting!

HandKnit Comfort

Jane sent me this doubly wonderful Christmas Gift. 

It's a cabled pattern headband in a lovely light blue and some of my favorite chocolate.  This will be the perfect accent for my new life as an ice-skating Mom.

Thanks Jane!  I can hardly wait to go skating in the morning.

The Right Stuff

Everybody got the perfect gift.  Luis and Andrea gave BF, Wilma and me the most thoughtful and absolutely perfect Christmas gifts.

Movies of the 70s and 80s, chocolate covered caramels from La Maison du Chocolat, a Mets dog collar and this great knitting book Doggy Knits by Anna Tillman.  How wonderful.  Now I can watch the perfect movie classic while sampling my favorite chocolate (I'm a softie when it comes to chocolate covered caramels!) with Wilma at my feet wearing her new doggie collar.

Time to Knit

Look what Julie sent me.  It's a reminder that it's time to knit.

Fleece Navidad!

Good Things Come in Handknit Packages

I was such a good girl and waited to open my gift.  It was definitely worth the wait.  Look at the wonderful gift that James sent.

Merry Christmas!  Thank you James.

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Look what came in the mail for me?  It's from my blogging buddy James in New Zealand.  He made the bag out of red and green wool in his famous two-tone honeycomb pattern.  I haven't opened the bag for fear of being called out for being a bad girl.  So it's going under the tree until Friday night when we celebrate Christmas with the boys.  I can hardly wait.  But in the meantime, the packaging is a gift in and of itself.

   

Thank you James.  Merry Christmas to all my blogging buddies!

OK - I couldn't resist.  Look at the ornament I got BF.  It would be a perfect Wilma if I just got the red permanent marker out and drew a big tongue sticking out of that cute mouth.

Linen Wash Cloth

Look what I got as a gift this weekend?  Isn't it lovely?  It's a handknit linen wash cloth from Jean with a fragrant bar of soap to go with it.  It's beautifully stitched and the linen only gets softer and softer with use.  Thanks Jean.

Judges - We Need An Answer

Did you guess that I finally finished the Mets Baby Cable Blanket, steamed it, blocked it, (measured it, photographed it, wrote down the pattern, packaged it, added the miniature Mets Christmas Ornament, added the pink Mets children's baseball cap and got it ready to ship to not-so-newborn Abby?

OK - so it was somewhat obvious.  For you who read my blog regularly, it was a shoe-in. Jodi was the first to guess correctly, followed by (in no particular order) Stacey, Cathy in Iowa, Kelly, Basya, Maryann, Kathy B, and Ana.  Good job everyone.  Please email me with your mailing addresses and I'll put some Knit Notes in the mail for you.

The Biggest Finishing Friday EVER!

Can you guess why this little New York Mets Christmas ornament is my biggest Finish Friday project ever?  If you guess correctly by Sunday night, Jan 8th at 1800 (or 6:00 p.m. in civilian time) you'll win a personalized set of my new Knit Notes.  Leave a comment with your guess.  Let the contest begin.

Play with your Food

I'm sure this was a pure coincidence.  But look at the thank-you note that BF got in the mail today from someone who has never even met me (and therefore probably doesn't know about the knitting and wool fettish).

These are from GraphiquedeFrance (although I couldn't find this specific card on their website).  Too bad, I could envision this card spreading throughout the knitting community rather quickly.