Road Trip! Kinda long with pics

I love road trips!
Since the kids have grown up and finally moved out, road trips have become my favorite thing to do. We have been to Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Key West, Tennessee and all points in between in the last two years. And you know what a road trip means right?
Uninterrupted knitting time!
Now as hard as I have been working on that dresser scarf, you would think that six hours of drive time would have me almost completely finished right?
Um.....NO. I decided after only about thirty minutes that I was going to start on my gift knitting for this year. Luckily when I travel, I never bring only one project because stuck in a car or not, if I don't feel like working on it, it's just not going to happen. I always have a book in the car as a back up ;0)
So I decided gift baskets were the thing for this year. 4 cloths rolled and tied with ribbon inside a cute little square basket with some kind of perfumey soap. Perfect for those people that you have to get something for but don't know them well enough to knit them something personal and also for those that bug you (DD#1) for cloths all year round, even though you had made it quite clear that you were on hiatus!
I have about three cloths already for the first basket. I just have to comb Variety Outlet for the perfect baskets. I already checked Wally World and that's a big no go. You're as shocked I'm sure, as I was!

I have some pics to share of the trip.
We went to the Alabama vs. Ole Miss game in Oxford this last weekend. 
Yes we lost but the trip was great fun.

The best thing about road trips are the
great views you get from the windshield...                              and the rear view.

The Delta really is a beautiful place and we could not have asked for a better weekend. Low humidity, cool temps and cold evenings.
It will be hard for me to stay at a hotel on any more of our trips. One of our friends decided to check into the state park and rented us a cabin on Lake Enid. It was absolutely beautiful!
The cabin was big enough for all five of us and completely stocked with everything except food. Much more comfortable and cozy then a hotel room would have been. Oh, and a grill, can't forget those awesome steaks PB cooked for us all.
The next morning we were up bright and early to watch the deer come right up to the back yard and play. They were literally everywhere, you had to be careful driving through, they have absolutely no fear. Cars, people, they don't care. It was great!

Then on to Oxford. The people there were really great! It was so crowded you could hardly move. It was a big game for them and they were very excited and for the most part, very gracious, welcoming us in all our Roll Tide gear with warm hand shakes and hugs.

We hung out with some great friends                                   and met some interesting
                                                                                          people

PB was very excited. Do you know
how hard it is to get this man to smile?
Yes! he was excited!









                                Nothing made me laugh harder the whole time we were there.

Just some nifty, crafty ideas

Surfing around the web and came across some really nifty,crafty ideas.
Some I knew about already, some are great new ideas.
Thought I would share them. Plus this serves as my own personal book mark.

1. http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/crafthackz?sub=2164010_1102051#3q6owhl
This has some really great ideas for people like me, bow and pom pom challenged

2.http://anonyknits.blogspot.de/2006/10/seaming-better-than-you-remembered.html
Those dreadful seams. I haven't knit anything that wasn't in the round because I just can't seem to get the seams down. (literally) This looks like something I might could manage.

3.http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/FEATwin03TT.html
Oh that horrible frog pond!

4.http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2013/02/20/tips-and-tricks-from-lily-chin.aspx
Now this is a great idea for that too tight bind off. One of the first sweaters I ever made doesn't fit over my fat head, wish I had known this then.

5.http://knitting.about.com/od/knittingskills/ss/fair-isle.htm
I love fair isle knitting, mine just looks awful

6.http://tipnut.com/learn-how-to-knit/
Great for beginners plus it never hurts to touch up..

7.http://mellysews.com/2012/10/tips-for-sewing-with-knits.html
Great tips for sewing knits

8. http://kristenmakes.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/cadence-kal-finishing-your-knit/
I think we could all use a little help in this areas

9. http://sockpr0n.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-weave-in-ends-while-knitting.html
Weave those ends in as you go

10.http://www.listotic.com/31-clothing-tips-every-girl-should-know/
Not really about knitting but I had to add this, some great ideas!

Video killed the radio star

I have been surfing around the web lately, checking out all the knitting and crafty blogs that used to be out there. Over half of them are unused anymore.

I know I fell into the same rut, not posting on the blog, sticking mainly to Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter, and lord let's not forget Instagram.

That got me to thinkin', has social media done away with the normal everyday  routine blogger? Not the business blogger, who wants to sell you something, or the professional blogger, just the normal everyday, run of the mill blogger who put out most of their lives onto a blog that was more for themselves and friends than the need for anyone else to see it.

With social media it is instant gratification when you post something.

You post a question and sit, waiting sometimes not so patiently for a reply. You post how you are feeling today and it is instant sympathy or excitement.

I think that is what happened to me and my blog. But now I am going old school.

I went thumbing through my blog last night and saw some posts that were absolutely nostalgic. I laughed and teared up and rolled my eyes. It was a definite trip down memory lane.

Now of course you can do that on FB and all the other social media sights, but a blog is so much more in depth about what you were thinking and feeling. Social media has cut the conversations down to short snippets of who we really are and what we really feel and think about a situation.

I like my blog, I am going to make use of  my blog. I will hug it and squeeze it and call it George.

Will you still see me on social media, well duh! I'm not a a recluse. But this is where I am going to hang out and have fun.



Which all brings me, in no short route, to this video.

When I was thinking about all this last night, this song went round and round in my head.

Different premise, same idea.

Social media is killing the everyday blogger. (I'm sure you are wishing it had squashed my own little part of the blogging world by now) but hey, there's a back button around here somewhere if you need it.

                                                                        

Half way there

Half way finished!

Breast Cancer Awareness bandwagon

You know it's coming.
Tons and tons of tweets, pins and posts about breast cancer awareness month.
I know it can all seem overwhelming and a tad annoying but you need to stop and think about what this campaign has accomplished over the years.  I am not going to get into technical information that anyone with an internet connection can Google and find for themselves.
You know this campaign has helped many, many women make the decision to get checked out, and that is the first and best step to stopping the disease.
Lets face it, it's embarrassing, uncomfortable and just a basic pain in the ass to get your mamo every year.
There is also mountains of evidence that it works.
Everyone knows someone who has been touched by breast cancer.
Everyone can share a story about a Mother, Daughter, Sister, Cousin and Aunt or Friend.
And yes, jumping on the bandwagon for a good cause, I will share mine with you. (it's a wagon worth riding)
My Aunt was faithful with her mamos, or titti sammiches as she liked to call them, every year. Cysts run in her family so she was a faithful follower of the yearly routine.
Biopsy after biopsy showed nothing dangerous, nothing to worry about, so the last mamo she had, she went to see the doctor about the results alone.
We all waited for the yearly phone call saying that she had another cyst and she was fine. But this year we didn't get that call, it was stage 1 breast cancer.
It was a hard day for us all, and I think, as a family we all still carry that guilt for not being there for her when she was given the news, but there was good news in there, because she had her tests done yearly, without fail, it was only stage 1. The diagnosis was good from the beginning. Not to down play the worry at all. It's still a very scary thing to deal with no matter how reassuring the doctors are.
She still had to go through the surgery and through the radiation. It was hard on her and she was strong through out and never lost that positive attitude we all know and love about her.
My Aunt has been cancer free for well over six years now and she doesn't mind sitting you down and giving you a thorough tongue lashing if you don't go get your mamo done every year.
I honestly think if I lied, she would be able to find out.
Who can blame her, she is living proof that early detection can save a life.

SAVE THE TATAS

Just eye candy.....

Word of the day...drapey

Is drapey even a word?
Spell check doesn't like it at all, wants to keep changing it to drapery. Now how weird would that sound? My knitting is so drapery????
Say it out loud to a group of knitters and they know exactly what you mean.
I was knitting on the dresser scarf a little bit before work this morning and all I could think is how much I loved how drapey Knit Picks CotLin yarn is with this linen stitch.
CotLin is not a very drapey yarn, if you have knit much with it you just know it's not. But you add that linen stitch to it on size five needles and it is down right ..... drapey.
Which brings up another thought.
For some reason I don't mind the linen stitch, yarn in front, slip, yarn in back stitch, over and over again. Love the way it feels and looks.
Seed stitch on the other hand? Yarn in front, purl, yarn in back, knit, drives me frikkin' bonkers. Seems like it takes forever to get finished with something using seed stitch.
Does that one missing stitch action in linen stitch really make that much of a difference???
In my case? Apparently so.
Just sayin'

Which is the wrong side?

I have been making a dresser scarf with a stitch I haven't tried yet, the linen stitch. I am in love!

The only problem, I can't figure out which side of my work is the wrong side. They both look great. 

The front?                                                                 Or the back?

You decide, I like them both. 

More details about yarn, needles and pattern to come.

Bloglovin

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Once again, you don't have to, just setting things up

I DON'T CARE IF YOU SEE THIS OR NOT....

Wow! It has been a while!

March of 2013

Not to make excuses, but....what had happened was.......

In December of 2013 I finished my last holiday knitted item, put down my  needles and have not picked them back up. Through all the pleas for this item or that item I have quietly and firmly refused to knit anything. 

I just couldn't find the urge to pick those needles back up again. I don't know what happened. Guess it was just time for a break.

Before all of that happened tho, I was blogging. Posting little things here and there about knitting and patterns and basic b.s. and the more I blogged, the more worried I became about if anyone was reading my blog, wondered why I couldn't get my numbers up. Hell I even tried giving stuff away and couldn't get any more than half a dozen views a day. 

And for some reason, this bothered me. Me! A forty-seven year old knitter, accomplished at cooking, knitting,pattern writing, data entry at my local t.v. station, wife, mother, MiMi and an all around generally liked person. 

Yes me, I was worried about why no one was interested in my blog, what could I do to spice it up, why couldn't I get anyone to want to read all my gibberish, and worst of all, why the hell couldn't I even give away anything for free! 

Believe it or not, it bothered me enough to just stop blogging. If no one wanted to see my blog, why put it out there?

Then, a year and a half later, I had an epiphany! 

This isn't your blog! It's mine, all mine. I can bitch, whine, laugh, cry, eat Cheetos on the couch, whatever I decided I wanted to do on MY blog.

You don't have to read it, it's no longer for you that I write it. 

I am taking my blog back, I will post what I want, when I want, and if I want to say DAMN! that was a good pattern, I will. 

I would be thrilled for you to check it out and enjoy your time here, but if you don't..............it wasn't for you that I wrote it anyway.

Now the ironic thing about this whole message? 

If no one is reading my blog, who am I writing this to?

 

Chicks and Jule

The chicks were really excited when I opened up the flap and let them out.
They really are getting ugly.
Almost all feathered with patches of fuzz.
They run right to me every time I open the cage.
I really think these are going to be the best bunch we've had. They are not afraid of anything and they love being around people.

Jule got to enjoy one of her rare trips outside. She doesn't stay out long. She doesn't like noise enough for all that!

Hand Towel Pattern

BFF has asked me for this pattern a while back. So II thought I would share it here.
This is not my stitch pattern, just how I used it to make this towel.

Size 7 needles
100% dishcloth cotton

All right side rows: Knit across

CO 59 sts
R1: (wrong side) k3, p3, *k7, p3, repeat from * to last 3sts, k3
R2: (right side) Knit across
Repeat rows 1&2, 4x more
You should have 5 ridges in the k7 sections on the right side.

R11: K6, *p7, k3, repeat from * to last 3sts, k3
R12: K across
Repeat rows 11&12 2x more
You should have 3 ridges in the k3 sections on the right side

Repeat these 16 rows 8x more
Then repeat rows 1&2 5x more

BO on final right side row.

59 sts makes a towel about 14" wide.
For a smaller towel co 49 sts

For a cloth I co 39 sts and do 4 repeats then the first section again.

For BFF

BFF reminded me today that she has been waiting to see the finished hand towels.
Yes I said towel"s" because I finished one and jumped straight on to the next. Why do you think we re-did the bathroom? Well to showcase my new knitted items of course!
Not sure if PB would agree with that statement but that's what I'm going with. ;0)
The first one is the tan towel with green flecks that I posted about a few weeks ago.
I simply did a seed st., 5 row border then every fourth row I k1tan, k1green, then purl back with tan, knit back with tan then purl1green, p1tan.
I worked like that till I was almost out of tan, then 5 rows seed st. border.

The second was a little different, and, since there is so much more of the second color on this one, it is a much thicker towel than the first.

This one was 5 row seed st. border, stst for 6 rows then
K1tan, K1offwhite across
P1OW, P1tan
Repeat 1 more time, then 4 rows stst with the OW.
Once again I didn't measure just went , damn, better stop or I'm not gonna have enough left for the seed st. border.
That's it! Two brand new "original" hand towels that match my new bathroom perfectly. And more awesomeness? It was all stash yarn!

Remember when? Ravelry

Remember when Ravelry first came on the scene?
Remember how totally wicked AWESOME! it was?
It was a great idea, by great people.

An online notebook for all of your knitting projects. People could follow your project along as you went, and in my case, probably wonder what the hell was taking me so long to mark a dishcloth as "FINISHED".
You can organize all of your patterns, yarns, and needles, if you were so inclined.
You can chat, join groups, KALs and "hangout" with all your knitterly friends.

Now........
Ravelry is still the best idea for any crafter.
Anytime I am going to start something new, I look on Ravelry, at completed projects to get yarn ideas, pattern adjustment ideas, just about anything you need to know about a project before you start.
But......

Ravelry has become a designer showcase. There are more designers selling on Ravelry than there are just plain old knitters, and hardly any crocheters.
People have gotten away from what it was all for in the beginning.
Now, if a project gets listed, it's because the designer wants you to "prepare" for it's debut!
No more pages and pages of new projects being worked on and finished by crafty friends, just more 'designs'.

And on that note....WTH is up with all these people changing a stripe sequence on an item and renaming it and calling it a 'design' and then selling it?

If you take a basic fingerless glove pattern, change the color of the yarn you used, add a stripe around the thumb, rename it and then list it as new pattern for sale, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, you are not a designer. You just changed a color, and honestly, most of us have probably already done it years ago and have a pair that look just like yours in our drawer somewhere.

I think what Ravelry has turned into is absolutely awesome for the people who started and run it.
It was supposed to grow, become it's own entity, and it has accomplished that very well so far.

But I miss the old Ravelry, where you could look through and share patterns for hours, and no one tried to pull a stripey color change over your eyes!

Double Fisted Knitting

Or better known as two color knitting, stranding, intarsia, whatever you want to call it.
I rummaged through the stash yesterday and found I had some cotton yarns that matched my bathroom exactly.
I didn't want just a single colored towel, but couldn't have too an elaborate a pattern. The back side of the towel had to be functional also. After all, it is a hand towel. Tho I might get upset when someone uses it after all this work!
The tan is some cotton that came with a bag pattern, grocery bag I think, that never got made.
And the green is the ever present cotNlin from KnitPicks.
The knit row is not so bad, I can knit with both hands, that purl row gets me though, I am not any good at purling continental. I think it takes me twice as long to do a purl row with the two colors, and I think one time I did actually purl my pinky to the towel!
It's going to look great in there when its finished.
And seed stitch!! Whew! I love the way it looks, but it takes me FOREVER to get a row on.
I could have chosen a garter st border, lord knows it would go faster, but I really like the seed st border on my hand towels. Just looks a little more "yeah my hand towels are special made, you mean yours aren't?" It's all the rage dahling!

Tommorrow is I Love Yarn Day!

Now this is a holiday I think I can enjoy!
I wonder if, since it is a 'recognized' holiday, he will let me go hog wild celebrating.
What?....oh, wait, it's not a nationally recognized holiday??? Really???
Well it should be.
And that is going to be how I 'sell' it to PB.

More socks

I went digging through my drawer the other day and every pair of hand knit socks I have, have a hole in them!
WTH!
Ok granted, we are talking about sock that are pushing anywhere from 7 to 10 years old, but still!
I have been putting off chunking them, as I said some are the first socks I ever knit. But alas it is time to say goodbye,to put them to rest.
Rest in peace faithful friends. You deserve it!
So it is with a heavy heart that I begin to knit "The Replacements" (insert piano music)
I started these last night watching the season opener of Hawaii 5O. It was such a good episode that by the time the news came on, the heel had been turned and I was working on the gusset.
The yarn is Vinca, 75% super wash wool and 25% nylon.
I feel bad that the traitorous "replacements" already have my toes twitchy with anticipation.
This yarn is kinda rough to knit with, but when you wash it, it blooms into soft cuddly heaven for your feet.
The pattern is a simple 2x2 rib for 12 rows on the cuff, and my favorite heel, s1k1 across,purl back, k1s1 across.
I like this heel so much more better( yeah I said that) than the regular s1k1 every other row. Looks all fancy and shit.
Keep your eyes peeled, when the "replacements" are finished, I'm giving away a skein of this yarn. Which is enough to make one pair of women's medium sized anklets.

Ms. Jessie's Shawl

It's finally blocking.
I had to clean up the grand brats room and vacuum the floor so I could lay it out in there and shut the door.
Jule found it the other day and decided it was the most comfy thing ever to lay on. Hence the shutting of the door.
As you can see by the pictures, at first I had it blocked out " wingspan" style, but that just looked way too big for Lil ole Ms. Jessie, so then I pulled it all back in a little bit.
You can do some absolutely amazing things with blocking. As much as I hate waiting, it always makes it worth it.
After it dries it's off to Aunt Julie's house. She is the best gift wrapper ever!

Back to the shawl

I love KnitPicks, I really do. But waiting for my yarn to get here, I finished a lot of my sweater.

It did finally arrive yesterday. Which actually was perfect timing, as I had gotten down to the ribbing on the bottom of the sweater. Perfect stopping point, not so confusing when I pick it back up ;0)

Fortunately I had the foresight to grab two extra skeins, just in case.
This shawl really does eat up the yarn.
But I love it! It is warm and soft. And has just enough detail to make it interesting, while still being great tv knitting.

The Purl Bee: Awesome patterns

Have you been to the Purl Bee website lately?
She has the most awesome patterns on her website like the: Big Herringbone Cowl  for one.
I LOVE this cowl. It looks so toasty warm and trendy. The pattern is something I haven't tried yet, so I think this is going to be one of the next projects on the needles.

I have been searching around the web the last few days looking for gifts for the girls and the kids to make for this Christmas.
I have it almost narrowed down to a couple of ideas, but I can't share what they are.

Though I am thinking maybe some of these Braided Cowls for the kids. It would be much easier for a kid to wear this instead of a scarf.

And these Felted Oven Mitts I think my Mom would love them!

Wow! You could literally be on this page all day long!
Check it out!

Waiting for more yarn, Park Avenue Cardifan

The last of the yarn is ordered for Ms. Jessie's shawl.
Well, what is a knitter to do while waiting?
Knit something else of course!
I found some really, really vintage yarn in a bag of an unfinished diagonal shell crochet afghan, and enough yarn to finish the project.
The rust color of this yarn is perfect for what I want. So to the frog pond the afghan goes. Reclaimed yarn!
This yarn is soooo soft!
The label says Kmart and the price tag says 78 cents. Gotta be vintage! You can't buy a sample yarn for that!

And the winner is....

Dawn!
Congratulations!!
If you're on FB you can private message me your address and I will get your book right out to you.
Or email me at leah @ knittinfun . com without the spaces.
Everyone else, never fear, I have lots more that will be given away.
Thank you everyone for checking out the blog.

Labor Day Giveaway

It's that time again!
I have this great book with 50 great projects for babies and toddlers.
Family Circle's Easy Baby Knits

This is a great book I bought when I was becoming a MiMi every other year. I have gotten to using only a few simple go to patterns now as gifts, so now this book needs a new home.

The rules are the same. Comment below and BFF will draw a number to chose the winner. (sorry BFF I know this disqualifies you, but I got plenty of patterns if you need one;0)

Drawing will be Tuesday.
Because who wants to labor on Labor Day? Well besides a hugely pregnant woman who is two weeks late.... But that's another story

More Knitting Apps for the iPad

Knitting Bag App

This handy little app helps you track a project.

You list your project and you can count rows, pattern rows and pattern count. It has a handy little section for notes also.

It's a very simple little app, but I can see it is going to be very handy!

Nifty little knitting app for iPad or iPhone

If you have an iPad you really should check this out.
This app stores your PDF patterns and has a nifty little bar you can turn on and move from line to line to mark your place in a pattern. For lace knitting, highlighting your rows is a must!

In all honesty, I downloaded the free version, but I like it so much, I'm seriously thinking about paying the 9.99 for the pro version.
When you get time, check it out. I think you will like it.

Jknit

Ms. Jessie's Shawl

Finally finished the increases
Now 15 rows of straight knitting, then start the decreases.

My Next Project: Park Ave Cardigan

Messing around on Ravelry, I found this absolutely awesome pattern at the One Crafty Mama blog.

 

This pattern looks absolutely perfect for me. 

It's knit in one piece, it has a little bit of waist and hip shaping, and no buttons, button bands or seams!

Perfect!

As soon as I am finished with Ms. Jessie's Shawl  I am going to start this with some wool.

I love sweaters, I love them so much, I wear them in the dead of our 100 degree, 100% humidity heat.(it stays very, very cold where I work)

I am going to be pulling another magazine, or book, from my shelves this weekend so keep your eyes peeled. Another giveaway is coming soon!

Cool tag

The Cost of Knitting

Now I know that the cost of everything is going up. Lord knows I can't even hit up Wally World anymore for under a hundred bucks.
What I have noticed lately, that the cost of yarn has sky rocketed!
Eventually knitting, with nice wools,cottons and lace yarns, will become a hobby for the elite.
In the interest of full disclosure, everyone knows I have more yarn than I will ever be able to use.
Now I'm seeing my stash in a whole new light.
Ten years ago when the stash was still very substantial, if I saw some beautiful yarn that I just "had to have" I bought it.
Now? If I don't have it in my stash, I usually don't knit it, unless it's with some cheap acrylic from Walmart.
No more wool blankets and Egyptian cotton sweaters from me. Now it's all acrylic.
In acrylic's defense there are plenty of yarns that are soft and cuddly and a pleasure to work with.

I did find some decent prices still at Knitpicks and that seems to be the place I will be getting all my "non cheap" yarn ;0)
I think it will be a long time before I purchase any LL's or any other designer named yarn again. ;0(
And Lord, don't get me started about the rocketing cost of patterns, pdf patterns, all written edited, emailed on the computer, patterns. whew!

3rd Skein On

63 sts on the body.
It's funny, when I first started knitting, it seemed like those 24 sts that you have to short row twice took forever. Now that I am up to 63 sts on the body, it seems like I breeze right through them.
I am a little over half way to half way ;0)
I'm going to put on 100 body sts before the center panel.
Yes, that is Jule, she had to touch it.

One skein down

The first skein is on the shawl.
38 body sts
It really is an easy pattern, once you decipher the designers notes.
And it takes a few rows for you to get your head around the fact that you are knitting this shawl sideways.
Once your past all that, it is easy knitting all the way.
Yes I know it's 5 in the a.m. But I have been up since 315 so, half my day is over already! Lol

Fourth times a charm

I don't know why I can never just start a project and finish it.
You start with ten body sts and increase one st ever 7th row.
Last night I started and got all the way up to 25 body sts and decided this was a really great shawl, but Ms Jessie is turning 100 she needs something fancier.
So I frogged all those sts, found a lace pattern that looked easy enough for me and started that.
By the time I got to row 20 I decided Ms Jessie is going to be 100 years old, she doesn't need lacey, she needs something warm.
So after work today I frogged all those sts and started back with the first shawl.
Then I got back up to 18 body sts and decided the fabric wasn't "drapey" enough and frogged all those sts and started back over on size 8 needles.
I think I am settled now, but I have noticed, I always knit this way.
I wish I could be one of those knitters who have it all figured out before they start!

Yarn has arrived

The yarn for Ms. Jessie's shawl arrived while I was on a whirlwind trip to Vermont.
Had it come in one day earlier, Brat #1 would not have had to deal with all my stress and I would have been at least half finished by the time we arrived back home. ;0)
Anyway, it's time to get knitting, the pattern looks simple enough and I love that the ruffle is knitted along with the shawl.
Will post progress pics as I go

On to Ms. Jessie's 100th Birthday Shawl

My boss's Mom, Ms.Jessie will be 100 years old in October!
Just...... wow!
Ms. Jessie is the sweetest lady and the Grandbrats love her to pieces.
I knew she was coming up on a hundred because it's only been a few years ago she got her license renewed and we all joked about how she was up for renewal again when she turned 100.
And now here we are.

I wanted to knit her something special, and I know how she gets cold so easy now, so I talked to my boss and found out her favorite color is hot pink. Of all colors!

Then I went on a Ravelry hunt for the perfect pattern.
It took me a while, I have been looking and thinking about this since May!
Then I found the Gentle Wave Shawl Pattern
This was it! It looked easy enough to knit and will definitely keep her warm.

Then it was on to the yarn.
My first choice? Knitpicks of course.
The pattern calls for a gauge of 24 sts to 4" on size 5 needles with a light fingering weight yarn.
Well, I don't know how or why it works out for me this way, but I always, always get the gauge called for on the yarn package. So, looking around at fingering weight yarn I found that they were all 24sts to 4" on size 1 to 3 needles. Well poop! If I go from the largest, a 3, all the way up to a 5, I am going to have a lace shawl, and that was not what I wanted.
Then I found this yarn

 Knitpicks Stroll Sport

In this color

Perfect! 75% machine washable wool and 25% nylon. No worrying about washing, it's very soft, and gauge was bang on!
Not bad, not bad at all!
And! no hot pink! I got as close as I could to a bright pink color with what they had.
I think she will like it. The whole thing, with the 2 day shipping was only $38.
So I think I did pretty good on this project so far.

Car Seat Blanket

I took the yarn leftover from making these three little hats, and made Mary a car seat blanket.

It's much smaller than a regular blanket for easy use in a car seat.


The pattern was very easy and simple.

download now

Burp cloths for Mary

I told you I would post the cloths I have been working on for Mary.

I am pushing the limit now, Brat#1 will be leaving Tuesday to get the kids and these have to be finished by then so she can take them with her.

The first cloth is a snowman pattern from over at Frogiez Place

She has some of my favorite patterns, including the Tree Frog towel I made for Brat #1 for Christmas a few years ago. Pictures of that can be found Frog Towel

The second towel is the almost finished product from the pattern in my last post.

It is super simple to turn any cloth into a towel, you just follow the pattern as written until the top border, omitting that, you add about ten or fifteen rows of st st knitting, depending on how long you want your cloth to be, then follow the pattern back from end to beginning.

For example, using Frogiez pattern
CO 37
Follow pattern rows 1 thru 45
St st for ten rows
Follow pattern rows 45 back to 1

That's it, easy, easy.
Go ahead and give it a try with some of your favorite cloth patterns.
These make great gifts.
And if you have spares, I never have enough time to finish all the ones my girls want, I'll send you my address ;0)

Burp cloths for Mary..Knits By Rachel

I told you that when I found the perfect pattern and started to knit up the burp cloths I would let you know.

©Designed by Rachel van Schie

Luv Bug

This is the pattern I chose, an absolute perfect pattern for a little boy. 

It is one of Rachel's designs. 

Rachel who? 

Aw come on, everyone that loves to knit LOVES Rachel's designs!

Have a peek at her web page and you will fall in love.

Knits By Rachel

All of her designs are so crisp and clean looking, and, she also provides a blocking tutorial so you can achieve the same great results.

Later on this afternoon I will post pics and information on how I turned this into the perfect burp cloth that makes a great baby shower gift.

And for those of you who have followed the blog,

"Yes, I have purchased some of her patterns, and they are great!"

 

 

Congratulations!..and SERIOUSLY???

glongley is the winner of the Interweave Knits magazine.
Congratulations! I left instructions in the comments of the post you won on. Thanks for commenting!

Now, SERIOUSLY! One post! It's pretty sad when you can't even give something away!
I know people read my blog. Does no one want anything for free?? Did you think I was collecting addresses to start spamming you or filling your mailbox up with unwanted crap??
Come on, this is Leah ;0) we are talking about. I just didn't want the magazine. Hell, I'm even paying the shipping!

Not that the winner would complain I am sure! She's very happy no one else had anything to say!
Congratulations!

Interweave Knits-giveaway

I honestly can not remember the last time I looked through an Interweave knits magazine and thought "OMG, I must knit that!"
It's nothing against the magazine, it just hasn't had anything to inspire me in quite a while. In fact I get a lot more inspiration on Ravelry
No!! I am not giving my subscription up! As soon as I do they will come out with one so full of things I want to knit, it would be sad.
So to solve my dilemma you can have every one that I can't find anything to knit in.
I have a bookshelf full so you might want to check back every once in a while, I'm tired of cleaning around them.
Today's is the just out Fall 2012 issue.
If you want it, leave a comment and I will have BFF pick a number. That's it! We will start today and go through Sunday. I'll have the number picked Sunday and winner announced here Monday afternoon.
Good luck!

Onavo Extend: A Handy Little App

One must have app for the Iphone as well as the Ipad (if you have 3g with your Ipad) is the Onavo Extend app.
To quote their own website:
"By compressing your data, Onavo Extend can increase the power of data plan by up to 500% -- giving you the ability to do up to five times more with your current data plan without any additional fees or hassles. In addition to extending your data plan, Onavo Extend also provides you with a breakdown of your data usage. With this information, you can see how much data is being consumed by each app and make better informed data usage choices."

 

Really? Wow! Believe it or not, this is the first time I have checked out their website. ;0)

I was fooling around the App store when I found it and thought I would give it a shot.

I downloaded the app,  let me tell you, I LOVE this app. 

My only problem with it, I had upgraded my data plan before I found the app, now I can't downgrade my data plan :o( 

Now I have too much data!! (wow never thought you'd hear that, like, ever!)

I don't see a significant difference in my surfing or game playing at all. 

I usually forget the app is even there until it pops up to tell ask me if I want to see my recent savings. And yes, there are savings, usually when I am playing Scramble or listening to IHeart. 

You can check it out for yourself here: Onavo Extend

I think you will find out this a definite must have app!

Let me know what you think.

A nifty hint for the Ipad you don't ever want to use

I found out, completely by accident the other day that when you are in Safari on your Ipad you can send a web page right to your home screen.
Well shoot... that seems really nifty!
So that is what I did, all my blogs, my favorite download sites.
My plans were to have one whole home page of nothing but websites that I visit often.
Wow this was going to be great! And so much easier than opening up Safari every time I wanted to check on my blog.

Ok, you know there has to be a down side.

I have always bragged on the awesome battery that is in my Ipad. I could listen to Iheart radio, watch netflix and play games all day and still not have to charge that thing for three days. Never died on me, never gave me any fits.

After I had the wonderful idea above, I noticed that my battery was getting worse and worse.

Of course I never put two and two together until the day of brat #1's surgery.
We were at the hospital a total of 5 hours, out of which, I only got to play on the Ipad for about an hour total. Not all at one time mind you, brat kept me busy, but through out the whole ordeal, and when we had finally gotten back home I realized my battery was only at 15%.

Wait a minute, I charged it all night. There must be something wrong with the charger. Plugged the phone into it, nope, works fine. Well hell, it must be the outlet. We do seem to have a lot of electrical problems in a house we had built only seven years ago. But nope, it worked fine on my phone. Hmmmm.......
Then all the sudden I couldn't access any of my apple stuff, no facetime, no apple store, no itunes. Ok, WTH is up with my Ipad?!?!?!

Brat #1 finally took my Ipad and reset it. Not the whole thing mind you, just a soft reset by holding down the power and the home button at the same time till it shut off. DAMN!! Now I have to go find all my apps again?!?!?. Um... no Mom, you don't. Oh...ok then ;0)
She had to do this two or three times and finally she looks at me and asks "What was the last thing you downloaded to your Ipad?"
"Nothing, all I did was post my websites to my homepage"
Well then! There's the culprit.
While these webpages are on your home page, they are constantly updating themselves, draining  your battery like a dirt devil vacuum cleaner.

So take my word for it, tho it is a nifty idea and, in theory, would come in extremely handy, don't do it.
Unless of course you don't mind using your Ipad while it's charging, in which case, have at it and have fun!

But Leah, isn't this a knitting blog?

Why yes, Virginia, it is.
I have actually been knitting, I had two days to whip out three little hats for Isaac and Bella to take up with them to Vermont.
Now I have time to whip up a few more items to send up to Mary.
A carseat blanket is first in line,just a small little blanket of 100 sts,
It will be the perfect size for stuffing around baby in the car seat. Much easier than a regular size blanket.
I used the left over yarn from the three hats, cast on 100 sts and knitting all the way. I'm thinking 200 rows should make it the perfect size.
Afterwards, probably two or three burp cloths. Those are easy, I just look around the Internet for a dishcloth pattern I like and double it.
In other words, knit from bottom to top, then back to the bottom again.
Clear as mud right?
You'll see when I get the blanket finished

Tomatoes!

I have been sitting here for the last few weeks watering at the mouth and wondering why our tomatoes came on so fast and then took FOREVER to turn red.
Oh boy! Let me tell you, they are worth the wait!
I know the longer they stay on the bush, the better the flavor.
Never has it been more true! You don't know what your missing!