There's been a little knittin goin' on...

I worked hard last night and this AM to finish up a little baby sweater for my friend's new grandson so that I could start somoe new projects without feeling too guilty.

Specs: Bay Bolero from One Skein by Lleigh Radford

Yarn: Four Seasons 70 % cotton, 30% wool, by Classic Elite Yarns (These skeins are 50 gm., so it took just over one skein)

Needles: US size 8 and 9 Addi Turbo circulars.

I hope the new mom and aby like the sweater!

I neglected to post a pic of the yarn I spun and plied at my spindle class, so here it is...

The fiber was included in the cost of the class. I have been using fiber that hasn't been overly processed ( read - kinda greasy, but not freash off the sheep!). In comparison, this merino was a joy to work with, and much easier to draft.

I just received the yarn for my Auburn Camp shirt and cast on for it today. More details and pics of the yarn here.

I'm in that phase again of feeling that I have to join every thing! My wonderful husband bought me the Kristen Knits book for Christmas, and I noticed that there is a KAL to go along with the book. I already have the yarn for one of the projects, so I had to join! I will be posting pics of that project on the Kristin Knitalong site.

To Host a KAL

I have wanted to do this for awhile, and finally took the plunge. I'm hosting the Auburn Camp Shirt KAL. I love this pattern by Chrissy Gardiner that just came out in the Spring 2008 issue of Interweave Knits. There were several patterns that I wanted to knit, but this one won out. You can find more of her patterns here. The lines are classic. The fiber that was used, and that I have ordered is Dawn by Fiber Trends. It is 50%wool, and 50% silk. The shirt should have a nice sheen and drape from the silk. I also really like the interest added by the split collar in the back and the buttoned sleeve cuff.

I recently finished a knitted cap for DS #2 (he actually asked me to make him a cap out of my handspun yarn!). He has received alot of compliments on his cap from his friends at school.
He has a goofy smile, but it was early in the AM when I took this pic, and he was waiting on his ride to go on a ski trip.And the top of the hat...

I am happy to have made him something he likes and will enjoy wearing.

In the meantime, DS #3 performed at our church for a Valentine's Day fundraiser to raise money for some missionaries in the Phillipines to come home on furlough. He has come a long way in the past year. He is a fairly quiet kid. He has been playing and singing for the Jr. High Youth group. This past Friday he and his friend got up on stage and played several songs for the adults. My son even sang! He stills sings very quietly, but I don't think I could ever get on stage and sing in front of a group of people. He didn't even seem nervous. They played several songs, one of which was a worhip song that my son wrote. He also played his violin that night. I can't tell you how much I was beaming!The next day, he asked me to trim his hair - not in front, but at least I got to trim it on the sides and in the back. As much as he loves his music, and considering the amount of time he spends practicing, makes me wonder if this is going to be his career.....who knows????

Time For a Change!

To celebrate 2 years of having this blog, I decided to update my template. I was getting pretty tired of the plain pink look. I think the current pattern more reflects my personality, and is more interesting. I was able to transfer my links by copying them from the old template and pating them to the new one. I think that is why I delayed changing, I was afraid that I would lose everything. In the end, it was alot easier than I thought. I probably had more trouble adding new links to the site. The only thing I am really disappointed in , is the size of the font - I'm not sure why it is so large. If anybody has any hints about how to fix it, I would be very appreciative.


One of the links that I added to the sidebar is the one for Free Rice. My sister told me about this site and I have been enjoying it. Free Rice is a vocabulary game. You start with words of varying difficulty, and then it adjusts to your level of vacabulary. Whenever you get a word right, you donate 20 grains of rice which the United Nations World Food Program distributes. The rice is paid for by the advertisers at the bottom of the page. The game is very addictive and serves two pruposes, you expand your vacabulary while also feeding the hungry.

I have also included a link for the Chemo cap patterns on the sidebar for anyone who is interested.

Yesterday I had a spinning class in Eureka. This is the same teacher who gave me lessons in spindle spinning. Crystal is a wonderful teacher and is exactly what I was looking for. She is passionate about spinning and has a wealth of information to share. Yesterday we spent alot of time talking about the different parts of the spinning wheeel, learning where to oil it to keep it working smoothly, and how to adjust the tension. It really helped that I had done some spinning already, everything just made more sense, and I wasn't totally overwhelmed with the information. I also got to do some spinning yesterday, and I have noticed that my singles are becoming more uniform with less and less slubs. I have visited The Joy of Handspinning site, and it is a great resource with short videos on different techniques. I am excited about future classes, but I am also a little frustrated. My next class is a month away due to other commitments that both Crystal and I have. I will also be taking a class from her on Fiber selection and preparation - I can't wait!!

Well, it is Saturday and I have to go to work for a few hours to get ready for Monday. I had better go soon or I will never get myself out of the house.