Are we there yet?

As you know, I took a break from my Green Gable to work on the Forest Canopy Shawl.  I'm loving it and the lace pattern is so easy.  But I still need to keep working on Green Gable.  I know I complain all the time about how boring stockinette in the round is...and I really mean that!  But I really want to finish it to wear this fall before it gets too cold.  So I should put the lace down and really concentrate on it.  I'm thinking I still have about 12 inches of bodice to do yet in addition to the sleeves.  But the sleeves are short so they should take no time at all.  And since it's a top down sweater, there is no seaming.  Yeah!  My goal is to get this sweater done before we go to San Francisco in October.  Is that asking too much?

Forest Canopy Shawl

Okay, enough complaining about going round and round on my Green Gable sweater.  I decided I needed a diversion from "in the round."  So I've decided to cast on my Forest Canopy Shawl....which, to me is the extreme opposite of something as boring as stockinette.  I have to follow a seven row repeat and as you can see, it is turning out quite nicely.  I love the challenge of following a lace pattern.   But it is definitely not a conversational knit, at least for me.  All of the comments on Ravelry say it's an easy pattern to memorize.  I've only done one repeat and I don't feel at all close to being in the memory mode yet.  But I'm thinking it will come.  For now, I would rather follow the pattern row by row than to do any ripping out.  Lace work is not fun to rip.  Ravelry knitters also said this was a great first lace project and they were right.  I am really enjoying the change of pace. 

The yarn I bought for this shawl is a little heavier than what I wanted but I am liking the stitch definition.  It is called Catalina and it's 60% baby alpaca and 40% pima cotton.  I chose a nice natural color so that it will go with any dress I might want to wear with it.  It will also be a nice piece to share with my girls - Jen, Diana and Meagan in case they need a beautiful shawl to wear to a wedding reception.   It would be perfect!  Any weddings coming up??? 

                                                                

Stitches Midwest - OUCH!

It really didn't seem like I spent that much at Stitches Midwest - but then I came home and took everything out of the bag and realized that it looks worse than it felt at the time.  Yikes!  But everything I bought has a project planned for it.  I was able to buy a sweater's worth of a wonderful yarn called Cabin Fever Cotton Tweed DK.  Knitted up it looks just like wool but without the itch.  I cannot wear wool AT ALL so I was excited to see this.  It is beautiful.  I also bought a skein of Malibrigo which knits like butta.   The colorway is called Mariposa and is shades of greens and teals.  It will make a great pair of fingerless gloves (look out Jen - gift coming your way!).  Of course I couldn't leave without at least one skein of Socks that Rock.  The colorway is called Grimms Willow Wren and it's shades of pink, green, yellow, blue, teal.  Gorgeous and I love the way STR knits up!  Next on my list was a beautiful Solo Silk in blues, browns and tans for a Feather and Fans scarf.  Finally, on the yarn front I bought some Catalina yarn (60% baby alpaca/40% pima cotton) to make the Forest Canopy Shawl.  I then found a vendor that sold beautiful buttons so I had to buy a few different wooden buttons for my sweaters.  I topped off my shopping spree with a sweater book by Cabin Fever called Baby "v", which are top down cardigans for babies.  Wonder who is going to benefit from this book???

So all in all you can see that I had a very productive day.  My friend Lynne (we call each other the enabler) did just as much damage me.  We figured that once we ever get to retire, we will be set for life with yarn.  So then why is it that when we find another cute pattern on Ravelry we never seem to have the right yarn for it?  How could that be???

So for now.....what should I start first?  Ummm, let me see!

I'm Getting There!

My Green Gable is progressing nicely - but still very slow going.  I was able to remove the sleeves from the needles...now I just keep working down.  I will be so happy to say I finished a "big girl" sweater.  Everything I have been making lately has been miniature for Addie so this will be a great accomplishment.  I did take a little break from the GG to make another baby hat.  Yes, I know!  I'm addicted to hats!  I'm actually more addicted to instant gratification.  I finished it in an evening.  That is what's so great about hats.  But I think I'm done now.  I may have to move on to some fingerless gloves now.  My daughter Jen teases me about fingerless gloves.  "Why bother" she would say.  But when you're driving to work and it's very cold outside, it's nice to have gloves on in the car but it's hard to dial a cell phone or turn on your iPod (you can tell I have a long commute).  So fingerless gloves are the ticket.  So Jen, be prepared to receive a pair.  I guarantee you will love them.....really!!

By the way, this is the hat I finished while taking a break from Green Gable.  Addie will have the best dressed head in town!

                                                                

Round and Round and Round we go!

I'm working on Green Gables (in red) and other than a small lace panel at the top, it is all stockinette. I know I'm making progress because each round gets longer and longer! I do love the way this sweater looks though. And it is really an extremely easy pattern to follow. Although straight stockinette is a great "conversational" knit (you can carry a conversation while knitting and not lose your place) it is still very boring. I have not made any sweaters other than a baby one for Addison when she was born but...like I said...it was SMALL! This is an adult size so there are lots of rounds. But you can't beat top down sweaters. I do not like seaming. It's not that I don't like it, I don't like the way it looks when I'm done. If I ever take another knitting class, I would like it to be on finishing. That can make or break a great piece. So for now, I'll stick to top down construction! I'm using Berocco Comfort because of being allergic to wool and I am loving how it is knitting up. My friend Lynne and I are both working on this sweater and agree that it needs a small, instant gratification-type project in between....say another hat??? Her and I have been hooked on hats lately. I must admit, as you can see from my previous blog that I love making hats. And it doesn't hurt that you can sometimes finish one in an evening or two. So I guess I am due for a diversion from going round and round. Don't get me wrong, I go round and round with hats as well...but they are LITTLE rounds and rounds!!!

Knitting? Quilting? What's a Grandma to do!

Have you figured out by now that I'm obsessed with my granddaughter? I've been using my blog as a way to document projects I've been working on but noticed lately that alot of my "images" are of Addison. Can I help that she is the cutest baby in the world? Of course not! I keep telling my daughter that I want to be a SAHG (stay at home grandma) so that I have more time to sew and knit for Addison. I have had the knitting bug lately, which took over my quilting bug last year. But I just bought some darling fabric today and feel the need to start a baby quilt for Addison. Can you be bit by more than one bug at a time? I'm thinking! The one thing nice about knitting is that is portable. I can sit with my family, carry it with me in the car, work on it during lunch. But when I'm sewing I need a sewing machine and I just haven't found a purse that it will fit in yet!! So knitting has been my "on the go" hobby. But oh the adorable baby quilts. Addison (and every grandchild following her) will get a handmade by Grandma quilt that they can keep forever. But I truly hope that they use it, abuse it and love it always. I want it to end up tattered and torn. That's what it's meant for .....to be loved!!

So while I'm on the knitting kick right now, I thought I would post some of my baby hats that I've made so far. Not all of them have been for Addison but I'm sure she will end up with the majority of them at some point.

Matchmaker!

My daughter Jen has a good friend Tara. They were both pregnant at the same time and when they found out that Jen was having a girl and Tara was having a boy, they decided that their children would date and marry! If it were only that easy, right? Well, Jen and Eric had the pleasure of having Tara, Pat and baby Connor come visit for the night. The new moms thought it was a good idea to take some pictures of the two of them together. Hey, you never know when they might want to revisit these pictures later in life. In any case, the photo shoot turned out adorable. Connor had a look on his face like "I'm just not that into you." (I think that's a book!). And Addison was much more interested in her fingers. But are they not adorable together? I wonder what their babies would look like? Okay, so I'm way ahead of myself. But don't they grow just that quickly? I wonder if grandbabies grow as quickly as our own children did? How could my baby girl have a baby girl of her own?