Blankie bliss.

My first blankie!

I created this throw...let's see...summer 2002. My mom and I went to a knitting shop in Minnesota to find something. I thought she was crazy telling me to make it, but voila! I did! The afghan is actually one piece. I created each square and then casted on to the sides of the squares to create more. And the patterns are simple, just some increasing and decreasing, which you can't really see in this photo. I love the colors though, and as you can see, so does Ed!

It took me awhile to finish this dohickey. The pattern was similar to paint by colors, so that was simple. This was definitely a springboard into more complicated knitting for me! If I remember correctly, the yarn was Plymouth, which is my favorite for afghans.

I used size 7 needles on this bad boy, which explains part of why it took so long. I also used Plymouths on an afghan I gave my sister and blaw (brother-in-law) for their wedding, but I used size 17s on that one! Hmm...I should get a pic!

Brown for a Boy

This is for the daddy in the family that is still Christmas presentless. I used Bernat Soft Boucle. I used my favorite needles, aluminum sized 10.5. I just love the way they sound! Now I hope the recipient loves the way it feels. Is it boyish enough? I'm not good at that. I used a great pattern that I use all the time, but of course don't remember which magazine it's from. I LOVE having pictures on my bloggy mcblog!

Pleasingly Purple

I actually got this pattern online, but of course didn't right down the name of the site. I was supposed to do the waffle stitch, but immediately forgot. The pattern recommended:

Row 1: *K1, K into stitch below
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: *K into stitch below, K1
Row 4: Knit

My traumatizing experience with round needles (will explain in a minute) made me choose to do this on regular needles and then sew it up. After 8 garter rows, I got through rows 1 and 2 successfully. Then I forgot to look at my pattern, so I just repeated rows 1 and 2 throughout the whole hat. I guess it isn't exactly the waffle stitch, but knitting into the stich below was cool.

Anyway, I had already knitted a hat with this same purple and white-cute little stripeys for a cute kindergardener I know. Like a dumbass, I twisted my hat when I joined. I was pretty sure of my error early on, but decided to knit the whole thing before convincing myself of my mistake. It even had cute little petally things on the brim. Oh well! I threw Hat 1 away-literally. I think this little dandy is cute though! And I consulted Vogue for the pom pom, and I think it was successful. I just used Caron on size 8s. It knitted up in a nite. Now I just hope it fits!

Tantalizing Tassle

Well, I'm a wee bit nerviosa right now, because all the photos I scanned aren't coming out right on my blog. Fortunately (or not), I still have four hats to give away for Christmas.

This little diddy I made up with Lion Brand's Homespun. Casey suggested making the tassle. I should have consulted my Vogue book, but didn't. I think the tassle was successful anyway! I love how the colors flow!

Birthday Leftovers

Yaay! My first ever digital picture. Mmmm...leftovers from my delicious birthday dinner. Thank you Gina for being my personal Concierge!

Thank You Santa Claus!

Santa was very good to me again this year. He must watch me all year-round to be sure that I'm good, because Santa gave me a digital camera! Yippee!

I installed it yesterday and then my computer almost crashed--boo! But after fanagling this e-machine and talking to some social rejects at Gateway, I'm back in action.

Before Santa's gift, I scanned some photos of my knitting. Some of them are blurry, oh well. So now you can see what I've been up to!

Yaaay! If this works, I will have photo success! This is a picture I took of Casey while we were on our way home from Minnesota a few weeks ago.

Update

Well, my knitting is coming along knicely. Last night I went to my friend’s house for some wonderful Mexican comida and part of Wizard of Oz. She sat next to me as I ripped out my $%&#@!* mittens—and piece of my heart too. It really wasn’t that bad. I’m just going to start over completely and do exactly what the pattern says. I’m leaving improve to the pros and all those idiots that think they’re funny.

Christmas knitting is in full swing. The day after Thanksgiving I, well-renowned for despising shopping, woke up at 6am to go shopping. Joann Fabrics had a coupon for 20% your whole purchase before 9am. I trekked way the hell to Bloomingdale from my parents’ house, because the Joann by their house doesn’t have good yarn. Later I realized it would have been closer to go to the Joann I always go to on Elston. Oh well. After spending tripled digits on yarn, I knocked out most of my Christmas shopping. Today I am proud to say that I’m DONE with my shopping, and almost all of my presents are wrapped. YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!! No more Christmas Eves spent at Walgreen’s, wondering whether to give my mom the Dust Buster or the car mop.

Anyway, since Thanksgiving I’ve finished 2 scarves that I’m not crazy about, 2 scarves that I love, and three hats. I finally found a simple and cute hat pattern in one of my magazines. I was having trouble finding something that would make everyone happy. I’ll post the 2 scarves I don’t love as soon as I get my film developed, because the recipients haven’t a clue about the internet. Granted, the average age between the two of them is about 86. Then, for the rest of the projects, I’m going to draft my descriptions about them. I’ll post after the gifts have been given. I’m so tricky! Oh crap, I’ll also have to make time to scan my photos in. I’m so not digital! Well, I have a digi-cam, but it refuses to work, long story, no one cares…

I’m valiantly trying to make a really difficult afghan for a Christmas present, and it’s making me nuts. I realized I don’t like the color scheme I’ve chosen, but it’s too late to turn back now. “To late to turn back now, we’re running out of sound, and I am changing, changing…” Sorry, random Smashing Pumpkins lyrics running through my head. Then I joined this color that I kind of don’t like on the wrong side, so the fake chenille afghan is giving me my fair share of knitting headaches. I’ve decided just to knit everything else I want to make for Christmas and then have an afghan marathon. I’ve also bailed myself out with a little trick. I have some recipients whose birthdays are in Jan, Feb, March. If their knitting isn’t done in time for Christmas, I’ll just but them a Christmas present and the knitting will be their birthday present. I think this is only going to happen for one person, who will remain anonymous until this said person’s gift is received.
Clearly I have no motivation for anything other than knitting. That’s why my blog still looks like crap and I still don’t know how to do anything cool with it.

In other news, I read an article in the Sun-Times today with a headline that read “Rumsfeld Hopes Troops Out by ’09.” Oh Canada, the land that I love…