Green wool

I have two skeins (mostly complete, I think) of this lovely green yarn. It was found in with the yarn that I was gifted earlier this year. (The gift that keeps on giving!) It hasn't spoken yet about what it wants to be. Socks, maybe. A scarf, maybe.

I also have some ribbon yarn that I've been trying to work up (in my mind) to be some kind of a decorative neck scarf. (for indoor wear) I've never really used ribbon yarn before, but I think it's really cool. The colors are beautiful. Just food for thought.

Meanwhile, I'm plugging along on Gracie (three pattern repeats are DONE!) The second mini-ripple (Broadripple variation) is coming along. There's soccer practice tonight and I foresee reaching the heel flap by the end of practice!

And I must report that the felted bags received their buttons last night. I think they're nice and even DD gave her stamp of approval.

This sock is taking forever

This sock is taking forever. I've been working on this sock for soooooo long. It's a blueberry waffle sock made from Anne by Shaeffer Yarns. It's beautiful, but very thin. I'm hoping that when it's washed it will fluff up.

Stash Diving

I did a little stash diving! I was searching for a sock that was completed and ready for it's mate to be made and I found the perfect yarn for one of the Six Sock Knitalog patterns - Stashbuster Spirals. I made mittens from the Trekking XXL, seen on the left. It's beautiful yarn and I have a good bit of it left over. I also have the antique Patons gray and steel blue that I was gifted. Should make a smashing sock!

Now, if I just could find that lost sock...

The kind of English I speak...

They didn't ask me if I say "youins.

Your Linguistic Profile:

50% General American English

25% Yankee

15% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Little Bag

Here's a little something I worked up based on the Little Bag pattern from the Keyboard Biologist. Hopefully to hold a cell phone and a pair of sunglasses. I used some chunky wool from Elann (real nice stuff) and my size 13 double points. No handle, just a flap and I'll need a nice button.

Weekend Update

The Sophie Bag is felted! Sorry about the dark picture, but the bag turned out great! I think it's the best finished felted item I've ever made. It's stuffed and drying on the back door. The double I-cord handle is just perfect. Hopefully it will be dry in a day or two. I'll need the perfect button for on the front.

I also found a pattern for this tiny bag from the Keyboard Biologist. It's aiming to be a camera bag for the 4th grade field trip to Harrisburg. It's a great pattern. The bag has a knit in partition. I think I'm going to play with the proportions to work out a bag for cell phone/sunglasses. I did change the strap style on the bag to a I-cord. DD wants to wear it over and across the shoulder.

In other news, Gracie is coming along nicely. I've calculated that I'll need a total of 7 repeats of the pattern for the proper length. I'm almost done with the second repeat - one more pattern row and two rows of plain knitting to go.

Gracie Shaw

Gracie Shawl -- I'm nearing the end of the first repeat of the lace row. It's a simple, but pretty garter stitch pattern. I was able to work on it at soccer practice last night. I've learned with lace patterns, that if the stitches don't out to the correct number that it's not a good idea to compensate -- much better to frog a few stitches and find the error. :)

Hope your tax day it a good one!

The decision has been made for the flap on the Sophie bag. We're going with a flap with a button hole and a toggle type button. Hopefully, I'll get it in the washer for felting this weekend.

In the meantime, I'm working on the Gracie Shawl from Stahman's Shawls and Scarves. What a great book! I don't own it, but I obtained it through inter-library loan. Lots of choices, very clear and concise, and easy to follow. I'm using some cotton/acrylic blend that I got from Elann for another project. It just didn't want to be the other project. Should be a perfect soccer practice project.

I still haven't finished the second sock of the mini-ripple pattern that I talked about a few weeks ago. Not that I have second-sock-syndrome. I just can't find the other ball of yarn! I know it's somewhere...

More progress has been made on the Sophie bag. At this point I'm working on some sort of closure. I tried out some magnetic closures. They're great, but not for this purse. I frogged the closure and have started reknitting a new closure that includes a buttonhole.

Spring is in full bloom and the daffodils are at their peak. The weather has just been beautiful. I have a friend from work who was involved in a car accident on Sunday afternoon. A motorcycle was passing a line of cars in a no passing zone and hit her car as it was making a left hand turn. Her husband was driving and the motorcycle hit the driver's door. Everyone was wearing seatbelts and the rider had on a helmet. The motorcycle driver died at the scene and my friend's husband died later that night at the hospital. So, it's been weighing pretty heavy on my mind for the past 24 hours.

Sophie felted bag

And now for some knitting content. Here's my Sophia bag. I'm almost to the top. I'm using the tapestry yarn that I was gifted. The yarn is doubled and it has a great feel to it. I think felting should go very well. I am planning the double i-cord handle as described by Susan. (Who by the way, has a very nice scarf in the the new Knitty!)

And we have a few more spring flowers bursting forth. The mini-daffodils are coming on and there's grape hyacinth in there too!

Flag twirler

Last night was the grande finale for flags. The kids put on a show at the PTO meeting. They did very well - nerves and all!

New York City and Blueberry Waffles.

You ask, "Why on earth is the banner for the New York Post on this knitting blog?" Well, New York is where I was yesterday. My dad had a doctor appointment at Sloan Kettering and I had the opportunity to go along. So, at o'dark-thirty we heading off for the nearest Amtrack station (2 hours away) and buzzed right on up to Penn Station. It was a very quick trip, but we did get a taxi ride back to Penn Station after the appointment and went through Central Park and Times' Square. Very cool!

Knitting was attempted, but in general was pretty unsuccessful. I took along a sock that I've been working on for forever. It's beautiful merino yarn by Shaeffer. But the train was pretty bumpy to do such fine work. And I ripped out the heel flap and started that over again. (These socks originally were knitted in the Broadripple pattern and I didn't like that and frogged the whole sock.) This time around I'm doing the Blueberry Waffle pattern.