Knitting and more Knitting

I have no pictures to post as all my knitting this time of the year is for Christmas. I have the largest knitted item off the needles, waiting to be blocked. The second largest is about half way complete, and hope to have it done by the weekend. I then have 2 small items to complete. Wow, every year the same thing, and I swear I will not over commit myself to holiday knitting again. I want to get back to knitting for myself.

I am dreaming of casting on for the following :

This is a sweater from Knitty.com . A great pattern that Felted and I are doing as a knit along. That is the formal name for it, really its a support system to make a person complete things with in a timely manner. That is what I need most. I have gotten the yarn. Katmandu in the same color way, browns, blacks, that I knitted up one of my Christmas Gifts out of. Great feeling yarn and works up well.

Felted has to order her yarn yet, but there is time. We have 3 weeks of December to finish Christmas items.

I also intend to pick up the Doctor's Bag and finish it. One side of the bag is completed the other cast on. I am so familiar with the pattern now it should knit up faster. I have not bought the lining for this bag yet but there is time during the January sales to do this. It feels good to getting back into the UFO's and think of a sweater sitting here bagged up and waiting for me.

We had a great time at Felted's house last Sunday. "Scones and Skeins". Good food, lots of laughs and a good deal of rows completed on one gift. We talked patterns, things we all dream of knitting and poured over a stack of her knitting books. Its fun to see others books and patterns. Ideas just accumulate on projects.

Today we had 3 of us at the Tuesday knitting meet up. The Swatch Queen, Felted and myself. We need to get our others back into the groove of meeting. We miss CC and Little Cathy, MM and the Head Frog. Today we were actually able to sit outside in the sun and relax in the great weather.

Keep those needles going. Three weeks left!!

In An Attempt........

In an attempt to enter the holiday spirit, when mine is not real high this year, I will be listing my knitting projects. I will be doing this so as to be committed to do all the possible speed knitting I can accomplish between now and Christmas. Have some of you heard me say in the past I won't be doing this anymore? Well I guess I fibbed cuz here I am the weekend before Thanksgiving attempting to do the impossible. (from this you can easily guess what my New Years Resolutions will be once again on Jan 1st.)

1. ________ for Mother. Yarn in stash.
2. ________ for Son. Completed (yippie)
3. ________ for Daughter. (3/4's done)
4. ________ for Granddaughter #1
5. ________ for Granddaughter #2 (yarn purchased)
6. ________ for Grandson #1 (haven't a clue what it will be)
7. ________ for
8. ________ ENOUGH!!!!!

Ok this isn't working. I can add this up already.... I may be praying for out sourcing to compete what I do have planned, and I realize now I have nothing planned for those not getting any knitting. Do you realize why so many people get so depressed at holiday time?? We try to do to much. I will continue this post on News Years Day with a list for next year and what I won't be doing again!!!

May I wish you all a wild shopping adventure next weekend! If you are attempting to go to a mall, be sure to take sleeping bags, food.... it may be a long day.

It Fits!!!

I just received a photo of my daughter in law, modeling The Bump Sweater!! Am very happy to say it fits and she loves it. I am so pleased, as she lives 3000 miles away and I had no idea as I was making it if the fit would be ok.

They also unwrapped all the baby knitting that I completed over the summer and early fall. We know that they will fit as the baby grows.

Tonight is 'Chicks with Sticks' night and I will be working on my second Christmas Gift. Can't say what it is here in case someone stops to read this. But its family.

I have so many plans for knitting this winter and they are, for the most part, from my stash. This is good news for me. I love looking around and making a plan and being able to reach out and have the yarn on hand.

I spend last weekend organizing my needles. They are all in needle cases and labeled with sizes. I still dream of getting the Option Needle set from Knit Picks. But its always a good thing to dream of something.

How Time Flys By

How time flys I didn't realize how many weeks it has been since I last posted. Life throws us lots of lemons at times, and not being a great cook, I forgot how to make lemonade.

On to the knitting front at my house. I cast on last night Monkey Socks. Now I did this so I would have something simple to knit on when meeting up with other knitters. I find I am not able to knit in pattern..... WHAT was I thinking?? These will be done at home also, and for a change I am doing 2 socks at once so I don't catch that dreaded 'second sock syndrome' illness. I just have the worst time with a second sock. I want to move on to something new and exciting. well this way I am planning on doing section by section and both socks at once. This is a Colinette Jitterbug yarn. SOOO nice to knit with.

I have completed son's Christmas present. A nice scarf made of Kathmandu Aran yarn in browns,tan, gray and black tweedy yarn. I did it in a herringbone pattern. The texture shows up so nice and I am very happy with this. Finished this Sunday nite and it will be blocked this afternoon. Picture will follow after blocking.

Flair for daughter is cast on. I picked a brown yarn for her also as it seems to be her favorite color. This yarn is Paton's with some orange and yellow flecks in it. My Flair sweater has been set aside till I complete 3 Christmas gifts. I am attempting to avoid last minute panic..... or as I did one year, "out sourcing' my knitting to make the deadline.

My package of baby items including a 'Bump Sweater' for daughter in law was shipped last Monday and due to arrive today in DC. I wish I could see their faces when they open the package. I managed to get 3 sweaters, 3 hats, 3 pairs of socks, along with a few items I bought for the soon to be newest member of the family.

Finally... what you see to the left is myself and Franklin Habit from The Panopticon Blog. The Camellia City Stockinettes, contacted Franklin and invited him to Sacramento to photograph knitters in this area for his book "1000 Knitters". Not only am I please to possibly be part of this book, I was delighted to meet the nicest man who I felt I knew very well from 2 years of reading his blog. This yarn world is strange. When you know someone knits, and you follow their fiber lives on a blog, you have an immediate comfort when you meet. Franklin you were just great. I am only sorry Dolores had a touch of illness,(Franklin mentioned her and something about the bar at the hotel the night before), hope the flight home made things better for her. Next time Dolores!!