What Knitting?

I ask you, does this look like a 5 week old baby? I don't know what happens to them on the east coast but this baby looks ready for pre school. It appears I will be leaving next Monday for my trip to visit Jack. I was told the 31st. but have yet to see the ticket. I fly to LAX, then grab a red eye to DC. I was told to take a Valium and a shot of Jack Daniels so when I arrive at 7 am Tuesday I will be alert and ready for my Grammie duties. I will probably fall off the plane, stagger around looking for luggage, and smell like I spent the night in a jail somewhere getting sober. The baby will only cry when he sees me. "please Daddy this can't be MY Grammie" Or maybe worse, I will still be drunk from my big shot of Jack Daniels, I am not a good drinker. One shot could cover a week long nap for me!

It seems I knit, but have not got a thing to show for it. I was with Mother for 4 days and I don't know why I think I will have time to knit while with her. She is a full time job. Cooking, cleaning, doing her laundry, dressing her, undressing her. She can not even walk around the house alone any more. You must assist her doing everything now. I don't know how my brother does it. I give him a huge hug for his commitments to Mom. He is so good to her. The grand kids had fun, Grandson didn't want to come home. He drives the ATV around the property and loves it. Daughter rode with him. They all hiked, played in the snow there, dug around some old abandon sheds on the property and found some treasures to bring home with them. It was fun to wake up and have the kids around me all day. With limited luggage on airplanes now, I am thinking only thing I can take with me in the way of yarn and needles is sock yarn. I have one pair of socks on the needles and maybe will be packing two skeins of sock yarn to work on there. I don't know, I am trying to figure out this mid season clothes packing. Off to clean house, and run errands its that day of the week!!

Put it in Writing, does it really happen?

The Bump Sweater is almost complete. About 4 inches left on sleeves then sewing up and dealing with all the little ends.

That will end my finishites for the time being. All other projects will be put on hold...... see the picture here. It shows holidays coming at us in warp speed. That means I am selecting which small projects I will be knitting and who they will be for, has to be decided this weekend. I think I have already selected the 3 small items I will be knitting....... and 1 large one. The large one will involve me putting aside my Flair and Doctor Bag. I will add them back to the line up around my knitting chair. Soon I will be unable to leave the chair and someone will have to pipe in some food to me. I will stumble and fall and break a leg trying to escape the chair.

One project is in the new Holiday Knits, Interweave Mags. It is a small teddy bear for youngest granddaughter. The other a scarf for son.. something in heather tones.. I have it visualized in my mind. Then the large one is for daughter dearest. I think I shall be doing the Flair for her.. I like top down knitting and she likes things in brown tones. Yarn is already sitting here waiting to be made into something.. perfect!!!.... I refuse to have to out source my hobby like I did 2 years ago when my holiday knitting was out of control. How many of you out there in blog land over commit yourself to holiday knitting? How many of you have wrapped up yarn and a picture of what you intended to knit? By putting this in writing to you all I am committed to start early and finish what I have stated., I can do this! I can do this! I can do this.....Its in writing now.. will that really make it happen?

I challenged my Weds night knit group to add up all their sock yarn..... how many pairs of socks do they have still unknitted...... Confession time next week girls.. don't forget it! I will be rounding up all my stray sock yarn this weekend and pictures will be taken. Be interesting to see who ...........

Where have I been for a week you ask? No where, but knitting lots. Hot on the needles is Flair. This is a pattern from Wendy @ Knit and Tonic. This is an easy knit top down cute little jacket. Am ready to put sleeves on waste yarn and start on body. Knitting this out of stash.... Araucania Nature Wool Chunky. Colorway teal. Mindless knitting is just what I need lately. My mind wanders to far from home to take on detail patterns. This is so fast and easy I do have another one in mind for a Christmas present. Wendy writes a nice easy to read pattern, and has a few she has written on her blog. My next show and tell for the last day of Sept. is this Cascade 128. Its in a dark gray colorway that is being discontinued by Cascade. I love knitting with this yarn works up easy and fast and feels like a dream. Not sure what sweater this will be yet but couldn't pass up the great price at my LYS. Its alway nice to find enough for a sweater on a sale table.
The last two items for new baby. Hat to match the already posted sweater. I seem to have not realized I had another skein of this yarn as it yelled at me from my shelf.... HAT HAT HAT..... so that is an evenings knitting this week. The box of goodies to go back east to the new baby is just about complete. The sock pic is the last little tiny pair of socks to get knitted for him. Again this is a fast one evening knit.

The final picture of the day is my real find of the week. The neighborhoods semi annual yard sale was Friday and Saturday. I work in the mornings and thought it a relief I would not be shopping at the sales. As I returned home at noon I figured it would be safe to make a couple stops at houses. Well first stop and with in 3 mins I had bought 2 trunks for $10.00. One very old covered in canvas with some of the leather straps missing. But otherwise in great shape. The second is a metal small newer trunk. Both are good for Yarn stash storage. As I made 2 fast trips around the neighborhood bringing home the trunks I made a terrible find..... the above 2 wicker chairs. These are vintage I would say. Some glue, to refasten the wicker and lots of white paint will be required. I took them out of the garage this morning and sprayed them down good with some bug stuff. I know wicker can carry bugs around. I will not be finishing these up till I get the roof on the back deck. Then they will be there along with a small white table that also needs painting.... working and putting this house back together seems to never end.

I had a great dinner last night with my 2 grandkids and son in law. I always love my time with them. Then Shelby turned 13 today. She lives on the east coast and also lives for soccer. She ordered a hat for her birthday. Now to find out what style and what color and of course it won't get delivered today. Happy Birthday my soccer playing granddaughter.

Please Remember

Tomorrow is the 6th year since 9/11. Please do not forget to fly a flag and remember all those serving in the Middle East and other nations. We have been safe from attacks for the last 6 years due to the military and others protecting us.

On the knitting front, I have finished another small hat and socks set for the new baby. They are so cute and miniature looking I don't want to even send them off. I just want to look at them and how tiny they are. On the needles now is a top down cardigan for a 9-12 month old. I am knitting this in a dark blue with the cutest little school bus buttons. I am trying to plan for a early spring baby, so he will have something to wear the following winter. This is the new Cotton Ease yarn, which is great and easy to knit with.

The pattern for the top down sweater is an Ann Norling. I have done 2 small top downs, this one and another that was a Pure and Simple pattern. I have to say I think both patterns are great. The Ann Norling for the multi gauge sizes the pattern gives you to seek out different yarns. The Pure and Simple patterns are much easier knitting and I think I will be sticking with them in the future. I have a couple of the Pure and Simple sweater patterns for myself. Great easy knitting.

Knitting Continued, Car out of Jail

Remember this little sweater I started back in June? Sure you do, cuz I am just sure you retain every exciting, thrilling word I write on this blog!! Well I can now tell you I am ready to complete the front of this sweater as I know which sides to put the button holes on. I will be putting them on the........ (should I really tell em?) Ok...... we are going to have a little boy. Exciting, that will give me 4 grandsons and 3 granddaughters. I will be glad to do the 2 fronts then sew this together. I have yarn for some small hats and some baby socks. That should finish up small people knitting for the summer.

I am also working on the Doctors Bag and loving the yarn and the texture. My Henley sweater is comfortable, but will wear more of it this fall. I forgot to tell you I found some sweet little buttons in my grandmothers button box. They look great on there and I love using old items. Still no pictures of it as I can't seem to remember to buy batteries for the camera.

The last bit of news is...... see the photo above.... yes! I am back on the highway to Mom's tomorrow. I always show you Mt. Shasta because that is my destination and I start watching for it about 150 from there. In clear weather you can see it first from Corning, California. Will be a short trip this time, just long enough to take care of Mother's business. See ya next week. Maybe have pictures even.

I am happy to report the car is out of jail, and almost off probation. The drive north will tell me how it goes.