True Blood Cami Finished

Here's a rather lacking photo of my True Blood Cami -- I don't think it does it justice. I really like how this cami turned out and I received a lot of compliments on it at work when I wore it today. I had several people say they couldn't believe I made it and asked me where I got it. I love it when a project fools the muggles!

And by the way, yes, I'm wearing a cami underneath the sweater -- it is almost flesh colored so it's hard to see it!

Ranger Cookies

Today I made Ranger Cookies (A Better Homes and Gardens recipe) with my sons. We had a great time mixing ingredients. The boys fully enjoyed licking the beaters (used a mixer), the spatula and spoons. So, that event in and of itself isn't out of the ordinary -- special to me but a pretty run of the mill weekend activity. What was so extraordinary is what my Number One Son did after we finished baking them. He asked me to call grandma (my mom) so he could tell her about how he made cookies with me.

Again, to most people, this would be an ordinary request for an ordinary child. But my Number One Son is autistic and that's what makes this so extraordinary. He actually held a lasting two-way conversation with his grandma. He offered and initiated sharing information and answered her questions. I could tell as he was talking to mom she was blown away. I was even more blown away after when my mom told him that she thought he was neat and really liked him and he turned around and said, "Well, I love you grandma." It was the sweetest thing and he said it with real feeling. He meant it and knew what he meant. It brought tears to my eyes to see how far he has come. He is so special.

Knit Knite -- Oh the Fun!

Last night me (and my boys) had a great time at Knit Knite. I had my boys with me last night and they really look forward to Thursdays when they're with me because of Knit Knite. We had multiple kids over, a total of 7 little guys and girls running around playing together. I was amazed at how well behaved they all were and how well they played together. Ages ranged from about 10 to 4. Some of them stayed outside with the knitters to knit (or just give hugs), some played games and pretended to camp out in the living room in a tent, and some played in the driveway on bikes and big wheels. The weather was beautiful and we were outside until the bugs starting biting and we couldn't see our knitting any longer. It reminded me of those endless summer nights as a kid where I stayed out 'til dark and my parents had to go calling after me to come in and wash up.

I am so thankful for the great group of people I've met through our knitting night. There is not a single Thursday where I wish I were somewhere else. Knit On!

Ribbit, Ribbit

I've been making great progress on my True Blood Cami. And there's been a few nights where I took the liberty to knock back a glass (or two) of wine...(see where I'm going with this)...well, I found I missed quite a few yarn overs in my stitch pattern...3 inches down. I considered all possibilities to fix it. The problem was, the misses were in multiple places. The amount of time to drop multiple stitches in multiple places 20+ rows would have been enormous, and I figured it just wasn't worth it. So, I opted to rip back. The mistakes were just too noticeable to leave them.

I've realized that even though the phrase, "My gauge is fine 'til the third glass of wine" (Thanks Kristie for the pin!) may be true, but apparently I am not fine on even a single glass with yarn overs in stitch patterns.

It's not so bad, I'm just 5 rows away from getting back to where I was before I ripped.

True Blood

So for those of you who don't know, I've become obsessed with the HBO TV series, True Blood. I started watching the first season on DVD when it released late this Spring. I watched the entire season in a week and then re-watched one week later. I was that hooked! I have a friend of mine video taping (I know, how quaint?) season 2 because I just can't wait for it to come out on DVD and there is no way that I will get cable just for one show. I've really been enjoying having no TV for the past few months and I really don't miss it. Hulu works for me -- I can catch most of the shows I watch online for free! Plus, I am reading (listening to audiobooks) all the time now and can feel my brain getting smarter!

In honor of my True Blood obsession, I decided to name my Vixen Camisole (Rav link) project "My True Blood Cami". It's blood red and I figure if I was ever vamped, I would definitely wear a lot of dropped stitch knits. If I'm gonna be a bloodsucker, I might as well flaunt it and nothing says danger like dropped stitches. I've made some good progress on it so far -- here's a pic:

The dropped stitches don't get dropped until I get to the top. This is a very easy pattern -- it's basically a tube of fabric knitted in this dropped stitch lace pattern and then there are 3 inches of ribbing at the top. It's a fun knit but takes longer than you might think -- this is made of fingering weight yarn on size 5 US needles.

Visit to Miss Chickpeas

I have been incredibly lame again with this blog. I do love to write but by the time I get home in the evening, the last thing I want to do is sit on my computer and write. I need a technology that will just extract my blog thoughts from my brain and attach pictures with them automatically.

So, I'm still pretty tired tonight but thought I would share a beautifous (yes, I made that word up) picture of some Ella Rae Lace Merino yarn I acquired at Miss Chickpea's this past weekend while in Hudson for my 20th High School Reunion. (It was a blast and I got an opportunity to wear my Fountain Pen Shawl!) They were running an awesome sale on all their yarn (except Malabrigo :( ) -- 35% off all yarn!!! I couldn't pass that up.

The yarn hasn't yet told me what it wants to be but I got enough of it to make a sizeable triangle shawl. I'm really digging triangles -- I love watching them increase in stitches slowly and I love the way the shape drapes on the body.

Knitting Fever -- Need More Cowbell...or Yarn!

So I have been a knitting fool lately. So what's new, right? I've been finishing a ton of little projects just because...well...because I CAN! I've got some success stories and one Ugh! So, I'll dive right in.

Here are two more dishcloths I've finished. Another basic one and my first ballband from Mason-Dixon. I had to do the ballband one right?

I must say that knitted dishcloths ROCK!!! They are so soft and absorbent and really get the scrubbing done on the counter tops and table.

Next up is what I'm calling the Sasquatch Clutch. So, I attempted to make a little felted evening bag for my 20 year high school reunion that I'm attending in a few weeks. I had planned for it to compliment my shawl. The bag knitted up fast and was looking to be very pretty. Once it felted, it all went down hill from there. Nothing went wrong in the felting process mind you. No...the problem started way back in the designing/creative process. I'm not sure when my little knit obsessed mind had convinced the rational me that mohair for a summer purse would look good or wouldn't felt into a hairy mess. It's a mess that only a Sasquatch would take to an evening out (hence the affectionate name). But...um...yeah...that's what happened. Bad design. I should have stuck with a novelty yarn that would just glitter or add sparkle but no hair! Here's a pic of it -- it is laughable so please enjoy a good one on me!!!!

On a more positive note, I started and finished knitting Calorimetry this weekend. I made it out of Malabrigo Silky Merino. Can I just say how divine that yarn is? It is the softest prettiest yarn I have ever laid my eyes and fingers on. I am really tempted to save up and buy a bunch for a sweater. It's that good and that beautiful. If you're a Raveler, you can see my hank here. I've attached pics of the FO in this post but alas, I do not have one of me wearing it. I'll probably hit up one of my fellow Knit Knite Attendees for an impromptu photoshoot -- any takers?