some fo's and a goodie

this week,  I was happy to finish my vitamin D sweater. It was the final project for camp loopy. This will qualify me for the "free" yarn. Last year it was smooshy with cashmere, the previous year, wollemeise. I can hardly wait to see what they have in store for this year.
Here's the finished sweater.....
the pics don't do it justice. Just doesn't look good on a hanger....

I also finished my girasole, and put it out on the deck to bake while the weather was still hot.
I would SO do this pattern again and again.....it was a fun challenge, but not too hard.
I think it turned out beautifully.....

Now, it's back to some gift knitting for Christmas, a pair of gloves for my sister and some man-socks.
I've already finished one glove and started the second one....no pics of that yet. I should be done this week with those, and then it's on to the man-socks.

Speaking of the loopy ewe......in spite of my self-enforced yarn diet, I had to have their anniversary kit. I'm just a sucker for blue and those cute little sheep stitch markers just tipped me over the edge.

 

like, I need more yarn......

a burst of finishitis

On Thursday, it rained....for the first time in two months. I took the opportunity to finish a BUNCH of things that have been languishing around the house, waiting for a rainy day.....
first up, leafling......This one only needed some buttons to be done.
(I HATE sewing on buttons)

Next, the bee sweater....I'm still not sure I like it, it came out kinda big....
It only needed to have the finished front edge sewn down.....

 

I also blocked a little scarf I made with the leftover bee sweater yarn. (there's still LOTS left)

 

And, last but not least.....my finished vitamin D for the loopy ewe camp project 3. Completing this will qualify me for the "free" yarn. Gotta love free yarn!!!

 

For my next trick.....I'm working the edging on the girasole, hoping to block that one this week. It's so big, I'll have to put it out on the deck to dry. Good thing the weather will be nice.

 

I also had to get the loopy ewe anniversary kit. I'm trying to save my pennies for OFF, but that deep blue and the sheep stitch markers just JUMPED into my cart. I couldn't help myself. Go over there and check it out, you'll have to have one too. You can thank me later.

 

 

Once Girasole is done, I'll be working on my Christmas gift knitting. I promise!

 

i got nothin' for ya

Spent the week working away on the vitamin D sweater, watering the yard and weeding.
Can't keep up with any of them, and can't seem to finish them either.
The sweater is in the "endless stockinette" stage, where you just feel like you're knitting backwards and nothing is getting accomplished. I'll probably finish it this week, though. It will just need a bit of steaming/blocking and some pics and it'll be ready to go. Then it'll be back to girasole and some Christmas knitting.

I'll leave you with some cute kitty pics instead, why not.....

as you can see, she's outgrowing her strawberry box, although she still loves it.....
we're moving her on to a salad box......

I'm not sure what the box attraction is, but at least it's cheap.

camp loopy project 3

the beginning of august signaled the beginning of camp loopy project 3. I was lucky to be working the fair for the master gardeners on thurs. morning, so it made for some good knitting time. I made quite a bit of progress on Thursday, and, since Friday was an almost rainy day, more progress on Friday. I'm making my vitamin D a bit longer, so I imagine it will take a bit longer, but I'll definitely be done in a month's time. No pics yet, just a WHOLE bunch of stitches on the needles and, being a top down, no seams sweater, it doesn't look like much.

The next project will be those gloves for my sister, some Christmas present socks, and back to the girasole that went in the storage bin until the camp project is done.

I'm looking forward to going to OFF (Oregon flock and fiber) at the end of September, so I'm saving my pennies for that.....That little trip, and my stash, should do me quite well to keep busy through the winter.....I'm also planning on doing some mosaic work this winter too. It's best done when it's raining and there's no yard to weed, water or maintain.

I have to share my yard sale score from yesterday!  In the 80's, I collected bears, like pretty much everyone else....I ALWAYS wanted a steiff, but at nearly $100 ( or more), it seemed too much for a stuffed animal.......Over the years, the collection has whittled down to a few of the cooler ones (mink paws, anyone?), and I haven't actively collected at all. Well.........yesterday, at a local yard sale,  I found this guy! Yep, that's the steiff button in his ear, he has a number and everything. I looked him up on the internet and he's from 1968-1990, and worth anywhere from $100 to $275. My cost? $5!!
Even though I don't actively collect bears any more, I couldn't resist, oh, and he's mohair, too.

This kinda goes on my all time list of yard sale scores, right up there with the authentic leather coach purse for $5, the ring saw for $20 (they cost about $300) and the knitting book I bought for 25cents that turned out to be out of print and worth about $300!

 

We don't do this all the time or obsessively (go to yard sales), but it can be a fun diversion occasionally, and even though antiques roadshow has ruined it for everyone, you can still get some fun stuff!

new yarn!!!

there's nothing like some new yarn to inspire......

There's a couple of things going on there......The first is madtosh sock in well water (5 skeins), for my camp loopy project 3. I've changed my mind on that about 100 times and finally settled on Vitamin D since I found directions to make it longer. I think it'll be a fun knit and doable in august.

In this pile is also a skein of lorna's laces solemate, for Christmas present gloves for my sister, and my loopy ewe cotton club goodies. There was also a second purchase of solemate for some man-socks as a Christmas present as well. When camp is done, I'm going to be busy knitting more Christmas gifts.

This week, I worked on girasole a bit, worked on the yard more.....I'm in between projects right now, since the third camp project can't start until thurs. aug. 1. That actually works out great, 'cause I'll be hanging at the county fair that day, so it makes for some good knitting.

In other news, miss ziggy is growing like a bad weed, curious as all getout, and has a skill for climbing up your leg, whether you're wearing jeans or shorts. YOUCH!!!!!

Ozzie is a bit jealous, but still not willing to be a snuggler. He has a reputation to maintain, after all.

camp loopy, project 3..... coming up~

The camp project 3 was announced this week. The requirements are 800 yds. That's all......
800 yds in one month. Being the overachiever I am, I decided to knit a sweater. I chose the Ink pattern, and hurried up to buy it before I changed my mind. I'm a bit burnt out on shawls right now, so I think this will be a good challenge. I have a couple of knitting days planned, one at the fair, working for the master gardeners, and one at the lacey community market, doing the same. These usually make for good knitting time, since we're just there to answer questions from the public, and mostly they ask me about my knitting. The sweater is a whole lot of stockinette, with some cables in there for interest, so it should make good public knitting.

In the mean time.......I'm working on this girasole....

 

the yarn isn't as orange as it looks in this pic, more gold. It's dream in color smooshy gold experience. I've had the yarn for this for quite a while (bought it on a trip to the coast one time). When I was looking for 800 yd patterns to do, this one came up. I seriously contemplated doing it for the #3 challenge, but I already had the yarn. (see, you have to buy the yarn from the loopy ewe for your projects if you want to qualify for the free skein at the end), so, the sweater it is. I'm working on this in the meantime while I'm (not so) patiently waiting for my "official" yarn to arrive. As soon as we can cast on for the third project, girasole will rest for a while.....

 

I added a skein of lornas laces soulemate to my camp order for a pair of Christmas gloves for my sister. I was kind of hoping to incorporate the gloves as project 3, but they'll have to wait until the sweater is done.

I also got a great deal on a couple of other skeins of solemate (half price!) to make a pair of man Christmas gift socks. I guess I have a few projects lined up.

 

So, next week, some yummy yarn pics.

camp loopy project 2

Done!!
This is clockwork, done in Shalimar zoe sock and dream in color smooshy.
It was a really fun knit and I think the color combination is pretty classy.
I can't take credit for picking them, I copied the combo off of someone else on rav, but, I love it!

 

 

I've also been working away on my hexipuffs. There's about 219 there and I'm thinking that's about half of what I'll need. They make a great take along project, so there will be plenty of opportunity.....

 

 

 

This week, probably tomorrow, the third and final camp loopy project will be announced. I'm hoping it's something that I can use to make my sister a pair of gloves for Christmas. I already have some yarn on the wish list, lorna's laces soulemate, so we'll see what the parameters are.

If not, I'll probably get some soulemate and make the gloves anyway, just after camp is done.

 

This week, probably more hexis, and gotta finish that second sock. Depends how hot it gets......

new baby!

no, not that kind of baby.....
this kind of baby

 

say hello to miss ziggy. I got her from ravelry, of all places. She's a violet point sorta Siamese (her papa was a rolling stone), and a giant purr monster. She's only been here a couple of days, but she's holding her own quite nicely with the boxers and the other kitties. She'll fit in just fine......

 

In knitting news...

 

I've been working on some more hexipuffs and my clockwork for the second camp challenge.

 

not sure what'll happen this week, planning to finish clockwork, we'll see how that goes.

Hard to knit with a kitten covered in dog spit in your lap...

 

 

hot, hot, hot

it's going to be exceptionally hot here, well, hot for here, over 90 degrees, so all the work that needs to be done, has to be done early in the am.

I'm almost done with the dirt.,....almost.

I should finish this little bit today and then start working on the side. See those posts in the background? They're our new chain link fence. That wasn't necessarily supposed to happen this year, but the deer are eating us out of house and home. We had to do it. This week, I'll keep working on the dirt, we'll finish up the chain link and maybe work on the pumphouse a bit.

In other news.....After living here only 6 months, our hardwood floors are starting to buckle. There are a couple of big bubbles where the floor has lifted away from the glue. Only 2 reasons this would happen. Water damage, or improper installation. Since there hasn't been any water damage, that only leaves the second one. It was only a matter of time.....the guys that installed this were idiots and had no idea what they were doing. I tried to tell the general that, but, being a female.......

Now they'll have to fix it. Hopefully they will.
ARGH!!!

move along....nothing to see here

Well, there was pretty much no knitting this week. It all involved dirt, rain, and some work with my stained glass stuff.

Starting july 1, I can cast on for the second camp challenge, though. I'm making a clockwork, with a gorgeous grey and off-white combo. I think it just looks classy......more to come.

I'll leave you with a nice butterfly pic.....

these guys love something in the dirt out there. I suspect it's some kind of mineral or salt. They will sit there for quite a long time, gathering it up.
Kinda pretty, huh?

Oh, and by the way.....happy 4th of july!

Well, there's one sock

So, this week. much to my surprise, I finished the first of the beaded bells.

I also made a few hexi puffs too.......

Mostly, though, I moved dirt. Fifteen yards of dirt (more or less).
This will probably be the pattern for a while, unless it rains, and then I'll knit and do some glass mosaics.

On July 1, I can officially start my camp loopy project 2. Good thing I have the whole month to do it, I'll be moving dirt.

On a happy note, our new kitty, miss ziggy weighs 1 lb, 13 oz as of thursday. Only 3 oz to go and she can be fixed and come home. I'm thinking the end of this week.......I'll probably combine a kitty fetching trip with a stop to pick up my concrete leaf from saturday's class. I know, another craft, but I think I'm addicted.....(again)

camp loopy project 2

I know, it's only half way through the challenge for project 1, but, when project 2 was announced, I knew right away what I was going to do. A bit ago, I bought the pattern for clockwork after seeing this absolutely gorgeous combination of grey and white that someone did. I was hoping there'd be an opportunity to use it for one of my camp projects. Surprise~ there is.

The next challenge is to knit a popular pattern that you've not done before (at least 1000 projects) Clockwork qualifies nicely. I already had a couple of yarns on my wishlist, and I ended up settling on these.....

Hopefully they'll come out with that same classy quality that I saw on ravelry.

By the way, here's the completed first challenge. BFF socks.... (for a christmas present)
all done and uploaded to the loopy challenge page.

 

In between challenges, I'm working on an OLD ufo. Beaded bells socks. I have one almost done, and will start the other one this week. They're kind of fiddly, with the beads and all, but I love the color of the yarn (even though it's a bit thin).

 

The next camp challenge doesn't start until july 1, so I'll be finishing these socks and doing some hexipuffs in the mean time......in my spare time.

one down.....

one to finish....
this is the first bff sock from my camp loopy project. The challenge was to use one skein of yarn you've never used before, and at least 375 yards.
This is three irish girls adorn sock in the birch colorway. Loved the yarn. I think they'll make a nice christmas present.

They should be announcing the next camp project for july in a week or so. Hopefully, it will work out to be another christmas present.

This week, I'll probably try to finish the other sock, and maybe a ufo or two. My main focus has been outside, since the weather has been good, and looks to stay that way. Gotta make hay around here. They'll be PLENTY of time to knit and do other stuff once monsoon season starts again!

camp loopy, nice weather, and a new baby

First of all, camp loopy officially started yesterday, So I wasted no time casting on my BFF socks with the TIG adorn sock chosen for the first challenge. They're coming along swimmingly, but no pics yet. I hope to have the first one done by the end of the week (in my spare time).

While I was waiting for camp to start, I worked on this cute little sunflower scarf (table runner) with the leftovers from the queen bee sweater. It needs to be blocked, but it turned out good.

This week,  I'm hauling dirt. The weather is supposed to be good, and I hve 15 yards of dirt to move, so no knitting content guarantees.

Oh, and the new baby news.....well.......I was surfing ravelry the other day and this gal posted a pic of the CUTEST kittens that she's fostering. I've wanted another siamese-ish kitty for a while and I fell head over heels with this little guy. Seems the foster lives in Seattle, not too far away. Look how tiny he is. He's only about 4-5 weeks old, so he needs to stay where he is for a while, but, when he gets to 2lbs and gets fixed, he's coming home. Looks like a scrappy little guy. He'll fit right in.

I'm in a sunflower kinda mood

Well, it's too early for camp, too rainy to go outside, and the landscapers were still finishing until thursday. So, I picked up the rest of the bee sweater yarn and did a quick little sunflower shawl. It will really be a table runner, and it turned out kinda cute. I still have enough yarn to do another, and might do one for my sister. No pics yet, it's being bound off.....

In the sunflower theme, I also saw this sunflower shawl kit on knitpicks.
Had to have it. Again, probably not a shawl. It'll be a tablecloth with it's done, some day.

 

This week, I'll be choosing a pattern for my camp loopy socks. I'm thinking something by cookie a. I have a couple of her books, and I've wanted to try some of her stuff for a long time......

 

We're both on vacation this week, so there's a looonnnnngggg list of "honey do's". Can't promise much knitting content. Gotta go play outside.

 

 

summer camp!!!!!

this week, I had the pleasure of joining the loopy ewe's summer knitting camp for the third year. The challenge for the first project is to use one skein of something you've never used before, up to 375 yards on anything you'd like. I've made the commitment to myself to make this about christmas presents, so, my irish girls adorn sock in birch will be some christmas gifted socks.

I also had a bit of a falling off the no yarn buying wagon, (it WAS on sale). I'm such a sucker for a gradient yarn, and when it comes in green........add a sale, it was all over!

Not the best pic, but it's black trillium pebble sock in the pine gradient. Don't know what it's going to be yet, just know I had to have it.

I've pretty much finished the bee sweater (pics next week). The only thing that's left is to sew down the picot edge and cover the steeks with seam binding. It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Next week., not sure what's up. Camp doesn't officially start until june 1, so I'll have to find an interim project. I have some things in mind....stay tuned.

just squeaking in

the majority of the queen bee sweater is complete. Yesterday, on a nice rainy sunday,  I sewed and steeked the front and sleeves and sewed up the sides of the sleeves. Then, because I had just a bit of the brown left, I decided to add a little more length to the sleeves and make them they way they should be.

I still have one sleve to finish, and the bias tape to put on, and then I'll sew and cut the armhole steeks. The most scary part, if you ask me, because the armholes don't have any extra steek stitches to work with, just the "real" sweater.
The finishing will be picking up the edges with the green.

So, still a lot of work to do, but getting closer. I may end up putting it away for a bit, in favor of camp loopy (shopping starts this week), and hopefully, landscapers. (they're supposed to start this week too!)

I'm pretty excited about camp, this will be my third year, and I'm hoping to use it to make some christmas presents in advance.I  know Sheri will come up with all sorts of fun, she usually does!

bee progress and off to summer camp!

The weather's been great here, so the knitting has kind of taken a back seat to the other obsession, gardening.
This week we spent most of it obsessing over the inspection for the other house and then fixing all the little things we needed to do.
I did, however, make some progress on the bee sweater.

Still think I'm going to run out of the brown yarn, though. Good news is, there's someone on Ravelry that has some for sale (gotta love ravelry).
Speaking of Rav, I also succumbed to my desire to do clockwork. I caved and bought the pattern after seeing a gorgeous combination done by someone else of off white and grey. I'm thinking it can be a camp loopy project..

Camp Loopy is about to begin. It usually starts in june, but the purchasing window might just start this week. I've done this for 2 years now, this will be my third, and I have to say, it's a blast. You never know what the "rules" will be, and that makes it kind of fun too. I'm eagerly anticipating the annoucement.

Can't promise too much knitting this week. The weather is still super nice and the old house is still demanding attention. I'll keep working on the bees when I can, and dreaming of camp!

Doggies will be baking out in the kennel (they LOVE to bake)!

queen bee sweater.....

so, the sleeves are done and the body is cast on.
There wasn't too much knitting this week. The weather was nice and there were other priorities to be done.

Here's the body so far.....

I'm a little frustrated because I'm pretty sure I'm going to run out of the brown yarn. This isn't the first time this has happened from this designer. She seems to have a bit of an issue with estimating yardage. I shoulda known. I'm going to go as far as I can, and then plead on ravelry to see if anyone has a partial skein. These are huge, over 500 yds, and expensive, and I won't need a whole one.
Don't you have a hard time working on something that you know is probably doomed?
just sayin'

Camp loopy will be coming up soon, and I'm starting to look for patterns that will work and be fun. I've singled out a couple of fun shawls. That leftie is on the top of my list. And my sister could use another pair of gloves for christmas. It's going to depend what the "rules" are for each month, but I'm thinking of using this opportunity for gift knitting.

I can't promise there will be much knitting over the next week. It is planting season ya know, even though my landscapers are stalled now until the 14th of may. Still plenty to be done.
I'll be plugging away at the bee sweater.

VKL, some fo's, and a new project.....

ok, I know I was mia last week.......

Last saturday, we boogied up to vogue knitting live to do some shopping. A good time was had by all.......I really didn't buy much,  just some needles I needed. There's something about having to move your stash to make your realize just how much you have......We did have a good time there, though, and I saw some really cute things I'll be coming back for. The first was black trillium fiber's gradient kit....I'm a sucker for a good gradient kit and she had a really cute little shawl/scarf made up.

Next was leftie. SOMEONE kept trying to talk me into getting one of the kits that were made up there to make this cutie....I couldn't make up my mind, but I'm SURE there's something in that giant stash that will work pretty well......

We also ran into a designer who was wearing the COOLEST circular sweater. I love circular sweaters, but can never seem to find one that has just the right stuff. This one did, good butt covering qualities, enough circle to cover "things", a very interesting construction with cables around the circle. It had it all. As soon as the pattern is available, I'm ON it.

I have to keep in mind that camp loopy starts soon, so most of these would make great camp projects.

I did finish a little something too......my snowflake doubleknit scarf.

 

And started something else.....queen bee sweater.

It's much further along now, since it's been raining all week. The sleeves are almost done.

I AM worried about running out of yarn on the body, but, onward!

 

not sure what next week will bring.....depends on the weather and the landscapers.

If it's crummy and the landscapers don't show up, I'll probably have a whole sweater done. If it's  nice, I'm going outside to play. Right now, it's raining buckets.....welcome to spring.