More Links!

Here are some more links :) I don't have time to add them to the main list tonight. I have to get up way early in the morning. Thanks to Rachel, Ashley, Bftcgirl, and Cathy for your help. Cathy gave me so many links I don't have time to list them at all tonight! You go girl!  I really appreciate everyone's help.

Ponchos
Berroco's Asymmetrical Poncho (Adult)(K)
Crystal Palace's Deco-Stardust + Whisper Poncho (K)
Eva Owsian's Popular Poncho (K)
Gina B. Ahrens' Lacy Poncho (C)
Yarnmarket's Magical Poncho (K)



Sweaters
Arcadia Knitting Baby Sweater (Baby)(K)
Caryn Law's Tweedy Double Moss Stitch Sweater (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Caldo Cardigan (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Cara Sweater (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Dasolo and Tender Cardigan (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Favola and Fumo Sweater (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Multicot, Riso Pront, and Elastico Sweater (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Nuovo Cardigan (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Pulcino Pullover (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Royal Tweed, Shadow, Visione, and Amica Lux Pullover (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Silk Cardigan and Top (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Tre Sweater (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Trefilo Sweater (Adult)(K)
Lana Grosa's Twin and Tre Sweater (Adult)(K)

Growing

The list of sweater patterns is growing slowly but surely, and I'll be adding to it daily. I'm have only scratched the surface of the bookmarks I have collected. Just keep checking back, or enter in your email address for notifications.

Free Sweater Links

Ok here is my list so far. It is no where near done. As before, I have no affiliation with any of the sites and probably have not researched them beyond the page on which the pattern is located. Just like my poncho list, I'll be adding them as I find them. If you see a link I don't have, you can leave it in comments. Any help is totally appreciated. Enjoy!

1. Alison Hansel's Rosebud (Women)(K)
   
2. Amy R Singer and Theresa Vinson Stenersen's Sweetness (Women)(K)
   
3. Amy Swenson's Janda (Women)(K)
   
4. Amy Swenson's Rosedale (Women)(K)
   
5. Annie Modesitt's C3 (Women)(K)
   
6. Auntie M's "Emily" Baby Sweater (Baby)(C)
   
7. Barbara Breiter's Chevron Pullover (Women)(K)
   
8. Barbara Breiter's Child's Sweater-Size 2 (Child)(K)
   
9. Barbara Breiter's Child's Sweater-Size 4 (Child)(K)
   
10. Barbara Breiter's Child's Sweater-Size 6 (Child)(K)
    
11. Barbara Breiter's Deep V-Neck Cardigan (Women) (K)
    
12. Barbara Breiter's Lacy Bed Jacket (Women)(K)
    
13. Barbara Breiter's Man's Cabled Pullover (Men)(K)
    
14. Barbara Breiter's Man's Mosaic Pullover (Men)(K)
    
15. Barbara Breiter's Man's Mosaic Pullover II (Men)(K)
    
16. Barbara Breiter's Shawl Collar Cardigan (Women)(K)
    
17. Barbara Breiter's Two Color Cardigan (Women)(K)
    
18. Berroco's Adele (Women)(K)
    
19. Berroco's Andra (Woman)(K)
    
20. Berroco's Bella (Women)(K)
    
21. Berroco's Carlotta (Women)(K)
    
22. Berroco's Celine (Women)(K)
    
23. Berroco's Charlize (Women)(K)
    
24. Berroco's Ciara (Women)(K)
    
25. Berroco's Cynthia (Women)(K)
    
26. Berroco's Dale (Women)(K)
    
27. Berroco's Donna (Women)(K)
    
28. Berroco's Eleanor (Women)(K)
    
29. Berroco's Ellen (Women)(K)
    
30. Berroco's Emily (Women)(K)
    
31. Berroco's Estelle (Women)(K)
    
32. Berroco's Flag Sweater (Women)(K)
    
33. Berroco's Fonie (Women)(K)
    
34. Berroco's Gloria (Women)(K)
    
35. Berroco's Inez (Women)(K)
    
36. Berroco's Ingrid (Women)(K)
    
37. Berroco's Jacquline (Women)(K)
    
38. Berroco's Jessica Henley (Woman)(K)
    
39. Berroco's Katie (Women)(K)
    
40. Berroco's Kendra (Women)(K)
    
41. Berroco's Kimberly (Women)(K)
    
42. Berroco's Lola (Women)(K)
    
43. Berroco's Lucy Lu (Women)(K)
    
44. Berroco's Luisa (Women)(K)
    
45. Berroco's Mariel (Women)(K)
    
46. Berroco's Marlo (Women)(K)
    
47. Berroco's Mary Jane (Women)(K)
    
48. Berroco's Maura (Women)(K)
    
49. Berroco's Meryl (Women)(K)
    
50. Berroco's Moira (Women)(K)
    
51. Berroco's Naomi (Women)(K)
    
52. Berroco's Nuala (Women)(K)
    
53. Berroco's Olivia (Women)(K)
    
54. Berroco's Pamela (Women)(K)
    
55. Berroco's Pearl (Women)(K)
    
56. Berroco's Risa (Women)(K)
    
57. Berroco's Sandy (Women)(K)
    
58. Berroco's Sarah Beth (Women)(K)
    
59. Berroco's Selma (Women)(K)
    
60. Berroco's Sheila (Women)(K)
    
61. Berroco's Sheri (Women)(K)
    
62. Berroco's Sidney (Women)(K)
    
63. Berroco's Suzette (Women)(K)
    
64. Berroco's Tammy (Women)(K)
    
65. Berroco's Tanya (Women)(K)
    
66. Berroco's Tatania (Women)(K)
    
67. Berroco's Tessa (Women)(K)
    
68. Berroco's Trudy (Women)(K)
    
69. Berroco's Winona (Women)(K)
    
70. Berroco's Vanessa (Women)(K)
    
71. Berroco's Veronique (Women)(K)
    
72. Berroco's Zena (Women)(K)
    
73. Bevs Country Cottage 5 Hour Baby Sweater (Baby)(K)
    
74. Bhg.com Another Crocheted Sweater (Women)(C)
    
75. Bhg.com Crocheted Sweater (Women)(K)
    
76. Bhg.com Knitted Variation (Women)(K)
    
77. Blue Blog's Rosebud (Women)(K)
    
78. Blue Blog's Tricot (Women)(K)
    
79. Bonne Marie Burns' 3timesChic (Women)(K)
    
80. Bonnie Marie Burns' Sitcom Chic (Women)(K)
    
81. Bonne Marie Burns's Sitcom Chic (Women) (K)
    
82. Britta Stolfus Rueschhoff's Tigger (Chid)(K)
    
83. Bubamara's Navy-blue Cardigan (Women)(C)
    
84. CanadianLiving.com Baby Jacket (Baby)(K)
    
85. CanadianLiving.com Child's Hoody (Child)(K)
    
86. CanadianLiving.com Hugs and Kisses Cardigan (Women)(K)
    
87. CanadianLiving.com Pullover with Hood (Child)(K)
    
88. Caryn Law's Tweedy Double Moss Stitch Sweater (Women)(K)
    
89. Carol Sulcoski's Petrol (Men)(K)
    
90. Caron's Simply Brites Sweater (Women)(C)
    
91. Caron's Split-Collar Pullover (Women)(K)
    
92. Cher Riley's Dog Sweater With Contrasting Collar (Dog)(K)
    
93. Coats & Clark Denim Shell Pullover (Women)(C)
    
94. Coats & Clark Patty Cakes Cardigan & Hat (Baby)(K)
    
95. Coats & Clark Primary Colors Sweater (Child)(K)
    
96. Coats & Clark Crayon Stripes Sweater (Child)(C)
    
97. Coats & Clark Cuddly Cardigan (baby)(K)
    
98. Coats & Clark Just Right Sweater (Child)(C)
    
99. Coats & Clark Sassy Stripes Sweater (Women)(K)
    
100. Colleen's Crew Neck Pullover (Women)(K)
     
101. Craft Yarn Council Yellow Duckling Child's Pullover Sweater (Child)(K)
     
102. Craft Yarn Council Baby's First Sweater (Baby)(K)
     
103. Craft Yarn Council Black & White Pullover (Women)(K)
     
104. Craft Yarn Council Cable Turtleneck (Women)(K)
     
105. Craft Yarn Council Cardigan Jacket (Women)(K)
     
106. Craft Yarn Council Fisherman Pullover (Men)(C)
     
107. Craft Yarn Council Of America Springtime Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
108. Craft Yarn Council Quck & Easy Garter Stitch Top (Women)(K)
     
109. Craft Yarn Council Shrug (Women)(C)
     
110. Craft Yarn Council Shrug (Women)(K)
     
111. Craft Yarn Council Tulips Pullover Sweater (Women)(K)
     
112. Craft Yarn Council Warm and Wonderful Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
113. Craftown's Easy pullover (Women)(K)
     
114. CrochetNMore.com Dog or Cat Sweater Pattern (Dog/Cat)(C)
     
115. Crystal Palace Big Net Brioche Cowl Pullover (Women)(K)
     
116. Crystal Palace Big Collar Oversized Pullover (Women)(K)
     
117. Crystal Palace Chenille / Waikiki Pullover (Women)(K)
     
118. Crystal Palace Choo-Choo Striped Pullover (Women)(K)
     
119. Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille Cables and Bobbles (Women)(K)
     
120. Crystal Palace "Fluff" Merino Frappe Cowl Pullover (Women)(K)
     
121. Crystal Palace Iceland Lattice Pullover (Women)(K)
     
122. Crystal Palace Musique Cable Pullover (Women)(K)
     
123. Crystal Palace Textured Cotton Chenille Sweatshirt (Women)(K)
     
124. Deb White's Disoriented Express (Women)(K)
     
125. Debbie Bliss' Simply Marilyn (Women)(K)
     
126. Denny Kelly's Baby Set (Preemie)(K)
     
127. Denny Kelly's Cardigan (Preemie)(K)
     
128. Denny Kelly's Heather Premature Baby Jacket (Preemie)(K)
     
129. Esther Smith Bozak's Custom Fit Dog Sweater (Dog)(K)
     
130. Flory Loughead's Aran Jumper (Adult)(K)
     
131. Flory Loughead's V-neck Pullover in the Round (Adult)(K)
     
132. Freepatterns.com Beachcomber Sweater (Men)(K)
     
133. Freepatterns.com Buttercup Cardigan Set (Women)(C)
     
134. Freepatterns.com Cardigan With Wooden Buttons (Women)(C)
     
135. Freepatterns.com Cranberry Tweed Pullover (Men)(K)
     
136. Freepatterns.com Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
137. Freepatterns.com Embossed Rectangle Tunic (Women) (K)
     
138. Freepatterns.com Fair Isle Sunset (Men)(K)
     
139. Freepatterns.com Grape Twin-Textured Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
140. Freepatterns.com Jewel-Tone Cropped Sweater (Women)(C)
     
141. Freepatterns.com Lace Pullover (Women)(K)
     
142. Freepatterns.com Lacy Delight (Women)(C)
     
143. Freepatterns.com Lacy Tunic (Women)(C)
     
144. Freepatterns.com Men's Tweed Pullover (Men)(K)
     
145. Freepatterns.com Picot Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
146. Freepatterns.com Saddle Shoulder Cable Pullover (Women)(K)
     
147. Freepatterns.com Spring Colors Top (Women)(C)
     
148. Girl From Auntie Poncho Sweater (Woman)(K)
     
149. Girl From Auntie Trumpet Sweater (Woman)(K)
     
150. Groovy Crochet's Kimono Coat (Women)(C)
     
151. Holli Yeoh's Devan (Toddler)(K)
     
152. Jamie Cook's Saity (Women)(K)
     
153. Jenna Wilson's Banf (Women)(K)
     
154. Jillian Moreno's Bella (Women)(K)
     
155. Jillian Moreno's Boo (Child)(K)
     
156. Jillian Moreno's Boo, too (Women)(K)
     
157. Judy Nemish's Easy Cropped Pullover (Adult)(K)
     
158. Julia Rees' V necked Cardigan (Preemie)(K)
     
159. Karen Almond's Earth, Wind, and Fire (Adult)(K)
     
160. Karen Almond's Pearls and Lace (Adult)(K)
     
161. Karen Stockton's Kyoto (Women)(K)
     
162. Kate Wisson's Anticipation (Women)(K)
     
163. Kate Wisson's Beach (Women)(K)
     
164. Kate Wisson's Cheesylove (Women)(K)
     
165. Kerrie Rycroft's Joseph (Child)(K)
     
166. Knit 'N Style's Sweater with Bobbles (Women)(K)
     
167. Knitting-crochet.com Aran sweater (Women)(K)
     
168. Knitting-crochet.com Unisex Pullover Irish Knit (Adult)(K)
     
169. Knitwit's Heaven's The Ultimate Quick and Easy Baby Sweater (Baby)(K)
     
170. K.R. Wisson's Topsecret (Women)(K)
     
171. Kristi Porter's A Dynamic Duo (Child)(K)
     
172. Kristi Porter's Haiku (Toddler)(K)
     
173. Kristi Porter's Leo (Men)(K)
     
174. Kristi Porter's Sonnet (Women)(K)
     
175. Leigh Radford's Indian Summer Jacket (Women)(K)
     
176. Leigh Spencer's Accordian (Women)(K)
     
177. Lillian Jarmie's Ocean Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
178. Liz Seymour's Celtic Knot Sweater (Women)(K)
     
179. Liz Seymour's Silk Tweed Sweater (Women)(K)
     
180. Lynda's Wrapped Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
181. Lion Brand's American Flag Sweater (Women)(K)
     
182. Lion Brand's Anchor Pullover (Child)(K)
     
183. Lion Brand's Aran Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
184. Lion Brand's Big Easy Sweater (Women)(C)
     
185. Lion Brand's Blocks and Stripes Pullover (Child)(K)
     
186. Lion Brand's Bright and Breezy Reversible Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
187. Lion Brand's Cable Pullover (Women)(K)
     
188. Lion Brand's Cape Cod Unisex Pullover (Adult)(K)
     
189. Lion Brand's Chevron Pullover (Women)(K)
     
190. Lion Brand's Classic Fisherman Cable Pullover (Women)(K)
     
191. Lion Brand's Color Block Sweater (Women)(K)
     
192. Lion Brand's Cotton Thick and Quick Hooded Sweatshirt (Adult&Child)(K)
     
193. Lion Brand's Counting Sheep Sweater and Hat (Child)(K)
     
194. Lion Brand's Country Check Pullover (Men)(K)
     
195. Lion Brand's Cropped Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
196. Lion Brand's Diamond Lace Tunic (Women)(C)
     
197. Lion Brand's Earthtone Unisex Cardigan (Adult)(K)
     
198. Lion Brand's Easy Hooded Pullover (Child)(K)
     
199. Lion Brand's Easy-to-Imagine-Sweater (Women)(K)
     
200. Lion Brand's Fisherman's Wool Aran Pullover (Women)(K)
     
201. Lion Brand's Flattering Jacket (Women)(C)
     
202. Lion Brand's Hooded Sweater Jacket (Child)(K)
     
203. Lion Brand's Kimono Layette Set (Baby)(K)
     
204. Lion Brand's Luxe Faux-Zebra Jacket (Women)(K)
     
205. Lion Brand's Maternity Top (Women)(K)
     
206. Lion Brand's Mock Turtleneck Pullover (Men)(K)
     
207. Lion Brand's One Stitch Sweater (Baby)(K)
     
208. Lion Brand's Open Work Tunic (Women)(K)
     
209. Lion Brand's Pinwheel Lace Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
210. Lion Brand's Popcorn Pullover (Child)(C)
     
211. Lion Brand's Raglan Pullover (Adult&Child)(K)
     
212. Lion Brand's Shaker Stitch Pullover and Beret (Child)(C)
     
213. Lion Brand's Strawberry Patch Sweater and Cap (Child)(K)
     
214. Lion Brand's Striped Cardigan (Child)(K)
     
215. Lion Brand's Striped Pullover (Child)(K)
     
216. Lion Brand's Stripes and Bobbles Cardigan (Child)(K)
     
217. Lion Brand's Then and Now Jacket (Women)(K)
     
218. Lion Brand's Turtleneck (Women)(K)
     
219. Lion Brand's V-Neck Sweater (Women)(K)
     
220. Lucia Liljegren's Dog Sweater Generator (Dog)(K)
     
221. Mango Moon's 3D Rose Jacket (Women)(C)
     
222. Mango Moon's Basic Cardigan Pattern (Women)(K)
     
223. Mango Moon's Belted Wrap (Women)(K)
     
224. Mango Moon's Boat Neck Top (Women)(K)
     
225. Mango Moon's Boxy Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
226. Mango Moon's Cowl Neck Top (Women)(K)
     
227. Mango Moon's Crew Neck (Women)(K)
     
228. Mango Moon's Fringed Coat (Women)(K)
     
229. Mango Moon's Neru Cardigan Pattern (Women)(K)
     
230. Mango Moon's Shawl Collar (Women)(K)
     
231. Marcia Walton's V-Stitch Pullover (Men)(C)
     
232. Margaret Hubert's Very Easy Child's Sweater and Hat (Child)(K)
     
233. Mary Jo Prinsen's Grid Pattern Sweater (Baby)(C)
     
234. Melissa Lim's Marc (Woman)(K)
     
235. Michaels.com Chanel Inspired Tweed Jacket (Women)(C)
     
236. Nancy Salcedo's Fur Collar Pullover (Women)(K)
     
237. Nancy Walsh's Flashy Lace (Women)(K)
     
238. Natalie Wilson's childHood (Child)(K)
     
239. Natalie Wilson's Colorlines (Women)(K)
     
240. Natalie Wilson's Sprout (Women)(K)
     
241. Natalie Wilson's Tilt (Women)(K)
     
242. Nicky Epstein's Cable & Garter Pullover (Women)(K)
     
243. Nancy Salcedo's Man's Lattice Sweater (Men)(K)
     
244. Nancy Salcedo's Very Easy, Very Quick Pullover (Women)(K)
     
245. Pam D'Alessandro's Sweaters For Dolls (Doll)(C)
     
246. Rachelle King's Giraffe (Women)(K)Rebecca Hatcher's Bpt (Women)(K)
     
247. Rebecca Hatcher's Grecian Plait (Women)(K)
     
248. Rebecca-online.com 2-part Sweater (Women)(K)
     
249. Rebecca-online.com Pale Gray Ribbed Sweater (Women)(K)
     
250. Rebecca-online.com Sweater with Eyelet Pattern (Women)(K)
     
251. Shetha Nolke's Anniversary Sweater (Men)(K)
     
252. Shirley Paden's Interlocking Cables (Women)(K)
     
253. Song Palmese's Lite Brite (Women)(K)
     
254. Stephanie Pearl McPhee's Daisy (Baby)(K)
     
255. Sullivan's Baby Jacket (Baby)(K)
     
256. Sullivans Crew Neck Jumper (Adult)(K)
     
257. Sullivans Fairisle Jacket (Child)(K)
     
258. Sullivans Hooded Jacket (Girls)(K)
     
259. Sullivans Jumper (Men)(K)
     
260. Sullivans Jumper (Women)(K)
     
261. Sullivans Ladies Jacket (Women)(K)
     
262. Sullivans Ladies Long Coat (Women)(K)
     
263. Sullivans Polo Neck Jumper (Women)(K)
     
264. Sullivans Striped Jumper & Hat (Child)(K)
     
265. Sullivans Toddler Jacket (Toddler)(K)
     
266. Susan H Esser's Ribbon Stitch Pullover (Women)(K)
     
267. Susana Winter's Chunky Moss Green Sweater (Women)(K)
     
268. The Girl From Auntie Trumpet Sweater Pattern (Women)(K)
     
269. Thesmartyarns.com Color Dot Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
270. Thesmartyarns.com Fair Isle Tunic (Women)(K)
     
271. Thesmartyarns.com Floral Pullover (Women)(K)
     
272. Thesmartyarns.com Lacy Fans Cardigan (Women)(C)
     
273. Thesmartyarns.com Nordic Cardigan (Girl)(K)
     
274. Thesmartyarns.com Rose Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
275. Thesmartyarns.com Serape Pullover (Women)(K)
     
276. Thesmartyarns.com Summery Cardigan (Women)(K)
     
277. Wendy D Johnson's Baby Norgi (Baby)(K)
     
278. Véronik Avery's Zigzag (Women)(K)
     
279. Vintage Knits 1904 Doll Sweater (Doll)(K)
     
280. Vintage Knits "Heraldic" Lion Sweater (Adult)(K)
     
281. Yarn Foward Bomber Jacket (Men)(K)

Sweater Hunt!

I have received a few requests for Free Sweater Patterns links, so I decided to go on another link hunt. There are tons of free sweater patterns out there, so I imagine this one will take a while to complete. If you have any favorite links, feel free to send them in. Any help is totally appreciated. I started going through some of the sites I have bookmarked that offer free patterns, and I already have 42 links. This list is going to be a whopper folks! I'll probably start posting the links tomorrow and just add them as I find.

Still no project pics, so I'll give you another picture of my baby. She's wondering (supervised of course she is an inside cat) through a clover patch in the back yard of our house back in VA. Doesn't that just melt ya!?

I finished something!

I finally finished Ribby! I wish that I could show you a picture, but my mom hasn't seen it yet. She is visiting on November 3 or 4, and I plan on having her model it for you. Now I'll be focusing on the Fair Isle Bag. Hopefully that won't take a long time to complete.

Since I don't have a picture of my knitting to show you, I'll just show you a very cute picture of Zoe when she was a kitten. I had this basket out on the floor, and she crawled in it and fell asleep. She looked so cute I had to run and grab the camera.

The Mail Man Cometh

And he brought me this....

Isn't it pretty! It's so pretty it gets a frame! That is twenty balls of Dale of Norway Kolibri. It's 100% Merconized Egyptian Cotton DK weight yummy yum yum yarn! I love the way it feels, and I can tell that it is going to be a pleasure to knit with. Do you have any idea how hard it is going to be to not start a project with this stuff right now!? I'm going to have to lock it up somewhere until after I get my Christmas knitting done! Must stay focused....

Work work work

All work and no knitting make Stacie an unhappy girl. I have been working so hard lately I can barely stay awake when I get home. That's why you haven't heard from me in a couple of days. I've just been too tired to blog.

My grandmother liked her scarf so much she bought some more yarn for another one. This one is going to be her Christmas scarf. If you mouse over the image you can get a close up of what this yarn looks like.

It's pretty neat stuff don't ya think? Hot Stuff yarn for a Hot Stuff Grandma! I was considering doing a yarn over pattern, but I decided against it. Honestly you don't need to do anything special with this yarn, and it still looks great. Sometimes life just calls for some good old mindless knitting. I plan on casting 20 stitches on size 9 needles just like the last yarn. It was the same type as this, but it didn't have the little sparkly bits.

Yarn Glorious Yarn!

Did I mention that I have yarn on the brain?? I'm not sure. I can't quite remember cause I have yarn on the brain. Did I mention yarn? Ok ok I'll stop. Haha! Well I did not resist temptation. Not in the slightest little bit. Do I feel guilty? Nope! I bet you want to know what I bought. All will be revealed with the arrival of the post man. A girls gotta have some blog material you know. I will say that I am very proud of my bargain finding skills.

My husband has recently justified another yarn shopping expedition. He wants me to make him the Basket Weave Pullover from the Fall 2004 Interweave Knits.

It is made with Patons Classic Wool which is pretty inexpensive. He's not too keen on the idea of handwashing it however. Actually he kinda groaned when I said it. He's just not a hand washing kind of guy.  I'm not really an hand washing kind of girl either. I'm currently looking for acceptable substitutes, and I'm seriously considering using Patons Canadiana. It is the same weight as the Classic, it is machine washable, and it comes in great colors. I have no problem at all using acrylic yarn. Especially if it is a good quality acrylic. I would love to hear any feedback you have on this yarn.

Friday

Man oh man did my grandma get alot of compliments on the last post. Thanks from both of us! We're gonna have a hard time getting her head through the door. I thought about having a "Guess Her Age" contest, but she would kill me DEAD. Haha!

I have this urge coming over me. I am trying to fight it but it is so hard. Every time I look at my computer I think, "There is yarn in there!" Yarn glorious yarn all over the internet just waiting for me to buy buy buy! So I say I'll just search a little. You know, just shop around some. I'm just looking right? It can't hurt to look right??? My poor husband just shakes his head as I blather on about this deal and that deal. He truely could care less. His main comment on the situation, "You are completely addicted to yarn!" They say the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. Nah!! In other news, I finished Ribby. I just have to sew up the shoulders. I'm too tired to bother with that right now.

The Spice Scarf

As promised here is a picture of my grandma showing off her new scarf. You can click on the image for a larger view. Don't adjust your set folks. You are seeing right. That is my grandma. And before you ask, noooo I'm not ten years old. She's a hotty don't you think?? I'm just hope and pray that I have a large portion of her genes.

Moving Right Along

I actually got some work done on Ribby today. Are you amazed? I am! So far I have completed the back and the right front. All I have to do after that is the left side of the front and the seaming. I should have it done tomorrow. I'm going to be giving it to my mom next month, so I'll be able to post pictures of it then.

After Ribby I am going to finish that Fair Isle Bag. I can't believe how long it has taken me to finish these projects. Unfortunately, I don't get but about an hour or so a day to knit because of all the other stuff I have going on in my life. Some days I'm lucky to get in an hour. Today I was off, and I didn't clean my house so that I could get some knitting done. I can actually be productive when I put my mind to it. On top of all the work I did on Ribby, I made two swatches for future projects.

Something seems to be wrong with the links to Groovy Crochet. As some of you may know, the pages are accessed through an internet archive site. The actual Groovy Crochet site has been closed down for quite some time. Maybe there is something going on with this archive site. I have no clue. I'm going to leave the links up anyway, because it may be right back to normal soon.

Finished

I finished the Spice scarf during my knitting group on Saturday. The scarf itself is 5ft long, and I put 6 inch long fringes on it. I think it is a good length for a dressy scarf, since it isn't necessary to wrap it more than once. It isn't going to be used for warmth, not where we live. Now if the hussy will hurry up and come home, I'll be posting pictures soon. (Hi Grandmommy, yes I just called you a hussy now come home and get your scarf! Heehee!)

After I finished the scarf I worked on the Fair Isle Bag for the rest of the time. I wanted to work on Ribby, but I left one of my needles at home. I wasn't complaining. I really enjoy working on it. Noone can believe that I am planning on giving it away, but I don't mind not keeping it. This is one of those projects that I really wanted to make, but I knew I would never actually use it. I know for a fact that the recipient will use it, and I know she will be very appreciative. I'll just make sure to take some good pictures of it.

Thread Bears

Andrea wrote:

It sounds like you had a blast. We have wanted to go there for years...now I definately want to go to Epcot! Off the topic... Do you know anywhere I can get a free pattern for crocheting a thread teddybear? I know they sell patterns on E-bay. Or does anyone have a Sept 2003 Crochet! they could share with me. That had a pattern for a thread bear scarf clip. I have been trying to get a back copy to no avail. Thanks



Hi there Andrea,

It isn't off topic to talk about crochet patterns. I crochet, make jewelry, paint, spin, etc. Feel free to talk or ask about any craft you want to here. I did a google search for Thread Teddy Bear Patterns, but I had a hard time finding free patterns. I did find a website where you can join a Bear of the Month Club, sign up for a free Thread Bear pattern, and also buy Thread Bear patterns and kits. I have never bought anything from them, so I can't vouch for them at all. Click Here to check them out.

You can't really "share" magazines (as in making copies) due to copyright laws, but if I run across anyone that has one for sale, donation, trade, etc. I will definitely let ya know :) Pleaaaaaaaaaaase take no offense. I'm not saying that is what you want to do, I just thought I should throw that out there before someone else did. It tends to be a touchy subject.

I hope that this helps you out a little. I'm sorry I didn't find that much. I guess the Google Gods weren't smiling upon me tonight. Haha! As for Epcot, you really ought to go. I truely did have an absolute blast, and I'd go every single week if could.

Take Care and Happy Crafting!
Stacie

 
I haven't posted pictures in a while, so I thought I would show you one of my babies.
If you look close, you can see that she has one blue eye and one yellow eye.

Fun fun fun!

I had a blast on Tuesday. Rob, The Spice Scarf, and I all went to Epcot and Disney together! I did some major KIPing (for those of you that might not know that is Knitting in Public). I knit in France, China, Japan, Morroco, and Italy. I'm an international knitter now! I never got bored waiting in the lines. I did get a few strange looks, but I'm used to that! Haha!

I want to tell you. I absolutely loved Epcot! The food is incredible and the shops are wonderful. We had lunch in China and desert in a pastry shop in France. After desert in France we decided that we needed more desert! We went over to Italy and bought a funnel cake. Can you believe that Rob had never eaten one before?? I was shocked. I wanted to eat something in every country, but I don't know if my stomach could hold it all!

In France we went into one of the perfume shops. They had the most amazing smelling perfumes. My absolute favorite is called L'instant Guerlain. I sprayed some on my wrists at about 2:30pm and I could still smell it after my shower at 11:30pm. In Morocco one of the shop attendants had us sample some Rose Water and Orange Blossom Water. They smelled so good! She told us that in Morocco they greet their guests by pouring Rose Water or Orange Blossom Water onto their hands. I would love to be greeted that way. Wouldn't you? I bought both from the shop, but they met an awful fate. Rob accidentally left my bag on the monorail and someone snatched it right up. Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!! Can you believe my luck? We told the people at the monorail right after it happened, and they checked for it on the next stop. Someone had already taken it.

I pouted for a few minutes and then we went over to Disney World. You can't stay pouty for long when you are in Disney World. We had a excellent time riding the rides like two little kids. We even went on the Buzz Lightyear ride. It is such a cute ride. It's like one big video game where you shoot at targets and acquire points. I would like to let you all know that I whooped Rob's butt! I think that ride and the teacups were my favorite rides in the Disney Park.

Quicky

Emma wrote:


Hello- first time here. I can't stand it, what is "Ribby"? A sleeveless top of some kind? I'm always looking for those. I live in hot steamy FL and am always looking for sleeveless knits. Yes, we've been running from hurricaines all summer too.



Hi Emma,

Yes Ribby is a sleevless top. I bought and downloaded the pattern from Chicknits. They have several patterns to buy, and they also have some free patterns as well. For more summer tops you can also click on "Free Summer Tops Links" over there on the left. I hope this helps :)

Also, Holly posted some links for Easy Lace Capelet and Easy Poofy Capelet. Thanks Holly! You rock!!

Simple Scarf??

This was supposed to be a simple scarf right? Well what was I thinking. Nothing I do can ever be so simple. I started out by casting on 20 stitches on size 9 needles. I got about 9 inches into the scarf, set my knitting down, dropped a stitch or two or three, and then couldn't find them to pick them up! This yarn is really neat but it is really hard to find dropped stitches. I don't recommend it for beginners.

I cast on 20 stitches again and start knitting. After about six inches I realize that I am totally not liking the color pattern the yarn is making. Guess what I did. Yep, I ripped it out. This time I decide that I was only going to cast on 15 stitches. Well that took care of the color pattern, and I thought that I would like the new width.

Wrong! After knitting about 2 feet of this scarf I decided that it was way too skinny. I definitely liked the width of 20 stitches compared to 15, so I ripped again. This is a simple scarf right?? At this point I decided to cast on 20 stitches but start at a different color point in the yarn. This fixed my color pattern problem, and I have now completed 30 inches.

What a simple little project. Hahaha! That's ok though. My grandmother had to go out of town, so I have time to keep making all of these mistakes. However, I truely hope I won't make another.

I've been a baaaaaaad girl!

You remember how I said that I would only work on Ribby until it was finished. Welllllllllllllllllllllll, I got a little side tracked. I'm sick I tell ya! Sick! It is for a good cause though. I promise. My grandma has done so much for me and I wanted to do something for her. She's been wanting a fancy scarf to wear when she goes out, so I decided to make her one before she heads down to Key West.  My husband and I went to the LYS and he helped me pick out one of those pretty novelty yarns. We decided on a yarn called Spice. It's 100% Nylon, made in Italy, and distributed by Knitting Fever.  I'll post pictures right after I give it to her. I should be finished with it tomorrow.

Yikes!!

I have been working a lot the last couple of days, so I haven't been able to do much knitting/crocheting. I really need to get on the ball. Do you think they would mind at work if I asked for a month or so off to make Christmas presents? Naaaaaaaah! Of course they wouldn't mind. I am off tomorrow and I plan to finish Ribby if it kills me. Then I will work on the Fair Isle Bag. Once I have finished the Fair Isle Bag, I will work on Eeyore. I haven't decided what project is coming after that. It will more than likely be my sister's hat and scarf. I don't know how I am going to finish all of this in time for Christmas. Heeeeeeeeeelp!!

I Need Your Advice

I need your advice on Ribby. Until I make this decision I am stuck. I completed the armhole shaping and I ran into a dilemma. My mom requested that I make her top in medium. I am worried that if I use the length the pattern calls for on the medium size that the armholes will be too large. She has a short torso like I do. We are only 5'2". I was thinking that I would use the medium width and the small length. So what do you think? Mom you are probably reading this. What do you think? My gut says to go with the smaller length, but I would still like to hear your oppions.

New Image Host

You will notice that some of my pictures are reappearing now. That is because I am trying a new image host. I have never heard of ImageShack.us before, so I'm not going to upload every single one of my pictures. I am just going to try a little at a time. Thanks so much for your patience.

Getting It Done

Well we survived yet another hurricane. That makes number 4 for Florida. I just can't get over it. I move to Florida, and they end up having a record making hurricane season. I can't remember ever wanting winter to come as bad as I do now. My nerves are completely frazzeled. At least I have my knitting to keep me calm, and I am really moving along on Ribby.

I have been keeping my promise to work on Ribby faithfully until it is done, but working on one project without touching another is really hard for me. I don't know what my problem is. I'm seriously wondering if I have ADD or something! My mind just keeps wondering while I'm working on Ribby, and I keep thinking of other projects that I could start/work on. 

I am now to the part of Ribby where you stop working in the round and knit the back and front seperately. I am almost done with the back and will be starting the front soon. I would really like to show you a picture, but my mom (Hi Mom!) reads my blog everyday, and it is her Christmas present. I will post pictures of it as soon as I give it to her. Heck, my image hosting isn't even working, so I couldn't post a picture of it anyways. Grrr! I really need to consider some different hosting options.

Late Night Bloggin'

It is 1:24am and I just got back from hanging with my knitting buddies :) Rhonda's hubby went out of town, so she decided to host a PJ party at her house tonight. Unfortunately, I have to work in the morning, so I couldn't sleep over. Janette made lasagna, avacado, and spinach pie. It was sooooooooo delicious. Nancy brought some no bake cookies that you make with oatmeal, peanut butter, and chocolate I believe. Yum! We all just sat out on Rhonda's back porch laughing, eating, chatting, and doing very little knitting! It was so nice to have a night out with the girls. Nancy surprised me with felting needles. She had ordered some for her and her sons and they decided to share with me. They are too sweet! I'll take pictures and go into more detail on that later. I'm too tired right now.

I hope that I will have power after tomorrow night. It looks like Jean is about to pay us a little visit. Have you watched the tracking of that hurricane? It is unreal. It was headed out to the Atlantic and then she thought, "Hey I forgot to go and kick the crap out of Florida! Everybody else is doing it!" and she turned around. Well thank you Jean! Thanks so much for not neglecting us Floridians. Click Here and you can see the crazy path for yourself....

See what I mean! It is unreal. We really thought we had nothing to worry about with Jean and now we are right in the path. As a matter of fact, I am more in the path of this one than any of the others. We may get a good whoopin' this time. Can you believe that I just took the darn tape off the windows about two days ago?? Well it's bedtime for me. Hopefully Jean will be kind and I won't be without internet for too long. I'll keep you posted. Goodnight :)

PS.

You may have noticed that I cleaned up my project list on the side. I have decided that I need to stop messing around and start getting stuff done. I have taken way to long on them. I am now just going to focus completely on finishing the Fair Isle Bag and Ribby Shell. I'm not even going to look at another project until their done. I need to get on the ball!

Fiber In

I figured out my camera issues so now I can tell you about my weekend. I had a wonderful time. It was great to see that there were so many Fiber Lovers in Florida. I had a hard time dragging myself out of bed that morning, so I missed some of the demos. Thankfully I managed to make it there in time to catch the Spindle Spinning Demo. The demonstrator was selling spindle kits for $3.00. This is what you get.

What a wonderful deal.  The fiber spun easily, the spindle was very well balanced, and the pamphlets where very informative. After Gina showed us how to use the spindle, she taught us how to Andean Ply. It is incredibly easy. The link that I just gave explains it very well.

After the demonstration I bought some fiber from a nice lady that gave me and Nancy a demonstration in Needle Felting.




She makes the most adorable sheep! That snowman was pretty darned cute too.




Now I have to try this! Like I really need a new hobby! I can totally justify this new hobby however. It is a way to use up the bits of fiber that gets torn away while spinning. So there! After that Clarice brought out a little friend of hers that I was quite anxious to meet.




If that face doesn't melt you, then something is seriously wrong! Didn't she pose so pretty for the camara! When I was a kid I always had pet rabbits, but I have never owned an Angora. As soon as Rob and I get out of this apartment and into a house, I plan to get one or two. You get a wonderful pet, and you get the added benefit of their wonderful fiber to spin. Getting to pet this cutey patootey was worth the two hour drive I tell ya!

As you can see I had a great time at the Fiber In, and I can't wait to do it again next year. Honestly, I wish we could do it a lot sooner.

Eeyore

Jenn wrote:

OMG! I LOVE Eeyore! Where did you find that book? I have been looking for some patterns of like eeyore afghans or something. If you could let me know where I could find the book, if possible, that would be so totally great and I'd love you forever. LoL, yes I'm a freak over eeyore! Haha, but I cant wait to see how it looks, I know it'll look great! As soon as I saw the picture of the ear, I was like eeyore's ear! haha anyways, I'll stop being stupid now and go :) see ya



Jenn,

Above is a picture of the cover of the pattern book that I am using. If you click on the picture it will take you to Herrschners.com where you can buy it for 11.95. (no affiliation just the first link I saw when I googled) I got my book about two years ago from Michaels, and I'm pretty sure that they still carry it. You can also click here to go the the Leisure Arts web site where I found a list of the different books they carry with Winnie the Pooh characters. There are books for knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, and more. Have fun!

Stacie :)

Latest Crochet Project

What is that?? You mean you don't know?? Haha! It's an ear! No I didn't cut it off of some poor defenseless crocheted creature. I just crocheted it last night, and one day it will belong to Eeyore. He will be 18" tall sitting up. The pattern is from the Leisure Arts book Pooh and Friends, and it will be a Christmas gift for my nephew Devin. Last year I made him Tigger. The picture of this ear does not really do it justice. Even with the flash turned off the color looks really washed out. I will try taking future pictures in sunlight to see if that will help show the true color of the yarn. I am using acrylic for this project because it is durable and easily washed.

Tomorrow I am going to St. Augustine for a Fiber-In. I'm so excited. It isn't going to be a huge event, but it will still be fun! This is the first year, and I hope that it won't be the last. One of the gals from my knitting group is going to be vending and she will also do a demo on Rainbow Dying. I wish my camera battery didn't stink so that I can take a bunch of pictures. I'm going to charge it overnight anyway and hopefully I'll be able to snap a couple. I'm so excited that I can't sleep!


I should be exhausted right about now. I have been suffering with an abscessed tooth all day. Luckily I was able to be seen by a dentist. That is no easy feat on a Friday. He wasn't even open, but said he would see me anyway. He prescribed me some Amoxicillin to clear up the infection. I expected him to charge me an arm and a leg for the impromptu emergency visit (especially since I was a new client), but he only charged me 45. I was shocked. Yes folks there are still nice people out there.

Too Cool

When I decided to put together a list of poncho patterns I thought that a few people would be interested. I had no clue I would end up getting over 1,000 hits a day! I also have about 70 people who are on my update notification list, and people are actually linking to my blog. Bev from Bev's Country Cottage put a link to me on her website. Thanks Bev :) I got so excited when I saw that. Nancy, one of the gals in my knitting group, went to Georgia during hurricane Frances and shopped at a place called Cast On Cottage in Roswell. She gave me a little flyer that they were passing out when you made a purchase. It is a link to my blog!! How cool is that. She said she started jumping up and down when she saw it! To top it all off I found out that Amy Singer the editor of Knitty put a link to my blog in an entry she wrote for the Interweave's Webwatch Blog!! Thanks Amy!! That was just too cool! I guess my poncho list was a good idea after all! Now hopefully I won't bore the people to tears that happen to read my entries. If I do, just sneak on past them to the Poncho List! Haha!

I'm Baaaaaaaack

Yahoooooo! My internet connection is finally back. It took me a while to get all caught up on everything after a week with no internet, but I'm back up and running now. Thank you so much for all of the prayers and well wishes. That had to be the longest hurricane ever! The police had us all get in our homes by 12pm on Saturday, and Frances just stalked us right off of the coast until Sunday. She then kept us all under seige until Monday. We were very lucky and did not have any damage to our home. We did have a bit of excitement though.

As you know we decided that it was safer to stay at home instead of fighting the traffic as thousands of people evacuated. I was getting slightly calm about it until the paramedics came through our neighborhood. They had their sirens blaring and were shouting over their loudspeaker, "YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE ZONE!! YOU ARE IN A FLOOD PRONE ZONE!! YOU ARE ADVISED TO EVACUATE TO A SHELTER!!" It was unreal. I felt like I was in one of those disaster movies. I had the inevitable panic attack until Rob convinced me that the water wasn't going to rise all the way up to our second story apartment. That calmed me down and we decided to stay.

After that we were sitting in our apartment having some lunch when we started smelling smoke. We ran around trying to find the source of it, but we couldn't find anything. That is when we realized that it was coming in from the vents, and it was getting stronger. Rob started gather up our important papers and belongings, and I dialed 911. I ran out the door to try and find out which apartment was on fire. Now keep in mind I was barefoot, in shorts and a tank, and running through a full blown hurricane. I'm trying to talk to the dispatcher while I'm getting blown every which way and fully drenched.

About that time two police officers were patrolling my area and spotted this crazy lady running around half dressed in the middle of the storm. They figured something was wrong. Haha! Well I took them up into the apartment and they confirmed to dispatch that there was smoke coming through the vents. They then began checking all of the apartments in our building. Rob and I were getting our stuff ready to go out the door when we heard the officer call up the stairs. "We found the problem you guys. You don't have to leave." He explained to us that one of our neighbors decided to heat up their food by burning paper in a metal trash can INSIDE THEIR APARTMENT!! People are just brilliant I tell ya.

On the bright side of the incident I got to be on the radio! The station we were listening to was asking for people to call in with their Hunkering Down stories, so I decided to share mine. They started cracking up and called it the Mike Tyson Grill. They got such a kick out of the story that they mentioned it a few more times during their show. My grandma even said she heard a different station warn people to not burn paper in trash cans to heat up meals. Too funny!

Well that is my crazy hurricane tale! I did manage to get some knitting done believe it or not, but I didn't work on my Christmas presents. Instead, I knit up three 9x9 squares that will be collected and knit into an afghan for a woman who lost her husband in Iraq. If you would like information on how to participate, contact me.

Things are about back to normal now. We thought we were going to get Ivan, but it looks like the poor people in the Panhandle are going to get it instead. My prayers are with them and the people Ivan has already left in his wake.

Still No Internet Access

Unfortunately Frances did a number on the cable in my area. I am still without internet access, but I consider myself lucky. Thousands of people are still without power. I can live without the internet for a little while! Can't I??? I don't know! Haha! I think I'm going through withdrawls. I am at my grandmother's house using her computer to post this and check my email. I have lots to share, but I am still on limited time and I can't upload my any pictures from my camara. I figured that you all would understand :) I promise a nice long entry with lots of pictures as soon as I have internet again! Take care everyone! I miss you!!

We Survived!

I am on a borrowed computer with limited battery charge, so I'll have to make this really quick. We survived Frances. At present we don't have phone or power, but our water is not contaminated. That was honestly my greatest concern. It looks like Ivan is on his way now. Yahooooo!! I have lots to tell you, but as I said my time is limited. Thanks again for all of the well wishes and prayer. They were greatly appreciated. Take Care Everyone!!!

Hurricane Posts

Correction!

I stand corrected. Frances isn't quite here yet. She seems to be hanging out right off the coast. Click here to check the latest satelite image. I think they said that the eye is right over the Bahamas, but we are starting to feel the effects of her. I lost my cool for a minute when a paramedic truck drove through our complex saying over the loud speaker,"You are in a flood prone zone. You are advised to evacuate to a shelter." Now I have been watching the news religiously. Why are they just now saying we are advised to evacuate?? My husband says we'll be fine since we are on the second floor. More later...

She's Heeeeeeere

Hurricane Frances is making land fall soon, so I don't know how much longer I'll have power. As you have probably seen on the news, she has weakened. Who says prayer and postive thinking doesn't work! I really appreciate the support you all have given :) You are great! I'm not really scared anymore. Now I'm just wondering if I'll be without power for a long time. I think that my complex is on the same grid as the hospital so we may be up and running pretty quickly after all is said and done. We shall see. I will let everyone know how we faired as soon as this is all over. Thanks again!

Prepared


As you can see we are prepared for the hurricane. My husband got a little artistic with the window taping! Haha!

Zoe is obviously not worried about a thing...

This is what's coming right at us!

We Can't Leave!!!!

Thank you so much for all of the well wishes, prayers, and finger crossing. I really really appreciate it. I think we may need them now more than ever. It appears that we waited too long to evacuate and the roads are like parking lots. There is only one way out of this state and thousands are trying to leave. The authorities are saying it will take 3 to 4 times longer to reach any destination. If we left now, we could be stuck on the road when the storm hits. I would rather take my chances inside my house. Fortunately, we aren't in the mandatory evacuation zones. Unfortunately, we are still in the path of the hurricane. My greatest fear are the tornados that the hurricane spawns. I won't be sleeping Saturday night I can tell you that much for sure. Hopefully, I won't be too nervous to knit.  I'll keep everyone posted as long as we have power! Thanks again so very much! You guys rock!!

Evacuating

It looks like my home is in the direct path of hurrican Frances which is now a category 4. My husband and I are packing up our two cats and getting the heck out of town! God only knows if we will even have anything to come home to. I am already packing my best yarn in a big bag that is coming with me! The rest is going to go in trash bags and I'll just hope for the best. This is going to be my last post until it all blows over. Wish us luck and if you pray send some prayers our way! They'll be very much appreciated! If you don't, then please cross all your fingers and toes!! Haha!

Image Hosting Downb

My image hosting is down yet again. However, I can't really complain since it is a free service. I am now considering moving shop and getting my own domain name. I have been doing some shopping and found webhosting for about 9 bucks a month. That isn't horrible when you consider that just some image hosting sites charge that much to store pictures. I will keep everyone posted on this decision, and I'll make sure that the transition is as painless as possible.

Yarn Sale

It kills  me it just kills me! You have to work to be able to buy yarn, but you don't have time to buy the yarn cause you have to work! I went to the "crack of dawn wear your jammies" yarn sale, but I didn't buy very much. The place was packed, and the line was long and slow moving. I had very limited shopping time because I had to make sure I got through the line in time to make it to work. I still had a great time, and I got my name entered in a raffle to win a $100 gift certificate. I think that if I had won I would have heard from them by now though. So what did I buy? I bought two balls of Sockotta which is 45% cotton, 40% Superwash Wool, and 15% Nylon. The colors are beautiful! One ball is shades of brown and cream and the other is shades of blue and white. I also got the new Interweave Knits Crochet Issue. I am really happy with the patterns in this magazine (more on that later). I wish that I could have bought more. In fact I almost called in sick so I could shop! I just grabbed the prettiest sock yarn I could find. I figure you can never go wrong with sock yarn! My grand total was about 20 bucks. You can't beat that! I'm sure that she'll have another sale. Next time I'll go the day before to decide what I want to jump on, so I won't have to worry about time. 

Gettin Paid to Knit

You can't beat getting paid to knit! Yesterday I got to sit at a table and knit for three hours on the clock. I answered questions about my classes, and I helped some people with their Knitting and Crocheting problems. It amazes me that someone would actually come to me for help! I have a lot of experience crocheting, but as some of you know I've only been knitting for about four years. Sure I know enough about knitting to teach a beginner's class, but how much do I really know about knitting? This leads me to consider the TKGA's Master Knitter program. I figure it would be a good way for me to find out what I know and do not know. It would definitely be a challenge.

Ever since I taught myself to knit I have tried very hard to challenge myself every chance I get. My first project was a baby sweater and my second was a pair of socks for my hubby. Whenever I pick something to knit I try not to think, "Can I do this? Is this a good project for a beginner?" I just arm myself with good books and google, and I go to town. Does my project come out perfect? Well I really wish I could say yes, but that would be a big ole lie! So far, (knock on wood) I haven't  had any irreparable disasters, but I have had some screw ups. The beautiful thing about knitting is that all you have to do is rip back and start over. It is all a learning experience, and I still have so much to learn.

The wonderful thing about keeping this blog, is that I can document my learning experiences. When I find a good site that helped me figure out a problem, I can share it with you. When I make a mistake, I can share that also. Sometimes I'm embarrassed to admit my mistakes, but hey maybe someone (besides me) could learn from it. It's also nice to get a "Hey it's ok I've done that too. Hang in there" from some really nice people :) Remember the chart reading incident? That was too funny. I almost didn't post that booboo.

Well, I better hit the sack. My LYS is having a crazy "get up at the crack of dawn wear your pj's and come shop" sale and I have to get up at, well the crack of dawn. Details later :)

Cheap Yarn Yay!

I left work today with two bags stuffed with yarn. How much did I pay? I paid a huge whopping 15 bucks! Oh yeah baby! We just got in a bunch of new yarn, so we have a lot on clearance. I bought some Lion Brand Cotton Ease for $2 dollars a skein and some Bernat So Soft for $1 a skein. Don't you just love deals like that!

The Bernat is for my sister's Christmas present. I am pretty sure that it is safe to say what I am making her on here. I'm pretty sure she doesn't read my blog. My sister loves anything with cherries. Her kitchen is decorated in cherries. I gave her a cherry purse last year and she just took a fit over it. I have decide to design a hat and scarf that have cherries on them. I guess you would call the style of the hat a cap. The brim isn't going to fold or roll up. I think I will do a couple rows of seed stitch so that it won't roll up. I drew it in photoshop. Please excuse the amateur drawing.

Well, you get the general idea anyway. The scarf will be Stockinette knit in a tube and will have the same two cherries on each end. I think she will love it. I chose acrylic yarn for her, because she is a very busy mom. She doesn't have time to worry about hand washing or dry cleaning anything. She needs something that you can toss in the washer and dryer. 

I am going to start this hat after I finish the long awaited Fair Isle Bag and Ribby. I wish that I had time to knit more. I need a nice desk job with a boss who appreciates some good ole multitasking ie. knitting and working! Haha! A girl can dream can't she??

Knitting with Beads Anyone??

I want to try Knitting with beads! I love love love the little amulet bags. The are so pretty and delicate. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any size 0000 needles in any of the craft stores or LYS's in my area. Then I found out that my friend Rhonda makes up these adorable bag kits with a booklet that explains everything you need to know! She has to be one of the craftiest people I know. Here are some pictures of her kits. You can click on each image for a larger view.

 



Aren't they great! The needles are so pretty. She puts the pretty beads (that have a fancy sounding name I can't for the life of me remember) on the end herself. My pair have butterflies on them, too cute! She makes some other cool gadgets that I plain to make a part of my stash really soon. I'll show them to you later. For more information you can email Rhonda by Clicking Here.

I also hunted down some information on Crocheting with beads. I knew that there would be people reading this that might not knit, and I wanted to provide information for them too. Beadcrochet.com has animated lessons for righties and lefties.

I'm still waiting for my Adrienne Vittadini Spring 2004 pattern book to get here. I ordered it weeks ago and was told it was on back order. Aaaaaaaaaaaargh! I'm so impatient. I know I won't get to knit anything from it for a while, but I want it! I also want the Fall 2004 book. Bonnie from Chicknits scooped one up at her LYS. I wonder if mine has it?

Took A Break

I took a break from the pc for a couple of days. I didn't want to go blind from looking at the screen too much. Friday I took my Grandma to my knitting group meeting. I wanted her to meet my new knitting friends. I thought that she might find it interesting. I don't know if we converted her or not but she did enjoy watching us knit.

I brought my spindle with my 1 ply to show Janette. She said that for a first attempt it was a really good job. She helped me predraft the pink Romney roving, and I spun a little under her supervision. I think that I'm starting to get the hang of it, but I still have a long way to go before I start spinning anything decent. Per Jeanettes advice, I'll be spinning about 20 minutes everyday for practice. I wish that I had a spinning wheel. I'm sure that would be a lot easier than a spindle.

The craft store I work at just got in a bunch of novelty yarn, and my boss wants me to knit up some scarves for a display. I told him that I wouldn't mind, but I would have to do them at work. I have way too much knitting to do at home. Did you know that Lion Brand makes a ribbon? It is called Incredible, and it is really pretty. I will definately be making a scarf with that yarn. That way I can also see what kind of gauge I get with it. I have a few patterns I want to knit that call for ribbon. Getting a discount on yarn almost makes up for that mean old man that called me a B*#%  today. You just gotta love that.

I'm Finished!!

Can you believe I finished that scarf and shawl list?? I sure can't. I had to organize, alphabetize, and write out the code for the page. I'm not going to admit how many hours this all took! You might think I don't have a life! Haha! The final link count turned out to be 139. I ended up cutting out a few patterns due to issues with the site they were posted on. Needless to say, I haven't done any knitting today. I really need to get that Fair Isle Bag Finished. It has been whimpering in the darkness of my knitting bag. "Please pick me up! I'm lonely!" There just isn't time is there? Sometimes I wish that there were two of me, but then we would probably fight over who gets to knit the bag anyways. Well, it's time for me to get off of this computer. I can't look at this screen a minute longer. Ok, I'm really getting off of this computer now. Have a great day!

Holy Cow!!

There are soooooooooooo many scarf and shawl patterns on the internet. Can you believe that I have found 145 so far, and I am actually leaving a bunch out! I could stop there, but I think I'll look a little bit more for the heck of it. I'm shooting for 150. Think I'll get there? For now, I'm dragging my tired butt to bed! Goodnight :)

Look What I Can Do!

I can spin! Woohooo! I learned how today during my first Spinning Guild meeting. We made our own spindles out of CD's and wooden dowels, and then we got our first lesson in spindle spinning. It was honestly and incredible experience. Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated with the process of creating fabric from wool, cotton, and other fibers, and now I have actually participated in it. When I learned how to crochet at five I was amazed with what you could create with a just a hook and yarn. When I knit my first socks, I just couldn't believe that two sticks and yarn made them! Now I can even make the yarn! I may not be good at it yet, but by golly I can do it. I still have this great pink roving that Janette gave me, but I want to practice a bit more before I attempt to spin it. It is so pretty, and I don't want to ruin it.

If you would like to make your own CD spindle Click Here. It was really easy to make, and Rhonda said that it spins just as good as her other spindles. She has to be the craftiest woman ever, so I believe her! There are many resources for spinning on the internet, so I'll post a few links for those of you interested in learning to spin. Enjoy!

I Can Spin
The Joy Of Handspinning
The Bellwether
Spin Off

I'm Still Here!

I haven't abandoned the blog. I promise.  You see, Hurricane Charlie has this real problem. He just has to be the center of attention! I really think that he should have been hugged more as a child. Maybe he needs some therapy??

I took my Ribby Shell over to the next door neighbors for some good ole hurricane party knitting. Not having to read a chart or a pattern was especially helpful once the power went out. I highly recommend this pattern for some seriously easy and relaxing knitting. I did put Ribby down long enough to teach my next door neighbor Kim how to knit. I have a ton of extra needles and a stash of kitchen cotton that I may never see the bottom of, so I got her started on an easy dishcloth. She was a very fast learner.

I would really like to show progress pictures of Ribby, but it is for my mom who is a daily reader of my blog. Hi Mom! She knows she is getting a tank, but hasn't seen the pattern picture or the yarn. That is the one drawback of Christmas knitting and blogging. Maybe I should just figure out how to block my family from my blog! Hahaa! Just kidding Mom!! Maybe.......(insert evil laugh here)

Wowsa!

I have had some time on my hands today, so I've been searching for scarves and shawls. Can I just say Holy Crap!! There are a lot of shawl and scarf patterns out there! You are going to have to be patient with me on this one. Right now I'm in the bookmarking stage. It's going to be some work getting the links alphabatized and coded. I will probably seperate the crochet patterns from the knitting ones since there are so many.

Poll Results

Thanks to everyone that participated in my poll. I'm going to get started looking for scarf and shawl patterns in my free time. I'm only going to put links for interesting/unique scarf patterns, because there are A LOT out there. I hope everyone has a great day. I have to go to work now, yuck!

Update

I have another update on my brother. It's very frustrating that we get only bits and pieces of information and half of it is wrong. First we hear he is shot, and then we hear he wasn't shot and it was shrapnel. Now the latest news is that he was shot. Did you ever play the game Telephone when you were a kid? You all sit in a circle and the first person whispers a sentence in the second person's ear. The second person whispers what they heard into the third person's etc etc... The last person says outloud what they think the sentence is, and it is almost always way off. This has been like one big freaking game of Telephone. This is the actual story.

Last Wednesday night Chris was in a convoy that was attacked. The militants were on the side of the road with a rocket propelled grenade waiting for them to pass. Once they shot that they started small arms fire that killed one and wounded five. Chris was one of the wounded. He was in the passengers seat, and the bullet went through the door through his right leg and shattered in his left thigh. The person driving was much more injured, so Chris took over driving until they were out of danger. My brother Nick was able to go to the hospital and will be there until Chris gets sent home. I am so thankful for my brother Nick's unit who never even hesitated about getting him to Chris' side.

This information came straight from Nick's wife so it should be acuarate. Thanks again for all of the well wishes and prayers. Please continue to send happy thoughts and prayers for both of my brothers. Nick is still in the mess, and Chris has a long recovery ahead of him.

Ok you need a smile after reading all of that. Click Here

Bad News Today

I had a bad feeling this morning, so I decided to read the online news on Iraq. Some of you may know that both of my brothers are over there. I read that a helicopter had been shot down, and my stomach twisted. My brother Nick works on Black Hawks and has to fly along with the crew. I got on AOL instant messenger to see I could get in touch with my sister-in-law. I had to make sure Nick was ok and my bad feeling was wrong. She says, "Oh yeah Nick is fine. I just talked to him a little while ago."  Whew! We continued to chat and all the sudden I get this message,

"CHRIS HAS BEEN SHOT!"

She was on the phone with my mother who was asking her to call the Red Cross. I called my mom to try to get more information, but she didn't have much information to give. All we know is that his convoy came under attack, he was shot three times in his legs, and his friend was killed. Despite his wounds and profuse bleeding, he kept driving his truck until he got them all to safety. My brother is a hero.  There isn't a whole lot of information available on the attack, but you can read an article by clicking here. 

The phone call to the Red Cross was a success. My brother Nick is at the hospital with Chris as we speak. They are about to operate, and hopefully we will learn more soon. Not knowing is freaking killing me! My mom is a wreak, my dad is a wreck, and all of us kids are a wreck! At least Chris is alive and will be leaving the war. But what about Nick? What's going to happen to him?

A Button!

Donna from Yarn Tomato made me a button, and I absolutely love it! It's on the left side of the page near the bottom. If you haven't visited Donna's site before, you ought to check it out. She makes the cutest buttons ever. She is also the owner of the Crochet Blogs ring which I plan to join. I'll make an effort to crochet enough to meet the qualifications :) Right click on the button to save it to your computer, and then upload it to your image host. If you don't have image hosting you can go to Photobucket. That is who I use, and it is free. Thanks again Donna! You Rock!

Yep, I crochet

I promised progress pictures today, but I decided not to show a project I am actually working on. Instead I decided to show a project that I have been neglecting for a very, VERY long time. This is a motif for the Summer Sunflowers Afghan that I begun, oh I don't know ummmm, SIX YEARS AGO! Why I lost interest in it I really don't know. I know that part of the reason is that I taught myself how to knit four years ago and fell deaply in love with it. I barely pick up a crochet hook anymore unless it is to teach a class at work or make Christmas presents. I always end up crocheting stuffed animals for the kids and christmas ornaments for the rest of my family. Last year I made Devin a stuffed Tigger and Ben a stuffed cow. His mommy really likes cows, and I wonder who's cow it is now. Haha! Now that I have started my Christmas projects there will be Crocheting content in my blog :) Maybe I will even pick my poor old Sunflower Afghan back up. I know she is terribly lonely.

Finally Knitting!

I actually did some knitting yesterday! It's amazing! I worked on the Fair Isle bag and started the Ribby Shell from ChicKnits. I have finally completed one side and the bottom of the bag. I am officially halfway there! I know I am really slow finishing projects, but I haven't been able to get much knitting time in lately. I'm lucky if I snag an hour a night. I'm beginning to worry about finishing Christmas presents on time. I think I will end up giving IOU's with pictures for the presents that I don't finish. They should understand. I work full time, I have no commuting time, and I can't knit at work. If you can I am soooooooooooooo jealous of you! My time for working on projects is way limited.

Wild!

The wildest thing happened to me today. My husband and I were out running around having fun, and around six or so we started heading home. As we were stopped at a stop light I noticed this old man waving at me and pointing at something. It was a little parakeet that had landed on the side mirror of his car! When it registered in my brain, I started to get out of the car to catch it. Unfortunately, the light turned green and the man started to drive off. The poor little bird did it's best to stay on the mirror, but had to fly off onto the side of the road. I started freaking out and got my husband to turn around so I could save the bird. He knew better than to argue, and he took me back to the spot that I saw the bird land. I jumped out of the car and there the little thing was! It was walking back into traffic towards the cars. Stopping traffic I slowly approached the bird so that I wouldn't scare it into the cars. I herded it away from the street and back to the grass where I quickly but gently grabbed it. It then proceeded to bite the crap out of me and continued to do so all the way back to the car. You should have seen my husband's face when I walked up to the car with the little bird in my hands! He says, "Now what the heck are we going to do?" At first I wanted to keep it but then I decided against it. I would hate to have saved this little baby's life only to have my cats knock over the cage and eat it. After a few phone calls and a bazillion bird bites, I found the birdy a home. Now I can rest easy knowing it is safe and sound.