Christmas Lace Dishcloth

Ahhhhhhhhh it's a 2 for 1 kind of day around here! Here's the companion Dishcloth to the Christmas Joy Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel that I just posted a few moments ago. Now, If Christmas isn't your thing, why not make it in another color? My youngest daughter loves browns, tans, and beige colors. I'll be making her one shortly in a chocolate brown to go with the KBB Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel set I gave her the other day. It's based on a pretty lace pattern that I found in a baby blanket pattern some years back. [ found the information! It came from Sweet Layettes to Knit by Carole Prior, specifically the Perfectly Pink sweater set] As soon as I remember the name of the book that it originated in, I'll post that name here as an update. I want to give proper credit! But, since this was for a Christmas set, I gave it my own name. Please feel free to pick your own colors and your own reasons for making this pattern. Don't feel limited by my choice of Holidays or by my choice of Lion Brand's Lion Cotton in Poppy Red. Now, all I need to do, is to make up a Tribble to go with this whole set. See? I told you they were addictive! and I've got just enough cotton left to do that. But, I wanted to get these patterns posted for you all to enjoy.

Christmas Lace Dishcloth
©Cathy Waldie, December 23, 2007

Lion Cotton, (US) 7 (4.5mm) needles
1.1 oz/32 g of cotton/ 58.8 yards/53.8 m in length to knit up.

C/O 34 sts

1-6) Knit for bottom border

Begin pattern

7) K3, *K3, K2 tog, YO * 5 times, K3, K3

8, 10) K3, P28, K3

9) K3, *K3, YO, Sl 1, K1, PSSO,* 5 times, K3, K3

11 – 50) repeat rows (7 – 10) for a total of 11 pattern repeats.

51-57) Knit for top border

58) B/O in P


Cut cotton, weave in ends, and steam block...and you're ready to pair it up for gift giving with the Christmas Joy Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel (pattern in previous post), or use it alone! (not to mention..you're now ready to do the dishes......)

Here's hoping that during these last few weeks of the year, you have the chance for a little time off with a whole lot of family and friends smothered in hugs! Hugs to you all!

Christmas Joy Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel

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The other night when I was supposed to be packing my bags to head out to Boston to spend a few days with my daughter, I ended up charting and typing out 10 different patterns. This is the one that I worked out while flying from LAX to Logan. Now that it's all finished, blocked and has a cutie little snowflake (thank you Joann's for 50% off holiday buttons the other day!) stitched on, it's ready for it's grand entrance. Granted this might be a bit late for this year's gift giving, but we'll just say that it's early for next years patterns!

Once again, I've used the 5 oz skein of Lion Brand's Lion Cotton, in Poppy Red. I think it makes a great festive holiday red color. (OOOOOOOOOOOO, I'm now thinking as I type it would be a great color for that 'February' event as well. ) OK, back to the pattern. I have paired this towel with another Dishcloth called Christmas Lace, but I'll post that pattern separately, next.

Christmas Joy Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel

©Cathy Waldie, December 23, 2007

Lion Cotton, (US) 7, (4.5mm) needles

Sl 1 = Slip 1 stitch
K = Knit
K2tog = Knit 2 stitches together
P = Purl
YO = Yarn Over
Sl 1, K1, PSSO = Slip 1 stitch, Knit 1 stitch, Pass the slipped stitch over the previously knit stitch
Kfb = knit into the front and the back of the next stitch
C/O = Cast On
* * = repeat directions between the asterisks the number of times given

C/O 58 sts.

1-6) Knit 6 rows for bottom border.

7) K3, *K4, YO, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, * 8 times, K4, end K3

8 and even rows) K3, P52, K3

9) K3, *K4, K2tog, YO, * 8 times, K4, end K3

11-18) Repeat Rows 7-10, for a total of 3 times

19) K3, *K4, YO, Sl 1 K1, PSSO* 2 times, K28, *YO, Sl 1, K1, PSSO, K4* 2 times, K3

20, 22) K3, P34, K2, P16, K3

21) K3, *K4, K2tog, YO, *2 times, K28, *K2tog, YO, K4, * 2times, K3

23) repeat row 19

24, 26) K3, P33, K4, P15, K3

25) repeat row 21

27) repeat row 19

28) K3, P32, K2, P2, K2, P14, K3

29) repeat row 21

30) K3, P31, K3, P2, K3, P13, K3

31) repeat row 19

32) K3, P24, K3, P4, K3, P2, K3, P13, K3

33) repeat row 21

34) K3, P23, K5, P3, K3, P2, K3, P13, K3

35) repeat row 19

36) K3, P22, K7, P2, K3, P2, K3, P13, K3

37) repeat row 21

38) K3, P21, K3, P3, K3, P22, K3

39) repeat row 19

40) repeat row 38

41) repeat row 21

42) repeat row 38

43) repeat row 19

44) repeat row 38

45) repeat row 21

46) K3, P15, K4, P3, K7, P23, K3

47) repeat row 19

48) K3, P14, K6, P3, K5. P24, K3

49) repeat row 21

50) K3, P13, K8, P3, K3, P25, K3

51) repeat row 19

52) K3, P13, K3, P2, K3, P31, K3

53) repeat row 21

54) repeat row 52

55) repeat row 19

56) K3, P18, K3, P31, K3

57) repeat row 21

58) repeat row 56

59) repeat row 19

60) repeat row 56

61) repeat row 21

62) repeat row 56

63) repeat row 19

64) repeat row 8

65) repeat row 21

66) repeat row 8

67-74) repeat rows 7-10 for a total of 2 times

75) Sl 1, K28, M1, K29

76-78) Knit, slipping the first stitch

Begin decreases for the Towel Top.

79) Sl 1, K7, *(Sl 1, k2tog, PSSO), K7* 4 times, end, (Sl 1, K2tog, PSSO) K8. (49 sts.)

80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90) Knit (slipping the first stitch)

81) Sl 1, K6, *(Sl 1, K2tog, PSSO), K5* 4 times, last 10 sts: Sl 1, K2tog, PSSO), K7 (39 sts.)

83) Sl 1, K5, *(Sl 1, K2tog, PSSO), K3* 4 times, last 9 sts: (SL1 K2tog, PSSO), K6. (29 sts.)

85) Sl 1, K4, *(Sl 1, K2tog, PSSO), K1* 4 times, last 8 sts: (Sl 1, K2 tog, PSSO), K5. (19 sts)

87) Sl 1, K3, (K2tog) 6 times, K3 (13 sts.)

89) (K2tog) 3 times, K1, (K2tog) 3 times. (7 sts.)

Tab Section of Towel Top

90-91) Knit, slipping the first stitch

92) Sl 1, K1, P3, K2.

93-106) repeat rows 91 and 92 of the tab section.

107, 108) Knit, slipping the first stitch

109) Sl 1, K1, P3, K2

110-123) repeat rows 108 and 109 of the tab section

124) Sl 1, K1, Bind off center 3 sts, K to end (4 sts) (creates buttonhole)

125) Sl 1, Kfb next st, Kfb next st, K1 (6 sts)

126) K2tog, K2tog, K2tog

127) Knit 1, K2tog, pass first stitch over. Pull tail through last stitch. Weave in ends, wet/spray block. Sew button into center stitches on tab decrease row #90.

Up next, the Christmas Lace Dishcloth pattern that I like to pair with this towel. Hope you're all finding something special at this time of year to celebrate, no matter which celebration you and yours enjoy! From our house to yours....Happy Holidays...all of them!

HO HO HO.....

So...how's your week coming along? Me....well...I got another Tribble done the other day..this one is going into my Mother's package that will be mailed at some point. I'm supposed to be packing right now. Well, I'll be finished here shortly...I promise. But, while doing laundry...and vacuuming..well, I kinda, sorta...a little bit....got sidetracked (what a shocker!)... OK, I was doing laundry out in the garage and I was looking for a 'particular' shade of blue. Why? 'cuz last night I stayed up and charted, wrote, and printed out 10 different new patterns.

Not only did I chart out a few more patterns, but in the process started collecting all the 'left overs' of cotton yarn as I went through my bins. See what I've found? Yep...those are 2 gallon bags there. 2. Not 1. And that would be 3 of them. I'm thinking there'll be Tribbles galore in the foreseeable future around here. Now, how many pots and pans do I have to wash if I make these?

Tribbles...tribbles...tribbles...

There are two ways to find the Tribbles...if you got to Ravelry, you can either search for them, or go to my page and click on my projects...once you there there, it'll give you a link that will take you to the ravelry page that says...Tribble by Abigail-1870pearl.


Or, you can Google Tribble Knit Pattern, like I did and come up with the link to the pattern... http://1870pearl.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/02/rubadubdub.html and that will take you to the blog 1870Pearl for the pattern.


I am loving this quick pattern....but one thing..I have been using my (US)7's(4.5mm) bamboo needles for this pattern. The original pattern is for (US)6's..but I generally like the fabric that my 7's give me.

More finished projects...

These little guys are amazing...I found the pattern on Ravelry, called Tribbles. Then I remembered that I'd heard about them a long time ago, but never got around to whipping them up. I won't forget about them again. The coolest part?

After knitting up these Dishcloths and Kitchen Hanging Hand Towels, I was able to knit up a matching Tribble for each of these sets and...

Still had a wee bit of yarn left over! I used a 5 oz skein of Lion Cotton for each of the sets. I love the fact that I could do a whole set of 3 out of one skein of yarn. Yippee! Can't wait to knock a few more things off my to-do list, so I can dive into my cotton left overs and knock these out quickly. They're sooooooooo fast..and soooooooooooooooo easy! And no more left overs that I have no clue what to do with!

Out of Lion Cotton, another KBB Dishcloth...unblocked here... to go with the KBB Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel I posted last week.

Then, added a Bridal Shower Lace Cloth out of the Jute colorway from Lily's Sugar 'n Cream...

To make this Kitchen set to wing over to my daughter in Boston..with luck she won't be looking here before Christmas. Yes, that's another tribble there out of the left over Jute color.

Don't you love that book, "Hat's On!" by Charlene Schurch? I have made a lot of patterns from there in the past. Here's another Classic watch Cap out of Ella Rae, 100% wool, Cherry colorway. I found this yarn from a LYS that is sadly closing for good this month. I've had many a great day knitting with the group over at Sit 'n Knit. Going to miss you ladies!

Rumor has it...

Rumor has it that there is a 'wee' bit of snow in Boston. How do I know? My daughter just spent the last 47 minutes on the speaker phone with me trying to help her stay calm while she made it home to her apartment. This morning it took her 20 minutes to get to work. However, it took her 4 hours and 38 minutes to get home. While giving her long distance snow driving tips on the ramps...I went online to look up the weather report. Funny, she's telling me about 4-5 inches of snow and hour, and the Weather Channel has it at only 70% chance of snow!

Mommy knitting while stressing over your kids, isn't fun. It certainly comes out all wonky. This was worse than when I was making her red and white scarf while she went skydiving! At least then, she was with 2 other sky diving instructors who had her safety as their priority!

Now, before I was aware of how fast it was coming down and the volume of snow in Boston, I not only got the Hail to the ... Dishcloths and Kitchen Hanging Hand Towels finished, but I got them all steam blocked as well. They certainly look much nicer all fixed up.

Hail to the ... Kitchen Hanging Hand Towels, Lion Brand Lion Cotton in both Sunshine and Navy. (US)7 (4.5mm) needles. Funny how using the same pattern and same pair of needles made these come out a bit different in size. All in the yarn, I tell you...all in the yarn.

Hail to the ... Dishcloths, also with the same Lion Brand Lion Cotton, Sunshine and Navy and (US)7 (4.5mm) needles. These take me 1 1/2 hours to knit up each. And one towel and one dishcloth can be made from one 5 oz skein of Lion Cotton. I just love the color of this Sunshine. It's the perfect shade of 'maize' for this set.

And the whole set ready for gifting now. Someday, I'm going to actually make a set to keep for me! Now, the daughter is home, out of the car, and in a warm place...I'm back to the needles! Heaven knows I'm not in the snow...so I have no excuse for not finishing a few more projects. Stay warm everyone! And stay safe.

Roll Out Sugar Cookies Recipe

When I was still in school back at home during the Michigan winters, Christmas time was a really big deal in the house. My mom would bake and bake and bake for days so that when we'd have Christmas dinner with the 33 of us in town, there were cookies allllllllllllll over the house! I'll bet she made more than 10 different kinds of cookies. And she never made just one batch of each kind. She made enough cookies for us, the family, cookie plates for each of our teachers, and quite often dinners for the Church Council, too.

Today, I'm going to give you the recipe for my Grandma's Roll-Out Sugar Cookies. So often we'd get plates of cookies with other Christmas shaped cookies that just didn't taste as good to us. We were spoiled. Grandma had a knack of finding recipes that were really good! This is no exception to that fact.



***Note, this recipe must be chilled ahead of time to make the dough cold. You could put it in the freezer, but I would recommend that you chill it overnight for the best results. The recipe says one hour, but if your refrigerator is opened as often as mine is at home, it's not going to be cold enough.

Roll Out Sugar Cookies

by Grandma Brown

3/4 C. Shortening (Crisco)
1 C. Sugar (white, granulated)
2 Eggs

1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 C. milk
3 1/2 C. flour (I use unbleached)

2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 tsp. salt


Mix dry ingredients together with a wire whisk. Add to wet ingredients and knead into a ball. Chill thoroughly before rolling out. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface and use ~3" cookie cutters. Transfer to an UNGREASED cookie sheets and bake in a preheated oven @ 400*F for 6-8 minutes. Cool on wire racks.

ICING:

3 C. Sifted Confectioner's Sugar
3/4 tsp. Salt

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbls. water or cream
mix all together as you need it. This will dry rather quickly, so use an assortment of colored sugars and other decorating choices for your holiday wishes.

While we generally keep this recipe for our Christmas baking, I have been known to make them for other holidays with different shaped cookie cutters. When my oldest daughter was in kindergarten, her class had many Valentine, St. Patty's day, Dreildels and other cookies at snack time with of this recipe. Just change your cookie cutters and the colors of decorations and you'll have a lot of hungry fingers reaching for more cookies.

On the knitting front...I just need a button for this KBB Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel

And this Hail to the ... Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel is well underway....

The knitting with datelines...is heading toward a finish line! How are you all doing with your deadlines? I thank you all for your comments about the blanket and the pasties. Just in case you're wondering...they were really good! Lip-smacking good! And a cookie to finish it off? YUMMY! Isn't this time of year really delicious? Happy Hanukkah for those of you who celebrate!

Challenge-day six: Done, Done, and Yum!

DONE!

DONE!

AND YUM!!!

Details: 3 1/2 skeins of TLC wiggles, 34" square finished size, NMCRS Basketweave Baby Blanket, V2, directions over on the left side of the page <<<------

5 year old hands hard at work making Christmas Cookies-my Grandma's recipe:





Pasty time! Beef on the left, chicken on the right...both are small sized. The large size was sold out!

And now, onto the rest of the list! KBB Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel in Natural, Lion Cotton.

Challenge-day five

I'm sitting here looking at this picture today, and it appears to be smaller than yesterday's picture. But, I promise you, it's not. I've completed 6 and 1/2 pattern repeats out of the needed 8 pattern repeats before completing the top border. We're getting closer!


But it bugs me that I've done this pattern in the past much faster than I've been able to complete my knitting lately. I'm thinking talking about HBO's recent U of M vs. Ohio State documentary last night 'might' have had something to do with the current chapter of slow down here. The blanket WAS on my lap, and my needles were at the ready...but I cracked up over the jokes during the ending credits. Well, let me rephrase that, some of the jokes. Wasn't so crazy over the Michigan cookie one, for obvious reasons.

Now, back to knitting! I want to make Christmas cookies this weekend! AND have a pasty!

Challenge-day four

We are on a roll here! See what no talking can do for me? Click, click, click...and we've gotten to just below the 60% level by 'just this much'. Gotta love Ravelry with all it's little gizmos to keep you from knitting. Ravelry and talking. They're going to get to me yet. Love 'em both, but APPARENTLY, they slow me down.

I am enjoying the comments you guys are all leaving here about my Mom. OY! If only you knew this lady with her proper ways of doing things. I'll have to let her know this weekend about the 'other' ideas you thought her Granddaughter bought for her birthday. She's going to do one of two things. She'll either blush terribly, or crack up laughing. Mom has always been so modest in her manner of dress, but she takes teasing pretty well. Yep, going to have to share this with her. Since she is computerless, she hasn't heard the comments, yet. I will get some pictures up soon of the pasties. Given time AFTER I get this blanket finished, I'll have to dig out the family recipe to make them. We have eaten a lot of these over the years-generally family style but the pictures you get first, will be the individual types. They are the most commonly known. I gotta say, it's really nice that some of you are getting hungry with all this food discussion going on, and it's just not me!

I have had several emails and comments about people knitting up my patterns. I'd love to be able to post pictures here if you send them to me! I find it interesting how you're making them your own with different choices in yarns. Who wants to second this idea? You email me the pictures with the bruinmom99@yahoo.com email address, and I'll post 'em right up here. Make sure, please to tell me in your email that you give me permission to post them, please. I think it would be fun to see how many different ideas you all have.

OK, OK, OK, now...I have some more waiting time today. I'm going to do my best to knit WHILE I talk. Heaven knows, I just can't not talk, but I'll attempt to let others have more words than I do while my needles are clicking along. Well, that is unless I'm asked questions where I have to explain something. I can multi-task quite well. You should have seen me 20 years ago when I was on a bowling league after my youngest daughter was born and was still a nursing baby. Now that, I tell you, was the ultimate in multi-tasking! Hey, they were going to make me miss my turn! Not.going.to.happen. I like my yarn, and I like my turns. ahahahahaha.

Send duct tape for my mouth if this doesn't work today. I need to get this blanket in the mail soon! Then, I'll see about getting my left ear unplugged...yesterday marked the 4 week mark I've been dealing with it. Not in pain, but annoying as all get out!

Challenge-day three

Like the little engine that could-I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...I'm still trudging away. Now, what's today's/yesterday's excuse? "Apparently" I talk too much! *Gasp! WHAT A SHOCKER!* ahahahaha...

While knitting in public yesterday during my 'waiting' time, a lady from across the room commented that she liked my knitting and wondered if I was making a sweater. Nope, a baby blanket for my Niece's first baby due on Christmas Day. By then she came over to touch and feel the blanket and gave her ooo's and ahhh's (*sigh, if only my kids would learn to do so well...) and added her compliments for the chosen yarn. She not only liked the color, but the bits of colors as well.


Now, with all the sitting on the fence that I've been doing about this yarn, that did it for me. I am now convinced that this will be a finished project in the very near future. So long as I don't stop to talk. Because while I can knit and watch TV, knit and go to the movies in the dark, knit and watch my kids' soccer games, or UCLA football games at the top of the Rose Bowl, watch baseball games and knit, or read the paper and books and emails while I knit...APPARENTLY, I can't talk and knit at the same time. *Sigh*....go figure! (did you hear my kids just roll their eyes and groan????)

Now, before I go hit the needles for today, I need to clear up a little something about my Mom's birthday. What she was given originated in Cornwall, England. They are properly called a Cornish Pasty or Cornish Pasties (plural). They are not the items worn by exotic dancers. I'll promise you she'd never do that! Now, to explain....As one of many Great-Granddaughters and Great-Grandsons of a Quincy Copper Miner, we all grew up on these things. (That also means we came from Yoopers) They are pastry filled meat pies that the miners took down into the mines for their dinners. My whole extended family (except for my kids...sheesh..where did I go wrong?????) love them! In fact, with the family loving them so much, Grandma and her four daughters started making them in deep dish pie plates and serving up wedges ala apple pie style rather than in individual servings. Traditionally they are made with beef, rutabagas and potatoes in the pastry and shaped like half circles and dipped in gravy. We grew up with a lot of ketchup on them rather than the gravy, but today I prefer BBQ sauce.

Near my house, is a place called the Pasty Kitchen which makes them in both beef and chicken. When my parents were younger and able to travel, they'd come out to see us every 6 months to make sure they spent time with their only grandchildren (at that time). Dad decided it would be 'too much' for me to make dinner that first day, so it became a tradition for him to run over and pick up dinner. (Personally, I think he didn't want to wait for dinner once he got off the plane with the 3 hour time difference.) For awhile they also made vegetarian pasties as well, but I haven't seen them lately. Guess they didn't go over so well.

Man oh man, am I getting hungry just thinking about them! So, I think what I'll do is to make that a goal for finishing up this blanket. Once it's done, I'll pick up a few and post pictures of them on the blog for you to see what they look like. (thought I had some pictures already, but I guess I deleted them-rats) To quote Rachel Ray...YUMMO!

(Dangit. I'm now really hungry!)

Challenge-day two

Moving along here, I did get some progress on the blanket yesterday. It wasn't as much as I intended to do..but..there were reasons. Good reasons. OK, I procrastinated.

First of all, I was bothered by the feeling of this yarn. I said so yesterday. So, I spent a bit of time over in the yahoo groups asking for a bit of 'wisdom' from others who have used this yarn in the past. I got the answer this morning. Yvette says that once you're finished with your project, give it a bit of a swish in some shampoo and conditioner and it ends up very soft. Now, Yvette is a very wise knitter. Therefore, I shall renew my enthusiasm for this project and do as she told me in the BSJ earlier...follow directions, don't ask, and have faith. And then you'll like it! OK Yvette...I'm diving in, eyes closed...and holding on.




Secondly, the more I knit yesterday, the more I got the feeling that this was getting 'springy' or 'spongy' for another word to describe what I was creating. Remember back in high school, when you got to decorate the gym for the big dance? We would use all kinds of rolls of crepe paper. (Truth be told, I used it for my wedding, too..down the cars...in the reception hall-I think I can feel my daughters cringing now). Well, if you remember that stuff, as you unrolled it, it had some 'give' to the paper. That's how the blanket is beginning to feel. I found this interesting yesterday. Which makes me think all the more about this yarn being used for a 'Grandma's Favorite' pattern for a baby blanket. Spongy, springy, should make a very cuddly blanket when Yvette's advice come true!. Right?




Now I can't wait to get these two blankets finished and then the other two Feather and Fan blankets for the middle daughter so I can test my theory. Except it appears that I might have to redo another pink heart blanket. Oldest daughter picked up her last two blankets from the house over the weekend on her way to a gathering of sorts. ON the way, she had to make a sudden stop on the good old LA Freeways (Gotta love 'em!!!!!) and the red wine she was bringing broke and spilled all over the pink blanket. (OY!) At last contact the now red-pink blanket is sitting in a soaking solution.


Now to the procrastination 'reason'. I went to my Ravelry page to update the progress on the blanket. One thing led to oh about a hundred things (kind of like running into Costco and Sam's club when they were new back in the 80's for just one thing and coming out of the $100 dollar club with a car load of stuff in the large economy packages...) and I started adding up the books that I could remember in the book list. Let me just say, Ravelry is going to slow down my actual knitting here...but I'm going to be veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy organized!

Now, today I found a comment from Yvonne. She had a good question, too. She wanted to know if I had a favorite yarn. Well, Yvonne, yes I do! There are only two problems with this found treasure. #1-it's been discontinued and #2 - my wallet is breathing a sigh of relief that it has been discontinued. What is this loverly stuff? It is Plymouth's Silk Merino. I 'found' the treasure a couple of years ago at the Yarn Lady's Bag sale. I had no idea what I was going to do with it at the time, but I bought up all that I could lay my hands on that Saturday. I ended up with some light turquoise, navy, lilac and grey. What did I do with it all? Well, the first 3 things were to knit up some scarves for my mom and her sisters. Then I made a beanie, too. By the time I was finished with these projects...I wanted to frog them and start all over again. As Mike Myeres used to say on SNL in his best Barbara Streisand voice....it was like knitting with 'buttar'.!

In case you're asking, the lilac scarf is the feather and fan pattern in the book, Scarf Style. I can't remember the name of it. Sorry. The turquoise is from the 2005 Holiday issue of Easy Knitting (I think) and the navy one is a variation of the Irish Hiking Scarf that I found in a published book. It's nearly identical, but had different ends to keep them from flaring out. The Navy and Yellow scarf is made out of Regia's Nations sock yarn, and the beanie is the adult large size in my Cathy's beanie's patterns.



Yvonne, thanks for asking! It was really nice to go back to remember those projects and the fact that I still have some of that yarn (especially in the light grey color) left. Now, how do I fit it into the list of things with deadlines, so I can enjoy it all over again?



Ahhhhhhh...ok..enough for today. I have some major knitting to be done. I should have been at the half way point yesterday if it weren't for discovering Ravelry parts! Thank goodness, I have some built in time of 'waiting' today where I can't be near the computer. Let's see how much I makes a difference this time. (ya...I know...I have my Paula Deen's book, Christmas with Paula Deen sitting here staring me in the face and I haven't cracked it opened yet.)

What's that expression? If excuses were dimes, I'd be rich by now? ahahahahaha ha.

Challenge-day one

I restarted the U of M colored Feather and Fan Rainbow blanket last Friday. I changed the number of yellow and navy pattern repeats and I think I like this set (at least for today) much better. With all the excitement of Mom's Birthday, I neglected to post the picture of the blanket. So, I wanted to get this done right off the bat.

While we were in Michigan we had celebrated Mom's birthday early. My daughter and my dad were the ones who decided to go to Bob Evan's for breakfast. First of all, it's Mom and Dad's current breakfast favorite 'hangout'. Second of all, Dad is able to finally eat some solid food, and third, since it's a regular thing, Mom wouldn't guess that we were going to sing Happy Birthday to her. And it worked! However, when I asked their regular waitress, Kim, if they had a cupcake or something for birthdays, she said that they only had cinnamon rolls and no candles. Now, I ask you ...how does a restaurant have no candles when lots of folks go there for family birthdays? Had I known that, I would have brought my own. I would really like a 're-do' on that one. However, like I told Mom...You only turn 80 once! Since we were back in California on her actual birthday we settled with a phone call. Sounds like it was a great day back there for her...a visit from a life long family friend of ours, flowers from my cousins, pasties from my daughter, and hugs from my niece and brother. Now, Dad, you're up next in July!

Yesterday started the challenge on the other niece's baby blanket. Had I not committed to this, I probably would have ripped this out by now. I'm not so sure I like the wiggles yarn for this pattern very much. I'm thinking this would be perfect in a 'Grandma's Favorite' type knit with all the 'wiggles' in the yarn. But, the more I continued on yesterday, the more the pattern began to show. I guess I'm just used to a much smoother yarn for this blanket. But, now that I've got the Internet connection smoothed out this morning...I'm willing to keep going and see if I like it better with a completed blanket.

Have any of you used this yarn before? I have a lot of this in my stash from back in July, I think it was. I'd hate to think I picked up a really good sale if I don't like this stuff. But, when I get off this island of requested blankets, I would like to try using it with the Grandma's favorite pattern. Maybe double stranded on size (US)11 (8.00mm) needles. I've made a few like that in the past - double stranded with sport weight/dk weight on size 11's and find that it comes out rather cuddly.

OK, enough with the procrastination! I have a couple of blankets to finish! KNIT WOMAN!

Who is up for a race?

I have at least 2 more baby blankets to finish in time to mail before Christmas. My brother's step-daughter is due with her little boy on Christmas Day. I really need to get that to her early. A) it's Christmas shipping time, so lots of non-baby gifts will be clogging the lines to delay her blanket and B) it's her first baby, so she should get the blanket BEFORE she has the baby...right?


At least that's what I'm thinking. It only seems right.


So, I've come up with a plan here. Technically it's Sunday am while I'm writing this. However, since I've not yet gone to bed, I'm still feeling like it's Saturday night. I'm in the mood for a race here. My "NMCRS Basketweave Baby Blanket, ver. 2" is listed on the left side of the page here. It's the pattern that I used a couple of years ago for a beginning knitting class when some ladies wanted to make something post first scarf. It proved to be a good pattern to teach 'texture' and switching the yarn back and forth for knits and purls without a lot of difficulty. It's also an easy pattern for experienced knitters who need something fast, or mindless to do (great for movie and TV time).


Here's the deal. I'm using TLC Wiggles yarn. Generally I use a worsted weight yarn for this pattern, but I'd bought this blue yarn for this blanket before I noticed it was listed as a 'sport' weight. I think it'll work fine. Probably similar to the cotton-ease in Red that I used earlier in the year for this pattern. I'm going to start with size 9 needles, as the pattern is written in and I've pulled 5 skeins of yarn to use. The 'math' said I'm only going to need 4 skeins, but I don't want to run short.


I promise that neither yarn or needles will meet each other for cast on until I've had a decent amount of sleep tonight. I won't cast on until at least 8ish am. Probably closer to 8:30 am. Anyone up for the challenge? Email me at bruinmom99 (at) yahoo (dot) com [remove the spaces and fill in the at and dot] with your pictures and I'll add them to the blog this week. I won't have my pictures up for tomorrow's segment until Monday, more than likely. This could be fun. I need something to push me along with this blanket...as I still have the U of M Feather and Fan Rainbow baby blanket to finish with a BSJ sweater to go with it, a navy Hail to the .... Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel with 2 dishcloths to go with it, 2 Flaunt your Colors scarves and a pair of slippers all due to be shipped before Christmas. AND I still need 2 more Feather and Fan Rainbow baby blankets for the middle daughter. Seeing as how those blankets were due back in August, I'm wagering a good guess I won't get it all done, but I'm willing to give it the old college try! Oh, and since this is a sport weight, I may have to rip it out to start over if I don't like the drape or the fabric I make, as happened with the Cotton-Ease. So, you guys definitely have the advantage here.

SO, who's with me? Who is going to finish before me? OK, even try this...how many of you already have the blanket started, but never got around to finishing it? HUH? There must be someone out there....fess up!


I'm off to bed...the needles will fly tomorrow...I want to make Christmas cookies next Saturday!

She's the Birthday girl!

Happy 80th MOM!!!

Feels like Ground Hog Day-updated

Do you remember the movie, "Ground Hog Day' with Bill Murray? I think I'm living it, only not with a particular day repeated over and over again, but with baby blankets. When did I develop that feeling? Last week while sitting in my parent's living room I started filling in some of my Ravelry account profile pages. Then I went over to the KEMP database from one of the yahoo groups that I'm apart of, and copied all of the 'Knitting Every Month for other People" list to my computer to compare with the pictures that I've been taking after I finish projects. I THEN had the brilliant idea to start a list in Microsoft Word of how many of each type of project that I've finished this year. (That Ravelry, I tell ya..it's going to make me really organized. Too bad it didn't have us all doing the spice racks, etc...in the kitchens, huh?)


Now, what did all of this use of time on the computer give me? Well....it means with the clipping of the ends off of this, this afternoon:

I can now tell that I've made 18 baby blankets for the year! No wonder it feels like I've been living on the Island of Baby Blankets along with staring in the Ground Hog Day!


Keep in mind, I still have 2 more Feather and Fan Rainbow Baby Blankets that along with most of those 18 were due back in August, AND 2 more baby blankets for family members to complete. One of those babies, came Nov 16th! The last one that I'm 'aware' of, is due on Christmas Day. After I go for a little walk here in a minute, I'll be casting on for yet another blanket. Good thing I'm NOT doing knitted gifts this year. They'd get finished by the 4th of July at this rate, I'm thinking.

UPDATE 11/30/07: The Pattern is once again from www.lionbrand.com, in their crocheted patterns section, called Crayon Ripple Throw. However, I've changed it from a full sized blanket to a baby sized one, but dropping down to an "H" hook, and shortening the number of pattern repeats. Mine come out to ~36" square. Thanks Missy for asking! Oh, and I used Caron's Simply Soft yarn.

How's YOUR list coming along these days?