It's PINK Month-Show YOUR PINK!

PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK PINK!!!!!!!!

 

In honor of My Mom, My Auntie, and all my survivor friends and my daughters so they can stay healthy! Support your favorite brands raising money for research! Go PINK!!!

Is it really the end of September?

Just where did September go? I know, I've been busy, and not sharing well with you all. But I think I'll make up for it here. Sit back and come with me on my journey!

When was the last time you cooked up a batch of No Bake cookies? I think the last time I made these, I was at Beth's house after school way back in jr. high school for me. Boy are, I mean were these good! But I'd forgotten how sugary they were! Makes me want to go grab a glass of milk all over again.

Made a slew of stitch markers for a friend and her Mom to share.

Finished the 'Cuse Scarf (Used Flaunt your Colors Scarf pattern and 2 skeins each of the orange and navy Plymouth's Encore yarn, and 60 st cast on size) which then was mailed to daughter. However, I'd really like the flier miles the scarf went, since it made it way via the postal system to New Hampshire, back to Long Beach, CA, then to Anaheim, before crossing the country once more up to New York for it's delivery! Man, what a trip that scarf made! (See what putting tracking numbers on your packages will do for your handknits?)

Finished the hospital socks and they're just waiting for the final try on before I graft the toes shut. Why is it, that when I want the kids to try on the stuff I knit for them, their schedules just never seem to match with mine? Makes you wish they'd never grown up-eh? Not to mention you'd not have to knit size 13 mens socks, either! Kids sizes would be finished so much faster!

Finished almost the whole kitchen set for the kid's friend's wedding gift (Cables 'n Columns set from the 2011 Dishcloth calendar using a cone of Peaches & Creme cotton )

 Hugged a kid...

 Added fringe to the high flying miles 'Cuse Scarf...

Hugged another kid...

 

When I finished the last placemat, look how much I had left from the cone of cotton? Oh, how I love using cones to knit the kitchen sets! No ends to weave in and plenty of cotton to knit the whole set in the same dye lot. 

And now Mom's socks are within moments away of starting the toes! Yea! They will be ready to gift to her the next time I go to see her. Now, shhhhhh don't anyone tell her! I can't wait to start a pair of these for myself!

Now, are you ready for what's coming up next on the calendar? There's a hint in one of these pictures, can you figure it out?

Cables 'n Columns Kitchen Set

2011 Dishcloth Calendar is ready!!!
The sale information is here.
Included in this years calendar will be my patterns:

Cables 'n Columns Dishcloth

Cables 'n Columns Kitchen Hanging Hand Towel

Cables 'n Columns Placemat

Cables 'n Columns Sack Sock

All of my patterns were knit with Peaches & Creme in Article 930 cone in color P94, Deep Red with (US) 5 (3.75mm), (US) 7 (4.5mm) straight needles, (US) 7 (4.5mm) 16" circular needle, and (US) 6 (4.0mm) double point needles. 

Enjoy!

The teaser picture? Was this one. Samples here, from top left:  knit with Lily's Sugar 'n Cream Stripes in Lime stripes, Peaches & Cream Cone in White, Peaches & Cream Cone Premium in Deep Red

In the meantime...

Sorry for the delay in the 'announcement', it appears that technical difficulties beyond my control have pushed it back. I was really hoping to have given you all the details on September 5th, but....while you're waiting, I'll bring you up to date on my needles, etc...

The "IU /Perfect" scarf has been finished. Yes, with the Plymouth Encore yarn, I really do like the (US)9 (5.5mm) circular needles with it. So, I would recommend that you play with your yarn and needles and see which size you want for your scarves. The purple and yellow one I knit for my niece last year was knit with Lion Brand's Wool-ease yarn. I like the (US)8 (5.0mm) needles for that yarn, it's skinnier. With the 9/5.5mm's on this one, I ended up with 16sts/21 rows gauge with the white, and 17sts/21 rows with the red. See? The dyes can make a real difference on the same brand/type of yarn. It helps to check your gauge all the time! Flaunt your Colors Scarf pattern can be found here. I'll update that at a later time. 

Meanwhile, I'm working on a pair of socks for daughter's fiance. He's been asking for some slipper socks for around the house type of wearing. I'm using one of the A.C.Moore bags of mill ends, which feel a lot like Bernat's Berella 4 worsted acrylic. He tried on the pair of socks that I'd knit for A4A, and liked the way they fit, so that's the same pattern that I'm using for him, too. That is a 'Sock class' that can be found here.

For the last bit today, while I'm 'patiently' waiting for the other news, I bought the yarn for this scarf ohhhhh, probably 2 1/2 - 3 years ago. I spent the better part of last week searching all over the house for it. I had saved it so well that I had to clean out two closets and it still wasn't there, nor in the bin with the rest of my Plymouth Encore yarn bin. [OK choir, do I hear an 'amen' from the peanut gallery? I know you've done this many times, just like me. We're all in good company here.] Why? Because I had intended to knit it for the oldest daughter WHILE she was still a Master's student at Syracuse University. However, since I had it in the planning stage for so long, I couldn't remember where I had it on 'hold' in the 'on deck' circle. Once I finally found it in a totally different location than where I would have bet the farm it was hiding it hit the needles as quick as I could get it to prevent me from 'saving' it so well again. Again I'm using (US) 9 (5.5mm) 16" circular Addi turbos to try and get this finished and off to her before the first snow flakes fly while she's still in the area where the colors would be appreciated. What a shame that Plymouth discontinued that color shade of orange #1383! I think it's the perfect color of orange for all things team/school colors and Halloween/pumpkin! Why oh why yarn companies, do you NOT keep the crayola 8 and pastel colors in your line up so we Moms and sport fans can find the correct team colors and baby colors year after year when we're knitting up sweaters, hats, scarves, and mittens? Add the seasonal colors from time to time, but please, keep the basic 'bread and butter' colors with your 'bread and butter' yarns! It would make this knitting one happy camper to be able to find what I want, when I want, as the inspiration hits to make things for people without adding to the 'someday I'm going to do such and such pile' in my house.

Just sayin'....

Do you remember?

Do you remember when I posted this picture back here? Well, it's  really, really close to the time when I can tell you about it! I know, it's been long in waiting...but....soon! VERY SOON!

I'm excited! Curious? Stay tuned!

buzzing along...

Ok, we're sailing aright along here...now if only I could find the blasted paper where I traced Mom's feet and wrote down all her measurements, I could figure out how long to make these size 11 socks! I love my Mom, I love my Mom...why does she not have puny feet like me? hahaha...

Now that my son has gone back to the mid-west, tailgate season is just around the corner and since he lost he IU scarf eons ago, he needs another one..so ... we're, as in I am knitting circles for the kid...

Using the Flaunt your Colors Scarf. Only this time I bumped it up to (US) 9 needles and I really like the way it feels. I may have to rethink that pattern!

How often do you get to meet the author of knitting books? This one is a gem...the book ain't bad, either! ahahaha....I suggest any chance you get, always have the author sign the book, it makes it a lot more fun! Can't wait to knit up some socks he wrote in here!

Shazam!

So I've been sick for the past several days. I hate being sick. It plain stinks. You start with a sore throat...spreads to making your eyes water, then your nose runs..well, you get the picture, right? But then all you want to do is get some sleep and will that doggone cold away. For me? That's when the crazy dreams start creeping in. Shazam! is what I heard in my sleep, as if I was channeling Gomer Pyle. Yes, complete with his voice, accent and all. And then it flipped to the socks I'm working on for Mom. Shazam! Like that, we have two socks going at once. But then a few hours later, I get Mike Meyer's voice running through my cold infected dreams hearing him in his best SNL Linda Richman voice saying, 'Like buttah' pointing to both the needles and the color of these socks. Ulg, I don't want to be sick anymore. But I am enjoying these socks. And the needles, "Give a call, we'll talk, no big whoop." Oh, Linda Richman, where are you these days?

Ok, so prior to getting sick, there was a whole lot of knitting going on. You now have the 'Simply a Rug' pattern ready for your kitchen floor, or bathroom, or back door....or where ever the stash of cotton you have will match the colors in your favorite rug kinda place. See? I used 4 strands of cotton at a time with big old needles to make a rug I love to stand on at my kitchen sink in bare feet. Because I used the 14-16oz sizes of huge cones and skeins, I have enough to make at least one more if not two more rugs and they will all match. I used two solid blues, one multi blue and one solid white yarn. The pictures don't even really show the yellow in the multi blue skein. I have a request now for a brown rug for baby daughter. That should be a good choice to keep the 'stuff' from showing the first week of use. I like having multiple rugs to swap in and out while doing laundry. I'm guessing that in the future, I'll end up letting these air dry rather than pop 'em into the dryer. Who knows, but I'll try and remember to let you down down that road. Can't wait to get a few more things off my 'to do' list so I can see how the brown rug turns out. I have soooooooooooo many of those cotton big skeins here, and now I know how I want to mix and match them up. Can you imagine what colors you can put together if you use Peaches & Creme and actually order colors you want  to put together, rather than just what you have sitting around? OOOOO girl, note to self...don't tap into that thought, the idea was to use up what you have and do some serious cotton stash busting! ya, ya, ya...I hear ya...

I know that this picture doesn't make these little bitty pink sockies look like they match, but they do. My baby brother's Step daughter is about to have baby #2 in September. And this time, it's a girl! When I asked him which colors she was interested in for a baby blanket, he said white and pink and the socks just hollered at me, that they just HAD to be knit up.

Big brother who was the recipient of this blanket back nearly three years ago, claimed his pawpawa's Tiger's inspired colored hat this Christmas, so I figured he needs to have his own big brother gift to open. He is a lover of all things 'Nemo blue' and this was made from some of the AC Moore blue yarn that I've yet to bust into to. I used the same Mushroom cap pattern in the 80 st cast on as all the other hats I knit for last year's Christmas gifts. I just love how the ribbing makes that hat fit soooooo many different sized heads. Granted some need to be longer, and some shorter, but you don't really have to worry about the width! yeah! If it ain't broke, don't fix it, I say.

Baby sister will have her own blanket now. All pink and soft to wrap her in when she arrives. I used Simply Soft again, for the ease of popping into the washer and dryer. The next step on my to-do list, will be to get these all mailed out before the little lady makes her grand entrance. Are you like that, too? Spend all that time knitting quickly to get the projects finished, but getting them all packaged up and off to the post office, well, that seems to be my downfall. I shall endeavor to improve! It makes me "a little verklempt. Talk amongst yourselves."

Simply a Rug

Simply a Rug

©Cathy Waldie, July 31, 2010

Finished size: 21”x 33” Rectangle

24 ozs of yarn: 6 ozs of 4 different worsted cotton yarns/ 290 yds/ 263 m of each cotton (Sample knit with a mixture of Peaches & Creme, Sugar 'n Cream, Cotton Mill ends, and Handicrafter Cotton)

(US) 13 (9.0mm) needles (sample made with Addi clicks for width, but knit flat)

Gauge: 8 sts/12 r = 4”/10 cm

C/O = Cast On
Sl 1 = Slip one stitch

St(s)=stitch(es)
K= Knit
P= Purl
B/O= Bind Off

C/O 70 sts

1-4) Sl 1 st, K across

5) Sl 1, K across

6) Sl 1, K3, P62, K4

7-60) repeat rows (5-6) 27 x’s more for a total of 28 pattern repeats.

61-65) Sl 1, K across

66) B/O in P.

Cut Threads, weave ends. Apply rug backing to prevent the rug from slipping.

BU Cable Scarf

 BU Cable Scarf

© Cathy Waldie, April 21, 2006

Found on the October 10th page of the calendar!

This is a double layered scarf knit in the round with cables running up the front side. Perfect for those winters in Boston when you're daughter is going to school. Or any other cold winter area when the snow is blowing sideways and the snow is deep when you're shoveling your car out at 5am.

Just My Size Little Miss B's Preemie Baby Blanket

Just My Size Little Miss B's Preemie Baby Blanket

© Cathy Waldie, April 21, 2007

Found on the May 18th page of the calendar!

This is a Preemie sized baby blanket knit in your favorite DK/Sportweight yarn. The pattern can be found in the new 2011 Knitting Pattern a Day Calendar, currently available from Amazon.com found here.

I just might be in love again....

Wait, let me back that up a bit. Don't you hate it when you get out your pattern and your yarn, and then can't find the needles you need to knit it up? I've looked high and low, I can find the package for the 2.75mm double points that I just finished my socks with. But I can't find them anywhere! It's making me downright grumpy, I tell ya.


I want to knit up Island Fudge socks in the Wildfoote Lullaby for my Mom. And I can't find my blasted needles anywhere! When I was home with Mom recently, I found this yarn in two stores, actually. So now I have four skeins of it. Ya, brain cells not connecting at some point, I tell ya. Anyway, Mom's been partial to her yellow slacks and yellow top with the light houses on it. This color is a perfect match. Now that I've finally figured out the feel of making socks, I want to make her some with cables. Going through all the sock patterns that I've got marked over in Ravelry, I came up to this one that I'd purchased last year, and I think it's perfect for Mom! Not only is it named after the Murdick's Fudge Shop (where I worked the summer of 1979), it's got cables that Mom loves, and being a part of her 'Michiganisms' group of patterns, what would be better for a Mom in Michigan, than a pair of socks from a 'Michigan' pattern, knit with sock yarn that I bought in Michigan, knit from a Michigan hearted daughter? eh?


It all works out well, until you can't find the blasted needles you just finished a pair of socks with a couple of weeks ago. What's a knitter to do??????????????


*ahem* you go shopping. And you fall in love with a new pair of needles. May I introduce you to....


Lantern Moon's Sox Stix, 5" in Rosewood, size 2.75mm.


OOOOOOOOOOOh, baby! Yes, I think we'll have a very long lasting relationship. They come in a pretty sack with six, yes Six! double points!



Well, that is if I can keep track of where they go when I'm done with this pattern. See how fast they knit up last night? I love these as much as I love my Addi's. And y'all know how much I love my Addi's!

This....

This...makes my yarn stash look like a very poor country cousin! Oh, to go play in the yarn at her house!

Raise your hand if....

You're like me, have 2 sets of Addi clicks, plus an additional set of cables...

And every single one of those cables now has a project on it. So technically, you can't start anything more unless you want to go back to other needles without the new blue cables. Right?

Today's newest, another NMCRS Basketweave Baby Blanket, ver. 2 My brother called last week to say that his step daughter was having a girl in September. Rats, sorta. I mean, I had another blue blanket all set to go! This is not the first time I thought I was smart and had a blanket ready to go, and found out I'd guessed wrong. Oh boy! wait. I meant...oh girl!

And just like that...

They popped right off the needles.

Well, after a few hours of working on them steadily. I had thought at the end of 8 pattern repeats the sleeves were long enough. In reality I hadn't read the pattern close enough. I finished my sleeves after 12 pattern repeats of the wishbone cable that I ran up the center of the sleeves and added 2 more rows. Personal preference of how I like to see cables finished at the top. When I've left them uncrossed at the end, they tend to open up too wide for my comfort level. I also like the idea of the sleeves looking more like the body of the sweater. Why the wishbone cable wasn't originally on them, is beyond me.

And yes, I cast right on for the body of the sweater right away. And as is my choice, I'm knitting all three sections at the same time again. Front right, back and left front separated by edge stitches and stitch holders. Once it's finished I'll use the mattress stitch to make a fake seam.

And true to my current Knitting ADD....I found 4 pounds of cotton to cast on my needles for a new idea. We'll see how that works out. And how long I'll continue to flit from one project to the next before anything else gets finished. Stay tuned.