Day Zero

Today is day zero of the mad month.  It was a normal Sunday so I cannot call the beginning of the crazy time till tomorrow.  So, today was pretty normal.  I didn't go out of my way to do extra cleaning as I feel like today I need to conserve my energy.  I did dishes and laundry but there are more of each waiting for me.   I actually spun on my friend's wheel and I am going to attempt to ply tomorrow. Then I am going to make myself a hat and since it is undyed wool, I am thinking I may dye it beofe knitting it up. We will see, I may just knit it up plain.

I have got a lot of sock knitting done since my last post.

This was about 3 inches of a cuff on April 19th.


Most of the cuff was done here this morning. Side note: on the right is my 6 year old son, Bugs, replacing batteries in his toy.  He had my 3 year old son, Boo, handing him batteries, screwdriver and the cover like Bugs was a field doctor and Boo was the nurse.  In my head played, Suicide is Painless until my kids started singing Bob the Builder. Sigh, kids these days have no culture. Giggle.

Back to the sock, this is the last photo for the night:

Hard to see here but I have turned the heel and actually as I am typing, I only have one more decrease round until I am done with the gusset.  I am excited that I should actually go to Maryland Sheep and Wool with all the yarn knit up that I purchased last year. (Well, I will have leftovers but I am not counting them.) Yea me!!

P.S. Apple Blossom is coming up again in Winchester, VA. Please, don't forget the post I wrote last year about Cole Brother's Circus.  Wild animals should not be tormented for our enjoyment. Please, find a way to show your family and friends that the circus is best when there are only humans and possibly domesticated (well treated) animals.  For example, Big Apple Circus or Cirque Du Soleil.

Radio Silence

This month has been really quiet here but I have a good reason.  Mostly it has to do with family and the holidays, but it also because of a series of flings.  Knitted flings of course.  Flings must be kept secret, they take you away from your commitments and they make you feel a little knotty.

It all started with a phone call asking my mother what my step-father would like for Christmas.  She said a nice black hat.  I ran out and got some Lion Brand thick and quick and two days later had this:

Then my Godmother surprised me with a really nice gift

so I made her a Fling Scarf.

 













I knit my mother a necklace from the kit she bought at Rhinebeck. I forgot to photograph the finished product but it looked a great deal like the kit photo. This was such an easy pattern, so soft, so pretty and quick nice looking gift.

Finally, there was a nice calming soft brown wool hat that kept me calm through all the December drama. I knit it not knowing who it was going to be for or even why I was knitting it when I have a deadline baby blanket on the needles.  I needed something simple to knit on, something that kept my hands busy and when I cast off I found a very deserving person who felt honored to claim possession of the hat. All and all it was a good knitting month of flings but now I better get my tail in gear and finish the starfish blanket before Little Miss Mermaid comes.

Hope everyone had a very happy holiday.  I think this was one of the best Christmas' we have had in a long time.

Done and Done

So this year, my only goal was to make sure the boys had new hand knit hats before Christmas. It makes me feel like a good mom while I am knitting lots of other things for me. 


Bugs is the bomb.

Boo as the Dark Knight

Bugs, 6 years old, is a fan of video games and anything black and gold (Go Steelers!!) so I made up an Angry Birds hat. Boo, 2 years old, likes superheroes so he got a Batman hat with mask. 

It got so cold last week that we unearthed their hats from last year to wear to school. That pushed me to cast on.  I hurried to finish and they were both done the day after Thanksgiving (Yea to Bear for doing all the holiday driving so I could knit.)

Then this weekend, it has been 60 degrees and way to warm to wear their hats. Sigh.

So,  I now solemnly declare in front of all three readers of my blog (Hi Mom!) that there will be no more Christmas knitting.  No last minute projects for the kids teachers, no up all night finishing something for Aunt What's-her-face, No stress, No fuss.  My Christmas shopping isn't done but I have a list. Some of it will be baking because that is quick, cheap and well appreciated but no knitting...I hope.