It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

I think I can hear sleigh bells! And a great big "Ho Ho Ho!" :)

Christmas will be here before we know it, so I'm trying to get a few projects finished in time.

Christmas Stockings
My mother-in-law used to knit a lot when she was younger. But now that her arthritis has made her life very difficult, she has given all of her knitting stuff to me. What a blessing! Included in the large bag she gave me is enough to knit 5 large vintage Mary Maxim Christmas Stockings.

This kit has everything needed to knit two stockings. One in the Wreath design, and one in the Snowflake design:


This one has enough left to make the "Old Time Santa" stocking. (The green one on the bottom.) My mother-in-law has asked me to knit this stocking for her to use as a gift this year. I'm casting it on this week!


She was able to finish all the knitting on two stockings already. "Mr & Mrs Santa"


She asked me to finish these up, to make one for her great-granddaughter, and one for me. I've chosen Mrs. Santa, of course, because she has knitting needles in her hair! I think I'll add some other knitting images with duplicate stitch, to make it more festive.

The Mr Santa stocking was my project this past week. I searched online for Christmas charts, so I could embroider some fun designs on the blank spots of the stocking. I think it turned out very nice! Now, all I have left to do is seam up the back.


Now, I'm ready to get going on the "Old Time Santa".

I'm also finishing up a stocking that will be displayed at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte. It's a very basic design by Ann Norling, called "Snowflake Stocking".

Relaxing at My Annual Fiber Festival

What a wonderful treat to go to the mountains again! As usual, I went to SAFF, in the beautiful NC mountains. This was my 6th trip to SAFF, and it was as wonderful as ever.

My sister went with me this time, and we shared a hotel room for a couple nights, so we could go all 3 days. WONDERFUL! I really enjoyed our trip. We got along most of the time, except for one argument when I was trying to go to sleep. I mean, we are sisters, after all. You didn't expect us to have a perfect relationship, did you? Ha!

SAFF was filled with fiber animals, yarn, roving, spinning wheels, knitting and crochet books and supplies, etc. I didn't take a camera this time, so no photos. I was able to take my time, walking through every single vendor's booth. How perfect was that?!

There was one yarn that captured the admiration of every single person that looked at it. I was in love as well. My sister bought a skein of it for me, and now I am fondling that skein every day. It's called "Charlotte" - a new yarn by Carriage House Woolens. SO SOFT!! It's a fingering weight yarn, so there is a LOT of yardage in the skein. I plan on making a pretty lace scarf or shawl. Haven't chosen the right pattern yet.


There is no way to capture the beauty of that skein with my cell phone camera. Maybe I'll take another photo when I get a new camera for Christmas this year. The yarn is just a gorgeous color - reminds me of my MawMaw's rose bushes when I was young. So, I'm calling it "Rose Bush". There is no list of color names available on the internet for this yarn.

Before we went to SAFF, I decided to knit a quick steering wheel cover, to dress my car up for autumn in the mountains. I used the free knitting pattern I designed several years ago. http://spinningsandy.blogspot.com/2006/03/furry-fuzzy-steering-wheel-cover.html



When I finished the wheel cover, I had some of the funky wool yarn leftover, so I knit a headband.


I LOVE the sweatshirt I got at SAFF this year. I'm wearing it in the photo above. It says, "If I'm sittin', I'm knittin'" SO TRUE!

On our second night at SAFF, I chose to sit in the hotel lobby to knit for a while. At first, I was busy working on a wool sweater for the Bernat Blog. After working on that for a while, I pulled out a brand new project that I am making for display at Yarnhouse Knits in the NoDa district of Charlotte. It's a Christmas stocking, using Ann Norling's Snowflake Stocking pattern. The yarns for the project are Louisa Harding "Kashmir Aran" in burgundy (#30), and Lang Yarns "Lanalux" in white (#0023).


I think the stocking is going to be so lovely. The yarn is soft and excellent to knit with. I got a good start on it so far, so it won't be long until it's hanging in the yarn shop for everyone to see. :)

Now, I am home from the fiber festival, and have some wonderful purchases.

Here’s what I got:
1 pound of beautiful, lavender wool roving from Windy Acres Farm. Can’t wait to spin it!
8 ounces of simple, brown Romney roving, and 1 pound of nice superwash merino/tencel top from Miss Babs
5 knitting magazines, one knitting for babies book, and one weaving for knitters book
A very long bead necklace, with sparkly black beads - perfect to wear for music gigs
2 bars of handmade soap from Heaven Sent (I buy from her every year)
Some yummy handcream and spray
A comfy purple sweatshirt that says, “When I’m Sittin, I’m Knittin”
A SAFF t-shirt
A gorgeous, heavenly-soft skein of Carriage House Woolens “Charlotte” yarn, from Yarnsmiths
2 skeins of Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride worsted
A bunch of sale-priced circular knitting needles, to share with my charity knitting friends.
A sweet little ceramic lamb

I didn’t buy as much yarn as usual, but I did get bitten by the spinning bug again! Time to dust off the wheel…

Falling in Love with Crochet

Here's the last Christmas stocking I made for a customer. (Finally took a photo of this one.)


I've also been busy learning to crochet, using Bernat's Mystery Blanket CAL. Nice to finally get comfortable with the craft again. I couldn't crochet for the longest time, because of my arthritis. I just had so much pain from the twisting, that I didn't think I would ever be able to crochet again.

Over the past 7 years, I have concentrated on knitting instead....learning a lot, and feeling very proud of my knitted creations. During these years, I've collected several knitting magazines, books, and patterns. I've also spent hours gazing online at interesting designs with yarn. Occasionally, I have found some GORGEOUS creations that don't involve knitting - just crochet. It has been frustrating, since I didn't think I could crochet anymore.

In the midst of this frustration, I have watched others crochet, and noticed that some people were using a different kind of hook - an ergonomic hook! So, I decided to buy a few. As usual, I used coupons at Hobby Lobby and AC Moore for my purchase. Pretty soon, I had a decent collection of ergonomic hooks, including a nice Provo Craft set with interchangeable hooks.

Up until now, I've only done very basic crochet stitches, and haven't really understood how to read a crochet pattern very well. So, I decided to join in on the Bernat Mystery Blanket CAL, and give it a try. I figured that I would learn more about crochet, and would hopefully get one step closer to being able to make some of those pretty crochet designs I've seen on the internet.

Now, after 4 weeks into the CAL, I can honestly say that I've learned a LOT! I'm comfortable reading a crochet pattern now, and have learned how to hold the ergonomic hook effectively. I have to constantly remind myself to KEEP IT SLOW while I'm working, so I don't overdo it. I am tempted to let the hook fly, and crochet quickly.....but I know I will pay the price with pain....so I make myself go slowly and carefully.

Here are the granny squares I've made in the CAL:


I've made other squares of different designs as well, but you'll have to watch the Bernat Blog to see photos of them.

Now that I've learned how to crochet safely (without pain), I am taking another look at those pretty crochet designs I want to make. I know that I still need some more practice, so I think I'll do some easy and intermediate level crochet designs to give me that experience.

I think I've fallen in love with crochet. :)

Getting Ready for the Holidays

I finally finished knitting the vintage Christmas stocking for a client. I didn't take a photo, because it looks exactly like the 3 others I made for her last year. Here I am, with the stockings I knit last year, along with the original she gave me as a guide. The free pattern is here: Personalised Christmas Stocking from 1945



Now, I'm trying to finish up another project for a different customer before the year ends. I'm making a yellow and black blanket, using Hobby Lobby "I Love This Yarn" in yellow, black, and white, and some Bernat Super Value in True Grey. I found a Paton's pattern that is working well with these colors. The pattern is called "Fresh Stripes". The customer is a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.



I'm also doing some more charity knitting:

A wool sweater, using Bernat "Felting" yarn
(photos soon on the Bernat Blog)

I've also started another Oddball Charity Blanket for a Mexican orphanage. Right now, we have 11 knitters signed up to work on that. We will each take turns knitting a 5 inch section, keeping the blanket on the knitting needles while it travels from knitter to knitter. Here's my section, ready to hit the road.


And, I'm working on other projects, of course. Too many to mention here. :P


A couple weeks ago, I took two of my knitting students to a local alpaca farm, so they could see where nice yarn comes from.


When we pulled up at the farm, they were SO excited!
When we walked closer to the animals, their footsteps got slower
and S L O W E R ...........

"What's that smell?" they whined.
:) Now, they REALLY know where yarn comes from. (tee-hee)

They soon got used to the smell, though. And enjoyed petting the animals.

Fall Blanket Knit-Along (KAL)

Some of you have already heard of the Bernat Mystery Afghan Crochet-Along (CAL) going on on the Bernat Blog. http://bernat.com/CAL2010intro/

Well, I'm participating in the CAL, making a smaller baby blanket, so that I can learn how to crochet better. I've been reading posts in Ravelry discussions, where some people have said that they would like a Knit-Along (KAL) as well, because they don't know how to crochet.

So, I've started an "unofficial" Bernat KAL, so the knitters will have something to do until Bernat makes a "real" Bernat KAL next year. (tee-hee)

I've chosen a beautiful afghan for us to make: The Bernat Super Value Harvest Blanket.


The KAL has just started, so it's not too late to join us! The main location for our KAL is in our Ravelry group: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/bernat-kal---harvest-blanket

If you are not a member of Ravelry, just post your comments and photos here. The blanket is designated as an "Easy" pattern, and will make a beautiful addition to your home decor. It uses 7 skeins of Bernat Super Value yarn in the following colors: Taupe Heather, Rustic Heather, Steel Blue Heather, Moss Heather, Plum Heather, Teal Heather, and Redwood Heather.

Of course, you can use any worsted weight you want, in whatever color combination you prefer. I've chosen Bernat Super Value for mine. Using 40% Off coupons at AC Moore, I bought one skein a day last week. :) I just got started knitting Panel 1 this week!

Latest Accomplishments and Delays

Still knitting for the Bernat yarn company! I'm really loving that gig. Every month, I choose a project and yarn, and they send me all I need to get it made. Then, I take lots of photos and write about the project on their website. The best part is that I get to keep everything I knit! Can't beat that. :D

Last month, I made some sweet dolls for charity. I donated them to a local support center for abused children called Treehouse Children's Advocacy Center. You can read about my project on the Bernat Blog here: http://bernatyarns.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/love-these-dolls-for-charity/



My mom has been watching my knitting projects as I talk about them on Facebook. And she keeps saying, "Oooo....I want one of those!" So, I'm trying to make a few things for her birthday.

Here's a market bag I've started for her:


And I've started work on two projects for customers.

A yellow & black afghan:


And a Christmas stocking:


I'm still at work on a "Oiseau" wrap for display at Yarnhouse Knits also. It is VERY slow work, with detailed stitching on every single row. Not a single row of "rest" in the entire project. I'm not sure WHEN that wrap will be completed.


At least I did finish ONE other project. Red slipper socks for my oldest son, just in time to celebrate his 25th birthday. :)


I think I might need another pair of hands to finish knitting all these projects!

Knitting Mags at Barnes & Noble

Every weekend (and sometimes during the week), my hubby and I will take a trip to Barnes and Noble bookstore. We both love to read. When we walk in, we are hand-in-hand, then we quickly lose track of each other. He heads off to look at the History and Military sections, Poker books, comic books, and magazines. I look through the clearance and discount section, then head over to the knitting magazines.

Pretty soon, we are both waiting in line at the Starbucks counter, ordering a drink so we can browse through the magazines together. We usually buy a big cookie to share, and sit down to talk about what we've found so far in the bookstore.

Tonight, my stack of magazines was about 6 inches thick, and included some art magazines as well. I've been interested in art for the longest time, but don't have time to pursue it.....at least I can see what others are doing with art. Maybe one day, I'll learn to paint.

After my perusal of the art magazines, I zeroed in on the knitting publications. NICE this month! I decided to purchase two European magazines, because the patterns and articles just stole my heart.

The Knitter, Issue 20


This issue has some SWEET patterns!

A precious doll, called "Prairie Poll"


A lovely, handcrafted pillow, called "Homestead"


And a nice, loose shrug that is the perfect style for my plus-size figure.
(And it has directions for my size! WOO HOO!!!)


Yarn Forward, Issue 28


SO MANY nice designs in this issue! LOVE IT!

The "Flirt Tee" is definitely my favorite, and it has directions for my size! :)


The "Belle Cardigan" is exactly my style, and once again in my size!!


I think my son will like the "Baltic Beach Hoodie"


And I plan on making the Japanese "Kokeshi Doll" for one of my piano students. She is originally from Japan.


I am so glad we went to the bookstore tonight! I would have hated missing these nice knitting magazines.