sp stands for stretch your parameters...

or shed your prejudice (tbd later in post).

yesterday i mailed two items. the fluffy cuff mittens went out to my niece. and the aline bag to it's recipient.

earlier this week, the devil hat was finished, aidan's slippers are finished. now i'm going like crazy to knit a little cat hat for bea for halloween as she is the only one sans costume. i ripped it once already. now it's much smaller and i hope a more accurate fit. the yarn i am using is some that my sp sent along. i had it on the needles within an hour or so of recieving it, thanks sp!

so this sp thing. i have to say thank you to my secret pal for broadening my horizons. i'm sure many of you experience the same wonderment over the packages they recieve via this arrangement. beneath the overriding gratitude you feel from the kindness of a stanger who goes out of their way to please you, there are some items you say, wow! others... what? how? why? this mixture of emotions has overtaken me with the unveiling of each package as it arrived. the first contained post it notes? hmm. in another life i used post its like crazy and would have known what to do with one -at work. presently, it took my secret pal for me to rediscover them -for my hobby. they now litter my knitting books and mags with marks and comments. thank you secret pal!
the other was this yarn. i would never in a million years have picked this yarn, despite it's obvious beauty. the projects i plan for simply don't call for this type. but, i let my sp be my guide; she said, "for halloweenie inspiration". and inspired i am! i have embarked on this little hat for bea for the impending holiday. the yarn's beautiful halloween colors and texture are creating such a cool fabric. the black wool bits are actually forming circles and spots -just like on a real feline! how great is that? i am going to end up with this glam little cat cap for my cutie, she will we an edgy modern kind of kitty like from the broadway musical. i plan to make a band to embellish a witches hat for myself so we can sport about town together as a pretty pair. so if i haven't said it already... THANK YOU secret pal! i am growing because of you..
the package contained other lovely goodies. beautiful native american art stamps. a pasta cookbook. both items whose merits were immediately obvious to me, and yet my favorite, for now anyway, turns out to be the yarn i never would have picked! oh how i wish i had pictures to show you what i am talking about!

looking forward to stitch and bitch tomorrow. i am prepared for sparse attendance as the SOX are now playing the WORLD SERIES! i'm not a fan beyond being part of a family populated with fans. but i do care. how can you not feel for the team that has had this dangled in front of them for so many years. go sox!

my tea is cold, but the kids' feet are warm in slippers. how is your day going?

swatch at nite

i swatched tiny tots for a baby sweater for lilyorjackson. the pattern is from weekend knitting. i think the nubby yarn is wasted on garter stitch but the pattern is just simple yet refined enough to go for girl or boy, and that's why i'm stickin to it.

as a relatively new knitter, under a year, i am caught in a philosophical dilemma. do i have several projects going at once and leave myself open to the prospect of ufo's filling every surface of my home? or do i have a project underway for every mood that hits me. last night, i could not bring myself to pick up the elf bootie. even though all i have left is the toe shaping. so, i broke down and swatched. now this new project is underway and the booties are hanging. i thank god that my life is such that this constitutes a 'problem'.

two babies are sleeping, one is at school, the other is giggling after the cat; how is your day going?

50/50

i have at least decided on spirit trail fibers as the source for my clapotis yarn... now... what color?
the 50/50 refers to the wool/silk blend. cool.

HEADLINE: Bo Sox Decimate Stitch n Bitch

three at starbucks last night. the best three ;)
it appears the baseball game precluded the regular wednesday night outing for many of us. we look forward to seeing you next week, dears.

erica worked away on the second devil horn of her devil hat. i brought mine too but never got to it. it was kind of fun seeing how different, yet the same, they turned out. she used a much finer yarn and brighter red than i did. denise plugged away on... what else but socks? she furrowed her brow for many minutes over the fact that her second sock always ends up tighter than the first. this made me notice that the elf slipper i was working on was tighter than my first. and, erica observed that her devil horns weren't quite the same size. hmm. erica also worked on a swell ribbed hat that she seems to be designing on the fly. i haven't quite the nerve to surrender to my knitting that much yet. i am in admiration.

and, i recieved rowan goodies in the mail. so cool to have that big mag to peruse. and a little yarn to fondle too. i don't think i will use the kit as intended; i'll probably pass on the pattern and use the cork for a child's sweater. looking forward to it. there are at least three patterns that really appeal to me from the issue. one is the crewneck version of bay, another is the woman model's version of garth, there is also freya.
we talked a little about what a commitment sweater knitting is last night. though i dream of a beautiful wardrobe for myself perhaps i'll start small. bloom might be just the thing. i may go for a bright color with a cluster of vintage buttons in placel of the flowers... i am inpired to try this by action hero's fo. i admire many of the men's designs too. particularly finn and kirk. but if i can't bring myself to knit a size small for myself, imagine a man's sweater! especially a man as large as the one i have to knit for! i've never seen him in a cardigan anyway.

one of the kid's is battling diarhea induced diaper rash and another is puking. how is your day going?

when you have nothing to put in your blog, take a quiz! and that is just what i did. marnie maclean came up with this fun one. i dig her knitting adventures, check them out using the link on my sidebar.

You appear to be a Knitting Adventurer.You are
through those knitting growing pains and
feeling more adventurous. You can follow a
standard pattern if it's not too complicated
and know where to go to get help. Maybe you've
started to experiment with different fibers and
you might be eyeing a book with a cool
technique you've never tried. Perhaps you
prefer to stick to other people's patterns but
you are trying to challenge yourself more.
Regardless of your preference, you are
continually trying to grow as a knitter, and as
well you should since your non-knitting friends
are probably dropping some serious hints, these
days.http://marniemaclean.com/

What Kind of Knitter Are You?
brought to you by

needles to nowhere

i feel like i'm spinning my wheels here. not much knitting going on lately as the littlest girl has decided to do most of her nursing at night for the last few days. she then sleeps soundly until early afternoon. hmm. gotta do something. i look forward to knitting all day but after the kiddies are to bed, she's either hungry or i'm just too beat to get out the needles.

last night i did wind the fur trim yarn for the boys' booties. it's to be worked double stranded so i had to get those strands friendly with each other on a rewound ball. one elf bootie slipper is finished up to the trim, and aidan doesn't mind wearing it all by its lonesome. it is the cutest thing. i highly recommend the elf slipper pattern in knitting weekend, it's quick, and it makes quite an impression. i feel it is great practice working up to trying socks, as i turned a small heel for it. i am less intimidated by the idea of socks now. i actually have some sock yarn marinating in the stash. but before i touch that i need to knit mom's mitts next, i think.

i'm thrilled to have a couple more projects wrapped up and waiting to be mailed. the black fluffy cuff mittens for kate and a little something for my secret pal. i had planned to go early this morning while all were still in bed but, i overslept because of the littlest girls bad habit. maybe tomorrow...

i also noticed a charge on my account from some yarn store i've never heard of but in an amount that matches what rowan charges for their membership, which i did sign up for and was informed it would be passed on to some representative state-side. i am just so excited to get my first mag in the mail from them. and, i wonder how long it takes to get the kit?

spiii, snb, etc.

hi spiii, i just wanted to thank you for the card i recently received in the mail. sorry it took me these couple of days to acknowledge it. i've actually been quite busy preparing something for my pal on the recieving end! isn't this fun?

snb tonight! i've been spoiled by these really big turnouts and am expecting another tonight. i hope to finish the fluffy cuff mittens and i plan to bring my store bought sweater to get advice and opinions on what to do with the yarn, if anything. i may also start slippers for the boys. yeah, right. i always get a lot less done than i think i will when i go there.

very little knitting done lately, a lot of early nights to bed though, which i guess must be what i really need. the body knows what it wants. i'm recovering from the very late sunday night that was the 80th birthday celebration of fil. it was great fun. the boys wore their handknit sweaters and got really great compliments, they both look so hansome in blue. beatrice had her booties on her feet at the house but managed to kick them off before i loaded her into the car, boo hoo.

the knitting highlight for me was the group picture being taken of popop with all his grandchildren and greatgrandchildren around him. there are 22 grand and 2 great grand, but who do you think got the 'place d'honeur' on popop's lap? you guessed it, the hansome boys in blue. how pathetic am i, this beautiful family moment and i only have eyes for my own knitting. actually, i find i am really cherishing that night. my husband's family is huge and was overwhelming for me at first, over a lot of years, i have finally gotten to know most everyone better and thank god that i have them since i am so far away from my own family.

i also recieved knitting books in the mail this week. 2 hardcovers for under 35, including shipping. fantasticshopping.com. took a while to get here but very reasonably priced. the titles were weekend knitting and knitting with beads. both very beautiful books. one is a giftie for someone. i plan on using weekend knitting right away to knit the slippers for the boys and a baby sweater for jacksonorlilly (we are still in suspense). the sweater is basically unisex so that i can finish and send it in time for the december due date.
enough typing. by now.

fo' mo' f o

time away from the computer is working.

• aline bag, finito
• baby ugg booties, donerino
• aidan's debbie bliss simple guernsey style sweater with added anchor, over-orama
• kittyville hat, umm, uhh, not yet, but i promise for today so that my post isn't a lie; i just wanted four in the title to go with fo. now, i have to finish it by the end of the day, don't i? motivation, any way you can get it. that is what this is for after all, isn't it.

i have a store bought sweater that i love to wear because it is so cozy, but it is just so unflattering and ugly. i was going to hand it down, donate, deep six, however i could get rid of it. i am eyeing the cozy yarn. i want to rip it and make my own thing. am i totally nuts? label says silk, mohair, acrylic, cotton; 56%, 15%, 15%, 14%, respectively. i said it was cozy didn't i. stay tuned for this little adventure.

a howdy to all my fellow bitchin' stitchers, hartford out there. it was fun wednesday. did i count 11 ladies? wow, what a fun group too. see you all next week.

thanks for the anonymous comment sp3, i am actually trying to do my best not to ignore my ufos, but it is sweet of you to let me off the hook.