Big Snugs

Just finished my felted boots, *Big Snugs* pattern. They were HUGE! This is the picture of them before felting in the washer.

And...after. :o)

Still Waiting for my Quilting Machine...but in the meantime...

......I have been spinning and knitting. This is the fiber that my daughter dyed up and I brought home with me from Canada. The turquoise is a superwash merino/nylon mix and it spun up beautifully...very soft and cozy.

The yellow is a cashmere/merino blend and I plied it with cream crochet cotton and it is also very, very soft.

I knitted up the turquoise into a Sweet Georgia

hat and a skinny scarf and it knitted up quickly and beautifully. Actually, this is the first time I have knitted something with my handspun and I am now addicted. Okay, I was addicted to spinning the stuff but now I am addicted to knitting with the stuff! LOL!

More *Baby*!

It is SO wonderful to see a *baby* in the things that I have been making during the pregnancy. There is a picture of the sweater set earlier in my blog but look how adorable Quinn looks in it! And...the first picture I have with his eyes open. :o)

Oh my, he is going to be a heartbreaker...or am I just a doting Nana? LOL!

Pansy Shawl!

I am tickled to bits...I finished my *Pansy Shawl* from Schoolhousepress..it is a KAL and my first lace knitting project. It was not difficult and just a pleasure to make. It is a Faroese style shawl and I knitted it out of Icelandic Unspun Sumac (one ply..and a gorgeous red with purple and orange undertones) and a size 8US circular needle. After blocking (also a first for me!), it measures 64" x 32" and a gauge of 4 sts/inch. And it is so cozy! Using the unspun is a bit tricky at first as just a tug and it breaks but it so easily mends by just overlapping the ends and rubbing it between my palms and I very quickly got the hang of knitting with it. I love it. I also used it, 2 plies, for my ribwarmer. At first I was concerned as it seemed too scratchy but after soaking it in a mild soap and water solution and rinsing it twice and then letting it sit in a sinkful of water with a squirt of hair conditioner in it, it came out light and quite soft. I was very gentle with it, no twisting, and rolled it in two towels and stepped on it for awhile. This got most of the water out of it..then I layed it out on an old white doubled up flannel sheet and stretched it until I thought it looked good, pinned the edges and let it dry overnight. This morning it was dry and I could not wait to put it over my shoulders! What is SO surprising to me is how light it is. And now I am hooked...will be asking for lace shawl books for my birthday this year! LOL! Oh, it only took just over a bun and a half of the unspun.

Cannot help it...I am so proud! :o)

My Ribwarmer is finally finished!

My Adult Ribwarmer from the pattern by Elizabeth Zimmermann is finished and I love it. It is rather *Bavarian* looking! I used 2 plies of sage Unspun from Schoolhouse Press and the trim is spruce Unspun. I used the applied I-cord technique for the first time. The thing actually fits! And it is so easy to do that I can see that I will make more. Needless to say it is VERY warm. Hence...ribwarmer...LOL!

More Baby Knitting...

Little Quinn will be born within the month and I am STILL coming up with things to make him.

The little camo longies will be used for cloth diapering as well as pants. The little sweater set is the Sock-It-To-Me baby pattern. With the leftover yarn, I made the little socks. Now...the little crocheted *cowboy boots* are the cutest things! Seeing as *Nana & Opa* (us) are now living in Wyoming, Quinn will HAVE to be gifted with cowboy boots from time to time! LOL!

Oh, forgot to put pics up of the Soakers...

I have been knitting Soakers for the new grandbaby...not that my dd has decided to cloth diaper, mind you, but *just in case*. These are made out of Galway wool and they are addicting to make!

Finished Bag

Love it. It felted up so nicely and it stands very solid. I think this could be addicting. :o)

Still knitting the ribbing on a baby soaker and will get some more of those started.

And...I went to the quilt shop and bought some wool batting to try. I think I will do my Dear Jane as quilt as you go and do a machine sashiko quilting on them. First I had to bring my sewing machine in for a servicing and then will start experimenting. So much to do....

Felted Knitting Bag

I found a free pattern...very easy...it is for a knitting basket and I thought it would be a nice addition to the living room for all the projects I have going. So, I purchased some Lamb's Pride Worsted (85% wool/15%mohair) and knitted it up. It was huge, of course. Now, my previous experience with felting a bag meant I had to wash and wash and dry and dry but I was SHOCKED at how quickly this felted up in the washer. it was scary. :o) I put it in the dryer just for a few minutes on low just to get some of the fuzzies off of it as it is REALLY hairy (the mohair) and I stretched it over a pot and will let it dry. I think I will like it a lot...after I shave it a bit. Gosh this thing is hairy. Anyhow, a really easy project, used 2 balls vs the 3 the pattern called for, 2 evenings knitting. I liked the handles on it. Will post a pic when it dries..tomorrow probably. It is supposed to finished at 8.5" high by 11" diameter.

THAT DOG!!!

Yeah, turned my back and look what I found! One of little Quinn's socks!

I was wondering why the *big dog*, aka Robbie, was looking like this...he was probably LYING on the chewed up thing! grrrrrrrrr.....

I had just taken this picture of the dogs because they looked so cute and thought it was really odd that Robbie was lying down like this. Should have known! LOL! I found the sock a few minutes later..lying on the rug.

Still Knitting

I have been busy finishing up some socks that I had started in the winter. Made out of my favourite Regia sock wool...it doesn't seem to pill as much as the others do. I had started using it in Germany and can get it over here and socks are always on the go since my dh goes through store-bought socks too quickly. We can get a good 5 years out of my handmade socks. And they fit so nice and snug. So! I finished my denim blue ones as my original ones are wearing out and since I had some little bits left, I made Quinn (who will be born in October) some socks *just like Nana's*. They are so tiny! But they will fit him really nicely..nice and snug and won't fall off. They took a whole evening to make! LOL!

After I finished mine and Quinn's, I started on another pair for dh. This patterned yarn is his favourite and he has several colourways..he just wore out his original pair. I am always knitting socks...it is my mindless work.

And I also just finished a little sweater set for the baby. Will get this sent off to Canada soon. :o)

Baby news!

I am going to be a first-time grandmother (Nana, actually), in October, and I was SURE it was going to be a girl! So I started knitting little pink baby sets and started smocking little nighties, etc. And JUST finished this little pair of newborn socks. Then my daughter had her ultrasound (and everything is just fine!) and found out that the baby is most DEFINITELY a boy..no doubt about it...I saw the u/s picture. ;o) But I had to post a picture of the little socks..they are SO tiny! That is a quarter on the sock. Good thing I also have blue yarn...will make some with cuffs!