Christmas Ornaments

I decided to use some leftover sock yarn to knit Christmas ornaments. Boy are they ever cute! ... if I do say so myself. The patterns are from Kalamazoo Knits and I bought them last fall at Stitches East in Baltimore.

I have two done and as soon as I finish this post will start a third from blue and white sock yarn...Penn State ya know. The patterns are easy and knit up quickly. I bought a box of 8 ornaments at Wal-Mart for $6 so they are inexpensive to make. Would be nice gifts.

I am now searching for a metal tree to hang them from for Christmas. Better start internet surfing.

This is October??

Today's post will again be basically photos. Mother Nature played a cruel joke on this part of Central PA today....first heavy rain which turned into snow...on October 15! The major problem is that the trees are still laided with their leaves and this heavy, wet snow is causing many branches to come down. Here are some photos from my yard. This nasty weather is not to stop until tomorrow. I hope the trees don't fall on the house or cars.

Teddy Bear's Trip to North Carolina

Teddy watches the world go by

Teddy and Daddy watched too much football on TV

Teddy's first time in a hotel. Notice his stuffed babies also made the trip.

Aaaaahhhhh...just like home!

Are we there yet?

Let Us Never Forget....

UFOs

For about the past six months -- since my personal life started to spiral downward dramatically -- I have had a bad case of "startitis." Translation: I keep starting, but not finishing projects. That must change.

This photo is of four pair of socks I have started.

The orange ones are a gift for a friend. Fortunately, she doesn't know I'm knitting them so I don't feel a huge pressure to finish immediately. However, I do want to finish this month so she has them to wear when colder weather hits. These will be the second pair I complete.

The striped ones are technically a "summer" sock. Since one is completed they are going to be my first pair to finish. In fact, I'm taking them along to knitting group this evening. Theory...if you take only one project then you have to work on it. Right? Right.

The reddish striped ones go quickly because they are sport weight and I am knitting them on size 3 needles. They will wait a bit but are third in line.

Last, but not least, is the sock at the bottom of the photo. I thought there was more of it in the photo but I guess not. Well, actually there isn't much to see. It is from an awesome cashmere/merino wool blend that I can't wait to wear. But, I will wait as it is last in line.

These are not my only UFOs. Oh my no. I have a neck warmer on the needles as a birthday present for a friend. Can't say more as she reads this blog. And then there are the various shawls I have started. I am anticipating a fruitful fall and winter of knitting. At least I hope so.

Stay tuned...

New Charity Project

This little gem is a cup sleeve. What is a cup sleeve you ask? Well, it slips over the paper cup that holds your hot coffee you buy at any convenience store or specialty coffee shop. A friend gave me the pattern and I am knitting them for the Pet Pantry of Centre County. We provide cat and dog food to the food banks in the county so people who want to keep their animals, but are having tough economic times, can feed them and keep them. Pets are important to many people. I know they are to me.

I am using superwash worsted weight wool and am waiting for an order from Knitpicks. The project goes quickly and little yarn is used. These will be great lunchtime knitting projects. We are going to sell them for $1 each and of course are reusable. All money will go toward the cost of pet food and will keep those paper cup covers out of the landfill. A win-win.

Check out the website: http://petpantry.yolasite.com/

WTAJ-TV did a story on the Pet Pantry. I don't think the link is still available, but here is the text from the spot.

Centre Co. Pet Food Pantry
Reported by: Adam Paluka
Monday, Jun 8, 2009 @03:32pm
COLLEGE TOWNSHIP, CENTRE COUNTY - As the economy continues to sputter, more and more local families are making some tough budget decisions. In Centre County, two women are determined to make sure feeding the family pet is not a casualty of the recession. “Since the middle of last year was about the first that I've heard someone on the phone say 'I really want to keep my dog. I really love my dog. I can't afford to feed it,'” Kim Bierly, of Centre County Golden Retriever Rescue, said. In less than a year Bierly and Caitlin Rivers have the Pet Pantry of Centre County up and running. In three weeks the two have distributed more than 700 pounds of donated dog and cat food. They believe the family pet cannot be forgotten in an economic downturn. “People just aren't willing to give up their dog because it's inconvenient and that's putting people in a really bad spot, and it's my job to make sure that doesn't happen anymore,” Rivers said. The goal is to eventually get one thousand pounds of dog and cat food donated every month. Their efforts are not going to end once the economy picks back up. “(Think about) our senior citizens on fixed incomes. For them, it's a permanent situation. They need the companionship, but sometimes their cat or dog is the only living creature they see everyday,” Bierly said. Currently, only dog and cat food is being collected, and the ladies are using a trusted distribution system to get Fido and Felix their meals. “People are already going to the food bank for human food donations, and a lot of them are the same people that need additional support for their pets. We're using the human food banks to distribute the food primarily,” Rivers said. Some donations come from local businesses, but Rivers and Bierly hope the bulk of the pet pantry will be stocked by local residents. For more information about donating, or getting some help from the pet pantry click here: http://www.petpantry.yolasite.com/ .

Adventure Hat

The Adventure Hat is finally finished. My teddy bear model is quite cooperative and loves the hat! It is knitted from two strands of yarn. The bottom part is one strand of taupe wool and one strand of multi-colored taupe/black/grey wool and the top is two strands of the taupe wool. A stunning combination, I think AND a great leftover/stash buster.

I am helping my friend, Libby, who owns Mad About Ewes yarn shop in Lewisburg. 12 of us knitted this hat pattern for female freshmen students at Bucknell University while 12 others knitted hats for male freshmen students. Freshmen are given a list of shops in the downtown to stop in and get a special "Welcome to Lewisburg" gift. I do believe Libby's will be a hit and are wonderful. Just like Libby.

Brandeis 3-8-96 to 8-13-09

My Sunshine is gone. He was stoic and brave these last 6 weeks and was ready to sleep. I will love you forever. You were my first Golden. This photo was taken 3 hours before your death and about an hour before you went downhill dramatically. We had a wonderful summer sitting on the downstairs porch. Brandeis got fresh air, was able to see the world pass by, bark at baby strollers and bicycles, and to sit at the fence to be petted by our neighbor. The weather was cooler than usual and a lot of sun...for my sunshine.

I did easy knitting -- dishcloths -- while sitting with him. They will forever be known as "Deisy's Dishcloths" and will be sold to benefit Golden Retriever Rescue of Central PA.

Orange Socks

The first sock is progressing nicely. It is now a bit further toward completion than when I took this photo yesterday. I have the heel flap completed and the heel is turned. On to my favorite part of socks -- picking up stitches for the gusset and then the decreases! I love this part -- seriously!

New (to me) Websites

It is always fun to come across new knitting-related website -- whether blogs or places to purchase knitting necessities (translation...yarn and/or patterns). I feel so lucky because in the past two weeks I have discovered three blogs that are all well written by extremely talented knitters/designers, very different from each other, and they also sell their designs via pdf downloads. Translation: you pay with credit card by whatever means they use and within minutes you have a pdf of the pattern to download. Yes, you can save it to your computer in case you need a clean copy at some point or need to replace the pages chewed by your Golden Retriever...ahem...we won't go there...will we Teddy Bear??!!

The first site I came across is Brooklyn Tweed. Jared's designs are fabulous and it seems that he is coming out with a book of patterns within the next month or so. I can't wait. Some of his patterns are available for purchase from the internet site Ravelry.

Last Monday I somehow came across the site for Pink Lemon Twist. She has great sock patterns and I purchased some of her downloads. I LOVE her patterns for various reasons ... first and foremost she knits top down on dpns as I do. Nice top down sock patterns are tough to find these days since many people are knitting toe up. Just not my thing...I so prefer dpns and top down.

The last very pleasant "discovery" was later in the week. A Scottish designer/knitter named Ysolda who has a wonderful pdf booklet called Whimsical Little Knits. Absolutely amazing patterns. I immediately had to cast on for the gorgeous scarf with its lace border. I am not an overly accomplished nor overly confident knitter but I think it is a pattern I can handle and will enjoy. The pattern also comes in a shawl size, but the yarn I chose is enough for the scarf which I will wear more than a shawl. More on it in a future posting.

Not A Lot of Knitting

Haven't gotten much knitting done lately, and obviously even less blogging. Been cooking all the meals for my 13+ year old Golden. He is now eating again and is lively and he is my priority.

I am knitting a pair of socks for a friend's birthday. Shades of oranges and yellows with some green mixed in. Not my color scheme but her favs so that is why I chose this yarn from Fleece Artist.

Will photo this weekend and add to the blog posting.

Also plan a new post about two other blogs that I have come across recently and absolutely LOVE!

More soon....

New Knitting Projects

Slight alteration of plans for the sock pattern. Instead of the Opal Petticoat colorway -- which will be knitted into a vanilla sock -- I pulled a gorgeous skein of yellow/teal blend hand-dyed by Earthly Hues from the stash. This yarn is labeled a fingering weight and I am knitting it on size 2 needles. It is really, really close to a sport weight -- at least Lorna's Laces sport weight -- in my opinion. I knit sport weight on size 3s but that won't work for this pattern. Will post photos when more is completed and there is actually something to see. The pattern was knitted in a one-color yarn but I think will work OK in the yarn I selected which is a yummy blend of merino wool/cashmere/nylon. I'm not frogging unless it turns out to be way too large, which I don't think will happen.

While organizing stash I came across a HUGE amount of dish cloth yarn. Really nice colors and plains. So, I am now on a dish cloth knitting frenzy. They will be donated to Golden Retriever Rescue for our sales table.

I love hand-knitted dish cloths. My sister has me spoiled by knitting them for me. Uh-oh...she reads my blog! Guess I'm busted! She will insist that I knit my own from now on. LOL!

Photos of the cloths, too, when more are knitted.