Rumor has it...

That I have a knitting blog. Seriously! Believe it or not, I have been knitting and thinking about said blog, but that's as far as I've gotten. Until now. Hold on, it's gonna be a garter-bumpy ride!

First up is the completed Bouncing Baby Blankie. This didn't photograph as well as I hoped, but trust me - it's cute and will be perfect for a coworker's new grandbaby due in July.

Project specs: Plymouth Wildflower DK in Grape, Lime, Butter, and Dove on #6 Inox circs. I used about 1.25 skeins for each block and then using the Butter color, doublecrocheted an edging around the whole blankie.
And how can I go on without showing you the haul from Kyarns annual sale?

Clearly, I can't. There's some Berroco Pure Merino in Cardinal (for the sweater I'm not going to knit), more Wildflower DK (1.00/skein!!) to add to the baby yarn stash, 4 skeins of simply lovely Rowan Wool Cotton in Cypress, 2 skeins each of Plymouth's Happy Feet in the red and moss green colorways, as well as some random skeins to keep me on my toes. Kalen was so enabling sweet to make sure I had two bags to fill.

Spring cleaning continues at the CattyAbode with the CatMan's office bearing the brunt of it. We made one dump run, numerous large garbage bags have been filled with debris, and now we wait for the UPS guy to deliver the new furniture. I have to admit, when it comes to purging/cleaning or knitting, the purging wins almost every time.

We are off this weekend for a long weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Since I won't be able to clean, I'm thinking I should have plenty of car knitting time to finish Trinity as well as my second sock.

In the air

...and nothing completed to show for it. Around the house, the first coat of spackling is done in the scary hall. Table has been rented for the big island tag sale next month. The ancient TV (and assorted other electronics) were taken to the e-cycle day. I've been trying to upload blog pics and balance my checkbook online but the webgods are not smiling favorably on me today. It makes me very angry {/Martin the Martian voice}.

Work continues on the Trinity Wrap

and I started a Wildflower DK mitered baby blankie.
I bought some goodies at Kyarns the other day. The neutral Happy Feet colorway will be socks for me. The purple (which looks blue in this pic) Cotton Rich DK is going to be a baby sweater to go with the blankie. And the Jawoll cotton is a stash addition (but probably more socks for me!)Now if I can just knock one of these balls out of the air.

blog fodder

Still knitting on the Trinity shawl, so not a lot of new knitting to share with the rest of the class. But I do have some random blog fodder for your personal edification.

First, the CattyTV went to the Big TVLand in the Sky. But s/he had lived a good long life. We figured out the set was manufactured one month after the CatMan and I first met. Now if we could just find a new one...

The Cure continues as I rip off the old wallpaper on our third floor landing. Scary? Actually the blue paint here is very close to the paint I've picked out for the hall and bathroom. But there's a little patching to be done first, don't you think?

And this was in the Easter candy clearance aisle. For .49 cents and 5 Hershey's Kisses how could I not! (The CatMan got the Kisses and I got the sheep who really does have 2 eyes, you just can't see the one because of the angle.)

And finally a little craft-related content. Some of my felted rounds for the Felted Table Runner WIP made their way to this bag. My friend Sue pieced the interior lining using some of the tropical fabric from my beach bag and a buttery soft microsuede upholstery fabric. Me like-y. Alot.

The Spring Cure - Bathroom

The Spring Cure continues at the CattyAbode. This week's biggie was replacing the nasty yellowed and cracked plexiglass insert over our vanity and switching out the old lighting to new fluorescent lightbulbs. As you can see, our bathroom is the size of a postage stamp with no external window, so brighter lighting helps avoid the 'we live in a cave' feel. When I took the ancient plastic insert into Vermont Plastic Specialities, the guys had a very hard time disguising their smirks. All I could offer was, "Hey, we rent."

(I had to stand in the tub to take this shot!)

I also changed out the vinyl shower curtain liner and laundered the old one for future use. To wash it, I just stick it in the washer with a load of towels and set it on warm/cold, then air dry it over our laundry rack. The towels scrub the residue off and I can usually get a few more uses out of it before it is time to throw it away.

Spring Cleaning

The osprey are here, so it must be spring. And this week, I found out there is going to be a huge community yard sale at the end of May. Taking my inspiration from here (warning - this site is a good way to waste a day...or a week - click at your own risk!) I have begun the Spring Purge. So far, two+ computer paper boxes have been filled.

Culling through my drawers, I was reminded I have never posted a pic of my favorite socks. These socks were made pre-blog, so I don't have a clue on the yarn (readers, any thoughts?). They have worn like iron and feel better each time I wear them. In fact, if I could remember the yarn, I'd make some more!

And FYI - no stash has been harmed during the Purge.

...and your little dog, too!

Edited to add action shots -
Sophie wagging happy.

Sophie's cheesecake shot!

Sophie's Skully Sweater

Project specs: Leftover Jawoll sock yarn in black with Mango Moon's Capelli in Cherry, knit on #2 Inox needles. The pattern ended up being created on the fly using Miss Sophie's dress as a sizing guide. For scale? The skull is the size of a 1/2 dollar. Sophie's owner has promised to bring her into work to model the sweater --ooo, live action shots!

On a more serious note, my boss (aka The Little Dog - not to be confused with Sophie) and his wife found out last week that she has breast cancer. Until we get more details and ways to help the family during this crisis, I started knitting a wrap for her.

I love the look of the Trinity stitch on the larger needles. And though you can't tell in this pic, the green is brighter and there are small beads interspersed throughout the border.

However, all this talk about dogs activates the alien in Miss Isabelle.

I'm so done with this!

I'm so done with:

Daylight Savings Time

Snow/slush/ice

Laundry

The Rosa Fingerless mitts (which I truly/madly/deeply love)

Project specs: the leftover Malabrigo from Tudora, knit on #8 Brittany DPNs. The pattern is my own - of course if I had been thinking, I would have put Tudora cables in the mitts. But I was just too darn excited to be knitting the Malabrigo!
Almost done is Sophie's Skully Sweater. I can't knit on this at work anymore - too many people stop me to look at the skull!

The Perfect Boyfriend

Cinco came to us a few weeks after the death of another cat. Someone had left him in a box outside the vet clinic where I worked. He was a matted, unneutered, flea-ridden, orangish puffball who bore more than a passing resemblance to Animal from the Muppet Show. The first time we saw each other, it was love. He was the quintessential lap cat, and the lap he most wanted to be on was mine.
The first day I brought Cinco home to meet the rest of the brood (only 3 others at that time), he morphed into 'attack cat' and terrorized them in addition to making me doubt my sanity. That is until the CatMan's footsteps clumped onto the decking. Cinco ran to the door, flopped over and proceeded to clean himself, looking for all the world like he had been waiting oh-so-patiently to meet his competitor for my affections.

As I've mentioned before, Cinco and the CatMan had an uneasy truce. Cinco's favorite mode of revenge on the CatMan was either chewing the edges of his paperback books, or if really upset, urinating on his clothes/backpacks/climbing gear. The CatMan's favorite nickname for Cinco was "Chewbookapeeboy." The only time the CatMan could do no wrong was after we had eaten dinner and his was the Lap of Choice.

Over the past two months, we have been noticing an onset of the "Dwindles", which culminated this weekend with Cinco no longer eating or purring. I will miss my boyfriend with his deep rumbling purr, old man sigh when he finally settled in to sleep, and even his ongoing insistence to be in my lap despite my protests (he usually wore me down anyway.)

Goodbye Mr. Cat. I love you.

Cinco - May 5, 1992 to March 3, 2008

Thank you for being a friend -

It was a rough week for me (hey look! Panic!) and a friend came to the rescue. She gave me some great advice, prayed for me, and shared her own issues with anxiety. I started these socks last weekend, and it became clear to me that they needed to be hers. And so they shall be.

Project specs: Plymouth Yarn Co "Happy Feet" (a superwash/nylon blend) in colorway #6 on #2 Inox. You really can't tell from the pic, but the colors remind me of an autumn forest: deep piney green, lighter moss green, tan, mushroom brown, and a deep claret. Maybe not the most Spring-y of color choices, but I think she will like them.

I love the Happy Feet yarn and at $6.00 a skein, it's an affordable treat! I even have enough left over to trim a baby jacket I've got on the docket.

But first, a dog sweater for a 3# chihuahua owned by a Harley ridin' guy. Ayep.

Do a little dance...

Stuff is just zipping off the needles now that the wrap is done.

First, socks for a relative:

Project specs - 1 skein of Bernat Satin Sport (DK weight) in the Meadow colorway, using an improvised pattern on #5 DPNs.

Then a Tudora for me. I love the Tudora. Abnormally. It ain't right I tell ya. I think it's the perfectness of the yarn and the pattern.

Project specs - less than 1 skein of Malabrigo Worsted in the Amoroso colorway on #8 needles. Turning the work before the last stitch is knitted on the bind-off edge is brilliant!

And then there are the dishcloths for my very patient friend Jacques.

Project specs: the Crested Wave and Bamboo cloth patterns from Dishcloth Boutique done in Saucy cotton, color 125 on #7 Addis.

Now I'm on a pair of socks for me using Plymouth's Happy Feet. 'Cause you know my feet are doing the "Happy FO" dance.

Free at last!

The Wrap with Sleeves is finally done! And by "done", I mean "all but blocking". I think I really love it - enough to make another one, maybe out of alpaca, using big needles and the trinity stitch. Maybe to look something like this (click on 'more views' to see all the different ways to wear it!)

And totally non-knitting related....

Yesterday, I was domestic goddessing around the CattyAbode and realized just how much I like my home right now. There are still projects to finish (stripping the hall wallpaper and painting the trim, repainting the bathroom, and totally revamping the CatMan office - aka The Black Hole of Despair). But in this past year, I've made some changes - subtle and not-so-subtle - that took me from 'eh' to 'I like to be home now!'

Now if I could just find the perfect purse...

Look! Bright Shiny Object!

That's how I feel right now about knitting. I'm determined to finishing at least ONE of these *&^#) WIPs. *sigh* So things like the new Patternworks catalog are very distracting.

Case in point: (and I'm not even a sweater knitter!!)

Or perhaps something like ziss? (Right. Like I'd abandon my favorite - and memorized - pattern.)

I'm even thinking about painting our postage stamp-sized bathroom. It's between these two -
lime granita (it's a bit brighter and greener than this swatch) or open air .

And finally, here's a pic of the Christmas amaryllis bulb we gave the CatMan's Mom. I didn't know it would have so many blooms!

Plugging away

I'm spending the rest of this month (all 6 days of it) trying to finish at least one of the WIPs hanging around on the needles for a couple of months. The wrap with sleeves is a few inches past the second armhole - I want to finish the body this weekend before I move onto the sleeves. The felted table runner is worked on during the week - with felting during the weekend as I do the Cattylaundry. So it's a bunch of knitting with not a lot to show for it right now.

I did knit up a few preemie hats.

TheReallyBigShew is oh-so-happy to model one for me.

I'm limiting the preemie knitting to when I accomplish one of the WIP goals I set for myself. And I'm pointedly ignoring the siren call of the stash. Lalalalala...

In the bleak midwinter

There's a need for a golden glow -

Project specs: the perfect scarf pattern using Patons' Brillant in Marvelous Mocha (chocolate brown with bronze flecks.) 2 skeins on #10.5 Brittanys.

Since my other WIPs are taking some time and I don't really have a transportable project, I'm knitting up a few things for here to fulfill my instant gratification requirement. The CatMan and I only have a psychofeline brood, so this is my chance to enjoy knitting wee things for wee ones. And we all know there's enough sock yarn floating around the CattyAbode.

And because it's playing in the background right now, and I love the images:

"And the price of a memory

Is the memory of the sorrow it brings

There is always on last light to turn out and one last bell to ring

And the last one out of the circus has to lock up everything

Or the elephants will get out

And forget to remember what you said

And the ghosts of the tilt-a-whirl

Will linger inside of your head

And the ferris wheel junkies will spin them forever instead

When I see you a blanket of stars covers me in my bed."

Mrs. Potter's Lullaby by the Counting Crows.

First FO of 2008

And here it is courtesy of Cinco, aka "Mr. Mom's-sitting-down-so-I-must-be-in-her-lap"!

So I tried again -

Project specs: Lang Jawool Superwash (color 764) and Color Superwash (color 549/65). The green is the leftovers from my Hooray for Me glovelets. The black was rolling around in the stash. The pattern is the tried and true sock pattern on #2 Brittanys, casting on 64 stitches.

And before it is out of my brain forever, here is a closeup of the secret Christmas project - a scarf I knit for my MIL in its unblocked state.

Project specs: My coned burgundy alpaca using Frog Tree's Cape Cod Shell Scarf pattern (the same one I used for Eyre) on #6 Inox needles.

Sparkly bits

Time to play "2 week catch-up". The PA trip was great fun - we saw everyone we had planned to and brought home the necessary case of Yuengling Black and Tan. I did try my hand at Wii bowling but not DDR (Dance Dance Revolution). I also failed miserably at Guitar Hero 3 (but the song choice rocked!) and 80's version of SingStar (karaoke melded with the actual videos and bands). In between all that video activity, I did find time to knit.

A cap and booties for a co-worker's new little granddaughter. Project specs (cap): 1 skein of Artful Yarns' Candy working the simple pattern on the skein label. Project specs (booties): Saartjes's pattern using up a partial skein of red Classic Elite Silk on #2 needles. I modified the pattern to do a 'mary jane' strap.

Lady MacWisp. Project specs: 1 skein of KidSilk Night in "Macbeth" (a deep purply color with silver thread) done on #8 Addis. I modified the pattern to do all the lace stitch without the interspersed garter bands. Oooo, sparkly - just not in this picture!

And what would the new year be without a pair of socks on the needles? Sad, I tell you! Ever the Scotswoman, this pair is using up 2 odd stash skeins.

2008 may turn into the year of MORE SPARKLE!

AND SOCKS!

Stop the insanity!

Happy Horrordays

That's what my co-worker and I have been saying to each other the past few weeks. And now the days are upon us. Bags are packed, presents wrapped and packed, apartment cleaned, laundry done, emails caught up, hotels and rental car confirmed, and cat needs taken care of.

I had a little set back with the meds/panic thing this week, so absolute zero knitting has been done since last Sunday. However, I was able to finish these beforehand.

Project specs: Jack Frost Ladies Mittens #5619 in pink Manos wool, done on #6 needles. I used scap yarn for a combination of lazy daisy and duplicate stitches.

Since we will be spending at least 25 hours in the car (most of it in daylight), my trip's knitting bag consists of:
The wrap with sleeves
LadyMacWisp
My first socks for 2008
A baby cap and Sarjaate's booties for a co-worker's new granddaughter due on 12/26.

The CatMan is duly impressed with my Christmas gifting: the Tychus hat (which he wanted felted a bit), the Bourne Trilogy DVD set and these (don't ask, I couldn't tell you. It's a boy thing, I think.)

Happy Horrordays and may you all get good gifts!

And we're back

I'm finally feeling back to myself again. Yippeedoo! To celebrate, I went a little crazy with the needle action this week.

CatDaddy indicated he would REALLY like a hat for Christmas. How can I deny a man I still call Daddy?

Project specs: about 1.25 skeins of Lang Mille Colori in color 839 - olives/greys/neutrals on #8 Brittany DPNS. The pattern is a 1 x 3 rib available when you purchase the yarn at KYarns.

I also finished the Tootie Tweedie socks. Knitting these just plain ol' made me happy.

Project specs: Regia 6-ply Tweed in color 53 on #2 Brittanys DPNs using the formula.

I also started a cool Wisp for myself using KidSilk Night in the "MacBeth" colorway and a pair of mittens in pink Manos.

And you know how socks go missing? Well, I 'lost' one of the Crazy Anklets a week or two ago - I figured it got caught up in the laundry folding and was statically stuck to something. Couldn't find it. Until today. When I changed the sheets on the bed.

It makes me laugh EVERY time

photo courtesy of southflorida.com/scared of santa

Because you know the older sister is grinning at the torment.

Crappy week saved by knitting

I've been crappy sick this week - long story shortened to "chemical imbalance/panic attacks/take these meds now". Still not feeling great and probably won't for another few weeks (I've put my request in for "by Christmas"). But I did get some knitting done - actually it was the saving grace of the week.

Here's the CatMan's Tychus. Project specs: Cascade 220 in black and charcoal grey done on #9 Brittanys. The yarn is held doubled which I found to be a pain in the patootie, but it finished nicely. If I was knitting it again, I would cast on a few more stitches to make it a bit longer when the brim is rolled up. Of course the CatMan is wearing it now (I think 'cause he likes it and not just because I knit him something.) When I finished the hat, I immediately cast on an easy, no-thinking project. The Regia 6-ply is nice and wooly with a bit more heft than most of my other socks, so I'm looking forward to finishing these and getting them on my toodies!

Hope all your holiday knits are going well. Maybe my next post will be more dynamic!