ONE OF THE PAIR--FINISHED!

       I am now the proud owner of the first hand-knit sock that I made for myself.  I had previously knitted two pairs of Argyles for DH in 1961 when I was working with an avid and prolific knitter.  She is actually the gal who helped me switch to knitting Continental--for which I am forever grateful to her.
       I want to thank all my knitting friends for their support, but especially DL for providing this easy toe-up sock pattern with the super stretchy bind-off directions.  And, yes, the second sock is well under way!
       As most of my friends know, I have switched from doing two-at-a-time Magic Loop to using five 5" bamboo double-pointed needles.  I love these little needles, and one sock is tiny enough to stick in my purse in case I get a few minutes to knit!

AFTER 50+ YEARS . . .

I am knitting socks again, but nothing like what I did in 1961 for DH.  At that time, I was working with a gal who inspired me to knit Argyles using the Continental method.  I made two pairs for DH using straight needles for the design portion and double-points for the foot portion.

Last week, a dear friend started me on Two-at-a-Time Toe-Up Socks on the Magic Loop needle.  The lovely yarn is a gift from a friend in the U.K. and the socks are for me.  I divided the yarn equally into two balls.  I will enjoy wearing socks that are not identical.  (The pins are holding the toes for the photo.)
I am sooooo excited to be knitting these socks!

FINISHED!

I love this lacy little scarf made with yarn that was gifted to me.  This very easy pattern is a one-row repeat--every row is the same.  The pattern is Jan's Sensational Scarf from the book, "One Skein Wonders--101 Yarn Shop Favorites." 

ANOTHER CAP

         Some of you may have watched Knitting Daily last Sunday where Eunny Jang showed how to start this cap from the center using four double pointed needles.  I wish to thank my friends for encouraging me to learn how to use the Magic Loop Needle.  It was much easier.

         I bought the magazine for this one pattern several weeks ago.  The "X" design is quite different and required careful attention to the chart.  I like the result but I probably won't make another real soon!

I'M KNITTING DISHCLOTHS!

A friend at church asked me to make five knitted dishcloths and donate them to the Country Store booth at our parish Fall Festival next month, where she will buy them.  She prefers red to compliment her kitchen decor.  As a surprise, I have made one in pink with the Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon.  It was fun to make.

The "Lacy" Scarf

Tonight I mentioned to DH that I hadn't blogged for quite some time.  He had seen me knitting on a "lacy" scarf and suggested I post it.  I finished mine a couple of months ago.  When I wore it, two church friends begged me to make one for each of them.  I bought yarn and started one; that is when I remembered what a "witch" it was to knit.  I completed the second scarf using the entire skein which made it quite a bit longer than mine.  I plan to give it to my DIL.  Because I made mine short, I am using the leftover yarn to make a third scarf with fewer stitches for my 8-year-old granddaughter.  She and her Mommy are ballet dancers and enjoy dressing alike when they perform at the local assisted living facility.

MY K.I.S.S. SHAWL

This was an easy and quick shawl to make. The pattern is K.I.S.S. Triangle Shawlette (Keep It Simply Satisfying) by Brenda Whitehead. It is called "shawlette" because her pattern calls for fingering weight yarn. I made it with Rainbow Classic brushed yarn which is in category 5 (bulky) from Joann's Fabrics and used a size 11 circular needle. It was a fun knitting project!

ANOTHER FINISHED PROJECT

These are the fingerless mitts that I made for Granddaughter #1. She asked for purple sparkly yarn which I found at Hobby Lobby. They were quick and easy to make. The pattern is Bradford Gauntlets which I found on the Internet.

COLORFUL COWL

Last month I happened to be in the needlework aisle of my local Hobby Lobby when I found this free pattern for Colorful Cowl using Caron Simply Soft yarn. I bought the three colors that were used. I planned to make it on a trip to Denver, but took only bamboo needles with me. One of the stitches used was nearly impossible to complete with the bamboos. Back in Missouri, a wonderful friend came to my rescue when she defined my problem and loaned me an Addi Turbo Lace Needle. This made for enjoyable knitting. NOTE: I made my cowl shorter than the pattern.

ANOTHER LACY CHEMO CAP

As you can tell from past blogs, I really enjoy making little projects. This cap is slightly different from the lacy cap I posted on July 17. I decided to make hand warmers to go along with it. Both caps are from a pattern that I found on the Internet. Here is where I got the cap patterns: www.blogs.thetucker.com/knit/
The hand warmers are "Ribbed Wristers" from my newest book, "60 Quick Knits in Cascade 220." The blue thread is where I will pick up stitches to make the thumb. This method is my only change from the pattern.

ANOTHER CHEMO CAP

I found this lacy close-fitting cap pattern online and knitted it for the pure pleasure of it. I truly enjoyed working with five double-point needles. There are six pattern repeats so I put one pattern on the first needle, two on the second needle, one on the third needle and two on the fourth needle. Again, I used soft yarn from Hobby Lobby, I Love This Yarn.

THIS CAP IS FOR A CHEMO GAL

My thanks to Sharon S for telling me about this pattern. It is soft to the scalp, has a good fitting band and gives nice fullness. I used I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby. It takes a bit longer to make because of the extra stitches, but it is well worth it.

FUN KNITTING PROJECT

This yarn was given to me and it just wanted to become a cap. I have had a great time knitting this easy rib and cable pattern. The yarn is Caron Paints, color Rose Garden. Thank you, Betty!

MORE FINGERLESS MITTS

I have started my fourth pair of Fingerless Mitts. They are quick, easy and lots of fun to make, especially this pair in sparkly RED yarn! I am also enjoying using double pointed bamboo needles. There is something satisfying about using these warm bamboo needles. I found this pattern at the Fave Crafts web site. The pattern name is Roman Holiday Fingerless Mitts.

THE SHAWL IS FINISHED

I am excited to show the finished project. It has been quite an experience making this shawl, as I have only done small projects in recent years. The longest rows took ten minutes to knit across. I think a circular needle with bamboo points may have worked better for me because I found these Addis to be quite slippery for this suede yarn. Needless to say, I am proud of how nice it looks, and I know my sister-in-law will like it.

PROGRESS REPORT

I have been working diligently on this shawl and now have done 110 rows. It takes me six minutes to complete a row now. The pattern calls for 176 rows. It is 16 inches long at the center. I was surprised that this suede yarn splits quite easily. Sometimes I need extra light to knit this black yarn, so I bought a small battery Ott light at Office Depot. It cost only $20 and uses three AAA batteries. This little gizmo really lights up my knitting!

A SURPRISING REQUEST

For Christmas, my sister-in-law got this beautiful suede yarn with the pattern and needles to make herself a shawl. She can knit but is not proficient, so she asked me to make it for her. Needless to say, I am thrilled to oblige.

NEW SCARF

This is a scarf that I started. It is a simple knit pattern, but not totally "mindless." It requires a bit of counting, but most of all, it demands extra attention when dropping the yarn overs. There are several variations of this design--I selected one with fewer wraps. I am going to try putting the picture and more details on Ravelry.

Last week, I knitted this neck warmer while on a bus trip to The New Theatre in Overland Park KS. It was very quick and easy. I used Yarn Bee Icelandic bulky yarn and #11 needles. I got the pattern from the Internet. It was designed by Robyn Grauer. The buttons are very old and favorites of mine.

Spring is here! Things are greening. A pair of bluebirds checked out one of our bird houses today.

For the past several days, Ed and I have been walking in very strong wind from the south. This evening, we experienced the much cooler wind from the north.