So, almost a year later...

Funny how life likes to throw curve balls, isn't it? Changes things up and gets you all discombobulated. That's what happened to me since I last posted here. Scott had to retire on medical disability and we are both completely out of the plumbing/heating business. And neither of us miss it in the least. I now work for a local business that sells bottled water and Green Mountain K-cups for Keurig coffee makers. There are two locations and I work in both of them at different times. Mostly I sell coffee and water, stock shelves, answer phones, and do office work. I like the people I work with and I like the job so all is good there. Scott has taken over the household duties - laundry, cleaning and cooking. He likes to cleand and loves the cooking part. And he's good at it. So that's good, too. And through it all, I am still knitting. Mostly it's been hats, mittens,and baby items. We rented a small space in a local antiques/craft co-op where we sell small antiques and my knitted items. We only started in the middle of November so it's a little hard to tell how well it's going to go. We have sold several items, though. These mittens are in the shop right now but haven't sold yet. The yarn is Plymouth Encore and the pattern is just a basic mitten pattern.

This is a Cupcake Cutie Cap from the book "Grammy's Favorite Knits for Baby" by Doreen Marquart. It's a fast, easy pattern and people love it. The yarn is King Cole Merino Blend DK which is machine washable wool. It was one of the first things I sold.

I'm also still making Concentric Striped Cardigans. This first one is made from Vanna's Choice yarn. The hat is just a basic hat pattern. This set sold fairly quickly.

This one is made from Plymouth Encore and Vanna's Choice. I thought it would sell for Christmas but it hasn't yet. I'll mark it down and see if it sells before the middle of January.

And this is an Elf Hat by Celina Garrels. It's an Ann Norling pattern. The yarn is Plymouth Encore. This didn't sell for Christmas either. It might be because it's a newborn size or because I didn't get it in the shop until right before Christmas. I'll mark it down and if it doesn't sell, I'll keep it until next year.

So, now I'm working on other things to put in the shop. Baby items seem to be a good seller but I'm going to do a few adult things, too. Hats, fingerless gloves, and cowls are some of the things I have in mind. I'll keep you updated.

A little bit of knitting going on

Here are a couple of things I finished recently. First up is a toddler hat made in Vanna's Choice yarn in Olive and White. The pattern is the Pilot Hat by Darlene Dale. It's found on the Caron website.



This is actually the second hat I made from this pattern. The first one was the baby size and was made in the exact same yarn. The pattern has you knitting the hat flat with a seam up the back but I did mine in the round.

Next up is a pair of baby booties for charity. The pattern is from Creative Knitting May 2009 and is called the Buttercup Baby Set. I have only made the bootie pattern so far. Some day I'll try the sweater and bonnet.



The yarn is Patons Canadiana in Tealorama. This was a partial skein left from a zip-up-the-back baby sweater I made several years ago. I still have a little bit of the skein left but not enough for another pair of booties.

I have finished some other items but I haven't taken pictures of them yet. Right now I'm working on another pair of the booties. One is knit and needs to be seamed and then I'll do the other one. Pictures to follow at some point.

Still making hats

I joined a new charity group on Ravelry called Hearts for Warmth. One of the campaigns right now is a hat blitz to send to the African country of Lesotho. So I'm still making hats.

This first hat is a pattern is the Waffle Hat by Gail Bable. I used Lion Brand Wool in cocoa and Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride in rust.



The pattern keeps it interesting and it knits up quite quickly. I made most of this hat sitting in the hospital waiting room while Scott was having a bone scan done. We were there from 10 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. The bone scan showed no sign of the infection they were checking for so it was a good day.

I actually started the hat for Scott but he didn't like the stitch pattern so I finished it for the hat blitz. If he had liked it, it would have been solid cocoa but once he didn't want it, I jazzed it up with the rust stripe.

This next hat is an earflap hat made from Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted in wild oak and rust. The pattern is "Kim's Hats" from "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" by Joelle Hoverson. (You can click on the pictures to see them close up.)



This last hat is not for charity. I made it for the 3 month old son of one of Ariane's friends.

The pattern is the Pilot Hat and it was knit in Vanna's Choice worsted in olive and Vanna's Choice Baby in lamb.



I made the baby size since Ariane tells me that Mark is a little peanut. I sent it back with Ariane and haven't heard if she gave it to Kate yet.

As soon as I finished the baby size, I cast on a toddler size hat in the same yarns. That hat was finished tonight but I haven't had a chance to take a picture of it yet. Not sure who will get that one. It's too small for the Lesotho campaign. It's also made from acrylic yarn and not wool so it wouldn't be appropriate even if it were the right size.

I haven't been able to get a picture of Scott's fair isle hats yet. He always has one of them on and the other one tucked away somewhere. I am going to make him another brown hat because he doesn't like the ribbed one. It stretches out too much and doesn't stay on his head. As soon as I find a brown yarn he likes, I'll make him a beanie style hat. So, on to more hats!

It's hat season!

So my son, Alek, sent me a text message that prompted a conversation that went like this:

Alek: WB is jealous of my winter hat and wants you to make him one.

Me: Really. Does he deserve one?

Alek: That question made me laugh. A lot. And prompted his response of "your mom is awesome."

Alek: So I'd say he deserves one.

So I looked in my Ravelry projects to see what pattern I used for Alek's hat, searched the stash for some appropriate yarn and made this hat for WB.



The pattern is the "Nothing but Ribbing Beanie" from "Knit a Dozen Beanies" by American School of Needlework. The yarn is Universal Yarns "Moods". Unfortunately, this yarn is discontinued. I liked working with it.

After I finished this hat, Scott decided he really liked it and wanted one in brown. So I dug through the stash again and found a skein of Patons Classic Wool in chestnut tweed and made one for him. It was a little large for him so I threw it in the washer and then into the dryer for 10 minutes. It shrunk just enough to fit him the way he wanted. But now he wants one made on smaller needles so it's a little tighter on his head.



Now you have to realize, I already made Scott two fair isle hats. After his surgery in October, he complained his head was cold and he wanted a hat to wear inside. So I made him a hat in green and tan. Then he wanted another in blue and cream. He wears them all the time so how can I refuse to make them for him?

Next time I will post pictures of his fair isle hats. I took pictures of them but they are on my laptop which currently has a virus that needs eliminating. I'll have to take more pictures and put them onto my netbook which I am using now.

Super Quick Post!

This is a super quick post! Here are the items I sent to Warm Hats, Warm Hearts for the victims of Hurricane Irene in northern Vermont and central NY.



Most of these things have been in my "finished basket" for a long time. It feels good to send them to a good cause. Warm Hats, Warm Hearts is a group on Ravelry.

The reason for the short, quick post is that Scott and I are heading to the Cleveland Clinic in OH tomorrow. He is having a second bypass operation on October 20th and we are hoping that it fixes lots of things! Prayers and good thoughts are most welcome!

A Plethora of Baby Sweaters

All of my daughter's friends seem to be having babies this year. Naturally once I hear that someone is expecting, I cast on for a baby sweater. Here are three of the sweaters I've made in the past few months.

First we have this little Cincinnati Bengals sweater that I made for Landon Charles. Ariane's friends Mel and Chad live in Cincinnati and are avid Bengals fans.




The pattern is Knitting Pure and Simple #982 "Babies Neck Down Cardigan" by Diane Soucy. The yarn is Plymouth Encore. I hope Landon gets to wear it since he weighed 9 lbs., 4 oz. when he was born on August 5th.

Next up is a hooded cardigan for Ariane's friend, Suzie. She's expecting a girl very soon.

The pattern is "Lillie's Little Sweater" by Carol Anderson from Cottage Creations. I bought the pattern online from Kaleidoscope Yarns. The yarn is Rozetti Lollipop.



I love the square shaping on this hood. It is very similar to turning a heel on a sock.



I think the daisy buttons look cute! I have to think about using this pattern again very soon. It's easy and fun. Scott's niece is due in a couple of weeks so maybe I'll cast on one for her little boy.

And the last sweater for today is the Baby Sophisticate by Linden Down.



I made this for Kate and Ryan's baby boy. He's also due in the next couple of weeks.
I used Vanna's Choice acrylic yarn for the sweater and matching hat. Kate loved the "little old man" look and the wooden buttons.

And now I need to get ready to take my mother to the hospital. She's having knee replacement surgery today.

Bits and pieces

Here are a few things I've knit over the winter.

Actually some of these mittens have been in my finished basket for quite a while. I finally sent them out to a charity that sends things to orphans in Eastern Europe and Romania. They are all made from 100% wool.



This is a pair of socks that I made for my best friend. While we were at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio consulting with the cardiology department, Sue took care of our dog for the week. I think that is worthy of hand knit socks. I used Fat Cat Knits yarn again but in a different colorway.



And finally here is a pair of boys' socks destined for charity. I used Wisdom Yarns "Fair Isle" which is also 100% wool. The pink mittens in the first picture are also made from WY "Fair Isle". It's a nice yarn to use for socks and mittens.

The weather is finally improving. The temps are supposed to reach the upper 60's or low 70's by this weekend. I hope they do!