Confessions of an addicted knitter

I went to Webs today. If you don't know it you are missing out on America's largest yarn store. Check it out at yarn.com. I had prepared myself with a few patterns to buy the yarn for. We got to the store and my sister asked if I needed a basket and I agreed and got one. An hour later I found the shopping carts and transfered the basket into the cart. The basket was overflowing. In all I purchased yarn to make:

1 alpaca
3 sheep
5 dolls
1 zippered vest
1 pair glittery socks
1 pair two color socks
1 smoke ring
1 pair mittens
1 triangular shawl

That's 15 projects.

In my closet are the following:

1 prayer shawl, on the needles
1 baby blanket, on the needles
1 triangular shawl, also on the needles
Sheldon the turtles police officer outfit, on the needles
1 bag of bunny parts waiting for assembly
1 bag of bride and groom parts also waiting for assembly
The kit for Mr Foster, the knitted monkey and all his outfits
The kit for the amigarumi gang from knitpicks
The second market bags yarn
dishcloths from the second Mason-Dixon book
Different yarns for additional sheep
animal book and yarn to make a dog, duck, and mouse

That's just the knitting projects I have to work on, and don't forget my sfs socks that are almost finished. That's a lot of knitting but I'm going to love knitting and finishing up everthing. I'm admitting it, I'm addicted to knitting and crafting, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Race to the toe

I've been knitting the foot sections of both of my sfs socks. There are about 7 inches on each so far but they need 9 inches from heel to the end of the foot. Then you change to the 000 needles and knit tiny stitches for the toe cap. These socks are going so fast. I usually knit a ribbed sock so just doing stockinette is speedy. At this rate I'll be mailing them to the coordinator next week.

SFS turning a corner

The legs of the SFS socks are both finished and I've turned the heel on the first one and have it all set up for the gusset decreases. I'm going to do the same to the second sock so they will both end up with the same number of picked up stitches on the heel flap. I love my new Inox steel lace pins. They have sharp points that pick up this fine yarn wonderfully and hold up to my grip of steel that bends regular needles.

Crafting updates

My neckwarmer got finished this week and is ready to try out. It was too hot last night but I'm hopeful tonite is the time. It's filled with seed corn that you had to pretreat by heating in the microwave and then sifting through to clean. The corn heats up like a dream though. Now I need to clean the microwave before using it to heat up this gorgeous neck warmer.

Yesterday I tackled an orphan project. I finished the main stitching for my sister's mother-in-law. Now it just needs the dates and initials done and it's done and back to her for framing. It was good to get this project to the top of the pile and worked on. This one has a deadline for the fall.

My socks for soldiers are doing well. I received my 00 and 000 lace pins in the mail and got the stitches off the bendy aluminum needles and on to the new stiff steel ones. One sock is ready for the next ball of yarn to be added and the other needs an inch or two of knitting prior to the heel. I'm so glad the needles came as it will make it easier to get these worked on. I'm not working on them over the weekend as other projects cry out for equal crafting time.

Shrunken Boy

Three times through the washing machine and the little guy got shorter and cuter every time. We think he's done shrinking now. He has to dry now before getting his face felted in place. I could see knitting him again with other feltable yarns using different colors for his outfit and hair. My son loved how he came out. Good craft feedback.

I cast on the second sock for SFS. I didn't get quite as much knitting done on it but it's getting there. You are supposed to knit at least 1 inch per day. I think I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. I'm putting a marker where I end knitting each day so I can measure my progress. My sock/medic/purse bag that I got in my kit is working out great. It has three compartments. One large one holds my drink and knitting. One small one holds knitting accessories and the other small one my wallet and calendar. The yarn stays in the bag and feeds out the side so I can keep the bag closed and keep on knitting away. One person was disappointed this morning when I told her I had to work on the second sock first. By the afternoon she was happy again seeing my progress. Wait until I get to the heels.

Socks for Soldiers

I joined the "Socks for Soldiers" yahoo group and ordered my first kit last week. It arrived last night and I quickly unpacked it and followed the instructions. That meant knitting a gauge swatch so that I would get 8 spi and 9 spi. For me the loose knitter it means knitting on size 00 and 000 needles. Luckily I have one set of each, but you are supposed to knit them concurrently. I got online and found some 'Inox' dpn lace needles and ordered 2 pair each. They should arrive in a few days. In the mean time I cast on and knitted about 6 inches today. I love the bag that keeps everything organized and gets people to ask about what I am knitting. This is a group that matches me and my skills.

It took a few hours but the 'princess tin' is completed. Custom cover done in mat board, batting, muslin, laced on needlework with a finish of custom cord. It came out really cool and will be fun to take to stitching events. There is only one like it.

I've been knitting parts for this 'Alan Dart' bunny. It has a total of 15 pieces to assemble and stuff. I purchased additional quality stuffing and he's bound to come to life on the weekend.

It's not a Frankenstein project but a KuKu doll ready to go in the washing machine. The stitching is there to keep the stuffing in place while being felted. It was an easy pattern to knit but the kit was skimpy on the yarn. I'd make it again using my own yarn or get some 'cascade 220' in colors. It's been through the wash twice but needs another wash to get totally felted down to size. He's getting better and better as he shrinks.

At the 'machine quilting expo' my sister and I attended I got a kit that makes a shoulder spa bag and eye mask. I've finished the eye mask and have the shoulder bag ready to stuff and finish off. First I need to clean and heat the large bag of feed corn prior to final assembly. That will kill the bugs and insure safe use of the shoulder relaxer. It's the first time I've done piping as an accent and I need to work more on that technique or get a better piping foot for my machine. I'm looking forward to being able to use this soon on my shoulders.

Week ends of crafting fury

Last night I sat at my worktable and was bound and determined to finish up some projects in my 'some assembly needed yet' basket. This little nurse mouse and two baby mice got completed and she's pleased as punch with the 'twins'.

Check out the monk mouse, he has prayer beads because he's a non-denominational monk mouse. I had put him together while visiting my daughter but he had no eyes or a tail.

I made his hood so that he could remove it and be a less dressed up monk.

That sock blank is history as I finished the second sock this week. I don't have enough of the blank left to knit another sock, unless it's a baby pair. It's going to the sock bin in the attic for future projects and consideration. Great project that was fun to knit up.

I cast on yesterday and finished out on the patio today another modern dishcloth. I like the color, pomegranate with fedora topper made from Comfy yarn (knitpicks). I'll raid my stash of vintage jumbo buttons to get it to the totally done pile.

Went to Joann's fabrics and got a pillow form for my knitted pillow project. It looks better with the form in but you can see where I lost or gained some stitches on one side so it isn't as even and neat as it should be. It's a pillow that is soft and comfy and will have a head or backside laying on it so... I'm not worried about it. I just say to myself it's a prototype never to be knit again, I'm learning from my mistakes and to enjoy the end product even if flawed.

These are three baby bibs knit for a new little girl joining the library community later this year. They are from the Mason-Dixon book and are fast and fun to knit. Done in Comfy from Knitpicks they are totally machine washable and so soft. They'll scrub a dirty face and absorb the drooly bits nicely. Modern colors will go with lots of outfits.

I joined the yahoo group 'Socks for Soldiers' a while back and just mailed off for my first sock kit. I felt like I can get back into knitting socks now after a few months break from last years marathon of sock knitting. I checked and my kit is on it's way to me. I know I must be thinking about sock knitting because at lunch time on Friday I went to the local yarn store and fondled lots of sock yarn and checked out pattern books. Lot of inspiration later I went home empty handed but happier knowing I had plenty of projects to knit and another package on it's way.

Happy crafting to all.