New Beginnings

I am so excited!!! I have just finished the yoke part of my first top down raglan sweater. It is nowhere near finished. However, I'm pretty pumped about having completed that part. Oh and yes it fits. As soon as my husband gets finished with his movie, I'll have him take a picture to post. Sweater making has always seemed very daunting to me and I have put it off for so long. We'll see how this goes.

Knit Night

Last night some friends got together for a knit night. It was really fun. Kristi and Rose- if you are reading this- we need to do that more often!

I finished a hat I was making for my grandfather. He let me know last week that the first hat I made him was a little too tight. I had an idea it was when I gave it to him at Thanksgiving. However, he said it was fine. At least until last Thursday! Anyway, I got busy on a new hat for him. This hat is a plain 2x2 ribbed hat. I think it will fit comfortably this time. I got the yarn from The Knitting Nook. It's from Universal Yarn Inc. and is called Classic Shades. I loved the colors. This yarn reminds me of Patons SWS.


I've also finally finished the baby blanket from Mason-Dixon Knitting. It's the Modern Baby Blanket. I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease. I think it took so long for me to make this because of all the garter stitch. The same stitches over and over began to bore me. I think that it paid off though.

Yarn storm

Since I got my ball winder and swift I have been crazily winding yarn. Well, I've also been visiting various online yarn shops to peruse their yarn. The only problem is wanting to buy it too. I feel like nothing can hold me back since I have my handy swift and ball winder.

Yesterday, I received the package from Kris at Sonny and Shear for the Seacoast Handpainted that I won. There are 560 yards of this soft yarn. I don't know what to make. Ideas? The most obvious idea is to make socks.

A few days earlier I received my package of yarn from Eat.Sleep.Knit. I ordered during their New Year's Eve sale. I got some very squishy Dream in Color Smooshy and Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Merino. Both were wonderful to wind up.

I am obsessed with yarn. More than I have ever been. I believe it's due to the swift and ball winder. I don't feel held down because I'm thinking, "If I order a hank how am I going to wind it without it becoming a horrible mess?"

New Post New Year

Happy New Year to everyone!

We've had a very busy holiday. Most of the knitting projects for Christmas didn't get done. Everyone who was to receive a gift knows not to expect knitted gifts on the holiday that they are for. So, I don't think that anyone was disappointed.

Christmas Eve we spent with my parents and then went to visit my husband's family in East Texas. While we were there I finished the socks that I was working on for a gift. We also took a trip to Shreveport to gamble where we both lost all of our money. It was still fun. Brandan didn't know that I could spend 4 hours on penny slots with $100. He thought that I would be through in about an hour. To be quite honest, I could have, but knowing that he would be playing blackjack for who knows how long I had to go slow.

When we got back home, I had to go through all the stuff we received. As far as knitted items go I received the following:

• Swift
• Ball winder
• 2 sets of Knit Picks Options (so I can make everything in the round and never have to use DPN's)
• Fitted Knits by Stefanie Japel
• More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch

I missed the huge sale at The Woolie Ewe on the 29th- sadly. However, there was another sale at another yarn store- The Knitting Nook in North Richland Hills. I talked Rose into going with me. So, we went and bought some great yarn that was on sale. They have a cute shop and if I still lived in that area, it would be really bad for me. I had to show Rose the swift and ball winder when we came back and we wound yarn.

For the next few days, I spent a lot of time with the ball winder. I wound a ton of yarn and took pictures of everything to add to my stash on Ravelry.

After winding so much yarn, I found the Noro yarn that had been hiding somewhere in my stash and knitted up the Maine Morning Mitts in a day (with the new Options from Knit Picks).

The last exciting news- I won a contest from Kris' blog at Sonny and Shear. I guessed her husband's age correctly and won some yummy yarn!!! Woo Hoo!!!! I won some Sea Coast Handpainted Superwash Sock. I can't wait until it gets here. I don't know what I'll knit with it yet besides socks but I can't wait to wind it!