So old! So beautiful!

The Yarn Harlot spoke about Jacob Sheep a while back. And she made something beautiful that I'm not talented enough to knit.

I sort of fell out of my chair in my excitement, then got back in it and ordered some...and it arrived this week.















The dark brown/natural black was from Brush Creek Wool Works. The gray and white skeins are from Crafts at Bluffton.

Oh, and I'm going to turn it into an Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi R Squared shawl.

One Damn Thing After Another

But in a good way.

I'm almost finished with mitt one of two for that friend across the pond, which finished said pair needs to be mailed in two weeks (Knit faster! Knit faster!):





Then there's the cardigan for a certain Miss N. up north that needs to be finished by the end of November:




And the daughter's Too Damn Pink scarf that needs to be finished by the second week of December (there's some Tank booty in the photo, it was too fabulous to be cropped out of the photo):




Tank, less than enthused by all this photo taking:





A cabled wrap due by April 2012:




Okay from right to left, top at the photo, then bottom of the photo...let's see - green/brown for Enzo's sweater (by the holidays), pink/green for Miss M's sweater (by the holidays), sort of hot pink (but not really) a hat for me (whenever), next to that is some gray alpaca for a fat scarf for me (whenever), then the purple with black yarn is socks for the Guy (by early January 2012), and the black and white yarn is another scarf for me (whenever).




Fingerless mitts for me (whenever):




Monkey made with Lorna Lace's yarn, colorway "Zombie." Hence, Zombie Monkey...for me, between sweaters.




Scarf for me (whenever - hey! you can *never* have to many scarves):




A monster for a friend between sweaters (in the project bag), and several other monsters for me (sometime in 2012):




Hand-painted, silk yarn to be made into a scarf/wrap for a dear friend, by February 2012:




A hat for the Child O' Mine (mid-January):




Wrap for myself (fall 2012):

FO #18: Comfort Scarf

I realized I didn't have a red scarf for this winter. And I made the mistake of reading Jimmy Beans Wool newsletter and fell in love with this yarn:











That turned into this scarf:










* * * *
The down and dirty details:

Yarn(s): Debbie Bliss Paloma

Pattern: garter stitch

Purchased: Jimmy Beans Wool

Needles: size 15

Time: for me - 14 hours; for most knitters, 5-7 hours

* * * *

It was done in good time. Supposed to be colder out than it has been in a while. I'm going to go cuddle up with it and read my newest book:

It's been one busy week.

First, I began a project for a friend's birthday at the first week of November. These have to be done and *out of the country* in two weeks to reach this person:






Second, there was the local library's book fair:




Third, there was the Spider From My Nightmares waiting to pounce on me when I was brushing my teeth before bed the other night:




I killed it:




Fifth, there was new yarn for my new red scarf for this winter:










I cast on tonight despite having three other WIPs:




Someone was not pleased I was paying more attention to the yarn than to her needs of a marrow bone treat two hours earlier than normal:




And to think, it's only TUESDAY.

Yarn Happy

Despite the crushing disappointment of the Angelina, there was Jimmy Beans Wool to the rescue with the yarn for the baby sweater and toddler sweater I'm going to knit:

For Enzo's sweater




For Mallory's sweater

Gifts From Talented Hands And Kind Hearts Pt 2

In taking the Tank out this morning, I had to layer up as the temperature was 36F degrees.

I threw on the beige hand-knit sweater over my tshirt, pulled on one of my own hand-knit hats, and then threw on two more hand-knit items.

These were a gift from Judy W. I had admired the ones she was knitting for her daughter and asked about the pattern which was just in Judy's mind. Two weeks later:










And this came from one of my favorite people, Veg, who I had shown how to knit eons ago and she ended up this talented:









I'm very blessed with wonderful human beings as my friends.

The Angelina - She Is No More

The sweater, she is frogged.

Off and on, until Thursday evening, I had been knitting what seemed like yards of 2x2 ribbing (it was actually 15 inches), and I arrived at the part of the pattern about shaping the neck area.

I didn't know what to do with the stitches that were parked on the waste yarn as instructed earlier in the pattern, and how the decreases were working to create the left front of the sweater. I was tempted to frog what I had, and then go to another sweater pattern for the yarn. However, I sent the designer a message asking for clarification on the instructions.

The designer did send me a reply, answering my question about the neckline and when I would go back and pick them up. I ripped back to where I started having problems and continued on with the pattern. I knit on it last night, then the Tank needed to go out, and then it was time to go to bed, so I left it in my studio.

I woke up this morning to knit on it a bit before going to go workout, and realized that I had no idea how the decreases were supposed to look. The pattern instructions continued to be vague, and the diagram is just a basic outline.

I went back to Ravelry and searched through people's projects that had worked on this sweater. About 50% had completed the sweater without much difficulty, however, they were not happy with the fit of it and did some major alterations.

The rest of the knitters that had this project, loathed it. They were having the same difficulties regarding the vagueness of the pattern directions. They ended up not finishing the sweater and frogging it or frogging it after they completed the body and were about to do the lace bit.


Tank: I have no affiliation with this Sweater of Creative Curses


A more explicit diagram or chart to show how the decreases should appear around the neck would have been very helpful.

Now I'm off to search for a sweater pattern that can use all these skeins of Cashmerino.

Insulin Caution

Allow me to get mushy for a minute....

Two years since I picked up one sick, too thin, abandoned little girl at the Humane Society, that two families had passed up.

And now:








Their loss, my gain. And I'm still sick with dog love for the Tank.