Cardinal Peeps

the cardinals are back... perhaps they never left, but in all that freezing cold out there, i see them flitting around the back garden.. chipping at each other like it's time for Spring Cleaning and nest building. brrrrr.

i've finished some charity knitting in the form of three little chemo hats for the local online knitting group i belong to - using the bands from the yarn to let the recipients know they are a c r y l i c ... sheesh ... they don't look like anything more than yarn skeins.. but they are hats, nonetheless.
I am also including my rather limited stash of said yarn - anyone else who want to make a hat or two from it , more power to them.. it is not something i like to work with.. yucko

i am also continuing along with a pair of ridged feather socks in netherfield from twisted fibers. The yarn is Shiny, and the colorway Netherfield, and it is just lovely to work with. I will be getting more eventually.

i have a pair of SFS just started too - now that those little hats are done, i can go back to the charity of record. This time will not K1P1, but rather k2p2, which i find goes faster for me. i think it matters not.

i've received some feedback in the form of comments that others too are in the "no knitting karma" frame of mind -it does my mind good to know i am not alone.. thank you!

Sand and Water...

and a million years gone by. Solid stone is just sand and water baby... sand and water and a million years gone by. I will see you in the light of a thousand suns. i will hear you in the sound of the waves.. i will know you when i come as we all will come through the doors beyond the grave...Beth Nielsen Chapman's Sand and Water...

My knitting zen is not in place. This time of year a lot of people have trouble with the passing of the holidays. I am not a holiday person anymore so that should not matter to me. But the solitude of January days and nights does not one thing to make me smile. I have been working on charity projects for the SFS group, and some mildly painful fun fur hats for a local group, but otherwise i have not a whit of desire to complete any projects. Knitting has become something i have to do, and that, i believe, is not good. But i will plow through this as i try to plow through every block i come to and have to believe there is a new wealth of knitting excitement on the other side.

Some days are diamonds, and some are just rocks. Some, i am learning, have boulders attached to them that swing around and clout you in the head when you are not looking. Wow, aren't you glad you stopped by HERE today?????

ommmmmmmmmmm.....

trying anyway... why is it not working?

the zen of knitting seems not to be sync-ing of late. wish it would.

Only the ones who believe...

... ever see what they dream - ever dream what comes true....

Beth Nielsen Chapman... just love the music and have for such a long time. But let it get away from me in the rest of it. Back now, aaah.

i'm working on another pair of netherfield socks. i do love that ridged feather pattern - it is so simple. I also swear by the Sensational Knitted Socks Books By Charlene Schurch. You can pretty much make any socks from whatever yarn you have (or want to have) with the charts and information therein. Well well worth the price of admission in my book.

will try to take a couple snaps and get back on later....

Another Friday

That week left me like a rocket - i don't really even know where it went. I've been knitting a another pair of ridged feather socks, i knitted and demolished a roll brim hat from the leavings of Kristin and Charlie's handfast mittens (not enough yarn to make it long enough - will do a kids hat pattern instead). Have been helping out with the surgery recoverer. He is amazing, coming straight home from hospital - no rehab - and venturing out on his own (well someone is driving him - he's not doing that) to dr. appointment. A knee replacement is a scary thing. That i will tell you.

I started my fiber obsession as a child with crochet. One of my yahoogroups sent me this pattern for an adorable little an-i-mal to knit for a favorite friend of yours. I can see it in Pink and Red for the dreaded day of hearts... yuck.

The ridged feather socks are surprisingly easy. And i have to say i love working with this yarn again - Shiny by Twisted Fibers on Etsy. It flies through your fingers. I've worked with it on both nickel-plated and wooden circular needles and it is lovely lovely lovely with both. the netherfield color-way is yummy - and named for a home in one of my favorite books, so what could be better? here are my first ridged feather in netherfield. Or you could check out december 5th post (have not figured out how to link that yet, sorry)

My cards came in the mail and are good. i would make more and combine them as sets soon - have to look for some more shots of fiber that i like...

First Friday....

January 4 is the first friday of the year... Pervy Friday i guess it's called... don't ask why.. just go with it.

I have not knitted a stitch in 24 hours... have been dismantling christmas. yes... dismantling is the right word here...

someone in one of my knitting groups sent a link to cute little nothings - these are (uggh) Valentine related (and we all know how i love/loathe VD)... but the hearts are cute and there are other free patterns for things like "grass" and "woodins". i am not hip by any means, the rest of the world might already know about mochimochi... me no-e, no-e....

i decided to print up some cards from my fiber photos... note cards mostly - i am hoping they wind up appropriately lovely... fingers crossed...

Breaking out...

Okay... January 3! Tomorrow is surgery day for our favorite B-I-L and with it the required rehabilitation - i am so hoping this replacement will help his constant knee agony.. hope on hope ever, shall we?

One of the resolutions i am gripping with is actually attending one of the knitting groups i subscribe to on the internet. The people i read about all have so much to contribute that it would be nice to clap eyes on them and learn their facial expressions. From the group Yarn Pirates, I received the link today to a very very interesting sewing blog... since this is yet another of my vices, it behooves me to link you to it... So there ya go. Now if i can only remember how to link on the blog's list.... i will be golden.

On another list, there is a challenge for hats for a charity. I probably have enough of the requisite fun fur to make several - so i had better shake my dead hands back into resurrection and get a shove on.... there is a link there too, for a generic pattern for hats - it is one many people know of, but.... i've linked again... two links for the day... YAY. I also have the link for Shmeebot pattern for a hat that all the kids would probably love.... so posted it is as well.

Wordy today, am i not? i don't remember posting a piccie of the handfast mittens for Kristin. I am in search of one as i speak. i know it is on ravelry, so it is on flickr, but posting here for those who don't feel like bouncing anymore might be a nice idea... so... there they are! if you are looking for the source or the yarn used... scroll down to 12/9 or just clickie...

Beth liked her hat and mittens (for the mittens i made two of the handfast ones and the hat was a le slouch) both from Rowan Cocoon - in brown - now those i don't think i ever even took a piccie of - so you can visit an old le slouch of mine here....

as for the rest, i hope i will continue to be a bit more click-a-rific as the days go by....

2007.....2008..... oh my

it's officially 2008. Spent a nice quiet 2008 eve - had dinner with my sister and family and then came home to watch the ball drop. you know, it is not so inviting now that we've been there for new year's eve.. but they do like to make it into a major thing in NYC!

These pictures look like they just happened... maybe i should not say they happened a couple years ago... but they did.

new year's resolutions? nah.......

i will try to get back on track and post more patterns and stuff now that the holidays and all their craziness are over...

Happy New Year to you and yours.....