My parents arrived this past week. On our “to do” list were some yarn shops that were to be explored. Picking two of them we wandered out into the coolness that a December in the Midwest has to offer. Making our way to the first one we arrived to find that it was in some sort of office building. The door to their shop was locked and there were no windows to look into however they did have a door bell which, of course, we rang. A lady opened the door and ushered us in. The entire place was wall to wall to ceiling yarn. Beautiful yarn. However somehow this environment did not have the particular comfort level that I prefer and am used to so after a little while we left. I, empty handed (they did not really have bulky yarn which is what I was primarily after) and my mom with one skein of Cascade yarn in a deep purple hue and a crochet hook. 

Making our way across town in some rather heavy traffic we came to our next destination. This yarn shop was in a bit of a dingy looking strip mall, off a particularly busy street and made me feel immediately like there would be no real yarn options for me here. Walking into the little store though I suddenly felt a great deal more at ease. This shop did not have floor to ceiling shelves and was not even a third the size as the previous store. It was organized enough though had a slight chaotic feel to it. And over in the far corner was a section of bulky yarn. Quite a comforting shop.

The bulky yarn, found and purchased, was very quickly made up into a hat for mom. She had requested earlier that the next hat I make for her be made to protect her head more from the colder weather they experience in Ontario, Canada. She was able to pick out the yarn at this last store while a wonderful button was picked out later at another shop by myself to be used as an accent piece. 

The hat for mom. 

Also purchased at the last yarn shop was some yarn to use on a project for dad that he had discussed previously as well. His however will not be finished before they head back up to Canada but hopefully will be finished within this winter season and shipped up north.

So, it seems that I still have projects coming in and in all reality may wish to start my next years Christmas presents right away! And with that I want to wish all a slightly belated Merry Christmas. Hoping it was filled with joy and blessings! Until next time, happy knitting.

Without having planned to, I bought another skein of yarn this week. This one is not being knit though. I am taking a crochet hook to it. Using the Tunisian method this skein of yarn is rapidly being made into a rather pleasant and basic warm winter scarf. The yarn is a Peace Fleece. This is the first time I will be using it and it must be said that it has some tremendously beautiful coloring in it! It's a very deep brown color with flecks of green, gold and burgundy. Sometimes I just like to stop and gaze at it's simple beauty.  

I have finished knitting all the knitting projects that absolutely must be done for Christmas. Now I just need to give them a light bath in woolite. I never really knew about the washing aspect of knitted projects previously but it is something I am working on. Apparently there are certain soaps out there that many knitters swear by that are solely for this type of job. It might be good to, at some point in time, obtain one of these soaps but until then, for the projects being done here, woolite will do just fine.

Counting down, still, the time remaining before my parents arrive. It's getting ever so very close now and I still haven't finished the project I started of rearranging my house. But what has been done I am thoroughly enjoying! And on that note, I shall get back to the tasks at hand.

Until next time, happy knitting (or crocheting)

The time of my parents arrival for the Christmas season is fast approaching! Not being able to see them very often with them living rather far away, I always get so excited counting down the days when they will finally arrive on my doorstep or, as the case may be this year, when I pick them up at the airport. All the waiting and counting though gets me rather fidgety and this leads to a rearranging of a good portion of my household furniture. With some of the heavier furniture just moved to other rooms I have decided to take a short break to write about the goings on in my knitting world.

Having finished the knitting project for my husband I went the next day into starting up the hat project for my niece. Sitting around a large table listening to other knitters chat about a variety of things, I apparently was not giving the hat the attention it apparently needed. After knitting what I felt was a sufficient amount of ribbed rows I went to start on the main part of the hat only to realize that there was a twist in the works. Trying not to beat myself up over such a silly mistake I took the whole thing off the needles and started over. Sometimes it is all one can do but as it had not taken terribly long to get to that point it was not at all devastating. Such a fun and quick project. The basic hat part was finished within a matter of hours.

Finishing off all these projects really makes one breathe a sigh of relief! With such wonderful timing I can now move on to preparing the house for company. My husband has been working ever so very diligently on house projects for the past month it seems. I occasionally look in on what it is he has accomplished. He keeps with him now a small stereo to provide himself some much needed entertainment. At one point I was hearing through the walls “Wait wait don’t tell me” on NPR. During that show it sounded very much like someone was barking like a dog! Not sure what that was about but it certainly was entertaining!

So, my knitting friends (and those who just love yarn), I am happy to report that Christmas projects are coming to an end and soon I will have the joy of spending time with family which will more than likely mean a drastic decrease in time spent with yarn!

Until next time, happy knitting!

Stitch by Stitch it will get done!

I am so happy to report that some progress was made on my current knitting project this morning. Hopefully pictures will be posted soon of the finished project. And then just one more Christmas present to get done! There is light at the end of the tunnel. I am truly glad though that I went this route for Christmas this year. It has been fun and rewarding. Also there is nothing like having a deadline!
The last Christmas gift project will be a hat for my niece that has long pink hair (yarn) flowing out the top of it. I very much looking forward to this one and seeing it all finished. But first things first!
Well, off to lunch and a full afternoon. Happy Knitting!

I certainly had the best of intentions for my weekend but am sad to report that there are no newly completed knitting projects. It seems lately that my weekends fill up so quickly that I may or may not have scheduled meal and sleep times! And just for the record I am not a very happy individual if I have  not gotten adequate food and sleep!
Part of my weekend was spent enjoying time with friends while making kimchi. This has become a somewhat regular occurrence since we have discovered that we are actually quite good at it and enjoy a great deal the finished product! Not to toot my own horn or anything. I also had such a delightful meal with them as well.
After all of that, the knitting that was done was done by my friend. She has become interested in learning how to knit and so I started her on a small basic project yesterday. When I left for the day it looked as though she was just moving right along and enjoying it. I believe that I will be taking my car in for an oil change in the near future so may actually be able to get something done at that time. Wishing there was more to report on the knitting subject but there you have it! Still looking to the future when I will be able to work at the entrelac pattern with my Noro yarn! Until then...... Happy knitting!

Busy Bee!

My day was virtually void of any knitting yesterday. I had other things on my to do list such as getting covered in wax. It really isn’t as interesting as it sounds. I went to my volunteer job here in town and had a little incident with the scented melting wax. I somehow tipped it over and it ended up all over me. Ran home, got changed and back to volunteering!

Today wasn’t much of a knitting day either as I was running around all over creation. I believe that today alone I put about 158 miles on my car. But it was a productive day so I am happy for that and I was still able to make it to the local yarn shop for the weekly knitting get together. I didn’t accomplish much on my current project as I was mostly  just trying to figure out exactly which direction I wanted to take it in. I seem to have decided on a particular path and so will be done with it within the next day and be able to start on the very last of the knitted Christmas presents. I am so happy for this as the entrelac scarf made with Noro yarn has been calling out to me for some time. Soon, dear Noro. Soon.

Let There Be Beads!

I walked to the yarn shop here in town again yesterday. It was colder than the day before and yet it felt a great deal more comfortable. The main difference being a lack of biting wind. It was really quite beautiful and as I did not feel painfully cold I was able to enjoy the beauty around me more. 

I did not go with the intent to shop as I had just made purchases the previous day. This day was spent relaxing with other knitters around the table. Eyeing each others work and just enjoying conversation and at times no conversation at all but instead the quiet movements of yarn on needles making up into scarves, slippers and mug sleeves. 

It brought a smile to my face to see a woman come in and excitedly show and tell about the dishcloth she was able to complete. The new found joy that she now has from being able to create such a thing and the great desire to accomplish even more is something akin to what I still feel each time I finish a project never tried before. There are so many things I would love to try. I still feel that my abilities are more of the beginner/intermediate level but wish very much to get to the advanced class! It has taken me a few years but I think I am finally starting to push myself a little more with each new project. 

I finished a scarf project today that I had continuously looked over previously as I doubted that I was capable of such a beautiful thing. When I finally tried it out I realized I had waited for nothing! I added a beaded fringe to it which I feel pretty good about. I am normally not a bead kind of girl but this just seemed fitting somehow. I can not wait to give this scarf to my mother this Christmas. I hope she enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed knitting it.

One more project completed! Two more to go! 

Oh, and a little bit about this scarf.....
This is a pattern I found in a book called "Knitting for Peace".  It is actually a blanket pattern but I reduced severely the amount of stitches so that it could be a scarf.  In the book it is called Linus Security Blanket. I believe there are other places  you can find the pattern under different names. This book just happens to be where I found it. 

Happy Knitting!

Cold Hands Warm Yarn

I have promised myself that I will not buy more yarn unless I have definite plans for its’ future. I also have told myself that I would not buy more unless the finished product would be gifted away within this Holiday season. However, yesterday I walked to the yarn shop in the town I am living in (it is only a 10 minute walk) to pick up a yarn I have been longing to own and make into a wonderful little entrelac scarf for myself. At 34 degrees fahrenheit it was incredibly cold out at the time. The sun was out with not a cloud to be seen for miles. And, as I live in Kansas, I truly can see for miles! However, also being in Kansas the one thing that was very much present was the swift and biting wind. That arctic cold air whipping against my face was building up in me quite the headache. Yarn, I feel, is worth the not to long lasting pain. And once inside the lovely yarn shop I was greeted by the warm and welcoming sight of Noro, Malabrigo, Ella Rae and other yarns. I picked up the skein of Noro I had been longing for before heading over to the Malabrigo to pick up a finishing color for a project that is almost completed. After sitting for a spell chatting with the owner I made my purchases and once again headed out into the frigid air! I so very much want to start immediately on the project for myself using my newly acquired Noro (especially since I have not actually used Noro before) but must put it off a little while longer. This yarn seems to show off the entrelac pattern beautifully and once I discovered I was actually capable of doing this I realized that it must be done again and it must be done using this beautiful Noro yarn!  Until then I will do my best to get everything else done at rapid speed what with Christmas closing in and my fervent desire to have all presents knitted, wrapped (or rather put inside a lovely little bag with tissue which is a great deal more convenient), and placed under a Christmas tree at least 24 hours before the gift giving actually takes place!  Needles will certainly be clicking today!

And just to throw this little tidbit out there, for anyone interested in trying an entrelac pattern there are some wonderful free options on the internet to get you started. If you are a member of Ravelry (which is a free online group) you can easily find some very useful patterns there. I joined some months ago and have found it to be a wonderfully enjoyable site! Happy Knitting!