In the life of a Knitter...

I made it through thanksgiving with my mother-in-law for another year...nothing made the news, no one went to jail. I am thankful for that, because it would have been me behind bars! I had been dreading the holiday as it approached, I had even contemplated running away just to avoid hearing "you buy such good pies!" come from her lips. Okay, I admit it, I messed up a pumpkin pie a few years ago and she won't let me forget it!

I now have to look forward to Christmas...I want to go out of town, far away where she can't find me, not that she would look, so that should be pretty easy. Last year we did just that, Disneyland for a week, you would think that we had shunned Christianity and started worshipping a mouse god. It was a relief from past holiday family woes.

I already told my mother-in-law that we were not going to give gifts this year. The horror! Not that she has ever wanted anything that I have given in the past. I knit, therefore I knit gifts. You can just imagine how that goes over when she won't even let me make a pie! Last year I told her I was making socks for everyone, she said "just get me a gift certificate", and here I am a year later and I finally come up with a comeback: "I don't give gift certificates for my knitting!" Isn't that always the way?

We had an exciting trip to Yellowstone this year, life changing as a matter of fact! We saw 2 bears! The first was on the side of ther river only abut 15 miles into the park from the west enterance. Here he is:




And saw the Grizzly walking straight for us! I urgently brought the bear to Andy's attention and suggested that we go back to the car, he agreed. I was glad that we went back, because as we reached the parking lot I turned back and saw him standing where we were only a few minutes before!

As the weather officially turns to cold, I am plagued by my shawl that remains in it's ziploc bag wondering when I shall return to it. It stares at me from the basket that it waits in...I feel bad, but I don't want to finish it! I like the pattern, I like the yarn...and have grand ideas about how I will dye it with a tye-dye look, but there it sits. I can always find an excuses to go back to a large project. I found some 47" circular needles in size 3, they are on the way from Knitpicks in the Harmony wood. I have to say again that I love the Harmony wood needles, and after using some bamboo needled that I bought a few years ago this weekend to knit a bag that needs to be felted, I don't care for wood needles, they tend to have dull points which makes the working clumsy. When I get them I will force myself to pick up the shawl, I have to keep my commitment, for no other reason than I WANT TO WEAR IT!

I made Zoe some fingerless gloves this weekend; purple, green and gold. The gloves match a hoodie that she go in Yellowstone this year. I had made a pair for her, and realized after the fact that I made them large instead of small! She is getting older...but I shouldn't be in that big of a hurry!

I knitted a felt lunch bag that I need to throw into the washer to felt when I get home. It is yellow green and red, I am excited to see the colors once they are felted together. I also knitted up an i-cord to use at a handle after the bag is felted.

My amazing fingerless gloves. I used my Size 3 double points with the beautiful Blue Moon Fiber. I love the feel of that yarn after it is washed...absolutely heavenly...
Meet Buckleton...he is my desk monkey. One afternoon I made him this hat and scarf with some remaining Blue Moon yarn. You would not believe the response to a monkey in a hat. I have had suggestions to make him a tail muff, and fingerless gloves and socks. I will admit that I have a sweater in the works for good ol' Buckleton.

On this, my first entry, I should introduce myself. My name is Cyd. I work as a receptionist, that is just my day job, on my off time I am devoted to knitting. It is my passion. Nothing beats taking a pile of yarn and turning it into gloves or a hat.

I am so excited to start writing in my blog, so I am going to jump off with my knitting project...I have a knitting issue, I am a commitment phobic. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to knit myself a sweater, or something large and then poop out when I don't feel I am making progress. I have in the pass said that I will never knit anything that big, I was resigned to small projects like my fingerless gloves that I created, or felted bags. But this weekend I made a leap...Gulp...My Mom showed me a Danish Shawl pattern from Spin Off Magazine that she wanted me to figure out so that she could knit it. It was simple enough, and I pulled out my stash of yarn from under my bed and found that I had enough undyed yarn that I could knit up and dye after it was all knitted. I have a vision that after I am done I would have a wrap around shawl that I could wear to work... So with my size 3 circular needles I started the pattern, the pattern calls for Size 6 needle, but I like the fine stitch of the 3's and the yarn I have is a lightweight. The pattern is simple, increasing on the right side rows using Yarn overs, and straight knit on the wrong side. The shawl started to appear right away so it has been rewarding to see the triangle form. I guess we will see as I knit...it might turn out to be a shawl for my daughter Zoe...