I wish I had known.

I couldn't sleep this morning, so I got up at 5am and spent some time with my knitting. I bound off the neckband of the baby sweater (that's right, just need to seam the arms and sew on the buttons!!!) I knit a few inches on the sock,which I am doing in Magic Loop for the first time. I didn't even read a tutorial. I figured doing socks on two circs had pretty much taught me what I needed to know, so I just cast on and started knitting. And I thought about how far I've come, knitting wise. This time last year I hadn't even knit a whole sock!!

I then thought about things I wish I had known when I was just starting to knit. I think my biggest one would have been this - Don't waste your money building a complete set of straight needles. When I started knitting, I started buying straight needles in every size. Now I never even use them!!! I didn't realize that anything you can knit on straight needles, you can knit on circulars. It seems so obvious now, but I never even thought about it. Of course, had someone tried to tell me that, I probably would have stubbornly insisted that I loved straight needles, and gone about buying them all up. Some things you just need to learn for yourself.

So, what is your big I Wish I Had Known fact?? Tell me in a comment, or post it to your blog and I will come and read it!!

All about Scout!!

I guess I'm just a shameless groupie . . . . . but don't we all just love Scout??? The yarn (I could max out my credit cards on the yarn alone), the swag (just about everything on that page is on my Christmas Wish List!!), the cool club (I've shamelessly stalked the mailman each month when I know it's time for it to arrive!!).

Aside from the unabashed gushing, it's time to show you my latest pair of socks. The Daisy Socks, knit with the colorway Scout created especially for my Walk-A-Thon.

Daisy Socks
Pattern: magKNITficent 'No Sugar Added' Sock Pattern, which also supports the ADA. Go check it out!!
Suppies: Daisies yarn and Knit Picks size 2 DPNs
Cast On: October 16, 2006
Completed: November 25, 2006

I love everything about these socks. I love the way the white makes a little swirl down the legs and feet. I love the stripes on the heels and toes. I love the cheerful colors. I can't wait to wear them . . . . but I will. These beauties are getting ready to fly off to Scout, and accompany her on her upcoming Knitty Gritty appearance!! Isn't that cool? Oh how I wish we got DIY here.

Now, to wrap up my All About Scout post, I will partake of Scout’s Meme:

• How and when did you learn how to knit/crochet? Who taught you? - I guess I've been really knitting for about a year and a half. I (mostly) taught myself.
• How has this craft impacted your life? (besides financially!) - Well, knitting led me to blogging. And blogging made me realize how much I love computers, and led me to my little graphics gig. And that has made me realize that I can design things to other people's specifications. And because of that, I will soon be taking web-design courses, and some day launching a new career!!
• Pick at least one person to talk about who you have met through the knit-world and why you are thankful to have met them. Feel free to get all mushy. - The hardest part about this is trying to pick just one. I have made so many real friends in the knit-blog world. Some I have been lucky enough to meet in real life. But today I'll talk about Melissa. Almost a day doesn't go by without us e-mailing each other . . . about knitting, about our families, about our day in general, about anything we can thing of. She's always there to commiserate, bounce ideas off of, and often tempt each other with the latest knitting stuff we are pining over. She's sweet and encouraging and such a wonderful friend - and I don't know what I'd do without her. (Well, you said I could get all mushy!!)

Oh, one last thing! Let's revisit THE LIST!!

• Flower Cloth
• Daisy Socks
• Baby Sweater
• Fetching
• Socks
• Fetching
• Slippers
• Fetching

Is it Monday night already??

I really didn't intend to be away from the computer all weekend, but somehow it just worked out that way. Thanksgiving was fun and we didn't eat TOO much. Saturday was my 20th (?????) High School Reunion. (How can it be 20 years already??) I wasn't really sure what to expect, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. My best friend (since 6th grade) and her husband were able to make the trip down from New Hampshire, so I knew even if it was lame, Pea and I would have a great time with them. (Luckily, it wasn't lame!!) It was weird to see people who looked familiar, and suddenly remember their names after all these years. People I used to be friends with, but hadn't thought about in years. A few people I had known since kindergarten. Of course, as a special kind of hell, they printed up name-tags for us that had our high school photos on them. The '80s were not the best time, fashion and hair-wise!!

Over the long weekend, some knitting also got done. A few of my Delusional Deadline projects are now complete. First off is the Flower Washcloth.


Done, blocked and gifted to my best friend yesterday. I wish I had gotten a picture of the whole gift once it was put together, but I was lucky I remembered to snap this picture before she took everything home. The pattern is from Weekend Knitting, and it's the same cloth I've knit before, but this time I used the chenille yarn suggested in the pattern. I use the cotton flowers as dishcloths, but the chenille makes a nice washcloth. I picked up a bunch of yummy bath stuff and lotions at Bath and Body Works so she can pamper herself. She really needs it, with one son in kindergarten and a nine month old at home!! This was certainly a big hit!!

So, to re-cap my project list:

• Flower Cloth
• Daisy Sock
• Baby Sweater
• Fetching
• Socks
• Fetching
• Slippers
• Fetching

The Daisy socks are almost dry, so that will give me another one to cross off tomorrow. And I made great progress on the Baby Sweater over the weekend as well. Hmmmmm, maybe I can fit a couple more projects in!!

Channeling Martha Stewart

I laughed pretty hard when I saw the comment MissyJoon left on my last post asking if I've been hanging out in Westport with Martha Stewart. Given that I'm here in Connecticut, that isn't such a stretch, but no, Martha and I have not been spending time together. I've been making my Christmas cards all on my own. Here's how I did it.

First, stamp 'em. The inside too.

Let 'em dry. Then add some color.

Don't forget to sign the back.

And voilà, Christmas cards!!!


Not too bad for my first try, even if they are a little basic. I hope to continue my card making tradition every Christmas, and work up to more and more elaborate cards each year.

Delusional Deadline Knitting

I may be delusional, but for some reason I have myself convinced I have plenty of time to do some gift knitting. Of course, this means that once the Daisy socks are done, there will be no more knitting for myself going on until 2007. Yikes!!

(Oh, and did I mention I also decided I'd like to make my own Christmas cards and gift packaging? At least the cards are almost done.)

First up, a reverse-bloom flower washcloth and a baby sweater that need to be done for this weekend and next weekend respectively.

Then, Fetching, socks, Fetching, slippers, and . . . oh, Fetching.

With five weeks to go, I'm thinking I should be able to pull this all off. And maybe even slip in a couple of felted purses for my cousin's daughters? Yup, delusional. At least I've got all my materials together.