Yay to new yarn!

Pretty sure I've said it before... but I never get tired of opening up a new box of yarn. Just got two hanks of Wool of the Andes Bulky Hand Dyed yarn.. I bought one in Cherry Cordial and one in Sweet Shoppe.

Just started and finished up a winter hat for my daughter. I used "Sweet Shoppe" for hers, and am going to use "Cherry Cordial" for mine.

I am going to make mine using a size 9needle rather than a size 8. After having finished my daughter's hat and having plenty yarn left over, I think I will  be safe to go ahead as planned.

Will post some pics as soon as I get them on my computer.

~ Mittens ~

Yay once again!!! I'm so happy my yarn is here...
Anyway, I started right away on another pair of mittens. These are the same, only diff colour, than ones I was posting about a couple of months back now.. I think they are turning out so awesome! A picture just doesn't do it any justice... Once they are finished though.. they will definitely be looking great!

This is the progress I've made so far....

This is what I got done yesterday... I'm kind of surprised I even got this far.. I really must be looking forward to the finished product.

 Here is after working on them this morning... which seems to be just the right time of day to get most of my knitting done :)

Jan. 29 / 2012... Poor picture, but here is what I've got finished so far. Only a few more rounds to go before I start the decreases. I am going to try something a little different from the first pair. I am going to shorten the length of the glove and the length of the thumb... and here is hoping it will work out just as great as I'm hoping it will.

~ Sweet Sweet Yarn ~

Oh yeah!!! My first box of yarn just got dropped off!! And here I didn't think I was going to knit today.. I mean seriously? How can you not just dive right in and start knitting like there is no tomorrow??? So much fun!
Now I can get started on some mittens... and oh the possibilities!!! More socks!!!!!

I will definitely post pictures as I go... Yay! so excited :)

~2k or not 2k~

Oh wow... no sleep for me :(  And I'm about ready to call off any and all knitting today... Question is, can I make it through the day without knitting a single stitch? I just don't know...
Unfortunately, due to the lack of sleep last night, my brain just doesn't want to cope... amazing how such a lack of sleep will allow one who normally does not tolerate running inside, can suddenly manage just fine with it... However... since knitting does require a great deal more thought and concentration.. I'm just not sure how many rounds I really want to take out at the end of the day.. So maybe I just wont worry too much about it... At least until my brain recover some :)

~Ornaments in Progress~

OK, so it's a little late to be thinking about Christmas ornaments, but I've been working on these off and on for about a month now... I started of with 54 but sadly lost two to a fall..
Here is a sneak peak of what I've got done so far...

 This is what I started out with... keeping in mind some are matte finish as well... I also have some gold ones I am not very fond of.

This is what I hope to achieve... however, with different colours...

 Here are a few more... these just need the ribbon and some sort of accent.

These ones are the closest to being finished... They just need a little something extra.

~Just Another Day~

Not a whole lot has been going on with my knitting or crochet... What I should say is, that nothing new is really going on aside from running out of yarn just shy of finishing a pair of socks :(

Wound up losing two of my ornaments.. they met their end sadly just a night or two ago... My son's lovely teddy bear, that just happens to be twice his size, was being whisked away to bed time. Sending the poor helpless ornaments to their doom... Thankfully though, they both happen to be some very greatly unlike colours.. YAY!! Now I wont have to painstakingly finish those two... so I definitely have to finish these bad boys up so I can pack them away for the next 11 months.

Still working on my "Gardener" socks... almost there... just wish they  were finished already.

Trying desperately to get through the last of this yarn I have piled up for fingerless mittens.. almost done, but the horror of trying to get through the last 2-3 balls of it is something I don't look forward to. When I'm done with these ones, I will have a ball of some really interesting and colourful yarn to work with... I'm looking forward to it since I've never used this yarn before... and am looking forward to the new colours... Supersocke 100 is what is on the label... new to me at any rate.

And oh yes... I am too impatient. I know my yarn has only just entered the Canadian postal service... so it will be a few more days before I get it... And to make it worse, I will still be waiting for another box of yarn once I receive the first one!
The first box of yarn contains some much awaited yarn for two pairs of mittens.. both of which have been patiently awaited for by two very patient ladies... I promise you will get them!!! I am actually really looking forward to these two projects... I have so very much missed my colour work! This box also contains some elastic thread which I have been itching to get my hands on... Hopefully to fix the one problem I have with my knee-length or higher socks... damn things just wont stay up!  And I still have some yarn awaiting its use... Oh I can't wait!!! even more colour work!
Oh what else is in that box.... hmmm..... Oh Yeah!!! more sock yarn! Broke down and grabbed a sock yarn sample... four colours to choose from... So much to be excited about, I just can't wait! I know there are a few other goodies in there too... I just cant remember hahaha.
The second box has two balls of bulky weight yarn.. Hats!!! I plan to make HATS!!! As much as I have tried... I just don't like to make them.. None, not a single type of hat! Believe me, I have tried many times to do it... I just cant stand them enough to suffer through it... However, my daughter has been waiting for this damn hat since before Christmas... So, I promise to get this thing done before summer!!! I was also thinking of making one for me too... and oh wow will it be amazing when I get the first one done, simply because that would mean I got it done... but to get two done! That will be a day to celebrate lol.

So, once I have these patiently (as much of it as I can muster) awaited boxes get here, I will be so delightfully buried in projects for some time... yay to filling any, and by any I mean all, free time...

~Logan's Run~

OK, so one might think this has to do with a cheesy movie, but it doesn't... well, save for the name. I chose to call this pattern "Logan's Run" mainly because my son has it in his head that running is all he can do while inside. I am forever trying to get him to walk inside, but as it turns out, Mom just doesn't have what it takes lol...

I have tried to work these socks up so that they will fit his feet as well as possible without being too big or too small.. I did want a little wiggle room in them because, well, lets face it. Kids at his age grow like little weeds! I worked these socks up in a 2x2 ribb throughout, save for the heel. I worked up a re-enforced heel in hopes that it will help them last as long as possible.

I have only gotten a few more rows to go before I start the toe on the first sock. I will definitely post pictures of them during, after and while in use as well as the pattern (yup, another one of my own creations)... the colours are pretty cool too.

~UPDATED~
  Jan.12.2012

Logan's Run
needle size: 2.75mm dpn's

gauge: 8sts = 1inch

Yarn: Kroy Socks - Clover Colors 50g

foot width: 7"

foot length: 7"

Co 52sts, join in the rnd. Work 2x2ribb, working 34 rnds.

Begin heel flap, working ? rows.

Work heel flap as follows for a total of 20 rows:

Row1: Slp 1, k 1, across.

Row2: Slp 1, p rest of sts.

Turn Heel: Cont with slp1 k1 over the heel turn.. Once you have 16(total) wrapped sts, work you way back across picking up the wraps and knit/purl them together.

Once the heel flap and heel turn are done; Slp1, k1 across the heel sts, place marker, pick up 12sts along the side of the heel flap, cont in 2x2 ribb on instep sts. Pick up 12sts along the other side of the heel flap, place marker, k to centre of heel. The centre of the heel will now become the begining of the rnd.

NOTE: You will make your dec sts will be the first two sts before the first maker and the first two sts after the second marker.

Dec rnds are as follows:
1.K to last two sts before marker, k2tog,slp marker, begin with p2,k2 ribb so it will match up with your instep ribb(sts) until you reach the second marker, slp marker, ssk, k to the end of the rnd.

2.K all k sts and P all p sts around.

*Continue to dec on ever other rnd until there are only two sts between markers. You can now remove the markers and cont to work the 2x2ribb on all sts.
Cont as established until desired length has been reached and begin toe. (I only had to work 35rnds plus one rnd of st st.)

Toe:NOTE* Keep in mind that the beg and end of each rnd is the centre heel.. if you follow suite, start your dec with k2tog, k1, k1, ssk... and so on.
Rnds:
1,4,7,9,11: (dpn's 1,2) K1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1. (dpn's 3,4) K1, ssk, k to last 3 sts, k2tog, k1.

Rnds: 2,3,5,6,8,10: K all sts.

Rnd 12: (and all remaining rounds) work as round 1 until you have 16sts total remaining. Cut yarn and graft toe. (*NOTE: I have 18sts total).

~Created by: D.Boyes~
          1.12.2012

Great ideas, for some strange and bizarre reason, usually come around when you are already knee deep in whatever it is your doing... but thankfully, they do come around.

When buying all the things i needed to start working on my Christmas ornament project, I bough both white and off-white crochet thread... Now I wish I had bought to off-white rather than any white at all... With the right finishing touches, some of these will look grandly like something you would find tucked away secretly in the attic of an amazingly old house.. Don't get me wrong, they are not ugly by any means, they just have the delightful look to them..

I now also wish I had bought more ornaments... but I'm sure by next year I will find even more colours/styles to choose from... though I truly love the look of the matte copper ones. They are working up wonderfully with the off-white thread.. I will just have to look carefully for the right embellishments... oooo I cant wait. I will also upload some pictures once I'm done a few of them.. and even more when all the little details are in place!

Well, here I sit, nine out of 54 ornaments done... at least ready enough for some sort of delightful embellishments.. Now, looking back at the rest of the ornaments, I cant help but rejoice in knowing that there is damn near an entire year to get these little buggers done!

I do think though, that at least half of these pesky little buggers are going to either be sold or gifted away... as far away as I can get them! Don't get me wrong, they are all turning out to be very cool... I just despise the shiny ones... They are just too gaudy for me... I mean ya, shiny things are great, but just not in certain colours!

~Christmas Prep~

Yes, I know.. Christmas is over for another year... but, I finally went out and bought myself some pretty decent ball ornaments. I was given six of them a number of years back as a gift.. I love them and still love them lol... They are the only ornaments I will not let anyone else touch. After all, there are only six of them... and no more where they came from :(
At least until now! I have 54 new ball ornaments all ready to cover! Trying to find just that perfect pattern is proving to be a great more difficult than I had first thought... Thankfully copying the already existing ornaments is turning out to be a lot easier than I had first though... Yay for me! I got one done and is pretty close to the original!
The colours however, are not even close to the same... I wound up having to buy gold (bleck!) and a bronze, slightly plum'ish (not so bad)... I bought white and cream crochet thread and figured I would try both... I have both shiny and matte ornaments and and seriously disliking the shiny ones... They are just too tacky for my taste... Thankfully though, they are turning out to be pretty cool... They just need a few finishing touches... I think :)

 This is one of the original ornaments... The colour is off in my picture, but they are a really nice matte green.. And wow.. my picture makes them look shiny :( Like I said, my picture quality is pathetic.. So until I manage to get better pics... please feel free to break out that imagination :)

And here is my replica! Yet again, break out that imagination and please pretend my picture of it is nicer than it looks! But for not having a pattern to go by, I think it turned out pretty good :) Mine is just missing some sort of ribbon or other embellishment.