Some Instant Gratification

This week I needed a project that was quick, pretty and used up some of my stash (I'm trying really, really, really hard not to buy more yarn).
This pattern was great, easy and fit into my instant gratification criteria. But I think if I ever knit it again (at least for me), I'd make the main section a little bit longer (I have long hands and fingers).
Fetching, from Knitty.com
Yarn: Wool-Ease in dark brown.
Needles: #7 dpn.

I know this picture (with the scary pink fingers) is weird, but I like to layer the fingerless mitts over those stretch gloves (one sized fits all/most), usually those gloves are too short, and I like to keep my wrists warm, so I think these will work over a variety of the colors I have (I like to match the gloves with my hats when I walk the kids to school). And, before you ask, yes it does get cold enough where I live in the desert to wear a wool cap, gloves and sometimes a heavy jacket when I walk the Kiddos to school. Not yet though it's getting there...

Dog on Thursday

How Ella spent her September...

...she's guarding...

...lizard hunting...

...Grinch destroyer...

...and, of course, napping.

What a busy, busy dog she was this month!

The Leaf Tee

Just to show you that pumpkins (at least the plants) will grow in the desert. I tried them in the container this year as I usually get someone (most likely with big ears and a fluffy cotton tail) who likes to munch on the baby sproutlings. If you look back here, you can compare the two pictures.

And, ta da...


...the leaf tee. You can obviously see where I ran out of the lighter color yarn and switched over to a slightly darker hue. I had to crochet around the bottom, I thought I wouldn't mind the curled edge just binding off did, but I didn't like it (and I am not the world's best crocheter by any rate). The idea I got from my Knitting in Plain English by Maggie Righetti. I love this book, it helped me so much when I re-taught myself how to knit when the Munchkin was born.

Pattern: leaf tee from Knitting School Dropout

Needles: US #6 (circular)

Yarn: top part, Brown Sheep Company (I have no idea the color number-- it's turquoise/teal); bottom part, Lion Brand Wool, color dark teal (#178).

Happy First Day of Autumn

My sincere pumpkin patch (note picture was taken the end of August).

The plants are bigger now, but no pumpkins yet.

Happy first day of autumn! It's almost been like fall here, of course the desert fall means mid to high eighties for temps during the day and lows in the high seventies, low sixties at night. But, alas, no trees that turn. No leaves that fall.

And no knitting getting done. Sigh... (a Charlie Brown moment)...

Ella On Thursday

Oh, to be a Dog On Thursday with nothing to do but follow Mom up and down the stairs all the day long...

Happy Birthday to My Mom!

Today's my mom's birthday, and I always tend to forget.
I don't mean to, but somehow I do. I know her birthday is a week after the Munchkin's, but life happens and I get pre-occupied and I forget.


Happy Birthday Mom

Snakey Sunday...

He's sort of hard to see (the Munchkin's camera has a better picture, but I can't find the cord), but that dark shadow right above the bicycle handle was our Sunday visitor! Ella found him slithering across the patio in the backyard Sunday, and then my Hubby found him curled up underneath a table and behind the water guns on the side of the house. The Fire Department came, just a bull snake they said. But still...it was a snake!!! Ewww!!!!

The finished soccer banner -- they won 2-1 on a very, very hot Saturday afternoon!

The LittleOne "won" her game, too. (The won is in quotes, because they "don't" keep score at her age, but they know!) She scored two goals in her first ever game!!!!

And the Hubby's Eesti sock-- I did finish the toe yesterday -- I was having sock remorse, so I finished it. It's a really, really tall sock, I think he's going to wear them as house socks (when I get the other one started and finished)!

I added the darker band of yarn at the bottom of the leaf tee, and I think it will work. I want to do a few inches so that it's not too short on me. I'm going to add a boarder on the neckline of the darker yarn so that it will look like it was intended to have the dark at the bottom (does that make sense?).

And that wraps up my busy weekend in a nutshell. Happy knitting all!!

WIP Wednesday Week Two (Sept)

My WIP's from last week have stalled a bit. I've been working non-stop on the leaf tee, and realized I'm going to run out of yarn, but never fear, I have a plan in mind (see those skeins at the corner of the pict?). I found some Lion Brand Wool in dark teal that will compliment the tee -- it'll have a band of this darker color at the bottom, I just have to figure out if I want to make a stripe to blend them together or just jump right in with the new color...maybe by this weekend I'll have figured it out.
I haven't touched the socks or the yoga bag all week...

Those neon green letters that you see are for the Munchkin's soccer team. Each team makes up a name for themselves, and then a banner is made for the sideline -- this is the third year I've done it, and it's a lot easier this year than it's ever been (thank goodness for the free coloring book pages on the Internet!). The LittleOne is playing, too, but another mom is in charge of that team's banner.

When I've sewed and glued everything on it, I'll show you all! The first game is this Saturday, so it'll have to be done by then!

Bittersweet Day

A moment of silence for all those who lost their lives that day not so long ago....



On another note, Happy Birthday to my Munchkin! He's 9 today!

Wow! Nine! (He couldn't decide on a cake, so he got a plate full of cupcakes!)

Saturday Update--WIP Wednesday

A Saturday update on the WIP's, wait until I show the WNC's (works not completed)!

Finished sewing the I-cord trim on the hat last night. Rib and Cable Hat; Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarn, summer splash. I used one full ball, plus a little bit of another. I like the way the color pooled on this, it looks like it's a self-striping yarn.

A close-up of the lace panel in the leaf tee. I did get to finish the sleeves and am working on the body. It's a quick knit. The picture doesn't do the color justice, it's a deep, turquoisey (is that a word?) teal color. I love it. This pattern is just what the yarn was waiting for!

And now, poor, poor Ella. She's waiting and watching me take the above picts, wanting her walk. Please check out Dogs On Thursday (my button link isn't working yet).

I hope all have a productive and great weekend! Happy knitting (work on those WIP's)!

WIP Wednesday

From right to left: rib and cable hat, sock for husband, yoga bag and leaf tee shirt.

These are my WIP's. I'm starting off September with some different things. Another rib and cable hat for my friend in Colorado (she wanted summer hats, by the time she gets this one, it will be winter, oh, well there's always next summer). But all I have to do is finish the i-cord trim, ie, sew it on. It's from the Knit.1 (spring 2007) issue.

The sock for my husband from Favorite Socks. (Yes, the one I had a problem with last week.) It's the Eesti Trail Hiking Sock (pg 97). But I've tried it on him and it fits rather well, so my revisions worked okay.

The lacy yoga bag from Interweave Knits (summer 2007). My yoga mat needs a home to live in.

And the leaf tee shirt that I saw at aquaknits, but she got the pattern from knitting school dropout. Both are new blogs to me that I've added to my sidebar. Check them out when you've got the time. When I saw this, I just had to knit it and I had the yarn in my stash -- Brown Sheep and Co., turquoise I think. I'll have to dig up the tag later. It's been in my stash for about three years or so, I had bought two skeins and finally just wound them into balls last Friday. I rarely make sweaters for myself, hats, socks and hats seem to be what I do, but I wanted to try this one -- it's going really fast.

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend, and a great football kick off! I love the college football, fall is just around the corner! (I may be able to start baking again, it's been too hot!)

Have a great one!!!!

{Ella wanted me to tell everyone that Mom sewed the Grinch's nose back on and thanks all the dogs whose moms left comments for her! Whine, moan, small woof!} (Ella doesn't really bark, she sort of whine/talks to me.)