Cool Waters

Seven Falls, Colorado Springs, CO

Needed to see some refreshing water today. Hot and sticky/humid here in the desert today. Am wanting fall to come soon. I'm actually knitting, because I just know it will cool off eventually enough for me to wear something wool! (Rav Link: favorite cardi). This is such a fast knit. I forgot how much I enjoy knitting from top down and the raglan sleeves are glorious! (they fit me good)

Work in Progress...

When I frogged the frock cami, I said I was casting on for this: annette (knitty.com summer '09 issue).

The pattern looks complicated, but it flows quickly.

The yarn is Elsebeth Lavold, hempathy [rav link] in a red/cranberry color. I love this yarn! It knits up crisply, but when washed, it softens very nicely. And there's good yardage for the price! (always a plus)

Froggie Pond...

I had started the frock camisole (interweave knits, spring '08) with my Elsebeth Lavold hempathy in red (see picture), but realized that this yarn was not for this project. So...rrriibbiit...rrriiibbbiiitttt....

...not to fear, this yarn will work for this: annette from knitty, summer09. Swatched and casting on today....

Holy Cow! It's June...

Can't believe it's June already! What happened to May? It seems like these days all I do is blink and then another month is over. I guess that's good, means we're busy, but still...wow!

Ella's had some friends over...
Here's Pudge, the pug, who has been staying with us this past week. I'd forgotten how hyper-cute pugs are. Ella has been tolerating him. Very difficult to get a non-moving picture of a pug!

And Coco the mini apple-dapple dachshund. Ella does like Coco. And, again, very difficult to get a picture of a quick moving dachshund.

Now....ta-dah! Pictures of works in progress....

My whisper cardigan. (Can you guess which visiting dog was curious about this and had it out of it's tote bag?)

My a-line skirt. It's coming along nicely. I'm at the second tan stripe of the front/back section. This is a quick knit, even though it looks detailed, it does move along quickly, so maybe I'll get it done this summer...here's hoping!

And my Frock Camisole. The yarn photographed more cranberry that what it actually is. (And can you guess which visiting dog got a hold of this yarn?)

So, there's the update on my WIP's. We've finished up both kids spring sports last night. My Munchkin's baseball team had a difficult season this year and almost (they were soooo close) to winning a playoff game last night, but lost by 1 point! Oh, well, there's always next year! My LittleOne's softball finished last week, too. So, now we're on to our summer activities of swim lessons, getting together with friends and possibly a vacation at the end of this month. Since summer break is pretty short out here (they start school in early August believe it or not!), we've got to squeeze a lot of activities in a two-month time period.

I'm going to keep on knitting and see what I can get done here in the next month or so. (And I'll try to take some more pictures and be a better blogger!)

Happy Monday

Happy Mother's Day to all out there!
Update:
Got the air conditioner in and, thank goodness, running on Thursday! We're going to need it this week! Summer temps are hitting us hot this week!
Got some knitting done, too. Working on the front of the skirt, and got into the next portion of the pattern. The skirt has three different sections of a pattern: the bottom is a lace/stst then it has a basket weave-type section, and the top is a very open-work lace. So...I may be wearing this skirt by July (that's my goal).

Spring Update

Thanks to all who were worried about Mr. Snakey coming to visit! It was such a shock to see such a giant snake in the backyard! We've had snakes and other critters before, but never a rattlesnake, and never one that big! Ella was curious, but she (I'd like to hope) knows better than to mess with it! He has such moved on, and I haven't seen him since! It is spring out here, the days are getting warm, and March is usually when you see the snakes and spiders come out of their winter hibernation.

On the knitting front, not much news. I haven't had time to pick up the skirt (rav link) in a week, so it's been slow going. I did start on the front, so I have to finish the stst portion of the back and then complete the front. The lace details and such keep it interesting. I have been knitting a baby blanket too! (And I swore I'd never knit another one!) But this one is fun, and when I saw these (rav link), I couldn't resist using up my stash of leftovers. (if you do a pattern search in ravelry for "fish" see what comes up) And they're portable! Both kiddos are into their softball/baseball seasons and I can take them with me! I also want to start, and have been itching for a week or two or three...the whisper cardi (rav lik). I have some yarn (I'm thinking the red) that I think would be perfect for it!

I hope all have a glorious weekend and my goal is to try and knit on that skirt!

oh my goodness, cactus actually took pictures!

The hat: beanpole beanie. A great hat! I reach for this more than any other hat I've made. The pattern calls for bulky yarn worked with smaller needles, but I used worsted (patons classic wool in grey mix), and used (I'm guessing here) #6 or 5's for the brim and #6's or 7's for the body. It didn't take that much yarn. Try it! It's fun!

The skirt: here it is! I've knit a little more than this now and I really, really think it's going to come out great! This yarn is really interesting to knit with. It feels a little, hmm...rough...when I'm flinging it around the needles, but once it's knit up it's really soft and fluid. It is a perfect yarn for a skirt for the Arizona desert.

The mitts: I don't have a picture yet. They're both done, but they're giving me some trouble at the thumbs, so I've put them aside for now, or until I have the patience to sit and fiddle with them. It's not like I need them here now!

I know I have more picts to take of past projects, and I'm going to try and get them taken and here assoonasIpossiblycan! It's been busy around here and I've been trying to grab knitting time when I can and baseball/softball starts this week out here for the kids, I'll be running yet again!

Special thanks to (not-so) cynical knitting gal for her nomination! Go on over and check her out (say Hi to Gracie while you're at it, too).

And one last thing-- Happy Groundhog's Day to all and to all, sorry to have to say this, six more weeks of winter!

The Skirt

The skirt:

yarn has been bought -- Hempathy by elsebeth lavold in celery/sagey green and natural
gauge swatch has been done (it is a skirt) -- #4 needles won
first part of lace pattern has been started -- slow going but easily memorized pattern

I'll try to take a picture of what I've got so far sometime this week. I'll also try to take pictures of the hats (this and this) I've finished and the mittens (just need thumbs) and whatever else I've finished and haven't shown you all yet!

New Year, New Picture for Dogs on Thursday

I think this shows Ella's grey muzzle really well!
Took with my new camera two days after Christmas (see date stamp).

Oh, and I decided to start something new--
this skirt!

I still like all the others I listed before, and will probably get to them some time (at least I hope so!).
Happy Knitting and Happy Dogs on Thursday!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like...

Ella getting ready for her walk one morning.

...well, Christmas.





Been a busy, busy week(s)here trying to get all the Christmas stuff done as well as some knitting.





I made an ear flap hat for my Hubby, and then of course, the Munchkin wanted one and then I got caught up in some mittens, which I've cast on 3 times for (once because I used the wrong color, second time too small and not anywhere close to gauge, and third, and hopefully all will go according to plan). {all pictures subject to when I actually get to take them}

And then...the kids are out for the break tomorrow so I'm running all my errands that I need to finish up before they're home for two weeks!

So...I hope all have a happy and productive weekend!

Yarn, Socks in Progress and Dogs on Thursday

A work in progress! Love, love this sock and this pattern! Very easy to knit and keeps your interest!

Pattern: Spring Pools

Yarn: Brown Sheep Wildfoote Luxury Sock yarn in neon green

And, remember about a week or so ago, I mentioned that my mom and aunt (the one who knits) were in a LYS in Phoenix, and my mom called me to ask me if I wanted anything. This is what they came up with! It's such a great color! Berroco Sox in color 1432/grannoch.

And, last but not least, a new picture of Ella! She's been loving these cooler mornings we're all of a sudden having! She runs and runs for a good half an hour every morning and then spends the rest of the day the way a dog should--napping! (when I took this picture, she was sleeping and her tail was wagging the whole time, so I think she was just 'cat' napping!)

On the Needles

From left to right [all links are Ravelry links]: grey yarn (yes, it's recovered from it's rude treatment) to be this hat: here; purple yarn (top left corner) fingerless garter gloves (picture here), have two fingers and a thumb left, then weaving in ends; green yarn in middle a headband that was originally for me, but now will be for the LittleOne; orange/rust (looks red) yarn is the Canopy Cardigan, have just the sleeves left, the other bit is the fronts and back; and the bottom purple is the skater's overtop.

Goal: Now is just to finish something! (Then I'll probably immediately cast on for something else!)
Hope all have had a great weekend and great week last week! (I was out of touch there for a while, don't know why, I just was. It happens sometimes!)

Purple, Purple, and More Purple

It seems like everything I'm knitting these days is purple. And the yarn I'm using is all from my stash, so I guess I went through a purple phase a while back! Now I can't get enough of orange and red! But I really, really need to use up some of my stash before I go buy more. I've had a trip to the LYS planned for a couple of weeks, but every time I plan to go, something else comes up!
Right now I'm still working on the skater's over top (ravelry link) and then on Friday (last week...I had to stop and think for a minute) I checked out from the library Weekend Knitting by Melanie Falick and just had to start the garter-cuff gloves and mittens (ravelry link). I'm doing the mittens (fingerless) and in some mystery purple yarn that I think is Cascade 220 super wash because deep down I know, especially now that September is here, that I'm going to need them soon!
Sorry I don't have any in-progress pictures, maybe I'll be enthused to get the camera out and show you later on!
Hope everyone had a great weekend and welcome September!

Update...

Thanks for all the nice words about the shrug! I can't wait until it's cool enough to wear it! It's been a tough week here at the cactus house, since school started, I've been sick. Actually everyone but the dog got sick this week! Don't you just love back to school! It seems like every year someone gets sick that first week! But anyway...enough of that. We're all feeling much better.
In knitting news, I had started the skater's over shirt (ravelry link) from Veronik Avery's book, Knitting Classic Style, got about four and a half inches in and then realized that this pattern stretches a lot and the size I was doing would be way too big on me (even layered over a tee or another sweater). So...the frogs came out yesterday...but then the re-cast on fairy helped me start over!
I've also realized that I've got to post (and take) a picture of my perpendicular hat (ravelry link) that I finished on vacation too. So...that will be coming soon!
Hope all have a great weekend!

Saturday Morning Update!

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been working on hats for C in Colorado (Abby and Coco's mom), as well as one for her hubby who protested that she has, oh, I don't know, like ten of my hats, and he has none! So, I made him one too!

Once I get off my butt (I'm being genuine here), I'll take some pictures.

I'm enjoying my last weeks of my littleone's summer vacation, so once they're back in school (a week and a half believe it or not), I'll probably (or I will) have some more time to show all the stuff I've been working on!

Also, I've just been plain lazy. I will admit it. I've been enjoying knitting the hats, a quick project with quick results, but it takes me a few days to finish weaving in the ends and such. But, I did start a new project yesterday, which if you look here (rav link), you'll see that it will probably take me a while to get this done. And, I got my fall issue of knitscene yesterday, too. Wow! Lots of things in there that I want to do! Always too many good things to knit, with so little time!

Take care and have a great weekend all!

Edited @ 12:00 pm. Just found out my cousin's wife is having her twins today! Wow! We have twins in my family! A first for us! She's having a boy and a girl! Congrats to them!!!

You've Been Gone Too, Too Long

Well, it feels like it when I haven't posted in a while. A week seems like a long time now that summer has hit and the kids are home, baseball's done, swimming's begun and it's getting hot and hotter here!
I've finished the Razor Cami (and the pattern is actually here,when my photographer is able, I'll get some picts for you). It came out really nice. But it did take longer than I thought it would. A little fussy.
Now, I'm working on some hats (this one and this one {ravelry links}) for my friend C. in Colorado, and plotting/planning my next projects or planned projects (PP).
The first I'm thinking of is from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer 2005 and is simply titled: #11, Hooded Pullover. (I really, really wish the Vogue people would name the designs better! You'd think they could!) The designer is Norah Gaughan, so it appealed to me right away (and I'm talking in '05 when I first saw the issue, but was slightly intimidated by the lace -- not anymore!) I'm trying to figure out what yarn to use, though, so it might be awhile before that gets started. (Oh, yeah. There's a whole page of corrections on this one, if you're going to make it, go to the VK site and print out the correction!)
The second is from Interweave Knits Spring 2005 (I can't seem to get out of the year '05!) It's titled "A Good Bias". Here's the Ravelry link: here. And a tiny little picture here from the IK site.
I also like the #24, Lace Trim Bolero from the same VK issue. A Ravelry link: here.

So...as usual, lots to knit, but so little time in which to do them all! Hope you all have a great week!

Babbling Brook Tuesday

Just a quick update on things here in Cactus-land. I'm still working away on the Lotus Blossom Tank. I finished the front and am almost done with the back, but not quite at the short rows/shoulders yet. It's been slow going this weekend. I was hoping to get it done by Sunday, Mother's Day (and a belated Happy Mother's Day to all out there), but no such luck. My birthday was also over the weekend, so between Mother's Day, birthday, both kids having baseball all weekend, and my parents visiting, not much knitting was done.
So, I'm sort of going through knitting withdrawal. I have the urge to get it done, but not the time. (Or rather, other things keep jumping in the way!)
And I have a ton of other projects that I want to get to, like (mind you, this is just a sampling):

1. Helmet Liner -- cast on, but not resembling it whatsoever!
2. Razor Cami -- on the needles, and only about eight inches in! (the link is for the KAL, you can find the pattern there or on Ravelry!
3. Beanpole Beanie -- just a distant wish for the needles! (I don't even have the yarn for it!)
4. Foliage -- I attempted this before, and would like to try again.

And many, many more hats/small projects that catch my eye in the next few weeks! I think after the razor cami, or while I'm working on it, I'm going to focus on some instant gratification projects!
Hope all are having a great week!

Take care!

CPH Update

It's done!
Yeah!

It's being blocked right now, but it's warm and dry here, so hopefully by tomorrow I'll have it all seamed up and ready for viewing!

Take care and happy knitting!

WIP Wednesday

I'm slowly working on my CPH. The sleeves of anything seem to take me a long, long, long, long, long time. When I've made some better progress on them I'll take a picture, but for now, you'll just have to picture it in your mind!
My socks are going just as slow. I thought I'd have plenty of time at all these baseball games and practices, but...I seem to get too involved and can't focus on the knitting! The Munchkin (the oldest) has got a great team this year. They're 4-0! He got to pitch last night and did a great job! Didn't let up any hits, and only let up 3 runs toward the end of his second inning! It's such a boost to his self confidence when he pitches well. The LittleOne has back-to-back games this weekend, so we'll see how she does! (I found out last night that she's the only girl in her whole division! Wow! Girl power there!)

CPH Update

I wanted to give you all a CPH update! And when I walked around the corner to get the pieces (in the orange bag), this is what I saw! Ella has made herself quite comfortable on the couch and draped herself around my knitting! (That's why I keep everything in a tote!)

So, here are my pieces. The center is, of course, the back, the piece on the right is the left front and the piece on the left is the right front. It's moving along nicely, but due to being sick, I haven't touched it for a few days.
This picture is without the flash. I think it gives a better idea of what the color is. With the flash it seems too bright. The yellow is more subtle in 'real' life.

It's amazing how much better I feel. It's funny, seems like once I said I was tired of being sick, my body listened! Although I still have a cough that doesn't sound like it could come from me! Thanks to all for the well wishes (I think that helps too).