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!

Bias Shrug

close up of the lace pattern

the sleeve (you can see here that it's longer than the magazine picture)

Pattern: A Good Bias (ravelry link: here), from Interweave Knits, Spring 2005.

Yarn: Cascade 220, blue (I think it's called marine). The sleeve picture shows more of the true color.
Modifications: Made the sleeves more wrist length as opposed to the pattern's bracelet length (my arms get cold), and added two extra repeats to the back.
This was a super simple lace project (and for me to say that is great) and didn't take all that long. This was finished in June, and I did wear it on vacation! I used to be anti-lace, thought it was too hard all that stuff, but now, that seems to be the only thing I've been knitting lately!

The kids went back to school yesterday, and I went on a cleaning binge! Yes, I know, I cleaned! I mopped the floor, cleaned the toilets, cleaned the kitchen, caulked the shower! You know, all that stuff that gets shoved aside when the there's other people in the house with you all day! They had great first days, and know most of the kids in their respective classes (always a plus!). And were ready to go this morning!
Hope all have a great day!
(And, yes, lots of knitting will be getting done today--more than yesterday!)

Super Simple, and Always...

...Fetching!

Pattern: Fetching, knitty.com
Yarn: Lion Brand Wool-Ease; red sprinkles and black.
Modifications: I made these longer at the bottom and did an extra repeat of the cable at the fingers. I like this length, but, alas, these are going to Colorado when the hats go!

Had to show off my mitts and my Mexican Bird of Paradise bush/tree/shrub (the orange flowers). It grows higher than the fence every year!

I have one more FO to show off this week that I finished in the car when we went on vacation. (And, yes, I know, I know, it took me way too long to show you all!) My hubby says I've been a horrible blogger this past month, and I agree! The munchkins go back to school this week, so hopefully I'll be better at posting things! But I think that everyone who has kids and stays at home with them during the summer puts projects and things aside to take care of the kiddos, and once they're back in their school routine, we can get back into our knitting groove/stay at home routine.

Hats Off! (or On)

As promised, the pictures of the hats!

See below for details!

Pattern: Garter Stitch Hat with Square Raglan Crown. (Ravelry link : here.)

Yarn: naturally caron.com, Country; black. Not even a half of a skein!
Modifications: I cast on 74 stitches, worked garter stitch for about 6", then decreased back down to original cast on of 64 and then followed the directions for the crown.

Pattern: The Amanda Hat. (Ravelry link: here.)

Yarn: Sensations, Bellezza Collection Dolcetto; cream. Used about 3/4 of the skein.

Pattern: The Boy Hat Pattern. (Ravelry link : here.)
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers, blue (has a tweedy blue/black look).
Modifications: Knit the rib for about 5 1/4" then did decreases.


Enjoy! Hope this inspires some of you to whip these up! They don't take long at all!!! Tune in (hopefully) tomorrow or by early next week, for a few more small projects that I finished but haven't shown off yet! (special thanks to my model -- oldest munchkin!)

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!!!

Ella's Friends for DOT

Ella wanted me to show you her friends that she visited on vacation. The first picture is of Abby (if you remember, she came to visit Ella earlier this year). I love this picture. It looks like Abby is smiling (poor old lady[she's 10])! The bottom picture is Coco in her backyard. It was difficult to get a shot of all the dogs together. Ella would chase Coco around the backyard and into the front yard, but every time I would go for the camera, Ella would stop and look at me as if to say, "What? I'm playing!"
Ella had fun with her friends, and seemed to miss them when she got home.
Happy Dogs on Thursday.

Zoomania!

One of the first touristy things we did on vacation was to go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. If you're ever in Colorado Springs (or "The Springs" as the locals call it), I highly recommend that you go! This zoo is great! You can get close to the animals and actually see them. Among all the zoos I've been to (San Diego, Phoenix) this one's is one of the best.

You can feed the giraffe's and if they get close enough actually pet them! (As you can obviously see by the hands reaching out to this guy!) Their tongues are sticky and they're actually very soft.

(Sorry I should have flipped this photo.) Here's the moose! Don't you just love him! He was laying down for a while and then the zookeeper came and he stood up! He's only a baby (2 1/2 years old), so his antlers were just coming in.

And the bears! This exhibit is cool! There's a small building where you can watch them swim, and then run out and see them tumble and play in the trees. We were there when they were feeding them, and it was really cool.

And a vacation FO!

Pattern: Father/Daughter Hat (ravelry link).

Yarn: Brown Sheep Nature Spun, teal green.

Modifications: Made the ribbing longer, as usual, to cover the ears. Gifted this to C (where I was staying) who loves, loves, loves hats.

The first of a few photos I've got. I'll have some more later this week!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!