To knit, or not to knit

Well I am a little down in the dumps today. Don't know why. Just one of those things that happens for no reason at all. Other than to aggrevate me to no end of course. But enough whine.

I really want to join the Knitting Olympics hosted by the YarnHarlot. I even have the thing I so want to knit for it. In fact I am feeling a little obsessive about it. I have the pattern, I have for a while now. It is the Rosy-Fingered Dawn shawl.



I know, it's lace and it's huge. But the Olympics are made to strive for your best right? I don't really expect to finish it if I join. I just want to work on it. I decided to do it in a fingering weight instead of laceweight. I got some advice from Snow who said the yarn with the kit is really more like a fingering weight, so I found some I like. I decided on Palette from Knit Picks. I want to do it in these colors: Petal, Blush, Lilac, Hyacinth, Pool, and Sky. I figured if I get 2 skeins of each that would be plenty. And that way it would only be $21.48. Not bad to do a whole shawl. Now all I have to do to really commit is to buy it. So I have a little time before I need to do that, so we will see.

I have already selected my buttons if I do. I got this one from JenLa's blog. I think that says it all.



And I found this one on the YarnHarlot's.



And just for hanging in there and reading all that drivel, here is something fun for you. I made South Park characters for me and hubby. Don't we make a cute couple?

STEELERS beat the Broncos

They did it! We are going to the Super Bowl!

The Bus is going home to Detroit!

Edit: I didn't want to mention it until Snow did. Snow and myself made a bet on this game. I wouldn't have bet, but the word yarn was mentioned and I caved. She was for the Broncos, so I won! She is threatening to send me blue and orange yarn just to get back at me. I told her that was ok, I would use it anyway. When I get it, I will show you what she sent. By the way, if you haven't yet, go check out her blog. It has a new look.

Rotation and CALs

I have been down in the dumps and sick for a couple of weeks. I couldn't do anything crafty and have only been working on things for a few days now. But I had an idea that may actually work for me. Cross-stitchers usually work on a rotation schedule so that they can give each of their WIPs some attention. I thought since I have so many things in progress, it would be good to work on a set few at a time. Here is my current rotation.

In knitting:

I am working on the Manly sweater from the SnB Handbook. Here is a pic of what it should look like and a progress pic. I am doing it in all gray with a little black thrown in.





I am doing the Nature in Natural afghan from Lion Brand. I had gotten some Wool Ease chunky for a sweater but it wasn't working up nicely in the pattern I chose, so I am using it for this. I am using willow and walnut, I am not a natural kind of girl. Here is what it should look like and progress shots of the cables. Yes, cables. Gotta love em.







Then there was a patten I bought a long time ago. I just wanted to learn how to do the double knitting, but never thought I could. I am doing the Double Knitted afghan from Patternworks. It is so neat to be knitting continental with my left hand and purling with the throw method with my right. I have some Caron Simply Soft brights that I am using. It will be four different colors but it has only two so far. I twisted it so you can see both sides.





I have some 90% virgin wool, 10% angora rabbithair yarn that I was given. I had no idea what to do with it, and the other day I decided to start a Branching Out scarf.



In crochet:

I have joined a CAL. The lovely LadyLinoleum is hosting it. It is the Vintage Chapeau Crochet Along. This is a patten out of a McCall's Needlework magazine from Fall-Winter 1963-64.




When I saw this picture, something inside me just screamed "You have got to make that muff." I was posessed, but I like it. I have never crocheted something in the round. It's weird, but going along smoothly.



In cross-stitch:

I am still working on the Tiger's eye. It looks pretty much the same as I have already shown, so I will wait for a progress pic.

I also have a sampler book of Teresa Wentzler that I am debating on what to start. Go take a look at it, you can click the links to see the projects in it. It is a toss up between the Fantasy and the Camelot sampler.

So I will try this for a month and see how it works for me. Who knows, this may make for some earlier finishes.

Steelers beat the Colts!

What a game! 21 - 18. Bet old Peyton never saw that comin, did he? Now they just have to beat the Broncos and they are in the Super Bowl. You know what time it is.

Happy Birthday Bethany!

Three years. It's amazing how fast they grow up. We enjoy every minute with them and love them even through the tantrums. It only takes that first little heartbeat or that first little smile and we are hooked forever.

Ugly Avatar

I joined up. Here's my attempt at an ugly avatar.




Go visit JenLa. That's where this meme started. Now you do it. You know you wanna.

WIPs

Since it is a new year, I went through all my projects to see exactly what I had going at the moment.

My knit WIPs consist of:

~camo socks
~i-cord gloves
~mystery stole
~mystery shawl
~mystery shawl 2
~turtleneck shrug
~patchwork purse
~HP azkaban scarf
~ snowball's chance in hell arm warmers
~Rogue
~easy roll brim hat
~alien illusion scarf
~card trick scarf
~clapotis
~manly sweater
~nature in natural afghan

The last two on this list were the newest additons started in the last 2 weeks. The alien illusion and card trick scarf were from when I first learned to knit.

My crochet WIPs consist of:

~63 squares afghan
~granny square afghan
~granny square afghan (size 10 crocet thread)

I have a little over half of the 63 squares done. I started the granny square after finishing a huge one for my hubby. The one with crochet thread was when I wanted to make doilys but hadn't learned to read a pattern yet. So I just thought I would see how it would turn out. These are the continuous granny squares worked from the center out , not the ones you do individual squares with.

My cross-stitch WIPs consist of:

~Stairway to Heaven Lyrics (my idea using the Ultimate Cross-stitch Alphabet Book by Kooler Design Studio)
~the last supper (Jeanette Crews Design)
~butterfly expressions (Dimensions)
~eye of the tiger (Cross My Heart)

That's not too bad really. It could be worse. Since I haven't really talked about my cross-stitch that much, I thought this would be a good time.

I have been cross-stitching ever since I can remember. I love it and it is my first true craft love. There are so many designs I have seen that I want to do, and someday will do many of them. I have lots of design books and pattern leaflets. My aunt gave me all of her leaflets, floss and fabric. That gave me a good stash to add to. Here is just the floss I have so far. Including the floss chart I use to keep up with what colors I need.



And here are some progress pics of the ones I have started. Also I included pictures of what they should look like when finished.

Stairway to Heaven is my favorite song. I had this fabric colored almost like parchment and it gave me the idea to stitch the words on it like handwriting. This one must be framed when I am done.



This one I started years ago and I really want to finish it someday. I got discouraged when I found some of my count was off and had to take some of it out. But I fixed that and worked on it a bit since then.




This was a gift. I worked away furiously on it until knitting took my attention from it.




And this one I just fell in love with. I only bought the leaflet and it took a long time to find fabric just the right size. But the progress on it looks cool. This is one of the reflections in the eye.




I don't usually make resolutions, but I hope to have some of these WIPs (knit, crochet, and cross-stitch) finished by next year.

Another Year

Well it is finally over. All the hustle and bustle. Good. Now we can get back to normal. Well as normal as you can get these days.

The kids had a great Christmas. Santa never lets them down. Here they all are after tearing into everything that morning.



I have been listening to Darth Vader breathe ever since.



He wanted to build one a day. He had it all finished in a couple of hours.



She really is happy, she wasn't quite awake yet.



Not only does it talk and sing, you can record and listen to what you say too. Over and over and over....

I finally got to see Harry Potter! One of my sister-in-laws gave me movie passes for Christmas. It was such a great movie. If you haven't seen it, go now. It is so worth it. You get so much more out of the books when you get to see it on screen. It just makes both, movies and books, so much better and richer. If I wasn't reading the Chronicles of Narnia, I would start reading them all again. My mother&father-in-law got me that.

My hubby got me what I have been wanting for a long time. A hand-held Texas Hold-Em poker game. I will take any practice I can get. I want to be a professional poker player when I grow up. You think I could be the first person to knit at a tournament? We all have to have dreams don't we?

Hope everyone has a great New Year.