Friday, December 25, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas to friends, family, followers and everyone else!
Now that I have completed and gifted all my most recent knitting projects, expect some pictures in the near future!

I'm looking forward to sharing them with you all. I always seem to be up until unearthly hours of he night every Christmas eve. In this case I went to bed very early in the morning, I was finishing the last knitting details on a small hippopotamus. Hmmm, I feel a song coming on...

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas....I certainly did. It was a day filled with fun, family, fellowship, food, laughter, love.....
Merry CHRISTmas!



Sunday, December 13, 2009

Hand spun Yarn

Here is a bit of yarn that I spun a couple months ago. It was a lovely merino roving. I spun it on my top whorl spindle over the course of a week. I loved the way this roving drafted, it was very smooth and didn't break much at all. It was purchased at a local shop in town.

The yarn itself is very soft. I think it is a DK weight, but I haven't checked it too be sure. I am hoping to use it for a Christmas present. We'll see what happens. I am looking forward to posting about all the Christmas gifts I am making. So far I still have a lot of Christmas knitting to do.


Yesterday I ended up having an unexpected drive to into the city. Some of the family was shopping and had car trouble. What I thought would be a quick trip turned into over 6 hours of waiting and driving. A lot of it was waiting so I took the opportunity to do some knitting. Thankfully I had tossed a couple of projects in my purse on the way out the door. This week I need to really put on the steam with my gift making.
We have a tree to decorate this week as well. And I am hoping to put my room in some semblance of order. So far all I have managed to do is get the bed set up. Because we have been so busy, and gone much of the time I have not been able to get settled very well. Right now my room is piled with boxes. I can't wait to make it all cozy and homey looking.
That's it for now. I am hoping to post pictures soon of the fingerless mitts I have been making in the last few weeks.

Late Fall Pictures














I know fall is long past, but I never had a chance to blog my fall pictures. I took these while walking to the library with my siblings. I had fun trying to take them so that no signs of town were visible. But it was difficult at some points as you can see from some of the pictures.


Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Knitted Fingerless Mitts

I finally have pictures! These are my favorite fingerless mitts. They are made out of medium weight yarn and can be whipped up very quickly. So far I have made five pairs and love them! I gave them all away of course, but I do plan on making some for myself one of these days...

This particular pair was a birthday gift for my dear friend, Randi. The gray yarn is 100% merino wool. For the ribbing on the top and bottom I double stranded using a slender strand of 100% angora yarn, hand spun on a drop spindle. The strand of angora added warmth and a lovely halo to the cuffs. Just a touch of luxury.
I taught Randi both hand spinning and knitting so I knew this was a gift that she would definitely appreciate.


The pattern is found at www.ancientpathwaysyarnandfiber.blogspot.com . I changed the pattern around a bit. I used size 5Us needles to make a tighter gauge. I also change the pattern around depending on whom it is made for. When making a child's size I only bind of 10 sts. Woman's sizes I bind of 12 sts, and 14 stitches only for the men's sizes. When just knitting st. stitch or ribbing, you can just lengthen or shorten as needed. So far these mitts have been a hit with everyone who has received a pair.
After the new year I will hopefully have many photos to show of Christmas gifts. I'll post as able between now and then. I'm sure everyone has many Christmas plans, get-togethers etc. in the next couple of weeks. Take care and be careful in the crowds. Enjoy the time spent with your loved ones and friends.
Merry Christmas to all!!!


Thursday, December 3, 2009

Strength

"Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint."
~Isaiah 40:28-31
I wanted to share these verses that I have read so many times, but never did they strike me like they did today. This week we moved to our new home, and the only explanation for us being able to accomplish what we did lies in the above verses. God gave us the strength when we had no might, the power when we were faint, He was there in our hour of need......

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Hello to All!

Still no pictures. :( Sadness.
I am doing well, I have not had as much time for knitting the last week because we were moving. Moving day was Monday. We had a ton of things to accomplish, I didn't realize how much there was to do. And then there are always those odds and ends that don't seem to fit into any sort of box.....
The only knitting I have been doing has been Christmas knitting. I made a list of what I would like to make for family/friends, and discovered it is way too long and I am being too ambitious! I'll have to trim it down a bit. Today I am trying to whip up a birthday present for my Dad. A lot of my knitting stuff is still packed, I tried to clearly mark and keep track of it all so when we got moved I would be able to find it. So far the only thing I can't find is my all important pattern folder. I'm spending a few days at my Aunts so I am hoping to work on a few Christmas projects, I have less then a month left to get it all done!
That's it for now. I'll be back when I can. Take care!