Blocking and Baking…

Well I guess it’s a good thing that we didn’t go camping this weekend… snow, hail, rain and even some sunshine!  It was a real mixed bag.  I did get some knitting done, but not as much as I would have liked.  I did weave in all the ends for the major part of my panel jacket.  I decided to lay it out and try blocking what is done, while I knit the sleeves.  I think it’s time I invest in a blocking kit.  I’ve been thinking about it for some time now, but then I always think of the yarn I could buy with that money.  But now I’m thinking if I’m going to devote this much time to a project I might as well take the time to assemble and complete it correctly and nicely too. 

 I just finished the first sleeve tonight and tomorrow I can attach it and start the next one. 

I’m getting there, I just can’t wait to get it done… and I can’t wait to see if it is going to fit now, or if I’m going to have to wait to loose more weight.   Something else has popped into my thoughts recently as I was completing the sleeve… am I going to have enough yarn?  Don’t you hate that feeling?  It’s like when you are running low on gas and the light comes on in your car… it just makes me want to drive faster to get to the station.  I feel like I need to knit faster to see if I’m going to have enough.  Silly, huh? 

Well, again Mother Nature blessed us with the white stuff… this time it was hail.

One minute it was sunny and the next we had hail pouring from the sky.  I looked out front to see a rainbow coming down in front of my Honda Element.  I couldn’t get a very good picture of it, but you can kind of see it.  It was so cold and windy.

And then this afternoon it was like spring was back.  The sun came out and it warmed up to 46 degrees!  I can hardly wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

Well I’m going to let that be a wrap for this weekend so I can go clean the kitchen.  I made Red Velvet Cookies for hubby and banana bread (NO nuts).  If you haven’t had Red Velvet cookies and you like Red Velvet cake, you should really try them. (this is not a cookie recipe with a box of cake mix – but it is simple)  I made them last weekend to take to work and everyone loved them.  What’s not to like… Chocolate and Chocolate chips and cream cheese frosting!  I’ll post my version of this recipe later, I got it from a book I was listening to.  The Carrot Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke.  This is Joanne’s 10th book in this series, and for some reason I can’t stop listening to them.  They are a really easy listen, and full of recipes! 

Have a great week!

A cold Sunday morning…

This is what I woke up to this morning… hail!  I actually woke up because the wind was so loud about 6:30 this morning. 

 

Then about 7:15 this morning we had about 4 or 5 hail storms roll through. 

The dogs didn’t even want to go out.  They ran out and turned around and came right back in. 

Aren’t they cute!

Friday night on my way home I made a quick stop in at The Yarn Corner to pick up yarn for my first scarf.  I have seen this Sirdar Denim Ultra on the shelf for some time and have always wanted to make something with it.  Now I can say I have!  I made a super simple scarf for myself. 

It’s nice and warm and just in time it looks like.  I can’t wait to wear it.  I used one strand of the Natural colored Sirdar Denim Ultra and one strand of the Sirdar Snowflake – ultra light fashion chunky, also in natural color. 

This is so soft and warm feeling.

This is my simple pattern…

Scarf was knit with a strand of each yarn. CO 17 on size 15 needles.

Row 1: Knit 2, Purl 1 repeat

Row 2: Purl 2, Knit 1 repeat

Keep knitting these two rows until the Snowflake yarn runs out.Then switch to size 10 needles and pick up 17 stitches with just the Denim Ultra yarn, on the wrong side purl one row.

Make knots… In the first stitch (K1,P1,K1,P1,K1), then pass 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th sts, one at a time, over the first st, then slip first st onto left-hand needle and purl.

In the second stitch do the same as the first stitch, when it is completed take the first stitch on the right hand needle and pass it over to bind off one stitch.

Continue making a knot in each stitch and Binding Off until you have completed all stitches. Then weave in the ends.

I was going to just BO and leave the scarf as is, but then decided to make knots on the end.  I’m not sure if they’ll stay or not yet.  I used to not like bobbles and knots so much, but now I’m starting to like them more and more. 

For Christmas I finished a pair of Fuzzyfeet for myself.  I started them on Sunday and as able to wear them for Christmas.  They really are like making a giant pair of socks. 

It’s hard to see how beautiful this yarn is.  It’s  JJ’s Specialty Yarns Montage 10-ply – I got it at The Yarn Corner last year sometime.  It was a huge skein, I think 320 yards.  I would have liked to felt them one more time but then they would be too small I think.  I tried them on after 2 washes and they shaped to my foot just right.

It seems my feet are always cold these days, and these are wonderful to slip on.  I saw another pattern for simple sock/slippers on Ravelry and I think I might try to make them too.  They are called Fireside Footies.

This is a brief account of some of my knitting time for the last week.  I also started a Koolhaus hat for my brother and it is now in the frog pile.  I some how dropped a stitch and didn’t realize it until the end of a round.  My heart wasn’t in it.  So maybe I’ll try again later.  I was only on round 5 of the pattern repeat.

Lucky me, I get to go to work tomorrow and it’s pay day!  We have Tuesday off so I think I’ll spend the day knitting on either a block for my afghan or one of the many projects that are in resting mode next to the sofa!

Stay warm and safe!