Hurry Up Mittens!

BRRRRR it is soooo frigid in here the 'peg and I am very close to being done a lovely pair of flip-top mittens knit in Patons SWS (which I am LOVING). They are super cute and with any luck I will be done these mittens today and put them into winter rotation

aren't they cute??? Plus the one that I have finished is very warm, which is a bonus! However, with any luck I won't be wearing them TOO much but who am I kidding, it's winnipeg.

I have also cast on my very first pair of monkey socks! EXCITING! I haven't got very far only a couple of rounds but I am very excited about them :D. I'm knitting them with the lovely yarn Jenna got me for Christmas! I am still trucking along on my Kroy Socks and once they are done the monkey's will have more of my attention.

Onto more exciting news... I finally made a trip to my LYS :D. I know it's quite sad that I have been knitting for 1 1/2 years and have yet to make the trip but I can tell you that it is a good thing I waited until I was working because that place is heavenly. I bought some Ella Rae classic wool for a cute little sweater I'm working on, some Rowan Soft Lux that was on sale, a pair of bamboo 32 inch circulars, bamboo 2.5 mm dpns, and susan bates 16 inch circular. Plus a copy of the Winter Kint Simple magazine.

Last week I attended my very first knitting night with Jenna and it quite fun. Sitting around a bookstore and knitting was such a new experience for me and I got a chunk of my Kroy sock done. The next one isn't for a few weeks but I'm sure i'll go again.

Anyhoo I'm going to go work on my flip top mittens and then head off to work (i'm working a split today 7-1 then 3:30-5:30). Happy Knitting!

New Year... New Knitting... New Post

Happy belated new years! I really should try and post more in the new year. Well I have been quite busy since my last post. I had a great Christmas and I got the cutest thing ever! At a craft sale in November I saw this adorable little sheep yarn caddy, but I wasn't working at the time so I couldn't bring myself to buy it. A few hours later, apparently, my aunt and cousin went to the same craft sale and bought it for me :D I love it!I also got some great books. I got 101 Designer One Skein Wonders, Vogue Stitchionary Vol. 1, and Casts On (gotta love the Yarn Harlot). On top of all that I got Michaels gift cards which have already been put to good use!

On the knitting front I FINALLY finished the first Kroy Sock, and I am pretty far along on the second :D yay! I knit up a pair of dorm socks for my cousin out of that lovely orange red heart yarn. I think he likes them and they didn't take long to knit up. I finished the calorimetry but failed to take a pic. It was a bit large and next time I will cast on fewer stitches but still quite nice. I also have cast on and am almost done my first Taos Slipper from the 101 designer one skein wonders book. Not too sure about the pattern yet but I guess we will see once I sew the first one up.

I am currently thinking about a new sweater. I found this pattern in my "not your mama's knitting" book. It's called Sweet and Seamless and it is a short sleeve sweater to wear over a tight fitting long sleeved top and it is knit in the round so no seams to sew up. I need to get the yarn still and some circular needles but as of now I'm thinking that this sweater will be my next major project. I also need to get a new pair of Dpn's to turn that lovely yarn that Jenna gave me for Christmas into Monkey Socks.

I don't believe there is any more to write about and hopefully i'll be able to stick to my blogging resoloution and type up a little more often. Happy Knitting :D

5 more days!!!!

YAY!!! 5 more days until Christmas day :D!! I have been so busy the past few weeks I just don't know where the time went. It is all because of my Dad's 50'th birthday party which we had last weekend. THat party took up a lot of time and I was so far behind in my wrapping and baking, and, of course, knitting. So last Sunday I spent 3 hours just wrapping presents and then yesterday I made this delicious chocolate candycane cookies with white chocolate drizzle, and today I made my gingerbread men which are cooling/icing setting on my parents bed with the door closed away from any animals who may try to steal a bite. Work is going well I am officially 2 weeks into the new job and so far so good. I've been working 3-4 hour shifts only but tomorrow I have my first 6 hour shift and it is the kids last day of school and the center is throwing a Christmas party for them at lunch which should be a lot of fun :D. NExt week I work 7-11 on christmas eve, and then thursday and friday 10-6. Yay yarn money!
I am FINALLY finished my christmas knitting. Tuesday night Jenna came over for a knit-together and I was able to whip up the final dishcloth for my aunt and uncle.

She also surprised me with a gift of yarn. That Jenna is much too generous. It is this beautiful blue sock yarn which I just can't wait to starting knitting with :D:
This past week before I finished the dishcloths I cast on a Calorimetry. I'm working it with Vanna's choice yarn in a lovely Purple shade. I'm thinking it might be a little big but thats okay, i'll just remember to cut down on the stitches next time. Plus you can never have to much fabric keeping your head warm here! I'm a little more than halfway done but I took this picture the other day shortly after I started.
Remember those Patons Kroy Socks I cast on WAY back in October. Well... i've barely touched them since then. Just a row here and row there. My goal is to hopefully have the first one done by New Years since I am now done my christmas knitting and should be done the calorimetry very soon. Here's a pic showing exactly how little I have done since the last picture. Well that is about all the knitting news I Have. I'm hoping to pick up some nice new dpn's to knit some nice socks out of my lovely gift from Jenna. Perhaps, monkey socks?? Who knows. Anyways I best be off... Merry Christmas and Happy KNitting!

Happy December :D

It's December :D yay!!! My favourite month of the year... eventhough it is an exam month. Speaking of exams... I'm done :D! I have one more paper to hand in and my BA is complete! I also just got a new job at a daycare in my neighbourhood. I started yesterday and had my second shift this morning... so far so good, it'll be so much better once I get to know all the names. This also marks the beginning of the B.Ed application process. I had an info meeting at the U of M last night where I got all the application and referee materials. U of M apps are due Feb 1 and U of W apps are due Mar 1.

December means baking month so I may have to put aside some cherished knitting time to make a lot of yummy baked goods.... on the agenda: shortbread cookies, mint thins, gingerbread men, candycane cookies, and a nanaimo cheesecake for boxing day dessert (we're celebrating christmas on boxing day with my mom's side of the family). mmmm can not wait to get started, there are also some other recipes I may attempt this week or early next... just for fun.

In knitting news I have completed my moms mittens and they are wrapped up already. I have a pic of the finished bolero... which I adore. I'm so glad I didn't wait until after christmas to start this:

I decided to make some Swirly Girl mitts(same as my moms) for the secret santa thing we do with my dads side of the family. I'm knitting them with Bernat Natural Wool Blend, which is a really nice yarn. I'm done one and about 30% done the second so hopefully by the end of the weekend they will be complete:

My grandpa's coasters are complete. I finished the first three so quickly and then I didn't touch the 4'th for two weeks. Finally the other night I cast on and made myself get the project done so I could cast on and begin the first dishcloth for my aunt and uncle. These projects are both knit with Bernat Handicrafter Cotton:

On the knitting agenda: a new pair of mittens for me and perhaps even casting on a new sweater...hmmmm. Or am I more in the mood for an afghan. Anyways once i'm done these two projects I am officially done my christmas knitting :D yay! WEll I best be off... Merry Knitting!

Almost done....

I'm almost done school and i'm almost done my christmas knitting!! Last night I finished my cousin's golf club covers. I knit him two and joined them with a crochet chain. Very BRIGHT ORANGE! I also finished my dad's slippers a little over a week ago. I got my brother to try them on just to make sure they will fit, and they did!

Last weekend I knit up a gaiter (neck warmer) for my brother for christmas. I could not find a pattern that I liked so I sat down, knit a swatch, and designed my own. It's really simple I just cast on the required amount of stitches and did K1 P1 ribbing for around 6-6 1/2 inches. Alternating colours every 2 rows. I used some leftover Bernat Softee Chunky from his present last year, so this will match his hat!

Last weekend I also began making coasters for my grandpa. I'm using bernat handicrafter cotton in a nice blue colour which matches the colours in his condo. I found the pattern through ravelry and I think it's called a Mod-Coaster, found on the DYI network website.

I've got two done and I think I have enough yarn to make 2 more, for a set of 4! With any luck i'll be done these by the end of next week.

My mom's present I had not touched in close to 2 weeks but yesterday, since I worked hard all week, I gave myself the afternoon off from school work and got quite a bit done on the second mitt. A couple more hours of work and my mom's present will be done. So this means all i have left is a couple dishcloths for my aunt and uncle and then maybe a pair of mittens for the secret santa gift exchange we do on my dad's side of the family (finally they decided to remove all the adults from the kid gift exchange, last year I was the oldest cousin present.. felt very odd). I'm thinking about getting some of that Bernat Cashmere yarn to knit them up, I also noticed a some mittens on ravelry using that yarn and they were trés cute.

Anyways I best be off, we're having turkey (i know it's not thanksgiving or christmas but it's kind of a family tradition to have turkey in between the two at least once) for dinner tonight with the family and i'm making this pumpkin spice cake with a cream cheese frosting which I must go prepare shortly. Take care and Happy Knitting.

Christmas is Coming :D

Oh I am such a christmas fanatic! Anyone who really knows me knows that I wait each and every year for Nov. 1 so I can start blaring my Christmas music! Now I have to wait until the end of november or very beginning of december to put the tree up and it's almost killing me. We had our first snowfall here in the peg on Halloween, if you can call that a snowfall... it melted as soon as it hit the ground. Yesterdays snowfall was a little more successful, but I am waiting for that beautiful fluffy snow that really screams CHRISTMAS! Yes I may be nuts for wanting the snow, and yes I'm sure that once January comes I will be praying for it to melt, but I think that it is just physically impossible to have Christmas without snow, despite what others say.

I have been semi-productive in the knitting department. I have completed 1 mitt for my moms christmas present:

also I have completed 1 slipper for my dad:

I invested in some insane orange yarn for my cousins present (they just don't make small skeins of this colour, trust me I looked!), and I whipped him up a golf club cover in the lovely orange. I think i'm going to make him another one so he'll have a pair:

This past weekend, since I couldn't work on Christmas presents I thought I would try out my lovely christmas cotton yarn and knit up a nice dishcloth. I am actually forbidding anyone from using it as a dishcloth because it is much too pretty. It can be used as a hotpad, and thats it!

I made my other cousin a nice drink cozy, but failed to take a pic of it. IT is exactly like my brothers except blue with a brown C on the front.

As for my ribbed lace bolero, well I have been slowly working on it but as you can see it has kind of been christmas present central here the past few weeks. The sock I have not touched since the last entry, maybe a couple for rows. I doubt i will get much more done on that until I am done school and nearing the end of the christmas presents.

Anyways I have some school work to do, so I best be off. Happy Holidays!

Busy Busy Busy

Woo Hoo 2 posts in October!! I have been so busy with school that usually I just grab a few seconds on the internet to check out facebook, ravelry and some other sites every day. Plus that is usually on my brothers computer upstairs. Speaking of ravelry... I am addicted. Since I got my invite in early October I just can't leave that site alone.

Well knitting wise I have been making progress... slow progress, but progress nonetheless. I have started a few new projects. One being the ribbed lace bolero, which i found on ravelry <3

I also have a pair of socks on the needles. I'm using just the basic sock pattern from Patons. Knit with Patons Kroy Socks in Winter Eclipse. I had some issues at first with it and had a minor knitting emergency when I had to rip back half of it. I tried to just tink it back but I had gone a little to far and just gave it and ripped out, but now it is looking good. I'm just about done the instep of the first sock:I had completed one christmas present; a nice gaiter for my brother for christmas but it turned out too small for his head so I may give it to my cousin or keep it and donate it to charity or something. So now i had to set out and find a new present for my dad and brother. I'm making my dad a pair of slippers out of Bernat Softee Chunky and a pattern that I found in my grandma's patterns. I may make my brother the same thing or custom design him a hat... we'll see how the slippers go.
I also have cast on my mom's present. A nice pair of mittens. THey are knit on two straight needles and I found the pattern in the November issue of Creative Knitting, which I am really liking. May consider a subsciption to this magazine. I am a little further on than the picture I am about to post as I took that pic yesterday morning to post on ravelry and finished the thumb gusset yesterday afternoon. I'm knitting these mitts with Patons classic merino wool:

I've added a big skein of bright orange yarn to my collection to knit my cousin some golf club covers for christmas. I had no intention of buying that much but it was all I could find. I also found some Christmas handicrafter cotton... so I must make some christmas dishcloths or hotpads :D. Well that is about it. I kind feel like a slurpee, eventhough it's freezing, that's what make me a true Winterpegger. Happy Knitting everyone, and Happy Halloween :D