I'm back!

Well, I've been very busy quilting, knitting, reading but not blogging! With work, getting ready for my craft show and everything else I've neglected this blog. Here's a little quilt and matching bag I just gave to a friend as a baby gift. I have two I Spy quilts tops and a queen size quilt top ready to be sandwiched and quilted. I need to do one more I Spy quilt then all my shower gifts are at least started.
I finished the shawl I did in Blue Heron Rain Forest Rayon Boucle and am almost finished with the hand dyed mohair shawl. I'm crocheting a trim on it and I hate crocheting! I hope I finish it on Monday night.

This week

This week has been a very slow week for knitting for me. I was VERY busy at work, the Math tests are finally over. I just need to do the make up tests for some students and package them for scoring.
I'm still working on a very boring pair of socks. I like the way they fit and I like the pattern BUT the yarn is very boring. You could just buy these socks. I love using yarns from Socks That Rock, Koigu, and other colorful ones. I got this yarn on sale and it knits up nicely and they are warm useful socks but they just are tedious to look at!
I ordered a few knitting books and they all came this week. Now I own, Not Just Socks by Sandi Rosner, Confessions of a Knitting Heritic by Annie Modesitt and Knitting Over the Edge by Nicky Epstein. I also got another order of WOL and a tote pattern to felt.
I've done very little knitting this week and weekend. I went to a play, The Rabbithole and out to dinner on Sat. Then to the Sugarloaf Craft Fair on Sunday. I've also worked on more soaps and now I am finally soaped out for my Spring shows, now on to wrapping and making creams, scrubs, lotions, whipped butters, lips balms. OH just the thought of it makes me want to run and knit even if the socks are boring.

Gotta medal !

Here's my medal. I love the socks, they are enough of a reward. warm comfortable and they match my favorite shoes!

Frances

What I've Been Doing

This has been a very hectic week at work for me. We are in testing season and it is the Math test that is coming up this week SO I've been doubly hectic.
I spent most of Sat. wrapping soap to get ready for my Spring and Summer shows But I did manage to sneak in a bit of sock making this week. I am trying a new to me sock pattern http://www.needletrax.com/toeupon2circulars.hmt This pattern has the heel flap under the foot and I think would be especially nice to use with a pattern or cables. The socks I'm working on now are pretty boring but I have some nice new more interesting yarn to use.
I got some Koigu on sale. The colors are nicer then show up in the pictures AND I joined the STR sock club and should be getting my first shipment some time in March. I can't wait!

Vacation just sailing away!

I'm on Winter Vacation from work right now. I've been relaxing, knitting, eating out and just went to see a play last night. So for a totally unscheduled vacation I've been pretty busy with enjoyable things. First, I did finish my Olympic pair of socks. I used my usual pattern BUT my challenge was to finish them within the time limit. I didn't knit on anything else while I was working on them and I've found I don't like to be monogamous to a pair of socks. Was pretty monotonous! Well, I've solved that! I started working on a new project ~ a pair of fingerless gloves for my daughter. So far both of us are very happy with them. I may just go back and make myself a pair of gloves WITH all the fingers! Am I getting socked out?

Back to real life!

I spent last weekend quietly knitting through the snow storm. I missed Monday at work due to the snow but the next four days at work more then made up for the extra day off. In New York City where I work the children are taking a math test in early March. We are on vacation for a week, come back for a week then BANG the test! As Math Staff developer for my school, this really felt like crunch week. BTW, almost ALL the snow is gone but it is now bitterly cold!

So now I have a week to clean my house, knit, visit with friends etc. Hmmm , wonder which I'll concentrate on?

I also worked on getting a swap ready for a soap group I belong to. A friend of mine helped me finish it up and now it will be mailed off on Tuesday. Lots of nice soaps, lotions and other bath treats are on the way out.

Snow Storm Productivity!

We have had a record amount of snow in NJ and NY this weekend SO I've been in the house and busy. I finished the heel and am almost up to the ribbing on my first Olympic sock . This Olympic challenge had really kept me on track. Every time I start to stray to another knitting project, just thinking of not finishing brings me right back to the project sock! I have also made six batches of soap, five rebatches and one new one. Here's a picture of yesterday's soaps. They need to cure for a day or so then I'll cut and trim them. In a few weeks when they are wrapped I'll post another picture. I've also made something else but I'm going to send a few to my swap sister so I'm not going to mention what it is!

1st day's progress from Knitting Olympics

Yesterday, I attended a Cast Off Party to start my knitting Olympics projects---socks! I'm using my usual pattern, toe up on two circs, with an after thought heel. My challange will be finishing them within the time span of the Olympics. I've made such good progress so far, that right now it does not seem too difficult! While I was at the cast off party I did more then knit I made a convert to toe up two circ knitting! I helped a fellow knitter cast on and start her toe! I've been knitting so much that I have not done much with any of my other hobbies. I just added a picture of a piece of redwork I did a few years ago. This morning I need to make soap and lotion bars. More pictures on Sunday!

Restocking and trying something new

I sold out of every cream, lotion and scrub that I make shortly after Christmas. Last weekend I did scrubs and a few lotions today was the start of restocking creams, tomorrow I'll start tackling the whipped butters and make at least one or two soaps or I sneak off to the movies or if I have the energy do both! Now I have my least favorite task to do, label, seal and shrink wrap all the stuff, it's worse then weaving in ends or seaming up pieces! I did try something new today I worked on felting soap. I took wool roving and covered soaps with them to make soaps with a felted layer, soaps in a sweater. I saw a demo of this this fall at a soap gathering and I 've been planning on doing it ever since. I ordered the roving right away then realized that I didn't have time to play with these until after the Christmas rush so I decided to make them my swap project for my annual Ringing in the New Swap. I host a swap on Soapnuts every year to try something new. This is my contribution this year. They were kind of fun to make but pretty time consuming so I don't know if I'll ever sell them. I do like the wool roving around a face bar as a very nice way to use facial soap.

What I've been doing.

I'm lost two days this week to not feeling well. I actually did not pick up a knitting needle or book from Wed. evening through to Friday morning. Friday morning I went to the Dr. & had a shot which helped with the nausea and then spent the afternoon comfortably knitting. So far this blog has been about one of my main passions in life BUT I have another hobby which takes over my life. I make soaps, lotions, creams, scrubs and other pampering products. Today I had 50 pounds each of palm and coconut oils, boxes of shea, cocoa and mango butter and jugs of specialty oils like cherry kernel oil delivered to my house. Soon I'll be turning these into soaps, lotions and creams. I want to experiment with more body butters and hand balms. I think I'll use my knitting groups as testers! I'll post pictures on Sat. Of some of my finished products as well as the latest Lucy bag which I am determined to finish by Sat morning!

Finished my socks that rock

Here's my latest pair of socks and the first I've done from Socks That Rock yarn. I'm wearing them to work tomorrow. I might even cheat and also wear them to bed , they are so warm and comfortable!

I have been lucky enough for the last year to co- lead a knitting early bird club at my school. Another teacher and I knit for about 45 minutes three times a week with a group of our students who are in grades 3 to 5. We have a great time. I can't think of a more relaxing way to start the day.
We work in my office around a long table and when the girls( so far no boys) don't need our help we knit along with the students. This is our last week with some of the girls, some will return for the second semester and some are going to try a new club. We are having a little breakfast on Thursday to celebrate and the girls are displaying some of their hand knit products. I brought my camera into work today and although I really wanted to take a picture of the girls' work and you will see Robyn's bunny next, this is the most recent quilt that I made. It is called Wheels of Mystery. I brought it into work to show, hung it up then realized that I spend more time at work then home and just kept it here. I just love Robyn's bunny. The girls have made so many of these and they all look different and everyone loves them. It's hard to believe that they really are just a rectangle or sometimes a trapazoid with extra knitted ears!

Some yarn followed me home.

There must be a type of denial or delusion that takes over every time I think of being around yarn and not bringing some home!
I went to the knitting party at AC Moore and got the chance to visit, shop and knit with some of my knitting friends from both Monday and Tuesday! There was no yarn at AC Moore that really needed to come home with me so I left after knitting for a bit on my STR (sock that rocks) second sock but I was sitting on a stool and it really was not comfortable so I headed over to the Knitting Gallery SALE. I ran into 5 knitting friends there also in search on wonderful yarns at a bargain! I thought that I was almost out of there with only one little ball of sock yarn when I saw the Blue Heron Rayon Boucle in Rain Forest. Well, it's home with me and already started into a Knitpick Drop-Stitch Twisted Shawl! AND There's another knitting outing at Michaels on Sunday !!!!!!!!

Felted slippers deskidded!

I knit a pair of fuzzy feet for my daughter for Christmas and my sister and two nephews wanted them also. SO I promised out three pairs of fuzzy feet and also three more Lucy bags within a few minutes on Christmas morning. I've been working on these impulsive promises since. Now all the slippers are done and I'm still 1/5 done with the last Lucy bag. Today the local AC Moore is having a knitting event and I'm going to take my Lucy bag and two pairs of socks and just go to see what it is all about. I'm just hoping that NO yarn follows me home. I might pick up a little yarn for my early bird knitting club and I'm always looking for needles for them.
My jaywalker socks are lurking on the edge of the picture. I just can't seem to get really going on them.

Finally, Friday is here. It was a long week at work and I'm feeling half sick AND very tired. So instead of going out with friend for dinner tonight, I ate at home, put on my warn nightgown and I'm curling up with my STR sock. I don't have second sock slowness on this one. I just can't wait to finish it and wear them!!! I would love to wear it to my knitting group on Monday.
I did get about 1/5th of my latest Lucy bag done Thursday when I stayed at work to knit with the other teachers. I have to remember to NEVER EVER promise to knit three of anything again so impulsively !

Another Lucy bag felted!

Well, here the finished bag is stuffed with a towel and drying for a few days. A STR sock is cuddled up to it. I can't wait to finish the other. In person the colors are just great. I'm going to ignore the fern Lucy bag and knit on the neglected sock until I fall asleep.

Another Lucy bag being felted!

Well, four done and one to go! I finished my niece's bag and cast on another for my daughter's co worker's ! I'm doing the fifth of these bags in WOA fern. It will be my last for a while although I do want another felted bag for myself.
I knit with a group at Border's Cafe last night for three hours. I can really get a good chunk of knitting done in three hours. Jake's slippers are waiting to be felted and then I can put the non slip sole on his and Carols' THEN STOP KNITTING for other people for a while.
I am considering either finishing a sweater I started this summer OR casting on an Einstein coat or sweater for myself. I would like to have both finished by spring when I can get out of a winter coat! BUT I also have so much sock yarn calling my name.

Here's my main knitting obsession for the last year. During 2005, I completed 13 pairs of socks. My favorite pair is the stripped on the front right. They actually sparkle!

Starting again

I started this a long time age then promptly forgot about it! Now that EVERYONE has a blog and I have a new digital camera I think I'll start again.

I'd like to use this space to share my finished knitting and other craft projects and park the button I want to get for joining the yarn harlot's Knitting Olympics!

I cast on a new Lucy Bag for my niece, in chestnut WOA from Knitpicks. This is my fourth Lucy bag and the next to last one I have promised. I made one for myself then one for my daughter and impulsively promised three on Christmas Day!!!!

So now I have actively going three projects, a pair of jaywalker socks, a pair of toe up socks in STR and the ongoing ever present Lucy bag! I'm not going to even mention all the half and totally forgotten WIPs!
Frances

First post

I'm not sure about how to do this but it seems interesting to send this off and see what happens.