Knit Goes On

Ta-Daaaaaa! Big Bad Baby Blanket finished and ready to deliver. Berroco Touche is sooo soft! Not too bad when you think Jayden wasn't supposed to be here for two more days! I dislike knitting seed stitch but I do love the way it looks. I am quite pleased with the blanket. I hope that he drags it around with him until he starts kindergarden.

I have been BAD! Added to my Stash - Rowan Soft Lux in Cedar (extra fine merino, angora, nylon and sparkle). I had been wanting this yarn for such a long time but wouldn't buy it. In fact, I looked at it the last time I went yarn shop crawling in Houston. Didn't get it! Ever so casually, not intending to buy, I was browsing Jimmy Beans Wool and there it was! ON SALE! How could I NOT buy it? It's my favorite color and has a tiny sparkle in it.............

I have 10 balls, yep, bought a whole bag of it. I think there is something to snuggle into for the Fall coming my way! I am going to find my scented oil, Noel, put a drop on a cotton ball and seal it with my yarn in a knitting tote. It will be heavenly to knit when I decide on a pattern.

Finally, a sock of my own design is OTN. The yarn is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Poppy on a #1.5 12" Addi Turbo and the beads are Hobby Lobby! It is a simple lace design for Summer and I am having a blast with it! You probably won't see it again here on the blog but my knitting girlfriends will see it on Thursday's Knit Night Out.

Crystal Palace Yarns has asked if I will knit a couple more socks in solids for them. Ann Norling Patterns (Marge) wants my knitted socks for the new photograph on one of her sock patterns. How cool is that? I am surprised AND very pleased!

Knitting and Misc

I am quite pleased with myself this morning. I have been an hour ahead of the clock. Joe likes to eat at 12Noon straight up! I had seasoned a brisket and put it in the fridge last night. He put it in the oven this morning "sometime" before I got up. At 10:30AM, I thought it was 11:30aM; and started our lunch. On the menu - brisket, BBQ pinto beans and baby Yukon gold potatoes steamed in healthy butter-tasting stuff with Tony's!

Almost OTN - this afternoon, I am beginning some sock designs. I have chosen a near solid yarn - Poppy - and it is wound into a ball. I will let you know how that goes.

Jayden's Big Bad Baby Blanket

in a WET heap. After many hours of knitting, this a sight that causes anxiety for most knitters. I have it in the dryer now tossing about on air. I am checking it frequently. When it is somewhat dry; I plan to spread it out on my bed to finish drying.

Many of you know Alexis; so here she is holding her new baby brother for the first time.

Joe brought me roses from the yard this morning. This was/is a Jackson Perkins experimental rose that he was evaluating for them. I hadn't realized that it survived Rita; it is my favorite. So, we will be digging it up in a few months for a road trip!

By Request, More Baby Jayden

These little feet have several pairs of handknit socks.

Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby -

Jayden Has Arrived

Jayden Slade

6lbs 13 oz and 20 in long

March 19, 2007

Knitting will continue on this blog soon. We are knitting...

Interweave Knits Spring 2007 Search

Day before yesterday, I was reading the post on Socknitters about Grumperina's sock in the new Interweave. I made a mental note to be sure to look at it again; certain that I had overlooked it. Yesterday morning at 6:50AM, almost ready to leave for Houston, I remember the mental note and go to the yarn room to get the Spring Interweave (they are all stored in the same place). I grab the one on the top and put it in my knitting tote with Jaden's baby blanket. Out the door and into the car by 7AM! Wahoo (on time)! Halfway to Houston, I decide to check out the socks. Flipping thru the mag, I realize that I am looking at the Winter 2006 Issue! Bummer. I picked up the wrong magazine and I am now wondering where the Spring issue is. This morning, wanting to look at Grumperina's Socks, I start searching for the Spring 2007 issue. It's not on my yarn table, it's not with the other Interweaves where it should be, it's not on the table by my chair, it's not in the drawer of said table, it's not on the coffee table, it's not in either drawer of the coffee table, it's not in any of my other knitting totes; AND it's not on the computer desk. I am trying to remember ANYTHING from the Spring Issue; I can't. I know I didn't take it to Books A Million for Knit Night Out. As I walk by Joe's chair and look on his end table - THERE IT IS - folded back to the Clementine Shawl! Oh........... now I remember - my husband is knitting from the Spring Interweave 2007. (smiling) Another mental note - copy that chart for him - and get that magazine. We were in Houston yesterday in ALL that rain! Jeez Louise! Joe looked at me on the way home, with that twinkle he gets in his eye and said "you just HAD to come to Houston today, didn't you?" We closed on our house. Now, if it will just stop raining long enough to pour concrete.

Still Baby Knitting -

First, before OKC, another Easter Bunny. This is the only male bunny that I have. You don't see many bunnies that are boy bunnies, come to think of it. He's sitting on the mantle, probably wondering where the caramel Cadbury Eggs are! So am I.

I can't seem to remain focused on any one thing for very long today. I am trying desperately to daydream about a vacation to the Bahamas with free all you can drink margaritas BUT Pam is having her baby next week instead of the 29th; we are closing on our house tomorrow in Houston; we have to put our house here on the market ready to show and we will be moving to the Houston area in about 4 months. &*%^@#?*! I could use some of Joe's golf words about now! I would like to deal with these things one at a time on a more leisurely basis. I hate moving even when it's a move that I want. I hate packing even more. The only good thing about it is I am really good at it after all those years of practice - good labeling is the key. I have been wandering from room to room today thinking OMG! Joe's going to call Two Cajuns and a Truck to move my new furniture. They are probably very good...........

OKC - The Big Bad Baby Blanket is coming along at a frantic pace. It is almost halfway completed at 17" thanks mostly to knitting in the car AND being stuck in traffic on I10 in Houston for a LONG time while it was closed; yes, closed. We will be on the road again early tomorrow morning. Joe has an alternate scenic route through Port Arthur for our return trip. It is great knitting time. (they say the inside of your purse is a reflection of your state of mind. I think my knitting table is probably a more accurate reflection)
Thought ya'll would enjoy seeing major frogging for the umpteenth time. Joe finally quit asking "are you frogging that again"?! Yes, my husband, I am.

Those Ladies are Tough!

Tough Ladies of Knit Night Out

I thought that I was doing so well when I posted that I was coming out of the Yarn Closet. Well, it seems I did not make it all the way out. Debbie’s KNO friends seem to have a different opinion. Everyone has been so very supportive with lots of encouraging posts about my revelation, BUT, it seems I have not completely made it all the way out of the closet. My good friends Gina, Janet, Sandy, and Debbie W. made it very clear to me last week that until I join them in knitting at one of their knit-outs, I have not completely made it out of the Yarn Closet. These ladies are tough. I thought admitting in a very public forum like this that I knitted would be enough, WRONG…..now it seems I can not fully claim liberation until I KIP! So, do I take the next step in proving I am man enough to step out in public with my skill? I am pondering this. I guess the only reason I have to KIP is to show other guys who may enjoy the craft that it is okay, that real men do knit and there is nothing to be ashamed of.

I do know that a great way to meet women for a single man is to act helpless in a supermarket, to walk a dog or take a small child to a park. A smart man will let the ladies know he can do some sort of handicraft, especially if he knits. Ladies just love a man with “good hands”. So you single men out there, take note, if you do not impress the ladies with your bulging biceps, your 6-pack abs or your amazing wit, you might do well to ask for a lady’s assistance with your knitting, who knows you might get to go play in her yarn basket!!!

One quick note for those of you that are wondering what has happened to my shawl project. I have been sidetracked by more Rita repairs, this time in the yard. I had 7 loads of dirt delivered to fill in all the holes and torn up places in the yard. A friend loaned me the use of his tractor with a front-end loader. I grew up on a tractor, so that was no problem. I have not ever used a front-end loader before, so that was a bit of a challenge. Being the manly man I am, I jumped on the thing and after a round of fits and starts and a whole lot of “sailor” words; I got the hang of it. The dirt has been spread and it actually came out quite well. thank you, so I will be getting back to the shawl for a while, until I get inspired to tackle more of the yard repairs.

I will post a progress report in the coming days, so hang in there and knit on!

Me on the Tractor

Knitting, Knitting and More Knitting...

Mystery Knitting

A knitting project I have had in my head for some months is slowly appearing! There are little metal beads peaking out - those little guys have been tinked a lot. Yes, you DO see a "life line" at the end of the ribbing. Word to the wise - Never, never knit while sipping a margarita. I work on this at home only where peace and quiet allow the subconscious creative mind to work (in other words - not at Knit Night Out) This is NOT a sock.

The Big Bad Baby Blanket from Debbie Stoller's Stitch N Bitch book (one of my favorites for knitting basics). The yarn is Berroco's Touche; a cotton blend that feels like silk. The color doesn't show true; it is a very pale shade of yellow - kinda like cornsilk. Pam loves the color and it matches Jaden's room decor perfectly! I fretted a bit that I hadn't stashed blue for his knitting but I could not have chosen a better color looking back now! It's amazing how things can turn out so perfect! Sometime later in the year, I will knit a sweater and hat in about a 12 mo size for Fall.

Panda Cotton! Two pair completed! These are going in the mail to Crystal Palace Yarns today. Snapped a quick pic before they go into the mailing envelope!


"Another pair of socks for baby Jaden?" asks Joe. The colors in this photo actually came out pretty good although the yarn is more deep blue in person! This is Trekking XXL #71.


I have been putting out Easter Bunnies around the house. So, some will be shared with you on the blog over the next few weeks. I particularly like the sparkles on this Bunny.


This cutie also has sparkles and a flower collar!


This Bunny gets to sit on my knitting table until Easter. He listens to all my knitting muttering.


(Joe just passed through saying the cable of his circular needles are curling up again - the ones his shawl are on. He is going to to the kitchen to dip the cable in hot water. I told him he could slip his knitting off onto another needle and unkink his cable. Ooooh, but no, he's going to do it with his knitting still on the needles. I am still giggling.................) He is baking a dijon pork tenderloin for lunch that smells FABULOUS! How I love a man that cooks AND knits! Truly my Heaven on Earth!