a flock caught my eye

Hi Knitters,

Yesterday I finished my editing and shipped my book pages back off to my publisher. In my sigh of relief I grabbed my needles and a skein of Blue Sky Cotton, emailed Lucinda for her bird pattern and dug in to knit a little blue bird for the cause I wrote about here. It felt good and perfect. 

I had a kind of sign yesterday, at least I took it like that anyway. Let me tell you about it.

Yesterday morning I saw the new Knitty was out. I was casually looking at the new patterns, browsing from top to bottom. Suddenly I scanned down with my eyes to the last pattern and was stunned when I saw this. Sometimes things happen that take your breath away. To see Flock and to be thinking about Cooper's Flock took my breath away. 

To continue on, I glanced at the next pattern in the sequence I had been browsing in before and I saw this. The designer's name is Birdy Evans and the design is called Flit and Float. Lucinda's son was nicknamed Birdy, like that, with a y at the end and thus the reason for the knitted bird charity. 

I emailed Lucinda about this strange coincidence. She emailed me back and simply said, "I got chills." I did, too. I know that things just happen for no reason and often that is the case but what if this wasn't one of those times? I am feeling the need to do a little more for Lucinda and her Birdy today.
Lucinda only wants the donated birds to be knit in Blue Sky Cotton. The lovely Sylvia at Blue Sky has already sent Lucinda an enormous box stuffed with their gorgeous cotton. That is great for Lucinda and the knitters around her but I want to get some of this cotton in your hands if you want to help. 

I happen to have a little Blue Sky Cotton, left over from a project, at my house and I would like to send some to you to knit these little birds. I have 4 skeins of the Blue Sky Cotton in pretty spring shades that I want to give to some sweet bird knitters. Lucinda says you can get 3 birds out of one skein. That means with this yarn we can knit a dozen birds for Cooper's Flock.

If you are interested in knitting a few sweet little birds for Lucinda as a memorial for her son please email me directly to enter (my email address is on the sidebar). Please do not enter for the yarn through posting comments. Here is the thing, I will select 4 people, to send one skein each, tomorrow. In your email, please send me your name and mailing address. Please U.S. mailing addresses only for this one.

Please only enter if you are going to knit birds for Lucinda. We can do a really good thing for a family dealing with a painful loss through our knitting. Okay, hope to hear from you, little bird knitters. I will email you back to tell you if you will receive a skein of yarn for bird knitting. If you don't get an email from me tomorrow assume you have not been selected. I will select the recipients randomly, probably writing names on slips of paper and having one of my kids blindly select the emails from a hat.

Now about the bird I made, to get the pattern go to Lucinda's blog and her email is on the sidebar. Email her and she will send you the pattern via email with an attached pdf file. 

I knit my bird on a set of four US size 6 dpns. I adjusted the pattern very slightly in several places. You don't need to adjust as I did, the pattern is fine and wonderful as is. I almost hesitated posting a picture of my bird because I know I will get questions about what I did but I posted photos anyway because I want people to knit birds. So the following are my modifications. ( it is an easy, easy pattern as is)
Tail: the same

Body: Increase to 28 stitches. Work 16 rounds. Decreased to 18 stitches (the same as in the pattern).

Head: Increased to 24 stitches (8 on each needle). Worked 6 rounds. Decreased to 9 stitches (the same as in the pattern, 3 stitches on each needle).

Beak: switched colors, knit 3 rounds. K1, k2tog on each needle. Knit one round. K2tog on each needle. 3 sts remain. cut and pull through.

Wings: I knit them separately, not picked up as instructed. 

Cast on 15 sts, 5 sts per needle. Join to work in the round.

Knit 4 rounds.

decrease:

rnd 1: k2, k2tog

rnd 2: knit

rnd 3: k1, k2tog

rnd 4: knit

rnd 5: k2tog

Cut and pull through. Lay the wing flat, whipstitch to the bird's back.
Knit the bird any way you'd like. It's the thought that counts and any bird will be beautiful and appreciated.
I tied an off-white silk ribbon to the back between the wings in case they want to hang it.

Fly away home, little bird.

I hope to get a few emails from anyone interested in knitting a bird in recognition of a beautiful little boy who will continue to touch many.

Have a good weekend, Knitters. I know I am ready for a few days off.

best, susie

Cool Stuff

Hi Knitters,

This has to be fast and furious, too much work for me and too little time. I have so much to share with you. I am in the midst of editing and nearing my last little bit to get organized today and send on back to my trusty editor, Trent, at Artisan tomorrow. The book is shaping up very well and I heard yesterday that the cover shot and design has been selected. I can't wait to see it. It's all pretty exciting. 

Imagine my dismay when I opened up my email a couple days ago and I saw an email from Susan Duckworth. I had to rub my eyes, grab my glasses and check my pulse. To refresh your memory and mine, I had to go back to this post. She saw this. Yes, Susan Duckworth is the author of the book that started me on my knitting obsession back in the 1980's. When I see an email from the author of the book that changed my life, it is surreal in a way that I can't describe. Susan wrote that she loved my blog post and the comments and that she is still going strong. Her site is here and it is beautiful. I wrote her back and I thanked her for changing the course of my life forever through her work. Was that too much? I hope not. Who ever could have dreamed that would happen to me? It is enough to last me a long while.

Yesterday I was trying to avoid knitting at all costs so I would simply sit and read and edit. However, knitting is literally like breathing for me, I can't possibly go a day without any or a lot of it included. It is like when I try to diet, I only want to eat more. I rolled up my new skein of Mountain Colors River Twist and started this beautiful scarf pattern. You may like the pattern, too. The yarn is fantastic, the pattern is easy and fun. And that's all I knitted yesterday, that's not too much but enough to make me feel better. Can you relate to that or is it just me?

The other day while knitting with my Girl Scout bunch I finished up the first Noro Kureyon Sock yarn sock. I am in love and I already started the second sock. This is how I have been walking around my house. The sock is pretty, my look is not. My kids just shake their heads as I walk on by. Do I care? nope. Note the recorder and the Nerf shooter in the photo, this shot sums it up around here. It's a miracle I get any work done.
My sweet bag sewers/geniuses are getting some cool nationwide publicity in Crochet Today, the current issue.  It's the SewBendy bags! I have been touting these fantastic, handmade, reasonably priced bags for awhile now. I own more than I am willing to share, it's a little embarrassing. Every sewbendy bag I have is crammed full with a small project just waiting to jump on my wrist as I go out the door or to carry around the house. For a long time I kept one bag in my car at all times with a sock project going. I have to do that again.
When I see prints like pears and sweet peas I can't resist. I try to wait it out and then when I check back and the bags I want are still there I think it is fate and I have to get them. I am only being kind to give them a home, right?
I still can't get over the sweet pea bag. It was meant for me, I am sure of it. The graphic print on outside is only rivaled by the small pea pod print on the inside. The bags are gems and treats. If you have any inkling, you should get one. They are meticulously sewn, there is a snap loop feature to hold your yarn, keys, needles, etc. and a pocket on the inside. The bags are perfect. There are two styles. The pear bag is the knit/tuck and the sweet pea bag is the knit ditty. Go for it!
Back to this now. Oy. Decisions, decisions. You'd all like to see more project patterns than basic instructions, right? That's what I'm leaning towards and I hope you'll agree. Let me know what you think on this subject. There will still be techniques/instructions in the book and lots of them. I know that I always skip the instruction section in the books I get and go straight to the patterns...

Gotta go! Yikes.

best, susie

a little birdie told me...

Hi Knitters,

Well, it's Monday already. Hope you all had a good weekend. It was a wet and cold one around here. Later yesterday the rain turned to ice and snow and this morning it looks like a glistening wonderland. The sun is out and the trees are absolutely sparkling. It is pretty.

I am starting out today on a note of sadness for a blog reader and a request for your help if you are interested. Lucinda Snyder emailed me a short while back and told me about her grief after recently losing her baby after only a few short weeks of life. She and her husband called their son Birdy as a nickname. Since losing her son she has been struggling with grief and purpose. She came up with a knitted memorial idea. She is trying to get 100 bird ornaments knit up to hang on a tree in tribute to her son. These little birds would then be given as gifts to other babies fighting to live as a kind of guardian angel. I think she wants to reach 100 birds by May and she asked me if I would post about her mission on my blog.

If any of you are interested in knitting a little bird ornament to help Lucinda please check out her blog for the bird ornament pattern and contact information. Grief is overwhelming and any help we can give Lucinda at this time would be a wonderful thing.
On to a few other things this morning. It's time to announce the winner of the Easter Egg yarn giveaway. The winner is:

Denise Skelton from Johnson City, TN!

Congratulations to Denise. She has won 2 skeins of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille. Denise, you have 2 days to contact me to give me your mailing address. I will then pass on your address to Susan Druding, owner of Crystal Palace Yarns, and she will send you the yarn.

A short while ago I finished up this fantastic glove set and I wanted to share this project with you. The project is called Strata and it is in the book, Knitting New Mittens and Gloves by Robin Melanson. I have mentioned this book several times before but it is worth another mention. It is filled with beautiful, wearable, innovative designs. This is my third project from Robin's book. I plan on many more.

The gloves are knit out of the dreamy Blue Sky Alpacas Silk and the outer layer is the Blue Sky Alpacas Brushed Suri.  These are both extraordinary yarns. The Brushed Suri is knit on a size 6 and the silk on a size 3. Both gloves are done on double-pointed needles, which I love. I plan on making the entire set including a pair of short-fingered gloves and a pair of fingerless gloves. I loved the colors Robin selected so much that I am doing the same. 

Love the book, highly recommend it to all!

Take care on this sparkly Monday, Knitters.

best, susie

p.s. Just found this site and I am crazy over it, really cool patterns.

Girl Scout Knitting Part 1

Hi Knitters,

Yesterday I started helping The Collector's girl scout group earn the Yarn Craft Badge through learning to knit. I divided her troop into 3 small groups which I will meet with one at a time to teach them how to knit. The first group came over after school and we had such a good time. I love teaching kids how to knit and I hadn't done that for a long time.

Here is my plan and I think it is going to work. The first project for everyone, a baby hat. The girls are all 9 or 10 years old which is a good age to learn in my opinion. I set each girl up with a skein of worsted weight acrylic yarn (they loooove the rainbow yarn!), a pair of size 8-sixteen inch circulars, a canvas bag and some tools like a tape measure, a pair of scissors and a yarn needle. I put these little items in a baggie inside the canvas bag. The last thing I threw in the bag is a copy of Itty-Bitty Hats so when they get home they have a resource to answer any questions that may pop up. They were so excited about their new knitting supplies and they couldn't believe that they got to take everything with them. I love that, it was refreshing. They said thank you about a hundred times.
I wasn't 100% sure that a hat for a first project for kids this age would be good but they loved it. They caught on incredibly fast. I cast on the stitches before they arrived at my house because I wanted them just to sit and knit, literally do the knit stitch, for their first experience. I didn't want them to worry about casting on and purling, etc., this was perfect and that other stuff will come later. It was easier and comforting for them. After I cast on I knitted a few rounds for them (before they got to my house), wove in the end and placed a stitch marker on the first stitch. Their project was ready to go. Successful teaching is all in the preparation, no question about it.
Knitting in the round is the perfect way to start. You just knit and knit and knit, no turning and no worries. I just did a few stitches as a demonstration and they were chomping at the bit to get started. Who am I to hold them back? Off they went. I circulated about and sat next to the girls on the couches as they worked. It was so easy.
After each girl completed their first stitch on their own I always gave them a little round of applause and a smile of accomplishment always appeared. Just look at that pride and excitement, so cute. The hats are either going to be seamed across the top or knit a bit long and gathered at the top, no double-pointed needles just yet.
This sweetie, already crossing her legs in style, went to town. Working hands are fun to watch. This one wants to have an ongoing knitting circle and I agree. She has plans for her knitting. One thing I always notice about kids learning to knit is they think of all of the people they want to knit for. They always want to share and give their knitting. What is it about the knitting that does this?
The concentration was palpable at first but it faded quickly. Soon they were chatting away about school and other fun topics. By the end of the hour I was no longer needed and for the last 10 minutes or so I pulled out my current sock project and sat and knitted with them. Can you believe it? I was in heaven.
What an honor and privilege for me to teach this beautiful group of girls how to knit. The Collector had a ball hosting the meeting, just look at her. Coming up is the second group and I hope it goes as well as the first. I know that every group can be different, that's part of the fun of teaching.

When I told the girls it was time to pack up and go none of them wanted to leave. By that time they were chatting and knitting like a group that had been knitting together for years, it was funny to witness. Knitting brings out the "chat" in people for sure. I told the girls they could call me for help if they got stuck. My daughter told me later that no one was going to call me, that made me laugh. I just wanted the girls to know that I am available to help them in the future. So far, no calls.

Our last meeting is going to be a large group knitting get-together with the entire troop after everyone has had an initial lesson. I can't wait to see how that goes.

Knitters, have a great weekend. It is gloomy and raining here but it still feels good that it's the weekend for some reason. Everyone is home and I guess that's about all I need.

best, susie

Oh, Bunny! Washcloth Pattern

Hi Knitters,

One more quick washcloth knit is here. I love bunnies at Easter time but they are good any time of year as well.

Here are the skills you need to knit this bunny:

cast on

bind off

pick up stitches

knit

k2tog

kfb

ssk

level: easy if you know the skills above!

crochet edging (optional):

single crochet

slip stitch

Finished measurements:

Body: 7.5 by 7 inches

Paw to top ear: 10 inches

Yarn: 1 skein Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, 98 yards

Any worsted weight cotton will work fine!

Needles: US size 6 for the chenille

Size H crochet hook (optional)

I've only had time to knit a white bunny but I think a pink or blue or pistachio bunny would be super cute. The tail is a pom-pom out of Sugar-n-Cream because I don't think the chenille works well for pom-poms due to shredding. The tail is optional, of course, but I love it so I added it on. You choose.
Some other Easter-y knits include: 

Easter Egg Washcloth

Sweetheart Washcloth (try these in pastel egg colors)

Bunny and Chick easy knit toys

Soaps available at The Stone Fence in Madison (eggs and bunny), they don't have a website. The bunny soap is Tag brand, which can be found in lots of gift stores. The Soap Opera has many glycerin holiday soaps including an Easter Egg soap. 

If you are interested in purchasing the Oh, Bunny! washcloth pattern please click on the "Buy Now" button below. The price is $3.50 and I will email you the pattern via email with an attached pdf. Please allow a little time for me to send the pattern to you.

Thanks bunny lovers and have fun.

best, susie

Oh, Bunny!

Hi Knitters,

I have no business knitting this or posting today but when I finished up Oh, Bunny!, my new washcloth design, I simply could not wait to share it with you! I am so excited about this one. It is so darn cute. I will try to get the pattern typed up and available in a couple of days. I want you to be able to include it in your Easter basket knitting. Really, this one is my new favorite.

I am naming it Oh, Bunny! because that is exactly what I exclaimed when I finished it. I love it.
These Dove chocolate eggs are beginning to be a problem for me. I am going to start making other people eat them around here so I don't continue on. Dove chocolate eggs=the enemy. I think those shades of blue foil are so beautiful. I just like to look into that bowl.

I have a list a mile long to tell you all about but not today. I need to thank a couple of people for sweet, sweet gifts for my girls and to share some new top-notch links and a new pattern I just bought today. So much to share but not enough time. I have this book thing that needs some editing which means I need to stop having so much fun for a few days and buckle down.

Please keep posting comments to the Easter Egg Washcloth yarn giveaway! You have until Sunday, March 8th to enter.

Love to you, dear Knitters.

best, susie

Easter Egg Washcloth Pattern

Hi Knitters,

The Easter Egg Washcloth pattern is here! This is truly the most simple washcloth pattern I have done to date. Here are the skills needed:

cast on 

knit 

k2tog

ssk

kfb

bind off

The egg is a simple garter stitch shape with no tricky parts.

The dots are optional but they make for extra scrubbiness, which is always good. I am going to make a couple more eggs with stripes in the middle, I haven't gotten to it yet. I will share as soon as I do. If one of you wants to do stripes, just change the colors for each decrease sequence (you will see this when you get the pattern), with the top and bottom of the egg in the same color. I always weave the ends in to the crochet edging to make it easy and invisible. If one of you fantastic knitters does the stripes, please send me a picture so I can post it and share.

The other idea I have is to whipstitch two of the Mini-Easter Eggs together, leaving the bottom open, to make a bath mitt for a child. It is the perfect size for this. Someone please do this and send me a picture to post! I would love it.

Here is some information about the pattern for you:

Level: Easy, Easy

Sizes:

Large: 8.5 by 7.5 inches

Mini: 6.5 by 5.5 inches

Yarn: Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, 2 skeins in contrasting colors will make 2 large washcloths (any worsted weight cotton will work fine)

Needles: US size 6

Gauge: 4 stitches per inch

Crochet hook (for edging only): size H

If you are interested in purchasing the Easter Egg Washcloth Pattern click on the "Buy Now" button below. The pattern is $3.50 and I will email the pattern to you as an attached pdf. Please allow a little time for me to email the pattern to you.

Thanks, Knitters, and I hope you enjoy this little Easter Egg knit.

best, susie

p.s. Up next, Bunny Washcloth! Coming soon....

Itty Bitty Podcast #3

Hi Knitters,

I am excited to say that I uploaded my third installment in the Itty Bitty Podcast. For this episode I bring you along as I open my Addi Turbo Click needle set for the first time.

The link for the podcast is here where you can listen on your computer or download to your ipod or what have you. It will pop up some time very soon on itunes under the title Itty Bitty Podcast. Episode #3 is about 25 minutes long.
You can hear me describe how incredibly simple this lovely set of needles is to set up for the very first time. I think I am in love with this system so far. I'll keep you posted as I start to knit with the needles.
Then I briefly talk about 3 new yarns I recently picked up and my plans for knitting with these luscious yarns. From left to right:

Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dy Socks #1689 Butter Blue

Rowan Colourscape Chunky by Kaffe Fassett #435 Ghost

Mountain Colors River Twist #021845 Firehole River

Everything in this podcast and post, needle set and yarn, was purchased at the beautiful Madison knit shop, Lakeside Fibers.
Now off on a brief tangent, my sons' swim team won the state swim title last weekend and it was so much fun to watch. This group of boys worked so hard to achieve their title, it was inspiring to see. At the beginning of the season they were thought to be the underdogs, not expecting to win at all. During the state meet they only won one individual event but still came up with enough points to win the meet due to the depth of their small group. 

I know this isn't a great shot but the swimmers were honored last night at the high school basketball game and I am proud of all of them. My son is the third bald-headed swimmer in the line, you have a pretty clear picture of his ear. Anyway, this is part of the reason it has been so busy around here but now the swim season is over. It was a thrill and an honor for our family to be a teeny-tiny part of this good-hearted group of boys. I think high school kids are incredible.
I'm going to leave you with this amazingly colorful shot that a Michigan blog reader sent me. Her name is Wendy Taylor. She recently went on a trip to Guatemala. She said this was the local version of a yarn shop. Muy Bien! Thanks for sharing this shot with us, Wendy, I feel like diving in.

Okay, off into the weekend, sweet Knitters. I hope you are well and that your needles are treating you with kindness.

best, susie

Bunny and Chick Pattern

Hi Knitters,

I am so excited to offer these Easter Friends as a pattern for you. They are just perfect for an Easter basket or to stick in a pocket. The Bunny and Chick are fun knitted toys for any time of the year but especially for the spring season. 

I have to tell you that my intention for this pattern is to get people started knitting simple toys. These two stuffed toys are made in the simplest form possible. They are both made from garter stitch squares, the most basic beginner starting point. You have to sew a seam or an ear, but garter stitch in incredibly forgiving to seam, so don't worry about it. The Bunny and Chick couldn't be easier to knit but they look sweet and not beginner-ish in the end. I love that.

In the pattern I refer to the number of ridges on the knit fabric. When you are working in garter stitch, where you knit every row, a ridge forms on the fabric. Each ridge is equal to two knit rows. 

Here is some information you may want to know:

finished measurements: 4 inches tall (not including bunny ears)

yarn used for Chick: Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, 1 skein each in Yellow #3646 and Mango #2230

yarn used for Bunny: Lily Sugar-n-Cream, 1 skein each in White #18001 and Rose Pink #18046

*Note: Any worsted weight yarn will work fine for both toys.

needles: US size 6 or size to obtain gauge

gauge: 4 stitches per inch in the cotton chenille, 5.5 stitches per inch in the Sugar-n-Cream  

skill level: Easy, Easy, Easiest! Beginner friendly!

skills needed:

cast on

knit stitch

knit 2 stitches together

bind off

whipstitch for seams

I love that in the Yellow Cotton Chenille the seam disappears on the back. I stuffed them with polyester fiberfill, you only need a couple of handfuls.
I hope you enjoy these two lovable little friends.

If you are interested in purchasing the pattern for the Bunny and Chick, both toys are included in this one pattern, then click on the "Buy Now" button below. The pattern is $4.00 and I will email it to you in pdf form. Please allow a little time for me to email the pattern to you.

Have fun, Knitters, a little Easter/Springtime love is just around the corner. Up next, Easter Egg Washcloths!

best, susie

Little Easter Knits

Hi Knitters,

I love this time of year, it's all hopeful and light. I am not usually a pastel lover but just looking at these pastel cotton chenille cupcakes makes me feel very inspired. These yarn balls are like spun sugar. I want to dive in and stay. So with pastels and Easter and spring in mind, I have been whipping up a sweet bunch of little knits. I am giving you a peek at my new bunny, little chick and my Easter egg washcloth. I will be making more washcloths in a mini-egg size, too. That egg above is fresh off the needles, still warm. It is about 10 by 10 inches, including the edging. The mini-eggs will be more like 6 by 6 inches or so, that's in my mind, I haven't actually made one yet: ) See how I plan like that? It's very official-like.
I hope to get a few new patterns up for you over the next week or so. These two little Easter friends are so incredibly easy. They are garter stitch squares basically, the only skill other than the knit stitch is to knit 2 stitches together. I figure if someone can knit a stitch, they can knit 2 stitches together, right? 

Anyway, these are the perfect quick Easter toys and any beginner can do these and I mean that. You couldn't get an easier toy pattern than this. It is basic, basic. Cast on, knit, bind off. Sew seam (very easy and garter stitch is incredibly forgiving). They stand about 4 inches tall, the bunny with the ears is maybe 5 1/2 inches. The bunny is made in Sugar-n-Cream and the chick is made in Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille. Get ready if you are interested! I used size 6 needles.

I have more Easter-y things planned, I have to see how fast I can get things to fly off my needles. This season is really fun to knit for. It all feels so fresh and new.

Speaking of fresh and new, look at this! My dear blog reader and ravelry friend, Peggy, had a brand new baby girl last week. She is gorgeous and you must be so proud, Peggy. She is incredible. Congratulations. This new little sweetheart is wearing the hat from the Layette Set in Itty-Bitty Nursery. The hat is perfect just like her. Peggy also knitted the Ruffle Blanket from that same layette set and she says it is the perfect size. I love that simple blanket. That is good to hear and thanks for sharing. I am glad you are doing well. That's hard work having a baby. Phew!

Take care and I'll be back soon with little goodies for you and another yarn giveaway. This giveaway will be a little different from the last.

best, susie

p.s. I am going to make this pattern and look at this fantastic accomplishment! Oh and I just noticed she made the Dotty Chicken, too. Excellent knitting. That is such a fun chicken and it's easy, too. I wish I could understand what is being said there but the pictures tell a lot. Both the tea set and the chicken are in Itty-Bitty Nursery. 

Shamrock Yarn Winner and some other fun stuff

Hi Knitters,

Today's the day to find out who won the Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille, 2 skeins, to make the Shamrock Washcloth. The winner is:

Judy Resop!

Congratulations, Judy! I will email Susan Druding, the owner of Crystal Palace Yarns, your mailing address and she will send off your yarn. That was easy, right? Thank you all for entering and purchasing the pattern. There is still plenty of time to knit up some fun Shamrocks before St. Patrick's Day, a full month actually. There are going to be more yarn giveaways coming up so stay tuned.

Now, maybe you noticed the shamrock soap on the washcloth above. I was thrilled to find this soap here. It has a minty fresh scent and it looks so cute with the washcloth. The store has an online shop with full delivery service if you are interested.
The Collector has been busy at work on her fairy notebook. This is an ongoing project. She is determined to fill the entire notebook with her fairy drawings. She comes up with her own original fairy designs, complete with fairy garb and names. It is so fun. Let's take a peek inside to see a few of her creations.
Fairy Clarice, love her crown.
Fairy Oliva, love her hair.
Fairy Autumn, love her pumpkin colored dress.

I think she has close to 50 fairies drawn out so far. I love the ongoing project that has been continuing on for almost a year now. She doesn't lose any steam on her fairy love. It grows bigger and bigger. She is saving her money and doing chores for money to buy an enormous outdoor fairy house. It is a long-term goal for sure. What's really cute is that her little neighbor friend is saving with her to buy it together. Her friend came over last night with her wallet and they spread out their money and counted it. They have a long way to go but I can see their little heads churning with the possibilities. It's so sweet.
I don't lose any steam on my rainbow love either. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I continue on and on with rainbows everywhere I turn. I used some of the Noro Kureyon sock yarn in my upcoming book but I hadn't knit any socks with it yet. I had this ball just sitting around and I grabbed it this weekend to start a pair of simple stockinette stitch socks. I went to a long swim meet on Saturday and I thought I would knit my way through the meet. However, I did not knit one stitch during the meet. It was extremely hot and crowded and mainly it was extremely exciting to watch. I also just love watching those kids on the high school team swim. They are all amazing. Both of my boys are on the team.

Anyhoo, I stitched away at other times during the weekend and I have to say, the Noro sock yarn is fantastic. I always love the Noro striping, can't ever get enough. It is a fingering weight, I am using a US size 2 needle at about 7 stitches per inch. It is working up in a nice dense fabric, perfect for socks. I have read varying reviews on this yarn but I love it and will use it again. It's just plain fun. I can't wait to wear these socks.

I bought my yarn here and it is #182 and they have a lot in stock right now. One ball has 420 meters, plenty for a pair of socks. I did a 64 stitch cast on, k2, p2 rib for 8 rounds and then did a 6-inch stockinette stitch cuff before starting the heel flap. (I know someone will write me and ask so I thought I would just include it here: )
I was straightening up my front entryway this morning, don't even ask. We have a tornado in there every day. I can't keep up. We don't even have enough room for all of the kids' stuff so I can't get mad at them about it. We do our best with what we've got.

While straightening up I gathered this cool stack of 6 handknit hats and I thought you might like to see it. I think I have knit easily over a dozen hats, maybe even 2 dozen, over the last couple of years just for the family. There is always a big stack to chose from by the door. The kids even loan them out to friends as they head out the door to play or sled. I love that.

Okay, Monday Knitters, let's make it a good week ahead. Knit on. I'll be back soon.

best, susie