How Green is my Gansey

Here is the first Green Gansey sock. I love it. The pattern is very well written and easy to follow. I did change the heel and in doing so I put the lighthouse panels on the sides of the sock rather than front and back. Oh well, I'm keeping it the way it is. I also added a little more ribbing between the lighthouse part and the heel. I think it fits better this way. I cast on #2 last night.

In other news I got my yarn from The Loopy Ewe today! More on that later.

Holiday Update

I have been so busy playing with the kids the last few days I have not done much else. I have picked up My Green Gansey socks again. I really like this project. The yarn and pattern work so well together, I hope to have sock #1 done soon.

I got some really soft wool/bamboo yarn from My mom for Christmas. I cast on a stripe scarf. This is not the 1x1 rib all of blogland has been knitting. This one is wider and knit in the round like the Harry Potter year 1 scarves. The first of 2009s Christmas knits. Told you I like to plan ahead.

In family news: Bunky can almost always be found writing or drawing in one of her many notebooks. She got a password journal from her Daddy. MB likes to try to see what she has inside, every time he does a little alarm goes off to tell her he is at it again. She is really growing up. MB on the other hand has kept me busy playing Gorilla Island, Hungry Hippos and Lego Indiana Jones. He kicks my butt on the video games. I only beat him when we play Hold 'em

Hubby seems well pleased with his gifts too. I have to pry the hand knit socks off him for washing. I have yarn in stash for his next pair. I have seen him using his guitar tuning thingiee. He also got 2 new Rachel Ray cookbooks. (I found these on sale for about 80% off. What a deal!) He loves RR so those should see some use too.

In case you are wondering, Hubby got me the UK version of The Tales of Beedle the Bard . He also got me a gift card for The Loopy Ewe.

I was a very mellow Holiday for us. The kids and Hubby went to a movie, While I got 2 hours of peace to cook dinner. Just us this year. It was wonderful.

A Very Merry

Bunky got her Easy bake Oven. She is very happy.
Monkey Boy got his Gorilla Island. It took Mommy 45 minuets to get it out to the box.

A little alpaca for my tree. I love him.

Before the unwrapping.

It is turning into a very Merry Christmas here indeed. I wish all of you and all of yours a Very Merry Christmas!

Ribbon Candy Socks

Ribbon Candy socks all done. Yay for new socks on Christmas!

Baby its cold outside!

Man its cold here. -5f when I got up this morning. I don't even want to see the heating bill! Bunky is on winter break for the next two weeks. I hope this does not mean 2 weeks of fighting with her brother. Monkey boy keeps talking about "when I go to school" I am glad he is looking forward to it.

An old friend asked for some fingerless mitts for her 2 girls. I have one pair done. The other will have to wait for after christmas. Half way through the foot of Ribbon Candy #2. I adore them.

I was looking back at the knitting goals from last year. I did not knit myself a sweater. I did knit 10 pairs of socks, 6 scarves, 6 cowls, 2 blankets, and I don't remember how many hats this year I think I did ok.

What do I want to knit in 2009? Well more socks for sure. I love knitting socks. I take them everywhere.

At least one blanket. A cozy knit blanket would be perfect for MIL and the LtCol. It would be for the condo so I would get to enjoy it too. I have a few ideas.

A 2nd blanket for my folks. It gets darn cold in Chicago this time of year. These would both be Christmas gifts next year. I like to plan ahead.

Fair Isle hats. I love these. Everyone who sees Hubbys pirate hat wants one. I have been collecting wool for these all year. I have lots of patterns picked out for these. I like to get a bunch done.

Not a huge list and lots of room for add ons. Just the way I like it.

Update

I got Hubby's 2 hats done on Friday. They were a big hit. I had told him 12 was out of the question but 2 I could do. I forgot to get a photo before wrapping them up for him. I am working the heel of the 2nd Ribbon candy sock now. Should be done in time for Christmas morning.

We are getting more snow today. That is on top of the 2" of ice and snow from the night before. Yeah for a White Christmas! I like to have a little snow for Christmas. After that I want it to go away! For some reason Nebraska sucks at snow removal. You would think we would be better at it but no, the plows don't go out till it is done coming down. It takes them forever to get the side streets done. Come on people! It's not like this is our first time. We get snow every year! Did we not learn anything from last year?

I was done...

So last night Hubby asked me if I had any knit hats he could give to his co workers. "no" says I
"Well can't you just whip some up?" Says he.
"I guess I could if I have the right yarn what color do you want?" I ask
"I don't know whatever I guess"
"What type of hat are we talking about here?
" I don't know"
"How many do you need?"
" Well at least two, maybe a dozen if you can do that..."
At this point I am wondering if He thinks I can just pull hand knits out of my butt.
"But I was done!" I lament "ok but next time could I have a little more warning?"
" Well scarves would be nice for next year..."
Smart Ass
Guess what I am doing today?

Updates

So I finished the first Ribbon Candy sock yesterday and cast on the 2nd. I am trying not to start anything new until these are done.

All my Holiday packages went out in the mail today and the shopping for the kids is done. We bought much less this year. I am hoping to hit the after Christmas sales for some new winter clothes for them. I always find great deals after the holiday, I just have to find the money.

I have also decided to look for another job after the first of the year. I need to earn more. I don't want to put the kids back in daycare but will if I have too. I don't really want to lose my house, so if that means back to full time before I had hoped then so be it. I just wish we could make it to next fall. I am hoping to find an optical job. I loved helping people see better, and I made good money doing it. Not to toot my own horn too much but I was pretty good at it. I am watching the classifieds.

I hope to have new yarns for the shop after Christmas. I need a few more sales before I can buy the base yarn. What do you think? Should I do more sock yarn or more heavier weights? Remember I can dye any colorway you like on almost any base yarn so if you want some worsted or something just let me know!

A question for my fellow drivers

You see that white stuff outside? It's called snow. We get it every year. Have you all forgotten how to drive in it?

Ribbon Candy Socks

Here are my Christmas socks. The yarn was dyed by my friend Lorena for last Christmas. I don't know if they will be done by Christmas. They are knit at 10 sts to the inch on 2.25 dpn's. Should be doable. Gotta run. More cookies to bake.

Christmas Socks

Hubby's Christmas socks are done with days to spare! The yarn is called Galaxy by Regia. A wool/nylon blend. I like it. Should hold up well. One of the great things about Hubby is he will wear any crazy socks I knit him. I may have to test this theory by knitting him some green socks with purple stripes or something. I have a new pair of socks otn for me. Most of the socks I knit this fall were for others. I need more wool socks! It is starting to get cold out there!

Happy Birthday Monkey Boy!

What A good helper you are!

by Lake Granby, CO June,2008
Yes Mommy put sun screen on you.
looking for pretty rocks. we have to check his pockets for rocks everyday. I am still finding them in the truck.




You have grown so much this year! You have shown us that you are indeed fearless! There is nothing you will not climb on and then jump right off. Happy 5th Birthday Monkey Boy!

note: the above picture is just a really big rock. He is about a foot from the ground here. He did get to the top, about 6 feet from the ground and he did in fact jump off. Damn near gave me a heart attack.

Hi There! Winston here...

The puppy is one year old now. Remember when she was tiny and could sleep on my back? Well now she is a bit bigger and still into everything. Mom is mad at her because she keeps chewing up bedsheets and blankets, but most of the time she is fun to have around. Happy Birthday Toph!

World Aids Day

Today is World Aids day. Have you been tested? I lost a dear friend in college to Aids. This was in the early 90's. The next year the Aids quilt came to my school. I was lucky enough to get to be a part of the unfolding ceremony. I remember being very moved by the quilt. Each piece made to remember a life lost too soon. Each with a story to tell. I remember crying my eyes out for people I had never met and some I had know well. I remember seeing the square for Ryan White, the young boy from Indiana who got Aids from tainted blood given to him in a hospital, I wept openly along with everyone else. I saw a square for Freddie Mercury of Queen, I cried some more. I remember just sitting there on the floor trying to take it all in, thinking this was one of the moments that would shape my life. My friend and I were tested the next day. We had to wait weeks for the results in those days. For some of us the wait was easy, we knew we were not at risk, for others it was a very long wait. For myself and most of the rest of us it was good news, for others the quilt would grow.
Please if you are not sure, get tested. It is easy and the wait is not so long now.

It's done!

Here is the finished blankie for Monkey Boy's birthday. It needs to be blocked but all ends are taken care of. He loves it. He asked me to wrap it up so he can open it on his birthday. In hindsight I would have made it a bit bigger but oh well. The garter stitch border takes forever but is well worth it.

Black Friday

I just read a story about a Wal Mart worker who was killed this morning by the crowd of people at a store in New York. Really people is a good deal worth that? It seems people just kept running in even when the emergency crews were working on the poor guy. Is this what the holidays have become? I sure hope not. I hope everyone who was in that crowd gets nothing but coal in their stocking this year.

I did take the kids out to Michaels this morning around 10:30 am. It was a zoo but not as bad as it might have been. I got what I needed and got us out of there as fast as I could.

In knitting news: The blankie is almost done. I have 120 stitches left on the needle, 16 stitches to knit to bind off each one. Should be today.

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This year has been hard but I have much to be thankful for.

I am thankful that my kiddos are happy, healthy and safe. It is a joy to be their mother and watch them grow

I am thankful for My Husband who loves me despite the fact that I can be a little nuts

I am thankful for my friends both old and new. You guys make my life rich in so many ways

I am thankful for my family. Mom, Dad, Aunts and Uncles. I have learned so much from all of you.

I am thankful for my online buddies. You guys keep me sane

I hope you all enjoy your Holiday. Eat lots of good food and enjoy lots of good company.

Facebook

Yes I joined yet another networking site. My cousin Aaron invited me to join facebook a while back so I finally took the plunge. I have found many of my High School friends already. It is really fun to see pictures of them and their family's. It is hard to believe it has been so long since I have heard from them. When we were in school together the web was still a dream and we had to learn to use a typewriter (do they even make those anymore?) I think the Internet is the biggest time sucker ever created.

In knitting news: I am still working on the border of the blankie. I put it aside yesterday to work on the socks. I hope to have it done before the holiday weekend is over.
Other than that I got nothing

In politics: I saw on the news today that our Government has taken on 8.5 trillion dollars in bail out related debt this year. Where does this money come from I wonder? China? I am starting to think we had all better learn to speak Chinese soon. What comes after a trillion anyway?

In family life: Bunky is feeling a little better today. She slept well and ate this morning. She seems to be on the mend. Monkey boy talks everyday about "when I go to school" I am glad to see him so excited about it. I have a feeling it will be harder on me to see him go to school that it was with Bunky. He's my last baby and he is growing up fast. I miss the days of baby snuggles but I don't miss the sleepless nights and diapers! Life marches on weather we want it too or not.

Bail Out

I have been watching the news about the overnight bail out of Citi Group. I am just so sick of my tax dollars going to rich people. Why not help some of those small businesses everyone says are the life blood of our economy? Not only does Citi get a bail out but the dummies who messed the company in the first place get to keep their jobs and huge paychecks. If we are saving these companies with tax payer money I feel the morons who made the mess should have to pay. It is starting to feel like the government just does not care about us middle income families anymore. If I hear that we can not raise taxes on the rich one more time I may scream. January 20th can not come soon enough.

In other news: MB Blankie border is well under way. I have about 1/4 of it done so it will be done on time.

What is it?

This is one of the things I saved from the dumpster last year. I think it is a Lute but I have no idea really. We have sold a bunch of stuff from there and done better than we thought we would. I can't find one like it on line. It says Rhapsody on the top and has 8 strings. Other than one broken string and the fact that is so out of tune. It is in perfect shape. Hubby could to tune it if we knew what to tune it to. I have a feeling Two Sock Knitters might know this one.

in blankie news: I am at the point where no matter how long I knit the thing does not seem to get any bigger. He is a little kid so it does not have to be as big as Bunky's. I plan to knit nothing else till its done. Two weeks no problem.

Wish I was there

Here is yet another shot from our last trip to the rockies. There is a great little picnic area there and lots of paths for hiking. It is just so peaceful there. It has been a mad house here the last few days. I had a ton of stuff to take care of for the PTO at Bunky's school, and as always plenty of parents to complain but none to help out. This is my biggest problem with PTO. People want stuff to get done but they don't want to give a few hours to help out. Grrr.

So enough of that. I have added 6" to the blankie. I have one more color stripe to knit then the last black stripe and the border. I hope to have it washed and blocked by MB's birthday. Should still be doable. I also put some time in on Hubby's socks yesterday. He now informs me he would like a new hat also. I have not added it to the holiday knitting list yet. Lets see how things look after the blankie is done. Who knows I may have time. There are after all about 34 knitting days left till Christmas.

Christmas socks

This is Hubby's sock. I should be able to get these done by Christmas eve. That's the start of the first heel. Of coarse I have not touched these in 3 days now due to the blanket. I only have about 50 more rounds to knit on the blanket. There are however about 1200 sts on the needle right now then I have to bind off this thing. Just keep knitting. I am rather upset with myself about the deadline knitting. I had finished early! Then I go and change the rules. I guess it just would not be the Holidays without some stressed out gift knitting.

The socks, by the way are knit on 2.75mm dpn's. The yarn is Schachenmayr nomotta Regia Galaxy Color. Colorway 1552. The wonderful knitlady sent me this yarn last year. The colors pool and stripe to form galaxies. Its kind of awesome. The yarn is a wool/nylon blend so it should wear well. knitlady I miss you! You still out there?

And now I must go knit on the blankie.

A Blankie for Monkey Boy

I have been knitting for 2 whole days now on this. This is Monkey boy's Birthday blankie. He asked for a round blankie like the one I made Bunky last year. "But no girl colors" I may be pushing it with the purple but that is what I had in the stash. One stripe black one color. I hope to put a black border on it but I may not have enough yarn. time will tell.

Because of the blankie I have not touched Hubby's socks. I will get them done in time to go under the tree. I will. I have 36 (I think) more days. I have about 11 days on the blankie.

Hestia-- Greek Goddess of Hearth and Home.

Going to the shop today.

Done

Here are the socks. I kinda love them. The colorway knit up as I had hoped. These are mine!

Bing Bang Burger Basket Weave

Yarn is BunkyBobo's Superwash Sock

Colorway Big Bang Burger Bar

Pattern: I made it up as I went along

Sock #2 just needs a toe.

Also started a new pair of socks for Hubby for Christmas. I guess I just added to my Holiday knitting. Oh well I have time and he is worth it.

What does the sun look like again?

Still no sun here. I can handle the cold but a little sunshine would be nice.
Yesterday Hubby came home early and told me I had a flat tire. No way I had just been driving and it was fine. Well sure enough I hit a screw in the driveway and the tire was flat as could be. The nice dude at Wal-mart said He thought it could be fixed but the screw was too close to the side wall and store policy won't allow him to fix it. Then he says he does not have the right tire in stock and I will need to buy 4 new tires. Yeah right buddy. I told him to forget it and left. I am sure he thought he could get me to buy new tires I don't need. Oh yeah Good times! Hubby says he will take is somewhere to get it fixed.

In knitting news: I had to rip back my February lady sweater. I found a mistake that I just couldn't live with so I will start again after the holiday.

In shop news: there is not much, The merino worsted is soaking. I have not had any sales in a while. I blame this on the bad news about the economy we see every night. No one is buying anything right now. and everyone is hurting. I hope the Government people stop messing around and fix something so people stop losing jobs. GWB seems to be an empty suit now. Counting the days until he can go back to Texas. It can't happen soon enough for me, Maybe Obama can get something done.

Still no sun

There is still no sun to be seen here in the heartland. I thought I saw a bit this morning but by the time I dropped Bunky at school it had gone. Bummer.

I was at Miss Violets the other night and she is having another one of her clear outs. Books, yarn craft stuff you name it. I came home with some purple worsted wool and 2 skeins of lace yarn. What am I thinking? I am not really a lace knitter but the color is so pretty and I'll try anything once. I think I will let it sit in the stash for a while. Maybe I'll use it for vacation knitting next summer.

With Holiday prep well underway here I can report that not only is my gift knitting done but the only people I have to shop for are the kids and Hubby. No kidding, everything that needs shipping is already here waiting for gift wrap and a trip to the post office. I rock! Truth be told I have been gift knitting all year. This worked out great for me. Sort of a one gift one project for me kind of thing. Makes for much less knitting related stress in the fall. I highly recommend it. I can now spend all winter knitting whatever I feel like.

I picked up some undyed worsted wool today to dye up for the shop. I hope to get on that this weekend. Anyone have a colorway request?

New colorway

Hera: Greek Goddess of marriage, women and childbirth. Appears with peacock feathers often. Her symbols are the sceptre, diadem, and peacock.

I have another colorway to show you but we have had no sun for days here. Maybe later today.

Bad Blogger no cookie

I didn't post yesterday, bad blogger no cookie for me. I have been knitting away on the Big Bang socks and not much else. I did go out to Miss Violets place last night to see what she had in her stash sale. She has so much sock yarn but I was good and didn't buy anything. I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money right now.
I did pick up 1000 Yards of purple worsted wool for $8.00. Big spender I know. Not sure if it will be something for Bunky or part on Monkey Boy's blanket. Time will tell.

New colorways

The green/blueish one is Poseidon Greek God of the sea.

The red/purple is Ate: Greek Goddess of foolish acts.

Ate is up in the shop now with Poseidon coming later today.

Phat Fiber

Jessie over at Phat Fiber put up a post about the samples I sent her. Go check it out!

Brand new bag

It went for 70 and sunny on election day to 35 and gloomy by Thursday. Gotta love Nebraska!

I have been busy though. I snagged 2 pairs of hand knit socks on something and now have socks to mend. I don't really know how to do this so I have been hunting the web for a good video or something to help. Anyone know of one? I have struck out.

See this bag? It is the Rio from Jordana Paige. She sent it to me to review on the chum. I love it. You can read all about it here.

Mine is red. Thanks Jordana.

I think I see a little sun out there and I have a new colorway to show you. Lets see if I can get some good pictures.

For my Grandma

The red socks are my Grandma's Christmas gift. They are thick and warm, sure to keep her toes warm in the cold Chicago winter. The green is my Lighthouse Gansey sock. I love it! The pattern is very well written and easy to follow. It is hard to get a good picture of the pattern but trust me its cool. The orangey red one is a sock I started to have something simple to knit in line at the polls. You can't really tell from the pic but there is a basket weave type pattern. The yarn is my own BunkyBobo's hand dyed, colorway Big Bang Burger Bar. 75% wool 25% nylon. Not as soft as I would like but it should hold up well. I knit most of this watching the returns last night to keep from chewing my fingernails off. They may get set aside as I knit socks for the kids for Christmas. I know I said I was done with gift knitting but kid knitting is always going on.

By the way: Monster Boy is now known as Monkey boy. MG is now Bunky Girl. For some reason she doesn't want me to call her Monster Girl anymore. She likes Bunky better so Bunky it is.

Monkey Boy wants a knit blanket for his birthday. His birthday is in 5 weeks so I had better get started. I don't see myself getting it done in time but we shall see. I have to get some yarn for it. He says it must be round like bunky's and blue, green and black. Gotta love a guy who knows what he wants.

A new day

After this post this will be a knitting blog again.
Last night I saw something I never thought I would see in my lifetime. As I was watching the coverage of the party in Grant park all I could think was this is big. This is one of the moments in history I will always remember. To see young and old black and white together in the park weeping with joy was a wonder to behold. I was struck by how Obama seemed to understand the history of the moment and the weight of it on his head. I hope his call to action was heard, and we may as a nation move forward into the 21st century with a new sense of pride and commitment. America only works when we all work together and there is much work to do for all of us. He can not do it alone we must all keep fighting if we really want a better world. I feel like for the first time in my life we have a leader that will lead us all there. I have hope and pride in my country today like I have never had before. What a great time to be alive.

However California shame on you. Prop 8 goes against everything America stands for. I will not be going there anytime soon.

Thanks you all for putting up with the political post. There are done now. Back to the knitting and yarn talk.

Today is the day!!!

I just got back from the polls. I had to wait about an hour to cast my vote but it was worth it. Never in my life has there been an election like this one. I feel like this is what it must have been like for my Dad when he campaigned for Bobby in the 60's. I feel like I am standing at a crossroads of history. This is the day my country can chose to change for the better, This is the day we all stand up and use our voice to say we will not put up with anymore Bull Sh*t. This is the day we chose to move forward. This is the day we show the world what America is all about. Today there is hope for a better world for my kids and all of our kids, This is the day we have all the power to bring real change to our country.

So please, if you live in the USA and you are reading this. Please I beg you get out there and vote, Wait as long as it takes, don't take no for an answer, cast your vote. The very life of our country depends on it. The future of our children depends on what happens today. Please, please, please go vote today. Even if we disagree on who to vote for please go vote.

If you are an Obama person, don't think for a second we have this thing in the bag! GO VOTE!!!

Phat Fiber

I was asked if I would like to be part of Phat Fiber. Phat Fiber is a box of fiber and yarn samples that will go out once a month. Fiber artist from all over are sending in samples. The first box will be available in January. I have made up 40 little mini skeins of yarn and some Bunky Girl Lip Balm that I will be sending out tomorrow. I can't wait to see what will be in my box. You can check out the Phat Fiber Blog to see what kind of things have been sent in already. Jessie will post over there when ordering starts. Check it out. I am so honored to be among the artist in the very first Phat Fiber box.

Also just a small reminder to my USA readers. GO VOTE tomorrow! Really go vote. It could be the most important thing you do all year.

Part time work

Started a part time job today. It will be fine I'm sure. Today was crazy busy which was good because I hate standing around.

In knitting news: I finished a pair of house socks for my Grandma today. Only took me a week to get them done. Fastest socks ever.

In shop news: I had a sale over at Yarny Goodness! First one. I was starting to wonder if it would happen. I really need to send her some more stuff. Pam has tons of great stuff in her shop. Go check it out.

Lame post today I know. I will have fun news for you tomorrow.

Bit Part Demon

"I'm that guy you see in every horror flick.

You may not remember me, I come and go too quick.

You wouldn't know my name, I hardly ever speak a line.

If the hero kills a hundred demons, I'd be the forgettable number thirty nine.

'Cuz I'm a bit part demon, a small time misfit. I'd say you'd be dead by dawn but I don't really mean it.I'm a threat to no one, the other deadites make fun of me."

Hubby sang the song Bit Part Demon in the Halloween show (lyrics above) Well Demons need horns so Here is what I came up with. A knit beanie with big ole horns sticking out. The horns are plastic. The get up worked great on stage. If you are a fan of the Evil Dead movies check out Evil Dead the Musical. It is super funny. Youtube has lots of fun clips of the show.

November is National Blog Posting Month. Last year I managed to post once a day in November We will see if I can keep up this year.

How Green is my Gansey

The photo isn't that great but is does show the color of the Gansey Socks pretty well. The yarn is Dream in Color Sock in Happy Forest. The bright leafy greens make me smile. I have the first leg done but need a camera battery. The pattern really pops in the semi solid colorway.

I now have all the gift knitting done with the exception of my in laws. I still have time too. I really should knit another pair of socks for Hubby too, and maybe socks for the kids, and something for the teacher... Yeah maybe I'm not so much done. I do have the must knits done so at least that's something. Right.

I took a part time job. I am working 3 nights a week from 6-9:30 and one day on the weekend. My first real work day is Sunday. The hours are perfect. Still lots of family time.

One more thing... VOTE! Sorry to scream but please go vote next week. It really is important.

Update

So life just keeps moving here at the funhouse. I am starting a part time job tonight. We really need the money and I need time out of the house so its win/win. Hubby's show closes Friday night so I will more nights free to work. I just hope I can still find time to hang out with Hubby once in a while.

In knitting news: I got new winter hats knit for MB and myself. MG's still has hers from last winter and Hubby still loves his We call em Pirates I made last winter. The gift knitting is almost done. And the muff has been frogged yet again. I just did not like the way it looked so back to the drawing board for that one. The turtle neck warmer pattern is done. I will post it soon.

In shop news: There are some new colors in the shop right now. Go check them out. Please?

Politics: 1 week to go! Make sure you get out and vote. I had a call from Lee Terry(R house NE) last night. he was doing a tell- town hall type thing. I found it very off putting. I hung up only to have them call back and leave 5 minutes worth on my voice mail. The dude will not even say what party he is with. Looks like he may lose next week. The national press is not even talking about Nebraska but I think it could go either way. There are no McCain/Palin signs out but lots of Obama signs. Could NE go blue? Unlikely but I bet Omaha/Lincoln will. I plan to take MB and vote right after I drop the kids at school. I am guessing the lines will be long but I don't care I will wait as long as it takes.

Turtleneck Warmer

Here it is. What do you think? I hate the color on me so this one will be gifted this year but I love the fit and everything else about this project. MG took the picture for me. Not bad eh?

This pattern is my own. I will write it up today and get someone to look it over for me before posting it. Pattern will call for about 350 yards of worsted weight. ( I used Artyarns Supermerino). This yarn seems to stretch quite a bit with blocking but is soft and warm.

2 new patterns in 10 days time. Go Me!

Silly Season Poltics

I just feel the need to comment on the latest political news. $150,000.00 for clothes for the Sarah Palin? At a time when 95% of American families are hurting? Bad move RNC. And Obama is the elitist? Yeah right.
I can not wait for this election to be over. I sure hope my team wins. I worry about what will happen if they don't.

Socks for Dad

Here are Dads socks. This colorway is so hard to get a good photo of. The yarn is BMFA Socks That Rock. The colorway is Rauen form the Raven line. I have found that my STR socks grow a little with washing. These fit Hubby fine so fitting Dad should be no problem. You know the theroy that us girls Marry a guy much like our father? Well I did. Hubby and Dad have the same shoe/sock size.

I have started a new pair of socks already. The Lighthouse Gansey socks for Knitty. It is a fun pattern but slow going for me. I have to keep looking at the chart. So far so good. The pattern is well written and easy to follow. More on those when there is something to show.

My other projects are all moving forward. The new neck warmer should be done this week and then back to the muff. I resolved the gauge issue. I am pleased.

Holiday sock kits

Here is a new item I will be putting up in the shop this weekend. A little gift bag for the sock knitters! The kit includes a skein of BunkyBobo's Superwash Merino sock yarn. Colorway shown is Jangle

A set of 2.25mm dpn's, a sock blocker key chain, darning needle, a split ring marker, a tube of Bunky Girl Lip Balm and a little surprise. All in a cute little canvas bag. What do you think? cute eh? And the price is right at $28.00.

In other shop news, every skein you order in October comes with a free Bunky Girl Lip Balm!

I will have more fun shop news later today! Stay tuned.

In knitting news: MG took the Squared Mitts I finished the other day. She grabbed them the minute they came off the needles and has had them on since so I guess they are a hit. I need to make myself a pair. The new neck warmer pattern is coming along. This one will fit an adult human and not get bunched up under a coat. I am not crazy about the color though so I may try to over dye it when its finished. I hope to get it done today. The December bride muff had to be frogged. The gauge was way off so that one is back to the drawing board. There are new socks in the works too but that will have to wait. I have a play date with Monster Boy.

Squared Mitts a Free Pattern.

I give you a new pattern by me, Squared Mitts



Yarn: color 1: Knit Picks Merino Style, black. any worsted wool will do for both colors.

color 2: Blue Moon Fiber Arts STR Heavyweight. Don't remember the colorway. Leftovers from socks.

A note about the yarn. You can use and 2 worsted wools you have in your stash for these. You could also knit the cuff in the main color. That big lump in the picture is my watch. sorry about that.
Gauge: I knit these at 6 1/2 stitches to the inch over the colorwork.


Needles US size 6 dpn's


With Color 2, Cast on 40 stitches. Join to knit in the round. Knit 10 rounds of K2,P2 rib. Knit one round. Switch to color 1, knit one round.


Next round starts color pattern. ( I have not found a good way to get the charts on the blog. If you need the charts leave me a comment and I will e-mail it to you. I tried to write it out here. Please let me know if you see any problems. )



chart 1
row 1:* K2 Color 1, K2 color 2* repeat to end of the round
row 2: same as row 1
row 3: *K2 color 2, K2 color 1 *repeat to end of the round
row 4: same as row 3
row 5: same as row 1
row 6: same as row 1
Row 7: knit all stitches in color 1

chart 2
row 1: *K1 in color 1, K3 in color 2, Knit 2 in color 1* repeat to end of round K1 in color 1
row 2: repeat row 1
row 3: repeat row 1
row 4 K all in color 1

repeat chart 2 twice more
Knit 15 rounds with color 1

thumb: I used the Thumb Trick from Elizabeth Zimmermann. On the thumb set opening round I knit the first 7 stitches on to waste yarn. Then slip those 7 sts back on the needle and knit the round like normal.

Knit 5 more rounds with color 1
Work chart 1
Knit 8 rounds of K2,P2 ribbing.
Bind off all stitches.

Thumb: Pick out the waste yarn at the thumb opening. (You should have 8 stitches on top and 7 on the bottom of the opening)Pick up the live stitches picking up an extra stitch in the gap between the top and bottom rows of live stitches (17 st total) knit 8 rows K1,P1 ribbing. Bind off. Weave in ends and block lightly. If you find any problems with the pattern please let me know. I am new to the whole pattern writing thing.

I am going to knit at least 2 more pairs of these. Bunky wants a pair for herself and I think her teacher might like one too. Best part is you need very little yarn. Yeah stash busting.

More Gifts

Here we have the Feather and Fan Scarf I have been knitting all summer. It blocked out nicely. The yarn is Rio De La Plata. Its a sock weight yarn knit on size 5 needles. Easy mindless. This one will find a new home at Christmas.

I have started a muff for a December bride. I am using the yarn from the red sweater. It is the perfect color for this and I should still have enough for the sweater. I could not find a pattern I liked so I am making it up as I go along. So far so good.

Free the Knitters

Dear Government People,

We knitters need this stuff in the picture. Pretty yarn. Pretty yarn we knit into socks to keep our family's feet warm in the cold winter ahead. We can't afford to heat our houses so wool socks are vital to our heath and well being. We need to feel like it is ok to spend our money. Please tell us in plain English how you are going to fix this mess and do it. I am tired of feeling sick every time I watch the news. I need to feel better about the outlook for my kids future. If I feel better about that future I will feel better about today. If I feel better about today I will buy more yarn. This will help the artist whose yarn I buy. Which in many cases allows them to go out and buy more yarn and knit more socks. Isn't this sort of thing good for the economy? Help a knitter out. You see you are also scaring all my buyers away. I think a lot of fiber artist would tell you the same thing. I don't want to know who made the mess anymore just sit down and fix it. Put your bickering aside and do what ever it is you are going to do. Act like grown ups and get something done that shows us how things are going to get better. We know its going to take a little time but some hope would be good right about now. Some good news. Some problem solving, some showing of progress somewhere that shows you folks are not once again blowing smoke up my butt. Come on guys you make a good living to get next to nothing real done. Come on show me how life in America is going to be better for my children and their children. Get our country moving so they get a better world. The knitters need to have money at the end of the month for the yarn for the socks. We need to be able to feed those family's and send them to good schools. We need them to have air to breath and wild places to explore. Come on help us out. That's what we pay you for. That's what you are asking us to vote for you to do.

updates

The cops are now driving past my house every hour or so. I am glad they are watching, those people make me nervous.

The babysitting scammer had the balls to send me another e-mail asking me to hurry and send my info. I have reported them to everyone I could find including Craig's list and g-mail. I am tempted to write back and ask them just how dumb they think I am.

Knitting: Dad's 2nd sock was almost done until I realized I had made the leg 10 rows longer than the 1st sock. Duh Sandy maybe you should learn how to count. Lucky for me the yarn holds up to frogging well. I will re knit the heel tonight. I finished another of the gift hats too. I put the Red Lady sweater on hold till I get the gift knitting done. I will not fall into the late night Christmas eve knitting like last year.

Too good to be true

I have placed several adds on my local Craig's list looking for daycare clients. Last week I got an e-mail from a woman in London who told me she was coming to town to work on a movie and would I send her some information about daycare for her 5 year old daughter. I did not think much of it at the time and sent her an e-mail back. I send pretty much the same e-mail to anyone who inquires about this. It includes my rate as well as a few lines about me and my family. Well she wrote back asking for my bank info (red flag#1) so her husband could transfer money to me. She then asked me to hold onto my fee and transfer the rest of the money to her travel agent for her plane tickets and such(red flag#2) This is of coarse a big scam to get into my bank account. The scammer even went so far as to send photos of "her child." Now I am not dumb, I have no plan to do what she asks me to do, even if she did get my bank info she would find nothing there. Where do these people get off trying to scam money from folks who are trying so hard to just to keep the lights on and food on the table? I am so upset this. I wonder if whoever the child in the photos knows she is being used by dishonest bastards like this. I would post the picture but I am afraid to download it. I am posting about this because my blog link is in my e-mail signature. If you are reading this scammer I hope you get yours soon. I will post all over the Internet about your sick little game in the hope that someone catches you. I understand there is very little chance of this. I also know that karma or fate or whatever god you may believe in will get you for this. I hope karma Kicks Your Ass! And I bless the good sense my Momma gave me that I didn't fall for it.

Bad Boys Bad Boys

There has been drama at the park behind the house latley. 2 Drug busts. I have suspected for a while that the people 2 houses down were selling hard drugs. There are always (and I do mean all the time) cars parked in front of the house with people waiting in them. Someone comes out of the house, talkes to whoever is in the car and goes back inside. Then someelse comes out leans in the car and the car leaves. After watching The Wire. I know this is done to keep the $$ and the product apart. The gal who lives next door to us said Vice visited her and asked her to write down plate numbers and such so I know the cops know something is still going on. Last night someone was honking their horn at 4:00 am. I looked out my window and am pretty sure I saw a deal going down. I am not at all happy about this going on so close to my house and my kids. I have not seen the cops raid the house but I feel that must be coming. I have also seen the cops digging through trash cans at the park. Needless to say I do not let the kids go to the park by them selves. they have to walk right by the house in question to get there. I am also pretty sure they know we all know what is up but I have not said anything. I really don't want any trouble. There are lots of little kids around here so I hope the cops get this delt with sooner rather than later.

It must be Fall!

I woke up this morning to find it was 64 degrees in my house. Not to big a deal as I keep the heat pretty low anyway. This morning I pulled out knit hats for the kids and wool socks for me. Yeah! I always feel better in the cooler weather.

In knitting news: After a quick call to Mom last night I was able to finish Dads first sock. Sock #2 will get cast on today. When these are done I will have only 4 more Holiday gift items to knit. WooHoo! and 3 of them are hats. the 4th is yet to be chosen but I still have lots of time. I also want to knit some socks for the MK's. I wonder if I should send Dads socks early. I am pretty sure he knows he is getting socks after Mom went and measured his foot for me. Besides Daddy needs warm feet too. If I keep up this pace with the socks I may have time to get another pair done for Mom too.

I have decided that all my Holiday gifts will be Hand Made this year. Should save us some money, and give the kids plenty of crafting time. I have some great ideas for kid crafts for Christmas. This should be fun.

One other bit of news: I have been working on a product for Happy Housewife. HH is my friend Miss Violet's company. She makes her own perfume oils and soap. Really great stuff. I never wore perfume much before MissV started this, but I really like her stuff. My favorites right now are Dirty Jack, and Apple Crush. OOO I smell so good. We have a few things to work out yet (labels and such) but we should have it up in another week or so. Trust me its going to be good!

One other quick thing: I have added International shipping prices to my shop. So overseas folks won't have to convo for a shipping quote. There is lots of great stuff in the shop now.

The power of the cuteness...

Hey There! Winston here. Tell me again how cute the puppy is? Look what she did to my napping spot! Mom was very mad at her. Mom told Dad that the couch will have to go. I love my nappy couch. Thanks a whole bunch Toph! now we won't be able to see out the dinning room window! Oh well at least I still get to sleep on Bunky's bed at night.

Oh Yeah and some knitting.

Look! finished socks. I love them. I got the fit just right this time, they don't slip and bunch up in my boots. The yarn is the Frogs in a Blender colorway from Dyeabolical Yarns. (rav link) Her shop is closed right now but she will be back soon. I love her stuff.

I am now working on Dad's socks. Half way through the foot of sock #1. The STR Medium knits up so fast. I really hope he will wear them. Mom they are superwash but I would hand wash them if I were you. click on the link to see the color. I can't say enough good things about this yarn. I love it. Makes nice thick,warm socks.

Also cast on this week is the February Lady Sweater by Pamela Wayne The pattern is wonderful and I love the look of the sweater but I am bored with it. Half way through the yoke I put it down. Once I get through the yoke and on to the lace it should keep me awake. I am using the Yarn Mom gave me. I have knit and frogged this yarn twice now so this is it. I will post a picture when it looks like something.

New Colors!

The top one is Gaia, Greek Goddess of the Earth or Mother Earth

The other is Nyx, Greek Goddess of Darkness.
So what do you think?

Bunky Girl Lip Balm

So here it is ready for shipping. Bunky Girl Lip balm. I have 2 flavors listed in the shop right now with more coming today. All flavors are Bunky Girl approved. In case you hadn't guessed Bunky Girl is MG. (MB is Bobo). There will be some other products in the Bunky Girl line down the road. I want to do a bunch of things for girls Bunky's age. The soap and bubble bath from the party was such a big hit I am going to do some for the shop as soon as I sell some yarn. Speaking of yarn. I am putting up the fall listings over the next 2 days. I will let you know when they are all up. But just in case you can't wait to see here is another,

Dionysus: God of wine, parties/festivals, madness and merriment. He represents not only the intoxicating power of wine, but also its social and beneficial influences. His symbols are the grape vine, ivy, and thyrsos. He is also God of the Theatre.
Deep purples and ruddy browns







Momus: God of Satire and Criticism.
Golden brown to Rich Mahogany.

Shop update Friday.

Here are 2 more for the shop. They will be up some time tomorrow.