Yarnin' Along, Garden Style

My knitting has slowed lately!  So sad!  I finally started on a sweater for Andrew with yarn I purchased last summer at a fiber fest.  It's a hand dyed, one ply wool and it is seriously delicious.  It's wonderful to knit.  I am using the Jones & Vandermeer Nathan Vest pattern.  It's super easy, but turns out a classy sweater vest.

My mom bought the kids a fabulous gardening book:  Kids First Gardening Book  This is definitely our new favorite book!  As I write, the kids are making a "wormery" with Andrew.  This afternoon, the kids and I made a fun herb planter.  This book is chocked full of wonderful gardening ideas!  So fun.

We've been gardening like crazy people here on our tenth of an acres urban plot.  If you want an eight year olds perspective, Grace is blogging it at www.graceblog03.blogspot.com

(Yarning Along with Ginny!  Go check out the other great entries!)

Yarnin' Along, Again

Wow.  I haven't done a Yarn Along in a while.  Not that I haven't been knitting.  Most of my recent projects were Christmas gifts and, therefore, not bloggable.  But I have picked up the needles again, after a short break from Christmas overload!

I knit these fun fingerless gloves for PeterXavier and was quickly bombarded with requests from the other children.  Thankfully, they're a rather quick knit.  Christopher has a pair as well, now, and Gracie has some on the needles.  They fancy-schmancy hand painted yarn I am using for her's is a bear to work with, so they are slow going.  I can't wait to finish them and be rid of that yarn!

Last night I bought some yummy soft pink Lanaloft to make Bella some gloves.  I can't wait to dig into that yarn.

As for reading, it's all been on my awesome new Kindle Fire.  In the past couple weeks, I have read the first two books on the Hunger Games trilogy.  Without being a spoiler, what's your take on these books?  They seem to beg discussion :)

Don't forget to visit Ginny for more Yarn Alongs!

Yarn Along - Sweet Success!

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~ 

 My hat worked!  I figured out my mistake the last time around.  I had misread the pattern.  I had added a knit row right before that last row (all decreases) and I am pretty sure that caused a point.  I may have erred in my decreases further back as well, which would explain why the problem is so pronounced.  I was happy to solve the problem and I am happy to finally know how to successfully use DPNs. 

Funny thing about my pointy hat – my sister told me that the front cover of More Last Minute Knitted Gifts features a hat just like my pointy hat!  Too funny.  I guess one gals mistake is a knitting authors cutting edge cuteness!  


(For more Yarn Alongs, visit Ginny!)

Yarn Along - Help a (Birthday) Girl Out Edition

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

What. The. Heck. happened to my hat??  Why on earth is it pointy?  I followed the pattern in Last Minute Knitted Gifts, and it doesn't look a thing like the beautiful hat in the pictures.

I think this could win the prize for "Stupidest Hat Ever Knit".  So, help me out -- where did I go wrong?  Admittedly, this my first attempt with DPNs and I wonder if my gauge tightened when I switched from circulars to DPN?

Please help me before I botch this one, too!


(For less ridiculous Yarn Alongs, visit Ginny!)

Yarn Along -- Finished!

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I am so happy to be finished with this Market Bag.  And I am pretty pleased with the final results.  And my Malabrigo didn't let me down.  What fantastic yarn!  The other day, I was in River Knits and realized that they have bundles of Malabrigo!!  Woo!

Here's my new friend, all packed and ready for a day out!

Visit Ginny for more Yarn Alongs!

Yarn Along -- Still Not Finished!

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I was hoping to be finished with my Market Bag for this weeks Yarn Along, but no such luck!  I am still chugging away and, for me, making pretty good progress,  Thanks for all of the encouragement last week!

I am not reading anything new, as I haven't had an time!  Hopefully by next Wednesday, I'll have a finished project to share! 

And don't forget to visit Ginny for more Yarn Alongs!

Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I haven't been knitting as much as I would like lately.  So little time!  And it's been so hot this summer that yarn seems a bit miserable.  But I was re-inspired when I picked up a few knitting books at the library recently.  Knitting Green by Ann Budd has some super cute patterns!  (Oh my!  The bike basket pattern is insanely cute!!)

I had a skein of Malabrigo wool that was calling my name, so I am making the Market Bag pattern.  It has a few new-to-me techniques, so that is making is extra fun.  I have finally learned how to "pick up" stitches.  It's so much easier than I thought it would be!  This really is a fun knit.  I am not convinced that wool was the best choice of fiber, but this Malabrigo is so delightful to work with, that I really don't care that it is less than ideal for the project.

What are you knitting and reading?  Pop over to Ginny's place for more Yarn Alongs!

Yarn Along --Too Much Yarn Edition

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

This past Saturday, my sister and I packed her car full of small girls and headed to Southern Indiana for their annual Fiber Fest.  Too Fun!!  And now, poor me, I am drowning in beautiful yarn!

I was able to get a ton of beautiful blue-grey hand-dyed wool for Andrew's sweater.  And Annie and I got a hank of nubby cotton to try our hand at dyeing.  I am so excited to try.  I think we will use the instructions Elizabeth gave here.

The Monday after Fiber Fest, I found the hand-dyed wool I had scored through a Heartsy deal in my mailbox!  It is a fun "spearmint" hank of 80/20 merino/bamboo blend.  It's fate is yet undecided, but it will be fun to use!

 I haven't been reading OR knitting much lately.  I am still enjoying flipping through "Last Minute Knitted Gifts" and have read a few of the short stories in Daphne du Maurier's "Don't Look Now".  But with this intsense heat, we have just been hanging out at the pool, mostly!

And, I have the beautiful deep earthy skein of wool from Yarnology.  What will it become??  Maybe a small sweater for Avila?  Any suggestions for small, one skein sweaters?

(Visit Ginny for more yarn alongs!)

Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I *think* I have taught myself to knit "in the round" with circular needles.  The true test will come when (if??) I ever finish this project I currently have on the needles.  It is an attempt at a dress for Isabella.  She has a knit sweater type dress which is adorable and I am trying to replicate it (sans pattern).  The yarn is a pretty cotton and mohair (? I think?) blend that I picked up at Goodwill a while back.  It is not the most fun to work with, but I am getting used to it.

As for reading, I picked up "Natural Dying" at the library and it is a fun little read.  I got it, mainly, for the information on Batik (that's another whole post!!), but the info about natural dyes are fascinating!  Someday!  Oh the many projects for someday :)

For more Yarn Alongs (or to add your own!) visit Ginny at Small Things.

Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

This picture is actually from last weeks "Yarn Along", but due to technical difficulties, it never got posted.  I am knitting a "Noro Hat" using my sisters pattern and the amazingly fun to work with Noro Yarn.  I am further along now than I was when the picture was taken.  I can see a few mistakes cropping up, but overall I think it will be very cute.

Unfortunately, my book has been returned to the library.   I was really enjoying it!  It is called "Gentle Healing for Baby and Child".  It is chock full of ideas for herbal and natural healing, but is very practical and well balanced at the same time.  The authors general tip is "use remedy xyz, found at your local health food store" so I coupled this book with another (title forgotten and since returned to the library!) which gave recipes and method for making your own remedies.  It was a great combo!  I will have to go re-check them both out at some point.

And here is a gratuitous shot of an adorable baby, because I can't resist those big blue eyes!  

And don't forget to enter the giveaway!  Everyone needs a signed copy of Zita the Spacegirl!!

Yarn Along

~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading, and the evidence of this often shows up in my photographs. I love seeing what other people are knitting and reading as well. So, what are you knitting or crocheting right now? What are you reading? Take a single photo and share it either on your blog or on Flickr. Leave a link below to share your photo with the rest of us! ~

I have been trying for weeks to join the "Yarn Along" and finally got to it!  I am currently working on this kimono style sweater for Avila.  It is worked as all one piece and easy-peasy, if I could just find the time to work on it!  The yarn is Lion Brand fisherman's weight virgin wool.  And I think it's u.g.l.y.  Can't wait to cast off and toss it into a big vat of dye.  I am thinking a nice moss green.  We shall see.

I am reading Nina Plank's Real Food, which I love.  But it is coming along about as slowly as the sweater! Andrew borrowed "Food Rules" from a colleague, so I am flipping through that as well.

Check out Ginny's delightful blog for more yarn along or to join the fun!