Oh, Deer...

Looks like somebody in the Sharpie advertising department has never gotten handknit socks for Christmas. Sad.

Bebe

I have lots to catch up on.
You'll get one thing at a time.
Don't complain, it means more posts.

My bro-bro and sis-in-law have a new addition to their family. She was born in July and the adoption process is trudging along the train tracks toward full Higgins-hood for the little one. She's so precious and I can't wait to meet her in a couple weeks. Here she is:


In proper Annie Grook style, I knitted her a welcome shrug. It's this one, knitted with Hobby Lobby's I Love This Cotton yarn, with a lettuce-inspired ruffle on the edges instead of the ribbing in the pattern.


Looks cozy.


Thanks, Mo & Mom, for the pictures. :)

Bliss

New apartment (with heat).
New couch (add blanket & cat).
New sock pattern (plus tasty yarn).
Time to sit down and knit (bliss).

Welcome back.

Highlight

For the last four years, I've traveled with friends to Wooster over Memorial Day weekend for the Great Lakes Sheep & Fiber Festival. This year was no different. There were alpacas and bunnies and more sheep than you could possibly count. I got some sock yarn and some more sock yarn and a sock book and a pretty good deal on some pretty blue linen yarn. We didn't get to dye yarn on Monday because it rained all morning and we opted to stay in and relax instead.

BUT!

The COMPLETE HIGHLIGHT of the WHOLE WEEKEND was the AMAZING GRADUATION PARTY I attended on Sunday night!!!!!!!

First of all, here is one of my FAVORITE FAMILIES in the WHOLE UNIVERSE:

(l to r: Tracey, Cydney, Brian & Garret)

Last year, Garret carefully arranged his graduation party for Memorial Day weekend, just so that I could attend! How thoughtful! This year, Cydney did the same. What a family! Tracey and I are already trying to figure out how we can get together again next Memorial Day...

Here I am with the happy graduate... She promised that someday when I grow up I can be as cute as she is.


And here I am with the proud Momma... one of my bestest friends in the whole universe. Congratulations, Tracey... I LOVE YOU!!!

Triple Threat

This is Ollie. He's from Amigurumi Knits by Hansi Singh. He's made with Cascade 220 and size 2 dpns. I made him for my mom after she saw an octopus at Great Yarns in Everett, WA, last Thanksgiving.

This is Cedric. He's made from the same pattern, only with sock yarn leftovers and size 0 dpns. I made him after I made Ollie, because I saw a ton of sock yarn octopi on Ravelry and fell completely in love.

This is Celia. She's made from the same pattern, also with sock yarn leftovers and size 0 dpns. I made her after I made Cedric, because making octopi with sock yarn leftovers might now be my favorite thing to do.

Celia and Cedric are sweet on each other. Awwww.
I wanna hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand...

Celia now lives with Wendy, and Cedric lives with me.

I already have more sock yarn leftovers picked out to make another one...

and some worsted weight yarn picked out to hold three strands together to make a Giant Octopus!!! Beware!!

Finished!

Sometimes it's not about win or lose. Sometimes it's important just to finish the race.

I didn't officially participate in the Knitting Olympics this year, but I did make an unofficial goal of finishing two separate projects.

One of the projects is my Mystery Socks, both knit at the same time (sort of), started January 1 and finished February 18. I've done better, but that's not too shabby.

Pattern: Jan/Feb Mystery socks from the Solid Socks group on Ravelry.

Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Semi-solids, Color: Jade

Needles: Kollage square DPNs, US1.5 (2.5mm)

The other project I finished has been staring evilly at me from the table next to my TV chair since last November. It was sleeveless when I took it to Washington with me over Thanksgiving. By the time I got back to Ohio, it had one sleeve finished, and the stitches for the second sleeve picked up. The week before the new year, the second sleeve was half finished. (Then the mystery sock pattern appeared on Jan. 1, and my focus went elsewhere.) This past Monday, when I was sent home from work early due to the severity of the White Death, I thought to myself, "How ridiculous is it that this project isn't finished yet???" I flipped on the Olympics, and, inspired by the endurance and tenacity of the athletes, I finished...

Calvin's Birthday Sweater!!!!!!!


Pattern: Sherwood from Knitty, Fall 2006

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease, 50% Cotton, 50% Acrylic

Needles: circulars and DPNs, US7

Size: 6-8 (30" chest)

Sure, his birthday was last November. But this is the FIFTEENTH sweater I've knitted for nieces and nephew, and this is the first time I've been late. And if you're gonna be late, you might as well be REALLY late. Besides, it's still the right season, and it will still fit him (I think), and it should still fit him next winter, too (I hope). And, I've already found the perfect pattern for his 5th birthday, and I need to get started on it very soon.

Plus, it's not about whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. And, uh... finishing. Yeah. Finishing.

Three Pair*

I've taught a few Fibertrends Felted Clogs classes at the store this winter, and in order to garner interest in the pattern and the class, I made a store sample last fall. I originally had no interest in a pair for myself, so I made the sample pair to fit Karen, the store manager. However, when they were finished, Joy, the store owner, claimed them for herself, felted one, and left the other unfelted to show the difference in the store.


But then I actually had to teach the class, and I generally like to work on the same project that my students are working on, so I decided to make myself a pair. I didn't want to buy more yarn, though, so I scoured my spare bedroom for leftover Cascade 220 and came up with a big bag full. So I made a pair for me.


Hmm. A bit big. Perhaps I should felt them.


Much better. Super toasty. They stay on my feet surprisingly well, too.

So, I figured I was done knitting felted clogs. Two pair is enough, right? Then I happened to draw Karen's name (the aforementioned store manager) for the store's Christmas gift exchange. What to get her.... what to get her... oh yes! She got robbed of some felted clogs! So I picked out some new colors and got to knittin'.

Pre-felting:


And post-felting, an action shot of the third pair of clogs showing off their practicality and keeping Karen's feet toasty in the yarn store:


There you have it. Proof not only that I can finish complete PAIRS of things for knitting projects, but that I can complete MULTIPLE complete PAIRS of things for knitting projects. But three is enough. At least for this year.

*This post brought to you by the song "Air Force Ones" by Nelly, chorus lyrics re-written here to fit the theme of the post, and hopefully make Brenda giggle:

I said give me three pairs

(cause) I need three pairs

So I can get to stomping in my felted clogs

(Knitters) stomping in our felted clogs

Mystery Medicine*

*Or, The Cure For Second Sock Syndrome

The "knitalong" is a concept that's been around for a long time. The basic concept is that a bunch of people knit the same project at the same time and talk about it, share problems, successes, frustrations, and provide motivation and inspiration to keep going if needed. People have been hosting knitalongs on the internet for quite a while, too, and now that Ravelry is around, it's way easier to find groups of people knitting the same pattern at the same time and sharing their thoughts and ideas about it.

The "mystery project" is another concept that's been hanging around for a bit. The idea here is that somebody designs a pattern for a particular kind of project (a shawl, a scarf, a sock...), and only releases part of the pattern at a time, so that the crafter doesn't know what the finished project is going to look like, and can only go as fast as the designer wishes for them to go.

I've never done an official knitalong OR mystery project before. But 2010 is a new year, and I signed up for both at the same time.

There's a group on Ravelry called "Solid Socks" for people who like knitting socks out of solid or semi-solid colored yarns. They host a mystery sock knitalong every two months. The made-of-awesome part of the current mystery sock knitalong is that the pattern was designed by Lisa, a lady in my sock club here in Cincinnati. How cool is that? I actually saw her knitting the sock last fall when she started coming to sock club, and asked her about it then. And now at least a half dozen women in my sock club are following along with the pattern and doing the same project, along with however many people across the world who are following along in the Ravelry group.

The first clue of the pattern came out on January 1, 2010, and I cast on that day. As of 11:00 tonight, just one short hour before clue 3 is available, I finished clue two for BOTH OF MY SOCKS. That's right people, this mystery thing has inspired me to do both socks at the same time. When I finish, I'm going to have a PAIR of socks done. Behold:



Two cuffs completely completed. I'm either going to have to knit only mystery socks from now on, or cut up my sock patterns and mail them to myself a piece at a time.

Admittedly, I'm also quite motivated by the fact that I will see designer-Lisa at sock club on Saturday and I'm trying to impress her. :)



(The color is better in the other picture, but this one shows off the stitch pattern better, I think.)

Only half an hour till clue 3 comes out!!

No Sitting

Found on www.passiveaggressivenotes.com.

Cute Kids, Cont.

The birthday girl liked her sweater.

And Calvin liked his crocodable.

Oh, did I mention Hallie REALLY liked her sweater? Mmm. Tasty.

I'm Posting Already

I have no idea what happened to November, honest.

I've been knitting a lot (it seems), but a lot of it is gifts. And we already know what that means.

But very recently, my FAB sister-in-law gave me a TON of photos, many of which I will share with you in the days to come. Today? My favorite picture. The one I've been waiting for. The one that brought a couple little tiny tears to my eyes.

This is why I knit.

P.S.

KnitPicks has released the Santa hat pattern I wrote up for them along with all the other Sheldon costumes. It's a free pattern. If you have a tiny head that needs a Santa hat this Christmas, go get your knit on!

KnitPicks suggests fingering weight for this hat... when I did Knit Knack's hat almost 3 years ago, I used a bulky weight yarn (and fewer stitches, obviously...) which gave it an oversized look that I really liked. Go nuts. Gimme a shout if you make one... I want to see who you put it on!

Actober Occomplishments

We're barely halfway through my favorite month of the year, and already I think it's been the most eventful half-month I've had in a long time.

My birthday was October 3, the same day as sock club's Socktober to Dye For.

19 industrious ladies plus my mom, aunt, Dani, Lise, Tobie and myself had a fantastic day mixing dyes, painting yarn, and trying not to be blown over by the wind. It was a gorgeous day for dyeing.

There were so many beautiful autumn colors painted into yarns that day. I had to be very diligent not to steal all any of them. Seriously. So much fun.

Then on October 8, my sand volleyball team (Sandy Pants) played in the fall tournament. It was cold and wet (but it had fortunately stopped raining) and our toes froze in the sand, but we won two straight games to win the whole tournament! Booyah! It was ridiculously fun, and I can't wait for April so we can start all over again.

October 10th was the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Walk for Kids, and I walked with my friends Scott & Joy for their daughter's memorial Find A Voice Fund. Our team raised over $9,500 toward purchasing a device to allow a child without a voice to be able to communicate with his loved ones. We walked three miles around Coney Island with thousands of other Cincinnatians trying to raise money for various causes. It was a great day and I was happy to be a part of such a great cause.

Then on October 11, I bent over, and all my activity ceased. I've spent the last week flat on my back with sciatic issues that I haven't dealt with for eight years or more. Five days later I'm feeling well enough to sit in a chair and do laundry and actually knit (!), and I'm planning on going to sock club in the morning. I'm not back to 100% yet, but I'm doing much better. The body sure knows how to get a girl to slow down!

Hope your October has been exciting as well, and hopefully less painful. Cheers!

Happy Birthday, Hallie!

My littlest niece Hallie turns one year old today!

To celebrate, of course she gets her first birthday sweater! This is the Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman, knitted in Creatively Dyed Yarn's worsted weight merino, color Paisley. I LOVE the colors in this yarn, and the way it knits up all squinchy. This is the second EZ sweater I've knit for Hallie... I wonder how many other great Zimmerman patterns I'll try out for her!

I wish you could squeeze it. So squinchy!

The sibling gifts were handmade this time, too. Remember Maggie's b-day sweater? Here's the miniature version for her new American Girl Doll, Kit.

(This Kit borrowed from Wendy's daughter for trying-on and a photo shoot. Yes, Wendy, I did it all by myself!!!)


Mom had the perfect buttons in her button box and let me use them. Woo hoo!

This past summer when the west coast Higgins family came to Ohio, Calvin found a tree root growing above the surface out by the playhouse in Mom's backyard, and told me he'd found a CROCODABLE!!! So I figured he needed a croco-dable of his very own to play with.

Pattern is Hannah Kaminsky's Baby Alligator free amigurumi pattern. I used odds and ends of Cascade 220 from my stash! He turned out adora-dable!

Lots of love to all the Higgins kids... and their parents, too! Hope you have a happy first birthday, Hallie!

That Time Of Year

So, it's that time of year again. The blog is four years old. The yarn store where I work and teach classes (Yarns & Fabrications... check out the new blog!) is four years old. Sock club is four years old. And I will be four years old on Saturday. No, wait, sorry, I'm a little bit older than that. But it's a good time of year. I love October. The weather is perfect, the scenery is beautiful, and a lot of my favorite things happen around this time.

A couple weeks ago was the Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs. I got to help set up for the show and work with Wendy on Sunday. We had a blast meeting all sorts of wonderful, creative, new friends, and seeing a bunch of great people we knew. Wendy took a bunch of fantastic pictures which you can see on her blog.

I was a particular fan of this goat. He wanted to tell us something, but couldn't stop chewing long enough to spit it out.

I may have stumbled into some sock yarn, but there's no photographic evidence. Let the record show I was very well behaved at this year's Wool Gathering. (Yarn is from Knitted To A T by Tonia Graves, 400 yards, merino/nylon blend, colorway is Chocolate Covered Cherry... yum.)

Looking forward, things are just as awesome.

This Saturday we're having a SOCKTOBER TO DYE FOR!!! (James Bond would be so proud.) Last April, sock club had a Sockstravaganza where everybody got to dye skeins and flats of sock yarn, and we're doing it again this Saturday! We've got 50 skeins, 10 flats, 20 sock clubbers, one mom, one aunt, two store supervisors, one assistant, and one birthday girl. It's going to be one crazy day! I can't wait to show you pictures next week.

Hiatus Filler

So, I know you're all wondering, now that Burn Notice is celebrating the hiatus of its split season, and isn't coming back with new episodes until January, what in the world is Brooke doing on Thursday nights? What is sustaining her? How is she getting through this difficult, Jeffrey-Donovan-less time?

Well, before you get too worked up about it, there's a rerun summer finale recap on even so now as we speak. Er, as I type. And there's always Hulu or the USA Network website. Deep breaths, my pretties.

Also, you'll be pleased to know that Burn Notice has been approved for a fourth season. You know you want to dance a little. Go ahead... I'll wait. (Screen shot shamelessly stolen from the USA Network site.)

So, back to the original question. I have been invited to join a sand volleyball team that plays on Thursday nights. This session started three weeks ago. We won our game the first night, lost last week, and won again tonight! Woo hoo! Our team is called Sandy Pants and is made up mostly of people I work with or used to work with. It is super super fun and I'm so glad they asked me to join them.

7 Worthwhile Reasons

Reason 1: She chose the yarn.

Reason 2: She chose the pattern.
Reason 3: She let me choose the buttons.
Reason 4: She didn't think I'd get it done on time.

Reason 5: I DID get it done on time.

Reason 6: It turned out "just like" she wanted.

Reason 7: My sweet and happy niece just turned 7 years old!!!

-----

Pattern: Drive Thru by Wendy Bernard
Yarn: Plymouth Galway, 100% pure wool, color #127, #1, #19, and #136
Needles: US8, 29" long Crystal Palace bamboo circular
Started: July 9, 2009
Finished: August 17, 2009
Yarn and pattern purchased at Studio Knit in Medina, Ohio.

Happy Birthday, Maggie! I love you!

-----

Thanks to my sis-in-law Morgan for the pictures of the seven-year-old stunner. You can see more birthday pics here, and even a birthday video here. Wow!!