Finished project

I have finished the "World Stripe Wrap" from the Rowan magazine. Just in time I might add. It is so light and soft and having it on my lap while knitting was just fantastic. Hard to believe something so light and soft can be so warm. If knitting this again I would add about 6 stitches to the pattern and keep the first and last 3 in garter stitch. Even after a good steam the edges still want to roll, this after 2 rows of crochet were added. The fringe takes care of the ends but you could start with a few rows of garter stitch here as well. If you were to not add the extra border stitches, I would then slip the 1st stitch of each row to make it so much easier to find where to crochet the edge. I knit in my ends as I changes colors, it really does not show on the wrong side and I can not imagine working in all those ends later. I think this gives the best look. I worked 2 full repeats of the rows as written in the pattern.

It is bitter cold here I hear the furnace running and when it does I know that dollars in the form of the gas bill go along with it. We are however so grateful to be warm. Hubby said this morning it was -16 and there has been little improvement since that. When I put Sam and Vera out the trip is sure fast, no sniffing all the snow drifts and the like. They know it is much nicer inside. This is about the only positive I can see with weather like this.

This is a large old house but we have worked hard to make it as energy efficient as we can, new windows, storm doors and a new fuel efficient furnace and still I could take a grand vacation on what the gas bill is each month. Lucky for us we have two zones in the house with two thermostats. One for the nice cozy family room in the basement. I call it my knitting workshop right now. Yesterday I sorted yarn found the unfinished items to be worked on and just enjoyed the coziness of the place. Looks like more of the same today.

Snow, snow, snow we seem each day to have more arriving, our bird feeders are loaded with birds and I know they depend on us this time of year. I particularly like the look of the cardinals their bright red against the snow. Several years ago I gave husband a brass snow gauge for the yard, we now have 2 feet and it continues to come down. Perfect knitting weather.

A MONKEY HAT?

Yes indeed a sock monkey hat. I have a wonderful son in law but he never seems to quite complete the "fix it things" around the house. I will say when we visit, "can you fix that?" His answer is "a trained monkey could do that". Well it has now become a wonderful family joke. We have started seeing that he gets little things as gifts and they all have the "trained monkey" involved. Always good for a laugh. When Susie alerted me to the Sock Monkey Hat on Knitty I knew I had to make it. I had hoped it would be for Christmas but alas as with lots of great plans. Part of the unfinished projects around here in bags and boxes. Now I am working hard to finish them. This weekend this was the finished project. It left in the mail today. I can hardly wait until he gets this one. It was a lot of fun to knit and best part of all I was able to use the stash. I just double some of the yarns, I keep thinking I will find more room in the yarn closet but so far it has not happened. I seem to be working from the baskets that litter the family room.

WHAT A GREAT IDEA!

The Sammy update! He is doing great and gets along well with the splint on his leg, which brings to mind a couple of things I have learned and want to share with other pet lovers. When we had the little puppy to the vet for his shots she took a can of spray cheese like the one in the photo, ran a strip of it on the stainless exam table and Bandit began to lick it up from the end, by the time he finished he had received his two shots and had no idea what had taken place. I said this is fantastic and she said this is what they use to give a pill. Let me tell you stop one after the Vet on Tuesday was for spray cheese. It is like magic. He takes his pills and begs for more. Much better than wrapping it where it will fall out of something. This stuff is sticky and the pills stick to the cheese like it was glue. All the years I have had dogs and never knew this trick. Too good not to share.

The other thing I learned this week was how to keep the splint wrap dry. I took one of those heavy plastic bags you use with a food sealer and serged it on my machine to make it the proper size, slipped it over the splint and used tape to make it smaller at the top. Now he is out in the snow and no dampness. Pet owners just have to share.....

What a way to start a day!

It has been a most unusual day. Those of you who follow this blog know well Sammy my Cavalier who loves to mess with the yarn, chew knitting needles and the like. He is just a hard headed little guy. This morning he decided to chase the school bus. With hubby yelling at him to stop and he as usual paid no attention as he scooted out the door. Result and we are so lucky just a cut on the foot and a pulled tendon. Early this morning it was a trip to the vet. We have a bit of a drive to get that done. X-rays and all of that. He has pain medication and an antibiotic for the cut on the pad of his foot. All in all a most expensive trip down the driveway for him.

Now a week of keeping the bandage on the split dry. The only positive thing about this is the pain med made him sleep the day away on the sofa with me. Negative, I slept as well. I should be ready for a big knitting evening.

2009 First Finished item!!!

Now I think I am making progress. I needed a baby sweater for a darling little boy born on Christmas eve. So once hubby started the New Years Day Football marathon I cast on. Here is the result! I like to use my own patterns when I am able so this is "Lillie's Little Sweater"a pattern I wrote with Carol Anderson of Cottage Creations. Yes I know I still need to learn how to do the darn put in a link thing. Perhaps I will get this taken care of at some point during this new year. I really need led by the hand and step by step to accomplish something so complicated. Back to this little sweater, I used yarn from the stash how good that feels. Cascade 220 superwash. I love this yarn and it holds up so well with the washing that baby things get.

I had a request from a friend for a little girls hat and mittens. I normally say no as I can not keep up with the family wants and wishes but on this day I said sure why not. So I have this little hat and mittens and I feel great with such progress. That is finished and hubby took it out to deliver before I even had a minute for a picture.

Next on the list was a baby blanket started many years ago by the grandmother of a friend. After she passed away it was found and I can understand why they would like it finished. That is now finished and I am ready to work on things from my "unfinished boutique" I think the first project on the list will be the kid silk haze world stripe mohair wrap. It is many times cold where I play bridge and this is light and warm. Great surprise it is for me!

It is January and the weather cold and ugly so a perfect time to sit and knit. We are having a real old fashioned winter with snow every day. Hubby is doing the driveways on the street now twice a day to keep up. Perfect knitting weather.