Charity knitting

Here are some of the preemie afghans I have been knitting....

The pink and white one has various blocks including an angel block. The blue one is strictly a simple dishcloth pattern, but in blanket size....

I have been working hard on UVA afghans for Heartfelt Angels... for UVA Homecoming in October... So far I have finished four and have another in the works.... I don't know how many I will get done, but I am giving myself until some time in September as a goal... or whenever I fill my big box...

I am also working on a list of Christmas presents... I will have to get started soon on that.....if I expect to finish everything....

I will post pictures of the UVA items before shipping.. as they really fit this page nicely.

VT and UVA....sibling rivalry

Ok so here it is.. sibling rivalry.. yes... VT and UVA.... Hoos and Hokies...

I took a picture of my UVA Crocs with my UVA socks... what a bomb.... I love them, I love them, I love them...... I got the UVA Crocs in Roanoke VA [believe it or not] At Walkabout Outfitters on the Roanoke Market....

And now for a big surprise... I have a friend who I have known since she was a young teen [she's in her 20's now]. She is pregnant and is a Virginia Tech Grad... so here is part of my present for her. They are knit with Cascade Fixation. I love this yarn [ I have two pair of socks on the needles in different colors. The pattern is Christine's Baby Booties from the Fuzzy Galore site

http://www.fuzzygalore.biz/patterns/cbbooties.shtml

These are supposed to be the "stay on" kind. A friend of mine who is in her mid/late fifties says she used to see this type of bootie years ago....

One of many new creations

I have not had time to post in about 2 months.. we had vacation and were just so busy with so many things... I have still been knitting and will be posting pictures of my creations as I can....

I continue to finish my UFO's and begin new projects [to my detriment].

These socks are made with OPAL yarn.... The color way is what sold me on it..... It is self patterning and as you can see a TRUE WAHOO item. I purchased the yarn at Yarn Theory in Bedford, Virginia..... The Mosley's are such nice people and I hope to show them these basic socks soon.

Can not wait to wear these with my UVA Crocs.... I will post a picture of them together soon.

Wahoowa!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hoos for Hokies

I am a HOO and while I have never been a fan of Virginia Tech, this past week has changed my opinion in so many ways that I will always have a place for the VT family in my heart... even though I still can't cheer for them in sports.

It has been incredible to see the show of support all over the Roanoke Valley. Such a tragedy should never have happened and I sincerely hope it never has to happen to ANY type of school ever again....

I thought and thought, "What can I do?"


I decided to do several things.. First I did as our Governor asked and wore the school colors of Maroon and Orange on Friday the 20th. Then I decided to give money to the HOOS for Hokies fund at UVA. Finally I decided to make the following to sent to Heartfelt Angels as part of their giving for the Tech family....




I don't know if I can do more or not... I plan to keep an open heart on the matter and see where God leads me... I am however very glad that my heart has softened in my feelings for the VT family.

Greif has not boundaries

It is with sadness that I express grief to all the faculty, staff and parents at Virginia Tech..... Today's massive tragedy is truly unforgettable. I was initially mostly concerned about my nephew who is a student there, but then learned of a co-worker's son who was wounded in the shooting...

It is truly hard to believe we can have things like this happen in America.

While I love to pick at my VT friends, today's events only bring sorrow to mind knowing that friends and family have been lost and that some parents will no longer be able to bring their child home to their loving arms....

I am pleased to say that the UVA community is reaching out http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=1882

I have heard of a request for all UVA students and alumni to show support for the Orange and Maroon faithful tomorrow.. I plan to do so.... as part of the family of man......

Tada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here it is.. finally... got a picture of it.. the smallest sweater and hat I have EVER made... it is supposed to fit a 1 to 3 pound baby... I think it would end up more as a "presentation" aka burial outfit... but I don't know.. I am sending it to the coordinator of the Yahoo group I donate to so see if she thinks they can use more small ones like this..

This is the five hour baby sweater... you can find it all over the net and I have referred to it before in my posts... This one is baby softee yarn, on size 3 needles........

I don't know if posted it before, but I had 25 UFO's [unfinished objects] at the beginning of March. I have since finished 4 [this was one of them] and continue to work on the list.... I created a list on my PDA of UFO's and COMPLETED UFO's... hopefully I can continue to pare down that UFO list one by one.... I swear I think I have ADD when it comes to knitting....

Anyway... I am off to work on my son's Easter sweater... I am on the front..... so maybe I will be done in time....

Angels, Angels everywhere

I did this in one day believe it or not. It is a 12x12 square. I did not block it as I had to pack it tight to send to CANADA. It is a gift to an Internet friend who is making an afghan for her child.

I found the angel pattern on line...http://www.minidata.co.nz/major/freepatt/patt05a.htm [Thanks Loraine Majors.. you are SUPER] and WOW.... This is the second time I have used it.... It is versatile enough to adapt to various layouts... so far I have been using it in squares for afghans.. but I may try it on something else eventually.

I am still working on a long list of UFO's.. but it is hard to stay focused when so many patterns and yarns keep calling my name........ this little excursion is a good example as I had not planned even 1 week ago to do something like this... I am still working on my son's Easter sweater and will post a picture whenever I get it done... [the back is done.. but the front, oh the front.....]

To top it all off.. as spring approaches, I am a little less inclined to knit, or at least to knit with wool... Staying focused is going to be a task to say the least.......

WOA is me

I can't believe my hoos did it again... I really thought they could beat NC State and make it to the finals of the ACC Tournament... alas I was wrong.... I was knitting away on some WAHOO socks which I will post when more of the second is done.... when they LOST...... Such a good first half too......









Anyway I finished this project for a soon arrival at church... it is crochet.. not my favorite, but it was one of my UFO's so I decided to give it a good home...










Well spring is arriving in Virginia... here is some proof.......


And now I am off to knit some more.. and relax.. after a long day at work [10 hours], going to the Gym for 35 minutes and 2.3 miles on the Ski machine and then home... I am a little tired to say the least..... Add to that the Time switch.. and suffice it to say I won't be knitting that long tonite..... Maybe I can do some more on that Wahoo sock though....

My latest project

I have been knitting vigorously recently to finish this set.. I finished last night but only have pictures of part of the mittens.... Yarn is Pain Box Taki Charles.. and is the BOMB to knit with .... soft, easy. The scarf pattern was courteous my LYS and I made my own hat pattern. The mittens are basic.....

Temps here have dropped so much in the last few weeks I felt I needed this set more than ever...

Ice had been the item of the week.... and now that another "Clipper" is headed our way.. it is hard to tell what is next.... Maybe I need to start another set??????

I don't know what happened

I keep forgetting to take pictures of my baby sweaters... The last two have made it out of the house without pictures... alas... they were so cute too....

And then I took this hat and accidently fulled it... ... man am I mad at myself.. the only good thing is that I had wanted to have a better blue than the one I originally use.. so back to the needles it is...... ARGH.. and now that winter is really here too....... It would not be so bad fulled except the little pom pom area is now a tangled mess... I thought it could tolerate a cold water wash... NOT...... Well I will know next time.....

A new ERA

Yesterday I turned 40. In the not so distant past I might have thought this was not such a good thing... but in talking with numerous female friends [all 50+] I have decided that this is more of a turning point and opportunity.

I am hopeful of establishing some goals for myself that will carry me thru the coming decades as well as support my goals for my family.

I continue to knit, knit, knit on a preemie baby sweater.... I am trying to get it done so that the baby can wear it... I used the 5 hour baby sweater [Loraine Major's version http://www.minidata.co.nz/major/freepatt/patt01.htm
and did it with Kitchen cotton [Lilly Sugar n Cream] with size 6 needles. I think it will work for a 5 to 6 pound baby.. maybe up to 7 pounds, but I am guessing... All that is left are the sleeves [it will be seamless] and then I can send it off....... I hope to get a picture of it... I did do so with my last one [a peach version on size 7 needles]... and wish I had as I made my own hat pattern....

I am currently on a yarn diet and am trying [very hard mind you] to knit up my stash.. I just seem to have so much of it that it appears in nearly every room in the house... HOW DID I GET HERE????? Frankly I expect my projects to become more creative in the coming months... as I work on reducing the stash.

Another day more knits

I knitted these items for Heartfelt Angels a Yahoo group. All proceeds got to NICU's at several hospitals in Virginia.

As it may be apparent, I like to do hats... they are quick and fun and never get old for some reason.

I have also been working hard to get my Mustard yellow Merino roving spun. I am trying to give at least 15 minutes a day..... I mainly want to get the singles done so I can ply it and get to knitting.. Eventually it will be for my son... a sweater likely, but at the rate I had been going, it would have had to be socks as he often outgrows both my knitting and spinning speed [although I do tend to get sidetracked.] I will try to post a picture soon...

Well... off to some housework and then some knitting.... as I have a long weekend... maybe I can make more of a dent in my stash..... I have committed to myself that I will try not to buy any new yarns if at all possible, until I get my stash under better control... So far, so good....

Finally got it set up the way I like it

I finally got my blog page set up the way I like it.... Blue and ORANGE.....

GO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOS!

I am currently knitting several projects.... actually too many to list.. I need to get a few done before begining again, but alas I seem to have problems with that..... I am about to start a vest for my son in Green and some sprinkles of orange and blue [ok I could not resist].

Things that are finally here

Fall... It finally arrived... the leaves are coming down, the temps are colder, I am ready for winter squash and soup, soup, soup and soup.

UVA finally won a football game last week.. I was very happy especially since my car is like a walking advertisement....



I have started exercising [weights and cardio] and am hopeful of getting back in shape.... I have a great personal trainer at Golds Gym.

I am finally getting to work on Christmas gifts... I plan sweaters for my son, socks for friends, a couple scarves, a couple hats and am trying to come up with ia few more ideas.... I will post pictures as I get them finished.

What I like to knit

I belong to several knitting groups on line. Some are better than others. A few months ago I posted to one of the groups a prayer need for a friend with cancer. One member suggested making a blanket and several other liked the idea and said they would help. Now it has been 4 months and I have only 5 blocks from them... I have had to knit 30 blocks on my own, inbetween other projects. I need 3 more to complete the blanket/afghan. What did I learn... Many people have good intentions, but fail to act on them.

Here is a picture of what I have done so far..




What I really enjoy is to knit baby items and socks. I just finished a bunch of small infant and premie hats for a charity. here it the picture.

If you don't like BUSH you will like this

I recently took this picture and thought I would share it... It has nothing to do with knitting... But is definitely a conversation maker

Where I enjoy knitting

I have been knitting more than posting recently... But I decided tonite to at least post where I enjoy doing most of my knitting.... Here is a picture.

I have been knitting here at lunch on about 1 to 2 days a week for several years. This is an older cemetery in Salem, Virginia. It is quiet, no one bothers me... HA HA and I can really get some knitting done as well as escape my work for a while. I have been doing Genealogical research for 27 years, so cemeteries are very comforting to me. This is in fact the only time I can even half way combine my two favorite interests.

When I tell people I do this they give me some really weird looks... I knit in public a great deal and often get comments... In fact all of my doctors and even my son's doctors know to expect knitting when I visit. But NO ONE in my acquaintance has not been surprised about this knitting place.
I hope to take some pictures of my most recent "WAHOO" creation. And share soon...

Winter in Virginia... NOTTTTTT

Well it is supposed to be winter here in Virginia, but it does not seem like we will be seeing it. I am raring to make a knitted headband of orange and blue... but don't even know if I will get to wear it since the temperatures seem to keep hovering above 50 or better most of the time.

Somehow I can't seem to stay away from orange or blue yarns... I have so many variations in my stash... As soon as I get one of the items done I will post a picture.

My first Post

Today I decided to start a Blog. I don't have that many friends who knit and sometimes just need to get my thoughts out.

My birthday is in one week. This year my husband decided to take me to a yarn store I found a few weeks ago and let me get whatever I wanted. The store is in Bedford Virginia and is worth the Trip. Yarn Theory has one of the nicest owner and she is so helpful. Anyway I had a blast, getting sock yarn, Flax for a sweater for me and some of my favorite colors [orange and blue] for a new Wahoo project.

I spin as well and am hoping to dye some yarn blue and orange.. but will have to wait a while as I have many UFO's awaiting completion......

I did just finish a prayer shawl from the PRAYERSHAWL MINISTRY and gave it to an acquaintance who has breast cancer. I don't know how many of these shawls I will eventually make, but it was so nice to be able to do this for her and felt great to be able to tell her I had prayed for her as I knit the shawl.