So Tired...

Ok, I guess it's normal to tire out but I am Exhausted! I'm not even done around the tree either, and that has to get done. I have a poor rose bush waiting to be planted, and the hibiscus...oh, and the sweetheart rose, which is moving into the front of the tree. Right now, of course, it's at the back of the tree. LOL. Nothing could possible BE where I want it to be to begin with!

I feel like staying inside, knitting and house cleaning...doing some laundry, maybe steam cleaning the living room carpet. Or, maybe just the knitting! :)

I was taking LONG knitting breaks at the beginning of this project, but those were small enough jobs that I didn't have crap all over the lawn that way, for days. My policy *was* to do one amazing job per week. My youngest daughter is back home today so she's a lot of help too.

I've got my eye on the Red Bird website...I'm craving some beautiful yarn. I deserve it with all the hard work...or that's what I'm telling myself (and my husband!) This morning though, I saw the Knitting Haus site and they have Brittany needles for like 6 bucks american, mind you, but an amazing deal. I WISH they had wool of some sort.

Ok, off to have coffee...and maybe I'll find some energy...or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Another Living Pond Picture

You can see the fish in this one... I've even got algae growing on the rock now that I have the waterfall working properly :)

I buried the hose for it behind the waterfall rock and under a series of rock...along with the cords. I have to keep it running very very slowly though or I lose water to the garden...it seems to run under the rock and back. Now that I've put a lot more rock underneath and fixed the flow, it's run well for a week, so here's hoping it stays that way!

The Living Pond

I am so happy with the digital camera! I've realized (yeah, I'm slow) that I can crop the pictures and get the most amazing close-ups. So fun! I took a bunch of pictures last night just to crop, to play.

Selbuvotter Mittens!

These are a pair of the mittens from the Selbuvotter book. The pattern is Annemor #16 and I'm using Patons kroy as the solid, Austermann step as the contrast.


I really like the pattern on the inside of the hand. I was careful to cast on in pattern and pick up for the thumb in pattern as well. I am happy with the result, you can barely see the join :)

Finished Annemor #15

Here are the Selbuvotter gloves, my first pair, all done :)

Thermal is Done!

Very, very pleased! I'm done Thermal from Knitty.com and am pretty happy with how it turned out.

The yarn was Elann's 'sock it to me collection' sock yarn in two different shades (one navy/blues, one grey/black and both patterning) which should have done what you see in the sock at the left. I used lots of little balls to keep the yarn from doing it's patterning in the sleeves. I have a bit left and used a total of ten 50 gram balls.
I always add at least a couple inches in length because I have a long back/arms. I didn't add the buttons, but did do the button hole...maybe will do the buttons in future :)

Getting Stuff Done...

So, it's been bugging me lately that I had so many things half done, or almost done...basically I'm bugged by the 'not done' part! I've managed to finish the Thermal sweater from Knitty (pictures to follow soon) and the Selbuvotter gloves are finished (last night). Ok, so that leaves me with the Frost Flowers and Leaves edging to complete. Not too bad. I feel so much more organized with fewer things on the go. My son's gansey has yet to be ripped out and redone, but since that has to be started completely over, it isn't *really* half done!

I have to get back outside and work on the yard today. It's garbage day tomorrow and I ran out of those recycle bags....there is a pile of sod I dug up waiting to be shaken and put into bags. Not fun. I want it done though, if it rains on the pile, I'm scared it will become impossible or really, really, really hard!

Housework seems to be in a holding pattern, lol, hasn't become any messier or any cleaner over the last few days....though I should likely be carpet cleaning. I swear the dogs have 'called' different things to wreck around here...the little one has definitely called the carpets! I had every stain out just a few weeks ago, and want to keep it that way. At this point, the Daisy dog is winning.

My Spot

This is my favorite spot to sit, and a better picture of the pond :)

See the smallish flat rock which is lower than the others? That's the one where I like to sit...so peaceful!

Lace Front Sweater from Lingerie Style

This is the Lace Front Sweater from the book 'Knitting Lingerie Style' by Joan McGowan-Michael. I used Elann's 'Mr. Joe Blanket' (in lilac, I think), a sport weight yarn with stretch. I love the stretch...the yarn is super soft and the fit is perfect because the stretch keeps it from bagging at the elbows or anything like that. Another thing I really like about this sweater is the neckline. I was thinking about making it as a pullover...eliminating the split at the front...it would be, I think, the most comfortable v-neck pullover for winter.
It was really hard to get good pictures...I'm not much of a self-photographer, lol! I'm trying to get pictures of all my recent finished projects up.

Have to Start Knitting Outside!

Hopefully these pictures will show what I've been up to! I WISH I had a before picture to show you how much we have done.

It was the basic subdivision yard with a narrow concrete walkway and a small wooden deck....no gardens around the house except for the one beside the garage (the one I have still to rip out and redo...pictures in future!)




The overall effect is really peaceful and calm.....I'm keeping the gardens sparse and simple to keep this feeling. I love sitting out there so much that I think I may have to take up knitting outside on the rock!

The landscaping is looking awesome!!

So, haven't knitted anything in days, BUT the reason is excellent! :)

The landscaping is done (ISH), lol, and we've gotten some plants for the gardens/walkways/pond area. It looks beautiful. I'll try to post pictures that do it justice :D

Fits like a glove :)

Here is my first glove from 'Selbuvotter, Biography of a Knitting Tradition' by Terri Shea'.

The pattern is "Annemor #15" with some variation on the one finger (made the longest one longer)

I am using Patons 'kroy' as my solid and Austermann 'step' as my pattern colour. I love how the colour shifts in the pattern using this wool. I have another ball in blues which I plan to use the same way. With four kids and a dh who spends his days outside, I can never have enough winter gear here!

The two cutest dogs in the world!

This is my Austermann Step I was craving... the browns will be with the Kroy, I think, in a pair of stranded gloves and the blues will make nice socks for myself or one of the kids :)

You have to wonder about some people... I purchased these from my LYS and was in there two days last week...one day to buy the browns, two days later to buy the blues...dealt with the same lady...it is a VERY small and not very busy location...and she didn't even act like she knew me, recognized me or anything of the sort....I was not very impressed and felt extremely low on their priority list. This is one of the reasons people are just as happy or happier shopping online...in my opinion.

The sweater I was working on in the acrylic (purchased the week prior from the same aforementioned LYS) for my son...the gansey...is TOO SMALL. Well, I suppose not quite yet, but it would fit him for about two weeks so I'm pulling it back out. I guess I should go about half way between the first two sizes for width and maybe go with the large for length in body and sleeves. The kid is bigger than he looks. I think maybe I should measure one of the shirts which fit him nicely rather than measuring the child, lol.

My 'thermal' in the elann 'sock it to me collection' sock yarn is coming along nicely. I think it will fit :D I have to finish the second sleeve and the neck line...should be taking a picture soon!

Good Morning :)

Sunday morning and cold as CAN BE here for July. Not that I'm complaining...I'm not really fond of the million degree weather we normally endure. Alright, an exaggeration...but you know.

I bought my Step that I've been craving. In TWO colours...cause I was short of wool. LOL. I have a beautiful ball in blues and another beautiful ball in browns. I think the blues will be socks and the browns will be gloves. Of course, that could change :)

These are my 'breeze' socks (from knitty) done in Elann Esprit (cotton/elasic mix). Really comfortable and washable too!

I knitted them with the called for needles, even though the yarn is sport weight and made them the 'small' size. They fit perfectly, as I like, when stretched.

So, sitting here at 8 am and all I can think about, lol, is going back to the yarn store (was there a couple days ago) and getting the Austermann Step I saw there! Ahh, beautiful colours, AND I know they only get a bit in here and there. I want it before it sells. Like I need yarn! But, it has that nice aloe and jojoba in it and I think it would be EXCELLENT for a pair of gloves, with a white superwash as the contrast....

I'm sure of it.

I'm going to the wool store today :)

Working on the yard...

We've been busy :) We dug a pond and what a job! We dug it under the rock and now have the waterfall going over the rock...very beautiful now that it's done!

This is a good picture of the rock deck we just put in. Going with the whole 'rock garden' theme. The yard is so much nicer now :) Of course, many many gardens need to be planted to finish it off.

This is the walkway I built and put in with the slate from the fallen down barn...some of the slate could have been thicker but most of it was pretty good. I've planted irish moss between the stones and some alpine calamint. Both are supposed to be hardy enough for a walkway. Here's hoping!

Kiddo had a great time helping me out yesterday. His sisters weren't home so it was just us. He's a hard worker :) Now he's looking forward to getting some goldfish for the pond.

This is my palette sampler pack from Knitpicks.

I think (hope, pray) that this will work for some of the mittens and gloves from the Selbuvotter book! I'm like a kid with a pack of the Good Crayons...I love just looking at the colours LOL.

My book arrived yesterday! It is a beautiful book of beautiful and interesting patterns....I can't wait to work on these :)

Happy Tuesday :)

I can't believe it either, but LOOK at the new SOFT beautiful acrylic yarn I found at my local yarn store yesterday! It is James C Brett "Marble". I love the colours...so many beautiful ones to choose from. I went with this water-colour blue and green mix for my son's sweater.

The garnsey sweater from "Handknit Holidays" is what I've cast on for. This (for me) knits to a heavy worsted though it says DK on the label. Very odd...I can usually rely on ball band gauge. I'm making adjustments by sizing down (small makes medium). I'm only a couple stitches off guage, but they WILL add up!