Marigolds

So, after last night is which I made 1 60" I cord and 2 20" ones, I needed some serious rewards. At breakfast, P says to me, "Mommy, the marigold I planted for you bloomed!!!" Sure enough, the marigold he grew from seed at preschool and gave me at the Mommy Day Tea has bloomed. I'm not sure which was prettier, the blooms or the smile (but man that smile can melt me!). In honor of P's marigolds, I bring you marigold the yarn!!

The pictures are without and then with flash. The vividness of the yellow, orange, and peach is closer to the flash picture.

Itty Bitty Hats

Back home again. Well, for four days anyway. We had a lovely trip to the Cape. Beautiful weather and another nice boat trip this morning. Knitting-wise I took a little break of sorts. I decided to get some instant gratification and knit up some baby hats. I got Itty Bitty Hats from the library last week. I put in the request last December! So, here is my parade of hats!!
Standard seed stitch brim hat, size 1-2 (handdyed Lion Wool)
Adorable flower hat, size 6mo-1year (Cascade 220 pink, Lion wool cream)
Seed stitch brimmed square hat with pom poms, size 6-12 mo (as above)
Bear hat, I made two. One is newborn and one is 12 months. (Lion Wool brown)
The cutest bonnet ever (Marshmellow Bonnet). I used the summer flowers yarn dyed back a few days. In the seed stitch, the colors meld together and look BEAUTIFUL! I used the leftovers for the first hat. (handdyed lion wool)

This will be the ribbon hat (see the holes). I did this on the car ride so it still needs finishing and ribbons. Size is 3-4T. (Bernat I think denimstyle. I got this for $1 at Joanns. It is very soft)Cotton standard hat, size 6 months. Also in the car, so not yet finished! (cotton silk yarn I got from a swap, no tags).

Now that I am home, it is back to finish work on my sample knits. Then to T's vest.

A Picture is Worth, well, At Least a Few Words

Here are the pictures of some recent work.

Here is the progress on T's vest. I'm just at the armhole of the front.

I also finished a Wavy scarf, from Knitty, in pink Cascade 220. I made it thinner (24 sts I think) but nice and long. About 1 skein I think. And I have an excuse for the way I look. I just got out of the swimming pool and it is 85 degrees outside!!

And last but not least, a felted bowl. The yarn is Lopi that I dyed in a swirly purple using blue and pink dyes (overdying). I used two strands together throughout on 10s. We picked out a few little things and are going to give it to A's teacher for an end of the year gift.

Back for a bit

Hi all! I am back from our Father's day trip to the Cape. It was nice, as always. We got the boat in and out without any major issues (phew!). We went out of the Cove and had a picnic in the boat near Nauset Beach. Then, we saw a seal! The kids were thrilled! Spent the rest of the time just relaxing and hanging around. I finished up the wazy scarf, got a bunch done on the vest (up to the armholes on the front), and made the pieces for two owls using the pattern designed by Crafty alien. Pictures will be up soon of all this stuff. If you haven't seen the little critters designed by crafty alien go search etsy RIGHT NOW! They are so darn cute. I got the owl pattern from a wonderful knitty member. If they turn out well, I will have to go back and buy some of the others (especially the cats). Well, off to the pool before the afternoon rainstorm begins. I'll get those pictures up tonight or tomorrow. We are back at the Cape come Wednesday after A's LAST day in Kindergarten. WAH! I don't want her ot go to school all day. All day school just stinks!!!!!!

Summer Garden

Well, we are on our way to the Cape where we always spend Father's Day. This year we'll be putting the boat in the water for the first time this season. Let's hope it doesn't sink (which is what happened last year when Wook and my stepdad put the boat in the first time. Something to do with a plug being in the wrong hole.)

I wanted to post the other yarn I dyed. We call it Summer Garden. It is also ww wool (~160 yards).

World of Color

I realized the other day that I have never posted any of my dyeing efforts. I really enjoying dyeing yarns and I love getting my kids involved too. Until recently, they thought Kool Aid was just yarn dye. We'd walk by that section in the grocery store and they'd ask if we needed any dye!! We'd get some odd looks! I always mean to make enough to sell, but seem to fall in love and not part with (much of) it. But, I am thinking of putting some of the best ones up for sale on etsy. I dyed ~300 yards of worsted weight wool yesterday in a gradient of a beautiful teal/blue. Just lovely. I have no idea how much to ask or expect. I guess I'll see what comparable yarns sell for and go from there!

Here are yesterday's efforts. I call in tide pool:

On the knitting front, I didn't get any work done on the vest (PTO meeting last night ran late). I did finish the heart scarf. It is lovely and I promise a picture after it is heavily blocked!

Well, I found a daytime project and got though about half of it! We tried to beat the rain and go for a swim. After about 10 minutes the rain started pouring down. I gave the kids a snack and let them watch an episode of Franklin (which is a great show based on the books) while we waited for the rain to stop. So, I got 30 minutes of knitting!

What is the project you ask? The heart scarf from the special breast cancer issue of knitty. I'm knitting it is worsted weight on 8s, so it is thinner and a bit lacey (which is what I was going for). It will be about 48 inches long, maybe a bit more after it is blocked. Oh, the yarn (from a swap) is red Sugarloaf Valley Yarns which is a merino/microfiber blend. I think it will be beautiful after blocking.

Here are my answers to the latest MEME!

#1 Is it about the finished item or about the process of knitting? Some of both? Has your focus changed one direction or the other over time? Definitely both. I really enjoy the process but the product at the end is my motivation!

#2 How do you view mistakes? Do you think they give your project character? Is it important to have one, as my Aunt says, because only God is perfect? Or would you rip all the way back to row 5 of your husband's finished sweater knit on size 3 needles to eradicate a mistake no one else would notice? HaHa! I like mistakes and expect that no one but me sees mine. I will rip out obvious stuff of course. I like the story that Persian rugs have one error put there on purpose. Kinda gets it out of the way so you aren't so worried about making a mistake.

#3 Would you rather knit a project that is comfortable for your skill level, or do you prefer a challenge that requires you to figure out new things? Both! I like to alternate between a challenge and something simple. The simple ones are sort of like comfort food for knitters!!

#4 What is something you really want to make but haven't yet? What holds you back? Is it money, skill level, time, fear of the unknown or something else? Can't think of a type of project I haven't done but want to. There are MOST definitely yarns I would love to try but as a stay at home mom on a budget I just can't justify. But I deal with that by swapping or buying just a single ball of nice yarn for a small project.

Fun fun!!