I'm Moving

Hey guys, this blog is shutting down!

If you'd like to join me at the new place, please send me your email address where I can send you the address to my new blog.

Email me at

buttah@sbcglobal.net

Purple Cloud

Pattern: Cloud Bolero (modified to be a 1/2 length sleeve cardigan) by Ysolda Teague.
Yarn: Pattons SWS in Real Raisin
Needles: Size 11

This yarn sheds a lot but the sheen and the color makes it worth it to me. Some might think it a bit itchy, but it's okay to me. I think I made a size small.

Oh That Envy.

I'd recognize that look anywhere. The one that needs no words, no frown, no smile. Just silent observation.

I try to keep a clean car. This means promptly removing any of our trash and belongings right along with ourselves everyday. That's why when I find stuff that belongs to the kids, I throw it right in their faces. They know the deal, yet they repeatedly test me.

Well, when tossing back Lil Man's favorite pair of ski gloves, I caught this look in Teddy Bear's eyes like, WTH? Just silence while driving for about 3 minutes. Then before we could even make it to the intersection...

"Mommy!"
"Yes?"
"Can you make me some gloves?"
"Yes."

No more words, just a sharp look towards Lil Man's way as if to say, how dare you tease me with those cool things. Lil Man never even noticed that she noticed the gloves and didn't even catch on with the verbal interchange.

Do you think she would let me forget? Huh! The very next time she caught me on the computer, she made sure it was because I was looking for her a gloves pattern. Now see, the only thing I had to do besides find a simple pattern was to convince her that mittens were just as cool as gloves. I'm trying to knit my own pair of gloves and have yet to figure out how to close those little gusset holes at the base of each finger. I'm so frustrated. So, do you think I'd dare to start myself yet another challenge on an even tinier scale? Not yet. Soon though, ya'll know me.

"Nooooo, glllllooooveees."

As if I didn't hear her the first time. So, I had to pull rank.

"What color do you want them?"
"I want pink and yellow and white and purple and blue."

I initially had a little panic attack of the prospect of having to search for something in this bizarre colorway, but then noticed out the corner of my eye that she was eying my stash. She'd found some cheap sport weight acrylic that I'm sure I copped from Walmart umpteen years ago before I realised me and my yarn would be this close. Exxxxxxcellent.

Although it took me two tries to get it right (I was sleepy and rushing the first time), after the third mitten, I got a pretty cool pair of rainbow crazy, that'll do, "can you please knit faster?", "ha ha ha, yaaay", mittens.

And oh, big brother, you don't have to look at my green eyes anymore, but you do have look at these fabulous rainbow mittens that Mommy made for me and not you. "Ha Ha!"

Knitted on size 7 circulars I made the K1, P1 ribbing a half inch longer than recommended. The rest of the dimensions were just fine. Find the pattern here.

February Lady Sweater

I've been finished with this sweater for some time.

Today is the third time I'm wearing it.

Guess this means that I love it.

This pattern was easy, the fit is great, and I love the yarn I chose. Although it is starting to pill, I love the way it hangs.

I'll come back to post the specifications later, but here are some pictures for now.

And the shoes to match!

Cloud Cardigan

I fell in love with this bolero before I even knew how to knit lace.

It seemed perfect for the Patons SWS that Teddy Bear rejected. Two balls would have been enough for a bolero, but I wanted a cardigan so I'm working on about my 5th ball.


The sleeves are challenging me since the would have been bound off by now if I'd stuck with the pattern.

I'm going to have at it again today, because aside from that, the pattern is great.

Flower Scarf

I want to make my own coat. I found a pattern that's supposed to be really easy, except I can't find a fabric I like.

I want a brown and light blue plaid. I think this is why I don't sew much. All that work and I want some fabrics that I want. I can't even find a border print for the dress I wanted to do. We just don't seem to have a big selection in stores in my area.

Anyway. I envision wearing a flower scarf with matching gloves with my coat whenever I get it done. Before fall ends I hope.

Here's what I have so far.


Everything was copesthetic when I first sat down to make this scarf. For a hot second I thought that I might make these as Christmas gifts because it takes so little yarn and time. Then I got to the flower.

Impossible to do on DPNs I say! I had to go to circulars for sure and since I don't have size 5's I had to use my size 4 Addi Turbos. Do you see the nasty kinks this flower put in the cord? Uh! And all the little finishing details after that are irking me for some reason. And because I had to go down a whole needle size, my flower shrunk.

Warning!: Do not start that flower while experiencing PMS. I still have to crochet around the edge of the flower and will be using those long tails you see to do that. The pattern keeps saying to cut these 36" tails. Wayyyyyy too long in most cases and the length of the tails just added to my frustration. I could have just used one ball (110 yds) if it wasn't for those too long tails.

Otherwise, the project still went quickly because it was so small. It was actually a diversion from my Cloud Cardi whose modified sleeves are challenging me.

Pattern: Flower Scarf
Yarn: Queensland Bebe Cotsoy 50% Cotton 50% Soy, Very soft!
Colorway: Light Blue
Needle Sizes: 5 US, 4 for the dumb flower
Yardage: 115?
Time to make: 4-8 hours.

Chemo Hat

I made Teddy Bear a hat that covers her ears. She rejected it.

Color was great, but the yarn too scratchy. It was Paton's SWS in Real Rasin. Hah! You thought I didn't know the color, didn't you?

Well, I really fell in love with the look of the yarn. Even though it's not the softest in the world (it's really not that bad) and its splits if you're not careful, I thought that it would be perfect for my Cloud Cardigan.

So I gave up on her and bought a fleece hat from Old Navy for just $1. She loved it. Then I ran across this ear flap hat on Ravelry and decided to give it a try with my scrap. Great idea.

Pattern: Chemo Ear Flap Hat
Yarn: Lorna's Lace Shepard Sock Multi & Lion Brand Cotton Ease for the trim.
Coloryways: I don't knoooooow. =P
Amount used: About 95% of one skein sock yarn held double. Scrap amount of Cotton Ease.
Needle Size: US 6
Hook Size for trim and flower tassels: F
Time to make: about 4-6 hours

Only thing I didn't like was the gap in the back. I don't know how to fix this. This hat can be easily converted to crochet. Any experienced crocheter can read this pattern over and will know exactly what to do. I can help you with that if you like.

Still Spinning

It was only my second class. So this means only the 3rd and 4th hours of instruction. And by the end I had...

THIS!

I wonder if I can make as much during my last class. She'll be bringing alpaca and her drum carder. Grrrrrr. I wanted to make enough to possibly make another Hemlock Ring Blanket, but the carding will be so hard to resist.

First Yarn

Well, I've been wanting to learn how to do this for years now.

As usual, I tried to teach myself. I used a bottom whorl drop spindle.

It didn't work out.

I got all kinds of frustrated and discouraged. All I was left with was NOT any yarn, but hurt feelings and disappointment. I don't know why I get so emotional with this yarn. Sometimes I think I must be sick in the head.

Well, I finally found a class near me. With a store I like. For a reasonable price.

For $79 I get 7 hours of instruction, all the roving I can use, use of a wheel ( there were 4 different types, with the possibility of checking the wheels out with a credit card number), personal instruction, and Teddy Bear was well received although she was up in every new spinner's business.

This was invaluable. I mean, the instructor couldn't hold my hands, cause I needed to use them. But, she was sitting right in front of me guiding me with her words and suddenly I experienced an epiphany and began to spin some yarn fairly uniform in size without breaking the strand or hanging up the wheel with my tangles and mistakes.

Believe me, I've had quite a stressful week that left me with feelings of devastation. Well, while making my yarn, I didn't think at all about my stresses. Nor was I ever even hungry. Hmmmmmm.

You see this right here?! What's that in that picture, bloggers. Huhhhhh??? Yayee, yaay-eeeeeee!!!!! You KNOW!


That there is 100 grams of a combo of thread, lace, fingering, DK, aran, and chunky weight yarns all in one center pull ball. Isn't it beautiful?

Next week I will be making another one and spinning it into two ply with this one.

Oh yes, my February Lady Sweater is completed, but I haven't found buttons I like yet, or accessories to go with it. I'm trying to step my posting game up, so I want to do it right this time.

February Lady Sweater

I started a new project. It's getting cooler and of course this make knitting/crocheting more fun.

I think the February Lady Sweater is a perfect project for fall.

I plan on looking very shaggy glamorous in this sweater, hope it works out.

I'm using Cascade 220 on size 8 needles. This yarn is knitting way better than I remember from last time. I expect it to yield better results too. I've seen all the different versions in Ravelry, and I like the ones in Cascade 220 best. Cascade 220 Heathers even had a color that was identical to the samples. You can't beat the price.

I love the color, whatever it's name is. I'm sure I've seen a Kathy bag in the exact same color. I'm going to start looking for that.

The pattern is easy and seems to be going quickly.