What alot of bloggin' going on!

So, since I'm new to blogging I decided to cruise around - especially the San Diego knitters ring I'm waiting to be approved to get into and I noticed several things:
1. Bloggers are prolific writers! I like that. I like writing down my thoughts and rather than inflict them on some rapless souls that get my looong e-mails better to just post them for someone to read or not - as they wish.
2. These new knitters are young, cute things! How nice! I remember when I used to knit when I first joined the Army - lo these many years ago - my EX husband - note emphasis on EX used to tease me about being the youngest grandmotherly type in the world. I'm still not a grandmother but there are times my incessant knitting makes me feel more matronly than I did before I took up knitting again.
3. You knitters get gother and go to fun places like L.A. Oooh! I wanna come, too! I did my fellowship at Cedars-Sinai and I love L.A. and am always looking for an opportunity to run on up to the big city.

So, other than my observations I will add that I got started on a new project last night and went to bed pretty late since I just could not put it down until it was big enough to transfer to my circular needles vs. the dpns that I really do not like.

It is so rainy out. I don't care that we need the rain my whole body wants the sun out more. So, since it is rainy out DH requested a pot of chili for dinner so I suppose I should get it started. After dinner is the designated knitting time and since our big plans for New Year's eve is to stay home with the kids and watch the Penguin movie I should get a good two or three hours in on my new little baby blankie which I'll take a picture of as soon as it's large enough to not be invisible.

So, I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of this blog thing. I thought I'd post a link to my wonderful home business so anyone into knitting can also check out how to make some money while getting the toxic junk out of their homes and bodies. Yeah! After about 30 minutes of trying to decipher computer code I figured out where to paste in the link to my other website. Check it out, register for a little presentation and make a resolution for 2006 and to healtier and more convenient than 2005.

This is my first stab at "Shadow Knitting" and is the scarf pattern from the book of that title. The black yarn is alternated with Noro yarn, Kochoran-36, which yes, is frightfully expensive for a scarf - in my opinion. I fell in love with shadow knitting when I first laid my eyes on a Hanne Falkenberg kit at the spectacular knitting store I visited while on tour with the La Jolla Symphony Chorus in Mendocino, CA last summer called the Mendocino Yarn shop - link here: http://www.mendocinoyarnshop.com/ Wonderful help in that shop and I could happily move there tomorrow if my own home wasn't so perfect now. Anyway, before starting on my recently purchase Hanne kit I wanted to try my hand at Shadow Knitting on something let expensive or fromidible. So, while knitting the aforementioned blanket during my son's orthodontist appointments he kept teasing me about that being his "scarf". I told him each time that it was a baby blanket. Well, for the December appointment I was knitting a poncho set for my niece and her doll - no picture - and he asked if THAT was his scarf. I looked at him and said "Do you really want a scarf?" He said sure. I reminded him that we live in Southern California and scarf weather was few and far between here but nevertheless, if he wanted a scarf I'd make him a scarf. So, I also figured that - although I think scarf knitting is as boring as watching paint dry - I could use the experience to learn a new skill. Voila! Shadow Knitting. It is nearly finished and will be ready to gift at the January appointment and hopefully I'll not be scarf knitting again for awhile. Hanne - watch out. Oh, yeah - I have another pregnant friend to take care of first. But then it's certainly time for the Hanne mermaid kit.

Once again - so sorry for the lousy quality of the the image. This blanket is really the impetus behind my starting a knitting blog. I'd knit a gorgeous baby blanket for a lady in our bible study last summer who's baby was due in August. I only found out about the shower a month before the party and then picked out this pattern. I think it's a little Coats and Clark book of baby blankets - this is on the back cover. The lady at the yarn shop said I'd be at it forever and would probably lose my mind. How's that for helping with a sale. Very strange. Anyway - she was right about the "taking forever" part so while running out of time I ran out and bought a ton of Berroco Plush in baby colors and whipped up a very plush blanket in about two weeks. Unfortunately I couldn't be at the shower but I was told it was the hit of the pary. Unfortunately I've never seen the mom take it anywhere I've seen the baby since - wonder if it's a case of "It's too nice to use". You can't win on these things. I obviously never got a shot of that blanket. This one was picked back up after that when I found out our former nanny was pregnant and due the end of October. I love the pattern of this with the slip stitches giving it a sort of plaid look to it. The part that did nearly cause me to lose my mind was the lacy edging. Merde!! I started it, ripped it out, tried a crochetted edge, ripped it out, looked at every edge in "Knitting on the Edge" and relented and did the stinkin' patterned edge and sewed it on so I could just be done with it. So, yes it is December and yes the baby was born the 22nd of October and YES I have asked repeatedly to come over and deliver a gift. But I've not heard from our new mommy and hope all is well with the busyness of the holidays SO.... I'm putting it in the mail TODAY and I figured no more will my projects be relegated to mere memory. Therein lies the purpose of the creation of my blog. So there!

Here's my first stab at blogging about my knitting obsession. Here is a picture of my project bag that I made last summer after getting tired of hauling my projects around in old shopping bags. This is from Knitter's Stash and is called "My Constant Companion" which that has become. Every knitting store I've been to has felted projects so I wanted to felt something and thought this a good candidate. It has pockets for the outside and I knit those and they had you felt everything separately. The pockets with their design felted in an odd shape and then it was too hard to sew on the heavy material and since I'd already begun to use it I figured why mess with success. I love this bag. It is roomy and very sturdy. Best part is the angora has not shed a bit after the felting. I bought a book of bags to felt as I'm dying to do another one but haven't gotten to it in my long list of pattern want to do list. My apologies about the quality of the pictures. I don't have a reliable digital camera yet so I used my picture phone.