Arrrrrgggghhhhhhhh! This is all that's left!

This is all that's left! That's right......after ripping back 64 rows more than 7 inches stitch by stitch to get to a dropped stitch! Aaaaarrrgggghhhh! Of Course I don't use "Life Lines" it would have made this too easy! So it had to be "unknit" stitch by stitch so I did not disturb the already disturbed pattern. It took longer to unknit those 7 inches than it did to knit them. Will I start using "Life Lines" now? No I hate them. I will have to watch more carefully and stretch the pattern to look more often. I shouldn't complain too much since I have loved seeing the lace come to life. I don't have time for more mistakes like this I have a Deadline!

The Wedding Shawl!

This was the Big Secrete Project!

From the moment I saw the dress at the first fitting I Knew she needed a shawl to go with it and "I" was just the person to knit it! The dress is called "Mermaid" style but I am old enough to think "Mae West." Those women always had some type of stole  to remind them to keep the shoulders up and elbows back.

Then I got to thinking about what I wanted it to mean, and what I really wanted to give her. The wedding dress she would never wear again, but I wanted to be something she could wear again and still have special meaning. I choose a segment of pattern stitch from the "Simurgh" pattern because the shaped of the scallops went perfectly with the lace on the dress.  It's a start in the center and work to the end pattern. As I worked I thought about adding beads to the edges "of Course".
I had boxes of  Antique beads from her Grandmother and Great Grandmothers who use to knit fine beaded purses in the 1920's.      We ended up with a stole that was a gift from her generations past with new crystals added by me.There was Old, New, and a Borrowed Blue bead from another project hidden in one corner. It is something she will always be able to wear.

I gave it to her the morning of her wedding BEFORE makeup! She was so surprised and happy.

Tootie Testing.

   This is Tootie one of my "Fur Children." He is sitting in a basket of knit squares that will be a blanket for my Grandson max. He is the official softness tester. He finds a way to get on top of almost everything I have ever knit. It's a tough job but someone has to do it!

   Well since moving to Arizona I have certainly changed my knitting habits. I no longer knit tons of socks.......it never seems cold enough to wear them. I have been knitting more lace than anything.  I knit a special Wedding Stole for my daughter which I will do a whole post on. I couldnt talk about it since it was a secrete. I have been knitting these mitered squares but I  can only do so many.......then I have to stop they make me crazy!  I started a peach lace piece I have enjoyed working on and I am about to start another piece which might just be a birthday present.  I hate to say too much too soon.

  I also have a baby sweater to start........PINK! I am so excited a friend had a Baby Girl and I finally get to knit something in Pink! I have everything, I just need to sit down and start it. It's a good thing I like to have more than one thing on the needles!

Knitting in Hell

 I have not posted in several months, there was obviously a great deal of work to be done with all the moving. The Day we arrived in Arizona it was 95 degrees F. The next  day  it went up to 105 F,  then 110F and stayed there for several months. I had no desire to touch any fabric. It was so hot I would have taken my skin off if I could. It was too hot to go in the pool until the sun went down.! It finally cooled off in November and I am liking the Winter Just Fine! I know by summer the Chicago Sludge I have in my veins will have thinned out and next summer won't be so hard on me.

This lovely Red Scarf is a gift for a friend of my daughter. I originally downloaded the pattern probably from Ravelry but I don't remember it was the Christmas Rush!. I kept the main body but changed the ends and added some beads. I just can't seem to stay away from them can I? I like to Torture myself!

The yarn is Valley 2/14 Alpaca Silk and I love it. I  used this yarn for a Cream colored Shawlette (forgot to take pictures! it's gone) and it came out wonderful! Warm, strong, and light. I think I need one now. (yeah we'll see how far I get with that !)



The Richness of the browns is not showing in this picture of the socks. The yarn is STR lightweight in "Petrified Wood" colorway. Just Love IT! Since my hubby has huge feet the heels and toes will be in black. I ALWAYS have a skein of STR Black for this reason. One skein isn't enough and two has SO much left over! One Skein of Black will do a whole lot of heels and toes!

These Red Hot Little Socks will Be MINE! There are no birthdays coming up fast so they won't be a last minute gift to someone else. Anyone else know how that goes?We did get a bit of cool weather all the way down in the 60's for the day time high! Brrr. (snigger) But when the days were in the 60's some of the nights got below freeing and THAT'S when we found out the Heater part of the thermostat was broken! Can't get a repairman out over Thanksgiving weekend! Out of all the Socks I have ever knit I had 2 pair in my drawer, some how that just did not seem right.So this pair is for me! The kids have all let me know they would like more socks. Funny I was thinking they were tired of getting socks for Christmas. So I can see a great deal of sock knitting in my warm weather future.

  Since it cooled down enough to finally handle some nice fiber I would really like to dig into another wrap or shawlette while I can.  I have thought about knitting "Simurgh"  (Big Blue Bird) again in a finer yarn like the Valley2/14 so it would be more open. But I always like to take on a new challenge. 

   The other thing on my mind has been using all of those sock yarn remnants to make a mitered square blanket for my Grandson. Something big enough to cover him and small enough to drag around if he wants. The sock yarn will wear and wash well. Another one of those sock bag size projects you can carry around since the pieces are so small.

THIS is my Beautiful Birthday Cake!  My daughter Sarah had it made for me. She has a friend who is a Pastry Chef and I think he would put  the "Ace of Cakes" to Shame.There is a scarf over the top, socks on the sides,  and balls of yarn on the top.  You can't see the sides but is a woven knitting basket. It tasted just as good as it looked! Yum!