I am feeling a bit panicked looking at the calendar and realizing that there are only 25 days left until Christmas! I haven't even begun my Christmas shopping! I do have a couple of knit gifts completed, but many more in the wings. Ahhhh!!! However, I did manage to get my meathead hats completed for the knit along. They took 1 1/2 hours to whip up. I had many ideas for the embellishments, but this is what I settled on.



You can check out the others on flickr. They are really adorable and very creative!
My wonderful mother is in town, and she helped with the crochet border of my pie wrap. I really should learn to crochet, but for some reason I have NO interest. As soon as I get pictures I will post those.
We will be busy sewing the childrens Christmas jammies today so that I can get those checked off the list!

We are heading out to my sisters home for Thanksgiving, and with a 7 hour drive, I can really get a lot of knitting in. Especially with the 3 children confined to their seats!!

Hmmm, there is this. I know it doesn't look like much, but it will be the sweater I put on in the a.m. over my jammies........or the sweater I throw on while I am eating all of my ice in the dead of winter! The yarn is Classic Elite Charmed. 85% cashmere, 15% mohair..........feels great, and will replace the grey cashmere sweater, with the holes, that I wear every morning!


Then there is this. This is also an easy knit. Good for the car. I purchased this from Sarah, at Knot Another Hat this summer. I should have made this sweater a while ago, because now little Hannah is at least a month old and I still haven't given her a baby gift! I should really get this done.

Then there is this. I started this last summer. I really don't like it, but that is only because of my yarn choice. I used something from my stash that has angora in it, and I hate the shedding! I should just frog it, but the other side of me HAS to finish it. Just something about frogging I don't like, but should......I just wonder if maybe it will be cute over a jean jacket. Hmmmm. Well, I think I will throw all in the car.....who knows, the 7 hour trip may take 10 with all of the traffic around NYC. (yay!)

And this is one of the things that I am most thankful for. Little hands that made this little drawing............Happy Thanksgiving to you!

our hometown hats


I had every intention to do the hello yarn,"we call them pirates hat" for my oldest, however he had ideas on how he wanted his hat. Definitely pirates, long, like his brothers, and he wanted it to have a "fun" top. So........this is what we came up with. They both love them, and I thought they turned out pretty cute. I have a friend that wants the "we call them pirates hat" so I think I will eventually make that one.


These two hats took only 2 balls of cascade 220 superwash.

After reading Scouts meme a couple of days ago, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I had tears in my eyes, and am deeply saddened that she doesn't have her mother to share in her life anymore. Scouts mother sounds a lot like my mother. My mother has so much style in everything she does. She has knit since I was a baby, and her old Vogue Knitting Magazines are some of my prized possessions. I know that everyday with my mother in my life is a gift.

So, for scout:
1. How and when did you learn to knit? Who taught you?

Of course, you guessed it, my mother taught me to knit. It was in the 80's when I was in college at the University of Kentucky. My family spent Christmas in Jupiter Florida. I had a 3 week break. My sisters and father went back north, and my mother and I were left alone. (yay!) I had watched my mother knit for years, and didn't show much interest in knitting myself. Why knit when you have an expert that will knit for you? However, since Florida was having unusually cold weather, and I couldn't "lay-out" I asked my mom to teach me to knit. We made a trip to the local yarn store in West Palm Beach. (I remember that the woman who owned the yarn shop smoked, and all of the yarn smelled of smoke. Can you even imagine that today?)
We bought red, black and white wool yarn, and I started my first garment. A striped sweater. Yup, jump right in and never look back. We sat in our jammies everyday until the afternoon,watching movies and knitting. It was so great, and such a special time I will never forget. It is perfect having someone sitting next to you that can help you with all of the mistakes. And, when I boarded that plane back to Lexington, I was wearing my new hand knit sweater!

2. How has this craft impacted your life?

Wow, it has been my life, truly. I have knit for a boyfriend, my husband (although not much, he is too hot in sweaters), babies, children and friends. I have knit while doing everything, all of the usual and even lots of "unusual" things. I don't know what I would be doing without it. I think that my children just think that the needles are an extention of my fingers. I have my knitting with me at all times, and never leave the house without it. And, I have been like this for almost 20 years!!!!!!!!!!! The deep bond that my mother and I share from this is amazing........

3. Pick at least one person to talk about who you have met through the knit world and why you are thankful to have met them.

Hmmmm, I really don't have anyone to talk about except my mother. She has been the one that I turn to for everything........on knitting and in life. Years ago when I was knitting it was like we were the only two. We would wait for months for the new vogue knitting magazines to come in the mail. It was nothing like today with all of the books, stores and resources we have. I have been reading knitting blogs for a while now, and I guess I can say that I am thankful for knitting blogs and the people behind them. They remind me that I am not alone in my addiction. But, of course what I am most thankful for are my times with my mother. She lives in Florida now, but we still get together daily over the phone with our knitting and coffee.

Pretty scary: I can't seem to part with these. They are my early 90's vogue knitting sweaters.........first attempt at intarsia. "the world and "the universe" I promise, I don't wear them!

This is the Fall/Winter '67 Voque Knitting for 75c and this is my favorite picture from when I was young of my mother and I.

finished object:miracle leaf motif skirt

o.k., I have to say that I didn't think that I would like this on as much as I do. I thought it would be too tight and not fit well. It wasn't great until it was blocked, and I must say I do love it............I will probably wear it a little more casual, with boots and a jacket, but it is nice to know that it could be "dressed up". This did not take me long at all.....maybe 2 weeks. My photographer is just very busy. :)

Here is a close up of the bottom of the skirt. There is a small mistake in the pattern. They fail to tell you to do the 4 rows of garter stitch. I also did this in the round as to not have a seam up the side.

Here is the skinny:
Miracle Leaf Motif Skirt
Miracle by Classic Elite
7 hanks for size S in color 3385 on size US 6 needles

meet ivy

We celebrated a 7th birthday yesterday, and there to help was ivy (the name was prompted by his older brother). He woke up to the little guy and it was a welcome surprise to the usual birthday fairy balloons! He enjoyed breakfast with him (I did NOT plan his coordinating jammies) :) and was either carried or slithered throughout our home for most of the day.


This was such a great, quick project. It truly took about 2 days of barely working on it. I made his body about 46 inches long before beginning the head. I definately think this project should be kept in the car and worked on while waiting at lights, carpool lines, traffic, or even driving. Just teasing honey! (I have been known to knit and drive, very dangerous.) However, I do think this is a great gift for any little boy.

Here's the skinny:
1 skein cascade 220 color #9461, lime
1 skein cascade 220 color #9805, ruby
Toys to Knit by Tracy Chapman

Doesn't every little boy need a snake? A knit snake that is. We have another birthday coming up. Our youngest will turn 7 on the 12th. Of course, on his list, is a monkey like his sisters. AHHHH, I don't think I can make another one. So,I went off to the lys for yarn for this snake. I think he is pretty darn cute, and my bet is he will too!

It was a 4 day long celebration. But hey, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. (My Birthdays are always a week long celebration). This is the 3rd homemade cake that marked her 9th birthday. She loves anything homemade. I of course told her I would buy her a cake from MY favorite bakery, but her favorite bakery is right here! I also told her I would buy her chicken nuggets (BIG treat since we never eat fast food) for her party. No, she wanted me to make chicken on a stick from barefoot contessa. I also was unsure what she wanted to give her friends for party favors. She wanted me to MAKE headbands. Now this little girl does appreciate the things in this world that are made by hand. I do believe she is off on the right foot!!!

Meet Frankie

My daughter turned 9 today (oh my gosh). She LOVES monkeys. She was so thrilled with this little guy! I found the pattern on Monday and immediately wanted to begin. Since my lys was closed, I had to use yarn from my stash! I HATE using my stash yarn. I am definately the type that wants to use what the pattern calls for and/or buy new yarn. I don't know, knitting with yarn I have already knit with to me is just not much fun. Most of the time I was thinking "this is going to be the ugliest monkey ever! However, I am pretty pleased with the result. Especially after her reaction. I did run out of yarn on Wednesday and had to have my sweet sister overnight yarn from her stash to me! Thanks a million, shell!

This is what the "birthday girl" woke up to

and this was "frankie" yesterday at 4pm. Ahhhh! I was just so happy to have gotten it made on time. Now I am off for a weekend long birthday celebration!

ahhhh..........sweet november! Have you ever seen the movie? It is truly one of my favorites, staring Keanu Reeves, and Charlize Theron. It takes place in one of my favorite spots.......San Francisco. "Sara Deever" (Charlize Theron) is this carefree, bubbly, eccentric woman who shares her heart and her apartment with a man she feels she needs to change. She loves life, and nothing seems to upset her. "Sara" is a knitter who always seems to be wearing something she made. This is what inspired me to make this wrap and these fingerless gloves a few years ago. "Sara" is wearing both in almost every scene. This movie was on T.V. not too long ago. I saw the rating. 1 STAR! What? I LOVE THIS MOVIE! I even OWN this movie! See it for yourself, but be sure to grab the box of tissues. and.........happy sweet november.