A New Project and Cat Pictures!

After my pre-Christmas rush to finish things I found myself without knitting after Boxing Day. This wouldn't have been so dismaying, but I had a long car ride ahead planned for December 27th.

Aside: A friend was picking up a Ragdoll Cat from a farm near the Quebec border and I volunteered to ride shotgun. Heck, for a day away from the kids, I'd have strapped myself to the roofrack. The trip was close to 6 hours each way and even figuring that a good part of it would be too dark to knit, I still had some hours to fill.

I used the two skiens of reclaimed sari silk/wool blend that Sarah had sent to me to try Amy's Flappy Bag (indigirl.com) It's drying pinned to a board and of course the photo didn't turn out, so you'll have to wait for the finished object.

Here is what it is supposed to look like:



I also started a simple pullover for Clare. She really could use a warm pullover for skating. It's based on a very simple Paton's pattern that I bought back in the 80's (yeah, I was around then). It's similar to those tri-colour fishing sweaters in that it is knit mostly in one piece with only some underarm grafting. I hadn't gotten around to knitting the pattern when I bought it, and it seemed like good, simple, TV knitting for after the holidays. I'm using a Paton's yarn, Maya Aran (probably discontinued by now) that has a pretty, multicoloured slub in it. It lends itself to a simple knit.

Here is the pattern


And the particular version I'm working on


And my progress to date


I'm also working on test squares for a "looped object" project, but they hardly qualify as car or TV knitting since I'm trying to keep careful notes of what I'm doing so that I can duplicate it! (no pics yet)

But...I do have pictures from the Cat Farm!

Here is the cat that my friend adopted...Moby



But they certainly did have a lot to choose from.


Tiny Tim seemed to have taken a shine to me...what a cutie!



If I don't get back tomorrow...Happy New Year!

A Christmas Eve Suprise!

Look what arrived late afternoon Christmas Eve!!



Horrid picture, lovely gift! Lots of presents to unwrap before anyone else in the house!!

And look at what is inside!!!



My photography is characteristically poor, so I'll describe my haul...


A lovely book, containing many fabulous patterns for felted bags (I was wondering where Crafty Snargle found the patterns for her lovely craft fair bags....

Two skiens of a wool/recycled sari blend yarn...perfect for a felted bag!! It's a fabulous colour, deep and earthy with flecks and hints of bright hues!!

A needle holder (similar to the one in Stitch N Bitch)...in a fun, colourful pattern. Tres useful for storing needles and certainly more elegant than the tupperware I'm using now! (note the attractive alien theme!!)

and these!!


Knitting magnets...

They are adorable...teeny little glass magnets (a bit bigger than Peanut M & Ms) with knitting themes on them...in a teeny little tin with a woman knitting on the cover...fabulous...

I'm desperately searching my abode for a surface that is:

a) metallic and able to hold magnets

b) inaccessible to children! (these are mine darn it, mine!!)

Hmmm...there MIGHT have been some York Peppermint Patties in the box too...but they seemed to have evaporated between the wrapped and unwrapped pictures!

Thank you Sarah, what a fabulous package!!! You truly outdid yourself!!

Oh, and I did snap a photo of Zeus in his new little coat!



Pretty handsome little guy huh?

Well, I'll post more about Christmas later (it didn't include much knitting).

I made the Christmas Deadline!

Here is the last item that needed to be completed before Christmas!



It's a sweater for Zeus, my brother's girlfriend's Jack Russell terrier. (Ok, I know that the model in the picture is a Yellow Lab, but the toy dog is much smaller than a real Labrador and Zeus is a rather portly Jack Russell.

I'll snap a picture of the real thing over the holidays!

I'm in a curious position now. I've been so busy getting ready for the holidays and finishing up my knitting projects that I haven't started anything!

I've got another couple hours on a Very Harlot Poncho that I'm making for a little girl, but beyond that...nothing. I have a 10 hour car ride on Monday...any thoughts about what I could whip up out of my stash? Preferably something that isn't felted!!

Well, Happy Holidays!!

A Finished Sweater!!

For a very little girl...

As you can see, I did opt for the mohair sweater (from Vogue Knitting's Weekend Knits), decorated with ribbon roses rather than ribbon bows. The hat is from www.kittyville.com! (little devil hat with cat ears)



Anyway, I'm going to drop off this Christmas present tomorrow...so I really only have one more gift to finish before Christmas, the little sweater for the Jack Russell terrier. (The poncho isn't a Christmas gift, so I can slip past the holiday without offending anyone!)

Other noteworthy events... DH and I had planned a romantic, child-free weekend away in celebration of my 40th birthday. Unfortunately, we forgot to clear this with the children and Ellery came down with "walking pneumonia" right before we left. Since our sitter (my SIL) is pregnant and I didn't want to chance exposing her to anything, we cancelled our trip. :-( Ellery missed her entire last week of school, but is feeling better now. To celebrate her recovery, Clare developed a sympathetic case of tonsillitis and I offered up a pretty good case of bronchitis. At least Gilly is still hanging in there!

Sweater update and a surprise for me!

I finished sewing the little mohair sweater together today. Here it is pinned to it's drying board. I'm having second thoughts about the little pearl buttons I had picked out for it. I might lean toward plain buttons for the cardigan closing and fancy up the body of the sweater with some eensy-teensy butter coloured ribbon roses (think 1/4" or less) They seem to be a better colour with the sweater than the creamy pearls. (Sorry my digital camera couldn't manage close-ups of either the buttons or the rosettes)



Oh, and the surprise was from my brother. Some pre-birthday goodies for me!



I may even get to sample some when the girls are finished rifling the package.

BTW, please disregard the "over the hill" wrapping paper. I have no idea where he got that idea.

Silly busy, but a couple finished objects!

Two more finished objects....another Flower Power Bag in French Blue and a Turquoise Perfect Pouch.

Of course, I sealed them into their mailing envelope before photographing them (DOH!), so you'll have to take my word that they are complete.



This furry pile is a knitted, but not sewn mohair sweater for a little girl! Hopefully finished tomorrow if I get a quiet minute.

Once the sweater is pieced together, the last pre-Christmas present is a little dog sweater in k1, made from some leftover turquoise superwash wool and some bright Lion Boucle in "Parfait". Very festive for a Jack Russell terrier if I do say so myself.





So, is this a hoot, or what??

It's a magnetic note/picture holder. (an early bday present for moi) I just can't stop fiddling with it.

A quick Secret Pal Update!

Hopefully, I'll have a couple more finished objects by Thursday, but in the meantime, thanks to my Secret Pal Sarah!

And my Secret Pal was Green-Eyed Grrl Be sure to check out her blog...some pretty subversive knitters south of the border!!

Oh yes, and since I have no Finished Objects to show, here is another cute pup picture...

Clare found a toad in our backyard last summer. Kinda makes you feel sorry for toads.

A Flurry of Finished Objects

Sorry not more posts, but I've been scurrying around finishing Pouches for Pooches!



I have to finish a turquoise Perfect Pouch and one more Blue Flower Power Bag and then I think that I am finished with bags until after Christmas. Frankly, I'm looking forward to doing something else! Oh and of course there is the gift for the little girl and a poncho. Guess I've got more to do than I thought.

On the homefront, Ellery is home sick from school today. She had a bout of tummy flu last night and even though she insists she is all better, I thought that I had better keep her home from school at least one day. With luck, this ailment won't whip throughout the household.