I'm thankful for....

A lesson learned ~ when things don't fit, maybe it's because they're meant for someone else:

He wore it all day and refused to take it off....if you ask him who made his hat, he'll tell you 'Lissa' - Sweet!

For an excuse to act like a kid again:

And for a father-in-law who is a great sport:

And, no, that's not Santa ~ he really is just my father-in-law!   ~ Melissa

Pretty Pretty Peerie Flooers

So, I look like a major dork in knitted hats and it's dark and stormy outside and the lighting is horrible and I had to take a crummy self-portrait, but just look at this hat!!!!  Doesn't it make you smile?  It does me.  Thanks to Kate Davies for coming up with such an inspiring project ~ she's a genius.  This was a challenge from start (picking out 7 yarn colors and then having to decide what combinations worked) to finish (there has to be a trick to weaving in all those ends!).  My hat is so different from all the others that have been made that I'm a little leery that my colors don't completely work (my shades are so dark and rustic) but for a first multi-color stranded knit, I don't think it's too bad?  This is one of the few things that I've made where every time I look at it I think to myself....I can't believe I did that!!!

Details of my Peerie Flooers Hat can be found here, as well as some more dorky photos.  Hopefully my personal photographer (that would be my husband) and a sun break are both on hand this weekend so I can get some better pictures!     ~ Melissa

The Fair(isle)est of them all....

I'm obsessed (again...) ~ between my new found love of stranded knitting, my 'finish-itis', the icy temps this weekend and hours and hours of me time, I have some new completed projects to share.

First, my crowning (ha!) achievement, Mary Scott Huff's 'Queen of Hearts' Selbuvotter mittens (details of my project including yarn and needle size can be found here on my Ravelry page.

I also started and completed a Christmas gift this weekend ~ I won't share who the recipient is since I don't want to spoil the surprise.  'Fingerless Gloves Musica' is a free pattern that can be found on Ravelry (and my project details can also be found here).

And, I'm just finishing up my Kate Davies 'Peerie Flooers' stranded hat.  I just have a few more rows of crown decreases and a few (or more) hours of weaving in all the loose ends and it will be done.  I'm so excited to share this hat ~ it's one of my favorite knits ever!  Hopefully, by this weekend I'll have some finished photos to post.  I can't wait to show you!

Have a great week, all!   ~ Melissa

Hats and Other Things

I'm making good progress on my Peerie Flooers hat.  The knitting is going a bit faster and I seem to be getting into a little rhythm which makes me relax, which is nice!  I got to this point yesterday and decided to stop and get started on a hat my husband asked me to make for him (you read that right!).  I was on complete lock down for 4 years ~ 'no thanks' was always the polite refusal when I offered to make him something.  Then last year, I got a 'I would wear that if you made it for me' as he was looking over my shoulder one day while I was on Ravelry.  Shocker!  The hat he asked for was done immediately!  Fast forward to a year later and he's nicely asked me for 2 of the same hats, one for Seahawks game days so he can wear it to the stadium and one in 'work colors' so he can wear it everyday and not worry about it getting dirty.

So, while he was at the football game yesterday, I started on his next hat & hopefully I'll have it done by Sunday so he can wear it to the game at the end of the week.

It's a fun pattern that you can find on Ravelry for free ~ 'We Call Them Pirates'.  It's going much quicker since it's only 2 colors instead of 7 like Peerie Flooers.

On a side note ~ if you haven't checked out America's Knitting, you should.  It's a really neat website with maps and locations of fiber shops and festivals across the USA.  I've been on Mary's site before and was surprised and a little tickled that she sent me a note over the weekend to ask if she could feature my Vitamin D sweater that I recently finished on her Fall 2011 projects page on the site.  I love unexpected things like that ~ makes life more fun!  If you want to take a peek, here's the link.  Dozer even managed to make it on the page ~ that's his bushy black tail in the photo.

Have a good week, everyone!  I've got lots of knitting to do so better get to it!   ~ Melissa

Another Peerie~

I think we're at the same spot.

I'm loving this hat. Wish I lived closer I'd help you two finger fair isle. I'm the same way with not wanting to put it down.

Your hat is looking great!

Stay loose~

Kelli

Polar Opposites ~ at least for today ;)

Kelli finds peace and poetry in her knitting ~ for me, the last 3 days have been all about tension.  Tension in my neck and shoulders from concentrating so hard on trying to get my tension right on this hat:

Peerie Flooers by Kate Davies

Honestly, I can see where I could eventually really, really enjoy fair isle.  There is such a rhythm to it and there's never a good spot to put it down and walk away from it because you want to do 'just one more row' to see the magic that happens with the next color changes.  Kind of like that last potato chip ~ do you ever stop with your first thought of 'that's the last one' when you have the munchies?  Anyway, I'm proud I've gotten this far with no color mistakes (Kathi ~ there will be no sharpies touching THIS project!!) but I wish I could speed up the pace just a bit.  I'm a slow knitter by nature but, holy cow, since I don't know how to carry yarn with both hands and I have to stop with every color change, it's taking me twice as long as it should!

There is definitely a colorwork class in my not so distant future.     ~ Melissa

Playing Hooky

I got to take a personal day at work so went to sit and knit with the 'Thursday Group' that I never get to see.  Talk about sensory overload ~ so much chatter and needles flying and projects to see ~ how can I be this tired from just sitting for 4 hours??  I need a nap! 

Jo & Zoe got to go and hang out with us at WildFibers:

Is it just me or does Zoe look stoned when she's sitting next to Jo?  Between the outrageous locks and the buggy button eyes.....I think some changes are in store.  Thoughts???

I cast on Kate Davies' 'Peerie Flooers' while I was there ~ 4 hours and only 7 rows done.  Geesh ~ I just can't knit any faster, especially with colorwork.  It's hopeless ~ or I am!  It's so pretty so far, even just the little bit I've done:

And if you're intrigued by what's underneath my knitting, let's pan out just a bit:

The word had gotten out that I was going to make an appearance today and Linda (THANKS!!!) remembered that I had wanted to borrow her Herbert Niebling books and a few German lace knitting magazines.  Pages and pages and pages of inspiration.  Linda, I will try very hard not to drool all over them!
                                                         ~Melissa