Why?

Just look at these 3 yarns,- Queensland Bamboo Cotton, Queensland Sugar Rush and Knit Picks Sport Shine.

Queensland Bamboo Cotton (lavender) is DK weight.

Queensland Sugar Rush (blue) is sport weight.

Knit Picks Sport Shine (yellow) is sport weight.

What the hell?

The two Queensland yarns are both the same size which I would call a sport weight yarn. The Knit Picks Sport Shine is supposed to be sport, but I consider it DK or maybe even light worsted.

UGH.

I am creating a pattern right now and started with the KPs (Yellow)stuff.  So now, I have to find a yarn close to the yellow to make another test sweater; although, I am half way through one in the lavender.

Soccer- Team South Africa

R is playing soccer.  She is on team South Africa which is lime green and black.  

She has her first game on Saturday. Shew, it was interesting.  Hopefully, after this week's practice the team will improve.  

R just wasn't sure of those boys running and pushing to get the ball.  This is a new one for her.  Her experience playing with boys have been in a controlled school classroom.  The opposing team was nearly all boys.

We plan to work on running (not jogging), stealing, and controlling the ball.  The majority of the kids have trouble with the later two.

I will give an update next Saturday and hopefully, I will have better photos maybe some action shots.

Holy Pumpkins!

Wow, it's fair time already.  I have only a hand full of items to enter this year.

Here is the run down:

Snake sweater
Fawkes socks
Stag bag
Crochet clutch
Christmas frog
Neckwarmer converted to dish cloth (ran out of yarn)

Mmm, I am sure I am forgetting something.

Holy Pumpkins, I am nearly finished with Christmas!

This has to be a record, I am not knitting on Christmas Eve!  Here is what I have finished:

Daddy- wine
Momma- socks
Sister- Kindle cover
Brother- sign (I broke the rules and bought it.)
B-I-L- hat 85%
R- sweater 85%
Husband- Nothing yet.  But, he is getting a nice woolly hat for his birthday.

I am finished with Christmas purchases for R.  I haven't even started on Joe.  It maybe a one item year.  I really have no desire to purchase a bunch of little items.

Weekend-

Yesterday R and I got out the Halloween decor.  I have 3 stuffed pumpkins that were hand-me-downs and other little items that I have picked up.  Last year we made a felt creature/monster hanging garland.  It is still in one piece for most part.

This year I have knitted garlic hanging on our front door.  Joe came in last night and ask if it was Halloween decor.  I told him I thought it seemed fitting.  R has just gotten on the paper pumpkin roll.  I will try to post photos once we have about a billion cut out pumpkins everywhere.

I also hope to post pictures of Christmas and Fair projects soon!

Parseltongue!

I am finished with Tiny Owl Knits's Snakes Sweater. I think the name is Snake-a-licious.  Maybe. Anyways it is completed and I am happy!  It is definitely going in to the county fair.

My Patronus Bag, real name Fair Isle Stag Bag, is completed too! It took me forever to get the lining sewn and stitched in.  

Now, if I can just get going on my Christmas gifts. I started a sweater for R and it is just under 75% finished.  It is a stash bust just like the snake sweater.  

Yay for stash busting!

Rowan Yarn

Last week R, Joe and I took a small vacation to Eureka Springs, AR.  I finally found the yarn shop there! It only took a year.

The shop had Rowan yarn.  Not a lot but some.  Turns out it was all yarn that has been discontinued.  I purchased 2 skeins of Rowan Plaid yarn in browns.  It is a chunky weight and it 218 yards for the two skeins.  Gah, what to do with it?  Why did I buy brown?  I don't even like brown.  Well, I bought it because it is Rowan and what is my child's name, Rowan.

More about naming Rowan later.

Okay, so back to the point, I don't like brown.  I don't wear brown.  Tans blend too much into my skin tone when I have a tan and right now I have a deep tan (deep for me).

I have decided to make birthday presents for Joe and Rowan.  Joe has plans to get Rowan on a deer stand pretty often this year.  I am going to make them neck warmers or hats.  I will probably make R a neck warmer since I think the more orange the better and Joe a hat.  The hat he can wear for duck hunting too.

Yay! That will use up the yarn and provide presents.

I am terrible.  I have not been working on my Christmas knitting.  I have been hexipuffin' it instead.  Here some photos:

I have 2 blankets going- HUGE hexipuff blanket with "dish" cotton and the normal sock weight blanket.

First Tooth Out!

R pulled her first tooth! I put some clove powder on it to numb it.  Then she pulled it herself with dental floss!

As you can see from the photos, she has another one coming in behind.  We have been working hard to get them out once Joe noticed them.

Weekend knitting

In my most recent weekends I have had one that seemed to be "see how many projects you can start" and "finish up" weekends.  This one was "freak out over gauge" weekend.  

Stephanie Dosen, Tiny Owl Knits, published a wonderful pattern that I had to have right then- The Beekeeper's Quilt.  A knitted quilt pattern that is made up of 3-D hexagons or hexipuffs.  It fits prefect in my stash busting mood.  

My gauge freak out began when I started my first puff.  I was knitting away when I realized it was HUGE and not really a hexagon.  Plus, the amount of yarn this thing was eating up was ridiculous.  I fretted over gauge thinking my yarn was all wrong even though it was sock yarn.  I went to my LYS and talked with some people about gauge.  Finally, I pm'd Winterfi, who is head running a KAL on Ravelry, to see what gauge is on her puffs.  I was only 2 stitches off.  Then it hit her, I was doubling the size of my puff.  I was knitting to 40 stitches each needle (I am magic looping) rather than 40 total.  

I felt like a true blonde.  I was fretting over nothing...I just read the pattern wrong!!! 

Now the hexipuffs are well on there way and I am having no trouble at all.  In fact, I am super happy about using up bits of yarn.  

I joined the KAL and my goal is like 400 hexipuffs.  

Another TOK project is the Snake sweater.  It is another stash bust project.  I bought tons of Jeanee worsted weight yarn on clearance for the Op Art Blanket.  Well, I lost momentum.  I tried to find yarn for this project just recently and decided to put it on hold.  Then I pulled out the blanket and thought this is perfect! 

It is going along really well.  I tried it on last night, it fits perfectly.  

R's birthday cardigan is going well too.  I have more than plenty of yarn, in fact, I think there will be leftovers. I was hoping to use all of it up.  I bought cute mother of pearl flower buttons for it on Saturday.  

The three projects listed above are going on a trip with me starting tomorrow afternoon.  So, hopefully I will make good progress!