I did it!

I designed my very first top!! It was so easy once I sat down and just did it. I used the fleece that I Dyed in kool-aid a while back. This was just supposed to happen because when I started knitting with the yarn I had no clue what it was that I was going to knit. None. I just knew that I wanted it to be done in the round. I co and started knitting trying it on for kid hats and thinking maybe a dropped stitch scarf, but none of thoes seemed right. So I measured miss Phia and BINGO! In casting on I had added the perfect amount of stitches for the little girls waist. So a shirt it became. I wrote it down as I went until I got to the top part so I am going to have to do some figureing and maybe re-knit it in another bulky weight yarn to make sure that I have it right. I am thinking that if I get the pattern written up nicely that I will submit it to the pattern a day calander. The coolest thing ever would be to get published!
Anyway here are the pics. I have to go pick up the school children.

Alas poor Kiri, I knew her well...

Awww Kiri is fine I just have not touched her since the last time I blogged about her. O the neglect that she must feel! Its not that I didn't enjoy working on her (you know after I got through the first five mess ups)I have just been insanely busy. We took the little lovlies to Worlds of fun last weekend. Hot, expensive but so fun!

Sissies first ride! I was so proud. With as scared as she is all of the time I really didn't think that it would be this easy to get her on a ride.


Ziggys very first ride. He loved the beginning, hated the drop at the end. Poor kid. Camp Snoopy was more his speed.

Phia on the other hand was not a snoopy fan. Poor Snoopy came over and sat down next to her. When she realized that some huge dog had sat next to her she freaked. Thankfully I had the camera out and ready.

And finally the best picture of Isaac EVER! Is this not the perfect picture of a boy eating cotton candy? He really seemed to love it I think. Don't you?

Yeah so I got bored waiting on everyone else to ride rides. But this is a great pic of the phiaster

This is me after a long day of sunnin and walkin. Burnt yet still silly. (I am making that face because TJ told me that I use my toothy smile (cheesing) too much. So I didn't cheese.



Two very pretty pics of the horizon on the way home. Please try to ignore the bug splats, as they take away from the beauty. (What do ya want? I was riding in a car)
I even managed to get some work done on the sweater of Doom. I am still not ready to seperate the arms from the body but I am creeping ever closer.
Other WIP's?
Kiri - Not getting done anytime soon, Way too many other things to finish. Typical huh? The one thing that I am knitting for me gets put on the back burner.
TJ's sweater- Almost ready for sleeve seperation (one of these years)
Baby blanket- started with the pinwheel blanket pattern, decided that I would go insane with nothing to keep me interested so I am creating my own pattern. I just hope that it works.
shirt for phia- I am using the handspun that I made. I just started knitting and I think that this is what it wants to be. We shall see.
I have rambled long enough, Enjoy your day!
Rambelingly
Dee

yarny day

Here is the fleece that I bought. It is very dirty, but it cleans up so beautifully! I am glad that I went ahead and cleaned a handfull of it to get an idea of what it is like. I definatly think that I will go ahead and mail it off to be professionally cleaned and carded otherwise I will never get it done.

The two together. Although it is rather hard to see. you get the idea.

Here is the finished spun stuff. Thin yarn, says shawl to me so far anyway. Pretty no?

TJ's Pullover. It is finally working for me! I have 6 more increase rows(12 total) and then I can seperate the arms and get to work on the body. I have a feeling that it will take me forever. uuugh. But so far I like what I see. That has to account for something.

Another shot.

Well I am off to the post office to do my mailing!
Later Days!
Fleecingly
Dee

All I want for Christmas...

Okay it is no where near time to think about Christmas yet but I was reminded of the song this morning when NJ woke me up this morning to show me this

He is now eagerly looking forward to the tooth fairies visit.
Here is a small (like 9 yards) hank of yarn spun and plied from the fleece I bought at Maplewood north. Beautiful. Right now it is screaming shawl at me, but we shall see since it has a long time to wait. I still have to wash, card and spin on the drop spindle the biggest amount of the wool.

Sorry about the crappy photo. It really looks beautiful in person.
Now seeing as how I have used the backspace button more that the letters it is time for me to go.
Toothily
Dee

Woosh

I am just bouncing in real quick like to apologize for the bigness of the pics below. Blogger pic uploading is not likeing me at the moment.

The place that i got the Black fleece from is maplewoodnorth The fleece was dirty but it washed up beautifully. I will post pics soon. I am so in love with this fleece. It will take some work though.
K I am off just as quick as I came!
Wooshingly
Dee

Promised pictures

Here they are in all of their glory.


Here is dear sissy in her new wrap. It was a really quick knit. Only took me a few hours. Yarn: Poof Crystal Palace Needles: size 11


Here is new Kiri. I restarted one more time and it turned out allright so far. (crossing ALL crossables) That black thread? my lifeline. So no more restarting for this chick.


This is TJ's sweater. Well the start of it. I think that I finally have the "increasing in pattern" thing down so we will see.
I have also started cleaning and combing the fleece that I bought roughly a month ago I have come to the conclusion however that I am going to have an actual set of wool combs before I get to far into this. The dog slickers just isn't really working. le sigh
What I do have done and spun on the spindle looks divine though. Enough out of me I need to go feed the kidlings.
Completedly
Dee

Goody!

I finished a wrap out of Crystal Palace Poof. I know. It was going to be a skirt. It doesn't look as good as a skirt in real life as it did in my mind. So a wrap it is. Honestly it looks really neat as a wrap. Not to mention the fact that it fits better on her shoulders than her waist. That yarn is rather hard to measure. I will get pics up here soon to show the lovelyness.

I will be selling my crochet library soon. I just don't enjoy it nearly as much as my knitting and spinning. In fact. I have finished more knitting projects than crochet projects. This says a lot for knitting because I have known how to knit since I was 18. That is roughly 9 years longer than the knitting. Whew.

I have some exciting news on Kiri, although I know that if get too excited I will mess up. That is just the way that things are. So knock on some wood and send me good wishes but I made it past row 10! (holding in girly squeal) I had so many problems getting started that it just feels good to be past that point. I was on the verge of quitting. I was. But after sufing the net and looking at pictures of other peoples Kiri shawls I decided to give it one more go. Whew. At least I know that if I do mess up from here on out I will have the lovely life lines to back me up. Pics of that soon as well!

TJs sweater is moving a little better as well. Still not very far in but so far the pattern is good!
Well the little 'uns are a fightin' so I must git.
Cheeringly
Dee

Kiri

Okay. So I have knit and ripped no less than 5 times on this shawl. But I am determined. I will get past the first chart! I am using lifelines this time. Last 5 times I didn't just because I really didn't think that i needed to for the first chart. It didn't have that many stitches, I can keep track with out messing up! Sha whatever. Kiri is kicking my butt all over Omaha. So I started one more time lifelines and all and am determined to get it right this time!

In other news I have joined the UFO august KAL so that I can get a move on some of the knitting that I have to do before I start back to school at the end of the month. Man that came up to quickly. I am going to work on TJs sweater. I feel ready to pick it up again. As well as the cotton that still need s spun for the baby blanket that I have not yet started. I have my work cut out for me.
Finishingly
Dee

Well well well

I think that I actually have my knitting machine spoken for. In exchange I will get a rigid Heddle loom and some yummy fiber. And even better? I don't have to mail it! The woman i am trading with lives a couple hours away so we will meet halfway. Woooo!
I also found a loom upstairs in the attic that I had totally forgotten about. So I brought it out and let Sara take a crack at it. Cuteness ensues...


Trying it out, she had her tounge out the whole time.

Her second project

Look at the pride!

I am so glad that I found that thing.
glowingly
Dee

the knitting

Currently I am working on Kiri. Frankly I am using that phrase loosely. I started it, ripped back slowly (kid silk haze is NOT easy to rip) started again, ripped again, and then noticed that I have managed to mess up yet again. So I have put it down for tonight before I go absolutly insane.
Yup that is as far as I got. Not a good sign. uuugh.

I also somehow managed to lose my needlemaster set. No clue how. If I had thoes needles I think that I would have had a little easier knitting on Kiri. The needles that I am currently using suck big time. I think that I will wait until I have better needles before I attempt to knit Kiri again. Wish me luck.

On to good news. The knitting for Cleo is done! Woooo. Now I have to find me some elastic to sew into the lace band and boom! I have a wearable knitted item! I am so happy about that. Rather feels good to be done knitting something that I can wear. I have started and stopped so many things to wear that it is not even funny.
Also I managed to get a pic of my new ball winder.

It works like a charm. You should see all the balls that I have made with that thing.
I have also decided to turn the little cabinet thing that holds my lovely clock into my stash holder. So I cleaned it out and stashed my stash.

That box next to the quilt binder? Full of pin drafted cotton. I love that stuff! It spins up so nicely. Check it out. Double ply. oooohhhh yea.
The twist is not set yet and the cotton will lose the pink color once I boil it. This cotton (roughly 3 pounds of it) is set to be a baby blanket for Sister in laws soon to be born littlen.
Anyway
I must get sleep more tomorrow
Gabbingly
Dee

Selling the old knitting machine.

Yup I bought it two years ago and used it once. I bought it back when I wanted to knit but didn't want to hand knit. Plus it was an antique. So cool! But I got it and realized I wasn't to keen on using it and I have no room to set it out so it was stashed into my bedroom closet. I have decided that there is someone out there that will love it more than I so I want to let it go.
This is the stuff that goes with the machine. Honestly I will not be much help in what they are all for.

Here we have the whole thing. I do not have exact deminsions but if you want to know I will be happy to measure.

Also comes with a row counter. This thing is rather cool :)

Not sure of the exact name of this but it is what you use to slide the carriage back and forth.



Clamps attach here to hold it to the table.

These two books are included. One is the manual that goes with the machine, the other is a Home study course.
Brother Knitting machine model KH551 I'm guessing from online research that it was made sometime in the 60's. It is clean and in good shape. I made a scarf on it so I know that it works as well.
Now for the business part. I am asking $120.00 for the machine but I am also interested in trading. I am still pretty new to spinning and handknitting so my stash is not to big yet. Tempt me! Shoot me an email at mintdee at cox dot net if you are interested. Thanks!
sellingly
Dee