What to take along knitwise.............

I have a dilemma. I could take it all but that would seem foolish, or maybe not. I leave for vacation tomorrow, a week at the beach. How many knit projects do I pack to take along? I have a few OTN so maybe all of them? Since I have one of these large project NanaSadieRose bags I can indeed take it ALL. I'm in the middle of 2 sweaters, mittens, socks, another Mission Falls bag and I need to knit another Euroflax face cloth. I also have a stack of books to take! Yikes! I'll get the 'eye' from my husband but I can't seem to think that I need to leave any of it behind. You?

Traveling Cables Cardigan

Here's the progress on my Karabella Traveling Cables Cardigan. The Karabella Aurora 8 yarn is really a very deep Burgundy which is not reflected well here.The first picture I posted, on the right is more true to the color. I love this pattern and hope it fits me! It sure looks small right now even though I wear a small to medium!

I'll be away this week, back on Thursday but away again by Saturday for our family beach week. I am looking forward to lots of knitting and reading. I hope I have knitting progress to report! Maybe even something finished!

Have a great week!

A Knitting break for just a wee bit of time!!

Today I needed to sew on the binding for my sister's 25th anniversary quilt. That date was in May! So now I'm down to whip stitching the binding on the back which may take a while. She's in Colorado and may be moving back to Virginia in the next couple months so I'd rather not ship it if I can give to her in person! I had Gayle quilt the top in a meandering leaf stitch. She does a fabulous job. The quilt is so busy that hand quilting wouldn't have been that noticeable and lots of work too!

Satchel Update!

RoseRed said I needed to post a pic of the 'wrong side' of the bag. (I think I may have shown a little too much pride in how good the wrong side looked!) As you can see I still have some ends to weave in!

Also here is the crocheted bottom. I thought it was a really clever way to finish a seam! It was in the instructions not my idea! Wishing I was that clever!

You Gotta Knit One....

I love this bag! I think it turned out great. I am also making another I-cord in the mustard color as well and a little longer. I-cord handle wasn't in the directions. It was a crocheted one starting with a chain of 400!! I wasn't going to do that! I didn't block it. Maybe I should to stretch the insides some since it's fair isle. I must say though that the inside looks pretty darn good too! The bottom closure was neat too. You crochet it closed. I hope I don't tire of knitting another! It's a Mission Falls pattern in their Harvest 2001 book.
I've got the yarn ready for another but I need to get back to my Karabella and Starmore sweaters. I've just proved to myself though that with determination I can finish a project from the get go without picking up and or starting another one!!! It was a rare occasion!

A few things..........

Rosie and Esther doing what they do best............relaxing!

Jaywalkers in the works in 'Austermann Step' and Elizabeth's Zimmerman's Woodman's Socks in Knitpicks, 'Shamrock' finished. The 'Shamrock' (100% wool) is great for that rustic hiking sock look. I did carry a wool/nylon thread through the heel and toes.

Hope to finish this in the next couple days! (Mission Falls Elke Satchel in their 1824 Wool)

Mission Falls Satchel

I think this is going to be a favorite. I know you can't see the image of the bag very well but it's the best I could do. You can't get the image from the Mission Falls website because they are pdf files. It's from the 'Harvest 2001' book. I think you can get a good idea from this pic though. It's knit in a flat rectangle then side seams sewn and the bottom is crocheted together. it has a drawstring closure. The rib shown here is the top. It's not what I would define as a 'satchel' but Elke Satchel is its given name.
I'm in the 'finish it now' mindset so I'm knitting like a fiend! I'm not forgetting my other projects on needles. They are all getting their allotted time in.

Just finished!

A weekend project as I was trying to filter out some yarn! Got rid of 2 skeins of Noro in this scarf. The pattern was ultra simple found here at Yarn Harlot the One Row Handspun Scarf. I love the colors. I think it will go in my 'gift stash' or later use.

Wanna win some knit goodies?

Check this out Knit Goodies scroll down to the Aug 9th, 222 post!! Fun blog too that I had not visited before!

Almost forgot.....

I mentioned yesterday I'd post a picture. My Traveling Cables Cardigan by Karabella. It's knit in the Karabella Aurora 8 merino. Fabulous yarn and so soft. The color is a rich wine/burgundy. If you need a cable fix this is the pattern!!!

The Haul from yesterday...

The Debbie Bliss? A grey cardigan with red trim (there's more yarn than pictured). The Mission Falls? I'm not sure just yet but hopefully a Mission Falls pattern. I was hoping a fair isle type sweater but I don't really have enough colors. In the book there is a draw string satchel with great motifs so maybe that's what it will be and it could make two of them! One a gift. The Donegal Tweed probably 2 scarves.

A little excursion ..........

to a yarn shop about 40 minutes from my house. They are going out of business. I went about 6 weeks ago but didn't really bring much home, a skein of sock yarn and a couple patterns. This visit was a different story!!! It was hard to find something that had more than 10 skeins that you could actually knit a sweater with but I managed! Mission Falls 1824 Merino, enough for a sweater. A Mission Falls book too. Also Debbie Bliss Merino Aran in a grey and a red, enough for a sweater. Four skeins of Tahki Donnegal Tweed in coordinating colors for probably 2 scarves, one for a gift. Everything was 65% off!! A few patterns too at $1.00 each!
Knitnana likes to tease me because 2 years ago I had no stash at all. Really! I bought yarn, knit the project and then bought more for another project. Now, my yarn is still designated for a specific pattern/project, at least most of it is! I do need another set of drawers though!

Today was a great day! I was feeling so good about the yarn haul that I came home and took my son to the pool and sat in the 100 degrees from 3 till a little after 8pm! I knit most of the time , with wool even! I'm knitting the most beautiful Karabella sweater. I'll show pics tomorrow!

Center Pull Puke!!!!

I hate center pull balls. I don't know if I have ever knit from one that at some point I didn't have to take out knots. This is more than knots!!! I thought I'd knit another head band but nope ... at least not with this yarn! All that mess won't even pull out of the center. If I pull any harder it will break. This project has 2 ends to weave in, the beginning and the end so I am NOT going to cut it and create more! I can also tell that it's not going to be as nice as the first one I knit in Koigu anyway. So I'll have to see what Koigu I have. I think my sisters both would like one ....... for Christmas!

Note: This was a post I wrote a few weeks ago and forgot about!!!

Merit Badges for YOU!

These are great! If you know anything about Boy Scouting they will make sense. We are a Scouting family. I have 2 older sons that are Eagle Scouts and 2 yet to earn that rank. My husband is a Scoutmaster and has been for over 10 years. I have been a Cubmaster for the past 5 years. All that to share this site I found for MamaMeritBadges There are 'breast feeding', 'story time', and 'diapers' and more. Check the site. (of course not affiliated with Boy Scouts of America!!!) Aren't they fun? How many have you earned?

I think after 5 children of my own and some 40 cubscouts ages 6 to 11 I've earned them all! By the way, Scouting is the best program you can get your boys involved in!!

Moon Plant

Also called Moon Flowers. These flowers are so beautiful and have a fragrance of citrus. They begin to bloom at dusk. These photos were taken about 30 minutes apart. It's nice to know that every evening my garden plants have been making some bees happy! These plants spread quite a bit taking over lots of area. They are very hardy and come back every year in the same place and new places. Their seeds are easily scattered. There must be different varieties. I've looked online for pictures and some look different than these.