LYSs, FOs, and a new knitter!!!

To start off I wanted to show you my CAP's Magic Scarf FO.. :) I like it but it's pretty short so I'm probably going to give it to Lil L who showed interest. :)


So...Saturday, as I have for the last three Saturday's, I headed over to a LYS, Stitchworm for some free instructions. Lil L came with me and she was again the superstar. :)

She actually started a pattern for a shaw/half sweater thing...not sure what it's called right now. Anyway, I got her some new needles and 3 skeins of some pretty yarn. She made her first swatch...I don't think she really understood what gauge was but she did good. We both learned how to make holes and I learned how to increase and decrease because I want to make a hat for Special K.

My friend D came along this time too. We went to see the Simpson Movie with her on friday night and another friend C which doesn't seem to want to learn to knit but her loss right?? I was talking all about knitting and how much fun I've been having and D thought it would be fun to come with. She is super creative and does all kinds of fun mosaic stuff. D did good...she needed a bit of help getting started but after that she had fun. They got her started with some yarn and needles so she can work on it for the next couple weeks until she can return. (She is a jet-setter for the next couple weekends. )
I was having a bit of a moment this saturday. I showed up with no pattern but I knew I wanted to knit it in the round... :) I know very specific but I really want to learn. I mentioned this to Ricky, knitting instructor, who tried to find a pattern in the store to help me out but we couldn't find one for knitting a hat in the round. I thought about just getting some circular needles and just making up as a go but for some reason they weren't having it and I needed to get Lil L back home because she was heading to Orlando with a friend and her family. I was a little disappointed when I got home so I searched the internet and found a pattern at Mind's Eye Yarns that Special K liked so I had DIRECTION!!! We headed out to the beach to meet up with some friends and I slyly mentioned...we'd be passing by the other LYS Needles and Knobs.. :) Special K agreed since the hat is for him and we went in...Yes...let me repeat Special K entered a yarn store with me. :) I was happy. He just sat on the couch and said yes that one for the yarn...but it was great. He was there with me. The lady there was so great...she's super nice and energetic. I really like her...I again forgot to ask her name...ugh. Anyway she got me set up with some Addi Turbo's size 7 circular needles, double points size 7, and some black feathered yarn...I also grabbed some sale yarn that I had eyed last time I was in. :) When I got home after the beach I decided not to start the hat yet but to knit up some of the dishcloth yarn I got last week for my sister. She had surgery yesterday and I wanted to bring a gift with me today when I visited her at home. I forgot to take a picture before I wrapped it up but its a pattern I made up with stockinette and garter stitch. I like it and she seemed pleased with it even through her pain today. I made a little card with one of my staps to go with it. ;)
Well...Special K is out watching the Cubs game and I'm going to go hang with him a bit. I think I'll cast on the hat tomorrow so I can give him the quality time I think he's asking for. He's being as supportive as he can with my knitting and I know he loves that I'm creating things but I think sometimes he just wants me to pay attention to him....so I'm off to give him that time. I know this has been a long post...but I hope you've enjoyed the pictures. :)

Stitchworm

So...yesterday, Lil L and I went to Stitchworm. We had planned on going for about an hour....we stayed for three hours... Lil L did so good knitting and purling away and learning new stuff. She had a great time and enjoyed herself a lot. I didn't bring my camera this time so I don't have any photo documentation. :) We got her new needles and some new yarn to work on. I stuck to only getting new needles, a crotchet hook, and a reference book(not exactly the one I want yet but it was cheap and will help for now).

When I showed up and proudly displayed my "homework" scarf, Ricky said it looked great now frog it and let's work on some new stuff... I balked for a second but wanting to stick to a budget and not buy new yarn...I said ok. So, I frogged my "homework" scarf and I learned how to pick up dropped stitches, bind off some more, and how to pick up stitches. I had fun just playing around with my yarn. I'm not really creating anything with it but a mess but having fun doing it. I figured I'd work on different patterns and just create whatever comes to me.

Here's what I got so far.

I also showed her my CAP's Magic Scarf. I think it's looking great. Thursday I cast on and started the pattern and I'm really liking it. I worked on it more this morning after church while Special K was changing his tires.

It's just SO pretty...

Well, I plan on working on these two project for awhile but I've already figured out what kind of pattern I'm going to use for my first dishcloth so I'll show you when I get started. :)

Have a great Sunday afternoon... Special K and I are off to a movie...I'm not at the point where I can knit in movies so...I'll just pay attention to Special K and the movie. :) hehehe

My homework.

Ricky at Stitchworm gave us homework of working on a scarf with whatever pattern we wanted. I started out three times and frogged two of them and then decided to just keep going. I'm learning and slowly getting better. So, here is a pic of what it's looking like so far. I've messed up my own made up pattern a couple times and I dropped a stitch or two but I think it looks great for my second real knitting piece ever. :) I've been knitting for a couple hundred rows so I just thought I got to the middle so now I'm going to purl the rest until I start the pattern again. That will give me some time to practice purling since I think I purl too tight. I'm working on size 10 1/2 needles on yarn that's for 8 but oh well. For now my homework is coming along great. I'll put up pics tomorrow. It's kind of late and I'm too lazy to upload pics right now.

Thanks.

Oh yeah. I went to Barnes and Noble today with Lil L while we were waiting for Nao and we looked at a bunch of knitting books. They were so much fun to read. I found that I really want Yarn Harlots Knitting Rules book. I think that will be my first Knitting read. We'll see. My fun purchases has to wait til friday. :) Lil L has gained some progress on her knitting too. :) She's working hard but seems to get distracted too. :)

My first knit!!

Ok...so I ventured into Michael's on my way home last night. I didn't have much time because I wanted to spend at least 15 minutes chilling with Special K before I had to babysit but I had to, just had to stop and buy needles and yarn.

So...I've been reading and wanting to learn for how long now...two months secretly. :) I get to the store and there are millions of different choices of yarn and I get a little over whelmed. I had read that I needed to get worsted weight yarn in a solid color to start and size 8, 9, or 10 needles. I started looking and with no help in sight I grabbed the size 10 1/2 Bamboo needles and then moved on to yarn. My first stop was the bargain bin and I found some Bernat Softee Chunky yarn in cool colors for only $1.99...of course not solid...the thoughts of solid color and worsted yarn quickly leaving my brain. I find two different ones I like that are for a size 10 needle. I am pleased with myself but I look around at the other ones but I had already sold myself on the two I had. Oh well...so I get home and then remember...what was I thinking. I'm learning to knit and should follow directions but oh well. I have the yarn now and I WANT to learn now. :) I don't have time to return the yarn and get what I needed. :) oh well.


This is what I got.(not the best lighting but oh well)




So, I spend about 30 minutes talking and showing off my purchase to Special K, who for the record could care less about what I got but was semi-interested because I was excited. Then off I went to babysit while he returned to work. As I got to babysitting with my new purchases with me, I start talking to my landlord and we get to the part where I'm starting to learn to knit...and guess what. The oldest of the girls I sit for, we'll call her Lil L, she happened to tell her mom the other day that she wanted to start learning to knit.. Yeah!!! a person to knit with!!! It's especially cool because I babysit often and hence we can knit together. First step need to learn to cast on and actually knit before I can show her how. :) She finds her stuff, the parental units head out for dinner, and I plop down in front of the computer and watch some tutorials(not for long and I still kept an eye on the girls). Within 15 minutes I catch on to casting on continental style and knitting english(I didn't get the continental and last time I learned knitting it was english) So..then I cook dinner and we eat burgers and cherries(healthy and a great combination).


And so we knit!! So I show Lil L how to cast on and send her on her way to practice. I on the other hand, have cast on and knit a few rows, frogged the whole thing and started over about 10 times at this point. :) I attempt to actually continue to knit but I kept missing a stitch so I'd just frog and start again. I'm at the point where I've stopped frogging it just to let you know. :)

So...the yarn finish. I've decided to make two scarves out of the yarn I got and practice just knitting one all the way and the other one purl it the whole way. Then next week when I'm sitting again, I plan on taking Lil L out to the cool yarn shops I found and don't have time to visit yet and get a skein of yarn that is nice and pretty and worsted. :)

I've very excited to start my knitting!! I haven't decided yet whether to start a knitting blog or not. I don't want knitting to take this blog over but I'm not sure I'm at the knitting blog stage yet. I'll keep you posted. :)