Monday, January 10, 2011

Happy New Year!!!

I know that I'm late AND that I have been out of pocket for awhile, but I have been knitting. AND I've actually finished some things!!

Where has the time gone? I did not realize until I logged in that I did not blog AT ALL last year...shame on me, but I had a lot going on and blogging seemed like such an indulgence. Where to begin? Let's just hit the high (or should I say low) points. Most significantly, I lost my dad on Thanksgiving Day 2009. Sadly, we were not very close, but I had hoped to develop a stronger relationship with him. Unfortunately, time waits on no man (or woman) and I missed my opportunity. Please share your feelings with your loved ones while you can. You never know when they will leave you or when you will leave them. I just have to trust that my daddy knows how much I love and miss him and that one day I'll see him again so I can tell him myself.

Secondly, I now have two kids in school. My son is in middle school and that brought growing pains for all of us. He's smart as a whip, though and I'm more than sure he'll handle whatever may come his way. And my baby girl is now a first grader, or as she says it, she's "a bid kid now" :-)

Thirdly, I experienced some serious upheaval in my marriage. I am choosing to view it as a learning experience. It has taught me a lot about myself, my husband and life in general. I pray we can look back on these times one day and see the positive in the experience...


Now to my knitting. I have made quite a few scarves; started some socks (I even finished a pair...LOL); and learned some new techniqes.


Let's start with this:


Yep! I taught myself Enterlac. I love it!! I love the feeling of movement, the way the colors combine and how smart I felt once I "got it" and didn't have to be a slave to the pattern anymore. By the way, this scarf was made using the Entrelac tutorial on Knitting Daily, which is available as a free download. I made it with a random ball of yarn from my stash, so I cannot give the details on the yarn (I know, bad girl), but I do know it was wool. I want to make a few more using different weights/types of yarn. I have some cute sock yarn I want to try and I have some of the Vanna White yarn that I want to try color knitting with. When I get around to it, I'll post it!
Another technique that I've tried my hand at is cabling!! I made a scarf for my son. I always thought it was beautiful; but looked so complicated. A friend told me that cabling is simply working the stitches out of order. With that bit of knowledge, I decided to give it a try. I found a pattern and yarn that I liked and went to work. I thought this pattern was called the Fisherman's Scarf, but since I cannot find it, I am not sure now. [SN: This is just further proof that I need to get my knitting things organized!!] Here are a few shots of that one:





Currently, I'm working on a project that I have had my eyes on for a while. It's the Every Way Wrap, which is available as a free pattern on knittingdaily.com I just adore the pattern. It is not so simple that I get bored, nor so complicated that I give up. I am using Lion Brand's Wool-Ease in Dark Rose Heather. If only I could put life on pause for about a weekend so that I can finish it..... Here is what I have so far:

Please stay posted. I will definitely post more than last year!!