Summer Vacation is Over!

It's 'back to school' for me tomorrow. The kids don't start until September 5, but we have teacher workshops tomorrow and Thursday. The first day of school is always exciting, and this year is even more exciting since I will have my granddaughter, Tori, in my class! In the meantime I have been busy helping to plan the twins 13th birthday party (could I possibly have grandchildren 13 years old! They are each having three friends overnight at their camp tomorrow night for a Survivor party. We have lots of challenges planned, but no one will get voted off the island until Thursday - when they all go home! It should be lots of fun. I'll stop by after my workshop tomorrow to try to catch some of it.
This going back to work business is going to seriously cut into my knitting time! Maybe I can come up with a math curriculum based around knitting - that's really not such a bad idea - can't you just see 23 2nd graders knitting away in the classroom. I finished my first It Felt Random Bag, and it is ready to be felted. Can't wait to see how it turns out. It's 23"x23"x6" deep before felting and the i-cord is 68" long.

Whoduknit Mystery Contest Winners

A big thanks to all of you who came to the rescue of our poor little orphan skein of yarn. Your assignment, was to find out the identity, colorway, number and manufacturer. You were all such good sleuths and some of you came so close that I wish you all could be winners! I used this really neat random number generator to determine the forst and second place winners out of all the correct answers, and then did another random drawing with all of the entries to determine the 3rd and 4th place winners. And here they are.......

First Place prize: Verde Adriana, tote and The Little Box of Scarves - Anastasia
Second Place prize: Adriana's cousin, Melilla - Deb
Third Place: Two skeins Knit Picks Parade - Vicki
Fourth Place: Knit One Kill Two (The September Whoduknit Mystery) - Fiadhnat

Congratulations Anastasia, Deb, Vicki and Fiadhnat!

And thanks again to everyone who entered the contest!

I was so into this contest that when I was in Bar Harbor last week and a woman stopped me and asked if I had made my purse and she named the yarn and pattern (Noro Booga Bag)I said "guess the colorway and you win it!" Fortunately she didn't and I got to keep my purse!

If you haven't joined the fun on Whoduknit yet - come on over and join us.

Sloooow Dial-up

Am I the last person on earth to still have a slow dial-up connection? We cannot get cable, and DSL keeps promising it will be here soon, but so far we can't get that either. I found some beautiful Entrelac felted bag patterns available for purchase by download. I ordered the pattern, and it took....3 1/2 hours to download!
It is 18 pages - but 3 1/2 hours! There is also a beautiful Trellis Tote pattern that isn't available for download yet, but that I just have to have, so I guess I'll be another 3 1/2 hours downloading it when it becomes available.
I've been playing with the random stripe generator that I found while I was "ring surfing" today. Cristi's pattern for theIt Felt Random Bag is really fun. And...it didn't take 3 1/2 hours to download! I chose Peacock, Old Gold, Burgundy, and Pink Patons wool, and a 2,4,6,8,10, 100 row pattern for my bag, and finally decided on a sequence that I liked. I cast on for it tonight - can't wait to see how it comes out.

Felted teapot

This is my first try at a felted teapot. It's cute, but it needs some work. It's 4" tall, and the teacup was 3" tall, so I think for the set I either have to make a bigger teapot or smaller teacup. I should have made the pink stripe wider, and I think I would have liked the lid pink instead of blue. Here is a picture of it drying. I have it stuffed with plastic bags. A balloon would have been the perfect form (put the balloon in and then blow it up), but there were none left from the birthday party. Here is the basic pattern I came up with - it involves a little crocheting too.

Felted Teapot

CO 70 sts using worsted weight yearn and 16" size 10 circular needles. Knit in the round for 5" (more if you want a bigger teapot).
Decrease 7 sts. evenly spaced every other row until your are down to 35 sts, then every row until you are down to 21 sts, then K 2tog around until you are down to 5 stitches. (change to dpns when necessary) Pull yarn through and finish off. With a contrasting color and size G or H hook, Join yarn and SC around the top of the teapot. Next round: SC in first SC, skip next SC, repeat around. Next round: slip stitch in first two sc, skip next sc, repeat around. Finish off. Make a 4 or 5 st. I-cord 8" long for the handle and sew on one side of the teapot. Make a 10 st. 3" long I-cord for the spout and sew onto the other side of the teapot.
Lid (I crocheted this because I don't know how to knit a circle, but it is just a circle about 5" in diameter.
Ch 5 and sl st to join into a ring.
Next round: Ch 1 work 2 sc in each sc - 20 sc
Next round: Work 1 sc in each sc
Repeat these two rounds 5 times, work 5 rounds even sc. Fasten off
For top of lid, in contrasting yarn, Ch5 and sl st to join into ring. Work same as lid for two rounds. End off and pull yarn tight to make a 'bobble'and sew to top of lid.
Felt as usual.

Swaps and KALs

I'm becoming addicted to knitting swaps and KALs. I've joined The International Tote Exchange II and The Knitted Purse Exchange. I received the name of my swap partner for the purse exchange already (it's not a secret swap), she lives in Norway and you should see her yarn stash! We've already exchanged e-mails and this should be a lot of fun. I love making totes and purses, especially felted ones, and this will give me an excuse to make more and maybe use up some stash. I also joined the Mason-Dixon KAL, after receiving a copy of the Mason-Dixon Knitting book. I love this book! I read it from cover to cover and can't wait to start on some of the projects. I also treated myself to "Scarf Style" and "Handknit Holidays" (I've been very good to myself!)

Amazing Lace Challenge #6 "Unlikely Model"

This wasn't quite what I had in mind for this challenge. My plan was to drape my Airy Scarf around a live lobster. But things didn't quite work out. I couldn't get him to stay still long enough to put the scarf on him, he was not very cooperative at all. So here is my pathetic entry. But at least I will qualify for the drawings!
P.S. The lobster was delicious!

Birthday Fun

This weekend was Tori's 7th birthday. The party was at my house on Friday - 15 little girls decorated treasure boxes and then went on a treasure hunt to fill them up. It was a fun time for everyone!

Felted Pottery

This felted bowl was made with one skein (doubled) of knitpicks Memories yarn in Geranium. The colors didn't pool as much as I thought they would. I was hoping it would look more like Mexican pottery, but I like it anyway. With another skein of the same yarn I made the tea cup and saucer. I think they are adorable, and would love to make a whole set, including the teapot for my granddaughter.
For the bowl:
CO 80 sts on size 8 16" circular needles. Join and knit in the round for about 5".
Start decreasing 6 sts evenly space every other row until you are down to about 40 sts. and then every row until you are down to 4 sts. (switching to dps when necessary) Draw yarn through the remaining sts and fasten off. Felt as usual and block over a bowl.
For the saucer:
Make as for the bowl, except knit around for only 1" before starting the decreases. Felt and block over a bowl.
For the teacup:
CO 35 sts. on size 8 needles, work around for about 5" and then start decreasing 4 sts. every row until there are 4 sts. left. Pull through and fasten off.
Handle: Make a 4 sts I cord about 6" long and sew in place on cup.
Felt as usual and block over a glass.

Striped Felted Tote

This is the felted striped tote from the One skein book. I used Patons Classic Wool in their new variegated line in the color Rosewood, and a solid, burgandy.
It felted quickly, and is about half the size I started with. I always forget to measure and take a picture of the before. I was hoping to use this for my 'school bag,' but it came out a little smaller than I though it would. Guess I won't be able to take much work home with me this year LOL.

Island Picnic

In the summer, one of our favorite things to do is to go on an island lobster picnic. This year 40 people crowded onto my son-in-law's lobster boat to go over to one of the islands off Frenchmen's Bay in Bar Harbor, where we cooked 100 lbs. of lobster and 100 lbs. of clams, not to mention the corn, and all the munchies. It couldn't have been a more perfect day! And no....I didn't take my knitting with me.

Lobster on the Rocks on our own private island!

Whoduknit Mystery Yarn Contest Clue #2

I was looking out my window this morning (while knitting of course) and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Ms. Duknit lift a little bundle of joy from her zucchini patch. Of course I ran out to see what was going on (I am a Whoduknit KAL sleuth after all). What I saw was the softest bundle of yarn. Ms. Duknit was not very forthcoming about the details of this incredible discovery, but I could tell that it weighed about 3.5 oz.,was 215 yards long and kettle dyed. It was thick in some places and thin in others.
(feel free to leave a comment - but don't give away your guess yet!)

Socks!

Two pairs of socks completed! The first is a pair of ankle socks knit with one skein Sockotta self-patterning sock yarn, color 502, with a size one (ugh!) 40" circular needle. I have enough left over to make a pair of baby socks.

The second is a pair of slipper socks knit with one skein of Lionbrand Woolease purple on size 5 40" circs, in a beaded rib stitch from Sensational Knitted Socks. These socks cost a grand total of $2.00! I don't know how they will hold up, but I love them right now!

KTC Traveling Women's Swap Package Arrived!

I received a package today from my wonderful swap partner, Vicki, and I am overwhelmed! She sent "Plain Truth" by Jodie Picoult, which I can't wait to read, and "Knit One, Kill Two", by Maggie Sefton, which is one of the books that has been nominated for our next reading and KAL at Whoduknit, TWO skeins of Noro, which I am really excited about because it is my favorite felting yarn - just love the colors, a box of Spiced Chai Tea (can't wait to try it) and a great keychain made with twisted yarn. Thank you Vicki for putting so much thought into my package - I love it!
Jane

Perdita

This is Perdita from Knitty in the lilac pattern. I used #3 crochet cotton instead of the #5 called for because that was what I had, so it is a little bigger than it is supposed to be. This was my first attempt at knitting with beads and it was pretty easy to do. I'm not sure I would wear it as a bracelet, but it makes a nice candle cozy! Without the buttons and loops, it woulds also make a pretty bookmark. I am going to try one with the right size pearl cotton because I think they are so pretty and is so much fun to make.