Wednesday, November 23, 2011

After working consecutive 10 hr to 14 hr days, I finally have a day off.  I decided to settle in and work on some knitting.  I would love to continue with my sweater, but I need double pointed needle for the sleeves and after driving over 300 miles in 2 days for work, I DO NOT want to even look at my car or think about having to drive 30+ minutes (one way) to find a craft store to buy these things.
Note to self:  stop by Michaels in between store calls so I don't have to do it on my day off!  Yes, I was right next to a Michaels (actually two) over the past couple days, so I only have myself to blame for not being able to finish my sweater this weekend.  So, instead I will work on a super cute little scarf made out of a yummy silk/wool blend yarn.


Well, as I started to settle in I noticed some movement outside our back sliding door.  Now, we back up to the woods so you would think we get a lot of wildlife, but really all we ever see are squirrels, birds and insects - mainly spiders - lots and lots of BIG and UGLY spiders.  Oh, and I can't forget about all the ticks...there are tons of ticks out here.  But today I had a pleasant surprise and I had to run and get my camera:



I really do love living in a home that backs up to the woods.  Views like this almost make up for all the bugs.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

KAL

A few months back I was thinking about how much I've learned about knitting but I still haven't made a garment.  I have stuck to accessories, and my most recent obsession passion has been socks - and has been for the past year.  I have not really branched out since I learned how to keep my toes toasty and comfy in hand-knit wool socks.  Then BAM...I stumble across a knitter's blog that mentions a new KAL (knit-along) for newbies.  I'm not really a  knitting "newbie" per se (but I am when it comes to sweaters) but I thought this is what I needed to break the ice on garment knitting.
With very little knitting time invested, I am now over halfway complete and should be done with the body by tomorrow.  

Tonight, Bubba took a picture of my progress --------------->

The top is a bit big (and is poofing out a little, making my chest look HUGE) and I had to do more decreases than called for in the body.  Hopefully the top will tighten up a bit when I add in the sleeves and close up the gap under the arms.  But, overall, I am pleased that I have at least gotten this far.