Secret Pal and Sable Sweater

My secret pal is so awesome! She sent me bath salts that smell wonderful. As you can see I have used them already. It was a nice surprise in the mail yesterday. I have been a little down due to finances (brakes went out on my car) and the package from my secret pal is just what I needed.


Bath Salts

I have picked up the sable sweater again. I have the body almost completed, just 1 1/2 inches to go. One of the sleeves are finished, and the other one started. I took Elizabeth Zimmerman's advice. She said if you get bored knitting the body, start the sleeves.


Sable Sweater

A big thanks so Suzy who is helping me think up fund raising ideas for the Rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix. I need all the help I can get. If anyone else has a good fund raising idea, please let me know.

Team In Training

I have embarked on what I hope to be a meaningful adventure. I am going to walk a marathon in Phoenix, Arizona in January. This event raises money for Leukemia, a disease my father had and probably ultimately led to his death. So as you can see this has a lot of meaning for me. To participate in this event, I need to be able to walk 26 miles and raise $3,000! If you would like to help me reach my goal and support this worthy cause go to https://www.active.com/donations/fundraise_public.cfm?key=vtntWBrown and make a donation. I truly appreciate any support you are willing to offer. It would be neat if we could get a group of knitters participating in the marathon. Let me know if you would like to join me.

Jaguars and Sable Sweaters

Last Friday my office had a picnic at the zoo. One of my favorite exhibits was the jaguar. There was a tent in the exhibit manned with a person who has studied jaguars in the wild. Lots of interesting info and I learned we all should be drinking Free Trade coffee.


Jaguar

This week I have dug out an old project I have worked on in the past, the sable sweater. I am not going to post a picture today, but I will once it is finished. I don't have too much more to do, one sleeve, adding the sleeves and the neckline. To refresh your memory I am using Elizabeth Zimmerman's percentage method to knit this sweater. I like knitting sweaters in the round much better than knitting them in pieces. We shall see how it turns out.

The Cuff is Finished!

I finally finished the cuff. Hopefully the rest of the sock will not be as difficult. I love the Mountain Colors Barefoot, it is wonderful to knit with and I love the color. I will be buying more of this. The nice thing about this sock is that the pattern knits up quickly. I am used to knitting with fingering weight yarn, which takes a lot more time. These will be great for the winter.



Friday Harbor Sock

I Finally Get It!

I have finally figured out how to knit the cuff of the Friday Harbor Sock. After many nights of failed attempts, last night I finally got it right! It amazes me how much authors of patterns assume the average knitter will know without it being specified in the instructions. That is a pet peeve of mine. Oh well, all is good. I will post a picture of the cuff when it is finished.

It All Has to Come Off

My excess weight that is. I joined Weight Watchers and lost 3 pounds the first week. I know all my weeks won't be like that, but I think it is pretty good for the first one. I have a long way to go, but I am determined. Luckily there is a meeting close to work on Fridays at lunch time. It is a pretty simple program and I have had no trouble following it. It allows you to be flexible which is what I like.

I have been so busy I haven't made it to several of my knitting groups lately, but I hope to go to S N'B on Wednesday. I miss all of my knitting buddies.

Still I have gotten some knitting done. I need to have the bag done for my friend Theresa by the 20th, which I don't think will be a problem. I am still stuck on the Friday Harbor Sock. I will bring it to Wednesdays meeting to see if anyone has any ideas.

Friday Harbor Sock

I cast on for Friday Harbor sock last night and have frogged it twice. I have read the fix for the cuff on the KAL website and the errata from Interweave Knits and still can't get it right. Has anyone else had this problem? I must be an idiot, but that's a given. My frustration is mounting. Also, I have read that when people have cast on the 50 stitches it ends up being too small. I am using Mountain Colors Bearfoot and I am hoping I can just follow the pattern as is. The color I am using is called Rosehips, and it is gorgeous. I've never used this yarn before, but I really like it.

I am so ready for Fall, I want to see the rain again!

Blue Angels and Friday Harbor

Here is a picture from Wednesday's cruise around Lake Washington. I caught a photo of the Blue Angels. That is not an easy feat as they move so fast. It has been a beautiful week here in the Northwest, perfect for Sea Fair.


Blue Angels

I was reading on someone's blog, whom I can't remember, about knitting pschyzophrenia, which is what I think I have. I am joining the Knitting on the Road KAL and bought yarn to knit Friday Harbor. I will be casting on tonight. I guess my new motto is "One can never have too many projects going at one time."

Hot, Hot, Hot

I know I am an odd ball, but I don't like hot sunny weather. Having lived in the Pacific Northwest for most of my life, I am use to the cold and rain, and that is the way I like it. This week has been too hot, too hot for me to knit! I knit almost every day in a usual week, this week I've barely picked up the needles.

I won't complain too much as today, instead of working in the office, we went on a cruise of Lake Washington. It was beautiful out on the water and the Blue Angels were flying over head preparing for Sea Fair. There will be some pictures tomorrow.

Tomorrow night I will be knitting with friends in air conditioning, so hopefully I will make some headway on my felted bag project for a friend. I don't know how those of you that live in warmer climates can stand it, of course you probably have air conditioning in your homes. Very few people in this area do. I can't wait for Fall.

Ene's Scarf Update

I have almost finished the bottom edge of Ene's scarf. So far so good, no major complications. I have been taking things slow as lace takes a lot of concentration for me.


Ene's Scarf

I have been working on gifts for friends, so I haven't had too much time for my UFO's. I have vowed to finish the projects I have started before I start anymore. Famous last words!