A little me knitting

Even though my daughters picked the yarn for the sweaters that they want for Christmas, they all think I won't have time so I only work on them while they are at school or not home. They know me so well that if I'm not knitting on something there is a problem. So I am doing a little bit of me knitting at the same time. So what's better then a pair of Monkey socks. I think this is my 4 pair and I have to say I just love this pattern which you can find a copy at Knitty.com. I am using Araucania Ranco multy. The color ways is number 303 or better known as pinks and purples. Not my normal colors that I would pick but I do like them just the same. I also bought some yarn the day after Thanksgiving to make a sweater to match. So be on the look out for that. By the way I am trying new needles. Clover sock needles. They are 4 .5 inches long and I have to say they are just great. Not quite as neat as my rosewoods but nice just the same.

Its begining to look like Christmas knitting

Now that I have the Christmas stockings all done and the customer is happy. I have been working on my Christmas knitting. Now each one of these sweaters are not a huge surprise to the members of my family. The reason.... they picked the yarn they wanted and the color. I did make one rule NO ACRYLIC. The first one finished is a vest for my husband. He already knows its done and has tried it on. He wanted it for Christmas Eve. He will be singing at our church's three Christmas Eve services. So I had to do that one first. Its hard to see by the picture but its hunter green and it was made from Lopi Lite. Not the softest of yarns but it was the color he wanted. Not to mention he will be wearing it over a shirt anyway. Now that its done I'm on to the next sweater. Next up is the V neck for my oldest daughter. I decided I would go from oldest to youngest. Or largest to smallest. My daughter is a jeans and Tshirt type gal so I was a bit surprised by her yarn choice. The yarn is Plymouth Boku. If you have never seen or felt this yarn its a lot like Noro. Its a wool silk blend and I think its softer then Noro. The colorway she chose was orange, greens and purples. So far its looks wonderful.

Thanksgiving

So I have been asked to talk a bit about what I am thankful for. Well this could be long, because there are so many things that I am thankful for. Let me start with the usually stuff even they are extremely important to me. I will also add some pictures of things but I have a policy not to post pictures of my family on my blog so I will have to get a bit creative. First I am so thankful for my Husband, we have been married for over 20 years and it been great fun most of the time. He even understand about the yarn collecting. Then there are my three daughters. Ages 16,13 and 9. They are all very wonderful caring girls which is rare sometimes for teens this day and age. My 16 year old plays in the marching band at school. They took 1st place in a local marching band competition this year.

I am so thankful for my job. I have so much fun teaching others to knit and to improve their skills in knitting.

I am also thankful for the Internet. Because of the web I have met some really nice ladies that share my same interests and obsession with fiber.

I am so thankful for God providing my spinning wheel for me. As you all may know Matchless spinning wheels are not cheap but I was able to get mine at a price I could afford.

I am also thankful that this past year I was able to attend a couple of fiber shows. Its so fun to see what other fiber artist are up to and of course its always nice to add to the stash.

I am also thankful for the different class that I have taken in the past year or so. Its so fun to be able to learn something new.

I am thankful for my different groups that I am a member of from The Treasure valley knitting guild the spinning group and the Idaho Civil War renactors. I love to spend time with other people with the same interest that I have.

OK so this is a bit of a crazy one. I am thankful for baseball. I am a huge fan of base ball. I know when friends of mine find this out they are just surprised as all get out. But I really love to sit and watch a great base ball game.
As you can see I am thankful for a wide range of things. Life has been tough for us this year but as I look back there are some many things to be thankful for. My home, my family , my friends,but when I think of being thankful the first thing that come to my mind is God. With out him I would have nothing and be nothing. He has blessed me in millions of ways so many that I don't have space to list them all. He has given me the talent to knit and the talent to share my skills with others. He has given me the heart to love others in maybe a way that some don't. God bless you and take a minute today to thank God for all you are bless with in your life.

Christmas Knitting- boy have I been busy

OK so I have been busy doing some Christmas knitting. In the past couple of weeks I have knit 5 Santa Christmas stockings. However they were not for me or anyone in my family. When you work at a yarn shop once in a while you get asked to knit an item for a customer. Well at Christmas time we all at the shop end up knitting a stocking or two. So this year I was asked to knit 5 all the same, except for the names. As you can see in the picture I have them all done, well OK you can only see three of the five and one of the originals believe me they are all on my table drying, they just couldn't fit in the picture. The one on the far left is the original. It seems Grandma knit the same stocking for everyone in the family, kids, and grand kids. Well she passed away this last year so I was asked to knit the great grand kids stockings. I have to say I was happy to do it. Now that they are all done I can now start on my own Christmas knitting. My husband wants a buttoned down vest and all three daughters have asked for sweaters so no rest for the weary.

Sock it to me twice questions

The Questions
How long have you been knitting? 10 years
Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced? Advanced. I am a knitting teacher by profession
How long have you been knitting socks?10 years off and on but I have really gotten back to socks this last summer.
What are your favorite fibers to work with? wool, alpaca, mainly natural fibers
What is your favorite color? purples and greens
What are your current WIPs (works in progress)? Sweaters for my family for Christmas
Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.). Socks that rock, Koigu,Galway,Cascade Ecco wool
What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from. Acrylic I'm sorry I just hate it.
What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?) Married for 20 years, three girls ages 16, 13 and 9 ( all knitters) and a dog named Tiny who isn't
Name some of your hobbies. In order of love Knitting, Hand spinning, reading, crocheting, tatting, needlepoint
Name some of your favorite movies? Austin Powers, the Thin man series, Quiet man, and Hop a long Cassidy movie. yes I know its a bit all over the place
Do you like to read? yes I love to read a good mystery and Debbie Macomber
Do you collect anything? sheep
Do you own an iPod or mp3 player? not yet waiting for a good sale this holiday season
What are your favorite type of knitting needles? nylon, I have an allergy to metal so I don't use them at all. I also only use circulars for most of my knitting but I use only dps for socks. I love rose wood for socks. My all time favorite are the old Susan Bates grey nylon circulars, but they are hard to find these days. Although I would like to try the new wood ones from Knit Picks.
What knitting notion could you not live without? stitch markers and good needles
Who are some of your favorite designers? Cooke A, the gal that designs the Knitting pure and simple patterns.
Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.) Spin off, Knitters, Interweave Knits, Wool gathering
When is your birthday? 4-26
Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)? Amazon I haven't gotten my wish list going on Ravelry yet.
Do you have a Ravelry ID? yarnsnthreads
If you had a sheep, what would you name it? Winston

Child's French socks

Have I told you all how much I love Nancy Bush sock patterns? Well I do, and I really love her book Knitting Vintage socks. The pattern for these socks comes from that book. They are called Child's French socks. Although they are really sized for and adult. I love this lace pattern. I used a merino nylon blend called cocoon. This is normally a baby yarn but I think it works just great for socks. I think I will try other patterns with this yarn in the future.