Ravelry killing my knitting blog?

ETA: I changed the title of this post because I thought that it might seem a bit too accusatory. And you can see that it really is my fault and in no way Rav’s fault. I really love that site and don’t want it to seem I’m saying anything bad about it.

Maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I feel that is happening to mine, anyway.  Once I get around to getting the info updated on Ravelry I am too lazy to then put it on here.  Ah!  There is the real problem, right?  I’m too lazy!  Must me just me cause I’m amazed at how many others are so good at keeping the knitting content of their knitting blogs up to date.  Oh, well.

With all that said, here are some other things I’ve been working on:

Baby Surprise Jacket using Knit Picks Shine Worsted STASH!! (gasp!)

My “Sensible Socks.” The yarn was given to me by my friend, Nicky, in order for me to make something other than crazy socks. Well…… This is the Ziggy pattern from the latest Knitty. I’m really liking them a lot.

This is the tote basket I made for my mother as a replacement for the sweater I have been meaning to finish for the last 3 years. Hopefully this will serve as a good substitute!

Another pair of finished socks.
Pattern: Show-off Stranded Socks (a free Rav download)
yarn: Salvia Sock Yarn
needles: 2.5mm

FINALLY pulled this off the rigid heddle loom!

And started this the same evening!!

I also started a pair of socks for the Summer of Socks 08 but I will put that in the next post…which promises to be another long one. Better start on it soon!

The other passion….

Seems that basketweaving has made its way into my life BIG TIME!  Now, I should qualify by saying that this is not a hobby that I do on my own in my own home; however, I seem to be doing it more and more.  Could be because my LYS is having more and more classes these days.

Anywho…these are my latest…

Undulating Twill Basket
I’m using it as a wastepaper basket next to my knitting chair.

Egg Basket
Currently holding roving that I hope to get back to spinning soon.

In knitting news…
I am really coming along on K’s Christmas sweater. I have finished the back and the 2 front panels and am probably half way up both sleeves. I might have it done by the end of the weekend (heard that before).

I am coming along on this for L2 for Christmas:

which you can find here. I’m using Sockotta in color 6063 on US2.

I have not picked L1′s Shawl Collar Jacket back up yet.

Working on a few other projects that I hope to have pictures of soon, as well as pictures of FOs!! 

But I have been creating…honest!

Even when my knitting seems to be on the wane, I still find that I create in other ways.

Consider the following:

This is a Cut Leaf Gourd. Isn’t it fantastic?!? This class was so amazing. I would have never thought I had it in me. AND I got to use POWER-TOOLS!

Then:

A little gourd fun!! I was going for the sassy look.

Listing these in the order of completion, I did get a little knitting done:

Jennifer’s Socks
pattern: Roza’s Socks from Interweave Spring 2007
yarn: Tofutsies #733
needles: 40″ Inox Express 2.5mm
mods: none!

I rushed to finished these so they could be my September socks for Sock A Month 4.

And then this little ditty:

I don’t think I have posted about this since here. Quick knit, although a little tedious with the stst.

And its twin:

Both are from “Knits, Knots, Buttons, and Bows” by Lynda Schar using Cascade Sierra or Sierra Quatro.

Last but not least:

This is called a Cabin Boy basket and I made it as a gift for my mother-in-law.

So, never fear, I am staying busy in the creative world, even if it isn’t always knitting!

?Como estan ustedes?

I want to thank everyone who has asked about my absence.  I wish I could say that it was for some fantastic reason.  Nope.  I just had blogger’s block.  I went away to visit family for that one week and got out of the groove of posting and just couldn’t get back into it. 

Of course, I returned to the most unbelieveably long list on Bloglines.  Yikes.  It just makes you want to accidentally hit the delete button and start over.  But I really wanted to read what everyone had been up to and I was hoping it would inspire me.  I did comment on some blogs using them, like I told Kristy, like swatching for a project.  It might have worked…thanks.

First, knitting has not been a high priority for me…unfortunately.  I have been doing a little.  Unlike before, though, I have been able to ride in a car, watch tv, and do many other activities without needles in my hands.  I’m shocked, too!  Don’t know why. 

Maybe its procrastination because I know I have deadlines coming up.  I need to finish the twins’ birthday presents and the Hogwarts Sock Swap socks….eek!  I can report that I am all but finished with L2′s vest (just the ribbing around one armhole) and I am on the front of K’s top that is, thank goodness, sleeveless.  I just need to go shopping for accessories.  I have finished sock #1 for the sock swap and am FINALLY happy with both my yarn and pattern selection.  ‘Bout time! I hope to have pictures of finished items to show soon. I’ve got to finish some socks for SAM4! Yikes!

In other crafts…

Its a double handled picnic basket.  My sister-in-law joined me for this class, which was fun!  I love my basket!!!  I hope to make a liner for it soon.  Its really big and will hold lots of yarn!!

!Hola!  I am also taking la clase de espanol at the local college with mi amiga Nicky.  Es diversion. (Babel Fish translated that for me so I have no idea if that is correct.  Not gotten that far).

And, finally, we have started the remodel of our mudroom/laundry room to soon be a mudroom/laundry room/utility room/half bath. Believe me, its a big room. I will show pictures when we have progress. Right now it is just an empty room with a few tiles pulled from the floor.

Hello, again, Dirk!

The Postmaster has seen me more in the last few days than in the last few months! 

On Wednesday I sent off my niece’s birthday dress.

Again, maybe a little longer than I wanted but I’ll let her mother decide if it needs to be shortened.  In general, I am very pleased at how it came out.

This is an upclose of the button I crochet using the tutorial on Crochet Me.

Then this morning I dropped this in the mail:

My Sockapalooza 4 Pal’s socks with a few goodies: Knitpick’s Memories in Cape Cod, a sock blocker keychain with tiny sock made with same yarn as her socks, SOAK minis, and notebook.  I hope she enjoys and, most importantly, the socks fit!  (These also qualified for Summer of Socks 07)

Tuesday I took a class and made this:

Please pardon the area around the step. I would love to say that we are in the middle of a remodeling, but, in fact, we just pulled up the railing that seperated the den from the diningroom and are now just in a holding pattern. Who knows when we will get the time to continue.  Anyway, I just love my new stair step basket!!  Even though you are looking at the only 2 steps in my house I just had to have this basket!

This is what it looked like until about 10 seconds after I got home:
 
Now it is filled with my knitting magazines and some yarn. Surprise!!

I continue to work on my VLC and several pairs of socks.  I hope to have update pictures soon!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

More Non-Knitting

Another day spent basketweaving and I LOVE the end product!!!  Check it out!

Its a tote basket with a custom liner (my fabric, sewn so beautifully by Margaret Trussell)

This is now my new big knitting bag (that holds all my little knitting project bags).  I LOVE IT!

I was hoping to have pictures of finished Mermaid socks but ended up frogging the heel 3x before I finally got it.  Honestly, it would be understandable if it was the first sock, but it isn’t.  Well, back to it!

Yes, I do things other than knit!

This is what I did last weekend…

This is a Wool Drying Basket done in a twill pattern.  I took the class at my local yarn shop which is actually many, many other things than a yarn shop: spinning, weaving, basketry, knitting, crochet, gourds. 

Speaking of gourds…

These are Birdhouse gourds with pinecone needle “roofs.”  Lots of fun to make!

OK, back to my regularly scheduled knitting!