I’m now blogging on WordPress software on my own domain (I’m paying for it so I might as well use it). Please find me at: http://knittingbymoonlight.lizzweb.com/ .

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Today is National Sweater Day as designated by the WWF.  The idea is that you turn down your thermostat by 3 degrees and put on a sweater for the day. But they designate that this should be an ugly sweater. My first thought was, “I’m a knitter, I don’t own UGLY sweaters.” My workplace has extended this day into a week and upper-level management were given “ugly” thrift store sweaters to wear. Really some of their ugly sweaters are more outdated than ugly, like 80′s purple sweaters with pink and green fair isle squares or velour tracksuit tops (not really UGLY but not really work appropriate attire). Of course some are well…. think  Bill Cosby in the Cosby Show.

My question is, why does the WWF think that ugly sweaters are warmer than nice, pretty, or funky ones? I propose we create a group Knitters Against Ugly Sweaters (K.A.U.S.) to help educate people that non-ugly sweaters have the same insulating qualities as ugly ones! In fact, depending on the fibre, they might even be warmer than ugly sweaters. To start the process I made a couple of buttons, using my fabulous B-Stylin Button Designer, to both educate and inform people that my sweaters were not ugly, in case of any confusion. One of my fellow on-campus knitters is also sporting a button. Will you join us in the K.A.U.S. mission?

K.A.U.S. Buttons

Happy Valentine’s Day!

On February 1st I started a pair of socks for the month. I want to increase the number of hand-knit socks in my drawer, so after my Revenge socks went so quickly in January, I decided to start a pair of socks each month and see how it goes. Most of these projects will be part of the 12 in 2011 challenge, but likely I’ll make a pair or two for my Dad too.

Completed Neapolitan Socks

My February socks are the Cranberry Biscotti patten by Elizabeth Sullivan. I used the slip-stitch stripe pattern but knit the socks toe-up using my usual formula (64 sts around, short row toes and heels 10 sts on each side). I bought the yarn for this project, Elann Sock It to Me 4 Ply in Rose Wine, Coffee Bean, and Cream last March shortly after finding the pattern on Ravelry. I’m calling these my Neapolitan Socks because they remind me of ice cream.

Once I started I couldn’t stop knitting these socks. It was total potato chip knitting, to borrow a phrase from theKnitmore Girls. The stripe sequences are fairly quick and the change in colours adds such impact that I just couldn’t wait to add more, even on the second sock. It took me about two full pattern repeats to memorize the stripe sequence. I finished the first sock after about 5 days so I decided to try to complete them to wear for Valentine’s Day. I made it, weaving in the ends yesterday evening.

Neapolitan Socks Pattern Close-Up

Because I knit these toe-up I had the stripe sequence shift on the side of each sock, it doesn’t look as nice where the row changes so I made these the inside of the socks by working the heels on the opposite set of stitches. In other words I started one heel half a round before the other.

I used about 3/4 of a ball of the Rose Wine colour and less than half of the Cream and Coffee Bean. I ‘m thinking I will buy another plain coloured sock yarn and make another pair with the rest of the Cream and Coffee Bean.

Will Ferrell The Comedian

Keeping a straight face around Charlie is a cheek muscle-wrenching nightmare. Try as you may, but giggling is inevitable because Charlie is comedian Will Ferrell!

For a while Charlie was just funny on Saturday nights, but that’s all changed now that he’s taken his act on the road. Whether he’s being silly in real life or on the silver screen, Charlie has a true knack for making people crack up. Charlie has even managed to make the crossover to the cyberwebs, where he delivers raw, fresh, uncooked humor to his countless cyberpet fans. A fast runner, Charlie runs marathons when he’s not dreaming up his next slapstick routine. Widely talented and able to impetsonate any number of two and four-legged critters, Charlie‘s fans will be lapping it up for a long time to come.

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It’s true, Charlie does make me laugh. Especially when he has something he’s not supposed to, like Kleenex, and he’s prancing away from me. It’s funny but counter-productive to getting whatever it is away from him. It’s also amusing to watch him play with my parent’s Schnauzers, Fidget and Inca, particularly when all three of them are tug-of-waring with the same toy.

Three-Way Puppy Tug-of-War

 

Charlie’s camouflaged in the dog bed (fairly typical at my parent’s house) in this photo taken on Christmas day. I think Fidget (left) had the Stuffing-less Fox first and then Charlie and Inca (middle) wanted in on the action.

After I finished my Revenge Socks I started a simple lacy scarf as my second 12 in 2011 project.

Wavy Lace Scarf

I’m using the Violet Green Lace Scarf pattern by Violet Green in the Knit Picks Imagination Wicked Witch colourway. I bought 7 skeins of this yarn in 2009 planning to make a scarf, hat, and some gloves. I’ve made one project so far, the Chapeau Marnier in the Fall of 2009.  I think I miscalculated how much yarn I needed to make these projects so it might be more realistic to have a scarf, hat, convertible gloves, another hat, and some mittens made from this yarn.

Charlie Sitting Pretty

Charlie went for his first haircut this afternoon. He’s really starting to seem like a grown up dog! I was surprised by how small his paws seem now that they’re trimmed down. The report is that he was a good boy but a little nervous about the noise and he didn’t like having a bath. I know that he’s not fond of baths, so I’ll have to work on that more and hope that he gets more comfortable.

Charlie's New Haircut from the Side

I finished my Revenge Socks on January 25th!

Revenge Socks Lying Flat

These are my first completed project for the 12 in 2011 group challenge. These socks are very comfy and definitely brighten up a cloudy winter’s day.

Revenge Socks on my Feet

For Charlie’s 2nd Sweater I used the Drops 102-45 Dog Coat pattern and Red Heart Soft Touch in a dark green. This sweater is knit in the round for the neck and then separated for the back and the underside. It then is closed by buttoning the back to the underside. It is easier to get on Charlie than the first sweater I made him, but the buttons are at the very bottom, so if you have an excited puppy it can be a little troublesome to find them.

Charlie Sitting Pretty in his 2nd Sweater

The back of the sweater called for cleaning up the edges with crochet. I left them without and they’re a little uneven but acceptable.

Charlie from the Side in his 2nd Sweater

Inca wanted to get in on the modelling action too. She’s a bit bigger than Charlie and has considerably more hair, so it fits a bit more snugly on her. There are no pictures of Fidget, because he prefers when we don’t try to put clothes on him.

Inca in Charlie's Sweater

There are a few more pics on my Ravelry Project Page of the puppies in this sweater.

Last Thursday I started work on my first 12 in 2011 project, a pair of plain vanilla socks in Rabbitworks Fibre Studio Toe Jam in the popular Revenge colourway. As usual with socks for me, I’m using Wendy’s Generic Toe-Up Sock Pattern and short-rowing 10 stitches on each side of the toe and heel.

Revenge Sock Yarn

I bought this yarn at the Victoria Fibre Festival either two summers ago or three, and the skeins have been sitting in my stash looking gorgeous ever since. It seems that’s become the habit for what happens with most of my sock yarn.

1st Toe of my Revenge Socks

I took this photo shortly after I started working on the socks. I’m now up to the ribbing on the first sock. I can’t remember the last time I worked this quickly on a pair of socks. I think it’s because socks are something I can knit while Charlie is snoozing on my lap, bigger projects tend to wake him up and then he tries to eat the yarn, needles, knitted fabric, row counter…. you get the idea. Plus I was home sick earlier this week so I had some knitting time but I didn’t want anything complicated to work on.

For Christmas 2010 I made four projects. With Charlie around there hasn’t been as much time to knit, so I didn’t want to commit to knitting a bunch of deadline knitting.

The first is a Stocking for Everett, the newest addition to our extended family. It matches the one I made for his sister, Annora, a few years ago except that while her’s was predominately white, Everett’s is mostly red. It`s made out of Red Heart Soft Touch and I used just a basic sock formula with a short-row heel and gathered toe.

Everett's Stocking

The only under the tree present that I made were Dad’s 13th Socks. These are the same as Dad’s 12th Socks that I finished a few months ago, made out of Knit Picks Stroll Sport. This is one of the few Christmases that Dad has been given socks without needles attached.

Dad's 13th Socks

As a last minute gift I made a few of my co-workers Christmas Bell Ornaments. They were made from bits for Mom’s stash of Christmas Acrylic and each takes about an hour from start to finish. I managed the four that I made in less than 24 hours.

Christmas Bell Ornaments

The final Christmas project I made was a Stocking for Inca, my parent’s new puppy. Mom started a stocking for Charlie but was running low on time so I offered to help out by making one for Inca. I finished it up on Christmas Eve. Now the dogs have matching stockings, Inca’s is white, Charlie’s is green, and Fidget’s is red.

Inca's Stocking