FO Big Manly Socks

I finally finished my husband's socks. This was the first pair I have knit for him - men's socks are a LOT larger than my little ones! I began these last November and knit sporadically, but I really wanted to finish I so concentrated on them exclusively last and this week.

The pattern is from Sensational Knitted Socks - Slipped Stitch Rib. I used KP Essential in Grey and #0 DPNS. I did make the heel flap longer to accommodate his high instep. They came out a perfect fit.

I like the slipped stitch rib alot. It kept me from being insanely bored and looks a little bit dressy.

So now there is nothing on my needles and I am searching around for the next project. It is spring here in Texas and the searing heat will be upon us soon, so another sweater (maybe one that fits me this time) may not be the perfect choice. Not to mention that I am hot, hot, hot these days. OMG! Can you say hot flashes?

This weekend will be fairly lazy for me for a change. The only commitments are a few student this morning and one tomorrow afternoon. I plan to do some gardening, maybe get some geraniums for the pots in front.....

Enjoy your weekend~

FO Basic Cranberry Cardigan

I know, it has been quite a while since I posted. Life has been extra-ordinarily busy. Just when I think it can't get any more, something else pops up and I am sucked up into the vortex. I am not complaining - just explaining why I have been delinquent in visiting you and posting here.

• I did finish something: Basic Black Cardigan. (Well, cranberry, not black) Since Magknits is no longer available :-( I cannot link the pattern.

Here is one pic:

And another:

• I realized my gauge was too big and so is the cardi. I have someone in mind I think would like it and can wear it, so all is not lost. I used Sirdar Country DK in Cranberry and Options #5 (should have used #4 and knit the smaller size). Oh well, I gained a bunch of experience and really am happy overall with how it turned out. I might even knit it again in a nice cotton blend.

• My husband's socks will be done in no time now - just the toes to finish. It should only be a day or two for those. The dilemma is what to knit next? Do you go through the indecisiveness and angst when trying to make the decision too?

• We just received the news from our accountant about our taxes and I am now on a yarn diet. But the reality is that I am in the market for a new oboe (KaChing) at the same time as our tax fate was being deduced, so new yarn will be on hold for a while. Good thing that vortex is whirling around us since we will be sending Uncle Sam a chunka chunka change. I hope your taxes come out more advantageous for you than ours did for us.

Have a good rest of the week, dear fellow knitties and I will try to stop by for a visit.

Trikke, anyone?

Thanks for your kind thoughts toward Sandra. Every little bit of positive energy helps. She liked the Chinchilla hat, but I wound up frogging the purple one - just too darn big. She has a small head, so I am sizing down on the next ones. I did finish this (Fiber Trends AC-4), but delivered it before I could take a photo.

It was my birthday Thursday, and I had both my mammogram and annual that morning. My gyn is a hoot - her question to me was "Where are you going next, to the dentist?" At any rate, all is well and I don't have to think about any of it for another year :-)

But---

Stepping on the scale was not fun - in fact, I am so disgusted with my bmi, I decided to take action and get moving. I went today and bought a Trikke.

I went for a short ride today and came home exhausted. I think (once I really get the hang of it) it will be a great all over workout. I am also not eating any more second helpings. We'll see if that helps make me smaller.

I just stepped off the ferry at sleeve island for Basic Black so I hope to have some real life knitting content next time.

~~ See you soon ~~

(2 more) Chemo Caps

Here are two more caps for Sandra.

The first is from Head Huggers and knit with 2 colors of

Berroco Chinchilla.

And this one is Fiber Trends AC4 knit with a cotton/acrylic blend

(can't find the ball band)

I hope they fit.

Thank you for your healing thoughts for her.

Please keep them coming in.

One little FO, a WIP, Ziti and Snow?

Good Monday Afternoon! Thanks so much for all your great responses to the last posts :-) It is back to the oboe - no more oddness and crazy reeds and music! This week's schedule is lighter than it has been for weeks. (YAY) Ballet starts Saturday, but no other services until then. I think my students will be happy to have their teacher being somewhat sane.

One of my acquaintances is beginning chemo for Inflammatory Breast Cancer, (NOT good) so I knit this little cap to give her some comfort. It was *really* quick and I will probably knit a few others. This form of breast cancer is rare and very aggressive. Please click on the link and read about it - we all should know what it is.

The pattern came from Head Huggers. And it the yarn looks familiar, it is. It is the Sirdar in her favorite color with which I just happened to be knitting a cardigan.

Said cardi is coming along slowly but surely. The back is finished as is the ribbing on both fronts. But I got a little sidetracked and will start again tonight.

And then I thought it might be nice if I actually cooked dinner tonight, so I took some sauce and Italian sausage out of the freezer, cooked up some ziti and put it in a casserole topped with a little mozzarella. I will put it in the oven just before my last student and Voila! Fast, easy and tasty.

I hope you all have a wonderful week. Maybe spring will poke it's head out for us to see :-)

Or not - here is the Dallas snow at 10:15pm, March 3, 2008!

Oboe Pics

Thank you for your interest. And since you were interested, I thought I would have Jim take a few pictures in my studio. I did sit to play the bass oboe in the orchestra, although I had a taller chair and used a cushion to add another inch.

So for comparison, here I am with my regular oboe

(Please excuse the goofy expression.)

And here with the Bass Oboe

And one more standing (for size reference, I am 5'2")

The bass oboe sounds on octave lower than the regular oboe and sounds like a cross between oboe and bassoon: a little bit buzzy but definitely an oboe.

(Did you notice the Fiber Trend Felted Clogs on my feet?)

So there you have it. Crazy, huh?!

Bass Oboe?! and some Knitting too.....

Thank you so much for your comments! I really enjoyed knitting Bamboozle and am pretty darn happy :-) with it. I wore it last weekend and felt wonderful knowing I knit it. I didn't care if anyone else knew because I knew. I feel like I am beginning to get a grasp on how to do this knitting thing.....

This is the 4th week of a 5 week working frenzy. The 1st week was RSO with Zeidwig, the 2nd was Ft. Worth Symphony with the 60's show: "The Beat Goes On", the 3rd was Wichita Falls Symphony, the 4th - this weekend is East Texas Symphony and next week is RSO again.

We are having a blast here in Tyler, TX. Seriously! We are performing Holst's Planets and I get to play the BASS OBOE!!! Have you ever heard of such a beast? I never played one until last week. Here it is next to my oboe so you can see the comparison:

My oboe is 23" long, the Bass oboe is 42"! It sounds one octave lower than normal.

Since I am in Tyler, I get to see yet another hotel room - and so do you!

Please pardon the backgrounds (in this hotel), but here is my current knitting.

First we have Jim's socks with the heels turned:

And here are the first 6" of the Basic Cranberry Cardigan

I am knitting it with Sirdar Country Style DK (acrylic/nylon/wool blend) on #5 KP Options. I will have some time tomorrow after the youth concerts in the morning and hope to get in a good knitting day.

I hope your weekend is full of joy and great knitting~

FO: Bamboozle

FINI!!

Bamboozle Lace Panel Tunic knit in Gedifra California, color #3111, tobacco - 8 skeins, on #6 KP Options.

Began November 07, finished February 08

And it even fits!

Bamboozle and Zeidwig

Here is Bamboozle so far - the shoulders are seamed, sleeves are sewn on and one side pinned. I think it will fit :-)

We had Richardson Symphony this weekend and it was like an out of body experience. Our guest artist was Mitchell Zeidwig and his act can be seen in part if you click this link. Go to the one titled "The Original" - it is the last one.

Not only is the act unique, but I read an article where he states he is from a small town NY. So on break, I introduced myself to Mitchell and here is our conversation:

Me: "I saw you are from a small town in uptsate NY, so am I - from Monticello."

Him: "I graduated from Monticello High School."

Me, eyes growing larger by the second: "SO DID I! What year?"

Him: "In the 19##'s." (The dates have been changed to protect the innocent)

Me, incredulously: "I graduated in 19##."

Him, with huge eyes by now: "19##!"

We were one year apart in our graduating class.

After we got over the incredible coincidence, we had a lovely conversation. We probably passed in the halls and never knew each other. The Executive Director take a picture of us with the Maestro:

Crazy, eh?!

Bamboozled again!

I say, we are just too darn busy! My plan was to get the sleeves done and blocked by this weekend. But nooooooooooooooo! So here is a little shot of one of the sleeves so you know I have not been shirking :-) my knitterly duties.

Both sleeves are about 14" right now with a goal of 18" before shoulder shaping. Stay tuned for more...... now that we can get back on line easily. BTW, the DSL provider gave us a great big $4.00 credit after I called and complained.

DSL Duh!

Thank you for all your great comments. The Barbie thing really was odd, but hey, a job is a job.

This weekend I am in Tyler performing with the East Texas Symphony. My dear friend Sharon is playing the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante and they needed another oboe. Lucky me - I play only that one tune and then I am done ;-) Should be home by 10:00 Saturday.

Fig - I am using Gedifra California yarn in #3111 (tobacco.) My LYS didn't have any Bamboozle yarn - I would love to try some, though. Bamboozle is moving along again since I ripped out both sleeves and started again, this time casting on only 40 sts instead of 48. The diameter of those sleeves were HUGE. They are better now, thank you.

Our Fiber Optic (DSL) has been down for the past 5 days due to some equipment failure by the provider. Last night it finally came back on. I cannot believe how crazy I felt with no internet access!

I hope to get a lot of Bamboozle done this weekend while sitting in this hotel room. I forgot to bring my camera, so sorry, but no pictures until Sunday.

It's off for a quick bite, then to the hall for rehearsal (I am taking my DH socks to knit while I wait). So later gators!

Barbie and Bamboozle

Barbie

So you think this is a strange title? Well! You weren't at today's concert, were you? I had the pleasure of performing with the Ft. Worth Symphony today in a Pops concert featuring Barbie.

Yes folks, Barbie.

The arranger and producer of this concert was Arnie Roth (remember Mannheim Steamroller? That Arnie Roth - very talented and innovative.) It was a great way to introduce young children to classical music, but also very commercial. It seemed like a 90 minute advertisement for the Barbie movies. I didn't even know they made Barbie movies!

Here is your view if you had been in the audience:



But here is the view from my side - looking out into the audience:

So while I was not playing, I took a shot of the screen Barbie was being projected upon. This is a bit odd - from the back side and looking almost straight up:

We were performing in the beautiful Bass Hall in Ft. Worth:

Bamboozle

Enough about work - want to see the front of Bamboozle?

I have about 6" knit on both sleeves so far.... I am on a quest to get this puppy finished soon!

Thanks SO much for all your comments on the last entry. My Mom loved her sweater and we had a wonderful visit. I am so lucky that at 87 years old she is of sound mind and physically well enough to travel all the from NY to TX and visit us.

Sorry about the spacing on this entry - Blogger is just very odd for me when it comes to formatting..

I hope you have a Healthy and Happy New Year! Happy knitting, friends.

Mom's Mr. Greenjeans

It is finished! Here is Mr. Greenjeans in Caron Simply Soft Shadows, and color is Autumn. I used #6 for the body and bottom design and #5 for the sleeve pattern. I also used three buttons instead of one for a more flattering look.

Here is Mom modeling:

And the back:

We are pretty happy with it.

:-)

What do you think?

Merry Christmas to All

Merry Christmas, dear knitting friends. Our work is finished and we have settled down for a relaxing Christmas filled with love and joy. From our family to yours - Merry Christmas.

Clogging Along

It is a cold and early Sunday morning. Have you ever found that when you have a lot of things to do, you wake up very early? It is only 26 degrees this morning so I lit a cozy fire.

We are still in the midst of a very busy weekend: I played 3 different services yesterday and have 2 more today. My husband played 2 yesterday and has 3 today. Tomorrow is better - just an afternoon rehearsal for Christmas Eve services. Then I fly up to NY on Tuesday and back on Wednesday with Mom. The last bit of holiday music begins again on Thursday with the ubiquitous Nutcrackers.

I felted Mom's clogs on Tuesday:

They are actually still damp at the toes. I think they turned out well - and this was an intentional felting! (poor little socks - I did shed a brief tear......)

And I am taking another run at Mr. Greenjeans for Mom. Since she is a wash and wear gal, I am knitting this in Caron Simply Soft Shadows. It is really a nice yarn - soft, pretty and not at all splitty.

I am impressed with this acrylic and may have to find a nice blue to knit My So Called Scarf (I have been eyeing that pattern for over a year now.)

I hope your weekend has been good, your Christmas shopping done and you are enjoying a knitting day.

Need to and Wish They Had Not

Hi all - knitting content as promised..... The back to my Bamboozle Tunic is complete, the front is about 4". Jim's sweater is languishing but his socks are nearing the heel flap.

Here are almost finished Fiber Trend Clogs for Mom. I still need to felt them.

And here are some Embossed Leaves socks I knit out of KnitPicks Gloss last year - I wish they had not been accidentally felted. They found their way into the washer and dryer. Oh well, it is a good thing I know how to knit more.

The Nutcrackers were fun and last week's symphony and church stuff went well. This weekend is all church playing.....

Have you done any Christmas shopping yet? I have done not a lick, nor have I thought about cards. Maybe I can get some and take with me next weekend to write while I am not holding the oboe up to my face.

In my spare time (yeah, right - at 9:00pm one evening) I managed to get a new publicity photo. The university has been requesting one so I figured I better get it done.

Enjoy your weekend -

The hare and the tortoise?

Contrary to popular belief - I am no fast knitter. It is more like the hare and the tortoise here and I am the tortoise. I just sit and knit slowly and steadily and eventually an FO bursts forth. The last sweater was a fast knit even for slo-mo me due to the pattern itself. And the backs of the newest sweater projects are going quickly simply because they are easy-peasy.

Yes Twig, our season is going to be a busy one. But it is a really good thing - at some point people aren't going to hire us to play anymore so if we can make enough $$ now and sock it away, when they stop calling we can still eat. And buy yarn. Especially buy yarn.

We did lay low on Thanksgiving to get geared up for the next weeks.

LarjMarj - yes, we play Nutcrackers every year. This one was with Lakecities Ballet. It is a sweet production - nice costumes and sets, good dancing and two stars from NYC to dance the Cavalier Prince (Damian Woetzel) and Sugar Plum Fairy (Julie Kent). Here is a picture I shot before we began yesterday:

If you look carefully, you can see my husband in the back on the right with silver hair. Although there is no photography allowed during performances, I snuck out my camera and surreptitiously took one during (I think) the Waltz of the Flowers. The angle is a bit wonky since I couldn't very well stand up and shoot at the stage.... You can see my colleague James' hands on his oboe and the stage and a few dancers in the back.

The next Nutcrackers I play are with the Metropolitan Classical Ballet in December. Mom will be here so I hope she will come to see a performance. She has never seen live ballet.....

Wednesday and Sunday are rehearsal and concert at FUMC with the Texas Boys Choir. And Thursday - Saturday is RSO. It should be some good uplifting music this week :-).

I hope your week ahead is a good one.

And I should have some knitting content for you next time

See you soon~

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, dear fellow knitters. I hope your day will be relaxing and filled with warm feelings, delicious food, and some quality knitting time. Jim and I will be spending a quiet cooking, eating and knitting day at home. I am brining a turkey breast that will go on the rotisserie. Squash soup will be the first course, whipped sweet potatoes and garlic herbed peas and green beans will round out the meal. Pumpkin pie (soon to go in the oven) will finish.

I have a few projects underway - Jim's sweater that has progressed this far:

And Bamboozle Lace Panel Tunic for me.

Here is the start of the back.

Our busy season begins tomorrow with the first round of Nutcrackers. Then the next day off (no students, no rehearsals or performances) will be Christmas Day. Oh - I will fly to NY one day to get Mom and fly back the next with her. Those days don't really count as days off, do they? If my blogging is sparse for the next few weeks, please understand. I will try to stop by yours and leave comments.

If you haven't started your Mr. Greenjeans yet - now is the time :-) I have worn mine and felt all cosy and warm. The girls at my LYS thought it was a goody. I was pretty thrilled when Jill (the owner) asked me what pattern it was.

So, friends, have a wonderful holiday, enjoy your weekend and whatever else is going on.

Another FO

Thank you all for your lovely comments. I really enjoyed knitting Tilia even on #2. I guess since I knit socks on #1 and #0, #2 didn't seem so small. Go figure. I did wear her on Saturday at Jim's Mother's 90th birthday party. The sweater got rave reviews - Jim made sure everyone knew I have knit it (he is a keeper.)

The only thing was that it stretched quite a bit and by the end of the night *really* needed to be smaller. If you are going to knit with Hempathy, I would suggest as small a needle as you can stand and knit a smaller size.

Here is Mr. Greenjeans:
This was really quick - I think even with all the other distractions, it took me 2 weeks. Would have been sooner if Tilia had not been pressing. I used Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Charcoal with #7 and #6 needles. Since it is so chunky, I think it sweater makes me look even bigger than I am, but will be great for casual wear any winter day. That is if we ever get to winter here. Today is 80 degrees and tomorrow is forecast to be 84. Yikes!

And here is the cuff of one of Jim's socks:

He picked the Ash colored KP Essentials from the stash and the ribbed pattern from SKS. I am knitting these on #0 Harmony DPNS. All I can say is I LOVE these needles.

As soon as I get to the heels of these (I knit them 2 at a time on matching DPNS) there is a pullover pattern for Jim I am ready to start. The yarn is a beautiful heathered green wool blend. I will let you know as soon as I get going on it.

As always, I appreciate your kind remarks. Your comments make my day. Have a wonderful week, dear knitting buddies.

Tilia is Finished!

She was begun in August and finished today, Nov. 4. This pattern is Elesbeth Lavold's Tilia, knit in Hempathy. I used #2 Addis for the entire piece (except the picked up neckband on #0).

I think the fit is pretty good, just feels a little big around the neck.

Mr. Greenjeans is getting close too.....

I am knitting this in Charcoal Cotton Ease on #7 needles. It is fast and seems like it will be cozy and casual for fall. The cable bottom: