WARM WISHES COMING YOUR WAY!

How's this for a chill chaser?
Watermelon and a One Skein Bowl, some clear blue water and the sun. Oh, how I cannot wait till summertime!

SO, I just got the Knitty surprises and read a great article about one of my favorite topics: Yarn Collections! Kate has a terrific blog, so go check it out.

I've also been reading several new blogs of interest faithfully and try very hard to check in daily to see what the writers are up to. They are Yarnstorm, S. Marie Knits, Mason-Dixon Knitting, with Ann and Kay, and Hello, My Name is Heather . Just my daily dose of inspiration and an instant mood lift too!

Take a looki-loo!

My undying love, devotion and gratitude to my dear old high school chum, Patty, my dedicated blogging guru and brandy new knitter too! Notice that I have linkability now! Go see her gorgeous glass jewelry at Firefly-Glass Studio

That's it for now. Back to knitting!

CHRISTMAS MEMORIES FOR A COLD JANUARY

This is my usually mild mannered 12 year old Kringle aka Kringlie Joe, who is
clearly not amused with being volunteered to participate in the Christmas dress-up whims of moi! Not feeling the love here, Kringle!

If you could read my mind, luv.....what a tail these thoughts would tell...meow-hisss!

So, I've been looking through the yarn room lately and revisiting the yarnlings, both old and new friends. Several came to me as cheery gifts of the season....

Lovely, LOVELY yarn from Nan, one of the 3 Knitting Amigas! This is Artyarn merino. Destined to be the neck cozy, pattern held in the knitting vault of all great patterns for several years.

Rediscovered this little beauty perched on my yarn closet shelf, waiting so patiently....

It's cold and wintery today, and I miss the sunlight of warmer months. By February I will be in my annual winter slump and knitting this birthday 2006 yarn from Nan will be the perfect pick me up! Ironstone "Sun", so aptly named!

Not the yarn version of "The Trouble With Tribbles", for all you closeted Trekkies

Note gold yarn on left, gifted from Jeanie, (the other Amiga) and light teal and burgundy opposite right, from Nan. Ever since I happened upon www.yarnstorm.blogs.com and gazed upon her fabulous knitted pillows, I've been driven to collect 100% angora to incorporate into the diamond pillow from Debbie Bliss Home. Yarnstorm is my Guru of color. I bow to you. Go see to be inspired!

A cup of Christmas cheer!

Lacey, @ www.randomstitches-lacey.blogspot.com

sent this beauty for the December Winter Wonderland Exchange. My love affair with the ballband continues. Fabulous job, Lacey!

Small knitting projects to chase away the winter blahs!

Maggie, my 2005 Ample Knitter's Secret Pal sent me these goodies! What unexpected joy! Thanks, Mags! he pattern looks like it will be fun to knit!

Death by cheesecake? What a way to go!

Next to knitting Ballbands, eating cheesecake is another favorite pastime!

Jeanie put down her addi's long enough to bake me this sinfully delicious Christmas cheese cake, which is now laying lovingly on my hips! Recipe to follow, I'm hoping!

I GOT TAGGED!

So, here I was just casually scanning my most recent blog posting and I discovered that I am under obligation, having been "tagged" by Julie @ http://www.juliesknittingknews.wordpress.com to list 6 weird things about myself.

ONLY 6?
hehehehehe......

And then I must tag 6 unsuspecting bloggers in the knitting world.....And list the rules... and notify these folks on their blog that they've been tagged...
All of this has lead me to a have a case of Knitting Interruptus, but because I want to do my duty as a loyal knitting blogger, here goes:

SIX WEIRD THINGS ABOUT THE KNITORIOUS MRS. B:

1. I love to mix cold applesauce in with hot macaroni and cheese.

2. The pinkies on both of my hands have always been a tad crooked at the proximal joints. Don't know if this has any genetic significance.

3. I have a 2 specific, somewhat large coffee mugs that I must drink my daily morning coffee in, despite having a cupboard shelf filled with many nice mugs. They are nothing more than chipped cheapo cups that I purchased for two bucks each in 1999 from Lanco when I was on a camping trip. They are the only ones I will use in the morning, and somehow, without a word exchanged between us, my husband respects this unwritten Law Of The Universe. These cups exert a powerful force over me!
Yet, at 4pm each day I have a cup of tea, and I grab whatever mug my hand hits. Go figure...

4. Must make my bed everyday before I get into it at bedtime. Absolutely cannot go to sleep in an unmade bed, ever. It just feels wrong.

5. I like Tom Wait's version of "Downtown Train" better than Rod Stewart, so I guess that's a little weird. I have 2 of his CD's too. He's a weird one.

6. My favorite comfort food snack is to toast 2 slices of white bread, slather them with Helman's mayo, slice 2 gherkin pickles and stick them between the bread. I invented this sandwich when I was 12 years old.

THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about you. People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.



O.K. I will .........I AM TAGGING:

Lisa @ www.knittybittymama.blogspot.com
Lacey @ www.randomstitches-lacey.blogspot.com
Jenn @ www.purse-ho.com
Splindarella @ www.splindarella05.blogspot.com
Carole @ www.craftycarole.blogspot.com
Paula@ www.phknit.blogspot.com

(I apologize if I included anyone who had been tagged previously, but I tried to scan everyone's blog for prior tagging.)

It took some time to come up with my list of six to tag.

Note to Jeanie, Nan, Maggie, Patty, Lee Anne, and Donna:

GET A BLOG ALREADY, YOU GUYS!

I scavengered my Groups and KALs for knitters to tag and hours have now past me by as I revisited these favorite points of knitting interest. I have various degrees of involvement with:

ample-knitters
Babysweaters
CrayonBoxJacket
Knitted_Kitty_Dishcloths
KnittersBlogs
KnittingKnonsenseNews
knitwits_heaven
laceknitters
MarilynsKnittingHeavenOnEarth
MonthlyDishcloths
Winter Wonderland Swap
Mason Dixon KAL
One Skein Knit-Along (& Crochet too)
Knitted Babes
Mason Dixon SwapCloth
www.knitu.com

No wonder I don't have enough time to knit!
So, now I will proceed to each blog and notify each lucky taggee! Let the fun begin!
Happy Knitting All!

HAPPY NEW YEAR KNITTING!

Hope your holidays were happy and healthy, but if they were
anything like mine they were also hectic and full of "shoulds" as in "I should be: baking, cleaning, shopping, wrapping, mailing, visiting, driving, making, knitting....

Yes, I'm sure you get the picture.
Well, now that they are all over, we can all offer up a collective sigh of relief, and get back to doing the things we love best (knitting) for those we love the best! I am happy to report that I have completed the back of the husband's sweater and am making progress on the left front panel. Pictures to follow at a later date. I am also knitting 10 inch squares for baby blanket using baby themed dishcloth patterns from the Monthly Dishcloth Yahoo Group. Completely mindless joy! Just what I need as a take along project for those sweater breaks. Using my favorite Bernat Cottontots in colors.

I am woefully behind in posting the photos of the beautiful things I received from some very talented knitters through the Exchanges I participated in this past year.

Enid, my secret Monthly Dishcloth exchange pal, knit this lovely cloth for me in the fall. Very pretty stitch pattern, and I think you can locate on it
www.smariek.blogspot.com, a terrific blog featuring several very lovely free patterns. Another great site for free dishcloth patterns is www.knittingpatterncentral.com. The pattttern index lists many catagories of free patterns so go see!
Both Enid and S. Marie are very talented ladies!

Yes, I am still captivated by the Mason-Dixon knitting book and continue to knit Ballbands, baby kimonos, and this cute, easy, and quick baby bib. The urge to knit from this book continues to be intense. It's like the Manchurian Candidate of knitting books! I check in once a week on Ann and Kay at www.masondixonknitting.com

I had been jilted by my original One Skein Secret Pal several months ago, and I had communicated my bitter feelings to the Exchange Moderator. Since there were several others in the same boat, she established an Angel Program for us orphans! I wrote a pattern for fingerless mittens for my pal Marilynn, who lives in Canada, where there is actually cold weather( another 50 degree day in Pa. today!) and posted it earlier today.
It was fun being her Angel!

My Angel, Chrissie, lives in Singapore, and she sent me this:

• The yarn is fingering weight mohair and I love the color! It beckons to be knit into lacey leaves, I think. Note the cute stitch markers displayed on the knitted pouch she included. I am obsessed with stitch markers and am planning to run some ribbon through the pouch to turn it into a little tool carry all for my knitting bag.
• And the gal is still thinking of me because she posted today that she is sending me a skein of seductive fiber content left over from her gift sweater knitting.

WHAT A SWEETHEART!

Anyway, more photos to be posted once I conquer the chaos of after Christmas clutter in my home.

A FREE PATTERN TO WARM YOUR HANDS!

One Skein Fingerless Mitts Especially For Marilynn
by The Knitorious Mrs. B.

One skein Plymouth Alpaca Boucle (65 yds)
Size 10 1/2 straight needles = 2 1/2 st./inch
One pair size 10 1/2 DP needles

C/o 21 stitches and knit one row.
Row 2 and all others: knit in garter stitch for 36 rows (18 garter ridges) OR 8 inches long to go around your hand.
B/o, leaving 18 inches yarn tail.

Fold in half so garter ridges run vertical (length approximately 6 -7 inches)
Sew vertical side seams together from bottom 3 inches, leave a 1 1/2 inch opening, and continue sewing the remainder of seam to the top of mitt.
You may adjust thumb opening length for comfort!

At bottom ( wrist) of mitt along the seam line, attach yarn and with DP needles, pick up 19 stitches ( in space between garter stitch ridges) Mark beginning of round.
Round 1: *Knit I, Knit f&b* repeat from * ending round with
a Knit 1. There are 28 stitches now on needle.
Round 2 & 3: Knit 2, Purl 2 ribbing.

OOPS! Now I am getting afraid of being short of yarn for the second mitt so it's time to finish this!

B/o in rib pattern and weave in all yarn tails.

Repeat pattern for second mitt, try on and admire!


I chose to pick up and knit a little 2:2 cuff line along the bottom to lengthen it and to give it a stay on fit. You may do as you please with it as it can be trimmed with whatever tidbits of yarn and embellishments as you might have! My objective to knit with one skein was met!

IT'S FREE FROM ME SO ENJOY IT! .