Craft Hope is an on-line community of crafters who donate handmade items to various charities. I've joined in on Project 6 that is partnering with the Orphan Foundation of America to knit up scarves for college bound youths. Mine are ready to be shipped off with Starbuck gift 
cards. I used Berroco's Comfort Chunky yarn in the red-est shade available. You, too, can get involved and spread the HOPE. The deadline for this project is February 14th.
I have a bird that hates coming out of the saftety of her cage. Every Sunday I have to clean the cage and coax Sweety out. She always bites me once and then settles down for a grooming. She never breaks my skin, but that's just our routine. She's the only one in the household that appreciates how I like to whistle and her favorite song is Patience by Guns n Roses -- she's cool like that.
I got a little distracted from sweaters and just had to make the hat on the cover of the recent issue of the winter knitsimple mag. It was a super easy seed stitch pattern from two skeins of Cascade Chunky Baby Alpaca. The softness of the alpaca yarn makes it floopy so it can be pulled to either side or back. It's fun.
I can tell I've been on a knitting hiatus. I'm flipping through two new knitting mags and have found four sweater projects that I've just got to start immediately. Maybe my first step should be to rank them in order of knitting importance:
I had the day off from work so mom and I made it a road trip day in search of antiques. The fog was heavy all day but that didn't stop us from covering a lot of ground from Ottawa to Lawrence to Paxico and finally Abilene, KS for a total of ten antique shop stops. Pictured is just one room from my most favorite antique shop in Ottawa, KS. It was a full day of 12 hours of driving, shopping and singing with the radio. A very good way to spend the holiday.
She's all mine. Mom and I were rounding a corner at the monthly Colliseum flea market and my eye caught this old vintage beauty, a Schwinn classic cruiser bicycle. She's a little rough in places but for 40 bucks and a vision I wheeled her off to my truck. Husband and I now have a project we can work on together and we are fortunate to have access to some guys who are really good with rebuilding, metalwork and paint. She's going to be a blacked out/pin stripped version just like my other motorized cruiser.
I must confess this is my 6th Samsonite suitcase. How could I pass up a $5 bargain? I don't have this size and the inside lining is in pristine condition. I just couldn't pass it up. I'll recover it in my usual cowgirl fashion.
Now that Christmas gifts are complete, I can get back to selfish knitting projects. I was very happy with the Araucania Panguipulli gifts I made so I decided to make a hat and mitts for myself. I wore them to the office this morning until I warmed up from the cold, flurry weather that continues. 
I also made up a pair of the mitts last night for mom (as requested) from washable Wool-Ease. Such an easy peasy knit.
I knew every word to his songs and he expertly played his guitar throughout the entire set. He's very entertaining. 
I must also mention my girl, Miranda Lambert, was her sassy, redneck self just kick'n it in some killer rhinestone boots. She sure can write some good songs. Besides hanging out with our good friends, Dave and Laurie, I ran into several other girlfriends who were just as excited to be there as I was.
Our Knit in Public group started 2010 with a cowl swap. Swaps are always a blast and I'm constantly amazed at how I can draw the gift that's just perfect for me. 
Only one more day to go until Brad Paisley opens our new Intrust Bank Arena. Wichita will no longer be a cowtown that big acts pass over. We will now have a 15,000 seat capacity venue to draw some great performers which will put a big dent in my entertainment budget. I've got our tickets to the first sold out show and baked some sugar cookies to celebrate.
I should call this my Fourth Quarter sweater. I started it during the busiest time of year when work had me on the road with meetings and tons of overtime. 
Every year it's the most stressful time but my knitting actually keeps me sane, gives me a reason to slow down, breathe and just knit. A very good balance. It's my 2nd garter yoke cardi and I could easily do another in a different Noro shade as the color combinations are endless and my love for Noro never ends...
Beef. It's what's dinner! I'm so excited about this gift from my sister-in-law. I'm not much of a cook but I LOVE to grill and this is one of my favorite gifts of the year. What a cool idea for beef lovers and accompanying cookbook of steaks and stews from Buffalo Gap, Texas. There's even a recipe for jalapeno cheesecake and bread pudding with whiskey sauce I'm excited about trying out.
Merry Christmas to you. We have been blessed with a White Christmas and a lot of time with family making it a very special holiday. The young'ns of the family fixed us "elders" a wonderful Christmas meal and husband gave me a leather and rhinestone Harley jacket. A girl can never have too much BLING!
Seems like every year I'm knitting feverishly right up to Christmas and this year is no exception. I've only got two more days to finish two more hats to go with the matching mitts out of Araucania Panguipulli merino wool. The pressure is ON!
Update: Finished up the last hat Christmas morning. Mission accomplished!
Melanie and I are in Kansas City for a little holiday shopping and girl-fun weekend on the Plaza. We spent a couple hours in Stuff and I picked out a rockin' pearl necklace creation from one of my most favorite jewelry designers, Amy Labbe. 
I knitted up the night before just for the trip. The shopping was good and our seafood meal, oysters and cocktails at McCormick Schmicks topped off the evening. Well, actually, the cheesecake we took back to the hotel topped off the evening and a wonderful day.
These mittenettes are easily one of my favorite "go to" patterns to knit with any worsted weight yarn. This time, I'm using some of my own handspun yarn from an Art Club wool batt that makes these mismatched, funky and fun. A pair to gift and a pair to keep.
Husband and I went to Kansas City over the weekend for his work Xmas party. Down the street in Westport is a knit shop, MisKnits, where I found inspiration in tiny socks hanging on a clothesline at the register. The owner knits one with leftover yarn after completing a pair of socks -- such a clever idea. Then I found knitted ornaments and yarn balls at Trapp & Co. I debated just making my own but with so many lingering projects I thought it best just to purchase several for some knitted holiday cheer.
Work meetings have me on the road all this week and you know what that means - lots of motel knitting. I brought along some Noro Kuryeon to start a 2nd garter yoke cardi and picked up some coordinating soft brown wool yarn at Wildflower Knits in Manhattan, KS. This cardi is going to have cropped sleeves and dark brown coconut shell buttons.
I'm into my third weaving session at City Arts and it's been productive so far. I completed a rug designed as a shoe mat by the front door. I wasn't 
My marathon wool cardi is now complete. I selected Noro Kureyon for the yoke and Cascade Heather for the body of the sweater but the detail is in the finishing -- I made button holes in grosgrain ribbon and then sewed to the button band as reinforcement for a designer touch.
A relative of mine is undergoing chemo treatments. Since losing her hair, she says her head gets really cold and asked if I could make her a hat -- well, that's the least I could do. I found one, two, three chemo cap patterns on Ravelry (completing several this weekend from Nashua Cilantro) and delivered them with a bouquet of flowers to brighten her day.
