Messy, Messy, Messy!

What is this mess?

It's the Baseball Sweater, of course!  It looks pretty messy, all shoved into my knitting bag after knit night on Thursday, but I still had to take a picture.  You see, I reached a goal (two of them even) at knit night this week - Go, Me!  The first goal was to finish knitting sleeve 1 of the Baseball Sweater...done!  And my second goal was to knit through at least half of the second sock of my Racing for the AHA socks...done!  Yayyyyy!

Check the project page to see proof that sock #1 is finished!

There was another goal...I was almost finished with the letter W, and I really wanted to finish the knitting on Thursday, even if it didn't get stuffed right away...but (tragedy of tragedies) I ran out of yarn!  SNIFF!!!  I didn't have any yarn that was an exact match, but I did have some green that was only a couple shades off, so I managed to finish this letter up, stitched and stuffed as well, yesterday!

I'd show you the back, with the un-matchy yarn, but I don't think
I can bring myself to take a picture...it makes me twitch a little.  =/

Sooo, the sweater's a mess, the socks (with all the ends to weave in) are a mess, and the W is a mess, with one leg that doesn't match in the back...BUT, I reached THREE knitting goals this week.  That means that it's time for a treat, right?!?  What better way is there for the knitter to treat herself than to snatch up some pretty (and NEW and FREE) yarn in the Year of the Knitted Toy?

Yeah, one of my buds got her hands on skeins and skeins like this
that were destined for a dumpster.  Now, several are in my stash,
longing to become toys and kid afghans...Where are my needles and hooks?

Of course, there are other ways the knitter could treat herself...there's ice cream...and I had some of that on Thursday, too.  What can I say?  My friends and I know how to live...and 7 days without Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream makes one weak, fer surrrre!!!  So, as not to anger the ice cream goddesses (surely there are several), three of us stopped at Mitchell's on the way home from knitting...it was still 88*F at 10:30pm...in northeast Ohio!!!  Weird...but true.  

I hope that you and your knitting are staying cool as a cucumber this summer, wherever you live!  Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Cheating?

Is it cheating, Dear Reader, if I am thinking of starting another blog?  

(silence)

I mean, I love this blog, and I plan to keep up with this blog...

(crickets)

This, well this is my first blog...and there really is no blog love quite like the first...but I am itching for a new creative outlet.  That's not really so wrong...right?!?

(silence, followed by crickets)

After all, this is a knitting blog.  The "other blog," the one I am thinking of more and more with each passing day, will be different.  There would be almost no knitting at all.  It's going to be full of family stuff.  And I think having two blogs would ultimately make me a better blogger, no?

(Wait...was that silence tacit approval?)

Whew!  I'm so glad you approve!  And to prove my undying love and devotion to you, and to this knitting blog, here is some actual knitting content:

Baseball Sweater Update

I have finally re-knit the right front (that I had to rip out because of a mistake - grrr!), and I have also nearly completed a sleeve!  This is one of those sweaters I'd like to block before seaming, to set the lace flat, and that will be a new experience for me...I think I may try to block the fronts and back tonight or tomorrow!  I'm also a tiny bit worried about this sleeve...when I pull it onto my arm, it's pretty snug.  BUT, there is a LOT of cotton (very stretch-y, not very bounce-back-y) in this yarn, so I am hoping a soak and block will help that as well.  :)

Sock Design Project

Ummm, this one is complete!  I know, I know, that's just a cuff in the picture.  The socks are not complete, but the pattern is, and it's for sale now on Ravelry!  All proceeds go to the American Heart Association (not the American Heart Assassination, CKW gals...good catch, and thanks!), and the pattern is only $5.  Thanks to my Girlfriend, Carolyn Warren, for spear-heading this project and doing all the detail work on the pattern!  

The Letter "L"

Yes, one more letter finished as well!  Now we can sing...as in, "La, la, laaaa - Linoleum!"  "No, Burt, listen to meeee..."  That Burt, he knows how to live!  I do too, and I can prove it by telling you that I've already knit through almost half of the letter "W" next!  Keep watching this space for more details...there are only 3 Letters Left!

See?  Knitting, in my knitting blog!  And I'll surely be back with more in a few days.  After all, knitting is the reason I even started this blog!  

For those of you who are curious about the new blog, check back here for a link in the next few days (weeks?).  If you're interested, that's cool, and I hope that you'll continue to pop in regularly for updates to both blogs.  If you couldn't give a peacock's patootie about my family stuff, that's cool too...but I hope that I will continue to see you around this blog.  I've really come to like seeing you each week!

Until Saturday, thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Someone's in the Kitchen with Pretty...

Someone's in the kitchen with Pretty!

Someone's in the kitchen I know-ow-ow-ow!

Someone's in the kitchen with Pretty -

Strummin' on the ol' banjo!

Well, no...not strumming on a banjo...but my Pretty Knitty kitchen has been a pretty busy place these last few weekends!  You see, Sundays are the day that the kids come over after church for dinner...and since my CSA pick-ups have started from That'll Do Farm, I get really excited about the cooking!  These are a couple of my latest Sunday Success Stories:

Crock Pot Pork Chops
Potatoes, carrots and radishes in first, pork
chops (sprinkled with seasoning salt) on top,
can of cream of mushroom soup on top.
So simple, sooo scrumptious!

And...

Greens From the Farm (kale, swiss chard, chives, garlic scapes)
a little olive oil, and a can of diced tomatoes...

The veggies are great on their own as a side dish, but mixed into some whole grain, protein enriched pasta and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese, they are a meal in their own right!

I ate leftovers of this for days!  Loved every bite!!!

And...

Buttered Radishes and Poached Egg, both from the farm!
You've seen this before, but I've made it again and again!

My Community Supported Agriculture share has been good to me so far, and this is just a portion of what I've received!  I can't wait for every Thursday, so I can see what's in my basket before I hit knit night with my peeps!  Thursdays are my favorite!  What's your favorite day? 

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

BTW, I did knit this week...pics of progress on the Baseball Sweater in a couple days!!!

It's not easy bein' green...

Nope, it's not easy bein' green.  Just ask this sweater from my last post:

I had to do something to rescue the poor thing from the cats...
they thought it's sole purpose was to make the dining
room table a more comfortable spot for a sunshiny nap.

I don't remember when I actually acquired this sweater, but I do remember thinking to look at the construction to see if it would be suitable to take apart and unravel, in order to knit something else with the yarn.  I never, not even for a second, considered this a garment to be worn (by me) in the 21st century.  However, I recently ran across this green monster while cleaning out some of my stash space in the basement, and I have been contemplating it for some time.  What did it want to be???  

Enter Mr. Coffee...

Handsome, isn't he?

...who now lives on top of the fridge.  It's really dusty up there, and the black shows off the dust like it's on display in the Dust Bunny Museum, but it's the best out-of-the-way place to store an appliance that won't see much use in the heat of summer!  Tired of climbing on chairs to dust the thing, I took another look at the sweater, and I grabbed some green thread...

I cannot remember why I purchased green thread.  Perhaps I was
rescuing it, because I know it's not easy bein' green?

I started stitching, and then I cut off the sleeves...

I promise that the sweater was not in any
pain during the procedure...

Then I tweaked the seams, stitching, restitching and carefully trimming until I was happy with the shape.  After a little less than 30 minutes, I found that I had the solution to the dusty coffee pot...and now my coffee pot wears a green turtleneck!

"Psst!  It's like 95 degrees! Can you get Pretty to take this thing off of me?"

Sincerely, Mr. Coffee

Have you re-purposed anything lately?

In Knitting Knews, there have been more cloths, and I have also gotten back to the Baseball Sweater.  Oh!, and I cast on for a new letter a couple days ago.  More knitting pix coming soon!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!

Decisions, Decisions...

What should I blog today?  Should I tell you about the washcloths?

Yep, still knitting cloths...these are for babies (not dishes) though.
Hmmm, I suppose you could use them for dishes too...

Should I write about my great exercise this week?

Seven mile walk in the park on Tuesday, and four miles
in the neighborhood on Friday...
Zumba on Monday, and elliptical on Wednesday.

What about the veggie tales?

I was going to cook this kale...until I tasted it raw while pulling it from the stems.
It ended up in the bowl with some beets and garlic vinegar...YUMMM!
(and I am glad there was more in my CSA basket this week!)

Maybe I should mention my next project...

This slightly felted, very green, 100% wool sweater is going to be
repurposed...I promise more details as I go.

Hey, Look!  I blogged!  That was easy!  Now I can get on with the day.  :D

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!