KnittingSister

HELLO

     I've been quiet for a few days.  I've been battling a cold/sinus bug and have been coughing instead of sleeping most nights and then too sleepy when I get home to spend any time on the computer.  I've really been out of touch!

     Last week we had a huge crowd at TNK.

 

Just part of our group...

a little bit more...

 

and more (it's great to have Internet access at TNK)...

 

and finally, here's Rennie with Jen who joined us for the first time last week.  She works with Charlie and was knitting the most beautiful gloves.  I hope we didn't overwhelm her with our numbers and our volume.  We are not quiet knitters!

     Rennie showed us her recent FO.

 

This beautiful scarf is knit from Jade Sapphire Silk and Cashmere (if my memory is right).

     Many TNKs had gone to Stitches all together on a bus and showed us so much beautiful yarn and notions.  I loved seeing how much fun they had!

     Bob and I have been taking our camera with us everywhere trying to see the lion that's been spotted in our neighborhood.  No luck yet but we were surprised when we pulled out of our driveway to go to the grocery store and saw this friend.

 

We stopped the car as he casually crossed the street in front of us.  Thank goodness he wasn't being chased by a lion!

     I won't have much knitting to show because I've started some super secret Christmas knitting.  I'll have pictures on Ravelry but not here. 

     Have a good week...

THE HATS ARE A HIT!

     Charlie came over yesterday to visit and to try on his Christmas tree hat.  It looked great on him.

 

I put a yellow pom pom on top for the star but he took it with him before I had a chance to take another picture.  As soon as he was gone I got busy on the second hat-this one for Kyle.  While watching two chick flicks (Bob's at his Dad's house this weekend) I was able to finish it before bed and put the pom pom on this morning.

 

     As soon as I finish this post I'll start on hat number three, this one for Jenn. 

     There have been numerous sightings of a lion in my neighborhood...not a mountain lion or a bobcat...an African lion!  I was doubtful at first but some of the people who saw her (it's a lioness) are very reliable and have no reason to be making this up.  Plus it has been seen in other areas around my neighborhood by people out for their morning walk.  After reading the story recently about the woman who was killed by her pet snake it's not a far stretch  to think that someone has been keeping a lion as a pet and it got out of the house.  Needless to say we had very few trick or treaters last week. 

Here's a picture of my morning paper.

 

See it???

 

     I think Bob will pick it up when he gets home in a few hours!

SECOND POST TONIGHT

     Thanks to the Redskins for keeping me awake long enough to finish Charlie's Chirstmas tree hat.  It just needs to be decorated.  It's cracking me up!

WHY I'LL BE A GOOD GRAND MA AND WHAT I'M KNITTING

      First with the knitting.  I really wanted to knit myself a sweater from some wonderful yarn and here it is.

 

I'm using Crystal Palace Taos to make the Noro Lizzy cardigan.  I've wanted to knit this sweater for a long time, it's beautiful and so soft.

     As I was knitting along this weekend I got a call from Charlie.  He and his housemates want matching, crazy Christmas hats with their names on them.  I'm almost finished Charlie's hat and it's a hoot!

 

It's a Christmas tree.  See those points on it.  After I'm done, I'll turn it inside out and sew those closed to make the boughs.  Then it'll be ready to decorate.  I hope it's as funny as I picture it in my mind.

     I've always known that I need to be the best grandma ever to pay forward the love and fun that my sweet mother in law gave my children.  Today I got physical proof of why I feel that way.  My niece, Kelly sent us some old pictures that she and her sister, Mary Lou, found. 

 

Here's baby Rob standing in Grandma's stove drawer and...

 

here's baby Erland playing with all the pans that used to be in that drawer!  Grandmas know that it doesn't matter if all the pans are pulled out all over the floor.  It only matters that grandchildren are happy and smiling.

FINALLY!

     Donna, Jimmy, and Charlie came over to watch football on Sunday...

 

Go Redskins!

...and Donna modeled the wedding shawl.

 

 

 

I love it.  Of course it will look it's best on the bride!

Warning...Halloween is on a Friday this year....don't party too hard!

 

Thank you, Mary Lou!

EVER WONDER???

??????? Why my blog is called Knitting Sister?  It's for two reasons.  One reason is for all my "knitting sisters" that I knit and blog with every day.  It really is a family feeling to me when I am with other knitters.  But, I do have 2 real knitting sisters.  Unfortunately we all live in different towns.  On rare occasions we are all three together and this happened yesterday.  We were all three at KnitWits for Lawre's trunk show.

 

It is the happiest of times when we are all together.

     Speaking of happiest of times, my day spent at KnitWits yesterday was the best.  I hadn't been to this shop for several years and in that time it has changed owners and the new owner, Sharon,

 

(on the right in this picture) has turned this store into a warm and friendly spot, full of wonderful yarns, notions, patterns, comfy chairs, and very friendly staff and customers.  I left last night feeling like I had made so many new friends and wish I lived closer.  Sharon was telling me that they have spa nights where for one price you get spa treatments, a knitting project, and food.  What fun!  They also have pajama parties, stitch and bitch nights, and regular knit nights.  They are really having good times AND knitting wonderful works of art.   Here are some views of the shop.

 

The front door looked the same as the first time I was there but...

 

as soon as I walked in I saw this  beautiful display and had to buy that pattern right away! (Now I need some Helen's Lace).  There were so many sights like this everywhere you walked...more and more things I want to knit.

     Sharon's talented daughter and future son-in-law painted this great mural

 

(also, just a small portion of the Lawre's Laine display) and this artwork behind the counter.

 

They had one of my favorite Lawre's Laine leather bags displayed just right for the season.

 

All of this along with the Halloween decorations and bowls of chocolate made for a great day of sitting and knitting for me!

      Thank you, Sharon, for the hospitality and the delicious lunch, and a big thank you to all the Lawre's Laine fans who made it such a successful day!

     I didn't come home too empty handed.  Tomorrow I'll have a great picture of the wedding shawl, details of what I'm knitting (for myself), and the goodies from my trip!

WEDDING SHAWL FO

     The wedding shawl is dry and I'm still having a terrible time taking a good picture of it.  Here it is hanging over the fireplace...bad picture. 

 

See?  Not a good picture.  Maybe it's the color.  I'll try again tonight or tomorrow.  I can't do it today because I've  decided to go to Lawre's trunk show at Knit Wits in Virginia Beach today.  I'll have lots of knitting time in the car and sitting in the yarn shop for a new project I've started for myself.  If you are in the area come on in and say hi!

BLUE ON BLUE

     I made a blocking board out of blue board insulation...I guess I made it if you can call going to Lowe's, buying blue board, and taking it home "making something".  What I mean is I use blue board insulation for my blocking board.  Because it's blue and the light in my house sucks, the blocking pictures of the wedding shawl are not that great. 

 

the aerial view

 

the close up

I love this yarn but it's taking forever to dry.  I can't wait to get it off the wires and see how it looks.

     Great news!  This week has flown by and Lawre is due back here tonight for her trunk show in Virginia Beach tomorrow.  She'll be at Knit Wits and she has several finished bags to sell along with the mounds of beautiful fabrics and leathers for people to design their own bags!  Hope I can resist one of the finished bags while they're in my house.  Several of them are the last bits of fabric that I LOVE!

WEDDING FO!

     I finished Erland's wedding shawl tonight.  It's too late to block it so that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Here it is waiting for it's trip to the spa.

 

Here's the close up.

 

I love this pattern...I really see the waves and the shells.  Now...what to do about wraps for the maid and matron of honor?????

I WENT TO KNIT NIGHT AND I DIDN'T KNIT A STITCH.....

...not one.  I didn't even take my knitting out of the bag.  I have a ribbed scarf that I take to TNK so I can talk and knit but I wasn't interested in it so I just drank coffee and chatted.  That's really the fun of TNK-chatting and seeing what everyone else is knitting.

Isobel is knitting the Icelandic Shawl.

 

I love this shawl...it's on my bucket list.

Janice was knitting and wearing beautiful socks.

 

The socks she's wearing are Koigu-one of my favorite yarns!

Linda is knitting market bags to sell for Christmas gifts (I'm pretty sure that's what she's going to do with them....)

 

Here's a close up...

 

Aren't those colors wonderful?

Linda was also knitting some great socks.

 

As Linda and Barbara2 were discussing how much they love sock yarn I was glad that I don't knit socks...I don't need another yarn addiction!

Cathy had the most beautiful baby blanket for her brand new granddaughter that she WOVE! (She wove the blanket...not the baby).

 

You really need to see a close up of this.

 

After she wove the blanket she crocheted this beautiful edge around it.

I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the hats that Barbara2 is knitting for her husband's and son's camping trip this weekend.  They wanted hats knitted from her new (FFF) alpaca yarn.  She must really love them to give that yarn up for them!

I have a CUTE!!!!!!! picture to share.  At lunch last Saturday Erland and Julie got a rare chance to spend some time together.

 

I call it CUTE!!!! because that's what they both squealed when they saw it.  They are cute!