Knitting, Knitting Books, and Knitting Plans

Tomorrow I am going to Barnes & Noble for a bit of writing and, if all goes well, to pick up a replacement copy of a knitting book I cannot find at all here in my humble abode.  I just cannot find my copy of Vintage Knits: 30 Knitting Designs from Rowan for Women and Men.  I have looked everywhere and I simply cannot find it!  Yes, annoying is not the word for the feeling I have at the moment.  It is downright...flabbergasting!  This means I am going to have to use one of my Barnes & Noble gift cards to replace a book I already own in order to complete a couple of sweater projects for husband and best friend for Christmas!  I am really not liking this, but there is nothing else for me to do other than just swallow hard and go on and make the purchase and then start knitting like a mad-woman.

Since the weather has turned off cooler I am actually looking forward to knitting again.  For one thing it will help with calming the nerves and for another it will provide two of the more important Christmas presents on my Christmas list.  I am also thinking of looking into knitting a little something for another friend of mine.  It should be delicate and possibly pink.  The only problem is - I am not at all positive she likes pink at all!  It could be Christmasy colors, of course, but I'm not at all certain I have enough red and green to to what needs to be done for the project I have in mind. 

Another friend of mine has also been talking about loom knitting and how she did some loom socks.  Loom socks have me just a little intrigued.  That would indeed be faster, but I'm afraid I would make them too tight for my own feet, much less anyone else's.  How would that work?  She said she learned from watching a video on YouTube; she also said she had to watch it over-and-over again before she figured out the binding off process for the loom.  Would this make sock making easier for me?  I know just straight tube socks for me it would make a snap, but the intricate pattern socks would still need to be done with my needles because, well, that is just the way it is done and how I know I can make the pattern turn out the way it is supposed too: some things are best not fiddled with in my world.

Since the weather is cooler it would be best if a couple of pairs of socks were indeed finished in my world: a) my feet would be warmer; and b) no one else would have the socks I would have, at least more realistically.  Lately, being individual and being me has been far more important (and being warm) than almost anything else.  Perhaps it has something to do with age, perhaps it doesn't - I haven't quite made up my mind on that one yet.

Happy Labor Day Weekend Everyone

Check out The Kentucky Mountain Girl News for the post for Labor Day Weekend. Hope everyone has a fantastic Labor Day and a wonderful, safe weekend, as well as a productive knitting one!

Feeling A Little Like This Today

The Months Are Changing

As August is changing to September my mind is turning back towards knitting.  Is it unusual to put down the knitting needles for the Summer sometimes and pick them up again for the Fall and Winter?  This summer I have knit very few stitches.  I've thought about knitting a lot, but I've actually done very little of it.  Now that August is preparing to vanish it seems as if I have suddenly come out of a long knitting slumber to rediscover my knitting needles and all of my stash and my books and kits and feel like a brand new knitter!  I just hope this doesn't happen every single summer.  This would really annoy me, and my husband, since he expects sweaters in the Fall and Winter, especially this Fall and Winter and he won't get them until the Winter and probably then until deep winter, i.e. January and February.

Last night I came up with a wonderful little idea for a gift for a friend of mine.  A cute little sweater that would just make her look absolutely adorable and make her so warm in the winter!  I'm hoping I can save up the money to get the money for the yarn for the sweater.  She is so very tiny I don't believe it would take very much to do the project for her. 

The yarn for Hubby's sweater I already have, I just have to make sure and just locate the stupid book or buy another one, which I really would hate to do because I've already had it purchased for me once before.  Having two copies of the same book would really make me feel silly, but, I suppose, it could come in handy in case a friend and I were working on similar or same projects and needed to compare notes.

I am ever so glad the knitting mojo has returned in its proper proportion.  :)

Books and Knitting ..... Perfect Birthday Happiness

 Tomorrow is my birthday. 

Most of what I have asked for my birthday this year has been Barns & Noble gift cards.  Can you guess why?

Finished Magic Bites a couple of days ago and simply couldn't wait to get it from the library or to see if Sniffles had it on her shelf so I went ahead and splurged and got the second book in the Kate Daniels urban fantasy series. 

I was SO impressed with this book.  It was just what I needed.  Now we have headed on to the second novel, Magic Burns. 

Casting Forward

Believe it or not but I've cast on for a new project and actually got a couple of rows done!  I'm so excited I could spit fleece!

Found Pups and Rearranged Knitting Baskets

This morning I was awakened with news that a pup had been found when Cheyenne and Jake had been out for their morning constitutional.  He is a beauty as you can see.  He looks to be about 4-6 months old.  A pitbull terrier and as friendly a fellow as you would ever wish to meet.  He is well-fed and appears to be kept mostly outside, although, of course, he had to come inside to meet my pack who greeted him and then accepted him as easily as possible.  I was a little nervous about how he would react to the wheelchair and wheels, but once he realized that I and the wheelchair were connected, well, he decided we were all right and since there was much pettings to occur from the woman in the wheelchair there wasn't anything bad to occur.  He especially decided it was a good thing since he discovered he could jump up onto the couch and be reached much easier for petting and playing, which made his eyes glitter with absolute joy.  Because we didn't know his name - he just had a choke chain and tether when he was discovered - we called him Buford.

Sadly, Buford had to go to the Humane Society until we discover if someone is looking for him and until Hubby could meet him and decide if he is possibly welcome into our home.  Part of me is hoping and another part of me is really trying not to to get my hopes up - mostly because he is a pitbull. 

I've done a lot of research on the breed today and most of what I've discovered is that if there is a lot of exercise, love and basically "a job" for the breed to do they don't turn like I've often heard people talk of the dogs doing.  You have to be very observant and keep the dog active and loved and disciplined.  The more I learn about the breeds of dogs the more I believe Cesar Millan has it correct - exercise, discipline, affection.  Give a dog a job, let him/her work, let the dog know who is boss without cruelty, and love the dog unflinchingly just as they do you, and everything falls into proper place for them as well as for you. 

At any rate, I've put my name on the call list just in case no one claims the fella after10 days.  Hubby can go meet him and check him out and see if he agrees on him and then we'll bring him home if all works out and I can start training him.  It was nice having three dogs again in the house.  Bu actually lowered his head to Gabby and let her sniff him and check him out without fuss.  I was quite proud of him.  Like I said - trying not to get too hopeful.  We'll see.

As for the knitting, well, I've gone through the knitting basket and moved a few things around and rolled up a couple of balls of yarn.  I should be spinning up the blue roving instead of blogging and preparing for knitting Christmas presents, but I am actually more interested in knitting up the neck pillow I've got in my head.

The first one is just going to be a simple straight felted tube.  It's going to be done out of wool, of course, felting requires wool, and it's going to be done out of purple yarn.  See it there?  It is very prominently seen in the basket.  It isn't balled yet because I haven't set myself down to doing that yet, mostly because I wanted to wait until Hubby got home and we kind of settled in for the evening and just hand a quiet few moments together before I dived into yarn and such.  The thought of knitting and making something for myself has made me smile some today, as well as a sweater for Hubby. 

I've decided on my own stitch pattern and a construction pattern out of a book I have.  Hopefully the two will mesh well.  Keeping track of stitch numbers, increases and decreases is going to be the hardest part for me.  I guess I could just go for a sweater pattern I have, but the sweater he wants I have misplaced the book, and I simply do not have the funds to replace the silly thing.  So, this means I do what I have decided and just go for broke with the yarn I have and let everything be as it should. 

If all goes well and this sweater turns out as it should - Cheyenne will end up with a sweater, too.  That will stop his bitching!  LOL!