Taking the Scenic Route

Knitting Knews

My much anticipated birthday/Christmas gift came today!  Denise interchangeable knitting needles.  I got them from Copper Moose Fiber & Spinning on Ebay and had great service.  (and a great price)  I heard about them through Little Turtle Knits forums and would recommend them. 

 I am so stoked!  I have needles of every size and configuration I will need for quite some time!  WOO HOO!  I wish I could afford to make a whole set in Brittany wood needles and Clover bamboo needles, but there is no way my pocketbook can handle it.  Now I am not held back by not being able to go out and get the proper needles.  I will report back on how well they work, but they look like they will work great!

I have an insane knitting “to do” list right now.  Luckily, I was able to knock one thing off the list….an Easter vest for Zane.  I tried on his Easter outfit from last year and it fits just fabulous, so I am just going to go with that instead.  A part of me is disappointed, but a bigger part is relieved.  I would rather put the effort into a winter sweater that will get a lot more wear.

Here is my current list, some on the needles, some not yet:

1. Funky “Red Hat Society” scarf for my mom (promised at Christmas time — but this is one of the ‘waiting for my needles to arrive’ projects)
2. Practical warm scarf for my mom
3. Warm hat for my dad (also from Christmas)
4. Fun scarf for my Grandma (mom’s mom)
5. Rasta hat for Kaz
6. Dori’s soaker.  I finished up the body of the soaker a while ago, but was waiting for the needles to do the legs since I can’t find mine that are the right size.  I think they might be stuck in another project.
7. Scarf for Aunt Pauline (Grandma Jackie’s sister who has always been great to us…she was the only family member in that area besides Kaz that didn’t get a scarf from me at Christmas and I need to correct the over site…Kaz knew her gift would come later, so that wasn’t a big issue)
8. Something for the MCC sale…maybe a layette set or felted slippers
9. A layette set I was supposed to do for my mom for one of her cousin’s grandkids.  I only have a short amount left, but I just set it down and never picked it back up again.  I might end up having to make them a bigger set and sending this one to the MCC sale if I don’t get it in gear soon.
10. Knitted food for Zane to play with
11. Felted Slippers for Zach & I. 

“Want to do, but don’t even have yarn for it yet” projects

1. Warm scarf for ME.  (no, I actually do not have a good scarf…correction, I do not have any scarf or hat at all…..bbbrrrrrrrrr)
2. Socks for me and Zach….with patterns all the way down the heels so they look great with Birki clogs.
3. Winter sweater for Zane
4. Some yet-to-be-determined project for Zane, 2 nephews, and 2 nieces.  If I am able to get to it in time for summer, I am thinking about the apron top dress from LTK for the girls, and a sleeveless cardigan for the boys.  If not, I am thinking coordinating sweaters for all for Christmas.
5. Something for my BILs & SILs in Texas…but I don’t know what.  I don’t think it gets cold enough for scarves and I am at a loss of what else to do.   Something for FIL and MIL in Texas too…same problem…I have no idea what to make.
6. Two doggy sweaters, one for each of my MILs little dogs.  That one is a maybe…not sure yet…one might not want one, one might not want one from me.
7. Sweater vest for my mom (she is getting the yarn for this one, I just need a pattern I like and the time)
8. As much as I would like to make Zach & myself a sweater, it probably isn’t going to happen for a while since it would probably be nearly $100-200 in yarn alone, each.  Another incentive for losing weight I guess. lol.
9. A mobius scarf and Klein hat for a prof that has been especially great to Zach.  I have some time with this one though…I want to give it to him when he graduates so there isn’t any ‘weirdness’ about it.  His first love was math, so he would get a kick out of those.
10. Tea cozy
11. dishclothes

And Zach wonders why I have a rubbermaid tub full of yarn.  I will be busy, busy, busy.