Working on Unfinished Crochets

I recently completed (at long last, that is) my second Opal sock and here is a picture showing you the great colors in this yarn.

So that frees me to begin finishing some many neglected UFO's.  I began this continuous granny blanket at least 2 years ago and didn't get very far before stashing it away.  I am now working on it once again and plan to complete it this time around.  The yarn is Jaeger's Extra Fine Merino, DK weight and I'm using a size G hook so the progress is a bit slower than usual but very lovely, nonetheless.

I'm also crocheting a baby Shells blanket using Caron's Simply Soft yarn which makes for a very light yet very soft yarn to eventually be next to a baby's delicate skin.  I fell in love with this pattern so I started it about 4 months ago.  This isn't one of my older unfinished projects but I want to complete it so I'll be working on these 2 and post pics of my progress from time to time.

So, until we meet again, be well and be happy and knit (and/or) crochet to your heart's content.

Mid February Already!

I had thought I'd try and post more often here on my blog but all good intentions seem to disappear and before I know it, a month or two has flown by!  Ahh well, here is my post for anyone left out there who might still read my blog.  I've been knitting and crocheting on a fairly regular basis and the gauntlets you see below are one of the fruits of my labors.

I joined a KAL (Knit-a-Long) on Ravelry and proceeded to knit the Downton Abbey gantlets with the help of the KAL leader, Kristin, and all of the great people on Ravelry......knitters are such great people, so very helpful and friendly.  The KAL was run by Jimmy Beans Wool and they are one of the best and most helpful knitting sites on the web, in my humble opinion.  The gals there really go out of their way to help you or to fix a problem, right a wrong, and all manner of customer service.  Can you tell that I really like JB?  No affiliation, mind you, just one satisfied customer.

I'm also knitting the second sock (it's going mighty slow, may I say) to match this one which is knit using Opal sock yarn and size 3 dpns.  I may or may not keep these since my DD is throwing hints about how she wears all the socks I've knitted for her and they're starting to show a bit of age.  It seems that I rarely wind up keeping any of the socks I knit between my daughter and my mother whose feet are always cold, poor things.

I also cast on another pair of socks (no picture yet) using for the very first time, Three Irish Girls Adorn sock yarn in Bread and Butterflies colorway.....it's a lovely pastel mix of pinks, aquas, purples, etc. and will be lovely looking when completed. I like seeing the progression of the colors as I knit the little bit I have done so far.  I'm knitting these on 2 circulars for a change of pace but I normally use my trusty dpns, always thinking, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it".  I'll post a picture as soon as I get enough progress so that you can really appreciate the colors.  I've never used TIG's yarn before but the gals on Ravelry absolutely rave about it so I'll let you know.

Finally, I'm back to crocheting the baby blanket I began in the fall of last year!!   I'm using a washable and dryer friendly acrylic, Caron's Simply Soft and I have to say that I really like the squishyness (my word) of this yarn and the kind of lifted definition it's giving to each stitch.  I've made more progress than shown here but you get the idea.  

Where Did Christmas Go?

Can you believe Christmas is over already?  It comes so quickly and before you know it, 'whosh' it's over.  My Christmas was wonderful filled with loving family and grandchildren who are still at the age where their enthusiasm hasn't diminished at all and they have that anticipation in their sparkling eyes.  I did manage to take some pictures of missing stockings that I've made in the past but neglected to get pictures of at the time because who knew, so here they are:  I knit this one for my husband way back.

This one was for my darling daughter, Laura, and is the pattern that I seem to have used most often.

This one is for my youngest son, Clint, and the pattern is by far, my favorite.  However, I only have bits and pieces of it left so I'm going to search far and wide to see if I can find it somewhere........if anyone reading my blog recognizes it, please leave me a comment as I would truly appreciate finding it to make another one.

So, I think that's about it for the stockings I've knit, other than the newest one of all which I just completed 3 days before Christmas for my youngest grandson, Owen and here it is:

I'll close wishing anyone who still reads my blog a very happy and healthy 2013 filled with your heart's desires.  I am going to try and post more often here even if the content isn't necessarily all knit related....there's more to say, I'm sure. :)

Christmas Stockings Past & Present

I just finished a Christmas stocking for my granddaughter, Claire, which made me start thinking about the other stockings I've knit for my kids and grandchildren pictured below.

          Christina's 

                                                  Connor's

                                                             Anna's

                                                          Matty's

                                               

                                                        Johnny's 

These aren't all that I've knit but I need to take pictures of older ones this Christmas.....those that were knit prior to the advent of knitting blogs. :)

Here are  pictures of Claire's stocking (completed at the beginning of this month) and the very basic beginnings of Owen's.  I am going to duplicate Owen's name into the stocking when I'm finished  but I've just begun the top of Santa's hat which I don't think is really visible yet.  There will be a nice big Santa face on this one with an angora beard which is a switch from my usual pattern of choice.  This is a Candide kit purchased from Patternworks and I'm happy with the yarn thus far.

                                                                  Claire's

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures and I hope I still have a few loyal few who might stop by and read my blog....thanks to all of you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Pictures Now & Then

NOW

A very beautiful sunset off the coast of Hilton Head, SC, sent to me by my dear friend Kay.  I love pictures of sunsets and find them so relaxing and this one is a beauty!

On the knitting front, I'm currently working on my first of 2 Christmas stockings for our granddaughter, Claire who will be 9 months old by the time Christmas rolls around.  I hope to be able to knit another stocking for our grandson, Owen, who will be 6 months old by Christmas, but I don't know if I'll have enough time to knit both of them.  We'll see how things go because I'm crocheting a few Christmas gifts too, but smaller things in general.  I'd really like to knit a few mitten and hat sets for my other grand kids but time only permits so much progress and add to that my osteoarthritis and it's not always conducive to continuing to work on a project too long.  I'll follow up with pictures when I have more progress to show you on the stocking and even the ever so slow regular socks that I'm knitting at what seems like a snail's pace.

THEN & NOW

In the meantime, I'll leave you with this picture of Sylvester Stallone then and now.  OMG, I loved this guy back in the 70's when ROCKY came out and I still have a soft spot for him in my heart to this day.  I can remember going to the original Rocky movie when it first came out in our area in December of 1976 with my brother and his girlfriend (then) named......wait for it......Adrienne!  All the people in the movie theater cheered several times during the movie and when's the last time you heard any cheering at a movie these days?  When the movie was over and we walked outside the snow was falling heavily and it was such a magical sight filled with the hope and inspiration of dreams that could come true.  That whole evening is seared into my memory forever and to this day, I can hear the theme song playing and see Rocky running down 9th St., the Italian Market.  I remember my cousin's wife and one of my best friends as well, telling me at the time of Rocky II's filming in 1979 that we should be there for his run down 9th St. again so that I could actually get to see the 'Italian Stallion' in the flesh.  To this day I regret not taking her up on that offer because I never did get to see him in person.

Recently I watched Rocky and Rocky II again (for the umpteenth time if truth be told) and I still marvel at the innocence and raw emotions in these movies.  There are none like them anymore and I fear, there never will be again.  So, to Rocky Balboa and/or Slyvester Stallone, I say, "Yo, Adrienne, we did it"....and you did it great, Rock!

Overdue Post

Whew, it took way too long to post on my blog and I can't understand why I've neglected this for 6 months, no less.  Well, no promises, because that tends to be the whammy when it comes to fulfilling a blog post more often, at least for me.

Since my last post I've been a busy bee in the baby blanket area.  We've welcomed a new baby granddaughter named Claire in March and a brand new baby grandson named Owen just 4 weeks ago.  They are both so adorable, but most importantly, they are both healthy and happy and for that we are blessed by God.  
I made each of them a blanket and I put a picture of Owen's blankie in my last post if you'd like to take a look.  Below is a pic of Claire's ripple blanket which turned out quite nicely.  

Right now I'm working on another ripple blanket just to stay ahead of the curve, so to speak, and I just began a striped granny blanket with different colors in Stylecraft DK.  For me, it's unusual that I crochet any blankets with a DK but this one looks and feels quite substantial and very soft which is great on both counts.  I don't have enough progress on this one for a picture yet, but I will follow up with one.

As for my resolutions from last post, I've only managed to get another 5 pds. off but I haven't given up by any means.  I didn't gain this weight overnight and so I won't be losing it overnight either.  I have been saving and curtailing spending which is a good thing to be sure and it's been surprisingly easier than I thought.  

I've also been cooking healthier and utilizing Ellie Krieger's cookbook which is chock full of lower fat, but delicious recipes.