It's finished--yay! B is enjoying wearing it to kindergarten and in this cold, cold weather we've been having.

I wove a ton of ends in on this one and then sealed the knot with some fabric glue. The scarf curls in on itself as it's mainly stockinette--but I kind of like that effect as it doesn't show the 'wrong' side of the knitting.

Yarn is acrylic, Vanna's Choice in black, mustard, terracotta, chocolate, and colonial blue. I repeated these five colors eight times.
Ten rows of each color with size 8 bamboo straights.





I'm now knitting the same patterned scarf with Herrschners Worsted yarn (acrylic). I want to knit two of these but C's will have to wait (I'm knitting MINE first!). I'm modeling this after a Gymboree scarf I saw but it matches my ice pink winter jacket!

Labels: accessories, children's knits

Late this Fall, I treated myself to this book by cookie a:


I first heard of her at The Creative Stitch in Hingham. One of the nice women who work there was telling me to get on ravelry and to download cookie a's patterns for socks (after telling her I love to knit socks).

So, I also became a member of Ravelry. I'm a newby so I'm not that great at updating my projects, but this site is awesome, I can see that!

COOKIES!
**(Yes, I had my two cookie swaps to go to this year)**

Baker's Soft & Chewy Chocolate Drops



4 squares BAKER'S Unsweetened Chocolate
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ cups flour

Glaze
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate

COOKIES:
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Microwave unsweetened chocolate and butter in large microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until butter is melted. Stir until chocolate is completely melted. Add sugar; mix well. Blend in eggs and vanilla. Add flour; mix well. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.

SHAPE dough into 1-inch balls; place, 2 inches apart, on lightly greased baking sheets.

BAKE 8 min. or just until set. (Do not overbake.) Let stand on baking sheet 1 min.; transfer to wire racks. Cool completely.

GLAZE:
PLACE frozen whipped topping and semi-sweet chocolate in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 1 ½ min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is shiny and smooth, stirring after 1 min. Let stand 15 min. to thicken. Spread over cookies. Let stand until glaze is set.

Christmas
I hosted Christmas dinner this year and we had a roast, salad, creamy au gratin potatoes, and squash (from our garden) for dinner. It was delicious! I also made a pumpkin pie and fudge for dessert along with my mother-in-law's awesome raspberry linzer cookies, among other treats!

I'm home with the kids this past week for Christmas vacation. It's been hectic, fun, stressful, everything. We saw "The Princess and the Frog," shopped at the South Shore Plaza, stayed in and played with Christmas toys because it was zero degrees outside, and today made these Wilton Gingerbread Pops (marked down at Michael's). Talk about a royal disaster. What a mess--I need to lighten up about it, but talk about microscopic candy beads everywhere when your six year old decides to dump the bag upside down!!!!

the pictures don't tell the whole story:






NEW PROJECTS:
B requested a scarf. He is in kindergarten now and just turned six-years old. So FULL OF ENERGY, it's crazy. He picked the colors and I did this sketch with his help:


We also shopped for the colors today at Michael's, laid them out to the sketches and I am going with the first order (black next to yellow). So it will go:
Black, yellow, orange, brown, blue, ending with black:





I can't wait to get knitting this TONIGHT!! Nothing makes me more happier than being INSIDE on a cold New Year's Eve night with my loved ones, knitting under a blanket.

***I also bought lavender yarn for C's Vintage Owl vest, stay tuned.***

NEWS!
Oh yeah! I wrote a letter to Creative Knitting Magazine and it got published in the January 2010 Issue! It's on newstands now, CHECK IT OUT! :) :) :) I'm excited about it anyway.

Labels: children's knits, cooking/baking, life in the BerryKnitty household

Pattern: Baby Sampler Afghan handout from a knitting class.
Finished Size: Nine 7" squares. throw-size or cradle size.
Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable; (128 g {268 yards}): #01008 Aran, about 5 balls.
Needles: Clover Bamboo US 8 straights.
Comments:
I started knitting this afghan in August for my cousin who is expecting a baby girl in December. Well, Lily was born Sunday night, December 27th and I finished this today! The afghan was going amazingly quickly in the beginning. Square after square after square. Then there were problems discovered in each square's pattern (this was from a handout from a knitting class I took a while ago at Saftler's. I think whoever wrote the pattern was drinking at the time--seriously. The two cable squares are substitutes of my own as well as the hearts in the middle. The smocking square is something I found online as the smocking pattern that was given was indiscernable. It became very frustrating very quickly.

I also ditched the leaf and garter border with a simple picked up garter edging. It puckers the afghan slightly but it evens it out better and LESS FINISHING!!!!




some leaf and garters knitted then ditched:



my substituted squares:

hearts:


mock cables:


cables and checks:


smocking:


Squares from pattern handout that actually worked but still had mistakes in them!

YO pattern, flower buds:


Blackberries:



Checkerboard or basketweave:


Increase, decrease ribs bordered with 4 garter stitches on ea. side:


YO "flower" pattern, Tulip lace:


I do think that the baby is going to enjoy running her fingers through the different textures in this afghan!

Labels: baby blankets

On this crisp Fall day--a package!!!



It's the "Wheat Sheaves Sampler" afghan from Herrschners.

Labels: afghans

One spiral tube sock down, a hundred more to go! These are quick and easy--well maybe not so quick. There's no heel flap to create or heel to turn for that matter and no foot gusset to create--so they're easy that way. It's a pattern I got from Mary Maxxim using Patons Stretch Socks --I got colors in Taffy, Sugar and Plum--yum!

Labels: socks

I made a second Ollie for my nephew just in time for his 4th birthday party a couple of weeks ago.


Happy 4th Birthday!

I'm working on socks now in Patons Stretch Socks for gifts--never to early to start. . . . .

Labels: knitted toys

These were a blast to knit (especially Ollie as he was done completely in the round with minimal finishing). B got Ollie and C got the mouse. The patters are on Lion Brand.

Ollie uses almost one whole skein of Vanna's Choice Baby yarn in Goldfish. City Mouse uses a little Goldfish for the ears and Vanna's Choice in Taupe.






I'm also forcing some forsythia and decorated it with Easter ornaments:

Labels: knitted toys, life in the BerryKnitty household

Pattern: Quick Cowled Tunic designed by Jill Gutman Schoenfuss/"January 2009 Creative Knitting."
Finished Size: 47½" (chest); 24" (length). Tunic is meant to be oversized; size Small.
Yarn: Plymouth Encore Worsted Colorspun 75% acrylic 25% wool; (100 g {200 yards}): #7990 Drifting, about 5 balls.
Needles: Clover Bamboo US 8 24" circular, US 8 straights for cowl.
Comments:
Beginner Knit. It fits wonderfully and it's so warm. On the cold days we've been having this Winter, it's perfect! I love the color too. The pattern calls for Caron yarn, but I liked using the Encore instead.



And Haste Makes Waste. I originally sewed the cowl on backwards, had to pull it out, and do it over--hence my disdain for finishing work. I also did the shoulder seams over as I didn't have my finishing book handy originally. I have no patience for finishing . . . .

More pics:




And the start to Ollie (stay tuned)!

Labels: sweaters