knittingtiger

I've recently been wipping out the projects here I am in the garden wearing my tea leaves which looks more like a large tomatoe on me ........... whew this is work.

Must post more

yarn and sweat don't mix

            
  

              This time of year, my running shoes compete with my yarn projects (all one million of them).  I have to say that the urge to throw out all of the cr...p (I mean priceless yarn0 during spring clean is a great. But alas, I hang on, I hang onto it for dear life like an old love letter or precious memento that takes up room. It is hard to merge my love of running /biking and..... knitting all together and it is equally hard to find people who share all of those interests. I don't feel that the yarn group mixes well with the running clubs.

     My Friend Katherine (and owner to Brooklyn General)  sits on a bike at one of my gyms I work at two three times a week. She knits her sweaters while working out. Ok before I go on I have to say she works it out on the elliptical. Let me tell you folks: if you are not breaking a sweat it almost isn't worth it going to the gym in the first place. I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me how to get rid of their "lovehandels". I'm like this is it, the three c's: Cardio, consistancy, and more cardio. 

       Not much gets done on my project list from this point on. My bike get dusted off, race forms get filled out, and brief vacations happen.  Summer floats by with me feeling sorry for myself for having to work and stay in the city.

Dear followers, 

           You might be happy to know that I have almost finished most of McKenzie's quilt. yay! So now I've begun yet another cardigan. boooo! I finished first (in my age group)in the duatholon last week. yay!  my house is a mess. boooooo! I  lost a pound ( took forever stupid pound). Yay! ....... Spring break is here (I forgot ), kids are bored already .Boooooooo!!

finishing

   Toys         There done............ five years later.  I learned something along the way. I don't like knitting toys too fiddly for me I like sweaters they keep you warmer but I bet my daughter would disagree with me

my detour

   Quilts         I have recently have gone off the quilting edge, I've picked it up again. I have four quilts tops done.  they are lined up like planes on the tarp ready to take off ........... final destination (my bed)
 . But geese quilts are hard they take up a lot of room on the floor, on your lap, everywhere.  

Three days later .......... I'm getting sick of not being able to finish anything I wake up in a sweat looking at these undone projects laying around my bed so today is the day I'm  pushing through to finish (right after I go to knitting group) My goal is to have Mckenzies quilt done by the end of this week and to not knit as much and to only drink wine and to run at least 15 miles knit and to freak-in finish something ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sunday best

 Today is the day I begin to design my first adult cardigan. yay!!!!! I've been waiting for the right color to begin and here it is  
................ ok so I'm not the best sketcher

Barat pattern

berat,hat,or beret knit in just one day

Pattern for barat
Cast on 53 stiches on a 6.5mm needle (us 10.5) work in in garder stich for eight rows
change to 8mm (us 11) begin
Row 1:(RS) k1, (sl1, K3) k3 to the end total of12times
Row2:(wrong side) k3,(p1,k3) until the last stich 12 times
Row 3: k1, (sl1, k2. M1 k1) 12x until the last four three stiches knit 2 m1 k1
Row 4:k4(p1,k4) until the last two stiches slip one knit last stich.
Rows 5: k1, (sl1, k4) until the last four knit
Rows: 6 same as row 4
Rows 7&8 same as five and six

Row 9: k1,(sl1,k3, m1,k1) until the last four stiches k3, m1. K1, done
Rows 10 thru 13 same as rows 5 through 8 so you should have five stiches in between the slipped ones okJ Row 14: k1 (s1, k4, m1, k1 ) until last five stiches knit 4, m1 k1 done
Rows :15 thru 18 follow pattern
Row :18 begin dec row k1 (s1, knit 3 Knit the next two stiches together through the back look otherwise known as tlb, then knit the next stich) until the last six stiches knit 3 k2tog tlb, knit 1
Row 19 knit k4( Purl1, k4 )until last two p1, K1
Rows 20 to 21 same as before follow the pattern you should have five in between each slipped stich
Row 22: K1 ( sl1, k2 K2 tog, tbl k1) until last five then k2, k2tog tbl, k1 and done
Row 23: k4 ( p1, k4, p1) until the last two p1 k1,
Row 24 to 25 follown the set pattern now you should have four in between
Row 26:K1 ( sl1, k1, k2tog, tbl, K1 ) until last four K1 K2tog tbl, k1
Row 27: k3:p1 and then same as row 23 just now you have three in each segment
Row 28& 29 same as 26th and 27
Row 30 K1 (sl1, k1, k2tog tbl, ) to last three k1 k2tog
Row 31 k1( p1, k2) until last two knit two
Row 32 K1( sl1, k2tog tbl,) all the the way to the end
Row33: k1 purl 1 until the end
row 34 PURL AGAIN PURL 2TOG untilnthe last stich
row 35: purl2 tog agin until the last stich you should have only 7 stiches left but if you have six or eight don't go back just cut a long thread off and pull it throuhg the open stiches and voila you have a berat
 

Finding time

                           The winter days are short and the light seems to slip away my days are filled with cleaning working and hopefully knitting I carry my knitting with me everywhere in the car, on the subway,  to my place of work {although I never knit  at work}

                    My friend Kusi knits everywhere I once went into the coffee den just to see her standing in line knitting away and I thought gee what a great way to stand in line .

                     Another one of my knitting buddies and a speed knitter is Lauren( aka Laureg on Ravelry) just check out her blog geezer just look at her Holiday list. of course if she could loan me the person who cleans her house I wouldn't have to do that on my list 

                Katherine ( who is the owner on Brooklyn General store) once told me that she used to knit and walk over the Brooklyn Bridge everyday.At one time she was considering creating an yarn holder made for power walkers that somehow attached to her head hummmmmm. I tried it once........the walking and knitting part the workout ...... it was very far, I almost got ran over by the bikes twice and my stiches were a mess.

                This is the time of year that I work as a trainer the most  in a gym and before you know it I'm knitting on my winter project in june ahhhh it is all so frustrating .This year I have a lot of knitting to do so I'm  going do it all.

Now looking at this picture it looks like I need to redo the buttons so they fit  better.

Goals

make up hat for Beth

green sweater for me

finish Mckenzies sweater

finish airy for me again

and use up stash well at least  some.

finish mittens for elijah

finish teddy bear 

finsh all those wips

run run run

my hat that I knit for mrs. Cohen

my little monster

christmas day

Ahhh Christmas was over in an hour this was quickest one yet I started in october determined to not be the family without a wii again you see New york is killer for these must have items so I started right before Halloween  and victorious sang the chorus as she sailed through  christmas again the only problem is that i forgot all the things I bought  and I kept buying and christmas was huge this year.

All the crafty things I did

finished Albert the monster

finished these socks now everyone has one

knitted two hats for Elijahs teachers and did a pattern for it

nine little felted gnomes and three mushrooms all for Amy,Mendy,and mom and joe

Gnomes from hell

Ahhh This was such an easy knit at first I was like geeeze I'll be done tomorrow and right after I tucked in the last thread.BOOM the project was all down hill from there.

 I never got the felt right I washed them in hot hot water 3x and then at first I used  rice and the I bought the pellets (which btw are very messy) and neither made their heads not roll over to the side.

 The next obsession was the eyes which I really wanted to look like the picture I really loved these guys and wanted them to well look just like the picture .......... gosh story of my life 

Ya know the best things I make all come from me and in the end that is how i did it blue eyes and all. 

I ended up felting it all on with all of my spare roving and felting needles and was proud that I had it all here and did not need to leave at all until...... my daughter tugged on my p.j.s and said uhmmm mom it's 4:30 pm!!!!!!

trying to not get sick and gnomes gnomes gnomes

Tri knitting

Ok so I didn't misspell the title but I wanted to try to link  in the triathlon  training  that I'm doing now and my knitting blog which is this place here  and guess what they don't link as much as I would like.

I  think this has to do because at the end of the day I'm too tired to do one or the other yet I'm obsessed with both and always trying to strive for non ufo's even though i just sometimes need to zone out and knit something easy like this last noro project I did was  knit one row turn it around and purl one row ok now make four  rectangels and sew them together and there you have the Klaralune.

This brown one above was done in the round it's a free pattern by Istex and I used Morehouse 3 strand (which I love )I like to knit with circulars but I have to admit I get bored very  quickly I think it's because I need the break of the purl row it's like   ah yes here she comes the step sister to the knit stich poor little purl I mean it can't be that bad or we wouldnt have anyone named Purl right .......I mean how many Knits do you meet in your lifetime.

Today July 23 RD

630am taught spin the bike thing

2pm swam in a cold cold pool for 20 min  felt like I suck at swimming

4pm.........Knitting on King scott ten rows in corn-blue superfine merino and spin my angora shetland mix

Spring in New York

....................... I'm so glad we bought a pool so that we can watch the rain fill it everyday ha ha. I Have about three projects that are almost done all of which are out of season now but oh well fall is sure to come again right.

the five year sweater

So I have learned that when you start something you should really try hard to finish why????? because you tension changes, the yarn goes out of stock and things happen along the way like........... the project gets lost for a half year

Silly Catherine

So this is Catherine Clark the owner of Brooklyn General and all around funny gal. I've known her for hummmm well Five years( gosh that long) she gave me the one and only knitting store job that I liked and that includes working at School Products in the middle of Manhattan and at Knitting Hands when it was called knitting hands catherine is wearing the mittens that heather gave her today

new baby

  I better get a knittin cause they are all on there way yay!!!!!!

why i love Rowan patterns

    I have knit a lot of patterns and out   of all of them I love the rowan ones the most . The reason is because it always looks like the picture not unlike this coat which was a rebecca pattern. This project was more about getting it done than how it finally looked. The arms  are too long and the upper body is too big and it makes me bum look a wee bit big . In closing so far.....the Rowan ones do not or maybe it's just me bum.

Night out

So............ I have learned that Red whine and patterns that you have to concentrate on do no mix. If you are planning a little get together with your knitting group that involves red whine  bring the garter stich  pattern not the must pay attention  cable pattern. I have had to pull out this pattern more than I would like even when I don't drink red whine.