The latest project in the Can Rebecca finish this in time for her wedding game....

Here we have another contestant on the Can Rebecca Finish This in Time for her Wedding game?

The first?

The Chuppah

Done.

Second?

A secret.

Done.

Third?A wedding shawl knit in fingering weight yarn (because the 100% silk thread that masqueraded as yarn was just undoable on this deadline.

Can she do it in just 41 days folks? She has three repeats done-they take about an hour and needs roughly 31 more, or until she runs out of her 800 yards of fingering weight yarn.

So can she do it?

Follow her progress her and we shall see whether this ends in bitter defeat or stunning success!

Forward progress after ripping back....

I have made some very welcome forward progress on the Hemlock Ring after some very backwards sliding. I had to rip out completely again, not because I had made mistakes in the first fifteen rows but picking up the stitches in this project without a lifeline wasn't worth it for the short time it would take me to re-knit. However, there was cursing involved. I am now however starting the feather and fan section (a third lifeline will happen before that does).

I can't wait to show my progress to the other person in my knitting group who is doing the knit a long with me. This was hard earned progress.

I wrote that about a week ago and now I am here: Almost to the end of the regular size throw and just added the second skein on row 50 of the feather and fan section.
The other thing that was hard-earned?


This pay off shot for you that you get now. I will not post any more pictures of it until the wedding. Sorry, but I want the full effect.

I am making slow progress on the scarf for my stepfather, I do a few inches every week but that's slow progress for something that will be 70 inches long at the end.I got a little bit of work done yesterday sitting outside in the sun (gasp!) watching Michael play in an ultimate frisbee tournament (they made the semi-finals!!). Here's proof it was sunny.Happy Knitting!

I may have a new project to show you next time.

Ripped and Restarted

A friend from my knitting group and I are both knitting the Hemlock Ring blanket right now. She started two weeks ago and so is ahead of me. I had to rip out my attempt #1 and restart. I did that tonight, see!
Happy Knitting everyone!

Chuppah Knitting Finished!

I bound off the Chuppah today.

Here is the pay-off shot of a crumpled up mess pre-blocking.

Here it is with no needles! This is the join at the end to prove it!

Next weekend I will weave in the ends and block it. I finished three months before the wedding!

This is all I had left.

It took a year and a half with a four month break in there. I am glad we had such a long engagement!

Now we can get married!

Good thing we finally sent out invitations! This is an invitation below, with some yummy chocolates M brought me from New York City. Yummy!

Happy Knitting!

I think I may be casting on another big project soon, with a friend from knitting group!

Gardening...or why there were no posts last weekend.

Happy very late three day weekend and Memorial Day to those in the U.S. of A. I went to two barbecues, ate yummy food, watched people play badminton and did a lot of gardening.

The before of our yard was not so pretty.
These trees were not thriving. They were yellow on the bottom.


This area needed to be weeded and the stones have a sort of war rubble look. Not welcoming.
Also, we needed to weed. I spent most of the time doing that.
The after is far superior, in my estimation. About 4 hours worth superior. I know that is not a lot of time, but it made a world of difference as to our happiness with the place. Now we just need a table and chairs and grill out there.

Everyone who knows me knows that I do not have a green thumb. So, this was a big step for me. The two bushes along the top should grow to be 6 or so feet wide and 5 feet or so tall to give us a little privacy when we are on the patio.

Michael has since mulched the area around the new plants and it looks great! He did such a good job.

I also did a little knitting and finishing.

First, I finally wove in the ends on my fingerless gloves. It had been roughly 4-5 months since I finished knitting on these. My gauge varied greatly with both of these. However, they both fit. They are soft and warm, so I count it as a success and got to cross a UFO off the list just in time for summer.
I am still knitting my stepfather's scarf Take 2. It's Take 2 because I knit him one before and it has been lost. The saddest thing that can happen to a hand knitted object. I hope it warming the neck of someone out there.
I have been working on the Chuppah. That's side 3!!! of the border, almost done....8 repeats on this side to go roughly.... I can taste the end of the knitting on this project.
I also added to the stash at the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool.

I got this 50% merino, 30% mohair, 20% angora. It's much more purple, all varying stages than this picture shows. It is so soft. It's 400 yards of fingering weight and is beautiful.

I also got this. It's 750 yards of beautiful and soft yarn. It's DK weight and I cannot wait to knit with it. Once I figure out what to knit that is. It is 100% alpaca.
Then there is this beautiful angora and superwash merino blend. It is so soft and so pretty. It has subtle gradiations in color.Then Michael got me some beautiful purple and green skeins from Tucker Woods. I had never seen their fiber before, but these two skeins sucked me in. It is mohair sport weight according to the tag, but I bet it is more a fingering weight. There are 3778 yards in each skein and it is 90% mohair and 10% cormo. You can see their fiber at tuckerwoodsfarm.com. I think this will look great as something using both these color.

Happy Knitting!

Sock pictures (done and upstairs in the sock drawer) next time!

New Hampshire Sheep and Wool, a Bridal Shower, a Book, and a Happy Kitty...

I actually have fun things to show you but not any knitting because I only have an almost FO-2 repeats, ribbing and some binding off on a sock to go.

M and I took our annual trip to the New Hampshire Sheep and Wool Festival last weekend.

I noticed this in the parking lot as we entered and I am sure I am not the only person to take a picture of it that weekend.

I bet this woman knits in public.


In no particular order now, I saw all of this last weekend:


Sheep, all lined up in a row. These sheep ate in unison, then moved forward in unison, then ate again in unison. It was like they had a hive mind.
No hive mind here, just some seriously awesome looking fiber animals I wanted to smuggle home.
This guy has quite the expressive face. He looks like a wise soul.
This guy had really cool horns. Looks like a shofar to me.
Michael likes to pet all the animals.
This guy had cool horns too.
This guy has dreadlocks. He's the coolest most laidback one in the bunch I bet.
These two were just so cute.
This guy was being herded.
I got this a couple weeks ago and it does not disappoint. It's seriously jam packed full of awesome information and great patterns. It's a must buy IMHO.
I had a wedding shower this weekend. The result:
A bunch of parcels full of wonderful things to go with the soon to be wonderful husband. I need to move those boxes upstairs.

There were some very nice personalized M and Ms at the shower, all in all it was very nice.


The flowers were very nice as well, I love the purple tulips in particular. This arrangement came home with us.
Now we have a very happy kitty to be back sprawling on his people.
Happy Knitting, I'll have pictures of the yummy yarn from NH Sheep and Wool and a finished sock to show you next time.

I know it's been a while since a.......................Chuppah Update!!!!

I don't have any new decisions made because there really aren't any more to make.

I do have something new to show you however.



That is a corner! I finished one quarter of the border and turned the corner to the second of 4 sides on the border. Each side is about 30 hours of knitting. Wish me knitting mojo because every repeat of those 18 rows makes me a little more bored with the pattern. I will get it done, I will get it done!

Happy Knitting!