TONS of Knitting Projects!

Happy New Year everyone!

So sorry it's been this long but have been knitting like mad... finished the Noro Fletcher jacket (which is cozy and warm although not really that attractive - but the Noro Iro is so warm and I wear it out walking the dogs with the hood) - my daughter laughs at me but really, it's comfy and I MADE IT MYSELF so I'm pleased with it. So I have a nice warm jacket and I didn't make Christmas knitted gifts this year. My sisters decided I should make myself a sweater when we all got together for Thanksgiving. What a concept! Make something for "ME"? hmmm... sounded good. So I bought some Gorgeous Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran yarn in bright red - and finished it before Christmas! It is from the Cabin Fever book, so it is a top down cardigan. I used the rounded collar and found some brass coloured buttons, and instead of the ribbing at the bottom, I used a lacy pattern repeat. So it is really feminine and pretty, and looks like Christmas and I wore it to the family gathering for Christmas! You can imagine how I was running around all night letting everyone know "I made this sweater!" and they were eventually teasing me, saying to each other - "Oh, did you hear Claire MADE her sweater?" and of course, they had heard. heehee.

Am working on some Jaywalker socks and am really pleased... for my hubby - he has tried them on while they're in progress and so far so good! They FIT! Almost done. It's a really good pattern. Easy to memorize, not too hard. Doing top down but I think I will try a toe up next sock.

This is Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn - from MY FAVOURITE YARN SHOP called "The Loopy Ewe" at http://www.theloopyewe.com ! If you go there, be prepared to spend some money on fabulous yarn - Sheri will take good care of you. She is really really doing a good business there and there is a huge selection of yarn, (mostly sock yarn but lots of others too) with some great ideas on the website - blog is good, patterns are good, yarn selection, discount for frequent buyers, sock club, etc. It's really a well run, well organized lovely site and she is the nicest lady! Just be prepared... it's nicer than you think and hard to resist those yarns.

I've been listening to knitting podcasts while I knit. There are a lot of them out there now. Go to http://www.itunes.com and check out the iTunes Search button, putting "knit" or "knitting" into the button space. There will be quite a few podcasts to download. My faves are "Limenviolet", "Stash&Burn" and "It's a Purl Man". They are all really well done and very entertaining and informative. Makes you feel like you're in a room full of other knitters as you sit quietly at home. I just love them.

So I wish you all a very Happy New Year and I will keep up with the blogging as best I can but of course, it takes some effort to do this and knitting is keeping me busy.