New Home....

Please visit me at my NEW Blog:

A Southern Gal Knits in the North

Back online....

ok, so i've been away for awhile... here's why. i only had a dialup connection at home and finally decided to get a DSL connection thru Verizon. it was activiated last week and so now i can join the many knitting bloggers i admire (wendy, chicknits, ....) and get my stuff on my blog. i am also going to buy a digital camera (what... finally!) and then i can really add to my blog's interest.

and hopefully ill be approved as part of the southern knitters webring and then maybe someone will visit me ;o

i was born in Lake Charles Louisiana and lived in Baton Rouge for many many years before moving to Washington DC and then to big bad old New York City where i seem stuck. but hopefully not for long - im not sure living in this city is worth the aggro and expense anymore. when i first moved here it was much more affordable and easier to live here... but thats not about knitting.

ill do another post in a little bit on my current wips, etc.
e

Hot and Muggy in NYC

my absence last week was due to the RING Cycle at the Metropolitan Opera House and my subscription night at the Ballet. The RING (as it is called by afficionados) is the opera tetralogy written by Richard Wagner and put on only with great expense and exhertion by a major opera company. there are many websites devoted to more explanation about this cycle. suffice it to say that attending a RING cycle brings one in close proximity with a rare type of opera fan - the very devoted one. These operas are a marathon event = the first one is 2.5 hours with no break and the next three are almost 6 hours with two breaks each night. you see people with picnics outside and sandwiches and thermoses inside - myself, i had sandwiches and diet vanilla coke to sustain me. you would think that sitting and listening wouldnt be tiring - but after working and hurrying to get to the opera house by a 6 pm curtain, it does take a toll by the end of the week. the operas are on Mon, Tue, Thu and Sat. by the last night, you feel a camaraderie with all around you - just to have made it thru much less with glorious music as well! and it was glorious - the met opera orchestra played their hearts out - there were two articles about the conductor, James Levine, over the weekend prior to the opening of this last Cycle and at the end of the first opera we all leapt to our feet and screamed for the orchestra and Maestro Levine - he was really taken aback at his reception for his solo bow. the last night of the cycle was the last night of the entire SEASON as well. i could go on and on at how thrilling it was to be there but this is a knitting blog, so enough for now.

ok. so not much knitting happened last week - but last weekend i collapsed on sunday (the last opera was saturday night and was so exhilirating that i was up til close to dawn sunday from the excitement ) anywho, i crashed and watched TCM and knitted - a perfect way to recoup . RANDOM HARVEST with Greer Garson being her beauteous self and Ronald Colman acting all lost and perplexed thru most of the movie. and then HITCHCOCK on monday night - DIAL M and VERTIGO (thankfully had to go to sleep and missed THE BIRDS).

anyway, progress on the WIPS - Baby Sweater is coming along - decided to steek the armholes as well and am in the midst of them. need to sit and have a measuring session to make sure the body proportions are ok. worked on this during the weekly group at work yesterday. Baby Aran Blanket is also coming along - need to decide how long to make - must get some comparable blanket lengths. its going to be a nice warm blanket and thankfully the recipient is moving to the northeast and will be able to make use of a warm blanket! the secret WIP is coming along nicely and should be finished soon - its at that stage where its just knitting to get the length and its not as exciting as the others .... i feel another project start urge.

well, maybe to tide that i had to order some knitting goodies from a website this week - Yarn Forward had a pattern i have drooled over for quite awhile - MUST HAVE Cardigan - and of course i had to order the new Elsebeth Lavold books - been meaning to get them for ages. and some yarn - and needles and well, it was fun and since i havent ordered or bought any yarn since February (jury duty), i didnt feel guilty.

not much knitting but a new photo

ok... a little bit on the sweater this morning.. more tonight during intermissions at the ballet - the first performance of the Spring Season of the New York City Ballet - all Balanchine!!!

anyway, i have to finish that blanket tonight for the mother's last day is ---- shhh! friday!
so whatever length it is when i get home is what it will be for now.

have to dash to the ballet - but here's the latest nephew photo - isnt he a munchkin!

a good start and then ...

nothing like a bronchial infection to slay you and make you feel CRUDDY. i shouldve know when i was crying thru out GOTTERDAMERUNG on saturday while listening on the radio. i usually cry when i am very tired or getting sick or right before that "time of the month" (still). and i couldnt eat anything - you know when nothing sounds good to eat except like yogurt and m&ms (wierd)

anyway, sunday i spent the day watching some of the news and other shows i have 'dvr-ed" - its my cable company's version of TIVO and then woke up monday with a fever and the desire to not move at all.

so that lasted thru tuesday - and today i dragged myself in to work - still not 100% more like 70%... but here i am 650 pm ... on my way out finally - it sometimes doesnt pay to be sick cause of the mess you find when you get back.

sigh.

so tonight i am going to watch at least the first one of these great movies on TCM..
8:00pm Doctor Zhivago (1965) ***+ (PG13), CC, DVS
11:30pm The Bridge on the River Kwai.... **** (PG)
2:30am Lawrence of Arabia (1962) **** (PG), CC

i'm a sucker for Omar Sharif... sigh sigh.

anyway - FEAR NOT there is knitting content here. i was able to get a substantial number of inches done on the baby aran blanket for mr walter, my nephew - whose mom knows now since she read the blog! - and ripped out and added more inches to a baby blanket for a colleague - have to get that finished by friday oops - and started a baby sweater for another colleague - whose second boy was born on saturday. but that one can be by next week sometime.

the blanket is in Periwinkle Brown Sheep Lambs Pride (i love this yarn - bought on ebay). and is in the Cat's Paw shetland lace pattern from one of the Barbara Walker pattern books (two i think) with a garter stitch border - simple simple but looks really nice.

more about the sweater tomorrow - i need to get home....
toodles
elizabeth

been a long time...

ok. i know.. its been awhile - i keep thinking i have to make these gorgeous entries like wendy over at http://wendyknits.net/ so ive not been doing it and work has been crazy and ... well, its been a rough winter.

but its SPRING finally and i have new contacts (and new *expensive* glasses) and new cats - a mother and her baby - Cordelia and Katie - and well, things seem to be better in the spring no matter how bad your dayjob is. ;o

this week, to take care of my duties as gardener, i ordered a ton of rose food and need to order mulch and bulbs. the clematis is growing like a weed and the roses are all leafing out and growing like mad - i gave them old very DRASTIC pruning - march 15th and they are responding like crazy. if this new rose food is as good as it purports i should have roses galore this summer! fingers crossed.

over on wendyknits- she is speaking of commuter knitting - so here's my story for the day - as i got a RARE seat on the # 4 this morning, i pulled out my knitting - the first three inches of a baby aran blanket for my latest nephew. its on 20" circs and is a LOT of stitches.

SO a woman sits down to the left of me and looks at my knitting and says - oh is that a hat? (for a giant maybe!) but i was nice and explained it was a baby blanket.. that was however the extent of her interest which was fine as i wanted to concentrate on the cables as it was the first setup row.

i am in awe of wendy - the poncho she is making looks so lovely - but i wonder how it will be on a slightly zaftig person? maybe i could make them for my sisters' bdays this year - i have four! and its always hard to figure out what to get/make for them.

i have been getting home way too late this week and really miss knitting - i wanted to stay on the train this morning and knit all the way til the end of the line. but saturday is the final Texaco Sponsored Metropolitan Opera broadcast and its GOTTERDAMERUNG - the final opera in Wagner's RING Cycle... so i plan to sit and knit for all 6 hours.. should be able to get a lot done... and of course the cats will be thrilled that i will be home. Cordelia has been attacking my leg each morning this week as i am getting dressed - i had two concerts, an opera and i stayed late at the office on wed.. whew, i am looking forward to Britcoms and knitting tonight!

so to bring a little fun to this post - here's a photo of my nephew - who will be moving to the NY area in july!

knitting rhymes?

who's got knitting rhymes?

i found one at chicknits*

In through the front door
Around the back
Out through the window
And off jumps jack.

*All graphics, pictures, patterns, text and content on this site are the sole property of Bonne Marie Burns©2003


i have several new students (all of a sudden = they have just joined a knitting group at work that i coordinate) and i am finding the need for some aids in teaching.

anyone with suggestions, please let me know!
thanks

my newest nephew

walter burke
born monday 19 january 2004 - 11:13 pm
to my baby sister and her husband.
now i'd better get knitting!



more tomorrow about the TWO knitting groups this week at lunchtime and three new students...and several emails from another ad in the firm's classifieds.

ok so i imagine anyone who ever read this blog (all two of you) gave up a long time ago.

well, i've decided its time to start up again. mostly cause i'm knitting almost daily now and i'm starting to teach some other knitters. and i'm always inspired by many other blogs - wendy's (of course) and curlnsandpurlsnyc and chic knits among the ones i read daily... not that i have a digital camera yet - but maybe soon.

anywho, between now and the weekend i'll try to catch up on my knitting life...such as it was... this past year. basically i worked way too much last year and, well, let's just say it didn't pay off. so "less is more" is my new motto regarding worklife.

here's a tidbit of knitting news - there has been a change in my knitting group at work - instead of after work (its way too cold this winter in nyc to stay late), we are starting to meet at lunch time - and it seems to be much more popular. although way too short for my liking, but, with my new motto of taking lunch every day - any time is knitting time is fine by me.

ok off to grab a bite and then to the New York City Ballet for the Centennial Birthday celebration of Balanchine!

oi vey its been too long - something about the turning into spring here in the north - its seems like such an upheaval - with rain and wind and dark cloudy days and then a day or two of sun and promise of warm weather and then back to the wind and rain and clouds... this goes back and forth for weeks - - - it really takes a toil on me. i think i am much more sensitive to the weather than i realize.

work has heated up to a stressful level - lots of angst and tension and - well, lets just say i was at the office very late three nights last week (like midnight including friday)... and although the weekend was really gorgeous i was exhausted. and enjoyed it thru my windows - of course i had done my garden winter clean up last weekend in the cold and wind and wet - but it was nice to know that as i was tired i wasnt remorseful about not working in the garden - its a grand feeling to look out at my little garden plot (its only 80 square feet) and see it all clean and laid down with mulch and all the roses pruned nicely (like haircuts ) and lovely little green and red leaves bursting on the rose canes and the gorgeous red peony buds poking up thru the mulch in such a hurry to come up. and the few lillies that survived the drought poking too.

so today and this week i MUST plan my orders - at least the summer bulbs - i once again didnt order any spring bulbs - i was working way too much last fall and didnt get anything in. but next year... tulips and croci and hyacinths i swear!

anyway i love lillies and would have a whole garden of them if i could - but i love phlox and snapdragons and sweet willilam and foxglove and delphs and , well the list is way too long for a little plot such as mine. so i have to be judicious and order three of this and three of that and ....

i do get to order a new rose as i have decided to get another rose pillar and put another climbing rose on it - this one will be taller and willl have some gorgeous pink climber - i just have to find one - i could also have hundreds of roses if i had the room.

ok more later

the knitting finger moves...

hmm another week flies by....

mainly i dont post enough cause i only have a laptop and a dialup connection at home and well, after working all day in an IS (computer dept) when i get home (finally - usualy 7-8 pm) all i want to do is knit - something non-computer related and with the satisfaction of seeing immediate results. its like when i was studying piano and practicing 4-5 hours a day and working at night, i became a fiendish baker - baking all the time - bringing in goodies to work and to my teacher (who gave me extra time so i felt it was some small compensation) anyway - she said i baked to have a "result" in my day - since practicing and playing the piano is a long term process.

how i got to IS from music - dont ask. (and there are a few other twists in between).

anyway

yesterday i heard from the wonderous meg at Schoolhouse Press that the Frost JACKET book AND the republished A History of Hand Knitting by Richard Rutt are BOTH on their way in the mail.... ooooohhhhh i can not wait.

to quote Meg - "I was excited about the idea even before the publisher asked me to write the foreword. Am I allowed to quote myself?: What a useful and welcome book this is. At present we are happily awash in scores of books about knitting techniques and garment design, but relatively lacking in information about the origins of our craft. The knowledge herein offers the historical continuity necessary to provide a solid foundation for our ever-growing knitting community." see more on her New Books page.

i have been working on the Aran Cardigan i am designing (as i go)/knitting for my nephew. i am at the point where i need to decide to do something with the sleeves - either STEEK or split off the front and the back and proceed on them separately. i am also waiting on the total length of the cardigan (hopefully my sister will get it tonight). i hope i can get it cause its about 10 inches long right now and i just finished one of the valentine heart patterns so it would be a good place to steek or split.

i am really thinking i will steek the sleeves - i am already steeking the front of the cardigan - even tho i am making this in COTTON FLEECE. i have steeked in wool and it was fine. cotton will be another thing - but well, i am nothing if not adventurous. but for now i need to wait until later to get the length so i can figure out when to do this steek.

i decided to re read the Elizabeth Zimmerman books - so on the subway tonight you will see me reading "Knitting Around".
onward

ok so its been another crazy week... i meant to post over the weekend and yesterday - my job requires a lot of admin work for the computer systems of the law firm at which i work and i monitor the backups for all the servers... 80+ so each day i spend about an hour or so dealing with the admin of the backups.... then there are other problems which creep in - anyway, this is all to say that i meant to post yesterday and didnt - it was a choice of going home at 630 or staying even later... i went home.

a reader commented that i should check out CBC - i think i will - i keep forgetting about it in my enthusiasm for the BBC...so i will try it today.

on to knitting stuff -
(i KNOW i need a digital camera...i am searching...)
so last night, based on the latest measurements of my nephew, i FROGGEd the little red cardigan i knit last summer and fall and which i never sewed the buttons on - that'll teach me right? so now i am starting a larger size of the same cardigan - its of my own design - out of Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece - Barn Red - its full of cables and i loved designing and knitting it the first time - so this time will be easier... i might even write down what i do. it was a little depressing to rip it out but i am looking forward to reknitting it in a size that i hope he can wear for at least a year or so.

his chest is 21" now and i am thinking of making the circumference 25" so that it will fit over clothes and last a bit more than a few months.

i tried to stay up and cast on but i was pooped by the time i had frogged and rewound the yarn = while listening to the BBC news on the war. so i cast on on the subway this morning.

warning warning rant ahead
why oh why is it that people feel they have the right to SPREAD out (including their legs) over more than one seat on the subway DURING RUSH HOUR!!!!??? i have gotten really aggressive and like this morning, will sit or actually perch on whatever open inches i see - usually people ignore you but this morning the woman on one side of me engaged in not-so-sublte but passive-aggressive behaviour by pushing her left leg against my right leg - i just sat there and pretended i didnt feel anything and prayed (yes, prayer is very useful at times like these for me) and after about 5 minutes or so, she stopped.

someday i am going to say = "and did you remember to pay for the two seats you are taking up?" but i would probably get shot, right?

ARGH
ok, rant over.

am itching to start one of the Alice Starmore sweaters for me... let me say i have only worked on the Seaweed Stole of AS's designs so far - i have the kit for both bags (Thistle Bag and Heart Bag) i have NOT knitted a sweater yet - but i LOVE LOVE LOVE cables and i think i know enough about how to adjust my gauge and handle cables and sweater construction etc.. so i just may have to plunge in and start something now in hopes that i can finish it and be able to wear it in the fall - when it will be cold again aroundabouts here in nyc.

so here's the ones i am thinking of choosing for my first AS sweater... (out of the hundred or so that i have on my wish list).


Maidenhair Cardigan


Irish Moss


Fulmar

All these designs are at VIRTUAL YARNS
NAYY - just a very appreciative customer.

i will be pondering this for a few days and will report back as to what i decide. comments, suggestions, etc welcome!

happy knitting!

war and knitting

this is a big topic - and i wont even begin to tackle it here. suffice it to say that
1) i am a news junkie
2) bbc has the best unbiased news coverage
3) knitting is great for calming one down during hours of war coverage

so what did you knit last night while watching the news?? (come on, own up, you did watch didnt you?)


Seaweed Stole

as i dozed on the sofa off and on all night long - with the BBC News on one of the local public tv stations - i worked on a stole designed by Alice Starmore
i hadnt worked on this in months and months - its out of her new yarn and in a gorgeous color -Clover

interestingly when i first got this pattern and yarn - last fall/winter - i had a really hard time working the pattern cause i wasnt used to intricate lace patterns - so it was very slow going - checking each row (there are 6 pattern rows each different with the first and last five stitches different from the repeating pattern of the row) as i went along

however! last night and early this morning i realized that i was starting to "read my knitting" and was memorizing the pattern for each row - at least for the row, if not remembering it after just doing one repeat on a row while checking against the card... woohoo! now i cant sit down right now and rewrite the pattern (probably should try that to really memorize it) but its going a bit faster than a year ago. i find it encouraging to see improvement like this in my personal life.

check out Alice's website
virtual yarns

its full of GORGEOUS patterns and yarns and stories about life in the hebrides isles... sounds like heaven to me! i am trying to justify a trip to scotland and the hebrides islands... anyone need some computer consulting work ?

keep knitting!

well its 8 pm on wednesday march 19th... are we at war yet?

this wont be a political blog entry - but please read Maureen Dowd and Tom Friedman in today's NYTIMES.

may the Lord above help us all.

ok, knitting news
its been really busy at work - i know, i am tired of writing it too. and i dont even know if this will get on the site cause blogger.com is down tonight...

got new measurements for my nephew and so can continue on with the cotton fleece aran pullover. have only the end of the first sleeve and the second sleeve to finish on the wool version of the same design.

spent a couple of nights drooling over older magazines and trying to figure out a sweater pattern for me... but i may wait til i get the new Jean Frost Jacket book and do one of them.

spent a very productive sunday two weeks ago reorganizing the bags of stash into a corner (from the end of the coffee table right in the middle of the living room)... now i am on the quest to find some pretty storage baskets with LIDS that dont cost 100.00 a piece. i keep meaning to look at work where its fast connection but i have been really busy... ok ok.

ok i need to run now... more later

i'm back...

well its snowing ... what, not cats and dogs, but something fierce... out my office window i can only see about two blocks up madison avenue... and its pretty quiet out there...perversely the days of bad weather my trains run fine - its the nice weather days they seem to loiter along.

should be quiet here today - as it is now, so a little chance to catch up...

well, that was written six hours ago - obviously not a quiet day --- and the snow is STILL falling... hmm i am NOT looking forward to the schelpp home - soon to be 50 cents more due to the wisdom of our MTA board.

the prez is speaking tonight at a press conference maybe i will update my blog during that ... ok more later

monday - catchup day

home sick today - started with an asthma attack during the wee hours of the morn and so i was going to go in late morningish but when i woke up after about 4 hours of sleep, i had a splitting headache and it didnt get better, thru hot shower, hot tea, toast - so i gave up. spent three+ hours fielding emails and cellphone calls about work. .. well its hours later and still not feeling better... am praying its not the flu - but since i am achy all over and feel slightly - well, you know, when food is something you dont want - it may be. ugh. i took advil and am pretending to feel better.

Updates
the end of last week was very busy - i was at work late both thu and fri - and didnt want to stay to update my blog. pretty much went to bed right away when i got home each night. spent sat and sun continuing the ongoing cleanup project called my apartment (i worked seven days for almost four straight months - so things were pretty much neglected around here). this is the second weekend ive had a weekend - and i am starting to feel encouraged... of course the next big project is to clean out the living room closet of all the clothes i have stored in there that i havent worn in ages (and probably wont) and then redo the closet as a "stash" closet - thus ridding the other half of the sofa of its stash and clearing the room of the numerous shopping bags in neat stacks - all filled with yarn.

on the knitting fronti
finished the little aran pullover from Nichols/Falick Heirloom Projects for baby book - ended up knitting the sleeves separately and then sewing them in - it actually looks pretty adorable - its the three month size - but the yarn i used was a little thicker so while i got the stitch gauge, my row gauge was a bit larger - its longer than it would have been - not really a bad thing i think given things like diapers. i designed a little aran hat to go with it. i just have to sew buttons on. and take a photo. and then wrap it up and take it to work to give to the colleague.

i re-examined the other almostFOs for my nephew - one i know (a best baby sweater) is definitely too small - there is another new baby boy among my colleagues - only thing is that this sweater is a pretty soft red and i dont know if i can give red to a chinese baby boy? anyone know if that's a problem? i seem to remember reading on some knit list.

the other is a little red aran cardigan - it may be too short, in which case i can rip out the bottom ribbing and add a few inches of the cables to the bottom - i will have to get updated measurements from my sister. it just needs buttons. i really need to get these things out of here.

on the aran pullover for my nephew i had the end of the first sleeve to finish and then the second sleeve to do. i am doing them by picking up the stitches from the sleeve opening and knitting down from the top (reversing the pattern increases to decreases). its pretty easy as the increases where every fourth row and i am doing a XO cable down the center of the sleeve and doing the increases on the cable rows. i love that when the second sleeve is done, i just have the buttons to sew on.

of course, now i see why someone posted that loong list of button websites on the KNITU mailing list - they are the finishing item that can really make the garment, i think and of course, it is the design decision that is easy to put off (at least for me).

ok, i need to go lie down now.

midweek - wednesday

did you hear about the dog who got caught on the ice in the river? read about it i imagine the owners are embarassed and jubilant at the same time.

not much knitting knews - after shoveling the walkway to the sidewalk on tuesday so i could get out the front door and get to work - and then schlepping in - it was a busy day so i kept falling asleep last night while knitting - only about an inch left on the second sleeve and then just sewing them on to the body and getting buttons for the top and then FO!!!!

as for the nephew sweater - i need to finish the top of the front and then do the two sleeves - i am hoping i have enough yarn left..

tonight was the Third meeting of the knitting group at my job - i was sure the snow and weather would affect the number of attendees and it did - six brave souls came - two rsvpd. i am really liking the core group of gals who are showing up - its a nice mix of expert and fairly new knitter and returning knitter. i am pushing buying knitting magazines and zimmerman books and the new melville book - you'd think i get commission - of course i started yet another version of the aran pullover for my nephew - this time in Mission Falls 1824 cotton (ebay- pale green) - i actually knit a swatch (!!) well, as moderator of the group i need to practice what i preach - at least while i am there... ;o
i am still surprised when two hours is up - i could stay longer but we all need to get home and come back to work again... sigh.

i am finishing up work and then off home to catch my weekly fix of EASTENDERS . (the station which carries it in my area is about four YEARS behind what is currently running in england - so NO HINTs about what is happening over there, right? i have been tempted to watch the weekly Ominbus on bbc america on saturdays (now that i am not working weekends) but i have resisted temptation so far... how? because the metropolitan opera is broadcasting during the same time!! but once that ends... well, we may weaken...

ok time to dash off home. happy knitting!

snow in new york

well, we got a bit of snow over the weekend - too busy at work today to catch up much right now -- more knitting knews later.

i went walking at dusk in prospect park on monday - and this is one of the scenes i saw - it was very beautiful.

knitting group and other miscellany

last night was the second meeting of the new knitting group at my workplace.
some from the first meeting didnt come back, one has conflicts and wont be joining us now. several emailed about missing. didnt hear from two others - emailed them today. but had three new people come - one newbie and one returning and one expert. the returning knitter had not brought any yarn or needles and we had a lively discussion of the yarn shop closest to our midtown office and what to expect when she goes there - and then about what kind of yarn to buy - with all of us encouraging her to get some lovely gorgeous yarn instead of something sensible and to try to let herself spend a bit of money on what she wants... i offered to go with her - remembering how intimidating some of the salespeople at this particular shop were to me when i was coming back to knitting - i only use them if i am in an ABSOLUTE emergency in terms of accessories and yarn (although i find their selection not very deep). anyway - our group member was little surprised that we were encouraging her to spend good money on good yarn instead of something "to practice" on. we all talked about how you can just rip it out - but that she deserved to create something gorgeous and wonderful for herself. it was amazing to see her realize this could be something she could really enjoy creating!

the expert knitter was a total surprise - a woman who retired from the firm but who keeps an office and comes and goes on her own...the surprise was that she showed up! i hadnt heard from her from any of the announcements i had sent out. she was a wonderful addition - a sharp intelligent presence who enlivened our conversation. i hope she comes again.

these first two meetings have been heartening to me - i was unsure what was going to happen and who would show up and how it was going to go but based on the delights of these two meetings, i am glad that it is taking off so well and look forward to the next one.

as to my projects. .. my order of 12 in circs from Halycon Yarns was delivered in two days (even tho it was ups three day!) so that was good for yesterday. i tried to work on the sleeves for the 3month version of the aran pullover but was tired by the time i got home -(there were some work things i had to attend to after the knitting group broke up).

i did manage to finish the little hat which i created to go with the pullover - i do need to measure and see if it is tall enough - not having a baby around, i have a good diagram for the width of the hat but not for the height - i guess i can check some hats in my baby books and see what - i made it about 6 inches tall - but it knit up so quickly that i can redo it if it seems too small - of course the baby is only two months at this point.... i did the same cable patterns as on the front of the sweater but added a few extra cables to make the pattern continuous around the hat and without the broad side bands of seed stitch that the sweater has.

(ok i am looking for a digital camera and hope to get one soon - like maybe this weekend - so just imagine a little aran hat ;o )

so today i will start the sleeves with the 12in circs and work them - first i have to write out the pattern in reverse (they are written to knit separately and sew in - i will do anything to avoid sewing seams....!!)

looking forward to this three day holiday - although we have our network downtime on saturday morning so that means its really only two and a half days.... BUT they are predicting SNOW sunday and monday - so perfect chance to stay in and KNIT and maybe finish up some of my UFOs that are accumulating - hmm, think i will dedicate this weekend and make it my "finish the UFOs" weekend - it would be great - since i have a bunch of little sweaters that just need seams and buttons and a lap afghan which i need to sew and cut the steek for and then finish the edges. i have some british mystery series i have been saving up - could be just the thing. and i really should do a sweep thru my accumulated stash and record what i have especially with the acquisition of new needles - it always reminds me, i need to update my needle inventory database. ok thats enough things to do!

happy knitting!

as long as i am waiting around - any one have any suggestions for a good reasonable digital camera? i guess i need one to document my FOs and enliven this blog with images that are of my creations... please write and let me know - or put it in the tag board.