Mindless Knitting

I have been working on so many (way too many) long and involved projects lately. I realized over the weekend that I needed a dose of mindless knitting. I usually derive more enjoyment from harder patterns, but with the chaos last week I just needed an instant gratification project. So, I marched right on over to my Ravelry queue, and searched for something simple and fun. Of course I found just what the doctor ordered.

I decided to cast on the Mug and French Press Jacket pattern designed by M.K. Carroll. I used gumboots modifications to knit the project in the round so that I could easily slip it on and off my vast collection of travel mugs. I present to you my cute little drink cozy.

I used Cascade 220 super wash so that this cozy will be low maintenance. Doesn't it look adorable on my favorite pink tumbler?!?

It is also quite stylish on my generic bottle of water. I used it today at my office and it kept my bottle cooler for much longer. Plus, no condensation! Usually I have to precariously balance my water bottle on napkins or worse...drink it room temperature. But now I can bring my cold water to meetings without worrying about ruining desks, tables, papers, etc. I love it.

The best part of this project was that it was super easy. I know it doesn't look simple, but trust me the stitch pattern is very easy to memorize. It only took about 2 hours to complete, and it used hardly any yarn. These have been added to my gift knitting list for the holidays. They are so versatile. I am going to make some more in more colors and different cables. Just think, I may actually have a wardrobe for my drinks. I wonder if this will curb my compulsive mug/thermos/bottle purchasing.....

Dog Days of Spring?

Ok, in Florida our versions of seasons are very different from the rest of the country. We really just have different levels of heat in my opinion. I love our "winters" when we stay in the high 60s low 70s, but I absolutely detest our mid summers when our temps soar around 98. So, I really eat up this time of year. Our temps are around the low 80s right now, and I know that will only last a few weeks. My hubby and I took advantage of our lovely 80 degree weather this Sunday by taking our doxies to the doggy park.

Our local dog park is huge. It is 14 acres, and it is separated into a small dog and large dog area. The large dog area has a lake, and the small dog area has a few hills. Both sides have dog and human water fountains and lots of benches. It is a wonderful park, and we are very lucky to live fairly close to it. We have only been to the dog park 3 times (the past three weekends in a row) even though our dogs are 4 and 5 years old. The parks in our old city were not very safe, and they were very small. As a result, their socialization consisted of mostly people. So the dogs are still adjusting to the idea of being off the leash around other dogs, but this weekend they both wandered a little on their own. I was a very proud mama. :)

Here is Mini pup making her trademark "wassssuppp!" face. She is so funny!


Mayer is a bit more reserved, but still a super cutie.


Even at 80s it was a bit hot in the sun, so we made sure they got lots of water. I think it is time for Mayer to get a good shave for the summer. He looks so hot with all that hair. Here is a shot of him strutting his stuff, and you can see a portion of the small dog area in the background.


Go outside and enjoy some nice weather, and have a happy week!

Midnight Knit In=Rockin' Good Time

I attended the Midnight Knit In at Knit Witz in Jacksonville last night, and I had a wonderful time. I live about 1 1/2 hours from Jacksonville, but it was worth the drive. What is a Midnight Knit In you ask? Well, it is kind of like a knitting slumber party without the PJ's. It started at 6pm, and was scheduled to run until midnight. We had food, fun, chatting, and of course lots of knitting. I think we had 25+ knitters, but I never did officially count. I hung out until about 12:30am, and when I left at least 10 knitters were still there. If I didn't live so far away I would have stayed longer. I wonder how late it was when everyone finally cleared out?!?

Of course I cannot go to a yarn shop without buying something. I made a resolution not to buy anymore yarn for a while, but even while sticking to that I managed to buy some things.

I picked up this beautiful Lantern Moon Victoria basket. It is the perfect size for a small project. I should be able to fit two socks in progress in it with room to spare. It is adorable.


I couldn't resist this little cutie. His name is Turk Jr. He is super soft, and I just love his socks. He is a shelf sitter, so he will go to work with me tomorrow. He is destined to have a prime spot on my desk.

Thanks for a wonderful night of knitting Knit Witz. I will definitely be back to hang out with my new friends!

All Socks, All the Time

I started my knitting obsession with socks, and whenever my knitting mojo goes wonky I turn to some good old sock knitting. Thus, the last week or so has been all about socks. I decided to cast on a pair of Embossed Leaves socks from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks book. I love this book, and I know that I will ultimately knit every pattern in this book. This pattern is lovely and very easy to follow. I have another pair of these on the needles somewhere in the house, but I can't find them. Isn't that weird.


I am using Mountain Colors Bearfoot and Harmony Knitpicks DPNs. These have turned out to be quite large, so they will definitely be snuggly bed socks. I should have gauged. What else is new though! Hahahaha....I am just about to the toe of the second sock so they will be finished this week for sure.

I also cast on a basic pair of ribbed socks for my hubby. He has been hounding me since last year to knit him a pair of socks, but I just never get around to it. I am a very selfish knitter. He liked the softness of the Embossed Leaves so I bought some Bearfoot to use for his socks. I decided to mix it up a bit, and learn how to knit using two circulars for his socks. I have had Cat Bordhi's Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles for a while now so I thought I would give it a go.


I am at the toe for the first sock, and I must say I like using the two circulars. It is really fast, and very easy to transport. Plus, if I get interrupted while knitting I can easily pull the needles and throw it down without worrying about dropping stitches. Big plus for me while knitting at work. I am not sure which method I like better, but I will definitely be using the two circs again.

I also received my pal's sock from the Wee Tiny Sock Swap yesterday. Arlene aka Yarnwhisperer did a fantastic job, and the colors are perfect for me. I also love that she included a clip so that I can easily attach it to my spinning wheel. I absolutely love it! Thanks so much Arlene.

Arlene's mini is the lovely green on the right. I have been knitting more mini socks (because they are addicting). The marble on the left was knit by me. I am going to toggle them to my wheel to personalize it a bit. These cute little socks are modeling on my new knitting cube from Schrodinger. It is so small, but it holds so much! I can fit an entire cake of sock yarn, a finished sock, a sock in progress, a crochet hook and my tape measure. With room to spare! I highly recommend it. It is a very well made product.

Wee Tiny Sock

I joined the Wee Tiny Sock Swap (Ravelry group link & Flickr group link) organized by Yarn Miracle last week. It was a very quick turn around swap. We signed up last week, knitted our mini socks over the weekend, and then mailed out our packages on Monday. It was a lot of fun...nice and low pressure. I highly recommend that you go check out the pics of these little socks. They are absolutely adorable. Although I must say that these little socks are quite addicting. Here is a shot of the one I made for my swap partner. I have warned her not to check my blog until her package arrives so that the surprise is not ruined.

I used left over Dream in Color Smooshy in Sky Blue, and I included a mini skein so that my pal can knit a mini to match. This sock yarn is one of my favorites, so I wanted to give her a chance to give it a try. Isn't it super cute!


I bought a gift card holder to put the mini sock in, and I wrote a little note on my yarn note cards for the package. They all fit in a really small, padded envelope, and it's on its way to Scotland. I hope she enjoys it, and I cannot wait to get mine in the mail.

I am going to make lots more of these minis. I think they will make great gift tags for holiday packages, and they would also make great party favors. Hmm, I could also use them for place cards, ornaments, thumb drive cozy, chibi holder, etc. Well, at least I have a lot of left over sock yarn. :)