Need a Push Yarn Along

Happy Yarn Along Day!

I look forward to Wednesday for the simple reason of yarn alongs.

I love to see what others are working on and it's a nice way of 

keeping track of what I'm doing.

But when you're knitting projects that seem to take forever, it's also frustrating.

These two projects are slow going.

And my speed knitting sister can manage to knit like a maniac and leave me in the dust!!!

Seriously, how do you do it??????????????

So, yes, it's the same things I've been working on for weeks, but I'll share.

I'm a part of a KAL for the Leave of Grass knit.

It's been fun, but I'm ready for it to be done.

The thing that will help me get it done is that I will be entering it in a competition at the spring alpaca show. I'm excited about that and I really needed the motivation!!!

It's a huge circular knit but on the needles, it's kind of lumpy and bumpy.

My kids thought I was making a ridiculously huge hat.

Clearly, I haven't made much progress on my sweater. 

This thing takes a lot of concentration....not much of that around here these days!!!

I am almost finished with The Art of Hearing Heartbeats. I love it so much. I hope it ends well. The last few books I have read haven't ended well...or at all in fact. Just left it open ended. I hate that.

I also have some new books from the library that I'm excited to read.

If only I had free time. sigh....

Happy Knitting :)

What are you working on and reading????

Joining in with Ginny.

Francesca's Beautiful Fleece

I stopped by my parent's house the other day just to say hi.

I'm glad I did! My mom and Lizzie were skirting Francesca's fleece and getting it ready to send to a show. Alpaca fleece can be judged and it's a wonderful way to earn ribbons, increasing the breeding value of your animal. This fleece is from one of the new girls. She is a beauty!!!!!

I only had my cell phone on me, so the pictures aren't great quality, but you'll get the idea.

 What you see here is the fleece that was sheared off of the alpaca. 

I'm not the expert on this, but I'll do my best to explain.

You place it on a wire table that allows the dirt, hay, yucky stuff from the field to fall to the ground.

 After carefully going over the fleece, you flip it over. Ta Dah!

 Liz is gathering the fleece into something called a "mushroom". This is the best way to send it to the show. It will spill out beautifully for the judges to view.

Then it is oh so carefully placed into a clear bag.

 And this is how it looks.

The pictures don't do any of this justice!!!! The fleece was heavenly and we think we have a winner on our hands.

 For now, it will be stored and shipped to a show for judging. Good Luck Francesca!

 

 This is a sample of how the fleece is scored and what the judges look for.

And here is that pretty girl :)

Liz's New Shawls

Hello! I'm still knitting the same two projects and felt it would be boring of me to post them today. But it's Wednesday. And I feel like I have to join in somehow!

So I thought I would share some of Lizzie's new beautiful shawls!

They are made on a triangle hand made loom.
She found the idea online and watched some videos on YouTube.

Don't you love YouTube?

YouTube links: This one (little loom but easier to see how she does it)

and This One (bigger loom like she made)

Her handy dandy husband made the triangle out of wood and then they hammered in nails evenly spaced all around the outside.

 It takes a minimal amount of yarn. 200 yards + fringe. Perfect for your leftovers.

You can make it one color, multi color, what ever you wish!

 

 You can wear it any way you wish. We prefer the point in the front and wrapped around your neck.
The one she is wearing was knit with a multi-color yarn.
The shawl on the loom is made with our baby alpaca yarn. Heavenly!

Fun right?

Happy Yarn Along Day

Joining in with Ginny

Yarn Along

Hello!

It's February break for my kids. What does that mean?

That means every day my bored children wrestle each other, drive each other nuts while I try to find some way to entertain them while at the same time trying to stay sane.

It's not that bad really. They're good kids. We're finding fun things to do

and more importantly, Garrett got his haircut. Woohoo! He no longer looks like "Sally".

Ok...onto my knitting and the yarn along.

I started my Milkweed sweater. Let me just tell you, this sweater is so intense that I think my cardiovascular system is getting a work out. As well as my upper chest muscles. I was so tense working on this that I had sore muscles that I didn't even know I had. If only my weight watchers activity monitor could sense my knitting! I know...I'm lame. But really, this sweater is HARD!!!

It requires my constant attention and chart reading. Cable twisty thingys that I've never done before and crazy counting. Phew! The yarn is so squishy and nice. I'm not sure about the color for this sweater. But everyone insists that the detail work is showing up and it's going to be great.

It better be!

This sweater made me appreciate by Leaves of Grass shawl even more than I already did.

It looks complicated but it's not. A constant repeat of easy to remember yarn overs. No purling and so fun to knit. I just got the increase rounds before Chart D and I'm excited to keep going.

Knitting this with our baby alpaca yarn. Heaven. I'm knitting this as a part of KAL. It's fun to be part of the group. I started late on it, so many have finished. I feel a bit like I'm playing catch up, but that's ok. I have a feeling it's a project that I will miss working on when it's over.

 It is a lumpy bumpy mess while working on it but will turn out big and round and wonderful!

So, I'm not much of a sweets person. BUT the boys and I bought these cookies at Trader Joe's yesterday. Lemon Crisp Cookies. So so so good. Just had to share that.

I finished reading The Silver Linings Playbook (wonderful book) and started reading

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats.

So far it is a great story and I can't wait to read more. I also got Downton Abbey Season 2 on dvd through Netflix yesterday. Looking forward to it.

Joining in with Ginny :)

Happy Knitting

-Leanne

 

Scavenger Hunt Sunday

It's been a while since I have participated in this. Glad to be back this week.

Here goes...

Illustration

(found this gem on the side of a building in Asbury Park)

Work of Art
(my Leaves of Grass is coming along and the beautiful hand carved yarn bowl made by my grandfather)

Valentine

(MomMom's apple pie)

Small Things

(My gauge swatch for my new sweater. How important a small thing is to a big project!)

Window Beauty

(The old carousel ride in Asbury Park...a yucky chain link fence is the reason for the cropping)

Check out the others linking up today.

 

The New Lovely Ladies

After a cross country adventure, the two new ladies are here!

Welcome to the farm Francesca (brown) and Maggie (grey) :)

They are both very curious and sweet. Looks like they're happy to be here!

I got a kiss from both. Not bad!!!

Yarn Along

Joining in once again with the weekly yarn along.

I knitted up these two little girl bonnets as a gift to my husband's colleague.

She just had a new baby girl 5 weeks early and her big sister is a month younger than Chase.

I modified the pattern by making it smaller and larger than what is called for.

I also made a pompom for the big sister's hat.

Ravlery link: Colorful Bonnets

Made some progress on my Leaves of Grass shawl.

I'm a part of a KAL for this. I started a few weeks later than the group and they're starting

to finish! I have a way to go still. But it's a fun knit and so soft in the alpaca yarn.

 Ravelry Link: Leaves of Grass

Any my NEW highly anticipated, dreamed of, excited to begin project.

I'm going to knit this sweater with this gorgeous yarn.

And how fun are my purple buttons?!

Liz and I took the babies on a road trip last week and went to a yarn store about 45 minutes north

of here. It was a great shop and she had a wonderful selection of yarn.

 I am reading Silver Linings Playbook. I did't think I would make it to the theater to see it so of course, next best thing is the book. Books are always better right? And bonus, I can picture

Bradley Cooper the whole time I read it. BONUS. It's a great book so far.

And because I'm determined to not almost die during the Spring Lake 5 Mile Race this spring,

I'm getting motivated by reading this magazine. Exercise, here I come. I promise!

 Joining in with Ginny at Small Things.

Check it out...you'll love it.

Happy Knitting

Leanne

A Few Finished Projects

I finished up a few projects this weekend and I thought I would share.

An alpaca friend of ours asked me to knit a sweater for

a new baby-to-be. This little one is due soon and they don't know if it is a boy or a girl.

I always struggle with that! They hope to use this sweater in March for the baby's

christening. It is knitted in 100% baby alpaca, natural white color.

This was a great little pattern. I made it a little larger than the pattern called for

because it will be for a 2 month old, not a brand new one.

Ravelry Link: Baby's Christening Cardigan

A colleague of my husband just had her second daughter.

She was born 5 weeks early so she's a peanut!

I knitted up this little bonnet for her.

I knitted it with a new yarn I got this week.

It's called Jojoland • Fantasia

It's so fun! Love the color ways and how it knits up.

It's 100% wool, so not as soft as our alpaca, but the colors were irresistable!

I also think it needs a flower, but I'll need Lizzie to crochet one for me. I'm terrible at crochet!

I have enough yarn left over to make a bigger one for the big sister.

The big sister is 17 months. So I'll make it bigger than the pattern is written.

I also think the big sis needs a fun pompom on the back.

Ravelry Link: Colorful Bonnet 

 

Time to get the apps cooking....it's almost football time!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE the SuperBowl!!!!!!!! Food, Football, Beer, Beyonce and Commercials. :)

Good luck to all Ravens and 49ers Fans. My Giants aren't in it this year, ho hum...but we'll be

cheering on the 49ers for my sister-in-law and Liz's husband, Nick.

Have a great Sunday.