Book One-baby knits for beginners-Debbie Bliss

This book has been around forever.....so long that I don't even remember when/where/why I bought it! ........ But it was the first in line on the shelf, so it got the honors of being the first in my Year of Books knitting adventure!




I did the Simple Hat and the Boat Neck Sweater patterns out of Berrocco Comfort. I picked up 2 skeins of it in a Swap Meet at Guild a year or so ago and it had been languishing in the stash since. It's going to a good friend's first grandbaby due the end of summer.

This whole mystery project thing is kind of fun and I know I'm going to end up using yarn I loved enough to buy but have had no clue what to do with!


From here, on to the sidetrack project. Front done and cast on back last night.......hurry......

Then on to Book Two....sneaked a peek.....next in line is "No Sheep For You" by Amy Singer. Pattern selection and Stash diving to commence soon!

Sidetrack Project

Well, the baby sweater and hat from 'baby knits for beginners' by Debbie Bliss, (the first project in the "Year of Books") is blocking. Pics of it along with the book will go up once it gets seamed. I'm going to try to chronical this little knitting adventure I've created for myself.....on a consistent basis for a change...lol!

First sidetrack project cropped up after we visited a new little shop in Claremore, OK this past weekend called "Unwind, A Yarn Shop". It's only been open since around the first of December. I had been following her progress up to it's opening on her blog and through Ravelry. When we decided to go that direction on our little weekend rv trip I just had to pop in and see it in person.

She was working on a sweater from a new yarn from Nashua Handknits called Daylily. I liked the feel and texture of the fabric and one of the patterns in the leaflet for the yarn called my name!

Here is a shot of the yarn.

I wanted to do the long sleeve version of the sweater, but she didn't have enough of the yarn so am doing the short sleeve one. It is predominantly cotton so the short sleeves might be better anyway! One thing I had forgotten.....knitting stuff out of some cottons is hard on the pinkies! Using a lot of hand lotion since I started this one.

Have about 10 1/2 inches on the front done...moving right along....have to get finished so I can pull the next book!

Year of Books

Not that anyone actually reads this silly thing any more since I have neglected it so badly this past year...but oh, well...it's a place to ramble and share my thoughts.....even if it's only with myself...lol!

Got past the shoulder surgery, sort of. The pain is negligible, nothing an Aleve or two won't handle and I can do more with the arm than I could before the surgery. Is it totally fixed...no. It froze up on me again. Not to the degree it was before the surgery, but I don't have full range of motion back by a long shot. Doc wants to go in and cut it lose again. Thought about it and decided no thank you. I mean, I can do everything that I want to do, like to do and need to do and I am not in pain. The trade-off, for me right now is not worth going through that again!

I have been getting some knitting done. Finished the Cobblestone for Ron out of some Pinguion I got at an estate sale a while back. Turned out great! The pic of it didn't so I'll try to get one of it on him and post at some point.

I finished my tilted duster....just need to block and seam....again, pics later! Also finished a baby sweater and hat out of Berroco Comfort for a friend's upcoming grand-son.

I also finished this Fake Isle Hat. Fun knit and only took 2 days!

After I finished the hat I was just "at odds" about what to knit next. I thought of a dozen different things, stood in front of the stash squeezing the skeins and scratching my head and nothing got me interested enough to cast on....all that yarn and nothing to knit...lol!

Anyway, hence the name of this post. Like most knitters I have a pretty extensive library of knitting books. My "rule" is that I have to really like (and would actually make) at least 2 items before I shell out the $$$ for a book. Well, that being said, I'm embarrassed at how many books I have that I have never made a single pattern from...not one!

Soooo..,,..,I'm starting a new "adventure in knitting". I'm literally pulling the first book in line off the shelf, choosing a pattern or two and going stash diving for the yarn to do one of them! Then the next book, then the next.....you get the idea. Plan for next year or so is to knit something out of every book! It's kind of fun...sort of a "mystery project" type deal...I don't know what I'm going to knit next! I'm sure I'll get sidetracked a few times ( I already have!) with new purchases/projects, etc., but am really going to try and stay on track. The baby sweater/hat was the first book I pulled. Will post pic when done seaming it. Next book off shelf is No Sheep For You. Thinking maybe the Tuscany shawl.....Got sidetracked by new purchase from Unwind, A Yarn Shop in Claremore this past week, but am going right back to the plan after I finish that project. Cute, cute a-line sweater out of Nashua Daylily.

Ok...enough for now. Will try to keep this updated with progress of my Year of Books Knitting Adventure.