Today is the 1st Sunday in Advent
O God, let us hear when our shepherd shall call
In accents persuasive and tender,
That while there is time we make haste, one and all,
And find him, our might defender.
This totebag was made from some of my handspun leftovers. I wanted to use it as book bag, but the handle is too stretchy, so it is my traveling knitting projects bag.



I haven't done any spinning this fall. I much prefer knitting to spinning, but usually I go on a spinning jag sometime in the fall. There is a sheep festival in Romeo, Michigan that inspires me to go home and spin; this year I didn't go. I might go to the event they are having in December. She has a nice selection of wool yarn from her own sheep.
I was hoping to spend my Thanksgiving Day knitting since I don't have to prepare the meal. My mother-in-laws house was so crowded that there wasn't any place to sit and knit comfortably.

I cast on for a pair of felted mittens for my husband, but I think I'm going to rip them out and add the cuff after they have been felted. I have a pair that is entirely felted and I like them a lot, but I just wear them in the car. If I was wearing them to do yard work I think I would want an unfelted cuff.
You probably can't tell from the photo, but the front angles down. This is done by knitting short rows. That's another reason I had to rip it out--my wraps weren't hiding very well. They look much better now and I think blocking will help even more.
Culdesac, for the most part, is a simple pattern. So why am I having such a problem? Well, because it takes a bit more concentration. I've finished the back and started the left front last night. My gauge was off so I ripped it out and started it over about 3 times. Today's knitting has been going smoothly so far.



Yay Amy! A woman can never have too much chocolate or yarn.
What in the world is this?

Why it's a hat of course.
and it's reversible!


This pattern (Knitter's Winter 2002) was fun and an interesting lesson in short rows. When I started it, I had no idea how it was going to work. When doing short rows and garter stitch, it isn't necessary to hide the wraps because the wrap looks like the ridge on a purl stitch. The tube is seamed by grafting and you can see in the photo that the seam isn't as smooth as it should be. I think if I work on it a little bit more I can get it to look better.
Rule number one about blogging is you must take your camera with you wherever you go. I wanted to take a photo of Elaine's Yarn Shop yesterday, but I forgot my camera.

Some of the things I like about Elaine's-- first, the owner (who isn't named Elaine) is very friendly and helpful. Second, she has a nice selection of yarn. Third, she has the shelves labeled with the name of the yarn, the price and how many yards are in each skein. Fourth, she has a lot of pieces knitted up and on display.

There are a few negatives that if they were fixed would really improve your shopping experience. First, because of her limited space she has a lot of yarn in boxes on the floor, most shoppers today don't have the time or inclination to get down on their knees to see what's in the boxes. Second, she has a lot of knitting books, but they aren't all in the same area, and some of them are stacked on top of each other rather than lined up neatly on a bookshelf. Third, most of the pieces that are knitted up don't have any references to which pattern or yarn was used.

All in all Elaine's is a good yarn shopping experience.
Culdesac has come to a standstill, that's what happens when you start other projects. Originally, I thought it would be done so I could wear it on Thanksgiving, but that isn't going to happen.
I don't have a large stash; there are a number of reasons for that. I don't have a yarn shop close by where I can go to make impulsive yarn purchases. I almost always want to have a project in mind before I spend the money. When I do buy yarn I use it right away. I think I might change that today and go to Elaine's Yarn in Davison. I figure it costs about $8.00 to drive there and back--about the same as shipping charges.
Yahoo, I finally have this figured out! Thanks Kimmy!!
I made this purse about a year ago and I've had a lot of nice comments about it. This was my second attempt at felting. Even though I'd had an interest in felting, I avoided it because it used a lot more yarn. For this purse, I used some of my handspun experiments.
I'm trying to get an upgrade so I can show photos of some of my knitting projects.
This morning I joined the TKGA knit-along hosted by Sarah. Since I am a self-taught knitter I think this will be very helpful in assessing my current knowledge as well as challenging me to become a better knitter. I joined the yahoo group for masterknitters I started reading the archives and have already come away with helpful information. The main problem I foresee, is a lack of reference material. I live in a rural area and though we have a library, their knitting books are few.
Ten Reasons Not to Open A Yarn Shop
1. I'm not a risk taker.
2. I'm not a people person.
3. I'm not a high energy person.
4. I have an easy, no pressure lifestyle.
5. I don't like being in debt.
6. I won't have time to knit.
7. I'll have a 30 minute drive everyday.
8. I'll have to work during the tax season until the shop is profitable.
9. I'm a homebody.
10. I'm not an advanced knitter.
I started another project last night--a reversible hat from Knitter's Winter 2002. This is going to be a gift for DH. I don't know why I started it I want to get the scarf and vest done. I have to figure out how to work on two projects at once.

Today, I'm going to the city to visit my Grandma who has dementia. The trip is over 2 hours, and I hate city driving. On the way back, I'm going to stop at Skeins on Main in Rochester. I want to get the new IK and the Felted Knits book.
Currently I'm working a scarf knit with Euro yarns. I love the way the scarf is knitting up. The yarn is kind of like knitting with a terry cloth towel, though. I didn't think I would be getting into the scarf fad, but I saw this yarn made up as a scarf at Elaine's Yarns in Davison Michigan and was convinced that I should make one, too. A photo can be seen here
I was over at typepad to set up a temporary account, thinking that if I posted on a regular basis that I would subscribe. Unfortunately, I have been unable to commit to that schedule so I'm back at blogspot to post on my free account. I've found that a blog isn't much without photos, so I'll try this for awhile without photos AND to discipline myself to blog on a regular basis.