A Bitter Knitter

I started knitting on September 22, 2009, which means that as of today, September 21, 2013, I have been knitting for four years.  And also, as of today, I have completed 100 knitting projects.  Being the nerdy knitter that I am, I've made a pie chart: In four years, I've knit 22 hats, 18 pairs of booties and socks, 13 stuffed dolls and critters, 13 sweaters, vests, and dresses, 11 scarves, shawls, and cowls, 11 pairs of gloves, mitts, and mittens, 7 beaded bracelets (listed as "jewelry" on the pie chart, but they're all beaded bracelets) and 5 things that don't fit neatly into other categories. Unfortunately for you, project no.100 is a stealth project gift for a friend, so you can't see it.  (I'm good at those.)  There are at least 15 projects I haven't shown to you yet, so let's start with this one, finished back in April.  The pattern is called Sheepish , and it's totally darling.  I knew as soon as I saw it that I wanted to knit ...

Not that you would know it from reading my blog.  I am not good at keeping up with my blog.  It's the toddler's fault!  (Yes, I did just blame my lack of blog entries on my 19 month old.  [19 months!  I know, right?! Where has the time gone?!])  Toddler loves  to play on my laptop and thinks that if the laptop is open, it must be open for her to play on... and I hate blogging from my phone, so I just don't blog at all.  (On a related note, I hate answering email on my phone, so I apologize to everyone out there who is waiting for an email from me...) It seems that every few months I pop onto the blog and show you picture after picture of what I have knit since the last blog entry and then I disappear again.  Well, as it happens I have a dozen things that I have finished that I haven't shown you yet.  But I'm planning to spread them out and write a few posts with them.. then maybe you'll see me again before the new year. Without furth...

Well, with 15 minutes until Saturday, I'm squeezing in a FO Friday post.  (It is Friday, right?  My week got shuffled around a bit so I keep getting mixed up.) Today's featured FO is one that was a stealth project for five months: It's a monkey!  More specifically, he is a Tooth Fairy Monkey .  My niece (or rather, to be more specific, my oldest niece on my side of the family...) recently lost her first teeth.  I had intended to finish this monkey before she lost her first tooth, but we all know how I do with deadlines.  (Laughter here.)  But anyway, this monkey's purpose is to hold a tooth (instead of putting it under your pillow) for the Tooth Fairy and then hold whatever the Tooth Fairy brings you.  See?  The monkey even holds a bag: (Again with the late night, bad lighting photo.  Ah, well.)  He didn't make it up to my niece in time for her first or second lost tooth (they came out in quick succession) but he's there...

Oy.  So my beach shawl is finally done and blocking.  It only took forever to get it that way.  See?  Here it is: (Pardon the crummy photo.  It's dark out and I had to use the flash.  The colours are WAY better in real life.) As I wrote in my post earlier this month , I started it in June 2010 and finished it in July of that year but I wasn't happy with it because it was too short.  So I frogged it and started again.  And it wasn't as exciting the second time around (the same phenomenon that causes second sock syndrome) so it went into deep hibernation.  When the new year started, I brought it out of the deep recesses of my knitting basket determined to continue with the progress I had made in lowering my number of WIPs.  I made good progress on it until some point last week.  I was almost done.  I had a row and a half to go before the bind off.  But... The second to last short row section is on the top cent...

Since last Friday's FO post, I have finished two more projects, both on the smallish side of things. First, a tiny white elephant  that I knit to give in a white elephant gift exchange: He's about an inch and a half tall. Second, a little monster that I knit as part of a Random Acts of Monsters group that spreads the monster love to people who need cheering up or a little something special.  This little monster will soon be leaving, off to find a new family in South Dakota. (Little monster in relative monster size, being only about seven inches tall.  Considerably bigger than the elephant, but on the small size as far as monsters are concerned.) Being small projects, this FO Friday blog post shall follow suit and be short as well.  Happy Friday, y'all. Read other fiber arts blogs: Fiber Arts Friday , Creative Friday , and FO Friday

Today's WIP (Work In Progress) Wednesday report features my longest standing WIP, my Beach Shawl .  Here's what it looks like today: Huh... some of you might say.  This looks kind of familiar. Yeah.  About that... I originally started this shawl in June of 2010.  And then I finished it less than a month later.  But I wasn't happy with it.  It was too short: And I had no clue what I was doing when it came to blocking: So sad. So I frogged it completely and started over on a larger needle.  And that's where it's been ever since.  I revived it after the new year started and am making good progress again.  I'm hoping to finish it soon, but the rows keep getting longer and longer (the curse of the bottom-up shawl).  Plus the yarn is really not toddler friendly, especially toddler-who-eats-yarn friendly.  (It's Mini Mochi, which is technically machine washable, but it's single ply and still feltable.)...

Well, another winter gifting season has come and gone, which means I have hand-knits to show you.  I'm trying something new this year with the blog, as I was such a terrible blogger last year, only typing up four very photo-full entries.  I'm going to aim to (maybe... we'll see how far I actually get) post at least twice a week on Wednesdays and Fridays for WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesdays and FO (Finished Object) Fridays. Today, though, lots of photos again because of all the stealth projects I gifted. First, a pair of gifts for Redhead Sister's baby, due sometime this month, Team Yellow (they decided not to find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl): Pompom Hat : (I love how these look on itsy bitsy people) Knit in a soft green colour (actually in the green left over from the frog hat I knit for Elder Sister's son). Little Red Sweater : This one actually shares yarn with Jo's Little Red Riding Hood cape I also knit another GA...