Battle of Knits

I'm just trying to keep it real… while knitting.

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Accomplishments ALL OVER !!!

Oh wow! Do I feel good. I did not have a great weekend overall, but as far as projects go, I sure did. So I would like to focus on the positives:
Finished Object #1:
The Marr Haven “butterfinger” soaker…

I used my favorite Little Fire Soaker pattern for this and it was the first time I ever used bulky type yarn, so the medium size, which already runs a bit big, came out HUGE! Josh and I joked about how I could wear it! So I have made the decision to felt this down so Boo-bear can get some use out of it. The yarn is so thick and wonderful that I know this will be my fave soaker. I will be sure to show off my felting for you all!
And be sure to stop by Amy’s Etsy store– the link is in my links list! She made a great soaker pattern and it is available for free, so lets all give her some support!

Here is my new wet-bag for my cloth dipes. I have needed a new one for awhile, since mine had a crappy drawstring and even though I loved the big size, I needed one with a zipper… this weekend I found a hole chewed through the bottom… I think it was ear-wigs! EW!!! So a hanging bag was a must!!! This one is from Mommy Earth, the owner is a work-at-home-mom (WAHM) and her name is Mikelle Bailey. I feel like I got a great deal, since it is sewn well and it arrived in 2 days!

Finished Object #2:
The first sock!

Made with Art Yarn, ultra-merino8… so soft! I used the Silver’s Sock Class and made them on DPN’s (size 5)… formerly anti-sock… I can now say I had a lot of fun making this and I am excited to make the second one!


Basking in my sock “after-glow”

What a feeling to have some empty hooks and needles. Well, now what?
I am going to get started on a few skirtys, my second sock and another baby afghan square. With my in-laws in town to help with the baby, I should have a bit of extra time to devote to knitting & crochet. I still have a pair of longies on the needles that need to be finished as well. I will be working on those today.

An online friend of mine has approached me about starting a congo or joining a current congo on hyena cart. Since I had already planned on starting a cart, a congo cannot hurt. I will be looking into all the details and figureing out what I need to do for this to happen.

Update: 20 followers as of today!!! WOW we are nearly halfway there!!! Keep posting on twitter and where ever else you can ladies! I am so happy!

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18 Followers! Keep going!

Well, it may take forever to get to 100, so I am lowering it to 50 followers! Remember you win a free wool soaker by posting the post links and tweets in order for me to gain followers! I appreciate all the help so far!
There are two ways to verify your links:

1.In the comment section: post a link–to your link or twitter url.
2. email me the link– to your link or twitter url. (battleofknits@gmail.com)

The day I hit 50 followers I will tally up the links and tweets and announce the winner!
Thanks!!!

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Sock progress 2 & other stuff

Look what arrived in my mailbox today! Mosaic Moon “Poppies” on bulky organic merino gaia!
This is going to be a beautiful skirty!
Fun with Rit dye. I dyed some pre-folds teal. I love them!
Here is the sock!

Here is the sock currently! I am almost to the toe!!!

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Defintely Up to Something

Sneaky boy.
His new trick.
Busted!

Trouble.

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First sock progress 1

This picture was supposed to come up last, I am feeling lazy, so bear with me… I am now ready to start the gussets and I counted my stitches… how the heck did I end up with an extra one on each side? I can see doing this sock again in the near future! GRR
Getting ready to start the gusset…
I love the way the DPNs look so intimidating!
My heel came out (nearly) perfect… not bad for my first one though.


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L<3VE

Doodles are good for the soul in my opinion. As a teen I filled notebooks with them and as I get older I realize how rare it is that I get the chance to doodle. I try to doodle while on the phone, which is rare.

The inspiration for that doodle is my two guys. Here is a moment I caught on film on Father’s Day. I will cherish this one forever!
I hope everyone out there had a great Father’s Day. We enjoyed ours, the boys had a nap together, then we grilled some steaks and Boo enjoyed the kiddie pool!

My son is powered by SBux! LOL. He had a good old time being like daddy when he grabbed the empty coffee cup from the table. Too funny!!!

I have mentioned that I am on yarn restriction… but this one slipped by the radar… It is called “Harelquin” hand dyed BFL… I have had it on my Etsy faves for about a month. Finally I decided to nab it. As always, it is even better looking in person!
I think I will make it into a skirty with some black trim.

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SOCKS!!! On DPNs… Oh my!

Alright. I was the one who said “I dont even wear socks, why would I want to knit them?” and “I dont understand the sock knitting obsession”… Yes, that was me. I hate socks. I grew up in Maine and wore socks for about 10 months of the year and in winter I found myself layering those socks with more socks… When I moved to Florida in 2004, I went my entire first year and wore nothing but flip-flops… except at work of course, but I kept my flops in the car and changed into them the minute I was out of work! Last year when I quit my job to stay at home with my son I threw out all of my socks… keeping only a few cute pair… my Boston Red Sox socks, my flame socks and a really comfy Adidas pair. Lately I have been wanting to learn more knitting techniques and try new things… I have also been following Liz’s Blog: Knitting Is My Free Therapy and she has joined a Ravelry group designated to knitting a pair of socks each week for a year. This blows my mind and I recently saw some pictures of some socks she has done… they inspired me to try my hand at socks. Lorena, one of the lovely ladies at Hank’s Yarn & Fiber suggested I try “Silver’s Sock Class” which I found amusing, since I had this one in mind as a good tutorial, from another recomendation on Rav. I started yesterday with some Ultra8 merino by Art Yarn. I had no idea what this yarn could become or should become… it will now become my first pair of socks. I will update with more pictures very soon! I am just now at the heel flap. I have decided to make them shorter style, ankle type socks, because I will be more likely to wear them that way and they will knit up much faster. Its my first pair… why go nuts?

Another Amazon gift from Josh. I have been reading this recently and it has some cute patterns in it. A good book for beginners like me… not to advanced, but it has a lot of different style projects in it. I love the mud-flap girl tank… too cute!

OH Marr Haven, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways…
Still adoring this yarn! I could not decide whether I wanted to knit of crochet with it, I finally decided to crochet a soaker, since I can do that fast and then I can use it sooner. In this picture I took it outside to the patio to get a good picture, since it just does not photograph well indoors no matter how much light I have…
I will be using more Marr Haven in the future. I want to make a big chunky sweater out of it for myself, I just love it.

Here are Aprils shorties, nearly finished. I put some fun trim on them… They are the perfect Gator orange. I love them.

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Wanted: more followers! Win a free wool cover!

Cloth diapering moms, its your lucky day…

I would like to gain followers on my blog. So I am going to have a give-away! A free soaker will be given away once I reach 100 followers. Who ever gives me the most links, whether through twitter, your own blog, message boards or word of mouth… just post a comment or send me an email at battleofknits@gmail.com everytime you post a link (include a link to your link, please) and I will keep a tally.

You choose the color and size! Don’t miss out! This should be fun.

Thanks for all the help!

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Marr Haven: He just does not understand!

Last night I had a few cocktails so I was not able to get much crochet or knitting work done… what do I do in situations like that? I wind yarn into balls by hand… I have not yet taken the plunge and bought myself a swift so I am still kicking it old school.
What wonderful yarn is next in line???
MARR HAVEN
Merino Rambouillet Wool hand dyed in “Butterfinger #1″ 3.6 oz, 189 yards

Look at how wonderfully chunky it is! I am literally smiling from ear-to-ear just typing this! I first read about this yarn on Knitter’s review and I felt like I was in love… I had to have some. Now that I have it, I have to have more! I wound it up and then decided to photograph it… about 30 pictures later… Josh says “How many pictures of that yarn are you going to take?” I just shook my head and kept snapping away. I wanted to get the lighting just right. This is a fabulous yarn and it is hard to capture the softness on digital film.

HE JUST DOES NOT UNDERSTAND!!!

Look, my dog understands… he can see the beauty he can envision the beautiful soaker it will become for Boo Bear!

From the Knitter’s review: ” While many yarn producers bleach their yarns — even before dyeing them other colors — Marr Haven does not. Hence the initially dimmer, just-off-the-sheep color.
And while many yarn companies subject their fibers to a carbonization process, adding acid to the wash to burn up any bits of vegetable matter, Marr Haven does not. That explains the flecks of hay and grass in the spun yarn.
By not being subject to such potentially harsh chemical processes, the fiber remains entirely scratch free and baby soft. It also retains a higher amount of lanolin, giving the fiber that telltale “wool” smell, softer hand, and greater water repellancy.
The yarn is spun on a mule spinning frame, a rare spinning device that closely duplicates a handspinner’s motion, producing a loftier yarn with a soft twist. (Bartlett Yarns is one of the few other companies that spins its yarns on a mule.)
The loft is so great, and twist so soft, that many of the fibers don’t even make it into the strand. They gently pill up on the surface, producing the tiny oatmeal-like pills mentioned earlier.”

It is so rare to find naturally processed wool. It is hard to find sustainable farms and I feel so good supporting the work Barbara Marr does. I touch this wool and I feel like I know the sheep personally… I feel the TLC between my fingers and I know that there is not a single drop off negitivity in this wool.

Perfect for making a wool soaker for my son’s precious bum. Since I started making wool diaper covers I have been searching for the perfect wool. I found it. I have not even started the soaker, but I know this is the best I will find.

Here you can see, I am using a lamp shade to wind up this ball. I cant wait to start this soaker! I have not been this excited in a long time!
Watch for the progress pictures!!!
Want Marr Haven wool?
WWW.MARRHAVEN.COM
Marr Haven Wool Farm
772 39th st. Allegan, MI 49001
269-673-8800
Marr Haven Blog!
Tell Barbara I said hello!

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Cocktail of the day…

Cocktail of the day!
Francis Coppola presents
*Sofia*
Blanc de Blancs
California Sparkling wine
I love this stuff enough to blog about it. A few years ago when I worked as a wine consultant I was introduced to this by the distributor. It is in a can… crazy concept, yes. It comes with a straw… even crazier, I know. The craziest part of it all? It tastes AMAZING. At around $11 dollars for a 4 pack of 187 mL cans it is an average price for a California sparkling wine, but the value is enormous… because it is so tasty and because you are not commited to a whole bottle… you can drink just one can… or two… or even three. Without having to toss out the unfinished portion. Pure genius, especially since I get into trouble whenever I finish a bottle of champagne by myself!

I just love pink too.

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