Manly Gift Along

Lonnie's Toe Up Socks

Hello Friends!
My goodness, it seems as though I've not posted in forever...Oh, because I haven't!!

I simply love, love the projects that you have done! My goodness, such beautiful knitting, the men in your lives are lucky ones, this is a certainty!

Believe it or not, I've knit socks for Lonnie that I didn't even get to take photos, now it's impossible! How off was I, LOL!?!
But, I did get a photo of the Lonnie's simple toe up socks (with gusset & heel flap) for the gym done and just recalled that I needed to post a photo! My goodness, it's as if I'm losing my mind, LOL! I finished them some time ago! I didn't write a pattern for these socks because they are a simple toe up wide rib.

It is my hope to have another pair knit for Christmas. You see, it has become our tradition that Lonnie and I give one another something small for "opening time around the tree" and leave for vacation the next day as our Christmas gift to one another. While on our vacation we give one another the $ we intended to spend for our gifts and then, if we see items we want, we just get them while on vacation. This takes away the need for shopping and wondering if I can find the right gift, will it fit, will he like it, etc..no shopping anxiety at all! And let me tell you.....we LOVE it! With that said, I hope that I remember to post them before Christmas, if not, then after our return home from our lovely Christmas vacation!

From Our Home to Your's, We Wish You a Very Happy Holiday!
God Bless
Becka

Ta Da!

Ed's sweater is finally done. He and I will go out this afternoon for some modeling shots, which I'll post on my blog.

Thanks for bearing with me for the ten months it took from start to finish on this sweater. I am planning a few more knits for Ed--another sweater, some hats, and some mitts. For the moment, though, I'm knitting for me.

Just About Finished

All the knitting is done on Ed's sweater. I knitted the last few rows on the sleeves this morning:

They're now in the process of being blocked.

I already assembled the fronts and back, and so only ends need weaving in around the collar and shoulder seams. When the sleeves are dry, I can attach them to the fronts and crochet the underarm and side seams. Then only tacking down the pocket ribbing and sewing the buttons remain. I'm beginning to think that our real autumn weather is holding off until I'm done with it completely.

I decided to crochet the seams on this sweater because I think they're sturdier than mattress stitch (here Montse Stanley and I disagree--she thinks they're not as sturdy). Ed is hard on his clothes, and I want to be sure the seams are secure.

I have a few small projects that I want to knit for Ed. I'm taking some simple hats with me to Stitches East to knit on the train and while I'm there. He also requested mitts. So I have a nice excuse to knit up some stash yarn before indulging in new purchases at Baltimore and Rhinebeck. And I do have some scarf yarn that I bought for him in the past. A scarf might be a good filler project for nights when I want something mindless to knit.

The next big sweater will be Ed-2, a design of my own using a slip-stitch pattern. The yarn from WEBS should be here in a few days, and I hope to post swatches of different slip-stitch patterns soon as I decide which one to use.

Inching Toward Completion

The sleeve knitting has been easy, but the measurements are not working out for me. When I measured from the top of the shoulder to Ed's wrist, I got 19 inches. I've been using a schematic for a Vogue Knitting sweater that is similar to this (all-over cables, shawl collar), and the large dimensions have been close to those I need. That schematic has a 20-inch sleeve, and right now, that doesn't seem sufficient either. The length shown is 17 inches, and so I'll knit to 19 inches and, much to his dismay, measure Ed again.

To keep things rolling and actually finish this sweater, I may start the other sleeve. I can do that even if I lack the brainpower on a weekday night to revise the chart for extra rows and figure out exactly where the armhole shaping has to be.

Black Walnut Socks

Hi all!  I've knitted a pair of socks that are a bit too big for my hubby so I will pass along these socks to my father-in-law instead:

More info can be found here.  Thanks!  Tiennie

cobblestone pullover II

Hey everyone!  I just love autumn and autumn weather - perfect for sweater wearing.  Here's another Cobblestone Sweater that I finished for my hubby:

More info and pictures can be found here.  Thanks!  Tiennie

Thujas for the boys

Hey everyone!  I've finished some Thuja Socks for my sister and her guys so I'll show you a picture of the ones for the boys (my BIL and my nephew):

If you'd like to see more pictures or get more info, you can find it here.  Thanks!  Tiennie

Progressing on the Collar

I'm getting close to finishing the collar, which is the main obstacle I have in finishing this sweater. This is the first time I've done a shawl collar from scratch--that is, designing it myself instead of following pattern directions. One of my husband's requests was for a collar big enough to accommodate a scarf. I think this one gets him what he wants.

I still need to attach the two halves and sew the collar to the neck, but I should be able to finish this part of the body in the next couple of days. Then I will move on to the pockets. I want to wet block the body before making the final sleeve-length measurement, so I'm sure the sleeves are the right size. Since it has been very rainy and will continue to be rainy, it will take at least two days to dry. And so I will probably start the sleeves this week too. So far I haven't decided whether to do them together or one at a time.

It's been a long haul with this project, but I do see the light at the end of the tunnel.

A Great Leap Forward

At long last, I finally finished the fronts of Ed's sweater and attached them.

Also, instead of working on an assignment that I really have to send in tomorrow, I spent this morning fiddling with the collar. This is the first time I've ever designed a short-row shawl collar, and it was engrossing. Details are on my blog.

I hope my measurements are right so that next week I can post the blocked front with its collar and pockets in place. I don't anticipate problems with the sleeves if I get the measurements right, and I may shock Ed by finally getting this done.

Cobblestone Pullover

Hey all!  I've finished a Cobblestone Pullover for my hubby:

If you'd like to see more photos, or get more info, you can find it here.  Thanks!  Tiennie