COLORBLOCKS FROM MY AFGHAN PROJECT.  I am almost finished with afghan #2, although, as I look at the date of my last post, I think I am officially the “queen of wasting time”.  I should have finished many more than two of these quick to knit projects.  I guess I just like the pressure of a deadline.  I am thinking of adding one more to my list before Christmas.  The days are running out.  I may be crazy, but I think I can do it…or at least give a 1/2 finished gift.

Well, now that it is getting cooler out – by the way, fall colors are beautiful right now – it seems to be making me want to get to all of my knitting projects that have been piling up.  As I got a bit ambitious last fall, deciding to make 5 afghans for Christmas gifts, and only finishing 3,  it is time to get to the last two.  I started out to make on for my son and one for my daughter,  but then decided that it would be a great gift for parents that never really need anything and for whom I am always at a loss for ideas.  Needless to say, the parents received their afghans on time for Christmas.  Amy received one panel of hers and Andy received 1/4 of a panel of his.  All summer I have been the subject of jokes referring to the partial afghan gifts…a little piece every year for years…that sort of thing.  I am finally ready to jump in and get these things done.  Actually, they are very easy and fun to knit.  Working with two colors of yarn, eventually dropping one of the colors and adding another for a marled, colorblock panel.  The pattern is free from Lion Brand Yarns.  It is actually a child’s afghan but  I have made the panels wider (to 32 stitches) and longer to make it larger for adults.  The pattern is the Glowing Colors Afghan.  I have substituted different colors for some really different results – each finished afghan has looked completly different from the others – but all good.  On one of the finished afghans, I kept one color the same throughout and just switched the colorblock colors.  Another plus to these projects, really big knitting needles – so it is a relatively quick  – even for slow knitters like me!

  

Winter is such a great time for knitting.  I wish I had more time for more projects…there are so many beautiful things to make.  The Thistledown Shoppe in Suttons Bay recently had a Mission Falls yarns trunk show.  They have some beautiful things.  Most too complicated for this novice knitter but I can always admire and aspire!

    

                                     

                                                                      

We have so many beautiful scarves in the store right now.  So what ever possessed me to decide to knit one?  Well, I guess in a moment of needing to feel creative, I did decide to knit one for my daughter.  Just finished it today.  I used a pattern from Scarf Style by Pam Allen.  It was really fun to knit and I think perfect for my art student daughter as it is very artsy looking.  It was a very easy pattern, just several colorblocked strips that are connected with little bobbles.

Just had a great couple of days off.  Headed over to Boyne Mountain with my friend, Peggy, to see a presentation by Kaffe Fassett.  Peggy also attended the quilting workshop.  I honestly have no desire whatsoever to quilt, although I do love patchwork.  Not sewing.  Kaffe’s lecture and slideshow were so much fun and such an inspiration.  Of course, now I will have to see if I can live up to it.  As a beginning knitter, it seems that I am tearing out and reknitting more than I would like, but so far I am not discouraged.  I had decided that I would only knit scarves or pillows as it seemed much less complicated to knit straight lines and I have had moderate success with scarves.  But, after listening to Kaffe, (and his claim that he has only had about 25 minutes of knitting instruction) it would seem that the world is the limit, so after I finish my current scarf project, I think I may undertake the striped sweater in his new book “Kaffe knits again.”  Just looking at his work in different mediums makes me want to do everything.  I already have two mosaic projects in progress and many more ideas.  I can’t imagine how I will ever have time for work!   Here are some examples of  Kaffe’s  work in knitting, mosaic and needlepoint.  The color is spectacular.  

 Here is a link to his website  www.kaffefassett.com  in case you want to check it out, too.