It was the busiest of times, it was the laziest of times. It was a time of great accomplishment, it was a time of great loafing. I got up at the crack of dawn on a non school day to take the boys to the dentist. (+1) I made a hot lunch for me and the little men. (+1) I washed the dog and all his bedding. (+2 – the dog is wiley!) I sat on the couch with my friends and watched a million episodes of various reality tv shows (-17).

I did make some progress on my new shawl pattern. Here’s a good representation of the color.

And here is what the lace edging looks like so far. I’ve thrown in a lifeline and I’m trying the body pattern that I think will look good. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

In the stores (if not in the outdoors) my favorite flowers are in bloom. I love any form of daffodil. Yellow, white, any mix in between. There’s a picture in my mind’s eye of the hills of the Cincinnati Nature Center covered in daffodils at Easter time. Makes me homesick. So I bought myself a little bit of sunshine that I’ll share with you.

So I’ve made five slippers. Three individual slippers and two that are actually the same size *and* color. I made one lovely green one for myself. Then I made a second green slipper. But apparently I forgot how to measure. And that slipper came out a leetle too long. I’ll spare you the photographic evidence.

So I learned how to measure. But then I forgot how to count to two. As in for an adult pair of slippers you need 2 skeins. Anyone got a skein of Peace Fleece Worsted in Perestroika Pink lying around?

The final thing I struggled with was taking pictures of my own feet. So really not happening. And the timer and the tripod and  I are not friends yet. So I made up a quick pair of blue slippers for one of my bubbies and took pictures of his feet.

Oh and I do mean quick. Like I did these in an afternoon. They are worked in double-stranded Cascade 220 on size 13 needles. It’s a perfect quick knit for a gift. And the part I love best is that these are unisex. My bubbies – who are 10 and 11 and have very strong anti-pink sentiments – even love them.

So make a pair for yourself, your hubby, your daughters, your sons. Make a whole gaggle of them and be one of “those” people – you know the ones who won’t let people wear shoes inside? It’s ok. I won’t judge.

They come in three widths – narrow, wide, and medium. Narrow is suitable for most school-age kids and some teensy footed women. Medium is for most women and some mens. And wide is for my husband. No, really, wide is for well, wide feet. And the length is customizable.

Oh and did I mention they are seamless? I really wanted a better slipper. I wanted something unisex, easy, seam-free, and quick to knit. But they turn out real nice. And you don’t even have to kitchener. A three-needle bind-off on an inside out toe works just fine and dandy.

Needles: Size 13 needles (9.0 mm)

Yarn: Cascade 220, 220 yards to 100g, 1-2 skeins

Size: In narrow, medium, and wide sizes and custom lengths

Gauge: 11 stitches and 16 rows = 4 inches in stockinette, 12 stitches and 19 rows in felted stockinette

Notes: Can be worked on two circulars, or dpns, or magic loop style. Most kid sizes will use one skein of yarn, and most adult sizes will take 2 skeins of yarn.

The Mother Necessity Slippers on Ravelry - only $5.00 USD

So I’m knitting a sweater. Which is perfect timing because our wintery days are seriously numbered here. (That was sarcasm by the way.) My ten year old feels the need to tell me every time he uses sarcasm. As if I couldn’t tell by the tone of his voice or the roll of his eyes. (He learned from the best – me!)

The beginning of a sweater never looks like much. I knit this in public quite a bit the last few days and tons of people asked me what it was. “It’s a sweater”, I would reply. And they would look at me funny and say “Oh.” It’s ok. I know what it’s going to be when it grows up.

I knit this on a field trip to the Old Florida Museum with the fourth graders. Fourth graders – boys and girls alike – are always fascinated by knitting. I got in some good knitting while riding on the school bus. I would have napped, but Catholic school kids don’t get to ride school buses often, so they are *really* loud and over-excited.

I also knit on it Sunday night at the Jacksonville Rollergirls bout. It was super fun. I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea. But it was awesome and full of girl power. Not really violent like I expected. Maybe it was a tame match? Any, Kimber got me a rollergirls button because she loves me! There’s another derby at the end of the month – and I’ll definitely be going again!

Oh and day two? It went well. I walked for about 55 minutes during the second basketball practice of the week. My eleven year old gave me nutrition advice. Turns out I should eat lots of apples and give up the diet pepsi. Like that’s gonna happen.

And apparently I know the right people. Sugarbee stepped up to the plate and got pictures for me again with her gorgeous daughter as the model. So here it is, for sale and everything.

Just to let you know, I was never this pretty.  And she also got an even better picture on the details of the cowl.

Needles: Size 7 needles (4.5 mm) – 16 inch circulars

Yarn: 2 skeins Plymouth Mulberry Merino, 50g, 99 yards, 48% Merino, 52% silk in the color Eggplant

Sizes: 20″ circumference

Gauge: 20 stitches and 30 rows = 4 inches in stockinette

Notes: This cowl is worked in the round. The instructions are offered in written and charted form.

For sale on Ravelry. Only $4.50.

So I’m complaining about the man socks when I really shouldn’t. The man has been insanely patient about the whole thing. Like years patient. Last night I had a moment of inspiration and I charted out a pattern. Which I think will be perfect. For boy socks. The man might have to wait longer.

But it’s nice yarn, no? I traded Kimber some very lovely pink Miss Babs for this yarn, which is quite manly and quite perfect for my man, who may never get a hand-knit pair of socks. The colorway is even manly – Brewhouse Ale. A quite nice merino/nylon blend from Cables and Lace.

Oh and by the by – the cowl did not get published today. Whoever said it’s always sunny in Jacksonville must have been smoking something. It was a very grey day.  But I’m hoping tomorrow will be better!

So I am having trouble with the man socks. I’ve started these socks so many different times. The cast on is too big, the cast on is too small, the pattern doesn’t show well enough, the gauge is too loose, the gauge is too tight… and so on, and so on, and so on. A couple of days ago I had the perfect twisted 1×1 ribbing on the perfect yarn and it flowed just perfectly into the perfect manly pattern. (I am nothing if not all about the flow).

But then a good friend of mine on Ravelry favorited a lovely new sock pattern. Which was exactly what I was starting with. So there’s another no-go for you. Back to the drawing board as they say.

The good news is the cowl is finished and will be published tomorrow. I would just like to get some modeled pictures of it. The light today was horrible, but I did get a lovely shot in my light-box that shows all the gorgeous texture.

Wish me perfect light and a willing model tomorrow. And some mojo for these man socks – ’cause I’m about ready to throw in the towel again!

So I did all the morning crazy-ness. I got up early, I fixed lunches for all my menfolk. I cooked breakfast. Everyone went off to school looking neat and nice. I of course drove the boys to school with crazy hair and dark circles under my eyes. The people in the school office must be used to it by now. I very rarely put myself together anymore. Must remedy that. No one takes the woman with crazy hair and a wild look in her naked eye seriously.

And then I realized it was February. February and I don’t get along. February brings me broken arms, and crazy high temperatures, and all manner of bad stuff. But this year will be different. I will make friends with February. Friends I tell you.

I started the South Beach Diet this morning to try to take off some extra poundage. After I took the boys to school I came home and did some business stuff and have begun the process of making myself look human. Makeup is next. I’m cleaning the house and running numbers and I’m telling February in no uncertain terms that good things will happen this month.

We’re planning a Disney trip mid-February. That will be good. And the boys will start basketball practice this week. That will be good. Little J is loving his guitar lessons and Big J is still doing well with trumpet. Also good.

And I’ve raised nearly $1000 for Doctors Without Borders with my Help for Haiti campaign via Ravelry. I am giving 50% of pattern sales. The end date for this was originally yesterday. But less than $1000 – $925 and change is such an unsatisfying number. Really. We can do better. I want to break that $1000 mark. So I’m extending the contributions until February 14th. So we can send that organization a lot of love!

So if you have any PicnicKnits patterns on your to-do list, now is the time to buy. It’s my offering to February, so that it will stop kicking me in the arse.

Patterns are so hard to name. Sometimes I come up with names that are inspired and awesome. So awesome in fact that umpteen million other designers have already used them. Somedays I think it would be better just to number them. Actually I do number them. But I don’t think that PK0031 has any oomph to it.

I’m hoping that my photographer extraordinaire will be able to capture how pretty it is in person. It’s this gorgeous silk/merino blend that kind of glows. (Note to self: Must learn how to use new camera!)

These however were easy to name. And they have already been tested and partially edited. So they will be coming out real soon.

Again I need the help of my photographer. Due to my need for cozy slippers, these will be the Mother Necessity Slippers. Everyone who has tested them so far says they are fast and fun. I’m finishing up some in kid and man sizes so they will be good for the entire family!

I think I need to start up a new notebook. Instead of design sketches and notes, it will be a name book. All kinds of names for all sorts of patterns. I’m starting to get desperate!

I’m kind of in love with some of these new Malabrigo colorways that kind of defy description. First it was the Liquid Ambar in the Malabrigo Twist, and now this:

It’s Malabrigo Silky Merino in Archangel and it’s for a new shawl/shawlette pattern. I’ve already started the design and it’s coming out really lovely. The way it looks in the skein or the ball does not convey how gorgeous it is knitted up.

But you’ll have to be patient for the knitted pictures. And I will try to knit really fast so I can show them to you!

I am now (officially even) a published designer. I’ve been self publishing for awhile. And I love it. And it’s going well for me. But I really want to expand to get into magazines and online publications. And I did!!! Yarn Forward – page 86 baby!

It’s my Frosted Goblet Shawl, and it’s made of the softest, prettiest alpaca yarn. You can even see the halo in the pictures. It’s crazy soft.

So I’m excited, and I’m basking, and I’ll even be in the next issue of the magazine. Conquering the knitting world one tiny step at a time…