Happy (upcoming) New Year, all! The post about the beautiful socks has inspired me to ask a question. Does anyone here have or know anything about circular sock machines? I've been interested in them for years but never bought one because the only ones available have been antiques/out of production and I didn't want to mess with trying to find spare parts, etc. Now it seems a New Zealand producer has started making the first new csm in decades, and from what I've read on the sock knitting lists people really like it. I would be a total newbie on one of these but LOVE the idea of being able to knock out a pair of socks in an hour or two. They are NOT cheap, so buying one would definitely fall under the heading "selfish knitting" (except, of course, I'd be making socks for my near and dear as well as myself). I guess I'm just looking for other opinions, experiences, advice, etc. Any input, anyone?

I hope everyone is having a super holiday season!

I finally got to do some selfish sunday knitting. Although it may not have been on a sunday it was totally for me.

These socks are made of Regia Cotton in Surf Colors. I found this project in a tote bag in my craft room. I can't tell you when I started it, at least a year ago or more since I couldn't remember it at all. One sock was complete so I only had to make sock #2. Boy that was quick and the results rewarding. I used a simple basic sock pattern.

Let me be the first......HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

LOL! Sorry, I couldn't resist! It's time to catch up on my posting and show some of what I've been working on. There has been very little progress on THE sweater (so no pics of it right now) as I've been working on a sock for DH. Before you smack my hands and tell me that it's not Selfish and therefore cannot be posted here.......let me point out how selfish it is that I'm making this sock for him. (evil laugh..lol). Firstly, it's actual sock yarn that I bought from Someone We All Know and Love..lol. That's a first for me. Second, I'm learning how to knit toe up socks and using the "Magic Loop" method as well for the first time. So see, I'm getting to try out a wonderful yarn, and learning new things at the same time!! And to totally make it selfish.......my socks are the next pair and by then I'll have worked all the kinks out of the pattern; meaning his will have all the errors in them! hehehehehe See how selfish that is of me?!! Normally the error ridden one would be mine...not this time! lol


These next two pics are of my lap afghan that I am determined to finish. It's the project I'll be working on when my fingers are tired of knitting on the sweater and socks. I'm a long time crocheter and sometimes it just feels good to crochete again. The pattern is called "Irish Chain" and is in an issue of Leisure Arts(I think) magazine. In the mag it was a baby afghan and I made it up for a co-worker a few (hundred) years ago. I loved the finished project and decided to adapt it to an adult lap sized afghan.

The only real issue I have with it is the carrying of the yarns throughout as they can get tangled up and messy. This was started before I knew about center pull yarn balls and the magic ball winder! I did untangle it again today and will locate the pattern again so that I can pick it up and work on it as the muse hits. I'm anxious to have this one done asap as it's been on my UFO list for at least two years now. It's been given notice though. 2007 is its year!

I hope everyone had a special holiday and that you all are safe and sound. I wish you all the best in the coming New Year!

My final Christmas post.
Here ia pic of a little furry bag I made my daugher for Christmas. The before picture is in my prevous post. All I did for this bag was dig in my scraps and strand three different yarns together and felt. I used Patons Wool in cream, handspun wool that was brownish, and one strand of fun fur/eyelash type yarn. I used size 13 circular needles. I purled the first two rounds then knit 48 rounds. Sewed the bottom seam, bought handles from JoAnn's and Wa La!!! A funky little bag for my daughter. I hope she likes it!
Next post will be Selfish Sunday Knitting, whew, I am ready!

I'm sooo happy! Christmas is almost here and I'll be raring to go on that very day, knitting on something for MOI! I'm still allowing holiday knitting content here so share whatcha got going on and DO share pics of your happy family wearing your lovely handknits for us to see! You can post these anytime after Christmas but the holiday knitting content needs to make way for SSK content come December 25th! Show us pics of your yarn and thoughts about what you're going to do with it if you don't have anything on the needles for you yet...it's a new year and a new SSK project for everyone, I hope!

I'm taking a big chance blowing it by posting here, but this is my super secret sweater project and I can't hide it anymore...I've been doing such a great job keeping it a secret that I'll kick myself if I blow it but this is the only photo content I have and I'm really proud of this! I modified a top down raglan design with a big fat chunky cable, appropriately called "Fudge Swirl" in the Vogue Stitchionery and it's working out so well! Can't wait to finish it...I have to finish the bottom ribbing and the sleeves but it's chunky yarn so goes really fast and this is The Project I WILL finish by Christmas if nothing else at all gets done.


Welcome Toni ~ thanks so much for posting and sharing that awesome pot holder link...ladies, go check it out...they are The Cutest Potholders Ever. Love that Mag Knits site!

For now, I'm making some progress and have almost finished all my obligations for customers as well. As a matter of fact, I have to finish up a super easy knit embellished jeans bag for a lady today and knit ONE MORE earflap hat for my hair dresser and then I can concentrate on finishing up for family. Never mind that I'll be knitting every available moment from now till Christmas Eve day! And there may be the dreaded One Sock in a Box syndrome happening, but oh well!

I've found a really nice beret hat pattern to share...well, 2, but I used the Lion Brand pattern. I dislike berets, really, but have no problem knitting them when the pattern is cute and easy. Older ladies, especially, seem to love them :)

Moonlight Mohair Beret Free Pattern

This one is really cute and a fun twist on the "normal" type of beret knitting:

Last Minute Purled Beret and you don't really purl it at all...you have to go look to see what I mean. It's a great designer's site...you'll enjoy it!

NOTE TO MEMBERS: PLEASE ADD PICS TO YOUR POSTS IF YOU POSSIBLY CAN, OK? If all visitors to our site see are long text posts at the top with no photos, they probably won't stick around to read our cool stuff! I know it's not always possible, but please try...for me? Links to pics are fine but I'd rather we don't always link to pics outside this blog...we need photo content here too. People love the pretty pictures :) Just a friendly reminder from your blog Mom...no stress, OK?

Hello! My name is Toni and I am new to your group. I'm on the spindlers list with Leah and she invited me over. =) (ThanksLeah!)

I had been waiting til I worked on and photographed something selfish that I've been working on before posting but I've given up! =) This is the best I've got to share =)....this past week I did take a week off from most of my projects and focused on making hats for the Soaring Eagle Project (pics on my blog). Although all of the hats were for charity, I had so much fun doing it that it did feel selfish to take a whole week just to work on them =) I mostly worked on the crochet ones last week and they were very relaxing and low stress projects.

The only real thing that I have going on for selfish knitting is dishcloths! lol I joined the monthly dishcloth list and have one half finished of one finished. Also in the newest Magknits, they have a pot holder project that I absolutely loved on first sight! I managed to knit the knitted part of it in one evening but have been sidetracked and not sewn all the rest of it together yet. I had thought if I liked the finished product, that I would make a Christmas set, but at this rate it might be for next Christmas! =)

Nice to meet ya! Have a great holiday season =)
Toni

Well you all (almost) put me to shame with your holiday knitting! Almost...but not quite. lol. I do admire all your work so that others can open a wonderful package hand made from someone that cares about them. I am not hand making any gifts this year. The socks that I was going to make as a suprise for hubby, I wisely let him pick the yarn for and let him in on the project. (I think it will be more fun to have his imput on them anyway! He's not a knitter, but picking up the lingo and pretty savy on how things go anyway.) While I'm in the Christmas spirit, I'm not into the hustle and bustle this year and hubby and I are going to play it low key this year. Things are falling into place to allow that to happen without too much fuss or muss and we're happy to see it be that way! Yipee for us!
I finally worked on the sweater again today. I realized that I was reluctant to tackle the pocket part of the front of the sweater and that was why I wasn't knitting. I'm always able to find other things to do to avoid the scary parts until I'm ready. lol. As it sits right now, I've split off the stitches onto a stich holder for the outside of the pocket and am knitting the lining of the first pocket (left side) as part of the left front side of the sweater. It's strait and plain sailing right now and I'm only a little apprehensive about the part after this one, so I'm enjoying this section right now. lol
Hubby and I spent the day relaxing; watching movies and crafting while it rained outside. All my terrific snow is gone but I'm sure there will be more. I did complete spinning the moss green yarn today and will have to wash it up for pictures. I immediately started on the very yellow roving I've got. It's nice to be making progress through my dyed stash and I'm tickled to death that I've started to ply in a balanced manner finally. I have some of the moss green single left and plan on trying it plyed up with some yellow or some brown...not sure yet which. I also made a start on a very cute Spindle lapel pin--very much like the ones sold at the Woolery--and wrapped with my own dyed handspun silk/merino. When it's complete with clasp I'll take a pic and show all.
I do wonder if there would be very severe "punishment" for posting crochete progress here it it's STRICTLY selfish. See, I have this wonderful little lap blanket I'd like to work on when I'm not working on the loverly sweater and really would like to share. If it's frowned on....let me know and I'll resist posting it here and keep it strictly on my personal blog. ;)
The last bit of progress is a bit of a suprise for even me. DH and I have been on a diet and Sunday morning is when we do our weigh in and measuring. I stepped on the scale today and to my own suprise I lost more last week than I expected. I'm down a total of 19.5 lbs! YIPPEE for MEE!!! This is a huge sucess for me and I can't help but tell everyone! I'm within grasping distance of my first goal and CAN NOT believe it! I've never had success dieting like this and I'm totally pumped up about it. I guess it's a lot like when I quit smoking. It just had to be at the right time and I had to be ready to be truely motivated. While I usually look at the amount of weight and say, "Hmm...5 #'s is the same size as a bag of sugar;" today I spent some time imagining 19.5 # of fiber....that's a WHOLE bunch. lol
Sorry for the last paragraph of blowing my own horn.....I forget sometimes that it's exciting for only me sometimes. lol Thanks for all your knitting support gang! Hang in there...the holiday season is almost over!

I finished pair #6 of my Fiber Trends Felted Clogs this week for my future (I hope) daughter in law. Also I made 3 hats done in 2x2 ribbing and started a little felted bag for my daughter. Thank goodness for quick knits, it is the 10th and time is running out.

I got on the hat kick because I took a look at dh's hat I made him 5 years ago. He loves this ugly old hat I made of gaudy yarn. The poor thing is worn and pilling and I thought it was time for a new one for him. His is the gray one made of wool/alpaca and nylon, 3 strands held together. That should keep his noggin warm when he is outside tramping around. The little red one I made out of left over yarn from my last sweater for my little grandson. He wanted a hat like Papa's too! The green one is for my brother in law that lives in West Branch. He is an avid hunter and fisherman and has asked for a hat for 2 years. I thought it was high time to
get him one too.

Well maybe next week I can do some Sunday Selfish Knitting. Until then, KNIT ON!

Hi there SSK folks! I'm in the Christmas knitting abyss here and, like Cheryl, have been making this one item OVER AND OVER AND OVER again and I'm about to scream! I've done 5 and have one more to go! I thought I might make one for my Mom and best friend BUT...I'm sick unto death of them and that may not happen this year (particularly since I'm stressing over the other FOUR projects I have to have done by Christmas and they aren't fast, easy earflap hats!) My nemisis this year is earflap hats! Ugh! I love them, and it started out with me making that cute little cabled earflap hat I posted about out of my handspun from Vogue Knitting and that was lovely. So I decided to make a store sample too...which was meant to fit a child but it's too big but no big deal since it wasn't meant for anyone in particular

It's very cute and is knit on straight needles (which isn't my preferred method) and I ran out of yarn for the ties but hey...that's OK too :) I can't find the free pattern in a search right now so will get the URL from the copy I have at the shop and post it. It was OK to do straight...kind of a fun change.

My favorite so far is the Vogue Knitting pattern BUT I've made two of these and like them very much KNITSCENE EARFLAP HATS IN THREE SIZES ~ I sell this mag in the shop and it's really cool...kind of pushes the knitting envelope a bit and has some fun, funky stuff in there. It's an Interweave Special Publication so only comes out a couple times a year. Love it! The website always has nifty free patterns

This pattern starts at the top on DP and I didn't find it easy to do the "lift the bar" type increase so I just did the knit in the front/back increase and it looks fine. I have one more of these to do (this is part of my debt to my hair lady for her three boys) I have to wash them so will post a pic of one of them when I get to the shop today and take a picture.

I also made one out of orange wool for a hunting hat for my BIL which is a kind of disaster but he says he likes it...ha! I used this pattern and am not sure I like it yet: Ski Hat with Earflaps . I had to felt it a bit cuz it was huge, then I didn't want it to be too short so had to stop the felting and it's STILL too big so I'm going to try to tighten up the back but I dunno. Maybe there will be a man in the shop with a giant head who wants it. Which means I need to find more blaze orange wool and try again but probably can't get it done before Christmas unless someone wants to send me a skein of blaze orange wool or wool blend because they feel really bad for me...*shameless begging alert* and yes, this is about the right color ;>

I feel safe enough posting this here since my sister probably doesn't read my blogs...one of the Regia Cotton sox I'm making for her... I'm about half done with the cuff for the second sock. They're a bit snug on me but they should be fine on her and she saw one and pronounced it "cute" so I feel good about it. If they don't fit, I'll give them to someone else and make her another pair. I *don't* like knitting with this stuff though. Everyone raves about it but I don't like it! It's pretty though and not at all scratchy for her tender feet so onward through the hated yarn! It's the basic sock pattern from Folk Socks and I'm not diggin the toe shaping either.

I have other top secret knitting projects in the works so that will have to wait for show and tell :) And I have two more custom orders to do...a beret, scarf, mitt set which I've not even started and I have to finish a handspun scarf for The Pickiest Customer in the Entire Universe. Sigh....but...these get done at WORK and don't cut into my precious home knitting time. A gal's gotta draw the line SOMEwhere....of course, this means that some things are left undone at the shop but oh well...I'm only a human bean dammit! I'm NOT A MACHINE!!!! *sniff...sob...*

Take a breather everyone and post something so we know you're alive and not buried under a huge pile of GUILT....aaaaaaahahahahaha...........

BTW...IF ANYONE HERE POSTS A *%$^!@# CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN METER OR EVEN BREATHES A WORD ABOUT HOW MANY #$%^*&! DAYS ARE LEFT TILL CHRISTMAS, I'LL WHIP YOU WITH A DIRTY FLEECE! IGNORANCE IS BLISS MY FRIENDS...

Time for some Selfish Friday Knitting because it is a snow day here! I am actually a great selfish knitter because all I want to knit is my second afghan. I love my first one about as much as a toddler loves their blanket and I just love knitting with Lamb’s Pride Bulky on my addi turbos.

However I will work on finishing the Meathead Hat and a baby gift. Check out more pictures here.

Jeremy