Boy is it cold outside!!!!

It's been a while and I've been busy knitting - crocheting and staying warm. We have been so spoiled here, with a warm, very warm winter, but boy is it cold outside NOW. The prediction is 10 below for tonight and single digits tomorrow. It's a good thing I finished this sweater (one of my 2006 projects) It's big, bulky and sooooooo warm. Lion Bulky Oh that's Pumpkin, never realized she loves to pose for the camera.

Jan 9 2006

The poncho has been started and I was right, the yarn is lovely to work with. Now I am crocheting this piece and although this is a knitting blog, I will be showing (off)my crochet skills also. (I'm not really this boasterous in real life, trust me!!!) Photos to follow.
What I really wanted to chat about was the wonderful book that arrived at my doorstep yesterday. Totally aware that the box contained knitting books, I kept my hands off till all the chores were done. (sounds like we're in a past century!!!)
"Confessions of a Knitting Heretic" by Annie Modesitt validated my knitting style. I "discovered" the combination stitch on my own, when friend Donna taught me the continental method of holding yarn, over 25 years ago. Nothing else felt right, or smooth or fast enough. Now mind you, I didn't realize I was doing it wrong, until my recent knitting research began. My stitch is even and the yarn flows so effortlessly. Thank you Annie, wish I had discovered you and your ideas earlier. Better late then never.

Treats!!!

This book has been hard to find, so I wasn't looking for it. Yesterday, on a visit to a local craft store, as I waited on line---It was there on the shelf!! "Knitting on the Edge" Nicky Epstein's wonderful book. What a resource! what beautiful stitches!!! I will never rib stitch an edge again!!!!

Gifts Equal Knit

I actually made it back. Let's hope the pattern continues. I have so much to share but decided to do so, a little at a time. Today's topic is gifts equal knit. This year my lovely daughter give me 2 bags of beautiful yarns. Dark Lime Cascade Magnum and Browns/Rust/Green/Gold hand dyed 100% wool by "chasing rainbows dyeworks". Both lucious to the hand. She picked the yarn up in Pennsylvania on one of her Bead Show Jaunts (She is a jewelry designer and will travel hours for a show-more about her craft in another post) The hand dyed is for me and I'm considering the short poncho (crochet). The green is hers, What shall I knit?