The Ravelry group ‘Loom Along’ we aren’t really doing one pattern this month.  We’re doing any and every pumpkin pattern you want!  It’s fun.  Some people are using existing patterns, some are putting modifications on patterns, and I am making my own patterns.  I have two of them so far (with ideas for many more!)
Here is Calabacita: Little Pumpkin
And this one is Tiger Pumpkin
Both are really small and fit in your hand.  Calabacita is about 2″ tall and Tiger Pumpkin is about 3″ tall.  They were made on my 30 peg Kiss 2-Way Adjustable loom, but you can make it on any loom with a multiple of 5 pegs (preferably at least 20 pegs so that your pumpkin doesn’t look funny.)  If you want the pattern for them, just click on their titles above the pictures.    Keep coming back for more pumpkins as the month progresses!

I had almost forgotten to say that I finished the Central Park Hoodie.  I’m in love.  The Red Heart SS is a little scratchy, but I’ve worn it several times (meaning daily) since I completed it on September 14th.  Here are the pics:
The back of the CPH
I didn’t want buttons on it, so I used hooks and eyes as the closures.
Now I am knitting this pretty baby that I found on www.favecrafts.com

It’s called a Cabled Cardigan with Hood, but I like to call it the Celtic Cabled Hoodie! 

Well, tomorrow is August 31st and therefore the last day of the Fiber ‘Tudes Daily Dose of Fiber challenge.  I have been really surprised that I have been able to keep up with it.  In fact, I have knitted more than 20 minutes each day and have about half of the Central Park Hoodie done.  It’s definitely been nice and I am glad that I took this challenge. 
So far, the hoodie has a back, a left front, and half of the right front finished.  Next will be sleeves, then the hood and ribbing around front sections and hood.   
I would like to thank Karen Gielen for sending me the link to www.fibertudes.com in the first place.  I know that she was secretly hoping I would participate (and now I am secretly hoping that I win the book on cabled knits!  LOL!)  Thanks, Karen.  And thanks to the rest of the Fiber ‘Tudes radio show ladies for entertaining me.  I really wish it was a daily show…at least Monday thru Friday, but I guess I’ll settle for once a week! 

I’m feeling quite productive, thanks to this challenge put out by the Fiber ‘Tudes gals (and having found the Central Park Hoodie pattern).   I have finished the back of the hoodie and have the shoulders bound off and stitches to be picked up for the hood on a stitch holder.  And I am about a little over a third of the way through one of the front sections (it’s like a jacket, so there are two front pieces).  It’s lookin’ good…….
Besides that and all the other yarn craft stuff I have done this month, I have also read through the entire Twilight Saga!  So, how is that for productivity?!

On a side note: being obsessed with the Twilight Saga can cause your house to become a little…messy.  And considering that I will have company next weekend, maybe I shouldn’t have started those books this month.  But I do have a whole week to clean, so let’s all pray that I am able to get it done in time! 

Well, Day 21 and Day 22 of the Fiber ‘Tudes Daily Dose of Fiber challenge have been quite fulfilling. 
I have only worked on the CPH (Central Park Hoodie), but I have made a lot of progress.  I’m already 19″ done with the back of the hoodie (only 3″ to go until I start binding off shoulders and place the rest of the stitches on a holder for the hood).  I’m that far along on it and most other ladies are still swatching, waiting for their yarn to come in, or trying to decide what size would fit them better.  I want to holler, “Jump in with reckless abandonment, Ladies!  The water is fine!” 
Keep in mind that the edges are curled in.  There’s 14 stitches in stockinette on either side of the outer cables.  Speaking of cables, aren’t they gorgeous?!  Just beautimus!  Have I mentioned just how much in love I am with this hoodie? 
And I’ve been working on the armholes (that’s why it appears that there are only 5 stitches stockinette on the outside of those outer cables.  I am hoping to be done with the back this weekend and on to the next portion of the pattern.    I can’t wait to have a finished hoodie.  This morning was chilly for Mississippi.  It was 60* and I woke up huddled under both the sheets and a fleece blanket.  I haven’t been feeling well either and when I don’t feel well I want to be wrapped in knitted or crocheted goodness.  I’m positive that if I had finished this hoodie before feeling ill, I’d be feeling just peachy right now. 

In other news, the Kiss Loom Birthday party is tonight.  In a little more than an hour, in fact.  It should be fun….hope to see ya’ll there!

Well, a week has passed since my last post on progress for the Daily Dose of Fiber.  Believe me….I’ve been progressing.  In fact, I have made a lot of progress in the past few days alone.  I think 3 or more hours a day just in the past 2 days would fill all the time that I haven’t posted about, but I have been working on different projects. 
The socks are still a WIP….maybe some time this century I’ll pick them up and focus better on finishing them.
The reason I haven’t finished them yet is because I just HAD to cast on for the Knitting Daily’s Knit-Along on the Central Park Hoodie.  Ok, so I’m not participating in the KAL chatter and I’m rushing ahead on my own….what else is new.  And, my rebellious self screamed, “Why should I use that expensive wool they are using in the pattern?!  I get the right gauge with this cheap ole Red Heart Super Saver and I have enough in this particular color that I am casting on right now!”  Or maybe it was the poor woman behind the rebellious one that screamed that.  Maybe a bit of both.  So far I have made it about 1/3 of the way up the back of the hoodie.  It’s in a mustard seed yellow color that RH calls ‘Gold’.  I wasn’t sure I’d want a sweater made with it, but it is looking pretty and I am sure will compliment my red hair well.  The gorgeous cables are popping (did y’all know how much I LOVE cables.  I think they are the most beautiful pieces of knitting and looming!  Love’em!).  I need to hurry up and find the US 6 circular that I’ll need for later in the pattern.  Something tells me that I’ll be ordering from on-line because you know that Wally World and Hobby Lobby never have the needle size specifically that you need when you need it! 
Besides that hoodie, I also had to work up a pattern of mine again on the Kiss Loom so that I could make sure that my written directions were correct before I typed it up for the Kiss Loom’s 2nd Birthday Party this Saturday.  This hat has a ’snakeskin’ stitch pattern to it and I have lovingly dedicated the name of the pattern to my dear friend, Vivian McKnight, who is just starting her battle with cancer.  I think the hat would make a great chemo cap.  And therefore, I strongly encourage those of you who do charity work to use it as often as you need to!

Now I’m off to pick up that Central Park Hoodie and work on it while listening to this week’s Fiber ‘Tudes podcast. 

I’m still chugging along (whether I actually accomplish anything or not) on the Fiber ‘Tudes Daily Dose of Fiber Challenge.
On Day 10 I managed…I think…about an hour on my sock.  It is progressing slowly.  I got like 2 of the lace pattern repeats done (that’s about 12 rows….I was distracted.)  So, my assumption of having a finished sock by the end of the week is probably not gonna happen since I haven’t picked it up since then. 
Day 11 I worked about 2.5 hours on an ‘idea’ that I had.  And since I used a cheap yarn to dabble with and my vision wasn’t totally visualized I tried it out with better yarn on Day 12…….but that was a big bust.  A waste of three hours and really good yarn.  Oh, well. Back to the drawing board.

Ok, so on day 7 and 8 of the Fiber ‘Tudes Daily Dose of Fiber Challenge, I worked a little bit on my sock.  LOL!  Didn’t get far, though.

Yesterday, Day 9, I should have worked on it again, but I was trying out stitch patterns and trying to calculate sizes from swatches, though nothing worked out right.  So, I hope that counts as working with my fiber.  Today, I’ll either be back to the drawing board with stitch patterns and calculations OR I’ll be working on the sock.  Maybe I’ll get that sock done by the end of this week…..once I get the chores tamed down.  LOL!

I’m still doing Fiber ‘Tudes Daily Dose of Fiber Challenge!  How about you?
Ok, so on Tuesday, August 4th I crocheted a new ‘BifferShrug’ (Swiffer mop pad) for my Swiffer Wet Jet.  It took me a few hours, but the kids didn’t help by interrupting all the time.  I did make the note to make the next one a little wider b/c the original pattern was written for the dry/wet mops and those are obviously smaller than my Wet Jet. 

On Wednesday, August 5th, I casted onto my loom and started on another afghan block swatch that will have a slipped stitch ‘rib’ look.  I’ll probably work as much as I can on that today.  The socks got pushed to the side for a while.  (What else is new?  Their my back burner project.  Maybe I’ll get them done by Christmas.  Yeah, a good Christmas gift to myself!)

I also found out yesterday from my FIL that I’ll be singing at the Baldwyn Community Center at 2pm on Saturday…all….by….my…self.  Prospect Worship Center is having a thingy up there at that community center and called to ask him if our ‘group’ could perform in that spot.  Problem is: he has to work on Saturday, SIL (who is also in the group) will hopefully be moving into her new home that day, and my cousin-in-law….well we haven’t heard out of him in a while so the assumption is that he is really busy.  He wouldn’t be able to practice before the gig because of his work schedule anyway.    So, that left me.  I’m probably the only one of us brave enough to stand in front of a crowd all alone and sing anyway.  To tell you the truth, after every performance, it is all a blur.  I can’t recall anything….not even if I sang the right lyrics.  LOL!  I’m not scared (just a little nervous right before stepping on stage, the normal: what if I forget the lyrics type of thing) but I just sorta don’t remember anything.  Hahaha!
Wish me luck, and if you can be there that’d be great!  You know you love me!  MWAH!

Well, days 1, 2, and 3 of the Fiber ‘Tudes Daily Dose of Fiber in August challenge have passed and I have yet to blog about any of what I have done.  I have been finishing and working on finishing up some UFOs as I brainstorm for some new design ideas. 
On Saturday, August 1st, I finished up this shrug that I had designed and worked on all summer long.  It was definitely an off and on project of mine, otherwise I am sure it would have been done in a week, two weeks tops!    It has 5 inch ribbing for the cuffs and a garter edge around the collar and the bottom edge.  The collar portion’s garter edge looked better folded down.  I think I did a fairly good job on my first ever shrug. 

On Sunday and Monday, August 2nd and 3rd, I worked on my socks.  I think I’ve been working on these for about 2 months.  They are also an off and on project.  I don’t think I’ve really done any ‘full time’ projects in a while.  Anyway, I used a stitch pattern that I found I liked for the cuff, except in the book they tell you to make a garter edge on each side of the fan lace sections and I needed 4 sections.  It looks sorta retarded on the finished sock, so I’ll be doing stockinette between the fan lace sections on the sock on the needles (which is ready for the lace to start today).  Do I care that my socks won’t match?  No….not really.  Gives me an interesting story to tell people.  LOL!

I think I plan on crocheting a mop pad for my Swiffer today, or maybe I’ll just work more on the sock.  I’ll also be brainstorming on an idea a friend gave me for something top secret.  Not sure it’ll really go anywhere, but I won’t know until I try, huh?