SOooooo Where ya been?!

I bet everyone has started to wonder just where I've slipped off to (oh, lol...knitting humor). It's been crazy (like always) around here. I've been knitting (as always when my stress begins to soar). A few small projects... washcloths and a hat. I've been working on a scarf that is pretty but technique & challenge wise boring so I tend to switch back and forth. Traditionally I work a project till finished or I'm in need of more material though. I've even started a sweater (my first one) that I'm working a little here and there on. (I can't share it's colors since it is planned for a friend, once I finish and she receives it I can. Maybe privately but just not here yet,LOL) So for those of you wondering just what in the world has happened to that "Nutty Buckeye Rabbitry" Tina... here are a few of my projects completed and in progress so far this year.

The washcloths are a fun and easy to complete distraction yet every once in a while an easy to complete challenge is in order... so comes this hat. This was completed in (if I remember right) 3 or 4 days. I'm after the perfect hat pattern for a Christmas gift for my daughter (who has been beggin' for a hat now for 2 years) and may have just found it (just not in these colors). Cables and bobbles, Oh MY!

I'm still working on the scarf. I only have about 30 more rows to go for the 5 remaining inches. I'll be glad to get that off my needles. But I've yet to take a photo of that. Now you already know the sweater must remain a secret BUT my next projects are WOW! Intense and somewhat complicated. I'm hoping to AMAZE my Mom this year with a dual color doily (she loves those things) but I want to make sure I'm ready for this feat. So hence the following projects to get my feet wet and see if I'm ready and able to justly compare to my loving Grandmothers' legacy.

I've completed my first star on size 1 dps with a #10 thread. I was skeptical if I would have the patience for these. YET, I quickly discovered this is an obsession to complete these and not for just anyone. My first one took just a day (with all the interruptions that are ever present in my home). To give a size reference I've placed a regular brush next to it in the photo to the right. This one has the beads being attached after it is completed.

My 2nd star(below) is more of a challenge (and still on the needles) as I'm working with metallic DMC thread on (darn it, no bamboo right now; my preferred needles of course are bamboo) metal size 1 dps. At the top is the first (unfinished) point. The beads for this star are strung at the beginning of the project and knit in during the instructions. Metal thread on metal needles makes this star a interesting challenge as the fiber does not "glide" as easily as what I'm accustomed to.

Stay tuned I'm on a roll tonight... Yippee................................... well, OK. Maybe tomorrow. ;-}