Loom knitting hooks

I'm very protective of this particular hook....



...as it's the only one I have. It's the first style of hook that Provo Craft included with the the Knifty Knitter looms. The handle is smooth making it a nice grip, and the hook is sturdy. (I have no idea what the long needle on the other end is suppose to be used for.)

Then Provo changed the hook to this style.



I really dislike these! The plastic of the handle has a rough texture and is spongey so that there isn't a firm grip. My hands sometimes hurt when using this hook because of that. Also it's a crap shoot whether you will get a hook that has thin metal which bends, or if the hook will have a very pointy tip that can leave deep stratches in the loom pegs. My suggestion is to look at the tip before buying it.

Recently I found this hook on ebay.



I bought one and I love it! It appears to be an altered dental pick of sorts encased in a rubber tubing (hubby thinks it's a surgical tubing). The grip is firm and the texture is smooth which makes it easy on the hands.

Do you have a preference of hooks?

Hey or Hay!?

My daughter is having oral surgery tomorrow. Needless to say she's upmost in my thoughts today. And I thought I'd share one particularly cherished memory with you from when she was about 5...



...which was 13 years ago.




During one of our errands in the car, she said "hey!"
My response was "what?"
She repeated "hey!!"
I said "WHAT?!" somewhat louder.
She said "nevermind."

The little game (or so I thought) continued off and on for another few weeks...at which time I looked at her in the rearview mirror as I asked "what?" To my suprise she was pointing at....yep, you got it....HAY truck. We shared a huge laugh in this moment that has continued for many years.



And once in awhile, we all try to fool each other when on the road with a calm "hay."

A whole lotta knittin' going on

Whew! The needles have been flying as I finished up swatches for the Walker Treasury Project (pictures of the swatches can be found to the left side of the blog). If you haven't visited the Walker Treasury Project blog, go! This is truly a labor of love by knitters.

I've started another sweater test knit with a deadline of....well, soon!


This is my second sweater test knit in less then 2 months...and it has renewed my desire to knit sweaters for myself. Typically, I like projects that finish quickly and look for buzz words like "easy," "weekend knit," etc. But I've found myself eyeing this lace cropped cardigan. It's a challenge in that it's lace....and I've never knitted a top down sweater before. The fact that it's "no seam" is a huge plus. And I adore it! Yeah, I've talked myself into knitting this one during our yearly 3 week motorhome vacation. The question now is....do I have the yarn? Or do I have to go yarn shopping? Such a chore - NOT!

Three months to go!

At last....a cover....!!

And a sneak peak at the Order of the Phoenix movie.

P.S. I have been knitting just not blogging about it.

The woman has courage

As I browsed yahoo news today, the headlines Calif. grandmother blogs from Baghdad caught my eye. I thought you might be interested also. Her blog is here.

When the going gets tough....

....the tough go shopping!

Actually I never need an excuse to shop for yarn, beads, and books. And since I have finished not one damn thing no pictures of finished items to show you, I thought I'd show you the goodies I've purchased (other then yarn) since the beginning of the year.

I had Nicky Epstein's books on my Amazon wishlist for Christmas. No one took the hint (oh well). So as my congratulations to myself for finishing the loom knit booklet and getting it to the publisher on time, I ordered them for myself. (snicker)



In February I spotted this crochet pattern booklet in an Annie's Attic catalog.

Flip flop toppers! Love them. I've picked out the first one I want to do. I just need a free evening to do it.

Then there's the loom I've wanted for so long! When the new peg style was announced at Decor Accents, the urge became overwhelming. Here's my new baby....

It arrived a little over a week ago. Of course, I'm swamped once again with UFO that absolutely must be finished before I can start another project so I content myself with petting it.

March was a great month for new releases of books! This one....

....was written by a very talented loom knit designer and very nice lady. (Hi Isela) I've only had a few minutes to look at it. The instructional graphics are so good! I predict that this book will become a must have for loom knitters.

This book...


was a must have for me. I love Sensational Knitted Socks. My expectations for More Sensational Knitted Socks have been high. Thus far, I've only had time to glance through it so I can't give a review. However, I did note that the layout has changed. My first impression is that the change makes the patterns more difficult to follow. But as first impressions aren't necessarily accurate, I'll reserve my final opinion until I've had a chance to actually knit one of the patterns.

On Friday, I stopped by the post office to pick up a package of yarn for another test knit I'm doing. And guess what!? My co-op bead order had arrived too...yippee skippee!



I'm a member of a bead buying co-op which really saves me some $$ when putting together some of my designs to submit. I'm working on a few beadweaving designs that need multiple colors of delica beads I didn't have (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!)

Of course, as long as I'm ordering delicas, I might as well get a few hanks to do one of the bead crocheted snakes from Adele's book. (Forgot to mention buying that one in February hehehe) To top the order off, I just had to order some crystals because they're gorgeous! always needed.



I still do not like snakes but really want to do the memory wire bracelet in this book!

Buying frenzy aside, I noticed a new link on a friend's blog. Of course, I had to click on it. Here it is.....


At last! I can "forgive" myself for being an infrequent blogger.

Knifty Knitter beret pattern

Suprise! A mid-week post.

Endako Jo posted that the link from the blog for the Giselle beret pattern (Knifty Knitter) wasn't working. It's now fixed....and the strange thing is that it worked a week or so ago. You can find the pattern download information here.

More knifty knitter news....I'm now teaching at the new Michaels in Palmdale. Check that store's class schedule for upcoming classes!