The first thing I completed believe it or not was socks. They were one of the main reasons I started knitting I saw all these cute toasty warm pretty little socks and just wanted to see if I could make them. I have them down now pretty well. I'm now enjoying many other projects as well. Currently working on a few things. I like to have a couple to a few projects at once going on in case I get bored of one I can switch to another. I'm currently making "gift" scarves with soft yarn in a loose knit and beads strung at the end, a few shawls? in similar style and a cable blanket..... I'm looking to start some gloves and a few more socks and a intarsia or fair isle ? blanket and am currently looking for a nice knit beret pattern. :)

Wow -- thanks, everyone, for responding! It's fun reading about what you're working on. Mscsippy -- I don't have photos of any of the stuff I've made; and none of the stuff that's currently in progress is at a point where a photo would make much sense, because my camera just doesn't seem to take decent closeups (they always manage to end up out of focus or blurred in some way - I guess I need a tripod!). But, I'll try to get photos of all of these things as I finish them. Taigen -- my paternal grandmother tatted. I have many beautiful things that she tatted. I tried, but failed, to learn to crochet, so I don't think I'd be able to master tatting, either. Cherbo -- you're much more sane than I am! Moni -- your secrets are safe with me. ;-) Donna37 -- I haven't done any embroidery in sooo long! I'd like to start up again with embroidery and also counted cross stitch. I've got a counted cross stitch Christmas sampler that I started soooooo many years ago! The horrid thing, too, is that there's not that much more to do to finish it. I have completed many, many counted cross stitch projects, I just don't know why I've never gotten around to finishing this one. One of these days... Dances -- my sister wants some fingerless gloves/mitts, so that's a project that is on my "to do" list. I'm sure this Winter will be long gone by the time she gets them. LOL! But I, too, have vastly different yarns on each of my projects-in-progress, and I'm certain that must be why I have so many going at once. Eliza Ann -- knitting is supposed to be very good for relaxation and stress relief. Maybe you should spend 15 or 20 minutes knitting each evening to help relieve the stress of getting your house ready for sale. :-) Linda -- that is a really cute poncho, and I love the color! I also think it would make a cute skirt (not without a slip/petticoat of some sort, though!). But, as I've said, I can't crochet at all, not even one stitch or chain or whatever it's called... :-( Donna Loomis -- you're my hero! Keep adding to your list of projects so I won't feel so bad, ok? :-) Zipper -- I'll be sure to pay attention to what I'm doing when I finally get around to the Baby Surprise Jacket. My niece isn't due until mid-July, and since it's her first, it could easily be late July or early August by the time she delivers, so I'm counting on having enough time to finish the two baby blankets that I'm working on (I've already given her one, and all three are totally different from each other); and I also want to get some booties and caps done, too. Janie -- I haven't experienced the "knot on the wrist," but I HAVE suffered from cramps in my left thumb from gripping the left needle too tightly when it's a small size needle and lace weight yarn. Another reason why I like to have a bunch of projects going with different yarns -- so I can relieve that stress on my thumb. Socks -- I keep each project in a separate bag, and I always have paper and a pencil (mechanical pencil, so I can retract the lead) with each project so that I can make notes as to where I am when I stop. And I try to always stop after I've finished an odd-numbered row, which somehow helps (like a placebo, I'm sure!). Susanjf -- yarn outlet??? WHERE??? Ivamae -- what color poncho are you going to make? Jannie -- your project will turn up when you least expect it! What size bamboo needles were you using? I use bamboo needles for everything that I knit that is knitted on straight needles. I also have the Bamboo Sister interchangeable circular needles set from Plymouth Yarn Company, and some fixed circular bamboo needles. One of the baby blankets is being done with the Plymouth interchangeable bamboo circulars, but for the other I'm using the Options Harmony Wood Interchangeable Needles from Knit Picks. I love those needles because the points are much "pointier" than on the bamboos, so it makes it easier to knit lace weight and fingering weight yarns. I've also got an afghan going on another size of the Harmony needles and the varigated-color yarn is nearly the exact same colors as the needles, so it's a challenge! Sheila Joyce -- what a great thing you're doing! I'm a tight knitter, so I certainly hope that no one ever has to attempt to finish anything I've started... Would using a smaller hook (than the one called for in the pattern) help at all? Have you tried taking the partial cloth into a yarn store to see what they can recommend to match the thread?

Hi Lori! I've posted on a few threads the past few days but can't remember if I officially checked in or not. *S* I am behaving myself, of course, and feeling much better. I had my staples removed yesterday. Now I have to see the oncologist next week to see if he's going to put me back on chemo before my next surgery, which will probably be the 2nd week in May. It's going to be a full year for me, but it will soon all be history. I have lots of great family and friends here close by that are keeping me in line. Thanks for asking.

Ask away! I find that most big-name patterns have awful instructions. What we're trying to figure out is if 4 inches of unstreched knit will stretch to whatever length is marked on your pattern envelope (the "from here to here" arrows). Simplicity has you use the gauge on the envelope rather than telling you "you need a knit with 50% stretch". For example, for a 50% stretch, the pick-a-knit rule would be that 4 inches on the cross grain stretches to at least 6 inches. It's the cross grain of the knit, the stretchiest directon, that you want to test. This is the grain line that will be going over and across your bust line (and other curvy parts). Here's how you figure out the "pick a knit" rule: 1. Take your knit fabric and find the cross grain, from selvege to selvedge. If you have tube knit yardage, the cross grain is across the width of the tube. 2. With the fabric relaxed and unstretched, measure a 4-inch section/line across the cross grain. For convenience, put in a pin, then measure 4 inches from that pin and put in another pin. 3. Take your measured section/line and lay it over the pattern envelope where your "pick-a-knit" gauge is. You want one pin point on top of the "from here" arrow, and you're going to hold the other pin point in place (unmoving) while you pull the measured section of knit to see how far it stretches. 4. Pull the "from here" pin point towards the "to here" arrow. Does that 4-inches of measured cross-grain stretch out to the "to here" arrow? If the 4-inch section of knit stretches at least that far, then your knit is stretchy enough to use for that pattern. Using a knit that stretches more than that probably won't cause you any problems, but if the knit you have doesn't stretch at least that far, it won't have enough "give" to fit over your bust and curves properly. Some knits have good stretch in both directions, and others have good stretch only on the cross grain. You want to measure the stretchiness on the grain line that will be going across your bust and around your body. CMC Probably more detailed than it needed to be.