So, I gifted all of the felted projects

and didn't take a picture - oh well - I got more wool for christmas! the felted trivets worked out really well, although Mom kept burning her hand when she (about every 2 minutes or so) would lift the crock of onion soup to check if the table was getting hot - it wasn't - so she's a convert.

I saw Aunt Donna's felted hats - before and after - they're awesome - totally awesome - I told her that I need the pattern. Unfelted they look like rastapharian caps - felted - they're tres chic.

I'll be sure to take some pix of the next felting projects (Mom got me a book of felted purses) -

Knitting Projects

More knitting - for christmas presents

But my latest craze is felting. for my first project, I felted a "hat" which has turned into a bowl - It was pretty cool, and now I'm hooked - The cat will be lucky if I don't throw him in the washer to see if he will felt. Pictures of felted projects to follow soon.

It's that time of the year...

Lights aglow and knitting projects - so far this holiday season I've knitted 5 scarves for "gifting". 4 of them were donated to my and friends' "adopted families" and 1 of them was for a friend who is participating in a Secret Santa and their gift recipient requested "funky scarf" (can do!).

The picture is of one of the donated scarves - for a 5 year old who likes pink!

I'm ready for my close up

Mr. DeVille.

Well, I'm not, obviously - but this cutie sure was - sporting her new Fun Fur Prints boa!

It's been so long!

I've been knitting, truly I have. I just haven't been posting pix. There are missing bibs, scarves, baby blankets, etc -

I just finished a pink and white baby blanket for a friend - again using the Baby Coordinates (made a blue and green one too) - this time with the magic stripe - It was a pattern from the label and, basically, a giant dish cloth (190 stitches across) - it turned out nice. The mom had informed me that she was doing everything pink and white for this baby - so that's what she got. I also found a sweet pink and white PSU romper (hey, PSU's original "colors" were pink and black so it's fine) to go with it.

Projects for giving

I recently put together a BUNCH of scarves and hats to be given as prizes at our family reunion. My main inspiration was to clear out some of my odd ball and mismatched yarn collection. The result was a cache of 2 hat/scarf sets and 8 scarves (mostly boas) - most were child size - but could easily be worn by adults as well. I "packaged" them with my signature bows and little identifying tags with care instructions.

The best "presentation" was with a child size hat and scarf. I rolled up the scarf and put it inside the hat; I then tied a lovely blue ribbon around the hat -

Projects from Katie Yarn

PSU boa for Suz - Suzanne always gets new PSU inspired scarves/accessories - and now she has a flashy boa made out of Envy - which is an eyelash and ribbon combo. This particular matching is blue and silver.

Keyhole scarf. First time I've actually made a keyhole scarf. Instead of switching the 1/2 stitches to a stitch holder, I just worked with 2 balls of yarn at the same time -

more bibs

More cotton bibs. Friends keep having babies, so I keep knitting bibs. We've tested them for washability and sturdiness (usually unintentionally) and they hold up great!

wee hat for baby

Same hat as the one for CF (who, by the way, has been born and is a little boy named Charlie). Made out of a washable cotton/wool blend - very sweet.

Katie loves yarn

I went to the craft store with Katie (and her mom, sister and brother) - the other day and I came home with a bag full of yarn - ALL picked out by Kate. At first she wanted everything on the shelves - then I told her that she could only pick out the stuff with the red "clearance" tags (there were quite a few).

So last night I knitted her a hat made out of one of the yarns - A very simple pattern - but I still need to "sew it up". I said she was my muse.

So I have plenty of yarn - I need to start planning some christmas present projects.

I'm waffling on Suzanne's football sweater - I think I may start over with one of the patterns from my new (to me) Vintage Vogue pattern book - I have my eye on an oversized (perfect for layering) cable sweater with a mock turtleneck - I think it's just what she's looking for (the previously chosen pattern sported a (real) turtleneck - not her style).

Okay - so I haven't been knitting, that much

this spring - and I definitely haven't been taking any pictures.

Since easter I've knitted a few more bibs (and sewn on a bunch of buttons); a wee hat for a friend's baby; a bigger hat for whomever it ends up fitting; I started a sweater for Suzanne (for football) - I finished the back, started the front, and I haven't picked it up since - I'm not happy with the pattern so I may just rip it out and start anew; a really quick really goofy toy for Vincent (the cat); and, just recently I started my first "mosaic" project. LOVE IT! it's a simple pattern for a scarf that came in my new Creative Knitting - so I thought a scarf wouldn't be too terrible of a project - and now I'm hooked (or needled). The pattern is a chevron (zig zag - big "W"s) and i'm using - can you guess? blue and white yarn.

Duckies and bunnies! oh my!

Thanks to Lion Brand Yarn for the Fun Fur duckling and bunny patterns! With (a lot of) help from Suz, I made bunnies and duckies for a neighborhood egg hunt. In addition to hiding plastic eggs filled with goodies, we "hid" the ducks and bunnies around the park; we also had "special" prizes for the kids (ie, stuff that wouldn't fit in an egg) and once they found their duck/bunny they could come get a prize. It was a ton of fun and the little animals looked so sweet hidden in the park. They looked like they were having a great time!

More stuff for CF

I just loved this green yarn (Bernat Satin - Palm) - I used every last scrap of it and added a hat and set of booties to go with the blanket. The hat is another mock cable - so in love with this stitch, as well.

Blankie for CF

CF is Kelly's in-utero baby who will be here any minute. I started a different blanket for him (her) but I wasn't thrilled with it so I started this new one which I love. The stitch is a "mock cable" - achieved with a Left Twist.

The babies are coming!

How did it get to be April so quickly? The army of newborns will soon be upon us - and I've only finished one blanket. I've started quite a few - but only one DONE! So I need to work on that! I've been distracted by my new stash of cotton (thanks Joann's for having a kick backside sale!) - 6 new bibs ready to be laundered. There would be more but I've tried to be creative with the stitches AND use the new Vogue Knitting Book - which is already jacketless and scuffed up so that it looks like it's been in use for decades.

We have our big spring Penn State event (Blue White spring football scrimmage) in 2.5 weeks - I had plans to have made some new accessories for Suz and me - but nothing yet. boo hoo.

Oh, and I (finally) figured out that Creative Knitting is not a monthly periodical - every 2 months - how cruel. Can't they test patterns more quickly!

I need to take some more pix of the projects (the fun fur ducklings are really cute!) to share.

Knitting hailstorm

I've gone a bit mad with buying yarn and knitting lately. I think it's the knitting circle's influence - but I'm not sure. I started a new baby blanket - i like it, but I don't LOVE it - so I may start over or just begin a new one with different yarn.

I'm making easter inspired knit ducklings and bunnies (pattern from Lion Brand - made from Fun Fur) - They're pretty cute - but I think I may draft Suz to help me with sewing on the eyes, and felt ears, feet, etc.

I bought a bunch of "sale" yarn and I've been testing it - some fun stuff for scarves and other accessories.

And I've made 8 bibs new bibs (7 in 2 days) - They're turning out very nice. I need more cotton (don't worry, I still have the cone of blue ombre - but I want some variety).

Throw is a go!

The new yarn matched - and the throw is finally done! I really like it - and it's a good fit on Suz's sofa. And there is quite a bit of yarn left over, so I'm going to try and make a matching pillow.

Update on the circle

and my new purse project

as I posted on the circle blog...

I'm not really sure what the proper "lingo" is in the knitting circle world - we met, we knitted, we talked, we shared. It was fun!

4 of us showed up - which is a great number, I hope that more can join us in the future, but it's a great start.

Everyone brought a different project to work on - it was interesting to see the different techniques, yarns, needles, etc. that everyone uses.

I knitted a (another) baby bib - add it to the long list of "baby gifts" that I'm working on!

I did bring my camera - but I didn't take any pix - next time!

The folks at Crossroads (especially Amelia) couldn't have been nicer. It's a great place to meet.

I did learn that I need to watch my caffeine intake in the evening - I was up all night (seriously).

Since the "circle" I've started working on a purse made out of Patons Pooch yarn. I don't have a pattern that is specifically tailored to the yarn - so I'm kinda fudging it - I finished the knitting part last night and "basted" it together to get an idea of the form - but I think I'm going to rip it out and start over - as thick as the Pooch is, I think I need to add a second strand (of something; haven't decided yet) of yarn to add more weight/structure. It's going to look very smart once it's all done - I have a busy weekend planned, so hopefully I'll have that to work on at the next "circle".

Bibbity Boo

The next set of bibs have been laundered and finished. Not sure if I mentioned it - but we've added another expectant mother to the already long list of new/on the way babies. So there are more bibs to be made.

Baby afghan #1 - DONE!

Okay, once again, I still have to weave in the ends, of which there are many - only a few done so far. I am extremely happy with the finished product/pattern. I was way too over eager to finish the blanket this weekend - now I have nothing to take to the knitalong - brilliant!

The photo is from when I had about 6 zig-zags to go.

Oh, and the yarn order came - finished Suz' throw - love it. Now I need to devise a pattern for a matching pillow with the yarn I have remaining.

Knitting Circle is a Go

So, we officially have a "plan" for the knitting circle - We're meeting at a local coffee shop - on Monday nights -

It's pretty exciting - we have 5 people so far. And we've started our own blog - to post our projects and ideas. It's http://ridgeknit.blogspot.com/

I hope it's a success - I have great plans for it - charity knits - beginner lessons - knit alongs

It's in Illinois

Or so the tracking information says - that's where my yarn shipment was Saturday morning. Hopefully by now it's a little farther along the way.

I'm still working on the chevron baby blanket - it's coming along nicely.

Finally laundered the cotton bibs and sewed on some buttons. I need to make more - there's been another baby on the way announcement (which also means another blanket - and more yarn!!!!).

The big knitting news is that I'm trying to start a knitting circle with some local people I've met on a city-wide blog (phillyblog.com) - we're going to meet at a local coffee shop - I'm really excited - I think it's going to be fun.

Another order

So, Joann.com is (apparently) my favorite site on the internet - I went ahead and ordered another skien of the suede yarn - My thoughts are that I can make a pillow sham out of the extra. So I'm okay with it - and I'm of course thinking that I now need more.

I tore out the baby blanket - made a mistake - so I thought I'd try another pattern - but then I tore that out - and started the chevron pattern again - so I'm 14 rows into the 2nd (technically, 3rd) "re-do". This blanket is going seriously mess up my sleep pattern - it already has.

I've ordered yarn for the next baby blanket - I went a little crazy with the colors - we'll have to see when it arrives.

Hasn't been shipped yet - but I can't wait!

Throws and woes

Yet again I have fallen victim to NOT purchasing a "buffer" skein of yarn. I'm 1 row and casting off short on the Suede throw and a little disgusted with myself - It's Murphy's knitting law I guess - but you'd think I would have learned by now. So my choices are to "fudge" the one side of the throw or to buy another skein and (again) hope that the colors match up - this case being a little more dire in that they will be knit into each other. Oh bother.

In the wake of this I've finished one of the scarves for my co-worker's daughters - I'm toying with the idea of giving that one and one from my "to be gifted collection" - if I wait much longer, winter will be over.

And I've started baby blanket #1 - it's the pattern from the Creative Knitting magazine - it's supposed to be rippled but it's turning out to be a pretty sharp chevron - Of course I'm using a smaller gauge and needles than the original pattern calls for - but I like it all the same. I started it on Saturday, and made a mistake on the 2nd row (didn't figure it out until row 5, of course) - so I tore it all out; I picked it up again on Sunday evening - I'm now on row 14 and everything is going well. I'm using size 6 needles (132 stitches across) - so it's taking a while to see real "results" - but, as I said above, I like it so far.

Vogue Knitting has arrived!

The package from Joann's arrived yesterday - the yarn is a perfect match - no problems there.

And the "book" is here too. It has nearly every stitch pattern you could imagine. I'm quite pleased. There are a few full patterns - all by designers - fancy pancy.

So now I'm back to working on the Suede throw - I have a busy weekend planned - but I should have it finished in a week or so.

So...

I'm still waiting for the additional Suede (and Vogue book) to arrive - I've scraped the dream scarf because I'm using the yarn as an accent on the Suede Throw. I was so excited when I ordered the yarn - but this waiting this is torturous - Of course I have plenty of other yarn to keep me busy. I have 5 bibs finished - they need to be laundered and have buttons sewn on. I started a scarf out of the Bernat Boa - fun bright pink and purple - it's for a seven year old; I'm nearly half-way done.

I've been knitting while watching the olympics - I'm finding it a bit distracting (the olympics, that is) - you really don't get much out of winter sports, I'm finding, by causally watching - the audio commentary on figure skating is a bit lacking for the visually impaired and those of us trying to count stitches.

New "throw" project and updates

I've begun the Lion Suede Throw project - Coffee colored throw for Suzanne's new decor. I think I cast on too many stitches for the amount of yarn I have - and I should have cast on with larger needles because this yarn has little "stretch" - but I just ordered more yarn (to double what I have) - hopefully the dye lots won't be a problem. If they are I'll improvise, and maybe start over.

The bib project is underway- the first 3 have been gifted to (reported) rave reviews. Suzanne bought a pile of adorable buttons. I think I'll work on making a few more soon - they just go so quickly!

I've "tried" the Lion Fun Fur Stripe - it's great - very much like the German eyelash.

A co-worker has asked if I will knit scarves for her daughters - put 'em on the list - I'm lucky that ground hog saw 6 more weeks of winter!

I should probably start the dream scarf first - that poor yarn has been sitting for a while.

So, I made an "investment"

today. I ordered the Vogue Knitting book - a huge majority of the blogs I've read say that it's a "must have" for stitches, techniques, etc. I got it for ten $ off the msp and free shipping. I'm pretty excited about it - of course now I have to wait 7-10 business days for it to arrive.

I actually used the vogue knitting website as my main reference when I was "re-teaching" myself to knit a few years ago - The website alone is a great tool - hopefully the book will be even better!

Baby Bibs

The baby bib extravaganza has begun. The first 3 have been gifted - Suzanne gave them to a co-worker and, reportedly, they were a big hit.

Suzanne bought a pile of cute buttons (the fastener for the adjustable strap).

L'afghan c'est fini!

Okay - I still have to weave in the ends - and decide if I'm going to put on a fringe - but the knitting is complete - I finished it after the Super Bowl - I got a little distracted during the game.

It's huge - it's big enough to be a bedspread.

now I have to decide what to work on next - I got MORE yarn over the weekend. I found some nice baby yarn for one blanket - now I just need a pattern.

I got a huge (1lb) spool of cotton - blues and white - It'll be great for the bib projects and tailgating items. I'm very pleased. We shopped at a Joann Fabric Super Store - it really was super - it was like a Michaels and a Joanns got married and had a really big baby - they had all of the crafty stuff and ALL of the sewing items - most notable were the designer and home furnishing fabrics - they had an amazing selection.

I love this cartoon

I may post it on each of my blogs!

Afghan nears completion

I have not been working on the afghan as rabidly as I had before - I'm very close to being finished - but not quite - I think it's making me anxious to be finished. I have, approximately, 64 rows to go (out of 352) - and I want to add a fringe. So maybe 6-8 hours of knitting?

of course it's the fringe that will take the longest (and the weaving in!!)!

I may put it (the afghan) "down" for a night or two and do some smaller projects - I started (yes, I feel guilty) the Lion Fun Fur Stripe - It's gonna be pretty cool.

We'll see.

Afghan update

So I'm halfway done with the afghan. As I said below I've been using odd balls - so the color combinations are a little crazy - but I think it still works.

The Unfinished Sweater

Last year I had the great Idea that I would make my mom a sweater for her birthday (it's in March) - I knew that she wanted an aran style cardigan so, I found a fancy pancy pattern and got started.

Everything was going fine (well, kinda fine, I did have to rip out a bunch of rows on the back due to a mix up of rows) until I got to the sleeves. I've always been told, and regularly do, stitch both arms at the same time to ensure uniformity. Well - these arms were very heavy and I decided to risk it and do one at a time - OF COURSE they didn't match - and OF COURSE this didn't become evident until the 2nd one was nearly finished - SO, I burned out - I put it down and I haven't picked it up since. In fact it turned me off of knitting for quite a while.

Now I'm feeling a little guilty - like I guess i should just start over with the sleeves - and maybe I will - it just seemed so daunting, just a little while ago.

I pulled it out of the "bag" this weekend - here's a picture of the back - it really is lovely....

The Family Aran

I found this on a clanaran.com - a website that has the different arans of the Irish clans (or what they claim to be) - Now I know that my grandfather would bristle at the mere mention of the emerald isle - but I think it's pretty cool. The website sells sweaters and kits - but I'm going to (along with, hopefully, some help from my aunts) try and recreate the pattern. it's, basically, a trellis flanked by cables and what they called "blackberries" -

Yarn binge

Went on a yarn binge this weekend - at both Michael's and AC Moore. AC Moore was having a sale on cotton ($1 a skein) which Suzanne bought a bunch of for me to use to make bibs and other baby-type items for her nephew-to-be. Michael's had a bunch of crazy sales on different types and brands of yarn. Got Lion Brand Suede to make a throw for Suzanne; some Paton's Devine to supplement the yarn that Katie had chosen for Suzanne; some Paton's Pooch and Fun Fur to make a handbag; more Lion Fun fur (stripes and patterns) just for "fun"; some worsted weight rose colored yarn for the afghan WIP; some more Dream for a requested scarf -

I'm sure there's some I'm missing.

The craft stores have SO much more yarn and variety than they used to - especially Michael's - AC Moore has increased their stock of high end yarn - you can now get hand-dyed peruvian wool by the hank - I'd need to have a special project in mind to invest in much of that - it can get a bit pricey. It's a little overwhelming when you are just "browsing" - I don't know what to look at first!

Now I'm lamenting that I didn't get more yarn for Suz's throw and "devine" project - hopefully it will all work out.

Christmas Yarn Extravaganza

This past Christmas my mother gave me some $$$ to buy yarn - actually, it was a little "iou" that she wrapped and put it in my stocking - yes, Mom still fills my stocking (which, incidentally, was hand-knit by my aunt, the master knitter) -

ANYWAY - this December Michael's was having the best yarn sale - on novelty yarns, anyway. The majority of their Moda-Dea stock was 70% off (YES, 70%!) - I bought a bushel of great stuff, including...

Moda- Dea's - Tutu, Wild!, Ticker Tape, Eden - made scarves out of petal pink and lavender Tutu (see photo below); also made scarves out of blue Wild! (see photo at left) and red Eden (couldn't be softer)

Paton's Twister, Allure, Brilliant - I LOVE the Allure - I got it in navy (sapphire) - it is so plush and rich when knitted - I did a stockinette stitch with a garter border - you can't really tell - but it looks so awesome.

Lion's Fancy Fur - I made Suzanne a little muffler - black with purple and blue bits

Afghan madness

As reported below, I'm in the planning stages for a bunch of baby blankets - I started one for a friend and I soon decided that I'd rather keep that one and make another for her - fickle, I know.

It's a really basic shell chevron - the pattern is only 11 stitches across and 4 rows - I'm using up a bunch of "odd balls" to basically match a green/pink decor. My color inspiration comes from a checkerboard rug. I need to get some rose yarn (one color I don't have).

Because I'm using different yarns, some weightier than others, the effect of the pattern is kinda lacey - I'm pleased - with the maroon and greens it was looking pretty christmasy in the beginning - I toyed with the idea of gathering it at the top to make a christmas tree skirt - but I think I'll go forward with the blanket.

So I'm still shuffling through ideas for the blankets - I'm leaning toward a fan and feather for the one -

I'm going yarn shopping this weekend!!! whoo hoo!

Katie's Sweater

I made this sweater for katie last year. The kid loves bright colors, and, at the time, was just learning her colors, so the sweater was a good teaching tool.

It's all cotton - the basic "T" sweater in stockingette stitch with a roll collar. The blue is supposed to be the front, but she always wears it with the yellow front facing. She wore it for her pre-school pictures and spilled chocolate milk on the yellow side - so they flipped it around for the picture - fate, I'd say.

Katie's crayon purse

Katie picked out this yarn for herself - a little eclectic for a 3 year old - but she is an exceptional girl.

I decided to make her a little purse - complete with gold star button. The purse itself is very simple - just a rib patterned rectangle sewn up the sides. The strap is an I chord (which I love making, btw) and the clasp is a simple crochet chain (I do not crochet - but I can do a chain).

While intended to be a purse, Katie soon found a more efficient use - she now carries her crayons in it - it's the perfect size.

Batting my eyelash

I love eyelash yarn. It is so much fun to work with and I'm tickled by the results. Fun and Fancy Fur from Lion Brand are staples - I've made many a boa for adults and children. I've enjoyed using some of the other brands as well. Paton's Boa (clever), Twister, and so on are also great.

Try knitting some Fun Fur together with a boucle - the effect is so rich.

One of my all time favorite yarns is one that a friend brought back for me from Germany - she brought back 2 skeins of a variegated orange, rust, gold and I knitted it into a scarf. To my delight the effect was a "magic stripe" with bold blocks of each hue. It is a gorgeous scarf and another attention getter - one night at a restaurant a gal came over to ask me if I had knitted it - it started a great conversation! Lion Brand has come out with a striped eyelash - I just got a couple skeins this weekend - I can't wait to try them out!!

Penn State Gear

My college alma mater is another of my inspirations - nearly every Penn Stater I know has some sort of Navy and White creation.

My best tailgating buddy, Suzanne, gets a new scarf every season. Attached is a picture of the first PSU scarf I made for her - It's navy and white boucle - I cast on like 200 stitches - to get the vertical "racing stripe" - and then I added boucle fringe which doubles as pom-pons at the football games.

My one sorority sister, who keeps having babies, gets blue and white baby blankets. I make dish rags, potholders, etc for the football faithful.

After I first returned to knitting I made myself a "harry potter" type scarf - very long with broad stripes. (I made a miniature version for another PSU friend with a little boy - however, I catch her wearing it) I used baby weight yarn and smallish (7US) needles and the simple garter stitch. It took forever - but I love it - and I always get tons of compliments when I wear it to football games.

Dream Scarf

My friend's daughter, Katie, is one of my muses. She's been the recipient and inspiration for many of my projects. Last month I got to go yarn shopping with her (she's 3, btw). She helped me pick out a variety of yarn - for different people we know, including herself and her little sister.

She picked out this green Dream (by Moda-Dea) yarn for her sister. I knitted a small little scarf (which couldn't be softer) - the yarn didn't lend itself to much of a pattern but I did do a reversible "diamond" pattern - if I look really close I can see it - I doubt that anyone else would notice.

Wee hat

I made this hat without a pattern. It ended up being too small for a normal sized child - but it's so cute I had to keep it. It was knitted on straight needles and then sewn up the back.

I did put it on an 18 month old - but it kept slipping off her head - although it did look very cute.

Let's get it started!

Here is a blanket I did for my friend (well, for her baby, really). She had said, while expecting, that she wanted bright contrasting colors for the baby because such is supposed to stimulate brain activity.

So, I found the craziest pattern I could - I found it on the internet and I've seen it called by different names.

I did this one all in cotton = with contrasting solid and multi-colored yarns. Each striped block is made by decreasing in the middle so that the striped fold toward the center. It's an awesome result. The blocks are then sewn together into groups of four - it ends up looking like the log cabin quilting pattern - and the blocks of four are pieced together to make the blanket. For the baby blanket I pieced 3 blocks of four by 4 blocks of four.

I was so pleased with this project and my friend really appreciated it. Her daughter is now 1 year old and says that it's her (mom's and baby's) favorite blanket - just the right weight and because it's cotton - it washes up wonderfully. She says that she catches her daughter just studying the blanket and knows that her daughter is going to be smart because of it.

That's pretty high praise, but I'll take it! Unfortunately - it would seem that she (the baby) is growing so quickly that she's going to need a bigger blanket soon - maybe I should have them send it to me and I'll just add a couple rows.

ANYWAY - here's a picture... btw - in the pix they have it folded over so you see a bit of the "wrong side"...

Madgirl Knits!

So I've decided to chronicle (ie immortalize) my knitting projects. I had been on a knitting hiatus during the summer (it was so dang hot) but I'm really back into it now.

Part of my motivation is that every married woman I know is expecting this winter/spring (seriously, every single one) - so I'm mentally bogged down with ideas for shower/baby gifts.

My memory is not what it used to be - so I can now use Blogger to help me keep track.

I get most of my patterns from online sources or old pattern books. I usually try to find a pattern to "fit" the yarn I have (people are always giving me yarn) rather than purchasing yarn to fit a particular pattern (although this has been known to happen).

I learned to knit as a pre-teen but I didn't really keep up with it - About 3 years ago I picked it up again, and "re-taught" myself via the internet and instruction from my aunt (master knitter). I really enjoy it - and people really appreciate homemade gifts - which is nice.

I love all the novelty yarns; they're usually a lot of razzle-dazzle for relatively little time and energy.

Cables are probably my favorite "effect" - unless I miss a stitch or skip a row - then I kinda hate them ;)