Well, It's About Time!!!!!

Man have I been bad about blogging lately! I have had an insanely busy schedule these past few weeks, and I don't see signs of it easing up any time soon.
I am trying to earn some extra cash, and so I have been picking up shifts left and right at the Cafe...and I intend to keep it up for the entire summer, or else when I drop of sheer exhaustion.
But I like being busy. I am trying really hard right now to make positive decisions in my life, and it feels really good!!! But more on that later.......

With all that I have been doing, I have managed a bit of knitting. I know I am not going to reach my goals for this month...but I put on one hell of a show didn't I? Besides, there is always June..and July..and so on...

First, an FO Fresh of the presses:

Have you seen this pattern? Have you made it? It was SO much fun to knit! And fast! I can't wait to see Sophia with this on, although it may be too big for her right now...I made the hat in the medium size because I wanted it to fit her next Winter. She lives in Southern California so I don't think they will get much wear this Summer...but she is going to be one styling baby come October!

Next, we have the Round 6 Sock Madness socks. I just finished the heel on the second sock.

Which one are you liking better? Me, I think I like the one on the right more. I really want to get these done by Thursday so I can meet my Sock A Month goal.

And, I cast on another sock. Can you guess which one it is? Go ahead, it's not that hard..just check the side bar. ;)

Oh yeah, and the Forest Path Stole? Well, I have made some progress on it...but not much. I have just been too tired lately to sit with it. It's not that it's complicated to knit, it's just that my mind imagines it is...I have Friday off, I hope to get some time with it then.

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day Weekend and enjoying the start of summer..It's been beautiful up here!

Close Enough.

I finished my second Dulaan item tonight. All it needs to be truly finished is a few buttons, but I am going to say it is done.

This is The Avalanche Vest Pattern from Mossy Cottage Knits.

It turned out way cuter then I thought it would. And man was this sucker a fast knit!

I think it took me about 4 hours from start to finish. Of course, it took me much longer then that because I have knitter ADD. =)

I may not make it to all my goals for this month, but no one can say I haven't tried!

(By The Way, a few people have expressed interest in knitting a few items themselves..if you are, take a look here for suggested patterns.)

And Another One Done!

Hola!
I finished the mitered shawl store sample. And man I am happy about that!

I really enjoyed the pattern and watching the colors combine, but after the 20th square, I was basically sick of looking at this. Too bad I still had 24 more squares to go!
The yarn is Plymouth Boku and the pattern is from Plymouth as well. Number 1110.
I think it is really pretty. It reminds me of tortoise shells.
This last picture here was a pain to get! But I had to have it. =)

So another one to mark on the finished list. Woohoo!

Twice Upon A Meme...

This first one is because miss scarlett (aka my kindred spirit..we have so much in common it's a little scary! =) ) tagged me...

1. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves
2. People who are tagged write a blog post about their own 8 random things and post these rules
3. At the end of your blog you need to tag 8 people and post their names
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment and tell them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Alright, here gos.....

1) I have at least 12 holds at the library at all times

2) Very rarely am I late getting them in by their due dates

3) I am infatuated with dragonflies....(I know I am not alone in this..but I WAS FIRST!) =) So much so that 99% of the time if something has a dragonfly on it..or is named dragonfly (like that yarn I just got from the Loopy Ewe *cough *cough)..I have to buy it.

4) I have a tattoo, and I want at least two more (one of them being a dragonfly).

5) I have/have had 5 piercings on my body..and no, they were not all in my ears.

6) One of those piercings was in my nose..which I have had pierced (and re pierced) 3 times..it is now closed because I can not have a nose piercing at my job.

7) I love meat, but it completely grosses me out to eat anything that is bloody/pink..or that has bones, skin, or shell attached to it. (I once went on a date where the guy spent over $100 on steak and lobster, I could not eat any of it because they refused to cook the steak more then medium, and the lobster came in its shell..we had to leave in a hurry because I got violently ill!)
--And yes, I do realize this is a bit ironic since I work in the food industry--

8) I play with my hair constantly. It is extremely distracting and annoying to myself and others. I have no idea how I developed this habit, but it is so ingrained in me I am not even aware I am doing it until someone points it out to me.

See?

Now, who will I tag? Hmmmmm.

Well, how about this? If you just read that meme, consider yourself tagged! HA! And if you do post, let me know!


OK, and this second one is just because I like it!!!!

Mark with bold the things you have knit at least once, with italics the ones you plan to do sometime, and leave the rest.


Afghan

I-cord

Garter stitch

Knitting with metal wire

Shawl

Stockinette stitch

Socks: top-down

Socks: toe-up

Knitting with camel yarn

Mittens: Cuff-up

Mittens: Tip-down

Hat

Knitting with silk

Moebius band knitting

Participating in a KAL

Sweater

Drop stitch patterns

Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn

Slip stitch patterns

Knitting with banana fiber yarn

Domino knitting (modular knitting)

Twisted stitch patterns

Knitting with bamboo yarn

Two end knitting (I am not sure what this is!)

Charity knitting

Knitting with soy yarn

Cardigan

Toy/doll clothing

Knitting with circular needles

Knitting with your own handspun yarn

Slippers

Graffiti knitting (knitting items on, or to be left on the street)

Continental knitting

Designing knitted garments

Cable stitch patterns (incl. Aran)

Lace patterns

Publishing a knitting book (that would be nice! =) )

Scarf

Teaching a child to knit

American/English knitting (as opposed to continental)

Knitting to make money

Button holes

Knitting with alpaca

Fair Isle knitting

Norwegian knitting

Dying with plant colors

Knitting items for a wedding

Household items (dishcloths, washcloths, tea cozies…)

Knitting socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars

Olympic knitting

Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn

Knitting with DPNs

Holiday related knitting

Teaching a male how to knit (kind of)

Bobbles

Knitting for a living (again, how nice would that be!)

Knitting with cotton

Knitting smocking

Dying yarn

Steeks

Knitting art

Knitting two socks (or other small tubular items) on two circulars simultaneously (I tried it, it was not for me!)

Fulling/felting

Knitting with wool

Textured knitting

Kitchener BO

Purses/bags

Knitting with beads

Swatching

Long Tail CO

Entrelac

Knitting and purling backwards

Machine knitting

Knitting with self-patterning/self-striping/variegating yarn

Stuffed toys (again I tried, did not work out so well)

Baby items

Knitting with cashmere

Darning

Jewelry

Knitting with synthetic yarn

Writing a pattern

Gloves

Intarsia

Knitting with linen

Knitting for preemies

Tubular CO

Freeform knitting

Short rows

Cuffs/fingerless mitts/arm warmers

Pillows

Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine

Rug

Knitting on a loom

Thrummed knitting (again, not sure what this is)

Knitting a gift

Knitting for pets

Shrug/bolero/poncho

Knitting with dog/cat hair (well, not intentionally anyway..)

Hair accessories

Knitting in public


By the way, anyone know exactly where meme came from? Or what it stands for? Or even how to pronounce it? I got no clue!

A Whole Lot of Knittin' Goin' On

I kind of dropped the ball on the whole blogging thing this week. Sorry about that. Not only have I not been blogging, I have not been catching up on your blogs either..heck, I have not even responded to e-mails from friends.
I guess you could say I have been laying low.
I am doing great. I appreciate all of your supportive comments on my last post. I was then, and am now totally fine...it is just that sometimes in life we have to deal with some real "winners". I was just standing up for myself and letting someone know that I was not going to be intimidated by them..and it is all good. =)
As a friend of mine would say, "Save the drama for the mama"...and that is exactly what I did. (Thanks for you advice and support mom, now and always. =) )

Just because I have not been blogging doesn't mean I have not been knitting though. I am starting to realize I may have bit off a little more then I can chew for my knitting goals this month...we shall see. I still remain hopeful, but if things don't work out all according to plan I don't think the knitting police are going to come after me!

So here is a little bit of what I have been up to:

First, the Mitered Square Shawl that will never end. (At least it feels that way!)

I have nine more squares to do. Then I need to weave in ends, and do a crochet border. I am really shooting to have this done by Thursday. Yarn Yoga is this Friday and come hell or high water I want to have this thing done and ready to hand off to the store that night. I will breath much easier when this project is out of my life!

I did manage to get the first baby hat made..isn't it cute?

I stuffed it with plastic bags for photo purposes, that is why it looks a little weird.

I got the yarn and pattern in a little kit I bought of EBay ages ago. It is Alpaca dyed by Cherry Tree Hill. It was so lovely to work with!

Next, and this is a horrible picture I am sorry..is the 2nd Dulaan project. The yarn is actually much lighter then this. This is going to be an Avalanche Vest..the progress you see here is about a 1/2 hours worth of work..this thing is going to work up fast!

And this is my UFO resurrection/ May Sweater of the Month project.

It is the Fairly Easy Fair Isle Cardigan from Stitch-n-Bitch nation. I started this during the horrible power outages last winter because it was the only thing I had to that was light enough and big enough (gauge-wise) to knit by firelight. Once the lights came back on it got tossed aside for other projects..but I really want to finish it. I love the colors (perfect for Project Spectrum), and I am really excited to see how they are all going to work together.

As far as the other projects?

I have finished tier 2 of the Forest Path Stole.

I have done 30 rows on the So Called Scarf, my UFO resurrection project for April.

I have Faina back on the needles..barely.

The Mystery Shawl needs to be tinked (again). I made a mistake somewhere a few rows back..and the rows for the border are loooooooooong. I am trying very hard to avoid this project..

The round 6 Sock Madness socks have not seen any love..and I have yet to look at the pattern for Round 7. I do want to finish/make these so I hope to find time for them soon.

All in all I think I am making good head way. And once I get that darned store sample shawl done I will have A LOT more time to dedicate to my projects.

OK, back to work for me. That shawl is not going to knit itself!

Happy Mothers Day everyone! See you next week!

Back to Reality (in more ways then one)

I have to be honest and say I really want to have a big rant session right now, but I am going to try and refrain. I have been avoiding blogging the last few days because I wanted to wait until my temper had calmed down a bit.
But I am not going to rant, I am not going to flame anyone, because I am better then that. There is someone that is extremely concerned that I am going to talk bad about them on the blog, but I think all of you that know me either in real life or from this blog know that I am not that kind of person..no matter what this jackass thinks of me. So there! (And no, I am not talking about B..he's still my hero.)
I don't mean to be vague, and I know you are probably all wondering, "what the hell is she talking about?" I am sorry I can't go into further detail...
But if that person just so happens to read this post (and that person very well might because they are so damn paranoid), you can go away now, I am not going to give you the satisfaction, you are not worth my time or my energy..and my mama taught me better!

And now, back to our regular scheduled programming!!!

Sock Madness Round 6 started last Friday, and this time the pattern was just mind blowing beautiful! And it was also the first time I looked at a pattern and said, "holy hell!" =)
To say the least, I was intimidated..but the competition had to go on...and so I casted on and got started.
We knew before this round started that it was going to be fair isle..but what we did not know was that the designer was inspired by a batik cloth her mother bought on a trip to Indonesia.

I had bought some Lorna's in chocolate and tickled pink..so my batik socks are quite different from the original design..but still cool looking none the less.



Here is the top of the sock (from my view)

And the bottom..oh yes, it is patterned on the heel as well!
It is very pretty but not so comfortable to wear. Partially because of the stranding, and partially because the heel flap/gusset is done in single yarn thickness and so feels looser and lighter then the heel and leg. Maybe if I had double stranded the brown it would feel better?

What, you see only one sock? Well, yes you are correct.

At the time this round started, there was some major drama going on in my personal life (see above), and so I was not as focused on the competition as I should have been.

Between the distractions and the speediness of my competitor, I am amazed that I was able to get even one sock done before she had posted her finished pair! I do think though, that if I had been able to hunker down and focus on the pattern..I could have possilby beat her.

Oh well, such is life..and I got to say I was ready for the competition to be over with..it was consuming my life!

The final pattern is going to be released this Friday. I hope to have the second sock done by then..but if not, oh well, no biggie. I am excited about the final pattern, the sneak peaks look amazing! And the final match up is awesome, I can't wait to see who wins. I have a good idea who it will be, anyone want to place a bet? =)

In other knitting news, I finally got around to getting some pictures of the Argosy scarf I completed last week.

It only took me 4 months to complete..

The yarn is Noro Silk Garden Lite # 2014. And believe it or not, it really only took two balls!

I was worried it wouldn't be long enough, but it is perfect! Well, as much as a scarf finished for the summer can be perfect.. I won't really be able to appreciate this until Autumn comes around.

A word of caution about this pattern...don't work on it when you are tired. It is easy enough, but between the "bind off" stitches on row 1 and the cast on stitches on row 5..it can get a little hairy.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had this almost finished and then realized a huge mistake that had to be ripped out. The mistake was that I had 4 squares going across, instead of 5..and the mistake had been made 6 pattern repeats back. It hurt to do, but I couldn't ignore it.

After I finished it and laid it out to block, I realized that I had made another mistake. In the middle of the scarf I have a few repeats that have 6 squares going across..but it is not noticable and by that time I did not care..

So again, if you decide to make this scarf, let my mistakes be a lesson to you!

Hope you are all doing well and having a fantastic week!

Crosswalks? We don't need no stinkin' crosswalks!

The Jaywalkers are done!

And I think they look damn good! (They better, they only took 2+months to complete!)

I am SO bringing sexy back with these socks!

Check out that sock! That is a perfect sock! I have to say, this Sock Madness thing has really helped me master the knitting of footwear! I can do a heel flap and pick up stitches like a pro I tell ya! And I absolutely love exclamation marks! Can you tell?

Alright, here are the specs:

Grumperina's terribly unpopular Jaywalker pattern

Size 000 needles..yes, that is correct, the key did not get stuck.

Yarn is Socks That Rock (again, terribly unpopular) in G-Rocks (I think).

If you couldn't tell, I absolutely love them! And even though you all thought I was crazy for using the tee-tiny needles, I must say they make a very cushy and sturdy sock. They keep the feet nice and warm as well.

After making a pair, I can totally understand why people find these addicting. I keep imagining what different yarns would look like in this pattern. If you have not tried it yet, what are you waiting for? It's easy and so much fun!

In other news:

1) The Argosy Scarf is done as well, and is blocking. And Good Riddance! It's not the pattern's fault, it was totally my doing that I ended up hating the knitting on this thing..more on that later.

2) I won another contest! What can I say, I am a sucker for a prizes. ;) This time it was for best project in the Mists of Avalon KAL..the Romantic Cable and Lace Vest aka my Mists of Avalon Tunic won! Woohoo!

3) Round 6 of Sock Madness starts this Friday, can you believe it? I am up against one of the "Terminator" knitters. I do not expect to win the round. No, I am not putting myself down...I just know that if I tried to beat this woman, I would most likely hurt something. Besides, I met my goal for this competition (winning the Wendy division), and I am darn proud of that.

I expect it to be a fun weekend though. The sock calls for 2 colors, and with the "sneak peak" we got, it has some color work involved. I am looking forward to it.

4) Pacalaga and I were chatting it up in e-mail talking about naughty drink names..and I got around to talking about how we are both in the Faina Scarf KAL..and how I had frogged my feeble attempts and was at 0 progress. She admitted she was in the same boat and asked if we wanted to help each other out by doing a progress post on it once a week..well Pacalaga, if you are reading this..I am game! (And if not, I plan on shooting you off another e-mail ;) )

Anway, my May is getting started off with a bang! I have 2 FO's and a contest win under my belt already..not to mention my Final Four Sock Madness status (yes, I will shut up about this soon, but I need to gloat for just a little longer..you understand, right?)..and my excellent excuse to get another project started!

For a Good Time Call..

the wench!
I can't wait to see what search results that little title is going to show me! ;p

Anyway, need a good laugh? Check out the side bar.

Over zealous? Who? Me?

OK, OK. I have to admit it does look a little daunting all written out like that..and then adding in the progress bars really hit home. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw all those 0% bars..

Yeah, I know I sucked finishing up my April goals..but hey, I AM in the FINAL FOUR for sock madness!!! (neener neener =) )

And guess what? I have a plan. Yes another one! And yes, this time it is going to work! It must!

OK, so Sock Madness is going to be over soon. Sooner rather then later hopefully. You are all sweet to think I might make it another round..heck, some of you think I could win the whole thing! But let's get serious. Two out of the three other competitors must have robotic parts. They are the ones who have a finished pair of socks in ten hours. No way am I able to do that(and more importantly, I don't want to try, that's just crazy!)
So once the madness is over I will have plenty of time for other projects. Heck, If I knit like I have for the competition for 2 weekends out of this month..I bet I could complete all my goals plus throw in a few more!

Anyway, the plan.
First off, I am thisclose to finishing the Argosy Scarf..it would be done except I had a little brain fart and when I was getting ready to cast off, I realized a HUGE MISTAKE way down in the knitting that could not be ignored..so I had to rip back. Never fear..she will hopefully be blocking tomorrow!
Then, I have the Jaywalkers..no problem. I am on the gusset decreases for the 2nd sock..with the way I have been knitting socks these should be done in the next few days.
The next course of action is to bust out that store sample (finish it already will you Mel??)..and then give some love to the So Called Scarf (which I did pick up today and knit 2 rows on..so it does count for my April UFO, so there!)
Still with me? OK. Once those babies are done..I will start on the BIG SUCCESSFUL PLAN THAT IS FOOLPROOF..foolproof I tell ya!
I gots me a knittin' schedule..don't laugh! I am serious! It gos like this:

Monday: Forest Path Stole, Baby Hat, Rusted Root*
Tuesday: Dulaan, Faina Scarf
Wednesday: Forest Path Stole, Baby Hat, Rusted Root*
Thursday: Mystery Shawl #2, Fairly Easy Fair Isle, Twisted Flower Socks**
Friday: Dulaan, Faina Scarf
Saturday: Forest Path Stole, Baby Hat, Rusted Root*
Sunday: Mystery Shawl #2, FEFI, Twisted Socks**

See? No problem..The Dulaan stuff and the Baby Hats should be quick knits. I don't have to finish Rusted Root or Faina, or the Twisted Socks. The FEFI is on large needles and should also be a fast knit..the Mystery Shawl wont take that much more to complete..and the Forest Path Stole? Well, as long as I do a tier a week I will make my goal on that as well.

And this way, I have multiple items to work on each day..and new stuff to look forward to casting on.

Totally doable (at least, that's what I am going to keep telling myself..)

I probably shouldn't mention that my first Loopy Ewe Sock Club delivery will be this month..or that there may possibly be another Mystery Shawl in the future...that may push things over the edge a bit!

*on hold for cast on until baby hats are done
**on hold for cast on until FEFI and/or Mystery Shawl #2 complete