the stitchin' wench

Lillian Alene Martin

2009-09-16T22:15:00.000-07:00

She was born on August 17Th, 2009 at 9:23 pm.She weighed 8 lbs 15 oz. and was 19 and 3/4 inches long.

Labor was nothing like we had planned. Instead of the natural childbirth I was shooting for, we ended up having an emergency C-section. All that mattered is that we were both healthy.

Our first family photo:

Picture of Adam right after Lillie was born:

Lillie and daddy:

What do you think? Does he look like a proud, happy daddy?

Lillie and mommy:

All the things people say are true. I have never felt a love like this, ever. I am at a loss for words trying to express my emotions and share all that has happened in the last four weeks.

I guess to sum it all up. I feel beyond blessed. I feel joy. I am scared shitless I am going to break her. The idea of being a mother is still so surreal to me. Every time someone says "your daughter" it stuns me (in a good way). Oh yeah, and I am exhausted. But the sleep thing is getting better (fingers crossed).

And now,I can't believe my little girl is a month old. Time is going by too fast already. I look forward to all the amazing things she is going to do; her first real smile, first laugh, first word, first step.

But please, oh please God, don't let the time pass too quickly. Let me be able to enjoy and cherish every moment.

And please, don' t let me screw up the mom thing too much. =)

Juno Regina

2009-08-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

I finished another stole back in June.
It was simple and I think the finished results are very elegant.

Pattern: Juno Regina by Miriam Felton
Yarn: knit picks gloss lace in Aegean
needles: size 0

blocking: (true color)
The artsy-fartsy shot: (weird it is so bright when I used no flash and took it outside)
And the classic bathroom mirror shot: With the pregger belly and everything!
It took less then ten dollars to make this and was a nice movie/TV knit. It's light, soft, and provides a surprising amount of warmth.

I gotta say, I love this one.

Settling in

2009-08-03T10:16:00.001-07:00

Well the baby shower has come and gone. It was so much fun! Adams mom, Pat, did a bang up job. The place was beautiful and so many people came. I swear I was opening presents for well over 2 hours....which reminds me I am very late getting thank you cards out..something else to put on the list.
We attended our birthing class. A whole weekend dedicated to nothing but delivery and baby. I feel a lot better now that I know what to expect, (well as much as possible anyway). And Adam really surprised me...he was the star pupil on the daddy side. I guess that's what leaving the pregnancy books in the bathroom will do for you.
Also, we survived the move. We LOVE our new place. So much more room and light. In a week we have just about everything unpacked. The only things left to do are a few boxes for my desk (I am procrastinating on those), and the babies room.
For some reason I am really overwhelmed by doing the nursery. I thought it would be my reward for getting the rest of the place in order. But every time I walk in there I get flustered and don't know where to start. Pat is coming over on Wednesday to get measurements for curtains, etc. so there is light at the end of that tunnel. I think once we get started it will be fun and I will feel more confident about it all.
Of course there are now other things we would like to get...a dining room table, pictures, a nightstand for Adam, and other little odds and ends..but even without those things, we feel at home. And it's so very, very nice.
With all that, I now feel almost ready for the little beans arrival. Which is a good thing considering she is due August 15Th. I am very anxious to hold her in my arms, but at the same time a little sad that this part is almost over.

And now, with no segue what-so-ever..I will show some knitting. Again, just trying to catch up here. I think I am almost up to date!

Pheasant Run socks (part of the Loopy Ewe sock club from 08?)

Yarn: Claudia's Hand painted
Fun, fast, and love the colors!

Glynis (from Cookie A's sock innovation)
Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy "Some summer sky"
Gifted to my sister Wynde
So pretty! I like the end results better then I thought I would, and the pattern was on the easier side for a Cookie pattern.

Oh wow..bad pic. sorry

Baudelaire: Another Cookie A pattern from Knitty
Yarn: Malabrigo sock (My new favorite!)..can't remember the colorway.
These were an absolute dream to knit. If you have not knit with Malabrigo yet, I HIGHLY recommend you start! I don't care what weight you use, they are all fabulous.

Felted Clogs from Fiber trends
Yarn: Cascade 220
Made for Adam
These took absolutely no time to knit. I think I could do a pair in a day if I applied myself. I did not attach a rubber sole, and I think they are better that way.
Adam had surgery on his knee back in May, and the clogs were his footwear of choice during his recuperation. He has loved them so much I think I may have to make another pair soon.

Finally, wow I can't believe I forgot to post this!!!

Ribbons Baby Blanket by FiberTrends.
Yarn: Pattons Decor
Knit for friends new baby girl born March 16th.
Love this pattern as well. It's knit in the round and is made up of knits, purls, and a few yarn overs. Easy, easy, easy. Mom and dad love it so much they have requested one for big brother. I am thinking the spider man blanket would be perfect.

And that's a wrap! I think I just have one more lingering FO to show, and then on to the new stuff. (Yes, I know there are FO's lingering on the sidebar I have not shown yet. That's because they all still need a little something..I'll get there sooner or later).

Busy..Stress..and man am I hot!

2009-07-09T12:31:00.000-07:00

I am starting to wonder if I am ever going to get caught up with this blog. I have so many projects finished or almost finished that I have yet to post about..and more that I am working on and want to share..but the blog has become my last priority as of late.

So I am going to take this post and just let it all fly. Forget organization and being coherent, I am just going to get it all out.

First the whole pregger thing:
I am now almost 35 weeks. I am huge, I am hot, I am sore, I am tired. My breasts each have their own zip code. I realize I never understood heartburn until now. And yet, I am thankful for every minute. I know that all too soon this will be over and I will miss it.
We have been busy, our weekends are always full. We were in Idaho for the 4Th of July, this weekend is the baby shower, next weekend we are spending the whole 2 days in baby classes, and the following weekend we are moving.
That's right, you heard me, MOVING! I am happy and excited about having a much bigger place for the three of us. We will finally have a dishwasher, and storage closets, heck we will even have our own laundry room! But most important, I am ecstatic the baby will have her own room. But I think moving at 37 weeks pregnant is cutting it a little too close for comfort. Adam keeps reassuring me that he has everything under control and it will all be fine, but there is just so much to do. And I loathe packing.
As if all that was not enough, I think the fetal specialists I am seeing are sadistic. Earlier in the pregnancy they told me the baby was not big enough..this led me to sobbing on the floor at the local library. After talking with friends, Adam's mom, and especially my mother, I felt better. And now I am told all the measurements are perfect, and she is over 5 pounds. Great news right?
But no, now there is another issue. Now I am told that there is an "abundance" of amniotic fluid. I guess normal levels are between 5 and 25 Cm's. At the previous ultrasound we had 15 cm, but at the last one the tech measured 27 cm and the specialist 30 cm. She is swallowing, she has kidneys, and her intestines look fine. (One of the concerns is that the baby is not ingesting and processing the fluid.) I am told not to worry at this point. The biggest concerns is that I will be bigger and more uncomfortable (who cares, as long as she is safe?), and that even though she is head down right now..she could go into a breech position and I may need a C-section. (Again, I don't care, as long as she is safe and healthy.)
But telling me not to worry? Bullshit.
I came right home got on the Internet and looked up what all this could mean. Pretty scary stuff. Congenital abnormalities? Stillbirth?
And yes, I know I am freaking out. Adam says he is going to ask the Dr.s not to tell me anything anymore, only him. He can't stand seeing me so upset and worried. I am very thankful that he is calm and rational about all of this. And I am feeling better today then yesterday.
But damn if I wasn't up all night thinking about it and today thanking God every time I feel her move.
You know what I hate more then packing? Not having any control over this.

And now I am going to go read or knit or solve world hunger. Anything to get my mind off of this. Heck, maybe I will even pack a couple of boxes.

Oh yeah, I was going to post a hodge-podge of FO's here, but I am just not feeling it right now. Oh well, maybe next time.

Sock Madness Wrap Up

2009-06-23T13:58:00.000-07:00

The last time I talked about Sock Madness I had just finished the second round. The finale has come and gone but the fun memories remain.

I have to say I was very pleased with all of the patterns this year. In years past there have always been a few rounds that did not "float my boat", but this year the socks just got better and better.

Here are the rest of the pairs in all their glory!

Round 3: Talia's Wings

Round 4: Lucky Diamonds

Round 5: Dimpled Diamonds (The round I got knocked out!)

Round 6: Fire on the Mountain
I love the way this pattern is knitting up! I am on the heels of both pairs now. However, they are on hold while I finish up a couple of other things.

And finally...
Round 7: See You Later!

What? No picture? That is because I have not started them yet. But soon my pretties, very soon. Right after round 6 gets finished. This is by far my favorite pattern of the lot. And I have a special yarn all picked out for it. I can't wait!

And that's it for Sock Madness 3. Time will tell if I join up next year..new mods., new baby, and goodness knows what else may put my competitive knitting on the back burner.

And guess what? I have even more FO's to share. Not to mention what's in the works.

The consequences of swallowing Watermelon seeds..

2009-06-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

At least, that is what I was told when I asked about pregnant bellies. "Oh that lady sweetie? She swallowed black watermelon seeds and now she has a watermelon growing inside of her."

I don' think there was a child more afraid to swallow a black watermelon seed then me. I always wondered....how did they get it out?

Whatever happened to those shawls I promised?

2009-06-12T15:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I don't really know what happened either...

Without further ado:

Vernal Equinox Shawl
I knit this shawl as part of a KAL on Ravelry..it was a lot of fun!
Stats:
Started Jan. 2009 Finished April 14, 2009
Yarn: Baruffa Cashwool
Needles: size 2
Thoughts: I love it! I think it is absolutely breathtaking (if I do say so myself).
I gifted this shawl to one of AJ's aunts as a thank you for all the baby stuff she has given us.

Mystic Ice
Yet another shawl in the Mystic series..what can I say? I am addicted to these patterns!

(I know this next pic is sideways..I still need to figure out how to flip it with the new camera/software)

Stats:

Started November 2008 Finished April 16 2009

Yarn: Yarntopia Treasures 10/2 Tencel yarn in "Sharks Tale"

Needles: size 1 (I think)

Thoughts: Although I do really like the shawl, it is not my favorite. All my favorites from this series still need to be finished (some are barely started!!!!).

I can't complain about the cost of the yarn, and it truly is beautiful..I am just not thrilled with the striping...oh well, that's a handpaint for ya. Also, the tencel is a little wierd to work with...it felt a bit like string.
With all that though, I did buy more of this yarn in 2 different colorways.

I may not have been blogging..but I have been knitting!!! Hopefully I will catch up soon with the blogging!

So much to show, but not much to say..

2009-04-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

I gotta be honest, I have not felt so much like blogging lately. Of course, this is at the same time I promised myself I would start posting more often.
But I have been doing a lot of knitting, and believe it or not, I have finished a few things! (However that pile of knits I showed a while back that just need some finishing work? Yeah, still sitting there).
But anyway, I have a few more socks to show off and then I think I will be caught up on the sock FO's..for now anyway.

So here we go:

1) January Mystery Socks for the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry

Yeah, these have been done for a long time, just never got around to blogging about them.

2)Tokena...round 2 of Sock Madness And now I am on to round 3, woohoo! These were a lot of fun. My first (successful) color work socks. These will always be special to me because when I was on the home stretch and ready to toss them aside for the night (the pattern was making me cross-eyed), I felt the wee one move for the first time, and then many times after that. Needless to say, I finished the socks that night. First, because I wanted something material to always remind me of the moment, and Second, because I was getting such a thrill feeling her nudges there was no way I was going to bed any time soon!

3) Salida for the Sock Knitters Pentathlon International

Not sure if I will keep going with this KAL/competition..I just loved the pattern. The next one is entrelac, I am debating knitting it. We shall see.

4)Eleanor

These were knit again for Sock Knitters Anonymous. The Feb. KAL I believe. I like these a lot. It was my first experience knitting with Koigu. Not sure if I understand what all the fuss is about, but I did like it.

OK, well that is it for now. I have a few shawls finished up and ready to show off as well. But I think I will save those for more blog fodder later.

Have a great weekend!

A Little Good News Today

2009-04-13T14:42:00.000-07:00

I love this story, and I love her!

(Click on the picture to see the video)

oh yeah...by the way...

2009-04-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago at our Doctor's appointment we found out we are having a GIRL!

And isn't that just the neatest ultra-sound picture you have ever seen? We also have a DVD we record all the ultra-sounds on. Pretty darn cool.

We are 22 weeks and counting tomorrow, (HOLY CRAP!!! that is more then half-way!). I already think she is just the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (and here I promised myself I wouldn't be one of "those" mothers, lol).

And daddy, yeah he is already wrapped around her tiny little pinky. And here I was concerned he would be disappointed if we had a girl. Nope, not at all. Although he does think he is going to raise a little tomboy who loves football, NASCAR, plays softball and wants nothing to do with boys until she is forty. Although, he says Barbies are OK. lol.

I can't wait 'til I catch him playing "dress up tea party" with her. I know it's going to happen, and I will be darned sure I am armed with a camera.

And crazy enough, we are about 95% sure on a name. I mentioned my two favorites, and he loved them both. So unless something else really floors us, or unless our little miss has different plans for her name (it happens, I picked mine). We are thinking of Lillian Makenna Martin, it just seems to fit somehow.

Good Karma

2009-04-07T14:47:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I received a lovely little package from Kim, my SP13 spoilee (spoiley?). What a sweetheart she is.
Her package contains the first things we have received for the baby:

A sweet little bib and matching cloth, and the cutest green washcloth with lil baby footprints in it! And I love the book, I think after one glance through I had 4 projects planned.

Thank you Kim, you are awesome!

This package spurred a huge influx of baby items, I am overwhelmed by the generosity of others. We (well I literally) have been given an awesome electric breast pump, baby bath, bassinet, baby sling and front baby pack (don't know the real name). One of those baby beds that go on the bed with you, a portable changing bed..WOW! And that is not to mention all the beautiful clothes and toys. Plus, there is a baby swing possibly coming our way.
And I have not even had a shower yet!!!

I can not express everything I feel. Too be honest, things have been really tight financially for us. I have not worked since August, and in this economy being pregnant finding a serving job is pretty much impossible. I am receiving unemployment but it's a ridiculously small amount. So Poor Adam has really taken the brunt of it all.

It's a damper for even the most positive person (which I am not, lol.). And I have been really worried about how we would afford all the things we need for the baby. It has been hard enough to put food on the table, let alone come up with money for a breast pump, etc. We have not really shared our worries with anyone (except my mom, hi mom!), it's not like we expect others to take care of us.

So when friends and family gave us all of this beautiful stuff it was just...amazing. I am speechless, how do I even begin to thank them and let them know how much their love and generosity means to me?

So yes, some things are rough for us right now, but I feel so blessed. I am more happy then I think one person should be allowed.

Sock Madness Round 1...Done!

2009-03-23T12:55:00.001-07:00

So the third year of Sock Madness started last Thursday. The pattern was released sometime around 4 am. And guess what? I was not anxiously hitting the refresh button on my computer waiting for it to arrive (like in previous years), no I stuck to my promise and was still sleeping peacefully at the time.
Alright, so I did get up around 5:30, which is still pretty darn early, but honestly I couldn't sleep anymore!
So here are the first socks of the competition completed:

They are called Tropical Mer-tini's and the pattern is based on the Drunkard's Path quilt block.
If you are interested, you can see other people's socks here.

It was a pretty fun pattern and went very fast. The one tricky thing is this sock had an after thought heel. Something I have never done before, and will probably never do again unless it is for the competition or a test knit.

It's not that it was difficult, but it was a lot of picking up stitches and a lot of grafting. UGH!

Time: I started these on Thursday and finished them on Saturday night. Again, keeping to my promise that I would not go completely nuts-o and be a crazy ninja knitter. I will save that for later rounds. =)
Needles: size 0 addis magic loop method
Yarn: knit picks essential kettle dyed in gold.
YARN PROS: I gotta say, I really like this yarn. It is nice to knit with, the colors are beautiful, and you can't beat the price. I bought a ton of it a while back and I am glad I did.
YARN CONS: The only complaint I have is that for some of the colors (especially the darker ones) there is a very distinct color difference between the skeins. Some being extremely obvious to the point of looking like two different colors entirely.

So there you have it. Seeing that this is round one and the first 40 people from each division go through to the next, I am thinking it will be a while before the second round starts. At least, I hope so. I have a few things I would like to work on/finish by the end of the month.

P.S. I am twenty weeks pregnant now and we are hoping to find out the sex of the baby on Wednesday! We are like kids waiting for Christmas around here!

P.P.S. I hate the fact that there is construction work literally being done in front of my house. Not only do they start around 7 am, but they are loud and rude. Maybe I am weird, but I don't like hearing men yelling and cursing all day long while they dig up the road and honk their horns over and over and over again. Not only that, but being told that I can't park anywhere along the street. I should park in my driveway. Which fits one car and there are three that belong to this address. I was told today that if they are to damage my car they are not liable. Huh. Considering the construction started over a week ago, there are other cars parked along the street, and the only reason I was told this is because I had to run to the bank and back today..it makes me wonder. Now that they know I am home and where I live, they have knocked on the door twice today. Good times.

All I need now is my Tiara

2009-03-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Well, that and about 5,000 yards of lace/cobweb weight yarn. Oh and lots and lots of time.

This was my final SP13 package. Kerry (my spoiler) said she wanted to "go out with a bang" and boy did she ever!

For those of you that don't know, this pattern is called The Princess Shawl and its from Heirloom knitting. Everything on the website is just breathtaking and I love the historical significance to it all.

Anyway, I have had my eye on this pattern for a long time, but I never bought it.

a) Because the pattern itself is pretty expensive (around $30),

b) I was very intimidated by it. Yes I know I do a lot of lace, but this lovely is considered to be one of the most challenging lace patterns out there.

=
c) I had a hard time justifying the cost of something I may be too chicken shnit to ever knit.

But even still, I coveted it something fierce. So when asked in the SP questionnaire if there was anything I was dying to get my hands on, I listed it. Never dreaming in a bazillion years that she would actually get it for me!

And trust me, The shawl is even more intimidating then I thought it would be. But damned if I don't want to toss everything aside and start her. So far my will power is holding on, but it most likely will not be long before I get this lovely on my needles.

Thank you Kerry for everything! You really know how to treat a girl.

The Good, The Bad, and The UGH!

2009-03-06T11:32:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since we have had any real knitting content on this blog hasn't it? Whatever happened to those January goals? And where the heck were Februarys? Yeah, I know, BAD BLOGGER! (Or is that bloger? The first spelling looks better, whatev.)
Well today, I plan to show you actual FO"S, a good knit gone bad, and finally fess up to how the January goals went.
(By the way..pictures suck as usual. Can you believe these were taken outside in the middle the day? We even have sun today, but my yard is completely in shade and I did not feel like taking pictures in the middle of the street in my pajamas and slippers...yeah, I know, but they are so comfy!)
Alrighty then, here we go.

The good:

Marlene socks by Cookie A. Knit with All Things Heather in Raspberry on 000 needles. Start to finish was about a week.

The pattern was a lot of fun, easier then Pomatomus I would say. The yarn looked so good I wanted to eat it! It was not the softest to work with but after soaking it softened right up. It did bleed a lot in its blocking bath, but it did not take away from the color at all.

Next, (these were so hard to get a picture of!).

Primavera socks knit with The Sanguin Gryphon in Hatched on Size 00 needles.

LOVE the pattern, LOVE the yarn! I highly reccomend both. Alas, these little lovelies are not destined for my feet. They were very, very hard to give up. But I liked the pattern so much I think I will cast on another pair for myself, as soon as I can put it in my knit schedule.

And now the Bad. This next photo is not for the faint of heart. You may want to skip this..

FELTED!!!! These are the Through the Loop Mystery socks knit in Panda Silk (which said hand wash only and I was well aware of it, even alerted Adam to watch out for them in the hamper). They were lovely and soft and fit on my feet perfectly. I think I wore them three times. My sweetie put them in the washer, and he felt horrible about it..but they came out fine. The reason for their sad state is my fault. I did not pay attention when I was doing the wash, and threw these babies right into the dryer. OOPS!

And as if it could not get any worse after that...

The UGH!

All Hand knits waiting for finishing work. They have sat in this state for about a month now. Now that I have posted this here I hope I have shamed myself into getting them done.

You know, this post has become way to long already. I think I will save the next post to talk about the monthly goals...I promise you wont have to wait another month to find out. =)

Resistence is Futile

2009-03-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again.
What time you ask? Sock Madness time.
Sign ups started last Sunday and go 'til this Friday. I decided that this year I would not compete. The reasons are as follows:
A) I have crazy fuzzy preggo brain and don't think trying to keep up with the pace will be good for me.
B) I don't feel like diving into the stash to see if I have all the yarn requirements and seriously cannot afford to buy more yarn for the competition
C) I could spend that time working on socks I really like and want to make, instead of busting my butt on patterns that I may or may not like all for the sake of competition
And finally
D)I have way too many projects on the go right now and lately I feel that I have been making some good progress on them (well the current WIP's anyway, not the kajillion UFO's sitting around).
Speaking of the UFO's, a few of them have been getting some love as well. I have had start-itis for so long now, and I think I have now caught finish-itis. Granted, I have started a few new things, I am not completely reformed people.
So anyway, I thought long and hard about it and decided that Sock Madness would have to do without me this year. I am going to practice some self control, exude some will power, etc. etc.

And then I thought:
I know I am going to keep checking the website to see the teasers and the patterns released. And I know I am going to look at Flickr/Ravelry to see the finished socks. And I know I am going to kick myself in the arse for not joining up. Just 'cuz I join up doesn't mean I have to get all crazy sock knitter ninja like. I can quit whenever I want to, and it's free and it's 7 patterns (or more) that I get to enjoy with a few select people before anyone else does. I think we all know though that me being the competitive freak that I am..I will be all crazy sock knitter ninja like, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.

So I mentioned that sign ups started on Sunday?

Yeah, I resisted 'til 5 pm, then sent in my sign up e-mail.

My Enabler, how I love thee!

2009-02-05T09:37:00.001-08:00

Before I get into this post, I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who left a comment on the last post. Thank you!!!!! We are so excited. Our first trip to the Dr. was last week and we were surprised with an ultrasound. Seeing the baby moving around and watching its little heartbeat has got to be the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed in my whole life. I am tearing up just thinking about it, but then again, these days I cry at the drop of a hat. LOL, gotta love the hormones. =)

Speaking of crying, I received my 2ND SP package yesterday and , well, I must admit, I shed a few tears of joy.
I had been expecting the mailman to leave the package by the door, so I did not think it had come, but when Adam walked in with the mail he had a large white squishy parcel in his hands.
After confirming it was for me and yes, it was from my secret pal, I ripped it out of his hands, grabbed a pair of scissors to cut off the top, and poured everything out onto the couch. It was all wrapped up in pretty tissue paper too, so my impatience did not spoil the joy of unwrapping each package one by one.

Before we get to the goods, I gotta say that whoever my pal is, she understands me inside and out...well at least in the yarny/fibery way (and is that not the best way??)
Whenever I get the "itch" to buy yarn my go to is always lace weight or sock yarn. I do buy yarn for sweaters and such, but I usually plan that stuff out.
My 1st package from my SP was all about the lace. AWESOME!
This time, it was all about the socks! HEAVEN!

(So again, the pictures are dark. I took these during the day with no flash...hmm maybe I should have used the flash, oh well.... But I live in a hobbit hole in Seattle, so it is either this or wait until until April to post pics. Someday soon I will move and make sure we have lots and lots of windows and light.)

Here is the package, please try not to drool all over your keyboard, it will only make it sticky.

First up, we have some lovely stitch markers from the great girls at Zephyr. Sock themed of course.

2ND, a yarn I have been Eying for a while now, in this specific colorway, but as of yet had not succumbed. And an Awesome sock pattern that even includes baby socks! And this was before she even knew about the bun in the oven!

Yarn: Scarlet Fleece It's Tubular x2 in Poodle Skirt (How I love that name!)

3rd, yet another sock yarn I have not tried yet (and if you got a glimpse of the sock yarn stash you would understand what an accomplishment this is) And another awesome sock pattern I have not seen before..

Yarn: Enchanted Knoll Farm in Blue Jay
And last but not least, in fact I think it is my favorite but it is so hard to choose, is some lovely Dream in Color with an awesome Knitspot pattern called Tesserae

yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy in Happy Forest. Now I own a lot of DIC but I did not have this colorway yet, it's beautiful!

I am absolutely overwhelmed by it all. My pal is totally spoiling me. It's almost too much.

I would say it is too much, but it is nice to have someone "get me" in the yarny way. And I really, really like it.

And to think, there is still one more package to come...I don't know if I can handle it. I almost passed out from all the lovely yarn fumes in this package. I really did look like an addict getting her fix. Adam was laughing at me the whole time 'cuz I was squealing and bouncing up and down and tearing up all at once. He knows how much I love yarn and knitting, but he is still unaware of how deep the addiction is.

Pal, I know I have said this before, and it is not enough, but thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I have got a little something to share with you....

2009-02-04T14:18:00.000-08:00

Making its world debut this August:

I think that is enough excitement for one day, don't you?

Well that's a bummer

2009-01-23T13:03:00.000-08:00

I had big plans for today. Today I was going to finish Mystic Ice.

And then this happened:

4 rows left to go and a bind off and I am almost out of yarn.

Bummer.

At least the yarn is reasonable and they had more of the color I needed in stock.

I guess this means I will just have to start something new. Poor me.

BTW, anyone know where I can get 16 1" shank buttons that wont cost me an arm and a leg?

So far, I can't find enough, or they cost a fortune.

FO's on parade

2009-01-19T12:48:00.000-08:00

All except one of these have been done for some time. The reason they have not been seen until now is because I let them sit for months waiting for a few ends to be woven in. Did I mention I loathe finishing work?

Without further ado, the last of 2008's FO's:

Skull Illusion Scarf

This scarf was my first attempt at shadow knitting. It was a simple and fun knit. When you look right at it, the scarf just looks like black and red stripes, but at different angles you see the skulls, hence the illusion. I knit it with Cascade 220, one skein of each color. This is for my friend Katie, and I got a feeling she is going to love it.

Next up, and I apologize cause the picture is horrible but the best I could get, is a pair of Dashings for my buddy Dan:

Made out of Berroco Ultra Alpaca. They are very soft and warm. Dan is a smoker that does a lot of walking so I hope these keep his arms and hands nice and toasty.

And now, the first of the 2009 FO's:

We Call them Pirates hat

I made one of these a few years ago and my buddy Dan (another one) went nuts over it. He has been begging me to make him one ever since. It's done in Knit Picks yarn, DK weight, but I cannot remember the name of the yarn, and don't really feel like looking it up. (Sorry guys, I am feeling super lazy today.) Anyway, it was super cheap to make, and I know he will be thrilled to have it.

The last FO I have to show you is Morgan:

(And yes, I know I look like absolute doody in these pics, but I wanted to show you modeled shots)
I don't know how I feel about this one. I guess it looks the way it should, but I am just not that crazy about it.
I knit this for yet another buddy named Dan, this one being the above mentioned Katie's boyfriend. I know he likes hats, and I know he owns another hat in this style, I am just not sure what he will think of this one. I should have probably made it in a darker color, but I went with what I had on hand.

I hate giving someone a gift that I am not thrilled with, but I am biased. The hat is not really my style, and I am my own worst critic. Anyone out there got any opinions? Feel free to share, you wont hurt my feelings. =)

Something Else to Keep Me Busy

2009-01-12T19:07:00.000-08:00

So I was wasting time on Ravelry today and discovered a group called 52 books in 52 weeks.
I think the title explains it all so I will not be redundant.
Anyway, I thought about how one of my goals for 2009 was to read more books, and then I found out you could include audio books, so I joined up.
I used to read A LOT. But lately knitting and other endeavors have cut into that time. The only way I get as many books in as I do is by listening to audio books while I knit. But I miss the actual printed pages.
I am sure I can do this. I remember reading over 100 books during my 3rd grade year so I could get a free book. =) My teacher had a deal where for x amount of books you read and did a little write up on, you got a new book from the cupboard. And she had all the good books.

So I put a little linky-dink on the sidebar if anyone wants to see what I am reading/listening too. I just linked over to my Amazon wish list, I couldn't figure out a better way to do it. If anyone has a better option, please let me know.

Back to my Old Crazy..

2009-01-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

New year, New goals.
Let's not talk about last years goals that I failed miserably at, OK?
I heard somewhere, I think on a Soap Opera so of course it's an awesome concept, that the only way to guarantee to keep your resolutions is to say you will not do things you hate, and you will do things you love.

So with that thought in mind, here are my resolutions...

1) I will refrain from eating oysters, mussels, or liver.

2) I will read a lot of good books.

3) I will continue to knit as much as possible.

I think 2009 is going to be an awesome year with these goals!

Alright, enough fooling around. The real reason why I am posting today is to set my goals for January. So without further tomfoolery, here they are:

1) Finish Mystic Ice shawl

2) Finish We Call Them Pirates Hat

3) Finish Versatility

4) Finish the baby sweater and hat for Ben Franklin (this should have been done 5 months ago!)

5) Finish Backyard Leaves Scarf

6) Finish Pink Ribbon Baby Blanket

7) Start and finish the January Mystery Sock for SKA and Solid Sock KAL (2 birds with one stone, gotta love it!) Both these groups are Ravelry groups by the way.

I know it sounds like a lot, but all of these projects except for the last one are well on the needles. And so far I am keeping to my schedule to have everything done by the end of the month. But this is not all, I also want to:

A) Cast on Mystic Star shawl (Rav link)

B) Start Fireside Sweater (Rav link)

C) Work on Hemlock Ring Blanket

See, I told you I am up to my old crazy again!

What took me so long?

2009-01-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

This is embarrassing.

I started this shawl in September of 2007 thinking I would have it done for that years Halloween.

HaHaHa! As if!

I got as far as the last 20 rows and then left in sitting on my coffee table for almost a year. No lie. I live by myself so I can get away with things like that. I had big plans to keep working on it, even made up a schedule a few times...but still it sat.

Finally, in September of 2008, I picked the sucker back up again. And I realized then why my poor shawl had languished for so long. I forgot that it took almost an hour to complete a row, and there was patterning on both sides of the work. That's a lot of P2togtbl, let me tell you. But I hunkered down and had a few crazy knitting sessions with it, and finally it was finished.

Finished and blocked in plenty of time for Halloween. So why did it take me so long to blog about it?

Oh well, without further ado, I present to you Dracula's Bride:

There are sparkly orange beads throughout the shawl, I am not sure if you can see them. Maybe if you click for bigger you can see them.
Yes my house was a mess that day. It was the weekend and we were enjoying our new TV and Xbox, plus I was still recuperating from my accident. =)

Here is a sneak-peak of my main squeeze. What do you think mama? =)

And no I did not have to force him to do this, he practically begged me to be the model for the shawl.

I have a few more 2008 FO's to show you. One needs to blocked, one needs ends woven in, and one needs a few snaps and a little finishing work.

My pal is better then your pal!

2008-12-23T11:41:00.000-08:00

According to the news reports, just about everyone in the country is experiencing the lovely "winter storms" like we are in Washington.
Last Saturday, the boyfriend and I packed up and took refuge at his parents house (they have a generator). But before we took off, a package from my secret pal arrived, and how sweet it was!

And I know I already hinted at it in the title to this post, but my pal really, really rocks!

You are looking at a lovely stole pattern from Anne Hanson of Knitspot. I love all of her designs and have many of them on my to-do list, but as yet I have not made a single one..for shame.
The pattern is this one, absolutely beautiful.

But that's not all, she also included two massive skeins of Baruffa Cashwool in my favorite color. Each one of these babies sports over 1400 yards. That means I have enough to make the large stole, and have enough left over for another project.

And still I am not finished. =) She also sent the needles I would need to make the stole, Addi Lace ones at that.

To sum up, everything I need to make this stole my pal included in the package. How awesome is that? And it is taking every bit of my willpower to not wind up this yarn and start this project a.s.a.p. But considering I have a gazillion things in WIP mode, and I am trying to finish up as much as I start, I am trying to refrain.

Lets see how well that works, shall we?

(There was also a cute little Christmas card which I forgot to photo, and 2 large packs of Starbursts that got gobbled up. )

Thank you so much pal o' mine! I hope someone is treating you as well as you are treating me!!

Pangea Shawl

2008-12-02T18:32:00.000-08:00

Hey look! I can still finish a project! And I remembered how to take pictures. I even did a little photo session with the bushes outside.

Amazing I tell ya!

I took the liberty of going to wikipedia and copying a bit about Pangea.

Pangaea, Pangæa or Pangea (IPA: /pænˈdʒiːə/[1], from παν, pan, meaning entire, and Γαῖα, Gaea, meaning Earth in Ancient Greek) was the supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago, before the component continents were separated into their current configuration [2].

Before blocking:

After blocking:

A close-up:

And my sad attempts at photography =) :

specs:

Pangea shawl by Sarah-Hope Parmeter

Needles: Knit Picks options size 2

Yarn: Knit Picks Shadow in Lost Lake (body) and Midnight (edging)

I tried to do a literal interpretation of the name. Doing the green for the body, to represent the super-continent. And the border in a dark blue to represent the ocean.

Sarah-Hope added another award to the KAL "Best Interpretation of Theme" and deemed me worthy. I am honored. Thanks Sarah! It's a lovely shawl and was a lot of fun to knit!

SP13 Question #1

2008-12-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

Since we've just had Thanksgiving here in the US, I'm wondering what everyone is most thankful for this year. You don't have to be in the US or even celebrate Thanksgiving to answer. Just share with us! :-)

This is gonna get serious. =)

The thing I am most thankful for this year is my life.

I posted about this already skimming over the details, but in late August I was in a bad car accident. I was sitting on the middle bump of a pick up truck, with no seat belt on...stupid, I know..and we hit a tree going sixty miles an hour.

I was pretty messed up. I still have not been able to return to work due to my injuries. Hopefully that will change in the next week, I have my fingers crossed.

According to the Doctor's and the police, I am damn lucky to be alive. At that speed, with no seat belt, I should have gone through the wind shield.

I don't remember much at all. My first memory is waking up in the hospital having no idea what happened, and hurting like hell.

Life is a precious thing. I am so thankful that I am still here.

Other things I am thankful for that run close seconds with the above:

1) The boyfriend who was already at the hospital holding my hand by the time I gained consciousness.

2) The BF's amazing family who took me into their home and helped nurse me back to health.

3) The generous friends and customers who slipped money into my wallet, and took up a collection for me at work.

4) My wonderful sister and mother, who did everything in their power (and are still doing so) to help me get all the responsible stuff figured out.

5) I am thankful for amazing books. I read the whole Twilight series in two weeks while convalescing.

6) And finally, I am so thankful for knitting. For those few weeks when I could not knit a stitch no matter how hard I tried, I thought I was going to go crazy. It really does sooth me.

SP13 Questionaire....FINALLY!

2008-11-19T14:51:00.000-08:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Well, I like just about everything. I am not a fan of the fun fur or novelty yarn, but just about everything else is fair game.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a roll up needle case bursting with needles, and a couple of needle kits (Denise and Knit Picks) that come with a holder.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

Oh gosh, maybe six years ago? I took a class, and I would say I am advanced.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

No.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I like Jasmine and clean scents. Not too flowery or musky.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

oh heck yeah. I love all chocolate and starbursts.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I crochet. Tried to spin but never really got into it..someday I may try beading or quilting.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like all kinds. Some of my favorite artists/bands are Dave Mathews, Tori Amos, Buckcherry, Carrie Underwood, and many many more. And yes I am MP3 compatible.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I love pink. I steer towards greens and blues as well. But I really love all colors and try to represent them all in my stash.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

It's just lil' old me. No kids, no pets. My sweet kittie passed away a while ago. Maybe I will get another one someday.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Yes. Not really ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Lace, socks, and sweaters.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Lace, lace, lace, socks, socks..and I have 5 sweaters I am dieing to cast on

4. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Of course.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circulars. And I usually knit with KP options or addis, but I like wood and plastic as well.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yup to both

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

LOL I got no idea. maybe 6 years?

18. What is your favorite holiday? What winter holiday do you observe?

hmmm Christmas I guess and that answers the second question as well =)

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Dragonflies and frogs

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

The Princess shawl and maybe Lira, but those are expensive patterns I believe. I also subscribe to Vogue knitting and Interweave Knits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I would like to do some more colorwork. Never tried steaking before.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Oh yeah babe. =) I am a size 8 1/2 - 9

23. When is your birthday?

It just passed. It's November 8Th.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

Yes I am. My ID is the same as this here blog thestitchinwench

P.S. Pal I am so sorry it took me so long to get this up. Had complications with the computer, but it's up and running now! =) Looking forward to getting to know you.

Guess I better go rent some of her movies =)

2008-10-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are an Ingrid!

You are an Ingrid -- "I am unique"

Ingrids have sensitive feelings and are warm and perceptive.

How to Get Along with Me

* Give me plenty of compliments. They mean a lot to me.

* Be a supportive friend or partner. Help me to learn to love and value myself.

* Respect me for my special gifts of intuition and vision.

* Though I don't always want to be cheered up when I'm feeling melancholy, I sometimes like to have someone lighten me up a little.

* Don't tell me I'm too sensitive or that I'm overreacting!

What I Like About Being an Ingrid

* my ability to find meaning in life and to experience feeling at a deep level

* my ability to establish warm connections with people

* admiring what is noble, truthful, and beautiful in life

* my creativity, intuition, and sense of humor

* being unique and being seen as unique by others

* having aesthetic sensibilities

* being able to easily pick up the feelings of people around me

What's Hard About Being an Ingrid

* experiencing dark moods of emptiness and despair

* feelings of self-hatred and shame; believing I don't deserve to be loved

* feeling guilty when I disappoint people

* feeling hurt or attacked when someone misundertands me

* expecting too much from myself and life

* fearing being abandoned

* obsessing over resentments

* longing for what I don't have

Ingrids as Children Often

* have active imaginations: play creatively alone or organize playmates in original games

* are very sensitive

* feel that they don't fit in

* believe they are missing something that other people have

* attach themselves to idealized teachers, heroes, artists, etc.

* become antiauthoritarian or rebellious when criticized or not understood

* feel lonely or abandoned (perhaps as a result of a death or their parents' divorce)

Ingrids as Parents

* help their children become who they really are

* support their children's creativity and originality

* are good at helping their children get in touch with their feelings

* are sometimes overly critical or overly protective

* are usually very good with children if not too self-absorbed

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

The Sock mojo has returned!

2008-10-13T15:02:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I got an FO to show you. It's a pair of socks that took me about 7 months to complete. Yeah I know, for someone that competed in Sock Madness and was busting out a pair a day, that is pretty abysmal.
However they are done now, and even though these pictures absolutely suck, ( I was in a hurry to get them to the recipient), I think they turned out rather nice.

I made these for my sweeties mom. She is a fantastic woman and I adore her. I have told Adam ( my sweetie) That the only reason I am with him is because of her...not entirely true but she does sweeten the deal. =)
Pattern: Pomatomus socks by Cookie A

Yarn: Dream in Color Smooshy..I am guessing Blue Lagoon??

Needles: Addi Turbos size 000

Pat (the sweeties mom) absolutely loves them. But she keeps telling me they are too pretty to wear. Hopefully one chilly day will change her mind.

The Pom's and Socktoberfest really put a hitch in my get along and now I can not get enough of socks. I have joined the Mystery sock along (from Through the Loops) and I am LOVING it so far. I have Clue 2 done on one sock and I am getting ready to start Clue 2 on the second.

And as if that, my UFO socks, and all the other goals I have for the month were not enough..I have plans to cast on two more pairs sometime this week. Check them out:

Little Pumpkin Socks

I think these are perfect for Halloween and Thanksgiving. I would love to have them done before the end of the month but I am not holding my breath.

And ...

Esther socks These socks are for the October sockdown Challenge (Sock Knitters Anonymous group). They are absolutely beautiful! This designer has so many amazing patterns. I think I put like ten of them in my queue!

All this talk is making me itch for my needles. I am off to knit!

The blob

2008-10-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

I started knitting this shawl around this time last year. It has been sitting on my coffee table untouched for about 8 or 9 months now. Which is pretty sad for many reasons..the biggest one being that I only have 22 more rows to knit + bind off and it would be done.

It really does look like a blob doesn't it? But the finished project is quite lovely. Here is (hopefully) a link to a picture of the final product.. Dracula's Bride
One of my goals this month is to finish this baby. One row takes about an hour to complete..and there is patterning on both sides. It is a lesson in patience believe me!
But I tell myself that if I did just one row a day, I could have it done by the end of the month, possibly maybe even for Halloween!
It is going good so far, I did my row for the day already..and surprisingly.. I kind of enjoyed it.

Now, if you will excuse me, I have a small mountain of knits calling my name.

It's that time of year again!

2008-10-01T16:07:00.000-07:00

I am amazed to find that we are in October already. Guess it is time to say goodbye to summer and welcome in Fall already.

Today starts the kick off for Socktoberfest 2008. Although I already have a lot of goals set for this month, I am hoping to squeeze in a few socks for the month as well.

I could be a good knitter and try to finish off some of these:

from left to right counter-clock-wise: Blue Pomotomas socks, red Twisted Flower sock, Charades in Yarn Pirate, and an I-cant-remember -what-it-is-called in Trekking.

Then there are all the sock club packages from the Loopy Ewe sock club (of which I have not started ANY!)

And, well, if that does not inspire me...thenl there is always this:

The sock yarn stash. Want a better look?

Here you go:

Although this last picture does not show everything cuz my room is too small, and I forgot about 6 skeins that were sitting on my dresser.

Happy Socktober everyone!!!!

Yadda yadda Yadda

2008-09-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

On 08/30/08 I was a passenger in a pretty serious car accident. However, as you can tell I am alive and despite some injuries I am doing well.

The worst injury is that my left humerus (that is upper arm bone if you did not know) is broken. And if you are a knitter you can understand my horror.

But do you think I would let a broken arm stop me? Heck no! With a bit of fiddling I am still able to enjoy my sticks and string. And since I have about 3-4 more weeks of downtime I have decided to make some knitting goals for October...accomplishing them is another matter of course. =)

1) Finish skull illusion scarf (UFO) . Finish by 10/05

2) Keep up with clues and finish Halloween shawl by Moni. Finish by 10/25

3) Finish Dracula's Bride shawl (UFO) . Finish by 10/27

4) Start and keep up with clues for Mystic Earth KAL. Starts 9/30, finish by 10/31

5) Participate in Socktoberfest. I hope to finish up a few pairs on the needles and maybe start a new pair. (some UFO's)

6) Finally finish store sample for Ben Franklin's (if they even want it anymore...lol) (UFO) Finish by 10/11

As you can see by the list I am trying to narrow down the UFO's I have floating all around the house. Let's just say 2008 was a huge bout of startitis.

However even with that, I did manage to finish the Mystic Lights Shawl:

Stats:

Mystic Lights Shawl..not sure of start or finish date!

2 skeins Cherry Tree Hill in Dusk(?)

Size 2 needles

Now if only I could get to the post office to mail it off....it is last years Mother's Day gift and has been done for months. Oh well, mom's Birthday is Oct. 14Th, maybe I can get it to her by then.

It keeps me out of trouble...well most of the time anyway

2008-04-17T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned more then once that I am addicted to the Lace Mystery KAL's. There have been a lot of them lately through Yahoo and Goddess Knits..and I can't help but join them all. (The fact that I have not finished a one of them to this date is besides the point.)

Now granted, I have not been crazy about all of them. And usually I can tell pretty quickly if it is something I will be into or not. But the thrill of getting that first "clue" is too much for me to pass up. So I will start them, and I have got pretty good about stopping if I lose interest. After all, it's not like I can't reuse the yarn for something else.

So I thought I would share with you some of the projects I have been working on, and some that are coming up in the very near future.

First up is the Mystic Light's Shawl. I am absolutely loving this. It is hard to get a good picture because it is getting too big for my needles, but it is lovely. There is a wonderful cable that gos up the middle of the shawl and also cables along the edges.

I am doing mine with Cherry Tree Hill in the Dusk colorway. This picture shows the shawl with Clue 3 finished. We just got clue 4 yesterday and this clue has patterning on both knit and purl rows....guess what I am going to be working on for the rest of the evening?

The second shawl is Mystery Shawl #8 from Goddess Knits. Here is Clue 1 finished:

(Bad pic, I know. But it is dark out and I did not want to use the flash. Hopefully the future pics will be more blog worthy.)

The yarn is one I have had in my stash for a while and just so happens to be the exact brand that the designer used for hers (although a different color).

It is Alpaca with a twist Fino, an Alpaca and Silk mix..and it is a dream to work with. I am really liking how it looks so far and can't wait to get the 2nd clue on Saturday!

Unfortunately, both of the KAL's above are now closed..but if YOU wanted to catch my disease, there are a few coming up (one starting tomorrow as a matter of fact and another on Saturday)..and I believe sign ups are still open.

The one that starts tomorrow is from a Yahoo group called Mystery Lace. It is free to join! The designer said to pick a white, pastel, or light color..and mentioned a bead option. I love me some beads! This is what I am planning on using:

Now this next one I am REALLY excited about. This is another Mystery from Goddess knits and it is for a Spring shawl. I went all out for this one, check it out:

That would be three skeins of MMMMalibrigo lace and again..BEADS! Saturday is going to be a good day let me tell ya!

And finally, another KAL I am excited about, although there is no fixed start date as of yet. The theme is already known for this one. And after hearing the theme I had to join. Want to know what it is? Casablanca...one of my favorite movies.

I chose a white yarn, after all Casablanca means white house. And the beads have a purple base to them but have other colors mixed in with them as well. They look like jewels. And correct me if I am wrong but doesn't Casablanca take place in Morocco or some city that makes you think of rich colors and jewel tones?

Yeah, I am going to have busy fingers..but I am loving every minute of it! I am hoping to have time to work on these and also get crackin on some UFO's/ WIP's.

K, enough blabberin. Time to wind some yarn and get busy on Clue 4!

What can I say? Except thank you.

2008-04-16T23:16:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all who responded to my last post. Whether or not I got back to you, your words and love meant so much to me.
I guess for the most part I really, really needed to work through some things, and learn how to forgive myself and others.
This past year I went through so much, (personally and otherwise) and it took a lot out of me. But through adversity comes growth and I am happy to say that I have pulled out of that black hole and I am now standing on firm ground with my face towards the sun.

I am not saying that everything is roses. Life is never like that. You have to know true sadness to feel real joy. I know I am waxing poetic here..and badly at that..lol. but I guess I am just trying to convey a little of what I have been learning.

So again, thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you cared...even if we have never met. =) I love you all.

I have a lot to share with you..knitting and otherwise. I have some good news, and some sad news...and I am tempted to just blurt it all out in one long strung out post..but I will save those things for another time (tomorrow and the next few days hopefully!)

Until then may your needles be sharp, your yarn drool worthy, and your gauge spot on everytime!

Realizations

2008-01-05T00:59:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when people reflect on the past, and then look to the future. Many of us make resolutions. We resolve to stop (or start) doing something. But how many of us actually live up to these promises we make to ourselves year after year...after year?

Sure, some of them are fun...like knitting resolutions..but what about the more serious things we all hold inside of us? The secrets? The pain? Dare I say it????

The baggage.

Does anyone ever resolve to try and let go of some of the crap they got hidden inside? Or is it all about the superficial.

(Ex: Instead of getting help for my depression I am going to resolve to lose weight this year).

Now sorry, I don't mean to offend. But I know I am not the only one trying to avoid my real issues.

Because lets face it, everyone has baggage of some type of another. Some of us have a small carry-on, while others of us have the matching 5 piece designer set. (Yeah, I'm the latter.)

For a long time now I have been known to say, " We all have baggage, we are just looking for those who have matching luggage." Cute huh? What a great way to make lite of something that in reality can be quite serious.

I am sure you are all saying, "OK, OK, Mel..would you stop trying to bring us all down? Give us some happy knitting pictures, or tell us a funny story."

I will get to that, soon.

But for now, I want to come clean about some things.

This past month I have had a lot of time to think. And when the New Year came around and I was going to sit and do my resolutions..I realized I couldn't. I was to fogged up in my head. And I knew I had to find some clarity before I could make plans for my future.

So here go's nothing...from here on out peeps, I am shooting from the hip.

I have avoided this blog because I don't have anything positive to say, and I can't lie anymore. It's hard enough to put on a game face in real life..I don't have the energy to lie on my blog as well.

The truth is..I am sad. I am lonely. The people I have called friends for the last 8 months (or so) are for the most part idiots. They are the type that will suck you dry. You give and give and give..and they only want more. Never thinking to give in return.

And I realize it is out of my desperation, my NEED, to not feel alone and to be accepted, that I have allowed these negative influences into my life.

I have lost myself. And to be honest, I don't know if I ever really found myself in the first place.

I have pushed away those that truly care about me. And I am so ashamed of myself that people who could be good for me? I close off from. I worry that if they really knew me they wouldn't like me anymore.

I do think I am a good person. I know I have a good heart. I get told all the time from people how much they appreciate my positive, spunky, self-assured attitude (enter game face here). And yes, that is who I WANT to be.

If only I could let go of some of this crap inside of me. If only I could stop doing things that made me feel bad about myself, just because I didn't want to be alone.

So yeah, lately I have had a lot of time for self-reflection. I got the nasty head cold that everyone has been talking about. And believe me, it sucks.

But it's more then that. I spent Thanksgiving with one of the "friends" I talked about above. I spent Christmas alone..til I went out later that evening. I spent New Years at work..and there was no one I wanted to kiss at midnight. Although trust me...that night is a story in itself..when I feel more upbeat I might share it with all of you.

And I don't want to be alone anymore. I don't want to push away the positive influences that come into my life. I don't want to be scared anymore.

I want to believe in myself again.

I want someone to believe in me.

Shit guys, this "getting in touch with your feelings" crap really sucks sometimes.

I miss B. I was not going to say that, but I know I need to. He has always been my friend, my confidante, my cheerleader..even after we broke up.

I knew if I needed him for anything..he would be there.

But not anymore. I miss him more then words can say. I hope he is happy and doing well in his life.

B, if you read this? I miss you my friend. And I am sorry.

Hello? Can anybody hear me?

2007-12-01T21:09:00.000-08:00

Despite what you might have thought, no, I am not dead.

Life has definitely kicked me around some this past year, and boy could I tell you all some stories! But, well, it's not really worth the retelling..at least not for now. But let me just sum up and say THANK GOD I am no longer 30!

The day of my 31st birthday I woke up so peaceful. And ever since I have been able to hold on to that feeling.

Sure life is still crazy at best, but at least now I can see the humor in it all. Or at least I try. =)

Part of the reason I have not posted in a while is because my computer is a piece of crap. It crashes on me all the time. I would love to get a new one but there is this thing called rent and car payment that just seem to be more important..but so far, so good tonight.

Hold on a sec...I need to find some wood to knock on.

K, lets see if that does the trick.

So yeah, hi!

Despite my lack of blogging I have been doing some knitting. Actually I have been starting a lot of knitting..but I have not finished much. Maybe this blogging thing will make me be more responsible...I did update the sidebar, did you notice?

However, even with my knitting ADD..I did finally finish the My So Called Scarf:

Ain't she a beut? Now that it is finished I love it. The Malabrigo is soft and warm. This scarf has been worn many times already this season.

Knitting it on the other hand? It got to be quite the chore by the time I attached the 2nd ball. I think I need more of a pattern to keep me interested.

And, I have another FO to show you. This is another store sample I did for Ben Franklins. Forgive me, I don't remember the yarn..and I am too lazy to look it up.

They were a fast knit. I usually do my socks on size zeros, but these were done with sizes 2 and 1. They seemed to just fly off the needles!

Despite my best intentions to make the stripes match, the yarn decided that would not be the case. Oh well, I tried.

Now, this next bit..well..I try very hard to not succumb to the craziness of Christmas knitting. But a dear friend/coworker was expressing her desire to learn to knit better, and was telling me how much she would love a scarf. Well, what would you do?

But since she is a coworker..and there are only 7 of us total for the front of house staff..plus the owner...I realized if I was going to do something for my dear friend I should probably do something for everyone else as well.

I am not sure if the 3 boys will get handmade stuff or not...depends on how much time I have left after the girls gifts..maybe I can crank out a few hats in the final hours..but no promises.

Here are the first 2 Christmas WIP's:

Look familiar? This is the Backyard Leaves Scarf from Scarf Style. This one will be for my lovely friend. It's more intricate, but I know she will appreciate it. And the yarn is a wool/acrylic blend that is sooooo soft.

This second one is just flying off the needles!

This is a multi directional scarf made with Noro Silk Garden. I am much further along then this picture shows. I hope to have this done in the next couple of days.

I am also hoping to make a pair of Lake Park Gloves and a Skull Illusion Scarf. Cross your fingers for me k?

And now, for something completely different! Guess who is addicted to the Mystery Shawl KAL's?

I have yet to finish one of the shawls...but I just love joining up for them. I am bound and determined to keep up with the latest one.

The first clue was released earlier today..and guess who blew right through it?

That would be moi. This Mystery is supposed to have a snow theme..the first clue was labeled "snowflakes", can you see them?

Yeah, so that is what I have been up to (knitting wise anyway).

But, what I would like to know is how are YOU doing?

(By the way, the comp crashed once while I was writing this post..could be worse)

I must be some kind of a Super Nerd!

2007-07-21T13:51:00.000-07:00

Look what I got:

Don't be hatin'! I promise not to tell you how it ends....as long as you promise to do the same. I am afraid to read or watch anything because I know some dumb ass will give it away.

Me? I am many things, but dumb ass is not one of them. =) (Well, not usually anyway).

So I am taking the day to read some HP..and when I am ready for a break, I have this to distract me:

The Mystery Stole..am I the only one doing it in a lighter color? There are beads on it, maybe if you click for big you can see them.

All the while I will be drinking this:

A nonfat, no whip, peppermint mocha......yum!

So yeah, I may have gone out late last night, had a few drinks, crashed at my friend Erin's house, woke up feeling like poo, and looking worse...but did I go home and take a shower and rest up a bit? Nope, I went sans shower, in clothes from last night, with last night's hair and make up to Starbucks...and then the Barnes and Noble...yep, I am THAT hard core..

But you know what? There is always someone that is going to be a bigger nerd then me:

Exhibit A: Exhibit B:
(This is a friend of mine doing his "happy dance". No, not for the new Harry Potter, just cause he's an uber dork.)

And with that, I feel much better. Time for a shower and then I got a hot date with a young wizard.

Gettin' My Groove Back

2007-07-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry y'all. I know it has been a long time.
You probably have given up on me, and I can't say I don't blame you.

There has been some changes going on in my life...some more difficult to adapt to then others. But I am here, and I am going to try and make it up to you. =)

I have not been doing much knitting at all until lately.

However, I did manage to finish up my Dulaan items..but I did not get them mailed in time. Oh well, I am sure they will be appreciated for next year. I will post pics of them soon.

In other knitting news, I have WAY to much on the needles. My goals are shot all to hell. But I am OK with that. Hopefully I will get some things on the FO list soon. You know how it is, I know I am not the only one.

I too succumbed to the lure of the Mystery Stole, and after a crazy hunt for a small enough crochet hook to get the beads on, I have begun. I am half way through the first clue..and I am addicted. Again, pics soon...promise.

Also I started Fifi with The Sexy Knitters Club. I am not that far into it, but I am loving the yarn (Rowan Calmer) and the pattern.

And of course, there are socks. I have the Twisted Flower Socks,(going very slowly), the Victorian Lace Socks (from the 6 socks KAL), a pair of Sidewinders, and some plain socks in Austermann Step on the needles.

And if that was not enough? I got my invite to Ravelry...I am not even going there yet...I know once I do it will be all over for me.

So how are YOU doing?

I'm a Groupie!

2007-06-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

I will get to the whole "groupie" thing in a minute...but first....

I finished the Round 6 Sock Madness socks! These were the socks that got me knocked out of the competition (and a good thing too! I was getting a little crazy there for a while. =) )

Here is the bottom view of the socks, yes they are patterned on both sides!

And here is the top view:
I am not really sure which sock I like better. I think the top view looks better with the more pink sock..but I think the bottom looks better with the more brown sock. Oh well, they are super cool all the same. I don't think they will get much wear, but I love looking at them in my sock drawer!

I used Lorna's Laces Chocolate and Pretty in Pink for these beauties.

OK. So on to the groupie part of the post (warning, there is yarn pRon ahead!)

I have been having a rough time lately, and earlier this week I decided to do a little retail therapy. Some people buy shoes and makeup..I go for the good stuff, sock yarn!

If you knit socks, (and if you don't you really should! They are so much fun!) you probably know about a little online shop called The Loopy Ewe.

If you do knit socks, and you have not heard of The Loopy Ewe, go there NOW! I love, love, love this store. And Sherri (Ms. Loopy herself) could not be a nicer person no matter how hard she tried.

And fantastic customer service! I ordered my yarn on Wednesday, and it got here today. And that is how it always is when I order from her.

And the yarn? Well, I will let that speak for itself:

From L to R: sKNITches Bebop sock in Woodlands, The Knittery Merino Cashmere sock in Forest Moss (eat your heart out sockergirl!), Wooly Boully in Beneath the Cherry Trees (this stuff is so darn soft!), and finally Claudia's Handpainted in Peppermint Mocha. (It's my drink of choice, I had to have the yarn!)

By the way, that customer service I was talking about? Well, with the first 5 orders you place with the Loopy Ewe, you get a little gift. I am not going to tell you what they were, but they were all very cool.

When you place your sixth order with them, you become a Loopy Groupie...guess which order this was for me? ;)

And look what I got:
Is that not the cutest tote you ever saw in your life? Plus the soak samples, I have been wanting to try that.....and the Opal yarn? Wow!

I have been eying this particular Opal color for quite some time. How did Sherri know that? It makes me think of Harley Davidson for some reason..or a tiger.
Once I get socks made with this yarn you know what I have to do right? I got to buy me a pet tiger and I got to buy a Harley..I have to coordinate don't I?

Anyway, can you tell I am one very satisfied customer?

Oh, and if you don't knit socks...she also sells amazing lace weight yarn!!!!

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

2007-05-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-05-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-05-14T18:31:00.000-07:00

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

2007-05-12T20:47:00.000-07:00

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)

2007-05-07T23:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2007-05-02T23:34:00.000-07:00

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..

2007-05-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

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

To Whom It May Concern..

2007-04-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

Dear Sir or Madame,

This weekend I competed in the 5th round of Sock Madness.

This was the hardest round yet. Although in my opinion the socks are lovely..the pattern had me pulling my hair out..
Seen here are the lovely cables that go down the heel (a nice touch..but the directions to do said heels were as clear as mud!)

After 3 1/2 hours of sleep and a lucky day off when I thought I had to work...

I finished my socks!

This now puts me in the Final Four..I have won the novice division and must now venture out and compete with the experts.

God help me!

I realize now I have a problem. I want to stop, but I can't. Please send the men in the white coats to get me...I will go peacefully.

Thank you,

Melanie

This, That, and the other thing..

2007-04-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

Wow! Thank you so much for all the nice comments on the tunic! I really appreciate all the feedback.

After spending some time reviewing the pictures and the actual piece, I must say that overall I am pleased with it. Very rarely do I like the way I look in something when I first put it on, this includes "store clothes"...my original reaction is usually "ugh!". It takes a while before I realize that yes, indeed, I look rather nice in this shirt/pants/etc.

And I wanted to apologize for the, "does this top make me look fat?" comments. That is such a stereotypical thing for me to do. But, I wanted to give you all a little background as to why I am a little obsessed about my weight, so please bear with me. I need to do this for myself as well as for everyone else. If you don't want to read it..please feel free to skip ahead..that's totally OK.

First off, I know I am not "fat'. But believe me when I say that I know what fat is.

I used to be more then 100 pounds overweight. No, I do not have any pictures to prove it..and even if I did, I would not post them on the blog. Even harsher, the period of my life when I was that overweight was the last few years of high school. Yeah, it sucked.
But then I got rid of the weight...and for most of my twenties I was a skinny little thing. And I got lots of attention, it was fantastic. Well, at first it was fantastic..then it got a little excessive.

At my smallest I was a size 4/5. I was skinny. I thought I looked great. And I want to say right now that no, I did not have an eating disorder..at least I don't think I did...I was not always wise in my eating habits, but then, I never have been.

Then when I was 27? 28? I got sick. Real sick. I was dizzy all the time, I had no energy. I could not do any of the things "normal" people did. I was going to school full time, working part time, and trying to manage the household duties (trust me, it was a big house! =) ). But I ignored how bad I felt physically, and instead became extremely depressed because of my limitations.

And then one day I was working a clinical at the hospital, and I nearly passed out in a patients room. Thank God I was with an attendant who noticed what was happening and took control of the situation.

That day I went to a doctor..and had the scare of my life.

She told me I was severely anemic. That my hematocrit was so low that she recommended I get a blood transfusion, and also wanted me to see a specialist right away. I was in shock. I asked if this was a "big deal'" and she said "yes".

It was not until much later that I realized she thought I had cancer. I did go to a specialist. I did not get a blood transfusion,(I felt really weird about getting one) but instead spent an entire day hooked up to an I.V. having iron pumped into my body. That was fun, let me tell you, especially when my skin turned an orangish color and my complexion went to hell for a couple of weeks after that. I had to have a gazillion tests and procedures done. I did not have cancer.

What I had was a body that did not like to create or absorb iron.

So now, I take (or try to take..I am horrible about it)massive doses of iron every day. I eat lots of protein and iron rich foods. And for the most part, I am healthy. And that is terrific.

However, I have gained some weight. About 30 pounds or so..maybe more, I refuse to get on a scale! =) And although I never want to go back to being that sick..it is a little hard to think I will never fit into those size 5 jeans again.

But maybe, with a little more exercise, and a little less french fries, shakes and beer..I can get back into those size 10's. But I am not going to obsess about it. Not anymore. Because I honestly believe that as long as I am healthy and happy..that should be enough.

And I think everyone else should feel that way too.

OK, now on to some lighter topics. Look what B brought home for me:

Aren't they fantastic? I love them!

But wait, there's more! Look what they do to the water:

(Yes, I know it's the food coloring they use on the flowers...but still..it is so cool!) I am easily pleased,.

And finally, some knitting content, with a bit of Scrappy thrown in. What, you thought I would do a post and NOT talk about knitting at all?

This is an update on the store sample mitered shawl I am finally back to working on. It is now officially at the half way point. I have just been knitting through the skeins, letting the colors fall where they may..still, that's a lot of yellow..it will be interesting to see what happens with the rest of the shawl...

Oh, and last..but definitely not least, are my narrowed down picks for the next round of Sock Madness. Round 5 can you believe it? (GULP!)

Yes, I know this picture looks different then the others..I was playing around with flickr trying to get you a picture you can click on..and I think I succeeded.

possible picks for round 5 top view

So give it a click and check out the cool notes I put on it. I am getting more and more computer savvy with each passing day!

I am not sure about this...

2007-04-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

For better or for worse, I finished the tunic.

I want to like it. I really, really do. And yes, I know I am finicky and that very rarely am I pleased with anything I make....I will let the pictures speak for themselves (mostly).

This first picture was taken at the mall. Notice the lighter violet ribbon..this is the only pic with that color. I don't like the way the ribbing is sagging in the middle of the back, maybe I need to re block it?

My photographer was too much of a dolt to say, "Hey, pull your under shirt down in the back, you look like you have this HUGE fat roll!" This is the best picture I got out of him. The rest were either me making stupid faces, or almost indecent pictures of my chest area. (MEN!) Hence it is the only one you will see of the violet ribbon and the merry-go-round.

So I fired my photographer, and went home to take the ever popular bathroom mirror pictures. At least this way if the pictures are horrendous there is only me to blame.

Ahhh, now these look a bit better. At least all my roles (real and imaginary) are under control.

Speaking of rolls, check out the bottom right of this picture (HA!)
And I changed the ribbon to a black velvet one ( my original choice)..and just tied it on one side. (Trust me, the cutesy little violet bows on each side were a little much)

I wish it was a bit looser in the bottom area, and a bit tighter at the top. I guess I could fix this by shortening the straps..but I am not sure how to fix it without messing up the whole thing (The straps are cabled as well)

This last picture, surprisingly, is my favorite. I don't think I look too fat, and the top seems to fit me just the way I wanted it to. I think it is how I am standing, I here this is the most flattering way to pose, and I guess I just proved it!

I did wear the top to my Knitting Guild meeting...with the violet bows and all...and I did get lots of compliments on it, but you know, they are knitters..they have to say nice things!

I just felt so self conscious walking around the mall (the meeting is held in the community room there)..I felt like everyone was staring at me and thinking to themselves, "What in the hell is she wearing? The poor girl..doesn't she know she looks like a complete idiot?" But of course, this is a normal feeling for me when I wear my handknits out in muggle public.

So from what you can see, what do you think? Honestly? Which ribbon do you like better? Do I look like an idiot? Do I look like a fat pig? Do I look like I am about 5 months pregnant? (I am not, I promise you)..although secretly sometimes I wish I was..tick tock, tick tock...you know!

I think I may wear this one, I just need to give it a little time (and buy a better bra!)

My "Little" Secret

2007-04-21T21:34:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I finally had a day off. And I still have a few hours to go!
It was lovely. I sat on my butt and worked on my tunic, and lo and behold:

I finished the knitting and the pieces are blocking.

I have high hopes for this project. I am a little concerned about the gauge. (As always). I knitted to gauge, even a little smaller, but the stitches still seemed a little "loose". And I really had to stretch the hell out of it to meet the blocking measurements.

I am sure it will be fine. At least, I hope so. If nothing else, I will just need to wear a dark garment underneath.

All that needs to be done now is a little seaming..and a little shopping for some ribbon to thread through the eyelets. Yeehaw!

So now, I Must get back to that store sample I should have finished weeks ago. Woops.

I took it with me last night to Ya-Yo (Yarn Yoga), which is the knitting group at the storefor which the sample is being made. (Wow, now that's a sentance!)I dutifully worked on it..even though I really wanted to finish up the tunic back. I felt bad that it was not finished yet, but the yarn manager did not give me any flack about it. She just complimented me on my work thus far...so, it's all good.

I just better have it done before the next Ya-Yo..or I am going to lose some serious face! =) (I have nothing to feel bad about, I always get stuff made for them lickety split..and B is working on a store sample as well....and he is much more in the dog house then I am. But then again, he is making a blanket out of a furry yarn all in seed stitch..the poor man!)

So that is next up on the knitting agenda. As well as Sock Madness round 5..pattern release is this Friday. I am working that day, so I will get the pattern late..oh well. I am also still working on the mystery shawl..I am now on clue four (I will post on this soon!).

Then I hope to resume work on the Forest Path Stole, and hopefully whip out the Argosy scarf, the 2nd Jaywalker, and the My So Called Scarf that has been languishing in my bag.

I am really trying to truck through these WIP's. There is a whole lot more where these came from! But I am also trying to get my projects done for Dulaan, as well as bust out a few baby hats for Sophia. Oh, and lets not forget all the KAL's I have joined...or all the patterns waiting in line to be cast on....

Wait. Stop. Chill! Does anyone else do this?

Well, if you are still with me after all this rambling on, I guess I will reward you.

Many inquiring minds have asked where my new job is at. Until now, I have not revealed this little tid bit because I wanted to have permission first. And now, I have it.

I work at Little Knits. Have you shopped there? If not, you should. Check out those prices! And why yes! We do ship internationally.

So what are you waiting for? You know you want to browse the site, possibly even pick up a thing or two while you are there. And hey, if you do place an order..tell them Melanie sent you, k? Make me look good people! =) Who knows, maybe I will be the one to pack your order!

Zonked!

2007-04-18T15:12:00.000-07:00

That's me at the moment.
This working thing is kicking my butt! I am loving it though. It is a lot of fun and a lot of exercise..and we all I know I could use more of that. =)
And it is very interesting to be on the other side of the on line ordering business. I have been a customer to many of the lovely on line yarn shops, and I had no idea the work that gos into filling an order. I got a whole new respect now people!
It is funny, the owner thought things were going to slow down now that we are nearing the warmer months..but nope. Not at all. I think all of you are spending your tax returns on all the wonderful sales we have going on. Oh and buying up the new Fleece Artist Sea Wool, and some of the new lace weights (and I can't say I blame you!) So things have been crazy busy there since I started. I feel like I have been thrown into the deep end, and I am not sure how to swim. But I am being told I am doing a good job, and it is a hell of alot of fun..so I am relishing in the crazy busy, ass over teakettle schedule I have right now.
I can't believe I am going to say this...but even the old job is not that bad right now. I think it is because it is not my sole bread and butter anymore, and that allows me to take it less seriously.

But yes, I am exhausted. I am working more now then I have done in a long time. But it feels good.

I just wish I had a little more energy so that when I got home I felt like doing something. Right now it's all about sweats and tivo..and maybe a little knitting if I can handle it.
Last night I was working on the back of a tunic (seen below) and there is a row where you twist stitches..you know..k2tog, then knit the first stitch again, then slip off the needle.
Well, I kept knitting the stitches normal across the row, and I had to frog back not once, but THREE times because I kept forgetting to do it. LOL.
I am hoping I will get into a better groove. I am really missing my knitting time. Right now I am lucky to get an hour a night before I am too tired to do anymore. Of course, I could still be recovering from the last round of sock madness..that was crazy!

But yes, there is still knitting going on over here. Not enough, but I still have something to show. If you look at the side bar you will notice I have a Mists of Avalon project that I have been promising to reveal for a while now. The reason it has taken me so long to reveal it is because I switched projects. I was planning on Making Lady E (from scarf style), and I started it (and I love it!)..but then this caught my eye. And considering I need to have my project finished by April 27th if I want to get in on the prizes, I decided to make the tunic.

So here is the front. It is not as purple as this picture would have you believe. It is more blue then this. Maybe Cobalt Blue? Sorry it has been a long time since I played with crayons.

I am using Knit Picks Andean Silk in Hyacinth. And you know what? It is really nice stuff. (And no, I am not working for Knit Picks! I guess I better stop advertising for the competition now shouldn't I?) =)
I think it is very cute, and it is knitting up rather quickly. I am hoping to have all the knitting done by the end of this week ( I am about 1/4 of the way through the back)..but we will see if that happens.
More detail for you..cuz I like the details. Yes the reverse stockinette side is the right side, and the twisted stitches I was talking about run up the lower body. It is looking rather small, but I did get gauge so I am hoping blocking will make it all lovely.

Oh and here is a picture for Miss Scarlett:

This my dear is an Apricot Weizen, and hot damn it is yummy! Even if my friends make fun of me for drinking it. They say it is not a "serious beer". =) Oh well, more for me! See, here in the Northwest we are very serious about our beer (and our wine!). Yes there are those people who drink Bud Lite and Pabst..but they are usually shunned in polite society.

I think you can get Pyramid in stores all over the country (don't quote me on that)..and anything with weizen in it is bound to be good. As well as anything with "nut brown", or "oatmeal stout." If anyone decides to come to Washington or Oregon for some reason..do yourself a favor and check out a few breweries/ wineries. You will not regret it! Oh and the food at those places tend to be good as well.

And this last picture is for Jo ,who is also my next victim..err competitor.. in sock madness. (Yeah I am talking all big and bad right now. She will probably have me for lunch!) She says I don't show enough pictures of my feline friend. It's not that I don't like posting pictures of her, it's just I don't want to bore you all with them..and I don't want to copy what others have done.

Although now that Scrappy knows she is a star, there is no living with her. That is Scrappy in MY knitting spot (notice the heating pad and the mass of pillows!). The little booger thinks it is HER spot now. Especially if the heating pad is on.

Hmm, I wonder who is going to win this little battle, it BETTER be me!

Oops! I did it again!

2007-04-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

My sincere apologies if that song is now stuck in your head. I understand how frustrating it is. It has been going through my brain for two days now.
And all because of this:

Round 4 of sock madness.

The pattern is called"Mad Weave", designed by Tina Loren. It is so flipping cool! I have to say it is totally my bag baby!

I tried to get a good shot of the pattern. But alas, this is the best I could do. You could always check out the Flickr group to see more wonderful versions.

It's a hell of a lot of fun to knit. To get the weave effect, you have to wrap stitches, slip them for a few rounds, and then drop them off the needle (like doing a cable) while you knit other stitches, then pick them back up and knit them...a little scary, but SOOOOO neat!

Along the sides of the sock are a twisted stitch pattern. This adds a whole other dimension to the design. I like how it gos all the way down the heel, and then splits to travel down either side of the foot.

Love it, Love it, Love it!

Only one problem though....

They are a little big.
OK, a lot big.

Well, 74 stitches, size 0 needles, and Claudia's Hand Painted ( a thicker fingering weight yarn), what do you expect from me? I think I need to knit for the circus..these would fit an elephants feet!

Ah well, they sure are pretty.

Oh and if you are still with me..why the Oops? Well that is the colorway silly!

And the "I did it again" remark?

I lived to see another round. I am in the top eight baby!

And by the skin of my teeth too. I really thought I was going down this round. Linnakat was ahead of me the entire time.

I was ready to admit defeat. I knew it was over when I saw she was on the gusset of her second sock, and I had not even started the heel flap on my 2nd one yet.

But I persevered. I may not be able to win, but I wanted to see how close I could get to her.

I kept hitting refresh, waiting to see her finished socks picture. And as I got to the last few rounds of the foot, then reached the toe..and still no picture from her..I thought, "hey, I am still in this!"

So I got my e-mail ready to go. All I needed to do was upload the picture when I had it. I madly kitchenered the toe (without even looking it up, and I did it right!), wove in the end, snapped a picture, sent off the e-mail, posted the picture to the group..

And I won! And not a moment too soon. Linnakat had her finished pictures up less then five minutes later.

Talk about a photo finish!

OK, so now, I am celabrating with a Pyramid Apricot Weizen (yummy!). Looking forward to my first day at my new job tomorrow..I am a little nervous, but more excited then anything..I have my kittie sitting on my lap while I write this..I got my man sitting on the couch watching Conan on Tivo..and I am thinking to myself..

"What a great way to end a crummy week. Life is good!"

Little Earthquakes.

2007-04-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

That basically sums up my week...
If you are a fan of Tori Amos (if you are not, you should be!) then you know the song.
Basically (at least how I see it anyway)..a "Little Earthquake" shakes you up, shifts you around, pulls you out of your comfort zone, and sometimes can "rip you into pieces".
And so much has been going on behind the scenes here at chez stitchinwench. I feel like I have been ripped apart, tossed around, and then glued back together by a three year old.
Earlier this week a blogger friend lost her sweet kittie. My own professor scrappy meowsnshitz is getting on in age. I believe she is about 15 years old now. She is my baby. She has been through so much with me. And although I know someday she will leave me, I can't even begin to think about it.
So of course this week she gave B and I quite a scare. Acting out, meowing in loud and pitiful ways (she hardly ever gets vocal), and being very sluggish. She seems to be back to her old self now, but I am still keeping a close eye on her. The reality of her mortality has been very hard to face..I hope I wont have to encounter it again soon.
Work has been a fright. I don't want to go into details..but there have been a lot of changes in the past few months, and in my opinion, for the worse. I just can't wrap my mind around the decisions the owner has made. We are heading into our busy season, and I do not feel that he has set his staff up for success. His "improvements" have made every one's job three times as hard, and the customers are suffering for that.

But today my friends, a new light has been shining down upon me.
Today I got a new job.
As of now, I am going to work both the current job and the new job part time. Just so that I can get a feel for the new job, and the new job can get a feel for me.
I am extremely excited about this change. I am not sure how into detail I can get..but let's just say that I will be working with yarn. Lots and lots of yarn. In fact, the next time you place an order on line..depending on where you order..I may be the one boxing it up and shipping it to you. And..who knows..there may be some designing in my future.
(I am a little scared about this, considering I have never designed anything before. But I am also very excited..I know I can do it if I tried.)
So my friends,the little earthquakes that happen in our lives are not all bad. Sometimes we need to be torn down, so that we can rebuild and be stronger and better. And hopefully happier.

Now on to some fun news. Sock Madness round 4 starts tomorrow. I can't believe I have made it this far! I have my work cut out for me this round though. The person I am against is FAST! We have been neck and neck finishing socks thus far in the competition. And I know she is not going to be taking a vacation or working or going to a fiber festival. She is in it to win it, just like me.
The yarn specified is another variegated. The original was knitted with Claudia's Hand painted..LOVE IT!..so I will most likely use this yarn:

Claudia's Hand painted in the "Oops" colorway.

However, this lovely yarn has been wanting to be knit up for a while now. Please forgive my nasty rewinding..the yarn is rather fun and "spunky".
This is Socks That Rock in the Blarney Stone colorway...and considering who I am up against..I could use all the luck I can get. (heh, get it blarney stone..luck..duh!)

Of course, I will make my final decision when the pattern is released sometime between 5 am and 9 am on Saturday.

Me? Up at 5 for some silly pattern? YOU BET YOUR SWEET ARSE!

My Pal is Better Then Your Pal!

2007-04-07T21:38:00.000-07:00

So neener neener!

I love packages. I love them so much that if a certain amount of time gos by and I have not received one, I will order something off line just to get it delivered.
The "something" is usually yarn. But books, wine, beer, magazines, cross word puzzle books..etc. have all fed the addiction. OK, I guess magazines and cross word puzzle subscriptions are not really "packages"..but they are something to look forward to.
(Speaking of magazines, I subscribed to Vogue Knitting and have not received the new issue yet. Hmmmm.)
But I digress.

A couple of days ago I got an e-mail from my pal letting me know she was sending me a package. So I did what I always do. I stalked the mail box, I checked my doorstep 15 times a day. (Because I live in a "split" house, I do not have a doorbell..)..Whenever I heard an automobile drive by the house, I checked to see if it was the good old UPS truck...

I had today off. I was recovering from The Madness. I spent the day drinking coffee and reading Mists of Avalon..great book, only have 100 pages left..and also working on the new clue for my Mystery Shawl KAL. (I will show you progress later this week. Promise!)
It was a sleep in until 11, lounge around in my pajamas all day type of day.
Now, the mail does not come by here until late afternoon. So I had not thought to check it. Imagine my surprise when B comes home from work at 2:00 and walks in with the mail and a package.
Needless to say I was excited. I squealed and said. "It's from my pal! It's from my pal!." B just laughed at me. I snatched the box out of his hands and ripped open the package (not before noting that the package came from Texas..my pal lives in Texas, that is so cool!), and squealed again.

This is why:

That would be a cute white sheep tape measure (how did my pal know that I have a fetish for cute tape measures? Yet, I did not have this one yet. Sweet...)

And those needles? Totally cool They have measurements on the needles. So swatching is a snap. That is really neat, I have never seen that before. B wants them. I told him he can't have them.

And then she sent me Knitting on The Road. This book has been on my Must Have list for a long time now, and now it is mine. Those of you that have this book know how wonderful it is. I want to make just about every sock in it.

And as if that was not enough, she sent me some beautiful yarn. 550 yards of Superwash Merino Wool from Fearless Fibers in the "Chocolate Pink Cherry" colorway. And trust me, this yarn is as delicious as it's name. But with fewer calories. And it smells good too!

But now I have a tough decision to make. Which pattern from Knitting on the Road do I pick for this yarn? Oh man, if all decisions in life could be like this one!

Thank you pal! Thank you very, very much!

YOU ROCK!

Not My Bag Baby!

2007-04-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

So I bet you all are wondering what yarn I chose for Round 3 of Sock Madness.
The overall consensus was to use the Yarn Pirate.
And I thought about it. I really, really did.
In fact, I grabbed all the yarns and reswatched with all of them..and I just was not happy with any of my choices.
So I dove back into the stash and grabbed some Trekking XXL. I have that in droves. I grabbed color # 106, swatched, and decided it was the chosen one.

All that stress, for this:

Now, far be it for me to pass judgement. I have never designed a pattern, and we all have different tastes...variety is the spice of life after all..but the last time I wore socks like this I was in grade school.

Ok, Ok, maybe it was Junior High. I do recall a time when white cuff socks with lace trim were all the rage to wear with high heels. Usually with white tights...and the legwarmers were optional. It was the 80's people, we all did it..don't lie!

But those days are over for me.

It was really hard to get through this round. I just did not enjoy the knitting at all. What you don't see is underneath the cuff there is 35 rows of 2x2 ribbing...ugh!

My "real life" friends (who shall remain nameless) took one look at the pattern and decided to drop out of the competition..I can't say I blame them..but that also made it a little hard to persevere.

Oh, and don't forget I was competing against someone I really did not want to knock out of the competition...

Many people like the socks..and I think that is great. This is just my opinion. And I am sure stuff I like other people would find hideous/gross/ridiculous. For example, my love of dipping my french fies into my shakes. (Yum! You really should try it!)

I also must say that part of the fault is the yarn I chose. I could not get more "5 year old wearing her new Easter socks" if I tried.

See?

What would you do?

2007-04-02T20:32:00.000-07:00

So the next round of Sock Madness starts on Wednesday.
This round has thrown me for a loop.
I totally thought I knew who I was going up against this round..but the hostesses decided to shake things up a bit and pair us up differently then we all thought they would.
So now, I am going up against someone I consider a friend. (Hey Kellie!) And although the competition is all in fun.. (that's how Kellie and I made friends ;)..and she is just one out of many wonderful people I have met.)..it is hard to feel competitive when whether you win or lose..you are going to be disappointed.

In the famous words of the late Crocodile Hunter...Crikey!

And that is just the beginning of my woes.

Wait hold on a second.....

B just pulled out the worlds smallest violin.

OK, now that we have the sad mournful music in the background (just pretend alright?). I will tell the second thing that has my panties all in a bunch.

The freaking specs for this pattern.

"gauge: 7 sts. per inch on size 1 1/2 needles with fingering weight yarn."

The gauge and the needles size make sense..but how the hell do you get a good fabric out of that yarn weight? I know I am not the worlds tightest knitter...but seriously? So I thought, "OK fine..I will just use a 2mm needle instead. " After all, going down a needles size or two is nothing new in my book.

Oh and here is the real kicker:

" 2 skeins used..each about 280'ish yards per skein".

That's alot of yarn my friends.

For further clarification we have been told that the designer used big skeins like this with "plenty left over"..and the person who test knit the socks did hers with Lorna's Laces (215 yds. per skein) and also had "some leftover."

Could anyone out there please clarify to me what "some leftover" and "plenty leftover" means?

When we first got the supply list I did what any dutiful competitor would do. I burned a hole in the credit card buying yarn.
And I totally thought I had this one under control.

I bought a skein of Schaeffer Anne (560 yds per skein)..and thought I was golden.

I absolutely love this yarn. I have been looking forward to knitting with it ever since I saw it at The Loopy Ewe website.

The problem is that I am getting about 10 sts. per inch on the 2mm..which would totally slow me down..and also make too small of a sock. And I am not all that happy with the fabric I am getting. I think to be absolutely satisfied with this yarn, I would need to use the dreaded 000's.

OK, so the Anne is out. Right?

So I started to think about other yarns in my stash. Stuff that is categorized as fingering weight, but is a bit thicker.

So I pulled out the Claudia's Hand painted:

For those interested..this is the Oops! colorway.

And then I went for the Socks That Rock:

This colorway is called Blarney Stone.

I get absolutely beautiful fabric with both of these yarns. My gauge is about 8 sts. per inch on the 2mm, so a little off but not too bad. I would not go up to the 1 1/2 size needle though..because again the tension would be too loose for me. And considering that socks are usually a tad bit too big on me, the gauge and fabric seem perfect..so why not just pick one of these right?

The yardage.

STR has 360 yds. per skein. Which would mean I would have 180 yds per sock.

The CHP has 172 yds per skein.

That is a far cry from the 280'ish yards per skein that was posted. And I am not sure if either of these would give me "some leftover" or even enough to finish the socks.

I can just see myself getting 2/3 of the way through my 2nd sock at 3:30 am and realizing that I am OUT OF YARN!

So..I guess these are out as well??

Next up, the good old Lorna's Laces. This is what was used to test knit the socks..so I should be totally fine in the yardage department.

And even though my gauge is off..it gives me an OK fabric with the 2mm's.

(Sorry for the bad picture. This yarn is impossible to photograph.)

I guess this yarn would be the most logical choice. But I am just not all that jazzed about using it. I love Lorna's, but there is nothing "special" about it..for me anyway..and the colors are pretty, but, well..I just feel "blah" about it.

And trust me, when you are trying to knit a pair of socks in less then two days..the last thing you want is to feel "blah" about your yarn choice.

So here is my final option. Final because this little dilemma has occupied way too much of my time, and I refuse to dive into my sock stash again. ( I say this and realize that my stash is sitting right next to me..and I have been pulling out yarn at random through out writing this post, hoping one of them will say "pick me, pick me! I am PERFECT!"..Nothing yet.)

OK, here is my final option..and after doing a search..I think this one might be saying "Pick me!"
This sexy little number is Yarn Pirate in the Sonoma colorway.

I adore this yarn..this is the yarn that sits out on the table so I can enjoy its loveliness. This is the yarn I pet when I need soothing.

Now I originally thought there were only 400 yds. per skein, but after the search I just did I believe it is a whopping 480 yds....that is a huge bonus! I think that would allow me to have "plenty left over".

And on size 0's I am getting a nice fabric..not as tight as I would like..but doable. Again gauge is totally off...I am getting about 8 1/2-9 sts. per inch...but I still think that would be alright..(it just would slow me down a little bit..but then again..all my choices will do that.)

So maybe this is the one? I would marry this yarn if I could. And I believe it deserves to "grow up" into something spectacular..so my concern lies in the fact that I don't know what the pattern looks like yet. Will it be worthy of the Sonoma?

Please help me, I am in meltdown! Forget global warming..forget the starving children in Africa. Forget the Iraq war and the terrorists! THIS IS SERIOUS! I can't decide! The fate of the world..I mean my socks...rests in your hands. Don't fail me now!

What would YOU do?

Selfish

2007-04-01T21:21:00.000-07:00

I am having a hard time writing this post. Let's just start with that OK?

For a long time now, and I mean long..like years here people..I have been jealous of other people.
It seems everyone around me drives a Beamer, or a Lexus, or some other massively expensive car.
In "normal" neighborhoods, houses are being bought up left and right, torn down, and gargantuan monstrosities are being built in there place.
Woman who are old enough to be my great-grandmother have faces that look like onions, and breasts that look like cantaloupes. Now that I think of it...the men do to.
In my town, it is all about appearances. It is all about the toy's. It is all about who has the most stuff.

And I can't help but be taken up by all that.
Here I am. Driving a VW Bug (which I love), trying to go to school (not right now..no way can I afford it even if the government says I can), and living in a shoe box because rent is ridiculous and you can't buy a house for less then $400,000.00 (and that is a fixer upper!)
And I work in a job where I am reliant on the afore-mentioned people to pay my bills (tips). Funny how so many of those people get real tight in the wallet when it comes to a tip...hmm.

So yeah, for the past few years..I have been jealous, envious, resentful of "the Joneses". It's been ugly.

I have been ugly.

And I have been blind.

With knitting, I have done some charity stuff. I have donated a few dollars here, a few chemo caps there..but I never really gave a thought as to where it was actually going...

Until now.

I don't know if anyone who reads this knows about Dulaan. It is a charity that sends clothing (and other stuff) to Mongolia. I can't even do justice explaining it, so I am not going to even try. You should really check this out and read more about it.

In a nutshell:
Mongolia is Effin freezing. There is no government. Many children are homeless. Most people do not have warm clothing. It's pretty ugly any way you look at it.

But what set this charity apart for me.

Pictures. The pictures Ryan posted on her blog of these people, these children.. it hit me in the gut.
I have been so self-absorbed.

Here I sit with a roof over my head and a full stomach.
I have electricity, clean water, and warmth.
I have a closet full of clothes, a kitchen stocked with food. I have reliable transportation. I have a steady job that pays the bills..barely..but it does still pay the bills. :)
And I have entertainment. TV. Music. The Internet. Books. And yarn..did I mention the yarn?

Why is it, with all that I have...I want more?

This little sweater you see here, it is the first of 5 items I have committed to send to Mongolia for the Dulaan project.

It may not look like much, but it is the most amazing thing I have ever made.

While I was knitting this, all I could think about was the child who will be wearing it someday. A child I will never meet. I will never know there name. But this sweater will keep them warm. It will allow them to go to school. Who knows, it may save their life.

I was crying when I finished seaming this sweater up. I never want to forget the lesson I have learned from all of this. A lesson in humility.

I have so much. I am blessed beyond measure. And I am Thankful.

I Love A Good Mystery!

2007-03-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

A long while back I discovered Goddess Knits and her amazing shawl pattens. At the time I found her I was interested in her Shawl A Month Club.
For once I resisted temptation and did not join.(Although I strongly hinted to others how great a gift it would be..no one got the message.)
Now I am really bummed because she stopped doing it.
However, I noticed something called a Mystery Along on her site..and discovered that periodically she does a Mystery Sock and A Mystery Shawl KAL.
The deal is:
You pay $3.50 per KAL and join the Yahoo Group.
Once a week, for 5 weeks, you receive a new "clue", in the Shawl case it is a new chart and instructions. And if you keep up with the knitting.. in 5 weeks you have a new shawl (or sock).
I was a little late to the party on the last one..so my first shawl is not done yet. However, I have seen many finished and the results are amazing!
Each shawl is different. The last one was a circle (this one), and the current one is a Shetland Style triangle. (You knit the triangle from the bottom center up, and then do a knitted on border..Cool!)
I am learning a lot of new techniques and having a blast! I love that I have no idea what the outcome is going to be, and that you can only do so much a week. (And as we all know that is a good thing for me!)
This time around I got in at the very beginning of the KAL, and I plan to keep up with the clues so that this time it truly is a mystery.

So I picked out my yarn:

Knit Picks Gossamer in Rose Garden (wild isn't it?)

The first clue was released last Saturday..and I promptly got to work:

Unstretched Stretched

I'm thinking it looks rather Tiger'ish. Not to sure how crazy I am about my yarn choice..but since this is a Mystery I am going with it. Don't get me wrong, I love the colors, just not too sure about the whole striping thing, I am hoping it will get better as the shawl gets bigger.

We get the next clue tomorrow. I can't wait to see it!

It ain't much, but it's somethn'.

2007-03-28T23:48:00.000-07:00

Remember this picture?

That would be my progress on the Forest Path Stole as of 2 weeks ago. But now..look at this!

Big difference don't you think?

What? You can't see it? Here is a close-up shot of all the progress I have made:

That would be 2 full rectangles, A triangle and a partial rectangle in action.
I know you are gob-smacked.
At this rate I should have this done in time for my 40th birthday...And 10 years might be pushing it.
So, remember about a week ago when I said I had a plan for my WIP's? Well the plan go's something like this...concentrate on one big project, and one small one, before moving on to another project..Amazing concept don't you think?
But anyone that knows me knows that I can't do it. But I am going to try.
How about this..for every three projects I finish (as of now), I get to cast on a new project. I still must do my UFO per month, and a Sweater per Month..but that will be added into the afore-mention plan.
The only exclusion to this rule is Sock Madness, and store samples.
I think that is do-able.
I shall now go organize my sidebar into priority of projects.
I'm weird, I know. You don't have to tell me, I am well aware of that fact. =)

Breakin' The Law

2007-03-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

Although "Jaywalker Craze of 2005" is done and gone, the pattern seems to just keep growing in popularity.
About a week ago Grumperina announced that over 500 had been made (and that is only the ones that she knows about.) Wow!
So of course, I had to find out what all the fuss was about.

No, those are not holes you see there..I am not sure what it is..probably light reflecting off something..yada yada. I never did understand physics.

What we wont do for pictures! This is my foot propped up on the fridge. I was trying to get a good picture of the sock without showing off my very white, very hairy legs. Hey it's still March, talk to me in April..maybe I will have shaved them by then. =)

Anyway, I am really liking the way these are knitting up. The pattern is fun and easy. And what it does for the yarn? YUM!

There is only a slight amount of pooling in the foot. And I think that is a result of only doing the patterning on the top of the foot,while the bottom is in stockinette. But hey, I can deal with that.

These are somewhat slow going because I keep getting interrupted by other things..like store samples, sock madness, Dulaan knitting, Forest Path Stole, etc.etc...but I am loving every minute of it.

I very rarely do a project more then once, but I am already thinking about other yarns in my stash that would look great in this pattern. People say Jaywalker's are addicting. I can understand why.

Oh BTW. These are the socks done on the 000's and they are being done with Socks That Rock lightweight..I misplaced the yarn band so I don't remember the color. I hate when I do that! Hopefully a little cleaning will help me find it. If anyone knows the color, give a shout out OK?

Oh and if anyone is wondering where to get the pattern..here it is:

http://magknits.com/Sept05/patterns/jaywalker.htm There is also a variation for toe-up, larger sizes, and baby Jay's on Grumperina's blog as well.

Until next time...

America's Next Top Model

2007-03-26T13:38:00.000-07:00

OK, I know that there are a lot of cute babies out there. And I know that I may be a little biased considering I am her great-aunt..but ..

I think Miss Sophia Claire gets the grand prize when it comes to the cuteness. and what a sense for style she has!

She is already such a girly girl. Check it out:

She already understands the importance of fantastic footwear.

(She has a pair in every color..made my her Great Grandma)

She wears all the latest fashions:

(The ever popular Peapod set..all the cool babies are wearing them.)

She knows how to pose for the camera.

(Have you ever seen a baby model a blanket a like that? Me neither. She's unique.)

Gerber baby watch out! There's a new kid in town!

And you know..if she decides modeling is not her thing...

She could always be a lion tamer:

Or a boxer. Look out!

Welcome to the world baby girl! We are all so excited that you are here!

Satisfied!

2007-03-25T23:58:00.000-07:00

I feel kind of bad.

For the few regular readers I have..I bet this Sock Madness stuff is getting kind of boring isn't it?
Please bear with me. I promise I have other stuff to talk about..it's just this thing kind life keeps getting in the way of my blogging time. And so when I do blog..it's about the madness that has taken over (kind of.)

Anyway, this is how I spent Thursday night, and ALL DAY Friday:

With the professor next to me almost the entire time.

And I wonder why I have gained 20 + pounds this last year..but I'm happy..(er).

So here they are:

This is my tried-real-hard-to-do detail shot. Didn't work so well did it?

Well, they are really cool. There is a spiral that wraps around the leg, an eye of partridge heel (my first time), and a stockinette foot. Oh and the cuff is way cool as well..It's called an "oblique rib".

The pattern is called (mad)tini socks..hence why this next picture is my feet posing with a martini shaker. Now if only I had had some vodka on hand..I could have used a stiff one after that marathon knitting session!

A reminder: the yarn is LL in Camelot (nicknamed Snickers) and I did them on size 2 Knit Picks Options Magic Loop Style.

Guesstimated time from start to finish??? Around 30 hours. Yeah baby!

And that my friends..is why I am satisfied. The Snickers did me well.

ROUND 3 HERE I COME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(oh, and by the way...my niece took some adorable pictures of my grand niece Sophia. A more photogenic baby I have never seen. And the best part..in some of them she is posing with my hand knits!..Tune in tomorrow!)

Locked And Loaded!

2007-03-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

I got the coke. I got the candy. I got the ready-made food.
I got Ice cream (Neapolitan sandwiches and slow-churned yellow cake batter).
I got beer.
Was going to buy myself some "incontinence pads" (Depends)..but I thought that might be going a little too far....=)
Hey that astronaut lady did it!
Oh man, did I just say that? Sorry all, I don't mean to offend!

I got the yarn wound and ready to go..and I swatched. Holy moly! I got gauge on the recommended needle size..well, there is a first time for everything!

The yarn is Lorna's Laces in Camelot. Exclusive to Angelika's Yarn Store..(this place is great!) But as I have already said on Flickr...it reminds me of Snickers..damn..I forgot to pick some of those up..you know I am going to crave them!

But the most important thing I did to prepare?

I stocked up on the drugs.

Round two of sock madness begins tomorrow. I am competing against a woman in Japan! How cool is that?

As B just said, "East vs. West..It's a battle to the death". That's a little dramatic don't you think? Oh, he just amended his statement, it is now "A battle to the cuff/toe."

My competitor has had some issues getting her yarn for this round..I feel kind of bad, like I should wait until she gets her yarn so it's a fair fight..

But, then again..we were all given the supply list weeks ago..and they say all is fair in love and war... (she did order her yarn, but the post people screwed up and she never got it..total suckage there!)

I have so much to talk about. But I am going to save them for later posts. Got to make you come back for something!

BTW, Debbie, if you get this far..I am still working on FPS. Slowly but surely....the madness and store sample has caused a bit of a glitch in my progress..but I still love it!

I'm a sucker for store samples.

2007-03-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

So I went to Yarn Yoga (the cool kids call it Ya Yo) last Friday. When I got there I saw a table full of yummy yarns and cool patterns that needed to be knit for the store. Not only do I get the joy of knitting with these awesome new yarns..I also get store credit for them.
So even though I have more then enough on my knitting plate, I couldn't resist. It's mitered squares for God's sakes...the ones that you attach as you go..and they yarn was so cool I just had to snatch it up!

See for yourself:

The yarn is Plymouth Boku. It's 95% wool, and 5% silk. It is very similar to the Noro I love so much, but at a fraction of the price. ($6.99 for 99 yards).

( Wow, that is a much darker picture then I thought it was. Sorry about that..click for big.)

I really like working with it..But I have to say that I still love Noro more. The colors in the Boku are much more subtle. And I am anything but subtle. =)

Still, I think this is going to be quite spectacular when it is all done.

Six squares down, Thirty eight more to go!

This is going to be my #1 knitting project for now, along with the Sock Madness craziness.

Trust me, I know I need to get a handle on the projects, (I have not even begun to talk about that new project I started last week...), But, I think I have a plan.

Famous last words.

Still Waiting...

2007-03-15T18:10:00.001-07:00

All that craziness of last weekend with the sock knitting. I finished Sunday..it is now Thursday, and we are still waiting for 2 more people in my division to finish.
Don't get me wrong, I am not picking on anybody. My division is the "novice" division after all. And even though I may be considered a novice by the amount of socks I have completed..the ones I have made thus far have made me quite experienced.
I have done both cuff down and toe up socks. I knit lace, I understand cables, I know how to read charts. I have done color work. etc. etc.
And I get that many of my team-mates/competitors are brand new to the joy of socks. I am cheering them on whole heartedly....

It's just hard to be patient when this is staring at you:

Begging to be knit.

I know they will all get there day..but well..the wait is hard.

So go, go, go my fellow novices! Turn those heels, do that extra repeat, kitchener those toes..(or if you are doing them toe up) bind off that cuff!

At least I have a few things to distract me (see side bar)..but they are not keeping my attention. My heart is all about the madness right now.

I even started a new project..I know, I know..to try and get some excitement around here..it's OK, but I feel guilty about all the other stuff OTN's. And to be honest, I am having a really hard time concentrating on anything. All I can do is sit for small periods of time with one project or another, before I get up to check the stats of the competition once again.

It's official, Sock Madness really does cause madness..at least for this knitter.

It Has Begun..

2007-03-12T17:47:00.000-07:00

I signed up: Sock Madness 2007

I chose the yarn:

(Crystal Palace Bamboo Cotton in Fern and Sprite Green)

I Knit:

And knit some more.........

I finished!

And I had more then enough yarn left over..even though I had a last minute freak out and almost swapped for different yarn.

I did these on size zero Addi's in Magic Loop.

Started March 10th at 6:30 am (yes that's correct)..and finished March 12th at 12:30 am.

Other contestants finished these in a day..the first pair were finished in about 7 hours. Now that is CRAZY!

Good news........I am on to the next round.

Right now, I am tired. But that was SO much fun! I am really pleased with myself that I finished so quickly.

I work well under pressure..maybe I need a competition for all my UFO's...

Excited? Who me?

2007-03-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

Not at all.
Just because Sock Madness starts tomorrow, and I have been looking forward to it since November, is no reason for me to act like a kid waiting for Christmas.

It's not like I have yarn for ALL 7 patterns lined up and ready to go..or that I have had that done for over two weeks. Nope, not me.

Err, well. OK. Maybe I did..but it's not like I ordered more yarn (Apple Laine and J Knits) from The Loopy Ewe just in case I was not happy with my solid color choices. (The Regia and Frog Tree.) Nope, not me. I am the queen of self-control.

Wait..I think I just heard the Mailman........

False Alarm. OK where was I? Oh yeah. I am the queen of self-control.

Alright FINE! I did order more yarn from The Loopy Ewe. And I have had the yarn selected for over 2 weeks, and I am acting like a child who can't wait for Christmas.

And you know what? It feels great!

So the yarns you see above are

At top:STR (the wound stuff)..not sure of colorway, I need to dive for the label..and Yarn Pirate in Sonoma. I am still not sure which one is going to make it into the competition. The STR is ready to go..but that Yarn Pirate is screaming at me!

On the Far Right: Schaefer Anne in The Strawberry Fields Colorway. This is stuff is HOT! And I have a whopping 560 yards of it. I can't wait to see the pattern designated for this yarn.

Next the the Schaefer Anne: Lorna's Laces (of course!) sport. In the Camelot colorway. I could not resist considering I am also a member of the Knitters of Avalon KAL.

In the middle: The blue is Regia Silk, and the red is Frog Tree Alpaca. These 2 will most likely be replaced by the last minute yarn purchased from..you guessed it..The Loopy Ewe!

And finally on the far left: 4 skeins of Crystal Palace Panda Cotton. There has been some buzz about this yarn..and now that I have some and have swatched with it, I can understand why.

It's soft and springy and the price is definitely right. Plus the cute little skeins are adorable. Everything about this yarn says "happy" to me.

And that is why I am so happy that my first socks will be done with this yarn.

I am thinking the green combo: (Fern and Sprite Green).

But if these colors are not contrasting enough for the first pattern..then they will be saved for a later pattern. (We know there are 2 patterns calling for a skein each of solid and variegated.)

So here is my back up..no flash because that yellow is hard to photograph!

The colors are yellow (duh) and college prep.

Plans for today:

Get yarn and needles set for the 300th time.

Set coffee maker to go off around 6 in the morning (pattern e-mails around that time.) What can I say? I am hard core!

Work on FPS and Jaywalkers

Set up my Books on CD.. I have One for the Money, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and The Secret Garden all set to go,and I am currently listening to A Confederacy Of Dunces.

Read some Myst's of Avalon

Get ready for my hot date with B tonight. Dinner at a new restaurant, and a play.We are so cultured!

Thank goodness I have a hot date with B tonight..otherwise I think I would positively burst with anticipation!

Yo Ho Ho and a Bottle Of...Wait Where's the Rum?

2007-03-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

Guess it's time to restock the cabinet. Yeah, like we have a cabinet..more like the shelf above the fridge..you know what I'm talking about.

So here is take 2 of the We Call Them Pirate Hat. The first one was so huge it fit me like a flapper hat. ( I spared you the pictures of that fiasco.)
But I was bound and determined to get it right..so after a few yarn and gauge issues..I came up with this:

Modeled by the Lovely B of course.

I ended up using Knit Picks Merino Style that I had in the stash..and a size one needle for the main knitting, and a size zero for the lining. Hey, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

Here's a top action shot for you. I tried to block it, but I just could not figure out how to get the top to be pretty. I think I may try harder tomorrow by wetting it and stuffing some bags inside to form the hat.

It was a fun project..my first successful foray into the stranded knit work world. It is very warm due to the wool ( I used it for the lining as well, it is really soft.).

However..I have a "thing" with hats (not all hats just some..they make me feel like my head is getting squashed and give me headaches.) so I think this is going to be for B. He seems to like it, the hat is still on his head while I write this.

So now what..look out Alice Starmore 'cuz here I come..yeah, riiiiiiiiight.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

2007-03-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

I don't know who said that, but whoever it is must have been a crafter. Because who else could understand that quote better then us?
About a week ago I said that I took the Forest Path Stole out of time out, and then left you at that. But this week I feel I have enough progress to justify some pictures. I do love the pictures people, even if I am not the greatest at it... like some people.

So first we have a full view shot being modeled a la couch..

Yes, I finally got through those darn blasted triangles that were giving me so much grief..and I even got one each of the lace panels done.

Here we have the Birch Leaf lace:

I noticed another mistake in the chart for the birch leaves. The final right side row should be a slip 1 with yarn forward, k9, sl1 k2tog pass sl st over, k6, k2tog, k1 and then ssk last stitch of row with the 1st st of unit (if you have this pattern that should make sense.) This is for the odd numbered tiers..the even will probably be a little different.

And here is the Lily of the Valley:

Yes, this is the pattern that has the nupps that so many knitters dread. But in all honesty, I think they are fun. The trick is to do the yo and ktbl part very loosely, and then when you come back on the wrong side it is a lot easier to do the purl 5 tog (just make sure you got 5 loops..and not the yo's that are on either side of the nupp.) Again, if you are doing the pattern, that should make sense.

And finally, here we have the Fern lace pattern:

This pattern is super easy. I really don't have much to say about this one.

(The hands in the pictures are B's..is it just me that thinks it is kind of sexy to see masculine hands with the delicate lace?) OK, maybe I am weird.. I'll shut up about that. =)

So what do I think about this pattern now that I have picked it back up?

I LOVE IT!

I have to admit the mistakes in the pattern still have me a little peeved..(I forgot to mention the k3tog symbol that never made it into the chart key..it's in the charts, just not in the key..where is Sherlock when you need him?)..but now I think all the mistakes have been found and dealt with..and I have to say I am enjoying myself.

I like that each lace section is 20 stitches (more or less) and 40 rows. They get done pretty quickly, and then you move on to something different..it breaks up the monotony a bit.

Keep in mind that I am not even finished with tier 1 yet, check back when I am on tier 18 (there are 23 tiers in all..and 103 lace panels..jeesh!)

But right now, I am addicted to my FPS. I wish I could work on it solely, but I have been trying to finish other projects (FO Tomorrow!)..and guess what is starting Saturday?

Sock Madness!

Here, have a bite of this apple...

2007-03-02T16:06:00.000-08:00

It won't hurt you, I promise. ;)

It may look innocent....

But it is Wicked for sure.

Yes, I know this is not the most flattering picture of me, and the mess in the back ground is a little embarrassing..but please ignore that and enjoy the sweater will ya?

( In my defense this has been a rough week, and I'm not feeling well today.)

OK here are the specs for this one:

Yarn: Patons SWS,about 5 1/2 balls

Needles: KP Options Size 5

Time to make: Started February 1st? 2nd? Somewhere around there, and finished on the 26th.

All in all I really love the sweater..I just wish I was in better shape. Guess it's time to lay off the Krispy Kreme's and french fries. I will definitely be making one in black so I can wear it as part of my uniform for work...just got to make a little room for it in my knitting goals.

Tinkin' the day away..

2007-02-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Yeah, you heard me.

After finishing Wicked..(oh yeah she's done..and I love her! There will be pictures as soon as B gets home to take them. =) ). Where was I? Yeah. So after finishing Wicked, my sanity has been restored. I gained the courage to pick up the Forest Path Stole and rip out the triangle that went bad.
I am happy to report that FPS is now out of time out. After e-mailing with the designer, I have now got clear instructions on how to continue in the pattern. There is nothing to see as of yet. I have only tinked out the mistakes. It feels good to know that she is ready for action though!

But that is not the only thing that needs tinking. As listed on my sidebar I have been working on the Mystery Shawl (a Group from Goddess Knits.) Basically every week you get a new clue..totalling 5 clues. I got in on the action late..and so I am only starting clue 3, even though all the clues are out and many people have finished. So it's not really a mystery anymore..but I digress.
Anyway..I have been wanting to get some progress done on this because the new Mystery will be starting soon..and of course I am going to join..but I feel that I should have this one done before starting a new one.
So last night I got busy finishing the 2ND clue, and moved on to the 3rd, and quickly realized that I was 3 stitches short. I guess having 2 beers did not help matters any.
So I have tinked back 2 rows..and I am still coming up 1 short. I think I missed a yarn over somewhere..so that means tinking 2 more rows. Don't worry, I am OK. Believe it or not, all this tinking has been therapeutic.
Think about it, how often in life can you tink back a mistake you made? Never. You just have to learn from it and move on. Hopefully.
Wow. I'm like smart and stuff.

So here is the sum up of things. The mystery shawl is getting tinked. The FPS is back in action. Wicked is done. The Pirate hat is getting some love. And I started a pair of Jaywalkers. What? Did I forget to mention that?

And the one thing I am itching to work on? My Faina scarf..but I feel I need to finish up a few things first.

Oh crud..and March is a day away...that means new goals! And Sock Madness starts March 10Th.

Thank goodness I took the night off from work!

(Stay tuned..there will hopefully be a post on Wicked sometime this evening.)

P.S. Have you ever seen the word "tinked" used this much in one post? LOL!

Because I am too tired for pictures, you get this. =)

2007-02-27T00:49:00.000-08:00

The Secret Pal 10 questionnaire...I know you are so excited!!!!

(Hey, if you were my pal you might be!)

I'm not even sure if I am signed up for the dang thing. I was supposed to get a confirmation e-mail..but I have received nada so far. Or maybe I trashed it? Who knows.
So yeah, I am going to give the whole Secret Pal thing a try. It seems people love it or hate it..

Hi Secret Pal! (If I actually have one. =) ) Otherwise, Hi blogland!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Oh my...I guess I in this category I would have to say anything soft. I have been buying up sock yarn and lace yarn like crazy lately. I do prefer the natural fibers..but I don't mind acrylic if it's a "nice" one.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I have a needle storage "fabric envelope" that is overflowing at the moment..the rest are in a canvas bag. LOL

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I learned the bare bones of knitting when I was a kid. But I did not really learn until 3 years ago. I had a few people show me how..but it was not until I took a class and learned how to pick that I caught on.

I would say I am an advanced knitter. Anything I have not done, I am willing to try/learn.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Nope..not yet.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I like Jasmine, Magnolia, Vanilla, Coconut. And "clean scents." Not a big musk person or heavier smells (like Rose...I love Roses and their smell..just not on me.)

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Heck Yeah! Of course I love chocolate. Especially if it has nuts or other yummers in it. I also like jelly bellies..and I have recently learned that I really like treacle toffee.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I crochet..and I used to cross stitch..I say used to because I do not have the space to start that hobby again (although I still have all the stuff.)
I took a drop spindle class a few months ago..but it did not "stick". I did not pick up on it right away, and I did not learn everything (like plying.) and so I have lost interest. I would like to get a spinning wheel and maybe try another class that was a bit more involved...but until then..I guess the answer is no.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like all kinds of music, as long as it is not death metal or gangster rap. I am a big fan of Tori Amos, Dave Mathews, Regina Spektor, Carbon Leaf, Death Cab for Cutie..but let's put it this way, between B and I we own about 500 CD's.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I would say my favorite colors right now are pink and green..but I love deep reds and blues as well. And I really like pink and brown together. and lately I have been really attracted to purples.
But seriously, I have never met a color I didn't like.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I got one man..we call him B around here. And one master..I am the pet. =) She would be a cat and her name is Scrappy..or as B and I have nicknamed her...Professor Meowsenshitz.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

All of the above, except for ponchos...Wait, do mittens have the fingers? If not then I don't wear mittens..I wear gloves..but I could always try them out and see what I think. =)

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

What isn't? I love knitting socks, lace, sweaters, hats..never made full out mittens, or gloves..I would like to try someday..but I have done the fingerless mitts.

13. What are you knitting right now?

LOL. See side bar. A little bit of everything I am sure. =)

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Heck yeah! Do I look like an idiot to you?

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Circulars 1,000 %. Bamboo, plastic, and stainless steel all work for me..aluminum seems to be hard on the hands.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Doesn't everyone?

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Wow! Knitting or crocheting?
Knitting...probably about 3 years.
Crocheting?......uh 12 years maybe? LOL!

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Anyone where gifts are exchanged. =) I like Halloween too..although all the crazies have royally screwed up that Holiday. I don't even get any trick-or-treaters!

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Yeah, yarn, yarn, and yarn. And books, and dragonfly paraphernalia..beer, wine (but these last 2 usually disappear before I can call them a collection.)

Did I mention yarn?

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

I really have been wanting to buy Knitting on the Road and Sensational Knitted Socks. I have also been eyeing Lace Style, Fitted Knits, and Victorian Lace today.
I subscribe to Interweave and Simply Knitting (UK)..and just signed up for Vogue Knitting.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Hmmmmm. Let me think..all I can think of right now is maybe learning how to make gloves with the individual fingers and thumb. Or try out some of that crazy stranded Norwegian knitting ( maybe some crazy stranded Norwegian gloves? Hmm there's a thought.) I think I have tried most everything else. But I LOVE learning new techniques..so if you can think of something, feel free to hit me with it!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Uh yeah! Although I got no idea what my measurements are. But I wear a size 8..sometimes 9 shoe.

23. When is your birthday?

Early November. I am a Scorpio baby!

I promise,No muppets were harmed!

2007-02-22T19:20:00.000-08:00

So a while back I was reading a post by Knit and Tonic where she was talking about doing a search for fur yarn on the Internet.

Of course, this ensued major comments on her well being, etc. But in the comments is where I learned about a little charity event that Minestrone Soup was hosting.
She had put a call out for fun fur hats to be knitted for the Boston Children's Hospital. Seems that the kids going through chemo love the fun fur..it's all the rage.
And then Erica offered to send me some fun fur she had in her stash (since I had got rid of all mine.)..so how could I resist?
I knew there would only be so much "fun" I could have with the fur yarn, so I put out a challenge to my guild..and had a little contest.
For each hat a person made, they got their name in a drawing to win a skein of STR.
Then, my mom was up hear visiting, and she wanted to help out, so she quickly knit up 3 of these cuties.
As of this moment, I have 11 to send off..there might be a few stragglers out there...
And here they are:

They kind of look like gumdrops don't they?

Oh, and this next picture is for me to remember my beautiful Alina STR. It's really hard letting this go, but those darn kids are worth it!

(Besides....I know where I can get more if I REALLY need it =) )

Monkey'in Around

2007-02-17T20:26:00.000-08:00

They are everywhere in the blogosphere, just like I knew they would be.

But, in my defense, I did cast on as soon as I saw them.

So what if they took me over a month to complete? I finished the second one in less then a week. (Most of the second half in a day!)
These are going to my sweet little (not so little anymore) niece. who is leaving us to move to Canada to be closer to her fiancee.

Specs:

Yarn: Lorna's Laces in Mineshaft

Needle: Size 0 Addi done with Magic Loop Method

Started: Around Christmas, finished Feb. 17Th (geesh that's a long time!)

I love them, I want a pair for myself. I love me the Lorna's. And I don't care that they don't match..I think it is kind of cool that way.

So another project finished. I got a UFO, Sock a Month, and a Project Spectrum out of this one. (How's that for multi-tasking?)

(I do realize I need to step up my sock knitting if I have any chance of actually competing in Sock Madness!) Oh well, it will be fun no matter what!

Wicked Fun

2007-02-16T21:46:00.000-08:00

So after the crazy hijinks with the Forest Path Stole, I decided a little non-thinking, restore my sanity knitting was in order.

So I turned to the Monkey Sock (progress noted on the side bar..FO pics soon!), and my Wicked Sweater.

And what a joy this sweater is to knit. I love top down construction, don't you? The yarn is Patons SWS, and I have to say that I LOVE IT. It's, wonderfully soft, the colors are luscious, and look! No Pooling (at least not yet, knock on wood)

I took it to Yarn Yoga tonight, (my LYS version of S-n-B) and got a lot done on it. I am hoping to have it done by the end of the month. We shall see.
I am loving this pattern so much I am going to do something I never do..I am going to knit it again, at least once, in black so I can wear it as part of my uniform at work. I already have the yarn for it, just need to make the time!

I've got good news and I've got bad news..

2007-02-15T00:24:00.000-08:00

Bad news first.
The Forest Path Stole pattern I bought a month ago?

Seems I got a "special" copy. I got the one riddled with mistakes and clear as mud. Not only am I trying to attack lace AND entrelac..but I have to figure the pattern out as well? I don't think so.
I e-mailed with Debi tonight trying to figure out the discrepancies..but it is just a mess. I looked further on in the pattern and I noticed there were mistakes throughout the entire section I was working on.
I'm royally pissed. I can't believe a company/designer would send out a pattern full of mistakes. Maybe if it was brand new..but come on. This pattern was published in IK Summer 2003! You think they would have worked out the kinks by now.
(Obviously for those that have the magazine, they are worked out), but for me..and some of my fellow KALers I am sure..we get the added joy of trying to figure the damn thing out.
And because I am a bit obsessive and can't leave well enough alone, I have been trying to puzzle through this crap all night. Happy Valentine's B! =)
(He is sick, all he cares about is breathing right now. Poor baby.)
I have to blame it on the company that sent out this ridiculous excuse for a pattern. I have another pattern by this designer..the Faina scarf. Which I started today, but it was published by Fiber Trends and they always seem to do well with their patterns.
Yeah, maybe I am blowing this out of proportion. But DAMN! I have been so excited about this shawl, and was really looking forward to making it. And now, I don't know if that is going to happen. At least not until I get a corrected pattern (the magazine is sold out for that issue).

OK, well now for the good news.

This past week I got a lot of yummies in the mail.

The first to arrive was the sock yarn from The Heathen Housewife.

It's her own hand dyed and its incredibly soft. B loves it..I'm thinking he is hoping for some socks from this. We shall see. Thank you Shelly, and I am sure B thanks you too, since he will probably be the one who benifits from this lovely yarn. The dark choclate was SO yummy too, I must admit I did not share.

Then on the same day I received both of these lovely packages.

This first is from Lara. She was doing some destashing and I was happy to help her. You cant beat free! I only had to pay for shipping. Thanks again Lara!

This is 10 skeins of Filatura De Crossa Brilla. I am thinking of making the lace crocheted jacket from The Happy Hooker ( and also Stitch Diva) with this.

In fact, I am guessing that is what Lara planned on doing with it until she did not like the color (at least on her.)

Oh and last but not least:

The prize from Birdsong for winning the Hidcote KAL.

This ab-fab lace weight merino oro in a lovely light pink. I am not sure what it is going to grow up to be yet..but it's just delicious to know it is in my stash waiting for it's day. Thanks a million Birdsong..it is beautiful! And that Mocha Bar. YUM! B says they sell these at his work. I think i see more of those bars in my near future!

I may not be able to tell you what I am going to use this for, but I can tell you what it WON'T be. The Forest Path Stole! =)

Oh man, that whole FPS thing is really bumming me out. I sure hope something gets figured out there. =(

Anyone up for a game of checkers?

2007-02-11T20:18:00.000-08:00

It's finally finished. And I could not be more relieved!
It was an easy knit, and I am pleased with the results..but this project just seemed to drag on forever...and ever..and ever.
But, it is done. And I think the new mama will like it a lot.

Pattern: Baby Blocks from Knit Along with Debbie Macomber, The Shop on Blossom Street

Yarn: Bernat Satin

Needles: Addi Turbos Size 6

Time to make: Nov. 3rd 2006- Feb. 11 2007 ( I didn't get serious about this until the new year.)

Thoughts: Simple, easy..but very very pretty.

Here's a close-up of the border..which is also in a checkerboard pattern..just at a smaller scale.

For those not familiar with the story..I started about 4 different baby blankets before I decided on this one.
I had seen someone in my guild make this blanket..and I had my heart set on it once I saw it. Only problem was, I did not know where to find the pattern. Then after my 4Th baby blanket attempt, I saw the blanket hanging up as a simple in my LYS, and I jumped for joy!
So I bought the $13 book for this one pattern. Then when I started knitting it, I had a huge DUH moment.
This blanket is nothing more the a basket weave! I could have figured this out on my own! But instead I let it haunt me for months..and then dropped a pretty penny to get my hands on the directions.
Oh well. Even with all that, I think it was worth it.

Now, where is the Forest Path Stole?? Oh, and that Wicked Pattern?? And that Mystery Shawl?? And, And...

It's not easy being green

2007-02-10T12:37:00.000-08:00

Yeah, Kermit sure got that right.
The color green gets a bad rap don't you think? You have the phrase "green with envy" (where did that come from anyway? Guess if I really cared I could Google it..)..and then you got the whole green M-n-M thing (I remember my sister saving these in a jar to give to her boyfriend...that slut =) )..not that getting "turned on" is a bad thing..but it's not exactly in polite taste..and then to top it off, when you are sick people say things like.."Your looking a bit green today" or as my mom would say,"green around the gills."
Poor green. What did it ever do to us?
Well I for one am taking a stand! LONG LIVE GREEN I say. I'm gonna rock the green as much as possible.
It started with my blog, and then the Forest Path Stole, and now? Well now it's going to represented in my new project for the Faina Scarf KAL.
Check this out:

Isn't that sexy? That hot yarn comes from Joslyn's Fiber Farm and is called Shine. It is a 50% silk and 50% wool sport weight yarn..and I got 1250 yards of it.

It's so wickedly sick (that means divine in teen) I think I may have to unwind it and roll around in it for awhile.

I know your jealous..but there is more if you want it.

(Jealous, sexy, sick..maybe there is something to this green thing after all!)

Oh, and by the way..even with the mom here I have done some knitting. Most of it has been knitting and ripping out a new sock (my gauge is always too loose!) but I did manage to finish the first monkey sock and start the second.

B loves these socks..He wants them for himself..lace pattern and all. He insists it's a "manly lace". LOL. That man has no problem with his masculinity..well mostly, he wont wear pink. =) Too bad for him these are designated for my niece..I need to finish them right quick because she's moving to Canada at the end of the month. (SOB!)

Oh yeah, and after about 30 thousand try's, I think I finally found the right yarn and needle size for my Pirate Hat. We shall see when it gets bigger if it is going to fit....
That's it for now..I guess since it is already 1 in the afternoon I should go take a shower and get dressed huh?

Endings and Beginnings

2007-02-04T19:49:00.000-08:00

Well, look at this..

That would be a finished Peapod folks. I need to steam it once more..but it's done. I'm pretty pleased with it. This was my first time doing mattress stitch, and I think I did a decent job of it. It's not perfect, but it's not horrid like I thought it would be.

It's hard to tell (click for big) but the buttons are white with little frosted flowers on them. Fitting don't you think?

And now that I have shown you something finished..I guess it's OK to show you some of my beginning's.

Here is the start of my Forest Path Shawl. 20 rows of moss stitch on size 2 needles takes longer then you think it would! I think I'm about 14 rows in.

The yarn is called Emerald (I'm about 90% sure on that) and I got it from Handpainted Yarns. It is beautiful, and nice to work with. This was my first purchase from them, and I am very pleased with the price and the quality of stuff.

I love the needles as well..I want to say they are INOX??? They have a great bend in the join, and the tips are wonderfully pointy..and they are not slippery like the Options, or as clingy as the bamboos. Working with nice stuff makes all the difference in a project, don't you think?

And finally, here is the start of my Wicked, I just got through one repeat of the collar, but it seems like it's going to be an addicting knit.

The yarn is Patons SWS..I really like it. It's SO soft, and each of the color ways is more beautiful then the last. I chose the green/pink blend because they are my favorite colors, and they are very "Springy".

Hope you all enjoyed the Superbowl..and got to watch it in your PJ's! Yeah Colts!

I thought I had a virus!

2007-02-03T23:36:00.000-08:00

A computer virus that is, and maybe it was, who knows?
Wow, that was scary. I don't know about you all, but I use my computer every day...reading blogs, checking e-mail..paying bills..etc.
I felt like my left arm had been cut off today...I even broke down into tears once...
I guess that would explain why I was so obsessed with the computer that I tried a million things to fix it..and fix it I did!
That would also explain why there was little knitting done today (Peapod is still not seemed!), and why there are no pictures for you to see.
But, barring any natural, technical, or physical emergencies..there WILL be pics of Peapod finished tomorrow..not until the evening though since I am working in the morning..while all you get to cozy up with beer, hot wings, nachos and knitting to watch the "big game" in your pj's..I'll be standing around in a Very Quiet Restaurant hoping someone will come in and want to be served..(this girl needs to make some money!)
But I am not jealous or anything. =) Just need to get back on the ball with school and what-not so I can be a part of the "real world" as I like to call it.
So where was I before the rant? Oh yeah, tomorrow evening there will be finished pics posted on this blog, and if you are lucky maybe some pics of WIP's as well (although there ain't much to see yet..)

Ketch Up and UFO's

2007-02-02T22:02:00.000-08:00

That's how I have felt all week..like I am just trying to catch up with things.

Between my mother visiting and getting sick...my knitting progress has been shot to hell.

I did manage a few things though.

I am almost done with Peapod..just got to sew in a sleeve and add the buttons. Tune in tomorrow for finished pics!

I swatched for Wicked..not only did I do the 4" square..but I also washed it! Maybe I can be taught after all! I got stitch gauge but my row gauge is off..I think I am going to forge ahead and see what happens...

I tried to start the Pirate Hat..I tried to make one previously and it was WAY TOO BIG. So I bought lighter weight yarn this time..not sure if that was the best idea..and now I got to decide if smaller needles (like 0's) or different yarn is the best choice..hmmmm.

I started the Forest Path Stole, I am halfway through the seed stitch border. I am loving the yarn, needles, gauge and pattern thus far...woohoo!

I found the Mystery Shawl Yahoo Group...and joined. LOL. I started late so I am behind, but I am having fun so far. It's a round shawl and I have never done that before. I am learning a lot.

I tought/ am teaching my mother how to knit toe-up socks. I think she's liking it.

On the UFO front:

January UFO:
I have worked steadily on the mitered blankie..not a lot to show yet..but I have done about 6 squares this month. hey, it's something! My plan is to try and do a square a day..and maybe allow a bit of time on Sundays for it.

Horrible pictures as usual, that's what happens around here when you take your pictures at night with horrible lighting. (Seems that's how all my pics get taken. Sorry)

February UFO:

Monkey socks from Knitty using Lorna's Laces in Mine Shaft. I hope to have these done by the end of the month. One, so I can gift them to my niece before she moves to Alberta, Canada (sob!). And Two, I want to finish them for the Sock a Month KAL I joined..(oh yeah..did I forget to mention I joined that as well?)

I think that's enought to keep me busy for a while. I am still working on the baby blanket as well...although I have ignored it the past few days. It's very close to being done, but it just makes me sick to look at it...maybe tomorrow I can face it again.

Oh yeah, By the Way...

2007-01-29T20:03:00.000-08:00

I WON!
Not only did I win..but I won twice. Woot!
First. I totally thought Lauren had it in the bag for the Hidcote contest, seeing as she was the first to post a finished shawl. (24 hours before me). But she being the stand-up, noble person she is eliminated herself from prizes because she started early.
Now I don't know about you, but I am not sure I could be that magnanimous (big word I know..B suggested it..he's an English major.) Especially if the prize was of the fiber kind..and a free pattern from Mim. I would like to think I could be...but it would be darn hard to do.
So, yes, I won. When I get my prize yarn I will post about it. As far as a pattern go's (if I get a choice)..I think I will choose Seraphim. I have been eying that pattern for a while now. But I would be happy with any of her patterns..that lady has got some talent with the lace!

Second. The Heathen Housewife ran a little contest on her blog, and I was drawn for one of the prizes! Wowza's! Not only did I win..but I got my first choice from the spoils. She is sending me some hand-dyed sock yarn that she personally dyed herself.
Maybe I should go buy a lottery ticket before my luck runs out. =)

So in knitting news..I am SOOO close to finishing the Baby Blanket..but I just realized I have to do 12 more rows then what I originally thought...HMMPH! And the Peapod just got separated for the armholes. I still have hope though. However...

My mom is visiting from California, she just got here today. She's got lot's of people wanting her attention, (my sis and her family, and my other niece..plus all the other friends she's made on her visits up here), but I get her tomorrow.
I am not sure what all we will be doing yet. The one thing I do know is what we are having for dinner. My mom brought me a pizza, (which she vacuum sealed and froze), from my ab-fab favorite place in the whole world Chicago Pasta. It's the reason why the word "pie" is used for pizza..yum!

Out with the old..in with the new.

2007-01-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

So, as you can see there have been a few changes on this here blog. I switched over to the new blogger yesterday. I was not sure at first if I had made a good choice, because I was not able to post any pictures until now..and I had to sign in at least 5 times to access my account.

But now, all seems well. There are some cool new features which I will be playing around with..and with a little luck, maybe I'll have a blog like the "cool people" do.

On another note THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of your nice comments on the Hidcote. I am very pleased with her. If you have a desire to make one yourself you can join up with the KAL .
I thought I would want a break from lace after finishing this huge project..but I find myself itching for more...thank goodness the Forest Path Stole KAL is just around the corner.

Before I can begin the FPS though, I need to finish my January goals. I still have to finish the baby blanket and the Peapod set...and I am a little behind.
Why you ask? What a great question.
The other night I was working along on this adorable little sweater and realized that I was going through my yarn pretty fast..too fast. So I measured the garment and found it was 4" larger then it was supposed to be.
I did do a gauge swatch..but a half-assed one. You know the one where you knit a 2" square instead of a 4" square and hope for the best...one of these days I will realize that plan does not work for me.
So, I ripped it out. Both sleeves, and about 1/3 of a sweater worth..and restarted.
I went from a size 2 needle to a size 0...the pattern calls for a size 5..(did I mention I was a loose knitter?)..and all seems to be well now.
Look at the difference..here are the sleeves.

It was so hard to rip it out, but now that I see the difference..I am glad I did. This is for my grand-niece..and I want it to be right! There is no room for mistakes on this one.

I have both sleeves reknit..and I am now past the point where I ripped out the body.

There's a lot more done then what the pictures show..but I wanted to show how it is coming along.

The whole deal:

Close up detail of the lace portion:

And a sleeve:
It is going pretty quickly and I am sure I will have this done by Wednesday.

But I am seriously behind on the Baby blanket. I have ignored it the past few days even though I know I need to do a certain amount of rows per day to get it done...I am going to have to put Peapod away tonight and work on the blanket if there is to be any hope of getting it finished by February first.

Test Test

2007-01-26T22:57:00.000-08:00

Switched to the new blogger today..not sure if that was a good idea. I can't upload pictures, and I am not sure if this will even publish. GRRRRR!

Ta Da!

2007-01-23T19:32:00.000-08:00

So B and I were finally able to grab a few minutes to get some pictures of Hidcote. Granted some of them are not all that great..And I look pretty frumpy, but it's not about me, it's about the shawl.

Ahhh, so warm and cuddly. =)

Why didn't he say it wasn't centered?

I TOLD you it was big!

Alright already! Stop taking my damn picture!

And I saved the best for last!Payback's a Bitch, aint it B?

In an odd way, it suits him don't you think?

Finito!

2007-01-22T23:52:00.000-08:00

Hidcote is finished. I actually finished her on Saturday night, but was hoping to get some good "action shots" before posting.
Well, the photographer and I have not been able to schedule a time to get some good pics of her, so this blocking shot will have to do.
Isn't she pretty? I love it! It is quite large, I was a bit worried it may be too large. But when I wrap it around me it comes down to my knees, and the overall effect is dramatic. It is sooo delicious to wear.

Specs are as follows:
Pattern: Hidcote Shawl by Miriam Felton
Needles: KP Options size 3
Yarn: KP Shadow in the Vineyard colorway. Apx 3 1/2 skeins (can you say Cheap?)
Finished dimensions: About 9 Ft. Across the top edge, and 5 1/2 Ft. From center point to tip.
time to knit: Started late night Dec. 31st, and finished evening of January 20th.

And there you have it! My first FO of 2007, and I could not be more pleased!

With any luck I will have some better pictures tomorrow. =)

Like this surprises me..

2007-01-20T23:49:00.000-08:00

what about you? What kind of needle/knitter are you? Were you surprised by the results?

What kind of knitting needles are you?

You are "turbo" charged.Fast moving and classy, you get things done with power and grace. Your expensive tastes can be deceiving, since what you really value is quality and efficiency. As you're careening around those corners in life, finishing a dozen knitted objects each month, stop and smell the roses. Don't miss the beauty of process!
Take this quiz!

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By the way..Hidcote is finished! Updates and finished pics soon!

Tell me something I don't know...

2007-01-20T23:42:00.000-08:00

What Kind of Knitter Are You?

You appear to be a Knitting Guru. You love knitting and do it all the time. While finishing a piece is the plan, you still love the process, and can't imagine a day going by without giving some time to your yarn. Packing for vacation involves leaving ample space for the stash and supplies. It can be hard to tell where the yarn ends and you begin.http://marniemaclean.com
Take this quiz!

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Hidcote update...

2007-01-18T22:33:00.000-08:00

So we left off at chart 7.. I have just started chart 10. Holy bejeezus I feel like this thing is sucking the life force out of me. Don't get me wrong, I love it..But I would not recommend trying to finish it in 3 weeks.
The extra yarn I ordered came the day I was thisclose to running out of my last skein, I could not have timed it more perfectly if I tried.

So here is some more progress pics, maybe you are getting sick of them, but it is still fascinating me!

So here is after chart 8..

And this my friends is after chart 9..I think I have created a monster =)

(Scrappy thinks it is a new blankie for her. Who needs a kitty-pie when you can lay on mamma's lace?)

OK, back to work, even though I am on the last chart with 21 rows + bind off left (after finishing a gajillion), I heard that I am only 85% done with the shawl. ARGH! See what I mean about sucking the life out of me? I really, really hope to have this done by the end of the week. We shall see.

In other news..The sock blankie has seen the light of day again...The baby blankie got some action the other night..And the Peapod set...Well, that is going to be getting some serious love once Hidcote is done (if it ever is! =) )

I must be dreaming!

2007-01-13T22:51:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I must be dreaming if I think I am going to be the first one to finish the Hidcote. I have been knitting non-stop on this thing, and I have just finished chart 7 (out of 10). That's some damn fine progress if you ask me. But it is not going to be enough. There is one KAL member who is already on chart 9, maybe even chart 10 by now. Jeesh, I don't know how she did it. More power to her though. Anyway, I got a few things I wanted to talk about in this post.

The button and KAL situation.
The knit from my stash thing.
The UFO thing
Hidcote progress
Revamping of knitting goals

So there you have a brief little outline of where I am going with this post...Did I leave anything out?

Ok, first off. I am pleased to say I finally figured out how to get the buttons on the side bar. I have not figured out how to link them, but hey it's a start right.

Yes, I know that there are a crud load of buttons on there...And there may be a few more soon. I have a few more KAL's I need to join up with.

Why do I need to join up with them you ask? Well, cuz I justified a couple of yarn purchases by saying I would be a part of the KAL for its intent (like Arianne, and Deep V Argyle Vest). The vest could work for 2..The vest along (kind of old though so not sure if it is still active) and the Colorwork Challenge.

So yes, I have somewhat cheated on my yarn diet..But I am hanging on by a thread (no pun intended.) I still think I am doing well, but I have realized that if I want to buy/knit something, I look for a KAL for it, and then decide to buy yarn for it (before checking the stash..Bad girl!). I got to nip that behavior in the bud. As soon as I find a KAL for the Combo Corset T (as seen on Knitty Gritty, designer Annie Modesitt...Love her!), I promise, I swear I will be good!

Do you believe me? What's the date today? Hey, come on, I can do it!

OK, the UFO thing. There's this great idea that I am going along with which is that you pick up a newUFO every month and work on it(and keep working on it) so at the end of the year they are completed..Or at least in active status again. Considering all the stuff I have OTN right now, I decided this was a good idea for moi. Tonight I made a game plan of what I will tackle each month, as well as my Project Spectrum and Sweater A Month projects. I think my goals are quite reasonable..And I am a bit excited about it....

Now, the Hidcote progress...I know you are all dying to see my horrible progress pics. This sucker is getting so big it is impossible to photograph! I had to order more yarn (sigh) so I can finish it...I think it may be a blanket by the time I am done..But what a blanket!

Ok, so the last pic was me finished with chart 3.

Here's after chart 4:

And chart 5:

And chart 6: (this is where the pattern changes)

And chart 7:

I am hoping to have this done by the middle of next week...We shall see.

And of course, the last thing I have to talk about are my knitting goals for January. They are as follows:

Finish Hidcote (no problem)
Finish Baby Blanket (baby was born on the 5th, sweet Sophia Claire)
Start/Finish Peapod baby set (Sweater a Month KAL)
Start working on mitered sock blankie again (UFO)

If I am able to accomplish all that, I will get a head start on my Feb. Goals...I got a lot going on in Feb...Of course I would it is the shortest month!

Oh by the way, we got some snow up here...A darn lot actually. And although my experiences with it have not been all that fine and dandy..Some people had a jolly good time.

(I especially love the easy chair in the back...A guy sat in it and posed for B. He said they were going to make a real ice chest to go along side. Sweeeeeeeeeeet.)

Feelin' Lacy

2007-01-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

After just performing some major operation on the Hidcote, I have to say I am not as jazzed about writing this as I was earlier..Oh well. Things are all better now and she is waiting patiently for me to get back to her..So let me make this entry as brief as I can.

I started the shawl late Sunday night (around 10 or so)...and I got the first repeat and part of the 2nd done before I hit the hay.
And I spent a glorious Monday sitting on my bum and knitting away for the entire day and so I was able to get through chart 3.
Back to work Tuesday..So not as much progress, but good enough. If it had not been for my screw up and then dropping stitches while tinking (cuz I did not put a lifeline in) I would be through chart 4 and well into chart 5 today..But as it stands I am about 3/4 through chart 4.

Why the hurry?

Well, I am a bit addicted to this project and to lace in general
There is a prize for the first one finished in the KAL (yarn! and pattern from Mim!)
I am highly competitive
I want that prize
There are others ahead of me
I am crazy

Need I say more?

So for the fun of it, I have been taking pictures after each chart to get an idea of how much this baby is growing.

Chart 1:

Chart 2:
Chart 3:
Yowza's this thing is getting big. I got a feeling it is going to be huge!

And of course the close up:
Can't wait to get to chart 6, that is where the next pattern comes in to play.

OK, back to work! This girl needs to get her ass in gear!

A day late and a dollar short

2007-01-02T14:39:00.000-08:00

Ok, ok maybe it is 2 days late for those of you that posted your resolutions on the 31st...And I am more then a dollar short..But that IS how the saying goes.

A lot of people out there are doing this for the upcoming year..And after much inner struggle, I have decided to join up as well.. Of course I am modifying the rules a bit otherwise I would go nuts!

After much thought, here is what I have come up with:

I am not allowed to buy any yarn in the next year with the following exceptions:

1. I can buy yarn for KAL's, but must use stash yarn first if I have it.

2. I have some yarn I have been planning on buying (from Knit Picks) and so that is exempt..The only reason it was not bought before the new year is because I did not have the budget for it. (Placed order today). The yarn I bought is for KAL's anyway, so there!

3. As above, KP will not be carrying a yarn I need for a colorwork project until March..So I am allowed to buy that yarn then.

4. I am allowed to buy yarn to complete a project. (This does not mean I can buy 10 skeins of yarn for a sweater because I had 2 skeins in my stash originally planned for a small project.)

5. I can accept gifts of yarn, gift cards, or store credit for samples made, and use those to buy yarn.

6. I can buy patterns, books, and notions. But only if needed. (No more stitch counters damn it!)

7. I can buy yarn for charity projects (Dulaan) or for a gift (promised B a handmade something this year)..But I must start THAT DAY on it!
8. I may buy sock yarn..But not to exceed enough for 2 pairs or $50 a month..Whichever option is cheaper.

IF I can do this for 3 months I can buy myself a kit not to exceed $50. I am thinking yarn for the Einstein coat or maybe a shawl kit (like the Spider Queen shawl.)

IF I can do this for 6 months I am allowed to buy a Mermaid kit..Or something else around that budget $120 or so.

IF I can do it for a year..I get all of the above plus

A Bohus kit (have you seen Wendy's? Just to die for!)
Some handmaiden Sea Silk
Enough Rowan Kid Silk Haze of Alchemy Haiku to make a shawl.
One more small thing..To be determined.

To be honest, I think I can do it for 3 months, maybe even 6 months...But a year...That is going to be VERY hard. That is why the gifts are so big..Got to have something to work towards!

As far as knitting goes my goals for that are:

Finish all my WIP's

Take on 4 projects that I am intimidated by (i.e. steeks, Shetland lace)

Get to know entrelac more intimately..Thinking Lady E. and Forest Canopy shawl.

Make more socks! (lets say 10 pair)

Make something for B..I.m thinking the Durrow sweater.

Get at least 5 things made for Dulaan.

Finish the mitered sock blanket I promised to make for charity ( I don't know about the charity thing anymore.. I really love this blanket, and I would want it to go to a good home!) If I was able to auction it for a good price I would donate the money to a great charity..I was thinking about the Harlot's.

And that is about it.

In current knitting news, the Hidcote is in it's 4th chart and has taken all precedence over all other projects..I am addicted! I will post progress pics and go into more detail about it tomorrow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR by the way!

The Cast-on Curse

2006-12-30T13:47:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, I'm going to talk about it.

I know I am not the only one who has a few *cough cough* things on the needles. There are a select few who only do one project at a time, but I think most of us like to have a little flexibility with our knitting projects.
Yeah, that's all fine and dandy..But I think I may have taken it to a new level people.
In the last month, I have gone out to buy row counters and stitch markers a total of 4 times..Some of those visits consisted of buying multiples of afore mentioned items. I knew I had a fair amount of things on the needles.. So much in fact that my many, many row counters were getting used on multiple projects with me making notes each time I switched the counter from one project to another..And that my WIP's have accumulated into multiple bags and it has gotten difficult to find the particular WIP I want to work on at any given time..Thus I just cast on for another project..And the cycle continues.

I have gotten to the point where I am embarrassed to cast on in front of B, and I try to hide my new WIP's from him. LOL. I feel like an alcoholic hiding my booze around the house and taking swigs when no one is looking. Seriously, I think I may have a problem.
A while back I posted about my WIP's...Well the list has grown since then. So I decided the other day to sit down and plan out how I was going to finish all this stuff, and then make a vow to not start anything else until I had made a good dent in getting some of these projects finished.
I decided I would work on 2 projects at a time..One for home and one for commute..Until they were all finished.

So here, for your enjoyment, is my list..Read on if you dare.

Projects are listed in order of priority and commute vs. Home knitting.

1) Baby Blanket for niece Amber's new arrival (due in January) HOME
This thing has been OTN for about 2 months now, and its half way finished. Plan on finishing it in three weeks, (mid-January).
1) niece Heather's Monkey socks (last post) COMMUTE
One sock just past the gusset, one not even started..Plan is to have them done by January 7th....Not sure that's gonna happen.
2)Peapod Baby set..Again for Amber's baby. HOME
Sleeves done, body started..Giving myself 3 days to get it done..So we will say end of January.
2)Argosy scarf. COMMUTE
About a 1/4 of the way through. Fast knit..So I will say about 5 days to finish...So around the 12th of January.
3)Flower Basket Shawl HOME
Again OTN for a very long time..Seriously I should have this done by now.
Allowing myself 2 weeks to finish this one up..So early Feb. For this one.
3) Malabrigo My So Called Scarf...COMMUTE
Only just started..Estimating 3 days..hah! A girl can dream can't she? So we will say Jan. To finish this as well.
4)Fairly Easy Fair Isle..HOME
Started this during the blackout..It's on large needles with chunky yarn and I have about 6 inches done...one week...Mid February finish
4) Irish Hiking Scarf COMMUTE
Again barely started...But going to give myself a week to finish.
5)Shetland Triangle..HOME
This baby is barely even started..Think I have done one pattern repeat..I will say February as well and 2 weeks time to finish it.
5)Elfine socks..COMMUTE
Got the toe done on one pair..That's it, but man do I LOVE the yarn (Claudia's Handpainted) and the pattern. On 000 needles..2 weeks...Finish in February sometime
6)Kimono Shawl..HOME
Again, this is just started as well...3 weeks, finish in March
6)Linen Scarf..COMMUTE
1 week, finish in February.

What do you think? Is it doable?

All that, plus I got to find time to knit up 5 things for Dulaan..
and I am a part of the Sexy Knitters Club and our KAL is starting the first of the year and I am dying to make Wicked..

And then this happened..

The Hidcote Garden shawl KAL

oh yeah...Im screwed.

Edited to add: OMG! I forgot about the mitered sock blanket...which is ongoing..and needs a lot more attention! As soon as the baby gifts are out of the way (and the Hidcote is complete..there is a prize for the first one done =)) I will be working on this regularly as well. Geesh!

I guess we should all ignore my last post about the Holiday gift knitting, apparently I am that nuts all the time!