It Has BEGUN!

What you ask?
Socktoberfest people!

If I could figure out how to put buttons on my sidebar it would be there, but I am html challenged. If anyone out there in blog land can throw me a bone, please help me out =)
In the meantime, here is what I can give you...

I decided to bring this baby in right.


Yup, that's a sock in progress, Sam Adams Octoberfest beer, and could it be????

The infamous Heathen Housewife Sock Blanket! I finally started it. And boy am I having a good time with it.

I have lots of plans for this "fest". I want to try out as many different ways to make socks. I have done top down socks on 2 circs before, but nothing else.

This first pair is Wendy's formula http://wendyjohnson.net/blog/sockpattern.htm on double points in Trekking XXL. I also want to try Magic Loop, and 2 socks at a time on 2 circs or magic loop (depending what I like more) I am sure by the end of the month I will know what my favorite method is. (I can already tell you I like the toe-up method way better.)

I also want to learn different methods of sock construction. I want to learn the magic eight toe, and figure out what a partridge heel is, and learn about other things I don't even know about yet.

I have a lot of sock yarn in my stash: I have Koigu, STR, Trekking, Lorna's Laces, some Knit Picks varieties, Regia Silk, Lana Grossa, and more that I can't remember right now. I hope to make a dent in the stash, and also find out what I like.

And no, they are not all going to be plain ribbing...Life is too short for too much of that. I plan to sink my teeth into some lovely patterns I have seen around the internet. Heck, I may even do a pair of Jaywalkers! I am such a lemming.

And OF COURSE I can't forget about the sock blankie. This babie is gonna see a lot of love from me this month. It's an addicting project. Construction is easy, and with all the fun left over yarn's it gives gratification almost instantly. I'm excited about this. I am glad socktoberfest came around, it gave me an awesome excuse to start this project..Even with all the WIP's lying around the house.

So what can you expect from me for October? SOCKS! Socks, and more socks! And sock blankies.

(Of course, you may see some other FO's and WIP's not sock related this month.)

This knitter can't live on socks alone!

911? I have a knitting emergency!

Remember this?

I know it has been awhile since I have talked about it. It was a mess, and I really thought it was beyond repair.
But Ben thought it was worth a try to get a second opinion. So I called the knit doctor, a.k.a. Lester, and she was able to squeeze me in for an appointment the same day.
You should have seen her face when she saw the blanket. It was almost enough for me to say "Yeah, that's what I thought too, thanks anyway." But she laid it out on the table and went to work.






It was NOT EASY! I did not do anything but sit there and stare, and have a few panic attacks. There were times Lester seemed at a loss, but she would not give up.
It really seemed hopeless, there were no stitches to pick up, not a whole lot of yarn to use, and the pattern was difficult to duplicate. But all of a sudden, it started to look ok....In fact it looked pretty darn good!
Here's me pointing a finger at where the boo-boo is.

It is still noticeable, but when you look at the whole blanket it is very hard to tell unless you are looking for it.




Needless to say, I was ecstatic!

The baby shower was the next day and thanks to Dr. Lester, this is what I was able to gift to the mommy-to-be.

My gifts were the hit of the party. Lauren was ecstatic, and everybody ooed and awed. Frankly, I was a little embarrassed. Especially when people showed up later and asked to see my gifts. After the third time, Lauren pulled them out and "displayed" them for all to see.

The best part? About a week ago I got a thank you note from Lauren. She said that my making her these baby gifts was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for her, and how thankful she was to have a friend like me.

That made all of it worth it. And when I see her little man all wrapped up in hand-knitted warmth, that will be icing on the cake.

By the way, I paid my Dr. well. I bought Lester a pair of lantern moon ebony needles and some silk/alpaca lace weight (the last was VERY HARD to give away) after a recommendation from a mutual friend.

Thank you Lester! You are an amazing woman and I am so glad to know you and call you a friend!

I Do!

I guess an apology is in order. Sorry.
OK that is over and done with, now lets move on to more exciting stuff.
Part of the reason that I have been absent is because PC (Prince Charming) proposed to me.
He came into my work and in the middle of my shift (remember, I am a server) got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.....IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY! My boss, my co-workers, and a bunch of customers that were in the middle of eating lunch.
He handed me a sugar packet (he used to write little notes on the sugars and give them to me when I was working) and I asked "Is this my ring?" and he said "yes". I laughed thinking that it was just a sugar packet and threw it in my apron, then told him of course I would marry him (actually I was so shocked I first shakingly said "OK"). Then I asked him to please get up and walk with me somewhere out of the middle of the restaurant.
I did not realize 'til a few minutes later that the sugar packet contained a ring. An absolutely beautiful one! I have no idea how he was able to afford it...But the man did good.
We have not set a date yet, although we are thinking next fall would be ideal. Both of us love Autumn, it is beautiful in Washington at this time. However, considering we are both students and work part time jobs, our wedding will take place when we have saved enough to afford it. =)
I am overjoyed to know I will be spending the rest of my life with this man. I knew he was the one from the moment we met....Corny, cheezy, but very true. We have a heck of a lot of fun and share so many common interests, but yet are different enough to keep things interesting.
I don't know exactly how to explain it, but things have changed....In a wonderful and amazing way. I guess it is the deeper commitment and the "knowing" that you plan to be together forever.
Here is a picture of the happy couple!

I don't know where to begin...

I have a lot to say, really I do! But I have been sitting here trying to figure out how to start this entry, and I can't find the words.
(well, I guess I just did!)
Ok, I got good news, and I got bad news. What do you want to hear first?
Most people want the bad news first, so that's what I am gonna do.
Remember that beautiful blanket I finished for the baby shower? (If not, scroll down one entry, see, there it is.) Well, I decided that I would weave in the ends and block it today. So I did the dutiful end weaving..making sure everything was secure, and then I tossed it into the washer. Remember, this yarn is washable and dryable so what happens next is my fault, not the washers.
When the wash was done, I lovingly pulled out the blankie. It smelled so good and felt so soft. I took it into the bedroom and spread it on the bed, and that is when I saw this......

I was numb. I just stared at it for the longest time, and then said out loud, "well *bleep* me!" You would have too and you know it!
My sweet and optimistic boyfriend thinks it can be fixed. I am not so sure. I do know some amazing knitters, but this seems hopeless. I mean look at it! Did I mention that it is right in the middle of the darn blanket?
The only way I can think this happened is that I did join yarn in the middle of the row. I thought that as long as you knit with both yarns for a few stitches that you were safe. I guess I thought wrong.
So what have I learned from this? ALWAYS attach new yarn at the edge of the project. Always!
I did not cry, I almost did, but it is only yarn after all. This is supposed to be fun, and I can't expect to have everything turn out perfect.
The reason that I am upset is that this was a gift intended for a friend that is soon to be a young, single mother with not a whole lot of support. And I wanted her to have something special for her new baby. She does not know how to knit, but she loves handmade items, and when she found out I was making her something she was ecstatic.
I do still have the kimono and the booties, but this was the BIG DEAL.
Oh well, I will try to get some help on it tomorrow and see what/ if anything can be done.

Ok, now for some good news.

As I was heading off to pick up my car from the garage yesterday (driver's window needed to be fixed) and contemplating how much it was going to set me back for, I opened my front door and found a package!
I love packages!
Especially this one.
It came from Shelly (aka The Heathen Housewife) and inside was this!




WOW!

I was not able to get a closer look at it 'cuz I was in a hurry but darn if that did not make my day a hell of a lot better!
Today after the blanket fiasco, I decided to go through the box and see what all it contained. Check this out.

Now that is a lot of yarn.

I am planning on making a mitered blanket with this yarn. Wonderful knitters from all over the country (and other places) heeded the harlot's call to bury Shelly in sock yarn. At last count Shelly had received over 90 packages. Can you believe it?

She offered to give away what she did not need, and I told her I would be happy to take some off her hands and make a blanket for charity.

My plan is to make this up and sell it, and then donate the proceeds to Knitters Without Borders, the Harlot's charity, as a way to say thank you to her and to all those who donated the yarn. That is my plan, not my guarantee. It all depends on how much interest this raises, and if I think anyone will bid on it if I sell it on e-bay....And if I don't end up screwing it up somewhere along the way! LOL.

I hope to start this new project soon. I have a lot of other things going on right now (some of them knitting related) and I want to get cleared of some of that first. I also want to buy some plain colored yarn to do larger squares in this blanket. I am planning on doing something quilt like with it. Larger, plain squares surrounded by smaller variegated squares throughout. You will see soon enough I am sure.

In another bit of knitting news...I bought my first ever ebony needles today. They are size 5 lantern moon circulars, and from what I can tell so far, they are AWESOME! I am doing some lace knitting, and my Denise's were just not "cutting" it. I needed something pointier and smoother. So I went to Tricoter, an Amazing yarn shop here in Seattle, and they sat me down with the ebonys and some yarn and let me have at it. I fell in love within 30 seconds of having those suckers in my hand. $25 later and they were all mine.

I got to say some more about Tricoter. I am so impressed! This is the only yarn store I have walked into that people are actually sitting and knitting! It is like stitch-n-bitch in there everyday! The store is beautiful, and is (forgive me) crack for an addict like me. =) So much gorgeous yarn, everyone working on what I want to make next (hehe), and a sales staff that let's you try the merchandise out before you commit to buying it. When I went to try the ebony's out the woman steamed them for me first so the cord would be smooth and not wrap on me. I have never heard of that before!

Needless to say we are going back ( and I have not even mentioned the awesome teriyaki we got next door after we left.)

OK, I am gonna shut up now and go play with my ebony's now. I am working on a Flower Basket shawl with some Lorna's Laces, and I am loving it so far! ( pics up soon, promise)

BAM! Another FO!

The first of the baby blankets is done!

OK, I still need to block it and trim the ends off, but let's just say it is done shall we?


The pattern is called Lace Blocks and is from the book Big Needle Knit Afghans. I used Bernat afghan yarn. I love me co-worker Lauren, but I was not about to break the bank to make this blanket! Besides, this is totally washable and dryable, and you know how mommies need that!

If the pattern looks familiar to you it is because there is a very similar looking pattern for a scarf in Scarf Style, and don't we all own a copy of that?

Here's a close-up...My that is a lot of squares!





Scrappy had to test it out and make sure it was up to her specifications.


I am not exactly sure what this look means. I have a feeling it has to do more with the catnip mouse she was playing with right before this pic was taken then her thoughts about the blankie.

It was a fun and easy knit. There was a chart to follow but it was super super easy! Do not be afraid of charts my friends, they can make your knitting life a heck of a lot easier. (OK, so I may have to try this a bit more before I can really form an opinion but for now, I stand by what I say!)

I finished it in record time, the shower is on the 27th of August. I also made her a baby kimono (from Mason-Dixon Knitting, don't get me started, I am obsessed with that book!) and a pair of booties. Will show pics when everything is all sewn up and ready to go. I am still trying to figure out what to use for a closure on the kimono, I do not want to use ribbon. I was thinking maybe doing some I-cord ties or a braid or maybe just getting some snaps to sew on. Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

I can tell you exactly what this look means:

"Mom, this is all fine and dandy...But where the heck is my kitty bed you keep promising?"

FO: Tempting II

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I actually finished this a while ago. But I have been too lazy, err, I mean to busy to post it.
I did this as part of a knit-along for the sexy knitter's club. The pattern is Tempting II from Knitty.com designed by Jenna Adorno.


I used the recommended yarn, Rowan Calmer in the Tinkerbell colorway. ( Tinkerbell, ha, it still makes me giggle.)
It's not horrible, but it looks nothing at all like I had envisioned.
First off, the yarn is weird! It is very stretchy and a little tricky to figure out how to knit with. Although my gauge was correct, the ribbing seems larger for my sweater then the pattern model's.
It fits way larger then it should. I made it to my bust size and I feel like I am swimming in it.
All 1x1 ribbing for 15" makes me a dull girl.
I had a cute little buckle all ready to put on, but it ripped up my knitting something awful, hence the buttons and the "not-so-perfect" neckline.

On the plus side it is amazingly soft and soooo comfortable!
If I was to ever do this pattern again, I would put in some shaping, snug up the neckline a bit more, and keep a case of good wine handy for the endless ribbing hell. =)

The only thing for me to do now is decide if I like the buttons better on the front or the back!

Proof of Progress

I'm sure we have all had that wonderful feeling when we are knitting something and we feel like we are not getting anywhere. Sometimes it feels like no matter how many rows you do, or how many hours you spend, when you look at your project at the end of the day it seems to look the exact same as it did before you started.
But common sense tells me that if I just persevere....it will be finished someday. It is getting bigger, it has to be!
(Times like these is when I say "screw it" for a while, and cast on for yet another project. =) )
Well, it has been a few weeks since I posted pics for my projects, and it is high time for me to do so. Not just to make my blog pretty, but also so I can prove to myself that it really is progressing.



I really like this blanket, it is a pretty easy pattern and it work's up pretty fast, but I am to the point where I am kind of bored with it, so I have not worked on it for a few days.
Here's a close-up (cuz I like close-ups)



This is my Tempting II that I am doing as part of the sexy knitter's knit-along.
Although this project is fairly easy, and I am getting through it rather quickly, it has been a tad monotonous. K1 P1 rib for 15" is not what I call stimulating.




And a close-up for the buckle detail.



I'm liking it so far. I have a few concerns but I am hoping they will get fixed with blocking.

Bet you can't guess what this is!



Yup, it's a Log Cabin Blanket. What can I say, all the cool kids are doing it!
This was the new cast on project because I needed a break from the others.
I have to say, it's alot of fun. Just knitting throughout so it is super easy, but the changing colors keeps it interesting. I am making this for my neice who is pregnant with her first baby. She LOVES bright colors. Think this will be bright enough for her?
I am excited about this project, it's addicting because you want to see how the colors are going to interact with each other.

All in all I have to say it was a pretty productive knitting day.
I can' think of a better way to spend a day then knitting with the MAN (oh yeah, he knits too), listening to a book on tape, having a tasty beverage at hand, and a sweet kittie right in the middle of all the action.



Come on, ain't that adorable! That's my scrappy cat...aka Professor meowsnshitz.

OMG! What the hell did I just do???

Ok, first off I know it's been a while, sorry. I'm new at this remember?
This post is going to be pic free....I think unless I get snazzy and can figure out a few things while I am posting this.
Anyway, to the OMG part..
I know lots of you read The Harlot, and so many of you have heard of or helped bury the Heathen Housewife in sock yarn.
Well I heard of it and so I zipped on over to HH's blog and have been reading everyday ever since. She is making a gorgeous blanket (mitered?) out of sock yarn. You can find pics of it here, as well as her awesome blog. http://www.shellykang.com/Blog/
She is getting lots of left overs and has offered to share with others, she went on to say if anyone was willing to do this for charity they would be put at the top of the list.
Well, I am all for a good cause, and I love to knit, and I like challenges, and I am a bit of a show off....
Yes, I offered to do a charity blanket, and to my surprise, she got right back to me and said I was at the top of the list!
OH NELLY! I don't know why I got the butterflies in my belly, but I do!
I am really excited to be doing something as special and awesome as this is, I only hope that I will be able to meet (hopefully surpass) expectations.
As you can see by that last comment I am not a perfectionist at all. HA!

Here Go's Somethin'

Well!
A project I thought would only take a matter of minutes actually took about 5 hours.
Why you ask?
I said earlier that I could probably do it myself, but that I was too lazy and would have the man do it.
well having the man do it means having to wait for him to take his sweet time, while you are politely nagging him, and then once he get's to the job he decides to start playing around with things.
What can I say? I love him.
But NOW... I can start posting pics, and although I would like to post a gazillion, Im going to try and restrain myself.
Today I am going to show you my WIP's. Yes thats a plural....if you are a knitter who only has one project going on at a time you are not a true knitter! And I highly envy you and please please tell me the secret!

1. Ok, this first project is the one I am doing for the Sexy Knitters Knit-Along.



The pattern is called Tempting II and I am making it out of Rowan Calmer yarn in Tinkerbell. I really like the yarn and the knitting is easy so far. So easy in fact..that I have to divert to other things.

2. The commercial break
At least thats what I call it. These are handwarmers that are on the cover of knitty for this summer..and also my first adventure into cabling. Im doing it in this crazy bright variegated.....



and since one pair is not enough I think I will make another pair with this yarn that will show all my mistakes =). Hence why the first are being done in forgiving variegated.

3. This next is one of two I HAVE to do, because my niece and a friend at work are both having babies....and I opened up my big mouth and said I would make something for them...hence, baby blanket hell.

This first one is for my coworker...terrible pics, sorry. But it is really cute, and I am enjoying working on it.


The other blanket is one I am designing as I go. I will post pics of that soon.

I think I have learned about a 1000 new things today.
My blog may not be perfect yet, but I am darn well on my way to getting it just right!

In the Beginning...

well what do you know? I created my very own blog.
I can't believe how darned smart I am! =)
I guess I should warn you now that I really dont know what in the world I am doing, but I will figure it out as I go.
I created this blog becuase I am a blog addict, and felt I needed to share the love.
Also, I needed to do something with all this pictures sitting in my camera...
Which reminds me, remember when I said I didnt know what I was doing? Well guess what, I got to figure out how to post pics on here.
I got this fancy doohickie thing at Good Guys yesterday and I have got to figure out where it plugs into my comp....
that's a lie, I'm sure I could figure it out but it's easier to just wait for the man to get home and do it. lol.
So hopefully soon, and I mean very soon, I will have some pics up. I dont know what they will be of, it will be a surprise for us all!
Now that I think about it...maybe I should go through those pics first before posting....