The Good, The Bad, and The UGH!

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

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!

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....

Making its world debut this August:

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

Well that's a bummer

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

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

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..

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?

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!

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

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

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!

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 =)

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!

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

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!

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

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

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.

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!