Revelations of a Delusional Knitter

Got my new PC!!

2012-01-24T16:36:00.001-05:00

My new pc was delivered today!!! Unfortunately it came around 3pm. Was hoping to have more time to play. I am glad I took the day off since it required a signature, I didn't know that when I placed the order, but do understand.

Its not even that high tech in terms of technology nowsdays. Actually it was released in 2010. But, its so much faster than the old one! I'm so excited!!

Trying to get used to the new keyboard. I actually put my old mouse back on right away because the one that came with it sucked. The mouse I had on my old pc was a logitech upgrade. May be going back to the old keyboard too or investing in a new one, we'll have to see how it goes :o)

Got my new pc!

2012-01-24T16:31:00.003-05:00

Blog has Moved

2009-02-26T20:01:00.002-05:00

C'Mon over to my new site: http://delusionalknitter.blogspot.com

Its snowing ... again

2009-02-18T17:46:00.002-05:00

More snow today. Just when it was almost melted! I cannot wait for Spring to come! I am tired of being cold and it being dark out.

My sweater lives. Last night I seamed up the shoulders and picked up stitches for the neck. I told myself before I started to make sure I wasn't doing the neck backwards and lo and behond ... I promptly picked up the stitches inside out and backwards, as usual. So I ripped it out, tried again ... them realized, duh, I was doing what I usually do, so I reversed it and viola, it was right, LOL! There are certain things that I just will never get right. Once I picked up the stitches correctly and started several rounds for the neck I stepped back to view my work and it looks awesome! I can't wait to finish this project.

I did not block the final pieces ... because the pattern says block according to manufacturers instruction ... well there are none on the ball band, or on their website and since the yarn is a wool/acrylic blend and I am not an expert at blocking, I am not doing it. The pieces are ribbed and flat, I had no problem seaming the shoulders so we'll see how the rest of the seaming works out.

FO Cat Dishcloth

2009-02-18T17:43:00.002-05:00

I finished a dishcloth that was in a bag of yarn I found after we moved. Not sure why I didn't finish it before, guess I got bored with it. It only took me one evening knitting off and on to complete it. I blocked it to even it out. I am going to send it to my MIL ... because I think that's who I intended it for in the first place!

No Sleep = Different Perspective

2009-02-15T16:30:00.005-05:00

I worked my part-time job this weekend, third shift, and realized that lack of sleep and being stuck in a room for hours by yourself gives you a much different perspective in life. Luckily I am able to watch TV (otherwise I am sure I would fall asleep since I can't leave the room unattended unless security or maintenance come) and I was watching Law & Order - a show I never watched before. I was cracking up because there are two cops and in each episode its always the same way, while they are interviewing witnesses or perpetrators or victims, one cop has some form of an expression of incredulity, while the other has a blank, almost lobotomized appearance. I don’t think I would have found this half as funny or even noticed the hilarity of it had I been fully alert.

I got my shipment from The Unique Sheep a week or two ago and started winding the yarn the other day. I do not own a swift and ball winder, and why I thought this would go well, I don't know. I started winding on the couch with the hank draped over my lap and it was going ok. Then it started tangling up, so I put it on the back of a chair and kept winding. Towards the end there was a tangled mess, but most was already wound in the ball, so I put it aside because I was getting frustrated and nothing is worse then being irritated and trying to untangle yarn. I took it to work with me figuring I have nothing better to do for eight hours and I was able to untangle it rather quickly and patiently while I was there. So here's the ball of yarn, lovely colors, can't wait to start my socks.

I was thinking of quitting this part-time job since I got it to buy a house, which we've done and that took care of the downpayment and other associated expenses ... until I got the utility bill this month. Looks like we need to seriously investigate our usage of gas or I have to keep this job, LOL! I also realized that I really need to commit to refraining from buying yarn for a while. I think I can do this since I pulled my stash out of storage and can see it now ... I can go shopping in my stash when I get the urge, plus I've got serveral projects lined up that will take me months to complete anyway. It also helps that I signed up for the sock yarn club, so I can get something new in the mail every other month too.

Finishing up old projects to make way for new

2009-02-12T18:10:00.003-05:00

I am happy to say that I finally found a skein of the yarn I needed to complete my Quidditch Sweater. I started this sweater during a Harry Potter knits class, using the book Charmed Knits. The class went for a month I think, it was back in October of 2007. I started the sweater there ... and then it sat in a bag for several months. The sweater is done in 2x2 ribbing and it is oh so boring at the beginning! Its worsted weight yarn, so it does go pretty quickly, but at the beginning I was seeing no real progress, so it was put aside. I picked it back up at some point ... I really don't even remember when and was then starting to see real progress. So I knit, and knit and knit and then ... ran out of yarn for the contrasting color! So I went to the yarn shop I usually frequent and they were all out. I went to another yarn shop after we moved that's near where we live now and they didn't carry much. So I called another one that is close to where I work and alas, she told me on the phone she had one skein, I said that's all I need, please hold it aside. And so my sweater knitting started again the other day and its almost complete! I will be so happy once its all seamed up because I will probably get to wear it before winter is over. I am half way through the decreases for the sleeve cap, so it shouldn't be long now.

Also, in the bag that this sweater was in, I found the gloves I was making for a friend. So I can finish those up now. When we moved I lost track of a lot of works in progress.

Of course I have plenty of yarn and ideas for my stash to start all kinds of new projects, but I am going to try and finish up a few things before I start anything new (excluding socks of course).

After the sweater and gloves, I also have a cabled scarf, a hooded scarf and what I like to refer to as the Faux Dr. Who scarf. In addition is a Christmas stocking, baby blanket and drawstring bag on the needles. So, once I get all of those done, I can start working on some new projects ... and hopefully only start one or two at a time so that I don't end up with so many unfinished projects on the needles at the same time again!

We are enjoying our new house immensely! Now its time to try and figure out what colors and decorating style I want to go with. I picked up a few magazines today to get some ideas rolling around in my head. I of course know what colors I like ... doesn't mean they belong on walls, hahaha!!

Funny, I was feeling a little out of sorts and creeped out ... like something was missing. Once I took 1/4 of my stash out of tubs and bags and displayed it in a bookcase and got my UFOs out where I can see and get to them ... aaahhh ... relief washed over me, LOL!

One month down ... 11 more to go ...

2009-02-01T08:23:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that its February already! I would ask where January went ... but I know where it went!! We moved into our new house with a few days left in December and then a week or two after found a buyer for my mom's mobile home that we were renting for the last few years. So we spent January cleaning it up and moving the rest of our stuff out frantically because there was a buyer and we had to get everything out (well we really should have had it out within a month anyway, but time disappears before you know it).

Now that that issue is finally behind us we can move (no pun intended) on with our lives in our new house and finish unpacking everything!!

I am planning on participating in the Year in a Blanket group on Ravelry, but have yet to complete my January square because of the moving. I think I have decided that I will knit the blanket in Berroco Comfort Worsted Weight because its machine washable, affordable and comes in a wide range of colors (its soft and squishy too). Now I just have to decide on the colors. I found a great dishcloth pattern of a house that I wanted to do for January to symbolize our purchasing our first home.

My Vinnland socks are coming along nicely and I figured out how to work with the two skeins of yarn and not get them tangled on the cables of the needles while I am doing two socks at a time on two circulars.

This is a picture of a scarf I have had on the needles for far too long and it has since at least tripled in length. I decided that I wanted a hat ... most likely for next winter since its now February, LOL! But wanted something to go with my winter coat and this scarf. The pattern calls for a different yarn and I substituted Ultra Alpaca from Berocco. The pattern suggests a length of 70" for this scarf ... I am only 5'2" so that's really not necessary for me. I am on the 2nd of 3 balls of yarn, at this point I am going to pause knitting the scarf (its been on the needles for over a year anyway, LOL!) and I am going to make a hat out of the 3rd ball of yarn, then finish the scarf and incorporate whatever is left over from the hat into the end of the scarf. This way I use up all the yarn and my hat and scarf will match.

I ordered some yarn from Knit Picks and The Loopy Ewe recently, will post photos soon ... didn't I say I wasn't buying any yarn since we bought the house?!?! Did I mention that I have no self discipline too?!?! Hey, at least I have a good excuse ... I work part-time (in addition to full time) and have for a year now so that we could buy the house, so I think I deserve little rewards now and then!

Pattern: All Used Up

2009-01-29T18:46:00.006-05:00

All Used Up

Materials: Left over sock yarn, MC (main color) approximately 40-60g; CC (contrasting color) approximately 15-25g.

Needles: Size US 2 (2.75mm)

Notions: Stitch Marker, Darning Needle

Size: Women’s Medium (shoe size 7-9)

This pattern is written for one long circular needle, but can be used with any method. This is a great way to use up those ½ skeins of yarn left over after you make a pair of socks! If you are using self-striping yarn, check ahead of time to make sure that the color changes will match up at the end (one skein may have more yardage left over than the other and you may find that the second sock doesn’t have enough to match the first). If you check ahead you can find out which skein is shorter and determine the length of the leg by that one.

Pattern

With CC cast on 12 stitches to each needle using Judy’s Magic Cast On.

Knit one round.

Rnd 1: K1, LRinc, K to last stitch, LLinc, K1.
Rnd 2: Knit

LRinc is a right leaning increase. Lift the right side of the stitch below the next stitch on the left hand needle; place it on the left needle and knit into its front leg. LLinc is a left leaning increase. Lift the left side of the stitch two stitches below the last one on the right needle; place it on the left needle and knit through its back leg.

Complete these two rounds until there are 32 stitches on each needle for a total of 64 stitches.

Switch to MC and start working pattern stitch on instep needle only.

Pattern Stitch

Rnd 1: Knit
Rnd 2: *P2, K4, repeat from * to last two stitches, P2.

Continue knitting these two rounds until sock measures 2” less than desired foot length. End with Rnd 2.

Switch to CC and begin heel. This is a short row heel working on half the total stitches while the instep stitches remain resting on the cable.

Heel

Knit across heel stitches to last stitch, do not knit the last stitch. Turn work, slip the first stitch on the left hand needle and purl back, leaving the last stitch unworked. Turn work, slip the first stitch and knit across to the last two stitches, leave these two stitches unworked. Continue knitting one less stitch across each row in this manner until 10 working stitches are left.

Turn work, slip the first stitch and knit across 8 stitches, knit the next two stitches together, then pick up one leg of the stitch in the gap between the stitches you just knit together and the next ones on the needle and knit through it creating one stitch to compensate for the decrease. Turn work, slip the first stitch and purl across 8 stitches, purl the next two stitches together, then pick up one leg of the stitch in the gap between the stitches you just purled together and the next ones on the needle and purl through it creating one stitch to compensate for the decrease. Continue in this manner until you are back to 32 stitches and all stitches have been worked. If you are short by one, create one at the end of the last row in the same manner as before.

Switch to MC and begin leg.

Leg

Rnd 1: Knit
Rnd 2: K1, P1, K4, *P2, K4, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, P1, K1. Repeat this pattern twice around the leg. The start of the round should be after the end of the heel and should match up with the start of the instep stitches.

Repeat these two rounds until the leg is the desired length or you run out of yarn.

Switch to CC and knit one round.

Cuff

Work in K2, P2 ribbing for 1” to 1 ½”. Bind off using EZ’s Easy Sew Bind off.

Weave in all ends and enjoy!

Techniques

Judy’s Magic Cast On

Cat Bordhi’s Toe Increases Video

Priscilla Wild’s No Muss No Fuss Short Row Heel (Video) or Lifestyle Socks Pattern

EZ’s Easy Sew Bind Off or Video

Pattern by Angela Trun. Not to be sold or re-distributed for monetary gain. Permission for personal use only. 1/29/09 http://angcraftcorner.blogspot.com/

To knit ... oh what to knit

2009-01-27T21:03:00.004-05:00

Oh what to knit I said to myself the other day. So I grabbed my binder of patterns and picked out Vinnland. This one was in my binder for a long time .. and oh joy, the yarn already waiting patiently in my stash. An even greater joy (since we just moved about a month ago) this particular yarn was right on top of the plastic tub when I went looking for it ... fate?!?! I would say so!

So I cast on for Vinnland. I modified a bit by using Judy's Magic Cast On for the toe, and I made two toes, then I transferred them onto two needles so that I could knit both socks at the same time, and be oh so happy when they are completed at the same time :o)

We are finally done getting all of our stuff from the place we used to live in. My mother owns it and we were renting it for the last few years, there's a buyer so we have to get everything out by this week. Its amazing how much *stuff* you can accumulate over the years. Now its all haphazardly piled in our new house with no particular place to go at the moment, LOL! We'll have to weed through it all and find homes for it, hopefully sooner rather than later. At least here we have a huge basement and attic ... so no lack of storage space!

FO: MP3 Player Cozy

2009-01-22T20:26:00.002-05:00

Yarn: Knit Picks Essentials Twist in Volcano Twist
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Size US2 (2.75mm)
Cast On: Only a few days ago, but now I can't remember exactly when
Cast Off: 1/22/08

There was no pattern. I took my stitch gauge and figured out how wide it needed to be and cast on 40 sts using Judy's Magic Cast On. Knit in the round for about 1" then did the skull chart from Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks, then continued to the right height, did two rows of purl so that the top wouldn't fold over on itself and then cast off. Fits the MP3 player snug but well :o)

Back to Blogging

2009-01-18T19:59:00.002-05:00

I recently started using my MP3 player for what it was actually intended for. The model that I got actually doubles as a flash drive, which is why I picked it. I used to have a flash drive, though it was a measly 128KB ... and it was so small that I lost it at some point and have no idea where it went. So I picked up this MP3 player that is also a 1GB flash drive. I downloaded some knitting podcasts the other day and I am SO ADDICTED! I love them. I listed to them at work, in the car and at home while doing housework. I tried a few different sites, some, which are no longer currently casting anyway, but found two that I really enjoy.

The first is The Knit Picks podcast with Kelly Petkun. Kelly is fabulous to listen to, she has a great speaking voice and is sure to vary her tone so its easy to listen to her. She mostly discusses knitting related things, but there are a few casts where she will discuss a trip she recently went on (with knitting too of course). Most of the places she goes to are places I would like to visit someday, so I love hearing about them and her reviews are worthy of being an excerpt from a novel, I feel like I am listening to a book on tape sometimes.

The other podcast that I enjoy is Sticks and String with David. He talks about knitting and some other things, one of the recent casts was about the "T" word and it was brilliant. You have to check out the cast to find out what the word is :o) David is from Australia so there's also that awesome accent to listen to as well! G'Day Mate.

One of my goals for 2009 is to blog more ... and about more interesting topics. I usually blog like I am making a grocery list, not like I am talking to a friend. I am going to try and brush up my writing skills ... I actually have quite a vocabulary when I speak, but it doesn't come out in my writing, LOL!

2009 will be a year of stash busting for me. We bought a house late in December and I said that I wouldn't buy any yarn until I had gone through my stash ... for obviously reasons ... like I'd like to keep the house! I went a little crazy in October and November hoarding yarn balls like a squirrel hoards nuts in preparation for winter. Because of this though, I feel confident that I can keep up with this commitment and not end up in a straightjacket and padded room involuntarily in a few weeks. There are some areas where I am allowed to buy yarn ... for the sake of my sanity. I do work a part time job in addition to my full time job, so I do deserve a thrill every now that then :o) I have one project that I can buy yarn for - A Year in a Blanket. I have been thinking about this and I think for my budget I will do this in Berocco Comfort, which is affordable, easy to care for and comes in a wide range of colors. My thought was to do each square in a different color, so I will have to buy a skein a month, but that’s OK. The point is to keep my yarn buying under control and reasonable … not necessarily to stop it completely.

I did have the foresight to see this stash busting – no yarn buying – as a potential mental health hazard for me and so last Fall I joined a sock yarn club that starts shipping in February and consists of a shipment every other month for the year. And to boot … its got a nerdy, sci-fi geek theme! The Lord of the Rings sock club from The Unique Sheep is now closed, but details are here.

It snowed quite a bit today here in New England and I found something out about anti-lock breaks … while the concept in theory is a good one, and I am sure they work very well in many situations, they do not, however, work so great in one particular situation. Here are the facts: very steep decline, snowy road, red light = sliding perilously while stomping on the break pedal hoping that the person who has the green arrow to turn in front of you sees that you are not stopping, though you are trying. Luckily this person did indeed see that I was not stopping and was not inclined to cross the nearly fatal path of death in front of my truck.

And now back to your regular scheduled knitting update. While I was working my part-time job this weekend, which consists mostly of having to stay awake overnight, I made a short list of things I learned in 2008, things I want to learn in 2009 and projects that I want to complete that could have been started in ’06, ’07 or ’08.

Things I learned in 2008
Fair Isle
2 socks at the same time
Continental Knitting (this could have been ’07)
Seaming and Finishing

Techniques I want to learn in 2009
Slip Stitch
Knitting with Beads
Lace Shawl

Projects to Finish
Hooded Scarf
Faux Dr. Who Scarf
Afghan
Tank Top
Mitered Mittens
Christmas Stocking

I finished my socks this weekend and just have to cast off the second sock and weave in all the ends. Once complete I will post photos and the pattern that I came up with to use up some left over sock yarn.

Thank you and goodnight!!

Home Sweet Home

2009-01-11T17:54:00.004-05:00

I can't believe its 2009 already! We finally closed on our house the day after Christmas ... and because of that my knitting has not been a daily habit as of late. We actually appreciate the beauty of snow now that we have some land to enjoy it on. Before snow was just a serious pain because we had to remove it from our driveway and had nowhere to put it because there was no land between units where we used to live.

Nikoh is enjoying the new house and getting into all of his usual trouble!

I am now getting back into the groove and knitting is starting up again. I was trying to finish my Quidditch sweater before we moved, but I ran out of yarn! I was on the second sleeve, on the stripe and ran out with two rows to go. So I am waiting for my LYS to find that color for me ... its grey and they were all out ... weird.

Right now I am trying to finish up a pair of socks for my friend. Its my own pattern, so once its complete I will post it. Its great for using up some left over yarn, I am usually left with about 1/2 a skein when I make a pair of socks.

We got cable hooked up this week, but the technician forgot his drill so he could not install a new connection in my computer room ... so I am sitting on my living room floor where my desktop currently is! I have to call them and have them send someone out again ... not my fault he doesn't remember his tools!!

A new project for this year will be a year in a blanket. There is a group on Ravelry. Since we moved into our house the beginning of the year, the first block I do will be a house. I think I found a great dishcloth pattern that will work well for that.

A friend's boy will be two next month and I had a pattern and yarn to make him a sweater ... I think I got yarn to make size 4-6 though to make sure that he would get some use out of it!! Plus I didn't know when I would actually finish it!! Who knows ... might be for his third birthday, hahaha!

Well I should close for now, have more boxes to go through and put things away!

FO: Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks

2008-11-29T18:28:00.002-05:00

I think these have to be the coolest socks I have knit to date. This is a free pattern, I can't find it on the original blog now, but its on Ravelry. I steam blocked the fair isle once complete and it really helped even out the stitches. I am usually a really tight knitter, so I had to concentrate on knitting loosely so that the fair isle came out well and I could fit it over my heel, worked out fine!

Yarn: Knit Picks Essentials Twists: Volcano Twist; Knit Picks Essentials Black; Sisu White
Needles: Knit Picks 32" Size 2
Cast On: 11/14/08
Cast Off: 11/29/08

FO: Striped Socks

2008-11-29T18:22:00.002-05:00

Cast On: 10/29/08
Cast Off: 11/16/08
Yarn: Berocco Sox
Needles: Knit Picks Size 2
Plain Vanilla cuff down socks.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T19:55:00.003-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! I finished the socks for my MIL way earlier than I anticipated so I gave them to her today instead of for Christmas. They came out really well.

I have bought about 6 sock yarns in the last few weeks, so tomorrow while its daylight out I will get pics and update my stash on Ravelry. I am waiting for 2 more from The Loopy Ewe that I ordered earlier this week, so maybe I'll get a surprise in the mail too, LOL!

I am working on some really cool socks "Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks" when they are done I'll post photos. Its the coolest pattern for easy fair isle. I modified the sock pattern a bit and did the short row heel by Priscilla Wild, which is awesome, no wraps, no yarn overs. It can be found on youtube as a video or in written form in this pattern.

I am also working on some socks for my friend using up some leftover yarn and if it comes out succesful I will write the pattern and post it.

Finally Finished

2008-11-11T19:47:00.003-05:00

Well one is done. This was a long time to knit. Its not that it was hard, its that the needles were tiny and it went on for inches and inches! Also, its a vintage 1940s pattern, so it left some .... questions as to what to do, LOL!

Hopefully now that I've finished this one its mate will go much quicker! These are supposed to be a Christmas gift and they need to venture overseas to get to the recipient ... so we'll see if they make it in time.

Socks, socks and more socks ...

2008-11-08T19:27:00.006-05:00

We're still waiting to hear about the short sale purchase. The bank has had the paperwork for 4 weeks now. I did get something to sign the other day regarding the fact that we don't know these people, and its a legitimate sale. So at least that's something. I really want to move before it snows! Or we need to get oil for heat where we are now. I am really looking forward to more space and a place where I can actually have my stash yarn out where I can see it, instead of stored in tubs.

I've been making progress on some socks I've been working on. I also have 1/2 a sleeve for my Quidditch sweater and hope to have that finished up this year.

I finished one Rivendell sock a few weeks ago, I didn't start the other one yet because I wanted to get a pair done for a Christmas gift first, so I will be doing the mate very soon. This pattern is very pretty. Once they are both done I am going to try and fix the holes that formed where stitches were picked up, etc. because of the twisted stitches, I think they make the gaps look bigger. My home made sock blocker doesn't do the pattern justice, LOL!! Its a little mishapen.

This is a close up of the pattern on the leg.

I am making these socks for my MIL for Christmas as a surprise. The first one was done in a week, which is exceptional for me, although I found out if its plain Stockinette, I can watch TV and not look at what I am doing, that makes for much quicker knitting!! I am going to rip out the heel turn and redo it on the second sock, the stripes are off a row or two and I want them to match up as best they can.

This is a last ditch effort to fix these socks so that I wear them. I love the socks, just not toe, its too pointy and tight. I blocked the Rivendell one for a day or two and it fit much better, so I am going to try blocking these and see if the toe fits better. I could wash them, but was afraid if I did want to rip out the toes and redo them it would make that all the more difficult.

Drowning in Stash

2008-11-01T13:10:00.003-04:00

I went through (some of) my yarn stash today and updated Ravelry. I know there must be more around here somewhere, I remember some other skeins I had and they weren't with these ones ... where they are, I don't know.

Is it bad I am more concerned with packing and moving my stash then anything else if we ever hear we are getting this house?!?! We are waiting for the bank that currently owns it to approve the short sale. But I am more concerned with my craft stash then packing anything else, LOL!!

Its getting chilly outside!

2008-10-30T21:21:00.002-04:00

Well I almost have one glove done. I am afraid to go back and find out when I first cast on for this project. I know I ordered the yarn back in April ...

This was an interesting pattern, its from the 1940s ... so its not very instructive, I ran into a few, "Huh? ... Wah? ..." moments, but made my way through them and I am a better knitter for it, LOL!

These are a gift for my email pal in England (we have met in person a few times too) and I am hoping to finish them for Christmas.

FO: Art Yarns Socks

2008-10-20T16:32:00.003-04:00

I finished my Art Yarns socks today. I changed the pattern a bit by twisitng the rib stitches and using Elizabeth Zimmerman's Sew Bind Off.

Yarn: Art Yarns Handpaint Stripes
Needles: Knit Picks Harmony Size 5
Cast On: A long, long time ago for sock one. Sock two 10/17/08
Cast Off: 10/20/08

Amazing Knitting

2008-10-17T16:56:00.003-04:00

I am amazed at some knitting techniques. I started this pair of socks long, long ago and the instructor at my LYS helped me start the toe of the first sock. Since then it sat in a bag with lots of other WIPs and I finally picked it back up the other day and finished a sock. I started the other one myself and was hoping I didn't run into problems and I was just amazed at how 4 stitches turn into a toe!

I successfully got the toe done and am on to the foot of the second sock. This yarn is Art Yarns Handpainted Stripes and it is lovely to knit with. It is so soft and squishy. The colors are so deep and beautiful.

Now I am off to go knit on my stocking so I am ready for the next class!

Its that time of year again

2008-10-12T17:50:00.008-04:00

That time of year past the point of no return for all those gifts I planned on making for the holidays. Its already 1/2 way through October!! I do have some things that I MUST finish for this year.

1. Diane's Gloves - Preferably really soon since I need to ship them overseas. This is an old 1940s pattern that I am doing. The yarn is Knit Picks Essentials in Pumpkin. I actually have a bit more than this done, but haven't taken a new photo.

2. Marion's Socks - These should go fairly quickly, I am using self patterning yarn so I am just going to knit them in stockinette.

3. Mom's Scarf - Chunky yarn, so should go pretty quickly too.

I think that's all I am going to try and accomplish for this holiday season. Anything else that gets done will be a bonus!

Aside from those things I also have plenty of others on the needles that I would like to finish up this year.:

1. Tank Top - Started in summer of 07 ... so now two summers have gone by and I haven't finished it to wear yet.

2. Blanket - Started in Sept. 06. This was the first knitting project I started. Would like to actually be able to use it, haha.

3. Reversible Cable Scarf - I don't remember when I started this one. Its coming along, something I knit watching TV.

4. Art Yarns Socks - Worsted weight socks. I think I have to redo the heel, didn't like how it came out.

Ahhh so many projects and so little time!!

Learning new things

2008-10-09T18:26:00.003-04:00

I'm learning a lot of new things ... some I would rather not know. Although it really hasn't been that much that's gone wrong with us trying to buy a house, but there are so many papers to collect and sign and checks to write and appointments and blah, blah, blah. This is a short sale, so at this point we've done all we can and now its up to the current mortgaging bank to approve of the sale.

Anyway, on to other learning, I am taking a class on fair isle knitting. And I'll have a new stocking to hang in my (hopefully) new house this year!!

While I was at the yarn store I picked up some of the new Harry Potter yarn, colorway "Tonks".

Sock Sorrows ...

2008-09-27T08:24:00.005-04:00

For every pair of socks I finish, one ends in despair ...

I was making Menehune socks in Panda cotton and it was going along fine, the yarn started to get low, but I usually end up with 1/2 a skein anyway so I figured what the heck. Plus the pattern said if I made my size I would be left with about 3 yds .. which is not a lot. Well I ran out of yarn, I tried to work the toes a bit early since this yarn has elastic in it and its pretty stretchy, but the sock just doesn't feel right. So I am going to make its mate, with a shorter leg, which is fine by me I like the cuffs short, and then rip back this one to the cuff and make them match.

I am still not sure what to do with my Firestarters, one sock is complete and the other is up to the leg, but the gauge was off, so they fit, but are a little roomy ...

I made Magic Lace Rib socks and I really do not like the star toe, so I should rip them back and do a regular toe.

I ripped out the Rivendell socks because the yarn was just not working with the pattern.

I was making Hypnosis socks and then noticed that the pattern is off and the heel should have been started at a different place so that the pattern worked out right.

UUrrggg!

Its a learning process!!! However I do have 2 pairs of nice socks that I love, so I guess as I do different patterns and use different yarns I will learn more. I also learned that regular stockinette socks are pretty comfy! So while knitting lace is fun and pretty, they aren't always the most comfortable, so I started a pair of plain ole' socks.

Happiness Socks

2008-09-21T19:44:00.003-04:00

Cast on: 8/3/08
Cast off: 9/21/08
Pattern: Happiness Socks
Yarn: Regia Jaquard

This is actually the very first sock yarn I ever purchased! I tried socks all by myself with little instruction on size 1 needles and it didn't go so well! Next I tried socks with worsted weight yarn, that went much, much better! Now 2 years later I am a sock addict! I found this yarn in my stash while looking for something with two skeins for a two at a time on two circulars class and realized it was the very first sock yarn I ever purchased, LOL!!

Sweet Scarf

2008-09-20T18:35:00.005-04:00

This is a very simple scarf to make. Its Frog Tree Alpaca Sport and Bernat Matrix yarn held together with 10.5 needles, garter stitch. I pretty much went on until there wasn't much alpaca left, cut off enough for fringe, then continued on for a bit and bound off. The fringe covers the cast on and bind off tails, so no need to weave in ends.

I started this scarf when I first started knitting back in 2006, so its nice to have it done. Not that it took long to knit - I finished it in two days, it just sat in a bag while I started new things, so I am glad to have this WIP completed!!

Updates on my Knitting Obsession ...

2008-09-06T21:05:00.007-04:00

There's a woman I work with who knits and she has a quirk where she has to finish a project before she starts another one ... I told her fortunately for me, I don't have that problem, LOL! I do wish I did though!! If I did perhaps I wouldn't buy yarn for projects that I know I won't even start for a few months because I have too many on the needles at the moment but am afraid if I don't buy the yarn NOW I won't be able to find it again!

I am doing well on my Quidditch Sweater from Charmed Knits. I started this back in October 2007 for a knitting class. It sat and sat, but I took it to work with me one weekend (where I pretty much just have to stay awake overnight and answer the phone) and I got a lot done. Now that I see some real progress I am really motivated to finish it!

Here's another project that I started a few months ago for someone who was pregnant ... no I didn't tell them I was making it, because I know how that goes. Obviously it isn't done yet, LOL!! I think a friend of mine who has a 1 year old is going to get it instead.

And now on to my yarn buying addiction! Berroco now has Ultra Alpaca Sock yarn! So I had to get some of that. My local yarn store has a frequent buyer program where you get points if you spend over $20 ... well since this yarn is only TEN DOLLARS, which I couldn't believe, I also got some more Tofutsies.

I went to Michael's the other day to get some yarn for a sweater and while I was there I saw this glow in the dark yarn, how cool is that?!?! So I picked up a few skeins to make something for my friend's daughter. She asked her what she wanted since she is 4 years old, she figured she could decide for herself and she chose a hat. So I will be starting that soon so that she can wear it this year.

This is the yarn for the sweater. Its Patons Shetland Chunky which I used for a scarf before (and no ... the scarf is not finished, LOL) and its a nice soft yarn. They didn't have the color I was looking for, but did have this one and its nice for a wintry warm sweater.

I also picked up some Heart & Sole to try out since I haven't tried that before. I am thinking I will do two socks at once with these ones.

Progress

2008-08-31T20:12:00.003-04:00

I made some real progress on my Quidditch Sweater from Charmed Knits. I worked on it a lot while I was at my part-time job this weekend. I started this sweater last October for a knitting class and it was slow going at first because it was well ... boring, LOL! Now that I have the front done, I can't wait to finish the rest to have something I can wear!

WIPs, WIPs and MORE WIPs

2008-08-24T18:25:00.003-04:00

At what point does a WIP (work in progress) become a UFO (unfinished object)? I wonder this sometimes, I guess once you decide you are not going to finish it and use the yarn for something else its a UFO? I like to think of them all as WIPs because generall what I don't plan on finishing I rip out, LOL!

I am doing well on my 2 socks on 2 circulars, I am past the heel and am working on the gussett decreases at the moment, they are really coming along nicely. I do like this method and even took them with me today to a big family outing that was at a banquet center with softball, mini golf, etc. so it was a causal place I got to sit outside at a picnic table and knit for a while.

I pulled out my WIP bag which is a large plastic linen storage bag and saw some yarn I got for a scarf that I totally forgot about, LOL! I really need to make some sort of list or something of the projects that I want to do and where the patterns are. I do keep a 3-ring binder with working copies (or the original if it came alone) in there with things that I want to do in the future, but sometimes I see things in magazines and don't want to bother copying the pattern at this time since I won't be working on it right away anyway ...and buy the yarn and stash it and then forget about it, hahaha! How do you keep your patterns and future projects organized??

I have several things on the needles at the moment that I want to get finished up soon so that I can finish up some things for Christmas and gifts.

Yarn Smackdown socks - Hopefully I can get these finished before I get killed, LOL!
Diane's Gloves - Vintage 1940s pattern that had me guessing a few times. I have one glove almost done.
Derek's Scarf - started last winter, would be nice to finish before this winter!
Mom's Scarf - also started last winter.
Marion Socks - Socks for my MIL, want to complete for Christmas.
Quidditch Sweater - for myself, would like to finish so I can wear it this year.
Alpaca Scarf - something I wanted to try using two strands of yarn.
Drawstring bag - Just something to work on for fun with Meditation yarn.
Reversible Cable Scarf - in Ultra Alpaca for myself.
Panda Cotton Socks
Peppermint Twist Socks
Art Yarns Socks

And lets not mention the many skeins of yarn I have stashed for various other projects, hahahaha!!

I am going to try and finish whatever is on needles at the moment before starting anything new unless its for a class. Then I can start on the other projects that I have yarn set aside for!

Life and Knitting

2008-08-17T21:10:00.002-04:00

I was at the yarn store today for my 2 socks on 2 circulars class and I got the new Hiya Hiya sock needles. I am LOVING THEM!!! There's no switching needles like in magic loop where you come to the end and need to pull the needle out to continue, its just one continuous loop!

My two socks are coming out great. I am done one heel flap on the first one and started the second one. I really do like the method, its great to know that the socks will be done at the same time.

We saw the most amazing rainbow the other day, the photos don't do it justice, but it was amazing!

Sleepy Sunday

2008-08-03T18:02:00.005-04:00

I am very tired today. I worked my third shift job this weekend and got up early today to go to a knitting class, so its 6pm now and I am so ready to crash. Sometimes when I am working at the hospital answering the switchboard overnight, when I go to the rest room down the hall it makes me think of Halloween and Michael Myers in the institution ... some days I am so tired I think, go ahead, come and get me at least then it would be over, hahahaha!!!

I am taking a 2 socks on 2 circulars class. I took this before but tried it on one long circular and it didn't work out so well, the yarn kept getting tangled, I kept knitting the sock inside out and twisting it, etc. So I wanted to give it another try, I am a better knitter in general now so I think that will help. The 2 circulars instead of one makes a HUGE difference too.

I got a better picture of the Hypnosis pattern from The Eclectic Sole.

I started the gloves my friend wanted and got a lot done this weekend, but noticed that the thumb gussett increases threw the pattern stitch off, so I ripped it back and took it with me today for help. The instructor suggested something that I am going to try and see if that works better. In the pattern you cannot see the gussett so its unclear how they worked around it or if it looked bad there too!

Busy, busy, busy

2008-08-01T16:42:00.006-04:00

I've been very busy working extra hours and doing other stuff to save up money to move. We met with the agent we work with to see houses to list out mobile home to get more exposure and hopefully sell it soon, selling it will make up the difference of what we need to move. My mom owns it, but hasn't lived here for years and doesn't want to, so she'll give us any money from the sale.

On the knitting front, I think I am going to rip out the Rivendell socks that I started, I do not like the yarn for this pattern, its obscuring it too much ... and what's the point of a lovely pattern if you cannot see it?!?! So I started another sock in the Eclectic Sole book with some other yarn and I think that's working out great.

The yarn is Ranco by Araucania in Multi. I originally got this because I liked the colors and had something else for the Hypnosis pattern, but while I was going through my stash, I though this would work very well for this pattern.

So far so good. Here's a close up of the leg, hard to see the pattern stitches without blocking, but its coming out good.

I think I am going to take a sock class at my local yarn store that starts tomorrow. I took two socks on one circular before and just never got the hang of it, they are doing that class again, but I am going to try two socks on two circulars this time and see if it works out better. I am not sure what pattern and yarn I am going to use so I am going to bring a few things with me and see what I feel like tomorrow.

I am woring on some gloves for my friend and had trouble with the thumb. The pattern stitch is a 2x2 offset so the stitches look like they are going diagonal. When I get to the thumb increases it throws the pattern stitches off on the thumb ... don't know how they got it to work and its an old pattern from the 40's so there is little in the way of instruction or notes. I am going to bring that with me tomorrow and see if I can get some help.

Sweaty Sunday

2008-07-20T21:13:00.002-04:00

It is so humid out today!

I started Rivendell socks the other day after I went to the yarn store for a class and picked up this yarn. I had another yarn in my stash for this pattern, but I thought this colorway reminded me of birch trees and such so I thought it would work well for this pattern. This photo doesn't show the stitch definition well so once I am done I will take another photo with them on so that the pattern can show.

2008-07-13T17:26:00.003-04:00

Not much news on the knitting front at the moment. Our echinacea is blooming nicely though. I got a few photos including some baby bees!

I am still working on my Firestarter socks and will finish those for July. I also started some gloves for my friend in England so that they'll be done by Winter. I started the ribbing but think I will cast on again, one stitch didn't cast on right and its noticable now. Will post photos of that once I get some done.

I am taking a class at my local yarn store this Tuesday on designing your own socks.

Ever think you're a Rock Star?

2008-06-27T17:12:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I think I am a Rock Star and I hit the bottle - or bottles in this case a little too hard ... usually this is done on a week night, so I inevitably have to go to work the next day. I am also very friendly with by boss ... which means I called her last night half way through my Rock Stardom ... which means I REALLY have to go to work the next day or else try and come up with a better excuse than having a hangover.

Well I made it through half the day, albeit very painful and will have to make up a few hours this weekend.

I plan on going to the yarn store tomorrow morning to see the ladies from the knitting group there. I also hope to drum up some business for my Mary Kay business while I am there. Then in the evening I have a Skin Care Class scheduled.

That's about it for me, its been a long and painful day.

Its a Rainy, Sticky, Humid Day ...

2008-06-22T19:05:00.003-04:00

And what better way to spend it than working on some socks! I haven't finished up my Firestarters yet, but will shortly ... and hopefully before the 30th so they can count towards my June socks for Sock A Month.

I don't have much in the way of knitting to share photographically with you, but I figured I would share one of my favorite knitting related items! My Go Knit Pouch. I really do love it. The strap inside does indeed keep the yarn from tangling. The materials is super soft and slick so the yarn doesn't stick to it. The material is also very strong, so needles don't poke through it! Sometimes I forget where I last left it because I carry it all over the house with me, LOL!

Our Lucky Day!

2008-06-21T19:40:00.003-04:00

We went to see Iron Maiden in concert last night. Usually, no matter how hard we try, we are always later than we want to be, get stuck in traffic, miss the opening of the show, etc. Well for some reason we were early this time! While we were sitting on the lawn waiting for the show to start (lawn seats were the only ones I could get no matter how hard I tried) a man walked over and asked us if we wanted some free tickets. We were like, "yeah right!" and he said no really these people didn't show up, the seats are about 25FT from stage, here take them. So my boyfriend grabbed them and I looked at them and said, they're real tickets! After we found our NEW seats and sat down it was pouring rain on the lawn!! I think this was the best concert for me, I had so much fun adn I think its because we got these awesome seats that we weren't expecting!

I think we found THE house ... now we need to find a way to come up with the remainder of the money for the down payment. We saw it for the second time today and after I crunch numbers and speak to the bank about specifics - we are fist time home buyers so we can put down less than usual. I think we'll make an offer.

Not much on the knitting front, I am still working on my Firestarters, I think I will bring them to work tonight and get a lot done, I want to finish them up for my June socks.

Its already June?!?!

2008-06-15T10:13:00.005-04:00

I finished one Firestarter sock last night, just need to weave in the ends. This was a really interesting pattern. I made a few modifications, Judy's Magic Cast On for the toe and then I increased to the correct number of stithces. I want to start the second sock today for two reasons - I don't foget the things that I changed and so I don't end up with the dreaded second sock syndrome!

I applied for another position at the company I work for, its very similar to what I do now, but its a step up and has more opportunity for growth and advancement, if I stay in the position I am in now there's little room for growth. I've been there two years now and I'm hitting the boredom point (doesn't take much for me) but I would like to stay with the company and keep my benefits and vacation time growing!

I watched True Romance the other day - the first movie written by Quinten Tarantino, it was excellent if you like those types of movies. I think today we are going to see the new Indiana Jones at the theater.

I can't believe its June already! I need to get working on my gift knits! I did not finish the baby blanket for the shower, so I think I will complete that for Christmas and give it to my friend instead (or any time really I don't need excuses to give baby knits, LOL).

I am going to focus on my gift knits now that only half the year is left!

1. Mom - Hodded Scarf
2. Diane - Gloves
3. Marion - Socks
4. Derek - Scarf

So if I finish one item per month I'll be done my October, LOL! - yeah right.

Gee - I wonder why my eyes were watering ... here's my yellow ... er I mean BLACK truck with pollen all over it ... it has since seen the care wash :o)

Super HOT Saturday

2008-06-07T17:22:00.005-04:00

Well its over 90 degrees here in Massachusetts, after a week of rain and temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Quite a difference.

I found that Alan Dart has an official website where you can order patterns. I had a little difficulty - I ordered, but the page did not display properly so I will have to contact them to get my patterns, but I am so glad they are available online now! I most definitely ordered the dragon!

I was killed in Sock Wars, I recived some lovely socks from Debbie.

I went outside to photograph them in sunlight and was pleasanty surprised to see the peony had bloomed.

Busy Week

2008-06-02T19:55:00.003-04:00

I was so busy last week between house hunting and I started my own little business as an Independant Beauty Consultant with Mary Kay. I have problems with where we live now, I think I mentioned that the idiots around here are trying to form a tenants association ... a co-worker suggested they start each meeting with a recitation of Eddie Murphy on SNL "Kill my Landlord" - I found just that video on youtube.com recently!!!

Sleepy Saturday

2008-05-24T18:26:00.002-04:00

I've been picking up extra shifts at my part-time job since the woman who works the opposite weekends gave her notice. Since we are trying to buy a house in the near future, this was the perfect time for the manager to ask me, hahaha!! We've seen a few properties so far, one of them is doable, but a little smaller than we'd like so we're keeping it in mind, but looking at other things. Some of them were downright nightmares - mold, cracks, death traps, LOL!

We don't like living here, for many reasons I won't go in to at the moment, I haven't got all day to list them, and now some of the biggest "rule-breakers" and nuisance people are banding together to form a tenants association ... give me a break!! We want out even more now!! I told my boyfriend I was going to start packing now, and he said, well if it works as therapy for you, hahaha!!

I've been working on the baby blanket, the shower at work is June 10th so I better light a fire under my butt! With house hunting I haven't been getting much done for knitting! I did bring this with me to work and will for the next two days and hopefully get most of it done.

This is the newest addition to our family. We adopted him in March. Nikoh has a lot of personality and is a joy to live with, he makes us laugh all the time!!

I may be teaching a knitting class at the local technical high school in the Fall. I've been in contact with the organizer in Jan. and just emailed her again to touch base and let her know I was still interested.

I am participating in Sock Wars, but I am not thrilled with the pattern. It wasn't written very clearly and I had some trouble with the stitch pattern repeats, then went online and saw that I wasn't the only one. Its dissapointing that this is supposed to be a fast paced knitting competition, but some people can't even get through the pattern. I do have one sock about half way done, but am not very motivated to finish it too quickly.

Wow its Wednesday

2008-05-14T21:14:00.002-04:00

Haven't posted in a while, really no pictures to show. I have to get moving on that baby blanket, I do have more done since the last update here, but I found out the baby shower at work is June 10th. At least I chose Garter stitch, so shouldn't take too long to finish. I am also working on my Sock Wars socks and hope to get those done before I get gunned down in battle, LOL!

First Firestarter

2008-05-03T10:25:00.001-04:00

This is my frist Firestarter, I chose this yarn specifically for this pattern. I like this yarn, not sure if its the yarn or how it was wound (because I know the lady at the store was new and had a lot of trouble with the swift) but I keeps tangling in the ball and I have to cut and attach a new strand - after getting frustrated enough to cut once I try to untangle for several minutes.

Other than that, I am loving this pattern. Its a little confusing at times and I've had to un-knit a few rows and start again two or three times, but I think the second sock will go really well.

I was worried the sock may be a little loose, but the gauge averages correctly and I think once the leg is done with ribbing it'll hold up on my leg and take up the slack in the heel that's there now.

I did Judy's Magic Cast On for the toe instead of the provisional cast on called for in the pattern. I like this toe alot, its very clean and looks much nicer.

New Beginnings ...

2008-04-28T20:11:00.002-04:00

I am currently searching for a home to purchase. There are several reasons why we want to get out of where we live, but what I would most like is a yard to plant things in and a porch to sit on and knit with a nice view of a yard (not 4 other mobile homes and a bunch of noise and the stinky asphalt plant across the street).

Have you ever noticed on tv the amount of knits? I was watching New Amsterdam and Everybody Loves Raymond the other day and noticed the lovely crocheted and knit throws on the couches, ever notice things like that as a knitter?

If you are a Battlestar Galactica fan go to the site and check out the What the Frack video, its a re-cap of the last three seasons done super fast and its pretty funny!!

Well that's all I've got for today :o)

FO: Seduction Socks

2008-04-27T21:24:00.002-04:00

I finished them today! Even when I forgot the pattern at home and took these to work. Luckily the pattern isn't complicated so I was able to work up to the toe then I stopped until I got home to make sure I did the toe the same so that they match.

Pattern: Seduction Socks by Ann Budd
Yarn: Berocco Comfort Sock
Needles: 32" US 2 Knit Picks Circular - Magic Loop
Cast On: 3/7/08; Cast Off: 4/27/08

I think I can ... I think I can

2008-04-26T07:55:00.003-04:00

I got a bit done on the second sock in the last 2-3 days, I am hoping to finish it over the weekend. This'll count towards my April sock for SAM 5 and March Sock for Sock Knitters Anonymous on Ravelry.

I also got several more rows done on the diagonal baby blanket, but I'll wait until much more is coplete before posting another progress picture :o)

Tama Tagged me for Scategories:

WHAT IS YOUR NAME: Angela

4 LETTER WORD: Arts

VEHICLE: Accord

TV SHOW: Are you smarter than a fifth grader?

CITY: Acton

BOY NAME: Anthony

GIRL NAME: April

OCCUPATION: Air Traffic Controler

SOMETHING YOU WEAR: Accessories (yeah that's cheating huh?)

FOOD: Apple

SOMETHING FOUND IN A BATHROOM: Air Freshner ... this gets easier as I go along, LOL

REASON FOR BEING LATE: Ambulance

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Oh this is too easy! Asshole!

Off to work I go

2008-04-20T20:33:00.006-04:00

This was my off weekend for my part-time job, but I have to cover this holiday so I have to work one night. The money is good, but sometimes this third shift kills me. I have my stuff ready to go, I usually bring a project or two and a few magazines to look at while I am at work.

Here's some progress on the baby blanket, my intentions with this were to use up stash and not have to buy more yarn ... well it looks like I will run out of at least 2 colors, maybe 4 ... so I think I will end up with MORE yarn in my stash once this one is done! I am going to wait until I actually run out to buy more though, sometimes its deceiving how much is left. I am going to post the pattern once complete, its very simple and great for using up stash yarn.

Sweet Saturday

2008-04-19T19:25:00.005-04:00

I started one of the baby blankets that I plan on making for June. This one is also going to get rid of some stash! I have four colors of Cotton Ease that I used for make the Color Block Baby Sweater earlier this year and then I had another two colors hanging around in my stash. I am doing 10 rows of the colors that have been used before and 20 rows of the skeins that are new, and hoping that I don't run out of any, LOL! The colors are not showing up well in this photo. The redish color is terracotta and goes well with the other colors but is showing up funky here.

This is something else I picked up again recently. Its a simple drawstring bag that I started back in July of last year, the yarn is meditation and its infused with lavendar. Its a very cool yarn to work with. I have a copy of the pattern in the baggie with the project and I laughed when I picked it up again because I wrote on the paper what a yarn over is ... so obviously this was one of the first projects I started using yarn overs, LOL!

This is another project I would like to finish up soon. This is a tank top that I started last yearn in the Spring ... intending to be able to wear it last summer ... yeah right.

I'm starting to find its really quite a pain when stuff is left like this, luckily most of these projects I ended on sections that said, knit until piece measures x inches from beginning. I usually try and write down what row I am on, but not for stuff like this for obvious reasons - I can just measure to figure out where I am, picking stuff up after so long is hard to start again for certain patterns.

We had lovely weather today, but my allergies were really bad. I love the Spring, but my nose and eyes disagree!

Thursday Thoughts ...

2008-04-17T20:38:00.004-04:00

No pictures today, nothing to post pics of. I cleaned out the dining room today in preparation for moving / people looking at this place. I use the table to do rubber stamping and had all of my supplies there. No problem for me, its all organized and in plastic containers, but I am sure other people won't think that's so cool. So now its all in a closet in the bedroom.

Two people are having babies in June at work. I am hoping to knit a diagonal blanket for one (have left over yarn from another project I think will work well for this) and crochet another for the other person with yarn I have in my stash. Let's see if I can get both done by June and get my sock knitting and other stuff done, LOL!

While getting all of this cleaning done I think I need to buy another plastic tub or two for yarn and other miscellaneous craft items (felt, google eyes, ribbon, etc.). I also have to go through my enormous book stash and get rid of some of those. Any Janet Evanovich fans out there?? I've got a couple of her books I've read that I would part with.

Wahoo Wednesday!

2008-04-16T20:08:00.004-04:00

Bags, bags everywhere! I have all of my WIPs in plastic zip-lock bags to 1) keep them clean; 2) keep them contained; and 3) keep a copy of the pattern with the materials. Also the bags are portable if I want to bring a project with me somwhere. These bags are all in a shallow box in the bedroom ... baby kitty keeps jumping in them in the middle of the night or 4AM and scaring the wits out of me. So I decided that I must do something with them .... ultimately FINISH the projects, but until that time I wanted somewhere else to put them.

Hopefully we are moving in the near future to a house with a nice yard and far away from the psycho next door with her outside phone calls and now THREE barking dogs used to be one that was bag enough ... and I LIKE dogs. Anyway ...

I was cleaning out one of the bedroom closets in preparation for hopefully moving one day in the near future and I of course don't want to move a bunch of junk that's been collecting over the years. Well this cleaned out a nice little spot for my WIPs in bags!

Soon I hope to go through the yarn in my stash and put patterns with the yarns that I bought for a specific purpose before I forget, LOL!

P.S. I went to my LYS today and didn't buy anything!!! It felt so good. I am trying to save money to move into a house so this is really important to me :o)

Seduction Sock Repair

2008-04-13T19:47:00.005-04:00

As usual, after sleeping for a good 8 hours, I decided that I couldn't live with the messed up toe, LOL! Its amazing what you can live with when you've been up all night. I did this with another project I was working on during the over-night shift and after sleeping decided to go back and fix it. Live and learn!

I ripped it out:

Then I did it correctly. I moved the markers around so that they were in the middle of the stitches and added two decrease rounds to come back to the number of stitches in the original pattern.

I am MUCH happier with this! Here's a close up of the pattern stitch:

Saucy Seduction Socks ...

2008-04-13T07:50:00.004-04:00

I finished the first sock for this pattern this morning while at work. I made a boo-boo though that I will have to repeat on the second one so that they match, but I learned something for the future.

This pattern called for 56 stitches, my foot size is usually 64 and I think after trying this on that 56 really would have been too few. So I added stitches to the instep, but kept the heel flap the same so that the instep stitches had the correct multiple for the pattern.

My mistake was that I didn't move the markers for the toe and do the decreases in the center of each half of the stitches, so the bottom decreased quicker and the closure was more towards the bottom of the foot. To help correct this I ripped out the kitchener since it looked really weird and instead just pulled the yarn through the stitches and pulled tight to close. That worked much better for both look and comfort.

I really like this pattern and if I do it again will make sure to do the toe correctly. Hey, that's what knitting is all about, learning!!

This yarn is Comfort Sock by Berocco and "comfort" really is a good description! The yarn is nylon and acrylic, but its super soft and squishy. Really is comfortable on the foot.

Mid-April Already?

2008-04-12T08:05:00.005-04:00

Its mid-April already! And I am not saying that because of tax season ... it interests me more because I don't have April socks almost done! My taxes were done at least a month ago, if not more and I received and spent my refunds already, LOL! My boyfriend on the other hand perpetually does his taxes on April 14th ... despite each year saying he'll be doing them early this year ... uh huh!

There's not too much going on in the knitting department here. I am still working on my Firestarters and Seduction Socks, and other numerous WIPs and UFOs crowd around me everywhere I look.

We applied for a mortgage through the Credit Union I belong to and were pre-qualified, we just have to submit paystubs and other proof that what we said it true. So hopefully we'll be moving this year!!

Because of that I have been trying not to spend any money that I don't have to ... like if I have 30-something skeins of sock yarn, there's really no reason why I need to buy more. However, I just had to purchase these kitty stitch markers from Anita's Etsy Shop. They are so cute and well crafted!

I worked last night at my part-time job so I missed the second episode of Battlestar Galactica. Since Comcast puts it On-Demand I didn't bother trying to dig through the 20 VHS tapes piled on top of my VCR to find one to tape it on (probably to find out the sound is crap anyway). So I am hoping its available On-Demand asap!

I was glad to see that the Rivendell Sock pattern was available for purhase as a pdf. This pattern will be in a book that is going to be published, but is not yet available. Being the super sci-fi nerd that I am ... how can I not knit this pattern?!?! So I purchase it, you can too at this site.

Its another rainy, grey April day here in New England, but since I worked third shift I am off to bed anyway, LOL!

Fun with Fire

2008-04-06T18:59:00.003-04:00

I am really loving this Superwash Me Sock by J. Knits! The colors are so rich (hope it washes well). I cast on this sock last night and got this far for a lazy Sunday of sitting around and knitting.

I am not sure if I will be able to do all of the repeats or if that will make the sock too long. I am only worried about this since I did a different toe, but it looks to me like the cables start at the ball of the foot like everyone elses' anyway (I've got really long toes).

Burn baby, burn!

Where did the sun go?!?!

2008-04-06T09:30:00.006-04:00

We saw the sun yesterday for a couple of hours, of course, this was after we got home and were inside again, LOL!! Now it seems like it will be another grey day. I went and got three pots of pansies, my favorite flower, before they were all gone. If you don't get out there and get them they dissapear quickly and since they are cold weather, Spring flowers, local places don't carry them again in the year. I am going to put them in a planter so that when it gets hot out I can move them to the shade and hopefully they will last longer.

I started The Firestarter socks yesterday ... though it was around 11PM so more like today, LOL! I had this yarn in my stash specifically for this pattern. I didn't really like the toe in the pattern, so instead I used Judy's Magic Cast On and the Standard Toe from New Pathways for Sock Knitters. Now I am going to check the length and the pattern info to make sure that this will work with the pattern. The yarn is J. Knits in colorway "Kansas".

I received my recent order from Knit Picks! I ordered More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. I also ordered another 32" US 2 needle and a 40" US 3 needle, as well as US 2 Metal DPNs. Then I got a Go Knit Pouch to carry my sock knitting around and DPN WIP tubes to hold DPNs (I always poke holes in my plastic bags when I carry those around). And lastly some Knit Picks Essentials in Pumpkin to make some mittens for a friend and some Felici in Coney Island that I think I will use for some Jaywalkers.

The Wee Tiny Sock Swap was last weekend. I finished my sock and mailed it out to Tawana. I was curious to see how self striping yarn would turn out in such a tiny sock!

This is the sock I received in the mail from Laura. She made this sock out of a lovely merino/silk blend that she hand dyed herself and sent a mini skein as well. This yarn is super soft and the color is just lovely. Check out the link above for her Etsy shop!

I updated my sock yarn stash in Ravelry yesterday, whew, but it'll be nice to be able to see it while I am looking at patterns. I often forget what I have in my stash and miss matching yarns up with patterns because of that.

Another Day Gone By ...

2008-03-30T15:01:00.005-04:00

I finished the sock for the Wee Tiny Sock Swap while I was at work last night. Sometimes knitting in the middle of the night doesn't work so well. I started the sock Friday night and couldn't figure out why the heel instructions were weird and there wasn't a heel flap, but appeared to be one in the photo on the pattern.

So I did only the turning instructions thinking maybe it was because the sock was so small the heel flap was skipped ... this didn't look right, so I ripped it out and tried again ... still didn't look right. So I left it alone for the day and went back to it last night at work. Well looking closer at the instructions, there was a heel flap, I just didn't see the instructions there ... duh!! So I ripped back again and did the heel flap and viola ... it looks like a normal sock now. I will post a photo of it once its received for the swap.

Since I finished the Magic Lace Rib Socks, I started working on the Seduction Socks by Ann Budd again. I hope to finish this pair by the end of April to be eligible for the Sock Knitters Anonymous drawing.

I really like this pattern and how it is working with this yarn.

I scored tickets to Iron Maiden on Friday. I think they will be sold out if they are not already. I could only get general admisison lawn seats, so let's hope it is not raining that day. The concert is in June, so the weather will be warmer anyway.

Knitting Away

2008-03-29T14:17:00.006-04:00

I am so loving that I can get knitting done at my part-time weekend job! I feel like I am not losing any "me time" while I am there, LOL!

I recently ordered some yarn from Amanda - NH Knitting Mama. The colorway is so cool, this photo really doesn't show it off, its called Wizard School and I can see why!

I finished socks for this month with only two days to spare! I like the lace pattern and love the yarn I chose, but I really don't like this toe, it comes out very pointy and I have long, thin feet, so this type of toe exaggerates that.

I am reading The Chronicles of Narnia right now in preparation for the next movie coming out. I have a "thing" where I have to read the book first, however, I have already read these stories many years ago. Its amazing how much imagination children have, I remember some things vividlty, but there's really not much of a description in the book ... so that was all me, LOL!!

I am UN-patiently waiting for the last season of Battlestar Gallactica to start next Friday! I can't fracking wait, LOL!!

FO: Magic Lace Rib Socks

2008-03-29T14:11:00.005-04:00

Pattern: Magic Lace Rib Socks by Natalie Wilson

Yarn: Wildfoote by Brown Sheep Company, Color: Sonatina

Needles: Addi Turbo Size 2

Cast On: 2/3/08
Cast Off: 3/29/08

Sunny Sunday

2008-03-23T18:18:00.006-04:00

I finished one of the socks today that I've been working on. The pattern is Magic Lace Rib Socks by Natalie Wilson. I liked the pattern, but don't really care for the toe. If I make this one again in the future I am going to extend the lace pattern further and use a different toe.

I plan to finish up the other sock this week so that I can apply it to March for some of the groups that I belong to, then I am going to start on socks for my MIL and finish up my Seduction Socks for April.

I signed up for the Wee Tiny Sock Swap. Sign ups are still being accepted until March 27th. Its a really simple one, knit up one Wee Tiny Sock and mail it to your assigned person, ta da, that's it. Then of course you will receive one in return from someone. Use up some left over sock yarn that is stashed somewhere in your house.

Today was a very nice, sunny day with temperatures in the 50s. First time we've seen sun for two days in a row for a very long time. I can't wait to get outside and take the dog on the trails down the road (I am waiting a little while so the mud dries up).

Knitting Progress

2008-03-20T10:17:00.006-04:00

My obsession / addiction with sock yarn continues to be a major life problem, LOL! My local yarn store recently stocked Flat Feet. The yarn is already knit into a flat and that is how it is used to knit socks with.

I am loving Berroco Comfort Sock. MY LYS only had 4 colors left ... two of which I already have, so I got the last of this blue toned one. I really like how my Seduction Sock are coming along and want to try other patterns with this yarn.

My Magic Lace Rib socks are coming along nicely. I hope to have these done by the end of March so I can start socks for my MIL for Mother's Day. At this point I have both heels turned and gussett stitches picked up and one gussett decrease round done on each sock.

I finished one mitten in the class last night, glad to have a completed item at the end of class. Now I can make the second one myself.

FO: Feather & Fan Dishcloth

2008-03-20T08:16:00.002-04:00

Pattern: Sugar 'N Cream
Yarn: Reynolds Saucy Mercerized Cotton
Needles: Clover Bamboo Size US 8

Cast On: Feb. 08
Cast Off: March 08

This dishcloth was made for the Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap.

Is it Friday yet?

2008-03-18T16:58:00.004-04:00

Is it Friday yet? I worked 30 hours in three days over Sat, Sun and Monday, yikes!! That might not be a lot for some who usually work 10 hour days, but I don't, LOL! And I am working for the rest of the week, but I'll have this weekend off from my part time job.

One really cool thing about this part time job is that I am able to knit while I am there, so I am really progressing on my Seduction Socks. This is the first time that I have used Comfort Sock by Berroco and I really like it. It seems like it'll wear well and be durable too since it is made from acrylic and nylon ... which also means that the socks will be machine washable. I wear a size 8 shoe and usually my foot circumference calls for 64 stitches, so that is what I did instead of the 56 that the pattern called for, I am glad I did because this sock fits snug, but very comfortable. I think if I did 56 stitches it would be a little too tight.

I splurged on some sock yarn from Dragon Fibers since I got my tax refund ... any excuse to buy more sock yarn is a good enough excuse for me, LOL! This yarn is really lovely in person, the photo doesn't do the colors justice.

I am happy to have finished my Easter cards and mailed them out already. Especially since I spent $30-$40 on supplies at my local rubber stamp store. I almost forgot that I had done them, I put them up high on a cabinet to dry so the kitty wouldn't mess with them. My boyfriend was looking for the large baking sheet and that's what I had put them on to keep them flat, LOL! Otherwise I would've found them who knows when!

What day is it?!?!

2008-03-15T18:27:00.007-04:00

This week flew by and now its the weekend again ... but not for long! I am working the overnight shift this weekend, which means I get next to nothing accomplished for the rest of the hours in the day that I am not working because I am sleeping ... or in a semi-conscious state.

I was debating doing it (only because of time constraints) but when I saw an article in the current issue of Knit 'N Style magazine that there was still plenty of time to sign up for Sock Wars III, I decided to give it a try ... at the very least I get a pair of socks out of it and get to try a new pattern!

I am taking a class at my LYS on Mitered Mittens. The pattern is in the Nashua Handknits Cobblestone Streets Winter 2007-2008 booklet which also featured the Cabled Earflap Hat that I took a class on recenlty. This class is only two sessions, so I hope to get my "homework" done tonight at work so I am ready for the class on Wednesday. The yarn I am using is Taos 100% Wool by Crystal Palace Yarns in color #14 Midnight Oasis. The colors are dark and hard to see in this photo, but its a variegated twist and the colors really go very well together.

These are the other things I got at my LYS ... can't help going early when I have a class to browse what's new! On Your Toes by S. R. Kertzer now makes a Bamboo/Nylon blend. There were not too many colors to choose from, I think the store only stocked a few to see how it sold. I also got another skein of Araucania Ranco because I noticed what was available has dwindled down to one bin and I wanted to grab more before it was gone. Its amazing how different colors look in the hank and then how they look when wound in a ball. I also needed another skein of Taos for the mittens and size 9 DPNs which I did not already have, so I choose to try out Comfort Zone needles (plus this size was in purple ... so I couldn't resist).

My next sock project will be with this skein of Berroco Sox. I wanted to make a pair for my MIL, she taught me how to knit and was amazed at the self striping yarns I showed her, so I wanted to make her socks for Mother's Day with some self-striping yarn.

My Magic Lace Rib Socks are coming along nicely! I have one sock on the gussett decreases and the other one started on the heel flap. I really like doing both socks at once on different needles (2 on 1 needle is too tangled up in yarn and a pain in my opinion) so that they are done about the same time.

I cast on Seduction Socks by Ann Budd for the March Sockdown on the Sock Knitters Anonymous group on Ravelry. I think this color is going to look great with this pattern. To qualify for the prize drawing I have to finish the pair by April 30th.

And now I am back to getting ready for work in a few hours! At least the shift differential is good, LOL!! I don't really have a promblem staying up all night, but when I work first shift during the week, its weird to work overnight on the weekend. I only work every other, so I have one to recuperate!

Wahoo Weekend!

2008-03-08T08:53:00.006-05:00

I am so glad it is the weekend. This week has been going by so slowly. I started a part time job every other weekend and I worked last weekend so I felt like I didn't get a weekend last week. Now I can actually enjoy this one.

Thanks to everyone who posted about my Cabled Earflap Hat!

For Wildflower38 regarding cables, cables in the round are just like cables in flat knitting, however, the only thing is that sometimes it is harder to keep track, so markers are necessary to keep track of where you are in the pattern.

Fearless Knitting

This was something from Knitting Daily that I wanted to post about earlier this year, yeesh, its already March!

Is there something you haven't tried because it seems Too Scary?

There are two things that I haven't tried yet that I want to - Entrelac and Faire Isle or any form of color work in the same row. Last month I did take a class at my LYS on Continental Knitting to learn how to carry the yarn in my left hand, so this would be helpful for color work.

Is there a technique you want to learn, or learn to do more skillfully?

I would like to be more comfortable reading charts. I havne't done much knitting from charts, hence I am not very skilled at reading them. I did take a class on the Cabled Earflap hat recently and that helped because we discussed reading charts in that class.

Is there something that stumps you?

Shaping eludes me at times, only because I haven't done it. I don't like patterns that tell you to do mirror images without actual instructions or make 1 or decreases without telling you what kind of stitch to use.

Is there something that you are dying to try, in your secret knitter's heart, but haven't dared because you think you're not a good enough knitter?

No, just not enough hours in a day, LOL!

Are you always knitting The Same Old Things, and you'd like to try something new?

I would love to make an adult sweater, I am working on one for myself. There are so many great patterns out there, but I am afraid to spend over $100 on yarn and mess it up. The one I am working on now only cost about $30 to make. So if this one is a success then maybe I will invest in a more expensive project!

Do you always knit for others, and never for yourself? Or perhaps you only knit yourself accessories, but never a lovely cardigan or pullover to wear?

I usually knit for others, but always have a few things on the needles for myself ... that don't get finished because I am knitting for others, LOL!

I think I might actually have a pair of socks for myself soon. I don't really like knitting two socks at once on one long needle, I get sick of untangling the yarn and its not very portable. I do want to be done the pair at the same time though! I've seen many people make socks at the same time, but on different needles, so I got a second needle set and tried that out myself.

FO: Cabled Earflap Hat

2008-03-04T20:18:00.006-05:00

The cabled earflap hat is done!! I finished it today, the last 7 rows! After trying it on all I could think of is I will call it my Faery Elfkin Hat, LOL!! I'm not sure how much I will wear it, the size in the pattern is 16" which is smaller than a regular adult. It fits on my head, but a little tight, especially since I have a lot of hair to stuff under there.

Pattern: Cabled Earflap Hat; Nashua Handknits Cobblestone Streets Winter 2007/2008

Yarn: Patons Soy Wool Solids; Natural Rasin

Needles: Clover Bamboo Size 7, 16" Circular and Size 7 Double Pointed Needles

Cast on: February 13, 2008

Completed: March 4, 2008

Dishcloth Swap Package

2008-03-02T15:17:00.004-05:00

I received my package from Karin for the Defeat the Winter Doldrums dishcloth swap. She made a dishcloth in the perfect colors to match my kitchen :o) She sent me 2 skeins of Sugar 'N Cream Twists and 2 skeins of Sugar 'N Cream Stripes (which I have really wanted to try but can't find around here). She also sent some yummy smelling soaps, chocolate, Oolong tea (which I haven't tried before, but hear a lot of people like it), and some stitch markers and needle holders.

Thanks Karin!!

To Rip or Not to Rip ...

2008-03-02T14:46:00.009-05:00

Is that the question? Friday night while I was working the overnnight shift, I started working on a scarf that I started a while ago. Well since I hadn't picked it up in so long, I wasn't readily familiar with the pattern ... so I made a nasty mistake ... it didn't look right to me at the time, but since I was tired, I thought maybe my gauge was off and that's why it looked different. No ... its that I made a glaring mistake, LOL!

The scarf is a reversible cable pattern, what I did was do a cable twist on the wrong side, so that one side had a much longer space between cables and it stood out ... maybe other people wouldn't notice, but I did. So later that day after I got home and slept for a few hours, I ripped back to the cable twist before the mistake so that I knew where I was in the patern, its too hard to count the rows with the twists. Now it looks much better and I am happy. It was really sticking in the back of my mind!!

I am still working on the Menehune sock, this is the first sock. I really like the pattern and yarn, but it is really slow going for some reason. I learned something new from Cat Bordhi about knitting the knit round of the SSK decrease on the gussett by knitting through the back loop so that the SSK look as neat as the K2tog, its working very well. Actually my SSKs look better than the K2tog now, LOL!!

When I was at my LYS last week I picked up some Berocco Comfort for my boyfriend, he really liked the feel of it from the other skein I got so I picked up some in a color better suited to him.

And last, but not least, the progress on the Cabled Ear Flap hat that I was taking the class on. This pattern is in the Winter 07/08 Nashua Handknits Cobblestone Streets booklet.

I think this is the first class project that will actually get finished, LOL!! I didn't have time to complete it in the last class, but am glad that the instructor had us stop and do the finishing in the last hour. So all the ends are woven in and the picot crochet edge is done, all I have left are 7 rounds of decreases for the crown and this baby is done!

I am really going to make an effort to finish any UFOs or WIPs before I cast on any new projects. Whether or not that works, I don't know, but I am going to try, LOL!! I'll make it easy on myself and plan to complete any UFOs that are on the needles as of today by the end of 2008 ... I think that's reasonable, LOL!!

7 Random Things ...

2008-02-23T20:44:00.003-05:00

I was tagged by Tama to mention 7 random things ... so here goes:

1. I have three tattoos ... none of which you can see if I am clothed for the most part (two are on my ankle, but I usually wear socks and sneakers anyway).

2. I am a word freak, I love words. If I hear a word that I have not encountered before - even if I can figure out the meaning from the context of the sentence - I will look it up when I get home, or if I am home, the next time I pass the dictionary. When I am writing, I will take the time to look up anything that I am not sure of the spelling.

3. I have been to Hawaii and England on vacation - neither of which I paid for myself, LOL! My friend's dad took us to Hawaii - he usually took her somewhere when she went out to visit him in CA and I was given the opportunity to join that year. My mom took me to England in 2001 to visit a woman we met through friends while she was vacationing over here and I was emailing her back and forth since ... still do to this day.

4. I can ride a horse.

5. I drive a truck and don't think I will ever purchase another car / sedan for the rest of my life, LOL!

6. Macaroni & Cheese is my favorite food. I prefer real baked macaroni and cheese or Boston Market's version to the boxed kind.

7. Probably the most interesting knitting related thing ... I have NEVER, EVER made a pair of socks for myself ... not because I don't want to ... because it just hasn't happened yet. I have 3 pairs on the needles for myself at the moment ... maybe one of these days in the near future!!

Now I am off to tag 7 others!

FO: Little Sky Sock

2008-02-23T20:09:00.003-05:00

Pattern: Little Sky Sock "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" by Cat Bordhi

Yarn: Patons Classic Wool, Worsted Weight, Color: Forest

Needles: Addi Turbo 40" size US 5

Cast On: 2/18/08 Cast Off: 2/23/08

I made these to learn the techniques in the book, so there's really no intended recipient. I will be giving them to my friend for his boy though, I think they'll fit him for a while, he just turned one year old this month.

The weather outside is frightful ...

2008-02-23T10:37:00.007-05:00

Well its actually not so bad, but I thought we were done with snow for the year ... wishful thinking ... and we got about 7-9" yesterday and last night. So all the snow that just melted has returned.

I recently added to my sock yarn stash ... yeah, like that needed to be done!

1. Lang Yarns Jawoll Superwash in a dark green. I think I will use this for one of the sock patterns in "Knitting Vintage Socks" from Nancy Bush.

2. Berroco Comfort Sock - I have not used this yarn before, but it only cost $7 for a skein and it feels so soft!

3. Wildfoote in Rhapsody. I am making a pair of socks in Wildfoote at the moment and really like it, this color was really cool (hard to see in the photo) so I wanted to grab it before it dissapeared.

Here's what I've been knitting:

The above sock is knit in Panda Cotton, color "Roses" and I got it in a swap. I found this pattern on the Crystal Palace website, Menehune Socks. I think it might be because the gauge is so small (9 sts per inch) that is is taking me so long to knit these. Also I am knitting them on 1.5 Harmony Needles and I am a really tight knitter, so I think its slow going because I am concerned I will snap the wood, LOL!

These are the other socks that I am making in Wildfoote, the pattern is Magic Lace Rib by Natalie Wilson. I really like the pattern, its very pretty, but not so complicated that's its too much for TV knitting. I started the second one and hope to have them done at the same time.

This is the hat I am making for a class I am taking at my LYS. There is only one class meeting left. This yarn I also got in a swap and its working very well for this pattern. We learned how to make left and right leaning decreases on the ear flaps so that it comes out uniform. I also learned how to cast on and knit in pieces already done. I hope to be able to knit enough to get to the end or close to for the last class on Wednesday night so that it will be finished.

New Paths for my Socks

2008-02-18T11:32:00.003-05:00

I got New Pathways for Sock Knitters a while ago, and browsed through it, but had other projects to finish, so I didn't try to start anything. Since this is a long weekend and I just finished that sweater project, I decided to start learning the stuff in this book.

First I made myself some "A" and "B" stitch markers so that I could follow along. Seems like there are some more advanced patterns later on that require up to "G" so I will be making more later, LOL!

I started with the first Little Sky Learning Sock. I really like the way the increases are on the instep and the heel is short rows, but an interesting way to conceal the wraps and not end up with any of those nasty holes.

I also really liked that there are videos up on You Tube to follow along with. I usually do fine with diagrams only, but some of them in the book only have one photo for three steps ... so I wasn't sure how to place stitches on needles, etc. The videos were very helpful.

This sock took me a few hours to complete, I will make the other one soon. I think they are a bit big for my friend's boy, but that's good since its getting warm out soon. They can save them for next winter.

Winnings ...

2008-02-16T20:10:00.002-05:00

I received my prize from participating and winning in the draw for Miss Me's recent blog contest! She sent some really cool stuff, more than I expected for a prize, felt like I was getting a whole swap package, LOL! She sent Smarties, similar to our M&Ms, but a little different, yummy though. Lavish soap in Almond and Goat's Milk, smells wonderful. Stitch markers from Knit2tog, in my favorite color! And the loveliest yarn "Hacho" by Mirasol, 100% Hand Dyed Merino Wool in a super awesome colorway with purple, greens and blues. Looks to me like some socks will come out nicely in this yarn. Thank you Miss Me!!

FO: Colorblock Sweater

2008-02-12T20:36:00.000-05:00

Pattern: Colorblock Sweater, p 55, Knit Simple Magazine Spring/Summer 2007

Yarn: Lion Brand Cotton Ease (1 skein ea. Snow, Almond, Maize, Taupe)

Size: 1 year

Needles: Size 6 & 8 Circular (to accomodate stitches, was knit flat)

The sweater is done!!!!

2008-02-12T20:20:00.001-05:00

I finished the sweater today. I think it took as much, if not a bit more to seam it all up then it did to knit it!

The first photo is of the sleeves set in. I had to undo and rework the first one I tried, because the center ended up about an inch from the actual center, LOL!

This photo shows the inside color changes and seams. Its nice to see that the inside is just as neat as the outside!

Now the sleeves are set in and seamed up. Again, I had to rip out and redo the first one that I did, the second one went much easier!

Ta da! The finished product!! This is a really great little sweater. It really doesn't take long to knit, but the seaming took a lot of time. I am sure though that if I did something like this again it would go much better, as noted above I pretty much had to redo everything I tried the first time.

This is a shot of the back.

I washed it tonight and it survived the washing machine. This yarn is machine washable and dryable, which is good for a one year old I am sure! Now its in the dryer at the moment and I am sure it will survive that as well.

Sweater Seaming Sunday

2008-02-10T19:18:00.000-05:00

I spent most of my day working on this sweater, but that's OK because it all went very well. I would hate to spend all of this time and then not have good results, LOL!

Last night I started the second sleeve and finished that around noontime today. Once I had all of the pieces completed I got ready to start finishing. This is the first sweater that I have seamed, so I had books and magazines at the ready for instruction, and I also recently took a workshop on seaming. I didn't need my books much once I got started.

Here are the pieces.

Here's a close up of the shoulder being seamed. The first time around I took out and started again, I wasn't getting a good tension to match the knitted stitches, but it was good practice, LOL! The second time around I was going very slow and making sure the tension matched well.

Once I seamed the right shoulder the pattern instructed to pick up stitches for the neck. I had subsituted the yarn for this project, so I had one ball for each 2 required for the pattern, but two would have been handy for the neck part. I made two small balls so that I could match the colors as required. It was still a bit messy though! I took it slow so I wouldn't end up with a knotted mess.

Here is the neck completed. It was nice that I came out with the correct number of stitches picked up the first time around, LOL!

Here is the sweater with the second shoulder seamed and the buttons added. I also wove in all of the loose ends. I should have taken a photo of the inside. I think there were about 20 ends to weave in throughout because of all the color changes.

Here is a close up shot of the buttons and neck. I had to take off and reposition one of the buttons. I really do not like sewing buttons on! They move around while I am trying to sew them on. No matter how much pre-planning and positioning ahead of time, inevitably one of them is in a bad spot and the closure doesn't line up right.

All in all I am extremely pleased with this project. All that is left is to seam the sleeves onto the shoulders and then seam up the sleeves and side seams. I'll save that for another day this week. I am all seamed out for the day!

Back and Forth ...

2008-02-09T09:13:00.001-05:00

That's what Stockinette flat knitting feels like ... back and forth ... back and forth

I don't know why I procrastinate some projects. This child's sweater is actually a very quick knit if you sit down and do it. I finished the last 4" and shaping on the front and an entire sleeve last night. I cast this sweater on 1/7/08. I need to finish it by 2/16/08 for a birthday party.

It is coming out quite nicely. This is my first sweater with shaping and increasing. This will also be my first sweater that I have to seam all of the pieces together. I did a sweater for this same boy last year, but it was one piece and only had side seams.

I started these socks 2/3/08 when my Monkey socks ran out of yarn. I had to rip back to the cuff the other night and start over again for the pattern. I should know by now if something seems difficult or weird, I'm probably not doing it right.

One of the yarn overs in this pattern is done off a purl so its kind of backwards, when you knit it on the next round it seems like you are knitting in the back loop (but the pattern didn't say to ktbl so I didn't want to do that if it was wrong), so I was doing it through the front loop and wasn't getting a hole where the yarn over should be, so in the ribbing there were holes only on one side and what looked like purls on the other because I was twisting the yarn over and closing up the hole.

Lesson learned, sock looks good now and its much easier to knit this way, LOL!! Some how I was able to rip back and pick up the stitches on size 1 needles from the ribbing on the cuff. Usually I get really frustrated with this, but this yarn seemed to hold the stitches well and they were easy to pick up, many I had to re-position so that they were not twisted, but that's much quicker than starting over and knitting ribbing for 1 1/2" again!

FO: Hemingway Bear

2008-02-09T09:07:00.000-05:00

This bear was knit up for the Hot Cocoa Swap. The pattern is from Knitty. This was my first toy and it was an interesting knit. This was also a pretty quick knit, so great for a swap project!

Hot Cocoa Swap Package!

2008-02-07T17:13:00.000-05:00

I received my Hot Cocoa Swap package today from Heather. It even came in a purple box! Heather sent 2 sets of awesome stitch markers that she made, they definitely have a Spring feeling to them, I love the colors. I also received butterfly notecards, gummies, Lindt chocolate (who doesn't love that?!?!), Starbucks Hot Cocoa, can't wait to try that. Soy Wool Solids in the most lovely shade of purple, my favorite and its enough yardage for me to use in a class I am taking next week to make a hat, that worked out well!! And last, but certainly not least, the CUTEST crocheted butterfly in the most awesome bright colors!!!

Not pictured, only because I was thinking Oh cool!! and took it out and put it aside so it wouldn't get lost in the fray of me opening my package - a tea cup stamp. I love rubber stamping, so this is a nice touch.

I am also amazed at how often I find something in a swap that is sent to me that is something I've wanted to try, but didn't actually mention that anywhere. Soy Wool by Patons has been on my list, but I haven't had an opportunity or project to use it for. So it is always cool to find something you wanted and in your favorite color in a swap package!!

Check out Heather's stitch markers, they are lovely and really well constructed. I can't wait to use mine!!

Thank you Heather!!!

Not so Rockin' Sock ...

2008-02-03T15:56:00.000-05:00

I finished the first Monkey sock yesterday and then weighed it on a postage scale and the what yarn I had left. The sock weighs a little over 2 oz and the yarn left is about 1 1/2 oz ... so I don't think I'll be getting another sock out of that skein. Since there is not even one mistake in the sock, I really don't want to rip it out to make something else ... also I really don't want to rip it out and start something else to find I end up with the same problem and run out of yarn again. So I think I will order another skein to make another one and then I will be able to get yet another pair out of what's left.

So after this mishap I decided to start in on the Jaywalkers that I had started previously ... only to find out I was somehow slipping the stitches differently before and they were coming out different ... and I think not right. So I scrapped that and started new socks with Wildfoote and a new pattern that I purchased the last time I was at the yarn store.

I finished getting everything for the Hot Cocoa Swap package that I've been preparing. I am going to take the buddy that I made around the house today and take some photos of him sharing in the fun of waiting for the game to start on Super Bowl Sunday.

For the first time in what feels like forever I heard birds chirping outside today. It was in the 40s but really felt like Spring. I sure hope Spring comes soon!

Go Pats!!

Yummy - Socks that Rock!

2008-01-31T17:02:00.000-05:00

Is this yummy or what?!?! No, not my skinny and excessivley long foot, LOL! This is Socks that Rock in colorway Fire on the Mountain that I have had in my stash since October ... fondling it, but never wanting to use it because I couldn't find the right or perfect pattern. Well I saw several other people make Monkeys out of Socks that Rock and they looked awesome, so I decided to do the same.

This pattern is addictive, another reason why its named after the monkey on your back! I haven't been able to put it down. It could also be the luscious yarn, that if it was edible I would gorge myself on.

At first I was a little worried about the gauge since I was coming out with something more like 7-7.5 sts per inch as opposed to the required 8 sts per inch, but seeing this picture and having tried the sock on, I think it'll work out just fine.

I did 5 repeats of the leg instead of 6 and I had to do less rows for the heel flap so that it would come out the right length. I really do hope I don't run out of yarn. This is not a whole skein because I split it with a woman at the yarn store who only needed it for one more sock - she was getting three socks out of a skein - so she weighed out 1/3 for herself. But I think it'll work out OK, doesn't seem like I used too much so far ... and I always am amazed at how much I am left over with when making socks anyway!

Cleaning up the WIPs!

2008-01-29T18:25:00.000-05:00

Starting is good, starting is fun ... but if you keep starting, things never get DONE!!

I am determined to clean up all my WIPs fairly early this year so that later on I can work on gifts and such. I took photos of most of my WIPs ... some don't even have needles because I needed them for something else and had to put the project on stitch holders or waste yarn ... how sad is that?!?!

These are listed in no particular order, but I would like to finish them up before starting anything else! I also have a sweater I am working on for a friend's child, he will turn one mid-February. Another one not pictured here is an afghan that was the first project I started in Sept. 2006 that is also a UFO.

Project: Ted's Scarf
Recipient: For boyfriend
Yarn: Encore DK, Ultra Alpaca Light & Jo Sharp DK
Pattern: Odd Ball Knitting (book)
Notes: My boyfriend wanted a Dr. Who type scarf and I found this pattern, which uses several different colors and length stripes, but also has a stitch pattern on it, which I wanted to break up any monotony. Finishing this up would also help clean up some stash since this uses 12 kinds of yarn, LOL!

Project: Reversible Cable Scarf
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Ultra Alpaca (3 skeins)
Pattern: Cables Untangled (book)
Notes: This was originally for my boyfriend, but he preferred the one above, so I will keep this one myself (I love alpaca anyway).

Project: Peppermint Twist Socks
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Tofutsies
Pattern: Knit 'N Style Magazine
Notes: I started this sock to try socks on two circular needles. Its a fine pattern and I like the yarn, but it was put aside while I started other projects.

Project: Menehune Socks
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Crystal Palace Panda Cotton
Pattern: Crystal Palace (website)
Notes: I got this yarn in a recent swap and wanted to start using it right away, so I went on to the Crystal Palace website and found a pattern.

Project: Monkey Socks
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Socks that Rock
Pattern: Cookie A.
Notes: I have had this yarn in my stash since Oct. 2007 and was looking for the perfect pattern for it - I really need to stop that otherwise I never use my sock yarn - I did see many people have used STR for Monkey socks and so that's what I am doing now!

Project: Jaywalker Socks
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Opal
Pattern: Grumperina
Notes: I jumped on the Jaywalker bandwagon once I saw someone else used this Opal stripe yarn for that pattern. I love the pattern and the yarn is nice, not sure why these went into the UFO box.

Project: Hoodie Scarf
Recipient: Mom
Yarn: Patons Shetland Chunky
Pattern: Knit Simple Magazine
Notes: This is a Christmas gift for my mom. I bought the yarn in December and told her it wouldn't be done by Christmas. I want to finish it up my March.

Project: Drawstring Bag
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Skacel Meditation
Pattern: Creative Knitting Magazine
Notes: This was one of the first knitting in the round projects that I started. The yarn is Meditaiton which is infused with lavendar, so its really cool to knit with.

Project: Art Yarns Socks
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Art Yarns Handpaint
Pattern: Art Yarns (comes with yarn purchase)
Notes: This yarn is just delicious. It is so soft and squishy. These are toe up socks and the pattern is provided with the yarn.

Project: Alpaca Matrix Scarf
Recipient: Self
Yarn: Frog Tree Alpaca & Bernat Matrix
Pattern: Seen at LYS
Notes: I saw this scarf at my LYS and wanted to make one myself. I haven't worked on it in a while ...

I also wanted to update my Sock Yarn Stash List since I added to it recently.

1. Knit Picks Essentials - Dusk
2. Knit Picks Essentials - Pine
3. Knit Picks Essentials - Meadow Multi
4. Knit Picks Essentials - Peacock Multi
5. Knit Picks Essentials - Carbon Twist
6. Knit Picks Essentials - Volcano Twist, Black and KP Palette White (for Bucanneer Booty)
7. TV Yarn - Medium
8. TV Yarn - Bride of Frankenstein (Bellatrix)
9. Cherry Tree Hill - Maple Sugar (Fawkes)
10. Knit Picks Palette - Sky
11. Knit Picks Memories - Rocky Mountain Dusk
12. Trekking XXL
13. Berroco Sox #1476 (Marion Socks)
14. Berroco Sox #1474
15. J. Knits - Kansas (Firestarter)
16. On Your Toes
17. Wisdom Yarns - New York
18. Alpaca Socks - Fruit Salad (Purls and Lace Socks)
19. Tofutsies - #801
20. Sockotta #505
21. Regia Jacquard
22. Regia Spirit Socks that Rock - Fire on the Mountain
23. Crystal Palace Maizy - Iguana
24. Pattons Classic Wool - Harvest (Winter Socks)
25. Sunshine Yarns - Wildflower
26. Ranco Multy
27. Wildfoote - Sonatina
28. Clown - Pastel Blue/Pink/Green
29. Koigu

On the needles:

1. Socks that Rock - Monkey Socks
2. Panda Cotton - Menehune Socks
4. Jaywalkers - Opal
5. Artyarns Toe Up - Art Yarns Hand Paint
6. Peppermint Twist - Tofutsies

Finished Object: Men's Winter Socks

2008-01-28T19:27:00.000-05:00

This is my first finished object for 2008! I don't remember exactly when I cast these on (one of the things I plan to do is track that for each project in 2008) but it was in December sometime. I really started working on them the first weekend in January and finished them today 1/28/08.

Pattern: Winter Socks found in the Magic Loop Booklet from Fiber Trends
Size: Men's
Yarn: Patons Classic Wool (2 skeins Forest)
Needles: Addi Turbo Size 5 (40")

Dishcloth Swap Topic #2

2008-01-27T13:15:00.000-05:00

There are many people who ADORE receiving hand-knit or crochet items; but there are just as many who have no appreciation whatever of how much love, work, and time goes into a hand-made item. Share a story of a hand-made gift you gave to someone and how it worked out - good, bad, or ugly!

I am actually surprised that the person who seems to appreciate hand knit items the most and is amazed that I "make" these things is my friend Dave ... yes a man - even better yet, a man who is a mechanic ... though maybe that fosters his appreciation that I can "build" something out of yarn and needles, LOL!! Dave has a son who is turning one next month. Because he's got a wee one, its quite easy for me to find excuses to make tiny little items and since I don't have kiddos, they go to him!

On the other end of the spectrum, I recently made socks for a co-worker ... granted it took me about 6 months to finish them ... only because I was so NOT motivated to do it. When I took a sock knitting class last July I was chit chatting with her and she mentioned that she loved when her mom made knit socks for them ... her mother passed away long ago ... so before thinking I said, "Oh I'll knit you a pair" duh! Not even thinking I had several other projects, deadlines and had signed up for other classes that would take up my knitting time. I finally finished them the end of December - I was determined not to bring them into 2008! I gave them to her and it took a week or two before she even tried them on ... she did wear them to work that day though ... but if I got socks I would try them on immediately!!

Falling Snowflakes

2008-01-27T12:47:00.000-05:00

Its snowing out today ... I wasn't even sware we were supposed to get snow today! I don't bother watching the weather .. because last I heard it was supposed to snow Thursday ... um no snow Thursday and today is Sunday ...

Yesterday I went to the yarn store in the morning for the informal knitting group. I saw some of the regular ladies there and chatted about what we are currently working on, new yarn in the store, etc. I made a deal with myself that I could buy some Koigu for the Monet Twist Sock Pattern that I have and also some size 2 needles to match the set I already have. I don't really care for two socks on one needle, so I wanted another size 2 so that I can do two socks at the same time, but on different needles. They didn't have 40" in stock, but did have 32" so I just got that ... my other needle will be a little longer that's all, LOL!!

The deal is that I have to seriously go on a yarn diet. I haven't yet worked out the details of this diet! I have at least 30 skeins of sock yarn in my stash and am running out of room for it. Not to mention I could knit 2 pairs of socks each month this year and still have some left over. We are trying to save up money and pay off bills so that we can move ... hopefully this year. I cannot stand my neighbor and if I didn't hear her hacking up a lung at 3AM outside smoking or yelling at her dog all hours of the day or night for the rest of my life it would be TOO soon!! This is her being "quiet" too!

We met with a friend that we weren't able to see over the holidays for a belated celebration. We are all big Johnny Depp fans too so we usually get together to see his latest movie at the theater. Last night we saw Sweeney Todd. It was excellent as expected. I must also mention that I am a huge Tum Burton fan as well ... and he works with Johnny a lot ... if I had coffee and chocolate in the theater it would be a wet dream come true, LOL! The signing seemed weird at first (this was a play originally) but once the story started rolling along it soon became unnoticable and meshed well with the scenery and story.

Now that I am a knitter, I cannot help but notice any knitted costume accessories in any movie I watch. Johnny wore fingerless gloves (pictured above) as well as the young man, who also had a nice scarf on as well in one of the scenes. I would love to figure out the stitch patterns and make my own.

I found out a wonderfully mind easing piece of information yesterday when my friend called me to chat. He invited me to his son's first birthday party on 2/16 ... I thought his birthday was THIS coming weekened ... his sweater is not done yet. So I just found out I have 2 additional weeks to finish it up, whoo hoo! I am working on a color block sweater I found in Knit Simple magazine. I finished the back piece and started the front. Once that's complete I'll have the sleeves and then all the seaming, but it shouldn't be a problem for me to finish by the new deadline!

I found the most hilarious weekly blog post recently. Each Thursday Jessica enlightens us by finding a most ridiclulous knitting pattern and giving a most unique caption for it. Check out her blog on Thursdays for the Thursdays are for What the Hell is This? - or now for past entries - for a good laugh!!

Monday Meanderings

2008-01-21T17:04:00.000-05:00

I took a vacation day today so that I could attend a workshop at my LYS on Continental knitting. It went very well. It was a two hour workshop and I am comfortable with knitting, purling and casting off. Well comfortable in the fact that I understand it, actually being able to do it efficiently and comfortably will take some practice :o)

My boyfriend asked me if that meant that when my right arm fell off from too much knitting if then I would switch to the other way, hahahaha!!

The shop is carrying a new sock yarn, so I could not resist purchasing a skein. I always feel like I accomplished self restraint when I only buy ONE skein, LOL! It was $16 for this skein and only one is needed for a pair of socks. It is called Ranco from Araucania Yarns.

The colorways were so cool! Most of them very dark, rich colors, but those are the ones that speak to me. An instructor had knit up a sample sock in this yarn, so after seeing that then I really couldn't pass it up!

I also picked up two skeins of Lamb's Pride to make myself a scarf trying out Continental knitting. I don't want to do Continental on any projects that I already have going in case my tension is different since its a different method.

Based on the colors in my new sock yarn, I picked out these two skeins. I am going to do a simple rib scarf with different size stripes.

Here's my two recent cats are weird photos.

Why he thought he would fit in this basket I'll never know. Don't quite know what he's thinking in this one!! Did he really thing this would be a comfortable place for a nap?!?!

Here's another, what are you doing?!?! She's got her basket or a pile of freshly laundered clothing (which they love) to sit on and instead she's teetering on the space between the washer and dryer!

Toasty Fingers ...

2008-01-19T18:46:00.001-05:00

Are what I hope to have soon. Like I need another WIP at the moment, but I couldn't help myself. I found this technique to make personalized fit mittens in the December 2007 Issue of Knit 'N Style magazine. I am now working on Part 1 (of 2) "Make Your Own Mittens" and Part 2 is found in the next issue.

Here's my first mitten. I am using Pattons Classic Wool (not my first color choice, but I didn't have much of a choice at the store I went to). I am using my Knit Picks Harmony DPNs and I LOVE them. They are a little longer (8") than I am used to, but they work great and the colors are lovely.

I cast on 6 stitches and have been increasing from there, I am using size 5 needles (the yarn ball band suggests 7, but for mittens and socks where you want a tight knit fabric you go down a few sizes, I am a tight knitter anyway and have done worsted weight socks on size 5 so this should work well for me).

Since there is no pattern to follow I am not sure yet what I am going to do for the cuff or if I am going to try a pattern stitch on the hand. At this point all I have to work on is increasing until the size is right and then continuing down to the thumb.

I am working on a pretty big WIP list at the moment:

Winter Blah Buster Buddy - for the Hot Cocoa Swap. I started something and have 3 more pieces to complete before I can put it together.
Derek's Socks - I want to complete these by the end of the month (for Jan. Gift List - Year Long Gift-A-Long and December Cuff Down Sock for Sock Knitters Anonymous Group). These will also work for my January Sock a Month 5 and Socks from Stash groups too!
Hoodie Scarf for Mom - I purchased the yarn for her Christmas gift and knew that the actual knitting would not be done in time, but told her I would make it for her after.
Panda Cotton Socks - for myself.
Dishcloth - not picked out yet but I will need one for the Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth swap.
Color Block Sweater - Size 1 year for Anthony. I want to complete this by February - he's turning 1 year and also will be able to get some use out of it for the rest of Winter and Spring.

There are of course many, many other things started or that I have yarn for, but these are the things I am focusing on at the moment :o)

We went to see "I Am Legend" today - it was EXCELLENT! I think Will Smith is such a fantastic actor, he really makes me feel whatever his character is feeling at the time. The special effects were fantastic as well. It was a bit depressing at the end, but that's just how this particular movie ended. Otherwise I LOVED it.

I took Monday off from work and signed up for a Continental Knitting Class at my LYS. Also, it worked out well because I have applied for a part time job and they called me this week to come in for an interview, so I am doing that in the afternoon Monday, so I already am free from my full time job to get there! I love when things work out like that.

Dishcloth Swap Topic #1

2008-01-18T17:42:00.001-05:00

Weekly Topic: Dishrag. Dishcloth. Face cloth. I've seen folks get all fired up in forums when someone refers to their knit or crochet creation as a dishrag, as that's somehow offensive to them! When you're working on yours, what do you call them? Also, is there a difference between a dishrag and a dishcloth? How bout a facecloth? Are they all really the same thing?

Well I must say I would be a little put off by the name "rag" on something I hand knit, LOL!! I usually call them dishcloths. Personally if it were a facecloth I would prefer something softer than the usual 100% cotton used for dishcloths. Something like Cotton Ease would be good for the face. Technically I would say that dishcloths and facecloths are the same thing knit wise, however I would never use one on a dish and then on my face (whether it had gone through the washer already or not), LOL!

Productive Knitting

2008-01-17T19:55:00.000-05:00

Here is an update on the Color Block Sweater I am making. I have been working on it a few times this week and am happy to see so much progress. I want to finish this by February and I think it'll actually be possible! The yarn is Cotton Ease by Lion Brand and it is so soft, perfect for a child's sweater.

This is the back of the sweater, which is now complete. There were a few techniques that I conquered well on this project. The first was the color changes in each row, I was worried about keeping the tension uniform and making sure that there were no gaps between the colors. The second thing was binding off. I usually use a needle size larger to bind off to ensure that I don't do it too tight. Since this yarn is so stretchy and soft I didn't want to do that and have it too loose. So I just made sure to pay attention and go slowly and the bind off came out well.

This will be my first seaming project as well. I have made a child's sweater before, but all in one piece were only the side seams are sewn together and it was in a yarn that didn't make it very noticable. This one will have to be seamed with mattress stitch including the sleeves. I am glad I recently took a class on seaming!

Hot Cocoa Swap Topic #2

2008-01-16T16:12:00.000-05:00

Now that we're in the thick of 'Winter'... has your knitting changed to match the season? Are you moving on from dishcloths, and tank tops to afghans, hats and mittens? Has your yarn changed from silk or cotton to wool, superwash or heavier cottons?

My knitting doesn't change too much, I knit a lot of socks and small items, however, I get ideas for cold weather items - like I could have really used a pair of mittens while I was shoveling off the shed the other day, however, by the time I get to knit myself a pair it'll probably be the middle of summer! At the moment I am knitting a cotton/acrylic blend for a sweater that I hope to finish by February, this way it can also be worn in Spring and get some use out of it (1 year old size).

January is for Knitting!

2008-01-13T14:46:00.000-05:00

It is again unseasonably warm here in New England. I took the opportunity to wash my truck today and get all of that nasty sand and salt off ... even though it is forecast for snow again tomorrow. I wasn't the only one with this idea, but luckily when I pulled up to the car wash it appeared extremely busy, but most people where using the vacuums and not the wash bays.

I really enjoy when I run errands or get things done and don't have to wait, it makes me happy :o) I'm sure the fact that it was 45 degrees out helped a lot too! Though I later noticed when I got home that I then ran other errands after the car wash with dirt on my face from the spray gun, LOL!!!

Here is more progress on the color block sweater. I am really pleased with how this is coming out. I was a little worried about keeping the color changes uniform and consistent with my knitting tension. So far so good. This is the back and once the top sections are the same length as the bottom it'll be time to bind off. This is my first experience with Cotton Ease and I can see how it would make wonderful washcloths, it is so soft and comfy to touch.

I finished a sock yesterday while watching our beloved Patriots win the game for a 17-0 season so far! This sock is from the Magic Loop Booklet "Winter Socks" and I am making them with Pattons Classic Wool, which I really like, its nicely priced and the color is great for this project. Oliver decided that he wanted to join the shot, so I let him model the sock.

I am excited for a new show to start up on Fox - Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles airs tonight and tomorrow night. Also Prison Break starts back up tomorrow. Friday night I watched Monk and taped Psych for later viewing.

I found that putting the cable of inexpensive Susan Bates circular needles over the steam from my teapot does in fact make them more manageable! Definitely not as nice as Addi Turbo or Knit Picks, but much easier to work with.

Weekend Update

2008-01-12T17:02:00.000-05:00

Here is a quick update on my current WIPs. I want to take time at some point in the near future to photo all of my current UFOs or WIPs, not quite sure what they are at this point, LOL! I want to update my blog for the new year and hopefully set time to finish some of the things I started in 2007.

Here are the Winter Socks from the Magic Loop book from Fibre Trends. I am making these for my boyfriend to wear around the house. I really like the pattern stitch with this yarn. I cast these on in December.

I recently got this yarn in the Winter Wonderland Coffee Swap, the pattern is Menehune from the Crystal Palace website. I have never used this yarn before or any cotton blend, I love it. It feels like they will be really warm too. I cast these on 1/2/08.

This is a color block sweater for my friends boy who will turn 1 year old this February. I wanted to make this sweater to try color changes and so far so good. I am wrapping the working yarns in the back and it seems to be coming out fine. The pattern is from Knit Simple Magazine. This was cast on 1/7/08.

Here's an update on the November Mystery Sock from the group on Ravelry. I love this pattern and want to finish these up soon, I had put them on hold to finish up some holiday knitting.

And here are some new additions to my sock yarn stash ... yeah I know, why do I need more sock yarn?!?! I am on a mission to try them ALL! I have not yet tried Wildfoote or Clown. These are some of the less expensive yarns, but still good quality. I wanted to try Clown moreso after the experience I had with the Panda Cotton, and this is another cotton blend.

I was curious where other people keep their WIPs (because mine are all over the house), if you're reading this, please post a comment with where or in what you keep your WIPs (Works In Progress).

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap Questionnaire

2008-01-10T17:22:00.000-05:00

1. Do you knit, crochet, or do both?

Both.

2. What types of needles do you enjoy using for making dishcloths?

Bamboo.

3. What types of cotton do you enjoy using for making dishcloths? Is there any that you've been wanting to try?

I usually use Sugar 'N Cream or Peaches 'N Cream because they are readily available and inexpensive. I have really wanted to try Stripes colors, but can't find any in my local stores. I also like Cotton Ease by Lion. I would love to try Rowan Handknit Cotton, none of my local stores carry it.

4. What color(s) are your kitchen and bath decorated in (if any)?

My kitchen is country blue, navy blue and yellow. My bathroom is yucky brown panelling and robin's egg blue for the fixtures ... yeah who thought that looked good back in the 70s?? So I spice it up with a tropical sea theme.

5. What are your favorite colors for yarns? Least favorite?

I really like anything for dishcloths.

6. Do you like Winter, or do you count the days until it ends?

I count the days until it ends. I don't mind temperatures in the 40s and 50s but freezing cold and snow I could do without. And the darkness really bums me out.

7. What's your favorite way to brighten your day when you're down in the dumps?

Knit! I also like to read books and magazines, rubber stamp and watch movies. I also

8. What is your favorite treat to indulge in and when your down in the dumps?

Ice cream ... yeah I know it doesn't go so well with winter! Chocolate is my other favorite.

9. Do you drink coffee? Tea? Cocoa?

All of the above.

10. If you could take a vacation starting tomorrow and go anywhere for one week and money were no object, where would you go and what would you do?

Ireland, I have ancestors that came from there and I would love to see the countryside and some old castles.

11. Do you have any allergies or aversions your pal should be aware of?

Nope.

My Sock Yarn Stash

2008-01-07T19:02:00.001-05:00

I've been wanting to do this for a while and figured the New Year was a good time to get motivated. I went through my yarn stash and pulled out all of the sock yarn (at least I hope there are not any skeins hiding anywhere around the house!). Here's a photo of the stash laid out. I got a new camera too, so had to try it out anyway! There are also some socks on the needles at the moment, so there's more to this. I have some patterns picked out for specific yarns, but sometimes I find later that something else will work better, so this isn't set in stone.

Here's my updated list:

Knit Picks Essentials - Dusk
Knit Picks Essentials - Pine
Knit Picks Essentials - Meadow Multi
Knit Picks Essentials - Peacock Multi
Knit Picks Essentials - Carbon Twist
Knit Picks Essentials - Volcano Twist, Black and KP Palette White (for Bucanneer Booty)
TV Yarn - Medium
TV Yarn - Bride of Frankenstein (Bellatrix)
Cherry Tree Hill - Maple Sugar (Fawkes)
Knit Picks Palette - Sky
Knit Picks Memories - Rocky Mountain Dusk
Trekking XXL
Berroco Sox #1476 (Marion Socks)
Berroco Sox #1474
J. Knits - Kansas (Firestarter)
On Your Toes
Wisdom Yarns - New York
Alpaca Socks - Fruit Salad (Purls and Lace Socks)
Tofutsies - #801
Sockotta #505
Regia Jacquard
Regia Spirit
Socks that Rock - Fire on the Mountain
Crystal Palace Maizy - Iguana
Pattons Classic Wool - Harvest (Winter Socks)

I have decided to hopefully motivate me to use up this stash to place it in a place where I can see it instead of in storage in a plastic container! So I found this nice basket in my storage (stuck a towel inside to keep any yarn from snagging on the wood) and placed it in my bedroom on the bureau.

Some on the needles:

Crystal Palace Panda Cotton - Roses
Opal - Jaywalkers
Tofutsies - Peppermint Twist
Pattons Classic Wool - Winter Socks

Defeat the Winter Doldrums Dishcloth Swap

2008-01-06T21:17:00.000-05:00

Check out the next edition of the Dishcloth Swap, this one takes place during the bleakest part of winter to defeat those winter doldrums!

Hot Cocoa Swap Questionnaire

2008-01-05T09:13:00.000-05:00

Cocoa:
1. What is your favorite way to drink cocoa? Prepared with milk? Water? from home made recipe or store bought?, In a tea cup, or big mug?

I prefer creamy cocoa made with milk. Dunkin' Donuts has a great hot chocolate, but its high octane so I don't get it too often.

2. Marshmallows or whipped cream?

Whipped Cream.

Yarn/Knitting/Crochet
1. What is your favorite type of yarn? In what colors?

Oh decisions, decisions, there are just so many to choose from! Let's start with colors, I prefer deep, rich colors. Pretty much anything goes. I like wool, alpaca, cotton and blends of any of those. I have not tried Noro or Lamb's Pride yarns, so those would be something new for me.

2. Do you knit or crochet (or both)?

I can do both, but prefer knitting.

3. What are your favorite type of needles, would you like to try something new?

It depends on the project and the yarn whether I prefer bamboo or metal. I have not tried Brittany or Lantern Moon.

4. Do you have a healthy supply of notions?

I could use an open end cable stitch holder, I have many other types of cable needles, but for certain patterns this would be easier. Or bent tip yarn needles, I only have one of the bent tip and I'm not even sure I know where it is, LOL!

5. What one thing do you keep thinking you need to buy for your knitting habit (outside of yarn)?

A WPI Tool and Knit-Kard or The Knitter's Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements.

6. What is your favorite 'quick knit/crochet' pattern (quick gratification)

I don't really have a quick one. I like hats and socks, they are smaller so feel like I am getting more accomplished in less time. Socks I can break into pieces, cuff, leg, heel, etc. so I feel gratification when I finish a part.

Miscellaneous
1. What is your favorite thing to do in the Winter?

Knit and watch movies (I don't like the cold outside or snow).

2. What is your favorite animal?

Hummingbirds and butterflies.

3. Do you get the 'winter blahs'?

Oh yes. Especially when we don't see the sun for a few weeks at a time. Luckily at this point there have only been a few days like that before the sun breaks though the clouds so far this season.

4. What is your favorite way to beat the blahs?

I put on lots of lights in the house to brighten things up and sometimes work on a project related to spring or summer - knitting or rubber stamping.

5. What is the thing you are most looking forward to this spring?

Seeing flowers popping up, I love pansies and those are a spring flower.

6. What are your favorite treat?

Chocolate.

7. What is your favorite board game?

I haven't played one in so long! I would have to pick Sorry or Monopoly. I remember playing those when I was a kid. As an adult I love UNO, but that's more of a card game.

8. Do you have any children (furry or human)?

Furry - a dog and cats.

9. Do you have any allergies or special considerations you partner should know about?

Nope.

Its almost Friday!!

2008-01-03T20:45:00.000-05:00

I finished these socks Dec. 31st as planned! These are for a co-worker. She paid for the yarn that I picked out after I took a sock knitting class last July and while talking about it told her I would knit a pair for her ... I will never do that again! These are actually my first finished ADULT pair of socks. I haven't even yet knit a pair for myself! I do not like the pressure or guilt I feel when someone knows I am knitting something for them. I will not tell people in the future I will just let it be a surprise.

My camera is definitely not working right and I took this photo on a web cam. I will have to go out and get a camera soon so I can photo my FOs and whatnot for swaps and Knit A Longs.

I contacted a local high school about their adult evening education courses and suggested that I am interested in teaching a knitting class. The director got right back to me and said she would be interested in offering that this Fall! I am so excited! Plus that will give me plenty of time to prepare materials and instructions and knit up some samples too.

I started socks 1/2/08 with the Panda Cotton that I got recently in a swap and I love it! I am doing a pattern I found on the Crystal Palace website. They are coming out awesome. I think I'll finish this pair really quickly.

A good Saturday for me :o)

2007-12-29T18:28:00.000-05:00

While I would love to post pictures here detailing my post, my boyfriend has my camera with him and he said its not working so well anyway so I'm not even sure it'll work when he gets home ... so I'll try and find links for the yarns I am describing :o)

I accomplished all that I wanted to today, my plan was to put air in the one tire I couldn't yesterday because of the way cars were parked at the service station I stopped at on Friday to add air to my tires, go to the yarn shop and spend my points and a gift card I received, stop at Jo Ann's with a gift card and see what I fancied, stop at CVS and pick up laundry detergent and the cat's medication, all done!

At the yarn store I sat for a while with the ladies and chatted and knitted. Then I got down and dirty shopping. I wanted to pick up sock yarn for my boyfriend's mom, she always comments on the self striping yarns and how cool they are. I saw Berroco Sox in a colorway similar to what I was looking for that I thought would suit her #1476. And of course I had to pick out a funky one for myself, so I chose #1474 (it was a real toss up between that and 1473).

Then the instructor/clerk there that I hang out with when I go there helped me pick out colors for a Faux Dr. Who Scarf for my boyfriend. I found a cool pattern in Odd Ball Knitting for "Ted's Scarf". I liked this more than any I've seen that are like Dr. Who Scarves because of the pattern stitch.

The parttern calls for Mission Falls 1824 and while I do LOVE that yarn I didn't want to spend $80 on a scarf. So instead I substituted Encore DK that I already had on hand, bought more Encore DK today along with Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light and Jo Sharp to make up enough colors.

The Plymouth Encore DK are colors: 1415, 1444, 389, 517, 999, 670, 658 (which I now realize looks a lot like 670 that I just bought, LOL) and 355. I also have two other Jo Sharp here that I might subsitute instead since 658 is so similar to another color! Jo Sharp I have Ruby #326, Tangerine #003, and Glade #908. The Ultra Alpaca Light is #4294 and 4275. Now I just have to make sure to assign letters so them so that I can follow the pattern with my substitutions!

I also picked up Knit Simple Winter 2007/08 and a sock pattern Monet's Twist Socks by Julia Sprague. Anita's Stitch Markers were pictured in this issue of Knit Simple! Check out her Etsy shop.

Now I wonder what I actually spent on the scarf, LOL!! Not counting the yarn I had at home, I spent $31 today and $25 of that was a redemption of loyalty points, so really I spent $6 ... what a bargain!! I intentionally waited until I had accumulated points to get the yarn for this scarf ... yeah let's not discuss how much I spent to accumulate points, hahaha! We knitters don't think that way!

Another cool thing that happened today was a woman stopped in and dropped off loads of old knitting magazines that she wanted to be rid of but didn't want to just throw away. So we got to go through them and take whatever we wanted. I grabbed several issues of Knit Simple and Creative Knitting from 2004 and 2005. Some of the mags were just too old, yellowed and the patterns really out of date. But I did get a few good ones with things I will actually knit in them.

Once I made all of my purchases and signed up for two classes - Continental Knitting and Seaming & Finishes, I was on my way to Jo Ann's. When I parked in the lot I looked over to get my purse and noticed I parked next to a woman who attends Stamp Club with me, LOL!! She owns a landscaping business so her business name is on the side of her SUV. As I was wondering what store she was in I hear "Angela!!!" and there she was. So we stopped for a hug and short chat. Speaking of which I better finish the challenge we had since Stamp Club is this coming Wednesday!

Off into Jo Ann's I picked up some wire and beads to make more stitch markers. I picked up letter beads to make sock stitch markers to follow Cat Bordhi's new book "New Pathways for Sock Knitters" and I also found some cool examples of stitch markers recently using alphabet beads like "WTF" "OOPS" "I -heart- KNITTING" etc. I also picked up bent nose pliers, I have a combo tool to make markers with but its difficult to bend the wire around the bottom of the loop so I think these will work better.

I finished my stitch markers for the Winter Exchange and will be mailing them out next week. Since I don't have my camera here I figured I would try scanning them and found it much easier than trying to photograph them!

And last, but definitely not least. I received my Winter Wonderland Swap package when I got home from my adventures today! Unfotunatley because I don't have a camera I cannot photo all the goodies, but I could get the yarn in my scanner, LOL!! And its was a fantastic choice, Christmasy for sure and I have been wanting to try Crystal Palace Panda Cotton, so its even cooler!

Kim also sent Seatle's Best in Hazelnut Cream (hazelnut is one of my favs!), Hot Cocoa Mix, a mug with Christmas lights pictures on in and wrapped in a knitted cozy, a knitted Christmas ball that looks like one I'd seen in a recent magazine using recycled plastic bags to fill it, an adorable cocoa mug ornament and really pretty green and red stitch markers. Thanks Kim!

It's almost the new year!!

2007-12-26T16:06:00.000-05:00

New Year’s Resolutions

I’m keeping this list fairly simple so that I can actually accomplish the things on it :o)

I recently got a raise amounting in approximately $20 more per week. I am going to put this $20 in savings each week either for emergencies or towards moving (let’s not get into why I hate my neighbor or why I think there is a vortex of Evil situated only over my unit).
Create a list of months and gifts to hand make (mostly knitting and cards) for the upcoming year.
Clean up file cabinet and be more consistent with dealing with incoming mail and papers on a regular basis.
Stretch, yoga and meditate regularly.

Here's my Sock Yarn Stash List:

1. (2) Knit Picks Essentials - Peacock Multi - Magic Loop
2. (2) Knit Picks Essentials - Meadow Multi
3. (2) Knit Picks Essentials - Pine - Vinnland
4. (2) Knit Picks Essentials - Dusk
5. (2) Knit Picks Memories - Uzume
6. (1) Opal - Jaywalkers
7. (1) Trekking XXL
8. (1) Classic Elite Yarns Alpaca Sox - Fruit Salad - Purl & Lace Socks Knit 'N Style
9. (1) Socks that Rock - Fire on the Mountain - Eleanor
10. (1) Smooshy - Ruby River
11. (1) Art Yarns
12. (2) Regia - Horcrux Socks
13. (1) Sockotta
14. (1) Cherry Tree Hill - Maple Sugar - Fawkes
15. (1) TV Yarn - Meduim
16. (1) Tofutsies - Peppermint Twist
17. (1) On Your Toes
18. (1) Universal Yarn Wisdon Yarns Marathon New York
19. (1) TV Yarn - Bride of Frankenstein - Bellatrix
20. (1) Sunshine Yarns - Wildflower
21. (1) J. Knits - Kansas - Firestarter
22. (2) Knit Picks Pallette - Sky
23. (2) Knit Picks Essentials - Carbon Twist
24. (1) Knit Picks Essnetials Volcano Twist & (1) Black for Bucanneer Booty Socks
25. (1) Tofutsies

As we can clearly see I have more than enough skeins to knit not one, but TWO pairs of socks a month for the next year! Do you think this will stop me from buying more?!?! Nope :o)

I think I finally caught up on all of the TV shows that I had taped on Wednesday evenings while I was taking classes or attending stamp club! It was quite an accumulation considering there were three shows on that I was taping! I was watching Life, Bionic Woman and Pushing Daisies. I finished the tape of Pushing Daisies today and then caught one that I had missed taping on the ABC website. I love that many shows are available on the internet now! Really helps if you forget to set your VCR and don’t have TIVO or some other digital recorder.

Now I am patiently waiting for the shows to return. Prison Break comes back Jan. 14th following a new show Terminator the Sarah Connor Chronicles on Jan. 13th. Then Torchwood comes back on Jan 26th. Don’t forget Monk on Jan. 11th! I’m sure Psych is right after it as usual but I haven’t confirmed that yet. Not sure what is going on with 24 for the new season, if you have news please post a comment.

Knitting Gift List

January – Derek house socks.

February – Anthony size 1-year sweater.

May – Marion socks.

My friend in England sent me a magazine that I asked for “Simply Knitting” it’s a U.K. publication and I found in it (among other things) a great website with sock tutorials. I already know how to knit socks, but I love finding this information to pass on to other people or brush up my skills on different techniques. Silver’s Sock Classes

Never, ever again!

2007-12-24T08:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it was nice to see family, but the weather and some other things really made for a bad day! My boyfriend goes up to his parents' house every winter to watch it and the critters while they go to Florida, so Saturday and Sunday he was a little frantic packing and getting ready to be away. So he's running around like a nut. It is a 2 1/2 hour drive to their house, so we usually check oil, etc. on our cars before this trip. I wanted to put air in my tires. We purchased a small compressor last year for just this thing, I figured I would use that rather than find out that the one at the gas station was out of order (as they frequently are), plus I could wash my hands here and not be covered in grease and road grime for the trip up.

So I go into the shed to get the compressor ... the roof is collapsed because of the snow. This shed was purchased (and painstakingly put together) by us only about 18 months ago, to REPLACE THE SHED THAT THE ROOF COLLAPSED ON BEFORE!!!!! So now I am NOT happy! I had to tromp through 2 feet of snow to get to the shed to find that out! OK I'll deal with that later (probably today I'll see if I can shovel it off and see if the aluminum will push back out. So I fill my tires, slipping and sliding on the ice, getting dirty, etc. Then we have to swap cars so that his is closer to the door so he can pack, there are snow banks on either side of the street and our driveway so its like an obstacle course, not a big deal but doesn't help our already aggravated state.

Get packed, get on the road, that all went fine. It was nice visiting with everyone. Now its time to leave (and its about 2 hours later than I planned). I have my dog and mother with me. Everyone must've been feeding the dog who knows what all day ... so she STUNK, that really disgusting reeking dog fart stink the entire way home. Oh and by the way its torrential downpours and fog banks of blindness the entire 2 1/2 hour ride home ... oh and did I forget to mention that the two times I went through tolls my window was sticking for whatever reason (yeah sometime else I'll deal with today) and didn't want to go down, then when I finally get it to respond it doesn't want to go up ... oh yeah remember the torrential downpours?!??! So now it is raining in my FACE and I am trying to get back up to speed in the middle of the highway and get the window back up (power window so nothing I can do but push a button and hope it complies). YIKES!!!

Don't think I'll forget this any time soon, so if this is the plan next year (its been at one of his sisters' houses before which are only 45 minutes away) I don't think I'll be making the trip. 5 hours in the car, especially with the bad weather was not pleasant to say the least!!