deep breaths

Christmas has come and gone... all of the knitted presents are done, with the exception of my mom's socks, but I perpetually have one on the sticks for her anyway. She doesn't care when she gets them... just that she gets them. The latest incarnation is something I made up: k2 p2 rib for 1 1/2 inches, then k6, p1, k2, p1 for three rounds then it's k6, p1, k2tog, yo, p1 for one round.

It's really turning out quite pretty. I'm using the Lisa Souza Sock! yarn in the Mahogany color. It's perfect for Mom because she has Navy and black and brown and grey pants, so the socks go with anything she wears. (She's not really a loud sock person anyway... that's Miz Izzy's domain.)

Next to be finished in the sock department is a feather and fan pattern sock in my own hand dyed yarn.

Then I'll finish the mate to my Dublin Bay socks in the Plum Essential Tweed from knitpicks

Then I'll start a pair in the Lisa Souza Berry Poppins... pattern as yet undetermined.

That should get me through the next couple months, no? I wish I was a faster knitter... and had less "project ADD" tendencies.

I'm going to try to reduce my sock yarn stash a bit this year... I have enough to knit at least 10 pairs of adult socks and about a half dozen pairs of kid socks, at least. Then there's the sweater queue, and the lace queue. All lovely projects, but my eyes were bigger than my stomach this past year, as regards yarn purchases... hence the yarn diet of 2007. I just hope my yarn purchasing will power is better than my "I'm not going to eat anymore cookies" willpower.

Happy New Year!

Counting down

It's 5:30 in the a.m.

I can't sleep.


I'm having heart palpitations because...

my knitted prezzies aren't done, we've been snowed in so I can't mail out my Secret Pal Present, Christmas is in 3 days and I still have 6 dozen cookies to make and two fancy dresses to sew, and, and, and...

(just breathe)

ok, it's a little better... just going off to charge the ol' ipod and podcast myself into the knitting zone for a while. At least until the baby wakes up...

half of an f.o.

I checked out the new Knitty a couple days ago... some cute patterns, the twinkletoes pattern in particular. I cast on one two days ago (first time with the provisional cast-on and a short row toe/heel) and finished the first one last night. I knit it as written, except I made a yarn substitution: knitpicks Wool of the Andes in Cranberry. (And one slipper took about 3/4 of the skein... again probably due to the loose gauge of my knitting. )The fit is a bit big with bare feet, but I suppose I had some gauge issues. Ah, well. It is, as they say, close enough for jazz... and I'm a sucker for red shoes, especially quick knit red shoes. I think I'll take the designer's suggestion and find some leather bottoms to put on.

I'll definitely try these again (and post pics of these once I finish the second one), and maybe try a 5 needle. See if that gets me any different results. I know my Mom would love a pair, and probably Miz Izzy, but she doesn't like the "scratchy" of the wool, so I may have to do with cotton or fuzzy acrylic.

In other F.O. news, I finished a thing for my secret pal. I'll post that picture after I mail her Christmas box, which I had better get done sooner rather than later.

In stash enhancement news, I bought some Jagger silk/wool from Sarah's Yarns so I can make the Simple knitted Bodice from Stitch Diva one of these days. It's a beautiful pattern in beautiful yarn from a not-so beautiful yarn company. Hence the yarn sub. FYI, Sarah's Yarns is a great company to order from. Not only did I get my yarn at a great price, but she stuffed the box with color cards from the other yarn lines that she carries. I have to admit that I've never touched cashmere yarn before, but I practically pet the samples she sent until they disintegrated. Again with the funny looks from the Husband, but it's worth it. So totally worth it.

Added to my wish list:
The Kromski Masurka spinning wheel. It's a castle-style wheel and it's gorgeous and it's relatively affordable and if purchased from paradise fibers, you get a $40 fiber credit. That's a lot of roving, no? And with the as-yet unshorn 3 year old Rambrouillet sheep and 2 llamas out at my parent's farm, I'll be totally set for a while. If I could only convince my Husband that the $375 price tag is worth it.

Actually, I made him a deal. If he gets his Shmintendo Wii (or Wee-wee, as I call it in my head), I can have the wheel. The money will be there come the end of the year... work called me in to do inventory, since no one's taken the time to figure out how to do it after I left. And they said that I could name my price. Twenty-five bucks an hour, here I come. I just hope that he makes good on his deal.

I'll throw my hat in...

for the tackiest Christmas decorations...

There it is, in all of it's PLASTIC glory, complete with creepy vintage Santa.









Doesn't he look like he's had one too many Egg Nogs?

I inherited this great example of kitch (in a bad way) from a dear friend.


Now that I have the pictures up, the candle ring thingie doesn't look half as bad as it does in real life.

Jusht remember kids, *hic* -- Ssshanta'ssh watchin' ya... (wink, wink)

Details of SP9 care package

Last week, I received my second package from my secret pal, One Skein Wonder.

When it arrived, I'm not sure who was more excited to see what was inside: the kids or me.
When I first opened the box, there was the secret pal requisite cloud of tissue paper-- a brilliant addition that increases the anticipation...

There was the beautiful notecard and a lovely lavender sachet (that is currently living in my basket o' wool),

and a trio of lovely Filatura de Crosa mohair blend yarn in the prettiest sky blue.



Then came the patterns... oh, the patterns: The famous Rogue, which I've been salivating over for at least a year but never felt accomplished or cool enough to even buy, let alone knit*; the cabled cap that matches Rogue, and a fun fingerless mit/glove pattern from Rosie knits.
Finally, there was this darling German "Smoker". My pal celebrates a German heritage, and introduced me to one of their Christmas traditions. The kiddos and I had to immediately light his little incense cone and let him smoke away for the better part of the afternoon.

What a fun package... what a wonderful secret pal!



*After reading the 12+ pages of instructions and charts, I still don't feel accomplished enough to attempt this beautiful work of art. I think I'm going to get another sweater or two under my belt before I tackle this one. Maybe later this winter... after the Christmas craziness is done.

Secret Pal Prizes!

WooHoo! I got a box, I got a box. I got a box, hey hey hey hey!

My dear, sweet, wonderful Secret Pal "OneSkeinWonder" has gifted me with the Telemark pattern from knitpicks, along with all of the yummy yarn to make it. I'd have taken a picture of all the wonderful swag, but I started swatching with it immediately. Thank you so much! I love this colorway... I even happen to have a pewter clasp I harvested from a shirt that I used to wear in college and have since outgrown.

Thank you thank you thankyou!

*hugs*

In other news, I finished this: It's a sweet little facecloth for my Secret Pal who shall remain nameless at the moment. It's Knitpicks Crayon yarn, held double. My own pattern.
Takes exactly one skein of yarn, measures about the size of a standard washcloth.

(now I wish I had measured this before I packed it up and sent it away)
Cast on 36 sts.
*Knit garter stitch for 6 rows
Knit seed stitch for 6 rows*
repeat * to * 6 times
finish with 6 rows of garter stitch
Bind off
If there's any yarn left, make a 3-stitch I-cord loop
weave in ends
wash yo' face!

Aah, Icarus, we hardly knew ye...

I couldn't take it anymore. It's been done frogged, but like a phoenix, that beautiful Knitpicks Shadow yarn in Redwood forest is going to become this:


Pretty, no?

I'm all about the brown this year. Color theory says that brown is a "grounded" color. What with all the changes on the domestic front: new baby, quit the day job, stay-at-home Mom-ing-- it makes sense.

That and, I look fabulous in brown. It's a French trick. Dress to your (true) hair color.


For lace on size US3 needles, it's really coming along. I'm almost halfway up the back and I started three days ago and only knit at night before I pass out and narrowly avoid skewering my eye.

NaNoWriMo

Why haven't I heard of this before?

I wish I had the time to devote to this wonderful, scary, cool project.
Maybe after the pre-Christmas giftknitting maelstrom has calmed down I'll declare my own NaNoWriMo.

got fiber? A stash enhancement story.

Well, I did it. I finally caved. I have joined the ranks of crazy sock knitters and hopped on that Lisa Souza handpaint train. In the "Wild Things" colorway... 'cause I need more sock yarn like I need another hole in the head. I can't wait until it gets here!

Edit: It came, it was beautiful... it was perfect for my secret pal package, so I made the ultimate sacrifice and put it in her box. I bought two more skeins in mahogany and berry poppins to pay myself for being a good girl.

Spanked!

I've been a naughty blogger, and I have been graciously reminded of that. Thank you.

Fiber-y postage to come...

Hi Secret Pal!

I received emails from both my assigned secret pal and the name of the secret pal that I'm assigned to... is there terminology for this? Pal-or? Pal-ee? ANYway, OneSkeinWonder... welcome!

This is such a fun project... how do you spoil someone you hardly know? Fortunately, this is just the kind of challenge that I love to have.

There has been some knitting accomplished, believe it or not. Baby manages to sleep for a couple hours at a time when she decides to sleep, and I've managed to finish both hers and Miz Izzy's sweaters. Now that I've figured out this picture posting thing (so much easier than Livejournal), I'll show them off when the light is better. Our changeable Nebraska weather has seen fit to grace us with a bit of a cold snap complete with cloudy skies and the incessant wind that goes along with it. Needless to say I've been baking. Cinnamon rolls were the order of the day yesterday, brownies will be this afternoon's project along with decorating the house for Fall/Halloween.

Now that the girls' sweaters are done, I've really got to get crackin' on the christmas gifties. I have one of Clayton's glittens done except for the flap and I have the cuff started on the second. I think he, Jackson, MacZilla and SisterSarah will be the only ones getting hand-knit stuff this year. I'd like to do something for Daddy and KingZach, but since Dad's in Arizona and knitwear is not really needed there and Zach is Hagrid-sized and therefore impossible to fit (and suprise)... alas.

Since Miz Izzy's climbing on my lap, asking for breakfast, I'd better get going on my day... much as I'd like to keep sitting here and typing and reading about knitting stuff.

sp9 questionnaire

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

I've not really tried many different types of fiber... so I don't have any absolute dislikes yet, so no problems there... I do enjoy knitting with alpaca and merino. I'm not terribly fond of super-bulky yarns, however. I'd like to try some of the "alternative" yarns: soy silk, ingeo, you know the drill.

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

I use a florist's frog to store my straight needles, a basket for the circs (not my favorite method, but it works for the time being), a needle roll for the dpn's.

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

I taught myself to knit about three years ago, from a Martha Stewart: Baby magazine and then graduated to the internet and library. No one in my circle of acquaintance knows how to knit, so I'm primarily self-taught. I'd consider myself to be an advanced beginner.

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

Yep. If you wanna know how to find me, email me.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)

spicy smells (cinnamon, bay rum, white pepper), vanilla, citrus

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

Do I have a sweet tooth? Heck yes! I love black licorice, cinnamon, and chocolate!

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

See my 100 things list for the entire list... I do some house remodeling stuff, sewing stuff, gardening stuff, and I'm starting the hand spinning thing.

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

I can tolerate all kinds of music for the most part, I prefer music that I can understand the words and/or sing along. I love 80's synth-pop, 70's folk, Big Band, and Baroque chamber music. I am always open to what other people listen to, I think it affords a nice insight into someone's personality.

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

I mostly wear black or brown with a judicious amount of reds and pinks and the occasional baby blue. I don't particularly like yellow or orange colors.

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

No pets, but I have three kids (1 boy, 2 girls), and a goofy husband.

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

Scarves- yes
Hats- occasionally
Mittens- yes
Ponchos- no

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

Right now it's glittens/mittens and socks

13. What are you knitting right now?

one pair of glittens
three pairs of socks
1 baby sweater
2 adult sweaters
2 not-yet-fulled purses

I also have the icarus shawl back burnered until after Christmas.

did I mention that I had knitter's ADD?

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Absolutely!

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

I prefer circular needles and dpn's, I don't really have a preference on materials.

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

*sigh* no, but I'd love to get my hands on one (or both)

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

I started a cabled sweater for myself about 6 months ago. I'm still working on the first sleeve. I try not to have something sit on the needles for a long time... I'm very forgetful, and fickle. If it sits around in the UFO pile for more than a year, it is evicted to the frog pond and reincarnated at a later date.

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas, followed very closely by Valentine's Day.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

I collect vintage housekeeping manuals. There's a wealth of information in there, and it's extremely entertaining to see how our grandmothers and great-grandmothers kept the house. I also have a penchant for cool baskets, bud vases and vintage lab equipment (I was a biology major in college).

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

I'd love to get the Rogue sweater pattern or the Telemark sweater pattern, the 2nd treasury of knitting patterns book, or some "Socks that Rock" lightweight sock yarn in the Apple Valley or Scottish Highlands colorways.
I don't have any subscriptions right now. I tend to pick up an Interweave Knits issue if there's something in it that strikes my fancy....
21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'd like to try fair isle and give toe-up socks a try

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

Yes, I knit socks (constantly), but hardly ever for myself.
My foot measurements are:
top of sock to floor-6.5 inches (16.5cm)
ankle circ. -10 inches (25.5 cm)
Heel flap length 3.25 inches (8.5 cm)
Foot length (including toes) 10 inches (25.5 cm)
Foot length (excluding toes) 8 inches (20.5 cm)
foot circ (at ball of foot) 9.5 inches (24.25 cm)

They really don't look that big/chunky in real life... I (hope) promise.

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

My birthday is June 5.

If you want to know more about me, take a gander at the 100 things entries previously posted in this blog.

blogging... not so much, not much knitting either.

I've been kind of busy...












Once we get a schedule that doesn't include marathon feedings at 3 in the morning, I hope to resume regular knitting and blogging activities. Until then, enjoy the sweetbaby picture.

100 Things, the second half

49. I learned to knit from a Martha Stewart: Baby magazine when I was pregnant with my second child.

48. It was 18 months before I realized that I purled “backwards”.

47. A year ago I discovered the wide world of knitblogs and my knitting technique has been much improved.

46. I love to knit socks, especially little ones for my kids. (They go faster and it’s easy to try out new patterns/techniques on a smaller scale.

45. I have just discovered the magic of felting.

44. I have never completed a sweater, but I have a goal to finish at least one in the next year. I have 2 on the needles: one for Miz Izzy and one for me.

43. I have an irrational fear of intarsia and entrelac.

42. I am really drawn to lace, cables, and Fair Isle.

41. I have a classic/retro sense of style.

40. I have a secret fun fur/novelty yarn stash that I’m trying to forget about. If I let it sit in the stash long enough, will it turn into cashmere?

39. I started teaching myself to spin this summer. I succeed in fits and starts.

38. I love to make things with my hands, but I rarely get time to do anything but knit (it’s portable and quiet and I can follow my kids around the house instead of be chained to the craft table or sewing machine or kitchen.

37. I have made my first foray into dyeing my own yarn. It’s been really fun (and messy).

36. I have knit 6 pairs of socks, not one pair has been for me.

35. Actually, out of all of the finished knit projects, only one has been for me: a cherry-red bouclé scarf - the third item I knit.

34. I am not so selfless with my other crafts.

33. I have an obsession with those black and white hard cover composition notebooks. It stems from my college days when I lived in the science lab.

32. I use them for everything but science projects now. My favorite thing to do with them craft-wise is decoupage the covers. The other ones I use to write my stories and journal design ideas.

31. They have to be the black and white covers. The ones that are different colors are just not right. Those books go to the kids for their writing and drawing practice.

30. When I’m designing or thinking about a project, I have a difficult time thinking in color. I tend to think in black and white.

29. I dream in color, though.

28. I’m inspired by various things: knitbloggers, American popular culture during and after the WWII era, Victorian England, the United Kingdom in general.

27. I rarely follow the directions on any project or recipe.

26. I’m beginning to understand the reasoning behind the general obsession with Japanese craft books.

25. I decorate my house with a Pottery Barn sensibility, on a Wal-Mart budget.

24. I love to go to estate auctions. Especially ones with good junk… rusty, unloved, chipped, peeling junky junk. For example: my favorite candlesticks are really just rusty old bedsprings that kind of support the candles from falling over.

23. When I’m being especially creative, I tend to wear silly hats (like Jo March in Little Women), and make huge messes.

22. My idea of a perfect afternoon would be a tea party with my Mom: complete with dressy dress, the good china, tea party hat, crustless sandwiches, tiny cakes, jam tarts, clotted cream and lemon curd, and plenty of silly giggling.

21. I plan to fully do this for my 30^th birthday next year. Hats and all.

20. I would love to have a cat, but I’m terribly allergic to them. I love dogs too, but they’re too rambunctious.

19. My favorite pets are little birds. I love the little finches and budgies and canaries. They always sound so happy.

18. My favorite animals in general are birds. I love robins, cardinals, chickadees. I dream of having a Peregrine or Merlin falcon someday. If I could be any animal, I’d be an owl or a raven.

17. I’m fascinated by butterflies as well.

16. I enjoy many types of music, thanks to a well-rounded musical childhood, courtesy my parents. I have little tolerance for country-western, rap, and acid jazz. I don’t discount them completely; they’re just not the first things I seek out when I want to listen to something.

15. I’m particular to baroque music (Bach, Vivaldi, Corelli, Handel), acoustic (The Beatles, James Taylor, Ron Sexmith, Jack Johnson), jazz standards (Billie Holliday, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Harry Connick, Jr.), musicals (Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein), 80’s alternative (The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Blondie, INXS, Duran Duran), and a smattering of Ska, Punk, Reggae, Techno, Classic Rock, American Pop and Alternative, and British Pop.

14. I love to watch Romantic Comedies and Science-Fiction movies.

13. I read practically everything, but I love literary thrillers, science fiction, fantasy, literature classics, latin-american literature, british literature, and historical fiction.

12. I love chocolate (isn’t that a requirement to be a “real” knitter?) Dove promises are my poison of choice, but mostly because better/different chocolate isn’t widely available around here.

11. I also love coffee, but coffee doesn’t love me. It makes me crazy, well, crazier than usual.

10. I am getting an impressive candle collection… I like food/spice smells, but not so much with the flower-y smells. My current favorite is the White Pepper from White Barn Candle Company. I loved it in the store in the Mall of America, and thought I’d be able to get here at my local Bath and Body Works, but no dice. I wish I’d bought it when I was there. I also like pink grapefruit and cucumber (no melon) and vanilla.

9. I love office supplies. Just the smell of paper and wood pencils instantly decrease my blood pressure.

8. Besides chocolate, I love black licorice and “interesting” mustards. When I was a kid, and my dad would go on a business trip, he would bring home a locally made mustard from wherever he went and we’d have a tasting party. The best one that I remember was from the Two Virgins in San Francisco.

7. I could eat Italian food every day and not complain.

6. The same with peanut butter and honey sandwiches.

5. I still have my blankie and my first doll.

4. When I’m sick, I sleep with my blankie. It’s magic, you know.

3. My first doll looks just like my Dad did when I was a kid, right down to the bell bottom pants and longish brown hair and moustache.

2. Yes, I’m a Daddy’s Girl.

1. Family is the most important thing in the world to me. Knitting for that family is a close second.

100 Things: the first half

In anticipation of SP9, and the fact that I want to be as cool as the others (I'm really not much of a follower), I think I'll join the 100 Things Meme love-in... here you go.

100. I am the oldest (and only girl) of 4 kids (age range: not quite 30 to not quite 16).
99. As a direct result of the above, as friendships go, I'm generally more comfortable with the males of the species. As I get older and (hopefully) more mature, I'm getting better at being friends with women too.
98. My mom and I are really close. I realize how lucky I am for that at least once every day.
97. I met my husband on a blind date set up by his sister and my brother, around Christmas 1999.
96. We became engaged on President's day, 2000 (It was a Valentine's day pre-emptive strike).
95. We were married on Good Friday, 2000.
94. I always said it would be cool to be a "millennium bride", if only for the fact that my (future) husband would always remember how many years we've been married.
93. The brother and sister-in-law that set us up on that fateful blind date got married to each other last summer.
92. Yup, that means double cousins.
91. I am a notorious procrastinator
90. I tend to do my best work under a swift-approaching deadline, thereby reinforcing #91.
89. I learned to read when I was 18 months old.
88. I read my first "real" book when I was just a bit shy of 2.
87. It was The Hobbit
86. I haven't stopped reading since.
85. As a kid, I used to compulsively count things. My brain is too full now to do much of that anymore.
84. I have a semi-photographic memory
83. Because of #84, I am a really good speller
82. My almost-finished Bachelor's degree is in Biological Sciences
81. My true love is English Literature
80. I have an unhealthy obsession with semicolons and parenthesis.

79. The majority of my jobs have been medical related.
78. I wanted desperately to go to Medical School, but Organic Chemistry and getting too involved with patients pretty much deterred any further progress.
77. I started writing children's stories when I was in the 2nd grade.
76. I am having two stories published this year, and a series in development with my artsy fartsy graphic designer brother. (He's the coolest!)
75. I am an idea person. Not a detail person.
74. I had a very creative childhood.
73. My parents were and are extremely supportive of everything I do. They never told me that I couldn't do anything I set my mind to. Again, I realize how lucky I am to have had this growing up.
72. I hope I can instill the same mindset in my kids.
71. I can sew, quilt, knit, paint, collage, bead, sing, play the cello, put up drywall, tile a shower, lay hardwood/tile/laminate/vinyl flooring, shingle, cook, bake (not the same thing), frame, and "fix" things.
70. I despise cleaning with every fiber of my being.
69. I love to travel. I don't get to do this very often, but I love it.
68. I hope to go to the UK someday.
67. I spent most of my formative years learning how to do household-y things (except clean... yrch), like make great food, decorate, sew, etc. to "impress" my future husband and he really doesn't give a rat's behind if I can do those things, except make chocolate chip cookies.
66. If there was something in my repertoire I wish I could do better, it would be make better chocolate chip cookies. I have a curse. I can bake anything else to perfection. Just not those. Not for lack of trying, mind you.
65. I think I look my best while pregnant.
64. I'm pregnant right now. Baby's due the middle of September. This is #3 (and most likely the last one) for us.
63. I would seriously consider being a surrogate for any of my family members.
62. I am truly amazed at the capability of my own body to grow and nurture another person. This humbles me in more ways that I can imagine.
61. My religious faith has a definite grounding aspect for me and gives me a great deal of comfort in my life.
60. My political faith does not.
59. I spent most of my adolescence being labeled a "liberal", when in actuality; I was just about as conservative as they come.
58. I am a pragmatic idealist
57. I believe in responsible conservation, but not to the point of impeding human progress
56. If they took volunteers for the Mars colony today, I'd be one of the first to sign up... family in tow.
55. I have a very strange sense of humor. Must have been all of those BBC shows I used to watch on Public Television as a kid.
54. I write a mean (often dirty) limerick... just try me!
53. My favorite color is red, though I've been going through a brown phase for the last couple years.
52. 60% of the clothes in my closet are black
51. I have very dark brown (almost black) hair, but 2 of my soon to be 3 kids have blonde hair. I'll report back if baby #3 is different.
50. In case you were wondering, my husband has blonde hair. I was counting on the dark to be dominant... no such luck.

Fall is in the air...

As I walked out the door this morning on my way to work, I could smell it. That smoky, leafy, almost cold, go home and bake apple pie smell. Fall is around the corner. I can't wait. My mind is being drawn to the cabled sweaters, hats, socks and mittens that I have planned for this season's knitting.

Of course, as I am getting ready to go outside again, to go home to pet all of the abovementioned projects and whisper sweet promises to them ("Someday soon, I'll get you out again and we'll get you finished off and show off the woolly goodness that you really are..."), only to be practically knocked over by the wave of humidity-sodden heat that instantly melts off your face and sucks all the crafty will-power right out of a person.

*Sigh*
Forget Endless Summer... give me Endless Autumn any day.

Farmers called to report ugly sheep�|�Oddly Enough�|�Reuters.com

Hee!
Farmers called to report ugly sheep�|�Oddly Enough�|�Reuters.com

By the way... another F.O.

Miz Izzy's sockies are done! Hooray!

57 things left on the project list... *sigh*

Wendy is evil. Kpixie is evil. KnitBloggers are evil.

And I mean that in the most respectful, loving way possible.
Why are they evil? Read on!
Ok, so I caved. I bought a Noni Bag pattern from Kpixie today (*cough cough and some size 11 dpn's cough cough*). It's the green vase shaped one with the pretty blue flowers. Needless to say, the SIL's are getting felted purses this year for Christmas. If I can just contain myself to keep the secret until then, I'm golden. Now, in what colors to knit them? C1 is definitely purple, C2 maybe hot pink, not sure, K? no idea. SisterSarah's is pretty much done, I just need to decide if it needs a flower or not.

I'm proud of myself this year for starting Christmas Knits early, but I have good reason. #3 will be here in about 5 weeks and it's pretty dang hard to knit, nurse and sleep at the same time.

Knit on!

Felting is Fun!

Ok, so the felting thing was totally rad! I managed to finish and felt the bag this weekend. I dip-dyed the bottom half of it (pre-felting) in dark brown rit dye, and it did this most amazing streaking thing... it looks like a ceramic mug that my brother made in HS. It's going to SisterSarah in a box this week, I think.

Now that I know that yarn felts well, I went ahead and dyed the rest of the blue NZ yarn (1/2 baby blue, the other 1/2 dark dark brown) and am starting another bag. This one, I'm constructing similar to the first one, but adjusted more to the color repeats so I get some interesting flashing/pooling. I don't think I'll make it as deep as the first one, so it'll be a more of a baguette shape, but I love the twisted I-cord handles.

My poor Husband walked in on me while I was dyeing/felting the bag on Saturday. He just looked at me and the mess, smiled and shook his head and went on down to his office. He changed his tune when he saw the finished bag, though. He's getting more and more interested in what I'm doing the more I'm doing it and showing him that I can attempt to keep up with the house/job/kids and spend time with him AND knit too. He even admitted that the felting thing is like magic. I'll have him brainwashed soon enough. :)

Avoiding work is fun!

I'd really rather be at home than at work, surrounded by my knitting instead of boxes of stuff to be put away.

Update: MacZilla's sockies are done.
I started new ones for Miz Izzy (sockotta wool/cotton blend, some strange pink/orange/yellow/purple colorway - straight stockinette... boring but effective), because she was getting jealous and was stealing her brother's socks. I finished the Latvian Lace socks for Mom. She really likes them - I hope she'll get some use out of them when the weather cools off.

So much for the FO's, now for the UFO's.

Icarus is still sitting there. I got a couple rows in, but I just can't sit down and make myself work on it. Maybe when #3 gets here.

The alpaca scarf/stole/thing got frogged last night in a fit of pique. I don't like my addition of the stockinette "sashing" between the lace repeats, and it was making the scarf all wavy, and not in a good way. I'm thinking of repurposing the yarn for a feather and fan cardigan or something for Miz Izzy or #3. I swatched it and the F&F looks really pretty. We'll see.

That's the UFO's, now on to the new stuff (cause I have project ADD/monogamy issues)

I started a cabled sweater from Inspired Cable Knits in a yummy chocolate brown worsted from knitpicks. It's going to be beautiful, if a bit warm.

The above mentioned stripy sockotta sockies for Miz I.

The also above-mentioned alpaca maybe cardigan for Miz I or #3. We'll see if I can figure out how to adjust the lace pattern to accomodate the sleeve increases.

I'm starting my Christmas projects: some Broad Street Mittens (with a twist) for ClayTron, in a really beautiful navy blue fingering weight (thank you KnitPicks). If they go quickly, I may make a pair for my BIL, Robert, who I tried to teach to knit while in Colorado.

I've gotten bitten by the felted/fulled knit bag thing, thank you very much "Wendy Knits".
I'm trying a bag from a pattern I found on Magknits and I impulsively (very impulsively) purchased Nicky Epstein's Knitted Flowers last night for the embellishment on Amazon.
I have this really beautiful sky blue New Zealand wool (enough for a sweater) I bought from Ebay oh, about a year ago. Beautiful online, scratchy as hell in real life. I'm going to try and felt it and see what happens. It's 100% wool, and I'm pretty sure it's not superwash, so we'll see how it goes. So far I have the bottom and about an inch and a half done up the sides... I really should do a swatch and see if it actually felts like I'm hoping it will. I'll probably do that tonight. If the bag works out it's going to SisterSarah after I dip dye it when it's done. I'm thinking brown... to get that vareigated, ombred brown to blue thing. Might be pretty cool. Here's hoping. I went on to knitpicks last night also and bought some black, grey and red for a purse thing for me. I know their stuff will felt, and it's for me, so no real hurry.

Trip report

... I really need to get used to doing more frequent entries... and adding pictures... and being more interesting in general, or I'm never going to get any traffic. (Not that it matters, really, since I don't have wonderful things to contribute to the knitting world yet, like Eunny or the Yarn Harlot or any of the other wonderful women (and men) whose knitblogs I frequent frequently whilst procrastinating actual work.)

I finished the knitPicks plain socks a couple weekends ago, finally, and am almost done with Mom's Latvian Lace Socks... turned the heel and am doing the gusset decreases on Sock #2. The second sock is not as nice-looking as the first, as I have done much of the knitting on it without the pattern in front of me... just relying on my memory of the lace pattern and getting the left- and right-facing decreases confused and not realizing it until it's Too Late and I Don't Want to Fix It or I'll Never Get Done. I will say this, the "Improved SSK" from the Zimmerman camp is a marvel and a wonder. Wish I had learned of this when I was doing the first sock.

Vacation Report: Estes Park was beautiful, and wet, and cool... which is a wonderful thing to this very pregnant, very prone to overheating, knitting person.
I worked on the Icarus Shawl from this summer's IK, it's really going to be fabulous, though the first 75% of it is going to be soul-crunchingly repetitive, but I'm just a lace amateur and can't really work on it without my trusty little notecards. Right now I have about a 5" x 5" piece. Maybe I'll finish it in a year or two... we'll see. (By the way... I bought the new KnitPicks self-named line of circular needles, size 3 for this lace project... awesome! The cables are really flexible, the join isn't terrible and the points are sharp sharp! I may have to start saving my pennies for the interchangeables set. I'm becoming a circular needle advocate.)
I also worked on the Lace sock a bit and wowed my in-laws at spinning silk hankies. My Father-in-Law just sat there and watched me for at least an hour. It was fun, but difficult as the chairs were too hard (hurt my bum) and the couch was too squishy (couldn't breathe) to sit in for long.

I got to have my very first visit to a Yarn Store (that isn't Wal-Mart or Hobby Lobby) while on this trip. The yarn store in question was The Stitchin' Den, on Virginia Street, just off Elkhorn Dr. (the main drag in Estes) in a very charming shopping center-thing. After three futile attempts (first day it was closed when we got to the shopping, second day we got rained out, third day I got to wave to it as we walked by Virginia Street... I was shopping with non-knitters, obviously) and a pregnancy hormone-induced pity party that no-one was supposed to see, but I got caught, I (thanks to my husband) got to finagle an hour in the store while my SIL had to go to the grocery store and pick up the pictures from the river rafting trip that I wasn't allowed to go on, due to the basketball I'm smuggling under my shirt. It was lovely, though very strange. I got to take MacZilla with me, who was very well-behaved and was rewarded with a skein of Brown Sheep Co. Wildfoote sock yarn in the Blue Boy colorway (yes, it's Electric Blue... his favorite color) for a pair of sockies just for him and two visits to the trout pond. The very nice lady in the store was extremely helpful and we talked of my newly blooming love of Alpaca and my Mom's soon to be foray into Llamaculture and when MacZilla was getting a little bored she kindly distracted him with this behemoth purple scarf that was made of at least thirty some odd kinds of yarn... acrylic, wool, camel, angora, funfur... if it was purple, it was in this scarf. It was a wonderful teaching tool, something I may need to copy someday if our knit retreat/teaching the good people of North Platte about the "New Knitting" thing ever happens.

The really neat-o thing about being in a live yarn shop is the chance to touch stuff before you buy it. Those of you who have actual access to real-time yarn probably take that for granted. For me, the closest yarn store is 2.5 hours east in Hastings, NE, 3 hours (plus a time change) west to Denver, CO, or 3.5 hours North to Brown Sheep Co. itself in Mitchell, NE. I am truly in a natural fiber yarn black hole.
This is what I learned in that short time I spent in the Stitchin' Den
1. Llama is not as soft as Alpaca, but it is still softer than regular (not merino) wool.
2. People in the Intermountain West/western Midwest are still nuts for novelty yarn... to a tragic fault... to the exclusion of prettier, softer, cooler natural fibers.
3. I got to see what all the fuss about the Tahki Cotton yarn is... it is really really beautiful, and the colors are so saturated. I'll never look at embroidery floss or Peaches and Creme cotton the same way again.
4. Dale Baby Ull is as soft as it looks.
5. I have no willpower when it comes to yarn purchases and kind storekeepers.

I will post the pictures and half-done project (MacZilla's very blue socks... he was so sweet and he loves his homemade sockies I couldn't resist starting them) when I get home. I hope. Until then... (I need to find some kind of sign off... I can't resist the Cheese factor when Blogging.)

dyeing update... and a few other things

Okie dokie, first things first: the kool-aid dyeing thing was more awesome than I can accurately say. I am sad that there is no more blue kool-aid to be purchased anymore (I really want to dye blue yarn, but I don't want to mess with mordants and strange dyes right now). Part of the fun is the surprise you get when the dyeing is done and the skein is hung up to dry. I made my dye of a combination of regular cherry and pink lemonade and it turned out to be this wonderful hot coral color. I dyed the yarn so that it's vareigated. It is now on the needles as a feather and fan sock a la Wendy Knits! It's coming along very well, though it has been derailed by my project A.D.D. My birthday was yesterday and as an early birthday present, I purchased a semi-precious stone whorl drop spindle from Yarn Botanika via ETSY and a crapload of roving and silk hankies from The Yarn Tree to teach myself how to spin. I got through my first 2 ounces of undyed merino and managed a semi-decent bit of singles. I'm afraid to ply it... we're planning trips to Lincoln, NE and Estes Park, CO (both places with decent yarn stores) this month and I want to have someone show me in person how to do this. I have been bitten by the spinning bug and I couldn't wait to have someone show me how to ply the yarn, so I dug into the 2 oz. of the dyed merino that came with my spindle kit and have been spinning on it. I am actually getting a fairly consistent very thin single that should ply up to be laceweight. The roving is dyed this amazing lapis blue with some navy and yellow-green spots in it that are making the coloration of this yarn something to behold. I'm so excited to see how it plies up and swatch something with it.

I have abandoned the candle flame shawl in the alpaca. I'm having a problem with the chart-reading and I frogged the thing and started over with the Branching Out lace pattern (with three chart repeats across so instead of a scarf I should have a fairly nicely sized stole) from Knitty.

I haven't touched the sock for Mom other than to get about 3 repeats on the second sock leg. She loved the one I wrapped up and gave to her on Mother's day and smiled when I said that she'll have the second one in time for her fall Student Teaching. (Who wants to wear wool socks in Nebraska in the middle of craptastically hot summer and humidity anyway?)

I borrowed "Mason-Dixon Knitting" from the library this weekend and I am now experimenting with washcloths. Peaches and Creme yarn is $1.27 per skein here and the projects are knitting up quickly. I don't like the patterns for the ballband washcloth, so I'm taking inspiration from those fine ladies and trying my own patterns. We'll see how they go. They're a nice break from socks and Mac's sweater and the shawl (to which I have to pay attention and therefore can't knit on that in the drive-up line at Wendy's) and in my purse they will reside until everyone in my acquaintance has a washcloth in their linen closets.
Needless to say, I'll have a couple "finish me now" projects to take to Colorado. I'm very much looking forward to an entire week of no work and minimal monster-minding (thanks to the Aunts and Uncles), so I can just put up my feet and knit and fish and shop and weird out my in-laws and RELAX. I soooo deserve this vacation. Yay for MIL to think of this great trip.

Test Post

Okie dokie, first posts are usually lame. I choose to be no different.

Currently on the sticks:

Latvian Lace socks from Nancy Bush's Folk Socks book -- 55% done
KnitPicks Essentials solid tan, #1 dpn's
for Mother's day gift for Mom. She may just get one sock and the other when it's finished. Moms are great like that.

Regular stockinette socks - my pattern -- 60% done
KnitPicks Simple Stripes - vineyard colorway, #2 dpn's
temporarily abandoned for above project.

Stormtrooper Sweater for Mac - my pattern --20% done
Woolease Worsted - oxford grey, #8(?) straights
see above lame excuses and my boredom at endless stockinette stitch. I should have forgotten about the Stormtrooper and done a cabled one instead. I'll know better next time.

Candle Flame shawl from KnitPicks free pattern -- cast on. That's all. It doesn't even rate a percentage
Alpaca yarn from Elann.com that I bought for something else and hated the pattern so much I frogged the whole 6 inches of the shawl and stuffed the yarn away somewhere until I found this pattern - charcoal, #6 bamboo circ's
love the yarn, love the needles... we'll see about the pattern this time around.

Actually, for now, this is all.
I may try my hand at kool-aid dyeing tonight. We'll see how brave I get.