Rapunzel Socks

Yeah, Baby! The other pair of magic-looped, toe-up, worsted weight socks from d-made are finished! What a fun sock knit! Good stashbuster, or a good project for cheap-asses like me who only buy cheap worsted weight yarn (Go ME). You decide. But definately consider this sock (or its cousin, Traveler) when you find yourself in possession of about 200 yds of worsted weight yarn. These socks are also special because they are one of the rare gift-knits I perfom. As we speak these babies are on there way to my hometown in PA where they wait patiently to warm the feet of my dear Mom. :)

There's a shot of the front lace panel. Sorry the gray yarn doesn't do the lace justice, but hopefully you get the idea. The cuff is slightly long to allow for ample shin and ankle insulation (ka-ching!). Here's another shot of the socks footless and with a side view:

The cuff ribbing is a "faux cable ribbing" (can't really see it). I don't know why it's called "faux" because you actually cable the ribbing. Ionno. So with the lace and the cabling these are really ornate socks. If you're wondering why the socks look a little... well snug it's because my mother has smaller feet than I do and I want her socks to fit. I have recognized that not everyone has sasquawtch feet like me. *embracing inner sasquawtch...*

Oh, the socks as a gift for mom have a little special meaning. Throughout my teen years I was in the habit of not doing my laundry and thus running out clean socks. So I would sneak in my mom's drawer and steal a pair of hers (what are mothers for?). Even throughout college I would do this when I would come home to visit. My mom still teases me about me stealing her socks so these will at least help make up for my past misdeeds. :) Here are the specs:

Project: Rapunzel Socks from d-made (seen on Craftster.org)
Yarn: LB Wool-Ease Worsted, gray, 1 skein (purchased for a buck-fiddy)
Needles: Denise Interchangeables Size 5 long circular
Mods: Almost none. This is a good pattern. She even includes little checkboxes in the pattern so you can keep your place (what a doll!). One thing though, because I was magic looping a rather small circumference the stitches at the half way point and endpoint would stretch out a bit. I remedied this by knitting through the back those stitches. Problem solved. You might not have this problem though.
Woulda-Shoulda: It's not like I have regrets about my knitting projects, it's just that since I'm somewhat new to this knitting stuff my knitting projects are more like learning experiences. I like to keep record of these lessons. For this project I wish I would have used a better color yarn. The gray doesn' t show off the lace work as much as I like. Plus, gray is just boring. Buy something bright or funky. Something that will show off the overall purdiness of this sock. That's it!

In other news, the BWC is trucking along, and I'm just about finished with the first MJ slipper. Here's a pic of the BWC in progress. It kind of looks like a mess of black and white homespun (which it is, try to imagine 2x2 rib on the bottom half and St st on the top, just try). I couldn't get a good close up (lack of good light and a camera that can't function without the flash >.>)



Needless to say, I'm feeling very productive. Ciao!

Knitter Knirvana, Part 2 (I hate you Blogger)

Ok, this is the part of yesterday's post that just doesn't seem to want to publish.

So here’s the baby blanket I want to make for Zoe. It’s definitely fancier than I was originally planning, but it’s so damn purdy I can’t pass it up. And honestly none of the other baby blankets appealed to me (ie, Big Bad Baby Blanket from SnB). And yes, I know that it’s not a blanket for ME but I wanted to knit something that wasn’t plain and boring. This is more like an heirloom, though I want them to get some use out of it so I’m going to knit with Caron Simply Soft so they can chuck it in the washer and dryer. Wish me luck. Estimated CO time-2 weeks from now. Maybe sooner. That’ll give me time to finish up the SIL’s mj’s and the stuff for the CD swap and make a big dent in the Ballet Wrap Cardigan (which I now dub the “BWC”).

Pics of the Rapunzel sock and possibly of other WIP’s will be up this weekend so check back. Until then…

Knitter Knirvana

I received IK Winter issue, I CO on for the Ballet Wrap Cardigan, I’m working on the mary jane slippers for SIL, the Rapunzel Socks are ready to be mailed to their recipient, and I decided on a baby blanket pattern for baby Zoe.

Yes, all is right in my world right now.

Now if the weather would just cooperate so I could have a somewhat pleasant run without cold wind blowing in my face and snowflakes poking me in the eyeball then I would be in a state of bliss.

But this is ok, too. *chanting: come on spring, come on spring*

So here’s the baby blanket I want to make for

Recycling Yarn from Thrift Store Sweater, Part II

Where I last left you with this I was drying my yarn in my bathroom. I had unraveled the sweater first, neatly bound it, and washed it in the tub. Well, there are two very WRONG things with what I did.

1. If yarn is wrapped (even loosely) in piles and then hung to dry it takes forEVAH to do so. I mean, that yarn was hanging up there for a solid 5 days before it was all dry. Keeping the yarn in tact and drying flat would have been a better choice *smacks self on forehead*.

2. Winding yarn in large loose piles encourages tangling. And I mean knock-your-head-against -the-wall-throw-your-ball-winder-out-the-window (through the glass)-vow-to-never-knit-again kind of tangles. I spent HOURS last night winding my yarn because of those stupid tangles. Believe me I started a system about half-way through: let out a couple yards carefully by hand, wind, repeat. But then I would get overzealous towards the end and just wind directly from the pile. Bad idea. This is where my excitement to unravel the yarn kicked me in the ass later.

The morale of this story is:

PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS SANE AND LOGICAL, WASH THE DAMN SWEATER FIRST! It'll dry faster and you can just unravel and immediately wind, thus avoiding any tangles.

But with all that drama in the past I now have several balls of slightly-used silk blend yarn that is clean and wound and ready for the needles.

Mmm... scrumptious! Most of the balls are rather tiny, but that's ok. I also swatched some on Size 6 needles and I would honestly say that this yarn is best on Size 5's or lower, which probably makes this closer to a fingering weight yarn (right?). Which is ok, because I'm thinking of making a Lucky from SNBN (see previous post) with it. Now I can feel like a yarn snob with this natural fiber stuff in my stash. Te he. I never thought the day would come *brushes back tear*. Not bad for a $5 investment at the local thrift.

~Fin
____________________________________________________________________

In other news, I'm almost done with the Rapunzel socks and they will soon be getting their proper acknowledgment here at ESK. Knitting socks is awesome. I was telling Mr. V that they're probably my favorite thing to knit now because they're just so damn practical (not to mention fun).

I signed up for my first craft swap on Craftster. The "What You Listen To Whilst Crafting" CD swap. I thought this was perfect because you get a collection of new music (DING!) and a small craft to go with it (DING!) AND it's not so involved that it has to take up all of your time (DING!). I would try some of the more involved swaps that require a couple crafted items but I already have some deadline knitting on my plate as it is. I don't need anymore, because like most knitters I feel that knitting with deadline looming over me takes a lot of the fun out of it. Here's the Swap Page. Check it out and join in if you're interested. And check out Karin's Recipe Swap, too! She makes lots of nummy things over her way.

Here's the tenative KnitList as of NOW:

1. Ridiculously Easy Mary Jane Slippers from Craftster (for SIL)
2. Baby blanket of some sort (still not decided)
3. Miss Dashwood baby bonnet from Knitty
4. Ballet Wrap Cardigan from IK Winter 05 (whenever the actual mag makes its appearance)
5. Maybe, Lucky from SNBN with newly recycled yarn

can I get some sock yarn up in here?

I’ve been trucking away on the Rapunzel Socks (see sidebar). They’re turning out great (esp since I finally learned how to do YO’s right. Hmm… that would help make lace look right, umm… yeah). I finished sock 1 and I just started the foot of the second (they’re toe-up sock, btw). I wish I would have a different color besides boring gray. I’m really feeling some funky, bright socks, but the Wool-Ease colors schemes are more neutral colors. I really wish Joann’s, or any craft store for that matter, would carry actual sock yarn. They carry all that fun fur novelty-type crap. I mean, who really buys that stuff anyway? And what can you make with that yarn besides funky scarves and clutch bags? Sure, it’s cute and bright, but are you really going to knit a sweater out of that? *BLEH*. Hell, no. If stores carried sock yarn I could save a little money on shipping, not mention I can get instant gratification. If anyone knows of stores within driving distance that sell affordable sock yarn, please let me know. Rant is over.

The Rapunzel socks are going good. I’m thinking of making some Ridiculously Easy Mary Jane Slippers for my SIL out of some the Bernat Boucle she and my brother got me for x-mas. In ruby red! Those would be cute. Not to mention ridiculously easy. Though, I can’t help to think it’s a little strange to gift-knit for someone with yarn they bought you. Maybe she won’t notice.

So I finally got something from Interweave Knits this week: the Spring Issue

*record skipping noise in the background*

WTF! I called them to inquire as to why the Spring Issue beat the Winter Issue to my doorstep. A friendly lady informed me that they ran out of the issue and had to put them on back order. It should be here with the next 1.5 weeks or so. They were kind enough to extend my subscription to make up for the trouble so my winter issue will be free. Which is nice, but I’d still like to knit the Ballet Wrap Cardigan before Memorial Day people!. (Bitch, bitch, bitch-I’m sure you’re tired of it by now). But I’ve been having fun paging through the Spring issue oogling the projects. I’m not sure what I want to knit from it yet because it’s still too cold to be thinking about Camis and such. Soon, though.

This weekend I’ll post Part 2 of my Recycling Sweater series. I’m thinking I might make a Lucky from SNBN with from the silk blend yarn I rescued. I can show off my mad YO-skillz! I’ll have to get my hands on a copy of Stitch n’Bitch nation though to look at the pattern closely. Karin, weren’t you planning a Lucky recently?

On another note: check out this blog is you like food and funny bitches!

Recycling Yarn from Thrift Store Sweater, Part 1

Here we go. My detailed and illustrated adventures in recycling yarn from thrift store sweaters. FYI-I highly recommend this tutorial at Neauveau. It not only tells you how to deconstruct a sweater, but what to look for when shopping for cheapo yarn at your local thrift. Apparently, not all sweaters are the same, and not all are ideal for unraveling. Also, if you want to do this I would pick up sweaters now even if you don't plan on unraveling right away. The Sal-val (salvation army for you "talk proper" folks) I went to had TONS of sweaters. Tis the season so take advantage. Now onto the show:

First off, I deconstructed what I'm calling "sweater 1" which is the LL Bean ladies M silk/cotton/wool blend sweater in a kind of denim twist color. Following the tutorial, I unraveled. Now, Karin asked me about washing and I'm going to say this: I think it's best to wash before you unravel. However, I couldn't wait for it dry flat in my cold-ass basement, so I went nuts. I'll probably pay for it later. As I unraveled I wrapped the yarn around my hand and elbow like I was wrapping rope or something. And when the yarn broke (I think this has something to do with the silk) I tied each end of the loop with a twistee tie. After about a week of unraveling off and on (I would say this takes several hours. I hope you're patient) I had this:



It seems like a decent amount of yarn although I really have no way of estimating yardage. If you can see the thing in the upper right corner that is the turtleneck part I left whole to give you an idea what the sweater looked like before it felt my wrath.

Next, into the bathtub it went with some warm water and a few squirts of Garnier shampoo. I tried to be gentle so that the yarn wouldn't tangle. I think I did a pretty good job. It's currently hanging over the tub drying (and taking its good old time about it). >.>



I rung it out by hand, rolled it in a towel (twice). I figure it will take a day or two. Then I can wind it up with my trusty ballwinder (oh how I love thee). If I were to estimate the weight of this yarn I would say its probably a sport/DK weight. I'll have to swatch some of it when it's all said and done. But I can tell by looking at it that it's not worsted weight. Oh here's a close up of the fiber in its kinked-up, perfumed, dirty glory. Oohh... baby, baby!



So what to make with this yarn? Since this is a skin friendly fiber I think it would be a sin to NOT make a garment out of it. But what? *opening suggestion box*

Still no Winter IK issue. I plan on using that Customer Service # they gave me in reply email. In the meantime, I casted on for sock 1 of Rapunzel Sock (the snobby cousin of Traveler Sock). I'm using woolease (of course) in gray. I bought the skein for a buck-fiddy at the Joann's in the mall that I don't like going to. Thankfully they're going out of business and all there yarn was 30% off plus I got to use my coupon. I might have splurged more but there wasn't any other yarn or colors that appealed to me. Although, they have tons of fuzzy and ribbon-like novelty yarn if you're into that sort of thing. Cheers!

Coming soon- Part 2 of Recycling Yarn, Part 2

I'm a Llama!

I'm named him after my favorite anime Samurai Champloo (see side bar). I've always liked llamas. They're so cute!

In knitting news, I finished the "Traveler Socks" and I've a little more of the sweater to unravel. Then I need to wash it, dry it, and wind it. Can't WAIT :) Still no IK issue yet. Haven't checked the mail today though. I'll give them Saturday, too, but if Monday comes around and no magazine I'll be a very upset subscriber. More info and pics on tomorrow's post (that is if the home comp cooperates. *sigh* long story)

Patience is a Virtue!

Tis Wednesday again! Not much going on except knitting the second traveler sock (though it’s my third take on the pair), unraveling one of my thrift store sweaters, and waiting for my damn Winter IK issue. I finally broke down and emailed them last Friday. I got a reply Monday afternoon saying that my issue should be here this week. No issue yet. I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those Friday afternoon deliveries (bastards). Gus (the replier) also informed that I should be receiving the Spring issue no later than the 18th. Umm, that’s good. If you can’t remember why I’m so impatient, remember I’m planning on making the Ballet Wrap Cardigan that’s on the cover of the issue. I have the yarn all ready to go (for almost a month now). All I need is the magazine. Any day now…

So here’s a tentative knitlist for the next few months in a relative order of priority:

-Ballet Wrap Cardigan! duh
-Big Bad Baby Blanket from SnB1 (due date for little neice is late April, I should make sure to give myself enough time start and frog if needed)
-Some kind of baby hat: maybe Knitty’s Baby Tart or Miss Dashwood.
-Some socks here and there. MORE SOCKS!
-Whatever I decide to make with the oodles of recycled yarn I recently purchased.
-Some kind of original-artistic-less-practical project for this art exhibit at work called “On My Own Time”. I have a few ideas, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to share. There’s lots of time for this. The submissions aren’t due until April or something like that.

Ok, that list is pretty vague, but you get the idea. Recycled yarn pics this weekend, promise!

What the F$%^ is going on?

Ok, so now according to my blogger dashboard, yesterday's post doesn't even exist even though there is a post on the page. Who knows, sometimes I wonder if I should look for other blog hosts. Blogger just seems to have weird things wrong with it all the time. And by weird I mean annoyingly weird. Anyways, here's pics that were supposed to be in yesterday's post.
This is sock #1 which is now unraveled and being re-worked in order to achieve a better fit (still nice looking even with all the mistakes):




This is sock #2 in progress, which is currently finished. Fits like a charm. All the changes I made from first one seemed to work. To rec-cap I made sure to purl right (see post below), pick up wrap stitches and k or p2tog right, and also made the foot longer by working one more cable repeat. So cute and so warm.





OOHH! I went to the thrift store yesterday and purchased three sweaters to unravel and recycle the yarn. Here are the specs. I'll be sure record my unraveling adventures.

Sweater 1- Blue denim colored, women's size M, 55 % silk, 30% cotton, 15% lambs's wool, tagged said LL Bean, cost: $4.99

Sweater 2- Charcoal gray colored, men's size L, 100% Shetland wool, tagged "Britches", cost:$3.99

Sweater 3- Moss green colored, men's size L, 100% Shetland wool, tagged "Spin", cost: $3.99

Grand Total: $12.97 for three full sweaters-worth of yarn. Freakin sweet!

Update: Now, not only is my post from yesterday 2-4-06 not showing in my dashboard it's not even showing up on the page. The post has disappeared. It's one of the forgotten. This is really freaking annoying. That post contained information that I referenced in this post. So I apologize if the post is a little confusing. I'd like to complain blogger, but I can't seem to find a help desk email address. Can anyone help?

Yackety-Yack

Whoa! Time seriously flies. It’s mid-week already and time for another update. There’s only one project on the needles over here at ESK, so I guess I’ll have to find something else yak about.

Well, the Traveler sock (see progress bar) is going along alright. This is my first experience with short-rows and the one aspect of this pattern that is a little hard was that the toe and heel shaping requires you to knit the sts and it’s wraps together. Now this was just a completely hard concept for me. My brain just said “no, no… no…..umm, no”. So I winged it which left tell-tale holes along the heel line. So… I’ll be doing a little more fixing and finishing on sock #1. Luckily, the pattern writer set me straight saying that I should be picking up the wraps and then transferring them to my left needle, THEN k2togging. Hmm, when I think about it, putting the wrap on the left needle does sound like it would be easier. Don’t even ask what I was doing before. *slightly, blushing* Maybe I’ll sneak a progress pic in later when I get home.

I’m still waiting for my freaking IK winter issue, dang-namit! I’m starting to wonder if they’re going to wait until spring to send me my first issue. Either way I’d like to know. I can always take a 40% off Joann coupon and go buy the winter issue. Those 5 skeins o’Homespun are waiting to be worked into the ballet wrap cardigan, and they’re getting kind of impatient (yes, my yarn talks to me… don’t ask). Anyone with a IK subscription know how they work with their first issues?

In non-knitting related news, I’ve finally decided on how I can improve my rather pathetic running skills (I’m not being a defeatist, I’m a pathetically slow wimpy runner): run with people who are faster than you. There’s a friendly bunch of 30/40-something runners who have been dropping major hints for me to join them on their leisurely (10 min per mile) 4 mile runs. Now lately I’ve only been able to pound out about 2 miles at a pace about a clip above power-walking on a treadmill (most of my problem is mental, I know I can do a lot better). They run outside, rain or shine (they break for snow luckily). Up until today I’ve been politely declining until one of the runners informed me that sometimes one of them breaks off and takes a shorter loop. Hmm… tempting. So I accepted. I’m gonna bite the bullet next Monday even it causes me cardiac arrest. I just hope I don’t collapse on the shoulder of Buckely Rd where my limp body might get run over by a passing mini-van.

Urban Neccessity Mitts: check

They're gloves:




No, they're mittens:





They're GLITTENS....er... glots..ummm... you're MOM!

Well, whatever they are they're warm, they're functional, and they're all mine. I figure these will come in handy when (either this year or next) the temperature drops below 20º which is when my fingertips get painfully numb (yes, oxymoron) while trying to clean off the car in the morning. Even on days when it's not so cold they'll be better when compared to the rather thin fleece gloves I where now. Anyways, the specs:

Project: Urban Neccessities by Colleen Michele Meagher from MagKnits Sept 2005
Yarn: LB WoolEase Worsted in "Forest Green Heather" 80% Acrylic, 20% Wool, 1 skein
Needles: Size 6 Denise Interchangeable long circular using Magic Loop Method
Mods: No design on mitten cap, used kitchener stitch to close mitten cap
Woulda-Shoulda: I understand why there was a design chart for the mitten cap. My mitts are kind of plain, so if I could have mustered some patience and determination I would have done something different with the mitten cap like a cable panel or something. Honestly, I just didn't feel like it. I wanted these to be a quick finish, so I didn't bother. I had a hard time with the directions for starting the mitten cap. It might be how the pattern is written. I might be me. If you plan on making this be careful when picking up stitches for the mitten cap. Try and predict how the cap with lay when deciding where to start picking up. Oh, I was able to complete the medium sized mitts with a little less than 1 skein. The pattern calls for 2. Other than that, it's a fast easy knit and a FO no one can say they can easily buy at Wal-mart.

So, next up is the Traveler Sock. I'm using the same yarn for this, and after I click to post I'm going to start winding my yarn. Cheers!

NOTE: This post was edited on 1-30-06. It was brought to my attention that part of the orginal form of this post portrayed a certain person in a negative light. Out of respect for that person and regret for my actions I have modified this post and deleted the comments pertaining to that section. I very much appreciate the feedback given from Karin, Erleca, and Latoya as well as others who take the time to read and comment on this site. Thank you!

Next up, more SOCKS!

Happy Wednesday everyone! Not too much going on in the knitting world. I’ve started the second Urban Neces Mitt and I’m about to work the fingers. This is a deceptively easy pattern, really. Gloves seem like they’re hard, but this pattern is easy in my opinion. However, I would stay away from this pattern if you ABHOR weaving in ends. Because of the way the fingers are worked (from the hand up) you start and break new segments of yarn for each finger which in turn = weaving hell. For me, once I get started weaving I’m good to go. The mitts should be picture ready by the weekend so be sure to check back soon. Hmm.. maybe I can get some goofy action shots since it seems winter is upon us again (luckily, without much of a vengence).

It’s so weird knitting something without Hourglass sweater looming over me. I was feeling a little anxious not knowing what I will do after the mitts are done. But thankfully a Craftster post eased my mind. I’m going to knit one of these socks (probably the Traveler sock). It looks like I might be able to finish the mitts with only one skein of wool-ease, leaving an extra skein for some more socks. What’s great about these patterns is that it uses worsted weight yarn (ideal for stash-busting) AND follows the magic loop method. Freakin’ sweet. I could kiss the girl who made these patterns. And she even included checkboxes in pattern so I can keep my place! This will be my first attempt at a “toe up” sock and a provisional cast on. Luckily, I know a little crochet thanks to mumsie ;)

Other than that, there’s not much ado besides the usual: work (blah), watching lots of Naruto (most annoyingly addictive anime EVER), some movies (Transporter 2, 40 YO Virgin, Corpse Bride), and taking naps when I normally knit, thus, the reason why my mitts are not done yet. Ciao!

Urban does not equal Fashion

I'm just about finished with the first Urban Neccessities mit. I'm liking this pattern a lot and I'm really excited at the prospect of having warm glove/mitts for those extra cold winter mornings that require cleaning snow off the car. Knitting the hand, thumb, and fingers were surprisingly easy-peasy. Picking up sts for the mitten cap was a little complicated. The issue is knowing where to start picking up so you're mitten cap faces the right way. After working a few rows for the design chart for the mitten cap I realized it wasn't looking that anything remotely close to snowflake or whatever it's supposed to be so I re-knit it plain jane style.



I'm about to close off the top of the mitten cap, but I'm going to use Kitchener Stitch instead of the pull-through method the pattern calls for. You can see my mitts are not too fancy and they look kind of weird when they're on your hand, but this is an Urban Necessity NOT a Fashion Necessity people.

Hallejuah! Hourglass is Finished!

Yes, I bet you had almost given up hope of ever seeing this day. But I pulled through, just for you. It's been a long journey, but I'm glad I made it. *chorus in the background sings: "Hallejuah, Hallejuah, Halle-e-e-ju-ah"*

Drumroll please. Here it is, in its FULLY FINISHED GLORY:



It looks so nice sitting on the bed. I'm pretty much in awe that I made something that is even remotely wearable. During my sewing period, I never had good luck with wearable finished products, but then I never spent as much time on sewing something than I do knitting something. And no, I'm not teasing you. I promised model shots and here they are, damnit:


Is it possible to ever get a good mirror shot? It's actually sunny here this morning, and one would think that gobs of sunlight would totally negate the reason for using a flash for a mirror shot knowing that the flash will do nothing but dominate the picture. Anyways... Here's a finished project summary I see on a lot of blogs. It's a great way to summarize, I think.

Project: Hourglass Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Yarn: Lion Brand Jiffy (100% Acrylic) in "Country Green" about 7 skeins
Needles: Size 10.5 Denise Interchangeable circulars
Mods: I used a thicker yarn than what was orginally called for, thus, making this sweater a bit bulkier. BUT I would venture to say it was a lot quicker to knit. I had to do some ratios to convert the CO stitches and row counts.
Woulda-Shoulda: You might remember I started making this sweater one size smaller and got about half-way through the body and realized it would be to small (underestimated boob size). So I frogged and knit the next size up. This brings me to my first gripe about this pattern: the sizes are really wonky. There is a pretty big difference between the sizes, which is a problem for someone who fit exactly in the middle of two sizes. I couldn't make the small one because it would be too tight, but the larger size turned out a bit bigger than I would have liked. Exhibit B:



As you can see there's plenty of room around the waist. If I were to make this again (which I think I'd like to, but in Caron Simpy Soft) I would add some stitches to the CO of the body of the smaller size to allow more room for my jumblies, but keep it more fitted around the waist. (people, just cuz a girl got boobs doesn't mean she got belly). Gripe Two: the main gripe about this sweater for many people was the wide neckline. I would have fixed this by doing a couple more decrease rows, but I didn't have enough yarn. So I have to where a tank top underneath when I where this, which isn't a big deal because I normally do that anyway for big sweaters. Gripe Three: Knitting in the round is nice but doesn't help when you have to HEM your edges by hand. Hemming lives stitches wasn't as bad as I thought but it still tested my patience.

Overall, I see myself wearing this. It's a simple but flattering design. It's an easy and mindless knit if you're into that sort of thing. *pats self on back* Hmmm.. now what?

5 Weird Habits! Another MEME

5 Weird Habits of Mine:

This should be pretty interesting. I got this MEME from Erleca, and I’m finding I had the same problem that she did. It’s hard to think of five weird habits. So, these are more like weird/bad habits/quirks. But here goes:

1. I have a habit of sleeping on my back with my knees up. I find this weird because I never fall asleep in that position. I assume it in the middle of night when I’m fast asleep. *shrugs*

2. I like bread. In all its forms. Bread is a snack for me, and possibly even a meal. Toasted with butter, toasted with jelly, plain with butter, plain with pb, toasted with cream cheese and topped with jelly, or just plain. Biscuits, crescent rolls, Italian, French, artisan just hand it over. I fill up on rolls during Thanksgiving dinner, not turkey. I don’t know why, but bread is fulfilling to me. Roll over Dr. Atkins!

3. I’m in the habit of spoiling surprises for myself. It’s related to my slightly obsessive personality, I think. For example, when I’m reading a good book I’ll jump to the last few pages to see how it ends instead of savoring the story as it unfolds. I spoil TV shows and animes for myself by reading fan sites. I say it’s spoiling, but really I don’t mind it. When all is said and done I’m still excited to read or watch what happens. Also, I snoop for presents, and even ask about them directly.

4. When it snows (which normally happens a lot around here, but we’ve been getting a break lately) I clean my car off in this manner: 1. Turn car on 2. Turn on front defroster, rear defroster, heated windshield wipers, and heated seat (high or low depending on how freakin cold it is). 3. Grab ice-scraper and get out of car. 5. Scrape snow and ice off driver-side and passenger side windows first, then clean rear-windshield, and lastly, front windshield. The last step is essential because I believe it maximizes snow removal efficiency. Side windows aren’t normally hard to clean off and since they don’t have a defroster they get clean first. By the time that’s done, cleaning the rear and front windshields should be easy since the defroster should be kicked in. When I get back into the car the wipers should be nice and clean thanks to the heated mechanism and the seat should be nice and warm, thus, optimizing driving comfort.

5. I take a long time try on clothes at the store. I believe this has to do with how I critique my appearance while in front of the mirror. Trust me, it’s not that I’m obsessed with my appearance or I’m really vain (or maybe it is, not that I really care), it’s just that I look over a lot of things. I think of all of the usual things when trying something on, but I also have to analyze other things. I mean I always think I look different in front of dressing room mirrors. Then I think “well is that really how I look, or is it the mirror, the lighting….” Basically, I over-analyze such a simple question as “does this look good on me?” and get completely off track. Meanwhile, Mr. V is wandering around the store listening to music that is probably driving him crazy…

Ok, if you’re reading this and haven’t done this MEME yet consider yourself tagged!

Bring on the Mitts

I’ve started the Urban Nec. Mitts (with LB wool-ease, of course) and it’s going rather well. Though I understand when people say that knitting gloves are a bit of pain. But it’s not as bad as I thought. As of last night I picked up and cast on the stitches for the mitten cap for the first glove. This should be interesting considering there’s a design chart (gives the mitts a bit of decoration). Also, I don’t normally work with charts. They don’t intimidate me, but I do tend to lose my place a lot when I read them. Progress pics of the mitts will be coming soon.

Ok, so I’ve agreed to this umpteenth resolution for Hourglass Sweater. Since I post my pics on the weekend I am resolved to finish the damn thing in time for picture posting. Really, it’s not like I have a lot more to do. Why do I insist on dragging it out? Maybe I have “finishing trauma” from a previous knitting life. It would be nice to have the sweater ready and wearable, especially since I had to “put down” one of my favorite store-bought sweaters this morning when it was shedding blue velour fuzz all over my bathroom. It was also forming unflattering wholes in inappropriate places. Strange, but crappy velour seems to wear out very quickly. Oh, well. Hourglass will fill the void.

Oh! Let me share this link with you. I found this FREE knitting patterns site from a post of Craftster. Oodles of knitted items freshly translated from their Norwegian counterparts. And from what I understand they’re still translating. Enjoy!

In response to a previous post, I am was quite proud of my yarn stash. But it is definitely put to shame when compared to

Socks! First FO of '06

WTF! Two days ago it was in the 50's (maybe higher), today it's snowing and 10ºF (according to my weater toolbar). I'm sorry, but in January it should be consistently cold and snowy. January isn't one of those transition months like October or March. But I did enjoy it while it was here. I had to put my sunglasses on during the drive home from work twice last week. Oooh, baby!

Anyway, as promised I have some pics for you. I was able to finish my socks (from Knitty's Socks 101) last night and have since then been prancing around the house in warm, thick tootsie covers. Yes, I have socks fever! Must knit more socks! Maybe I can stash bust some yarn and make some funky striped socks. Hmm... But anyways for your viewing please: my first FO of 2006



Yarn: LB Wool-Ease in "blue mist" (the color I made my clapotis out of), 1 skein
Needles: Denise Interchangeable's US 6 (long-ass circular using magic loop method)
Woulda-Shoulda: I could have made the cuff longer since I had a bit of yarn leftover, but there's enough cuff to make my ankle nice and toasty so it's alright. Also, I shouldn't have frogged the original cuff and re-started with a larger circumference. The socks are a bit "baggy" and could use more fit. Trust the tutorial, measure your ankle and subtract the alotted amount like it says. One toe is pointier than the other, but oh well. Also, the finished sock without foot looks really freakin long, and, thus, funny-looking. Nothing like a pair of hand-knitted socks to make you confront your inner-sasquawtch. Overall, it's a very easy to follow tutorial and a highly recommended beginner sock project. I also recommend the beginner sock pattern to aquaint yourself with the motions of sock knitting. *patting self on back*

Now, the moment you've all been waiting for. *insert dramatic pause here* Ladies and gentleman, in its semi-finished glory... the HOURGLASS SWEATER!

(click to enlarge)

I haven't touched the damn thing in a week, but as you can see, it's almost finished. The sleeves and bottom or all hemmed. All I need to do is hem the neckline, weave, and fix some stitches. Almost there. Just. a. little....more.to.go.

I'll be sure to model it when all said and done. I really like it so far, I see it getting a lot of wear. Sweaters are pretty much a staple in my winter wardrobe, so... yeah. I spent some time last night playing with some of my stash yarn. Anyone ever do that? I was trying to get inspiration for what do with my boucle yarn I got for christmas so I just started knitting a few rows on different needles to see what it looked like. I love the yarn, but I just can't figure out what to do with it! With the one skein I think I might make my own stuffed elephant (I love elephants!) since I had such a great time with the Kate/Andes cat from Knitty. The other two skeins... I don't know.

So what's next? Well, since I don't have yarn for Mom's hooded scarf, I'll just move on to Urban Necessities from Magknits. I have some green Wool-Ease for these puppies and one skein is already wound up and ready to go.

I will TRY to finish Hourglass before I start something new, but I'm not making any promises.

GRATUITOUS STASH SHOT!

Over-analyzing

It turns out that I don't have to do work over the weekend. (Probably not I haven't checked my email yet). So that's good. As you've probably noticed I've been apologizing about not posting as frequently as I hoped. When I started this thing in november I was hoping to post about every other day. But now I'm really only posting about twice a week. My intentions are there, trust me. But there two obstacles that block my good intentions:

1. Yes, I sit at a computer all day at work (and I call myself a chemist?) that has little-to-no internet controls. I'm pretty much given total freedom when it comes to the internet. My job is also stress free about 99% of the time. But the good work ethic in me says to stay away from posting at work, especially since my posts tend to me short novels and I can't post pics there.
   
2. Since I sit at a computer all day (away from my darling Mr.V) I normally stay away from the computer after work. Plus, Mr. V pretty much dominates the home computer anyways...

In short, I have to enact a plan in order to post more frequently. Mr. V suggested that I post at least once during the week while I'm at work, and then post (with pictures) as much as I want during the weekends. So that way, even if I only post twice a week at least you get one post during the week and one during the weekend. No long-ass dry spells. Anyways... on to the knitting:

Yeah, so I didn't finish Hourglass sweater yet. I'm damn close, though. All I have to do is hem, weave, and fix some stitches. It's already semi-wearable and you better believe I checked the fit. It looks good considering it's slightly too big (sizing on this pattern is not very good) and I used chunkier yarn (hence no draping). I'm happy. But of course I'm a procrasta-knitter who hates finishing so I distracted myself at the 11th hour last sunday. I started knitting SOCKS!

Oh what joy, I say. I finished one sock and knew I was in love!! I'm just about finished with the second sock and I'll have pictures for you tomorrow. Must make more socks....

huh, hourglass?

On Wed. I went to Joann's to pick up some Homespun (on sale) for the ballet wrap cardigan on the cover of Interweave Knits, which I still haven't received. Any day now...

Tomorrow, pictures!!

Quickie

Sorry, about not posting for a few days. I'll be busy this weekend with some work, but check back later in the weekend for some pics of Hourglass sweater, Socks, and my stash (of yarn that is).

Ciao!

Have you ever...?

Have you ever...?

Smoked a cigar: Yes, a couple times. Not really my thing, though
Crashed a friend?s car: Umm, No
Stolen a car: No
Been in love: Absolutely
Been dumped: Technically, no. But I have felt rejection
Dumped someone: Yes
Taken shots of alcohol: Yes, in a former life…
Been fired: No, I’m a good worker bee
Been in a fist fight: No (I was just talking about this with Mr.V) I want to just to see if I am capable of kicking someone’s ass.
Snuck out of a/your house: No
Had feelings for someone who didn”t have them back: Yes
Been arrested: No
Made out with a stranger: Hell, NO
Gone on a blind date: NO
Lied to a friend: Yes
Had a crush on a teacher: I don’t think I have…
Seen someone die: No
Been on a plane: Yes
Thrown up in a bar: No, I don’t normally frequent bars
Miss someone right now: Yes
Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by: yeah, duh
Made a snow angel: Yes
Played dress up: Almost all the time when I was a kid. I had/have a very active imagination
Cheated while playing a game: No
Been lonely: Yes
Fallen asleep at work/school: Yeah, but not at work. Only at school on rare occasions
Used a fake id: No
Felt an earthquake: No
Touched a snake: Yes, they’re cool
Run a red light: Yeah, but not blatantly
Had detention: Every once in a while for something stupid like forgetting my gym clothes or being late to class.
Been in a car accident: No
Hated the way you look: Yeah, I feel that way sometimes, but I’m becoming more accepting of myself as I get older.
Been lost: In more ways than the obvious.
Been to the opposite side of the country: Almost, does Las Vegas count? :)
Felt like dying: No
Cried yourself to sleep: Yes
Played cops and robbers: Yes
Karaoke: Yeah, fun-times. But not at a club though I want to try that sometime
Done something you told yourself you wouldn’t: Yes
Laughed till some kind of beverage came out of your nose: Yes
Caught a snowflake on your tongue: Yes
Kissed in the rain: Probably
Sang in the shower: Yes, but not too loud
Had a dream that you married someone: Umm, sure
Glued your hand to something: No, lol
Got your tongue stuck to a flag pole: No
Worn the opposite sex's clothes: Yes, but only around the house
Been a cheerleader: Nnnnoo!
Sat on a roof top: Yes
Talked on the phone all night: Yes
Ever too scared to watch scary movies alone: No, but I normally regret it
Played chicken fight: No
Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on: Yes
Been told you’re hot by a complete stranger: Yeah, a long time ago in a grocery store parking lot, but he said I was beautiful, not hot! Still weird, though.
Broken a bone: No
Dipped snuff: Ewww, no
Lived overseas: No, but I’d like to. I have a feeling I was born on the wrong continent
Ever passed out/fainted: No

This was fun!