Stay tuned...

This is a quickie post! Check back in a day or two for some:

1. Yarn Porn (bow chica wowow)
2. Instant Gratification Knit
   
3. Some breakfast porn

And some other stuff, too. I need to charge up my camera batteries and figure out how to upload the pics since Mr.V did some major computer upgrading this week.

ciao!



Which Princess Bride Character are You?
this quiz was made by mysti

Bit by Knitting Bug

Yes, my remarkable progress in not one but two projects yesterday proves of the existence of such an organism. The Knitting Bug (insecta knitta) bit me bad, but in a good way. You see, I finally finished the Ridiculously Easy Mary Jane Slippers that I was knitting for my SIL (the one who is expecting Zoe in the next 1.5 months). I think they were a little too ridiculously easy because they didn't really keep my interest. But they turned out fabU, if I do say so myself. I hope she likes them since these are a complete surprise for her. And I hope they fit. They're too small for me, which probably means they will fit her (hence, the reason why they are not modeled in the picture)




Project: Ridiculously Easy Mary Jane Slippers, Craftster.org
Yarn: Bernat Soft Boucle (some sort of deep red color, label is gone), not even half a skein
Needles: Size 10.5 Denise Interchangeable, Size 7 for straps
Mods: The pattern actually calls for Size 7 needles on chunky yarn for the whole thing, but it hard enough trying to work chunky boucle with the called for needle size. Also, you're supposed to crochet the strap, but that was easily remedied.
Woulda-Shoulda: I can't say anything bad about this pattern. It's so easy you can really personalize or go crazy with the substitutions. Good project for some instant gratification. That's all I have to say about that.

I have the first row of the M. Laurel Blanket finished and assembled. With the MJ's and this I was knitting for several hours yesterday. I'm so proud of myself. :)





I'm really stoked for this blanket. I can't say I'm stoked for the seaming involved, but that's why I'm assembling as I go. The knitting is way fun though. And with this kind of progress I might be finished ahead of schedule. *crossing fingers*

In all honesty I think I invoked the wrath of the Knitter Bug because I was naughty and signed up for my second craft swap on Craftster. I was going to wait until the blanket was finished, but when I saw this swap I couldn't resist. My shoulder angel said, "yo' bitch, just finish up all the other UFO's you have and you'll be golden". It's a Princess Bride Swap. I'm sure most of you know and love that movie. I found the swap yesterday morning, thought it over for a few seconds, then signed up (at the last minute mind you). Then I went downstairs and proceeded to watch the movie while finishing up the MJ slippers. I love. that. movie. Ever since I was little I loved that movie (It's hard to believe that it's almost 20 years old). So I have a few ideas floating around in my head, but I need to get in contact with partner to see what kind of stuff she would like. Suggestion Box is open!

"Death cannot stop true love... It just delays it for a while." -Westley (aka The Dread Pirate Roberts)

Don't Kiss Me, Who Cares if I'm Irish!

So work has been a little busy this week. I have a deadline looming over my head and what I’m working on requires a good bit of my attention. Thus, less time to do important things like surfing knitting sites and posting on my blog.

BTW- Happy St. Patty’s Day to everyone! Irish or not. Make sure you wear something green, eat some corn beef and cabbage, soda bread or, for you partiers, drink some green beer. Do a jig and what not. Me, I’m a more quiet celebrator. I don’t know how to make corn beef and cabbage (and I’m not really crazy about it). I’m not a drinker and I hate bars, so there goes the green beer thing. I did make Irish Soda Scones last night. J They turned out pretty well (and very hearty since I mixed in some whole-wheat flour). I’m wearing green as we speak. I own a copy of “The Quiet Man” starring John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara but I don’t think I’m going to watch it tonight. Yeah, I’m paying homage to my Irish roots in a very quiet and stereotypical way. So, I’m good.

As far as knitting goes I’m working on the baby blanket, ignoring the MJ slippers, and punishing the BWC sweater. I started working on the left front piece of the BWC and got about half-way through and realized I wasn’t doing the side-shaping like I was supposed to. I guess when the pattern says to “read the entire section before knitting” I should do it. So it’s been banished to the other room for about a week because I’m not in the mood to frog and re-knit (bad BWC, bad).

I’m wondering if I should just put the BWC away for now. By the time it’s finished I really won’t be able to wear it since it’ll (hopefully) be warmer outside. I’d much rather make something to ring in spring, like a Lucky from SnB Nation. I have that recycled yarn all ready to go. But first I must finish the MJ slippers and ship them off to their recipient ASAP. This weekend: no baby blanket until MJ slippers are finished.

Yesterday I experienced my very first yarn bender! In anticipation of my tax refund I decided to treat myself to a large heaping of real sock yarn. Yes, real wool-nylon fingering weight sock yarn. I ordered from Knitpicks.com and made sure to order enough for free shipping. I ordered a little bit of everything, some Pallette yarn, some simple stripes, some essential… It’s all good. Can’t wait to open that box and see all that yarn.

Me thinks I’m turning into a yarn whore.

Knitting Progress and some Apple Goodness

I love weekends. What a fascinating idea weekends are. Two whole days free from work after 5 days on. It's a good combo. I also enjoy those 3-dayers thanks to "holidays" like Memorial Day, President's Day, etc. Supreme. And yesterday here in CNY it was sunny and warm (and by warm I mean in the 50's, yes, that's warm for this time of year). That's a rare combo in these parts: saturday, sunny, and warm all in one day. The first hints that hibernation is coming to an end. People want to go outside and enjoy it before it gets cold again, right? I'm sure most did.

But I didn't. I stayed in doors, the entire day, to knit (and watch Harry Potter). Don't get me wrong I felt the "duty" to go out and enjoy the weather, but I when I asked myself what I truly wanted to do the answer was knit. So that's what I did. Here are the fruits of reclusive behavior:


Two full hexagon pieces for Zoe's baby blanket. This is probably the fanciest damn thing I've ever made. I'll need to make many of these, plus a couple halfies, filler triangles, and the border. But it's a good start. This pattern definately keeps you on your toes, and the results make you want to knit more. But I can savor this. I must savor this. I still have two other projects in queue, one of them being a cozy sweater that may not be finished in time for the last days of winter. So when I knit today, the BWC will be getting my attention.

For Sunday beakfast I decided to make on Apple Popover instead of scones. I didn't know what the hell an apple popover was until I found myself at www.joyofbaking.com. They have a lot of inspiring recipes, including "old school" recipes like this popover-thingamajig. It's simple enough to make, it just takes time. But the results are rather pleasing. Basically, you saute some apple slices in butter, cinn, and sugar. Whip up the batter, pour it over the apples in the skillet, and stick the skillet in the oven for about 20 mins. The edges of the batter rise and brown and also binds the gooey apples together. A sprinkle of powder sugar, and voile!

Pretty tasty, not too heavy like my usual waffles and pancakes. This is a good thing since I've been trying to eat lighter these days. Plus, with the ample amounts of fruit make me feel like I'm being healthy (who I am I kidding, they're smothered in butter and sugar!). I'd recommend this. More so than the crepes. Check out that site. I'll be sure to put a link on my sidebar.

Happy Weekending!

First Craft Swap is Finished!

Yeah, so my first craft swap adventure is over. I sent out the CD and craft today, the deadline date. Oh, well. :) I'm going to hold off revealing the craft and the track list for the CD until the lovely recipient (Thriftgoddess, aka Lucy Van Pelt) receives it (hopefully she can take a picture of it because I forgot too). But I will share what was waiting for me on Wednesday after work:

A new mix CD with a funky insert, a pin-up girl card (ooh lala), and lovely handmade pin. I'm not sure what the pin is made out of, but it's quite pretty. Impressive. :) Funny, I listened to CD while I was finishing up HER craft. Let me tell you it doesn't disappoint. It's a good mix to craft to. Lots of new sounds like 3kstatic, Thomas Dolby, the Bolshoi and a couple familiar ones like Queen and Fiona Apple. Sweet!

All Hail the Thriftgoddess!

My Crepe Adventure

Ok well my attempt at an exotic (aka, french) beakfast was a bust. Not a complete bust, but a bust nonetheless. I shall explain. Let me start with the one positive thing about this meal.

The crepes themselves turned out quite good. I'm guessing the batter was the right consistency because they didn't break during cooking. And they smell quite lovely while they're cooking. It doesn't smell like pancakes. It's hard to explain. Like a cross between fried chicken and donuts. That's the best I can do. It's a mild sweetness paired with a subtle smell of melted butter. And OMIGOD is there butter. I cook almost exclusively with butter. If you're gonna go for it, best to go all the way. The crepes did turn out a bit greasy for my conscience, but the belly was all for it.

Now for the bust part. The thing with crepes is that they don't have a strong taste (at least this version didn't). The taste of the filling just takes over. Not to mention the juices get soaked into the crepe leaving a mushy texture that just isn't my cup of tea. My filling options were a goopy strawberry filling I concocted from simmering frozen strawberries and some strawberry blend juice and some cottage cheese. Mr. V tried a crepe with strawberry goop and cheese. He ate it, then went back to bed. Not his cup of tea either. That's ok, I marched on optimistically. I tried a strawberry goop with a little less cheese and syrup. Not too impressed:



Then I tried a Cheesy Chocolate combo:

Looks better than it tasted.

I doubt I'll be trying crepes again anytime soon (unless I find myself at an authentic creperie or I find a recipe boasting itself as the best crepe filling ever comes into my possession). They're a fun cross-cultural breakfast, but just not satisfying enough for the tastebuds. Perhaps there was too much hype going into this. If you're familar with crepes and have some input to share, please do. I'd love to hear it.

As for the crepe batter recipe I used the basic crepe recipe at about.com. Next week, I'm trying scones, which I have higher hopes for because they're baked (more of my forte) and they hail from the British Isles, with whom I have a closer cultural relationship with than France.

Here are the buttons I bought this week. Aren't they purdy? The black lace ones are going on the SIL's MJ slippers. The rest are gettin' stashed. Au Revoir!

Meh, WIPs

There's not much going on here knitting wise. I haven't done much with the BWC, because I have a couple of deadline-knits on my agenda: the easy MJ slippers for SIL and "small craft" for the CD Swap I'm doing on Craftster. There was two whole days this week where I didn't touch any needles (god, wha'st wrong with me? *checks head for fever*). Yesterday's knitting time was devoted to the swap craft (I'm keeping it secret for now, in case she's lurking). I've gone over the time limit for what's supposed to be a "small" craft, but that's the way it goes with knitting. Not much I can knit in less than 2 hours. I should have used some bulky yarn instead of worsted weight for the item I'm making. Woulda shoulda.... It's kind of cute (it's my own creation). I hope my partner likes it. Luckily, the focus of the swap is the mix CD (phew!). I'll post the playlist when it's all said and done. :)

Hmm...I have the yarn all ready for the Mountain Laurel Blanket I plan on knitting for my soon-to-be neice, Zoe. I bought some Caron Simply Soft in "orchid" which is like a pale lavendar pink. Yeah, I know. I was trying to avoid the whole baby girl-pink thing, but this color isn't the horrible pastel-like color, it's quite pretty and I think it will show off the lace work (gulp!) of this pattern. Personally, I'm not into pink so much, but its for baby. I doubt my bro and SIL would like to wrap their new bundle of joy in black. Ha, baby-goth! There's no turning back now. I'm hoping I can finish the MJ slippers early this week, so I can get trucking on the blanket. She's due in late April, but I figure our visit won't be until early May. So I have about 2 months.

Something tells me that by the time BWC is done the weather will be too warm for a thick homespun wrap. Luckily, my office stays frigid pretty much year round (lack of heat in winter and hardcore A/C in the summer). I'll get some use out of it, heat stroke or not.

I got BUTTONS! Yes, purdy buttons. The Joann's in the mall (the big one) is closing and they're having some great sales on stuff. The yarn is pretty much gone except for the novelty crap which they moved up front, put a 50% off tag on with jacked up prices. If you're into that novelty stuff then check it out. The pricing could be better in my opinion. But my mission this week wasn't yarn. It was buttons for MJ slippers. They were 60% off, but if you got 5 cards they were 70% off each. SOLD! So I proceeded to pick out all the ornate buttons (selection was still pretty good). 5 cards, 2 buttons per card-$2.99 total on gift card. God, I love bargains!

On Sundays I normally make a special breakfast here at home. Just because its fun, really. And I like to eat. Since I've been reading a lot of food sites and blogs recently I've been feeling the need to experiment with some more of the exotic breakfast fare. This week: fruit Crepes. I have the batter sitting as we speak. I'll post a pic if they turn out all right. Next week: homemade scones!

In fact, I'll post a pic of the buttons I got, too. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Memoirs of a Knittah

Ok, I’ve been knitting since about July/August of this year. I found myself on FigandPlum.com looking at her yoga mat bag pattern (to sew) and saw all the cool things she was knitting. Since sewing was pretty much falling flat for me, I thought I’d give knitting a try. So I went to my friendly neighborhood Joann’s (now in the process of closing, thank god) and got a skein of gray Caron Wintuk and pair of Susan Bates Size 10 straights. I went to knittinghelp.com and Vogue knitting to learn how to get started. For a couple days I fussed with making a knit stitch. Finally, I realized that I have to actually slip the knitted loop off the left needle for this knitting thing to actually work. EUREKA! And the rest is history.

Knitting is pretty much the only thing I do in my off time now. And by that I mean the time when I’m not working, doing stuff with Mr.V, sleeping, eating, running errands, napping… hmm, actually if you count reading knitting blogs, knitting boards on craftster, and other knitting related sites then I knit at work too. Just don’t tell my boss ;) I’m pretty much obsessed/addicted to knitting. Weird, because I’m so anti-addiction. Am I hypocrite?

Do I really care?


No… I could think of worse things to do with my free time.

And what’s up with the online knitting sites posting all these cute new patterns all of the sudden?

Click Here

And Here

I was paging through SnB Nation (I just got it from the Library) last night making mental notes on all the things I want to knit from there. And that doesn’t count the stuff from my two IK issues that are now in my possession. What’s a knittah to do? Move to Alaska so my sweater knitting will never interrupted by that pesky sun and evil earth's orbit?

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!

Copycat

oi, what a time I've been having with the internet these last few days! If you have multiple choices of high-speed ISP's where you are I would recommend you avoid Verizon at all costs. We've had them for about a year and every couple months it seems the internet and/or phone decides to get horribly inconsistent or just not work at all. And when you call to bitch/inquire you gab with a machine like an idiot, get transferred to one place then the other, and when you do talk to a warm-blooded organism finally they transfer you somewhere else. ARGH!

Anyways... I have a chance to post again this morning so I'd figure I share some knitting fantasies with you. ;)

I was surfing the Anthropologie website looking at their lovely (but pricey) clothes. Anthropologie is a clothing store along the lines of J.Crew, but I didn't know of their existence until I started reading the Craftster forums. It seems a lot of people like this store, and some even make copycat knitting patterns of some of their sweaters. I don't blame them. Their stuff is gorgeous but even if I'm filthy rich I don't think I'll ever spend $88 for a cardigan sweater like this:


I am just in love with this sweater. I must knit it. But I'm rather new to this whole knitting thing. The thought of making my own sweater pattern intimidates the funk out of me, but maybe I could make this a long term project. It seems rather simple in its design. It has that curved bolero-esque body going on. So I think I could knit a back piece and two small curved front pieces, sewn them together, pick up stitches on the outer edges and 2x2 rib for maybe a good 8-10 inches to allow for a good overlap, add a buttonhole and button on side. Then of course there's the sleeve issue, or rather, shaping the armhole and sleeve cap. The little I know about sweater construction is that sleeve caps and armholes are tricky. Or, they require some thought and planning.

So what do you think? I could tackle this sweater if I plan accordingly, do some measuring, some math, sketching... Maybe I'm not so intimidated anymore. For yarn, I'm thinking Caron Simply Soft. Maybe about 4-5 or skeins would do the trick and that would cost me no more than $10 at wal-mart. A mere fraction of what Anthropologie wants for theirs. Sweet Jesus, I love bargains!

Simple minds....

So, I've been plugging away on Hourglass Sweater. I would say I'm just about done. I'm focusing all my knitting time on this somewhat neglected piece because, well, it's about damn time I finished it. Like I said in previous posts, I'm itching to knit some socks, a hooded scarf for mom, and the ballet wrap sweater from IK Winter issue (which I have yet to receive), yada yada. Still no Andes. He's been neglected lately too, but I did get one of my Christmas presents in the mail the other day: my ball winder.

A pleasant surprise. A new toy for me to play with! I would like to note it's a rather pricey toy for what I received. I'm also not too happy that I paid $8 for shipping, and it still took 7-10 business days, and then they just plopped it on my front porch (not even hidden in between the doors). For $8 they better serve it to me a silver platter, the bastards. Also the fact that it's cheap, "made in japan" plastic, doesn't justify it's $50 price tag, or so my initial impression told me. Thankfully, we used a coupon. But after a few minutes of bitching and threating to return the overpriced item, I was happily converting my skeins into some easy-center-pull-cylinder goodness. I wound up some Jiffy yarn for Hourglass, some Wool-Ease for future Urban Necessities and Socks, and some christmas boucle. FUN!!



*sigh* all is forgiven.

I know I said I was going to adjust the Irish Hiking Scarf to make my mom's hooded scarf, but now I'm not so sure. Sometimes I'm not good at thinking outside the box. Anyone have some design ideas for a hooded scarf?

I'll post Hourglass pictures when all is said and done. Sorry I've been so inconsistent with posting lately. Please be patient with me. Lata!

Happy New Year!

It's officially the last day of 2005. Can you believe it? I remember when it was 1995 for crying out loud. I remember 5 years ago, when I brought in a new millenium and everyone was surprised the world didn't end (-I wasn't surprised. I'm not one to buy into doomsday theories). Time flies when you're enjoying life. To everyone: a safe and Happy New Year! Now, onto the knitting:

So here are the three skeins of Bernat Boucle I got for christmas. I'm wondering what I should do with them besides make yet another scarf or hat. Something unique. Interesting. Unexpected.... but what? Posing them on my leather couch was not a good idea but thankfully photoshop worked it's magic and brightened it up a little bit. The colors are wine red, navy blue (looks black, I know), and blue denim (also looks black, but it's really blue, trust me). I am open for suggestions. :)




I finished the Practice Sock from Knitty last night. I used some more of my wool-ease that just never seems to go away (not that I'm complaining). I am so glad I did this. One: it got me familiar with the basic sock construction and terms like "instep" and "heel" as they relate to knitting. Two: I plan on magic looping socks with one circular needle (because DPNS are the DEVIL). It was a little awkward working with one circular and some of the heel stitches are a little wonky, but, eh, it'll improve with more practice. So now I think I'm ready for the real thing. Sometime today or this weekend I'm going on a yarn binge, because Joann's is having a sale on all Lion Brand yarns including wool-ease and Homespun. I'm planning on using Homespun as a substitute for the Ballet Wrap featured on the cover of Interweave Knits. I don't have the pattern yet, so I'm not sure if I should get the yarn, but it is on sale. Oh, the dilemma. Anyway here's the practice sock for you macro viewing pleasure. EXTREME CLOSEUP!




My mom has also put in request for a hooded scarf. And I'm thinking of adjusting the Irish Hiking Scarf that I adore to a Hooded Irish Hiking Scarf. I'm planning on using, yup, wool-ease for this one. Machine washable, warm, and afordable. Can't beat it!

Well, my fiber friends, I'm planning on bringing in the New Year with Mr.V, knitting, movie-watching, book-reading, and Andes manhunting. I'm still wondering if I'll do the New Year's Resolution thing. How about you? Do you have a New Year's Resolution?

Andes Ransom

I hope everyone had a good holiday! I know I did. I'm still waiting for my Winter Interweave Knits issue and my ball winder. My brother and SIL, gave me 3 balls of Bernat Boucle (different colors) and I need to figure out what to do with it. The colors are denim, navy blue, and wine red. I'll post a pic tomorrow. I also got a booklet of knitting patterns, and Joann gift card from my mum. My presents mostly consisted gift cards and craftiness. (oh, and pair of "jammies" and personlized coasters from my Dad and Stepmum-cool). So yeah, I'm happy.

During the relaxing holiday I managed to cast on and complete a really fun stashbusting project known as Kate from Knitty. You know, that anatomically incorrect pussy *ha* sporting the nifty britches. I'm sure you've seen her. If not, click on the button that says "knitty is toasty" NOW! I stashbusted some left over LB Wool-Ease (oh how I love thee) in three colors: dark brown, "mushroom", and a light mint green. The combination went together pretty well, I thought. But I think I'm going to rename him (yes, him) Andes because his sweater reminds me of those famous after- dinner mints (and Edie's ice cream flavor). Observe him chilling on my bedroom lamp:



This was my first EVER knit toy, and believe me, it won't be my last. It was a lot of fun, and quick enough to please any knitter in want of instant gratification.

Unfortunately, Mr. V detests his "humpty-dumptines" and thinks him more of a hacky-sack than a decoration. After admiring him for a while, I placed him neatly next my lamp while I pondered what exactly to do with him. The next day, while talking about where he should go, I looked over and he was gone. I immediately knew who the culprit was.

Mr. V has abducted Andes and is currently holding him for ransom. I'm still waiting for the ransome request, but... can I trust him not to harm my creation!?? It's been two days now and Andes is still MIA. Folks, this is serious...

Happy Holidays to You!

It's Christmas Eve morning, and I am in day two of my extended holiday weekend. Not much going on right now, and that's perfectly alright. Didn't do too much yesterday either: napped, watched some shows, knit, read (Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen). Later on in the evening we went grocery shopping, which wasn't that bad. I was feeling like I wanted to be "out", so we unloaded the groceries and went to the mall.

Yes, the mall on the Friday night before Christmas. It wasn't that crazy really. We really didn't need anything, but once we got in there Mr. V asked if I wanted to look for running shoes. Hmmm... yes, please! Our vision was then focused on one thing last night: running shoes. I spotted a comfy and affordable pair of Avia's at the shoe haven DSW, our first stop. They were reasonable, but me being the die-hard bargain knew I could do better. So we hit every shoe store in the mall. Unfortunately, my shoes weren't made by Nike, Adidas, or New Balance, so I couldn't find another store that carried them let alone one that selling them for cheaper. (and I noticed at those sport shops with the really loud annoying music, you know the ones with the shoes displayed on the wall, the ones that sell $150 sneakers that will never actually be used in athletic endevours-these store's so-called running shoe collections amounted to 18 pairs of the same shoe but in different colors). So passing DSW on our way out, I had a decision to make. And one fake-out later I was standing in line to pay for a new pair of running shoes.

I told Mr. V while in line that he must know that I'm going to be walking around the house all weekend in them. To which he replied that I can't, not until Christmas. The sneakers are still in the box, in the bag, under the tree. Torture just thinking about it. Love you, Mr. V

Enough of the senseless babbling. In knitting news, I started Kate from Knitty which I'm making from leftover wool-ease. What a fun knit. I have the lower body stuffed already, and next I'll be embroidering the eyes and mouth. Cute! I'll admit she's not the most anatomically correct cat, but I love her nonetheless. The Hourglass Sweater is still laying, neglected in the other room.

I have to say, I'm really liking this "no traveling during Christmas thing". So relaxing. I hope everyone has a lovely holiday whatever their plans. And a safe one as well.

So my fellow yarn whores, have you been naughty or nice? I'll guess we'll know tomorrow morning.

Wednesday? No, It's Monday!

Well, I said I would post about my cookie baking adventures on Monday... it's now Wedne.. No it's Monday (you are getting very sleepy).

Once again, my posting time kept getting filled with errands, movies, appointments, and all that hoo-hah. I can't wait until this weekend: Just me, Mr.V, christmas dinner and dessert, and a some knitting. Lots of knitting. I haven't even cast on for Kate (from knitty) yet. Hourglass is inching along, and I think I'm getting the stockinette-blues. I need some moss stitch, RIBBING, YO's, SOMETHING. Really, it's not that bad. But I'm not projecting that I'll be finishing Hourglass anytime soon.

But on to the cookies! I made three kinds like planned for my co-workers: sugar cut-outs, pb blossoms, and chocolate pb chip. They all turned out pretty good. My sugar cookies always turn out more like mini-cakes than cookies, though. Why is that, do you suppose? I like the chewy, soft (buttery) sugar cookies. But anyways, I ended up with about 4 dozen each (we ate a few. you know, to make sure they're ok). Then, we dashed to the dollar store to find suitable containers for these confectionary delights. Mr. V spotted these cute little christmas bags while I was looking at cheapo plastic bins. His choice worked out much better. (thanks, mr.V)



A fold here, a stick-on bow there, and I had very cute office gifts. I handed them out already and everyone seemed really excited (cookies seem to have that effect on people, I guess). Baking is my thing when it comes to food. I always had a sweet-tooth. *grins, toothlessly*

So, Mr. V and I are out and about again tonight for some last minute shopping. We'll be splitting up. Mr. V to Joann's. Me to Target. Hmm... I wonder what santa will get me?

I already know of one of my presents: a one year subscription to Interweave Knits. Yeah! I've been drooling over the wrap sweater on the cover of their latest issue. Can't wait! No more National Geographic for me. *screw you, educational reads*

Alive and kicking

Yeah, I've been a little lazy about this blog the past few days. I've been meaning to post, really, but somehow I was always busy with something during my normal posting time.

Christmas will soon be hear my fiber-friends: are you ready? I have but one gift card left to purchase. I have a small pile of christmas cards to mail out, and two packages. I'm not worried about the packages, because they'll be prioritied to PA on Monday. The cards, I think may be late. I finally set-up the tree. It's a fake four-footer we decorate with the same garland, lights, and bows every year. It's small, but cute. Simple, yet elegant. I'm not one for overly decorated, 1001 twinkly light trees. Just not me.

This weekend we're going to buy our ham. And I'm going to do some baking. I'm making sugar cookie cut-outs, peanut-butter blossoms (the one with hershey kiss in the middle), and chocolate-pb chip cookies (one of my personal favorites). I need to make the pb blossoms first otherwise I'll eat all the kisses. I don't have much will power when it comes to chocolate.

In knitting news, I managed to finish my Dad's b-day gift from LMKG. What a quick knit it was! Size 11 needles and chunky yarn really help move things along. Now, that concludes the gift-knits for me. Back to the selfish knits: hourglass sweater. Which has been patiently waiting it's turn since I put it down last week. I'm not forecasting a yarn binge until after Christmas so I'm pondering some stash-busting. I have a couple partial balls of wool-ease, so I think I'm going to knit this cutey from knitty. I've never made a stuffed animal before, but that looks like fun. If I decide to keep it I'll place somewhere in my office... maybe. We'll see.

Check back tomorrow or Monday for my cookie baking adventure! Ciao!

Saxon Scarf, fin!

Finally, the Saxon Scarf for my MIL's x-mas present is finished and posted:


I still have to weave in the ends, but other than that... My main complaint with the scarf is that the quasi-ribbing I added to border the cabel panel makes the scarf curl. The hair conditioner wash helped a little with that, but it still curls a bit when worn (thankfully the little bit of wool-ease itch is gone). It bothers me a bit, but hopefully it won't bother recipient too much. Here's a close-up pick of the stitch work:



In the mean time, I've started (and re-started) my Dad's b-day gift from LMKG book (project ID will remain anonymous until recipient's b-day). Thankfully, the project is a quick knit due to the use of size 11 needles and Bernat Softee Chunky. BTW- softee chunky is a cool yarn; a good amount of soft and squish for a 100% acrylic yarn-cheap too. I haven't worked on Hourglass since Friday, the gifts are taking priority at the moment. But I'm not at all stressed though. Two knitted gifts over the holidays isn't bad. I'm glad I decided to not knit everyone something for x-mas. I'm just not willing to donate my sanity to a cause like that, call me selfish.

I'll be busy this week christmas shopping, setting up the tree (yeah, I'm a scrooge), mailing gifts and cards, doctor appointment, retirement account meeting, blood drive, and a baking marathon this weekend. I guess I'll have to give up some sleep time for knitting. Oh, well. Nothing like a little sleep depravation to make the holiday's bright. :)

I'm such a drama queen... :)

Saxon Scarf down low

I just want to take a second and say thanks for all the compliments on the Saxon Scarf. And thanks, of course, for just tuning in all the time. *warm fuzzies*

So here are the details on Saxon Scarf for those who are interested in making one:

• I'm working this with LB Wool-Ease Worsted (in Mushroom) on Denise Interchangeables US 9. I'm figuring I'll use about 1.5 skeins.
  
• The cable pattern is a generic Saxon Braid. You can find a chart and written instructions here. I'm using instructions from my copy of Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Knitting (see previous post by that title).
• I added some rib edging and border to the panel. So... here's my first psuedo-knitting pattern (please, be kind):
  

1. CO 38 sts
2. Work 4 rows in 2x2 rib (k2,p2 repeat)
3. Row 5 (WS): K2,P2,K2 , row 1 of cable panel, K2,P2,K2
4. Row 6 (RS): P2, K2, P2, row 2 of cable panel, P2, K2, P2
5. Continue with border and cabel panel until desired length

My scarf is about 5" wide. If you want to widen it, I would just add more border ribbing. Also, my edges are curling a bit, which I hope will relax when I soften it up with a hair conditioner wash. If you choose a 100% wool yarn a good blocking will cure your curling blues.

Enjoy!

On other knitting news: I'm still working Hourglass (take 2), and I plan to finish Saxon Scarf this weekend.

Naughty Me...

One step forward, two steps back

So yeah, Saxon Scarf is looking pretty good.



I stayed true to my word and cabled my little heart all weekend! .... Ok I cheated a little. But I would say I'm about 3/4 of the way done. Say: another 12" to go? I should definately finish this in time for x-mas. I have to admit that my bubble burst a tad when I saw this post on Craftster. When this was all said and finished I was hoping to get some bragging rights on my favorite crafting forum, but someone already beat me to it. (I like mine better anyways) :P

So after hunching over Saxon (O.o) all weekend I caved in Sunday night and worked on Hourglass. Ahhh good old mindless knit. The lower body is coming along nicely. Well, WAS coming along nicely:



Until I held it up to my body and realized that it was turning out to be a tight knit. Hmm... I pondered. I checked the pattern. I'm working the size that will be 37" when all said and done. That sounded right at first. At least it did to my delusional brain. So I went to bed trying to convince myself that I knit the right size. I mean, I wear a 36 x bra. So 37" would fit me right???? RIGHT??

WRONG!!

I took a tape measure to myself and it turns out that my chest is a good 38.5" (not that I'm complaining). Conclusion: the sweater I'm knitting isn't getting over my jumblies. Tonight I will be ripping out hourglass, and starting anew with the next size up. Grrrrr..... You see I have a love/hate relationship with my chest. Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I wish I were a bit smaller so I can wear cute little tanktops without showing off my OSBH (over the shoulder boulder holder). I guess this mistake was me wishing I was a teensy bit smaller. Anyways: Hourglass Sweater, take 2 --> next up on eat-sleep-knit

Nuttin' but a Nutcracker Snob

Happy weekend, everyone. I'm sitting here eating my breakfast: Grapenuts and vanilla soymilk (YUM... seriously). Mr.V is still snoozing, so I'd figure I'd give a little update.

BTW, Karin- I totally agree about not having to work so I can craft all day. Why, oh, why am I not independently wealthy?

As I promised myself, I worked on the hourglass sweater yesterday. This weekend: Saxon Scarf. I'm serious. And I'll be sure to post some progress pictures ASAP. These projects aren't too terribly complicated so I won't bore with redundant pictures.

Oh yeah, what's up with craftster.org being down for so long? I mean, I know WHY. But I like surfing that site, and I miss it. It always seems like switching hosts or whatever is such a for websites. Oh well, absense makes the heart grow fonder!

So Mr. V and I went to the Nutcracker Thurs. night. It was a fun night, and not expensive in the least. As for the performance: well, I've seen better. The music, performed live by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, was fantastic but the performance on stage wasn't all there. I am by no means a ballet expert, but I have seen the Nutcracker many times in my life. And this just wasn't very good. So on the way home, I proceeded to knitpick every part I thought was lackluster, and Mr.V proceeded to dub me a "Nutcracker Snob" and barred me from seeing anymore Nutcracker ballets. This being Mr. V's first ballet experience he wasn't too impressed either. He's more of a play person. He just couldn't get into the telling of a story through dance. He also noted, much to my amusement, that "he doesn't need to see men in tights like that" further noting the "definition of the cheeks" and "spread" of some of the male performers. LOL...

Back to knitting: I'm constantly thinking about future projects and right now I'm pondering a cute little poncho. Yes, I know, there is a whole group of anti-poncho knitters out there. But some are really cute (I've been eyeing the Lace Poncho from the Staff ponchos on Interweave Knits website). Not that I care too much about what's in or not, but what are you guys? Pro-Poncho, or Anti-Poncho knitters?

Thursday Fun Day, take two

So yeah, I spent a good bit of my lunch break writing a nice long post, but stupid blogger decided to not work so I lost the whole damn post. (I hate you blogger). So here's the gist of what I was going to say since I now have to get back to work:

1. Didn't get too much knitting done the past few days. Only a couple rows of Hourglass Sweater were finished due to errands, wal-mart, Inuyasha, and LOST.
2. The new Magknits is out. I like this bag, though I probably won't knit it because I'm not much of a bag person.
3. Going to Nutcracker Ballet this evening, and how cool is Mr.V that he's willingly going along with me? Thanks for not being macho, Mr. V. (i heart you)
4. Resolved to devote Sat and Sun to knitting Saxon Scarf. Hourglass until then because it's a mindless knit
5. Bought a skein of Bernat Softee Chunky at wal-mart to knit Dad's B-day present featured in LMKG (you figure it out). Cheaper alternative to the 100% cashmere called for in the pattern. (chaa-right)
6. Also bought crochet hook to practice mad-crocheting skills. (thanks, mum!!)

Peace out!

PS- I hate you blogger...