Yep,
We've entered the Christmas Chaos zone. There's shopping (one more item and I'm done), Christmas Cards (all mailed off as of yesterday) and cookie making (begins this weekend.)
So the knitting has fallena tad off the wayside. I know I'll be up to lots more post Christmas.
Hope everyone has a great Holiday!
I'm still licking my wounds, so I cast on a quick and easy Diagonal Rib Scarf. It's a lovely yarn, Cascade Baby Alpaca Chunky. It's in color 551. What's with that anyway? Why don't they list the 'names' of the colors? I've done this pattern before. Very easy and looks great.
It's finally winter here in Wisconsin and we've almost a foot of snow to prove it! I hate dealing with snow, but it is gorgeous to look at. Plus I keep thinking if I lived in, say Miami, I wouldn't have as many reasons to knit. Don't you love the power of rationalizing??
Hopefully I'll be up to working on the front of my 'Perfect Sweater' soon. I need the silly thing!
The back of my 'Perfect Sweater'
I have been spanked. And it hurts. Ugh.
I cast on the front of the 'Perfect Sweater' and chugged on for about 5 inches, started my decrease and realized I had cast on 10 stitches short. I misread my freaking pattern.
So I frogged and cursed. (do those always come together?)
And then I went blog surfing and saw this on Moth Heaven's site. My goodness it's like we are a 'Hive Mind' or something!
Bless her, she said it perfectly. Now I'm going to hunt around for a small project to do with stash yarn.
You should never rip and begin in the same session because it leaves a bruise, and it takes longer to heal than if you just take the hit and walk away.
So don't mind me as I go hide in the corner and lick my wounds. I WILL finish this sweater, I'm just taking a small vaca from it first!
Meaning myself, not 'The Blogger Site', just to clarify.
I'm working on my 'Perfect Sweater'. The back is done and the front caston. What is it with people like Wendy?? In her latest entry she said she Spun some this weekend, AND knit a front and back of a sweater. Aiieeee! Come on folks. If you honestly knit that fast Don't TELL the rest of us!!! *grin*
I'll try to put a picture up in the next day or so. :)
Happy Thanksgiving, hope you all had fun and spent time with loved ones.
Squirrel Update. He is still around and doing SO much better. He can even situp and eat like a normal squirrel with only a little bit of a shiver. But no flopping over! Yaya!
Loki got his kitty reward and seems to love it. Now he just sits in the basket and watches me knitting my 'Perfect Sweater'.
I know, I know, there's nothing fun, no colorwork, not a cable or rib to even be found.
So I was browsing blogs, and then glanced at my own. Not much knitting content lately! Shame on me. Granted my camera was AWOL for a bit and then I've been flat out lazy. So onto an FO and work in progress!
Kitty Pi
What a fun, easy knit! The increases are easy and I used the Stripe Generator that Flatlander mentioned. Pretty cool toy. I doubled Cascade 220 and used size 11 needles.
Here it is in the beginning.
Finished, pre-felting.
Loki giving it a test drive.
I have this great insert for my dryer. You can lay things on it and it is exposed to the heat but doesn't tumble. Awesome for felting!
The finished product! Loki has slept in it all day and it's still a tad damp. Think I might put it back in the dryer again to warm it up.
Now that the bed's an FO, I moved onto my sweater. It's the 'Perfect Sweater' from Mason-Dixon.
You use a crochet provisional cast on, which is always interesting. The red is the cast on. This is the hem of the back.
Here is the completed two color picot edging. The yarn is Cascade 220, The Heathers. One is a denim color and the other lovely sagey kinda thing. The green is the main color.
And now onto the boring SS forEVER. But darn it, I want this sweater. I might throw a stripe into it, just to insure I don't go comatose!!
Finally I have a photo of the odd squirrel in my front yard. I've observed him 'tipping over' for about a week now. He seems fine otherwise, he just well...tilts. His fur is great, he is pleasantly plump being one of the largest squirrels in the area. I gave him some peanuts today and snapped this shot.
I promise you from the bottom of my heart, this squirrel is not dead. :) He layed there on his side gnawing on the peanut. Eventually he got up and scampered up the tree. I called the Humane Society and they don't believe it's rabies or distemper, more likely he fell and bonked his head and has a concussion. He is showing improvement and if he starts to decline I can get a live trap from them and take him in. But for now he's just..well tottering.
I hate to admit it, but it's pretty damn entertaining.
A survey lifted from Kitten.
1. Flip to page 18, paragraph 4 in the book closest to you right now, what does it say?
"Why do so many of us object to purling? Is it because as children we were taught to knit first, and are then presented with purling as the second and more difficult step? Who knows? Who is willing to take an innocent child and teach it to purl first? You must admit it's the trickier of the two." Knitting with out Tears - Elizabeth Zimmermann
2. If you stretch out your left arm - as far as possible, what are you touching?
Wall and window blind.
3. What'’s the last program you watched on tv?
Law and Order :CI as I type
4. Without looking, guess what time it is.
11:15, actually 11:11. Not bad.
5. Except the computer, what can you hear right now?
TV I'm watching, the tv in the other room and the hum of my laptop.
6. When was the last time you were outside and what did you do?
Went to my local Guild Meeting held at a college. It's a nice stroll on the campus.
7. What are you wearing?
Velour comfy jammy pants and a grey t shirt.
8. Did you dream last night? If you did, what about?
damn. I know I did but I can't recall.. this is going to drive me crazy.
9. When was the last time you laughed?
Tonight with my girlfriends at dinner. Lovely dinner talk with SAHMs about things like boobs, poop and diapers. Yay, that kind of stuff.
10. What's on the walls, in the room you'’re in right now? cheap print of victorians in the rain,
a 'Gobble til you Wobble' sign and a rag wreath.
11. Have you seen anything strange lately?
Yes. I have a strange squirrel in my yard. He seems to have had a stroke or something. He tilts and falls over, but otherwise seems ok. I'm keeping away from him as are my kids in case it's rabies. It's a bit odd to watch a squirrel run away from you and get about 2 feet before floppin on his side.
12. What do you think about this meme?
random.
13. What'’s the last film you saw?
Flushed Away. Cute movie, the girls liked it.
14. If you became a multimillionaire, what would you do with the money?
get debt free, get family members debt free. set my family in a situation where money would not be a problem in the future. Not a billion dollar home, but a 400 k on that's paid off. Travel. Etc.
15. Tell us something about yourself that most people don't know.
Knitting soothes me. It calms me and helps me feel more grounded and like I'm making a difference both physically and emotially. Cheesey yes, but true.
16. If you could change ONE THING in this world, without regarding politics or bad guilt - what would it be?
stop fast food chains from becoming such a part of people's lives.
19. What do you want your children'’s names to be, girl/boy?
I've named mine. Abigail Jane and Valerie Lynne
17. Do you like dancing?
No. I'm too uncomfortable and uptight. So I guess I drunk dance..but dont' drink much so it's a rarity.
18. George Bush?
disappointment but not surprise
20. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yes. I lived in Panama for 2 years and would like to go somewhere else. UK or maybe Amsterdam.
21. What do you want God to tell you, when you come to heaven?
It's all ok. No, seriously, it's all going to be ok.
22. Who should do this meme?
Somone without something to fill their time for 15 mins. :)
As in 2 socks. A pair! A duo!
And an FO!
Mark that off the list. So I didn't finish in October, but then again I wasn't an 'official' participant of Socktoberfest. Next year!
Project: Blue Moon Sauvie Island
Materials: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks that Rock mediumweight
1 skein Cove Light
1 skein Rock My World
Needles: 2s - Crystal Palace, 1s (heel flap) Clovers
Began: October 24, 2006
Finished: November 11, 2006
Modifications: I co 64 as directed but decreased to 60 after the 4th chart. I chose the anatomically correct toes, which I adore.
Sexy, hmm?
My daughters were flower girls in my SILs wedding a few weeks ago. This shot was so sweet and I can't wait to see the professional ones. They posed so well!
Anyway as mentioned SSS has struck. How can that be? I'm on the foot for goodness sake's! I have maybe 2 1/2 more inches of SS and then the toe. And I LOVE the first one and want the pair so badly. :P
Maybe it's just the gorgeous weather we've had here, hasn't been entirely conducive to knitting. Instead the younger daughter and I hit the Zoo, including the mini-train and the carosel. Nice toasty 60 degrees and sunshine..but of course the forecast is for snow in the next two days. I swear the animals at the zoo were frolicking, they KNOW that was the last nice day until..ugh..next April? March if we're lucky?
I have Kitty Pi to bang out this weekend and then I think I'm going to tackle the Perfect Sweater from the Mason-Dixon Blog. I realized I don't have a sweater for myself and I'd like a simple classic one that won't break the bank. It calls for Cascade 220, can't get much more reasonable than that! And oooh the colors to choose from for Cascade! I love the Heathers, they are beautiful. Maybe a purple..or a chocolate brown..or or!
Hopefully my camera will be back soon and I'll have a nice pict of my completed (heaven help me) pair of socks!!!
So one Sock that Rocks is done and off the needles! Whoot. But you'll all have to just believe me since my camera is on loan. Doh! So I'm tearing off on the second. I'm so glad SSS (Second Sock Syndrome) didn't hit me. Fair Isle is just so fun to do, it's not bothering me. :)
Hope to show some picts of the pair by the end of the week!
I know! I'll do both!
As per previous post, I frogged my sock that rocks. It was too tight and for me, so that just isn't going to fly. So rip it rip it. All gone.
And I cast on again. Let me tell you, I'm getting darn quick at those bobbles! Anyway, this is where I'm at so far.
I decided I didn't like the heart chart, so I changed which I chose. It's so fun to do colorwork!
While browsing blogs the other day, I saw Flatlander was doing a Kitty Pi. And since I have so many pictures of THIS,
I thought it might be nice to make something for Loki that he could lay on without getting shooed away. I chose to go with Wendi's suggestion of Noro Big Kureyon (bulky weight wool, 176 yards/skein) but I couldn't find it at my LYS, so I grabbed a few skeins of normal Kureyon and figured I'd give it a shot.
It was gorgeous and figured since it will be sitting in my Living Room it might as well be nice...and Loki deserves it. :) On I knit. Really digging the increase and banging it out quickly. When I transferred to circs I realized, um this is just worsted weight. It is NOT going to felt with the body I want and you really can't double strand Noro, that would muddle the beautiful color transitions. (And Noro's too expensive to just 'give it a shot' when you know that the odds aren't in your favor.)
Rip it Rip it. Slip the Noro into the stash to become a hat and scarve for the hubby at a later date. Head back to the LYS and choose some cascade.
I plan on double stranding so it will felt up nice and thick to keep the kitty warm. Poor guy was born in Panama City, Panama and is now experiencing Wisconsin winters.
Hopefully I'm done with frogging. I do enjoy knitting, but it's awfully nice to actually finish something and have a product!!!
Ugh.
Ok, I want Socks that Rock. I love them, love working them, but well...it doesn't fit! It's too snug. I did a swatch on 1s, recipe calls for 2s, but I like the way it worked and THOUGHT I got gauge. I even did it in the round folks. Hm..but you know what. I didn't double strand, just single..bet that was the difference. Anyway when measuring stiches per in on my too small sock I was getting 8 1/2 rather than 8. So I frogged..
Back to a pair of balls. Whee!
I'll start again using the 2s. I WANT these socks and I WANT them to fit. *thbbt*
I'm working on MY socks. Yes socks for me. This is my 6th pair of socks and none for me. But I finally am on to MY Socks that Rock I bought at Stitches. The colorways are
Cove Light and Rock My World.
I think both are beautiful, but I do wish that they were more different. Live and learn. We'll have to see how these fit/feel on, but working with the yarn is wonderful. The colors are so beautiful, the yarn doesn't pill or stretch too much and is soft on the hands.
I started working in earnest on them yesterday at a S&B and ended up frogging the mini graph I did. *sigh* I'm not sure if I messed up the graph (entirely possible since I was AT a S&B) or if the pattern was just lost because the colorways are similar in some ways. The next two I've picked seem to stand out enough. Granted not screaming, which I kinda want, but live and learn!
Life's been interesting, we are working on our house trying to finish off the attic space for our 2 girls. My mother is coming to visit for a week and my sister in law got married last weekend and both my girls were in the wedding.
So how do I deal?
I knit. It's better than illegal drugs..granted at times it's not cheaper...
Project: Plaid Messenger Bag
Designer:Moi
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Worsted Red, Cream, Black, Gray
Began: Sept 14, 2006
Finished: Oct 23, 2o06
Ta-Da! I finally finished it. :)
I decided to have no pockets. So much of the time pockets just bug the crap out of me because I loose stuff, they don't fit in it, whatever. This will be a big project bag, like a sweater or something. Also it'd be a great one to lug to the library. It's a tad bigger than I'd like, but it's the size I intended, if that makes sense. ;)
The inside is a fun asian inspired brocade. It's a bit of a surprise yet still seems to match. The handles are beautiful and really add that certain something to the project.
Overall I'm thrilled with how it turned out and am glad it's done! ;)
Now onto the next FO. I did this while getting enough energy to complete the Plaid Bag. :) I really like the grommets, they help finish it.
Project: Bucket Bag
Yarn: Cascade 220 and Andean Wool
Began: Oct 17, 2006
Finished: Oct 23, 2006
And now I'm starting my Socks that Rock! Whoooooot!
So much knitting, so little time!
Yay! It came. It works and I love it. $30 including S&H! On it is Cascades Baby Alpaca Chunky in a beautiful rose color. It's destined to become a scarf, though I'm not sure what pattern. Any suggestions?
I'm almost done with the Plaid Bag! It's lined and I just need to attach the handles, but I need a different needle. I can't wait for it to be done and I'm so sick of it I might just have to put it in the closet for a month before I can look at it again!
Finishing is tedious. I liken it to things like quilting..sewing clothes..scrapbooking. *shudder* I've attempted all the above, can do them passably, but can't stand them. They are work. And I don't enjoy them.
Knitting though, it's really amazing when you find your muse. But unfortunately the finishing is still there. So now I do my best to try and figure out ways to lessen the finishing; steeks, 3 needle bindoff, bind off with crochet hooks, pick up with crochet hooks.
And then I go make a bag that is really cool, but requires FAR too much finishing!! Work began in earnest on it today.
Straps are in so the fun begins. They are beautiful and will really add something to the bag.
I'm using plastic canvas as a support system. I really want the bag to have some structure, and this seems to be working well.
Here's what it looks like inside and I'm tacking it down which is giving it a nice frame.
As to what the rest of it looks like, I'll let you see it when it's all done! Which will hopefully be in the next day or so. But I had to get tired of the finishing, right? Plus I had a knit night at the LYS, so I cast on a NEW project! :)
Fall has definately arrived here. It's down right chilly outside so we've drug out the various knitted goodies such as hats, scarves and mittens.
Abby's scarf is finished. I added a fun ruffle on it. I might add a more ruffles later. She's quite happy with it.
I managed to get my Gloss done up in a ball. (Only took me 3 hours to undo a 20 minute folly!) I cast on and took off on the mitts. It's a clever pattern so a fun knit. The yarn is easy to work with and lofty.
Now I'm onto the second and should finish it soon. The first one took 2 days.
Our local Knitting Guild held their Market Night. I managed to get out of there with only this. Which I love. It's for ME. I just need to find the perfect sock pattern for it.
But can you imagine, on a dreary February day, opening your sock drawer to find this?
Lorna's Laces Sunshine.
What ELSE could you call it? I love it!
Yesterday my handles came in the mail. The very patient Plaid Messenger Bag has been sitting quietly in my breezeway. Now I need to get it all put together. Pictures soon I hope!
