Knitting Mojo!

Alright! Knitting mojo is slowly coming back. :)


I finished my Monsoon Inside Out Socks. They are so comfortable. I was surprised by so many parts of this pattern.

1. Ribbed foot. Thought it would be uncomfortable, but it's actually really comfy because it hugs your foot.
2. Sizing with different needles. Had never really seen this before. Toes/Heels done with 1's, foot with 0's and leg with 2's.
3. Garter toe/heel. Again, had never seen before. They are very sturdy and again, comfortable.
4. Short row toe/heel. I've done a pair of socks with short row heel and it didn't fit. Obviously I didn't do it right to fit me. :) This pair fits wonderfully!

Mod's None. I did do the foot on DPN's but the leg on Magic Loop. It was hard for me to juggle the DPN's and the cable needle. I will keep this in mind in the future when I do cable socks.


Specs:
Pattern:
Rockin Sock Club Inside/Outside Socks
Yarn: 1 hank of STR Monsoon mediumweight
Needles: size 1 Clover DPNs, size 0 Crystal Palace DPNs, size 2 Addi Turbo Magic Loop
Started: March 3, 2007
Finished: March 24, 2007

Next on the needles is a sock from Trekking XXL for the hubster. I'm planning on doing a simple sock recipe sock for him.

Hmm..

Anyone else seem something wrong?

'Nice-Pressure' Sales

We all know about high pressure sales. Where you feel like you are being stalked the moment you enter the door..the sales person sizes you up..circles inward..and blurts out
"Hi! Welcome to ..blah.. Can I help you? This would look great on you/is a great gadget/is a popular movie/is an electronic you NEED to have to keep up with the Jones''

This, luckily, never seems to really happen at either of my LYSs. No, there I'm put under 'Nice-Pressure' Sales.

Example. I went into my LYS to order some more of a yarn for a project. I wasn't going to spend a DIME. (You there, quit laughing.)

And so it begins...

"Hi Lynn!"
Because every good LYS employee knows your name, your entire family's sweater sizes, what yarn you covet, what yarn you don't like, your favorite color...etc.

"Hi! I came into order some yarn. Can I look at the book so I can pick colors."

"Of course!" Plunking huge binder full of color cards in my lap.

I blissfully continue, feeling sure I'm going to put in my order and escape.

"I'd like these colors please."

"Hmm. You know we are really trying not to put in a ton of color orders from that distributer because we just got a shipment. What are you making?"

"This project"

"Well I'm sure we can find some substitution yarn for you!"
And off she plunges into the store, hanks and skeins flying over her shoulder as she goes.

"How about this? Or this? Oh, this would be a lovely texture difference."

20 minutes later I walk out with a serious dent in my wallet and my head spinning.

You know the feeling. The nice guilt..

"I'd hate not to buy anything. She's been so nice. So helpful. I'd hate to walk back through the store and plunk these back on the shelf."

Forget high-pressured sales, 'nice-pressure' sales get me everytime. *sigh*


Anyway, I'm in the middle of the heel on the 2nd monsoon sock!

Knit On Babeeee!

Oh ya. Oh ya.

The wrist resting/ibuprofin/wrist brace did the job and here's the result. And I'll throw instead of pick for now.



Rockin' Socky goodness #1. I do wish I'd gone 1/2 a repeat further, on the cuff, but I know I'll have enough for the second. Unlike others that like to wind their hank into 2 cakes, I'm lazy and just wing it.



I'm really into the cables. The rib is ok, feels very good on, is boring to knit..but the cables are neat. I did the toe and heel on 1's, foot on 0's and cables/cuff on 2's. I also moved to an Addi Turbo and Magic Looped the cuff. I honestly felt like I was wrestling a porcupine when trying to cable at first. Moved to the Magic Loop and all was well. I'm glad I've got an arsenal of sock techniques!

Anyway I hate SSS, so I immediately cast on for the 2nd sock. :)


I use this crochet provisional cast on. The link is to a great video. It's SO much easier to do it this way (crocheting around the knitting needle) rather than crocheting a chain and picking up in the back of the loop. It essentially eliminates a step. Too cool.

I don't think I'll ever make this particular sock pattern again, but I do love watching the short rows do their magic. The toe and heel really make you feel clever, even if all you are doing is following directions!

For those that are curious, the yarn used for the cast on is STR Mediumweight in Cove Light. It's dark and cool.

Yarn Porn/Eye Candy

No knitting means I have to entertain myself somehow!


This is my own kool-aid (black cherry, pink lemonade, Berry Blue) dyed yarn from KnitPicks. C at The Woman Who Says 'Knit' blogged about our dying night. It was a ton of fun, if a bit stinky. :) It looked funny before it was caked, but now I really like it. I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it. It's 100% Wool in worsted. I figured I could felt up something..or..who knows. For now I just love looking at it.


I have a whole basket full of yummy sock yarn goodness just waiting for my wrist to heal. There's some Lorna's Laces, Trekking XXL, Bernat Sox, Katia Mississippi 3 and Socks That Rock. Is it any wonder I'm going crazy?



I have this lovely group of Cascade to make a spring bucket bag. The colors just make me smile. Speaking of yarns that make me smile..here's some Dale Baby Ul I have. I was going to make a sweater out of it, but that didn't happen. Someday I'll get to it.


How do you store you needles? I keep my straights in a basket and a vase.



And my circs in a Knitters bag and a tote bag. I can't believe how many I have. I also have a card in my wallet with all of my needles listed. It's a cute card provided by one of my LYS. It's really handy to have since I always use my 40% off JoAnn and Michael cards to pick up ones I don't have.

Now you see what I'm surrounded by on a daily basis! Heal wrist, heal!

This Sucks

No other way about it. I don't let my kids use that word. It's not nice, you know.
But I honestly can think of no other way to say this.

This SUCKS.

My wrist hurts and hurts bad. So I've put my knitting projects in the closet, because if I see them I pick them up. I've been knitting for almost 3 years and have never ever had my wrist hurt like this. I have to attribute it to knitting mass amounts of SS continental style. Now my left wrist is killing me. Wheee.

I've got a partial Rockin Sock Club sock staring at me and a lovely baby sweater, as well as a bag full of yarn to make a knit Hedwig. And me, not knitting. So what have I been doing? Reading knitting blogs, books and listening to knitting podcasts as well as stalking hand painted yarns across the internet. (YAY EUNNY!!)

Pathetic, I tell you.

No more knitting for an entire week in hopes that this gets better. And from now on I'm a 'throwin mama' unless I'm doing 2 handed fair-isle.

OH! That reminds me, C and I are going to Stitches Midwest! Dude! I'm taking 2 classes, Russian Style Continental (which will hopefully end this wrist problems) and a Finishing Class. It's this August and should be beyond fun. :)

So all of you enjoy your knitting for me!

Book Meme

Look at the list of (100) books below.
Bold the ones you’ve read.
Italicize the ones you want to read.
Leave blank the ones that you aren’t interested in.
Movies don’t count.

1. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. Fall on Your Knees (Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18. The Stand (Stephen King)
19. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25 . Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks)
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella) - Partially read it and HATED it
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrey Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. Catch-22 (Joseph Heller)
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth (Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce)

Hmm, 44. Not too bad..I guess? :)

BTW consider yourself tagged!!

Signs of Spring

It actually might be coming! Yay spring.

Rib in a tight gauge on 0's does in my wrists. This is what I have so far, and I'll finish it and it's mate soon! I'm ready to start the cuff and love cables.

To rest the wrists, I cast on 7's and started a baby sweater. Throwing, instead of picking, and it seems to be working. It is a lovely pattern by Debbie Bliss. I'm making it for a new addition to our extended family. Baby boy Jack. I can't wait to send this off to his new parents.


I'm making it out of Blue Sky cotton that I actually had in my stash! Wohoo! Stash busting, gotta love it. This is a quick knit so hopefully I'll be able to finish it up soon.

Rockin Sock Club Ring

Hi! I've set up a blog ring for members of the Rockin Sock Club Ring. Follow the link, read the rules and join up! It's a fairly easy process.
Can't wait to get to know you.

Rockin Sock Club Button

Hi!

I managed to paste this together. Feel free to copy it, put it on your own server, and use it!

I was wondering the interest level in starting a Rockin Sock Club Ring. Let me know by dropping me a comment.


SPOILER WARNING!!

If you do NOT want to see the February shipment, do not scroll down farther.

Magic Yarn!

As clever Margie noted, my monsoon appears to have blueish-gray in it. I swear this yarn changes color! Now that the sun has come out (yes we are all cringing from the rays in WI since we haven't seen them FOREVER) the colors appear different. From gray to blue..yum.

Ugly day gets better! STR SPOILER!

*Move along if you want your Rockin Sock Club Shipment to be a surprise* :)

The day started out like this. And I am SO sick of snow. For those that don't know, I grew up in the southwest, Las Vegas to be exact. We had a pool in the backyard that we used about 8 months out of the year. I love the sun. The warmth. 115 degrees? who cares it's a dry heat! And here I am in the tundra.


Anyway as mentioned in the title, this day gets better. MUCH better!



This was on my doorstep that afternoon! Yahooo! My Socks That Rock Club mailing. This definately made my day a bit brighter!!




I was so good and called C before opening it. I wanted to see if hers had come. I really was going to wait till she got hers, but she told me to go ahead. So I did! Here is the loveliness that spilled out of it.




In it was the binder for the year with the current pattern in it. A small keychain of yarn, which says 'Emergency Sock Yarn - Don't leave home without it!', a sticker, a button, a coupon, a flyer for their camp/retreat and then a hank of Monsoon. It's lovely. Blue Moon never fails to come through. Their yarn is so soft and beautiful.


The pattern is clever and fun. A toe up one with the advantage of being reversible.


More Yarn Porn.


Of course I had to cast on. It wasn't an option really, though I did pause and actually did a gauge swatch.
And see, I made it! Whoohoo.

And after the gauge comes the pattern.
(Excuse the flash )

Love the toe. It's short rows, which I've never done. Too cool.
Gotta go knit!