Yes, More FOs with various UFOs

Insomnia is still running rampant here since I'm attempting to not live with sleep medications. Ugh.
But my knitting continues to thrive. :)


We have some Trick or Treating here on the weekend before Halloween. Why? I've no idea and think it is bizarre. The kids love it because they usually go out twice a year. Anyway!
Here's a picture of my sewing FO. I sewed A's witch costume and she actually helped me. It was a lot of fun, though I think it's ruined my iron! The fabric has glitter in it and it seems to have stuck to it! V's a ballerina with things we pretty much just threw together around the house. :)


My next FO is a knitted one. The Foliage cap from Knitty.com in Malabrigo. Yum. What else is there to say about it? Quick and luscious.

Specs:
Pattern:
Foliage from Knitty.com
Yarn: Worsted Malabrigo in Verdeazul, less than 1 hank
Needles: size 7s and 5s
Started: October 2007
Finished: October 2007





And just to share, the funny arty ones were me Kinnearing myself and the last one is taken by my 3 year old. Yes she IS a better photographer than I am...

I dug through my pile of UFOs and decided to finish up the husband's socks. It was the first time I really ran into Second Sock Syndrome. Horrid thing, that is. This an old photo of the first before I finished it. I've just finished the ribbing on the second.


I only have 3(!) UFOs lying around now. Thank goodness for Finishitis! Just wish it'd hit more often. Here's a rundown of what's left.

Jaywalkers in Wild Tide Silkie from Blue Moon. I ran out of the yarn on the foot and need to order more. I just haven't felt flush enough in the funds department to make this happen. So it sits there on the needles alongside it's completed mate looking very forlorn.

Here's a shot of the second before I ran out of yarn.


Norwegian Gloves in various Dale of Norway Helio. I really like this pattern, but started it in the summer and the wool was just too hot to deal with. I picked it back up a few weeks ago, finished the first hand and was starting the fingers when I realized the FREAKING thing doesn't fit. The hand/palm portion is too short. I honestly don't know what the hell I'm going to do. I figure I can either add some random patterning on the hand to extend it, or repeat the main pattern and make mittens. I hate mittens though, so that's the crux of that.


Finally, the sweater that will never be.
I started making this for someone and realized it wasn't going to really be appreciated and put it away. I have a sleeve and the back done. The sweater won't fit anyone else I know so there really isn't a reason to finish it. I had a thought of making the back into a pillow. Just knit a plain back sew them together and put around a pillow form. I'll have to use the sewing machine and cut it down, which is never fun, but then at least it would be out of the closet and in use. And I'll use the bag of leftover yarn for something else, maybe a sweater vest for me...


So it's been busy here! Hope all is well with you. :)

Two FOs!

Yay for insomnia, kinda sorta...

I have two completed FOs!




Baby E's Sweater
Specs:
Pattern:
Raglan caridgan with Fully Fashioned Shaping from Debbie Bliss's Baby Knits for Beginners
Yarn: 2 hanks Blue Sky Alpaca's Organic Cotton in Pebble and 1 in Nut
Needles: size 7s
Started: September 2007
Finished: October 2007

And finally FINALLY my sweater!




Specs:
Pattern:
Perfect Sweater from Mason-Dixon Blog
Yarn: Cascade 220 Heathers and to hell if I can remember how many skeins it took...
Needles: size 7s
Started: November 2006!
Finished: October 2007

Whew. This sucker almost took a year! I used the picot edge with the v neck option. I also used darts for the bust. It fits great and will be a wonderful addition to winter wear!

I used some of my McGyver knitting skills when seaming the sleeves..


Those, my knitting friends, are little girl hair clips. They work so well for 'pinning'.

I got my Telemark color card in the mail today, so I'm dreaming up what colors to use for the Equinox Sweater. Also this week the Rockin Sock Club shipment came! Wohooo. I love it and will use the pattern included, but no spoilers here yet.

Insomnia is your friend?

Hmm,
Insomnia can be..it's amazing how much I got done late last night while the rest of the family slept. I cleared the Tivo of 3 hours of stuff (Numb3rs, Law & Order:SVU, Without a Trace), finished listening to a Librivox recording of Middle Temple Murder by J.S. Fletcher, finished the Monkeys for my Mom AND blocked the sleeves of my Perfect Sweater.

How terrifying is that?

Oh and I slept 2 hours.

I can't believe I'm still standing, and hope to be fast asleep in an hour or so. (haha)


Mom's Monkeys came out ok. They were SO close to matching, but my tension on the 2nd heel flap was a tad looser, so I ended up with more dark orange on the toe than the first. Stuff happens. :)

Hopefully I'll have 2 more FOs in a day or so. I need to deliver the baby knit and I should be done with the Perfect Sweater. Yay!

*tap tap* Is this thing still on?

Yes, I have been remiss at blogging. Life seems to come at me in chunks at a time, plus I need to get some rechargeable batteries for my camera. Which would be why no pictures!

Fall has, well, fallen here. It is beautiful and I think we are at the peak of our color. It's so lovely. I've been creating here and there. I made a witch costume for my eldest, finished the mystery baby knitting and am SO close to finishing mom's second Monkey sock. I haven't given the baby gift yet, so there will be photos to come! I have to get the sleeves for the Perfect Sweater blocked. Bad me, they just sit there in my work basket! Honestly I don't think it's cold enough for it quite yet.

Last night I ordered a color card for Telemark from KnitPicks. I'm am finally going to tackle the Equinox Yoke Pullover from Fall 2006 Interweave Knits. I've loved that pattern since the day I first saw it! Thank goodness for all that is Ravelery because there is no way I could ever have afforded to knit it with the yarn called for. It's so awesome to see how others have done it! If you aren't on Ravelry yet, get in line. It's worth the wait and it gets better every day since it's user input driven.



I'll let you know how it goes and hopefully have some photos too!

Shoes!

I've been hunting for shoes for the last 6 months or so. Finally finally it paid off. A local store here, Boston Store, had a big sale and I purchased these 2 pairs for a 100 bucks. :) The brown ones are pr!vo Tips and the black are Aerosoles Cinchworms. I don't plan on wearing the cinchworms with handmade sock, but had to model them anyway! :)

Hubris gets us all...

Main Entry: hu·bris
Pronunciation: 'hyü-br&s
Function: noun
Etymology: Greek hybris
: exaggerated pride or self-confidence

I know, I'll clean out my stash.
Look at that, there's got to be a sweater's worth of Wool-Ease there.
I know, I'll make my first EZ Yoke Sweater, cuz like..I can do that, I'm a Knitter.


That's the ticket, do the sleeve first until I can buy the right size needle for the body.

Get needle. Cast on 230 stitches. Join in round. Silently mock instructions of 'Don't twist'. After all I've knit so much in the round and have NEVER done that. 2 inches into the body realize it's freaking twisted. Try to frog, yarn gets knotted and toss whole thing in the damn trash (not the needles of course) after also realizing there's no WAY there is enough of this yarn for this sweater and the point was to stash BUST not enhance. Ugh.

Stash dive again and pray that everything turns out ok this time. Come up with Malabrigo and find the Foliage pattern from Knitty. Blog about it all and use annoying writing style!

Yes, I'm happy. I love my owner.

It seems to be working out ok. Let me tell you moving from Wool-Ease to Malabrigo...I have NO issues about abandoning the sweater. Malabrigo, damn it's really all that. This has been marinating in my stash since late last winter. I had intended on making Grumperina's Shifting Sands. It's a gorgeous pattern, but just didn't get me, so the yarn was put away until now.

I also had an FO over the last few days.
My 'Ugly Socks'.


Specs:
Pattern: Sock Recipe, Yarn Harlot
Yarn: Leftover Socks That Rock from Blue Moon Sauvie Island Socks
Needles: size 2 DPNs, Clovers
Started: September 14, 2007
Finished: September 28, 2007

I'm hoping the weather will cool down soon. I'm ready for 60's and 50's in the day and it's still hovering in the mid to high 70's. It's nice, but not sweater weather and I want to finish my Perfect Sweater but it's not happening until I can wear it!

Thanks for all the Spider comments. I didn't kill it, but damn if it wasn't gone the next day. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for that sucker!