Moment in the Sun

I know my neighbors think I'm insane. It's cloudy today but we had about 5 minutes of sun. I grabbed my camera and yarn and dashed outside. I quickly snapped pictures and can share my new purchases. :)

First is my ArtsyGal Yarn of the Month shipment for March. The base is tightly spun and sproingy. I love it, plus it's so pretty and different. I'm really trying to move out of my comfort zone on the sock yarns.
Second is Stone Barn Fibers in the Angela colorway. It's intense and so fun! This is from Loopy Ewe. If you've never shopped there, you really should. Sheri the owner is so sweet and it's nice to give business to a place with amazing customer service.
Third is Milk and Honey from Lisa Souza in sport weight. It's so yummy, very lush. I'm going to make a pair of socks from it as well.

I tried to take a completed pict of my Bartholomew socks but the sun is behind the clouds again. I really had like a 5 min window! So I hope you all appreciate these picts. ;) J/K

Tons of Stuff!

This is a packed entry..packed mainly full of photos! I've been busy so I'm a bit behind.

I've been recognized by two of my fellow bloggers!

Peggy who Chases Bunny all over
I Love Peg, I feel like she and I could plunk down in a starbucks somewhere and knit along happily. Her blog keeps me entertained and teaches me new things as well.

and Nora who thinks she's Knot Much of Knitter
but I'm not convinced! She makes me laugh quite a bit and almost always makes me think.

Thank you ladies!

Of course there are strings attached - I now get to nominate 10 bloggers who make my day, so they can pass on the fun. Of course some people will be nominated more than once, so try to be a good sport if you’re a popular one! Here’s my list:

1.The Woman Who Says " Knit "

2. The Knitting Moose -

3. More Than One Way to Knit A Hat

4. Minestrone Soup

5. Knits with a silent K

6. Kerry Knits

7. Just A Knit Wit

8. Flatlander

9.dogged.

10. Crimson Purl

Now onto the promised pictures of various crafting!

I finished J and am working on O.

I've actually grown to enjoy the linen. It softens as you work with it and isn't as harsh as Aida cloth.

I reorganized my stash and felt a need to work some of it. I'd always wanted to make a felted bowl and I had 2 balls of Noro Kureyon just sitting there!

Here it is pre-felted.

And after a toss in the wash. Noro takes quite a bit of washing to get it to felt all the way. I like it when you completely lose stitch definition.

For all of it's vegetable matter, Noro is still a wonder to knit with.

Specs:
Pattern:
Large Shallow Bowl - Deborah Does Navel-Gazing
Yarn: 2 skeins Noro Kureyon - held double
Needles: size 13
Started: January 20 2008
Finished: January 23 2008

While stash diving, I found the yarn I'd purchased to make a stuffed owl. It was for a Harry Potter KAL for book 7..and well I was so busy reading I didn't knit! It's made with Bernat Boa, a very odd yarn. It's similar to Fun Fur, but actually easier to knit with. The pattern is from the Family Circle book of Easy Toys.


I still need to make his wings, tail, feet and attach his eyes. It's a cute pattern. I'll let you see what it's like finished when I'm done.


A liked V's Spiral Hat so much she wanted one for her. A's 7 and has 'outgrown' pink then purple and now she's an orange girl. ORANGE! I swear this Trekking colorway reminds me of all the 70's kitchen colors thrownup on yarn. But she likes it...so I'll make it for her! Unfortunately the above had to be completely frogged because it was too big. The yarn is resting in a time out and I'll start again in a few days.

My friends C and J drug (kicking and screaming no less) me to one of our LYS. And this jumped into my arms.

Malabrigo Lace Weight. Oh My. It's so light! It's so squishy! I am not normally a lace person. It's futzy and I can't imagine wearing a shawl so I've stayed away from it in the past. But this? This is Malabrigo, so I'll make an exception! These colors screamed spring to me.


I found two very pretty lace scarf patterns online. One is the Easy Flame Scarf by Wendy of Knit and Tonic. The other is a free Ravelry download. Leaf Lace Scarf by Janet D. Russell.

Finally I had an Oh shit moment.
These are the first pair of STR I knit, Sauvie Island
I swear this physically hurt me. *sniff* It must have been picked on something. Luckily the hole is just in the toe color and I have the left overs. I need to pick out the toe and reknit it, so it could have been worse!
I know socks are knit to be worn and all will eventually wear out, but it really sucks!

Currently we are holed up in our house waiting out the Winter Storm from Hell (tm). We are projected to get 14 inches when all is said and done...whenever THAT is. (June?)

More Volunteers

Yay! My color cards for the Knit Picks Wool of the Andes came. I ordered both the solids and the heathers. It's like insta-crack. All those colors, all the possiblities for projects..and so cheap, wait, I mean economical!

I finally *drumroll* finished the DH's socks! Yay yay!


He wore them to work the other day and they sagged a bit, so I need to go buy some reinforcement elastic. That will hopefully take care of that.

I've finished one of my Fetchings, in the amazing Sublime yarn. I want a bed made out of this, so I can roll around in it. It is so sproingy! And perfect for cables since there really isn't any halo. (By the way I do have normal fingers, not stubby weird ones! My nails are just a mess so I bent my fingers under.)


I need to finish off the other one and cast on for A's seamless yoke sweater as well as my Mom's second pair of socks. I think I'll be doing Jaywalkers again. It is such a great pattern. (Note on the photo. I DO have full fingers, not stubby weird ones ..I just bent my fingers under because my nails are a mess!)

As for the Volunteers that hopped a ride with my Knit Pick colorcards, here they are!
It's two skeins of their Essential in Fawn. I was surprised at the feel of this yarn, I really like it. Not sure what I'm going to do with it yet, but it'll be a textured or cabled pair of socks since it's a solid yarn.

I'm so happy to have the stupid freaking socks done. Whew. I'm a bit between a project knitter and a process knitter. I love to knit. I can't stand to be sitting in my chair without something for my hands to do, but damn it's so nice to finish a project!!

Yarn calls to yarn...

I think most people have heard the saying 'Like calls to like'. Well I'm convinced that yarn has that same type of ability.
I was being so good, trying to destash and whittle down on the UFOs. I honestly didn't want more yarn. Nope, yarn is lovely to visit, but it starts to feel like a burden, just sitting there wanting to be held, caressed and knit. I'm not a fast knitter and I'm not one to have a million things on the needles at once. So my yarn is pretty much in a long line to be used. Now granted two of the following aquisitions are from the Rockin Sock Club so I don't think they count. One, they are sock yarn, and well everyone knows it jut doesn't count against stash. And two, they were paid for last December as a gift for me. But regardless, they are calling to new friends, which just seem to creep into the stash without me being aware.



This was my sole purchase from the Wisconsin Wool and Fiber Festival this past August. I've wanted to try out briar rose for some time. Their colors are breathtaking. This is their superwash sportweight in the grandma's blessing colorway. It's perfect for this time of year. I hope to make it into one of Cat Bordi's new sock pathways.

Next is the Flower Power colorway from the August Rockin Sock Club.


This one makes me sad. I hate it. As in despise beyond all belief. If I look at every color individually I don't mind it. But together..the blue grates on me. So this will be earmarked for selling next year...or maybe for a chevron scarf for a gift.

This was a volunteeer kind of...

I want to make the Equinox Pullover from the Fall 2006 Interweave in one of the Knit Picks yarns so I ordered a Color Card. I can't pay more for shipping than the stupid item costs! Luckily this Alpaca cloud said he'd come home with me. It's earmarked for a lacy scarf one of these days.

Ah the October Shipment of Rockin Sock Club. *drool*



How can this not speak to the inner Goth in us all?? It's so dreary and rich and complex. Yum. You'll pry this one from my cold dead hands ;) I can't wait to see the rest of the Raven Series that is going up on the Blue Moon Fiber Arts site on Monday. Not that I need MORE yarn, nope..I'm just going to look. (famous last words)

I desperately want a pair of Fetchings or some sort of fingerless mitt. I read on Crimson Purl's blog about how much her Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran was piling so I didn't want to use it. What's a girl to do? Go to her LYS of course. I only purchased ONE ball, and with a particular item in mind...so it's really not stash enhancement, no it's a future project. See the distinction? Isn't being able to rationalize such a gift?

I found this Sublime and OMG it's amazing. It's so soft and sproingy. I can't wait to see how it knits up. The reviews on Ravelry for this yarn are very positive, so I'm sure it won't be a trainwreck! Here's a link to a site that sells it.

So here's the whole lovely pile of yarn I wasn't going to buy, didn't need and love all the same!


Tucked under all that fiber is my current project. I'm plugging along on the DH's socks. I'm working on the heel flap on the second sock. I'm can't wait to be done with these. They've sat in the workbasket far too long.


I think the mitts will be next in line. I've also ordered a different colorcard from Knit Picks..and yes it's coming with some volunteers as well. *sigh* I'll snap a picture of that when it comes. :)

Another Monkey and My Tools

I've started another pair of Monkeys. This pair is for my Mom and is made from Trekking XXL on 1's. I was at loose ends for a sock project and nothing was working out for my mediumweight STR, so I cast on these from memory. It's such a soothing, easy pattern. I love it.


Since I don't have a ton of knitting to show off, I figured I'd show you my knitting tools. This is the bag I keep them in. It was actually special ordered at GenCon, for you ultimate geeks, to hold my gaming dice. Well gaming has gone by the wayside, but it's perfect for my tools. I know there are also jewelry bags made in this same design.


I love it because it opens almost flat. It makes it very easy to find what I'm looking for and since it's quite big I can stash a ton in it. The material is soft and the whole thing can be shoved in a bag easily and won't snag any knitting.


Here all my tools of the trade; small notebook, 2 colors of post-its, measuring tape, Knit-Chek, mechanical pencil, orange pen, black pen, pink highlighter, major sharp Fiskar scissors, point protectors, various size types of stitch markers, row counter, 3 crochet hooks, 2 cable needles and a pattern marker.

What tools do you carry with your knitting? Do you have a favorite little trick, like hairbands for stitch markers? Are you a sucker for beaded stitch markers? I'd love to see and hear about your goodies!

Mojo?

I finished the Sherbet Monkeys and can't wait to show them off. As the DH says, 'They are obnoxious.' Just what every girl needs for Jan in Wisconsin!

So what next?

Well the Eunny Enterlac Socks. Got out the Lorna's Laces, swatched IN THE ROUND folks for 3 inches. It came out fine, around 8 st per in and 11 rounds.

Cast on with the Middle Eastern Cast On. A new one for me, and very odd but managed to do it and it looked good. Kept going with the pattern and realized there was no WAY in hell these socks would fit me. They might fit my 7 year old..but to hell if I was going to spend this much time on socks for her! Ugh.

Frog.

Figure, Ok..move on. Dig around for a pattern, surf Ravelry to see what others have done with Lorna's Laces. Just did Monkey, don't want to do anything lacey...and finally settle on a pattern from the Interweave book 25 Favorite Socks, Go with the Flow.

Cast on, knit and hate it. Just not feeling it and think it's too tight as well. It's a cast on of 60 and I normally cast on 64 at least on 1's and Lorna's is finer than STR Lightweight.

Frog. Mutter.

Take a breath and dig through both stash and patterns. Settle on doing a hat out of Socks and Caps Two of the Vogue on the Go Series. Picked a skein of Blue Sky Cotton. Swatch. Gauge good.

Cast On.

Knit and curse when I realize the damn thing would be huge on ME and it's for my 3 year old.

Frog.

Throw needles. Ok I didn't, but I REALLY wanted to.

I can't justify buying any yarn right now. I'm going to Stitches in 2 weeks for goodness sake! That's where I need to spend my money. I will buy 2 skeins of the Koigu to do the Eunny socks which is what she used. Hopefully that will solve that problem.

Ya I could knit a hat for charity or something, but I believe my knitting Mojo has left the building. Good thing I don't have a camera, since I have NOTHING to take photos of (well the FO Monkeys) except a pile of various yarn and needles but no knitting.

Pathetic.

Full Disclosure

I was reading Julia's blog and felt the need to 'fess up myself.

I'm not quite as clever as she is, so my list is just a list. ;) But these are ALL the items on my needles as of this moment.

This is from the oldest to most current project.


I started this sweater..heck so long ago I don't even know. Hmm must have been almost 2 years ago now. I was making it for someone and then became a bit uninspired to gift it to them. So it's stalled. It's beautiful. It's a pattern from The Best of Knitters Arans and Celtics called 'Wonderous Woven Cables'. I'm using Knit Pick's Wool of the Andes. Great yarn, interesting knit..but there it languishes. I have to admit I'm nervous to pick it back up because of gauge. It was so long ago my knitting style has change and I'm afraid it will look like dog poop.


The Mason-Dixon Perfect (hell) Sweater. It's just a SEA of stockingnet. There sits the completed front and back, and the 2 sleeves are almost half way done. I'll get this finished before the Fall, but I just can't pick it up right now. It's knit in Cascade 220 Heathers. I really like it and know I'll enjoy wearing it.



And then there was the Shifting Sands pattern from Grumperina, knit in Malabrigo. It's soft, gorgeous and well..just not what I want so..


Bye bye Shifting Sands. I think I'm going to try and make an Hourglass sweater with the yarn instead. I have 3 hanks, so I'll figure something out. For now it's back into the stash.


Here's the hubby's sock. It's a bucket load of stitches, done on 1's. The Trekking is lovely, and these will get done sooner or later. It sits next to my knitting chair and I do a few rounds on it every day or so. I did some slip stitches in the arch to make it more snug for his high arches. Will have to see how that works out.


Ah the current love on the needles. The Chevron scarf in STR. I love it. It's mindless enough for TV watching, yet interesting enough that you don't want to gouge your eyes out! I'd say I'm almost 1/2 way done.


This is the Rowan Summer Tweed I'm futzing with. I'd like to make some summer tanks for my girls with it, but have yet to really commit to the project.


And then there's the current Rockin' Sock Club yarn. I THINK I may have found the right pattern for it. I don't want to do the Grasshoppers since I'm just not into 'sandal socks'. More photos when it's progressed.


Whew and that's it. 7 projects, one frogged so really just 6. I'm actively knitting on three of them (hubby's socks, chevron and the RSC yarn), leaving 3 hanging in limbo land. Not too bad. Could be worse. Much worse.

Amazing

Had a few amazing run-ins today.

1.) My 6 year old daughter is knitting a Chevron Scarf. Dude. And it's nice. I'll put up more picts when it's longer. But damn, she can PURL! K2Tog! Knit in Front and Back!

I need to remember this when she throws knitting needles at me when she's a teenager!


2.) My wrists no longer hurt since I've been working on the Chevron. I apparently needed to take a break from sock knitting. Yay for healing wrists. :)

Other than that the Chevron is growing longer and I'm waiting for my Rockin Sock Club shipment! Woohoo! See? I needed to rest my wrists. :)

OH! And the DD is using my kool-aid dyed yarn along with a skein of bare wool. Too cool. Not only is she knitting, but she's decreasing my stash! Wohoo!

Ok, enough exclamation points....

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!

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.

Where do you keep your stash?

I used to keep my stash in the basement in a bin, but no more!

After reading various blogs about taking their stash in hand during 07 and seeing C get shelves for hers, I decided to visit and commune with my stash.

I dug out an old stacking storage unit my husband used in college, from the basement, tossed it in the shower and washed it off with Mr Clean, then my 3 year old helped me dry it off. I found a home for it and proceeded to empty my closet and then my stash bin onto it.

But, imagine this, it's not big enough. So I added 2 baskets as well. I gave up on fitting a sweater WIP on it and slipped that back into the closet. So here it is, in all my glory and guilt.

The basket on the floor is all sock yarns, the basket on the top is all cotton, 1st shelf is wool/wool blends but no superwash, 2nd has some malabrigo, Dale Baby Ull and misc, 3rd shelf has some Lana Grossa my MIL bought for me in Germany as well as some alpaca and a cashmere/wool/silk blend purchased at a Wool Festival, and finally the bottom shelf is varous superwash wool (Wool-Ease mainly) and the sweater kit I bought for myself at Stitches.

Here is the Sweater WIP that has hung out on my needles for over 1/2 a year. I'm just not, well I'm not sure the intended recipient is the right one. (don't ask)

Love the sweater and love the yarn. I have the back and one sleeve done. It's from the Best of Knitters Aran and Celtics. A great book. I'll get back to it some day, I'm sure.

I'm very glad I have my yarn out where I can see it. I'm going to do my best to diminish the stash this year. I personally think it's silly to own so much goodness and not do anything with it. Unlike my husband, I am not a horder, I'm the de-clutterer of the family. It's almost like I can feel the pressure of the yarn waiting to be knit into something lovely. *shrug* Then my husband walks by and says, 'That's not too much'.

Ok onto the current 1/2 an FO. My first Monkey! Again, this pattern is wonderful, though I'm not completely in love with the Austermann Step. I think I like my sock yarn more dense, like STR and Lorna's Laces. THis has more loft.


I did softly block with steam, no pressure and it really helped the pattern relax. I think it looks much better. Here's the before shot. I'm much happier with the after. (above)
The sock is very comfortable. I did the eye of the partridge heel flap and used the Anatomical Toe from the Blue Moon Fiber Pattern.


So now I need to go cast on the right sock!