Monday, December 25, 2006

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone!



Sunday, December 24, 2006

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I finished my Christmas knitting. I didn't knit much this year, just a few hats, a pair of socks and some dishcloths. Last year I gave everyone handknitted scarves and it didn't seem like they were appreciated much so I thought this year I wouldn't stress out over it.

Last weekend we traveled to Arkansas to have Christmas with my family. Tonight we have Christmas with DH's dad and then tomorrow it's over to his mom's side of the family. The joy of divorced parents. We have to make plans to see four sets of people. I hope I don't ever have to worry about that in my future. One of the reasons my DH and I dated four years before getting married is because we didn't want to make sure we were sure we wanted to be together.

On to the pics!

The London Beanies


Mom's socks


Plush hat

















Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Long time, no posting

I didn't realize it had been so long since I posted last. I kept meaning too but kept putting it off. First there was snow, quite a bit of it. Then there was sickness in the house. Now it's the beginning of the Christmas season which involves traveling.

My parents live 6 hours from us and last weekend was our trip home. Then when we came back, DH had to travel to El Paso for work. He was scheduled to come home tonight but since Denver airport closed due to the blizzard, he got pushed out until tomorrow. He's been gone since Monday morning and the boys and I are really starting to miss him.

There has been some knitting, mostly London Beanies and dishcloths as gifts. I'll try to post some pics up over the weekend. After the holidays I need to find something that really motivates me. I'd like to try something new like Fair Isle or Entrelac. I'll have to see how that goes.

Thursday, November 23, 2006

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have just a few minutes before the mad rush begins. DH is still in bed but when he gets up we will begin warming up and cooking everything we stayed up late last night getting ready. The in-laws will be here at Noon. (Actually they will show up at 11 and if I hadn't protested, would probably be here now as I type in my nightgown.)

Once we feed in-law group one we are off to in-law group two's house for dinner. I still have a few things I need to clean up around here but I just wanted to wish everything a very Happy Thanksgiving. And to my Canadian friends, where should we send the leftover turkey?

Saturday, November 18, 2006

Knitting podcasts

Not much knitting has gotten done lately. I am still workng on the Purl scarf, but that's about it. Instead I have been catching up on some knitting podcasts. I listened to the first few episodes of It's a Purl, Man but then quit but I've gone back and am catching up on the episodes. I've also been listening to some new podcasts, Sleepy Eye Knits, Sticks & String, purl diving, and The Knitting Cook.

I must say that I am really enjoying Sticks & String. David hosts a great podcast and I love that Australian accent.

I must confess that I am a little starstruck. Stephanie aka The Yarn Harlot left a comment on my last post. I love all of her books and blog. I hope that someday I will be able to meet her in person, I hear she's a great speaker.

Another reason my knitting is lax is that I (finally!) got to plan a vacation/belated honeymoon. My husband and I were married a little over two years ago but he was in school and then got a new job so we never got to go on a honeymoon. In January we are headed to Disney World for 3 nights. I am very excited!!

Sunday, November 12, 2006

How Fetching!

I jumped on the bandwagon and knit up a pair of Fetching fingerless gloves.


Yarn: Cashsoft DK in a choclately brown
Needles: 7 Bamboo DPNs
This were a quick and fun knit. I really liked the yarn. I had some issues picking up stitches for the thumb holes but other than that, I really like these.

I also knit up a quick little hat in Plush. It's really soft and a really quick knit on a 10.5 16" circular needle. I just cast on 64 stitches and knit for 5" and then decreased every other round on the 8 stitch. (This is kind of stolen from the Yarn Harlot's generic hat in The Knitting Rules.)


Tonight I started on the Purl scarf from Last-Minute Knitted Gifts. I keep checking this book out of the library, I just need to break down and buy it already. The yarn is really more teal than the picture shows. It is a combination of Malabrigo and Fusion knit on size 15 needles. I think it will be a quick knit that I will work on here and there.


I've also made a little progress on Branching Out. I think I'm up to 6 pattern repeats. It doesn't get worked on very often since I have to concentrate on it.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Yarn Crack

I had made myself a little secret promise that if I finished my Dublin Bay socks for Socktoberfest, I would treat myself to some Koigu. One of the LYS in town had a mini fiber festival today so I headed down for a little bit. I got to see spinning for the first time. There were four ladies spinning on various wheels. It was interesting to watch. For months now I've been hearing and reading about spinning on blogs and podcasts. It was nice to actually see it for real. Now I would like to see someone use a drop spindle.

On to the yarn pron. I bought my first crack Koigu today. I have drooled over this yarn for months and now I finally have some!


I bought two skeins in color P609 84. It is a lovely bluish purply pinky colorway. And so soft!!! Yummy Yummy! I have no idea what I am going to make with it but I know I will wait until I find an absolutely perfect project. Until then, the yarn will be petted.


I also received my Winter IK on Friday. Although the pictures are lovely, I really didn't see any projects that I will knit up. They all seem to be on the smaller side and as I am not a small woman, they don't appeal to me too much.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

Finito!

The Dublin Bay, they are finished!




Pattern: Dublin Bay Socks
Yarn: Opal 5004
Needles: Crystal Palace Bamboo Size #2

The Dublin Bay socks are my third pair of knitted socks. My goal was to finish them in the month of October for Socktoberfest. I started them the last part of September and completed them at 10pm CST on October 31st (just in time!)

This was my first time to use Opal and while I really like the colorway, I found the yarn a bit scratchy. I really liked the Crystal Palace needles, they were very smooth and good for knitting socks.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

A little about me

Trying to procrastinate the knitting subject by filling out a meme going around the blogs. Desperately trying to finish the Dublin Bays by Wednesday. Cross your fingers.

1. FIRST NAME? Sara but I go by middle name, Beth.

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No. Mom wanted to name me Sara Elizabeth but my dad said no so I became Sara Beth. I was called Beth instead of Sara because my dad thought I would get nicknamed Sally if I went by Sara.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I can't exactly remember but I bet I have cried at least once in the last month.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No. Most people can't read it and often get my 9s and 4s mixed up.

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? I like Virginia Ham.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yes. I would love to have someone with my common interests as my friend.

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just the blog. I've tried journaling in the past and am not good at keeping up with it.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Special K Vanilla Almond and Golden Grahams, it's a toss up.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not if I can help it.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I am a very strong woman emotionally and physically. I'm not a small gal.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint Choclate Chip.

14. SHOE SIZE? 9.5/10.

15. RED OR PINK? Red. I really have never liked pink but I've grown to like it a little more in my old age.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I can be mean.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My mom. I live 6 hours away and only get to see her about 5 times a year.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? No, just having it on the blog is enough.

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans, green t-shirt, and no shoes.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? A bowl of chicken tortilla soup. YUM!

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Kansas City Chiefs vs. Seatle Seahawks.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Cornflower blue.

23. FAVORITE SMELL? When it first starts to rain.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My husband.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes and Intelligence.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON YOU STOLE TIHS FROM? I've seen it on several blogs but finally got it from Domestic Bliss. I really enjoyed her answers.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Minute Maid Berry Punch and a mixed drink I made up from Pineapple juice, Peach schnapps, Grenadine, and coconut rum.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? I'm not very athletic but I like to watch football.

29. EYE COLOR? Blue.

30. HAT SIZE? Good question. I'm mostly a one size fits all kind of girl.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No, I quit wearing them due to allergies.

32. FAVORITE FOOD? Chocolate.

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. I'm a sucker for a good chick flick.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter, I don't like the heat.

36. HUGS OR KISSES? I'm not really a touchy feely kind of person but if I had to choose, I'd say hugs.

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake.

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No idea.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Wendy Knits and The Knitting Rules (again.)

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mousepad, I use a laptop.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? The ocean and the woods.

44. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? The Beatles.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Moscow.

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? So far knitting is the only thing I am halfway good. I do have a great sense of direction though.

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Little Rock, Arkansas.

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I got it from Domestic Bliss.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

Well it ain't Rheinbeck...

but my LYS did have it's Fall sale this weekend. I picked up a few things.



The Stone Cotton in the middle was only $1 each so I thought they would be great for dishcloths. I'm also planning on using the variegated Flash for a dishcloth too. The Brittany needles were half off. They mostly had size 4 and 5 so I picked up a pair of 5s. I love the ornamentation at the top. They feel fancy. I'm going to attempt to make some fingerless gloves with the Lily Chin Grammercy. I've never used Lily Chin before so that'll be a new one to try. Last but not least, Reynolds Whiskey. I just love the name! I bought a purple skein and a yellowish green skein. Something about the yellowish green called to me for a hat. If I can pull that off, I will make my mom one out of the purple. Or maybe a Misty Garden scarf. Not sure yet.

I'm looking forward to blog reading all week as I am sure many of my favorites made it out to Rheinbeck and will have lots of yarn pron for me to drool over. Someday, I will have some Socks that Rock, someday. A girl can only dream!

Sunday, October 15, 2006

New Toys!

And we are back! I purchased a new Gateway laptop this week so I am back to blogging.



I have been knitting as well. Socktoberfest is well under way and I finished my first Dublin Bay sock today. My goal is to finish this pair of socks this month. I've never knit one pair in a month's time. I really like how the Opal colorway has turned out for this sock and the detail on the lace pattern looks pretty good too. I am actually going to cast on for sock #2 today and am going to try and make them match.





I ordered some sock yarn and circs from Knit Picks a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting it. I am really looking forward to trying out Gloss. I really like the Pumpkin colorway. I also picked up a couple of skeins of Essential Solid in Grass and Essential Tweed in Plum. All for socks of course!



Speaking of Pumpkins, here's my little felted pumpkin. I should have taken progress pics but forgot. I have enough yarn to make another so if I get around to it, I will take more pics. I still need to stuff it and sew the top on, but I think it is so cute!


Saturday, October 07, 2006

Blogger photos MIA

So, I was just looking through some of my archived posts and several of my pics are missing. Has anyone else had this problem? Do I just need to reupload them?

Whta's hers is hers, what's his is hers

It's offical, the Compaq died. So, I have *borrowed* DH's laptop for the time being. He assures me this is a temporary situation and that I must acquire my own in the near future. The good news is, the hard drive did not die so we were able to recover everything including our many pics and tons of knitting patterns I had downloaded.

On to the knitting! It's a little late, but here's my Socktoberfest Week 1 post.

* When did you start making socks? Did you teach yourself or were you taught by a friend or relative? or in a class?

After reading many many blog posts about socks, I decided to give them a shot in March 2006. I got a free pattern off of the internet, bought some very colorful yarn and started knitting. It took me several months to finish the first pair with the help of my knitting teacher.



* What was your first pair? How have they "held up" over time?
My first pair was knit from a basic in the round, two by two rib leg with stockinette foot in Schachenmayr Crazy Cotton color 89. They have held up great considering I've only worn them around the house about 4 times.

* What would you have done differently?
Other than pick something besides 100% cotton, not much. They were a great beginner sock and the bright colors kept me interested.

* What yarns have you particularly enjoyed?
Now that I'm more into knitting socks, I have started a sock stash. I am currently knitting with Opal and enjoy it. I made my mom a pair of socks in Sockotta and it was okay but not my favorite. I am dying to try some Koigu and Lorna's Laces.

* Do you like to crochet your socks? or knit them on DPNs, 2 circulars, or using the Magic Loop method?

So far, I'm torn between dpns, and 2 circs. I started on dpns but took a class this summer on 2 circs. I think I will probably continue to knit both ways. As for Magic Loop, I haven't tried this yet and I don't know if I will.

* Which kind of heel do you prefer? (flap? or short-row?)

So far, all of the socks I have made have flap heels. I'd like to try short-row though.

* How many pairs have you made?
I am currently working on my third pair of socks, the Dublin Bay pattern.

Tuesday, October 03, 2006

Crash!

Methinks the Compaq has died. It is 5 years old this month, which is pretty old for a laptop I guess. DH has taken it apart and is trying to see if he can get things off of the hard drive.

On the knitting front, I have got the first Dublin Bay sock down to the foot. I also made a small felted pumpkin from Knitty.com. Pics to come later.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Socktoberfest

I signed up for Socktoberfest. I am still working on the Dublin Bay socks (which I probably won't finish before October.) I also am thinking about making a pair of socks for DH. Then again, I might start some Jaywalkers for me.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Knitting for Recovery

I am starting to deal with the whole MIL next door thing. In all fairness, we are renters and were planning on buying a house after the first of the year. So I don't see us being neighbors for more than 6 months. (Do you see me trying to be optimistic here? I have to be or I will be divorced very soon.)

I still am not comfortable with the whole thing but I have been knitting and trying to deal with it anyway. If I had lemons, I'd be swimming in a pool of lemonade. Thanks life.

Enough bitchin', On to the Knittin'!

I finished the socks for my mom. This was my first pair on circs. I am pleased with them. I still need to work on picking up stitches for the gussest, but other than that, I think I'm getting better.



I started the Dublin Bay Socks with my skein of Opal on size 2 Crystal Palace Bamboos. I really like it so far, I'm two repeats in. These socks are for me! I finally am knitting something I really want. I've been dying to get these started so I cast on almost immediately after finishing mom's socks. Isn't the green yarn pretty!



I cast on for Branching Out as well. I picked up the Elsebeth Lavold Wednesday night at our first knitting group. This is just the first pattern repeat. I think this project will take me a while. It is my first lace and I'm having a hard time keeping up with where I am in the pattern.



My wonderful One Skein Secret Pal, Emma, sent me the fabulous goodies below for the last month of the swap. I think the bag is super cute and I love the lining.



Friday, September 08, 2006

What have I done to deserve this?

My MIL has bought the duplex across the street.



You can breathe now. Or laugh for 5 minutes straight (my own mother's reaction.) Surely I am being punished. She moves in at the end of the month. Must knit to avoid another panic attack. Will post more later.

Monday, September 04, 2006

Hairballs and FOs

Can you believe it?? I'm actually posting FOs (More than 1)!

First we have the Rimini Rainbow scarf. I frogged this 3 times before I actually knit a width and length I like. It's still not great but I can live with it.



Here's a pic of the MO dishcloth I made. I couldn't get a pic that showed the pattern well.



Sophie and her hairball. Sophie has been finished for a few months but I finally got around to felting her last week and it was a major disaster. I put her in a pillow case and folded it over thinking it would be okay. I also threw a rag rug from Crate and Barrel in the wash. Needless to say, Sophie escaped her case and the Crate and Barrel rug attached as much of itself as it could to Sophie. I hid her in the laundry room for a week until I finally had time to defuzz. I am fairly pleased with the results. If I knit Sophie again, she will be much larger.



I also finished the Reynolds Tweed hat. I am going to send it to my One Skein Secret Pal (um, I sorta missed that whole August deadline thing.)



In other news, I survived the family reunion. I found out I have a new cousin, he was four months old on Saturday. My knitting group is getting back together starting this Wednesday (halleleuah!) so I will have one night away from my husband.

Hope everyone had a great Labor day weekend! P.S. I am SO ready for fall!!

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Roadtrip

Taking a little roadtrip to see the fam this weekend. Actually I'm going to a family reunion on my father's side. My mother says it should be illegal for that many West's to be in one place at one time. Did I mention they have been divorced since I was 4??

My dad has 12 or 13 siblings, I can never keep track. A couple have passed on and now they are all starting to get older so it's time for another reunion. I'm going alone; I think my husband is afraid they'll string him up for being a "Damn Yankee." I don't mind so much, we've been getting on each other's nerves lately so a little break will be a nice. Although, I can't knit when I drive by myself so that kind of stinks.

I'm trying to design my first pattern. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

Sunday, August 27, 2006

I knit therefore I am

Okay, so I didn't knit a lot but at least I got back into the groove. I made my DH a couple of dishcloths, Grandma's favorite and a Missouri one.

I decided to attend a local knitting group that I had seen posted a few times on Knitter's Review forums in a town a little north of me. I popped into the Starbucks there and there were 2 knitters already present (Hi Holly!.) They made me feel very welcome and it was really nice to knit with someone again and be able to just hang our and knitspeak for a couple of hours. The group usually meets every other Thursday night but won't meet for another month due to vacation plans. I am definately going to try and go again. No word yet on if my other knitting group is going to reconvene after Labor Day.

Thursday night I was able to finish up the leg of my second sock on circs and have begun the heel flap. Once again, my socks don't match. (he he) They are a gift for my mom so I hope she doesn't care that much.

I still have yet to finish my OSSP knitted item. It was supposed to be there by the end of August; I have a feeling I am going to miss that deadline. I never heard if she even received my second package so I doubt she's waiting by the door for the third. I haven't joined any more swaps and I'm not sure if I will. I liked this one, but I just don't have time to knit as much as some others so I feel bad when I can't make a deadline.

Sunday, August 20, 2006

No Knitting in Progress

I haven't been knitting. It's too hot, I'm too tired. I hope to knit again soon. I need to finish something. Hopefully I will post a FO in the near future.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Warning - Picture heavy post

What have I been doing this week? Some knitting, some shopping, and making stitch markers.

A couple of years ago I jumped on the beading bandwagon. I made several things but since I'm not a big jewelery wearer, they just kind of sat around my house. After seeing a lot of cute stitch markers on knitting blogs, I thought, hey, I can do that! So I broke out the ol' bead stash and set to work. I had never wrapped wire before because believe it or not, I am a 29 yo woman without pierced ears and had never made earrings before. My first wire wrapping is not great as you can see (or not with the crappy pics) with the purple stitch markers but by the time I got to the blue ones, I think I got better.

Purple Stitch markers


Blue Heart Stitch markers


Blue Stitch markers


I still have castonitis as well. I have continued to make progress on the second sock for my mom on the circs but have also started some socks for me on my new Crystal Palace Bamboo needles size 2.





As well as a hat for me...


And a scarf. I ripped the scarf out and redid it bc I swear that the pattern was only for 1 skein but was much longer. I think I am still casting on too many stitches or using too large of needles so I think it will be frogged again in the near future.



Since it has been over 100 degrees F here everyday, I have also managed to clean out my makeup drawer (some of that stuff has been in there since college I think) and do a little shopping during our tax free weekend. Wouldn't you know that the AC at the mall was on the fritz and everyone around here has been hot tempered including DH and myself. I can't wait for cool weather. I'm dreaming of sweaters and wool socks.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

The Luckiest Girl in the World

Okay, maybe not the world but I'm having a pretty good weekend so far. I came home yesterday to find my Fall IK in the mail. Today in the mail I received my yarn from my One Skein Secret Pal, who is totally awesome by the way. If I knew who she was, I would send her something awesome back. I hope she is enjoying the swap as much as I am. I also hope my secret pal is as well. I haven't heard if she has received the July package I sent her yet. I was a little nervous about my first swap, but I am really enjoying it.

Here's the awesome sock yarn my OSSP sent me. It's from Ruby Sapphire Yarns, Jade Sock Yarn in colorway Emma. 440 yds of 100% superwash wool. I absolutely love it! It has pinks, purples, blues, greens, and golds in it. I can't wait to try it out, these socks will most definately be for me! (Also love the sock form keychain!!)



On a sock note, I have finished the first sock on circs and yes, have cast on the second one.





I discovered a new podcast this week, Lime & Violet. I think these chics rock! You should definately check them out.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Just a little update

I'm knitting on the foot on the circ socks. I put it on and yes there are some lovely holes on one side where I picked up the stitches; I'll have to go back and fix that later.



My Trekking XXL I won on ebay arrived while my DH was on a business trip. DH made it home fine very late Friday night, although his plane was two hours late, his first business trip went well.



I need to get started on my One Skein Secret Pal project for August as well as my Think Pink scarf that is due in September. This Wednesday night is my last socks on 2 circs class so I may put sock #2 on hold so I can slip those scarves on and (hopefully!) off the needles in time.

No word from my One Skein Secret Pal yet on if she got her July package. I really hope she likes it. I did hear from my secret pal that my package is in the mail. I love getting yarn in the mail!

Friday, July 21, 2006

Yarn Crawl

While the cats away, the mice will play! Actually, my DH is away on a business trip in Dallas and I took a few days off of work to relax. Yesterday I did a little yarn crawl around the KC area. First I headed down to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum and enjoyed a nice stroll through the museum.

Then it was up to Urban Arts & Crafts in the River Market district where I enjoyed perusing through their stock of crafting supplies. Stamping, scrapbooking, beading, knitting, I've done them all. I picked up a ball of Rimini Rainbow and Harvest Tweed. They had a lot of great samples and I think I will make a hat from the Rainbow and a had from the Tweed. I also picked up a great pattern for a Chain Link Cabled Scarf that I will try later on down the road.



My next stop was at The Studio off of the Country Club Plaza. I had to drive by a couple of times before I found the place, but it was well worth it. It is the only yarn store that I've been to in the area that carries the elusive Koigu! I managed to not buy any at this time, I want to get better at sock knitting before I spend so much on the yarn. I did pick up some Opal sock yarn and a skein of mohair that I hope to pair with my Malabrigo purchased in St. Louis to make a scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts.



Last but not least I met up with my friend Susan for dinner. We used to work together and don't get to see each other that often. We try to have dinner every few months and we just sit and talk for hours. After I got home, my DH called me before bed. I realized how much I miss him (this is his first business trip.) It was the perfect end to a great day.

Today we are being blessed with some much needed rain and cooler temps. It's been in the hundreds all week! I had planned to take a friend and head out to the Yarn Barn in Lawrence but we've decided to stay in town and see The Devil Wears Prada, have some lunch, and go shopping.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sunday, July 16, 2006

Yarn Pron and some updates

I went on a yarn buying spree this week. I picked up two skeins of Regia surf sock yarn from Simply Socks Yarn Company. Great store, got the package in the mail very quickly. I think my husband is starting to suspect something. Packages of yarn are now arriving at our house on a regular basis and he is asking questions. I also won my first skein of Trekking XXL on ebay this week. It should get here in the next week or so. Now that I'm hearing about all of these great sock yarns, I'm trying to try them all.



While at my knitting class on Wednesday I picked up some more yarn. A skein of Morehouse Farms Merino in pink to knit a scarf for The Think Pink Challenge. After reading their book I've been dying to try out the yarn. Now I wonder if I can figure out which sheep it came from in the pics in the book...



I also picked up a skein of merino wook in DK weight variegated pinks/purples for my One Skein Secret Pal. Without giving out TMI, she lives in California and I live in the Midwest. Do you know how freaking hard it is to figure out what to buy someone whose climate does not have the craziness that yours does? This weekend it is around 100 degrees here and in 5 months it will be around 20 degrees. I can use any yarn at some point during the year. Don't know if that is the same in Cali.

An update on the socks on circs. Here they are, on the gusset rounds. I really liked knitting the leg part of the sock on the circs but am not crazy about the heel and gusset portion on the circs. For some reason I like having the instep all on one needle and on the circs it is split between the two. I also had a horrible time picking up stiches on one side. I frogged it a couple of times and then gave up and kept going. They are holey on one side but I figure I can take some yarn and patch them up in the end. Nothing like a desire for mediocrity to keep you going.



I've also knit a few more rounds on the Irish Hiking Scarf. I really like it and everyone who has seen it has been impressed even though I tell them it's really easy. Note to self: cables make you appear an accomplished knitter even if you aren't.

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Blog addict

It seems like I spent a lot of time looking at knitting blogs instead of actually knitting. I had heard of Bloglines but didn't really understand why it would be useful to me. I subscribed today after going to numerous blogs I had bookmarked only to see that they hadn't been updated in a while. Now with Bloglines I can easily and quickly go to new posts instead of wasting time navigating to a lot of blogs that haven't been updated.

One of the best things about Bloglines was that when I subscribed to my own blog, I saw that I already had 4 subscribers. I was so excited! I had turned on my rss feed a few months ago after reading a post on the Knitter's Review forum but I never really expected anyone to be subscribed. Today I added a button that will send you to my subscription page.

Thank you to my 4 subscribers, you have made my day!

Sunday, July 09, 2006

Sock it to me

Last Wednesday was the first night of my socks on 2 circs class. It went pretty well. I learned a new cast-on, the cable cast-on. It was slippery as hell on the Addis! After I got my cast-on done then I crossed over some stitches to get the whole thing started which confused me. I've been doing pretty good with the leg so far. It's actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. I'm just doing good ol' 2x2 ribbing so it's not complicated. Here's my progress so far.



I also started a new scarf this week. I've been wanting to make something with cables for a while now so I started the Irish Hiking Scarf. I really like how it's going so far. I think I twisted the stiches on the middle cable in the beginning but I've decided I'm not going to frog it. I think it gives it character!



Last but not least, I ran out and picked up a ball winder on Tuesday. Having a swift and no winder was killing me. Here's the first ball I've wound into a beautiful little yarn cake!

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Yarn Swiftiness

I made a yarn swift!! Actually, my husband helped a little :-).

I have been wanting a yarn swift and ball winder for a while now. I tend to buy yarn and not use it right away and then I need to wind it. I've tried hand winding yarn and it was disasterous (see previous posts.)

Last Sunday I found this post by Bronte at Confessions of a Graveyard Gypsy. Knitting Badger made her a yarn swift from these directions. I thought, hey, I can do that! So that was our 4th of July project. It's not very pretty, but it seems functional. You can see it's a little off balanced from the pic but we are going to pick up another washer and wing nut for the top to try and sturdy it up a little.

Now all I need is a ballwinder! he he he