Blog? What Blog?

Oh yeah, I have a blog. I forget about it sometimes. I'm not exactly a great blogger or wordsmith so most of the time I just throw my stuff up on Ravelry and keep on goin'.

I recently finished a cable hat which was meant to be knit for me but it came out too small for me, for my DH, essentially anyone over the age of 10. So I gifted it to a coworker's son who is two. If it doesn't fit him then I seriously need to rethink this whole knitting thing.


I also started a Noro Striped Scarf of Brooklyntweed fame. I'm a couple of inches in and to be honest I'm not that crazy about it. I think it might be too wide for me so I am thinking about ripping it out.

Other than that I haven't been knitting too much. I have another baby sweater to make and of course more socks that I want to knit.

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays!

First Sweater

Pattern: February Baby Sweater from Knitter's Almanac
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy - Giant Peach
Needle : Size 8 16" circular

So I finally made a sweater....a baby sweater. This is my first completed sweater and it was fun but a lot of newness for me. I made the February Baby Sweater (ravelry link) from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Almanac. I started the sweater in August for a coworker whose baby was due in October. I gave him the sweater last Thursday (in November when the baby was a month old). It's not that the tiny thing took me from August to November to knit but I had a hard time being monogamous to the project. I made some socks, a cowl, a Clapotis, a booby, etc in between.

It was a good experience. I had to restart the sweater three times because my stitch count was off. Then I messed up the collar when I had to make one and forgot to knit into the back of the stitch so there were some holes but I played it off as a design element. My button holes were off a little too. I tried to knit the sleeves in the round but that didn't work out so I ended up knitting them flat and then seaming. I'm not the best seamstress so I hope everything stays together. It was also my first button sewing experience for knitting. I hope those stay on too. I pulled apart some strands of the wool and used it to sew them on.





Overall I think he liked the sweater and I hope the kid hasn't outgrown it already. Don't know if I'll ever brave making one for me. It could take years!

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving!

In honor of the Yarn Harlot being in KC tonight, I thought I would tell everyone Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

I'm so excited to get to see/hear her again! I've also got a knitted TitBit in the works for the event.

Home again, home again, jigetty jig

Home again after a long weekend road trip. My mom drove up from Arkansas last Wednesday and Thursday morning we set off out west to Mount Rushmore.

We had a fun trip. We drove through the Badlands, saw lots of beautiful scenery and wildlife (including some buffalo really close on the road), and had a good time. I didn't get much knitting done because I did most of the driving but I did finish one sock on the way home.

We also did some geocaching and I got to add 3 new states to my states visited list, SD, WY, MT. I have a dream of going to all 50 states, probably the geographer in me.

October should be a busy month. We start puppy school this week and it just happens to fall on knit night so I don't know how much I'll get done over the next month. But there is going to be a Fiber Festival at one of the LYS and the Yarn Harlot is coming to KC. I'm excited about that more than anything. I drove to Wichita a year ago to see her and I'm really looking forward to her coming here.

Ravelympics 2008

Life with Lexi is beginning to settle down a bit and we are getting into a routine. This means that I've actually gotten to knit a little in the last week.

Today was the last day of Ravelympics. And while I didn't make my goal of 2 hats and a cowl, I did finish one hat that I have been wanting to make for a friend's little boy. They are from Minnesota and big Vikings fans so I made him a Baby Viking Hat (Ravelry link.) It turned out a little big so I'm not sure if he will get to wear it this year but maybe next year.


I've also made some progress on my RPM socks. I hope to finish them before Sept 1 when Summer of Socks is over. I didn't meet my goal there thi year with a pair of socks a month but life has been crazy around here this summer so I'm okay with that.

An Actual FO

Life over the last week has been crazy. Having a puppy is like having a child. DH and I discussed it for months before we finally made the commitment to get Lexi. We are glad we did but we are still getting used to having to get up in the middle of the night and let the dog out, having to watch her all of the time that she is out of her kennel, and not having all of the time to ourselves that we used to have. I haven't knit hardly at all since Lexi came home with us. In fact I think I am going to have to give up on my Ravelympics goals.

Before we picked up Lexi I actually finished my Koigu Clapotis (Ravelry link.) I used 3 skeins of KPPM and did the full increase and decrease sections but only 8 repeats of the straight section. I finished it in time to wear to the Knitting Guild's Opinionated Tea to celebrate Elizabeth Zimmermann's birthday. I think a good time was had by all and I actually got dressed up for a change.


I started a February Baby Sweater in Dream in Color Classy Giant Peach for a coworker's wife who is due in October. Hopefully I should be able to finish it before then. Yesterday I also started a Viking Hat for the little boy of a friend. They are from Minnesota and big Viking fans so I think they will get a kick out of the hat.

Today I stayed home from work due to having to go to the dreaded DMV and register the car and pay the taxes. Also lots of cuddle and play time with the puppy. I picked up the Fall Vogue and Fall Knit Simple as well. I think I might have to knit up some mittens this fall. And maybe a doggie sweater....doesn't she look like she needs one come fall?

It's a Girl!

Today DH and I added a new member to our family. Lexi is an 8 week old red Minature Dachshund. We have been talking about getting a dog for a few months but couldn't agree on what we wanted. Finally we did so we found a local breeder and picked up Lexi today. We spent most of the day getting prepared for dog ownership and playing with her. I'll post pics soon. We just put her to bed so I don't want to go downstairs to get the camera and wake her.

Goodbye Old Friend

Yesterday I had to say goodbye to an old friend, my car. It was either fix the transmission (expensive) or get a new car. So we got a new car. Problem is, I don't get to drive the new car. I get to drive the other old car and the husbeast gets the new one.

I will miss my car. It was good to me on many a long trip to visit family or the daily commute.

Road Trip!

So I'm going down to Arkansas for the weekend to visit the family. It will be hot and sticky I'm sure as all Arkansas summers are for as long as I can remember.

There probably won't be much yarn buying but that's okay as I just received my Loopy Groupie package this week. There will be knitting and geocaching and lots of eating. Always fun stuff.

Have a good weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

Meme

I've seen this Meme going around the blogosphere so I thought I would post it. It makes you think about yourself a little and share more than just the usual stuff.

1. Where was I 10 years go.
I was taking summer classes at college. I had messed up my knee skiing over spring break and had just gotten off of crutches but still had to wear a brace so I couldn't really get a summer job so I just went to school.

2. 5 things on today’s to-do list
Run the dishwasher
Take out the trash
Get car fixed
Knit some on the Clapotis
Call Libby back

3.Snacks I enjoy
Chocolate, kettle corn, ice cream, almost anything sweet

4. Things I would do if I were a billionaire.
Travel the world. I'd love to go to all 7 continents. Knit all day. Take lots of classes just for fun. Share the wealth.

5. Places I have lived.
Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri

6. Jobs I have had.
Cashier, Fast-food worker, Paint dept girl, Writing Assistant, Copy girl, Library Clerk, Cartographer

7. Who would I like to know more about.
Everything. I'm an information junkie. I read all sorts of books, magazines, blogs etc.

Toe Up Socks

So my knittas at MisKnits are big toe up sock gals. I had never knit a toe up sock...until now. I finished my first toe up on Wednesday at UFO night. Amber, the lovely MisKnits owner, showed me how to do a sewn bind off so that I could actually get my foot into the sock. I have a tendency to knit tight and bind off tighter. Today I am going down to the Plaza to hang out with other knitters for WWKIP day and work on the second toe up sock. I'd love to finish this pair before next Saturday when the Summer of Socks officially begins but we'll see how that goes.

Happy WWKIP Day everyone!

And Happy Birthday Stephanie, you rock!

Birthday Swap

I joined the Birthday Swap 2008 on Ravelry and had a wonderful partner Alisha whose birthday is the day after mine. Here is the awesome package she sent me.


Lots of goodies. There was a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn, two skeins of JoJoland Melody, two boxes of cookies, some Goats milk soap and hand cream, and two patterns from Cookie A. (Django and Trystero.)


Great minds must think alike because I actually sent Alisha the Cookie A. pattern Mingus. Also some Socks that Rock in Lemongrass, Soak wash, sock blocker keychain, and some stitch markers I made.

Birthday Recap

DH and I had a lot of fun in California. We went to Disneyland, and California Adventure on Friday. We enjoyed it but it was a lot smaller than Disney World which we went to for the last two years. It was fun to ride different things and see where it all began though. On Saturday we headed out to Huntington Beach. I was very excited to see the Pacific Ocean. It was cold and really salty but a lot of fun.

I didn't make it to any yarn shops in Cali but I did pick up a few things for my birthday back home. First off I bought this amazing bag from Girley Purls. Carmen is awesome and so are her bags!


Then I ordered some yarn from The Loopy Ewe.

All Things Heather Hand Dyed Sock Yarn in Teal
(It's dyed in California so I counted this as my California vacation yarn!)

Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Juniper

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
I just got home from California,
And am very tired-y!

Happy Mother's Day!

My mom came and visited us this weekend for Mother's Day. We did some shopping and went out to Missouri Town 1855. It was nice to see her again. I haven't seen my family since Christmas.

I gave her the Monkey socks that I finished on Thursday and the Branching Out scarf. She loves my hand knitted socks so I like making them for her.

For all of the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day! My only babies have feathers but they still talk back.

Summer of Socks

So I signed up for Summer of Socks. Now I can try to burn through all of the sock yarn I have been buying and maybe even pick up some more. I don't have a huge goal, just two pair which is one pair for each month of the contest. Wish me luck!

Spring Cleaning

May is turning out to be a busy month! My mom is coming to visit for Mother's Day Weekend so this weekend we've been doing some serious spring cleaning. I tend to be a messy person at home and only do really serious cleaning when we have company coming which is only a few times a year.

My exciting news is that my birthday is in 14 days and I get to celebrate it by going to California. I am very excited! DH has to go out to Mira Loma for work and I am going to fly out the Thursday before my birthday. We are going to the Pacific Ocean (which I've never seen) and Disneyland (first time for me.) We went to DisneyWorld in January on vacation so this will be cool to see where it all started. I have this secret goal to go to all 50 states, it probably comes from being a geographer/cartographer as an occupation. I was upset last year when I turned the big 3-0 because I had only been to 26 states and the last of those was 2 years before. California will be 27 so I'm happy to be upping my numbers.

On the knitting front, there has been progress and stash acquistion. I ordered for the first time from The Loopy Ewe. I got my package very quickly and was excited to see all of my goodies. I can't show you everything in detail because some of it is secret.


I did get some Slyph yarn from Spritely Goods (Ravelry link) for myself. I love the pink and gray together. I also bought the sample sizes of Soak to try and Sheri threw in some needle tracking cards that will come in handy.


I finished my first Monkey Sock and am on to the foot of my second. Thought these might be a good Mother's Day present if I can finish them in time. I am so loving the Koigu!

In my effort to Spring Clean before my mom comes I also finally got my office set up so you can actually stand in the room. I have moved all of my yarn, knitting books, and knitting stuff into the room as well. I am having a dilemma though if I should actually put the yarn out on the shelves or leave it in the big plastic ziplock bag its in now. We get quite a bit of dust in our house and as much as I would love to have the yarn out on display I'm afraid it will become a home for dust bunnies.

So I am asking everyone a question...how do you store your yarn? If it is out in the open, do you worry about dust?

Socks Rock

PS3 Fire socks completed!
Pattern: Yarn Harlot's generic sock pattern from Knitting Rules
Yarn: Trekking XXL

These socks were my quickest knit socks so far. They are a little snug so I don't know if I will keep them or give them away. They have some ladders in a few places so I'm not sure if I am comfortable giving them to anyone. I thought about my mom but the colors may be a bit bright for her.

Monkey socks on the needles. I started the Monkey socks last weekend after finishing the PS3 socks. So far I'm really liking them. This is my first time to knit with Koigu and now I know what all of the fuss is about. I'm definitely going to try and make these socks fit me.

There has been a lot of sock yarn stash enhancement over the last few weeks.

Happy Feet

Shibui Knits

And my very first ....SOCKS THAT ROCK

Can't wait to knit with the Socks that Rock!

A few FOs

I've got a few FO's to post as well as some stash acquisition.

I finished the Multi-Directional Scarf. It was a quick and fun knit. It works great for a PS3 Earth Element knit...even if I did technically finish it in March.

As for PS3 Fire element, I am still working on the socks. I'm actually trying to make these socks match so we'll see how that works out for me. The first one is finished and I cast on and finished the ribbing on the second sock tonight at MisKnits knit night. I've been going to knit night for a few weeks now and I'm really enjoying it. For the last year or so I have just been knitting at home by myself. I love the company and am having a lot of fun seeing what other people are knitting and getting to have "knitspeak" and talk about Ravelry. Of course that also means I've been buying more yarn...but we just don't mention that to DH!


I also purchased the new Yarn Harlot book and I love it. I'm reading it slowly so I can prolong the enjoyment. I also bought some new sock yarn at MisKnits, Happy Feet.

It's beginning to look a lot like Spring!

Green is quickly becoming my new favorite color

Bulbs I planted in the fall are starting to come up in the flowerbed.


Multidirectional Scarf (ravelry link). I'm really enjoying this pattern. The short rows are fun and go fairly quickly. Notice the very windy day we are having. Typical of Spring in the Midwest.

Project Spectrum 2008

I decided to participate in Project Spectrum this year. I love the element theme. February/March are Fire. I had this Trekking XXL sock yarn that I was going to make Jaywalkers out of but it they were too tight so I frogged them. Now I am just making a generic sock based on the Yarn Harlot's pattern. I really like the bright colors and the blue stripe is fun.

First 2008 post

Wow, I just realized that I haven't posted at all this year. To be honest, I haven't really knit much either. Once the holidays were over, work was crazy. Then it was vacation time. We just got back yesterday from Disney World. So much fun. Much better weather than at home. I'll try to get back into knitting in the next few weeks. I sure am looking forward to spring though after warm days in Florida. Maybe a Mickey Dishcloth will be just the thing.