Did I mention I'm a yarn whore?

Oh yeah! I mean, I have a stash. I have a really big stash. But for whatever reason, I can't pass up a yarn bargain. And to make matters worse, then I choose a new project & go buy yarn to knit it!!! How crazy is that? This is my latest acquisition: Jewel Box from Big Lots for $1.99 a skein. My sister emailed me that her Big Lots had yarn on sale & she'd go check it out for me if I wanted her to. I tried to explain that yarn was like crack, you can't pass it up if you are addicted, so I wasn't going to even go there. Plus it's really hard to tell other people what you are looking for in yarn. Well, Big Lots is literally 1/2 mile from my house & I buy bottled water in bulk there. On a recent trip I innocently passed by the yarn aisle (HA) and found this - my fav is at the left, the "tiger" looking stuff! LOVE. The good news is that I just saw the exact same yarn at Joann's & Michaels for like $5 so it really was a bargain.

Here is my job today: I'm riffling through the dozens of knitting mags that I've picked up & matching projects to yarn that I HAVE. It will be done! Will update when I figure all this out. Sigh....

Going to the Olympics! Knitting, that is...

Yep, I joined the knitting olympics. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, author & fellow blogger at www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/, put out a challenge for a knit along that begins during the opening ceremony of the Olympics & you have to be finished your project in 16 days. That is also the day I leave for a girl trip for Vegas, so I may just have another bag to bring with me to put my winnings in (read, shopping loot since I don't really gamble)! I will be attempting the Berroco Toshiko Tote - it is my first attempt at felting & since I have primarily knitted scarves, I feel like it is a challenge for me. I will post a picture of my yarn (Damariscotta Mix) when I get it because the color on the site is such a bad representation - it's much more green.

Poor Patrick. See, one of the rules of the knitalong is this:
"While this is intended to be somewhat difficult (like the Olympics) it is not intended to ruin your life. Don't set yourself up for failure. (Olympic athletes may cry, but they do not whine pitifully, sob and threaten members of their family with pointed sticks because they haven't slept in five days. ) This is intended to (like the Olympics) require some measure of sacrifice, and be difficult, but it should be possible to attain."
Hmmmm, I read this to him & he's a little nervous. Simply because he actually has been poked with knitting needles & apparently it's not really pleasant! :) I'll let you know how it goes.

Knit no more...

So I won't be knitting for a while. On Wednesday I was slicing potatoes on the PC Ulitmate slice & grate & I cut the hell out of my finger. I mean I cut it good. Went to the doctor and got the first three stitches of my life. I had knitting group that night & was all kind of happy to go knit with my friends because I haven't seen them in a while. Oh well....

On the needles right now:
*Scarf for Patrick out of Debbie Bliss Alpaca silk - it is a dream to knit with. I am using the pattern for the Cashmere Boyfriend Scarf out of Last Minute Gifts. It looks great so far! Especially since poor baby I gave him a box of yarn for Christmas instead of a knitted gift.

*Scarf for Kenny. I am using a great yarn - shown in the upper left of the picture above. We got it free at an estate sale! I am using a Reversible Stitch pattern shown here http://knitting.about.com/library/blscarf.htm

*My sweater - Crosby from Berrocco - see pixs above. I have the front & back done, I just have to finish the other piece. Oh yeah, and sew together & learn how to block (I think).

*Another spiral scarf as shown in my other article in Sierra. This one is for me. :)

So be on the look out for me! I'll be working on projects just as soon as I possibly can. I'm ready NOW.

Spiral Success

I love this scarf! It was so much fun to make. I made it from a pattern from the Lion Brand Yarn website called Spiral "Ruffle" Scarf with Homespun Yarn Prairie & edged with Moonlight Mohair in Rain Forest. I love this color combo. I was looking for a pattern using these two yarns because they were in a huge box of yarn that I got at a yard sale for $5. I chose this one because it was knit on circular needles & incorporated a yarn over, neither of which I had done.

I made this scarf originally as a Christmas gift for my stepmom. Well, I also needed a knitted gift for Patrick's grandma (she specifically asked / hinted for a knitted gift) & as time approached, it became very apparent that I didn't have time for a new project. Since I had a gift for smom, Gran got the scarf. Out of all the things I had finished, this scarf really fit her personality & she really seemed to love it - she even wore it Christmas day. But my mind wouldn't let it go that this was smom's gift! I made it with her in mind! And she seems to "get it" and appreciate my craft, so I bought more yarn & made another one. After all, her birthday is Jan. 11th! I knit it while we were at the beach on vacation, so it also has happy vacation beachy vibes knit into it! No sand though, I was on the balcony.

So Happy Birthday, Ms. Nancy, I hope you love it as much as I do. As a matter of fact, of all the projects I've made for others, I may have to make just one more. Just for me!

No Hat Left Behind

I had good intentions, really I did. I decided to knit my sister a hat for Christmas. I've never made a hat, but she's really not a scarf gal. And she has a hat that she loves! After looking at some knitting magazines in, oh, about September, she commented on a hat. So I searched forever looking for a hat pattern that looked like the one she has that she likes (crocheted, probably) & found a great free pattern on Bernat (I'll add the link if I ever figure out how!). Anyway, the pattern called for Bernat Galaxy yarn. I saw the yarn & thought it was pretty enough, but it didn't come in an color I wanted to use. She owns a black jacket & a red jacket & she already has a pink hat, so I was trying to find something that went with her jackets & she didn't have. So I opted for Caron Charming in Jubilee. It seemed to be the same weight, it called for the same size needles, no harm in switching out yarns, right? Or at least that's what I've read....

I had minor struggles with the pattern but after a few phone calls to my knitting buddies I figured it out. It came out quite smashingly, I thought. Except...
It was too small. It was WAY too small. Many people that saw it questioned my sanity - I mean, didn't I notice when I was knitting it that it was only big enough for a small child???? Well, no, because you knit it flat & sew a seam and HEY it's my first hat, people! Well, my niece is 4 & she doesn't have a knitted project for her auntie, so I figured I'd improvise & give it to her. NOPE - it didn't even fit a small(ish) child! But she got a cabbage patch baby doll for Christmas, so she's the lucky receiptent. Which kind of worked out since I knit that poncho for her sister's doll. Now my other niece decided she wanted a hat knit out of the same yarn that I used for her poncho into a hat for her cabbage patch doll. Uhhhhh, yarn size substitution / pattern resize anyone? I don't think I'm ready for that. But i'll make her a hat for some doll she has - I just have to figure out what!

So the bad news? My sister, my own flesh & blood doesn't even have a knitted project! My goal is to knit something for everyone in my family & now she is the odd woman out. Good news? I guess now I can actually find out what she wants, what color, let her pick her yarn, etc. My teacher laughed & asked cautiously "Oh, now you are letting people pick what they want you to knit?" Apparently that is a no-no in her book. My answer to that is - sure, my rule is that if I majorly screw up your gift, you get a freebie!