Monday, December 11, 2006

Stitch Marker success!


It seems that most of my knitting friends were gifted with the ability to also make stitch markers. They occassionally bring them to get togethers and hand them out like candy. Each time I get one I am amazed at how different they all are and I figured out why I like them so much - they are jewelry for our knitting! How cool is that? So I finally got one of them to give a quick lesson and I loved it. SO fun. Just what I needed- another addiction. Little sheep, skull, itty bitty sock marker.

The Purple Purse eater

I was reading Amy Singer's blog on Knitty.com & she was commenting on how she always felt like a Pollyanna & that she always has a positive spin on her entries. Hmmm, I agree although to be honest, I want to hear the screw ups so that a) I don't make the same mistakes b) I don't feel like such a loser since many times my projects don't come out right c) well, it just makes for a better blog story than "Look how pretty my project came out". I mean, right? If so, this is such a story.

In previous posts I have shown you pictures of my pretty Noni Carpet Bag. I did the Rather Huge version so it's a ton of yarn (10 skeins with flowers). I finished it in early September but I have just procrastinated felting it. All my knitting friends were giving me such a hard time that I hadn't felted it & just kept asking "why, what do you think is going to happen????". Hmmm, I don't know - really I don't & I'm scared & I don't wanna. So under extreme peer pressure I felted it. The flowers were first & they felted well, were pretty after someone else figured out how the "innards" were supposed to be arranged. Quite frankly, the way I had them looked like a penis & the last thing I wanted was a penis purse. Then came the actual bag & handles felting. And it faded. Like really bad. The brown completely ran on the pink part & turned my favorite color combination into a lavendar/ chocolate brown disaster. See for yourself




So what is that answer? I'm going to take it to my LYS & see if I can find a color to make more flowers to put on it. Then I'll find appropriate lining & put it together & use it as a knitting bag for a while. I may end up gifting it because I honestly don't know if I can look at it without feeling ill. I'll let you know.

Since several people have asked, I'll add that I used Cascade 220 wool - Pink was color 9477 && the Brown was 8686.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

November wrap up

Well, I've done a great job of avoiding my blog - though I have been knitting. Right now I'm on Christmas presents so I can't post in progress pictures, but here are some things I've finished lately.

Fetching fingerless mitts for me - knit from Trendsetter Kashmir. This yarn was such a freaking dream to work with. If I hit the lottery, I'm making a sweater out of it!


Scarf knit from James T. Brett marble yarn in a basket weave pattern


This is a straight garter stitch scarf that I started in the summer for my niece for Christmas. I bought the yarn on clearance at Walmart & it is just adorable.


2x2 ribbed scarf knit from a yarn I got at a friend's moving sale. I'll post the yarn name if I find a label. I knit it with the intent to wear it in New York over Thanksgiving but I promptly finished it in the airport on the way home. My timeline was rather optimistic.


Happy Holidays!