Bleech. I'm Sick of this Sweater!

I swore I wasn't going to bore my blog readers with constant updated pictures of this sweater over the weeks {months...years....} that it takes me to finish it. I have come to realize though that because I haven't really talked about it that people must think I'm not so much a real knitter as I am a yarn buyer. I promise, I have been knitting on this beauty since July 17th. I started keeping track because I have a knitter friend by the name of Betty that, thanks to a program in her handy dandy palm pilot type thingy can tell you how long it took her to knit something - well, in addition to what yarn she used, the cost of said yarn, the date she purchased it, what book the pattern came from...and probably how many stitches she knitting to make the damn thing! But I digress....

This is the Sonnet sweater from Knitty.com. The sweater really has been easy to knit - the body is knit in one piece & then you do the sleeves and attach them at the end. It's primarily garter stitch with small sections of box stitch thrown in for slight contrast. As you can see I'm about half way through which each sleeve. On the advice of some fellow knitters I decided to knit both sleeves at the same time but I was about half way through sleeve #1. So I started sleeve #2, am going to knit it to the same point, then knit them at the same time. I'm almost there - 14 rows to go to be exact - before I start this method. It's actually genius, I feel silly not having thought of it on my own. That's why we hang out with other knitters!

Now I'm beginning to think that I'm going to hate it by the time I am done knitting it. I wonder if I'll ever enjoy the wearing of it? I'll tell you one thing for sure - I'm going to figure out the answer to that question before starting sweater #2. I had myself pegged as a sweater knitter. I came to that conclusion because I really really do like knitting things for myself & I'm not as much of a scarf person as I imagined. I have tried to knit skinny scarves to wear with tshirts & the like, but it just never seems to work out - they keep me too warm, which is of course their function. So I turned to sweaters because they too will keep you warm, but I do wear sweaters so I may as well just make my own. I have bought enough yarn over the past month or so to make four more sweaters, so either I am going to be a sweater knitter or every person that I know is going to have the same scarf / hat set!


Isn't this yarn delicious???? I love love love love it! It is hand painted yarn by Claudia & I bought it at Yarns Ewenique in Fort Worth. My LSSK (lone star state knitters) group went on a yarn crawl last week and we had a ball! I guess for me it was more of a book crawl because this is the only yarn that I bought. I got it with the intention of gifting it to someone, but now I'm really not so sure. I really hate to make gifts out of yarn that I don't like but I'm growing emotionally attached to my beloved yarn & am having a heck of a time parting with it. Sigh. I'll try.

Woolie Ewe Haul

So Friday I get an email from the Woolie Ewe that they are having a 40% off everything sale. From what I've heard not everyone knew about the sale & all I can say this THANK GOODNESS because it was packed in that place!! But late Friday night, my list began. I tried to think of upcoming projects so I wouldn't get too out of control & I would have some focus. You see, some yarn NEVER goes on sale. So now is the time to get it at a discount, I mean, if you are going to buy it anyway!!! The idea of "everything" on sale didn't register for me so lucky for my wallet I didn't include needles or books on my wishlist.

So here is the rundown of what I got and more importantly, it's purpose.
* A bag (10 skeins) of red Cascade 220 to make the Knitty Mariah http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter04/PATTmariah.html
* 2 skeins pink / 2 skeins choc brown Cascade 220 to make an unnamed felted bag of some sort
* 2 skeins Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande in Ivory to make a scarf for Patrick's dad for Christmas
* 6 balls of Rowan kidsilk spray to make Aimee (see Projects of Interest)
* 2 skeins of Plymouth Encore in pink / grey varigated to make a scarf & hat for a friend's child for Christmas
* addi Turbo size 7, 24"
* addi Turbo size 8, 24"

And that's all folks!

Curse of the Hand Knitter

I am a self-confessed extreme bargain shopper - therefore my closet runneth over with $10 deals. I have so many clothes that it's seriously not even funny anymore. I had an obvious epiphany recently that since I work from home & don't go anywhere except Walmart, Target, knitting events & shopping that if I had 10 -20 really great pieces of clothes that I was totally in love with that I'd be set for most occassions. Recently we have gone out to eat to places that I didn't feel comfortable in jeans or my ratty capri pants and then there was the panic while trying to figure out what to wear to go see Mamma Mia! Maybe I should have a few pairs of nice pants & a few tops that aren't tshirts, then I'd know have effortless pieces in my closet no matter where I'm asked to go. Which brings me to my point....

Nordstrom is having their anniversary sale so I decided to get something to fit into this new philosophy. Something stylish yet classic that I could throw on and look great but not like I am trying too hard. My criteria was simple - nothing over $100 but nothing "cheap". So in my search I found the prettiest sweater in a great chocolate brown color, put it in my shopping bag online & held my breath as they charged my debit card the $70 some odd dollars. I am a grown up now, I should be wearing something other than a M*A*S*H tshirt & pants that can be long or are convertible to capris from Walmart! I anxiously awaited it's arrival in my mailbox. Flash to this morning....it's here! It's so pretty.... what easy construction....Brillant. I COULD MAKE THIS! Is it really worth nearly $80 if I could make it? Should I pay someone else for simple design and construction that I could copy & make myself? It's soft & I love the yarn - get this....it's ACRYLIC! What the hell? I'm completely confused. I know that the yarn I'd buy to make it PLUS the time it would take me to design (copy?) the pattern PLUS the time it would take me to knit it would be WAY more than $80. I just don't know if I could ever be happy with this garment though knowing that I could do it myself but make it even better by customizing it to my body. It could be slimmer through the waist to play up my assets. I'd like it to be just a tad longer.

Will I ever be able to buy a sweater at a store ever again in my whole life? Or a hat or scarf or....dare I say it....socks (gulp)? I guess I could look at the bright side. If I take it back, I have an extra $80 for yarn shopping......

Instant Gratification X 2

Isn't this great? I am in love with this hat & scarf combo. I worked on this scarf & made it about half way through Saturday night at our knitting group & then knitted for a few hours yesterday to finish it up and do the hat. The hat is so super easy - the pattern can be found on the Berroco website, it's called

Emelia

but I didn't use the Softee with it. The scarf is a plain garter stitch knitted on size 50 needles, and only 10 stitches across! Now I remember why I enjoy knitting on huge needles though this is my first time on 50s. I have loved this yarn (Berroco Hip Hop in BeBop shade) since I first layed eyes on it & but it finally decided that it needs to be mine. Well, actually it is my sister's Christmas present, but I did have the good sense to buy enough yarn to make a matching set for myself. I do think I'm going to add about an inch to my hat though. This was so fun & quick that I feel like I've accomplished something. So much for working on my new size 3 needles! (I'd like to thank Priscilla for modeling for me & not giving me any grief about it).

Another great & quick project that I had a ball knitting. This apple dishcloth compliments of

Rainy

on the LoneStar Knitter's list. It really was one of the most fun things that I have made in quite some time. It was quick, just enough of a pattern to keep me interested but not so much that I couldn't watch TV - or drink wine. I will be doing more - these are supposed to be a gift for my mom, we'll see how many I get done!

I love on-the-needles projects that come off-the-needles finished before I even have a chance to blog about them. Sometimes a girl just needs instant gratification!

SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!

I really think I have a problem. I have been buying yarn like a maniac! While Patrick was gone here is the yarn I acquired and the accompanying excuse..I mean reason I bought each. Why I feel that I have to justify my purchases is just beyond me. He doesn't care. I have the money. Really, does it matter? But every single time I buy some for no reason I have to attach a reason to it! However, coincidentally I do have a reason for all this.
TOP PICTURE:
** 10 balls of Jojoland Melody wool in a fingering weight - top left. My reason for this is so horrible. It was on ebay & I was feeling competitive? Is that wrong? I had been watching their auctions every since a girl on the Lonestar Knitters list that I am on won some great cashmere from them. I loved this colorway & it has the elusive red that I seek for the perfect gift for my sister. Not sure that this is it, but hey, it's as good of a reason as any. And I got all 10 balls - not that I needed anything like 10 balls - for $36.00 total ($65 retail) - so really - how could I not do that? Plus I felt like a real woman when I beat the other winches out of this yarn.
** 7 skeins of Fun Fur or Fancy Fur - top right. Reason? THEY WERE $1!!! I like to knit chemo caps out of this so I seriously couldn't pass it up for $1. It's at the Big Lots at Independence & 15th Street in Plano in case you are close to there & I bought it on July 3rd so they probably still have some. Some of the same colors was marked $2 though so make sure you are getting the cheapest (mismarked??) stuff.
** 2 skeins of Plymouth Encore Chunky is the prettiest pink ever - bottom left. I bought it thinking I'd make another Breast Cancer scarf & it seemed like a chunky enough weight to go pretty quickly, but smooth enough to try cables. Now who knows what it will end up being. Real reason? I went to the Woolie Ewe to buy ANOTHER book - Stitch N Bitch Nation - and truly, who can leave there without yarn?
** 10 skeins of Sugar N Creme cotton though only 9 are pictured - 1 is MIA - bottom right. Reason? THEY WERE $1! And I wanted to try my hand at dish clothes, the real use being for dish clothes for my Mom's new house. I made one (picture to follow) and I'm just not sure they are big enough for her to use for that purpose. The pattern was so entirely fun & it took no time to make though! Back to the yarn. For some reason I couldn't buy just a couple skeins, I had to buy 10, since it was still only $10 worth. Don't ask me why - it's a sickness.
BOTTOM PICTURE:
** 2 skeins of Cotton Tots - to make squares for baby blankets for the Lonestar Knitters group.
** 1 skein red Patton's Merino - to make fingerless gloves for my little sis who is going off to college next month...in of course...her new school colors. It's my first stab at cables & they are so fun! Just hard enough to keep it interesting but easy enough to still drink wine while knitting or to watch tv without making too many errors.

I've been knitting At Knit's End by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee & I realize now that if knitters are reading this, they are nodding their heads in agreement. If my family or non-knitting friends are reading, they are probably planning an intervention.

Bored Stiff.

This will probably be boring for ya'll too because I can't post any pictures. Patrick left for Dublin / London on Friday & took our camera with him so I can't take photos for my blog - THE NERVE! What, is the once in a lifetime trip pictures more important than my knitting progress? Ha. Seriously, I'm not excited about one thing I am knitting: Here is what I have OTN:
* Rowan Beth sweater. It's not so much that I am bored with it than that I'm stuck & paralyzed with fear that I'm going to have to frog the whole thing so I haven't progressed at all. I have another private lesson with Alissa on July 10th so I really need to be done with the back by then. I'll try to work on it.
* Pink Left Leaning Decrease lace scarf for donation to the Breast Cancer scarf drive. It is the pattern we were giving in my lace class at Fiber Fest to further understand....any guesses? Left leaning decreases!!!! I do like it but I just can't concentrate on it right now & I have no good excuse.
* Hobby Lobby had Sugar n Cream cotton on sale for 0.99 last week so I went & bought a chunk of it to make new dishclothes for my Mom as a house warming present. I folded clothes for her when I was home in May & I told her she was in NO way to bring those dish cloths / towels into her new house! I think it's just one of those things that we as women pay no attention to & never buy new for ourselves. So I'm working on a dishcloth with an apple motif that was designed by Rainy - a girl on my LoneStar Knitters yahoo list - the design is FANTASTIC. I have never worked with cotton & am not sure how I'm feeling about it. I literally just started it about, oh, 5 rows ago, so I'm still struggling to work with yarn that doesn't have much stretch.

I finished the second pinwheel baby blanket - pictures to follow. I am pretty pleased with it despite the fact that after about an inch of seed stitch border it still curls a little. I really don't think the baby will mind either.

Now to my recent book fetish. I don't know what in the world is wrong with me but in the past 3 weeks or so I have added quite a few knitting books to my library. As if I didn't have enough already (these are in addition to my many magazines). I joined a craft book club (crafterschoice.com in case you care) so 5 of these were from that & they were uber cheap. Here is what I have gotten:
* One Skein by Leigh Radford
* Scarf Style - editted by Pam Allen (fav of all these for sure - changed the way I see scarves)
* 200 Knitted Blocks by Jan Eaton - I was deadly curious & figure I'll use this eventually
* At Knit's End - Stephanie Pearl-McPhee - hysterical.
* Modular Knits by Iris Schreier
* Vogue Knitting from Amazon - I LOVE it. I am highly impressed & it's worth the hype. Terrific design section.
* Loop-d-Loop by Teva Durham - for one pattern that I wanted that was $6 but I could buy the book on ebay for $11 shipped. I mean really - no question what you should do. I like several things in there.
* Stitch N Bitch Nation by Debbie Stoller - picked up at The Woolie Ewe yesterday. The BEST discussion on adjusting a pattern for yarn substitions & pattern mod that I've seen yet. I am starting to study now!
Thus my lack of recent knitting. I've been reading about knitting more than I've actually been knitting. I know that sounds wrong, but it's just true.

So that's what I'm up to. I'll post pictures just as soon as I get my camera back & download those...cultural experience / pub crawling pictures from the other side of the pond! BTW - I did think to remind him that yarn makes a great souvenir. I've since searched & though I doubt he'll go seek out a yarn store (since I also picked out some Celtic jewelry) but maybe maybe maybe he'll run across something at a street vendor? Apparently knitting as a hobby has not caught on in Dublin so you actually have to search for yarn, you just don't trip over it as I imagined. I'll let you know!

Knitting A-D-D Rages On

Seriously. My self-diagnosed startistis is over. I am officially on a starting project kick & bouncing about amongst them all. In addition, I am on the search for yet ANOTHER yarn to start something else too because apparently 4 projects OTN just aren't enough. I won't bore you with more pictures of the still unfinished pinwheel baby blanket - I have started a seed stitch border on it and it is taking for-freakin-ever! But it is turning out nicely & I still have time so I'm excited about it. I love that self striping yarn, though it does tend to split. On to other knitting news:


Beginning of my Rowan Beth sweater. I am so excited about this - I took a private lesson with the wonderful KnittingFairy.com - Alissa Barton for pattern modifications. I am loving the idea of custom fitting patterns & being able to play with them & the sizing since I am not a size zero model with the chest size of a 12 year old!


This scarf is a Christmas present for my niece Jordyn - she loves all things gaudy & sparkly & particularly pink (much like her Aunt T) so when I saw this yarn on CLEARANCE I had to get it for her. I started & basically finished this scarf last weekend. Don't pat me on the back for being early on gifts either. My real motivation was that I needed a truly brainless project while visiting and wine drinking at my group last Saturday. The yarn was a ball to work with and I am not binding off until I make a matching hat. If I can manage to make a hat that will actually fit a 7 year old instead of a baby doll, then I'll make the scarf even longer with any left over yarn.


Is it possible to make charity gifts for philanthropic purposes yet be selfish all at the same time? Gosh I hope so. I am a failed hat maker. I have tried several to no avail. My friend started working at a non-profit that facilitates the Meals-On-Wheels program in her area so we started brain storming about giving the participants hand knitted gifts at Christmas time. So this is my first hat attempt - I figure I can practice hats for charity gifts, right? That isn't entirely selfish, is it? I don't want any flack about knitting flat & sewing up the edges either! I need baby steps, people, and my double point needle collection is pretty sparse. If this basic pattern works out I'll see what else I can dig up....

Knit on!

Clapotis down, 1,000,001 projects to go....

I finished my Clapotis yesterday. If that announcement sounds unenthusiastic it's because I'm not even excited about it. Thus my realization of how deep my "process knitter" syndrome goes. I really don't even care that it's done. Or that I have a cool new wrap that, as its characteristics dictate, compounds perfectly into a cozy scarf. It's pretty and I've actually already used it more than any other item I've knitted to date. When I woke up this morning it was about 68 degrees in my house which tells me that SOMEONE was playing with the thermostat...but I digress....so I had it on with my tank & pj capris this morning. It's very cozy and I like it but within literally 10 minutes of finishing it I was looking around for the next project.

A few points about my clappy:
* I only had 588 yards of yarn. I started to panic when I read on the knitalong how most people used 800+ yards. Last Monday at Mary's Betty suggesting eliminating a repeat of straight rows so that's what I did. When I was done I had what looks like tons of yarn, but I'm sure I would have come up 10 rows short & I would be hating life - and clappy - so I am extremely happy about it. Thanks for the help :)
* What in the world is up with that oblong edge? (see pix 2) It's supposed to be a RECTANGLE. I don't know if I started knitting tight at the end or what, but it's seriously screwed up. I hadn't intended to block it but I'm going to try it. The yarn is 75% acrylic, 25% wool so I think it will block but I don't claim to be an expert. Especially considering I've never blocked a thing.
* I'll get to those hanging strings, I swear.
* I must have gotten slightly off on the pattern because one of my dropped rows isn't quite right. I have a line of stockinette going through about 1 1/2 inches of dropped row. A muggle wouldn't notice & I had to really search for it after the fact, but I know it's there. I'm sure a seasoned knitter would catch it right away & internally -if they knew what was good for them - say "if she hadn't screwed up that part it would be perfect".
* I committed the knitters sin. The bad one. I knotted my balls together in a few spots. I know I shouldn't I KNOW it's going to come back to haunt me, but THERE! I said it. I won't even promise not to whine about it when the whole damn thing comes unravelled.

That's it. The end of my Clapotis saga. The winner of the new project search was the second pinwheel baby blanket for my boss's baby. He isn't due until September so I figured I could pick it up / put it down for a few months in between stuff for me. I forgot what a PAIN IN THE ASS the start of that blanket is, but I'm past it. I really like the self-striping yarn is coming out. I've used varigated but not self-striping so it's kind of fun!

Now what's next....

Progress...

One good thing about being stuck in the airport - I had time to knit. I did lots of knitting on my recent trip home. I knitted while visiting with my Grandma, well, everyone really. Then on the flight home I was delayed a few hours so I had even more knitting time. So lots of Clapotis progress. I have to say, I am on the straight rows & am about to poke my eyeballs out. I am bored bored bored with it. Well, all of it except the dropped stitches - that is cool!

I've decided to start the Rowan Beth sweater - link under Projects of Interest - in my Berrocco Vibe yarn. I figure that I need several projects to keep me from being bored. I had startitis, now I'm having issues finishing what I started.

I also bought yarn. Big shocker. In my defense it was cheap yarn. Isn't that always the defense? The Bernat yarn is for yet another pinwheel baby blanket. My boss' wife is preggers & they found out this week that it's a boy, so I have until September to get this one done. Maybe it will be bigger than a stroller blanket & I will know how to crochet a cool border on it by then. I really like the yarn colors but damn all these boys! I want to knit a cutie pink girly blanket. Flash to the pink girl yarn. Walmart had it on ridiculous clearance & my niece Jordyn would totally dig it, so I figured that I'd make her a scarf & a hat for the fall. That's the excuse...I mean plan....anyway.

That's all for now!

Happy Clappy!

Here is the beginning of my Clapotis. (to view what it will look like when I'm done you can click the link under "projects of interest). I figured I had to have a reason that I bought this yarn & it came to me last week - it needs to be my clappy! As a fellow knitter points out, this project surely sounds like an STD but instead it is a pretty shawl / wrap. It was a bear to start (I frogged it probably 15 times? no lie) but now that I've got a handle on the pattern it's fun to knit. I get to bring it with me when I travel on Thursday!



Well, this is the scarf that I made with the Marble yarn that I purchased at the DFW Fiber Fest. I was obsessed with a basket weave pattern & had to knit one for some reason - I have no clue as to why! I bought this yarn specifically for Patrick's mom because she loves fall colors & wears them often. I figured I'd get a jump on her September birthday & be done. Well...I've heard knitters say that yarn didn't want to be what they had planned & I thought it sounded insane. Now I get it. After knitting about 5 inches of this scarf I told Patrick "this is a boy scarf, not a mom scarf". Period. It's a boy scarf! It looks manly & I really really love it, but it's not hers. I'm not sure who the owner will be, but I'm thinking I can make a hat and put a few more inches length with the additional yarn that I have & poof - it becomes a Christmas gift. Now I just have to figure out which of the men in my life would actually USE a scarf / hat combo! I do have to say that this yarn is great - so easy to work with and for acrylic it is surprisingly soft. I awful glad since I have a huge pile of it to make a sweater for myself.

That's it for now. I'm leaving tomorrow to go see my little sister graduate from high school. It's so hard to believe that she is 18 & going off to college. But I'll be happy to get to see everyone. LATER!

Random Pictures & Musings

I finished the Pinwheel Baby Blanket. It was fun and I think I'll make it my new baby gift. Hopefully by next time I'll know how to make a pretty crochet edge, not just a single stitch one - that in all honesty Tatiana did for me! Plus next time I think I'll make it bigger and maybe make the border with a different color yarn. All in all a fun & mostly mindless project.

My attempt at intarsia from the conference. In case you can't tell it's the bottom half of a heart. I took the class Sunday morning and to be honest I don't think it's for me. I'm glad that I know how to do it, the class was good, the teacher was great, I just don't think I have the patience for it. As a matter of fact I told a friend that I put it in the same hate category as socks...but I think that is a bit harsh! Maybe one day I will change my mind and make something with a picture on it, but in the meantime, no go for me.

Next Wednesday at the Plano meetup group we are starting the Vegas scarf. It's basically a game where dice determine what yarn you use & you flip a coin to determine if you knit or purl. It sounds like tons of fun & this is the yarn I'm bringing with me. You use 6 different yarns but as you can see I have way more than that! Shocker, I know. I'll decide how I feel about it when I get there. Stay tuned!

Yarn that I bought at the conference. I am loving this Marble by James C. Brett. It is 100% acrylic but I swear it feels like a soft wool. And CHEAP! It also says it's DK weight but I think it's working up like worsted. I bought tons of that first color (MT6) to make a sweater for myself. I figure worst case I can make another baby blanket out of it! Yarn #2 is Erdal Lazer - also inexpensive wool/acrylic blend. I have no idea what I'm going to make with it but I have about 600 yards of it. The second Marble color is what I'm working on right now but it is going to be a gift so that's all I can say about it. Other than that it is working up really pretty & I do like working with it!

This picture represents the abandonment of my yarn deal with myself. I told myself that I wouldn't buy any more yarn unless I had a specific project in mind for it. Well, evidence to the contrary between this yarn & the yarn above. In my defense, that Moda Dea Ticker Tape (right) is usually like $9 a skein & I got it for $2.40 - same with the Wild (left) although it's not usually that much more expensive. But really - how could I pass that up? But I seriously don't know what I'm making with either. In the back of my mind I thought the Wild might work on my Vegas scarf but now I have no idea why I thought that because it obviously won't work!

This is my new favorite thing ever. I went into the Woolie Ewe one day & saw that Rowan has a yarn that is very close to the Vibe that I have to make the sweater that I'm now frogging. I figured I could use it for a Rowan pattern that uses the similar yarn (Ribbon Twist). I have a friend on a board that I frequent that also knits. I emailed her to be on the lookout for cute sweater patterns in her Rowan books that I might like - she sent me her book! Can you believe it? It's like the sweetest thing I ever heard and the sweaters in this book are to die for - there are at least 3 that I'd like to try over time! So great. So thanks so much Christin!!!

I LOVE DYEING

Yes, DYEING, not dying. I looked up the spelling to make sure I didn't confuse anyone. I figured I'm going to break this conference & my experiences there by project because if not I'll be a babbling idiot and the whole entry would be one long run-on sentence (much like this one)!

I took a food dyeing with food grade dyes class- which in this case included Kool-Aid & easter egg dye. DUDE! It rocked. We only had 4 people in the class so we really got to experiment and enjoy our time there. The pictures above are all of my process, but I put the results from other students below because it was all so gorgeous - much more so than mine for sure!

Here is the short version of the pictures above: #1, laid out the yarn like king cakes & painted it with mixed easter egg dye - I still can't believe I didn't get a picture after is was completely painted #2, I wrapped it in saran wrap completely sealed & put in in the microwave for 8 minutes in 2 minute intervals #3, after rinsing hung to dry #4, balled up #5, finish product knitting in a swatch.

That's it folks. It was so easy & so much fun. I wish I had a better lay out in my kitchen but I'm already plotting more dyeing. I used a very small sample because I had really put my yarn in huge hanks but they were pretty close together & I thought would be hard to dye.

I wasn't as impressed with the Kool Aid outcome but I think it's because I did a single color & I really like the varigated look so much better. I dyed with Black Cherry first, then I tied off about one inch sections & redyed in Ice Blue Raspberry
Lemonade & got this:





Here are results from other students in my class:

My Head Hurts.

I went. I saw. I learned. I don't know where to start.

I took the 6 classes that I told ya'll about at the DFW Fiber Fest. My favorites by far: Intro to Lace & the Dye class - OMG - so fun! I guess I figure it this way - I loved the lace & I'm at a point that I was ready to hear what was being taught. Let me take this opportunity to say that Alissa Barton ROCKED as a teacher. I was in three of her classes and she was so sweet and patient and I LOVED her. I will be taking more classes from her in the future - probably much to her dismay! My head is swimming with knowledge of intarsia, sweater design (which I didn't expect but am intrigued), repairs that I hope I never encounter but know that I will.....new yarn that I bought.....

I'll be back with some recent photos & stories but now I need to go knit!

DFW Fiber Fest

DFW Fiber Fest is this weekend - I am so excited! I will be updating this post with yarn pictures shortly once I get my camera back - I left it at the in-laws at Easter & they are mailing it to me - so sad that postage is cheaper than gas to East Plano. ANYWAY! I went to buy all the yarn I needed for this thing on Monday and I love it all. Here is the line up I'm taking:
Seamless Raglan Sweater - Fri morning
Intro to lace knitting - Fri afternoon
Dyeing with Food Grade Dyes - Sat morning
Don't Despair - Repair! - Sat afternoon
Intarsia from Beginning to End - Sun morning
Adjusting for Gauge, Changing sizes - Sun afternoon

So exciting, isn't it? I originally scheduled for a Crochet for Knitters class & it got cancelled because apparently not many people were interested. I must admit at first I was really disappointed because part of the reason I was attending was for the crochet class. My second choice was the dyeing class which I had NO interest in, but now I simply can't wait. I've been researching online & it's just...well, cool! I bought tons of Kool Aid & clearance easter egg dye. I'm only bringing a little egg dye because man, it's seasonal! And I'm too nice - I'll hand it all out to everyone in class. I can't wait to see how it comes out - I've even planned a project with the yarn I bought to dye. See the Knitty Clapotis in my Projects of Interest area.

Also, bear with me, I'm playing with my title. None of my ideas are original but I'm feeling them out!

BOOOOO!!!! HISS!!!!

Can I tell you that I HATE this Boye Needlemaster with my whole heart and soul? There is only one thing I hate more than being wrong & that is admitting that I was wrong. My baby blanket project was coming along swimmingly. I went to my knitting group Saturday night very smugly carrying my shiny new Needlemaster interchangeable needle set. I mean really, some people didn't even know that they made interchangeables so there was a good deal of interest in them. What a great idea! Well, about 10 minutes into knitting they came unscrewed. I was up to about 300 stitches on the blanket & dropped probably 75 of them. Ugh. So i recovered from that and I learned a really good lesson - how in the world do you reattach these things when you have a project on them? You can't screw them together. GGGGRRRRRR. So I finally manage to reattach them. Not 10 minutes later they fall apart AGAIN. That's it - thankfully Tatiana had pretty long 10.5 circulars so I snatched them & moved my blanket onto those.

Monday I found my receipt & hauled them back to Michaels. No go - they won't take them back because I used them. He asked me why I wanted to return them - I told him they wouldn't stay together & I hated them - too bad. Anyone who knows me well knows my "I'll just sell them on ebay" attitude. Well, they go for NOTHING - which makes me believe everyone hates them & also makes me feel like an idiot for not buying them on ebay to begin with for half the price!

Bottom line is this: I need several lengths of circulars for the DFW Fiber Fest this weekend. I'm going to give them one more shot. I will be writing an unhappy email to Boye. Then they very possibly will be sold on ebay - something is better than nothing - and I'll start saving for my Addi Turbo collection.

Drama, Drama, Drama...

Can't I do one F**King project without having issues??? Ok, now that I got that out...I started the pinwheel baby blanket & the yarn that I bought called for size 8 needles. Why I even listen to the label is way beyond me because I know that I knit really tight & the label size never works for me. I started it at out knitting group & Lynn was kind & patient enough to start it for me like 3 times since I kept screwing up - but she drew the line at the last start. I got it home & knit for a few nights & it was really just whipping my butt - I should have listened when Lynn told me that she thought I should knit it on bigger needles....Having said that, I had just bought the bamboo double points that I needed specifically for this project (and as I said before, I hate those bamboo things!) ANYWAY - so I frogged the blanket again & did a few swatches until I found a size that didn't make me want to rip my hair out yet would actually warm a little baby - an 11! So off to search out size 11 double points...have you looked for larger sizes of double points lately? My LYS is a good 35 minutes from me so I searched all the typical Michaels, Hobby Lobby...to no avail. I found 10 1/2s at Joann - you know what? Close enough! So I started it over all on my own & have been going to town on it as shown in the picture above.

All this lead to the next obvious question - new circulars. Patrick happened to be with me on part of this quest & when I saw that the circs I wanted were $9 I starting telling him about the interchangeable circular option (like he cares, really). When he figured out that we were talking about $50 he was so confused as to why I was even considering doing anything else so I took that opportunity to find out more & immediately purchase them! I researched online & found that most everyone loves their Denise needles & Monday I drove to LYS to get them. The girl in the store talked me out of them! When I asked her if they were better than the Boye she said honestly no but that the Boye were $95 & that she used Addi Turbos so easy for her to tell me that the $20 a pop ones were the BEST option (that comment came from her, not me). I do appreciate the honesty & the whole plastic issue was throwing me - I hate to knit on plastic needles, I love my cheapy metal ones! We asked the ladies at LYS if they had used them - one lady loved them (did I mention she was also knitting with Addi Turbos though) & one lady hated them & said she wouldn't knit with them if you gave them to her for free! I decided to go with my gut. Michaels had the Boye Needlemaster set for $70 & I found a 40% coupon so I went & got them for $45 with tax. I even used a gift card that I had from Christmas so really they were free... how is that for rationale!

So that is my baby blanket drama. I signed up for the DFW Fiber Fest April 28-30 so I just realized that cuts my knitting days down considerably. I suppose I'll have to start knitting during the day between working - now THAT is the upside of working from home!

Update

I really have been knitting, I just haven't been blogging! I've finished up a bunch of projects - Finally got Kenny's scarf done, it's pictured above. I gave it to him on March 25 - pretty close to Christmas right? I got the 25th right anyway! I bought the same yarn from that first panta & made another one - these don't look totally dynamite on me either but they look ok when I have my hair in a ponytail. I changed the pattern & made them 3 ribs instead of 5 - they are so much fun! I'd make a ton of them if I had a need for them.

Now I am working on a baby blanket (pictued above as of 4/7). It's the pinwheel blanket from craftster - so adorable! I hope it comes out well - I got the invitation & the shower is May 6th so I had better get a move on it! I am using Bernat Baby Boucle in Spring Breeze & am knitting on new bamboo double points. I have to say it, I HATE these bamboo needles. Give me cheapo aluminums anyday! When I get a few rounds out I will switch to circulars so it should be ok. Lesson learned.

I was just letting you guys know what I've been up to - I'll update on this blanket as it progresses but I'm seriously hoping there is no drama attached to it!

Panta Trouble

I made this adorable "panta" which apparently is Finnish for headband. There is a thread 50 some pages long on Craftster.org with many people modeling their finished products & I decided I needed to make one too. I picked this adorable yarn - Reynolds Santana - from the clearance section of the Woolie Ewe for $3.50. It was a great pattern for me because I learned how to increase & that it really wasn't as big of a deal as I was making it out to be. It went really quickly & when I finished it up last night & put it on it looked like CRAP on me. Definitely too wide, but I should have known that from the pictures I saw. It's cute though! So I modified the pattern to make it thinner & started a new one with the yarn left over from my sock class since I have no intention of making another sock..ever.

My blog was looking so sad with no pictures. So I thought I'd share my panta experience & I'll post a picture when I'm done. My next project is going to be a baby blanket and I am going to pick up my yarn on Thursday. LATER!

Come Over to the Dark Side.....

It's official. I bought Debbie Stoller's SNB The Happy Hooker & I'm learning to crochet. I'm not abandoning my knitting, I just want to be a double threat! I come across pretty open weave patterns that seem to be crochet so I want to learn. I think that's so funny since I've been reading crochet boards & they complain about the lack of cute / stylish crochet patterns. The book I bought is full of cute stuff but really I just want to make flowers. I have no idea why. I started to teach myself last night & I really must be learning challenged. I thought I was doing it right & I was so proud of myself then I read the next section & that's what I was just doing. So I skipped a whole skill (single crochet - main move) & moved straight ahead to something else (slip stitch). Much like my knitting I'm thinking pattern reading will be a real challenge for me. I need to find some videos & practice I guess.

In the meantime I have ALMOST finished Patrick's Christmas scarf. I finished up the original 3 balls of yarn that I bought for it & he informed me that he'd like it a little longer. I bought the yarn in December. It has a dye lot. Anyone want to guess on the chances of me finding any more yarn that would work? I called my LYS & they told me they didn't have that dye lot but bring it in & we'd try to match it. I packed it in there on Friday & dug through every ball of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk & guess what? They had ONE skein left. Just for me! (well, him). So I did finish the knitting on that project yesterday, I just have to work in my ends & block it. Then I started working on Kenny's scarf again yesterday. I took it to Vegas with me & got a lot done at the airport. I measured last night & it is up to 56 inches, so it's getting there. I measured a scarf he uses on a regular basis & it measured 60 inches without the fringe, so I'm thinking my original plan of around 70 inches is probably right. It's coming along much quicker now that I'm working on it again. LOL.

My next project is this baby blanket. I still have to pick yarn & the baby is due in May, so I need to hurry it up!
http://www.knitlist.com/00gift/round-baby-blanket.htm

That's it for now - I just hadn't posted in a while and my blog was looking neglected.

The Tote That Wouldn't Felt

I finished knitting my bag on Friday. YAY! I was unsure about the finishing because I honestly haven't done much. Reading all the different ways to join edges & such confused me so I decided to wait until knitting group Saturday night so I could get some help. Tatiana taught me to knit & she suggested crocheting the ends & the handels on. To be honest, she did it for me - who am I to complain? Most knitters hate the finishing work & I brought other projects so I let her. Well, we knit the handles on wrong, which really didn't matter before felting because it was really big & still hung kind of like a hobo bag & I liked that it was different. We had lots of new people at our group & everyone really wanted to see it felted so we decided to do it at her house. We did take "before" pictures but she has them so I'll post when I get them.

Felting...we followed the directions of the pattern for felting & left the bag alone. Oh the excitement! When time was up we looked at it and...it was BIGGER. Not smaller, people, bigger. When I held it up I could have worn it as a dress! So we tried again on a longer wash cycle with hotter water & actually threw in some of her son's jeans to help with aggitation. No cigar. STILL not felted. Ok, maybe a little, but really, just a little. We are girls that aren't afraid to experiment so we got out the iron. We steamed it under a washcloth & that worked some, but still not much. Bottom line is this...Tatiana has this really cool state-of-the-art gentle washing machine! (she's gonna be mad I wrote this). But everyone started coming in there & checking out the washer & we all agreed that we'd never seen such a machine. Gentle on & perfect for regular washing, bad for felting. It doesn't have an agitator! I put it in my old beat up washer & VOILA! Felted - too much. The finished measurements are 11x13 - so about a legal sheet of paper. Now the sideways handles matter. We've decided to cut them off & line the bag, but it will be a few weeks because I can't fool with it right now - I'm leaving for Vegas this Sunday & I have other things to do on my days off.

Current projects: I'm steadily working on my sweater. It's getting closer but it's so...boring. I finished up the yarn I had for Patrick's scarf thinking I was finished - he doesn't think it's long enough. UGH. Woolie Ewe doesn't have the same dye lot, so we'll see what happens.

I've seriously started looking at baby stuff because I have 2 baby gifts to make. It's so hard to decide because everything is SO cute. I also have some issues knitting clothes that I know they won't get much wear out of...I have a few things in mind so stay tuned for that!

I guess I get my gold medal. I just have to figure out how to put it on my blog...

Ever heard of a Moebius Loop?

Well, that's what the brainiac I live with informed me that I had NINE inches into my first circular knitting attempt. On a deadline. During the knitting olympics. I'm not sure what they call it in the knitting world, but I'll be sure to find out so I can avoid them in the future.

When I started this project the voices of my helpers rang in my head, "Be sure not to twist your stitches." Yeah, whatever. In my world of straight needle knitting, really it doesn't matter because you untwist them as you go. Ummmm, not really the case when you JOIN your work & knit in a circle. Let me back up a bit. The olympic events really started at 3:00 on Friday, but I was thinking that I couldn't start until 7:00 when they really really started. Not so. I got back from Walmart with Patrick telling me to start knitting already, opening ceremonies started! He is still in self preservation mode & not wanting to get stuck with the pointy sticks. So I quickly unpacked my groceries & started knitting. I knit all of Friday night while watching tv & then Saturday I watched literally 5 movies & all I did all day was knit. About 8:30pm, I decided to see how wide the opening of the bag was. Hmmm, I can't seem to straighten this out. Patrick, hold this side. Ummm, we have a problem. "You have a mobius loop", that's what he said. What the hell is that??? It can't be - it's not possible that I screwed this up & knitted for 2 days not knowing. Alas, yes, it is possible. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but it is indeed twisted and there is no fixing it. Well, there is but it's not really what I wanted to do. I frogged the whole damn thing, nearly 2 balls of uneven, bulky yarn & started over. I wanted to cry but I really just couldn't. Lesson learned. I realize this is what happens when I decide to try new things with no supervision. Really, though, it doesn't make it fun.

The good news? After much knitting & a few tips from my knitting friends, I'm back on track. I'm about 9 inches in and the handles are done, so it's not the end of the world. See picture #2. Now THAT'S a circular bag. Geometry lesson over.

And so it begins...

The olympics start tonight! I'm so excited! Why is it that it's been so hard to wait to start this project - I have found myself wanting to cheat a little & start early WAY more than once. So I put off buying my needles until Tuesday this week. But I sure have been looking at my yarn a bunch - isn't it so pretty? I can't wait to see how this comes out. Nevermind that I NEED a bag like I need a hole in my head, but whatever. Sixteen days to finish - I'll be a knitting fool....

I did finish up that cream/ gold scarf Wednesday night at knitting group - blame it on the huge snickes coffee that I drank (fat free whip & no sugar, so there!). SO GOOD.

Keep an eye out - I'll let you know how I'm coming along!
Go USA!

On the Sticks

*** I feel like I haven't been actually writing about what I'm knitting so I took some pictures today. #1 is a cheapy one skein just knit scarf that I'm making for me. So FREAKING boring! You can't tell from the picture but it's pretty skinny & has some gold sparkles in it - I figure I can wear it over a tee or something! #2 is Kenny's Christmas scarf - I am using a pattern called Reversible Stitch that I found on about.com. Kenny ended up with a really cool Christmas present so I put him on the back burner so I could finish other presents for people that didn't have gifts! But poor man. His birthday is in May, so I joke that he might get it then. I'm really liking the way it is turning out - my friends say it looks "tweedy". #3 is Patrick's Debbie Bliss alpaca silk Christmas scarf - it much more sage green in person. I am using the pattern for the Cashmere Boyfriend Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I really really like it. And everytime I'm knitting something else he reminds me that it doesn't look like the alpaca! One day he'll get his present too. ARGH! The knitting olypics start Friday(along with the real olympics) so I'm starting something new. Plus my sweater I previously featured. Too many WIP anyone?

Meet Priscilla - modeling my new scarf...

Today marks the debut of my scary new model, Priscilla. It's such a long story - I'll try to make it brief. I really wanted a dress form because one of my 2006 goals is to learn to sew. But we went to a furniture / fixtures close out sale & I found this thing for about $16 so I got it. I figure I can use it to model the stuff I'm selling on ebay & maybe rig it into a dress form eventually. If not, it's less than $20 & the entertainment value is definately at least worth that much! We named "her" Priscilla after the transsexual in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, since it is technically a man but will be modeling primarily woman clothing. Patrick has banished her to my reading / craft room for fear of waking up in the middle of the night & putting bullet holes in it. I have to agree with that! Be on the look out, Priscilla will be making sporadic appearances here.

On to the scarf - it is the same Spiral 'Ruffled' Scarf previously featured here but I knit it in Sierra - for me! I love it but I haven't worn it yet. Shame on me! I am still singing it's praises though, it has definately been my favorite thing to knit to date - which is pretty obvious since I knit 3 of them.