Swap questionaire

For my Rubbernecker swap person.

Dear nicest swap partner alive,
Here are my answers to the questionaire. I really am not a picky bitch just in case it sounds that way. I'm sure I'll be happy with whatever you come up with.

* What form of fiber manipulation do you prefer? (Particularly, do you spin / would you welcome roving in your swappypack?). I do not spin, but do appreciate handspun.

* What fibers do you prefer? My favorite is alpaca, but I like any natural fibers as long as they aren't scratchy.

* What yarn weights do you prefer? I think there are uses to all yarns. I prefer chunkier scarves, but I'm also intrigued with lace weight these days.

* What colo(u)rs do you prefer? Pink is my FAVORITE but I'm trying to expand my horizons. Next favorites are green, chocolate brown, or deep purples. The only colors I do not like are yellow or orange. But I'd never turn down pink yarn.

* Would you be amenable to noms in your swappypack? sure Any allergies your buddy should know about? no

* Do you have a wishlist? Just amazon.com If yes, where can it be found? You can follow that linky thingy.

* Do you have a blog? Wow - yes, obviously Where? RIGHT HERE.

* Is there anything else you collect? I just turned my spare room into a yarn room. I am decorating in sheep & I have very few right now, so I guess the long answer is: SHEEP

* Any books, yarn, patterns, or needles that are out there that you are dying to get your hands on? All of my books/ mags / pamphlets are in my Ravelry library. You can check my queue, but I'm thinking I have more patterns than I'll ever use. Unless you have access some cool UK magazine I can't get my hands on, like Yarn Forward. Or, you know, Shaun the Sheep by Alan Dart. (see, not TOO picky wanting an impossible patterns. how about an Alice Starmore book while your at it)

Sincerely,
Tasha

Teaser for the Yarn cabinet reveal

Kudos to Liz for the pretty picture. There is a pink row - can you tell?

Kid N Ewe 2008

Several people have asked me about my trip to Boerne, TX to attend Kid N Ewe . I had a freaking ball. I would replay the trip for you, but honestly, I can't do any better job than Sherilyn on her blog or Dawn on her podcast, so you can go read / listen to their takes on it. Here are the only things I would add.

Here is the bracelet I made in my knitting with beads & wire class:

I LOVED this class - I must make more. It was really simple & our teacher, Midge Jackson, was out of this world great.

Here is the yarn I bought:

The pink/gray/brown around the sides is Plain & Fancy Wool, enough to make a sweater. It's the first thing I bought when I got there - there were only 5 skeins in the booth & I couldn't bear to think it wouldn't be there on Saturday. The very top yarn is Henry's Attic peruvian tweed - it is an alpaca yarn & is SO SOFT. I wish I had bought a big pile of it. The purple/green/brown is PacaPeds sock yarn in Grapevine (you know, because I needed more sock yarn). The gray & gray/black skeins are Bluebonnet alpaca for I don't know what but I had to have it. The brown & gray skeins are Panther Farms Llama that I won for $15 in the silent auction - value of $80. The aqua/brown is Brooks Farms Acero that I bought to make a magic shawl. I probably wouldn't have ever made this but some of my friends have & every one of them is GORGEOUS. I also got a stuffed alpaca & some LED lights that you can attach to your shirt but I go those more for reading than knitting. And I bought some sweater clasps that were really inexpensive & I'm excited about finding the right project for them.

My big news is that when I got home, my sweeter than ever husband & father-in-law had gone to Ikea, gotten my yarn cabinet, and put it together. Here it is with hardly any wool :D

More on that later because I've been filling it up all week. Yesterday Liz came over to have an intervention of ugly yarn (which I had surprisingly little of) & man, it's full. I LOVE IT.

I'll leave you with a goat & an alpaca. I must admit my one disappointment was the absence of animals at the fiber fest! A few kids, but no ewes, and for sure no llamas. And only 2 alpacas. Weak!



PS - some people have asked about results from the Hwy 80 sale. I must admit, I started an entry about the weekend & it was BORING AS HELL. The weekend wasn't but the story was & I got discouraged. Also, a lot of what I bought will be gifts so I can't talk about it much. I'll try to spice it up a bit & post after my Mom gets her birthday box.

My favorite thing today.....

is these slippers. I got them as a birthday present from Susanne back in May but I only wear slippers in the winter. Today was a perfect day for them - spent the whole day playing with my yarn (plus it didn't get out of the 50s today) & put these slippers on ....they are so soft & squishy. If you see them at Bath & Body, grab them immediately.



Then there is the cute tail factor.



Love.

Highway 80 sale - here we come!

For the third year running, I am spending the weekend going from small town to small town to experience the Highway 80 sale. This is a garage sale that spans from Mesquite, TX to Jackson, MS. It really is a bit insane. The past 2 years, some friends & I have gotten up at the butt crack of dawn & driven East. This year will be a bit different - only 2 brave souls, Liz & I, will be attending. Becky moved away to Cincinnati & we are heart broken that she can't join us - we even tried to lure here back to Texas for the weekend. Other past or potential attendees can't get away for a WHOLE WEEKEND. That's right, I said the WHOLE WEEKEND. We are leaving at some point tomorrow & heading in that direction. Liz's Mom lives in Marshall, TX, which is about 2 1/2 hours of straight driving from the Dallas area. In garage/yard sale terms that means a full day. So we plan to spend the night there, get up EARLY Saturday morning, and see how far East we can get. It really is a ball & I can hardly wait to get started. My MIL has a theory about garage sales. If you go with her, you have to verbally speak what you are looking for & you will create it. I used to think that was bullcrap until I went with her & did it about 10 times. So I will verbally state my agenda for the record & the universe to hear me. I plan to decorate my yarn/craft/extra room in sheep, so I'll be looking for cute sheep in all forms. I am always looking for cool buttons, vintage & otherwise. When I was at my Mom's house this weekend we moved some furniture around & she has the prettiest antique piece with really old quilts displayed in it. I am going to look for something cute for her to hang over that piece, something like an old quilt sign or a cute picture or something like that. We also are always on the lookout for cool vintage jewelry & purses (Liz will fight me to the death for a purse, so I'll try to play nice). Preferally all of the above for a quarter. You have to have a goal or 3 days of yard sales might be a bit overwhelming. Plus we aren't bringing a Uhaul. The most important thing we always come back with is stories, and I can't wait to share them with you. I also see some knitting in the weekend, I just have to figure out what to bring with me. Wish us luck.

Mystery of the Socks - Solved?

Let me tell you a sock story. Just in case you didn't know - I said I would "never" knit socks. Never say that - about anything ever - because you never know what you might do & actually enjoy one day. My first sock experience was not a good one, but I took a class on how to do socks on 2 circs with my good friend & the best teacher ever - Alissa - the Knitting Fairy. I simply took the class to learn the method so I could do sleeves on 2 circs because I am not a fan of DPNs. Then I found sock yarn. It's a cheap fix & so dang pretty so I caught the sock bug & knit up about 8 or 9 pairs. Then I lost interest. A few months ago I got interested again. It's Texas, it's freaking HOT & socks are a good summer project. I started some socks - they didn't work. I tried using the "fool proof" method out of the highly recommended books Sensational Knitted Socks & More Sensational Knitted Socks. In case you have been living under a rock or aren't a knitter, these books are "fool proof" (notice those quotes I keep including - it's coming - wait for it) because it teaches you to measure your foot & customize socks in 4,000,000 different ways. I exaggerate but you get the drift - you can merely knit a gauge swatch, figure out your stitches, add a pattern, do different types of toes & heels, etc, etc. I did make one pair of socks from the method in this book & they came out fine - these as a matter of fact:


But they were in DK weight & I had an idea of how many stitches & the needle size that I needed to make them work. So if I was being totally honest I'd say I didn't actually use the measuring part of the book. Ok - all of that to fast forward to the near past....
I have a lot of sock yarn. Um, a lot. So I decided to knit knit knit socks. I have another excuse - I got these for my birthday:

Yep - clear Converse. I love them & they are perfect for showing off hand knit socks. I need more so I can wear them more.

I picked some yarn I love & started a sock.
STR Little Bunny Foo Foo

Didn't work. Was too big around my leg. So I went down # of stitches. Didn't work. Doesn't fit over my ankle. Let's try toe up. Nope. Too tight in the ankle. Let me just say this - I don't have weird feet & ankles. I don't think anyone believed me so they checked me out at knit night. Nope, pretty skinny ankles for a chubby girl & normal sized feet & toes. Nothing unusual. So I set it aside & grabbed more pretty yarn.

Lotus Yarn Punk Rock Girl. Love.


Started to knit Carolina's - I didn't like the pattern with the yarn so I tore it back. And I didn't like the fabric so I went down a needle size. Nope. Still not good. Started toe up - nope.

Do you see a freaking pattern here? I swatched, I swear I did & socks don't like me. So I gave up. RIP sock knitting.

Flash forward to about 6 weeks ago. By a twist of fate I ended up with some of this seller's watermelon sock yarn. Biscotte - if you like her stuff for goodness sakes buy something! She has great customer service & her yarn is pretty. Anyhow. So I decide to knit a plain stockinette sock or a simple rib or something & do it until I get it right. Well, I needed a size 1 needle. Somewhere along the line I must have decided that 2.75mm needles are the PERFECT size for me because I have quite literally 7 circular needles of this size plus a set of DPNs. BTW - fingering weight does not so much work with that size needle. (Tasha's sock problem #417). I have 2 size 1s & I couldn't find them so I went on a hunting mission. I found them - in a sock that I started in November last year at Kid & Ewe. I had knit maybe 3 inches on it & gave up. I came ridiculously close to pulling the sock off those needles to use them then I had a thought - "why in the world would I do that when these socks are WORKING?" HEEEEELLLLLLLOOOOOO. I started knitting on them again on a Saturday & bound off the first sock on Monday night. I loved it! I am in love with it. I like sock knitting again! So I cast on for #2 at knit night on Tuesday & Friday night I finished a pair of socks for the first time in 6 months. These- Go With the Flow socks from Favorite Socks in Lone Star Arts color Glam.

May I take this moment to mention that I didn't have even ONE finished object in July? All of those quilt squares & circles I guess. September is sucking quite a bit as well.

To add to my sock knitting craziness, I'm going a sock retreat this weekend in Lindale, TX at Arabella Garden. I'm bringing the only problem socks that still exist on the needles (that adorable Little Bunny Foo Foo sock) and more sock yarn than I can shake a stick at. I'm coming back an expert - DO OR DIE. Socks beware.

Wanna see something pretty?

Isn't it? Oh, I think it is. What is it, you ask? It's my newest sweater project - the Fylingdales Cardigan from A Fine Fleece. Only that picture on her website doesn't really do it justice & I'm not putting that flappy collar on it - I don't do well with a collar like that. There is some controversy about the name. The pattern as originally published clearly reads "fLyingdales" - which seems to only reference a Jethro Tull song, but the book clearly has "fYlingdales" - which is an area in England. Neither are in the dictionary & quite frankly, I don't really care. I only know it's pretty. I'm using Mmmmmmalabrigo worsted weight yarn in the color Red Mahogany colorway that I bought at The Knitting Nest in Austin when we went down to see Franklin in May. I am LOVING working with this yarn. It's so gorgeous & soft & buttery. I think it's great because I think of that weekend often while knitting with it - it's the perfect souveniur from the trip. I just started this sweater last Sunday so I've made great progress on it in a week. The fact that Patrick has been deployed again for a hurricane & it's a long weekend may have something to do with that. Gustav, go away please. Thank you.

In other news, I finished my kimono last week. As most of you know, I've been working on the stupid thing forever! Well, not exactly forever, I started it mid-December last year. It came out really pretty & can you believe it? I LOVE IT. I generally work on something for that long, try it on & don't really get that loving feeling. This is entirely different - it's really pretty. I do still have to block it before I wear it & I have to finish a whole lotta i-cord for my belt, but it's about half way done. I figure that makes it done. Not wear it tomorrow kind of done, but I could literally wear it in a few days if I could concentrate. Which I can't. So I will post a picture when I finish it completely & it's wearable.

Have a good week!

My new favorite thing

I feel like I'm way behind the times on this but I have just found Pandora radio. This has to be the greatest invention ever! You can create an account & it will customize radio stations for you to play while you are on your computer. You type in an artist or song that you love & it will find songs with the same general properties & play those as well. You can then tell it that you like those songs or not - the more information you give it the better it gets (much like the Amazon.com recommendations that seriously freak me out they are so accurate. {shiver}). I currently have the following stations on mine:
Duran Duran (my absolute favorite)
Maroon 5
The Bee Gees
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Kid Rock
Abba (much like the Bee Gees, as you can imagine)
Madonna - but when it starting giving me her new bullshit dance stuff I said I didn't like it, so it started into Like a Virgin territory & I told it I did like that. Now it sounds a lot like a Breakfast Club soundtrack in our office. HOORAY!

Hmmmmm, Breakfast Club radio. I might have to try that.

If you try it & find a "station" that you think I might like, let me know. I'd love to hear how you like it if you try it out.

Peace.

Adventures in Gay Bingo

First I must say, Gay Bingo is the most fun ever! If you live in the DFW area or if there is such an event in your area, you must go right now. Seriously.

The Outfit:
I debated what to wear to an event titled "Double Wide: One Man's Trash is Another Man's treasure". My original idea was to go buy a moo moo, for lack of a better word. I headed to Walmart & ick - I honestly didn't think I could wear that in public even as a joke. So I was searching Walmart debating buying NASCAR pajama pants & wearing them in public when Liz called & said she thought she had some overalls with Tweety Bird on them, and they might be shorts. OMG. Perfect. I also found some jellies - ick. I scouted out my options, like what kind of sponge rollers they sell at wallyworld & left with nothing. I had to see my muse - the overalls - to get it all together. Liz sent me a picture - she did find overalls, they didn't have Tweety Bird but they were pretty bad. I found a strapless bandana material top in my closet (I can't believe I ever wore this for real, though I was in Vegas, but still). It would be perfect if I wore a regular bra. And where is my blue eyeshadow? I am happy to report that no blue eyeshadow lives in my house, I would have to buy some. I found Mardi Gras beads in my vanity drawer to wear as my jewelry (doesn't everyone have Mardi Gras beads on hand? no? hmm, ok). I knew I was on the right track when I hit Walmart on my way to pick up Liz for a few things to complete my outfit & I headed to the checkout with my I Love My Eyes blue eyeshadow, sponge rollers, & my red jellies. The not very sophisticated checkout girl said, and I quote, "Them is some cute shoes for the summer, and they are on sale for $3! And it's tax free weekend." I stared at her in disbelief. Um, no they aren't cute, I'm buying them to poke fun at people that think they are cute, and tax on these shoes are about..oh, I don't know, a quarter! I'll put it in my house fund - I'm sure the mortgage company will be impressed. And by the way, the shoes were only $5 to begin with. But I didn't want to insult her so I simply said "Aren't they?" and moved on thinking they must be perfect. Because somehow I think that girl was raised in a double wide.

When I got to Liz's she was still in her nightgown. Her husband had told her that she really needed to get dressed & she told him she was dressed. See, she grew up in East Texas & had just spent a weekend there. She attended a wedding & in true trailer couture, some ladies AT A WEDDING were in the dress she uses as a nightgown. Perfect. So we both made out eyelids scream BLUE and curled up our hair. The Liz made the topper to my outfit - a sash made out of a trash bag that says "Miss Louisiana Trailer Park 1990." In the car on our way to meet everyone else we passed a Uhaul. Welcome to Texas. Everything you have heard is true. I bet those people are still hiding in their new house afraid to meet their neighbors.


Betty, Annise, Me - I can't believe I'm posted this picture of me but you need to know.

Lunch:
Just a tip for ya. If you dress like trailer trash, don't meet for a late lunch at one of the most fashionable areas in your town. Oh, but we did. We met at Cafe Express at Mockingbird Station. Oh yes, we did. Three of us went up to order at the same time - it is safer to travel in groups. I ordered wine, naturally, and told the guy that I really needed some & he did realize that we were going to a costume party, right? He admitted that he was wondering why we were dressed like that. I commended him on being professional & waiting on us as though we were dressed like normal people. People did check us out but honestly, not as much as I imagined. Mostly I think they ignored us for being unfashionable but in that neighborhood, I would expect the same treatment if I was dressed in my non-designer duds from Target. We also got our final accessory - Annise brought us all candy cigarettes, which have somehow become the mascot for all of our major get togethers but actually served a purpose in this case.

Annise is pregnant & this is the first time that I've seen her in a few weeks & dang, that baby grew. It couldn't have been more perfect. Right?


The Event:
So the actual bingo was SO FUN. We had a big group so we had reserved tables up in the front. The event is held at a club called S4 & this club has drag shows on Saturday nights at like 11:00 - when all of us ladies that live in the suburbs are already sleeping. The stage was set up like a scene from Jerry Springer & there were skits, including a cat fight.



There was also dancing by extremely cute unshirted men. Btw, I finally know where all the cute men in Dallas are! at gay bingo looking for each other apparently.


The music was great, they serve you drinks, bingo was fun, if you call bingo incorrectly you go to bingo jail - these girls don't mess around! Two ladies in our group actually won some cash ($95 & $119). It's for sure a do over - we will be going back. Hopefully the outfits will not always be so horrifying. But the fun will be the same.

My Mom would be so proud.....

A group of friends & I are going to check out gay bingo in "big Dallas" (I live in the suburbs & that's what I call it - don't mock me) tomorrow night. Each month there is a theme. Tomorrow night the theme is "Double wide: One man's trash is another man's treasure." We are dressing up. My list for my Walmart in the morning includes the following:

Blue eyeshadow
Pink sponge rollers
jellies

Shorts overalls are involved.

Wow. You know what they say. You can take the girl out of the country......

Stay tuned.

Is it seriously almost August?

I refuse to come here once a quarter and make some lame excuses as to how busy I am & why I haven't been blogging. I really hate it when people do that. So let me just tell you what's been going on in my knitting world & let's call it a deal, ok?

First I just must mention this because it's driving me freaking insane. My "k" key on my laptop is sticking. AAARRRGGGGHHHHHH! Thank goodness that doesn't include a "k" because it would have been really tough to type. It seems that something might be under it maybe? And I'm not sure if I can pop it off & clean under it & pop it back on so I won't do it. Ok - I'll move on but I thought I would mention it - if suddenly a word doesn't make sense, try throwing a "K" in there somewhere.

What am I knitting?
Well, my last few entries were about Barn Raising Quilt squares. I am currently at 17 squares so that's some progress. Want to see some pictures?




Those are in addition to the ones in the previous post which you have already seen. I was a little optimistic when I started this project. I really thought I wanted to do the quilt out of my scraps to make it a reminder of old projects blah blah blah. Until I finished up my scraps. Guess what? It will take me 11 million years to make enough socks to finish this. So in case you haven't heard, I would really like one scrap from my knitting peeps so that they will have a square in my blanket that represents them. I don't care what color or what yarn. Some yarns seem more appropriate for some people than others. Like Jen gave me a Lorna's scrap (not pictured yet, but it was #17) - it's terribly appropriate because she has a Lorna's addiction. Betty gave me the purple & pink scrap - purple is her favorite color & pink is mine. Liz gave me her scrap of Socks that Rock Misty Kelp that has a history between us but honestly that story is so long & you really won't care at all. The point is that we know & it is meaningful. Don't feel pressure though, if you give me a scrap it doesn't have to have a ridiculous tie in other than "this is pretty"! If you are an internet friend & you want to donate to my cause, email or PM me on Ravelry & I'll send you my address. I really love the idea of this blanket & I keep putting the fact that I will have to seam it all one day out of my head.

Speaking of hating seaming but being obsessed with small objects that require seaming....I also started the Astrid shawl. You basically make a billion circles then put them all together. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Did I mention that I don't really like seaming? Or weaving in ends that much? I'm knitting it in Noro Cashmere Island color #10 & it's going to be freaking gorgeous. I'm hoping to have it finished in time to wear to one of my nieces' weddings one day. They are ages 9 & 6 - I might just hit that goal! This is the set of "medium" circles.

I also did a few small ones but no photos yet. I love this yarn - I am a mild hater of Noro Silk Garden & Kuyeron so let me tell you - if you love the color changes of Noro & want something softer, I highly recommend Cashmere Island.

What else? Patrick is still deployed with Texas State Guard for Hurricane Dolly. He is in Austin now though so not very far from home & it looks like he will be home by Saturday at the latest. Thank goodness! I'm missing him.

I do have other stuff on & off my needles but I have to save some stuff until next time!

Barn Raiser update

Ok - so I finished 4 squares - redid one of the old ones & made 3 new ones correctly. I also frogged all of the old ones today. It's really sad that pulling the bind off took a while but winding the yarn / pulling out 5-6 hours worth of knitting takes well under a minute. Bummer

What yarn is that?
Top left - Cider Moon June Carter
Top right - Yarn Ahoy Berry Beautiful
Bottom left - Cherry Tree Hill Misty Moor (from my Chevron Scarf)
Bottom right - Knit Clinic Autumn Fever

Barn Raiser woes

So I just finished #5 square of my Barn Raising Quilt. When I started it I actually re-read the directions & realized why my squares look more like a boob holder than a square. I missed 4 YOs per row - so yeah, when my stitch count was off by about 50ish on the first one I should have realized what was wrong but no - I just kept knitting squares. 3 more in fact. So I have to rip them out & start over. As I was ripping last night Patrick asked me why didn't I just ditch the ones I had & start over - uh, because then I won't have any yarn, I'm using my scrap yarn from socks! So I really don't have a choice except to rip them out. The worst part is I did a sewn bind off so they have to be picked out, they won't just rip. Sigh. At least each square only took me about 2 nights of knitting. Still. What a pain in the arse.

Still knitting

Really I am. I haven't completely given up on my blog but I'm having a hard time getting motivated to write about my knitting. Between my local group & Ravelry, I feel like I interact about knitting and yarn A LOT. I'd prefer not to let it completely take over my life, but it might already be too late!

This is my insanely busy time at work - literally I don't take a break from the time I walk in until I leave 8 hours later - I eat at my desk & run quickly to the bathroom. It's insane. So the absolute last thing I want to do when I get home is try to think of witty things to write about knitting. So this is turning into the "whatever the heck I feel like" today blog. Patrick & I have done some traveling lately & I'm in the process of writing up trip reports so I can share our experiences and photos. The Colorado trip is close. Then we took the road trip home to Louisiana & honestly, I think our car time is highly entertaining so I'm going to tell you about that too. Stay tuned.

Knitting: still working on kimono. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel but I just can't bring myself to work on it. So instead I cast on for a different sweater - Ophelia. I'm using Blue Sky Alpacas cotton & it is such a dream to knit with. I am putting sleeves on it because I love all of you too much to subject you to my upper arms, and now I'm stuck. I got all the way to the armholes then went to visit with Alissa to help me put sleeves on it. She helped me & I haven't picked it up since. Instead I bought a new book Knitalong: Celebrating the Tradition of Knitting Together & started ANOTHER new project - the Barn Raising Quilt made out of my scrap sock yarn. I finished 4 squares in 6 days so I think that's pretty cool. Here they are in all of their unfinished / unblocked glory:


It's a fun project but since I've only knit about 6 or 7 pairs of socks, I have a long way to go before I finish the 42 I'll need to make an actually blanket. So do you see a theme here? I completely can't commit to any one project, though I did complete a lavender scarf (Pasty Purple? Really, Berroco?) out of Berroco Plush yarn because I just need a dang break from patterns. It is SO insanely soft - this yarn would make great chemo caps. And I guess it will because I bought 5 balls of it 1/2 off at Rose Path Weaving several weeks ago & that scarf only took a little over 1 ball.

What else haven't I shown you. OH! I finished the knitting work on this Tovesta bag.

I LOVE this color & this was a fun project. As usual I haven't lined it yet & haven't done the finishing work. I actually don't even have fabric to finish this one - usually I pick fabric in the midst of a project because I love that part. No go this time around, I haven't even looked. I went to this one fabric store that I had never been to & whew. Let me give you a tip. If the fabric store has chandeliers, you probably can't afford the fabric that they sell. Just saying. The fabric I liked was $44 per yard. Holy crap! I get the whole quality issue, blah blah blah. I just need something that my stuff inside of my purse is going to sit on. I'm not wrapping my most precious bits. Geeze. I'm hoping to cure my fear of lining soon. We'll see.

I just thought of something else I haven't talked about - DFW Fiber Fest. Man I have a lot of stuff that I haven't told. Must get ready for work though - more later.

Hat Bonanza and a new Creepy Model

So now that I started knitting hats I just can't stop. It seems that despite the fact that I am knitting gauge swatches, I am still the Goldilocks of hat knitting - some are just a little too big, some are just a little too small and some are Just Right. Maybe it's my head? Who knows. Every single time I've finished one & put it on Patrick tells me that "it's cute but you are just not a hat person" which translates to "hats look like hell on you, stop trying you crazy girl". But I won't listen. My friends keep telling me that they look cute on me. He assures me that they are lying to me to spare my feelings. You can't buy honesty like that, I tell ya! Disclaimer: I have looked in the mirror wearing all of these hats & I must admit they aren't my cutest moments. Damn it! I wanna be a hat person.

Before I get to the goods, I have to introduce you to someone. She is what has been referred to as the "creepy glass head". Can you even believe that there is a story behind this? Oh yeah, there would have to be, wouldn't there? Over the past few weeks, with the start of the hat knitting, I have become obsessed with having a creepy head to model my hats. I am not a self-portrait kind of gal. I can never figure out that whole in the mirror picture thing, my timing is never right on a timer, and quite frankly Patrick would mock me so much if I asked him to take pictures for my blog & Ravelry that it's just not worth it. I have been stalking heads on ebay - uh, let me take a moment to pause for a Public Service Announcement. DO NOT search "head" on ebay. Or anywhere on the internet for that matter. AHEM. Back to the story....these MANNEQUIN HEADS (that's what you search - it's safer, but I still won't claim responsibility for what you see) were going for like $40 & $50 with shipping! Geeze. They are obviously heavy animals plus they are a bit fragile so it seemed to be a losing battle since I didn't want a head THAT bad. I read on a thread about said creepy glass heads (yes, I found a thread about Creepy Glass Heads - I love the internet) that some people got them at Pier One. So I head to my local Pier One & hold my breath but I'm in a time crunch so I just have to ask - "Ummm, this might sound crazy but I'm looking for a clear glass head." The girl says "yes, follow me" and brings me right to them. For $15 - $16.20 with tax. I check out all the while wondering what kind of ridiculous self control this chick must have because if it was me, I'd have to ask "WHAT DO YOU NEED A GLASS HEAD FOR? SERIOUSLY?" but she hands me my head like it's a candle holder or something & I'm done. I have given a lot of thought about what I should name her but it always comes back to Amelia. So there you have it. Priscilla, meet Amelia. Amelia, Priscilla. She will be showing up modeling hats from now on, so get used to her.

Now to the hats. Modeled by the one & only Amelia.

Edge of Lace hat from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders (love this book, if you don't have it, order it right now.) Made with Noro Cashmere Island which I enjoy much more than the Silk Garden & it's not expensive at all. This matches my Opera Scarf. A set - YAY!

Banana Republic Knock Off Hat - Because even using what I consider pretty pricey Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Super Chunky yarn it's still cheaper than the $50 overpriced BR one. I used some pink scraps from my Skinny Scarf so I was a little short on yarn. I did add two extra rows of knitting to the body but honestly it could have used a few more. I'm afraid I will be pulling on it too much so I'm probably going to donate this one to charity & knit another one for me - I have a whole skein of this yarn in ivory & I have a load of Rowan Big Wool, either one would work.

Le Slouch. I thought I would die of knitting in seed stitch but this went surprisingly fast & painlessly. Plus it's the first time I've knit with Malabrigo & OMG - I know what the rage is about. I heart this yarn like no other.

Now, in between all of this hat making I made this ridiculous cute Skinny Scarf from Knitty Gritty.

I've been wanting to make it forever but just never got around to it. I used Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Super Chunky which while nice, is overpriced. Nevermind that the first ball I used had 3 knots in it's whole 82 yards. Not ok. I know what the industry standard is, blah blah blah, but I expect that the more I pay for yarn the less knots I should encounter. That's all I'm saying. I did get the yarn 50% off at the Woolie Ewe sale, but I'd be EXTREMELY disappointed if I had paid full price for it. The fabric really is super nice but I won't be making a sweater out of it or anything!

Stacey - do any of these appeal to you? I'll make you a scarf to match. Dang it to all you hat people everywhere! (I recommend Le Slouch - it's about adorable on every living person other than me!)

I am also working on the Tatami Kimono in Plain & Fancy Wool. This yarn is TO DIE FOR nice to work with. It was about 400 yards for $16- WHAT?? That's nearly free! I found this yarn at Kid & Ewe in November but the colors they had weren't my favorite. Of course there was ONE skein that was exactly what I wanted - it was called "coral" but it had burgundy & pink & some coral plus some dark grey mixed in - just the perfect yarn. I talked to the lady who dyes it - Ms. Graycie & she said she would try to duplicate that yarn & would mail it to me. So that's what we did. A few weeks later I got an email from her, she sent me about 2 feet of it, I approved it, and I got it like 2 days later. Even before I paid her which was entirely shocking to me, though my check was in the mail. Really, it really was, I promise. So this kimono is going to be BEAUTIFUL if I may say so myself. While the construction is highly clever, it is BORING ME TO TEARS (can you say "clapotis"? It's the clappy sweater). So I work on it for a while then I make a hat then I work on the kimono, then I make a hat. Nevermind that I'm intrigued by the hats so I'm much more likely to work on a hat than the sweater. Ok - I confess, I didn't knit a stitch on the sweater between BR Knock off & Le Slouch. But whatever - don't judge me. The full back is knit on the kimono & that includes the sleeves because it's knit in one piece so I just have to grit my teeth & finish up the front - probably just in time for spring. In Texas spring happens in early February. So as much as I HATE WIP pictures, here is one so you can ohhhh & ahhhhh over my pretty yarn. The second picture is much more true to real color.

Sorry this was so long - it's been a while and lots has happened - be happy I didn't tell you all of the knitting news!

Cheers.

I Made a Hat!

Look - finally I made a hat. For those of you who are unaware, you can read about some of my hat history here. I've decided that for me hats are the new socks. The fast, small, portable project that I will do in between big projects. Today I made Hannah - it only took about 5 hours in this wonderful chunky yarn. I used June Carter in Cider Moon Cloud. It was a perfect pattern, perfect yarn, great experience. I even had these great buttons on hand so I'm done - plus the yarn came out of my stash. There is a hole in the back where you can put your ponytail! I admit this is a little big on me - but it did look better when I rolled the brim up a little. CUTE - on to the next one.

Happy Alpaca New Year.

How funny is this?

moar funny pictures

2007 FO list

I know this is probably boring for everyone else but I have to do it for me. From what I've figured out - I knit 39 objects in the year 2007 - that seems insane to me!

January

• Mardi Gras Scarf for Tiff
  
• Bernat Chunky Chemo Cap
  
• Caron SS chemo cap
  
• Noro Fetching
  
• 5 Fun Fur chemo caps
  
• TX square for Eliz grandbaby
  

February

• Fast Finish Homespun Throw
  
• Square for Warm up America
  

March

• Wool Ease Socks for Patrick
  
• My So Called Scarf
  
• Noro Multidirectional Scarf

April

• Yarn Ahoy Lace mock cable socks
  
• Entralac Mini Bag
  

May

• flower washcloth for Alissa

June

• Hedera socks in Claudia John B
• Charade socks in Trekking 126

July

• Chevron Scarf
  
• Monkey Sock in Sunshine Westwood
  

August

• Cutest Baby Sweater
  
• Rainy Day socks in Knit Clinic
  
• Rainy Day socks in CM Jackie O
  

September

• Not Quite Straight Scarf
  
• Garter Stitch - Bliss Scarf
• Opera Scarf - Noro Cashmere Island
  
• Frosting Scarf
  
• Lace Leaf Scarf
  

October

• Mistaken Rib Scarf
  
• Garter Stitch - Lucious Scarf
  

November

• LSU scarf
  
• Laken's Jacket
  
• Central Park Hoodie
  

December

• Rag Doll Scarf
  
• Mini Mittens - 5 sets
  
• Lucy in the Sky
  
• Cathy's Ribbed Scarf
  

2008 New Year To Do List

I never make resolutions because let's be honest, we never keep them & then we just feel guilty. At the end of the day, it's a promise to yourself that you have broken - and that's just not good for ANYONE's psyche. On the other hand, if you don't set goals for yourself, how are you ever going to achieve anything? You have to have a plan. Or some semblance of a plan. A list of sorts - and goodness knows I'm a fan of a list! So instead of resolutions - which sound dangerous close to promises, I'm going to just make a list & get it over with. I gotta tell you, I've always got a list going. I have to write stuff down or I forget - period. We need cat food when I visit Walmart? You had better put it on my list or by golly, our cats will starve. Period. So this list is really for me, though I like for everyone to know what I am doing so when you see me doing it you can be happy for me. The only thing I like better than having a list is crossing stuff off of it!

My plan for 2008:
* My main number one, concentrating on utilizing my books this year plan is this: I want to knit patterns from my books! When I was browsing my Ravelry account it was clear that I don't use my books. I have very many knitting books & I have knit out of exactly 3 if them. One of those - Last Minute Knitted Gifts - I borrowed from the library & made 2 projects out of it & decided I just needed to buy the book. I also used another book that isn't even mine - I have it stashed at my house in the DFW Chicks prize closet. Hey - don't judge me - you would too! SO....my plan is to pick one project from each book that I own - preferably one of the of patterns that made me buy the book in the first place (not a requirement since my taste & skill level has changed a lot in 2 years) and just knit something out of it already!

* Learn to knit socks using the magic loop method. I bought the needles for this because it was on my 2007 to do list. ooops.

* Learn to crochet. I stole this from Dawn. I didn't mean to, but I couldn't help it. I also recall that we both said this in 2007 as well.

* More sweaters. I have been getting this great sense of accomplishment from these finished sweaters & I have a dream of having a whole closet full of sweaters in a rainbow of colors to chose from.

* Make a hat that fits a real person, not a doll or a yetti. I don't think I need to elaborate on that statement. Don't twist the knife. Really.

* I refuse to make yarn resolutions. I have no idea what my 14 other personalities will do with the yarn this year, so there! I will knit up some that I have & I will buy some new. Is that vague enough?

Trips - not much knitting

I know it's been a while but I've actually been trying to stay off of the computer instead I've been KNITTING. In between everything else I've had going on - so let me tell you what I've been doing.

The first weekend of November I went with a group of gals to Kid & Ewe in Boerne, TX. It was so much fun! I am not going to go in much detail - you can read about the trip & see pictures on the blog of others that went:


Jen (Nov 20th)or Dawn

THEN - the next weekend I flew to New Orleans to meet up with my family & take my Mom to the beach for her birthday celebration. She turned 60 this year & we were going to throw her a suprise birthday party. As it turned out, she would have killed us if we had done that! So we headed to Orange Beach, AL to spend some time at the outlet mall in Foley & some beach time. We had a blast. My sister brought her kids & we laughed all weekend that we had lots of lessons that she'd have to reteach them when they got home. For example:

Lesson #1: Don't say "Eat me"

We got to the condo, threw open the windows & immediately saw this written in the sand. So my 8 year old niece kept saying "Hey B, eat me. What does eat me mean?" I must admit I thought it was about hysterical but I wouldn't think so if it was my own kid. What's wrong with people that do stuff like this? Geeze.

Lesson #2: Don't throw your food. On my Mom's wish list for the trip was to go to Lamberts. If you've never been & you have an opportunity, please go. It's like Cracker Barrell on crack. This guy:

walks around with hot rolls on a cart & if you want one you have to catch it. They throw it at you. My 6 year old niece Laken immediately busted out crying wondering why people were throwing stuff at her. That seriously made us laugh even harder. We are terrible people. The food was tasty but the servings, well - they were extreme. The lady next to me had her food served to her in a skillet. Not like a skillet you get at most restaurants, a real live full sized with a handle kind of skillet. And she didn't even get something COOKED in the skillet as you'd expect, she got chicken salad. I asked. My cousin Tiffany is doing Weight Watchers. - and I mean really doing it - like a few pounds from her goal, not lose 10 pounds gain 6 like me - so she decided she was staying on program & ordered a salad. Here it is:

Bigger than her head. In a bread hat. She ate 2 plates of food & still had more salad than would fit in a to-go container. Really. I got fried pork chops & here is what my plate looked like:

I think my serving size was less than her salad! Oh - and here were the drinks!
Now if they filled it up with wine I might would have been more tolerable. It was a fun experience though. Back to the lessons.

Lesson #3: Don't smoke.

The last time I was home in Louisiana I was telling my Mom about how on the last knitting retreat I went on we sat around drinking wine smoking candy cigarettes. She got a bit excited & said she wished she knew where she could find some to give to the girls. Nevermind that she would get FURIOUS if my Dad bought us candy cigarettes - but that's what happens when you are a grandkid. And she denies ever being mad about them but my sister & I both remember that.....I digress. When I went with some friends on the Hwy 80 Garage sale we found this little -uh - quaint store that sold them so I bought some. I promptly gave them to my mom to distribute though so that I wouldn't be in trouble with my brother-in-law. She handed them to the girls & told them they had to smoke them all before they got home or their Daddy would be mad. It was such a funny scene - seeing Laken step away from the cigarettes, then hold them wrong so my Mom had to show her how to hold them right - I mean, it was just wrong.

Lesson #4: Don't talk to strangers
On our way there, a big wreck was on the interstate and was blocking the way. Go figure. Tiffany & I were ahead of the rest of the pack so we saw it right after it happened & it was way less of a pain for us. The other group - including the kids - were behind & sitting in traffic right next to an 18 wheeler. Well, everyone knows that truckers had CB radios & talk to each other & know what is going on! (Right? Do they still have CBs & do that? Shrug) So my Aunt rolls down the window, flags the trucker to roll down his window, & he does. She asks how far ahead it is, all the pertinant questions, all the while - talking to....well, a stranger. The girls were asking - "Who is that man Aunt Net is talking to? Does she even KNOW him?" HA! Don't talk to strangers. Really. Do as I say, not as I do. That's all I'm saying about that.

Disclaimer: I swear we are good people & my sister is an excellent mother. We were on vacation & being silly. Really.

A final shot.

Sigh. I love the beach & want to live there - just as soon as I win the lottery.

PS - I do have knitting content, I swear I do. I'll post again this week & let you know what I'm doing - it's a bunch! Just too much for one post. Later.