Melly Breit (knits!)

Back again

2009-08-16T17:43:00.003-04:00

I haven't blogged in ages, but I'm still knitting.

I think I'm probably moving in December, so I'm trying to do some clean up. So I've been going back to the UFO's I have laying around and finishing them off, as well as work from my stash.

I finished all the projects I had on the needles in April, as well as some new ones.

(Aren't the buttons just ADORABLE?)

I only finished my friend's scarf last week. I blocked it last night and gave it to her at church today. I must admit I was gratified to see her so pleased about it!
I forgot to take a photo of the stealth swap project I was working on. I started knitting up the KnitPicks Fedora I bought in April. I'm so enamored with steeking that the only thing I could decide about the pattern was that I was going to knit it in the round and cut it up the center to make a cardigan!

I've decided to make Pink Lemon Twist's Bristow Cardigan, but the construction is so different I guess the only Bristow part is the stitch pattern. The rest of it is just a percentage sweater from EZ's Knitting Workshop. I think I might try to do the seamless set-in sleeves, because I already have two cardigans with a round yoke. I've finished the body and I'm about halfway done with one sleeve. It's been holding lately while I finish UFO's from my basket.

Itchy fingers

2009-04-14T16:34:00.004-04:00

I've got so many things on the needles that need to get done: a pair of socks for a lady at church, a scarf for my best friend, a non-bloggable project for my Loopy Ewe swap partner, my tangled yoke cardigan, and who knows what else. But all I want to do is start swatching for a new sweater!

I just got some yarn in yesterday from KnitPicks--the Merino Style in Fedora--and I think I'm going to make the February Lady Sweater.

But this yarn is DK weight, and FLS calls for worsted weight yarn. So I'm going to have to tweak the pattern, and that means knowing my gauge.

But I have to finish the other things first. Well, maybe not the scarf, but definitely the ??? and the socks. And I ought to finish one sweater before casting on for another.

What Makes a Good Blog?

2009-02-14T23:24:00.005-05:00

90% of the blogs I read happen to be blogs about knitting or spinning. Cara of January One pointed out a blog post by Kathryn about the Knitting Blog Class of 2005. Kathryn went through a Bloglines report from April 2005 and made a list of the knitting blogs that were linked on the site (there were over 1700 of them!) and followed the links to see how many of them were still being actively updated and how readership had changed in the last four years. Only about 1/3 of the original list were left. I've heard of most of them and read several. (Update--I misunderstood the original post, and incorrectly thought that Margene had done all that hard work--thanks for the correction, Kathryn!)

So what makes these blogs last when the majority of them died out? I have several ideas. My blog certainly hasn't been very good lately, so these thoughts are mostly for my own benefit.

I think that the most important thing is that the author updates frequently. Probably no matter how witty and entertaining and informative the posts are or how beautiful the pictures, no one is going to regularly come back if you only post once in six months. (Ahem.) RSS feed readers do almost give you a second chance; if someone likes what they see they can just subscribe and your posts are automatically sent to them. If they had to manually come back and you never updated, you'd be simply out of luck. However, the RSS readers aren't a guarantee of readership. I know that every few months I go through the list of blogs in my reader and thin out the ones I don't remember reading lately.

A second important factor is that the author of the blog actively posts and comments on the blogs of other people. It's free advertising—often if people like your comment, they'll follow the link back to see if they like what else you're writing.

Third, the blogs that I tend to keep in my RSS reader are the ones that I have some connection with. Either I really like the quality of the author's work—the things they make or how they photograph them, or that the way they write about them is clear and clever and humorous. The blogs I read that aren't knitting blogs tend to belong to family and friends. They're things like places to update family photos and read the news about what's going on. One blog is by an artist friend from college who has the most beautiful, deep, thoughtful posts. I love reading what she has to say—I always feel enlightened and refreshed when she posts something new!

I don't yet have any library blogs in my feed reader, but I imagine that that the same kinds of principles will apply—are they well-written, with info that inspires or teaches me something new? Are they kept current, especially if they contain information about events that apply to me? Do they link to places that really are of interest to me? Does the author respond to reader feedback—can I make some sort of connection with the author—whether it be an individual or someone acting on behalf of the library?

If so, it's probably a good blog.

Weekend Knitting

2008-11-10T20:09:00.003-05:00

My little sister got married this past Saturday (Congrats, sis!)

I got to spend a lot of quality time with family that lives far away from me.

And I got to spend hours and hours sitting and knitting--in the airport, in the plane, in the car. I finished up a garter-stitch scarf in handspun and started a new pair of socks.

I'm also working on the Mystery Beret (Ravelry link) in some bubblegum pink handspun.

Baby Blankie

2008-11-05T21:36:00.002-05:00

The sweater I was working on has been put on hold for the last couple of months to work on a baby blanket for a former coworker. Several of us at work put our money together to buy the blanket, and one of the girls wanted to learn how to knit, so she's making one stripe and I've done the others.

Now I'm trying to decide whether I want to put the stripes I've knit together to form diagonal squares of color, or more randomly. Any thoughts?

New Semester, New Sweater!

2008-09-01T23:07:00.004-04:00

Sorry, no photos today.

Classes started up again last week. I've decided to cut back on my job and go back to school full-time. At the rate I was going, it would have taken me six years to finish a two-year program.

What that means for me is lots and lots of reading time, so I've started a new sweater. This time around I'm making Elizabeth Zimmerman's Fair Isle Yoke Sweater. I still need to get the book that the yoke pattern is in, but I still have time. The body and sleeves of the sweater are from the Knitting Workshop book, which I have. When I finish that part of the sweater and am ready to start the color work, then I'll check with the library or buy the book.

Happy Birthday, America!

2008-07-05T00:13:00.002-04:00

From my back patio, I can see a pretty good fireworks show on the Fourth of July. It's by no means a professional show, but whoever it is setting them off buys the BIG ones. It's rained all day, so it was nice to sit under the shelter of my upstairs neighbor's balcony and still get to see the fireworks display.

I have always been happy that I was born and raised and live in the United States of America. This year, as I watched the fireworks, the thought struck me that I am very grateful, too. I am grateful that the sounds of explosions and rockets whizzing through the air are not accompanied by air raid sirens. I am grateful that they shoot harmlessly into the sky, not into the homes of families in my neighborhood. I am thankful that they are set off in joy and fun and celebration, rather than in malice and hatred and revenge.

I am reminded again that this is a wonderful place to live, and I am grateful to be here.

Long may our land be bright,
With freedom's holy light,
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God our King.

Halfway...I think...

2008-06-17T20:46:00.003-04:00

(Insides of the Scarlet Woman Sweater)

One of the advantages of marrying off all your roommates (three in as many years--they all live with me and then decide they want to get married--what's that say about me?) is that suddenly you have a ton of space to block things on the floor, and no one will care because it's not in the way!

The photo above is skewed--it looks like the armscye on the right is bigger than the other. I actually measured it and it's SMALLER; I think it's just the light and how I'm standing.

I'm finished with the Scarlet Woman sweater pattern as written and now I'm on my own for the sleeves. This is where it gets scary, because not only have I never designed my own sleeve caps or sweater yet, I've never MADE a sweater with sleeve caps before. The only sweaters I've done recently were round yoke sweaters (Tangled Yoke Cardigan) and raglan sweaters (Eris), both of which had the sleeves knit into the sweater as the pattern went along.

So I'm a little nervous! I think I'm going to wait for the body to dry, then flip it over and recheck my gauge on the stockinette portion. I really want to finish this sweater (it's been in my WIP list for almost six months) and I'm SOOO close I can smell it! But I also want to take my time and do the proper math and make sure it's right. I tend to get lazy and call things "good enough" and then, when the sweater is done, it doesn't look as good as I had planned. I want this one to be GOOD, not just good enough.

Long Tail Cast On

2008-05-29T22:29:00.004-04:00

When my grandma taught me how to knit ages and ages ago, she taught me the long-tail cast on. But it was nothing like the method you see in the books--that one took me years to figure out, and it didn't click until I learned how to knit Continental style.

The way my grandma taught me is more suited to the English style of knitting. It involves wrapping a single loop of yarn around your left thumb, then knitting that loop like you would if it were a regular stitch on a needle. It's not as fast as the classic textbook method, but it might be easier to visualize how it works. If you struggle with the long-tail cast on, hopefully this will help.

There's also a good video of this method at KnittingHelp.com

Maryland

2008-05-07T23:21:00.004-04:00

Just like what felt like MILLIONS of other people, I went to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend. It was my first time, and I think I did pretty well. I stayed within my budget, and got most of the things I wanted. And that's fine with me--I can't get it all or I wouldn't have anything else to look forward to!

I went to the Ravelry meetup on Saturday, and got a button, but my name was on the missing page of M's, so I didn't get a cool Ravatar Sticker to put on the button.

I got a picture with Mary-Heather, and I posed with Jess and Casey, too, but that picture seems to have never actually happened. Oh well...

I'm lucky enough to have an aunt and uncle who live ten miles away from the Howard County Fairgrounds, so I got to stay in a lovely home with a very gracious host and hostess and eat home-cooked meals instead of a big impersonal hotel. I carpooled with someone who got into one of the pre-festival workshops, so while she went to class, I got to hang out with my aunt and uncle. My aunt and I went shopping, did some quilting, I started teaching her how to knit, and I just basically relaxed.

Here's what followed me home from Saturday:

A Spinners Control Card and an Inch Gauge/Diz from Carolina Homespun (no pictures, sorry).

I finally caved and signed up for a subscription to Interweave Knits. I've been meaning to for quite a while--especially because I always seem to end up buying the issues individually, anyway!)

Some GORGEOUS laceweight yarn from Tess' Designer Yarns

Some souvenir sock yarn (purchased at a great little yarn store during the week, not at the festival itself): Colinette Jitterbug and Araucania Ranco Multi. Both of these are much brighter than my photos show (especially the Jitterbug--it's quite loud, actually).

And what I really came for--lots of great fiber! (It doesn't look like a lot in these photos, but I think it's more than double what I had before.)

I started spinning up the Louet fiber. It's practically spinning itself! Most of the time, I tend to spin sockweight or laceweight yarn, so I'm really trying hard to do something a little bigger; I think this one might turn out more like a sport weight. It's so soft! I think I'll have to order some more.

One Hundred

2008-03-21T00:42:00.007-04:00

Wow--This is post number one hundred! It's strange to think that I've written that many. So to celebrate, I'll show you some new things in my house today:

First up: New socks!

BFL Socks, just a plain toe-up sock, but with Wendy's No-Picking-Up-of-Stitches Heel

Next: NEW BIKE!!!!!

Breezer Villager U-Frame Bicycle

I bought this at Pedal the Planet in Lexington, KY. I'm very excited about the bike. I think it's a very good-looking. And I've heard a lot of good things about the company. My own experience has been excellent. I've been e-mailing lots of questions to the company, and I have always gotten a thorough response the next day.

Anyway, now I just want the weather to be a little bit warmer!

All Done!

2008-03-05T23:26:00.003-05:00

That was fast!

I used just over a ball and a half of Rowan Handknit Cotton for this project; I still have a ball and not quite a half left--what else can I do with it?

So Much Fun!

2008-03-01T22:10:00.005-05:00

My brother and his wife had a baby this past Thursday. It's my first nephew, so I wanted to make him something special--I have booties and the Baby Surprise Jacket and a baby blanket in my queue at Ravelry, but nothing was jumping out at me. The booties I thought were cute seemed too girly, and I didn't want to buy Elizabeth Zimmerman's book just for one pattern (I will at some point, I just wasn't ready to do it now.) So I browsed some more and I found just the thing: Enter Elijah

(isn't it ADORABLE?!?)

This little elephant is perfect. My brother and his wife and baby live a couple thousand miles away from me, so I'll probably only get to see them once a year. I hope that it will be a favorite toy that he'll carry around with him all over the place. If I'd done something to wear, he'll have outgrown it before we can say "boo!"

I've never made a knitted toy before--this is fun! It's going so quickly; I've already finished the head and probably a third of the body. I still have the arms and legs and ears and then embroider the eyes, but I think I can definitely have this done by the time I go out to visit in April.

I definitely want one for myself. When I was at the yarn store today getting the yarn for the baby's Elijah, I saw they had some Rowan Calmer on sale at 40% off. It's a pretty color, kind of greenish-gray, and it will make a cute little elephant. Mine will have those little plastic bead things in its legs and arms and bottom that make it a little heavier and floppier. I didn't want to use them on the baby's; I wouldn't want them to be able to work their way out of the softie and into his mouth!

Knitting away

2008-02-17T01:54:00.004-05:00

I've got a bad case of startitis. I've got one sweater, two scarves, two pairs of socks and one lace project all on the needles. I don't think that I have photos of all of them, but this is a start:

First up is the Scarlet Woman sweater. The link is for a tank, but I decided that I'd rather have a sweater than a tank. I've finished the front and have about twenty rows of the back ribbing done. There are quite a few articles online about how to figure out how to make set-in-sleeves, so hopefully this will turn out like I have in mind.

I've finished the first of the 3x3 Cable socks I started a while back. The yarn is Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids in Cherry Red. I'm slightly concerned that I'm not going to have quite enough to finish the second sock, but thanks to the wonder that is Ravelry, I can find people who have used this yarn and hopefully one of them will have leftovers that they'd be willing to sell to me. The label didn't seem to have a dye-lot listed, so hopefully the color will be a match. And if not, it shouldn't be too bad--it will only be the end of a toe and that will stay in my shoe anyway.

I've been itching to start a lace project lately, so tonight I cast on for the Adamas Shawl. I'm using some red cashmere recycled-sweater yarn on eBay from The Twice-Sheared Sheep.

Still here

2008-01-18T20:04:00.000-05:00

I haven't blogged in forever but it's definitely not because I haven't been knitting.

I've finished a pair of monkeys.

Socks that Rock in "Gingerbread Dude"

I'm also working on two other pairs of socks. (Sorry, no photos of them tonight!) One pair is a little more complicated than the other. It's got cables and moss stitch between, and that one stays in my purse to work on at lunch or before class, etc. The other stays at home and is just a plain stockinette sock to work on when I'm reading.

I also started a sweater. My parents gave me a set of KnitPicks Options needles for my birthday and enough Telemark yarn to make a sweater. I've decided to make a version of the Scarlet Woman tank and I'm going to add set-in sleeves to make it a sweater. I hope it works!

Mystery box

2007-12-13T00:22:00.000-05:00

I got a package in my mail box the other day from the Loopy Ewe.

It kind of threw me off for a moment--I didn't remember ordering anything from there recently. But then I opened the package and found this:

A pair of sock blockers! There was also a note from Sheri or one of the Loopy Elves to let me know that the blockers came from my Secret Pal, Gabrielle.

Thanks, Gabrielle! (I didn't get your blog address, so I can't link to you) Now I just need to get back to knitting some socks so that I can try them out!

Thanks again!

Good news bad news

2007-12-04T18:28:00.000-05:00

I'm as finished as I'm going to be.

I thought it was too long, so I decided to try to felt it just a little, to shorten it up some. However, I forgot that the button bands were picked up and knit sideways from the edges. So, while most of the sweater shortened up as I'd wanted it to, the button bands did not. It's turned out kind of a combination of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan and the Tilted Duster.

After thinking I'm pretty much done, I just don't have the desire to cut off the button bands (I don't think they'd frog very well since they're slightly felted) and pick up fewer stitches.

BUT...my little brother and his wife are expecting their first baby in January, so I might just give the sweater to my sister-in-law. I think the angled bottom would look kind of cute over her pregnant belly...right?

Giving Thanks

2007-11-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

I checked the mail right before I left home on Wednesday night. I love it when there's a key in my mailbox--it means there's a package for me! Wowza, was there ever! It was from my secret pal, full of fabulous things.

I even liked the packaging. Check it out--the box is patterened inside! The tissue paper was lovely--chocolate browns and shades of blue from kind of a slate gray to indigo.

Inside, there was lots of fun stuff: A skein of Trekking XXL in Burgundy and Chocolate. I've been wanting to try out the Trekking yarn, but haven't seen a color I liked until this one!

A lovely reddish Lantern Moon project bag. This is one of my favorite colors (can you see my couch in the background? It's almost the same color!

A package with soaps, lotion, chapstick, and a sewing kit and a thimble. The brand is called "Plain and Thimble"--great name!

And a great multicolored journal-type book (the cover is striped, and the pages inside are the colors of the cover). I don't know what I'm going to write in it yet, but something will come to me, I'm sure.

Thanks, Secret Pal!!

Dude! Not Even Two weeks!

2007-11-12T01:10:00.000-05:00

I finished the socks for my second sockapalooza pal. I started them on October 31st--today is the 12th of November--that's not quite two weeks!!!

I've never knit a complete PAIR of socks so quickly. I'm just flabbergasted.

They're in for a soak right now, then they'll take a day or so to dry out. I have the day off tomorrow, so I think I'm going to go to the store and pick up some things to send off with them. Hopefully they'll be on their way by Wednesday!

Done! (Maybe)

2007-10-31T21:31:00.000-04:00

I finished the socks for my second Sockapalooza pal a couple of days ago. I wove in the ends and stuck them in some wool wash for a bath. When I pulled them out, I started to panic because they seemed a LOT SMALLER than they were when they went in. I've been afraid that they were too small all along, but now they definitely were.

However, now that they've dried completely, they look to be not as small as I feared. The fabric doesn't feel as dense and unflexible as it was when they were wet. They're knit out of a bamboo-wool blend that I've never used before, so maybe the yarn swells a lot when it takes up water, but shrinks down again as it dries? I don't know.

I've started a new pair for my pal just in case (made from Koigu--something I'm familiar with that won't play tricks on me!). I think I'll send her the pair I've completed, and then if they don't fit, I'll send her the second pair.

Holiday Knits, or You Can't Judge a Book by It's Cover

2007-10-25T21:47:00.000-04:00

Some of the Holiday Stamps that the USPS is putting out this year are titled "Holiday Knits". They're pretty, but not quite what I was expecting when I read the name.

I was thinking that there were going to be some pretty stranded-knitting mittens and scarves and hats and stockings. I still think that I'll buy a booklet for my Christmas cards, but I'm not quite as exuberant about them as I was before I realized what they look like.

Speaking of knitting, I've got a bad case of Startitis. I'm just about done turning the heel on the second Sockapalooza sock; I'm just over half-way done with the cabling on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan; and now I've started a scarf for my roommate and a pair of socks for me. I've got good excuses: the scarf for my roommate features GLOW IN THE DARK YARN (I couldn't hold off any longer) and I needed some plain stockinette to knit while I do homework.

And my fingers are itching to start more.

Doing Homework

2007-10-13T15:51:00.000-04:00

I have a response paper due on Monday, which means that I've been reading, and that means I've been working on my Tangled Yoke cardigan!

I've got a couple more rows to go, and then I'll start doing the decreases and cables section. Because I can't read and knit cables at the same time, this won't be my homework project anymore. I think I'll have to start a plain pair of socks. I'd like another sweater, but I don't have a sweater's worth of yarn in my stash or the money set aside to buy that much. But I think I have enough sock yarn for five or six pairs.

Speaking of socks, I'm probably 2/3 done with the first sock for my Sockapalooza pal. I'm a little concerned that they'll be too small when putting them on over the heel--my pal has feet just a little bigger than mine, and it's a mite snug when I try them on....I guess we'll see what happens.

Zipping along

2007-10-07T19:02:00.000-04:00

(This isn't the right color, either. This is a little too much red.)

I'm zipping right along on the VogOn socks for my sockapalooza pal. I'm still quite enamoured with this yarn and pattern. These socks are knitting up so quickly. I've turned the heel and am working on the heel flap. I think what I'm doing is the Eye of Partridge heel, but I haven't done enough rows to be able to really see the pattern yet.

I got a package in the mail this week from KnitPicks with my first-ever set of KnitPicks needles. I've been wanting to try these ever since they came out, but I haven't done it until now. I've only tried the 16-inch 2.25mm needles so far, and I like them a lot. They are sharp, but the points don't hurt my fingers as much as the AddiTurbo Lace Needles I have. I've never knit with 16-inch needles before, though, and it's taking me some time to get used to the shorter length of the needles themselves. I think I will be asking my family for the Nickel-plated Options set for my birthday or Christmas this year.

No clever title today.

2007-10-03T22:46:00.000-04:00

I was THISCLOSE to getting a new car this week. The insurance appraiser that came out to look at my car told me that if there had been any more damage to it, they would have just written it off as totaled and given me the value to put toward a new car. That was such a strange statement to me. The word "totaled" brings to mind a car damaged and mangled beyond repair. Mine still works fine, it's just that the left blinker is smashed out and the hood and bumper are dented quite a bit. The issue is that I drive a car that's 12 years old and has nearly 265k miles on it (you gotta love them Toyotas!), so the cost of repairs is coming awfully close to the value of the car. As much as a new car would be nice, I'm glad that I can keep this one--it's all paid for! Not that they would have given me much toward a new car anyway.

On the knitting front, I finished the socks for my brother last night. I think they look pretty good, if I do say so myself!

I immediately cast on for my Sockapalooza socks, but I wasn't really happy with how it was looking. On my lunch hour, I ran over to Magpie Yarn (which isn't too far from where I work) and browsed their sock yarn selection. I decided to try some of Crystal Palace Yarn's Panda Wool, which is a blend of bamboo, wool, and nylon. So far, I LOVE IT! Normally, I go for yarn that is more "squishy" like Koigu or Cherry Tree Hill, but I'm pleased with this yarn. It feels nice when I knit with it, and the resulting fabric is soft--much more so than you'd imagine just feeling it in a ball. It's knitting up nicely in the Vog On lace pattern and the colors are beautiful, although not as loud as they look in the photo below. The colorway is called "Red Cinnamon" and it's got red and orange and brown and magenta in it. It reminds me a lot of the colors of the leaves in fall. I might have to go back and snag a couple of balls for myself.

(Sorry about the crummy indoor lighting--I'm too lazy to photograph them when there's actually DAYLIGHT!)

One thing to know about this yarn, however: gauge is going to be misleading. You might be spot on for your gauge swatch, but go down a size or two anyway because the resulting fabric is really stretchy.

Where does the time go?

2007-09-29T23:14:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that it's been three weeks since I posted last. I've been craZy busy (as my brother used to say--with the Z just like that). I've had an insane week. I found out last Monday that I had an ear infection, so they stuck me with a needle and put me on antibiotics. On Thursday night, I was involved in a car accident. No one was hurt, but my car is a little banged up. Luckily, the other person's insurance company is going to pay for the repair on my car.

I've been knitting quite a bit. I started and finished a hat for my friend Kyle this month. He'd asked for a hat to keep his "little head warm when it gets cold outside." The only directions he gave me was that it be in black. I ended up doing a hat based on the Marsan Watchcap, without a brim, and with more stitches than the pattern called for because I was knitting at a tighter gauge. It was a fast knit, worsted-weight yarn on 4mm (US6) needles (the original pattern called for 4.5 mm/US7 needles but I didn't have any).

I learned a lot from this hat. First of all, the pattern is made up of a twisted-stitch rib (K1 through back loop, P1) and the K1P1 was the catalyst I needed to get me to learn how to knit continental-style. Secondly, I learned a lot more about how a stitch is constructed when I took a pair of scissors to the bottom of the hat. Kyle told me--after I'd already knit nearly the entire hat--that he didn't really care for hats with folded-up brims. Rather than rip back 5 inches of knitting, I opted for surgery a la Grumperina. It's not professional-looking, by any means, but I don't think he'll notice.

I've also been working on my brother's socks. I've finished one sock up and am about two-thirds of the way done with the cuff. I haven't woven in any ends on either sock yet, but I'm hoping to have them done by the end of next week. I was planning on finishing them this month, but I took a few days off to do Kyle's hat.

I'm also on the hunt for a nice lacy sock pattern. I've signed up to be a Sockapalooza 4 Sock Savior, and the person I'm knitting for says she prefers thinner socks, so something lacy should do. They're going to be in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock Solids, in the Cherry colorway--a nice bright, lovely RED. I'm thinking about doing the 'Vog On pattern, just longer than anklets.

Score!

2007-09-10T21:28:00.000-04:00

I had a customer come in to work the other day who was wearing a shirt that had a logo for a welding supply company embroidered on it. I asked him if that's where he worked, and if they sold fine-gauge stainless steel tig rods. He just gaped at me, and then stammered that they did. I said, "Oh, fabulous! I've been looking for some. I need them for a project at home--but they need to be rods without flux--that's no good for me." He just stared at me. So did the banker I was working with. I love doing things like that--pulling something completely out of the blue that knocks people speechless. The man I was waiting on was just so flabbergasted that a 20-something GIRL who works at a bank had even heard of welding, let alone that there were such things as 1/16th inch stainless steel tig rods that he didn't know what to say.

So today, I was waiting on another customer, when this man walks into the bank and hands a bunch of wires to one of my coworkers and indicates they are for me. Hooray! I have blocking wires now! I guess that means that I ought to get back to work on some of the lace projects that are sitting abandoned in my WIP basket.

So the moral of the story is: Doing your research and remembering random facts (like that 1/16th inch stainless steel tig welding rods could make good blocking wires) can get you free stuff!

Attention family members--I have no idea if any of you ever read my blog, but if you do, you can stop right here because you're not allowed to see what else is happening here. Go back and comment on previous posts, that's fine, but read no farther at peril of spoiling your own possible presents!

I've thrown myself into gift knitting this week with a passion. I've been working on some socks for my missionary brother in Hungary. I've turned the heel on the first sock.

I've also started spinning up some fiber that my mom gave me this spring. It was the winter coat her horse shed this spring, and she wanted to know if it could be spun. I thought it would be really difficult to spin, but it hasn't been as difficult as I expected. The horse died unexpectedly a few weeks ago, and I thought she might like to have a bag or something made to remember it by.

Normally, I'd say I'm kind of a natural-fiber snob but I was up exploring a new yarn and fiber store in Georgetown KY on Saturday, and I found some yarn I couldn't resist. This quite unnatural--it GLOWS IN THE DARK!! I also picked up some charcoal gray wool and I thought I'd make my roommate a scarf with a snowflake fair-isle border or something.

So, I have about three months until Christmas. Can I make a sock and a half, an entire scarf, and spin and knit something else from horse hair by the deadline? We shall see!

Rushing before Reality Hits

2007-09-03T21:01:00.000-04:00

I've been on vacation all week. I didn't go anywhere except to class and to the dentist. I did get some things done around my home, like cleaning and laundry and so forth. Mostly I just knit like mad!

I worked almost exclusively on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. I've finished up through where the sleeves are joined to the body, finished one sleeve and am about halfway done with the other. Unfortunately, I have to go back to work tomorrow and pretty soon I'll have homework, so the knitting time will probably be dropping back to almost nothing.

So, I've got to run and squeeze a few more rows in before bedtime.

Christmas is coming

2007-08-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

I've decided to make my "baby" brother (he's twenty today!!!) a pair of socks for Christmas. He is serving as a missionary in Hungary right now, so I think I'll need to send them out sometime around the first or second week of November. That means I'd better get started!

I think I'm going to base the socks on Thuja, meaning that I'm going to use the K3, P1, knit every other round pattern. I'm doing them toe-up (I LOVE Judy's Magic Cast On--I don't even have to look it up anymore!) and I think I might try a new heel of some kind or other. I don't want to do a short-row heel. I'd like to try the Eye of Partridge heel that I've seen around, but I'm not sure that you can do it with a toe-up sock. I'll look a little more into that when I get to that point.

I'm still working on the Tangled Yoke Cardigan. It hasn't seen as much attention lately, as I've been researching sock patterns for my brother. I have about 25 more rows before I break the yarn and start working on the sleeves.

No pictures today of TYC--I haven't taken any since I finished up the garter-ribbing portion.

I can't stop!

2007-08-21T23:28:00.001-04:00

I'm reading a book called "Majoor Frans." It was written by a Dutch woman named A.L.G. Bosboom-Toussaint in the late 1800's. It's about a very poor young nobleman who is suddenly informed that the will of a distant relative has named him sole heir to her estate--on the condition that he marry one of her nieces. However, the girl (Francis) is said to be rude and rough. She's been raised by her grandfather, a General, allowed do do whatever she wanted, and her wild ways have earned her the nickname "Major Frank." She hates men in general and has sworn never to marry. But when he meets her, he finds out the real story of her life, falls in love with her, and is sincerely trying to win her love. It's kind of a combination of "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Wuthering Heights" or "Jane Eyre" (can you imagine that combination?!?) It's *REALLY GOOD* and I highly recommend it. I can't put the book down. And that makes for lots of knitting time.

I'm getting much better at knitting and reading at the same time. Especially now that I'm working on the plain stockinette part of the Tangled Yoke Cardigan I've been making. I really like the pattern so far. It's fairly simple--all one piece to which I'll add sleeves later and then work the yoke. I love the "no seaming" idea! I've never done a round-yoke sweater before. I like how the Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool is knitting up. It is soft and drapes nicely. I think I'm really going to like the finished sweater. I'm probably two or three inches farther along than this picture shows.

School starts this coming Monday. I had to make a last-minute change to my schedule but I think I've got everything in order now. I'd better learn some self-discipline soon--either that or finish Majoor Frans before homework sets in!

Big Thanks!

2007-08-12T22:09:00.000-04:00

Look what came in the mail for me on Friday! A Sockapalooza 4 package that included a fantastic pair of socks, a beautiful card, and a mini-sock blocker with instructions on how to make socks to fit it.

They came from Debra. Thank you so much! The socks fit perfectly and are very comfortable and I've worn them around the house all weekend. I immediately put the blocker key chain on my purse and it's fabulous. Maybe this next week I'll make a sock for it.

The color in the photo above isn't really accurate. The socks have a lot more red in the purple than you can see here.

Thanks again, Debra! I love my new socks!

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire Answers

2007-08-12T19:44:00.001-04:00

Sorry that this is late!

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I prefer mostly natural fibers, although acryllic does have its place. It's not a big place in my life, but my first three sweaters (I'm on my 5th) were acryllic. I still wear one of them.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in? Nothing really, at the moment. I made a roll to hold my DPN's and I think they're actually in there right now. The circs are hanging off my lamp because I haven't found a nice way to store them yet.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced? I've been knitting for about 17 years or so (gosh, that sounds SO LONG!) I didn't do much with it for a long time, and have only been serious about it for the past two or three years. I think I would say I'm an advanced knitter. There are a lot of things that I haven't tried yet and a lot of things I don't really know how to do, but I'm not afraid to try.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I do, right here.

5. What's your favorite scent? I like the smell of cinnamon and other spices, as well as Citrusy smells.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy? Heavens yes! My favorite candy is Reese's Peanut Butter cups .

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin? I'm a spinner--I bought my wheel in February. I used to cross stitch a long time ago, but I haven't done that for years. Not since I started knitting again.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) My computer does play MP3's. I LOVE world music in different languages, whether I understand them or not. I also listen to a lot of classical and instrumental music, and I love Disney cartoon soundtracks.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand? I think my favorite colors are darker reds like wine and burgundy. I like any flavor of purple. I like chocolate brown and pink and chocolate brown and light blue. I'm not really a big fan of olive greens and yellows, although I like the brighter colors. Now, having said that, I'm in the middle of knitting a cardigan in an olive green color. I think it will be pretty and I'll like the end result, but I'd like the process a whole lot more if the yarn were a pretty heathery purple!

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have one roommate and 2 cats.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos? Yes to scarves, hats, mittens, but not ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? I've always got a sock in my purse. It comes in handy when there are odd moments with nothing to do but wait for someone or something somewhere. I've done lots of things, sweaters, bags, slippers, lace, hats.

13. What are you knitting right now? A purse-sock, as always. Twisted Yoke Cardigan from Interweave Fall 2007, Mystery Stole 3, and I've got Scheherezade hibernating somewhere.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts? Yes, please.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I prefer circs for most things, and I like the metal needles. I'd like to get the KnitPicks needles, but I haven't had the money for it yet (espeically since I already own needles in most of the sizes I ues)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift? Yes to both.

17. How old is your oldest UFO? I think I've frogged most of the things that I haven't liked, so my oldest UFO is probably the Scheherezade Stole.

18. What is your favorite holiday? Probably the Winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's)

19. Is there anything that you collect? Stationary and stickers and pens. Yarn, too, of course.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I think the books I want are all in my Amazon wish list. Someday I'm going to bite the bullet and actually subscribe to InterweaveKnits.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn? I can't think of any at the moment. I'd like to learn more about the hows and whys of some techniques, like figuring out once and for all which way ssk and k2tog go. I always have to look it up!

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements? I'm definitely a sock knitter. I wear a US 7 shoe; my foot is 9 inches long and 9 inches around at the ball.

23. When is your birthday? December 3

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID? Yes, you can find me as Prinsessje. (That's Dutch for "Little Princess"

I didn't think I'd do it...

2007-07-18T22:31:00.000-04:00

But I want to make Monkey socks. Everyone's been raving about them for months. Acutally, that fervor has died down somewhat--I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. I thought they looked nice, but it wasn't really calling my name. Maybe it was the colors in the original pattern--the yellows and greens and oranges aren't exactly my color, they kind of remind me of jars of baby food (no offense intended to those who like yellows and greens and oranges--I like them too, just not all together). But then my secret pal spoilee, Emily, showed a photograph of some RED ones that she made from her own handspun (gasp!) and well, you know what they say about rest and history. I want to get back to my wheel and spin!

But not yet. I'm busy working on the Mystery Stole 3. As of tonight, I've completed through row 190 (10 rows left of Clue 3). Clue 4 will be posted on Friday, and I'll have 2 weeks to work on it. I can't believe that I'm actually keeping up with this project. I don't consider myself a fast knitter at all.

I've also been working on Scheherezade and some stripey cotton socks from yarn my secret pal sent me. I decided this week that I'd send them to someone rather than keep them for myself. But they're coming along rather nicely. They're just plain and simple, perfect for stuffing into my purse to take to work for lunchtime knitting.

This is the first sock, which has long since been completed. I have about an inch and a half done one the second one, but no current photos.

Must. Buy. Blocking Wires.

2007-07-04T14:08:00.000-04:00

So I thought I'd save myself some money (and avoid the wait of ordering by mail--I'm impatient) by making my own blocking wires. I went to Lowe's and Home Depot and couldn't find any of the welding wire I'd seen recommended. So I bought the thinnest wooden dowels I could find and some sandpaper and went to work.

I used a pencil sharpener to make some pointy tips and sanded down the entire length of the dowel. They're still a little too rough (I told you I am impatient!) and not thin enough, I don't think. I guess I'll break down and pick some up from eBay or KnitPicks. They're the same brand, but the ones on eBay are a little cheaper (the price of the wires+shipping is the same price that KnitPicks offers for the wires alone).

Mystery knitting

2007-07-01T18:37:00.000-04:00

I started knitting on the Mystery Stole 3 yesterday. So far, it's gone pretty smoothly, except I think that the beading might be a little TOO subtle. (You couldn't even tell the beads were there, could you!) The first two were a little bit challenging to put on, but once I figured out how to hold both needles and the crochet hook while putting the bead on, it went smoothly. I bought some other beads that were clear except for the hole was lined in silver. I think they'd pop out just a bit more, but I don't know if that would really look good with this color wool. It's kind of light brownish--well, an oatmeal color (imagine that!)--and I'm not sure how it looks with the silver of the bead. I don't know if the beads will stand out better once it's blocked or not. I think I might put it on a holder and start again from the other end with the other beads and see which I like better.

I really like this yarn--it's very soft. It's Lane Borgoseia Cashwool in the Oatmeal Colorway that I bought from The Loopy Ewe several weeks ago.

Nothing productive accomplished today

2007-06-28T00:00:00.001-04:00

Because I'm IN!

I got an invitation to Ravelry today!!! What fun! I've wasted a whole lot of time playing around and entering in the patterns I'm working on, what I want to do, looking at others' postings about the projects I'm doing or the ones in my queue. I haven't even started to think about uploading information on my stash or my needles yet. I don't have that much stash, I don't think. One tote-full under my bed. And I don't have many needles, either. But this will probably take me quite a while to figure out.

I finished the first chart on the second half of Scheherezade today. I haven't worked on it for a while, but I decided to pull it out today and see what I could get done. I think it will probably go back into the tote on Friday, when the first clue for Mystery Stole 3 comes out. But we'll see. Maybe I'll just keep Scheherezade around and remain constantly one year behind.

Time to knit.

2007-06-25T12:18:00.001-04:00

I had LOTS and LOTS of knitting time this past week. I had a lot of reading for a class to do by Saturday (which sadly didn't get done on time) but I can do simple straight stockinette while reading. I'm looking forward to school starting this fall if reading time = knitting time!

My car was in the shop on Wednesday and Thursday, so I rode the bus to and from work. Waiting for the bus to come and sitting on the bus = knitting time!

I had a wedding/family reunion this weekend in Nauvoo, Illinois. It's a little town now, about 1100 residents, but back in its heyday in the 1840's it rivaled Chicago in population. There's some houses and other buildings that have been restored and preserved and there are wagon rides and other things to see. It was fun. The first place I went to was the Family Living center, where they demonstrate things like how they made candles and bread and rope and barrels and so forth. There are also demonstrations of weaving and rag rugs and so forth. I've been there before and I remembered the looms and the rope-making, but I didn't remember seeing any spinning wheels. So this time, I went looking for them. They had them there, with signs all over saying "Do Not Touch" It was so hard to keep my hands off as I tried to explain what the things were to my family and how they worked. The guide that came over to see if we had any questions acted really impressed that I knew so much about how it worked.

So, anyway, there was lots of time standing in lines and waiting for rides and waiting for my family to figure out what we were going to do next. Standing in line = knitting time!

By the way, if you EVER EVER in your life get a chance to see the Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company perform, you should take it without a second thought. We went to a show on Friday night and it was FABULOUS. Energetic, fun, and very entertaining. There was a song about a scientist that looked like Einstein that created the perfect Dance Partner and the "robot" costumes were awesome. Hot pink suits with a row of fringes every few inches. You'd NEVER catch anyone wearing it anywhere else, but it was perfect as the dancers Cha-cha'd across the stage. There was another dance where they turned off all the stage lights except for some black lights and did dances with giant sticks and part of their costumes were black and other parts were wild colors that showed up in the black light. The show was incredible. Needless to say, I was NOT knitting at that time. :)

With all that knitting, I'm just about done with a sock. This sock may just well become a knee sock. I've started to add some increases in the back of the sock for calf shaping. I've never done this before, and I'm not sure I'm adding increases at the right rate, but we'll see.

2007-06-17T01:29:00.000-04:00

Look! Look! I'm finished!! Say it with me--woo-hoo!!!

I don't know exactly what I'm going to start on next. I've joined up with Mystery Stole 3 and received my yarn on Wednesday or Thursday--one skein of oatmeal-colored Lane Borgosesia merino laceweight. It was my first order ever from The Loopy Ewe. (My parents are talking about moving to St Louis--if they do, I'll definitely have to arrange to visit the Loopy place!) I have no idea what size needles to use for this yarn. I think I want to try some of those KnitPicks needles or the Addi Turbo Lace needles--something with a sharper point. Just starting to do a swatch on that fine yarn was kind of difficult.

I think I'll also start another sock. I've got several colors to choose from: some Brown and Pink Koigu my first Secret Pal gave me, some red Cherry Tree Hill I purchased a few months ago, or some cotton that my current Secret Pal sent me. I think I'm going to just do a plain sock because I want to train myself how to knit and read things at the same time. I'm starting school again in the fall, and I can't give up my fiber!

Halfway

2007-06-02T19:51:00.001-04:00

I finished the first Sockapalooza 4 Sock today. I'm a little nervous about it. I'm afraid that it won't be able to stretch wide enough. The first draft was too wide, so I ripped it back. People kept asking if it were a baby hat, and I realized that I hadn't built any negative ease into the sock. I'm not sure what my pal will like, but I personally prefer my socks to be kind of tight on the foot. But I'm worried that these are too tight in the ankle. I need to find someone who has the same size foot to give it a try.

(yes, I'm well aware that my legs are blindingly white. That's just the flavor I come in--plain vanilla!)

I LOVE the bind off. It's SO easy and REALLY stretchy. It's P2 tog, make the stitch you just created on the right needle very loose (or just use a needle a couple of sizes bigger than what you've been using), slip it back to the left needle, and repeat. Easy-peasy!

Checking In

2007-05-28T18:35:00.000-04:00

I've been busy working on my Sockapalooza 4 Socks. I've turned the heel on the first sock and I only have 15 grams of yarn left. I wasn't sure how much yarn the sock was going to need, so I bought three skeins. I guess I should knit a repeat and weigh the yarn a la Grumperina and get an idea of how long these socks will be if I make them only from one skein apiece.

I've been sewing.

My little sister made me a bag to carry my socks-in-progress around in my purse, but it was slightly too small. So I found a pattern on the internet and whipped this little bag up. I really like it. Especially because it's red, which seems to be my color of choice this year. Does anyone else go through phases where they buy everything in one color? A few years ago, it was light pink. This year, it's red. Dark burgundy-red.

I also made myself a pretty bag for my books for church. The messenger-style means it's also come in handy last week when I was a really good girl and rode my bike to work EVERY DAY. I still want that Biria bike, but I can't justify the cost right now.
My little brother got married this past weekend. Hooray for him! But you know, it's really really weird to think that my little brother is all grown up and MARRIED. Does that mean I'm a grown-up too? Here he is with his bride and my grandpa. Don't they all look cute?

Look what came in the Mail!

2007-05-13T23:13:00.000-04:00

This was on my doorstep when I left to go back to work on Thursday. (I may or may not have been a leeetle late getting back to work...)

This was inside (you can't see it all in this photo, but I can't upload photos of everything that was in there in one post).

Thank you, Thank you, Secret Pal!!!

I can't believe how much was in this box: a book called "One Skein Wonders," two balls of alpaca yarn , some wool/silk yarn, cotton sock yarn, ribbon yarn, a container of wool wash, and a little container of something called Wool Wax. It's a lanolin cream and I LOVE it. There were also six balls of roving (two light pink balls of merino and the pink and grey and the other two pink balls are Corriedale). Enough for a sweater, I think. My secret pal gave me some ideas of where to find more if I want to make a solid pink sweater, but I may use the grey/pink for a stripe or a yoke or something. I guess we'll see how it spins up.

What I want to know is how did she know that I really wanted to make a pink sweater? Did I say something about that somewhere?

My little sister made this bag for my socks to go into while they're in my purse. It's made of an old silk shirt that I used to wear and lined with some fabric that she bought to make a quilt. I really like the bag, but I may ask her if I can have her make another one just a bit bigger. I don't know if a brand new, just-wound ball of sock yarn will fit in this one. Maybe she will if I offer to make her another pair of socks in exchange...
I went to a friend's house this weekend, and she wears the same size shoe as my sockapalooza spoilee. As I feared, the sock was too big. WAY too big. As in about two pattern repeats too big. So RIIIIIP! It's going much faster now that there are fewer stitches in each row. I didn't have any scrap yarn with me this weekend, so I learned how to do the figure-8 cast on using the magic loop. Now I'm slightly paranoid that they're too small, but I'd personally rather have my socks a little too small than a little too big. Negative ease, I think they call it! :-)

All play and no work

2007-05-09T22:54:00.000-04:00

I had the day off work today to go to my roommate's (well, now it's ex-roommate's) wedding. It was a nice time. The ceremony was very simple and sweet, and it was good to sit around at the reception and talk to old friends. Here they are coming out of the temple after their wedding. He's pretending to be surprised at all the people there taking pictures. She's just happy. They look fabulous. I've been working away on my sockapalooza sock. I keep worrying about it. Is the toe too pointy? Is it going to fit? Will my pal like the colors and the design? I sure hope so!

So far, I like this magic loop method. I like that you can knit half a row before you change needles. I think I might start the second sock and try to do them both at once, that way I get them the same length. That's always a plus, right?

Edited to add: A Title

2007-05-03T01:10:00.000-04:00

Lots of news this week.

On Saturday, I finished the second Pink sock. I like them! Unfortunately, now that summer is here, it's too hot to wear boots to work, so only black sensible socks for me for a few months. We have a dress code at work and my manager has specifically mandated (for my benefit) "NO FUNKY SOCKS". Only black socks are allowed. In a fit of rebellion, I bought some nice black boots to wear so no one can see if my socks are blue or purple or orange or pink. I'll just have to stockpile a stash of "funky socks" to wear once the weather cools down again.Isn't my Jamison cute? I'm going to have to take some good pictures of Mattie to post or she'll be jealous.

I had two skeins of Cascade 220 left over from Eris, so I went to the yarn store and bought a skein of brown yarn and the pattern for Fiber Trend's Felted Clogs. I whipped the first one up on Saturday and haven't started the second one yet. I may do that this week and wash them when I go home over Mother's Day weekend. Someday I will have a house with my OWN washer and dryer.

On Tuesday I went shopping for yarn for my Sockapalooza socks. It's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in the Tahoe Colorway. I think I'll be knitting these toe up and using Melanie's Twisted Stitch pattern. I decided to try out the Magic Loop method and bought a very long 2mm (0) needle. I keep casting on the wrong amount of stitches, though. I can't count very well, apparently! I'll have pictures of that next time.

And finally, I got an e-mail today saying that I've been accepted into the University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Sciences Graduate Program! Whoo-hoo! I didn't think I'd get in. It'll be a long haul, though. I'm trying to avoid debt as much as I can, and I don't want to give up the full-time benefits of my job. So it'll be a night class here and there for several years, I think. I'm still in shock.

Startits

2007-04-24T22:50:00.000-04:00

It's not the kind of startitis you think it is. I can't seem to finish a blog post. I've begun one every day since Friday!

I did have a lot of knitting time this weekend. On Friday night, I had an overnight-meeting and I worked on the pink sock during the down time. Just as the first session ended, and before any down time began, one of the women in charge at the meeting laughingly commented that she ought to keep a sock in her purse so that she could stuff it in her mouth to keep from saying something stupid. I thought it was rather amusing that I DO have a sock in my purse at all times--but not for my mouth!

On Saturday, there was a book fair here in Lexington. I had a great time. The Yarn Harlot was here!

It was fun. Stephanie is as much fun in person as she is in print (naturally). It's fun to read back through her side of the visit--I'm in the first crowd picture, right in the middle. And I met some of the people in the other pictures. Needless to say, I had lots of knitting time on Saturday: pretty much four hours straight from one to five. And then I went home and knit some more. My poor little brother who's a missionary in Hungary (not the same one who came home from a mission in Brazil last year) doesn't hear from me nearly as much as he ought to. This is probably not a healthy obsession!

I'm learning how to knit continental style. It's a long process--I'm not patient enough. I can knit quickly in the English Style, but the continental style seems so much more efficient. But it takes longer because I'm not good at it yet What I need is a project like a sweater with lots of stockinette that I can practice on.

I have one FO to report for this weekend: a hat. After Stephanie finished speaking, many of us sat around and knit. Jane and Diane of Magpie Yarns were collecting hats to be donated, so I brought some bulky-weight yarn out of my stash to use up and give away. I worked on it on Saturday and finished it yesterday. There was a generic pattern there but not for the weight of yarn I was using. I decided to just cast on and knit until it looked good--it will fit someone, right? I think it turned out kind of cute and I don't know how I did it.

SOCKAPAL-WOOOOOO-HOOOOOO-ZA!

2007-04-08T01:41:00.000-04:00

Sign ups started today for Sockapalooza 4. Yippee! I've been at my computer all evening ~~stalking the Blue Blog~~ watching a movie and knitting and I signed up as soon as I could. I've read as people posted about Sockapalooza before and I always thought it sounded like fun. I'm really excited to take part now.

I didn't realize that I hadn't posted for so long. I've been tinkering with the blog format quite a bit over the past couple of weeks, so I didn't really notice that I hadn't actually SAID anything. I've added a stat counter (I always wondered how people knew what Google searches had led to hits on their blogs!) and have been playing with buttons and so forth. I'm also trying to figure out to make those progress bars that show graphically how much you've got left of this project or that. The new blogger made it a bit easier to organize my sidebar, but it's not sophisticated enough to do what I want it to. I don't understand html code very well, but it looks like I'm going to have to learn it to get my blog to look the way I want it.

I went to the Spinning Guild meeting on Friday night. I didn't bring my wheel with me as I was coming pretty much straight from work, so I worked on my current purse socks: Elongated Corded Rib socks from the Sensational Knitted Socks book in cotton candy pink Cascade Fixation.
I'm about two inches farther than this picture shows. I've finished the gusset decreases and now it's just straight knitting in the pattern until I get to the toe decreases. I found the second ball of yarn (one of the cats had batted it under the couch and I hadn't seen it in days). I'm a little concerned that I won't have enough to finish the sock. I only bought two balls and I've got six inches or so left to go and only 15 grams of yarn. I'd rather not have to try to track down another ball in this same dye lot.

I came home from the guild meeting on Friday with this:

Over 100 grams of Alpaca roving in a fabulous colorway: Mostly lavender/lilac colored, but with occasional bright sections of a limey-green-yellow. Lovely! It's fun to spin up. The Romney I've been working on is currently on hold while I play with the softer stuff.

Like the rest of the country, we had a cold Easter weekend. It snowed here on Friday, although we only got about an inch. I'm glad that my plants are in containers that can be moved inside from the patio!

Under Construction

2007-03-24T14:35:00.000-04:00

You may not have noticed if you haven't looked at my blog in the past few days, but I'm working on updating things around here. I switched over to the new Blogger, and so I've been working on getting my template back to the way I like it (I LOVE my berry background, but it took me about three days to remember how to get it working!) I need to add some buttons, and I read a LOT more blogs than the list shows. I also want to make a link of things I'm working on and things I've completed, so that will take some doing.

In the meantime, I've been spinning a lot more than I've been knitting. I finished my mom's socks and immediately cast on for a new pair of socks. I've started keeping a sock-in-progress in my purse, and I don't know why I never did this before. For a year now I've been saying to myself, "I need to start bringing a lunch with me to work rather than drive home" and it's a lot easier to do when I have a sock in my purse. I have an hour for lunch, and it only takes me fifteen minutes to eat, so now I can knit.

This is the new sock, made out of Cascade Fixation. I don't have the ball band nearby, so I can't say what color it is, but I like it. I'm using the Elongated Corded Rib pattern from Sensational Knitted Socks. It's easy to memorize but still rather interesting (at least so far--I've only done about a repeat and a half of the pattern). Somday I want to be like Wendy had have drawers full of handknitted socks.

I've plied up all the singles that I had spun up. The big red skein is two-ply and so is some of the smaller red skein. When I ran out of one bobbin on the second red skein, I started Navajo plying it. I like that method MUCH better. I like that it produces a rounder, more evenly plied yarn, and it's easier for me to get into a rhythm with the Navajo plying than the two plying. Don't ask me why, that's just the way I spin.

So the colors really aren't this bright; I'm still learning how to use the camera settings.

I haven't touched the Bristow cardigan for a couple of days.

of Bikes and WIPs

2007-03-18T21:08:00.000-04:00

I've had a good week. The weather was GLORIOUS on Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday. I actually broke out my bicycle and rode it to work on Tuesday. It felt so good! I really like my bicycle. It's an older bike that I found in my Grandpa's garage. He had been storing the mountain bike I'd had since I was a kid while I was serving a mission in the Netherlands and Belgium for the Church I belong to. While I was there, I got hooked on the biking and the high quality of Dutch Bikes--like this one.

Gazelle Impala

So when I came home and found this bike in my Grandpa's garage, I asked him if I could trade. He tends to have a lot of stuff in his garage that people donate to be sold in yard sale fundraisers for their local boy scout troop. It probably would have been easier to sell the mountain bike, anyway, even if it wasn't new or top of the line. I liked this bike because it had the fenders and the lower frame (not quite a U-frame) that is easier to climb on and off, and the handlebars bent back so that you can sit up straight. It's a one-speed bike, with coaster brakes. I rode it all over campus at college and rode it to work quite a bit the first summer I moved here. But Kentucky isn't quite as flat as Holland is, and I think I'd like something nicer. My single speed is okay for climbing up the hills here in town (although my LUNG CAPACITY could use some development) but it's not really adequate for long stretches of downhill or flat ground. The wheels get going faster than I can pedal to keep up. So, we'll see what happens.

Breezer Uptown 8

Biria TC-Superlight 8 Touring City

On the knitting front, I've made lots of progress. I've turned the heel on my mom's second sock and am about an inch away from starting the toe decreases. The end is in sight! I had a lot of time to work on it this week.

I've also picked up my Bristow cardigan for work again over the past couple of weeks. I've done about twelve inches of the second front piece. I'm glad that I made notes of how many rows to do for each step when I made the other front piece--I only hope that my gauge is still the same!

Almost done

2007-03-03T23:51:00.000-05:00

Just one last end to weave in, and then a good block and a zipper, and Eris will be done! I went looking for a zipper today. I found one that would match well and almost bought it. Luckily I realized before I plunked down money that a dress zipper will not work for a cardigan--I need something that will open all the way up. It's slightly easier that way.

I may have to try to find one online. None of the stores here have a zipper in the right size and the right color for this project. So it will probably be a while before I can put this in the FO category. But that's not going to stop me from wearing it!

SP10 Questionnaire

2007-02-25T23:27:00.000-05:00

My answers to the SP10 Questionnaire are up and over at my "100 Things about me" page!

All gone!

2007-02-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

My money, that is!

There was indeed a lady in the knitting and spinning guild who had a wheel she didn't need anymore. I picked it up on Wednesday at one of our LYS's here in town (she's one of the owners). It's an Ashford Traditional double drive. It came with extra bobbins, a lazy kate, and an high-speed flyer kit, for $250.

Now I need to buy some more roving (I've spun up just about all that she gave me) and a niddy noddy.

In other news, I've also found some living room furniture (the red sofa and loveseat). The futon and coffee and end tables will be moving out in May. Until then I'm really pleased with how my living room looks! It's starting to look like a real home, instead of a student apartment. Now all I need are people to come over and visit and sit on the couches and just talk!

Merci beaucoup

2007-02-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

I was so excited about my spinning last night that I forgot to say THANK YOU to my fabulousa Secret Pal, Viv. Thank YOU! I've had a lot of fun this go-round and I'm already signed up for SP10.

Here's a recap:

By the way, do you see that soap up in the first picture? It's gardenia soap and smells wonderful. I thought you might like to know that I gave in, despite my misgivings, and bought a gardenia plant.

I'd been looking for something green to put on my end table, and it was very pretty. It has lots of buds on it, hopefully it will bloom!

Thanks again, Viv. You've been a wonderful secret pal!

I've slipped!!

2007-02-02T23:28:00.000-05:00

I went to the Knitting & Spinning guild meeting tonight, and had a great time! I worked on Eris and finished attaching the hem to the front. All I have left of the hem is the back.

Then the lady who hosts the meetings brought out an Ashford Traditional wheel and I started down the slippery slope. I spun nearly a whole bobbin and really enjoyed it. I want a wheel! But I have a lot of other things that I probably ought to buy first. My roommate is getting married in May, and the livingroom furniture will be moving out when she does. So I'm saving up for a couch and a coffee table and probably a loveseat. I told that to the ladies at the Guild tonight, and they laughingly said, "Why save up for all that furniture? All you need for a wheel is a chair!"

I'm tempted. Very tempted. But a wheel costs so much money! I might ask if anyone at the guild has a used one they want to sell. In the meantime, I would like to make sure that this isn't just a whim.

Here's the fruits of my first foray into wheel spinning. Sorry about the shoddy photos...all I had with me was the camera phone.

I'm pretty proud of myself. Spinning just clicked with me. I very quickly figured out how to put the movement of my foot pretty much on autopilot, and was able to focus on drafting. Of course, I still have thick and thin spots, but that's normal. Linda, the hostess, told me that it was not regular "beginner yarn".

Next month I'll go back and see if I can learn about plying and see if I can make a little skein of yarn to keep. I wonder how much I'll have to spin in order to make a hat...

Long and ramble-y. You've been warned.

2007-01-29T20:54:00.000-05:00

Look what I received in the mail on Saturday! Thank you Secret Pal! I'm looking forward to finding out who's been spoiling me so well these past few months!
There's a skein of Alpaca fingering weight yarn and the Fall 2006 Interweave Knits, which included an insert on scarves. I've never really looked at a knitting magazine before. I might have to look in to buying one or two more. The patterns in this particular edition are pretty nice. I really like that sweater on the front. I wonder what other colors would look like...

wait...I'm not allowed to start new projects until I finish the ones I'm working on!

Speaking of WIP: Here's a shot of Eris, from the last time that I worked on it, on Saturday.

I've finished the edging on the front left side, and am working on the front right side. It's actually a very clever construction: every other row (and occasionally more often) a stitch is picked up from the body and knit together with a stitch from the border. Not only does it look really nice, it also means that I don't have to bind off stitches at the bottom! Yay!

I did make a boo-boo, though. I can't remember (I need to learn to write things down as I work) whether I used US 4's or 3's to make the cardigan's collar. I'm using 3's for the hem, but the cables look smaller then the ones on the collar. This is how it's supposed to look. I hope that it doesn't matter too much. And I ought to have done the cabled raglan increases so that the cabled waist shaping would match. But I didn't notice that option until I was getting ready to start the waist shaping. Oh well.

I've been rather social the past few weeks, as far as fiber hobbies are concerned. One of the LYS's here in town has just started having an open knit night on Wednesdays. I went the first night, and there were three of us there: one of the owners, and another girl and I. It was fun. I do knit in public sometimes, but I'm always the only one. It was nice to have other people to talk to about what they're doing. I also went last week, and there were seven or eight people there. It was fabulous! People talked about going to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and about yarn habits and projects they want to do and things they're learning.

This coming Friday, I think I'm going to go learn how to spin. I tried a drop spindle once, and it was kind of fun, but I think I'd like to try a wheel, too. I always thought it would be so cool to have an antique-looking spinning wheel sitting in my living room, pretending to be a decorative item, but actually knowing how to use it!

Ooohhh, it smells GOOD in here!

2007-01-15T12:57:00.000-05:00

I bought a tree today. It's an Orange tree. It's in blossom right now, so hopefully in a few months I'll have oranges!

(Please look only at the tree, and not the mess in the background)

These are what the blossoms look like. They smell SOOOO GOOD! It's a very strong fragrance, really sweet with a hint of citrus in it. It's perfuming my living room as we speak.

Oh, I've been knitting, too. Mostly on Eris, because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and I want to get it done. I've got less than five inches to go on the body, and then I only have the sleeves and a zipper left. I'm hoping that sleeve island won't be too awful because this is a top-down raglan. I just have to knit until they're long enough (doesn't everyone?) but the rows get shorter as I move down toward the wrist.

Here's a shot of the waist shaping. It looks kind of scary, actually, like a spider or some other beastie. Hopefully it will look better when I block it and wear it.

Lots of New Things

2007-01-06T22:44:00.000-05:00

New thing #1: I received a package in the mail today from my Secret Pal: Two skeins of sock yarn and Sensational Knitted Socks! THANK YOU!!! I'm intrigued by a couple of the mosaic patterns, I might try one, as soon as I clear out my WIP basket and can buy some sock yarn. I want something like Koigu, or maybe I'll buy something I've never tried before, like Socks that Rock or something. The purple sock yarn that my SP sent is definitely earmarked for something for me. It's so soft! And I'm glad that I received the book today. I'm working on my mom's socks, and I did one toe-up with a short-row heel. I was kind of getting bored with it by the end, so I decided to do the other top-down, and was wondering if it were possible to do short row heels on top-down socks. And the book happens to have instructions on how to do it. Perfect timing, SP! Thanks again!

As I said, I'm working on my mom's socks. Nothing fancy at all, just a K2P2 rib on the leg. I started them on Tuesday, and finished one this evening. Not bad, if I say so myself.

It looks fine when you put it on, but socks that have ribbed legs just look really weird when they're not being worn. The feet look out of proportion to the leg portion.

And here's the second sock, started top-down as I mentioned earlier. I wonder if I'll do this one as quickly as the first. It would be really nice--I told my mom I'd knit her socks six months ago!

And last but not least, look what I bought myself for my own (late) Christmas Present: It's a Canon PowerShot A540. It's not top of the line--I don't need anything that fancy at present. But it's much nicer than my old 2.0MP camera I've been using for the past few years (which, by the way, would probably only go for about 5 bucks on eBay--that's how behind-hand it is). This camera has also has the advantage of a lot of manual settings that I can grow into as I learn more about how to take pictures.

Mardi Gras (in other words: splurge before you diet)

2006-12-30T20:57:00.000-05:00

I've decided to go on a yarn diet, kind of based on Wendy's Knit from Your Stash 2007. My stash really isn't that big (I don't think--but I could just be in denial) so it's going to be a modified one. Basically, the rule is: I am not allowed to buy more yarn until I've finished the projects that I already have.

Tonight, I went through my stash and sorted it into three groups: WIP's, "nice yarn" and "bleah yarn". The "bleah yarn" group consists mostly of old acrylic yarns that I purchased or received before I knew there was nicer stuff out there. It's nice to keep around when I need scrap yarn for temporary stitches or for holding live stitches to try on a garment, or to wrap around when I'm winding yarn into hanks. I may or may not see if Goodwill will take most of it. The "nice yarn" group is just that: nicer yarns, like silky wool, or 100% wool, things I've bought but don't have a specific project in mind for yet. They're just "marinating" right now. WIP's are just that: Things like Bristow, Eris, and Scheherezade, along with some yarn that has a specific project attatched to it that I haven't started, or started and frogged, like my Mom's socks.

The plan is to finish everything in my WIP basket before I can buy new yarn. Originally, my plan was to clean out the "nice yarns" group, too, but after looking at it tonight, and the more I think about it, the less likely it is to happen. Let's be realistic: I've got to have SOME stash, don't I? :)

That said, I went to my LYS today and snooped around to see what I could find before I'm banned. Here's what I found:

3 Skeins of Noro Silk Garden Color #221, and 2 of Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool Color #18. I'm not sure what I want to make with them. Maybe a hat and scarf and mittens. The Noro is worsted weight and the Silky Wool is DK, so I'm going to have to do some swatching and see what comes out. If I knit with 2 strands of DK weight together, does that come out the same as worsted weight? I guess we'll have to see. They've gone into the "nice yarns" box for now.

In a finishing mood...

2006-12-28T21:08:00.000-05:00

I've been in a finishing mood lately. I think with these two things I've only got three things on the needles right now: Bristow, Eris, and Scheherezade.

J's Hat, finished December 19, 2006, unknown wool I bought from one of our two LYS's here in town.

When I finished my brother's Christmas scarf, I wasn't really interested in working on any of the projects I had going, so I decided to make another Christmas gift, a scarf for my sister K. C's scarf went pretty fast, and I had ten days, so I decided to give it a go. The pattern is Clapotis, modified to be not so wide. It's kind of a fun pattern, but I'm not ga-ga over it, like everyone else seemed to be. Maybe it's because the yarn isn't the best, a cotton/nylon blend. The pattern stands out, but it rolls in on itself worse than stockinette would. I steam blocked it, and hopefully it will hold its shape. Maybe I'd have fallen in love if I had some wool/silk to knit it up in...guess I'll have to try it someday.

The scarf was NOT finished by Christmas, but I decided not to stress about it. In fact, since my sister did not know that it was for her, I actually didn't even wrap it up, but continued to work on it while I was at my parents' house this weekend. On Christmas morning, when she opened her box, there was a small game and a ball of this yarn, and I explained that the scarf I'd been working on was for her and I'd mail it up when I finished it.

Speaking of Christmas, it was really good, but much too fast. I drove up to Indiana where my parents live after I got off work on Saturday. Normally the trip takes about four and a half to five hours, but I left at 3:30 and didn't arrive until 9:30 because there was a big accident on the highway. I got stuck in the traffic right after I passed an exit and TWO HOURS LATER, I reached the next exit, five miles down the road. TWO. HOURS. UGH! I think what was most exasperating was not knowing what was going on and why we were all parked on the highway. But since this is the middle of nowhere, Indiana, there's not exactly a need for local radio stations to have traffic reports every ten minutes. It was frustrating not being able to find one. I guess I'm turning into a big-city girl. Needless to say, I had a new "first" this weekend--knitting while sitting behind the wheel--on the interstate...(shh, don't tell the cops!)

My parents gave me a book called "Knit 2 Together" but that was the only knitting-related gift I received. My brother and my sister gave me some DVD's, and that was about it. I'm not usually a big movie watcher, but I didn't ask for anything or drop any hints, and they didn't know what else to get for me.

Done!

2006-12-17T19:07:00.000-05:00

I finished my brother's Christmas present on Friday night. It's pretty and feels soft to my fingers, but it's kind of itchy when I try it on my neck, so I'm not sure how he'll like it. It softened up some when I washed it, so hopefully it will contintue to soften the more it's washed and worn.

Down a dark path...

2006-11-18T21:24:00.000-05:00

Sorry that I've been absent. It's been a crazy couple of weeks. My birthday was yesterday. I didn't really do much at all for it, but I did go out to dinner with a whole bunch of friends on Saturday, and my family sent me a package. My way cool secret pal has left me tantalizing hints about a package that should be here any day...how exciting!

So, It's begun--I think I've past the point of no return. I'm talking about knitting Christmas presents. I've never done it before, but I can just sense that this is going to get me in trouble in future. I know there's going to be stress and pressure, because I've never had to knit on a deadline before. Does anyone else hear the theme from Jaws, or is it just me?

My brother C asked if he were to send me money for yarn, would I knit a scarf for him? Without really thinking I told him that he didn't have to send me money, I'd make him one for Christmas.

I was going to use some stash yarn, but I didn't really have anything in the color he wanted. So I had to go to the yarn store and find some. Bummer. I just loathe browsing around the yarn store. (Watch out--there's lightning flying around here!) So I found some navy blue merino/mohair/cashmere blend that I thought was nice. I've experimented with a couple of stitch patterns, but in the end, I think it's going to just end up being a simple k2p2 rib, because I can do that mindlessly and fast. I don't want my knitting to be the source of stress in my life--it's supposed to be a stress reliever.

I figured out how to adjust my camera to capture more of a true color when I take a picture in natural light. C's scarf is in the photo above, as of this weekend. I've added a couple of inches to it since then.

Somewhat Productive

2006-11-14T22:58:00.000-05:00

Today was my half-day off. When I work on Saturdays (which is most weeks) I get off work around one o'clock on Tuesdays. I had all these big plans to be really productive this afternoon. But I woke up this morning congested and cold and feeling pretty blah in general, so when I came home, I crawled into bed and slept for three hours! It felt really good. I must have really needed it, and I feel much better now.

I did get some things done today. I made some goodies to take into work tomorrow for a birthday potluck. Chicken salad in little pie shells with a half a grape on top. They almost look good enough to eat, huh?

I also did laundry and worked on Eris. My camera batteries are charging right now, so no more pictures today. It doesn't look much different than the last time I showed it, just a few rows longer.

Scheherazade is moving right along. I've got about six more rows of the first chart done. I'm trying to decide whether I should unzip the provisional cast on and work on the second half at the same time (you make it from the center out, with the two sides mirroring each other). Knowing me, I'd probably get confused as to which side was which, so I'd probably better not.

Just in time for cold weather

2006-11-11T22:35:00.000-05:00

What's with the crazy weather around here? Yesterday, it was sunny and nearly 80 degrees outside. Today it was rainy and never got above 45, and they're predicting snow flurries for tonight! YUK!!! Luckily, I have something new to wear against the cold...This was such a quick knit! I did make some modifications to the pattern. I decided not to do the picot edging at the knuckles because I didn't want them to flare out. I made a few mistakes, too. I was so afraid that I'd run out of yarn before I finished the second one that I knit it much tighter than the first. I think I also messed up one of the cables at the wrist and knit one row too few between cable rows. As a result, it was shorter than the other, and I had six grams of yarn left!

I went back in and added two or three extra rows between where I divided for the thumb and the cables at the knuckles. I actually like it better, because it's tighter and covers a bit more of my fingers. I still have some yarn left and I may go back in and redo the bind-off on the first.

I think I'm going to have to go online and see if I can find some more of this yarn and make a hat and scarf to match, and maybe figure some way to make mitten flaps. I'm not sure how often I'll actually wear them if my fingers are always out in the cold.

Oh, no, just what I DIDN'T need!

2006-11-08T18:39:00.000-05:00

Okay, I really don't mean that. I got a LOVELY package from my Secret Pal today. Thank you, Secret Pal!!! But it's going to get me in trouble. Get a load of these goodies:

There are notecards (I love stationary and paper products!) and some Gardenia soap that smells HEAVENLY, and some Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran in a great pink color.

So now I'm in trouble. First, I told myself this afternoon on my drive home from work (before I knew that there was a package waiting in my mailbox) that I really should stop casting on for new projects before I finish ones I've already started. Case in point: I'm not done with the Bristow cardigan I started this summer, I really ought to redo my roommate's cousin's hat before cold weather sets in, I just started Eris a few weeks ago, and I've yet to cast on for the second Chocolate Raspberry sock. But I'm dying to try Melanie's Scheherazade shawl.

So guess what I did tonight. Yup.

Lest you think "Oh, that's not so bad," let me tell you what I did while standing in line waiting to vote yesterday morning. Yup.

(No, I didn't do all that while standing in line. I'm not that good. I just cast my red yarn onto the provisional crochet chain.) I'm using some laceweight 100% wool I bought on eBay that had been recycled from a commercial-made sweater. I really like how this is turning out so far. The yarnover eyelets really show well, but the solid portions of the shawl are still relatively opaque. I'm using Susan Bates 2.75mm (US#2) This is one of my first forays into lace knitting, and my first stole.

And then there's this Gardenia soap. Do real Gardenias actually smell like this soap? Dear secret pal, do you realize that my thumbs are itching to be green and I'm trying to hold them back? I don't really need a new hobby. And my cats eat plants. I just potted some spring bulbs in a planter on my back porch the other day and told myself that was it. But man, oh man, if Gardenias really smell like that soap, I might have to buy a plant. And from what I hear, they're VERY VERY finicky!

Call me a rebel

2006-11-02T22:48:00.001-05:00

I certainly am talkative this week--three posts already!I bought some really cute boots tonight for work. I have to wear a uniform where I work, black pants or skirts, black shoes, and blue shirts with the company logo. It's nice to not have to decide what to wear in the morning, but it does get old after a while. We're also supposed to wear hose or black socks. That was fine until last November, when I learned how to knit socks. Who wants to wear store-bought socks when handknit socks are so nice? And who wants to knit black socks when there are so many beautiful sock yarns out there? And knitting with black is hard on the eyes anyway.

So I bought some boots that are a little higher than my ankles. Now, when I wear pants (which I do 95% of the time) I can wear socks of whatever color I choose. Take that, you boring old dress code!

It's starting to look like a sweater!

2006-11-01T22:16:00.000-05:00

I worked on Eris yesterday and today. Getting close to benchmark points usually motivates me to knit like mad until I get to that point. Especially when that point is one (like being able to put the sleeve stitches on a holder) where it means that the number of stitches on a row is significantly smaller because it means that the knitting will grow that much faster!

The more that I look at it, the less I am satisfied with my cables on the collar. I see lots of mistakes and they don't look as pretty as the pictures in the pattern. But that's to be expected--this is practially my first experiment with cables. But what I didn't expect was that they're not as pretty as I thought they were a few days ago!

I've been told that blocking helps even out stitches in stockinette. I hope that it will also make my cables look nicer.

Update

2006-10-30T20:58:00.000-05:00

I've finished one Chocolate Raspberry sock. I need to start the second one before I get second sock syndrome...
Here's the latest on my Eris cardigan. I worked on it for a couple of hours this past Tuesday when I was over at the Laundromat. That's really my best knitting time. No one is ever there, so I just sit around with my headphones on and knit. Best of all, I don't feel like I'm wasting time, because I can't really do much else during that time anyway! The color's acutally not too bad in this photo, except that it's a little darker in person.

A first time for everything

2006-10-19T22:14:00.000-04:00

I've never done a meme before.

48 Things You Could Care Less About

1. FIRST NAME? Melissa

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not that I know of. My parents just liked the name. Along with lots of other parents that year--Melissa was the most popular girl's name the year I was born.

3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? I'm not really sure. It's been a couple of months, I think.

4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? I actually really like my handwriting. I've always loved pens and paper and school supplies and I'm a big fan of handwritten letters. Lately I've gotten into fountain pens and dip pens and researching old styles of handwriting. I think that Spencerian script is pretty, and I'd like to learn it, but it's not practical for most things nowadays--it's kind of hard to read!

5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCHMEAT? I like chicken or turkey or salami.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course! Who wouldn't? ;)

7. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? I do. I've been keeping a journal pretty steadily (meaning I'd write several times a week for months at a time, then drop back to once in a few months) for the past ten years or so. I've been much more regular about it for the last five years or so.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yup.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Definitely not.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I like Life cereal or Frosted Mini-Wheats. I'm not a big fan of fruity or chocolatey cereals or any kind of cheerio's.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Not usually. Come to think of it, I think I only own one pair of shoes that ties, and I hardly ever wear them.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? What kind of an ambiguious question is that? I'm not really very strong physically, but there are definitely issues that I don't bend on.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Mint chocolate has always been a favorite, but I really like Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake (or anyone's Strawberry Cheesecake for that matter).

14. SHOE SIZE? 7.

5. RED OR PINK? Right now it's pink. But I really like red, too. I just don't have much of it.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I need to work on being less lazy.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? No one in particular, but I miss having a crowd of friends around that would just come over and talk about everything and nothing for a very long time.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure. Why not? It would be fun to see if anyone actually READS my blog aside from my secret pal! (Hi, Secret Pal!) :)

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS, SHIRT AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Bluejeans, white tank top, pink cotton cardigan. No shoes.

20. LAST THING YOU ATE? A chicken sandwich on my way out the door for Institute class tonight.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My two cats chasing each other around the living room and some piano music.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Clean smells--like rain or citrus or clean laundry.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My friend Christina, who called to ask if I could give her a ride to class tonight.

25. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU ARE ATTRACTED TO? Eyes, I think.

26. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON you stole THIS from? I've actually never met her, but I like reading her blog.

27. FAVORITE DRINK? Pink Lemonade, hands down.

28. FAVORITE SPORT? Volleyball.

29. EYE COLOR? Hazel.

30. HAT SIZE? You know? I don't really know! Something medium, probably.

31. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Sometimes. I hate the hassle of fighting with them in the morning to get them in, and taking them out every night when really I'd rather just got to sleep. But I think I look better in them than I do in glasses. ;)

32. FAVORITE FOOD? Pasta. No low-carb diets for me!

33. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings. Definitely happy endings.

35. SUMMER OR WINTER? I like winter--I love scarves and mittens and hats and sweaters!

36. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs, I guess. I haven't tried any kisses!

37. FAVORITE DESSERT? Ice Cream.

38. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I have no idea.

39. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Ditto.

40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Emma by Jane Austen. Who am I kidding--I have "The Complete Novels" in one volume and I just skip around and read my favorite parts in all the stories!

41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE Pad? I don't have a mouse pad.

42. WHAT DID YOU WATCH LAST NIGHT ON TV? I don't own a TV but I watched a miniseries called "Wives and Daughters" on DVD on my computer the other day.

43. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Rain and thunder.

44. ROLLING STONE OR BEATLES? Not really a big fan of either. I've heard more Beatles songs, though.

45. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Russia. Twelve time zones away from my family--can't get much farther than that! (Well, not unless you drive a rocket).

46. WHAT'S YOUR SPECIAL TALENT? Thinking outside the box. For example, not long ago, I played a game called Scattergories and at one point we had to come up with a four-letter word that starts with "P" that no one else would think of. I wrote down "Profanity". It works, in an offbeat kind of way. :)

47. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Illinois.

48. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I shamelessly stole it from Cara.

A Brilliant Idea

2006-10-18T21:40:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the bad pun, but I'm excited about this idea I just had. I have a ball winder, but no swift, so winding balls has been a long, slow process with hanks carefully draped around the back of my chair. I've thought about buying a swift, but they're expensive and I don't know where I'd keep it.

But tonight, I realized that the shade on the lamp on my desk is REALLY big--big enough to hold a hank of Cascade 220! So I loosened the top screw, placed my hank on the shade, and voila! A ball of wool wound within a matter of one or two minutes, rather than forty-five!

A new project and a new toy

2006-10-13T13:29:00.000-04:00

I'm having issues with my computer and Mozilla Firefox, sorry that I haven't posted in a while. And I can't get Blogger to upload photos no matter which browser I use. GRR! But I've been busy!

As if I really needed another project on the needles, but I just couldn't wait to get started: An Eris cardigan. I expropriated the needles from the Bristow cardigan once I finished the Front Left piece I'd been working on and will be using them for Eris. I really ought to finish Bristow first, but oh, well! I've completed the collar and am now working on the yoke. The cardigan is made from Cascade 220, color #2412 , kind of a berry color.

I also have a new toy. I've always loved school supplies: folders, notebooks, pens, paper, stickers, binders, etc. A few years ago, my brother came out to make a campus visit to the school I was attending, and we went to the museum of art and looked around for a while. Then we went to the museum gift shop, and saw these dip pens made out of glass. They were so pretty and we both really liked them. We almost bought them, but it wasn't practical at the time. Last week, I saw a set on sale for pretty cheap elsewhere, and so I snatched it up!

SP9 Questionnaire

2006-10-07T01:48:00.000-04:00

Is up and posted there to the right!

Lots of things on the needles

2006-10-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I posted last. Here's what's going on in my corner of the world:

I'm still working on Bristow. I've reached the first bindoffs for the armhole on the front left side. I don't know why I've set it aside the past week or two--with the decreases it will go much faster.

(No outfit is complete without cat hair.)

I also started another pair of socks, from the "chocolate raspberry" Koigu that Jennie sent me for SP8. I had intended to use them to make a different, more complicated pair, but I changed my mind and decided to make these "mindless knitting" socks.
Can I just say that I LOVE the colors of these socks? I love how pink and brown look together.

I've also got an Odessa hat still on the needles, but no pictures, since my AA batteries for my camera are in the charger at the moment.

I had to frog the green Odessa hat I started for my roommate's cousin. I didn't make it long enough. But that's okay--I will still enjoy making it again. I guess I'd better hurry, though: the cold weather's coming!

SP9 started this week. I'm looking forward to another round of a great game. My answers to the questionnaire will be up shortly, at the link to the right called "100 things about me". Just so you know, I've not yet thought of a hundred things about myself to post!

Have you seen this?

2006-09-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

Addicted to knitting

Sad but true...

Long Monday, or "Too tired to think of a title today"

2006-09-25T21:25:00.000-04:00

Sorry this is late--I've had some technology issues this week. I got a reveal package for my AWESOME secret pal, Jennie (THANK YOU, so much!!!) But I couldn't find my camera to take a picture, so you'll have to deal with this poor phone-camera picture.
There's a lace-cuff sock pattern, some oatmeal-lavendar soap, a postcard, and three skeins of Crystal Palace Kid Merino. It's so soft, and I LOVE the color. There was also a CD of songs in French and Portuguese and German and Spanish (I don't speak any of those languages, but I love music not in English). They're kind of like Jazz and I like the CD.

I've got about eight inches done on my Bristow cardigan (sorry, no photos--too lazy!).

Busy Busy Busy--version 2.0

2006-09-03T22:06:00.000-04:00

I've been really rather productive lately, I think. And rather scattered, too

I finished the back of the Bristow cardigan.
And I've now started on one of the front panels. I think I want to learn this "cabling without a cable needle" technique before I get very far though.
I bought some remnant fabric at Wal-Mart to make a case for my multitude of DPN's.
I based it off of this pattern, except that I made it with only one row of pockets, and it's only tall enough to hold my DPNs. I only have three pair of straight needles--I do everything on circs or DPNs--so I didn't think it worth the trouble to add pockets for them to this case. I'm very pleased with how it turned out, except I didn't think to make the slot big enough for my size 0's and 1's. I have three seperate sets of each size, I think. So for the moment, some of them are residing in the slot for size 10's. I've got a little extra fabric left, so I think I'm going to try to come up with some way to make a case for my circs.
I also started a new project: an Odessa hat for my roommate's cousin. She liked the colors of my Crazy socks that I finished a little while ago, and wanted a hat out of the same colors. I couldn't find any yarn in that colorway in a DK or Worsted weight, so I bought some white wool and Kool-Aid dyed it. It was fun. Not quite the same colors as my yarn, but she says she's thrilled with it.

Also in the works: I went on a shopping spree this weekend and bought some Cascade 109 bulky weight wool in some loud colors to make a Kitty-Pi bed for Jami and Mattie. I'd show you pictures, but it seems that Blogger won't let me have more than five in one post! (Normally, that's not a problem.) I want to find some size 13 DPN's though. I may just do it backwards, from the outside in, just so I can get started that much sooner! And I strung some beads onto a ball of yarn to make a beaded Odessa for myself. Knitting ADD, I tell you.

A sudden change of pace

2006-08-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

Enough is enough! Someone I work with keeps turning the air conditioning to FRIGID. So I've pulled out some yarn I have in my stash and decided to make myself a cardigan. I started it last night. The pattern is one I've had my eye on for a while, Bristow, from an old issue of Knitty.

(Know what? Black is very hard to photograph!)

After having made little except socks for a while, I'm surprised that the needles don't feel huge and awkward. I'm sure that when I go back to socks, they'll seem tiny and fragile. Not like it's going to stop me!!!

Socks again!

2006-08-17T00:05:00.000-04:00

Here's an update on my Mom's socks. I'm really having fun with this self-striping yarn. I don't have the label anymore, but I bought it at a store here in town called Meijer (a nice Dutch name, that). It's fun to watch the stripes emerge. The only issue that I have with it is that the yarn seems to be quite scratchy. Maybe I'm spoiled because I've only ever worked with Koigu or Artyarns, which are nice, soft, and "squishy". I hope that the socks will soften up when I wash and block them.

The colors are almost spot on in the first picture, but the second is more recent. I've knit a few more rows beyond even what's shown here.

I have all this lovely wool/silk yarn in my closet that's waiting to be made into a sweater. That was supposed to be my project this summer....um...yeah. That was before I became addicted to socks.

Up and Running

2006-08-09T23:51:00.000-04:00

My computer is back to normal again. I don't know what happened; something with the cord, I think, but I threatened to buy a replacement cord, and it got the hint and snapped back to obedience.

Here is the photo I promised of my secret pal's latest benevolence:

What a great game this is! (Thanks again, Secret Pal!)

I also have a Finished Object to report: The Crazy Colors socks are done!!!

Crazy Colors Socks

Started: Around July 4th or so

Finished: August 9, 2006

Generic Top-down socks, using Melanie's Twist stitch pattern on US size 1 DPN's
ETA: Artyarns Ultramerino4, colorway #106.

I'm trying to decide what to do now. I'm itching to start some new socks, but I haven't worked on the Lace Leaf Socks in weeks. I've got the yarn and pattern for a sweater, too. Decisions, decisions...

No photos-just a quick check in

2006-08-05T10:54:00.000-04:00

I've had some computer problems this week--GRR! I think I've just about got them fixed, but I just wanted to check in and update. I'm at the library, though, so no pictures today.

I wanted to say again HOW AWESOME MY SECRET PAL IS!!!! I came home from work this week to find yet another package in my mailbox!!!! She sent some KnitPicks sock garden yarn in a Pansy Colorway (I love pansies!). And Barbara Walker's "Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns" just because I said I didn't have a stitch dictionary. I used to check that book out from the library all the time when I was little (like twelve or thirteen). And Chocolate. Mmmmm. Chocolate. And despite the heat wave hitting the country this week, the chocolate stayed neatly in its wrapper!

THANK YOU, YARN FAIRY!!!!!!

Wow! Again?!?

2006-07-24T21:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Secret Pal! You're wonderful! I came home from work today and found my mailbox stuffed full of goodies. I'd recently ordered a cable to connect my cell phone to my computer, and that came today. There was also this lovely package from my very own Yarn Fairy! THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

It contained some absolutely FABULOUS chocolate bars (my favorite flavors, too: chocolate/mint, chocolate/peanut butter, and chocolate/orange), some gorgeous Koigu yarn in shades of browns and pinks, and a sock pattern called "Fanning the Flame". It looks quite challenging: the socks are constructed fan by fan, rather than in a continuous spiral. I'm excited to start (especially with that yummy Koigu yarn!) but I've got a long list of socks to finish first: the Crazy Colors socks, the Lace Leaf Socks, and my Mom's Wild Blue socks (which I have-ahem-yet to buy the yarn for). Thanks again, Pal!

On a slightly different topic, I have a friend coming over tomorrow evening to learn how to knit SOCKS! She saw me working on the first Crazy Colors socks at the church 4th of July picnic, and she wanted to learn how. She knows some of the basics already. I think it's going to be just a lesson about knitting in the round, and eventually we'll get to things like heel flaps and gussets and grafting. All in good time. Although, I wonder if it would be better to show her how to knit toe-up, rather than top-down...

Hmm...

Deedle Deedle Dumpling

2006-07-17T20:35:00.000-04:00

How does that nursery rhyme go? Something about "one sock off and one sock on" right?

I'm back from my short vacation. I still have tomorrow off before I go back to work, but I came home early because I need to get some chores done before I run out of free time. I finished one sock while I was up at my parents' house. I underestimated how much knitting time and zen I would have and didn't bring the second ball to start the second sock. Oops. On a positive note, I really like how this sock turned out.

I gave my sister the Jaywalkers I made for her birthday (and never got around to sending...) Now my mom wants some socks. Bright blue ones. Fine with me--I can always use an excuse to buy more yarn and start more socks. I like the occassional commission. It gives me my "new yarn and new project" fix without guilt!

What a LOVELY feeling...

2006-07-11T21:51:00.000-04:00

It feels GREAT knowing that I don't have to go into work tomorrow, or the next six days after that! Next Wednesday won't be so much fun, but I'll ignore that gloomy thought for as long as I can. Tomorrow morning, I'm driving to Indiana to visit my family for a week. My brother is coming home from his mission in Brazil and I CAN'T WAIT to see him! Sometimes July 2004 seems like forever ago, and yet at other times, 2 years never seemed to go so quickly.

So I won't be posting for a week or so. Before I go, I thought I'd better put up a picture of the Lace Leaf Sock I've been working on for weeks. So far, so good--I've not frogged it yet, which is marked improvement over most of my projects.
(Like the Crazy Colors sock, which I believe is now in its fourth or fifth incarnation.)

Oh, Wow!

2006-07-07T19:00:00.000-04:00

What a great day! I came home from work and found a key in my mailbox, which is always exciting. It opens one of the two package boxes below the residents' boxes. Thank you, Yarn Fairy! The package contained a lovely edition of "Jane Austen: the Complete Novels" and some yummy chocolate, and bookmarks and a keychain! Lovely!

Thanks again--you are WONDERFUL!!

(Sorry, no pictures of the chocolate. What I haven't eaten already is in the refrigerator recovering from the heat.) :)

Still here, still knitting

2006-07-04T23:06:00.000-04:00

But no pictures to show for it. I'm working away on the Falling Leaves socks that I got from my wonderful Secret Pal (thanks again!). It's really enjoyable. It's interesting and I'm learning new things. I've never done a picot edging before. It took me a couple of tries to figure it out.

However, it's taking a LONG time because I have to look up nearly every stitch on the chart. Almost everything else I've done before has been easy to memorize. The nice thing about this slow-going challenge is that I don't have such a need to start new projects (and spend more money on yarn!)

Has anyone ever done this pattern before? When the instructions say "work charts for 7.5 inches" before setting up for the heel flap, does that 7.5 inches include the picot edging, or just the stitches knit from the charts? I suppose it really depends on how long you want your socks, right?

I've fallen off the Side of the Earth

2006-06-26T11:55:00.000-04:00

My goofy little brother wrote that in a letter to me once to explain why he hadn't written me in a while. He's currently serving a 2-year mission for our Church in Brazil (he get's home in 2 weeks--HOORAY!!!!!!!) and his English has suffered as he's become more and more fluent in Portuguese. I think he meant to say "I've fallen off the face of the earth" but this one's much funnier!

I haven't been knitting much lately--life has been busy busy busy. But I do have a Finished Object to show:

I'm not so happy with the lining, though. I just wasn't really sure how to construct the lining on such a skew-wompy shape. I've got fabric left, and I'd like to add a lining to the flap. We'll see.

Thank you, Yarn Fairy!!!!

2006-06-15T22:18:00.000-04:00

Look what yumminess came in the mail today! I didn't get lunch today until almost three, so when I came in, the mail had come:

Sock yarn, Bamboo DPN's in size 2.25mm (US1) and 2.75mm (US2), a pattern for "Autumn Leaves Lace Socks" and a really cute card--I love pink and brown together!

I've already cast on for the swatch.

Thanks, pal!

A new man in my life...

2006-06-10T18:24:00.000-04:00

Meet Jamison:I brought him home from the animal shelter today. Isn't he adorable!

Mattie's not sure what she thinks of this intruder yet.

I hope they get to be friends; I adopted him so that she'd have someone to play with during the day when I'm at work.

Of socks and bags and blooms

2006-06-09T23:53:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy week. I'm all moved out of one apartment, but I'm not really unpacked yet. I've got pretty much the necessities unpacked, and now I seem to have just lost my zin for unpacking. I don't wanna do it anymore! For one thing, I'm not really sure where to put things, because I have a friend that will be moving in. But I don't really want to wait for her--she won't be here until the end of July. I do not intend to live out of boxes for six more weeks!

I have been knitting, though. Here are the socks that I brought with me to my trip to Grandma's. I didn't get very far on them, though, because the colors kept doing this weird pooling thing. Then I found Melanie's Twist Stitch Pattern and it seems to be perfect. The stretches of color are too long to be random, and I'm too lazy to alternate between two balls. In fact, I haven't even wound the second skein into a ball. I like how the colors are kind of making stripes.

The socks in natural daylight:

Here it is again, blurry and taken indoors at night, but it shows how much farther along I am since the other picture was taken.

I've also been working on another quick project: A felted Sophie bag, made from handspun yarn I bought from Laura at CosmicPluto. Is it sacreligious to use handspun on a felting project? I hope not. I've had the yarn for months and I just didn't know what else to do with it!

And finally, some BEAUTIFUL flowers that one of my customers from work sent me to say thanks for helping her on a project. This boquet is ENORMOUS (those are DVD's on the right). It was definitely a pleasant surprise--it made my day! The only way it could have been better was if they had come from the guy I was interested in...

But no complaints, of course!

I'm BAAAAK...

2006-06-02T00:02:00.000-04:00

I had a great time on this whirlwind trip. Cute car, great family, awesome friends, and a little knitting time.

REALLY not a flattering picture of me at all, but my Grandma's so CUTE! She's in such great shape for someone born in 1906. She had a big receiving line (like at a wedding) and she had a nice chair to sit in if she got tired, but she hardly ever sat down. She was usually up and walking around and talking to people.

I went to visit some old college roommates, and this is the view from outside her front porch. Incredible, huh? I LOVE Kentucky (it's so green and pretty), but I do miss the mountains. What you CAN'T see from this picture is that it's only about 55 degrees outside. The clouds are clearing away but it was FREEZING cold and rainy all day Saturday and half of Sunday. It started to get nicer the closer I was to leaving--of course!

And Enterprise gave me a cute "vanilla" colored PT Cruiser to drive this weekend. I signed up for an "economy car", and expected to get something like a Toyota Corolla or a Honda Civic, but this is what I got. I was thrilled! It's cute and fun to drive, but I don't think I would buy one because it gets TERRIBLE milage--only about 22 mpg on the highway. I'll keep my Camry, thank you very much!

I did get some knitting done on the plane, but not much, and I didn't take any pictures...

I'm in the process of moving apartments right now. Some friends from Church came over and helped my move my measly four items of furniture (kitchen table, bed, tall bookshelf and glider-rocker). I borrowed a cart thing from work and I think I can handle the rest myself. But moving is so TIRESOME...bleah!

One Hundred!

2006-05-26T01:03:00.000-04:00

My great-grandma is turning 100 years old this weekend, and we're having a veritable family reunion to celebrate. Aunts and uncles and cousins coming in from everywhere from California to Maryland, and Utah, Wyoming, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and who knows where else. It will be lots of fun. Hooray for families!

I'll be spending some quality time in the airport, so that means knitting time! I guess I'd probably better stop by a store and pick up some plastic or bamboo needles, though, since I've heard that the TSA doesn't really care for pointy metal things on the airplanes...

Anyway, I'm off for three days of fun, family, and flying! Oh, and friends, too! I'll be stopping by to visit friends from college who live in the area. You know, it's nice to be older than 25 and not have to pay the "young driver" surcharge when you rent a car anymore!

All together, now

2006-05-22T22:49:00.000-04:00

Here are the socks all together. They're not too bad, I don't think. I was worried about them being tight around the heel when trying to put them on, but it's actually okay. To be honest, they're kind of slouchy. I probably should have either cast on fewer rib stitches at the cuff, or knit on smaller needles for the ribbing, or both. But oh, well. I think my sister K will like them.

Bandwagon

2006-05-17T19:01:00.000-04:00

Look what came in the mail today!

I bought it on e-bay from this store. It wasn't expensive, and probably not as high quality as these spindles, but I didn't really want to pay much since I wasn't sure I'd even like spinning. So far it's kind of fun. The spindle doesn't spin for very long, but that's okay for now. Once I get better, I'll probably want either a nicer spindle or a wheel. I saw one the other day advertised online--it's very pretty.

I like that it's sleek and smooth and classy, but still rather traditional-looking. Hmm...maybe someday.

Half a Day!

2006-05-16T17:32:00.000-04:00

I had a half day off of work again today (meaning I have to work on Saturday). So far, I've spent a couple of hours watching part of the BBC/A&E Pride and Prejudice movie (it's one of my favorites!) and working on my sister's socks. I've turned the heel on the second sock.

I found this yarn at a discount store a few months ago, and I wanted to try some self-striping yarn, but I'm not such a fan. It's superwash wool, I think (I've managed to misplace the band), but it's really stiff and scratchy compared to the Koigu I've been working with. I started some toe-up Jaywalkers, because I think I'd be really bored with just a plain stockinette or ribbed sock, but I'm just not really feelin' the love. Might rip it back and do it plain anyway. Just to get it out of my stash.

What I really want to work with is THIS: Artyarns Ultramerino #106. YUM! I love the greens and purples together. It's soft, too. I guess I'm more of a yarn snob than I EVER EVER realized!

I really should go and do my laundry, since I have a day off...but who wants to do chores?

To All You Mothers Out There

2006-05-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!

"The Responsible Woman" by James C Christensen

One Down, One to Go

2006-05-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Here it is--One Jaywalker done. I really ought to cast on for the second one, but I'm not going to. It's late and I need to go to bed.

No news on the new apartment yet. I went in and looked at it last week. My managers haven't told me when I can move in, but they said something about wanting to re-paint it first. I can handle that.

Holy Flying Jaywalkers, Batman!

2006-05-03T22:41:00.000-04:00

This pair of socks is going so fast! Check it out: (sorry about the bad picture, it was taken at night).

I'm worried that they're a little tight coming around the ankle, but we'll see. Maybe blocking will help.

(I'm dang cute and I know it.)

Did you notice?

2006-05-02T01:04:00.000-04:00

I've added a link over in the sidebar to a page of "Things About Me". Eventually, it will get to 100. But we're not there yet.

Finally! I actually finished something!

2006-04-29T12:46:00.000-04:00

Random Socks
Koigu KPPM (don't remember what the color's called)
72g (about 1 1/2 skeins) on size 2.25mm dpn's
Started: November 2005, frogged many, many times
Finished: April 29, 2006

My "Random Socks" are done! They're "random" because there are lots of little weird things about them. For example, if you look closely, I used a figure-8 cast on for the toe of the sock in the back, and a short-row tow for the sock in the front. I wish that I had been a little more patient and made the cuffs taller. I guess I like tall socks. But really, for a first pair, they're not too bad.

I talked to my landlord today and looked at one of the bigger apartments that they have available. The one I think I'm going to move into isn't available yet; the current tenant will be out by May 1st. They still have to have the carpets cleaned and so forth, so I will probably be moving in around the Ides of May, or maybe the beginning of June. It's so BIG--about 2 times larger than my current apartment, but since I'm going to be rooming with a friend of mine, my rent is actually going DOWN. Yay!

2006-04-29T00:47:00.000-04:00

I actually have an FO today--I finished the second sock! It's had a bath, and it's blocking right now as we speak. I'll have pictures tomorrow.

I actually have the day off! (yippie!) I plan on getting a lot accomplished: I have a package at the post office to pick up, laundry to do, and my apartment to deep-clean. I found out this week that I'm going to be moving to a new, larger apartment in my complex. The manager told me on Wednesday that it was going to be available "at the end of the month." What she didn't say was if that meant "in four days" or "at the end of May". I should find that out tomorrow.

"If you please, ma'am, the post is come..."

2006-04-14T18:50:00.000-04:00

The goodies I ordered arrived today:

I kind of like the look of the orange sweater on the front. I didn't like how the green sweater I was making was turning out, so I started hunting for a pattern I liked. Then I found this one, and RRIIIIPPP!

Frogging is SO much easier now that I have this:
Yippie! A ball winder!

I started organizing my growing stash. What a fun toy!

Now, this is kind of cool...

2006-04-14T00:47:00.000-04:00

Check this out.

Experiment Socks

2006-04-12T23:02:00.000-04:00

Since this is my first ever pair of socks, I'm experimenting with lots of different things. I've tried a couple of patterns, and then frogged them. I tend to become dissatisfied with what I'm doing, and I frog it. I've had this yarn since November, and still nothing to show for it! So last week, I finally finished one sock (it's probably not long enough, but I got bored with the cuff and eager to start the next one. So I stopped after about 56 rows.)

Then I started the other one. The first sock was cast on with the Figure 8 method from Knitty. I like that it doesn't require any scrap yarn. Unfortunately, about four rows in I realized I had dropped a stitch at the very beginning. Since I was going to have to start over anyway, I decided to try the short-row method. And I like that better, I think. So as you see, the toes on the socks won't match...but I tell myself that no one is REALLY going to notice. I just want to actually finish them!

Here's Mattie, my cat, with the sock earlier this afternoon (when I was starting the second sock with the Figure 8).

I think I have knitting ADD.

A quick update

2006-04-12T00:35:00.000-04:00

Well, it's been a while since I've been here. I just signed up for Secret Pal 8, and I realized I haven't posted since the beginning of the month. I have been doing some knitting, but I don't have a lot to show, since I frogged most of it! I finished the sock I was working on several days ago, but I haven't started its mate. I'm planning on doing that tomorrow evening, since I'm out of time tonight.

I've been shopping, but more on that when my orders get here!