Life, Knitting, and the pursuit of Roller Coasters

Upgrade!

2007-03-17T00:55:00.000-04:00

This blog is moving! I got it some new digs for a blogiversary present... (still a week away). Not much there yet except the relocated blog, but it'll get fleshed out into a true site over time.

A zillion years online, and it's my first domain purchase, so please follow me over to my new home at http://www.bethtoons.com/blog

I've caught the disease

2007-03-14T01:15:00.000-04:00

and it's name is Sock Madness....

I finished the first pair of sock madness socks in record time (for me) today. I got a late start because of the whole Cali trip (which was awesome) and didn't cast on sock #1 until Sunday afternoon. A Lazy day on Monday saw the first sock finished. I cast on and knit the cuff of sock #2 on the redeye flight home Monday night, turned the heel on the bus ride from the airport and finished up the foot Tuesday afternoon and evening closing up the toe after my bedtime around 12:30. Even with my late start, I still managed to complete early enough to make it into the next round so I'm gearing up for round 2's head to head soon.

In addition to knitting an entire pair of socks in three days (as if that weren't enough)... I finished up the first Baudelaire early in the trip and turned the heel on the first Pomotomous on the trip out too. So, sock madness still extends beyond the insanity of the competition. The Pomo in 100% merino is squishy and amazing but slow going, the Baud is in Sundara sock yarn, and I'm absolutely adoring knitting with it and the color (denim over purple) is amazing and incredibly rich looking in this pattern. The photos don't do it justice. Plus, it's my first time doing a toe-up sock and I'm enjoying that process as well. However, because the first Pomo is on the needles, I won't be starting the second Baud right away so I can keep a set of size 2's open for future Sock Madness. I have my priorities...

Obsess much?

2007-02-26T20:19:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't noticed, I'm on a bit of a sock kick right now. It's been all socks all the time so far this year (except for that one scarf, it might have been a fluke). Lots of Sock-related KAL's over in that sidebar.

So, naturally, I finished another pair this weekend. The speed socks are done. These were zippy fast. I cast on last Friday and cast off yesterday a few hours before the Oscars. Simple stockinette socks with a Lana Grossa self striping yarn in gray and blues and greens.

I'd intended to cast on my first toe-up pair last night during the ceremony, but static electricity thwarted my yarn winding efforts and I spent the entire ceremony untangling the mess.

However, now I have a gorgeous skein of Sundara's sock yarn (in Denim over Purple) all ready to go and be cast on tonight.

In Training

2007-02-22T20:23:00.000-05:00

Sock Madness starts in a couple weeks and I've been gearing myself up for the strain of competitive sock knitting.

Some of my strategies:

1) Finished the cotton socks. They were sitting by the computer with just the toe on the second sock waiting to be knit. I finished it up last night while playing with my new toy. These have been a long term project. Not out of necessity, I just haven't felt the need to zip through them. They would get a row or two here and there, gradually progressing until the second sock was just close enough that I just sat down with it and finished it up. I'm pretty sure I cast on for these in late July/early August. Definitely a back-burner project.

2) Increased my speed. I knit an entire stockinette sock this past weekend. Cast on Friday night, kitchnered the toe at about 2am on Monday. The second sock is progressing a little slower in the evenings during the week but I'll probably have another finished pair this weekend. In project spectrum colors even.

3) The new toy. I succumed to the allure of time-delayed TV and added a Tivo to my plethora of gadgetry in the house. I'm also letting myself get a little obsessed with it, so it's going to have lots available for me to watch and knit during the marathon.

4) Vacation time. The marathon's official start date is a Saturday... a Saturday that I will be spending in California in an amusement park. I'm hoping to "catch up" though. I'll be able to steal a little time here and there on Saturday and Sunday to get started, print things out on Sunday and continue progressing Monday. I'll have the whole flight back on Monday night, and I'm considering taking Tuesday off as well which will give me another free day to hopefully catch up and keep running with it.

5) New skills. I think I've dabbled in most of the requisite skills here and there, not all at sock scale, but I've done some color work, a little lace, a few cables. The only thing I haven't done yet with socks is toe-up construction. So, once the second sock for the speed pair above is done, I'm going to work on my first toe-up pair that will be another long-term sock sock project. I'm considering either Baudelaire's or Falling in Love as they will both give me good training on toe-up construction, plus a refresher on lace and cables.

6) Supplies. Most of the required supplies I have in my stash. I did place an order with the Loopy Ewe to fill in the blanks. So I should be all set on needles now and filled in some of the solids to go with varigates I already own.

7) Progress on the backburner projects. Pomotomous has become my stand in for the cotton socks now that those are done. I love the pattern, but the sock just gets a few rows here and there in between other things. It progresses slowly, but they'll get done eventually. I should also finally revisit the legwarmers, make a decision and either frog or continue.

I probably should plan a mad dash at housecleaning prior to the start date as well, we'll see if that happens or not over the next two weeks.

Monkeys for Mom

2007-02-15T01:37:00.000-05:00

FO: Monkey Socks
Yarn: White Willow's Secret Garden

These have to be among the fastest I've completed a sock project so far. Less than 2 weeks from cast on of the first sock to weaving in ends on the second. I think that may mean I'm ready for Sock Madness (these are also my 5th complete pair to date, so I just barely still qualify as a "Novice" sock knitter for Sock Madness).

When I bought the yarn last month, I picked it out specifically as more mom-friendly in color than the last pair I made her. If you've read back, you'll recall that those were a happy accident of mis-fitting my own foot that resulted in a perfect fit on her foot but the colors while fun and funky were a little loud. This colorway while still not plain by any stretch, is a little more subdued and momish.

I think they are by far my favorite pair that I've knit to date. It's going to be hard to give them away, but I know the pattern now and have plenty of other yarns in my stash that should look good in the same pattern should I choose to make another pair. I've already got plans for another pair of jaywalkers, might as well repeat the monkeys too.

Another stretch for me this time, these were knit in pattern exactly as written. No shortening of the cuffs, cleanly kitchnered toes, heel flapped heels. Granted previous socks weren't altered much or didn't follow much more than a formula rather than a pattern, but I've been cutting cuffs short on most all the socks I've made to date.

The lace pattern was really easy to memorize (I never thought I'd say that about any pattern longer than 3 or 4 rows) and I'm completely smitten with it's effects. Definitely addictive and quick as well.

Have I lauded these enough? My only disappointment is that I won't be keeping them for myself. But my mom is definitely a worthy recipient and I'm sure there will be more handknit socks for her in the future too.

I really didn't want to leave Chicago

2007-02-06T19:37:00.000-05:00

No, I'm not still there, but that was a possibility Monday. Cam left for work around 9, I packed up and went down to my car about an hour later. It was cold, windchill around 30 below, and I couldn't get back into Cam's building once I discovered that my car's battery was d-e-a-d, dead.

So, I rediscovered my inner bethcicle while waiting to be rescued. We spent the rest of the morning getting me warmed back up and tracking down someone who was willing to 1) try to start the car and 2) put a new battery in it asap so I could get on the road home. I also let them change the oil.

Cam got to leave work for the morning, I got to stick around a while, and I was finally able to get on the road with a much lighter wallet late in the afternoon. Awesome car guys though, highly recommended, great customer service and very friendly.My car is much happier now. Maybe I'll make a trip back once my timing belt is due to be changed out.

So, an afternoon of sitting around and not driving (plus the progress made at the super bowl party the night before) got me into the gusset on mom's sock. Had to have something good come out of it all, right?

Super Storm

2007-02-04T13:38:00.000-05:00

The weather in Michigan is leaving me stranded in Chicago today (oh darn, more time with friends and a vacation day tomorrow, I'm so disappointed). So, I'll be tagging along for a super bowl party tonight and braving the messy roads through west Michigan tomorrow morning instead.

Whirlyball was crazy fun last night. we had a great dinner and the three hours we played flew by. Fortunately, the bruises on my body aren't quite as severe as they were last year. Can't say the same for some of my friends though.

Plus, a weekend hanging around Cam's place always seems to be conductive to knitting progress. He brought me in to work Friday night and Saturday to help with some testing, and we spent most of Saturday watching Doctor Who on DVD.

Adam's scarf is now finished and it came out great. I would hold off on photos, but since I brilliantly already posted one forgetting that he now has the link to this blog I might as well post another. So, um... happy birthday in a couple weeks, little bro. Hope I didn't spoil the surprise too much.

I've also been working on the first of mom's Monkey socks and have gotten through two repeats of the lace. The repeat seems to be really easy to remember and after the last few pairs of socks being knit on size 1's, these seem to go so much faster on the twos. Even though I have two other socks already on the needles, I cast these on Feb 1st to be my February Socktopia socks. I'll probably alternate between these and the blue socks this evening during the game though. I brilliantly didn't pack enough clean clothes even though I knew there was the possibility of staying an extra night, so if I can finish the second blue sock tonight then I'll have a clean pair to wear home tomorrow.

The end of SP9

2007-02-01T21:16:00.000-05:00

Now I know who my spoiler is! Thanks Firefly, for everything. Including the great package that arrived today.

She sent a lot of goodies, 4 skeins of yarn in some great colors, a huge bag(it's folded up in the photo), chocolate, magnets. And she made me a hat! My coworkers already pick on me for wearing a scarf and my fingerless mitts at work... they're going to really think I'm a freak when I add the hat to the mix. :)

I'm headed to Chicago this weekend for a little off-season fun with the coaster friends... the bag is the perfect size to pack for the weekend. Thanks again!

On an unrelated note... I finally tallied up my sock yarn mileage for the Lime n' Violet Sock Marathon. Keep in mind, I've been knitting a few weeks shy of 1-year and it took me a few months before I plunged into socks. I've completed 4 pair of socks and have two others on the needles now. I crocheted for several years prior, but never used any natural fibers until I started knitting and certainly didn't have any sock yarns in stash before I started knitting socks.

So, how is it that in about 9-10 months I've gathered 11.34 miles of sock yarn!?!?!?!? Enough for 46+ pairs of socks!!! Apparently I'm a far more effective shopper than I am a knitter. Good thing sock yarn doesn't count as stash... plus it all fits in that one crate.

Reunited!

2007-01-26T23:28:00.000-05:00

I can finally post photos again! I can finally post photos again! I can finally post photos again!

I didn't realize how hard it would be to blog without my camera, but this last month has definitely been a challenge and I have no intention of leaving it behind anywhere ever again after the past few weeks without it. So, a photo heavy post. Because I can.

I'm not going to post the remnant Christmas photos, but the album is here if you want to see Christmas with my family.

As for the month of January, I started the year with a little colorwork and got through half a manresa legwarmer. I've set it aside because a couple of my floats near the top are a little tight and I can't pull it up as high as I probably should be able too... so I'm debating between manipulating the floats throughout and working the slack back up to that area, frogging it and starting over making sure that end stays loose, or just letting it go and wearing them slouched. I'm leaning towards frogging to the color join and starting over.

While that's been sitting on the back burner, I've made some progress on the second Regia cotton sock, I'm about halfway through the foot now and it gets a few more rows every few days. I'm eager to get them finished, but the cotton seems to dry out my already dry winter hands.

I also used my Michaels gift card from Mike's parents to get yarn for my brother's scarf. I took Jody's suggestion and picked up the Patons SWS in the Natural Blue colorway. I'm really enjoying working with this yarn, although I did find a couple knots in the first skein, and I'm about 2/3s through the second skein so far. I bought 4, and I'm knitting it in the simple one-row pattern St ephanie posted back in October.

In addition, I cast on and am halfway through the second repeat of the leg chart for my first Pomatomus sock. The pictures aren't fully accurate representing the color, it's a really lovely varigated merino in several shades between pink, magenta and purple that I think I got off of ebay last spring.

The last thing I worked on this last month was my first FO of the year, the jaywalkers out of the yarn I dyed with kool-aid from my secret pal in December. This was my second attempt at this pattern, and the first that was successful. I will be making these again with the yarn I made the first attempt with, I'll just use the larger stitch count again the next time. I've already worn them and washed them twice since I finished them last weekend and a finished pair of socks is always good motivation to finish the other socks on the needles. These will also be my Socktopia January "Celebrate Good Times!" themed socks because I celebrated every part of the process of making these socks and have definitely been celebrating the results.

Disappointment

2007-01-21T18:42:00.001-05:00

I love my grandmother, but sometimes she frustrates me to no end. I would love to be under the impression that my elders would teach me that childish behaviors go away as we age.

So, you'll recall I gifted a purse to grandma that made her cry, and gifted another to Aunt Betty (grandma's sister). Same pattern, one has a flower the other has bamboo handles. Both came out lovely and were well received, initially.

It festered for a few weeks, but earlier today my grandmother was on the phone with my mom whining about the damn flower. Betty got a flower, she wants one too.

I really thought that a woman in her 70's might possibly be mature enough to have moved beyond the "mine has to be just like or better than my sisters" whine.

The sad thing is, I'm not sure what is worse. The disappointment that she would have that response despite any maturity that should be there, or the fact that I knew that that response was inevitably going to happen and I still made the purses different.

So, as much as I hate obligation knitting, there will be one spite filled felted flower in my future. In mauve please. Glad you have learned how to show your appreciation in such a mature manner.

First FO of the year

2007-01-21T01:22:00.000-05:00

There is a pair of finished jaywalkers on my feet and I'm going to sleep now. You'll have to be patient and wait til I get my camera back next weekend for photos though. Sorry.

Technicalities

2007-01-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

I may be leaning a little too heavilly on the sock yarn isn't stash rule. I might have maybe sorta ordered seven skeins of it in the last week *cringe*.

Two skeins from WhiteWillow. One of which is destined for my secret pal's last package and the other will probably become a pair of Monkey socks for mom. Two sympathy endorsement skeins of Socks that Rock following their banking debacle last week. Then today I camped the update at Sunshine Yarns and got a single skein of one of her solids, and also camped the update at Sundara and got two skeins from her too.

So, um... yeah... I might have to think about closing that loophole or at least imposing a limit on it.

Still Camera-less

2007-01-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

My camera is still residing at my parents house. I may dig out my old digicam if I get desperate, but for the time being I'm just stuck referencing old photos. So, a little bit of randomness today.

If I did have my camera, you could ooh and ahh over an almost complete first jaywalker out of my kool-aid dyed yarn. And my almost complete second blue and khaki sock. (I'd show you photos of the yarn and the first sock again, but blogger is being a pain today). I'm also half-finished with the first Manresa legwarmer.

But, since I can't post photos of the stuff I'm working on, I'll point your attention to the new KALs I've joined over ----> there.

Project Spectrum 2.0 looks like it'll be a lot of fun, and it was fun reading all the stuff going on with the first version. I like the non-structured nature of Lolly's KALs in general anyways and color direction is just vague enough to work for me.

Soctopia is a little more directed, but I'm hoping to up my sock production this year anyways, and a pair of socks a month directed towards a theme or three isn't such a bad thing.

Holiday Headstart is a good place to keep the holidays in focus through out the year and hopefully have a second year of successful holiday knits that are finished on time or early.

The one I haven't added a link to yet is Lime & Violet's Sock Marathon. I haven't done the math yet to figure out just how many miles of sock yarn I have in my stash and I obviously can't post a photo right now, but it's another way to stay focused on finishing some socks and making a dent in the stash this year.

The other random thing I have to share has to do with my friend Craig. He has a little too much free time on his hands and not nearly enough creative outlets. So, as a revenge prank to get his friend back for stealing the baby jesus out of his holiday display, he turned his friend's front lawn from this into this. It even got a write up in the local paper. If you can't read the sign in that second photo, the paper mis-quoted it. It says "Jeff's Slightly Used X-mas Trees". I think that one will go down in the history books. I'm still shaking my head and laughing every time I think about it.

Some Assistance Please

2007-01-04T09:45:00.000-05:00

My little brother was the only member of my immediate family who didn't receive a handknit for Christmas and my mom suggested that maybe I should make him a scarf for his birthday in February and I'm thinking this is a good idea, but I have some concerns and I'm hoping the handful of people who occasionally stumble on my blog might be able to offer some yarn suggestions (preferably something I have in stash, since I'm trying the whole knit from stash thing, but since it'd be for a gift, i'd be willing to use an exception or my Michael's gift card to aquire something else).

Concern #1 - my little brother is 6'7". If I go with the scarf length = person's height, that's one freakishly long scarf. So really fine guage yarns are pretty much out of the question if I want to dream of finishing something ever. I didn't do the height thing with dad's scarf and it still looks good at the length it is, but I think a longer one would be better for Adam.

Concern #2 - while they aren't bad now, my brother did have a lot of animal allergies as a kid. So I don't know how sensative he is to animal fiber content in a scarf. A plant-based fiber or animal/acrylic blend is probably best, although I could potentially use up some 100% acrylic too.

Concern #3 - he overheats easilly. He went to college way up in the upper tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and currently lives in Minnesota, and yet I know that even in a very cold environment he often doesn't zip up his coat when going outside for short periods of time. And ANY time he's active no matter the temperature, the boy is drenched in sweat. So this points me more in the non-animal-based fibers direction.

So, if you wanted to make a super long minimal-animal-ish scarf for someone who overheats easilly, what yarn would you use?

The way I figure it...

2007-01-03T12:51:00.000-05:00

I got to delay Christmas by a week, so I should be allowed to delay New Years by a week too. Or at least until the Christmas chocolate is all gone and I have a chance to go to the grocery store. I didn't do too horribly with the weight thing over the holidays, but I do need to get back on track and progress in the good direction again.

We had a great Christmas this year though, and I should have a zillion photos of happy family members receiving their handknit gifts, but I brilliantly left my camera at my parents house in the mad dash to pack everything up and head home on Sunday afternoon. So, no photos of Amber with her purse, or dad in his new coat with the scarf, or mom picking through her doll clothes or wearing her new socks, or Aunt Betty gushing over her purse. Not until I get back to visit and get the camera back again anyways.

There was one other handmade gift that mom and I were scrambling to get finished before Saturday morning, we put together a scrapbook of wedding photos for my brother and his wife. I had the last of the pages done around 1am, found the page protectors, found that the pages didn't fit in the page protectors and mom and I were up until almost 3 trimming the pages to fit. Fortunately, it was worth the work to finish it and it came out beautifuly. Not that I didn't contemplate giving them a binder, some page protectors and the pages and letting them figure out how to make it all fit.

We were able to totally surprise several members of my family with Mike being here, and gave his mom a good shock when we got back to town as well and it was wonderful to be able to spend New Years Eve with my guy.

All in all, a great holiday weekend.

Knitting wise, I made a stop at Threadbear on Friday night (still 2006) and picked up some needles, and my last yarn purchace before the great Knit from your Stash 2007 started. I do have one of my own rules that I'm adding, otherwise I'll be adhering to the rules Wendy has established. I am allowed to use the Michael's gift card I got from Mike's parents for yarn if I choose to, but not beyond the limit of the gift card.

When Rob was working the checkout at Threadbear, he refered to the Collinette Jitterbug skein that I picked up as "Sex on Sticks" and mentioned that he's on his 5th pair with the yarn already. It's lovely, and I can't wait to use it, I picked it up in the Marble colorway. I also got a skein of Cherry Tree Hill sock yarn in Rose Garden, and two skeins of Bartlett Farms yarn in a heathery green. That's going to have to sustain me into 2007 for several months... fortunately, there's the sock yarn isn't stash rule, so I'm totally going to The Fold when I'm back in the Chicago area in February.

As for the projects listed in that last post? I cast on Manresa last night and I'm through 10 rows of the chart so far. My tension is a little wonky, but not too bad and it's definitely seeming more difficult to strand in the round then it was back and forth for that little doll sweater, but I'm starting to get the hang of it, I'm loving how the inside looks and the pattern is starting to emerge on the outside too. I've also advanced the second khacki and blue cotton sock to the point where I can put a heel on it, and I cast on the first Jaywalker in the Kool-Aid yarn with the larger size stitch count.

On this the eve...

2006-12-29T10:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas is tomorrow! Christmas is tomorrow! Well, for my family it is anyway. My brother and his wife made it to my parents place earlier this week, my boyfriend is flying in for a series of major surprise appearances this weekend and we will have our family Christmas tomorrow.

The doll clothes are finished, I don't have photos of the last 3 sweaters and hats, I was so excited to be done that I put the case in the gift bag before I could fiddle with it any more. I'll get lots of photos tomorrow as they and the rest of the handknits are gifted.

So, with my knitting pallete essentially clean aside from a couple of socks, I started pulling together what I want to work on next while I was cleaning up a little. I have no less than 8 new projects sitting and waiting for me to pick one and run with it... Colorwork and cables abound too. I think this may mark my unofficial and very quiet participation point in the Knit from your Stash in 2007 club too. I might even use the vigor of the new year to undergo a massive stash organization and figure out just what all I have in there (seriously, it's taking over an entire room in my apartment).

But, for now, here are the projects I'm letting stare me down.

Two skeins of lettuce green malabrigo is currently assigned to become a Cabled hat and an Irish Hiking Scarf.
A skein of soft pink Calmer is destined for Shedir.
I have a bunch of Diakeito Diamusee set aside to become a Short Row Ribbed Scarf. I probably have enough of this yarn to also make a matching hat and/or mittens, but the scarf will come first.
My kool-aid colored sock yarn is going to be Jaywalkers.
I also have some Knitpicks Andean Treasure in the same colors as shown on the pattern to make Manresa. I plan to reverse the colors though with the embers as the main and fog as the contrast.
Some Knitpicks Palette in sky blue and cream for Anemoi.
And some Knitpicks Essential in burgundy and brown for the Endpaper Mitts.

I'll let you know what I decided to cast on when I post again next year.

Gifted

2006-12-26T10:42:00.001-05:00

Still plugging away at doll stuff, I finished the koigu sweater, a matching hat and another hat this weekend in between family gatherings, scrapbooking, and meal preparations.

Three of my handknits were gifted this weekend in the mix though. My cousin's bag, my aunts dishclothes, and my grandmother's bag.

Not too surprising, given the age of my cousin, the bag was appreciated but got set aside for other cousin's toys. She did put it on her head like a hat a couple times too. I think it'll still get plenty of use though.

Grandma's bag made her cry. She tried to use the "it's too nice to use" comment and I told her that I didn't make it to sit on a shelf and be looked at, and if she wore it out, I'd just make her another one. So, after that, she starting piling stuff into it from her other purse.

The rest will be gifted next weekend.

Still plugging away

2006-12-22T23:45:00.000-05:00

This last week I focussed more on dishclothes than doll clothes, but I made some doll progress too. I know I'm starting to think "resourceful" when I start looking and seeing what other people are making for their handknit Riley clothes on ebay. However, I'm also printing off a zillion patterns a day and planning out all the selfish knitting that I can get back to once we have our family Christmas (not until New Years weekend, so I get an extra week to keep plugging away at the doll stuff).

I somehow got Gromit to sit still and let me drape him with dishclothes. So, this is the fruit basket of clothes for mom. The green is a pear, lavendar is grapes, magenta is cherries, burgundy is an apple, and the varrigated is another garterlac.

And that skein I dyed with kool-aid from my SP9 pal? I wound it up into a gorgeous ball of yarn, and cast on the first small little sock yarn thing I could think of... another doll raglan. I wasn't sure how the blue would work with the oranges and reds in the yarn, but that added overdye with more red gave it a ton of colors I didn't see in the yarn when it was hanging, and I love how it knit up. It actually patterned more evenly than the koigu over the width of the sweater body. Of course the sweater body is about 40 stitches and knit back and forth instead of in the round, so it will likely look different in a sock, but I think it's still spaced enough that it shouldn't pool. I'm thinking the rest of the skein may become jaywalkers in the new year and there will definitely be more dye experiments in my future.

Looking Back

2006-12-20T16:28:00.000-05:00

While I continue plugging away at doll clothes and dishclothes and doll clothes and dishclothes... etc... etc.. ad nauseum... ad nauseum... (I will be SOOOO ready for selfish knitting next week) it seems like a good time to look back at what 2006 held.

So, off we go...thanks for the meme Elizabeth.

1) What is your absolute favorite project you've ever knit (one that fulfilled both process and product)?

So far, it's been socks. I enjoy that I took the leap into sock knitting and I've fallen for them hard. I haven't done any particularly involved patterns yet, but I look forward to many socks in my future and love wearing the pairs that I've finished.

Which of your handknits do you wear the most often?

My two pair of socks get worn frequently, and I carry my sophie bag with me daily.

What was your favorite gift to knit?

I'm really enjoying the doll clothes and I think they will be very well recieved. It's been a great medium to try things out without using up a ton of yarn and a great way to play with sock yarn leftovers.

Which of your handknits are gathering dust your closet?

My ribbon not-x-back. It never really fit quite right and I haven't had the heart to fix it or frog it. It just hangs on the back of the bathroom door and has just become a wall decoration.

Which of your handknits have you gotten rid of?

I've had a handful of projects that got some false starts or have been abandoned, but I haven't disposed of anything finished.

If you've knit socks, what is your favorite pattern?

I haven't done anything more complicated than ribbing yet, I did really enjoy the picot hem on mom's socks and I'm eyeing some other patterns for '07 that will challenge me and should be a fun adventure.

What would you like to make in 2007?

Cables, Colorwork, Lace. I'm eyeing several projects that incorporate these features and it's all I can do right now to keep myself from diving right into something new.
Also, I hope to move past the zillion false starts on my first sweater and actually take the plunge.

What have you learned about your craft in 2006?

Everything. I only learned how to knit in February. I've at least tried a lot of different things even if some of them didn't make it to a finished state. I'm hoping to step beyong dabbling and actually finish some projects that are more than just the relatively plain items I've finished so far.
Probably the biggest development that I'm still working on is that I've learned how to read my stitches. I just realized last month that I was purling "upside down" and that was causing my stitches to twist. It didn't take much work to correct that one. I do knit backwards primarilly though as I am very much a leftie, and I'd like to become a little more ambidexterous and learn to knit forwards too as I'm not sure what the mirrored connotations will mean to garment construction... although it doesn't seem to affect my little mini doll raglans so it may not be a big deal.

What events/sites have you particularly enjoyed in the blogosphere in 2006?

I haven't been the greatest participant, but I do enjoy the swaps that I've participated in. It's much simpler to put together a box for shipment than it is to start and finish a project in a timely manner with a KAL. However, The Amazing Lace was fun even if I didn't really participate, and reading all the Knitting Olympics stuff at the beginning of the year was what ultimately prompted me to start this blog.

2006 was a fun crafty year and I think that kept me sane with the other crazy stuff that was going on in my life. Personally, it was a more complicated and trying year with some big events and adjustments both good and bad, but sometimes it takes some big shakeups to make things better. And I think this year is definitely ending in a much better place than where it started. So, for that, I'm grateful.

But for now it's back to dishclothes and doll clothes for me...

Dying to thank my secret pal!

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

Thank you Secret Pal!!!

A cool box of surprises arrived today full of all sorts of goodies from my secret pal.
There were all the fixings plus the printed out knitty article to play with kool aid dying yarn. An undyed skein of sock yarn, several packets of kool aid, and a turkey baster.

She also sent two handknit ornaments that she made (the sweater and socks) and a cute little knit sheep ornament that will all go on my tree (maybe the little one at work, not sure if I'll put the big one up at home this year).

And a ton of other goodies. A cute stuffed reindeer, some magnets (she also has been sending postcards instead of emails that I keep forgetting to mention and thank for), A cool handmade card, a pen, some lip gloss, and just enough chocolatey treats.

Of course, with everything else I should be doing, I honed right in on the dye stuff, cleaned up the bathroom sink, laid out a ton of plastic wrap and had to play with kool aid and the microwave. So, that white skein of yarn up there is the one now hanging over my bathtub drying. I used some of the kool aid she sent and some that I had here from forever ago (college) when I still drank the stuff and experimented with it as a hair dye. I did three initial colors - 3 packets of black cherry in one, two packets of blue raspberry with about 1/4 packet of grape mixed in, and the third was one packet orange, one packet lemonade and an old packet of some tangerine that darkened the orange up a bit. When this came out of the micro, the blue and orange seemed too bright, so I let it all cool and then overdyed with two more packets of black cherry to fill in some of the white holes and darken the orange and blue.

This is dangerous. And I can see how it can get addicting. Can't wait to see it dry, re-skein it and knit it up. And I can see myself trying more and digging out some of the henna I have from playing with hair dye earlier in life too... dangerous, dangerous, dangerous. Thanks secret pal!

4 more FOs for Christmas

2006-12-12T00:33:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like knitting small projects to give a sense of accomplishment. This week I made another doll-sized raglan sweater in baby blue, a lavender smocked party dress with a picot hem, a Nativity dishcloth and I might have snuck in a selfish knit and made myself a pair of fetching fingerless gloves too.

Not quite as many finished doll clothes this week because I went shopping on Sunday, but I do have half of a peach-colored raglan started and I picked up enough koigu for a pair of socks and maybe a doll item or two while I was out shopping in Lansing. I might have also gotten two skeins of malabrigo in a cool green colorway called "lettuce". Actually, I walked out of Threadbear with exactly what I'd hoped to get there. and didn't spend a small fortune this time.

The trunk in the photo was the result of three of the ladies working at Toy Village scrambling all over the store to find any and all armoire and trunk options in every price range for the size doll I'm fitting. It was a little crazy but they were helpful and we found an affordable option that will work perfectly. Although the clothes are already filling it up.

I decided last week to jump on the fetching bandwagon and ordered two skeins of the recommended yarn (soooo soft) and decided that when it came in, I'd allow myself to drop all other projects and make the fingerless mitts for me before continuing on. So, I picked up the needles while I was shopping and had 1 1/2 of them finished last night, and finished the second one tonight. I had mere scraps left over. I twisted the cables the same way on both, so maybe with the other ball of yarn I'll make two more that twist the other way and have two matching pair. They will be great to have at work where I'm always cold.

And the dishcloth. I may have decided that after making a bazillion dishclothes for my brother and his wife, that my mom is going to want dishclothes too. So, I made the nativity one, and I may also make 4 other fruit clothes (grapes, cherries, pear and apple) and another garterlac to match her kitchen. If I don't finish them, her birthday is always in January.

Knitting Like a Madwoman

2006-12-04T01:13:00.000-05:00

I've been busy cranking out the Christmas knits this week and weekend. Booga #3 and Sophie #3 are both off the needles and felted. I sewed the handles onto Sophie and she still needs a flower which I'm debating because of the extra handles.

And the doll clothes are in full swing production. Since Thanksgiving I've finished 4 more sweaters, a hat and a scarf. Each item I make gets progressively better than the one before and I now have a great understanding of the top down raglan construction.

I made the grey sweater first (to match Spammy's and be a little more boyish for the boy doll). The neck is a little wide even with a button on the back to cinch it in some, but it can either be pulled up from the bottom or pulled over the doll's head. This one was constructed in two pieces, seamed together and the neck-line and sleeves knit on after.

The other three sweaters are all top down raglans. The orange/pink/yellow one was the first one. It's out of a handspun hand-dyed yarn I got months ago on ebay, and I'm a little disappointed in it. The person who spun it got a few dark fibers spun into it that didn't take the dye, so there are some dark spots that look like dirt in the top.

Next up I made the striped raglan. This is my favorite of them all so far. It fits the doll great, I was able to line up the colors on the sleeves, and play a little with the different colored buttons. The doll's are supposed to be preschool/kindergarden aged and it seems appropriate for that age group. Not that I wouldn't mind finding the yarns to mimick it in something my size either. It's the leftover sock yarn from mom's socks and I almost think she'll like it better in this application than as the socks.

I love the striped one the best, but I'm proudest of the navy and white cardigan. It's the last one I made this weekend (just cast off the last sleeve less than an hour ago) and it is my first ever forray into the world of stranded colorwork. Was a simple short border pattern I pulled out of a book and about halfway through the technique made sense and sort of clicked. I made a few mistakes, but I'm downright giddy in how well it came out.

The hat and scarf were quick knits last weekend. The hat out of the same yarn as the navy sweater, and the scarf out of a thin-guage rayon chennile that was stranded with a green mohair that I got from KimiK as an extra mini-skein with the yarn I bought from her. I may do something else doll scale with the mohair too.

Also this weekend I finished the second dishcloth for my aunt, this one is a coffee cup pattern in an off-white yarn. No photos, but I'll be sure to get pics of it being gifted.

I've still got grand plans for more doll clothes. Maybe a couple more raglans, another dress or two, and at least one more hat and scarf. I've got appropriately sized hangers arriving soon, and I still need to find a scale size doll armoire or trunk to fill up with everything. With my brother and his wife spending Christmas with her family this year, I'll get an extra week to work on mom's stuff since we'll do our immediate family Christmas at New Years instead, so I've got a great start and will keep churning out the doll knits until the bitter end.

If only it were this easy to knit for humans.

Feast or Famine

2006-11-28T12:29:00.000-05:00

So, yeah... I'm a bit of a procrastinator. But, I've got a ton of stuff to talk about now.

The trip to Cali was a blast. We spent a day park hopping at Disney, we spent 3 hours at Magic Mountain, Mike seemed to have a good birthday and we had a great visit. And I knit.

This is Spammy in his new sweater that I made while visiting. Mike is aware of the boyfriend curse, but that doesn't stop him from requesting knitwear for Spammy. And for some reason I obliged. Cute though, isn't it?

I also knit mom's second sock primarilly on the flight there and back with a little heel turning time in front of the TV while I was there. I finished the toe last night. I love how they came out, and it's purely a coincidence that the striping matched. I didn't want to bother trying to match them and figured they'd come out fraternal, but apparently my ideal spot to start the cast on was in the same place with both socks, so they match almost perfectly. I love happy accidents like that. These have been travelling socks, the bulk of the first one was done on the trip to Denver over Labor day and the second one was mostly knit on this last trip to California.

I also finished a couple dishclothes, no photos. I tried the Garterlac cloth which was fiddly but fun and I'm sure I'll do a couple more in that pattern before Christmas. The first one was in pastels and is one of the two for my aunt from my mom. She has now also requested crocheted towel toppers.

And finally, that scarf I finished before I left. This matches dad's Christmas present perfectly so it's going to him. Not bad for a handful of alpaca scraps bought off ebay for cheap.

Oh, and the rainbow brite story... On my flight home I was seated next to by far the most colorful person I've ever met. Head to toe rainbow. Airbrushed suit with her portrait on the back surrounded by rainbow colors, a matching fedora, big fake tinsel-like eyelashes in rainbow colors, her hair under the hat - rainbow dyed, big fingernails that curled in rainbow colors and a rainbow colored feather boa. I'm kicking myself for not sneaking a photo. The kicker though... while making small talk (I was knitting on mom's socks) I made the offhand stupid comment of "but she probably won't wear them out of the house much, they're a little loud".

Quick Blip

2006-11-21T17:08:00.000-05:00

I made it home safe and sound from SoCal, more to follow soon. Redeye flight home, sat next to rainbow brite, fell asleep in a meeting this morning (thank God my boss has a sense of humor) and now I'm going to go sleep until I have to go to work in the morning.

Watch this space tomorrow for reports of park visits, pig knitting, sock progress, flight neighbor and more. Maybe even the FO post for that scarf I finished last week.

Insert Evil Laugh Here

2006-11-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

So in conversing and planning with the boyfriend last night for my visit to Southern California this weekend, we were trying to figure out what to do with our open days on Saturday and Monday. He innocently mentioned taking the motorcycle out and maybe finding a local yarn shop or two.

I guess he'll learn. Although he does know enough to know that that's how to get me back on the back of his bike... put yarn at the other end of the ride.

So, does anyone have any recommendations for yarn shops in the greater Fullerton/Anaheim area? They seem to be sorely lacking in web pages, but google maps has a couple within blocks of his place, and several more in a wider area from there but alas no websites or even customer reviews anywhere. How am I supposed to get a feel for the shops before going (let alone hours, selection, identifying photos) without that info available? I'm not big on the whole phoning ahead thing, but I suppose I can in a pinch.

Oh, and the striped scarf is done, I'll finish weaving in ends tonight and block it before taking final photos though. Probably post something tomorrow.

Finished Objects: 2 down, a zillion to go

2006-11-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

I've finished two of the purses on that big ol list from last week.

Sophie Bag
Patterns: Sophie Bag with a felted flower pattern for embelishment
Yarns: A navy/purple heathered Cascade 220 with some green Pattons wool for the leaves and some purple Cascade quatro for the flower.

I finished knitting this one the other day, felted it Friday night, and after two conversations with my mom (which added another few do before Christmas knits to my list... note to self, no more talking to mom about knitting) added the flower to the bag. She saw photos of it and assured me it didn't look to kiddish for Aunt Betty. Instead told me how insanely jealous of it my grandmother would be unless I make her one too. So that's one of the new obligations. She's also requsted some knit dishclothes for another aunt as a commissioned gift from her.

I love how it came out though and I love how simple the Sophie pattern is. The bag part of this one took an afternoon, and really finishing the handle didn't take much more than that, even if I put it off (ugh, i-cord). And i knit and felted the flower this afternoon in a couple hours over lunch.

Cousin Bag
Pattern: Cast on 100 stitches, knit in the round for as long as I felt like it. Decreased for a few rounds until there were a handful of stitches left and cinched for the bottom.
Yarn: Cascade Quatro in mostly turquoise hues with a hint of taupe.

The turqoise bowl/hat shaped bag has handles now. the closure thing I'd envisioned didn't really look right, so I think I'm just going to leave it simple. I like how it came out, although like my mom said, now it's all about the flower, so I'm debating further embellishments. I'll probably leave it plain though just because I still have lots to knit on in the next couple months and I'm not positive how this one will be recieved by my cousin, so I don't want to invest too much more time in it. I've got a zillion other things to finish for Christmas so I need to just move on.

In addition, I've made a ton of progress on the alpaca striped scarf this week. It's been the simple garter stitch project I reach for when I'm sitting in front of the computer and I'm getting low on yarn, so it should be done tomorrow, it'll get it's own post once it's done.

Randomness

2006-11-02T17:39:00.000-05:00

All sorts of stuff to talk about.

1) Closing weekend - Seasonal park season is over, I spent the weekend in Chicago with good friends riding good coasters to close out the season the same as I always do. It was a great closing day at Six Flags on Sunday even if I had to leave early and drive forever and a day to get home. First time in ages I've not stayed til closing.

2) Saturday on my drive out to Chicago, I made a mini-yarn-crawl. I drove by 5 shops but only stopped for two of them. My Sisters' Knits and Arcadia Knitting. I had a lovely experience at both and picked up some more fun stuff to play with. I got a gorgeous skein of Susie Grougan's sock yarn in a colorway called Fall Harvest and a black sheep tape measure at Sisters. And I picked up some Rowan Calmer for Shedir and some Lorna's Laces sock yarn in the Tuscany colorway at Arcadia. I also drove past the other 3 I'd looked at stopping at but was unable to find parking so I'm saving them for future visits (it's not like I never get to Chicago, this was the second trip in a month).

3)Dishcloth-crazed. I've finished three more dishclothes in the last week. Two more frogs for my sister-in-law and an Illusion Candy Corn that I left with Cameron as a thank you for letting me stay again last weekend. Finally getting the knitting groove back down, unfortunately, that means the dishes and laundry are suffering again. Must remedy that this weekend.

4) On the needles: I've been meaning to do a rundown of my projects for a while, so here's whats going on with my needles.

Striped scarf - I picked up some Alpaca scraps on ebay for like $1 and I've been striping them on my size 4 Addis to make a scarf. Still have plenty of yarn left and I'm liking how this is going so far with the random widths of the stripes. Will continue til I run out of yarn, block severely and probably gift it for Christmas.

Sophie bag - This one in a heathered blue cascade 220, I've got the bag done, just using up the rest of the yarn on i-cord. This should be done soon. Also a Christmas gift for my mom's Aunt Betty.

Socks - Regia cotton second sock is still on the cuff but it's growing slowly when I pick it up. These are for me, so probably will go on the back burner until after the holidays.

Socks - self striping merino for mom. Haven't cast on the second sock yet. These should be ready for Christmas though. I'm thinking that I'll have time to work on it on the flights to and from Cali in a couple weeks.

Baby socks - scrap yarn from my first pair of socks, I made one baby sock with it, and haven't yet cast on the second. These will either be gifted to a coworker who is expecting, or they'll be doll clothes for mom.

Booga #3 - I whipped out the bag part in a weekend, still need to make miles of i-cord for this one and felt it. This is the basis for my sister-in-law's Christmas gift this year. I already have all the "stuff" to go in it ready, just gotta finish the bag and I'll be done with her Christmas gift.

turquoise bag - More Cascade, this was just a mindless thing I'd cast on a while ago and finished a couple weeks ago so I could use the needles for the Booga. Felted into a nice bowl shape and I have some handles to attatch and I'm thinking maybe an i-cord loop closure around a button. Debating between keeping this one or gifting it to my cousin with her Christmas gift.

I also have some fabric to line this one and a few of the other bags I've finished, I'm just not all that profficient a sewer, so I'm not sure if lining will help or hinder.

Random red scarf - Just cast this on last night to play with the yarn and use up some stash. Not sure if I'll gift or keep this one or where it'll fall in the grand scheme of things, it may not be done in time for the holidays and it very well may just end up frogged.

Some of the other stuff I had on the needles got ripped out and the yarn will get reused for something else eventually. I've managed to amass way too much stash (and several amounts of yarn that I like that is worthy of large projects) that I'm going to try to focus on what's on the needles for a while and at least finish some things up and do some stash diving before spending more money. Maybe a coaster-free/yarn-free winter will help some of my credit card bills move in the correct direction for once.

Other than possibly some more dishclothes, and more sock-yarn-scraps doll clothes for mom, and scratching that itch for a sweater, I don't think I'm going to do much more on the knitting front for Christmas that isn't already included in the projects above.

I'm still itching to make a sweater right now. I've got the yarn for several already in my stash, and as much as I'm tempted to just jump right into a Rogue, or a custom design by me, I think I'll hold off and try something a little simpler for my first time out. I'm also a little hessitant to make a sweater while I'm losing weight, but the itch is strong, especially now that I've found KnitGrrl's NaKniSweMo, so I think on top of everything else (because 7 or 8 WIPs isn't quite enough), I'm going to go home tonight and swatch for the Simple Knitted Bodice.

Photo of the Day

2006-11-02T17:34:00.000-05:00

So there's this thing they do at work on the company intranet where they feature a photo a day. Either something to go with a corporate communications story, or something someone took and submitted. Whatever.

They were going to do a story about office decor, and took some photos of my cube over the summer, but the story fell through. So, last Friday, I and my eccentric amusement park magnet and postcard laden office were the photo of the day.

Damn, She's fast

2006-10-17T18:06:00.000-04:00

Not two days after the "official" start date of SP9 and I had a package in my mailbox.

Shall we see what October treats were sent?

Great first impressions!

Ok, so here's what was inside, a quick note from secret pal, two skeins of Lopi in brown and blue, two cute halloween cookie cutters, a really cool googly eyed dog pen, a creepy eyeball pencil, a fall magnetic notepad, a small whitman's sampler (yay, chocolate!) some lindt truffles (yay, more chocolate!), a really cool little jeweled box of peppermints, a spider beanie, and the fall Knit It! :)

Thank you Secret Pal!

Now I need to go make dinner, I KNOW truffles aren't a good Weight Watchers friendly dinner, no matter how good they taste...

Proof

2006-10-16T10:20:00.000-04:00

I do still knit on occasion, here's the proof.

Had to go all the way to my friend Cameron's place in Chicago to get some knitting time in this weekend, but it was worth the trip. Finished a sock, learned all about a new-to-me sport, put faces to names of a lot more of Cameron's friends and just had a nice fun visit.

So, what sock did I finish? The blue and khaki Regia cotton sock I've had on the needles forever. I cast on for it's mate yesterday morning. My mom is still waiting for me to cast on and finish the mate for the orange, green and yellow striped socks too, I think her feet are starting to get cold (she'll get them for Christmas).

Note to Mother Nature

2006-10-13T09:39:00.000-04:00

Dear Mother Nature,

In case you haven't noticed, it's only October. I just got used to fall colors being here again less than a week ago. Please keep the snow to yourself for at least another month so we can remember what Autumn is like.

Thank You,
Freezing in Michigan

Spoiled, Spoiled, Spoiled

2006-10-11T10:42:00.000-04:00

I came home to a package notice on my door and ran over to the office to pick it up 3 minutes before they closed last night. I had a well wrapped package from Anna, my Knitters Tea Swap 2 spoiler.

She did very well at spoiling me. There was a lovely note, three tins of Adagio loose tea in flavors I haven't tried yet and three jasmine adagio tea bags. A box of Twining Lady Earl Gray, some cute teapot/teacup buttons, green tea lip balm, a pack of make your own teabags, an adorable teapot shaped infuser, some bath tea, lemon popyseed scones mix, some butter cookies, a skein of malabrigo, some cascade cotton in the colorway "iced tea" and two skeins of Wildfoot in a pretty purple with pink and turquoise. Plus a homemade rollercoaster note on how to decaf caffinated tea. Awesome package and definitely a great intro to the world of knitterly swaps!

Secret Pal 9 questionaire

2006-10-01T12:43:00.000-04:00

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'll knit with just about anything, but I've got an affinity towards wool and other natural fibers. I'm new enough to the hobby that I'm still experimenting with all sorts of things.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I don't have a system for needle storage yet. There are needles all over the place around here.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I learned in March. I think I'm progressing into intermediate territory or at least adventurous beginner. Still haven't done much with lace despite a few attempts.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Amazon List

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I like citrusy scents and fruit scents over flowery stuff. Vanilla is a favorite too.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Of course. I love dark chocolate.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I've crocheted since college, my mom is trying to get me into scrapbooking right now too. I don't spin but I'm not adverse to learning.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like all kinds of music, not a huge fan of country or rap.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I'm big on blues, greens and reds, there really aren't any colors that I despise.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I live alone with two cats, Lily and Gromit.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
yes, yes, yes, and no.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
socks, dishclothes, bags

13. What are you knitting right now?
On the needles I have a couple scarves, a couple socks, a dishcloth, and a bag with my first sweater hopefully not too far off.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
absolutely

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I started on straights, but I'm really prefering circulars now, still using mostly bamboo, but I've used aluminum, addis, and plastic. I would love to try the new knitpicks needles too.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a winder, no swift.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
my oldest UFO is from March.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Probably Christmas

19. Is there anything that you collect?
amusement park memorabillia (especially postcards, magnets, and christmas ornaments), I also collect Marvin the Martian stuff

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'm not subscribed to any of the magazines. Not sure what patterns are out there, nothing that I'm dying to get my hands on though.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I want to attempt colorwork and lace (not at the same time)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
yes, I'm a women's US 8 1/2

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
6/11

Slow Going

2006-09-28T14:07:00.001-04:00

I don't think I've knit a stitch since I finished that sock in the last post. Not sure why I'm at a standstill, but I've been busy getting other areas of my life straightened out, so it's not all bad.

Work has been crazy and I'm filling up some freetime working the system now that I'm back on Weight Watchers. The Core stuff has been fascinating and (who knew!) I actually love to cook if I can keep on top of the dirty dishes. So I've been working on better establishing those habits and more or less getting out of the "do nothing & eat out" funk I was in for the last several months. Also trying to dig my apartment out from under all the stuff I've accumulated. But at least I'll have some stuff to post soon enough for the swaps going on. And I've got a few more occupied weekends in October to contend with and actually do something interesting and worth typing about.

Also, apparently that Math minor I had in college has gone to good use and I can't count. I'll be overhauling the carousel horse pattern because of it. I had it all written down on paper first and was doing it as I went along. I should have typed it up first and used that initially instead. It's a learning process for sure, and I'm definitely not perfect.

One stripey sock

2006-09-15T16:33:00.000-04:00

I finished something, well... half of a pair anyway. This is the sock I started at the airport on my way to Denver a couple weeks ago. My first picot hem, my second short row heel (the other half a pair with my first isn't finished or photographed yet) and the first sock I've made that hasn't fit me. I went a few stitches wider than I should have, and I started the toe a few rows early, so the foot is a little short and the cuff is a little wide for me. I'm going to bring it to my parents' house this weekend and see if it'll fit my mom since her feet are shorter and wider than mine. I do love these colors in combonation and the way the stripes work out with this yarn though.

Ambitions and Joining

2006-09-11T11:37:00.000-04:00

I had an ambitious weekend. At the end of last week, I re-joined Weight Watchers, a much needed thing for me, so this weekend I finally rearranged and gutted my kitchen. I hadn't eaten out of the kitchen in forever, and it was like excavating in some of those cupboards. 6 bags of trash from the fridge, freezer and pantry and a really expensive grocery run and I think I'm prepared to capably feed myself again. All that scrubbing and rearranging and tossing didn't lend to much knitting though, maybe I'll have photos of actual progress and do an on-the-needles update later this week.

However, in recent weeks I've also joined two swaps. I know the attempt at a KAL didn't go to well for me, but I can handle sending and recieving packages just fine. So I'm now part of both the Secret Pal 9 and the Knitters Tea Swap 2. Looking forward to a spoiled and papered fall and can't wait to share and meet some fellow knitters through all of this.

Picking up

2006-09-08T15:46:00.000-04:00

The jaywalker sock got frogged, I'll start it again soon, but it was too tight after I tried it on, so I'm going to try it it the larger size next time.

I had another sock on the needles I'd considered frogging, but I turned the heel, tried it on, and it fit fine, so I'm continuing on with it. It was my first attempt at a short row heel and I now understand why so many prefer this heel to others. It was so much simpler.

While flying back and forth to Denver, I started yet another sock, this one a cheerful self-striping hand-painted merino in oranges and greens. This sock was my first attempt at a picot hem and my second short row heel. I'm loving how it's turning out, and at this point both socks are at about the same place in the process, so I'll probably have a mismatched pair going for a while while working on seconds for both.

Denver was a blast. We had a group of 12 that more or less split off into three groups of four for most of the weekend. Mountains, chilly weather hinting at fall, alpine slides, coasters, and good friends made it a lot of fun. Good meals didn't hurt either.

Elitch was ok, not too crowded due to the chill so we weren't there long but rode everything we wanted to. Colorado Springs was beautiful. We stopped at a couple small parks and drove through the Garden of the Gods which was amazing and gorgeous, especially to a flat-stater like me.

Lakeside was my favorite traditional amusement park of the trip, amazing old rides and lots of art-deco neon and just a generally pretty, well layed out old style amusement park. However, Glenwood Caverns blew everything else away. Any park that requires a liability waiver is my kind of park. The alpine coaster was so much fun, the zip line was decent, and we ballanced the swing out so that it was almost turning 180 degrees while we were swinging which just added to the thrill factor, never mind the fact that it was perched on a 1300 ft cliff.

Monday was fun with food at Casa Bonitas, an Alpine Slide just outside of town and a quick stop back at Lakeside before racing to catch flights home.

Scattered

2006-08-29T21:36:00.000-04:00

I feel like my mind and my knitting are going about 12 different directions, and I haven't actually accomplished anything the last couple weeks. I don't have a whole lot on the needles, but nothing I have is all that near wrap-up except for a dishcloth and I'd kind of like to finish something before I start in on the next thing.

After neglecting it for a while, I'm in the process now of turning the heel on that Jaywalker I started many moons ago. I've also got another sock top I'll probably frog. Its ribbed and I think it may end up being majorly baggy.

I haven't picked up the cabled scarf since I frogged several inches in that car-ride a couple weeks ago, and I have a striped garter stitch alpaca scarf I've started and made good progress on, but it's lightweight yarn on size 4s, so it's not the speediest thing ever despite the garter. Plus a bag and a dishcloth all on the needles.

I'll probably have the Jaywalker, one of the scarves and something to start my next thing with me for the flights this weekend.

As for the next thing, I think will be my first human sized sweater in deep red Cascade 220. I'm going to go with a "wing it" design of my own that is something of a marrying of Samus and Rosebud. I have a summer cardigan that I love that is all lace with a seaparating bar of a different lace that sits about the level of an empire waist. So for this sweater, I'm envisioning a cardigan with a narrow cable strip sitting just below my chest, with the top half of the sweater body built up by picking up stitches along one edge and splitting for front/back similar to how Samus works, then also picking up stitches along the bottom edge and working down to get the length in the body to lessen the chances of getting a sweater that's too short. Sort of half bottom up construction half top down. Also have a matching cable band on the sleeves with the same benefits of both bottom up and top down construction there. I'm also considering belling the sleeves below the cable band. Seems like it just may be clever enough to work and should have minimal seaming. I just have to pick a cable and start playing with it. If I'm feeling really ambitious, maybe I'll try something similar for my mom's doll...

Free Pattern! Carousel Horse Dishcloth

2006-08-23T16:50:00.000-04:00

As promised, here's the pattern in time for those end of season fairs and closing out the amusement parks.

Carousel Horse Dishcloth

The rows below are just for the image center. On my sample, I worked a crochet edging in a complimentary varigated after the center portion was done. Another option would be to work a seed stitch or garter stitch border to let the square lay flat. Those can be done by adding rows at the start and end of the pattern and adding a few stitches to both ends of each row.

The dischcloth was done on size 7 needles out of Sugar and Cream kitchen cotton. I could also see this motif worked on the front of a child's sweater or as a square in an afghan. Get creative with it!

*edit: fixed missing stitches in line 5, I'll double check everything tonight again, hopefully this is the only fix.

CO 47
Row 1: Knit across
Row 2: Purl across
Row 3: K12, P3, K11, P2, K13, P3, K3
Row 4: P3, K3, P13, K2, P4, K3, P4, K4, P11
Row 5: K10, P4, K5, P3, K4, P2, K12, P3, K4
Row 6: P5, K2, P12, K2, P4, K3, P6, K3, P5, K2, P3
Row 7: K2, P4, K4, P3, K4, P3, K6, P2, K11, P3, K5
Row 8: P6, K2, P11, K2, P7, K3, P4, K3, P3, K4, P2
Row 9: K2, P4, K3, P2, K4, P4, K7, P2, K10, P3, K6
Row 10: P6, K3, P10, K2, P9, K3, P4, K2, P2, K4, P2
Row 11: K2, P4, K1, P3, K2, P4, K10, P2, K10, P2, K7
Row 12: P7, K3, P9, K2, P11, K4, P2, K8, P1
Row 13: K1, P8, K1, P4, K12, P2, K6, P6, K7
Row 14: P6, K6, P7, K2, P12, K13, P1
Row 15: K1, P5, K1, P8, K11, P2, K7, P7, K5
Row 16: P4, K3, P1, K3, P8, K2, P10, K8, P2, K5, P1
Row 17: K1, P5, K3, P7, K10, P2, K7, P3, K3, P3, K3
Row 18: P3, K3, P2, K5, P6, K2, P9, K8, P3, K5, P1
Row 19: K1, P5, K4, P7, K9, P2, K6, P10, K3
Row 20: P5, K9, P4, K6, P5, K9, P3, K5, P1
Row 21: K1, P5, K2, P22, K3, P8, K6
Row 22: P8, K31, P2, K5, P1
Row 23: K2, P4, K1, P33, K7
Row 24: P7, K33, P1, K4, P2
Row 25: K2, P4, K1, P33, K7
Row 26: P7, K33, P1, K3, P3
Row 27: K3, P37, K7
Row 28: P7, K36, P4
Row 29: K5, P2, K1, P32, K7
Row 30: P7, K31, P9
Row 31: K10, P30, K7
Row 32: P7, K28, P12
Row 33: K14, P5, K2, P19, K7
Row 34: P8, K10, P1, K2, P9, K3, P14
Row 35: K26, P2, K1, P10, K2, P1, K1, P1, K3
Row 36: P2, K2, P1, K1, P2, K10, P1, K2, P26
Row 37: K26, P2, K1, P9, K3, P4, K2
Row 38: P2, K6, P1, K9, P1, K2, P26
Row 39: K26, P2, K1, P15, K3
Row 40: P3, K15, P1, K2, P26
Row 41: K26, P2, K2, P13, K4
Row 42: P4, K13, P2, K2, P26
Row 43: K26, P2, K3, P12, K4
Row 44: P5, K11, P3, K2, P26
Row 45: K26, P2, K4, P11, K4
Row 46: P4, K10, P5, K2, P26
Row 47: K26, P2, K7, P3, K3, P2, K4
Row 48: P4, K1, P14, K2, P26
Row 49: Knit across
Row 50: Purl across
Bind off

*Modification: Thank you for your patience, there was a miscount for the cast on and in row 5 that I've finally found and fixed, Both changes are bolded above. I finally went back and recounted every row, and hopefully there aren't any more errors. I'm new at this stuff, you'd think I'd be able to count with that whole math minor in college thing, but it's definitely a learning experience, right?

Has it really been a week?

2006-08-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

It doesn't seem like I've let that much time lapse in posting, but things have gotten crazy, so I guess, I'm due for some randomness...

Stalker

The not so nice thing first. I'm finally able to sleep again at night, but last week my neighbor informed me that "a while back" she'd seen someone pacing and looking in my windows at 11:30 at night. She didn't call the cops, she told him to get out of here or she would, and he ran off. The complex is going to ask the cops to step up secrity, but at this point because she didn't call the cops, there's not much that can be done.

It totally sucks to not feel safe in your own home.

So I got out of town
This last weekend was a blast. I met up with about a dozen friends for the coaster event at Indiana Beach. This event has become one of my must-attend events every summer, and this year's solidified it that much more. We rented a boat and went tubing out on the lake when the park was busy in the afternoon, and ended each night with a campfire and margarittas. Was exactly what I needed to get away for the weekend.

Knitting
Unfortunately, knitting cables in the car just got all screwey, and I ended up frogging everything I knit this weekend on the way home to fix some mis-crossed cables. I'll pick up the scarf again this week, but right now I'm recovering with some more simple, mindless knitting.

Another crazy week this week with work, then next weekend I'm off to Denver, YAY.

More Instant Gratification

2006-08-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

Three finished objects in this post, but I really am slowing down on the instant gratification bend. I've got a cabled scarf started now that's distracting me in simple complication from all the instant gratification stuff I could still work on. Not that I won't get sidetracked again, but I'm content with that project for now and have a few larger scale objects waiting in the wings and a few other things waiting to be finished up.

First up, a split rib scarf out of a bulky wool/mohair blend on my size 15's. Not the softest thing ever, but it'll be warm. Was a quick instant gratification knit, and will make a nice Christmas gift, probably for either my dad or my brother.

My mom has been trying forever to get me to make her doll clothes. She collects a zillion of them, and I finally caved. Don't tell her, but it's actually fun designing and making things at that scale. More instant gratification knitting and a great way to use leftover sock yarn and some of that old small-guage estate sale/yard stale stash I still have lying around from my crochet stash. I'm envisioning a little wardrobe chest with little hangers with all sorts of little hand knit outfits hanging up as a gift. So, I had her bring me a doll to basically use as a dressform. Poor DJ is supposed to be a boy doll, but he has the same body mold as the girl dolls she wants clothes for, and the first things I made were a girly sweater and a little sundress. I will make the poor boy a boyish sweater and maybe a little hat and scarf eventually.

I've been scatterebrained on upcoming projects. So much I want to knit, so much I want to finish. I frogged that brown cotton tank I started earlier this summer and there really isn't anything else summer-ish on the needles right now, so I'm looking ahead to all the fun knitting for fall and winter. I've got plans for 3 sweaters, and yarn for several more, plus socks and scarves and hats and dishclothes and baby clothes and doll clothes.

While I've been stash-diving and playing and planning, I've made a bit of a mess... Gromit doesn't seem to mind the yarn intrusion on his sleeping spots, though.

Finished Object: Booga Bag #2

2006-08-08T10:11:00.000-04:00

I loved it so much the first time, that I made another. This one in colorway #188. My mom will probably end up getting this one since purple is her color of choice right now. I've got one more colorway of the yarn to play with, so there's probably one more booga bag in the wings.

Dishclothes Galore!

2006-08-07T17:01:00.000-04:00

Continuing on the kick of quick knit stuff, I've made a bunch of dishclothes in recent weeks. Most of these will be gifts come Christmas time.

These first two I finished months ago and just never blogged. Just your basic Granny's favorite. The blue one goes in my kitchen, the purple goes in my mom's.

I then made two coordinating sets for my sister-in-law for Christmas. She has an affinity to all things Frog or Pink, so she gets a Frog and a Flower and the coordinating granny's favorites.

And finally, I did one more for me, this one's my own pattern and seemed like a good way to marry some hobbies, I'll have the pattern written up in it's own post separately, but for now, I'll give a photo.

I still have a ton of kitchen cotton and a bunch of ideas for more patterns to use in dishclothes. Plus I joined the Monthly Dishcloth KAL to suppliment me with small quick projects. I can whip out a dishcloth in an evening, so these are fun and quick.

Almost there

2006-08-02T09:22:00.000-04:00

I'm almost caught up with all the finished objects, just have another scarf and some dishcloths to photograph and post a little later. And probably by the time those are posted I'll be done with the i-cord for my second Booga Bag and have that ready to post. I also plan to debut a free pattern soon (the things I do to try to drum up a little traffic).

It's been crazy hot here this week, too hot to knit on much of anything even in the AC at home. We've been conserving energy at work (as in the AC and lights are off) and been allowed to wear shorts for most of the week, but it still makes it trying to be at work. Hopefully this cold front that's supposed to roll through tonight will clear up some of this heat and we can get back to working in the light and cool.

I missed the Harlot on Sunday in Ann Arbor. I had wanted to go, but I had too much to do at home and I wasn't up and moving early enough to make it out the door. My parents are visiting this weekend while they're having an open house, so I've been busy cleaning like a crazed person. Running the dishwasher in this heat doesn't make the apartment any cooler or less muggy.

My office decor is going to be featured in a company publication, but I recently moved offices and haven't decorated yet.

And I'm trying to get trips squared away for the rest of the season. I'm headed to Indiana Beach for a weekend in a couple weeks, and Denver over Labor Day. I'd still like to get to Oklahoma this year and I'll probably head to California later in the fall.

I guess that's the randomness of now.

Travelogue: New-to-me yarn stores

2006-07-27T15:46:00.000-04:00

One of the fun parts of travelling on your own to places you've been to before is that there's no rush. There's no need to get there immediately so stops can be planned along the route. And with no one else in the car, I get to dictate where those stops take place. Since I wasn't planning to ride any rollercoasters in the Dells on my way to Minnesota before the wedding but was still planning to stop to meet some friends for dinner, I had a little bit of time to kill along the way.

I stopped at a lovely yarn store in Loves Park, IL just outside of Rockford. The Yarn Sellar was a quick stop off the highway while passing through. I arrived about an hour before closing and she was meeting with one of her sellers and ordering new stock. I browsed for a bit, found some yarn and picked up a circular needle that my LYS hadn't had in stock before I'd left. We had a nice conversation when I was checking out and she was just tickled that I'd found the shop through the website and had travelled from Michigan. Tickled enough to let me pick a skein from the sale bin for free.

That was the only shop I was able to stop in for that part of the trip. While we were in Chicago for training, my coworker and I took a drive one of the evenings after class to Have Ewe Any Wool in Elmhurst, IL. This was a difficult shop to find as it's in the back on the second floor of a building that houses several artsy shops, but the shop itself was also quite lovely and the staff was very friendly. They were open late for their open knit night, and I hadn't thought to grab a project when we left the hotel, and for some reason didn't think to start a new one on the spot with the yarn I'd just bought so we decided not to stay and instead headed back to the hotel.

And finally, on the way home from training, I had the afternoon free to drive home. Once I got out of Chicago traffic and back into Michigan, I stopped at Sit & Knit in New Buffalo, MI. Of the three, this one will be the most dangerous as it is directly along one of my more frequent driving routes. It was also the most interesting, as the location is in a cool old house on one of the main roads in town. Took a few drive bys to find, but it was worth it. The owner's husband had command of the floor and was jovial and entertaining. There's also a cappacino maker in the back, and free lattes are offered to customers. It was like shopping for yarn in someone's living room. Very inviting and friendly, plus there was a good selection of yarn. I enjoyed petting the walls and made a few purchases while finishing my latte.

I may have to see if I can sneak away from some amusement parks for some yarn shops in Denver next month...

Finished Object: Navy Blue Novelty Scarf

2006-07-24T10:05:00.000-04:00

Finished Object: Navy Scarf
Yarn: Some bulky Bernat Acrylic and a Geidfra novelty yarn

I've been going for the instant gratification lately, so a garter scarf with some novelty yarn seemed like a good idea. I whipped this one out in a couple nights.

Finished Object: Ribbon not x-back

2006-07-24T09:56:00.000-04:00

Finished Object: Ribbon not X-back
Yarn: Moda Dea ticker tape

My first finished garment! Yay. And it proves that I still have a lot to learn. I'm tempted to rip back and make it about 3 or 4 inches longer in the body, but I'm just so happy to be done with it right now. It does fit, but it's stretchy enough that the places where it stretches take up some of the length from the bottom so it comes in a little short. I'm hoping some blocking will help stretch it but it's hard to say with the 100% nylon yarn if it will actually do much of anything. I like how the top fits, so I may just opt to rip out the cast on edge and add the length from there instead if I decide to do that. I have plenty of the yarn still.

Other than the obvious modification of not crossing the straps, My biggest mod was to go down in needle size from the 11 it called for to a 10. The ticker tape is quite stretchy and the whole thing would have come out huge on the other needles. The fit is decent other than the length, and that's fixable. I'm just so phsyched to finally have it done! I don't know what was taking me so long to finish, once I sat down and did it it barely took an afternoon to split for the front and back and do all the finishing.

Finished Object: funky purse

2006-07-24T09:50:00.000-04:00

Finished Object: Funky Purse
Yarn: Andes, striping orange and green
This one I love how it came out. I started at 60 stitches and gradually increased until I was increasing every other row and got to 120 stitches. I just sewed up the bottom instead of trying to add any dimension to it, and I love how it came out. I like how the striping starts huge and gets smaller as the stitch count increases. I have another colorway of this in a blue and khaki stripe that should be interesting, and I have another skein of the orange and green to play with too. The top is a little floppy and I think I'll need some sort of closure for it, but I really like how this one came out. Oh, and did I mention that I like how it came out?

Finished Object: Oops

2006-07-24T09:45:00.000-04:00

Finished Object: felted bag
Yarn: Diakeito Dimusee

This was a good idea gone bad and I think if I'd made it a ton larger to begin with it would have been ok but once I threw it in the machine, it felted down to really really tiny. It's barely big enough to hold my cell phone. I may just give it to my mom for her dolls. The rest of this yarn that I have (which is super soft 100% wool) is going to become a hat and scarf and not see the insides of a washing machine.

Finished Object: Booga Bag (and matching coin purse)

2006-07-24T09:08:00.000-04:00

Finished Object: Booga Bag
Yarn: Noro Kurayon Color # 178

This was the Noro I bought in Lansing a few weeks ago and I started the bag shortly after. It was my knitting around the wedding and I finished the bag part just after the trip and the i-cord during my training class in Chicago and felted it after I got home from that. It was fun, and I love the results enough that I've bought two more colorways of the Noro to make a couple more as gifts. In addition to the bag, I used what was left of the yarn to make a coin purse/wallet by basically making a smaller version of the bag with a flap and tacking down the edges where the handles draw it in. That knit up really quick (I think it took one night) and it was a good way to use up the leftover yarn. I still need to find some sort of fastener for that piece, but otherwise, it's done. I love the finished results and hope to have a couple more done soon.

The Wedding

2006-07-24T08:59:00.000-04:00

I've got a bunch of posts in the wings, and I'm just going to start posting them so I feel like I'm getting caught up.

One of the biggest events of the year in our family this year was my brother's wedding. There are a ton of photos here. It was a fun, crazy, whirlwhind, emotional event and I'm so happy for them as this has been a long time coming and they've both been through some rough times to get to this point. For everything that was going on that day, they both remained insanely calm and there really weren't many issues. It was beautiful, and I wish them both the best.

Sometimes It's good to just be home

2006-07-18T12:31:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been ages since I've posted anything. The last 3 weeks have been completely crazy and I finally feel like I can take a moment to catch my breath.

My brother got married. That was a whirlwind emotional few days. Following the wedding, we travelled through Minneosota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan with some friends who were park hopping the area. Landed back in Michigan, spent the weekend with Mike's family here in town. I turned around, went to work on the following Monday and that night was on the road to Chicago for a week of training.

So, I'm finally home. I have a ton to blog about and I'm not sure how I'm going to tackle it all. Wedding, trips, some finished objects, some progress reports, some purchases and new Yarn Store visits to discuss. And all I want to do right now is finish the day at work so I can go home and get some more sleep.

Yarn Crawl Spoils

2006-06-24T18:20:00.000-04:00

Rachel and I headed up to Lansing for a few hours of quality spending time. We spent a good amount of time and money at ThreadBear and also stopped into Rae's Yarn Boutique. both were lovely stores, ThreadBear was a little overwhelming just because I haven't been in a sizable LYS yet, and this one was huge. Rae's was tiny and cramped for space, but still had a great selection of stuff.

So, what'd I buy?

Sock yarn. Some Opal handpainted in greens, some Socks That Rock in colorway Alina, Lorna's Laces in Daffodil, Amber Sock Yarn Hand Dyed colorway called Daulia (the orange/yellow/pink stuff) and the Orange is a cotton acrylic that was in the clearance bins.

Noro - Color 178. Enough for a Booga Bag. Lily wants to know why mom is stacking the yarn in the window.

Also hidden behind the Noro, enough Cascade 220 to do a blue Swatch and Block bag. And 3 skeins of heathered lavendar wool from Bartlett Yarns that I haven't decided on a project for yet.

And finally, this skein of red laceweight that is super soft, most likely Japanese and the shop had it labeled "Lacy Lamb", and the copper colored hand dyed 50% wool 50% silk laceweight that I couldn't keep my hands off of and had to take with me regardless of the price. These will each be used for a lacey shawl of some sort or another.

I also picked up a set of Britney Birch dpns and an Addi circ to play with. So much for getting any cleaning done this weekend, I'm off to play with some new toys.

Jaywalking

2006-06-23T23:05:00.000-04:00

As if two finished pair of socks in a little over a week weren't enough evidence, I present yet another sock in progress.

This is the start of my very own Jaywalkers made from TwoWaters Fairgrounds colorway of handyed merino. being the coaster geek that I am, I couldn't pass up a yarn colorway that was inspired by the Puyallup Fair.

I'm liking the way the varrigation is sort of striping inside the chevrons and for such loud yarn, the short bursts of color are making for a busy but more subtle sock that I think I'm really going to enjoy. They're still loud, but not the loud I expected to see and definitely not as loud as they would be if the colors pooled or flashed. It will be interesting to see if that all changes in the foot.

My friend Rachel and I are going on a little yarn crawl in Lansing tomorrow, so I should at least have some new spoils to share while I'm hanging out in my knit-sock-obsessed world.

More Socks

2006-06-22T11:03:00.000-04:00

The green socks have been completed.

Finished Object: Green Socks
Yarn: KimiK's hand dyed merino sock yarn
Pattern: Just a generic stockinette sock. I used a Welsh heel and a French toe

This yarn was such a joy to work with. So soft and squishy. I love the colors, and other than a little flash in the gussets, the coloring stayed evenly random. Great range of greens and turquoises with a little burgundy mixed in for good measure. The socks fit great and I've definitely caught the sock bug. 2 pair are off the needle, and in the time it's taken me to make those, I've gathered enough sock yarn for more than a dozen more pairs.

Amazing Lace Challenge #2:Last Minute Xtreme Knitting

2006-06-18T23:10:00.000-04:00

I thought about doing many things but nothing really panned out... so this is as extreme as I could get...

This is how much lace exists so far... the wedding that I plan to wear this at is 2 weeks from today.

5 reasons not to go shopping with my mom

2006-06-18T22:44:00.000-04:00

Top row: (left) Sneaker/Sandals... too cool to pass up, good for coaster trips
(center) Crocs ... after that coaster trip with all the water mishaps, waterproof shoes seemed like a good idea
(right) Croc flip flops... I normally don't like flip flops, these are my attempt to convert myself

Bottom row: (left) reception shoes for wearing at the reception so 1) my feet won't kill me and 2) I won't look like an amazon next to my boyfriend
(right) wedding shoes, white strappy heels to wear during the ceremony.

Wedding is 2 weeks from today... don't even ask about the progress on my shawl. But, I'll have more socks by then.

Happy Feet

2006-06-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Finished Object: My first socks!
Pattern: Madder Ribbed Socks, Knitting Vintage Socks - as written
Yarn: Knitpicks Simple Stripes in Vineyard

These took me a while, mostly because after finishing the first sock, I finished another before tackling the second sock completely. But I now have a pair, and they match. The second one did move a little quicker with all the car knitting and with the other sock to reference too. the main difference colorwise between the two socks was in the toe, and obviously that's not going to be noticable in shoes. I'm pretty sure I wasn't counting as well as I could have when I made the first toe, so the second is a little more accurate to the pattern.

I wore them to work today and I love them. I'm definitely a convert to the hand-knitted sock club and I'm sure I'll have socks on the needles a lot from here on out.

Randomness

2006-06-13T10:21:00.000-04:00

Probably just easier to post a bunch of random stuff to get caught up today.

1) Despite spending the next morning knitting at the water park with another coaster enthusiast's wife who was spinning on a drop spindle at the next table over, This is the only knitting related photo I took on our trip. It was when I finished my first green sock the first night of the trip. I've mostly only made sock progress since then, I have finished the second striped sock (the pair will get it's own post tonight once I've gotten photos) and have the second green sock on the needles now.

2) Holiwood Nights at Holiday World was the definite highlight of the trip. We covered 9 states, 9 parks in 11 days and while there were a zillion highlights, those two days with almost all of our coaster friends present for the event was absolutely amazing. Even if I did get a funny sunburn and fell in the bumper boat pool.

3) You may get wet on this ride

Our friend Kyle caught this photo when he smartly sat out of the raft ride at Six Flags over Georgia. Mike and I are somewhere under that massive wave and were miserably soaked the remainder of the day.

4) 29 isn't so bad, I was able to spend a quiet birthday on Sunday at home with my parents and other family this year instead of jetsetting around the country for the weekend. It was relaxing and it was nice to get caught up with my awesome aunt and uncle visiting from Oregon. I have every intention of jetsetting somewhere cool for birthday 30 next year though.

5) Other than socks, I haven't knit on any of my other projects in the last couple weeks. Talk about xtreme knitting, I have 3 weeks to my brother's wedding and maybe 3 inches of my stole/wrap/shawl done so far. Ouch!

Leave a message after the beep...

2006-06-07T13:33:00.000-04:00

I am very much still in catch up mode, I'll have a ton to post soon... great trip, lots to talk about, just not right this second.

If cleanliness is next to godliness

2006-05-24T19:13:00.000-04:00

Then I'm on a fast road to hell...

Actually, my place is much cleaner than it was a few days ago, and Mike's flight arrives in a few hours... hopefully I'll have a connection and I'll be able to post from the road while I'm away for the next week+. Tons of amusement parks and touristy stuff... lots of long car rides that should hopefully include some knitting time. I think we'll be in 7 states in 11 days. Bring on the craziness... but first I need to finish the laundry and make the bed and make another run to the dumpster...

Introducing the Team

2006-05-15T13:52:00.000-04:00

My little brother is getting married. Ever since they announced their engagement, I've been telling him that he's finally giving me something my parents didn't. I'm getting a sister. Amber is a girly girl, and the wedding is going to be in pink. She's even somehow convinced my brother into wearing a pink tie with his tux. So, as a bridesmaid, I too will be in pink. The bridesmaid dresses are simple and pretty, a white strapless top and a tea-length pink chiffon skirt with a simple pink ribbon tied at the waist.

By what can only be described as the hands of fate working together to converge on several coincidences all at once, earlier this year I finally learned how to knit. I fell for this new hobby hard, and I've been knitting up a storm for months now with no end in sight. With my crochet background, I never really got into aquiring the amazing stash yarns or really even into making anything wearable. I stuck with the household things until everyone in my family had their very own acrylic afghan and my mom was overrun with potholders and crochet-topped dish towels... we won't discuss the doily phase or that cotton lace tablecloth that I spent months and months of my life finishing. Then this new love fell in my lap when I least expect it. I made a couple scarves, a couple hats, started to play with shapes and felt and ventured into the lands of luxury yarns and UFOs. I've even found myself falling hard for the handknit sock. So, naturally, I need to venture into the knit side of the world of lace too.

The stars aligned and convergences happened. On a stash-building day I stumbled on this beautiful yarn on eBay and bought some. I actually picked up 6 skeins of it with no real plan for it. Hundreds of yards of white mohair combined with a pink cotton thread and a silver nylon thread. The photos were pretty, but once I had the yarn in my hands and could see the subtleties and the shimmer in person, it was love at first sight. When I got my bridesmaid dress from alterations and it met the yarn, I knew exactly what needed to be done.

I am always cold. I would be spending a day in a strapless top in air conditioned buildings. The yarn and the dress match perfectly. The plans came together for a bridesmaid stole/wrap/shawl. I found my LYS, found a book on lace (later found out that it's a highly sought after book on lace that goes for a TON more money then I paid for it) and started selecting patterns to play with.

These are the circumstances that have brought my teammate and I together. The yarn and I have some issues to work out, this is going to be a challenging race. We've already tried a much too fussy pattern that didn't work. Other attempts with a different lace pattern that moved around too much caused us to fight over numbers and one of us got all torn up about it. After the last attempt at reconcilliation with a far simpler and more elegant lace pattern in place, we discovered that pattern complexity and counting weren't actually the cause of the problem, the needles seem to be the cause of the problem. So, we will be searching for a new set to join our adventure this week and help our relationship run more smoothly.

We've gotten off to a rocky start, but I'm confident that our team spirit will endure and get us through to the finish line in time for me to have warm shoulders at a wedding reception in July. I'm sure other teammates will join the forray later in the challenge, but at least for the first half of the summer we plan to work together and rise to the challenges as we face them. Bring on the competition, bring on the lace!

Progress Report... Now with pictures!

2006-05-15T00:19:00.000-04:00

This poor neglected blog has been lacking on photographs for a while, and with the Amazing Lace picking up, I figured I was due for a big ol' progress report with photos. Especially since I spent a ton of time this weekend knitting.

First up: Sock City, baybee! I zipped through half a sock on Saturday and went from turning the heel yesterday morning to finishing the toe before bed last night. I even cast on the mate this morning, so no second sock syndrome here.

I also cast on another sock with that merino I bought from KimiK in Muskegon a couple months ago. So far, colors aren't pooling any, but I'm just planning to do a simple stockinette sock with that yarn. Just that little bit of ribbing is making me love this yarn. It's like knitting with butter. I'll have a while to decide if I want to try a different heel and toe with this one, the heel flap was interesting, and the pointy toe was easy to knit, but I think I'll like something more rounded in the long run.

Second Stop: Tank Top Land

On the right is the stagnant progress on the Ribbon not-x-back, I'm so close to splitting for the top and just finishing it and I just haven't dedicated the time and energy to it to get it done. Instead, I finished a sock. And on the left is the bottom part of what will become another tank top made from brown Lang Viva cotton purchased on EBay. I'm just kinda winging this one on my own, I know I want it lace on the bottom half with the diagonal lace pattern almost creating a spiral effect, sort of an empire waist with solid stockinette over my boobs, worked on circs to make a tube top and then some sort of a wrap-over wide tank sleeve to produce a square neckline in front and maybe a higher V in the back. I know I can handle the tube top part, and hopefully once I finish the ribbon tank, I'll have a better idea of what I'll need to do at the top to make it work.

Oh, and my amazing lace teammate? She's back to looking like several wound up skeins of yarn. I finally decided on a lace pattern for the stole/shawl thing that I'm planning to wear for my brother's wedding reception, but I'm giving up on the bamboo needles and need to get a few pair in other materials to find something pointy enough that will work well with the yarn I have. I only have 6 weeks til the wedding, no sweat, right?

Let the craziness begin

2006-05-08T09:53:00.000-04:00

Monday morning, of a brand new week. I've been working my new job for a couple weeks now, I've still got a little bit of paperwork for the old job to finish up that I just keep putting off. I've got a ton of work work to do and 2 1/2 weeks to take my apartment from disturbing to spotless.

This last weekend, we went to Dayton for another bridal shower. It was fun and her maid of honor did a good job considering this was the first shower she's ever had to plan. Mentally though, I was wishing I was off at Holiday World with my friends riding the new coaster. After the shower, I called and got passed down the line so they could all gush about it... they even handed me off to some random member of the Roller Coaster Club of Great Brittan. Later in the day, I got a call from another friend who had opened the new coaster in Kentucky instead. It sounds like they all had a great fun day and I was just a tinge green.

However, several hours of driving with my parents, and sleeping in a hotel room made for lots of knitting time. I forgot my sock book, so I was able to finish the heel flap but didn't have the instructions to go further. I got through another ball of ribbon yarn on the Ribbon X-back and I only need to add another inch of length before I split it for the top part. this thing is looking like it'll only end up taking 4-balls of yarn... not bad, but I still have 5 more to figure out what to do with. I also ripped out and started the lace yet again... I'm thinking I'm going to once again rip it back and start with a different pattern. This will be the last rip back that this yarn will hold up to though.

More trip planning fun

2006-05-02T14:41:00.000-04:00

Mike has been grumpy lately, I think two months apart is beyond both of our thresholds at this point. So, I'm throwing more energy into getting this trip together for when he's here next so I don't have to do much last minute and we can just enjoy being on a trip together again.

I booked the first leg's hotels today, and I'll probably do a few more tomorrow. I'm realizing how frighteningly messy my place is, so I'm starting to devise a plan to rememdy that and I've got a bridesmaid dress to pick up tomorrow after work, and I've got to get my car in for service, and I have to renew my license in person this year, etc.

Work is slow right now, so I have that much more time to dwell on what isn't getting done elsewhere, but I know that's going to start reachine epic levels of insanity soon again too. So I'm scheming and making grand plans and trying to get as much situated now so when the wall of craziness hits I might be slightly prepared for it.

Oh, and I just joined my first knitalong. Since I have to get that lace bridesmaid stole finished for the wedding, a lace-along seemed like the right thing to do for added motivation.

Yay! Chicago!

2006-05-01T13:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend was another fun jaunt into the start of the travel season. I'm not conditioned yet for this though, and I'm feeling excruciatingly sluggish today. Too much to do and no motivation to do anything.

The road trip was fun, we had a group of 11 of us at the park on Saturday for opening day. Six Flags Great America is still my favorite park in the chain and I love having it relatively nearby, moreso with such a great group of coaster friends local to the park. We really didn't spend all that much time at the park because of the rain. Cameron and I bowed out about 3, and warmed up with hot chocolate and the Muppets before heading down to Indiana to see Frank's band play. Lazy rainy afternoons and car-rides with someone else driving progressed the knitting some though.

I've been pokey this week, but I added the third skein of ribbon to the tank top and that's starting to look like a tube top and should be ready for the split and straps fairly soon. I am procrastinating progress on the sock, I'm almost done with the heel flap and I'm getting ready to turn it soon. And I haven't regrouped, frogged and restarted the lace stole yet. Soon. Maybe. No coaster trips until the big one in a few weeks, and I still have to get hotels booked for that and clean my apartment, and...

Can't keep up

2006-04-26T16:35:00.000-04:00

This is the time of year I love. It's warm enough for parks to start opening, and I'm starting to get out and end the hybernation. Granted, I usually still fit in one or two small trips in the winter to take the edge off, but from here on out the insanity is in full force and I hit the ground running with no plans to stop until about October.

So I do things like take crazy trips to Georgia like I did last weekend. It was so fun. I'm really looking forward to getting back to Six Flags over Georgia after the visit we had. There really wasn't a dud coaster in the park, and I'm thrilled with their new addition, Goliath. I also found my new favorite drop tower ride. I hung out with good friends, got to see my cousin again, and endured a 14-hour drive home. Plenty of knitting got done too, which is good since I've not picked up the needles since.

The tank added another whole skein of yarn and should be approaching the length where I split it to form the front and straps soon. I've started the heel flap on that sock. And the mohair fell off the needles when in the bag, so I need to pull the 4-rows I had started back out and start again.

My coaster craziness is documentable. Goliath was my 398th coaster and I have one month to ride a single new coaster before I get to Holiday World and make The Voyage my 400th. Lots of possibilities for that one filler credit though, so I shouldn't have a problem doing that.

This weekend is a trip to Chicago with the gang around there, next weekend is another shower for the brother's bride, and the weekend following that is Mother's Day. I have the following weekend free (I will be cleaning like a mad-woman, my place is a mess) in anticipation of my boyfriend's arrival Wednesday night for our big trip leaving that Friday for 11-days. I haven't yet made any arrangements beyond that, and I really should start booking hotels for that trip soon.

Oh, and the new job is going great but sucking up every bit of free time I thought I'd had. Welcome to a whole new level of crazy where I guess I'll eventually need to get organized or else I might do something crazy like show up for work in my pajamas.

Progress... boring progress

2006-04-18T10:14:00.000-04:00

And I don't even have any photos today.

After those first four rows last week, I haven't knit a stitch on the pink lacy wrap, Over the weekend I added maybe an inch to the tank top, and last night, I made the couple rows of sock look a little more like a cuff. I can see why people consider socks to be good mindless travel knitting, once I got past the first couple rows and got the rhythm down, I've gotten the hang of knitting the sock and was able to make significant progress while sitting online and chatting last night. I haven't made loads of progress overall, but it's coming along slowly and I've gotten far enough to experience the facination of self-striping yarn and I only have slight apprehension that eventually I will encounter and have to turn the heel.

However, I'll have plenty to work on for the flight and drive this weekend and hopefully I'll have loads of progress to report next week.

More!

2006-04-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

I keep adding more to the mix.

After a couple weeks of searching, I finally found out where my Local Yarn Store (LYS) is here in Jackson and my coworker and I took a trip there at lunch time yesterday. The Dropped Stitch has short hours that coincide with my work day, but it's nice to know that if I need something, there's a local source that I can stop by in a pinch. Otherwise the only retailers in the area for yarn stuff and needles and notions are the big-box stores. It's not a huge store, but I found a book that helped me piece together a pattern for the mohair stole, and I picked up some yarn. 2 skeins of a peach and green self-striping wool that I'm thinking will be good for a purse or bag of some sort, possibly felted. It depends on how much it stripes, it may just end up as a scarf. I also got a skein of Regia wool/cotton blend sock yarn in self-striping blues, greens and yellows.

So, instead of getting some actual work done yesterday afternoon, I pieced together this:

and instead of working on the projects I've already got going, I cast on and did the first 4 rows of the chart with the mohair. I'm working it on size 10 1/2 needles, and the pattern will be worked over 83 stitches, so I've got a good stole width, I'm just hoping that the 6 skeins of the yarn that I have (I won the bid for 3 more yesterday) will be enough to give it some length. I'll figure that out once I've gotten through the first skein and can figure out what my approximate length will be. Plus, it's lace so it should stretch some once I block it. Gotta get to that point first though, so lots more knitting ahead.

So, now that I have at least 4 projects on the needles, I think I'm just going to be content knitting away for a while, and not focus so much on finding something new to do.

Third time's a charm

2006-04-11T15:54:00.000-04:00

Blogger has been eating my posts today. Ugh.

I spent some money on ebay the last few weeks, and I've been playing with some new toys. First, I got a ball winder. Who knew it would be so addictive?

I've been winding yarn balls all week and slowly going through and analyzing my stash in the process. Not that that's stopped me from adding to it.

This arrived yesterday. It's gorgeous. Another ebay purchace. 3-skeins, 320 yards of white mohair, a silver nylon cotton, and a pink/lilac thread wound together to make this beautiful shimmery soft yarn. Love it. Once I got a good look at it in person, I think it's going to match my bridesmaid dress for my brother's wedding in July. Since that is strapless and the person selling this yarn has another batch of the same yarn listed right now, I'm thinking I'll snatch that up and the 640 yards should be enough for a pretty lacy stole or wrap of some sort to be used when I'm freezing in the air conditioning at the reception. It's going to take a little planning on my part, as everything I've read says that mohair doesn't lend itself to frogging very well, but I hope to have something planned soon.

As far as the needles are concerned, I've got a good start on the ribbon tank, I slipped it off the needles last night and made sure it would fit around my body and it does, so I'll keep going. I'm definitely getting the hang of seed stitch now and can see the stitch definition better, my previous attempt ended up converting itself to a 1x1 ribbing after a few rows. I've also cast on that first sock, finally. It only took 4 tries in good lighting with a lot of concentration to get through the first row without dropping a stitch. I'm sure I'll get used to the tiny needles eventually though.

Those two projects plus starting the stole/wrap thing should be plenty to keep me busy for a while, and I'll definitely have stuff to knit in the car for the long drive back from Atlanta in a couple weeks.

So Tired...

2006-04-07T14:44:00.000-04:00

If I kill my cat in my sleep, I can't be held responsible, right?

(no, I didn't kill my cat in my sleep or when I was awake, just tempted to a few times between 2 and 4 am)

So, when the utilities raised their rates this winter, I thought I'd be clever and attempt to save a few dollars. It actually worked really well. I cleaned up the room, shut the vents and closed off the master bedroom of my apartment and moved into my recently redecorated guest room with a space heater. I don't think my furnace kicked in all winter and my apartment never really dropped below 70 degrees. Saved what would have been a fortune in heating bills. It was great.

Well, Spring has finally started to show up around here, so I finally opened the other bedroom back up and moved back in for the night last night. I have two cats, Lily and Gromit, who were thrilled. They've been itching to get back in that room all winter and complaining about it as often as possible. I opened the door last night, cleared off the bed and I don't think either of them left the room unless it was necessary all evening. When I went to go to bed, Gromit curled right up in bed with me and settled in to sleep. Lily did not. I don't know if it was the excitement of having the room back or what, but she spent the better part of the hour between 1 and 2 am throwing herself at the walls, scratching at doorjams, and talking at me very loudly.

I can only take that for so long, so they both got kicked out and I put in some earplugs so I could sleep through complaining kitties throwing themselves at the bedroom door all night.

So between that and majorly sticking my foot in my mouth last night, I'm in a fabulous mood today.

The rest of the week actually has been quite good though. I found out Wednesday that I got a new job, and I start talking transition next week. I'm so ready for a change of pace there, so this is great timing.

In opening up the room last night, I got bit by a spring cleaning bug and started picking up the hibernation mess I created all winter.

And I cast on a Ribbon XBack earlier this week. It won't have the crossed back, but otherwise, it should go as designed. I went down a needle size so hopefully it won't come out too big. Once I get the first ball of ribbon knitted up, I'll slip the tube off the circulars and make sure it's not too snug or too loose.

Still haven't cast on those socks. Nor have I figured out how to type and knit at the same time. At least with row after row of seed stitch, I can set down the tank whenever and pick it right back up again.

Miscelaneous Madness

2006-04-04T12:57:00.000-04:00

A little bit of everything today. I think I've got most of a quick end-of-April trip planned now. It all kind of fell into place yesterday.

I'd been looking for a cheap flight for the weekend after Easter with no luck. I was willing to go just about anywhere, but Spring Fling at Six Flags Over Georgia was at the top of my list. Round trip flights into Atlanta were pricing out really high though.

Yesterday, I learned that a friend who lives nearby is driving. I don't want to sacrifice the vacation day to ride down, but I found a one-way ticket for Friday night that was less than 1/4 the cost of the round trips I was pricing. So, in the matter of 24 hours, we have a plan.

I'm catching the flight down, spending Friday night with my cousin and most likely dragging him to the park with me on Saturday for the event. We'll bunk with everyone else Saturday night and I'll ride back to Detroit on Sunday, pick up my car and come home. Even if I cover my cousin's admission to the park, the whole trip will cost less than that round trip flight would have, and I'll have a long drive from Georgia with someone else driving, which means 10+ hours of uninterrupted knitting time!

So, since the Sophie bag is done and I couldn't quite handle casting on a sock and chatting online at the same time last night, I've only got one project on the needles right now and it's a scarf. A warm, navy blue cabled scarf. I just can't bring myself to work on it when it's getting sunny and springy outside.

Which brings me to new projects. I've been bringing in a lot of new yarn lately, picking up some deals on eBay, and one of the things I've aquired was a slew of pink ModaDea Ticker Tape nylon ribbon yarn. I've been digging around for something to make with it that isn't a scarf or a poncho, and I found a blog where someone is doing the Ribbon XBack out of it with a few modifications to account for the stretchyness of the nylon. I'm thinking this may be a good thing to try, so I've printed off that pattern to play with tonight. I don't think I'll make it an X-back, and I may make the straps a little wider, but otherwise, I think it will work well without any other major modifications.

I'm also going to stay offline long enough tonight to get my first sock cast on so I have something small to work on as well. I think those two projects should keep me occupied and springy for a while. If I get them done though, I'll still need a couple portables for that car ride.

And this...

2006-04-03T11:15:00.000-04:00

Is what the sophie bag looked like drying over the bathtub after it's adventures in the washing machine last night.

Looks like a Finished object to me.

Pattern: Sophie Bag by MagKnits
Yarn: 1 ball of Pattons Classic Wool in Leaf Green
Needles: Size 10 1/2 DPNs

Love it love it love it. I'll admit that I was really worried when I put a week's worth of work into the washing machine to deliberately shrink it. I contemplated finding ways to make the non-felted version of the bag work before rationalizing that this has worked for a zillion knitters before me, it's a cool magic trick and the bag will come out the other side of the process better than ever.

The washing machine didn't disappoint, and I went from being exhausted when I got home last night, to giddy that it had worked and I had something great to show for my efforts. So much so, that I really wanted to cast on another one with the other ball of yarn I have in the same color.

Maybe I am cut out for this sock thing after all.

Finished Objects: My first scarves

2006-04-02T21:58:00.000-04:00

These have been done for a few weeks, I'm just now getting around to posting them. My first "finished object" was a stockinette stitch scarf that has since been ripped out and I'll reuse the yarn for something else, so technically, these are the firsts.

Finished Object #1:

Pattern: It's a garter stitch scarf (obviously nearly everyones first finished object)
Yarn: JoAnn Sensations Thick n' Thin in purple
Needles: Monsters... Boye size 35

Obviously, this went quick. It was a good use of this strange yarn that I already had that I didn't know what else to do with.

I had attempted crocheting with it a few times and couldn't find my stitches. I also attempted with still big but smaller needles and couldn't really get it to do much then either. Then I remembered that I had these monster needles that my grandmother had sent and I decided to try it. Two skeins of yarn and about two hours later, I had a finished scarf. It's warm, soft, and stretchy and I've had several compliments on it when I've worn it.

Finished Object #2:

Pattern: Long skinny ribbed scarf (2x2 ribbing over 20 stitches)
Yarn: JoAnn Sensations Angel Hair in Berry
Needles: US 8

This took a bit longer, but the results are what I wanted in a scarf when I started it. I wanted something long and skinny yet warm and a little chunky too. This yarn is soft and has a little fuzz to it but it was still easy to see my stitches. It was a good piece to really learn and hone in on, and by the time I finished it, I felt like a knitter and was ready to move on to other endeavors and a slew of new knitting skills. It was after I finished this scarf that I started the two hats I made for my mom and after those the Sophie bag. (all to be featured in their own way soon).

Nervous

2006-04-02T21:36:00.000-04:00

This is what the bag looked like a little while ago before I grafted the handle and wove in my ends.

I finished up the Sophie Bag today, got it home, and it is currently taking a trip through the washing machine in hopes of it coming out shrunken and felted, and not a big ball of mush. So, to ease my nerves while I wait, I'm going to blog instead of hover over the machine.

I had an otherwise fabulous day. I found a local source for hand-dyed yarns! They're gorgeous. And the person who does them not only lives 2-doors down from where my dad works, but she also sells at the farmer's market in the summer. I can see her getting even more of my money later this year. I payed for and picked up the yarn I'd bought on ebay.

I also bought two gorgeous skeins of her sock-weight merino, enough for two pair of socks. I think the knitpicks I bought last week will be my test socks to learn on and then I'll dive into this stuff.

Ok, time for me to check the wash... I'll hopefully have a finished bag to show off tomorrow.

Trips

2006-03-31T17:34:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I mentioned a recent trip to Vegas. I had my first coaster trip of the year March 7 - 12 in Vegas and Los Angeles to coincide with what has become a spring kickoff tradition for me: Winter Coaster Solace at Knotts Berry Farm.

I've made several trips to SoCal in the last twelve months, (my boyfriend of just over a year lives out there) and there aren't many coasters in California that I haven't ridden so instead of just sticking to local stuff, I planned 2 1/2 days in Vegas to kick off the trip.

We stayed at the Stratosphere, met up with some local friends and one very much not local friend and hit most of the amusement ride attractions.

The pic to the right is Gary riding Insanity at the Stratosphere. I think of everything we did in Vegas, that was my favorite. I don't generally suffer any ill effects from spinning rides, and this one gave me a touch of vertigo. Was a blast though and definitely something I'd consider doing again.

We spent an evening at the stateline at Buffalo Bills. I spent the morning repeatedly proclaiming "there's a coaster out my window!" How could I not appreciate this view?

And the weekend was spent enjoying visits with friends and just generally relaxing around Knotts.

This has become one of my least frantic trips in the last two years. The first year, I had to do everything, last year we kicked back and relaxed some and this year was more of the same. Ride when we feel like it, take a nap in the afternoon and spent most of our time visiting with friends. Gotta love that.

No more spring coastering for me for a few more weeks, tonight I'm off to drive through thunderstorms for another weekend at my parents house. Hopefully, there will be enough knitting time to finish my Sophie bag so I can sacrifice it to the washing machine gods next week.

There will also be some wedding stuff this weekend (no, I'm not getting married. My brother is). My mom wants to go dress shopping and I need to schedule alterations for my bridesmaid dress. Guess I should get on that, eh?

Creativity Overload

2006-03-30T16:00:00.000-05:00

Knitting. Wasn't this supposed to be about knitting?

I'm over run with ideas, and I'm already starting to get into the pattern of starting things that just won't get finished. And I'm ok with that. I finished a handful of things in the first month I've been knitting... (photos to come soon, really). 2 scarves, 2 hats, 2 dishcloths.

I've learned a few new things with each project. One scarf is a long ribbed scarf, the other was a quick garter stitch scarf done with interesting but tricky yarn on really big needles. So, those were good "get used to this crazy knitting stuff and pick up some speed" projects.

The dishcloths were an afterthought. After I learned how to knit, my mom wanted to re-learn. And she remembered that when she was little, she used to make dishcloths. I found the super simple pattern, started one while attempting to walk her through the process over the phone, we argued that it wasn't the right pattern (although now that she's seen one finished, we may try again and agree that I was right), and since I'd started it, I finished it. And did another quick one on the plane to Las Vegas just for something mindless to work on.

After mom fell and started recovering and we realized we were going to need to cover a bald head with a huge incision scar, I started making hats and finished two in a week. So, I learned how to knit on circulars and with double pointed needles, the Grace Beanie I made her even has a little bit of simple eyelet lace-work in it.

I've got a Sophie bag started and I'm making quick progress on that, should have it finished this weekend. Been using it to get better at double pointed needles (not intentionally, I don't have the right length circular for it and I didn't feel like going back to the store after I discovered that I'd bought the wrong length). Plus, it will be my first time making ICord once I get to the handle, as well as my first attempt at felting something.

I've started an Irish Hiking Scarf that has two cable repeats to it so far... hopefully by the time I finish it, I'll be MUCH faster at cables. But it's so far been a good learning tool for that.

And I have a random bigger-needle garter stitch scarf started using up some chunky scrap yarns that were in my crochet stash (when I started crocheting, my great-aunt and grandmother both started sending me estate sale and goodwill yarn).

Then, last week, I started seriously considering socks. I ended up placing a knitpicks order, getting a few skeins of sock yarn and some tiny DPNs. I haven't started yet, but I'm contemplating, reading up on it, and half of me is ready to dive right in while the rest of me is ready to run away screaming.

Plus, my mom has been begging me for years to make stuff for her dolls, and after persuing a few sites yesterday I may have to consider using those tiny needles and some stash scraps to make her something like this. Not that I have any experience constructing a multi-piece garment, let alone one for a 7 1/2-inch doll. And the fact that this can only lead to the sort of requests that my first post on this blog clearly states will drive me insanely away from knitting... but it's worth a shot anyway, right?

Trip Planning 101

2006-03-28T16:30:00.000-05:00

I am a geek. Certifiable even.

Coaster trips are my forte, I think I may have been a sadistic travel agent in a former life or something. This year's batch of trips is no exception. Currently, I'm starting to piece together several trips for this summer. Some long and drawn out, some quick weekend jaunts.

The first (unless I can find a cheap flight somewhere for the second to last weekend in April) will be an 11-day trip through 10 or 11 parks in 7 states starting memorial day weekend. This should add anywhere from 40 to 50 new coasters to my count (yes, I count... I'm a geek). It will also cover one of the last big spans of parks that I haven't yet visited, the south. Beyond that, there are really just a handful of hit and miss parks scattered around the country left for me to conquer.

I'll likely catch a few repeat parks in July around my brother's weddding. And I'm still hoping for quick weekend trips to Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma/Kansas for later in the summer. If I catch everything that's "new to me" in all those places and maybe sneak in an extra park or two, I may just eek out my 500th coaster this year. Have I mentioned my geekiness?

Adventure

2006-03-24T18:52:00.000-05:00

I've been making my mom hats this week. Knitting up a storm with my first round needle/dpn projects and my first eyelet lace project. I finished the second one last night, and they both resemble hats and fit a human head and turned out just fine.

I won't get into all the details on why I made my mom two hats in a week, but she came home from the hospital today and I'm driving there tonight for a celebratory weekend. We're having friends and family over tomorrow to do some work on their house and just rejoice that she's a million times better than she was two weeks ago.

The short version of the story, that I'm sure once I can get through it without sobbing I'll get around to posting a longer version, is that two and a half weeks ago my mom fell and hit her head. She'd been sick for a while with other things, and this fall caused 4 skull fractures and bleeding inside her brain. We almost lost her.

Miraculously, she was conscious the next day, out of the ICU within a week, and has progressed so quickly with the therapists in the rehab unit that they decided to discharge her today. So she's back home again and will continue to work with the speech therapists on the few areas where she had the most brain damage. Primarilly short term memory function and math, as well as multi-tasking and reading comprehension. Not bad considering how much worse it could have been.

So, I've been making my mom hats because when they did surgery, they shaved half her head. A few days later my dad and I shaved the rest. The hats will cover her massive healing scar (they litterally opened up half of her head) and my dad's really poor head-shaving job.

For now, I'm off to deliver and enjoy a weekend at home with my parents. For as often as I used to grumble about them wanting me to drive and visit all the time (at least once a month), it hasn't felt like nearly as much of a chore to make the trip these last few weeks. We'll see how far that lasts once coaster season starts up fully, but for now, I'm just grateful she's there to visit.

Why not?

2006-03-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

I've been crocheting since college. One month ago, my friend Rachel's mom taught me how to knit. I've been going crazy every since.

My coaster friends have noticed, they tell me I'm too quiet on our forums. It's because I'm reading knitting blogs instead of the forums.

I don't participate as much as I used to in chat, because I can't type and knit at the same time.

When I crocheted, it was almost always afghans. I attempted a hat once, but I wasn't concious of the concept of guage and it was a little floppier than I would have liked. I got into crochet thread and doilys for a while. I even made my mom a tablecloth. Then, the thing that always seems to happen when I try a craft and learn that I'm good at it happened.

People started requesting things.

This has always been my failure point. Always. As soon as something starts to feel like "work", its not fun anymore. When I was in elementary school I learned how to make those knotted friendship bracelets. The ones that require a ton of work, knotting embroidery thread in certain ways to create various patterns. I was good at them. I could do them quickly, I've made some really elaborate ones. I learned about color matching and contrast. I became obsessed with the intricacies of turning a bunch of embroidery thread into a bracelet through the use of knots. I dreamed of selling them at craft fairs when my mom was selling stuff at craft fairs. Turning this cute little hobby into a sustaining business for a 10-year-old.

And then people started making requests. Then it became a chore. I was no longer taking on this task because it was fun and I enjoyed it, I was doing this because someone else wanted something. There were deadlines and expectations. So I stopped, and moved on.

In college, it was crochet. Again, once more requests started coming it (and I got a cat who enjoyed the yarn too much), I stopped for a while. But recently, I'd picked it up again. I had reason and I wanted to do it. Now, I've learned how to knit, and I have the enthusiastic drive of a new hobby. I'm learning things, I'm figuring new techniques out. In the month since I learned, I've finished 2 scarves and started a third. In the last week I've finished one hat and started a second (which means I already have material for finshed object posts, this thrills me to no end). I'm feeling the pulls of supplies again, I've pulled out and explored my stash from crochet again. And I'm really really hoping no one decides to sabotage this one by asking for anything.

So, no expectations and we'll get along just fine. :)

P.S. Oh, the only hobby I've never had this problem with -- Roller Coasters. It's almost purely selfish. I plan my escapes, I book hotels, I find deals, I bargain, and I travel. I drive or fly somewhere, spend one or several days at a park, and I have fun. No work involved. The one part of the hobby that started to feel like work were the trip reports, and I've found ways around that by not writing them, or only writing them for certain trips or writing them in different styles. It's beautiful and sustainable. My coworkers think I'm crazy.

Life, Knitting, and the pursuit of Roller Coasters

Upgrade!

I've caught the disease

Obsess much?

In Training

Monkeys for Mom

I really didn't want to leave Chicago

Super Storm

The end of SP9

Reunited!

Disappointment

First FO of the year

Technicalities

Still Camera-less

Some Assistance Please

The way I figure it...

On this the eve...

Gifted

Still plugging away

Looking Back

Dying to thank my secret pal!

4 more FOs for Christmas

Knitting Like a Madwoman

Feast or Famine

Quick Blip

*Insert Evil Laugh Here*

Finished Objects: 2 down, a zillion to go

Randomness

Photo of the Day

Damn, She's fast

Proof

Note to Mother Nature

Spoiled, Spoiled, Spoiled

Secret Pal 9 questionaire

Slow Going

One stripey sock

Ambitions and Joining

Picking up

Scattered

Free Pattern! Carousel Horse Dishcloth

Has it really been a week?

More Instant Gratification

Finished Object: Booga Bag #2

Dishclothes Galore!

Almost there

Travelogue: New-to-me yarn stores

Finished Object: Navy Blue Novelty Scarf

Finished Object: Ribbon not x-back

Finished Object: funky purse

Finished Object: Oops

Finished Object: Booga Bag (and matching coin purse)

The Wedding

Sometimes It's good to just be home

Yarn Crawl Spoils

Jaywalking

More Socks

Amazing Lace Challenge #2:Last Minute Xtreme Knitting

5 reasons not to go shopping with my mom

Happy Feet

Randomness

Leave a message after the beep...

If cleanliness is next to godliness

Introducing the Team

Progress Report... Now with pictures!

Let the craziness begin

More trip planning fun

Yay! Chicago!

Can't keep up

Progress... boring progress

More!

Third time's a charm

So Tired...

Miscelaneous Madness

And this...

Finished Objects: My first scarves

Nervous

Trips

Creativity Overload

Trip Planning 101

Adventure

Insert Evil Laugh Here