Mi Capitan!

I had missed adding this to the previous post as finished. A gift knit for ME! This is the Capitan hat I had knit for me when I lost my little crocheted hat I loved so much! No, I hadn't crocheted it. Possibly, I could make a new one, but I don't have the time to look one up or figure it out; nor do I have time to dig up similar yarn.

Capitan hat knit with Malabrigo worsted, doubled. I used the colorway
Pagoda-a gorgeous red with pink highlights. I added an extra row
to give just a tad bit more depth to the hat.
This awesome free pattern is by Rosie Garmandia.
Quick and Easy-the way I like it!

I actually blocked this, so it took a few days to dry before I could photograph it and post.

Stinkin' Cute!

These have got to be the cutest little things! If you go to the Rav page, the ones shown are even CUTER! And now, onto the meat of this post...

OK, I realized there were a few pics I'd taken and never shared. I'd like to share with you now...

The other week (specifically, the first Saturday of this month) it was raining. And I mean raining. Heavy rain. Big drops of water rain.

Of course, this meant that this was the day my friend HAD to go to Cotati (a 45 minute drive or so from the City...). So, being the good friend that I am, I accompanied her.

See the puddle of water? and you can't tell, but it is still RAINING in this picture...

What is this place? Oh...we entered through the wrong door?


And here, is the front of the building!

And inside, a freezer with a sign reading, "We trust you...please take what you need and leave the money on the table". GEEZ! No way! Dorothy, we're not in San Francisco anymore!

By the way, the lasagne is ok. The ravioli pretty stinking good! But the real reason we were there?

To claim her 1/4 cow that had just been freshly slaughtered! (sorry, Vegetarians...) Yeah, we were there to pick up, oh...100 pounds or so of organic beef!


And to prove I am not a yarn snob, look what I had caved and bought when I saw it on sale at Joann's the other week?
I'm a total sucker for the Vanna White yarn colors! And, as always, was inspired to buy an afghans worth of it! Gotta love crochet-I crocheted up one of the popcorn squares quite quickly. But alas, it is not a gift for this year and I need to keep the gift knitting priority, so this now sits.

But look what else I kinda had to add to the stash?
But allow me to clarify: the center red color is some Malabrigo Worsted in Pagoda and came out from my stash. I used these for a Capitan hat (picture later...). You see, that same rainy day was the same day I lost a favorite crocheted (not by me) hat and was sad. I decided that this capitan hat could justifiably jump ahead of the gifties so I could make myself a new hat.

Admittedly, the two plain yarns on the left were grabbed up at Dharma Trading Co. for future dying. And I'll again point out that I am a big sucker for the garish (some call it 'clear') colors of some of the Malabrigo Privada collection. I decided I needed to again go beyond my comfort zone of colors and get two more from the ImagiKnit sale wall. So I did. And while at it, I threw in a Malabrigo Worsted Tartuga to round out the purchase!

I have a great project in mind for the Privada and am excited to eventually knit it up!

BIG THRILL!!!

Though not yet blocked, I am happy to report that the Mystic Light Shawl is DONE!!! Nartian witnessed the cast-off on Monday afternoon. I thought I would not be able to resist and would block it soon after but alas, it still is in a lump, unblocked.

This was a KAL I had started back in March and am quite proud to have plugged through this. See guys? I finish things...eventually! It's kinda my first "Big Girl Knitter" lace! I mean, I did do the Forsest Canapy, but that was maybe 1/2-1/3 the yardage, smaller, and done with heavier yarn.

I made one of my work buds model this for me.
She's waaaaay tinier than me in size, but maybe a tad taller than me.

I wasn't happy showing just ONE pic, but I realize you can't see much from this!
So what was the point, really...?

And look what arrived at Purlescence last week and is now a part of my stash?!

STR lightweight: Potomac, Jubilation, The Cookie Next Door,
Muckity Muck (much more of a rich, deep reddish-tinged orange
than what is shown at the BMFA site-me LOVESES this!)

And more gifties on the needles...all are quick-to-knit projects for yarn-rich, cash-po' me!

A second Capitan hat! (Oh...these are so quick that I don't think
I even posted the one I made for me which is nearly finished!
Next time...maybe even modeled!)

And a Silky Malabrigo "Ivy" cowl knit in the "Mint Frappe" colorway...
funny, too...not a hint of green in this yarn!

Bless Me, Readers, for I have Sinned!

It has been three months since my last yarn purchase confession. Well, except for the one skein of Wollmeise because what Knitter in their right mind passes up on a Wollmeise opportunity? And the other purchases between weren't purchases, since I used gift certificate; therefore, they were gifts.

So I walk into a local crafting store and walk out with this... I mean, the good thing is none of this is yarn, right? The afghan booklet had quick knit afghans that look like they won't bore me--worked doubled and in clever panels! I promised a friend he'd get an afghan by his 50th birthday--I have a bit less than 4 years to go and thought this would be a good start! The hook? Well...some of my lovely 8/0 beads' holes are a tad bit too small for the size 12 crochet hook. Yeah, I paid more for the new hook than if I bought a new bag at less than $1.50 for around 275 beads! I paid for the two items, then the bead spinner caught my eye...it was at the other register and on sale! Grabbed it up, paid for it, done. Yeah, I'm sick that way...Then I thought about Chicken Knit's resolve not to purchase anything she absolutely did not need for a month...I failed that task!

Final confession? One word: Woolgirl! Yeah, I'll dish when it arrives...

And now for the planned Malabrigo Holiday Knits:

I'm hoping these will be converted to gifts this month! Recognize the upper left colorway? I used it for the Quickie Cowl and hope to make a Tudora for my cousin. The right was used for a Tudora and I haven't decided what it may end up being. It's the Colchina colorway. The two colors at the bottom are the Privada collection colorways that ImagiKnit has had sitting forever on their sale shelf. They didn't look nearly as attractive unwound, but I suspected they were more of a 'wow' once wound. I think I may be correct.

The blue/grey/pink will be a Calorimetry for a cousin and the orange/green/pink will maybe be a cowl for a friend's December b-day.

But wait-that's not all! I started the soles pre-October 1 start date, but the tops I started after the 1st. These are two not-Malabrigo Loafers to be. I'm using whatever worsted wool I have for the soles. The top of the first pair is Weavers Wool Quarters from Mountain Colors. Clever Me to discover I had this in my stash to use!
No completed stole clues yet, but the baby hat has been long-finished. A new Baby Solly hat, though I understand that Little 6 mo. Solly is wearing 12 mos. old clothes! This hat may be too small...

Th-th-th-that's all, Folks!

I think I can disguise this one!

Look at the detailing on this lovely Malabrigo loafer! Cool, huh? The color is Vaa and man, am I in love with this Coco Knits loafer pattern! Quick knit with sophisticated detailing. Once you finish knitting the sole, you pick up around it and end up knitting, oh, maybe 15 or so more rows and you are DONE! Of course, I do plan on knitting the suggested trims for it-acorn tassels, to be exact! And yes, they look way-cooler on a foot!
And a side view to better show the sophisticated shaping!

And I've started the second loafer-no 'Second Loafer Syndrome' for me! Plus, I'm trying to finish this pair for a dear friend's birthday!

So I guess it is time for confessions? Yeah-the yellow stuffing in the loafer is Silkie Alpaca-there is one other skein I bought...And the Lorna's Laces sportweight (the blue on the right) is one of three I purchased. But (as always...) I can 'splain! One of my cousin's daughters just graduated and will be attending UC Berkeley, so I decided to make her some Brioche socks that she can wear around the dorms! Uh-huh! Justified purchase! Oh-yeah!

So I suppose I should point out the wound ball behind the Alpaca Silk label...it is some Malabrigo Silky Merino which (so long as it gets completed!) will be another justified purchase; it's for my dear friend's daughter who is graduating. I plan on making her a cowl or neckwarmer. If I can only decide on a pattern! Right now I'm thinking of either the Cowl of Kindness that Nartian just knit or maybe Tudora or maybe a Mistake Rib neckwarmer...

So that was a a showing of some of my most recent purchases...

Yeah, if I only show ONE skein of each color, cleverly hide one in a finished object, and show one wound, it really won't look like I got all that much yarn, right?

And as for the Ribby Pulli Scoop? Let's just say it is going much slower than it looked in the last picture! Fingers crossed it is done in the next couple of weeks, but with the Loafers now ahead and the Cowl needing to happen...well, you know...maybe I'll have it done in a month!

Innocent Findings

Sometimes when you go to get a Fried Chicken Sandwhich fix, you can stumble upon some glorious findings! I mean, how can a knitter NOT pop in to Article Pract on such an excursion? And in seeking out rewards for those who are willing to be co-conspirators in mystery projects you conjure up, how can one NOT check out a mystery store with no store-front facing the street; simply an alluring sign with such words that include 'chocolate'?

And so, Nartian and I stumbled upon these lovelies...


Awesome, no? And here, some up-close shots (yeah, I'm not the greatest photographer, but you get the idea...)

And no, your eyes did not deceive you. No, the media is not getting to you. Yes, these are Obama chocolates! How could I resist? I only wished they had some Hilary ones, too-then I could've gotten two of each!-lol! Then it could be a 'you pick'. But sorry, folks, I just have no interest in any McCain chocolates...


This past week has felt crazy to me. Ten days since Stitches West and it seems so far away...probably because I had worked out the afternoon before SW (a weights class, nonetheless, when I hadn't done weights in I don't even know how long...) and my back was definitely feeling it. I felt like I was going to pull a muscle any minute! So by the end of the day, I was exhausted, my back spasming (is that a word?), I was starting to feel headachy, and my throat was feeling scratchy. Perhaps the cold I thought I had the week before had never really gone away?...So I was basically a big baby, sleeping in and laying around the rest of the weekend.

However, Sunday afternoon, SassyMan (SO and father of Lil' Emp) tells me he has called the hospital for an appointment. He later learns that they are soon closing and will see him the next day at 4pm. He was in so much pain that he had no intention of waiting that long and needed to go to the Emergency room. So I spent that evening with him overnight at the hospital. Luckily, it was minor surgery, but did require he be put under and stay the night. No sleep for me that evening! So basically, I was dead to Blogland for a week-very little time or energy to be on-line for very long!

OK, so my Stitches West haul will probably not be flashed at once. I really think it would be overstimulating for all.

Instead, let me backtrack to the President's Day holiday, a mere four days prior to SW. My friend decides she wants to go to a yarn shop and get some 'good' yarn. Don't I want to go? NO! I don't want to go! (Too tempting!) Of course I go, though. And I walk out of there with this...
Actually, this is only a partial pic, since I actually purchased FOUR skeins of the Malabrigo Chunky (in one of my fav colorways-Stonechat!). And I couldn't resist the Plymouth "Happy Feet" at a mere $6.50 per skein!

But it was a fun trip which included a brief reunion with Stephen (HizKnits) and I got to meet his friend, Tammy (PunkRawkPurl). You would know her by the "K-N-I-T" and "P-U-R-L" she has tatooed to her fingers! I knew I'd seen her before because I recognized the hands! Turns out she works over at Article Pract once a week! (Yeah, and she just *happened* to be there today!)

So from this little appetizer to Stitches West, I have now started a store-model hooded scarf (yeah, nothing like store samples to further entice a purchase of four skeins of Chunky Malabrigo!). It's looking like this, so far, and I must say that for this scarf, I have hope of completion! Chunky, mindless knitting of no more than 416 yds? I can do it!



And, as always, I got distracted from other focus knitting (yeah, like my Serendipity socks, one of which is complete...) and produced this single sock (the Two-Yarn Resoleable Socks from the Favorite Socks book)...


Knit from Heavyweight STR of course!

Lastly, you think I only got fried chicken sandwhiches and chocolates today? Of course not! I absolutely couldn't pass up this worsted weight Malabrigo-it is Malabrigo March, afterall! And besides, I got a lace sample at SW in this colorway that I so loved ("China")-I knew I loved this colorway and Nartian reminded me it was the same as the lace sample we had received!
So this came home with me and I was so excited about it, I hand-wound it!
Funny...when it is a single skein of 220 yards of soft-to-the-touch yarn in a luscious color, it is actually quite enticing to hand wind it! I also hand-wound the other 3 balls of my Chunk Malabrigo this evening!

PHEW! Yeah, it's been a long time between posts and it shows, huh?! Maybe I'll share a bit of SW love with you guys next post!