What are these?! Yarn weights, perhaps? 

I'm salivating! Less than an inch to go on one, then I can working the toe decreases on both! They are so close to being done, I can feel them on my feet! 

And these, I really don't know... 

Blue Moon Fiber Arts DOES make other yarn...

And I DID have to buy some to try! This is the "Seduction" yarn by Blue Moon, which is a merino/tencel blend. Like the sheen? I'm using the Interweave Knits "Retro-Rib" pattern by Evelyn Clark which was published in their Winter 2004 issue.


Blue Moon Fiber Arts also makes a yarn called 'Seduction'. I'm knitting it using the Interweave Retro Ribs pattern. 

I DID buy things OTHER than STR at Stitches West!

But not too much else! I had to add to my drop spindle 'collection'! Isn't it gorgeous? (See-I want to "name" her, since I almost wrote "her" instead of "it"!) Also got some Moving Mud buttons for a side to side cardigan I started. Thought I'd splurge? Can't resist MOVING MUD!


More Stitches West purchases! A new drop spindle and MOVING MUD buttons! 

Gorgeous pattern!

THE latest Jeanie Townsend sock pattern! I just happened to get a skein of that same colorway around that same time, too! (I guess we must've been in on the SAME sale...)


"Spring Twists" pattern by Jeanie Townsend using her recommended "Spring Fling" colorway of Socks that Rock! 

STITCHES WEST HAUL!!!

Following pics show my latest yarn haul! I was so looking forward to attacking the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth for some Socks that Rock yarn. They were out of the fingering weight and only had med and heavy weight, but it probably was for the best--one LESS thing for me to decide! I even found a skein called 'Seduction', which is a merino/tencel and stitches up as a fingering weight. Too fun!

I got a new drop spindel and will have to post pics of my new lovely. I'm not the kind of person who likes to name inanimate objects, but I would actually consider naming this one!

I've been staying up late SINCE Stitches West, which I attended on Friday! You know-doing the usual: pouring through books and patterns and swatching... It's just crazy! As if the sweater design class wasn't enough to inspire and motivate this behavior, add to it a trip to SW! Speaking of which, my last class was last night. I stayed up swatching a short-rowing sample to make sure I understand how to do the shaping for a TOP (vs. socks)... A VERY GOOD IDEA, since I realized that since I'm not doing a sock heel or following pre-set directions, I ended up wraping the purl row the wrong way. It will work but will look quite crappy. Also, you pick up all the wrapped stitches as you knit back across your work, whereas with a heel turn, you go back and forth, picking up one per side as you go...Talk about crash course in short-rowing! Now to figure out if it really is best to start them only 3 or so stitches in from the sides vs. further in...I don't know...Time to turn to the experts!

And of course, had to use some sleep time towards a few more rows on my sweater and one of my socks I started!

Blue Moon is starting a "Rockin' Sock Club"! Cute mini-skeins, no? 

And yes, even some non-Blue Moon Fiber Arts yarns! At the top, 2 skeins of Claudia Handpainteds; below, three alpaca skeins from Honey Hill Farms... 

HAD to wind a couple of skeins! ("Seduction"-a merino/tencel blend in the colorway "Carbon", "Socks that Rock" in Carbon, Tanzanite, Fire on the Mountain, and Rolling Stone--see how different they look wound!) 

Picked these up for an on-line friend...they won't make it into my stash, though I LOVE these colorways, too! (Farmhouse, Watermelon Tourmeline, Spring Fling) 

Additions to my Socks that Rock Stash! 

Another Six Sock KAL Feeble Attempt!

So here it is, another feeble attempt at participating in a Six Sock KAL pattern! I'm working on the Glad Ragg sock pattern. It is going well, though I realize the darker yarn probably isn't the best pick to show this lacey pattern. What can I say? I had no business starting more socks anyway, but I knew I had this Jawoll sock yarn in my stash and the beads to boot! Funny, when I bought this yarn, it was with every intention to knit it into some nice 'man-ly' socks for DBF or one of my male friends...HA! It's for ME now!!!! Let's see if I actually finish them!


A closer look, though not very clear... 

Another try... 

So...what IS that purple thing?

Well, I thought I should post the beginnings of my first REAL project designed by ME. I'm taking a "Design to Fit" sweater class at ImagiKnit. We are actually 3/4 of the way done, though my sweater is barely started! Hmmm...no wonder I never designed my own sweater before--too much planning! OTOH, I can get anal and when I take a class, I take it REALLY SERIOUSLY. We should swatch? 3-4" at least? Oh, OK...(swatch, swatch, swatch...) Gotta make sure it will be just how I want it...(swatch swatch swatch...) Can't decide! Can't make up my mind!!! I like this...no, I don't!...I need to try this...and THIS!!!! PHEW! I could go on forever, but there was NO WAY I was going to knit the equivalent of a sweater doing a swatch!

I finally settled on the 2-color ladder twist design for the bottom edge of my sweater. Ao far, so good, though the garter stitch ended up looking alot longer and the twist portion a lot shorter, so instead of the 3 repeats I had planned, it became 4.


The beginning of my sweater...I'm using Karabella Aurora 8 in purple. The second color is Karabella Aurora Melange. 

And the winner is...

The winner is...the 2 Color Ladder with Twists! 

No, this is NOT a scarf...It's a swatch on steroids! Almost 2 skeins later, it kept going! 

Socks that Rock Colorways and Variance

Thought I'd show off some of my newly acquired Socks that Rock. The far left is a sock being knit in Celestine-it's an orange/lime/lavendar combo. The two balls on the right are both Spring Fling colorways, but it is interesting to see how the different skeins end up shades different. Not necessarily different 'dye lots', but I think the proportions that the colors were dyed in...I love them both and don't mind that they are not 'identical'. I have read somewhere that this is the nature of hand-dyed yarns...


Another pic, flash used here... 

Socks that Rock! Yarn...

Things to share... 

So here is another pic of the three skeins of Socks That Rock (STR) yarn from Toni at The Fold (www.handspinning.com/thefold). One pic was taken with flash, the other without. I think both pics can give a pretty good idea of how they look.

AND I'LL BE GETTING MOOOOORE AT STITCHES WEST!!!-YAY!!!!

Latest Socks on Needles

This more orang-ey picture is truer to the "Copper" colorway, though in person, the color is much brighter with more gold coloring to it than is shown. 

Now don't get me wrong-I LOVE this yarn and the color. The photo does not do the 'copper' color justice in any way, since the color really is richer and more vibrant looking. I just would have loved a more mustardy color for this pattern.

Kansas Wheat Socks

This picture looks more how I wish the yarn color looks, but it doesn't...This pic does seem to show the stitch definition better, though...
 

I was trying to be good and finish other sock projects before starting another, but sometimes things just don't work out that way! I had been dying to do these socks since I purchased the yarn (JUST* for THIS pattern!**) I am so glad I finally caved, because these have gone along quite quickly and quite frankly, I am just not motivated to finish any of my other pairs at this time. As for the aran socks from the Six Sox Knitalong, I think I messed up in the pattern somewhere and thus, haven't touched them in some time. Face it, when you get to points like that in knitting, picking it up to work on is no longer 'knitting'; it is, instead, a deciphering of a puzzle, which can take time. And if you are in the mood for KNITTING and seeing some KNITTING produced, a project like that is just not rewarding! (Loved the color, loved the way it was starting to look...hated that I took a wrong turn somewhere!)

*AWESOME Socks that Rock yarn, available from Toni at The Fold!
**Jeanie Townsend's "Kansas Harvest" pattern, also available through The Fold

A recent completed item...A reduced-size "Headhugger" from Michele Wyman's pattern. The gauge was around 3.75 st/inch and I used the 2.5 gauge directions to make it a kid-size hugger. 

My new wristwarmer!

OK, wrist warmer now posted! 

YES, I DID make 2, but they look exactly alike and I could only take a pic of one, since I was using my right had to take the pic! I used my merino/silk "Muriel" yarn from ARTFIBERS and they feel pretty darn good! I had to alter the VooDoo pattern to 36 stitches, since the Muriel is bulkier and my hand/wrist isn't that big.

Yes, I DO sometimes make other things...

A non-knit item!!! ;) 

So here is my quilt of the year! I've only been working on this for about two years! Finally got the last border on and will need to piece the backing and send it out to someone ELSE to quilt for me! So here it is-the 'quilt of the year', since I only average the completion of about 1 or less per year!

No wrist warmers yet...

Baby jacket and hat (the hat's upside down...) 

But here is a little number I made and just gave to the latest arrival at work. Since the baby arrived the day before Thanksgiving, I titled this outfit "You may NOW celebrate the Holidays!". The hat is actually show upside down, since I had already attached the hat to the jacket and was too lazy to detach it for the pic!!! Basic beanie style hat; garter ribbed at the bottom, body in stockinette...

Voo Doo Wrist Warmers!

Done and no pictures to show...! I need to get some up soon. I'm actually working on a crocheted ponchito, too, and am quite impressed with it's progress.

I had to post because questions keep dwelling in my mind: will I EVER pick up those Amble socks and work on them again???? Will I ever work through my stash? OK, let's not answer that one, but...Can I at least make a dent in it? And does the size of my stash mean a lifetime moratorium on yarn purchases???? I don't think I can live with that!

What's even more sick is knowing that last I checked, my sock yarn alone was more than I can ever knit in a lifetime--and I STILL can't figure out which skeins to get rid of! Or, rather, can't part with any, though I need to seriously whittle it down. Even the ickiest colors appeal to me. Yes, I may have several SIMILAR colorways, but they are NOT the same and each has it's individual appeal! How does one decide?

Well, that's my quandry of the day! Pictures soon!

Why Chips?

And what do these have to do with knitting? Well, nothing, but I LOVE these chips to the point that I probably now buy them as often as I shop for yarn!-UGH! And I was NEVER a chip person! So, I go to the Kettle Foods site and what do I find? A link to images of all their chips! (Yeah, for real...go ahead, click!) What else could I do with a nice picture of my favorite chips?



My FAVORITE chips!