Can these yarns look any more alike?!

Now, let me first say that I did NOT buy the same colorways! (Well, the 2 skeins of Koigu PPPM are supposed to be the same colorway, but the Ruby Sapphire...well, it is a different colorway!)

But just look at them side-by-side...

Actually, if you blow up the pic, you can see more raspberry/magenta in the RubySapphire yarn vs. the KPPPM with a more reddish highlight. On the left is RubySapphire sock yarn in the "Atticus" colorway. The other two smaller skeins are the Koigu PPPM, colorway P324/60.

Oh! And I believe I neglected to post a pic of this yarn that I saw the other day at Article Pract...
but there were only single skeins of the colors I liked, so I was good and passed them up! Of course, I go back a couple of days later and lo and behold...they had multiple skeins in many of the colors I liked! So what's a knitter to do? Had to buy three of these puppies!


This is Hacho 100% Hand Dyed Merino Wool, spun in Peru. The colorway is Coral Reef, and by purchasing this yarn, I 'm supporting the Peruvian Highland shepherds' kids and a portion of my purchase is "dedicated directly to the funding of a school in the remote area of Munani in the region of Puno." Sounds like a perfect reason to buy this, don't you think?

And guess what came in the mail yesterday?!...

WoolGirl Sock Club shipment #2!!! Jen put together a fantastic club shipment!

Here it is, unwrapped! This shipment really is fabulous! I had not expected so many goodies, even though the first kit was so sensational. I figured it was the start of the club and that (though we would be getting 'extras' with the kit), the following kit 'extras' would be limited to one small item. As you can see, I underestimated Jen's generosity! In addition to the sock yarn, coordinating stitch marker and pattern, we also got tea with honey sticks, lavendar scented soap, and a card with attached magnet-all fitting the Ireland kit theme! The pattern is called "Irish Dreams" and the kit was packed in a theme-fitting mossy green tissue paper, too! I just love details!

And a close-up of the yarn, Spunky Ecclectic's Supernova in "Irish Dreams" colorway. It is actually more green in person-I think my flash washed out the varying shades of green and the oranges. It is gorgeous and the colors all blend together much better than how it looks here.

So all I can say is that I love this club and signed up for the Seven Deadly S(p)ins club that WoolGirl is putting together with Lisuu. I'll definitely renew this sock club, too! And, of course, I have already renewed my STR club for next year! Too fun!

So I'm plugging away on my second Lenore, though I will confess to having started my Waterfall sock from the first Woolgirl sock club shipment. It was just too tempting for me! Nartian is trying to keep me on task, encouraging me to work on the Lenore so I can finish it this week and we can then post our two pair together! I have to admit that that would be fun and it is keeping me a bit more dedicated to the cause! So in the long-run, I will have Stilaholic Nartian to thank for a finished pair of Lenores and IrishGirlie to thank for a finished pair of Cedar Creeks! Um, yeah...guess I'd better make finishing the toe decreases on those Cedar Creeks the next order of business!

I've got more to blog about, but better end this for now. Coming soon...my PIF post! Stay tuned!

Yeah, I joined a Muppet group...

You Are Gonzo the Great

"Is something burning in here? Oh, it's just me." You're a total nutball who will do anything for attention. The first to take a dare, you'll pull almost any stunt. You're one weird looking creature, but your chickens don't mind!

The'>http://www.blogthings.com/themuppetpersonalitytest/">The Muppet Personality Test

OK, sometimes even I have to question my enthusiasm towards things. Like joining the Muppet knitting group over at Ravelry, for instance! But hey-I saw Kermie, I clicked, I even posted! I guess I still can't get Jim Henson and his muppets out of my system! Must've been some subtle brainwashing going on

Proof of FOs

I hereby offer pictoral proof of 1 1/2 pairs of socks FINISHED! The Solstice Slip socks (yes, done in the prescribed "Firebird" colorway...) and ONE Lenore sock have been completed!

I was just telling Nartian earlier today how having these done makes me want to push through the Cedar Creeks as they are-no frogging! Afterall, if IrishGirlie can have two socks, different sizes, why can't I have a second pair of unmatched socks?

In my Cedar Creed socks case, they wouldn't so much be mismatched in stitch patterning and fit, but it's the idea that one is a whole 4 stitches (as I recall...) smaller and looks it! The difference in fit won't bother me. I'm so anxious to have a total of THREE new pairs of socks, that I'm thinking I wanna do it!-lol!

BTW, a friend of mine had to point out that one Solstice Slip is larger than the other. I don't care. It's not a super huge difference-it's just that one is knit a tad bit tighter than the other. I know the number of repeats match up, so I figure it will all even out in the long-run. It's not obvious to me.

On to continue my trek through my second Lenore, since I've postponed my next meeting with Gingerbread Dude til they are done...Alas, the affair has been suspended until Lenore is complete! Gingerbread Dude patiently awaits my return to him.

Hannah Montana and the Stash Enhancement Excursion!

Well it seems that there can be rewards for being the crazy PTA mom! Our principal got tickets to the Hannah Montana (spelling?) concert, so I get to be the most awesome Auntie because I scored two of these puppies up for my cousin's daughter! The principal got the tickets on short notice, so he decided to give them out as appreciation to the active families in the school.

My cousin's daughther was surprised with the outting, and my cousin brought Lil' Emperor to the Bay Area Discovery Museum so he could see the "Clifford" (the big red dog) exhibit-of much more interest to him than seeing Hannah Montana. Funny, cuz these tickets are supposedly so highly-prized, yet among our PTA, none of us really have kids interested in going! And it's not because we all have boys!

So-on to knitting! Kinda. Well, mostly about yarn, since I seem to purchase more than I consume! The good news on the knitting front is that I am two kitchenered toes away from a PAIR of Solstice Slip socks! I also have one completed Lenore! YAY, ME!!! (pics next time...) Meanwhile, a recent trip to my LYS (ImagiKnit) resulted in the purchase of this...

A miscellaneous assortment of single skeins (extra fine merino, baby cotton stuff, "PJs" (like cut up pajama fleece which seemed so nice and soft and baby things-worthy...) as well as a skein of sock yarn (I think this one is called "Ranca") and some (four) skeins of merino Optim from Cameleon Colorworks (thanks to the enabling from Nartian!)

Shall we discuss the enabling thing for a bit?

Well, it seems that Nartian is aware that it may be a bit difficult to get any Cameleon Colorworks and that I had just scored some up at ImagiKnit. She mentioned that if I happened to go there, that she would perhaps like me to pick some up for her. So being the *good friend* that I am, I made the sacrifice of stopping by there (yet again) this week (Saturday) to see what they had in stock.

I arrived at ImagiKnit, but alas, the sock yarn was no longer layed out on the table by the front door. The lovely Jenn (a bud who works there, who I had first met at Maker Faire months before her landing a job at ImagiKnit) pointed me in the right direction. Four skeins of sock yarn left! I quick-called Nartian (what would we do without cell phones?!) to fill her in on the options. I was focused on socks, got the skein she "needed", when my eyes fell upon a bowl full of stuff with Cameleon Colorworks labels on them! It was some of the Optim Merino I had read that the dyer was so fond of! What could I do, but place yet another call to Nartian to fill her in on more Cameleon Colorwork options!

What I thought were several "orphan" skeins, ended up being the traditional single colorway "there's-more-in-the-back" display that ImagiKnit typically does! So Nartian instructs me to purchase not just two, but four skeins of Peacock (I ought to photograph those, too, the colors are so gorgeous!) which (now here is where the story circles back to me...) then inspires me to purchase FOUR skeins of Flamingo for me!

Ah, yes...who was enabling who that day?

Pictures, cuz I said I would!

OK, so I had some of my pics on a different computer! I'm posting some to share...

I seem to be having blog problems (yes, again, if you can believe it...I know, must be me, since it happens so often!) Oh well...So you have to look back up to see what I'm talking about!

So the top is a swatch of Gingerbread Dude, a new Blue Moon Fiber Arts colorway love of mine! I'm trying to decide which I like best. The first, is (hard to see, I know...) a twisted stitch column with a k2 column. The second pic (and yes, also difficult to see...) are three more samples (from top down): 1) a K2, P1 rib with white stiches purled to 'pop' them out, 2) plain stockinette with white stitches purled to 'pop' them out, and 3) an 'embossed diamond' pattern .
The swatch is approximately 24-30 stitches wide, so the white would only run at the most, 1/2 way around the sock (so I don't foresee the portions of the swatch ever showing 2 white rows stacked, though what do I know? Could happen!) Anyway, I am so excited to knit this stuff up, but I need to finish Solstice Slips and the Lenores I just started!

Last, the Dream Swatch in progress...the handspun is much fluffier other yarns I've seen used for this. Maybe after I block it, the dropped/crossed stitches will stretch out a bit more. Kinda fun to see my handspun stuff actually turning into a project!

STR--SPOILER, if you worry about these things!

I think that by now, many of you realize that I really don't care about "spoilers" and, in fact, LOVE seeing spoilers! I guess I'm in a nice mood and decided to put a warning ahead of time for the latest STR kit...just in case...(Actually, I guess I usually have no regard for that since this is not a big ol' high-volume, popularly read blog-LOL!





Anyways, I got my most-awesome BMFA Rockin' Sock Club kit on Friday, after pulling an 'all nighter' with LE's costume and proceeding to work/organize the school Fall Festival. What a wonderful package to come home to! I had been so busy that I had even forgotten that it ought to be there!





I loved this kit and the pattern sooooo much that, well...I CO yesterday and am almost 1/2 way through a cuff! I did pick up the Solstice Slip sock for a bit, as well, but I reaaaaallllly love this new kit! So...the pic of my progress is posted below...








and to make extra-sure I am not 'spoiling', I will continue my post to further push the pic down!





I got the kit and photographed it. As of Saturday night, I was contemplating swatching my Gingerbread Dude, starting the new kit, and continuing on with my scarf I started with my handspun merino/silk I had gotten a while back. I'll have to post and show those later because I am so pleased with the merino/silk scarf!





You see, a while back, I had purchased this lovely fiber from Purlescence, dyed by Chasing Rainbows. I made the(what is now my common) mistake of purchasing only one skein, so ended up with around 160-180 yds. I pondered what to do with it. Nartian had suggested a Calorimetry, but I felt the silk might not keep the stretch as well and was maybe too nice for a Calorimetry. The other night, while digging through my patterns, I found the Dream Swatch pattern! I had seen IrishGirlie's knit up and thought it was so cute! Here's the crazy thing: in looking up the specific link to IrishGirlie's Dream Swatch, I had actually commented how cute her's was and even referenced my Chasing Rainbows roving. At the time I really didn't think I'd be using it for the Dream Swatch, so it must have really been meant to be, cuz it just came to me and I had forgotten I had mildly considered the pattern in the past! All I can say is I'm such a big dork (does that word date me?!-LOL)! So...there ya go! I started knitting up my merino/silk into a Dream Swatch! I altered the pattern to add a repeat and knit on smaller needles for the end, then decreased to the regular pattern. I had been trying to find a lacy pattern to make that would help stretch the yardage. So...I shall post the pic when I get the chance!





Fun thing #2: I did swatch my Gingerbread Dude and it is absolutely INCREDIBLE! I absolutely (in the most yarny-est way that we knitters do) LOVE this colorway! It is even better than I had imagined it would knit-up! The white offers such a high contrast that I was hoping it wouldn't be too obnoxious of a contrast. Well it isn't! It is so subtle and so...well, "Icing-ish"! It really just pops out in small spurts-just like-well..., like- icing on gingerbread! (Doh!) The brown and red in the yarn mix into a gorgeous gingerbready-background for the 'white icing' to ice over every so often. So I swatched a few possibilities and will post them later-too much fun!

So now for my latest WIP ...

(aka: the October BMFA Rockin' Sock Club Kit...)

...

the start of my Lenore socks!

.

.

.

.

ta-duh!

(yeah, at it again...keep your fingers crossed that it is the start of a FO, not an UFO!)

A "doh!" (slaps the forehead) Moment!

My Blog-free reader, Terry, advised about using plain old white tissue paper when LE's costume-specifically, the nightmare fabric... I'm so lame I hadn't thought about the possibility of using the plain white stuff-I had dismissed tissue paper because I lacked motivation to go find the stuff! And here I have a bunch (read: COSTCO!) of this stuff at home! Thanks for the recommendation, Terry!

Another 'duh'-I just found my 'walking' machine foot I use (ha! *bought* to *use*) for quilting and read in the instructions that it is good to use for stretch knits! At least I had the inkling to pull the the instructions out with that thought in the back of mind!

Of course, similar to Alfredo's comment in Cinema Paradiso (my favorite Italian movie!), "Ah, progress comes too late!", I read this now, but the pants are now done! At least I can use the advice on the rest of the costume: helmet liner, boots/feet and cuffs!

Thanks, Terry! And thanks to you and IrishGirlie for your support and encouragement! Really, though, the costume is quite lopsided and embarassing to post! LE is still young enough that he won't notice or care! Once it is on, no one will know...(I hope!)

What's going on?!

YIKES! I thought that my blog was being held hostage again by the posting police, but apparently not so! I can access stuff through the main website address; it seems that my shortcut links aren't working. Hmmm...go figure, cuz I can't!

Very little knitting going on. I guess cuz I'm just slow. Or maybe it's that the majority of my free time has been sucked up with preparations for Little Emperor's school's Fall festival! I'm actually supposed to be working on his costume as I write this, so I guess I'd better hurry and post. Of course, it doesn't help that just trying to figure out this blasted posting issue sucked up a bunch of time. Oh, and photosharing my reunion pics with the other attendees wasn't a quick feat, either. Oh well...here it is, 10:37pm and I am fearing for my sleep over the next few days!

So what time I've had to knit has been devoted to the Solstice Slip socks. Please tell me they look like I've progressed since the last I posted them! One is ready for the toe decreases and the other is just starting the foot. Behind them is a Crystal Palace "Splash" scarf for my mom's cousin who's birthday celebration is approaching. Another quickie gift from the stash, though this yarn was going to be a scarf for me...

Off to work on the costume-from-hell. Did I talk about it? Like, for instance, the fact that the pattern calls for a stretch fabric? I'm adapting this metallic lamme spacesuit costume pattern to "Duck Dodgers", so I decided that despite the fact I wouldn't be using a stretch lamme, I still needed to go 'stretchy'. I ended up with a stretchy, SLIPPERY fabric (those of you old enough may recall 'quiana' fabric? ok, maybe not quite as bad maybe, but close!) Suffice it to say that this fabric is slippery, stretchy (oh-so-stretchy), with quite a bit of drape. Those of you who sew can appreciate the pains I am going through! Cutting was a pain. Marking the fabric a BIG pain. Sewing-nearly intolerable, but barely. The top is done, pants to go, as well as the 'helmet liner', gloves, boots, and an alteration to the top, if time permits! Don't think I'm a great sewer, ok? I'm nuts to have chosen this fabric!

Festive!

OK, I can't figure out why this is automatically underlining and I can't figure out how to fix it! I'll try to make this a bit more brief, since this is gonna drive me nuts!

Nartian and I met at Purlescence on Saturday to help celebrate their 1st Birthday! Check out the blog and you can see me and Nartian in our Ribby Pullis!


And of course, no visit to Purlescence is complete without some sort of Stash Enhancement! Once I spotted the Dream in Color Smooshy, it was all over for me! The Little Flowers and ebony glove needles were on sale-40% off! Can't pass that up! And well...there was this gorgissimo Zitron pencil roving, which I think I should have purchased a second of! Thanks to Nartian and her Monkey1, I chose a lovely burgundy colorway...Oh yeah, and they had some lovely Jitterbug "velvet" colorways, so how could I pass up the much longed-for "Leaf" colorway?
I think I had mentioned that costumes were roaming around in my mind. Despite the fact that I have only cut Little Emperor's costume fabric out, and not sewn one stitch, here is the pile of fabric and lovelies that I wanted to turn into my Elven Queen court dress. (With my semi-pointy ears, I have always fancied myself a fairy elf of sorts...)

Needless to say, with all the fall festival activities fast approaching and Little Emps' costume still not finished, I think this will have to be a future costume!

Right on time for YPF!

Ta-Duh! It's my latest Simply Socks Yarn Co. club shipment! Here is our special edition colorway of Dream in Color Smooshy in BROUHAHA!




I placed it under my "Ott" light, since it is quite late in the evening-no natural light! The typical chocolate brown and pink club tissue paper looks a bit bleached out, but the colors of the Smooshy look pretty good in this pic. I think you can see alot of the colors that are blended in to this special edition colorway. AWESOME! To buy an additional skein or not? Hmmmm...tempting!

Alas, my Ruffled Roses scarf is finished. But not quite! Turns out it is too short; probably by about 3-4 inches. I can fit it around my neck, as prescribed (the fold in half, tuck ends through trick), but it is snug and doesn't lay properly. I guess I will have the opportunity to practice grafting the ribbing again! But first, to unweave the end, get the halves back on holders and buy another skein of yarn! Darn! I'll have to go back to ImaginKnit!

Not much new around here...

Only the lightbulb moment of how wonderful these stickers with binder holes on the side are! I think they are "Hippopotomus" brand stickers and I have purchased them here and there for years. And I have always been aware of the holes on the side and the possibility of getting a binder in which to store them and organize them, but somehow today, it seems like such a great idea! So much greater than when I first thought about them...hmmm...maybe I am tired! Maybe I'm just realizing how hard it has been to store and organize stickers in general and though this method works only for their stickers, at least all the Hippopotomus stickers can be organized! (Yes, slow knitting news day here-lol!)

But I thought I'd at least share the Rivendell sock kit I got. So, behold the Rivendell sock kit:

The yarn label had no name on it, and it is a very natural color, with very pale brown and blue in it. I really doubt it is the same colorway shown in the pattern, which seems to have more pink, purple and green blushes to it. No matter. It'll work. I may use the "Purple Rain" Cameleon Colorworks yarn I got from ImagiKnit the other week, though it is a merino tencel, so I must think more about it...

I think knitting will be at a slower pace these days, since I am now tied up with Little Emperor's Halloween costume (Duck Dodgers) and perhaps one for myself! Of course, there is also the school Fall Festival coming up that I will be working on, too. Luckily, knitting is portable and I can spend little spurts of time on...I'm not thinking big here on the knitting front for the next month, though...

Sunday Knitting...

I'm still plugging away at the Ruffled Roses scarf and brought it out for a bit of KIP. Here is my 'purse', working on the scarf...

Admittedly, I'm crazy enough (eccentric, even...) to use this for my purse, but let me tell ya-when you have to report it missing, even I was feeling a bit silly having to tell another grown woman "I lost my purse. Er, well, not exactly a purse...more like a lunch bag. Shaped like a monkey. You know-the bag-shaped nylon lunch bags, only it's shaped like a monkey. Only I'm using it for a purse. It has my car keys in it. And my money."...And even at an Asian-oriented cutesey-filled craft show, I have to admit I felt a bit silly...Yeah, that was my day yesterday as I finished my shopping spree at a craft show, got in line to pay, and realized it was missing. Missing for a good 1 1/2 hours. I was 40 miles from home with my friend; I'd driven. We looked all over for this. Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, once I had called to have my keys driven to me, it turned up within 5 minutes! Yet, I digress...

So I was at the Presidio Main Post, sitting at a nice picnic table, eating our bad-for-you food and knitting. Turns out it was a great place to view the Blue Angels who are in town for Fleet Week!

This is about the best pic I could come up with to share...

The Campanulas haven't been out. I sent in my renewal for next year's BMFA Socks that Rock club and I just received my Rivendell sock kit order from Cameleon Colorworks! Besides the small progress on the Ruffled Roses, I have gotten to the heel flaps (I'm parting from the short-row heel design of the pattern) on both socks. So one heel flap is in progress. So not much going on in my little knitting world, though I am looking forward to going to Purlescence for their 1 year anniversary party-they will be having a Ribby Pulli group picture, so Nartian and I are up for that! I actually resisted a LYS closing in Lafayette, though Nartian updated me on that. Hey-no knitting, no yarn purchasing! For now, at least! ;) I'll try and get the Rivendell kit posted...

WIPs, Stash...and pondering SABLE...

Yes, I have been knitting...but, unfortunately not much on these Solstice Slip socks...yes, the slow going Solstice Slip socks that have been neglected...


...in favor of these! I don't know why, but I got all motivated to work on the second sock to my Cedar Creek sock from the very first Socks that Rock club shipment of 2006. Maybe I just felt the need to start something new without the guilt: you see, if really wasn't something new cuz it was a second sock!

So there I was, innocently plugging away at my second Cedar Creek. I brought it to work in hopes of finishing it at work during our knitting group time. I got the foot to the appropriate length and (of course) it wasn't until then that I realized I had duped myself yet again!

I should have been suspicious as the striping of the foot knit up so uniformly. I should not have been so lazy as to not count the foot stitches. But alas, it was not until I got to the toe decreases of this second sock that it occurred to me that no, I did not follow the written instructions to decrease this size M sock to 60 stitches-5 less than the cuff! No, no...I had decided that since they were knitting up at a fairly snug width (and since I am Miss Pudgey Feet), I had (oh, so long ago, now...) made the Executive Decision to only decrease to 64 for the foot! Doh! (yes, folks, another DOH! Moment!) And when you put the feet up to one another, it is only too obvious!-lol!

So...I had to call and cry to Nartian about what a dork I am. Together, we decided that a little putting aside of this project is what I need to do for the moment.

A part of me wants to barrel through to the end, knowing that the sock will fit anyways, despite the narrower width, and to hell with more closely 'matched' socks! But, OTOH, a part of me wants to be anal and rip back, knowing the striping will more closely resemble. Yet, I somehow feel that I can't allow myself the pleasure of casting on one of my new sock yarns until this sock is complete...and I am SOOOOO over this sock!-lol!

The dilemma: rip back and rework the foot, further stunting my progress and ability to cast-on for another pair of socks anytime soon or blow off my 'can't cast on 'til..." rule and allow myself to put this aside, perhaps condemning the pair to further eternal WIP status, or push through and mark this pair off the list!

Stilaholic Naritian has the right idea: give myself a day or two to think about it, then decide. Yeah, think I'll do that! Thanks, Nartian! She "gets" me; I like that.

And meanwhile, I have started this scarf, Ruffled Roses pattern of which Annie Modesett has made available only to LYSs. I asked Allison at ImagiKnit to order it for me and on Friday, finally got over there to get it from her. Of course, I went ahead and bought the 'prescribed' yarns. It wasn't the time to get creative and envision this in alternative colorways since the picture was B&W and I couldn't remember what all the different colors looked like and how they layed out. But I had picked same colors for the ruffle portion, as well as the two greens, as prescribed anyway, so I stuck to the same...

I have finished the last lace repeat and am now onto the ribbing...I have to say that I love this and hope I can keep my focus on getting it done!


I mentioned I was at ImagiKnit on Friday, so I guess I'd better 'fess up on the Stash Enhancement Xcurtion...

Allison had gotten in lots of new sock yarns, Dream In Color Smooshy being the ones I immediately was drawn to. Of course, she had gotten in so much new that many weren't yet set out on shelves and were on the floor. She was (ahem!) nice enough to point them out to me...there went the yarn diet/budget! Thus, I will not be attending TKGA this Friday!



In addition to the Gallway (I'm inspired to do many Cat Bordhi baby learner socks...), I also got a couple of merino/acrylic yarns that would be cool for baby-whatever stuff (specifically, I have the Baby Surprise Sweater in mind...)-these shown in front of the basket filled with...SOCK YARN!!! Smooshy "Chinatown Apple", Paca Peds (can't remember colorway) and Harvest, Prism and Alpaca Sox. I'll have to check them again for the colorways and names, since they are not nearby...OH! And behind to the left (you can hardly tell!) is a Chameleon Colorworks merino/tencel in "Purple Rain", a light/white color with pale purple and blue.
And I sure wish this order from Woolmeise that Nartian had ordered for me had come in sooner!
I think the these may have helped me to resist (or at least put back) some of the ImagiKnit purchases! Oh well...LOVE this stuff! It feels and seems to be tightly twisted and very solid. I am soooo dying to try this stuff out!
And then, we also got our order of STR! They were putting Foofaraw to "rest", so I decided I HAD to get it! And Gingerbread Dude was too hard to resist-I have visions of socks knit from this colorway to wear around during the holidays! Of course, I went and purchased the 'Autumn' Paca Peds and since Halloween/Thanksgiving precedes Christmas, I will need to knit that up first so that I can have some very Fall sock in that wonderful pumkiny-green colorway! I'm deciding between RPM and a more ribbed sock pattern-maybe Charade? I kind of like the idea of RPM since it would maybe give it a 'cornucopia' look...or maybe a pumpkin/squash feel?

Again, I am taking Nartian's advise: try out the RPMs first...Yeah, think I'll do that!

Blue, Blue...

...my world is BLUE! Ha! A color I always consider not in my favs, but I LOVE my new Woolgirl Sock Club shipment that came today!

In this kit: MissBabs "Waterfall" pattern and Yummy Superwash Sport 3ply yarn in colorway as the same name as the pattern, "Waterfall"! I have been so spoiled being in the STR club, and with the Simply Sock Yarn Company's club, you just get yarn-no frills, since that is their philosphy. So really, i wasn't expecting such a treat! This club package was really much more than I expected! I say, give me the frills, man, cuz I'm cheap and can be bought!-lol!

So my first shipment had a newsletter from WoolGirl herself, the pattern, the yarn packet, and a cute Woolgirl club notebook/journal complete with Woolgirl pen! In the "yarn packet" was a welcome postcard, chocolate mint lipbalm (I LOVE chocolate MINT!), an exclusive Sereknity stitch marker, and of course, the yarn itself! All beautifully packed in a priority box topped with blue tissue paper. What a way to start a club! Awesome, you Woolgirl, you!

And awesome of Stilaholic Nartian (and I understand turned onto Woolgirl by Irish Girlie) to point me in WoolGirl's direction a while back...And here Nartian nominated me for a Rockin' Blog Girl cuz of my STR enabling!-lol! (Thanks for that nomination, too, Nartian! I didn't get a chance to mention it earlier, since I kinda wanted to try the button thing again, but haven't had a chance to attempt it...)

Look what I whipped up!

Forgetting that my cousin's baby shower is this coming Saturday, I grabbed the outfit below and a bib I had long-ago made for fun (ala Mason-Dixon style, called to my attention by none other than Stilaholic Nartian!), snipped and weaved in the ends and added a button. (Yeah, I know...choking hazard...) I decided to make a hat to go with it, using the remaining cotton. So here is the hat, to go with the ensemb!


It was a nice, quick-knit! If anyone cares, here's what I did:


Last-Minute Baby Hat

Measurements: Approximately 16" around, should fit a 6-9 month old (if done with a lighter weight yarn, smaller gauge, this could be adapted for a preemie hat...)
(Please note that corrections have been made since I first posted this pattern; starting with Round 38, I had mis-stated the number of stitches remaining. A final Round 43 has been added to adjust for the error. MANY THANKS to SUSAN who knit this and pointed it out to me! And thanks to any of you interested in this pattern!)

Gauge: knit at 4 stitches per inch, stockinette in the round on size 6 DPNs

Materials: Size 6 DPNs (or whatever needles you prefer for knitting in the round), Sugar and Cream yarn (used about 1/2 ball).
CO 60 stitches

Round 1-Knit to end

Round 2-Purl to end

Rounds 3 & 4 -repeat Rounds 1&2

Round 5-8-knit

Round 9-(yo, k2tog)* repeat to end of round

Round 10-1213 -knit to end
(Thanks for catching that!)
Round 14-17-same as rounds 1-4

Rounds 18-29-knit to end of round


Decrease top as follows:

Round 30-(K8, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (54 stitches remain)

Round 31, 33, 35, 37- knit to end of round

Round 32-(K7, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (48 stitches remain)

Round 34-(K6, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (42 stitches remain)

Round 36-(K5, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (36 stitches remain)


Round 38-(K4, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (30 stitches remain)
Round 39-(K3, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (24 stitches remain)
Round 40-(K2, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (18 stitches remain)
Round 41-(K1, K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (12 stitches remain)
Round 42-(K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (6 stitches remain)
Round 43-(K2tog)*, repeat to end of round (3 stitches remain)

Leave remaining 3 stitches on DPN and make a 1-1 1/2 inch I-cord by sliding the three stitches to the opposite end of the DPN and knitting them (yarn carries behind the 3 stitches made, over to the 'end' 3rd stitch; now slide the 3 new stitches to the opposite end and knit (repeats what you just did). Repeat this until your I-cord measures 1-1 1/2inch, cut yarn, leaving about a 4" tail and thread through remaining 3 loops. Curl the I-cord, making a little 'nub' and bring the tail down the top of the hat and secure.
Enjoy!

And a last treat...
"Nana" had left this comment and I didn't want anyone missing out on her matching baby mitts pattern:

"I love this pattern! I created a pair of mitts to go with it, that I would be more than happy to share:







Baby Mitts:






Sugar and Cream cotton 4-ply






Special Stitch: RT - this is a good alternative to the yo, k2tog from the hat pattern, as it is somewhat less convenient to have holes in mittens than in hats.


RT - Work as if to K2tog but don’t pull the original stitches off of the left needle. Re- insert the right needle into the right stitch of the k2tog and knit this stitch, and then pull both of the original stitches off the needle in the process.*






CO 24 (when you cast on for the second mitt, leave a very long tail - this will become the 2-st I-cord to connect them)






Row 1 - 8: (K1, P1)* repeat until end of row






Row 9 - 11: K to end






Row 12: P to end






Row 13 - 16: K to end






Row 17: (RT, K1)* repeat until end






Row 18 - 22: K to end






Row 23: P to end






Row 24: K to end






Decrease:






Row 25: (K4, K2tog)* repeat to end (20 st left)






Row 26: K to end






Row 27: (K3, K2tog)* repeat to end (16 st left)






Row 28: K to end






Row 29: (K2, K2tog)* repeat to end (12 st left)






Row 30: (K1, K2tog)* repeat to end (8 st left)






Row 31: K2tog to end (4 st left)






Row 32: K2together two times, cut yarn, and thread end through remaining two stitches. Pull thread to the inside of the mitten, and weave in ends. After the second mitt, pick up two stitches next to the tail at the cuff, and create a 2-st I-cord to connect them. Use your judgment as to how long it should be.






*This wording, and this particular stitch, I got from this pattern, Baby Mitts:






Sugar and Cream cotton 4-ply






Special Stitch: RT - this is a good alternative to the yo, k2tog from the hat pattern, as it is somewhat less convenient to have holes in mittens than in hats.


Work as if to K2tog but don’t pull the original stitches off of the left needle. Re- insert the right needle into the right stitch of the k2tog and knit this stitch, and then pull both of the original stitches off the needle in the process.*






CO 24 (when you cast on for the second mitt, leave a very long tail - this will become the 2-st I-cord to connect them)






Row 1 - 8: (K1, P1)* repeat until end of row






Row 9 - 11: K to end






Row 12: P to end






Row 13 - 16: K to end






Row 17: (RT, K1)* repeat until end






Row 18 - 22: K to end






Row 23: P to end






Row 24: K to end






Decrease:






Row 25: (K4, K2tog)* repeat to end (20 st left)






Row 26: K to end






Row 27: (K3, K2tog)* repeat to end (16 st left)






Row 28: K to end






Row 29: (K2, K2tog)* repeat to end (12 st left)






Row 30: (K1, K2tog)* repeat to end (8 st left)






Row 31: K2tog to end (4 st left)






Row 32: K2together two times, cut yarn, and thread end through remaining two stitches. Pull thread to the inside of the mitten, and weave in ends. After the second mitt, pick up two stitches next to the tail at the cuff, and create a 2-st I-cord to connect them. Use your judgment as to how long it should be.






*This wording, and this particular stitch, I got from this patternBaby Mitts:






Sugar and Cream cotton 4-ply






Special Stitch: RT - this is a good alternative to the yo, k2tog from the hat pattern, as it is somewhat less convenient to have holes in mittens than in hats.


Work as if to K2tog but don’t pull the original stitches off of the left needle. Re- insert the right needle into the right stitch of the k2tog and knit this stitch, and then pull both of the original stitches off the needle in the process.*






CO 24 (when you cast on for the second mitt, leave a very long tail - this will become the 2-st I-cord to connect them)






Row 1 - 8: (K1, P1)* repeat until end of row






Row 9 - 11: K to end






Row 12: P to end






Row 13 - 16: K to end






Row 17: (RT, K1)* repeat until end






Row 18 - 22: K to end






Row 23: P to end






Row 24: K to end






Decrease:






Row 25: (K4, K2tog)* repeat to end (20 st left)






Row 26: K to end






Row 27: (K3, K2tog)* repeat to end (16 st left)






Row 28: K to end






Row 29: (K2, K2tog)* repeat to end (12 st left)






Row 30: (K1, K2tog)* repeat to end (8 st left)






Row 31: K2tog to end (4 st left)






Row 32: K2together two times, cut yarn, and thread end through remaining two stitches. Pull thread to the inside of the mitten, and weave in ends. After the second mitt, pick up two stitches next to the tail at the cuff, and create a 2-st I-cord to connect them. Use your judgment as to how long it should be.






*This wording, and this particular stitch, I got from this pattern,http://cerebral.typepad.com/cerebral_hemorrhage/files/BeanpoleBeanie.pdf. I think it is a fabulous pattern for an adult’s hat. I recommend decreasing the CO by 2 8-stitch increments."

I Missed YPF!

And maybe "Blog-free Terry" (hope you don't mind me referring to you that way, Terry!) was waiting in anticipation to see what naughtiness I was into! So I can't disappoint now, right? So here is my YPF make-up...

Where to start? OK, how about this...my FIRST shipment from my 3-month Simply Socks Yarn Company Club shipment.

It is "Ramble" by Sleeping Dragon. I didn't really receive it until a week or two ago when I discovered a delivery slip at the bottom of my mailbox! Luckily, I discovered it right in time, since it was actually a "2nd Notice" and would have been sent back shortly if I hadn't retrieved it from thePO! The Ramble colorway is much darker in the pick; in real life, it is more raspberry, royal blue and yellow. Not a gold yellow, but a yellow yellow, which makes the colorway out of my usual "me" palette. Once knit, I will proably love it, but I can't say it's a favorite at this point.

So...it took so long to get this pack, that I now have my second package! This time, it is a Spunky Eclectic sock string in "The Berry Brigade". This one is much more, my palette! I like medium to dark colorways!

And here it is, spread open for better viewing. The skein pic is closer to what it looks like. The open skein pic comes out brighter and brings out the blues, which aren't apparent when you look at it.

And what would YPF (or shall I say YPS for SUNDAY?) be without Sock that Rock?!

I have been trying hard to control the yarn expenditures. The Sock Club thing happened when I was under the impression that I had money, and it is already pre-paid. The STR order was cut from 2 Twisteds and 4 STR to just the three above: Silkie STR in "Downpour", STR light in "Hot Flash" and STR light in "Metamorphic". The Silkie is for a dear Camp Cockamamie friend who doesn't know I will be RAKing her with it! Just need to think of some other goodies to include and will mail it out to her. I'll explain all later, just can't right now in case there is a chance she is reading this.

I've been wearing my Ribby Pully like nobody's business, and the weather has been perfect for it! You'd think I would finish my other sleeveless wrap top and cardigan, but NOOOOOO...I am barely working on my Solstice Slip socks and have been focused on the Campanulas. I still love the Black Forest Fudge yarn and am not entirely convinced that the Campanulas could not look kinda cute in this striped wonderful colorway, but I decided to stop where it is at and instead start up a new pair in the Yarn Botanika Radiance colorway, "Heather". I know in my heart of hearts that this colorway is probably a big winner for the Campanulas, softer pink shades and subtle shading and blending of colors vs. the higher contrast of the BFF. So...as much as I hate toe-ups (which is a large reason why I was resisting this earlier...), I cast on and have just finished the toe increases. I'll post a pic next time so it might look more interesting at that point.

I also started to attempt the learning sock #1 from Cat's new book. I either placed my markers incorrectly when I started or did some other funky thing and am now stuck! So...a puzzle/mind-bender to attempt which means I put it aside! I have made three attempts to re-start and am starting to feel like "this is a job for Wonder-Knitter (Nartian!)"-lol! So I will proabably make HER stop what she is working on and think this one out for me! Unless I end up tearing back to where I thought the sock matched the pattern last and re-knit from there.

So...I'd love to show that pic, only I fear the progress won't go past that point and don't want to keep you hanging with all my other projects that I posted about that went into the dark UFO hole! Let's just say they look like the sample up to the heels, and are being knit it a lovely light green Elann.com Highland Wool yarn...

The Camera Disapperared...

...so I wasn't able to share the fact that it is DONE! My Ribby Pulli is complete! Despite the fact that Chloe's Ribby Pulli only required one skein of variegated yarn, mine fell short on the hood by about six inches! I reaaaaaallly wanted to order more Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Twisted", but was convinced not to. So I was being good for a change and pulled out the remaining 76 g. or so of the Cascade 220 Heather and (in the words of EZ...) pressed on! I tell ya, I had to think about EZ's "press on" encouragement through such knitterly work, cuz I really was starting to get sick of working the hood. So maybe it was good that I ran out of the Puck's Mischief Twisted and had to blend it with the Cascade heather. So here is the hood, after working the heather back in at the top. I think the proportions worked out well...

Here it is, on a real body...(goes so well with my leopard-print skirt, huh?) What can I say? I love this sweater so much that I am wearing it with EVERYTHING! Just when I thought the weather was getting too warm and nice to be able to wear this anytime soon, the A/C has been crankin' at work and the San Francisco mornings have been foggy and COLD! It truly is a comfy wear and so far, the allergies are behaving! I'm not getting overheated in it, either!

And here, the warped 'flatsy' version...

Ta-duh! Fine!

So here are some details:

Pattern: Bonne Marie Burns Ribby Pulli pattern

Version: pocket, long-sleeve, hooded version

Materials: Cascade 220 Heather (color #4006), 5 skeins (and about 25 g. left)

Blue Moon Fiber Arts Twisted in Puck's Mischief (about 18 inches left!)

Needles: Knit Picks Options, Size 4 and 5

Size: 41", but I increased the body length by about 2.5" and knit the size 35" (2nd size) sleeves, starting with 50 stitches and increasing to 72 stitches to a length of 17.5"-this shorty don't got no monkey-arms!

It is a great knit and the edge finish of the pocket and hood are absolutely clever, as is the construction of the pocket, itself! (Thanks for the extra help, Nartian!) It always helps to knit together with a friend (especially if it is Stilaholic Nartian) cuz when you get stuck, they always pull you outta that mud puddle! She and I agreed that a couple of portions of the pattern were a bit confusing, while other portions were just me!-lol! And...well, I forgot to make up for the decrease in the sleeve stitches and ended up fudging the final decrease rounds! I think Nartian found some mathematical errors anyway, so I was being lazy and didn't bother re-figuring the math. It looked good enough to me and seemed to fit fine, so no harm done (in my book, at least!).

So...besides lack of camera, I didn't get a chance to post because (among my usual PTA, PPS (Parents for Public Schools, Union, non-profit board, social and work commitments-and did I mention that Little Emperor started back to school last week?!*), I've been playing "Community Activist", fighting the establishment of a White Zone in my neighborhood! Ah, the challenges of trying to keep our neighborhoods livable in "the City" (of San Francisco!)...Exhausting both mentally and physically!

So...I'm sure I must have some STR somewhere around here to flash! Guess that would be most appropriately shared on...YPF!!!

*BTW, had to share that Mr. Little Emperor was NOT looking forward to starting school, since he doesn't like 'that Raccoon math'! Yeah, the full page of long addition and subtraction problems he got stuck doing for homework last year with the cute little cartoon Raccoon wearing a mortar board on its head illustrated on the page (perhaps to make such worksheet appear more appealing?). So far, no sign of Raccoon Math, but this is only week 2 and the first week of homework...I can only agree-I, too, hate Raccoon math! You can't believe all the begging and pleading that went on to get him to plug through all those problems! Press On!

Knitting-Content Packed!-WHAM!

It is amazing to see this much knitting content in one post (for me, at least...) I actually have a knit project, book signing excitement and yarn pr0n all in one post!

I got to Purlescence yesterday evening-barely in time to get my book signed by Cat! I had seen her book at another yarn store and had looked forward to its release since hearing about it when I first met Cat at Camp Cockamamie. Luckily, I had called Nathania ahead of time to reserve my copy! Nartian had one reserved for her, too, so I think she was relieved to know that I had accomplished my mission when earlier I had left her a phone message saying that I was racing down there with but 35 minutes to go before the signing would end! But I was happy to report that I got there with about 25 minutes to spare! The Great Race accomplished! (Don't you hate it when someone drops in unexpectedly as you are headed out the door!-and wants to take your kid overnight...so then you need to get his crap together and are half kicking them out reminding them you were on your way out and NEED to go NOW...well, you get the picture?...)


Needless to say, I made it! And who is there at the table with Cat? No one other than Stephen of hizKNITS! A true Camp Cockamamie mini-Reunion! We got the added treat of seeing a video clip of Cat's new grandson, Charlie, who many of the socks in the new book were made (and named) for! Adorable baby. She showed him getting a bath in the sink that Cat and Stephanie (Yarnharlot) had "birthed" the cabbage in. (You may be familiar with that story if you keep up with Yarn Harlot's blog and read her camp entry...). At any rate, Cat shared with us that while giving Charlie a bath in that same sink, it collapsed-credit is given to Stephanie who put much strength into birthing that cabbage in the sink-strong woman, that Yarn Harlot is...

So here is the progress of my Ribby Pulli...
I spent a good deal of time at the park today, at one of the Little Emperor's royal subject's (a best buddy) birthday party. I got a bit more accomplished, though if I were Nartian, I probably would have it completed by now!

I had earlier read the instructions, joined the sleeves and body, and went on to the decreases. After setting this aside, I picked it up, re-read the instructions and decided I had made an error, so I ripped back the 5 rows of alternating decreases. WRONG! I had actually done it correctly, but misread the instructions the second time around! DRAT! Re-knit the 5 rows and continued on...

The first inch or so after joining the body and sleeves is ever so akward to knit, so I was freaking that maybe I had followed the instructions incorrectly. However, after going to Purlescence (yarn store and Ribby Pulli Headquarters, in my book...), I confirmed with Sandy that yes, this is a difficult part of the Ribby Pulli sweater. She suggests either using two circs and dpns on the sleeves, or magic looping the body. I'm past the awkward part and told her than though I am sure I have all the requisite needles, I would be hard pressed to find them all and really could not justify that many repeat purchases of needles! I'm just glad I have moved past the awkward part. One thing that helped was just scrunching all the sleeve stitches onto the straight needle portions of the circs as I knit that portion. If I didn't, then the curve of the sleeve would fight with my needle positions. If I did a Ribby Pulli again, I would prefer a top-down approach. Problem is, if I did the pattern again, I would probably want to do the scoop-necked version and am not convinced I could figure out the top-down on that particular version...

And now for my Rockin Sock Club SPOILER!!! Anyone who just got spoiled, sorry! I get my shipment so late now, since I am on the West Coast and, afterall, this blog is all about ME, that I am not going to make an attempt to avoid spoilage. I know, selfish of me, isn't it? So here it is!


The color is "Flower Power". It photographed darker than the vibrancy it has in person. We go our usual mini-skein which I already hung on my Wall of Shame, so it is not pictured, but everything else is. Since most people show the front of the pattern, I decided I would picture the back side of mine-it shows the pattern knit in several colors and I think actually is a more complete pic of what the pattern looks like. You may also notice our groovy tattoos, as well...