OK, I give up!

I have often mentioned how lame I am at getting a freakin' button on this blog! Don't ask me how I managed the first RSC button. I think Blogger was less 'user friendly' then, with the premade templates. But guess what? This dummy can cut and paste and it worked out just fine! Now I can't figure out HOW to get the freakin' graphics to show! The link is there, though...,just click on the weird 'white space' at the sidebar!

OK...on to knit blogging, cuz I prefer to spend my time talking about knitting and yarn, not wasting my precious time trying to get this stupid button issue solved! Please, Blog-fixing Fairy, come to my rescue!!!

So onto the fun! Like yarn pRony goodness!

I had already confessed to these purchases made at ImagiKnit on Saturday:

And actually, this is Claudia Handpainted Chunky, not worsted, as I had first reported. And then there was the new shipment of Shibui Sock-how could I pass up this colorway? (OK, I maybe could've, but I really couldn't!) But let me remind you, I put back the Noro Sock in a lovely olive/purple/lavendar colorway, as well as Shibui alpaca/wool in the Pagoda colorway! Both lovely, but putting them back meant I cut my final shopping spree cost in half!

I don't remember if I told you all that I actually finished Clue 1 of Secret of the Stole II, since I had refused to leave ImagiKnit until it was completed! So here it is, up to Clue 1. I have started Clue 2, but am only around 10 rows further along...

I seem to think that I already confessed to casting on for the Serendipity socks! Sorry, Cat, your design had to take a back-seat because my brain was just not ready to tackle Salish Seas-yet! Besides, I had to celebrate the Lunar New Year in my own, knitterly way by knitting on these socks! The color is perfect, and once I started on the lace pattern and got past the first 26 rows, I could see how cleverly the lace pattern formed little flame-like shapes! Too cool for a Dragon colorway!


And I am happy to report that after much agony, I have finished my Baby Boo present! It is amazing that I finally got it done! A "Munchkin" hat and matching booties. I improvised on the hat, starting with ribbing and severely increasing about 5 stitches every other round, then knit straight and decreased, leaving an i-cord stem sticking up from the top. I was going to make it into a knob on the top, but liked how it was stiff enough to stick up, so I decided a crocheted flower on top would be in order-very Munchkin-esque, no? I later added a reverse crochet edging around the bottom. The booties are based on a pattern I found via Ravelry (gotta love them!) I think the pattern is Ruth's Best Baby Booties (I'll check on that later...)

I'm just so happy it's done! I had looked for some yarn in my stash that: 1) had pink in it, 2) no wool, just in case of allergies, 3) would knit up fairly quickly since I have serious finishing problems!

So I got out some K1C2 "PJs", which I loved-narrow strips of flannel! But then I wouldn't have enough for matching booties, and how lame to not do hat and booties, right? Well, it seemed the yarn that would coordinate well would be some Berocco Suede, so I went out and got a ball of it at a later Stash Enhancement EXcursion. Yeah, gals, it was GOOD!-lol! But the whole bi--h of the matter is that neither yarn is very stretchy and thus, were a pain to knit with! Every-stitch-of-the-way... So now, here they are:
I'm happy with how they came out, but I just hope Baby Elinor will be able to wear the hat at least once or twice. The hat came out a bit smaller than I had expected. But I figure this baby's probably got knit hats up the gazoo, so maybe a future dolly can wear it!

So that is my knitting story for the week-and I'm sticking to it!

Three things...

I didn't buy...

http://www.yarnwench.com/php/ItemShow1.php?InvNum=2651
Shabui Alpaca/Wool in Pagoda (LOVE that color!)
Noro Sock yarn

But I have to confess that I couldn't pass up some Claudia Handpainted worsted weight that was on sale and some Shabui Sock! I'll post pics later...

I love it when this happens!

When everything just comes together perfectly and harmoniously, it is often refered to as "Serendipity". Well...that is the name of the new sock pattern I just got for the first Rockin' Sock Club shipment! YAY! And this kit really does ROCK!

Ta-dah! Here it is!


So Nartian had just told me about the kit today and that Adrienne wrote the first pattern! YAY! I love her patterns! She won a contest for Opal a way back called "Gecko Eyes", which is just gorgeous. She also has some sock designs over at the Crystal Palace site, as well as one featured for sale over at Blue Moon Fiber Arts.

And while I am talking her up, you may want to pop over to her blog for her "Blogiversary" contest because I will get extra brownie points for sending you her way!-lol! But then again, some of you (like Nartian) already have been over and know about it! But besides that, she has links posted in her sidebar for four of her patterns-free, nonetheless!

So anyways, I just didn't even think I'd be seeing this kit in person but lo and behold, it made it to me today! I didn't get home til late since Lil' Emp and I went over to his friend's to play and have dinner. M&P had the package, so I didn't get it until I went into their place and saw it sitting in their entryway!

And in it, even a note from Cockeyed, herself-one of the BMFA Sockateers! So everything came together for me today, because I am just about knit back to the place I was at on SSII when I discovered The Mistake, my package arrived today, the pattern is by Adrienne, I LOVE this package, I got a lil' note from Cockeyed, and all is well in this knitting world!

The Big Froggin' Dilemma

So I think I shared the beginnings of my Secret of the Stole II-all 12 rows or so...Well here is "Clue 1" (54 rows total), knit to row 44. Lovely, so I thought...Not the most consistent yarn overs, not the most even stitching, but I was still pretty happy to have gotten that far without incident.
Nartian had been tied up working on her Twist and is seaming it. Me? I still hadn't started it and decided to abandon the immediate intention of a Twist until a later time. How much later, I'm not sure, but I knew I needed to get my A** in gear if I wanted to keep up with this SSII endeavor!

Well, I finally see that Nartian has started her Clue 1. She takes a look at my progress and helps me to realize that-in her subtle and most diplomatic way so as not to make me feel I was being a dumb-a**-I misread the pattern! Now how the heck did THAT happen? So she and I discuss how this looks and I decide (and she agrees) that I could probably leave it as it, but just have to remember to do the same thing at the other end. Yeah! Good plan! That's what I'll do-it's cool...

I call her later in the day-what led me to conclude that the row labled '1' on the chart was the row 7 we were to start with after doing our 6 knit rows? I assure her I'm over it, but I can't stop obsessing over how I could have been nutsey enough to have figured out this re-design! I go to Ravelry and find...someone else made the same, exact mistake! And guess what? At least I felt better and not so alone in my 'unique' interpretation of the instructions!

Perhaps you can see a bit better here:
See the stockinette portion following the garter stitch foundation? Yeah-shouldn't be there! It's now or never with the froggin', ya know? I think I decided that I will start knitting Clue 1 again and see how far I get before the 2nd clue is posted. Not like I don't have other items to devote my knitting time to! But you know what? It may end up bugging me, so I need to know if I can live with this or not!

Admitedly, I must confess that the true turning point came for me when my newbie knitter friend looked at the error and proceeded to ask, "So is that why it's turning up like that, there?" (looking at the flopped over edge. the edge which folded right where the Stockinette portion lay. Which then got me thinking and pondering..."will this stay in place after it is blocked or will it forever be flipping in and needing adjusting?" Someone on my list assured me that it will block out, yet I have my reservations. I believe it truly will flatten after it is blocked, but will it STAY flat? Will it easily flap back in?

OK, if you made it this far in my post, LMK what you think!

A little more evidence of completed projects...slippers that I finished in the Summer-took forever to put the second button on and still haven't mailed it out yet!

Some yarn I handspun, knit into a tiny stocking with a little note of inspiration for a WW pal. I hope it encourages her...This is actually one of my very first completed project knit from my own homespun yarn! (The other being a slightly larger mini-sock that I gave to a buddy to adorn her tree...)

Really, I can explain!

This arrived in the mail today...
Another order, you ask? You may also wonder how I can possibly think I'm cutting down on the yarn purchasing, but this order is one of the justified ones! You see, this is the order I had made with WoolGirl for some Miss Babs 100% Merino Superwash for my Ribby Pulli Scoop. Yes, THE order of lovely hand-dyed Miss Babs worsted for my next RibbyPulli variation. I actually ordered this before the holidays and (in my warped mind), this was classified as a 'justified" purchase for the fact that it was a planned project. A seriously planned project that I am very committed to seeing through. So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Jenn (the Wool Girl, herself) was great and special ordered this for me from Miss Babs in her Rose Garden colorway. I figured that while I was getting the yarn for the Ribby Pulli, why not order some sock yarn to go with it?

So I now get to go to Purlescence to find some contrasting color for the bands! Right now, I'm leaning towards the greens. I think pink will make it more pink than I prefer, though a purple may be ok. And I think brown might actually blend into the whole thing too much.

I think I should at least swatch it to give a better idea how the overall percentage of colors ends up looking. We'll see...

And surprise, surprise! Look what I actually started?!
The FIRST CLUE of my Secret of the Stole II! Yowza! I'm on row 10. There are 53 rows. I'm just thrilled I actually started!

So now I'm going to start posting things that I am NOT buying!-lol! Here, another fiber I resisted (Yarn Wench "Ming" Merino Silk roving)! Of course, I found this Whimsy color to be pretty sweet, too! But NO roving purchase for me! (Well, at least not today!) I also didn't buy these wonderfully pretty 2oz. fibers (at $6 each) for ME from WoolyWonka, one of the fab fiber sources Terry had to go and point me to! Luckily, alot of her favorites were low in stock when I checked them out-it makes for a much easier 'browsing' experience!

I hope to have the Baby Boo present finished and posted very soon!

"Everyone's wearing their scarves like this in France!"

...so says my friend...Maybe it's true, maybe it's not, but I thought it would be nice to show those of you who aren't familiar with this method, how to tie this 'scarf knot'. (Just for kicks, I thought it worth mentioning that one of my co-workers said she watches international poker and that this one champion from France who is always on the broadcasting, always wears a scarf and has it tied just like this. See? Perhaps it IS true?!)

I'm going to attempt to walk you through this; I wish I were better at drawing arrows onto pics and all that, but I'm not.

This looks best with a plain, solid scarf, but you have to admit that Nartian's Chevron looks pretty good like this! This also works best with a long scarf.

1) Take your long scarf and put it around your neck, leaving a short end ("end A").


2) Taking the long end ("end B"), wrap the scarf once (completely) around your neck. See how the first short end ("end A") is the bottom-most layer, then the loop that comes around the front then forms a second scarf layer on top? Then the free end ("end B") is hanging (in this example, it is shown on the right as we look a the picture.


3) Take this end ("end B") and bring it (crossing) under the first short end ("end A") and up through the loop (second scarf layer).

4)Voila! A nice braided knot that will stay in place! The French are doing it, why not you?!


Phew! Hope you were able to follow this! You wouldn't know this, but that took alot of time! Long story, but all of a sudden I couldn't get my pics rotated properly without having to go in and edit and save them individually! UGH! I wish I had more time to get more computer-saavy!

So since this has taken so long, I might as well show off the latest stash enhancement for YPF!

Look what arrived in the mail?!

I had already ratted myself out on having caved and ordered from Woolmeise, and here is the lovely package I received! If you look closely, you will see the mini skein sample I got-it's Rosen Rot, so the color blends in with the bag, but it is tucked right under the flap.

And here, the yarns I couldn't resist...

• Versuchskaninchen 2 (medium intensity), Dani (dark intensity) and Salamander (medium intensity)! The Dani has a nice swath of that royal blue Nartian loves so well. She and I figured out that the Versuchskaninchen is a "Guinea Pig", which she explained (doh!) is one of Claudia's "experiments". This thrilled me and made me even happier that I'd chosen it! Yes, folks, the thrill is in the capture of rare bounty-not only known as Woolmeise, but in an experimental colorway, nonetheless! SCORE! BTW, I hadn't even checked the content of any of them! The Salamander and Versuchskaninchen 2 are 100% Merino Superwash and the Dani colorway is the 80/20. As always, I'm lame and haven't even knit with either of the other two skeins I purchased earlier, but I have had the priviledge of touching Nartian's Firestarters and KNOW this stuff is going to knit up incredibly awesome! Soft, strong, springy fabric! But I also know that the Salish Sea socks will be first, and I can't start those until...well...among many things, I still have a few outstanding small projects and-golly-gee-wow! Secret of the Stole II starts tomorrow!-Wowweee Wow Wow! (Yes, it was a Junie B. story reading night tonight...!) So as always, this Tapmouse is tapped! The usual lament: so many projects...so little time!

You're not really seeing new yarn!

OTOH, it IS YPF and I *did* mention this minor lapse in my budgetary judgement! So here it is, *the* WoolGirl order! (And I forgot to use my coupon for this, though I'm not sure if it would have applied for this sale...so-oh darn!-I'll have to place another order in the future!

I had been eyeing (how the heck do you spell this?) the Wool/Ramie sock yarn by Das Schneeschnaff, as well as the Incante colorway from Dasching Dachs, so when I saw they were on sale, it was difficult to resist. And the Spunky Ecclectic (Sport Weight, Autumn) was priced so well, and the colorway so gorgeous, well...you know how I am!

So far, the Dasching Dachs seems nice and sturdy. The Dasching Dachs is their wool/mohair and has an uneven spin-not what I expected, but I will live and I am sure I'll love it once it is knit into socks! I suspect it will soften with washing, too. As for the Spunky Ecclectic, I think I was expecting a tighter twist, but this is fine. I love the colors, too!

Oh! And the pattern-too lovely to pass up when it is on sale! Cherry Blossom socks by Sivia Harding! I love her patterns! At least, many that I've seen...

and I must mention that as always, WoolGirl did a fantastic job wrapping my order, adding the gorgeous extras (a stitch marker with a Murano Flower motif heart bead and green crystal accents and a Soak packet), and getting it to me quick! THANK YOU, WOOLGIRL!!!

And if you can believe it or not (well, if not, here's the proof!) I have finished my Secret of the Stole II swatch! I am using the Knitpicks "Shadow" in the Redwood Forest Heather that is on clearance. I was neutral on this color-it looked like it would be lighter than my preferred palette, but just look at it in my pics:

Wet and pinned.

Dry and nicely bloomed! I think I will stick with the Addi Lace 2's!

This colorway was right up my alley! So much richer and darker than the picture appeared on all the computers I viewed if from! Such a 'me' color! I loveses it!!! OK, so my swatch is a bit ucky, with the uneven stitches and all, but I will just need to be more diligent in my knitting!

Yessireee, sometimes I do knit! Sometimes. I did finish the Dashings...And I have this to prove it...

OK, I didn't have my tripod or other alternate way of taking this pic, but I did want to show how good it looks on the hand-you can see the cable much better. I knit this with Jo Sharp Aran, using size 5 Suzanne ebony DPNs. To compensate for the larger gauge, I knit 12 rows prior to knitting the first cable round instead of the 18 rows stated in the pattern. Everything else remained as written in the pattern until the top portion (rows past the thumb). I knit 14 more rows, then bound off.

So the Twist is still not happening, but I at least washed the swatch and can show why I've not progressed on it much!

BTW...look what I'm NOT buying! (Waaah...I love this!)

A no-pics post...

So I'll share this first, for your entertainment-it's an update my sister sent on the progress of her husband and her Bed and Breakfast that is underway in Cortona, Italy. They are naming it "Casa Chilenne"-I think it is after the gentleman my sister's husband inherited the building from.

I guess I might as well rat myself out on the fact that I have no self-control and majorly slipped, buying 3 skeins of Woolmeise this evening! I know I'm sick! But in a twisted way, I'm sure you like knowing I'm worst than you and are dying to see the yarn once it arrives!-lol!

As far a knitting progress goes, I did wash the finished Twist swatch, only to find that the growing gauge phenomenon only occurred on the first swatch knit at 19 stitches over 4". The new swatch that was knit at 20 stitches over 4", in hopes of getting gauge after washing is still at 20 stitches over 4". Go figure! Will I ever get this right? I think I may have to just knit it at 19 and hope that it doesn't end up ginormous. The good thing is that it is a cardi which I am only allowing 1/2" ease based on the size I've chosen; also, Nathania mentioned that they are coming out a bit on the small side, so if I stick with the 19st/4" gauge, it may be fine even if it does grow a tad larger. We'll see...

And meanwhile, my Secret of the Stole II swatch is exactly where I last reported it being-a little over the 1/2 way mark!

So maybe some pics of the swatches next time...

YPF, so why not!

I kinda don't have any new yarn purchases to post!-lol! Well, I did post most of my new yarn last night, but since it is YPF, I will show our latest Rockin' Sock Club-yes, the last of the year...And, as earlier mentioned, I have the little bits of yarn and Yarn Wench roving I spun them from. The rovings are "Faulkland Wool", which spins up more easily than merino, yet has a bit rougher hand. I'm not as afraid of non-merino wools, since I have been able to successfully wear my Ribby Pulli close to the skin without irritation.

Here they are:

Gothic Nightfall 2-this was difficult to get a good color representation of. Alot of highlights in the yarn show up as light shades of color, when the color is a bit darker and flatter.

This is Orchid Smoke 1-yes, very typically me...

Last is the Amethyst-Topaz Variation 2 that I added on to my order. I had waffled on it, resisted, and in the long-run (yeah, after reading the description of "lilacs, golds and olives") thought-how can I NOT get this colorway?! It is actually a bit lighter than my medium tone palette preferences, but it is still gorgeous!

And last, the end of the Rockin' Sock Club 2007 club kit:
And even wound it into a cake already!!! (Can you tell I am dying to start this Cat Bordhi pattern?!)...
Final GPA?...Yeah, a 2.o-I think that's about what I got last year...!

Mail call! And all the other good stuff...

OK, I've got mitts to knit, 2 pants to hem, swatches to swatch and wash, blah, blah, blah...but-I had to take the time to share some stuff I got recently...

I didn't think to blog this order and then realized-why not? Is not Knitpicks blog-worthy? I'm not a yarn snob, but I guess it is so much easier to gush over handpainted stuff that is more "one-of-a-kind" than to gush over less expensive, massively available yarny purchases! Nonetheless, yarn is yarn and we loveses our yarn!

I think I shared that I'm participating in Secret of the Stole II? If not, well-there you have it-I am! I needed some yarn for it and didn't have enough of any one laceweight that was appropriate for this project.

Enter our good ol' standby, Knitpicks for affordability and good, basic yarn! For less than $8, I got enough of the 'clearance' color for the stole. Of course, I had to meet the minimum for free shipping, so it was really more of a $40 purchase...(Nartian threw in some circs to my order, so that saved me a bit!)

So here's what I got:

In the rear, already wound, "Shadow" in the clearance color "Redwood Forest Heather". Dang, but this color is excellent and so much nicer looking than the pic shown on-line! Glad I went 'cheap' to save the .50 per skein, cuz I really do love this colorway!

Being inspired to make more Dashings, I purchased the aran tweed yarns, not realizing that Dashing calls for DK weight! Yes, Dashings, the cousins to "Fetching" is knit with DK weight, folks, NOT aran/bulky, as is the recommended yarn for Fetchings! Go figure. Someone'd better read her patterns more carefully next time!-lol! No worries, cuz I've done one in a Jo Sharp Aran and was able to alter it to work out.


Save the best for last, yes? Look what else arrived one day...what could be in this lovely package, sent to me from British Columbia?...
Look at the wonderful goodies I got from Spinnybunt's PIF! Not only a handmade item, but YARN!!! And an awesome color that I love!

And in case you don't see what she made, it's a needlecase that she beaded! Look at all the gorgeous detail!

Sorry folks, there is no way I can hold a candle to this, so don't make this the standard for my PIF!

So while we are talking gorgeous yarns, look what Nartian gave me for Christmas? It's from The Knittery and is her merino/cashmere yarn! I love this stuff-it is so soft! And look at this color-it's the "Autumn" colorway! Nartian-you are awesome! Thanks for a wonderful gift!


So remember the Fetchings and Dashings I need to work on? Well, one more pair of Fetchings down, 1/2 a Dashing complete, and a few more to go...


Oh-and about the Knitting New Scarves book I posted about earlier, with the crappy pics--I found all the good pics from the book here, in case you want a better look-see,,, Just goes to show what a bit of sleuthing will result in! Actually, it's kinda dumb that one should have to work so hard to find pics that only promote the desire for this awesome book!

And what I didn't post? The latest Rockin' Sock Club shipment! But I think most of you got that same kit, so I'll wait on it for now. Afterall, I've tortured you enough with yet another lengthy post and I need to go hem some pants!

Still not over, but a few things complete...

Phew! I got this second pair of Fetchings done for my friend by Christmas Eve! I actually finished them over the prior weekend, but still had 2 purses to make for her two girls!


Instead, I cheated. I used the one purse that was 99% completed for my other friend's daughter, since I wouldn't be seeing her right away. Just had to pick up stitches along the bottom, then cast them off. Since I ran out of the purple color, I used black, but then decided I needed to do the same at the top to balance the colors. On Sunday (yes, the day before it was to be gifted!), it went into the washer, then out to dry. I stuck it by the heat vent and crossed my fingers...

while I feverishly crocheted this...
OK, so it was another change of plans-instead of a felted bag, I did a crocheted cupcake purse. I had been naughtily procrastinating, checking out Ravelry, when I came across some crocheted cupcake purse pics. I decided that this was cute, I had the yarn in my stash, and by-golly, this couldn't take longer than a felted purse! And besides, then I wouldn't have to wash it and hope it dried in time! So in a way, I made up for the fact that I had used up valuable knitting time playing on Ravelry!

Actually, the pattern choices I found on Ravelry were both $4 patterns and I struggled over which to get. One pattern was also offered as a set of purses-all 5 patterns for $10! But I needed the pattern NOW and I wasn't sure how quickly the PDF would get sent to me! Should I wing it? It seemed simple enough...should I take the chance I'd get the pattern by the next day (folks, I think this was Saturday or at the earliest Friday night-late night-like 2-3am morning kinda late...) Besides this, where was my reason? I was supposedly doing this with very short time left and I was supposed to be justifying my enormous stash and somehow trying to make amends for all my yarny spending by saving money knitting my stash as gifts!

OK, I'm kinda proud of myself...after the "brilliant" idea of googling for a freebie pattern of this sort (hey-it was late, I was tired and it took that long to figure it out-DUH!), I found this pattern by Cynthia Gurisko! Thanks heavens for Google, Crochetville, free patterns and clever people willing to share!

I went down 2 hook sizes, knit the bottom in Cotton Fleece (Lamb's Pride) and the top with leftover Ella Rae (remember the felted slippers?...)...I severely increased the top, ( 4 evenly spaced increase per row for the first several cupcake top rows vs. the single increase per row instructed in the pattern...). And I was pretty darn pleased with it at 4am on Christmas Eve as I watched the Smurfs and then some other wannabe Smurfly type cartoon that followed...

So I still have a felted purse to make, and another pair of fetchings (for my bros GF), some Dashings for a friend who whines about how I never knit him anything, Dashings for my good friend's son who got me a Wii for Little Emperor with a two days notice (it wasn't planned, but worked out well...spoiled LE!), Fetchings for my quilt teacher who liked the first pair I was working on, so how could I not offer to make her some?, and a pair of Dashing for my bro (another thank-you for his awesome favor of drawing up some designs for LE's school to use for t-shirts and what-not...)

And when am I planning on starting Twist or swatching for my Secret of the Stole II? Yeah, I'm insane and don't know if these will ever happen! Keeping my fingers crossed and my needles moving!

And amidst the planning, wrapping, knitting for Christmas, I received my naughty, me-being-out-of-control Yarn Wench purchase of (not the original 2 I ordered, but) THREE bags of roving! If you care what colorways they are, I'll post them later. Right now I'm too lazy to go look again. I think one was amethyst something-or-other, gothic whatever, and orchid somesuch name...Beauties, aren't they? Oh-how about this...I did get around to sneaking a bit of spinning in to see how they'd look, so I'll show them with their names later...
And I also got me and Nartian's "Digetessa" kits! I'm only showing one because, well...you know, they look identical except one was wrapped in brown tissue paper and the other in green...the Digetessa and accompanying special-dyed Woolmeise yarn! And these yummy gingerbready tasting droplets attached!

And for now, I'll leave you with this...the guest of the Christmas Season! No, don't be fooled-it's not the Bob of Ravelry fame, but my canine niece, Nico! Here she is, wondering where her masters are and why she was dumped off at the Mouse Hutch!

Merry, Merry everyone! And have a wonderful 2008! Maybe I'll post again before 2007 comes to a close, and I hope everyone had a good Chanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, or whatever you celebrate during this time of year!

Recurring theme?...

I just loaded a few pics up at Flickr. In so doing, I noticed that the first one showing was a Purlescence bag with my stash enhancement of pencil roving, yarn...you know-all that good stuff we loves!

Remember this?


So in loading this, it was kind of a deja vu!
Am I crazy or what? Not so unique a composition, huh?

I was good and I was bad. I ended up with 2 Ravens: Grawk and Rauen. The Rauen is for a pair of socks for a friend. I think she and I had decided on a different one, but based on how Rauen looked, I decided she would prefer it over the Valkyrie (I think that is the name!).

From the first moment I laid eyes on the new Ravens pictures, I thought immediately that I'd want Grawk. Then it fell to the bottom of my preferences, since I thought I wanted less variance of colors. I was all over the board on which I wanted! So in the long-run, I just couldn't resist all that pond-scumminess and succombed to Grawk. There was no medium weight, which is good for me, since I would have otherwise purchased 2 skeins of Korpii in medium weight in addition to the others.

So the 2 Ravens was the planned purchases. I decided that the additional Rooster Rock was really not the same as my last Rooster Rock, since this one is dyed up so much differently. I am amazed at how the pinks aren't showing up in the Ravens pics I took. This particular Rooster Rock, (unlike my last skein) has a bright, deep pink in it. I think that with my first skein, the deep pink presented as a deep burgundy color. So amazing the difference! So buying another Rooster Rock really isn't a repeat purchase, since it truly is different.

But I was really only supposed to get the 2 Ravens, so I was going to put back 2 of the 4 skeins of STR I had grabbed up. I put back one. I decided that I did stick to my plan-2 Ravens! The Rooster Rock didn't count-it was a single skein just for me! (As if the Grawk didn't count in the 'treating myself' category!)

And about the roving...you see, there was a Fiber Fiend trunk show and there was all this gorgeous hand-spun fiber, hand-dyed rovings, patterns, samples...and well, I decided that I needed to go home with a bit of the roving-especially after finding this colorway!

What was I to do? When I grabbed up a braid of roving, someone said something like, "Oh! and you spin, too?!" I said, "Well, sorta. Enough to have to get this roving!"

I also got a Fiber Fiend sock pattern, too; then after walking out of the shop, pondered whether I had purchased it already! I know I had contemplated such when I saw it on-line! I still don't know since I haven't checked. Yeah, I'm that bad...

So what else is new...? Well, I took a (long) break just now and spun my new roving. Thought I'd show a sample of what it looks like along with my newly acquired Rum Butterscotch sauce! Yes, yarn wasn't all I bought today, and yes, I indulged on myself yet again!
I also wound this handspun into skeins...I'm thinking I won't ply and will use the singles for a shawl, perhaps? Kinda looks like real yarn you might buy, huh?

For those of you wanting to see better Ravens pics, this it the best I could do:

Grawk, opened to show the "pond scum" and "raspberries" colors

Rauen-black with reddish-brown

Lastly, the swatch that won't! Look how long this is. I'm so over it and have almost used up the whole skein! Long story, but basically, I am still trying to get just the right gauge so I can wash it and see if it will grow to the required 19 stitches over 10cm. I even bought a new Addi needle to use! But it is a lace needle and has a bit more grab than the regular Addis.

Funny about how the comments turned towards "Dashing", which is the next pair I was planning to do after the second Fetchings. However, Dashing may not actually come to fruition til the end of the new year.

One gift down!

I'm no longer a Fetching Virgin! I finished my first pair today-just in time to gift to my son's teacher! I've always wanted to make these, only other projects continued to take precedence. I can't believe how quick a knit these are and am so glad I figured out that I needed to make these for a gift!

Yes, your eyes do not deceive you-one is more tightly knit than the other. I had time to un-do the too-loose binding, but not to re-do the whole other mitt! The picot bind-off is pretty loose and I was kinda not completely sold on it, but left it anyways. Well, I had been talking to Nartian about these and she told me that she had the same issues with the picot bind-off flaring. That's why she ripped back and did a plain BO. Well no WONDER these looked so foreign to me when comparing them to my memories of Nartian's Fetchings. Duh! If I had read through her Fetching notes more carefully, I would have seen her mods about changing the BO.



I liked them so much and they were so quick that I decided that they will be a perfect gift for a friend who I had started a felted bag for. The Fetchings will definitely get completed, whereas the felted bag is a crap-shoot!

And (as I mentioned last time) it looks like my first yarn selection (Lana Grossa "Point") will not become Twist. Luckily, this ("Big") was in my stash, and enough of it for Twist. I am still swatching, but hope to get enough done to wash it up soon.
Here's the swatch in progress, and most probably going to become Twist.

And look (Terry)-right on time for YPF!-my WoolGirl December sock kit! "Christmas Tree" is absolutely awesome. The yarn is a Lisuu (now The Unique Sheep) Leili (75/25 Merino/Mohair) in "Spruce Sprigs"! The stitch marker is Mama Llama. We also got a Christmas Tree tape measure and a goodie bag filled with gourmet spiced cider, cinnamon sticks and the chewy mint candies with the tree desigin in the middle. The pattern is a "Ruffled Lace Twisted Rib" pattern! I loves it!

So I am hoping to get Toby's prize out to her soon, but I wanted to tuck a goodie in with it. And I decided since Marcy did such a great job on her guesses (UFO Contest...remember guys?...), I wanted to send her a little something, too. I'm lagging big-time!

Now back to the mitts and figuring out the decreases for the pink felted handbag that has been sitting until I could find the time to work out the decreases!