Pre-Camp!

First off-confessions-I pre-wrote this part last night because, well...I was inspired! But loading pictures sucked, so I'm glad I waited to finish this tonight. I may not be so quick to post the next days, but I'll see how I do.

I said this before, I'll say this again-Sock Camp is not for wimps, and this camp was no exception! I'm still recovering! Nartian and I were half-dead as we knit this afternoon at work.

And before continuing on, I thought I'd slip in a bit of knitting progress. Still not through Clue #3 on the Secret of the Stole II KAL, but here is what I have thusfar...


And before I go on to the Pre-Camp story, please bear with me while I whine about how quickly it is to gain a good 8 lbs. over a week, while it takes a good 2 months to lose 8 lbs! OK? Just had to share...! (grumble!)


So this is installation #1-Pre Camp!

Yes, there again was homework which I (AGAIN!) did on the fly! Conveniently, there was a "mall" located right across from our motel on our way up which conveniently had not only a Michael's, but a JoAnn's! Score! It seems I always end up needing *some* crafting item to complete my homework that I always seem to not have completed in time for camp!

This year's assignment? Toilet paper roll covers! Really.

Without boring you with my thought process, here is what I ended up with in it's final form. Not the grandiose project I had first planned, but nonetheless, finished!

And a side-view to show off the mushroom I labored over!




Actually, the TP cover wasn't done 'til after check-in. Tammy (Lavendar Knits) and Etta Mae were a happy, familiar site! This year, I was assigned to the Tricksters tribe. Funny...so was Nartian, Irish Girlie, past camp tribe members Sharon and Vicki, hizKnits and Stariel...hmmm...made me wonder!


Nederlass lives in the Washington area and was gracious enough to transport a group of knitters not only from the airport, but on a pre-camp yarn crawl. So look what was parked in front of our cabin later in the day after we arrived and checked in? Looks like the pre-camp journey was a fun time, though I can't report on this portion I was not a part of. Stariel showed me a special 'bus pass' Nederlass' hubby had made for all the bus riders. Unfortunately, I didn't get a pic of it to share, but trust me-it was a cool bus pass! You may catch a glimpse of one around Stariel's neck over at her blog!


And again, this year, I offer you a view of the resort-this time, and emphasis on the Discovery House (the big square building) where camp was held. The mansion is beyond the alcove...


I got to the evening reception a tad early (for me, 15 minutes was way-early), and I was the first person there, so I got my own, personal 'sneak peek'. Again, this year, I offer a picture of the fabulous 'color wheel of socks' table!

The Sockateers and teachers/staff arrived and 'put me out' so that they could prepare for our entry. What were they preparing for? Well, only to guard and protect the camp yarn store which was to open for an hour that evening for us!



(Note the camp store behind the body guards! Think of all the yarny goodness I could've have snatched up during my time alone with it, had I no scruples...)

And of course, camp is not camp without the team of Yarn Harlot and Cat! Here they are, together again! I always say and will say it again-there is nothing like this combination!

So next post will be on to Day one of camp!

Back from Camp!

Wow! Another year, another fabulous Blue Moon Fiber Arts Rockin' Sock Camp! This year, our camp was called CAMP CROWS FEET. It's hard to imagine that camp could be as awesome as last year without being the same-same, but it was just as good-probably even better! But, since my tendency is to be long-winded, I decided I should handle camp in installments this time. So for now, I will leave you with this...


I was afraid I'd run out of storage room, so this is pretty much the finale of a fellow-camper's performance. You'll have to come back later for the the details...

Real, live knitting content!

Well, it is now April 5, so you know this can't possibly be an April Fool's Day joke!

March was Malabrigo Madness and I cast-on for three projects. So...(believe it or not), I have a completed project!

"The" completed project, "Tudora" in-what else?-Malabrigo worsted weight! The colorway is Col China.



And a hooded scarf (which looks like a big ol' scarf at this time!) is a little more than 3/4 way done.

And all this time, the new Cedar Creeks (previously ripped-back and now again on its way...) are coming right along. I am now on the foot of the first sock!

Here's a non-approved new project I started on...yeah, I know-naughty!...I couldn't resist and started the Mystic Light KAL. The Dream in Color Baby was IrishGirlie-approved, though, so how could she think I wouldn't cast-on for the shawl I purchased the yarn for?!

Then thing is, this actually isn't really the project because since it was taken-I ripped it all back! Long story, but the beginning basically became a swatch because the needles I started with (I decided) were not the 'right' size, afterall...I then kept knitting with the next size up, then lost a stitch and couldn't find it. I decided at this stage, it was prudent to frog the whole thing! So now, I am just about at that same place.

But alas, homework awaits and I really need to focus on THAT! So...I need no guidance on the foucs for the next week becaue I know I had no business frogging and re-knitting on this one! If I were more disciplined, I probably would have frogged and set it aside to cast-on (as IrishGirlie says, 'as a reward') later...

Great Mail Day!

I could post about what progress I've made on my Cedar Creek socks, but alas, I have no pictures! But for reporting's sake, I am now on the gusset decreases on my first sock. I am almost through the 3rd skein of Malabrigo Chunky for the hooded scarf I'm working on, as well, but it looks like...well...a scarf, so not too exciting...

So this is what arrived yesterday:

A skein of yarn I couldn't pass up at Enchanted Knoll Farm's etsy shop! The colorway is Wood Elves. The skein shows more blue, when really it is quite greeney-brown with a surprising hint of teal worked into it! Not to mention some of my favorite golds, too! The big plus? The price was right AND they are "environmentally friendly"! The live off-grid and power their farm "by solar electricity..." I like that they are 'kind and respectful to the planet'. It doesn't hurt that they included a lovely marker with my purchase, too! It seems like a nicely, snugly spun yarn, too!

And lookie what a non-Knitter friend sent me!

She went totally overboard! She insisted I send her a wish list or she'd kick my butt! So I send her a list and I think she got EVERYTHING I had listed! Then added more non-knitting goodies to the package! I think she has covered Christmas, Easter and Birthday goodies for at least the next 10 years for me!


So in addition to a nostepin and a one-yard niddy-noddy, she got me three sets of stitch markers! A row counting set, cube bead set, and a tiny droplet set on a big ring that 'can be worn as a pendant! HA! Too cool but way too overboard, my dear bud (MsInDebt)!So I guess I should post knitting pics to prove I've made some progress on focus/priority projects? Er...yeah...next post...

Nothing like seeing your gift knitting on the recipient!

I just viewed pics of my "baby" cousin's baby...among them was a recent one of him wearing the hat I knit for him!

OK, now I'm feeling motivation to work on that Baby Surprise Sweater I started for him a while back...

Even I can laugh...

at what a dork I am for letting this slip by, unnoticed! I got the rows set up fine, I just got off-sync with it -and very early on! Like around row 2! How could I have not noticed for a good 2 1/2 inches of knitting! I think I was so thrilled to be starting them that I got all crazy!
See the lovely error, pre-frogging? The sock is now back down and re-knit to about a little over an inch.

And you know what it means if I started this, right?...Yep! I finished my Serendipity socks!!! And can you believe it? I finished them-toe decreases and weaving in the ends!-on Monday afternoon and arrived home to my latest Rockin' Sock Club package! LUCKY is the colorway and I'm not posting pics right now because I haven't taken any and besides, I think all of you who read this blog or care are already club members! If ya reeeeaaaaally want to see it, I'm sure Nartian will have it posted!

I kind of think that I neglected to share my most recent acquisition. Since IrishGirlie was there when I bought this, does that make this purchase ok?-lol! It is Dream In Color "Baby" laceweight in the Gothic Rose colorway! My insane Inner Knitter seems to think she can add another lace KAL to the load!-HA! I will try and resist, but I joined anyway and shall see if I do get motivated to start and stick with this, the Mystic Light KAL.

And this, folks, is why we get 6...

DPNs in our Knitpicks Harmony sock needle sets! (And also why I should immediately put my project saver over the needles whenever I put my project down inbetween my knitting times-even for a few minutes!)

This is the second picture I took since Lil Emperor decided he would like to hold needle for the picture. He proceeded to say 'cheeeese' as I took this picture! Hmmm...hope this doesn't encourage him to run by another loose project hoping to catch it on him in the same way, resulting in this amazing breakage of a needle! I guess another good reason for having a 6th needle is for people like me who knit on 4 needles, misplace the 5th and get the 6th broken!

Lookie what I got in the mail!

NO it's not a yarn order! It is a wonderful gift from a wonderful Sock Camp pal of mine, Blogless Lisa! Lisa is in the Rockin' Sock Club and I think she's even been a member from the start, like me.

She is the one who made the most incredible Hippy Chick for camp last year that I was lucky to get to take home with me. But it turned out someone at camp actually wanted the lovely Hippy Chick and I'm sure had more space to place it where it could truly been seen and appreciated, so I let her have it. And she would not take it without giving me money. And I didn't want the money that rightfully should have been Lisa's. But Lisa wouldn't take the money. And so it went...ultimately I paid Lisa in the only payment knitters WILL accept-yarn! So we should be even, right? Noooooo...Lisa has to go and send me this...
Yes, folks, that would be some SILKIE Socks that Rock in the box! It is a very "Firebird"-looking Rare Gems! And yes, some chocolate goodness as well as hand cream from Madrona, a highlighter and some magnets! How cool is this? THANKS SO MUCH, LISA!!! I can hardly wait to see you again at camp!

And about the 'priority setting'...it seems there are so many projects I want to start and my 'focus' projects have grown in numbers so that there are too many to 'focus' on!

I want to cast on: Pisgah (for the Cedar Creek KAL), the Gluttony socks (Unique Sheep 7 Deadly S(p)ins ), the new purple/gold Spunky Ecclectic (so I can have some union-themed socks and wear the appropriate colors on Wednesdays to support them!), Mystic Light KAL swatch (I am smart enough to only say 'swatch' at this point in time...the KAL begins March 26!) and I am sure there are more I am wanting to cast on for, but these are the top4 I've narrowed down. I'm pretty sure that at this point in time, I will not cast on for any until at least one WIP is off its needles.

Within my WIPs, the 'focus' projects are currently: Ribby Pulli Scoop, Central Air socks
(a friend had her b-day last month and I told her I was gong to make her socks...didn't say *when* I'd complete them, but don't want to be ridiculous about the timeframe, either...so I am about 2" into the first cuff...), Serendipity socks (I am through the heel on the 2nd sock and am onto the foot!), Malabrigo Chunky hooded scarf (just completed the 2nd skein of 4; 1/2 a skein is used for the pom-pom and fringe if I decide to go that route...), Fetching mitts (started but only 2" into the first; my quilting teacher liked them and really would like a pair and I told her I'd make her some), Tudora (a 2nd one I just CO for and am still on the set-up row; IrishGirlie says my 1st Tudora is still a WIP since the button isn't on it yet, so I guess this can be counted as 2 projects, depending on how you look at it...), Monkey Socks (still on the 1st, but am onto the foot), Secret of the Stole II (I'm barely into Clue #3 of 9!), 2nd felted flower purse (remember that Christmas gift...? Still haven't seen the girls and won't be seeing them real soon-without a deadline, I'm a bit slow! I am at the last part-the top/handles)...also on the radar of 'should be a focus' are Kew (single sock syndrome!), Chelsea (single sock syndrome but need to find it first!), Thuja Revised (a fingering weight version for my sis in KPPPM; single sock syndrome...) Of course, there are some Dashings I was working on for my work friend, only I'm not 'loving' them and think he may like the yarn better as house socks...

So...suggestions? Plan of attack? Right now I am working on finishing my Serendipity socks so I can start on my Pisgah Cedar Creek socks. I am really loving the new Ribby Pulli scoop and am about 8" into the body! The Malabrigo chunky hooded scarf moves along rather quickly, as well...The Central Air socks loom overhead and I even have a donation bear I am almost done with-need to knit the feet, seam and knit the sleeves...I think the lace stole is such a lengthy knit that it is fine to just pick up and work a few rows at a time inbetween the mindless/easier knits, so I think I won't even stress over that one right now. But still, I think I need to prioritize a bit!

There is always something...

keeping me 'unfocused' on my other projects!

Actually, I wanted to post a few projects so that I could get some input on prioritizing them, but tonight is not the night that will happen!

As if I don't whine enough about my many WIPs, I am again dying to cast on for new projects! One, the swatch for the Mystic Light KAL, which is a triangular lace shawl KAL that begins March 26. The second is a Cedar Creek sock, since IrishGirlie and Nartian have started up a Cedar Creek KAL and well...I only happen to have tons of STR needing to be socks!

I think I may have not even posted my lovely Pisgah Socks that Rock yarn I purchased at Purlescence the other weekend, while under the influence of fellow knitting buds (IrishGirlie and Nartian, of course!) You see, looking back at Camp Cockamamie, my camp name was "Pisgah". Naturally, I had to get this colorway because of my mental attachment to the colorway name! And based on that train of thought, I still need to get a skein of Chickabiddy, my 'tribe' name from last year!

Will this be cast-on for Cedar Creeks soon?...

Boy, I have to say that Tina (Blue Moon Fiber Arts Depraved Dyer) sure knows what she's doing when she gets us involved in her yarn names. She must know that some of us are crazy-sentimental fools who will buy one of every yarn in the same colorway-just because we are attached to that particular colorway name!-lol! Smart woman, that Tina!

So next time, perhaps I'll have time to post some of the projects I am in need of prioritizing and making my 'focus' projects for the next few months!

I started this, and now I can't stop!!!

Yes, I FINALLY started my Ribby Pulli Scoopneck version! And I am having a hard time putting it down! This child almost didn't get breakfast this morning!

So this is as far as I've gotten and I'm not picking it up until my secret sock project is completed! (Yeah, the secret sock project I will soon be revealing! Oh, heck! I think most of you who read this blog know what it is by now. If you don't, I'll keep you hanging a bit longer...)

So that's all I have for now. Oh-the Tudora is done-sans button. I will try and post a pic of it later.

And the first Deady S(p)in Has Arrived!!!

Ha! You all know I kinda don't care about "Spoilers" cuz I'm that way and by now, if any of you are in common clubs with me and don't want to be spoiled, you must know that this would be the blog to avoid, right?

Well, I just thought I'd put the little warning at the top of this anyway, since I -duh!-figured out that I can save this image on Flickr and upload it as a regular pic for my Ravelry Stash! So...since it is something I can do easily, I thought I'd be nice for this moment and post it here, too!

BUT...I don't think any of you are in this club with me!-lol! Well, actually, I have two friends who are: one who always gets hers before me and doesn't care about spoilers, and another who doesn't get around to reading this blog anyways!

So the first shipment arrived earlier this week for the "Seven Deadly S(p)ins Club" of Unique Sheep yarns that I purchased through Woolgirl, who do the distribution. And being that it would be coming from WoolGirl Jen, I knew she'd be adding in her own swag, as well.

What I didn't realize is that (at least it appears) The Unique Sheep gals treat this as a club themselves and add their own swag! So we are talking double-swag here. Swag-o-rama, if you will! Don't be jealous of what you are about to see, people. Besides, you need to remember that this *is* the first shipment and the theme *is* GLUTTONY, afterall...so of course, this is going to be a 'bigger is better' kinda thing...

Because Jen does such a lovely job packaging things, I had to show off the 'before' and 'after' opening shots. So here is what it looked like when I removed it from its box...(with it's pink tissue cushioning now serving as back-drop)

There were so many jelly bellies stuffed in the plastic bag, that it burst! You can see all them jelly bellies lining the bottom of the bag! I kinda like that look, but I guess not everyone would be pleased to have the candy loose, together with their yarn! The potential for damage could be pretty bad if some horrible dampness occurred. But luckily, there was no such weird/bad stuff happening, so I rather liked it!

In this kit: 4 mini-25 g. skeins of 4 different colors of Unique Sheep "Verve" sock yarn. These are gradient colors and are to be combined for our first pattern, which happens to be a sock pattern! (Note: this is not a sock club, nor a spinning club; we are going to get seven different yarns with different types of projects to go with them...) OK, let's see...I mentioned the Jelly Bellies, the pattern, some sock point protectors, and not only my favorite mini-sockblocker keychain, but a mini-mini skein of sock yarn from Unique Sheep to use for knitting the mini-sock! Jen threw in a WoolGirl pen and is offering discounts on Unique Sheep yarn for us club members, too! I HEART JEN!!!! I HEART WOOLGIRL!!! I HEART THE UNIQUE SHEEP!!! I HEART THIS KIT!!! (BTW, I think I mentioned this before, but my rubberstamping name I go by *is* rubberglutton!...)

Speaking of Jen and her lovely packaging, I did get a package yesterday from the WoolGirl 2-day sale in which I was being very good and only purchased this:

OK, so I also got a KnitSpot pattern which I neglected to include in the photos and which I did not have IrishGirlie purchase approval for! Oh well...at least I was true to my IrishGirlie-Approved yarn purchase! And even applied my sock club coupon to this small order because (*really*) I have no business saving it for some 'big' order that I have no business buying in the future!

IrishGirlie is pushing me to get those second socks done! Marcy and Maria and waiting to see the SW haul revealed! I have a bit of time (not really, but hey-I can post a pic or two...), so I thought I'd share a pic. Not quite the revealing big stash-enhancement photos, but more the pic of all the little extras I got! Know that I have a compulsive buying disorder and am working on it this year. It will take some work to change my old habits, and the change in behavior cannot be expected to happen overnight!

So above, is my treasure trove of goodies that didn't make the "BIG HAUL" picture! An adorable coin purse that I could not resist-even at the end of the day and after purchasing all the other stuff! Come on-you gotta admit she's too cute! I can see myself going with Nartian to get our coffee in the morning, this lovely strawberry cutie hanging from my wrist, holding my coffee money!

And I could not pass up the adorable Lucy Neatby hat pattern! HAD to get a Bob and Ravelry pin and some stickers! The great thing about Ravelry and their designs/logo is that it is not obviously knitting. It's kinda like you need to be in the 'club' to know what the symbols mean! IOW, I could safely stick this to my car without SassyMan being too embarassed to move my car for me!

Some swag: the cute lil' pen/measuring tape, the way-too-cool Malabrigo lace sample in the ever delicious Col China colorway! Now answer me this-if the label says "Col China" is the colorway "Col China" or does it mean colorway, "China"? I need to know this!

Oh, what the heck-I might as well give you a visual of the main haul--sans the (ahem!) BMFA purchase! Yes, the BMFA purchase is a separate pic on its own and is actually its own sub-stash! I'm so shameless! The worst thing is that as I was attempting to take a picture of my purchases, I kept finding more stuff to add. Like the spindle. Like the patterns...

So what you kinda get a glimpse of here is: a Stitch Diva pattern (Giselle) by Marnie McLean, a Fiber Fiend sock pattern (Ruby) , a NEW Cascade spindle!, Shelridge Farms worsted weight in "Sage" for (hopefully) a Hemlock Ring Blanket (yes, Marcy-I think I am caving on that one!). The lovely skein next to all the sage-ey goodness? A skein of hand-dyed from Creatively Dyed (thanks for the recommendation, Maria! I found lots of colorways that I *did* like and if it hadn't been one of the very last stops prior to all the purchasing damage I'd already done, I would have probably bought 2 more skeins! Nothing like supporting the small indie dyer!) Hmmm...some "limited edition" (yeah, just call me 'Sucker') Capistrano Dyeworks sock yarn , Shelridge Farms multicolor dyed sock yarn, Malabrigo lace (Black Forest and some pinky colorway that I think will be fun to mix together for a lacey scarf...-no cracks about my scarf completion record!). In front of the Malabrigo Lace is some Tess Designer sock yarn in a paled out gray-green (LOVE this!), and behind, Baywood Yarns sock yarn (Sea Otter colorway) and a skein of merino/bamboo from the Fiber Fiend!

PHEW! (Again!) Yeah, IrishGirlie-another long-A post, but admit it-you were enjoying every moment of this one! Kinda make you feel better about your shopping spree? Yeah, I exist to make others feel ok about their Stash Enhancement Expeditions!-lol!

Innocent Findings

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

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


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

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


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

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

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

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

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

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



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


Knit from Heavyweight STR of course!

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

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

You guys are clever, so I know you know what this is...

And if you don't recall, there were 2 skeins of STR shown earlier on...and here are the two colorways knit together...

And though movement on my Secret of the Stole II came to a screeching halt, I did actually get some knitting done over the long weekend. It seems these baby showers keep sneaking up on me! So I finally knit the 2nd practice bootie from Cat's book and a matching hat! I'm very proud of this hat-not that it is original, nor the idea, but I am just so thrilled that it looks just about the size of a newborn cap with the edge cuffed up. Cuffed down, it stretches to what looks like a size 9 mo. cap! So the baby can wear this for some time! This set was knit wit just about 1 ball of Crystal Palace Merino5 (long story, but it would actually fall short by the last 16 rows of a bootie, so if you want a set out of a ball of this yarn, you need to start decreasing the hat about 4 rows sooner -LOVE this stuff!

The hat is basically a CO of 72 stitches, K2 P1 ribbing, knit about 5 1/2", then started decreasing.

So I am ready for the Baby Shower! Boy, sometimes I amaze myself!

This is for Irish Girlie...

She'll know why! Just finished and grafted the last toe today! And that's about all I have time to post tonight! Oh-except for this!

Lil' Emp is now missing his 2 front teeth! He lost two bottom teeth last year, then...nothing! So they are in a bottle and here, he examines them.

And...well...I caved. I'm going to Stitches West this Friday! WOO-HOO!!!

There is Cheap Yarn, and there is Crap Yarn...

And for those of us who are not 'Yarn Snobs', we must learn to differentiate between the two, for often Cheap Yarn does not equal Crap Yarn, and usually Crap Yarn is a variety of Cheap Yarn...

Take this yarn, for example: a Wool/Acrylic blend yarn-75% Acrylis, 25% Wool, "Wendy Chunky", made in England. Decent hand-feel...For knitting Dashing Mitts-(btw, did I tell you that the finished Dashings in STR "Shadow" were the second attempt...)-portion of "Wendy" Dashings shown below..bad idea!
So in this case, this yarn is Crap Yarn! Though it would maybe be good for a sturdy bag, though you really would not want to knit anything that would be cabled or tightly knit with this. But why am I saying this is "crap"? Well, if you can imagine knitting a pair of Dashings with dpns at a somewhat tighter gauge than recommended and getting this 'squeeking' sensation, that would be one reason. Now imagine coming to the cable portion of said mitts...you cleverly do your cable needle-less cabling, only this stuff is like iron and you need to really tug to make sure those stitches cross on over to the other side. Every stitch was an effort to knit. Seriously.

And now, I present you with some Cheap Yarn. Not the finest, but guess what? It is Red Heart (which people love to hate) and it is labeled 'craft' yarn! It is bulky, it is inexpensive, it is 100% acrylic! And the color is kinda cool for a kid. Especially a kid who has decided wool products that have previously been knit for him are 'too scratchy'. So guess what? I knit him a "smarf" (his term for a single fingerless mitt) and am now making him an Unoriginal Hat from this! It feels decent and has much more give than the Wendy Chunky-and this is even a thicker yarn! No crunchy noise coming from my knitting, either! Cheap Yarn?-yes. Crap Yarn?-NO!


And now, in addition to inspiration in seeing Carrie's Unoriginal Hat, I present to you my Unoriginal Hat (A YarnHarlot-Stephanie Pearl-McPhee- pattern):


I started this last night, finished this afternoon-2 sittings of a couple of hours, at most! 45 or less rows!

So sadly, despite being off from work sick (I got Lil' Emperor's cold!-we all did!), I have not touched my Secret of the Stole II! I completed the above hat (being sick is motivation to add to the head warmer pile) and instead spent my awake time (dare I admit this?!) playing Super Mario Galaxy with Lil' Emp on his Wii. Yes, LE's favorite state of being: too sick to go to school, but not too sick to play Wii! I really mostly was his 'assist' in capturing star bits and freezing enemies that he could then stomp. So when not playing Wii, I was too tired to knit or do much of anything else-amazing how these stupid games can tire you out so much, but they do!

So no blogging until now, and the only other thing to show since the last post?...

Does this look familiar?...


It's the replacement gift purse! So I started this last weekend and am now to the top. Another last-year's Christmas gift still in the works! It went very quickly and if I had worked on it instead of my had, it would certainly be done. But I didn't. And it's not. And that's just the way I get sometimes! OK, maybe tomorrow...and maybe I'll even finish the first Serendipity sock I started! I'll try to post the progress tomorrow!

Is it WIP Wednesday?!

I usually don't acknowledge WIP Wednesday, and wouldn't you know it-I'm posting on a Wednesday and even remember it is WIP Wednesday, but instead, I show you this...


I guess this is technically a "WIP", since the ends aren't woven in yet! Both finished last night: Dashing Mitts, v 2.2 for my bro. I felt so smart because when Purlescence didn't have BMFA Twisted in "Shadow", I realized that-DUH!-I could purchase a skein of Socks that Rock lightweight in "Shadow" and use it doubled! Oh, what a Brain Child am I!-lol!

I modified it to make it a bit larger by casting on an additional 4 stitches and adding a P3 rib (vs. P1 or P2 between K4 P1 K4 ribbing, as per pattern) This was such a great knit and so much better than the crap wool/acrylic yarn I had originally started with! But let me tell you, I used every inch of yardage! The tail on one was a bit long (like maybe 14"), but I shortened the thumbs to 8 vs. 9 rows before BO; worked one thumb, bound off, then (in case there wasn't enough yarn), I worked the other thumb from the other end of the tiny ball of yarn. In the end, I had maybe 3" of yarn running between the 2 thumbs! Needless to say, I will be weaving in ridiculously short (and not recommended) ends into the thumbs. The other tails are long enough and also need to be woven in before I can officially call these finished!

Now, as for all you fellow STR fans: I was over at Cockeyed's blog and lookie what I saw...
Go ahead, click on the pic and blow it up bigger! I DARE you! Yeah, made me salivate...a LOT! Torture, I tell you! All that STR in one place! Better than those "Blue Moon Fiber Arts Order-In!" posts that we live for! If this is an indication of what Stitches West is going to be like, I am soooo in trouble!

So I finally frogged the Secret of the Stole II back to the end of Clue 1 and am now around 10 rows into Clue 2. No picture because it really won't look much different than what I've previously posted!

I'm plugging along on Dashings, v. 3.0 out of KnitPicks "Shamrock" which, BTW, has a wonderfully soft feel to it! I also picked up my lovely Serendipity and worked a bit on that today. Still on the cuff portion. I took today off to chaperone Lil Emp's class on a field trip to the SF Ballet. They will be having ballet classes through the SF Ballet, so there was a ballet lecture/demo and performance for the kids. I knit a bit on the Dashings; the lighting made it a bit difficult to know how many rows I had knit before needing to cable again, so once I got to the point where I thought a cable should go, I stopped and put it away.

So for WIP Wednesday, I gave you an update on some of the WIPs at the forefront of my 'to knit' list! The Secret Project is underway, but no details to share at this time.

Yeah, I get the 'blankie over babies' thing, but what I wasn't getting was-why over their faces?

So I didn't buy any Funky Carolina fibers-probably because they all flew out the door before I could even view them! I think that I cannot ever try and buy any. Ever. The difficulty in getting it would make me want some that much more! So no Funky Carolina and no new yarn purchases! And no knitting-related purchases! And absolutely NOT getting this!

Now to plot out Stitches West: spindle? yarn? both? how much? what should be the limit?...I just found a Christmas check from the parental units...save it for camp where I'll really need it, or portion part of it for SW? Decisions, decisions!

Sometimes I've gotta wonder...

What the heck was going through Lil' Emperor's head when he set this scene up on his bed? Yes, tissues over his four stuffed animals-what's that about?!


And here's something kinda fun to look at...

Two 1/2 skeins of STR medium weight! ... Anyways, these are being knit into something quite secret. What, I cannot reveal. Yet. Yeah, Nartian knows. She knows everything. But it's secret-secret and I cannot share what it is. Rest assured, you will know when the time is right! And no, Nartian, you cannot tell! You are sworn to secrecy! So don't anyone try and bribe her or anything, ya hear?

Evil, I tell you!

Some of you come and visit my blog, while you are 'blog-free'. So instead of posting stuff on your blog to tempt me, you come here and tell me all about places like Crown Mountain Farms (thanks alot, Maria!)...or Wooly Wonka and Funky Carolina (thanks to Terry!)...but guess what?!-I have resisted thusfar! Trust me, I put Atlantis and San Francisco colorways of this fiber from Crown Mountain Farms; happily, it the cart it remains! So far, so good. I am getting the satisfaction of 'pretending' to buy! HA! But don't think that eventually I won't cave! Ya'll are evil!

Another Yarn Wench update!

The Yarn Wench just did another update to her offerings!

And I'm not buying any! And especially not this, this, nor this!

And not even this...

Oooooh, I don't know...I really do like THIS...!

My God, she's even gone through the effort of ripping off Yarn Wench's phot o to post on the blog!

Don't be surprised if this one makes me cave...you may see it ending up on my blog in person! MUST-RESIST...!

OK, lemme go wipe the drool from my lips and relinquish computer rights to Lil' Emperor. That ought to keep me out of trouble for a bit and maybe they'll be gone by the time I think of buying them again!

A lovely picture for you to look at, really hard...

before I rip this puppy back!

I got cocky and wasn't paying attention the second half of the stole. I was just kinda using what was already there as a guide. It looks like the area to the left, about 2/3 up from the bottom got messed up. I'm 2 stitches off and I it seems like it will be too difficult to figure out. So it appears that what progress I made with 'Clue 1' is as far as I am, since my frogging will proably go back to the begining of Clue 2.

So...I'm not quite ready to frog yet, but will do it soon so I don't fall futher behind!

But now to show something fun...look what I got in the mail yesterday!
Stitch markers I ordered at-where else?-Etsy!!! I got this from Knitaholic's shop. I couldn't pass up the crocheted bead stitch markers nor the girlie-motifed markers for my friend KnitBling. It is so her! (Kinda meant to be a surprise, but maybe she won't get to reading this before she gets them!) And yes, that is yarn you see pictured with the markers. Yes, it came in the package. NO, I did NOT buy nor order it! Knitaholic felt bad for forgetting to send the markers out immediately (they still got here pretty quick!), so she included it with my order! THANK YOU KNITAHOLIC!!! Too cool! Awesome handspun, no? Don't be hatin'!

I had a bunch of very ripe bananas and decided to make some banana chocolate chip cake. LE dictated "no chips". I split the recipe and put chips in 1/2 the batter, so now I must be off to find out how many offensive WW points the 1/32 of the recipe will cost me! Either that or rip back a row of the stole and see what it looks like. Or knit a few rows of my Serendipity. Or maybe I should really get to sleep, huh? Knitting lace is a veeerrrry bad idea this late at night and the knitting projects I want to work on right now is exactly that-lace! Uh, yeah...why does such inspiration strike at the most inopportune times!

PS-This, dear readers, is my good college buddy's new little one...I'm in love with this child! She is so absolutely adorable! So of course, some Cat baby socks for her with a matching hat-IF I ever get to them!