Random Stripe Generator

Anyone who knows me, or reads my blog, knows that math and I don't always get along.

I think that Fibonacci is cool. But that tutorial makes my head hurt.

I just discovered this wonderful tool:

Random Stripe Generator

>>now added to side bar<<

This is GREAT for stash leftover busting!

What could I do with this (3 skeins of each)?

This!

I could make socks, or a tee, or a tank top!

Stitch marker lover

I just discovered these stitch markers:

Someone gave them as a gift in their ISE4 exchange.

I *heart* them immensely.

So I was searching around online to find out where to buy them. I saw them on KPixie but I don't want the package that contains the split rings - I only want the hearts...

Do they come this way (sans split rings)? Anybody know who sells them?

During this search I found this website. This knitter has a fanFREAKINGtastic idea for counting rows - check out her explanation!

Third and Second

This is the third time I have used this yarn. In previous lives it was a Swooping Eyelet Pullover, then it had a short stint as an attempted Glee.


It is now happily living as the Bonita Shirt.



Pattern: Bonita Shirt, Interweave Summer 2006
Yarn: Elann, Endless Summer Lara
Needles: Addi Turbos US 4 and US 2

This is the second time I've attempted the Bonita Shirt.
The first time it was green and the gauge was WAAAAY off.
The i-cord finishing makes this pattern look perfect! I love it!

Yesterday I started playing on Ravelry with my Queue and Stash pages. I added about 10 project ideas and 34 stashed yarn items (these were just the cottons).

With a little help from my math tutor, I decided that I would do Sahara next in a brown cotton yarn that I bought at the Yarn Lady bag sale last year. My yarn is a finer gauge, so I'll be doing a larger size. HA HA MATH!

I'm still finishing the Spiral Top, so I'll be working on that and Sahara until Norma's Cotton Ease arrives and then I'll start her cardigan with front detailing that I found in this pattern.

pleasure exceeded

and another request

This was a gift for one of Dave's co-workers.

Patterns:

Elegantly Simple Baby Blanket

Baby Hat (this pattern was not available at the original URL)

Baby Booties (this pattern was not available at the original URL)

Yarn:

Patons BumbleBee in Flowers Variegated

Needles:

Addi Turbo US 7 and US 6

-----

I am making fantastic progress on the Bonita Top.

You will be so surprised when it's finished.

The green yarn that I started the top with turned orange!

Could I be more pleased?

I was asked to have my two of my finished project pictures featured on Ravelry!

One is Dave's golf club covers:



The other is one of the finished projects that I never posted here:






Pattern: Drops Design Tailored Cardigan

Yarn: 8-9 skeins Knit Picks Andean Treasure, 100% Baby Alpaca, Granite Heather, 110 yds/ea

Needles: Addi Turbos, US 4

Knit Info: Everytime I wear this sweater my husband asks me, "Did you buy that sweater or make it?" :-) This yarn is really soft and couldn't have been a better substitution!!

Drizzley Day Goodness

No one has ever made me a scarf before - I got a little emotional when I opened up my package and saw the beautiful terracotta scarf. Helen made it from Jo Sharp Silk Road Aran - it so soft and mushy - a perfect PERFECT yarn.

I just love it.



How cute is that Koala?
Supercute sock yarn and a fantastic pin!!
The lemon myrtle soap smells heavenly - so many Australian goodies - I am so grateful!!

A good resource

I found great information on elann.com regarding Yarn Substitution.
And I've decided to start using my WPI tool more.





I tested it already for this pattern



I've got some silk that this would look great with - BUT I used my WPI tool and the yarn is a DIFFERENT GAUGE!


HA HA! I've never been so happy at being disappointed!

Here is the Rebecca Powder Jacket in Valley Yarns Longmeadow - I need to re-out the button situation for the front. The small snaps I used at first didn't work at all. Finished in 2006.

impatient and slow

I ripped out the Bonita shirt this morning.

When I got to the armholes yesterday, I took half of it off of the circular and measured.

It was three sizes too big.

I went to bed a defeated knitter, seemingly relegated to the endless knitting of the spiral top that still has 55 cm left on it.

I woke up this morning and checked the gauge of Bonita.

As much as I really want to use the green yarn, it's not the right gauge. I don't think that using a smaller needle will help - at least it's no guarantee.

I checked the yarn out that was used for the pattern.

I looked at the picture and it reminded me of another yarn that I have.

And then a

went off.

I mean I know that the gauge has to match... I never knit a gauge from the green yarn - it didn't come with one -and I just relied on the needle size to be the determinant.

I'm impatient - I just want to start knitting and have the completed project. NOW.

I'm slow - I just keep hitting my head against the wall of impatience until hurts - and I do have a high pain threshold.

This Elann yarn

- that I tried to use for Glee (originally originally used for an Interweave project that I ripped out) is the same gauge as the Bonita pattern.

Cloud Bolero

I went to Buffalo Exchange for the first time last week. I found a great black dress ($16!) in modal fabric: deep v, sleeveless, empire waist, with a tie in the back.

I knew immediately that I would need to knit a small cover for my shoulders. I looked through my Japanese pattern books and found some great patterns, but I couldn't figure out the instructions to save my life.

If anyone out there is willing to help me translate my Japanese patterns, let me know :-)

So I looked on Ravelry to see what other people had made and I found this pattern:



It actually looks very very pretty on the completed projects page with satin bow tie.

I destashed yesterday for charity. It was very liberating. Apparently I brought in the most yarn (so far). I won't say how much because it's a little embarassing (but I do need to say that there were several very heavy cones and quite a bit of cotton and at least Two Pounds of Love), but suffice it to say that I bought a pair of Addi Turbos and walked out with additional $$.

Lately, I've been waxing philosphic (in my own head) about yarn and projects (as I document them on Ravelry) and I'm thinking that I have definitely learned a lot and grown as a knitter. As my knitting friend, Michelle, donated her yarn to charity and so eloquently said, "WTH was I doing with 6 lbs of acrylic??!!"

The crap is now cleared out. And I'm feeling like I'm not really interested in stashing. When I first discovered The Yarn Lady's bag sales- I would go crazy to buy yarn. Other been-around-the-block knitters would say, "I just buy what I need for whatever project I want to do." Until now, it never made sense to me.

Usually projects that didn't work out well - I tried to substitute yarn - and do it economically*. I am finally seeing that patterns look good because of the fiber used - it's not just the gauge that's important. (*Economy will continue to be important!)

I would rather have fewer pieces that look good than a multitude of UGHs.

Mr. IT helped me a little with my blog title last night. It's not perfect - but getting closer to what I want!

I realized as I have been adding projects to Ravelry that I never posted pictures of several items on my blog. So starting tomorrow I'll show a new/old FO each day!

Thanks for your feedback!

Thanks to those who let me know that I should keep my day job of Ravelry peruser and leave the web design to someone who knows what they're doing.


As soon as I can pick someone's brain about how to get the font/image I want up there, I'll change it out. I could try and figure it out, but it would just take a long time, and I've got projects to document on Ravelry!


I have 61 projects currently. Three or four are missing photos. I just realized I forgot a project. Make that four or five.


So I guess I have 62.


I think today will be destashing day. The Yarn Lady is paying people to bring in their stash and donate it to charity. The irony is that a lot of the yarn I'll be bringing in is yarn from their bag sales. They are offering $1/lb.


Gonna work that cotton stash and maybe get a new pair of US4 Addis (since I have now sworn off garments for myself in any larger gauge). I am also mulling whether or not to get Knitting Nature.


My knitting friend Alice, in Atlanta, says I must knit a pattern from this book that has a spiral on the back. I went to Borders and looked at the book, I think she is referring to the Starfish Shawl - but I'm not sure.



For those who may be interested, there is a Knitting Nature Knit Along.

But be sure to check out the book's errata before casting on!

do you see this?

I was playing around with my blog yesterday

1. the navbar was cutting off the blog title
   
2. when I got a new computer, my blog title font changed and I never bothered to fix it.
   
3. I never really knew if anyone could see the font I could see anyway.

I downloaded a new curly font.

Do you see this at the top of the page, or is it just some plain font?

"Kiss your free time goodbye."

Well, my new best friend was somewhat accurate.

I was up very late last night entering my circulars into Ravelry and giving her the low down on yarn and fun in Europe. I also posted a question on what makes a double pointed needle a sock or standard length.

I had looked on Wikipedia, but couldn't find any definite information

Then I was up again this morning and finished entering in my straights and the nice people of Ravelry had replied with DPN length info - 6 inches or less makes a DPN sock. Above 6 inches would make DPN standard.

I still need to enter the DPNs and crochet hooks. I'm debating whether or not to add the additional metal and plastic SPNs and circulars - as they are all extraneous bonus needles that I only use on occasion on an as needed basis.

I'm making great progress on the fitted tank top. Front is done, back is about 1/4 done.

The spiral top is way too long to take a full-length picture - I think I'm very close to binding off and preparing to pin and stitch together.

And last, but certainly not least, what I love working on the most right now - it's flying off my needles. When I finish the third middle diamond repeat - I start the armholes!

for the love of all things IT

I received my invitation to Ravelry this morning and started perusing.

Everything is in Beta right now and this feature may not work, but I almost fell over when I saw this bit of ingenuity.

The idea is that "if you are on a US mobile network, you can text Ravelry and ask it what needles you have. Call 41411 and send the message 'ravelry [user name] needles [size].' For example, 'ravelry polarbears needles 5' gets you:"

Dangle Free

Not some pseudo bra burning anthem for men

But very cool handmade stitch markers by Hide and Sheep.

I've never understood the fascination with stitchmarkers that are like wine glass charms getting all in your yarn beesiness.

These are so beautiful, but I'm not sure how I'd use them.

And get out of town, this is so cute!

Organtic

I have a friend who came over to my house once with a bottle of wine.
She said, "I know that you're a Vegetarian, so I brought over a bottle of Organtic wine."
I said, "Oh, wow, I've never heard of that wine before."
She said, "Yeah, it's made from organtic grapes."

I don't remember what the wine tasted like, but I do know that Lion Brand's Organic Cotton Yarn is delicious.


I am making this Fitted Tank Top with the brown, Bark, color.



If you do ever use this pattern, be sure to read all the way to the end of the pattern where it says, "English explanation to pattern diagram," to get the chart translation - it's much easier than spending hours typing the Swedish, German, and Danish words into Google and trying to figure out how to translate them yourself. Just a suggestion.

Lion Brand also has a cute Cropped Raglan Sweater pattern for this yarn.

It would look equally as cute in another yarn or as a destashing project.




I'm thinking of using some leftover Bernat Cottontots in Sweet Cream, and maybe do the ribbed edgings in Strawberry.