four-day weekend

I took Friday off from knitting, I mean working.

But, I haven't done much knitting.
I've done a lot of sleeping. Cleaning. Moving appliances. Eating potato chips and onion dip in bed while watching, "Shrinking the World's Heaviest Man." That was my dinner last night.


I started this project two Thursdays ago.







This is my second Tura Maeve.
They've made the pattern corrections since the first time I made it.
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport, four skeins.
Needles: Knit Picks Circular US 4.

Just finished putting the buttons on today.

I cast on for these socks yesterday, using Argosy Luxury Yarns, Hannah Sport in Latte & Roses. I tried a lace pattern, but it didn't please me. Plus the K1, P1 ribbing was loosey-goosey.

So I ripped it out and did a twisted K1, P1 and stockinette to let the beautiful yarn colors be displayed.

Ahh much better.


Here is the yarn that my sister-in-law got me for my birthday (months ago...)!

Rio de la Plata.
She also gave me a book!


While I was buying buttons for the baby dress yesterday, I HAD to wander over to the yarn section. Lookie what I founded!

I'm thinking of making a pair of socks that I can wear with flip flops - you know, the kind with the separate big toe?!

impromptu baby gift

For one of Dave's co-workers.
Errr...rather for her impending bundle of joy.

Hat, socks, yarn.
US2, knitpicks 32" circular, magic loop method.

what I get paid to do

Get-together Cable Socks
Moda Dea Washable Wool
US 2/US 5
Very soft!


Adrienne's Lace Wrap/Afghan
...what I knit while I sit in front of the command center hotline waiting for issues to be called in.



Sure...it looks pretty nice on the outside.


But I'm having a hard time with the finish work - the bias tape and elastic look ridiculous.
I haven't touched in this in about three weeks.

another moment of weakness

rowan kidsilk spray
$9.30/skein @purl soho

intended for lucetta

Knot A Problem!

Hey Ravelers!!

Wanna join my group?

A group for people who love to untangle or detangle skeins of yarn that are in a big, giant, tangled mess!

I started reading posts on Ravelry about people who got so frustrated when their yarn tangled - and then others' responses about how to get through it and tips and tricks - that's when I realized that I wasn't alone!

I have always enjoyed creating structure in chaos, I think that's why it's so satisfying for me to work on messed up ball of yarn.

A year or so ago, a knitting friend had a big pile of silk that she spent a lot of money on. She said that her daughter offered to "help" her wind it up.

Well, it became a pile of knots before she knew it, so I offered to untangle it for her - it took four hours.

As much as I love untangling, its only drawback is the time that taken away from knitting.

There's been discussion regarding offering our services... it will be interesting to see what happens!

Dear Gmail "Hackers,"

All the time and energy that you put into creating a spambot to send an email from my account to everyone that I ever sent, received, or thought about sending an email to could have been better spent creating something like this:

A gift for my RPG-loving friend, Andy:

d4, with stuck and stitched on felt numbers.

A housewarming gift for my friend, Adrienne:



Lion Brand Lace Wrap, converted into an Afghan.

A gift for ME!



Butterfly, take two...the first one, even though I did three different and separate gauge swatches, was WAY too big.

I actually find knitting very therapeutic, especially when I've spent the day explaining to multiple people that no, I am not trying to sell them electronics, and while I spend four hours of my evening uninstalling and installing anti-virus software, and scanning my home laptop for viruses.

Apparently I have no right to feel that I received any special attention from you, because other people in this great world wide web have had been the recipient of your talents as well.

In case you haven't read about yourself, here are the links:

One angry, and now extremely cautious gmail user.

You've been working on your UFO for a long time!

The board post I was searching for all day yesterday, but didn't find until today, when I read about another Ravelry user having her gmail hacked yesterday, too.

Where people can post comments on your FO.

Maybe some day you'll be turn your cracker skills into something productive for the world.
--S

Dear Knit Picks Options,

Why are you so pointy?

Granted, I am a pusher...

But, there is no warning label on your package for impalement due to repeated pressure on the points of your small skewers.

--S

how I spent my 4th of July

watching a four hour movie about Tom Petty (and the Heartbreakers)

finishing the Torrey Pines Great Plains Socks (the name has changed because I finished the second sock while helping my husband with his great plains software upgrade on July 3)


finishing the noname cardigan (more info and pictures once washed)


watching live from abbey road (panic at the disco, david gray, suzanne vega)

casting on for cabled socks with my JoAnn Fabrics $1.97 clearance Moda Dea Washable Wool (score! 2 yellow, 2 orange)


watching a movie about the Pixies reunion tour (one degree of separation - my old boyfriend painted Kim/Kelly Deal's parents' house)

Next Up:


I will be swatching today for Butterfly (really? you haven't bought it yet? ;-) ) using the very pretty Laurel.

crick in my neck

My neck had been hurting for about four days before we went to the U.S. Open.

Mrs. Smartypants decided to wear a hooded sweatshirt and bring knitting - I knit watching golf at home, why not knit and watch live?

I stored the yarn in the handwarmer pouch of the sweatshirt.

I thought I was all that AND a bag of chips.

I'm calling these Torrey Pines socks - I started on two circulars - but now that my new KnitPicks US2 32" - I'll be finishing them on those!

It was a lot more interesting than I had expected - we got to see lots of famous golfers.

The biggest surprise was VJ Singh - he is much thinner in person!!

On the bus ride back to our car, I sat next to Dave and put my head in his lap for a nap.

When I awoke, I couldn't turn my head - you know the kind - the kind that has you reaching for the largest dose of pain killer available in your purse.

We went to dinner with some friends that night and I had to apologize for looking like I had a stick up my a$$. Everytime I needed to turn and look at somebody, I had to do a full-on body turn.

Two weeks later - it still hurts - everyone at work is amazed, "It STILL hurts?"

Yesterday I told the doctor that I work all day on a computer, and then I go home and knit all night - my lifestyle isn't really conducive to NOT having a stiff neck.

The doctor said that it just takes time to heal - gave me a prescription for muscle relaxants, and neck exercises, and a physical therapy prescription if I wanted it.

I don't really have time to be going to physical therapy - there are 48 days to Go Live - and only 50% of the documentation is completed.

And I told the doctor that I've never taken muscle relaxants - so I'm opting for the exercises, ice, and pain reliever.

I am hoping I have enough of my cone of yarn to finish this nonameyet cardigan:

It's hard to make out what the mess is - I'm knitting it from the bottom up - and I just attached the sleeves. Now I'm decreasing for raglan sleeves.

I created the pattern using my Knitware software - and it states that I need to decrease on every third row - so I had to do a bunch of research this weekend to make sure that I was going to do decreases on the purl side with the correct slant.

And I already have two additional projects lined up.

I'm going to do

Butterfly with this yarn:

Knit Picks Shine Worsted in Laurel

It's much more green than I expected!

And my friend finally picked out her yarn for a blanket that I want to make her for her new home.

She likes this pattern - so I'm going to convert it into a blanket using the yarn that the pattern calls for - Lion Brand Cotton Ease, Charcoal.

deja vu all over again

sorry, I'm hijacking the usual knitting content for some smart stuff

Milan, 14 months ago

South Orange County, 13 months after registering, and today premium gas was $4.64!!

ok back to the usual knitting stuff

yarn goodness

Crystal Palace Yarn, Panda Cotton, which is a misnomer, because the highest fiber content is Bamboo.

This is to recreate a pair of socks that I bought at The Limited, when I was in high school. The socks are still in great shape, I just want another pair!!

33

the number of grams of the yellow yarn that remained when I finished



Windowpane sock #1

this is a good thing!
there are 50 g in the CC skein.

I was pretty worried that I wouldn't have enough for the second sock.
So, I weighed it before I started and before I cut the skein.

And this is the afghan I finished for my mother-in-law over Memorial Day weekend.



I really do know how to use the flash.
It's just really hard to try and show the detail of these afghans because of the crazy yarns that are used.
This mix of yarns were two colours of Homespun that she picked out herself.

a magical memorial day

When I woke up this morning, a little before 10 a.m., I lounged in bed, my favourite thing to do, and then I thought to myself, "What better way to spend my day off than learning The Magic Loop method for knitting socks!"

I pulled out:

• The Magic Loop book that I purchased last year.
• My KnitPicks 32" US 3 circular needle.
• A left over skein of Argosy Luxury Yarns Lotus Blossom (from my Spiral Boot sock)

I proceeded to, don't fall over, read the directions.
And then I, don't fall over again, followed the instructions.

I practiced and practiced and then decided that I would KICK it up a notch!
I wanted to learn how to cast on for a toe up sock using the magic loop method.

I flipped to the back of the book and began to read the instructions.
They didn't make any sense to me.

So I went to Ravelry to find a different cast on method for the magic loop and

1. Read my mesages.
2. Read the replies to my posts {other ravelers want to join my group!}.
3. Searched for Douceur et Soie yarn - was anyone selling their stash? because I need about 7 skeins of a mohair/silk blend for Lucetta and Rowan's Kid Silk Haze is a bit pricey.
4. Searched for Douceur et Soie yarn online - who sells it? what's the best price?
5. Remembered that I had originally gone to Ravelry to find a better way to cast on other than the Figure 8 method.
6. Searched on the Ravelry Wiki pages for cast on methods, didn't find anything.
7. Went to the Forums and searched for "Figure 8 cast on."
8. Found posts in the Magic Loop Group - people were singing the praises of Judy's Magic Cast-On.

I asked Dave to help me because I couldn't figure it out.
I went back to The Magic Loop instructions, and suddenly it all made sense!

I'm thrilled! I just pulled on the loose stitches to get them tighter and I'm swooning!

this time with flash

before I ripped, I checked to see how other ravelers' windowpane socks were going.

some VERY smart knitter used a larger needle

so as I was ripping and feeling sorry for myself, I got down to the last two rows before the ribbing and decided to pick up the stitches with a US2

I'm happy to say that things are going much better

it's still a little tight over my heel, but I'm going to continue

windowpane, take 2

finished, and R.I.P.

Finished: Warm Thoughts, Paton design,
Patons Decor in Aran and Chocolate
US 11
Mailed priority to my father on a Saturday, received on a Monday!


R.I.P.: Windowpane Socks
Interweave Knits Summer 08
Koigu KPPM in Charcoal and a pretty speckled yellow
US 1

won' t.fit.over.my.heel.

I'm on my last skein for the afghan for Norma.

I'm off now to find a new project.

loving lilac lace

I should have had my photographer snap FOs of me giving myself a pedicure:

Drops Design 74-2
Yarn: Cascade Pima Melange (discontinued), 4 skeins
Needles: US 6, 7, and 3

Modifications:
Omitted the lace pattern #1 on the back.
Substituted two yarn overs with garter on either side for the straps (the pattern called for garter stitch only).

Front detail:

Back detail:

Entire front detail:

Seeing as how it was 98 degrees today, I'm now officially ready for summer.

And Qatar, take two:

Please don't hate me, SophiaRowan, the flag is slightly larger than the specs.
Anyone know how to shrink acrylic?

lilac lace love

lace detail

front finished


I just bound off about 20 minutes ago.
yesterday I couldn't cast on fast enough, now I can't wait to finish!
I went down needle sizes to get a better gauge and knit the size M.
I'm going to alter the straps, which are supposed to be done in garter. I'm thinking that the lace is so pretty that it should continue up the straps somehow.
Other than that - followed the pattern in its entirety.

lilac change

this yarn





was originally meant for this project







but when searching this morning on ravelry for a pattern for this yarn







I saw this pattern







and couldn't cast on fast enough

any guesses?

as to why I'll doing another flag for Qatar?

C'mon...did you all notice right away and not have the heart to tell me?

I can handle it.

Really.

Qatar Flag, Take Two.

Welcome Back Qatar

Unblocked in all its curliness.

Seriously, this took me a few hours.

Make a flag. Or just promote peace the best way you know how.