Project Updates and Stash Enhancement

Some of the yarn I got for Christmas. This is alpaca sock yarn. How yum is that!?!

Knitpick Essential (soon to not be named Essential anymore so now it's a collector's item!) that Jason got me for Christmas. I looove the color. I think it's destined to be Monkey's.




The four above are all Manos del Uraguay The bright teal and the orangey one are their bulky wool, and the wine and the grey tones ones are the wool/silk blend. All four are sooo delicious to touch. Got these at a huge discount in Brevard at Charlotte's Fibers for her pre-Superbowl sale.


Also purchased at Charlotte's Fibers at the same sale, these are both JoJoLand Melody, and will made wonderful socks that do not have to match. Hooray!

Marie has made several of these really awesome ribbed vests that while they seem like endless knitting would be awesome for keeping warm. So I bought this Fibranatura Mermaid in a luscious red color to make one for me.

This seemingly tangled mess is destined to be a Colinette Absolutely Fabulous Throw, when I get the nerve to wind all that yarn and get started with miles of feather and fan.


The above are the fourth and fifth installments of the Seven Deadly S(p)ins club, Pride and Greed. Both of these I plan to finish, though at the rate I knit, who knows when I'll get to them.

My Malabrigo hat. I love the colors .. I think I could have made the hat a little bigger, though. but the thought of ripping out to make it bigger is so daunting. I know I should but .. ugh!

There actually has been a great deal of progress on the Wrapigan. I'm to the second armhole now .. just started the second ball of the yummy alpaca I'm using, and though I'm dreading binding off and casting on all those stitches, because then it's just another mile of stockinette before I can bind off and be done, it'll be so worth it to have this to throw on when I'm chilled.

One thing I'm sad about is that the end of the shaping part meas the end of using my cute little bee stitch marker. Jason got me these for Christmas. Six bees, plus a single rose. So cute!

This is a project I started just to use up some stash. It's Brooks Farm Duet in a deep foresty-green. I'm making one of those really simple triangle shawls .. for as long as the yarn will hold out. I have no idea if I have enough to make this any substantial size, but we'll see. If not .. well, I can always frog and try something else.

The sixth installment of the Seven Deadly S(p)ins club was Envy .. not Lust as I suspected it might be with Valentine's Day coming up. It's beautiful, though. Handwarmers. I can't wait to get these started!

I made this to be the cover for a rice-bag I haven't yet made. It'll be perfect for my stiff and sore neck though.

Bad, bad blogger.

I'm a bad blogger. I know I am. I've just had a lot going on, and most of the people that even care about my knitting actually see it weekly .. twice, some of them. but I need to get back into the routine of blogging. It's something I really enjoyed doing, after all.

So .. what have I done? Well, there's a surprise gift for a certain James, that I really need to get around to mailing .. and let me just randomly say that I love the spellchecker feature of the new Firefox version. It knows when I meant to capitalize something. I'm working on a sweater now .. that I've had to rip back more times than I care to think about, and it's still not gonna be perfect but dernit I'm not ripping back that far again. I've started a wrap with sleeves designed by Stitch Poet .. the Wrapigan .. and I'm loving it and the pure alpaca it's being knit it. just a loose enough gauge to be a little loose and luscious, but when it's worn and washed and blocked that yarn will bloom into fluffy yumminess, and I look forward to that.

Hmm. What else. Oh! I learned to crochet. Like really and truly learned, and even made something with my skillz! I was hating my hair one evening and crocheted a quick headband to keep my annoying flyaways from tickling my face. Go me! And all thanks to MissMe .. who never updates her blog but I forgive her because she's always so busy.

There's also a mystery project that I can't safely talk about because its recipient might actually read this, so I'll just have to say that it's coming along .. slowly but surely it's coming along. If I knit more than I played World of Warcraft it might be further along .. but that's my stress relief, for now.

SAFF is coming up fast. We need to get our hotel soon, because we're planning on making a weekend out of it. I know that with money tight I can't buy much .. and to be honest I don't need to buy much becuase I already have so much yarn. but I do want to pick up some stuff from The Unique Sheep, from Miss Babs, and from Brooks Farm. Other than that, I intend to just look and drool, and to find Annette at the booth for the Skein and Garment Competition and sit there and knit a while, so I won't be tempted to buy everything I see. I have a very large stash, honestly, and I don't need to go spending money I don't really have.

Speaking of Annette, she's going to have a baby! Which means I have a baby to knit for! Yay! Despite Marie attempting her baby juju on me, Jason and I have no desire for a family now, so the only baby knitting I get to do is either for charity, or for someone else's baby, so the fact that Annette is having a baby is a delight. And not only because it gives me someone to knit for .. more especially because she really wants a child and now is going to get that wish.

Success!

Look! I swatched something! And to make it even more astounding, I swatched it right!

This is the gauge swtach for my next big project. I'm going to make Ilga Leja's Sea Urchin, a very open top with 3/4 length sleeves and a Sea Foam Wave pattern that moves in two directions. It looks rediculously easy to knit .. which probably means it won't be, but hey. Can't blame a girl for dreaming, right? I'm making it out of some of the Peruvian Baby Silk from Elann, which is an alpaca/silk blend.



I finished the bag at last. It's a lovely little thing, too. It'll definitely get plenty of use, especially since it's stretchy. And it has renewed my desire to knit bags out of grocery bags, too. Talk about the perfectreusable grocery bag!

I have gotten many compliments on my Peacock Bag though. Granted, most of them were from family members .. but they count too! I know they wouldn't tell me if something looked like crap. But still .. it's nice to hear something really looks good.

Ravelry Details - Peacock Bag
Ravelry Details - Sea Urchin Top

Saturday Jason took me to the Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens. It was a lovely time. If I hadn't managed to drain my camera battery for the third time by leaving the camera attached to the computer, I could show you some of my favorite pictures. But since the battery is dead again ... I have to charge it. Again. I have to be able to take pictures of the flowerbeds in the front yard anyway, now that those are completely planted.

So much to do.

Perhaps now that I don't have schoolwork to do, and likely won't until at -least- Fall 08 and perhaps even Spring 09, I can get more knitting done. I have so many projects I want to do, as is evidenced by my Ravelry Queue and my list of stuff On Deck.


There has been much knitting however. I'm still working on my second Wicked-themed dishcloth .. I'm about a pattern repeat from finishing that one. But I have other dishcloths finished too; more of my ecospun and cotton ones.


Details on Ravelry

There is also the sweater I do intend to finish at some point. I'd like to maybe have it done by SAFF this year, but I'm not making any promises. I bought the yarn two years ago, started a sweater and got halfway through before I hated the design and the pattern and ripped it out, so .. we'll see. I have swatched though.


Details on Ravelry

I'm still plugging away on my Gluttony socks. A good thing too, because the new Seven Deadly S(p)ins project is on its way to us. I was -hoping- it'd arrive today, but they likely did not get shipped until yesterday, and I don't think Ellen shipped them overnight. Sigh.


Details on Ravelry

WIP - Gluttony Socks and FO - Pink Goes Good With Green Dishcloth

I was inspired, by my trip to see Wicked last Friday in Charlotte, to create something in Wicked colors. I didn't have green and Black, but I did have green and pink.


And thus was born the Pink Goes Good With Green dishcloth. I used the Ballband Dishcloth pattern from the Mason-Dixon girls, and I think it looks pretty good. a little Easter-y, a little cherry tree blossoms in spring, a little pink dogwood-y. But I like it. And I knitted it while at the show .. though not during. That would be silliness.



I also finished a sock. Not a pair. I haven't yet cast on the second one, though I'd best get to it if I intend to finish before the next Sin arrives.


If I were to re-knit it, I'd move the arch shaping a bit, and maaaybe make the foot a little longer, but we'll see how they wear.

Once I'm finished.

FO - Sock Blocker Keychain

Details on Ravelry

I figure if I can knit a sock this tiny, it's time for me to try a real one.

FO - Heartstrings' Beaded Smoke Ring

I finished this a long time ago .. not long after we got back from Spain in August. But I never took pictures. So .. here 'tis.




Details on Ravelry

FO Alert!

I actually finished something .. and something for myself!


Don't mind the priority mail box beneath it. I'm not about to ship them off anywhere. I just have been mailing things like a fiend today, and didn't think to move it before I snapped the photos.



Details on Ravelry

In which she discovers a new obsession.

Jason bought Brandon and myself a gift certificate to the Local LYS for 1 weaving class and 1-week's rental of an Ashford Knitters Loom. The class, because he of course wanted to learn as well, was scheduled for his day off .. which so happened to be yesterday. Two great things in one week ... I'm spoiled, dontcha know!

So yesterday, after I worked my morning complete with surprise visit from my boss (who said my store looks great and I'm doing a great job) and Jason working the first half of the day (because the salesmen won't stop selling cars, the fools. I mean, what do they think this is, a car dealership or something?) we headed up to Pineville to The Yarn Shop. After some creative 3-point-parallel-parking (so dubbed by Brandon) I headed in, to find my beloved already there, and we got started.

I don't think it counts as cheating on one's yarn diet if one -had- to buy yarn for a class she already had planned, does it? Anyway, we all picked out our yarn, and I got myself some gorgeous Berroco Ultra Alpaca in a heathered forest green (6276 - Woodland Forest), and some Noro Silver Thaw in a beautiful green/purple/pink/grey combination. I used the alpaca, of course, for the warp, being as it's smooth and lends itself to such, and the Noro for the weft. And it's weaving beautifully. Jason picked a black/white combination of beautiful soft alpaca and I believe alpaca/silk, but don't hold me to it. And Brandon's weaving with a pair of Berroco Ultra Alpaca varieties - Light Grey (6206) and Prune Mix (6284). My scarf, being as it has a non-solid yarn, looks wholly different than theirs, but it's a nice difference for me.




So, I got a bit done before we even left the store .. which was three hours later. Brandon actually got to learn how to tie in after refilling the shuttle before we left .. Jason and I hadn't gotten to that point. We also learned how to fold the looms for travelling with them and off we went. We decided to go to dinner at Monsoon, a local Thai place we love, and as usual were not disappointed. After a brief trip to Brandon's momma's house to drop off the deep fryer they gave us which quit working somewhere around the third or fourth use, so she could have it replaced, we headed home for honey to finish his homework and then I stayed up after everyone had gone to bed, weaving. I got quite a bit done .. had to fill the shuttle twice while I watched NCIS.

Don't mind the tv in the background playing Rent. I'm a bit obsessed at the moment.

I forgot to post about my finished Red Scaf Projects scarves!

Guilty

Amy posted her guilty pleasure (Flicity) today, so I figure I can at the very least fess up on my own.


Angel.

Oh, how I loved Angel. Hated Buffy mind you, but I adored Angel ... and not -just- because David Boreanaz (holy shite I just typed that right without looking it up first!) is very nearly the hottest man on earth.

No, I liked it because of its campy, over-the-top-ness. I loved the cheesy dialogue, the predictable plotlines .. I loved it all.

At least now I get to watch David being all surly and sexy in Bones.



Ahem.

In other news, I finished scarf #2 for the Red Scarf Project. Me! She of the incomplete projects, finished not one but two whole scarves. And if I didn't have so much schoolwork I might just start a third. I might anyway .. maybe. I've another skein of the Italia eye-lash I used for the bias scarf, but I might keep that around. Valentine's Day's a-coming, and I might need it to make a gift instead

Right now, this moment, all I have on my needles is Candleflame, which I actually have a good amount of work done but it's still a very long way from completed, and my sweater, which I really want to finish. But I also want to make some fun-fur hats for Boston Children's Hospital.. I'm frustrated by my complete lack of useful circular needles right now though. All of mine are like 29", and that's just not feasible for making a hat in the round, and I don't have any DPN's higer than a 6. I guess I'll try that next, though I don't relish the thought of knitting fun-fur on 6's.

Not a Knitter

That is what my husband says .. he's not a knitter. Oh, he knows how to knit and all .. but he's not a knitter. But this is what my 'not a knitter' husband knit lastnight. Double-stranded Tahki New Tweed in colors 14 (black with purple and orange flecks) and 27 (purple/black multi with orange flecks).



And .. why yes, that -is- an advance copy of Open Season. A perk for working for the movie studios is occasionally they send us goodies. :)

In my own knitting news, I have completed my first Red Scarf. I so want to keep it for myself, as despite being acrylic it is snuggly and soft and warm, and longer than I am tall! I used a modification of the Irish Hiking Scarf pattern, with only two cables instead of three because I wanted it to be nice and long and had limited yarn to work with. I think it looks lovely, don't you?




I'm now working on Red Scarf #2, which I will hopefully finish before January 25th so I can mail them off. I'm making this one out of Yarn Bee Italia - one of the many store-brand novelty yarns at Hobby Lobby, but admittedly one of my favorites. I'm using a pattern I found in a recent Knitter's magazine, one that makes it look almost like it's actually crocheted. It uses p4tog though, which is much more difficult than it needs to be. I'm managing though.





In that last photo .. you see the little skinny sticks, with butterflies on the end? Those are size 0000 needles. I need said needles for the bracelet kit my beloved got me for christmas. Yes, they are as tiny as they look, but I'm oddly excited to be knitting on them. :)

More Booga

I got poked at by Kelly, who reminded me that though I posted pictures of the finished Booga, I didn't get good enough pictures because of Isis interference.

So I managed to get some more pictures, since the feline beast of cuteness is perched elsewhere at the moment ... I'm not completely sure where, but I'm certain it's someplace warm.

The colors are a little less bright than this .. I blame the horrible lighting in my house. Someday, I'll replace this awful fixture with a good overhead light.


A couple shots of the strap, which doesn't show it perfectly, but more or less, this is how it looks. The grey kinda got lost in the fuscia .. probably because the grey yarn is much thinner .. almost laceweight I think. I'd have to double that with a strand of the fuscia to get them equal I think .. I'm gonna play around with it and see what works best before I make the second one with this yarn.