to bead myself a wrist strap for the new crackberry. A couple of weeks ago, I read this post and watched the embedded video about why one might need a wrist strap. A couple of days later, I was watching the Caps at Verizon Center and someone on the other team committed a penalty. I think it was tripping. Anyways, up went my hand and immediately the thought of "If I had let go of the phone...omg I need a wrist strap!"
I'm off to Albany this weekend where I could see this happening again. I have the beads I need to make this with. I'd best get started so I can be done by Friday.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sunday, March 01, 2009
March goals
Wow, setting some goals for myself, amazing! Well, first, I want to finish my sunflower. I've got class scheduled for 2 weeks from now so I need to take pictures and write out the instructions. Corresponding to the weekend of class, I need to submit one of my applications and one of their essays is unique. They ask you to describe yourself and you can submit the "essay" in any media format, as long as it's non-perishable and isn't some sort of CD, DVD, etc. So, When I put this sunflower together, I'm sending it in.
I also want to finish making Dianne Fitzgerald's "A Time for Teapots. Those mini teapots are so cute. I need to make myself a whole tea service.
On the knitting front, I'm going to keep working on the Hydrangea scarf. But for larger needle, mindless knitting, I'm thinking of the Yoke Pullover from Vogue Knitting Winter 2005/2006 with some grey Berrocco Peruvia.
I also want to finish making Dianne Fitzgerald's "A Time for Teapots. Those mini teapots are so cute. I need to make myself a whole tea service.
On the knitting front, I'm going to keep working on the Hydrangea scarf. But for larger needle, mindless knitting, I'm thinking of the Yoke Pullover from Vogue Knitting Winter 2005/2006 with some grey Berrocco Peruvia.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Decreasing the yarn stash
I finished Buttony!
It seems like everytime I'm taking a picture, I'm in those pajama pants!
The yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky.
Well...it's superwash which is why it didn't feel quite like wool and I couldn't spit splice. Definitely a bulky knit and it went fast. Not sure if I would use this yarn again, I didn't feel anything positive or negative about it and it definitely didn't turn me on.
I originally had 15 balls of yarn but used 3 of them to make Esme. I bought those 15 balls for about $24 at MD S&W one year. I ended up having to buy another 3 balls of yarn for another $24 to finish this sweater, otherwise it would've been sleeveless. I have a slight dyelot issue here. It's noticeable if you know what to look for and where. If anyone asks, I will just tell you that it's the lighting and a trick of your eyes.
The pattern: Buttony
Not the best written pattern. It's more like an outline of what she did. After hearing the general background of how she doesn't really want to be a designer from Amber, it makes some sense. There was definitely a gauge swatch involved and I did have to start over after a couple of rows because the initial neckline that I cast on was too small. I added some waist shaping here and made it much more form fitting than what may have been originally intended. The instructions also say to knit to 12 buttonholes. I only made 11 buttonholes since 12 would have been way too long.
It seems like everytime I'm taking a picture, I'm in those pajama pants!
The yarn: Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky.
Well...it's superwash which is why it didn't feel quite like wool and I couldn't spit splice. Definitely a bulky knit and it went fast. Not sure if I would use this yarn again, I didn't feel anything positive or negative about it and it definitely didn't turn me on.
I originally had 15 balls of yarn but used 3 of them to make Esme. I bought those 15 balls for about $24 at MD S&W one year. I ended up having to buy another 3 balls of yarn for another $24 to finish this sweater, otherwise it would've been sleeveless. I have a slight dyelot issue here. It's noticeable if you know what to look for and where. If anyone asks, I will just tell you that it's the lighting and a trick of your eyes.
The pattern: Buttony
Not the best written pattern. It's more like an outline of what she did. After hearing the general background of how she doesn't really want to be a designer from Amber, it makes some sense. There was definitely a gauge swatch involved and I did have to start over after a couple of rows because the initial neckline that I cast on was too small. I added some waist shaping here and made it much more form fitting than what may have been originally intended. The instructions also say to knit to 12 buttonholes. I only made 11 buttonholes since 12 would have been way too long.
Monday, February 23, 2009
National Pancake Day at IHOP!
http://www.ihoppancakeday.com/
Free shortstack from 7am to 10pm. Of course, they would like you to donate the cost of the shortstack to Children's Miracle Network.
Free shortstack from 7am to 10pm. Of course, they would like you to donate the cost of the shortstack to Children's Miracle Network.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Buttony progress
The lighting was dark, but whatever. I just wanted to try it on, and take a picture and see how it looked. And now you all can see how it looks as well. I'm now working off of two different dye lots of the yarn.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Spinning a garden
I borrowed Lorenzo (a Majacraft Suzie) from Helena to reacquaint myself with the wheel. This is going to be a purchase with my tax refund. The wheel spins like a dream. The fiber I'm using is some Blue Faced Leicester from Frabjous Fibers that I bought at Rhinebeck from Susan's Fiber Shop. The colorway is called Cottage Garden.
I've been very much inspired by javajem's spinning adventures. It's really amazing to see what the fiber looks like in roving form and what it looks like after it's been spun and plied.
Around the time of Rhinebeck, I had also seen some scarf patterns, My So Called Scarf being an example, that really made use of varigated yarns with very different colors. At Rhinebeck, I was on a budget and a quest. I wanted to find a roving painted in different enough colors that the end result may not necessarily be what I expect it to be. And then, it would be knit up into something like My So Called Scarf. I came home with this.
I've just begun spinning but upon beginning, I realized that the color segments were long enough that I could spin up a large section of each color and navajo ply for long stretches of color. Of course, there will be some mixing since I haven't quite got down how to separate each color in the plying but it should be interesting.
The fiber itself is easy enough to spin. It's soft and quite yummy.
I've been very much inspired by javajem's spinning adventures. It's really amazing to see what the fiber looks like in roving form and what it looks like after it's been spun and plied.
Around the time of Rhinebeck, I had also seen some scarf patterns, My So Called Scarf being an example, that really made use of varigated yarns with very different colors. At Rhinebeck, I was on a budget and a quest. I wanted to find a roving painted in different enough colors that the end result may not necessarily be what I expect it to be. And then, it would be knit up into something like My So Called Scarf. I came home with this.
I've just begun spinning but upon beginning, I realized that the color segments were long enough that I could spin up a large section of each color and navajo ply for long stretches of color. Of course, there will be some mixing since I haven't quite got down how to separate each color in the plying but it should be interesting.
The fiber itself is easy enough to spin. It's soft and quite yummy.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Ivel sleeves
Worsted weight cashmere on size 4 needles. I have to stop every couple of rows to rest my hands but the fabric this creates is stiff and firm. I'm enjoying knitting this so far, and it's not just because this is cashmere. The finished product is going to look amazing.
I bought the first iteration of this pattern and am waiting impatiently for the errata. She should be releasing a second version with the various corrections by the end of the month. The pattern begins with the sleeves and there's a length to be knit on the sleeves before I hit the increase/decrease section so I figure that I'm good until I receive the next iteration of the pattern.
I bought the first iteration of this pattern and am waiting impatiently for the errata. She should be releasing a second version with the various corrections by the end of the month. The pattern begins with the sleeves and there's a length to be knit on the sleeves before I hit the increase/decrease section so I figure that I'm good until I receive the next iteration of the pattern.
Hat and Scarf Set
Before I took this picture, I had to apologize to the bear. See, he's a he. And I'm putting a girly hat and scarf on his head. But he's my best model!
The hat is Gretal and the scarf is My So Called Scarf.
The yarn for both is Madeline Tosh Worsted in the Ox Blood colorway. I absolutely LOVE (LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!) the yarn. When I picked it up, I was unable to put it back down. It was soft and squishy. It is definitely something I would knit with again.
Monday, February 09, 2009
I'm doing...
- A sunflower. It's part of my summer wreath series. I have an autumn berry wreath that I hang on my door in the autumn. I'd really like to have a wreath for each season. I'm starting with a summer wreath with lavender and sunflowers. The sunflower will be there soon.
- Ivel - I cast on for the sleeves but it is on hold. Apparently, I have version 1 of the pattern and there are MANY mistakes in it. I'll be receiving a copy of version 2 when she has it ready. It's supposed to be soon...like this week or next.
- Buttony - knitting, knitting along! 55 yards per ball, it is definitely possible to knit a ball a day.
- Hydrangea - I need to get back to it.
- Ivel - I cast on for the sleeves but it is on hold. Apparently, I have version 1 of the pattern and there are MANY mistakes in it. I'll be receiving a copy of version 2 when she has it ready. It's supposed to be soon...like this week or next.
- Buttony - knitting, knitting along! 55 yards per ball, it is definitely possible to knit a ball a day.
- Hydrangea - I need to get back to it.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Buttony - the beginning
I started on Buttony. It's a good exercise in making your own top down raglan. There is no gauge in the pattern and the directions are really general. So, um, yeah...there's some improvisation going on here. I'm also not sure if I have enough yarn. I'm hoping I have enough to make 3/4 length sleeves. I did find someone on ravelry who has the color I'm using but a slightly different dye lot.
THANK YOU, CAPITALS! *clap*clap*clapclapclap*
Those of us in ravelry's Washington Capitals group have been talking about doing a Sticks n' Stitches event for a couple of years now. The difficult part has been getting any sort of feedback from either the sales office or TNNA to make it an official event like Stitch n' Pitch has been. Others in other cities have been more successful. So I took it upon myself to just get a group together and get tickets. So, this past Sunday afternoon, we met up, we watched a game, we cheered and some knitting was done. I think others may have gotten more knitting done than me. I forgot my camera but lolly did take some pictures. I'm unsure of what my plans are the second half of the year but I think it would be fun to organize a more wide reaching hockey/knitting event early next season. With the Capitals so hot, it's so damn hard to get a large set of group tickets at the end of the season! Good think I already have tickets to the last regular season game!
Why the subject line "THANK YOU, CAPTIALS! *clap*clap*clapclapclap*"? Well, on Sunday, Papa John's began a new promotion with the Caps. It's similar to the Redskins promo. Applying only to Sunday games, on Monday, you can buy a large pizza for $9.99 and for every goal the Caps score, you get one free topping. Double if they win. Well, the final score of the day was 7-4 Caps.
tomato x 2
grilled chicken x 2
banana peppers x 2
mushrooms x 2
onions x 2
sausage x 2
green peppers x 2
Why the subject line "THANK YOU, CAPTIALS! *clap*clap*clapclapclap*"? Well, on Sunday, Papa John's began a new promotion with the Caps. It's similar to the Redskins promo. Applying only to Sunday games, on Monday, you can buy a large pizza for $9.99 and for every goal the Caps score, you get one free topping. Double if they win. Well, the final score of the day was 7-4 Caps.
tomato x 2
grilled chicken x 2
banana peppers x 2
mushrooms x 2
onions x 2
sausage x 2
green peppers x 2
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Esme
I've completed the hattrick with 2 days to spare. 3 skeins of Debbie Bliss Merino Chunky. I have enough left over of the last skein to begin swatching for Buttony.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Watch a little hockey, knit a little more
It's NHL All Star weekend and I finally remember it ahead of time! This means that I've been parked in front of my tv enjoying the festivities :)
Along the way, I've made some progress on the Hydrangea Scarf. Susan Pandorf is brilliant. There were parts of the instructions that were a little confusing but the result is amazing. I'm using Just Our Yarns Myne. It's cashmere laceweight. It's really on the thin side of lace weight but I think that and the color adds in to create the effect I'm trying to achieve.
The white line is my life line. This is a lace every row type of pattern so there is NO room for mistakes. This is a challenge that I've thrown out to some of the Sweet Life Knitters and the knitters at Bead Obsessions and I'm really glad that people of all knitting levels took me up on it.
In other knitting news, I've been in a bit of a funk. I think it's because I'm knitting Hydrangea but I need some socks and something worsted on the needles. I haven't found a new sock to knit so it's been a week or so since I haven't had a sock on the needles. As for worsted...I'm still in a bit of a funk but I think I'm slowly finding my way. I'm going more towards bulky than worsted though. I'm swatching for Ivel and I'm considering a quick knit in Buttony. When I realized that Buttony wouldn't use as much yarn as I anticipated, I realized that I could use to bulky to make another hat as part of the Puck This! January Hattrick knit along. I had seen a lot of hat patterns but they're mostly using bulky and now I have bulky! So here's the start of the hat. I make the brim first and then pick up stitches to make the actual hat part.
Along the way, I've made some progress on the Hydrangea Scarf. Susan Pandorf is brilliant. There were parts of the instructions that were a little confusing but the result is amazing. I'm using Just Our Yarns Myne. It's cashmere laceweight. It's really on the thin side of lace weight but I think that and the color adds in to create the effect I'm trying to achieve.
The white line is my life line. This is a lace every row type of pattern so there is NO room for mistakes. This is a challenge that I've thrown out to some of the Sweet Life Knitters and the knitters at Bead Obsessions and I'm really glad that people of all knitting levels took me up on it.
In other knitting news, I've been in a bit of a funk. I think it's because I'm knitting Hydrangea but I need some socks and something worsted on the needles. I haven't found a new sock to knit so it's been a week or so since I haven't had a sock on the needles. As for worsted...I'm still in a bit of a funk but I think I'm slowly finding my way. I'm going more towards bulky than worsted though. I'm swatching for Ivel and I'm considering a quick knit in Buttony. When I realized that Buttony wouldn't use as much yarn as I anticipated, I realized that I could use to bulky to make another hat as part of the Puck This! January Hattrick knit along. I had seen a lot of hat patterns but they're mostly using bulky and now I have bulky! So here's the start of the hat. I make the brim first and then pick up stitches to make the actual hat part.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Ponder
Ponder ponder ponder ponder. and reading more from the book of yarn.
The stitch is essentially a play on stockinette stitch. I'm knitting with cashmere. Cashmere is inelastic but will eventually stretch out. Raglan construction. Hmmm...will this combination work? I was really hoping for a seam to help hold its shape.
Ponder ponder ponder. Ponder ponder ponder. Ponder ponder ponder.
ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder
Hmmmmm....
The stitch is essentially a play on stockinette stitch. I'm knitting with cashmere. Cashmere is inelastic but will eventually stretch out. Raglan construction. Hmmm...will this combination work? I was really hoping for a seam to help hold its shape.
Ponder ponder ponder. Ponder ponder ponder. Ponder ponder ponder.
ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder ponder
Hmmmmm....
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The never ending cashmere
I'm not sure how I feel about the Juno cardigan. I'm not a big fan of a ribbed body which is what Juno is. However, I've been toying around with the idea of making a jacket. This jacket
This is Ivel
This is Ivel
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inauguration Day 2009
Some might call it the "Barack Obama Day". I'm sitting comfortably on my couch with heat, indoor plumbing, donuts, and tv in HD in my pajamas. Working from home and nursing my cold. Excellent
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
New Year, New Glasses, Finished Things
Well, happy new year! It's a little late but hey, I'm also delayed. The holidays are usually a little chaotic and when you throw in a visit from your cousin immediately following the chaos...it leaves you tired with a cold.
I got new glasses:
It definitely changes up the look.
I also finished a couple of things:
As part of the ravelry Puck This group's January Hat Trick knitalong, everyone is attempting to knit 3 hats in January! This one is most likely getting donated to the troops since that style is not quite my style.
I also finished:
Another pair of socks. A little too Christmasy.
I got new glasses:
It definitely changes up the look.
I also finished a couple of things:
As part of the ravelry Puck This group's January Hat Trick knitalong, everyone is attempting to knit 3 hats in January! This one is most likely getting donated to the troops since that style is not quite my style.
I also finished:
Another pair of socks. A little too Christmasy.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Thursday, January 01, 2009
Stashalong 2009
The object of the game is to have a net loss of yarn. My starting point (from ravelry):
67642.2 yards of stuff
121 items in my stash
4 items to trade/sell
10 items in handspun
The idea is that by 1/1/2010, I need to have less yardage and fewer items in stash than this. Handspun is a little iffy because it's a 2 step process, first spin the fiber and then knit up the yarn. With the handspun, I'll be making slower process since I want to sell my Ashford Traveller and buy a Majacraft so...we'll see.
67642.2 yards of stuff
121 items in my stash
4 items to trade/sell
10 items in handspun
The idea is that by 1/1/2010, I need to have less yardage and fewer items in stash than this. Handspun is a little iffy because it's a 2 step process, first spin the fiber and then knit up the yarn. With the handspun, I'll be making slower process since I want to sell my Ashford Traveller and buy a Majacraft so...we'll see.
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