~ [Shadkitty Knitty] ~

Dec 31, 2006

Knit in the New Year

Okay, so I've decided I don't want to necessarily bore you with my New Year's resolutions. Especially because it was four pages handwritten, two typed.

I do want to tell you I have started the second Thuja sock. Only on the toe though, because I ripped it out a couple of times. For some reason I just wasn't liking the way it looked, and once when I got all of the increases done and was about to start knitting around, I realized I'd forgotten a whole set of increases on one side. D'oh!

You know, I realized today, as I started the toe of Justin's second Thuja sock for the third time, I am somewhat of a sock knitting anomaly. I like using DPNs. I like knitting both socks one at a time (unless I'm doing endless rounds of stockinette). I love grafting sock toes. Magic-loop. Yep. I want to try extreme sock knitting, colorwork, and argyle. The only things I'm not fond of? Trying to knit flat socks (seaming? ew) and using two circs. Gimme sock yarn, tons and tons of it. All colors and brands. I whipped out the Hedera socks in (essentially) 10 days. Had it not been for all the craziness with the Thuja socks, they would have been finished in a week.

Slowly I'm working through all of my projects until the only one left is that top for my mom. *sigh* I will NOT cast on any more projects until it's complete. I suppose that should be a resolution too huh? lol

Labels: life, reflections, resolutions, socks

22:06 | |

Hooray for Perseverance!

FINALLY! I finished one of the Thuja socks! There will be loads of pics in this post. But before we get to those, I want to vent a bit.

So, I'm trying to type up my New Year's resolutions for this year, and for some reason Microsoft Word just shuts off. I think it's some kind of freak glitch and re-open it. Nope...kept shutting down automatically. That made me so cranky! Now I have to wait until tomorrow and use Word on Justin's computer. He DLed a cute wallpaper for me. :) Don't worry though, it'll be on another one of my blogs. There will be a link if you want to read. But trust me, it's gonna be long.

Okay, on to the Thuja story! Did you read two posts back about my whole extra inch and a half mishap? Okay, long story short: they have been a challenge. Too little yarn, then missed a stitch, had to re-do the heel, realized I had made the

foot an inch and a half too long! I just kinda gave up though. Then I woke up to some good news (details later) and decided I'd take on the challenge! I was in such a good mood that ripping 8 inches of sock and re-knitting them was something I felt I could do.

So at one pm I ripped.

and ripped.

It was perfect! I actually ripped it back to exactly the right spot, and picked up the stitches to get it back on the needles with no trouble whatsoever. Which was so awesome. Then I spent ten hours repeating the whole process of increasing for the gusset and turning the heel. Had to stop there though. My hands were starting to ache. It was just after 11 at night, and I rested before taking more pictures.

Then today, I knit the six inches on the leg! The sock is finally bound off! I feel

like dancing. Except it's 3am and I'm tired. lol So I made Justin put the sock on and let me take gratuitous pictures of his foot. he didn't seem to mind though, he was deep into WoW. The second sock shouldn't take anywhere near as long, or be as frustrating. I made sure to take notes. I (usually) learn from my mistakes.

Okay, the reason I was feeling good enough to actually tackle this task was because I am not pregnant. Most of you who read my blog know that I just had a baby in August. And that I hate being pregnant.

It's very hard on my body. The idea of being pregnant again so soon was really getting to me. There will be a more in depth post on all of this later. Just rejoice with me that I'm not. Knowing that put me in a GREAT mood and not even all that ripping could get me down. Though, now I think about it I've knit the same sock probably the equivalent of four times, I should have two pairs of socks instead of just the single. Alright, I ought to get off to bed before the kids wake up. lol Bask in the glory of my dedication! :P

Labels: knitting, life, socks

02:17 | |

Dec 29, 2006

Alpaca-Along Anyone?

Alpaca Yarns from Mimi
Originally uploaded by LollyKnit.

I was thinking about starting a KAL, something in the fashion of the Tweeding along. How about an Alpaca along? This picture on Lolly's Flickr. It has a link to a rather cool exhibit called "The Year of the Alpaca". How much fun would that be? Shoot me some ideas please, especially if you have hosted a KAL before.

I was thinking of running it over two months, not a year I know, but it gives slow (or over extended) knitters more time while maintaining guidelines/deadlines. Probably it would start in February or March, to give me time to set it up (and other people to sign up). Yarns should be alpaca or alpaca blends. Other than that I'm kinda...at a loss. Just thought it might be fun. Let me know.

04:03 | |

I Need to Lose Some Weight

No, I'm not talking about my belly. I'm talking about my stash!! EEP! Yep, that's right, I have decided to make a dent in my stash. Considering I have several large-ish projects lined up (and that sock yarn doesn't count) I think I can do this. Nine months without purchasing yarn? I had to go without alcohol every time I was pregnant. No problem. The idea is to not buy any yarn you don't need (except for sock yarn of course) and just try to use what you have. Now, the problem is to define need...

Here are my guidelines:
Knit From Your Stash 2007:

1. The Knit-From-Your-Stash-a-Thon will start January 1, 2007 and run through September 30, 2007 -- a period of nine months.

2. I will not buy any yarn during that period, with the following exceptions:

Sock yarn does not count. Even the Harlot says so
If someone asks for a specific knitted gift that I really and truly do not have the yarn for, I am permitted to buy yarn to knit that gift.
If I am knitting something and run out of yarn, I may purchase enough to complete the project. (this will come in handy with that top-down cropped raglan)
I'm allowed to buy yarn from only my LYS for KALs that will be going on there.

3. I am allowed to receive gifts of yarn.

4. Spinning fiber of any sort is exempt. (whew! otherwise I'd have a useless $100 gift certificate!)

I will be posting my New Year's Resolutions on the 30th, but mainly with a link to another blog since it will be a rather lengthy post.

Right now I'm totally frustrated and stressed. Hopefully, things will be resolved soon. But my current frustrations are knitting related. I swear, these socks have been the bane of my existence! Do you remember when I started the Thuja pattern? How about after I turned the heel? Then there was the day I put them away in my stash bucket. Or that fateful day when I finally frogged them. Well, after a smooth beginning and quick progress, I was excited to make it to the heel! Which is what I worked on last night. Somehow I got my stitch count all thrown off (by one stinkin stitch!) and didn't realize it til I'd made it all the way through turning the heel! So I had to unwrap and tink back to the beginning of the heel. Tonight, after completing the heel flap, I ended up continuing to knit the front in pattern and the back plain as I had for the foot! D'oh! Ugh, and as if that wasn't enough, I realized that I'd started the increases for the gusset an inch and a half too late. That's right, the socks are 11.5 inches long instead of 10. If I have no hair the next time you see me you'll understand right? I'm trying to figure out if I just want to *gulp* frog it back or if I should just find someone else that they would fit?

I'm thinking of just casting on for Pomatomus. Or trying to finish the HP scarf for Debbie. I'm scared I still don't have enough yarn. If not...well I will just frog it back to the last repeat and bind off. That's how it goes.

02:29 | |

Dec 27, 2006

And a Happy Mew Year*

Alright, I've seen this meme floating around and I can't wait for someone to officially tag me, so I'll just do it on my own. lol Mostly because I am just, in general, a weird person.

Here are the rules:

Each player of this game starts with the weird things about you.People who get tagged need to write a blog of their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Where shall we begin...?
1. My Feet: I wear a size 8 shoe, yet my feet are 9.75 inches long, and I always have to use the smallest sock size when knitting. My second toe is longer than my first (which according to my father makes me a serial killer....) and I have high arches.

2. Speaking of: I watch Court TV all day long. And have several times frightened people by talking about how to get away with murder. I could do it. I just hate blood.

3. My eating habits: Most everything I eat is plain. For example: I eat hamburgers, just the meat and bun, no cheese. Peanut butter sandwhiches, no jelly. You get the idea. I sprinkle granulated sugar on my pancakes and roll them up (crepe style), I don't like syrup. I rarely make a mess with sloppy joes.

4. My sleeping habits: I tend to be slightly nocturnal. My kids mostly broke me of that habit. When I sleep I have to have a blanket. And, although I can fall asleep with noise, I cannot stay asleep. In otherwords, if I leave the television on it will wake me back up.

5. My grammar: That's right, I'm a bit of a grammar/spelling Nazi. Usually, I am not too bad online. Though I have been known to find a mistake in a blog from over a year earlier and edit the post. Dictionary.com is in my favorites, just in case I'm unsure of a certain word's spelling.

6. My background: I'm uncertain of where exactly my roots are located. But if you ever want to give yourself a headache - My mom's dad married my dad's sister. This doesn't make me related to myself, or my parents related to each other. Not by blood anyway. My mom's dad isn't her biological father. Still, have fun with that.

Oops. This was supposed to be a quick post. Only I could make something so simple into a huge ordeal. lol Not only that but I forgot to upload the photo I meant to post here. Let me do that now while I tell you about it.

The only real knitting related items I got for Christmas were Knitting Vintage Socks by Nancy Bush, and a $100 gift certificate for The Tail Spinner. Now, I know that sounds like a lot of money, but it's not. Well, it is. lol But I'm going to use it all on spinning lessons. Which means that I won't be using it for yarn. The book came from my LYS owner, she's fabulous!! This book is absolutely suited to me. I really wish I hadn't let Justin take the wrapping off of The Sound of Music. Not that I don't like the movie, just that I could have returned it and used that money for something more um...Crystal-like.

Oh, I re-started the Thuja socks for Justin. This time from the toe-up. I think that when I do the second sock I'll flip the pattern so they mirror each other. Not that he's the kinda guy that will notice, but I am the kinda girl who will. Anyhow, I think that I've gotten pretty far on them, considering I just cast-on yesterday. Already 6 inches into the foot of the first sock. You know, my husband has small feet for a man. Only 10 and a quarter inches, my mom's are 10. Anyway, I hope that I do this right. I measured my row gauge (which I rarely do), so that I could figure out how many inches I needed to knit before increasing for the heel.

I got some good stuff though. Don Juan DeMarco from my mom, and Futuresex/Lovesounds from Justin. He also got me some Cheshire Cat pjs!! Hooray! I love them. Love. I'm going crazy because the shop isn't open until like the fifth of January. *sigh* I want to say thank you to Linda!! And, of course, I want to pick up a few things. Like, a skein or two of Cascade and some more of the Susan Bates Needles I am using for Thuja because doing them with only four needles is KILLING me.

Heather got her I Can Play Piano thing from my mom. Kyran was too busy playing with all of Nolan's toys to enjoy his baseball thing. lol

*P.S. No, that's not a type. I'm just strange.

Labels: knitting, lists/surveys, pictures, socks

12:26 | |

Dec 24, 2006

No Rest

Still totally stressed. But we'll worry about that later.

I have a picture of the Interweave Knits mag that I ordered. And the Blue Sky Cotton, as well as the Cascade I bought for making a fulled belt (or 2). Not sure if I'll squeeze that in here or put it on an old post. Eh, I'll just toss it on here. I can link you to the other pics that I want you to see. Just to save space. I hate cramming a ton of pics on here.

The BIG news? Justin made me an office space!! Look! Isn't it lovely? Yes, it's

just starting and I need to break it in (I've been working on that today, I need a space heater!), but it makes me too happy. This was his anniversary gift to me. Guess he figured he had to pull out all of the stops to make up for losing him to WoW. hehe But I love it! Here, go take another look or two. The garage is kinda cold. But, well, I love it anyway. He just kinda laughed and said "It was cheaper than a spinning wheel." I believe that.

Of course, I finished my bamboo socks, wove in the ends and all! Normally, I like ankle socks to ride low, below the ankle bone if possible. Get that sexy ankle in there. lol But I wanted to use up all of the yarn, or as much as possible. So the ended up with about a 1.5" cuff. Which is still ankle-sock length. Right? Right.

Who is this?! Actually, I don't know her name. Since Kyran calls all cats "Meow" that is her temporary monicker. I like it. She's

such a pretty little thing too. Mostly she's hiding behind the Christmas tree or under Heather's bed. Heather scares her a little, and Kyran scares her a LOT. It's sad though. I wanted to pet her and get her to pose with my yarn. Wouldn't she look lover-ly surrounded by yarn? lol How awful is that to say? Shhh, let's not talk about it.

I'm going to have to update my list of "Things I want to Knit" after getting that Interweave Knits. *sigh* I want a lace shawl sooooo badly I can taste it. Wait, no, I don't think taste is the right word. Oh well. Anyway. I'm thinking of doing some sort of lace wrap or something to turn into a top for a RenFaire costume. Mali and I were out shopping and discussing possible costume ideas for next year. She's going to go to the NC renfest the first weekend of April...but I might want to save my money for MDS&W. Gah. Why are all of my hobbies expensive?

I swear there was something else I wanted to update on. Who knows. I don't. Here, have random sock picture.

Labels: knitting, life, pictures, sleep, socks

01:44 | |

Dec 20, 2006

Beginning of the End

The year is almost over, there are only eleven days left. And since I'm here, I might as well reflect a bit. I stole this from Lolly who took it from someone else. And you can feel more than free to take it as well. I think I'd like to make it a yearly thing, seeing as how this is actually my first year knitting, it'd make for a nice review.

What is your absolute favorite project you've ever knit (one that fulfilled both process and product)?

My absolute favorite has got to be the Cheshire kitty hat. I know it's such a simple project, but I really learned a lot from it. Besides, it was the whole reason that I started knitting, and finishing it felt like the greatest thing in the world to me. Like I could walk on water. The bamboo was so beautiful to work with, the colors are fantastic, it is utterly pleasing.

Which of your handknits do you wear the most often?

My hats. I love hats, making them and wearing them. But then, I haven't made many large projects yet. We are getting there.

What was your favorite gift to knit?

By far, this has been my dad's Mancala Mia. It turned out just lovely. Knitting a gift makes me happy in general. I like to know that what I'm spending my time on will be loved and cherished. This is part of the reason the Mancala board that I made for him is so wonderful. It was a rather quick knit, and it is sentimental as well. I can't wait to hear his reaction.

Which of your handknits are gathering dust your closet?

*sigh* A lot. The Lelah top that I made while pregnant. It's acrylic and just not well suited for NC weather. As well as the newly finished Cleaves. Which were already gathering dust while waiting to be finished. Now that they are, I am just unhappy with the results.

Which of your handknits have you gotten rid of?

Hm. I ripped a couple of hats. As a matter of fact, one of the hats pictured earlier was ripped. But mostly I've been happy with the things I made. Though those Cleaves are blackballed.

If you've knit socks, what is your favorite pattern?

By far, Baudelaire. They are too beautiful. Then, of course, I loved the ones I made for my mom. Ha, maybe that should have been the answer to question number one? It was amazing to have something go from a pattern book, to my mind, to the needles. Soon they'll be on her feet! :)

What would you like to make in 2007?

Whew, do we even wanna go there? I have a list here and there is one on the side of the page. Things I already have yarn for are Tubey, Jamesey, Pomatomus, and Baby Yoda sweater. Some very fun upcoming projects are plans for an uber-cropped raglan in Alpaca Seta and figuring out how to recreate this sweater.

What have you learned about your craft in 2006?

That, I am only a beginner. As such, my addiction is only beginning to form. People will look at me strangely, but it's okay. Mistakes are alright as well. No matter how awesome a knitter may be they will make mistakes. Though I have learned how to fix almost any error I may encounter. I'm always up to learning more.

And I don't like to have people hover when I knit, though I'll talk to you about it til your ears fall off.

What events/sites have you particularly enjoyed in the blogosphere in 2006?

I've hardly been able to participate in anything. My blogging started back in April/May, and I didn't really get involved until maybe...July-ish. Though I did participate in Secret Pal 8, which was fantastic. I can't wait to be a part of all of the new KALs and other events next year! Another SP would be wonderful, I really loved it.

With that all finished, how is it that people always update their bloggies while I'm not around to read them? I finally pried DH away from WoW long enough to update for you all. We leave Maryland tomorrow, headed back home for Christmas. Our Anniversary is the 22nd, and we will probably do nothing. *sigh*

Any how, while here I finally made a trek out to a shop! Silly me, I forgot my digital cam and have no pictures. It's sad that I don't because it was really quite chic. I hopped on the metro and poked around DC alone to find Stitch DC Georgetown. Could have gone to the Capitol Hill one, as it was easiest (take the Green line straight to the Eastern Market station) but really, SE DC by myself? Not I, said the cat. Since it took me a half hour (plus my stop at Johnny Rockets to pee and eat) to get there, I decided I had to make the best of it and gawk at everything. Fondling and holding the yarns. There were plenty that I had no access to at my LYS. Seriously, I had to try very hard to NOT buy a $53 skein of Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace. It was lovely...with a free shawl pattern? And I don't even like pink! But it reminded me of the sunset and I wanted it sooo badly. Instead, all I got was a couple of balls of Organic Blue Sky Cotton. I'm thinking a sweater for Nolan.

I can't wait for Christmas...so that I can buy more yarn! Not sure what I'll end up with. My mom is the only one I really have presents left to recieve. That's okay though. My MIL bought me some great Pyrex bakeware, which I badly needed and wanted. Now I can actually cook! Yes. Justin bought me a Paradise Kiss DVD, which I would watch now if I could figure out how to get the DVD player to work here. I had almost forgotten how much I love that show. It really is one that I could just watch again and again.

*yawnSTRETCH* I'm off to try to finish my endless bamboo ankle socks (which btw I could have finished long ago but am trying to use up all of the yarn, and I turned the heels on the way to Stitch DC) and watch Forensic Files.

Labels: knitting, lists/surveys, pictures, reflections

23:08 | |

Dec 14, 2006

Do You Like it Mommy?

another look
Originally uploaded by shadkitty.

Okay, so, what do you think? Be honest, brutally honest!

I'll be back later to update/edit this entry and add more pics.

Okay, I'm back! Ugh, I can't sleep right now. Some serious stress goin on here, and it's definitely not related to the holidays. It's much worse, so bad I don't wanna talk about it. Which, of course, is probably why I can't sleep. *sigh* Hopefully it'll get resolved soon though.

Anyway, I finally took some pictures of my new haircut. You'll probably all go, well gee, that's not different. lol Deal with it! I just feel kinda blah right now. I don't want to knit (which I should be), or clean (which I need to), or even be awake. In a little bit I gotta go pick up Heather, then I'll be off the computer. Ugh, I didn't even want to get online today. I've been spending too much time on the computer and I have other things I need to do. *yawn* Last night I finished mom's socks, and another full repeat of the stripe pattern on the HP scarf. I hate scarves. I did pick up another skein of Cascade to make a fulled belt. Like the one I'm sporting here.

I know you can't tell, but the belt is actually purple and black. It matches this shrug. And I decided I needed a denim-ish belt. But I wanted to make it out of wool and not cotton, somehow it just looks better fulled. There is no picture of the new yarn. Maybe later. Right now I'm off to get dressed/feed Ky.

What's in there?

Labels: pictures, socks

13:26 | |

Sleepless Blues

GAH! I can't sleep. And I blame it all on Tyler. Silly boy, convincing me I wanted to party...who does that?

ANYWAY.... I've been catching up on some of the longer blogs I haven't been reading. Oh, and I'd like to send out that yarn by Friday, soooo yea. Some of it hasn't been claimed, and I need your addresses people! Also, there was one offer that was declined (we're not going into the details of that, just know it was a very good and considerate reason) and I'd like to find someone else to gift it to. Part of the gift is little girl's clothing in sizes 18-24mos. Or thereabouts. They are cute things that were never really worn (actually one item wasn't worn at all), so if you know someone with a little girl that age, let me know! There is a skein of sock yarn that is still waiting for a home to be mailed to as well.

Oh, and I made some linky buttons. *shrugs* It was fun. I miss photoshop though.

Did I post this already? I probably did. It's just...well there was fog out tonight and I wish I'd had my camera, the christmas lights in the fog were otherworldly. Then I remembered I have this picture. You can't really tell, but the moon was HUGE that day. I was driving down the road and was overcome with how gaping it was in the waning sunlight. So...yes, enjoy it again.

Labels: life, sleep, yarn

01:37 | |

Dec 13, 2006

One Word

Meme

1. Yourself: Amused
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse/fiance(e): Weird
3. Your hair: Short
4. Your mother: Best
5. Your father: Complicated
6. Your favorite item: Blanket
7. Your dream last night: Forgotten
8. Your favorite drink: Cocoa
9. Your dream car: Corvette
10. The room you are in: Warm
11. Your ex: Young
12. Your fear: Snakes
13. What you want to be in 10 years? Working
14. Who you hung out with last night? Family
15. What You're not? Awake
16. Muffins: Chocolate
17. One of your wish list items: Yarn
18. Time: Inadequate
19. The last thing you did: Type
20. What you are wearing: Clothes
21. Your favorite weather: Spring
22. Your favorite book: Scary
23. The last thing you ate: Chicken
24. Your life: Difficult
25. Your mood: Unbalanced
26. Your best friend: Jamie
27. What are you thinking about right now? Knitting
28. Your car: Minivan
29. What are you doing at the moment? Duh
30. Your summer: Hot
31. Your relationship status: Meh
32. What is on your TV? Dora
33. What is the weather like? Cold
34. When is the last time you laughed? Recently
35. Who did you steal this from? Debbie

Whew, that was only slightly more difficult than I thought. I made almost no progress on anything yesterday. I was sick. bleh.

Right now I'm dreaming of things not knit as presents. I had planned on starting my hubby's sweater first, but I think I'll do Tubey. A little gift to myself. lol Most things being knit now, are not for me. Like, the scarf I've been working on for SP, that is now over. I promised I'd finish and I keep my word. It just sucks because I hate scarves and it took so long to get that last ball of yarn.

My fingers trace the letters of patterns yet to knit, my mind idles at the thought of another pair of gloves/mittens, and visions of yarn skeins dance in my head. Interweave Knits is calling my name. I can hear it. lol I am drooling over several patterns in the Summer 2006 issue...and the holiday gift price. $20 for a year's subscription? Doesn't sound too shabby to me. Especially since the back issues are going for $7 each. Seriously though, look at those patterns! I've got my eye on the bias corset and the Fairy Net blouse, in particular. Now, the question is, sneak in just this one back issue and pray someone buys me a subscription? Or do it myself? lol Eh, I think I'll just snag the one issue. I still feel bad about spending loads of money buying christmas presents.

Labels: life, lists/surveys

11:23 | |

Dec 11, 2006

Karma-licious

It's beginning to feel a bit more Christmas-y here in J-Vegas. Which, by the way, belies the glamour of this city. Anyway, back on track, it probably is due largely to me starting my Christmas cards and preparing my presents for you good folks in blogland! That's right, the goods are in and they have been wrapped and await labelling and mailing. I will say this though, as I am not taking pictures of the yarns and posting them (seems a bit redundant huh?), the colors in the pictures are not quite accurate. The Mystical Creations Yarns are a little bit more dull in real life (bummer btw), and the Handspun and Dyed too...are even more delicious. The Magie is a glorious blend of pink, fuschia, brown, and beige. Seriously, I admit to having a momentary pang of selfishness...then I heard my mother's voice in the back of my head reminding me that I have too many projects (and yarn) going on right now. So I need to lay off and purge a bit. This should build up some good karma, if not it'll at least make me feel good. All I ask is that if you get something from me, post a picture on your blog! :)

Further karma boost? I finished a hat for Caps to the Capital! It's adorable, however, I am convinced, utterly certain that this hat will not fit any living human. Except, I must doubt myself at least a little, because I never ripped the hat back and cast on more stitches. The information made a point that newborns in other countries have low birthweights and are, therefore, smaller than we are accustomed to. Still, I'm going to make a slightly larger cap with the leftover yarn. As there was plenty yarn for two caps. Maybe I'll even make some more stylish/cuter hats. Nothing with lace, as it is too open.

Now for a little self-indulgence. hehe For my birthday I:
got my hair done.
went shopping with my mom.
went to dinner.
got an awesome hoodie with kitty ears and paw-like mittens!
went to dinner/breakfast with Tyler.
had a huge fight with Justin.
had a huge make-up with Justin. lol

My mother spent a LOT of money on me. Seriously...I got something from every store we went into. Of course, I picked up a few things for friends. But I'm not showing you what I got. Some of those things are x-rated. ;) My Christmas shopping is done for now, at least as far as I'm concerned. And guess what I saw while I was out shopping? That's right, this is the window display at American Eagle (not a store I actually shop in), and yes those are balls of yarn hanging from the tree! That made my day.

So does this.

Labels: knitting, life

20:57 | |

Dec 7, 2006

Not Feelin It

I don't know why...but I just am not feeling like knitting today. At all. Last night I finished my mom's first sock at the LYS and it was like my desire to knit (for now) just vanished. Don't know why or what happened, but I think it has to do with my mood. Last night Justin told me that we are probably not going to Maryland for the holidays because his squadron wants everyone to take leave at the same time. How ridiculous is that? Plus, I had to cancel my hair appointment today because my babysitter cancelled. Worst of all, Nolan has Bronchitis and Pink Eye, he is miserable. So now I'm in an awful and cranky mood. Oh, and did I mention Saturday is my birthday? No? It is, I'll be 22, my mom is coming to visit me, my best friend might come. Which is why I wanted to get my hair done, happy birthday me! Even my recent yarn purchases don't seem to be making me feel any better, which you think they would because I got a really good deal! Though I won't detail it because some of the yarn is for Christmas presents.

Here is what I have decided to do; if you want any of the gifts I have pictured here drop me an email with your address. There really aren't many available, just five (the four pictured previously and the lovely pink yarn today) and I already have planned who I want to send presents to. What I don't really know is what to send to who. Probably I will draw names out of a hat, if you get something that you don't really want feel free to regift it. As long as it gets used! Anyways, the new yarn is some pink fuzzy stuff that'd make something fun and cute. :)Then there is the blue cotton (machine washable!) that I will be using for Caps to the Capital. I'm thinking of also using some of the funky colors of Caron I have to make some more hats. We have a printer now too, so I am really excited about this. You know, I think I'm going to gauge swatch for that right now. It might make me feel a bit better.

Here's some yarny deliciousness for you to enjoy in my absence.

Labels: life, socks

12:57 | |

Dec 6, 2006

All The Little Children

I love kids, I know that I babble endlessly about how annoying they are, but I realize they are gifts. Each child is wonderful, and endless list of possibilities and hope. Nobody should be denied that...or worse, lose it.

Generally, I think that knitting for charity is nice, but not my bag. However, when I read something about Caps to the Capital in Vogue Knitting, I knew that I had found something to dive into. Knitting hats is quick, easy, fun, and...I could help save a baby's life. How rewarding is that? I wonder if they send you a picture of the baby wearing the hat. That would be adorable, and encouraging. Well, I'm off to read about it.

15:59 | |

Dec 5, 2006

Buyer's Remorse

I always feel awful after I buy stuff. I don't know why, but I do. Especially because some of the things I bought today, I accidentally bought on Justin's card instead of mine. Which makes me feel terrible because I didn't ask, not that I need to, but I don't like to just pop purchases up on him.

But, these things were NOT for me! That's right bloggers, I bought some gifts for you guys! My problem is I don't know what to give to who. Right now, I have about 5 things, and at least three people I can think of to gift them to. So, what I propose, is if you see something you like (I'm going to post pictures) then let me know. Not everyone who reads my blog will get something (okay, there aren't that many people who read it), so I'm sorry if you don't. If you do, don't feel obliged to return the favor, really. It's Christmas and I just like to make people happy. :)

I'm done with the leg of mom's sock, I should finish the cuff tonight. Which will make it one down and one to go! Nolan's hat is done, then I'll be on to his booties! After that I'm not sure what I have to knit. I think another pair of knucks. Ugh. Then Heather's hat.

Someone gave Justin WoW. If you don't know about this you won't understand why this was upsetting to me. He already has gaming addictions. Why must it be aggravated? Now, I'll never get to do anything with him. Blast you!

Anyways, here are the goods:

They are arrowhead, sailing, magie, and galloway. If you click the pic it leads you to the flickr page, if you want to be sure of the names of the colors.

Labels: life

21:18 | |

Yar! Ye Hath Been Owned!

Okay...so it was funny and has nothing to do with knitting or this post. hush. Actually, go check out my other blog and enjoy the random clip.

Anyway, on to the knitting!! I've added another backdated post, still one more that's waiting on pictures. However, I have tons of long awaited photos for you!

I've got the Mancala Mia all done now. There's a shot of just the board, because it came out sooo nicely. I love how the colors look together all fulled. The complete picture came out beautiful too. See the bag I made to hold the little beads/stones? It's basically just a hat that I added eyelets to and strung a crocheted chain through. I feel like a crazy person though, I went through the bag of multi-colored stones that I bought, and picked out all of the green and white ones for the game. Since they are the best matching colors.

Here is the detail of the pattern on my mom's sock. That's one full repeat of the cable pattern, and two of the lace. As of right now I've actually got two and a quarter repeats of the cable done, I'm aiming for three total before I start the cuff. That should add up to about 6 inches on the leg (4.5 of pattern, 1.5 of ribbing). At the rate I'm going I should actually make my deadline of December 9th!

Which, by the way, is my birthday. *wink wink* My MIL gave me $50 for yarn money!! YESSS! I'm trying to figure what to do with it...buy some yarn for Justin's gansey? Or more for my raglan? *gulp* Should I use it to buy Christmas presents? You know, for other yarnies. lol

I should totally be sleeping. Maybe I'll be able to update again tomorrow.

Snowy says hi

Labels: funny, knitting, socks

00:22 | |

Dec 3, 2006

Psst!

Well, I've been doing some Christmas shopping online today. And in the process checked my mail. A couple of days ago I asked my husband's Aunt Reenie to make some special gifts for the ladies at the knitting shop. Now, they are too awesome to not share! If you're sure this isn't going to spoil a Christmas present for you, take a peek!

By the way, if you like these, she does wine glasses and other things as well. She can paint pretty much anything you like on them, just ask. Not sure how much she is charging, I'm hoping to trade her something for them. I'm sure she'd love a knitted something. Anyways, contact her via email (I'm hoping to encourage her to start a website or etsy shop or something), tell her Crystal sent you. ;)

12:05 | |

Dec 2, 2006

Happy Computer Dance

We finally have our computer back. It makes me so ridiculously happy.

So...you may notice some backdated blog entries. They are awaiting pictures right now. And stuff.

Okay, let me update you a bit. I've had a FO or two, you'll see those in my upcoming entries. Right now, in progress are: mom's socks, an elf type hat for Nolan,

my mom's top (still), and the HP scarf I owe my SP. I'm going to send her some candy and an apology for taking so long. *sigh* As I need to do with my Aunt Marcie's socks, which are finished but need to be put together. Sewing with kids around ain't easy. My bamboo ankle socks are on hold right now, until after Christmas.

Recently my list of things to knit has been added to. After I knit my Tubey (which

will be my first sweater by the way!), I plan on starting a gansey for Justin. Not sure what I'll use yet, but this is the pattern I plan on doing. I just love the look of it, it's so cute. Then, today I bought some gorgeous Alpaca Seta in grey. With that I plan on making an ultra-cropped top-down raglan, with a v-neck. It'll be beautiful. Well, if it looks the way it does in my head.

All of these prospects have me so excited. Alright...I'm off to finish that silly elf hat!

21:30 | |