Actual Knitting!

So, I realized it's been forever sine I posted any pictures. So. I am posting pictures today of what I've been really working on steady the last few days.

First up, the conception sweater. I've been working on this since..Oh... January. It's been a long haul, mostly because with this one, if it wasn't done right, I'd frog back and fix it. Trying to do this project right.
For example, last night I was almost ready to cast off, when I noticed I did the neck wrong. So I frogged back and I'm fixing it. Would anybody have noticed? Most likely not. But I would know.
Here's a close up.
I'm happy with the way it's turning out. I really am.

Next up is my doggie sweater.
It's hard color to photograph. It' that Fiber trends pattern, and I think it's called a Broken Rib.

Next up is the pattern I bought when I was shopping with Nic. I love this! Love it! It's super neat construction. You cast on the neck, and then increase, and then cast off the sleeves, and knit the body, which is where I am now.

So. There you go. Actual knitting content.

Dear Kate Gilbert,

I love your patterns. They are super cute and spiffy. But I am sorry, I cannot knit the baby pea pod sweater. I do not know why I have a brain fart and cannot follow a simple chart. But I can't. I'm a failure. I hope you can forgive me.

Yours,
Valkryie

Oh sweet jesus!

I don't know how I missed this....but thanks to Crazy Aunt Purl for pointing it out.
If they can't make it, with all the money in the world to buy them happiness...how can the normal folk make it?? why? Why cruel world??

Hehee!

Okay. Knitting content....somewhere...um...no.

Not today I guess.

What? Doogie is gay? Damn... how did I miss that one as well?
Okay... and how does Flavor Flav have SEVEN FREAKING KIDS??


Alrgiht.... I better go do something.... before all my brain cells die.

I need help.

I need a sweater pattern for a man. A tall man. I also need it to not be to crazy difficult, as I'd like to get this done by christmas.
Can I get someone to knit this for me as well? I have all the yarn...really I do.

Well. I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.


Also, why am I the only one at Stitch and Bitch? I made a pot of coffee, and damn it, I shouldn't drink 10 cups, but I don't want to waste it. So. 10 cups of coffee + knitting = what? I'm not sure, and I'm afraid to find out.

Bah. Humbug.

I love Halloween. I really do. It's my most favorite Holiday ever. Even better that Christmas.

Why then am I not dressed up this year?

Because I've been so freaking busy I forogt it was Halloween. Yesterday I remembered, but at that point, I was not going to just toss a costume together, just to hand out candy to trick and treaters.

How lame am I?

Next year will be different. This I promise. I also promise to actually make those damn Day of the Dead sugar skulls that I've always wanted to make.

Oh yes. Next Year Will Be Different.

So excited!

Scout posted a little peak of the yarn she's sending me for the gallery. So pretty!
I should get the stuff sometime this week. Yeah!
I'm sure it will all be gone on Tuesday Nov 7th. The first Stitch and Bitch night.
I better squirrel some away for myself. :D

The Sweater that never was.

I frogged that damn thing. I think I shall burn the yarn and never speak of it again.
I just could not get it to work. I kept messing up the pattern. Now, I need to find another sweater pattern that I can use WOTA. grrr! I think I found one in the summer 06 interweave knits, I just have to work up a swatch to see if the yarn will work. I was too frustrated to do that last night. So I started up a little baby bonnet. Because that should be easy. I hope.

You know when something works out well... The skies part and the heavenly angels sing.... Yeah. That happened. I finished my Sizzle and holy hell it fits. It FITS! It really really FITS!! I love it. It's the first thing that has ever worked out for me.

So. Pictures to follow.

I started that xmas project the other night. It was going well, then I screwed up royally. I was knitted along and then added another ball of yarn and I started knitting the pattern on the WRONG SIDE! argh! So. After spending quit awhile frogging and re-knitting, I am finally back to the point I was on Friday, when I realized I had messed up. Two days to fix my mistake. TWO DAYS!! No angels singing on this project.

I pulled out my pink muppet sweater and started working on that again. I've got another 1/2 of a sleeve, and the cowl neck to go. If I keep up with it, I should have it finished this week. Yeah! I'm trying really hard to finish things, instead of starting things. But. I shall have to cast on something for my niece soon. The baby shower is on November 4th,and I have to have some knitted goodies done.

I got this free pattern at a yarn shop when I bought some cascade fixation, and I"m not really sure if the pattern in any good. I think it's completely screwed up. I've frogged it 4 times. It just doesn't seem to be working. You're supposed to cast on 27 stitches. And then *K1 inc 1 K10 inc1 *repeat to end, where you K1. Well, if you do that you end up with 4 stitches left over. I've tried it FOUR times. FOUR! The math just doesn't work.

Me 1. Tooth 0.

My tooth tried it's hardest, but it's coup went poorly. I almost gave in. I *wanted* to give in. I wanted to go back to the dentist, and have him liberate the damn tooth from my head. But instead, I doped myself to the gills, and stuck it out. Today, finally, the tooth gave in. It no longer hurts! I win!

I got my yarn in the mail the other day. The stuff I ordered for an xmas present. That's all I have to say about that.

*Insert something witty here*

ow!
I think I may be dying. Seriously. My tooth is killing me. The one that I *just* got fixed. I actually went home sick from work today, and signed up for a dentist apt for 7 am tomorrow morning. You know it's bad because A) I hate getting up early B) It's my b-day C) I get woozy at the thought of going to the dentist.

I'm going to crawl into bed with my knitting and a maybe my Buffy DVD's.

How Cool!

Scout of the famous Scout's Swag totally pimped our gallery on her blog.



So guess what we're going to carry at our gallery. :D

Are there any Yarn stores on the way there?

So yesterday, I went to visit Nic, and even though she had already gone to 7 (!) yarn shops the day before, she took me shopping to 2 more yesterday. :D We went to All About Yarn, which I had never been to before, and Borealis Yarns, which I had been too once before with Nic.
I love yarn stores! At the first place I was good, and only spent 10 dollars. But I got this super cute pattern for a baby sweater, and yarn and a free pattern to make baby booties. At the next shop, well, I wasn't so good. I bought yarn to make 2 baby sweaters, and two books, and only 2 skeins of this lovely mohair that Nic pointed out. I didn't listen to her and I didn't buy it all. When we got back to her place, I remembered I had a pattern to make a sweater. So that means poor Nic has to go back and pick up 3 more skeins for me. :D (I love you Nic! You're the bestest!)

So, I learned to always buy all seven skeins. Always. Because you will find the pefect pattern 7 minutes after the store closes.

I just had the best fried egg sandwich ever. And I ever made it myself. Yum!

Alright, on to knitting.
My Sizzle is just waiting for me to pick up those stitches and knit. I really should do it. I tried it on, and I think it will fit lovely over a button down shirt. Which is how I plan to wear it. :) This is Andean Treasure in Wild Rose.


Next up is a sweater for Cleo. I really love this pattern! It's fun to knit. Not so mindless that I get bored, but not so tough that I have to have to pay 100% attention on it. I got a bunch done while watching all my TV shows this week. :D I'm using WOTA in Cherry Blossom.
And, last but not least, Hedera in Sock Garden Zinnia. For my Mom. :D


So. There you have it. What I've been working on this week. Tomorrow I'm heading down to the cities to visit Nic, and she's taking me yarn shopping! Yeah Yeah! I can't wait.

Squee!

Did you know there's only 16 days until my birthday?

Well there is. Get Shopping.

My Bro and his wife came over yesterday. As well as my parents. I got to squeeze the baby. It was lots of fun.

Today, hubby is off working, and I really should go mow the lawn, but I really want to start working on a project I picked up for the baby. We'll probaly be heading to the cities on Friday, so if I plan it right I could have everything done, and give it to Maya then. Hmm....Plotting plotting....

So here's my Kimono shawl. Not much progress as of late. I had been focused on my swap project and the baby sweater. I got a pic of that finally, I have to scan it in. Or have my bro email it to me, then I can post it. I cast on some socks Friday night. I'm making Hedera out of Knit Picks Sock Garden in Zinnia for my Mother. I really like the pattern, I seem to be zipping right along.

And now, for something completely different.

I finished my Knitty Swap project! Yeah!

It's not that it took a long time to knit, it's just that I couldn't decide what to knit, then I couldn't find the pattern, then the yarn.... yadda yadda. Well, I finished it all last night, and I need to get in the mail ASAP. I really think I want one for myself now. Maybe I'll post pics, I think it should be safe to. We'll see.

So, that's 2 things completed this month! And, my Sizzle is almost done. It's been blocked, I just need to sew it up, then knit the neck band and sleeve edges. Should be simple, but I hate hate hate picking up stitches. Blregh.

Maybe I'll cast on for my Mom's socks instead.

more baby photos!

Here's one of my Brother and his daughter. (wow, that's weird to say)

Holy Carp!

I'm an auntie!

Maya Carolyn was born today at 4:04 pm. She weighed 6 pounds 13 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long.

ignore the fact that I wear no make-up. I jumped out of the shower and ran to the hospital. I think I even forgot to put on deodorant!

But, I finished the baby sweater. It was done at 3:15, and about 45 minute later Maya was born. Pretty close! I almost didn't make it! :D

awww poopies.

I feel like....Well... Like my uterus is trying to escape away. Maybe run to Vegas and pursue a career as a dancer, before it decides to settle down and have some babies.
I don't know. It just hurts.

So, I called in sick, and I'm going to lay on the couch with a heating pad. Instead of cleaning. Which is what I should really be doing. Maybe when the muscle relaxers kick in.

Well, at least I should get some knitting done. I've got one sleeve left to go on the baby sweater. Sizzle is whizzing along nicely. I'm on the decrease section on the front, I think I have about 3 more to go.

Sizzle. v 1.2

So after knitting awhile on my Sizzle, I held it up, looked at it, then took it off the needles, to hold it up again. Yup. Too Big. Which is fine, I found out only 2 inches in. So I frogged it last night and starting knitting again. I made fairly good progress on it. I just placed the markers and started the first dart.

I'm holding off on knitting the sleeves on the baby sweater. I don't want it to get finished too soon. I'm not claiming to have the baby birthing powers of the Yarn Harlot, but I'm not chancing things. The wee sprout isn't due until Oct 5th, so I'm taking it easy. Plus, I think it should be born on Sept 24th. Why? I don't know. That's just the feeling I have. So. I shall finish the sweater on Sept 23rd. :D

Yeah! New Project. :D

So I started my Sizzle last night. I finally got it to print (at work...sh!) and after measuring my boobs, and realizing that there's no way I'm a 36 inch bust, I cast on.
It's Knit Picks Andean Treasure in Wild Rose. I've been eyeing the Lagoon. It's such a lovely color. I think I may have to buy it for another one. :)

Speaking of Knit Picks. I did order some yarn. Yarn to make Hush-Hush in a lovely Red. And I got yarn to make Cleo her very own sweater. Because I've made 4 dog sweaters now, and my poor doggie goes without. So. She'll get a WOTA Cherry Red sweater. Lucky Puppy.

Give me a "S"

I did some swatching. I'm going to be trying another KAL with the Sexy Knitters Club. I'll be trying to do Sizzle.(love that pattern!) Following some advice from SKC, I tried some of the Andean Treasure I had on hand from a failed project from awhile back. I got the gauge with size 7 needles. Woo! So, if I ever get my printer to work, I'll print it up and get knitting. I've got a ton of projects on my plate.

Orange Baby Sweater - Just need to knit two sleeves
Knitted thing Swap - Have to get yarn. I picked out the pattern at least. :)
hubbies' Socks- I'm stuck on the heel on sock two. Not 'stuck' , just paused
Kimono Shawl - Repeat 2 done.
Baby Sweater #2- I've got the sleeves attached. Just need to work on the yoke

I think that's even in the order they much be done. Baby can come anything I guess. If she goes into labor at this point they won't stop it. The knitted thing swap has to ship by Oct 1.

Of course, the shawl can be done whenever. I'd like to get my hubbies' socks done before the first snow fall. The 2 baby sweater is a 'hope chest' project, so there's really no time limit.

Knitting!

I screwed up! I knit two of the cutest dog sweaters and I forgot to take a picture of them. Boo!
My hubbies' aunts got a new little chihuahua and he's cold, so I knit two little hand wash wool sweaters. I used some left over lambs pride in this lovely dark green color, and the second was Wool of the Andes in leftover red and yellow.

Super Cute.
But no pictures.

I finished the front of the orange baby sweater for my bro's sprout, and am chugging along on the back.

My Kimono shawl is looking fab. I frogged back a repeat that I messed up, and that was a little scary for a moment. But I got all the stitches back on the needles, found where I was, and started knitting along again. Looking at some other ones on the interweb, I'd like to try it in a thicker weight of yarn next time. Next time! Look at me! I'm crazy! I've got enough yarn sitting around for 2 more shawls, and I have two patterns sitting around waiting for yarn for them, and I want to knit something over? Crazy.

Things.

Things are going well. Except for the dog poop I came home to yesterday. Other then that. Things are going very well.

My husband and I are venturing into the business world. We're opening a art gallery in town. I'm very excited. It'll feature hand crafted goodness. Not artys fartsy. But art. And there will be yarn. Hand dyed yarn. I can't wait.

Rogues Gallery Fine Art

There you be.

On the knitting front, I've got to the point where I need to start the heel on hubbies second sock. I've gotten 2 lace repeats done on my pink shawl. I've attached the sleeves on the conception sweater. (according to the knitty ladies, you must finish something for a baby, before you have on. I think it tempts them into the womb or something.) And, I've started another baby sweater. This one for my Brothers' sprout. I told him to pick out the yarn and I would knit. He picked out washable wool! Go him! But, it is boucle. Or however you spell it. So It's a little bit of a pain in the arse.

Bah.

Things I need to do today:
Wash some undies.
Shave my legs.
Dust.

Things I have done today:
Gone to class.
Gone to an interview.
Mowed half the yard. (hubby did the other half)
Dishes.
Picked up my knitting laying everywhere.

Not too bad I guess.

Knitting is going along well. I'm on the second sleeve of the baby sweater. I've finished a repeat of the lace shawl. Did a couple inches on my hubbies' socks. Started new socks for myself. (the new Meg Swanson socks, in pink and brown)

Trouble is, since I switched computers, I have no editing program on this computer. So. I can't post pictures. I had photoshop on the last one. But I don't on this one. Oh poo. I need to find my disk so I can install it.

Um... yeah. Got nothing else. Boring today. Sorry.

Oh. FYI. Do not do a search for "knee high socks knit pattern". Trust me.

Just one of those days I guess.

I tried to work on my pink shawl, and I figured out I was twisting all of my stitches. All. Of. Them.
Since I wasn't even halfway thru one repeat, I frogged.

Then I cast on a new shawl. I'm making the Kimono Shawl from the book Folk Shawls. I'm using Knit Picks Apalca Cloud in Peppermint. I'm about halfway thru my first repeat. So far I like the pattern very much. I might get some pics posted today or tomorrow.

In other exciting news.... THE FUG IS ON IT'S WAY!
I can't wait. I know good things can only follow the fug.

That is it. I think I'm going to toss a load of laundry in. I need to wash my BRAND NEW sheets. Why? The dog threw up this morning. Only. On. The. New. Sheets. argh!

Hrumph.

I shouldn't knit with ahead injury. That's it. That's the excuse I need.

I frogged the shawl. Again. Because last night, I fix a huge mistake. Everything is fine and dandy. And today, while I was fixing a small mistake, that's when I fuck it all up. Go figure.

Now part of me wants to do something different. But part of me still wants to work on lace. I guess I should pull out the pink shawl from folk shawls and work on it. It's got a simple lace pattern. Hopefully I won't screw that up too.

hmmm..

Did you know you can't knit lace while playing video games with your 7 year old nephew.

Yes. I should have known.

So. I frogged it. But I want to try again. The only thing is, I really like the main body pattern, but I'm not so keen on the edging. So. Can I just knit it with out the bigger Lilly pattern? How to finish it off? Screw it an go back to the flower basket? Does it really matter? The more I look at it, it's not so bad.

Hmm... Again.

What's wrong with me?

All I wanted to do last night, and yet again today, is to cast on something. Why? WHY??

I kept trying to knit, and I just wasn't feeling it. I'd knit a few rows, then put it down. Pick up something else, knit a few rows, put it down, lather rinse, repeat.

So. I really want to cast on. Really. Bad.

I just got my new IK today. Maybe I'll cast on the shawl in it. I've got a few skeins of Shadow or Aplaca Cloud kicking around. Maybe this is a good excuse to use them up.

Ooo! It's an excuse to use my swift and ball winder. (like I need one) I think I'm going to do that. :D

I have been super ass busy this week.

Why?

Becasue I got a job.

It's only a temp. But it is still a job.

Anyway.

I'm not dead. Just employed.

Three. It's the magic number.

So I'm working on that Dale of Norway sweater. It took me three tries to get the cuff right. As of last night, it's taken me three times to get the sleeve right. (knock on wood) What is it about Three? Why is it the magic number? Why is third time the charm? Will someone please explain this to me?

So I got a package yesterday from my SP. :D This makes me very happy. I found inside a few books:










Wooo! There's some fried food covered in gravy in my future! I can't wait.










And then a pretty candle. (I almost burned the house down already. Left it going. At least I think I did. Hubby hasn't yelled at me yet, so maybe I didn't.)
And then this:

Which is cool in it self.

But then you OPEN it and woo! Cooler stuff! :D Such pretty pretty things. It's makes me very happy. I have the best SP ever.

Romantic? Me? Never.

Tomorrow will mark one year in which my husband and I agreed to be partners in crime forever. One Year! Already! Holy Cow!

To celebrate, I took the cake out of the freezer, and grabbed the bottle of wine we bought on our honeymoon trip to NYC.

I thought about making lemon chicken, and garlic mashed potatoes (that was on the menu) but instead opted to juice 8 limes to make some Lime Chipotle-Honey steaks.

Tomorrow we'll be eating out at Corks. I'm very excited! Their food is super good.

She's dead Jim.

This week, my brother has been calling to see if I am dead. So far, not dead. But I think, today may be different. I may be dead when he calls.

I was feeling much better. I haven't had to take a vicaden all day yesterday or today. I am on the upward spiral.
Then I took the dog for a walk around the block. It's not a very big block. Now, I feel like I need to throw up and rip out my innards. All at once. I need my vicaden.

So, I am going to take my meds, and sit on the couch and knit baby hats on said meds. Hopefully they will turn out alright. The hats, not the meds.

Hot hot hot.

It's hot outside. So I am hiding inside, with the AC on. I went to the post office today, and that just about killed me. I still feel icky. And exhausted. I can do one thing, like load the dishwasher, then I have to sit down and rest. It sucks. I feel like I'm one hundred years old, and climbing the steps (all 8 of them) is like climbing mount Everest.

So. I took pictures of my knitting. Now I need to sit down again, so I'm uploading them. Go me. At this rate, I'll get the laundry done...Mm.... Never.

Here's Merey's diaper bag. I did similar to the bag I made for Tonia, but I didn't slip the stitches on the corners. So this one doesn't fold in quite as nice. I still like it. I hope she does too. It's made out of KnitPicks Wool of the Andes, double stranded in Violet and Hush. Can you tell where I learned I was twisting my stitches when I knit in the round? Well, I can. But she'll never know. I hope.




Next up is my Fuzzy Pink Muppet Sweater. After a weekend at the lake, I got a bunch done on it. I like it, it's going to be warm. But it won't do much for my girlish figure. It's boarding on the frumpy side. Maybe when I block it, it will make it a little less tube like. Who cares really. I still think I'm going to look like a big ol' muppet.


I started working on the socks for my hubby again. I was stuck because I was twisting my stitches, so do I finish, or frog. Plus, I wasn't sure of having enough yarn. So I put the sock on another needle, (I'd still like to knit about 2 inches before I switch to black for the toes) and started the second one. I figure I'll knit until I run out, or I'm even with the first sock. Any bets on which will happen first? I'm laying the money on running out of yarn. But... we'll see what happens.

The dog is driving me crazy today. I know it's becasue she's bored, but I'm not sure I can make it to the mail box and back, let alone take her for a walk.

Poor Puppy. I'm a bad doggie mommy.

Exploding Ovaries

So, apparently my left ovary exploded sometime earlier this week. Which is why I've been in such pain, and why I've been to the doctor 3 times in the last 3 days. Ugh. I can't get anything done, because as soon as I start to move, my side hurts. So I've been knitting. Which is nice, but I haven't been able to take pictures yet of what I've done. :P I finished Merey's diaper bag. I think I may need to toss the handle in the wash just one more time. Then it will be perfect.

Oh, and I put some yarn up on eBay. I got it in a swap off the knitty board. But I didn't like how the yarn was working up in the project I had planned for it. So in hopes of making a little bit of money, so I can buy more yarn, I'm trying to sell it.

*thump*

That was me, falling off the wagon.

I stopped into my LYS today. Not the one I bitched about the other day. The other one. The one that's located right next door to a tattoo shop. Anyway. I stopped in to look for yarn for my SP. I got a pattern for a little shug/jacket thing, that I think will work great for that cork I bought awhile back. I was doing so well. Pattern for yarn I already have. Then I stopped by the sale bin. Half off sock yarn. So I bought 4 skeins of Kroy. 2 in white and 2 in blue. But really, I got those four for the price of two. So really, if you look at it, I got a free pair of socks. Plus, sock yarn doesn't count. The Yarn Harlot said so. So it must be true. She wouldn't lie.....Right? She's Canadian. And as far as I know, Canadians don't lie.

Ebay=The devil. Any questions?

Somebody buy this before I do. I also want two of these and, maybe some of this too. I've been very good. I haven't bought any yarn for over a month. Well, I did buy some for my SP. But that doesn't count, because it's not for me, and went out in the mail today. So there. Anyway, where was I....Oh yea. Stating the fact that I haven't bought yarn since June 3rd! Let me tell you, it's killing me! I've been very good at knitting with the yarn I have. I even wound some of it so I could work on projects. But, I miss opeing a box and petting new yarn.
Maybe I should have my hubby box some yarn up and send it to me. That way it would be a surprise, and I could pet it. It does help that my SP sends me yarn. I got some lovely Luna that I'm petting. I don't know what to turn it into, so I'm just petting it.

Yea.... so. Um...

I got nothing really.

Stupid people

So I really really want one of these knitting bags. It's from Namaste Needles. I've got some of their glass needles. Lovely. Just lovely. Anyway. Back to my story. One of the LYS is listed as being a retail location. Cool. I thought. I don't remember seeing any of their things. I'll just call ahead. Yeah. I asked if they carried the Namaste Knitting messenger bag. So told me they had "two old bags" but not any patterns by Namaste. I said... No. The messenger bag. I'm looking for the bag. Nope. No patterns by namaste. ggrrr... Do I stutter? Did I not make myself clear enough? This is why I shop on the interweb. Because I get what I want. Not people offering me patterns from another company.

Anyway....

I was going to post a picture of my sweater, but I never took a picture of it today. Oh well. Tomorrow then I guess.

Rock Star

So.

We partied like rock stars friday night. We didn't get to bed until 4 am.
Saturday, I felt alot like a dead rock star. Reaminated. But not very well done of a job.

Ugh. I still feel yucky today.

We hit the Body worlds exebit on sat, which was fun. And I saw a movie about beavers. Weee! Bevears.

Yeah.

Too old for this. Way too old.

I have a new obsession

French Bulldogs!

Isn't that the second cutest dog ever! Second to mine of course.

I want one.

Stupid expensive taste. Stupid 'designer dogs' costing a buttload of money.

I tried to tell my hubby that the first anniversary was a dog.

He's too smart. :D He didn't buy it.

So if any of you out there want to trade a dog for... Yarn, fabric, free hair cuts/colors for life.... I'm your gal!

apparently they're so popular people are importing them from other countries to make a fast buck. Crazy talk!

Etsy!

I put up some stitch markers that were made by the other half of my brain, and myself last night. I was to put them up a bit more expensive, but then I saw that most of them were going for about two bucks a marker, I got a little scared these wouldn't sell. :( I hope they do! They're super cute!

I also put up some lovely Yarn on eBay for her. Nic, I had to use mine, as it wanted a credit card number or paypal info to take the fees out. So yeah. We'll figure that out later. :D


Busy bee!

work work work

So I've made some progress on my projects.
Here's my little Dale of Norway sweater. Chugging right along. Now that I've got the repeat figured out, it seems to be going pretty fast. I'm still on the first ball of yarn, so I can't be that far along!

Here's my muppet sweater. I've got the front done, now I just have to do the back neckline like the front, then the sleeves, then the cowl. I'm hoping to be done soon. :) It's a pretty fast knit, what with these big needles and what have you.

gah.

Slowest. Project. Ever.

I'm importing all my cds into my ipod. (finally!)

I am so going to be here all night, and late into the day tommorrow.

My new project

I started out with the Flower basket shawl, and got utterly lost. So I frogged and went on to the mohair pullover, because I am a sadist. Really.
I love the mohair. I'm using Cherry Tree Hill Filaro in Cyclamen. I got it for a steal off of Ebay.
Anyway. I love it. But I think I may look like a muppet. A giant, pink muppet. But who cares? Right? Because it is mohair and it is soft and yummy.
And, there is no way in HELL I'll be able to frog this thing. This, pink, pink thing.

Groomers 1 Cleo 0

So I took my dog to the groomers, to be washed and have her ears swabbed and toes trimmed.

They did a faboo job. She's not shedding everywhere.

But... Look what they DID to her....


Look closer...

Here's a better pic....


That's right. Her toenails are PINK and GLITTERY!

I almost peed myself when I saw that.

What to do....?

So I frogged that shrug and I finished a scarf that was sitting around yesterday. I also knit about 1 inch on the baby sweater. Now I'm drawn to start something new. But I don't know what I want to do!
I looked through my Interweave Knits, and found 3 projects I want to start.
The flower basket shawl, using some Knit picks in either Peppermint Alpaca cloud or Sweet Peas gossamer.
Or there's the Mohair cowl pullover in a fuschia mohair. Or, that shrug I frogged.
I have the yarn for all three projects on hand! Goodness! Well, without swatching the mohair, I think it's the right gauge. I'll have to go look.

I did like the lace pattern worked up on the shrug. I just need to pay attention to it while I knit. The flower basket shawl looks pretty, and with two strand held together should work up fast? Hopefully? The mohair sweater in just neat, and it would be super comfortable. Fuzzy pink....mmm... (insert Homer Simpson noise here.)

What to do?

Row counter set to zero

Since I had some quite time today (hubby and dog both taking a nap) I decided to work on my lace shrug from IK summer 2004. While, I was up to row 27 when I noticed things weren't lining up. Again. So I just decided to frog. I don't know if I'll try it over, or try something else. I do like the pattern. I just don't know. I'm afraid that by the time I finish it, the fashions will have wildly shifted and everyone will be wearing ponchos again. Or Madonna bullet bras. That's a rational fear... right? I'm sure it is.

So know I don'tknow what to work on. I could finish that baby sock that's been kicking around for far too long. Or I could keep trying to swatch for that new sweater I want to start.

Eh.

I just picked up a new book. It's called Itty Bitty Hats. I love it! So cute. Some of the stuff is... A little... gaudy for my taste, but most of it is super cute. Some of them I'd even make in my size! :D

Other then that, not much new on the knitting front. I suppose I could post some updated pictures of the little blue sweater or the felted diaper bag, but the lighting is poor today. That's my excuse.

My first design

So it's only a little bear sweater. But still.

This is for a friend of my parents. He rides on his motorcycle . And the poor little bear needed a new sweater to keep him warm. I think I may even give him a little scarf. :D

You take the good, you take the bad...

So.

I got fired form my job yesterday.

So today, to celebrate, I went and bought a ball winder.

heheh...

Hello SP!! *waves*

Thanks for the card! It made me smile. :D And the goodies. I like goodies. :D

Bad lighting.

So. Here's my new project.

And look at the pretty stitch markers from my secrete pal! I love them. I had to use them right away. :D
They're pretty dyed jade. Sort of a warm orange-y color.

Finished...

You want to see my orangina? I bet you do. Well here it is in all it's glory.


Yup. Tossed in a corner. I hate it. HATE IT!! It's about 3 inches too short. (I knit about 5 3/4 inches ribbing) and about 2 inches to big around. I'm pretty sure my gauge is on, I may have to check again. I love the pattern, I loved how it looks on everyone else. It just makes me look fat and frumpy.

To frog and redo? Or frog and swap away the horrid yarn and never speak of this again?

I wasted 2 months of my knitting time working on this beast! Argh!

Like I said, I loved the pattern. From day one this project was cursed.

No yarn this time...

I bought a swift! I got it with the 50% off Joann's code. Yeah! Now all I need is a ball winder and I'm set. :D

I"m almost finished with my Orangina. I've got about 3 inches of ribbing to go, and one side to sew up yet. I was getting antsy, so I sewed up one side last night. I think I bought too much yarn for the project. I've got three full skeins sitting there. I know I'll still be using one for the ribbing, but two extra? Was my math that off? Oh well. Better too many then not enough. I'll just swap it away or something. Maybe make baby hats? Who knows.

I'll post pics later today. I think I may day yarn since it's so nice outside. :D

Holy Cow!

My SP (Knitty.com SP7) rocks! I got goodies in the mail! Lovely goodies!

I'll post some pics this weekend, when the lighting is better.
Yeah me!

Ebay is the Devil.

Really. It is.
I've been bidding on yarn for awhile now. I should just break down and pay the buy it now price. But I won't! I will get it for cheap! I need to finish picking out the colors I want to order with Nic. I should be doing that instead of shopping for more yarn. Bah. But I do love this color. Oh well.

Hey Nic, if I pick the colors off of School House Press, will that work for the order? Or is there somewhere else that would work better? Also, the pattern calls for 50 gram balls. But really, socks? Do you think I need 11 50 gram balls? Could I get the 25 gram instead? Would that be a ton cheaper?

I'm very nearly done with the other half of my top. Maybe only 2 inches left to go. I'm so excited! I should go toss a load of laundry in, and then knit for awhile before I have to go to work. Maybe I should bring it to work with me, that way I can work on it during my lunch.

Knitting. An update.

So I measured my Orangina today, and I just discovered I was half way finished! Yeah! Thank the powers that be. And I've only frogged about 6 rows, because somehow I got off on the very last pattern repeat. Not bad if I do say so myself. *knocks on wood* This is the most exciting news of the week. I knew I was doing good when I added the second ball of yarn last night. I haven't had the urge to throw this across the room yet either, like I did on a daily basis with the other half. *knocks on more wood* I may actually finish this! *shock and amasment!*


I've picked up my SIL diaper bag again. It's nice mindless knitting. Since the little sprout isn't due until October I've got time, but I figured I'd rather finish it sooner than later.

Side view:

Top view:

I really like this shot. I don't know why. I also really like knitting bags, because the yarn have a nice place to live while I'm working on it. :D

Hrumph

Crabby Day at work.

What fixes that? Some Taco Bell, maybe a little cocktail, and knitting in front of the TV, watching my FAVORITE TV show on earth. Due South. Yes yes. Mounties are HOT. They're up to season three! Yeah! My hubby just got it in the mail via blockbuster online. I think I may need to buy them. I'm not sure I want to let on I have a mountie fetish. Think that will scare him away? :D

So. Yeah. Now you know my dirty little secrete.

Please sir, can I have some more?

Yarn that is.

I just got my state taxes back. Wooo hoo! I'm going to pay some bills and buy some yarn. Yes I am. But if my husband asks, the yarn just fell off the back of a truck into my arms. Yes. That is the story we shall tell him.

Now what to buy?

I know I'm getting more Baby Ull. And I really want some more sock yarn. Because Lord knows I don't have enough sock yarn.

Hmmm... Maybe I should buy some books I've been lusting after. That way I have things to make my yarn into? Hmm again.

owie

I think my uterus might fall out. Time to curl up with a heating pad and knit some more.

Stopped at Joann's on the way home for a row counter, and I picked up the most beee-ooo-tiful fabric. I'm going to make a summer dress (oh yes...) out of it. :) Very excited. Except I want to sew and my Hubby is in the craft room working. Poo. I guess I have to knit.

sshhh....

Don't look directly at it.

You might spook it. And it will seize up and I'll have to frog it again. I don't know if you can see, but it's at eight and three quarter inches. Apparently staying in bed all day and watching lifetime is just what this little project needed.


I better get back too it before I lose my momentum. Or the top figures out I've got it beat.

Blast!

I waited all weekend to go to Crafts Direct with my Mom to buy knitting needles. They didn't have the size I need! They only carry down to a 5 in circs, and a 1 in DPN. Blast and damn! So I have to hit the LYS before I go to work. Which means I have to get my butt in gear and get out of my jammies. Bah. I like my jammies.
I think Orangina is going to be the death of me. It really is. Michael will come him to find me dead in the kitchen, legs up in the air like a dead bug. It's plotting my demise as I sit here and type. It's evil I tell you. Evil!

More Yarn?

Do I really need more yarn?

Yes. Yes I do. On my lunch break on Wed, I ran to the LYS and got some Baby Ull. It's lovely. Then Friday, after I deposited my paycheck, I bought more Baby Ull online. And I want even more! But, I'm going to wait until my color card comes in the mail, so I can pick out lovely colors that will look good in real life, not just on my computer screen.

My Mom is coming for a visit on Monday, so we're going to the craft store. Her for scrapbooking, me for knitting needles. I swear, every time I start a project, I need to buy more needles. You'd think I'd have every size ever made. But no. Of course, it could be because I'm venturing into baby knitting, and I need size 0. I didn't even know there was such a thing. Dear god that's small.

And, I just bid on some yarn on eBay. Argh! My husband is going to kill me. I better start knitting faster. And making him more pretties. I've got a ton of acrylic in the basement, I should make some baby blankets out of that. That would take up yarn. Or a thousand baby booties. Maybe that's like the thousand paper cranes. You knit a thousand baby booties and you.... get a baby? get a wish? go crazy? Who knows.

All I know is that I need to organize my craft room. Because it's a mess, and I can't find anything and my husband took over a corner and I need to keep my yarn and fabric from eating him alive.

Oh Nic, here's that yarn I was talking about, but couldn't remember the name of. Hill Country Yarn

Maybe I should go do something productive today. So far we have gotten one thing done, changed all the drawer pulls in the kitchen. Yeah! That only took us a year. Literally. We closed on our house one year ago today. :D

I shall Endeavor to persevere

So I frogged all of my forward progress from the past couple days. And I'm trying again.

Apparently I can't knit while waiting at the doctors office. I thought I could. I made good headway. I was cruising right along. I must have been so nervous, that I couldn't spot the mistakes. Ah well. You live, you learn. Next time it's something simple, like a sock. Or better yet, a scarf. I can't screw that up. Well, then again, I most likely could.

Mother Trucker!

That's it. I quit.

I was knitting along when I found ANOTHER mistake, way back towards the beginning. I just am not ment to make this top.

Now I either have to swap away the shameful yarn, or find something new to make out of it.

excuse me while I drown my sorrows in a pint of Ben and Jerry's

KAL suckage

So, I'd post a picture of my KAL, but you could just look at the last one. And imagine it a bit smaller.

After getting quite a bit done, I noticed I added some stitches and it was growing bigger. So I ripped back....Oh 4 inches or so. Then last night, I noticed a few rows back I forgot a yarn over. So I ripped it back even more. This pattern is not hard, it just requires me to not talk to watch TV, because when I do, I miss a stitch and don't see that until eleventeen billion stitches later. I almost frogged the whole thing, but I'm going to be stubborn and finish it. If it kills me. And it just might.

In happy news, I got to dye some yarn. And it's pretty. And I will post pictures later this week. Those will be happy photos. :D

Project update

So I started my KAL project on Friday night. I think the yarn is lovely. I may have to change my mind about knitting with cottons. I'm using KnitPicks Shine Sport in Turquoise. I love it! It feels nice to knit with. :)

That's my progress as of last night. Not bad considering I frogged in Sunday morning because the lace was off. If I'd only pay closer attention when I knit.....

Hubbies socks are coming along. I think I'm going to run out of yarn. :( I measured last night and I have 3 1/2 inches to go until the toe decrease! Three and one half! I think I'm going to have to start the black yarn sooner then expected.
So that's the projects I've been working on over the weekend. I've got some cleaning to do, and I have to walk the dog, and then go back to work for an hour, and then grocery shop before I can knit. I better get busy!

OOooooOOO!

Yarn!

It came! It finally came! Yeaaaaa!

I started my Turquoiseigna last night. Only got a few rows before bed time. But, we're heading to my parents, so I'm planning on knitting in the car. Woo!

I hate you row 19!

Hate! I say!

I was knitting along on row 27 when I noticed that I was off. A bit. So I had to frog it back to 22, since the mistake was on row 23. Then, I frogged it more, to row 18. Why? I don't remember. Anyway.. After screwing up and frogging row 19 twice more, I finally fixed it. I think I'm on row 21 now. So much for getting ahead in my knitting.

So after all that mess with my shrug, I picked up my husbands socks and FINALLY turned the heel. Woo! And there was much rejoicing. Much. Let me tell you, that heel took forever.

Forever!

But it's worth it because they're so pretty. The pictures are dark because the minute I went to take the photo, it starting to rain. Bah! Go away rain!

Anyway, that's the knitpicks dye your own yarn that I dyed back in November. I love how it's making little swirls around the leg. I'm using a pattern from Sensational Socks and I really like how it's turning out. I'm bringing it to work so I can work on it during my downtime/lunch break. Hopefully I can hide somewhere and knit. I don't think I have anything on the books today.

Pictures? I got yer pictures.

First, a photo of the puppies.


Aww..... Two little matching puppies. So cute. :)

Then my new project.
It's the Viennese Shrug from IK Spring 05. And I learned TWO new things! Two! Marvel at that with me a moment.... ahhh..... I learned the provisional cast on method (see... Pretty orange yarn) And to read from a chart only. OoOoooo... So amazing!

I think I'm almost ready for my birthday sweater. :)

Still no yarn. :(

But that's okay. Because I have enough projects to keep me busy. :D

I frogged my Shimmer. Again. Then I started something new. I'm completely happy with it. Completely. I shall post some pics of what I'm doing. But first I must clean the house. :D

Hello? Yarn? Where are you?

I get so antsy when I order yarn. I talked to the ladies at KnitPicks yesterday and she said it would be shipped out yesterday. So I know it's on it's way. :)

I got my pattern today. So I think I'm going to go pick up some needles before work, and I should be set.

Go me!

Shh... Don't tell my Husband...

I bought more yarn. :D

I'm going to knit in the KAL. I'll be doing Orangina in a lovely turquoise color. I had to fill up the cart to get free shipping, so I got some more sock yarn. Which will either become some lovely knee high socks, or a Clapotis.
I'm hoping to finish up a scarf today, and decide what I'm going to do with my Shimmer. I've frogged it once, and I'm still not sure if I really like it. I like knitting the lace patter, but I don't think I'll get much wear out of it, being to 'dressy'. So, I think I'm going to frog it again and try something more like the pink shrug in IK summer 2005. But, with longer sleevees. Maybe.

Oh dear....

If you're squeamish, don't look at the following photos. They're not pretty.....





I found this is my living room. I think it's a nose.....or at least... WAS a nose. Off to the distance is the rest of the body.


Here's the full scene... Again, you better have a strong stomach...

Off the the left is the little brown bow the victim was wearing. And you can see the stuffing has been removed and tossed about. There was more stuffing on the other side of the room too.

Here's the close up of the damage. The eyes were not found. Soon after these pictures were taken the murderer returned to the scene of the crime and removed the body. Thankfully, we were able to catch her with the body.


Case Closed.

Meh.

I feel better today. Better. Not well. But better.

Tomorrow is my mostly day off. Mostly because I have to volunteer at a women's event to drum up business. GAO! I hate doing stuff for free. This event is not going to bring people in. That's all I have to say about that. :P

I also get to go drink coffee with Tonia, and I plan on squeezing her baby. Because he's cute.

As far as knitting goes, I cleaned out the stuff that's been sitting around, and I'm working on finishing a couple small things, like my scarves that have been waiting for too long. I also tossed a ugly sweater that I will never finish. Go me. Live lighter and all that.

I'm putting in an order for yarn with Nic. Yeah yarn. I can do my fair isle sweater now. :) Go me. I'm so excited.

I supported my LYS today. Even if they don't have eveything I want. I bought a Dale of Norway pattern book. I want to make many many things out of this book.
I'm thinking of doing a Knit Along with the Sexy Knitters, so I might just order some yarn to make something cute out of this book. We'll see how the paycheck looks on Friday. Must pay bills before one buys yarn.

Ack!

Why am I up so late? Who knows. I'm sick and I feel like poo and I really want to be sleeping. But I can't.

I think something is seriously wrong with me. I have to be at work from 10 am to 8 pm tomorrow. yea. Right. That's going to happen. Now just to decide. Do I skip training? Go in for a little while? Hit part of training and take the facial I know is already on the books?

Ugh. At least I'm not throwing up or coughing up a lung. That kind of sick sucks. At least I got some knitting done. But I'm all out of meds now. I may have to leave the house tomorrow.

Sick sick sick

I'm sick with ick.

But, that means I get to knit. So I finally finished both of those doggie coats I was making. The only things I need are two more buttons. I either lost two or miscounted. Each coat requires three buttons. I can only find four. Oh poo. I need to run and pick up size 1 knitting needles anyway. So it's not a huge deal. But I'm home sick and can't leave the house, so I guess I'll do that tomorrow before my shift. Now I can't decide what to work on. I should keep knitting away on my hubbies socks. Those have been sitting for awhile. I'm still working on turning the heel on the first one. :P But I really want to start knitting with the new genitive's yarn that came in the mail. I want to start Merey's diaper bag soon. The faster I get it done with the better. Then I can use that to hold all the little baby sized things I want to knit. :)

Yeah for new yarn!

As we speak some new yarn is on it's way to my door. Yarn for socks and yarn for Merey's diaper bag. I am very excited.

Hey Nic, I need yarn advice. Have you ever used Jamieson & Smith Shetland wool yarn? I'm think of using it for a fair isle vest I'd like to knit. They have such lovely colors. Any thoughts? Or suggestions? The vest I picked out is from vogue knitting winter, anniversary special... Um... 4 years ago? I don't know for sure. It's just a simple vest. Lets' put it that way. I want to do it in lovely cholocate brown, with pinks, yellows or oranges for the pattern part. It's pretty in my head! Pretty I say.

Now, but to cleaning the house. Hoepfully I'll finish soon so I can knit. Of course if I won't spend all my free time shopping online, I'd have much more knitting done.

So I just found out the Knitpicks dropped some of their prices on yarn. That's right. DROPPED their prices. So, of course I need to buy yarn.. Right now I've got enough yarn to choke...I don't know. A Brontosaurus. So do I really need more yarn? Probaly not. I've picked out eough yarn to make 8 pairs of socks. (that's 16 balls of yarn folks) That really doesn't help the resolution I made to myself awhile back. Buy yarn for projects. Big projects. Like sweaters. Not scarves or socks. See, if I spend 47 dollars, I want to be able to make something BIG! Not 8 pairs of socks. Eight!

Oh well. Maybe I'll get some yarn for socks, and then yarn to make a felted bag for Merey. Because she needs one. Because she got the preggo bug too.

Hmm... Just can't decide. Maybe I should wait until I get my paycheck, since this week has been very slow, and I've only made 7 dollars in tips. :P

Hmm again...

Ho-hum

So I got 7 baby hats done. Not too bad if you ask me. :)

I'm packing for my cruise (I'll be gone the 4th thru the 11th) and so, of course I need to pack yarn. I've been thinking about packing my birthday sweater. (Hello Nic! I love it!) I'm going to have to sit down with the pattern again and see if I dare bring it on my trip. Other wise I've got my hubby's socks, a scarf, (or two) cobweb shawl and crop sweater to finish. Maybe I should pack a couple of them to work on.

Decisions!

Now the baby can come.

Why do I only have 3.75 hats finished? Because I was finishing this bag for my friend Tonia. She's having a baby any day now, and needs a cool diaper bag. Not a ugly plastic Poo on. No. A cute knitted one.
So I finished it last night. As you can tell by the lack of proper lighting. The shower is today, in about 45 minutes. I've wrapped it up and am just going to get socks, then I'm on my way. I can't believe I did it. Now, I must get off my butt and knit more hats! Holy carp! Only 5 days left! (yes. I did mean holy carp. It's funnier that way.)

woo!

One baby hat down. Seven to go.

Small setback with an I-cord, but I'm overcome that hurdle and am pressing on. I don't think I'll have any chance to knit today at work, wich makes me sad, but I do get off at 5pm, with no plans for the evening, so hopefully I can get half a hat done tonight.

Dyeing is fun.

Well. It is.

Today I dyed up some wool from a sweater I recycled awhile back when I was sick. I figured I was too ill to knit, but I could frog just fine.





These first three skeins I dyed in shades of pink. I think they turned out lovely.

These next three are even better. I mixed only 1 scoop of color of black, yellow and purple. I love how they turned out. Totally unexpected.

I just love how the purple is really a bright pink, and the black isn't harsh at all, the the yellow is bright and mixes so well. It was a pleasent surprise. I like playing with the mixes and getting something totally unknown.

I'm going to hunt down some yarn and a couple baby hat patterns and toss them into my lunch bag. If I plan it right I can take a late lunch and start casting on at 2pm. That's the offical start time of the Knitting Olympics. Go me!

I'll try and post some pics of my progress. Or, if I can't take the time away from knitting, of my finished hats. :)

Before I forget...

My goal for the knitting olympics is to make 8 baby hats. Ta-da! Not very exciting I know. But I knit slow. So my goal is to be able to make 8 in a span of 16 days. I can do it. And, I will use up stash yarn... yeah!

First finished project of 2006

So what if they're just a pair of mittens? You got a problem with that buddy? No. I didn't think so.

They're made out of Noro, from a mitten pattern I found in a magizine. They're for the Mitten Swap on Knitty.

I want to keep them! They're so pretty. I'm going to try to send them out today. If not, for sure tommorrow. I can't wait to see what come in my mailbox in return.

A challange!

I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I'll let you know! Info over at Yarn Harlot. I was thinking of doing somthing for charity. Like Hats or booties or blankets for project snuggle. I have to think and check the stash.

Cute, or ugly?

I can't decide! I think it might be cute, not on that model and not in that color... But I'm not sure!
I want to find something to make my Rowan cork into, but I'm scared of hating it and frogging it. I'm sick of frogging things! It seems like lately all I've been doing is frogging.

I need to take some pics. I lent out my digital to my SIL. And now I have things I want to take pics of. :(

Hubby's socks are going along well, I've started the heel. My super secret new project is going well. I just have to keep plugging away at it. :)

I ran in to a snag on Lucky. But I'm just putting my head down and pushing on. I think the sleeve is going to be way to fat. But I made up the smallest size. We'll see how it goes. Maybe blocking will fix it. Blocking fixes everything right? right??

Okay. I'm off to knit some more. On what I"m not sure. But I better finish something soon. I'm running out of needles to start new projects on. :D