So Many FO's!

wow! check out my website here I promise when I have a chance I will fiddle with the blog settings to make links and stuff, but not right now

i posted all sorts of updates to my "On the Needles" and "Finished" pages so go check them out :)

my feet are in heaven!

ah the price women pay for fashion. i wore my nice tan boots to school today, cuz they went perfectly with my kinda long chocolate-brown cords. and my teacher let us out a teeny bit later, so i had to walk a little bit faster to get to the train and my feet hurt something awful. and now it's 11:30 and i'm finally sitting down to write my three page rough draft personal narrative that's due tomorrow ( I leave the house at 8) and so I am soaking my poor tootsies in hot water with a peppermint foot soak that was in my spa kit from my SP3! supposed to be a kit for all your buddies too, but i admit, i'm selfish LOL plus, they are all away at other schools and i needed this badly. plus a piece of dark chocolate. hehe

more FO's

that's right! i use knitting as a procrastination tool. but i finished my mystery package...a really pretty hat that just needs to be blocked into submission and then get it's portrait taken
plus i finished my 'cottage socks' and am wearing them right now, even though the end is currently wrapped around my toes because I didn't sew it in yet.
and i cast on and knit the cuff to my own mitten pattern. I'm reading through my book of mitten patterns to learn different thumb techniques and figuring out the proportions as to how many stitches to increase to fit the hand and then how many for the thumb. really fun! I'm definitely going to post this pattern up here as my own first pattern!! just for you guys
time to go type up some quick homework then sleep. i dont sleep enough anymore....

One Thing Leads to Another...

I did it! Frogged my hat and made a new one with the orange rib cuff and then the natural body, making my own pattern! It fits perfectly, and I will post a picture ASAP, and then the patterns once I finish my complete set. The only thing is, I can't make my mittens at this moment because my 13 dpns are currently making a Cottage Sock in Lion Brand Wool Easy Thick & Quick, so i will have to finish that first, then move on to my mittens. Bed time now, and homework in the morning, then rewarding myself with that sock...

A Change of Plans

thanks for stopping by, SP!

Since I ordered that yarn on ebay, I figure I will frog my hat. That way I can add some orange to it, and tighten up the brim for a better fit. I'm think cuff in orange and then body in tan, then mitten opposite: cuffs in tan, body in orange. then with whatever I have left I will knit up a quick scarf. and whether or not i have any tan in the scarf is no big deal. it will still be a nice matching set, and the bulky yarn makes it go quickly. although, they recommend size 17 needles. even the size 15 for the hat was still a little loose for a warm knit, so I may use 13's and even though it will use a bit more yarn that way, it will be more cozy and i have 13 skeins to work with, so that should be great. I am also going to make the scarf in stockinette, something I would normally not do because the rolled edges would drive me crazy, much as mis-matched striping does in both knitting and sewing. i'm anal that way. but with the yarn and the nature of the beast (wrapping the scarf multiple times for warmth) will all add to the charm. the best thing about this yarn? no ends between skeins since you spit and splice them together. yummy! ;) pics to come, but the next 10 days or so are super busy

lunch date after work tomorrow, eight hour shifts fri-sun, dinner date monday, volleyball game to see tues, meaning i will have three hours of tv taped LOL and two papers to write and the other menial homework PLUS making a final list of christmas gifts yet to make.

It's a Mystery to me!!

hey guys! here is the promised pic of yarn from my SP3...and the hat I whipped up! kinda like a cloche, a little....i keep the brim unrolled to wear it. The ribbing was not as tight as I would like, but I think i will just run some skinny elastic through the edge to tighten it up a wee bit, but I'm thrilled with the results.

And then, I got a package today! it's my mystery yarn package from Inspirations Yarn. and, sneaky devil, she won't tell us what it is, but I can guess. So she's holding a contest, and all you have to do is send in pictures of your finished project by nov. 1 and you could win next month's mystery package! this is exciting! The yarn is absolutely beautiful, and I recommend you check out the site. i will definitely be back! fast shipping, good prices and great yarn! it was wonderful to be able to use paypal as well. i ordered the warm colors, and it's time for my tv show, so here we go to knit it up:

See What You Started, SP3??

So, as I mentioned, my SP3 sent me some Gedifra Gigante. And I was so excited to use it, that even though I have numerous Christmas gifts to complete, I had to sit down with it, my Denise 15's, and knit myself a hat while watching two hours of tv!! I promise a pic soon, but my homework is making me feel really guilty. But it's just a simple hat. here goes: cast on 50 sts (I have a large head ;) ) work 1x1 rib for about 4 inches (whatever looks right) then knit every round (stockinette) until you need to start the decreases, then decrease evenly and you have a hat! LOL really, that's all there is to a hat. if a beginner like me can make this up, anyone can.

So just what, exactly has my SP3 started? I have almost one whole skein of GIgante left, so I figure it's enough to make cuffs for mittens. What will the rest of the mittens be??? I scored an AMAZING deal on ebay! Check this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8137317750 you see that right! with shipping and shipping insurance, I got 10 skeins of Gigante for $37.88. wowsa! So i'm gonna knit some mittens with my brown colorway as cuffs, and then an orange scarf and I will actually have a matching set cuz right now i only have novelty scarves. go me go!!! i love ebay :)

how could this be a bad thing, you ask? cuz i just spent $40 on yarn I shouldn't have bought. i have enough projects going, and a large enough stash. but isn't this the way it goes? at least i've blown my yarn diet and not my food diet LOL

Vanilla Goodness!

I promise pictures will follow soon, but I am currently in the library at school, so words will have to suffice. Here is what my super-duper secret pal sent me:

A 'Spa-Kit' It's one of those buckets with facial things, scrubs, lotions, all smelly goodness in mango, strawberry and such, with nail implements and invites for a girls' night in. so fun!
'Tahitian Vanilla' scented potpourri and matching votive candles
An adorable charm bracelet with garden thingies....birdhouse, shovel, and hearts. so pretty!

Now for the yarn:
Some crochet thread. Maybe someday I'll move on to doilies and the like, so I'm saving it for when my skills improve. it's a pretty pink/purple/white/blue
Two skeins of Lamb's Pride Worsted in 'Periwinkle' I love their yarns! i am going to felt this into something great.
One skein of Trendsetter's Dune, in green/purple. I have never seen this yarn before! it's two strands, one a fluffy mohair in the green to purple, then a metallicy strand with blue sparkles. a great accent yarn.
and what I love: 3 balls of Gedifra Gigante in a tan/ivory colorway. i've admired this before and have always wanted to try a thick-thin yarn, and here's my chance! I'm thinking hat, and will i have enough for mittens as well? i'm thinking of winging it on my own...i've made hats before, so if i just find a basic mitten pattern, i should be well on my way.

so yay for SP3!! this was totally worth it. Now i just gotta find some yarn for to send the person i'm spoiling for her next package. this is great fun :)

SP3 Strikes!!

hey guys! I'm working on my Shakespeare homework right now, but i was about half way done, so I treated myself with opening this huge box that arrived while I was at work. you guessed it. Secret Pal 3 has graced my mailbox!! I will post pics and descriptions ASAP, but right now, back to Shakespeare. I'm so very pleased with my gifts!!

Huge Yarn Sales!

Well, I've really added to my stash. There was a sale on all Lion Brand yarns at Hobby Lobby this week, so I stopped in for some Fun Fur and ColorWaves Boucle. Winter knitting of a scarf and poncho, respectively. I'm anxious to finish knitting the hat and afghan that are gifts, and then a few other christmas gifts, like a beaded banner and a small cross-stitch, so I can move on to more 'ME' knitting. I am currently working on a sweater, and now i have the poncho, and a crochet project!

I've just started to crochet. Currently I'm making an afghan out of Lion Homespun, which is all single crochet through the back loop. Really simple, yet still really pretty. My LYS has a sale this week, of 20% off all yarn, so I went there to pick up some sock yarn. Yes ,I know I said I would never knit socks, and that's not what the yarn is for. I got a new book, Hip to Crochet, and there is an awesome skirt made out of granny squares and three graduating hook sizes for simple shaping. I cannot wait to start in on that. I'm up for the challenge. But looking at the pretty yarn I brought home almost makes me want to make socks, only because the colors are awesome. i even saw some fortissima colori with glitter spun in it! But, I am still amazed that anyone would spend $14 on yarn for a pair of socks. Especially the way I go through socks. I'm always throwing pairs out.

I saw Kureyon....oh wow. I love the colors! But nine skeins of sock yarn blew out my budget. Also, I found a new yarn website through someone's blog, http://www.inspirationsyarn.com and bought a $10 mystery pack. It's yarn and a pattern in warm colors, and the yarn is handpainted and I thought it would be fun. So, I'm definitely done with yarn for the year. I'm going to use the cash I get at christmas for an MP3 player, and then what is left I will use for yarn. maybe i will get some noro then, but i also want to knit a cooler weather sweater. enough bulky for now