It's Sweater Time!!

yup, hand over the Gold Medal. I finished my sweater in record time. 13 days of 'calendar time,' but there were about three whole days i didn't knit a stitch at all. WOWSA! (by the way, i really enjoy being a red head. maybe when i am rich i can pay people to keep it that way)

and closer to see the cables:

Pattern: #13 in Winter 05/06 Vogue Knitting
Yarn: Araucania NatureWool in colour #46
Needle: Denise size 8
it was quite a joy to knit! how the cables just naturally came out of the ribbing. The yarn is slightly thin for an 'aran' knit, but i do not need really thick, warm, wool sweaters or else I will overheat. The yarn is fabulous to knit with. really niec colour (it's hand-dyed) and spit splices beautifully. It only took 5 skeins to knit this (size 40, largest in the pattern). this means i have 2 skeins left, which I would love to swap for two skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash in some sort of bright and cheery, unisex baby colour to knit Trellis for a baby coming in October. so trade is not necessary immediately, but sooner is better. anywho, back to the sweater...wore it today, and the colour works well with my skin and hair tones. so that's great. DBF loved it, so that's gotta count for something, right?

Really, all else that matters is that I finished knitting a day before monkee did. ha. erm, i mean. go Olympic knitters!

Next up, knitting socks for my sockapaloooza pal! I have some Regia Mini Ringel Color in a really pretty red/pink/orange/yellow mix. but no pattern yet. this is my biggest sock knitting problem. finding sock patterns that fit without alteration because i have only made one successful pair of socks. thinking thinking hard! i would much prefer a toe-up pattern because i want to knit both at once on 2 circs, and want to be sure and not run out of yarn (by doing toes last) and having to undo TWO socks instead of one.

lookee here!

awww, DBF surprised me last night by picking me up from the train instead of my daddy! and he had a slice of my favoritest pie! and on my desk was this:

two dozen red roses and six pink carnations!
suh-weet!!! he's the greatest. made my birthday SUCH a special day!!

as for olympic knitting, made some more swatches. determined whole sweater to be made on size 8 needles. and it is looking to be a challenge because i have TONS of homework, and on friday i work til 2, need to call one friend, pick bro up from school at 8pm, then hang with a friend home from college...so maybe 4 hours knitting time? can i make an entire sweater in 16 days WITH work and school? i dunno!!

notice....anything?

hmmm. this really neat thingie...snapshirts is a really interesting tool...cuz it takes all the words on your blog (i dunno from how far back)...and makes this cool 'word cloud.'

now....take a look at it.

seriously.

just look.

who's name is really big?? (otter)



yeah. that's what i thought.

call me crazy, part deux

*blushes*
well, you know. i got my birthday money from my grandma really early. and i had bought the new issue of VK. and there's this really neat looking twisted rib sweater with a cabled yoke. and i want it badly. and logic would say that i should knit my sockapaloooza socks, if i wanted something for Olympic knitting. but that wouldn't be a challenge, so i'd have to knit two pairs in those 16 days, but then i might have to rush a tad and i want my pal's socks to be so very nicely made. so that's out. so me, i go to the LYS today. i was going to save my bday money to go buy more Addis on 20% off, but that birthday money...and the 20% off yarn sale this week....so off i went. turns out there isn't a large selection of needles anyway (it's a small store). so i began browsing all the yarn.

Felt up the cascade pastaza, but at the yardage, i'd need like 12 balls and i couldn't afford that. then i stumbled on some lovely lovely yarn, nice 240 yds/skein. Araucania NatureWool, in colour #46. it's not on their website. weather today: gray and rainy weather tomorrow: gray and maybe snowy. if i ever see sunlight again, i promise some yarn Pr0n. of course, the skeins make lovelier photos, but me, without a swift, wasn't even going to attempt winding that on my own. i bought 7, and had the lovely owner wind 6 of them for me. good thing cuz one got really stuck and she saved it for herself for later and i got a different one off the shelf. anywho, i will try and use the good camera and get a good pic for Wendy.

anyway, i love knitting two sleeves at once, and also body pieces at once. but this is hand-dyed yarn. so of course, it is recommended that you alternate every 2-4 rows with two skeins. now, it wouldn't make sense to cart four balls of yarn around, would it? *sigh* so alas, one piece at a time, but i am using markers on every say, 10th row or so, to make sure the parts are the same length.

now, i really wanna cast on! but alas, i must wait. will swatch and get everything together. at least it starts on a friday, and i can start as soon as i get home from work! make sure i do all my homework before then, so i can have the entire weekend devoted to knitting.

yeah. i'm crazy.

call me crazy but...

...i signed up for sockapaloooza today. me. the girl who has made four socks. and no, that doesn't mean two pair. it means one pair that took three socks to make, and a single other sock. yeah. me. the gal who's feet seem huge compared to all sock patterns. but i love handknit socks. and to have someone make some for me. YES. and to push myself to try new techniques (hopefully two on two circs) and make them perfect....i am all for it.

even though school is shaping up to be a lot of work. then again, my classes all seem a lot of fun anyway. yeah, i have enjoyed these first two days/four classes. two more days and two more classes to go. didn't even have to buy many books this semester, which really rocks.

guess that's it for now....tuesdays are my looooongest day (outta the house for 12 hours) and so i have no pic of my lacey scarf. but it's 8 sts, 4 rows...perfectly memorized and super fast. two days of train knitting and it's a foot long. and it's SO pretty.

better update this weekend, i would think. although the homework load will certainly eat up my entire fridays. friday is the only day i have any large chunk of time to myself. *urp* time with DBF? heh. in his dreams, maybe

an Actual FO!

i see now, how people can become lace addicts. i think i might be turning that way. though never as 'bad' (good? evil? meanie?) as monkee, but still..the MAGIC of blocking! whee!

since i tagged Laura for yet another meme, i promised her action shots of lace.. (her idea)

so...she gets this:


and that's allll you get.

yup.

no more lace here.

no sir.

no how.

ready?

leaves going this way....


....leaves going that way


the ever popular bathroom mirror self-portrait (where i wore a white shirt conducive to photography of lace, and scrunched my hair just for Missy)


and then, just for Laura...


and


pattern specs, since otherwise i will be bombarded with questions:
Gothic Leaf Stole
Knit Pick's 'Gossamer' in Caribbean, 3 skeins
Denise size 5 needles
this shawl was knit on in Illinois, Indiana and Tennessee. fun times. guess that's it...

*dashes off in search of more lace*

a meme and picture intensive post for monkee

Ragan has tagged me for a meme...so....i guess here goes. silly things

Four jobs you have had in your lifetime
-grocery bagger
-grocery cashier
-produce clerk
-grocery stocker
uh yeah...only worked at one place, but done it all

4 movies you could watch over and over
-Sneakers
-Big
-Joe vs the Volcano
-You've Got Mail
(gimme tom hanks and meg ryan ANY day)

4 places you have lived
-Westchester, Illinois
-Lisle, Illinois
(obviously i don't get out much)

4 TV shows you love to watch
-i don't watch tv
-except the news at 9

4 places you have been on vacation
-Wisconsin Dells
-Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
-West Lafayette, Indiana
-Nashville, Tennessee

4 websites you visit daily
-My Yahoo!
-Gmail
-Bloglines
-Xanga (it's quite the addiction)

4 of your favorite foods
-Taco Bell
-Chinese
-pizza
-ice cream

4 places you would rather be right now
-chillin in the dorm with Matt and the guys
-at church
-in class
-anywhere but work

4 bloggers you are tagging
-Missy
-Laura
-Steph
-Dawn

now for the knitting (somewhat):
i finally finished this great looking latch hook rug...and used iron-on binding which actually adhered:


and now for the show!!

a scrunchy merino blob!


ahhh! wool floating atop warm water bath!


it made noises like rice krispies in milk...all the water bubbling in and hehe. 'twas fun to push it under. drown!


odd picture...but it warmed my cold toes to stomp all the water out


ta-da!! it is a tiny bit smaller on this end closest to you...but hey, it's all good.

i used Harlot's Walk Around the Block Tutorial. i used fishing line in each side before washing it, then pinned it out...haven't ever blocked lace before, but i know this helped with straight edges

and...a close-up to come once dry! didn't measure pre-blocking, but it was just a blob anyway.

YAY FOR FINISHED LACE!!!

My, What Big Teeth You Have!

so my little brother got this totally cool lego set for Christmas, and you could make three different HUGE animals. with like, teeth and everything! so i was pretty excited, since i LOVE legos.

he built this cool lion:


and today he shows it to me and says there are enough pieces to build two smaller things at the same time. and says that *I* can build them!! i was thrilled, and while home alone and doing laundry, i dumped out the pieces and set to work.





uh, not much knitting taking place. crap. and when school starts in two weeks, i will have six courses and 19 hours, plus all the travel time, plus 20 hours of work...and i doubt i'll get much knitting done. *sigh*

alas.... i shall knit something before class starts. namely, my lace shawl.

leaving on a jet plane...

well, not really. but alas, i am going into chicago to spend new year's, and then leaving sunday to go to Nashville, not to return until friday. to Maryann's delight, i have now finished attaching the zipper to my Mariah. and i am not entirely happy with the sweater as a whole, but it is wearable and warm and soft. oh how i love Cascade 220. pictures when i return, as well as pictures of the mittens i made from the Gifted pattern using the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Superbulky that Ariel swapped with me.

on my trip, i am taking the ruffles scarf, as well as my lace shawl, and some sock yarn. i shall be attempting two socks on two circs (or so i hope) as i cannot find an online tutorial i like, that helps me. i thought i found one last night using google, but today's search results do not match. grrrr. stupid google. anywho, i will be using the elann free toe-up stockinette pattern and moda dea sassy stripes yarn. this way i can mess up and learn what to do before using my lorna's laces sock yarn. i think for that yarn i will use elann's wavy sock patter, as i really like how it turns out since i have already used it.

okay. so i leave you the cutest picture in the world, even though most of you have already seen it. heh heh. my youth pastor's kids wearing the sweaters i knit them for Christmas.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Catching up....a monkee post! (in more ways than one)

hmmm...i know, i know. i haven't posted in a while. school has kept me busy. as has knitting. so here's another pair of Chipman's Block mittens...i'm addicted! i have the pattern memorized! Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted weight in Amethyst and Peruvian Pink, size 1 and 3 CPY dpn's. i love them, and my hands will finally be warm!! here they are, attractively laying in the snow.




and now, for monkee, here's the six inches of snow that fell yesterday:





so today i go out for the mail, and am almost on the porch when the mailtruck reverses from two houses down, and the guy hands me a package he almost forgot.....hmmmm,

egads, look! she actually picked up a cr*chet hook and made purty chains to tie up my parcels!!


some shirts from her b'ling...one from his school, and one loving a state i have never set foot in...


then Missy went to the thrift store and bought me Texas goodies!! bowling and barrel racing! fun!

oh my gosh! look! polyester!


this is the BEST thing in this package, hands down. just call me Linda! doesn't my hair look fab as well??


that's the true colour..and it rocks...even better? the back!



and then a little something for me to make:

awww, my monkee loves me!

i promise my next update won't be so far away...gotta knit one last Christmas gift.

it's a Coronet!

okay, this is some mystery wool i got from my Knitty SP3. haven't attempted to felt with a swatch yet, but it feels like your standard wool. size 6 dpns...used my brand new Comfort Zone needles! woo hoo. i love my hat!





super fast post, no linkage...i'm lazy. i also have gift knitting and homework...

holiday gifting KAL update

so....i finished a huge gift..the largest one i have, so i am so glad it is off the 'hook' ;) so...i don't wanna put that pic here cuz someone might see what HE is getting. so yeah. if you are a guy that knows me in real life, and there might be a possibility you would be getting a homemade gift, do not CLICK HERE i warned you!!

and if you're here for the warm hands KAL, check the post underneath this one...

picture intensity!!

so yeah...been a busy little elf lately. if you know me, and know you might be receiving a certain knitted item for your hands...don't read any further!!!

first off, after my successful oven mitt, i decided pot-holders/trivets were in store for DBF's grandparents. so pulled out what appears to be the last (thank goodness!!) of my lamb's pride worsted, and doubled it to make these:


started about 11-inches square


ended about 9-inches square. i hate felting garter...but they will make a nice size for trivets.

next up is a craptacular picture (since i am fully capable of crappy pics) this is a lovely pattern that Danielle from NoNoKitty Yarns came up with (pattern here and be sure to visit her brand new blog.) it's some sorta superwash wool i got from bargain bin at LYS..i frogged a scarf i had already made out of it..pic around here somewhere...maybe...someday


and i cast on for mitten #2 on the train yesterday morning....three classes and two train rides later....


i LOVE the insides!! i absolutely do!



The outsides aren't too bad either!
Chipman's Block Mittens, size Ladie's small from Knit Mittens!, size 1 and 3 CPY bamboo dpn's, Brown Sheep Nature Spun worsted in Eucalyptus and Natural. cannot wait to make my own pair, but i am soooo glad to have another gift done!

guess that is it for today! whee! ;)

Warm Hands KAL update!

STINNY! if you are reading this, stop now. do not read further and spoil your christmas gift!!!

Oven mitt! Gift for little bro (he's 13) Lamb's Pride bulky in a beautiful sable/chestnut colour, with a maroon worsted, doubled, for the cuff. I magic-looped it with my Denise 13's.





then my Covered with Color mitten from the Knit Mittens! book. size 3 bamboo dpns, lamb's pride worster. blocking let the cuffs lay mostly flat



and from same book, Chipman's block mitten in brown sheep nature spun worsted in natural and eucalyptus. super fast and easy! i would try it on to show you, but it's too small which is great cuz it's a gift and i think it'll fit perfectly!

it's a WRAP!

TWO WEEKS EXACTLY! that's right. two weeks for my purty-rific vest to be complete! Here's a pic to capture your attention. nice and casual-like:


and then how i will wear it on Thanksgiving, 'cept with dark dark jeans:


now the specs:
pattern #25 in Fall '05 VK. Made in Cascade 220 in colours who's ball bands i have lost so don't ask what colours. they are listed in an old entry, i believe. The grey is left over from Mariah. Oh wait, shouldn't have said that. moving on now.... Denise size 8 for all ribbing, and 10 for fair isle. I love my 40-inch cable!

notice my design feature:

the first section (bottom) is incorrect. it has a row of pink/greay/pink/grey up the center of it..supposed to be blue/grey. it completely changes it. but i like it that way!

and on to my huge list of mods: they said knit flat! i said, two pieces of ribbing to then seam? i think not! plus that way i got to do at least some of the fair isle in the round before splitting for neck/arms. as for flat fair isle: kill me now! lol but i found that knitting backwards, i was better able to keep my tension than if i purled the row. luckily the solid colour rows landed on purl rows, so that helped keep me sane. all the ends! i actually didn't mind weaving them in. it was ok.

then, their chart was totally dumb. the last stitch and first stitch were the same..which meant you would have two stitches the same in a row during repeats, and when i visualized it, it wasn't working for me. so i made the chart 18 stitches instead. i also wanted a size between the two largest. so i fudged with the 18-st repeat and my gauge, and came up with my own number. then i started the chart on like, stitch 14 so that the pattern would be centered over the front.

i put a ton of work into this vest, but it was TOTALLY worth it and i cannot wait to wear this!!! will wear it Sunday, methinks. nice and casual for church. then it's Thanksgiving, baby!

WOO HOO!

photo blockage

just some quick photos on my vest and mittens! woo hoo, vest will be done thursday, i am sure...exactly two weeks after starting it

photage of back with way incorrect colours:


photoage of blockage:


and the mittens being blocked:


right now i'm crocheting my afghan...close to done, but of course each round takes longer ('ghan is a single granny square). pics upon completion

a pile of ends

so today i cut all the ends in those Covered With Color mittens. now i just need to severely block the cuff to lay flat...tricky, tricky!

then i knit the right front of my vest, and here's a craptastic picture of an idea of the fringe i have:


and then i WOVE THEM ALL IN. figured i may as well get started. my knitting MO has changed...now i have been loving every single step of this project. it rocks my socks that i am liking it, and doing all these things as i go and modifying every little thing i can...go figure. i will need another section of colour for the fronts, but i want to get the back to the same level first to see exactly how much length i need. like it?

i've fallen in love all over again...

i dunno...i am so in love with this WIP! as much as the mitten i am knitting. this is from Fall VK, pattern #25 if you have the mag. a fair isle vest. i have changed so many things in this pattern to mold it to my liking, and i will go over them all when i finish. i will wear this for thanksgiving, over this blouse i got at Gap, which is why i was lead to these particular colours. close-ups of fair isle later in the project. whoever thought up flat-knitting fair isle needs to be shot. purling two colours is next to impossible. but i'm handling it, and i'm zipping right along! few more inches on this front left, then the right front, then the back...(eek! all that purling!!) and then more ribbing around the neck/armholes.



question, though...when i do a 3-needle bind off at the shoulders...how will that effect my patterning? if i do it in a solid colour, will it show up as a plain row? or not...because the patterning would 'drop off' the needle, and the new colour (bind-off row) would be the 'seam' inside the garment? help me think this through.....