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.