Ramblings

My necklaces went to the Bead Doctor yesterday. (Or is it the Chain Doctor? The Queen of All Jewelry?) Mine (with the pendant) had been worn exactly one time and DD#2's had been worn 3 times when both broke and were missing their jump rings. (DD's had a bit of help on the playground, and was in 4-5 pieces.)

HRH (Her Royal Highness) not only fixed the necklaces in a timely manner, but actually MADE the rings when she didn't have any the right size. She says they're a different color--but I sure can't see it.



Many thanks, from your loyal subject. (P.S. photographing jewelry is NOT an easy thing to do.)

Meanwhile, the CIC Mossy Ridge socks are done. Lots of fun, and nice and quick using worsted weight, size 4 dpns, and 36 stitches.



I liked using that combination so well, I cast on for another pair. This time I'm using a faux cable stitch. If it turns out well, I might write up the pattern.



My hoodie is progressing. This picture is an attempt to show you how big it is. I think it will be okay, but it certainly has plenty of extra room. (Even allowing for the fact that I'm sucking in my stomach big time. )



The pattern has me knitting until I'm 5 inches before it's long enough. This will be tricky. I never know if it's long enough until I'm there, so how am I going to know 5 inches before? I will hate it if it's too short (especially if it's too short and too wide), but I also don't want to sit on it.

I'm pretty sure I have at least an inch or two until I'm there, so I might as well keep going and worry about it then.

Hoodie start

This is going to be my new fall jacket. It's the start of the hooded tunic from Knitting Pure and Simple. It's going to be nice and warm and will be the perfect thing to wear on cold soccer mornings.



As I seem to be doing lately, I'm using a different gauge than the pattern states. This time I actually did a gauge swatch, got gauge the very first time, then abandoned that for needles one size larger. You see, my hands hurt from using those needles and the resulting knitted item was a bit stiff.

Since I wanted this hoodie to be nice and big and comfy, this should not pose a problem. (Yes, I really do believe that. It could very possibly be true. Please don't burst my bubble and tell me all the things that could potentially go wrong. I'm sure I'll encounter them along the way.)

The goal for this hoodie was to use the rust yarn my dad got for me during an auction sale. I've never heard of it, but it came from Ireland and is like a sport weight. The Fisherman's wool being knitted with it is making a nice tweedy look.



Also, CIC is doing a mini challenge for the rest of September for little kids socks. I'm making it a goal to make 3 more pairs, and here is the start of pair one.



Figuring that my hoodie has endless rows of st st, I'm choosing a pattern stitch for each of the CIC socks. This one is Mossy Ridge (I think I got it from 6SoxKAL, but am really not sure.)

(Here I'm at the hard part of my post--typing in the word verification letters. Anyone else have a hard time with that? I can't even read the first letter--it looks like a number sign. Oh, the things that keep us safe....)

( I guessed wrong on try #1--the first letter will always be a mystery as I try again....)

(Try #2 with a new set of letters was also wrong. Why is this so hard for me? Is this a Candid Camera joke?)

(Pick any of my previous excuses and apply them here as to why I haven't blogged for so long.....I hate to repeat myself. :)

The purse is done. It took a couple of days to get up the courage to finish it, but here it is:



(Yes, you see one end peeking out that I forgot to hide. It's really on the inside of the bag, so I think I'll keep it as a design feature.)

I've been figuring all along....when it gets dirty I can just wash it. It's wool, but I know how to handle wool, so no biggie. Except....it's sewn on. Sewn onto handles that most likely will not handle wetness very well.

Plan B: Don't get it dirty.

My purse stuff is now in it, and I've carried it around for a day. I have heavy purse stuff, so we'll see if it gets stretched out. I may have to make a separate liner.

A picture for Janice. She figures I'm just fooling everyone and just made this to carry yarn. (Not actually true, but a good idea....)

Janice, did you guess this many?

Pretty purse progress

These are yesterday's knitting pictures that I didn't attempt to load.

It's my purse, and it's almost done.

Here's the purse's outside:



I had actually twisted the wrong way on one of the cables about 15 rows done, but was successful on ripping out those stitches and reknitting the cable. That was a very useful skill to learn.

Here's the purse's inside, which looks interesting in it's own way:



Here's the ribbon and handles.


Now, if that shoemaker would loan me his elves, it'd get put together in a jiffy.

If we have to wait until I do it, it might take awhile....

Stalking ebay

Guess what I did today?

Was it something outdoorsy on this nice, late summer day? Nope.

Was it something interesting, like going to see a play?
Nope.

Was it something energetic like painting the walls?
Nope.

Was it something knittery, considering this is a knitting blog?
Nope.

I spent a good portion of the day on ebay.

That's right. On ebay.

It wouldn't have been too bad, if the computer wasn't moving slooooower than molasses the whole day.

But...when college starts back up, and the kids need textbooks, it's worthwhile spending the time.

DD sent me an email stating she needed three new books (one she was reusing for the second semester) and the costs ranged from $113.95 to $177.95 and did I want to check out ebay to see if I could find used books cheaper??

Ummm....you betcha, I said.... I'll get right on that.

One was bought the first day. One wasn't found. One was bought today for DS (while I'm ebaying, I might as well.) One was stalked for days until this evening, when I won.

HA! I was victorious!

I've also been trying to sell the previous semester(s) books. That doesn't go quite as well, because the publishers update their editions every couple of years to force the poor (in more ways than one) college students to buy new books. Nobody then wants the old books. The only way to know if the old books will be any good is to go to the first day of class, find out from the professor, then do a mad scramble to find the books. It's an evil plot, I tell you.

Sorry....not only do I have the adrenalin pumping 'cause I won, but I also have extra sugar in system.

Why? 'Cause DD#2 and I made a cookie for dessert. Okay, a big cookie. Okay, A REALLY BIG COOKIE WITH SOME ICE CREAM.



And I ate it all!

LYS haul

On Tuesday, I made a trip to my LYS. It was specifically to get this pattern by Knitting Pure and Simple that I had ordered.



This will be for me in a combo of natural Fisherman's wool, and rust wool from Ireland. I'm so excited to get this started....but first I'm making myself finish my purse. It's getting there (and would've been done already if I didn't decide on adding an extra repeat of the pattern.) This is my goal for tonight's knitting (and if I don't fall asleep on the couch again as is my habit, it should be accomplished.)

While at my LYS I might've picked up a skein or two of Berrocco Ultra Alpaca.




And maybe a skein or two of Casecade 220....



And....they started carrying Schaefer Anne sock yarn! Gotta try that out....



And.....some sheepy note cards (made by a local artist who made them from a painting that used to hang in the LYS.)



That's my purchases. Now...off to knit!

Eight down, Twenty to go

Time to show off some socks!

These are new CIC socks that were made with my dyed wool.



40 sts, sz. 4 dpns, 200 yds wool worsted weight, + a bit for the toes.

The pattern is from the 2007 Knitting Pattern-A-Day calendar for Aug. 14, 2007. (Written by Laura Anderson of siriusknitting.com. It's always fun when you recognize a designer's name. She's on one of the groups that I'm on.)

Actually, I didn't really use the pattern per se, just her idea. That is...using a variegated yarn, pick out a color you want to show off (in my case, yellow). Then, whenever you get to that color, purl until the color changes.



In fact, maybe next time I'll reference the pattern more. I have a sneaking suspicion that there's an easier way to handle the color changes in the gusset than what I did.

Quite fun, although it definitely used up more yarn that I thought--a full skein.

Magic 28 is coming along...




I've been in a blah knitting mood. Can't quite decide what to do.....

That was solved when I saw this pattern for the Fashion Cable Knit Bag. The pattern was actually written poorly. I had to flip between 3 pages to complete one row. After retyping it, it went much better. (If I could remember what C5F and T5F stood for, that would help. :)

It's been started a couple of times, but I think this is a keeper.

Better?

Nothing like getting a new-to-me monitor to make me realize that it's time for a color change.

(Sorry, I'm really not as color-challenged as I appear.)

Time for some knitting

Guess what came to our house today?



That's right, it's that time of year again. The kids were off to school, and I was home alone. (No, I did NOT embarrass my kids by taking this picture. It's a generic one found on the 'net.)

You may think that I spent the day knitting and spinning, doing all sorts of creative stuff.

The truth is....I vacuumed and went to the dump. Oh, and a load of laundry was done.

In fact, I don't think I've knitted at all.

Hmm...something is wrong with this picture. Don't worry...I'll take of this matter promptly.

In the meantime, I'll show you a couple of pictures.

First, the CIC socks that have been finished. The knots of yarn were un-knotted (some cutting was involved), but there was enough yarn for a complete pair.



They're certainly colorful--but I like them this way.

Also, the Jaywalker socks have been completed and are modeled by DD#2 (my legs would a much lighter shade--not quite pasty white, but close.)



These are actually a late birthday present. I've knitted the equivalent of 7 socks for this pair. (Yes, really. I knitted another pattern about 5 times before finally ripping them out and starting over. When it doesn't work, it doesn't work.)

Now...it's time for dinner....and maybe some knitting....

Example #2

Continuing the last post about a subconscious color theme, remember my Clapotis?



I had taken it with me to Hawaii, and finished it while there.

Well, I had taken other projects to work on also, one of which was making a new newborn size for my WHW soaker wrap pattern. It got completely knitted in Hawaii (I cast off in the Honolulu airport, but it was still in Hawaii, so it counts.) The pattern has been altered, and should be available soon.



The sad thing is that I actually worked on the soaker wrap for awhile before thinking,

"hey....these colors are very similar.....

very, very similar....

hey! this is the exact same colorway!"



(You must be wondering how I get through the day.) (Sometimes I wonder, too.)

I had bought the two yarns during different years that I visited the MD Sheep and Wool Festival. They are both made from Morehouse Merino yarn, but the Clapotis used laceweight, while the soaker wrap used worsted.

I guess when I like something, I REALLY like something!

Amost an exact match

Ever find yourself following a color theme subconsciously?

For example, when every shirt you buy ends up being blue even when you're trying not to?

DD#2 and I have been clothes shopping, and I'm not sure what color her shirts are, except I know that we've been chanting "no more green" everytime we're in the shirt section. We may find in our effort to buy "no more green" that we have, in fact, bought everything in yellow.

I've been doing that in my knitting the last couple of days. I didn't actually realize this until I took the pictures, and then "wham-o"--how more obvious can it be?

I made another dishcloth, from cotton yarn bought almost a year ago.



In the meantime, I dyed up some wool yarn for use in CIC knitting.



It became apparent as I wound it up.



They're almost an exact match!

Thursday thoughts

Last time I blogged I added a WIPs picture in my sidebar of Jaywalker socks, and today I provide the picture to prove it.



I'm using Sheepjies yarn, size 1 dpns, and 84 sts (the number of sts in a small sweater with thick yarn, which I could be knitting in the time it takes to make a pair of socks, but I'm trying not to think about that.) It's a very easy pattern to memorize and it's going quickly.


Remember the knitting needles that got lost (shortly after the reading glasses got found)?

Guess where I found them?

Outside. On the deck. Where it rains. And the suns beats down on them. And it's cold and dark at night.



(I figure I picked them up when I momentarily found them, then took them outside with a armful of stuff for a picture-taking session, then promptly forgot them.)

Poor needles.

It's a good thing that they aren't wood. Or bamboo. Or metal. Or plastic.

I forget the brand, but they have this coating that protects them from the elements. They're inside now, all safe and sound, ready and willing to use when I next call on them.

Spinning been going.....normally, I guess?

It's normal to have bumps and thin spots and w...a....y overtwists throughout the first bobbin, right?



And that the second bobbin looks slightly better, but still is nothing to write home about, right?



And that when I ply them together it can best be described as having lots of character, right?



What a lovely lumpy, bumpy hat this will make!

Big box

A month or two ago I received an email (from a yahoo group that I belong to, not just a random email) advertising a raffle for a spinning wheel. Each ticket cost $2, so I figured, "why not?" and bought one.

Time went by, then all of a sudden I got an email saying that I had won.

After contemplating that email for awhile....
Is it a scam? But I did buy a ticket.
All those scam emails look real. But this address matched the one from before.
And they had a website. And they didn't ask for my credit card ("just to verify") or my password (ditto), I decided it was real.

And got R....E....A.....L.....L.....Y excited.

I've been wanting a wheel for a couple of years now, but couldn't quite justify it.

Then, not only did I get it for $2, but I didn't have to pay for shipping....and it came in a BIG box.



Everything was extremely well packed.



(The packing peanuts helped fill up a beanbag chair.)



They also sent me a festival t-shirt, an instruction book, and 2 bags of fiber. How nice is that?

Several more days went by as I put it together piece-by-piece. (It had been taken apart for easier shipping, but pictures had been taken to make my life easier. )

Ta-da!



Here is me in my new t shirt, not even trying to look like I'm spinning since I don't yet know what I'm doing. (I may not know what I'm doing, but I AM barefoot, so that's a start, right?)



I figure I'll try a bit every day and hopefully soon I'll get something that is recognizable as yarn. (At least to me.)

In case you want to see a knitting picture, Here's a dishcloth that I'm made for me!

Time for a color change

It's August, so time for a Project Spectrum color change.

I totally ignored the June/July colors of red, black, and metallic, but I hope to do better these two months.

The blog colors have been changed to help remember the current colors of:

Brown

Orange

Purple


(I know I told you that I'd change the colors to something less garish.... The brown and orange have been changed, even though they may look the same to you. Whether or not they are less garish, you can be the judge.)

Think I'll have any problem with purple?

No scissors shall be used on this yarn.

I'll try better on this post to come up with some words. Will they be words that go with the picture? We shall see.... (It's Sat. afternoon and I've been cleaning, so don't hold your breath.)

I'm floundering a bit in my knitting. I've decided to start a winter pullover hoodie from Knitting Pure and Simple # 244. I did my gauge swatch already, and got exactly 4 sts per inch on the first try. What's my hold up?

I don't have the pattern yet. I ordered it from my LYS, so in the meantime I'm at a loss at what to do. I've considered starting it, and just guessing at the # of sts around. Anyone try this before?

The chances that I get the exact number are about 100,000 to one, which will make me have to adjust the pattern the rest of the way through. Besides, if I'm buying the pattern, I should actually wait until it gets here, shouldn't I?

(I just looked at the pattern notes and it's knitted from the top down, so scratch that idea. I guess I'll just have to wait.)

In the meantime, I'm working on socks.

These are for the CIC group using 32 stitches, size 5 needles, and a pattern from Mosaic Knitting by Barbara Walker.



The yarn came from a neighbor who went to a yard sale and thought "Yarn--I know just who to get that for!" and she did. (Yarn propaganda has progressed from my family onto my close friends who know to look for wool at yard sales!)

I enjoyed them so much that I started a second pair. These are hard to see, but they are black, purple, and red. I'm knitting them both at the same time to make sure I don't run out of yarn on one and not the either.



This also follows my normal rule of "never cut the yarn even though I'm using both ends".

Of course, it results in a knot like this:



Back to usual. No scissors shall be used on this yarn.

DC trip

Took a trip to DC this week where we went to the Air and Space Museum.



Then we went to to Botanical Gardens where we saw real flowers






and fake ones. These ones were made of glass.




These metal flowers had spices inside them that could be smelled.



(Whatever words went with these pictures got completely lost in my brain while waiting for them to load. Sorry.)