wah

God. I'm. Busy.

have had no time to knit in the past ten days. going through withdrawl. Show is getting to me. SM'ing now. No ASMs. Covering rehearsals for other SM, as well. Going nuts. They'd better make it worth it. Bastards.

To Do List

Pasha is done. Will probably do another one and try to felt it. This one isn't terrible, but I wouldn't mind getting more yarn and trying again. No spare cash atm, though. Will post pics later.

Started the ribbing for the cuff of the Sockotta socks. Hopefully they'll be done soon.

Will knit the felted mittens over the holiday. Worsted wool on size 10 needles shouldn't take long.

Working on Gift Elf's project. Should be done soon, it's very small. Had to restart it, though. My preferred method of working in the round inside out doesn't work with this particular pattern. Oh well.

are we there yet?

So Pasha pieces are done. Took me probably two evenings total. Pieces are outside blocking. Not sure when I'm gonna get a chance to sew him together and stuff him w/o Steve being home, since he has the entire next week off due to Thanksgiving. We're gonna go up to his folks again this year. I'd like to make something to bring, but I don't know how long we're going to be up there. A lot of it will depend on my rehearsal schedule. I'm ASM'ing the final two chapters of The Ring of the Nibelung that will be performed in mid-January, and my rehearsal schedule is a little wonky. All I really know is that this year there will be no scary car accidents! (Last year we decided to go hiking in the mountains the day before Thanksgiving, and had a big ugly yellow Chevy truck, driven by an unlicensed driver, smash headlong into us as we were starting home. We were okay, Steve's truck was totalled. It was the sorest, most thankful Thanksgiving I've ever celebrated!) I'll probably bring the mittens and Sockotta socks up to work on, as I know that we both have the weekend after Thanksgiving off, so we'll probably stay up there at least a couple days.

I'm poor, so I've added Google ads to the footer. If any strike your fancy, just click and enjoy!

update

recieved the KnitPicks order on Thursday, safe and sound. Two new sock needles and three skeins of WotA for Pasha. He got started this evening and seems to be doing well so far. I can't really concentrate on any one project today, so I worked on my socks for a while, and since Steve had a call tonight, did Pasha's back and beak, then finished the heels on the socks. Both heels on the Sockotta socks are turned now, so now back to the stockinette. The heels didn't turn evenly, though, and I'm not sure why. Maybe I didn't write the numbers for the first one down correctly. Or maybe the allergy meds just never really wore off this morning. I dunno. There is some wonkiness, no hugely visible holes, though, and the stripes are off now. It was pure coincidence that they matched before, so that doesn't really break my heart, but still...

I'm working on turning the pattern for the Jaywalker socks from cuff down dpns to toe up ML. I think I might have a solution, but I have to check the guage, and I don't want to start a new pair of socks until I have this pair done. I'm going to be doing these on either my size 1 or size 3 circs, so I can still use the size 2 for the second Regia sock when the Sockotta pair is done.

Left to do before Christmas:
1 pair felted mittens
1 Pasha
1 Bubby
Not too bad, eh?

Pics!

Hmm...so the washing didn't really help any of the tension issues, and in fact, the snowmen one seems like it grew. I'm not sure why it's so much bigger than the holly one. Both are a little cringe-worthy, but Steve says that he wouldn't notice any of the mistakes if I hadn't pointed them out. I still might do another snowmen one. Anyway, project specs:

Pattern source: Annie's Woolens
Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Autumn, White, Dk. Sage (1 skein each, still lots left after making 2 stockings)
Needles: 12" size 8 circ, 16" size 6 circ, longer size 8 circ for heel/toe

Notes:
1. Tension issues. Major tension issues.
2. Heel on the Snowman has holes because I didn't turn it properly and didn't realize it until I did the Holly one.
3. Snowman was stranded, Holly was woven. I like the woven technique better, but have to work on the left hand tension.
4. Really cute patterns and quick knits if you don't frog them a billion times.
5. Original patterns have just one icon. Steve wanted longer stockings, so we did one full pattern of the main icon and added the center images of icons from other charts, still from Annie's Woolens. His has the snowmen and the holly, mine has the holly and the evergreen.
6. Short row heel and toe options.

awww!

Katie and Steve,
Thank you so much for the afghan. It looks really great on my papasan chair. I can't believe how soft and pretty it is. I'm soooo glad you made it to the reception. It was a great time, and great to see old friends. Thank you again.
Love,
Amanda and Nick

The possibly unfortunate recipients of Winter Night #1, but they like it, so hey, it works for me! =)

Want KnitPicks order! (I know, it's still early to expect it, but I WANT IT! WHINE!)

Been lazy, haven't finished Holly stocking or finished the first heel of the Sockotta socks. Only about twenty more pattern rows for the stocking. I really should get that done tonight. Then I don't have to worry about it anymore, right?

Second Sock Syndrome

sorta, but not really...
I got the Regia in for the second sock of the first pair today. However, my size 2 needles (currently the only sock needles I own, although 1's and 3's are coming in the next KnitPicks shipment!) are currently occupied by the pair of Sockotta socks that I work on in spurts. I am not a big fan of the Sockotta yarn, which is why I haven't been working on them as much. It's...hard. The yarn, I mean. I think it will soften up when it is washed, and being cotton-based, will surely make for more wearable socks for my current environment, but I'm not sure I would buy more of it. I'm almost to the heel of this pair.

Turned the heel of the Holly Christmas stocking (mine) last night. I could finish the thing tonight if I wanted. The weaving technique seems faster and slightly more even than the stranding, although there are still definite tension issues. However, I'm not frogging this one five hundred times. I also actually figured out how to do the YO short row heel properly, w/o the visible holes, and it looks five billion times better than the Snowmen stocking. I'm thinking that I'm going to do another Snowman stocking with the weaving and the proper toes. I want Steve to have something nice, too. Both will depend on how they wash out, though. Still have not washed the first Snowman, hence no pics yet.

Made my last KP order the other day after getting my last PCPA check until March. Some WotA for a certain quick project for a certain someone (not my gift elf, I already have her yarn, just waiting on the needles) and two pairs of 40" circs for socks. There should be no shipping issues this time, so I hope to get the order by the end of next week. Other than that, my small stash is on a yarn diet until further notice. Which shouldn't be a problem unless I see a yarn that I fall madly in love with. I want to get these stockings (made in stashed acrylics) and the Spruce felted mittens done. Then I have the yarn to do four pairs of socks - the Regia, Sockotta, SockaColori, and Bearfoot - plus some Crystal Palace Waikiki for a t-strap top that I started and abandoned for some reason (I might try to rewrite the pattern to do it in the round), the KnitPicks Shadow for the Tiger Eye stole I broke down and started already, and I am really wanting to do a top-down raglan with some of the (watches the yarn snobs shudder) Simply Soft I have stashed. I have four skeins in four colors that I think would make a nice sweater with wide horizonatal stripes. I want a slightly oversized sweater, with a...hmm...floppy turtleneck?...collar. I will start with the off-white for the collar and yoke and top of the sleeves, then do a light sage green band, then a darker tan band, and then a dark sage green band. Maybe it will be the ugliest sweater ever, I don't know, but at least I will have made a sweater and used up some of my stash. This is not counting the four skeins of Homespun in Cobalt that I need to do something with. I think I'm gonna do a dishcloth shawl with it. When I get around to it.

Btw, if there was ever a book that made you want to knit and read at the same time, it's Knit One, Kill Two by Maggie Sefton. The actual murder plot is a little weak, but still interesting, but the characters are great, and the LYS and SnB group that get involved with the main character are right out of my fantasy "girls night out". I have got to get me one of those groups...my LYS keeps inviting me, but their "late nights" are Wednesday and Thursday, which are usually the only evenings I can spend with Steve. We'll see. They're also usually older, but that really shouldn't be an issue. I'd really love to spend more time with people closer to my age that aren't drunk, though.

Christmas is coming...

As evidenced by the completion of the first Christmas stocking! Finally! It's...not my best work ever, but I'm hoping a run through the wash will help it. I'd tear it all out and do it again, but I don't want to spend more time on it, and Steve won't let me anyway. He thinks it's great the way it is. I hope my stocking goes better. I should have done mine first to practice on, but he was so excited about them...sigh...pics will be up after it goes through the wash.

Bearfoot!

Guess what came in the mail today?!


I can't wait to work with this yarn! Unfortunately, I already have a pair of socks on what I've started thinking of as my sock needles. I need to get another pair...after the paycheck comes! Thanks Susan! It rocks!

Mittens!

Felted Mittens
Pattern from Bernat.com
Yarn: KnitPick's Wool of the Andes in Cloud (2 skeins)
Needles: 29" US8 Inox circular needles (Magic Looped)
Notes:
1. I don't like the cuff. It needs to be longer and probably on smaller needles so it doesn't make that boxy shape.
2. The palm/fingers could be about a half inch shorter.
3. The thumb needs to be longer.
4. It could go through the felting process one more time to lose some more of the stitch definition. I didn't want to make them any smaller, though.
5. Fairly quick knit, and I used almost all of the yarn.

Luckily, I got three skeins of the Spruce, which was the color that I really wanted to make these mittens in, but I decided to use the Cloud for a test pair. Now I know what adjustments to make to make them perfect for...the person they're for! =)

FINALLY

My KnitPicks order finally showed up yesterday! Very excited! 3 skeins of Spruce WotA, 2 skeins of Cloud WotA (the second skein is already in use for the first felted mitten), and 3 skeins of Jewels Shadow! The Shadow is soooo soft, and has all these little flecks of lavender and dark blues and purples through it. I can't wait to work with it! I had to put it up on the shelf out of sight so I didn't start my Tiger Eyes with it yet! The WotA isn't too shabby, either - it's not nearly as scratchy as the Noro Kureyon that I made the Booga bag out of, and has been knitting up very quickly, although part of that is probably the fact that I'm using size 8s to make it bigger so it shrinks when I felt it. I might just get these mittens knit today! I'm using the Cloud as my test pair for the pattern. If they turn out well, I'll give this pair to Mom and make another pair in the Spruce for my Dad. I kind of want to make a pair of felted clogs for Kelly (his afghan is NOT going to get done in time - I have no desire to work on it right now), but I may have to knit them in advance and then felt them after he "gets" them, so I know they'll fit okay. And I want to make and felt a penguin for Steve ("Pasha" in the Knitty archives) and a small lil sumtinsumtin for my gift elf! I feel another KnitPicks order coming on! If my paycheck ever gets here, anyway...

Turned the heel on Steve's Christmas stocking yesterday (Steve decided - thank goodness - that adding another Snowman pic would make it far too long), and have also started a pair of socks (two socks on ML) in the Sockotta until the second ball of Regia shows up. The Bearfoot still hasn't come in yet =(

Sock pic!

As promised, a pic of my very first sock ever! I have lots of notes about what I want to do differently now, but have made a vow to myself that I will at least finish the next section of the Christmas stocking before I start a new pair of socks. That's only ten or so rows to do.

Thank you to all for the kind words. (Please see the second entry down on my LJ if you don't know what I'm talking about!) I had thought about making this page black or something as some kind of tribute, but the more I thought about it, the more inappropriate that seemed. Rainbows were Tori's symbol of hope and reminder that God is in control of our lives. Black, in this occasion, is a color of despair and sadness. We rejoice knowing that she is at peace and enjoying a celebration of colours! So I add to that my humble, but very colorful, picture of a sock!

the one-sock wonder

So I'm plugging merrily along on my first sock. I'm working on the leg of it now, and could probably have it done tonight if I wanted. (Steve has a lighting call at the college.) I can't get the yarn for the second sock for another week or so, though. The LYS called Saturday while we were in Illinois and told me that they were sorry, but they had sold the last one of that color already and it was discontinued, so they can't order more. I found it on eBay for $5, which is cheaper than the LYS, but, of course, you have to add shipping, which makes it $12. Sigh. And apparently the post office is still trying to forward my mail to various places, even though they were supposed to stop Oct. 6 (Mom told me today that one of my bank statements was mailed back to them at the bank with a "temporarily moved" label on it. Ugh.) I hope this is not the reason that my Bearfoot AND my 12" circ AND my KnitPicks haven't arrived. I hope they'll come today. I've gotten a Cosmo in the mail, but that is the only thing I've gotten since I got back. Weird.

Sock is going alright. Had the typical holey heel issues, which have not been completely resolved to my satisfaction, but a part of it might be that I think I might have boggled one of the final short rows. Oh well. I now have two other sock yarns, plus the Bearfoot on the way. Steve actually mentioned that "Hey, now you can make me socks, too!" He doesn't care for the colors I have right now, though. (Purple, blue, green, pink...can't imagine why!)

Spending today finishing the sock and reading ghost stories. Yay!

well, finally!

I finally called KnitPicks this morning (yes, it is only 9:30a.m. and I have been up for approximately two and a half hours already, sigh!) after a week of having my emails ignored. The lady was very nice and apologetic and started the process of sending a replacement order right away, along with a note on the file that said the order had delayed shipping. I don't think there will be any kind of compensation (I was kinda hoping for a free skein or a discount or something), although she said if the first order does ever arrive, I should just keep it. If this order goes the way the people at the KR Forums claim, it should be here by mid-next week. I hope so!

The LYS that I bought the Regia from is closed on Thursdays (and Sundays AND Mondays!) and, from looking at websites of other LYS in the area, no one else carries it locally. Which means I can't get another skein until Tuesday at the earliest. I'm really worried about getting SSS (second sock syndrome), but I think I'll be okay. I should call them and leave a message asking them to hold a skein in that dye lot for me...

Socks!

I finally broke down and tried it, and it's working! Socks! I'm doing a basic, toe-up sock with magic loop (I found the technique here).



I was actually going to go all out and try two socks on the magic loop, but realized that in my excitement yesterday, I'd bought only 50g of the yarn (Regia Jacquard color 5181) and I need 100g to make a pair. Sigh. I suppose that means another trip to the yarn store tomorrow so I can get the second skein a.) before they run out of that dye lot (not that it really matters so much to me, it's striped, and I don't care if they match perfectly or not) and b.) so I can get it before we leave on our trip to Illinois this weekend. I don't know if I will be able to get the first sock completely done or not, but I *will* be having at least four hours of airplane time each way. I hope Steve doesn't get airsick! I also really really hope that my Bearfoot and other yarns come tomorrow, or else I won't be able to play with them until next week! (not that I would have time to play with them anyway, but you know what I mean!)

Also, for your entertainment, submitting this pic, thereby busting the idea that "in order to find the most comfortable place in the house, move the cat!" He can stay right where he is, thanks! (Pay no attention to the beer bottle or the state of disarray of the desk - it's Steve's!)

socks and work

No KnitPicks, 12" circ, or Bearfoot yet. Sigh. Went back to the LYS that was supposed to have Bearfoot, and the lady said that they never stocked it. Grr. Did get a 32" size 2 circ for socks, though, and some multi-colored Regia sock yarn. Of course, I had to CO ASAP. It's so colorful, but it's like knitting on toothpicks!

Didn't get the office job I had counted on, though. Anyone know of any part time jobs in the Orange County area? At least until March?

resetting

Blog colors have been changed back to as close to the originals as I could find...I know that I saved my template before I changed to the black, but I can't find it anywhere for anything. Grr. Doesn't help that the laptop is being tempermental, so I'm on Steve's computer, which has different fonts and things loaded onto it. Anyway, I think this one is easier to look at (the black is just too harsh), so maybe more people will come back...I still have to work on the font, though, it's too big.

snarl

Alright, now I'm starting to get a bit ticked. My KnitPicks order has still not arrived! It has been three weeks now! The last time I have heard from them was last Monday. I have been trying to get in touch with them to get a tracking number or something that the post office can use to find out where in the country the package is, but no response. I'm so disappointed, I'd heard such good things about this company and their products, and the prices are certainly right, but I WANT MY YARN! I want to start something new! I emailed them today expressing my current displeasure, so hopefully something will come of this. My 12" circ and my Bearfoot haven't gotten here yet, either, but I'm not really expecting them for a couple days yet. I was so excited earlier - I'd found a LYS who supposedly carries Bearfoot and was hoping to splurge on a skein in a different color today and either play with socks or start a Tiger Eye lace scarf. After driving by the place about ten times and not seeing it, I finally get to it, and it's closed. Of course. Sigh. It was the perfect rainy day to start a nice, fun, colorful project, but alas, the fates did not agree with me apparently. No new needles (I was also hoping to pick up a super long circ to use for Magic Loop socks), no new yarn, no new projects. Toying with the idea of using some stash to make a test Pasha, since I'm wanting to make a penguin for Steve. I really should just put in a movie or two and work on KS or the stocking, though. I haven't worked on KS in days and it's probably feeling neglected. On the stocking, I've gotten through the first Snowman chart (Steve wants snowmen, then a full row of holly, then another snowmen, sigh!) and it does look much better. I've been working with it inside out, so the WS is facing out and the floats have to be longer. Got almost through the holly this weekend up at his parents, but the stitches were AWFUL! I've never knit so badly in my life, not sure what was going on. So that got frogged, and now I'm working up the desire to ever look at it again. It's really a pretty fast knit when I do work on it, it's just so frustrating for a perfectionist like me. I think I'm also sick of working with red, white, blue, and green, which is why I'm so excited to have this Bearfoot coming - colors! Lots of colors!!

*drool*

Look what is coming in the mail for me!!!

Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Mountain Tango!

Someone on KR was selling some to destash a little and had it cheaper than I could find in shops. One skein should be enough for a pair of socks, or maybe a lacy scarf. I can't wait, I've finally gotten a chance to do a mini-splurge on this yarn!!

waaaahhh!

My KnitPicks yarn still hasn't arrived! I want my yarn!! Especially as I've put myself on a no-more-yarn-buying-resstriction until I get all my presents (which, really, is just the mittens left, although I am toying with the idea of doing a scarf for Hannah and a Baby Booga for my KR Gift Elf pal). Sigh. Oh, and illusions are not just on the stage for me anymore.


Now you see it!


Now you don't!

I got this from someone at craftster.com and had to try it out. I kind of like the grey and white combination, but I am NOT using the huge ball of Red Heart grey I have! I used it last night for the swatch and it is far too coarse for a scarf! Now I feel bad for Mom and Dad and Kelly, getting scarves made of this stuff, ugh! I might do it in Simply Soft, though.