Knitting Absence.

I haven't knit a stitch in more than a week. I think I'm in withdrawal.

Classes started back last week, and knitting time went from "lots & lots" to "knitting?? what's that?" Hopefully, I'll be into a schedule again soon so that I can actually squeeze in some therapeutic knitting. There's just something about it that takes me to a happy place, no matter how stressed out I am. Between taking way too many credit hours, and trying to get The Boyfriend's stuff out of my place (remember that??) and into a place of his own, I'm a tad bit overextended at the moment.

I've nearly finished my first adult sweater. It didn't come out quite as good as I would have hoped. It looks a little frumpy, so I might do a rip & redo at a later date. However, right now I'm stuck on the last & final step. I need to graft live stitches onto a stockinette panel and make it look seamless. I'm sure this has a fancy name, but I don't know what it's called, and therefore when I'm googling for answers, I'm coming up with nothing. Any help would be appreciated.

I have lots to blog about later. I have an awesome secret pal who sent me some cool stuff, I won a knitting book, I won some scrapbooking supplies, and I won some yarn for knitting Greensburg squares. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Details to come.

In search of advice..

So, I'm at home in Tennessee & loving every minute of it. I've been busy knitting away, but since it's my first adult sized sweater, there's really no progress to report. (Plus, who wants to see a giant pile of black stockinette stich? BORING!) I'm hoping to be finished by the end of the week. I'm just working on the trim now, and I have another pocket to sew on. It's so exciting!

Anyway, I'm hoping to get some input from you guys. Here's the situation: since starting law school, I've become very selfish with my time. It's just the nature of the program - you have very little "free" time, and even then they guilt you into doing something law related. Anyway, I don't have time to give back to my community like I used to, and knitting things for charity is the closest I get anymore.

My church at home does a Shawl Ministry program where I send scarves, baby hats, etc. Anyway, this past Sunday, when I brought in some new things (here and here) to add to the collection, they gave me a check. I was hesitant to take the check, so my mom took it for me. The purpose of the money is so that I can continue knitting things for the program without taking away from my own fixed, student income. However, most of the things that I've been making have been made out of my leftover stash and a few gifted items, so only rarely has it been an out of pocket expense.

I feel like taking the money makes me even more selfish, but my mom says that I need to take it and buy yarn for more projects. So, the question I've been asking myself is - do I take the money & just go out sale hunting and stretch it as far as possible, or should I stick it back in the collection plate on Sunday? (However, option #2 just puts the money back in the general fund, not with the shawl ministry.)

I'd seriously appreciate your advice on this one!

Secret Pal 11 Questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

Honestly, I don't really have a favorite! As long as a yarn is soft & cushy, I'm all in. I'm not too much of a yarn snob as long as it's going to be soft to the touch when it's all said and done.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

My straight needles are in a handmade needle roll, my dpns are in a vase, and my circs are currently hanging over the bar in the hall closet because they don't have a suitable home.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

I've been knitting about a year and a half. For the most part, I taught myself from internet videos, with my friend Sarah filling in the gaps for me. I'd consider myself a beginner-intermediate; I've branched out beyond scarves, but I'm not brave enough to tackle lace yet.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Sorta. I have a few things on there, but it isn't really complete.

5. What's your favorite scent?

I like gardenias and jasmine. I like the softer scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

YES!! I'm a sucker for and and all things sweet. I like gummy candies a lot.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

I like to scrapbook, although it's went by the wayside since I started knitting. I'm always up for learning new crafts. I don't spin, but I've been thinking of taking a class.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like all kinda of music. My iPod ranges from The Pretenders to Justin Timberlake. Some of my favorites right now are John Legend & Anthony Hamilton, although once I come back from spending 3 weeks in Tennessee, I'm sure I'll be on a country kick. Moral of the story.. I really do like all kinds of music.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?

I've been on a blue & green kick lately, but I really like almost all colors. I grew up in Tennessee, so I find wonderful uses for even the most obnoxious of oranges.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

I live alone with my cat Jasmine, but I invite The Boyfriend to come and visit when he behaves.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

Yes to all but the ponchos. I live in Michigan, so it's pretty much required by law here. For some reason, I've never really gotten on to the poncho kick.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

With the exception of all the mandatory baby stuff, I've been a sock knitting machine lately. (Well, maybe that's more like a sock yarn buying machine, but you get the picture.) And, who can say no to knitting a good scarf?

13. What are you knitting right now?

Babies & Bears sweater from Cottage Creations -- for a baby yet to be born
Lil' Red Riding Hoodie from Dominknitrix- for me!
Chevron Scarf from Last Minute Knitted Gifts - for me again!
Chevron Socks from Sensational Knitted Socks - for me yet again!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

I've been on a kick lately with bamboo & metal circulars, but I'll use anything that isn't plastic. I don't mean to be a needle snob, but yarn on plastic does to me what nails on a chalkboard do to others.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

No. I keep trying to snag a deal on eBay but someone always outbids me at the last minute.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?

Over a year.. and I've only been knitting a year and a half!

18. What is your favorite holiday?

Christmas. I love being at home with my family & having movie marathons in our pajamas.

19. Is there anything that you collect?

Besides knitting accessories? Not really.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Not really. Most of the books that I've been wanting, I have already. I don't have subscriptions to knitting magazines because of fear that my "to knit" list will increase faster than I can make things.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

Definitely! I've been trying to learn something new with each project lately. I'd love to give a try at fair isle and lace knitting.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

I just started knitting socks and I'm addicted! My foot's a size 9, average width.

23. When is your birthday?

July 10.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?

I sure am! My username is Amanda.

Where Have I Been??

Wow. I'm whooped. In 5 days, I've been in 10 states, and I'm supposed to get up bright and early in the morning to drive to Tennessee. I made it back to Michigan tonight, but unfortunately my luggage didn't, so I might be putting off that trip another day. The last two hours of the trip are all on curvy highways, and I don't want to drive that at night when I'm tired. It's a really fun drive - You feel like a racecar driver on all those hills!!

I didn't check my email for several days, and I must say that I was floored by the number of comments that I've gotten in that time. I just love comments.. they really make me happy. Each and every one of them! Because of that, I always try to leave comments on someone else's blog when I read it, even if I don't have time to say something more than, "That looks pretty." There's something nice about knowing that someone reads the words that you put out there.

I have zero pictures to post, although I swear there's been knitting! I finished about half of my first adult sized sweater on the trip, although on the plane back tonight I got the sinking feeling that I might have to rip out the sleeve that's 90% done. It just seems like it's going to be waaaaay to big. I think I miscounted rows somewhere and added in one (or ten!) extra. (I've actually taken pictures, but since the sweater is made is black wool is just looks like a blob of material at the moment.) I'm pretty much spot on gauge, so I think I just flat out screwed up the pattern somewhere.

The road trip from Michigan to LA was surprisingly fun. It was nice to spend time with The Boyfriend when he wasn't studying for the bar exam, and when I wasn't trying to read for class. It made us remember why we're together in the first place. We spent three days driving, one day in LA buying him a new car, and the last day we drove up PCH and went to Malibu. He knows the way to my heart is through the beach. Five whole, uninterrupted days with each other was exactly what we needed.

Funniest experience from the road trip: On the second night we stopped in Beaver, Utah at a really nice little hotel that was recently remodeled. There was a soap dispenser in the shower for "Body, Hair, and Bath" soap. I tried to pay The Boyfriend $1 to wash his hair with it, but suddenly he was a shampoo snob & could only use my Pantene.

Tulip Sweater - Check!

I realize that it seems that I've been a knitting machine lately, but in all honesty, most of the projects that I've been completing have been hanging out on the needles for awhile, just needing an hour or two of work to pass over into the "FO" pile.

For example, I got the replacement yarn for the Tulip Sweater weeks ago, and it sat on my table just mocking me for quite some time.

I finally got around to putting on the neckband and the icord tie. This sweater marked my first experience with icord. I have to say, I think it's kinda fun.. however, applied icord is just a pain in the butt. Literally, for every one stitch that you want to progress down the line, you have to knit at least 3. It takes forever!! But, it looks really nice & neat when it's all said and done.

It's all finished except for the 5 billion ends that need to be woven in - but, that's fun for another day. By the way, if you have not knit with Dream in Color yarn, you really need to! It's so soft & squishy and comes in the most amazing colors.

Final Specs:
Pattern: Tulip Sweater by Lindsey Pekney from Dream in Color (included in kit)
Yarn: Dream in Color Classy (Kit from Threadbear) - $32
Needles: Size 5 & 7 circs and double points
Time: About a week of TV knitting
Total Cost: $32

Everlasting Bagstopper.

While I was out of commission because of the back problems last week, I took Sarah's advice of knitting on big needles. I decided that I'd use up some of the cotton that I've stashed, and I made the Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty. The pattern calls for hemp, but I used Sugar n' Cream instead because that's what I had within a 3 foot radius of the couch (and that was about as far as I could move at the time).

I used 2 full balls and a partial skein in the colorway Beach Ball Blue. I ran out at the top garter stitch portion, so then I just used a partial skein of Hot Blue that I had on hand. Mine is a little shorter than the pattern version because of my yarn shortage, but I think it still does the job.

Starting Wednesday, The Boyfriend and I are driving cross-country to L.A. I'm using the bag to hold snacks in the car, and to hold my sunscreen at the beach (and we all know that I need sunscreen!)

I'm hoping to make several more of these bags. Even though I always try to bring my own to the grocery, it seems like I always collect those icky plastic bags somehow. So, if I have more, I can keep a constant stash in the car for unexpected trips to the grocery. The next time, I think I'll do a solid color on both the top and the bottom to make the edges stand out a bit more.

Just a warning to anyone who might make this -- when binding off, use a much, much larger needle. I went from a size 5 to a size 8, and the bind off was still too tight & I had to rip it out. You couldn't even get a box of cereal in it! The second time around, I used a size 11 to bind off, and it worked perfectly. They tell you to use a "larger needle" in the pattern, I just didn't realize it needed to be THAT much larger.

Another funny thing.. you can see in the knitting where I took pain meds. Somehow I got off a stitch in the pattern, and didn't realize it until a few rows up. With all the yo's and k2tog's, I knew that I'd never be able to rip it back, so I just kept it. I think it's kinda hard to pick out unless you're staring at it. Oh well.. I've yet to make a perfect knitted item, why start worrying about it now?


Final Specs:
Pattern: Everlasting Bagstopper from Knitty - Free!
Yarn: Sugar n' Cream (2.5 balls variegated, 0.5 balls solid), $3.25 (on sale)
Needles: Size 5 and Size 10.5 circulars (already owned)
Total Cost: $3.25

Buttons make the world brighter.

I feel kinda silly posting something "new" when all I've done is add buttons to things, but I just thought that they were too cute to not share. Buttons just make all things better.

The Child's Placket Neck Sweater from Last Minute Knitted Gifts got football buttons. These little puppies were on clearance for 50 cents at JoAnn's. I was torn between footballs and baseballs, but the clearance part really threw it over the edge for me.


Next, Lillie's Little Sweater got some cute heart buttons, although they weren't on clearance, they were still only a few dollars so I swooped them up. I decided to go with the white buttons, because getting something pink would have been a little too difficult to match.


When working on a cotton bag for the beach next week (Cali - here I come!), I found the Bib O' Love from Mason Dixon Knitting. I'd kinda forgotten that I'd made it. Yay for unexpected surprises! I picked up the little fish button at Hobby Lobby. It came in a 2 pack, so now I have an orange and green one for the next bib.

Finished Specs on the Bib O' Love:
Pattern: Mason Dixon Knitting (already in collection)
Yarn: Sugar n' Cream (less than one skein), Approximately $1
Needles: Size 7
Total Cost: Less than $2 including button

Updates.

I completely just jacked Sarah's idea and added a Flickr badge to my sidebar. Because I'm posting pics my WIP's on Ravelry, you might see a few things over there that I haven't posted here yet.

I also learned something kinda cool today, the more people link to your webpage, the higher your Google pagerank is. I've always tried to do links whenever possible, but now I'm going to make a special effort at it. I'm doing some blogging spring cleaning, and my next goal is to update my links on the sidebar. I've been kinda bad at it since I discovered Bloglines.

Baby Things Galore.

As much baby stuff as I've had on the needles lately, you'd think I was the one expecting the baby! I know that once the fall semester gets back going my knitting time is going to go to less than a half hour a night, so I'm trying to get some things finished early. I'm never an early bird, so this an unusual feeling for me. (No one even knows the sex of the babies yet!! That's how on top of things I am at the moment.)

This is Lillie's Little Sweater from Cottage Creations. One of my LYS's had it knit up and on display in the shop, and I just loved it. I even bought the same yarn as the sample! (Somehow their version is still cuter than mine.) It still needs some buttons, but I can't decide what color/style will look good, so I'm putting that off for awhile. Plus, it gives my mom & I an excuse to go out to the craft stores when I go home to Tennessee next month. Any suggestions for button colors & styles would be appreciated!!

I really like the yarn, although I must say that if I didn't see it knit up already, I probably wouldn't have chosen it myself. It's Universal Yarn, Inc. in Classic Worsted Long Print. I'm a sucker for self-striping yarns, so I thought I'd give it a try. It's 80% acrylic and 20% wool, it's got an amazing feel and drape to it, and it's super affordable. (About $6 for 200 yards)

Another good thing about this pattern was that for the 0-3 month size, it called for 400 yards. I got 3 skeins just to be on the safe side, but I only used about 300+ yards, and I swear that it's closer to being sized 6-9 months. There's still enough leftover for a baby hat & I can take one back and exchange at the LYS for something yummy. (They did just send out an email announcing a big shipment of Socks that Rock..)

There's a lot of suggested variations in the pattern, so if I made this again, I could make just a few changes and it would look like a completely different pattern. I think a nice neutral color would look really, really nice in this pattern.

Finished Specs:
Pattern: Lillie's Little Sweater from Cottage Creations,$6
Needles: Size 7 circs and Size 7 double points (in stash)
Yarn: 2 skeins of Universal Yarn, Inc. in Classic Worsted Long Print, $6 each

Cost: $18 (with enough scrap leftover for a baby hat)

If Your Friends Jumped Off a Bridge..

Would you do it too? For me, the answer is yes. When I was 18, my friends and I all went down to the lake and I watched a bunch of them jump off the bridge into the water. I was so scared, but I finally got up the nerve to jump. Turns out, of the hundreds and hundreds of people who have jumped off that bridge, I'm the only one to ever get hurt. I wound up breaking 2 bones in my back. Before then, I never even knew that it was possible to do such a thing.

Anyway, my back will never fully heal, and it will be broken even when I'm 85. My body's just learned to adjust, but from time to time, I do something stupid (namely not bending at the knees) and it gets hurt again. This is what happened Sunday. I've been on bedrest and pain meds since then, so I've had plenty of time to knit, yet I haven't seem to finish anything.

I have way too many WIP's, and I've been dividing my time between them - so, essentially, nothing really gets finished. I did finally take a few of the Rebuilding Greensburg blocks off the needles and get them packed up and ready to ship out. The deadline isn't until August, but I'm going to be out of town starting next week, so I thought I'd be a little proactive about it and ship them now.

I threw in two teen/adult sized hats that I had made earlier, and I also tossed in a small ball of worsted weight black yarn for seaming. I figured that would be something they couldn't get enough of. My contribution isn't much, but I'm hoping that it will help. There's one lady who's donating a whole afghan (seamed & ready to go!) made of Noro.

I didn't do a final count, but I think I wound up with about 20 squares. My squares are nothing special (most aren't even really square), but it takes the ugly ones to make the beautiful ones stand out.

There's still time to make a square if you're interested! It only takes a few hours and you can really make a dent in your scrap pile if you like.

Interesting note about the box that these are being shipped in: I'm kind of a treehugger, so I always like to reuse packaging if possible. This box has been previously used about 4 times while it was shipped back and forth between my mom and I this spring. I'd send home some charity knitting, she'd send it back with a care package. I think that it's only fitting that it get sent on to Kansas for what is likely to be its final journey.

Dishcloths, Burp Cloths, and Sunburns - Oh My!

At any point in time, I have a half a zillion projects on the needles and stashed inappropriately around my apartment (and even The Boyfriend's apartment most of the time). Anyway, a few of those things finally came off the needles. Yay!


This is the DW Cloth. It's so easy & it makes for a great knit late at night when your eyes are sleepy and your brain is tired.

Surprise! It's another ballband dishcloth. I love these little suckers. They are a great way to use up scraps. There's 4 different colors of yarn going on here, and (to me anyway), it looks like it is supposed to be that way.

This is the Baby Genius Burp Cloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting. I really like the simple pattern - it's an easy 2 row repeat. Although you really can't tell, I actually used two different colors of yarn in this one because I was running low on the varigated. I used SnC hot blue & swimming pool and alternated every two rows. Yay for having another thing for Baby Rush 2007 completed.

Why all the cotton knitting, you ask? Well.. it's because of this:


I owe a blue million balls of SnC & I really need to use some of it up. Plus, little dishcloths and things make nice gifts. I randomly sent a small pile to my grandmother a few weeks ago, and she's now decided that I'm her favorite grandchild - a title that I've been trying to convince her of for the past 20 years.

I know this is a very picture heavy post.. but I had to share this last one. It's too funny not to! I went to my friend Shelley's wedding this weekend. It was beautiful & everyone had a great time. Anyway, on my drive back to East Lansing, I had the windows down and the sunroof open because it was such a gorgeous day. Less than 15 minutes from home, I noticed that my skin was feeling really warm. And I looked down and saw this:

I'm sunburned from driving in the car! If you look really close you can see a white line from where my bracelet was sitting higher on my wrist. Awesome. So, when I get home, The Boyfriend tells me that he thinks it's impossible that I got sunburned like that in the car. I might have gotten sun the day before since the reception was outside. I tell him that I had 3/4 length sleeves on that day, so really, it was from the car. He asks again if I was sure ...

Yup! Pretty darn sure!

Ravelry.

I got my Ravelry invite! If you're on it, friend me - my username is Amanda. (I have no idea how "Amanda" wasn't taken after nearly 7,000 people had signed up, but I'll take it!)

Wedding Presents.

(Shelley, if you are reading this and you are not yet a Mrs., then stop now!)

When a fellow knitter gets married, you have to actually make them something. The typical gifts from Bed, Bath and Beyond just don't do the trick.

Shelley's wedding is tomorrow, so I thought that I would make her dishcloths for her kitchen. She says that it's "garden colors." Well, one person's sage is another person's spearmint, so I decided to stick with the more earthy, neutral tones.

Two of the cloths are the Ballband cloth from Mason-Dixon Knitting, one is the DW Cloth, and the others are just stitch patterns from Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns. I also made a hand towel (top picture, far right) using the pattern for the Baby Genius Burp Cloth from Mason Dixon Knitting.

I stuck the dishcloths in a basket, and wrapped it with tulle. I hope that she likes it!

The baby sweater & I are BFF's again.

The feud between me and the Child Placket-Neck Pullover has ended (mostly because I needed the needles for another project). I figured out that the best way to deal with the pattern-blooper fiasco was just to rip it out and then not use the pattern at all. From that point on, it got much easier and I was finished in no time.

I still have to find some little cute buttons to put on it. Although the pattern has buttons, it doesn't have buttonholes (?!?!) so, rather than trying to shove buttons through seed stitching, I added two real buttonholes to the neck.

One finished object for Baby Rush 2007! Yay. Would I make another one? Heck no. Love the yarn, hate the pattern confusion.

The yarn I'm using is awesome. It's hand-dyed from Woven Art, and I like the color graduations that go through it. I think it's kinda cool.

(These pictures are dark, so go here for a more accurate color.)

Final Specifications:

• Pattern: Child Placket-Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
• Yarn: Kona Superwash 100% Merino hand-dyed from my LYS, ($20 per skein of 520 yards, used about 200 yards)
• Needles: size 7 circs and double points
• Time: 1 day knitting, 2 days frogging and re-knitting
• Cost: $20 (with enough yarn leftover for another!)

Has this ever happened to you?

What a frustrating weekend! Can I just go back to bed and have a do-over?

First, The Boyfriend moved in his stuff for the time being and my kitchen now looks like this:

I've been packing boxes all week. I'm pooped. And the movers actually expected me to help me carry stuff too? Uhh.. no. That's why they get paid the big bucks.

So, I get to live with my little, one bedroom apartment looking like this until September. Thankfully, I'll be in Tennessee for most of August, so I don't have to live stepping around boxes for too long.

Then.. on to the knitting front. Sooooo frustrating. In an effort to get some things finished for Baby Boom 2007, I thought I'd make the Child's Placket Neck Pullover from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I'm disappointed in this pattern for a number of reason, the least of which is that the "buttonholes" are made by pushing the buttons through the seed stitch. Huh???

Like any good knitter, I googled for an errata page, and found this, which had corrections to 9 of the patterns, but none for the Placket Neck Pullover. There's no corrections on my pattern, I'm good to go - right? WRONG.

The pattern is supposed to be so simple, but was written terribly. (Seriously, it isn't necessary to say ssk, k1, k2tog, and then in the next line tell us to knit stitches in between the decreases. It's repetitive and confusing.) I ripped out giant heaps of yarn on multiple occasions because things just didn't look right. Then, when I got to the placket on the neck, I knit a few rows before I realized that it was off center. Are you kidding me??

This was when I decided to go to google to see if anyone else was as confused by this as me. Turns out - there's a whole errata page just for this one pattern. Are you kidding me?? Why on earth would the authors make a separate page just for one pattern, yet leave up another "complete" list - with 9 of the patterns in the book - and not add this one pattern to it!?! And let's just say that the "errata" isn't something minor - it starts off by casting on a completely different number of stitches and then goes from there. So frustrating.

So, I have to frog out about 5 rows now (for the 3rd time). I'm not a happy camper. And to think, this pattern of only stockinette and seed stitch had me feeling like a total knitting idiot. I'm so glad to know that it wasn't me. This sweater is going into hiding until I see fit to look at it again.

Breathing a Sigh of Relief.

Cancel Red Alert. Threadbear threw some yarn in the mail to me the other day after I called. I think that I'm so used to bad customer service these days that I'm still in shock. I'm pretty sure that when they told me that, I sat there with a bewildered look on my face for a good 15 seconds. (Not that I should be with them, the store is fabulous, and the employees are always so kind.)

The Tulip Sweater has been saved. Carry on with your Saturday.

Red Alert! Red Alert!

So, here I am.. knitting along on the Tulip Sweater & surprise! It really looks like it is supposed to look! I finish the second sleeve and was about to start on the neck - and what is this?? I'm out of yarn?? How did that happen? See that little blue stragglely piece there? That's all that's left!

When I picked up the kit, I had noticed that the blue skein for the trim was about the same size as the other skeins of of yarn, but really didn't think too much about it. I was in possession of a Tulip Sweater kit! The only thinking going on involved how fast I could get home to cast on for that thing!

I called the LYS today to ask if they could maybe give me some more yarn. (Possibly kinda tacky, but I swear I'm on gauge and following the pattern precisely.) I have enough out of the rest of the colors to make more than half of another sweater, so I think this was truly an accident that I got short yardage of this one color.

I feel like they owe me enough yarn to finish the neckband and do the icord ties. Is that asking too much? The lady on the phone seemed very confused at the idea that there could be short yardage, and told me that a manager would call me back in just a few minutes. Four hours later - no one called. Hmm. I'm going to chalk it up to "they got busy" and stop by on my way home tomorrow after my internship.

On another note, The Boyfriend gave me a gift certificate for a LYS that I hadn't been to yet. I went this afternoon, and it was definitely a unique experience. I had wanted to get yarn for a sweater or cardigan for myself, but they didn't have enough in one color - in any yarn - for an adult sweater. Then, I figured that since Baby Watch 2007 has just jumped to FIVE babies (yes, FIVE!), I'd get some yarn for a baby sweater instead. They didn't have anything but acrylics, and then in not so great colors. The acrylic part interests me because their slogan is, "Naturally Nice Fibers." Intriguing. Another interesting note - the person working at the store had never heard of The Yarn Harlot. I repeat - she'd never heard of the Yarn Harlot. Blasphemy.

So, after pouring through the aisles for an hour and a half trying to use my free money, I wound up getting some Sockotta, Adrienne Vittadini Allegra in a coral color, and the best thing - I got some Addi Tubos in 1's and 2's. Happy Birthday to me! I have no idea what I'm going to do with the Adrienne Vittadini, but it was gorgeous and shiny and called my name. Maybe a lacy, light scarf?

Stripe-y scarf from long ago

Thanks for all the birthday wishes! You guys are so great. I always love getting comments, but comments with birthday wishes are even better!

I'd forgotten that I'd made this scarf, but I really like it. & wanted to post it. I found it today when I was making room in my closet for The Boyfriend's stuff. (He has to be out of his apartment soon, so he's moving in for a few weeks until he takes the Bar Exam. He's studying 14+ hours a day now, so he's like the roommate who is never home. It's great!)

The pattern is a simple, knit one row, k1, p1 & repeat the second row. I blocked it & it stopped a lot of the curling, but I know that it will pop back up. It's to be expected. I started with this pattern before I knew any better.

The yarn is di.Ve Teseo. I really like the self-striping that it does. I've tossed the label already, but I'm pretty sure that the color was 25565 judging from the webpage. I'd picked this yarn up at Sit n' Knit before I left South Bend. The really great thing is that Nicole had a contest back last summer that I won. She sent me an amazing collection of yarns, needles, stitch holders, etc. One of the yarns was a partial skein of this same yarn! I was so excited. Of all the yarns and all the colors, she sent me the same yarn that I needed to finish off this scarf! Since I had some extra yarn, I was able to make my scarf extra long. I really like it, and I can't wait to wear it this winter!

Summary:
Pattern: Row 1: k1, p1, repeat, Row 2: knit
Yarn: 2.5 skeins Cascade Yarns di.Ve Teseo (maybe $25?)
Needles: Size 9 Brittany Birch Needles
Time: Who knows? This thing was on the needles for months

There's a little knitting going on here.

I'm not normally a "show your works in progress" kinda girl, but I figure after the big whine-fest that I had last week, I should post something a little more positive. (Thanks for all the great advice, by the way!)

So, here's a shot is the first of my second pair of socks. It's made out of Colinette Jitterbug in Jay. It's short yardage (and I'm still learning socks), so I decided to just use the pattern on the inside label so that I didn't run out of yarn. It's just a simple pattern, but I've been warned that there was an error in the heel. I kinda avoided this entirely by just doing the same heel as I did on my first sock because I got confused by something in the directions, and I didn't have stitch markers with me at the time I was ready to turn the heel. I'm almost ready for the toe! Yay!

On Saturday, I picked up my Dream in Color Tulip Sweater kit from my LYS. I was so excited to cast on for this thing! It knits up really fast. Several of my girlfriends are pregnant, and one in particular is an especially good friend of mine, so I'm making this one as her "In Case It's a Girl" present. If she has a boy, it's going into the closet for someone extra special. It's too cute just to give to any ole pregnant lady.

It's kinda funny because The Boyfriend keeps looking at it and telling me that it's too small for a real baby. It's sized for 6-9 months & I'm gauge. I think he just thinks that babies come out weighing 30 pounds or something. I really can't tell you the last time that he actually spent time with a real baby, so his view is a little skewed.

I really like this pattern a lot. I'm tempted to put my name on the waiting list for another kit, but I think I'm going to pass for now. There's too many other cool patterns that I want to make first.

First pair of socks - Check!

So, I survived my final exam, although I still think someone needs to re-think the exam schedule. Ours was Friday night at 6PM, but some poor schmucks were in there at 9AM taking an exam on Saturday morning. That's just not right.

My camera got returned from Sony with a "sorry, we can't fix it" note attached. I'm a little bummed. But then it hit me! I'd just steal The Boyfriend's for the time being. He'll never know!

I finished these socks a few weeks ago, but I didn't want to torture anyone with the camera phone pictures anymore, so I waited to post them.

I used a simple pattern that I picked up at my LYS. It has just a little bit of ribbing at the top, and the rest is just stockinette. I learned that I do beautiful k2tog's, but I really suck at ssk's. On one side of my heels, the stitches are so pretty, and the other side is more than a bit wonky.

I'm knitting another pair of socks now, and it's getting a bit better, but still leaves a lot to be desired. Maybe it's just one of those things that gets better with practice?



In Summary:
Pattern: Beginner Lightweight Socks, $4
Yarn: Trekking XXL in blues/teal, $14
Needles: Size 2 double points













On another note --- I heart Sarah. As I was sitting at home yesterday cramming for my Business Enterprises exam, the UPS man comes knocking on my door and delivers me a birthday present.




I was so excited! It was definitely the boost I needed during the day. (For the record, nothing is worse that sitting 3 feet away from a giant pile of yarn that you can't touch and having to read about the fiduciary duties that directors owe shareholders. Blah!)

Anyway, the books were so cool! I haven't gotten a chance to really sit down and look at them in detail, but Dominknitrix has a lot of instructions for techniques that I haven't tried yet. I'm really excited to sit down and learn some new stuff! Also, Naughty Needles has some really fun patterns in it. (I'm sure The Boyfriend will be excited!) I'm so excited to sit down with these books this weekend and pour through the pages!