Crafty Coug Knits

Not Just Any Goat

2010-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year when it's too damn hot to be outside, so I pack up the essentials and head into the woods. Is it cooler? A little... I just love to get out and explore the wilderness.
I have 3 travel goals:

See all of our national parks
See all of Washington's state parks
Hike in all of Washington's wilderness areas

I won't say where I'm at with them so far as it's probably pretty pathetic... I need to get a couple of maps to mark up. Then I can start a game plan for the future!

This weekend Martha and I are off to Barclay and Eagle Lakes (probably). Getting ready...

baby hat

2010-07-13T19:24:00.000-07:00

This much cuteness is hard to resist.

Still Knitting

2010-07-10T14:38:00.001-07:00

Clearly I'm not into regular blogging. No matter. Life happens and blogging fits in wherever it does.
Robin's step-MIL asked me to make a hat for her granddaughter. I made this hat for R&J's daughter, Charlotte, in the spring and Cindy loved it and was inspired to request more. The one I'm making for Cindy's gd is pretty much nothing like Charlotte's. I hope she anticipated a bit of artistic license. The guidelines I received were "multicolored and pink". This definitely fits :) If she wanted something different, this will go to one of the other adorable baby girls currently making my heart melt!

I never knew baby things would be so rewarding! I knew they were fast, just didn't realize how much fun it is to knit for others.

Hello out there!

2010-01-24T08:39:00.000-08:00

I'd like to apologize for extreme blog-silence and say I'll do my best to keep on top of this, but I'm not going to commit to something I probably won't do. I will say that I will at least check in more often and show off what I'm up to :)
Right now I'm up to gifty things, so can't show it all off... one of my best friends' birthdays is this Tuesday, so I knit something for her and will get it in the mail Monday. Chances are good it will arrive on Tuesday, but Wednesday is ok, too. No pictures until after she gets them!
Gifty thing 2 is a baby Viking helmet hat for Baby Lee who is due in just a couple of weeks!!! So far I know Baby Lee will be a girl, so she gets the version called Brunhilde which has wings on the sides and braids... sickeningly cute! The hat part is nearly done, so by the time I hit post on this, you will have a picture of that, braids and wings will come soon.

I also plan to make Baby Lee a couple of other things - possibly another hat, Miittens, and if I get really ambitious, I'd like to sew her a little dress, but I'm not sure yet. I have grand ideas of projects, but the amount of time I actually have to make things is rather limited. (which reminds me, I need a benefactor who will fund my current lifestyle without me working)
Moving on and speaking of working... my boss turns 40 this week and she is happily celebrating in HI. We are jealous and happy for her and will be hosting a pot luck for her upon her return. A pot luck made up of soft foods so her new old self won't have to chew too much :) I'm planning to make a s'mores cake because you don't have to chew cake too much, it looks amazing in Taste of HOme, and she likes camping! I'm also planning to decorate her office, he he he. I'm sure you know where that is going!
Finally, I'm knitting Bubble Socks. And here are the beginnings... super cute pattern, but I'm way off on gauge, so this is round 2. They should go pretty quick since pattern gauge is 9 sts/inch and I'm at 6.5 sts/inch!

P.S. Thank you to my Hermit for reminding me that I have a blog...

Smoke on the Water

2009-10-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

My hairdresser trimmed my hair the other day and said we should do a trade. She asked for deep purple gloves. I'm interpreting that to mean purple fingerless gloves - she wasn't definitive, so I feel like I have enough artistic license to not produce solid indigo fingering weight gloves. Part of the reason I plan to do fingerless gloves is because I have this great skein of white Cascade Lana D'Oro yarn that's not quite enough yardage for really-o-truly-o gloves. Anyway, it's allowing me to kill 2 birds w/ 1 stone - trade work and stash busting. I dyed it this afternoon using Wilton's icing dye. It took a couple of hours because I seriously underestimated how much dye the whole skein would really take, but in the end I think it has turned out awesome! I'd like to find a smoky stitch pattern so I can really call them "Smoke on the Water Mitts". I'm so creative, I know, besides who doesn't love some classic rock in their knitting?

In general today has been super productive! While the yarn was prepping and dyeing I was trimming my quilt pieces that I cut sometime during the last ice age. Now with the whole world warming up I'm finally getting ready to actually assemble this quilt :) I'm about 1/2 way through the process of trimming the previously cut pieces, but considering how long it's been since I've even thought about it, I'm calling that a major success!
Now I'm cooking one of my favorite dinners - Chicken Cacciatora. It's been at least 2 years since I've cooked it and now just smelling it is making me smile :D It's one of my very own comfort foods not handed down from my mom. Much as I love things like chicken over rice and beef stroganoff cooked only the way she cooks it, it's really fun getting to have a few of my own. Maybe someday it will be my family's favorite. Man, must I wait this last 15 minutes before it's ready? I am so excited for dinner!
In other news, I'm working on Christmas knitting which consists of lots of things that I will put on Ravelry (or are already there). I'm knitting Owls for myself. The body is complete up to putting together w/ the sleeves and the sleeves are almost 1/2 done. I'm worried the sleeves will be too tight, but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

Not Knitting

2009-09-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Today I tried needle felting! I got a kit when I went to NW Needlemarket with the ladies that own Cashmere Cottage Yarn. They asked me to make a sample because I thought we needed the kits. I finally did it and I think they turned out great :)

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I'm not sure what I was expecting... The directions are really clear.

The kits are Woolpets and they come in Chinese food boxes.

The kits have enough roving to make at least 2 of the pet in it. All I need are a few inches of pipe cleaners and I can make more of these guys. I'm thinking of using it to make something different, though. We shall see.
Now I'm going to try and make chickpea burgers by mixing hummas with rice. Then I will get back to knitting.

The Ends

2009-09-01T19:15:00.001-07:00

How to maximize weaving in ends on a pair of socks in just 6 easy steps:
1. Begin by deciding to make socks with contrast yarn for the heels and toes. (btw, this is a great way to use up that little bit left from your last pair of socks)
2. Start knitting beginning at the toe.
3. Knit a few rows past the heel and admire your handiwork.
4. Decide said handiwork is not at all what you were after.
5. Start over.
6. Knit your pair of socks again using a pattern you like better.
By following these steps you will undoubtedly not line up your knitting the same way you did before and have many many more ends to weave in than your every day, one-yarn-throughout pair of socks. However, the final product is totally worth it!

Go Cougs!

Knitting and Music

2009-08-29T10:33:00.001-07:00

Last night I went out to see these guys play. They are called Ravinwolf aka Jamie & Heather.

They are such nice people and I love their music, so it's perfect :) Well, except for the weird guy old enough to be my dad that asked me to dance at least 3 times. I finally said, "You just don't get it, do you? I'm not interested!" His response, "I'm just asking you to dance. I'm sorry." Dude, you've asked me several times and I've said no each time... He also told me about how he coached his kids' baseball teams, his ex-wife, how his mom used to crochet doilies, and his poetry. It's too bad that he's lonely, but if I'm knitting at the bar and talking to the band I'm probably not overly interested in dancing with people twice my age...
In other news, I'm thisclose to being done with my Go Cougs socks! And in plenty of time for the kickoff of Cougar Football in Seattle on September 12th.
I'm going to finish my brunch of home fries w/ garlic and sour cream, then finish those socks and do a bunch of sewing. (I said I should sew last weekend and I definitely didn't... my excuse is that the lining fabric needed to be washed, dried, and ironed and by the time it came out of the dryer it was way too hot to iron and by the time it had cooled off enough to iron it was way too late to cut. Good news is it's all cut and ready now!)

I dare you!

2009-08-23T21:55:00.000-07:00

Tell me these don't look delicious! (I can tell you that now that they are baked, they are delicious)

Peach Tartlets with 50/50 butter/margarine pastry and fresh, local peaches. Yummy!

Project Runway...

2009-08-20T21:57:00.000-07:00

premier on Lifetime tonight! When PR is on, I feel an uncontrollable need to craft.
I'm blocking the crazy scarf.

And the fronts and back of the blue sweater. They need to block before I finish the sleeves because I need to make sure I've got enough yarn to get it done. Eek!

I'm also starting a dress that I've had fabric for all summer. I'm doing view A of McCall's 5876. If I get on the stick and sew this weekend I'll still have a few days of sun left to wear it :)

I've been knitting nonstop, but other than the sweater, not a lot of finished projects.

Am I in Oz?

2009-07-25T07:13:00.000-07:00

Things come and go so quickly!
The former neighbors and previous-now-current kitty owners came by at a friendly 12:30 this morning to let me know they'd like Topaz back.
I'm a little bummed, but I hadn't become completely attached because I had it in the back of my mind that this might happen. At least other than the wool fetish he was the best kitty one could ask for to look after :)

I'm off to NW Needlemarket with the ladies who own Cashmere Cottage Yarn for the weekend!

What happens on Saturday...

2009-07-19T20:18:00.001-07:00

when you get a cat on Monday and finish some socks on Friday?

This is Topaz, the not so innocent.

I'm not sure if he hugs the fan because it's hot or because he's weird. He's generally sweet, but causes his share of havoc during the day. His antics range from jumping on the desk to drink plant water to chewing anything wool (he must think my apartment is some kind of gold mine...)

What do you do in eastern Montana?

2009-07-12T15:40:00.000-07:00

I just spent a week vacationing in eastern MT and before I left Pandora's Slave asked, "What are you going to do there?" At the time I wasn't completely sure, but I knew it would be fun at least to see something completely new and different to what I know here in WA.
So here is a short list of things I did and a few pictures.
1. Camped, fished, and rafted on the Stillwater River
2. Visited Wild Purls. It's a really cute shop and I sat and knit for about 4 hours :)
3. Saw Pompey's Pillar where you can see Clark's (of the Lewis & Clark Expedition) signature carved in the sandstone. It's the only physical evidence left from their entire trek.
4. Stayed in one of the last towns in MT before ND, Glendive.
5. Saw the vastness of the Yellowstone River. It doesn't seem that big compared to the Columbia, but it's not dammed, so unlike the Columbia it's still a river and not essentially a long series of lakes.
6. Dug up clam shell and ammonite fossils. (I don't have pictures of mine, so google can show you...)
7. Went to Makoshika State Park to see the Bad Lands. It's almost like being on the moon, it's such a strange landscape!
7. Went to an Out Door Dance; aka live band and drinking outside next to a bar.
8. Rode the train home. For frame of reference on the size of the state of MT, it took me 11.5 hours to cross it by train...

I'm back and I brought my knitting!

2009-06-06T12:34:00.000-07:00

I guess I disappeared for a while! I never really died, just never felt like blogging... meh. I've been knitting a ton, but my best friend got married, so I was thinking about that for all of May :) Now she is in Maui making everyone jealous. Here she is just before jumping in her dress. Completely gorgeous!

In knitting news I've been knitting socks (surprising, I know) for myself and for Drew. Mine are some yarn that I got from my other best friend. It's Yarn Pirate Merino Bamboo in Daffodilly. I love it,but she didn't which is why it became mine :) I'm using a stitch pattern called Ixslein and Cat Bordhi's Sky Architecture. Of all of the architectures in New Pathways for Sock Knitters so far this is the only one that I don't especially like. It feels too big at the back of the heel. Oh well, I love all of the others I've tried from the book, so I just won't do this one again.

Drew's are Regia heavy sock yarn in a "manly rainbow" colorway.

I went on the Cashmere Cottage Yarn Bus Yarn Tour right after Kate's wedding and in my goodie bag I got GlamKnits. I've been half eyeing the book for a while, but didn't want to buy it because I didn't know if I loved any of the patters enough... I'm so glad it was in my bag because I really like it now that I've had a chance to comb through it! I started Romantic the bell sleeved cardi using Zitron Kokon. I got the yarn in the discount bin at Skacel - 5 balls at $5.00 each. It's a silk/cotton/acrylic blend and $5.00 seems like a pretty good deal :) It's got quite a bit of yardage, too, so should be enough. If nothing else it will be a short sleeve cardi which in being silk/cotton it's kind of summery anyway is totally fine! Since it's top-down raglan style I'm in the middle of the massive increase section and having the usual hard time getting through it. I'll be so glad when I get to separate the sleeves out. Until then I have hours of mindless knitting... (I would call the color aubergine in person, but the picture makes it look a little like a rusty brick; maybe I need to consult my knowledge of lighting and actually use it)

I also dredged up my inspriration lady! She's been sequestered to a spider-webby corner of the basement for about a year since I wasn't sure where she would fit upstairs. I took her out in April so I could put my recycled dress on her for the Recycled Art Show and decided she should stay out and wear inspiring and memorable things. Right now she's got my bridesmaids dress from Kate's wedding on with an oh-so-ill-matching-and-partly-shrunken vest on. I loved the dress and wanted to look at it a while. The vest on the other hand is going to take at least one more trip through the wash and then I'm going to make mittens out of it. Ideally I'd like to put the mittens in the fair, maybe in the Make It With Wool contest and the Recycled Art Show next year. But they may also get to be a gift for someone, so I'd either have to skip a couple of those or gift them with strings attached :)

Spring... Summer?

2009-04-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

We had spring for about 3 days and the WHAM-O all of a sudden it was over 80°! So yesterday and today were pretty freaking hot, but it's fun having a mini summer :) It's supposed to cool down and maybe rain tomorrow, but that's ok... it is only April, after all.
Last weekend I worked at my friend's house and she has a cherry orchard. Cherries are in full bloom right now, so I finally got to see hers with flowers. They are beautiful, but I really do love pink more than white, so I can't wait for the apples to bloom next month! More amazing than the flowers, though, is the sound the bees make. It's a really amazing feeling to be standing in the middle of thousands of bees, even right next to them, and know that you'll have to REALLY piss them off to be stung. They're so excited about the flower :)

She and I also went for a little hike on the Sage Hills trail. I didn't really get any good pictures, but it was such a nice hike.
I have really been knitting, too. I'm knitting some heavy weight socks, but I'm soooooo sick of them. So I started knitting Ripple. Pandorasslave gave me a bunch of single skeins of purple yarn. They go together really well, so I added one more purple yarn I already had and knit the squares of the pattern cycling the different colors. I just started the ruffle edge and I'm really liking it.

Aircarft Carrier

2009-04-19T11:34:00.000-07:00

My brother is in training with the Naval Shipyard to become some kind of Nuclear Engineer (it has a special name which I of course forgot as soon as he told me) and over the last year he's been sent to work on a couple of aircraft carriers. Basically the shipyard needs guys trained in working on the nuclear system on aircraft carriers, but until right now there hadn't been any there, so he had to go first to San Diego and then to Everett. Now the ship he worked on in Everett is at the shipyard, so I think he will continue to work/learn on it.
Last Thursday the USS Abraham Lincoln had a family day cruise, so I got to see what they're really like! It's definitely huge, but I think I had an image of something unfathomably large, so it actually didn't seem quite as big as I'd expected. Nonetheless, the flight deck is 4.5 acres!
Some specs about the Lincoln:
Commissioned: November 11th, 1989
Length: 1,092 feet
Height (keel to mast): 206 feet, 6 inches
Breadth at flight deck: 257 feet, 5 inches
Propulsion: 2 nuclear power plants (this is the part my brother works on)
Anchors: 2 at 30 tons each
Anchor chains: 1,082 feet, each link weights 385 pounds
Complement including air wing: almost 5,500
Loaves of bread baked daily: 600-800
Haircuts given daily: 250
We got to watch an airshow from the flight deck. It was no Blue Angels air show with colored smoke and fancy flying formations - this was strictly a navy air show. They did Top Gun style fly-bys and touch downs no more than 30 feet from where we were standing! It was incredibly loud, so I didn't take a ton of pictures...
I'm pretty sure it goes without saying that I did not knit last Thursday :)
In line to get on the ship before 0500

Flight Deck approximately 0600 - looks like it goes on forever!

Mikaela, Yvonne, Mom, Me on the flight deck

Mom looking through the giant binoculars

The Olympic at about 0730. Coast Guard boats paced us for the entire trip.

Really high above the flight deck

Framed Olympics and Coast Guard boat

Me holding a giant gun. This was supposed to be my war face, but I kept giggling. Looks like the gunman thought it was funny, too. Don't expect this ever again.

A few 385lb chain links

Lots of people observing the mountains through the giant elevator door (the cover outside is one of the plane elevators)

Watching one of the planes fly by for the first time

Port Angeles

Fort Casey

Leaning into the wind on the flight deck when we were cooking along (maybe 20 knots? I don't know). Mom missed the memo about leaning into the wind and looks like she's going to blow over. Clark is a much better reference. It felt like we we hiking up hill just to walk to the end of the flight deck (which remained flat) in the wind.

one of the 3 tug boats that guided the massive carrier back into port

Flowers!

2009-04-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

The first cherry blossom of the spring :)

Product Knitter

2009-04-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

In the great debate of product vs. process knitters, I'm decidedly a product knitter. I also have a fairly short attention span (which in the world of non-knitters may actually be considered a fairly long attention span considering how long it takes to complete even the smallest of projects...). That means I stick to small projects or big projects with small parts that seem like major accomplishments with the completion of each one. Now I don't wonder why I love knitting socks and hats so much :)
I made another hedgehog yesterday. They are so fast that there is no question that they provide instant gratification. This one is going to my coworker to put in her son's Easter Basket. I love that idea! Might have to implement it for my own kids someday. He's drying in the tub after making a couple of trips through the washer.
I also started Tessa's hat. She bought yarn while we were in CA and said she wanted a slouchy hat (as confirmed this morning, a really slouchy hat). It's really fun to knit. I'm working seed stitch which I don't think I've ever done! I love the look and might replace some otherwise-would-be stockinette projects with it.

Drew is now in Glendive, MT preparing to fish for giant prehistoric fish. I got some Regia to make him a nice pair of thicker socks. I also had him pick a project and yarn for it before he left - he picked some Pagewood Farms sock yarn in "Forrest Camo" and asked me to make a hat. I thought about doing his hat in seed stitch, too, but I found a diamond pattern that I might even like better.
Finally a quick note about how to take care of non-machine washable socks:
Fill the sink with cool soapy water (Woolite isn't the best, but it's what I've got so I use it, you can also use shampoo or a fancy extra mild no-rinse-required soap designed for washing your extra delicate items)
Put your socks in the water and let them soak a while. I usually forget about them, so they soak at least 30 minutes, but I don't think it's really necessary for them to be there that long!
Squish them and swish them just enough to knock out some of the dirt.
Drain the water.
Refill the sink, but don't add any more soap.
Let your socks soak a few more minutes (I usually forget about them on this step as well...).
Squish them and swish them again.
If the water is clean, then drain the sink, squish out most of the extra water (don't wring!), and hang them to dry.
If the water isn't clean, repeat the refill-soak-drain steps until the water is clean.
Here are some all lined up like sardines looking clean

Hand dying and a New Knitter

2009-03-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ah, finally! Getting out the pictures of our foray in dying yarn. Kate and I had a blast in her kitchen, but realized that outside might be better option in the future :) It's a pretty messy project and we did our best to keep her house from turning rainbow colors. I think there might be a yellow spot on the floor or a blue spot on the counter... Here we go:
We do look a little like Mad Scientists... or Michael Jackson.

Then the yarn went in and we felt more like mad scientists! The yellow orange is kettle dyeing - basically put yarn in hot water, pour on the dye and let it soak in for about an hour. The jars w/ forks sticking out are, uh, some other kind of dyeing where you put different colors in the different jars and let the yarn soak up the colors. We didn't put the jars over heat, though we should have. I think it would have set the dye more evenly and helped it wick up the yarn. Instead we pushed the white bits down into the colors to force some of the dye on, those sections just aren't as bright.

And check out the newest knitter to the Brandon family!

Mikaela said that if I were knitting the entire time we were in CA that she might be bored and wishing for something to do. I had nothing to do in forcing her, she asked me to teach her :) She's got an awfully wide Lamb's Pride worsted scarf going there. I told her to cast on a few too many stitches, but it will be really nice for next winter. I only hope that she finishes it and feels the sense of accomplishment, I don't believe she'll be the obsessed knit blogging type that I am, but I love that she asked to learn a bit about it.
She tried to hide the evidence here, but you can see a bit of yarn stuck to the couch :)

And just for fun, we got to feed the birds! Drew and I skied at Stevens Pass yesterday and the Camp Robber birds were out in force trying to steal lunches... so we fed them some of ours.

I'm not dead yet!

2009-03-14T13:24:00.000-07:00

I feel happy! And I have been knitting.

I went for a visit to San Jose to visit family and of course couldn't resist buying some yarn no matter how much I told myself I wasn't going to. It wasn't a huge purchase, fortunately. Just some yarn I'm hoping my friend will love enough to want to trade it for some of her yarn and this.

It made this totally wild scarf and I LOVED knitting it! I only really like the rainbow ladder yarn in the detail, so I left it with Grandma because she really liked it.

I guess it has been quite a while since I posted last, but not for lack of knitting. See?

I shipped off the gloves to Michael this morning. I also sent a hat to a friend, but it's part of the secret knittah project, so no pics for a while.
The gold thing is going to become a beach cover up for the recycled art show at work.
The hat beginning is the remake of the chemo hat that didn't work out the first time.
In other news Kate & I did some dying a few weeks ago and I taught my sister in law to knit, but I will put pictures of that up next time. Might get a bit much if I did it all right now!

Hey Cupcake

2009-02-22T12:16:00.000-08:00

We are having a gala w/ our symphony concert tonight and the members were asked to bring some "sweet treats." Since I love baking mini cupcakes I'm totally in! I haven't gotten to experiment enough w/ icing, so I went to town making little music notes on each one! I had leftover lemon butter cream from the last time I baked cupcakes, so I whipped up some chocolate icing to frost them w/ then put the notes on that. I just hope they are small enough that you don't get a weird taste of lemon w/ the chocolate. But if they do, oh well! I'm sure people will love them since they're completely adorable :)

My cupcake book also has a recipe for making rolled fondant and petal past. In the future I need to test those for really making sugar toppings. They require liquid gelatin, though, which my little grocery store down the street almost definitely doesn't have! I did find that my new tea strainer doubles really well as a sifter. I've been trying to find ways of not using a sifter since I neither have one nor a place to put one if I got one... The tea strainer method is a bit slow, but gets the job done! It's not like I'm making mini cupcakes for an army anyway.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

Sleigh ride

Flowers & Wine

Almost Valentines Day!

2009-02-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

I wanted to make a dress for going out on Valentine's Day w/ Drew :)
Here it is:

Pattern: New Look 6865
View: E
Size: 12
Mods: none
I really wanted to make a gathered neck, puffy raglan sleeve, sack dress and it took a little while to find this pattern. Glad I did! Despite it being completely shapeless it's exactly what I wanted :) Now I just need to get a nice big black belt. I'll wear it with my nice black knee high boots and tights.
We are going on a sleigh ride and out to dinner, so I just hope I don't get too cold!

I may die of Foot-in-Mouth Disease, but I hope not.

2009-02-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes when I'm reading blogs and talking to people I start thinking that they are snarky and sarcastic all the time. And when I'm reading things or talking to them it's all really funny, so then I think it's totally ok to be like that all the time. The truth is very likely that they are not like that all the time, but only in the moments that I happen to commit to memory. This leads me to my next point. I should not use examples of various moments created by many different people strung together to create an acceptable attitude for myself.
Note to self: less snark, more romance, lightheartedness, and a grasp on reality.

Ok, that said (necessary or not), it has little to do with knitting. Sorry! And I have no new pictures.
Good news. I'm in the middle of Odessa and it's SOOO much better for that yarn than the Pi thing was! Pi would probably work really well in a solid wool which is decidedly not what I'm knitting with at the moment. I hope to finish the hat over the weekend or on Monday in order to get it on its way to the recipient. I'm not going to hand deliver it or even mail it. I'm going to send it with our Symphony manager since she goes for visits regularly.

Chemo Hats

2009-02-03T20:46:00.001-08:00

Mikael's hat is done and looks as good as purple and gold can. I think he'll love it. I really like how the brim folds up and stays - we can thank the cotton for that. Might have to have Kris dye some more and make one for myself :) Wonder if she can handle crimson and gray?
Mom is going to give Mikael's mom the hat whenever she sees her next, but she's not sure when that will be. So hopefully soon I'll be able to report what he thinks.

I received the yarn for Sarah's hat. I was really hoping that it would be more tropical looking, but it's not quite what I had hoped; beautiful yes, just not what I'd hoped.
I started knitting the Pi Chemo Cap from Elann for this, but the cotton/bamboo blend shows all of the increases too distinctly; even with the busy yarn the increases still looked awful. Plus the construction was too weird for me. I like to gradually increase the crown of a hat to create a pattern or make them hard to see. Anyway, I'm now using Odessa by Grumperina. (You can find it on Ravelry, but it used to be on MagKnits and that doesn't exist anymore)

Winter is still here

2009-01-29T20:31:00.000-08:00

How to tell if your skin is dry:
flaky skin
brittle nails
cracking lips
Excema
Kinda sounds like side effects of drugs advertised on TV! I only know they're not since I'm not taking any of them...

Causes:
dry winter air
heaters recirculating said dry air

Solutions:
drink lots of water
lotion
boil water or use a humidifier
become a Snowbird and move temporarily to Florida

It's been cold and dry and almost without snow for all of January. It's getting old! Someday it will be June!

Sunday Crafternoon

2009-01-25T13:04:00.001-08:00

I busted out the sewing machine yesterday. Finally! I made that needle case and I love it! It fits all of my needles perfectly and has just the right number of pockets for different sizes. The top pockets are too close to the top for needles, so they can hold other notions. I didn't end up using the brown floral, but I'm totally in love with the green and white and the birds! THE BIRDS!

I just started the Husky hat for Mikael. Kris did an awesome job dying and it is going to work perfectly for the pattern. I'm just doing a basic hat pattern from My Knitter's Handy Guide to Patterns. The colors seem to be stacking alternately with almost no pooling or overlap of the same color - maybe less than 5 stitches at a time.

If these pictures are terrible, I'm sorry. The sun is out and it's been in hiding for the last EON, so I had to acknowledge it.

Booya!

2009-01-23T14:34:00.000-08:00

Fabric!! And it's adorable. Not sure what I'm going to do w/ the owls yet, but I had to have it :)

And I'm going to use this floral to make the needle case. I'm going to try and incorporate the other florals in, too, but I'm not sure yet how it's all going to come together.

Since I am home during daylight, I have this for you, too!

I haven't gotten the hat yarns yet. I expect the yarn to come from Kris tomorrow and the Etsy yarn to come early next week. They should be quick to knit and hopefully ready by next weekend or early the following week.

I suck at not buying yarn...

2009-01-21T09:08:00.000-08:00

But I have an excuse this time!
Apparently I should never have said that not buying yarn would be really easy because I have a ton already. I do have more than enough, that much is true. What I don't have is enough amazing soft yarn and in the right colors for people I know being diagnosed with Leukemia. At the moment there are 2 and they are both in high school. The only way I can say a big "FU" to this horrible thing is to knit hats for chilly heads. I know about the chilly head part, but I can't relate on any level the trials associated with chemo therapy.
One of the symphony members I used to play with is one of these affected kids. She had quite possibly the worst Christmas last year - she caught a cold or something otherwise very mild and due to having no immune system it nearly killed her. She is doing better now and has taken a few steps across her room at Children's Hospital in Seattle, but this is nearly a month later. I don't know her very well and I don't want to seem like some sympathetic outsider, but I think she will appreciate it.
I bought this for her. The symphony manager told me she says her favorite colors are "Hawaiian colors." I'm pretty sure I like those, too, so I'm just hoping that our idea of Hawaiian colors are similar :)
Now I am thinking of how to say nice things to her w/o sounding sappy and lame while still being heartfelt and sincere. I suppose, though, if she can face chemo thereapy and mutant colds, I can at least find a way to say "good luck!"

No Buy Week

2009-01-19T19:59:00.000-08:00

This week I'm not going to buy things I don't need. I certainly don't need any yarn*! That should be easy not to buy. I'm also trying not to buy things like shoes, different pilates videos, books, etc.
I've been working on lots of things.
Amused is approaching done and approaching a decision of whether I will keep it or rip it out and make something different. The neck looks way too big and I don't think I'll wear a blue potato sack very often.

My bus socks are doing well! I started on size 1.5's, but decided they were too tight on needles that small, so started over on 2's. I'm not sure yet if the foot will be on 1.5's or 2's - 1.5's make it dense, but 2's might make it too loose.

As soon as I'm done w/ these 2 projects I want to work on something that I don't rip out!!

*Ok, so this isn't entirely true. Kris is sending me yarn for a special hat project for my mom's friend's son who was diagnosed w/ Leukemia.

Just a Note

2009-01-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

I have been dreaming about having a good needle roll lately. Mostly for circs, but would be nice for regular straights, too. Then I found this tutorial! I know I have enough fabric to make it, but none of it is exactly what I want and none of it really goes together (well unless I want to incorporate flannel, which I don't really). I have this cute pink floral on brown background that I fell in love w/ in the JoAnn's remnant bin a long time ago; this is its calling.

And I have a pink w/ brown sort of damask pattern on it that I will use as the bias tape.

The problem is that I don't think I have enough of the pink floral... I just measured and I definitely do NOT have enough! In fact I have about 12% of what I need. Hm. I really want to get this going because I miss my sewing machine! Maybe next week I can go to the fabric store.

Holy Promptness, Batman!

2009-01-09T16:26:00.001-08:00

The furniture guys said they would be here around 4:15. Not being used to service providers having any sense of time or people's schedules I expected them to be here at something more like 4:59. By 4:20 this had not only made it out of the truck, but also up a very narrow flight of stairs, through a narrow door way, and into my living room:

Now my apartment is full of furniture!

The second color shows the color a little better. For a good reference - it's about the color of a manila file folder.
YAY!!

Sleeves!

2008-12-30T21:58:00.000-08:00

My little blob now has a couple of wing-a-lings! See?

In the future we will call them "sleeves."
Here, I've helped you find them since I know it's hard.

I also shaved my legs today, made dinner and made lunch for tomorrow. Please ignore that my apartment still looks like a war zone. It's snowing outside, distract yourselves with that. If it's not snowing where you are, please come visit me :)

Baked Potatoes & Bagel Sandwiches

2008-12-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

... and Christmas and knitting. Since I got home from my parents' house for Christmas I've been trying to avoid grocery shopping and realized that I've got bagels and potatoes, so I'm eating those before going to the store. Though I will need some laundry money soon...
Christmas was a great time being virtually snowed in with the family and getting to see a couple of really good old friends. I received many amazing gifts from family such as a Victoria's Secret robe from the brother & SIL which I practically refuse to take off. Damn working AT work. If I worked from home I would live in this thing. But then again if I worked from home I would never work. Ok, moving on. Grandpa sent up a scale model of the table he's building for me! It's 1/4 scale, so will be a big, beefy, craftsman-esque table when done. See, pictures with some items for size.

My parents gave me a really pretty cake stand. My mom said she bought it last year, but since I was sharing a duplex and had a tiny kitchen that I hated cooking in she saved it for this year. Of course now I have no place to put it because my kitchen is considerably smaller... Ah well, it's beautiful!

My cousin Tessa gave me some nice bathroom things and a couple of stuffies that I believe her sister, Rachel, made. One is an owl and the other is a racoon. I may have requested them... :)

In other news I did not get to see Kate or Kerry while home due to psycho snow. I DID get to see my 2 best friends from many years earlier. Kayte and I realized that we've never gone out together when we've even been able to DRIVE, let alone drink! So we took care of both Saturday night. Then Sunday I went to lunch w/ Kris and we discovered that we're both crazy fanatical knitters. I am still in shock over it, but she said it correctly when she said we were meant to be soulmates. It couldn't be more true! Yay. Mostly I'm glad to know that my old besties are still there and despite a few years of not seeing each other we still have plenty in common. :)

I've been knitting on Amused. Kate put me up to it and she's nearly done! Mine currently looks like a blob w/ some cables. It's nice to work on something w/ big needles. I'm also bus knitting the waffle socks. One is done and due to the magic and bendiness of wire coat hangers it does not look like a blob.

I <3 Winter!

2008-12-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

It snowed finally! It started just over a week ago and is snowing steadily right now. After unburying my car and driving a bit yesterday and today, it's now buried again! It's also been extremely cold - the predicted low for tonight is 11°, but last week that was practically a heat wave! Nights were in the single digits and days not above 20°. In light of cold and snow I've had nothing to do but knit :)
The Christmas knitting is all done except for something for Drew.
I'll talk about those things later...
I just finished the button band for the purple sweater and the collar is up for tonight or tomorrow depending on how I feel. My wrists and elbows are a little tired from feverish knitting for the last several hours! I knit solid while watching Doctor Zhivago with only 1 bathroom break and intermission when I made hot chocolate. It was good and I was surprised I sat through it all as I often get bored in 2 hour movies, let alone one over 3 hours! Anyway I don't know that I paid close enough attention to fully understand it, but knitting happened and that's important, too.
I'm hoping to finalize Christmas shopping tomorrow; hopefully my car won't be frozen! I at least need to drive it Monday morning so I can take it in for a few last repairs.
Currently on the Needles:
German Waffle Socks

Pop Up Mittens

The Purple Sweater

Up Next:
Amused
First Dying Experiment
Kate and I plan to do Amused as a KAL. She bought us the supplies for dying for my birthday, so I'm excited to do that! We will spend at least a full day together after Christmas knitting and making our own yarn :)

Quick Post

2008-12-04T23:45:00.000-08:00

Can I post in 15 minutes? Taking pictures and all?
Lately I've been knitting quite a bit, but have been fickle; work on this for 2 days, that for 5 days, and oh ya! pick up that sweater that's been laying around...
I started some Cashmere mitts recently which I can't reach at the moment so there are no pictures. I'm using Ann Budd's Handy Guide to Knitting patterns and melding the gloves w/ the mittens to make convertible mitts. The fingers inside are all 11 rows tall and knit in 1x1 rib on a size larger needle than the rest of the mitt (mitt on 2's, fingers on 3's). I improvised the 1x1 thing and I'm not sure it was necessary or even a good idea, but it's done on both and I'm not turning back. I also added the mitten top too high on the back of the hand. At this point there are sort of 2 camps - 1. meh! this was an experiment and they are totally wearable, be proud of your accomplishment and learn from it; 2. this is really really nice yarn and you know you can do better. Start over maybe from the other end of the ball so you don't have extra yarn tails to weave in in obscure places. I think I'm going to let them age a bit and decide which camp is best. Now that I've gotten them written down, though, I must admit I'm leaning toward #2.
After getting most of the way through the mitts my mom and I did some post-Thanksgiving shopping and I got a Hiya Hiya size 1US 9" circ. I thought, "those look almost evil!" followed almost immediately by, "I HAVE to try them and find out. I'm using mystery yarn that my friend bought for me in Germany. There is potential that it is some line from Opal or that it is something very similar. Nevertheless since the needles are like slippery toothpicks glued to each other I opted for a simple pattern - waffle rib from Vogue Stitchionary I. I'm about 75% done with the heel now, but would be done if I'd just started w/ the short row heel. I don't especially like short row heels, so I try to avoid them, but when I tried to work a heel flap... well... slippery toothpicks.

Finally on the knitting front: I picked up the 178 stitches for the wasteband of the purple sideways sweater! I've never had issues w/ picking up stiches before. But then I don't think I've picked up 178 stitches along the side of lace before either. That may have been more painful than knitting the entire sweater twice. And now those 178 stitches of 80/20 Cotton/Merino want to slide right off of the aluminum needles they're on making it very difficult to knit them. Oh, I am so close to victory on this thing, I can taste it!! I just want to finish it. Grrr to you aluminum needles. If you weren't called "Diana" I wouldn't even keep you!
Awe. I love you, too sweater.

Dang. 30 minutes.

Um, YUM!

2008-11-18T22:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is more not-knitting. But it's delicious and worth showing off!

Crust:
2 crust for 10" pan from Betty Crocker's Old Fashioned Desserts book. I'm not one of those people that "uses their great great grandmother's recipe that she almost lost on the boat ride from Yorkshire." Instead I use whatever - sometimes I get it from one of my cookbooks, sometimes I get it from the internet. This one uses Crisco, but I've used butter before, too. I don't really have a preference (yet?) or a favorite recipe. I haven't even ruled any out as bad ones. So there.
Filling:
Apple Pie from the Betty Crocker Best Loved Recipes cookbook. Generally one would use tart apples like Granny Smiths, but all I had were Galas (or Fugis?) which are really sweet. So I burried them in sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. They aren't as crisp, but I can say that they don't taste bad.

It's getting all foggy and they say it will most likely rain tomorrow afternoon. Cross your fingers that it turns to snow very soon! Then I'll have a really good excuse to run the oven all the time :)

Hyku: Natural Light

2008-11-13T19:33:00.000-08:00

O! Natural light*
I saw you in sunny CA
But now I am home.
*I just realized that you might mistake this for the beer... I'm talking about natural SUN light.

I was in San Diego over the weekend visiting my brother & sister-in-law. We had a blast and it was all perfect. Here is the trip:
This is Paradise. It says she might bite... she definitely bites.

Shout House w/ Laurel - dueling piano bar. It was hilarious, everyone needs to go!

Breaker Beach on Coronado Amphibious Base.

Sandpipers at the beach. They are so fun to watch!

We went on a ghost tour.

Mik looking for ghosts on the Spirit of India.

Is there a ghost man, other woman, child, baby, etc in the picture? I didn't think so...

Is Kate Morgan here? We tried to find the famed ghost of the Del Coronado Hotel, but all that was around was the most beautiful place to stay I've ever been.

Mik looking for orbs. Or is that dust?

Got to hang out w/ the youngest Brandon.

Brandons on swings. Go figure.

Ocean Beach (OB to the locals) was stormy, but pretty!

There are seagulls there, too

There are cactus and palm trees all over

My knitting from the weekend is on Ravelry. I've been internetting way too long to post any of that here now.

Winter is coming

2008-10-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

I'm listening to some feel good Sublime and thought blogging might be a good idea! I finished Cruella DeVille and tested out my alter ego. Other than forgetting my cigarette holder (and to take any pictures) I was pretty damn good! I think we'll go out again this weekend, so I will post pictures later. Sufice it to say that no one had any idea who I really was. I also had a revelation - the dress I made will TOTALLY morph into a Mortisha costume next year! I just need to make a witchy coat and get a long black wig. Sweet.

Let us move back to the whole purpose of this blog: knitting. I'm motoring on through the Sideways Spencer for the 2nd time. I am finally completely sick of it, but I'm on the home stretch. Check it out:

I can try it on and it looks vaguely like it's supposed to :) The plethera of ends on the right arm will be woven in (OMG on closer inspection they are practically invisible!) - probably with a few glasse of wine. They are the result of tearing out version.1 and not puting it back together exactly the same way in version.2. And it's mostly cotton, so can't just felt the ends together. Bummer. It was going to be perfect for last month, but now I will have a cute little sweater to wear in the office or at home, but definitely won't cut it outside for much longer! I'd love to have it done by the end of the month, but that's a pretty steep request.

P.S. I love my hats!

I'm Late, I'm Late!

2008-10-21T18:42:00.001-07:00

I'm sewing on my Halloween costume and have no time for blogging! See?

Jogging Along

2008-10-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hurray! It's birthday month! Apparently this month will be the turning point for me when I can no longer say I am "young"... well according to Robin, anyway. I'm not sure I believe her :)
Christmas knitting is going well. I've finished 3 hedgehogs and 1.5 gloves. I found out that gloves are really simple! I always expected that doing all of those fingers would be complete agony. In fact, they are easier than socks since they are so much smaller and fingers are way easier and less intimidating than turning the heel.
On the sock front, I've finished my first full man version. I used Cat Bordhi's Upstream Master Pattern. I'm confident that her craziness will pay off, but truth be told, Drew hasn't tried it on yet. I've got my fingers crossed for good measure. The bad news on the man sock front is that I now know that I need about 200g of yarn for them. I had planned to make socks for Max, but I know now that I may not even be able to turn the heel with the yarn that I bought. I've only got 100g and he wears a size 13!! (Drew wears a 10.5 and using 150g of heavy sock yarn I only managed a 3" cuff) This really means that I've got yarn to make something for someone else. I'm thinking I'll use it to make some gloves or mitts.

Sewing
For Halloween I'm planning to be Cruella DeVille. Yesterday I got the rest of the supplies - black satin for her dress, white faux fur w/ red satin lining for her coat & purse, 2 tone wig, and (of utmost importance) the cigarette holder. I've already got some red shoes, but they're not terribly witchy, so I may keep my eyes open for the next few weeks.

Jewelry
Robin and I went to SunDog Bead Co. yesterday and made tree pendants. They are really fun and eventually I may have my own lifetime's supply of tree pendants! Be prepared that everyone may end up with one over the next few birthdays and Christmases :)

Blocking Sideways

2008-09-23T23:32:00.001-07:00

After a feverish 2 weeks of knitting my Sideways Spencer Jacket is blocking! It's doing a very good job of holding the carpet down in the living room, for sure, but it won't be there for long.

And how does one cope w/ 2+ jobs, a boyfriend, an incredibly inspiring new sewing book, AND feverish knitting? Tarantula. Delicious.

Past Due; Please Remit
At the beginning of the month I entered 2 items in the Chelan County Fair and won 2 blue ribbons! I've since found out that our fair uses the Danish Judging System (or something very similar) where entries are awarded ribbons based on a points scale rather than simply choosing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. This way most entrants receive awards and everyone is happy... However, to allow for discretion and appearance of ribbon credibility rosettes for Best in Class, Grand Champion, etc are awarded for utmost excellence. I present Endpaper Mitts (which also won Viewer's Choice!!!! "Beatiful Beyond Measure") and Brambley Hedge Socks.

Interestingly my entries were both missing their critique sheets, so I was able to have a live critique from one of the judges. Her comments for the mitts mostly acknowledged that my stranding was tight in some places making some tiny stitches. And for the socks she wanted them to be entrelac, but in fact the lace just makes them look that way, so I told her and she recinded her compliment. Don't I make it sound terrible? It wasn't at all; in fact it was kind of fun to be able to talk to the judge. Her biggest comment for both was that the items have been worn and that in the future this point should be mentioned as it could have kept me from the Best in Class status. Good to know!
Here is a friend I found while at the fair. I probably could have spent all day in the animal barn! Although, I was sad that there were very few animals raised for the purpose of knitting. I believe only 1 sheep that I don't think was Merino, there were a few Alpacas, a few Angora bunnies, but no Cashmere goats. Nevertheless, they were adorable! I would have such a hard time raising an animal knowing that it's purpose in life was for me to eat it. I just get too attached; it's much better getting my meat at the grocery store and not knowing where it came from. Here is one of my little firends, a pigmy goat!

Oh yeah, argyles!

2008-09-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

I haven't actually forgotten about my argyles that I was so excited about a few months ago. I finished the argyle part and then blocked them. They're not on the Christmas gift list, so I don't plan on doing much with them for a little while still, but they're pretty awesome looking :)

In other news, I'm watching "My House is Worth What?!" and this guy living in a 750 sq ft convertible studio just had it valued at THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION DOLLARS!!! It has NO LAND. My parents' house is worth approximately that much and it's 2400 sq ft on a half acre!!! I will never be able to own anything. Rich people suck. I have a hard time with a lot of conspiracy theory type politics, but the notion that the upper class is crushing the middle class is becoming abundantly apparent. I suppose if I had the job I have in NYC, though, I'd probably be making at least 3 times what I make now. That still wouldn't allow me to buy a studio, though.

I need to mention some more knitting now since I can't think about my life potentially meaning less for very long. So here is another sock :) Sockotta in a pink colorway. As I said I don't totally love it, so I'm planning to gift them away. They're on size 2 knit picks harmonies w/ 6" cuff and standard heel flap heel. I learned my lesson w/ the eye of partridge method last time and this time I had no trouble w/ it scrunching up too much. I'm right on track for my typical amount of time required for sock knitting of one week per sock.

*MMMMMMMMMMMMM my neighbors are bbqing. Time to go drool!

P.S. here is the gang at Stitch & Pitch last month. Fun times worth repeating.

It's still August

2008-09-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

It's still August and I'm feeling prepared for September this time. I know it's coming and the weather is already turning a little toward fall. It's disappointing on one hand that fall is coming so fast since I'm not ready to be done with the summer, but on the other hand it means I'll be able to wear my sweater soon!! Oops, just kidding, it's September now! but I think the following still apply :)

Despite being fairly inactive lately, I've definitely not slowed the knitting at all since I'm still riding the bus with some regularity. I finished that baby blanket from a while ago and I love how it turned out! (Notice the length of yarn on the table, that's what I had left at the end; incredible!)

I also finished Maizy socks that look like powder blue camoflauge to me. Never worked w/ corn before and since it's like other Crystal Palace Sock yarn and super splitty I don't love it. I gave them to my mom for her birthday and that makes me happy :)

I've started more Sockotta in a pink colorway this time. I liked the others better because I liked the patterned bands better than wide solid bands. I'm thinking about giving these as a gift as well. No sense in keeping something for myself that I don't really like when I'm sure that someone else will love it!

Off the knitting topic, Drew and I finally went out camping and hiking again! It's been too #($*%&ing hot for the last month or so to do anything other than lay on the floor and eat ice cubes. We headed down to Roslyn (think Norther Exposure) and camped for 4 days and 3 nights. It was great - we cooked only in the dutch oven, buzzed around the lake and saw elk, had my parents for lunch one day, hiked to Pete's Lake (about 5 miles from the lake we were on), and had the most amazing boat-in-only campsite. It was a really nice break!

Fly Fishing is fun!

2008-08-03T21:44:00.001-07:00

Drew and I had a wild day out today! We got up and had breakfast at the Waffle Haus in Leavenworth and the drove up Mountain Home Road in search of a road/trail to walk up Wedge Mountain. Unfortunately all we found was the abandoned effort to create a ski resort with a fairly decent view of town.
Satisfied with our morning adventure we went back to his house to get supplies for an early dinner and a little fishing. I'd never fly fished before and my dad had always said it was hard work, so I never expected to try. But I've at least got the hang of holding the rod in my hand and flinging it around a little! See, I caught a fish (well, 2 really but who's counting?)

Can you see it? It's a tiny rainbow trout :) He was a little squirmy, but swam away to safety just after taking the picture. Note to self: time to invest in a fishing license, a rod, some of those fancy fake flies, a dorky vest, and possibly some hip waders. Then I think I'll fit in with the crowd. Although, I can't get too close to anybody as I'm a lefty and my cast is a little sideways at the moment. Drew said, "you're doing GREAT! But your timing is completely off." So maybe I can't fish with the big boys any time soon, but I fully intend to keep practicing cause it's a total blast! Then again, how could repeatedly flinging a piece of string around not be? I mean, this blog is all about it, just in a different form!

Jaywalker!

2008-07-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

In my absence I've mostly been out in the woods being eaten by mosquitoes. Subsequently no pictures as I couldn't stop long enough to get my camera out. Otherwise I've been knitting a bit. I finished a pair of Jaywalkers in Blue Moon Fiber Arts Silkie - Fairgrounds. I don't think they make the colorway anymore, but I bought it at Stitches West. I've got them on right now and they are SOFT!

I attempted to knit them once in just plain knit, but the way the colors pooled was awful. Thank goodness for patterns :)

I've also been working on a baby blanket for a coworker. It's one of those center start square ones. Only trouble is that you can't tell at all what it looks like on the needles. The yarn is BIGBaby by Muench Yarns; acrylic so it's perfect for babies and it's all squishy and comfy!

Oh, I found some pictures from camping. These are from the 4th of July hike that Drew and I went on - up 4th of July Creek, camped on top of Icicle Ridge for 2 nights, then down Icicle Ridge. It was way more intense than I probably should have done, but it was fun, nonetheless!

Junuary Sweater

2008-06-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

I guess the only thing good about Junuary is that it might actually be cool enough to warrant a big thick wool sweater such as:
However at the moment it's over 80° inside and that doesn't really make me want to wear this bad boy at all! Might have to wait for JAnuary...
I love it!! See?

Well, ok, the buttons aren't so good, but they will be changed. I would love to be better at choosing buttons, but it's like choosing a good birthday card. It can take me HOURS. Will need to get Martha's crafty eyes :)

Quick Specs:
Pattern: Cable Sweater; Knit.1; Spring 07
Size: Small body, large sleeves (I don't have twig arms, ok?)
Yarn: 60% wool, 22% silk, 11% alpaca, 7% cashmere; it's something I scavenged at Ross, so not really available. However, the original designer was David Bitton and it started it's life as a rectangle w/ sleeves and a hood... snag as many as you can if you find them
Approximate Quantity: 1 original sweater
Needles: 6US Addi Lace (started w/ 6US Clovers, but I wore the points off)
Time: 2.5 months
Damn I'm good!

Oh, Drew and I also hike in style. I proposed a night hike on Saturday to christen my new pack. We went along Ingles Creek for about 1 mile, threw out our sleeping pads and bags, and promptly drank a bottle of wine (note unbreakable wine glasses!) and ate 1/2 a box of grapes. Perfect Saturday night :)

Sockotta!

2008-06-13T17:06:00.000-07:00

Oh man, it's finally nice outside! It's been rainy and barely above freezing for the last eon.* I hope this nice stuff holds cause I'm more than ready for it, my tomatoes are more than ready for it... and I think the whole valley was done with winter and nasty weather 3 months ago.

Just in time for beautiful weather I finished my 1st pair of Sockotta! Holy cow are they comfy and cute! See? (Your eagle eyes may notice that they don't match. You're right. They'll be in my shoes...)

I've got a dress on, but I don't know that I'll take the socks off quite yet :) They only took me 2 weeks to knit - one week a piece and almost exclusively knit on the bus.

I did a very nice looking eye of partridge heel, but it knit up tight and stretchy. Does that make sense? Regardless, I knit until the heel flap was 2" long, but it probably stretches out to 2 1/2" and it's so tight that the pick-up edges pucker a little. Why am I not so bothered by this that I'll reknit? Because they'll be in my shoes (again). And no one I know will be concerned with the fact that the heel is a little funky; they'll be excited that I made them! On the other hand it does mean that I'll do things a little differently next time.

I've got another ball of Sockotta in a pink/orange colorway and am thinking about an afterthought heel to avoid disrupting the pattern. Just knitting a short row heel in might be fine too, as I don't notice the disrupted pattern much on these. Of course the other colorway has different patterning too. I may also do another heel flap, but knit it either in a standard k1, sl1 for each knit row so as not to have the offset of eye of partridge. Though I LOVE how the EOP looks! I'm not going to block them, though, and I'm certainly not blocking a heel flap while they're on the needles, so the option to block it to the stretched size is NOT happening! So, we'll see. I guess I could just plain knit a heel flap w/ only slipped stitches on the edges for pick up. Who knows I could even do a contrast heel and toe. Tons of options, I guess :)

I'll be hiking in these babies ASAP and while I'm hiking I'll have more sock knitting in my pack for snack/meal/camping time knitting! Three cheers for portable knitting!
Hurrah portable knitting!
Hurrah portable knitting!
Hurrah portable knitting!
And the crowd rejoiced.

*It's been above freezing, but so windy it's been too cold to leave the house w/o long sleeves or some type of jacket until today. And it hasn't really been an eon, just an unbearably long winter!

The Dumb

2008-06-11T08:00:00.001-07:00

This is how I've felt at work lately... Bad news, I know.

A big sweater

2008-06-01T22:10:00.001-07:00

At the moment I believe the sweater is at it's biggest. It's taken over my living room :)

Today Drew & I went to visit Camp and then for a walk up to Hidden Lake. It was a complete blast! Soon we'll be to the camping-and-knitting stage :)

We even saw something I've never seen before. It's a Fairy Slipper wild orchid.

I knitted on my newest sock most of the weekend and Drew thought it was adorable. I'm not sure how long that attitude will persist, but I'm milking it for all it's worth at the moment! I suppose it means I need to knit him some socks, though... I needed to take a break from complicated projects so I got going on Sockotta from Plymouth in a green/blue color way. I love that it's self striping even though it's not coming out exactly the same with all of the stripes. I'm excited for some cotton socks to hike in :)

Sweater Fever

2008-05-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

I decided to have a weekend for myself and Memorial Day Weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity! Saturday was spent manning Cashmere Cottage Yarn. How can I say no to a chance to work for yarn?! I thought I would get a bunch done in the sweater department, but after working on it non-stop on the bus for the last few weeks I was a little burned out. I did manage to teach myself to use the niddy noddy! I've made it to the 2nd half of the hood - the home stretch! Once the hood is done it's time for blocking and assembling! YAY.

Clearly I'm sick of the sweater as I decided to stash some more sock yarn using my store credit. I'm thinking that Socketta will be really nice as it's 45% cotton, so I'm assuming it will be a little cooler than the nearly 100% wool guys I've done before. Can you find it in the stash? I didn't realize what it was like until I tried to put it in the drawer! Time to get busy on the stashed yarn, I guess!

Rounding out my personal weekend were going to the races in Ephrata last night and then watching my friend kayak near Dryden.

This morning, though, I sat on the couch and watched 4 hours of America's Next Top Model while knitting on the hood! After hardly knitting at all yesterday while working in a yarn store (what could be more inspiring?? Or maybe it's just really distracting) I kicked it into high gear this morning and was able to get from the middle of one side over to the end of the decreases on the other. It's knit as one piece starting at the left shoulder and working over the top to the right shoulder. I may be tired of knitting on the sweater, but I still love it! I think I'm just done looking at brown yarn. Can't wait for some little variegated socks!

CraftyCougDates

2008-05-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, I've been knitting on the bus, yes. But I've also been going out on dates! Here is what I saw on such an occasion yesterday:

Wedge Mountain and Leavenworth, WA.
It's difficult to see, but the branch on the near left pine tree just above the trees in town is pointing at Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat (where I work) AND the Fisheries Resource Office (where Drew works).

And some flowers we picked along the way!
What is more adorable on a mountain date than a bouquet of flowers in your water bottle? Ranks right up there with wet grass and pine trees!

Lest you think I've gone all starry eyed, behold sheep!

The lambs aren't sure what to do with the collie, but Tess is very sweet and trains them with almost no nipping

Then we watched Sue spin for a few minutes. I'm still learning by osmosis at the moment, but maybe someday I'll learn to spin, too!

This is the yarn shop we went to in Ellensburg. I guess I should tell you what I was up to - on Monday I went with almost 50 other knitters around North Central Washington checkin' out fibers! We started at Cashmere Cottage Yarn, ate breakfast at the Anjou Bakery, then off to Fiber Trends, on to Ellensburg for the sheep farm, Dancing Ewe Yarns & Teas, & Dakota Cafe for lunch, and we finished our tour at Icicle Ridge Winery.

Here look at Ellensburg!

One Smart Cookie

2008-05-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

Well, 3 smart cookies, really. Behold the graduates!

I couldn't be more proud of them! Kate, Clark, and Mikaela.
Congratulations and now you get to start new lives!

As if a weekend of college graduation wasn't enough - see the grannies on swings!
Grandma Dorie

Grandma Gerri

I hope this is how I remember my grandmas! They can be so unpredictable :)

After all that I couldn't have asked for much more. But I got to go antiquing w/ G. Gerri Monday afternoon instead of working. Then this morning I found these:

There was no name as to who they are from, but I deduced that they are from the nice guy I met recently. Man is he winning points or what? So sweet!

In April I...

2008-04-29T21:35:00.000-07:00

Got quite a bit done on my sweater.

Saw the world's smallest Rhododendron.

Tested all of my camping gear (well, not the tent) in the living room.

Had my very best friend over for the weekend.

And conquered a mountain.

Well, and met a really cute, nice boy, but he hasn't been around quite long enough to be snapping pictures and putting them on the internet. I like him! I don't want to scare him away! Although when it's done I'll post a picture of the soapstone pendant he carved for me. It's beautiful and such a surprise!!

For Xstitcher

2008-04-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

I guess my grandma was telling my cousin, x-stitcher, about my projects from when I was in CA. I don't know that I properly posted them before...
Anyway, Rachel, here are some things I've done, but haven't posted!
Hedgie

Socks that I finished... uh... in June :)

And their fancy stitch pattern

Socks I finished while I was at Grandma's house

Nice lace stitches & eye-of-partridge heel

I think there are others, but this is what I've got pictures of at the moment. More of the sweater will come soon, too!

It doesn't get any better

2008-04-16T22:10:00.001-07:00

That's right, the best smell in the world is:
wet grass & pine trees
Mornings at work make me want to quit for the summer and work at camp again. It makes me so happy I could almost cry!

Being a left handed knitter is a challenge when making a cardigan. For me the left front is actually the right and vice versa. I'd really like for it to button properly, but the directions just say to space the buttonholes evenly. It recommends that you mark on the left front where you'll put the buttons then make buttonholes at those marks on the right front. Well, if I'm actually knitting the right front then I need to use my math brain to calculate where the buttonholes belong.
Do you know when I realized this?
After I'd already had 2 glasses of wine.
Fortunately 2 glasses of wine is not enough for me to make rash decisions. So I did the only thing that makes any sense when you can't knit because you've had too much wine, but you've still got enough sense left to realize that attempting to knit is a bad idea.
I had a third glass of wine.

Bunnies!

2008-04-11T23:43:00.000-07:00

Is it spring yet?

I went to town on the sweater, but it still won't be done in time for the show.
So I've started this
It's a cable tube that will get closed up at the bottom, a lining and handles. It's based on the Chinese Charm Bag from S'n'B, but I'm using the cable pattern from the sweater. I am really liking it and I think I'll put it up for sale and see if anybody else likes it :)

I skied last weekend at Mt. Baker w/ Caitlin. I demoed Salomon Guns. They were fun times and completely changed my outlook on twin tips! I'm 90% sure I'll be buying some this summer. Just have to get something a little more girly than dark blue and gray w/ skulls and ravens... and hey! when I've got that option, I need to take advantage!

Then we went to the North Fork Beer Shrine on the way home

and found this!
I present the long lost Blues Sister, Caitlin.

Take 2

2008-04-01T18:55:00.001-07:00

I realized after I got through 1 repeat of the cables on the back that I had a small math error in calculating gauge. I knew it looked too tight, but it took me about 24 hours to rationalize what happened.

Ah, now we are onto take 2 and it's not going faster, but it's looking much better! I love how it's working up, but I don't think it's going to be done in time for the show :( So for the show I'm thinking of whipping up the fat bottom bag from S'n'B Happy Hooker.

This is what has happened to my coffee table (... trunk). I suspect it will only get worse since Ross still had a couple of sweaters when I was there over the weekend and I will probably buy at least one more. You know, just in case.

Cabled Cardigan

2008-03-30T11:01:00.001-07:00

I got it all figured out! The brown yarn from yesterday will become the Cabled Cardigan* from Spring 2007 Knit.1. Generally I didn't love the patterns in that issue and I bought it for the skirt pattern that after reading didn't like anyway. (You knit a tube and then sew ruffles onto it. I wanted to knit the ruffles, but didn't really feel like figuring all of that out) However, it's got a really cute cable, hooded cardi in it! And I've been looking for a good aran style sweater for a long time. And what better way to do it? 2 weeks anyone? Think I can do it? It will be a stretch for sure. The yarn isn't even dry yet. Yikes! I've got it in front of the heater, though, so hopefully I'll be able to get started tonight.
Oh, I looked at the MRSP on the original tag and it didn't say $58.00, it says $188.00!!!!!! I just tore up a nearly TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR sweater!! And it was brand new! The $58.00 tag was the "compare at" price on the Ross tag. I almost feel badly... but really what it means is I got a friggin' screamin' deal! Now I just need to re-knit it into a beautiful sweater.

*Sorry the link is from Ravelry... if you're not on there, I don't think you can see it. It was the only picture of the particular pattern I could find.

Recycled Art Show

2008-03-29T22:36:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know, in April at Sleeping Lady we put on the Recycled Art Show. Last year I made capris and a ruffly blouse from bed sheets. That was fun, but I couldn't do it again (although I've still got enough left of those sheets!) and I couldn't find a round table cloth w/ boarder design to make a circle skirt with. I figured I could get an old sweater at the GW to unravel, but spring isn't the time to raid it for heavy sweaters. Darn. Then I found myself at Ross... ok, I'm at Ross all the time looking for bargains on things I probably don't need. And when I was at Ross this time I saw this horrific sweater, BUT it's made of 60% wool, 22% silk, 11% alpaca, and 7% cashmere. How could I not buy that??? Especially at the low low price of $6.99!

Score! It feels delicious and is a good color - brown tweed w/ specks of all different colors.
I'd really like to knit it into a sweater, but I'm not sure I've got time for a whole sweater - only about 2 weeks. Hm.
Anyway I didn't take a picture of it before tearing it apart. I looked around online for one, but it must have been a really unpopular style cause I can't find any. It's designer too (oops?!) - Buffalo by David Bitton and retailed for $58 anywhere other than Ross...

As soon as it's dry I'll start knitting and see what kind of gauge I get. I'm assuming it's around worsted or heavy worsted weight... I haven't quite mastered what that means in the gauge world, but I'm thinking I'll try #9 needles. Though I've probably got a little while to figure it out since I don't expect it to dry immediately.

Catch Up in a Big Way

2008-03-14T21:24:00.001-07:00

I had a lot of fun in CA visiting family and going to Stitches. I managed to navigate San Jose's light rail system. As long as you're in the area where it operates it is fantastic, but I heard rumors that it's not all that great if you're away from the lines. Once I figured that out I rode BART, SF buses, and in a taxi. Got all the public transportation I could for one trip.
I visited my cousin in SF and we experienced as much of it as we could in the little time that I was there. This link should take you to Flickr and you can see CA pictures there.
I promised pictures of Stitches purchases, so here they are!
back left - Creative sock yarn "Luxury"
back right - Blue Moon sock yarn "Silkie" (Fairgrounds colorway)
front - Valley Yarns worsted "Colrain" from Webbs and got it for Snow White, but might make Yosemite instead since I'm pretty sure I can't live without it! Would Yosemite work in bright blue? It might have to...

And here is a completed Stitches kit. Purchased at Bella Knitting's booth. I almost died when I saw it - knew exactly where it was going and needed it IMMEDIATELY! Case in point why it's already done.

The argyle booties are done, too. And they are adorable! Thanks to mom for the pattern, even though I don't really like how it all goes together. I would make more booties, but I'd rather not have to crochet the bottom on.

Oh, and here is something that Grandma found while wandering the market... I must have been drooling over something because I didn't even noticed the free mini skeins of Malabrigo! I have no idea where she found them! Crazy, too, because I drool over Malabrigo possibly more than Blue Moon.

I also finally completed the quilt for Kikkan (pronounced Keekan), my fomer boss's new baby. It turned out great and she loved it! Well, actually she was screaming, but mom loved it!

I think this brings us up to date on my knitting life. Still nothing on the new place because it's too messy for pictures (STILL). I'm getting sick of it, but clearly not sick enough to do anything about it. Although I've started losing things due to constantly picking things up and setting them down someplace else (no not where they belong)... maybe that will motivate me to finish organizing soon. Incidentally, does anyone know where I could find an adjustable height coffee table - i.e. one that I could turn into a dining table? There is an antique style called Castro tables, but I've never actually seen one. My internet searching has turned up several articles on such a creature, but no insight as to where I could actually buy one.

Arrrrrrrgyle

2008-03-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

TheGood::TheBad::TheUgly
Argyle is so pretty!

There will be crazy ends to weave in

Knitting it on the bus is NOT a good idea!

It's like pirates take over my knitting on the bus! And have I untangled it? Ha! That will take wine and I have no wine. Ice cream will have to suffice... call if I don't make it to work tomorrow.

I'm coming back, I swear!

2008-03-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

Pictures of Stitches purchases and the sweet new apartment will be here someday... I hope sooner than later. Please hold for a time when Diana's back to normal. Thank you!

Mr Rogers

2008-02-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

I found this on Suzanne's blog.

I loved Mr. Rogers! Wear your sweater.

Later I will discuss my purchases at Stitches. Don't get too excited. I didn't really buy much. I did love it though!

2 to Go?

2008-02-12T12:23:00.001-08:00

What happened to my Milky Way? All I wanted was a king size candy bar and I ended up with 2 little ones! Apparently Mars thinks they're being clever with their new... creation, but Name Wire's got it right when they acknowledge it actually makes the thing harder to eat!
Yup. I'm ranting about candy. I wish it hadn't changed; it tasted good nonetheless! And I doubt new packaging will stop me from eating them.

More startitis

2008-02-10T22:38:00.000-08:00

I had startitis again this weekend. I took Friday morning off and thought I'd use that time to at least work on some existing project... HA! Not a chance. I started baby booties for a good friend's soon-to-be new addition, Eva Lorraine. Yes, Eva is a girl and I made her green booties! I know Mom likes green and I'm sure Dad will appreciate not having an entirely pink and purple wardrobe. Nevermind that I didn't have any pink yarn anyway! Now I know I can do argyle and it's so fun!
Yarn: Knit Picks Shine Sport
Colors: Aquamarine, Grass, Butter
Needles: Susan Bates Silverado US #3
Pattern: my mom cut it out of what appears to be Good Housekeeping from the 70's or 80s

Friday afternoon I taught a class in knitting my version of the Unoriginal Hat! I thought for sure it would be easy and these ladies would be off and running on the cables after an hour and they wouldn't need to come back... Was I ever wrong? I started with the circular cast on (see last Lighter Circular Beginning) and thought they'd pick it up like I did... they didn't, it was pretty challenging, took at least 30 minutes and required a break in the middle. Then we got going a little and since 2 of them hadn't worked on dpns before (only worked in the round using the whole length of 1 circ) they couldn't believe that the strange looking mess they had in front of them would ever turn out like the sample in the window. After 2 hours of tedious slow knitting, comforting, and reassuring that mine started out just as messy looking they all left smiling. Good thing I scheduled 2-two hour sessions! All in all I had fun teaching and I think they enjoyed learning new things, albeit more new things than they expected to. The biggest challenge for me as a teacher is being left handed. It's really difficult to show someone how to do something when the way you do it is completely backwards. Hopefully I will be able to teach this class again in the fall (I'd do it sooner, but who wants a wool hat in June anyway?). And I also might get to teach an argyle sock class. After smoking through that baby bootee in a matter of hours, I think I can handle a class on it! (We'll ignore for now that it has 40,000 ends to weave in... and that it needs to be a matched pair)

Moving on

2008-02-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

I'm moving into a new apartment! It's adorable and old. Here's a picture of the bathroom, yup it's that tiny! I'm really excited!!!
Knitting? Yes, see.
Finished one of the Brambly Hedge socks. But now I've got yarn for 2 more pairs of socks.

I also made 2 more hats for my ski TAs. They've been really helpful this season and I want to tell them I think they're awesome!

Enough Already!

2008-01-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, maybe not! Here's the hat made from Manos for the shop.

I may have even ordered some more from Blue Moon to make more. I decided my amazing ski TA's need a little gift for their awesomeness... what better gift than a warm ski hat. Really, I ask you, what? Ok, maybe stew. I digress.
I know it's getting disgusting, this, um, habit. There, I've said it. I'm a habitual unoriginal hat knitter. Oh, that makes it sound even worse!!
Nevermind. Look at other knitting. This will make me feel better.
I did tell you to stay tuned for my mom's mad skillz? BEHOLD.

It's no wonder I'm a crazy sock knitter (well, not lately) Later I'll have to show off the vintage patterns where there babies came from.
No progress on Winterberries, but this is better lighting, so you can see the color. And if you click on it, you should be able to see stitch definition and every groove in my thumb nail.

Finally here's what needs to get off my needles and out of my sight! I forgot that I loath knitting scarves, no matter how interesting or beautiful. I think this one is both, but I'm still sick of it!

Another Unoriginal Hat

2008-01-09T21:42:00.000-08:00

Look! One for me. It's a bit tight, but still cute!

I am going to knit another out of Manos Del Uruguay. It will either be a sample for the shop or I'll teach a class. A cable class, really. The owners had the idea and thought a cable class taught by a "young person" would be fun. I agree :)

I made stew today in my new crock pot. LOVE IT. I love stew and now I can make it while I'm working. What could be better? You're right, nothing!
Oh, no.
There is 1 thing: eating stew while drinking Boones Farm, knitting, and watching girly movies with my hermit!

Post Christmas

2007-12-30T21:12:00.000-08:00

You'll never believe it. I'm knitting socks! I knitted up the green/black tofutsies using Cat Bordhi's Riverbend architecture. They turned out well, but a tiny bit big for me so I gave them to my SIL. I hope she likes them :)

Right now I've got these on the needles and I will be seriously annoyed if I manage to knit them too big for myself too!

They are tofutsies December yarn (called Winterberry); I am in love with the color, but the pattern had bobbles all over that I didn't really want to knit and they wouldn't work well inside my snow boots anyway. I might use it later, though as it is a really cute pattern. Instead I picked traveling vines since it's an 8-stitch repeat and fits perfectly around my leg.

Tonight instead of going out with friends I made chicken tetrezzini (sp?) from my new "Philadelphia Cream Cheese Classic Recipes" Cookbook. It was delicious and I'd be happy to make it again! I think in the future I'd add extra veggies as I don't do onions and forgot the mushrooms, so all it had was celery... still awesome, though!
After the chicken I baked some cookies! I also received the "Capitol Cookies" recipe leaflet, so baked the Washington cookies. They have chocolate and marshmallows. Yum!

But not all of them turned out so well...

Oops! ah well. More for me :)

Happy New Year!!

P.S. My cousin LOVED the purse & hat! She said she changed purses as soon as she opened it! Yay. Also, my mom and I stumped everyone with our gifts to relatives! No one could figure the purse out (didn't know about felting, he he!). Mom made a scarf by sewing yarn to wash-away stabilizer and then washing the stabilizer out. Go us; now we might have to keep it up... must plan for next Christmas now...

Again the month changes without me!

2007-12-12T21:06:00.000-08:00

Well, now November has ended without me sort of like October did...

Christmas knitting! I redid that squatty sidekick and now it's so much better! It's a useful size and I like it! It's going with the Yarn Harlot's unoriginal hat to my cousin Jenna.

I also found BOW RIBBON!!! AND it's not the velvet kind it's just plain red 2" wide ribbon! My grandma is "the Bow Lady" in Almaden (San Jose, CA) so I feel like I need to hang on to the tradition. She puts bows up on every telephone pole on her street before Christmas, I think it really gets the neighbors in the spirit :) Awww, Grandma! The only bad news about the ribbon is that I found it at the Goodwill since it doesn't seem to exist any more...

And since I know you all want to see it, here is the tree!

P.S. Robin, Shelley, and I made gingerbread houses... mine is minimally decorated, Robin gloated about how wonderful her kit was, then she accidentally smashed it, and Shelley's spontaneously caved in so she stacked up a bunch of graham crackers and decorated it anyway! Fun times - note the empty beer bottles...

Pay it Forward Exchange

2007-11-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

I found this cool idea on knitnana's blog. The idea is that you make a comment to this entry and I will select someone at random to send a gift to! If you've got a blog, then leave the address so I can make an educated guess as to what you would like, if not, then you'll get some thing totally random!

How it will work:
1. Make a comment to this blog entry by next Wednesday (December 5th)
2. Give me some way to contact you (blog or e-mail)
3. I will select someone at random
4. I will contact the winner and send them a fun gift*
5. I will send said gift ideally that day, but I have been notorious lately for sending things in an untimely fashion... The winner should expect it to be shipped before the end of the year
*If you're not a knitter, you are as welcome to participate as knitters and I promise not to send you yarn or needles :)

The catch: you must agree to pay it forward on your blog to keep this going. I suppose if you don't have a blog, I recommend you do this with friends! We all know there is no free lunch, but this is pretty close! Fun times!

Startitis Weekend

2007-11-18T10:29:00.002-08:00

I don't remember having startitis quite so bad in the past. This weekend took the cake for any other time I've been like this!
The 2nd Endpaper Mitt is driving me crazy because it won't knit itself. Current Progress: I just started the thumb shaping, so it's about 1/2 done - maybe 4-5 more hours of knitting?

Yesterday Fiber Trends had a warehouse retail sale. SWEET! Fiber Trends. Largest pattern distributor in the US. Based in EAST-freakin-WENATCHEE. Mere BLOCKS from my own house?! Who knew "local" would ever be that local?? For those of you that love fiber trends, but don't live in the valley... You missed out! As patrons of local yarn shops (all 3 of them) we were given an entry ticket and then free to buy up loads of items at discounted prices. Here are my winnings:
1. 2 skeins of Naturally Tussock 14ply in red to remake the Squatty Sidekick because after I got it good and felted, now it's too small...
2. 1 skein of Haven in lavender to make the cable hat from this pattern
3. I built my own Huggable Hedgehog Kit, but God forbid I make it look "natural," so I chose these colors:
It's not a tremendous lot of damage, but I still didn't need any of it!

Continuing on, since it was startitis weekend, I present these:
It's difficult to see the definition (could have something to do with then being still wet). They are the coriolis & sky arch practice socks from Cat Bordhi's crazy sock book. I think I might use my rock-toe-ber tofutsies in one of these patterns instead of the cable pattern that came with the yarn.

Friday I went and had my hair done, it's got red in it and I love that!

Then I found this:
I completely forgot about it! I knit it last winter because we were selling one just like it in the gift shop and I couldn't live without it. It's basket weave with a huge pom pom on top :)

More Yarn on the Way

2007-11-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

I think I mentioned yesterday that the stash yarn I was showing off is by no means stash-limiting. So I thought I should tell you (since I forgot about it) that I ordered some more yarn a couple of days ago. The Yarn Harlot made this adorable hat and I decided I couldn't live without it! So I bought 2 skeins of the suggested yarn, one to make the hat for my cousin for x-mas and 1 for myself. For Jenna (cousin) I got black cause she's like that and for myself I got Saratoga. I wish I had a reason to make more than 2 of these because the colorways that Blue Moon has available are all so beautiful! So many, in fact that I had to go and look at Saratoga again to remember what it looked like! Love. MUST.HAVE.NOW!

How did it get to be November?

2007-11-08T18:14:00.000-08:00

I guess I need to get on this blog thing... I'm not good at staying up to date!

Since I wrote last, Halloween happened, and not much more knitting than had been done before. Here are some new pictures!

I completed the lamby hat for a co-worker to wear on Halloween - she sells them in the gift shop at work, but only in baby sizes, so that's where I come in! It's made using 2 skeins of Crystal Palace Cotton Chenille and crocheted using an I hook and popcorn stitch throughout.

And this is what happened to me on Halloween. I didn't make any of it, but it was fast and cheap! (And sideways... I'm so sorry! I can't make it work right! Just imagine 80's prom date...)

I've made some progress on the Panda Cotton socks. Though, due to major busyness lately they're not done yet :(

Here is a project I wasn't even prepared for when I wrote my last entry! It's Amanda's Squaty Sidekick from Knitting Daily. It knit up and mostly felted in 1 afternoon. SWEET! Felting isn't quite done, but I've got time. It's out of Cascade 220 and knit on size 10's. I think the pattern called for 10.5's...

No update on the mitts yet, also :( because I want.them.now. The weather turned cold a few days ago and now I need cute things to keep warm with!
Also, the Summer Daze tofutsies socks are done and I gave them to my best friend before taking finished product pictures! Ah well, they look like socks.
But in the spirit of not finishing projects, I present some stash pictures. (Understand that this is by no means the limit of my stash, but only things that I've gotten lately that have projects in mind...)
1. Rock-toe-ber Tofutsies. It's green and black - as if you could tell!

Rowan Scottish Tweed for a scarf to be sold for breast cancer research. Chicks on Sticks Ski Race in Leavenworth, WA will be selling pink scarves to raise money. They'll sell for $20 each. Let me know if you're interested in pitching in! I love this kind of stuff :)

Finally, some non knitting... I suppose my blog name is a little misleading as I also sew. Here is my beautious quilt fabric! I'm not usually into quilting, but I fell in love with this quilt on Craftster, so had to get started on my own. Love the material, but it's taking forever!

P.S. New needles! Should have been 4 sets, but the ones I wanted to use *immediately* arrived broken. Sad day. As if I don't have enough projects on the needles or in line... They are Knit Picks Harmony in size 0 & 2 (the 1's are missing) and Lantern Moon in size 10. I LOVE the Lantern Moons! They knit the squaty sidekick like they were made for each other!

Someday I will use natural lighting for picture taking and you might be able to tell what color everything is :) That's All for Now!

Pizza, Knitting, and some pictures!

2007-10-13T22:11:00.001-07:00

I have just cooked a delicious pizza (3rd go and it's still amazing!)

I highly recommend this recipe for crust. It's yeast free, but that is because I have no yeast in the house... but it tastes just fine and no need to rise!
I make it with chicken, artichoke hearts, cheese, and ranch instead of regular sauce. This latest version was made without cheese, since I don't have any of that at the moment, either. It's a sad kitchen I keep... though when your kitchen looks something like this:

You should be amazed that I didn't just call Pizza Hut! Incidentally, the roommate had some friends over to party before driving to Leavenworth for Oktoberfest.

Oh, and you want to see what I've been knitting on and telling you about? I now present, pictures of CraftyCoug's knitting!

The lovely Summer Daze from tofutsies Sock Club (August installment). There isn't a shot of the completed project as I forgot to take one before gifting them to my best friend

Panda Cotton socks for another good friend in Nasturtiums

And the Endpaper Mitts - I love how they're turning out! I just wish they would knit themselves while I worked on all of these other projects!

A pictureless knitting blog?

2007-10-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be nice to update my loyal blog readers (do I have any yet...) as to why I have no pictures. I don't have that fancy cable that connects my camera to my computer. Last time I visited my parents I left it there.

That being said - I will have it in my hot little hands tomorrow! Theoretically that means I'll post pictures. But I should also warn you that I have a bad track record for connecting my camera to my computer. I hope that this will help me do it...

I can also update you on my current projects:
-Socks for my good friend Amy
I'm about 4" into the foot of the 1st one - she wears size 12 and they are toe up, so I really haven't accomplished much...
-Eunny Jang's Endpaper Mitts
I'm 2 pattern repeats into the cuff of the 1st, which leaves 1 repeat, the thumb gusset, 1 more pattern repeat for the hand and then ribbing for the thumb and fingers. And then I have to do the other one. Fortunately they go rather quickly, especially considering all of the color changes!

Future project:
-Fiddlesticks socks
Tofutsie Sock Club 3rd installment is a lime and black colorway that I liked better in the tiny picture than in the ball, but am excited to see how it knits up because green is my 2nd fave color! (Pink will remain my fave for the time being)

Now I'm off to pack for the weekend and clean my fishies

Starting Out

2007-09-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

The first is always the hardest right? Cause you haven't gotten your routine down. So I suppose everyone should just ignore this guinea pig of blogs!

However, since someone might read it, I will post something about myself.

I'm an avid knitter that sews sometimes
I live in the Wenatchee Valley (find a map of Washington State and put your finger dead in the middle - that's where I live)
I love avocados
I downhill ski
I plan to teach small children to ski again this winter
I want to carpool to work just so I can knit on the way
I started knitting when I was in 2nd grade, I think
I'm left handed
I work in accounting at Sleeping Lady Mountain Retreat
My mom taught me to sew by following lines on paper - just needle, no thread
I love the snow, but not being cold
I have been called a crow for loving all things sparkly
To my best friend I am a goat

Enough about me. A bit about my projects for now:
You can find me on Ravelry (I'm CraftyCoug there, as well)
I'm into knitting socks lately
But I plan to knit Snow White
I'm also going to knit Endpaper Mitts - I got all the way through 1 and then tore it all out
My perpetual project is the mitered square blanket using Plymouth Yarns Baby Alpaca Blush