Organized at last!

Oh, the joy of getting organized! I feel like I could knit up my entire (measly) stash right now just because it's all laid out and pretty....

We were going to be getting rid of this computer armoire, since we moved our computer into the den (how in the world can a family of 3 out-grow a home in under a year? oh, yeah, I'm a pack-rat). But with Hubby's lament that "It's a shame to get rid of such a nice piece of furniture" and my... hmmm, how to say it? ...my absolute inability to even move due to the squalor in our home (again, my fault. I cannot work on sewing, knitting, planting a garden, organizing a swap meet, and gathering for a garage sale at the same time. The mess it creates is unspeakable). So Hubby was kind enough to help me move the behemoth out of the guest room and into the living room.

Look at how pretty it looks closed!

I am insanely jealous of Trillian42 of Katydid Knits... look at what she did! Jealous on so many levels.... I have an Ikea Expedit bookcase already, but it houses my enormous book collection. No room whatsoever for yarn. On top of it looking like she has an entire craft room, she has so much yarn!!! drool.... my yarn stash looks itty-bitty in comparision... but I'm working on it!

I finished my dad's iPod sock in a day. He opened it up, and said, "Um, a sock!" At least he got that part right!

Now I'm unravelling a sweater. I had a brainstorm to knit a yoga mat bag for a good friend... her birthday is this week! And of course I'm just starting today.... (What's up with me and knitting with short deadlines? Think ahead, self!!!)... I hope to use the existing turtleneck as the top of the bag. I'll post pics when it's all unravelled.

Tons of pictures....

My camera and my computer finally decided they would start talking again. Thanks, guys. So nice of you.

OK - here are the pics of the Paris Loop. Let's get the ugly pics over with first. And then we'll move on to the happy yarn stash pics.

If anyone has any kind words to say, or a story about a project gone wrong, it would make me feel better. Really. I have yet to see on any other blogs someone admitting a complete failure.

Too big. In every aspect. Bulky, heavy, and droopy. See the back? See how I would have to walk around with my arms out like an old-school Barbie just to keep the thing on me? See how the camera hates to take pictures of it?

So sad. I thought adding in the black Patons Pooch would be a good thing. It wasn't. The Pooch just didn't show the alternating knit and purl stripes, so I felt like it needed something more. More is not always better.

I'm glad my next couple of projects are felted bags. I need the encouragement of a successful knit.

The Sidewinder Bag

It has begun!

Knitting with 4 skeins.... this is not something I will be knitting with the Big Boy around. One quick grab from him, and I can see myself in tears.

I just think it's so pretty already!

I was worried about the increases right off the bat, and I will admit that the edges aren't too neat. But I'm still learning - and this will be felted! I was also worried about the vertical changing of colors - but see how nicely it's working out on the WS? Love love love it.

New Additions to My Yarn Stash

I bought this with the thoughts of making this cute little cardigan for my new niece due in August. (and isn't the little girl in the photo adorable? Big Boy ran up to the computer smiling when I had her pic up on the screen!)Oooo, I love to make things for little girls!

But then I saw this adorable Baby Yoda Sweater. And now I'm torn. I actually have enough of the Cotton Ease to make 2 of the Yoda sweaters. So I think I might go with that.

What do you think?

Dishclothes, anyone? I've never made any, and I actually thought at one point, "Who would want to make their own dishclothes?" Then I started thinking that it would be pretty cool to be able to make exactly what I want. So I bought this little stash to be able to knit whenever I want to. And I think I really want some towels.

This is my first Noro purchase. It's for my latest KAL, the Booga Bag. So pretty! Any wonder it took me 30 minutes to select a colorway?

I bought this beautiful SoyWool Stripes to make a hat for the above mentioned new niece.

OK - I feel much better now that I'm caught up with the pictures. Next time, maybe we'll talk books.

10 on Tuesday

Thanks again to Yano...

Top 10 Things You Like to Do Alone

1. Knit.
2. Sing.
3. Read.
4. Drive.
5. Shop.
6. Exercise.
7. Clean.
8. Cook.
9. Nap.
10. Cry.

Wow, that was harder than I thought it would be. There are a lot of things that I do when I'm alone, but I don't necessarily like to do them alone.

I did it.

So I finished the Paris Loop on Saturday. I did it. Almost. I finished it when we got home from the concert.

I wouldn't have worn it even if I had finished it before we left. I have no pics to show (my camera is not being recognized by the computer right now - grrrr... technology!!!). But as soon as I can, I will post the pics, and you will see why. So disappointing. I'm a big girl anyway, and my fear was that I would look like a large bear in it. But this? Sigh - swatching for gauges really must work. Remember this for next time, self.

The positive side: Pink Martini ROCKS! Oh, so much fun! I wanted to get up and dance, but first, that would've scared Hubby, and second, the 4 blisters I got on my feet from walking 5 blocks to dinner and back were preventing me. I must have all their music so I can dance to it while knitting. Oh, yes... and while cleaning the house.

Also, we ate at the delish Edo's Squid, which, much to Mom and Dad's delight, did not include squid. And our server had a squid tattooed on his arm. I wonder if he was Edo....

And I DID take something handmade along... my beautiful felted bag. It was dying for a night out on the town. So I gave it one.

My next project is the sidewinder bag from Pick Up Sticks. Another felted bag - I'm in heaven. I need something to hold necessities in when I go to the playground with the Big Boy - you know, crackers, juice bottle, wipes.... you know, the necessities. Won't this be perfect? It was my first purchased pattern. I can't wait!

My super-sock-knitting friend wants to do the Booga bag for our next KAL. Another felted bag? Sign me up! And look what else I found! TECHknitting. I love it.

Knitting with a deadline!

Someone guessed right! I'm doing a shawl/stole thingy: Stefanie Japel's Paris Loop.



I can guarantee you mine will not look like that. Heck, look at the yarn differences! But here's the back story...

As I was finishing up the KAL, my mom called me to remind me that hubby and I were to go with them (my parents) to a symphony pops concert Saturday night (April 21). (Cool. I haven't gone to the symphony in a while. I miss it. But that's a different story...) When we get off the phone, what's the first thing to run through my head? "What am I going to wear?" After a quick mental inventory of my closet, during which I discover that, of course, I have nothing to wear, another thought runs through my head... "I wonder if I could knit a sweater before then."

When I picked myself up off the floor after the bout of hysterical laughter, I thought, "Well, there has to be something I can knit to wear before then!" So off I run to Glampyre Knits and saw the Paris Loop.

It's really an easy knit - when I can find the time. I'm running away this afternoon... my monthly scrapbooking group is meeting and I'm going to rebel and knit. No scrapbooking - only knitting! I'm so excited for 5 hours of uninterrupted knitting, I'm about to pee in my pants. Hopefully this will help me knock the thing out.

We'll see how it turns out - I hope I don't feel like the yarn is tacky after I finish the whole thing. I'd really like to wear a piece I've knitted. sigh....

I heart felting

I knew I was going to love it. I knew it. It appeals to all my... well, I was going to say my Type A personality traits... but I'm not sure why that is. Maybe because it's all tight and clean-looking - and it covers up any mistakes I make.

Whatever the reason... I do love it. I want to felt everything. Everything.

Here's the finished product. She's so BEE-YOO-TI-FUL!

The buttonhole handles are a little wonky. See? The top of the bag is tighter than the top of the button hole, so the bottom of the handle kind of waves. That's OK. I'll still carry her until my dying day. Even hubby was impressed. I asked him if I could knit him something someday, and he said yes, as long as it wasn't tacky. Me, do anything tacky? Who does he think he's talking to?

So I started something new. Can you guess what it is?

Let me know if you need hints. It's being knitted with Patons Pooch yarn, which is on sale sale for cheap cheap at Michael's.

10 on Tuesday

Thanks to Yano for the topic today:

10 Idols/Heroes When You Were a Kid

1. My mom!
2. Wonder Woman. 'nuff said
3. Jem (as in Jem and the Holograms). I so wanted her rocker hair - and of course to be a rocker myself, doncha know!
4. Heman - I was not so much a Shera girl. Heman was where it was at.
5. Michael J. Fox - I love love loved him. And I was crushed when I found out I was taller than him in the 4th grade.
6. Ralph Macchio. Love love loved him too.
7. Superman/Lois Lane. I put Lois in here with Superman, because I always wanted to be her. Just to get to Superman, you know.
8. Jonathan Knight. I liked him because he seemed shy. Turns out he was shy. I was the only one of my friends who liked him, so I got all their Jonathan pics.
9. Miss George, my kindergarten teacher. I always thought she was so beautiful and nice.
10. The Beatles. Can I do a whole group for one choice? They have been a favorite band ever since I have my first memories of music.

Part one: done

Ain't she a beaut?!? Love love love it! I did finish it up on Saturday, just before bed. I didn't get to felt it yesterday (after church I got a massage, so I was pretty worthless for the rest of the day), and I won't be felting it today either. My book club is coming over tonight and the house has to be cleaned. NOW. Shudder...

But as I procrastinate, I would like to share with you again how much I love this bag. And the pattern was super easy - so be expecting them as gifts, people. That is, if the felting turns out OK.

On to the cleaning blitz!!!

My first felted bag begins!

We got the word that everyone in our KAL got their yarn, so it was go time! Someone got antsy and started early (JUST KIDDING! we had an April 1 start date, so it was fair game!), but I think we are all going to be working on it this weekend. Starting, working, and finishing it! It's a quick knit... the sz 15 needles will do that, I guess!


I figured I better take some pics while it's OTN before I finish it. And I'm really liking the Lamb's Pride Worsted. It's so snuggly and soft.



So far on this bag I've done KFB, SSK, Pick Up and Knit, and M1. All of which I've never done before! I'm also excited about the Button Hole handles - I only have a couple more rows to do before I get to that.




I love these colors together. They are so rich! I'm going to use the green along the top edge as well.














I've also learned that not all yarn is color-fast, and that cloth adhesive bandages are especially prone to picking up color. Nice.


Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish 'er up and felt my first object!

Interesting fact

"Fact of the day" from How Stuff Works:

Quicksand is rarely deeper than a few feet. It can occur almost anywhere if the right conditions are present. Quicksand is basically just ordinary sand that has been so saturated with water that the friction between sand particles is reduced. The resulting sand is a mushy mixture of sand and water that can no longer support any weight.

I find this very reassuring. Very reassuring. Just in case I ever come across quicksand.

Knitting a new headband. Not a fan of the yarn again... Lion Brand Magic Stripes. In Denim Stripes. I think my disappointment in the Micro Spun yarn is carrying over to all Lion Brand yarns. Not good, I know. Anyone have any favs from Lion Brand they can share? I just need a little encouragement that it will all be OK. The Magic Stripes is much softer in the skein than it is being knit up.

I'm working on some new stuff for the blog in Adobe Photoshop. Now if only I could figure out how to get it into the template. I'll have to ask my brother to help... it's always nice to have a computer genius in the family. What do you think about this for the title box?

I had it in the title box for a while, but the other title was still in there, too.... Help, brother-mine! Help!!!

First FO! (at least, since the scarves!)

Here it is! The completed headband... finally! So it was just under a week of sporatic knitting from start to finish. Not bad, not bad...

The needles case is still an UFO... Now I'm knitting away at that until all the KAL knitters are a go.

I've been finding all of these awesome sites online, and it's so hard to tear me away from the computer right now! My little mind is just spinning with all the possibilities out there - all the yarn, all the patterns, all the little doo-dads I need, all the other knitters who are a riot and who have been there before me... I've added a lot of them to my lists to the right. Check them out!

Frustration!

Hubby, son, and I headed out of town this past weekend for Easter... Oh, yes, Happy Easter (belated - though it's never too late to celebrate His resurrection!)! Here's a happy Easter pic, courtesy of my son and his excitement in learning that plastic Easter eggs can hold amazingly yummy treats, especially when they are at Gam's house.

My thoughts as I'm heading out the door, 15 month-old son in tow... "This will be such a nice weekend to work on my knitting... all the in-laws will be around to help watch the big boy, and I'll be able to kick back and enjoy myself...." Oh, how dreams can be smashed - and in so many different ways!

The first hint I had that things would be going terribly wrong: I am literally walking out the door with my son on one arm, 23 bags on the other, and I hear, "clink!" as I am heading down my porch steps. Since I cannot yet physically bend down and pick up anything with a squirming child in my arms, I sighed and made a mental note. No note needed. After strapping the still-squirming child into his carseat, I headed back to lock up the house (another thing I cannot yet physically do in the same circumstances). There, on my front porch, was a knitting needle, glistening in the sun. Sigh... I picked it up and trotted back to the car, where I was going to lay the needle nicely next to the headband project I had high hopes of finishing this weekend.... Oh, the horror to find out it was not the non-working needle that just slipped out of my bag - it was the working needle that was supposed to be still on my project!!! Or rather, on which my project was still supposed to be!!! Foreshadowing....

The other frustrations started rolling in... who do children talk to about behaving in public? Make that misbehaving in public. My normally jolly and very easy-going son apparently has been talking to someone who told him how much fun it was to watch mom and dad squirm when he goes crazy in public. Even more so in front of extended family.

I did get to knit... though my heart wasn't really into it. It's hard to get engrossed in a project when every other row you have to put the needle down and run after a child. It's also hard when said child runs up and grabs your knitting project with his death-like grip and says "MINE!" It's hard to wrestle it back out of his clutches, too.

So here's the progress I was able to make on my headband. I've modified it quite a bit from the original - instead of one solid loop, I started decreasing and ended the first end in an I-cord so I can tie it together instead of just slipping it on. However, I have learned the importance of writing down your mods as you make them, because now I'm trying to recreate what I did for the other end. I'm treating this as a trial/sample piece - I know I'll be wearing it, but it's not a pretty thing at this point. I'm finishing the 2nd end from the cast-on row, so it's not pretty at all.

Plus, this Lion Brand Micro-Spun! Grrr! See previous post, and comments about the yarn. I'm in agreement with Eileen - I like the finished fabric it makes (it's so soft!), but I won't be working with this again. I've got snags galore (see pic), and it's just so frustrating! Too bad I bought several skeins....

Onto another topic - my KAL! Hopefully everyone doing the KAL will have their yarn soon, and we can begin. I also just bought a wireless printer server so I can beam the pattern to my printer and get my hands on some actual paper. I like to see patterns online, but when it comes time to work one, I need it in front of me all the time. Plus, I'm sure I'm going to find out something rather important that I need to write on it - like if I need to modify it at all.


It? So, what is IT? Here's the Mason Dixon Buttonhole Bag I'm doing with some moms from my mom's group, RichmondMommies.com. And here are the colors I'm knitting it in. I'm kind of keeping to the colors in the picture of the pattern, but I think I'm going to throw some stripes in for good measure. I love the richness of the peacock blue, and of course, and anything green... I love love love green!

Wow - That's a lot of pics for one little post. Now I'm off to figure out dinner!

WIP - continued...

I took a better picture of the leaf green in the sun... isn't it pretty? This is a much better representation of the actual color. I love the ribbing detail on the edges. I wonder how that will look when it's felted! I can't wait to have my needle case done. All of my needles are knocking around my bag, and I discovered that I have 2 sets of size 8s and 2 size 11s. A needle case would solve all of that. And then onto something to hold my circs!

When I was looking up the advanced techniques last night on KnittingHelp (you remember - the video help that corrected my knit stitches!), I was looking for help on YO. I know - you're thinking, hello... yo? sweetie, that's anything but advanced! But the pattern I was looking at had 2 YOs in row, and I just wanted to make sure I was doing it right. After I made sure my "new and improved" - er... I mean, corrected knit stitch had stuck in my tired brain, I jumped into a headband pattern that I decided I needed to do ASAP. I'm adapting it a bit, since I don't need to hold an iPod or anything in my hair.

See, my hair is absolutely driving me crazy (that's a story for a whole other blog), and I decided that the only thing I can do right now is ponytails with headbands. At least until I figure out what else to do. And since I only have one headband, of course I needed to knit one for myself right now. Right now.

I was on my way to Hancock Fabrics anyway, so I picked up some Lion Brand Microspun - in multiple colors - to make all of the headbands I want/need. Has anyone else worked with this? First of all, it is super soft... feels so nice... and the price was right, too. But right away, this happened. I was trying to pull the end out of the middle to start. I wound up with spaghetti. hmmm.... Then knitting with it - it's not the easiest. The strands keep separating. Am I doing something wrong? I don't think I am... but then I thought I was knitting correctly, too (ok - that's enough about that).

Ok ok ok - LOOK AT THIS! I went to Lion Brand's homepage to get the links for the above paragraph, and I found a dream project. Add this one to the list! I'm a bag-a-holic anyway (just ask DH).... and this one's a beaut!!! And the pattern says it's easy! Whoohoo!

Back to the headband. I'm so proud of myself with this one. This is the first thing I've ever done that is more than just knit or purl. It's such a pretty pattern.... maybe one day I'll be able to come up with a pattern that makes such pretty stitches. As I knit this one, I am amazed at the skill it takes to figure out a couple YOs and a couple k2togs will make a beautiful twist in the yarn and will turn out to be perfect holes. So nice....

My current WIP

I am so excited about felting. I had no idea you could do such wonderful things with wool! Over half of the projects I want to knit are felted. My current WIP (work in progress) is a needle case for my growing collection of knitting needles... and of course, it's felted!!! It's a beautiful free pattern from Berroco...

I am knitting the felted body in Patons Classic Wool Merino in a great leaf green color. The cables (gasp... cables!) will either be in an orange or a cream, and I think I'm going to add some felted flowers to the outside in the color I don't pick for the cables. What do you think of the color?
(note to self: this is why all the pics you see online are taken in full sun. duh!) I'll take a better pic tomorrow during the day.


So tonight, I headed over to www.knittinghelp.com to look up some "advanced techniques" for a headband I want to start on ASAP. Since I just discovered I am a Continental knitter (I never knew there was a difference!), I thought I'd take a look at some of her videos on the different styles of knitting. ummmm.... I was doing it wrong! Not even just the Continental style - I was actually doing more of a Combined style... I was wrapping the working yarn around the needle the wrong way! So all my stitches were turned the wrong way!!! I am so thankful I found this out before I started doing fancy stuff. Apparently, I would've been up the creek.... but it wasn't easy to admit to myself. So it's a big step for me to admit it here. Not that anyone's reading yet. I started doing it right, and it feels good - I don't think this will be too hard for me to change. In fact, I think at one point I used to do it right. But when I picked knitting back up after not doing it for a long time, I think I "remembered" it wrong. Geez!

I'm so excited!

So as I am surfing around and hitting all these great knitting sites, I notice that a lot of them are blogs. A light bulb goes off.... my dear hubby is not as enthralled with my new hobby as I am, so why not share it with others (or no one, if no one finds my page!) who are!

I've knitted for years - just scarves, though. It never went further. I even taught some friends how to knit - scarves. But then I discovered that this great group of moms that I talk to online has some knitters... and they showed me a whole 'nuther world! Until I started talking with them, I thought knitting was... how to say it... still really for... old women. I'm so sorry - I really am! Since I knew only scarves, I thought everything else out there was way too hard, and that it was the domain of... well, you know. Thanks to my mom friends, specifically the one who asked for a charity knit item, I was able to break out of my preconceived notions. I picked up some dpns and knitted a cap!!! YES!!! Then, I picked up some circs and knitted another cap! I am on a roll!

Now I'm hooked. Looking at all the gorgeous fitted patterns from sites like www.glampyreknits.com and getting lost on www.knittingpatterncentral.com, I've amassed a list of dream projects - projects that I must knit! I've started a tiny yarn stash, and I even bought some patterns to work on too! I am on a roll - I am unstoppable!

So I didn't take a good pic of my charity knit cap - I won't be posting the one pic I did take of it. But I adapted a couple of patterns to create my second cap - a great project that taught me how to make I-cords! Here's a pic of of it from the top (my son is modeling it):

I gave this hat as a gift at a baby shower this weekend, and was floored by the positive response. I mean, yes, I thought it was cute - but would anyone else? Yes! I am completely hooked.

Next time... my WIP and my first ever KAL!!!