Quilting

I've been quilting because, quite frankly, my knitting is ticking me off. More so today than yesterday. Anyway, yesterday I went to my moms and we went to various quilt shops looking for material for two baby blankets I need to make. Afterward we went her her house and I started on a wall hanging kit I've had for years and jsut never did. And by years I mean since before Fall 2006 since I bought it before I knew how to sew.



Taaa Daah! All that is left is to do the binding and a strip of material so I can hang it and it'll all be finished!

I've also completed my st-st cashmere socks and started a scarf in hand spun since those bloody socks that shall not be named are in knitting purgatory until they've learned their lesson. The hand spun scarf, henceforth called the "Crazy Lady Scarf" is going to be very colorful and well, crappy. But it's an easy two row pattern repeat and my hand spun isn't at a decent level or consistency yet. What else would I do with it? And it's taken the rage off from knitting. Gah.

Nesting

So I've been nesting more so than knitting lately. Although, since last week I have picked up the needles but for 2 weeks, I had ZERO (no, I'm not lying)projects OTN. I guess my creative energy only has enough to go around for one project at a time and moving, decorating the house and getting through finals was simply too much for it. Not to mention cooking, cleaning and baking.

(Smiles) However, finals are DONE, and school is DONE...er, for a month anyway. Then I'm back in for an intensive Latin course-a years worth of Latin in 9 weeks. Ahem. No I'm not crazy per-say, but it'll put me ahead of schedule by a year. That is, if the school doesn't drop all the freaking courses I need. Classes are scarce and I don't even have enough for 12 units (Have to take them in a certain order) Bah. Don't get me started on them raising tuition by $300 either.

But Knitting! Yes knitting! I started on Cookie A's Kai-Mei from Sock Innovation (In DyeDreams Sox (LOVE! Mad crazy LOVE!) and I am having a heck of a time. So, in between knit nights when I get help on the blasted things, I'm also working on a pair of Cashmere st-st socks and they are DIVINE! Really, the heavens parted and the angelic chorus sang. Ahem. I'm on the second sock of those (still the first on Kai-Mei) and once I finish that I'm either going to CO the Shetland Triangle Shawl or the Dream in Color Shrug. (All rav links btw) The Shetland Triangle is going to be done in the Sundara Yarn Silky Merino Aran and the DIC in DIC Classy (Tea Party).

I've knit night tonight and then home to bother and pester the hubby. :) I hope you all have a lovely day!

Computer Woes

I'd show you my two latest projects that I finished (a Chevron Scarf and Pillars of Fire socks) but my computer died and I won't be able to do anything with photos for a little while. Bah.

And then I'm casting on a cabled cardigan. Hopefully. If someone can show me how to do the specific Cast on it calls for. /facepalm

Chevron Scarf

...I get the addiction now. I'm finally making a Chevron Scarf from Last Minuet Knitted Gifts out of BMFA STR Lightweight Blarney Stone (I love that colorway) and Jabberwocky. Gorgeous colors. Here's Jabberwocky:


And I CO'd the scarf around 12, so after 4 ish hours I am here on the scarf:


I'd be further along but I did want to finish:

THis pair of Monkey's. I think it's a Fleece Artist colorway but I am not 100% sure.

But the Chevron scarf? I have a feeling I'll be making a few (not all at once). It also helps me work on my 101 in 1001 list item #79 which is to complete 20 projects from my Ravelry Que. I'd knit more on it but my hands are starting to hurt and I've work soon. Have a great day!


(I'm drooling over the colors).

Finished Projects and Frustration

So I am working on Stefanie Japel's Split-Neckline cap-sleeve tee from her book Fitted Knits. I've just finished 4 hours of work and come to find out that despite reading the directions obsessively carefully, 4 times, I still managed to read them wrong (I checked the errata for it) so I have to frog 22+ rows of my sweater.

Naturally this means I'll finally update with all my FO's and counters.

First up: 3 Hats from the Holiday Knits Kit. One for me (made from handdyed from MissVicki), my husband and his friend from training (debbie bliss Cashmierno aran):






And then we have 2 gifts a-la Miss Violet from LimeNViolet for the in-laws:Both made from noro silk garden).



And once again I frogged the madder sock-this time because it was too small. WTF? Sigh. I'm a bit nervous about ripping back on my Fitted Knits shirt because I've never ripped only to a certain part before. >< Gah and I was sooooo close to only having to do the st-st for 16 inches! (I love me some mindless knittin') I'm also doing that one in the Cashmerino Aran from Debbie Bliss too. The Top/light color is the main color and the bottom is the lining.


I'm off to stare depressingly at my sweater and pulling out some scrap yarn. *sigh* Wish me luck!

Sick

I am the lucky recipient of a Sinus Infection. Oh joy! I wound up going to my school's health care facility and getting medication through them-mind you I have 3, count them THREE health care coverages but couldn't access 2 of them. One is through the Marine Corps but I have to go on base to set it up, but I don't have my ID yet and can only go on the weekends during visiting hours which is most likely when they are closed. Gah.

Anyway, I've got my medicinal cocktail and feel only slightly more human since other monthly events have started..You get my drift. Knitting!

I'm past the gusset and just working on the rounds of the foot on the Briar Rose socks 9I keep changing their name) and my yarn came in from The Loopy Ewe last night so I'll be casting on my first lace project today.

At least now that I'm full of medicine my brain only slightly hurts and I'll be able to concentrate tonight....although I do have 2 papers w/ presentations due soon...One I haven't even started the research on. Please, shoot me now.

Pictorial Update

I am killing time prior to class to bring you this Pictorial Update. Weee!

Finally here is a picture of the Alpaca Scarf I knit for my cousin:



Yea! Next up we have the socks I made from one of the 2 skeins I got in a swap (because I have teeny tiny feet)


And finally! Here is the sock yarn I'm going to be knitting up next:

Zomg, isn't it beautiful?!?! Can't wait!

Especially since i have NO PROJECTS ON MY NEEDLES! I have some in the que list but not actually on the needles. Weird. I am next knititng up a purple bag from Stitch and Bitch for my future SIL for christmas. That being said, I'm off to cast on!

Upcomming Projects

So, not that I'm crazy or insane or anything but I just bought the yarn for Knitty's: Intolerable Cruelty. That's not the crazy part. Nor is the fact I just dropped $73.24 on yarn for it from Yarn Market. No, what's crazy is my decision that this skirt needs to be made by November 2nd OR THE WORLD WILL END!!! *doooom* Sigh. Deadlines. November 2nd is when my sexy husband graduates from the Marine Corps Boot Camp and I wanted to wear this skirt because, you know, it's smokin' hot. That and he won't have seen me for 89 days (not that I'm counting...38 to go) and well, I'm sure you know where that's headed. So I picked out the black bamboo color and want to get a blue satin blouse (with a matching ribbon for the lacing bit of the skirt) to complement it. Preferably the shade of my eyes. So the nano-second the yarn comes in I have to cast it on RIGHT THEN or I'm screwed. Figuratively of course. I've got several papers and mid-terms which all happen to fall a week prior to him graduating and the week after he get's off leave (the gods have smiled thusly upon me...hopefully he dosen't get held back). So that is my yarn fix for the day.

....please let the yarn arrive soon....

In other news I have nothing mindless to knit. The felted bag is done and needs to be..felted. I was going to start my first pair of jaywalkers but it requires 5 DPNs and I only have a set of 4. But I ought to go down a size anyway since I knit loose. I swear to all that is holy if I ever sit through my Religious Diversity class again without knitting, I will go insane. Never, ever again.

BUT! (hee) Remember that contest I mentioned awhile back where I sent in a picture of what reminds me of fall and if I were to win I'd get a skein of the color way that inspired it? Well I won. Laura from The Handpainted Sheep mailed out my skein (in sock yarn squee) and it came to my house 2 days ago. I had mom open it and she was like, "OOOOOO this is beautiful!!!" I'm dying to see it! I have to skip on home tomorrow so I am so snagging that skein, rolling it into a ball and knitting my way through sanity on Thursday. I can't wait to see it! Squee!

On that note I ought to head for bed. I've got to be at the dentist for a filling removal, cavity filling and temp. crown placement all on the same tooth at 8am!!! *cry* I'm going to need the yarn therapy for sure.

FO's and new Projects

I'm home finally. I've got some chores and such to do before I move to campus on Saturday. For now, I finished the baby blanket I was working on-yea! I'ts Sleepy Time SeaShells and is loverly in organic cotton.



I also started a new sock, just to get me through the train ride home, and I've cast on for the next one. The pattern is the Basic Sock by Edie Eckman.



I've got my knitting class tonight (yea! Sanity!) and a ton of chores to do between now and then. have a good one!

Quick Knitted Projects....

...To distract me from my desperation to knit with my new sock yarn. I've got these 2 balls of Jitterbug Sock Yarn that I so badly want to knit but I must wait for the train ride to start. So tomorrow around 8pm I'm casting those suckers on like theres no tomorrow (ok, I might be if I'm capable and sane enough).

In the meantime, I've started 2 projects and finished 3 with no clue as what to do with myself now. First, I bought some Alpaca from Yarn Lady awhile back and started on a Moss Seed Stitch scarf in blue and green. It was more to amuse me over the weekend until I could start my next project really since I was a new knitter and didn't know how to read any sort of pattern. Anyway once the next project got started it got put away. Well...I finished it last night and here it is for your viewing enjoyment!



Ta DAA!I also got a USMC Dishcloth pattern in the mail from a craft swap I did and knitted that up in 2 hours on Friday in Sugar N Cream yarn. The first image shows the pattern the second the color of the yarn.




THis morning (While listening to LimeNViolet) I casted on a Filippi Scarf from "One Skein Wonders" and finishe dit a few hours ago. I knitted it up in Soy Wool Stripes and used up little under a skein.




Of course, now I don't have any other quick projects to knit. Gah! Must not knit socks!

Catching up

My room is a mess (so is the rest of the house consequently), I've hardly knitted anything, I have to shop for furniture/clothing/and knit stuff before Monday the 6th, I leave for a month out of town (on a train!!!) on the 6th and Matthew leaves for MCRD (hell...) on Tuesday the 7th and I'm just not sure how it fit it all in.

Well we got back from our honeymoon (no knitting was accomplished-though I had good intentions and brought my bag) and the very next day I had work at 10am. Odd since normally we only have shows on the weekends. After work, Matthew and I watched HP movie 1 and generally slacked off. I got a wild idea to paint my room (everything had to go since our queen sized bed was moving from his place to mine) so late wednesday night I started taking everything out of the room. Thursday we painted ( I managed a few rows of knitting) Friday we painted some more (I knitted a bit more too) and Saturday we moved in the bed. Once everything is said and done, I'll share pictures but as of the moment, it's all a mess.

So thanks to the Ravelry Forum boards I got a lovely list of Podcasts to check out and currently I'm listening to Stash and Burn. My only issue is that I can't download them all and listen. Once I DL something the next one I DL replaces the previous one. Any suggestions? I'd love to have the full list of that one and a few others to take on the train with me rather than only one for the 3 day trip. Boo.

So the Cable Trim Pullover (Alpaca Sweater) has been shipped off. I dropped it off to see if I could have someone else make it up. I love the look and want to wear it, but I'm sick sick sick of making it and it looms over my head. I couldn't enjoy starting a new project with it siting there. So off it's gone and I'm currently working on a bolero in Rowan Calmer (i think). I'll have to give you more info later but my brain is sleepy which is usually my cue to head for bed.

P.S. I'm buying more sock yarn tomorrow. I'm really excited.

New Projects, Shawls, and finished Projects!!

I finally, FINALLY finished the Alpaca shawl from "Greeting's from Knit Cafe" done in Prime Alpaca color-Nutmeg. Yum. I turned out so lovely look!

Here is my parent's deck railing modeling it for you (I couldn't bear to think of putting it on foilage-all of ours are either spiky or cobweb ridden).


I was also going to post on tuesday about how I started my first pair of socks!!!! I feel like a real Knitter (as opposed to -k-nitter). Heres where I finished on Monday (with pictures on Tuesday prior to working on it):


Here's where I am about now :


I finished my first sock! That's the love of my life posing as sexy as ever. I'm working on my second sock and am still working on the ankle bit prior to making the heel flap. My first sock! I went to the LYS and showed my LYS who were super proud of me. I wound up buying more sock yarn for Matthew to make him a pair (like he has a choice) and a pattern book for Sampler Afgans. Matthew's mom brough tme home32ounces of Irish Wool (white) so i'm going to knit that up into something blanket like. Anywho, back to my second sock!

New Project!

Finally! Finally I've started on the Vogue Knitting (fall 2006) Cable Trim Pullover-also known as "alpaca sweater". Last night in class I cast on worked the k2,p2 rib then realized that-duh- on the next row you knit th e knits, and purl the purls. By that time I had knit my swatches (zomg) and realized my mistake class was over. On the swatches, I knit loose. The pattern calls for size 2 and 3 needles. So, we are decreasing the number of stitches cast on and using the 2 needle through out (to save me from the horrors of 1,0, or 00 needles). Anyway, I got home at 8:30pm and fell asleep. I woke up around 8:30 am (apparently I needed 12 hours of sleep) and stared at the messed up ribbing for awhile. To rip or not to rip that is the question. Damn it, I've been obsessing over this sweater for a month now and by god, I want it done correctly! I ripped. Two whole rows. Then re-cast on and k2,p2 then realized at the end of the first row I messed up somewhere and had to rip back. Being a little stressed at this point I knit a row on the Alpaca Shawl (which I fixed at faire-hazza to the spinner!) and felt much better. I then cast the sweater back on and... I suppose I ought to do more than just that.

Finished Projects, New Project

Long Post so bear with me!

I finished my mom's felted bag today (it needed 24hours to dry) and I even got her to model it for me. Before:


After:


I also finished my bamboo shirt last night. Thank god. I have alpaca and was sick sick sick of bamboo. I'm really pleased on how it turned out and happy it fits. I even have leftover bamboo yarn that I have no clue what to do with.




I also started a triangle shawl from the book: Greetings from Knit Cafe. I'm using Prime alpaca in the color "nutmeg" beauteous! It'll be my project to work on when I get stuck on the soon to start Prime Alpaca pullover. I'm excited are you? Here's my shawl although I've since worked on it so it's larger that in the picture.


I also picked up the 4 tiny balls of alpaca from Yarn lady for a scarf in Moss Seed Stitch just to keep me busy. :)


Beautiful no?

Felted Bag, Long Beach!

So my mom totally loved my felted bag I made (and my dad was all forms of impressed post-felting "You can't even tell it was knitted!") and wants me to make her one for Mother's Day. YES! Finally I'll have something for her (that she'll like for sure) with out stressing over it. That means I'm off to spend more money tonight while at my knitting class. Gee, don't make me or anything. So her bag will be the purple color I used along with light blue and dark blue. I'm glad it's a quick knit (week-ish).

In other news: I got accepted into California State University Long Beach! I found out last Friday via automated voice response (so I haven't gotten the official letter yet) and I also got into housing so I can live on campus! I've been wanting to get into this school since last summer (I had to finish up transfer units first) and I finally did. I'm going to Major in History (European) and possibly get a teaching credential. Hazza! I'm excited. Can you tell?

And my shirt is going well (the one made of bamboo) I've only got the back mostly done since I was so sick last week, but I'm hoping to have started on the front by class tonight. Have a great day!

New Project!

Well I went into my knitting class and received tons of complements on my scarf. *Note to self: When a new knitter brings in something scary, be amazed at her wondrous skill* haha. So my LYS asked me what I wanted to do next and I said, "A bag if it's not too much trouble". So, I'm knitting a felted bag. Woo hoo! It's a huge tote bag (I wanted one for my knitting projects) and is 30 or so inches of the knit stitch. Yar. Just knit. On circular needles. Blast the things, there's no stopping point! I can't just say "One more row" the row never ends! Gah! finally I had to put the needles down because my wrist was hurting, I probably should have iced it but...oh well... I'll post in progress pictures later, for now I'm off to ceramics class to quirk my wrist even more.