...insert witty title here...

Even though I haven't been blogging about it, I have been knitting :)

I've been working on some pedicure socks for my mom for Christmas (her request) -- they're in cascade fixation (and yes, the blue is left over from the last socks I made for her) -- Not sure if they'll be done in time to send to her for Christmas, but the rest of her gifts are going out this week, so it'll be OK if one gift makes it late...


I've also been working on a Clapotis (in Noro Silk Garden) for a co-worker -- we're trading talents: I'm making her a scarf, and she's making me some earrings!


The third thing I'm working on is the Noro Striped Scarf. Despite the fact that the Yarn Harlot didn't jump on the band wagon last year and then knit at least three versions of the scarf this year...I somehow managed to not even know that there was a band wagon to jump on! ...And yet, the first time I saw this scarf...I knew I had to have one. So on Thanksgiving, I started working on it (even though I've got Christmas knitting to do)


I picked a very...boring (for lack of a better word) contrast color for the scarf...but so far I like how its turning out :)

this post has no knitting content, but it does have cool pictures

so I found out at knitting last night that this blog has more readers than I thought, and that the lack of updates has not gone un-noticed like I had hoped it had :)

since I am in the middle of not only unpacking from a move, but writing yet another fellowship proposal (please let me get one of these soon, I'm sick of writing them!)...I leave you with some pictures until things are a bit more organized at home and we have internet there again...





knitting content to return soon...

ooh, and if anyone can correctly guess the location of the 3rd and/or 4th picture, I'll send you something fun :)

US Election Day

I voted this morning. Brought along some knitting to work on while I stood in line...and well, I didn't need it -- things went very quickly, and now I've voted, and all thats left to do is wait to see who the winner is. I'll have a real update soon, with pictures and knitting talk...but just not right now.

Christmas knitting...

I know I probably shouldn't be putting this up on the internet, but since I'm only putting the projects (not who they're for), it'll be OK. Besides, there are those people in my life (who may or may not know about this blog) who have started to expect hand-knit items for the holidays... if they can figure out exactly what from this list they're getting, more power to them!

mini-sweater ornaments
mini-mitten ornaments
pedicure socks
socks (maybe)
coffee sleeves (to go with starbucks gift cards)
scarf
mittens OR full-size Christmas stockings

FO-a-rama

whew. that last fellowship proposal took more out of me than I knew I had. so while I haven't really been on here posting, I HAVE been knitting.

I finished my mom's birthday socks (and sent them off to her before taking a picture...)

and I finished a pair of arm warmers (that will be Christmas presents)

I learned something

A while ago, my mom sent me a package that contained the "normal" news paper clippings and recipes that she sends....and two knitting patterns. I was pretty surprised by this, since while my mom knew how to knit at one point, she doesn't knit now (arthritis)...and has been pretty happy with the "boring" ribbed toe-up socks I've been making her. Well, the patterns she sent me were for pedicure socks, and instructions on knitting socks using the magic-loop technique.

Sunday I FINALLY got around to starting the magic loop technique (toe-up, of course) -- and let me just say, I really wish that it hadn't taken me so long to get to using magic loop! Its super simple (plus theres just one needle!) My opinion may change once I get to the heel, but so far so good :)

More sock yarn for the stash...

Just wanted to show off the latest addition to my stash...Opal's Harry Potter Sock Yarn in the "Hedwig" colorway!

Harry Potter Sock Yarn!

Just reserved a skein of Harry Potter sock yarn (from Opal) in the Hedwig colorway...hooray!

One sock down...

...one to go. (no pictures today, since I have to empty out my memory card, and then I can take more pictures...including the finished sock).

I was planning on giving these socks to my mom for Christmas, which puts me well ahead of schedule for finishing. Somehow I managed to "forget" that her birthday was coming up, though, so I'm going to try and finish them for mid-October and then make/get something else for Christmas.

Speaking of Christmas, I started thinking today of what to make/get for everyone...and needless to say, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Being the list-maker that I am, I think I'll feel less overwhelmed (and just "whelmed") once I get things in the form of a list...

when work attacks...

...or, if you prefer, where the hell did the last month go?
I know I had lots of work-related events and such to attend, and there were some visitors in there, but what happened to the past month?! (seriously...anyone have good tips on balancing work and personal life? I could use a few...)

I did find time to go to Bainbridge Island with my knitting group (and some gals from another knitting group) - got another skein of Socks that Rock (in lightweight; colorway is luna see -- the picture doesn't do it justice, so hopefully i'll get a better picture once this is knit up into socks!)

I did take a picture of the current sock I'm working on while on the Ferry...this sock has been to a baseball game, to Mt. Hood and now out on the sound...and I'm thinking of including the pictures in with the finished pair (seeing how they're intended for my mom as a Christmas present)


Oh yes, and for the record, the number of socks I completed for SOS'08: ZERO. not even a single sock. Maybe next year I'll complete a pair...

T-minus 17 days...

...Until the end of Summer of Socks.

Am I worried?
A little bit. I've turned the heel on toe-up monkey, but still have a ways to go until thats finished. Maybe I should settle for finishing one sock in a summer? Anyways, here is what looks to be like a freakishly long sock. Rest assured, I've tried it on and it fits fine.



I realize that I am not the fastest of knitters, but perhaps this is a sign that I really need to spend less time at work? How do other knitters balance the urge to knit with the fact that they need to work? ...and if you're not working a 9-5 job, how do you "stop" at the end of the night?

In other news, look at what I got! I had heard that Monterey Yarns (in my hometown of Green Bay) had specially dyed Packer-colored sock yarn. I mentioned it to my mom, and she stopped by and got me enough for a pair of socks!! Go Pack Go!

Summer of Socks 08

Somehow I got so excited about Summer of Socks, that I neglected to read/comprehend the fact that while SOS08 starts on the first day of summer, it doesn't END on the last day of summer/first day of fall. It ends September 1st. hmm. that means I'd better knit faster!

I've now passed the point where I was in my toe-up monkeys when I decided to rip them back and make them toe-up no purl monkeys. The camera is at home (I'm waiting for cells to grow and stuff to digest, which is why I'm posting), so I hope to post pictures later tonight...we'll see how motivated I am to do that by the time I get to go home...

rip-it, rip-it

I frogged the toe-up monkeys two nights ago, after finding links to no-purl monkeys. (ie: you knit the purl stitches). Have finished the toe, and am half-way through one repeat. I really hope I made the right decision, since as of right now, I don't have enough of the pattern showing up to know for sure...

mission sort of accomplished

I've gotten to sleep in the past two mornings (now before you think "but this post is at 9:30am, how is that sleeping in?), you should know that the alarm normally goes off at 6:30 am, so sleeping in until 8am is luxury. I've spent some time at work this weekend, and been domestic (washing dishes, making pizza, etc). I've also had some time to knit, and am finally, FINALLY getting around to posting pictures:

First off, my finished Sesame (back view):



and then here's the first of two socks I'm working on right now: (it went to go see the Mariners beat the Cleveland Indians a few weeks ago) Its just a basic toe-up sock out of Cascade Fixation, which is likely to end up as a Christmas present for my mom. Maybe I'll email her all the pictures of where her sock has been...

This is the second sock I'm working on right now: a toe-up monkey. I adjusted the pattern slightly to work with my gauge (I'm using size 1 dpns with lornas laces shepard sock) - - the sock is 72 sts around (18 sts/needle) so I extended the pattern from 16sts to 18 sts (I'll post the chart I made in excel if people are interested). I'm just working the chart the way it was written, no adjustments for the toe-up, either, so it'll technically be upside down, but I don't care.

and here's the second swap package I recieved: I participated in the going green swap on Ravelry, and this is what I got: a hand-knit market bag (BYOB pattern from knitty), some amazingly soft yarn (blue sky alpacas cotton), a chai-tea chocolate bar (which is gone), some meyers cleaning wipes and a really awesome blue mug made of recycled glass.

Well, I'm taking today to relax a bit more (even though I should be in at work re-running a gel),
so hopefully I'll get to the heel in one of those socks (maybe, just maybe, putting me on track to meet my goal of finishing a pair of socks for SOS'08!)

goals for this weekend

Things that I want to do (knitting-wise) this weekend:

• knit socks (my goal for summer of socks is to finish a pair of socks...)
• post pictures of
• Sesame
• Socks in progress (generic toe-ups and my toe-up monkeys)
  
• whatever else I've knit and taken pictures of and haven't gotten off of the camera
• relax

In non-knitting news, I just finished a really interesting book: The Girl with no Shadow (the sequel to Chocolat, both by Joanne Harris, I believe...I may be misspelling her name). By the end I couldn't put this book down and ended up staying awake until 1 this morning to finish it. If you saw the movie Chocolat, read that book and then read The Girl with no Shadow.

to ravelympics or not to ravelympics? (that is the question)

i've been bad about posting here (and especially bad about posting pictures) - but i am alive, and knitting has occured. :)

i'm thinking of participating in the Ravelympics - but have mixed feelings about it. not necessarily because of the whole controversy surrounding these games, but mostly because i'm not entirely sure that i can complete a project in that amount of time.

i've been working really hard at work (often until 8 at night) and by the time i get home and eat dinner, i have enough energy to knit a little bit...but i'm not sure those little knitting spurts are enough to finish a project! maybe i should find something small...or make socks out of my socks that rock heavyweight (those should knit up quick)... if only i could find the perfect pattern!

Wow!

I participated in a Dr. Who / Jelly Baby swap over on Ravelry - and this is the fantastic, stupendous, jaw dropping package I got in the mail yesterday...

...3 packages of jelly babies, 4 bars of tasty, tasty chocolate, two recycled notebooks (i love notebooks), brittany knitting needles, and the most amazing yarns! the blue one is called bad wolf !! (ok, so i'm letting my inner fan girl out a little bit here...). I love everything in this box, seriously. I only wish I didn't have a fellowship proposal to work on right now ("please, give me money...i'll do cool science, i promise!")...otherwise I'd be spending hours on Ravelry looking for the perfect pattern for my new yummy yarns (while eating jelly babies, of course!)

In other "news" - here are 3 completed squares for a charity afghan (also organized by the Dr. Who group on Ravelry) the afghan, once assembled, will be auctioned off to raise money for Doctors without Borders). These squares are quick to knit, but I've been slow lately...

FINALLY finished

I'm behind on my picture taking...but recently I have finished:
My Sesame cardigan (my first sweater! its still missing buttons, but I'm considering it done) and a pair of baby socks.

I'll take pictures tonight (maybe I'll have Bobert take one of me actually in the sweater) and post them in the next few days...hopefully...

dreaming about knitting

I had a dream last night that I drove all over the city looking for a specific color & brand of sock yarn. For the life of me, I can't remember what I was looking for, only that I had problems pronouncing it when I asked at all the shops. Anyone else have crazy knitting-related dreams?

yarn harlot pictures & part of my lys tour haul...

Wow. It has been a while since my first post...but there is the disclaimer about "infrequently updated..." at the top, right?

Anyways, here is the proof (in the form of a picture) that I have, in fact, met the Yarn Harlot. I got to hold her sock. :)

The event was at Third Place Books, which I had never been to before (and am chalking that up to the fact that we haven't been here for very long). The venue was packed with knitters - I don't think I had seen so many knitters together before in my life! I even waited in line to get a copy of her new book signed - it made the night longer, but I think it was worth it :)

...And then, a couple of weeks ago, there was the LYS tour/crawl. Each store on the tour had a featured yarn at 10% off, and a free pattern that used one skein of the featured yarn. I made it to three (of twenty-four) shops, and picked up a little bit of yarn (not too much...). Here's some of my "haul":

Manos silk

Socks that Rock Heavyweight in "Pirates Booty"

In actual knitting news, I'm currently in the process of seaming up my Sesame cardigan, and am frantically working on some knit baby items (socks and a tiny tether) since there are a few people I know that are having babies. I'm also working on squares for a charity afghan and will be starting on a knit market bag (for a swap).