Yarns-of-the-month: (L-R) "Eco Wool" by Cascade (this red must be new?), "Shiny" by Grignasco, "Prairie Silk" by Brown Sheep, "Kiss" by King Yarns
Posted by Hello
Friday, February 04, 2005
What's on your mind?
Here's what's on mine:
- Relief that I got the first gift package mailed yesterday
- Checking up on the folks this weekend
- Excited for the Knitting conference next weekend
- Starting school next week (yikes!)
- Valentine's day is coming up
- Looking forward to relaxing in Napa/Sonoma for my birthday!
- Planning our next vacation and/or anniversary trip
- Creating a menu for Super Bowl Sunday (we just watch the half-time shows and eat finger foods)
- Getting my bike tuned-up so that I can ride it again
- What to knit from the new Rebecca magazine?! (decisions, decisions...)
Thursday, February 03, 2005
I'm back, baby!!!!
I finally got a new hard drive installed (thanks Bubz!) and now I'm able to do all the things I used to: scan, print, upload photos, and my forward and back buttons WORK on my mouse again!!!! You never know how whacha got 'til it's gone.
So without further ado, here is the pic of the completed Amy vest. I used all of the colors suggested for the argyle version, but with a few switches. I decided to alternate diamond colors, with the middle one in Ash instead of all in Dusk. Since I had leftover yarn in Russet from the beret hat, I decided to do the stitching in that instead of the original Ash.
Ta da!!! The Amy vest from Jo Sharp
Posted by Hello
I think overall, the sizing was designed to be loose fitting, so even though I knit the smaller size it still came out a little too big for me. I think it's really cool, though, and I actually didn't mind the stitching after I came up with a great way of doing it.
I went to the fabric store and bought one of those marker pens that show up in white. The ink eventually dissolves in water, but I didn't care since I was going to stitch over it with yarn. With ruler in hand, I just drew lines across the front and a few seconds later the white marks appeared. It was sooo much better than my previous method of pins marking the way. So there's my tip for anyone thinking of making this sweater!
I've also been working on my own version of the "Holiday Cowl" pattern I received from my yarn-of-the-month club. I had two balls of Rowan Polar sitting around and really thought it would be good worn around the neck (because it's the softest yarn ever!), but I was sick of making scarves.
Holiday Cowl in Rowan Polar and S. Charles Ritratto
Posted by Hello
The cowl seemed like a good idea, but I wanted to carry along another yarn that would give the solid color some pizzazz. I found this Ritratto at my LYS and was immediately drawn to it. I think it's gorgeous stuff, but perhaps too subtle in it's pizzazz effect next to the Polar? I just really didn't want eyelash or anything with sequins or such. Eh, we'll see how the finished product looks.
So without further ado, here is the pic of the completed Amy vest. I used all of the colors suggested for the argyle version, but with a few switches. I decided to alternate diamond colors, with the middle one in Ash instead of all in Dusk. Since I had leftover yarn in Russet from the beret hat, I decided to do the stitching in that instead of the original Ash.
Ta da!!! The Amy vest from Jo Sharp
Posted by Hello
I think overall, the sizing was designed to be loose fitting, so even though I knit the smaller size it still came out a little too big for me. I think it's really cool, though, and I actually didn't mind the stitching after I came up with a great way of doing it.
I went to the fabric store and bought one of those marker pens that show up in white. The ink eventually dissolves in water, but I didn't care since I was going to stitch over it with yarn. With ruler in hand, I just drew lines across the front and a few seconds later the white marks appeared. It was sooo much better than my previous method of pins marking the way. So there's my tip for anyone thinking of making this sweater!
I've also been working on my own version of the "Holiday Cowl" pattern I received from my yarn-of-the-month club. I had two balls of Rowan Polar sitting around and really thought it would be good worn around the neck (because it's the softest yarn ever!), but I was sick of making scarves.
Holiday Cowl in Rowan Polar and S. Charles Ritratto
Posted by Hello
The cowl seemed like a good idea, but I wanted to carry along another yarn that would give the solid color some pizzazz. I found this Ritratto at my LYS and was immediately drawn to it. I think it's gorgeous stuff, but perhaps too subtle in it's pizzazz effect next to the Polar? I just really didn't want eyelash or anything with sequins or such. Eh, we'll see how the finished product looks.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
I suck!
Ugh, it's the end of the day and I didn't get to the post office. Thankfully, my sister is coming to take care of my parents tomorrow so I THINK I might get another chance tomorrow.
It was a long, exhausting day of driving all over the place. We got the news that my dad would be released from the hospital today, so I had to pick up my mom and go over there. It took a long time, longer than I expected, and I had to function on only an English muffin.
Tired and hungry, I got home to find that my SP sent a gift certificate for an online tea shop called Adagio. I had never heard of them, but I was immediately intrigued by the "ingenuiTEA" contraption on their homepage. After clicking further, I knew I had to have it. I was just telling Mikey that I needed to do something about my rusty tea infusers.
After browing their extensive tea menu, I added a few samplers - a couple different jasmine teas and their apricot green tea - along with the new infuser (plastic, so the resident dishwasher will appreciate that). I only wish online purchases could somehow pop out of my computer and materialize into the actual thing immediately after hitting the final purchase button! Hey, you never know - this whole Internet thingy probably sounded like crazy talk not too long ago...
It was a long, exhausting day of driving all over the place. We got the news that my dad would be released from the hospital today, so I had to pick up my mom and go over there. It took a long time, longer than I expected, and I had to function on only an English muffin.
Tired and hungry, I got home to find that my SP sent a gift certificate for an online tea shop called Adagio. I had never heard of them, but I was immediately intrigued by the "ingenuiTEA" contraption on their homepage. After clicking further, I knew I had to have it. I was just telling Mikey that I needed to do something about my rusty tea infusers.
After browing their extensive tea menu, I added a few samplers - a couple different jasmine teas and their apricot green tea - along with the new infuser (plastic, so the resident dishwasher will appreciate that). I only wish online purchases could somehow pop out of my computer and materialize into the actual thing immediately after hitting the final purchase button! Hey, you never know - this whole Internet thingy probably sounded like crazy talk not too long ago...
Phil says more winter
Yet another cute e-card from my SP has reminded me that today is Groundhog Day. Thanks SP! According to Phil, we've got more winter ahead. I dunno, does that really matter in places like California?! I'm soooo glad we finally came back here (after a 3-year detour in Texas) - I never knew growing up, how much I took the gorgeous weather for granted.
Well, if I didn't say it before, I'm saying it now: I've got drama. My parents were in a car crash on Monday and my dad is still hospitalized. My mom was able to go home that night with some bruising, but her car is totaled so we've been driving her back and forth to the hospital. There will likely be a long and hard recovery for my dad, but we still don't know the extent of his injuries.
Until my mom is feeling well enough to drive (she has a rental), I will be busy shuttling her around the South Bay. It's fine, I just REALLY need to find time to package up my first gift to my SP and ship it out. I was sooo good, did all my shopping over the weekend and had it all ready to go on Monday. I had planned on sending it out Tuesday, but things got crazy and since she's in Canada (yay!) I have to actually take it to the post office. I will get it done today, I swear!
Ack! I hit Save instead of Publish so this is going out much later than I intended...
Well, if I didn't say it before, I'm saying it now: I've got drama. My parents were in a car crash on Monday and my dad is still hospitalized. My mom was able to go home that night with some bruising, but her car is totaled so we've been driving her back and forth to the hospital. There will likely be a long and hard recovery for my dad, but we still don't know the extent of his injuries.
Until my mom is feeling well enough to drive (she has a rental), I will be busy shuttling her around the South Bay. It's fine, I just REALLY need to find time to package up my first gift to my SP and ship it out. I was sooo good, did all my shopping over the weekend and had it all ready to go on Monday. I had planned on sending it out Tuesday, but things got crazy and since she's in Canada (yay!) I have to actually take it to the post office. I will get it done today, I swear!
Ack! I hit Save instead of Publish so this is going out much later than I intended...
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Weee!
I just got the sweetest surprise - an e-card from my Secret Pal! And how fitting that I should wake up this morning, NO COFFEE in the house, and see a bunch of dancing coffee cups taunting me with their liquid elixir! Heeheehee, it was super cute and I appreciate the thought. Thanks SP!
It's rare that we'd run out of coffee because I'm usually very diligent about either roasting some, or going to get it at Peet's, but it was raining cats and dogs yesterday so I let Mikey take the car. So why did I not roast? Well, since I just got the i-Roast, I had to run several experimental roasts and ended up using all of my good coffee, the Sumatra and Sulawesi that I love so much. Unfortunately, Sweet Maria's is out of the Sulawesi so I'm waiting until they get it to place my next order. The last two weeks we've reverted to buying store-bought :-0 coffee and I must say, my stuff's pretty damn good for being a fraction of the cost (not counting the machine, thanks Mom!).
Anyhow, I just sent Mikey to get us some joe and a couple of bagel sandwiches from Noah's. We gotta energize up for the day because we've got a lot to do! I wanted to hit the yarn stores today to see if I can find something for my SP - she's into Fair Isle, which automatically earns my respect. Anyone who can knit several colors at a time, keep them from getting tangled, AND follow a pattern has really got some MAD skills, I tell ya.
I also wanted to check out the other colors for Rowan Plaid yarn. Someone is selling several packs on eBay and since I enjoyed working with the one ball for that scarf, I wanted to bid but didn't know which color I liked best. I thought I could perhaps "assist" my husband in the purchase of my birthday present. You know how that goes - "here honey, this is what you got me" - and they're so glad they didn't have to think or go shopping!
We also need to go to Fry's to get some nerdy thing that has to do with getting the data off my old hard drive. I have no idea, I just tag along and hang out in the video game section while Mikey's off doing his thing. It's the same thing at yarn stores - he usually waits in a corner and plays a game on his cell phone and I'll come by to ask his opinion on colors.
Oh, and before I forget, I completely finished my Amy vest last week (argyle stitching and all) but I can't get the photo off the card until I get my computer running again. I guess mine was the only one that had the correct reader or something. But it is complete, and although it's a little big, I really like it a lot.
It's rare that we'd run out of coffee because I'm usually very diligent about either roasting some, or going to get it at Peet's, but it was raining cats and dogs yesterday so I let Mikey take the car. So why did I not roast? Well, since I just got the i-Roast, I had to run several experimental roasts and ended up using all of my good coffee, the Sumatra and Sulawesi that I love so much. Unfortunately, Sweet Maria's is out of the Sulawesi so I'm waiting until they get it to place my next order. The last two weeks we've reverted to buying store-bought :-0 coffee and I must say, my stuff's pretty damn good for being a fraction of the cost (not counting the machine, thanks Mom!).
Anyhow, I just sent Mikey to get us some joe and a couple of bagel sandwiches from Noah's. We gotta energize up for the day because we've got a lot to do! I wanted to hit the yarn stores today to see if I can find something for my SP - she's into Fair Isle, which automatically earns my respect. Anyone who can knit several colors at a time, keep them from getting tangled, AND follow a pattern has really got some MAD skills, I tell ya.
I also wanted to check out the other colors for Rowan Plaid yarn. Someone is selling several packs on eBay and since I enjoyed working with the one ball for that scarf, I wanted to bid but didn't know which color I liked best. I thought I could perhaps "assist" my husband in the purchase of my birthday present. You know how that goes - "here honey, this is what you got me" - and they're so glad they didn't have to think or go shopping!
We also need to go to Fry's to get some nerdy thing that has to do with getting the data off my old hard drive. I have no idea, I just tag along and hang out in the video game section while Mikey's off doing his thing. It's the same thing at yarn stores - he usually waits in a corner and plays a game on his cell phone and I'll come by to ask his opinion on colors.
Oh, and before I forget, I completely finished my Amy vest last week (argyle stitching and all) but I can't get the photo off the card until I get my computer running again. I guess mine was the only one that had the correct reader or something. But it is complete, and although it's a little big, I really like it a lot.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
RIP, my little sweet
A few things have been happening lately that I thought I should mention (mostly for the sake of my curious mother-in-law). ;-)
To start, my computer is currently out of commission. I was in the kitchen making dinner the other night, and went into the other room to see what that strange noise was. I looked down at my laptop, as it was dying slowly, the bizarre scratchy sounds indicating that it was not doing well. Luckily, my husband was home and rushed over to perform some CPR (that's Computer Processor Resuscitation).
Alas, the hard drive could not pull through and time of death was 6:40 PM. The computer's less than a year old, so this was completely unexpected. Apparently, HP is sending another hard drive but I'm really hoping we can salvage some of the data off my old drive.
Well, I suppose I'm lucky in the sense that my husband is a geek, so there are plenty of extra computers around the house. He was able to set me up on another laptop within minutes. Yeah, it ain't as loaded or as pretty as my beloved HP (whose shell is now lying sadly on the floor), but it works so I'm not complaining.
And just in time for Secret Pal 4! Mom, if you're reading this, Secret Pal is a knit/crochet gift exchange program. Like Secret Santa, you don't know the identity of your gift giver, and likewise you send gifts to someone who doesn't know who you are. You get to know one another via blog, which is why I started this whole thing.
Not to mention, I actually did enroll in two classes, one of which is online. These will go toward a Certificate in Small Business Management. The first class is Intro to Sm. Business and it's actually a TV course (good thing we have Tivo!), and the other is Accounting 1 (the online class). It's been 10 years since I've been a student, so I thought it would be wise to ease into it by taking classes from home. I'm not even sure if this is for me, so I'm taking the basics to decide if I'll move forward later on in the Summer/Fall.
That's the "big" news for now. I'm getting over a strange infection in my salivary gland, but we won't discuss that here (my jaw was swelling up like I was involved in a bar fight!). Hey, if you're my SP and you're reading this, you'll soon come to realize that I'm a magnet for unusual occurrences so don't be scared! :-0
To start, my computer is currently out of commission. I was in the kitchen making dinner the other night, and went into the other room to see what that strange noise was. I looked down at my laptop, as it was dying slowly, the bizarre scratchy sounds indicating that it was not doing well. Luckily, my husband was home and rushed over to perform some CPR (that's Computer Processor Resuscitation).
Alas, the hard drive could not pull through and time of death was 6:40 PM. The computer's less than a year old, so this was completely unexpected. Apparently, HP is sending another hard drive but I'm really hoping we can salvage some of the data off my old drive.
Well, I suppose I'm lucky in the sense that my husband is a geek, so there are plenty of extra computers around the house. He was able to set me up on another laptop within minutes. Yeah, it ain't as loaded or as pretty as my beloved HP (whose shell is now lying sadly on the floor), but it works so I'm not complaining.
And just in time for Secret Pal 4! Mom, if you're reading this, Secret Pal is a knit/crochet gift exchange program. Like Secret Santa, you don't know the identity of your gift giver, and likewise you send gifts to someone who doesn't know who you are. You get to know one another via blog, which is why I started this whole thing.
Not to mention, I actually did enroll in two classes, one of which is online. These will go toward a Certificate in Small Business Management. The first class is Intro to Sm. Business and it's actually a TV course (good thing we have Tivo!), and the other is Accounting 1 (the online class). It's been 10 years since I've been a student, so I thought it would be wise to ease into it by taking classes from home. I'm not even sure if this is for me, so I'm taking the basics to decide if I'll move forward later on in the Summer/Fall.
That's the "big" news for now. I'm getting over a strange infection in my salivary gland, but we won't discuss that here (my jaw was swelling up like I was involved in a bar fight!). Hey, if you're my SP and you're reading this, you'll soon come to realize that I'm a magnet for unusual occurrences so don't be scared! :-0
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Dear Secret Pal,
Hiya! Welcome to my blog! I hope you'll find my little corner of the world at least remotely interesting, and I hope we can share opinions and tips on all things yarny.
Feel free to peruse my questionnaire:
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Guilty - I'm in love with "designer" yarn, but I avidly look for sales or only purchase a small amount... long sleeved cashmere sweater coats only exist in my dreams!
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I don't spin, but I do crochet on occasion (I'm not that skilled, but I did manage to complete a fabulous flower-motif bag from Rebecca 24
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Yes - smoke, cats, and pinenuts (probably won't be a concern here, unless somehow they've figured out how to make yarn out of pinenuts... you never know - they did it out of soy!)
4. How long have you been knitting?
Just over two years
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Sure do! Just search my full name over at Amazon, and I think I'm the only one that will come up
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
It's a toss up between jasmine and herby smells like rosemary, mint, or lavender
7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
I think I may have a sweet mouth! My absolute favorite thing is cake, particularly from a fine French bakery, but I also have a thing for Donnelly chocolates (support the local guys!)
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I homeroast coffee (mostly Indonesian), and I recently got a sewing machine for Christmas but I haven't learned how to use it yet!
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My favs are Cake, Beck, Moby, and Weezer, but I also like a lot of 80s stuff
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
I love red, grey, blue-grey, and "autumn" color combinations
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married three years (almost), no kids (don't plan on it), one brown dog named Gibson
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
Wow, umm... I think they are fairly simple - I would like to own a small business (a yarn store would be ideal), I'd like to have a house on a bit of land so that we could raise some animals, and I want to visit a good portion of the world
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love anything soft, wool and/or alpaca, and anything worsted or chunkier
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm not particularly fond of eyelash/furry yarns, or anything thinner than worsted (I need fast gratification)
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I'm not really fixated on any one thing because I'm trying to gain experience with all different yarns, stitch patterns, etc., so I have several projects going at a time
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like knitting bags because they almost always turn out and they're useful, but I also like knitting tank tops or vests because I don't have the patience for sleeves
17. What are you knitting right now?
A cabled tank top in GGH Goa (see earlier post for pics), an argyle vest in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (almost done, picking up around second armhole), two fluffy scarves for my sister, and numerous abandoned projects waiting to be finished
18. What do you think about ponchos?
I actually really love them (I have a few myself), but I'm trying to focus more on "timeless" items these days
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circs all the way!!
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love Clover bamboos in particular, but it really depends on the fiber because sometimes bamboo creates too much drag - in which case, aluminum is a better option
21. Are you a sock knitter?
Unfortunately, no - I would love to have a pair of handknit socks (my feet are small, so a snug fit is pretty hard to come by), but I don't enjoy working with thinner yarns and I'm not terribly fond of working with double pointed needles
22. How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself by looking at books and online resources, and still do!
23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Woah, had to look up "UFO"... that one's new to me... umm, I can't think of any project that would be considered a UFO because I tend to either finish what I'm working on, or abandon them completely
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Fav animated character is Hello Kitty, fav animals are dogs, chickens, and donkeys (don't ask)
25. What is your favorite holiday?
I gotta go with Christmas - I love exchanging gifts (hey, kinda like SP!), and you can justify indulging in some guilty pleasures
26. Is there anything that you collect?
We have a growing collection of chickens, mostly handcrafted, funky chicken figurines by artists from all over the world
Feel free to peruse my questionnaire:
1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer high- a nd/natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you?
Guilty - I'm in love with "designer" yarn, but I avidly look for sales or only purchase a small amount... long sleeved cashmere sweater coats only exist in my dreams!
2. Do you spin? Crochet?
I don't spin, but I do crochet on occasion (I'm not that skilled, but I did manage to complete a fabulous flower-motif bag from Rebecca 24
3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.)
Yes - smoke, cats, and pinenuts (probably won't be a concern here, unless somehow they've figured out how to make yarn out of pinenuts... you never know - they did it out of soy!)
4. How long have you been knitting?
Just over two years
5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Sure do! Just search my full name over at Amazon, and I think I'm the only one that will come up
6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)
It's a toss up between jasmine and herby smells like rosemary, mint, or lavender
7. Do you have a sweet tooth?
I think I may have a sweet mouth! My absolute favorite thing is cake, particularly from a fine French bakery, but I also have a thing for Donnelly chocolates (support the local guys!)
8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do?
I homeroast coffee (mostly Indonesian), and I recently got a sewing machine for Christmas but I haven't learned how to use it yet!
9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
My favs are Cake, Beck, Moby, and Weezer, but I also like a lot of 80s stuff
10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer?
I love red, grey, blue-grey, and "autumn" color combinations
11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
Married three years (almost), no kids (don't plan on it), one brown dog named Gibson
12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know)
Wow, umm... I think they are fairly simple - I would like to own a small business (a yarn store would be ideal), I'd like to have a house on a bit of land so that we could raise some animals, and I want to visit a good portion of the world
13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with?
I love anything soft, wool and/or alpaca, and anything worsted or chunkier
14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I'm not particularly fond of eyelash/furry yarns, or anything thinner than worsted (I need fast gratification)
15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s?
I'm not really fixated on any one thing because I'm trying to gain experience with all different yarns, stitch patterns, etc., so I have several projects going at a time
16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I like knitting bags because they almost always turn out and they're useful, but I also like knitting tank tops or vests because I don't have the patience for sleeves
17. What are you knitting right now?
A cabled tank top in GGH Goa (see earlier post for pics), an argyle vest in Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed (almost done, picking up around second armhole), two fluffy scarves for my sister, and numerous abandoned projects waiting to be finished
18. What do you think about ponchos?
I actually really love them (I have a few myself), but I'm trying to focus more on "timeless" items these days
19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles?
Circs all the way!!
20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I love Clover bamboos in particular, but it really depends on the fiber because sometimes bamboo creates too much drag - in which case, aluminum is a better option
21. Are you a sock knitter?
Unfortunately, no - I would love to have a pair of handknit socks (my feet are small, so a snug fit is pretty hard to come by), but I don't enjoy working with thinner yarns and I'm not terribly fond of working with double pointed needles
22. How did you learn to knit?
I taught myself by looking at books and online resources, and still do!
23. How old is your oldest UFO?
Woah, had to look up "UFO"... that one's new to me... umm, I can't think of any project that would be considered a UFO because I tend to either finish what I'm working on, or abandon them completely
24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird?
Fav animated character is Hello Kitty, fav animals are dogs, chickens, and donkeys (don't ask)
25. What is your favorite holiday?
I gotta go with Christmas - I love exchanging gifts (hey, kinda like SP!), and you can justify indulging in some guilty pleasures
26. Is there anything that you collect?
We have a growing collection of chickens, mostly handcrafted, funky chicken figurines by artists from all over the world
Monday, January 24, 2005
Good for you!
I can't believe it... I actually finished something!!
Finished "plaid" pattern scarf in Rowan Plaid
Posted by Hello
You can see a close-up of the pattern in my previous post.
Not only that, but I finished half of the tank top in GGH Goa.
First half of "Sweater with Diamonds" from Rebecca 23
Posted by Hello
I'm really proud of this one because I didn't mess up on the cabling, and as you can see, there were plenty of opportunities! I used US size 10 needles, and coincidentally, I got a set of Brittany cable needles for Christmas which included a size 10. I had lots of fun following the pattern, but it was kind of exhausting so I'm taking a break before starting the other half.
Finished "plaid" pattern scarf in Rowan Plaid
Posted by Hello
You can see a close-up of the pattern in my previous post.
Not only that, but I finished half of the tank top in GGH Goa.
First half of "Sweater with Diamonds" from Rebecca 23
Posted by Hello
I'm really proud of this one because I didn't mess up on the cabling, and as you can see, there were plenty of opportunities! I used US size 10 needles, and coincidentally, I got a set of Brittany cable needles for Christmas which included a size 10. I had lots of fun following the pattern, but it was kind of exhausting so I'm taking a break before starting the other half.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
I hit the yarn motherload
A few years ago, when I first started looking for inexpensive yarn on eBay, you could get some really sweet deals. I've noticed that it has become harder and harder to buy cheap yarn in general, but I still check eBay on a regular basis.
I'm still surprised when I see the prices on some of the yarn out there, and I get really giddy when I stumble across a good sale. So over the weekend, I noticed that there are quite a few good auctions listed on eBay these days (post holiday, back to work, gotta pay bills, I assume?).
One of my favorite eBay sellers, who still manages to start her auctions at VERY low prices, had a bunch of auctions up for grabs. What a pleasant surprise to learn that I won three of the auctions I bid on! I think on at least one of them, I bid within the last ten minutes (when the little pop-up window warns you). My apologies to the previous high bidder if you felt that I "sniped" your auction. It was a last minute impulse buy, I swear!
So here's what I managed to add to my already GIANT stash:
6 balls of Lang twin color in blue/cream twist with a bit of shimmery sheen. I'm thinking tank top for the summer...
9 balls of Lang Eve in dark blue/light blue twist. No clue what to do with this.
9 balls of Lang Fay in butterscotch yellow. It has a really interesting construction, and it's super duper soft. I'm going to try and do a spring cardigan with this.
I'm still surprised when I see the prices on some of the yarn out there, and I get really giddy when I stumble across a good sale. So over the weekend, I noticed that there are quite a few good auctions listed on eBay these days (post holiday, back to work, gotta pay bills, I assume?).
One of my favorite eBay sellers, who still manages to start her auctions at VERY low prices, had a bunch of auctions up for grabs. What a pleasant surprise to learn that I won three of the auctions I bid on! I think on at least one of them, I bid within the last ten minutes (when the little pop-up window warns you). My apologies to the previous high bidder if you felt that I "sniped" your auction. It was a last minute impulse buy, I swear!
So here's what I managed to add to my already GIANT stash:
6 balls of Lang twin color in blue/cream twist with a bit of shimmery sheen. I'm thinking tank top for the summer...
9 balls of Lang Eve in dark blue/light blue twist. No clue what to do with this.
9 balls of Lang Fay in butterscotch yellow. It has a really interesting construction, and it's super duper soft. I'm going to try and do a spring cardigan with this.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
Testing the new Picasa/Hello/Blogger deal
So, I'm trying to figure out if this is easier than my previous method of exporting my photos to Photobucket. Not sure if I'm getting the hang of it yet, but in the mean time, here is my test photo of the Gibs.
The D-O double G
The D-O double G
Monday, January 17, 2005
New beginnings
So, as is customary when I reach the finishing stage of any project, I have started a couple of new projects. It takes me a very long time to finish a project because I can't stand hand-sewing. I do it well, but I just have a hard time gathering enough motivation to do it.
That said, here's a quick update on the Amy vest I was working on: I finished the knitting part ages ago, and I even joined the shoulders and picked up around the neckline and one armhole (I left the other arm open to help facilitate the sewing of the argyle diamonds). I managed to sew 1 1/2 diamonds, but since I'd rather spend my time knitting and not sewing, I just haven't been in the mood to do the rest. One good motivating factor is that I really do want to wear this thing when it's done, so hopefully I will find enough encouragement in that.
With the vest set aside, I needed another major knitting project to keep my fingers happy. I was going to knit a tank top with some Rowan Kid Soft I got on eBay, but I don't think I have enough yarn for the patterns I have on hand. I decided not to risk it, but I'm keeping my eyes open for anyone selling a leftover ball of the same in a nice contrasting or complementary color (I have #759 Chuckle, an almost-Smurf blue).
After flipping through my library of Rebecca magazines, I remembered that I bought a bag of GGH Goa last summer when I was in Oregon. I found the pattern I intended to use, and since I hadn't done anything involving cables in a while, it seemed like a good idea. It is the first pattern in issue number 23:
The color I have is a nice dark, crimson red. I've been into red lately. It's weird, because I used to not care for it at all, but now I buy practically everything in red. Anyway, here's how it's going so far:
AND, my sister asked me to knit her a scarf. Actually, scarves. Three of them. Someone at her work was wearing one of those furry scarves, and my sister decided she wanted one too. She went to buy some yarn and fell under the curse - she couldn't pick just one, so she bought enough yarn for three different scarves. Who knew those innocent looking little blobs of string had so much power? She likes purple:
I also whipped up a batch of my favorite snack cookies, lemon-anise biscotti. Yum-a-roonies!
That said, here's a quick update on the Amy vest I was working on: I finished the knitting part ages ago, and I even joined the shoulders and picked up around the neckline and one armhole (I left the other arm open to help facilitate the sewing of the argyle diamonds). I managed to sew 1 1/2 diamonds, but since I'd rather spend my time knitting and not sewing, I just haven't been in the mood to do the rest. One good motivating factor is that I really do want to wear this thing when it's done, so hopefully I will find enough encouragement in that.
With the vest set aside, I needed another major knitting project to keep my fingers happy. I was going to knit a tank top with some Rowan Kid Soft I got on eBay, but I don't think I have enough yarn for the patterns I have on hand. I decided not to risk it, but I'm keeping my eyes open for anyone selling a leftover ball of the same in a nice contrasting or complementary color (I have #759 Chuckle, an almost-Smurf blue).
After flipping through my library of Rebecca magazines, I remembered that I bought a bag of GGH Goa last summer when I was in Oregon. I found the pattern I intended to use, and since I hadn't done anything involving cables in a while, it seemed like a good idea. It is the first pattern in issue number 23:
The color I have is a nice dark, crimson red. I've been into red lately. It's weird, because I used to not care for it at all, but now I buy practically everything in red. Anyway, here's how it's going so far:
AND, my sister asked me to knit her a scarf. Actually, scarves. Three of them. Someone at her work was wearing one of those furry scarves, and my sister decided she wanted one too. She went to buy some yarn and fell under the curse - she couldn't pick just one, so she bought enough yarn for three different scarves. Who knew those innocent looking little blobs of string had so much power? She likes purple:
I also whipped up a batch of my favorite snack cookies, lemon-anise biscotti. Yum-a-roonies!
Monday, January 10, 2005
Forget what I said before
Change is good. I tell myself this, more often these days, whenever things get turned around. After spending a few days mulling over the results of the Plaid scarf swatch (see previous post), I decided that change is, indeed, good. Although I really love the stitch pattern, I decided to ditch the project and save it for a different yarn, something less bulky and perhaps more variegated.
I then spent several more hours looking at stitch patterns, until I stumbled upon the Knitted Plaid design in Knitting for Dummies. I thought - brilliant! Knitted Plaid for a yarn named Plaid! With a few adjustments in the number of stitches (I decided not to double up on the ribs and moss stitiches), I swatched up a piece and it just kept growing:
As you can see, I'm using Denise needles - US 11 to be exact. I originally started the swatch on my beloved Clover bamboo circs, but it looked a tad loose so I started over with the Denise in the same size because they knit up smaller (am I the only one that noticed this?!). At first I was worried about the snag issue, but I'm having no problems with this yarn.
Oh, the snag issue? Yeah, it's the basis of my love-hate relationship with Denise. When I first got my Denise Interchangeable Needle set, I thought I'd never have to buy another pair of needles again... WRONG! I discovered that these needles often snag against loosely spun yarn. The culprit was usually the engraved needle size imprints. Yarn fibers would get caught in the ditch, so to speak, as the stitches slide across the engraving. This frustrated me to no end, and I'm still finding that I have to go out and buy needles (Clover bamboos, usually), especially for yarns that succumb to the snag. I look forward to the day where I don't have to explain to my husband, yet again, why I have to buy another pair of needles ("I thought that Denise set you wanted so badly meant you'd never have to buy another pair again?!). Yes, dear - that's what I thought too.
I then spent several more hours looking at stitch patterns, until I stumbled upon the Knitted Plaid design in Knitting for Dummies. I thought - brilliant! Knitted Plaid for a yarn named Plaid! With a few adjustments in the number of stitches (I decided not to double up on the ribs and moss stitiches), I swatched up a piece and it just kept growing:
As you can see, I'm using Denise needles - US 11 to be exact. I originally started the swatch on my beloved Clover bamboo circs, but it looked a tad loose so I started over with the Denise in the same size because they knit up smaller (am I the only one that noticed this?!). At first I was worried about the snag issue, but I'm having no problems with this yarn.
Oh, the snag issue? Yeah, it's the basis of my love-hate relationship with Denise. When I first got my Denise Interchangeable Needle set, I thought I'd never have to buy another pair of needles again... WRONG! I discovered that these needles often snag against loosely spun yarn. The culprit was usually the engraved needle size imprints. Yarn fibers would get caught in the ditch, so to speak, as the stitches slide across the engraving. This frustrated me to no end, and I'm still finding that I have to go out and buy needles (Clover bamboos, usually), especially for yarns that succumb to the snag. I look forward to the day where I don't have to explain to my husband, yet again, why I have to buy another pair of needles ("I thought that Denise set you wanted so badly meant you'd never have to buy another pair again?!). Yes, dear - that's what I thought too.
Thursday, January 06, 2005
Yarn as therapy
So I started feeling a bit under the weather yesterday and I'm now taking those Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges in hopes of combating this thing before it gets out of hand. Lounging around the house, taking it easy, I started looking around for something that would make me feel better. And what else makes a knitter feel better than yarn accompanied by a hot cup of tea?
I brewed myself a nice cup of jasmine tea in my "Shiitake Happens" mug. It still manages to make me smile everytime I see it.
I decided it was time to examine the yarns I recently acquired. Over the weekend, we went to the yarn sale at my favorite LYS, Knitting Arts in Saratoga. The place was totally packed, but I managed to pick up a few things I'd been dying to try out. I got 2 balls of Crystal Palace Merino Frappe, 80% merino wool/20% polyamide in New Sage, a lovely light green color. I have no idea what I plan on doing with this, but after seeing the "Spiderweb Capelet" in Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, I knew that 2 balls would be enough to do something. Perhaps it's time to crack open the stitch pattern books and try out something new for a scarf? Suggestions are welcome...
The big happy of the day was finally getting my hands on a ball of Rowan's Plaid. I've been admiring this yarn for quite a while now, so I grabbed a ball in shade 160 - Crushed Shell. I looked through several pattern books trying to find inspiration, but I finally decided to try the stitch pattern that I came across on another blog: http://www.sheepinthecity.prettyposies.com/archives/000079.html I thought it'd be interesting to see how the Plaid looked when knitted in this pattern. I first started out using US #11 needles, the suggested size for this yarn. But I quickly realized that this pattern creates a very dense fabric, so I'm now in the middle of testing it on US #13s instead. Here's how it looks thus far:
Man, I need to learn how to take better pictures. The color is way off. In actuality, this yarn is light tan and baby blue. Eh, it's not my camera so what can I say?
In addition to these wonderful treasures, I also received in the mail my monthly samples from the Yarn-Of-The-Month club. I absolutely love being introduced to new yarns, ones that I would not have necessary noticed in a store or sought after online. For instance, the yarn called "Phoenix" by Southwest Trading Co. is 100% soy silk. I'm amazed at how versatile the soy plant is - you can wear it or eat it! The other yarns included were: "Cantina" by Manetto Hill, "Cotton Denim" by Debbie Bliss, and "Two.Two" by Classic Elite (wonderful stuff).
I brewed myself a nice cup of jasmine tea in my "Shiitake Happens" mug. It still manages to make me smile everytime I see it.
I decided it was time to examine the yarns I recently acquired. Over the weekend, we went to the yarn sale at my favorite LYS, Knitting Arts in Saratoga. The place was totally packed, but I managed to pick up a few things I'd been dying to try out. I got 2 balls of Crystal Palace Merino Frappe, 80% merino wool/20% polyamide in New Sage, a lovely light green color. I have no idea what I plan on doing with this, but after seeing the "Spiderweb Capelet" in Stitch 'N Bitch Nation, I knew that 2 balls would be enough to do something. Perhaps it's time to crack open the stitch pattern books and try out something new for a scarf? Suggestions are welcome...
The big happy of the day was finally getting my hands on a ball of Rowan's Plaid. I've been admiring this yarn for quite a while now, so I grabbed a ball in shade 160 - Crushed Shell. I looked through several pattern books trying to find inspiration, but I finally decided to try the stitch pattern that I came across on another blog: http://www.sheepinthecity.prettyposies.com/archives/000079.html I thought it'd be interesting to see how the Plaid looked when knitted in this pattern. I first started out using US #11 needles, the suggested size for this yarn. But I quickly realized that this pattern creates a very dense fabric, so I'm now in the middle of testing it on US #13s instead. Here's how it looks thus far:
Man, I need to learn how to take better pictures. The color is way off. In actuality, this yarn is light tan and baby blue. Eh, it's not my camera so what can I say?
In addition to these wonderful treasures, I also received in the mail my monthly samples from the Yarn-Of-The-Month club. I absolutely love being introduced to new yarns, ones that I would not have necessary noticed in a store or sought after online. For instance, the yarn called "Phoenix" by Southwest Trading Co. is 100% soy silk. I'm amazed at how versatile the soy plant is - you can wear it or eat it! The other yarns included were: "Cantina" by Manetto Hill, "Cotton Denim" by Debbie Bliss, and "Two.Two" by Classic Elite (wonderful stuff).
Tuesday, January 04, 2005
We're makin' progress...
Whew, I survived the holidays and now it's back to the normal routine. And that means... my TV shows are back on and I can finally find out what the heck happened! By this, I refer to the Amazing Race ("to be continued"?!!), Desperate Housewives, Lost, and of course, the new season of Alias (a little late for a new season, don'tcha think?).
Thank god for video games, though - they kept me busy over the last week. I was glad my husband got Half Life 2 from my sister for Christmas, as that kept him away from the PS2 while I played Jak 3. Whenever I got frustrated or burned out, I turned to my knitting and he took over the controller to play. Somehow, we both ended up finishing the game at the same time. Not surprising, though, since he's much more skilled at gaming than I.
So about that knitting... I wanted to get a couple things out for Christmas, so I had to put a few personal projects on hold. I crocheted one of those Little Brown Bags from BagSmith for my mother-in-law. I first saw one at the Yarn Garden in Portland when we were up there for Thanksgiving. They were out of the kits so I ended up ordering one online from One Fine Yarn. I was a little weirded-out at first, as I had never worked with nylon cording before. It was so stiff compared to the soft Rowan wools I had been working with. But, like any good elf, I had to crank that puppy out in time for Christmas so I marched on. My fingers felt slightly calloused by the end, but it turned out really cute. Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to take a snapshot before I sent it on its merry way. But it did look just like the one in the picture.
Okay, so Blogger just crashed (grrr....) and I didn't get to save the rest of this entry so I'm going to attempt to re-write a truncated version of what I had before. (mental note: save, and save often).
I also crocheted some jewelry using the sample yardage of Rowan Lurex Shimmer in Claret that I got from my yarn-of-the-month club subscription from ImagiKnit up in the city. I really liked using this yarn because the shimmer played well with the metallic beads I used. Using an F hook, it stood up surprisingly well to being ripped out and re-crocheted (since I was making it up as I went along). I bought some findings (clasps and whatnot) from Michael's to finish off the items. I also didn't get a chance to take any pictures before I had to get them to the post office.
So now I finally got a chance to start working on projects for little ol' me. First in line was the Amy Vest from Jo Sharp's Book Number Two. It's done in Silkroad Aran Tweed. There are two versions of the vest, one in plaid and the other in argyle. I'm doing the argyle version because it's "in" right now and I just like it better. I bought the yarn from Elann a while back and it had been sitting next to my desk, screaming to be stitched. I got up at the crack of dawn, 6am, to place my order, so I really, really wanted this stuff. Everyone knows that there are very few things in this world that I would get up that early for, and yarn is one of them.
So far, it has been coming along rather fast in spite of the fact that the tweedy flecks get stuck in the stitches and you have to make sure you pull the loops all the way through each stitch. Not sure if that makes sense, but I'd imagine that is the nature of knitting tweed. I jammed throught the first half (front) of the vest in less than a week. Then I decided to knit the three diamonds that you later sew on the front. Now I'm working on the back half, and this is how it's going so far:
I also roasted coffee today using the i-Roast we got for Christmas from my in-laws. We did a couple batches a few days ago using a dryer hose to funnel the smoke out the kitchen window. This did not turn out well, as the top of the chaff collector kept popping off, blowing chaff and smoke everywhere. This time, we decided to trust the hood vent over the stove and scrap the whole dryer hose deal. I was worried there would be massive amounts of smoke, setting the detector off and scaring the dog into a tail-tuck position. But, I was pleasantly surprised when there was actually less smoke than before, and the hood vent actually did its job of sucking all the smoke up and out of the house. I did two batches, the Indian Pearl Mountain Nuggets, and the Sumatra Mandheling (which I messed up during the virgin run of the machine). Both were taken just past second crack. So far, I'm really liking the i-Roast. It seems way more powerful than my previous FrestRoast+, and I'm able to roast more at a time. Here's the Sumatra cooling off in a mesh colander:
Thank god for video games, though - they kept me busy over the last week. I was glad my husband got Half Life 2 from my sister for Christmas, as that kept him away from the PS2 while I played Jak 3. Whenever I got frustrated or burned out, I turned to my knitting and he took over the controller to play. Somehow, we both ended up finishing the game at the same time. Not surprising, though, since he's much more skilled at gaming than I.
So about that knitting... I wanted to get a couple things out for Christmas, so I had to put a few personal projects on hold. I crocheted one of those Little Brown Bags from BagSmith for my mother-in-law. I first saw one at the Yarn Garden in Portland when we were up there for Thanksgiving. They were out of the kits so I ended up ordering one online from One Fine Yarn. I was a little weirded-out at first, as I had never worked with nylon cording before. It was so stiff compared to the soft Rowan wools I had been working with. But, like any good elf, I had to crank that puppy out in time for Christmas so I marched on. My fingers felt slightly calloused by the end, but it turned out really cute. Unfortunately, I was in such a hurry that I didn't have time to take a snapshot before I sent it on its merry way. But it did look just like the one in the picture.
Okay, so Blogger just crashed (grrr....) and I didn't get to save the rest of this entry so I'm going to attempt to re-write a truncated version of what I had before. (mental note: save, and save often).
I also crocheted some jewelry using the sample yardage of Rowan Lurex Shimmer in Claret that I got from my yarn-of-the-month club subscription from ImagiKnit up in the city. I really liked using this yarn because the shimmer played well with the metallic beads I used. Using an F hook, it stood up surprisingly well to being ripped out and re-crocheted (since I was making it up as I went along). I bought some findings (clasps and whatnot) from Michael's to finish off the items. I also didn't get a chance to take any pictures before I had to get them to the post office.
So now I finally got a chance to start working on projects for little ol' me. First in line was the Amy Vest from Jo Sharp's Book Number Two. It's done in Silkroad Aran Tweed. There are two versions of the vest, one in plaid and the other in argyle. I'm doing the argyle version because it's "in" right now and I just like it better. I bought the yarn from Elann a while back and it had been sitting next to my desk, screaming to be stitched. I got up at the crack of dawn, 6am, to place my order, so I really, really wanted this stuff. Everyone knows that there are very few things in this world that I would get up that early for, and yarn is one of them.
So far, it has been coming along rather fast in spite of the fact that the tweedy flecks get stuck in the stitches and you have to make sure you pull the loops all the way through each stitch. Not sure if that makes sense, but I'd imagine that is the nature of knitting tweed. I jammed throught the first half (front) of the vest in less than a week. Then I decided to knit the three diamonds that you later sew on the front. Now I'm working on the back half, and this is how it's going so far:
I also roasted coffee today using the i-Roast we got for Christmas from my in-laws. We did a couple batches a few days ago using a dryer hose to funnel the smoke out the kitchen window. This did not turn out well, as the top of the chaff collector kept popping off, blowing chaff and smoke everywhere. This time, we decided to trust the hood vent over the stove and scrap the whole dryer hose deal. I was worried there would be massive amounts of smoke, setting the detector off and scaring the dog into a tail-tuck position. But, I was pleasantly surprised when there was actually less smoke than before, and the hood vent actually did its job of sucking all the smoke up and out of the house. I did two batches, the Indian Pearl Mountain Nuggets, and the Sumatra Mandheling (which I messed up during the virgin run of the machine). Both were taken just past second crack. So far, I'm really liking the i-Roast. It seems way more powerful than my previous FrestRoast+, and I'm able to roast more at a time. Here's the Sumatra cooling off in a mesh colander:
Monday, December 20, 2004
A blog is born
Woo hoo! Ok, I admit I have no idea what I plan on doing with this space since I'm such a paranoid writer, but I'm willing to throw caution to the wind and perhaps I will surprise myself.
I'll have to do more research to figure out what makes a "good" blogger - do I just blab on and on about myself? If so, this could prove to be quite a challenge!
I'll have to do more research to figure out what makes a "good" blogger - do I just blab on and on about myself? If so, this could prove to be quite a challenge!
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