Knitting the Knotty Way

I've Moved!! Move With Me!!

2010-07-06T22:15:00.002-04:00

Update your RSS Feed, your bloglines, your Google Reader, yourwhateverthehellitisyouuse and meet me at the new shack.

I like it better and I think you will too. Trust me.

Go here. Now.

If you need me to spell it out for you... http://msknottyknits.wordpress.com

Seriously.

2010-06-09T22:04:00.003-04:00

It is what it is, and Mini-Me's pose sums up the current situation quite appropriately. Not that I am a nose picker, but when there's not much else to do, ya might as well do something useful, right?

Like freak out the kiddo by posting a picture of her picking her nose on a blog for all the world to see. Good times ya'll.

School is out tomorrow at 12:30. While I'd like to say that I have a lot of fun and exciting things planned for the summer, the truth is I've got nothing. Zip. Nadda. Zero. Now that I am on an unexpected vacation, kidlet will be expecting great things.

Personally, I'm expecting to not hear my alarm clock at 6:30am for a while.

In knitting news, I am determined to seam up the sleeves on my Creature Comforts Cardi. I finally re-read the pattern and noticed that it told me how long to make the seams, which is nice, because I was at a loss as to how to figure it out. Hopefully I will have pictures of a completed one for you in short order.

Whats on the needles next?

1. A stole for the marvelous Patsy P.
2. A baby blanket for Miss Jaicie
3. Frost Flowers and Lace. I've had the yarn for almost a year. One would think I would get down to business by now, eh?

And let us not forget the Tour de Fleece. I've been warming up my Cranky Pants now for about a month.

Let the good times roll.

A Worthy Blog Post.

2010-06-08T15:05:00.004-04:00

I know, I know. I am back to being a bad blogger.

Now that I'm back to having time on my hands, I can go back to being a good blogger. Well, maybe.

The real reason for blogging is because of Jaicie Addison, who graced us with her presence on May 31st. Born to Bria & Joshua, she is already an amazing baby and has overcome many obstacles in a short period of time. I cannot wait to hold her close to me and tell her how much I love her! Her mother Bria and I have known each other since the age of 12, and I could not imagine my life without her.

We have been through everything under the sun together, and it has broken my heart that I've not been able to be there for her, as she was for me when Mini-Me made her grand appearance.

So, in order to keep myself busy, I've been knitting a bit for little Jaicie...

The Confection Shrug and Baby Rollin' Beret.

The great Zondarino suggested the shrug, and I can agree with her that it was a quick and easy knit. Total knit time was around 6 hours. I even managed to seam up the sleeves without assistance.

Great things are happening all over the place, I tell ya.

All the pretty colors!

2010-04-05T20:40:00.002-04:00

So the last time I rambled, I was needing to refocus. And I did, somewhat.

It made me happy.

This made me stupidly happy. It's 440 yards of merino fingering weight. It's done on a base that I'm in love with and am tempted to buy more of. I'm still just using Wilton's but hey, that's what happens when you have a small kitchen and a crock pot that can't only be for dying yarn.

I don't have a name for it yet... But I kind of like Shanghai Surprise, and I think I'll use the name again in some fashion if I choose to dye this way again as the end result was a total surprise to me!

I dyed this by first dying three sections - teal, blue and brown. I then went back with a little yellow and red in between the color changes, where I could see a bit of white remaining.

After the first rinse, I wasn't happy with the intensity, so back to the pot it went, and I added more red and yellow, only this time with a bit more randomness and a whole lot more dye. I definitely think I will dye this way again. It was a bit labor intensive, but the results are well worth it.

Don't ask me what I am going to make with it. I actually think it may deserve a good home, but I haven't decided that yet, either.

I've been plugging away at my Creature Comforts Cardi. I won't bore you with the details, because you can find them all on Ravelry, but here's what I have so far!

This is a fun knit and I am really enjoying the yarn. Dream In Color Classy is definitely something that I will collect more of. It is so much nicer than any other worsted weight yarn I have used before! It's very soft, it's very bouncy, and it's like knitting with buttah baby! I have decided to follow Zonda's guidance and alternate skeins every couple of rows. I can't tell a difference between the skeins knit up, which makes me happy.

Can you tell there is a ton of happiness floating around right now?

Yeah . You all know better. ;-P

Maybe It's Time to Refocus...

2010-03-10T18:31:00.002-05:00

It's been a bit of a crazy road lately.. Going back to work full time threw me for a loop. (And that's putting it mildly.)

While the new job has it's perks, there is absolutely NO privacy. The company's goal is for everyone to work together - and apparently that means pushing 4 desks together into the center of a room without any dividers. I was really used to working at my own pace, and setting the tone of my day.. Well, not anymore! I consider it a true blessing that I happen to like the folks I work with.

(Read between the lines here - I miss sitting at my desk with my coffee reading blogs while I wake up, and surfing Ravelry while on conference calls.)

As some sort of strange consolation prize, I have been buying yarn. I was so good for so long...

Falling off of the wagon was inevitable.

Here is a sampling of Dream In Color (fuchsia and blue), Sanguine Gryphon's Skinny Bugga (olive green) and yes, some Wollmeise (dark fuchsia and the teals).

Told you I fallen off of the wagon.

So back to the whole point of this post - which is why the yarn is on top of the computer. Because it should come first.

I need to refocus myself and get back to the heart of the matter. Which is yarn, blogging, spinning and whatever else makes me happy. No Facebook games until all hours of the night. No more pointless TV watching unless the kidlet has gone to bed and it's something really good (The last season of The Tudors is back in 2 months, and Weeds shouldn't be far behind it). It's time to ground myself in the things that keep me sane.

While I was out of work, I also played around with some nekkid yarn. And I had so much fun. I found a base that I really like too... I need to focus on this, don't you think?

We call this one Tiger Lily.

Life has pulled me in a lot of different directions lately, and I need to remember that I set my course. I travel in the direction that I want to go in. And while that may not always be the best direction, it's the one that makes me happy.

Thank you for stopping by and for putting up with my silence! I promise it won't be another 45 days until my next blog post.

What Happens When You Try To Get Rid of Doggie Red-Eye?

2010-01-26T12:14:00.006-05:00

Take me to your leeeeder........

Steel Horses and Sweet Lucy

2010-01-23T20:32:00.005-05:00

If you haven't heard the good news, I am officially employed as of 1 February! I'm pretty stoked and relieved. Mini-Me's dad comes home from his trip to Douchebagistan on Thursday, and I didn't want to have to hear what he had to say if I was without employment.

I some times think that he's forgotten that I'm no longer his wife. 'Nuff said.

I had to throw steel horse in the title of this blog because getting a job means being able to buy tickets to go and see Bon Jovi in Charlotte with my girl Wenders. I've been in love with Bon Jovi since I was about 10, but never really had the chance to see them when I was younger. So, here we are, 24 years later and I'm going to see them, damn it.

Woooo-oh! Livin' on a prayer!

(Feel bad for Opal - I've been singing that for about a week now.)

In the mean time, I am taking full advantage of being unemployed. Remember the other day when I lamented about not having a life and just being a rather large slug daily? Well, this week will be full on slug week, minus a few odds and ends.

I've been working on an EZ Sweater - Baby Sweater on Two Needles, from the Knitter's Almanac. (Aka, February Baby Sweater) I'm really happy that I have a full size version of this sweater under my belt, as it's made life so much easier. Here's a progress picture, for those of you who are interested:

I did decide to go ahead and adapt the pattern so that I could knit the sleeves in the round. I don't seam well, and my only other option was to beg Zonda to seam it up for me. (My knitting Mama wouldn't have been pleased with me.)

Speaking of our Zonda, she taught Mini-Me and I to sew last week! We had a great time, and Mini-Me and I are excited at the possibilities.

While I've got the basics down, it still seems pretty overwhelming to me, so I'm going to rely on Sweet Lucy to make it aaalll better.

I lurves me some bourbon. And Sweet Lucy rocks.

For all of you Chewie fans, he's been laying low, wondering when the insanity is going to end.

Personally, I think he's been hitting the Sweet Lucy.

As Promised!

2010-01-19T11:21:00.004-05:00

Swallowtail Shawl By Evelyn Clark
Knit Picks Shadow, in Eggplant, 1 skein. Knit on US 4.
Beads - Clear Size 6, Purple AB, Size E (Size 8 crochet Hook).

This was a great knit. I had never done nupps before, and they were absolutely easy. I am a visual learner, so I did find myself a video to watch just to ensure I had my act together. The beads were even easier, but I did feel like they were more time consuming. The pattern is well written, provides charts and written directions, as well as the differing amounts of yarn and needle sizes needed if you opt to use heavier gauge yarn.

For those of you who are worried about beads - it's a 4 step process.

1. Put bead on crochet hook and hold it up the hook with your middle finger.
2. Use crochet hook to pick up the stitch you intend to bead off of the left needle.
3. Use your middle finger to slide bead down the crochet hook and onto live stitch.
4. Replace stitch onto left needle, and knit the stitch.
(Check out this guide on Knitty for more info)

Seriously. That's all there is too it. Apparently some patterns indicate whether or not to knit the stitch once it has the bead on it. For the swallowtail, there is no beading information in the pattern, so I opted to knit the stitch. There are a great many resources and out there if you are wanting to bead this particular shawl. Ravelry member "yards-of-yarn" has great info in regards to bead quantities and placement.

(BTW - good to know - when knit as written it takes approx. 210 beads. Know this before you buy beads. Ahem.)

Overall, I'm really pleased with how this turned out. I think Tobs will be too.

Happy Tuesday!

PS - I linked the shawl to a nifty Knit-A-Long site. It has a ton of information on how to knit the shawl larger, needle sizes, etc. For those of you who simply want the pattern, you can find it here. Oh yeah, and it's free. =)

So What... I've been busy!

2010-01-17T20:50:00.003-05:00

And I'm still so off schedule! Gah! I feel like I need to schedule myself in some fashion. For example:

Here is how I currently spend my day:

Step 1 - Wake up. Consume Coffee.
Step 2 - Take Mini-Me to school, return home and consume more coffee.
Step 3 - Waste the whole damned day being relatively unproductive, and not focusing on one task for more than 20 minutes.
Step 4 - Make sure I'm home by 3 for Mini-Me. (That's if I get the gumption to leave the house.)
Step 5 - Waste more time until it's time for sleep.

So you see the problem right? I feel lazy, unproductive and rather bleh. Some thing's got to give.

I did manage to finish a shawl for my good girl Tobs. Pictures to follow. Due to a recent restructuring of furniture, my blocking area is completely not suitable for picture taking.

In the mean time, check out the fluffy white stuff I encountered on a recent trip to NH to see Sunflower Girl get married.

Doesn't she look lovely?

I love the way this tree looks in the snow. I'm still unsure if one should call it a hydrangea bush or a tree - the thing is taller than me. While the jury is still deliberating, I figure we should call it a tree.

And no, 'lil Chewie stayed home and out of the snow.

I promise there will be pictures of yarn next post.

Promise.

No talking. Just reading.

2010-01-06T01:36:00.000-05:00

In the morning, she wakes up, and opens her eyes to the ceiling.

She rolls over to look at the clock and closes her eyes. No. Not yet.

See, she’s still caught up in her dreams. Didn’t she tell you it’s easier there? None of whatever this is. When she’s sleeping, it’s easier. She can float where she wants, see the colors with unparalleled clarity, and sing the songs that she wants to sing. When she sleeps, the water is as cold or as hot as she wants it. The rain is soft or roaring. She’s free to let her mind wander without fear of discovery. Perhaps she wants to laugh with him. Maybe she just wants to think of where her heart should go next.

But where does it become reality. How does one take the beauty of the mind and translate it a flat piece of black and white? It’s all in there, you see. Locked inside of her mind. Millions of specs of time that all add up to something – to it. And she wants to know what it is. What is the point in getting to dream if you can’t take it with you?

She’s moved past the dreams that one has as a child – ones that become tangible.

“When I grow up, I’m going to have a swimming pool.”

Check. It’s out there. Right now. Want to go for a swim?

It’s the dreams that are found behind her eyes… The dreams that you can’t create. The perfect shade of robin’s egg blue that filled every inch of your mind, yet there’s no paint chip that could match it once the dream is over. The amazing glow of a smile that filled you with such warmth, and the realization that the smile belongs to a person you’ll never meet.

Can’t you see what she wants? Can’t you see why she wants to take it with her? It’s the perfection that she knows exists.

And so she lays. Trying to go back. Ignoring the sunshine.

Mini-Me's Letter to Santa

2009-12-24T20:39:00.003-05:00

Dear Santa -

Sorry if you don't like the card.

Thank you for everything! Hope you like the croissant.*

I watched you on the tracker online!

Did you fly in the day and is rudolph's nose a radar?

Did you visit my dad?**

xoxoxo
Love,
Maddie

PS - Sorry about the cookies. I'll let you have truffles to!!***

*In true Mommy fashion, we are fresh out of cookies. Luckily I had chocolate croissants on hand.

**We happened to luck out and check out the tracker while Santa was in Afghanistan. Which is where her dad is. I cannot tell you the delight that brought.

**Uncle Dennis gave her a box of chocolates for Christmas. So she is sharing with Santa.

Merry Christmas, friends. I am a lucky lady because of people like you. MWAH.

2009-12-23T19:55:00.002-05:00

One would think that with all of this time I have on my hands that I would be blogging like a mo'fo.

Yeah, well, fuggedaboudit. This whole jobless thing has really caused my brain to go a bit haywire. Normally, I suffer from a bit (cough cough) of the blues during the winter season, but this year has been rather nasty. Sunday I just put myself back to bed and just tried to keep my mouth shut.

Tuesday I had an interview, which went really well. I liked the company's vision and their plan for growth. I even got to use big people words like "cost trends" and "market analysis."

(gag)

Either way, the company has people take this wacky hour long test. Personality, leadership styles, manageability (har har), verbal reasoning and mathematical reasoning. When was the last time any of you thought about the following:

frog:dinosaur :: whale :
a. dog
b. fish
c. bird
d. snake

or

-11(0.825 + 30)(576%/26%))

better still

1 1/3 x 4/5

The recruiter informs me that this test is not a make or break for employment, but I did have to laugh when I was asked to answer yes or no to the following:

I have NEVER blown up at anyone. (Or did they use "gone off"?)

o.O

Oh, and I have been busy with fluff too.

Here is a coronet hat for one of my favorite little ladies, Ms. EJ, Mini-Me's BFF. I used Aysen from Aracuania for it and I have a lot of love for how it does with cables. It looks similar to malabrigo in the skein, but it's a bit denser than malabrigo making it a true aran weight yarn.

And here is about 2 oz of "Barrow Owl" from Enchanted Knoll's Happy Hooves Batt Club. I spun this up as a fingering weight single and navajo plied it into what you see today.

I am almost finished with the remaining 4 ounces and will ply them after the holiday. I am truly tickled with how it's turned out. Particularly the sparkles.

I sure do hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. Know that I will be thinking of you and wishing you much joy, good health and contentment.

After all, if you can learn to be content, everything else is cake.

Come on.. Just Try Them Once.

2009-12-10T21:53:00.002-05:00

I swear you will be hooked. Be careful with the filling - it's addictive.

Nana's Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

(Be sure to use pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling)

2 ¼ cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon (I add a bit more)

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves (I add a bit more)

8 tablespoons of soft butter (1 stick---I use unsalted for baking)

1 ¼ cups sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup sour cream

1 can of pumpkin

¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts—optional

Drum roll please...

FOR THE FILLING

6 tablespoons soft butter

4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla (I use a little bit more)

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

FOR THE COOKIES

Position 2 racks in the middle and upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

COMBINE the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices in a medium bowl.

PUT the butter and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 1 minute until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat for 30 seconds.

DECREASE the speed to low and mix in the sour cream and pumpkin just until combined. Add the flour mixture and blend just until it is incorporated. Stir in the walnuts at this time if you are using nuts.

DROP 28 rounded tablespoons (I use the smallest Pampered Chef scoop) of batter 3 inches apart onto the parchment paper. The batter is thick enough to hold its mound on the sheets.

BAKE the cookies for about 12 minutes, or until the tops are firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cookies comes out clean. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets. Use a wide metal spatula to loosen them from the paper, then cool them thoroughly on the sheets.

FILLING: Put the butter, cream cheese and vanilla in a bowl and beat on medium-low speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined. Decrease the speed to low and add the confectioners’ sugar in 2 additions. Beat until it is incorporated and the frosting is smooth.

SPREAD a slightly rounded tablespoon of cream cheese filling over the flat bottoms of the cooled cookies and add the tops. ENJOY!

Why we left the remaining ones at someone's house after Thanksgiving Dinner I will never know. These are so fabulous, and the pumpkin isn't over powering at all. I think I'll be dreaming about these tonight..

P.S.
Remember that you are strong and nothing is going to stand in your way. You have overcome a lot in life to be here today. Never let anyone take that away from you.

Never.

Oh hai!

2009-12-09T22:49:00.002-05:00

I didn't forget that I had a blog. Seriously. Life's just been a big jumble of junk lately, and whatever blog mojo I had ran for the hills in search of some sanity.

(I'm lucky the mojo puts up with me at all!)

I did a bit of traveling lately. Mini-Me and I made the trip up to NH for the holiday, and ended up staying a few extra days. Well, a whole week actually, but who is counting. I needed a break from life. It was kind of like signing "lalala I can't hear you" for two weeks. Now I'm back to face the crap and to take charge of what's left.

So far, I've gone through files, thrown papers out. I went through my storage closet, threw out two boxes of crap, and I have one left to bring down to the dumpster. I think I might tackle the kitchen and throw out crap I'll never use tomorrow. Oh, and I set up the Christmas tree.

I think I'm having some sort of out of body experience. I think my mother tainted my food with organizing skills and the desire to have a neat and orderly house. I'm confused by my actions, but I think I'm going to roll with it. Why fight a good thing, right?

Speaking of good things, look at my little man. He's got some sorta awesome going on.

So does the Fiber Studio in Henniker, New Hampshire. Talk about awesome!

I may have scored a stellar deal there on some 3900 yards of lace weight merino. Times may be tough, but stellar is stellar, right?

Pumpkin whoopie pies are all kinds of awesome, too. More on that tomorrow.

P.S. - I send all the strength I can muster to all of you who are going through a personal struggle right now. I applaud you for all of the baby steps that you take each day. I know it's hard for you to do, but I know that you can do it.

And so do you. =)

Damn That Woman!!

2009-11-04T21:29:00.004-05:00

So a little bit ago, I was raving to Opal about Stephen West's patterns. Because I'm in love with his patterns. Seriously - his attention to detail makes my inner perfectionist sing.

Being the good friend that I am, I show (ok, I gush to) her the Herbivore. She was all "Oh, that's pretty." Obviously, home girl was not feeling my enthusiasm, because in my mind I'm thinking, "Pretty? It's freaking awesome!!". So I moved on and let it rest. It's ok that she failed to flip out over the shawl like I did. Right?

I've spent countless hours plotting what the hell I am going to knit the pretty thing with.

Then, out of the blue, Opal announces she's cast on for the Herbivore.

o.O

I promptly called her a bitch and decided it was time to get my act together and knit the damned thing myself.

I have been loving on a skein of Woolmeise for over a year. I am absolutely in love with the colors, and have toyed with the idea of socks for a while. I even thought about messing with the Clapotis. (Which, by the way I had sworn I would not knit for reasons I shall keep to myself)

This morning, I caked up my pretty yarn for the Herbivore. I can't think of a better pattern for the yarn, or a better yarn for the pattern.

So before I went to bed, I caked it up and had happy dreams.

What Is This World Coming To?

2009-11-03T10:40:00.005-05:00

Headline from Yahoo News Ticker: Processed Foods Linked to Depression

I am so depressed right now, I can't even bring myself to read the article. I know you
feel the same way. Let's go eat some Twinkies together, shall we?

FoxNews had Alan Thicke on as a guest. To discuss parenting.

What in the hell is wrong with this picture? If he's an expert now, then so am I. SHOW
ME THE MONEY.

And before you go there, yes, I question my FoxNews viewing at times as well. All that channel has done for the last 4 months is bitchbitchbitchbitchbitch. Yeah, that's right, Fox & Friends, I'm talking about your bellyaching at 6am. It's too damned early. If you could at least present an alternative, I'd appreciate it. Simply griping about how wrong something is does me no good. Nor does it do anything to solve any of the issues at hand.

(I can't bring myself to watch the other cable news stations for reasons I shall keep to myself. Don't hate me because of my crazy news watching habits. We are way above that 'round here, right?)

Speaking of questionable viewing practices, can we discuss Dexter for a minute here? (No, no, I'm not going to spoil anything for you, just chill and listen)

Can someone give me a character with some depth? Please? Well, other than the serial killer du jour. It seems that the writers can manage to do a great job at developing a new serial killer per season, but the remaining cast? Geesh!

Rita. Come on writers, you can do better than a disenfranchised housewife who is always out of milk and bread.
Debra. Seriously? Put her on some Prozac and let's keep it moving. She's becoming a buzz kill. Quit trying to draw a parallel between her and her brother. Not gonna work people!

LaGuerta and Batista need to go and martyr themselves elsewhere. LaGuerta was a much better character when she was just grumpy all of the time. Every show needs a stick in the mud, right?

I think the writers are trying to create subplots to sustain the show if Dexter winds up in jail. Dexter + jail = no killings ergo, no Dexter. The problem here is that the subplots are based on poorly developed characters who won't be able to sustain crapola. Gimme some substance! Oh, and if our main man could stop thinking out loud, that would be great. We aren't stupid, we know what the man is thinking.

/rant off

To be honest (and after much discussion with Opal), I think at this point I'm watching Dexter simply to pass the time until Californication comes on.

David Duchovny.

I just love his lips.

MmmMMM good!

Yeah, the storyline itself is a bit over the top, but there's such variety! Teenage angst, marital turmoil, insane Boss Ladies, student strippers, drugs, odd sexual encounters... Need I go on?

It's disturbing, hilarious and frivolous. What more could you want out of cable tv?

Tired of my piss poor attitude? Check out this pretty stuff! I would tell you what it is going to be, but what kind of friend would that make me?

Smith out!

Insert Content Here!

2009-11-01T19:36:00.004-05:00

For whatever reason, I've had a case of the lazybloggeritis.

Which is sad, 'cause I have had shit to share and things to say. Luckily, I have been posting the goods on Ravelry so I don't have to bore you with my FOs here.

As for the rest of my life, I can sum things up for you rather quickly.

1. I finished some things and started new things.

2. The anniversary of my entrance into this world was very mellow. Thank you friends. I needed mellow.

3. I've got the new computer blues. I miss Windows XP. And my keyboard. (And the money I had to spend just to miss the old one.)

I think I just end up in a zone where I prefer to hibernate. I'm thinking it may be the season change, but who knows.

The darkness at 6pm is definitely unfortunate, as is the cooler weather.

Yep, I am a heathen. As a knitter, I should be excited about the prospect of wearing wool! All of those hours spent toiling away at projects, looking forward to cooler weather so that I could sport the articles with pride.

I would rather be in sandals and a tank top with electric bills twice as high as last months.

Go figure.

Mini-Me has just informed me that she would like to shave her head and wear bandannas instead.

God help us.

I Heart Handspun!

2009-10-22T14:18:00.003-04:00

Lots of things going on around here! Namely illness and coffee makers. and a bit of lace. Sexy!

/snort

Check out my new friend. I love it. I may even name it.

In case you can't read the mug: Cooking & cleaning are for people who haven't discovered knitting yet. Fitting, no? If you like coffee and gadgets - this thing is for you!

After finishing the shawl, I had the urge to cast on for another. Particularly after I decided that a sweater-that-shall-not-be-named was not fun to knit and the pattern was written in such a way that really made me want to burn it.

I looked in my queue and decided to knit Deep Forest. I've liked it for a while, and I've been itching to knit with some of my own handspun! Here's what I've got so far:

I will say that the construction of this shawl has thrown me off. In my mind, I thought that the cast on edge was the top edge of the shawl.

As you can see, that is not the case - it's really the bottom edge! Oops!

No wonder the decreases start with ssk as opposed to k2tog! I have really had to fight the urge to start my rows with k2tog. It's made my brain hurt. Habit is habit, ya know? I can't think of a single stitch pattern I have knit thus far that didn't have k2tog before ssk.

Now that I've reversed my knitting polarity, I've been really happy with how this is turning out. And it's a quick knit, which is even better!

Speaking of shawls, Opal still needs to finish her Oyster Bay Shawl. Go and bother her until she finishes it. She's not that far from the end!

Aaaand We're Blocking......

2009-10-11T16:46:00.003-04:00

Oyster Bay Shawl

Knit with Knit Picks Gloss in Sterling, on US 6 needles.
KAL with Cookie and Opal

Now what the heck am I going to knit/obsess over??

Well That Was Fun!

2009-10-06T19:45:00.003-04:00

So this weekend, I had some lovely time to myself. Waking up to only to a dog who doesn't get up for a full hour after you do is a delicious thing. I also got to spend some time doing fibery things with our Zonda. She took all the good pictures, so go stalk her blog.

While I was enjoying the silence, I decided to play with some nekkid yarn and food coloring. Wilton's to be exact!

Using this fabulous article from Knitty as a reference, I heated up the crock pot, threw in some vinegar and had at it.

Here is a pre rinse pic:

And here is the end product!

I only used two colors - blue and green. I started out by pouring in the blue, then hitting the spots that were still light with the green. Initially, I had twisted the yarn a bit, and ended up with more white than I intended. Once the yarn had cooled off so I could examine it, it went back to the crock pot. I added more blue and just a snitch more green, which exhausted pretty quickly leaving still more white than I wanted. I quickly made up some blue dye, and then added a wee bit of green making a neat teal color. I dumped it in and called it a day.

I love it, and I learned some lessons.

1. It's fun to play with vinegar. For the green, I had secretly poured vinegar right where I wanted the color to go. I can say it worked, and worked well.

2. If the water is still hot, you can add more dye.

3. Next time, use the oval crock pot. The second go-round, I just put the yarn in, with no arrangement and had a lot less white, however, it was still tricky to get the dye into all of the nooks and crannies. Using my oval crock pot will allow a lot more room for play.

4. Dyeing yarn is just like any other fiber related play. Addictive.

Here's a sneak peak of another addiction.

And just in the event you needed an interesting factoid, today is the day, back in the 50's that LSD was deemed illegal.

Love Is In The Air!

2009-09-29T09:08:00.002-04:00

See this batt? I love this batt. (I know, it's really hard not to see it, eh?)

I picked it up from Uniquely Yours. I've been eyeing it for some time now, and finally gave in. I've already started working on it, but I can't share. It's either going to be a complete success or a total failure, so I'll keep you posted. I figure if it's an absolute flop, I can always use it as an add in or something to ply with.

o.O

(Did I just have an art yarn thought there? )

In recent days, I have decided that there are a few other things that I absolutely love.

1. Crochet thread. Size 10. Seriously good stuff here. Shall I count the ways I can abuse you, oh fair crochet thread?

Corespinning
Plying
Life lines
In-A-Pinch stitch markers
Waste yarn

I've decided that a little ball of it shall remain in my knitting bag. While knitting on the shawl (which is so large a row takes forevah), I would catch myself forgetting a yarn over (YO). I would check out the rest of the row and notice the same missing yarn over. I'm at the point where tinking back is only going to happen when a major disaster strikes, so I just snipped off a bit of thread and tied it where the YO should have been. On my return purl row, I created a YO, knit it and kept on moving.

I know, I know, there's no rocket science involved there, but it's made me love crochet thread, and considering I have little love for crochet (because I can't, mind you) - this is a big thing.

2. ZOMG. Hand Knit gift tags. Go check these out - if you are gifting knitting for the Holidays, these are too perfect. My favorite is the pirate. Argh Mateys!!

3. Fall weather. It brings good hair days.

4. The fact that the new Outlander book is winging its way to me. And let me just throw some love at Amazon. Locally, the book would have run me well over $20. Amazon? $16 and some change. (Oh, and free shipping, but only because I had to pick up Knitted Lace of Estonia. I think I should have gotten A Gathering of Lace, but oh well.)

Ok children. That's enough love for now. It's making me feel all happy inside, and too much of that will stain my cranky pants.

Check out My New Buddies!

2009-09-24T13:50:00.003-04:00

Aren't they cute? I've decided to name them Ed and Laura. Just because I can.

After the Tour De Fleece was over, the spinners from Team Cranky Pants decided to give out our own prizes! My prize ended up traveling many miles to Heidi. As a surprise thank you, she sent me hand felted sheep! They are incredibly cute and are currently grazing on my night stand.

Thank you so much, Heidi!

Mini-Me has asked me to share with you all that she is now the proud owner (god help me) of a cello! Her school offers Strings to all 5th graders, and every since I asked her about it, she's told me she wanted to play the cello! Yesterday, we went to the music store and picked one up.

Personally, I would have preferred her to play a smaller instrument, such as the violin, however, she's been so jazzed up about the cello, that I just had to let her try. I did make it a point to show her how much smaller the other option was, but then it occurred to me that I was stealing her joy.

How dare I do such a thing! I'm already the kill joy who enforces laundry folding, bathroom cleaning and various other tasks, why not just let her do what she wants for once without my practical input?

After all, she's the one who has to tote it to and from school. Not to mention up and down three flights of stairs. ;-)

Crazy boy Frankie comes home on Saturday, which is nice. It can be rather hard running two households, working full time and trying to live. More importantly, spin and knit like obsessed person that I am!

Speaking of knitting, I'm almost to the end of the main pattern for the Oyster Bay Shawl. She-Who-Knits-Like-Lightning started this week. I don't even dare ask how far along she is. Opal and I are just about at the same place, which has been a neat discovery! I think she may have surpassed me while I was sleeping though.

I wanted to be selfish and demand that no knitting while I'm sleeping, but that would be mean and I don't want to do that to my girl Opal.

And one more thing...

Tomorrow is Friday. Yee-freakin'-haw, ya'll!

PS - Heidi has a really cool store full of fiber. Go look now. You will not be disappointed.

PPS - Her products aren't currently on line. Totally safe for those of you with a fiber diet. I will, however, ask her to give me a note when she has items for sale. (Seriously, her stuff pretty!)

I'm So Speshul, I fergot to Title This Post.

2009-09-20T18:55:00.003-04:00

First things first, a close up of the Oyster Bay shawl. Cookie and Opal have been so helpful and encouraging! Thank you so very much my ladies!

Here's a close up of how things are going. Thank sweet jeebus that double decreases look better after blocking.

Hopefully, I will be to the next chart by the end of the week. These rows are getting rather long, so don't hold your breath or anything! I brought it to work for some telephone knitting, and let's just say that it will be staying home. Getting two rows done just to tink back 1.5 rows is not ok.

Just because I can, I started a new spinning project this weekend. Here's an out of focus, yet sparkly picture of what I'm playing with. It's called Barrow Owl, and it's from the Enchanted Knoll Happy Hooves Batt Club. It's insanely soft. You get a total of 6 oz, spread out among 3 batts. I've got one almost spun up, and I'm going to have to debate what to do next.

I thought ahead enough to spin it thin enough for a thicker 3-ply, or thin enough for a dk weight 2-ply. My plan is to use this on something for myself.

Selfish?

Yes. And I like it like that.

I hope that everyone had a restful weekend. If it wasn't restful, well then, take Monday off. Tell them I said you could.

o.O

Yum!

2009-09-16T17:13:00.003-04:00

Some how, I managed to purchase these little lovelies over the Labor Day weekend. (I may or may not have stalked a certain website until they had them posted, but that's not to be discussed .)

No buyer's remorse here!

I've got 5 skeins. Wanna help me figure out what to do with them?

Yep. I'm torn.

I'm still in love with Tom Brady, though.

Damn that Foosball!

2009-09-15T14:07:00.002-04:00

Last night, I sat down to watch some Monday Night Football. My boyfriend Tom Brady was playing - I had to show my support, you know.

I had my shawl to knit on, my spritzer to sip on, and then all hell broke loose.

First, CB called. He's lucky I answered. (I'm not sure he knows of my Brady obsession yet.)

Then, my boys were messing up all over the place. They managed to win the game by one point, but FFS children! You cannot get mommy all riled up at 10:30 pm!

Mommy couldn't get to sleep until 12:30 am, and I had to put the lace down to yell at the television.

This simply cannot go on. Nail biters on a weeknight are unacceptable!

There. I feel better now.

One for Me and One for You!

2009-09-13T13:11:00.003-04:00

I've been finishing stuff lately!

Two in one weekend. I think it's a new record! (Yes, I'm nervous about it too.)

First, for me, I knit up Damson by Ysolda. I did end up having to switch skeins for the bind off, and I thank the great and wonderful Zonda for the extra yarn! Ysolda writes great patterns, and they are easily attainable by a new knitter, yet interesting enough to keep a more experienced knitter reasonably entertained.

CB even has a finished work this weekend! He had requested a combo of red and black, so when I saw the Botanic Hat, by Stephen West, I scouted out some yarn. In this case, it ended up being Malabrigo in black and Ravely Red. I think I'm a fan of the red, by the way.

I love that it's reversible. Some of you know that I hate ribbing, and the whole hat is 3x1 rib. But in this case, I'm glad I quit grumbling and just did it.

Well, I think that's all I've got for you now folks.

Oh! Wait!

I cast on for another shawl. More to follow on that one!

Keep Moving Forward

2009-09-10T09:04:00.009-04:00

There are times when life reminds you that although it may be a good life, it's some times a hard life.

Experience has taught me to be positive. If I can't be positive, then the only thing left to do is to move forward, and not stand still. I can't run from reality. I'd like to, but....

I'm the only one sailing my ship, and a ship without a captain is a ship that's drifting.

I've got a beautiful little lady on board with me, too. She's got her own ship, which I keep tethered tightly to mine, but Monday through Friday at about 8:15, she boards her own ship. I let the knot out of the rope and set her afloat on her own.

Most days, she is an excellent navigator. She sails her ship courageously, with honor, and integrity and makes me so proud.

Other days....

We just have to keep moving forward.

It's an honor to be her parent, ya'll.

I just some times wish she came with an instruction guide.

Loosey Goosey

2009-09-07T18:40:00.003-04:00

If you weren't already aware, I am typically a tight knitter. I'm the person who can typically has to go up a needle size to get gauge.

I've been trying to loosen up, and apparently I've over done it.

This thing I am knitting on? 440 yards of sock weight is all I should need, per the pattern.

I've got about 13 rows to go - and the last 3 rows are almost 200 stitches longer than the others. Either my tension is not what it used to be, or the people at malabrigo simply cannot measure worth a crap.

I spent my Sunday plotting on how to overcome my obvious shortage. After I admitted my moment of freak out to my knitting mama, she has graciously floated me some matching yarn. Thank you, knitting mama!!!

For what it's worth, there are quite a few knitters on Ravelry that are finishing with little to spare, or having to use a few yards extra from another skein, so I don't feel so bad. Just a little ticked at the author, who could have added a note to ensure the knitter was aware as to how much of the initial skein was used.

At any rate, hopefully I'll be sharing the finished item this week!

Whoa.

That just might be a record for me. Two within a few days of each other??

PS - make sure you go visit Opal. I hear she's got some mojo going on a few levels!!

Someone Better Find Some Mojo!

2009-09-04T13:46:00.003-04:00

Oh yeah, baby.

Success!!

Nanner Socks, By Wendy Johnson

Yarn: Over-Ripe Nanners, by Lime and Violet merino/bamboo blend, Needles: Stop Asking Questions.

It only took a year, but they are complete! There's a crap ton of mistakes and some gauge issues, but I'm satisfied. Unless you want to count my test pair, these are the first socks I ever cast on for. I shall love them forever.

I am eternally grateful to Opal for playing along. It was the perfect incentive to finish these damned socks!

Now, I just need your help in enforcing the fact that she has to blog on Monday.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Hahaha!

2009-09-01T17:03:00.002-04:00

I'm blogging today just to prove a point.

Opal.

I know you hear me.

I'm going to completely bust myself out here. I started these socks over one year ago.

I have determined that I shall finish them before the summer is over (which, in my mind is Monday, the Federal Holiday - don't argue). They are indeed Nanner Socks, by Wendy Johnson. I'm sure if she saw this post I'd be getting the look for being a misbehaver and allowing socks to languish OTN for this long.

I can handle it though. She knows I don't behave very well.

I've got to go and eat German Food now with my peeps.

What a hard life, eh?

2009-08-16T19:02:00.006-04:00

Want to see something scary? I was scared shitless. I know I'm swearing, but that's the only way to adequately express how I felt.

All crapy picture thoughts aside, this is a scary mess of wool.

Thank goodness it became this!

To be quite honest, the yarn it still scares me. Most of you who know me, know that these are not my colors. The red, yes, but the yellow and orange? I swear this stuff glows in the dark. I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

I did decide to swatch it - you can see it in the picture above. I really liked the fabric that was created with the US 3 needles. The US 1 created such dense fabric, I didn't much care for it. The US 5 needles would be great for a shawl, but as you can see, the yarn overs look a bit wonkey. I'd have to swatch again with only 5s and block the bejeebus out of it before entertaining an entire project.

In the end, I'm happy that I spun it - I have 579 yards of it, and it's lace to fingering weight.

School starts tomorrow. Mini-Me will be entering the 5th grade. I'm not pleased with the thought that I will have a child in Junior High School next year, but I'm putting off dealing with that anxiety until next year.

Until then, I'll be following the sun.

(Don't get fresh with me, you know what song I'm referring to!)

I'm Meeellllting!!

2009-08-10T17:41:00.004-04:00

Seriously kids, it's 103 degrees out there. According to some super-smart web site, we've got 35% humidity. I personally think super-smart web site is wrong. Oh! And hurricane season started a bit ago. Mother Nature - 1, Megan - 0.

I will say though, that Mother Nature was very good to me this weekend. I ran away from my lovely town and went to visit a dear family down at the beach. Many kisses and hugs to them. It was a great time - NO stress, good drinks, good people and good music. Wilmington, NC has a lovely 900 seat amphitheater. Sunday night, we went and listened to Donavon Frankenreiter and Gary Jules. I opted to linkey you to sites where you could listen. Both men are very talented. And I'm a sucker for acoustic guitar. Just sayin'.

It was a great venue - I now feel the need to stalk their concert line up. Oh yes, and I went to the beach. I did not knit. Nope, no sock knitting. I don't know what came over me. Some how, I managed to survive!

Here are some pretties for you to look at!

Top left is 6 oz of BFL "Sock Stripes" from Zarzuela. Upper right is my August-September SAL Fiber from All Spun Up.

Front and center is yarn that has been named "Deep Blue." Some where (I can't remember - you know my brain is no good) someone commented that it reminded them of ice burgs in the middle of the ocean. It was spun up from that batt (here's the old post) that I so carefully and methodically planned. Although I am tickled with the results, this was a long haul project. In order to make sure that my long areas of color matched, I weighed each bobbin at the end of each color, distributing the fluff for the next color so that I had about the same amount (in weight) on each bobbin. Just so happens I did a good job - I only had about 2 yards left on one bobbin. Woot!

I enjoyed spinning this up, even though it was a pain in the ass. Although I will admit, it is a monster that I created, it has completely motivated me to master n-plying.

I hope your Monday was a good one! I'm going to prepare myself for tonight's Weeds episode. I'm still hold on to the hope and the dream that Conrad will return.

/sigh.

2009-07-22T11:51:00.002-04:00

There are some days where I'd like to live on a deserted tropical island some where. Complete with a life time supply of wool and various accessories, alcoholic beverages, Internet, and a boat that I can send to pick up the people I desire to have in my presence.

I'm not even sure that I'd like to keep a Cabana Boy on hand at all times.. Perhaps he can just stay on the mainland with a pager for emergency purposes.

/sigh.

In other news, the beach trip was fun. I've got pictures but no patience to post them. Maybe later. Maybe never.

Although I did manage to take a bangin' picture of the Hatteras Lighthouse. See?

Like an asshat, I brought the camera but forgot the memory card, so I was stuck with just the cell phone camera. For some strange reasons, small islands with wild ponies don't have electronics stores for forgetful vacationers like myself. Go figure.

Here's something fun, though!

01) Are you currently in a serious relationship? Sure.

02) What was your dream growing up? To marry Simon LeBon. Seriously.

03) What talent do you wish you had? Telepathy

04) If I bought you a drink what would it be? Today, a Woodford and Ginger Ale

05) Favorite vegetable? Cucumbers

06) What was the last book you read? Intentional Spinner

07) What zodiac sign are you? Scorpio

08) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where. Tattoos - various areas.

09) Worst Habit? Not having a filter on what comes out of my mouth.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride? Ya'll better say yes.

11) What is your favorite sport? Swimming

12) Do you have a Pessimistic or Optimistic attitude? Pessimistic, but I try and be Optimistic when it comes to helping others.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me? Ohh! We could have knit-in!

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you? I can't say that I can pick one..

15) Tell me one weird fact about you. I don't like eating food that's blue - weirds me out.

16) Do you have any pets? Yep! A chihuahua that I love dearly.

17) What if I showed up at your house unexpectedly? Invite you in! Far be it from me to be rude!

18) What was your first impression of me? I don't remember that kind of stuff unless you were a total asshat.

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary? Neither. Clowns are strange..

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be? Smaller girls.

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience? Crime partner..

22) What color eyes do you have? Hazel, and the color changes depending on the color I wear.

23) Ever been arrested? Come pretty close!

24) Bottle or can soda? Well, I usually only drink soda when it's served to me in a cup.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it? Pay off all debts, buy my dream wheel, and get my savings account healthy again.

27) What's your favorite place to hang out? Depends on what I'm in the mood for!

28) Do you believe in ghosts? Our spirits have to go somewhere..

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time? Knit.. or spin.

30) Do you swear a lot? Hell yeah. Mouth like a sailor.

31) Biggest pet peeve? Eye rolls, and ignored emails/phone calls.

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself? Caring. Until you screw me over..

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance? Romance is fun, but reality is better sometimes.

34) Favorite and least favorite food? Favorite? Cheese Dip. Least Favorite? Turkey.

35) Do you believe in God? Yessir.

Ok, that's enough for now.

Hopefully when I come back tomorrow, I'll have some sort of substance for all of you.

Just A Song Before I Go...

2009-07-16T10:22:00.002-04:00

Hello! You've reached Ms. KnottyKnits and Company. Mum has arrived safely, and we're heading to the beach!

Please leave a message after the beep.

Beeeeeep!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my pretty colors are all in a row.

(We stopped at the Farmer's Market in Raleigh, yesterday. What a great place!)

Rest.

2009-07-14T18:58:00.003-04:00

It's what I am looking forward to. My mum comes in tomorrow afternoon and we'll be leaving Thursday for an extended weekend out at Ocracoke Island. I'm very excited and looking forward to it.

Mean while, I've got some yarn that's busy drying itself in the evening sun. Wanna see?

360+ yards, 18 WPI, BFL in the "Camo" Colorway, purchased from Zarzuela's Etsy Store.

I've not really a clue as to what to spin next. I've got some alpaca lace weight that I'm working on, but I think that's going to rest for a bit. I'm tempted to play with another batt... What do you think?

I have one batt from Sugarbee Studios that is calling my name. It would be perfect to play with - it's got three colors in it, and I've been wanting to mess around with something that I can control how much color goes where, so maybe that will be next.

Well, never mind. Maybe has become definitely. In a matter of seconds.

Life happens that fast.

Here is what I have done! First, this didn't come as one big batt - it's actually four very finely carded batts. Makes life nice - very little prep required. (Unless you are me, of course)

So, I laid out the first batt, and set about ripping it into strips, keeping them all lined up so that I could keep them straight, and I separated the remaining batts in the same fashion. Aren't they pretty strips?

Now comes the tricky part. I want to keep the same color sequence. In my mind (which is laughable at this point), I want to spin this so that the spun singles have the same graduation in color as the batt. I'll do a two-ply, keeping the color sequence the same for each bobbin so that we can get some nice matchy matchy I think I'm going to Megan-proof this by getting out some baggies, and labeling them with a number. That way I'll always know who is on first. And who is on second.

I think.

Maybe?

Forget the fact that I could have weighed this fiber first. Ya'll know how I like to do that. Unfortunately, it's all pretty and separated and labeled.

/sigh

Happy spinning kids!

Whose Idea Was This, Anyway?

2009-07-12T10:36:00.002-04:00

How many yards can one person spin in one month?

I think it's time that I admit that I had NO CLUE that the Tour de Fleece is as long as it is. Granted, I did read the dates, guidelines, etc, but I really had no idea what an utterly wonderful time suck this would become! I've been averaging at least one hour per day.

Saturday, it was bad.

I watched the entire Season 2 of the Tudors in under 24 hours. While spinning. And perhaps a bit of knitting. Do you see?

Los Monos Locos/The Crazy Monkeys, from the toe up
Knit on US 0s, using Ms. Babs Yummy Sock in Holly

Two finished cuffs.

You all know what this means. I've finished a pair of socks.

And hey, look at this!

A swatch! Done with my own handspun. Will wonders never cease.

Spinning updates to come tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

Color Me Happy... Or At Least Blue!

2009-07-06T15:48:00.010-04:00

You know, it's not often that I truly let myself ramble on this thing. I guess part of that is because you don't need to know *everything*, and the other part is that most of ya'll come here for the yarn, fiber, jokes, and or the general insanity.

Today, you are in for a real treat. Oh yes.

Sunday afternoon I decided to try my hand at corespun yarn. I had this really neat batt from Butterfly Girl Designs, and I just knew it was going to be wonderful. It was going to be easy. It was going to be fast. I was going to love it. Instead, I was close to tears. I think I had the wrong type of fiber for my experience level, and I really couldn't wrap my head around how to get a balanced yarn. It made me pretty angry. I'm an intelligent young woman, capable of many wonderful things, and I can't make art yarn??? WTF? FuF!!1!1!

Then it occurs to me. There's a lot going on in life right now. Between Cabana Boy not being in town, Mini-Me is getting ready to go through a tough spot, and work being generally psychotic, my mom coming to visit, I have enough crap to try and figure out and deal with! I certainly didn't need to be trying to figure out a new trick.

So I took a break and took a shower. Hell, it was 4 pm, I was due.

While I was in the shower, I decided that I would play with plying. Got out of the shower, spun up about 10 yards of the batt, and plied with some crochet thread. Almost what I wanted, but not quite. I ran some errands, picked up some silver sewing thread and went home. Test spun some more and fell in love.

The last couple of yarns I have spun have been very focused - I knew what I wanted them to be, and therefore it was my job to whip them into shape. While I love what I have created, the focus it took to spin these yarns really made it a drag by the last bobbin. I was desperate for something quick and fun.

Behold.

Approx 100+ yards, plied with simple silver thread. Fiber from Butterfly Girl Designs

Let me just tell you about spinning this batt. It's forgiving. It does it's own thing, and I was happy to let it do it. The bamboo is so soft, the merino was light and fluffy, and the sparklies made my heart sing. There was no thought required. I didn't have to worry about color sequence, I didn't have to care about how much conditioning I did before hand, or if it was too thick or too thin, I just ripped off a strip and let the fiber do what it wanted to do.

It is important to note here that I specifically did two things. First, I put less twist in the yarn than I normally would. I wanted the thread to hold the single together.. to almost carry it a long. In my test spins, I noticed that the areas with less twist gave me the exact look I wanted. Second, I found that you need to make sure you put a lot of tension on your thread. That's what's going to give it the illusion that the fiber undulates from above the thread to below the thread. I took a picture of how I was holding the thread so that you could see:

In a nut shell, I would let out some of the thread, hold it taught, then slide my right hand down the length of the thread. When I felt like I had gone far enough, I would pinch off the twist with my right hand, let some more thread out, and bring the yarn down the thread again. Using my right index finger as a sort of a guide, I let the yarn work itself around the thread.

If you've done coils before, it's almost the same thing, only you are not pushing the yarn up the thread to create your coil. Although, if you are feeling froggy, you most certainly could. It was really interesting to see what I could create, just by switching the tension on the yarn, or the angle at which I would let it twist onto the thread.

This was FUN. I would highly recommend messing around with this technique. I'm sure there's a name for it somewhere, but I'm currently too blissed out by the whole experience to care.

And that's the goal right?

Happiness via fiber.

Talk About Scary!

2009-07-06T09:54:00.004-04:00

Look at this! I'm going to admit that this isn't all that there is. By the way, if you look at my flickr, you can see that this isn't all that was laid out on my bed - this shot left some out. Egads, people!!

I felt the need to look at my choices for the TdF. I've got some wonderful fibers that are from wonderful friends that come from their sheepies, but I felt it best to let those rest for now. I'm trying to do new things here for the TdF, and a lot of my home grown fibers are set aside for specific projects and stuff.

I hope that everyone had a GREAT 4th of July. It's one of my favorite holidays, and I got to spend it with some wonderful friends.

Last week I offered a challenge to all of my readers! There was a lot of yarn in the bowl, and I know it was a downright pain in the ass for ya'll. That being said, anyone who left a comment will be entered into the drawing for the pink stuff.

Here are the answers to the challenge:

From clockwise from the 6 o'clock position - my handspun, Malabrigo lace, Tofutsies, two skeins from Sundara's Season's Collection, a bitty cake of Artyarns Super Merino, and Twiggy Knits from the Knitting Purls Sock Club. In the very center is some more handspun. Thank you all for playing along!

Our lucky winner is....

Darcy! Congratulations Darcy!! I'll be sending you an email shortly!

You are now the proud owner of 2 skeins of pink Malabrigo lace.

Happy Monday everyone!!!

I'm Handing Out Hints!!!

2009-07-01T10:37:00.003-04:00

Ok, so I know this contest is a toughy. I'm a mean evil woman with nothing better to do than to make you work for pink stuff. Which is yarn, by the way.

Here are some hints:

- 2 of these yarns are handspun
- The pink stuff will go to whomever gets the most correct
- 2 of these yarns come from the same dyer, and are part of a club
- 1 of these yarns is the June installment of the Knitting Purls Sock Club
- Only one of these is lace

Also:

There is no J. Knits, no Claudia Handpaint, no Tempted, no Bonnie Portmore

I know I'm wrong, but you guys wouldn't have it any other way, would you?

WARNING: This product contains a high fiber content - proceed with caution.

2009-06-30T12:54:00.006-04:00

Check out my new friends!

They've been showing up at my door step, begging to be let in. Some of them have mysteriously appeared at night. I think my wheel may have been producing yarn or some sort of stuff.

I'd go through and tell you what everything is, but I'm really lazy.

HOWEVER.

If you can name everything in the bowl, I'll send you something. Don't ask what it is. The only thing I can say is that it's pink. In honor of Team Cranky Pants. (I'm not linking - clickey teh button mkay?)

Opal, my dearest friend, I am sorry that you cannot play - you know too many secrets.

(Yes, I know that some of the tags are visible, but there are some with no tag, or no visible tag. I can't make things too easy or too hard, now can I? )

I don't know what is the deal with Blogger lately. When ya'll comment, it shows up in my mail box. It makes me happy. When I go to reply, the return address is whateveryournameis@do-not-reply@blogger.com. It's kinda sad, but please do know that I read your comments and love all of them dearly. Matter of fact, I keep them in a speshul folder. If any of you know how to overcome this unfortunate circumstance, please let me know, and I'll take action.

By the way, you'll notice that I have added a few new buttons to my blog. That's because, like the over-committed twit that I am, I decided to participate in the Tour de Fleece this year!

Ok, that's all I have to say for now. I've got to hurry up and spin to finish a special project prior to the 4th. Opal's spinning the same colorway, however, she has 1/2 a bobbin full and I have a full one already.

Hurry up spinner girl!

Seriously - to win the pink stuff, leave your comment by Saturday. That way you can procrastinate.

UPDATE: HINTS HAVE BEEN POSTED ON 1 JULY!!

Top 10 Reasons For Not Blogging

2009-06-25T11:29:00.002-04:00

1. I'm lazy. (Notice how I made this number 1 on the list - I am dealing with reality here, people.)

2. I've been to busy spinning to type.

3. Cabana Boy deserved my attention before he left town.

4. There was no Mini-Me in the house for two whole weeks, and so I had to do exactly what I wanted to do every single day. To include not blogging.

5. Nookie is more important than blogging. There - I said it.

6. I've got a boat load of projects I'm working on, and couldn't seem to get anything accomplished. Oh wait. Most of them are still not finished. /sigh

7. It's summer. Weekend blogging has been interrupted by beach trips and more laziness.

8. I've not had any good pictures. Mainly because I can't finish anything.

9. I'm going to admit that for the most part, I had nothing relevant to share.

10. Lately life has been so insane that anytime I've felt like blogging, it's been so that I can vent. Granted, I wear me some Cranky Pants, but ya'll don't want angry blog posts on a daily basis. That's no fun, and it gets boring.

Oh! By the way, I'm forging a head with continuing to have projects coming out my arse. If you haven't signed up for the Tour de Fleece yet on Ravelry, what the heck are you waiting for?? There are a bunch of superlicious teams out there that would love to have more spinners join up.

You can use the button on the upper left hand side of my blog to head on over to Ravelry and sign up. Whatcha waitin' on?

Rawr!

2009-06-11T14:36:00.002-04:00

I have no patience.

I'd rather be doing nothing.

For the love of all that's holy, someone send me a new brain.

I Went To The Gun Show On Sunday...

2009-06-08T23:36:00.007-04:00

But on Saturday, Zonda and Christine and little ole' me packed up and headed to Charlotte Yarn to take a class from Wendy Johnson of Wendy Knits!! (More on the gun show later.)

And yes, for all of you Plurkers, it was I who threw the straw wrapper at the other table. I was behaving badly - go figure! (I would like to add that I was encouraged by the other knitters at my table cough cough Zonda, cough, Christine)

Mum, by the way, should be happy she's not the only one who gives me the strong finger!

We had such a blast! Wendy taught an awesome class, and it was really neat to meet someone in person who I've only "met" electronically, and is the reason I knit toe up socks! If you ever have the opportunity to take a class from Wendy, I would highly suggest you take it, you'll have a great time and learn a lot along the way.

From the left: Zonda, Christine, Wendy and myself!

We even got to see some out of town friends, Dani and Corey. It's good to see faces and actually speak to people in person!!

I have a feeling that the six of us will be finding a little place between here and Charlotte to have a regular meet up.

Not that we will behave enough to be allowed back, hehehe..

In other news, I think someone may be getting a wheel soon.... But I don't know who that is, I swear. Well, maybe I do. Possibly.

And for your viewing pleasure, here's the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. God love the redneck who came up with this masterpiece. If Gun Shows are good for something, it's certainly a laugh!

PS - Thank you to Charlotte Yarn for putting up with the insanity! I would show my favorite readers what I'd bought, but I might spoil a swap surprise. So there.

Special thanks to Zonda, for sharing her pictures!

When All Else Fails....

2009-06-02T16:48:00.002-04:00

Bring the project that you hate - I mean LOVE - to the beach and knit.

No worries mum, it will be sun block free when it gets to you =)

Happy Tuesday ya'll!

Color me Coral! (Or is it Begonia?)

2009-05-23T11:03:00.002-04:00

For my Birthday last year, mum sent fiber. It is extraordinarly soft, and was a pleasure to spin. As it was coming up on Mother's Day, I got to work!

I had 2 oz of each color, and thought it would be fun to play with color changes. The darker color is Begonia and the lighter color is Coral. After much discussion with my fellow fiber enthusiasts, I am pretty sure that I was spinning Ashland Bay Merino. I'm in love with the stuff, that's for sure, and will be ordering more in the future.

So! I laid out the roving, and separated each color into 4 separate lengths, having 2 per bobbin. Then, I decided to alternate the color changes differently on each bobbin. One bobbin alternated light and dark, the next bobbin alternated dark and light. In the end, I had three main color changes. Most of the yarn is a ply of Coral and a ply of Begonia, but I have shorter lengths that are either all Coral or all Begonia. It was really fun to figure out how I was going to manage the colors, and it really got me interested in playing with single color commercially dyed roving.

Here's the finished product! There's about 270+ yards at 14 WPI - I'd say it's a DK weight, if not a light worsted in some areas.

Are you not as befuddled as I am in the color differences between the two photos? It drives me nuts, and you are lucky that I posted both photos. Photo one is just so squooshy, and lush looking. It is actually very much Begonia. The bottom one was kind of artsy (haha) and is very much Coral. Go figure. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I took the pictures in different locations in my house.

Lesson learned!

PS - Mum has picked out a yummy cowl to knit with her yarn. Hopefully she takes pictures when she is done! =)

Overload

2009-05-20T17:06:00.004-04:00

Wool overload, work overload, knitting overload, you name it, I haz it.

Because I am mentally overloaded as well, here are some pictures to make you happy. They make me happy, so why not share right?

This super soft, super squooshy yarn was spun up from a batt from Zarzuela. It's superwash merino, and it was really fun to spin.

I got so focused on trying to spin consistent that I threw caution to the wind and let this do what it wanted. It was so enjoyable! There's a bit over 100 yards there, and I think it needs to be a cushy cowl for someone.

This pretty periwinkle was spun up from a few batts that I got from my friend Meg. I have touched the sheep it came from, which is cool, IMO.

I had fun with this too - I spun right off of a corner of the batt and just let it to it's thing!

There is a bit of pink in here, which I like. It picked up some remnants of the dye left over from the prior fleece. It gets an A+ in my book!

This is fun stuff. Merino, silk and some sparklies!! I've got a full bobbin, and am working on the second.

If you are a spinner and haven't checked out CJ Kopec's Spin-A-Long, run there now. Quickly. That way you can play too!

It's spinning up pretty thin, and I'm hoping to get something between fingering and lace weight out of it. I may have a plan if it turns out!

Lastly, I'd like to share what I wore yesterday. In May. In North Carolina. I made sure everyone knew I was wearing WOOL.

Yeah, it's a bit blurry, and I look a bit tired. It was 8am folks. Note the coffee in my hand.

Mini-Me snagged the pic right before we walked out the door. She wants you all to know that I wake her up too early and that she was tired, hence the blurry shot.

At any rate, I managed to keep it on until around noon. When Cabana Boy came over around 730pm, I had it back on.

CABANA BOY LIKES KNITTING.

(Now you know why keep him around :-P)

Before I forget, Daniele sent me a lovely box full of fiber last week. Some of which came from her very own sheepy friends!! Thank you so very much, Daniele - I cannot wait to sit down and play!!

I have been knitting, but I can't show you. Mum reads the blog and she can't know. Luckily, mum is not on Ravelry yet. Hah!

PS - Still no USB cord for camera. Purchasing card reader shortly.

PSS - there's more handspun on the camera. Yes, it's ok to be scared for my sanity now.

must.blog.now.

2009-05-13T17:51:00.003-04:00

Considering that Cookie busted me out, I figure I'll blog about something today. Thank you for the nudge Cookie! =)

Before I forget, I want to thank Lori, Opal, Jen and Hattie for sending some goodies for my wheel! I came home one day to many pretties, and I am so grateful to these wonderful ladies for thinking of me. All of these women are amazing spinners and knitters in their own right, so please take a minute and visit their blogs and show some love.

Here's the long and short of what's been up in my neck of the woods:

1. I've been taking pictures of my experiments with with a camera that I can't find a USB cord for. It's made me kind of testy. Who wants to just read about stuff right? So Cabana Boy is going to help me out and do something magical to get them off of the memory card so you can see for yourself that I've been busy.

2. Cabana Boy exists. More details to follow. (Insert happy dance here)

3. I've been spinning like there is no tomorrow. I've spun this from Zarzuela and this from CJ Kopec, and I'm currently spinning this from CJ Kopec. I also had some fun with a batt from a local friend, Meg.

4. I started another FLS for Mini-Me. I let her pick out her own yarn. Surprisingly, it looks just like mine.

5. I decided to participate in a Summer of Socks.

6. In a fit of madness, I cast on a pair of cuff down socks! Madness I tell you, madness!!

7. I purchased a digital scale for my fiber. Now I weigh every little snippet of fiber I spin. Obsessively. I hope that this ends soon.

8. I've been watching the Tudors, enjoying another season of In Treatment, and waiting with baited breath for Weeds to start. Oh, and Deadliest Catch. Poor things. They are so angry this season!

I'm sure I could continue to ramble here, but I'll spare you the horror.

If you are going to do something adventurous and thrilling this weekend, be safe. If you are going to stay at home and be a hermit (like me), you know how to find me!

It's been a while, I know...

2009-04-28T18:22:00.003-04:00

Shame on me, and not the yarn this time.

Kids, I've been busy! Mini-Me and our good friends went to Washington DC for a long weekend, and had a great time. We even got a private tour of the capitol, courtesy of Senator Enzi's office. (I'm not from Wyoming, a friend of a friend is) It was a really neat tour, and his staff was wonderful. The rotunda was one of my favorite places.

My other favorite? The Museum of Natural History. My inner nerd had a field day, and the children had a blast. I would show you pictures, but I haven't gotten them off of the camera yet. Yes, I know, it's been two weeks. (Ya'll know I'm not that quick, eh?)

So what else? Well, dinners with great friends, a great motorcycle ride, a race (NASCAR Style - hey, the tickets were free), a fabulous Dave Matthews Concert, more dinners with friends, and very little time for much blogging.

I would say that the craziness is over for now, but we all know that would be a lie.

Here's a funny for you.

Maddie: Dad, I'm really worried about mom.
Ex: Why, what's wrong?
Maddie: I think she's really depressed.
Ex: What's been going on, Maddie?
Maddie: Well, she's not been making yarn.

Hah! I have been spinning, just so ya know. This is from the CJ Kopec Spin-A-Long. The color is Midnight Desire. I think it looks like Black Cherry Soda, don't you?

I'll Take Shame for $1,000

2009-04-21T21:21:00.003-04:00

Because Cookie can't be the only one with scary yarn in her stash, now can she?

I bring you "Pooch" from Pattons. Fun fur ain't got nothin' on this, baby.

Seriously - here's what it looks like knitted up.

Don't ask a whole lot of questions, because it's so dreadful, I do not wish to discuss it.

And no, it was not supposed to be a rug. It was going to be a vest. Seriously.

Thanks to Cookie and her yarn of shame, it has now found a home in my trash can!

(Lookie there. I just got rid of something! Go me!)

Now Serving..

2009-04-15T22:09:00.007-04:00

Yarn.

What - you thought I cooked or something?

Your Blue Eyed Sister
4 1/2 oz. South African Fine - "Chocolate Blueberries" by Moonlightbaker
Approx 19 WPI and 448 yards

This was seriously fun fiber to spin, and my goal was for consistency - I think I did pretty well, all things considered! I ended up with three skeins - two big and one wee bitty.

I do have one question for my readers that spin - do you count WPI before or after you give your handspun a bath? Inquiring minds want to know.

Last but not least, we are also serving up one completely complete FLS! Buttons sewn on and lightly steamed to stretch the sleeves a bit during the season premier of Deadliest Catch. Consider me tickled pink.

Mini-Me had to try it on - just for fun. I think I could get away with going down to size 6 needles and knitting her an XXS - what do you think?

We're headed out of town for the weekend. Prospective Cabana Boy has a key if ya'll want to wipe out my stash.

(Don't you dare - I'll have to kick you in the shins. Seriously.)

Survey Says!

2009-04-09T17:30:00.003-04:00

58% of you think that the overall crankiness I have been experiencing is due to a lack of Cabana Boy presence. (This could be true.)

There's a tie for attributing crankiness to lack of nookie and work. (This is most definitely true)

One person feels that the crankiness is due to lack of nookie with Cabana Boy. (I have no comment for this person at this time.)

One wise person thinks I'm not getting enough quality time with new spinning wheel. (I'd be much happier if my day consisted of nothing but spinning!)

Cookie thinks that I should have a mojito upon entering the house every day. The rest of you are ok with wine. (Personally, I am ok with both, hehe!)

Overwhelmingly, you all have decided that cookies are not enough to get you to take my place at the office. I do thank whoever offered a note, and to the special person who offered to kidnap me, take me on vacation with them so that we could look for Cabana Boys, spin, knit and drink wine. (God love you, Lori)

To the person who wanted to know what kind of cookies I'm going to make them, you now must email me. I have something for you. I cannot say what it is. (msknottyknitsATgmailDOTcom)

Happy Easter to all my peeps!

Oh crap. Apparently I ate all my peeps. Muahahahah!

Where's A White Flag When You Need One?

2009-04-08T12:32:00.006-04:00

Maybe the notoriously absent Cabana Boy has one. Perhaps I have some one I need to designate as the Cabana Boy but don't want to jinx things.

I've determined that in order to properly express my distaste for this week in general, I needed to create a survey so that you can participate in the madness.

Click Here to take survey

Special thanks to Ida for showing me the nifty website to create this survey. Ida, you are the bright spot in my morning thus far. She's also pointed out to me that Word Press is a far better vehicle for blogging than Blogger. You deserve a treat, Ida!

All things considered, I have very little left to say, so I shall leave you with something that I find rather fitting.

At times, my own wit amazes me.

Monday Mayehm

2009-04-06T18:20:00.003-04:00

It's Monday.

There is still no Cabana Boy on the horizon.

I woke up every hour on the hour last night.

Serious dramaz at the work place.

Too much crap and not enough fun makes Megan a cranky girl.

In other news....

I was looking at old photos today. Mini-Me used to be so little! I must admit, I've gotten a little misty. But in a good way.

Publish Post

See ya later this week!

Purple Lupines

2009-04-02T20:30:00.007-04:00

When Mini-Me goes to NH during the summer, she and my mother are always on the look out for purple lupines. They grow in my mother's yard (or they used to, anyway) and all along the highways.

I can hear my mother saying "Look, Maddie! There's our purple lupines!"

She sends newspaper articles about lupines, pictures from her cell phone of lupines, and I think we even have a card with lupines on it.

I guess that's why when I saw this roving at The Loopy Ewe, I fell in love. Not only did it prey on my purple obsession, but the name made me smile. When I saw it at SAFF - I knew it had to be mine.

4 oz. 100% Targhee Top - Mountain Colors - Lupine
227 yards, approx 11 WPI

For whatever reason, my camera did not like the colors - The top picture is too light, the bottom is too dark. It was really fun to spin, and although it's rather bulky in spots, I'm pretty happy with it, as it is much more consistent than my last yarn.

A special thank you goes out to Lori! Because this yarn was coming out so nicely, I hated to have two separate skeins. Lori kindly walked me through how to ply the two ends together to create one long skein.

From this picture (craptastic, yes, but the colors - very accurate), you can see how full my bobbins were - eek! I ended up winding one into a center pull ball, and then plying the outside end with the yarn already on the bobbin. I spun a bit extra onto the bobbin, and then, using the end in the center of the ball, started winding it onto my niddy noddy. Although the join may not be perfect, I'm really pleased with the results!

So what else is new, kids?

Megan, This Is Your Conscience Calling..

2009-03-23T17:48:00.010-04:00

I've got laundry waiting on me, dishes in the sink, cat hair that needs vaccuuming, and dust that is about an inch thick. How close am I to getting all of that done?

I don't have a clue. (Conscience: Huh?) Shhh.. I don't want to hear you right now.

---->Insert Happy Dance here<-----

I don't even care! (Conscience: Have you lost your mind?) Neener neener neener

----->Insert more Happy Dancing<-----

Wanna know why? (Conscience: Do I have a choice?) Hehehe - not really!

Insert mental picture of birds chirping, sun shine, butterflies, and daisies with harps playing as background noise. Oh yes, and in this vision, I wear a halo. HA!

Charlie has come home to his mama!! (Conscience: Sweet Jesus. Time to hire a cleaning lady.)

I finally have my wheel! I'm very happy with it. I've been taking very good care of it, making sure it's been used daily. After, a wheel that moves is a happy wheel, right? Check out what we made!

4.25 oz Superwash Merino "Confetti", approx. 124 yards

Roving purchased at "From the Wool Room"

This fiber was super fun to spin - very soft, and very squishy. I broke the roving in half, did some serious prep, and just spun away. I'm really happy with the results! My intention was to have a 2-ply with colors that didn't match up and it's exactly what I got. I haven't measured the WPI, but because it's not a consistent weight, it wouldn't be accurate. Because it was so bulky in spots, ended up with two skeins.

Thanks to everyone who has encouraged me, and shared their skills with me. I couldn't have done it without you. Many hugs heading your way.

Can There Be A Wool Stimulus Package?

2009-03-21T17:54:00.006-04:00

Seriously, I'm in excitement heaven.

Here's a progress picture of my FLS. I'm tickled pink by the way that it has come out, thus far.

Currently, I am about 75% done with one sleeve. I have decided that knitting sleeves is not the most fun part of the sweater. Constantly having to move the body around while I knit is a drag, but I ought not to complain, as this sweater has gone much better than expected! I happened to show it off this weekend at A Row of Purls and everyone wants the pattern now.

I think Lori put it best... Baaa! Baaa! (Hey, at least it's a rockin' sweater!)

Moving on!

What is this, you ask? Well, obviously it's some handspun! This was spun by me on what will be my wheel in just about a week! Talk about stoked! I've been slowly paying this Ashford Traveller off, and this week, I should be able to take it home with me. I had really not planned on having it so soon, so I hadn't really let myself get too excited. Now, I can barely keep my head on straight.

There must have been something in the air this week in regards to wool, because I decided to join the CJKopec Spin A Long on Ravelry for April. I had planned on using my drop spindle, but yay for me - I'll be using a wheel! Spinners really should check out the Spin A Long - there are prizes involved - one for finished yarns, and for every 4 oz of fiber that you buy, you are entered into a drawing for a gift certificate.

I may have hit rock bottom when I ordered a batt from Sugarbee Studios, and some roving from Hungry for Handspun. I hesitate to mention the Silky Malabrigo I picked up on a super sale... nor the sock yarn that should be here any minute now from the Knitting Purls Sock Club. Or the yarn from Three Irish Girls.

Economic Stimulus Package my arse! It's been turned into Wool Stimulus Package here in the Smith household.

Warning: Very Little Content

2009-02-23T17:37:00.002-05:00

I'd like to come up with some thing witty and hilarious to tell you, but I've got nothing, other than the fact that I'm hopelessly addicted to a show about Polygamists. If you watch Big Love, then we have something to discuss.

(Poor Marjean has problems! And Nicky? Oy. Girrrrrlll...)

I've managed to knit about 3 inches of lace on my FLS. I would be farther along than that, but I've got to work in order to buy more yarn. Darn that money thing! I took some pictures of my progress, but right now, my computer and my phone aren't talking, so I've nothing good to show.

I think I'm going to change my strategy on life. Unless Cabana Boy can put a roof over my head, do all of the house work, and buy me all the yarn I want, I'm steppin'!

P.S. All the single ladies!

Knit On!

2009-02-14T16:40:00.003-05:00

This week was just one big crazy suck fest. From the Boss Man being in town, to having to stay the night at a friends because they are changing out the sprinkler heads it just sucked.

By the way, for those of you who live in Cumberland County, NC, be advised that the Fire Marshall is a twit. Apparently, the sprinkler heads in my condo had reached the end of their shelf life and needed to be replaced. Fair enough. Well! Any time you drain a sprinkler system, you are in violation of the county ordinance that states multi-family units must have a functioning sprinkler system in order for the units to be considered "habitable". Therefore and thusly, myself, mini-me, Two-Fingers and Chewi all had to evacuate the condo before 5:45 in the morning and could not return until 6pm. I could go on about what a pain it was, or how crazy Two Fingers got, or how little sleep I got, but I'm quite sure you can expound on your own here. For now, let's just keep it simple and call it Psychosis.

My needles finally came in so that I could start my FLS! I ended up changing my game plan and knitting a large on 7s, because the fabric knit with the 8s was icky. The 7s give me about 1-2 extra stitches per inch, and so I am just going to go with the large instead of the medium. Mind you, knitting with the 8s got me dead on gauge, but if you don't like something, you don't like something, right?

Here's a WIP shot!

I will say, that I had started this morning, with a 7s and the Medium. When I tried the yoke on, just before the second button hole, the neck seemed really small. Most FLS pictured on Ravelry have a neckline that is halfway between your neck and the edge of your shoulder. Mine was at the base of my neck. Granted, once washed the yarn may grow - but the yarn would have needed to "grow" almost a full inch to an inch and a half. That's a whole lot to ask from yarn, and quite frankly, I've been sickly, and not in the mood to mess around with crap, and so I just said to hell with it, and started over with a Large.

Am I just really anal retentive? Part of me thinks that I am, but part of me thinks that I ought to be - I want to wear the sweater and be happy. If I wasn't sold on it, I would have worn it and picked out every little thing wrong with it and would have been pissed off that I didn't get it the way I wanted it from the start. I had a great friend who helped me to see the light on this issue. She is my hero.

I'm in love with my sweater. How festive.

I hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day. I'll be spending it with a few of my closest friends and enjoying every minute of their company.

Let the Sun Shine In!!

2009-02-05T19:02:00.005-05:00

Isn't it warm and sunshiney? It made my day to come home to this in the mailbox! This is 600 yards of SW Merino fingering/sock weight spun up by my good friend Lori. Check out her Etsy shop! She's got handspun and roving up for grabs!

She also included some goodies which made my day! Thank you so very much for being you, Lori! This yarn is screaming knee-highs to me. I have loved Lakeside since I have seen them, but I'm a bit worried that my yarn may be too busy and the beautiful pattern might get lost. What do you think?

P.S. I am quite intrigued with the Bintje-Socks. I think my colors would work better.

My needles for the FLS are winging their way to me as we speak, so the socks will wait! I can't wait to start my sweater!!

Actual Knitting Content!

2009-02-02T17:14:00.012-05:00

And here you thought I was just buying the goodies, eh?

I made this for my friend, Tipsy. It was her birthday over the weekend, and I had to make her something special. She's been wanting a hat, but she got a headband.

This is "Molly's Headband" (Ravel It!) and was originally published in an Interweave Knits collection called "Sweet Somethings". It was a really quick and easy knit. (Read: good stash buster that qualifies for last minute knit status.)

Mean while, back at the ranch...

Mini-Me and I visited Hollow Oak Farms this weekend and had a great time with our friend and fellow wool lover, Meg. It was a fun day - carding, picking, and playing with color. I really enjoy working with Meg. She's been working with fiber for years and is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration. I think the fact that Sheep and Angora bunnies are in her back yard helped a bit too! We pet the sheep, turkey, bunnies and fed the chickens. Murphy (the doggie) was very sweet and enjoyed Mini-Me. The baby bunnies were too sweet! We brought them into the house for a bit of socialization.

It was hard not to take one home. Really hard.

Here is Mini-Me with one. I love their noses. I wanted to bring one home.

(Note the stack of fiber behind Mini-Me. Yessir, yessir, three walls full - top to bottom)

Meg has sheep! Although I didn't take pictures of them, she did have sheep we fed by hand and got to pet! The process of turning their fleece into yarn still amazes me. Meg is set up to completely process a fleece, although she does not shear them herself. It is truly a labor of love! I enjoyed learning about it - my brain weight has increased exponentially. (Which, you know, is an amazing thing as it is so large already. *ahem*)

The fabulous Opal and I are getting ready to take our voyage into the land of the February Lady Sweater, as previously stated. We should be started within the week. I suppose I should buy needles for it. That might help. I'm scared, folks. I'll just be honest. If it were not for my friends, I'd be to freaked out to knit it.

By the way, this is Murphy the Mastiff. He says hello.

'Ello Lovely!

2009-01-24T16:54:00.003-05:00

I keep forgetting to share my pretty little friends that come in the mail! Not only am I going to share, but I feel the need to link some of them directly to a fun place to buy them from!

Clockwise from the left!

Whimzy Pinzy - Tippy Toes in Rainforest. Unfortunately the folks at Sonny and Shear had such a good sale it's all gone. I also linked you to the Whimzy Pinzy Etsy site, as I couldn't find a link to the colorway.

Tolkein - Three Irish Girls Sock Yarnista Sock Club. It's neat stuff - merino, bamboo and nylon, otherwise known as McClellan Fingering .

Mulled Wine - also from Three Irish Girls - Carys BFL. I'm smitten.

Ginger - Dizzy Blonde Studios. It's a beautiful copper semi solid. Super soft stuff! Warning - you have to stalk her Etsy store - it's that good kids!

Petit Fours - Three Irish Girls - Kinsale Merino Tencel. It's a 50-50 blend and very soft indeed.

In the center is yarn I named *ahem* from the Alpaca Yarn Company. You may all feel free to call it "Purple Rain." (I know I keep bringing it up, but it still makes me giggle!)

Enough pimpin'!

Oh wait, I take that back.

I also feel the need to yammer on in regards to Three Irish Girls Sock Yarnista. I REALLY liked how it's set up! You get a choice each month of 2 colorways - one that's more of a semi solid, and one that's nice and colorful! They also switch out base yarns which I like as well. As a knitter that is relatively new to sock knitting, it was nice to have options, and a good way for me to build my stash with a variety. I have determined that my personal favorite is the Cary's BFL which is a ginormous skein - 490 yards of superwash BFL and it's so very soft. If you are looking to join a club, I would say go for it on this one!

This year I am going to do a different club - Knitting Purls has gotten some Indie Dyers together and is doing their own sock club. It's six months, and there is a different dyer each month. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone has to offer! This month I ended up with another pretty from Dizzy Blonde Studios. Score!

Love, peace, and hair grease. I'm off to share some early Birthday cheer with Terri, whose day is on the 31st. Too bad Terri doesn't have a blog - I could pimp her out too!

Double Debbie Downier

2009-01-23T16:15:00.010-05:00

Wine and some drugs. Seriously.

It's Friday. You know, TGIF and all that good stuff, right? Well, my quiet afternoon in the office turned into a moment of psychosis when I got a call from my landlord telling me that the condo below me had caught fire. Only after I started freaking out on him (I dropped a few f bombs like the poorly behaved young lady that I am) did he tell me it was on their deck, and that the fire men had to break into my outdoor storage unit just to check. Thanks buddy, you could have told me that FIRST!

At any rate, I came home to a scared puppy and a scared kitty, and a lovely haze in my condo, but that was it! I am just beside myself happy about that, and the fact that no one was hurt, nor was their any damage to people's personal belongings. I do, however, feel bad for the renter downstairs...

That's what you can see looking down from my deck (which has been checked for safety by the Fire Department, just so ya know). The open wall is where her storage unit is. You can't see it, but her hot water heater is in there. Mine is directly above hers.

We all use Natural Gas for hot water and heat. The main line runs right into the storage unit.

Seriously.

In a fiber related thought - I am very glad that I choose to keep my yarn in ziplock baggies. I know that some folks think it's a no-no, but I'm glad my yarn doesn't smell like a campfire! Could the couch and love seat smell like one? Yup, sure could. Could my clothes smell like one? Yup, sure could.

Yes, I am more concerned about the smell of my yarn. And of course my creatures big and small!

Mini-Me and our baby, Chulito - who is no baby, but we like treat him like one!

Two fingers is enjoying the open windows and says "Fire? Shoot... I didn't see no fire, but thanks for opening the window for me!"

Yes Mom, I'm Still Knitting On Your Sock

2009-01-22T17:19:00.004-05:00

Gah. It wasn't even worth Plurking "I blogged" yesterday.

Today has been a better day! I'm relatively pleased with the fact that most of the snow has melted and that when I left work at 4:30 it was 53 degrees. I don't mind the snow, but I really prefer to have snow in an area that is equipped to deal with it. 'Nuff said.

For your general amusement, I have the following conversation to share:

Me: Why is there a half eaten piece of cheese in the garbage?

Mini-Me: Because I didn't want it

Me: Then why did you eat it?

Mini-Me: Because I wanted it.

(Insert massive, yet inaudible WTF here, please)

Ever since I made my favorite hippie a Calorimetry for her birthday, Wenders has wanted one. Being the wonderful person (cough-cough) that I am, I decided to make her one, and use the Noro Silk Garden again. In the process of making hers, I found out that Noro puts some fugly colors in their yarn. I can't quite figure out why the yarn people thought that we would enjoy something that is the color of cooked pork with streaks of royal blue in it. Seriously. Check it out:

Here's the dangerously close FO:

I will take a better picture in the sunlight. Promise.

Yeah..... No.

2009-01-21T20:16:00.003-05:00

I'm not feelin' it today. I woke up late-ish, cranky and sore. Certain people are wonderful. Period. Kisses, hugs and hiney rubs to all of you.

Certain people belong on an island in a very cold location wearing nothing but their underwear and having nothing to eat but stale Corn Flakes.

In an attempt to make myself feel better, I will share with you a picture of roving.

I can haz yarnz.

2009-01-19T17:26:00.003-05:00

For my FLS!

I ended up going with something that I didn't even consider. It's almost like Aporto, but it's more green than Aporto - it's almost like the reverse. Here check out Lake Chelan Heather. Because it's kind of neat, leave the window for that open and do a side by side comparison of Aporto. Same colors - different amounts of each.

I'm actually pretty surprised at my choice! I really thought I would go for a purple, but, hey, a girl only lives once, right?

Check this out! I made it for my girl Toby over the weekend. The grafting looks crazy in the picture, but honestly, once you put it on, you could never tell. A non-knitter would never know. Toby is a non knitter and when I pointed it out to her, she couldn't see what I was talking about. Yay.It was a really quick knit and used up less than a skein of Malabrigo. I would estimate you could do it with 2/3 of a skein. The pattern is the Crofter's Cowl and it's free on Ravelry.

Yes, mom, I'm continuing to work on your socks. I promise.

And so it goes....

2009-01-15T11:17:00.008-05:00

Truly, there's not much to say today.

I have cast on two new projects in the last three days (no, one of them is not the FLS). I still have my mom's socks to finish. I am rather disappointed at my lack of knitting desire, but I really don't want to knit anything.

Why cast on new projects? No clue.

Why aren't I working on mom's sock? No clue to that either. Do the three rows I did Sunday count as progress?

Aren't I about to buy yarn for a sweater? Yup. Why? Because.

Meanwhile, I found this is funny.

Aporto Wins!!

2009-01-14T18:33:00.007-05:00

Yup, that's what I'm going to use. I think my LYS even has some on hand!

Thank you for your input blog-buddies! I'm pretty darned excited about knitting this sweater.

That's all for now.

Wait! Not so fast - I have been asked to give some linkage to some yarnage and baggage.

This project bag was made by Acornbud! If you clickey on the linkey you will be taken to her Etsy site. This bag is made extremely well and I was completely blown away by it. Not that I want all of you to suffer, and you may want to kick me when I say this, but it's worth more than what she charges ;-)

This little pretty is from Allspunup. It was a gift. Thank you gifter!!!! Me likey.

Okie dokie! The green yarn is from Miss Bab's YummySock and Baby Yarn.
Left of that is Sanguine Gryphon Edios Sock in Meno, which isn't on their website anymore. It too, is super.
Left of that is Araucania's Aysen #813.
Left of that is from Creatively Dyed. She doesn't have this color on her website, so I just linkey to a page of what it is - superwash merino.

This most horrific picture is of another gift. Thank you gifter! Me likey this lots - very colorful and unique, which is very much like me!

It's by GypsyKnits and the color is Whirlygig

Ok, that's enough. Now go shopping courtesy of my linkeys.

Out With The Old.. And In With The New

2009-01-13T15:24:00.006-05:00

So!

Last year my goal was to learn to knit socks. We'll consider that accomplished, shall we?

This year I am determined to knit a sweater. I've never knit one before.

Yes, I'm serious, and no, I'm not joking.

There are a few things about sweaters that scare me.

First, it's a commitment that requires stamina. My knees are quaking at the word commitment, and stamina? HA.HA.HA. Second, I cant' wing it. I am going to have to swatch. Sweet Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I'm going to have to swatch.

How on earth could swatching possibly scare me? Well, for a variety of reasons. Here they are, in no certain order:

What if I decide I don't like knitting with the yarn?

What if I pick out a yarn that is really the wrong yarn for the project?

What if I can't get the right gauge?

What if I can't get the right gauge?

Do I use bigger needles?

Do I use smaller needles?

You see my problem? Maybe I have just gotten lucky with socks and am halfway decent at eyeballing it - who knows. What I do know is that mentally it seems easier to rip out a sock than it is to rip out weeks worth of work on a sweater. Then again, maybe I am just lazy and would rather skip a swatch and dive right in than take the time to check my gauge. (Realistically speaking, I'll loose what, an hour, maybe two of my life here? Get over it, for Pete's sake!)

To over come my fears, and because they are just down right supportive people, Opal and Lisa are wanting to knit the same sweater. I think we are going to knit the sweater together, in our own crazy little Knit Along. And we are all going to knit the February Lady Sweater.

Now I have to pick a color. I like purple. I have a lot of purple in my wardrobe. If I had my way, I'd be using DIC Classy - Visual Purple. Or maybe something from Creatively Dyed - Jackie is nice, isn't it? Both are beautiful and both are calling my name. In a perfect world, I would have a credit card that automatically pays itself off monthly and has no limit!

As beautiful and noteworthy as these yarns are, I'm going to go with the practical side of my brain (err, well, let's say the previously unknown practical micron sized portion of my brain) and opt for using Cascade 200, simply because of the massive amount of color choices and the fact that it's rather inexpensive. I'm obviously in love with the following choices:

Aporto

Light Teal - which doesn't seem very light to me, but whatever, I'm cool with that

Midnight Heather

Italian Plum

If you know me well, you know that purple is my favorite color. It was hard to pick just one (insert whimper here) and so finally I decided that Italian Plum really did it for me. Just to be sure I did look at other websites to see the variance of color between photographs and TLE's seemed to be right in the middle. Perfect. Yes, all of that went into picking a shade of purple. God help me.

I need to buy the yarn, peeps.

Please.help.me.pick.a.color.

PLEASE!!!

So what else is new??

2009-01-11T20:10:00.009-05:00

I know.. Megan posting on her blogs seems kinda new, right? As in where the hell have I been?

Well, life gets in the way sometimes. Basically, I have allowed work and life to suck the life out of me. Not good! It seems like for the last couple of months if my personal life hasn't been in shambles, work has. I have a bad habit of letting life get the best of me, and that's a bad thing. (I can see all of you, nodding in agreement - it's ok, I am nodding too) At any rate, a huge part of me just wanted nothing to do with blogging, because I felt like I would have to go and kind of re-live my craptastic day, and no one wants to hear about that!

Moving on! I have been having fun as of late. Here - I'll give you a quick run down:

I went to NH for Christmas. It was cold but it was still fun. (Wild turkeys - need I say more?)
Although I am missing her dearly, I had a fun time helping my favorite hippie move home to Massachusetts. Her going away party was oodles of fun.
I'm preparing to teach my first knitting class. (Please, share your experience!)
My chihuahua is staying with Mini-Me and I for the next two months. (He's the son I didn't give birth to)
I had the winning name in a "Name The Yarn Contest" - Paca Peds "Purple Rain". (Go check it out and buy a skein - think of me when you do!)

As for the prior blog post, in which I begged for suggestions here's what has happened:

Cabana Boy still remains elusive. I have high hopes that he's out there some where, I just have yet to find him and draw him into my madness.
The Christmas knitting went awry. The only one I accomplished was a hat for my sister. Mom's socks are still in progress, the hippie's beret is still in progress, and there is still yarn with names attached hoping to be used for next Christmas. (I will never knit for the holidays again unless I can complete it in a week or less. Period.)
I am going to share my pictures from SAFF. Seriously. I had a good time. I will go back next year.

On a VERY important note, I still have 2 skeins of yarn waiting to be claimed. RaeInWa, please let me know where to send your yarn, girl! If anyone knows this lovely knitter, please tell her to get in touch with me!

And now for some pictures. Enjoy. (I don't know why they look funky, and I'm not sweating it either - normally I do.)

We Have A Winner!!

2008-11-01T11:52:00.005-04:00

Two posts in one day??? What is going on here??

First, in a very scientific manner, I wrote down all of your names.

Then I took a hat that I didn't knit and put all of my papers in there! It has occurred to me that I could have used a random number generator, but that would not have been as fun.

I then swished around the names a bit and picked one!

Well, I have a winner! I am so happy to announce that RaenWa is now the proud owner of more yarn!!!! This picture is rather dark, but I figured that you all might be interested to see what Rae is going to be receiving!

Go congratulate Rae! She has a lovely blog that I enjoyed reading this morning.

Now. Everyone seems very interested in the ideal Cabana Boy. People were also pretty interested in hearing about SAFF. I have decided that while I will indeed blog about the ideal Cabana Boy, I will also include pictures of my SAFF haul, and point out which is to be used for Holiday Knitting. I think that will make for a pretty big post and cover all of my bases. We shall save random for another day, because that's just a lot of fun to do.

Try and remember this isn't Burger King, kiddos. You don't get it your way every day!

Thank you to all who took the time to check out my blog and leave a comment. I am happy to have you along for the ride!

Ack!

2008-11-01T11:23:00.002-04:00

Ok, just a disclaimer that voting is now closed.

I have yet to pick a winner - I still require additional caffination for that ;-)

Thank you to all who took a minute to inspire me!! I do think that Cabana Boy is the winner, but I'll work the other items into the post, just because I am cool like that!

Hugs to everyone who left a comment!

Crown me Ms. Un-Motivated 2008!

2008-10-30T09:43:00.005-04:00

Doodes. Seriously.

I've been thinking of you, fair blog readers. I've got plenty of things to share, I'm just feeling extremely lazy and unmotivated. In honor of that, I'm having a contest. (Yes, a contest to celebrate my own laziness - go figure.) I figure that by having a contest that requires me to post again shortly after it, I will have no choice but to get off of my duff and blog.

Here are the topics that I have a decent amount of crap with which to blog:

1. SAFF

2. Holiday Knitting

3. The ideal Cabana Boy

4. Random Thoughts about whatever (remember the Fancy Chicken post?)

Ok - everyone decide to what you want to hear about and post your choice in the comments section. I'm not promising fancy, woo-hoo pictures, or a fabulously written piece of work, but I can promise you that I will make you laugh and you'll want to come back. Whichever topic gets the most voters wins and I will be forced to blog about it.

If you vote, I will write down your name, put it in a hat (that I didn't knit myself) and I will have someone (not me) pick a name. You will win two skeins of Lorna's Laces Storm Watch. (Are you expecting some sort of photo here? Sorry - that's too involved for me at this point.) They are already wound up into cakes, and I think I have at least 1 label. I think. I have never used them, and they are just marinating away in my stash. I may even include something else, just because I am fun like that.

I will draw a name on Saturday - you have until 10am on Saturday to post your choice in the comments! Please feel free to also share something funny in the comments. Laughing is good.

Can You Follow The Fiber Buying Rules?

2008-10-09T10:19:00.007-04:00

Rules? What rules? There are rules when it comes to buying yarn? Hey, and since when does Megan follow rules?

Yes, friends, there are now rules. Tragic, yes, but unfortunately necessary. The goal here, is purposeful spending. I know that it seems scary, and that there is a bit of heresy involved when it comes to not populating the stash, however, the rules allow for expansion and so I think I can live with it!

For your enjoyment and so that you can have a nice chuckle, here are the rules I am going to bravely attempt to adhere to (I believe that Akamai Knitter is going to be following these rules - 2 heads are better than one, ya know?):

1. Yarn purchases can be made when there is a purpose for it and you are ready to use it immediately. Gifts fall into this category. Yarn, say for a sweater, also falls into this category, HOWEVAH, you must be ready to knit the sweater right then and there.

2. Fiber/Yarn Clubs are allowed. One of each. When you take the time to add up the monthly expenses of a Club and then all of the Etsy/LYS buying, it is more than we realize. The Clubs will be the monthly treat. It's your yarn to play with, or, to set aside for a special project for someone.

3. You may not purchase fiber/yarn just because it's pretty. (This is the hard part). No matter how soft, how smooshy, how yummy or how silky, you just can't do it. The only exception is if you are following rule #1.

4. Fiber Festivals are different. They only rule is that you can only can only spend what you bring in - cash only. No trips to the ATM once you run out - not allowed. Credit cards don't count unless you can pay it off in full when you get the bill. (Which really means, don't bring the card.)

5. Recognize that your stash building efforts are by way of the Yarn/Fiber Club. You should remind yourself that pretty yarn/fiber comes once a month so do not fear!

6. If you valiantly support a friend on Etsy, you may continue to do so, within reason - say, when they do an update. We must support those who support our addiction!

Can you see the rationalization behind this? For me to go on a complete fast would be asking too much. It would mean that when I fell off of the wagon that I would buy half of Etsy and have to feed Mini-Me ramen and ham sandwiches for a month, and I would feel incredibly guilty. So, rather than try to fast and fail, I'm going for purposeful buying!

The Yarn/Fiber Clubs replenish/build stash. (necessary to a knitter, no?)

The fact that you can buy yarn helps you resist the urge to spend a whole pay check on yarn.

Buying specifically for a project that you are absolutely ready to cast on for reduces the risk that the $80 bag of yarn will not languish in the back of the yarn bin.

Feel free to participate in the Fiber Buying Rules. If you need support, please drop myself or Akamai Knitter a note - we will help you, or you can just remind us that we are crazy for doing this!

Speaking of purposeful buying...

Mama's got a brand new bag!!! (Or two - maybe three if you count the one I didn't photograph!)

See? Big and Little! I think they are great. I love Le Sportsac. They last forever and have great prints. I have been carrying two bags. A purse and a knitting bag. What a PITA! Too fiddly. Too much to remember. Sooo.....

Now everything fits nicely into one bag, and I have a room to spare - either for a large project, work papers, a change of shirt (because I spill everything), you name it, I can get it in there! I love the fact that the purse is small and fits in the bag. Because I have a shoulder issue, small bags mean that I can't carry around two tons of fun. Having it kept in a larger bag means I carry the larger bag to the car, or into work, taking out the purse if I don't have the need for the bag! Plus, I got the bags at TJ Maxx, so I paid way less than retail. Smart, purposeful buying, no?

Two Fingers, because she is a curious lady, had to check it out. She has promised to stay out of the bag - at least when I am not looking! (Notice the red satin knitting bag, ahem.)

Cabana Boy! Pass Out These Awards!

2008-10-04T16:27:00.002-04:00

My good friend Opal nominated me for a Blog Award!! Thank you Opal!! I try hard to bring smiles to everyone's life with the calamity from mine, and I am glad that it is working! I really enjoy reading Blogs. I love the fact that we get to share in the joyous moments and even in the hard moments. There is something about a good blog that lets you into a person's life, and makes you want to keep on reading to see what's next.

In return for my nomination, I have to nominate four other blogs that I love to read! It was immediately clear to me that I couldn't just nominate the blogs that get read by the masses. I needed to chose blogs that I enjoy reading because they are fun, and because that blog writer shares a bit of themselves with you.

Drum roll please (that's you, Cabana Boy):

1. Cursing Mama - She makes me laugh on a daily basis, and she's always sharing something fun. Her new background and title make me giggle.
2. Yeah I Knit - Dani is a riot. There's always something new going on with her blog, and lately, she has been a blogging queen. Way to go, Dani!
3. Ms Create - I think that Daniele and I were separated at birth! I'm not sure how it happens, but she and I are always on the same wave length and it's good to know that I'm not the only one out there =)
4. The Carantit Chronicals - I have know Tyler since kindergarten. He has a great writing style, and it's fun to get to know him all over again as an adult. I find his blog heartwarming and funny.

Please take a minute to check out these blogs! They are worthy of your time, and I promise that you will find them entertaining. Kudos to all of you, and thanks to Opal for allowing me to pay this one forward.

Oh! I almost forgot - there are some rules.

1. Please put the award on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded you

3. You must nominate at least 4 fellow bloggers for this award.

4. Add links to the recipients.

5. Leave a comment so the recipients know they have received an award.

I'm adding a 6th, ahem:

6. You must, in turn, nominate 4 other bloggers that you think rock!

Have a fabulous weekend, fair readers! May Monday treat you well - I, for one, am taking the day off. Woot!

The Sock Is On Fire!!

2008-10-02T13:28:00.005-04:00

And no, it's not because I left a cigarette burning too close to the wool. (Knotty girls use ash trays outside, not near stash or projects, ahem.)

I am working on a pair of socks for my girl, Wendy Lee. She is a very worthy recipient - not only does she create fabulous hair for me, but she is one of my dearest friends and it's her birthday on the 8th!

This is a project I am very excited about for a variety of reasons. I'm sure that you would like to know what they are, so I will feel free to share:

1. I'm using the Lime & Violet Intentions Yarn - Inspiration #1. I really love the colors in this yarn - they are quick jolts of colors, very intense colors, with a lot of depth. Take a minute to read up on Intentions Yarn - it's a great idea. I chose to use the Inspiration colorway because we all need inspiration from time to time - it encourages us to go out and do great things!

2. I decided (after much debate) to knit Express Lane Socks. The pattern itself is very easy, and because I have moved over to the "dark side" and am knitting on 2 circs, they are going very fast. Plus, the recipient of these socks moves at a high rate of speed on a frequent basis. Fitting, no? I am loving knitting these socks.

HOWEVER!!!! (Mentally make the noise of a scratching record, seriously, we're about to go off of the tracks)

The original pattern calls for a short row heel. We all know how I feel about short rows when it comes to socks. (Think of a SNL Bush Sr spoof and raising taxes "Not gonna do it.") I decided that I was gonna be slick and insert a heel flap in it's place, and of course, I am going to utilize the one that I have in a Wendy Johnson (aka Sock Goddess) pattern. My stitch count on the Express Lane pattern (60 stitches) is not exactly dead on with the Nanner Sock heel pattern (64 stitches), so I tinkered with the numbers a bit, consulted the Sock Goddess and determined this could easily happen! I was so happy that my brain is working in the appropriate manner. Please make note of the stitch counts for each pattern - it will make my story funnier, I swear.

Monday night, I started working on the gusset - so exciting, I love knitting this part of the sock. Yesterday I notice I'm not liking it, and there's an error (I switched up how I did my M1 - blech), so at about 7:30 pm, I decided to frog the gusset, fixing the error, and going back to my old ways of doing a M1. I know that Wendy Lee won't care about one error, but I would, ya know?

So I frog. I pick up my stitches, and painstakingly figure out where the seams are, and count my stitches. First, I count them and I have 59. I count them again, I have 61. I count them again and I have 60, 30 on each needle. In my brain, I am thinking that I need to have 32 stitches on each needle, because I need a total of 64 stitches. Well, this sock only has 30 stitches per needle. I curse, I threaten to throw the sock, I contemplate burning it, then I call Opal for an intervention.. She's such a cool cookie, she listened to my rant and talked me out of burning the sock, and we jointly come up with a way to increase 4 times within the lace pattern so it won't be noticeable. All this time, I am trying to figure out, how in the world did I loose 4 stitches? Where did they go? Oh well, I have a plan, so let's move on. Woot!

Yeah, no, not so much.

Think about it, if I'm missing 64 stitches, I can't just increase in the lace - I have to increase on the sole of the foot as well, so that there will be 32 stitches per needle. Follow my thought process here... I can see how I lost a stitch or two in the lace - it happens. But to loose stitches on the sole? How is that? I have checked the sock over with a fine toothed comb - no dropped stitches.. What the hell is going on here?? Whatever - it happens, and if I need 64 stitches, I need 64. Increase 2 stitches in the lace pattern, and 2 on the sole of the sock. (I have a plan, remember?)

I proceed on with the plan ('cause I made one) knit across the lace, adding in my extra stitch, and then realize, I have too many stitches for the lace pattern. Huh? What? If I'm supposed to have 64 stitches, how can I suddenly have an extra stitch - I shouldn't have enough! I bust out the pattern and look at the lace chart. I've got the appropriate amount of stitches. How can this be? How can I need 32 stitches per needle, yet the pattern only needs 30? Where have I gone wrong? I've spent over an hour figuring out how to fix this, yet now my fix won't work!

Get your lighter ready friends - I hear that wool has a nice blue flame.

I decide to read the whole pattern over again, just to see if I missed something. Apparently, I did.

Dear Ms. Knotty Knits,

We regret to inform you that the pattern you are using only calls for 60 stitches in the S/M size. While we do understand that this is frustrating for you to read, and it may cause you to have a fit, it is the only answer we have for you at this time. Next time, read the pattern at the first sign of trouble or frustration.

Sincerely,
The parts of your brain that read patterns

What in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks was I thinking? How did I not notice this?? Since when have I been knitting 64 stitches around for this pattern? NEVER!! After an hour and a half of plotting and wrangling and complaining and cursing it, reading the pattern showed that I only need 30 stitches per needle!! Darned cursed Nanner Sock heel!!! It invaded my brain and took over the Express Lane Sock pattern! Remember when I shared that I had gone through and tinkered with the numbers from the heel of the nanner socks to replace the short rows with the heel flap? Why did I have to tinker? Because the Express Lane socks only have 60 stitches and the nanner socks have 64, so I had to mess with the numbers a bit to center the short rows and the gusset increases! But never did I want to change the stitch count from 60 to 64 in the regular pattern! Never! Again, let's repeat a much used phrase from this blog - What was I thinking???

I really had the lighter ready folks. I looked at the sock, looked at the lighter, looked back at the sock, and had mental images of it going up in flames. I thought about sticking it in my empty Hornsby's Hard Cider bottle and made a "Sock-al-tov Cocktail" and throwing it out into the parking lot just for kicks. I thought about putting it in the litter box and letting Two Fingers punish it. I thought about throwing it off the balcony in a "Walk the Plank" sort of fashion.

Instead, I called Opal and gave her the good news. I'm not nuts, I'm just a non-pattern-reading-can't-keep-two-patterns-straight crazy lady who had contemplated destroying a perfectly good no errors anywhere sock.

PS for your viewing pleasure, here's what Cindy sent me for the Plurk Swap. Isn't she just fabulous!!!!! She rocked my socks (literally)! Don't worry, Plurk Swap partner - your box will be on it's way soon!!

A MeMe from Opal!

2008-09-25T20:52:00.001-04:00

Your Autumn Test Results

You are a energetic, warm, optimistic person. You approach everything with a lot of enthusiasm.

When you're happiest, you are outgoing and expressive . You love celebrations, and you enjoy showing off a little.

You prefer change to come slowly. You need a long transition period when your life changes.

You find solitude to be the most comforting thing in the world. Being alone with your thoughts feels very peaceful.

Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine.

You tend to live in the moment. You enjoy whatever is going on, and you don't obsess over the past or future.

The Autumn Test

How many WIPs does one girl need?

2008-09-14T12:26:00.008-04:00

Well, apparently I need a few! Not that I need to have a few going, but between gifts and my personal projects, I've got a houseful! Here is a peak at what's going on!

First, let's discuss what's on my mind. This so-called thing called a "jogless jog".
I've been working on the "Turn A Square" hat by Jared Flood. I like the simplicity of it, and thought, what the heck - I've got spare wool for that! Well, the "jogless jog" that is used on this project is apparently unattainable. I just can't seen to get it right - when it looks right, I have a hole, when I have no hole, it looks like, well, crap.
Daniele (who had a super blog, so read it) is having difficulties with it as well. Why is this so hard?? What in the world is wrong with my knitting brain? Anyone have a solution - I promise I will share with Daniele. If I can't get this thing down soon - I'm gonna be very done with this project. I won't even frog it - I'll just pull the needles and toss it. It's a flippin hat, for Pete's sake!! (Jared, if you are listening, I think you are divine and I want to lick you, however this hat - which is very simple - is upsetting me. Can I send it to you and you can finish it? Promise, I will love you forever.)

Moving on! I've been working on the fingerless gloves for my friend, Gabe. I love them, and have had a lot of folks ask me to make them some. (NOTE: MsKnottyKnits is not accepting new projects at this time, unless you want to pay. Ahem.) It's actually a very easy pattern, and I am enjoying it. I'm half way through the second one, and I almost think I'm going to need my own. I am enjoying the color - It's Plymouth Yarn Happy Feet, in color 6 on size 2 DPNS.

Next, I've obviously been busy with the drop spindle! Ohh Baby. I decided to put some thought into how I break up the roving. My friend Opal brought up using fractal spinning to control which colors end up where. Here's what I did:
I unbraided the roving and laid it out on the floor, splitting it in half.
I then took one half, and split it in half. It's very dense fiber and has required a lot of pre-drafting, as well as some help while spinning.
I took the remaining half and put it in a bag. It's resting until I'm done with the first bit, but when I go to use it, I will split it up into 4 pieces, and spin another single.

Eventually, I will ply the two together. I'm hoping to have a very lengthy color repeat and a much shorter one. I think it will add interest to the final product. Did I mention that I am aiming for thin? (Shoot me, please, now, shoot me.) I picked this roving up from Allspunup. It's very soft and springy!

Yesterday, I headed out to my A Row of Purls and hung out for a bit. They are such nice folks there! We have been collaborating on the Great American Afghan, and are putting on the final bells and whistles. The Afghan itself will be raffled off to raise money for a scholarship at the local high school. If you are interested in purchasing one, it's $1 for one or $5 for six, you can contact me via email, and we will hook it up through Paypal. Easy Peasy.

While I was there, I had a Malabrigo moment. See, what had happened was... I bought the wrong size of needles. I could for sure have gotten a refund, but why not just trade them in? I love the colors in this - they go from purple, to blue, to green - lovely. I'm going to use it to knit my Morning Surf Scarf, using size 8 needles. I think everyone should knit with this yarn, mainly because it's just so soft and their colors are just outstanding. Apparently, the good ladies at my LYS are going to order more colors - as well as different types. (I plugged the silky.)

Last week, I hopped on the Tempted Yarn bandwagon - I've held out for so long, and it's been soo hard, but I finally found a lace pattern I just knew I needed to knit, and then Stacy posted her Lace Grrl yarn. I picked up Horn of Plenty, and I am going to use it to knit the Ring of Lace Wrap. I am really excited about it, because I really think I'm going to be able to get a lot of use out of it! Here's a sample, and because my camera doesn't do it justice, I'll link you to her Etsy site.Alrighty, fair knitters! I'm done blabbing for now. I know I am falling short of my 3 posts a week goal, but I figure that one major post could count for three!

Happy Sunday!

Pass The Cheese Please!

2008-09-02T19:42:00.005-04:00

I'm tired.

It's Tuesday, but it's really Monday. (gah.)

My shoulder hurts because I am an idiot and decided to spin for hours this weekend. Back to the pain med chest I go... (happy trails, to you...)

I managed to get housework done tonight, but when I look around, there is still more. (Crap.)

I am perfectly happy with the fact that I really didn't do jack all weekend, but it was a difficult one emotionally, and I am so spent. (Geesh... some people just know how to kill a weekend)

I can't get my blue tooth and my phone to cooperate. (Who can turn wool into yarn, but can't work a phone??)

I definitely do not want to go to work tomorrow. (blah.)

Oh - I lost the link to the Cabana Boy I was going to buy to handle all of this crap for me. (Damn it!!)

Can you see why I am drinking fermented grape juice tonight?

At any rate, here is what I think about whine - err.. wine!

Favorite wine: Tintero's Muscato D'Asti.
I'm not really into sweet wines, but this one is not that bad - I think the bubbles kind of help. It's a white, and it is fruity, but very light on the fruit - think pears and citrus. It's got a lovely case of "buttery Chardonnay" going on, and it just makes me smile. For the record, I do not like Muscatos. Ew, yuck, blech. However, this one is so divine that Georgia boy and I used to drink this all of the time - it was the official wine of the "Fruity Wine Night." We found it at a local wine store here in town and every time I am near the place I stop and buy a bottle. Delish.

Least favorite wine: Shiraz
Mainly because it gives me heartburn, but also because I just don't find it that appealing unless it is dry and paired well with a meal, even then It's only something that I will sip. Nothing I will go out of my way to purchase.
(Note, Megan likes to drink wine - not just taste wine)

Favorite Cheap Wine: Bohemian Highway, Merlot, please.
Yes folks, it's the hippie in me coming out. We drank this at my favorite Hippie's house when we went out for my birthday... Oy. Costumes, Woodford, and Bohemian Highway, all the while wearing 4 inch stilettos. Seriously, the stuff is about $5.00 a bottle. It doesn't leave you feeling like you got run over by the cheap wine delivery truck, and all of their varieties have been nice. It's a great wine when you feel the need to entertain a crowd because it's just a generally descent wine, and everyone likes it. It also works well for a Girl's Night celebration.

I know that there are some of my friends who have a difficult time with the sulfates in wine. I did a bit of research, and here is what I have come up with:

There is, unfortunately, no wine that is truly sulfate-free. It's a naturally occurring thing that happens when during fermentation, however, sulfates are added by winemakers to as a preservative and to prevent oxidation.
European wines have higher levels of sulfates than US wines.
Organic wine has NO sulfates added. So.. Instead of being able to have 350 ppm, organic wine makers are held to 100 ppm. The lower level of sulfates can make a good glass of wine possible for those who have had adverse reactions to the "s" word.
Sulfate free wine does not have a long shelf life - sulfates are preservatives. They are also darker in color because of the oxidation process.
Some wine snobs think Organic wine tastes like poo - well, I happen to think that some very expensive wines taste like poo as well. (Yes, that would be you, Mr. California and the $200 bottle)
Taste is personal. Try it.

Ok fair blog readers - your mission is to tell me what your favorite wine is. If you feel so inclined, I would also ask you to seek out some Organic wine and report back! There is a Plurk buddy out there who deserves a great glass of vino and will thank you for it!!

Fancy Looking Chickens

2008-08-28T22:16:00.007-04:00

Please tell me you remember Deep Thoughts.... By Jack Handy! I decided that I needed to share some random thoughts with my favorite blog readers, and it made me think of Jack Handy. (The elevator music is currently playing in my head) Please take a moment to ponder one of Jack's deeper thoughts before proceeding.

"If I come back as an animal in my next lifetime, I hope it's some type of parasite, because this is the part where I take it EASY!"

(For more deep thoughts, you can go here.)

At any rate, here are some things that briefly passed in and out of the hall of greatness today (yes, that would be my brain):

There will never be a time when handing out crappy news gets easier. Period.
Eating "Live Active" products can hamper normal routines.
I love knitting the gusset when a pattern calls for it.
I would like to meet a man who would be willing to shower me with love and attention, while providing unlimited funds for my hobbies and allowing me to knit and spin to my heart's content. (Actually, I would really just like to be independently wealthy, and knit and spin to my heart's content - big girls can take care of themselves. Ahem.)
I would like to have fancy looking chickens. The only eggs I really eat are deviled eggs, so I could give them to Wendy Lee and she could make them all the time.
I could really go for a nice long cuddle. (Yes, I know I stated I'm a big girl, but cuddles are something you can't give to yourself.)
A wide open field with plenty of wildflowers would be nice for a back yard.
Ex Husband's birthday is the 30th, and if I had thought about it, I could have knit him a lovely object shaped like a turd. Just like him.
I'd rather be at the beach drinking a wine spritzer.
Fall weather would be nice, and my hair would stop frizzing up so much.
This post is seeming rather selfish.

Do you ever have one of those days where you would like to poke your eyes out with a very sharp object? I had one of those days today. Unfortunately, in order to see I must refrain from this method of bodily harm, so I just let my mind wander where ever it wanted to go instead, hence the random thoughts. It was great fun. I even used the Internet.

I saw this - you know, a fancy chicken:And this - ok, so it's Mt. Rainier, but I that doesn't mean it can't be my back yard, right?

I will spare you from the remainder of my Internet surfing. Trust me, it only got worse, because I moved onto websites where they sell things after the whole back yard episode. I almost plunked down a whole lot of money on things I didn't need, like anti-frizz hair product (like I need more), 12 months worth of fresh flowers, a lovely carrier for deviled eggs, and a page-a-day Deep Thoughts Calendar. Oh! And I almost hired a cabana boy to serve wine spritzers.

Tomorrow will be better. It's got to be. It's going to be Friday, and that means no suck-fest for three days (suck-fest=work).

Happy Labor day fair readers!

Shh! I'll get to you in a minute!

2008-08-27T10:25:00.002-04:00

Last week was my summer vacation. I know that it is a poor excuse for why it's been almost a month since I have blogged last, but I've been busy.. You know... With stuff... I know you are just dieing to know what I've been up to, so in an effort to be charitable, here is a brief run-down of recent events in no apparent order. (Welcome back to my world!)

This roving decided to become this yarn! It was my first time plying, and I enjoyed the results!!

I decided to use the purty new hand spun, along with this pattern to create this lovely little beret, modeled by the fashionista herself, Mini-Me. If you are interested to know the specs, please check out this. This pattern, by the way, was pretty simple to modify.

Zion decided to come over and play one morning! He and Two Fingers played nicely together. It should be noted that right after I took this picture, he threw the pacifier off of the third floor balcony. When he realized that Mini-Me would retrieve it for him, he did it again. And again. So I had to put the balcony off limits. Poor Mini-Me.

We went down to the beach for a few days! I didn't take a lot of pictures, but I would like to share the dynamic duo of Mini-Me and Sporty Girl. They enjoyed their time together - movies, boogie boarding, and sand crab chasing.

We had not been to visit our friends in quite some time, and the reunion was a great way to wind down the summer. Beer and steamed freshly caught shrimp never tasted so good!

I enjoyed my vacation, albeit uneventful! Most of all, I enjoyed just being Mini-Me's mom for a week! I purposely chose to stay close to home so that we could just do whatever we wanted to. It felt great just letting the phone ring if I didn't feel like answering it. There were times when I actually left the dang thing at HOME. I know, scary, but it felt sooo good.

Let's take a moment to review the summer goals shall we? (Oh wait, I only had one)

Learn to knit socks. Check!

Oh boy, I sure did push myself real hard with the amount of goals I had set, eh? I did manage to find other items to fill up the time - I learned to spin, I became part of a knitting group, I participated in the Ravelypmics, and to top it all out, I got to be Bobicus Maximus for a few days and hand out medals - that was super fun!!

All in all, I'd say it was a good summer! I've made a lot of new friends, tried a lot of new things, and have become much more confident in my skills as a knitter, thanks to the encouragement and assistance of a few awesome ladies! I'm glad I took the time to learn my new skills on my own, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to start a new hobby. I have my own style, that works for me and I don't feel confined to someone else's way of doing things! Because I suffer from arthritis in my upper back and shoulders, I need to be able to do what works for me. I love my hobbies, but not when doing them means I can't sleep because it hurts, ya know?

Speaking of which: Please support those who suffer from arthritis. Here are a few ways that you can do so very easily!

1. Knit socks? Purchase this pattern by Wendy Johnson. Wendy and The Loopy Ewe are donating a portion of the proceeds to the Arthritis Foundation.

2. Visit the Arthritis Foundations' web site, for pete's sake!

3. Go do something nice for someone who has arthritis!

4. Remember that you can be young and suffer from arthritis - it's not just something your grandma gets, people.

Ok, I've briefly run down the highlights of my vacation, shown you what I've been up to, double checked my goals to make sure I had attained them, and discussed arthritis.

I'm glad you all can keep up with the subject matter(s), I can't help it if I've had a lot on my mind!

PS - The goal through Thanksgiving is to blog at least 3 times/week. I wonder if someone can help me find a nifty ticker or something to put on my blog for accountability purposes?

Yes, I've been a lazy blogger

2008-08-06T20:31:00.005-04:00

(this is the part where you wonder what has changed!)

I've been working on the project from hell - square #6 from the Great American Afghan. I've ranted enough on Plurk about it, but I just need to say that it's not because it's a difficult knit, it's soo fidley!! Gah!

I sat down and made my favorite hippie's Calorimetry this weekend. I love it. Mini Me gladly modeled it for me, and I think I'm going to make her one next. This was such a fast knit - perfect for gifts, just like the article says!

Can you tell that I she checked out the Knitty write up as well? This was a great little knit, and I hope my hippie girl gets lots of use out of it!

Speaking of On Line Magazines I checked out a few this week! I feel the need to ramble about them for a bit because each has their own finer points.
Knotions Magazine
I like it! The patterns are - gasp- FREE! They don't have a ton of patterns, but some of them are quite nice! I like the sock patterns a lot. They have a great section on techniques, which will become a handy reference! I like the way you navigate around - it makes fining things pretty easy! I also like that there are easy things and more challenging things - even in the techniques area. This is a practical handy website to bookmark

Twist Collective
Squee!!!! Where Knotions kicks arse for practicality, Twist Collective kicks arse for dreamy and over the top! The patterns are amazing! If I had to pick a place to look once a year for a major project - I might have to look here. They had beautiful, challenging and downright artful projects. The patterns are not free, but they are reasonably priced. They layout is very original - I like how you can go through the website by just clicking on the arrows, very similar to a regular magazine. The pictures - fabulous. Added bonus - the Mason Dixon Knitters have their own little Q & A corner. What more could one want out of an on line magazine?

So your task, fair blog readers, is to check out both websites and let me know what you think of each one! Maybe you'll stumble onto something I missed, or even -shocker- learn something new!!