Okay, its much easier this way.

I keep on forgetting to post about my first SP8 package! My SP8 rocked my socks and sent me some Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora. Wow, this stuff is soft!!



Sooooo soft. Mmm....

Thank you SP! It's nice and black!!

Memorial Day Lace

I've gotten started on my Amazing Lace stuff. Meet the team: GGH Safari and Me



After 1 repeat (wow this needs some serious blocking) I don't think I have enough for a scarf. However, I don't really wear scarves, and this will be a little wide. So its going to be pretty much household decoration.

A table runner? A wall hanging? Draped gracefully over the leather sofa or chair?

I don't know, but I'm not buying more Safari for it.

Also note: I'm following the chart!

Pink still isn't the new black.

Okay, I still probably have enough pink sugar and cream for 2 more, but well, I got pinked out. These were made better by skull and crossbones and of course bunnies. They will look way better once washed.

Pink is NOT the new black.

What the hell?

Okay, I go to stitches, and dodge the Blue Moon booth. Mostly because people are going insane chanting "Socks that Rock" and are fighting over the damn stuff. Okay, they wern't chanting, but that booth was quite insane.

Err, nobody told me they had cotton sock yarn. WTH! Please tell me Sock Candy only comes in lame colorways. I mean, I don't expect it in all black. Honest. Sheesh.

And of course, now I can't find it.

FIGURES.

I KNEW it!

I've been telling you all for ages.

Sheep are evil.

Now you all must believe me!!

MUAHAHAHAH!

Its getting hot in herrr....

Nothing like "modeling" a sweater (nomatter how mini) in 88 degree heat. Woo hoo!



The Antropologie Caplet, ala Tim Burton. Pattern on craftster.org. Lionbrand Jiffy, less than 2 balls. I'm wearing it "inside out" since its striped.

Sorry, all the photos of the back are blurry. It looks like a mini sweater from the back, you'll just have to trust me!

Insane? Why yes please! I'll take two!

How ridiculous is it to think that I should make the Psychedelic Squares Afghan? I mean really? With lots of black. Or maybe not! I almost got sucked into the fish, but I came out of that unscathed.

The problem? Well, I can't decide on a colour scheme. I don't want clown barf in my home. I thought about always keeping black consistant and then having other bright colours throughout. If I did happen to take on this project, I would not be monogamous anymore. There is no way I'm sitting through a mitered square afghan without working on something else. I already know that's crazy talk.

I don't know. Shine Worsted comes in many pretty colours, but hell, so does Simply Soft. Shine comes in smaller quantities, which is ideal mind you. I also prefer the garter squares, since they don't really need a hefty blocking.

This is the kind of thing I think about when I'm supposed to be working.

Its done, and I'm on a roll!

The Antropologie Caplet from Craftster. I'll post a pic of me in it when I get around to taking one. I couldn't handle it this morning ;)

And since I was knitting yesterday, I did 2 baby hats for charity.



Okay, odd colours for babies, but they are soft and maybe not every mom wants pastel pink or blue. Anyway, it works.

And now I'm just fiddling away on some dishcloths until I start something new!

Also: Would the person in Indiana please stand up and take some credit for sending me some cool packages! Its not my SP8 or my Knitty SP! Who are you?

Green, er, black Gables

Here is my Green Gables! All fresh from being tossed in the washer and dryer. I was hoping it would shrink more, but it didn't. Its very work appropriate. Made of the Crystal Palace Cotton cone yarn that Elspeth sent me. On size 5 and 3 needles.

I finally have something I can wear to work!

Oh, elann is so quick!

Okay, I ordered a bunch of stuff on Saturday. Of course it didn't process till Monday, but look what I got in the mail yesterday afternoon!



Hey look color! And no, that's not for my SP, its for me. Muahah! Oh, the 2 hanks are from a knitters review stash reduction, they are so pretty. Anyway, my kinda review of the elann yarns:

>Endless Summer Collection Connemara (the green):
Much more earthy in person. I like it a lot. It feels nice, and doesn't seem as heavy as most cotton. Probably because I'm working with a very heavy cotton now. This is for the lace top that they have the pattern for on the product page.

>Peruvian Collection Baby Silk (the blue):
Wow. This stuff feels SOO nice. I need to get a metric ton of this in black. After I figure out what to make in such a fine gauge. Hell, maybe in green and other colours too.

>Schoeller Stahl Micro Cable:
This feels really quite nice for an acrylic. Cheap too. I'm planning on making >Angelica with it. It also came with the free pattern pictured.

>Schoeller Stahl Portofino:
I can't believe I bought this bubble yarn. And you know, its going to make a fun comfy "curl up and read a book with a pot of tea" wrap sweater. Its lightweight but looks warm. Hey, less than $13.00 for a funky sweater? I'm planning on making Grace with it. Not fancy, but hey, I might need something dull after all the lace I have planned.

And now off to try to figure out why my percentage bar says 100% on a pc. It doesn't on a mac. Figures.

Oopsie, I got distracted.

Well, I'd have my GG finished but I have a problem. On Sunday night, at CompUSA (now everyone sees where this is going) I got a new copy of Civ3. Now the copy I had wasn't um, legal, and at least 6 years old. I want to say closer to 7 or 8!! The disk was pretty much toast, with scratches and such. My husband marvelled at how I could still play sections of the game and choose my country/options with a complete scrambled screen.

So I bought a new one. And this one is UPDATED. You get way more stuff. It must be a later port of the pc version. *swoon*

Yep. I can't knit and "hit and run"* at the same time. I'll see you later when I finish my campaign, then I will finish GG. Then start another campaign. You are lucky I'm updating, only because I had to go to work again today. Also, those showers really get in the way! Sleep is for wimps! Today is a half day, so I'm looking forward to when I get home.

*Ben thought the little guys were saying "hit and run" instead of "blood shall run". He's so cute.

Thanks Lu!

So because of Lu's post, I noticed there is a lace kal for the summer. I'm all in. I will figure out how to make my bat scarf.

Bats in the Belfry

Gonna be a challenge. All chart! Heheh! I need to start Memorial day, so I need to figure out the border around the pattern (yes, there will be, its stockinette) and all that fun stuff. Oh, then knit it.

Looks like I better make progress on my Black Gable!

Coming along

Black "Green" Gable. Its coming along. Taking forever to grow as usual. Nope, I haven't tried it on yet!

Even when I look for colour I can't find it.

So I wanted to make the OSW next. I wanted it in a nice dark green. I was just going to use Simply Soft, to get the pattern down at least, and they have a nice dark green. Well, not in my hood. Bastards. I just want a damn green shrug.

Then I fall madly in love with Orangina. I have no idea where this love came from, probably pms. I've seen it a zillion times. So I'm looking around for something to make it in (green, it was all about green yesterday), because I won't buy the damn pattern until I buy the yarn this time around. And I can't find anything cool for this either. It's cotton for heavens sake. I could use the Rowan, but honestly, this love came on so quickly that I just wanted to make it out of something cheap. I don't trust my sudden infatuation. And the 4ply doesn't come in a nice darker green.

After that infatuation, I find myself wanting to make Clapoti. Now, while I'm going through this, I completely understand that it must be hormones. I mean, its cute and all, but I feel like I'm shopping in the bad part of Value Village, where all the retro but not cool enough stuff is. Not that Clapoti doesn't have its cult following. But it would look awesome in a blue and black colorway. Right? All the while, I'm noting that I'm quite insane and behind the times. Hey, at least I'm in that knitalong!

Its only Monday

6 more rows until I separate for the sleeves. Then its all downhill from there. I'm sure I would have had more done if I had actually knit more this past week, but its not a race right? More correct math was posted on the KAL, and it looks better. Well, until you take into account I washed and dried my swatch. It shrunk up an inch, and in less than a 1/4 in width. That is fine, really. I'm okay with it. Will I put it in the dryer? Final fitting will tell. I will throw caution to the wind and wash my damn knitted garments!

I'm still waiting on my Walker book. Damn resellers. I prefer used books anyway, but I don't prefer used shipping times. I try really hard to get things out the next day, but it seems like I am the only one. Yesterday DH bought 3 new shelves for his office, so I had to take his old one and cram it in my room (just a note, my whole office is hand-me-downs, very unfair). In the end, it will be okay, since the knitting stuff is getting out of hand, but right now I need to buy new tubs for the fabric stash. My current tubs are an inch too high for the shelves. Figures. I'm going to weed through a lot of my fabric too. Maybe get inspired to sew.

Looking forward to getting my SP8 pal. This round should be fun :)

Not much going on.

I haven't knit since Monday. That's quite a lot since I didn't sleep on Tuesday night. Why (about the no knitting, the sleep thing is unrelated)? Well, I'm bummed out. Reading the Green Gables Knitalong, I've found out that the small sizes are smaller than marked, the middle one perfect, and the larger sizes are larger than marked. So, unless I have magic skillz, my 38" will be 41.5".

You know, I knit the 38", to get a 38". I don't want 3.5" of ease. Really. In cotton. But my knitting foo might be spot on this time. Really! Man, in order to get gauge I had to go down to a size 5 needle, so its not that fun in the first place.

My solution? No, I'm not frogging it. Its a top down raglan silly! I can try it on and see what's up! Hah! Okay, I seriously hate trying on top down raglans but if it saves me 3.5" it might work. So the sweater has been sitting there 3 days waiting for a tryon status report. But I don't wanna. Even though I used interchangeable needles and I can add a cord to try it on.

Man, I'm lazy!

Last night there was a new knitting night (they only had 1 date) at the library by my house. I didn't go because I was running on fumes (3rd wave fumes) and had to make dinner. Food to an overtired body is more important than knitting. Plus, I didn't want to try on my damn sweater. The fake meatball sandwich did hit the spot though!

In other news: I love this, and its crochet.

Secret Pal 8

I'm allergic to wool and lanolin. It's a severe airborne allergy as well as tactile. Not just hives, it can kill me. Don't send wool. That would be unkind.

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?

I love natural fibers: cotton, hemp, alpaca, bamboo. Wool is evil.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?

I got a great case from my last SP, and I keep straights in a cool round wine gift box. Most of the time I use my interchangeable systems, and they come in their own.

3. How long have you been knitting? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?

This time around 3 years. I say I'm intermediate.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?

Amazon

Froogle

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.)

Almond. I like fruity scents too.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?

Yep! I like gummy candies, and high quality chocolate!

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?

You name it I've done it at one point. I'm pretty much sticking to the whole knitting pastime lately. I'm also addicted to video games. *sigh* I don’t spin at all.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)

I like 80s stuff and goth/industrial.

9. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand?

Black. I can't stand brown. I like black, if all fails, buy me black yarn and I'll love you. No, really. I like jewel tones as well. Pastels just won't work out.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?

And the cast is:
Husband: Ben
Brother: Sean
Bunny Rabbit: Raven
Kitty: Bella
(no, we're not afraid to use our real names online, feel free to try to steal our identities. We don't like em much anyway)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?

No. Well, I'm sure I will wear scarves, hats and mittens in the winter here. No on any circumstances for the ponchos.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?

Things for me, and toys for charity. I'm on a top kick lately. I love new patterns.

13. What are you knitting right now?

Green Gables tee. In black of course!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?

Of course!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?

Bamboo circs.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?

Yep, I own both!

17. How did you learn to knit?

My grandma taught me when I was 3. Yes, she did. Honest.

18. How old is your oldest UFO?

I don’t have any. My GG is currently 2 days old.

19. What is your favorite holiday?

My birthday. (Nov 14)

20. Is there anything that you collect?

I like bunnies. And black yarn. I seem to collect a lot of both.

21. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?

Some Rowan books or magazines would rock. I also love Japanese knitting books and magazines. I only have 1 kitty book now. I have no magazine subscriptions, but would love Interweave Knits or Vogue Knitting.

22. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?

I'm not chomping at the bit to learn anything specific. Just to be a better knitter.

23. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?

Yes, I guess I am. I take a womens 10. Never made any for myself. I'm such a dork!

24. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)

November 14th.

What else?

Okay, I have a little less than 2 balls of GGH Safari left. Honestly, I like it! Linen is a pretty cool thing when washed up. Anyway, what do I make with less than 2 balls? Oh, maybe a scarf. Of course a scarf! A scarf with bats!



From Barbara Walker's 3rd book. Okay, I don't have it in my hands yet, but I'm working on Green Gables (in black) anyway. So far, its a pretty fun knit! I'll post progress photos soon.