3 Knits Forward, 2 Rips back

Recently seen.....

2008-05-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

At the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. It was entered, I suppose, in the Felted Works division. I believe it is a hand puppet and it was truly amazing. Fully deserving of the blue ribbon.

Yarn Harlot

2008-04-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

I got to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Monday night!!!!

I have proof:

Stephanie talking to us and taking her pics of the crowd.

Stephanie and my socks.

Stephanie signs my book:

8^D

Socks!

2008-03-19T05:39:00.000-07:00

Here they are! I think Bozo would be proud. If I had any sense, I'd have dyed them blue and orange instead of purple and orange and sold the yarn for some unspeakable amount of money to a crazed Auburn fan. Hindsight, eh?

I'm still working on finding a good bind off for toe up. My DFW group have given me a good long list of options to try. I was planning on posting the pattern for these online but I'm not perfectly happy with them. Maybe the next pair will be perfect!

Speaking of options..........I received my Knit Picks needles in the mail this week! They are super-yum! I got the nickle-plated sz 2 circs (40"), and 2 sets of wooden circs, 1's and 0's, for socks. Well, all three are for socks...duh.

The 0's are for these:

The theory is that I'm making a pair of socks for Todd, with a bamboo/wool blend. I had started the first sock on dpns in 1x1 rib, thinking to rib the whole cuff. It felt terrible, all rough and pokey. So I ordered the wooden circ to do them both at once (I have a feeling once will be quite enough, thank you) and am doing toe-up plain stockinette. I worked most of the evening yesterday on these. See how far I got?
Um. These may take a while.
8^0

The Scarf

2008-03-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished it. Just in time for Spring. Of course.
I have no idea what to call this baby. The only thing I called it while knitting it is not exactly a proper name for a garment, if you know what I mean.

It was knit for my friend Jan who, along with her husband, have thoroughly spoiled us since we moved here. She recently (last week) retired from television and this seems like a good and proper gift, commemorating the fact that she won't be standing out in the cold at 4am doing news reports any more. Yay, Jan!!

It was motivated by the yarn, a 40/60 Alpaca/Merino blend in sport weight from Yarn Treehouse and inspired by that pattern in my Vogue Crochet Scarves book I was telling you about. The knit-crochet pattern looks great, but it is not an easy stitch. You know how when you read a pattern you translate it into words while you knit? You know, you turn K3, P2, K3, YO, into knit 3, purl 2, knit 3, yarn over. Except while you're doing it, it sounds more like kniiiiiiit threeeeee, puuuurrrrllll twooooo, etc, etc. Well, this pattern has a S2K3togP2sso. That's right. Slip 2, Knit 3 together, pass the 2 slipped stitches over. Except when I come to it in my row, in my head it sounds like this, "Two yaaaarn overs, knit one, two yaaaarn overs, biiiiitch stiiiiiiiitch, two yaaarn overs, knit one, two yaaarn overs, biiiiiitch stiiiiiiitch, two yarn overs....." etc.
Totally worth the angst. It really is beautiful and I hope it's not too itchy.

Here's the how-to:

This was knit in 3 pieces. I did the two lace pieces at the same time then knit the middle intending to graft them with a k2tog from the two pieces as I went. It was far too unweildy. I just knit the middle and then grafted them together with a simple whipstitch. (yay for black yarn)

Materials:

Sport Weight Yarn. Mine is Yarn Treehouse(as I said) 100g, 330 yards. I used one ball plus about 50-75 yards of another.

Size US 4 needles. I used Addi Lace Turbo 32"circs. Pointy needles are your friend with this one, folks!

Directions:

The Crochet-Knit Shell Pattern advises you to cast on a multiple of 6 plus 3. I added a border so there are 4 added to that.

CO 37 Stitches (Do everything twice if you intend to do both halves at once, once from the inside of the ball and once from the outside.)

Purl one row.

Row 1: P2, K1*YO, K1* to last 2 stitches, P2

Row 2: P2, Knit across, dropping all YO's from previous row to last 2 sts, P2

Row 3: P2, K3tog *2YO, K1, 2YO, Sl 2, K3tog, P2SSO* end with 2YO, K1, 2YO, K3tog, K1, P2

Row 4: P2, K1 *K1, Kfb of 2YO (knit into both "legs" of the double yarn over)* end with K2, P2

Row 5: P2, K1 *YO, K1* to last 2 stitches, P2

Row 6: P2, Knit across, dropping all YO's from previous row to last 2 sts, P2

Row 7: P2, K1 *K1, 2YO, Sl , K3tog, P2SSO, 2YO* K2, P2

Row 8: P2, K1 *K1, Kfb of 2 YO (same as Row 4)* end with K2, P2

Knit these 8 rows to desired length (about 48-50 inches)

Part 2:

CO 100 stitches.

Knit, slipping first stitch of each row, until piece is the same width as first two pieces.

Graft, checking that two lace pieces have the Right Side facing the same way.

What I would do differently:

I would CO the middle piece using long-tail instead of backward loop. I might also make the lace pieces about 6 stitches (one shell) narrower so I didn't have to dig into the extra ball.

Fiber as Art

2008-03-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

I need some help. Some artistic advice. Some artsy, knitterly, fiber junkie advice. Maryland Sheep and Wool is coming up and I fully intend to go. While looking at the site for the event I noticed that there is an art competition attached to this event. Like all good "county fairs" this has categories for your knitting, your handspun, your weaving and, lo and behold, painting! (All entries must be Sheep and/or Wool related.) Hey! I paint! Well, I used to. Before we moved.

I was inspired. A long while back, I painted this reproduction/interpretation of Picasso's Woman in a Red Chair.

I could do this! Ewe in a Red Chair. At first I thought I'd just do sheep parts in place of the people parts, but then I saw all those balls and thought, "Yarn!" The big, squarish bit could be a batt of wool. One of the balls could be roving. The piece at the top looks most like a sheep's head to me, but would that be too gruesome? What other fiber-related things fit the shapes already in the painting?

Throw some ideas at me!

Meanwhile, I really have been knitting. I finished that scarf and have made serious progress on the "Socks of Obnoxiousness". I will post patterns and pics. Really I will.

Tee-Hee!

2008-02-21T18:43:00.000-08:00

These particular socks make me giggle for a number of reasons.
1. The colors. Purple and Orange? What MORON puts those together for socks? Oh wait.
That was me.
2. These are my first toe-up project. I'm likin' it. I have (as you know) wide feet and these allow me to just keep increasing until I get as wide as the widest part of my flippers. Nice.
3. The colors mirror each other on the socks. I started one from the inside of the yarn cake and one from the outside so it is totally coincidental but I love it!
4. The project takes me back to BYOD when we dyed the yarn. Tasha, remember me winding this skein round and round those pews trying to make the repeats long enough? They're not all that long, are they?
Still, long enough to work!
5. Just looking at the colors makes me smell orange and grape Kool Aid.
6. I am totally avoiding about 4 other projects I really SHOULD be working on. I giggle out of a sense of sneakiness. (You've probably guessed by now that I'm not a good "sneaker".)
7. closely related to 6, These will NOT take me a freakin' YEAR to complete.
So there. :-p
8. These are for ME. They will be warm and fit perfectly and look goofy and be completely delicious in all the ways I love.

So far these have no pattern to tell you about. I cast on by alternating backward loop on two circs. I'm adding stitches 4 at a time (just like you would decrease on a top-down) until they fit my feet. I will then do plain stockinette. I'm thinking of trying a short-row heel on these as I've always wanted to and.....why the heck not? After that I'll probably do stockinette leg just for speed's sake and then a 2x2 rib cuff. That's the plan anyway.

Hint # 2 and something new

2008-02-05T17:52:00.000-08:00

Here's SotSii up through hint 2. I finished it Sunday and went ahead and blocked it. It's really pretty. Hint 3 came out last Friday and I've seen several pics of folk's shawls up through 3. I think it looks a little snakey but I can tell that it moves back out after hint 3 so I'm sure it won't keep looking like that. I think it's beautiful! It also feels nice in the hand, which will be great when it's wrapped around me! Yay for Secret of the Stole 2!

This is what I've been doing this week instead of the stole hint 3. I'm designing a scarf for a friend. I bought the yarn first and then went on a pattern hunt. It is sport weight yarn so I was looking at all these patterns that I knew would take me until well into Spring to finish.

I found the perfect pattern in my Crochet Scarves book. I know how to crochet! I started working and realized that knowing how and being good at it are 2 totally different things.

I went on another hunt and found a great pattern in my "Encyclopedia of Stitchery". It's a knit stitch that looks like a crochet shell pattern. Yay! I did some swatching (pictured below) to see how many stitches to cast on and how much of a border it needed. There was an error in the pattern in the book but I found a correct version online. Love the internet! Hopefully I'll be able to post the pattern for the scarf for you here once I get it all worked out.

I'm pretty sure it'll be a beaut'!

And the first hint...........

2008-01-25T17:19:00.000-08:00

Here's my completed first hint!!!!

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have gotten this far! How sad is that? It really is an easy knit so far and I think I'll be able to do it in these small chunks. I finished this earlier in the week and today the second hint was released. I'd better get crackin'!

SotSii

2008-01-25T17:01:00.001-08:00

I'm a joiner! Well, this time I am. And instead of just watching the pattern pieces come out for this knit-a-long like I did last time, this time I'm actually knitting it! Instead of using lace-weight yarn on size 3's as suggested, I'm doing fingering weight on size 5's. I am loving how it's turning out! Fingering is much easier to handle than lace for my first real lace project. Well, my first one that I actually have a hope of finishing. I'm using undyed Superwash yarn from Yarntreehouse, an eBay seller from whom I get my Rhythm yarn.......superYUM! I got 10 balls of the white superwash for about 20 bucks. You can't beat that with a stick!!!

Another first for me.... I did the swatch!

I had to since I was using a different yarn and all that. It's about 4.75"x7.5" after blocking, which isn't really much bigger than everyone else's. I'm planning to dye the stole whatever color it looks like it needs to be when it's all done.....unless it needs to be white. I know this isn't the best way to dye your yarn, but it's my stole and I'll dye it however I want! So :^P

A Poem for You

2007-12-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

The Knit Before Christmas

‘Tis the night before Christmas and tho there’s no snow,
Moonlight on bare trees can still mean “Ho, ho, ho”.
The dogs are all sleeping, hubs just went to bed.
“Don’t eat all the cookies,” the last thing he said.

My fingers are weary, my eyes are both bleary
And early tomorrow I’ll fake “bright and cheery”.
But late through this night I will knit on these knits
For all my relations and their little chits.

Hats, scarves and washcloths, socks, mittens, sweaters,
What was I thinking? I should’ve known better.
There’s never enough time to get it all done
And most of these projects will never see sun.

“The thought is what counts,” is what most people say.
I think that next year I shall say it this way:
“I love you sincerely. I’ve thought long and hard.
This year I’m expressing my love with
Gift Cards!”

-Teresa Thomas

Swap!

2007-11-30T04:17:00.000-08:00

I received my Christmas Swap package yesterday!!!! It was chock full of goodies...most of which I was sorta thinking I needed and some of which I had no idea I needed so badly! :-)

I got some On Line sock yarn (Yay stripes!!!) in City? colorway, some Australian Merinos Lame', silver with metalic bits. So, so , so gonna make these into Rainy Day socks that will be "Snowy Day" socks! Also Andes wool...looks sport weight in a soft yellow and grey colorway....official color name? 08. K. That bag also contained some red and green Kool-Aid, presumably for dying up some Christmas yarn.....which I was actually considering doing. (how'd she know?)

Also. Two pair of holiday earrings....which I've been wanting because I got a cute holiday necklace and needed earrings! "Handmade by" tags. Didn't even know I needed them!!!!! So pumped about these. A beautiful gingerbread house ornament with family name, several sock patterns printed off for me, sweet snowman pin (to go with the earrings and necklace, ya know) and some absolutely gorgeous christmas stitch markers. Again, I had no idea how much I needed Christmas stitch markers but now I know.....and I have some!!!

Yay for Annise! She's da BOMB!!! (that's good, Mom. trust me.)

Got my shirt.

2007-11-10T16:26:00.000-08:00

Knitting nerds unite!

Stitches East

2007-10-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday after work I met up with my friend Geraldine, my knitting sensei....the woman who taught me to knit!

G-dine in the yarn buffet that was Woolstock (there was even Noro in there!).

We drove from her place to Baltimore for Stitches East and really, really had fun. We were worried about onlyhaving 4 hours but I think it was just perfect. We saw most of everything and any more time would have forced me to....well let's just say I decided to feed my children this month instead.

My personal haul.

I was convinced by Geraldine to buy a bag of gorgeous roving simply because it was screaming my name from the corner of the booth. I do love it! All it says is "Wool" so I have no idea which type of sheep it's from. It's nice though. And don't worry, I paid G-dine back by talking her into a giant bag of yarn from Woolstock. It matched the shirt she was wearing perfectly! :-)

O.K., where was I? Oh yeah. Roving. Then, after wandering and drooling and talking myself out of so much yarn we hit Tess' Designer Yarns. I was a gonner. Giant hanks hung by color, and what amazing color! Silk, silk/wool blends, wool, etc, etc. It was a feast for the eyes...and hands. Then I stumbled on her sock yarn table. Crap!

The amazing wonders of Tess' sock yarn table.

I don't know who this woman is but God gifted her with some amazing color sense! I had an armful before I knew what I was doing. At only $15 a skein (450 yards), who can argue? I managed to pry some out of my hands and only bought 3 skeins. I kept chanting tomyself, "I can go online, I can go online, I can go online..." It was my favorite, though the Blue Moon booth was a sock yarn-stravaganza as well. I managed to refrain there. Geraldine bought me some Regia silk-blend sock yarn at the Webs booth so I'm all stocked up on sock yarn now! Not bad for a chick who, this time lastyear, didn't own a single skein of sock yarn.

So. I took cards from booths but only the ones that looked really interesting. And for your browsing pleasure, here they are:

www.tessdesigneryarns.com (the beeeest!)

www.woolstock.com (not impressed by the site, but the prices are good)

www.NeighborhoodFiberCo.com

http://www.kidhollow.com/

http://www.hempforknitting.com/

http://www.windyvalleymuskox.com/

http://www.dellysdelightsfarm.com/

www.weatherly-mize-designs.com (shawl pins)

www.justouryarn.com (nice kits)

http://www.dancingleaffarm.com/

I haven't checked all the sites yet but I figure that'll keep you busy a while.I'm trying to think of all the different vendors you'd be interested in. Blue Moon was there, Webs was there (were there?),

A small corner of the WEBS booth.

the big vendors were there (Cascade, SWTC, Skacel..) but they couldn't sell, only promote. Individual booths carried their stuff. Jojoland was there! Everybody was carrying Addis and Lantern Moon stuff. There wasn't a whole lot in the way of fiber or spinning stuff but there was enough to keep it interesting for the spinner. Like that giant shelf of "pick your own" batts sold by the ounce. You ripped off what you wanted and they weighed it. Too fun!

rip it and weigh it....mix and match

I plan on checking out some other conferences as they come along so I can compare them for you. 'Cause, you know, you never know when you'll be on the East Coast, eh?

So. How's that for TMI?

Enjoy!

-Teresa

It's a good thing.

2007-09-19T07:47:00.000-07:00

I did it! I finished my first pair of wool socks just for me!!!! Am I somehow more fulfilled? Is my life more complete? Are my feet somehow happier...more secure in the knowledge that they'll be toasty this Winter? I'm gonna have to go with a, "YES!" on that one.
It's all good.

Two socks on two circs rocks! I love knowing for sure they're the same length and I love, love, love not looking at one finished sock and thinking, "OMG, I've got to do that all over again now."

(Yes, I do have wide feet. It's true. I'm o.k. with that.)

It didn't save any time to do them both at once. It's just a mental thing.

Please be aware that I know this color was totally wrong for this pattern. From now I will listen to the crowd when it comes to hand-dyed sock yarn (I dyed this myself). Some patterns....o.k. most patterns...just don't do it justice. And vice-versa. You can't see the pattern at all in these and the colors look muddy until you get to the plain stockinette foot....where they are fabulous!
Live and learn.

Say hallo to my leetle friend....

2007-09-14T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is it. What started out life as a frog has ended up as a pig. On a swing. I'm not sure how that works out in an evolutionary sense but I am so tickled with how this turned out! I'm sure future pigs will have larger heads. I'm unclear as to why this one ended up so small, but it somehow adds to the pig this time. We'll see how future ones turn out.

The Right Reverend (my DH) felt like the handles should work into the overall effect on all my purses so we came up with the swing idea. I thought it was overkill at first but now I love, love, love it! The rope is actually tied on the swing through grommets. How cute is that?

It has a cute curly-que tail too but that's for it's Mama's eyes only! :-)
In an homage to my favorite knitting e-zine I've decided this pig should be called "Percy". You know......'purse-y'. Go Knitty !!! A more perfect name there could not exist.

I won't make any promises, but I'm pretty sure I'll be making one of these to KEEP someday soon!

Hamster's attack!

2007-09-08T16:06:00.000-07:00

After doing some contemplating, I decided to branch out and modify the bags a bit.

After some adjustments...

I ended up with a very, very cute hamster!

She even has a cute teeny-tiny tail!!!

Not much in the way of knitting these days. One obsession at a time, please.
Meanwhile, a small snaffoo on a frog is, I believe, leading to yet another sock-creature. Update later.

Knitting On the Wagon Train

2007-08-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I was able to knit some on the first leg of our moving saga...the part where Todd drove a UHaul for 2 days and I rode beside him. After that it was mostly a stressful blurr until about a week after our second arrival here with kids in tow.

I attempted several things on that first part of the trip. A lacy scarf (La Belle Dentelle), a lace stole (Sea and Shells Stole) and 2 socks on 2 circs (Hourglass Eyelet). I learned some important things. First of all, our knitting fore-sisters who knit on their journey west on those wagons....they did NOT knit lace. Not with lace-weight yarn anyway. There is no chance. It was impossible in the UHaul. The scarf in sock-weight wasn't too bad but that lace-weight... arg! Second, I think I like the 2 socks at a time idea. I haven't turned a heel yet but it's looking like I'll be using this method again.

Here's La Belle in process:

She's going slowly but I'm enjoying it.

Socks!

2007-07-23T19:42:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the Broadripple socks for my MIL!!! I knit 3 socks before it was all over and I am so glad to see the end of these. The first sock was just baggy and pools! Man, you could swim in those pools! On the second sock I put more tension in my yarn and sure enough, that was the trick.

Here's the original pair:

Here are the two left-over balls from the original pair. Definitely different.

I ended up just knitting the first sock over by first using the bit of leftover ball and then ripping straight from the original sock into the new one. It was fun. At one point I even put on the original sock and pulled the yarn from around my foot. Hey, it was an 8 hour road trip. What else was there to do?

I haven't taken pics of the finished pair. Just look at that second, more stripey, sock and imagine it twice for now.

Special Order

2007-06-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent turtle. I've decided that I really like special order bags. They give me some direction but allow me some space to play around. My friend really loves turtles. Really she does. She has a turtle tatoo on her arm! She also likes red. I combined the two in this turtle and then got nuts with the details.

Here she is relaxin' in the chair:

Here's a detail of the whole "turtle on a turtle on a turtle" thing I did. *Sqweeeee*!! >_< It worked even better than I thought it would.

She has the standard yarn/sock pocket but I think I've perfected the clear pattern/notion pocket by getting the velcro all the way across.

I also worked it so her tail IS the loop for her hook. I don't have any close-ups of her butt for you though. Sorry.

Lovin' this! Wishing my house would pack itself so I could do it all the time!

The Sisters

2007-06-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

Here are my 3 latest bugs. I know I said I wouldn't sell them but someone riding in our car saw mine and ordered 3 from my husband for her 3 daughters. Who can say, "No," to such a thing? I'm not on eBay or anything.

Here they are doing their "3 Little Maids from School" impression:

They are, from left to right, Eleanor, Emmy and Evie.

Another Dishcloth

2007-06-20T08:23:00.001-07:00

I keep forgetting to post things I've knit. Here are some of the dish/wash cloths I've done lately:

This one I did for Todd from the cotton I was gifted by my Swap Partner. I figured I'd better get started on the Texas memorabelia before the big move. It's pattern was here.

This one is a Tesselating Fish pattern that I put together to make a cloth for my Mother in Law. I realized that I haven't ever knit anything for her before this so she's getting several knitting items this year for her birthday. I'm pretty sure she NEVER reads this particular blog so I'm not too worried about ruining the surprise.

I also made some pinwheel cloths, one of the green for Todd and one of all three fish colors for his mom. MIL will also be getting a surpirse knit gift that I won't post yet.....just in case she wanders over here for some strange reason. ;-)

Dot.

2007-06-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

Dot was a gift for my secret swap partner. I knew she'd know who sent it as soon as she opened it, but she was just too cute to resist.

Whoops.

2007-05-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

I forgot to show you the finished Aurora.

She features a hook closure and a clear pattern pocket. She is a cutie.

I'm thinkin' the next turtle will be her "sister". A sunset version with darker colors. I think I'll call her Diana. Of course, that will be a while down the road.

Violet

2007-05-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

She's the latest and includes some new design elements. Namely, the reversible tongue/tape measure, the tongue-powered closure (ala Geraldine) and much improved arms.

I am ever amazed at these frogs' ability to make my husband giggle. That may subconsciously be the real reason I make them.

Aurora

2007-05-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

I think she's gonna be a beaut'.

Shhhh.

2007-05-10T20:21:00.000-07:00

Don't tell anybody, but I finished the frog. The first "real" one. I think she's pretty cute. I'll know better in the morning when I haven't been staring at her non-stop while sewing.

She has a lily-pad print body so I'll probably call her "Lilly". Not a big stretch, but I'm going for the easy ones here at the beginning. :-)

Her eyes are not nearly as blue as they seem in these pics. They are much darker in real life.

Her arms are her handle and I will definitely be making some adjustments there on future frogs. They were a major pain!....and I'm not sure I like how they look. (again, I'll know better in the morning) Her legs, however, are Todd's favorite part. They make him laugh out loud.

There is a pocket sewn on her tummy and the opening into the bag part is elastic. She closes with velcro tabs.

Not bad. Not practical, from a sewing/time point of view, but not bad at all.

What I did last weekend.

2007-05-09T06:52:00.000-07:00

Easy-peasy. And fast! The washcloth and tribble set are my new fav', mostly because to make the two takes exactly 1 ball of Peaches and Cream....and probably any other brand of kitchen cotton. I love it! The doily dishcloth pattern is here and the tribble pattern is here.

Frog in my throat....

2007-05-08T19:35:00.000-07:00

So here it is. The proto-frog.....first-frog?.....faux-frog?

Whatever. Here it is.

The arms are the handle.

The tongue will someday be a measuring device. I tried marking it with sharpie but it looks pretty bad. I'll come up with something.

Definitely some issues to be worked out. Which is, of course, why I make a proto-whatever.
I'm pretty sure the dimensions are alright, though. And I've simplified some parts for future sewing.

So fun!!!

Life Cycle of a Sock Turtle

2007-05-02T08:20:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that I never showed you the sock turtle I made. I was all inspired by that bug and wanted to design something else. The turtle seemed the easiest place to start.

I drew out a paper pattern I thought may work. Then I made it with some scrap fabric I had around the house.

This was the proto-turtle:

His seams were rough, some parts were hanging out unsewn and his head was sewn on backwards....but he was cute anyway and I could see how the parts would or would not work.

After that I redrew most of the pattern pieces, making it bigger and in some places more logical.

I had a friend who was following the sock-creature saga and told me 1) she had a lot of quilt fabric I could come browse and take whatever I wanted and 2) she really wanted a sock turtle.

We worked a trade. We went through her fabric, putting color combos together. She chose her fabrics for her turtle and I took enough fabric to make at least 3 more.

From there I chose which pattern I wanted on the shell. I was looking for a good mariner's compass since it's a sea turtle, but none of the ones on-line seemed to fit. I found one that was close enough (actually a star and flower pattern) and changed it up a bit to fit the bill.

Here's what I came up with:

I was so excited! I sewed and sewed and tweaked and tweaked until she was done.

I think we've decided to call her "Tilly" but I'm not sure on that. In the end she was in some ways far simpler than the bug (no extra pocket or draw string closure or lining) and in some ways far more complex (the pieced shell and corded trim and handle).

The next turtle will be a little different. I think I will do away with the velcro closure and put a clasp. I'm also pretty sure I'll sew a clear "pocket" into the underside of the shell for both small tools and a pattern page.

All in all I adore it! She has been safely delivered to her new "mommy" and now I'm working on a frog. It is still headless but what I have so far made my hubby laugh out loud with glee. That's gotta be good, right?

extra photos

2007-04-16T18:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some extra shots of this bug in progress and finished.

this is how much batting I used for each eye.

her backside. 8^0

a peek inside her mouth.

Aside from my anal retentive streak, I really enjoyed sewing this. I know now why they sell for $36. Two days of work.

But she's MINE, ALL MINE!!! mwah, hah, hah.

Finished.

2007-04-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well. I spent today accomplishing not a thing around my house. I only managed to cook for my family because the whining finally got on my nerves. ;-)

What was I doing instead? This!

the blue to the right is the liner. it's a heavy flannel.

her eyes look uneven in this pic but not in real life. they're off but not noticably or it's just the photo.

i had no idea she'd be so cute with her "mouth" closed. her straps are also flannel so they hold themselves closed.

those stripes are really a clever pocket for doo-dads

She's a "sock bug" and she's a bag for carrying around your socks-in-progress. I'm thinking I'll call her Diva after the seller at Etsy dot com from whom I blatantly plagiarized her. You'll notice that I changed her eye color part way through. I think for the better.
The fabric all came from Mom's stash except for some "interfacing" which I used an old shirt for. Free is good. Though I can't even count the hours I mis-spent on this thing.

I was a total sewing maniac today. I went all OCD on this bag, which is hilarious if you know me at all. I was basting every seam, ironing the snot out of everything and ripping like a maniac at the end when the final seam would NOT sew straight.

Next? Well, I'd like to try a fish and I've made some notes for a possible frog. But first I need to do some dishes...and laundry....and picking up...and sweeping...........

Finally!!!

2007-04-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

My final yarn installment arrived today. Let me just say that MCY/Etsy is a bit slow on delivery. It was the first yarn I ordered, by several days, and it arrived almost a week after the rest of it from several other places.

Aside from that, it is gorgeous! The red is a lace-weight 100% silk which, I must say, is intimidating. I may just stretch it out and roll on it instead of knitting it. yum! The other two are sock weight and are also just really gorgeous......though they do smell slightly of cigarette smoke, which I can live with, especially at their prices!

Look:

Yummy, yummy in my yarn basket's tummy!

No plans yet for the pastels or the red but I'm thinking these cabled socks for the blue. Still not sure. The pattern may get lost in the color gradations. I'll know better after I wind it into a ball and see how the colors move.

:^D

Done and done.

2007-03-31T20:39:00.000-07:00

Todd's birthday loot. All done.

The socks are Thuja from Knitty dot com knit on size 5 dpns with Elann Esprit in Pecan. Lovely stretchy and soft stuff.

The messenger bag is a "frankenknit". It's a thrift store sweater, cut, sewn, felted and lined with fabric samples from an upholstry store. Only the thread and closures (which I think ROCK) were not recycled.

More Haul

2007-03-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

This is my "slightly used" drum carder. I decided I'd keep the "used" one and re-sell the "new" one. Thankfully, the used one came first so I can play with it instead of just staring at an unopened box.

Can I just say, "FUN!"

I Kool-Aid dyed one bag of washed fleece. It is a pretty harsh bag-o-wool, partly because of how I washed it (more on that later) but mostly because it came from sheep who's wool was never intended to be spun. I've been very pleased at how much VM (vegetable matter) comes out during carding. I'm having so much fun that I'm having trouble working on Todd's socks.

oops.

Since his birthday's tomorrow, I'd better get off my computer and start knitting!

Clever Little Monkey

2007-03-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Sometimes my zany ideas actually work.

Remember the new ball winder? Remember that it's only drawback was size? It wouldn't fit the larger skeins of yarn I have. So, I improvised.

I used a toilet paper tube, held tightly in place by squeezing a hot glue stick between it and the....um....stick thingy. O.K., I'm not up on terminology yet. Next time I'll know it's name, I promise. I used a clothes pin to manipulate the height of the incoming yarn. I tried a wire contraption held on by the clothes pin at first but it wasn't strong enough so I just ended up using the clothes pin.

I wound at the top of the tube first, scooted the ball up a bit then moved the yarn to the original yarn guide (after securing it to the glue stick) and wound at the bottom. Both balls are connected so I'll just pull from the outside of one ball then the inside of the other.....or vice-versa of course. I'll use the balls straight from the tube (I have plenty).

I feel ever so clever. And if nothing else, it has kept me entertained this evening.

I have no idea if it'll work with paper towel rolls. It would take some serious yarn-guide manipulation. If I try it, I'll let you know.

Thuja

2007-03-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

This is that sock I'm knitting for Todd. Soon it will be done and I'll start the next one. Then I can say, "...'socks' I'm knitting for Todd" instead of "sock" and people won't laugh. ;-)

Thuja is a pattern from Knitty.com. It's really simple, with a Seed Stitch Rib pattern to keep you from getting too bored. It's knit with sport weight yarn (I'm using Elann Esprit in Pecan) on size 5 dpn's. It knits like lightning! Which is good, since Todd's birthday is Saturday. Am I hoping for too much?

Yes, that's a cup I'm keeping my yarn ball in. It works quite nicely, thank you.

Haul 2

2007-03-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

Two boxes came in the mail today. I love getting loot!

I got a ballwinder. It turns long skeins of yarn, like the one on the right, into center-pull balls, like the one on the left. Overall, I really like it. Problem is, it doesn't do big skeins very well. These two skeins are from a past dying day and each is a frogged sleeve from an Aran sweater. I have two other skeins that I died blue and green which are the front and back of said sweater. They will NEVER fit on this winder. Guess it's back to old-fashioned winding on those. I have a feeling it won't kill me.

Then there are some goodies for my spinning wheel. I have a Babe Production wheel and these are a plying flyer, some plying bobbins and some spare regular sized bobbins. I also bought a spare drive band...just in case. I opted out of the bulky flyer...mostly because of the price..but also because all I really wanted it for was plying. I'll just have to stay away from really bulky yarns. No problem.

I'm not sure who all is going to be reading this blog so if none of this makes any sense to you, let me know and I'll explain in a little more detail.

The Haul

2007-03-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

We received a return from the IRS this year. I have tried to exercise restraint but I think I may have failed.

Here's the first installment of Yarn Haul '07:

Although Elann.com is based in Canada, they're the fastest shippers around! Here's the info.:
Araucania Atacama
100% Alpaca - Aran weight
Tropical Jungle colorway
50g / 100m

Elann.com Esprit
98.3% cotton and 1.7% elastic - Sport weight
Natural, French Navy, Pecan, and Indigo Gold
50g/ 100m

Somehow it felt like I ordered more. Probably because I chose about $150 worth of yarns and whittled it down to $65.

I plan on making Elann's "Victorian Shawl" with the alpaca and some socks and a hat or two with the Esprit.....now all I need is that ball winder I ordered!

Meanwhile, my friend Eunice gave me this great Jitterbug sock yarn. It is in a colorway that she doesn't really like. I have to admit, they're really not my colors but they are my Mom's and I saw an opportunity and seized it. I've been asking my Mom for years what I could knit for her and I kept getting, "I just can't think of anything I would actually wear, honey. I'm always too hot already."
Voila! Socks! Everybody wears socks. I'm thinking Jaywalkers or Falling Leaves. I may actually get them done by next Christmas....ya' think?

Still no pics from the old computer. Mostly because I'm too lazy to sit in the floor and upload them to a jump drive. I'll have to do it this weekend, I need them for work too. I'll also have new pics as all the new haul keeps arriving. A little more yarn, an attachment for my spinning wheel and the long-coveted drum carder.

Wait with me. It's fun.

On the separation of church and state....oh wait....

2007-03-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

...I mean knitting and "real life".

Everybody in my group has a knitting blog but me. Am I remedial? Possibly. That's another discussion.

I decided to start this blog to spare my friends. I'm sparing my knitting friends from my constant droning on about my kids and I'm sparing my family friends from my constant droning on about knitting.

I know you're not supposed to "compartmentalize" your life but hey, blogger makes it so easy! So now I have a knitting blog, a painting blog and a family blog. I'm not schizophrenic yet. Really. Yet.

When I'm not woozy from lack of sleep...and/or when I get my pics moved from my old computer to my new one...I'll get this puppy rollin' with some real-life knitting content. Until then:

Viva la compartments!