New Hair and New Yarn

I got my hair cut yesterday. Back to short hair. It's very similar to what I used to have, but I do like it and it's easy to deal with. Now I need to re-color it.


I also dyed some yarn today! The first skein was done with Kool-Aid...the orange side was 2 packs of Orange and most of one pack of Black Cherry. The blue side was 2 packs of Berry Blue and a pack of Grape. Then I left two sections white to allow for possible bleeding. (I hoped some would stay white and much of it did, so it's good.) I applied this to dry yarn, then wrapped it in saran wrap and microwaved it.





The second skein was done with Wilton's Icing Dyes. I love how it turned out, but must confess that I'm befuddled. After hearing Roberta talk about applying the icing dye like fingerpaints to dry yarn and then overdyeing it, I decided to try it for myself. Now if I looked at this yarn without knowing what I'd done, I would assume I had used many different colors. Not so. With a foam brush, I applied Copper (which is technically supposed to be a flesh tone for icing) and Brown, plus a few streaks of Royal Blue. (this was on dry yarn) Then I prepared an immersion dye with a very small amount of Royal Blue (probably 1/4 tsp) in water and vinegar...and THIS is what I got?!?!? I just don't get it! Like I said, I love the yarn, but??? Oh, and the picture of it all skeined up is actually rather washed out. In person, it's much darker, like the picture of it spread out to dry.

Amazing Lace Team Intro

Name: Julie
Age: 32
City: Nashville, TN
Likes: sunsets, long walks on the beach...oh wait, wrong list of likes. How about...lace, pretty colorways, nice yarn, cooperative needles, lifelines
Dislikes: circular needles that catch at the joins, blunt ends, splitty yarn
Strengths: determination, a fascination with long and tedious things
Weaknesses: a wandering eye when it comes to new projects




Name: Pinwheel Shawl
Age: new
City: Nashville, TN
Likes: smooth needles, a good blocking, a gentle rinse
Dislikes: hot water, dryers, moths
Strengths: a good pattern, easy to follow
Weaknesses: well, it is lace, after all...

Dye-O-Rama Meme

OK, so I'm a little behind the times...but just in case my swap pal is reading...

Questions specific to this swap:

Your favorite colors? green, autumnal colors, orange - pretty much anything

Preferred yarn weight (Fingering, Sport, DK, maybe even Worsted)? fingering

Do you prefer solid or multicolored yarn? both, but I'm a sucker for multicolored

If your buddy is able to do so, would you like a variegated, self-striping, or self-patterning yarn? sure! whatever!

Would you be interested in a wool blend sock yarn (nylon, tencel, silk, acrylic, alpaca, etc.)? sure! whatever!

Imagine the perfect colorway. What would you name it? "It Goes to 11"

What was the biggest appeal to you for joining this dye-along? I've been wanting to try dyeing for a while and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.



General yarn/fiber questions:

Have you dyed yarn/fiber before? Not prior to signing up for the swap

If so, what’s your favorite dye and method? So far I've only tried Kool-Aid and Wilton's Icing Dyes.

Do you spin? No, but I wouldn't put it past me one day

Have you knit socks before? Yes

Do you use sock yarn for just socks or in other patterns too? I'll use it wherever I can!

What are some of your favorite yarns? BMFA Socks That Rock, several sellers on Etsy.com

What yarn do you totally covet? BMFA Socks That Rock, of course

Favorite patterns? you know, the standards...Jaywalker, Pomatomus, Elfine...I also really like lace

Any pattern you would love to make if money and time were no object? yeah, too many to list

Favorite kind of needles (brand, materials, straights or circs, etc)? Addi Turbos and Naturas, love the look of Brittany and Lantern Moon...I use a little of everything, though: Addi, Clover, Bryspun, straight, circular, dpn

If you were a specific kind of yarn, which brand and kind of yarn would you be? I would likely be sock yarn, most likely Socks That Rock or something similar.


Nothing to do with knitting/yarn/fiber in any way but seemed kinda fun:

Do you have a favorite candy or mail-able snack? Chocolate all the way

What’s your favorite animal? I like most animals

Do you have pets? What are their species/names/ages? Yes, a dog, Maggie, a 7 yr old Schipperke mix

If you were a color what color would you be? I would be green

Describe your favorite shirt (yours or someone else’s).. right now I'd have to say my orange Illinois Basketball hoodie sweatshirt (because it's comfy)

What is your most inspiring image, flower, or object in nature? just one?? probably the sea

Tell me the best quote you’ve ever heard or read. one of my faves, "I'm not a box. I don't have sides." -by Meryl Streep's character in Postcards from the Edge

Do you have a wishlist? I do, but it's not written down anywhere

Anything else you’d like to share with the group today? Nope!

Blanket 1 Finished

Blanket 1 is now finished and blocked! Blocking truly is a miraculous thing. It just changes the item so much! So here is baby blanket number 1...my own pattern, fingering weight yarn, size 6 needles.



Blanket 2 is now well underway - no new pictures yet. The bad Chevron Lace mojo seems to be lifted, so it's full steam ahead with that pattern. Amazing to see how much of a difference one's needle choice can make...when I originally started it, I was using Clover bamboo needles but have now switched to Addi Turbos. Soooo much easier.

In other news, I signed up for the Amazing Lace Knit-Along. Call me a lemming. Or perhaps it's just the Borg influence? Anyhoo, once I finish Blanket 2, I'll be starting on my lace project!

Socks!!

My Sockapaloooza socks arrived!! And I LOVE them!!! My pal didn't mention what the pattern was, but I love it. The yarn is Bearfoot, which I didn't know had some mohair in it...as a result, I really want to just sit around petting my socks. I love the colorway, too! I'm very, VERY pleased! And even better, my pal included chocolate!! Thanks so much, Carry - you did great!




In other news, I dyed some more yarn. It didn't go well. This time I used Wilton's icing dyes, which work very well for yarn dyeing. However, I think there is some level of skill involved in mixing colors because it didn't go AT ALL the way I intended. I ended up with a very ugly skein of yarn and then decided to give it an all-over dye the next day. The result is still not what I'd call pretty, but it might appeal to someone. I think it looks very rainforest-y. Or perhaps Oscar the Grouch. In real life, it's darker than this picture appears...the actual colors are accurate - just a bit darker. So hey, if you love it, let me know...I'd probably send it your way! (440 yds fingering weight merino sock yarn)

New Episode

For those who may be interested...Episode 2 of the CraftBorg podcast is now online. Check it out here.

Progress Report

Today is the day to mail the SockapalOOOza socks! Can't wait to see what I receive!

Here are two progress report pictures for you - my first mitered square, done in KnitPicks Shine on size 7 needles, unblocked...obviously...and also a picture of the first of the two lacey baby blankets. The pattern is my own, but the lacey stitch is called Pillar Openwork. The blanket is just about at the halfway mark, which is great...I'm just ready to be finished so I can get it in the mail and start the second one.






We got our Dye-O-Rama swap assignments yesterday, so I am eager to dye my second skein of yarn. I have a good idea of what I would like to do for my pal, but of course being a novice, I have no idea if it will turn out the way I want it to! So be on the lookout for pictures of that little experiment in the days to come...

Finally the pictures!

So first, the yarn. My first ever yarn dyeing. Kool-Aid on KnitPicks natural sock yarn. I used Lemon-Lime, Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade and Pink Lemonade - handpainted then steamed on the stovetop. Overall I'm pleased. It's pretty. Not really my colors, but pretty.



Now, pics of the kids. It's been a while. For those who may not know, Natalie is 4 and Ethan is 2.

Still no pictures

So here we are...another post without pictures. Not so fun for you, the reader, I fear. I know I prefer reading blog entries that have pictures. Breaks things up a bit. The sad thing is that I got some lovely pictures this morning and the computer won't read the disk. So I either have to fiddle with it or toss the disk and try to get new pictures. *sigh* It's really too bad, too, because two of the pictures were very lovely shots of my children and the other two were yarn.

The aforementioned yarn is actually my very first dye experiment! It was thrilling. I used Kool-Aid - figured it might be wise to not invest a lot in it, just in case I hated it or was just bad at dyeing. I learned some good lessons, which I will keep in mind when I go to dye the next skein. My finished product looks nice, but sadly, it's a bit too pastel for my taste. You'll understand when I post a picture.

My other fun news is that I got to see Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, the Yarn Harlot, last night! She was at Threaded Bliss and it was great! Sheila, kudos to you for coordinating two great book signings so close together! The Yarn Harlot really is as entertaining in person as she is on her blog. AND, I got to see (and touch) the Olympic sweater!! WOW. For those who don't know, Stephanie knit one of those Norwegian, very intricate skiing sweaters in 16 days for the Knitting Olympics. Even she admits she was insane for trying it. Oh, and Sock...I got to touch Sock, too!

That about sums it up for now...still hard at work on lace baby blanket #1. I'm on my third pattern now and this one is actually working, so I'm sticking with it. Pray for speedy needles for me. I'm ready to be done and I still have another blanket to make.

Excited!

Today's the day!! I get to go see the Mason-Dixon Girls tonight! Rumor has it there will be RC Cola, Moon Pies and Whoopie Pies aplenty. I've agonized over what to wear, since in theory, I could end up in a picture in their blog (yikes!), even if I'm just in the background...and more importantly, I've agonized over what knitting to bring!! Heaven forbid I'd show up at this booksigning with nothing in my hands!! It needed to be something fairly simple, since I didn't want to have to keep referring to the pattern - so the lace baby blanket was out, as was my Fawkes sock or any other new lacey pattern. In an effort to keep things very simple, I started a new sock, using the Mock Croc Socks pattern. Very simple and easy to remember. I'll probably stick a few other projects in my bag, too, because it looks like we'll have the chance to sit around and knit with Ann and Kay after the event is over!! Can you stand it??? I think Nashville is the last stop on their book tour before they start the second leg and they commented that they haven't had time to just sit and knit with people, so being the accommodating sort of folks that we are (ok, I had nothing to do with it), we're obliging.

So that's the big news from here! I really haven't been knitting much this week. Rosemary and I have a new episode of CraftBorg up, so go listen and give us some feedback! We're still working on the sound quality issues, but it's a good episode.

SockapalOOOza Finished!

My SockapalOOOza socks are finished!! Again, the pattern is Lava Flow, by SockBug - done on size 2 needles in Plymouth Sockotta. Lookit all the psychidelic sunshiney zigzagginess!

Picture Time!

I know, it's been a while with the pictures. Mostly due to the fact that I need to use Greg's computer to upload them and now that he's moved into his new office, it's not quite as convenient. But here you go. A picture fix. Since Blogger always seems to have odd formatting, I'll just list what the pictures are here:

1&2: SockapalOOOza socks! erm...sock! (the 2nd one is just past the heel, but no pic of it today) This is the Lava Flow pattern by SockBug, worked in Plymouth Sockotta yarn. There's a lot of stripey goodness on the bottom of the foot, so I'm hoping to get a good pic of that when both socks are finished.
3: My new summer bag. Rosemary requested a picture.
4. My newest yarn! Laceweight from HandpaintedYarn.com in Citrus. I have 2 skeins and will be making a large stole soon.
5. Finally...Hatmione!! It's very difficult to take a good pic of a hat when it's on your own head. Cascade 220 yarn. And you know, since this is a picture that I took of myself, I do believe it qualifies for Self-Portrait Sunday (of which I've been a total slacker)!

One foot down, one to go

Today I finished one of my Sockapaloooza socks! Sorry, no pic as of yet. Perhaps tomorrow. I haven't started the second one yet. We have a friend staying with us tonight - unfortunately he gave us very short notice and our house is a pit, so I'm spending my time cleaning. My hope is that I can get the house mostly in order, or at the very least, not scary - and I can start sock #2 later this evening. Thankfully, said friend doesn't land at the airport until 10:30 tonight.

In other knitty news, I ordered a new sock yarn and my first real laceweight! Also ordered a lace shawl & stole pattern. No linkies today, my dears...just don't have time. Anyhoo, I'm eager to get started on those. 'Course that means I've gotta slog my way through some more things on my WIP list first. *sigh* (makes mental note to mail chemo caps to Roberta tomorrow)

Hope you enjoyed Episode 0 of CraftBorg. We know it was a little rough...that's what an episode 0 is for, right? Rose and I are eager to get started on Episode 1.

Talked with an acquaintance about photography last night...she's a pretty good amateur, like I am, and has actually entered several photos in local contests (and won!), so I was curious to learn if she has taken any classes. Nope. She just experiments like I do! Apparently she picks a spot to visit (parks or local areas of interest) some weekend afternoons and goes just to take pictures...I asked her to call me the next time she does that. I'd love to join her.

Back to my cleaning...

The Big Reveal

*insert heralding trumpets here*...announcing the CraftBorg Podcast!

Check it out...give us a listen. Remember, it's just our first recording, so bear with us as we learn as we go!

A WIP update

It's been a while since I've done a real WIP update, so here are some progress pictures. Up first, the Here & There Cables scarf (Cascade 220 on size 7 needles):



The Fawkes sock. I have about 2 more inches before I can start the toe increases:



Chevron Lace Baby Blanket...it's not really a hard pattern, but so far it has given me more grief than anything I've made to date:



And finally, some new sock yarn!! Socks That Rock in Beryl and Petrified Wood.

This one's for Andria

This post is for Andria, who pointed out that I've been slacking with the blogging lately. Unfortunately for her, I really don't have much to say. HA!

I had family in town late last week and into the weekend (aunt, uncle, cousins), so it was nice to spend some time with them. Went to church Saturday night. Helped Greg start building his new desk down in his new office. Knitted on my sock (Fawkes). That's really about it since I last posted.

Today the kids had tumbling and I really didn't want to go since it was pouring rain. But since we missed last week due to illness, I wanted to make it today. It's great to see Natalie get more confident with some of the things she's been scared of (like rolling in the barrel and donut mats).

After tumbling, we went to Sam's - hooray for buying in bulk! Came home, ate lunch, put kids down for naps and just a few minutes ago I couldn't resist any longer and cast on for a new hat. Funky thick & thin yarn...should be interesting!

Back from hiatus

I'm back! Had the in-laws here for almost a week and then got the flu, but now I'm back. Just in time to share these...

This is the current sock I'm working on...Fawkes...pattern is River Rapids from Sock Bug, on 2 circular needles. Yarn is Bombay from Two Waters Fiberworks.


And this is my new yarn storage! Wire cube thingies from Target!

I'm a Bad Blogger

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I feel like I should be posting, but I really don't have much to say! I've felt like I'm sort of floundering since the Knitting Olympics. Not in a bad way...more of a "I really need to get back to all those projects" sort of way.

Breathing a sigh of relief

As much as I enjoyed the Knitting Olympics, I have a confession to make. I'm so glad I'm finished!! I truly did enjoy knitting my Clapotis, but I did really push myself to finish early...what that translates to is lost and lots of neverending knitting.

Anyway, I picked up some very soft yarn and am leisurely trying a sock with a short-row heel. The first attempt was fine on one side (the knit side of the gusset), but had significant holes on the purl side. So I frogged it and tried again, this time, with success.

That's all the news from here.

Bringing Home Gold

Here it is. My finished Clapotis. Completed in 9 days.




Materials used:
Blue Moon Fiber Arts "Socks That Rock" yarn (fingering weight) in Moss Agate
Size 4 needles

It was a whole lotta knitting, but I absolutely love the finished product and I'm thrilled with my yarn choice!

KO, Day 9 and SPS

More good progress on Clapotis and now I'm just going to make you wait for the final picture. mwuahahahahah

It's also Self-Portrait Sunday! I actually took this one when we were outside in the snow yesterday.


And here's one I just thought was kinda cool - a tree stump in our neighbor's woodpile.

KO Day 8 and what we did today

Day 8 of the Knitting Olympics and still no picture of my Clapotis. I'm making progress...believe me! In fact, I will, without a doubt, finish before closing ceremonies. Maybe I can get you a picture tomorrow...

Here is what we did today.

KO, day 7...So Sue Me

Ok, ok, I missed a few days AND I'm updating today without a picture. SO SUE ME!! Here's why I missed a few days...Monday and Tuesday were both busy days, so I made very little progress and felt there was no point in putting up a picture. Yesterday, however, I made a *lot* of progress. Unfortunately for you, Dear Reader, it is a very gloomy and overcast day here, which means that any digital picture taken inside this house will look really bad. Here's hoping tomorrow will be sunny just for that reason!

I have now dropped the 12th ladder in Clapotis - that's the one that goes all the way down to the point at the bottom. Now it's just a matter of getting to the 55" mark so I can start decreasing. I did realize last night that I could be finished with this by the end of the weekend if I really buckle down, so that's the plan.

KO, Day 3

Another day, some more knitting. First, a close-up.


Then, a progress pic.


Lastly, here is Maggie in her favorite spot (on our bed).

KO, Day 2

Day 2 of the Knitting Olympics finds me almost finished with the 2nd pattern repeat of Section 3. I'd hoped these colors would be more accurate in this picture, but alas, they are not. But you get the idea...

KO, Day 1

So far, so good. I finished the Section 2 increases, but because I'm using fingering weight yarn and smaller needles, I'll have to add a few more pattern repeats (3, actually, which equals 36 more rows) in order to make the Clapotis the proper size.

Today's the Day!!

It's finally here!! Today is the day the Olympic flame will be lit, which signifies the start of both the Olympics in Torino and the Knitting Olympics around the world. I'm itching to get started because I'm just dying to have my finished Clapotis to wear! I'm so pleased with my choice of yarn - I think it will be really nice to work with.

I do have a cramp in my right shoulder, those muscles right at the base of my neck and at the start of my shoulder. Perhaps I should do some stretching. It's a pity I don't have access to a massage therapist. I mean really...I need to be at the top of my knitting game.

So I raise my needles along with the nearly 4000 other Knitting Olympians and say Godspeed to all of us. May our needles be swift, may our hands not cramp and may our yarn pull out of the center-pull balls with ease.

Wednesday...just Wednesday

Getting ready for the Knitting Olympics...exchanged my size 3 needles for size 4 and got my first skein wound into balls, so I'm good to go. Opening ceremonies here we come!! It really is amazing to think of how many people have committed to this, though. Really, 3100+?? That's crazy!


This is a new baby blanket I started for a friend who is expecting her first baby in a few weeks. The yarn is Caron Simply Soft on size 10 needles. The pattern is from a Leisure Arts book of 4 baby afghans.


And finally, artwork by Natalie. I keep forgetting to do thank you cards for Natalie and Ethan's birthday presents, so when I was at Michael's this morning, I picked up a pack of blank cards and figured Natalie could do her own. I'll write a short note in each of them, too. Those are Cinderella/princesses, in case you couldn't figure it out.

It's official...he's a boy

So today, the kids and I took a trip to the grocery store because we were out of everything. Seriously. My ears and head are still pretty stuffy and my energy level is low, so I knew it wasn't going to be a lot of fun...but we do what we have to do, right? Natalie had a hard time listening and doing what I asked her to do, but we eventually got everything we needed and headed to the check-out. Both she and Ethan had been asking for a mint, so I gave them one while we waited to start putting our groceries up on the check-out thing...what do you call that anyway? conveyor belt? Anyway, of course there was only one lane open other than the self check-out, which normally I don't mind, but with that many groceries it was too much to think about. AND the girl in the only open lane is one I've had several times before and bless her heart, she makes molasses look speedy.

I'm trying to get all the groceries sorted out and all of a sudden I realize Ethan is fussing and saying, "Mama...nose...hurt...MAMA! nose...hurt..." Yep. You guessed it. My newly-turned-2-yr-old son put his Tic-Tac up his nose. And yes, it was one of the white minty ones. And yes, in his 2-yr-old attempt to cope, he promptly inserted a finger and managed to push it up to where I couldn't see it. So at that point, I really wasn't totally sure he really *had* put a Tic-Tac in his nose, since 2- and 4-year olds aren't always reliable sources of information. However, Ethan kept on with the "nose...hurt" chant and I silently willed the check-out girl to go faster. I tried to call Greg in hopes that he could call the pediatrician's office to find out what I should do, but he didn't answer. We finally paid for our groceries and got outside and I managed to remember the phone number for the pediatrician's office. Thankfully, I was able to speak to a nurse right away. She laughed, of course, and told me I could bring him in and they would retrieve the Tic-Tac. In the meantime, Ethan was sneezing every so often, so the nurse said if he happened to blow it out, just let them know.

When I went back around to check on Ethan before we headed home, he had sneezed again and his nose was running. When I wiped it, it smelled suspiciously minty.

Thankfully, he did manage to sneeze the Tic-Tac out, saving us from going to see the pediatrician (and thereby, saving us money).

I'm sure one day I'll laugh about this.

SockapalOOOza

As you can see over on the right, I have joined the new round of SockapalOOOza! I do have yarn in my stash that I'll probably use, but I haven't decided on a pattern yet. Too many choices. I will post pictures when I make my final decision, though. Can't wait to start seeing everyone's updates!

Self-Portrait Sunday

I have a nasty cold.

Jaywalking With Both Feet

It's been a long road, but we're finally here. Not long as in "lots of trouble"...it's just that all that holiday gift knitting had to take priority for so long. But finally, my Cedric Jaywalkers are FINISHED!!! Once again, if you're not an HP fan, you won't understand why I call them "Cedric," but that's ok!




And one last time, this is the Jaywalker pattern with Cascade Fixation Spray Dyed yarn in Mushroom, worked on size 3 dpns.

My feet are very happy.

My First Design

I don't know what got into me. I had this super-soft, baby blue yarn in my stash. I also have a friend who is expecting a baby boy soon. I thought to myself, "He needs a hat." But I couldn't find a pattern that I really wanted to do.

So I created my own. My very first knitting pattern. If you would have told me six months ago that I would be knitting AND that I would create my own pattern for something, I would have laughed. A lot.

Anyway, here are the pictures. I might make a few changes the next time - I'm still not sure. There is a bigger cable in the middle of the smaller ones and I'm still not sure how I feel about it.

The yarn is Jo-Ann Sensations "Dolcetto" yarn in blue. The hat was worked on size 8 double-pointed needles.











Here is the pattern:

Little Twist Baby Hat by Julie Persinger

Jo-Ann Sensations “Dolcetto” yarn in Blue (approx. 1/3 of a ball) – This is a heavy worsted/light bulky weight yarn.
Size 8 dpns
Tapestry needle

Gauge: 5 st per inch on size 8 needles

This hat has a circumference of approximately 13”, unstretched.

CO 80, join
Knit 5 rounds
Row 1: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 2 & 3: Knit
Row 4: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 5 & 6: Knit
Row 7: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 8-12: Knit
Row 13: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Rows 14 & 15: Knit
Row 16: (K4, C2F, K4, C2F, K4) 4x
Row 17: Purl

Begin decreasing:
Dec Row 1: (P3, P2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 2: (K2, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 3: (K4, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 4: (K3, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 5: (K2, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 6: (K1, K2tog) to end of round
Dec Row 7: Knit
Dec Row 8: (K2tog) to end of round

Cut yarn, leaving a 6” tail. Thread this yarn onto a tapestry needle and thread through the remaining stitches. Pull the yarn tail to close up the hole. Bring the yarn through the top of the hat and weave in.