A New Venture

My sister and I have started a blog together. Just a general sort of blog - like an ongoing conversation between us, really. On some issues, we share a brain and on others, we're like the Odd Couple.

You can check it out here - as always, comments are welcomed:
Posts From the Edge

Morfin

Hissy, hissy, little snakey,

Slither on the floor
You be good to Morfin
Or he'll nail you to the door.
-- Morfin Gaunt, translation from Parseltongue

Yarn: Trekking XXL, color 100
Pattern: my own, toe-up, short-row heel
Needles: US sz 1.5 circular

I love this yarn. It's crazy. It's impossible to match, so you don't even have to attempt to try. The colors and the overall weirdness of it immediately made me think of Morfin Gaunt, who certainly scores high in the overall weirdness category of Harry Potter characters.

SPS

I got more dramatic hair color yesterday. I'm letting my hair grow out a bit so if it's gonna be awkward for a while, you've gotta have a little oomph so you can bear it. It's hard to tell in this picture, but the base color is quite a bit darker than I've had and the blonde at the front is lighter. I've got highlights of it all throughout, but I quite like the feature bit in front.

Cho and her un-named friend...or, All Cookie, All the Time

These are a few weeks old already, but I realized I hadn't shared the pictures yet.

Here we have Cho, for my sister:
Pattern: Monkey by Cookie A
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted in Blue Fields
Needles: KnitPicks dpns, sz 1 (but not really, they are 2.5mm)

Then we have un-named socks for my aunt's sister...just didn't feel compelled to name them since I'll never see them again:
Pattern: Hedera by Cookie A
Yarn: Schaefer Anne, color was not given on the label
Needles: beats me, LOL! I honestly cannot remember.

If you haven't tried any of Cookie's sock patterns yet, you really should.

Frazzled

The combination of returning home from two weeks away, unpacking and thinking more and more about our upcoming move has left me feeling very frazzled this week. It's like I keep thinking of more things that need to be done (which isn't so much a feeling as it is a reality). I haven't knit for days (THE HORROR!!) and I'm not sure if I will before I go to bed tonight. Just depends on what I manage to get accomplished between now and then.

However, thanks to my sister, I do have a fantastic deep red Franklin Covey Planner and I am putting it to good use. She is very involved with FC and was able to explain a lot of the concepts during our time together. So far, so good.

Speaking of our time together, my sister and I had a long weekend getaway in Chicago while I was visiting my parents. It was fantastic! We shopped, we ate, we rested and perhaps most impressive of all, we saw Wicked. It was everything I wanted it to be and then some. If you can go, GO.

I'll leave you with a picture of my sister and me. Pardon my big ol' forehead.

Yikes

Been a while, eh? I've been out of town and a proper post will be coming soon. I promise.

Random Friday

As I mentioned recently, I've been in the mood to do some scrapbooking lately - so here's a very random page.

One Sock, Two Socks...

So I finished the first Hedera sock. These are gift socks, so I'm not going to name them, mostly because I should have enough yarn leftover to knit myself at least a pair of ankle socks and I've got a name I'd like to use already. It's a little unsettling to knit socks that you can't try on, but I shall remain cautiously optimistic. (sock recipient wears a sz 5 shoe...I wear a 9.5 or 10) I'm not thrilled with the way the yarn pooled - I was hoping it would be variegated, but what are you gonna do? Besides, it's Shaeffer Anne...so who really cares what it does? It feels fantastic!

This week also sees the finale of a pair of socks that are very dear to me. I don't know why I let them go on for so long (nearly a year), but I am so glad they are finally finished! Here are my Hagrid socks:
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock in Petrified Wood
Pattern: Mock Crock Socks from KnitPicks

This week I also received my order from Kathy at Crippenworks and I couldn't be happier! I ordered one of her circular needle cases and it is exactly what I was hoping for. As many of you knitters know, there aren't tons of options for good circular needle cases, but I would highly recommend this one. The quality is fantastic and Kathy uses fun vintage buttons, too.

And here is Ethan's contribution to the picture-taking:

Yard Work

A few snapshots of the Yard Work...this week I also put in 48 petunias, so imagine those filling in the blank spaces.

Here's the front bed:

On the other side of this is a small shade bed that has stuff already in it - but I did add this painted fern:

I put two of these May Night Salvias in the big front bed:

Then put these at the corner of the house - don't remember what they are:

Then Greg and I put in all of this down the side of the house...there was nothing there before. Golden Euonymous, Dwarf English Lavender and Purple Fountain Grass:

Here's the Golden Euonymous up close:

Then I have two of these hanging baskets hanging off the deck:

Finally, a pretty shot of the tree in our front yard. They seem quite common in this area, but no one can tell me what it is. Anyone know?

Springtime

Spring has sprung here in the Mid-South. We spent the weekend with the Yard Work (pics forthcoming), but I'm feeling a little Springish with the knitting as well. I even have appropriately-colored items for the new Project Spectrum colors as well. Behold:

Project: a very plain shrug - it's a Berroco pattern and I'm too lazy to get the info right this minute
Yarn: Berroco Love It in Lawn

Project: the Monica tank from the latest Knitty
Yarn: Tahki Cotton Classic

Project: Hedera socks (will be a gift)
Yarn: Schaefer Anne

Sore Hands

I don't have a lot of knitting to show this week because it has been the week of Yard Work. I hates yard work. However, when one is preparing one's house to sell, the Yard Work becomes necessary. Curb appeal and all that. I managed to clean out the flower beds (which haven't really been touched or weeded in at least 3 years...I know...bad homeowner.) and during this, discovered that our flower beds are apparently some sort of resort or retreat for slugs and snails. Anyway, my body is sore and my hands are especially sore. Crampy, even.

However, I do have some knitting to show! I finished the first Monkey sock, which will now be known as Cho:
Sorry, I'm not going to bother giving you all the info again...it's only like 2 posts back.

I recently taught a class on the Diamond Fantasy Shawl by Sivia Harding, using Jaggerspun Zephyr laceweight (mine is in Basil). Originally, I thought about doing the full shawl size, but I really had other lace knitting I wanted to get to, so I opted for the scarf size again. I think this will go to my mother-in-law for Christmas:
As you can see, it is blocking now.

Finally, here is my new Kleenex box, for Anne - because it looks a lot like her wallpaper (scroll down to the second picture):

SPS with Sidekick

I don't know why I seem to insist on doing these SPS pictures first thing in the morning, before a shower and sans make-up.

Another Week

I feel like I've been a busy knitter this week, yet I have no finished work to show you. Instead, we just have progress, in general.

First, a project that hasn't been seen for quite some time. Perhaps it was on a secret mission for Dumbledore. Here we have the Hagrid socks and as you can see, sock 2 is ready for a heel.
Yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts Socks That Rock in Petrified Wood
Pattern: Mock Croc Socks from KnitPicks

Next we have some new socks that have no name. I've found this pattern just as addicting as everyone says it is, but the yarn and I have a serious love-hate relationship. I love the colors...a LOT...but the yarn itself has a bit of stretch to it, which really messes with knowing what numbers to use with a new pattern. I have tried this yarn as a Jaywalker several times, as well as at least two other sock patterns. I know it will work fine in this pattern, but I'm just not feeling the love anymore. The yarn also has very bad pooling/swirling issues and has looked completely different in every pattern I've tried! I started this new sock and was perplexed to see it doing a stripey/swirly thing:
Yarn: Claudia Handpainted in Blue Fields
Pattern: Cookie's Monkey Socks

I've started a new lace project:
Yarn: Sunshine Yarns Laceweight Alpaca in "It's Cold Outside"
Pattern: Wing-of-the-Moth by Anne Hanson

I love it.

Finally, I've been thinking a lot about scrapbooking lately and last night, I found myself powerless to resist. It has been so long since I've done a page or even looked at anything scrappy that I wasn't quite sure where to start. I found myself trying to revert to old formulas and instantly feeling frustrated because it was just the same old thing. I thought to myself, "What would Rose do?," and knew she would tell me to forget about what I used to do and instead, do what I want to do. And I didn't even have to text her.
This is not an earth-shattering layout. In fact, by most scrappers' standards, it probably barely even qualifies as a layout. But I like it. The text is the lyrics to a song I quite like - you can see them here if you'd like. I knew they wouldn't really be legible and that was fine with me. It was much more about the picture and how it makes me feel. Again, not earth-shattering, but at least I seized the moment and did something.

Finally, this is what happens when you turn your back during a crafty picture-taking session:

SPS: Perhaps it was a burning day...

Here I am this morning with a nifty wee granny square. What? Everyone else is doing it.



I used some leftover Fawkes sock yarn and a sz E crochet hook. As much as I love this colorway, it's a bit odd in a granny square, methinks. Not Fawkes in his full glory, that's for sure.

Jawbreaker Cardi question

gina L said...

I really like your jawbreaker cardi. I think I like this yarn better than the specified yarn. How many skeins did you use - for what size cardi?

I ended up using 10 skeins of Artful Yarns Reality for the Jawbreaker Cardi (I bought 13, which got me closest to the yardage of the specified yarn). I did get gauge with it on US sz 10.5 needles like the pattern says, BUT I did have to knit very loosely - for me, anyway. Oh, and this was the 2nd largest size.

Now that I've worn the sweater a few times I can say that while I do like how light and airy it is, I think that fact is a bit of a negative, too. Part of me wishes the sweater was a bit more substantial. Not thick and heavy, mind you - just a little sturdier. Then again, if it was, I wouldn't be able to wear it in warmer Spring weather.

Monday, Monday

It's Monday and I was a busy knitter this weekend. I had two classes to teach at Neighborhood Knit Shop on Saturday and then spent most of the rest of the weekend knitting away happily in my new recliner. I finished the worsted weight socks I'd been using as a demo in Sock Class:


Pattern: my own basic toe-up pattern with garter rib
Yarn: di.ve Autumno (this is sooooo soft!)
Notes: I used one full ball per sock and got about a 3" cuff - so these are ankle socks.

I also picked up the Panda Wool sock and got into the gusset decreases:


I think I'm going to love the look of this sock, but I find it hard to work on because the construction is so different than what I am used to. It's not right or wrong - it's just different.

I also threw caution to the wind and started a new sock on Friday night (because I'm crazy like that). This is the first time I've used Trekking XXL and I quite like it.


Pattern: my own, toe-up, 64 sts on sz 1.5 needles, 6x2 rib
Yarn: Trekking XXL in color 100

The Trekking has 459 yds, so I'm making these as long as I can. Currently the cuff is 6.5" and I am only at 34g (skein was 96g to start with), so I still have a few more inches to go.

Sunny Days

The weather has been so lovely this week. Not great for winter handknits, but really lovely in a Spring sort of way. In order to celebrate, I decided to whip up a quick 3/4 sleeved cardigan.



Pattern: Jawbreaker Cardigan, from Interweave Knits Winter '06
Yarn: Artful Yarn's Reality, in Survivor
Needles: US sz 11 for ribbing, 10.5 for everything else

I've had my eye on the Reality yarn for a while, but wasn't sure what to do with it. Then I remembered the Jawbreaker Cardi, which I'll admit didn't do much for me at first - but then I realized it could be what I wanted: a plain, simple sweater with 3/4 sleeves that I could just hack around in. The yarn is a chain yarn, so while technically it is bulky, it is very loose and airy and when knitted up, the fabric is quite light. I realize that the real money shot would be me actually wearing the cardigan, but I couldn't be bothered to make myself look presentable and then figure out the timer settings on my new camera before 8:00 AM. Oh, and yes, I do realize that none of the stripes match up. I didn't want them to and after working with this yarn, I don't think it's even possible.

In light of Spring and new beginnings and all that, I've been thinking a lot about this sweater from my past:



This is an Ann Taylor sweater that I got when I was in college. Bobbles anyone? While the bobbles are a bit much for my taste these days, I do think it's still a pretty sweater. 80% silk/20% cotton. It's in desperate need of a good cleaning, but once I do that, I have big plans to deconstruct this sweater...totally unravel the whole thing, give the yarn a good wash, re-skein it and then consider the possibilities of what it could become. I'm open to suggestion...any ideas?

While I was outside taking these pictures, the kids came out with me and started dancing together. Pardon Ethan's jammies - he wasn't interested in getting dressed yet.