it won't kill you, really. now do it.
2007- 7 pairs so far! 
« 2006-08 | HomePage | 2006-10 »
09/28/2006
could it be?
Could it be?
Do you see?
Do you see? The finished tea cozy?
Do you see? A knitters dream, yarn in the tree?
21:24 Posted in Knitting | Permalink | Comments (14) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/26/2006
felted
First off I wanna say, shout: THANK YOU EVERYONE!! I'm overwhelmed and amazed by all your wonderful comments!! Thank you!! Wow!!
Second: Don't forget, the comment contest mentioned in my last post is open till Sunday. Good luck! (Could anyone tell that I was extremely tired when I wrote that post? damnnn)
Now.. onto business
I have 2 FO's! I was very busy this weekend, crafting away. A few things I can't share for a few days. I finally finished a Christmas present, that was due *ahem* last Christmas... yes, you read that right. Last Christmas. Just in time for this Christmas! Riiigghht. And the rug that I was (hoping) to give to my Aunt that has recently been sick. Here's what everything looked like before I threw it into the washer
click to embiggen
I was a little worried about how the rug would turn out, how the blue borders are a little wonky. Since I had to use a different yarn I new I was throwing caution right into the wind.
20:02 Posted in Finished Object | Permalink | Comments (8) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/24/2006
Blogiversary... a few days late!
I can't beleive its been a year already, ok 1 year and 5 days that I've been blogging with blogspirit! I started blogging in May of 2005 over here using AOL journals. If you haven't guessed already, I'm very challenged (quit giggling! I mean it!) when it comes to technology. I like blogspirit because it took very little reading to figure out, same with photobucket. Flicker, good Lord! huh? Don't get me wrong, I like to read, just not really read directions. (yeah maybe thats why the sweater didn't fit! gr!)
Anyway, since its my blogiversary I might as well give something away right?!? ok! So, little contest is in order. I'll pick a name on Sunday the 30th. Good luck.
22:01 Posted in Special Occasions | Permalink | Comments (30) | Email this
09/21/2006
death to the cardi
Thank you all for your encouragement and suggestions. They helped prevent me from doing the irrational. You know throwing the sweater into a dark corner of my icky basement, tossing it into the garbage, or setting it a blaze. I did try to save it, really I did. Tuesday I had a extremely loooooong dentist appointment. Afterwards I stopped by Silver brook farms to see if I could find some complimenting yarn to finish off the collar and button band. I found some Crystal Palace Meringue in color 0603 (brown) 40% Merino, 40% Acrylic 20% Elastic Nylon which I thought *might* work but it was a long shot. I had a feeling it would just look horribly stupid and would end up on the fug list. I can't even show my face it looks so incredibly stupid.
11:40 Posted in Knitting | Permalink | Comments (20) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/18/2006
This.is.NOT.good.
This.is.NOT.good not good at all...
Really, not good at all!
see that wee, little, itty, BITTY strand of yarn I'm holding up? (never mind the Christmas tree in the background) That is all the brown unknown yarn I have left. *SOB* I just have to finish shaping the crewneck and then the buttonband!! That's all!! *SOB* Knitting Godess's why? Is it because I set fire to a bit of this yarn to see what it was made of?? Or because I broke my other 40" knitpicks options cable because I was trying to try the cardi on while it was still on the needles when I should have put half on waste yarn? *ahem* yes, both where really stupid to do, I know. This.is.SO.NOT.good.
I'm going to go cry into my stash... and eat lots of chocolate... lots
18:45 Posted in Knitting | Permalink | Comments (16) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/16/2006
Saturday sky, tea stash, and what??
Saturday Sky
finally, some blue sky and sunshine today! The kids really enjoying playing outside this afternoon while I knitted the sleeve of my sweater. We both enjoyed the sun which we haven't seen in weeks.
I'm participating in the Knitter's tea swap 2 and have flashed my tea stash
I would like to make 2 felted rugs. But have no idea if I should sew the squares together before I felt them or after I felt them?? If anyone has any input ppplllleeeassseee let me know!! I would love to mail my Aunt one of the finished rugs.
19:35 Posted in Knitting , Saturday Sky , Swaps | Permalink | Comments (5) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/14/2006
start of something new
With fall in the air, and it being so very chilly here I realized its time to start something new. A sweater, a nice bulky, cuddly cardigan. A few months ago I bought some yarn off of the DeStash blog, the seller said that it was Malabrigo. When the yarn arrived, I doubted that it was Malabrigo as its a 6 ply yarn and I beleive Malabrigo is two or one ply. When I subjected sample of this yarn to the burn test it melted like plastic. (When Mike comes home at the end of the month, I'll take pictures to share. My camera can't take close ups with out it looking like a blurry mess) I kept the yarn, because I fell in love with the earthy color way, and the softness of the yarn. Late Tuesday night I cast on, check out this yumminess
Its moving fast on my knit picks options size 11 needles. Finally I'm using them for knitting more than a swatch! I'm basing my cardi off the Gatsby Cardigan from A knitters Handy book of sweater patterns by Ann Budd. Only 2 more inches before the underarm decreases. mmm, this yarn is so soft and cuddly its going to make a great sweater! Right now I'm dreaming of buttons and thinking maybe a zipper instead of the buttons...hmm...
21:55 Posted in Knitting | Permalink | Comments (7) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/11/2006
Happy Birthday Mike!
Today Captain Mikie turns the BIG 40!
Happy Birthday
Big GuY!
Since Mike was scheduled to be at work during his birthday, we celebrated Mike's birthday last weekend while he was home on break with family.
Mikies nephew James was so happy to see his Uncle. Look at all those candles!
20:15 Posted in Special Occasions | Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
09/10/2006
Tribute
All day I've been thinking of the words to say. And came up with a whole lot of nothing. Having a hard time expressing my thoughts, my feelings, and my fears about what happened 5 years ago today. Thinking all day about what happened, where I was and what all has changed since that fateful day 5 years ago. Remembering how I was still married to my ex, sitting on the couch in our living room nursing Bryce who was only 8 months old reading Corra (age 2) Rhyme time, story time. How my (ex) husband was still in bed. I remember how the phone rang, it was one of his friends calling to ask if we where watching the news. Justin flipped the tv on to Fox News and at that moment we saw the second plane crash. If it wasn't for the Fox News emblem on the screen I would have thought we where watching a movie. It seemed beyond my thoughts that anyone would ever attack us, hurt innocent people that they had possibly never met. I don't think I'll ever forget that feeling, hugging my small children close and wondering what is going to happen next. I remember finding out some time that day about flight 93 crashing into a field in Shanksville and finding out how close they came over where we lived. We lived in New Bethlehem, PA. 2 hours away. Just thinking about where that plane could have landed...
I don't believe that I will ever understand why these terrorists hate the United States and its citizens so much. But I do know
I, and my family. Will.never.forget.
21:40 Permalink | Comments (4) | Email this
09/09/2006
Saturday Sky and New Swaps!
Here is my Saturday Sky taken at 2pm of the side of my front porch.
This morning, I woke up to rain. More rain! urgh! Thank goodness it stopped raining late this afternoon, the sky is now a overcast of clouds with some bright sunshine peeking through at times. *sigh* Sunshine, how I've missed it!
I signed up for the knitter's tea swap 2 today
there are still spots open! I can't wait to start, I enjoy tea (coffee too!) especially when its chill out and I'm waiting for my kids bus. I can't wait to start this swap, maybe I'll be lucky enough to have a international pal!
I keep forgetting to mention this but Bev over at Comfy Bev has started the October Birthday swap. If your birthday is in October, go sign up! I had so much fun with the August Birthday swap those October Birthday gals are going to have tons of fun too.
Hope everyone is enjoying there weekend, Allysa is (sorta) taking her nap. I'm off to enjoy some quiet knitting time, with a hot cup of tea a non-kid show while still in my pj's at 2:30 in the afternoon. I love weekends.
14:31 Posted in Saturday Sky | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email this
09/08/2006
Needle sizes, good Lord my head hurts!
The blog world has been all a buzz about the knit picks needles. How cheap they are, how great they are, and now how they aren't the right size they say they are. Just to warn you, this is going to be one of my random babbling posts that may or may not make any since there may or may not be any fiber and/or knitting pictures at the end of this post either.
I recieved a email from my SSS pal Adelle. She wrote about her KP (knit picks) double pointed needles today, and how one (1??) of her needles is a different size. I checked the dpns that she sent me, as per her request and some circs I ordered for my SSS pal, get this. This is where my mind is boggled and needs to be settled with ice cream. My neighbors yippie turkey dogs are not helping me right now either.
I have 3 knitting needle sizers that I can find right now (I must say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I found 3!).
- From Stitch n' Bitch design journal
- Lion brand
- new knit picks needle sizer and ruler thingy
This is where I get a bit crazy
- SnB measures a US 1 as 2.25mm, US 2 as 2.75mm, US 3 3.25mm
- LB measures a US 1 as 2.25mm, US 2 as 2.75mm, US 3 3.00mm OR 3.25mm (WTF???)
- KP measures a US 1 as 2.50mm, US 2 as 3.00mm, US 3 3.25mm
I googled US knitting needle sizes I found this page All Fiber Arts Knitting Needle Converision Chart. They list a US 1 is 2.25mm, a US 2 is 2.75, and a US 3 3.25mm. I went through all of the sites my google search turned up, they all list
US 1 2.25mm
US 2 2.75mm
US 3 3.25mm
My KP US 1 double pointed needles measure out as follows:
- SnB- in between a 2.25mm and 2.75mm
- LB- US 1.5 (2.50mm)
- KP- US 1 (2.50mm)
My KP US 2 circs measure as follows:
- SnB- slips easily in the US 3 (3.25mm)
- LB- US 3 (3.00mm)
- KP- US 2 (3.00mm)
So what is up with the KP needles? Really? Why are their sizes basically, wrong? This makes me want to learn metric sizes just *this* much more. But I don't think my brain could really handle it. Do you want to know the best part? I realized this after I called KP and told them about my needles. (Which they are sending me a new set of US 2 circs. I'm happy the 1's are 2.50mm) From now on, I'm not going to take the size printed on the package as the truth. It may be close to right, but just like clothing sizes there is no set size. (don't get me started, I hate clothes shopping more than this needle thing) And that knitting a gauge swatch is the only way to find out if the needle you want to use will provide the right gauge.
I think I need to go to the grocery and pick up more Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Chip cookie dough. Don't get me started on why its ok to eat cookie dough in ice cream and its not ok to eat when your baking.
Here's a bit of secret knitting:
click to embiggen
I believe I knitted my ice cream pint cozy a wee bit to big eh? hehee
20:01 Posted in Knitting | Permalink | Comments (10) | Email this | Tags: knitting
09/06/2006
Finished Objects, really!
I feel like I've just been posting about my recent yarn acquisitions. Ok, there where a few that I didn't post about, and a few more from the past few days. Like from web's here, purchases from Periwinkle sheep here, lovely hand spun from my friend MandaJ here, from Stitch your Art out here, and from Mom here. All I can say is, August was a serious yarn acquisition month for me! But I have been knitting really! Between running around getting the kids ready for school, spending time with Mike while he is on break, and all that fun stuff. In the past two weeks I've finished
(from left to right) Corra's Cascade fixation footies,(she was SOO excited when she learned they where for her. I told her they where for me. But they fit her feet *so* much better!) Dad's Christmas socks re-knit. Boy these did not like to be unraveled and knit again! These better fit Dad's feet now, because I don't want to knit them again! And my Gypsy Cotton socks. I love the cotton socks for summer. Right now its so cold and damp here I could probably wear my wool socks! I've also just finished a bunch of hats. You might recognize the yarn from the first picture from webs.
It all started out innocently enough. During my last visit up to my parents, I took the kids to webs because I had to get my hands on some of the Noro closeouts. (Especially the Cash Iroha!) I had just learned that one of Mike's cousins had a new baby and I wanted to knit him and his brother a hat. And of course that meant that my kids had to get hats too. So I let them pick out some yarn. I've been knitting these up for the past 4 days. Here's the stat's
Pattern: Based on Children's cotton hats from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I omitted the eyelets and the I-cord bow, and followed the rest of the pattern.
Size: The green hat with the blue and yellow stripe is baby sized for Mike's cousin's new baby, the blue hat is for his brother, Orange hat is Bryce's, red and raspberry is Allysa's, raspberry and light blue is Corra's, yellow green and light blue is for charity. I used just over one ball for each of the larger hats.
Yarn: Valley Yarn's sugarloaf 52% fine merino wool and 48% Acrylic Microfiber. I used one ball in the following colors:
20298 yellow, 29012 red, 25223 orange, 21340 green, 26037 raspberry, and two balls of 34168 light blue
Needle's: 5 size 9 clover double pointed needles
Time: 3 hours
My thoughts: I *really* enjoyed knitting with the Sugarloaf and might even knit sweaters for my kids out of it. Hopefully it will wash well and not ball up! The hats went super fast, I can say now. I'm so sick of knitting hats! How about a pick of the hats in use? I can hardely get Corra to take her hat off! She loves it. 
Now I'm working on a bit of secret knitting.. hmm.. wonder what it could be?
Gotta go! Errands to run, laundry to do, and Mike's bag to pack! Have a great day!
09:55 Posted in Finished Object | Permalink | Comments (10) | Email this | Tags: knitting (ENGLISH)