Sunday, May 27, 2007

Perfect Day

  • Wake up to some great gifts from Pea, including these for my feet and sewing machine . . .
  • Out to a yummy brunch, complete with a mimosa
  • Off to a yarn store we'd never been to before (okay, this part was not so perfect, as it was not quite the yarn store for me and I left empty handed)
  • Off to a yarn store I knew I loved where I was told to pick out whatever I wanted. I got these which predict bags and shawls in my future. . .
  • Off to the mall for some shimmery nail polish
  • Home to give the pedicure stuff a try . . .
  • Dinner (and dessert) with the parents
  • Back home with some pretty new flowers for the porch (thanks Mom!!)

Too bad birthdays only come once a year.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Head start??

I chose my Holiday Headstart project for this month when an e-mail from Knitting Daily came in. There was a link to the cutest little felted bag (it's on the left ), and I knew it would be perfect for my cousin's daughters. I could knit one this month, and one later.

I know this will be hard to believe, but I couldn't find any yarn in my stash that would work for the bags. I wanted pink for Alexis, but the only pink I had was bulky weight. I wanted purple for Alina, but the purple skein I had was too pretty to felt down and give to a preteen. So off to the yarn store for two skeins of Lamb's Pride - one in Lotus Pink and one in Wild Violet. Perfect.

I cast on the pink purse when we got home on Saturday. I finished binding it off this morning and was all set to felt it. Want to see?Oh yes, that's right. Just a pile 'o balled up yarn. Apparently, my brain took a little vacation while knitting this purse. I must have incorrectly marked the start of my rounds after picking up stitches from the bottom of the purse. After knitting the body of the purse, and the handle, and the flap - and weaving in all my ends - I held it up to admire. The bottom of the purse was turned about 45 degrees from where it should be, so the left end of the handle ended up where the flap should have been. D'oh. I really should have taken a picture to show you the misshapen horror I knit. There was no choice but to frog. ****

I can't bear to restart this for May. So, anyone got a quick project I could crank out in 5 days??

**** I do realize I could have just ripped out the handles and the flap and reknit them in the proper place. But instead I decided I would rip the bottom of the bag and re-knit that. It was a disaster and THEN there was no choice but to frog the whole bag. Grrrr.

Monday, May 21, 2007

Too much stuff about me

You know that "7 / 8 things about me" meme that you've seen everywhere? Well, I too was tagged . . . several times!! By Jessica, Wendy, HDW, and Knit Annie. I'm not sure what I have left to tell you about, but here goes:

  1. If I could change one thing about my life, I have no hesitation about what it would be. I would no longer have diabetes.
  2. And as long as I'm at it, no one else would have diabetes either. (Heck, if I'm curing myself, I might as well cure everyone!!)
  3. My immediate family all have birthdays that can fall on holidays. My dad and Pea have birthday's one day apart, and they sometimes fall on Labor Day. My mom's is sometimes on Tax Day. My brother's birthday is sometimes on Election Day. And some years, mine is on Memorial Day.
  4. I get VERY attached to things. My vacuum just broke, and I bought a new one, but it still killed me to throw out the old one. After all, we've sucked up a lot of crumbs and dust-bunnies together!
  5. More often than not, I would rather stay home and knit in front of the T.V. than go out.
  6. More often than not, Pea would rather go out than stay home. I don't know how we manage to comprise. (Actually, I do. He usually gives in to me.)
  7. In real life, I'm much less "happy and cheerful" than I seem on my blog. I guess blog-me tries to be more positive and upbeat, while real-me is more pessimistic.
I think I'm the last one to do this meme, but if you haven't done it, consider yourself tagged!!

Okay, on a lighter note, here is my entry for the Summer Goals Contest. This was easy, because I love setting up lists and goals!!
  • Lots of socks (have you joined Summer of Socks 2007?)
  • My second lace shawl
  • Finish Tahoe
  • Finish my last two UFO's . . . well, okay, at least work on them enough to move them to WIP status
  • Knit at least one tank
Oh yes, and if I remember correctly, I saw this contest at Knitting in Pink, Craftlily, and Serendipitous Opportuknitty. You can enter until the end of the month, so start making your list and remember to tell Ali I sent you!!

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Yarn P*rn of the Week

I thought about photographing this Cherry Tree Hill Supersock in an actual cherry tree, but I couldn't find any around.

The colorway is Misty Moor, but alas, no moors (misty or otherwise) to be found around here either.

Truth is, this yarn is so pretty . . . it makes my heart bleed.

Ah, bleeding hearts are easily found right in my own back yard!!

On deck and ready to become Zephyr Socks.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Friday Sewing

For the past couple of weeks, I've been doing a small sewing project each Friday. First, I made some pajama bottoms, which I probably won't post until I make the top. (I have been wearing them - with a t-shirt though!!) Last week I got out my new Simple Sewing book and practiced my skills on a Simple Tote out of some (dorky) fabric scraps I had lying around. And this morning, I took the book out again and whipped up this little backpack.You can't really tell from the picture, but I split the pocket into three compartments. One for knitting needles, perhaps?? Well, only if I could be sure they wouldn't fall out!!

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

WIP of the Week - Diversion

I am not a head wrap kind of person. I don't wear anything in my hair. I love head wraps on other people, but I know I look stupid in one myself. They just don't suit me. So why, after reading Scout's blog yesterday, did I start knitting this??It isn't even on my May Knit List. But it's pretty. And I started thinking about how I could use something to wear around the house. Something to keep the hair out of my eyes while I'm cleaning. Or knitting. Or cooking. Or sewing. Or gardening. See, plenty of uses, and no one but Pea has to see me in it!! Before I knew what was happening, I was digging in my Yarn Scraps Basket looking for some yarn. I pulled out the rest of a ball of Instant Gratification Sock Yarn and cast on. I'll just knit until I run out - and hopefully it will be long enough to reach around my head and tie.

So, that's my little diversion. Next week, hopefully I'll be ready to show you some progress on Tahoe.

Monday, May 07, 2007

KAL catch-up

As I mentioned on my April Knit List, I had gotten a bit behind on my Holiday Headstart knitting. Luckily, I cranked out two little gifts and got right back on track. First off, a pair of Fetchings for my "niece". (She not really my niece, but she's like a niece to me.)

Fetchings
Cast on: 26 December 2006
Completed: 27 April 2007
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran 330016 (rusty orange)
Needles: Knit Picks Options, US6 on 40" cord (magic loop)

When I bought this yarn, I had planned to make the Fetchings for myself. But I think the color will suit Jennifer really well, so they're for her instead.

My next gift is for my best friend's son, who will be almost two years old by Christmas.

Click to make bigger!!
Elephante
Cast on: 27 April 2007
Completed: 30 April 2007
Yarn: Cascade 220 8401 - Silver Gray
Needles: Clover Bamboo DPNs US4

This is, by far, my absolute favorite of all the stuffed animals I've ever knit. The pattern is quick and easy, and the elephant is the cutest thing. The only problem I had was that I don't know how to crochet, and couldn't seem to figure it out for the ears. No fear, I knit them instead!! I just knit a basic circle over four DPNs, then folded in half and did a three-needle BO. So cute!!

What do I have planned for May? Well, maybe I'll do a quick
little sewing project.

Friday, May 04, 2007

Winner of the sock yarn!!!

Did you think I forgot to draw a winner for my contest? No, I would never forget. I just got a little distracted with the sewing machine making a tote from this book. Not that I had time to sew, since I have a million things I need to get done today and a final to take for one of my web-classes. But anyway . . .

You want to know who won the yarn? The winner is . . . .

CATHY!!!!!!!

Which yarn did I choose for the give-away? Well, I couldn't decide. So, Cathy, tell me which one you like best and I'll get it in the mail to you!!
For those of you who didn't win, don't be too disappointed. There is another contest going on over at Trek's blog. She once had a dream she got 145 comments on one of her posts. And now all we need to do is make that happen - and she'll give away a prize (or more?). So leave a comment on the contest post with a suggestion of something fun she can do with her daughter over the summer. Good luck!!

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Out with April, In with May

Making that list of projects I wanted to finish in April seemed to work out really well for me. No, I didn't finish everything on the list (I didn't expect to either), but I did get more done than I thought I would. Here's how the month ended up.

  1. Finish and block Kiri Shawl in time to wear to a wedding on April 15th. - Done!!
  2. Finish second Monkey sock. - Done!!
  3. Finish a pair of Fetchings as March Holiday Headstart project. - Done!!
  4. Find and knit something for April Holiday Headstart project. - Done!! I knit an Elefante. Look for the FO post soon.
  5. Finish (or at least work on) Red Koigu Socks. - One is finished, and the second was cast on last night.
  6. Swatch and start Tahoe when yarn arrives. - The swatch is done and drying. Maybe I can cast on today.

It seems that these monthly lists will help keep me focused and motivated. The April list certainly kept me from casting on a million new projects and not making progress on any of them! So, here are my May goals:
  1. Finish Red Koigu Socks.
  2. Knit Tahoe.
  3. Plan and knit a May Holiday Headstart project.
  4. Try making a little felted tote that I've been planning in my head.
  5. Start a pair of Zephyr socks.