knit one, purl two, drop five

It'll be alright, right?

2009-06-12T18:49:00.003-05:00

Pulled another disappearing act, but with good reason! I was returning from my vacation in SC, ooooh how I miss home, then getting ready for my husband to return from deployment. He returned June 3 and we have been catching up and talking about everything that has happened over the last 6 months.

Such as my wanting to go back to school. Scary, I know. I have been out of school for 12 years, so this is a bit of shock. Me? The person who doesn't believe in the institution of school wants to go back to it? Yup. There are compromises that have to be made and the biggest one comes to the children. Husband feels I won't be able to dedicate enough time to my own school if I am trying to home school the kids as well. I can see his point since the kids are usually all over me all day (and one of them all night) long. So we are going to work with the kids over the next 2 months to get them caught up to reading level and math level so they will be prepared for public school. I'm nervous about them going back to PS but I also know if I want to get my degree and work towards my goal I have to give somewhere.

In other knitting related news I am slowly catching up on my knitting. I still can't seem to find my mojo but I have designed a pretty sock and can't wait to release it June 21. July is WIP wrestlin month, that will be interesting with 3 sweaters, 1 top, 1 pair of gloves and 5 socks to catch up on. I wonder what I will actually manage to finish.

52 pair plunge!!

2009-05-24T16:58:00.002-05:00

The 2nd annual 52 pair plunge is coming to a close. I haven't reached the goal but there is still time, and of course there is always the next round!

The 3rd annual 52 pair plunge begins June 1, 2009. This year I am one of the moderators along with 2 other new gals. We are looking forward not only to the challenge of hosting the plunge but in participating as well. I am hoping to get a design done that will be exclusive to the plungers and perhaps a prize package for the end of the plunge to the person who reaches the goal.

Til then, back to finishing up this years plunge ;)

Sometimes

2009-05-20T04:48:00.003-05:00

Sometimes, such a great word to start off with. Sometimes I am happy and full of life and energy. Sometimes I am sad and low. Sometimes I am easily irritable and sometimes I can fly between the 3 in one day. It's the rollercoaster called being an unmedicated bipolar. I've been on this ride for 15 yrs and to me, it's normal. I FEEL. Sometimes I think people forget that I feel. Sometimes I think they forget just because I have a hard exterior and try not to show outward emotion that I am not sensitive to what they say or do, or even the things they may not say/do.

Sometimes I just need to pour out what is on my heart and on my mind knowing I am safe here because only one friend reads and I love her dearly and I know she would never judge. We have the kind of friendship that despite doing something together maybe once a year we are always there for each other and support each other, no matter what. She is only one of two friends here that I can say that about.

Sometimes I wonder if my friendship with this one friend is even really a friendship. She was the first friend I made her in WA and it was just, natural and easy. We went to HS together, had many of the same friends back home and just generally seemed to click. While I was living up in that part of town we did a lot of stuff together, we were always off doing things. Then I moved down here and it made it harder to get together as much, plus I have all of these kids which make doing anything that much harder. So sh made more friends that were close by and I thought that's awesome, everyone needs friends nearby. I was happy for her. I knew her first deployment in the Navy was coming up and I know how hard that can be being away from home, being in a strange new place and needing people. Then she became pregnant and it suddenly changed. I don't know if it had anything to do with being pregnant or if it was coming on but I didn't notice it until then. One group of these friends she had made, it felt to me were pulling her away from everything, they always got together and did things, hell they even had a stupid fucking mascot. The only time she called to talk to me was when she needed to gossip about something she couldn't say to anyone else. Why me, because she knew I wouldn't tell anyone else since I had no other friends (on the boat that is).

I tried to ignore this feeling I had. It really came to a head one day, on the way to a tea party. I couldn't get on base as my stickers had expired so I had asked to ride in with her. At first she said no b/c she had this to do and someone else to pick up, so I said, alright see you another time then. When she calls she said alright I'll leave work early so you can ride with me, but man did that feel like I was the worst inconvenience ever. Brushing off the feelings thinking maybe I am just being sensitive it gets worse. When we get to the gate I pull out my military ID only to find out it's expired and they have to call the MP's down to issue me a ticket which takes forever, and friend is very highly aggravated. Now I am feeling really low, apologizing profusely and just wishing I had stayed home. The feeling doesn't go away the entire party. FF to me leaving her house after the party and realizing I need gas, so I pull up to the station and realize aw shit husband has the debit card and I have no money. Now I am scum on the bottom of dog shit on the bottom of a shoe b/c I have to call and ask friend to borrow a few bucks to get home.

After this I notice there is a huge shift and I become only a ear for the gossip. When things head south with this one clique I am sympathetic and supportive and so my best to be there for her. I even tell her some of how I felt that one day (this is many months later and about 2 mths after baby is born) as I feel perhaps this is a turning point for us getting back on track with our friendship. Only it's not. She makes more friends.

Now I am constantly seeing comments on FB about things they are doing or things they did, every day it seems they are getting together for coffee or going somewhere, doing something. I don't begrudge the friendships and I know I must sound like a sour puss but it hurts. It hurts to not even be asked hey wanna come up for coffee? Hey we are going to a baseball game I bet your kids would have a blast why not come along. Or even just a hey we haven't hung out in awhile, let's get together. But I am still that friend that hears her gossip, I am still the one she turns to when that one chick is being a bitch and in general making friend miserable. I am just not that friend that is invited to anything. I am not that friend that when she is in need and asks for help, is offered it. Or hell even a hey I'd love to help out but I can't, how about I keep you company and keep he kid sout of your way while you work. All I hear is silence.

Sometimes. Back to that word. Sometimes I just want to tell her to take her fair weather friendship and shove it. Sometimes I want to say it's not worth being your friend just so I can hear you complain and gossip while you have fun and do things with your real friends. I hate being that person you do gossip to simply because you know I have no other friends so I won't be able to tell anyone, as if I would anyways. I hate feeling like you are only my friend out of pity? some weird sense of obligation? or is it something else entirely because I certainly don't feel you are my friend because you want to be my friend, because you like me. And then sometimes I think if I were to ever say those thing I would hurt her feelings and that would make me feel even more guilty than I do now for being such a burden of a friend. But here in my safe place I can say those things without repercussions, without guilt, without ever showing that outward emotion that makes me weak.

Now I am out of words. 3:20 am, woken up by something and unable to sleep because words were clouding my head. Now they are out and maybe I can rest again. At least maybe I can feel better having gotten that all out and maybe fresh eyes tomorrow will show I am just being silly and over exaggerating the situation. Maybe.

Vacation continues

2009-05-06T21:13:00.002-05:00

But is quickly coming to an end. We have tossed in as much fun and adventure in to our trip as we can and now we are just chilling and relaxing. Since it's late and I'm tired I'll just bombard with pictures from Middleton Place, Folly Beach and my dad's backyard ;-)

and tomorrow (maybe) i'll have some knitting pr0n for ya ;)

East Bay Garden Gallery

2009-04-23T19:29:00.002-05:00

This morning my dad called me and asked me to come down to his gallery, a flower was in bloom and he wanted a couple of pictures of it so he could paint it. So since I was there I took several shots of his gallery to try and convince him to put up a website just to show his gallery, no online sales or anything, but he seems uninterested. So since he won't let me do that I'll just share the pics here ;-)

my dad, the artist & owner of East Bay Garden Gallery

the red flower in the courtyard he wanted a pic of

back of the gallery, in the garden

back & side of the garden

gate that leads to garden behind the gallery

inside of the gallery

another inside view

and yet another inside view ;)

last one!

Magnolia Gardens, Charleston SC

2009-04-21T19:44:00.006-05:00

We have been on vacation for 1 week now and enjoying every minute of bright sunshine down here in good ol South Carolina. There really is nothing like the fresh air and constant sun like it is here in Charleston. It never ceases to amaze me just how much brighter and clearer everything is here.

We've done a few things here and there this past week but today was a big day for us. One of the owners of Magnolia Gardens, Drayton Hastie, visited my dad's art gallery (East Bay Garden Gallery, just north of the Battery) a few weeks back. He fell in love with my dad's style and invited him to photograph the plantation and paint it in pictures for their gift shop. Today we did just that, so here are a few highlights from our trip, sorry I can't reveal all as they may very well be painted and hanging in the gallery soon ;-)

Mr Egret standing guard near the famous bridge

random bench surrounded by azelia's which grow abundantly in these parts

this mysterious lady was hidden off the beaten path, such a shame as she is stunning!

The man on the left with the young girl is my father, the artist Hampton Brand and my daughter Rory, they are watching an alligator float along the water.

my curious Pixie transfixed on yet another alligator

one of the many ponds on the Plantation

all of the kids taking a break from all of the walking

the petting zoo was one of the kids favorite spots

this guy really loved my gal!

this is the back of the plantation home, the front faces the Ashley River and is near impossible to get a picture of

this bridge has been painted and photographed by many artists

I just love this photo

another of the kids, just having fun

After a long day I am ready to go sit down, watch Dancing with the Stars and knit with my Wollmeise :D

Global Warming

2009-04-12T01:53:00.002-05:00

Well, more like Global Cooling if you are in the PNW. But as promised I finished my Global Warming top, knit in Yarn Chef sock yarn, one of my favorite not yet hit the big time Indie Dyers

This was a really fast and easy knit, very few modifications made to it. And yeah I know the pic is crappy, just like our weather. And based on weather reports it doesn't look like there will be another half decent day until the day we fly out to go to SC, but that means I'll have ample opp for much better pics once we are there! And hopefully pics were I don't have to chop my head off ;)

On the home front note, I got to talk to the husband as the boat is on a port call. It's nice to hear from him but makes me miss him so much more. Thankfully this deployment will soon be over and should be the last one for at least 2 years, maybe more. Also did some more cleaning and packing for the trip. Oh how fun all of the clothes from the garage smell! Oops and I forgot to put them in the dryer, better go do that now so they don't sit overnight and get more smelly!

Dreary Days

2009-04-09T13:17:00.003-05:00

They are so common here in WA and after two years one might think I'd have gotten used to them. I still get all gloomy and unmotivated and just want to sit in my PJ's rather than actually doing the responsible things I have to do. Days like this make me miss my husband. Ok I miss him every day regardless but at least on days like this I could just call him and say Hey honey can you grab some sugar, bread & cat litter on your way home.

Speaking of husband, our anniversary was two days ago and guess who forgot? ME! I was in bed settling down for the evening when an email came in. It was the most heartfelt, sincere, sweetest, heart wrenching emails ever. My husband is a man of few words and rarely are they sappy love letter type words. My heart lifted, I cried, and then I felt like a big asshat for forgetting our 9yr anniversary. I have forgiven myself, I do have a lot on my plate these days.

On that plate? I leave WA in 4 days to go home to SC for a month weeeeeeeee! I am so excited to be going home. I can't wait to walk downtown Charleston, go sit on the battery and drink frozen lemonade (it doesn't stay frozen more than a second!), and go play at the beach. I know it won't be a cure all but being home is a soul renewal and I will feel so much better after I get in to the warm sunshine and sand that is home.

In knitting news I am cranking out a bunch of items. I recently finished These Bintje socks for a friend

and knee highs for myself

I am also working on this pair of knee highs (and one other not pictured)

these are made from my most favorite striping sock yarn Goth Socks, which can be found on Etsy Right Here.

I am also almost done with a short sleeved sweater top for myself. I should hopefully have photos tomorrow as all I need to do today are the sleeves and yoke.

Say it!

2009-04-01T12:15:00.002-05:00

Pixie (my 4yo) likes to randomly talk about whatever. Today we are discussing the weather and if it's cold or not. It's snowing, of course it's cold. Pixie says to me "it's not cold to me" I just mumble mmmhmmm. To which she responds with "say why". . . ignoring her she presses harder "SAY IT!" I humor here and say why? Her answer "because" so I say "because why?" and she says "BECAUSE I SAY SO NOW DON'T ASK ME AGAIN!"

Cracked my shit right up, man I love that girl.

Nothing Witty Here

2009-04-01T00:46:00.002-05:00

I feel like my brain was sucked out today between the whining, the fighting and the snarking. I got to sit down and do this pay period's budget woohoo! Don't we all just loooove that! I also had a freak out this morning when not only could I not find my flight ticket confirmation email, I also could not find my car rental confirmation email. And then to make it worse I couldn't remember which discount place I reserved the car rental and purchased the plane tickets, and of course neither were from the same company. Lucky for me my brain turned back on for 5 minutes and told me to look in my bank statement for the airline charge.

As for the car, well since I hadn't yet paid for it I had no trail to follow so I began random internet searches for low cost car rentals, bada bing bada boom I found it! Whew! Then I gathered up my POA, all the kids BC's, printed out the itinerary, car rental confirmation, and a coupon for extended parking at the airport.

With all of that is it any wonder I hardly got any knitting done today? I had planned to be done with this pair of socks so I could start April fresh with new projects. However I have failed and I am ok with that! Tomorrow will be lacking in the kniting as well as it is grocery shopping day!

Thursday I head up to Seattle to meet an online bud, A who is flying up from CA as well as meetng 2 other local girls L, whom I only know online, and S who I know online and have met in person. Looks to be a fun day of playing at Weaving Works yarn shop and then heading off to the coffee shops. I don't know which part of the day is better, meeting my friends or having the very first shipment of the GothSocks Dead Poets hand delivered!

Monogamy

2009-03-31T01:45:00.002-05:00

Not in marriage but in knitting. I have always been a polygamous type of knitter, flitting from one project on day A to a different project on day B and then back to project 1 on day C. Its always worked for me and kept me from becoming bored. My needle stash is nearly as large as my yarn stash for this very reason. Then one night, about 2 or 3 weeks ago I had my first panic attack over the amount of WIP's I had going as well as my list of must cast on now's. Why, I wondered? Could it be a sign I need to simplify my passion so that it really is more of a hobby rather than a taking over my life obsession? Possibly. I have knitted my way down my WIP pile. I now currently have 1 sock WIP and 1 crochet WIP, and a few hibernating UFO's I won't mention.

I haven't gotten bored, just more determined to finish one project before I begin another. It's a it weird and yet relaxing! To only think about the one project I have going rather than the 6 or 10 or however many crazy projects I get myself in to!

It also meant that this morning when my youngest was tossing cookies I was more able to focus on her and take care of her than if my brain was frazzled and flying a million miles a minute about how much time I was losing. Don't worry, the little Pixie is fine, just had a bit of the dry heaves this morning, it passed quickly and before I knew it she was back to her usual rambunctious boisterous singing and dancing self.

Heart's Afire Socks

2009-03-30T00:00:00.004-05:00

The inspiration behind these socks was to support heart health awareness in women. During the first month I had it for sale all of the proceeds were donated to the American Heart Association. Over $150 was raised, thank you everyone who contributed!

Bejeweled Diamond Socks

2009-03-29T23:57:00.005-05:00

This pattern is my first self published design. I created it in honor of a dear friend of mine who truly is as bright and tough as a diamond. It's a fast and easy knit with a bit of beaded bling to really make it stand out!

Nautilus Socks

2009-03-29T23:53:00.005-05:00

This is my first published pattern from Gardiner Yarn Works and can be purchased from various online and local yarn retailers. My personal favorite is Wool Girl.

copyright GardinerYarnWorks 2009

Exhausted!

2009-03-29T23:41:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful day in Washington! It's true the sun does shine here, sometimes ;-) I have a lot of pictures I could share of our day today but I will try to narrow it done to my few favorites. We live out in the sticks, in a quiet neighborhood that is very large and has tons of places to explore. In our explorations we have found some gorgeous out of the way places for picture taking. Our first visit was to the "bike pit" which pretty much is what it sounds, but just beyond it is a beautiful tree right on the edge of the water. . . see here

I took about 80 various shots of the kids in this tree, group and single shots. From there we moved on to the "Little Lake" only we veered a bit off the path and went down to a stream from the lake that flows in to the pond behind that tree

After that (were I also took about 80 more pictures) we headed off to the old school style playground that seems to be lacking in useage so we take full advantage!

After a hard day of play we came home renewed, refreshed and enjoyed some orange jello and breakfast for dinner! Now I am trying to figure out how to use this here fancy schmancy Blogger Ap. I have added links to my 2 patterns available on Ravelry, which you can purchase directly from here if you do not have a Rav account, and BTW why don't you have a ravelry account?! As soon as can figure this all out I'll have images and what not going too but for now I'll just make seperate blog entries to show off each pattern :)

Sock Summit!

2009-03-29T12:58:00.002-05:00

Being the sock obsessed person that I am, an event like this is right up my alley! There are going to be some fabulous designers and teachers that I am looking forward to meeting and learning from. Hopefully the 2 or 3 classes I most want to take will not be scheduled at the time, it'd be a bummer to have to choose between 2 needed classes.

The sun is shining for the first time in almost 2 weeks here in WA, beautiful blue sky! I think i will take the children for a walk around the neighborhood and to the playground instead of dying yarn today.

I'm back!

2009-03-29T04:33:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it's been nearly a year since I last posted to this blog, shame on me! I am planning to start blogging more regularly, let's see how I do ;)

So much going on in the past year but I'll start with this current year of 09. I am officially a published designer! I have one pattern for sale through www.gardineryarnworks.com (nautilus socks) and 2 that sre self published. I have them currently listed on Ravelry (you can find them either through my designer name, knittinpixie or rav ID MePlz). I'll attempt to have them linked to the blog soon, I am still a bit )ok a lot) blogger illiterate.

Other than that I have just been knitting, creating, and every now and then dabbling in the yarn dying. Tonight I am just trying to wear myself out so that i can go to sleep. It's 2:20 am and no dreamland in sight!

Hmmm I need one of those witty endings to finish off my blog posts. But witty I am not, especially this late/early!

Death becomes her

2008-05-20T22:20:00.000-05:00

Death Becomes Her
Here Lies Jenn, the fastest knitter of the NW.
Cause of death: Socks
Time of Death: 2:32 pm May 19, 2008

The death socks arrived here yesterday. It was a sweet death, and one I knew was coming so there were no surprises and plenty of time to say my farewells. In my box o' death I received one pair of nicely knit socks, alas too big for my narrow feet but promptly claimed by my neighbor so the socks shall live on, a bag of divine ghirardelli caramel chocolates, a magnet with a sheep knitting, a yummy scented candle, and a project bag for carrying around my socks in progress in.

The sad thing was I was *thisclose* to completing my second kill but was thwarted by death. So those socks are now working their way over to the east coast to be completed by a third person (my assassin) to kill my target, now her target.

Sock Wars was fun, despite some drama and major bumps in the road. I signed up for the next event: Death By Socks to start in June. I may join in in Sock Wars IV not sure yet. It was a joy working with a new yarn, getting to know the co-owner of a major online yarn shop and even getting hired by them to do some test knitting. So all in all it was a good time and great opportunity for me.

And no I will not tell you what I am doing in my afterlife or I may be committed for truly falling off the deep end ;)

Sock WarsIII--The Detonator!

2008-05-13T16:54:00.002-05:00

SockWarsIII officially begin Friday May 9. Got off to a rocky start but within time it seemed everyone settled down and got to knitting. I finished my socks on Sunday and posted them overnight on Monday to my target in Portland Oregon. She will be dead by socks when she gets home from work.

The pattern, might have been ok had it not been for the errors. The yarn SWTC TOFUtsies was a dream to work it but sucked at the gauge used for it. Who knows I may try the pattern again someday with a tighter gauge.

Here is the photo of the finished socks, detonating in oregon today. Or not as the pic loader seems to not be working at the moment.

Sock Wars!! A pre-war unofficial contest :o)

2008-05-06T11:36:00.002-05:00

I've been going crazy with the socks lately joining 2 sock clubs, a yarn club, summer of socks, 52 pairs II, sockdown, sock kal and of course the bloodiest knitting contest ever--SOCK WARS!

A participant is holding an unofficial contest which you can read about on her BLOG. Be sure to visit her Etsy Shop as well for some cool non sock wars sock knitting bags later this week.

Good luck and beware the postman!

Husband Socks -- Free Pattern

2008-04-30T13:56:00.004-05:00

This is my first written pattern so please email me if you see any mistakes!

Husband Socks
yarn: duets sock yarn (sport weight)
needles: US sz 2

Fits a mans foot circ 8.5-9.5" shoe size 8

methods: Judy's magic cast-on, wrapped short row garter stitch heel & toe, 2 circ or magic loop, knit & purl, LLINC & LRINC increases.

Using Judy's Magic Cast-On, cast on 46 stitches (23 on each needle)

working on just needle 1 you will begin the shot rows.
Knit to 1 stitch before end, w&t
Knit to 1 stitch before end w&t
Knit to 2 stitches before end w&t
Knit to 2 stitches before end w&t

Continue in this method until 5 stitches remain unwrapped.

Knit to first wrapped stitch and knit it, w&t next stitch so it now has 2 wraps
Knit to next first wrapped stitch and knit it, w&t next stitch so it now has 2 wraps

Continue in this method until all stitches have been picked back up.

On needle 2 you will need to knit through the backloops as these stitches are twisted on the needles.

Rnd 1
Knit 1, m1 (I used LaLINC) knit to 2 stitches before end of needle m1 (LaRinc), repeat on needle 2
You now have 50 stitches.

Knit the foot in Stockinette until it measures approximately 2 inches from the heel. Following the short row toe method work the heel the same way.

Before joining back in the round we are going to make a very small gusset to add some length to the heel as I find short row heels to be a bit well, short.

sl1, knit to end, turn
sl1, purl to end turn
two more times adding in 4 stockinette row.

Pick up 3 stitches from each side of the heels stitches and join work in the round. Knit across needle 1.

Needle 2, knit 2, ssk, knit to 4 stitches before end k2tog, k2.

knit 1 full round and back across needle 1.

needle 2, knit 1 ssk, knit to last 3 stitches k2tog, k1

work full round and back across needle 1

needle 2, ssk, knit to last 2 stitches, k2tog.

You should now have 6 rows of stockinette for the leg.

Rnd 7 begin ribbing K3, P2 until leg is desired length (I usually go about 6-9 inches)

BO
K1, yo, K1 pass 1st two stitches over second knit stitch, yo , K1 passing these 2 stitches over last knit stitch. Repeat until all stitches have been bound off and weave in ends.

Updates and such

2008-03-05T15:25:00.002-05:00

Who has time to blog these days with knitting, home schooling, and of course the wonder that is Ravelry! I have been working tirelessly on several pairs of socks. I really need to learn how to be a monogamous knitter, might save my sanity. Nah I doubt it. I currently have OTN 4 airs of socks--1 monkey by cookie a, 1 jaywalker by grumperina, the mate to gothic spire by cookie a and then the mate for jacobean for the SKP2008 (sock knitters pentatholon in honor of the summer olympics). I need to finish the mates to my anne diamond knee socks, my twisted oval socks and rhiannons mingus sock. And I have been working on some more felting projects so I have a mini bowl otn and a square bowl otn. Yay Im a bit cuh-raz-zzzy!! To top it off I just got the yarn in for a starsky sweater I have been wanting to knit forever.

To aid my addictions I have joined 2 clubs. One is the seven deadly s(p)ins club based obviously on the seven deadly sins. Every other month we'll get a yarn pattern and goodies to match a sin FUN!!! And I am also in the woolgirl sock club so on the months I don' get a spin shipment I'll get a new sock yarn and pattern.

Oh but it doesn't end there oh no! I am in sock knitter anon on Rav that enourages me to flex my knitting skills and make lots of socks every month and I'm a mod in a sock kal board also on rav and of course the skp2008.

And somehow I still manage to school the kids, keep the house clean, cook dinner, care for a new puppy and even get 8 hours of sleep a night. I must be supermom ;)

Hey blog land!

2008-01-26T20:20:00.000-05:00

Wow how long it's been since I blogged. Christmas knitting hit me full force in November and December. I wasn't able to complete everything on my *must knit* list but got enough accomplished to feel satisfied. And since becoming a member of Ravelry I have had more knitting to do lists, and less time for actual blogging. So I guess you want to see some recent FO's? I'll get to that tomorrow. For tonight I just wanted to say hi and that I haven't forgotten about this little spot on the 'net.

Hooded sweater & cable hat

2007-10-05T18:36:00.000-05:00

This set was originally knit for someone else, but unfortunately they (nor I) took into acct that cotton shrinks when washed and the sweater ended up about 1.5 inch too short despite me adding 2.5 inches to what the pattern called for. I assumed hand washing on cold the yarn wouldn't shrink but lo and behold it did. I also did not believe my customer when she told me her 2 yo son had a 21.5 inch head and while the hat did fit the circumference, it was too short :( So I am ordering 1 more skein of yarn (as I already have 3) and remaking the entire set. meanwhile they fit Rhiannon perfectly so now she has them and it's one less item I must knit for the Pixie Pie.

front and back done

all pieces complete, seaming still to do

On the adorable recipient :)

I crochet!! And Dye too!!

2007-10-01T11:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a fun day in experiments. I needed a mental break from the ton of knitting I have to do so sat down and crocheted Rhiannon's doll a hat, and then proceeded to crochet a hat for Rhiannon as well. And then last night I crocheted Rory's hat. Xander & Ethan have both also asked for one, but without the "ponytails" lol

And then I also dyed 6 skeins of yarn for socks I am knitting for 2 stores.

A How to tutorial

2007-09-21T08:12:00.000-05:00

After having completed Rhiannon's Hip in Hemp I have been dreading doing much with Rory's as I detest weaving in ends, and boy are there a LOT of ends to weave in. And because of the way the pattern is, once you got to the eyelet row increases it was nearly impossible to hide the ends when weaving them in.

So I decided to change the row in which I started the inc/decrease pattern section to give myself a bit more space for better weaving but thought there had to be a better way.

And so it came to be that this past week a fellow craftster posted a blog (sock pron) in which she shows how to weave in ends while still knitting. The catch was it was written for an english knitter, to which I am not, and for a flat piece for which Hip in Hemp is not. And this lead me to coming up with my own method that I am happy with and have been testing merrily on other projects. So perhaps now I'll finish Rory's skirt!

On with the tutorial!

When you reach the beginning of your round, drop the working yarn and pick up the new yarn, knit the first stitch as normal

Now take the old yarn and toss over your new working yarn

wrap the old yarn around new yarn thusly, holding it nice and snug

Now knit your second stitch, being sure to keep the wrapped yarn nice and snug

Continue tossing, wrapping and knitting until you feel you have secured the end, I go about 2 inches.

You can repeat this in the next row wrapping the end of your current yarn around the working end of the yarn as you did previously to secure it. The backside will look like this (though please ignore the thick weave as I thought I would try weaving both ends in at the same time, which obviously did not work! however you should be able to see the deep rose woven with the sage, and then the sage woven with the light rose)

Hip in Hemp

2007-08-19T11:59:00.001-05:00

I felt this project deserved it's own blog! I have so many pics of Rhi in this skirt there is no way I could post them all, however I'll keep it to just a few :)

Pics as promised!

2007-08-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

Being offline for a month and all that jazz really put a crimp in putting up pi s of finished projects, and I know I am missing some pics that got uploaded at my dads house, so they will be posted when I get them :p

Xander in his RPM sock from Knitty, knit in socks that rocks monsoon colorway, they were my first STR yarn for the sock club but I decided Xander would love camo socks and get more use from them than I so he was bestowed these.

This is Kona superwash I koolaid dyed in self striping pattern to knit my sister some socks as a birthday gift. While I loved the colors I quikly realized it was not her style in colors and so the socks have just the ribbing on the last cuff to be completed and I am keeping them for me ;) lol

My black rainbow socks (dyed by midnight spectrum on hyenacart)I used the shimmer sock pattern on magknits but altered it to fit my narrow foot and made the cuff shorter, which left me enough yarn to make my 2yo DD a pair, which I have yet to get a picture of.

This was my June big mboy from mothering.com. I know exactly what I plan to do with my banana silk fiber yarn, a crescent moon shaped purse, they rest is still being silent on what to do with it LOL

2007-07-10T00:20:00.000-05:00

Double licious! I finished Rhiannons black rainbow socks to kinda match my black rainbow socks (yes yes pictures will be forthcoming!). I tried out a different heel, I did a k2p2 ribbed short row heel. I like that it fits her snuggly as he ankle/heel is pretty narrow, however I didn't give the heel enough length so they pull down a little on her. She loves them though and it was an experiment!

I still have the heel and ankle to do on the footie sock that was going to be my sisters, now they are going to be mine and I bought a pretty pink yarn more suited to her style. But those will have to wait as I currently have a hip in hemp (knitty.com) OTN for Rhi and soon Rory, plus I have about 1-2 weeks to knit a pair of knucks for my realtor who is a bad ass bike chick and been so great with our huse buying.

Once I have my computer look for a picture loaded blog!

Independance

2007-07-05T19:55:00.000-05:00

Knitting, drinking, and fireworks, what could be better??? I sat outside with my kids, knitting in one hand and a coconut pina colada in the other while fireworks boomed overhead. It was a great night and while we celebrated the US's independance, I also celebrated the completion of Xander's RPM socks. Yet somehow I managed to make the second one tighter on the calf and longer on the foot than the original. Not sure how so looks like I may have to trudge thru yet 1 more at least, 2 if I am feeling suicidal and want to have the odd sock a match to donate. I think I am going to work on something else for awhile though. RPM is easy and the first sock was quik but after that I was BORED. Now is the time to learn the 2 socks on 2 circs to avoid this SSS nonsense.

In Washington and lovin it!

2007-06-29T17:46:00.000-05:00

I have been in Wa officially 2 weeks now. I am staying with a friend (who does not get my addiction to yarn in the mail lol) so I can't upload any pictures. However I can tell you of my ongoing projects and FO's :)

So I finally finished my blak rainbow socks and man do I love them. I did have to tweak them bot and increase a few st at the ribbing section, otherwise those puppies were not going on my feet. Guess that happens when you make the socks to fit nice and snug and your foot is more narrow than your calf. I am now on sock #2 of Rhiannons black rainbow socks. It could be done in 2 hours if I could just sit and knit them.

As for #2 socks I am on the foot finally of Xanders second RPM. I have 3 more pattern repeats and then the toe, could be done tonight or tomorow if I just sit and knit.

And lil sis #2 anklet has been put on stitch holders so i could use those circs for Xanders rpm. I do think since I only have a few inches left again would only take me anhour or two to complete but they are going to be mine as I don't feel the pink is the right pink for her, so I purchased pre-dyed yarn in a soft candy pink and white. I am sure I can not only get her anklets but both of the girls a pair of socks as well.

I have grand plans to knit a pair of knucks for my badass biker chick realtor who has been super wonderful in my house hunting/buying adventures. And possibly a hat for my bald loan officer.

And after all of that I will be making the happy in hemp skirts from summer issue of knitty for both girls. Yarn and needles have already arrived which are of course driving me crazy because I want to knit them RIGHT. NOW.

But of course DD1 wants a cute knit pink purse like moms cool knitted purse. And I have still managed to be in the magic BoY swaps so I now have a nice skein of banana silk yarn and patons sws yarn that are itching to be knit right away. I do often wish I had 6 arms so I could be knitting more efficiently LOL

When I am in my own home with my computer I will upload a ton of pics from my adventures in travel knitting and dying and swapping!

May MBOY teaser

2007-05-24T21:05:00.001-05:00

I really do enjoy doing this yarn swap on MDC. And despite the upheaval of a cross country move I am still full on participating! So without further ado...my teaser

True sign of a yarn addict

2007-05-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

We packed up our house last week to move from CT to WA. I however couldn't allow anyone to touch my yarn stash, or bear for it to be packed away in a moving box and put in storage for who knows how long. So I packed it up in a huge bag, tossed in some cedar blocks and put it in the passenger seat of my truck to ride along beside me! Here is a small taste of my stash, most of it is on the other side.

My April yarn from swap

2007-05-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

I really love doing these yarn swaps on MDC and will miss doing it in June. But here is what I received this month. Moda Dea yarn hand painted with kool-aid, size 5 DPN, several chai teas *yum* some bath salts, a handmade case for my darning needles and stitch markers, and the cutest stuffed peeps toy that Rhiannon promptly acquired as her own.

Pictures of Recent work!

2007-05-10T22:56:00.000-05:00

I have been busy and forgetting to post. So here is the finished felted Noro Kureyon bag I sent in last months ball swap--unfelted then felted

Here is my very first WarmHeartWoolies soaker. I wasn't sure if I liked it at first as my fingers cramped a lot on the flat sections but the fact that there is practically no finishing and best yet no picking up stitches, it was awesome~! I used irish baby knits merino, so yummy and soft.

My first pair of grown up socks, not the ones I originally blogged about, those both got frogged *sigh* but these are nice. I did ankle socks which isn't normally what I like, in undyed blackberry ridge merino. I may dye them eventually. And man is it hard to take pics of socks on your own feet!

And then my 2 girls, Rory in her Nakiska, which is great for keeping her dreads out of her face, and Rhiannon in Piggle, both from Knitty.com

Teaser for April's yarn swap

2007-04-13T15:29:00.000-05:00

This is just a teaser to what I put all the goodies in :o)

Some things I have been working on :)

2007-04-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy the last few weeks! I knit a HUGE bowl and felted it to fit around a plant vase for my dad's SOs birthday. That bowl took forver to knit, the yarn was a bit scratchy but it felts so nicely.

Then i have been working on a spiral blanket for my friend Amber's nicu preemie. It's made from MCY superwash merino sock yarn. I love this yarn so much I foresee buying much much more in the future for socks!

I did another project too but it's a secret and partly will be revealed in my next post as a teaser for the April magic ball of yarn swap.

I knit up a panta today for my DD Rory who is in the process of dreading her hair and needed something to help hold them back. I am about to cast on Piggle from knitty for her as well.

I knit an adorable ribbed bag for myself, I just need to put the handles on it and sew in the fabric before i snap a picture.

And finally I am designing a pleated skirt in the round for Rhiannon. I'm not sure my idea will turn out how I want it but I'll never know if I don't get my fingers to work on that project.

OH! And I forgot I have 2 socks for ME OTN. One is a crazy cable pair with yarn from Annie in Canada from my first yarn ball swap. The other is a black rainbow sock dyed by midnight spectrum (she is on hyenacart.com) and I am using an altered version of a magknits pattern called shimmer.

Ok ok enough with the chat here are some pics ;)

Sam's Capri's

2007-04-03T09:41:00.001-05:00

Jackson's mama wanted a pair of capri's for Jax's older sister Sam. She picked the best yarn, I am having a very hard time folding these up, putting them in an envelope and shipping them off LOL. Mosaic Moon kettle dyed Targhee is like, it's better than cashmere IMO. I tried a different crotch style, instead of kitchener grafting I did a 3 needle bind off. Aside from the seam inside it looks nearly identical to the kitchener on the outside of the pants, plus required much less thought to what i was doing, which in a houseful of 5 kids, doing kitchener can be harry at the best of times. I made the bottom look to be bellbottoms and added a crocheted picot trim and sweet lil ribbon accents for both the drawstring on the waist and on the bottom of the legs. I do home my friend likes these, ok who am I kidding, who wouldn't kill for these pants? They RAWK!

Take a shot and jump in the pond...

2007-04-03T09:26:00.000-05:00

I just recently jumped in to sock knitting, seeing as how I joined Socks That Rock. But I have been too scared to start those socks and potentially ruin some very gorgeous yarn. This weekend I got the itch, said what the hell, and knit 1 perfect pink sock. I only had the yarn enough for one and my sweet 2yo snatched up and proclaimed it hers. Which led to me grabbing more yarn and in 3-4 hours having her a matching pair of socks, which she loves!

So knowing I could do it and trying 2 different techniques out on those 3 socks (toe up, short row heel and top down heel flap) I felt confident I could do ANYTHING!

Being that I had gotten the most incredible black rainbow handpainted sock yarn a few days ago (with some matching black yarn for toes/heels) I swatched. I never swatch but I didn't ant any mistakes on these socks.

After endless searching I found the pattern for this yarn. Shimmer Socks would be great! I followed the directions, thinking from the moment I cast on that this was going to be too big for my foot. But I knit on. I ended up with a toe cap that was 3 inches+ long and at least an inch too wide, but still I knit on into the pattern for the foot. After 3 row repeats I tried it on and nearly cried. It would never fit me! Maybe a man with wide feet but not me :(

I looked at my husband, tears in my eyes and said plainly "I need a shot of tequila" as I slowly, carefully stitch by stitch, ripped out my days worth of knitting. I sat there just looking at the curly pile of yarn, Tequila burning in my stomach. Heaved a deep sigh......and cast on again. My way (crazy 8 CO) to what I felt would be a more reasonable size for me. Now to decide if I try to flub the pattern to fit me or do a regular ol stockinette sock. The yarn is so gorgeous it really does all of the work. The pattern was really just to keep me interested.

I think I'll wait until tommorow to decide.

A dolly for my dolly

2007-03-27T18:04:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby turned TWO yesterday *sniff* so I knit her this adorable Dolly from the Jess Hutch book. It was super quik and easy! Happy Birthday sweet Rhiannon!

Jax in his pants set

2007-03-24T17:59:00.000-05:00

It's not often I get to see the babes wearing gifted knits so how excited am I to see lil Jax sporting this too cute set? I am working on a cute capri for his almost twin older sister now :)

knitties for sisters

2007-03-17T12:08:00.000-05:00

I worked out a trade with a nice mama to get my 2yo some awesome custom made bamboo velour undies. I made her 2yoDD a pair of shorties and her soon to be born DD a pair of longies that will grow to fit her all summer and be capri's. I love how they came out, super cute!

My finished SKB

2007-03-17T12:04:00.000-05:00

well I did, it's finished. My first large project! I'm disappointed but so glad I tested the pattern in a cheap yarn so I can see where I need to alter things to fit me better. I made the smallest size and it's fit is too loose, so next time I will do decreases under the arms after the join and knit several extra rows before starting the lace pattern section, then I will not do the waist increases and knit the length longer as following the pattern made it just an inch or 2 too short for my tastes.

SKB--day two

2007-03-10T20:18:00.000-05:00

Another day stuck in bed sick leaves time for much progress! One thing I have learned however is that lace probably shouldn't be knit while sick and breastfeeding lol I made a few oops that aren't really noticeable except to me of course. I am working on my 3rd waist increase now but wanted to try it on to see if I need all 5 increases. As it turns out 3 is all I need so after this will just be boring rows of stockinette until I get to the hem.

Changes I made, I left off the purl ridges and instead did 4 rows of seed stitch before and after the lace portion. 3 waits increases instead of. I'll also do the seed stitch for the hem and arm cuffs. The sleeves are already at the length I want so I am skipping the lace on the sleeves and just going straight in to the cuff. I think I should be done tommorow or Monday.

This is the largest project O have knit but by far one of the fastest. And it lives up to its name, it is indeed very simple :)

Simple Knitted Bodice--KAL 1

2007-03-09T17:18:00.000-05:00

I joined some MDC mamas do do a KAL for stitchdiva's simple knitted bodice. It's got very pretty details and I couldn't wait to finish up some other projects to get started. Then I got very sick this week, which makes perfect knitting time. So after casting on last nigh and spending today in bed I got a good start on my SKB. I am almost to the lace detail on the bodice. Here is a picture of my progress :)

Rockin' Sock Club!

2007-03-03T21:18:00.000-05:00

I'm a freshman this year in what is known as the rockin sock club, enabled by the wonderful ladies at Blue Moon Fiber Arts. I got my first kit in the mail yesterday and really had to restrain myself from ripping open the box and digging in to its contents. Especially as I still have one more pare of longies to knit before my hands are free. But I digress...

I couldn't hold out any longer and opened my pkg. Wowwee is all i can say. The yarn is nice, very soft, squishy and springy. I live the little emergency sock yarn keychain. The pin, the sticker. And a binder to hold all of my new patterns that will be arriving every 2 mths. I have never knit a sock before so this will be a my new years challenge. I can't wait to start! I already did my gauge swatch tho it looks as if I may need to drop down to a size 0 or even 00 to knit as I am still about .5 st off in my guage on size 1's. Ouch! They are so tiny I am afraid I might break them :/

Pants for Jackson

2007-02-27T18:44:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine recently had a sweet baby boy. I was so excited to get to knit for him and his mama picked out the softest prettiest yarn. Such a joy to knit with! The legs really are the same size they just need to be washed and blocked so ignore the wonkyness of the pic. I can't wait for Sarah to get these and put them on Jackson :)

Magic Ball of Yarn

2007-02-26T18:48:00.000-05:00

This is my second month participating in the MDC magic yarn ball swap. I love doing this as you just never know what you will get. Last month I got custom spun and dyed sock yarn that I am still afraid to knit up. Well that and I don't have DPN's small enough yet. My LYS has weird hours that don't always jive well with my schedule. But anyways on to this months swap.

I got a huge box brought right up to my door today. I really didn't think it could possibly be my yarn, but since I haven't ordered anything I knew it had to be. I ripped into the box like a kid on Christmas morning. I giggled with delight upon opening the box. And then really chuckled as I recognized the "waste" yarn used to wrap my goodies. I had just been knitting with it a few weeks ago, attempting to make a beach bag that I gave up on.

I read the note and knew exactly who my swappee was. And began unwinding the waste yarn. Out came a keychain card of yarn weights, great for a quik reference, a needle sizer perfect for someone like me who always forgets to put their needles back in their case, a yummy chocolate bar, a bag of coffee that I can't wait to drink, a knitting rules book (and lets be honest I never follow the rules so this book is on my must start reading now list lol I cant wait to read a good knitting book!!), and last but so not least this lovely oh so soft rainbow jewel toned mohair/wool/nylon yarn. I haven't yet decided what to knit with it. I know it will speak to me soon and tell me what it wants to be. Until then I am going to pet it everyday. Thank you Alaska :D

For a FIN

2007-02-26T18:25:00.000-05:00

It took me forever to finish this for a FIN on MDC. I have an aversion to peace fleece unfortunately so it was a real chore to knit these adorable longies for her new baby. The soaker was super easy but I procrastinated the leg cuffs. I just hate picking up stitches. I know I know, such a bad knitter LOL

Current projects

2007-01-20T23:17:00.000-05:00

I have 2 pairs of longies on the needles, one for a FIN and one for a trade. I'm struggling with the FIN's since the yarn she sent is so thick with lanolin it's sticking to my fingers and needles. But I am loving on the one for trade. Its 100purewool (from ebay) and it's just so soft and smooth. One of my favorite yarns to knit with.

I have plans to make my 9yo a hat. I had made him one but it turned out a little too bag so I frogged the entire hat and need to redo it. Especially now that winter has finally set in. I also want to make all of the kids and myself "brown bag" on knitty.com. I have plans for a pair of socks for me and my sister, a sweater/cardi for the 2 girls, the spiral sweater on elann.com for myself and possibly a scarf for dh. Yeah that will all get done by next winter lol

That was a bust

2007-01-20T23:15:00.000-05:00

I totally forgot to take pictures of my grandpa's scarf so I am going to have to knit up a swatch just to show how lovely it was.

I gave it to him last Friday, he didn't even take it out of the gift bag :( He looked happy to get something he could wear but his body language spoke differently. I wish I had spent that time knitting for my kids, or FIN's or my dh instead of someone who seemed to not appreciate something I thought he would totally love and appreciate. So much for that.

A dinosaur for Xander

2007-01-01T13:17:00.000-05:00

Last year my youngest son wanted me to knit him a dinosaur for his birthday. I knit the body and one leg before I bored and put it down, never to pick it up again. This year he asked me to finish the dinosaur. Instead of completing the original one I started all over again, this time with an acrylic so it could be washed (I originally was using fishermans wool) when it got dirty.

He loves his new dino and now wants the other two in the series. I don't remember where I got the pattern but it's titled as extreme knitting.

Here is his finished long neck Xanders Dino

Nakiska

2007-01-01T12:53:00.000-05:00

After all of the knitting projects I have currently OTN I needed some instant gratification quick knitting, and I wanted it to be for me. I had stumbled upon this awesome cabled headband/ear warmer on Knitty. I had alrady had plans for making myself a Panta or a Calorimetry but as I have found a new love of cable-ing this was the project for me. Pattern can be seen here NAKISKA

It took me about 2.5 hours last night to make it. Here it is on me. Sorry for the blurry pic, self portrait at 4 am in a semi dark room doesn't always turn out so well!

I used Lion brands cashmere blend yarn on size 6 needles, and did the adult s/m size. My head circ measures at 21", the pattern size made a 17" circumference. My finished project is 17" unstretched, I hit it right on which usually never happens for me even when I get gauge.

Grandpa's Scarf

2006-12-21T12:10:00.000-05:00

I decided to make my Grandpa a scarf for Christmas and settled on the Irish Hiking Scarf from Hello Yarn. After knitting in to it for awhile I realized it was too wide for a SC winter. I re-vamped it to fit what I wanted as well as I hated the garter stitch edge. I decided to post the alterations. Pic will come soon. Original pattern can be found Here.

New pattern--
worsted weight yarn, I used Plymouth Encore
size 8 needles (i find circ to be better than straight needles)
cable needle or DP

Cast on 32 ST
Row 1 (WS) p3, k3, p6, k3, p2, k3, p6, k3, p3
Row 2 (RS) k3, p3, k6, p3, k2, p3, k6, p3, k3
on the next rows you will slip the first and last stitch with yarn in front
Row 3 (WS) sl1, p2, k3, p6, k3, p2, k3, p6, k3, p2, sl1
Row 4 (RS) k3, p3, k6, p3, k2, p3, k6, p3, k3
Row's 5, 7, 9 same as 3 and all subsequent WS rows will follow this
Row's 6, 8 same as R2/4

Row 10 (RS) k3, p3, C6F, p3, k2, p3, C6F, p3, k3

C6F= slip 1st 3 ST onto cable needle or DP, knit next 3 ST, then knit 3 ST on cable needle.

Knit until desired length ending on Row 9.

My blog title

2006-12-16T17:34:00.000-05:00

I am sure people are wondering, or maybe not but who cares, why my blog is titled this way. It's a funny story, at least to me. Over the Thanksgiving holiday I was knitting at my aunt's waiting for dinner to be done. While I was oblivious to all but my 4 needles and yarn, my aunt asks what I am knitting. My uncle (her DH) then says "Knit one, purl two, drop five" I just laughed and said I rarely drop a stitch much less 5. Later that night my DD got a hold of the tam I was knitting for a friends SO and wouldn't you know, 5 dropped stitches. Ironic, no? So there is the story behind my blog title. Pictures of FO's will be soon to follow.

Trying this again

2006-12-13T21:25:00.000-05:00

I used to have a knitting blog up last year and decided I couldn't keep up with it so I closed it down. But over the last few months I realized I really had nowhere to post what I had done and show off pictures, so here I go again!

Right now I am kicking myself for not photographing a soaker that was mailed out a few weeks ago. See I have been knitting for FIN's on MDC's Holiday Helpers list (want to know what I am talking about? Check out this link http://www.spatulagirl.com/holidayhelper/index.php) and I made this awesome soaker for a little girl from www.woolywondersbynada.com thick and thin merino in their majestic colorway. It was so sweet and the mama told me her DD just loves it and it's a perfect fit! But I am sad I didn't take a pic to save. Lesson learned I will now take pictures of all the knitted items I am making to ship out :)