Maybe Next Year

Maybe next year I will finish some arm warmers.  Just don't have the energy at all for anything.  I have tried starting several things and just scrapped them totally!

On a sidenote, I have started watching knitpurlgurl's vidcast and, don't get me wrong, she's great but.... Yes there is a but. I have been listening/watching other knitting podcasts/vidcasts on itunes and they have been thanking her about her gifting out her Walnut Grove shawl on their 'cast.  As I listen/watch her 'cast, it is like she is promoting the shawl.  Then she says, I didn't mean for everyone to thank me for giving them the pattern.  And then saying something to the effect I am not trying to pimp out my shawl.  Come on, I like your vidcast, but if I could get a penny for everytime you mention 'Walnut Grove', I would be a happy camper...At least by next year.

Sorry for ranting!

Just A Knot...er...Note

I have heard about this calendar on several pod/vidcasts and just want to pass it on...The thing for the cancer research.

http://fitterknitter.com/

And if you watch, think its Sadie from Yarnivore, talks about the snuggles for pets in the shelters like the aspca, humaine society, and such.  Might do this, since my two boys came from the humaine society. 

http://www.snugglesproject.org/

Happy Holidays

Yup, am in the Christmas funk.  Nothing done in knitting, am watching horror films to counteract all the sugary Christmas movies.  Maybe I can push out a wine cosy or two before Sunday but who am I kidding.  Arm warmers, phish, here I come Etsy.  Don't know who I was kidding!  Plus it would have been a great idea to actually go out and get the right type of yarn for them!  Duh, right?

Oh, found a link that I found that helps a group and helps the knitters who feel the need for knitting bags!   Maybe its a good idea, maybe not.  Hope everyone has a good holiday season, be safe, be good!
http://www.feedprojects.com/shopping_product_list.asp?catID=3673

When Things Don't...

seem brilliant anymore.  I have shredded the 2/3s done arm warmer and am trying yet again to make the pointy decreases.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I am starting to feel about these as I did the purple people eater socks.

And I just saw the 2 minute Let's Knit2gether podcast.  It seems like they only have one more vidcast left and that's it.  Phoey!  That vidcast was one of my favorites, most of the time at least, but even the Rhinebeck interviews started to grow on me! 

Well if you guys don't stumble on me in the next week, hope your holidays are good, safe, happy, and merry.

Those Blessed Arm Warmers

Don't know if you actually remember me complaining about how my arm warmer didn't look like the picture.  Well just talked to designer and found out what wasn't specified in the pattern.  What wasn't written is that in the p2tog k2 p2tog part of the decreases was that the k2 stays constant and doesn't move and the p2tog works around that k2.  Sometimes I am not sure about patterns but I am glad that the designer did answer my question on this one.  Now to rip back and redo the arm!  Wahoo.  Maybe this could be a 12 days of Christmas present.

Damn Arm Warmers

I have been looking at the pattern and looking at the pictures on Ravelry.  Something doesn't add up with the decreases.  If you look up the taylored opera length arm warmers on Ravelry, there is a picture of the under side of the gloves, the decreases look like they form a "V".  When you follow the pattern, no 'v' decrease pattern, just looks like a razor blade did some odd sliced stuff (trying to keep this clean) on the underside.  So I think I am going to scrap this one until I can figure out what the frig is going wrong with the written pattern.  Because every decrease line is k2 p2 k2, carry marker p2tog k2 p2tog and contiue in pattern doesn't cut the same as what the picture might be trying to show.  Have contacted the person who sold me the pattern via etsy and ravelry.  Not sure if she will respond or not.  Keep your fingers crossed on that one!

So I am going to start afresh and try http://cache.lionbrand.com/printablePatterns/90612AD.pdf
and just adjust the length some so they go above the elbows. Plus I have to wait until my friend emails me back with the measurement above the elbow to try to get the guage semi right.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Determined PS for bigger girls

For bigger girls, definitely add stitches.  I might have gotten a similar pattern because the decreases do not look like the decreases on Ravelry.

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/taylored-opera-length-arm-warmers

Determined

The last couple of weeks, all I have wanted to do is read.  Or I come home from a wonderful day of work and don't feel the knitting mojo.  But I gotta get this opera gloves project done within the next two weeks-ish to mail off to my friend for Christmas.  I have about 26 more rows before the thumb and I am not panicing....not yet at least.  I don't know if its the change in the weather to the rainy season and its making everything ache quicker or not but got to work through it.  Ibuprofin is my buddy at nights!

Hmmm...What Would ER Knit?

I have been catching up on my knitting vidcasts today and was thinking of a book that I just finished a couple of months ago on Eleanor and Franklin Deleano Roosevelt.  For me, I knew she knitted.  Did a research paper on knitting for vitory campaign during WWII.  I think I would like to do some research to see what she actually knitted and what women knitted during the WWII era.  The following link seems of promise. Don't think I have the right type of hands for these mittens but cute all the same!

http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter09/FEATwin09SIT.php

So as I asked before in my mulling, what would ER knit?  Wonder how many people we knew or know knit and we don't realize it.

Alrighty Then

Thankfully these arm warmers are for a smaller person!  I mean they can stretch very well around the biceps but since I am not a tiny person, I would probably have numb hands.  But if I was going to make these for me, I would probably add 4-6 more stitches to make it more comfortable for me.  I hope that the designer wouldn't mind!

And for those who heard me rant about how I couldn't find my good #2 dpns and went to a local diner/crafty type place a couple of blocks away to get #2s and 3s to get all 2s.  Well, Monday night I pulled out a book, because I am a little ocd about this, and I have a couple of pockets so I can stick a pencil in the cover to mark down books when I have finished them.  Well, guess what I found?  The ruddy dpns that I thought my bookcase ate up months ago!  Am I the only one that has this happen to?  Or do people weazle things away and forget where they put their needles from time to time?

Prospectors Jig

The Purple People Eaters have left the building and is on the way to Utah!  Wahooooooooo! Can I put anymore o's in there?  I didn't even mind standing in line at the post office for 25 minutes after a holiday.  I caught up on some podcasts and did a couple of texts. 

Oh baby, you don't know how happy I am to have those things out of the house!

I am almost done with the top part of the opera length arm warmer, the first one for my friend.  Is the first pattern where there are 3 pages of instructions and thumbs.  If you see panicing, don't worry,  it will pass.

Sorry....

Just wanted to apologize for yesterdays rant.  You guys don't want to hear about my ocd bff.  But I did route through my stash this morning and found some of that aran fleck lion brand or red heart or whatever it is.  One of the arm warmers might be all white instead of having some black at the cuff.

Talk to you later!

Fun Time Of The Year

Was knitting chenille washcloths for my step mother and friend.  I had asked my friend if she uses washcloths, she said yes and  then said that she pretty much only white washcloths, use it once and then bleaches the hell out of them.  Or a particular blue for holidays.  I love her to death and is my oldest friend, but she tends to be a Princess (long story that includes her mother...yes eye roll) and her ocd (she calls perfectionist tendencies) is majorly rampant.  How many people use their washcloths once and then puts them in the laundry pile?  Is it just me or what?  Why not give everyone in the family one, have them use it a couple of times and rinse them out then hang them up for the next use?  So after knitting about 6-7 of them, 30 or 36 stitches, 3-4 knitted rows on the bottom and top, then three garter stitches on each side.  I will just give them to my step mother, who is not majorly ocd-ish, and would appreciate homemade washcloths.  She could even use them as dishcloths is she wanted to. 

And my bff had wanted over the elbow arm/handwarmers.  She kept sending me etsy links to ones she likes that cost $35+ (mainly $45 ish) .  Come on, how many times can I say that I don't make a lot of money at a part time job that I only work 20 hours a week?  I don't have a D.D.S. for  husband and disability checks from the government to fall back on.  Granted she has disabilities but it just doesn't register at times.  So I am making her some Opera Length Fitted Arm Warmers pattern I found on Ravelry and paid for the pattern via etsy.  Since I haven't been able to go to Michaels or an lys lately, I am using some old acrylic yarn I had gotten from ebay.  And since I don't have an equal amounts of the two colors I am using.  So I am using a turquoise for a top part, then a blue, light blue, and green for a main body for one and then the opposite for the other one.  She probably won't like the colors but I will promise to make a pair with what colors she wants as a future project.  But in the meanwhile, I am sending her a pair of arm warmers that go up to mid or high forearm, blue, and stating something is coming in the future.  I really want to throw caution to the wind and give her an etsy gift card if there is something like that so she can get something herself.  She's very picky about colors.  Can be turquoise but can't be turquoise, has to be blue but not blue.  Think I will request for next year that she sends me paint chips from the local paint store to give me a visual reference on what exactly she wants.

I hate holidays and birthdays!

Phooey!!!!

I almost won a free pattern in the dramatic knits drawing.  I was like 269 and 273 won.  Sugar sugar sugar! 

And I am thinking that making washcloths with cotton chenille would take a chunk out of my lot.  Heck no!  I have caked most of it.  I have made 3 30 stitch washcloths, basically cast on 30 stitches and then knit until one corner meets the opposite. And I am on the 2nd of a 36 stitch version, I am not even halfway through the first cake of cotton chenille.  I don't think I will ever buy dusky rose colored chenille again.  But it is better than royal purple, I have to admit that at least!

Trick or Treat Smell My Feet!

Oops did that actually come out of my fingers?  Me bad...

This pattern is the :

                                     Cartridge Stitch Neck Warmer by Audrey Wilson

 

Since I didn't have the right yarn, I used either acrylic yarn for the peach verigated one or thick flecked yarn (very old yarn), which didn't keep much of its hold.  I say follow the requirements of how many stitches and dk weight.  Will look much better and it was a fun pattern to do.

Whole Lot of Vanilla

I am just chillin with my vanilla chenille washcloths and trying to do a plain vanilla rectangular shawl out of acrylic yarn I got on ebay ions ago.  Actually thought I was too late for Steve from Dramaticknits October drawing but he's gonna close that bad boy Tuesday morning.  Not holding my breath but hey got a finished object.  Will take pictures of the two cartridge stitch cowls I made and post them hopefully tomorrow or Monday.  Tomorrow I am going to be watching the art of Meagan vids on drop spindle spinning.  Can't believe I am watching Bill Murray's Stripes.  Just want to get to the Boom Chaka Laka, Why did the chicken cross the road scene...

Do a little dance, make a little love, get down tonight

Thank you, thank you very much!  I was down to the last 4 rows and started shaking!  They are not perfect but they are done, taking a bit of time to dry, but flogging done!  If I don't have to knit in royal purple again or for a very long time, I will be so happy!

I finished Wednesday, then in that time, I have knit a plain chenille washclotha and am working on another.  Oh the joys of no heals, gussetts, or toes! 

But I will be trying taylored opera length arm warmers....  Found them on Ravelry, the link says that they are $5 but the pattern maker sold me the pattern on Etsy for $7, so the price went up.  If you want to look at those:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/taylored-opera-length-arm-warmers .
Will be trying to get rid of some acryllic yarn I got on ebay. 

Almost There

It seems like the last inch of the foot is taking me forever!  Am itching for it to be done...  Went out to a, not sure what to call it exactly, place in the neighborhood which is part diner part crafty place.  I wanted to get some cheap #2 and #3 needles, or extra needles, because I want to cast on these opera length arm warmers.  NOTE: I should always bring my needle gauge with me.  Thought I got both sizes, about 8 needles for $6.  Got home to find I had all #2's.  Thankfully I have enough #3s for the project and a ton of #2s if I ever loose any again!  The next time I really need dpns, I am going to fork over the mulah to take the bus to the nearest Michaels and get the sizes I need there or to the nicer lys.  Only a couple of more days of purple yarn and then to wash, block, and mail the buggars off to bff.  Whoot whoot!

what joys

Finished the heal, did the gussett, started on the foot to find there was a slipped stitch 10+ rows back.  Am I going to rip back?  Hell no!  Took the easy way out and just knit the slipped stitch back up to the rest of it.  I don't know if I pissed off the purple gods or not but I am not going to let this set of socks beat my ass into oblivion.  For all you who can knit socks right and left, I salute you because I don't think I can do it without burning a couple in the Weber out back!

Just Knitting and Mulling

I am just working my way to the heal of the second purple people eater sock, watching tv, and thinking.  Saw part of an Anderson Cooper show on bullying and the reports of more suicides from bullying...  What if people put the bullies and the picked on in rooms, sort of like detention, teach them to knit.  After making an afghan square or a scarf or something, maybe they learn something about each other and stop the bullying.  Saw footage of a principle pretty much taking the side of the bully.  Why not stick the adult in the group and see if knitters can teach them a lesson too?  Too progressive?  Maybe have all involved make baby hats for preemies and shaken babies, make Mother Bear bears for kids in Africa.  Teach something for the bullies to do other than bully, have the kids who are bullied feel better in themselves for actually doing something. Guess I am too out there, just thinking if there is a knit against the war.... Oh well!

Sock Demons

Give me a whoot whoot!  I was knitting the P.P.E. socks on magic loop last night, I flipped the socks to knit one side, and the plastic (thick) wire broke nowhere near the bamboo needle part.  Oh joys of joys!  I had to scrounge around for a set of #2 dpns.  I swear its murphy's law that you can't find 4 dpns of the right size to save your life when you need it!  Or at least it seems like it to me!  I know I have some shiney ones somewhere but can't figure out where I squirreled them away to! 

Let murphy's law strike again!

Rhinebeck

I have finished 2 1/2 inches of the leg of the second purple people eater socks ,  whoot whoot. 

But I bet you are tired of reading about those. 

But to the title of my post... Why do people feel inclined to make a sweater or something massive to show off to the rest of the knitters?  Why not a shawl or a pair of socks or fingerless mits?  It sort of sounds like Rhinebeck is to knitters as the Superbowl is to sports fans.  I guess since I have never gone to this wool and fiber festival, I don't know what the hooplah is all about. 

Hallelujah!

One purple people eater sock down, please keep your fingers crossed for a matching twin....or close to it.  I am starting to think that kitchener stitches are a pain in my backside.  It could be that I could just not be used to it yet.  Maybe I will be able to finish the sock for Socktoberfest.  Well now to cast on the next one.  Need to find some dk seafoamy colored yarn for making a cartridge stitch cowl for my step mother Also with the 'beginners' drop spindle I will need to learn how to twirl my ounce of fiber.  Really see a lot of fiber on artfire and etsy I wouldn't mind getting.  But to do that I need a job where I actually get a paycheck.  Why is it that fiber, even though it seems reasonable, but in reality I want more than one thing of it and that adds up!
Now to be optimistic and cast on the twin purple people eater.

By the way, why when you hear podcasts or watch vidcasts, it seems like everyone can whip through socks like the Dickens?

Oregon Flock & Fiber

Oh goodness gracious!  I loved looking at the goats, sheep, alpaca, llama's, and angora rabbits!  If I could only stick a couple of them in my bag to take home!  I would think that I would drive my neighbors up the wall with them though!  Am still trying to find the best light seafoam dk/light worsted weight yarn for a cartridge stich cowl for my step mother!  In reality I don't think it exists. 

I did buy a $5 beginners spindle and $1 worth of fiber.  I want to see if I can make my own yarn.  I did find fiber with the seafoam in it but it was shades of greens or with other colors with it but it looked nice. 

For the purple people eater socks.  I am almost to the point of making the toe.  Keep your fingers crossed.  I love to make socks but these are just being a pain in my backside!  I have wanted to make other things but I just want to get things done with!

Trip To Alaska

Before I left Alaska for the last two weeks, the purple people eater socks gave me a double whammy.  First the second sock I was working on, screwed the count on the gussett heal area, had to tear out the whole friggin thing and started over.  But then I looked at the first sock and wondered why it looked so big.  I had made it a size that probably could stick two feet into!  Well I decided to cart the yarn and the partially done, right sized, sock all around Alaska.  Guess how much I have done of the whole sock?  5 rows, yup you read right.  Swear this pair of socks is beating me in the ass!

Me Bad Blogger

Well Spring semester has been out for over a month, went camping, and did little else except work. The second purple people eater sock got to the gusset and ummmm, guess what? Stitch count is way off. Tore it to shreds and now I am about 3 of 8 inches in before the heal flap. I had made a second cartridge stitch cowl but it was extra big, so after coming back from camping I have shredded it and am trying to redo it with lesser stitches. More of 160 instead of 180 stitches and see if I don't swimm too much in it. I am making one out of acrylic and one out of woolease. Yes am trying to make two. Maybe I can get one of my 3 projects done before going on a cruise next month. But I have noticed that my add is kicking in and I have been making some interchangeable earrings that I think would work with outfits. Just plain dangles. Well more later.

The Purple People Eater Socks

Was just working on them on magic loop and fuck a great big duck! I had flipped it around to work on a side, then proceeded to pull out a whole 36 stitches off the needles. Then got them back on the needles after 20 minutes of trying not to curse, to find out that I had put the stitches on backwards, so the yarn was on the wrong end of the sock. You know how freakin pissed I was! Now one sock is going to look even funnier than the other one. I will just have to say that the socks have personality.

I really got to get stuff done. I have the second sock to finish, another cartridge stich cowl to finish, a big washcloth to finish, a kids pair of socks to do, and the kids sized hand warmers. Plus I have to figure if I can do preemie hats with chenille.

Oh, I actually won some yarn from theknitgirllls. yay. have to figure out what I want to do with it!

Sorry a Long Delay

I don't know why I am apologizing for this delay since no one actually reads this! I I am not sure what I had finished last time but know that the cartridge stitch cowl I made for my friend has pictures now on Ravelry. But I had made a second cartridge stitch cowl out of scraps from the red heart aran fleck series... Have finished one of the purple 8 stitch per inch socks by Ann Budd for my friend and am about an inch and a half of the second one and making yet another cartridge stich scrap yarn cowl. I have scrapped the shawl I have pictured on Ravelry. Decided to match up the yarn that was in balls with the stuff in the shawl. That way when I reuse the yarn from the shawl I can make sure all the solid colors are together. I broke down and ordered two different sized sock blockers from knit picks and also a sock knitting needle holder.

IF any one does read this. I am looking for a DK weight yarn (in either wool or alpaca or something like that), 200 grams, seafoam color (not the dark color like turquoise seafoam but a more of the lighter version).

A Heavy Sigh

I am in the knititng dolldrums now. I am back at school and working too, longer hours per day, between a little under 12 hours and 14 hours, and the lack of energy extounds me. But between working on one of those cowl/hoodie things and a pair of purple socks for my friend, guess which one is not winning...Both! I really want to work on the cowl but really have to knock out the socks. The only problem is that my friend is a permanent purple devotee, even down to describing purples as too red or too blue. And after making hand warmers and a cowl/hoodie for her, I am in a major purple haze funk... As you can tell, I am really hating purple after the holidays and I am only on the first leg part of the first FLOGGING sock! I have to force myself to pull the sock out of the bag its in to freakin knit on. I am soooo tired of purple that I feel I am bleeding purple out of my eyes. I am so tempted to mail her all my purple yarn for someone else to use, that's how sick I am of it! But once I get these stupid socks out of the way, I am soooooo looking forward to some other color than bloody purple.

OMG! Two Words to Describe Me Right Now!

Yarn winder!!!!!!! Got a $19.99 yarn winder from Knit Picks yesterday and I am in heaven. Holy snot! I have been winding yarn for two nights and yarn cakes ROCK right now!!!!!! I am finally getting the jist of the whole thing and rewound a couple and decreased the cake population. YES!!!! Now I can decrease the pile in my yarn drawer. But in winding stuff into cakes I realized that I have more verigated yarn than I thought. So I might be able to make a third pair of anklet socks. Who knows???? Or I will just make another cartridge cowl.

One More Thing

I keep hearing about these patterns on podcasts that I defined as patterns gone wild. But what I thought was a FERAL pattern is actually a FAIR ISLE, an island off of Scotland, pattern. What a hoot is that! Just looked it up and the patterns sort of remind me of those Norwegian sock patterns, I think.

Frogged

After about 13 rows of doing chartridge in chenille I realized that couldn't do it with the chenille I have. So I am going to just knit up some squares to try to do a blanket or use as washcloths. Oh well!

I Am Not Sure What I am Smoking!

Well, I finished the anklet socks and washed them! Yay! So I have two scrap socks for camping. Goodie!

This is where I am wondering what I am smoking part. I decided to make another cartridge cowl again! I decided to see how much chenille I can use up with it. I have too much of it and want to get rid of some of my stash. I love the pattern, my carpal tunnel doesn't! I am also going to make some small handwarmers (3" up and 3" down from the thumb hole) to see if I can get some of it out of the way too. So here I go here I go again!

Happy New Year!

I finished my cartridge neck warmer for my friend just before the ball dropped for the left coast. Wahoo! I love the pattern but the carpal tunnel made my hands and back hurt on days if I was trying to do much on other days and a couple of days of not wanting to do much except for two flogging rows. I don't know if this is felt by many or a few but there are days where I just didn't feel like doing much of a sneeze of knitting.

But I have gotten rave reviews for my pouches for the soaps for my step mom. Not only from her but from my dad also... Hmmmm.... Maybe my sewing wasn't to shabby after all. Plus my home made hot sauce was a hit too. Think the only one who didn't comment on the hot sauce was my uncle. Well raspberries to him...

On a side note....the podcast Electronic Sheep is leaving me a little peevish. The last two podcasts seemed to be more movie review than what was on or off her needles. Still giving her the benefit of the doubt.

Now onto finishing some anklet socks for me, a pair of socks for my friend, a pair of socks for her son, and some wrist warmers for her son. Might just do wrist warmers after the anklet socks for the sheer easiness of them for a child.