This, That and The Other

Dear Readers, I seem to have a lot of free time lately in which to post. I will try to keep you entertained, at least a bit. :)

In the weather: It was 101 degrees today. HOT, HOT AND MORE HOT!!!!!!!!!!! You could cook an egg on the sidewalk, if you really wanted to. And on my screendoor handle as well. Ouch.

Not really knitting weather. But I decided to start one of the Elizabeth I scarves. I love the yarn I bought, alpaca lace yarnin the brownish purple color. Why not work on something beautiful, and really now is NOT sweater weather. I will probablly start the sweater next week or the week after. Depending on two things. If I figure out the increases in pattern and if I have the needles already. If I go down to a US 5 I will have to wait to buy the Denises 'til I have the money for them. Either that or buy the stupid size 5 in straight. Then I will have pretty much all the sizes in straights. Hmmm still deciding. I do covet the Denises though. I tried them out at work. They were nicer to knit with then I thought they would be. They are really ugly aren't they? Ugly grey plastic. I think they should have made each size a different color. I like the tips, nice and pointy. But the plastic mold left little hangy things, so a little emeryboard work is needed so they don't snag on the yarn. They would be great to travel with. I plan on traveling as much as I can in the near future(or not nearly near enough future as the case may be)

I added a button. So feel free to takey takey. I want to make one of the bigger ones. But I really like the colors I chose on this one soo... for now thats it. :)

I am also trying to join the California Knitters Net Ring. Got the code up, just have to be accepted I guess. I want to join Acrylics Anonymous too. Ha ha. No yarn snob here. At least not until I get better at knitting. :) I feel almost as if I have too much in the side bar. Hmmm. Also I would like to start and FO link, but have no clue how to do it. And I like those % done thingy-ma-bobbers too. I am not to savy in code department, so no clue.

Anyway, got an incredible headache right now. Probably dehydrated. Or toxified by some cleaning I've been attempting. (notice I did not say doing, I am the world's worst cleaner) Ok so maybe that is enough for now. Happy Knitting dearies. I love all you are doing. Your knitting is beautiful. (Yes, I have been checking up on you) ;)

Down in the Dumps :( or at 6's and 7's ;)

Just a quick little post to let you all know that I am down in the dumps. Had an emotionally draining morning and it left me depressed. I wish blogger had little icons like live journal does. Perhaps Blogger is more serious.

Well, I tried starting my grey sweater last night. Knitting the gauge and all. It is supposed to be knit on US 8's. I am down to 6's right now. Don't know if they will work or not. I don't have any 5's. So if the 6's don't work I will have to buy some needles. And this brings us to a dilema. I think it is time to get a Denise needles set. I get a discount at the shop so not as expensive for me. What do you think? They have sizes 5 to 15 and all the different lengths. This doesn't help me in the lace knitting department so I will still have to buy the smaller sizes. Hmmmmm. What to do?

Also the grey sweater has an allover pattern and you have to increase in pattern. Any tips on this that anyone knows. Help me out here people. Is it easier than it sounds. I think I figured it out, but.... What if I increase one stitch in from the edge? Uggg. Maybe this is too hard for me and I should try something easier. :( I do have all that lace yarn to knit into the Elizabeth I scarves. No increasing required.I also would like to try knitting my socks but, once again, I have to buy needles. Sigh. US 2's and 3's. And there is the debate about d/ps or magic loop or the two circulars. I don't know which to try first. :)

I seem to be at 6's and 7's trying to decide what to knit next. Blahh. Any suggestions might help. I am feeling a bit better just putting this all out there. Maybe I will be lucky and get some feedback. Thanks for listening. And as always lovies, Happy Knitting!

P.S. Oh Dear, let me see I should have told the pattern. According to my knitting dictionary it is call Striped moss stitch. So basically it is 5 stitches in moss stitch and 4 in stockinet and so forth across. It starts with the moss. So the first increase stitches should look like stockinet. But I wanted to increase one stitch in from the end. So Should I change the stitch one row before the increase to be the stockinet, then when I increase I can make it the moss? Do tell? Thanks lovies.

Celebration Time, Come On!

Hello, Dearies, It's time to celebrate. I have officially finished knitting my sweater. Yay!!! I can't believe it. It's done. I think the best thing about it is that I didn't abandon it. Let's see, I started this thing in February according to this blog. (Good thing I have it too, as I thought I had started the sweater in December) So, I have been knitting this thing for seven months. Mmmmm. And I thought I would be done with it in a month. Ha ha on me. Well, I guess I just didn't take into account that I would not want to work on it for ohhh five of those months. So, I stuck with it and it is done. I still have to sew all the pieces together. :( I am not the best hand sewer around but at least I know how to do it. :)

So, let's post a few random pictures of things to add to the party mood, shall we?
The branching out scarf, in all its glory, full blocked and hanging in the shop.

The lace scarf on the needles is the one for my friend. You can't really tell from the picture but it is a very pretty light blue. The yarn is Crystal Palace Kid Merino in Misty Blue, which I just found out is discontinued. Actually all their pretty colors were discontinued. Blah!

and the last picture is the Knit for her Cure scarf(the one on the cover of Vogue Knitting) made from Muench String of Pearls. You knit three scarves and then braid them together. Let me tell I don't suggest making one of these. It takes forever. I call it the never ending scarf.:) Well gotta go. Happy Knitting! Comments are welcome. (as long as they are nice and clean and mostly knitting related,you get the picture) ;)

Thank you, Thank you Secret Pal

The Goodies have arrived!!!! (sorry the picture is small. Blogger didn't want to let me post a larger one.) They are: on the left a bunch of tea, yay! I drink tea everyday. They have already gone in my bag for work. The top package is a wonderful smelling natural cinnamon potpurri. That is already in a box(a black laquer box I bought in Thailand) on my dresser making the air smell like fall and the anticipation of Christmas!!!!! Under that in the square is some lovely soap, very nice, and next to that is a tea light in a citrus scent. I already want to burn that. I have a copper holder just waiting for it. Tea lights are the best. I usually burn those, 'cause one time I fell asleep with candles burning. I was sooo lucky nothing caught fire. I remembered I did it like two days later. The glass tray the candle was on was shattered and there was wax dripped off the table onto the floor. The candle wax must have put out the flame. Boy did I have angels watching over me that night. Anyhoo, I digress. I love my new tea light. And then at the bottom is note cards with a K on them in Purple Ink. Yay, I love them. I will be sending those out soon enough as I want to stay in better touch with my friends and family who are far away, which is just about all of them. And last but certainly not least YARN!!!!!!!!!!!!! 125 yds of an orange-y pink 100% cotton yarn hand dyed. Very cool. (I own a pair of pants that color.) Worsted weight. I thought of a cool idea to use it already. Thankyou so much PAL of mine. You are very sweet. The package held up great by the way.

So to get the package I accosted the mail lady like halfway through her route. She knew I was waiting for it as I had accosted her yesterday looking for it. So she wasn't mad at me. :)

I have some other things I want to show but I think I will leave this post dedicated only to my Secret Pal!!!!

Oh by the way, I noticed, secret pal, you are from Georgia. My husband to be is from Atlanta. I will be going there for Christmas. I love Georgia. All the people there are soooooo nice.

And speaking of nice my lovies I must finish my sleeve. So Happy Knitting!!!! Oh and a BIG Happy Birthday to Lissa from Am Knot.

Adopted Purple Alpaca

So, dear readers, I have adopted a purple alpaca, see him below left. His name is Herman. Isn't he cute. He should be able to supply me with lots of yarn. If only I spun. Ha Ha

And to my Secret Pal, nothing in the mail yet, I expect it will come tomorrow. My mailperson will be looking out for it. :) So don't worry. I can't wait for it to get here. My first Secret Pal package ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am soooooo excited!!!

Don't forget to pet Herman!!! and Happy Knitting!!

P.S. Sweater Update(If you would like a picture please see the post Aquasleeves in the Archives circa Feb): I have finished the left front. Yay!!! So I restarted the sleeve I didn't like. So that should go quickly. I might have it finished by the weekend. That would be soooo cool if I did. But the weather is so hot here I won't be able to wear it anytime soon. :( Also dear readers, I would like a vote. I need help deciding what to knit next. The grey sweater or the dark blue cardigan. A long time ago, I posted a picture of what the grey sweater will look like . So the dark blue cardi I have to make up myself. I have the Handy Book of Patterns. (The one that has hats, mittens etc. to help me.) It is based on a sweater I saw in the Vicky Secret Catalog. Kinda cropped with an all over sort of shaker knit pattern going on. So what do you think? Informal poll here. Now's your big chance to use your influence. He He. Oh, I already have the yarn for both so don't let that sway you.

Knit Picks and Bloglines and Strange Green Yarn, Oh My!

Well, dear readers, I have a funny story to tell about work, but first to answer a few questions and to ask a few of my own. First, my pal, asked if I like KnitPicks. I love Knit Picks. They have great yarn at great prices. And the colors of the yarn are beautiful. I've only gotten one catalog so far, but I go over and over it planning projects, seeing which yarn will work with a pattern I have, etc... I am a little knit obsessed ok? ;) Anyhoo. I have some of the alpaca cloud lace yarn in Midnight, Autumn and Iris, and the Dancing sock yarn in Square Dance. I also have the Elizabeth the first lace scarf pattern.

Now I have a question for my pal, or really anyone who can answer, what is bloglines. My pal says she reads my blog on bloglines and I have no idea what that is, so please enlighten me. Thank you in advance.

Now, on to my funny story. I got to pick out some yarn to order for the store. Yay!!!! I picked Kid Soft from GGH. I picked like nine colors and my boss loved them all and we ordered them. Well then last week, thursday, we got a shipment from Muench with some Kid Soft in it. But I didn't remember picking out any of those colors. There was a strange green, that I know I didn't pick. The rest of the colors could have been something I chose,but well it just wasn't quite right. And there were only six colors in the order. But the packing list showed we ordered those colors. It just didn't add up, something was fishy.

So, we had actually written the colors we ordered down and none, not a one of the colors we got were the ones we ordered. Sooo. Guess what happened? My boss had ordered that same yarn from the sales rep and had completely forgotten. Then when I said lets get some of this, its really soft she said Ok. So, now we will have fifteen colors of the Kid Soft. :( I wonder if we will ever sell all that yarn. OOOOpppseeey! Oh well, it is really nice yarn. But really we have tons of mohair in the shop. I really do wonder if it will all sell. I mean mohair in Los Angeles? Do people wear that? I suppose a nice shawl for night time would work.

Of course we can't keep the wool on the shelves. Everyone loves to felt. Is felting a huge phenom other places? It's not like there is much time in the year to wear our wool sweaters in summer camp weather. But you'd think people would knit tank tops or summer stuff like that. Mostly though I see people felting and making scarves in funky novelty yarn. I think it is because they don't have to worry about the dreaded gauge. Could be?

I know, dear Readers, that you don't worry about gauge. Now do you? No. You are fearless, as it should be.

Cheers, lovies, and Happy Knitting!!!!!!

P.S. I forgot to say that I didn't finish my sweater yet. I started the arm hole shaping. Yay! But was hit with the Zombie Flu. I didn't feel sick just extremely exhausted like I was the undead. I thought something was really wrong with my health and couldn't figure out why I was soooo tired. They my boyfriend said he felt the same, just a case of Zombie Flu. I'm much better today, so I might finish the sweater by this weekend. Oh and maybe I should try posting some pictures once and while, ya think?

SP6 got me thinking :)

Well, dear readers, I have been reading the blogs of the other SP6ers. They are alot of fun to read. I usally go right for the questionaire. Almost all the ones I have read are yarn snobs. Sigh. I don't blame them really. But to me there is something sad when you use really nice yarn and the thing you knitted didn't turn out very well. And it seems to happen even to the best of knitters, not just the beginners like me. Of course the joy is tremendous when you knit something well made out of sumptous yarn...so maybe the good really does outweigh the bad. I may be a yarn snob yet. Give me time.

I also saw some other Branching out scarves, others who like knitpicks....Its fun to see what everyone is knitting and also to see how excited everyone is to get there secret pal. I think this is due to the fact that people no longer write letters. When was the last time you wrote a letter? NOT a card, but a full fledged letter? Yep, I thought so... Anyway it is one of the great things in life to get mail, even a card that is hand written. Also it is something you can keep. To remember what a person was like, their sense of humour etc....I plan to send more in the mail from now on. To my friends old and new, to my relatives. Just a thought.

Happy Knitting!

P.S. I decided to look for more stationery so I thought I would look online for some cute stuff. It was all personalized and a zillion dollars. Does any one know of a place online to get nice and cheap stationery. I did see some on Cranes, I am afraid that all stationery now is almost $20 dollars (US) a box. I like the stationery that has more sheets then envelopes too. Do they think only one page will do? Yes I guess they do. Sad. :( Thanks for the input in advance.

Shhhhh I got a Secret

So, dearies, I have a pal, well two pals actually. One I know who it is and the other is a secret to be revealed in Dec. So I think the secret pal thingy is cool. So far both pals seem really cool so I am lucky. I've already gone out and done a little shopping for my pal. Hope she likey likey.

I am super tired but I think I will work a bit on the long lost sweater. I swear I am almost done. I have about half of the left front done. Then I have decided to redo one of the sleeves. But as I recall they went really fast. So. Sew buttons on your pants. (that was some childhood saying, bet kids today don't say that stuff, too bad really) Oh and my SIL wants a scarf for Christmas. I already picked out her yarn when shopping for my PAL. What fun, What fun.

Love you all, dearies, and hope you are all well. You all are in my prayers. Amen.

P.S. This secret pal thing is great as I am reading others blogs and adding new ones I find interesting to my list. I definitely think this pal-y thing is a good thing. Cheers.

From Blue to Yellow

Well, my lovlies, I was feeling blue, post before last, but now I am yellow. I started to finish my sweater. Yay! Also, I cannot wait for SP6 to start. I already bought a few things and have many more in mind. But, I want to wait to read my pal's questionaire before really buying anything. Hopefully, this will be fun and a great way to pick up one's spirits. Well, that is all for now, cause I want to get back to the sweater. Hoping to finish it so I can start on some new projects. Happy Knitting Y'all.


P.S. Update: I have finished the right front of the sweater and am half way up the left front. Yay!!!! I should be done by the end of the week maybe. If I feel like knitting. Which I really don't today (Sunday) But I did get a lot done so I am very proud of myself. Thankyou very much. Also can't wait to get Secret Pal, but have to wait ONE MORE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Secret Pal 6 Questionaire Answered

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I am not a yarn snob. Although I don't really like Red Heart Yarn at all, well on second thought the TLC Amore is nice though. Lion Brand is fine and I like Caron Simply soft. If the yarn is soft, then I tend to like it no matter what brand.

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I don't spin. I do crochet a little. I have made three scarves and a hat, in total.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) I can't wear wool at all, and mohair is totally itchy to me as well. The mohair scarf I knitted was for the shop(I work part time in a yarn shop). :( I know, I know please feel sorry for me. If a yarn is like 20% wool that is usually ok. Also, merino wool doesn't seem to bother me. Smoke bothers me as well. (probably because of the smog here in L.A.) Perfume is fine in stuff i.e. lotions, shower gels, soap. But I don't generally wear perfume as most is too strong and gives me a headache.

4. How long have you been knitting? As of the end of September, 1 year.

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? I have an Amazon wish list

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) White Musk from the Body Shop. I actually wear this as perfume and it doesn't give me a headache. Also, I like spicy scents, Cinnamon, Pumpkin Spice, that sort of thing. For flowers, I like Rose and Freesia. I also like citrus, orange, grapefruit, etc... and spicy citrus or spicy rose might be nice.

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Yes, but I can't eat sugar. Please, really feel sorry for me this time. I even dream about turning down dessert because I can't eat it. Sooo sad. I used to love Creme Brulee. I do eat sugar free things, though. Cookies, candies, etc... and they have some really good and taste-y things now. Probably because so many people have diabetes. :( Oh, I thought I would add that I like to drink tea. Anything decaf. I like decaf black teas over herb teas, but can be herbal too. Anyway hope that helps.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Right now I am not doing any other crafts as I live in a tiny apartment, but I love quilting. I do some needlepoint. I have some cross stitch stuff, but I haven't done any of that yet. And I want to try melt and pour soap making, but I don't have a microwave. (Is this UnAmerican?) So, really only knitting and a tiny bit of crochet.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I love 80's and 90's bands and I mostly listen to women singers. Like Sheryl Crow, Avril Lavigne, Nora Jones and I like blue grass(Dolly Parton, Nickel Creek) and country and folk. I have an iPod shuffle, so MP3's are fine as well as CD's.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? Purple!!!!!! The darker the better. I'm not a fan of yellow including mustard yellow, but I do like pale yellow. Think jewel tones, as opposed to brights.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I have a fiancee, whom I live with and a wonderful little doggy. A brittany spaniel, who is 9. She will not wear clothes. She hates them. I tried putting socks on her feet once. umm. they didn't last long.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) I hope to be a lady of leisure with a large stash. (I'm joking mostly.)

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I love baby alpaca. It is my favorite fiber. Alpaca and silk, alpaca and ... well you get the picture. Baby Alpaca Brush by Plymouth is awesome and not super expensive. Cotton and cotton blends are always good as I live in a hot climate. I love Debbie Bliss yarn ( her alpaca silk is nice as well as cashmerino) and all the yarn I got from KnitPicks was wonderful. I got the Alpaca Lace Yarn and the Dancing sock yarn. This sounds yarn snobby. I like acrylics too. Anything soft and not itchy. Fuzzy.Yum.


14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? 100% Wool and mohair. They are ok in small percentages though. Oh, I don't like angora either, the little hairs float out and get in my eyes.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? Lace, Lace and more Lace.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? No favorites, I have enjoyed knitting everything I have made.

17. What are you knitting right now? OMG, I have several things. A lace scarf for a friend. My never ending scarf for the store. My sweater that I hope to finish one day.

18. What do you think about ponchos? I like ponchos, but I am not sure they look good on me.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I have all straight needles right now. I only own one circular size 8 x 16. But that is just because I haven't made anything that used them, not because I have a preference.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? I like Bryspun needles. I like the tip shape. They are my favorites, but I have all kinds of needles, some bamboo, some aluminum, some plastic.

21. Are you a sock knitter? Well, I hope to be. I bought some sock yarn from KnitPicks(Dancing , the cotton blend one), but don't have any d/ps yet to make them. And I don't know the magic circle technique either. But, would like to learn it.

22. How did you learn to knit? My mom showed me when I was younger, but I never made anything just swatches. Then last year my mom was ill and I told herI would make her a scarf. So I got some books to refresh my memory. My blog documents all I have done since then.

23. How old is your oldest UFO? Not more than a year, ha ha.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? Yosmite Sam, and I love meerkats, lions and dinosaurs. And my absolutely favorite animal is my doggie.

25. What is your favorite holiday? My Birthday(How dare you say it's not a holiday!!!) and Christmas.

26. Is there anything that you collect? No. Hmmm, Yarn?

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? I have no subscriptions, but I buy Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits mostly. I have some old copies(like from 2003) of Family Circle Easy Knitting that I like as well.

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? Yes, my Amazon wish list is loaded with them. Ha Ha. Just sort by priority that should help.

29. Any patterns you have been coveting, but haven't bought for one reason or another?? I would like a beautiful lace shawl pattern, either rectangle or triangle shaped. And not too difficult, I am somewhat of a beginner here,ha ha, ya know?

30. Sock size? I'm sorry but I have no clue about sock size. If someone would care to explain I will happily measure my foot. :)

What a Ponderful World.

Dear, Readers, I have been doing a little thinking and I thought I would just share it with you. I have been thinking about knitting and blogging. I really enjoy reading blogs. But, not just any blogs. There has to be a sort of personality behind them, ya know? I was reading this one, on Lion Brand, and the idea behind it was good. The lady was going to document how she went about designing her own sweaters. Cool. Wrong. It was deadly dull. I prefer the one by the tattoo covered lady who has a tattoo artist husband. Even though she is not as great a knitter as the other one. (See my list of Blogs you might like. These are the blogs that I read consistantly.)

But, I also must confess, that some blogs depress me. I mean it seems that they post a picture every day of some new sweater, or intricate lace shawl that they have made. How am I ever to catch up? I can't make a sweater everday. I still haven't finished the one I started last November. I thought for sure I'd finish it within a month. I had all but the left front done. And I still have all but the left front done. mmmmmm. I am not sure what is wrong with me. But, I don't have the knitting bug like I did. Oh, don't get me wrong. I still love to knit. But, I just don't feel like it most days. I knit at work. (of course, I work in a knit shop for those who have just tuned in) I really don't get much done there though. And I tend to try to work on a project for work. And at home I like to knit for maybe an hour or two, once or twice a week. At that rate I might finish the lace scarf I am knitting for a friend by Christmas. (or she just might not ever get it, if the sweater is any indication)

Anyway dearies, enough of the depression, how about a little fun. I bought some yarn today at Michaels. I had a 50% off coupon for Labor Day. I got four skeins of Patons Grace, a lovely mercerized cotton. You know I just thought it might make a nice lace shawl, but I plan to make a racerback tank top out of it . I am going to make up my own pattern based off a top I already have. So I just have to knit to the measurements of the top that I have. And I will use the decrease formula from the Stitch and Bi@$ch Nation. So I will be brave. But first I should work on those projects that are on my needles, Dontcha think? Well dear readers, Please send me some cheer-y comments to help keep my spirits up.

P.S. I can't wait for Secret Pal 6. I saw all this stuff I wanted to get my Pal, but I don't know what he or she likes yet so I will have to wait. Uggggh! Well only a week or two till it starts, right?