Ooooooo...pretty!

Omg wow! Wow wow wow wow wow!

Okay...so the other day I got a super duper surprise in the mail :)

My great aunt, you know, the one who owns the amazing yarn store out out Oregon?

She sent me a goodie bag full of yummy stuff!

First up was some Cascade Fixation in different shades of purple for even more sock-filled fun! Omg I gotta run around and dig out another fabulous pattern, only for myself for once.

The next skein I pulled out was PINK! Like my room! Haha it's imported alpaca that was hand dyed that beautiful color, and I have four whole skeins of it to myself!

Last, but by no means least, as it is possibly my favorite, was two big fat skeins of hand spun beige llama, from when my aunt used to own a llama ranch! It's so pretty...I'm thinking something aran-ish, but I'm not sure yet. Regardless, it will all be safe in my stash while I figure it out :)

Thanks again Aunt Nancy!

Lot's and Lot's of News!

Ok, for starters here's the promised Froot Loop pic.

I know you can't see the pattern at all, but we were rushing home from karate, and my recipient/model has started JV swimming and is too sore to stand for very long. Excuse the pants in the way, our uniforms were still on.

Anyway, I babysat my two younger cousins for two days so the oldest could stay at a friend's house, and as I sat on the couch with my first Monkey sock they all ended up bringing out various projects of their own. They all sat down with me, and soon were asking if we could start a knitting group. Later that day, I was chaperoning a trip to the yarn section of Ben Franklin, supervising the purchase of yarn and the appropriate needles, and doling out patterns from the library I am attempting to build.

My sister is working on a shawl for our older cousin's baby, with some ambitious finishing for her consisting of backing the shawl and embroidering the baby girl's name onto the fabric. I didn't attempt that at her skill level, and although she refuses to acknowledge the fact that a quarter yard won't be enough to back the whole shawl, I'm proud of her for doing her own thing. I have a feeling she'll get into free forming as she learns more and more about garment construction.

The middle cousin was working on a rectangular shawl for her mom, with stripes of normal and reverse stockinette in kinky white cotton. She desperately wanted it over with and begged me to think of any way at all she could end it NOW. I suggested a doll blanket, so she happily cast off and handed it to my sis for her American Girl doll. She picked up a ball of sock yarn at the store, and with my size 2 US needles and a written copy of one of my patterns, she's working on a sweater each for her and her sister's American Girls.

The youngest had been knitting a simple potholder, a solution to avoid a whole scarf, but her yarn tangled and she cut it off. So at Ben Franklin, she grabbed two skeins of Grande yarn in white and navy, her school colors, and size 13 US needles for a striped school spirit scarf. (She also got some thick woolly tweed I'm unbelievably jealous of, and will have to buy at some point before it sells out).

I? Well...sock yarn for a change...haha I was restricted to two skeins each of different brands by my wallet, and had to pass up that gorgeous tweed :( I think I'm starting to understand that lecture I received from my mom before we left. Something about me never having money, and a yarn addiction...nope never mind. There's no way she was talking to me. She must have been on the phone with someone. I also finished one of the Monkey socks, and aside from varying tightness in my kitchener stitch that made for a wonky toe, they look fairly good. I like the lace pattern a lot, and knitting thought the back loops of the picked-up gusset stitches works better than I had expected. I could kick myself for not listening to that advice when I heard it months ago. The heel was giving me aneurysms for not being reinforced, but I think it would take attention from the lace and we wouldn't want that, now would we? Besides, tall-ish socks look funny in shoes. I prefer to bum around the house in them, where a reinforced heel isn't needed. I can only hope my friend agrees with me.

And by the way...Ugg boots are really comfy with hand knit socks for anyone interested. Just thought I'd throw it out there.

Finally!

Oh wow I finally finished the Froot Loop socks! They're going to one of my friends tonight at karate-I'll post pics once she tries them on. I wonder how my instructors will react...I brought my knitting to a karate tournament for something to do between my fight and the extreme fighting, and my sensei was totally and completely appalled. To this day he will bring up the fact that one moment I was making a girl cry to get first place in my division, and the next he saw me I was knitting a pink cell phone case. As he now says, "there's no KNITTING in karate!" Psh. How does he think those muscle shirts guys wear under their uniforms are made? Honestly. Some people...

Anyway after the marathon session that was the size 9 1/2 Froot Loop socks, I'm working on a pair of size 5 1/2 socks in blue-and-brown Lion Brand Sock-Ease. The pattern is Monkey from Knitty by Cookie A. for one of my other friends who's a pointe dancer and could use some TLC on her feet. Thankfully her feet are small-after how I dragged out the last pair, I'm in need of a quick victory.

So right-pics tomorrow or whenever this week, and...hopefully some pics of blue socks by next week. Wish me luck! Needles of fury...

Temporary Deviation

Oh my gooseness Phelps broke the record with EIGHT gold medals in a single Olympics!

Now back to knitting...

Like I said earlier I can't say much about my current project, since it's my youngest cousin's Christmas gift. I can say a bit though, like it's made out of variegated Super Saver in a tan and raspberry pink colorway that's super cute, and it's constructed out of mitered garter stitch squares all knit in one piece. Her sister will probably receive a replica made out of a blue-and-brown colorway, and while I know their brother's present will be green-and-brown and the same type of garment, I need to find a more manly pattern for him. :) I don't think he'd appreciate receiving the same item as his sisters.

I was completely geeking out earlier, oh wow. I decided to check out the Llamas and Llambs Boutique web page, a really nice yarn and craft store my great aunt owns out in Oregon. I was checking out the list of suppliers for fiber and needles, and oOoOoOoOo I almost swooned when I saw all of the names I covet! Cascade? I've never used it, but the colors are b-e-a-u-tiful! (To quote Bruce Almighty). Opal sock yarn? Crystal Palace? As I said-geeking out. If I actually saw the shop I'd probably start drooling. If I ever can afford a plane ticket to Oregon I'll have to bring a bucket.

Well it's my little cousin's birthday party today, so getting dressed sounds like a nice idea. (Of course, some non-secret knitting project will be stashed in my purse)!

Be Forewarned...

Ok...so I haven't finished anything in forever...and I decided to hurry up and change that. I bought a lot of Red Heart Super Saver to make Christmas presents for my cousins, since it's dirt cheap, indestructible, and comes in a bajillion colors (even though it's scratchy before you wash it a few times). I cast on for my first project, and it was going well enough that I thought, "Hey, I'll post the WIP on my blog since I haven't finished anything and I need to post SOMETHING."

...but then I remembered that if I post that on my blog it kills the surprise element of Christmas gifts...

...So I have nothing to write about.

And may not until Christmas.

Don't say I didn't warn ya'.

Maybe I'll finish some socks eventually just to have something to post about.

Pure Irony

It figures. I considered bringing the Esperanza Cardigan to the lake with me. But no, I thought it would be to warm. It is august after all. I brought socks to work on.

It's freezing.

I needed a WIP that could keep me warm while I knit.

I started a shawl.

The Feather and Fan Comfort Shawl. I have already used this pattern once to get rid of some partial skeins of Super Saver, and after the first few washes it was soft enough and plenty warm. I have more extras, and they don't match quite as well but I don't mind at this point because it's either this or succumb to my parents and wear a sweatshirt. (In case you are not a parent, teens refuse to wear any form of warm clothing if they are told to. I t must be either a fashion statement or because the teen in question desires it. We would rather freeze than obey). It's cold enough I may even check out Knitty for that nose warmer pattern.

Weird august.

Enjoy it while summer is still here!

Uneventful Soak

I'm so proud of myself-really I am! I feel like an overprotective parent with my child home from their first day of school. Why? Well I...I...

I washed the socks!

I've only ever stuck any kind of knitting in the washing machine if it was Red Heart or some other extremely synthetic yarn, something with an unbelievable tolerance for abuse and cheap enough that if it was lost to the soapy suds I wouldn't have just lost my life savings. I fully understand that the Slippery socks weren't entirely wool. I also recognized that what wool there was in the fiber content was washable. All the same, as I poured the detergent into the slot on the washing machine I was breaking out into a sweat. On my limited budget I couldn't even afford to replace the oh-so-cheap Kroy sock yarn if I screwed up. The drying process was even worse-the instructions said to dry on low heat, but after two runs they were still super damp. I kicked it up to medium heat and the whole 48 minutes the pair was in it's little spinning torture chamber I was losing it. What if they shrunk? What if they stretched? What if they stuck to each other? What if the color bled? What if flying monkeys sabotaged them? What if I was finally going crazy? What if, what if, what if...

They came out fine. A bit snug at first, which stopped my heart for a moment when I tried them on again. It was temporary though, and after five minutes of walking around they fit perfectly just as before.

*sigh* I had best get used to this. I have a sock marathon ahead of me...a group of my friends have their birthday's in a small block of time, and I will have to crank out several (belated) birthday pairs.

1) Froot Loop in Kroy, a pale blue-navy-magenta-violet colorway.
2) I dunno what pattern, but it will be worked in even more orange-navy-pink-violet Kroy.
3) Pattern unknown, blue Sock-Ease with brown streaks.
4) Plain stockinette, Sock-ease in Sour Ball (yes, I knew the colorway name! Woot!)

Then I start on the family...three aunt's, my uncle's girlfriend, my other uncle, several grandparents, many cousins, and by then replacements for my mom...geeze I think after my friend's socks I'll take a break on something that doesn't involve making two of the same item. Like a simple shawl. Or a monotonous afghan. Something where I can hide when I just can't turn another heel.

Alright I'll work now if you insist...I need to actually have an FO to post someday!

The Circle is Complete!

Yayyy! My knitting circle is home from Cali and I am so excited to finally see them! I just realized that this year two of the three of them will be starting middle school...have they really lived here that long? I don't believe it. I'll have to drop in with a new WIP soon-if you guys are reading this I'll be over as soon as possible!

Have as lovely a day as a Monday can ever be!