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February 28, 2005
It's Broken...
...My blog is broken. Or at least the comment portion seems to be. Apparently no one wants to talk to me. I wonder if it was something I said. Hmmm.
This weekend was nice. We went to the in-laws for the weekend to celebrate my MIL's birthday, which is actually today. We drove up Friday night and got there about 11:00. I actually knit in the truck on the way up - in the dark. Now don't get too excited, I worked on the superskinny scarf, which is pretty simple. Surprisingly, knitting in the dark went well - no mistakes. I worked on the scarf quite a bit while we were there and on the way home and finished it yesterday about half way into our return trip. It is really long. If I was any shorter than 5'10", it would probably touch the ground. I have pictures, but didn't download them from my camera last night, so you'll have to wait until tomorrow. I worked a bit on the legwarmers, but they are going very slowly. I'm glad I took a break and did the scarf, I was getting really tired of the legwarmers. Now, I'm back on track with them and hope to make good progress this week.
I wanted to order the yarn for the knitalong, but nowhere is open today. :( I need to order needles for the project too and I was considering trying to get lantern moons, but do you think they're worth the money or should I just get something else? I really like my dpn lantern moons, but I wanted to order the soft kid from Knit Happens and she doesn't carry lantern moon (at least according to their retailer list). Maybe I should be using a circular needle anyway? Hmm, I'm going to have to figure that out. The other problem I'm going to run into is finding the color I want for the cardigan (#73 - pink). I'm hoping when I call her tomorrow I'll have good luck. I'm thinking that this will be a great project for the drive to Phoenix for the wedding. If I plan on that, I won't feel too guilty about not starting it before I make some serious progress on the legwarmers (those are a winter item and realistically, I'm not going to be able to wear the cardigan until the end of April or the beginning of May) and the socks I have the yarn for too.
I am excited again about working on my house. I need to decide on the shade of green for my kitchen and need to get sample paints for my bedroom. I'm hoping that we can stop in Tucson at Citron Paint on our way home and get the paint I need for the next couple of projects and save myself the rather substantial shipping costs.
I don't have much else. I'm glad to be home, even though work is going to be a bear for the next month and a half. I hope I find my motivation somewhere - maybe under my desk!
Posted by Stephanie at 9:56 AMFebruary 25, 2005
Friday
We're headed to the in-laws tonight after work. It ought to be a fun weekend - lots of knitting and hgtv watching. My MIL's birthday is Monday so we're going to take her out for a nice dinner Saturday night. I hope she likes her presents. :) I just got my very first text message! I know, that makes me sound like a dork, but I usually just call people. My sister left me a message when she got off work last night (actually this morning - she's a bartender) about how much she loves her hat. They got a lot of snow yesterday and she's been wearing it! She's the coolest sister ever!
The legwarmers got some attention last night. I have about 4 inches completed and will make progress on them this weekend. I also cast on last night for the superskinny scarf I'm going to make for myself. I thought it might be a nice mindless project for the car tonight, rather the dpns and legwarmers, which unfortunately still require quite a bit of concentration.
Nothing else is really going on around here. Work is going to be crazy until April some time because the girl I work with will be out on maternity leave so I'm going to be doing the work of two people. I can soooo hardly wait. Today's her last day because she's having a c-section on Tuesday. I hope she's extra productive today and finishes all her outstanding projects, but I doubt it.
Have a great weekend. I'll have lots to report on Monday, but won't have a computer this weekend.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:20 AMFebruary 24, 2005
Is It Friday Yet?
No, well, I'm not sure I'm going to make it to the end of the week. I don't know why, but I am soooo tired this morning. I'm thinking I need some coffee (even though I don't drink coffee, ever) or maybe the caffine in chocolate will do the trick. Here's hopin'.
I didn't knit at all yesterday and I'm feeling a little depressed about it quite frankly. Those legwarmers aren't going to knit themselves. Maybe Jenn can hook me up with some of those knitting gnomes she had a while back. :) Tonight promises to provide an opportunity for some quality knitting. Let's hope the legwarmers progress nicely.
The dress I ordered for Ashley's wedding arrived yesterday and seems to fit. Travis approved, which is a good sign because he can be quite picky. Who knew he had any sort of fashion sense? Not me, but he seems to think he does. The sad thing is that he is usually a pretty good indicator of what looks good on me and he actually tells me what he thinks. You just can't beat that!
I think I've decided on pink for the knitalong cardigan. I decided pale pink wouldn't be quite right and I really like the green that is shown in the magazine, but most of the skirts in my closet seem to have some version of medium pink in them. I think this might be the right color, what do you think?
I'm going to try a plum, a cinnamon, a medium blue, and an olive green in my bedroom and see which I like best. I'll let you know.
I hope today perks up and is somewhat productive because I have a lot to do. Have a great day and I'll try to post a picture of the legwarmer progress tomorrow.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:25 AMFebruary 23, 2005
My First Knitalong
I am now back to 2 1/4 inches on the lovely legwarmers. I just switched to the size 5 needles after 2 inches of K1P1 ribbing. I had a difficult time figuring out how to decrease in a K1P1 pattern - your pattern gets messed up. I posted a question on KR, and ended up just using k2tog or p2tog and it worked out just fine. Now I'm on to stockinette stitch so the decreases won't be an issue. I should have enough length to try them on tonight so we'll see how they're fitting.
I joined my first Knitalong and I'm excited. It is a wrap cardigan from Rebecca 29.
I need to decide on a color and order the yarn and needles (it only takes 4 balls of yarn!) I have to finish the legwarmers and probably the superskinny scarf (it's a super quick knit - maybe a day) and I should do the Koigu socks, but I might not be able to wait on the cardigan. Hmmm, we'll have to see how long the legwarmers take and how anxious I get to start. I'm excited to have a summer sweater that I'll actually be able to wear to work. What color do you think? I'm thinking a pink or maybe even this green would be nice.
I got lots of good ideas from my pals at HGTV and comments here for paint colors for my bedroom. I'll be working on deciding in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted of my progress.
Have a great day!
Posted by Stephanie at 8:38 AMFebruary 22, 2005
Boy Do I Have A Lot To Tell You...
I've been out of touch for 3 whole days, what was I thinking? I do, however, have a lot to report - it was quite an eventful holiday weekend. Friday I finally found a sweater shaver when I made my latest trip to Target. This was very exciting because my Baby sweater (the yarn, not the size) had become a pilling monster! So, after about 2 hours of shaving, my first, and dearly loved, sweater was as good as new and this was what I shaved. I was amazed at how much fuzz came off one little sweater! I hope it doesn't continue to pill like this or I won't have a sweater left in a couple of months. I spent Friday night winding my KnitPicks yarn into balls (and yes Jenn, it is black rather than charcoal as advertised!) since I didn't have the needles I needed to get started on the legwarmers.
Saturday brought nasty weather, but we still headed to Denver and I made it to Shuttles, Spindles, and Skeins in Boulder. I was sad that I didn't have hours to look around, but Travis was not being a great sport about yarn shopping. I'm definately going to have to plan a girls' day to yarn shop. However, I did find some lovely Koigu sock yarn and some Manos to make a superskinny scarf for myself (sorry the picture is so dark - I didn't realize until just now). I also bought my very first pair of Lantern Moon needles. They only had a size 5, but not the size 3 I needed, so those are Brittanys. I have to say that I like them both, but I love the Lantern Moons.
I started on the legwarmers on Saturday night and made good progress - don't get excited, this story does not end well. As you may know, I'm making up the pattern since I couldn't find exactly what I wanted. This is not as easy as it sounds. I got about 10 inches done (and when you're working on size 3 and 5 needles, 10 inches is hard to come by) and then tried it on. It was way too big. So, I ripped the whole thing out because the problem started at the beginning. I did measure, but the increases messed me up. So, I just recast on and am starting over. This time I'm working from the top and will decrease as I go, which is the suggested method in the Hollywood Knits Style legwarmer pattern. I hope this works because I was really excited about these (plus I really want to start on my other projects!) and I don't take failure well (I know, I'm anal).
I delivered the superskinny scarf to my friend and she loved it. I hope it brings her good luck on the bar exam - I'm keeping my fingers crossed. While I was at her house she told me that she's pregnant. I'm so excited for her and can't wait to start making cute baby stuff. What are the best knitted baby things? I really like the baby blanket in Hollywood Knits or Hollywood Knits Style - I can't remember which one - but that may be something I consider doing for her.
I also decided over the weekend that I need to decide on a paint color for my bedroom - the white just isn't working for me. Yellow is out (and I think would be the obvious choice) because Travis hates yellow (he sees yellow in things that aren't even yellow) and I don't think I want to do green because that's what I'm going to do in my kitchen. What do you all think?
Ok, I think that's it for me. Have a great week.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:46 AMFebruary 18, 2005
It Came!
My KnitPicks order came last night. The merino style feels yummy and I can't wait to get started on the legwarmers. Tonight I need to figure out the pattern - length and leg measurements so when I finally get my needles I can do a gauge swatch and get started. We are definately going to Denver tomorrow and I'm like a kid on Christmas Eve - I can hardly concentrate on anything but my trip!
I finished the pink scarf. I ended up having some of the bow yarn left so I made fringe. What do you think?It ended up being pretty long (I forgot to measure it), but it's long enough to wrap around my neck one time and still have really long tails. It'll be off to its new home before long - another little chick leaving the nest. (Sniffle, sniffle)
In other news, my husband is one funny guy. We had a rather serious discussion this morning while we were making the bed about who was hogging the covers and why (read: I was because I was cold). I quite sweetly told him that if he'd snuggle with me, I wouldn't need more than my share of covers. His response was, "You came to bed late and the statute of limitations had run on snuggling." (the lawyer in me giggled like a little girl). Isn't he the cutest? While some of you might think, what's the big deal, you really have to know my husband to appreciate these kind of comments.
I hope to have lots to show from my yarn store trip. Have a great Friday!
Posted by Stephanie at 8:55 AMFebruary 17, 2005
Get Your Pictures...
Your Fresh, Hot Pictures! (They aren't really hot, nor even especially good, but I couldn't resist the title)
I'm really bummed. I was just sure that my KnitPicks order would be waiting for me when I got home last night, but it wasn't. Maybe tonight. It was shipped last Thursday so I would think it would be showing up any day now. I can't start the legwarmers until Sunday any way because I don't have the needles I need (and I have to finish the scarf). I ended up cancelling my order from JKL Needles because she hadn't shipped it yet (the original dpns and a substituted size 3 dpns) and I wouldn't have them by the time I was ready to start my project. Oh well, I'm excited to go to Denver this weekend and I'm going to go a little bit out of my way to go to Shuttles, Spindles, & Skeins in Boulder. It sounds like they have lots of great yarn and were highly recommended by a KR member. Sock yarn and dpns are on my list. I can hardly wait!
The scarf is coming along. I like the colors - very pastel and girly. I hope the rolling is ok with the recipient. I kind of like it, but I'm kind of weird. What do you all think? I think it will be fairly long, but I'm not sure about fringe. Hmmm, I guess I'll have to see what I have left for yarn when I get to the desired length (not that I have a clue what that is! I'm hoping it's one of those you know it when you see it things).
I have BUTTONS! The wonderfully talented Jenn made them for me. Aren't they cute?? :) Please feel free to take one for your blog if you so desire.
Today is the baby shower for the lady in my office. I made the baby blanket for her a while ago and have just been waiting to give it to her. I hope she likes it, but we'll see soon enough.
I hope you all have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 10:24 AMFebruary 16, 2005
Please Don't Be Mad...
Ok - so I didn't get pictures taken of the scarf. I know, I said I would, but I got too busy and didn't have time. I'll do it tonight. I promise (or at least I promise to try!). I wrapped the cami up in pretty springy paper (like the season, not a slinky) and will take it to mail today at lunch. It's a little like sending your kid off to school (or how I imagine that would be since I don't have kids). I sure hope that she's liked and that she fits. Yikes. I'm also taking the skinny scarf to it's new home tonight. Once again, anxiety. Hmm, do you think maybe I have issues?
The fabulous Sarah has offered to pick up the newest Phildar magazine for me in exchange for something she wants (yet to be decided) and Adele gave me a heads up about Knit 'N' Tyme, an online store where I can get the magazine with the English inserts. Thanks ladies, you're the best!
The weather here sucks. It was -10 F this morning when I left for work. That is just too freekin' cold to have to be out and about. The roads for the commute were icy and there was dense fog - just nasty I tell ya. I was wishing on the whole way to work that I had thought to be sick and stay home today. I really need to start planning ahead.
I ordered the dress for my bridesmaid stint in March. I hope it will be ok with the bride because I think she liked the other finalist better than the one I ended up choosing, but oh well. Hopefully all will work out. What do you think? It's a 5:00 garden wedding and I thought the lace was pretty and springy (there's that word again). Black was the requirement so this is my take on it. I hope it fits and that I like it. I'll still have time to exchange it for a different size or the other dress if I don't like it when it comes. Some days I so wish for a nice department store close to me (and a LYS, but that's another gripe) so I could try things on before I buy them. Oh well, you have to play the hand you're dealt. Living in rural America does have its benefits, but shopping just doesn't happen to be one of them.
Have a great day.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:07 AMFebruary 15, 2005
Snow
Yesterday I fiddled around with the pink and green scarf. I've started it 3 times and think I'm happy with how it's looking. My original plan was to use garter stitch so it wouldn't curl, but when I started it I didn't like how it looked. The yarn just didn't look right so I ripped it out and started again in stockinette stitch. I liked how that looked, but wasn't sure about the size 10 needles and the width I had chosen (it was about 5"). It almost looked too tight and kind of little girlish - not the look I was after. So, when I got home last night I ripped it out again and started in stockinette with size 15 needles and it is curling, as you would expect, but I like how it looks. Maybe this look is meant to curl - who knows (I could just be justifying to myself too). It's about 4 inches, but curls up to be about 2 1/2. I'm hoping that I can get a longer scarf with the yarn I have (knowing that it won't ever be 72", but maybe 60"?), but probably won't do fringe. I'll post a picture tomorrow of what I have and get your opinions on it.
I think I mentioned that I really liked the superskinny scarf I made and I think I'm going to make one to go with my new coat. I think Manos Del Uruguay Multi might be a good fit. Do any of you know if they have a color that has some lavendar or iris in it? I looked at purl, but can't really tell from the pictures. What else, let's see... Oh ya, I've decided that I'd like to make my first pair of socks out of Koigu, but I have no idea what color. Travis wants to go to Denver on Saturday and I'm hoping I can get to a yarn store that carries it to pick out something that I like. I like this basic pattern, also from Koigu. Has anyone used it? Any thoughts?
I need to start thinking about things I'd like to make for spring, but it's really hard when it's 20 degrees and snowing. I saw some really interesting patterns on passioknit - Phildar. What do you know about them? It looks like there are a couple (or more than a couple) of sweaters that I would be interested in making, but I don't know where to find a magazine and it appears that it might be in French (which isn't gonna work for me). I also checked out Rowan's new spring magazine and like a couple of things in there. Too many choices I guess and the whole snow thing. I'd like to actually look at the magazine in person before I decide. Maybe I could pick up a copy this weekend too.
The size 3 dpn I ordered from Needles! are backordered until some unspecified time. She sent me an e-mail yesterday asking if I'd be interested in a replacement, which I responded that I was, but I haven't heard anything since then. I really want that stuff to get here because I'm going to be ready to start the legwarmers this weekend and won't be able to without the size 3 needles - grrr! We'll see what happens today.
I hope you all have a great day and that Valentine's day was all you wanted it to be.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:14 AMFebruary 14, 2005
Ta Da!
Well, I had quite a productive weekend. The karate tournament went surprisingly well - I ended up second in the kata competition and I won the sparring! Surprise, surprise. I have bruises all over my body, but it was fun.
I finished the cami and am quite pleased with it. I found a little mistake, but it was after I had washed it and I'm not ripping it out to fix it - hopefully no one will notice! Here's a picture - disregard the ugly towel, it's still drying. So, I'm checking that off my list. I also finished the super skinny scarf. What a quick knit. I didn't really feel like I spent that much time on it yesterday because I ended up reading my lovely romance novel and doing some errands (more on that later), but still finished it at about 10:00 last night. The colors are darker than I wanted, but I couldn't find the pastels so I went with the purple, electric blue, and hot pink (although the colors don't come through in the photos). I hope the recipient likes it. I'm thinking that I need to make one for myself. Hmmm, another project? Now on to the pink and green fun scarf. I'm thinking of doing it in a narrow version too. Maybe not quite as skinny as this one (it's only 2 inches wide), but I'm liking the skinny rather than the wide version. I'm going to play around with the yarn at lunch. I'll let you know what I figure out. I hope my legwarmer yarn comes this week (they sent me an e-mail telling me they shipped it on Friday) because I'm going to be ready to start by this weekend. At this rate I might just get them finished while it is still cold and I need them. Here's hopin'.
So, I had to go buy a Valentine's card for my hubby and a couple of cards for a baby shower and Ash's wedding shower. So, the outdoor store is on the same block as the Hallmark. Can you see where this is going? I've been wanting a down jacket for awhile - I actually asked for one for Christmas, but didn't get one. Anyway, I've looked on line and haven't found one that I absolutely loved, but I've been looking. I went in yesterday and they had two that I really liked. My plan was to look and find out what I like, look around and find out when this store was going to have a sale - comparison shop. The guy in the store says that the down just went off sale, but he'd give me either jacket at the sale price. I'm such a sucker I tell ya. The Patagonia jacket was a great color and the arms were really long - sold. I have absolutely no will power. The justification to myself is that I really do need the jacket and I got it at a good price (I probably could have done better elsewhere on the exact same jacket, but I really try to buy things locally if possible - and when I have a yarn store I hope other people will shop with me rather than online whenever possible). So, now I need a really great scarf to wear with my really pretty iris colored jacket (the good news is that this morning in a quick search I can't find it cheaper than what I paid - actually everywhere has been quite a bit more. I'm feeling better and better!)
Have a great day!
Posted by Stephanie at 9:04 AMFebruary 11, 2005
Look Before You Leap
I finished the back right side of the cami and started my merry little way up the right front side, just a cruisin' along and then it dawned on me that I had forgotten to bind off 4 stitches for the stupid armhole - on the first row. That sound you hear is me cussing up a blue streak. So, left with no choice, a rippin' I went. Now ripping in itself annoyes the hell out of me because I'm anal and absolutely hate to make mistakes. It's the perfectionist in me who just goes nuts when that happens, but when ripping the lovely Mystik it is inevitable that dropped stitches will result - slippery stuff I tell ya. So not only did I have to rip out 6 rows, but I had to pick up about 10 dropped stitches with the crochet hook I'm beginning to despise - stupid thing gets more work than my needles, but I'd be up a creek without it. So, just because life is so perverse, after the ripping party, I discovered that I had a tangled mess of yarn - it could be all of the dividing and that I have 3 balls of yarn going, but still. I considered trying to work with the pile of crap that was now my yarn, but I just couldn't do it - that anal thing again. So, 45 minutes later I had the 3 balls separated and wound back amonst themselves and segregated into ziplock bags (well except for the one in play). Interestingly, while straightening out my little mess I found a section of yarn about 2 feet long that wasn't part of the ball - it was just hanging out separately. How and why is it there? Haven't got a clue, but clearly I can't use it. Hmmm. Another little annoyance for the day - oh goody. Despite all of the trauma and turmoil, I am back on track and moving right along on the right front section of the cami. I-cord, here I come. Thank God for knitting help, don't know what I'd do without those wonderful little videos.
I had karate class last night - last one before the dreaded tournament. I've been neglecting my kata for my knitting - maybe not the best choice of priorities, but it's too late now. I really need to spend a bit of time today practicing - hmm, hope I can squeeze that in. Oh, and did I mention that someone is going to beat the crap out of me during the sparring portion. I hate sparring. Ya, I'm whining, but come on - why would any sane person agree to voluntarily fight with a stranger for 2 minutes? If you figure it out, let me know because I'm kinda questioning my mental stability right now.
The second round of fabric for the living room curtains came yesterday. A bright spot in an otherwise pretty worthless day. This weekend is out for the construction of said curtains because my mom is busy on Sunday (Saturday is the stupid tournament) and I can't do it by myself - I'm scared and not that handy with pins and sewing machine! So, it's looking like it will be next weekend before the curtain project kicks off again. Might be a good thing, I'm going to need Sunday for the cami - it has to be mailed by Wednesday. I've taken to chanting, "I'll get it done, I'll get it done..." And I wonder why Travis has dubbed me "Crazy Old Lady Anesi"? Hmm, a mystery to be sure. ;-)
Posted by Stephanie at 8:57 AMFebruary 10, 2005
The Mundane
Not much has been going on around here for the last 24 hours, which considering the kind of day I had yesterday is probably a really good thing. Wednesday night is my big tv night - I know, I'm obsessed with tv, just ask Travis, he'll tell you. Anyway, Wednesday is Lost and Alias, Alias being my all time favorite show, but I enjoy Lost a great deal too. However, I did manage to make some progress on the cami while I was watching tv without having to rip out more than a couple of stitches. I've ripped out more rows and picked up more dropped stitches on this project than all my other ones combined! I've divided the piece into the left and right side and am now doing the front and back of one side with the front and back v neck shaping and the armhole shaping. I moved it to straight needles to do that and it is going quite well. I'm hoping to get one side finished tonight so I can start on the second side tomorrow. I just realized that I have to make I-cords for the straps and I haven't got a clue on that one - Vogue Knitting here I come!
I ordered my first two sets of dpn from JKL Needles - pretty excited about that. I also ordered the merino I need to do the legwarmers from Knit Picks - you just can't beat $2.29/ball. So now I just need to finish the cami and the two scarves I need to give as gifts and then it's time for the legwarmers. I'll keep you posted on my progress, but I hope I can get them done before spring. :)
Posted by Stephanie at 11:55 AMFebruary 9, 2005
Some Days You're the Windshield...
...Some Days You're the Bug. Do you ever have those days where you wake up and feel like you haven't slept at all, run late all morning, don't have time to eat breakfast, have to rip out some of your knitting because while you're counting stitches the slippery little suckers slide right off the needle and require you to pick up 10 stitches with a crochet hook, get to work and figure out you've messed something up the previous day, generally just feel cranky, and all before 8:30 in the morning? Yikes. This doesn't look like it's going to be the best day ever.
I've decided the legwarmers are a go. I've received some wonderful advise from a KR member on yarn and pattern and I found a couple of patterns that I can take pieces from. I'm going to order some yarn and DPN today. This will be my first project on DPN, but may be a good starting point so I can get comfortable with them before I move on to socks, which quite frankly scare me.
The cami is coming along well. I'm at the point where I start makig the V neck, which requires splitting the piece into 2 sections and working each side on straight needles - I'm going to start that over lunch today. If I can keep the stitches on the needles, which so far has been harder than one would think it should be, I should be able to finish it by next week.
I've decided that I need a vacation (not that this is new news, but ...). I'm hoping that the trip to Phoenix in March for Ashley's wedding will be a bit of one (and I'm going to go to some yarn stores - it's non-negotiable, even if I have to drag Travis along with me - he'll love it, I'm sure), but I'm really thinking that we need to go somewhere tropical for a week. I'm not picky, just so long as there is a beach and the weather is warm. I know Travis would get on board about that, but it's the whole paying for it thing. I am going to have eye surgery this year so I can see without my stupid glasses and in the grand scheme of things I guess I'd rather be glasses free than tan, but it's a tough call. Oh well, I can just dream of a beach for now.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:55 AMFebruary 8, 2005
Legwarmers...
Moving right along on the cami - 10 1/2 inches completed. I may just get it done it time - I'd still appreciate it if you'd keep your fingers crossed and maybe say a little prayer to the knitting gods just to be on the safe side. I've decided that I need legwarmers. I know, most people immediately flash back to the '80s and have instant negative thoughts, but they're a necessity. I had a meeting yesterday and thought that I should wear a skirt and the always dreaded pantyhose. Let me tell you, not the best idea when it is 10 degrees outside. My legs froze - literally. So I'm thinking some nice nondescript black snuggly legwarmers are the answer to my problems. I'm on the hunt for the perfect pattern, but here are a couple of options (don't freak about about the colors - I've already told you I'll do something in black): The first one is from Hollywood Knits Style and the second is from knitty.com. What do you think?
My fabric for my curtains shipped today (yippee) so I should have it by Friday and maybe my mom can come help me on Sunday (still have to check with her). I'd do it on Saturday, but that's the day of the karate tournament so that day will be shot. I hope all goes well with that, but why oh why did I ever agree to enter the sparring. I hate sparring. I'm going to get beat up and it's gonna hurt. Oh woe is me! :)
My sister liked her hat!!!!! :) The smaller one fit better, and I am oh so glad I knitted the second one to send to her too. She is the one who doesn't like anything wool, but she actually liked this, even said it was soft. The hat was my first attempt at making something for someone else (other than a scarf my mom picked out the yarn for) and boy was I nervous. It's kind of like you put a little piece of yourself out there and if the recipient doesn't like it it some how reflects on you personally. Now logically I know that isn't really true, but that's how I feel about giving handmade gifts. The relief here is that I think Stacy truly likes her hat.
Posted by Stephanie at 9:10 AMFebruary 7, 2005
Curtains
We hung the curtains on one of the living room windows (still don't have the fabric for the second one yet - ya, go ahead and say it, I know, I'm an idiot) and I like how they look. Travis wants them tied back so they don't cover so much of the window so I'll work on that in the next couple of weeks. I hope that will look right with the way they're hung up, but I'm one of those who has to see it to know if I like it. The hooks ended up working well, despite all of the trauma in finding them - a nice rustic look, but still very simple (at least in my opinion).
The cami is coming along well - I worked on it for quite awhile yesterday - that's what football games are for! I have about 7 inches done and really like the yarn - it has a pretty sheen to it. The green is a little brighter than I wanted, but still pretty.
It is cold and nasty here today. It's supposed to snow by this afternoon, but right now it's foggy with freezing rain - makes for a really lovely commute - let me tell you! Just a lovely way to start a Monday. Really makes me want to go home and start a fire and stay there all day. Wishful thinking ;)
Posted by Stephanie at 8:27 AMFebruary 6, 2005
I Got Yarn!
It's been like Christmas all over again around here. I got the yarn for the cami and 2 Rebecca magazines on Friday. I gotta tell ya, the project ideas are stacking up in my little brain! Here's the GGH Mystik - what do you think? I couldn't wait to cast on the 192 stitches I needed for the cami, but I made myself finish the second version of the hat for my sister. I sent her both of them and she can decide which one fits better, but I feel better that the second one wasn't so big. Anyway, I got started with the mystik yesterday afternoon and have now started my first project knitted in the round. Kind of scary, but it seems to be going all right. I finished the ribbing portion and am now on to the body. Here's the ribbing - it's designed to have some twisted stitches and eyelets in it - more girly I guess. I got the circular needle I needed to finish Travis' sweater and did that yesterday afternoon. It turned out well and I think he'll actually wear it (at least I hope so). He wanted to wear it yesterday, but couldn't because the neck wasn't finished, but it made me feel good. Here's the finished product.
I also got the Muench Naturwolle for the super skinny scarf and some pretty fun yarn for a scarf I plan to give as a gift. Very different yarns, but both will be fun to work with. And since I didn't have enough going on I made some stitch markers. I was inspired by some photos I saw on KR and some really expensive stitch markers I found on the web. Mine aren't anything special, but they are different and I need them for the cami. What do you think?
I'm going to hang my curtains up this afternoon and will post a picture when they're up. Otherwise, I'm going to knit and do laundry while the Super Bowl is on the tv. It's kind of a yucky day and it seems like a good idea to stay inside next to the fire. Have a good day.
Posted by Stephanie at 11:01 AMFebruary 4, 2005
Next...
It's Friday and I am so glad. I'm really hoping my new yarn comes today so I can get started on the cami, but if not I know my package with the scarf yarn is at the post office and Travis is going to pick it up today. It really is rather difficult to work in a different town from where you live and receive your mail. Oh well, it just means I have to rely on my husband to do some of my errands. Such requests are not always well received nor are the results reliable, but I always appreciate him trying. I'll take pictures of the yarn for you when it arrives. :)
I finished my sister's hat last night and it is really cute, but too large. I washed it in hot water this morning and dried it for about 20 minutes and it seems to have shrunk a bit, but I'm worried that it will stretch back out when she wears it. I may have to do another one in a smaller size. The yarn is much stretchier than I imagined and the small size would probably have worked even with her massive amount of hair. Yeah, she's evil - thick naturally curly hair, but I still love her. Here us a rather dark picture of the hat before I sewed it together. It's curling, but those are 4 points. The finishing was quite easy and different since it was sewn together with the right sides facing - something I haven't tried before. Anyway, here are some photos of the finished project. I really like the color and style, but am very disappointed in the size. Oh well, the good news is that it was a fairly quick project so if it doesn't work for her it won't take me very long to do another one.
I am excited that I will get the curtains on one window hung this weekend and will have a bit of time to play around with the furniture placement in my dining room. I've been looking at kitchen cabinet hardware because when I paint that room I want to replace the hardware and light fixtures to give it a more rustic/western feel. There's always something I can't wait to spend money on!!
Posted by Stephanie at 10:46 AMFebruary 3, 2005
Some People
My brother-in-law is getting married this summer and if we survive the wedding, it will be a miracle. I really don't know why people think that planning a large (like 500 people) event is no big deal and anyone with access to the internet can do it without a problem. Now, I may be a bit biased in this area because my mom is an event planner and does simply fabulous work and when she offered her assistance it was not well received. However, despite all of that, it seems that some people are just clueless. People with no idea or experience in setting up large tents should not try to do it on the day of the wedding with absolutely no professional guidance. Call me crazy, but I see disaster all over that! Anyway, enough of my ranting about trainwreck weddings.
My hat is coming along, but I had to rip out about 5 rows last night - twice. I probably shouldn't have worried about it because the mistake was on an edge stitch, but I wanted it to be right so a rippin' I went. Despite that, I still got one of the 4 V's for the hat shaping finished. By the way, decreasing sucks. I don't generally mind your every day knit 2 together kind of thing, but when you're trying to decrease on the purl side so that the decrease slants in the proper direction on the knit side and you have to do it on each side of every row and the pattern gives you no advise other than "decrease", I get a little cranky. However, thanks to Vogue Knitting I think it came out fine. Only 3 more V's to go - yippee.
I ordered yarn for the honeymoon cami from a wonderful little store in Omaha - Personal Threads. I had no idea finding GGH Mysik would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Not the easiest thing I've ever done - I had to call about 6 stores. I ended up calling Churchmouse Yarns & Teas in Seattle and they found the store in Omaha for me. Very nice people there and wonderful customer service. I'll definately try them again. I finally purchased the required number of balls and hope the color I have in mind is what I get. The lady was very helpful and thought the color she had sounded just like the celedon I was looking for. I sure hope so because I won't have time to send it back if it's wrong. I'm hoping that since it went out UPS yesterday and Omaha is fairly close to me that it will come by tomorrow so I can start on it this weekend. That will give me about 10 -12 days to get it finished before I have to send it off. Yikes - I'll have to burn the midnight oil on this one! Oh well, what is life without a little procrastination and a deadline looming?? :)
Posted by Stephanie at 9:24 AMFebruary 2, 2005
Decisions, Decisions
I'm trying to decide what I should make for my best friend for her bridal shower. Ashley, if you're reading this - STOP. It will ruin the surprise. Now, keep in mind the shower is February 19th - ya, I know it's like two weeks away. Nobody every accused me of being a planner. I like to kid myself that I'm organized, but I assure you that isn't the case.
The choices are: 1) the honeymoon cami from knitty in a celedon green (which is one of her wedding colors), a fun and sexy gift, 2) the everything bag from Hollywood Knits Style, which would be a very practical, but fun gift, or 3) something off of her registry that isn't knitted. What do you think? I'm feeling a little guilty because it's still up in the air as to whether I'll get to go. You wouldn't believe what they want for a plane ticket from Denver to Phoenix - outrageous. It probably doesn't help that the shower is over Presidents' Day weekend, but $300 is out of my budget. Anyway, I digress. I'm feeling like I need to do something really nice for her since I might not be there and I just don't quite know what. But whatever I'm going to do, I really have to decide today so I can get stuff ordered and express shipped - not having a LYS really sucks!
In other news, I'm almost to the point on the hat where I split the stitches into 4 sections and knit them into V's. That will be something new for me and I think will go pretty quickly. I need to figure out something for my dining room table. I've never really had a grasp on what looks right on a table. But, my plan is to look around until I find something that speaks to me. I imagine it will shout, "pick me, I'm perfect for you." Or so I hope.
Thanks for your thoughts on the gift. I really need your help.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:51 AMFebruary 1, 2005
Drumroll Please!
Good news ladies and gents . . . my yarn came! Go ahead, have a little party - I did. It is a wool from Suss Designs. Much finer than what I have been working with, but still pretty soft and such a pretty color. The hat is knit with two strands on size 8 and 10 needles. I also ordered some Muench Naturwolle for the super skinny scarf from Hollywood Knits and the much needed size 15 circular to finish Trav's sweater. I'm trying to decide if I should order the Manos del Uruguay for the My So-Called Scarf or if I should move on to socks and maybe a really cool tote bag. What do you think?
Picked up the iron hooks for the curtains and some dried wheat for the large copper pitcher in my dining room. I'm still not sure which corner of the room the barn wood hutch should be, but I think I'll experiment with that this weekend along with hanging up the curtains. I ordered more curtain fabric first thing yesterday and I'm hopeful it will come by the end of next week. Chances are better if it is shipped through someone other than FedEx Ground! :)
Riley (our Corgi) thought the newly received yarn was a new toy and was really upset when I took it away from him. Isn't he cute? He sat on the ottoman and stared at it while I cooked dinner. That's why I love him so much - he can always make me smile.
It's been cold here the last couple of days. We really need snow (or any moisture really), but I wish it would just warm up and rain rather than stay cold and snow. I know, I know, beggars can't be choosers, but I can still complain!
I started on Stacy's hat last night after I got my yarn wound into balls. I think it is going to be sooo cute! The ribbing is K1, P1 and I was kind of dreading it. But I have to say, ribbing isn't bad. I don't know if it's because I knit continental or if it's just that I'm weird, but it was kind of fun! What do you think of my efforts? I'm hoping to get it finished this weekend and in the mail to her because she's leaving on a trip next Wednesday and I'd really like her to have it before she goes. I think it will go pretty quickly because now I switch to the size 10 needles and knit in stockinette stitch for a while. I'll let you know how it goes.
Posted by Stephanie at 8:31 AM
