August 14, 2005

Rainbow Sherbet

The Sherbet Socks are finished and overall I'm pleased with them.

They almost match exactly - the heel is a little bit different, but pretty good for my first attempt at matching self-striping socks. Doncha think?

Specs:
Yarn - Lana Grossa which I received as a gift from Jenn
Needles - size 1 Lantern Moon dpns
Pattern - MagKnits
Modifications - I didn't add the pompoms on the heels - not really my thing and I changed the bind-off from a purlwise bindoff to the Elizabeth Zimmermann stretchy bind-off. I really don't know how else you'd bind off on a toe up sock and still be able to get it on. Anyone have suggestions? I made an error on the first sock and started with too few stitches on my figure 8 cast-on, so that toe is a bit pointy. I also decreased 8 stitches on the ribbing on the first sock because it was really baggy on my chicken legs. On the second sock I decreased 16 stitches before I started the ribbing, which makes them unidentical, but the second one fits a bit better.

So, on to the Shug. I cast-on yesterday morning and last night I started the second ball of yarn.

I think I might be short on yarn. I have 6 balls, but I think the ruffle used more than I anticipated.

I'm going to see how far I get on the second ball and then if I'm less than a third of the way done, I'll see if I can still get a couple more balls in the same dye lot.

I'm off to do laundry and clean up my messy house (and knit some more on the shrug of course). Have a great Sunday.

Posted by Stephanie at 10:03 AM | Comments (12)

August 12, 2005

Stitch Ya Neck Out

I got my SYNO yarn from my swap pal. I do so love getting yarn in the mail.

It is Karabella Aurora 8 in the loveliest shade of green and is destined to be a Backyard Leaves scarf from Scarf Style. Now, are you ready for the best part? I get to knit it for Blossom! Isn't that cool? I think it's pretty fabulous myself. I'm excited to knit the Backyard Leaves scarf because the pattern looks very interesting and there's a chart - I do love a good chart!

So, guess what else came in the mail. Yep, my yarn to send on to my swap pal. Finally. It was here at the beginning of the week, but I just got Travis to pick it up at the post office.

This is Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed in Bark from the Wool Shack - a wonderful shop in Australia. This is my first package ever from Australia and I must say, it's a great one. The yarn is destined to be a Turtleneck Shrug from Scarf Style and is really soft. I don't think there will be any itching around my neck with this. So, first thing tomorrow I'm sending it along to my swap pal, who has been most patient waiting for my yarn to arrive. I'll have to find a couple of goodies to put in the package as a thanks for being so patient.

I believe the verdict from all the great advise yesterday is to block the Zip Cardi and see if that helps the wonky right side. If not I can always take it out and redo it. Either right away or sometime down the road. Thank you all for your compliments. This sweater was my most time consuming project to date, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. Now, I'm starting to plan my fall knitting and I believe I'll start with Frieda. Adele's is looking fabulous and I do love a great turtleneck and I'm considering Rogue. For those of you who've knit Rogue, and I know there are a lot of people out there, what was your overall impression? Is this a pattern that I should be able to work my way through or is it too difficult and something I should hold off on? I'd be grateful for your thoughts.

Have a great weekend - I'm staying home and finishing my Sherbet Socks (I only have 1 1/2 cm of ribbing left) and starting my shrug. It promises to be a nice relaxing weekend at home.

Posted by Stephanie at 8:15 AM | Comments (9)

August 1, 2005

Success!

Despite a rather hectic weekend with considerably less knitting time than I had hoped for, the LBS is done! I finished the last bobble yesterday morning, and can I just say that the bind off row took me forever, and those bobbles are a real pain in the ass. Literally. I was binding off for somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 hours. But, here she is.

Before blocking, of course.

Blocking was delayed by the Cheyenne Frontier Days Short Round Rodeo performance. A good friend of ours was team roping so we got tickets and went. It was fun, but a rodeo is just a rodeo. Once you've been to one they're all pretty much the same. However, there were a lot of people - this is just one grandstand, there was another one this size and then 3 or 4 smaller ones.

So, after I got home from the rodeo I pulled the LBS out of her bath and started blocking. Blocking a shawl was a new experience. It's a lot different than the pieces of a sweater. It took me awhile because there was some trial and error involved in getting it the same on both sides. However, the welding rods work great for getting a nice even line across the top.

I'll take a better picture once it's dry and give you all the specs.

In other news, I finished the first Sherbet Sock. I had to make a few modifications - I had to decrease 8 stitches around the ribbing because my ankles are too skinny and the sock bagged and I changed the bind off from a purlwise bind off to the Elizabeth Zimmermann's sewn bind off because it's much stretchier and I find it more comfortable. I might try decreasing another 8 stitches on the second sock because it's still a little baggy, but I might not and then the second sock will be just like the fist (assuming I can make the stripes match). I guess I'll have to see how I feel when I get that far.

And I've saved the best for last! Presents!!

Lynette sent me some lovely sock yarn and treats from her travels for guessing the answers to some trivia questions. Isn't she sweet?

And I got a drop spindle and some roving from my KRSP! Isn't she awesome? Awesome and faster than the speed of light. I mean it was only Tuesday when I mentioned I wanted a spindle and by Friday (I picked it up on Saturday) I had a package in my hot little hands. I so love instant gratification. Thanks Secret Pal. You rock.

Now I just have to find the time to figure it out. I'm so excited to try it and see if I can actually spin yarn. I'll keep you posted.

So, in order to get the shawl done I got absolutely nothing done around my house - no laundry, no cooking, no weeding, didn't get my pots replanted - the list goes on and on. But, I figure there's time for all of that after the wedding (or maybe sometime this week). Thanks for all your support. Have a great day.

Posted by Stephanie at 8:10 AM | Comments (15)

July 29, 2005

And The Winner Is...

Jo Sharp Silkroad Aran Tweed. It's soft (or so I hear from a reliable source), the right gauge, reasonably priced, and comes in a lot of yummy colors. Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions. I really appreciate you guys.

There was not a lot of knitting going on yesterday. I knit two rows on the LBS, which means that I have 8 rows left including the bind off row. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I'm off at lunch to buy welding rods for blocking wires because I hope to block by Sunday. In Sherbet Sock news, I have completed turning the heel and have about 1 cm to knit before I do the little bit of ribbing at the ankle. I will soon have the first one completed. And, if things go perfectly (doubtful, I know), I may get that long-languishing project seamed this weekend, but maybe not the zipper. That still scares me, even though I've read the instructions about 50 times. We'll just have to play that by ear.

So, have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend.

Posted by Stephanie at 9:56 AM | Comments (6)

July 27, 2005

The Goal

I worked on the LBS last night and am happy to report that I've completed the second set of lotus blossoms. This puts me at the beginning of the last chart - 22 rows to go (and the bobble bind off, let's not forget that).

I do believe, if everything continues to go well, that I will have this puppy finished in time for the wedding.

I've also been working on the sherbet socks on the commute and have turned the heel on the first sock - short rows. They're really fun and are a nice break from the lace.

Last but not least, I decided to join the Stitch Ya Neck Out knitalong/swap. I got in just under the wire - very nice ladies running this deal. I'm such a procrastinater - I really need to work on that. Anyway, I think I'm going to have the turtleneck shrug made for me - I'm into shrugs right now. So, this weekend I'll have to find some fabulous yarn to send off to my pal - maybe when I order it I can have it mailed directly, since it's guaranteed I'll have to order it - nothing around here fabulous enough for such a fun thing.

I have this afternoon off from work - Cheyenne Day. A day during Cheyenne Frontier Days that pretty much everyone gets all or part of the day off in order to take in the festivities. I consider it bonus knitting time! Have a great day.

Posted by Stephanie at 9:36 AM | Comments (11)

July 13, 2005

Excuse Me While I Complain

If you don't want to hear me complain about my crappy job, you might want to scroll down to the stuff on knitting. I'll try to keep it short, I promise. Ok, I work for the State and sometimes politics just sucks. There's no other way to describe it. We had a lady leave the office about 6 weeks ago who had been here for 25 years. I'm taking over her work and they've hired someone new for my job. I asked my boss a month ago if I could have her nice office if he wasn't going to put anyone else in it. The new girl starts Monday, so we need to know who's going where. So, yesterday afternoon (nothing like waiting til the last minute to make a decision) he decides that he's going to put someone who's been here less than a year in the nice big corner office rather than let me have it. Talk about pissed. I know it's just an office and it shouldn't matter, but in the environment I work in where people get fired for little or no reason, it seems that all we have are the little things. So, I've decided to renew my job search. I really don't think I'm going to be happy here in the long run, and it's time to step up my search. The problem is figuring out what I want to do with my life. Any of you know any great jobs for a lawyer (even if it isn't as an attorney)?

Ok, thanks for letting me vent. Now, on to knitting. I'm on row 37 of the Lotus Blossom Shawl and I'm really liking the pattern. It's pretty simple (at least so far) and it's going quickly because there aren't that many stitches yet.

I'm finding the joins on the Bryspun needles a bit difficult, but I keep hoping it'll get better as I get more stitches on the needle. We'll just have to wait and see.

And I remembered to take a picture of the rainbow sherbet sock. It's about 15 cm and I need 20 before I shape the heel. I think the colors are perfect for a summer ankle sock. What do you think?

So, that's it for me. I hope today is better than yesterday and I hope you all have a great day.

Posted by Stephanie at 8:38 AM | Comments (14)