Knitting Err Wut?...

Busy Busy Busy...

2007-08-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

I've been sooo busy this last week, its been hard to find time to post! But now I have time and I just wanna fill you in with whats been happening! For starters, I've been at band camp all week at my HS and its been a blast! Marching and music! ITs 8 hours each day but today we get to go to the beach!!! I havent been to the beach all summer! I can't wait! Also on the knitting front, I've been working on my HP sox for my partner but having fear that she ight be reading this post I can't post a picture but they look really cool! I've also been working on my swap package for my Special Swap partner! I'm gonna be mailing that out soon and then when she recieves it I'll post a picture of the package! So Sorry no pictures but I'll post some up soon!!! Gotta get ready for my beach trip! Cya!

Look what was waiting for me!!!!

2007-08-06T17:12:00.000-07:00

I went to the post office and guess what? Come on, guess!... Well my knit picks order arrived and also my.. drumroll please, SCARF from Kaity's Scarf Swap!!!!! I'm soo excited! The scarf is perfect! Thanks Gary!! I absolutely love it! Its a green heather and a cranberry color! The scarf is wonderful and I already wore it around the house! I love the colors and the pattern! Thanks a bunch, dontcha love it? He's amazing!
And my knit picks stuff is also freakin amazing, 4 skeins of sock yarn and a book! Sensational Knitted Socks! I've been dying to get this book for the longest time! So now I can begin my HP sox and I have the perfect pattern! I can't wait to dye my yarn and of course this is going to go in my etsy shop as soon as I finish dying it! So thats it for now so CYA!

I'm home!!!

2007-08-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

I just got back last night from my 2 week trip to Idyllwild ARTS! I had an amazing time and met a ton of new friends that I expect to keep for the rest of my life! As with any arts camp, the cafeteria food is disgusting but it was still a great trip! The orchestral program was absolutely great and the scenery was breathtaking! I cant wait to see my friends again for the holidays. This was an amazing experience and I can't wait till I do this again! So on the knitting front, absolutely no knitting got done while at camp but my knitpicks order is sitting in the post office right now so I'm gonna pick it up on monday! Then I can begin my HP sox! So thats all for now! CYA

Idyllwild!!!

2007-07-22T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I have my bags packed and I'm all set to go to camp! I think I told you about it a while back but I'm leaving in about 20 minutes, I can't wait! Its finally here, and I'm gonna be gone for 2 weeks!!! Its an ARts camp so It's gonna be amazing, I can't wait, Ive said that a bunch of times but its true!
I finished my scarf for Kaity's Scarf swap and I already sent it in the mail! But no pictures yet, I don't want to spoil the surprise! OOOOO, I also found out that at camp I can use the computers so I'll be blogging from there as well. I need to finish getting the last of my stuff so I'll ttyl. Just wait for a post from camp!

Hogwarts Sock Swap!!!

2007-07-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

I love how I finally get to join more swaps and enjoy answering the questionnaires! So here's the swap questionnaire:

Hogwarts Sock Swap Questionnaire

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Slytherin!

2. Shoe size?
Men’s 11, sorry

3. Foot Length?
11 inches

4. Foot Circumference?
10 inches, sorry again

5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
a. Knit Picks DPNs, US Size 3 and 2, 6 inches
b. Bryspun DPNs, US Size 3 and 2, 7.5 in or 5 in
c. Takumi Bamboo DPNs, Size 3 and 2, 7 or 5 in.

6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length?
I REALLLLY wanna try the new Takumi Velvet Highly Polished DPNs in US Size 3 or 2, 7 or 5 inches.

7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
N/A

8. Allergies? Do you have any? Will your knitting be exposed to smoke or animals?
No allergies! And my knitting isn’t exposed to smoke or animals, Smoke Free home!

9. Are you an international participant (outside US)? Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal? Not international, I’m from sunny California! I’d love to have an international partner though, it would be fun!

So those are the questions and if you want to join here's the link:

Hogwarts Sock Swap Two
The sign-ups began July 14th, so you better hurry up!

New in the Shop...

2007-07-15T20:16:00.000-07:00

... is three new skeins of yarn!! I just added them today!

The first is "Cherry Blossom Pink", a worsted weight yarn made from 100% Peruvian Highlander wool:

Then next is also a handspun yarn that I am absolutely in love with! The colorway is "Forest" and its an exotic blend of reds, black, white, green and oranges. The colors look absolutely beautiful and I love the way it turned out, this is surely going to be one of those yarns that you just can't get enough of!

Finally, is a skein of sock yarn that I dyed myself and I love the colors! It's colorway named "Black Lust" is a great self-striping yarn that changes from black to blue to purple and back to blue then finally purple for a complete stripe sequence! Its hand dyed with Jaquard Acid Dyes and Kool-Aid. A great colorway with enough yarn to make a pair of women's medium footsies. A plus is also that it's made from Superwash wool so its machine washable! Try mixing it up a bit with a different colored heel and toe with some stash yarn!

So take a look around my shop and maybe you'll find something of interest! Cya soon, BTW, I leave for camp in a week! I'm so excited, any suggestions for a project I can take for camp?

It's done!!!

2007-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

The epic journey of the Wonderful Wallaby is now over! I finished yesterday but I had to block it, boy does blocking change everything, for the better, of course! The sweater was pretty snug befor blocking and now it feels great! Check out the photos!

First is the whole front, I really like the way the neck parted and also the way the pouch and sleeve joins came out!

Next, the sleeve cables, I was very pleased with the outcome of the sleeves!

Finally, the back, love the braided cables!

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience! I couldn't be happier with the final product and I now know I have the stamina to finish a sweater! It feels lovely and all I have to do is wait for the darn weather to cool up, but seeing as how I'm in southern California, it'll be a while, well @ least I know I have a sweater for fall!

BTW, I finished spinning up that pink roving I bought and it'll be in my shop soon, I'm trying to stock up for Yarn Aboard! In progress right now: Spinning the "Forest" roving! Keep ya posted, CYA!

Look what I got!!!!

2007-07-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

Guess what arrived in the mail today? Come on... Guess!!!! Ok, well I got my Special Swap package from Lynne!!!! I'm soo excited! I couldn't be happier! She put in all the right stuff!

First I got... YARN!!! Of course, I got 3 skeins of Cotton-Ease in colorway "Lake" and a ball of GGH Wool in "Country".

I feel so spoiled, I got some local treats, Popcorn and some "Buffalo Wing Nuts". They both taste delicious especially the nuts! Then I got this beautiful box filled with sweets and a chibi tapestry needle set, I've been needing some more tapestry needles since I've lost all but one!!!

Then a 365 Stitches a Year Calendar, I love it, the great part about it is that I was actually going to buy it yesterday when I went to my LYS! As if that wasn't enough, I also got a kazoo from the only kazoo factory in the world! Its a metal kazoo and I also got a pamphlet on the factory and the history of the kazoo, very interesting! Finally, I got a T-Shirt of a really really famous Drive-in theatre that Lynne says has great double cheeseburgers for only $1.59! what a deal! I absolutely love this package, and I couldn't be more thankful for all the thought that went into this and I'm even more greatful to Lynne for giving me the opportunity to swap!!! She's the best swap partner a kid can have!!! Thanks Lynne!!! I can't wait for my next swap!

In other news, I just dyed the skein of Cascade today and its in the colorway "Mixed Berries", so check it out in my Etsy Shop!! Its soft and its graduated so it would be great for a scarf, changes from pink to red to purple!!!Cya, keep you posted!!

Scarf Swap Questionnaire...

2007-07-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

and some new buys!!!! So lets start with the questions I must answer for the swap I joined last week!

1. Do you have any allergies your partner should know about (no wool, etc.)? Nope!!

2. What are your favorite colors (Bright, subdued, girly colors, earth tones, etc.)? I really enjoy earth tones! I like "dusty" colors and I'm not too fond of anything too bright, mostly browns, greens (like olive or something comparable), and a lot of blues but not just solid blues I like shades of darker blues and I also I reds. I love any of those colors, particularly browns with any of the other colors!

3. How long do you prefer your scarves to hang? Do you have a preference? I usually like my scarves to hang at about the navel but not too long or short

4. Do you have a problem with any type of yarn? Does Novelty yarn make you cringe? Do you prefer something more classic? I can't stand novelty yarn!!! I don't like "fun-fur" or anything "cheap". I do prefer the classic look that shows a beautiful stitch definition and I'm a sucker for anything that has the handspun effect such as Noro Kureyon or Silk Garden, pretty much just any yarn that can show cables great and won't compromise the FO!!!

Now that the questions are answered, let me show you what I bought today!! I went to my LYS and I bought some Eucalan Wool-Wash and a skein of Cascade 220 and some Wildfoote sock yarn, and a nifty little card that keeps inventory of my needles!!! Both yarns are white so I can dye them!!!! So check out a post in the future showing you my dyed yarn.

~SWEATER UPDATE~ My sweater is about 98% done! I'm half way done with the hood and then I'm done!!! I hope to finish by tomorrow, then all I have to do block it and then it's really done!!! No pictures for now because I want to surprise you!! Keep you posted!!!! Cya

I told you...

2007-07-08T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'd finish the second sleeve by this weekend! I got the second sleeve done and then some! I can't express how excited I am to be on the last leg of my journey on my first sweater!!!! I did have a set back that took me an hour to fix but I'm glad I did because one of my sleeves would have died, well it would have came out a lot crappier (is that a word?) So The sleeves joined and I am now on the collar which will then turn into the hood, I anticipate finishing the sweater by this Friday! So as you know I have kept my promise with the second sleeve so I will finish by Friday! I really am at a loss for words and all I can do is just explain the photos!
The first photo is my current progess! Oh my gosh, it really looks like a sweater!!! The second photo is the underarm gap I had to seam together with the kitchener stitch, boy was that something! And the next is the underarm all seamed up!!!! It didnt give a completely seamless join but gave a sorta garter-stitch join and I think I just did it backwards, but it looks fine! And the final photo, the sleeve join, beautiful if I do say so myself!! I love this sweater and I can't wait to finish, that's it, sorry if it sorta seems scattered on bland but I really can't express my joy for this sweater! So cya, keep you posted when its finally finished!!!!

p.s. visit Stranded Stix Bazaar!

Spin, Spin, Spin!!!!

2007-07-06T21:32:00.000-07:00

That's right! I got my very own spinning wheel yesterday!!! I'm so greatful and I can't express how excited I am to begin spinning on the wheel! Its an Ashford Upright and it looks lovely, I already got the treadling down and have begun spinning but it seems that I'm spinning my singles too tightly, any suggestions? Would I loosen the tension or treadle slower, guess I'll have to find out!!! I got the spinning wheel for 100 dollars! The nice women in the store said the owner was going to sell it for $150 but they said it was dirty and I was enthusiastic! So I got it for a deal! And I showed them the rovings I spun and put in my Etsy shop and they say I should enter it in SOAR so I could win some ribbons! U love my new wheel!!!! Isn't my new wheel purty? I absolutely love it!!!

I also bought some new rovings!!!! I first one is "Forest" and I love the color way! I also got "Baltic". Both are merino and I love them both, then I bought a pink roving (not pictured) and that's about it, I especially love the Forest blend!!!!! I love everything I bought and I'm greatful for everything! So cya!!!

Happy 4th!!!

2007-07-04T10:15:00.000-07:00

So for starters, HAPPY 4th (didn't i just say that in my title?) Well, today is the norm around my house... mom cleaning like a maniac, family coming over, even the annoying ones! and best of all, knitting! So yesterday I just joined Kaity's new Scarf Swap!!! Yippee! I know exactly what scarf I'm gonna make, well I've narrowed it down to two choices and I can't wait for the pairing! Also, notice my sidebar growing?... because I do, and I got a Boycott Fun-Fur button from Heatherly's blog! The button is hysterical and perfect! And... Wait, there's more!, Last night while at the grocery store, I bought 28, coun t them 28 Packets of Kool-AID, just for dyeing yarn!!!! It only cost me $3.50 so I bought them! And I bought a new book today!! Yarns to Dye For! I've been dyeing (pun intended) to get my hands on it! And this book is beautiful, every page is in vivid color and the dyeing techniques are amazing! I can't wait to begin! So My sleeve is making progress and it looks like it will definitely be done by this weekend... if I don't get distracted by the spinning wheel I'm going to buy tomorrow! I can't wait for it... well actually I can, because I do have to wait for it, only one more day! So I think thats it, BUT I did find two books that I must get my hands on as soon as I can... Sensational Knitted Socks and More Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch! I MUST HAVE THEM!!! I saw the mosaic sock pattern in the book and its amazing!!!! Talk to you later, CYA... oh and keep checking my Etsy shop, now that I bought this dyeing book I'm gonna dye some yarn and stick it in my shop A.S.A.P.

Teenage Tycoon... I hope

2007-07-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

Bonjour from Southern California, were its hot in the day and hot in the night! I'm so excited!!!!! Yesterday I opened up my very own online Shop!!!!! Thats right, my very own online shop on Etsy! I even added a "mini" Etsy on my sidebar so you can see what I recently put up for sale and click on it to go straight to my shop! As of now I have 2 hanks of handspun yarn and 3 sets of stitch markers, all of which are made by me... all me!!! There's even an added benefit if you're a Yarn Aboard Member this summer with Amanda @ www.clothesknit.com, I'm offering 10% off of your total net purchase for the swap! Just mention discount code in the "Notes for Seller" box and I'll give you the discount! Silly me.... I forgot to mention the name of my shop, it's "Stranded Stix Bazaar", and I came up with it all by myself! The logo will be posted as soon as I decide on the design! I really like the shop name and I promise to have more yarn in the next few days. The URL for my Etsy shop is www.honestgabe45.etsy.com or you can just click on the sidebar link.

In other news, I did finish the first sleeve of my wallaby and have already finished the ribbed cuff on the second one but I want to surprise you with the two completed sleeves and the body, so I'll post photos when the last sleeve is finished hopefully by the end of this week, maybe sooner! Also, I found a spinning wheel!!!! WOOH HOOO!!!!!!!! I called my not-so-local fiber store and they have a used spinning wheel for sale for $100!!!! So I'm going to pick it up when they open again on Thursday!!!! I asked them to hold it for me and they are so I now almost have a spinning wheel! I can't wait! So I think thats it and dont forget to visit my shop and make a few purchases,k cya!!! Oh WAIT.... New Special Swap theme... Picnic!!!! I can't wait to get my partner and start my shopping!!!!!

p.s. notice my sidebar? I sorta got a technology boost and now have a flickr gallery, mini Etsy, and Special Swap button... I can't wait to get some more buttons and begin spinning on a wheel!

Another Contest and Handspun yarn!!!!

2007-06-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

I just entered another one of Ali's contests! The winner gets to win some... yarn!! I hope I win and all I have to do is post about the contest so here it is, She's hosting a contest @ her blog, www.skeinsherway.typepad.com, and if you happen to enter, can you please tell her that I referred you! I'll thankl you soooo much!

Also I spun up some of the rovings I bought! They look absolutely great! I couldn't be happier! The silk/merino came out perfect! It spun up to about a sport/lite worsted weight and it feels great! I also spun up half of the blue wool and it also looks great! I got about 100 yrds of the blue and dont know the yardage of the silk/merino. That white roving has finally been dyed and I named the color fruit punch! It looks great and I cant wait to spin it up!
In other news, my knitpicks order arrived today and my lace weight yarn came in too! I got some Alpaca Cloud and Shimmer! They feel soo good and I dont know what to do with them, the sweater hasnt made too much progress because I have been spinning but I'm gonna start up again on it today and finish the first sleeve by this weekend! Thats about it so cya!

Rovings and a Recital...

2007-06-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

... All in one day!!!! I just got back from my flute recital and it went really well but I was nervous as heck! I performed in the recital and as soon as that was over, I jetted over to "The Weaver's Cottage" to get some more rovings, since I ran out and I had money since I got my paycheck yesterday!!!! Woo Hoo! MONEY! It feels good to make money... but even better to spend it! So I bought 4 rovings and I love each one!
First up.... 2 ounces of super-soft white merino wool! As I type, this roving is being soaked so I can dye it! A post will definitely follow when the roving is finished! Next up, is a gorgeous roving of 70% Merino/30% Tussah Silk! This is sooo beautiful and I love the sheen that the silk brings to the wool! The third thing is 2 ounces of Organic Cotton! The woman advised me that it has a really tiny staple length, but I bought it because I wanted to stash some cotton fiber away for later. And the FINAL thing is 4 ounces of Peruvian Highlander wool in blue! This is an immediate favorite after I spun up the red roving! I love all of these and I can't wait to start spinning! So thats it and I'll post the results of the dyed merino l8er!

Way too many photos!

2007-06-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

.... But thats a good thing! It's been a great week for me! I have been getting the last of my swap supplies for my Special Swap partner! And I finished spinning that red roving! And I plyed it, It jcame out alot better than I expected!!! The blue Romney had to be thrown away because it came out ugly bacause I was too impatient, but thats okay because it felt icky anyways.
So to begin, I spun up the red roving and I couldn't be prouder! as you can in the first few photos I am showing the roving in its stages, well maybe not its many stages but just on the spindle, in a ball and the finished hank! The hank is "harder" than expected, so to speak but I think its because I spun my spingles waaaaaaaaaaaaay to much! But its great! So the next thing is my sweater! I finished the "body" portion of it and it looks awesome! The pouch is sorta perfect and the back cabling is beautiful! Now I finally got to start the first sleeve! I'm doing a double cable across the arm and it looks nice so far, I'm just glad I dont have to do any 1X1 ribbing for a while because It gets sooo boring! : [ So the sleeves called for a 16in circ. but there aent enough stitches so I'm using my Knipicks DPNs and they feel like glass! They are my favorite dpns and circs I have haveer used! So the sweater is going fine and I ordered some yarn and needles on Knit Picks, I got some options DPNs and Some lace weight "Shimmer" and "Alpaca Cloud" just so I could have it because they looks really soft and I dont have any lace weight yarns.... I think I'm rambling so I'll stop and wait for another post.... Ooooo!!!! My last picture is a doe! that's right a doe! Thats probably the only "fun" part of my summer job is that I work @ a lake and the scenery is beautiful! So all wildlife photos are taken @ my work! Thats it, it felt grreat to catch up! Cya

Whirl, Whirl, Whirl...

2007-06-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

or should I say Whorl? I just got home from "The Weaver's Cottage", its a spinning store and I just had to buy some fiber! I had never been there so I mapquested the directions and it was no easy task! I tell you, Mapquest did not give the easiest route, and It took longer tahn I anticipated BUT.... I am very happy with my purchase, I bought an Ashford Top Whorl drop spindle and some blue Romney fiber and some red peruvian highlander fiber! The red is so captivatingly beautiful! So the nice women gave me a quick lesson on how to spin because I was having the hardest time with it with my home-made spindle! This spindle is so fancy and easy to use! I have already started on the blue fiber! So suggested I get the Romney because it is a good "learn-to-spin" fiber and so is the Peruvian wool. I asked about the merino and so said its way to hard since it has such a short staple length. I love the spindle and the red fiber....
Now for a SWEATER UPDATE!!!!! I have been knitting like crazy and it has indeed paid off! As you can see in the third picture I am showing you the fused pouch! That's right, I have finished the pouch and it looks sooo good, BUT it was a pain in the you-know-what! I couldn't be happier with the result, it was totally worth it and the fourth picture is the back cable design once again but now there are more cables and only 4 more inches of knitting until I start the sleeves! I have 11 inches thus far and I hope to have the other four by the end of the weekend. I must sayt, I have been making a ton of progress and I love the sweater so far! I'm doing some spinning right now because it is so darn hot right now and I can't muster up the strength to knit in this HOT weather, So I'll continue tonight and hopefully get another inch on the sweater. Keep you posted!

Work in Progress... A LOT of PROGRESS!!!

2007-06-11T22:14:00.001-07:00

It's been two days and I have been busy as you can see! I have made, as the title suggests, SUBSTANTIAL progress! I finally got over the extremely exhausting and oh so tiring 1X1 ribbing! It felt soo good to get past that boring part! Now I have another 4 inches done of the main body! As you can see in the second picture I added a beautiful cable pattern! The center is a braided cable surrounded by two 'normal' cables! I can't wait to finish this! Also, if any of you have a suggestion for the cable-stitch I should use for the sleeves please send me an e-mail and comment! The few comments I get, I truely appreciate! Thanks, and finally to wrap things up... well sorta, the third picture is the pattern that I'm working off of, "The Wonderful Wallaby". I love this pattern because it is so simple that you can add a ton of embellishments to truely make it your own!
* A side note to finish the post- Summer is fun so far and I enjoy work because I get a ton of time to knit, as you can see by my progress. And on the 23th of June I have a flute recital!!! I can't wait! I love to perform and my solo piece is "mysterious", 'Syrinx for solo flute' by Claude Debussy... So I need to sleep now! I love late night blogging! TTYL!

And then there was ribbing...

2007-06-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

a lot of it! I have about an inch of 1X1 ribbing so far and I casted on 2day so its not bad... well I'm rather happy with my progress! I just hate 1X1 ribbing because its too time consuming with the English style of knitting ( I've attempted Continental with no success, but only for a few minutes, so maybe there is still hope) I think that my favorite thing about this is the satisfaction from seeing the material grow as I continue and I can't wait to get to the main body! I have to have a total of 3 inches of ribbing then I begin the body! As you can see, I'm using my new Knit Picks Options needles and I LOVE them! These are by far my favorite needles! and of course my next favorite are the Clover Bamboo needles which I will be using for the body.... ok thats it, time to go to bed! I gotta work tomorrow morning... bummer!

YARN YARN YARN!!! and other stuff too

2007-06-08T18:59:00.000-07:00

That's right, my Knit Picks yarn finally arrived and I couldn't be happier! It's been 8 days and it should have arrived yesterday but the stupid Fedex/USPS were lacking is .... well, they were just lacking in overall performance! But fear not my order is complete and I can't wait to cast on for the Wallaby Sweater! I also went to my LYS because I needed to pick up a magazine I had ordered 2 weeks ago and exchange a pair of needles for the correct size. So I have 16 balls of "Winter Night" yarn and a new pair of size 8 DPNs and size 6 Knit Picks options needles! I can't wait to test drive them! Also as you can see in the second picture (magazine modeled by the beautiful Lindsey, my friend), it is a page of the KnitSCENE Fall '06 issue showing the "Central Park Hoodie". That is the reason I bought the issue and I will eventually start on that but its not too pressing, I just wanted the patttern because it is awesome! So back to knitting... I ended up frogging my circular socks because I was getting tired of them... my 4th frogging in the last 2 weeks on sox! I think I've just been impatient because I wanted to start on the sweater, so Here's a picture of the sox I just started, notice the black toe! I don't think I'm gonna continue those for now only because I wanna start on my sweater so I will eventually get back to those... eventually. SO thats it for now... O WAIT! I finished school yesterday!!!!!! YIPPEEEEEEEE! Now it's just summer! More knitting!!!! So thats it, I'll keep you posted

Wallaby, HERE I COME...

2007-06-02T07:06:00.000-07:00

I just ordered the yarn for my sweater and I can't wait until it comes in! I got the yarn from Knit Picks, Wool of the Andes in "Winter Night"!!!! I absolutely can't wait until it comes in! Also I started a sock a few days back but have been really busy since I've been going back and 4th from Westlake for auditions and drumline stuff... don't get the impression that I'm a drummer, but I was sorta intrigued by the concept of playing a mallet instrument! Back to the Sock, It's my own pattern so I'm "flying Blind" because I've never actually tried to make a "fancy stitch" sock. I lik the spirals! So I can't wait till I get to the hell and then the actual leg! I hope they turn out well, I think I'm gonna write down the pattern and call them "Spiral Sox", the yarn is the Knit Picks "Memories" in Smores. Size 3 DPNs. TTYL Thats all 4 know, off to work! (sorry if the picture is bad, it's a cell phone picture)

Gryfindor?

2007-05-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

I have been working on a hat for the last few days and this is the fruit of my labor! I love the colors! I bought this yarn a long while back and I had no idea what I was going to make with it. It's Cranberry "Panache" and Cinnamon "Andean Silk" from Knit Picks. I really enjoyed the challenge of not knowing where to go next since this is my own pattern! I'm really surprised it came out well but I was more surprised the decreasing was nearly perfect. I used Size 8 16in. circs and DPNS, and 1 ball Cranberry "Panache" and about half a ball "andean Silk" in cinnamon. I even as able to save the pattern! I wrote it down as I was knitting, maybe I'll post it sometime... We interrupt this post to tell you taht I just got an e-mail from Lynne (www.iwasknittogetherinmymotherswomb.typepad.com) and she invited me to swap!!!! I am soo excited! My first swap! SO I can't wait till that happens! Thats about it so I'll keep you posted!

Knitting Goals...

2007-05-18T06:58:00.000-07:00

So I just saw this contest @ Ali's blog (www.skeinsherway.com) and she's hosting a contest! Yay, my first knitting contest to enter! So I'm supposed to post my summer knitting goals and that sounds really
fun so here goes:

1. Start and finish the "Wonderful Wallaby" sweater for myself!

2. Join some sort of sock swap since everyone I've come across is closed! DARN! lol

3. Knit a full pair of socks! ANd by full pair I mean more than footsies!

4. Finally, get a hold of a spinning wheel and start spinning! (I've been on an everlasting quest for a spinning wheel for quite some time now)

So those are my goals thus far and I really hope i win the contest because winning is fun! So here's the link to Ali's contest: http://www.skeinsherway.com/2007/05/pre-summer-contest.html, and if by chance you happen to enter the contest let her know I referred you! Thanks!!!

Now I will be pulling a pair of mittens from my magic hat...

2007-05-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

I'm done! This was a really quick project because my other mittens were way 2 BIG!!! these are beautiful and hand-dyed! the colorway is awesome and totally my colors! As you can see from the photo the color stinks but you can faintly make out that they are in the process of being blocked because they were really snug! I really wanna wear them! Now I'm gonna make a pair of socks for myself out of the "Memories" soxk yarn from knitpicks! I can't wait till they are finished! I'll keep you posted...ttyl

Sheep Shop Yarn... is awesome!

2007-05-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here's the picture of the yarn! I told you it looks good! BTW... I'm blogging from my cell phone! it's really simple and addicting because i no longer have an excuse 2 not post! so expect a ton of posts!

Easy Mittens

2007-05-15T21:02:00.001-07:00

My easy mittens have official gained progress! I'm using this really cool yarn that I got from my trip 2 Frisco! It's "Sheep Shop Yarn" made in Uraguay! I fell in love with it when i saw it and it looks like Manos but i got it because it's not available @ my LYS... it's pretty much awesome but my stinkin' phone didnt capture the colors at all, it looks black in the photo but it's really dark shades of blue, red, green, and some browns! I'll put up another picture of the way the yarn really looks... pattern: easy mittens from "one skein wonders"

A Post... after 1 month!!

2007-05-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe its been almost a month since my last post! I have been really busy with school... sorry! But I have finished several projects since my last post! I have finished the Red Light Special, Socks for my mom... mother's day present, and a bikini... who woulda thought? So Let me so some pictures! First is the Red Light Special hat, the first two are of the lining, it was such a pain picking up the stitches!!! But it looked really good when it was done! And the third is the finished hat... and for the last picture of the hat is a close up on the stitch work! I am really pleased with the hat, the pattern was from Brooklyn Tweed. It was made on size 4 for the main body and size 3 for the lining, I used Knitpicks "Telemark" in Tangelo, Snow Leopard, Grey Wolf, and Skyline. Doesn't it look good?

And the Second project is the Bikini, it was made in one day with this gorgeous cotton yarn that I got at my LYS, i dont remember what company its made from but it looks great! The pattern is from Knitty Gritty and I used size 5 needles! Fear not... its not mine, i made it for my sister but she hasn't tried it on yet, : (

The last project that I can think of is the koigu socks that I made for my mum, they are absolutely gorgeous! I used1 skein of Koigu, this is the best sock yarn I have used thus far, its only my second skein of sock yarn so I really dont have much to compare it too but @ $13 a skein it was well worth it! The first picture is of the skein of koigu and the secojnjd is the finished pair of socks. My own pattern, I have decided that toe-up is the way to go, size 3 DPNs. The koigu felt really good and looked even better, so now that I dont have anything that I'm making I have a pattern in the mail that should come in a few days, "The Wonderful Wallaby Sweater" from Cottage Creations Publishing. I can't wait to begin the sweater! My first! I still haven't decided on what yarn to use, any suggestions? Well, I'm done for now and as i said before, I hope i blog soon and I'll try and keep you posted, and thanks for commenting, the few that have!

My yarn arrived! AWESOME!!!

2007-04-16T21:04:00.000-07:00

My knitpicks yarn has finally arrived!!! It looks exactly how i pictured it!! I couldnt be happier with my color choices! I got the telemark in Tangelo, Skyline, Grey Wolf and Snowleopard for my "Redlight Special" hat! It is sooo awesome! And... as you can see, there are two skeins of "Memories" sock yarn in the color "Smores"! It is even better than in the photo online! It has shades of brown with grey and tan!! It is sooo soft! I also bought the Knitpicks classic circulars in size 2, 32 in. so I can attempt to decipher the "Magic loop" for some socks! ITs gonna be soo much fun! And I did finish the socks! I wore them to school on friday and the wre really nice! I got so much compliments! Sorry no pictures yet... : ( I started the lining of the new hat with the left-over ball of Cashcotton that I used for my brother's b-day present! it is really soft and its black, the lining is being done on some size 3 circulars and the main hat is gonna be ddone on size 4's! I can't wait to get past the lining! Thats it for now so ttyl!

1 Sock down... 1 more 2 go!!! (and a sorta fancy coffee mitt?

2007-04-09T22:51:00.001-07:00

Success!!! My first sock is officially done! I finished it today on the way to my flute lesson, which btw went awesome! I have officially started the 3rd and final movement of the Mozart Flute Concerto! and I got a free cd from my teacher: Oboe Obsession, as performed by Allan Vogel! He's her husband and a reaaaallly famous oboe player... well the sock is awesome and I already started on the second! I finished the toe already and started on the foot! I have officially decided that toe-up socks are a crap load better than cuff-down because it seems to go faster and the heel is A LOT easier to turn! So check out the pics! BTW... it is a BIG Sock because of my foot size, but it fits perfect (as seen in the picture!) And I also made a sorta fancy coffee mitt w/ cables yesterday on Easter because Ms. M wanted to buy one from me. I made up the pattern as I went along but got help from the Coffee Mitt pattern in the "One Skein Wonders" book. The pattern in the book doesnt have cables so I made it up. I used up half of a half of a left over skein of Cascade 220 (did that make sense @ all?) I also bought some yarn for knit picks but i probably wont get it for a week or so since they take a long time to deliver! I ordered some "Memories" sock yarn in S'mores, some "Telemark" yarn for the Red Light Special hat that Kaity showed me and a size 2 circular needle 32in long. I'm gonna attempt to use the needle for the "magic loop" method of kitting socks! I cant wait till my order comes in the mail! Its really late so I'll keep you posted! I hope to finish the last sock by friday so keep checkin'

Progress... on Toe-Up Socks!

2007-04-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

My sock!!!! It is coming along! I think it looks pretty darn good and I totally love the toe-up pattern because my grafting w/ the kitchener stitch sux and the toe is seemless since I used the short row toe! I have about half of the sock done and I'll finish up this sock by tomorrow night! I also have a flute lesson tomorrow and i hardly practiced! I will practice a crap load tomorrow before my lesson and The art show is in two days! : O I cant believe it! I'm doing some solos and a jazz combo thing with my "Crew" LHK! So btw HAPPY EASTER!!! I gave my bro the Fake-Isle hat i made for his birthday and I think he likes it! His response was... "how did you get it to fit my head so perfect?" then my response was,"... MAGIC!!!!" It was pretty funny so he better wear it or else I will! I think the only thing that I'm worried about with my sock it the heel but the pattern says use the same technique as i used for the short row toe so I'll be alright *crosses fingers* So I think I'm done... ttyl BTW... like the kitchen counter in the background? lol

Fake-Isle DONE.. Toe-Up Sox, here I COME!!!

2007-04-07T23:09:00.000-07:00

I cant believe I finished the 2nd Fake-Isle Hat!... Well, I can believe it since it is a birthday present but I took the life out of me! I hate doing the same pattern twice even though its fun. This hat is pretty sweet! Its for my bro Alex, he's turning eighteen tomorrow... or rather in 46 minutes and counting since its 11:14pm... lol(late night blogger!) well sorry about no pictures in progress for this hat, i got lazy. The Hat was the Fake-Isle pattern on Magknits.com and I used Cascad Pastaza (50% Llama/50% Wool), its soo soft! and for the fair isle pattern I used Classic Yarns' Cashcotton DK (35% Cotton/9% Cashmere/18% Angora/38% Other Fancy Stuff... I think that adds up to 100%) I hpe he likes it since it look long and I was extra careful to make with half a skein of love : ) lol... Now about the socks!!!!! The socks I just started about and hour ago and let me tell you, it feels awesome to finish the toe and start the foot! The pattern made sense after the second time since I started the toe over about a million times! I kid you not, I have wound that ball of yarn into a cake about a half-dozen times in the last 3 hours!!! I love the Universal toe-up sock pattern, THANKS KAITY! BTW... HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!!! I can' wait to finish these socks!! I think the tow looks pretty freakin sweet! Well... I'm tires *yawn* so I'll post l8er! Dont forget to wish my bro a happy birthday 2morrow... April 8th! And a HAPPY EASTER!!!!

Apples and Oranges!

2007-03-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

Yes, I took it upon myself to dye some self-striing yarn!!!! ITs worsted and awesome!! Orignally it was gonna be black and yellow but then I changed it and decided to dye it red and orange, hence the "Apples and Oranges" title. I used Kool-Aid packets, 4 Cherry and [3 Orange & 3 Lemonade} for the4 colors, sorry about the pictures but my camera stinks at taking true to life color pictures! : [ But none-the-less you get the point i'm trying to get across! I used Eunny Jang's method of dyng the self striping yarn and it was really simple to follow! it took a helluva long time to get the correct length for each stripe since i had to knit the length and then do some math(ugghh) but it came out ngreat and dying with kool-aid is sooooooo much easier than with the acid dyes from knitpicks! I love the yarn!!! i did this all in a few hours and it dryed rather quickly, about half an hour because I let the wind dry it outside in the backyard! It was also a pain to wind it into a hank because it was really really really really loooooooooonnnnnnnnnggggg! but i did it and now i'm gonna wind it into a ball! I am really proud of it! I just hope that when it's time to knit it up it stripes! TTYL

BTW, notice the messy section of my room in the second picture?... well its slightly messy but not really, just wanted to nag

20 days? Fake- Isle Made < 24 hrs!

2007-03-26T17:33:00.000-07:00

So I can't believe that its been twenty days that I've last posted.... I havent been sleeping the whole time, I've made several projects and a pair of my circs broke! : ( So The feed bag project is being postponed until further notice, but i did make a beanie for my friend Mary Beth in 2 hrs flat!!!
Sry, no pictures but I started the Fake-Isle Hat pattern last night @ 11:00 pm and I finished today at 5:30!!!! It is soo awesome! I used some size 6 circs and same size dpns... I think the best part was using the Noro Kureyon (100% wool) because i liked the way it gradually changed colors!!
Then I used a partial skein of the Pattons Black Merino (100% wool) for the fair-isle pattern. It turned out great seeing as how it was my first fair-isle pattern! Check out me modeling it! And Finally an aerial shot of the hat, my niece couldn't resist the camera[phone]! I'm afraid the hat can't compete with such a pretty little niece!

Now its timee for blocking, just incase. I dunno what i'm gonna start next but I really wanna get some new circs because my other pair broke : [ I really wanna start the Red-Light Special pattern that Kaity showed me, its pretty awesome. so i think thats it for now but I hope i remember to blog soon (at least before another three weeks pass : ] ttyl

A POST AT LAST!!!!

2007-03-06T18:05:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe its been soo long since i've last posted! I think its been TWO whole weeks! I've been extremely busy with Mock Trial and VCHB and I have to say that I'm glad both are over! Great news!, Our Mock Trial team made it to finals and took 5th out of 23 schools! And my VCHB Concert last friday was fantastic!!!! So about my knitting... because I've been soo busy I havent even finished my socks, or rather my first sock!But i have made substantial progress!!! So check out the pictures!!!!
I am really liking the Broken Garter stitch pattern and they are awesome!!! DO NOT be fooled with my progress because as I said, I've been busy and the progress i made was made in about a day so I'm glad because I really wanna wear these awesome socks!!! All I have to do now is finish the length and shape the toe!!! Also, I did finish the beanie for steven, I made it in a couple hours out of wool-ease thick and quick, it was great but I didnt get a chance to get a picture of it : (

My First Socks!!!

2007-02-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

So I decided to hold off on the Chunkcy Cabled Beanie because I wanted to try some socks! I really like the way they are coming out and I think I'll finish the first sock by 2night or 2morrow at the latest! The Hiker socks pattern is really easy so far, it's knit in broken garter stitch and I think its freakin' kool! Also I'm knitting on size 3 dpns and using some cream colored Patons Classic Merino, I bought it at Michaels and it doesn't stink! So Check out the sock!(or rather check out the beginning of my sock!) I'm also extremely busy today because I have my flute lesson in about an hour and I have a Mock Trial Scrimmage 2night at the Ventura County Court House! I'm prepared but I'm still nervous, cya

Hand Dyed.... Yarn!!

2007-02-13T21:16:00.000-08:00

So the yarn i dyed about 2 days ago is finally dry!!!! And I couldn't be more pleased!! It didnt come out to be sapphire blue but it came out a royal blue!! and I'm ok with that! I really like it!! So i ordered the "Bare" yarn from knitpicks.com and also some of the Jacquard Acid Dyes, Sapphire Blue and Fire Red... do not be fooled by the directions! The directions say let it absorb the dye for 30 minutes BUT the first time i did that the yarn came out a sky blue!!! UUGGGHHHH not manly @ all!!! So the second yarn I dyed which is this yarn was left in for about an hour and a half and it still did not achieve its Sapphireness! But I'm not that disappointed, I still am a little but its all good :) We must remember that this is only my second attempt at using the acid dyes and I will eventually get better (i hope?)

I even took the liberty of creating my own labels! Check out the picture! I decided to go with the timeless classic and call it the "Hand Dyed Collection"! I like the labels! So I think thats about it 4 2night... WAIT!!! I 4got 2 say what I'm planning on making with the yarn!... I'm gonna make a beanie! go figure... for my friend little steve who requested one... now my mind is @ ease and I can go 2 sleep without the ever present thought of guilt 4 not letting u know what I was gonna make, lol... k So Dammit checkout the awesome yarn pics! cya

Success!!!!!

2007-02-12T22:19:00.000-08:00

The Alpaca beanie I was working on is finally done!!!! I have to say that the beanie is beautiful!!!! Well @ least I think so!! So lets start at the beginning... I initially started the "Sheapard's Bulky Hat" pattern from the "One-Skein Wonders" book and I was all fine until I had to start the crown!!! What happened was that my gauge was way off and I ended up picking up only 51 sts as opposed to picking up 74! But I made the best of it and after crying my eyes out because of my mistake (totally kidding about the crying part) I began to improvise!

I ended up decreasing with my own pattern that I made up as I went along and It turned out fine... The beanie was made out of Superfine Twilight Alpaca (Bulky, i think) from Knitpicks.com and I used size 10 circs, The cables I must say are awesome because i love cables!!! Ah ha! the beanie turned out great and I love it! I'm gonna hit the sack soon and wear the hell out of it 2morrow! Yay me!!! BTW the blue looks a lot better but my camera is freaking right now so I will attempt to fix it... uggghhh

First Post....

2007-02-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

Yay! My First Post!!!! Thats about it...