End of an Era*

After blogging regularly for an extended period, I'm afraid it's over. I got nothing m'dears. This slump is killing me. No knitting, no blog fodder, no sanity. Zilch. Nada. Dare I say it?....

sigh.


*Ok. Maybe era is too strong a word.

Drumroll Please.....

And the winner is...

Logan!

Congratulations! Be on the lookout for an e-mail from me.

Free Stuff-Sort of a Contest

This post has been stickied. For the latest news in my boring life, scroll down.

Here's what you can win:


Quick Knits to Wear (Rav link)
A collection of straight forward, classic styles. Most of the patterns call for Worsted Weight. This is a paperback book.

Your misson (the "contest")
Answer this riddle...

What lies at latitude: 38.82 N, longitude: 77.07 W and and how is it significant to the knitting world?

E-mail your response to me and you will be placed on a list. I will use the List Randomizer at Random.org to randomize my list and whoever ends up at the top of the list wins!

Contest ends Wednesday, April 29 at midnight CST.

Symptoms and Miscellany

Still suffering from the blues and now I'm battling a new symptom: Cravings. Craft Cravings. Do I want to knit socks? A hat? Oh! I know! A shawl....or maybe mittens?

Really these cravings are quite annoying.

Miscellany

• Checking gauge really does save time. But there's no adventure in that.
• When I knit socks, I can guarantee I will frog and start over at least 3 times. (see above.)
  
• Charts have keys. Use them. Avoid this: "hmmm, I just noticed that on the chart there are mirrored slashes. Sh*t, one is a k2tog, the other an ssk. I've been making them all k2tog's. sigh" (This was after 2 8row pattern repeats. Coupled with the three attempts at even getting ribbing done, I chose not to rip and start over. I don't think it is too noticeable.)
  

Poll Results

When asked how you felt about yarn....

5 of you (12%) said only the finest yarn for them.

24 of you (61%) never met a yarn they didn't like, but are willing to go a little further or pay a little more for good stuff.

5 of you (12%) hate yarn snobbery*.

5 of you (12%) had other ideas.

Please excuse any grammatical errors in this post.

BTW, in about 2 hours I will be leaving for Knit Nite and I am still suffering from knitter's block.

*I understand yarn snobbery, but I don't understand what possesses people to make rude remarks about a yarn I am using. Knitters need to stick together and encourage each other, not tear each other down.

Nothing New To Report

I'm still constipated creatively. I started the AIC and I like it, but it isn't thrilling me to pieces. (I do like it better than my Shrug This.)

Over the week-end I made a Wee Tiny Sock for a swap. I enjoyed that a lot. (So much so, I joined another swap for May.) But I don't think I'm over the hump yet. Maybe Knit Nite will help tomorrow.

Anyhoo, here's a picture of the sock:



The yarn is some leftover Knit Picks Bare that I dyed with Kool Aid a few years ago.

Crafter's Block: A Relapse

After a couple weeks of successful stitching I've hit a wall. Patterns appeal to me and I've started a few, but I haven't been happy with anything. I finished Le Scarf, but I think it looks like Le Crap.



The drape is great and the yarn soft, but I really don't like it (I want to try it again in a smooth worsted weight...Noro maybe?) This has led to the other well known crafting malady: Crafter's Blues. Since I haven't been happy with any of my work it kind of depresses me. Well, maybe not depresses me, makes me feel a little blah. I'm going to start a dishcloth and see if that helps.

I'm also swatching for the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet. I kind of had an epiphany while swatching. I really hate swatching. I really just want to get started on a project. But as I swatched for AIC I started thinking it was more than just getting gauge. It was like a preview of the project. Did I pick the right yarn? Do I want to use the bamboo needles or the addis? Luckily, with the AIC you have some options gauge wise so in this case I was even able to decide what size needle. I really don't like using size 11 (8MM) needles and the yarn I'm wanting to use suggests size 10 (6 MM) so I'm going to give them a try.

Now I'm going to do something completely egotistical and vain. Offspring and I were goofing around before my Prom chaperone gig and I was striking "model poses" (you know, the "I'm a contortionist" type poses?) And she snapped a pretty good picture of me, so I'm going to share it for no other reason than I like it. (I'm playing the "It's my blog and I'll be vain if I want to" card.)

Wee Tiny Victories and Freak Outs

I got my Wee Tiny Sock Swap partner on Friday. Yay!

She's a really awesome knitter and I'm afraid my skillz won't be up to snuff. Boo! (Seriously, "sock knitter" is the display name of her e-mail.")

I found absolutely the best dress I have put on in a long while. Yay!

I had to buy it so I would have something to wear while chaperoning a high school prom. Boo!

Finish Or Frog 4/24/09

As always, I being with "The List" (The results of last week's progress report.)
1. White Prairie Blanket
2. Spanish Doily
3. Knitted baby sweater
4. Lunch bag
5. Shrug This
6. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
7. Finish the Sweet Lorraine for my sister
8. Cup cozy
9. Mitered handtowel
10.Sock Remnant Scarf
11.Round Ripple Baby blanket

I am pleased to report a finish. It's not a project that's been languishing (that would meant following directions!) and I don't have an official finish picture, but I did finish the Sweet Lorraine I was making for my sister. (uh, yeah, for my sister...it sure is pretty, though.)



I think I'll give it a quick little blocking and get it mailed out next week. I'm really an awesome sister!

I was very good this week and only started one project. Well, actually I started two projects, but they were frogged before they even had the chance to become WIP's. (If you're wondering, one was a sock the other was the Anthropologie Inspired Capelet...which I'm too lazy to link to right now. Yeah, I'm that lazy.) I did manage a row or two of the Prairie Blanket and a couple of rounds of the Round Ripple. The Spanish Doily and I are not speaking right now.

So, since I only started one new project my list now looks like this:

1. White Prairie Blanket
2. Spanish Doily
3. Lunch bag
4. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
6. Finish the Sweet Lorraine for my sister
7.Sock Remnant Scarf
8.Round Ripple Baby blanket
9. Le Scarf

I am a little concerned because I think I am suffering a relapse of crafter's blues. I am unhappy with everything I start and my WIPs hold no charm. I may have to self prescribe a dishcloth or two.

On Blogging: A Rambling Post 'Cause My Brain Is Full

I'm in the Blogging group at Ravelry (ok, I've been there 48 hours) and it's got me thinking. I'd like to build the blog up a little. I've met really cool folks through my blogging and I'd like to meet more (not to mention all the yarn pr0n and knitting I get to ogle.) One discussion thread has been about getting comments. Obviously, one way to do that is comment on other blogs. I'm much better at this during the summer months and holidays. I confess here and now that I am a spotty commenter at best. I will try to improve.

It's also been suggested that posts should be interactive. Include questions etc. I have lots of questions, but I tend to forget them when I sit in front of the computer. I've actually started keeping a notepad in near me and when I think of questions, I write them down. (Please note this week's poll...thank you to the 15 people who voted the last time I checked.) Of course I agree with this, but I don't want reading my blog to seem like an interrogation or a conversation with your 5 year old niece.

Even before I joined the blogging group I had begun to think about my blog and it's "angle." I've been doing this for 4 years and I'm pretty sure I haven't found my voice yet. This is definitely not a blog to promote my design business or anything. Just a Joe Schmoe who loves to knit and crochet kind of blog. There's an audience for that, right? If you asked me to describe my blog in 50 words or less (which many blog promo places ask you to do) I couldn't do it. As a reader, what would you say? (How's that for interactive?) I'm not even sure I've got my blog title right yet!

I think I edit myself a lot. I try to avoid controversial subjects like politics or current events. I try not to use really bad language (but I slip sometimes.) Yes, you can argue that a blog is personal and you shouldn't worry so much about what people think, but I don't want to alienate people unneccesarily. I do enjoy blogging and it is personal, but I like making friends, too. (Even if I am somwhat seasonal in my friendship.)

And now I come to the end of my thoughts and where I think my writing always becomes weak(er.) I suck at conclusions (and I don't claim to be good at the beginning or middle, either.) So I'll conclude with ...

the end (for now)

PS: Now that I'm done, and since I'm reflecting, my description should include something about parenthetical statements. I use too many of them!

Important Information Regarding Contest

I probably should have mentioned a deadline. *doh!*

Contest will end Wednesday April 29th at midnight CST.

Head's Up!

Free stuff is gonna be given away on this blog within 24 hours. I've found a couple of things using my buy-a-replacement method of article location and have doubles to get rid of . Stay tuned!

The Knit Nite Report

This is going to be all over the place tonight 'cause I've got a lot running around in my noggin. Forgive me.

I begin with a comment that kind of rubbed me the wrong way, but I got over it. It just sort of illustrates why I sometimes feel out of place. One of the ladies told a story of teaching her friend to knit, then taking her to an LYS in Birmingham (AL) to show her some "real" yarn.*

WTF?

To me, if it knits it is "good." Comments like that bother me. Especially when they are made around people (which includes me) who are using TLC and who routinely bring "not real" yarns to Knit Nite. (I assume they are "not real" since they were purchased locally and, as I learned this evening, one must go out of town to get "real" yarn.)

Next up: my choice of project. I decided to drag my prairie blanket out of the closet (literally.) It requires a bit more concentration for me and I did screw up and forgot a yarn over once. Luckily, a gal showed me how to fake a forgotton YO. I'm not sure this is a project I can work on during Knit Nite. I did ok while conversation was slow (takes us a while to warm up), but once we started yammering, I was having trouble.

And most fun, we hatched a hare-brained scheme (HBS.) We are thinking it would be lovely to get away for a long week-end in the fall and have a DDSBK (Don't Do Shit But Knit) retreat. I was elected research officer, so I'll be looking into some state parks in the area this week. I hope we can pull this off!

This reminds me. There will be a WWKIP event in Montgomery this year. There is a Ravelry group if you would like information. I can't be there (stupid trip to Spain), but I hope it gets lots of support and becomes an annual event for our town.

I think I've covered everything. Otherwise, you know I'll post again!

*yes, I realize that her comment is an attempt at humor, but it still annoys the snot out of me.

I Think I Have Ravelry Prejudice

I like to collect Ravelry friends. Most of my inspiration comes from what others make, so I check my RavFriends activity at least twice a day.

I'm mostly attracted to a person by their avatar. (I know, that's judging a book by it's cover, but you have to admit that on the 'net one doesn't have much more to go on.) Once I've clicked on a person's avatar I check out their projects. This is where my prejudice comes in. If they've been on Ravelry a year or more and they don't have quite a few projects..or pictures of their projects, I usually don't add them as a friend. It kind of makes me feel bad. Maybe I should give them more of a chance.

In other news, (which really isn't news since my life is dull) it's Knit Nite tonight and I have no idea what project(s) to bring. I'm I feeling like something a little complicated so I can just sit and listen or do I want simple so I can join in the conversation?

I'll report back later! (Drat! I've left you all with a cliffhanger...)

A Poll

I'm playing with the different gadgets available to me on Blogger and created a poll. If you are reading this is a reader, please pay a visit and participate. I'm interested to know how you feel about yarn. Poll closes Friday and 10 PM Central Standard Time.

What I Meant Was...

"Shell shock" was perhaps not the right word for yesterday's post. What I was trying to convey (and I'm not sure I did) is the sense of overload I feel when I get to a "real" yarn shop. Suddenly I see all these yarns mentioned on Ravelry and blogs and I forget every project I want to make. Not that it would matter, because then I would forget the yardage requirements for them. I'm afraid of buying a mere 1 or two balls for fear I will find nothing to use them for. I'm just so thrilled to be there (yes, my life is that sad) and yet so unable to act at the same time.

LYS Shell Shock

Today's Post and Links brought to you by Serendipity Needleworks and Ravelry.

We are home safe and sound from yesterday's adventures.

I begin with yarn pr0n*:



The trip to Serendipity was made with a specific project in mind (this is always a good strategy when entering a yarn store.) I want to make a pair of Bella's Mittens and I needed 2 balls of bulky weight yarn. Ellen did have the Cascade 109 LE, but not in a color that appealed to me for the mittens so I ended up getting 2 balls of Katia Peru in gray and the Cascade in Bama Crimson (for perhaps another pair of mittens?) After that, I was running on impulse and wool fumes. I was also feeling a bit pressured by Hubadub, Offspring and Literal Big Brother hanging around outside waiting for me to be done (The guys were not happy about being dragged along for my yarn fix. Offspring looked around a little bit, but said she no longer felt the bug *sniff*.)

Anyhoo, I also ended up with two skeins of Lorna's Laces in the Clara's Garden colorway and six (why the heck did i get six not that it really matters to me at all i love you yarn!) skeins of Malabrigo lace in Buscando Azul (and *swoon* I love it even though I have no idea what I'm going to do with it yet.)

By the way, Hubadub thinks this all costs me 10 bucks. Please don't tell him the actual retail price.**

Part of me wants to feel bad about such wanton purchases, but I don't. I lay the blame squarely at the feet of the city of Montgomery which only has a Hobby Lobby and Michael's. If I had an LYS I would plan my shopping more strategically. From now on I will make planned journeys to Tuscaloosa (Offspring is fully aware I will be coming for the yarn, not her lol). I will think about the projects I want to do and come with a list of yarns. I will contact Ellen ahead of time and ask her if she has X, Y and Z available.

I bet I still end up with impulse yarn, though.

*I feel the need to apologize for the terrible photography in my blog.
**No, he isn't that gullible. He just doesn't know exactly how much it costs.

A-Day

Today was A-Day. This is the first time I've attended an Alabama football game (ok, it's really a scrimmage.) Offspring has pretty much told me I will be attending a real game this season, so this is pretty good practice for the crowds and noise (both of which I find highly stressful.) The only thing that made it bearable was the visit to Serendipity Needlework a short walk from the campus.

Pictures of the game and more importantly, the yarn, are forthcoming (when Offspring mails them to me...since I kind of forgot my camera.)

Finish Or Frog It 4/17/09

The List:
1. Absorba (Friday decision)
2. White Prairie Blanket
3. Spanish Doily
4. Knitted baby sweater
5. Lunch bag
6. Shrug This
7. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
8. Finish the Sweet Lorraine for my sister
9. Cup cozy
10. Mitered handtowel (started that one last night *sheepish grin*)

The Decision:


I will indeed frog Absorba. I'm sure you all know that the yarn is destined to become dishcloths.

I did finish the Baby Sweater (rav link) and the Mitered Hand Towel (rav link.) And to reward myself I've started a scarf and a round ripple baby blanket (rav links.) I haven't touched any of the other projects. I continue to plug along on the Spanish Doily and the Sweet Lorraine.

The Updated List
1. White Prairie Blanket
2. Spanish Doily
3. Knitted baby sweater
4. Lunch bag
5. Shrug This
6. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
7. Finish the Sweet Lorraine for my sister
8. Cup cozy
9. Mitered handtowel
10.Sock Remnant Scarf
11.Round Ripple Baby blanket

Self Endulgence

Hubby is working out of town tonight.
I got out of school as fast as I could and I'm now in my jammies, sipping a soy London Fog from Starbuck's and watching Cold Case Files on A&E.


Ahhhhh.

Wherefore Art Thou, Ravelry?

*sniff* Things area bit shaky at Ravelry this morning. I haven't been able to get to my friends' activity or the patterns section. Oh I hope things are better this evening.

Thursday Thriteen 4/16/09

I haven't done a Thursday Thirteen in a loooong while. For some reason, it's the only meme (if that's what it is) that I always go back to. Most of the time I don't do it because I can't think of a category or if I do, I can't think of thirteen things. There was a prompt today so I'll see if that helps. (Swapna, I picked the kitty header for you!)

13 Things I Loved About My Wedding

1. It was in my in-laws back yard.

2. My daughter was one of my maids of honor (she was 5 at the time)

3. It was a thrown together affair. Normally Hubadub is a planner, but one day in late March we both decided, what the heck!,Let's do this thing...in early June.

4. It was a somewhat casual wedding.

5. So far it was the hottest day on record in Dothan AL.(Talk about making a memory!)

6. All of my husband,s friends threw him in the pool. (After he had changed)

7. My sister flew in from Las Vegas and I met my new brother in law for the first time (he's awesome!)

8. My father in law barbecued a whole pig (this was in my pre-kosher/vegan days) and we said our vows to the smell of barbecue.

9. I saw my husband in a suit for the first time ever.

10. Everyone had such a blast!

11. My mother in law. She a great lady and I lucked out marrying her son.

12. Oh! Our wedding invitations! I found them on sale for like 99 cents a pack at a Hallmark store. They were fill in the blank.

13. Getting to say "I do" to the most awesome man ever.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others’ comments. It’s easy, and fun!

Ego Stroke Wednesday

I've had a lot of compliments today!

First, I had a message in my Ravelry box from Mary at America's Knitting. Each month she features projects and shops from different states. April is Alabama. She wants to feature one of my projects! I'm so flattered!

Second, when I went to the "People" page on ravelry, one of my projects came up in the "Random Assortment of Faves" feed. (Yeah, that it's not due to any effort on my part...just the way the code worked out, but it still thrills me.)

Whiny Wednesday II

Ok. So last week was kind of a joke. I really had no intention of repeating Whiny Wednesday.

Unfortunately, the fates have conspired to create a situation in which I must whine.

• Again this morning it is nippy. 47 degrees. (Yes, I consider that nippy.) The high today is expected to be 70 (again, I consider that nippy. I long for a 90+ degree day.)
• Serendipity Needleworks is having a sales tax holiday event April 15, 16, and 17. I arrive in Tuscaloosa after business hours on the 17th (and seriously, don't you agree that I deserve to whine about that?)

According to the rules, I must now post something positive.

• This sounds terrible, but Hubadub will be out of town for two nights and I am looking forward to the time alone (sometimes I just gotta be a hermit.)
• Passover will end tonight and I can finally eat bread again.
  

If At First You Don't Succeed

I managed to finish a bib at Knit Nite.



I thought it was too narrow and the mothers of young children that were there agreed. I cast on more stitches and started over. It's a great pattern. Pretty mindless, but not so much that you are bored to tears. Fast, too!

Anticipation

I am actually looking forward to knit nite. And by that I mean, I'm becoming comfortable with my "purlsonality" (remember my dumb word?) So if I show up with a dishcloth, it doesn't matter. I can appreciate being in the company of some really awesome knitters. I embrace my mediocrity :-)

A colleague is expecting in July, so I'm going to make a passel of these bibs (rav link) in bright cheery colors.

Stashbusting

I joined the stashbusting CAL at Crochetville last Saturday. It's only been a week and I'm already in trouble.
1. I can't stop acquiring yarn (and you lose 2 points for each skein you acquire)
2. I can't knit/crochet fast enough ('cause you gain 2 points for every skein you use)
3. I can't do math with negatives. (Yeah, I'm that bad at math.)

So far my score is -12 and I placed an order with knit picks this morning worth -54 points.


And the saddest thing?


I'm loving every minute of my failure!

PS: A Happy Thought!

I went to satellite Knit Nite* yesterday afternoon and had a blast. No hang ups at all! Could I be making progress?

*Our group has expanded their knitting times. In addition to the Tuesday night, there are meetings each Sunday as well. Odd Sundays at Cafe Louisa from 6-8. Even Sundays at a different Starbucks from 2-4.

Rainy Day AND Monday

What a combo!
I will not let it get me down. I will remain positive. At least I won't be stuck in a classroom on a gorgeous day, right?

It's that time of the year when getting up and going to work gets harder. Doing what I'm supposed to do during my planning period is impossible. Lately I've been taking "field trips". I'll sneak home and love on the cats (or wind yarn.) With the weather like it is, I'll probably skip the field trip today. I'll bring a project with me and work on it in the school library.

Happy Monday, everyone!

It's Here! It's Here!

Months ago I pre-ordered Wendy's new sock book. I just got an e-mail confirming that it has been shipped. *squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

Good Question

On Whiny Wednesday Elizabeth asked me why I felt inadequate at Knit Nite. Perhaps inadequate is not the correct word. Intimidated may be better.

You see, I don't consider myself a "real" knitter. I am of the opinion that there is such a thing as a real knitter. In my mind everyone else is a real knitter and I am not. (It's a hangup I really need to get over.) For me, knitting is purely a mindless diversion. Hence the dishcloth and scarf knitting. For most of the gals at Knit Nite, it's a fiber/technique hobby. They actually feel the difference in fibers (I don't, string is string and dammit I'm gonna use whatever). They are so knowledgeable about every possible cast on, how to pick up stitches, seaming by magic etc.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is I feel I don't have much to offer...unless of course they ask about dishcloths. :-)

Luckily, I still enjoy going and I do learn a lot.

For Lack of Anything Better to Blog

I give you a mitered hand towel:


Pattern: Mitered Hand towel from the second Mason Dixon knitting book
Yarn: Sugar n' cream in a multicolored print whose name I can't remember and hot blue
Needles: size 6 (4 MM)
Commentary: I crocheted my own button and after everything was done I realized it would have been darling if I'd used the multicolored yarn for the button. Sadly hubby had already tossed the few yards that remained (I'm not complaining. NEVER complain when a man cleans.) I plan on making one more of these, but starting with fewer cast on stitches like one I saw on ravelry.

With Offspring being in for the week-end, I didn't get much crafting time in. I plan to stay at home tomorrow and veg in front of the TV with my needles and hooks.

Happy Easter

I hope everyone has a happy restful holiday!

How I Find Stuff

It's happened again.



I spend a lot of time in book stores perusing books. Sometimes when I'm looking I can't remember if a book looks familiar because I own it, or if it's because I've looked at it before. When I saw this book in Books A Million earlier this week, it did seem familiar so I decided not to purchase it and go home and look for it. Since I didn't find it at home, I went on amazon.com and looked for a reasonably priced used copy.

Well, guess what I found when I went looking for something else this evening....

Summer of Givin' may start early this year.

The Second Plague*

Clicky Clicky for more info about this group

As mentioned earlier, I have some WIP issues.

As a reminder, the (updated) list:
1. Absorba (Friday decision)
2. Green prairie Blanket (Friday decision)
3. White Prairie Blanket
4.Heirloom Blanket (Don't have to wait 'til Friday...off to the frog pond!)
5. Spanish Doily
6. Knitted baby sweater
7. Lunch bag
8. Ribwarmer (Friday decision)
9. Shrug This
10. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
11. Start the Sweet Lorraine for my sister begun Tuesday, April 7
12. Cup cozy

Now, I've made my Friday decisions
The Ribwarmer II

I started this in October of 2008 and made pretty good progress. I made a pink one in the summer of 2008, but I never wore it, even when it got cool. That's probably why I just stopped working on the second one. I haven't decided yet what to do with the yarn.

Heirloom Baby Blanket

I started this for the Stray's sister's baby in March. The bigger it grew, the rufflier it got. I also didn't like how holey it was. I could see little baby fingers and arms getting tangled up in them. This yarn is destined to become a Round Ripple.

Green Prairie Blanket

I can't remember when I started this. I'm pretty sure early fall of 2008. This picture is not very good because it's more of a sagey green. I've got another prairie going in white TLC cotton plus and it's much nicer. I'll finish that one. This one is off to the frog pond. I'm not sure what the yarn will become.

Startitis Mittens

I started these in August 2008. (And again in another color in March of 2009.) I guess this was purely a "proove it" project. I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do the cables and follow the chart. I can. And now I don't need to finish them. I don't know what I'll do with the yarn.

I am putting off making a decision on Absorba the Great. I'm 90% sure it will end up frogged, but right now I hate the idea of frogging it because it's knit with 2 strands held together and that can be a bear to frog.

So my new list looks like this:
1. Absorba (Friday decision)
2. White Prairie Blanket
3. Spanish Doily
4. Knitted baby sweater
5. Lunch bag
6. Shrug This
7. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
8. Finish the Sweet Lorraine for my sister
9. Cup cozy
10. Mitered handtowel (started that one last night *sheepish grin*)

Good thing I have today off. Maybe if I pull myself away from the computer and run my errands quickly, I can make progress on some of these projects.

*Frogs- A little Passover humor

Cyberpriorities

I think I've mentioned before that for me, being on the computer turns into a time warp. "Just a minute" turns into a week.

If I want to get anything done in the way of knitting/crochet, I'm going to have to decide which sites and cyberactivities are most important to me and limit my computering to them.

Blogging-Definitely a keeper. I know that most of the time I am not a regular blogger, but I do enjoy sharing my fiber self with people.

Ravelry-Duh. And I'm just gonna put it out there that I'm a rav-stalker. I love seeing my friends' activity.

Crochetville-I don't spend as much time here as Ravelry, but they usually have good CALs and (when the mood strikes) swaps.

Facebook-Mainly I'm there for pet society and Offspring and I will chat once and a while

I think I'm done with Plurk. The Karma business stressed me out. I hated watching the karma drop when I was absent a few days.

I like that Twitter doesn't do the karma thing, but I wish the "tweets" were set up more like plurk.

Well, I've got the day off from work tomorrow. I'm going to try and get some projects under control. I'll be making some hard decisions for Finish or Frog Friday.....

Blogger's Block

Oh my! I have nothing to post today! Will my daily blog streak end here? Must I resort to a bulleted list of random?

Stay tuned!

Thank You!

I'd like to thank everyone for their patience with my whiny Wednesday. I'll try not to make a habit of it :-)

I cast off my Shrug This tonight:


Pattern: Shrug This
Yarn: Bernat Denim Style 1 skein and 5 rows into a second.
Needles: Size 11 (8.00 MM)

Offspring is coming in to town on Friday, so I'll try to get a picture of me in it. I'm actually happy with it! I think my knitting could be a little more even, and I'm not sure the yarn and the needles were a good match, but it will do. When I started the project, I always had the intention of it being a casual sweater. I will definitely be wearing this in public AND making another one.

Whiny Wednesdays

I know I promised no whining for a week, but I just can't help myself. So in the Spirit of WIP Wednesdays and Whiskers on Wednesdays, I give you Whiny Wednesdays.

• It's 37 flipping degrees outside.
• I don't want to go to work.
• My Shrug This is almost done, but I'll probably just end up disappointed again.
• I look forward to knit night each week, but then I get there and feel so inadequate. (Does anyone else ever feel this way?)
• Hubadub has to go out of town for a day. I hate sleeping alone.
  

Wow, that was pretty whiny. But now I've got it off my chest and feel a little better.

So I don't completely annoy you, I leave you with a few happy thoughts.

• It is supposed to get up to 68 degrees today.
• I've got a job (very important to remember this.) And it is Wednesday and we are out of school on Friday.
• I started another Sweet Lorraine in laceweight and it looks pretty.
• I do get to see pretty yarn at knit night. (A couple of spinners attend)
  
• The upside of Hubadub's absence is no one will be around to interrupt me while I'm counting.
• I live close enough to the school that during my planning period today, I'll be able to sneak home and wind a ball of yarn.
  

Want to Whine along? Just post your whiny list to your blog (please link back to this post), leave a comment for me letting me know you whined (so I can commiserate with you), and finally, end the post with a few positive thoughts.

Yarn Cupcakes!

Did some yarn winding today. I had hank of KnitPicks Gloss (laceweight)in the stash and I thought it would be good for another Sweet Lorraine. Its 440 yards and there was a break about half way through. Instead of a cake, I ended up with two cupcakes.



Unfortunately, the picture doesn't give an indication of their diminutive size.

Sweet Lorraine is a pretty fast pattern, so I'm hoping that between it and the Shrug This I can get on the positive side of the Stashbuster score board.

Taking Inventory

I say it every year, but I can tell I am winding down the school year when thoughts turn to projects and I start knitting/crocheting more. (I think that's why my ravelry queue is getting so long. Squirrels store nuts for the winter. I store patterns for the Summer.)

My WIPs and UFOs are getting out of hand, though and I need to do something about it (especially since I'll be starting a whole new round of projects during the Summer!)

I've joined the Having Fun and Getting it Done 2009 CAL at crochetville. Here is the list I posted there.

1. Finish Sweet Lorraine scarf
2. Start a Sweet Lorraine in laceweight (for my sister)
3. Finish knitted baby sweater.
4. Finish Heirloom Baby Blanket
5. Get to the decreasing section of my cotton Prairie Blanket (that's been languishing since last summer)
6. Finish my second ribwarmer.
7. Start new lunch bag.
8. Finish Shrug This
9. Start Eva's Shawl
10. Finish Spanish Doily
11 (And since I started it) finish new lunch bag.

(Yes, it does occur to me that starting a project actually defeats the purpose of the entire thing)

I also joined the Finish or Frog Group at Ravelry. Here's that list..
1. Absorba the Bath Mat
2. Green Prairie Blanket
3. White Prairie Blanket
4. Spanish Doily
5. Lunch Bag
6. Heirloom Baby Blanket
7. Baby sweater

So really I need to merge all this into one list:
1. Absorba (Friday decision)
2. Green prairie Blanket (Friday decision)
3. White Prairie Blanket
4.Heirloom Blanket (Don't have to wait 'til Friday...off to the frog pond!)
5. Spanish Doily
6. Knitted baby sweater
7. Lunch bag
8. Ribwarmer (Friday decision)
9. Shrug This
10. Start Eva's shawl (since I have the yarn for it)
11. Start the Sweet Lorraine for my sister (Again, I recognize the irony of "start" on a finish list)
12. Cup cozy

Now the worst CAL I joined was Stashbusters. Basically you keep a score. For every skein you finish +2 etc. Of course, you loose points for buying or inheriting yarn. I'm already in the negative numbers and I just started Sunday. (The dark side of yesterday's yarn delivery.) And it's only going to get worse because I'm expecting another yarn delivery soon.

I better get crackin' on all this!

Can't Help Myself

I am swatching...


...And taking terrible pictures of my swatch

This time I'm giving Shrug This a try. I hope that perhaps the umpteenth time is the charm.

Yarn: Bernat Denim Style
Needles: size 11(8.00 MM)

I'm off to cast on...(and I'm scared to death!)

And It Keeps Getting Better!

I had yarn in my mailbox when I got home!


Plymouth Alpaca Prima...destined to become Eva's Shawl.

I don't know if I can stand all this good stuff!

Off To a Great Start!

Guess what...

The prodigal hook has returned! This morning I went to go dig in the yarn hamper and there it was sitting right on top (mocking me.)

Who cares that I'd already purchased a new hook to replace this one?*, I have her back!

Could it be I'm being cosmically rewarded for pronouncing this Positivity Week?



*I've discovered that purchasing replacements is the only way to find things.

Finish Or Frog

Rav link. Click image for more info.

You wouldn't know it by looking at my progress bars or Ravelry project page, but I have too many WIPs and UFOs. I hide them. I don't admit to them. I am ashamed of them. I need to bring them out of hiding and decide what to do with them.

This is supposed to be a Friday activity, but I can't afford to wait. I'll list my projects today, and wait until Friday to make a decision about them.

The List (In no particular order)
1. Absorba the Bath Mat
2. Green Prairie Blanket
3. White Prairie Blanket
4. Spanish Doily
5. Lunch Bag
6. Heirloom Baby Blanket
7. Baby sweater

And I bet before the week is over, I'll discover more projects I've forgotten about.

The Crack of Projects

Remember my pretty ring? Well, I've made more (pardon the blur on the last one.) For the purple and yellow, I used size 10 thread. It takes me about 10 minutes from beginning chain to weaving in ends. I'm going to make one in black, too.

Helga the Knitter*

As promised ('cause I know you've been sitting at home dreaming of this moment), one last whiny, negative post (at least for a week.)

The ladies in my knit group are throwers. English style. They all look so graceful, throwing their yarn. The other day, I was watching the Yarn Harlot on Knitty Gritty** and she not only threw her yarn, but had her needle tucked between her thumb and pointer finger. *swoon*. Oh! like a graceful lady from an English parlor centuries ago.

I hate the way I knit. I'm a picker. Continental (German) style. It's so clumsy. No sweeping moves of the yarn. Death grip on the yarn and needles. It's so....utilitarian. I have tried in vain to knit English style, but it is a waste of time. My impatience gets the better of me and I go back to the continental style.

I know continental is faster, but who cares when you look like a knitting soldier, not a ballet dancer? Ein, zwei, ein, zwei Needle shove, needle through, needle shove, needle through.


*No offense to anyone named Helga
**This show deserves a negative post of it's own. It annoys the crap out of me, but I can't help but watch it.

And Now, For Your Dose of Negativity

It seems to me that many of my posts have had a negative vibe this week. I apologize. I plan on repeating this "post every day experiment" next week, but this time I will post more warm, fuzzy, happy posts.

But that doesn't start until tomorrow, so today I can kvetch. (In fact, I've got another post knocking around in my head...also whiny and negative. I'll be sure to get that posted today.)

For months I've had the Flirtation Cozy in my ravelry queue. Yesterday I actually bought the yarn for it. Today I go to print the pattern and discover that her blog has disappeared. The pattern isn't there. It appears that none of her patterns are available.

I feel betrayed. I can no longer trust my ravelry queue.

And now I have a skein of yarn with no project to give it. Poor thing.

Epic Fail

Well, I got it into my head that I wanted to knit an Easter egg. I was inspired by these. Darling, aren't they?

My attempt was not so precious:


Luckily I have a pretty new ring to make me happy:

I modified the Ring Around the Rosy pattern in the April/May 2009 issue of Crochet Today! and used Lion Brand Lame (which really should have an accent so it doesn't look lame.)

I'm currently asking myself if I want to go to Hobby Lobby and molest the yarn there.

I've Had It!

I swear, I'm never buying a book or pattern again!

About 4 years ago I bought this.* Today I received an e-newsletter from Creative Knitting which featured a pattern from this book as a freebie. grrrrrr.


*In writing this post, I discovered that I can no longer find my copy of this book (which is bugging me...I hate it when I lose stuff!) While looking for it, I discovered that I do indeed own Stafanie Japel's book Fitted Knits. I really need to get my book collection in some sort of order and in one place. There's another good reason NOT to buy anymore books.

My Ravelry Queue is a Joke!

And so is my projects page.

I'll queue things and then start 3 or 4 projects and not a one of them will actually be from my queue. Makes me wonder why I even have it! Really it's more like my "fantasy list." Many times I put projects in there that I think I'm capable of doing, but maybe not yet. Lots of sweaters. I still have knitters block when it comes to sweaters. I've been queuing a lot of top-down, seamless sweaters the past few months. I've got yarn for some. Maybe 2009 will be the year I knit a sweater I can wear in public.

As for my projects page, I'm afraid my project numbers are a bit inflated. If I make the same project twice, I'll give each one it's own project page. I feel sort of like a fraud for doing it, but obviously not enough to stop! :-)

Unexpected Time To Myself

Due to the severe weather being predicted for my area, the administration at my school decided to dismiss school early. I've been home since 1. I got on the computer to post this news 2 hours ago.

Again, I must mention what a colossal time suck computers are for me.

What I *Should* Be Doing...

...getting ready for work.

Instead, I am reading blogs, checking out Ravelry patterns, and ordering needles and yarn from Patternworks.

The Crochet Post

When I first started blogging, I crocheted 90% of the time. Over time I stopped crocheting as much and found myself knitting a lot more. In fact, I knit so much more that I changed the name of the blog (before telling folks what was going on...doh!) and went on my knitting way.

Ironically, the most useful thing I've ever made is crocheted:



This is my lunch sack. I made it about 5 years ago out of some nylon cord. I think I originally intended it to be a purse, but I didn't turn out as I had imagined so I tucked away and forgot about it. When I went vegan in October I pretty much had to brown bag it or starve so I pulled it out of hiding. It's gone to work with me every day since. This sucker holds a mess o' food, too (a very important quality.)

Staring at my crochet handiwork for the last 6 months has inspired me to pick my hooks back up. A quick look at my Ravelry project page and you will see I've recently started or completed several crochet projects. I've even popped into Crochetville a couple of times!

I know I've shown you these before, but I also have a nice collection of hand turned/carved crochet hooks that are a joy to work with.


minus one beautiful size H hook

The only problem is that there is only one with the size carved on it. I have no clue what size the rest of them are. But they sure are pretty, aren't they?

But wait 'til you see this:



This is the decorative end of a crochet hook I will never use.

Craftsmen must cheer when they see me coming. I am a sucker for this stuff.