Strung Out

I'm so excited! but not about getting up at 6:30am. blech.

I spent an hour making 6 stitch markers - an hour I probably should have been reading- but they're for a good cause.... because it's RAOK time!
I would sell them, but since I'm a student and unpaid, my time is worth nothing, and since I salvaged the materials from old jewelry and bead kits from when I was 10, the materials cost me nothing too... so to whoever gets these, please realize that my sweat is all that went into this- and it's very precious sweat indeed ;)
just kidding around- seriously though- who should I send these suckers too? I'll have to go onto the list, and don't you non-RAOK'ers worry, I play favorites :)

I had a great day today... I actually went to the library and worked on the journal competition note.... and while I was there I checked out 2 movies- Elizabeth and Chocolat. Girl power!

I also got a bunch of cd's to upload to my mom's ipod- she says she's bored with the music on it- we can take care of that!
Later while I was watching the movies, I knit all the progress you see above! hooray!

Unfortunately, I missed BF's phone call- :( I miss him tons, he's out West for the summer(sniff) I guess I'll have to console myself with chick flicks and knitting (hmmm, this may not be sooo bad) Tonight was great though, my mom loved Chocolat, and we started talking afterwards (about everything) and it was great.

ok- enough babbling for tonight- more this weekend, because my favorite person ever is visiting for the weekend with her girlfriend (I apparently am required to decide if this woman is good enough for my friend- I say noone is good enough, but maybe this one will have to do. :D ) enjoy your Memorial Days sales everyone!

Duffle Coat #2 is progressing- although I'm using Wool- ease and it was splitting quite a bit in the beginning. It's behaving now. :) Otherwise, not much is happening here- a new hair color, some new clothes, lots of reading- probably not as much competition writing as there should be... oh well

I'm all moved in... it's sooo creepy to have moved back home. I had to go through my closet, crammed with all this junk that at different times in my life I considered important- and sort them into keep, give away and throw away piles. Lots of stuff made it into the keep pile- mostly books that I love, and the music tapes from years of figure skating programs. (they run from about 1989 to 1999) I couldn't part with them, and I don't think I'll be able to in the future either.
But I am willing to part with the junky jewelry I collected over time, (I always have loved a good garage sale find!) and some of these pieces will be reborn as stitch markers and sent out RAOK style. - ok, a few loyal people will get stuff too ;)

anyway- the socks were finished today! And by finished, no I don't mean I finished sewing in the ends. I mean the fun part is over :( But the good news is that now I can start another project! I think it may be the niece's coat- so I can send them out at the same time (and soon!)

ok, who am I kidding, I am always willing to start a new project! Screw finishing them, it's about the discovery of a new skill, the anticipation of a challenge, the sweet promise of untouched yarn... let's face it- old projects are like Henry VIII's wives- so sweet to start with, but we get bored or disillusioned after a while. Fortunately, there is no need to take scissors to an old project (off with it's head!) and we can merely daly with the young, beautiful project that awaits us!

enough of my crazy rambling...

Here's the baby blanket I started this weekend... Lionbrand Baby Soft in Hot pink, white and light pink. The pattern is modified from "Our Best Knit Baby Afgans" - Classic Ripples. I made a ton of modifications... I added 2 repeats, made each repeat 14 stitches, instead of 11, and I changed the decreases so they angle towards each other.

Here's the really cute thing I wanted to wait to show you guys... I bought these finger puppets in Ann Arbor last weekend- Isn't the cow just the cutest thing ever! I love it's little loops by the ears. :) I know I'm a little crazy, but I have to make some of these things.

I am 1 inch from finishing the second sock... and I run out of yarn. Now, don't panic! I was smart, and I bought 2 skeins- I was originally going to make 2 tall socks (plans change- all the time in fact) And now, in my time of need, where is this second skein? ... In another state. I can't get the yarn to finish the cursed sock until Tuesday! AUGH! This is the punishment the knitting fates have selected for me, since the last pair took over 6 months to make, and I gave them as a Christmas present instead of the birthday present the were meant to be (July 4th is her birthday) sigh- ok, I deserve this punishment, but please be kind to me knitting deities!

On a lighter, less desperate note, I have something really cute to show you guys... but the knitting group gets to see it first! (I'll post the picture Sunday night) and no, it isn't a finished project. I also have decided to offer my pattern free here, once I figure out how to make a pdf. (and I'll write up that cabled scarf pattern from winter) I sent it over to Knit 1- but it turns out that they just ran a pattern very similar in looks to mine (not in construction- my idea was entirely my own!) I hadn't seen the spring/summer Knit 1, so I didn't know. It's probably why it was turned down for knitty as well- besides my lack of ability to form coherent sentences :)

Finished lately
rainbow socks
Mom's Big Mexiko jacket
hot pink and light pink crochet pineapple baby blanket
Blue and white crochet pineapple baby blanket
a whole bunch of mini sweater ornaments
Fleece lined Duffle coat for adorable nephew
2 versions of the pattern rejected by Knitty
3 easter chicks

Needs to be finished
1. Thrummed glittens
2. Crush ankle socks
3. baby chenille hat with hearts
4. zipper and collar on blue thick and thin jacket
5. Chris’s glittens

In the wings...
1. Duffle coat in red for my adorable niece
2. Candy from Kitty's winter in Pingouin Mousse blue and turqoise
3. Hourglass sweater in Pingoun Mousse purple and black
4. tanktop with Tamm diamante
5. Shrug from pale blue elastic yarn and grey and blue ladder ribbon from my Europe trip
6. felted bag from unidentified gray wool and the junk I spun :) pattern will imitate Knit It 2002 pattern # 9
7. Pinwheel rug out of cotton yarn that needs to be dyed (yay!)
8. sleeveless red top from unlabled yarn9. self designed baby blanket- I worked grids out for heart designs- this is going to be a double sided knit (I’m trying out a new skill!)

Projects lacking yarn
1. black shrug for my older sister
2. Marvin the depressed robot from Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy
3. Shrug from Vogue Knitting Winter 2004 (Filatura Di Crosa advertising section-pg 127)
4. skirt portion of Lily Chin’s Lace Dress from the Interweave’s Crochet issue
5. Color Splash Handbag from Interweave’s Crochet Issue.
6. Sweater for myself in Shetland Chunky from Chunky Knits Book # 500948 "Cabled Pullover with Hood"
7. possibly a lionbrand homespun cable sweater- but I hate the way homespun ages, so I my have to adapt to a better yarn.

Yarn lacking projects
1. pinkish ladder yarn - same type as blue above- probably destined for a black tank with awesome detailing- I can't picture it yet, but I'll get there
2. Tibet fuzzy yarn- needs to be dyed, and then I’ll probably design a sweater pattern
3. Emerald green sweater that I bought on extreme sale that needs to be rescued, the yarn has great texture but its current form is a sleeveless, shapeless cowl neck. I'm thinking of pairing it with black and maybe have a shaped striped sweater.

Ok guys- I leave for a Chicago suburb on Sunday night... if anyone wants to meet up and have a knitlunch or hour in the evening, I'm all for it- preferably Saturday afternoon... but if Sunday works for you guys, I'm very cool with that :) Elizabeth? Madalyn?

Tommorow I'll be posting the planned summer knitting projects ;) and the progress on my old to do list. (enticing isn't it?) We'll get to see how bad I am at following through on lists... for some reason I like to make them longer, rather than cross items off. heh.

Thanks for the support Elizabeth- I was trying to figure out where to send it to next, but all the deadlines are sooo past. Maybe I'll have to try to submit it to one of the magazines- Maybe K1 P2? Anyyway... Here's the 1st sock! This one went so quickly... very unlike the other ones, which languished for months in the UFO pile :) I think the difference is the toe-up pattern- there's lots of activity right away. One of my friends really liked the patterning and colors... so if there is enough yarn left, she gets a pair too. toe up socks ROCK! (uh-oh, I'm addicted.... where's the nearest treatment center)

My submission for the next Knitty was rejected.... but that means I'll be submitting it elsewhere! If it gets rejected again, than I'll be posting it as a free pattern. So either way, its a win.

Do you all see my grin? Clearly I am so excited ... this was seconds after Stephanie told me she's stopped by my blog. And see, there's my sock on the table.... and the tank and the shrug :)

Here's a up close picture of the Yarn Harlot - zoomed up really close.

I'm away from my home computer... so pictures will have to wait- but here's the quick recap.
Stephanie is funny, smart and really really nice. I made a total fool of myself... I looked like a fish. My mouth opening and closing. Nothing coherent coming out. I lost it when Stephanie wanted to touch my tanktop (that Madylen chose!), admired my sock (and my aluminum sock needles) and liked my shrug. I actually flashed a thumbs up on the shrug comment (I'm shaking my head at myself) I lost any semblence of speech when after asking if I could take a picture for my blog, she asked where was I- of course I managed to spit out- "strung out" and appparently she's followed back a comment I left at her site. HOW COOL IS THAT! (I follow all my comment links too, but she has hundreds of comments!)

Currently I'm in Ann Arbor, visiting my recently graduated sister- so you'll get some pictures on Sunday.

I'm free!

I'm supposed to be studying, but yesterday after the exam I took a break... and watched on tape the 2 new espisodes of Simpsons, the new episode to Family guy from Sunday, and Nanny 911 and Super Nanny (yeah I love those last 2 shows for some reason) anyway- there was studying going on in between these shows mind you, and during the shows I was knitting. I was very productive in both departments. In case you're curious, the sock yarn I'm using is the Moda Dea Sassy Stripes I picked up at Michael's a while ago. It knits up at 6 stitches per inch on size 3 needles, and the patterning sort of looks like Opal- I wish it didn't have the white and black repeats, but such is life. I decided to start this project for the Yarn Harlot's upcoming visit... small, portable and yet easily recognizable for what it is.

and no, I didn't finish the hat :) There is some pulling happening with the hearts- I don't like that and may rip back, even though that might screw up the chenille.

Contracts Exam today- I'm so close to the end of the school year- it's a little frightening... so instead of talking about the last 2 exams I have... I'm going to think about the Yarnharlot's expected visit...
Friday, in Kalamazoo.... I'm so excited- I think she has a great sense of humor, and I can't wait to read her book- I've already contacted the bookstore and reserved a book.
Of course, I can't decide what to wear- purple aran with black edging, or the Copacabana tank?
pictures to follow... with positives and negatives of both. :)

Vote and do your part to decide my wardrobe!

Positives- the color is great! The fit is perfect too- you might be able to tell it's shaped by the picture, but I also made it to perfectly cover my bra(plus an inch or 2), so it's totally curvehugging on top too. It says I'm a fun loving knitter who doesn't take myself to seriously. (and who is damn sexy!) Negatives- it's simple. It is a ribbon knit, so it sort of looks like a beginner project(not that beginners are bad or anything- but since I'm only 23, some other knitters already are patronizing enough- the meetup group rocks though!) another negative, it's cold outside- and the high is 71 degrees, while the low is 49- I could bring a little sweater to wear over it, but I don't have one that I made that would work- only black ones that I bought.
Oh! I take that back- I have 2 black shrugs I can wear- one fancy and one plain... I would wear the plain one, since the fancy one has a rope of beads across the back.

Positives: great color, complicated pattern stitch- It says I'm a serious knitter with some attitude.
Negatives: This serious knitter didn't figure out that she got the gauge a tiny bit off, so the sweater was about 3-4 inches to big... so I skeeted the edges. (it was scary) anyway- because of this, the bottom bunches up at my hips a tiny bit- nothing serious though.