christyknits

Noro Jacket: DONE!!!

2006-04-15T12:45:00.000-07:00

This was a huge project. I don't even want to admit how many balls of Noro this took but let's just say it was more than 10. I used to swear that I would never spend that kind of money to make a project. Then I turned into a yarn snob. Anyway, this was a pattern out a Noro book and I fell in love with the picture so I had to make it.

No, it's not just you. The arms are excessively long. I don't know what happened with this project. I made the medium, which is about what I am for most knitting projects. I typically knit right on guage so I don't think I knitted too loosely. And I made sure I measured everything very accurately to the pattern. This sweater is HUGE on me. The sleeves hang a couple inches past my fingers and the whole thing is too big on me. I'm not saying I won't wear it. I can fold up the sleeves and wear something pretty bulky under it. It will definitely be a cold weather layering piece since it is open in the front. It's hard to see but it closes with a beautiful handmade dichroic glass button that is made by a former employee at the bead/yarn shop. It truly picks up all of the colors in the sweater and finished it off nicely. But I will probably have to wait until next winter to wear this because the warm weather is coming!

Weather to Spin By

2006-04-15T12:41:00.000-07:00

Crazy amounts of rain here yesterday! As you can see, most of our backyard was flooded. It was hailing and everything. We don't get big storms like this very often so I had to take a picture. It was the perfect weather for spinning because I sit close to the slider when I spin and can look outside and watch the rain or watch the birds at the feeder.

Impulse Project

2006-04-15T12:38:00.000-07:00

I needed a quick project to work on in the car on the way to my cousin's wedding last weekend, so I picked this one. It was pretty simple and I got it done in two days. I call it an impulse project because I am not supposed to start new projects until I finish old ones. But it's OK because I FINISHED this one!

This is a little tank top out of the latest Interweave magazine using some hand-dyed cotton that I have been trying to figure out what to do with. It was the kind of project I love, because I learned something new: a provisional cast-on. I had to teach myself how to do it and I guess it worked in the end because it came out right. This will be a fun top for summer because it is nice and fitted on top and then flares out at the waist. It won't be too tight in the hot summer months here. It will look really cute with a white skirt or some of those long shorts that are in style now.

Sock is done... yes, only one

2006-03-05T08:03:00.000-08:00

It is so exciting to finish my first sock! I immediately started my second one so that I can wear them together, instead of wearing just one sock around the house. The color may look a little off but this is a really pretty seafoam green from Lorna's Laces. Really nice yarn and easy to work with. And best of all, it is very soft even before washing! This pattern was pretty simple to do and very pretty.

Slip-stitch wrap

2006-03-05T08:01:00.000-08:00

This is a shawl that I made with Noro Kureyon and Karabella lace mohair. It is a slip stitch pattern that gives it a woven look. I love how it turned out and I will be able to wear it with lots of different colors. It will be perfect for spring and summer when it gets cool in the evening to put over a tank top.

I won the gold, baby!!!!

2006-02-27T17:49:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my LYSO did a really awesome thing and entered everyone who finished their olympic project into a drawing for a gift certificate. I thought she was going to give $1 for every medal the U.S. won. Cool, $25 would be awesome. Well, no. She gave $10 for every medal earned. That's right, $250. Let me say it again, $250!!!!! And as you probably have figured out by now.... I WON!!! I was so shocked and surprised that it was that much money. Needless to say, I wasted no time shopping:

I got some of the yummy stuff that I drool over at the yarn shop but never buy because I can't buy the quantity that I want for a whole sweater or something. Well, not anymore! I got some beautiful Noro Iro and Cash Iroha that I will use to make a vest. I am going to attemp writing my own pattern for it. My first attempt at pattern making! The turquoise is Karabella Aurora 8 in my signature color, turquoise. I am going to make a really unique cable sweater that I got a pattern for. The other odds and ends are goodies that everyone who finished their project got. There was some good stuff in there, too. A couple of patterns and some really cute notions. I am still on a high from winning. I am knitting frantically, trying to finish some projects so I can dive into this stuff.

Yeah, this used up most of my gift certificate. I chose to get quality yarn for a couple of really nice projects rather than trying to get a lot of cheap yarn. I still have a little bit of the gift certificate left for some odds and ends when I need them. But I still am amazed at the generosity of my LYSO. Thank you Karen!!!

Closeup shot of Olympic Sweater

2006-02-26T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here is a closeup of the sparkley yarn. My camera doesn't like to zoom. Sorry.

I am an Olympic athlete!

2006-02-26T08:44:00.000-08:00

Here is my completed sweater out of Cherry Tree Hill yarn. I think it is called "Oceana". It is varigated pink, purple, and dark pink. It also has a glittery thread that is plied with the yarn that gives it an overall sparkle. The pattern was a Karabella pattern from my LYS. The yarn is also from my LYS. The good news is, I have enough of this yarn left over to make a felted bag someday!

I have never knitted so furiously on a project. I was determined to finish it by the deadline. And I did! 2 days early even. Which of course means..... start another project! I was so good about sticking with this one until it was done and it drove me crazy. My fingers were just itching to be the ADD knitter that I know I am. But now I know I can finish a full sweater in 14 days (on size 7 needles!) if I have to.

Summer In The City tote before felting

2006-02-19T08:58:00.000-08:00

This is from Pursenalities as I am sure you figured out. I don't think I used the same colors as the book called for. I didn't have the book with me when I was picking them out and was just trying to get close. So I am not sure how it will turn out. The embroidery is done with tapestry wool that I bought from my LYS. Off to felt!!

SITC tote after felting

2006-02-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

I am so happy with how this turned out. The colors look a little darker in this picture than they actually are. I think the before picture is more accurate. The book called for a small ribbon weaved through the top, but I chose to sew on beads instead. I think they look better and a little dressier than ribbon would have. This will be a great purse for spring and Hawaii this summer!

My first sock!!!!! (almost)

2006-02-19T08:50:00.000-08:00

Of course I had to choose a complicated pattern for my first attempt. That is just the way I am. This is a pattern from the most recent Interweave Knits I believe. I am using Lorna's Laces that is a beautiful seafoam color. I found it at Yarn in Durango, Colorado (hopefully my home some day). This has been really fun and I will probably become hooked on socks once I am done with both of them. These are on the back burner now until the Olympics are over. I am making a sweater for the Knitting Olympics that I will post when I am done. Posting a picture of it now just would not do it justice. It is going to be spectacular, I hope. Then, it will be back to the socks.

Adding to my stash... like I need it

2006-02-19T08:47:00.000-08:00

Oh heaven!!! I found fabulous yarn at Common Threads in Encinitas. I went there a few weeks ago with my mom and sister. My sister, Melissa, got us each gift certificates for Christmas. Let's just say that both my mom and I spent our whole certificates and then some. The top yarn is Stria from Manos del Uruguay and I will use it to make a lacy coverup for Hawaii this summer. The green on the right is a brand new yarn from Berroco called Ultra Alpaca. It is 50% alpaca and 50% wool. It feels heavenly. I will probably make a cabled shell with it when I can find a pattern. The middle yarn is a gorgeous sock yarn from Koigu. The color matches the Manos perfectly but I doubt I will ever be wearning socks with my beach coverup! The blue-green on the right is Cotton Fleece from Brown Sheep. I loved this yarn when I used it before. I would like to make a little bolero jacket I have a pattern of. I think it will work.

Lacy Sweater

2006-02-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

This is something I finished a while ago, but obviously I haven't been blogging so, there you go. Anyway, it is a three-quarter sleeve sweater made from baby brush alpaca by Plymouth. It is so soft and fuzzy. The pattern came from a Creative Knitting magazine. Instead of doing I-cord ties like it called for I chose to use a pin instead. That way I can change the closure if I get sick of it. I got this one at Joann's for about $4 and I think it matches perfectly. (For those of you who noticed the mistake in the pattern on the left side, quit looking so closely at my knitting! Actually, it doesn't really show when I am wearing it. But I'm still ticked off that I made the mistake.)

Baby Einstein Blanket

2006-02-19T08:38:00.000-08:00

A teacher at my school is having a baby boy and I wanted to make her something that would be different from anything else she would get. I call this the Baby Einstein blanket because it reminds me of all those bright toys and videos that seem to be really popular for babies right now. I used "California" from Gedifra. It is a cotton/acrylic blend, so it will be washable and soft. I think she will really like it. And when I casually asked her about what colors she is using in the baby's room, it sounded like she is using non-traditional colors. So, I think it will work with what she is doing.

Vegas Scarf

2006-02-19T08:34:00.000-08:00

We made this scarf at the yarn shop one night. It is called Vegas Scarf because you choose 6 different yarns and roll dice and flip a coin to find out which yarn you use and whether you knit or purl for that row. I chose to keep all of my yarns in the purple family because a) I had a lot of purple leftovers and b) I can't handle too much randomness. I like how it turned out and I can wear it on Fridays to school for spirit day. Our school colors are purple and yellow.

Colorful spinning

2005-09-26T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the yarn from some of the roving that I dyed. I am spinning it fairly thick and I love how the colors overlap each other. I have about a pound and a half of this stuff to do so I should have enough to make a vest or half-sleeve sweater maybe. It will have to be something I can wear over something else, though, because it is a little scratchy. Not too bad, but definitely not soft enough to wear next to the skin.

The color is not even close to what this actually looks like. I guess the turquoise is the only color that came across true. What looks red or burgandy is actually purple, and the whole yarn has an overall turquoise/blue look. I don't know if this is my camera or the computer that distorts the color. I think the yarn is much prettier than it looks in the picture.

Spinning Frenzy

2005-09-11T21:23:00.000-07:00

This is what I was working on tonight. It is some multicolored wool roving that I got from Weaver's Cottage a while back. I think it is about 15 ounces so I will get a pretty big batch from this. I am spinning this a little thicker than any of the other yarn I have made so far. I will ply it and hopefully it will be close to bulky weight. Maybe a small wrap or something will be created from this. It looks a lot more gray than it really is. Actually, it is mostly blue and on the bobbin looks a lot like denim. This stuff is so nice to spin I just flew through these two bobbins tonight. But it is getting late and I will wait to ply them tomorrow.

Dyeing Experiment

2005-09-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

This is some wool roving that I have had for a while and have been meaning to dye it. Well, I mixed up some Jacquard dye today and went for it. I used Turquoise, Periwinkle, Teal, Sapphire Blue, and Purple. I am going to spin this all up and hopefully will have a pretty big batch of pretty much the same color palette. It is about a pound and a half so I should be able to make a fairly large project. That is if the spinning goes well.

I Love Alpaca!!!

2005-09-11T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is some Baby Alpaca I got at the Weaver's Cottage when I went for my spinning class. It was a lot of fun. We did not actually do very much spinning but she showed us all the different methods of carding which was very interesting. I was very intrigued by the mixing of colors and fibers that can be done. Anyway, I was so excited when I got home that I got right to work spinning this alpaca. The finished product is about 4 ounces and probably came out about worsted weight. I should be able to make a skinny scarf out of it that will be very warm.

Cool Glass Pendants

2005-09-05T19:54:00.000-07:00

My mom and I went down to the Santa Monica Fiber Festival on August 20th and I came home with more beading stuff than yarn/spinning stuff. There were these two incredible glass bead makers and I could not pass up getting a couple pendants from each one. The rest of the beads and findings were conceived after I bought the pendants but I had to spend a couple weeks thinking about what I would do with them. They are so beautiful and this picture does not do them justice. I wanted a different look for each one so I chose a simple chain for one, a fancy wire-wrap dangly design for the blue, and a simple strand of green beads for the flower pendant. It doesn't show up real well in the picture but on the flower pendant I added a small dangle at the bottom to balance it out. I am sure I will get a lot of use out of these since most of my wardrobe is blue/turquoise and more recently, green.

Finished my beaded sweater!

2005-09-05T19:49:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this beaded sweater for a long time and am finally finished. The pattern is from Rowan Magazine Spring/Summer '05. I really enjoyed knitting with beads and will definitely do more projects using beaded knitting. The only thing I don't like about this sweater is that it is too short! I didn't realize how short it would be until I put it on. I guess I learned my lesson about measuring before I start a pattern. It fits everywhere else except length. It stops around my belly button and will definitely show a little skin. I have about 10 more pounds to lose before I am brave enough to wear it. But I guarantee, I will wear it if I lose that weight. I guess it motivates me to keep going on my diet. No, not diet, "lifestyle change".

My New Baby!!

2005-08-06T16:31:00.000-07:00

I had to return the wheel I rented to the Weaver's Cottage today so I headed down there. I had no intention of buying a wheel and every intention of renting a different one. Well, the one I wanted to rent was not available but they had acquired some new wheels since the last time I was there. I sat down at this one, a Fricke, which is similar to the other wheel I wanted to try and a whole lot less expensive. I really like that it has an orifice for the yarn that allows many different thicknesses of yarn to be spun and it is really smooth spinning.

I spun for a little while on it and decided that I had to buy it. The price was right and it is a pretty versatile wheel. Also, if I want to upgrade in a few years I will not feel guilty since this one was not that expensive. I still have a lot of roving to use up for practice so I will be a busy girl for the next couple weeks until I have to go back to work.

Oh yeah, I have to brag a little bit. They were pretty impressed at the shop with my yarn that I spun and said, "You don't really need the beginner class." I guess it just comes naturally to me. I am looking forward to learning a lot and being able to make a wide variety of different yarns.

More Practice Spinning

2005-08-06T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is yarn that I spun on the Ashford Kiwi before I had to take it back. I really like the tweedy look with two different contrasting colors. I think the pink and white roving had been ruined or felted by whoever dyed it. I did the best I could and still ended up with lots of bumps and clumps. The blue one is actually some of the light green that I dyed myself plied with some turquoise roving that Janet bought.

Hiatus Over

2005-08-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Well I have excuses for about 3 weeks of the summer but no excuses for the rest of the time that I have been blog-absent. First, we went to the big island of Hawaii and had a wonderful time. The highlight of the trip was hiking out to where the lava flow was going into the ocean. It is a difficult 3 mile hike over lava fields to get to the lava flow. Then you have to wait until dark to really see the show. Then you have to hike back 3 miles in the dark over the lava field to get back to your car. Flashlights are a necessity because the lava is so uneven, rough, and very sharp. When it dries it is like glass. My ankles were the most sore the next day because of the constant balancing you have to do. Multiply that by six miles and we were two tired puppies the next day. We didn't do anything except sit around the hotel, read, eat, do a little snorkeling, and recuperate. The snorkeling was also amazing, with one of the best spots on the island right next to our hotel. All in all it was a very relaxing, enjoyable trip.

I have been enjoying my summer off and will have to go back to work on August 18th. Most of my time has been taken up with reading, knitting, spinning, and just some honest laziness from time to time. I think the laziness can explain why I haven't been blogging. It's not like I haven't had time. Sometimes when I am on vacation I like to also take a vacation from everything that is in my normal routine, such as blogging. There are a lot of posts and pictures that follow that will hopefully show you that I have been busy and enjoying my time off.

Just another day in paradise

2005-08-04T11:36:00.000-07:00

This was the view from one of the terraces at our hotel. Beautiful sunsets and turtles everywhere. If you look real close you can see them on the rock in the middle of the tidepool. I get choked up looking at the pictures because we love Hawaii so much.

Colorado Dreaming

2005-08-04T11:34:00.000-07:00

After Hawaii and a visit from Chuck's family, we took off for Colorado with the intention of scoping it out for future relocation. My husband loved Durango as much as I did and agreed that he could see us moving there ASAP. I have loved Durango ever since I stopped there on a cycling trip through Colorado when I was in high school. It has always been at the top of my list of Places I Would Love to Live Someday. Anyway, we had some money saved up and were going to try to purchase some land to build on. Long story short, we found this beautiful 2.5 acre parcel outside of Durango, bid on it, could have made the mortgage payments, but were a little bit short on the down payment that was required. It was disappointing at the time but we are faithful that if we are meant to go to Colorado, we will find jobs and a place to live in the next couple years. We will probably apply during the next coming year. Chuck and I are both teachers so we just have to wait until something opens up. But until then, I will just look at this picture every once in a while.

My secret pal rocks!

2005-08-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Getting a package from her is like going through your stocking at Christmas. You just keep pulling things out and saying "OOOOO!" She sent me beautiful kid merino yarn that I already have a pattern picked out for (a lacy short sleeve sweater from Rowan), Mango Mandarin soap (one of my favorite scents), cute notecards, post-its with my initial, a sheep angel who will be my craft room mascot, cute sock point protectors (essential when you have a billion projects going at the same time), cute Hawaii candles and soap (because she knows I love Hawaii), and Starburst. Not pictured is a bag of Skittles because um, well, you know. Also pictured is my shadow, Belle, who always has to moniter the situation whenever something new and different is brought into the house.

Another obsession

2005-08-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

I have given in to the stitch marker obsession. Janet and I went in to our favorite bead and yarn store and took a beading lesson from Cindy (who will be featured in Bead & Button magazine in the future, we are so excited for her!) Anyway, she taught us how to do wire wrapping and it is so much fun. So now I will have to find a way to fit beading into my already cluttered crafting schedule. But it's fun, and there are worse things I could be spending my time doing.

Project started on my way to Hawaii

2005-08-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

This is Branching Out from Knitty and I am using Koigu that my aide brought back from New York for me. I love this yarn and the pattern is beautiful. Of course it will get blocked and stretched out quite a bit. I can't wait to see the finished look.

Close up of Branching Out

2005-08-04T11:17:00.001-07:00

Another WIP

2005-08-04T11:17:00.000-07:00

This is a tank top from Vogue Knitting Spring '05. I am using Katia Twist and it has a nice tweedy look and drapes well. The pattern has good waist shaping and is easy to do, even though seed stitch is a pain.

Learning to spin

2005-08-04T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, my fascination with spinning is gaining steam. My friend Janet and I rented wheels from Weaver's Cottage in Canyon Country and tried our hand at spinning. We rented them for two weeks so that we can have a good long time to try it out. This is what I have done on the wheel so far.

From left to right: First attempt using some wool roving that I dyed a light green color, the same roving undyed (2nd attempt), roving that I bought when I rented the wheel (3rd attempt), undyed roving again (4th attempt), and undyed roving (5th attempt, going for a thinner, more tightly spun yarn). I am very happy with how the last skein turned out. I haven't tried knitting with it yet but will just continue working on getting the consistency down.

Two very different Kitty Pi's

2005-08-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

The Kitty Pi in the center is the first one I made it was super easy and fun to make. I used leftover yarn I had from other felting projects. The bigger one was a bit of a mistake. I wanted to make it a little bigger but as you can see, it came out huge. So far nobody has shown interest in it, and I hope it was not a waste of my hand dyed wool. I will just have to put it in an inviting spot and hope that it gets some love.

Belle loves her Kitty Pi

2005-08-04T11:06:00.000-07:00

Off To Paradise!

2005-06-12T14:30:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I will be taking off to Hawaii for a week and we will be staying on the big island. So, no blogging for a little over a week. I will post a couple pictures when I get back. I have also looked up a few yarn stores and fully intend to shop for yarn in Hawaii. After all, Hawaiian yarn has to be something special. Right?

The hardest part of packing was trying to decide what knitting projects to bring along. I didn't want to bring anything I am currently working on. No, that would be too practical. Of course, I need to start NEW projects in Hawaii and on the plane. So I decided to make the Branching Out scarf from Knitty with some Koigu that my instructional aide (Hi Sherri!) brought me back from New York. Also, I will be starting a lacy top from Vintage Knits in a shiny pink yarn. I can't remember the name of the yarn. I wanted to start new projects because then I will always remember that I "made them in Hawaii!"

Great hubby

2005-06-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

I have been squawking to my husband about needing some cabinets or shelves for my sewing/craft room Here is what we came up with:

Last night while I was out at my knitting pizza party he put up these cabinets for me! The whole setup cost less than $200 at Home Depot. It will have pegboard underneath also for hanging sewing and knitting gadgets. Also, my sewing table will be underneath it and there will be a crafting frenzy going on when this is all through. I have been freaking out because my "sewing" room has not been conducive to sewing. It has looked like this:

Creativity Squelcher

2005-06-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

How can anyone be expected to find their creativity in a room like this? I will post a picture when I get it all sorted out. I can't wait until it is functional.

A little sidetracked...

2005-06-11T15:54:00.000-07:00

I am supposed to be making a baby blanket for a friend who had her baby on Thursday. I have obviously been a little sidetracked by the booga bag which can be found here. I used Noro Kureyon #150.

Here is my Booga Bag pre-felting. It took two trips throught the wash and came out much smaller... and hairier.

Fork Hat

2005-06-11T15:53:00.000-07:00

Here is my Booga Bag being blocked. Chuck said, "So, the fork box needed a hat?" Men don't understand knitting. Well, most men anyway.

Finished Booga Bag

2005-06-11T15:52:00.000-07:00

It's looks so much better after it got a shave. I may still shave the strap, but I was getting impatient and wanted to see it done.

Naked Kitty

2005-06-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

We find that Belle is much happier with her yearly haircut. And so is our vacuum cleaner.

I love the Yarn Lady!!

2005-06-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

This is the loot I got today at the Yarn Lady bag sale. I showed great restraint and spent under $200. I know some people were walking out of there having spent $1,000, just judging by the amount of yarn in their bags. It was so much fun and I will definitely return when they have their next sale, but with more cash in hand!

Tried to dye roving today

2005-05-28T13:19:00.000-07:00

Well I got a little adventurous and decided to try dyeing some of the roving I have. I used Dylon dye and sort of followed the directions. This is about 2 pounds of roving. I intentionally made the solution very diluted because I wanted pale colors. The green came out exactly the way I wanted.

Don't ask me what the monstrosity on the left is. I tried very carefully not to felt it but it seems a little fuzzy. I guess I will find out when I start trying to spin with it.

FO! FO! FO!

2005-05-26T21:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah!!!! I finally finished another project. I really like how this one turned out. The only thing that may be an issue is the straps. I should have made them just a tad bit shorter but I think they will be OK. I might have a little bit of bra peek every now and then but it shouldn't be too bad. Anyway, this was a really easy pattern and this yarn is very soft for wool.

Yarn: Rowanspun DK
Pattern: Creative Knitting Magazine May 2005

(Don't look at my dirty laundry in the background.)

I'm a bad blogger

2005-05-22T18:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I have been busy. I have excuses. Thursday night was open house at my school, Friday night I was getting ready for my yard sale, Saturday I was yard sale-ing and knitting with friends, and here I am, Sunday afternoon. Anyway, my current progress:

This is the first thing close to real yarn that I have spun on my hand spindle. Which leads to this...

2005-05-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

$255 baby! This will go toward my spinning wheel.

2005-05-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Roscoe wanted to help me model the glove.

2005-05-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

This is the first of my fingerless gloves. I don't like that I can see where the needles joined. But it is my first project on DPN's so I won't complain too much.

You did WHAT on your sick day??

2005-05-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

The only reason I stayed home was because I have a cold and I didn't want to share all my germs with my students. And I did feel pretty lousy. But not lousy enough to resist Kool-Aid dyeing with Janet!

2005-05-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

Here is the swatch I knit as a felting test. I like how the yarn made a neato pattern.

2005-05-18T22:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the swatch after one felting trip through the washer. Not so hot.

2005-05-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Here is the progress I have made on the 2nd side of my off-white tank top. All I have to do is knit the straps and then seam it together. Yeah!

2005-05-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Gimli thinks he's a poor neglected dog.

2005-05-18T22:05:00.000-07:00

Get my belly!!!

Dye Happy

2005-05-15T20:45:00.000-07:00

Today was Day 2 of the dyeing experiment at Stitch Cafe. We did cotton today and I will know in about a week or so if I like how it turned out. It did not seem to take the dye as well or as quickly as the wool.

Here is me with a shot of my 2 skeins:

This is a closer shot of mine. I wanted to stick with the blues and greens but did not have a light blue to choose so I went with a couple other colors.

Here is mine in the front with Janet's in the back. I really love how her pink and blue turned out.

I dyed enough yarn to be able to make a tank top. I think once I start knitting with it I will really love it. It sure is fun to do this. In fact my friend Janet and I are getting ready to start trying some of our own dyeing at home. We were like little kids on the way home. We stopped at Joann's and WalMart to get stuff to start experimenting and will do a dye session at my house next week. That will be nice because we can take our time and not have to trip over other people and their stuff. If it seems to go well and we get the process down to a science, we want ot have some of our knitting friends come over to try it. My enterprising little mind is at work here.

Why have I not felted before?

2005-05-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

I guess I thought it would take a long time for something to actually felt. You know, checking the washer every 2 minutes, multiple times through the cycle, etc. Not the case with this cute little project. My friend Janet referred me to this cute felted button hole bag on Mason Dixon Knitting. The whole thing took probably 4 hours to knit, 15 minutes to weave in ends, and one cycle through the hot wash in my machine with hubby's jeans.

Here is what it looked like before I put it in the wash:

Here is how it looks right now drying out in the sun in my backyard:

It's a happy little bag. I am not usually an orange person, but I was really drawn to this combination of dark pumpkin orange and a deep, dark teal. I thought it was such a striking mix of colors. The yarn I used is made by Kid 'n Ewe. Cute name. Now dry, dry, dry so I can carry you around!!

What a fun project. If you haven't tried felting yet, do it!

What Have I Done?!?

2005-05-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

This is what was in the mail when I got home today:

A drop spindle kit from Spinner's Choice on Ebay.

And this is what I got in the mail about a week ago:

3 pounds of wool roving from Copper Moose.

Have I met my doom? Are my knitting days finished because of a new obsession with spinning? ........ We will see.

Field Trip

2005-05-11T22:10:00.000-07:00

My friend, Janet, my mom and I went on a field trip to the stitch cafe and took a class to learn hand dyeing of wool yarn. It was a lot of fun and the owner, Lisi, was very helpful. I dyed two hanks of chunky wool and ended up with this:

I am not sure why I ended up with two different shades. I remember one being quite a bit wetter than the other one. Since I did not do them at the same time, but tried to duplicate the first one, I got two different balls of yarn.

I think I have enough to make a chunky tank top, but how to do it with two different colors is the question. I could alternate the two skeins each row, or I could hold both together and end up with a REALLY chunky look. Here is what it looks like with 2 strands together:

Any ideas? Or I could just make two separate things and call it done. Either way, I am happy with how it turned out. We are going back this Sunday to take the cotton dyeing class. I think this time I will be more careful to dye each skein the same.

Knitter's ADD

2005-05-10T20:03:00.000-07:00

Is it a sickness that I can't seem to finish anything? I fall in love with projects and can't wait to start, but immediately my attention is drawn to something else. Well, here is yet another work in progress. It is a pattern out of Rowan Magazine #37. The sweater in the book is purple with pink accents and beads all over. Mine is green with blue accents and beads.

Now that I have finished the back and blocked it, I hope it fits! I am not the twiggy type like the models but I "technically" wear the size that I am making. Oh well, if it doesn't fit I will just give it to one of my skinnier friends.

Here it is:

Really, I am working on it.... and 5 other projects at the same time. I can't wait until school is out and I can become a knitting hermit.

New Project

2005-05-08T21:55:00.000-07:00

This is a project I was working on today at my parents' house. I am making the fingerless mittens at the top, but without the stripe. This is a baby alpaca with beautiful shades of green. Also, it is my first project on double pointed needles. I wanted to try these before I launched into a pair of socks.

Just a quickie

2005-05-08T21:41:00.000-07:00

I had a great Mother's day with my mom and sister and her kids. I got my mom a knitting pattern using Karabella Gossamer that she was admiring in our LYS. She was quite happy. But the coolest thing was my niece, who is 8, wanted to learn how to knit. So my mom and I helped her get started. Well, after about 10 minutes she was knitting garter stitch and got about 5 rows done! She is too smart for her own good.

So my mom and I told my sister that she needed to learn how to at least do the basic stitches so she could help her at home. Well, she ended up looking through a pattern book and choosing a simple purse pattern that she wants to make. Which led to us running down to Michael's real quick to get needles and yarn. We got home and I taught her knit and purl real quick and wrote down some websites. I also made sure she bought a teaching book at Michael's. I helped create 2 monsters today!

Adding Pictures!

2005-05-07T20:36:00.000-07:00

I am really getting frustrated because I can't figure out how to add multiple pictures to the same post. I can get one up there but I am learning as I go so I will just have to figure it out. Here is one of my works in progress.

This is a pattern from the May issue of Creative Knitting. I really like the shaping at the waist and the pattern is very easy. I am using Rowanspun DK that I got on sale from Jimmy Beans Wool.

I am a moron

2005-05-03T17:01:00.000-07:00

OK, so I have the digital camera and through trial and error have figured out how to save photos onto my computer. Now I have to figure out how to post pictures. I mean, the whole point of having a knitting blog is to show people what I am making. I will try one of my cat. Here goes:

The princess of all kitties

Let's see if that works in the blog.

What am I doing?

2005-04-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I am starting a blog without a digital camera, but I will own one hopefully by the end of this weekend. Just testing it out.