This is fun...

Yes, I do have a new project on the needles, and it involved cable-casting on 423 stitches! Talk about new and exciting ways to torture yourself! But the yarn is gorgeous, and I'll post a pic as soon as I make a significant amount of progress.

Until then, my time is being consumed by my anticipation for my surgeries next Friday. I'm excited, and apprehensive at the same time and I'm really NOT looking forward to the recovery period. Well, I'm trying to get as much advice as I can, but I know that my experience will all depend on me and my own reaction to the procedures. I'm just one of those people who has to do a bunch of research and get as much info as I can in order to feel somewhat at ease, even though it's mostly pointless. Of course, the most important part of my recovery perid will be the knitting projects I'll be working on...that is IF I'm able. I certainly hope so, and am planning accordingly.

Anyway, here's something fun to do...I think it was pretty accurate for me, because believe me, I've been low lately, and I REALLY need some attention and some outside affirmation from others. And I absolutely adore blue :-)

Your Power Color Is Indigo

At Your Highest: You are on a fast track to success - and others believe in you. At Your Lowest: You require a lot of attention and praise. In Love: You see people as how you want them to be, not as how they are. How You're Attractive: You're dramatic flair makes others see you as mysterious and romantic. Your Eternal Question: "Does This Work Into My Future Plans?"

What's Your Power Color?

Knitting on Google

Hey, if you get the chance today, go to Google.com. They've got 2 knitting kangaroos as part of their logo today! Very cute!!

Get your FO here!

Ladies & Gents, with absolutely no ado, here is my most recent Finished Object:


Yeah, I know the one pic is crooked, but I never said I was a wiz with the camera. But I'm really happy with the sweater, and it'll be even better once I break down and block it. Here are the specs for those of you who are interested in such things:
Pattern: "Woman's Cardigan" (such a catchy name), the cover sweater on the Fall 2006 "Knit Simple". Smallest size.
Modications: I shortened the body by 3" and lengthened the sleeves by 3". I also mirrored the cable twists on the fronts and the back, and made the center back cable a horseshoe-like cable which I also used down the sleeves.
Yarn: KnitPicks "Sierra" in the color "Tide". I really like this yarn as it is soft and thick and shows the stitches very well. However, there were an average of 2 knots in most of the skeins, and I was too lazy to deal with them correctly...you know, cut out the knot and splice the yarn ends. So, we'll see how that decision pans out for me. Oh, here's how much I had left...


This was such a quick knit that I really didn't have time to get tired of it. So, I've already wound the skeins for my next projects. Yes, I'm going to start two: One for mindless knitting, and the other for when I have time to concentrate. I figure I'm going to have some awesome knitting time on my hands while recovering from my surgery in less than 2 weeks. Also, I may be flying out to Hawaii at the end of this week for my grandfather's funeral, so that will also need a project. I'll let you know once things are "for sure".

Another year

Well, I survived my birthday on the 5th, and I made it through yet another year! I never in a million years thought I would be where I am at this point in my life, but it's all good.

Alas, this is yet another post scarce on the fibery stuff. My poor Cardigan remains sleeveless, although I have sewed one sleeve seam together. So close, and yet so far. I'll work on it later after I finish off these:

My mom has the kids tonight, since she'll watch them tomorrow, and I'm relaxing w/my faves...Hornsby's Hard Apple Cider & a Godiva Macadamia Nut truffle. MMMMMM, talk about heaven! I had stayed up till midnight last night working on a report for my stress-inducing job, and I am so going to bed early tonight. I'll just stay up long enough to watch "The New Adventures of Old Christine", and them I'm out. Maybe I'll work on my cardigan while I zone out. Then I'll actually have something related to wool to show you.

Hmm, speaking of showing you something, looky what I did this weekend to commemmorate my birthday:

This is on my lower back, and is my second tattoo. It still stings. It's actually based on a sketch I drew up, and it didn't turn out like I had expected, but it's growing on me, and I'm starting to really like it. Either that, or I'm mind-screwing myself into liking it because IT'S FREAKING PERMANENT! But, it's really not that bad, right? For those of you who can't really tell, it's supposed to be the Harley Davidson shield with plumerias around it. At least the colors are pretty.

So, anyway, you've suffered through this post, and I feel that I must mention something related to knitting. After all, this is supposed to be about the Tales of a Spinning Knitter, not a man-less, depressed, stressed out freak. So, here goes: I'm debating on what my next project should be...

These are both from the Holiday 2006 issue of Vogue Knitting. I'm LOVING the pretty Frost Flowers ruffley cardigan, but I think the cute cabled, bell-sleeved jacket would be perfect for work. I have the yarn for the jacket, but I've already decided on KnitPicks Gloss in black for the Frost Flowers...I just have to break down and order it. Wouldn't black silk & merino be just lovely?

So, you'll see soon enough what I decide. If you'd like to vote, I'd be more than happy to take your opinions in consideration. :-)

Hope springs eternal

Advisory: Before you read on, I just want to warn you that there is no fibery content in this post, nor are there pictures. But it's short.

Wow, I'm just a posting machine lately, huh? Y'all sick of me yet? I'll bet you wish I would go back on another depression-inspiried hiatus. Well, I do still cry a little every once in a while when I hear certain feelings expressed in songs or even some sappy TV commericals, but that's all you're getting from me. I'm tired of feeling unhappy. If you have Evanescence's new album "The Open Door" (and if you don't yet, what the hell are you waiting for?), the last song "Good Enough" is one of those songs. I LOVE LOVE LOVE me some Evanescence!!

But, you'll be happy to know I'm feeling much better. I went out with my aunts & cousins last night & I saw the cutest guy (light eyes, dark hair, late 30's/early 40's, wasn't drinking nor smoking, and wasn't acting like a horny-assed jerk) at the Boiler Room in Redlands! We made eye contact & smiled a couple of times and my aunts said he was checking me out when I wasn't looking, but I was having a tough time getting up the nerve to say anything to him. He was with 3 other guys, and just when I was going to say hi (he was standing really close to me), some FREAKY dude came right between us and started talking to me. Then the guy & his buddys left while I was stuck w/long-haired weirdo! I figure that if it's meant to be, the fates will bring ol' blue-eyes and me together once more (although I'm sure fate would have had an easier time if I had given him my number)...and by then I should have nicer boobs, a flat tummy, and a finalized divorce :-) He was really cute though, and he's inspired me to believe that there are, indeed, other fish in the sea. Of course, he could have been a total jerk, and it could have been the best move in history for me not to talk to him, but this is my fantasy, and I'll assume he was a prince if I want to!

Yes, dear ones, hope springs eternal. It's a character flaw of mine I'm trying to work on ;-)

Halloween in December

Hey, better late than never. Besides, if I didn't keep my promises to you, kind gentle reader, what kind of person would I be?

As promised over a month ago, here I am as Satan's Bride (as if I even have a chance in hell - pun intended - of being anyone's bride - HAHAHA!):

Please don't mind my sister-in-law's butt in the background. And, yes, that is my very own felted bag being used as a "trick or treat" receptacle (I was collecting candy for my littlest guy. Really!). Who said knitting isn't useful?

Oh, and one more of me & my bros:

Good times!

Therapy in its various forms

Well, I survived the week at work as a lone HRO in a department which requires 2 HRO's to stay on top of things. My partner in crime has been out because she was in a car accident over the weekend, but she's scheduled to come back next Monday. Believe me, I have been freaking and tweaking these past few days, and was soooo ready for the weekend.

So here's what I did to unwind...


That's right, baby, I hit the slopes at Mountain High for some serious snowboarding therapy. It was absolutely SPECTACULAR!! The snow was perfect and the weather was 55 degrees, so I was riding in my tanktop & hoodie. There weren't too many people and the lift ticket was discounted because it's still early in the season. And I rode better than I ever have; the wind rushed past my ears, I rode up the sides of hills, and I carved the hell out of that mountain. I rode until my calves started aching...

And that was my signal to chill out because my friends had planned on taking me to an Indian casino for some pre-birthday clubbing action, and I didn't want to wear myself out too much. So I only spent 4 hours on the mountain, but it was soooo worth it!

Anyway, long story short on the pre-birthday trip...this was the first time in like over TEN (10!) years that I've been to a nice club; soon-to-be-ex didn't like clubs. This was also the first time in like 5 years I got to go out with these friends; soon-to-be-ex didn't like me going out with friends. So, there was a nice big group of us, we got a little jiggy with it and got our groove on on the dance floor, and went back to the room at a respectable 1:30 am. I didn't get (too) drunk, danced with some decidedly unsavory guys, and just had an outstanding time. I've known most of these girls for like 6 years, so we always get crazy and have a blast together. It was nice to get out with people who care so much about me.

What's funny is that, although I loved the company of my friends, going into the type of situation where it's basically a meatmarket is very unnerving to me. I feel like I'm constantly being judged against the other girls (very young, cute girls, mind you), and am being found lacking. I draw this conclusion based on the fact that no normal-looking guys approached me. Although, at one point I did have an opportunity to approach a really cute normal-looking guy, but I chickened out because I just couldn't survive rejection. I found out later that it was his birthday too, so that could have so been my ice-breaker, us having close birthdays, but it was too late to try it out. Oh well...

Anyway, I find that I feel really down about myself in that type of atmosphere. And, even if I was to meet someone there, I'm not sure he'd be the type I'd want to hook up with. I don't know, it's hard to explain. I guess I just wanted to say that I expected that going clubbing would make me feel better about myself, but it just kind of amplifies my aloneness and my total lack of hope that a single, good-looking, successful guy will ever be attracted to me, a 32-year-old, soon-to-be-divorced mother of a 1 & 3 year old.

And, yes, I know it's too early to be thinking of getting back into a relationship, and yes, I know that I need to enjoy being alone and use this opportunity to get to know and like myself for myself, but I have security & self-esteem issues. I'm still at a point where I would like to feel like someone cares about me and my day-to-day life. You know, just to know that there's at least one person, besides me, out there in the whole world who really cares about what's going on in my life just because of the simple fact that he cares about me.

Hmmmm, now that I'm reading that, I think that's part of what my idea of love is at its core...an unselfish caring that prompts self-sacrifice to ensure the happiness of the other without expectation of external reward; the reward is the happiness he/she creates in the other person. That would be magic, wouldn't it? It's a freaking pipedream for me at this point.

Moving on (much like I should be doing), I've got some knitting to show you.

I am currently working on the collar. I don't want to sound too confident for fear of angering the knitting gods, but I'm pretty optimistic that I may be able to finish this without running out of yarn. I've already seamed the shoulders, so once the collar is done, I'll just sew the sides, sleeves and then set the sleeves in and I'll be in FO Heaven.

I've already got my eye on another project, but more on that later....

Living on the edge

I'm knitting like I'm possessed. I've neglected housework, work that I've brought home to work on, and perhaps I've put the Cars video on a few too many times than what's good for my kids, but I can't help myself.

Behold, the home stretch...


I have the top portion of the fronts to knit. Well, that's not very exciting, you say? Well, what if I told you that the ball of yarn in the upper-left part of the pic is my VERY LAST BALL OF YARN! That's right, just 110 yards left. I have to finish the fronts and then a collar. Can I make it? Do I have enough? The suspense...she is killing me!

Just for prospective, each front took 1 whole ball of yarn to get to the arm-hole shaping. I think I just might eeek by, but there's still a chance I could get burned here. It was the extra length I added to the sleeves that did me in. But then again, I had also shortened the body by 3 inches, so that should have counter-acted the sleeves, right?. Right? Why oh why didn't I buy an extra ball? Why, I ask you! Everyone says to buy an extra ball! EVERYONE! I think that's one of the first things EZ tells you to do. Well, don't mind me, I'm just the freak with the sweater missing a collar lapel...

So, I must now go knit. Y'all will be the first to know how it goes.

Finally, some knitting!

Well, I must say, that EZ sure knew what she was talking about when she said something along the lines of, and I'm taking liberties with this here: knitting soothes the troubled soul...and it's not too bad for the untroubled soul either. Truer words have not been uttered about our beloved craft. I have re-discovered happy knitting (i.e. not knitting to a deadline nor knitting for someone who does not deserve it) and I cannot stop!

I've made mad progress on that sweater. See? Here's the back...

And this is one of the sleeves, (I've actually finished BOTH, but since they look exactly the same...you know) and the beginnings of the fronts. Yes, my lords and ladies, I am knitting BOTH fronts AT THE SAME TIME! This is the first time I'm attempting this, and I don't know why I've waited this long to do this. In fact, I'm thinking I should have done it with the sleeves. I'm guessing that the exhilaration of my recent feat of finishing 2 socks at the same time has inspired me.

Regardless of why I'm doing it, I gotta tell ya that this 2 at a time thing is really great. Now, I admit, it took me quite a bit of pre-planning before I felt comfortable enough to jump on in, but now I'm motoring right along, secure in the knowledge that my fronts will have shaping at the same places, will be the exact same length, and, this is the most important, they will be DONE!! I will not have to knit yet another front after completing a front. And, as an added bonus, I'll be done with my entire sweater upon completion of these fronts. Life is indeed good when knit happens.

The downside to this knitting therapy is that, although I've had a nice long 4-day weekend, I've accomplished very little in the way of housework. I actually bought all kinds of organizing gadgets and shelving in anticipation of having a productive weekend, but they are still sitting in my room unopened and unassembled. Maybe tomorrow. After my fronts are done...

Nothing to see here...

Hi all. Well, I had an interesting time at the CalPELRA conference. In case you're all just dying with curiosity, CalPELRA is the California Public Employers Labor Relations Association. It was quite an experience. They had fantastic give-aways (as well they should, considering it was like $600/person for the conference fee) and an abundance of interesting lecture sessions. I would love to go into more detail about the non-conference hours, but I've been cautioned that "what happens at CalPELRA stays at CalPELRA". Therefore, in the interest of keeping my new job, I'll just assume that posting CalPELRA happenings on my blog would be violating this directive, and will have to leave you all in suspense (I'm sure it's killing you). Suffice it to say, after everything that happened, I'm very grateful I still have said new job.

Anyway, I did give the socks to the intended recipient. Unfortunately, I was unable to give them face to face, but I did receive 2 nice "thank you" texts. We're in a strange place, and I'm not sure what to think about our friendship, but I'm not going to worry about it. However, I can guarantee that there will be no more knitted gifts.

Well, I'm currently working on that cabled sweater from Knit Simple my friend Nola and I are supposed to be doing a knit-along with. I've finished the back and am closing in on a sleeve cap. I must say, it's very nice to work with nice, thick, chunky yarn after working with those teeny needles and thin sock yarn. Noticeable progress is good.

You know, I don't think I've posted a pic of my progress on this sweater at all. I'll rectify that in my next post. Promise.

Oh, and I've scheduled my elective surgery for Friday, December 29. Dr. says recovery time is about 1 week, with most patients being up and about after only 3 days! I was comfortable with him, he actually owns the surgery facility so can schedule surgeries whenever he wants, he's really close to my work (good for appointments), and he gave me a hell of a deal. How could I refuse? Now I just have to get through the waiting. Well, I've got my b-day and Christmas next month to keep me occupied, so I'm sure I'll muddle through somehow. But, the great thing is that I'll only have to take 3 days off work to get me 10 recovery days. How's that for a spectacular way to ring in the new year?

I just can't catch a break...

Alright, that's quite a bit melodramatic, and if you never come back to read my blog after reading that title, I won't blame you a bit. I'm really thinking of changing it, but it just about sums up my week. I'm having a rough life right now.

Work has been outrageously busy. I mean, this is my second week working in my new position, and I am completely overwhelmed. It's not the actual work, per se, but it's the volume that's killing me. It just never stops! I swear, I've spent a grand total of 5 hours actually in my office in the last week. My life consists of endless back-to-back meetings which result in ever more work. And, of course, when certain high-ranking very important people request something, you had best be dropping everything else, or you can kiss your sweet ass goodbye. I can honestly say that I've NEVER missed a deadline at work, but I'm VERY worried that something is going to slip through the cracks, and I'll be having to do some major 'splaining. So, I do a lot of working at home. People freak out when they receive emails from me time-stamped 11:30 p.m. But it's keeping my mind off other things which, right now, is a very good thing.

So, my mother has told me that she doesn't want to fight anymore. That's fine. I'm playing along because 1) it's very hard for me to hold a grudge. It's probably why I stayed w/hubby so long. I'm always willing to forget & forgive. Although, I don't think my mom's & my relationship will ever be the same; 2) she sometimes offers to watch the kids. If you are the mother of 2 children under the age of 4, you will understand how much this means to me; 3) I don't like to "keep the party going". If someone's willing to bury the hatchet, I'm not going to be the one to reject it in favor of more drama. No thanks.

And, I have a knitted-gift question for you. You know those socks you've been forced to look at the past couple of months? The ones for which I put aside all of my other projects (sweaters) which would have been done by now, just in time for the cool fall weather. The ones I've been working on during every spare moment of my life, falling asleep while knitting because I can only work on them after the kids have gone to bed and I'm not working at home. Well, these socks are a very personal expression of caring for the recipient. I'm sure you all know about the thoughts that go into every stitch of a project you're knitting for someone. A knitted gift is truly a labor of love.



It should be no surprise to you, considering how the fates have been punishing me lately, that the intended recipient of these socks has decided that, at this point in life, there is too much going on to be able to commit to maintaining steady communication with me. Communication consists mostly of text-messaging. So, this so-called-friend has basically told me that life has priorities, and I'm so low on that list that I don't even warrant 1 minute of the day for a freakin' text.

So, the dillema: Do I go ahead and give the socks anyway? The color, the inscription, the size were all chosen specifically with this person in mind. Every time I look at them, I think of the recepient. I can't give them to anyone else.

Oh, more non-knitting news: I went for a consultation for a boob job & tummy tuck. Good news is that, saggy as I am, I don't need a lift. Bad news is that, for the whole shootin' match, I need to come up with $10 grand. But it'll be so worth it, and I can hardly wait. As background, I nursed 2 children 8 months each. I started out a nice B, and am now a flat, saggy, deflated A-. Horrible. And my tummy resembles an overflated balloon which has now been deflated. I started at 108 lbs, gained 45 lbs with each kid, and am now back to 105 lbs (thanks to that cool "stress-caused-by-the-big-D" diet). Not a pretty sight. I've tentatively scheduled surgery for Dec 27th, but I'll be having a consult w/another surgeon on Nov 21, who's been recommended by 2 of my friends. So, things may change, but it will happen.

Well, I did have a bit of knitting luck...perhaps the fates didn't want to drive me ALL the way to suicide. I was dragging the kids all over town today looking for a piece of luggage to use for my 3-day conference in Monterey next week (yeah, I'm super-busy and I'll be gone from work from Tuesday afternoon through Friday night!). In the 5th store of the day, a Big Lots, I found this:



This is a super-bulky weight chenille I scored for $1 a skein. I got all they had of this color, which is 14 skeins. Of course, I do not NEED this yarn, and in fact, have no room for it. But I'm addicted, and I can't help myself. And doesn't chenille worm? I'm an idiot.

So, what do I do with the socks?

I love socks

I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself right around now. My mother is so hurtful, that I actually don't ever want to see her again. And I'm not being dramatic. Just very deeply hurtful stuff about not being proud of my success at work & school and that she can't support my decision to get a divorce because she doesn't want my family broken up, even though she, herself, is DIVORCED!! Did I mention that one of the things I cannot abide is a hypocrite? Just absolutely irrepairable damage to what little relationship we had.

Anyway, enough of that. Look, I've made some progress:

I've got 1 week and 1 day till these bad boys are due, and I think I just may make it. Knock on wood.

So, now that I'm so close to the end of these, of course my thoughts are already on my next pair of socks. I'm liking these as prospects:

This is, obviously, Fleece Artist Merino Socks. Absolutely beautiful. This is "Russet" and "Hercules". How could you not want Hercules? I think he may be next on the needles.

I'll let you know if I make the deadline. Here's hoping...

Almost Too Lazy for Pictures

I'm so horrible, and I think I'm breaking all kinds of ultimatums from my webrings with my failure to post regularly (aka more than once a freaking month), but considering my life's tatterted state, I'm hoping that you, Gentle Reader, and the kind fiber artists will take pity upon me and show mercy.

Well, the divorce continues apace. I've prepared the next wave of papers, and now have the firm understanding that I was out of my ever-loving mind to even entertain the idea that I could afford to keep this house with my single income. So, now, moving is imminent. Problem is that I HATE moving. And I REALLY don't want to have to pack up my stash. After all, I took up my spinning obsession after I moved into this house, and I'm not looking forward to moving that stash in addition to my knitting one, which has magically gotten larger since I moved in here.

Speaking of income, I have recently received a nice promotion at work. I'm very excited, but also now VERY busy. Like taking-work-home busy, because everything is so new that routine paperwork is time-consuming because of all the questions I have to ask and research I have to do. Also, I will be moving from my beloved HR office to an office in my assigned department, so I'm not really digging that part. I'll miss all the friends I've made these past 4 years. They promise not to forget me, but it's pretty much "out of sight, out of mind" with those guys. I can only hope...

Ah, yes, you came here for knitting and/or spinning stuff. Well, I aim to please (a fatal relationship flaw, but I digress...)

The observant among you will note immediately that these are NOT the socks pictured in the previous post. I frogged those bad boys, bought some black Opal to use for the toes & heels, and learned how to do the 2 socks on 2 circs deal. I also ditched the Fair Isle fiasco and have cultivated a nice acquaintance with duplicate stitching. I did try to buy another skein of Moody Blues during the same trip I acquired the Opal, but the skein I had left behind at Close Knit was gone when I went back. You snooze, you lose. But I did get some nice Trekking to help with the pain.

Anyway, I must say that I'm madly in love w/this 2S2C technique. The socks are moving right along, and I'm tickled with the idea that once I'm done, I'm DONE! We'll see what I think once I get to the heel, which is just about one inch away. I'm sooo guessing at the foot size on this. Oh well, I'll just do the best I can. Did I mention I now have less than 2 & 1/2 weeks left to work on these? Just sayin'...

Oh, I feel I must also confess to getting 2 skeins of Fleece Artist in Hercules & Mahogany, both absolutely gorgeous. I pet them both throughout the day. Also, I may have also gotten 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces in "Pioneer". It seems I've got quite a bit of yarn to try out that 2S2C method. :-)

I've always loved Halloween, and soon-to-be ex didn't much care for it, so in the past years, I haven't participated to the full extent I would have liked. Baby, let me tell you, I've spent a small fortune on my costume, which I will be wearing to work, and it is AWESOME! I'm even going through the trouble of making some of it, and using latex for some realistic horns in my head. BTW, I'm going to be Satan's bride. I love the gothic, gory, scary characters...that's what Halloween's all about. But anyway, I'm planning on taking the kiddos w/my sister-in-law to do some major trick-or-treating that night. I'm really looking forward to it. I'll try to get some pics and post 'em for you. It's the least I can do after making you suffer through all this drama...

I Hate Drama

Sorry to be gone so long, but I've been embroiled in high drama. Losing 11 pounds in 5 weeks kind of drama. Goin' through the big "D", and don't mean Dallas kind of drama. The worse kind. So, knitting and spinning have been scarce.

Scarce, but not absent, as I do need to keep my sanity intact somehow. Here's what I've been doing:

These socks are to be a birthday gift, due in November. These are also my first attempt at "toe-up", (will be) short row-heel, and Fair Isle on socks. I was going to try the "2 socks on 2 circs" method, but I couldn't get my gauge tight enough, seeing as how I'm a gauge freak of nature and need needles 10 times smaller than recommended. What's funny is that I couldn't get gauge w/size 0 circs, but I can w/size 0 dpn's. Whatever. But I'm having to do these toe-up since I have a limited amount of yarn, and I want to make sure I don't run out before finishing. So much pressure....

Anyway, I'm not happy w/the Fair Isle, since when you stretch the fabric, as it will be when worn, you can see the white through the blue. Not cute. So I'm going to rip it back, and just duplicate-stitch the letters & happy face (an inside joke for the recipient) onto the top. You can see I'm opting for contrasting toes & heels to help make the sock yarn last longer (Cherry Tree Hill Super Sock in "Moody Blues", in case you were wondering - and yes, it's sinful to knit!).

In a moment of self-realization, it occured to me that I've been on an uncharacteristic yarn-buying binge lately in a vain attempt to soothe my ailing soul. Here's the damage:

Well, I must admit that it isn't an entirely vain attempt, since my spirits are lifted every time I look at this stuff. I've got Noro Kureyon, Noro Silk Garden (not shown), Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, Cleakheaton Boucle, Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted, Lisa Souza dyeworks sock yarn (one's an angora-merino blend..YUM!), Elsebeth Lavold's Silky Wool, Knit Picks Crayon, Knit Picks Telemark for the "U-Neck Pullover" in Vogue (not shown), and my fiber-sista Nola gave me some gorgeous roving from Warm Threads for more socks.

Yup, that'll hurt the ol' pocket book. But I don't care. HA!!

So, he moved out this weekend, and I've completed the initial paperwork and will be filing it at the court on Monday. So, what's my plan for making it through? Trying to finish 2 toe-up socks in one month while trying to replicate the knitting equivalent of the miracle about the fish & the loaves. That should keep me busy.

Still waiting...

Well, I'm still waiting for all of my yarn! So, in the meantime, I've put in huge orders to Lisa Souza dyeworks & KnitPicks. I'll be in shock once I get all this stuff (and my credit card statements!), but I'll just have to deal with it :-)

In the meantime, I've finished ALL of the knitting for the Ribby Cardi. I just need to sew in the zipper, and I'll have an honest-to-goodness piece of clothing!

As you can see, I went with the collared version. I took some liberties with the patern and finished the front edges with a 3-stitch I-cord. I'm all for easy!

So, now I'm without a sweater project (well, that's not counting poor Viking Cardi). This is what I really want to make:

This is "Fair Isle U-Neck Pullover" from the Vogue Knitting Fall 2006. And I must say that this is one of the best issues of Vogue ever! Full of gorgeous cables & socks! Just wonderful! It reminds me of the patterns that were out that first inspired me to start knitting back in 2000/2001. Just modern takes on the classic styles that rely on the knitter's skill to execute, rather than focusing on funky yarns. The eyelash is scarce in this issue, and that's a VERY good thing!

So, anyway, I've put in an order to KnitPicks for the Telemark yarn I'll be using for this, so I'll have to wait. I'm planning on knitting this circularly and putting in steeks at the sleeves & neck. I thank Meg & EZ for my confidently cavalier attitude toward changing the pattern so drastically, so I'll try to do them proud.

Dulcedosahas started the U-Neck Pullover, so I'll be checking out her progress. Anyone else in?

In the meantime, I'll work on the chunky cabled sweater from the cover of the 2006 Fall issue of Knit Simple. Pics to come once I have something to show. I'm still not sure how I feel about Knit Simple. I actually got it by default when Family Circle Easy Knitting changed ownership. This third issue is okay, and is better than the previous 2 issues, so we'll see how the Winter issue is.

I'm back!

Did ya miss me? Sorry I've been neglecting the blog, but I just haven't been motivated to post. But I have been a busy little bee.

First, the trip. Let just say that the boys had fun

and I did not. Although I did get quite a bit of knitting done, it was in a vain attempt to maintain my sanity. Needless to say, I will NOT be camping in the wilds with little children again. Ever. Let us not speak of this again.

I finished and felted the Knit Picks felted Rick Rack purse
These are the before & after felting pics:
  
This is my first felted project and I REALLY enjoyed it. The pattern was really easy and quick to knit, and just look at how cute that bag is. It stands up on it own, and it's a nice size.

I used 3 balls of "Chestnut" Wool of the Andes and 2 balls of "Coal". I only regret that I didn't knit some kind of closure tab or something. Maybe I'll put some big snaps on the inside. It's the perfect pattern for using up small amounts of wool. I'll probably make the next one with longer handles so it'll be a shoulder bag. I felted it in the washing machine on the "small" load setting, and the "hot wash, cold rinse" cycle along with 2 pairs of dirty little boy shoes and some little boy jeans. It worked like a charm. Overall, an excellent project with an amazing price tag of under $15.00, including the pattern. Knit Picks rocks!

And, fanfare please, Ribby Cardi is perilously close to completion.

I've sewn it together in all the right places. It just wants an I-cord edge, a collar, and a zipper. I scored a black 2-way separating zipper on eBay, and it's ready to get sewn in. Did I mention that I hate sewing in zippers? I was seriously contemplating a button band, but I like to look of zippers, so I'll just have to suck it up. As God is my witness, there will be buttons on my next sweater. So, anyway, this will soon be a Finished Object! Hopefully.

On the spinning front, I've spun a smallish skein of Blackbird. I spent 1 day prepping fleece, so I've got 6 balls of roving still waiting to be spun. I would really like to start knitting Rogue one of these days.

That's it for now. I've been on kind of a yarn buying spree/binge lately, so when my spoils arrive, I'll take a pic and share with you all. I've bought some Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, Cleckheaton wool Boucle, Noro Silk Garden, Elsebeth Lavold Silky Wool, Cherry Tree Hill Possum Worsted, Noro Kueryon, 14 pounds of raw Ramboulliet fleece, and I'm contemplating some Fleece Maiden Merino sock yarn. Aren't you just drooling listening to that list? And I scored all of it at least 40% off! I can't wait to get my grubby hands on it!

Have a happy Labor Day!!

Gone camping!!

Well, we're on our way to Central Utah for my husband's annual deer archery hunt. We'll be staying at a nice place in the middle of nowhere, although we will have a toy hauler trailer. This is a must when camping with a 1-year old & 3-year old in rainy conditions.

I'm hoping to get knitting done, but I have a feeling I'll be chasing children in the woods making sure that no wild animal makes a snack out of them. I'm taking my Ribby Cardi stuff, and I'll also take some socks. I suppose I may take some yarn to make a hat for myself, and maybe I'll take the materials for my felted "Rick Rack" bag project from Knit Picks.

So, I hope to have some interesting pics for you when I get back. Until then, happy camping!!!

Progress!

The back of Ribby Cardi:


And I've knit 2 more rows of my Adamas Shawl. No spinning.

That's all, folks!

Sock yarn!

I never did post about my trip with Nola to the Yarn Lady. Anyway, while I was there, I scored this...


This is the fabled Koigu. It's lovely & soft, but the colors are very similar to the self-dyed socks I completed not long ago. I want to start knitting it (note the already-wound center-pull ball), but I need to finish my Regia Stretch sock first. I want to try a shortrow heel a'la PGR, so I'm really anxious to get it started.

I also ordered and received this from Little Knits:
 

The even more-fabled Fleece Artist Merino Socks yarn. This is in the colorway Autumn, and it is gorgeous.

I kind of went on a sock-yarn binge because I ordered a Country Hills Yarn grab bag which consisted of these:
 
The multi-colored one is kind of wild for my taste, so I'll probably over-dye it (cuz we all know how well I do with over-dyeing). But the other ones are really soft, but they seem like the same yarn as KnitPicks dye-your-own, which is MUCH less expensive.

But I have been knitting as well. I've finished the cap on the sleeve for Ribby Cardi:
 
I'm not sure what I'm going to start next. Maybe the back?

I also noticed that Stephanie has started the Adamas shawl, so I've been inspired to contine to work on my own version.
  
I've got 7 repeats done...just 9 more to go. And the rows keep getting exponentially longer as I go along (I think I currently have about 200 stitches on my needles). But I'm enjoying it again, so I'll plug along until I want to tear out my hair.

As a sideline, Blogger is really upsetting me. I haven't been able to post pictures through Blogger in 2 weeks. The photos you see are courtesy of Picasa. I may be forced to move to a different blog host.

Moving on

Now that Crappy Cardi is done, I've been rifling through my patterns to get another big project going. For myself. I should be knitting hats for my boys & I, and I could even knit the kids a couple of sweaters, but I'm not in the mood. I want more for ME!

So, I've actually been doing a lot of web-surfing lately, and I've found and bought a few PDF patterns to download. The most famous of which is the Ribby Cardi. I started it today...

Needless to say, this is a FAST knit! I've been knitting on it all day while watching TV, and in between cleaning the house & playing with the kids, and discovered that I can do the simple 2x2 ribbing pattern on auto-pilot. It kind of surprised me when I realized what I was doing, but it makes me feel like a real "Knitter" in Harlot-speak. I mean, come on, if being able to knit a pattern (a basic pattern, yes, but a pattern nonetheless) without looking AND without thinking doesn't constitute "Knitter" status, I'm not sure what would. I know it sounds like I'm bragging, but I think it's really cool I can do that. That's like Meg Swansen-level knitting. I'm pretty proud! :-)

So, anyway, the sleeve is to the point where I need to start shaping for the armholes, but I need to get another ball of yarn, so I figured it's a good stopping place for today. I also figured that since I have 3 other sweaters which would be done except that I have not knitted them sleeves, I'd start with the sleeves FIRST on this one. Sounds fool-proof, right? We shall see.

On a fun note, I stumbled upon cafe press. They have got some AWESOME stuff for knitters. Just type in "knitting" in the search bar, and you'll be busy for hours looking at the cute & clever stuff knitters have dreamed up. I saw a shirt with the caption "Life's short...knit fast", and I loved it, but I wasn't crazy about the graphic. So I drew a yarnball, designed my own graphic, and ordered some items with it on them.




Cute, huh? I'm really happy with how it turned out. I also ordered a tank top & junior t-shirt, but those are already needing to be washed, so you'll get a pic later. I'm half-tempted to get the yarn-ball tattooed on me somewhere. I'm actually thinking of getting my Symphony tatted on the top of a foot (appropro for the treadling, no?), but my employer has a strict "no visible tattoos" policy, so I'd be having to stick a band-aid on my foot for the rest of my working life. I'm still mulling over the possibilities.

Speaking of possibilities, I was browsing through Claudia's Blog again, and noted a link entitled "Mariah" in her side bar. So I clicked it, and found out that I absolutely HAVE to knit this cardigan!! Of course, this realization came after I had completed about 3/4 of the sleeve for Ribby Cardi. So, Mariah is NEXT.

Blackbird Returns

Hi all!
Yes, I'm back to spinning Blackbird again!

For this one, I spun up 2 bobbins of singles, then plied them together. This is instead of spinning 1 bobbin of singles, winding into a center-pull ball, and then plying back onto the same bobbin.

It's about 220 yards of Blackbird. This yarn is so soft and springy! If I pull on it, it easily stretches out and then sproings back as if it has elastic in it. I can't wait to start knitting it up.

As far as knitting goes, I'm all over the map right now. I worked a little on the Adamas Shawl. I need to knit me and the boys some hats for our camping trip to Utah in August, and I also need to knit something for a soon-to-be baby boy. But, instead, I started knitting the Lotus Blossom Tank from the cover of the Spring 2006 IK.

This is the result of some serious de-stashing. I've combined a dk-weight superwash wool with some nylon/cotton novelty eBay yarn. If you look closely, you can also see some smallish beads in the knitting. I'm so proud...it's my first time!

But, this has also made me aware that I am a freakishly loose knitter. And I don't mean that I just have to move down 1 or even 2 sizes. The pattern & the ball band call for a gauge of 5.5 sts per inch on size 6 needles. I can only achieve the gauge of 5 sts per inch on size 1 (ONE!) needles. And the fabric isn't all that stiff either.

This almost precludes me from ordering the interchangable Options needles from KnitPicks that EVERYONE in blogville seems to have. The other thing keeping me from succumbing to the supreme amount of needle-envy is that I have the 16" & 24" Addi Turbos in sizes 5-8, and seeing as how I'm a freak when it comes to gauge, I actually need sizes 1-4. The Options don't come that small.

Well, I'll probably order them anyway. All things in the fullness of time.

Crappy Cardi - the Final Chapter

Here she is folks!

In person, it's mostly black with a slight reddish hue. There is one small spot on the front which is not very dark. But, for some reason, the subtle uneveness of this dye job doesn't bother me near as much as that stupid stripe across the middle did.

But, it's done. Except that the zipper is coming off the bottom now because of all the abuse it's taken today. Once it's repaired, I'm free at last!

I just dyed and went to heaven!

First of all, I want to thank everyone here and on the Dye Happy list who offered their sympathy and advice for the dye job. I especially want to give a HUGE shout out and thanks to Heather for her detailed advice she left in the comments. Now, I don't know Heather, and I didn't search her blog before taking her advice, so I had no idea of her credentials (note the "had". I've since taken a tour of her blog, and I must insist that you go look, too. She not only knits, spins, sews, and dyes, she designs her own knitwear. Really cool!). But, I took her advice on blind faith and applied it to my dyeing situation.

"Why?" you ask? Why would I risk the hours and hours I spent on Crappy Cardi to possibly ruin it based on the advice of a stranger? Simple: Because Heather wrote her long, detailed comment to me while a child sat on her lap. Anything worth typing with a child on your lap is DEFINITELY worth listening to. Thanks Heather!

So, I did some preliminary, if unscientific, dyeing of the extra Lamb's Pride in Cornflower and in Blueberry to see which shade I liked. Surprisingly, the Blueberry came out lighter than the Cornflower. And because I also have an extra jar of Blueberry, it seems like it was fate. And who am I to mess with fate in a situation like this?

So, I boiled some water and dissolved 3/4 of the jar of dye into it before placing it in my water for the dyebath. I gave this a really good stirring to (hopefully)dissolve all dye powder. Now, the directions say to bring this to a boil, and then add the wool. However, I followed Heather's advice and added a glug of vinegar (I know you said a TBSP per gallon, but I don't follow directions very weel) and then added the wool while the water was cool. I heated it up, stirring every 5 minutes. Once it reached boiling, I let it boil about 10 minutes, then turned off the heat, put on the lid, and then walked away.

When the dye exhausted, I dumped out the water, rinsed it, and got this:

Now, I was not heartbroken about this, because I kind of almost expected it. Heather had cautioned to use "enough" dye. The instructions on the jar of dye said to use a whole jar for 2 pounds of fiber. My sweater weighs about 24 oz. so I figured that 3/4 of a jar was "enough". Apparently not.

So, knowing this was going to come out a lot darker than I had planned for, I dumped my other entire jar of Blueberry dye into the dyepot and tried again (just like Heather said I might have to do).

And since Blogger is giving me serious problems with posting pictures, you're going to have to see the next entry for the final Crappy Cardi pic....

Calgon, take me away!

Remember those old, cheesy commercials? The poor overworked woman with the horrible loud family? Now that I can totally relate, I'm sure Calgon sold a lot of bubble bath when they were running those ads.

Anyway, fanfare please, without further ado, I give you Crappy Cardi....

Yes, it's done. And it really did come out nice. I ended up putting pockets in the slits where I had cut the sides, and I'm pretty proud of the thing since so much of it was designed on the fly. Not that there was anything wrong with the orignial pattern (Kathy Zimmerman is truly awesome), but I wanted to knit this in the round.

EXCEPT for that STUPID, HIDEOUS, UNDENIABLE dark band from hell smack dab in the middle of my otherwise totally wearable garment. As of this post, I've washed the sweater in HOT water with Dawn, and now with Kookaburra Woolwash. The water changed to an encouraging red shade (it's all the excess dye from that crazy skein soaking out, right?). But ultimately, even though the sweater is still damp, I can see that the band is still there. Isn't that the funniest thing? Absolutely hilarious.

So, the only alternative I see is to overdye the entire sweater. I know this process is fraught with danger, the biggest risk being splotchy color from uneven dye uptake. But I am a trooper, and I am armed with my Country Classics dyes and some left-over yarn, and I will at least make sure I get the right color to splotch my sweater with.

I found the Dye Happy list on Yahoo Groups during an unfruitful Google search for some advice to help me in my quest. There is precious little on the net about overdyeing an entire sweater...I guess the knitting community is a little smarter than yours truly, or at least they pay better attention to the colors of the sweaters they are spending precious hours of their lives knitting. At any rate, after searching their archives and finding nothing that fits my particular dillema, I posted a plea to the Dye Happy folks, and am now fervently hoping for a magical reply. You know, the one that says "Oh, you silly little thing, just wave your Addi's over the entire thing twice counter-clockwise, and your sweater's color will even right out!" Here's hoping.....

I've got a surprise for you!!

And no, I'm not going to tell you in today's post. You'll have to wait till the next one.

While I was in my anti-knitting stage last week, I rifled through the stash to check out my forgotten WIP. And I found a common theme. Maybe you can spot it too.


This is the 2 fronts and the back of a lace cardigan I started a year (or two) ago. It's actually been stashed at work in a file cabinet, so I thought I'd bring it home to be with the remaining yarn I have in my stash for it. It's actually a really nice project, but it wants sleeves.

The main problem is this:

This is what serves as the "pattern" for this cardigan. Apparently, I liked the pattern in the magazine, but I substituted horseshoe lace (and yes, I do own the publicatin that photo copy came from). So, I have no strict guidelines and I'm going to have to play it fast and loose to finish this puppy off. Maybe that's why it was abandoned. But it would be a great coverup for the hot summer months (i.e. NOW).

I also found my very first attempt at a sweater:

This is the 2 fronts and the back of a lovely seed stitch cardigan. The main problem, besides lack of sleeves, is that the yarn is everyone's all-time favorite Red Heart acrylic straight out of WalMart. I know, I know, but I was young and naive to the ways of wool. All that has changed now, which is probably why I'm loathe to cast on the scratchy, plastic yarn to finish this project.

Well. Hmmmm. It seems as though the rest of my pictures do not want to load. I'll continue the parade of shame once I can actually post the pics. It's more fun that way...

I suck

Well, I just wanted to pop in to report that I have done NO knitting and NO spinning since Sunday. I don't know why, but I don't want to work on any of my numerous WIP's. Maybe that's the problem...I have too many projects and not enought FO's to show for my efforts. Or maybe it's the fact that I went back to work on Wednesday, and my job is so stressful that it's sucking the life out of me.

I've been surfing the net and reading other blogs, and I swear I don't know how these other knitters are doing it. It's like they start a project, and then it's done and on them by the next week! I'm such a slacker. Sure, the job and the kids cut into my fiber time. But right now, for instance, it's 10:10pm. I'm off work, the boys are asleep, and this could be a prime opportunity for me to get something fibery done. But my dumbass is sitting here blogging about how depressed I am about my lack of completed knitting & spinning projects.

So, I'm kind of in a funk and I'm hoping to snap out of it. What's kind of on my nerves too is that I'm finding a lot of nice patterns I'd like to start, but, get this, I don't have the appropriate yarn! This is the stupidest thing ever since I literally have OVER 100 pounds of yarn in my home! And of this, I can find nothing that will fit the gauge of the patterns I like. Whatever.

Anyway, no pics today. But I do need to give a report on the Yarn Lady field trip Nola and I took on Monday. I find it really odd that I'll spend $60 at a yarn shop on waaay over-priced yarn I could get a lot cheaper online, but when I do find a really great deal online, I'm loathe to jump on it. I'm an idiot.

New Stuff

Today, there will be no pictures of old projects. Today is all about new stuff. Check out my Avatar in my side bar! I think she looks like me...Whatta ya think?

Anyway, here's "Robles" yarn from handpaintedyarn.com. This stuff is sooo pretty:

I'm hoping it will become this:

The problem is that the yarn gauges are off (of course), so I'm having to play with math. This is never a good sign. Plus, it's an all-over rib pattern, so I'm having to "guess-timate" how much negative ease to put in. We'll see how long this lasts.

I also got this gorgeous stuff:

This is single-ply, laceweight Merino in a color called "Oro & Vino" (Gold & Wine). This is like over 900 yards, so I can make just about anything! The possibilities are over-loading my fragile brain circuits.

On the spinning front, my supply of ready-to-spin Blackbird fleece is depleted, so I've resorted to this:

This was "Mountain Twilight" Merino roving from Beaverslide Dry Goods. I am soooo loving this stuff! The colorful flecks are just my cup of tea. I'm sorely tempted to abandon the labor-intensive preparation ritual of Blackbird and just knit Rogue out of this. But I made a committment (sort of), so I'll try to stick to it. Maybe I'll have to make 2 Rogues.

I spun this on my poor, neglected Lendrum. I actually made 2 bobbin-fuls of singles and plyed them together like a normal spinner, using my gigantic plying head. This was instead of my usual mode of spinning 3/4 of a bobbin, then winding it into a center-pull ball, then plying it back onto the same bobbin. But the huge skein is waaay worth it and ended up being like 220 yards of "worsted weight" yarn. Not too shabby.

Tomorrow, Nola & I are planning on taking a trip out to Laguna Hills to visit The Yarn Lady. She's having a 10% off everything red, white & blue sale. I'll have the boys with me, so please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.