Resolutions

As stated previously, I think New Year's Resolutions are bunk. Most of them aren't even kept a week, because people set themselves up for doing crazy things and then get upset when they fail. I agree a new year is a nice fresh start for doing/trying things however, but I don't think that waiting for a new year is necessary if you really want to make a change in your life.

On that note. These are my knitting resolutions and the only New Year's Resolutions I am making.

Complete the project or frog it. Don't leave it laying around half done.

No more than 4 WIP at one time, this includes small little quickie things. This includes everything! - Failed!

Knit something Lace. - Done!

Knit something Entrelac.

Knit something Intarsia. - Done!

Knit several somethings for shmoo.

Try to knit one pair of socks every 2 months. - Failed!

If it is meant to be a Christmas gift, it must be done by December 1.

Still do my other crafts as well.

A crochet WIP counts as one of the 4 WIPs I am allowed to have. - Moot.

Knit myself a sweater/cardigan.

Knit more chenille washcloths. (They make fabulous presents when given with a bar of handmade soap. I tend to always have the soap on hand, I should make a point to have more washcloths as well.)

Take a picture of each FO and put it in my photo gallery.

Realize that I will never make all the things I see and want to make, and buying yarn for those things doesn't get them made any faster.

Knit from the stash whenever I can. Even if I may not like the yarn as much. Even if the color isn't just perfect. (Or perhaps sell it? and make room for new yarn?)

Happy New Year Everyone!

Finished sock and other bits.

A friend of mine who often comments here, MrsIrb, wrote a guide that I just love. How to give a knitter a gift: A guide to non-knitters. It made me giggle. I recommend you go give it a look, and laugh.

I finished the first Jaywalker. I didn't do kitchner at the toe. I did a three needle bind off. Yeah, it made a visible seem outside the sock. I am ok with that, when I wear it, it is actually under my toe. I have toes longer than some people's fingers, so it works out fine.


I started my Clapotis. It's rather curly so I had to hold it down for the pic.

I went to The Celtic Knot today while I was in Ellicot City and picked up some yarn. I got two skeins of the green and two of the amethyst. Both Lamb's Pride Prairie Silks. The shot might be blurry but it's fairly true to color. (Camera decided it wanted to focus below the glass table for a change. Same problem in the sock shot.) I also got some brown to do the ballet wrap on the cover of IK Winter 05, but it turns out we didn't pay close enough attention when she came out of the back with more of the brown, because it was a different color brown and none of us noticed, so I have to take it back. That's ok. It gives me an excuse to browse some more.... right?

Finally, a candle I made recently. A 6" pillar scented (and colored) in layers. Sugar Cookie, Carrot Cake, Apple Jack, and Pecan Pie. An overall, homey, holiday cooking sort of smell with the individual scents peeking out as that layer is burned.

Also, we were at a friend's house baby sitting when I finished my sock. Their 4 year old decided that he wanted socks, and I needed to make them. RIGHT AWAY! So I am going to whip him up a pair of socks. When asked what color, he said, "Batman!" I tried to say it wasn't a color. Shmoo tried to say it wasn't a color. He went and got his Batman pillow and brought it to me and said, "See? Batman!" He finally decided that he liked the light blue I was using for the Clapotis and that I should make his socks with that. So very shorty, probably before I start my second Jaywalker to complete my pair, I'll be making Batman colored socks.

That just about sums it up. Have a safe and fabulous New Year!

I've got a fever, I think it's the Clap!

Clap-o-tis that is. I have decided to rip out my Craftster Shrug. It's not that I don't like it, it's that I just don't need anything emphasizing my chest. Ever. And I just don't see how it won't do exactly that. So I am going to frog it and use both colors in my Clapotis. If I do it right, I will have just about the same width of color bands going opposite the dropped columns. I am hoping that will add some visual interest since I am not using a variegated or really special yarn. Just the plain old KP: WOTA from the shrug. I don't know that I am making this for myself but it seems like a nice non-thinking knit once you get it going, and I would like one of those very soon.

Also, I am almost at the toe on my Jaywalker. I know, I knit slower than Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. Hopefully, I'll find my way to a completed pair of Jaywalkers before my 40 years of wandering are up.

Scent of Woman

So today I was looking for a Fragrance Oil that is a copy of Bvlgari Black. Shmoo wears it and it's yummy. I want to make an aftershave for him that smells just as yummy. After having no luck I remembered Royal Aromatics. They have an FO* they are calling Bvlgari Men. I wanted to get a 1 oz sample to see if it was the right thing. Last time I ordered a pound of the wrong thing, (from another supplier) and while it doesn't smell bad, it's not what I wanted either.

Royal Aromatics is also the only supplier for the FO that I use to make my mom's soaps, bath bombs, lotions, etc. (L'air du Temps in case you really wanted to know.)

Unfortunately, they only use UPS.

Now, I have ranted on and on before about how I feel about UPS, and not only do I not want them to try to deliver anything to me ever again, I don't want them to receive my money to do it. I am not about supporting "Brown" anymore. Brown can do absolutely NOTHING for me. I have emailed the company and am hoping that they will hear my plea to use something besides UPS. If not, I guess I will just have to do without, and when my mother's FO runs out, well, then I guess it's gone until I can find another supplier. Which is unlikely, it took forever to find this supplier, and it's a bang on copy as well. So this is just disappointing.

But all this led me to thinking. How we associate memories with smells. When I smell L'air du Temps, I instantly think of my mother. It is HER scent. It is the representation of her to my nose. I have been told by other people who smelt the soap before I gave her the last batch of it I made, that it smelt like an old lady. Which leads me to think that my mother *might* smell like an old lady. (She doesn't to me of course, she smells like Mom.)

But then I thought, what is old lady smell? I think it changes, with each generation. Old lady smell becomes what our mothers wore. The scents and fragrances we associate with their generation. It's not the smell that changes. It's the people.

One day, someone will tell me, in passing, that my Jessica McClintok smells old and not light and heavenly, nor sweet and innocent. Or that my Tuscany Per Donna doesn't make them want to commit wicked sins with me, but quite the opposite. And that my Obsession is obsolete. And that my favorite everyday scents of Coconut Lime Verbena, and White Tea Ginger are neither light or refreshing but simply passe.

It is then that I will know that I too smell like an old lady.

*Note: FO in this case means Fragrance Oil and not Finished Object.

Merry Christmas to All...

Happy whatever your holiday of choice is. Now.. on to the loot!

Shmoo's mom,aka Shmom, (a fellow knitter) is the only person who got me knitting stuff for Christmas. And she did an awesome job. She sent me two addi's! Yes, two! Both 12", US sz 4 and US sz 5. I love them. I mean, besides being addi's they are so small and cute and will work so well on small round projects... love love love them!

She also sent Daisy and Bri some presents. Daisy got the Candy Cane rawhide chews pictured above with the Addis. Here she is guarding it. She may look cute and small and asleep, but she's not. She's waiting for shmoo to come along and try to take it so she can bark and growl at him.

Bri ran off with his Catnip Moose. I have no idea where he took it, but after he got high, he apparently had the munchies and went thru his entire bowl of catfood.

And here is the US5 12" Addi's already in use on my Jaywalker Armwarmers I started. I love using them already. I mean, I like dpn's. But a nice small circ you can just zip around with is hawt! You know it is!

And this is the glass turtle she got me. Shmoo said I couldn't have a live turtle. *sniff*.And finally, I think I am going to make these Catwarming meece from SnBN. I don't plan on using all the details on them, and I am using multicolored cotton. I want them to be washable and stand up to Daisy stealing them from Bri all the time. Poor Guy. He has no meece because she steals them all.

Also, I don't usually do New Year's Resolutions cause I think they are crap, but I think I am going to make knitting resolutions this year. More on that for New Year's!

A surprise gift.

My friend Penny (who often comments as anonymous for those of you who read them, and is linked to the right as Pennywise Specialties) surprised me today with a lovely Christmas gift.

It's a lovely little knitting book full of quotes by some famous, and not so famous knitters. It also has a very cute charm on the bookmark. This is a perfect gift for me. I love it.

Penny is a wonderful person, with whom I instantly clicked when we met at a soap con in Ga, two years ago. She is an inspiration of ideas in soaping, and bath products, and she is the reason I make candles. She is a master at packaging. She could package dog poo in a way that would make you think they are lovely and cute and want to buy them. But most importantly, she is my friend.

Thank you Penny. Friends like you are hard to find.

Slight of hand, turn of heel.

I have completed my first ever heel flap. I have turned my first heel. I have worked this ancient magic using only my hands, small pointy sticks, and yarn. I will be a sock knitter.

Loot.

We arrived tired and happy to be home on Friday night. Saturday we picked up Daisy from the kennel and ran a couple of errands. One of which was dropping into REI to find me a winter coat. I had already driven shmoo crazy with the LL Bean Catalogue at my mom's. I want a super warm great winter coat, but I don't want to pay that super price. Finally I picked what I wanted out of the catalog with the intention of ordering it online. Turns out they are out of two of the three things I wanted. So we tried REI. That too was a bust, so I came home and re-evaluated my LL Bean order. I ended up ordering a windproofed fleece and a different, but better, pair of boots. I hope they arrive soon. When they get here we are taking the fleece back to REI with the hope that it will fit into one of the shells there. I never knew coats were so complicated! To top all the coat drama off, I left my new pink cord jacket at my mom's house, so now I REALLY want that order to arrive soon.

So I went to Kroger and they had White Lily products on sale for 99 cents a bag. I stocked up.

And before you think, "Oh my God at all the flour!!!" please remember that I can't buy it up here in the great white north. I got two bags of All Purpose, 6 bags of Self Rising (cause it's just easier, at least for me, I am lazy), and 1 bag of the Buttermilk Cornmeal. Yes, I spent a whole 9 bucks on flour. There is no way I could have managed to get it cheaper, especially once you consider shipping for each of the 5lb bags. Also, one bag is a small gift to someone I know who really loves to cook and mentioned she would like to try it. Possibly two bags if she wants an all purpose and self rising. Slowly, White Lily will take over, and when it does, maybe I can finally buy it up here.

Ok, so yeah, as for the knitting.....

On my Jaywalker, I got ready to start the heel and realized that my printout of the pattern, well it was out in my book in the back of my car. It was late, cold, wet, and dark. I decided it could wait.

Then, because I wanted to knit while we watched CSI, and I didn't want to go out for the pattern, I started on the Armwarmers. I swatched. I measured my arm in circumference in inch intervals from my elbow to my knuckles. I worked out pattern measurements and decreases. I did some math. I made notes. I cast on. I am only as far as the ribbing, and I see that it's a little loose. I guess that's ok, there is no need for it to be super snug, is there? It's an experiment. I can always frog it. I'll keep telling myself that while I work on it. Maybe I won't hate it when I am done. I plan to finish the Jaywalkers first however.

On a random side note: Shmoo got to eat at a Waffle House for the first time ever on our way home. I was proud to see the northern Waffle Houses held the same standards as the southern ones (None). While it wasn't as good as Waffle House at 3 AM when you are drunk and just back from Buckhead, it was still pretty darn good.

Madness!

And I don't mean that british ska group. Things are nuts right now as we prepare to fly down to visit my family tomorrow and then drive back up with my car. I had a huge list of things to complete, but finally it's down to just three things left. One of them however, is packing. The stress from getting so much done in so little time however has led to massive freaking out on my part.

A problem package from UPS hasn't helped things either. I hate UPS. I am pretty sure I am calling their corporate to complain about how much I hate them, as soon as I get back. I even asked them if they could blacklist me and never never never take a package delivery for me again. They said no. So, if you plan on sending me stuff, don't use UPS. I hate them and it will just cause a week of stress while I cuss at them on the phone.

Yes, I said cuss. I hate cussing to people in the service industry. I have been there, and I didn't like it when it was directed at me, so I know how they feel. But after I almost had a seizure from frustration and then cried, openly, on the phone, I gave up and let it fly. Skies darkended and rumbled. Winds picked up. Sailors blushed.

On the bright side, shmoo handled the freak out well. I am so gonna keep him. He even had to talk to my mom on the phone because she apparently decided I was in mid-spaz-attack and no longer sane.

And while I am in the beautiful south... I am getting more White Lily!!!! Both all purpose and self-rising. Maybe even some whole wheat. I am tempted to get some Dixie Crystals as well, but I am not so hung up on a particular sugar that I can't deal with a substitute. Perhaps some more Duke's Mayonaise, (which, ironically I can't buy here, but it's manufactured in Richmond, so I can always roadtrip it down there really fast to get some) and there was something else but I can't remember what it was. That's ok, it will come to me when I am in the Kroger. I have a big truck, it can hold it! ;)

And of course I have to decide on my travel knitting. Taking my jaywalkers. And the yarn and needles to swatch the Jaywalker Armwarmers I think. Bigger yarn, bigger needles, planning of length and decreases. Blah blah blah. I am interested to see if I can do this on my own. Perhaps, we'll see.

So I was thinking...

I really like the pattern stitch of the Jaywalkers. Love it, in fact. Shmoo's mom likes the pics I have taken of my Jaywalkers too. She asked if there were pictures of them so I pointed her to Grumperina's gallery of Jaywalkers. If that gallery doesn't convince they are cute socks, then you will never be of that opinion. I also told her what yarn I was using. KnitPicks, Simple Stripes, Autumn. But I digress.

Yesterday, I wanted to see how the cuff of the leg I am STILL working on would look on me. I didn't want to hurt my skacel sz 0 dpns, (I swapped from my circs sz 1s to the 0s so that it would bring in the pattern a bit at the ankle, I can't see much of a difference really, but we'll see in the final product.) so I put the sock on my arm instead. Your forearm, nearest your elbow is supposed to close in size to your ankle, at least I have always thought it was, so that was my test. At this point, it occured to me how hawt these would look as armwarmers.

So, because I have frogged out my FCEK sock and wound that yarn, when I finish my Jaywalkers, I will use (some) of that yarn for Jaywalker Armwarmers. I am basically going to do a tube of the needed size and then do the decreases within the pattern as needed for my arms. I have no idea how to do a gusset for the thumb so that will just be a slit where I have started knitting flat until it's time to join back together. I plan on using sz 6 dpns, as they seemed to work well with that yarn. (Moda Dea, Sassy Stripes, can't remember the colorway.)

I am a horribly slow knitter, so I thought if I put this idea out here, perhaps someone else would be able to take it and run with it and by the time I got around to it, there might even be some instructions on a thumb gusset.

So there you have it. My idea. Take it, run with it, make it your own. Or not. :)

Toys!

Today I was going to write a treatise on the stupidity of our cat. I mean, my sock is progressing slowly and there really isn't much to report. But luckily for me (and possibly my reading audience...) my new toys came in today!

My Aunt and Nana gave me money for my birthday and I was to use it on my self. I did. I got myself a yarn swift and a ball winder. They were delivered today. I immediately started playing! It makes winding the large skeins SO much easier!!! That handpainted yarn on ebay that I order is always such a mess if I try to do it myself, and even with the swift I had some issues with it today, but I am NOT paying someone $3 per half pound to ball wind the yarn THEY dyed. I also think I won't be buying from her anymore. It's very pretty yarn. Her dyed chenilles are just beautiful. But the skeins are a mess, and I just don't want the hassle. The other yarns I did today did beautifully with no issues, and I just loved the little cakes it made!


Here is the swift and winder set up on my desk. I am winding one of the previously posted about cotton hand dyed skeins from Ebay.

Here are the wound skeins. The top two variegated are the Ebay cottons. The bottom left is Brown Sheep Prairie Silk in Green Back, and KnitPicks Shadow in Lost Lake.

And finally, because I am a dork, I couldn't find the center of my knitpicks sock yarn ball, and was knitting from the outside in. I hated it, the ball went everywhere. So I wound it. It is now taking up way less space as well as being a bit more stationary. I must say I like the way the stripes are working out on this. I don't knit on the sock constantly, so I don't have a whole lot of progress, I do however use it when I am playing World of Warcraft. When I am waiting on a boat, or riding a griffon, or being disconnected yet again because our Verizon DSL is crap, I get in a row, or just a section of row. It's starting to add up. I am still excited about the pattern and cannot wait to try on the first sock!

Off to Amazon to buy presents for my Aunt and Nana for Christmas. It's funny how holiday knitting stress is relieved when you elimante the gift knitting. Now if I could just get my gift sopaing done!

Slow.

I have concluded that I am a slow knitter. I am ok with this mind you, but it means that I need to plan accordingly. As such, I have decided that perhaps my Aunt and Grandmother would like to recieve books for Christmas.

Here is my Jaywalker. As you can see, very little progress. I like the way the yarn is striping however, and I think I like this pattern. Usually when you start a pattern, you are in complete trust mode. You don't always see why the pattern has you do things a specific way. With this one, it becomes clear pretty fast, and I think it's coming along fine, despite my slow slow pace.

Figments

I didn't cast on for Jaywalkers. Nope, nope, nope! Not me. I am a good girl and I am waiting until all my other projects previously listed are done. That is not a printout of the pattern, nor my new bamboo addis, nor knitpicks sock yarn. Me? Give in to the power of new needles and new yarn and a new pattern that everyone seems to love? Surely you jest. *Shifty Eyes* Hey! What's that!?! Look over there!!!

Biscuits anyone? Made with White Lily of course! As a side note, that skillet was my great-grandmother's(Mother's Dad's Mom). Can you say seasoned children? Suuuurreee you can.

A day of Inspiration???

Or possibly overload.

First, let me say, My Aunt's scarf has undergone a change. I got pissed off last night when I picked up a stitch in the middle of the main cabling motif and couldn't find where it came from. There were various other annoyances going on at the time, (Verizon DSL has been flakey ever since we got it and there was a queue on our warcraft server. These combined to mean that every time we managed to get on we got disconnected and had to start all over again. I gave up and knit instead) and that was just the last one. Instead I started over with a yarn from my stash. I bought it last year, some kind of wool blend. Two ply. Thick and thin. Lovely color. It's now going to be a garter stitch shawl on size 13s.

Now, onto the the inspiration. NEW KNITTY! Out today! Biggest Issue EVAR!!! I want to make the Boogie Time and Tempting II. I also like Danica and Cheesy Puffs. Cheesy Puffs could end up as a sweater for Shmoo. I have always wanted to make Tempting. It was one of the things that encouraged me when I first started to knit. One day, I told myself, I can make that sweater. Now Jenna has redone it and I like it so much better! And this time she has included my size so I don't have to do "the maths"! Yay. Very happy with Tempting II, and one day, hopefully this winter, I'll make it.

My Winter 2005 Interweave Knits came today as well. I love the cover shot. That ballet wrap cardi... I plan on having one. Not with the Colinette yarn however. Perhaps with my favorite, Lamb's Pride Bulky. I also like the Hip Hop Cardi and the Pearl Buck Swing Cardi. Both are appealing for different reasons. One is just warm and cuddly looking and the other has a classic feel to it. Not to mention both of these patterns are in my size, so once again, no math.

And now I leave you with pictures of Daisy getting a bath in the sink last night. Shmoo felt the need to take pictures. She hates baths.

Shmoo called her name to get her to look at him in this one. She was hopeful. She thought he might save her. She was wrong.

Trying to climb out of the sink to get away from the horrible soap and water.

Sad and pitiful from the abuses to which I have subjected her.

The cat watching all the action from the floor. Probably mocking her.

In progress.

I feel that it's time to sum up everything I have going on, perhaps that will motive me to get it all done so I can start the Jaywalker socks.

My Nana's hat, in Noro Silk Garden. A circular cable and two small twist cables on each panel. There are 4 panels and there will be two repeats before I start the decreases, which I am still unsure as to how to go about. I have ideas, we'll see.

My Aunt's scarf. Also in Silk Garden, which I am still disappointed with by the way. Same cables as the hat for my Grandmother, a bit different arrangement however, and of course, it's a scarf. The Noro for this one is darker as well. Yes this was originally a hat, I changed my mind about that when she mentioned needing a scarf however.

The poor forgotten shrug. I actually did a repeat on this while riding the Metro into Arlington this week. That was it, one repeat, and now it's back to the corner for it. I don't think I'll actually finish this before starting the Jaywalkers, but I haven't forgotten it either.

And here are the FCEK socks. Sitting there. Waiting on me to finish my Christmas knits so I can knit them and then move on to the Jaywalkers. They know I don't love them. They know I don't want to finish them. I am only a tiny way in on this, I could blow them off. I could try the Jaywalker pattern with them (not really, the yarn is too thick), but I won't. I will make them as I meant to and then promptly forget about them until I need a pair of socks to wear.

My completed crochet scarf. It took a little over an hour all told. And that includes the tacky tassles. I was feeling whimsical and a bit tacky at the time, so they got added. I know them for the bit of tack that they are and don't mind them a bit. They add a touch of weight to the ends of the scarf. Also, it's a basic scarf other than I made a whole in one side so that I can put one end thru the other while wearing it. My scarves always seem to come unwound from me, so this was a good solution, and what do you know, it worked! Shmoo is wanting a scarf now too. I am willing to bet I crochet his as well, without the tassles.

And finally, something that isn't knitting (or crochet). Shmoo showing off his fancy Logitech diNovo keyboard. And to increase the geek factor of this picture, yes that is the starwars IV, V, and VI box set in the background beside the printer. Yes that is slashdot on his Mac (for which I am to make a felted case for it, Eunny-style, eventually), and yes, that is warcraft on his monitor. I love my geeky boy.

Move over King Arthur,

the Queen has arrived. The Queen of all flours that is. White Lily. THE cooking and baking flour of the south. You can go to their site and see why they think it's good. This is about why I think it's good. It makes "finer" biscuits. Even shmoo noticed and that was a quote from him. They just taste lighter and more refined. I couldn't match White Lily's texture even with sifting. When I made my White Lily biscuits I just put the flour in my bowl and went at it. NO SIFTING! And they were still better.

I have taken pictures of the sacred bag that was delivered unto me by the saint of flour deliveries (also known as my aunt). Gaze upon her beauty peasants and know the joy that is mine!

The top of the bag with the lovely guarantee, as well as the address if you aren't happy. And finally, below, the money shot. Bask, Rejoice, and go find your own bag!

I <3 Eunny!

Yesterday, Eunny and I met at a coffee shop to go yarning. It was the first time I have met someone from blogging and the first time I was meeting up with a fellow knitter. I was SO nervous. But it turns out that Eunny is as great in person as she is in her blog and we had an absolute blast. We talked for ages, we ate Indian, we went to yarn shops and spent money!

We went to Knit and Stitch Equals Bliss, which has no website to link to and apparently was formerly known as The Needlework Loft. Here is a picture from their store.

I was happy to note that they carry Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky!! (and worsted.) And they had a lovely claret red I wanted to buy but I have so much stash for stuff that I haven't made yet, I made myself wait.

Then we went to International Yarns. The ladies there were very friendly and informative. They have a lot of knowledge regarding Fair Isle, which Eunny is learning more about. They even suggested several really great books for Fair Isle (that weren't written by Alice Starmore!!). I also realized that the cool book of bags I have is "Folk Bags" and is part of the "Folk" series. I am going to let Eunny borrow it for a while next time we get together, as it has lots of crazy hard (for me) stuff to do and I know she'll make great use of it.

International Yarn had the nicest staff in a yarn store I have ever experienced. They were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. And while they don't carry Lamb's Pride Bulky, they do carry lots of Dale and some really nice natural shetland wool for Fair Isle knitting. They have lots of really nice yarn. I plan on going back. They also have sweaters and scarves and stuff that they have made from the books they sell. Which is great. You can see X scarf, from Y book, made with Z yarn. You can touch it, and feel it, and really know if you want to make it. That was pretty kickass as well.

So here's my loot from International Yarn. I got two 32" size one Addis, and a set of size 0 dpns. This is so I can make the jaywalker, and various other, socks. I had 2's and 3's in both circs and dpns, but didn't have the 0's and 1's, so that was my splurge for yesterday. I so can't wait to start the Jaywalkers now!! But I will. I am going to finish my Christmas gift hats, and my scarf. (Not in that order per se) Then I will finish my starter socks. And THEN I will start the Jaywalker socks with my fancy new tiny tiny needles!

A day spent with a knitting friend is a fabulous and wonderful thing. I love meeting people that you just click with. I can't wait to do it again!

Ready, Steady, GO!

Today I am all bouncey and excited, but I am not telling you why. My camera is being charged as I type. Come back tomorrow.

In other news, I have decided to join the Jaywalkers Sock knitalong. The pattern did say it was easy enough for a beginner so I think that will be the plan, as soon as I finish that first pair of socks I already started. I have a bad habit of starting projects and then getting about an inch in and moving on to something else. I am trying to improve this behavior by using the rule, "if I start it, I have to finish it."

I have also been struggling with the hat I am working on right now. Yes, the Noro Silk Garden one. I am using a pattern of pretty much my own design. I took some basic formatting and gauge ideas from hats I have done previously but this one is my own cobbled together cable pattern. Well, my own in that I own the book I took the cable patterns from. Regardless, It's not going as smoothly as I would like. The differing gauge of the silk garden is starting to piss me off a bit. Usually when I am in the middle of a cable. I am trying to use the Cabling without a cable needle method, and sometimes I can, and sometimes I sigh and use the damn needle.
Hopefully tomorrow I will have enough on it done to give a progess report picture without people wondering why I am posting the same picture from the other day.

Side Notes:

Congrats to Cari at Dogs Steal Yarn (see sidebar for link) as she just announced on her blog today she is expecting.

Does anyone have a good recipe for Hot & Sour soup they could mail me? I love the stuff. Even though I have to pick out all the mushrooms because I hate them. I am hoping that by making it myself I can just leave them out.

And what about Indian recipes? Anyone? Nan bread and some of that minty sauce.. YUM! Shmoo took me to a lovely Indian place for my birthday in White Oak. Bombay I think it was called. The service was good, the food was great, and their prices didn't make my have a stroke right there in front of everyone. (I am cheap!) Lamb Vindaloo for the win people. I need recipes to try and make this stuff at home!!!

Sock Yarn Porn

So the sock yarn I ordered from KnitPicks came in today!!! Woo sock yarn. Now that I am in the midst of other projects and know that I will make myself finish the learning pair I started with that Moda Dea Sassy Stripes... it figures my order (why did I order if I wasn't ready for it? I don't know. I just NEEDED it. NEED I said! NEED.) would show up. It's ok. I can wait, I can put them away and covet them and let those lovely, beautiful skeins be my reward for finishing my Christmas projects and my scarf to keep me warm, and my learning pair of socks. Yeah. I can wait. Suuurrreee I can.

Above we have a selections of solids from knitpicks and 3 different types of their self striping. It should be interesting. Perhaps I'll make some arm warmers or something with one of them. Anyway, I digress. Back to the picture. The bluish black at the top left is really a nice normal gray. And the top right isn't really red, it's pumpkin. The self striping part of the picture came out ok colorwise, and so did the green. The solids will end up being for shmoo, as I picked earth tones, which he really likes. The stripeys will be for me and they will be what I use to make several pairs of those Geisha socks from Spun Mag, (see link in sidebar if you are really interested) so I can continue to wear my flip flops! As I have mentioned my flip flop love here before, I won't continue, but yes, I must have some Geisha socks.

It's my party...

and I'll whine if I want to. So today I am 31. Whee. Now that you can clearly see why it's my party, let's move on to the whining.

So I went to All About Yarn yesterday. It was OK. I have yet to be in a yarn shop that makes me feel comfortable. I don't know if it was because I was in a cranky mood, or what. They had a good selection of all these yarns I'd seen in patterns and on blogs. I finally got to see/touch Kidsilk Haze. I don't think I like it. I think it makes me want to cry. It's so fragile. My touch would be its death.

Perhaps I am still initimidated by the whole "yarn shop" thing. I have thus far been a solitary knitter. There really weren't any local shops near me in Georgia. Yes they had 3 in Atlanta, one of which I hear was great, but I am not driving 2 hours in traffic just for yarn. I'm sorry, I'm just not. All About Yarn had potential in that it's only 21 miles away. And they do carry Noro.

Another Disappointment. Noro Silk Garden. As seen here, I did go ahead and buy two skeins. I am sure they will become lovely hats for my family members this Christmas. I do love the way the yarn looks. I love the color transitions. I know I will love how these hats look when they are done. I don't think it feels particularly soft however. And it's a bit inconsistent in weight. I don't know if all the hype has led me to feel let down, or if I just expected.. MORE somehow. But it's not my favorite.

Speaking of favorites, my favorite yarn is Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky. The store didn't carry it. When I finally got up enough nerve to ask about it, I was told they don't carry it and she suggested 3 other things they carried to sub for it. Well. There are no signs on all this yarn. There's just different types of yarn everywhere. And she just kinda waved her hand around. It was not helpful. I have no idea what's what. I do know she said Lopi and I had already felt the Lopi and it was scratchy. I don't want expensive, scratchy yarn. I wanted nice soft Lamb's Pride Bulky dammit!

The staff at the store was mixed. There were 4 of them there. One older lady was really nice, but then when the store got busy she was busy helping a customer with something she was evidently doing in some class. That left me with the other people in the store. One lady was older than I was, but not by a whole lot I don't think. She was very short and hateful with the two other girls that worked there. Perhaps she too was having a really shit day. Then there were the two younger girls on staff, one of which I did not interact with and one of which checked me out. The checkout girl made it seem like taking my money was a burden. If ringing up two magazines and two skeins of yarn are that hard on you honey, perhaps this job is not for you. She didn't seem to like the fact that it was the my first time in the store and I wanted to be put on the mailling list and sign up for their points thing. I did. I know I am seemingly harsh about the store now, but I WAS in a bad mood, and I am hoping future experiences don't suck. I realize that my mood could have and most likely did affect my view of things. I mean, if Eunny likes it, it can't be that bad, can it?

Alas, I will have to trek way into Historic Ellicott City, which I would rather avoid like the plague, in order to get my Lamb's Pride on a local basis. I bet I just end up ordering it on Ebay. It's not insane to order a 5lb cone of yarn is it? IS IT?

Wade in the water.

Every morning, (and evening) Bri goes into the kitchen and plays with the water in his bowl. It's very loud and splashy sounding. Then he comes out looking just as innocent as can be. Except for the wet feet. But this morning, I happened to have the camera on the table from taking the hat pics, and so I was able to catch him at it. Busted.


As for the hat, here is a pic of it on the Pier 1 glass head, which I bought just for blocking hats.

And then here is the view of it laying flat on the table where you can see the band on the bottom with a bit more detail.

I am pleased over all with they way it turned out. My gauge has changed a bit since I knit it orignally however, and I can tell. Shmoo is pleased with it, since it now covers his ears, and that's really all that counts. I have a lighter green of the same yarn I was going to make myself a hat like this in, but it's so far down the list of things to make, it will mostly likely be June before I get to it.

Today, I am going to the local yarn store that Eunny likes (All About Yarn)and plan on buying some Noro Silk Garden to make gifts (ok, hats...) for my Aunt and Grandmother. I know that they are small projects, but I am hoping that fancy yarn will make up for the lack of time they took to make. My Aunt is up this coming week for some training classes, so I will get to see her and send these back with her. I should probably whip up some shaving soap for my brother and send it back with her also but I don't know that I will have the time. Decisions, decisions...

Regardless, today, I leave you with this. A picture of Bri in a dining room chair, with Daisy below him getting ready to play with him. You can see the size difference between the two rather well in this one. I have no idea why Bri was afraid of Daisy at all. Unless it was all the shrill little dog barking.

A shopping we will go.

Yes, we went shopping today, on the worst, busiest shopping day of the year. It was ugly. Up at 4:30 and off to Laurel to the Best Buy there. We got 19" flat screens, which gave us so much more room on the desk. I love them. Warcraft is really brilliant on them. And! While we were in line waiting, I did manage to finish off the changes I had to make to shmoo's green SnBN cabled hat. For some reason my gauge was tighter than ...(think of something really tight here, all the analogies I can come up with are from IRC and few would understand them) and the hat turned was originally several inches too small. I was going to do the ribbing on it futher down but I did something funny when I picked up the stitches and so it looked wonky, so I just made some stripes of reverse stockette. I'll take a new pic after I get it reblocked. Our water is out right now, so look for that tomorrow.

Anyway, yesterday, I cooked for 6 hours. Our oven is small so I could pretty much only cook one thing at a time. I did manage to stagger the casseroles nicely however. The turkey tasted great, it just didn't turn out as pretty as I would have liked. And the corn muffins didn't brown on top like they should have. It's possible that it was the cornmeal as it was the first time I have used that brand, I have no idea. Anyway, pics.

I made my mother's brocoli casserole, my grandmother's sweet potato soufle, and my grandfather's cornbread. Despite not being with my family this year, I was with them and they were with me. Also, shmoo loved the food. :)

Gobble Gobble!

It's turkey day! And it's my first one with shmoo. He has to work today but I'll have a nice dinner waiting for him when he gets home. On the menu for today is turkey (of course), brocoli cheese casserole, sweet potato soufle, stuffing, cranberry sauce, cornbread muffins (with corn added, and maybe some banana peppers too, since I have no fresh jalapenos to add), and key lime pie for desert. We will be eating leftovers for eons!

Also, the soup turned out really well. It ended up being more of a creamy spinach chirozo soup, with potatos, onions, leeks, and artichoke added, but it was still very yum. Very filling too. I froze most of it because of the coming onslaught of Thanksgiving leftovers, but I did send some to work with shmoo as well.

Also, for those of you who make biscuits from scratch. Try coconut oil instead of crisco or lard. It's way way lighter and you still get a lovely biscuit.

I haven't finished my scarf, or adding to shmoo's green knit hat, perhaps today.....

Froggy.

My sock is not progressing so well. Mostly because I had to frog it twice yesterday. I misread the instructions for the heel wrong. Twice. So after feeling really stupid, I think I have it now and have started on it yet again. I just haven't made it that far.

And my poor shrug. Still sitting on the speaker where I left it. Quietly accusing me of abandonment every time I walk by. I am immune to your guilt little shrug! Immune!

Today however, will most likely be a day of crochet. I want a scarf, and I want it now, that means crochet. I want a scarf for shmoo too, despite him not needing one as much because he has a high collar on his jacket. Winter is here (at least to me) and something MUST be done about it.

I am also considering trying to make an artichoke soup. Soup is good when it's cold. And creamy soups even better. From the recipes I found online, (none were found in my cookbooks! I was so disappointed!) it's basically going to be a potato soup with artichoke and leek added in. Probably onions and celery as well. I can still CALL it artichoke soup can't I? Suuuuurrree I can!