babblingB's Knit Blog

More Knitting from the Fair

2006-08-29T22:15:00.000-05:00

The fact is I have been kitting all year. I just haven't been good about detailing things here. But here is some photos of the rest of the things I entered in the fair.

Not the best photo, but Kitty just had to get in the action.

It's not knitting, and it's not very well made but I love it. I am still just learning to sew and I think it is a good first effort.

The Montgomery County Fair

2006-08-29T22:09:00.000-05:00

I was first introduced to the fair last summer. I had been to a couple of state fairs when I was younger, but this was a new experience for me. A member of my knitting group helps run the home arts section of the fair and wanted us not only to enter things in the competition, but also to volunteer at the fair to act as guides and do “demonstration knitting.” She stressed that they wanted entries both good and bad. Even if you thought something wasn’t your best effort, enter it. That way maybe someone else would see it, think they could make something as good or better and maybe they would enter the next year. So I downloaded the fair catalog, entered some stuff and my obsession began.

The MoCo Fair is divided into two parts: the fair, and the carnival. Don’t mix the two up. Both are on the fair grounds, but the fair has real farm animals raised by kids in 4H

the carnival has freak show with a two headed cat.

I don’t raise any animals that can be entered at the fair (apparently Kitty does count) and so I entered my knitting instead. This year I won a grand champion badge WooHoo!

for best men’s sweater
I also won The William F. Smith Award for the Best Entry Men’s Sleeveless Sweater

Both are sweaters I made for my father.

All told I won 5 first place ribbons, 6 second place ribbons and 2 fourth place ones. Yay!

Here is my sweater on display and my friend’s champion shawl is there too.

Here we are knitting at the fair. Yes that is the lovely Laura sitting next to me. BTW I need to thank Laura for the fair photos. As per usual with me, I brought my camera, but didn’t take many pictures.

I'm so excited!

2006-05-03T13:17:00.000-05:00

I literally wait all year for it to be the first weekend in May. Yes, of course I am talking about the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I am going to the festival on both days this year. Hooray! I posted an entry on my knitting groups web site listing some tips in case you are interested. It is just some advice and things I have learned over the years. The one I almost forgot to add was the importance of having a calculator. I am always trying to figure out gauge and yardage and price. Indispensable.

On a sad note, I ripped out 80% of my Green Gable last night. I was in the home stretch and tried it on. It was huge. I debated for a while as to which was more important, having it finished for sheep and wool, or having it fit the way I want. Practically prevailed. Sheep and wool is only one day but the sweater will be worn a lot IF it fits right. So I ripped and ripped and ripped. The sleeves were huge too so I took out a couple of inches of the "with sleeves" part out as well.

I think I have it to a better bust size. I thought about using short rows at the bust but decided against it because of the sleeves. So I think I am just going to add more decreases after the bust to nip it in at the waist. Boobs and knitting are such a pain. Either the fabric is all stretched at the boobs or it is too loose at the waist. I know I know short rows. . .

I'm not dead, but my old computer is

2006-04-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

Long time no see I know. But hopefully I am back for good. My old lap-top was just getting slower and slower and it was time to put it out to pasture. So I bought a great new desk-top and I am back in action (I hope).

I still need to get a lot of photos off the lap-top so I can tell you about what I was up to the last few months. You didn't think I stopped knitting did you?

Right now I am working on my not so Green Gables. This is a great little summer sweater that the folks over at Zephyr put together. I love it.

I am making mine up in KnitPicks Shine worsted in Crocus. I love the color of the yarn but I am not so sure about the yarn itself. It is slubing off a lot as I work with it and I am afraid that it will shed all over everything when I wear it. Still I love the color and I think the sweater is turning out great. I am hoping to have it finished to wear to Sheep & wool next weekend but it might not happen. I think a lot of people from the KAL are going to be wearing them too so it would be fun to connect with them.

Check out the KAL over at Green Gables KAL

Kiparoo Autumn Shawl

2005-11-17T12:59:00.000-05:00

I finished the shawl.

Here it is blocking.

It took about a million pins but I got all the points stretched out. I think I over blocked it a bit on one side. See I have the yarn-over problem. The way I wrap results in a longer YO between two knits than between purl and a knit. Thus there is some unevenness. I know if I wrapped in the other direction it would fix the problem, but I can't seem to force myself to change the way I knit. Sorta like trying to learn to knit continental. I just can't seem to force myself to do it.

Anyway, back to the shawl. This was a fun easy knit. The yarn was a bit scratchier than I thought it would be and it also resulted in a lot of striping which I didn't like. It also looks a lot more like a granny shawl than I thought it would. I took it to work and throw it over my shoulders when my office gets too cold. I give it a C+

The Feel for Felt

2005-11-17T10:56:00.000-05:00

I finally did it. I have been wanting to felt something for ages now. For my first project I decided to try a Booga Bag from Julie. I have seen several of these and thought they were cute. I also wanted to try out some Noro yarn.

Here it is pre-felting

I am not entirely happy with how this bag turned out. It is much deeper than it is wide and sorta reminds me of a lunch bag in its size and shape. Also the Noro didn't felt to well. After 4 washings there si still more stitch definition than I would like. It is however a nice size for toting around small projects like socks and the yarn doesn't shed all over everything. I give it a B.

For my next project I decided to make the Mitered Square Tote. A while ago a bought a one pound grab bag of yarn from Kiparoo farms. I really liked the colors (bright lime green and deep purples) I was worried that the mohair wouldn't felt right, but was I wrong! It probably felted better than the wool. Even the bouchle mohair turned out great.

I love this bag. It felted really well and was fun to just change colors whenever I ran out of yarn or felt like it. I knitting both sides at the same time in order to ensure that the color hangs happened at the same time and that I didn't run out of yarn. I also made it slightly smaller than the pattern called for. After felting the strap is the perfect size to wear diagonally across the shoulders and is about the size perfect for holding magazines and patterns. I get SO many compliments on the bag. People stop me on the metro and street to ask me about it. I totally give this project an A+.

For my third bag I made another mitered square tote. This one is much smaller and more of a purse size. I cast on the same number of stitches for the side and bottom of the bag but less for the squares. This gave me a smaller wider bag. I then added I-cord handles. I ran out of yarn so the handles are smaller than I would like them to be. Still I like how it turned out. The yarn was again from a grab-bag but this time from Dancing Leaf Studios.

I used the eyelash just around the top and I think it looks cute. At the bottom I used a triple plied yarn that was mohair, wool and some sort of metallic. I should have unplied one of the strands because it is a lot bulkier then the rest of the yarn esp after felting. Live and learn. What I don't like about this bag is that the top is a bit floppy and the handles are too short. I give it an A-

Shep and Jenn's Wedding

2005-09-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

I just had to blog about this fabulous wedding I went to on Labor Day. I love this couple and they have a wonderful group of family friends. Here is Mr. and Mrs. Shepard sharing their first kiss

The had such beautiful weather and the country club was one of the prettiest sites for a wedding I have ever been to. So far it all seems normal right? Well the craziness began when we learned what the judge who married them does in his spare time.

Yup that is him at the reception. But that was only the beginning. The wig also made an appearance:

I feel I should point out that this is not a wig the DJ gave us, but a wig that has been making the rounds for a while now.

Even the groom needed to wear the wig.

Baby Ryan felt left out so he got to wear the wig the next day. Scary, but he kinda reminds me of Gene Simmons in it.

The real highlight of the night came when all of our furry friends arrived. There is a long tradition of these guys going to weddings. Best man Mark explained it like this "We knew we their visit wouldn't be a surprise, but we thought the sheer number of them would be a shocker"

First up was a visit from Bricky (Waz) who is the mascot of the school Shep is principle of.

Next we have Spongebob (Craig):

Since both live under the sea I guess they are old friends.

Barney (Mark) made an appearance:

Followed by Big Bird:
I just had such a great time at this wedding as I am sure everyone did.

Katrina Relief

2005-09-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

First Katrina
I haven't posted about this tragic event becasue this is really a knitting blog and I don't want to bring too much politics into it. But since the knitters have come together . . . I want to say I finally added my donation to the Give a Little knitter contribution to Katrina relief effort. I think it is neat that there is a tally being kept for the knitter contributions. My friend and I are currently working on a way to donate some handmade blankets to the relief effort. It's hard though since they don't seem to want anything but money. I just heard that some of the refugee's are being sent to the Red Cross in Rockville, MD. I am trying to figure out if there is anything I can do to welcome them and help out.

Kristie over at Breaching the Web has collected some really interesting links to blogs with timelines and quotes about the governments involvement in disaster relief. So sad to see our relief efforts fail so completely.

Ok on to knitting before I start making this a total political rant.

I haven't had much to say lately. I updated my sidebar to include stalled projects. Maybe seeing it there will make me do something about them and finish something. I really tried not to start anything new, but I was upset about something this weekend and either I was going to eat a ton of chocolate to make myself feel better or sublimate with yarn. So, I bought this amazing silk yarn a while ago from Knit Happens. It is La Luz from Fiesta Yarns in the Rainforest colorway. I bought it for use with the Starbust Scarf from Art Yarns. It is this gorgeous 100% silk yummyness.

I like how this is turning out, but the pattern is a real pain. The diamonds are made by turning the work back and forth to work each triangle. So you knit one whole diamond. Then knit the next diamond etc. Not sure if I am making sense, but all that turning gets old fast. Also I cast on too tightly at the begining so it curls at bit at the end. I am not willing to rip it out now so it is just gonna have to stay that way. I still think it is gonna be pretty. I just hope that one skein will be enough to make a decent length scarf. The yarn is wonderful, but certainly not cheap.

I've been tagged

2005-09-12T15:03:00.000-05:00

Mel over at Knitting and me tagged me with this:

Ten years ago I was:
I had just graduated from Smith College. I think by this point I had managed to turn my boring summer internship into a 1 year temp position at SmithKline Beecham as an analytical chemist. I was filling out grad school applications and living in North Wales, PA with Kathy and Dana.

Five years ago I was:
I was in grad school (Brown University) and suffering from severe depression. I was a mess and it was a really difficult time for me. I was living on my own in East Providence, RI. This is when I got Kitty who was my anti-depression cat. I love her and she was a big help to me.

One year ago I was:
Hmm. Not much really changed between this year and last. Living alone in Gaithersburg, MD. Working for the Army as a post-doct. I guess this time last year I was just getting really into the MeetinDC thing. I think I am over it now. I haven't even looked at an event posting in ages. It was a lot of fun while I was into it and I did make some great friends.

Five snacks:

Anything that comes in chip form
Ice cream
Nestle treasures
Cheese and Crackers
Diet Coke

Five songs I know all the words to:

This is tough, I know all the words to a million songs, Many I really wish I could get the brain cells back from but I am going to change this to my favorite / personal theme songs

Miami - Counting Crows
American Girl - Tom Petty
Rockin the Suburbs - Ben Fold's
Cecilia - Simon and Garfunkel
Don't Suppose - Erasure

Five things I would do with $100 million:

This is Hilary's favorite game. We played it all through Shep and Jen's wedding. $100 is great because it is huge money even after taxes.

Go to spa (fat farm) for a month and collect thoughts and get in shape
Pay off all my debts
Give $10,000 each to family and friends
Set up scholarship / trust fun for nephew and best friend's baby
Quit job and open yarn store

Five places to run away to:

Why am I running away? If it is really bad I would go to my parents
Am I going somewhere fun? London and Edinburgh
Dream vacation? Alaska
Just for the weekend? To Lewes, DE to hang out with Kris
If I had a guy to run away with? St. Martin

Five things I would never wear:

Tough, I kinda wear anything . . .

Lizard or animal prints
Anything religious
A shrug - so unflattering on someone my size
Fake nails (I don't know if that counts as wearing)
Yellow or orange. I think I look awful in all shades

Five favorite TV shows:

I watch an enormous amount of TV so I am going to split this into still on air and off the air

Off air now:

Coupling
Twin Peaks
Sex in the City
Seignfield
Gidget

Still on Air:

Monk
Inuyasha
Mystery!
CSI
Scrubs

Five biggest joys:

Being praised. I love being told I did good.
Starting a new knitting project
Hanging out with my best friend and her baby
Laughing with friends
Eating a really good meal

Five favorite toys:

Knitting
DVR (Comcast's version of Tivo)
My car
My digital camera
CD burner

Five people to pass this on to:

I am not really sure how this is supposed to work and I don't really like chain letters. So I am gonna post the names of some blogger that I read and if they read this an want to join in, I would love to learn more about them.

Kristie at Breaching the Web

Some WIP

2005-08-29T21:56:00.000-05:00

There hasn't been much finishing of knitting going on, but I keep starting new things. I never used to be this way. When did my attention span get so short?

You might remember I started a pair of socks a while ago that were in a double eyelet pattern I had designed. Well I hated them. They looked blindingly busy. So I ripped them out. I tried several more patterns but just thought everything looked too busy. I recently signed Knitting on the Road out from the library. I really didn't notice the Friday Harbor socks. The sample they have knitted is done in really dark colored wool so you can't see the pattern at all. However, there is the Friday Harbor KAL going on and I saw some of the socks being knitted and I thought it would be perfect for my yarn.

I had to add a lot of stitches to make a sock big enough to fit my giant calves but I now have 1 sock almost completed

I also started in on another pair of socks in this super bright pink Twinkletoes yarn I got from Rainbow Knits on eBay. This yarn is finer than most sock yarns I have used. This can be both good and bad. I tried a couple patterns with it before settling on this one. The color is also much brighter in person than I thought it was going to be. Ah well.

And finally, I finished the main part of my Autumn shawl from Kiparro. I am working on the border lace and then I can finally block it and hopefully the lace detail will show up more. I am a little concerned about the shedding factor of this yarn, but other than that it was lovely to work with. I really like the colors a lot even though they aren't in my usual color pallet.

Non-Knitting Post

2005-08-26T12:47:00.000-05:00

I have been meaning to write up a post about my last visit to Lewes, DE. My best friend Kristen lives there. I have to say I am jealous sometimes of the great life she has. She has a great husband whom I adore and the sweetest baby you could ever imagine. One of the things I love the most about Kris and Mark is that they don't mind company. Living at the beach means they get more than their fair share of it too. A couple of weekends ago I dragged my other friends Sana off to the beach with me. The highlight of the weekend was going to a pig roast at Mark's Dad's house.

That's Sana and I with what was left of the pig. Tasty!

Mark's step mom is really into carriage horses. Here is Jam and Jelly after our little ride through the neighborhood.

And here is a shot of Sana and baby Ryan's. He had a little cold that weekend so he was a little grumpy, but still such a perfect and lovely baby.

The results are in

2005-08-25T13:56:00.000-05:00

Sorry I have been neglecting the blog lately but I got a cold and was feeling miserable. So miserable that I didn't even knit on a few nights.

anyway I wanted to let you know how fantastic the Montgomery county fair was. I had a great time volunteering at the knitting demonstration table. It was also great to look at all the things people had entered.
Here is my final tally:
Flowers of Scotland - 4th Place
Hardanger sampler - 1st
Orangina -1st
Socks - 3rd
Pink Shawl - 2nd
Scandinavian sweater - 1st
Green wrap - 1st
Scarf - Honorable mention (yes they thought it looked like a hairy tarantula too)
Hat - 5th
Purple tank - 4th
Red Poncho - 1st
Beige Shawl - 1st
Scarf - 2nd
Blue Afghan - 2nd

I should actually be getting a substantial check in the mail. Wonder what I will buy with it. I'll give you one guess.

Scenes from the fair:

More CD Swap thank you's

2005-08-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

I got another CD in the mail yesterday. This one from Lisa. It has a lot of Simon and Garfunkel and Sinead O''Conner on it. I love them. It even has 7 o'clock New / Silent Night on it which I find to be such a poignant statement about the world we live in. Sadly things haven't changed much since S&G wrote it. Thanks Lisa

On the knitting front, not much news. Lame I know. I have just been too busy to take photos and somehow me writing about knitting can't be that exciting. But I guess I will do it anyway. Tuesday I went to the Montgomery County Fair to volunteer with Kristie at the knitting demonstration table. Lots of fun. I learned that at the fair they have the best grilled cheese imaginable. I also got lots of ribbons. Yay me. (I might have already told you that but I am really excited about it) Wednesday was Knitty but I was REALLY tried and slept for 12 hours instead. (My ability to sleep for long periods is a sure since I am getting sick) Thursday was NoMoCo S&B where Mel finally joined us (I will admit I didn't make the connection between person and blog right away check out her comments to find out what an idiot I am). Tonight I am back at the fair.

I promise some better photos and progress soon.

Knitter's CD Swap

2005-08-16T13:49:00.000-05:00

I sent out my CD’s and got my first two in the mail. Nothing like finding packages in your mailbox to brighten your day. First off, thanks to Marlana for setting this all up. I got your mix and it is fab. I have been listening to it in the lab and everyone keeps wondering who would mix The Beastie Boys with Emmy Lou Harris? Marlana would and more power to her. This is totally the same sort of strange mix I am in the habit of making. Plus it has a Mojo Nixon track on it. One of the first concerts I ever went to was a Mojo Nixon concert at City Gardens. I was dating a bouncer at the time. Crazy but true. This was way back in the early days of mosh pits. Judd put me up in the stands in the corner and forbid me to come down into the pit. Ah High School, good times.

A second thank you goes to Suzie. I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to it, but I am dying to here the Knitters track. I mean how can they not be great with a name like that? This mix also has a Teenage Fanclub song on it. They always make me think of another guy I dated. He made me a mix tape that really was the reason I went out with him. It was just one of those tapes where I LOVED everyone song on it. He got me into so many groups that I had never even heard of before. He’s responsible for a minor obsession I had with The Stone Roses.

Dressy Bessy of course makes me think of my Dressy Bessy Doll when I was a little girl. (Thanks Dressy Bessy for teaching me to work zippers and tie bows). And finally a funny story about Iggy Pop. Iggy lives around the corner from my brother. He has seen him driving his Bently with the top down in a leather jacket with no shirt. All very rock star, except that he is driving his kid to a T-ball game!!!!

I can’t wait for my next 2 CD’s to arrive!

So in case you were wondering what I sent out? Well, I couldn’t decided if I wanted to make my usual trip-hop type mix or if I wanted to go more mainstream and mellow. So I did both. I sent out 2 CDs

CD1
Rocking the Suburbs – Ben Folds
Gone Going – the Black Eyed Peas (featuring Jack Johnson)
Miami – The Counting Crows
Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard – Paul Simon
For You – The Bare Naked Ladies
Gone – Ben Folds
Superman – Lazlo Bane
I Spy – Guster
Missing Me – Jack Johnson
It Must be Love – Madness
Father & Daughter – Paul Simon
This is to Mother You – Sinead O’Connor
Landslide – The Dixie Chicks
Haunted – The Pogues and Sinead O’Connor
Once in a Lifetime – The Talking Heads
Waltzing Matilda – Tom Waits
Babylon – David Gray
Let’s Dance – M. Ward
New Slang – The Shins
Such Great Heights – Iron and Wine

CD2
Battle without Honor or Humanity –Tomoyasu Hotei
Pump It – The Black Eyed Peas
The Power is On – The Go! Team
Because we can – Fatboy Slim
Don’t Sweat the Technique – Eric B. and Rakim
T Plays it Cool – Marvin Gaye
I like to Score – Moby
1976 – RJD2
Kemuri – DJ Krush
Bear Witness – Dr. Octagon
Running Away – Sly and the Family Stone
Johnny Appleseed – Joe Strummer and the Mescalaro
Green Grass of Tunnel – Mum
Indian Flute – Timbaland and Magoo
Could Well Be In – The Streets
Parasite – G. Love and Special Sauce
You Can’t Always Get What you Want – Rusted Root
Twice the First Time – Saul Williams
Why Can’t I Touch It – The Buzzcocks

What Kind of Needle Are You?

2005-08-12T09:22:00.000-05:00

Once again I found this quiz from my friend Sarah over at Nikki knits

You are bamboo.
Warm, cozy, and thoughtful, you take your time and
enjoy how things feel, smell, and taste. You
love the craft and beauty of traditional
things, and you value the comfort and
experience of knitting as much as the results.
But while you are reveling in your warm cozies,
don't get stuck. Warm is wonderful, but so is
the whole wide world!

What kind of knitting needles are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I have to say this time I like the description a lot more. I love quizzes.

So I entered all 15 of my project into the county fair. I also signed up to demonstrate Tuesday evening. If you happen to be at the Montgomery County Fair stop by and say hello.

Meet me at the Fair. . .

2005-08-11T12:14:00.000-05:00

Meet me in Montgomery County, Meet me at the fair, I'll be with my darling knitting . . .

Anyway I am all excited because I decided to enter some stuff in the Montgomery County Fair. Crazy. I have never even been to a county fair. It is gonna be a whole new experience for me. Kunni who is one of the organizers of the Home Goods section of the fair has been pleading with NoMoCo Stitch and Bitch for years to show off our talents. Well this year I just knit so much I had to say yes. So here is what I am going to enter.

I know this first stuff isn't knitting, but I do have others talents . . .
Department 45:
Section B: Counted Thread, Cross-Stitch or Backstitch pictures (Framed)
28. Sampler mixed media (hardanger, blackwork, pulled thread, drawn work)

33. Pair of pictures, matching or coordinating set, any size

Department 47: Crocheting:
Section A: Afghans, Large
10. Medallion

I thought I already had a picture of this afghan but I guess I didn't. When I get it back I will take a photo for you.

Section D: Crocheted Garments:
6. Adult Poncho

7. Adult Shawl

Section E: Crocheted small garments

11. Scarf

Department 48: Hand Knitting
Section B: Adult Garments:
1. Cape poncho or stole

Section C: Ladies Sweaters:
5. Cardigan, all plain or all rib

14. Pullover, raised design cotton

17. Pullover, Scandinavian, yoke

Section G: Miscellaneous
1. Adult Scarf

This scarf is made out of Mexicali which is a eyelash blend. Not really my thing, and it was impossible to photograph with out is looking like a hairy tarantula leg.

2. Adult gloves or socks

3. Adult Hat

Ok so I have gone completely overboard. Whatever. Look out fair, here I come!!!

WIP Update

2005-08-10T15:01:00.000-05:00

I thought it was time to update you on some of my WIP.

Filati Tank

I have the front finished on this. I added a pattern repeat on this both lengthwise and widthwise in order to make the sweater bigger. I am not sure this was a good idea. I used a lot more yarn because of this. Not a huge deal because I can go and buy more. I also feel like this has made the front huge now. For a comparison check out the tank and compare it to the One Skein Wonder below. Both are on the same ottoman so you can judge the size. No I know the one is a shrug and the other is not. And the shrug is made for my tiny SIL. But still it looks really big. I need to do some measuring. One solution would be to make the back the regular width size. This means the basket weave pattern would be off, but at the seams so it wouldn't be too noticeable. I also kinda wonder about doing this. I mean after all my front is bigger than my back so it makes sense the garment should be too right? But you never see this done so I don't know . . .

Kiparoo Autumn Shawl

This is turning out pretty nice I think. I know it looks like a big blob here, but it isn't blocked and jammed onto the circular needle so I couldn't really spread it out. It is also striping more than I would like it to, but I am hoping that as it gets wider the repeat will change and this will stop. It is a pretty easy pattern so kinda mindless without being too boring. Although as it gets wider it is now taking forever to finish a row. Once it is blocked and has the border added I think it is gonna be great.

BTW this yarn is not red white and blue. It is kinda a rusty/brick red, a dark blue and grey in colors.

Mosaic Wedding Afghan

I know have 1.75 out of 12 squares completed. Sounds like nothing when you put it that way but I have been working hard. This pattern is hard because I really need to have the chart and pay very close attention to it. I like the effect and I think it is going to be gorgeous when it is completed, but it is gonna take a long time to finish it. I have a year to get it done and the couple in question had a very short engagement so really they didn't give me much time.

One Skein Wonder

2005-08-09T14:25:00.000-05:00

I finally got the shoulder measurements for my SIL and was able to make my one skein wonder in just one day. This was a fun little project I got from Glampyres blog. She has some really great patterns so go check her out. She also wrote the pattern for Orangena. I really love this little shrug. In general I am not a shrug person but this was so cute and easy. I will probably be making more as gifts since it so quick and easy and really cute.

I wish I could try it on though. Unfortunately (for me anyway) I am like twice the size of my SIL. There is no way this thing would fit me. I checked and my gauge was dead on so it should fit her. I can't wait to get it in the mail.

Face Lift

2005-08-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

Not much new to report on the knitting front. I did give my blog a bit of a facelift though. I fiddle with the colors some more which then meant I needed to change all the little rounders. This turned into a massive job. I probably made it a lot harder than it need to be, and I still can't figure out why the main rounders at the bottom aren't the right color. But I gave up. I think the whole thing look more unique now and less like I am using the same template as everyone else. At least that was my intention.

I was hoping to go to the knit out at The Mannings this weekend but I forgot that I told my friends I would watch their cats for them while they moved. I know from experience what a trial it is to have a cat around while you are in and out of the house and moving around. I might still go in the afternoon. It depends how the visiting kitties are taking to their new surroundings.

I also plan on FINALLY sitting down the read the Harry Potter. I just finished re-reading the whole serious last night and I am set to dive into the latest.

Quiz From my Neighbor

2005-08-03T14:02:00.000-05:00

My knitting web-ring neighbor just said hello and she had this quiz up. Since it was knitty, I thought I would include it too.

You are Shetland Wool.
You are a traditional sort who can sometimes be a
little on the harsh side. Though you look
delicate you are tough as nails and prone to
intricacies. Despite your acerbic ways you are
widely respected and even revered.

What kind of yarn are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I don't think any of the descriptions are all that flatering though. Is it my love of the movie "Heathers" that makes me a harsh person?

This just in

2005-08-03T13:24:00.000-05:00

I got my approval for the knitting blog web ring. Ah to be a part of such an illustrious group. I probably shouldn't be this excited, but I am.

Shout out

2005-08-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

Wow, I just realized I got featured on someone else's blog. This is a first for me (I think) esp since I only get like 1 or 2 hits a day. Go check it out http://www.dcblogs.com I guess this blog is about blogs about DC. Crazy. He actually wrote me and asked if I knew of any other knit blogs in the DC area. Um yeah, like a million. I didn't write him back though because I wanted a chance to check out his blog first and make sure I wasn't giving him all my fellow bloggers addresses so he could put them on some crazy site. It seems like a cool site, but I still don't know if I am comfortable giving him other peoples addresses. On the other hand, I think most bloggers are trying to get more traffic and exposure. I am will ask the other bloggers at md md knitty tonight what they think.

Intarsia insmarsia

2005-08-02T13:26:00.000-05:00

There is only one thing in knitting that I hate more than double pointed needles and that is intarsia. I only have done one major intarsia project. It was this Rowen sweater knit in like a million colors of their 4-ply cotton. The results don't look too bad in the photo, but I really should include a photo of the reverse side. I mean who are we kidding, when it comes to intarsia it is the reverse side that is critical. Well let me assure you, the reverse side is a mess!!! I tried to make is nice a smooth I really did. Those flowery type motifs are actually about 3 inches thick (ok not really, but they feel like it sometimes) I mean when you are working with that many colors, just how are you supposed to weave in all those ends and not have a total mess.

And lets not go into just how many stupid bobbins I had hanging off this thing as I made it. There was no way to stop them from becoming a tangled mess. While I did figure out how to wrap stitches at the edge to prevent holes, I never managed to get theknittingg to lay flat and not pull in. This sweater was really 3-D when I first finished it. The motifs were all puffy.

I think if I were ever crazy enough to try and knit this sweater again I would fair aisle the whole thing and just twist and carry the color along. This would also be a nightmare, but at least the sweater wouldn't be three inches thick in patches.

Why have I forsaken you?

2005-08-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

I feel like I have been neglecting my blog. It has only been a month and already I find myself not adding things as much as I would like to.

This weekend I started in on the Kiparoo Shawl. I know I know I haven’t finished any of the million of other projects I have going, but I finished the front of the Filatra tank, and I finished one of the mosaic afghan sections so I wanted to start in on something new.

So far the shawl is going well. It is a pretty easy pattern and I am hoping I will have the center memorized in now time. No pictures yet though.

I spent a good chunk of Sunday sorting out the NoMoCo S-n-B afghan squares. Our group just finished up a square contest where we had members make as many squares as they could in two months. We did great. I now have hundreds of squares in my spare room. I bundled them all into packets on matching colors an put up a link on our group web page so now people can sign up to grab a packet and sew all the squares together to make an afghan. I am hoping we will have at least 4 finished by this winter to give to charity.

Oh, and just cause I feel the need to whine a bit. I had the worst headache ever yesterday. I woke up with it which is never a good thing (and no I wasn’t out drinking so I can’t even feel like I had a great time Sat night to compensate for the headache) I fought it off with Advil most of the day. Then I went to bed around 11. At 2 am I woke up and thought I was gonna die. It felt like someone was driving a burning hot spear through the right front of my head. I did all of my usual headache cure things. The only thing I didn’t do is take the relpax that I got from my doctor. I don’t know why. All I can think is that I was delirious with pain and half asleep. I woke up several times during the night in cold sweats from the pain. So unhappy. I came into work late today because even though the head is gone now, I still feel kinda sick and weird (like I have a hangover from the headache) and I need to get some sleep.

I HATE MIGRAINES!!!!

Fiber Tour

2005-07-29T15:22:00.000-05:00

Ok it wasn’t much of a fiber tour as we only made it to two farms, but it was about a million degrees out and we spent a couple of hours at each place.

Stop #1 Kiparoo Farms Kiparoo Farm Studio
2110-D Pleasant View Road
Adamstown, MD 21710,
301.874.6348 I really like the yarns at Kiparoo and Annie is just a wonderful person to talk to. I had no idea she was one of the founders of MD S&W. Yay Annie, we are all thankful for your ideas and efforts! She also has an amazing life story. I think what impressed me most was that it was about a million degrees out and she was wearing long sleeves and jeans and looked cool and fabulous. I will never understand how people can mange this.

I couldn't resist and bought this lovely merino and mohair stuff to make this great shawl out of. I think the colors will look great with jeans and it will be perfect to throw over my shoulders at work. I won't look as great as Annie does in her jeans, but it'll do.

And a 1 pound grab bag. I just liked the colors a lot. I might try and make a bag out of it. I don't really have enough yarn to properly swatch, so I think I will just wing it and see what happens. I love the colors. Purples with lime green. It spoke to me, what can I say?

Stop #2 Firesong 14576 Monticello Drive
Cooksville, MD 21723
301.854.4848, kelde@erols.com This was my first trip to Firesong. She warned me that she had been cleaned out at Sheep and Wool and that her home/ studio was under construction. We decided to come anyway. The studio is going to be amazing. Imagine have a huge home designed specifically for spinning, dying, and weaving? She has a room the size of my own kitchen that is just for dying. Crazy. Diane was a real pleasure to talk to. I know nothing about weaving and she is an expert. My aunt bought some wool, but like an idiot I didn't take pictures to share. It was handpainted in some lovely dark blues with some beige thrown in. It is gonna look great. We then went outside to look at the sheep a little. Most of them were hiding out in the shade. Did I mention it was hot? We did get to look at the males though. She has some gorgeous angora sheep in really great colors. One is even kind of red. Very cool. Oh and we got to fondle some kid mohair that Diane had just washed. I don't think I ever felt anything so soft and wonderful in all of my life.

It was a great day, but I think if I ever plan on doing this again I will wait until the spring when all the cute little lambs are around or the spring when they are shearing. Mostly I will wait for a day when it is well under a 100 degrees out!

Still exhausted

2005-07-27T13:18:00.000-05:00

****I need to put in a big note here that I did not take any of these photos. My fellow campers did. I was worried about my camera getting salt and sand in it so it stayed home ****

I am still recovering from the busiest week ever. Assategue was great. I was a bit anti-social for some reason. I am never one for huge crowds and I think 95 people camping counts as that. I was just in one of those moods where I was happier doing my own thing.

It was insane. I don't know how Jamie and Kevin managed to organize this whole event but it came off without a hitch as far as I could tell. I got there around 6:30 on Friday and set up my tent and helped some others do likewise. We cooked dinner and then had a bonfire down on the beach.

I love fires and just hanging out talking.
Ok I think some of use had more fun with the fire than others . . .

It was so hot on Friday I didn't really get much sleep.

I got up early on Saturdaygrabbed some breakfast and coffee and headed down to the beach with my book. (I need to get all of the book read for book club on Tuesday and I am a really slow reader)

Thank god it was cooler on Saturay bu even still once it started to heat up I fled for some shade. Even with factor 30 on I managed to get pretty burnt. The problem with 30 is that if you miss even one small spot you have this flaming red burn in crazy patterns. Oh well. I mostly did alright though and I have gotten lots of compliments on how tan I look at work this week.

I spent a lot of time in the ocean too. Biggest waves I have seen around here in a long time. Totally fun.

Here is me cooking dinner Sat with other intrepid campers.

After dinner it was back to the beach for another campfire. This time Vicko and Ming did some crazy fire dancing. They twirled and danced with these flaming things. It was amazing. (In case you are wondering this is the same Ming I have blogged about before who has the knitting art exhibit going in DC right now. How cool is she???)

Sunday morning I was up early, packed and headed home. I needed to get home in order to begin my lovely visit with my aunt and our little fiber tour. More on that tomorrow.

Over Committed

2005-07-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

I thought I might spend today telling you a bit about the going on in the daily life of Brooke. Let's start with Sunday. Sunday I went with some friends to a wine tasting / Reggae concert at linganore vineyards. This was a lot of fun and I love their blueberry wine, but I don't think I have ever been that hot before. By the time I got home I had a pounding headache. (This does not bode well for this weekend)

Monday I did some cleaning and last minute shopping for camping this weekend.

Last night I went to the library to pick up some books on tape for the long drive this weekend. I then met a group of friends for dinner and a the pub quiz at rira in Bethesda. I am happy to report that Drs. Evil won. Usually it is the music round that kills us but we got half of them right last night. I never thought my knowledge of Phil Collins and Genesis would get me so far in life. Yay team!

Tonight I am going to attend my first mid-md knitty meetup. I heard about this group from Chelsea over at small hands. I am always looking for new knitting friends. Silver Spring is a little far for me because I will be coming from work but it s only once a month so what the hey. Can't wait to meet the group and see what people are knitting.

Tomorrow is my regular no-mo-co stitchnbitch meeting. I love this group. We have so much fun and we now meet every week. This is a great group of women off ages and backgrounds and knitting experience. I love getting together and chat and see what everyone is knitting. Please come join us!

Friday I am taking a half day at work and leaving to go camping in Assatague. This is a national park with wild ponies and other animals running around on a beach.
I went last year and had a blast. I love to camp. I am going with a group I am a part of called MEETinDC. They are a free social group that is about making friends. Meetin now has chapters all over the country, in fact the world. The way it works is that there is this web site and if you want to get some people to do something you post an event and anyone can sign up. Or you can sign up to go to someone else's event. It is sorta like MeetUp in that way except rather than joining a specific activity group you can find people to do anything with. So you can go camping, to the movies, dinner a museum. When you first join it is a little intimidating because you are walking into a room full of people you don't know. But everyone is super friendly and of course was in the same situation themselves not too long ago. Once you go to a couple of events you start to recognize people and make real friendships.

That being said, meetin has gotten huge. When I first joined there were under a 1,000 members and of that not to many were active. So it was like a group of friends. At most of the events I attended I would know more than half the people there. Now there are 4,500 members. It is huge. Now I mostly only go to events where I know my friends are also going to attend. Having to introduce yourself to people over and over and over gets dull after a while. But still I really recommend Meetin to anyone who just moved to a new city or is just looking for new friends and something to do.

Here is just a sample of what is going on in DC in the next few days.
07/20/2005 July Birthdays Happy Hour at Dr. Dremo's <<
07/20/2005 Texture DJs at Gazuza
07/20/2005 MiDC Races MountainBikes
07/21/2005 PENGUIN movie & dinner <<
07/21/2005 Free Concert At Fort Reno <<
07/21/2005 Full Mahjong for Dummies
07/22/2005 Full Official MiDC Camping trip, Assateague Island, MD <<
07/22/2005 Wedding Crashers in Georgetown & Drinks Before (2) <<
07/22/2005 Ghostbuster's under the moon!

Anyway I am going camping with these guys this weekend. I have been looking forward to this all summer. But now I am really worried about the heat. I just don't hold up well in the heat. Last year I wound up in the hospital for heat exhaustion after a camping trip. A nightmare I do not want to go through again. It is a little cooler today (actually the temp is higher but the humidity is down so it feels cooler) and we will be on the beach so there should be a breeze and I can get in the water. My fingers are crossed.

Sunday I will drive home and my Aunt is coming to visit. I love my aunt. I always say she is where I get my craftiness from. This of course is ridiculous because she isn't a blood relative and I guess there isn't a gene for craftiness anyway. But my mom, as much as I love her, just doesn't get it. So my aunt is coming to visit and we are going to check out some yarn shops and farms. I was really hoping to get to dancing leaf farm because I have never been. However, Dalis will be away so instead we will have to settle with Kiparoo farms (just was there a few weeks ago) and Firesong Fibers. I am excited to talk to the owners about raising sheep and making and dyeing their own yarn. I am not much of a spinner but maybe I will take the plunge once again.

Tuesday is book club and I haven't even started the book. Maybe this weekend??? I really want to read the book too.

So Busy Busy Busy. I love it though. It is all stuff I really want to do so I can't complain about it. This is one of the times where I think I love being single. I can totally pack my days doing stuff I love and not have to think about anyone else. Selfish, perhaps, but there has to be some upsides right?

Hope you are having fun too!

White Wonder

2005-07-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

Today I thought I would talk about Tina. I knit Tina a few years back. My pockets were a bit empty and I went off in search of cheap yarn. I bought a pound cone of Lily 4 ply cotton. I can't remember the price now but I want to say that with a coupon it was around $10. I had no idea how it would knit up. I had this fear that I would be wearing a dishcloth around. I found the pattern for Tina for free online and already had the needles so off I went and started knitting.

So what don't you see in this picture? Well the way it is knit you start at the bottom and when you get to the arm holes you cast off a lot of stitches and then continue knitting up the middle and shape the neck. What I didn't realize until I had finished both the front and back and seamed it was that this meant that while the height of the arm holes was fine the width left me showing a lot of bra to the world. I have never had this problem with anything I knit before. (This is why patterns normally have rounded armholes instead of square ones. )

So to fix the problem I could have taken out all the side-seams and ripped out the top of both sides and re-knit the armholes. Obviously I didn't do that. What I did instead was pick up stitches around the armhole and add some knitting. Kinda a weird fix, and it did leave a noticeable join, but I could live with it. Besides it is all covered when my arms are down anyway.

All in all I am really happy with this sweater and wear it a lot. I imagine if I had knit it using the denim silk that Berroco recommended it would have come out very different. The silk would have a lovely drape to it. My Tina is pretty thick and stiff. But I like that. It hides my tummy this way.

Stash enhancement and a new WIP

2005-07-18T16:57:00.000-05:00

Why must yarn stores torment me by having sales? I really am beginning to develop a yarn problem. It started as a joke but I really can't seem to help myself anymore. I just keep buying more and more yarn. At least I usually have a project in mind. Although come to think of it I didn't do so good on that front this weekend.

My favorite LYS Eleganza was having a sidewalk sale this weekend. I picked this up at 50% off. How could I say no? I love the tweedy color and it should felt up into something fabulous I just have no idea what right now. It is three skiens of Rowanspun aran. Two red and one navy.

I also picked up some Noro Kureyon #92 to make a booga_bag for my mom. Shhh, don't tell. I think she will like these colors. They have such fantastic colorways and so much to choose from. Kitty helped out in this photo shoot. (AKA tolerated me putting yarn next to her for a few seconds before she started to think it meant she could play with it)

Next I picked up some "Cashmere Luxury Aran" It has no company listed on the tag. It is a pretty light blue and is 45% Merino, 49% microfiber and 6% cashmere. It is super soft and if going to be a one skein wonder for my sister in law if she ever gives me her shoulder measurements. I think she will love the OSW. It perfect for her. Me, I have giant shoulders and would look like a hulking freak in a shrug but Lisa would look fabulous in it.

And last but not least I started mosaic knitting this weekend. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but I think it is turning out really well. This is going to be a wedding afghan for Shep and Jen. There is no way it will be finished in time for the wedding on labor day; they will just have to make due with a photo and a promise. I got the pattern from Family Circle Easy Knitting Holiday 2003. The yarn is Pattons Simply Soft. Normally I wouldn't go for acrylic but it is so soft and is for an afghan. It is nice to be able to tell people they can just bing it in the wash.

Some stuff I have come across

2005-07-13T10:21:00.000-05:00

First the good stuff, I joined a knitters CD swap here. I am excited about this. I love when people make new mixes for me. It is a great chance to get exposed to new kinds of music. I figure if I come up with even three new songs from new artists it is a win for me.

Second, there is a letter writing campaign to help out Julie over at boogaj. She is the designer of the great booga bag pattern. Recently Belle Armoire published an article with a pattern for a nearly exact copy of her bag. They even wrote her before the article was published asking for her permission. She very graciously agreed to let them use it for free as long as they gave her credit. They did not do so. I think this sort of thing is terrible. Help a fellow knitter out and write a letter. (See boogJ's blog for the full story and the link to the editor's email)

UPDATED:
After emailing with Julie and the editor of Belle Armoire I have come to the following conclusion. The bags are significantly different. Especially after reading this. However, I think the editor jumped the gun and contacedt Julie about the bag similarities, made an agreement with her, and then later talked to the author of the other pattern and came to the conclusion they were different. Does this mean that the contract with Julie is nullified? Legally I have no idea. My brother the patent attorney says the whole thing is too messy and since it doesn't involve money its not worth pursuing. (Is he a lawyer or what?) I guess in the end I think that Belle Armoire should apologize to Julie and at the very least honor their agreement to give her a free subscription.

In the end it makes me feel a lot less wary about putting up free patterns on here. As long as I never expect to profit from it, seems like all you would have to do it change the yarn, maybe cast on a little different. Maybe add a story about how you got the design idea and you can call it your own. Not very reassuring. It seems like there is very little incentive to design a pattern when so much work goes into it.

Why everyone should love Short Rows

2005-07-12T18:52:00.000-05:00

I recently learned what a short row was and why I should be doing them. So I am going to share my knew knowledge with you. There have been a lot of good articles around on the web about short rows recently and so I got to asking myself "Does everyone know something I don't? I mean I never saw a pattern with direction for short rows in it so why should I be bothered right?"
WRONG !

Here's the secret: patterns hardly ever tell you to use short row shaping because it takes too long to write. But never fear the technique is easy and patterns convert readily.

So what is a short row and when should I be using it.
1. Use number one = Shaping a Bust
Short rows are a way of adding shape and ease. It works sorta like adding darts in sewing. Basically you are adding stitches in the middle, without adding them at the edge so that your knitting kinda balloons out and give you room for those feminine curves. There is a really great article in Knitty that explains this. This is where I learned about short rows. This article has great diagrams and a link to a pattern at White Lies which uses this shaping for a great tank.

I used short rows to add some bust room in this tank. I am very happy with the results. It means that the fabric doesn't get really stretched out over my breasts. When I blocked this sweater I put plastic bags under the boob area in order to maintain the shape. I wish I took pictures of this process now. I did this because I read somewhere that if you flat block something with short rows all the shaping will go away.

2. Use Number 2 = Sock heels
Ok I have to fess up here and admit I have not tried this yet. Last Thursday we got to talk about our favorite heal shaping at NMC Knitting Group and Anne said she loved short row heals. Being recently excited about short rows I had to find out more. Kristie sent me this link heel 1 and I also found this heel 2 and this heel 3. I haven't had time to read any of these, but the point is you can use short rows to shape sock heels.

3. Use Number 3 = Binding Off
This is where I am truly converted. As you may have noticed it is summer. I have been on a tank knitting frenzy. Any of you who have knitted sleaveless items will know that using normal decreasing methods can leave you with a messy step-ladder kind of effect both around the neck and under the arms. In the past I would often crochet around my edges in order to achieve a more uniform and finished look. NO MORE! Now I use short rows. I couldn't find a nice link for this but this explains how would you use the technique for shoulder shaping. Basically it works like this. Say the pattern reads:
Decrease 4 st at the sleeve edge of next 2 rows
Decrease 1 st at the sleeve edge of next 10 rows

What you would do is knit until 5 stitches remain. Wrap the next stitch (see explanations in any of the links I provided for how to wrap). Turn work. Work across until 5 stitches remain at the other sleeve edge. Wrap the next stitch. Turn work.
Work until 6 stitches remain. Wrap the next stitch
Repeat until you have made 14 wraps on each sleeve edge.
Now work across and pick up all of the wraps on one side and work to the end.
Turn your work and decrease 14 stitches. Work across and pick up the wrapped stitches at the other edge. Turn and bind off 14 stitches.

What this does is give you a nice clean edged. I used this technique on both the neck and arm edges in this sweater. I mean do edges get and finer?

Weekend Update

2005-07-11T18:38:00.000-05:00

Friday night I finished Daisy. She could have been a bit longer, but all in all isn't too bad. I really need to accept the fact that I am freakishly long-waisted. I normally add length to everything, but this had so much shaping in it I was afraid to try it. Now am afraid to wear it because it is too short and well let's face it too skimpy for someone of my size. Sigh.

I don't know how much I will be able to wear her though. I am afraid to sweat in it with all the angora, likewise I don't want to take her to a bar where she would get smoky. While it is softer than anything I have ever knit, I don't think I will be knitting with angora again.

Still she was a fun little knit and she is sooo soft. I also really like the little knobs on the back where the straps attach.

Saturday Kristie and I went to Fiberworks to check out their sale. They have tons of yarns there, but the store looks like a whirlwind hit it. For some reason I thought this shop was in VA. So when I mapquested it and found out it was only 12 miles from me and they were having a sale I had to check it out. Unfortunately, will the shop isn't that far in distance it was all back roads and actually took a long time to get there.

I found some nice ribbon yarn (Gedifra Algrave) though to make a tank from Filati #27

It is this neat ribbon yarn that blends from cotton tape to polyamide. So the fabric it knits has are really interesting shine and texture to it. I think this one is gonna be a real winner. And while I am thinking about it, I am gonna add another section of the basket weave in order to add some length.

I also cast on, and re-cast on and re-cast on Polka Purl Dots (Interweave Sp 04). The pattern calls for a tubular cast on. I had never done this before and the directions make it seem pretty complicated. And let me tell you when you are casting on 306 stitches in a seed stitch it is easy to make a mistake. This will be my second wrap sweater. I like them because they are sorta guaranteed to fit. I am using Plymouth Wildflower DK in a pale lavender for this. So far I am hating this yarn. It splits, it untwists, the color is light than I thought it would be. . . Color is always a problem when ordering on-line.

Best places to live

2005-07-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

This just in. I live in one of the top twenty places to live in America. Gaithersburg MD comes in at #17. My parents home town comes in at 14. How does your home town rank?
Money's Best Places to Live

On a depressing note, I earn far less than my neighbors apparently.

More WIP

2005-07-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

So socks aren't the only things on my needles. I added a little WIP box in my sidebar. I need to figure out how to make it a little more polished than it is. I have to say one thing that I am really impressed by is how nice people's blogs are. I think most people must know a lot more about computers than I do.

Anyway, back to the knitting. I got this yarn from Eleganza Yarns in Frederick.
This yarn is 70% Pima Cotton and 30% angora an thus super soft. It is also super sheddy. I keep getting fluff in my nose. I don't think it counts as allergies when I am actually sneezing because I have large fluffs of rabbit hair in my nose. I am really hoping that it won't continue to shed once I start wearing it.

So what is it? Well I thought yarn this soft needs to go close to the skin so I am making a halter top with it. I also wanted to find something for summer, that I could knit fast, with the correct gauge. This is what I came up with. The pattern is from Adriafil's free patterns in their Dritto and Rovescio magazine and is called Daisy. I am really hoping that I can work it with some sort of strapless bra but I have a feeling that it a futile dream.

This is what I had finished as of Monday night. Last night I finished the right shoulder and neck. I recently learned how to do short row shaping and this project seems perfect for it. I think I will use short rows now on any necks and sleeve wholes that are finished in some other way. It just really gives you a nice edge. I will give you some closeups when I get it finished

I am now really worried that it is going to be too small. When I started I was worried that it would be to big and that I would have to work out some way to put elastic in the back of it, but now I am worried the other way. Also I am having trouble figuring out what they means with some of their finishing directions. This always happens with their patterns. They have some really weird translation issues. I will just fudge it along. We shall see. . .

London Calling

2005-07-07T08:41:00.000-05:00

Wow. What can I say. It is weird because just before I woke up this morning I was dreaming about an old boyfriend whom last I heard was living in London. I have also been agonizing about what must be a negative RSVP to a wedding in London on labor day. So even before I knew about the tragedy my thoughts were with London. I hope . . .

I was going to say I hope my friends and their love ones are all safe. I of course mean I wish that everyone was safe, but since I know that can't be, I will just leave with the wish that this would never happen again.

What I'm working on

2005-07-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

So far I have been dwelling in the past. It's time to look to the future. So what am I working on.

I mentioned that I started some socks the other day. After a lot of fiddling and frogging I have the foot of one sock that looks, ok and is the right size. I am not super happy with them but . . . they will do and I will wear them to be sure. I actually really like this yarn. It doesn't split which is always good and I like the feel of it.

And who is this being "helpful" while I try to take photos? Who decided that the wire on my circs makes a really great toy? I guess it is time to introduce you to my room mate: Kitty

I thought I would be able to come up with some super clever name for my cat. I kept thinking and thinking. Now six years have past and she is still Kitty. I really wish I were more clever. Sigh.

I picked up Kitty from the SPCA in East Providence, RI in 1999. I never had a cat before and really didn't know what I was getting in too. I went to the SPCA with two criteria: I wanted a female and I wanted her to have short hair. Well I picked this little girl out of the litter and had no idea that she would have long hair. Oops. She was just so cute and fluffy how could I resist.

I thought a lot about getting her declawed and decided not to. I don't know if that was the right decision or not. She does not go outside, and she has done a number on my furniture. She HATES to have her claws cut. There is no way I can do it alone. I have lost a lot of blood trying. As a result I just buy her lots of scratch toys and try not to wince too much when she claws me. Mostly it is by accident. Mostly.

Happy Fourth of July!

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

Ok so it is the 5th of July but I was off doing the beach thing. I had another wonderful weekend at my best friend's house. AKA my beach house. Lucky for me, my best friend in the whole world happens to live in Lewes, DE which is right next to the beach. It's good to have friends in good locales.

Kristen is the proud new mom of what could be the cutest baby in the world.

This weekend we took Ryan swimming for the first time. It is so much fun to see his reactions to things.

Just so this doesn't become and entirely non-knitting blog, I took a photo of a blanket I made for Ryan when he was born.

I used to think socks just weren't for me

2005-07-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

Do you hate double pointed needles? Do you think socks would be boring and repetitive? Then read on.

For the longest time I couldn't figure out why everyone seems so obsessed with knitting socks. Those needles are so tiny and I hate double points. I mean I loath them. I hate how I always wind up with ladders no matter how tightly I try to pull the stitches at the end of my needles. Then along came Anne at our knitting group. She introduced me to the joys of magic loop. Now I can knit in the round without double points, and I don't have to worry as much about stitches falling off the end of those tiny needles.

I have to admit the first thing I did was buy some self striping yarn. I thought it was the coolest thing ever. And it is. Here are my first pair of socks. Now don't get me wrong. They are perfectly good socks. I knit them using the Your Putting me on Sock pattern which is a great toe-up generic sock pattern. I then went a ahead and added a fancy stitch to the top. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that you needed to do a rib stitch at the top in order to allow the sock to stretch. Consequently, while this sock is wearable, it is pretty tight.

My next two pairs of socks were gifted and I didn't take photos so I can't share them with you.

My next socks for myself using Koigu and the Fiber Trends Raindrop Lace Sock pattern. This is the first time I knit with Koigu. How could I not love the experience? One thing I will say though is these socks are extremely slippery to walk around in.

The last pair of socks I knit are the Waving Lace Socks form IK spring 2004. I knit these in Wildfoote luxury Sock yarn. I wasn't all that elated with it. It was super cheap and that is always something to think about, but it split a bit and it just didn't feel all that great to me. I love the socks though. I pattern was easy to follow and interesting to knit.

Currently on the needles is some lovely Blue white and purple cotton Catania Color from Schachenmayr. So far I am loving it. I am back to the generic toe up pattern. This time I am going to add a looped honeycomb rib to it. I just cast these on last night because I needed a good travel project. And really, for me that is one of the best aspects of sock knitting. They are so darn portable.

That Love Hate Relationship

2005-06-30T09:17:00.000-05:00

I think we have all experienced that love hate relationship with a pattern at some point. For me it seems to more often than not to involve Rowan Patterns. I am always falling in love with their patterns. They look so fun and young. They involve interesting knitting and I love their yarns and colors. And yet, time and time again it seems I fall into the same relationship trap.

Example number one: Seville (Rowan #21)

I knit this back when chenille was all the rage. I liked the blockiness and cropped aspect of the sweater but most of all I liked the lace border.

This was the first time I realized that Rowan patterns are designed for people with no upper body. Look closely at those models. They are all stick figures with no chests at all. Look closer and you will realize that they are all legs and no torso. This means that even though I added 2 inches to the length of this sweater it is still at least 2 inches too short. If I lift my arms up, I am in danger of flashing the world.
Still I call this one a winner and wear it all the time.

Case number 2: Tillie from Rowan #25

I love Tillie. She was so much fun to knit. I love the way the lace in her sleeves is the same pattern made by the chenille in the body. I love the little picot border. She was fun to knit and I always got compliments on her when I wore her. But yup, you guessed it, she is too short. I even added a full repeat to her length.

Back when I knit her she was short. Back then she was wearable though because the waist of pants hit at what is now called the "natural waist" However, these days we wear low-riders which hit about 3" below the natural waist. So she is supper short. That combined with the fact that I have put on a lot of weight since I knit Tillie means she has been relegated to the closet for some time now.

Have I knit any other Rowan patterns? Yes

Were they also too short? Yes

Will I knit more Rowan patterns in the future? Probably. Have I learned my lesson? I would like to think so. But it seems even when I add a lot of length to these sweaters they still come out too short. I think I am just doomed to repeat this bad relationship.

Smurfette

2005-06-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

La la la la la la la la la la . . .
Ah remember those happy little blue guys? Well in my hot off the needles "Oragnina" I feel all smurfy. It is the right color. I just need a white hat and I could pass.

Seriously though, I love this sweater. I got the pattern from fellow blogger Glampyre. The blog world seems to be full of orangina's right now.

I love the boat neck and the pretty lace and even the smurfy color. I did make some minor changes though.

The first is good news. I used way less yarn than the pattern called for (so now I get to take the unused yarn back and buy more yarn without spending more money!) I used just over 3 balls of Dale Stork color 24. I also swatched the lace and decided it was too open when knit on number 3 needles. So I switched to 1's. This meant I felt like I was knitting forever. Still I think it was worth it. I also switched to putting the whole thing on circular needles as soon as I had the armpits done (this sweater is knit from the top down) That way I didn't have to count rows and sew side seams.

Here is a close-up where you can see the pretty lace better. It is actually a very simple lace that comes off looking much more complicated than it really is. On the other hand, I had to constantly count stiches because it was somehow a very easy repeat to mess up.

Thumbing my nose at charity

2005-06-26T14:33:00.000-05:00

My knitting group is currently working on a charity project where we are collecting squares to join together in afghans which we will be donating. One of the members of our group collected a beautiful, nearly completed, wool granny square afghan. I said I would finish it off so that it could be donated.

So today I fussed with it, sewed in about million ends and suffered for it. Now when I say suffer I don't mean just from the tedium of sewing ends, but from all the dust. I didn't dare wash the afghan before the ends had all been taken care of, but this blanket was so dusty and reeks of mothballs. So finally was I able to put it in the tub for a good soak.

The water turned brown with dirt. (this is a grey afghan by the way) I changed the water about 5 times. It still smells pretty badly of mothballs too. I am hoping that leaving it to soak will help.

While the blanket is soaking and I wait for my allergy pill to kick in, tissue in hand. I keep saying over and over it is for a good cause.

Not the Knitting You Know

2005-06-23T14:51:00.000-05:00

So my friend Ming (part of the MeetinDC crew) is a fiber artist. Now I know a lot of us consider ourselves "fiber artists" but when I talk about Ming being an artist, I really mean she is. To pay the rent she is an art teacher at an elementary school, but outside of that she is an artist. A lot of her work is crocheted and she has an exhibit on at a gallery space in DC this summer.

She invited me and the MiDC crew to the opening knight party. I have seen Ming's art before and was surprised to see that it had been edited. That's right, the gallery asked her to cover up her nudes because they were too explicit for the lawyers who work in the building. So Ming being the problem solver that she is gave all her people fig leafs to cover their bits. Too funny. The best part of this (and yes there can be a good part to censorship I guess) is that the Post decided to write and article about her work and censorship. Talk about exposure!

The exhibit is small, but there is some really amazing work on display.

For more info on the exhibit:
http://eleveneleven.50webs.com/index.html

For the article in the post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/22/AR2005062202302.html

My first post

2005-05-27T09:28:00.000-05:00

Hello and welcome to my knitting blog. I am still trying to figure out all of this an get it set up. What I don't know about html has probably filled many books.

So what do I have planned for this blog? Mostly I would like to keep a record of my knitting exploits. I am ashamed to say that I currently have no record of anything I have knit. I would like to have some photos and notes about projects I have worked on, completed and designed.

I am a self taught knitter. In college (Smith College if you care to know) I signed a book out of the library and bought some really ugly yarn and needles at Woolworths and went to work on knitting up what came to be known as the "World's Ugliest Afghan" Once my new digital camera arrives and I learn how to post pictures I will give you more details on that. Anyway, since that first project I haven't looked back.

Currently I knit nearly every free moment I can. I have a bit of a problem really, but I figure anyone wasting their time by reading yet another knitting blog shares in my addiction. I meet with my local Stitch and Bitch group once a week. This group of ladies is fantastic and have really helped me grow as a knitter. I went from being terrified to deviate from a pattern to even writing my own patterns in a years time. Just goes to show you can teach and old dog new tricks.