TAKING BACK [THE KNIT]

FINISHED: Fiery Bolero from IK Summer 2005

 needles: US #3s and 6s

 yarn: LB Cotton Ease (the old knid) in white

mods:  none. (weird! i almost always change things)

 check my ravelry page for it.

I am SO happy with this. It's definitely the most wearable thing I've ever knit. I love it. So simple. It can be elegant or casual, and pretty much goes with everything. Yay!  

cutest thing ever might be this phone cozy. i often think that about bittersweet's stuff, though. so much cute, i can barely take it. i have a ton of scrap yarn, and i am really thinking about making this. or at least using the concept for some other sort of cozy.

i forget how much easier it is to bind off with a crochet hook. especially with ribbing. and when BingO hundreds of stitches.

i have been knitting like crazy! it is amazing how much i can get done if i knit during all of my free time. i've been doing some stash-busting, and finally finishing something i gave up a long time ago. i started a Fiery Bolero, the first time, years ago. it was in red cotton ease, which eventually got frogged and turned into the fabled modified boobholder/minisweater. a better use for that yarn, i think. i had some white cotton ease laying around after finding it at Tuesday Morning, in kits to make baby hats. (this was while it was discontinued, mind you! i paid like $6 a ball for it, because it was in the kits. but i love this stuff.) anyway, i put it to good use and started another Bolero. i like this pattern for is simplicity. the fun is in the constrction. but not in the picking up 258 stitches, just for the front edging. also, BingO those 258 stitches, not so fun either. tedious! i usually like a little more texture, but for this shrug, the plain stockinette is perfect. (i went back through my old posts and found the {only!} one with a picture of the FB in-progress the original time. check it out here. even in 2005 miss Amanda Cathleen was leaving me comments! i love it.)

i've finished a couple of boring things, a mitered square washcloth among them. it's done in Paton's Grace, and i must say that i love this yarn. the mercerized cotton makes it so silky smooth and soft. i will definitely be making more washcloths with this in the future.

i really ought to be blogging more. it's just hard for me, these days. i play around on flickr too much!

this sweater is so cute! Lady Linoleum's stuff is always cool in my book, but this is very wearable. trendy, too! i like it a lot!

  i went to michael's on friday, and i must say i was delighted when i discovered that cotton ease is back on their shelves! i had read that it was coming back, and seen all the colorways on the LB website, but actually seeing it in the store was great. i love this stuff, and my most wearble knit to date it made from it.

so i had to buy some. now i've got 1,000 yards of the "stone" colorway. it's a really nice, washed-out grey. i've got a few ideas about what it will become. summer is coming, and that is all i will say about that.

this morning, out of boredom and wanting to get out of the house, The Boy and I went to check out Twisted Stitch in West Sac. Overall, I'd say I like it much more than other LYS's in these parts. I ended up with two hanks of Chery Tree Hill SuperSock, since all the yarn was 40% off! One of them will be another pair of socks of The Boy, and one is for me! I will finally have some nice, warm, wool socks! I'm not sure what exactly I will do (pattern-wise) yet.

Speaking of socks, I am the last knittter on the planet to make a pair of Jaywalkers. Soon I will have some. (And trust me, it will be soon, because the sooner I am done the sooner I can start knitting with that beautiful stuff pictured above!) I'm liking them so far, although because of the plain color of the yarn, they're kind of tedious. Also, this is a test run with this yarn. It's made ofr crochet, and it's really cheap! $2.99, I think. It's a wool/cotton blend. Not very tightly spun, though, and there is virtually no spring or stretch. It's like the opposite of STR (Sproingy, shiny, stretchy). I'm just really curious as to how this yarn will last and wear.

I have not done/bought/made anything Project Spectrum related recently. I'm still stuck on the grey from the last couple months, I guess!

when I was not planning on awakening until 9. Insomnia RULES! Especially when I know I have a rather grueling day ahead of me. Also, my scalp itches.

If, like me, you've ever wanted to knit some argyle knee socks to match your kilt, there are kits here. But they don't have my tartan! (I'm sure they have something that matches, or is similar, but I didn't feel like asking. Ane the colors on my monitor are fucked, so it's hard to tell. Not that I don't know what these tartans look like in real life, but still.)

I dyed some more yarn last night. And managed to burn myself in the process. It went well, although food dye seems a lot crazier than Kool-Aid. Things ended up a lot darker than I expected sometimes, and not as dark others.

I feel like I am going crazy because of the sleep I didn't get. My reaction times are slow, but I am kind of jumpy. Similar to what happens when I take a bunch of benadryl. I think I need to eat breakfast.  

I'm going to be gone all weekend, 'til Tuesday, for (suffice to say) a convention. And, I won't be able to use the phone, except at night, and my ipod ever. A weekend without an ipod for me is hell! Especially when travelling. I know it's so the group can "bond" and stuff, but geez! No one is going to want to bond with the superBitch I'm going to be sans music and contact with buddies. Thank god I will have knitting with me to keep me sane. Sane-ish at least!

 I'm off to do things like straighten my hair, listen to the new fluffalicious podcast, finish packing and do some swatching.

i am sitting at school using the computer. the girl to my left is posting on an anime board on a topic called "polygamy". the girl on my right is sitting in front of the computer reading. i'm sure the people waiting to get on the computer appreciate that great use of space.

 i finished the "Raiders" socks and they've already been worn by the boyfriend. he went fishing with his dad, and at the beginning he got teased with "Did your mommy make you socks?" and then he told everyone they were wool. jealousy ensued. his family has been really into me knitting and asking me to make them stuff. they've also been really appreciative of what i've made them.

FINISHED: "Raiders socks".

pattern: plain stockinette toe-up sock. short-row toe and heel. 1x1 ribbed leg/cuff.

yarn: Blue Moon Fiber Arts' Socks that Rock medium weight in Stormy Weather

I love them! If that had fit my feet I would have kept them. I must make myself some socks in this yarn. I wish I could afford it!

I also finished my knucks! they're awesome, and i'm actually wearing them as i type this. i have not taken them off much since i've finished them. and i realized my dad's birthday is coming up, so he's getting some camo knucks that say "DUCK HUNT"! (he's a hunter.) two nights of knitting and i'm already to the cuff of the first one. also, boyfriend picked out yarn for some of his own. i'm glad i like this pattern!

FINISHED!

pattern: Knucks from knitty.com

yarn: LB Lion Wool in Sage. a little thick but super warm. i love this color! the photo on the left is closer to the actual color. this yarn comes in some great colors. i am pining for the grey.

needles: US #3s

mods: i have man hands, and the fingers didn't fit in the ladies' size. so i did men' fingers and the ladies' thumb, i think.

I will get around to taking a picture that really does them justice. I've wanted to, but it would require makeup and styled hair which has been too much for me lately. Tonight I think I will have to do both, so I'll try to get some pictures done, too.

In other crafting news, I actually played with my knitting machine the other day. (oh MAN! i was just looking at the LB site, meaning to close it, and i found myself on the new Cotton Ease page. my god I love these colors! taupe and stone especially.) anyway, i actually got something done with the knitting machine. even if it is roughly a 4"x4" piece of cotton. i really dislike this thing. however, it occured to me that Clapotis would be perfect for knitting on the machine. so if i can ever really figure out how to work this thing, i'll get the clap too.

Meme time! like Pam said, if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged.  

Directions: If your life was a movie, what would the soundtrack be?

1. Open your mp3 library
2. Put it on shuffle.
3. Press Play.
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing.
5. When you go to a new question, press the Next button.
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool.
7. Don’t skip songs.

My Movie:

1. Opening credits: Catharsis - All Bets Off
2. Waking up: Lover's Rock - the Clash
3. First day of school: Live the Lie - Blood For Blood
4. Fight song: Ramallah - Ramallah
5. Breaking up: Jailhouse Rock - the Cramps
6. Happiness: Brain Error - Nekromantix
7. Life’s okay: Hammer House - Folsom
8. Mental breakdown: Crowbar Massacre - Steel Trap (too accurate.)
9. Driving: Strength Through Oi! - Pressure Point
10. Flashback: Stay Gold - the Unseen
11. Getting back together: Rip Her To Shreds - Blondie
12. Wedding song: Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani
13. Birth of first child: In Love With a Whore - Hoods
14. Final battle scene: Do Anything - Angelic Upstarts
15. Death scene: Lyin' Eyes - the Eagles
16. Funeral song: Fuck Hollywood - Anti-Heroes
17. End credits: Which Side Are You On? - Dropkick Murphys

it's time for me to be off to class!

I have had the craziest weekend. I got 5-ish hours of sleep last night, 3 of them in the car, because I took a spur of the moment trip to Hollywood yesterday. My friends' bands played at the Knitting Factory and I decided to go with them. I have wanted to see a show at that venue since I first heard the name, and now I finally got to! They had big murals of balls of yarn on some of the walls and their logo features a little old lady knitting. In a rocking chair, of course. There is a room called the "AlterKnit Lounge". Oh knitting puns! I can't get enough of them, anywhere I go. I'm pretty much running on fumes at this point since I never slept for more than an hour at a time. The six hour drive killed me. I'm a tall girl, and being stuffed in the car for that long is just bad. But I had a good time. I just wish I could have spent today in bed instead of at school. Did I forget to mention that it's finals week?

I have been so busy lately, even without day trips to the opposite end of the state. Holiday knitting is getting on my nerves. My dad and grandpa want hats and a TON of people have asked me for scarves. I've done a fair bit of crocheting, too. I have yet to really take any pictures yet. I'd like to photo everything before I give it away. I need to get my shit in gear! I also have two pairs of mittens/gloves to knit by Christmas. UGH!

In order to help me out with all this knitting I am going to need to do in the future, especially scarves, I've asked my mom for a knitting machine! I figure that way I can churn out simple stuff pretty quickly, and maybe make some money that way. I don't like doing miles of stockinette, so why not let a machine do it for me?

I had quite the weekend. Lots of drinking, partying, knitting, vomiting, and promoting my friends' new craft group. I had the hangover to prove it yesterday. (I don't normally even get hangovers, and it takes a lot of le booze for me to get one.) There are pictures to prove all of this, but none are online as of now. Check back with my flickr in a day or two.

 And speaking of flickr and new groups, I started a group for projects from the Stitch'n'Bitch books, because frankly I couldn't believe there wasn't already one. So if you've knitted/crocheted/sewn something from one of those books and it's on flickr post it there! Also, I started one for flowering maples, but I wouldn't really expect that many people to be able to contribute. But you might want to check it out, because there are some gorgeous pictures from amazing photographers.

I've been working like mad lately, and managed to finish two projects in the last week. Firstly, the "Fat Bottom Bag" from Stitch'n'Bitch Crochet.

yarn: LB Lion Cotton, in a teal color. I don't remember the name. Heck, it might even be "Teal"! I used less than one ball, which was nice.

hook: whatever the pattern called for. A G/6 maybe?

mods: none. I did the handle flaps a little differently, working into every other stitch instead of SCing across the row. It was easier, as I'm still not sure where exactly I'm supposed to be crocheting into when I do border-type stuff.

The handles are from JoAnn, and I love them.

This purse is going to my sister for Christmas, even though it is a really summer purse. I'm a little late or really early for that. This is the best purse I have made, without a doubt. Simple, and easy to customize.

I also finished my mittens. No FO pictures just yet, but here are some almost done in-progress pictures:

I didn't really want them to match, so I just started the second one where I ended the first without even thinking about where I was in the striping sequence. I am really liking mittens, and think a lot of people will be getting them for Christmas.

 I'm working on my first toe-up socks! They're just plain stockinette, worsted weight yarn on #3s. I love tightly knit stuff! I did a lot of work on them while drinking this weekend, and managed to not fuck them up! I don't usually knit under the influence, so I was proud of myself.  

 When I'm hungover I don't so much get the headaches or sensitivity to light, but my stomach does weird things. It's unsettled and I feel like I want to vomit yet really hungry at the same time. It sucks! Then when I do try to eat, it doesn't taste good and I am full quickly. It is pretty much the bane of my existence.

So I only got one sock done. I like it though, but it might be a bit too short when it come to the length of the foot. But I'm happy with it. I'm not looking forward to the second one. Also, I feel like I should get going on my holiday knitting first. (A pretty good way to justify my procrastination, don't ya think?) If you want specs, I'll give them to you, but I am going to wait 'til I get both done to post all that juicy stuff. I really enjoyed Socktoberfest, mostly because of the inspiration I got from everyone else! Everyone's socks are so beautiful. I love looking at the flickr group. I'm so glad it's going to stay open year-round!

Since it's getting colder every day, I've wanted to start on some mittens for a while. Once Socktoberfest was over, I figured that was the perfect time! So have some other knitters, and thus MittenFest was born! I'm not usually a "joiner" but lately there have been some great knit-a-longs.  Two days ago my mitten progress looked like this:

And as of last night, it's DONE. D-O-N-E. C'est fini! Ends woven in and all. It's amazing! I have a few friends who left sunny California to go to college on the east coast, and now I know what they're getting for Christmas! I really like a lot of the things everyone likes about socks: quickness, easiness, customizability, etc. Since I have fallen in love with the Magic Loop, that makes me love them even more. Mittens have even made me want to think about color work, which is something that I have never done. They seem small enough that it would be a good intro to such things.  Hell, everyone might be getting mittens for Christmas! I just wish they weren't so confining

I just don't feel inspired to put up a whole, entertaining, interesting blog. But I do feel like posting something. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is my progress on my newest socks.

Here's my progress as of last night:

And as of this afternoon:

I love the fit so far. I went down a needle size, and it fits so much better. I had planned on making them longer and using garters (like we do for dance. Just an elastic band that goes under the flipped-down cuff. Not like a garter belt), but is fits so well I won't have to do that. Trying it on for these photos inspired me: I'm supposed to knit some legwarmers for a dance frined and I think I am going to give them a heel! It would be easy to flip it up if she doesn't want it, but it will help keep her ankle/achilles warmer.

 I just want to mention, once again, how much I love the Magic Loop techinique. It was a little tough in the picking up sts/gusset part but it is worth it. I love the ease of being able to try my sock on anytime I want, with littel hassle.

 In non-knitting (but yet still nerdy) news, I am soon joining Rainbow Girls. One of my friends is a Past Worthy Advisor, and asked me to join her Assembly. As a much younger young lady, I was in Job's Daughters. (that wikipedia page SUCKS, and I am actually going to edit it!)  My dad was in DeMolay, and my aunt is a Majority Member of Job's. My grandpa is a Shriner.  I joined because my cousin was being installed as an Honored Queen, and my aunt wanted all of us cousins to be there so support her, I guess. Then we all continued and she quit. Anyway I age out of Rainbow at 20 so I figure I'll get a couple of terms under my belt and get my Majority. Not enough time to run for the line or anything. Then, if I ever have a kid she can be in Rainbow. I am also considering going back to Job's to get my Majority there. It would be cool, but Job's and Rainbow meet on the same night. Am I just talking to myself here, or are any of you knitters familiar with Masonic stuff? I know it's weird ...

I'm still not sure what I'm going to do about switching away from blogspirit. ... blogger fucked up when I was trying to leave natasha a comment today, so I'm thinking it might be a sign to pick wordpress. Which is easier to import old posts? ha!

I love flickr. Just the whole tagging thing, and favorites, and groups and all that. For example, I just found pictures from a Highland Games in Japan! I didn't know they had Highland Games in Japan! I am actually considering going pro, which says a lot. Supposedly the new YahooPhotos is supposed to be really rad, and it sounds a lot like flickr. Hopefully it is! Speaking of YahooPhotos, I hadn't really been keeping up with adding pictures to mine, but I went back and added all my old craft pictures. So if there are any old craft pictures you want to see, or you want to laugh at how bad my old photos are, check that out. (I guess I didn't get the memo that pictures that are so dark you can barely see aren't good.) I'm still in the process of adding titles and descriptions, but that's fairly quick. I'm updating all my albums so if you need more weird/boring/highland dance pictures in your life, you can find some there. Link is to the left.

I took another million pictures yesterday. I just do it in bursts, I think. No pictures for a couple of weeks and then pictures of every minute detail of everything. (All the pictures of yesterday's photo sesh are in my yahoophotos. Some are on flickr)

For some reason, I'm all worked up about Socktoberfest today. (That said, I am sitting here with a washcloth in front of me and not a sock!) I joined the flickr group, and put a couple of pictures in the pool. And I got a comment from Lolly herself. Wheew!

Older socks and newer ones. Same yarn and pattern, different colorway. A girl can never have too many knee socks! Especially not a Highland dancing girl. And speaking of Highland dance, I have a special something planned for the end of the month for the sock appreciation week. 

 I bought a pound of Peaches and Cream cotton in Daisy Ombre to make washcloths for some of my friends. I've got 2 1/2 so far. Easy peasy. But kind of addicting. The crochet one is just half-double crochet on a size I-ish hook. (It was my great-grandma's and doesn't quite match up with what I's are supposed to be. I think it's way old, when sizing was different!) The knit one is sotckinette with a garter border. I'm doing one know that is bias knit. Fun, but again easy. I finished it in the course of watching the new Law And Order SVU. I don't like the new detective broad ... but that's a whole other story. 

The yarn looks a lot more orange than it is. It's really just white, light yellow, and yellow.

I've mentioned granny squares and all the scraps I got that were my great-grandma's. Well, I have been crocheting granny squares on-and-off lately. I like that they're small and yet when I finish one I still feel as if I have accomplished something. Anyway, here is the progress so far:

I think I've decided that I'm going to switch to blogger, for sure. This is just not cutting it.