Excuses, Excuses

Today is the start of Mystery Stole 3. Argh. Have I downloaded my clue? No. Have I swatched? No. Have I decided on beads? No. Have I finished the Shetland Triangle yet? No. Do I have my socks for June done? You guessed it. No.

Here are my excuses.

The Shetland Triangle pattern called for fingering weight yarn and I am using laceweight. It calls for 8 pattern repeats, I have done 12 and it is still little. I know blocking will stretch it, but since I am not running out of yarn and it is smallish, I press on. Here is what it looks like at this minute, after 12 repeats-

I haven't finished the sock because I have been knitting endless rows of lace. See excuse #1.

I am painting Grace's room. We are going with a "Hawaiian Monkey" theme (sounds weird, but it'll be cute, I promise). This involves modifying the existing Hawaii room of 8 years ago and two children ago (it used to be Emily/Alex's room, and recently was Alex's alone).

I am modifying the Pink Hotel painting (our family favorite Hawaiian spot) and adding the monkey girl in a hula skirt to the other wall. And I also painted the walls pink/green. For the record, I have done this painting project 98% on my own (Alex gets 1 1/2%, Grace 1/2%).

That's all my excuses.

I'm knitting as fast as I can, and yesterday that caused grief when I discovered I had missed a yarnover three rows back, which meant tinking back around 750 stitches to fix it. I was overjoyed! I am now back on track and after one more repeat I am going to do the edging. I have one more day to finish the socks in June. All is not lost yet. (Yes, I know the world will not stop turning if I don't finish on time but I have self-imposed deadlines).

Happy Friday!

Knittin' along

I'm a joiner. I get caught up in the excitement and can't help myself.

First came Project Spectrum. I'm sort of having an off couple of months. I will try harder, I promise.

Then came Sock a Month. I'm doing quite well with that, thank you. This month's feature is the Jitterbug sock, not the sexiest sock ever but it'll do. One down, one to go. This will be the 6th pair of the year, plus I have one lone sock waiting for a match when I have nothing else to do.

Next up came Summer of Socks. Yes, I realize that overlaps the sock a month thing, but I like socks and I like summer, so it seemed natural. Plus, I really want to sink my teeth into the Cookie A. pattern, and summer seems like the time. I'm thinking July.

Then came the Mystery Stole3. Me and 2500 of my closest knitting buds are going to do this lace project. The trick is that I get to finish the Shetland Triangle first so I don't have too many things On The Needles. I'm doing fine with the Shetland. The pattern lines up so it is easy to see as you go that you are going correctly. I am on repeat 6 of 8. I may do more repeats, yarn permitting, as it seems to be very small. If I run out of yarn I will just have a small lace thing. Not a problem, but admittedly, a shawl-sized object would be more useful. It will stretch out in the blocking I know, but it still seems small, doesn't it?

I don't know which color beads to use for the MS3. Here are the contenders. I will swatch with each I'm thinking, and see what excites me.

Here is a photo of the Chevron Scarf. Yes, I joined the Chevron Scarf Knit a Long, in case you were wondering. The Flickr group photos are so much fun I could look at them all day. I love color, and these are great!

I'm out of Knit A Longs for the moment. I'm sure if I tried at all I could find several more, but I am trying really hard to actually do the projects for the groups I join.

This weekend we are going to SF to a Giants game, so I'm already trying to figure out what to knit in the car. Lace? Sock? Hmmm...Isn't is funny how the car ride is the part you look forward to?

Saturday Update

I finished the Noro Chervron scarf. Hooray. I need to block it now, and then I will post photos. Somehow Noro is interesting to me yet I always encounter something that irritates me along the way - this time the abrupt knot/color change I encountered, breaking the subtle long flowing color changes that were occurring. I don't know how much it will show to someone that doesn't know it is there. Last time for my entrelac scarf in Silk Garden, it was the one "block" of yellow that didn't repeat even though the other colors repeated several times. Odd.





The Jitterbug socks are going fine, I decided that I was bored with completely plain, so I made an Eye of Partridge heel, just for the heck of it. I am really liking the Magic Loop (still only 1 at a time), this time it is size 1's and KnitPicks circulars, 32" or so, and it works just fine (thanks Pat for the hint). The yarn feels like STR, although I am aware the yardage is not as ample. I always have plenty left over so I don't think there is a big issue.





Please note: There is red in this sock, so I can count it toward the Project Spectrum color scheme that I really stink at.

Next up on my long list of WIP's is the Shetland Triangle. I know, I was making Ene's scarf last time I mentioned this lace project, but let's just say I changed my mind. So far so good here, although I'm not very far. It is the "at home" project, and I have not been "at home" much this past week, so not much progress.










I am, however, feeling the lace mood strike, so much so that I signed up for Mystery Stole 3. I wasn't around for 1 or 2, but here goes nothin'. We will be given "clues" and eventually have a stole knitted. No hint as for the theme, except it would look best in black or white and has beads, and wouldn't be great for a bride. Hmmm....I wonder what that means? Halloween? Anyway, it calls for 1200 yards of laceweight, and I have three skeins of this which would be more than enough, and be a good way of using it up. So I will give it a shot. I figure since over 1800 people have signed up for this KAL I can always ask someone if I get stuck.





Now that my little Grace is 6, birthday season is done around here for a little while. Happy Birthday Grace!



















Happy Father's Day Dad! Happy Father's Day Maurice!

Mommy Time

This week I'm the driver. Each of my three kids is doing a different summer activity that of course, don't all begin and end at convenient times or aren't located at the same place. That means I have to call in the reinforcements (Nolamom/Gram) and I find myself in different parts of town with an hour and a half on my own. What to do? Yes, I have been knitting. I have three different projects in the car with me, to stave off boredom. I could stand to finish something because I get the feeling too many things are on the needles.



Today, I decided to go to the LYS Ancient Pathways, which is located in the part of town close to the high school where two of three of the kids are this week. I don't often get to this store, but they are a friendly bunch, and I wanted to look for something red or black to knit to ease my guilt over the lack of Project Spectrum knitting.



Didn't find any red/black. But I did find this--






















I'm all about the Chevron Scarf these days, and the flickr group photos just make me want to do more and more. My Noro Chevron is interesting, but not pleasing to my tactile senses. (Scratchy). Anyway, I thought that these yarns looked interesting. Knit One Crochet Two's Ty-Dy, in two different colorways, greens and periwinkle/green/purple. It is all cotton. The other is True Love Fiber's "Maggie" named after Ancient Pathways Owner, which is superwash wool/Tencel sock yarn, and French 75 Panda - a merino, bamboo sock yarn. Wouldn't they look nice together?



In other news, I finally got my invite to Ravelry, the latest thing in the knitter online world. So cool! I'm very excited by the possibilities! I am working on getting it set up with all my projects and photos and the like, but I am having a blast playing around with it.

Worldwide Knit in Public Day

Our hands were busy.

















Most of us were knitting. Can you guess who is who? Cindy knitting new Jitterbug sock, Nolamom ending first sock of Tess Designer Yarn in pretty pastels, Carey (sporting ring) starting a scarf, and of course, Emily sporting iPod.


I have startitis. The Noro scarf is getting tedious, so I started the above sock, and as you can see, a lace project. I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I haven't really done a true lace project of this size before, and the first line of the directions -- "Cast on 375 stitches" --was rather intimidating. I made it through that, but the first border charts are going SO SLOW. Each row takes forever. I may be knitting this one a long time.

SF Here We Come!

I just ordered my tickets for the Stitch N Pitch Giants game on July 24 for me, Carey, and Alex. When I first tried to order them after waiting a little too long to see who was going, getting the time off for Carey, and general procrastinating, they had SOLD OUT! What? Oh NO!

I tried calling local yarn stores. No luck. I tried tonight on the web to find a contact number to try calling the organizers for suggestions. In the process I found myself back to the Giants site that I had no luck with before, and I clicked again and it went through !! Hooray!! Hooray!! I was really bummed that I may have to miss the game.

Last year, Carey, Alex, and I had a great time, and it is really that game and the coverage on the MAKE magazine blog that got me started with the knitblogging thing. I am really looking forward to another fun night.

Go Knitters! Oh, and Go Giants!

Central Coast on a Saturday

We escaped! Just for a day, and not very far. Far enough to see grapes growing in the sun (okay, you can see that at home too) but these grapes will be turned into Chardonnay.

Grace saw two lizards. Cool.

I saw some johnny-jump-ups. So pretty.

Then my camera battery died.

I went to the Cotton Ball in Morro Bay. EXCELLENT, in the quilting/fabric-a-holic realm, which I reacquainted myself with. Ahem, don't tell anyone. I sort of found a little silk wall hanging kit that invites further exploration. More on that another time. I actually exercised self-restraint, mostly because Carey was freezing her buns off with my girls at the rock/beach and I was on borrowed time.

Made the rounds in Cambria, including the Ball and Skein and More, which has lots of potential, but wastes it all by keeping the yarn in the bags it was shipped to them in. The store looks like a storeroom, not yarn-purchase-encouraging at all. Plus, hardly anything was priced. I hate having to guess at the price. You sort of had to guess at what they had too, since in the bag it is all squished. I still managed to eek out a souvenir, in the form of Colinette Jitterbug sock yarn. They had a dog behind the counter which growled at Grace. Not very customer friendly.

In the car I worked on my new project, a chevron scarf that I have been seeing on lots of blogs lately. I am using Noro Kureyon, so the colors are interesting while the yarn feels like you could scour pots with it. I'm being optimistic that it will soften with blocking. A lot. I hope. Otherwise it will be an interesting scarf that I can't even give away in good conscience. If I felted it it would make a multicolored snake. Hmmm....let's send good thoughts for the softening. I wonder if anyone could stand a sweater out of the stuff?

Makes for an interesting photo.

It's Still May!!

And the socks are done! Yay me!

But first, here is why the knitting/blogging is slow this month --

Two graduations. The first, my firstborn graduating from eighth grade--

Here she is with two classmates (one of whom is her BFF Karley) at the pre-graduation brunch. Each graduate was given a very nice silver cross and a cute cookie that looked just like themselves!

Cute!

After the ceremony we lunched and gifted the new highschool bound teenager-

That was Saturday. Today was Grace's turn. My kindergartener graduated. My little baby girl is almost 6 and in first grade. Yikes.

It is almost impossible not to tear up in the presence of all this cuteness--

Grace is the one in blue in the front row. When they sat down Grace flashed the entire congregation. I'm so proud.

Here she is with her teacher.

Grace and Brianna -- who happens to be Emily's BFF's sister.

In Knitting news, (you thought I forgot, didn't you?) the socks for May were finished after graduation today, but before dance class.

These were my Magic Loop socks. Love the loop. Used Tofutsies, the same kind of yarn tried once before, but abandoned after they pooled incredibly and horribly. I gave it another shot, and the first socks looks very nice, doesn't it?

The second sock started going all crazy like and looks more like tiger stripes or something. Not good. I have two more balls of this yarn and I'm not so excited about it. I would have to say they are the least exciting and satisfying socks I have knit. The yarn feels good, if that is any consolation.

This ball of yarn was originally meant for Project Spectrum several months ago. I get distracted easily.

Next month (three hours from now) the colors turn to black, red, and metallic. Not my colors, more Nolamom's cup o'tea. I will try to make a token project to show I can get with the program.

Tomorrow is also the last day of school. Hooray! Only "non-graduating" Alex has to go to school tomorrow. He's so excited.

Hooray for summer!

Chicken Alert!

Tillie the Hen is finished!

What a fun knit. I enjoyed creating her from start to finish. She turned out almost exactly like the pattern.

Specs: Simply Knitting Magazine, Spring issue, Sublime merino dk yarn, size 3 needles, babies made from fuzzy mohair blend yarn. I stuffed the base body with doll bead pellet things, and she has a good weight to her. She has bloomers on under sher skirt, as seen better in the previous post.

I could seriously become addicted to knitting "things" now. This was fun. I don't exactly know what to do with her now that she's done, but I had to knit her.




Does Carey need a bride and groom chicken?





Close up of Tillie the Hen.

Fun with Fowl and Fiber

Here she is--

Isn't she beautiful?

Okay, yes, she could use some clothes. And some eyes, wings, claws, and a beak. And eyes. But, hey, she's lookin' good so far! Sort of like a bowling pin with legs.

Poultry production continues....

On the sock front, I have now made a sock using the magic loop method. I like it. It opens up a lot of possibilities for other things too. I will take a picture when the second one is done. I haven't figured out how to do two at the same time, and I decided to do cuff down for the first shot at "looping." So I have a ways to go in the "learning new things" department, but so far so good.

Seven Random Facts About Cindy

I was tagged to do this meme and I've never done one before so here goes -

1. I'm left handed, my sister is left handed, but no one else, not my mom or dad or my kids is left-handed. I'm very proud of my left handedness, but am sort of sad I did not pass it on to my kids.
2. I hate apples. The entire universe loves apples, and I can't stand them. It's the texture. Ick.
3. I skipped first grade. Instead of branding me a genius for life, it has resulted in me not learning my left from my right very well. It took me learning to drive for that to click. (Watching Blue's Clues with Grace helped too)
4. I love the Brady Bunch. Gilligan's Island and I Dream of Jeannie aren't bad either. I can't stand Leave It to Beaver.
5. I could watch the movie Elf and the newer Parent Trap over and over again. I realize they are cheesy. When Lindsay Lohan realizes she's a twin I tear up every time.
6. I think dimples on guys are very cute. (Mario Lopez! Jeff Probst!) I didn't really notice them until Alex was born with the deepest dimples ever.
7. My favorite food in the world is Rocky Road ice cream from Rite Aid/Thrifty. If they discontinue it I will be very, very sad.

Knit in Public Day

Okay Knotty Knitters June 9 is national Knit in Public Day. We must organize and go somewhere like River Park or Fig Garden (Carey could put us in the Villager) and knit together, even if it is only for a little while. Who's game?

Chicken-in-Progress

I'm in chicken production. I placed the order for some hopefully appropriate chicken foot yarn. Paid extra for shipping, because I'm an impatient chicken-foot-yarn-waiter. I couldn't even wait for Tuesday to go to the LYS to look for chicken foot yarn there. My goal is to have all the other pieces knitted and sewn up when the foot yarn arrives. I don't know why I'm in such a hurry, the word obsession comes to mind. Hmmm....


Here are the exploded chicken parts in progress -

In other news, I swatched a little of the purple watercolory yarn. I know watercolory is not a word, but I don't know how else to describe it. I like the yarn, I like the color. I'm not too crazy about the yardage-99 yards a ball, and the price-around 8 dollars. To make a sweater it would take lots of balls, and therefore, lots of dollars. I've been known to spend money on yarn before (really?) but I have a lot in the stash that I could work on, and so I am therefore being "good" and passing up the purply watercolory yarn. Unless a Irish Hiking scarf or whatever it is called might be good. Hmmm..... don't know.

The mailman brought me a little tubular package. At first, I thought "What could it be?" then the lightbulb went on. My needle! My replacement Brittany Birch short size 1 dpn! Yay! I already finished up the sock I was knitting when it broke, but hey, I'm happy anyway. And I got to get a cute little package in the mail. I amuse easily.

Edited later: After I posted this post, I actually opened the little tubular package and it contained not one, but TWO replacement needles. How fabulous! Thank you Brittany Birch People!


I work tomorrow (second grade) so chicken production will have to wait until recess. I can already hear the kids asking me what I'm making and then looking at me like I'm a crazy lady when I answer them. Ha.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom ever!

Love, Cindy and Carey

Craving for Chicken

Sometimes I see something and immediately want to make it, even if it is the silliest thing. If I don't give in to the urge it haunts me. I can hear it calling. Yes, patterns talk to me. Yarn talks to me too. Housework cries to me, but that I block better than patterns and yarn. Selective listening.


Anyway, I bought the over priced Simply Knitting British magazine because they included a free zipper bag with balls of yarn printed on it. Sucker. Being the "I'm not a beginner anymore" snob that I am I thought the magazine would be rather dull, sort of like Knit Simple and that type of magazine. This one actually had a lot of cute patterns, including many that American magazines would not consider simple. I liked the layout of the magazine too. The free gift lured me into finding a good magazine that I would buy again.


That leads me to the chicken. I couldn't resist it. I went to Janna's looking for the yarn and they had the exact yarn it calls for, Sublime, a DK weight merino by Sirdir. They had just gotten it in, and they had all the colors. The knitting cosmos almost NEVER works that well. They didn't have the different mustard color yarn that the feet are made from, but that is minor. After spending a bizallon dollars on six skeins of British extra fine merino to make this chicken I am dying to get started.

















While I was at the yarn store, I saw this:


The photo obviously does not do it justice. The colors are very watercolor, and it is just beautiful. It is expensive, and I don't know exactly what I would make with it, but it is beautiful! I bought a skein just to play with.

i8i8i8i8

Computer's back! Hooray! Much love to HP for fixing my keyboard so quickly. I finally parted with it last Thursday around lunch time (after taking it out of the box a few times for "one last email check") and Monday when we got home from school the tag was on the door that they tried to deliver it. One trip to the FedEx place, and it was mine. After opening the box, it really was mine! With an 8! and an i!

Can you tell I'm happy? As Lisa would agree, computers are addictive!

Cuppy in a Mirror

I have been sort of dancing around the "wanting to sew" feeling for awhile now. Hemming the flower girl dress didn't send that feeling away, nor did sewing the Ramses costume. I really didn't want to drag out a big production, and most of my fabric is packed away temporarily as a part of the Alex's room project, so I hadn't been acting on the urge except to let it brew in my head.

I still subscribe to Quiltmaker Magazine, a leftover from my quilt magazine-a-holic phase. You know how they send you the notice your subscription is almost over so you pay it, only to realize "almost" means 11 months from now? Well, that happened, and so I will be getting Quiltmaker for a few more months, even though the Interweave Knits is what sends my heart a flutter now.
Quiltmaker came in the mail around a week ago, and it happened. I saw a project that I wanted to make.

Can you tell what it is?

How about now?

Any better?

It is not finished, but will most likely be a little pillow. It is based on Emily's cat, Cuppy, and since I forgot that foundation pieced patterns turn out reversed from how the patterns appear, it is entitled "Cuppy in a Mirror." I had doubts while I was sewing it whether or not it would actually look like anything when it was done, but I think it looks okay now that it is together. It was rather complicated to do, it has very tiny pieces (181 of them!) and 12 sections. It went together without too much headache, now I just have to put the borders on.

On the knitting front, the cables are back to making me smile, and my plain sock for May is getting a gusset. My computer is away in Tennessee, and I'm here, so blogging is complicated.

Rock, paper, scissors

OK... First, the rock. I'm engaged! To a wonderful man. Hooray! (And you guys thought it would never happen...)

Second, do you realize what this means? This opens up a whole new world of scrapbooking possibilities! Party favors! Invitations! I don't yet know how I will use all the nifty wedding things that are out there, but heavens, I've got the ring. That's practically an invitation to go shopping, don't you think? Golly... there's so much to do.

My son the Egyptian

Fourth Grade was the prospector with the knitted fun fur beard. Fifth was Ben Franklin with the ruffled shirt made from paper doilies. And now, I present Ramses, made from the finest felt and gold rick rack--

Sometimes you are thankful you can sew.

For all you moms out there...

How would you like to see these washing instructions????