Knitter in Progress

Fair Isle Class A finished object--I feel like it's been forever!!! This is the hat we made in Joanne's class. It was so much fun seeing how differently they all turned out--it's amazing how things look when everyone can choose their own colors. Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" was suggested by Cheryl and is: Have you ever just quit a project while in the midst of it? (We're not referring to UFOs here, rather projects that you know that you'll never work on again.) Why? What did you do with it - throw it out, give it away, put it away? How about one you call a UFO, but probably have no intention of finishing because every time you work on it you want to hang yourself? Is that the same thing? Honestly, I have never had a project that I have totally bagged; I keep it around in hopes of someday making more progress on it. I put it away actually, but it occasionally creeps out for a few stitches then goes back to the abyss until I can stoma...

So last week's "plan of the week" did not go well(as far as sticking to the plan). Here's a recap: Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday--Preemie knits(which is good because I only have one more pumpkin hat/bootie combo to go); Thursday(car trip--ripped out Queen of Hearts scarf and restarted during NPJ knit night); Friday and Saturday(Sirius Black doll and Queen of Hearts scarf). Notice that no stitching made it into the program--drat:( Here's this weeks schedule: Sunday--Fair Isle Hat(done/blocking) and Queen scarf Monday, Tuesday--finish pumpkin preemie knits Wednesday, Thursday, Friday--Arwen/Aragorn stitching Saturday--Little Rage's sweater Here are pics of my Utah Haul: Utah Haul 1 The Drops Pattern books were an awesome deal at $1 each--whoohoo--gotta love that! The sock book actually came in the mail, but it did come while we were gone so it's sort of Utah haul stuff. Utah Haul 2 Yes, you're seeing that correctly--I got the Torino and...

We have just returned after our whirlwind trip to Utah! Got to knit with my old knitting buds(and it was awesome--love you guys!!), got to shop at NPJ and Shepherd's Bush, got to visit the old haunts--fun was had by all. Got to see Viggo on Letterman yesterday--it's always a good day when Viggo makes an appearance :) I'll post pics of my new acquisitions on Monday. In the car I got plenty of work done on my Sirius Black in progress--he's lookin' good so far. And on the way to Utah I was going to work on my little diva's scarf(it WAS more than halfway done); in a fit of rage/insanity, I'm not sure which, I ripped it ALL out--took it apart and decided to knit it in the round thus doubling the pattern BUT that's a good thing as I don't know how to strand in purl. So I'll be really, really good at stranded knitting after completing the scarf, right? That's my story and I'm sticking to it. In the spirit of continuing the "talk like a ...

Today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day! Get ye out thar and celebrate. Make aye you look at t'pick up lines . They be too funny. Thanks be to Harlot for sharing this booty. Do ye need a better excuse to enjoy Cap'n Jack Sparrow? Good day!

Okay, during my morning travels I encounter this . It is the Harry Potter addict's dream piece of equipment---very, very cool!!! This weekend was filled with lots of fun here. Two trips to the park with the kiddos. One trip to try out the Colorado location of L&L Hawaiian Barbeque(and it was worth the trip). DH and I haven't had L&L in over 5 years(since we moved back to the mainland)--if any of you are planning a trip to Hawaii you need to search out a location and have yourself a plate lunch. I'd recommend the chicken katsu or garlic shrimp. It's not low fat but it's worth every calorie :) I even had a spam musubi--aaaah the memories, I can almost smell the plumeria, hibiscus, and surf. And perhaps most exciting for me was my fairisle class taught by fairisle instructor extraordinaire, Joanne . Let me just say that a Sunday class is perfect for me--I didn't have to watch football or the kids and instead spent the afternoon knitting. We're wo...

Firstly, Secret Pal--thanks for the e-card! It was really cute :) I'm doing my weekend post a little early this week, because DH actually has the weekend off. AND, possibly even more exciting, I am taking a Fair Isle Class this weekend--woohooo! Sunday, Monday, Tuesday --Arwen/Aragorn by day; Preemie Knit at night(because those cross stitches are hard to see at night and I need to Preemie Focus for a few weeks) Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday --Little Rage's Sweater Booking Through Thursday A couple questions from Kim and Nicki ... What are your five favorite books of all time? Why did they make the list? (1)Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes(My mom said I memorized most of them by the time I was 2.5) (2)The Vampire Diaries(a series of four books--loved them! They totally shaped the reading choices I make today and contained enough teenage sappy romance stuff to keep a teenager interested LOL). (3)Harry Potter Series(I'm way too into these books--especially the adult cha...

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? I didn't really think I was a snob, but I think I kind of am. Red Heart is a definite NO for me, but I do like Lion Brand Wool-ease and the Microspun. I've used Encore quite a bit too. As long as it isn't too bulky, fuzzy, or bumpy I'm okay with it. 2. Do you spin? Crochet? I don't spin(I have a drop spindle though; but, honestly, I am afraid to learn--another hobby isn't really what I need. Plus I'd eventually have to buy sheep, which would necessitate a farm--it could get out of hand is all I'm saying) and I crochet very poorly--that's why I took up knitting :) 3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) Smoke and strong perfumes really bother me--I can smell them for days after I've been around either. Really scratchy fibers give me an allergic reaction. 4. How long have yo...

Why do you blog? I have been pondering this very thing. I started blogging as a way of getting my progress out there with my knitting(especially for friends and family to don't get to see it live). Everything on my blog has been put there for various reasons: to remember a link, to remember a joke, to remember what I have been knitting, to have an avenue to showcase things I enjoy, to remember where some of my favorite reads are, and probably other things that aren't popping into my head right now. I am honored and stunned that anyone would want to read/see what I have to say or what I have been doing. I feel like I have made friends through blogging--people with similar interests and people who understand the mania that knitting(and stitching and any other hobby of choice) can bring. The reason I bring all this up is this post from Knitting on an Island--it captured many of the things that I have been thinking about--very well said. On to SBQ: Today's "Stitchi...

You know I like to amuse myself with internet quizzes and such and, lately, I have taken to posting them here on weekends. So. . . this looked like so much fun! I borrowed it from Keep Talking . It took quite a while to find everything, but here it is. Have a great weekend! Aloha :) The idea is to go to Google and find pictures and/or information of some of the things in your life: (1) your first car; (2) the place you grew up; (3) the place you live now; (4) what comes up first when you type in your name; (5) favorite food; (6) favorite drink; (7) favorite song; (8) favorite smell; (9) favorite pair of shoes ever. 1) 1991 Black Chevrolet Cavalier, but mine looked a lot better than this poor beat up thing :) 2) Lockport, NY--not much to be said here--some of the Erie Canal's locks run right through the center of town, hence the name. 3) And here we are. 4) Alumni E-Mail Addresses: 1990-1992 Okay, this one has a story behind it--the first search I did was just with my married ...

Preemie Pumpkins This week I have been working on my Preemie project knitting. I have a blanket started which is not pictured and of course my two(so far)Preemie Pumpkin Hats. I'm doing them in LB Microspun in Mango and Lime on size 4 dpns. The finished one is 10" in diameter and the almost finished one is 8" in diameter. I'll also be doing 12" and 14" diameter hats--they are so fun because they are very quick knits; it's hard to believe a baby would be tiny enough to fit in the 8" hat. I gotta say that I really like the Microspun--it is so silky and soft AND it's machine washable--I was thinking about trying to make Crumpets with it. I have been trying to set up a plan for all my projects and here is what I have for the next week: Today and Saturday : Preemie knitting Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday : Rogue Wednesday and Thursday : Arwen and Aragorn stitching Friday and Saturday : Start Little Rage's sweater(the second in the "Jump...

First, thank you Lord that the new Knitty is out. Why am I so happy about this you may ask? Because I was getting freaked out daily by creepy pink hat guy. Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" is: Which way do you stitch (/// and then \\\ or \\\ and then ///)? On the piece I'm working on now it's /// and then \\\. I had read somewhere once that on linen/evenweave you should start in the bottom left corner when you start stitching; something about keeping things more even, I think. Can you (or if you haven't done it before, do you think you could) change the way that you stitch temporarily if it is asked of you? I can do either; it just depends on my mood when I start a chart. I hadn't really thought that you could get stuck with only being able to stitch one way. Booking Through Thursday What kind of room is your dream library in (one wall of your living room, dedicated room, corner of the kitchen, etc.)? I would love to have a library/study of ...

When I first attended my Utah knitting group, I happened to mention that I really liked knitting because it is an instant gratification hobby. I was met with considerable skepticism, but when you cross stitch and you spend 3+ hours gridding only part of your project(the top row pages--yes there are 8 of them in the top row), then you spend the remaining two days of the weekend stitching and only have this much to show for it: progress 9/5/05 When you have this much space to fill: A long, long, long way to go. And you've only filled in this much of page 1 of 63 pages(red highlighted is done): A good start. And on top of all that you run into a symbol problem with your chart--where two colors have virtually the exact same symbol and it's not at all clear which to use where BUT the folks at HAED are so cool that they, in less than 24 hours no less, emailed me a corrected, replacement chart. Hooray for AWESOME customer service!!!!! Well, I'm hoping you see what I mean :) T...

So it begins. . . Pattern=check Floss=check Fabric=check Let the gridding and stitching begin!! 9/02/05 progress Lest anyone think I am neglecting my knitting, here is my progress on Beginner's Triangle for the GAL-along. Slowly but surely it's coming along. Happy Labor Day Weekend everyone! aloha:) You know you want to know :) Why it is so spaced out is beyond me, but it's a cool quiz nontheless. Modern, Cool Nerd 73 % Nerd, 52% Geek, 30% Dork For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd . Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protect...

Firstly, hooray SBQ was suggested by me this week :) It was a totally selfish question as I am trying to decide whether or not to buy a scroll frame. Today's "Stitching Blogger's Question" was suggested by a Kim (http://knitterinprogress.blogspot.com/) and is: What do you use to hold your fabric while you stitch? A hoop, a Q-Snap, a scroll frame, something else, or do you stitch in hand? I use Q-snaps right now. I have quite the collection so I am able to make just about any size. Have you always used just the one thing or have you tried one or more of the others? I started by stitching with a hoop and YUCK was it a pain and it really mangled your stitches if the whole piece didn't fit into the hoop frame. Then I went through my "in hand" period; I didn't really like stitching in hand either--it was too difficult to maintain tension. Then about 13 years ago(has it been that long) I was introduced to Q-snaps and I haven't looked back. I rea...