Nothing much to post today. Made a lot of knitting related purchases today - I'm destined to blow my March yarn budget before it's even March! I am holding some $$ in reserve to order a few more things, but since I wanted to order my sister a book, I figured I may as well pick up some things for myself. And I really do need a ball winder to work on Bella, since all I have are all those skeins lying around. And I've always wanted to try Lorna's Laces...and so on, and so on. I'm sure we're all familiar with the rationalizations. :)

Last night I also started a new project - toe-up socks for the very patient boyfriend. I was nervous about knitting him something, not because of the Boyfriend Sweater Curse, but because he's so particular about things, and his mom is a practically-perfect knitter (who knows better than to knit things for him). When I was babbling about my projects last week, he said to me, "Weren't you going to make me some socks?" I was surprised he mentioned it, and I'm only too happy to start another project. So I'm doing a pair of toe-up socks in Wilde Foot, Tabby. I am noticing a splitting issue, but then, I could split floss with these size 1 Brittany DPNs.

No links today, but I wanted to update anyway. There always seems to be a lull in posts during the middle of the week, so I thought I'd put something new up, as trifling as it may be.

Yawn. I am sooooo tired today. It's astonishing what happens when my only caffeine intake all day is one 20 oz. diet coke. I finished a silver stripe on the Slytherin scarf. Yay! 4 down, 17 to go.

I think I'm going to get my sister some knit related gifts for her birthday on March 11th. She learned to knit from our Nana when she was little, too. She was the recipient of my first project when I re-entered the knitting world in the fall of 2001. It took me about 4 months, but I made her a HUGE garter stitch chenille scarf, striped blue-flecked and burgundy. I don't even know if I have a picture anywhere, but it was wonderful to make it for her. She loved the stuff I made for our stepsister's daughter, and was considering jumping into the knitting world again. When she moved into her tiny studio apartment, she found some aluminum needles and bits of acrylic yarn. She still hasn't picked them up, but is thinking about it. I thought I'd start her off with some bamboo needles and nice yarn, but I can't think of a project to get her started on. There is the ubiquitous scarf, but she's already got one *grin*. I'll think more on this later. Right now, I need to post this entry before I lose steam and put it off again.

Links

* Fuzzy Galore's Peace Chart

* another blog

* shopping for nicole - Amazon, KnitPicks, Patternworks

Yesterday's Entry:

I soooooo want to start Bella. Like, really, really badly. But I need to finish the garter stitch baby sweater, and start socks for the boyfriend. I got a lot done on the baby sweater watching Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - which sucked horrendously, by the way.

After wearing them for a day, the Voodoo Wrist Warmers have loosened up around the thumb, which is great. Might be bad news for buttons, but good for my chubby thumbs.

current knitting wish list:

* ball winder

links list

* Tongue River Farm from Theresa - I want the sock yarn.

* toe up sock pattern linked from crafty bitch...I like the heel, and will probably try it on the boyfriend's socks.

This was yesterday's entry...couldn't post it because blogger was down for maintenance:

Just finished Voodoo Wrist Warmer #2. Now the question remains...can I type in them? The answer is a resoundign "yes!" I can knit in then too! The buttonhole on #2 is gorgeous, but tight, and that might be the only thing standing in my way. My apartment is very hot right now, so I'll probably leave these at my work desk. We have radiator heating at home, and no thermostat, so we have to turn each radiator on or off. It's too cold to have them all off all the time, so usually we leave one or two on until we're sweating, then turn them off. We've been sitting around the apartment in shorts and t-shirts for the last 4 days.

Now that the Voodoos and the Feets are done for me, I feel like I can get back into my current projects. I can work on the Slytherin scarf at work, and the baby sweater at home. Once the baby sweater is done, it's time to cast on for Matt's socks. I think I've made the poor boy wait long enough. After that, I really need to start on the layettes for the two summer babies.

links

* knit lingerie from White Lies Designs

* a free knit skirt pattern, also from White Lies Designs

* the new VK - it's on my list. That and the last Knitter's, the infamous "scarf" issue. Oh, and the Cast On w/ the SP column.

* Black Water Abbey Yarns..can't remember where I found this link

* Yarn Over - exhaustive list of lace links. I know I got this link from someone's blog, but I do not remember who.

Sock idea:

Double strand Koigu, rib on #5 (2 X 1?) foot on #4
4 sk of this would make some nice comfy boy socks...and maybe some of this for me...

The notes above came from thinking in notepad.exe at work. That's where most of my entries come from...when I get in to work, I open notepad, and keep a running list of all the links I've found that I'd like to go back to, funny quotes, knitting progress, etc. At the end of my shift, I neaten things up and plop them in the appropriate blogger/diaryland accounts.

Not much knitting news today - got another 10 or so rows done on Voodoo Wrist Warmer #2 while waiting for customers' computers to reboot. If anyone ever wonders what I do, I do internet technical support, cable modem and dial-up, for a regional ISP on the east coast. It's interesting work, but exhausting. And, no offense to any novices out there, but it is a lot of the same easy stuff, day after day. I don't mind the novices, though. It's the folks who are network admins that drive me batty. Strangely enough, my real lust in life is psychology. Mmmmm...neuroses. And child development, creative writing, philosophy, cognitive psychology, comparitive literature, education theory - the list is huge. I have taken classes on all those things in my 2 1/2 or so years in higher education. Please note that the one thing I never studied is what I do all day!

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get in some good knitting. I think Matt is going to busy for some of the day, so if I get my taxes done early, I can work on his scarf. If not that, then the VWW#2, or the baby sweater. I've got to start finishing things!

Soooo close to being done with Voodoo Wrist Warmer #1. I did the tricky buttonhole which looks great, but does have a huge hole - and I don't mean the buttonhole, I mean next to it. It is very like the hole you get when you pick up gusset stitches. I think I know why it happened, and I'll be able to avoid it for #2, but I do NOT feel like ripping back. Nope. So I'll probably tie a very tiny series of knots w/ extra yarn to close it.

Took some pictures this morning of the cat and VWW#1 in progress, I'll try to post them later. I'm working on finding a way to do photo albums that I like. I found a simple template here, and put up some pictures of Virgil using it. Any feedback would be great; do you think this photo album style would work for knitting projects? Oh, and while it looks like there are several of the same picture of Virgil on the ugly tan couch, they are all different pictures, mostly different days. That's one of the few places that he holds still long enough to capture his picture in natural light!

note: as of 5:00 PM eastern time, hippygoth.com was down...should be up soon, i hope, or i'll need to email my host!

Links

* Rocket Science - knitting blog I found, thanks to a comment left about my cute kitty.

*later that same day*

Finished Voodoo Wrist Warmer #1. I love it. Adjustments I should have made...my thumbs are a little too fat, but if the buttonhole was even one stitch bigger, it would probably be too loose. I should probably have also either extended the top past the buttonhole at little longer, but I was too impatient. I really think these are going to work! I'm so psyched. Thanks, Bonne Marie!

Oh, and this is my new blogchalk:
United States, Massachusetts, Holyoke, Highland, English, jenn, Female, 21-25, knitting, dreaming. :)

Yesterday, just for fun, I searched for some charts online to practice some 2 color knitting. I just did a tiny swatch, and boy, was it fun, intense, and scary. I have never done anything but stripes, and textural stitches, so I didn't even know what to do w/ the yarn I wasn't using. I kind of wrapped it around the stitches I was making, making sure that it didn't peek through. I'm not sure if that's what's supposed to happen or not, but I dearly long to learn how to do more advanced color knitting. To that end, my new most longed-for item is this video - The Original Philosopher's Two-handed Fair Isle and Other Stories. I wouldn't turn down the book, Fair Isle Sweaters Simplified, either.

Ooh, discovered this list on Amazon...

Thanks to the snow day yesterday, I powered through my slump on the Baby Sweater Take Two. I now am 1/3 the way through the left front. Since the sleeves are knit at the same time as body, that means once I finish the left front, I only have the right front, then I'm DONE!

Amazingly enough, I have no links today.

I'm starting to really love the Voodo Wrist Warmers. I'm making them at work though, so they will probably go really slow. I want to be wearing them right now! I was nervous about holding together 2 strands of varigated yarn, but it's working out unbelievably well. I think since it's koigu, and there are such short color repeats that it works out better than something with longer repeats. And I think they will be really warm, too.

I found some bamboo size 9's last night, so I think the baby sweater take 2 will get moved to that tonight. And I got 12 rows (1 pattern repeat) done on Matt's scarf yesterday. So I'm moving along on that nicely. I'm feeling the urge to work on the Aspen sweater...I must fight it! But I want my own warm sweater so bady.

I feel very reassured from everyone else's FF entries - most people are finding that one felts faster than the other. I really hope mine will finally be dried out enough to wear tonight!

As for current vegan/knitting topics - no one is going to convert. Just drop it. With that said...I am so thoroughly resisting posting that it is painful. I hate it when I feel like I can't get involved in the conversation because no one will listen. For the record - I was a vegetarian for almost 4 years, mostly for animal rights reasons. Factory farming in particular. Due to my inability to eat healthily, I went back to eating meat about 4 years ago. However, I am still incredibly aware of what I'm eating and where it comes from. Especially with the dairy industry. There was one point being debated. point 1: I heard that farmers keep milking cows to make them keep producing milk long after they would have stopped. counterpoint 1: At some point that milk does dry up, no matter what. Farmers are not forcing them too much. My point: Cruel artifical insemination practices keep cows producing far more calves then they normally would in a natural lifespan, so as to keep them providing milk.

Phew. I'm searching for new blog templates for this and my links/stream of consciousness blog. Anyone have any suggestions?

Links

* another knitblogger - lisa knits

* courtesy of lisa knits - jbtocker's bookmarks

Okay folks. Here I go. The fuzzy feet are currently in the wash.

I'm a little nervous.

On the other hand, I've totally enjoyed this knit-along. It's kinda nudged my other projects out of the way, but that's almost okay. I was starting to stress about the long term, major project kind of stuff. I'm particularly intimidated by the 6+ more feet I have to go on the Slytherin scarf. Thank goodness I have until June 21st for that.

The other major project is the baby sweater, take 2. The first try was cute, but I think too small, and there was a big gaping (okay, only a quarter of an inch, but noticable to me) hole that I somehow thought was okay to keep going by. Not to mention made out of some truly horrible on my hands acrylic I had in my stash. Sweater #2 is lavendar wool-ease, and I like the way it's coming out, but it's all garter stitch, and I'm up way over a 100 stitches per row. Doesn't help that it's on aluminum needles, which I don't really enjoy knitting with anymore. Not that I ever really did...I always preferred plastic.

Project #3 is the man's scarf from the Vogue Knitting Men's issue that I started for Matt. It's a Kureyon scarf, and I'm mostly through 1 ball of yarn out of 3. I love it, and I love working on it, but I didn't want Matt to see it before I was done, and I just don't have a whole lot of knitting time when he's not around. This is the scarf I call the Groundhog Day scarf because it was supposed to be done by Groundhog Day. Oops.

One F.F. felted faster than the other...my one concern, that I put too much eyelash in (for a full 2 inches or so) to make the cuff felt, seems to be coming true. Oh well, I don't really mind the loose cuff, and I'll know better for next time.

Oh! Oh! We have just had a very exciting experience...foot #1 was out of the washer and drying on a towel. I was waiting for #2 to be done, and I noticed the cat playing with something...oh no. It's a mouse. The first mouse we've seen since moving here in August, and as far as we know, the first mouse Virgil (our cat) has ever seen. There was a very interesting 5 minutes as Matt and I debated what to do. I wanted to catch it and let it go outside. Matt wanted to let Virgil kill it and then flush the remains. Virgil wanted to play with it then eat it. All the while, I was closing doors. I did not want an injured mouse wandering through the apartment, trailing blood and germs. (I am a little prejudiced against mice, though I have had rats as pets.) At the same time, my fuzzy foot #2 was in the washer, agitating furiously.

Decision was made. Matt grabbed the mouse and flushed it. I was a little freaked out, but honestly, there wasn't much else to do. We live in an apartment in a city. The options were: let the cat kill it slowly, put it out to freeze in the street - slowly and injured, or let Matt do what he seemed determined to do.

After the mouse was, er, gone, I rescued fuzzy foot #2, which, with a little bit of coaxing, was just big enough. I was actually tempted to put foot #1 back in for a few minutes, which worked out okay. As for Virgil, he meowed plaintively, running back and forth up and down the hallway, looking for the mouse. He is not happy that it disappeard. I think he takes it as a personal failure, despite Matt thanking him and giving him a treat. He's currently sulking on the computer room floor.

Here's a picture of Virgil in a happier moment. Lots of pictures get taken when he's on the couch, due to natural light, and a snoozy kitty.

Links

* koigu sock pattern

* 3-D pattern

* Smiley's Yarns

I'm sure everyone has an imaginary yarn store in their head. I'm planning a yarn/book store. Oh, and I'll sell Jenn I. and Ann's craft projects, and Kris and I will sell our line of tech-geek makeup. Yup. And it will be called "The Incorrigible Knitter."

That's what I feel like today. Against all my better instincts, I cast on for the Voodoo wrist warmers. I can't help it! The winter is so long and cold! I'm thinking I will leave this project in my work drawer, though. I'm doing it with a double strand of Koigu. I think it's closest to p624,

I'm going over to Jenn I.'s house Saturday (hopefully) and I will bring either my Fuzzy Foot #2 and/or Matt's Groundhog Day scarf (notice that it is past Groundhog Day now - I suck). I really want to get the Fuzzy Feet done, partially for the DONE thing, and partially because I really want to wear them!

I am sooooo not articulate today. I think I'm just gonna quit while I'm ahead.

The first Fuzzy Foot is knit! It looks awfully cool. I can't wait to finish the second and felt/full them. I like this project. I really wanted another FO for me! I finished a pair of baby socks that I mailed off, and Nick's Squid Hat, but nothing that's sticking around.

links
* glampyre's knitting blog

* glow in the dark yarn

* anatomy of a sock

Very little knitting today. Up to gusset decreases on FF#1. Instead, mostly due to wrist pain, I have been reading.

The Lovely Bones is beautiful, and incredibly sad. I am eating it up, and sneaking paragraphs at work when no one is looking. I had forgotten what it was to be so absorbed in a story.

non-knitting links from knitting people:

potpie recipe from knitting park

make your own wrestler/superhero courtesy of Bonne Marie

My comments are broken. Appears to be a server issue at enetation.co.uk - too bad! I really like having comments! However, it is a free system, and the forums say that they are working on it, so I will be patient. After all, I'm sure I could learn to code a comments window if I wanted - I have to pay for my laziness!

I have finally started the fuzzy feet, and boy, am I thrilled. I cast on at work, and it keeps staring at me, daring me to work on it. I decided to go w/ the Fizz at the cuff, even though it does seem to affect how tightly it felts. Though, this looks HUGE on a 16" circ, so I think I should be just fine. Matt was impressed at the felting process this morning...I told him it was SCIENCE to get his interest. I was trying to describe what I felt the Fizz looked like...he came up with the adjective, "mossy," which is just about perfect!

I think I may make a second pair out of my fisherman's wool/kool-aid dye experiments, and send them to a friend to felt to size. Or maybe I'll just have two. Or maybe I'll knit and felt a mat for the cat...he does like to lay on blankets all over the house. I can see how felting could become addicting.

Links

Looks crochet to me, but I could be wrong. Link thanks to dangerous chunky.

wooly board instrucstions thanks to kathy.

sock ideas

future page features, I hope
Recently Finished
Works in Progress
At the back of my mind (and closet)
Up Next
Someday, Maybe

Well, this weekend was full of yarn-y, knitt-y goodness. First, both my yarn orders came. Only two things were back-ordered from Patternworks, and one of them came on the same day in a separate envelope. Thank goodness I have everything I need for the Fuzzy Feet, and I can finally start them, almost a week late. I even swatched for the fuzzy feet! Take a look:

pre-felting

post-felting

I also finished the mystery tentacle project - it was a purple hat for my friend Nick. It was a purple squid hat, complete with arms and tentacles. I only got a little bit of a picture, and as soon as I scan it, I will post it. Considering that I don't have a scanner, that may take a while.

And while I'm on a picture roll, here are the mini-gifts that I made for my friend Kris's birthday:

I got the new Interweave Knits in the mail - aside from the fact that it reminds me of the very tired phrase "Knitting, not just for grandmother's anymore!", I enjoyed it. Not sure how many things I will make from it, but I do adore the Raccoon Coat, the Corset Sweater, and the diamond shawl.

Tudor Roses is everything I hoped it would be. Now I just need to learn how to be a really great knitter, so I can make things from it.

Not a whole lot of knitting today. Got some work done on the tentacle thing before work, but not much since then. Still waiting on my yarn from Patternworks...I'm starting to get that feeling of dread that I've had the last few times I ordered from them. I don' t like this new policy of "This is the last communication you will have from us until your order arrives," bit at the checkout. It used to be that they sent an email when items shipped, and I really like to know when things are shipped. I live in an apartment building where I don't really know my neighbors - I want to know when I should be on the lookout for packages.

knit links
* http://home.att.net/~stringbyte/
* turkish stockings. link thanks to Color Joy!
* Joslyn's Fiber Farm
* Wendy's generic toe-up sock pattern

Yarn for fuzzy feet is not yet here, but I'm casting on in spirit!

I realized that even if I'm over my yarn budget well into March, that's okay. Because when my yarn finally arrives, I'll have yarn for two sweaters, 6 pairs of socks, and two whole baby layettes. Oh, and a Lion brand homespun shawl. Not to mention all my WIP's. And I'm excited about all those projects! Or at least I am right now...we'll see how long it takes for me to lust after a new project.

links to blogs I read today
http://mimoknits.blogspot.com/
http://cyndilou.blogspot.com/
http://www.starlust.org/knitting/
http://www.girlreaction.prettyposies.com/knittin.html

and one nalbinding link

http://www.geocities.com/sigridkitty/

After making the rounds through the knitting blogs today, I feel energized and inspired to work on some knitting! However, job induced weirdness has caused me to have a horrible pain in my right forearm, close to the elbow. I get this alot when I knit too tightly, or type too much on non-ergonomic keyboards. Yipe! The pain is spreading to my wrist now! All I want to do is go home and bust through the garter stitch baby sweater...but I might be stuck in I-cord tentacle mode.

links

* pattern for fixation socks

First....I am saddened by the loss of the astronauts on the Columbia. I am saddened by the loss of anyone who dies in the service of knowledge, and exploration.

Knitting news - Placed two huge orders, one w/ Patternworks and one w/ KnitPicks. As soon as my yarn comes in, I will start my Fuzzy Feet! I blew my yarn budget for both February AND March, but I will have enough projects to keep me busy for a while. Obligatory knitting for the week - almost half-way done with Baby Sweater #2, and only 6 more tentacles and some ear flaps to go on one birthday present. I will explain more about that once it's given to the recipient, and I have photos.

Thank you to everyone who has left comments for me. It's great to know that I'm not knitting/blogging into a void!

links

a season's tale

the fibonacci sequence - math and knitting, thanks to fuzzy galore

At work today, I think I'm going to work on some I-cord trim I need for one piece. It may be easiest to do some spool knitting, but sadly, I still haven't really figured it out.

Spool Knitting links:

http://www.sweaterscapes.com/spool.htm

http://www.pellatuliptime.com/lessons/straw/strwcork.html

http://www.quincrafts.com/pdf/IN_SK.pdf

I'm putting my possible shopping list for Valentine's day here, because Matt won't think to look here. So far I'm considering:

Raziel action figures - here,
here, and here.

AND

transformers - season two, part one.


I don't think I'm going to get to any yarn stores in time for the felt along, so I think I'll order and start late. I was thinking about getting some Encore for a layette set I was going to work on, too. My cousins are both having babies this summer, and I have 2 kits for a layette (sale!!) that has some wool-ease. The wool-ease is in a gorgeous lavender, which I love, but just isn't unisex enough. I'm thinking teal, turquoise, lime...something summery (2 summer babies) and all-purpose. Though sage might work, too. So...since I'm ordering from Patterworks anyway, I can pick up some wool for the felt along. I believe the pattern calls for Lamb's Pride?

Whoa...I just realized that Bella uses Lush, and since I was going to order from KnitPicks for some other things...I can't believe it's the first few days of February and I'm already considering blowing my February yarn budget. Not that I really have a yarn budget, but I fully intend to by the end of this week, which is when I'm going to magically study my finances and create a budget plan.