Mad, crazy knitting weekend, yo! I'm pretty happy. On Saturday I finally got around to felting the water bottle holder and the Kureyon Booga Bag I just finished. I was not originally happy with the Kureyon...it seemed to me like there was still too much stitch definition, but it dried pretty dense, so I'm okay with that. I'll post pictures, soon! As for the water bottle holder, well, the strap was just an eensy bit too long, because, as I figured but didn't compensate for, double knitting doesn't quite felt down as small as regular knitting. I do like the double knit strap, though. Thick and strong. The water bottle part itself is just a tiny bit too long, more of a liter bottle of water sized than nalgene bottle of water sized. But it came out pretty good for the first pattern I ever came up with, and with some tweaking it should be ready to be posted soon. Hoorah!

I made a couple more mousies this weekend, bringing my total to 5. I have 4 Kool-Aid dyed mousies, and one leftover Kureyon mousie. I had 2 purple Lamb's Pride mousies, but they have disappeared into the ether. Just as well. Virgil is pretty darn jealous of all the mousies and catnip that are NOT for him. If I find the other 2, I can stuff them for him!


Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! (purls before swine)

Lifelong Knitter

My Glass House

finished 2 scarves on saturday. the 80's fuzzy scarf and the silk garden diagonal scarf. the 80's scarf has already gone to live with my friend kelly, and the silk garden scarf needs ends woven in. i think this will be going to a stepsister or stepmother. virgil (the cat) has been trying to eat the ends that i haven't woven in yet.

i realized that i need to get the mousies stuffed and mailed out, like, right pronto, as well as the baby hat and socks i knit for my cousin rachelle's baby aurelia, who was born (yikes!) a whole month ago. i doubt the hat will fit the baby, but the socks still might!

i've been working on the booga j noro bag for my mom's christmas present. i'm calling the color "the great pumpkin." it's black, brown, orange, teal, and burgundy. the bright orange stripes are what are the most noticable, and the other colors are just so autumnal. i'll tell you what...i'm not looking forward to making 6 feet of i-cord! i have another 3 skeins in another colorway that may end up being a bag for me, or the start of rosedale, or for someone else. haven't decided yet.

should have been posted yesterday, but my computer at work wasn't cooperating.

not a very knitty-ing week. i've been working a little on some scarves while at work, but at home, haven't been doing all that much knitting. taking notes and typing is staring to put a little strain on my wrists. i'm going to try and get to web's this saturday to see if they have more copper quest, and see what prices they have on a swift, because i really do need one. if it's more than KnitPicks, i might just suck it up and order from KnitPicks, since i wouldn't have to pay shipping, and i could order more quest at the same time. i think i'm also going to pick up some sock yarn to make some mittens and/or gloves. i haven't made any yet, but i think i can handle it :). it would be nice to make some for me and my sister.

i like the new knitty, and i've picked up the new cast on and the new knitters. here are the highlights from them all:

knitty - love,love,love the Noro jackets, particularly rosedale. don't know if it's big enough for me.

cast on - as usual, the articles are interesting, and the projects are lame. i really like the fibonnaci article, and the zipper article. they way i feel about knitter's reminds me of what some people say about playboy - "I buy it for the articles, I swear!" Though I like the Shipton Aran Cardigan and the Diagonal Rib scarf. the article about short-rows is okay, and the bulky raglan cowl-neck makes me think of my sister. I wonder if wool ease thick and quick would have the same guage? i could make it for my sister

Knitters - i like a couple of the arans, the lavold vest, the lavold article, and the sock article. i'd like to try those socks.

Phew. I haven't updated in a while. I will admit my sordid little secret. I was sucked into the world of Stargate SG-1 fan fic, and spent all my free time at work reading it. (If anyone else shares a Sam/Jack obsession, check out my links blog!)

But that' doesn't mean that I haven't been knitting along. I finished the front of the Berocco top, only to realize that a) it's huge b) didn't need those short-rows and c) they're in the wrong place anyway. So I need to un-seam it (and I had just hit mattress-stitch zen, too. *pout*) and then rip it back to where I added the short rows. The short rows were a great idea, and I get how they work now, but I didn't need them for this project. Perhaps for the languishing Sigma tank in intermezzo chunky cotton?

I'm excited about the new knitty. My librarian geologist buddy, Kate, is thrilled with the Hoover blanket. I'm digging it too, as double-knitting is something I just figured out how to do, and have figured out a million different ways it could be useful.

Well, I meant this to be longer, but I don't think it's going to work out that way. Bear with me. This will turn back into a real blog soon enough, complete with photos. Er, eventually.

links:

* bruxknits
* the knitting purse...featured in knitty. i saw it in knitpicks, and desperately want it.
* www.thesmooch.com

The realization that Jenn is getting married in less than 2 months has spurred me into winding up yarn to start her shawl. I will say right now, for the record, that Quest is a BITCH AND A HALF to wind, even by hand. It is just too slithery to stay in its proper skein, so it is loose and knotted before you even begin. Luckily the yardage is positively dismal, so it didn't take as long to wind as it would have if it were, say, Cascade 220.

I've decided that my major projects right now are the 80's scarf (I'm 70% done with it right now) which is made out of some weird novelty yarn I got at A.C. Moore, the Berroco tank top, Jenn's Shawl (I think I'll name it Penny), and my travelling project is the never-ending Koigu socks (as opposed to Matt's neverending Wildfoote socks). Most of these things are almost done. I'm just about to the heel on the Koigu socks, just need to decide whether I'm going to attempt short row heels or regular heels. The scarf if just garter stitch, and going to be added to my christmas pile. After I finish Jenn's shawl, I need to start on Matt's Grammy's shawl, and after I finish my tank top, I need to start making Kureyon bag for my mom. Whew! I'm psyched about all my projects, but starting to get a little nervous about finishing them all in time for Christmas.

Work is slow today...got past the heel on the ancient neverending Koigu sock. Pictures to come eventually.


Yarn
fixation bulky

Blogs to add to the list
Lifelong Knitter
squiblog

Patterns
fuzzy kid's pullover from Lion Brand
Kim Salazar of Wise Needle has this sock pattern up...very useful for short-rows!
Shapely Tank link for more short-rows!

Oh goodness. Not a lot of knitting news lately. I finished up the water bottle holder, but have yet to felt it. I have taken all the pre-felting measurements, so we'll see how that works out.

I'm a little disappointed. Here it is, September, and I never finished my tank top. Bad Jenn! I've not only forgotten about it, but I've moved on to the Aspen top down sweater. Very Bad Jenn! Though, I may finish off the tank top, because I'm just so darn close. This weekend I need to swatch for the other Jenn's wedding shawl, maybe wind some yarn and make tiny mock-ups. Tonight is killer...this is the day I work, then go to class from 5:30 to 9:30. I think I'm going to cheat and skip out of work at noon, since I have so many other things to do at school than just go to class. I need to get my books, a parking sticker, and a picture ID.

links
* free rebecca patterns
* not knitting, but sewing...denim throw
* try this hat for my brother
* eyelash trim shell

elann wish list....
8 balls of den-m-nit
swallow needles in 5, 6, 7 - 12"
swallow dpn's in 1.5, 2
pakucho...6 Natural, 2 Vanilla, 2 Vicuna, 2 Cafe, 2 Chocolate, and 2 Avacado (if they ever bring it back)...though it looks like they are running out of the brights. :(

To move to my Typepad blog...

At My Knit's End
Much Ado About Knitting
Pioneer Woman with a Cell Phone
Have a Cup of Tea

train of thought knitting entry:

extreme hedonism neck wrap - good knit gifts, maybe for Matt's mom?

Furlana & 12" circ, 3mm
Furlana - $9
Furlana - $8.50

cascade 220, looks like some quatro, too - $6.75

furlana - $9

Silky Wool, $6.95 a skein

considering ordering some patterns(these and these) from Naked Sheep, yarn from Elann, and making some lace scarves...on Elann, there is the GGH Merino Soft, Den-M-Nit for another Tasha, Skyline, Cabotage, Klimatika ...and of course, Pakucho. I have a naturally multi-colored cotton sweater from L.L.Bean from years, and years, and years ago. It's machine knit, fair isle, very very thin yarn. But all the colors are very much like the Pakucho yarn. The lovely geekpixie suggested that I remake the sweater, or make an "inspired by" sweater. Something about fair isle, in pieces, in cotton is kind of scary...but tempting all the same.

Lets see, I would need lots of Natural for the main part, with a few skeins of everything else. It's so, so tempting. I could probably get a really great cardigan out of it for about $60...maybe. Maybe. Though, I am sad that there is no more Avacado...(which looks spelled wrong, but I don't think it is). A little bit of green goes a long way.

man, i lust after the long life kimono, and i've wanted the floral gathering sack since i first saw it...

http://www.perunaturtex.com/yarn.htm

koigu P136 looks like Crusoe sock candidates to me..

I still want the "I'd rather be knitting." knitty bag..I'm feeling a shopping spree coming on...Elann and knitty and FuzzyMabel??

Great idea from Wendy...the accessory box for yarn...

just some links...

Hiawatha stole

Jamieson's Lace Weight and more Jamieson and Smith Wool - I'm thinking L1A for wedding shawl....

considering this...