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20 April 2006

SP7, Sockapalooza, et. al

i've been extremely busy as of late, what with school winding down and what not, so i haven't been a very good blogger at all.  soon though, i will be able to entertain you with witty reparte on a more regular basis ("and there was much rejoicing....yeah.")
i got my package from my SP7 today!  whoo hoo!  my very rockin' secret pal was Gina, and boy did i get hooked up.  check out all that goodness!  inside the package was a cutie card, some nummy sounding tea (YEAH TEA!), tasty chocolate treats, some stitch marker looking things (though i could be wrong!), 2 sk of Inca Alpaca, 1 sk of Handpaint Original, a collar/scarf pattern that uses those yarns, and a thing of Knitpicks dye your own wool.  Oh!  and 2 pakages of tamarind drink mix, which i've heard makes a brown, but which i'm very tempted to make into the drink....i've never tried a tamarind flavoured thing before, and i am quite curious.  here's a better pic of the yarn...aren't those colors freakin' gorgeous?!?!?!  i'm especially in love with the handpainted yarn.  it's soooooo pretty. 

i also got a GC for amazon from Gina, and two new additions to my knitting library should be here tomorrow, according to the tracking thing.  i'm finally getting my own copy of Folk Socks and i also picked up Sensational Knitted Socks.  i have to hurry and get my class work finished so i add to my growing sock collection!

speaking of sock (how'd ya like the segue?) i did end up having to restart my Sockapalooza pals socks.  grrrr.  but, i decided to do them both at once, so i am actually not too far off my predicted schedule.  i just finished picking up the gusset stitches and am starting on the foot part.  the really great thing about my sock pal is that her feet are damn near the same size as mine (read--tiny) so i don't have to contend with any real guess work as far as foot length goes!  whoot!  i am still loving how the yarn is looking in this pattern.  i hope she does too!

i've decided to turn the vest of hugeness into a bag.  i wish that i would have made this decision before i felted it--would have made the sewing part a ton easier!  oh, and for shits and giggles, i thought that i would post a pic of what the finished vest looked like on me when it was all said and done.  better luck next time!

16:49 Posted in FO , WIP's | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email this | Tags: Knitting (ENGLISH)

05 April 2006

if only i were an amazon...

then i would fit into my HUGE ASS Deep V argyle vest.  sob sob sob.  see that?  it's blocking on a couch cushion. a freakin' couch cushion?!?!?!?!?!?!!  sweet baby jesus.  well, i've learned a couple of things with this project.  to recap:
1.  Knitpicks merino style is a lovely yarn at a bargin price.  i want lots and lots of it.
2.  when fair isle knitting, i apparently have to make a swatch that is just shy of the actual project measurements.  (i got gauge on a swatch that was 4 repeats around, 2 repeats high)
3.  blocking, while it really helps with the tension, wasn't enough to make this baby suitable for my frame.   i should have went with my gut and frogged this fucker before i cut the steeks.
4.  steeks rock my little universe.  i love love love love them. 
so, though this project (baring elvish intervention in the wee hours) is a bust, it was a giant learning experiance.  oh, that's me, always looking for that silver lining.  now i just have to figure out what to do with my giant vest...

00:01 Posted in FO | Permalink | Comments (10) | Email this | Tags: Knitting (ENGLISH)

04 April 2006

hope blocking will help

so, i started the vest over.  here are some steek shots. all was going really well.....that was until i decided i'd try it on.  oh god.  it's so long.  i hope blocking will fix it, but if not, someone taller than me is getting a present!  i love love love steeking, however, and i'll just make myself another vest if this one ends up like a tunic.  see the glass of booze on the cut up vest?  it is delicious framboise, a raspberry flavoured beer, and i love it with all my little heart.  if you like raspberries, you should give it a go, even if you don't like beer at all.  just an fyi.

i need to get working on my Sockapallooza socks...i fear that i may have lost my place in the damnable pattern and might end up having to start over.  grrrr....add that to another tiny stash enhancement--isn't this the prettiest color--and you have the mix for slow going on the socks.  i'm planning on making a really loose-gauged kiri shawl with that Kidsilk.  and just for justification, i got both balls for just a smidge over $18...that sale at the LYS was a dangerous thing, and i'm pretty glad i got out mostly unscathed. 

i leave you with a picture of my new favorite thing:

this is the strawberry cow bank.  i got it at hobby lobby cause it cracked my shit up.  seriously, i nearly peed on the floor in the store. 

01:18 Posted in WIP's | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email this | Tags: Knitting (ENGLISH)