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31 August 2006

felted leaves and skull vests

i knit up a little basket with a mobius handle with the beautiful autumnal Malabrigo yarn. a pile of softness this is the floppy before felting picture--doesn't look like much, eh? but after, oh the delicious results that i'm in love felting brought on. man, this yarn was made for felting. i made a felted bag with Cascade 220, and hand felted it in the sink....it took close to two hours to felt. the malabrigo took all of ten minutes. i adore how the finished product looks, and i'm definetly going to do more felting with the malabrigo. i've got ideas for a lightly felted sweater coat thing floating around in my head. i need to do some swatching and sketching and try to get it out of my head and into actual practice, so we'll see.

i swatched up the Merino style i got yesterday from knitpicks. i had an idea for incorporating some skulls into the argyle pattern of Eunny's Deep V-neck Vest for a friend of mine's birthday. she's a little retarded for skulls on things. anywho, after about 2 days of charting different skulls and seeing how they interacted with the argyle pattern, i ended up with a swatch. yar!!! but all subtle like the skull is a mismash of different ones that i found with a google search. i love how the skull is a subtle design that almost meshes with the argyle, making it a little more tasteful and less gaudy (imho). i use 3.25mm needles, and (cross your fingers) i think that i may have actually gotten gauge. we'll see when it dries!

29 August 2006

Lace Swap Package!!!!!!!!

lookie, lookie a package!!! look what came for me today!!!!!! (actually, it got here on saturday, but G and i were running errands, so i had the nice postman re-deliver it). it's my Lace Swap package--all the way from Corrie (and Keira!) in australia! i dashed back to the apartment to rip it open and see what was inside. i've been spoiled!!! and mmm..see? two different (and very, very tasty) types of Lindt chocolate--milk chocolate and mint and dark chocolate w/oragen flavor and almond bits. letter beads and two adorable stitch markers (one says "kooky" and the other "lace") cutie little stickers, miriam Felton's Lightweight Mountain Peaks Shawl (i've been drooling over this pattern for a bit, so i'm sooo excitted to have it in my possesion now!), and my favorite part, some beautiful laceweight yarn from Filatura di Crosa called Centolavaggi. the color is so very perfect! it's a winey, marroony red (one of my most favorites). i've been squishing and petting the yarn since i freed it from it's padded envelope prison. i can hardly wait to cast on with it!

thank you corrie!!! you rule!!!!!

27 August 2006

mitteny goodness

toaty and cute Pattern: Squirrel & Oak Mittens, Hello Yarn
Yarn: Nature Spun Worsted, garland and roasted coffee; 1/2 sk ea
Needles: 3.5 mm bryspun double points
Start/Finish: 21 August/ 25 August 2006
Notes: the pattern as written calls for a simple thumb that has no gore. i didn't like the fit of it at all, so i added a gored thumb to mine. other than that, i loved the pattern.

everyone had such nice things to say about Eris and the squirrel mitten! thank you thank you thank you. i made the executive decision to not put a zipper into Eris. i decided to go with toggle buttons for two reasons--1) i was less than thrilled with the color selection on the zippers at all the stores i checked this weekend, and 2) i didn't like how the front of my Rouge cardi hung after i put the zipper in. it got all wavy and wierd. anywho, here's what Eris looks like with toggle buttons what do you think? . G picked out the buttons, and i think he did a great job! i think that i like the toggle closures, but i don't have a full length mirror in my apartment, so any feed back would be greatly appreciated.

i got the toggles at Hancock Fabrics, and i also scored 3 balls of the Lion Brand Magic Stripes sock yarn for $1.70 a piece. i generally like many of the Lion Brand yarns, but the Magic Stripes has the same fiber content as some of the more expensive self-stripping yarns (75% superwash wool, 25% nylon), and it's realatively cheap.

i've ordered yarn from Knitpicks for a super secret project that i'll let you all in on as it developes--it a present (either birthday or christmas, depending on how long it takes to finish) for a friend of mine. i've also started an alpaca hat for another friend's birthday (their birthdays are actually on the same day) and i must say, i forgot how sheddy the Alpaca from Elann is. anywho, boring hat pics later!

24 August 2006

bring on the coldness!

she is DONE (well, 99.95% done--still needs a zipper or some type o' closure)
Pattern: girl from auntie Eris, 40" size (for reference on fit, i've a 39" bust)
Yarn: Knit Picks Main Line, Red Velvet Cake colorway; approx. 1394 yds. (acutally a bit less than this)
Needles: Addis; 4 mm for body, 3.25 mm for collar
Start/Finish: 1 August / 23 August 2006
Notes: this pattern, like any other pattern of Jenna's i've knit, is beautifully written, and well worth the money. i absolutly adore the front edges--it is the most beautiful and easy edge treatment i've used yet. i am still curious as to why it calls for a worsted weight yarn when a DK would work just swell (imho). if i knit this again, i'll use a DK weight wool, as the Main Line 1) killed my hands and 2) looks like it'll wear just about as well as tissue paper--the sweater already has that tired, fuzzed out look that cottons sometimes get, and that's just from carrying it about. this baby needs some serious blocking, but i was too excited to wait!
lovely front details
i think i'll be starting the Chicknit's Cece next, although i do have a couple of friends with birthdays coming up. if i were good i'd start their presants (i would have to place another Knitpicks order).

i went ahead and tried a Squirrel mitten 2.0 with the worsted weight and 3.5mm needles--lookie lookie it fits! ! (my hand is actually in the mitten in this picture) it fits lovely, and i did a happy dance. i added a gore to the thumb gore goodness , and i'm thrilled with how it turned out. the pattern match could be better, but i'm rather please for having just winged it.

21 August 2006

100th Post! wooOOt!

my 100th post--holy crap. the 1 year Blogiversary came and went without fanfare, but somehow, the 100th post feels like a huge milestone. in honor of it, this will be a GIGANTIC post. yippee!!!!
this weekend involed running around to 3 different LYS. mmmmm. G and i finally got to check out Sheep Street Fibers. It's a lovely shop, and i really wish that my wheel wasn't being a shithead, cause there was soooo many different spinning fibers there! silk hankies, merino top dyed lovely jewel tones, cashmere, merino/silk blends...oh, it made me dizzy! i resited temptation, listened to the reasonable voice in my head saying "um...your wheels all janky. maybe you should just get some yarn..." and i did that. i picked up 2 skiens of Nature Spun Worsted in Coffee Bean and Garland for mittens (more on those in a second).
then, we went to Stitches & Scones. oh, i love that store. we picked up one of their bags--and what a great bag it is--zipper pockets, big enough for a sweater in progress--that gives us a 10% discount every time we shop there. how cool is that? i also picked up a set of Bryspun DPN's (i love the Bryspun needles and their scoopy little tips) and a pair of 9 mm, 47" long Addis to use with mobius strip things. i finally broke down and bought a skien of Malabrigo merino. the colorway i picked at first confused me--it's not really of colors i normally would chose--then i looked at it all wound into a autumn leaves yarn ball and it hit me: it lookes exactly like autumn leaves! autumn is my most favorite season, and i'm hard-core gunning for it to get here! i think the yarn was my plea to mother nature to hurry it up! i'm planning on making a felted bowl or bag or something with this. it's really lovely yarn, and i sorta want to buy enough to make a little nest out of...*sigh*
i got some new beadworking tools, and i made up a few stitch markers on Sunday. markers! i love the subversive set on the bottom--they make me giggle so.
i really needed a break from Eris, so i decided to make these awsome squirrel & oak mittens from Hello Yarn. i got some Dale Falk at Mass Ave on Friday, cast on and finished mitten 1 in about 3.5 hours (whoot!) tiny squirrel mit green and chocolate brown (their gonna be "thin minttnes" hahaha). blocked it out and all that, and CRAP!!! i don't make mittens, so i'm not terribly firmilar with the sizing and what not. and, as small as i am, i have freakishly long fingers (i normally can't wear store bought gloves and such cause the fingers are always waaaayyy too short). these factors combined to make a tiny weeny mitten that doesn't fit me at all! and it looked so good! i picked up some worsted weight yarn (above mentioned Nature Spun) and some 3.5 mm DPN's, and i think that that will make a mitten that i'll actually be able to wear. i'm also going to change the pattern to make the thumb with a gore.
my Lace Swap pal let me know that my package is in the post! it's coming from Australia! how cool is that???? i'm super jazzed!

17 August 2006

death-defying pics

i totally could have broken my neck getting this picture for you to see the 1st finished sleeve of the Eris sweater!! it's the same damn t-shirt, isn't it??? (i had to hop up on a 18" tall stool at the last moments of timer beepage, and i almost went into the shelving behind me...cause i'm graceful as a ballerina). so, here's the sleeve in its lumpy, unblocked glory. i didn't work it as long as instructed, which is good cause look how long it ended up anyhow! i like the length of it, and i'm glad i checked the length when i did. i basically like how the Main Line feels knit up (i am crossing my fingers that a good washing will loosen up the fabric just a titch, but if not, it'll be alright), but i freakin' hate how it's making my wrists/hands feel! for a little bit, i was considering going all asymmetrical with one short sleeve and one long, but i think that has passed. i'm being really good for me, and, though i have approximately 27 projects i'd like to cast on for, i'm trudging through this sweater. you know about my chronic PI, so this is quite an achievement for me!

in swap news, my Lace Swap pal package was sent out yesterday, and is heading northernly from where i am (see, it's a little clue since the revealing is soooo close!). i hope it gets there all unscathed and whatnot. and i read about a new swap/secret thing on Dani's blog, and because she is an Eee-vile Swap Temptress (as well as the bee's knees) i decided to join the Sockret Pal swap. it does sound pretty fun, and i think i'm turning into a swap junkie. head on over there and sign up.....do it! ya know you want to!

14 August 2006

Completion immanent

i'm getting dangerously close to finishing up Eris. i've gotten the front bottom cable details completed so...freakin'...close... . the picture is a bit dark, but you get the idea, i hope. i like the edging on the bottom of this: Rogue called for a hem, which can be a really nice touch, but in worsted weight yarn, the double thickness was just too much. the bottom of my sweater always flairs out a bit, no matter how crazily i block the damn thing. the edge treatment for Eris is a knit-on border that takes advantage of slipped stitch to cause the very edge of St st to curl under, making a nice clean line. it's very neat and clean looking, but i've not got it finished and it would be a damned boring picture!

i'm a crazy lover of the old time radio programs, and i used to be able to catch them on the NPR station that was out of Xavier university. i think that they must have not been a big draw at pledge time 'cause they stopped. and i was very dissapointed. but today, the clouds parted and the sun streamed down onto me!!! the fella sent me the link for OTR.Network Library, and i have a steady stream of radio programs available at a mouse click--for free. i am beside myself with glee. Inner Sactum, Suspense, and X minus 1 have been speeding me through work on Eris.

i've learned of a new knitting group that's just a block from my apartment. i think that i'm going to check it out on wednesday--i'll let ya know how it goes if i do.

and now, cause i know you've all been anxiously waiting for it, the cooked purple and green cauliflower. it stayed purple!! see??? it stayed pretty colored!!! whoot. i roasted it, and it was deeeelish. if you'd like to try it, toss cauliflower florets with enough olive oil to lightly coat, some crushed garlic, a bit o' lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. bake on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 15-25 minutes or desired level of doneness. my favorite type of recipe--simple, tasty, and beautiful!

12 August 2006

lace swap, patterns, ect.

i bought a couple of new pattens this week. i'm sorta in love with the idea of PDF patterns--it's such instant gratification! First i picked up Leda's Dream from Melanie at Pink Lemon Twist. you might remember some previous posts on the Mystery Stole along (Melanie designed that pattern, too). well, i frogged it, even after i had started it over. the stole is predominatly stockinette stitch, and i just wasn't loving it. i may grab up some of the new Gloss yarn from knitpicks to make it at a later date, but right now, i just wanted something really lacey to use the Merino Lace yarn on. and i think that Leda's Dream fills that bill.
i am totally singing the praises of Bonne Marie over at Chicknits. i had some problems with the ordering system she has, and she was so freaking helpful. i love love love her. she was totally the best and helped me get two patterns that i've been drooling over. Cece caught my eye right away. i think that i have finally found the pattern that the infamous Lily yarn has been waiting for--turns out that i wouldn't have had enough to make the v-neck cardi i wrote up...guess that's another thing to add to a future Knitpicks order! i also got a copy of the Ribby Cardi. i've been lusting after this one almost as long as i've been knitting. i've read about it on Lori's blog, and heard nothing but good things about it on the various boards i frequent. so woot!
i'm participating in the Mysterious and Lacey Swap and i've gotten my package all together to send to my pal. how's it look? here's what i'm sending--just wanted some feedback on it. i always get swap anxiety. it's just a little scary, and i don't want to dissapoint!

now, a question: what do you, the comment-leavers (and you lurkers too! come outta hiding and answer, why don'tcha??) think the best way for me to respond to your comments? emails? semaphore??

and now, a shout out (tee hee) to Dani. she helped me suss out the banner problem i was having, and i think she's the bee's knees!

11 August 2006

Fwip's

i make no secret about the fact that i suffer from PI (project infidelity). but, after reorganizing my knitting space, i realized just how bad it's gotten. sure, there are the projects that i started, hated, and just haven't got around to frogging yet (oh, i hatehatehate you, MANLY SWEATER of SUCK). there are the ones that i still love and work on, all be it in little spurts--most often, shawls fall into this category. these aren't suprising, and i'm not a bit ashamed of the PI. atleast i wasn't. that all changed when i stumbled upon a new category of WIP's--the FWIP's or Forgotten Works in Progress. i completely spaced that these were on needles. (in one case, i even spaced the needles!) 2 geeky things, still forgetable Exhibit A: the modified DNA/Calla hybrid. i was so jazzed about this when i started. i love the yarn, the pattern is geeky on at least 2 levels, and it's not that hard of a knit. yep, totally slipped my mind. i didn't even remember that i owned the size 5 circs that this baby is on, that's how far removed from thought it was.

via who?? Exhibit B: the second Via Diagonale bag. this hasn't even been on the needles all that long, and i was retarded for it when i started. i can't explain it. *ETA* um, yeah, and it's on my progress bar thing...god, i suck.

maybe i put them off til winter? Exhibit C: Kilt Hose from the book Folk Socks. i had such a hard-on to knit these that i went out and bought additional yarn to make sure i had enough. like, praying the LYS still had the same dyelot and everything.

what scares me most is that i'd put money on there being other FWIP's lurking about that i just haven't stumbled on. i'm sure that i can't be the only knitter that this has happened to, and thus i propose adding FWIP to common knitting accronyms. spread the word!

09 August 2006

Indianapolis Area LYS...and more yarn

the fella got off of work early today, so we decided to go check out another LYS that we'd never been to before. (i'd thought that it was a good drive away, but it's not too far!) i must say, i think that this store was awsome. It's called Stitches and Scones, and it may just turn into my favored LYS while we are still in this area. everyone was super helpful and friendly. granted, i do have one of the coolest accessories for starting up conversations at LYS--a guy who knits. it's pretty fabulous when a staff member comes over to G and quietly tells him there are couches if he wants to sit down to wait for me, and he says "oh! actually, i knit too!" it's so the best. anyhow, the people were nice, the selection was awsome, and they have a really cool insentive/discount program--the sell a bag with there shop logo to you for $15, and then every time you come in and buy something, if you have the bag, you save 10%. how cool is that? and who couldn't use more project bags?

That said, let me offer forth my opinion (and this is just based on my experiances at the named shops--take it with a grain of salt) of the Indianapolis area LYS G and i have been to. Sure, the now defunct Bo Peep's was super friendly, but they really didn't have all that great a selection. Mass Ave Knit Shop is just huge, has lots of yarn, and is overall pretty friendly. it is at times, however, rather lousey with the cliques. G and i have been going there for close to two years now, so we're pretty well recognized, but it was rather interesting with some of the staff for a while. the owner, Susan, is a freakin' doll though. The Knit Shop, a fancy botique-style store right on 82nd street, is full of high-end yarns, but some of the staff make me want to pull out my freakin' hair. it was here that one of the works informed me that i was S.O.L. if i wanted lace weight yarn that wasn't mohair. HA! the owner has a couple pomeranians that run all over the shop, too, which for me isn't a problem, but i'm not allergic to dogs. The Golden Thimble in Broadripple has a lot of yarn in a tiny tiny space, but no one has ever been nice to us when we've gone there. they eye us suspiciously as we walk around and everything. also, they have a minimum purchase price for credit cards which is posted NO where that i saw. i wanted a set of needles and had to buy (oh i know twist my arm) a skien of yarn to meet the price requirement. not a big deal, but i would have liked some warning. That's all the shops i've been to around here. if anyone knows of any i missed, let me know cause i'd like to check them out!

so, you wanna see the yarn i picked up from Stitches and Scones? green lovely goodness they had Rowan Cork on their sale wall--40% off--so i picked up 3 skiens of the "Sour" colorway for a scarf. more on the scarf as it developes. i've got a bitchin' design in my head, and we'll see if i can translate it to 3-d real life shit.

07 August 2006

Sweaters and produce

alright, let me first explain something about me--i'm a little crazy when it comes to how food appeals to the eyes not just the tastebuds. if something doesn't look good to me, it just doesn't taste as good. so, you have to imagine the sqeals of joy i let out at the market when i stumbled upon these: pretty & tasty
oh...my....sweet....lord. yes. that is purple cauliflower. the brociflower isn't new, but it is a lovely shade of green. i cannot wait to have these on a plate together.

Eris is coming along slow but steady. instead of twisted increases like these twisted increases of evil , i chose to use plain old increases. i like the look better, and they are much easier on my poor little hands. if i had made this in a more elastic fiber, i think that i'd probably have it all done by now. if i make another one of these, i'll use a DK weight wool. cause, seriously, i'm not sure why this pattern specifies Worsted Weight when it calls for a gauge of 5.5/8rows and 5/7rows. i didn't really think it out before starting, and i can't figure it out now. oh well, here's where she's at so far:

dig the Metallica shirt under the sweater!

don't mind my wandering eyes....i thought i saw a bug on the wall, and i liked how the sweater looked in this pic, so i used it even though i look sorta vapid.

PS. if anyone can give me any pointers for changing my banner, drop me an email, and i'll be eternally grateful.

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05 August 2006

Under Construction

i've decided that my blog needs a facelift, so that's what with the wierdness. that, and the fact that it's been about 3 years since i took that web design class.....

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02 August 2006

Cabled Toilet seat Cozy

i cast on for the Eris Cardi yesterday. I've completed the neck portion thus far. here; take a look-see: What the Best Dressed Toilets are wearing
doesn't it look like a fancy toilet seat cover? i ended up having to use 3.25 mm needles to reach the 8 rows/in gauge called for, and boy did that blow! i don't think that i would go down that small even if i were to knit socks with the Main Line. the yarn is 80% cotton and 20% wool, so it's still really inelastic. i'm really glad to be done with this part. from what i can tell, the collar size is just right. i've decided to give adding short-rows to this pattern a try. that way, i won't have to make a larger size just for the girls. i prefer my knits to be more on the fitted side of the tracks being a curvy shorty type o' gal. hugemongus sweaters, while cozy, make me look pretty rediculous i tend to think!

01 August 2006

mall allergy; new yarn

Indiana has been just gross lately. humid humid humid and hot hot hot days have combined forces to wreak havoc on allergies, mine included. i'd gotten everything under control--the sneezing, the runny nose, the itchy watery swollen eyes, and then i was nice. a dear friend had to venture into the world of THE MALL, and i, being the sweetie i am (sometimes), agreed to join her. What follows is proof that i am allergic to the Circle Center Mall:

picture A is my eye normally. you may recognize it from my avatar here. B is what happened after the mall. i think that the evidence speaks for itself.
it's not all swollen eyes in the land of kt, though. something wonderful came for me in the mail today! something that's going to take my mind off of my deformed face--YARN. yep yep, my knitpicks order showed up today!!!!
i love stash enhancement here's the bulk of it--19 skiens of Main Line (isn't that what you do with drugs? main line them? what an ironic name for a yarn that i think i may just love). the color was sooo much better than what they have on their site. it's not as....dusty?....looking in real life, which is just what i was hoping for. i shall start swatching for the Eris cardi today. i also got a skien of the new Bare DK merino, and let me tell you--delish. it's so soft and buttery. and quite the bargin too.

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