Starting Again.

Well... I made a swatch this time to try and appease the knitting goddess.

Even though we all know that swatches lie.

This koigu told me that it wants to be Monkeys. So who am I to argue? Actually. I like "monki" as the plural to "monkey" better... You know like "octopus" is to "octopi"? So my socks will be Monki. Haha. :D

I'm leaving for an 11 day vacation tomorrow morning. I'm going to Pittsburgh for my little bro's high school grad party and my little sister's bridal shower. Sniffle... they grow up so fast. :) Then I'm off to Florida for a fun filled week with Eric and his family... his extended family. We are going to a family reunion! At Panama City! This should be interesting. See you on the flip side!

Mojo.

Hmph. I seem to have lost my knitting mojo. Nothing is working right! I am completely frustrated with all of my knitting projects. Let me explain complain:

I started a Chevron Scarf a couple weeks ago. It's not growing on me. I think the stripes of solid purple silk disrupts the pattern flow. Plus the gauge is different with the silk and it just doesn't jive. I'd also like to use a size larger needle for more drape. And I'm still considering Domesticat's version of the Chevron Scarf. Indecision!!! Ack!

I then decided I wanted to knit some lace. I cast on for the Alpine Lace Scarf in Victorian Lace Today. After knitting a few rows I was thinking I should go up a needle size. Then I really messed up the lace pattern. Sigh. Time to rip.

So I started something simple... something I couldn't mess up. How about stockinette with a delicious yarn like Kidsilk Haze. How could I go wrong?? Well... I think it's too wide. It's going to be felted... so maybe it's not too wide. I dunno. I can't decide.
Just a side note: I think this ball of yarn is cursed. I've ripped it 3+ times because I didn't like the result. I thought something simple would be foolproof... Ummm... guess not.

Then I decided to cast on for my new, shorter Thermal sleeve. I've maneuvered the tricky tubular cast-on easily, knit a few rows, and realized it is too big. My arms are skinny. The pattern is written for loose-ish sleeves. I want fitted sleeves. AHHHH! I'm going to freak.

I just. Want something. To work.

Knitting used to "just work." Why am I having such issues? I think I feel rushed. I haven't had a lot of time lately to just sit down and knit. So I feel like knitting time is precious and every second counts. When I mess up and my net progress is zero... frustration builds. Time to step away from the needles. I will re-prioritize, rip mercilessly, and report back.

Peace out. At least, that's what I'm going to try to do.

Bye Bye Sleeve. Hello Scarf.

I finished my Rippling Waters Scarf. It was a nice easy knit amidst all the packing, moving, and unpacking.

Specs:
Yarn: Malibrigo in Bobby Blue
Amount: 1 skein
Pattern: Shifting Sands by Grumperina
Needles: US11
Started: Nov 2006
Finished: 24 Jun 2007

Hi Mom... does this post satisfy?

Kissy fishy... You can see my new drapes hung in the background of this one.

Right now I'm having a fit of fickle. I can't decide what to do!!! With anything!!! So I've decided to get up close and personal with my stash. Go stash shopping, catalogue all the fun yarns I have, and start something new. Ravelry has made this task lots of fun, actually. However, Ravelry also distracts... and conspires... and convinces you to rip perfectly good sleeves in lieu of a cuter version. I have fallen for the shorter sleeve. It makes so much sense... I can't believe I didn't think of it. That Winnie... she's always coming up with the cute mods.

You say goodbye. I say hello.

I also started 2 other projects... but that's news for another day. Good night!

Crazy Busy

Ok. So the internet is hooked up at our apartment. Which is really sweet.

However, I have been an extremely busy girl. The last two weekends I went backpacking in Sequoia with Eric and then Yosemite with Elaine. I have great photos from both, but haven't yet had a chance to upload them.

This weekend, I'm driving up to San Jose to go to my cousin's wedding. I'm excited to go and see my family, but I'm so tired.

Plus, I have been playing around on Ravelry... that place is way too much fun. I can feel the obsessive-compulsive facet of my personality bubble to the surface every time I sign on... Must keep track... of everything!!!

Until next time... enjoy this picture of a cupcake...

Moving Woes...

Hey everybody!

So I didn't disappear, but I did move. And the new apartment it having issues with the Internets. It seems as though the very important cable that gives us the special Internets magic, is sadly missing in our apartment. Bummer. So I'll post pictures and knitting stuff when we finally get access at the apartment! It's not like I have much time to knit right now anywho...

Ciao for now.

Lucky Dishes.

We are going to have some lucky dishes in our new apartment.

Two washcloths.

Wash cloths are fun. Very instant gratification. I whipped these up in no time! It was a nice break from the Thermal sleeve blackhole. The colors are really fun too.

Now back to my Thermal sleeves. :)

I Messed It Up.

I've made a lot of progress on Thermal.

I knit a large portion of one sleeve on my trip to the East this weekend. I made a mistake though. Can you see it?

I don't care.

It's a design element. Yeah.

More pictures from the weekend here. Good night.

She Responds!

Hi Amanda!

I'm doing good. Are you glad to be back in CA and out of the Texas humidity? :)

I'm finally ready to start the Interstate Scarf! I don't have one of the contraptions that will ball yarn so I had to do it manually. I wanted to create a finished ball that would unravel from the center. After a couple attempts of trying to figure this out on my own and ending up with a tangled mess, I consulted my "Stitch 'N Bitch" handbook. Low and behold they had a very simple method for creating a center-pull ball. Now I have all my yarn balled and am ready for some swatching!

tangled mess of yarn, aahh!!

pretty center-pull balls - thanks Stitch 'N Bitch!!

I don't think I'm a fan of the swatch you posted on May 6th. I was thinking of something more 'light and airy'. I have looked around but nothing has jumped out at me either. I agree that the yarn is wonderful to work with (or at least to ball up)! I love how our color choices are so unique and fit both our personalities. :) I did like the other Vine Lace pattern you sent to me - I'm going to try a swatch of that tonight. I'll let you know how it goes.

Yay, a new Interweave Knits magazine! It sounds like you have been busy starting knitting projects this weekend! Are you going to go ahead and knit the hemp shirt? I was out of town this weekend visiting my friend in Baton Rouge, La, and didn't do much knitting. I was too busy eating crawfish! We went to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge and watched the crawfish eating contest (winner ate 26 lbs!!), crawfish races, and took a Cajun dance lesson. I had a great time :)

Crawfish Festival (Me & Dane)

Crawfish Races

I squeezed in some knitting on the plane, and started a scarf using light yellow wool and the "My so called scarf" pattern I found in your blog a while back.

Have a good day! I'll send you another update soon!
Valerie

Correspondence.

Dear Valerie,

How's it going? I just wanted to give you a little update on my Interstate Scarf progress. I tried the Arrowhead Lace, but I wasn't feeling it. I couldn't seem to keep the correct stitch count. I suspect it was because I wrote the pattern down incorrectly, not the actual pattern. Either way, I took a look through my Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns to see if there were any patterns that popped out at me. I forget what it's called, but I swatched one of the patterns... I'm still not convinced it's the pattern I want to use. What do you think?

Hmmmmm.

One thing is for sure though; this yarn is awesome! It's so silky and soft. And I love the colors I chose. I must be in a "instant-gratification" mood this weekend because I have been swatching a lot. I got my new Interweave Knits magazine and one pattern reminded me of the hemp yarn I bought awhile ago.

Tough on the hands.

I really hope that washing the hemp works wonders because working with it was like knitting with un-waxed dental floss. Hmmmm... I hear legends of beautiful drape and increasing softness with wear, so I'll try not to make preemptive judgement.

I also started a washcloth out of some Sugar'n'Cream yarn. I love the Mason Dixon book. I borrowed it from the library, but I'm going to buy it. It's very inspirational and so funny!

Warshcloth.

So that's what I've been up to. How's your scarf coming? Have you found any other patterns that look promising?

Have a great Monday!!! I'll talk to you soon,
Mandie

Swallowtail Shawl.

I love knitting lace. It's really absorbing and produces such pretty (if not functional) results. Say hello to my Swallowtail Shawl.

Specs:
Yarn: Knitpicks Alpaca Cloud in Peppermint Heather
Amount: 38grams
Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl IK Fall 2006
Needles: US3
Started: 12 Feb 2007
Finished: 30 April 2007

Now for some fun pictures.

I used all of my pins for this little shawl!


Ooooh the nupps. I had to use a US000 to do the p5tog. Pain in the rear.


My shirt matches the wall.


The tip of the shawl.


This is how I'll probably wear it. I think it looks pretty... all frothy and pink. Like a sucking chest wound. HAHAHAHAHA. I crack myself up.

I think this little shawl turned out alright. It was a great take-along project, being so small. And I really enjoyed working with such delicate yarn. I see more lace in my future. Oh yes. :)

Of Souvenir Yarn and Lace.

I'm back from a week in Austin, Texas. I was there for training and had a chance to hang out with Valerie for a couple days! The training was interesting and Val & I had a lot of fun exploring the Austin area.

I had some down time to knit during the training week, so I managed to finish the Swallowtail Shawl. It's a crumpled mess right now, but I can't wait to block and unleash the lacey prettiness!

Pink loops of thread.

Valerie and I went for a lovely hike in the Greenbelt and we admired these pretty little falls.

Sculpture Falls.

We also stopped by Hill Country Weavers (which is an amazing yarn store BTW) and bought some souvenir yarn. We are going to have a little interstate knit-along. We chose cotton/tencel yarn since we live in Texas and California... We are thinking of doing a light-weight lacey scarf with stripes. :)

Come on Valerie... we are actually going to use this yarn. :)

I also bought some buttons for Thermal, which is the next project on my hot list to finish...

I think the funk is gone... :)

Funk.

Lately, I've been in some sort of funk. I feel disorganized and scatterbrained. I am slacking in my work out routine and eating too much chocolate. I can't drag my self out of bed in the morning and abuse the snooze button big time. I can't seem to snap out of it.

Scarf.

I'm still knitting when I can, but I can only handle the simplest of projects. I have no patience for anything fussy. I mostly finished the Simple Scarf, but I need to weave in ends.

I'm sure this funk will pass. I just hope it's soon. Blah.

Knit Night Wee!

Grace knits a purled scarf.


Suma knits a log cabin baby blanket.


Eugenia knits a "homespun" scarf.

Fun times!

New Scarf.

I started a simple scarf. No biggie, you may think.

What is it with me and aqua these days? Sheesh.

However, this is a very awesome scarf. Why is that, you may ask? The yarn... it is amazing. Baby Alpaca Grande. I have decided that I am going to steal a baby alpaca and keep it as a pet so that I may stroke it's soft soft fur all day. Sooooooooo cushy and soft!!! I truly wish you could touch it. Then you would understand. You would.

California Cool.

California is one of the few places I've been where you can go from this...

to this in a day...

There were some beautiful views along the way...

And some knitting...

It was a fun weekend!

Pink Bangle Bag!

I finished the Pink Bangle Bag!

Specs:
Yarn: Valley Yarns Berkshire in 13 Light Pink
Amount: 200grams
Pattern: self-made (inspired by margaret nicole bags)
Needles: US9
Started: September 2006
Finished: March 2007

The knitting for this bag was finished long ago. It was the finishing that took me so long to get around to. Attaching the handles was an experiment in patience. I had to rip out my first couple attempts and I am soooo not handy with a crochet hook. But I managed. I even had Elaine photograph the process of attaching the handle. Maybe I'll make a tutorial??

Sewing in the lining took awhile too. But I really like how it finishes the look of the bag. It turned out to be a super cute little purse. I can't wait to use it... Unfortunately, I just bought another purse at Tarzhey that I'm currently in love with, so Miss Pink Bangle Bag will have to wait it's turn in the purse lineup.

In other knitty news, my mom recently finished a Caftan Pullover from Interweave Knits.

A beautiful sweater on my beautiful Mom.

Didn't she do a fabulous job!?!?!

Weekend.

A weekend review in pictures:

I worked on finishing a lingering WIP.


Went back to the farmer's market in Santa Monica.


Took pictures of the pony ride this time.


Had a delicious crepe and a yummy tamale. Mmmm.


Bought some gorgeous yarn to make a fun scarf. Yay for yarn sales!

For more photos of what I've been up to, check out my picture.a.day album: 365/2007.