Oh Hai.

Ellie would like to say Hello.

She will be herding the origami partridge family I have above my desk at work. :)

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I've been on vacation! A week off work is wonderful. It was made even more wonderful by my visiting sister and bro-in-law. My dad and his gf came for a couple days too. I'm still sifting through pictures, but we went kayaking at the Channel Islands, to In-N-Out Burger and Trader Joe's multiple times, worked up a sweat at Cardio Barre, cheered on contestants during a taping for the Price is Right, hiked among the Giant Sequoias and ran into a bear, saw 4th of July fireworks, ate yummy Sprinkles & Crumbs cupcakes... we were busy! Photos will come eventually. Check out Kaylee's blog for a few pics to tide you over.

I've Got it Bad...

Startitis is rearing its impatient little head. Lately (strangely?), I've slipped into a relatively monogamous knitting habit. It's very satisfying to see rapid progress on a project when it is your sole focus.

That said, I'm now itching to start something new. I've been slogging away on the edging of the Print O' The Wave stole. I started this sucker in Aug 2007 and I'd like to finish it before it's year anniversary. The end is in sight! I've finished half of the edging...

Right now it looks like a crinkled mess, but I have faith it will become a beautiful butterfly once it gets to stretch it's wings. I can't wait to block it! I have a suspicion it might be huge...

So I made myself wait until I reached this halfway point in the edging before starting something new... but what to start?? So many choices!! I've had a cable craving lately, so I may start this cabled v-neck, Catriona.

I was surprised to see that the pattern doesn't have a chart for the cables, but it's a free pattern so I can't complain too much. I decided to make up a cable chart for my own sanity. If anyone would like a copy, I think I could share it. I don't think that violates any copyright because it's a free pattern... Can anyone shed light on that? I have some Calmer in my stash that would work really well. However, I'm not wild about the royal blue color (I was defenseless against a 50% off sale in my early knitting days). I'm also worried that I won't have enough yardage in my 6 balls of Calmer. I did a dying experiment back in the day and I like the green and purple results I got... but do I really want to dye all that yarn??? I want to knit cables now! I might research over-dying to see if that's a feasible option...

Anywho... I've been hankering to start some socks with all this lovely sock yarn I've been accruing. And tada! Knitty comes through... I'm loving the Spring forward socks and I have a perfect springy green yarn in the stash to knit it with! Sweet!

I also highly enjoy Ziggy and have some Noro sock that would be perfect... so many choices!

Welp, I'm off to cast-on something! See ya next time!

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P.S. I've uploaded a ton of photos of my recent adventures: boxer puppies, black lab puppies, high sierra hikes, fun NY weddings...

S to the izzle

I did it! I restored the *sssss* to Sizzle. Woot!

During the re-do, I learned that I'm pretty darn good at weaving in ends. I had the hardest time trying to take the shoulder seams out. It's a good thing I had extra yarn because I ruined quite a bit of yardage once I got frustrated and the scissors came out.

It was also interesting to see how much blocking can effect yarn. I had been worried about this yarn because I couldn't seem to keep even tension but blocking did wonders!

This yarn is a bit splitty but it drapes and shimmers beautifully!

I like the seed stitch border at bottom and neckline, but I omitted the edging on the armholes.

As everyone commented, I'm really glad that I ripped back and fixed it to fit my image. Yay for quick patterns! I knit this little thing in two weeks!!! It flew off my needles. This yarn has been marinating in my stash for years. It feels really good to stashbust. I originally bought it for the Honeymoon cami but I think Sizzle is a bit more wearable with the wide straps. I finally knit and finished something in the appropriate season! Ravelized here.

I have another FO to show... but I'll save that for another time. Cheers!

More Fizzle Than Sizzle

I finished knitting the Sizzle tank, but it's not very sizzle-icious. It's more fizzle than anything else.

The reason I liked this pattern was the sexy low neckline. But I miscalculated the gauge of this yarn and the sizzle turned to fizzle with a very modest v-neck. I also didn't consider the seed stitch border and the inch or so of neckline that would take up. Sigh. So now I have to decide what to do. I already blocked it and there's no getting any more depth from blocking. I think I might have to rip. Which is going to be annoying because I already wove in the ends. Bah. However, I know I won't be happy until I make it how I had envisioned it. Off I go to unweave ends. Grr.

Lace Ribbon Begonias

I recently finished my Lace Ribbon scarf. This scarf was a pleasure to knit. The yarn was awesome. This was the first time I had used Claudia Handpainted and it was so soft. The colorway, Begonia, combines my favorite mix of pinks and brown in such a speckaly great way... I love it.

And the pattern, Lace Ribbon Scarf, was perfect! Easily memorized and such a symmetrically pleasing lace... swaying this way and that. It's an instant classic. I love it!

I had a photo shoot to try and capture the pretty little thing...

My lace ribbon scarf even drew an unsolicited compliment from a stranger the first day I wore it! The cashier at the cafeteria said that my scarf was very pretty and I replied that I had made it! She was delightfully impressed and then said the colors were beautiful. Yay! She made my day.

Anyway, Lace Ribbon Begonias is Ravelized here. It feels wonderful to finish something. :) Now on to the next thing...

Join CAREFULLY...

To knit in the round being careful not to TWIST...

Ugh. I have made a total ROOKIE MISTAKE. And I'm annoyed.

See that? Is that 8" of sweater body? No? Wait... That's not a tube of stockinette. That's A !&#(*#@*& MOBIUS STRIP. (How ironic that the Wikipedia article has a knitted mobius strip as one of the illustrations of the amazing mathematical quandary.)

I can't believe it! I swear I checked multiple times during the progress of this knitting and it was never a one-sided geometrical object until tonight. I SWEAR!!! Do you get the feeling that this amazes me? How in the heck did I miss that?? Jeez. Not to mention that I'm not getting anywhere near the same gauge with my Knitpicks options needles as I did on the sleeves with the dpns. Hmmm. I hear the ball winder calling my name.

Anyway, here is something pretty to look at... the wildflowers are still painting the hills on the way up to Eric's place:

Yellow, Purple, Orange!

Sigh. Darn it. Back to square one.

Whoops.

Whoops. It's been a very long time since I last posted... Ah well, things happen. Let's see, what has happened in the last month? Most recently, Eric and I went on a road trip to Utah. It was so awesome! We saw so many beautiful things. The variety of activities on the trip was so much fun! We went skiing, hiking, biking, camping, and lots of driving. And I took a lot of photos. Here is a montage of the "Eric & Mandie" pics:

Lowest Point in the USA. Badwater, CA.

Petroglyphs in Nevada.

Skiing at Park City, Utah.

Delicate Arch, Utah.

Landscape Arch, Utah.

Double O Arch, Utah.

Druid Arch, Utah.

There are a ton more here: Utah Roadtrip April 2008. Check 'em out!

As for knitting, I've been plugging away at the Gathered Pullover. I have both sleeves done (yay!) and I've started the body. I have about 5" of the body... so I'm making pretty quick progress. Woot!

I also finished two Thorpe hats since I last posted. The first one was too big for the intended recipient (darn that growing superwash yarn!) so it went to my very tall friend, Jeremy. I'm hoping the second hat will be just right. I'll find out this weekend when I deliver it to Tom.

Jeremy's Thorpe.

Tom's Thorpe... soon.

I have also been knitting away on Lace Ribbons. That was my roadtrip knitting and I got about halfway through it on the trip. It's so pretty... I can't wait to block it!

Pretty in Pink!

Ta-da! A post... that's not so hard. Let's see if I can do it more often this month. :)

WIP Wednesday

Ah, let's see... what have I been up to lately? Eric and I have been seeking snow a lot lately. We went to Mammoth Mountain for a long weekend and have been to Sierra Summit to ski a few times. Eric is really excited about telemark skiing and has been improving his skillz rapidly. I've been working on my downhill skiing and I've improved a lot this season. I'm lucky enough to fit into some loaner boots and skies from Eric's friend so that's nice. I'm pretty confident on blue runs now and I'm really enjoying the days on the mountain. And on the other end of the spectrum... It's springtime in SoCal! Everything is green and blooming. Vibrant patches of wildflowers have been popping up on the hills like strategically placed paintbrush strokes. It's beautiful and I'm having fun wildflower hunting... I have to invest in a macro lens reeeeally soon, I think. Here are a few photos from last weekend in Visalia...

Oh right! Knitting... WIPs...

I have four five projects in the rotation right now.

1. Bird In Hand Mittens - These mittens are plagued with tension and gauge issues. I also dislike the braids... they just don't look right to me. I LOVE the colors I'm using though. So I'm stalled right now. I can't decide whether to trudge on or to rip back and start over. Hmmm.

2. Gathered Chocolate - I'm having gauge issues with this one too. I started a sleeve as a swatch on US7 but it's too tight. It took awhile to buy some US8, but I think I'm on the right track now.

3. Mingus Socks - Kinda complicated for a carry-along sock pattern so I might start a simple sock too. But I adore the yarn... Smooshy... it's awesome. And the color!!! Beautiful.

4. Print O' The Wave - I've been working on this one a lot lately. I'm halfway through the main body repeats. It's a nice relaxing knit since I have mostly memorized the pattern repeat. I only need to glance at the chart now.

5. Thorpe for Tom - Eric's friend Tom expressed interest in my Swell ear flap hat and suggested a trade. He is a wood worker so I agreed. I'm hoping this turns out well. I'm using DK weight yarn doubled instead of chunky yarn. I seem to be getting gauge so I think it'll work out.

And one more from the weekend...

Click me for more photos from the weekend!

Two for one!

I have two finished projects to report!

Noro Morning Mitts and Indigo Ripples

My Noro Morning Mitts are great. They are cozy and cute. I love the colors and they match my scarf!

Specs: Noro Morning Mitts
Yarn: Noro Silk Garden
Amount: 1 skein
Pattern: Maine Morning Mitts from Knitter's Book of Yarn
Needles: US7
Started: Jan 08
Finished: 16 Feb 08
Ravelry link

However. The poor little mitts are completely overshadowed by my love for this skirt.

Specs: Indigo Ripples Skirt
Yarn: Elann Den-M-Nit in Dark Indigo
Amount: 11 skeins
Pattern: Indigo Ripples Skirt
Needles: US5
Started: Aug 07
Finished: 19 Feb 08
Ravelry link

This skirt is quite possibly the coolest thing I have ever knit.

I wore it to work on Thursday and it drew unsolicited compliments from coworkers... to which I replied "I MADE IT!!!" Everyone was amused impressed.

I made some mods to the pattern:

• I cast-on more stitches than the pattern called for in my size and then did less hip increases to give the skirt a lower rise.
• I also had to fudge the stitch count because my gauge was off.
• I knit 16.5" of (unshrunken) stockinette before starting the lace pattern because a) I'm tall and b) I'm modest... or more modest than the pattern was written.
• I ended up completing all 60 lace rows to make the skirt fall right below my knee.
• I braided a drawstring for the skirt rather than make an i-cord.

Some other notes:

• Because of my mods, I ended up using 11 balls of yarn.
• The ruffle itself, uses an entire ball of yarn.
• The fancy bind off uses another half of a ball.
• All this yarn-eating ruffle-ege it totally worth it. I LOVE THE RUFFLE.
• Denim yarn is annoying because it dyes your fingers blue and gives me stiff wrists.
• Denim yarn rocks because you can throw it in the washer and dryer.
• After looking at the skirt photos on my computer, it appears that there was a slightly darker ball of yarn used across the hip area. I did not see this in person, so I don't think it's that noticeable.

Everyone should knit this skirt. Seriously. It's so flattering! Just be forewarned... the short, little 10 row ruffle and bind off?? They take as much time as the whole lace portion itself.

VIVA LA INDIGO RIPPLES!!! YAY!

Lost in the Silk Garden

I finish some Maine Morning Mitts. I'm loving Silk Garden right now!!!

I love the unmatchy matchyness of it all. Gorgeous colors. Yum!

Look I even started a pair for myself. Who can refuse such a cute use for one skein of this stuff?!?

I have also been working on Indigo Ripples! I trudged through the stockinette portion and in my excitement to start the lace, I effed it up. Oh well. I'll restart the lace tonight during the Lost premiere. Although, I might be paying more attention to the TV than the skirt, so fixing the lace might be a lost cause... bwahahahaha. GET IT??? LOST cause. Oh I crack myself up.

psst... mom...

How about these fingerless gloves?

Where are they now?

Knits of the past... What happens to all the pretty things we knit? Do they get worn to death? Or shoved in the back of a drawer? I think it's fun to hear how things wear over time so here is my little report. Back in 2004 I knit a Mini Sweater. I didn't wear the poor thing very much because the yarn was sorta stretchy and it hung around my ribcage after one wear.

Well, this week I finally got around to re-sewing the button into a more fitting position and yay!!! We have functional knitwear! I wore it to work on Tuesday... See?

Super cool!

Also... I have been thinking a lot lately about what I like to knit. More specifically about what type of WIPs I have. I tend to have a lot of projects going at once, but I think it's because I like such a wide variety of knitting types.

• I like to have a lace project in case the lace bug bites. Right now that lace project is Print O' the Wave.
• I like to have a project being made for someone else. Currently, I am knitting Eric's mom a hat in Malabrigo Chunky. Mmmmmm. So soft!
  
• I like to have a large project. That would be my Indigo Ripples skirt. I kinda stalled on that for a bit, but I'm excited to start it up again! I'm right a the beginning of the lace.
  
• I also like to have a scarf on the needles. Right now, I don't have a scarf in progress!?!? I'll have to remedy that by starting the Interstate Scarf. I wonder how Valerie's progressing on hers? I think a hat would fit this niche too... Hmmm... Koolhaas out of Malabrigo? Yes. I think so.
• And finally, I would like to start having a sock in progress at all times. I really love the Monkey socks I knit myself and you seriously can't beat a sock for portable knitting.

Ok... enough of my crazed, obsessive knit speak. Time to go to sleep! Good night!

First FO' Shizzle of 2008-izzle

It's my first FO in 2008! The ubiquitous Noro Striped Scarf.

I used the lovely Silk Garden in 3 colorways... I'm not sure which ones, as I have lost the ball bands.

I started knitting this little beauty back in November, but it took the back burner as Christmas knitting wound up.

After the new year, it was the perfect return to selfish knitting. It was so fun to watch the stripes form from the different colorways!

Last weekend it was lovely outside, so Eric obliged me and took some modelled shots.

And later we went to the beach to watch the sun set! Another great Cali weekend. :)

Christmas Round-up!

Wow! Christmas this year was great! I had an awesome break from work and got to see tons of my favorite people back East that I don't get to see very often. It was also a very productive knit holiday for me! I made: 3 Koolhaas hats, 6 pairs of Fetching, 1 pair of Dashing, 1 My So Called Scarf, 1 Floofy Scarf, 1 My So Called Hat, 1 pair of Roza socks, and 1 pair of Mini Mittens. Yikes!

I also snuck in a beaded bracelet for my officemate. Oh! And I printed & framed 8x10 photographs of California as gifts too! It was a crafty homemade Christmas and DANG... that's really satisfying. :)

Now onward and upward to the New Year!!! And a return to selfish knitting. :D

Fixed!

I fixed the hat...

Now I have to wash the campfire smoke smell out of it before bestowing it on it's rightful owner... It did a good job keeping my head warm though...

Sweet!