WIP - August 29

Waving Lace socks... so close to being done with my September socks. I just have to wait until Saturday {for it to be September} so I can kitcher-stitch them off to take credit for them being finished in September for the SOMkal. So excited to have my third pair of socks off the needles and then onto my feet.

Dye job

Wilton Black food coloring, vinegar, crockpot and yarn

heating up the water and soaking the fiber

after adding the black dye
finished product, not black or grey at all! oops

Weekend hat

Pattern: adaptation of the Upside-down Daisy hat, but adult size
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran with qivuit added tassel
Needle: Addi Turbo, US size 7 16"
cast on: Friday, Aug 24 cast off: Saturday, Aug 25

So it looks like I am stuck on hats, and hats are stuck on me.

Tassles anyone?

Queaky clean. 'Nuf said

MuskOx: LARS

I could not resist the urge last night to go visit with the Musk Ox at the Large Animal Research Station (LARS). It is unfortunate the researchers have contained these magnificent beasts so well and my husband has hidden the dog brush from me again. I just want to pet? They look like they could use a good brushing. So what if a few of their hairs come off and I just happen to have a HUGE canvas bag to collect it. I would never, ever pink-swear dare to think that someone could make sweet, soft, pure Qivuit from the loosened strands of fur. Never, ever passed my mind. I just have to find a way through the fencing. I think we still run tours through that facility now that the threat of Hoof&Mouth disease has passed. Will check into this and post pictures when I get in.

closer, closer... ...come closer to the fencing. Don't fear the brush, sweet little one...

Queue additions

In my attempt to purchase my yarn for the Campanula Socks for a Cure, I fell upon a couple skeins of Debbie Bliss for a hat (thank you knitting daily) for the great 76-Stitches Hat ! I will alter it by adding a ribbed cuff to eliminate the roll and deleting the purl-1-round ridge. Just a great basic hat. I truly love the color suggestions.

In other news, I posted to the Campanula site that I received my yarn, but had not yet received the emailed pattern. Within a half-hour had the pattern in my grubby, little inbox, with an apology for being missed. Excellent pattern, I so look forward to casting this on as soon as the Waving Laces are off the sticks. I will most likely make the Campanula's for my October sock (but to much of the work in September cause I will be in Tahiti for 2wks of October, yeah!)

Wednesday's WIPs | August 22, 2007

My September Sock-A-Month, Interweave Knit's Waving Lace socks are still "on the needles". As you can see, first sock is complete, second one has one more chart length and the heel/foot/toe still to complete. They have been a fun little knit. My first lace sock. I love the Lorna's Lace, but I wish I would have chosen a watercolor.

I am still waiting on the pattern for the Campula's (sp?) sock. Honestly, I am a little annoyed. If you are going to offer something for a donation, then you should diligently hold up your end of the obligation. It is a great cause, but so far... poorly implimented. Not to upset though, I have yet to receive the yarn in the mail.

I patiently await the mailman. I have four hats that were commissioned, and people waiting on them. The sooner I get my internet order, the sooner I can cast on and put the Waving Lace on hold so I actually finish my September socks in September.

Campanula for a Cure! Knitting with purpose

... okay, knitting with self-serving purpose (that also serves a humanitarian purpose). Donations for a wonderful sock pattern for a Canadian Breast Cancer walk. Breast cancer research benefits all of us.

Crystal Palace Yarns donated to the cause, so I went and purchased a couple hanks. Although not in fuchsia. Too bright for me, I bought Rosewater.

Upside-down daisy hat - in reverse

Pattern: Upside-down daisy hat from Knit It mag

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, winter white, celery, pink

Needle: Addi Turbo and SB dpns, size 7

Cast on: August 6 Cast off: August 12

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I had enough yarn left over from the 1st daisy hat that I could make one in reverse. I have 40 minutes every morning that I sit at my desk, drink my kona coffee, and relax before everyone comes onto property and my day gets hectic. A most wonderful time to sit, sip, and stitch. This hat took just a week of sipping and stitching and an afternoon on Saturday to stitch on the petals. Now off to my sister-in-law.

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The employees that I have here have now given me $$ to knit up hats for their relatives. Wow! My first commissions.

Love/Hate relationship with mailman

Today I love my mailman, he delivered what the Ebay-Gods bestowed onto thee.

Most of the time I detest my mailman, I "know" he reads all my magazines before I get them, wears my clothes that I ordered (oh, mental break... **envisioning mailman in my VS order** not even close to Sexy ...back now, humor restored).

Yes, I am now almost an official blog knitter. As soon as I can find an item to Esty and offer a discount to other knitters, then I will be OFFICIAL. Maybe my sock blockers if they ever come out, or get started...

Until then, I no longer need my two feet and the SnB book to wind up a center-pull ball. Now I need a yarn swift. From free (feet) to $90 (winder & swift), how the heck did that happen?

The Loopy Ewe delivers!

Ah, the mailman comes and THE LOOPY EWE DELIVERS!!!

soon to be... ...socks!

i LOVE their free stuff! This is my first (of many) order and I love the "little extras" like yarn samples and a needle chart. What impressed me the most is the hand-written thank you on the invoice. Even if it only took three seconds to write, it still is impressive.

Just Arrived

I feel like I am the last person on the face of the Earth to receive mail. We live on a rural route and my mail comes so late I wonder if the mailman brings home my magazines, lets his wife read them and then decides to deliver to my mailbox once she is finished. I have called Real Simple so may times for undelivered issues that I believe they think I am a retailer of there mag. Well, guess I won't get any knitting done tonight; the first few pages I glanced at between talking on my cellphone, applying lipgloss, eating an apple, all while driving from the mailbox... well, they look inspiring. note: Ebay Gods are being generous, I still have the winning bid on my ball winder, 50 minutes to go!

Waving Lace Socks

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks from Interweave Knits Favorite Socks
Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepard Sock in Lakeview
Needle: SB size 2
Cast on: August 7, 2007

I was checking off my summer queue, and pulled out my 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces when I noticed that my lovely 10 month Chocolate lab puppy had oh so lovingly chewed on one end. "This is going to make winding it into a ball so much easier." Needing a challenge, I started. Ten minutes later, I restarted. Fifteen minutes after that, I threw the whole damned thing back in my yarn bag (yes, I am a new knitter; all my yarn fits in a small little bag, and a drawer, and a shelf, okay, just the new stuff fits in the bag, liar mouth). Off to check the intenet. And onto ebay. There has to be a yarn ball winder on there somewhere. I bid on what looks like a nice ball winder, I'll have to get one of my boys to hold the skeins for me. I bid on a lovely birch swift, but lost the bid by $3. One of the many shopping disadvantages to living in Alaska, all my internet yarn comes in skeins and I would never in a million years take them to the LYS to use there baller. That would just be cruel. Don't get me wrong, I love the LYS, but sometimes a girl just needs a little variety.

Short story... long. I finally balled up my skein, after I realized that Ebay wasn't going to instantly plasma-tranfer my baller to me through my laptop, only to realize that the intended pattern from Knits summer 2007 Spiral Boot socks was far to small (11" to my 14" calf). Bummed, I stole the opportunity to browse my Favorite Socks book to painstakingly narrow my pattern choice to one. The final decision came down to the fact that the Waving Lace sock pattern was knit up in Lorna's Lace supersock. I love it when decisions are made for me!

(although I did go back online and order another lovely sock yarn through Loopy Ewe. I might go back again and order the San Diego. J.Knits needs and Alaska sock. Maybe we should get an Alaska colition together and recommend a Northern Lights colorway that actually has the colors of the northern lights?

This is the first pattern I have followed where the pattern is printed on the grid. It is difficult to get used to, but only at first. Once I got into the swing of things, it has been remarkably easy to follow. Again with my guilty liar mouth confessions: This is not the first cast on. The first cast on was two days ago. I grabbed the needles and started to knit the fifth row yesterday and inadvertantly started knitting in the wrong direction. I was knitting to the left on the inside. Frogged, cast BACK on and here is the scalloped edge. So lovely! So happy!

The only drawback I see to this sock is the color. It is absolutely gorgeous, I wish I would have started knitting it earlier. It is a total summer color, but the summer is over here. Today is beautiful, but it is starting to get cooler at night, darker at night, and by the time I get these done, the leaves will have fallen (they are turning yellow as I type), and summer will be long gone. And a funny note, the color is Lakeview. While Lakeview might conjure up thoughts of prestine beauty and quiet serenity, the only thought conjured up here is the local trailer park: Lakeview Terrace. Not that trailer parks are bad things, no. They are a necessity for affordable living for us working class. But this one is really bad, truck trailer, condemned trailers, semi-trailers converted into living space. Kinda sad, and now... they are being knit onto my feet.

Well, wish me luck in my ball bid, may the Ebay Gods be generous tonight...

Look what the mailman delivered

From Interweave Press's distressed sale:

My sweet, sweet sandal chewer: Makena

and my hero (albeit, unAlaskan): Ling

Oh, I so can't wait to humilate them in some monsterously cute sweaters.

Upside-down daisy hat

Pattern: upside-down daisy hat, Knit It! Spring 2007 and Itty-Bitty Hats
Yarn: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino aran
Needles: Addi Turbo size7 16" and SB quicksilver dpn size7
Cast on: August 3 Cast off: August 4 finishing: August 5


This pattern was so much fun. In between installing four new light fixtures, installing a new thermostat, rebuilding a door frame, grocery shopping, and school clothes shopping for five boys, I managed to knit up a baby hat for a college roommate that is pregnant with her second daughter. There was so much left over, that I will knit up another hat next weekend. That one with a white hat with pink flower. The Addi Turbos rocked! I didn't think that they would really make any difference, but they did. I would have to say they are nothing short of amazing. I transfered them onto the SB Quicksilvers and it felt like I was knitting with chalk.



.......hat without flowers ............................sewing on the petals.....

Roza's Socks struck gold!

Pattern: Roza's Sock from Interweave Knits Spring 2007
Yarn: Cherry Tree Hill in Cabin Fever
Needle: Susan Bates size 2

I finally struck gold with size 3 needles. Pattern calls for size0, but I am such a tight knitter that I had to move up to a 2, from swatch at size0, first sock at size1, trial sock started on size3, then frogged back to a 2. Now I can wear them. Still waiting to make my sock blocker that a fellow Goldstreamer (once an Alaskan, always an Alaskan). I couldn't wait to block them, off the dpns and onto my footsies this morning!

Joining the Sock A Month KAL

Finally, a KAL that I can get free stuff out of (drawings only)

Hey, somebody's gotta win!