Shinies!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Just a quick one to show off the beads on the swallowtail. They match SO well you almost can't see them. But they are silver lined, so when the light hits them right, they shine!
This pic shows the beads a little better, but the flash skewed the colors.
In other news, I am a moron. I mailed two destash packages to the wrong people...sigh. They are very understanding though and it's being fixed thank goodness. That's what I get for not paying attention!

So now I'm off to work on the swallowtail some more. I probably won't knit or spin anything else till it's done, I can taste the end!

Also, this one is gonna be hard to part with...lol, it's just so pretty with the beads! I'll be excited to finish though, cuz it means I can cast on Laminaria with that pretty handspun, the blue/green single. Maybe I'll find a way to add beads to that too...

Good Mail Day! (RSC Spoiler ahead)

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

So today I went up to the post office after work. I knew my RSC shipment was waiting for me, and I had some destashing items to mail off. I was not expecting this most wonderful package that arrived also. It is the one for the HHHH swap! I got some great stuff, more than I ever expected, and all of it is awesome!
On the top left is a batt from Loop on etsy. Gorgeous bamboo in the colorway Mint Chocolate Chip. Below that is a knitting keychain, the yarn spun just for me (160ish yards of merino silk!), and soap in the brown wrapping. Then there is a set of knitpicks dpns in size 1, a wpi tool, and a card that has a hat pattern on it! The yellow packet and the ones to the right of it are wool wash samples, then on the left is a little notepad and chicken thingy.

It's an amazing package, and I couldn't ask for more! Thanks so much Elizabeth!

Next up is the RSC package. I had accidentally seen the yarn on someone else's blog, and I knew that I would love it when I got it in my hands. I adore pastels and I love the pattern. Well, it comes with two.
The one in the pic is the Gumdrop pattern. Oh and the yarn is called Goody Goody, and came with sweet tarts! Which also happens to be the name of the other pattern, a simple ankle sock but it's cute in the yarn!

I can't wait to knit both of these socks...I wonder if I'll have enough for both with one skein? Maybe, I have smallish feet. If not I'll do the anklets with something else, I've got some jelly bean colored cherry tree hill. I bet that would work!

Well off to knit now. I'm just about to the beaded bit of the swallowtail! I am in the home stretch now, and the beads will keep me motivated. :)

Where's the knitting?

Sunday, July 27, 2008

So it's been a bit since the last post, which wasn't really all that interesting to most of you I'm sure. I took a few pics to prove that I am still knitting amid the craziness. Not a ton, but doing what I can.

Here's the swallowtail. I know from knitting mine the first time around that it's an itty bitty shawl, and mine had been knit with thicker yarn. So when I got to the required 14 repeats I decided that Melissa might actually want to use the shawl as more than a head scarf...so I am making it bigger.
To make it bigger you have to add increments of 5 repeats. So 19 instead of 14. Here I have it up to 17 repeats, just two more to go! I can't wait to get to the beaded part. That's my favorite. Plus I really want to finish this and get it mailed off.

Here's a pic of my Juno Regina, which I haven't worked on in a few weeks, but I hadn't taken a pic of the progress since the diamond motif. I love how handspun knits up, it's so pretty. I cannot even wait to finish this.
Then yesterday I started the second Carolina sock, I had started the pair in February and knit the first to fit my sister. When she came over here I had her try it on and it was PERFECT. She was excited so I am trying to hurry and finish. She forgot a few small things here so I'd like to mail the socks with them.
She also said that it didn't matter if they matched. I had mostly been putting it off because I wasn't sure if I wanted to try and make them exactly the same. I think they'll be cute either way.

I finished spinning and plying the yarn for my hand spun swap pal. I have to bathe it tomorrow, and then get the rest of the package ready to mail. It's so pretty I don't want to give it away! I really hope she loves it.

I sent the hat and socks for my Aunt Jackie back with Meghan when she flew home. I haven't heard word yet, but I think Meg hasn't been over to see her yet since she got there. I think also she's going to hand them over to my mom to gift for me. My mom visits more often.

Well that's about it for right now. Just working on finishing stuff up, and I'm planning on starting the third bobbin of the superwash bfl for my 3 ply sock. I can't wait to see how it plies up! More pics when I've got something interesting to show.

What a busy week!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Ok so I don't know what's up with Blogger. Is mine the only one being retarded???

Anyway, haven't had much time to update. I've been so busy for the last week I've done almost no knitting or spinning at all. My dad flew in from Massachusetts on the 14th, and my sister from NY on the 17th, so we packed in all the visiting and fun while we could. My dad got in later on Monday, so Tuesday I took the kids in and we walked to the big park downtown to feed the ducks and ride the carousel they have there. On Thursday when Meg got in I took them in and they swam at the pool at the hotel. Friday Meg and I took Nick to see Wall-E. Oh man was that a cute movie! I loved it and so did he. He also ate half a tub of popcorn...by himself...(This is Meg and Nick)

Saturday was a family gathering, all the "fun" (say that in the most sarcastic voice ever) people who live here that I never see. Some of them aren't so bad, others are annoying. Either way, if the party hadn't been in a backyard with two ponds, balloons and presents the kids couldn't touch, and alcohol, it would have been nicer...(Meg and Alexis)

Sunday I worked,and then my dad, sister, and I went to breakfast. Then we went to look at a house (which I'll talk about in a min) and that night my sister and I went to dinner. We went to Olive Garden, but there was a 45 minute wait. So we went over to Nordstrom to look around and I finally found a decent pair of shoes to wear to work. (These are the ones I got, in black, SO comfy) Then we went back to eat, and I got a glass of wine with dinner. It was SO good. Some of the better wine I've tasted. Beringer White Zinfandel, a Chardonnay version or something. I need to find some...anyway it's a really dark zinfandel, but man it was good!

Monday I worked and my manager let me leave early. I went home and I got ready to go back out. My sister and I met up with my dad to go back to that house and see inside. After that we got food from Sonic, and went up to my dad's sister's house and I got a purse from her. She sells those reproduction ones. It's SO adorable. Then we went to see that new batman movie. Dark Knight something or other. It was AMAZING. A really great movie.

So that brings us to today. My sister flew home at 6am, and I vegged all day, relaxing after the last week of activity. My dad was supposed to be here till Friday but changed his flight to go home tomorrow. So when hubby got home we took the kids in for one last short visit. We walked back to the park and sat in the hotel talking for a bit before heading home.

So it was a good visit. My sister bought me an iPod shuffle, but the dock adapter won't work in my car so I'm returning it and upgrading to the Nano. My dad gave me a bit of money for whatever, so I figure I should get something I've been wanting for a while! I would have been fine with the shuffle, but if I can't use it in the car...and I don't want to bother with the fm transmitters. Why would I when we have a plug just for iPods???

Ok so I'll try to keep this bit short, this is already a long post. My dad grew up here in Spokane, and when he retires in 8 years he wants a place to stay when he visits and stuff. So he decided to buy a cheap house and let us live in it until then. We'd have to pay part of the rent, etc. But since we can't afford our own house, we could stay there, fix it up, and whatnot. The one we were looking at wasn't cooperating so we're going to keep looking. I am excited. Chad's mom, not so much. I think she wants us to stay here forever, and OMG I can't lol. I need my own place. It's been 4 years here, and while it's bearable, I can't handle it for much longer. So we will be searching and let my dad know when something good shows up.

Oh and if you are in need of any yarn...I'm destashing over on Ravelry. See it here.

Broken

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Nope, not the 12 Stones song, my dpn. See exhibit A:
Yes, that would be my size 2 Brittany Birch dpn, broken. I was finishing knitting exhibit B:
the hat for my Aunt Jackie when it broke. At least I still had 4 dpn's to knit with, and finished the hat today. I will be sending the hat off along with the nanner socks. Hopefully she will like them! I know that she is going in for chemo again this next week, and it's going to be 3x as strong as the first time, due to the severity and spreading of the cancer...

Other than that, I'm knitting on my Juno Regina a bit, the Swallowtail, which is slow going at it's current size, and spinning. I have two bobbins done for my 3 ply sock yarn. I stopped after the second to start spinning the fiber for my swap pal.
I am loving the spinning, and I hope to be done really soon! That's it for now. Oh and today is the two month mark of my yarn/fiber diet. Go figure, Crown Mountain Farms is having a sale on the superwash...one day, one day Wish You Were Here, and Born To Be Wild, you will be mine!!!

A fibery gift!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

I guess my whining was too much last week. I had found this fiber on etsy, and pouted all day about wanting it and not getting to buy it b/c of my "diet". Well I had to get up early for work the next day, so I went to bed early as well. After I went to bed hubby went back on my browser history to find it and get it for me.
It's 4.6 ounces of merino, tencel, bamboo, tussah silk, and firestar from Copperpot called Burning Love. It's one of the most gorgeous blends I've seen, so soft, and I cannot wait to spin it!

That's all I've got right now, not much has been happening, though I'm still knitting the hat, and spinning my sock fiber.

An overdue update! (Loopy Ewe Club spoiler!)

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Well, I've had lots of things to post pictures of, and not much time to do it! Ok well I've had bits of time, but I've been so busy listening to my newest audiobook. A few gals on plurk recommended it to me and I have barely taken the ear buds out of my ears to do much of anything that requires thinking. Like writing a blog post. The book is Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and I'm 3/4 of the way through it already. I see another one of hers in my future after this one...

The other day, Sunday I think, the evening, I finished this little skein of yarn. My first skein of laceweight singles! It's pretty, shiny, soft, and I'm oh so proud of it. It'll be headed for it's bath after this post.
It's not by any means even, but I don't care a bit. I have no idea how much the yardage is, only that it's somewhere between 300-500 yards. I'll count it before I dunk it.
Yesterday I picked up my Loopy Ewe club package that was waiting for me at the post office. I could barely contain the excitement to get home and open it up! Inside was a skein of Dream in Color Smooshy. It's called Spicy Smooches.
The pattern is called Hugs and Chocolate Kisses, by Debbie O'Neill. It's a diamond lace sort of pattern, pretty!
There was a special loopy notebook and pen, and then this little thing. I had to go searching on Ravelry to find out what it was. Apparently it's supposed to decorate your Crocs.
Today I wove in the last end of the second nanner sock. They are done and ready to go. The hat is almost to the point to start decreasing. I hope to have it done and sent off soon to my aunt.
This beauty of a rose was blooming outside. We cut it to bring in, before the heat wilted it. I haven't seen a rose colored this way, though I knew there were some that did. It's sooo pretty!
Here's my little fairy princess, with her "magic wand". Don't worry, it's clean! (In case you can't tell, it's a fly swatter lol)
Well now, I'm off to watch the finale of the Bachelorette, and find out who she picks!

Fiber club is here!

Friday, July 04, 2008

So yesterday I got my Funky Carolina fiber club. It's the one for may, cuz she's a bit backed up. It's falkland wool, and the color is called Fresh. They are really not my colors, but at the same time, I bet I'll like it when it's spun.
I also got some other things with it. She'd forgotten something in a previous order, which then went missing, so I told her what sorts of things I liked and she picked out some fiber for me.

There are two sparkly batts, which I love. One is superwash merino and sparklies, and one is merino, silk, soysilk, and sparklies. I think the one with the silk in it is this green one. There are shots of white shiny stuff in it. I'm too lazy to weigh them since the silk one is bigger, but I think I'm right. They are both around 2 ounces.
Then there is also 2 ounces of tussah silk. REALLY soft and shiny, a bit fuzzy, but I expected as much. It will be interesting to see how it spins!
Here's what I've been spinning. I finished bobbin one of my 3 ply sock yarn, and wanted to practice spinning a lace single. So that's what this is. It's the leftover 2 ounces or so of merino tencel from FatCatKnits in seaweed. I love it so far. I think this was a good choice for a single, the tencel makes it super strong!
I finished nanner sock number one. I shortened the cuff a lot. I think since it's summer they are better that way. Plus I want to get the hat and socks done asap so I can send them. If things go well, I'll make her another pair for winter. I still don't know much more than before, or how long the cancer will give her.
Today Chad gave Nick a haircut...yeah...I should have done it lol. I did fix it up though, and it's presentable. He looks soooo much older! What a cutie pie though. He was so excited to take a picture of his "new hair".
Ok well that's it for now, I'm off to start the other sock and work my butt off on it!

Pictures

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Just a few pictures I've taken.

This is the turkey that was chilling in the yard yesterday. I don't know what it was doing alone, most often they are all in a big group.
The hail we got during the storm last night. It was the loudest thunderstorm I remember having here ever. The kids were ok till it got really close. Sugar the cat was crying on the porch and we had to let her in the house till it passed by.
Nicholas wearing his Dinosaur tail. We got it at the Walking With the Dinosaurs show that came a while ago. This is the first time he hasn't been scared of it and put it on. He went around the room and hit stuff with it for a while.
The kids worked together to clean up the floor so they could have their little play tent set up. Amazing...

Here they are in the tent, cuddled up, and watching Aladdin.
Nick needs a haircut desperately...

No knitting news. Well not anything new. About 3 inches into the hat, and that's it. I'm also finishing up the bobbin on my wheel. I'd probably get more done if I wasn't playing Mario on my DS so much...

Waterfall Socks!

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

So my Loopy Swap partner received her package the other day. I can now show you the socks that I knit for her! They are the Waterfall sock pattern from Anne Hanson and they were so fun to knit!
I used Lorna's Laces in Whitewater. I love how evenly the colors stripe, it's a nice striping.
The pattern was so much fun to knit. It was very simple, but didn't get boring at all.
Anne gives the most detailed sock pattern instructions ever. It's one of the best written patterns I've ever seen. Go buy it and knit some!

I'm almost two inches into the hat. It's going fast, let's hope I don't lose steam! The one by one ribbing kills me.

Also I've decided my nanner socks will be finished and sent to her. She has a slightly larger foot than I, so they should be perfect, as they are just too big for me. :)

Well that's it for today!