Finally, some pics to display

As promised, here are the current projects I am working on. Please forgive the blurry photos - I have very unsteady hands!

This is the baby blanket that will never end. However, it is Koigu, so I will try and be forgiving. I am about 2/3 of the way through, and should be done with it in the next couple of weeks. The shower is tonight, so it will be a little late, but the baby should still get some good use out of it.



I am also deep into the Lace Leaf Pullover, and loving the color and the pattern - it's so easy and quick! However, I think these are The Sleeves That Ate Orange County. They seem too long to me. So, I think I will start the body before I finish the second sleeve, and see how everything comes together. The pattern instructs you to knit the top of the body and bottom of the body separately, then kitchener the two pieces together. I'm going to see if I can just reverse the pattern on the bottom and knit all the way down. Wish me luck, people!



I am just getting a start on Clapotis. I haven't even made it to the drop stitches yet, but I love the Silk Garden, especially this colorway. I may have to buy more of it for a sweater! I am having to pick a lot of flora and fauna out of the current skein, but it is still beautiful. This color is swaying me towards pink.



And I also have a toe-up sock in the works, using Wendy's pattern. Since I have about a million other WIP's right now, I haven't been able to get as much done as I would like. But it sure is purty!



And I realized that I have yet to introduce you to my kitties:

Molly

Morrigan

Fionna

You will see more of them, especially Molly. She's a little camera ho.

Case in point - this pic is of the only other remaining yarn in my stash. It's some yummy Classic Elite Inca Alpaca in a dark red. This is destined for a poncho, eventually.



Of course, Molly had to get into the picture:



So I blinded her with the flash, which she didn't appreciate.

SP5 Questionnaire

1. Are you a yarn snob (do you prefer higher quality and/or natural fibers)? Do you avoid Red Heart and Lion Brand? Or is it all the same to you? Yep, I am turning into a yarn snob. But I am ok with acrylic blends :) Anything to increase the stash!

2. Do you spin? Crochet? I don't spin, and I only crochet if I have to.

3. Do you have any allergies? (smoke, pets, fibers, perfume, etc.) Not that I know of!

4. How long have you been knitting? Only about 5 months, but I have been a quick learner!

5. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list? Yes! You can find it under my email (slfrtsbabeATcoxDOTnet)

6. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products etc.) Lavendar, any Vanilla combination, Jasmine, Musk

7. Do you have a sweet tooth? Not a huge fan of chocolate, but I love caramels.

8. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Making some of my own clothes.

9. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD) I tend towards alternative or "modern rock", i.e. The Cure, Depeche Mode, Yaz. Newer bands along the lines of Interpol.

10. What's your favorite color? Or--do you have a color family/season/palette you prefer? Any colors you just can't stand? I love fall and winter colors. I look like hell in yellows and browns. And I'm not really fond of pastels, except for roses and grassy greens.

11. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets? I'm married and have three cats.

12. What are your life dreams? (really stretching it here, I know) Hee...um, just to be content and not to have too many financial worries.

13. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? I'm just starting, so I'm still exploring that. So far, I like silk blends, merino wool, and alpaca blends.

14. What fibers do you absolutely *not* like? 100% acrylic. Very hard on my hands.

15. What is/are your current knitting obsession/s? The designs out of the Teva Durham book. I have a love affair with bulky yarns now! I am also pondering lace knitting, i.e. shawls.

16. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit? Don't know yet. I really liked making my felted purses.

17. What are you knitting right now? A baby blanket from Koigu KPPPM, Clapotis from Noro Silk Garden, sock from more Koigu, and the Lace Leaf Pullover from Lamb's Pride Bulky in Limeade.

18. What do you think about ponchos? I like ponchos, and will be knitting myself one in the near future.

19. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? I like both.

20. Bamboo, aluminum, plastic? Bamboo, definitely.

21. Are you a sock knitter? Just starting on socks, but I love the idea of handknit socks.

22. How did you learn to knit? I learned from Stitch N Bitch, and my friend Terri.

23. How old is your oldest UFO? 5 months.

24. What is your favorite animated character or a favorite animal/bird? I love cats, and I adore Stewie from Family Guy. I also like Edward Gorey illustrations.

25. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween

26. Is there anything that you collect? Anything with witches, or cool cat stuff.

27. What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have? Interweave Knits, Vogue Knitting, does Bust count?

28. Any books out there you are dying to get your hands on? See my Amazon wish list :)

I'm a slacker

I'm such a slacker. I had every intention of taking some photos of what I have on the needles to put on the blog. But between vacuuming the house and the heat this weekend, I felt like sitting on the couch and not moving for long stretches of time. We borrowed our friends' Dyson Animal vacuum cleaner. OMFG - that vacuum works great! I will have to save my pennies so I can buy one of my very own. Our carpet hasn't looked this good since we moved into this house a year ago.

I purchased the new book by Teva Durham, Loop-D-Loop. I was hard-pressed to find something that I DIDN'T like out of this book. I was so taken with the Lace Leaf Pullover that I cast on and finished a sleeve in two days. Technically, only about three hours worth of work. This in spite of the fact that I am still slogging through the baby blanket and have three other projects in suspended animation. The pattern was just so darned easy and quick to work up, especially with the bulky yarn. It's all about the instant gratification. I think I will work on this project on my lunch hours at work. At the rate I'm going, I'll have it finished by the weekend. Craziness!

I'll have pictures up sometime this week. Yes, an idle threat at this point, but I'll make the effort.

On second thought...

About that Clapotis? I just came across this blog entry from Cari at Dogs Steal Yarn. Be still my heart... and that would look divine in the colorway I purchased.

I've been knitting wrong

Forgive the lack of pics, I am blogging from work...

You read that right - I've been knitting wrong. Now, before you say that knitting is an art form, and there is no "right" or "wrong" per se, hear me out. My knit stitch is fine. Apparently, it's my purl stitch that I have been doing bass ackwards. I'm a thrower (as opposed to a picker), so when I do my purl stitches, I always throw the yarn clockwise. On my most recent projects where I have been doing lots of stockinette, I've noticed that my stitches looked a bit twisted. Could not for the life of me figure out why. Then I pulled out my Knitter's Handbook (something every knitter should keep in their bag), and discovered that I should be throwing counterclockwise instead. Quelle horror! So, now it's like I'm having to re-learn how to purl all over again. Argh - what a pain. But my stockinette is looking rather stunning now!

I have been a good girl, and have forsaken all other objects save the baby blanket that really should be done by the end of this month. But I made a drastic change - I decided to change the yarn that I was using. I determined that, although Wool-Ease is easy to take care of, that it really wouldn't be all that nice against a baby's skin. So, I ordered 8 skeins of Koigu in a beautiful bluish colorway (pics later, I promise), and am almost a quarter of the way through the blanket. My husband even approves - he always looked askance at the other blanket I had been working on. So I am feeling really good about the change.

A couple of weeks ago, Terri and I took Colleen on her first yarn store expedition. We went to Yarn Lady, which is a huge store and has all sorts of yummy yarns to look at. Overwhelmed doesn't begin to describe Colleen's reaction to the place :) But a great time was had by all. I also purchased some yarn for other projects that I had in mind. I got 6 skeins of the Classic Elite 100% Inca Alpaca for the Very Harlot Poncho. I got some sock yarn. And I got 6 balls of Noro Silk Garden for....something. I was thinking about making a Clapotis, but I'm not a wrap kinda gal. I could always do another Harlot poncho. Or maybe a cardigan? I just can't decide. I'll have to think on that one a bit more.

After I'm done with the blanket, I need to get going again on my hooded sweatshirt thingie. I've finished the back, and just started on one of the front sides. The bummer about that is that I will have to continue knitting in that twisted stockinette style, just so it will be consistent. Hmmm - not looking forward to it.