My precious Touch Me Due arrived today

This is going to make the yummiest scarf, I can just tell. It's even prettier in person than it is online. And it's oh, so soft and squishy. Now where's my copy of Scarf Style? Maybe I'll cast on tonight for the Vintage Velvet. Ooh, it's going to be so pretty, I can't wait!

Ribbit, ribbit

My final Christmas present went to the frog pond again. Luckily, I don't think I'm going to see her until after New Year's, and it's deadly quiet at work this week, so I think I can finish it by the end of the week.

My co-worker whose husband is in the ICU is coming in to work a half day today, so I can give her her present then. It's a lovely scarf from a Colorsong Yarn kit, in a colorway with teal, burgundy, and gold. I normally don't like fringe on my scarves, but this one cried out for it. I took a picture before I wrapped it this morning, but, like always, forgot to bring the camera to the computer. ;)

A lovely card

I received a lovely holiday card from my knittee in the Scarf Exchange. I'm so glad that she likes her scarf. (P.S. It's perfectly safe to wear in the rain, it's superwash.)

I finally got a package out to my secret pal in the Secret Pal 9 exchange. I still have another package worth to send, but I think I'll send that first thing in January.

I just purchased enough Touch Me Due (in purple, of course) for Vintage Velvet from Scarf Style. Yummy! I love Touch Me, although I prefer it in its unfelted state, but I'm going to risk it for Vintage Velvet.

I'm alive, really!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks, and I haven't posted at all. Anyway, I am down to the wire with Christmas presents. I have one that I haven't even started yet. I think I'll be buying her something, rather than knitting. I have 2 packages that must go out today if they are to arrive in time. I haven't decided if I trust the postal service, or if they'll be going 2nd day air via UPS.

One of my dear friend's husband is in the hospital with pneumonia. It seems there is something in the air here, as everyone seems to have a loved one in the hospital for one reason or another.

Pictures and Crochet Lace

Here are my goodies from my secret pal, a scarf, a coin purse, bangles;









orange gummis, Pocky, green tea, green tea ice;










strawberry cough drops, origami papers and instructions and orange yarn. (The kitty paws came separately.)

I received my copy of Amazing Crochet Lace today. Lots of fun projects and a couple I want to tackle right away, although I'll have to go yarn shopping. Hmmm. I just got my registration confirmation for Stitches West and I did get the classes I wanted. Hurray! Maybe I'll save up my yarn money for February, though. It's only 3 months away. I have lots of yarn in the stash that I should use.

Secret Pal package arrived!

I received a package from my secret pal in Singapore today, with lots of goodies, including some orange gummies that actually taste like oranges, and one intriguing package called Green Tea Ice, with the instructions written in Japanese. I'll have to take that into work to be translated. She also sent a beautiful wine & cream scarf, some pretty pink bangles, a cute purple coin purse, and some tiny origami papers with instructions (I know what I'm doing at work tomorrow!) and some dark orange yarn. I'll post pics this afternoon after work. Thank you, secret pal!

I had an uneventful holiday weekend, although I did finally put together my knitting bookshelf. Surprisingly, I still have room to add to my knitting book collection. :) The cats were fascinated by this new toy, and spent all day yesterday jumping on and off the bookshelf, and curling up next to the books.

No actual knitting was accomplished, but I spent some time planning out my next projects. And now I have that lovely orange yarn that wants to be a scarf, or maybe some fingerless gloves, or even a hat. Hmmm.

New scarf AND a new book

I started a new scarf in elann's Baby Cashmere. It's a lovely burgundy color. It's another reversible cable scarf, but it's teeny-tiny. The cables are so cute at that size! It was going to be a Christmas present, but at that size, I'm not sure I'll finish in time.

I don't have anything else on the needles at the moment, which is a little disconcerting. However, I have the yarn and have swatched for Sally Melville's Not So Warm Coat, the lighter version of the Einstein coat. It's Patons Katrina in a lovely pale blue, perfect for blue jeans. I also have Ilga Leja's Lady of the Forest shawl kit, in Paris Memory, from Colorsong Yarns, which I've been meaning to start. But I just got Victorian Lace Today last night, and I'm so tempted by those, even though most of them are beyond my skills at the moment. They're simply gorgeous, though. I will not go to the LYS tonight, I won't, I won't. (Sure, that'll happen.)

The scarf is done!

I finished my scarf for ISE III today. I couldn't get the cast off to match the cast on exactly, but it's close enough. I think it came out beautifully. I'm already planning a second scarf, with 3 reversible cables, 1 large and 2 small, one on each side of the large one. Maybe in a worsted or DK weight cashmere, for a skinny scarf scarf for a petite friend. Mmm, cashmere!

Oh, so very late!

Here is a picture of my tote for the International Tote Exchange. It's going out in the mail today. I'm not sure about it, but I hardly have time to do another.








Here's the lovely lace scarf I received in the International Scarf Exchange.



















Now I have to finish my scarf for the exchange. I was hoping to be done by now, but no luck. Soon, though.

Progress, I hope

So I think I'm making progress. I'm halfway done with my scarf for ISE III. It has, however, gotten quite boring to knit, cables and all. I hope 3 more hours will do it. maybe Stitch n' Bitch tomorrow will finish it off. So I'm working on my tote for ITE II instead. This is at least the 4th or 5th one I've attempted, so I'm really afraid of jinxing it by saying too much. It's crocheted instead of knitted, which seems to have taken some of the pressure off.

I've also been putting together my first shipment for my secret pal in Secret Pal 9. So far, I have, well, way too much stuff, but it's so much fun! I think I have almost enough for 3 boxes, one each month. I'm so much better at putting together gifts bags or boxes for people than I am actually making things. I think it's because I think of deadlines as "suggestions."

I received a post card from my secret pal in Singapore on Thursday. It definitely brightened up what had been a lousy day! Thanks, secret pal!

Disaster strikes

Yesterday, I had two nasty knitting disasters. One, the purse refused to felt and dyed itself mud brown. It is spectacularly ugly. Two, the yarn linen yarn I bought and brought home to wind? Towards the end of the skein, it flew off the ball winder. Ok, I stop and check, it's wrapped around the ball winder. I have remove the ball winder from the table to get the yarn off of it. Then I realize that it is hopeless tangled, so I decided to wind it back into a skein on the swift, whereupon it promptly knots itself around the base of the swift. So I have to remove the swift from the table and fight to get the yarn off of it. At this point, it is a hopelessly tangled mess and I don't have time to deal with it. At least it wasn't laceweight, I suppose.

Nearly there...

I went to a UFO Night at the LYS and made serious progress on my scarf for ISE III. They had shipment of cashmere just in, but I nobly refrained. I didn't even look, because if I had, I would have bought.

My tote for ITE II is on the stove at a full boil as I write. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I've been having fun looking for things to spoil my SP9 secret pal with. So far, I've made a purchase on Amazon, but finding actual yarn is more difficult, as I like bright, varigated yarn and my pal likes earth tones and solid colors. It's good for me, though, right? Plus, I can stay on my yarn diet, because it's not for *me*.

I received *my* scarf from ISE III today, from Lesley in Denver. It's a grape colored Branching Out scarf in Kid Seta.

I also received my bag from Rikako in Kyoto, Japan. It's a lovely red/pink/white crocheted bag. It is so me!

What a month!

I thought it would be sooo easy to participate in the International Scarf and International Tote exchanges. Boy, was I wrong! I haven't been even been able to knit much for the past month. I'm having some weird dizziness, so I can't even hold the darn needles. I finally managed to finish a tote, even if it wasn't the one my partner was expecting. I hope she likes it! It still needs to be felted, and handles attached. I think I'm going to skip the lining, though. I just don't have time.

As for the scarf, it's a good thing it's in chunky yarn on 15 needles. What there is of it is quite lovely, though. I am doing some major cleaning this weekend, so I hope to have lots of knitting time after that's all done.

My projects will be finished and received in time, even if postage costs more than the project. My goal is to have them in the mail next week. Luckily, both recipients are in the US, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Secret Pal 9

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I like almost all animal fibers. I find cotton, linen, etc, to be rather hard on my hands. Acrylics, it depends. If it's really soft, I make allowances. :) I find silk stinky, but silk blends of less than 30% are ok. I'm not allergic to any yarns, but I even find baby alpaca scratchy, make of that what you will.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Nothing in particular, although I do have the Denise & KnitPicks Options sets. The needles tend to wander away, though. I confess that I own far too many of Martha's bags, http://www.greenmountainknittingbags.com.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting almost a year and consider myself a beginner. I learned at a LYS from a wonderful teacher. I'm very left-handed, so it took some doing to get it right. I've recently started knitting backwards instead of purling, but that only works if it's a whole row of purling. I haven't figured out how to do cabling or ribbing that way yet.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
I do, but it's more of a private shopping list right now. I'll see if I can make a public one soon.

5. What's your favorite scent? (for candles, bath products, etc.)
I prefer citrussy, woodsy or "clean" or "fresh" scents. I find most flowery fragrances too cloying. No candles, please, the ceiling is awfully sooty from all the candles I used to burn.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yes. Red Vines, red Swedish fish, sour gummy-type candies, toffees and coffee candies. Oh, and fresh saltwater taffy, I grew up on the beach. NO chocolate. I'm not allergic, but I really don't care for it. Heresy, I know. :)

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I also crochet. I would love to spin and quilt, but I am studiously avoiding these activities, as I live in a small house! Me, the cats, and the yarn are quite enough without adding fabric and fleece to the mix.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like country music, favorite artists are Johnny Cash & Mary Chapin Carpenter. I can play MP3s.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I love hot pinks & purples, and deep jewel tones. I dislike earth tones.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
It's just me, the cats and the yarn! The yarn is winning.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Scarves only occasionally as I live in a fairly warm climate.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I'm still a beginner, so it's all fun to me right now.

13. What are you knitting right now?
A scarf for the International Scarf Exchange, due 11/1. Yikes! I'd better get going.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I love seeing other people's creativity. For example, I joked with a co-worker who was taking cake decorating classes that I would probably never get a wedding cake of my own, so when she made her mini-sample for class, she gave it to me. So sweet!

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I prefer circular needles for almost everything. Pointy tips are most important to me, since I'm a tight knitter. I have lots of bamboo straights, but didn't care for the one bamboo set of circs I had. The join was way too squeaky and very annoying.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yes to both. That means I can escape the LYS without buying the store while waiting for the yarn to be wound.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
December, I think. I started on the Einstein Coat, and it has been swatched and started and frogged and re-started... Then I have a sweater from April, Bombshell from Big Girl Knits.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
That's a hard question. Probably Halloween. I love seeing the costumes, especially on the little tiny kids. I don't celebrate Christmas.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Dragons! Any kind of dragon, sculpture, glass, stuffed, bookmarks, jewelry, I love all kinds of dragons, but especially Oriental and Welsh dragons.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
Hmmm. I tend to indulge myself, so let's see. I don't know, there seem to be a lot of luscious yarns out for fall, and I'm trying to stick to my yarn diet, so any yarn that just came out this fall would be good, for example, Rowan Tapestry, and almost all of the new Crystal Palace lines.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Lace. I keep saying I'm going to start, and I have patterns and yarns for them, but I haven't started yet.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
No socks yet. That's a lot of knitting! No idea, but I wear a US 8, and I have extremely high arches. :)

23. When is your birthday? (mm/dd)
June 12.

Yarn for the International Exchanges

I finally have pictures of the yarn I'm using for the exchanges. First is the yarn for the International Tote Exchange II. My pal wants a very subdued and simple felted bag, so I'm using Cascade 220 in navy, with a little Rowan Lurex Shimmer for some zing.



Next, I chose another yarn for the International Scarf Exchange III. This is Lorna's Laces Shepherd Bulky in the popular colorway, "The cat thought the skein band was a toy." I like the colors better now that I'm knitting them up. I'm using a reversible cable pattern, which is very easy and fun to knit.

I have 1 1/2 repeats finished here.

While I was in the LYS, I couldn't resist this, Lorna's Laces Revelation in Watercolor. It was so pretty, I had to have it.

Blogger won't allow pics, but here's the post anyway.

More yarn!

For me, that is. I still haven't found the right yarn for my International Tote Exchange II partner. It seems like everyone else is finished already. It just started last week! I have until Halloween. Don't worry, partner, you'll get a tote sooner or later, probably later.

I spent $50 on yarn today: 4 skeins of Cascade Pastaza in a beautiful pewter color, 1 skein of CPY Squiggle in pink/orange, 2 skeins of CPY Little Flowers in red/pink/purple and orange/red, 1 skein of CPY BeBop in chocolate almond, and 1 skein of a Trendsetter railroad yarn in reds/purples. I didn't mean to purchase yarn for me today, but it was on clearance sale and it was pretty. Will post pics soon.

I can't wait to get the name of my partner for the International Scarf Exchange. And I just signed up for Secret Pal 9. Yes, I've jumped into the exchanges. How else am I to diminish the stash or excuse the purchase of more yarn when I'm supposed to be on a yarn diet? I think my stash has enough yarn to get me through to Stitches West in February. Of 2009. A mere piker, I know.

My LYS is hiring and I. Will. Not. Apply. I know I'd take all of my wages home in yarn.

New knitting bag and WIP

I received my large carpet bag from Green Mountain Knitting. Isn't it stunning? Martha always does such a fantastic job! I confess that I own 4 of her wonderful bags and will try to remember to post pictures of the rest this week.












Here is the Noni bag I'm currently working on. It's a modified version of the medium carpet bag using 3 colors instead of 2. I'm about 1/3 of the way through. Yes, I'm knitting at work and no, they don't mind. I'm really liking the way the colors go together on this bag. My LYS wasn't too sure about these colors together, so I'll have to take it in to show off when it's complete. This is going to be a gift for a friend, which I only discovered after I started knitting. She just loves brown and I know she'll love this bag.

3 FOs!

This is my wrap in Noro Iro #56, with KnitPicks Sierra in Bud in the center. As you can tell from the picture, it's quite substantial, as only 2/3 of it are visible. My girl kitty seems particularly fascinated by it.
















This scarf is for a co-worker who mentioned about 4 or 5 times how much she loved the colors in this yarn, Noro Silk Garden, not sure of the color.









This is another co-worker birthday present, in Noro Silk Garden #239 (I think that's the right color). This is a pattern I made up on the fly. I think it came out quite nice, although I think I'd make the boxes more rectangular if I made it again.

Stash enhancement!

I hit my LYS today for necessary supplies. I need to knit up several gifts in the next 2 months and when I checked my stash, I realized that virtually everything is either hot pink, purple or hot pink and purple, with a little dash of burgundy.

So I tried to step out of my normal color range. Not too far out of my comfort range. I'll post pics later.

I've almost finished my purple/pink/green wrap. It's Noro Iro in #56, with a skein of KnitPicks Sierra in Bud thrown in for good measure. The colors are delicious, they remind of a water garden. I'll probably finish it tonight, it's easy knitting.

Crochet bag finished!

I finished my crochet bag tonight. Now I just need to finish the shawl and scarf and I can cast on for a new project!

More beads!

I got my box o' beads yesterday and Folk Shawls. I'm ready to start knitting lace. My first project will be the Butterfly Shawl in a, what else? hot pink yarn. The yarn should be here next week sometime. Can't wait to start.

Work is slow today, so I brought in my crocheting stuff and hope to finish the bag today.

Got a couple of rounds in

I worked a few rounds on my crochet-in-the-round bag last night. I also bought a zipper for the Sakura circle bag, so I plan on finishing that tonight. I am impatiently waiting for my vacation to start tomorrow evening - a entire week of knitting & crocheting time. My intention is to finish my shawl and round bag on vacation, so I can cast on for the 2nd B4 bag.

Ta da!

The B4 bag is finished! The fabric isn't as firm as I would have liked, which could either be due to the acrylic or the fact that I felted it by hand, er, foot in the bathtub. I am happy with the way it turned out, though. I'm planning on making another one with Patons Merino, which I've heard felts up fast. They are a lot of fun to make, so I don't know if I can stop with just two!

I decided that I need to finish all of my projects on the needles (and hook) before I can cast on anymore projects, including the second B4 bag. That would be my Touch Me scarf, the crochet purse, the crochet shawl and Bobblicious from Knitty, as well as finishing and putting the zipper on my round bag. It's just so much more fun to start projects than to finish them!

Finished the B4 bag!

I finished knitting the B4 bag last night and felted it. Here's a pre-felting picture. It should be dry tonight, so hopefully I'll have time to sew the buttons on.

I splurged on beads at http://www.shipwreckbeads.com this morning. I have lots of projects in mind for them!

Pictures!

I finally got pictures of some of my projects:

B4 bag

Summer shawl:

I did knit a few more rounds on the B4 last night. I'm not as far along as I thought I was, but it's looking very pretty. I can't wait until it's finished!

It's never too hot to shop for yarn!

I succumbed to some Patons Merino last night. A nice chestnut brown and a natural mix, to be stranded together to make another B4 bag. I bought some antique buttons and wooden beads for it, too. Since I have everything I need to make another bag, I thought I should knit some more on the pink and black one. I ended up knitting about 10 rounds last night. I also took pictures of the bag and the crocheted shawl, but forgot to bring the camera with me to post them.

Crochet bags

My crochet bag in the round is no farther along than it was 3 weeks ago, but here's a picture of it anyway.

Here is most of a completed circle bag that just needs to be finished and a zipper sewn in. I only like making things, finishing them is what bogs me down.

Since it's gotten so hot, some of my other projects have been stalled. So I'm working on a lacy crochet shawl instead. It's awfully cold in the office, so this will be just the thing - dressy enough for the office, but not too warm if I forget and wear it outside in the 95 degree heat.

More yummy yarn!

I received my order from Yarnmarket today. I really, really wanted it to be here before the 3 day weekend, but I didn't order it in time. Oh, well.

Berroco Foliage in a pink/black combo for the B4 bag

RYC Cashsoft DK for a lacy scarf

SWTC Karoake in Purplexed for a clapotis

The crochet bag I started yesterday is coming along nicely. I've finished the bottom and started working up the sides in the round. I've done popcorns all the way around, which actually came out even without counting, proving that I can count, as long as I don't, you know, count. I'm thinking of adding some beading a little bit farther up, but maybe not.

On Saturday, I crocheted the rounds for the circle cosmetic case in Interweave's One Skein book. I used Noro Sakura in color #4, which came out stunning. I'm going to buy the zipper and finish it tonight.

I'm still working on my Touch Me scarf. It's slow going, but it's coming out beautifully. I was originally going to felt it, but it's so beautiful as it is, I may just leave it be.