Monday....

On another note I get my wisdom teeth, all four pulled tomorrow/today. So not looking forward to it.

Catchup

The shawl was finished December 24th 2008 at 5pm. I blocked it right before we had to go to my grandparent's house for Christmas Eve Dinner. A tradition in my family for a long time. I wrapped up the shawl in the morning when my parents were asleep and before I made this really special oatmeal.

I finished the socks when the oatmeal was baking and they were finished December 25th 2008 at 9am. I sewed in the ends and then wrapped it in some ribbon and stuck it into her stocking.

And may I introduce Robert my new old vintage sock knitting machine.

This is doing ribbing on the top of the foot, before I cleaned him up.



This is making a heel, or toe, before cleaning.




His tension adjuster, also known as the V-Cam. Basically lower the pointer and the tension is looser and up it's tighter.





This is him all nice and clean, showing the new needles and some accessories.




He's a great machine, when he wants to be haha. He is around 100-130 years old and still works.

I'll probably be making socks to order soon.

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

I FINISHED IT!!!!!!!! It took me about a week to knit through charts 2 through 6 but I did it! I came home from working at Jamba Juice, knit the freaking 6 last rows and bound off. I finished at 5pm and then had to block it. While it was soaking I showered, sine I did have to go to my grandparents house for christmas eve dinner. There was a gift exchange and my uncle, who gave me 15 lbs of romney cheep for my birthday, he gave me a 3 day pass to stitches west and some money! I'm excited.

The picture of the shawl isn't the greatest, but this is it blocking. I don't have a blocking board so I had to improvise with an old thick blanket and blocking wires and pins. I'll put up a better picture after it's unwrapped tomorrow morning. And my mom has no idea that she is getting it either. She's been hinting about wanting one and so I decided the Mystic Ice would be perfect for her.



The pair of socks only needs 3 more repeats to get to the toe and then toe and sew that bad boy up. I can't really knit that while I'm sitting here with my mom, while we enjoy the fire. I guess I'll just have to knit them in a little while. Probably tonight when I'm supposed to be sleeping. Or tomorrow morning when I am cooking the "traditional" baked oatmeal. Oh well.

I have decided that I don't like lace shawls, love the look, but don't like making them.

I am now again on a fair isle kick, and I want to make a beret. And fair isle sweater, and ..... you get the picture.

"IT" stage 4

If you have read the Yarn Harlot's The Secret Life of a Knitter then you will know what that means. If not let me break that down for you. I was going to make a few things for my mom this year for Christmas.

Stage one is when I plan for what to make this year. I wanted to make a few things for my mom only since I already made stuff for my cousins the year before and there wasn't anyone else I could think of that would like hand knitted items. Well there is one, but that wasn't until about a month ago.

Stage two I started buying yarn and patterns. Planning what to do. I decided when I saw the Mystic Ice shawl was available for a little knit along I decided to go for it. I also wanted to make a sweater for her, I found a great pattern she loved. Though I didn't have enough money for the yarn and I couldn't find a yarn that I liked (that and was warm/machine washable). I think I know of some now though. I blame my boss at Green Planet Yarn, there are so many great things there, but I digress.

I cast on for the shawl right when chart one came out. I knit it in less then a week and I thought that this would be easy and I could finish it in time. So then I put it down for a little bit.

Stage 3 is when I started to panic a little. I cast on for a pair of socks for myself and knit one of them in about 4 days of reading and knitting at the same time. I loved them so much, the pattern was perfect for reading. The shawl lamented while college winded down, which I had to study too. Then I thought oh crap, chart 4 (then 5) are out now, I want this done by when? (insert appropriate swearing here %^&(*&(*%& %&^(&*&&@^%(@&#(*%^&*#()$&Q%&*!*$%*^@(*&*%^@()_*&^&$*^&#@)^*).

I am in stage 4 which is when I am figuring out how many rows I need to complete daily to get back on track, even though I have no idea how many rows are on the last chart that is being released TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I ignore my chores and cleaning. I take away as much sleep as I can without needing energy drinks (trust me I really don't want to be spending money on that). Now my dad knows about the shawl and the socks. He is now understanding that I am nuts. Oh the socks, attempt number 5. One sock is done and I am on the foot of the other. I should get those done quickly. They are really simple. But the %^*#()&$@*() SHAWL!!!!! Grrrrr

Its pretty eh?




The first is the first four charts and the next is of the actual shawl. Only half of it, but it's pretty. The green is a life line, this is the second I've used on this shawl. I know I'm nuts, but tis the season.

I will now knit the billion stitches on the needles now.

If you don't hear from me I might be recovering

I AM SOOOO DONE..

With this semester of college! Some of it was a lot harder then anticipated, others was a snore.

Ok, I didn't really explain the moth thing. I was cleaning my room one day, which it needs a little spritz again. And I grabbed three pairs of my hand knit socks. I decided that I would clean them and then I would have toasty feet for the cold winter (well California coldish) that lay ahead for me. After I washed them I found holes. This is one sock, if you are knitting, drinking anything non alcoholic, or anything that involves your hands, stop. Take a drink of something strong (if you are of age) and then look. Ok? This is what happened to my toe up STR sock.





8 holes, yes you read that right. Please breathe I know I wigged out when I saw this. Then 2 other pairs were affected. Just one hole in the ribbing of one and my own hand dye argyle socks has a small hole.

Needless to say everything was in quarantine and still is. I am not going to let this happen again.

Happier(?) note, Christmas knitting. After last years evil little (not) knitting spell I decided that I would not knit a lot of gifts. Even though last year was a sweater and an afghan, I didn't knit with blue for 6 months after. This year I decided to knit some socks for my mom and the Mystic Ice Shawl. So behind on the shawl, probably will be a Ireallywantedtohavethisfinishedbutineedsleeptooandthisiscompliatedsothisisapromisethatitwillbefinishedsoon. The socks were a quick knit though, I'm on the leg of the second one. I knit a sock from the New Pathways for Sock Knitters and I did that while reading. Such a great sock.

Then I got suckered into knitting a Noro scarf.



This is two skeins Noro Silk Garden, color no idea. Then 3 skeins of Misky from Mirasol. It's a gorgeous 100% baby llama yarn. I love it so much.

Ok, now I have been debating for a while if I should make a beret. I want to know if you think I would look good in one?

I had a case of schoolissuchatimesucker and mothitis

Yes it has been a while since I posted, I blame school. This semester is over soon.

That and I had a little moth scare. I got it all under control.

:)

I won't scare you with the sock with 8 holes, or my argyles with a hole.

I will post more, when I'm not holiday knitting.

I swear I'm not dead

For all of you who might have thought I died, I didn't, I've been extremely busy lately. I go to school, work, eat a little, and sleep sometimes. Repeat everyday, and you'll see why I'm not posting as much as I did before. I haven't had a lot of time for anything really.

I have been knitting a little bit, when I can or have time. I've knit this:






it's the new Habitat Hat by Brooklyntweed, and it's a wonderful, and fast knit. I knit mine in Misky a 100% baby llama yarn. It's so soft and warm!

I've still been knitting on The vest. Yes, that evil argyle vest, which may not be a vest. I might just make it a sweater, depending on how much yarn is left over after. I have plenty of all of the colors, except the brown I don't know about yet.



That little white piece of yarn is holding one stitch, and I've modified the pattern so I'm going to steek open the neck opening.


In other news, have you heard of the Color Co-Op? Macek Designs (me) is participating, and we are going to start dyeing up the yarn for the november shipment soon. If you want to sign up, you'll just have to wait until either November, or December, check the blog . If you need more convincing, then wait until November to see all 6 of us dyers revealing to everyone our colorway based on the choosen artwork by all participating.

Also, Macek Designs is a little back logged, I just finished a yarn order for my LYS, and it's gorgeous, but I have much yarn to dye to catch up. But after I am thinking of doing some new colorways, maybe a famous writter's stories yarn club?

Also, I've given in and knit the baby surprise jacket, knit in corntastic. You can see it at Green Planet Yarn, my local LYS that I work at.




Until next time. Hopefully this fair isle knitting bug will pass, I really want to make a fair isle sweater, or sweaters in general. Maybe it's the cold weather coming up? Who knows.

Knitting Olympics and look coffee!!!

Well I gave in when I said I wasn't going to do the knitting olympics. I wasn't going to because I didn't want to start anything else, because I am running out of needle cables. But then I saw on ravelry that you can work on your WIPs so they get done, and lessen the amount of them. After I saw that I knew I was doomed, since I have like 10 WIPs (not all in ravlery, I don't need to be reminded every time I look at my projects, which right now isn't much, stupid internet).



So, I am going to be doing my Hybrid Sweater, Wing-of-Moth shawl, and my vineland socks. I figured that the places they are all in that it would be enough for me to work on. Well, maybe not. I have 2 weeks to finish a sweater that is just about done, I just started the other shoulder, and so all I have to do on that is knit the rest of the shoulder, then the collar, then cast off and sew in all of the ends.


The shawl has more then half of the first chart done, and then I think I have maybe 2 charts left, and the pattern isn't super complicated. And then the socks just need a heel each (I do my socks 2 at a time, toe up, on magic loop, well when I can) and then a leg and cast off, and weave in ends.

And ok, this internet thing is really killing me. I want to look at ravelry and talk to all of my knitting and non knitting friends on skype and all of those aim and internet sites. However, out internet is still down, and I have another maybe 3 days of having to find free wifi. And so sitting here in Orchard Valley with my laptop out, headphones in, cell phone, sunglasses, coffee and knitting out, I get many looks. But they just don't get it. And I use my phone for pictures because I don't want to bring my big camera with me, and besides I have bluetooth on both the phone and m computer, so I might as well use it.

I have to get back to my olympic knitting, but what happens if I finish all of my projects (yeah right)?