Knitgirl's Stash

It's a caps widget!

So, we all know that I'm a Caps fan.... I found this on sicklipstick's blog (because all the knitting Caps fans should know about each other. Thank God for Ravelry!!) If I can figure out how, I'll put it on the sidebar.

               

Just a quick post

... to say how freakin' cool is this? The Yarn Harlot made the Double-Tongued Dictionary (they define a new catchphrase each day... or many times a day) with "Kinnear". (You know, the more you type "Kinnear", the more it looks wrong. I'm just sayin'. LOL.)

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled lives... For all the Americans out there, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving wherever you may be.

Fair-Isle:1, Knitgirl: 2

So, the Fair-Isle bug bit me... and hard. Yes, for all of you who guessed it was going to be the Ivy League Vest, you know me well. (Or you looked at my Ravelry notebook. Whatev.) I swatched - I even blocked it, for goodness sake - I cast on, and while I found the corrugated ribbing fiddly, it was easy. Not mindless, but still easy. I had it done in 3 nights. I started the chart. Even that was easy-ish. I knew something would have to go wrong and it would be big. I was right.

After my first decrease round, I had to figure out how to take the chart into the new stitch count. Once I confirmed with Elspeth that my hunch was correct, I continued on with the chart... to find out that I ended on a different size. Oops. I counted my stitches and found that my front had significantly less stitches than the back... the side marker was in the wrong place - hence, the side seam was in the wrong place. Grrrr... I tried to do some surgery, but that didn't help. The only option left? Well, look at that picture - the one to the right. Yup, it had to be ripped. Only back to the corrugated ribbing and after it had spent time in The Candy Bowl of Time-Out with one of Steph's projects. Need a close up?

The macro function is kinda cool, isn't it?

After painstakingly picking up all the stitches, my only goal for last night was to knit it back to where it was before the ripping. Last night once I got home from Late Night and fed myself, I finally got back through Row 7. Actually, I continued on to the next decrease row... but stopped myself before attempting it. Something told me that trying to take another decrease into a pattern row at 1 in the morning would not be a good - or smart thing to do. So it's sitting on my computer at home while I attempt to knit other things today - which is not easy. Not at all. Damn Fair-Isle bug. I'll have to knit a Fair-Isle hat now. Just to take the edge off. At least that's what I'm telling myself.

Gratuitous macro shot of the pattern up to the decrease row. Hey, even the colors are pretty accurate!

I don't want anyone to die of shock, but...

it's another post! It's a short one, though...

What do you think this might be for?
It's going to be fabulous (if it doesn't kick my ass)!

Well, because I've been tagged for this meme by three people...

Since I've been tagged by Lara, Dani and Chelsea... (if anyone else tagged me, I haven't seen it... sorry!)

Rules:
Once tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of the post, you must tag and link to 8 other people, visit their sites, and leave a comment letting them know they’ve been tagged.

Alright then, LET’S GO!:

1.  When I use a wallet (which means when I clean out my purse) or work with money at the shop it needs to all be face up and in the same direction (Presidents' heads are right side up in a wallet, facing to the left in a till). This is a holdover from when I worked at a bank as a teller. I had a head teller who would throw back brick of ones at our feet when she found a bill facing the wrong way. Plus, more accuracy in counting that way.
2. I LOVE the Giant brand popsicles. No other popsicle will do. Apparently not all Giants carry them either. (The one closest to me doesn't.) I have been known to drive to the one by my parents' house just to get them.
3. I have been engaged twice. At 18 and 25. (I'm not counting the last guy.) I'm still single. You do the math. Breaking up with the first guy on my 20th birthday was the best thing I could have done for myself. He was the ultimate Peter Pan, never wanting to grow up and wanting to live with his grandmother and mother forever. The second guy and I just realized we were much better as friends and would kill each other if we were married. Also smart. He's one of my best friends to this day.
4. I do not blog frequently. Or at all lately. While I think I am creative, I don't think I'm interesting enough to blog frequently.
   
5.  I voted in my first election ever when I was 17. I was a senior in HS during a presidential election year. Unfortunately I couldn't vote in it. However, in the spring, the county I was in had a special election for something and said that all students currently 17 that would be 18 by November could vote. So I did. I have only missed voting in one election since.
6. I frequently attract/am attracted to Republicans. I have no idea why. I am a total Democrat. I have only dated one Democrat - ever - in my whole dating life. However, it makes Presidential election years fun... kind of.
   
7. I learned to knit to distract me from work. I felt that 80 - 90 hour workweeks were beginning to be a bit unhealthy, so I looked for a hobby. Knitting worked. Now I run a knitting shop and have no time to knit. Hmmmmm.
8. I am a bag/purse junkie. I have been known to buy a purse I can't afford and eat ramen noodles for awhile. I may have asked Dani to pick up this absolutely adorable purse I saw in a small shop in London...

I totally am not going to tag anyone for this since I think everyone's already been tagged. If you haven't, consider yourself tagged. :) Maybe one day I'll return to blogging on either of my blogs... hopefully.

Well, I *was* going to talk about the knitting... all of it.

So much to talk about, so little time! I've been trying to blog for ages now, but just haven't found the time... or when there is time, the inspiration. No matter though, I'm sure that y'all will still love me even if I just start posting pictures and write a little bit about the knitting. :) (Well, at least I hope so.)

There has been lots of knitting - mostly starting stuff - here at Chez Stash. Hmmm, where to begin? (I'd like to use the pictures in my Flickr account, but I can't figure out how to get them here. Any hints?)

Okay, what might these three pictures be? The Silk Shrug from Erika Knight's Classic Knits book. Once I got down to actually knitting the garment, it flew through my fingers. Partially because it was so easy to do, partially because the silk is quite divine to work with, and partially because America's Next Top Model just makes for great TV knitting. (Hey, we all have our guilty pleasures, don't hate!) The pattern was written using the Jaeger Silk DK, but have you really ever known me to use the yarn asked for? Nah! I had 8 hanks of the Debbie Bliss Pure Silk in stash (really 7, as one hank is in the back of another shrug I attempted to knit) which just happened to be the amount I figured out I'd need. When does that ever happen?

So, as the pictures might be able to tell you, pieces were pinned out - in shifts, as my blocking board isn't big enough for all of them at once - and partially seamed together. Why partially? Well, the shoulder seams were no problem. The sleeves, however... a different story altogether. I'm not quite sure why I didn't question the sleeve shaping, but no matter. Basically, the set in sleeves that I knit don't entirely match the armholes I knit. And yes, I knit both to pattern. I had to rip out the first sleeve seam a number of times to try to get it right. When was this? Right before MD$W. So after staying up until 3am to get it right, I flung it to the side and promptly forgot about it for over a month. Surprise, surprise. :) I picked it up yesterday and brought it to work to finish seaming it, just to get it done. With lots of encouragement from the back table (and much cursing of the sleeves from me), I got it done. I even wove in all the ends before I went to sleep.

I was a bit worried that it'd be a bit small - I only ended up using 6.5 skeins of the silk, instead of the 8 I thought I would. The surprise was that it is a great fit. A little larger than I expected, but really, just what I wanted. Of course there are no pictures yet of the finished product. Last night, the camera battery died, I charged it, thought I took it to work today, but there was no camera to be found. :( I'll try to get pictures soon - I'll use the Elspeth method, I just need to ask her for some pointers.

Next up is Emily. Some of you might remember the last time I knit Emily. Way back in 2005. Wrong, wrong yarn that time. This time? Well, while I'm not using the recommended yarn (Twilley's Denim Freedom) I am using a yarn that knits up to the same gauge and has the same properties of the Twilley's: Rowan Denim. It is a well established fact that unless it's 4-ply, I hate cotton with a passion. Not anymore. I LURRRRVE the Denim. While it makes my hands look like a Smurf, I love the feel of this yarn. I hated swatching it, but I love working with it. That last picture is a bit of a fib, though. I finished the back ages ago and immediately cast on for the front. I've gotten one row in. That's it. Life takes over, I guess.

I had to include that picture of the knitted fabric and that end in there. I just thought it was a beautiful contrast and really interesting how the yarn is dyed.

~~~~~~~~

Crappers! It looks like I broke Typepad's image uploading tonight... I will just have to put up a partial post for the time being. (See Rossana? I met the challenge of the pinky swear! Just a little later than expected. LOL.) I'll have to make this a "to be continued..." and I'll post tomorrow. (Even shocking things! Take your guess as to what that might be...)

Update your bookmarks!

So we all know that I don't necessarily use my blog to update for the shop. However, since the blog there seems to be broken (don't ask... it's a long story), I've heeded Nurse Laura's advice and set up a temporary one on Blogger. So head here for the new KH blog! (I've got an update about Le Online Store that I'm going to post in a few hours. Just sayin'.)

Yes, I know I still haven't posted an update. I have one - complete with pictures! - that I just need some time to write up... *hanging head* I know, I know. Bad blogger, no cookie!

Where'd I go?

Playing with Ravelry, that's where! (Okay, so that doesn't account for the huge loss in time, but whatever. Y'all still love me anyway! LOL!) I got my invite a few days ago and haven't done much (hell-o, have we met? I'm lazy sometimes!) with it until tonight. Not that what I've done tonight is something big... but I've gotten a few projects uploaded on there. Now I must go and photograph the entire stash and use up my monthly allotment for the free Flickr account in the next week! :D (I feel like such a nerd, but I'm gleeful that I got to upload two new patterns on there...)

So, if you're on Ravelry and you're reading this, look me up over there! I'm knitgirl over there - who knew that it would still be available by the time I got in? (I went through and added a bunch of people that I know and people that I admire over there tonight... I still have to go back and add in all of the Lime & Violet MBers! Eek!)

There is actual knitting to post about, but I am falling asleep as I write this... check it out over at Ravelry... and if you can't yet, well, I'll hopefully have a post with an FO or two!

Apparently, posting once a month is my new thing...

... because I just looked at the blog and realized that as of midnight it will have been exactly one month since I last blogged. *sigh* Well, the last week or so I've had the ultimate excuse - I've been moving! I just set up the computer in the apartment tonight and along with having a late night IM session with Dani (I missed those when I had no computer... for those three days. LOL), I finally uploaded pictures from my camera - and there are actual knitting pictures on there!

With all the moving stuff going on, I haven't been really motivated to work on anything I already have on the needles, but I haven't felt motivated to start brand new projects, either... until Steph brought in her almost completed Kelly Cardigan from the Classic Knits book by Erica Knight. I noticed that we didn't have a swatch of the CrackSilk KidCrack KidSilk Haze at the shop, so I quite generously volunteered to knit one. :) Which sent me on a swatch frenzy... However, upon washing and blocking said swatch for the shop... I discovered that I am NOT KNITTING TO GAUGE. I AM TOO LOOSE. This just does not happen for me. *sigh* While I could just knit a size smaller and be done with it, I decided to use some of the crack yarn I have at home to swatch on a smaller needle. Well, I hadn't gotten a chance to knit until the Comcast guy came to install my cable and cable internet... and then... well, just take a look.

The Comcast guy found it interesting that I knit and I'm sure he thought I was crazy when I pulled out my camera and took a picture of the swatch. I explained to him about the blog, which led us to talk about how big the whole crafting industry has become.

Anyhoo, yes, yes, there has been knitting at Chez Stash... at both the old and new places now! In the past few weeks I've been focused on a lot of the smaller projects that have been languishing in my knitting bag(s). I haven't really finished any, but there has been progress made. Which is something, right?

Please to ignore the really bad picture of me. If I remember correctly, this was taken at 1am and was the 4th or 5th shot. LOL.

Pattern: Calorimetry from Knitty Winter 2006
Yarn: Maybe half a skein of this gorgeous handspun cashmere, gifted to me by Ken of Jade Sapphire.
Needles: US8 24" Addi Turbos
Cast On/Off: One Wednesday evening in early February. I started it at Late Night and finished it at home.
Mods: None really. But lots needed to be made...
Fun Factor: Once I figured out how she was constructing her short-rows, it was a breeze!
Thoughts: I loved this yarn. I want more of it. However, my Calorimetry is WAY too big and loose for me. I don't have a tiny head, but I can almost stretch it 1.5 times around. I didn't do a gauge swatch, so that was a big issue with it. (I know, BAD Knitgirl!) The yarn is probably a Light Worsted to DK weight yarn... however, the pattern would still be too big. I actually made another with some Jade Sapphire 8 ply cashmere I had in stash... I went down to US7s and cast on 80 or so stitches. Much better fit. I even used just under a half a skein.

Pattern: My own - it's a garter rib
Yarn: 2 balls Rowan Plaid
Needles: US10.5 24" Addi Turbos
Cast On/Off: I cast on for this sometime around Superbowl Sunday - I was working on this at the fiesta... I cast off a couple weeks later.
Mods: Well, I originally planned on doing a modified scarf pattern from Last Minute Knitted Gifts, but couldn't remember if you needed to knit or purl across the second row, so I made a decision and it became my own!
Fun Factor: Well, I wouldn't call it fun... but it was a great mindless knit!
Thoughts: While I'm not a fan of knitting scarves, I love wearing them! This is WARM and I *heart* it.

Oh, the STR Pebble Beach socks... the first one is finally done! I finished it on a visit to my gynecologist. (TMI, I'm sure.) While sitting in the waiting room forever and sitting in her office forever I managed to finish them. I was binding off as she walked in. Come to think of it, the last STR pair I worked on I finished the first sock in her office too... hmmm... maybe I need to go to see her more often. NOT. (Actually, she's quite fabulous and she's the only doctor I don't mind waiting for. And that's saying something.) Unlike the last pair, I didn't cast on for the the second sock that same day. Bad blogger. I still haven't cast on for it. But the yarn goes everywhere with me in my knitting bag or in the passenger seat of my car - just in case.

Oh the pretty Schaefer Miss Priss yarn! When we got it into the shop, I immediately cast on for a Le Slouch... and after 3.5 inches of seed stitch, I set it aside. It also travels in the knitting bag, just waiting for me to pick it up. Unfortunately, unlike Aimee and Michelle, I do not have the love of kintting the seed stitch. I do, however, have the love of wearing the seed stitch...

Then I decided that I needed to try the entrelac socks in the recent IK... I *heart* Eunny. I want to knit like Eunny when I grow up. When we got the Claudia's sock yarn in the shop, I immediately started to choose colors that would go together... Unfortunately, the Butter Pecan and the Honey colors go together a little too well for entrelac. *sigh* Oh well, I'll frog these and make a pair of knee highs with them a la Cara, I think. So I decided to buy some more yarn... this time more contrasty:

Rowan 4ply Soft in Clover and Sandalwood. So pretty. (Yes, you do see double points in those socks. No, your eyes aren't fooling you. Don't ask.)

And in Frog Pond News

I knit this at the beginning of last year for Michael's book. It was the sweater that eventually ended up on the cover, worn backwards. I had a few issues with the publishers (again, don't ask...) so it wasn't the happiest knit, despite the beautiful yarn... (Mountain Colors Weavers Quarters... so nice.) Michael (as his wonderful self) made sure I got the sweater back last week. I knew that I would never wear the sweater as it was, so I decided to frog it and make it into something that had less angst knit into it. So around 5.30 this evening, it became this:

Yup, 4 largish balls and 2 teeny balls, with only a yard or so sacrificed to my perfectionist finishing. (Note to self: If you start to rip out a sweater, find ALL the seams and woven in ends and unweave them BEFORE you start to rip it on the ball winder.) And I still have an entire ball of it left in my stash... somewhere.

So that's the latest. Blogging will still be intermittent while I get the new place straightened up - who knew I had so much crap?? I'm heading to NYC on Sunday to catch a couple shows, so there will be some fab knitting time to be had on the train! Now the question is: what to take?

In which I admit I haven't posted in forever and a day

Who knew that forever and a day could pass and I still would have no pictures of any FO's? Or that I really wouldn't have any FO's to brag about? Hmmm... Actually, lately I've been having problems with my hands, arms, and shoulders. I just can't knit for very long periods these days. (For any of those out there who have taken my Beginning Knitting class at the shop, no, I haven't taken my own advice of stopping when I feel the pain. Hence the aching and shorter knitting times. I should listen to me, huh?)

Really, the only things I've been actively working on lately - other than knitting for the shop - are a pair of socks, a scarf, and Wicked from those fabulous Zephyr Style girls! Of course the only thing I actually have pictures of would be Wicked...

Please to ignore the crappy picture of me in the bathroom mirror...

The color in the picture is definitely not the true color of the yarn. I'm using up some Brooks Farm Four-Play I bought at Maryland Sheep & Wool last year and it is in a divine teal colorway! (I bought all that Brooks Farm had on that first day... LOL!) The colors go from teals to deep blues - but it's mostly teal. Which makes it okay for me to wear with jeans. Yes, I'm weird and won't wear blues with jeans. Everyone's got a weird thing like that... I'm sure of it. :)  I figure that if I knit up at least one of my purchases from the Sheeps and the Wools (as Kel calls it), then I'm free and clear to buy more. I did this last year, too. I can justify just about anything.

There's Just Nothing Like Being Late to the Party

Yes, I know that I'm the last blogger in the world to blog about the Stash Swap hosted by Sarah and Lara... but when I uploaded pictures tonight from the camera, I realized I had taken a TON of pictures, just begging to be published! (Hang on... from here on out, it's a picture-heavy post.)

Look at all the patient knitters, just waiting for the go-ahead to dive in... Ready, set...

...and go! While this may look like chaos, we were all quite polite in what we took.

There was quite a bit of "What did you get? Would you like this? This would be great with the other yarn you got!" going around... if only knitters could solve all the world's issues.


Everyone was so darn polite about what we took - there was this much left after Round 1!


Of course, I had to post a couple of pictures of people with their loot! ;)


And for a finale, Kel picked up a pattern in progress that had landed in the pile on the table... and we told her to model it, of course. How it is that Kel can rock a partially knitted sweater, I'll never know. Look at her working it!

And a Small Pictorial On How Knitters Celebrate Superbowl Sunday

I spent Sunday night in the company of some fabulous knitters at Steph's place. Some great chili was had, much wine and chocolate were consumed... and we had fun watching the game. Michelle brought some cupcakes to help cheer on her Bears, which didn't help them too much. I guess bears just don't fancy cupcakes. ;)