Knitgirl's Stash

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 discuss the last FO's of 2006

While the end of 2006 has royally sucked for me, it's made for some great knitting time! I've managed to get a few things done - of course they were almost all things that distracted me from the items listed on my sidebar, but whatever. A FO is a FO.

Yes, that would be the completed Endpaper Mitts! I love these things - even if they are tight. Actually, that was a good thing today: I somehow twisted my wrist in my sleep (don't ask, I have no clue how those things happen) and couldn't find a brace for it. So I pulled on a mitt and discovered that it gives the right amount of support to allow me to knit without discomfort. Maybe Eunny should put that on her blog as an alternate use! LOL!

Pattern: Endpaper Mitts by Eunny Jang
Yarn: Koigu KPM (the semi-solids) - just one hank of each color and loads left over!
Cast On: Friday, 17 November (immediately after this post)
Cast Off: Friday, 29 December at about 1.30 in the morning. :)
Needles: Clover US0 & US2 DPNs for part of the first mitt and 2 24" Addi Turbos in US0 & US2 for the rest
Mods: Instead of the Italian Tubular Cast-On recommended, I used a regular Tubular Cast-On on the second mitt. I really needed to see where the waste yarn was to pull it out.
Fun Factor: Oh.My.Gawd.Fun. If I hadn't had to stop in the middle of them to knit some holiday things, I would have had them done in a matter of days, that's how much I loved working on them. Even if mitt #2 misbehaved a bit. And even if mitt #1 has a bit of a mistake in it. Now I want to do more fair isle! Damn that Eunny for getting me hooked on this! ;)

Pattern: Moss Stitch Beanie by Debbie Bliss (in her Pure Cashmere book)
Yarn: 2 hanks of Jade Sapphire 4-ply Cashmere, held doubled
Needles: 24" US7 Addi Turbos
Cast On/Off: Saturday, 23 December
Mods: Well, the yarn was a big one!
Fun Factor: While I wouldn't term it as "fun," it is a quick, easy pattern that requires almost no thought to it. Which is good for a last minute gift for your best friend. I'm just sayin'.

Pattern: My own basic toe-up sock pattern. (I hate provisional cast-ons, so I developed this... I'm sure there are tons of the same pattern out there somewhere.)
Yarn: 1 skein Socks That Rock, Farmhouse colorway.
Cast On: Around 8 December or so - the first sock was done on the 11th in the drs office! I immediately cast on for the second one, so I'd have something to knit on when I went to the movies that night.
Cast Off: Around the 18th of December, I think?
Mods: Well, since it was my own pattern, there were none. :)
Fun Factor: Generally, I hate knitting stockinette in the round. However, these socks kept me enthralled. Mostly, it was the colorway - I loved how the orange seemed to migrate on one side and the green on the other. Plus, the socks almost stripe exactly! I didn't even try. I love it when that happens.
Bonus: I had some yarn left over and didn't know what I'd do with it - there wasn't enough to knit a socklette, so I was stumped. My mother decided to help herself to the leftovers and created a pair of these:

A wrister knit completely in sock yarn. Of her own pattern. (My hand is in there since she didn't want to show hers on the internets, lol.) She rocks. Don't ask for the pattern, though. She never writes anything down and won't let me have them for long enough to try and figure it out. If I can find them, I'll figure it out and post it. :D

Now for some fun stuff

Ann brought in some fab sock yarn from Brooks Farm a couple of Wednesdays ago (which just happened to be Aimee's birthday!) and it immediately got passed around from person to person... Elspeth is just giving it the "cuddle test" - it passed and Ann almost didn't get it back!

Speaking of Ann... I absolutely love her. When she and her hubby decided to go to 'Bama to spend time with his family this Christmas, they asked me to housesit. Which I love to do. When I got there the first night, I was greeted with this:

Fab pressies! 2 yards of 3 different fabrics, a journal and notecards with a Parisian theme... Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Not that I had any excuse to not pull out the sewing machine before, but now I really have no excuse! :)

Just in case you missed getting to the shop to see the fab holiday window designed and executed by none other than Kel, here's a look. Click on it to see the detail. It's freakin' fabulous. Sadly, we took it down Saturday night - while the crowds gathered along Washington Street to see the funeral motorcade for President Ford go by. We had the best view of it all, since we were in the window. We didn't put up the new window that night. Kel went in yesterday to create the New Year's window... she wanted to surprise us. So, I'll be sure to take a picture of that to post!

Michelle knows how much I adore gingerbread. I mean, how could she not, knowing that I get Gingerbread Lattes every morning for as long as they're available?! So, she ordered these to be sent to the shop. Oh.My.Gawd. So.good. They didn't last too long.

Of course I had to include a picture of one of my favorite Christmas babies and me celebrating her birthday last Thursday... (The bunny ears are courtesy of Stick, who drove all the way from Georgia for the festivities... and a few others later that weekend.) There are quite a few more and I will eventually upload them to the other blog. Just because not all of the internets need to see them, just a select few. LOL!!

Now, onto the 2007 knitting! If only my other wrist would cooperate now, I'd be happy. I'll just put the other mitt on... and contemplate winding the yarn I have for Eunny's Anemoi Mitten pattern... and maybe print out another copy...

The one in which I update about the FOs... and not much else

The title is very true... while there has been knitting - and even FOs to share - I just haven't felt up to uploading the pictures nor have I felt really witty lately. Really, this is how I've been feeling as of late:

(And before anyone can ask, I didn't pose him like that. He wrapped himself up in my Clapotis on my knitting bag all on his lonesome! Later on, he'd burrowed underneath my Clap and coat. It's cold, he's not stupid, lol.)

The latest FOs, you might ask? Well...

Item #1
Pattern: My So Called Scarf from Sheep in the City
Yarn: mystery yarn, but I think it's Malabrigo.
Cast on/off: I have no clue - it took for-freakin-ever, though!
Needles: US11 24" Lantern Moon Ebony circs (soooo nice to work with!)
Mods: None needed, for once!
Fun Factor: This was the perfect project for idiot knitting. While I couldn't space out completely while knitting this (b/c if I did, I'd screw up. Period.), it was great for when the brain just needed a rest from a more complicated pattern or a hard day.

Item #2
Pattern: Elsie from Rowan's The Cork Collection
Yarn: 2 balls of Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky in Brick Red
Cast On/Off: Friday, 18 November... cast on around 7.30pm (after ripping out once), cast off around 9.30pm! SUCH A QUICK KNIT!
Needles: US10 & 10.5 24" Addi Turbos
Mods: I changed needle sizes to accomodate the slightly smaller gauge yarn
Fun Factor: So fun! Right as you're getting sick of knitting the hat, you're done! I will definitely knit more of these! (Apparently, I'm all about the beret this year!)

Of course, with all that easy-on-the-brain-knitting, you know I had to have something that challenged me! Yup, I cast on for Eunny's Endpaper Mitts. I love it. If I didn't have a special holiday knit sprung on me for my godson, I'd be done with at least one of them by now. Here's where I was at last week before I started on the godson sweater:

Is that not the prettiest thing ever????? Must finish the little sweater to get some time in on the mitt. (I'll be cursing not having it done tomorrow morning, I'm sure.)

When I get the crafty urge and it's not to knit this is what happens:

I love this. I purchased this from Subversive Cross Stitch, it took a couple of weeks to get to me, but as soon as I got it, I started on it. Can we say instant gratification?? I finished it in a night - my eyes were tired, but it was worth it. LOL. It's quite perfect for me, too. I must say, I had so much fun with it that I just may have to go back and get the one that says "Bite Me." Just because it's so me.

One Last Thing

For anyone who knows about the Lime & Violet podcast (because it is quite fabulous and funny), please go check out their blog. One of the hosts, Miss V, has had a personal health scare and the ever-generous Lisa Souza has decided to create a new colorway to help donate to the cause. Check out the story here or here and get lots of the pretty, pretty colorway! (Hey, it makes for great gifts for those sock knitters on your list... I'm just sayin'.)

I'm a little late to the party...

...but I know y'all will forgive me. :) I finally finished one of the pairs of socks I was determined to finish for Socktoberfest! (Yes, that said "pair" - a finished pair of socks!) Granted it wasn't the guilt of not finishing during October that spurred me to finish the second sock... the knowledge that I was less than 2" from finishing, realizing I had no clean socks with me, and a night of election returns to watch, well, that's what prompted me. :D

Pattern: Nautilus by Anna Bell - available as part of a sockset I purchased from her ages ago
Cast On/Cast Off: I cast on around the beginning of July... I know I blogged about it on 12 July - when I finished Claude. I finished the first sock in a couple of weeks, if I remember correctly. I didn't cast on for the second one until Dani and I got back from Europe. I just couldn't get in the groove of the second sock on this one.
Yarn: Fleece Artist 2/6 Merino in a colorway we named Indian Summer
Needles: 24" US1 Addi Turbos on the first sock and 24" US1 Knitpicks needles on the second. Which did I prefer? The Addi's. While the larger sizes are great in the Knitpicks needles, the smaller sizes are just WAY too freakin sharp.
Mods: None that I can remember. This actually-doing-the-pattern-as-written thing is getting damn old. LOL!
Fun Factor: Definitely fun. The pattern is easy to commit to memory - even after putting it down for months at a time!

Okay, I love this yarn! It is by far my favorite sock yarn to knit with. It's got the sproinginess of Koigu with the weight of Lorna's Laces. I love the short color repeats - they make working with the socks fun b/c every so often a color would shoot through that I wasn't expecting... My one BIG complaint? Well, click on the picture to enlarge it. I'll wait. Can you see it? They look like they were knit from two different skeins - they weren't. I divided the ball of Fleece Artist (which has about 360 yards - info not on the label) into two balls and knit from those... I didn't realize how different they were! I kinda like 'em though. I've never been one for having identically knit socks. The majority of the second sock was knit on the train up to NYC last weekend... I was still about 4-5" from finishing though. (And I was not about to knit while I was up there... I'm just sayin'.)

Speaking of FOs... can anyone tell me what this might be?

It looks familiar? Can't place it yet? Well, how about this?

Yup, Cyd is finally finished! The vest I wanted to knit for the Europe trip is finally done - almost two months after I left. *rolling eyes*

I tried her on immediately after I sewed up the sides and wove in my ends. (Yes, sometimes I'm a good girl...) She fit perfectly - which made me worry about how she'll fit after a bath and block. I'm still a bit worried... Regardless, I'll be wearing her at Late Night on Wednesday - where I might be able to convince a friend of mine to take a flattering pic of me in Cyd! (Who knows, I might even dress like a girl... LOL!) I'll post project info and such when I post the pic of me in it.

So long, October

Really, I don't think that I've ever been happier to see a month end. It seems that October has been a crap month for everyone - not only did I have blogging ennui (which is nothing new, I know), but I had a bad case of knitting ennui. I know I'm not the only one out there who experienced this...

I had joined Socktoberfest in hopes that it would get me off my ass and finish something. Lord knows that the Anna and Nautilus socks have been on the needles for long enough... but no. I did, however, enhance the sock yarn stash during October, does that count? :D

Lest you think the knitting ennui took over completely, I do have some FOs to share. Yes, I know that I told y'all (when, last week? the week before?) that I'd post a picture of a completed Jemima, then life got weird. So, here you go:

Pattern: Jemima by Anna Bell
Cast On: Somewhere around the beginning of July 2006
Cast Off: Monday, 23 October 2006 (although the ends were woven in and pictures taken the next day)
Yarn: I actually used the called for yarn - RYC Cashsoft DK in Bloom (main color) and Lime (contrast)
Needles: US6 & 8 24" Addi Turbos
Mods: I shortened the sleeves by 1" and I actually knit a functioning button placket... that I then sewed shut to make it lie flat. Yes, I'm that stupid. LOL. In doing that, I needed to add a fourth button, which led to the sewing down of the button placket.
Fun Factor: Definitely fun, however, it was a bit boring since it's miles of stockinette. It goes quickly, though and while finishing it, I got really focused! :) I can see myself making another one of these in my future...

I love this sweater. Period. It's gorgeous, comfy, and flattering (just not in that picture). I debuted it at Late Night that week and got quite a few compliments. (I love y'all!) I wore it up to NYC this weekend and it was perfect - the weather was chilly and Jemima was a perfect layer - not too hot, not too cold. Plus, I *heart* Cashsoft. About as much as Cashmerino Aran. I can wear it next to my skin and not be bothered by it. I didn't want to take it off to change and I'm constantly looking for excuses to wear it.

Pattern: Mist from Rowan's A Yorkshire Fable (or is it Tale? I never remember)
Cast On: Saturday, 28 October
Cast Off: Friday, 3 November
Yarn: A collection of Rowan Yorkshire Tweed 4-ply and Rowan Scottish Tweed 4-ply
Needles: Knitpicks' 24" US2s and Addi Turbo's 24" US3s
Mods: Really, there were no mods other than changing the colors.
Fun Factor: This was SO much fun! It was my first true fair isle and I found that I could not put it down.

I loved working on this hat. The one thing I'd change? I'd take out one or two of the fair isle repeats and make it smaller. It's just too big for my head. I am surprised that the yarn is so soft once knitted up. I have not tried to wash and block the hat and it could rest against my forehead with no issues. I wouldn't try to seam with it again, but I would most definitely use the yarn again for another one. I even got to improve my Continental knitting skills with the colorwork.

Pattern: Fetching from Knitty Spring 2006
Time to Complete: About 2 days in mid-October
Yarn: 1.5 skeins Jade Sapphire Cashmere
Needles: Clover Bamboo US6 DPNs (I know, I actually used DPNs!)
Mods: I made them a bit longer and used a slightly thicker worsted than called for.
Fun Factor: Very! (Even if I used DPNs)

These are for my mom - they were for Christmas, but she saw them early and insisted on having them now. Damn. :)

What's up next? Well, I may have cast on for a sweater... however, I might be reconsidering the colors. So, I may just take some of that cormo I bought at MDS&W last May and cast on for Maeve's Ireland Cardi... Maybe. Probably. Okay, definitely. Of course, I have none of that wound right now, so that's a project for tonight. Hee!

A weekend where one feels like crap apparently results in something finished!

So, when you feel like crap for an entire weekend, what's a girl to do? Why, knit, of course!

Take feeling crappy, determination to finish something (just so you can cast on something new, of course), Season 2 of Grey's Anatomy, then an assortment of chick flicks... and Jemima is done! I literally just finished sewing in buttons and am weaving in assorted ends. Of course, it is well after midnight, so I'll probably go to bed soon and finish in the morning... Which means that I'll be wearing her to the shop on Wednesday! Woo-hoo!

Of course, now I have to decide which sweater I need to cast on for... there are just too many out there that I want to knit!!

No pictures yet, but I'll post them tomorrow - I'll have Michelle take them at the shop! :)

It's about the knitting... right?

Wait... might this be an actual post about - *gasp* - knitting?? Really? (Yes, I know you're thinking it. :P) With all the knitting I've been doing lately, I have really nothing to show for it. On the FO front, I finished a pair of socks. No pics, however. I'll take some pics later on this week and get them up here in the next month. LOL.

Way back when I finished my Mauve Gable, I fell in love with another of the Zephyr girls' designs, Ms. Marigold. (How's that for a ton of links in a short amount of time?) I immediately purchased some Noro Lily in a gorgeous grassy green color and cast on. Right before MDS&W. Yes, back in May. I put it down at MDS&W and didn't pick it back up for months. Until about... mid-July. I worked on it, determined to have a cute, summery vest to wear with a cute skirt and was almost done with it when I finally realized that I'd never wear it.

Can you see what went wrong? Apparently I can't measure for shit. My idea of 16" from the top... well, let's just say it was a hell of a lot longer. Also, the US5s I thought I was working with? Not so much. I was on US6s and my gauge was WAY off. This thing would have been freakin' ginormous on me. While I tried to think of a way to salvage it, I couldn't come up with one. Which meant one solution... a visit to the frog pond. The above picture was taken at about 4pm on Saturday. By 4.20pm, I had this:

I didn't even give the yarn a chance to sit in time out and get to think about what it's done (because, as we all know, it's never the knitter's fault). I immediately cast on for a smaller size, using US5s this time, and so far, so good. By Monday afternoon, I had this:

Not bad, huh? (I've renamed her as well - hereafter she will be known as Ms. Grassy.)

On top of all that, Rowan 40 was brought into the shop. Oh.My.Gawd. Rowan is finally getting back to its roots! Yes, they're not completely there yet... but almost! There are at least 7 items I want to knit from it, including:

Yes, that means that I added to my considerable yarn stash. At least I'm not actively trying to stashbust or anything. (Of course, I am trying to save for my trip with Dani to London and Paris...) I actually only picked up yarn to make the first two items - the Anna socks in 4ply Soft and Dew in Wool Cotton. I cast on for both, but Dew and I currently aren't talking as the charted pattern didn't see fit to include selvage stitches. Trying to figure out how I need to fix the problem (b/c seaming into cables is just not my idea of fun, shoot me) gave me a headache, so she's in the knitting bag, watching other projects get knit.

Which meant that I got to cast on for the Anna socks. I.LOVE.THESE.SOCKS. The pattern rocks. It's easy, goes so quickly and I've got it memorized already. I zoomed through most of the leg in just a couple of nights - then promptly put it down in favor of fixing Ms. Grassy. I tried taking a decent picture of it on my leg, but failed miserably. So I had Steph model it for me. She's a much better leg model. I'm including my sorry attempt anyway...

These will get a ton of wear - and might possibly be part of a costume for Halloween. We'll see. I really just want the knee highs. :D Kristine "hinted" today that she might like a pair of these as well. Is it so much hinting if you're given a shoe size? Hee! Sweetie, you know I'll do it for you - choose a color... however, I'm knitting mine first. I'm just sayin'.

The third picture will probably be one of my next purchases... after the one I make tomorrow for an old Jaeger vest... but that's another story, I digress. Ahhh, Juno. I didn't even think about this sweater until I saw it in a feature the magazine had showing it on women of different ages and style sense. I believe that there's such a large following for this sweater that we're just going to have to have a knitalong. Of course Steph wants to make it too (because you know we have to knit the same things)... just in a different color! *gasp* LOL.

Project Runway

Tonight was a  Project Runway night! I *heart* this show so much - yet it still can piss me off so badly. I'm not going to spoil this for anyone who hasn't seen it yet... but on the win - YAY! - and on the lose - WTF???????? While I will never have enough time to write a recap, I'll have to content myself with choosing a few choice quotes.

If I never hear Vincent say "it gets me off" or "it turns me on" about a garment again, it'll be too fucking soon. Is it just me, or does he give everyone a creepy vibe? *shudder*

"It looks like a real cocktail dress, albeit a cheap, tacky cocktail dress that a hooker might wear..." has GOT to be my favorite quote of the night!!

Not that anyone really cares, but being the PR ho that I am, I had to try on the PR outfit that's being sold at Macy's. Doing a little research, I found that the only store in the area carrying the items was the Tysons Galleria. My critique? (Again, b/c I know that y'all have been waiting so patiently for it...) I was pleasantly surprised. Angela Keslar's designs/work up until then scared me. Those damn florettes/yo-yos/fleurchons! However, this was really understated. You could see how Michael and Laura reigned her in. I disliked the fabric of the pants, but for a tall, super-skinny person... they'd look great. I love the shirts - I've decided I must have them. In both colors. The ruching on the sleeves make my arms look little - and that's a good thing. LOL. The biggest surprise? I loved the jacket! I thought it'd make me look like crap - and it didn't. If the jacket's still around when I get back from Europe, I just might have to get it. I even took pictures of me trying it on. There's no way it's making the blog, though. ;)

Okay, it's almost 2am... and I need to work in a few hours. Must stop watching the PR reruns!

Now, back to the knitting!

I know, with all the excitement of my blogging again and having a little contest, one could conceivably forget about the knitting, right? Not so here. There has been knitting - and even a FO!

First up, the FO. I actually never blogged about, or even hinted about, this one - unless you hung out at the shop. :) Presenting.... Claude!

Pattern: Claude from Anna Bell
Yarn: Just over 10 balls of Debbie Bliss Cotton Angora, color 19 (Old Rose, I think) - from stash, even!
Needles: Addi Turbos (of course) in US7 & US8s
Mods: I placed the buttons a hell of a lot closer together to give the cardi a drapier look. I also tacked up the bottoms of the sleeves to keep them out of the way. I will need to single crochet around the buttonholes to tighten them up.
Fun Factor: 8. No question. It was a fun, easy knit - after working on socks almost exclusively, it knit up quickly!

I discovered that I *heart* Cotton Angora. Of course, it's being discontinued. Just my luck. It's so soft and lovely... I want to knit all my fall cardis in this, lol! (Anyone got some in their stash they want to sell me? LOL.) I originally purchased this yarn to be something from the Cotton Angora book and never got around to knitting it, so when Steph started talking me into knitting this along with her (okay, like it took much arm twisting...), I was able to actually stash-bust! Who knew I had it in me? Hee!

I love Anna's patterns. I've already cast on for another of her sweaters, Jemima, and have a couple of her socks on the needles. I find the patterns are well-written, easy to understand, and just classic designs. I'm having a minor love affair with her right now. :) Plus, Claude and Jemima are just so easy to dress up and down and will travel well. (I'm seeing me wear both of these when I'm in London and Paris this fall... but that's another story, lol.)

Nautilus, also from Anna Bell. It's available on its own, or in a sockset - I purchased the sockset. (Hello, have you met me?) While I don't necessarily like how quickly the toe is increased (it's to round out the toe, which looks good, but is fiddly), the pattern is lovely. It's a quick easy knit - 4 rows! - and is easy to commit to memory. I'm a bit farther up on the leg than the picture shows... Want to see a close up of the stitch pattern?

So lovely... I almost killed myself trying to get this... there was much propping a leg up on a stool, balancing on one foot while trying to operate the macro functions and not move... which just caused much swaying. Hee!

I've got pictures of Jemima somewhere, but can't seem to find them right now, so I'll distract you with pictures from Late Night at the shop last week (or so) - or was it Sunday? Who knows anymore.

Dani, trying to get another viewpoint of the sock... and showing me how there are unravelling stitches at the top. Don't ask, lol.

Maeve and S brought Abby to visit us - after a nice, long walk, I think that someone was pretty tired... what do you think?

As if I needed another hobby that possibly involved stashing items... I sewed my first skirt over the holiday weekend! I've had a machine for the last 3 or so years, but it's never really gotten used. I finally decided to take the plunge, get a few patterns and try it out. It's a simple, A-line skirt with an elastic waist (I hate elastic waists, but it was a first skirt) - do I really need to tell you that I've already got patterns and fabric stashed for future projects? Both Kel and Erin have offered to help and give advice when needed - they're gonna get called on A LOT. ;) I wore it to the shop on Sunday and got a ton of compliments on it. *blush* I'm proud of my little skirt.

It's been a long day - hey, remember, this is my Monday - so I'm gonna take Abby's advice and hit the hay. If I can find those missing pictures of Jemima, I'll post them.

In the event of full disclosure...

I present the sock yarn stash (as always, click on the picture to get a full-sized look):

I promised Dani AGES ago that I would try to gather all the sock stash up and take a picture of it to make her feel better about her sock stash's growth. Then Wendy showed a pretty picture of her newly-acquired sock stash, so I felt some pressure to actually get off my ass and fulfill my promise. ;) I thought about taking a picture of all the yarn just gathered in piles in the living room before I corralled it all, but that scared even me. Hee! So, I inventoried the stash (or what I could find...) and it now lives in a handy Excel file. Anyone care to hazard a guess as to how many pairs of socks I can make from all that? Anyone?

Well, in celebration of the month of my birth beginning (and because we all know that I'll probably miss my two year blog-iversary here at Typepad), I've decided to have a little contest. You know, to pay off those of you who still actually check here in the hopes that I'll post again one day. LOL.

How many pairs of socks can I make from my current sock yarn stash?

Leave your answer in the comments by next Saturday, 8 July. I'll enter any correct (or just the closest) answers into a hat and pick a winner! The winner will get something from my sock stash (as I haven't had the guts to inventory the sweater stash yet) - and y'all know that I'm a yarn snob. I'm just sayin'.

With all this talk of sock stashes and inventories, I'll bet y'all think that there's been no knitting going on... but you'd be wrong. I have a FO - and coincidentally enough, it's a pair of socks! Back when I went off to Oklahoma, I decided to pull out an old sock in progress and take it with me to work on while in flight.

That's how far I was before I boarded the plane in Baltimore. Granted, I had already turned the heel and started up the leg before I got there. (Anyone recognize that sock? I wrote about it WAY back when...) While working on it, I was interrupted by someone who asked (very politely, thankyouverymuch - her mama raised her right) if I would show her how to cast on. I ended up giving her a free private lesson while we waited to board. All my dad could do was look on in amazement. He's never seen me snap into "teacher-mode" before, lol. Well, I was glad to have that to work on - the turbulence was so bad that all I did was concentrate on that sock. By the time I got to Dallas/Ft Worth, I had a completed sock!

(That last picture embarrassed the hell out of my dad as I had pulled off my shoe and pulled the sock on to admire. Then when the camera came out and I started taking pictures of my foot, he started to pretend he didn't know me.) I immediately cast on for sock #2, but didn't get any farther than the toe by the time we got to OKC. The sock got thrown into my carry-on and didn't see the light of day until late in the trip when I was teaching my youngest niece how to knit. :)

I worked on it intermittently over the last month and finally found the motivation I needed to suck it up and finish the second sock... Fleece Artist sock yarn. YUM. While I let myself buy the yarn, I wouldn't let myself wind any of it until I had completely finished a sock - ends woven in and everything. So, last Sunday night, I had this:

Pattern: My own, using the Magic Cast-on method and a wrapped short-row for the heel.
Yarn: Koigu KPPPM, color unknown... I lost the tags in all the time I've been working on these
Needles: 2 x US1 Addi Turbos
Fun Factor: 5 - While it got somewhat boring at times, it was fun to make a sock from my own pattern. It was mindless enough to not be bothersome, but not as boring as a StSt sock. (I can never finish those...)

Aren't they pretty?? Here's a close up of the stitch pattern and heel:

Okay, enough of the blogging for the night... I do want to leave stuff to blog about later... sometime... maybe. LOL!

Another FO? What is the world coming to?

That's right! I finished something... something bigger than an OSW - I'm just sayin'. It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind (and all your knitting time) to it. (And when you've got some good friends who casually remind you that you need to knit on her when you pick up a much more interesting sock to knit. In a gorgeous shade of Koigu. Again, I'm just sayin'.)

I finished up my Green Pink Gable (as Lolly has christened it) at about 1.30 yesterday morning. Since I had the day off and no plans to speak of (always a good way to spend a day off), I decided to focus on finishing her. Especially since I've mentioned to oh-so-many people that I wanted to have it done by MS&W - which would be... oh, THIS SATURDAY. (Yes, Lara and Dani, I can just hear the both of you saying "See? Told you. If you knit on it you'll finish it by Saturday.") So, with a few good and bad movies to watch, I settled in to knit. Around 1pm. Yes, I did knit for 12 hours Sunday - not straight through, I gave myself tons of breaks - but I got her done. This morning I wove in the few ends I hadn't gotten to and gave her a good bath and block. Which is where she still is. Once she's dry, I'll have someone take a picture of me in it, of course.

I did get a little nervous Sunday night/Monday morning when I was finishing up the sleeves. I wasn't sure if I'd have enough yarn left in this skein and I was going to be majorly pissed if I had to break into a new skein for 1 or 2 rows. Luckily, I just squeaked by. This is what I was left with:

Just over 8 yards leftover. Which I think is a bit funny... the pattern uses 5 skeins of Cotton Fleece for the largest size - I substituted the yarn with Cascade Sierra, which has less yardage, and only used 4 skeins. Hmmmm... interesting, no? I'll post the mods I made when I get a picture of me in it.

Of course I couldn't finish something without casting on for something new. (Okay, hush - don't anyone get all helpful and remind me of the 20 zillion other projects I currently have on the needles!) This one is being knit on a deadline as well. (Because we know how well I do with that, lmao!)

It's the back to the Striped Cardigan from the new Baby Cashmerino 2 book by Debbie Bliss. It's a fairly quick knit, but all the striping on US2s and US3s is driving me batty! Yes, already! I do need to focus on this knit, though. It's for my godson who is coming up from Georgia with his momma next week. (She's coming up to walk her graduation ceremony for her Master's and to show off Baby Luke to his grandparents - her parents and mine - and his godmomma.) I will be sure to get pics of him in his cardi... he's gonna be one handsome guy! ;)

There's more to update, but it'll wait. It is time to get some sleep! (It's amazing how tired you can get after having two solid days of nothing, lol!)