Socks, Shawls Bags, and Baby Clothes

The new Knitty is out, and what did I add to my queue? Socks (hello dear, pick a pair and MAKE THEM ALREADY YOU HAVE SOCK YARN COMING OUT YOUR EARS), a lace shawl (of course), a grocery bag, and a cute girl baby sweater. I don't really know any girl babies any more.

I need to knit more. Why am I writing?

Spinning!

While I was a the MD Sheep and Wool Festival, there was a booth with small bags of roving and a beginner's drop spindle. I caved. Then I got home and decided I'd be all thumbs and there was no way I'd be able to teach myself.

So, I whined to my Ravelry group, and guess where it got me? Spinning! A friend of one of the group members could teach me, and she was going to come to our meetup! After she taught me, she gave me some more fiber to use! She said it's tradition. I'm usually one to scoff in the face of tradition, but not this one!

I've officially spun 2 oz of roving. It's sitting on my spindle, waiting for the next lesson to see if I should ply it or keep it how it is. It's pretty in some spots and not so pretty in others, but I'm very excited. I have I think 4 oz of the same wool that came with the kit, so after I learn what to do next, I'm going to spin again.

Now that I've been shown how to do it I don't know why I freaked out so much!

Huge Queue?

My Ravelry queue has about 12 pages worth of stuff on it. Some of it is yarn that I want. Most of it is patterns. Most of those I'll never do, but they are there for the ideas. They promise they'll have organizational options soon, but I can't wait any longer. I'm trying to organize it manually. Maybe it'll work.

Wish me luck!

Knit for Myself

Please someone hit me with the stick that lets me feel not so guilty for wanting to make stuff for myself.

My WIPs right now include a Brea Bag (so close!) that has no home. A SOTM that is technically for me once the blanket is finished but that doesn't count right now. A pair of socks for my Dad. A pair of legwarmers for my Mom. (SO SLOW WTF WITH THE TINY NEEDLES). Part of the problem with them is that I really want to get a different color for the main body of the legwarmer and that means I need to order it because I don't think that any of my local stores caries it. I'm of course, also currently asking my TSR group if they know where I can get it. I'm also making a condom cozy from a friend's pattern to put in a prize pack for my SG camping trip this year.

But I want to make a stole. For me. Because I love them, and I don't have one. But there are so many patterns, and I have several choices of yarn available to me. (did i mention that I also bought yarn to make one for my mom too, it's the Tucson Lattice Shawl by Nancy Miller from 101 Designer One Skein Wonders)

Here are my choices. The Forest Path Stole by Faina M. Letoutchaia, the Luna Moth Shawl by Shui Kuen Kozinski, the Voyager Lace Stole by Shui Kuen Kozinski and Benne Ferrell, the Optic Waves Shawl by Shelia January,the Butterfly Mobius by Clara Parkes , the Zetor Scarf by Jatta Saukko.

There are more, I'm going to stop listing them now. I need help!

I'm going to swatch now

Except for the shawls. I'm not going to swatch them because it doesn't matter. But I'm determined to knit some clothing besides socks (and yes, I know you are supposed to gauge socks, but I'm still not), and I have a feeling they will turn out too small if I don't swatch first.


I have to finish my bag first. And I have to find the baby bootie pattern. And the amazing head start I had on my square of the month is gone. I have to tackle those cables on June.

My sexy new yarn is calling me from my stash. Wind me at least, it says. Re-read the pattern you're going to share me with. Cast on. Go ahead. So far I'm ignoring it. I have the baby hat almost finished. I have to put buttons on the vest.

I need to make my brother's socks. And another pair for my dad. And a first pair for my mom.

I want to make my husband a computer chair cosy. For the back part, where his shoulders touch and get chilly but the blanket always falls off and gets stolen by the dog.

The freeform piece just needs a little something else. Then I'm mailing it. I promise.

I want more knitting books.

Whoosh

I can't believe it's Sunday evening already. This weekend was wondeful but flew by.

Friday night after work we met up with a friend and headed to the Philadelphia Tattoo convention.
I plan on getting a tattoo like the second picture on this page. When? Whenever I can schedule a date with the artist.

Saturday I was up early, partially because of the sun streaming in my window, and partially because I was going with the ladies to Wool Gathering for the 1000 Knitters Project. We got there early enough to have good parking and to be 3, 4, and 5 in line! Turns out we were part of a record breaking number of knitters showing up for a photo shoot. 131! That's a lot of photographs. We then wandered around Kennett Square, got some bread, cheese, hummus and cured churizo (sp?) for a picnic lunch. We also accidentally happened upon a mushroom store and got some amazing fresh mushrooms, including some morels. Some of them are making their way into dinner tonight.

I was asleep at my keyboard playing WoW at 9 pm, so went to bed and woke up at 6:30 again. Hello body, it's the WEEKEND! You can at least sleep til 7!

I met up with the ladies and their friends again and we went for another picnic at Ridley Creek State Park. More cheese, hummus and bread, smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes, snow peas, peanut butter with honey, cranberry walnut tart, and a downpoar before we were finished eating. Then we walked through the park and encouraged Jupiter the dog to go swimming for sticks in the creek.

Now I'm home again, posting instead of doing homework and laundry. Go me!

Update!

I'm pretty sure nobody reads this. Or if you do, you talk to me regularly or read my other online journal.

I was offered the grounds manager position with my current employer. I start on the 31st of this month.

I'm trying to knit my dad a plain version of the tie in Son of Stitch n Bitch but can't figure out the flap, or how to cast on the stitches in the middle of my work.

I'm working on two scarves and each time I work on them I'm wondering why I decided to make a scarf.

My May SOTM is annoying me because I think it's written wrong. I'm going to see if there is errata for it right now.

My mom's cat in the grass socks are harder than I thought because of the intarsia in the round. I'm not going to do anymore intarsia in the round socks after I finish these.

I'm going to order my harmony interchangables on Tuesday night or Wednesday.

I need to start working through my stash more.