Fallen off the Face of the Earth + Yarn Porn

I swear I haven’t! See! I still exist! The proof is in the text that I’m typing right this very freaking second!

I’ve been meaning to update for a while, but lets face it, I’m lazy. And busy. And I’ve been playing a scary amount of zombie-fied videogames, like Resident Evil 5 and Left 4 Dead. Okay? Sue me. I haven’t got a whole lot of knitting done. 

But I did get photos of my “important” stash. You know..the wool stuff. The stuff that isn’t acrylic. The niiiiiiiice stuff. You’ve already seen part of it. The Moda Dea Silk n’ Wool, and the Lion Brand Sock Ease. 

Behold, Yarn Porn. No touching please, and don’t drool on your keyboard, if you can help it.

 First, Moda Dea Silk N’ Wool, colorway – Wasabi.

Next is LionBrand Sock Ease, Colorway – Toffee.

Now, Hobby Lobby’s Bamboospun, Colorway – Naturals

I kind of went on a sock yarn binge at my last trip to the LYS. Picked up 2 skeins of Patons Stretch Socks, Colorway – Olive

2 skeins of Regia Tweed, Colorway – Red

1 hank/skein of Classic Elite Yarns Alpaca Sox, in a Green/Blue colorway. This was bought specifically for use with the “Shur’tugal” sock pattern.

On my way out, I saw a yarn I HAD TO HAVE. I lusted after it with my very soul. In a fit of “OMG SOFFFFFTTTT YUM!”, I picked up 3 skeins. What I would do with these, I have to idea, but it’s nice to have and pet. The yarn is Berroco Pure Merino (worsted), in a teal-y blue color that cannot be captured by my camera. 

 

Also, my mom gifted me with some yarn that she picked up, but decided against using. 3 skeins of Lion Wool in Winter White.

I have no idea what to make, but I’m thinking something felted.

You may notice two new things on the siodebar. One is my Knitting Badges, and the other is my knitter’s geek code. I’m really super lazy, so go google it if your curious as to what they mean.

Since the last update, I’ve found out that my sister is going to be having a baby in the fall. This was cause for much celebration, and stash digging. Here’s the result of stash dig #1, a baby blanket. The pattern is “Beth’s Little Star Afghan”, which is searchable on Ravelry. If you ar enot a member of Ravelry, GO JOIN. NOW. IT’S LIKE KNITTING AND CROCHET CRACK!

For comparison, that blanket is laid across a baby blanket that my aunt crocheted for me before I was born. The yarn is Red Heart (in the middle), Caron Simply Soft, and Caron SImply Soft Eco, in Real Teal, Blue Mint, and Aqua Mist, respectively.

I’ve also finished a hat. For mom.

Pattern is called Kublai Khan Splendor.

Yarn was Bernat Softy Chunky, in red & black, held double. On size 17 needles. The whole thing took roughly 4 hours to knit.

Last thing, I forgot to mention. I made a trade with a woman I know, I gave her some remnants of yarn that I happened to have, and she gave me this:

2 balls of SWTC Amaizing (100% Corn Fiber) yarn, in white. Yummeh!

I’ve also started a scarf from the leftover Bernat Softy Chunky (along with 2 other skeins that was stuck in my stash..). It’s a Sampler Scarf, and all I did was pick the yarn & whatever needle size tickled my fancy, and cast on 30 stitches. Then, I find stitch patterns in one of my stitchionaries, and work them into the scarf, just to play with texture & lace, and whatever else tickles my fancy. Pictures to be posted next update.

Happy Knitting!

(Edited to Add: I have joined Twitter. You can find my tiwtter-update-thinger on the right hand side of this blog screen. See it? Good. Now follow me, jerks!)

All in the Family

Today is the day to start spring-cleaning. My choice is the corner in the living room where all the books & junk have accumulated over the past 2 years. That one corner next to the woodstove, where we throw everything when we don’t know where to throw it. Mom and Dad decide to start with the porch, which hasn’t been cleaned off since we moved in, 7 years ago. A tangle of weeds, old camping gear, trash, and broken flowerpots.

The pile of junk in my corner has been growing for two years. Books, tools, and most recently – my knitting supplies. My huge blue lidded box has been thrown haphazardly on top of the books & trash in that corner, and now it’s the time to claim it as my own.

I start by taking all those cardboard boxes and pulling them out. Leaving the rest of the junk to fall in the middle. Dusty books, many of them old textbooks from the 1950s, and stacking them into the cardboard boxes. Notebooks are searched through for important information.

It’s at this stage that I find it. An old brown spiral bound notebook, with a price of $.25 on the cover. I had come across many of these in the past 2 hours, and I figured it was another one of dad’s Dungeons & Dragons notebooks, filled with character sheets & spell lists. I balance it on the pile growing on my knees, getting ready to be put into another box, when I notice that the text-type on the cover looked older than the other notebooks. The pages are more yellowed around the edges.

I open the notebook gingerly and half-scan the pages. “Knit next 2 Rows” pops out at me. I start at the top of the first page.

Handwritten in pencil, in beautiful cursive that I don’t recognize as any of my family’s handwriting, is a knitting pattern. I turn the page. More patterns.

On the inside covers are rows and rows of small Xs, presumably to indicate rows.

In the back of the book is a pattern for a children’s hooded poncho, and a small pencil sketch of a young girl twirling around while wearing it.

Two other patterns fall out of the book as I turn the page. One is a very old photocopy for knitted slippers; the other is for knitted & crocheted Christmas stockings. It’s clear from the terminology used “2 balls of Knitting Worsted, Needles to achieve gauge listed.” That these patterns are from the 1950s.

The question now becomes, who’s notebook was this? No one in my family (save for my grandmother, who knew HOW to knit, but never actually knitted.) practiced the craft. I called for mom, who was cleaning up flowerpot shards in the front yard. I showed her the notebook, and she reminded me of two aunts (who I had never met) who knitted. Aunt Faye, and Aunt Bea. All my Afghans that I use were crocheted by Aunt Bea just after I was born.

As I looked at the patterns, I felt tears well up behind my eyes. Finally, a connection to someone in my family who is like me. Someone who takes two sticks and string and turns them into usable items. After 4 years of knitting, and believing that I was the only one in my family who enjoyed this way of life. And now, to find that not 1 but 2 people in my family do the same, and that one of them designed her own knitwear..It’s enough to make me cry for hours.

Now the only problem is figuring out which aunt wrote these patterns.

 

Also, I have to say that I now have too many needles to fit in the mason jar I had been using to store them. So I dug through the kitchen shelves, and came up with these two containers for holding my needles. Both are antiques that my dad had.

Crap.

So you know how sometimes the knitting gods turn against you? Yarn Harlot knows it. I’m sure EVERYONE knows it. Some days you can cast on, knit for 27 inches, and then you bind off 18 stitches for the neckline..

And some days..you just don’t.

Remember the Gauge Swatch that I actually freaking knitted? The one that I took hours out of my day to knit, with appropriate weight yarn & the given size needles listed in the pattern?

And you know how I’m always oging on about how I knit way too loose, and that I can usually go down two sizes?

Yeah this time I didn’t go down two sizes, becuase I wanted to do it like the patter said. So I cast on my stitches, knit for 5 inches, and measure the gauge.

Instead of the req’d 3sts/1″, I got 5sts/1″. How did I do that? Normally I knit sooo loose, it’s insane.

 

So I go up to a 10.5 (req’d needle is a 9), and cast on the 67 sts for the sweater, and knit past the garter border, and work 4 inches in stockinette. Measure the width. Width of the ack of the sweater is supposed to be 22 1/2″. What I had on the needles was 18″.

w.t.f?

Rip it back, an start over. Realise that I do not have any size 11 needles.

Gah. Go to someone else!

Knitting gods, torment another knitter!

What have YOU been doing?

Well, I dunno what *you* have been doing, but I’ve been doing..stuff.

First, I made up a new pattern. Greg’s Cabled Scarfy Thing.

Yarn & Needle info is on the pattern page. To the right hand side of the screen. If you make the pattern, email me. I wanna see!

Then, I knitted something for me, to keep my hands warm while bicycle riding Killing Zombies..

Yarn is Bernat Softy Baby, in the colorway “Candy Baby”. Pattern is my own Purple Monkey Dishwasher. Needles used were a US size 4.

Then, I knitted a pair of mittens to match my cabled Owl hat (see previous post.)

Yarn used is Vanna’s Choice in “Taupe”. For the mittens I used 4 pearl shank buttons, 3/8″ size.  The ones on the hat are slightly bigger, just a hair over 1/2″.  I got them from a flea market. Pattern used for the mittens is the “Give A Hoot” pattern (Ravelry Link).

Then, I went to a convention. I had tons of fun. A fan convention though, not a knitting convention. I want to make that clear. I went as Sally Valentine. Who is my creation anyway.

Me with “That Chich with the Wings”, AKA Maria. She is Ms. Connooga. I’m so entering that pageant next year

Then, I screamed with fangirly glee at seeing Ricky Zero of Radio Cult. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m an Uber Fangirl. Well, me and Maria (see above.) The Cult of the Shiny Pants will Prevail!

I had to go on the day he wasn’t wearing the shiny pants. I was so bouncy after this pic tho, that I went into a hyper-coma. I dont remember much form the rest of the day. Next year I’m going all 3 days. I wanna teach a class on fandom knitting. <33

Next, I started a hat that sent me into a coma. I’ve been yelling at the yarn “DAMN YOU, I WILL TURN YOU TO A PEPPERMINT STOCKING CAP IF IT’S THE LAST THING I DO!” Which is usually followed by copious laughter in the backround, and me shoving it deep down into my knitting bag, and working on something less snooze inducing.

Yarn is double stranded I Love This Yarn (worsted acrylic) on size US10 DPNs. 6 rows of white, 4 rows of red is the pepperment stripe pattern. Pattern is one I improvised.

Then, I made a Cthulhu for a swap. Yes. I did.

ISN’T HE CUTE?! *snuggles him* The pttern is “Knitthulhu”, and the yarn is Vanna’s Choice (worsted acrylic) in “Olive”. Took less than 1/2 a small skein. Used size 6 DPNs for him. <33 He’s going on a long trip around the world for a few months, too. Stay tuned for pics of him in various places.

Next, A half finished shawl that I’ve been working on since January. Here’s a shitty picture of a really pretty shawl.

Yarn is Lion Brand Incredible in colorway “Carnival.”. <33

This shawl is 1,000,000 times prettier in real life than in the photo. I’ll get decent daytime outside photos of it when I finish it. Pattern is my own, improvised. Needles are 29″ US13s.

 

Lastly, an honest to g-d gauge swatch. For a sweater. Sweater is the Winnifred Negligee, from the book “Retro Knits”. Yarn is weird acrylic DK stash stuff that I have 12 skeins of. It’s really soft, too. Omnomnom.

 

In other random stuff, I have 3 hats to knit this month becuase of KALs (one for the “Hats, Hats, Hats!” group on Ravelry, one for the hat-a-month KAL on ravelry, and one for the Selfish Knitters KAL on Ravelry.), and I’ enjoying every minute of it. I might actually crochet a hat for the hat-a-month kal. <33.

Also, I really need to get started churning out projects, becuase, after watching me dig through my stash (Which is small compared to SOME people), dad has said “I’m not buying you ANY MORE YARN for 3 months, until you knit at least SOME of this.”

O.O

Dude. Nooooooo! So, stashbusting time, methinks.

Till next time, Kiddies.