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Geeky knits. . . guilty

I wonder what the geekiest thing ever knit was? (beside socks for a Hogwarts sock swap) No offense, but I hide this one in my bag. Because when people ask what I'm knitting, my face turns red, my upper lip sweats and . . . well . . . I'm just too ashamed to tell them. I mean, I may as well tell them that I'm making Star Trek leggings.

This blog always makes me chuckle. Beware: it's mean-spirited . . . but still funny.

I'm just grumpy that my pink sweater has to be ripped out.

Heather - I use 40 inch circulars. More later!!

Knitting Saga

My m&m's were siphoned off by my 4 year old. So much for my breakfast.

OK! Socks are much more fun than sweaters. Look at this goop! It happened while trying to decrease. I did a ssk and look what I did. But this is the least of my worries. Look at this! And this is not a weird camera angle. The front panels are different sizes!! AUGH!! I thought I was measuring so carefully! I am so frickin' mad!
Also, I found on someone's blog (and I'd link it, but I can't remember where/when I found it) that they hated Rowan's Summer Tweed because the texture was so coarse - while I found that it was soft. Well - here's the answer. It depends on the color. My brown Summer Tweed is rough and yuck to the touch, but the pink is wonderfully cuddley.
I've been putting off my Hufflepuff socks due to lack of needles. (I only have one pair of #1 magic loop) but today, I vow to begin. My mom will be picking up more Magic Loops for me, so there will be no excuse.

Here is 8-year-old E's sock. The second is on stitch holders (again - shortage of knitting needles). And yes. I am modeling his sock on my foot. He is large for his age, which is what happens when you introduce Viking/Nordic genes into the mix. (I'm not bragging when I say he was 10 pounds 2 oz. at birth - just letting you feel my pain).
And yes . . . I'll start using my self tanner.

And the cotton stripey socks I started for myself with the Panda Yarn will probably be footies to wear around the house, since they're 'summer' socks and I don't forsee myself wearing these bright things in public with my shorts and sandals. (Oh the geekiness). (Renee) I thought the cotton would fall apart and come unraveled, but it's actually quite nice.

One more frivilous picture.

The ice is finally out on our cabin lake!!! Why is this significant? We're 'water-access' only. So here is a shot from a resort near us of the OPEN WATER!! Cabin - here we come.

PS. My dream would be to have a knitting weekend with all my knitting friends up in Ely (but few of my friends knit. sigh. And the ones who do, aren't keen on outhouses. That would be a lonely weekend).

UPS

Got a visit from the UPS truck today. Thought it was my yarn. But instead, it was a little Finnish mug I ordered after seeing it here. I love the Moomin's and thought I'd treat myself to something completely frivolous. I'm saving up for this one next.

But to relate it to knitting, here is a picture of 6 year old L's Snake Scarf - a kit from Morehouse Farm. I never actually posted the finished product.

And completely unrelated is a picture of my breakfast this morning.

Happy Sunday!

My mom and I finished our first knitting class (basic socks on the Magic Loop at Knit Wits). I think I'll knit all my socks this way.
Also, got a timely package of sock yarn from Carodan Farm I ordered this yummy cotton yarn to make these

and it looked big on my computer screen

but the skeins are teeny tiny. 50 grams per skein. oops. Will this be enough for two socks? I won't be able to make them as long.

And this funny bumble-bee yarn is self-striping HOGWARTS HOUSE YARN!!! YEAH! I'm using it to make socks for my Hogwarts Sock Swap. My secret Hogwart pal is in Hufflepuff.

My Life With Needles

Honestly, I don't know how I keep it all together. By ALL, I mean ALL. My life. See this box of knitting needles? Thit is a fine metaphor of my life. It's kind of all there, together, but kind of not quite as efficient as it should be. I am Type-B. A Type-A's nightmare.

Here is my sad sad tale.

I have been asked to chair several committees at school, over the years. I know myself well, and have protested these requests. But being a push-over, I found myself - chairing - I missed the first two meetings . . . just forgot all about them. The second time I chaired, I thought I was co-chair and things got ugly. Finally, this year, I was cajoled, yet again, to chair - this time - the Art Fair.

THIS time would be different. I would be responsible. I would check my calendar every morning. I would be a type-A chair person. I even went so far as to e-mail the art teacher in November to inform her that I would be her chair.

That was November.

Now it's April. I went to conferences the other night at the school and walked into . . . guess what - The Art Fair. It had somehow gone off without me even knowing it was happening.

gulp

One good friend reassured me after I called her in hysterics, "Hey, look at it this way. At least you showed up to your own event."

Yeah. By accident.

Another helpful comment: "Well, now. Maybe they will finally stop asking."

Hmph.

Oh well. I've got my loves to keep me warm:

To My Blog Friends

I want to say thanks to my readers (all two of you) for your kind, wonderful AND HELPFUL comments. I really enjoy reading your blogs and seeing your knitting and families grow. I'm still new to this, but have really enjoyed it. Thanks ladies. Truly truly!

Also, I have been knitting. Here is some proof of my works - as they lay. No fixed up poses for these piles of yarn.

Noro-Scarf-I-Swore-I'd-Never-Knit-Again Scarf:













Ocean socks for my big 8 year old:













Nell's Baby Sweater:













My hubby's Choco-socks (third try):
I have my last sock-knitting class tonight with my ma. I'll finish the ocean sock and start the second. Have a great day, my bloggy friends!!!

Comic Life

The sun came out, so I went out and had to look very close to find these treasures.

The strange water-mark is because the "Comic Life!" I thought I downloaded for free, was, in fact, a trial and when I made this collage, I was told I had to buy the software to get rid of the watermark . . . hence the watermark.

Who knows. It's fun software. But I'd rather spend the money on yarn. OH YEAH, BABY!

No new knits today.

Blech.

Sigh. Spring is a long-time-coming to Minnesota. Not a spot of color anywhere.

Cotton Candy

Here is the close-up of Rowan Summer Tweed #526 Angel. It looks like cotton candy. The texture looks scratchy, but it's really quite soft. It's lighter pink than the web-site pic.

So without further delay, here is a picture of the back of the sweater. One decrease calls for (knit 2 tog, knitting through the back loop). I have NO idea what that means, so I just made something up. I knit the loops going in with my right needle in back. Sounds logical, and quite frankly, I can't tell the difference.


The pattern is from this book:

Fun for me, Boring for you.

Only my fellow knitting-geeks know the joys of receiving a package of yarn in the mail. Well, I got mine today!

Quick! We have company coming over in about 10 minutes, so I have to type fast . . . we've been gone all day, got home and found my package from Patterworks. Oh Hooray! The yarn is PERFECTLY PERFECT!!!!! It has tiny flecks of light blue and dark pink. I'll try to get a close up before I roll it up. This will be the sweater for Baby Pineapple. (My first sweater!) It's Rowan Summer Tweed and when I called Patternworks, they had just these three left! How perfect is that!

Quick picture of the yummy yummy Noro yarn I bought, slowly turning into another beautiful Noro Scarf. Three repeating balls of yarn instead of two is a little more tricky, but I don't travel with this one. Also, I tried to move it to my magic loop . . . unsuccessfully. It's back onto the straight needles. I split the stitches 20/20 but changing color at the end means that the circle never closes. . . hmmmm. After I had it back on straight needles, I realized I could probably do this if I split the stitches differently. I'll work it out. As my sisters like to say to me, FUN FOR YOU! BORING FOR ME!

ps. Also in the yarn package is the white and red sock yarn for my . . . achem . . . nordic sock - admittedly, I'm a big talker and I'm terrified to start this project as I have little idea what I'm doing.

Painting Socks

I really like the Magic Loop method for these socks. Very fun. Easy to try on without breaking any needles or having to string onto yarn. The socks are for my 8 year old with big feet, and they are a bit snug. I'm using #1 needles (which I am happily getting used to) and Meilenweit yarn. The funky fun paintings seen behind the sock were done by a painter - Shannon Wing - who does REALLY cool art - women surfing . . . here is her site

and some of my favorite paintings!!!






I decided to use that gorgeous Noro yarn to make another scarf, despite that I had sworn I would never do that because of the cost. I cast on 40 stitches on US 9 and knitting two rows of each ball of yarn (so repeating three colors). I tried to start in on my NEW #9 magic loop, but it was too tricky and messy, so I'm knitting straight across, which I also said I'd never do. I will probably move it to my magic loop after a few more inches and just sew up the end.

If I have leftovers, maybe a small hat?

Keeping You Abreast.

Went to the knitting shop - JUST TO LOOK - and walked out with three more skeins of Noro yarn. It was so heavenly beautiful - I couldn't resist. Now I have to decide if I want a scarf or maybe a new hat. Are cables difficult? Because I absolutely love this hat. (from this blog)

Non-Knitting Entry

I told myself I'd keep this blog completely about knitting - no cat pictures, kids as knitting models only, no personal family blah blah blah, but I have really enjoyed seeing other people's blogs and bits and pieces of their families and lives. So I'm using this blog entry to show some non-knitting stuff. Like the kids at Easter and my precious baby niece and one picture of Ruby. This is Ruby's favorite pose second only to Ruby sleeping, but those pictures are REALLY boring.

Also, it's April 10 - the boys start baseball tonight but it will be cancelled to to freezing and snow. FREEZING AND SNOW! The good news is that it makes it much more fun to sit inside, cozy and warm - to KNIT. Also, it's not as freaky as the weird, globally warmed weather that brought my tulips up 3 weeks early (they're frozen, now . . . sigh).



ps (Heather) I'm really Hufflepuff, but I like the Gryffindor colors better. ;-).

My First Sock Swap!

As hinted in an earlier post, I rather enjoy the whole Harry Potter thing. Which is why, when I found this, I jumped right in. My first sock swap. I'm very excited and it will give me yet another project to keep me busy until the last and final book comes out (on my birthday)!

I have to answer a series of questions. Here they are:

1. What Hogwarts house have you been sorted into?
Gryffindor
2. Shoe Size?
womens 9
3. Foot Length?
10 inches (25.4 centimeters)
4. Foot Circumference?
9 inches (22.5 centimeters
5. List your three favorite double-point needle brands, including size and length.
I'm leaning toward magic-loop needles size #2 or #3, but I'm really open to trying anything new. I am liking my metal needles.
6. Would you like to try a new brand needle? If so, which brand? Size? Length? See answer 5 7. If you are a RAVENCLAW, do you prefer the colors in the film or the book? Do you have a strong preference?
Even Gryffindor colors are different. The film is more maroon and gold, than scarlet and gold. I prefer maroon and gold and have already used and loved the bordeaux and sunburst (film colors) mentioned at the swap site.
8. Are you willing to have an international Hogwarts Sock Pal?
sure.

FFFUUUUUUdge!

*@#%* I'll keep it clean, but I'm uttering explicatives that are not part of my spell check. My Choco-socks got totally messed up last night and when I tried to pull out several rows, I discovered that it's nearly impossible to thread the stupid-tiny stitches of ribbing back onto the stupid-tiny needles. And my patience wore thin - I had a momentary fit in which I ripped the whole sock out. Then I swore off knitting forever. Deep breath. Deep breath. sigh. Then I went to the knitting store this morning and bought some more stuff.

Not knitting related - my six year old decided it was time to run away from home this weekend. So off he went with his suitcase and, more importantly, his tackle box. This is his sister crying and watching from the window, hoping for his timely return home.
And I went to the library and got out Nancy Bush's Folk Sock book to try and design my Nordic socks. These are the kind of socks/pattern I've been looking for on the web and can't find any links anywhere!! I thought they'd be much more common. Mine will be MUCH more simple, but someday, I'll work up to these.

Happy Easter!

Got this from a friend:

Well, it's Easter. Time to go to Church and see what they've done to the place since Christmas.

Happy Easter.

Lesson #1

Did I learn something new at my first knitting class? YES! The tail-cast-on (I guess I didn't learn what it's actually called). This method proved to be much easier than I had anticipated.

The bad news: I wanted to knit really cool striped socks (my own stripes, not yarn-self-striping stuff). But they didn't have colors I liked. Hmph. So I bought this instead and decided to knit socks for Mr. Moody, my 8 year old. I was grumbling until I figured out how easy and fun the magic loop needles are and how truly entertaining self-striping yarn can be - especially when pulled from inside the ball. But they're too small and I'll have to pull them out and start over. sigh. GAUGE GAUGE GAUGE

So I did learn something and enjoyed myself - despite the fact that the teacher thought it would be great fun to start me out on #1 size needles.

My Choco-socks are kind of boring, but still coming along.

Oooh! And I ordered my yarn for my Nordic Stockings AND ordered THE last three skeins of Rowan Summer Tweed from Patternworks so I can make this:

for her (my niece):

How hard can it be?

Ok, I'm about to design my first pair of stockings. Yes, you heard that right. Stockings. Not socks. AND, hold on to your seats, Nordic Ski Stockings. All by myself. How hard can it be? I mean, if men (and I can say this - I live with three of them) can do things like build rockets and sometimes pick out their own clothes in the morning, then why can't I create these amazing socks.

I did not get permission to use this photo, so I sure hope I don't get into trouble, but see those little white stockings with the red pattern? Don't I know a little girl who would look so cute in those very same socks? (By the way, the picture is from our very favorite author/illustrator Jan Brett who has yet to write a story about Iceland, but I digress). Don't I think that with my Elizabeth Zimmerman book by my side (thanks again, Heather), I could pull this off.

Does anyone know what I'd use for wool and where I'd get it, and what size needles and how big the gauge should be and . . .

Stinky Feet

My 4 year old was a gracious recipient of her first hand-knit sock. Same Katia Jamaica #4009 yarn that I love so much. I may have enough left to knit some teeny sockies for my baby niece, Smelly Nelly. Her mom wants a felted sheep, but I'm way beyond sheep. (Unless someone wants to foot for some yarn . . . achem.)

I used #3 needles, cast-on 36 stitches. She's a kid size 11.5. Very fast knit - and looks good in Crocs!

Stay tuned for Husband's First Non-Icelandic-Hand-Knit-Socks-In-Chocolate!

PS. I did finish 6 yr olds second sock. They're always in the wash or laying dirty on the floor, so I haven't taken a picture.

Socks - Phase II

I'll be starting a sock class Thursday at Knit Wits. I signed up, got impatient, went to the library and figured out how to knit socks. So now, I'll be in a beginner sock class, but I know what I want to knit. And I'm so excited!

One idea I'm going to keep for a suprise. But the other pair will be a green pair based on these cool socks I found on this Finnish blog Pieni Neuleblogi (It's all in Finnish, but really great pictures - talented knitter!) They're longer socks, so not exactly beginner socks. Plus, I will be graduating to real color! None of this self-striping sock yarn. (Look out, Icelandic grandmothers, here I come!) And I doctored the color on Photoshop so I could see what they looked like in green . . . although I think I like the purple/pink ones the best. (Picture from Minna's site).