Sockret Pal Swap Questionaire

The basics:
How long have you been knitting?
7 years
Do you consider yourself a beginning sock knitter, an intermediate, or have you been doing this so long you could probably knit a pair in your sleep?
I could probably knit a pair in my sleep!
 
The measurements:
 My foot is 9 inches long. SORRY! I wear a size 8 1/2 shoe.
(fiber related) Favorites:
What colors do you love?
I love autumn/Fall colors, and light pink.
Do you prefer solids or variegated?
I love both
What fibers do you most love to knit with?
Wool, silk, and cotton. I've been wanting to try Kidsilk Haze, but havent had a chance yet.
Who do you consider your favorite yarn vendors?
Rowan, Lorna's Laces, Artyarns,
What projects (other than socks, of course*S*) do you most enjoy knitting?
All kinds
 
(fiber related) Dislikes:
What fibers can  you not stand to knit with? To wear?
I HATE novelty yarns, fun furs, etc. I like alpaca sometimes, but most of the time find it itchy. (Maybe Im allergic? I don't know.)
What colors would you never wear? Not a big fan of neons.
 
The Tools:
Plastic or etal? Bamboo or wood?
All kinds. Depends on the kind of yarn.
Circs or Straights?
Both.
DPNs or Magic Loop?
DPNs!!!
Are there any knitting accessories you don't have in your collection but would like?
I don't have very many stitch markers, I ve been using whatever I can find as substitutes. Safety pins, string, even a drinking straw wrapper once! LOL
 
The Extras:
Do you like sweet, sour or salty? (or all of the above? *S*)
SWEEEEET!!!!
Do you have any allergies your pal should know about? (Certain foods, smoke, pet hair, etc)
Nope.
Favorite scents? Scents you can't stand?
The smell of vomit isnt one of my favorites.
When is your birthday? (month and day is fine!)
Aug 13
Do you spin? Dye your own yarn?
I do spin, but havent in a long time. Its hard to do with the kids around, and knitting has been the main obsession for a while.
Your favorite author/band/vacation spot, anything you think will help your pal know you better...
I love things that are handmade, unique, or unusual. I'm very easy to please, don't be scared!
 

Oh Me, Oh My!

A spur of the moment knit, this hat took around 2 days. I used Oh My! yarn, which I had been resisting trying for some reason. The yarn is VERY soft, snuggly, and would be great for baby blankets or sweaters, but it's not very pleasurable to knit with. It's almost TOO soft. A lot of knitting is done by feel, and with yarn this soft you really have to pay attention to each stitch. I would make this hat again, but not with this yarn, even though it turned out really cute. The stitch definition is invisible, and if you were in the room while this was being made, you might think the yarn was named Oh Crap!. The hat actually ended right underneath the first row of squigglies, but was too small. I almost chucked the hat in disgust, but decided to try and fix it. I picked up stitches around the cast on edge, added the row of bobbles and some more ribbing, and because of how the yarn melds together, you can't tell it wasn't supposed to look like that. Shhh. Don't tell anyone.




I started Sizzle last yesterday, in a tweedy wool/silk blend. I knit a gauge swatch (!) and it was too large, so I went down a needle size and knit another one. Still too large, so went down one more needle size and cast on. (You expect me to knit 3 gauge swatches? That's asking too much of anybody) By some miracle I hit gauge and happily knit unitl it was 4 inches long. It was looking a little wide, but I was using 3 needle sizes smaller, and knitting a medium when I would normally knit a large. I ignored it and kept knitting. And knitting. And knitting. I knit for a whole day. It was still looking too wide, so I decided to use a tried and true method of calculating whether a knitted garment is the right size or not.

Me: Does this look too wide?

The Plumber: Um, yeah.

Me: Crap.


I ripped the whole stinking thing out and cast on for a size small. Which just seems crazy to me, because even though I am not overweight, I am no size small. I haven't worn a size small since I was 12. There has been some talk around bloggyland about Sizzle being sized large, so I'm not the only one having this problem. I have knit back to approximately where I was before, and the dimensions match a favorite shirt of mine, so this time it should work. I'm a little concerned about how the nursing bazoombas are going to fit into a size small, I may have to do some short rowing or something to that effect. But I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Unraveled

Im my last post I mentioned that I have "gauge issues". Meaning that I somehow feel the need to knit cute garments in sizes that will only fit short fat men. I have been hiding this sweater (that cute little Dolman Updated pattern that was on the cover of IK awhile back) in my closet for about 2 years now, every once in a while taking it out and trying it on. Somehow I have fooled myself into believing that by "hiding" it and then "finding" it, its size will somehow change, and become flattering to wear. Not only would it fit a short fat man, it would fit a short fat man whose arms hung down to his knees. I am facing the brutal truth, and ripping this puppy out. The yarn is a nice cotton and silk, It would be better off in the stash with possibilities ahead of it than unloved as a sweater in the back of a closet.



Look at how loose and floppy the knitted fabric is! I don't think I checked gauge once during this whole project. And the seams under the armpits are annoying.


And for some non knitting content, this is a picture of a boat in the middle of the woods in Chugiak, Alaska. The Plumber and I found it the first year we were here, and go back every once in a while to see if it's still there. The top of the railing is about 9 feet high, so you have to shimmy up one of those skinny trees to get onto the deck. The Plumber found a date of 1916 on it, we're not sure what that date pertains to, but whenever it was made, this thing is old! The trees have grown up around it, so the only way it could be removed would be to chop down the trees or chop down the boat.



I don't know the story behind it, I don't know where it came from, but it's one of those neat little local things that holds a special place in my heart. Sure, the mountains are beautiful, the fishing is great, all the things you have heard about Alaska are true. But just like anywhere else, it's those quirky people and things that makes a place feel like home. The old train that the kids love to climb on. The little creek we discovered near Hatcher's Pass. The Dancing Guy who dances on the corner in front of the A&W every Friday evening. Even in the rain. Homeless Bill, who begs on the corner with a sign that says, "Homeless Bill needs a rich woman". (Note to Bill: Taking a bath and not urinating in the street will go a long way towards helping you reach your goal.) The bizarre fishing pole/flower basket hangers on 15th Ave. All of these people, places, and things are what make me love this place. Embrace the quirkiness of where you live!

Bobbles, why do you torment me so?

I have shoved everything on my "TO KNIT" list down a notch, and started the Cabled Hoodie from the Patons Street Smart pattern booklet. I bought the pattern for the Urban Aran sweater, but fell in love with the Cabled Hoodie. So far I have knitted the back, and started the left front. See how handy a dress form is?



That awesome blue fabric? Those are my new dining room curtains. I sewed them with a child on each side of me, and one hanging on my right arm, so it's not that surprising that one of them is 2 inches shorter than the other. Oops. It will only take 5 minutes to fix, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. I just propped the stroller in front of the long one and no one's the wiser!
I am using mmmmmmmyarn for this project. What? You couldn't hear me. Oh, fine. I am using.... ahem. Lion Brand Wool-Ease. (Don't judge. It was on sale and I'm broke.) On the plus side, it's washable, which is a good quality for a jacket to have. I am not a fan of Lion Brand, especially their novelty yarns, but it was 1.99 a ball. That equals out to less than 20.00 for the whole project. I have to keep reminding myself of it's good qualities when it squeaks on the needles. *shiver*
I almost omitted the bobbles from the cable pattern just because of my past experiences with them. Bobbles annoy me. They never seem to look like I want them to, and I obsessively pick and poke at them, trying to make them just right. Once they have been there for a while, they sink into the cable and don't bother me so much, but when I first knit a bobble, it reminds me of one of those huge nose zits that sticks out like a sore thumb and you can't stop looking at and trying to make go away. I think the cables would have been kind of bland without them, though and am trying to make my peace with bobbles.

The object of my frustration.



Being one of the loosest knitters on the planet, I often have a problem with gauge and frequently produce garments that would fit great if I was a short, fat man. A friend of mine had a Calc-o-knit, and I knew I needed one, but couldn't find it anywhere. I have never seen one in a store until a few weeks ago. I was digging through a basket of Cascade Fixation and found one at the bottom of the basket. If you can get your hands on one, do it. If your gauge is off by a half a stitch or so, you can set it to the gauge you are getting and determine what the actual measurements are going to be. I was a half stitch off in 4 inches, and determined that it would make my sweater one inch wider than it should be, even with going down a size in needles. So I am making the size medium, and with the extra inch it should fit. The back piece fits the dress form, and since I made that by wrapping myself in duct tape, it should fit me too. Especially if I cross my fingers and hold my mouth just right.


I am helping out with a booth at the Yarn Expo in Anchorage on Oct.1, and am trying to find time to make a few project bags and needle cases to sell. I managed to get a bag done during nap time with a pattern I created. I can't decide what to use for a drawstring. I was going to use the bottom fabric to make one, but now I am thinking of maybe ribbon. What do you think?

Now THAT'S impressive

Where are the $@#$%$ batteries?

I set aside time tonight to blog and take pictures of all of my various WIPs. I artfully laid out the projects, adjusting them just so. I sought out just the right angle to snap the photos. Everything was in focus, the lighting just right. Then I realized that I had used the high resolution setting on my camera, deleted those pictures, and prepared to reshoot the photos. And then my batteries died. I searched the junk drawer. I searched the furnace room. I even contemplated snagging the batteries out of my son's gameboy, but then remembered that the batteries were dead in that, too. So no pictures or knitting content tonight. Tomorrow, I have a date with Wallyworld to buy some batteries. For now I'm going to go take a bath and sulk.

New Temptations

I have started 3 knitting projects, bought 4 new pattern, bought fabric for 5 sewing projects, bought yarn for 3 knitting projects, bought paint for 2 rooms in my house, and painted the dining room, all within the last 3 days. I don't know why I do this to myself. There is just so much I want to do and not enough time in the day! And I still have a family of 6 to feed and clothe! Then today, I go to Mimknits.com and see this. Why must she taunt me so? Why now, when I have all of these projects lined up, must she design one of the most beautiful shawls I have ever seen? WHY????????

Oh, you want to know how the wedding went? It went great! The ceremony was flawless, the cake was great, the food was great, and the kiddos behaved themselves for the most part. The Plumber took pictures during the ceremony, and I played photographer afterwards. Here is a pic of me, my sis, and my Sweetpea right before the walk down the aisle.



And while the boys did fabulously during the ceremony, they got a little crazy during the picture taking. You can only expect a 4 yo and 6 yo to tolerate standing still in tuxedos for so long. They were ready to get out of there!