Pictures soon... I promise!

I got my first bit of goodies from my Secret Pal last week. They were in a lovely box on my dining room table when we returned from a week in Florida with my grandfather. It's some gorgeous Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece in Candy Apple.

What with vacation, then coming back to a super-crazy day at work today (Don't ask. You don't want to know. I just wish people would leave their stinking guns at home. Gah.) there's still no photos. This stuff is too pretty for me to take a cell phone pic, so I'm waiting until I've got a husband to bug about batteries and memory cards and what not.

But I'm so excited about the yarn, and about knitting something with it... I've got two ideas. The lovely (and quick!) Ballet T from Loop D Loop and some baby thing. Maybe the Baby Surprise jacket? Maybe the Garter Stitch Sweater and a matching hat? Or hat, booties and thumbless mittens on a string? Or, something to be determined once I've actually made the first thing and seen how much yarn is left?

Oh well.

Thanks, Secret Pal! I love it very much!

Yarn came! SP Package on the way!

The yarn for my sweater came the other day, but I haven't had time to take pictures and get them up yet. Hopefully this afternoon...

And I got an e-mail from my secret pal this morning -- my first package has shipped! I can't wait!

Curses! Foiled again! -- Happy update!!

Shade tree on back order. Another week or two before it ships. Oh well. That gives me more time to knit for my secret pal!

Just got an e-mail from WEBS... It's shipping today. No more waiting! Yahoo!

Bought it!

Just bought 19 skeins of Classic Elite Four Seasons in Shade Tree. I'll post pics when it arrives. It was on sale for holy-freakin-cheap! $3.49/skein. Can't beat that. And I think I've actually bought way more yarn than I needed. WEBS listed 87 yards/skein, everybody else says there's 103. At that rate I'll have three skeins left over. I'm sure I can find SOMEthing to do with some lovely green cotton. Otherwise, in the stash it goes! I'm totally going to run out of space when this stuff comes. I'm in so much trouble.

I think I found my yarn!

I was doing some yarn googling and found Classic Elite's Four Seasons, a 70-30 cotton-wool blend that looks like it's just about the right weight. And it's cheap! Especially if you get it on sale at WEBS. Now I've just got to pick a color.

I'm trying to decide between blue, pink, red, orange or green. Nothing like an easy choice, ,right?

Help!

So, here's hoping I may get a suggestion or two on here.

I want to make a sweater. Yeah. I know it's spring. The pattern I'm eyeing (and I'm betting it will take me a few months to make. Can't neglect my secret pal once I get cracking on miles and miles of 2-by-2 rib) calls for Gedifra Cotton Merino. I can't find it, let alone afford the 16 balls I need. So, I'm looking for a substitute.

I think the cotton merino is an aran weight yarn, roughly 50-50 wool to cotton content. So far the other yarns I've found have been 80-20 cotton-wool, and they've been DK or worsted weight. Any suggestions?

What's going on... What's next

My questionnaire should still be pretty easy to find below.

I'm still working on the thrummed mittens (also see below). The first one's done, and I'm about to start making the hole for the future thumb gusset. It's been in the 50s lately, so my desire to knit mittens is waning. I really want to finish them, though.

I'm also working on a couple projects for my secret pal... They involve I-cords, garter stitch, beads, sparkles, grafting and a tiny bit of sewing. Whew. No pics, or more details, though. In the event that my secret spoilee finds my blog in compulsive clicking on the participants page, I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.

You all have to wait, too. ;-p

There's another project brewing... A sweater, but not Rogue. That yarn's getting another long rest.

And, just like that, it's secret pal land!

I'm super excited! I managed to successfully sign up for the 10th Secret Pal Exchange. I got my giftee and sent her an e-mail, to which she has responded, quite kindly. I also received my first e-mail from my gifter. She said we have things in common. Hmmmm. Besides knitting? What fun! Two new buddies, in one day!

My gifter asked me a few questions. I dashed off a pretty quick, instant response by e-mail but wanted to elaborate here, just for fun.

1. Laces or cables. I said cables. I've got a sweater I'm trying to get going on (I had to rip it all out because my guage was so off that I think I could have work the FO when I was nine months pregnant) that has these lovely cables, and I so want to make it. However, there's also some lace patterns I've been oohing over since I got my first pattern book. It's also freezing in Wisconsin, so I want warmth. Who ever heard of warm lace? It's got all those holes in it.

2. Fingering, DK or worsted? Worsted. I've never had much cause to use fingering. That whole not-knitting-lace thing. I've got one pattern that calls for LOTS of cotton DK, doubled, but haven't actually bought the yarn yet. It's a ballet-style T-shirt thing from loop d loop. Since it's been 50 degreees here I'm getting excited about knitting that kind of thing.

3. Hard candy or gummies? Gummies. Not too fond of hard candies. They're usually too tart for me and make my teeth and eyes hurt. Weird, I know. I do like Lifesavers, though, and I like tart gummies. I hate Jolly Ranchers. Blech.

4. Which is more exotic/interesting: Japanese, Chinese or Indian. This one's tough. I'm fascinated by all three cultures, really. Japan and India are high on my list of dream vacations, and I studied China a bit in college. When it comes to food, Japanese and Indian beat out Chinese, unless I were to be able to get back to that crazy good place in Boston's Chinatown.

5. Facials/home spas? Not so much. Lotions, yes. Bath stuff, yes. I'd use stuff if I had it, but I'm not often driven to buy it for myself when I'm out shopping. I've got some clay mask stuff I use every few months or so. I got my husband to do that with me once. THAT was fun. I'd do that again.

In other knitting news, I've started the second thrummed mitten. It'll be done just in time for us to have cleared all possibility of real snow for the year. I need to learn to time these projects better. You know, start the tank top in March so it's done by June and start the mittens and scarves in September so they're done by Christmas.

My Rogue is now a big ball of red yarn. I need to rethink my guage. I'll try size 7 needles next, but if they're too small I'm going to have to go out and buy really long 7.5 circs. No half size needles in my interchangeable set. Boo.

And, Buddha's Birthday is coming up soon. Got to figure out gifts for all my dharma buds!

Look what a day off can get you!

You take a pile of thrums...


and a ball of Lamb's Pride Superwash Bulky in Oatmeal and Cream...



Add several hours of knitting time, and you get (most of) a thrummed mitten.




I need to finish my lonely thumb, and I think I've got to frog the top (my fingers are hitting the inside of the mitten up there), but it shouldn't be too bad. Then I've got to make the second mitten. It's the first time I think I've ever wished it to get cold again! We were freezing for so long, then, all of a sudden, we go from highs of 5 degrees to 45. What gives?

23 tidbits

In the secret pal 10 spirit, here's my questionnaire:

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I really like natural fibers. I'm partial to wool and alpaca, but I always ooh over the soft plant fibers, too.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
Plastic bags for most of them. My set of interchangeable bamboo circs has its own case, though.

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I've been knitting about a year. I learned the basics off a Web site and got lots of encouragement from a knitter friend. We knit backstage during performances! Oh, the offstage excitement for an actor! I consider myself an intermediate knitter.

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Nope.

5. What's your favorite scent?
I love the smell of fresh-baked goods, coffee, lavender, and the aroma of a sun-warmed garden in full bloom.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Yep! I love chocolates, the darker the better, and especially mixed with surprising ingredients. Cinnamon and chili powder in your hot cocoa, anyone?

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
I make beaded jewelry and dabble in glass mosaic. I don't spin.

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I like all kinds. Really. I know lots of people say that, then go on to say something like "except country and rap and anything with a guitar, but other than that, anything's fine." I mean it. I listen to bluegrass and blues, jazz, pop, world music, rap, oldies, singer-songwriter stuff. My favorites are the songs that paint word pictures and tell stories. I love Tom Waits, Woody Guthrie, Erin McKeown, Edgar Meyer, Ella Fitzgerald, Soul Coughing and They Might Be Giants.
MP3s are AOK.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I really like reds and browns. Gray's not my favorite.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I am married, with two cats, and hoping for children soon.

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
Yes, yes, yes and only because I don't have one. No, wait. I've got that blue and black fleece one. Where the heck did that end up? Now I must tear apart the closet to find it.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I haven't been knitting all that long... among my favorite projects are the hat with cat ears (slightly lopsided -- it was my very first non-scarf project) and the baby sweater I made for Ami.

13. What are you knitting right now?
I've got my first sweater on the needles and am rolling thrums for a pair of thrummed mittens. It's super cold here now. Highs in the single digits. I need warmth for my hands! But by the time they get done it'll probably be too warm to wear them. Darn seasons!

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
I do.

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
Circular, bamboo.

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
Yep! Christmas gifts from my in-laws.

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Um... two weeks? Like I said... I haven't been knitting that long. Though in the essence of full disclosure, I've got yarn that I bought for a summery knit purse that I started knitting, but realized I was doing it all wrong, so I just stopped, but haven't ripped it out yet because I didn't need the needles.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
Buddha's Birthday. I feel very connected to all my loved ones at that time, particularly my grandmother, and it is a time of great hope and joy for me.

19. Is there anything that you collect?
Books, but that's only because I can't bear to get rid of the ones I love.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
I subscribe to Interweave Knits, which I love. I'm still new enough to knitting that I'm not coveting any patterns yet, but I would love to have an illustrated stitch/technique dictionary.
Googling knitting techniques works, but it's not always the most efficient way to get help in a pinch.

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
I'm really intrigued by steeking and fair isle.

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I have some sock yarn, and I'd love to knit socks, but I haven't had the time to figure them out yet. I wear an 8 1/2 shoe... don't know if that helps.

23. When is your birthday?
June 3.

Peace

After wrestling with the insurance company I managed to get my prescription filled and started taking my shots a few days ago. My belly's already starting to bruise, and I'll be down to two pairs of pants by the middle of the week. I'm going to become one of those women who wears velour jump suits everywhere!

But it feels good to be out of the period of medical uncertainty and into the period of hopeful uncertainty. I started it out pretty well, I think. No big problems with the injections, and I'm not exhausted like I was the last time I had to take them. Here's hoping that was a side effect of the blood clot in my lung and not the medication.

This weekend was the annual Peace Retreat at the Zen Center. I was able to go Friday night and for the full day Saturday. My wonderful sweetie stayed home and stripped the varnish off the bedroom floor and wood trim, sanded it, and cleaned it with mineral spirits. What a lovely gift he gave me -- a day away from the chemicals and noise, and some time at retreat.

We brought the rented sander back to the store minutes after they closed, but with a few pleading phone calls convinced the guy working the tool rental desk to open the door for us. We had a quick dinner out before coming home to stain the bedroom.

Our house is a disaster -- there are dressers and rugs and mattresses piled in the dining room and drawer stuffed with clothes in the living room. We've taken over the little bedroom with the TV in it, pulling out the futon. Hopefully the rest of the process will go quickly and we'll be back in our room with shining wood floors in a few days.

Thrumming!

So, I've got the inside of the hem for Rogue done, but the LYS was having a sale... on everything! I bought Lamb's Pride Bulky Superwash in a sort of oatmeal-y color and apricot-colored roving so i can make some thrummed mittens. I am so excited about this little project. Winter has taken hold with a vengeance, and my fingers are numb after my three-block walk to the office from the parking lot. I need something warmer than my gloves, and thrummed mittens sound like just the thing!

Provisional cast on, casted!

I needed to learn a provisional cast-on for Rogue, since I'm planning to knit the hem stitches together with the body stitches a few rows in. I tried a method detailed in one of my knitting books, where you pick up loops from under and over your waste yarn, but I couldn't keep track of my stitches! It might work well for shorter cast-ons, but 176 stitches? No way!

I'd get a good rhythm going with it, then have to stop to check my progress, and then forget where in the process I was. So then I just knit a few rows with waste yarn and switched over. That wasn't great either, because my waste yarn seemed to have a much different tension than my project yarn. So I ripped it out again, and went for the crocheted provisional cast on.

Instead of picking up the bumps on the back of the chain, you make the chain over the needle, and your stitches are all ready to go.

Next up, knitting the hem!

Fear of knitting

So I've got my tower of Ireland yarn, my pattern all printed out, my needles set and ready to go, my practice cables done to satisfaction, and I'm still not casting on!

I'm terrified of starting this project for some reason. I think I'm afraid of it being a big mess... I know I'm going to need a couple hours to get through the casting on and the hem, and maybe into the first few rows of cabling. Next time I've got that sort of time free, I've just got to sit down and start it. This is so silly.

Finished project update

The felted satchel (for a friend) went over great! He's been using it since he got it, and it seems to be holding up well. It was my first attempt at stripes and my largest felted project ever. The finished product is large enough to hold a legal pad and with pockets for wallet and keys, it's perfect for what he needs -- a writing bag. I miscalculated the amount of felting it would need and had to put it back in the washer after it had dried (which took almost a week!).

The two flower washcloths I completed were fun to knit, and pretty quick projects. I gave one to a friend in early December and the other to the baby I'm a spiritual parent for. The cotton chenille is so soft -- it's like a velvet washcloth. I hadn't ever knit with cotton before, and was surprised at how inelastic it is. I had to be much more careful with my stitches than I am with wool.

I'll try and get photos of the projects up soon.

Rogue, part 1

I haven't posted an update in a while, but that's partially because I haven't been doing much beyond getting ready for Buddha's Enlightenment (in early December) and Christmas. We had 10 people come to our house on Christmas Eve, and had plenty of work to get done.

I promised myself I'd get started on Rogue, the sweater I've been yearning for since March. I used my brand new swift and ball winder (which I love!) to turn my kilo of yarn from Ireland into a tower of five center-pull balls. The yarn is really vibrant red. My camera phone doesn't do it justice.



My sweetie is working today, so I had some time to do some knitting. I've never done cables before, so Rogue has me a bit intimidated. But I tried the cable chart out on some waste yarn, and it didn't go too horribly. Here's how it came out. I had some funky stuff happen at the start, but then I seemed to figure things out. We'll see how it goes with the red stuff.



In case you've never seen Rogue, you can find it here: www.girlfromauntie.com. The patterns are incredible. I bought the red yarn in March when we took a trip to Ireland. Sheep everywhere, but apparently, very little yarn. What gives?

I looked for yarn (which they called knitting wool) everywhere we went. I only saw one yarn shop in all the places we visited, and it was a Sunday, so it was closed. Various woolen mills, little towns, bigger villages, small cities, no luck. Finally, the last place we stayed there was an outlet for one of the woolen mills. They had tons of sweaters and all sorts of souvenirs. We were about to leave when I asked the very nice woman behind the counter if they had any knitting wool. She pulled a huge cardboard box out from beneath a window, and it was full of red and black yarns, packaged in kilo bags. That's 2.2 pounds of aran-weight yarn. And it was only about 25 euros ($40). I figure it's between 1,800 and 2,000 yards of yarn, plenty for a sweater!

I had only been knitting a few months when I bought the yarn, and all the sweater patterns I could tackle were pretty boring. So I held out, and am ready to swatch for Rogue. Wish me luck!

Progress!

So, knitty satchel, knit and felted. Wahoo! Now I'm waiting for the darn thing to dry. This part takes forever. But, I've started my next bits and pieces, a flower washcloth, that I'm thinking for stocking presents. I've also got to find some really bulky alpaca yarn for my sister's Christmas scarf. After Buddha's Enlightenment (Dec. 10!) and Christmas, I'll get to town on Rogue. New needles, and a kilo of yarn later, I'll have a lovely red cabled sweater. Hopefully it'll still be cold when it's done.

Today, I'm going to try and find someone to put a new ring on some silver charms, so I can make three more necklaces and mail them out by Christmas to all my cousins. The central pieces of the jewelry came from my grandmother's squash blossom necklace, which broke years ago, and which my grandfather asked me to make into something new. I'll post pictures when I get things done.

Too many projects!

So, Sweetie and I (but mostly Sweetie) spent the summer remodeling the kitchen. We were on track to get it done by the end of the summer, too, but then I got sick. And sick did not work well with hard work in the kitchen, so my parts got pushed back. Then I got scared of the project I said I would do, so I procrastinated.

Finally, I went out and bought TONS of glass, smashed it into little pieces, and started gluing it on the wall behind the sink. It's slow going, but it's going, and it looks great. Sweetie is VERY pleased with it.

But I've still got that felted bag to finish up. And I want to knit socks for people's stockings this year. And I've got other gifts to make. I need to make myself a creating schedule. This is getting silly.

Doctors and worry

I had a follow-up doctor's appointment on Friday. It's a good thing I had taken the day off work. After the two-hour appointment I got some new books from the library and went home. By that time, discouraged and overwhelmed with information, I was ready to have a big day of doing nothing except feeling sorry for myself.

So, my new illness management strategy got a test drive: This sucks. What next?

I went home, paged through a book, then decided to make a pot of chili. It's the first time I took out the crock pot this year, and I had fun making something nutritous for my and my sweetie. While it simmered, I went into the TV room and took out the still-unfinished satchel, and got to work. For the five hours I knit. Back and forth, black and gray, knit then purl. I wasn't thinking about the doctor, or the incredibly expensive medications I may need in the future. It was good to work on this gift for a good friend.

After lunch, the gray cat came to visit. Usually happy to be left to herself, she climbed up on my lap and snuggled for quite some time. She did this all the time when she was the only cat and I was the only human in the house, but has withdrawn a little since the addition of one more person and one more cat. The black cat came in after a little while, and curled up on the back of the couch, right behind my head.

What is there to worry about when there's knitting on the needles and cats surrounding you with warmth and purr?

When my sweetie came home, the worry came back with the retelling of the appointment, but he put me back on track with a hug and an echo: This sucks. What next?

Pizza. Love. Hope. A list of questions that will help us figure out where to go from here.

Airport security blues

So I've got an in-progress project (the felted satchel) and several lovely balls of cotton that are dying to be cast on, but I'm afraid to even try to bring my knitting kneedles on the plane to Washington, D.C. I brought a project with me to Ireland a few months ago, which was fine (and useful during layovers) on the way out, but coming back in, the Irish rules were different and I had to check my knitting. All well and good because I asked before I got to the gate security check.

With the new security rules here, I'm not sure if I should even risk it, especially on a flight to D.C. If I don't find out I can't bring the needles until it's too late, I'll lose my bamboo needles and my yarn. And who wants that? I'll stick with a book, ginger candy and some tissues in my carryon, I think.