I haven't blogged too much this year, but I haven't really knit that much either. My lovely husband gave me a set of sock needles from Knit Picks for Christmas and I immediately started a pair of socks for him with yarn that he picked out on our honeymoon. This week I finished the first sock. His feet are large, my hands and needles are tiny, so that explains that.

For the first few months of the year to distract myself, I mean, multi-task, I worked a good deal on my Mitered Square blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting. It's a really fun and inspiring project. My left wrist began to bother me something fierce, and consequently not so much knitting.

Here are my older projects that I've neglected to present until now.

Buttonhole Bag

The Interweave Fall preview is up. I really like all of the warm, cozy projects. I think it looks better than the last few issues. Eunny's cardigan is gorgeous and why in the world is everything Norah Gaughan creates so damn cool looking?

In other news, you may know I have a penchant for entrelac, so I was delighted to combine it with my love of dishcloths in the garterlac cloth. However, this cloth has caused me nothing but trouble. I found it very hard to simply knit into the stitches themselves for one thing. The pattern is fairly straightforward and I do not fault the designer at all. I brought it on myself by apparently knitting too tightly and wanting to use 3 different colorways of yarn, thereby creating hundreds of ends to weave in later. Needless to say, the cloth made the forlorn yet inevitable trip to the frog pond last night. Adios amigo, may we meet again in better circumstances.

Here's a bag I'm not sure how much I will use, but I needed a quick, fun project to work on while watching Live Earth. The colors will just not photograph well with or without a flash, so this is kind of an approximation.

Before Felting:

After Felting:
Project: The Buttonhole Bag
Source: Mason-Dixon Knitting
Yarn: Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride Bulky in Periwinkle, Fuchsia, & Turquoise
Needles: US 15
Started: 7/7/07
Finished: 7/8/07
Comments: Easy peasy, fun


I will be on vacation (in seclusion) for the rest of the week to savor reading Harry Potter. I shall return afresh next week with Harry hat photos & sock photos!

101 in 1001

Meshell mentioned this about a month ago and I wasted no time in compiling a list of my very own. I've always loved making lists and loathed not completing most things. However, I think this project could be very focusing and perhaps life-changing. Without further ado, I present the details from Triplux regarding my 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days Project:

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

So I think this project could be really good for me. I can never motivate myself enough to change things that I really want to and I'm hoping this will help. There is a good mix of fun stuff and heavy stuff in my list and I'm really looking forward to starting. Some of the tasks I've done before or used to do regularly and some are completely new, so I'm hoping that a lot of these goals will become habits if I do them consistently. I'll link this post in the sidebar and update my progress in it, plus I'm sure I'll talk about it in other posts. Some stuff is just too personal to put online so I've got some secrets! Here's my list broken into categories.

101 Things to Do in 1001 Days
Start: 7/19/07
Finish: 4/15/2010

* This symbol means I've already started on the task!
Items in Bold are completed

Creative/Crafty
1) Crochet 5 Granny Squares (0/5)- Easy for some, but crochet is a killer for me
2) Write consistently on novel
3) Create a mosaic piece
4) *Finish first subversive cross stitch
5) Learn to sew & sew a DPN case
6) Make 5 photo collages & frame them (0/5)
7) Compete in Knitting Olympics- Assuming there will be another one
8) Do the finishing up of WIPs before I cast on a new one five time in a row (0/5)
9) Make soap & bubblebath (0/2)
10) Build something myself out of wood
11) Submit photo to photography contest
12) Seek out new & interesting things to photograph

Food & Drink
13) Bake 10 kinds of bread by hand (0/10)
14) Bake 5 kinds of pie by hand (0/5)
15) Cook 10 never tried vegetables (0/10)
16) Try 10 never tried fruits (0/10)
17) Eat in 5 new restaurants (0/5)
18) Make fresh pasta 5 times (0/5)
19) Eat raw for a week (0/7)
20) Give up alcohol for one month
21) Give up refined sugar & flour for a month
22) Limit alcohol to no more than 2 drinks per night for a month
23) No junk food/ bad snacks for a month
24) Eat no Mexican dishes for a month
25) Go vegan for at least 2 weeks (0/14)- I'm already vegetarian

Healthy Mind & Body
26) Go on a hike
27) Get teeth fixed
28) Go to dermatologist to have mole removed
29) Go to dentist regularly
30) Go to doctor for complete check-up
31) Go to gyno
32) Go to bed no later than 11 every night for a week (0/7)
33) *Lose at least 20 pounds (5/20)
34) Follow skin regime everyday for 2 weeks (0/14)
35) Stop biting nails
36) Go to eye doctor
37) *Personal
38) Personal
39) *Do yoga at least 6 days a week for one month
40) Detox once a month for 6 months (0/6)
41) Pluck eyebrows regularly for a month
42) Get a professional massage
43) Get professionally fitted for a bra
44) Drink 2 cups of hot tea everyday for a month

Cultural
45) Read passages from the different religious texts (list forthcoming)
46) Go to a jazz club
47) *Watch all Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes (20/178)
48) Go to a classical music concert
49) Watch The Wizard of Oz synched with Dark Side of the Moon
50) Read at least 10 banned books (0/10)
51) Read 10 books from my bookshelf that I haven't read & have had for more than 1 year (0/10)
52) Spend an afternoon walking around downtown

Financial
53) Start selling crafts (knits, patterns, photos, cards)
54) Personal
55) Buy no new books for myself for 3 months & see how much money I save
56) Sell stuff on eBay
57) Buy only necessities for one month

Goodwill
58) Participate in a charity run/walk
59) *Knit at least 20 items for charity (0/20)
60) Donate blood
61) Sign up to be an organ donor
62) *Plant trees in the names of my family (10/110)
63) Donate to the ACS or MD Anderson in Mickey's memory

Sustainable Living/De-clutter/Eco-friendly
64) *Rate all iTunes songs (12405/18252)
65) Recycle all old magazines
66) Get rid of old, broken electronics responsibly
67) Do something about china cabinet
68) Organize printed photos
69) Knit produce bags & start bringing to the grocery
70) Buy a fireproof safe & store documents
71) Put rest of loose recipes in binder
72) Catalog & photograph household inventory including serial numbers
73) Sign up for Greendimes

Better my Environment
74) Find a place to live & move
75) Research new cities to live in & how to go about moving
76) Don't use a computer for 72 hours
77) Don't watch tv for one weekend, 4 times (0/4)
78) Get something to hold LPs
79) Vacuum once a week for 3 months straight
80) Have front door fixed

Happiness
81) Dye my hair pink
82) Get hair cut professionally
83) Go on a romantic picnic
84) Learn to ride a bike
85) Play tennis
86) Visit at least 1 new state
87) Buy vinyl, old-school Mary Janes
88) Rollerskate
89) Buy a DSLR camera
90) Go on a weekend getaway to a cabin
91) Buy a dress that looks fabulous on me
92) Personal
93) Dance everyday for 2 weeks (0/14)
94) Spend at least 30 mins. "chill time" outdoors everyday for a month
95) Play in the rain
96) Send at least 5 notes/cards to Gram (0/5)
97) Forgive myself
98) Brush all cats once a week for month
99) Write down one thing I'm thankful for everyday for 1 month
100) Film videos of Amelie playing (digging in bowl, jumping, kickin' it)
101) Start a new 101 list no later than 1 month after finishing this one (catch-22)

Whew, I'd better get started! Tell me what you think of my list and if you're thinking of starting your own!

In knitting news, I'm almost done knitting up my second sock. Stay tuned for Harry photos!!

Rainy Day

Update: I've finished my baby bib & think I will start some quick booties today. I've finished the back & left front of Kenobi & am steadily working on the right front. My blanket yarn should be arriving soon, so I'll probably jump right into that. I constantly feel slightly overwhelmed by my list of upcoming projects, yet any time I have nothing scheduled I go a little crazy and feel like I've forgotten something. It's a very strange dichotomy.

Anyway, Spring has sprung, although it feels more like the beginning of Summer here, so my blog has a fresh new look. I'm using a new browser and will soon have new email. Things are changing, huh? Let's hope so. My old browser was never very compatible with Blogger and I had to type out a lot of HTML myself so this is going to be much more fun & efficient. Thanks to phydeaux3 for helping me sort out my label cloud. By the way, I make no apologies to anyone who doesn't like pink!

Look at the yummy sock yarn that Greg gave me for my birthday. They're so bright and squishy. The colors are Girls Just Want to Have Fun & Crush Me. The yarn is from Crash Into Ewe.



And of course another skein of Kureyon!


I also received quite a lot of crafty books: Hollywood Knits Style, More Sensational Knitted Socks, Knitters Book of Finished Techniques, Lace Style, Folk Shawls, Died in the Wool, Simple Sewing with a French Twist, & the Stitch-It Kit by Jenny Hart. Yay! Now if only I had the room for them. I even ordered a couple others from Amazon the other day! Knit 2 Together is something like $9 and I ordered Charmed Knits because I need to get seriously busy on my HP knitting before July!

Hope you enjoy the new blog!

Spring Fever

So a few months ago I finally dug out all of my projects that needed finishing and did just that, excepting of course those stupid Fuzzy Feet that I still haven't felted. I've been trying to be very good and really complete things instead of just starting a bunch of projects. Well Spring is upon us and I've been very bad lately. My yarn hiatus lasted only a month or so (!) and I've got so many projects lined up. I've developed a mild case of Viral SSS and a slightly more serious case of Startitis. This all has to do with socks and more yarn and not being able to decide exactly which project I'm going to obsess over for the longest period of time.

Here's a lovely picture of my Alternating 2x2 rib sock in progress (it, at the very least is complete):



I failed to have any self control and ordered some yarn from the HUGE sale at Knit Happens and then ordered some more from Red Needle's moving sale. Luckily (I guess), I did get into the Knit Happens sale until very late, so there were not dozens and dozens of skeins of Kureyon to tempt me (only 1).

Here's what I did score:



Left to right: Nashua Creative Focus Worsted in Syrah & Rust, Noro Kureyon #147 & Araucania Nature Wool in Violets.

The Creative Focus is already being turned into this:



While waiting for that yarn to arrive, I had to distract myself from continuing my second sock by starting on a Noro blanket in very many stitch patterns. I also ordered yarn for the Vintage Velvet scarf from Scarf Style. Isn't it pretty? It's so soft, I can't stop touching it and it is all I can do to stop myself from casting on.




So my knitting plate is most definitely full right now. I've got to finish these projects, plus block my capelet, embroider my Mother Bear (oh, the afghan squares are actually for Warm Up! America) & of course, felt my Fuzzy Feet. I need to make yet another baby bib ASAP, get yarn for a new baby blanket and I can't stop thinking about Isabella from Knitty and it's knit on such small needles! I really need to get busy.

Progress!

I'm actually taking charge of my WIPs! I completed the main knitting of Lady Eleanor the other day and I immediately wove in the ends! There were only 2, but still that's a lot of progress for me. I wish I knew about the splicing method when I was joining skeins on the Candleflame Shawl, it has too many ends to think about and they easily could have been absorbed into the shawl had I known better. I'm going to block the stole this weekend and then add the fringe. Must use crochet hook, never a strong point with me, ahh!

Here’s a photo of Lady Eleanor:


In other WIPs, I actually did take a look at the shawl yesterday and still couldn't really figure out what I'd done wrong. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to bind off the stitches and leave the mistake in or rip back the 5 inches to the lifeline and re-knit. It doesn't sound like many inches, but with 500+ stitches, it's many, many more hours of knitting that I'd be redoing. I'm just going to have to figure out if the mistake will bother me enough if I leave it in. In all honesty I'd probably be the only one who saw it anyway and what with closing in on a YEAR of knitting this, I'm pretty ready to finish.

I finally felted my bowl and it is currently drying, photo to come soon. I finished another Christmas gift and will soon be starting another. I even have knit a little more on my sock, even though it's still boring! I'm doing pretty well this week I think. I'm going to try to keep my WIPS in order from now on, I wonder how long it will last. Perhaps keeping no more than 2 or 3 projects ongoing is the best idea.

I did have a mini brain glitch yesterday and decided that I must knit a sweater right away! I'm going to NJ for Christmas to visit the in-laws and it occurred to me that none of them would consider me a serious knitter if I wasn't sporting a hand knit sweater. It’s probably not true and it certainly doesn’t matter, but there it is. My next big project will be my first sweater. I’ve picked one out of Interweave’s latest issue and will be ordering my yarn from Knit Picks soon.

Holding Pattern

Well, iMac Jr. is in for surgery and probably won't be back for at least a week or more. Please send him your best wishes for a speedy recovery and no memory loss. Right now I'm using his momma, iMac Sr., and while she is a hardy and formidable computer, she tends to make everything look kind of wonky. She's very dependable, but lacks the sleek stylings of her offspring...at least she is purple.

Anyway I digress, I seem to be in a stalemate with my knitting. I've been steadily increasing the inches on my Lady Eleanor. She's a very fun and relaxing companion. I can totally see knitting another one, or maybe an entrelac scarf or pillow cover. I still have not felted my slippers and bowl. I need to weave in all the ends on the disappointing Dishcloth and I have not mustered up the courage to confront the Shawl. I did manage to get in a few rounds of my sock while waiting to speak with Mac's doctor, but so far it just isn't very inspiring at all. I don't feel bothered about any of it though, because of the joy of Eleanor.

Sadly, no photos on this post because the little upload tool isn't showing up, but maybe things will look bright again when Jr. returns. Ciao.

New Projects

Out of the blue, I decided to start on my first sock last week. I was in between projects for about a day, so it seemed like a good idea at the time. I've finished knitting my Fuzzy Feet and they just need to be felted and they were pretty much like knitting giant socks so I figured I could handle a real one. I've had some Bernat Sox in my stash for quite some time so I pulled it out and decided to follow the pattern on the label (which you almost need a magnifying glass to read). The size is a Child's, but my feet are pretty small and even if they don't fit I can frame them or something. I think the colors are very pretty, all stripy and such, but do I hope this sock knitting thing grows on me. Knitters go on and on about knitting socks and some rarely knit anything else, but so far I don't find it quite as enthralling. First of all, I don't especially like dpns, I tend to really slow down when I'm using them and I have trouble with ladders, no matter how tightly I pull the yarn. I guess I can try the 2 circular thing, but somehow I don't think I'll care for that either. Secondly, I'm using size 3 needles and it seems to take forever to get an inch. Anyway I digress, it actually is progressing pretty well seeing as how I've finished turning the heel on the sock and I only left a small hole on one side. The photo is out of focus, but you get the idea.

I swore that I was going to finish the Candle Flame shawl before I started on Lady Eleanor and I intended to do just that. At this point the only thing I need to knit is the border, then I can block it and it will be finished. I put all 300+ stitches on a lifeline (checking several times to make sure I did have all of the stitches), pulled it off the needles and held it up to get a sense of how big it is going to be. I started putting the stitches back on the needle the next day, when lo and behold, I discover 2 or 3 dropped stitches! I've gotten much, much better at correcting mistakes in the past year, even in complicated patterns, and I wasn't afraid to play around with the dropped stitches. I tried different ways to re-incorporate them, but it wasn't working. I decided to look at it again in a few days and in the meantime my Kureyon arrived and I couldn't stop myself from casting on yet again.

Lady E looked a mess after the backward loop cast on and the first few rows, but she's maturing rapidly and has completely stolen my heart. There were a couple of mistakes in the first row that I'm too lazy to correct, but I figure most people won't see them anyway and I like to think a few imperfections make her more "real". In the photo she looks more like a purse, but that's just because of the circular needles. I might do an entrelac bag in the future though. I went with color 124 because there were limited choices in the WEBS closeout. Several other knit bloggers have used this color and it is mighty pretty. When I am sitting in my house this Winter all wrapped up in my jewel-encrusted Lady E, I will envision myself strolling the drafty stone corridors of a walled castle city. Can you tell I'm enchanted? This is after one skein (I have 10 in all), isn't she lovely?

FOmania!

Almost everything is completely finished: knitted, woven, blocked, photographed and given away. I'm still steadily working on my shawl, a few rows here & there. I expect it will be finished soon. I've been working on it for so long now, it's become kind of a comfort thing. I've grown much more proficient since I began the shawl and now it's a breeze to work the pattern. It's going to be very strange when I finally complete it.

I'm still searching for another ball of Sugar 'N Cream to complete the last couple of inches on the Baby Kimono and then will have to sew it up. About half the ends are woven in on the Baby Blanket now. I was hoping to finish it by this weekend, but I had to finish Waterlily. That will teach me to leave UFOs lying around for a month!

Ok, I can't get my photos uploaded right now, so I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow!

Waterlily Update

I finished the shaping of both fronts of my top and I'm working on the middle back. Tonight I'll start on the straps of the back and should have the top finished by the end of the week. I'm surprised at how fast a knit it is, but it does call for rather large needles (13, 11, & 10.5). It's a very easy & straight-forward pattern and I think it was a good choice for my first garment. Of course, I did manage to fudge something along the way & decrease some stitches or something. I'm not really sure what I did wrong, other than not counting the stitches on every row (!), however after inspection, everything is going smoothly again and all looks good. I just hope it fits okay and is somewhat flattering. Hopefully I will be wearing it at my family's birthday/ pool party this weekend.

I have some Lamb's Pride on the way from Kyarns 'cause it's on sale, apparently prices are going up on August 1st. It will be used to make some Xmas pressies and some Fuzzy Feet for me. I think it would be good to make the slippers before I make socks.

Until I finish my top and post some photos, here's one of my kitty Amelie. She loves to show off her shaved belly.

First Time!

Now that I'm *this close* to finishing the baby items, I can start my Waterlily Top. It will be my first proper garment. I cast on yesterday and have knit a few inches already...so far, so good. I managed to successfully cast on using the provisional method, so that's the first new trick I've learned knitting this project. I've already switched to the second needle size and I'm hoping to stay focused on this so I can complete it in a couple of weeks. I LOVE these colors, it's nice to watch them fade into one another.

Shiny, Pretty Yarn!!!

Just a quick pic of yarn porn so I can get back to my knitting. My lovely, lovely Colinette Giotto arrived a few weeks ago from across the pond. I'm so excited about this yarn it's crazy! It took awhile for me to choose which colourway I liked best, Colinette has so many to choose from! This one's called Florentina and I think it's perfect. I can't wait to start the Waterlily Top, I just need to practice the provisional cast-on for awhile first. The ribbon is so soft and shiny, it looks like velvet. Wish me luck in winding the yarn into balls without creating a huge tangled mess.

I'm bearing down on the end of the baby blanket. Only 3 skeins left now, with 1 reserved exclusively for the border. I tried to work on it for several hours each day last week, and after waiting in the ER for 9 hours with my mother and her broken ankle on Friday, I'm proud to say I accomplished a lot. The end is in sight! In other knitting news, there is another Ball-Band Dishcloth finished and another one about to fly sizzling off the needles.