Micro Maddie

Okay, so, I was in the process of writing up a draft post, and while researching links and such, I came across something too cute to resist. Go check out my sidebar...meet Micro Maddie! You can "adopt" a little "pet" (links to the site are below the micro maddie)...you can choose lots of different ones...and then make your pet any color you want. I chose gray, for our sweet Maddie, who doesn't get much facetime on the blog!

You can mouse over the cat and it'll follow your mouse...hee! Also, click the "more" tab and it'll offer you toys to play with the kitty.

:)

Back from nowhere

Hi! Me again. What's that? I haven't been around? Yeah, I know. *sigh* It's been a heck of a couple of weeks. Nothing bad, just completely overwhelmingly busy at work. That's, um, not to say I do my blogging (and blog-reading, which I'm also WAY behind on) from work...nope. Well, I do some at lunchtime, but that's legit. :) No, see the thing is, I've been covering for a coworker for the past week and a half (as well as all this week) and taking on all her work (which let's just say was a little less than organized) and doing that on top of my own has meant a lot of busy days not to mention some very long ones as well. Oh, and did I mention that a huge deadline came due while she's been out? And that she was going to be back today but now won't be back till next week? So it's simply been a matter of being so pooped after work that the last thing I want to do is go home and look at another computer. I've even been off my knitting somewhat, if you can believe that.

But not completely...I do in fact have some progress shots to share, just not as much as I should have for my little hiatus here. I've done bits and pieces of various things, just not completed any one of them.

So, up first: the very Pink Bag. I finished knitting the main bag portion, a couple of weeks ago, and it looked like this:



Then I stitched the seam in the bottom...



and then I folded in and stitched the corners to give it some depth so it doesn't end up being a flat bag, like so:











Now I just need to decide on exact placement and length of the i-cord handles and then it's ready for felting. Like some of you who've commented, I too can't wait to see how if felts!

But I am trying to be good and hold on that until I've finished the Marit purse too, so I can felt them together (or at least make use of the same water).



At this point I am close to being done with the main portion of the bag. Then I'll need to do the little edging at the top (which reminds me of a jester's hat) and the little ball things that go around (as seen in this photo of the kit). Without having studied the pattern on those yet I wonder if it'll be fun to knit a whole bunch of them or annoying? At least I'll get to change colors. One thing I do find very endearing about this pattern and this bag is the attention to detail with the colors. I love how the stripes I am knitting follow the stripes on the handle. And how there are two of each color of pompom ball thing, too. It's very satisfyingly symmetrical too, since you reverse the striping for the ends and the sides so it all works out evenly. It's these little things that I love!

~~~



I have also been making good progress (finally) on my first grasshopper sock. The photo above is where I was a week or so ago. Since then I've turned the heel and am working my way up the leg now and am actually about an inch or so farther than the next photos show. Now that I am used to this YO p2tog pattern it is no longer taxing and I find it fun. I've gotten the hang of what stitch to start with at the end of each needle (still using the DPNs) so it's more of a no-brainer now too. I love the little seam up the back of the leg and how the YO's are symmetrical on each side. (See above note about my loving the little details!!)





I was quite entertained by the heel of this sock. I have done plenty of top-down socks with heel flaps and gussets, but this was my first toe-up. And for some reason I wasn't able to wrap my brain around the construction of it, so a little more of the magic of it came back to me. I'm still not totally sure how those p2tog's and ssk's made such a 90 degree angle on the sides, but it sure was neat! Suddenly and with very little trouble there I was back where I needed to be for the leg and I hadn't "pick up and knitted" (one of my least faves) a single stitch. What fun! I think I might have to adopt this toe-up business for more socks. (Speaking of, I do want to do toe-up on some where I have what appear to be two very small balls of yarn and so in order to make them as long as I can, I'll have to go toe-up. More on that eventually.)

Hey, question for anyone out there who might know. One of the things on my knitting To Do list is that pretty picot edge I've seen so many places now. But I think the only way I've seen it is as the starting row. Can it be done as a cast off? Am I making any sense? What I mean is, is it possible to do a picot edge cuff on a toe-up sock? I suppose I could research this more myself, and I most likely will, but just thought I'd pose the question anyway.

Whew. Sorry for the long and wordy post. I disappear and then return all long-winded! Well, thanks to anyone who's hung in there. :) Oh, and to any of my regular commenters on whose blogs I also try and comment...my apologies for not commenting and/or reading lately. I'll get back into the swing of things one of these days!

Oh wait, I wanted to share another kitty photo...a rare moment caught on camera. Two, count 'em TWO kitties sharing the same chair. I was sitting on the porch and looked up to see this. I was pleased that they stayed put till I could get the camera, too! Moose is still being his usual terror but with more cute and cuddly moments mixed in too. :)



~~~
ETA: dude...I somehow just posted this before I was ready. I was trying to type in my title and suddenly the screen said, "you've posted successfully!" D'oh! Thank goodness for edit. ;)

The Intrepid Explorer

It was brought to my attention by Dee that I haven't posted any Moose photos lately. Well, I am only too happy to oblige!

This past weekend we sat out on our screened-in porch for the first time this season. Of course, it had to be one of the chillier days we've had, but we "suffered" through it for a little while and then gave up and decided to eat our dinner inside. Anyway, this was also Moose's first visit to the porch, which to a cat, translates as a giant three-sided window. Oh, the fun of it all! I wanted to photodocument him out there but man, he would not. sit. still. I did manage to get a few decent photos of him (although I'm leaving out the dozens I took where he's a black and white blur and the ones where he left the photo's frame before it even clicked).

The Adventures of The Intrepid Explorer

Here we see our brave explorer surveying the scene about to set off:





Over hill, over dale...



No stone left unturned, no corner left unsniffed.

(I tried to get him to stop moving and pose in front of the pretty azalea, but that was NOT happening. Below you will see that Maddie agreed most willingly.)

I guess I'll sit still for a second...but only a second.

Hmm, what's over here?

and while all this was going on, Maddie supervised:

...and then decided that was too much work and took a nap:

~~~

Back soon with some actual knitting content! I finished my blue hat, but for some reason have been less than enthusiastic about getting a photo taken and posting about it. I dunno, maybe because it's a hat and now we're in the middle of May?

I can't believe I did that

*Sigh.*

Last night as I was excitedly nearing the end of the heel on sock #2, all geared up to get started on the leg, I suddenly realized that I'd been knitting with the size 0's, and not the size 1's with which I'd done both toes and the other heel. UGH! I was so close...

I realized as I berated myself that this is a common thing with me. Anytime I have to change needle sizes mid-pattern, I find that forgetting to switch needles is something I do more often than I'd like to admit. Anyone else have this problem? I need to come up with some fantabulous idea of how to flag myself...oh, flags! Maybe some of those post-it flags would work...hmm.

Anyway, I held up the heel to the one on the other sock, compared it to the toe...but I decided that I'd rather do it right so I just yanked those needles out and frogged the heel. The upshot of all of this is that I got still more practice picking up live stitches (this time I sat at the kitchen counter and turned the lights up bright, much easier that way let me tell you) and suddenly there I was, back at the start of the heel again. At least this round will be more pleasant to knit; I have to say that the size 0's are a little small for my preferences. Now the 1's feel enormous!

And the only other silver lining here is that this is keeping me occupied (albeit a tad grumpily) till my April kit arrives. I was disappointed not to see a box at my door last night but reminded myself I want to finish the Monsoons first anyway. But I am really looking forward to the new kit. I have a feeling the colors will me more my thing.

And rather than bore you with a photo of a partially finished sock, I give you this:

Handmade goodies

First off, let me start by saying that this is my first official post under my new name...The Knitting Moose! So named because of this guy:

...our little kitten named Moose, aka Trouble, who loves to help with everything around the house, especially my knitting.

My friend Jeanne, (Moose's "Auntie Jeanne") gave him a lovely handmade pottery bowl that she made. Here he is using it for the first time:

Though that look doesn't say it, he most definitely approves of his new dish.

And because it seems that poor Maddie hasn't gotten much face time on the blog, here she is, atop none other than a hand knitted afghan (my mom made this one years ago):

She has actually been feeling a little under the weather lately, with a swollen/blocked salivary gland under her tongue. Poor kitty. She's been a little sore, and is on antibiotics now and seems, dare I say it, to be a little better as of yesterday and today. Hopefully she's on the mend now.

Bags, Bags, Bags!

Over the weekend, I received a much anticipated package of some goodies I ordered. I was so excited to get them, and I was not disappointed! I ordered two items from Piddleloop, an Etsy store. The stuff they make is beautiful, especially in person.

First, I was totally enthralled by a DPN wallet I saw on Nell's Chicken Knits blog, in this post, and I just had to have one of my own. Here's mine:

I completely adore it, and it is perfect for what I needed. There are four pockets for DPNs, and it fits my 7" needles perfectly. I wanted something to keep them organized and this was the ideal solution. I can put all of my "o" sizes in one pocket (000, 00 and 0) and then 1's, 2's and 3's in the other pockets. Love it! :) It's very pretty, inside and out, and the attention to detail is exceptional:

And, it's pink. :)

Then, because I am a bag person, I also fell victim to the charms of this adorable knitting bag:

It's very nicely made, inside and out, and again, there is a great attention to detail, right down to a stitch marker zipper pull, which according to a card that was attached, is from Zero Markers, also on Etsy.

It is the absolute perfect size for a socks-in-progress project, and as you can see, I've already pressed it into service:

And because this post needs more photos in it (hopefully there's no one out there in dial-up trying to read this!) I must share with you the fun little extras that they sent along with my purchase:


In that little baggie were these cute stitch markers:

In addition to the great products, one other thing that Piddleloop has going for them is great customer service. I had never ordered anything using PayPal before and so when I hit a snag (totally on my end, of course) I sent an email asking for assistance, which I received right away. Jen was very friendly and helpful, and it was a pleasure doing business with them.

A Scarf, Some Yarn, and a Kitten

A Scarf

Finally, a FO! I decided to work at finishing something that was close to being done before continuing with my Rockin' Socks. So I finished my "Mimi Verylong" scarf, and I love it! I wasn't sure how long I wanted it initially. But then as I tried it on I decided that longer was definitely better, and I knit onward until the yarn was almost gone. It's a great pattern, easily memorizable and quick-moving (the fact that it took me over a year to complete is nothing to do with the pattern!) and my only disappointment is that it's getting too warm to be able to wear it this season. Oh well!

As I think I mentioned before, the colors in this yarn did something interesting in this scarf. The blue created a fun zig-zag that went back and forth across the scarf for the entire length of the scarf, in a very regular way. It's only really apparent when it's laid out like this:

I like it! The weight of the scarf is ideal...it's nice and thin and lightweight and can be worn different ways...it sort of wants to roll up on itself and that's okay, makes it a long skinny scarf. I found I can wrap it once around my neck and have it hang long with less neck coverage, or twice for more coverage that's still not bulky at all. Or, I can fold it in half and then pull the ends through the loop which then hangs at a reasonable length but again is not bulky. I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorites next year.

My specs for this scarf can be found here.

Some Yarn

I enhanced my stash recently. More sock yarn. Which I needed like a hole in the head. Ha! I have been reading the blog The Knitting Wannabe for some time now. Recently, she opened her own yarn shop called Sonny and Shear. It's very cute...and so I decided to get some yarn and a pattern from her. I'd been drooling over a colorway from Lorna's Laces called "Tickled Pink" and so I ordered some from Kris. I like to support small businesses, and even though this is an online shop, it's small and therefore to me it's a bit like a friendly LYS. Anyway, I placed my order last Thursday, and discovered to my delight that the package had arrived on Saturday! Two days from the west coast to the east coast! I was very pleasantly surprised. It included some tasty-looking tea bags and a hand-written note from Kris. A nice touch, I thought.

And oh, right, the yarn. Here's the yummy pink stuff I got:

I love pink. I mean, reeeeeeeeeally love it (as if that's not obvious by now...) And variations of pink together are even better.

I also got myself a copy of the Fibertrends Felted Clogs pattern which I see all over the place and figured would be fun to try one of these days.

[Note: I have no association with her shop, I'm just a very satisfied customer and wanted to share that.]

A Kitten

Last but certainly not least, a couple of obligatory cute cat photos. First off, this photo is a bit old news by now, but this was what Moose looked like when he and Maddie first met:

I call this his "pipecleaner" tail. tee hee. He hasn't really freaked like this since, and I think he's warmed up to Maddie and just wants to play. Maddie, on the other hand, is not so sure about that. Moose likes to follow her around, and she's taken to jumping up on tables and counters to get away from him (since as yet he cannot jump up that high).

But sometimes he gets his way:

And finally, the type of photo that seems to make everyone say that they want to come back in their next life as a well-loved cat:

Just snoozin' on the sofa, looking so angelic. "HA" I say to that.

Last night we decided to let him roam the house overnight instead of trapping him in the family room as we've been doing. He spent the entire night on the bed with us. And how do I know this? Well, needless to say, I didn't get the best night's sleep I've ever had. Initially there was a lot of the pouncing on toes and anything that moved or just the pattern on the comforter, but eventually he settled down. Around 2am I awoke to some purring in my ear and discovered that he'd made himself comfy nestled up close on my arm. He stayed there, purring his little heart out, for a good 40 minutes at least, during which time I did not sleep solidly. Boy can that cat purr.

Now back to some knitting and my STR socks!

Because handknits are comfier

Yesterday afternoon while doing chores around the house, I got a little warm. So I took off my sweater. Shortly thereafter, a certain gray cat made herself comfy in it.


A couple of hours later, she emerged thinking it was dinnertime. It was not. Once she caught on to this idea, she went back to the sweater. (Kindly ignore old brown chair. It used to belong to my father-in-law and is slated to be replaced one of these days.)

Personally, I take it as a compliment that the cat likes my sweater! At least she matches it, so the fur factor isn't quite so bad!

Wineberry: complete

This news is a little old, but I never posted about it. A couple of weeks back I finished the Wineberry Throw. Here it is in all its fuzzy, mohair, warm, woolly, glory:

I love this thing. It was so fun to knit (kept me toasty warm while doing so!) and now it's the greatest lap blanket. It's very lightweight, but oh so warm since it's mostly made of wool, and it's also the perfect size, not too big that it's unwieldy. Love it. :o) And so does Maddie, apparently. (She is quite fond of all handknits, actually.) Here she is helping me with the fringe:

And here she is napping on it in a new spot. She never sat on that side of the sofa before, mind you, but now that there's a new blanket, well, all bets are off!

Third and final test

Okay, one more time. Here, I'll add a cute cat photo to make this one interesting. This is Maddie, all comfy on our bed:

Yarn Harlot sighting

Yesterday my friend Jeanne and I went to Doylestown to see the Yarn Harlot at the Doylestown Bookshop. We had a great time, and I was so excited to see her in person. My first encounter with a celebrity! And Ms. Pearl-McPhee is the best kind of celebrity...she's humble and down-to-earth. We were charmed by her talk and my cheeks hurt from all of the laughing. Even my "muggle" non-knitting friend truly enjoyed herself.

Look, here's proof I was there (she very graciously posed with anyone who wanted a photo):

Another first for me...I now have a signed copy of a book! I brought along my copy of her latest bookbookbook Knitting Rules!. I also made a small donation to Tricoteuses Sans

Frontières/Knitters Without Borders. I snagged the button and it's there on my sidebar now. A really great cause.

And now for something completely random.

I took this picture after my cat Maddie decided to thwart my efforts to not get cat hair on my sweater by crawling up inside it to take a nap. I had draped it on an almost vertical throw pillow on the sofa, but she got in there anyway. This is the view looking into the neck of the sweater, after she'd crawled in from the bottom (her nose is way over on the left):

Maddie in the Gray Sweater

So there you go. Back again soon with lots of pink and purple yarn. Yummy.