Project Roundup

So much for trying to keep up with my blogging! heh. Well, I have lots of updates for you today. I just posted about my socks that I finished, and here's where my WIPs stand.

You may recall I was making a bag out of some STR Heavyweight. I had originally tried a woven stitch but was not enjoying knitting it and so I opted for stockinette. Well, I finished both sides and did most of the strap...and then totally lost my steam. I just wasn't into it anymore. I love the colors, but not for a bag. So I decided to set it aside before I got more upset with it.

Here's where I was before I put it away. Here are the two halves of the bag blocking:



I do like how the patterning came out...very different for each half, depending on where in the colors I started knitting.

This was the first half:



And this was the second half, which I think is kinda cool looking:



But still not a bag. :( So I'll let it sit for a while and see what I want to do with it. I might end up ripping it all out and making socks with it, which of course wouldn't be the worst thing in the world! ;)

In other knitting news, you probably don't remember this but a while back I mentioned that I wanted to rip out and reknit my Coronet hat so that the band didn't have to be turned up since it was moving around too much and was also a bit tight on my head. This clearly was not a high priority now that it's summertime but the other day I came across the hat and was suddenly inspired to just do it. So I did...I measured and figured out how many rows I'd need to remove from the straight knitting portion, and then undid my end, attached it to my ball winder, and frogged! It's kinda fun to do that now and then, heh. I had already gone around and put all the stitches on the needles again, so then I was able to restart. It's been good TV knitting these past few days since I'm not allowed to work on my travel socks (more on that later) until my trip.



I like it much better now, I think the edge looks better, and now I know the brim will stay put and won't unroll or roll too far up and show the back side of it. It also fits me a little better now. I love how the top of this hat looks...you do the crown decreases really fast on this, so it sort of bunches up. I like it.

Let's see...next up we have the WIP Pink Flamingo Socks. I still love these, but they are just stockinette so they are around for when I need something mindless. They're coming along nicely.



Since those are almost done (or at least close enough so that they're not worth bringing on a pack-as-light-as-I-can trip) I started two new pair for traveling, both on bamboo needles (for getting through airport security!):



These are just going to be stockinette socks, and though I'm not entirely thrilled with this yarn, it was the only one in my stash that seemed suitable for size 2 needles. This is actually the very first sock yarn I ever purchased, but I never knit it. It's pretty soft, and I'm hoping I'll like the colors better when I really get going on the sock.

These I'm more excited about...they're going to be my first pair of Jaywalkers!



The yarn is Regia in this VERY colorful colorway. These are going to be neon bright socks, but that's okay. One needs a little color in the middle of winter. But mainly I chose this yarn because it's sorta stripey and I hope will do a good job showing off the zigzag pattern.

I know those aren't very exciting photos of socks seeing as they're only about an inch long yet, but I can't work on them any more now because I am saving them for our upcoming trip. As I kind of mentioned, we're flying so I wanted to have projects on bamboo needles so I don't have any trouble in security. This is why I needed to finish up my Summer of Love Lace Socks since I only have one pair of bamboo size 1s (I know, I need to rectify that situation).

My sidebar is also up-to-date and you may notice that I have my Turquoise Print O' The Wave Stole listed under my "On The Needles" list. Yep, I started it! But as I've only completed about 2 rows I'm not bothering with a photo yet. I still need to get the hang of that one, but I think it might be easier than I thought. Once I get rolling on it I'll share more about it. It's not traveling with me on this trip though because I really don't want to take my chances on with my metal-tipped needles.

So that's where things stand. Now I must run and go clean the house...DH has already started vacuuming upstairs and I need to go help!

Bear bits and other stuff

Okay, so this is going to be a sort of half-effort post, and I apologize for that. :) But it's almost time for bed and I just want to get this out there!

I have now finished the front, back and two arms of my Whidbey the Bear, and I'm still loving the project. I'm not completing this at any great rate of speed but I'm enjoying it, and as I've mentioned before, it's not a high-speed knit anyway.



Okay, so, I apologize for the awful photos. It's really hard to photograph this stuff. You also can't really see the magic in the stitches of the arms due to all the fuzz, but it's very well-designed and the arrangement of increases and decreases have created perfect little bear arms. hee!



Next I'll get to the legs, and then the knitting portion of the bear will be complete. :o)

~ ~ ~

I haven't been knitting a ton, but I have been working a bit more on my Fuchsia Lace scarf. It is a really fun knit but I'm definitely at the point where I'm just ready for it to be done, so I have been plugging away at it, especially as I am now seeing a possible light at the end of the tunnel. I am almost at the end of the second ball of yarn (of three) and am contemplating calling it quits at that point.

~ ~ ~

Well...I started drafting this post earlier and now...the scarf is done! Well, I cast off anyway. I still need to block it, so I'm not calling it really done until then. I need to dig out my foam pads and T-pins. More photos to follow, but here it is now:


(Yup, more awful photos...I'll do better when it's really done!)

It's definitely not a super long scarf, but, I think it's okay. It's not the long, drapey type of scarf anyway. I'll post more photos as soon as I get to the blocking.

Let's see...what else is new? Oh--check out my find at Staples...a mini calculator for my knitting bag:



Cute, no? And, of course, it's pink. ;o)

That's it for now!

I don't have much...

...but I'll share what I've got.

And what I have is a half a sock. Or, in more optimistic terms, three quarters of a pair of socks.



I decided to keep on going with these Fall Embossed Leaves socks, and try and finish them now rather than later. I was debating whether or not to leave them until the fall, but I decided that I can make other fall-colored socks then, and why not finish these now. That way I can move on to some new ones, like my Summer of Love Lace socks from the Rockin' Sock Club last year. I've really been itching to start those.

I really don't know what else to babble about in this post. I've been knitting, as is evidenced above, but not all that much. And I won't get much done tonight because we're about to go watch Lost and I will not knit during that show. There's just too much that can be missed (and still gets missed even if I've got my eyes glued to the TV) for any knitting to happen. So all this makes for a boring knitting blog! ;)

One of these days I will get around to taking a photo of my progress with that Patons SWS Colored Blocks Throw I am making. I've nearly reached the halfway-ish point (I say -ish because I'm almost done with panel two of four but there's still the border, so this still isn't really halfway). But that's going to require pins and a blocking board so that it's even visible, since it's all rolling.

I will leave you with a Moose photo, because, well, I think he's cute.



Oh...the other day, while I was engrossed in knitting my sock, my husband suddenly exclaims, while giggling (he's helpful like that), "string! string!" and pointing at The Moose, who had gotten ahold of the ball of red yarn from my bag (string indeed!) and was munching away on the yarn. Or, as they like to say over at icanhascheezburger.com, "nomnomnom".

I snatched it away and cut off the end. At least that was easier than when he slimes a working piece!

I was just about to hit "publish post" when I was interrupted because I heard growling coming from the dining room...I looked over to see poor Maddie backing away while she growled at Moose, who was advancing towards her. He's such a little brat! I know he just wants to play but she wants none of that! Sometimes we have to carry her past "the shark" as my husband also calls Moose...because Maddie gets up to all the highest places she can find, jumping from high point to high point, while Moose circles around below. heh. Cats.

Gone skiing

Hiya! So, last week we went away for a little midweek ski trip getaway to Bear Creek. We had a great time! Okay, I'll be honest, the skiing conditions were definitely quite slushy and the very definition of "spring skiing"...but this meant the weather was warm enough that we were able to dress down and not have to bundle up so much. We had a blast!

The resort there was really great. We stayed at the lodge that was right there "on mountain," and it was very nice. It was new and modern and clean (we asked, and they said the part we were in was only 4 years old, and there was an even newer part that was just built at the end of last year). It had three restaurants (one was cafeteria-style, but still very nice, and another was also very casual, but one was a proper restaurant) and indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs. One thing I really liked was that if you stayed there, you got a big locker in the ground level that you could store your skis and boots in. They gave you a lock and key and you could just leave your ski stuff down there and not have to tote it around. Then the elevators were right there to go up to your room.

Our room had a king size bed, and one of the more current conveniences was that there was an iHome clock radio next to the bed that we could plug our iPod into.



Even the colors and decor were fun...the walls were yellow (near the bathroom sink it was red!) and there were a ton of pillows all over. We had a sitting area, and...



a fireplace! It was a gas one that you just pushed a button and fwump it came on or went off. Toasty warm and cozy.



Even the main lobby area was cozy and cute. The whole place was a sort of rambling collection line of buildings one after the other and there were cozy sitting areas with fireplaces all over the place. Heh...did I mention it was cozy? ;) I can only imagine how much cozier it would be if there were actual snow on the ground...the slopes were all man-made snow and there was none to be found elsewhere. Oh well.

This was the main lobby. You can see out the windows in the background how very foggy it was! We arrived in the fog, and the driving got a little hairy at the end but then suddenly we came over a hill and all the night-skiing lights just lit up the fog and the whole place glowed. It was pretty cool.



Another view of the cozy lobby area:



The first night we were there it rained all night long. So we sort of expected the skiing conditions to be rather slushy...and they were. But it was still a lot of fun. The best part of it was that there was NO ONE THERE. This midweek ski trip was a great idea.

Anyway, Wednesday morning this was the view from our room...you can see the raindrops on the window, but also the blue sky peeking through the clouds. It stopped raining midmorning and then the sun peeked out a few times during the afternoon, and it was a decent day after all.



Thursday was gorgeous though...sunny all day and warm.



Here we are, doing the classic, hold-the-camera-as-far-away-as-you-can-and-take-your-own-picture thing. :)



In the evenings after skiing both days, we went to this hot tub:



It was awesome! We were kind of pooped after a full day on the slopes so we didn't really do any skiing at night, but it was fun to relax in the hot tub and watch the skiers and snowboarders go by. The only downside was that there wasn't an indoor locker room or anything...you just had to take off your pants or whatever you wore over your bathing suit right there and hop in! Brrrrrr!!!! Of course, getting out was even worse...!

Here's a nighttime view of the place.



So...hope you enjoyed my rambling recount of our little ski trip! :)

Now back to the knitting. Believe it or not, this was all the knitting I got done while we were away:



So, the sock moves slowly onward. I still really like the yarn.

And, as promised before, here is the first Fall Embossed Leaves sock complete...I love how it came out! Oh, and I did one less repeat on the pattern so my leg part is shorter. I like how it fits this way.



The attention to detail in the pattern is fun and I like how the decreases in the toe sort of follow the leaves a little:



I haven't started the second sock yet...in fact, I haven't been knitting so much because I have gotten myself sucked into a book...The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. (Yes, I know, I'm a little behind the times...finally getting around to reading this book!) Really good book...I read through half of it Friday night and yesterday, and for me, that's fast. Today we had to do chores (bleh) so I haven't read any more. Anyway, great book. Read it if you haven't yet.

Oh, and one more photo I have to share...when we got home we had two very happy cats...and, well, I think Moose missed us. When I sat down in the chair, he climbed up on my lap and then proceeded to get veryveryclosetome, settling himself on my chest, right up against my chin. Could not have gotten any closer unless he sat on my head. I'm not actually holding him there, he's just that close. hee. :)



Now, sadly, it is time for bed. This daylight savings time switch has me all confused today...it's way later than I think it should be, and there are things I would rather do than go to sleep. But I'll regret it in the morning if I don't!

Foliage

So, since I finished all of my mini sweaters and DH's hat and mittens and that sparkly pink bag, I decided it was okay to let myself cast on something new.

Oh, the possibilities!!

I decided to get out this ball of Noro I'd picked up and try my usual roll-brim hat.



But I got to the crown will about 12 rows still to go and was out of yarn. I ripped it out, and wound it back into a pretty yarn cake (these will never cease to amuse me which is why you're seeing another photo of the yarn...hehe...but you can see the pretty colors better).



Anyway, I have been wanting to make a Foliage hat for some time, so I just went ahead and cast on. I figure a hat that doesn't use up as much yarn with a roll-up brim might just make it with this ball of yarn. But if worse comes to worst, I have a couple of other similar-colored leftover balls I can use. But I'm hoping it'll work.

So, here's my hat-in-progress, which is hard to see all scrunched up, but if I try to stretch it out I am in danger of letting the stitches off the ends.



So far I really like it, both the pattern itself and the yarn. I think even with the color changing of the yarn and the patterny knit, I still think it's working. The pattern is really fun...so far, I'm really enjoying it.

Well, dinner's ready, gotta run.

Coming clean

Okey dokey. So...this is the post where I am coming clean and owning up to all those WIPs in the sidebar... There are lots of them!! Even for me that's a bit excessive. Please don't judge me! Yarn and needles and projects just suck me right in with their clever wiles...

But here's the thing...I am the kind of person who gets themselves all in a tizzy if I have too much going on, and especially if it's not organized. I like to be organized and have my stuff organized too...and my knitting WIPs fall into this as well. And right now, with my recent rash of casting on new things, I am feeling a tad frazzled. So that 9 WIP total is going to change. And soon.

And I'd just like to point out here...I feel I am being very honest in disclosing every one of my WIPs!! I mean, you wouldn't be any the wiser if I didn't want to tell you, right? heh. ;) But I am telling all to you, my knitterly friends. :)

I also feel that if I write it all out here, that will somehow help me feel more organized, and justify all my WIPs! You know, put in writing what's been in my head. So this is as much for me as you. (You guys probably don't care about the details though, so I hope I'm not boring all of you!)

So here goes (yes, you've seen these photos before, sorry, but I wanted to provide illustrations to make this list more palatable!).

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Fuchsia Lace Scarf ~ I'd like to finish this one soon, so I can use it this season, and since it's been a WIP for a long time! But it's not a quick knit, by any means. First off, it has that Endless Scarf Syndrome working against it, and second, while not a terribly difficult lace pattern, it's still lace and requires me to be paying attention. It's a really fun knit though. It's also farther along than this photo shows, but, well, just imagine this a little longer and you're good. ;)



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Colored Blocks Throw ~ another I'd like to finish sooner rather than later, so I can use it. Yes, I'm aware this currently looks like a scarf. This part, panel 1 of 4, is done now, and panel 2 is in the works.



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Fall Embossed Leaves Socks ~ these I don't feel as much pressure about, since they're really for fall. I figure if I leave these till next summer there's truly nothing wrong with that, especially since socks are such great summertime projects.



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Plain gray Trekking socks ~ these are going to be frogged. I'm just not happy with my gauge/sizing and this is already the second try...so they'll be frogged and the yarn set aside for when I have a better attitude about it!



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Blue scarf with beads ~ this too will be frogged. It was a Christmas present from my sister-in-law, and I love it. However, I don't really like how the beads look with this yarn, I think lighter beads with this yarn, and then darker yarn for these beads would make me happier. And since this one isn't making me happy, I'm going to frog it. Even though a little part of me feels guilty since it was such a nice gift and I was so excited to receive it (I cast on the day I received it!), but, it's not like I'm getting rid of it, or swearing off of it forever, right?!



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The Pink Thing (circular scarf) ~ this is one of those projects that I'll be fine with leaving as WIP for as long as necessary...I always need to have one of these simple, mindless projects I can just knit and knit; bonus if it's portable.



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DH's hat and mittens ~ these must be finished by early March for DH's birthday. The hat is done as well as more than half of the first mitten. Slow going with him around, but I'm managing to find time. (Sorry, no photo of the mitten yet...I need to be stealthy about that one! Just use your knitterly imaginations to picture a mitten that matches this hat.)



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Twinkle Toes Socks ~ I want to finish these very soon so I can wear them! I'm on the foot of the second sock, so these will be done shortly.



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Raspberries and Cream Hat ~ this one is actually done! F.O. photos coming soon.



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So there you have it...all out in the open. I'm sure most of you will agree, that's a lot of WIPs!! I definitely suffer from a severe case of Startitis. ;) I do intend to get myself organized, but I also have a couple of other things I want to start and finish very soon as well...we might be going skiing in February or March, and I have to finish DH's mittens by then...and I have a kit for a cute hat (Siena) I wanted to make before then too (since it'll go pretty well with my ski jacket), although we'll see how my timing works and whether or not that deadline will be feasible, I might just start it and if not done, take it along on the trip, and if I finish, great! And I thought the cute bag kit I mentioned in this post would be fun to use for Valentine's Day, so that one's up next. :)

Also right now I'm in love with making hats...I see more of those in my near future as well! I mean, it is winter after all! I really want to make Koolhaas and Foliage, and I'd like some sort of black hat too. Then there are the popular sock patterns I've never tried...Monkey, Jaywalker...can you tell I'm a little behind the times on the current knitting trends? ;) And not to mention Anemoi mittens, for which I already have the pattern and yarn. So many pretty things I want to knit!

Whew! That felt good! Still a little overhwhelmed, but I do feel a bit better now. Off to go knit!

Well how about that...

...I finished a sock. Just one, but still. And I even got outside to take pictures in the sun!

I give you Twinkle Toes the first:



And picot cuff the first:



Fits great, and I like how extremely colorful it is! And the picot edge is quite satisfying. I'll probably start the second sock tonight.

I've also completed the little finishing details on (and have finally taken a photo of) my DH's hat, the one I was going to make him for Christmas but decided to wait for his early March birthday, along with some matching mittens. The knitting on the hat has been done for some time, but I finally got around to the weaving of ends and such.





I rather like it. And yes, I added a little braid/tassel thingy. I figure, if he doesn't like it, it's a quick and easy removal, and my feelings won't be hurt. But see, back when I was making his dad's hat for Christmas, I asked him if he thought a tassel would be nice on that one. He did think so, and although I ended up not putting one on there, his reply did serve to nicely answer my question regarding his own hat! heh. So we'll see what he thinks of it.

In other WIP news, here is that pink hat I've been working on. I haven't been knitting this at any great rate of speed...it's one of those sentimental projects that even though I want to be able to wear it, it's such special yarn and I love knitting it so much, I almost don't want it to end! I know, I'm a little silly. :P I'm just savoring it, I guess.



And here is a really, really exciting photo of the WIP cuff of one of DH's mittens. And not just that...a cuff of a gray mitten. I know--fascinating.



But, I am off now to go work on it, since DH is outside right now with a friend installing a garage door opener! We have a two-car detached garage, and it never had openers. In fact, usually one half is so full of lawnmowers and tools that only one car lives in it. That's DH's, which is fine with me. But he recently moved the mowers out behind the garage under a tarp so there isn't as much crap in there...and tonight we're expecting snow, so guess who else is going to park her car in there tonight?! yep. It'll be such a luxury to not have to clear my car off before heading off to work tomorrow morning!

Yarn haul

Back with some promised photos of WIPs and my Christmas yarn haul!

First I'll start with the yarn my sweet, sweet, wonderful husband gave me for Christmas. I did give him a Christmas list with some ideas of things that had been on my wishlist for some time...and he came through big time!

This is a recycled yarn that looked fun...it has a ton of pretty colors in it and I thought it would make a really fun accent scarf:





Then, I'd spotted a pattern (somewhere that I can't find anymore) for a cabled scarf using this yarn, called Karaoke. The scarf is narrow and the color changes gradually from pink to purple throughout the scarf. And I loves me some pink and purple! :) (It's a little hard to see the color change in this photo, sorry.)



Then there's this, the Girl's Night Out kit. I love this yarn!! It's Tilli Tomas Disco Lights, in this beautiful pink. I am definitely starting this one soon since I thought it would be a fun purse to use when we go out for dinner for Valentine's Day.





So, even though I picked out the above things, I am almost even more delighted with the following yarns...that my DH picked out himself. It was a yarn set that the shop had put together and he got it for me, knowing that anything pink and purple would make me happy...and it did!

The yarns, from left to right, are:
Claudia's Handpainted merino wool
Blue Sky Alpacas alpaca/silk
Artyarns Regal Silk



Aren't they pretty? The website suggests putting them all together in a fun scarf, and I think that might be what I will do. I am thinking a long-ways scarf in garter stitch, a few rows of this, a row or two of that... We'll see what comes to mind!

Then, my awesome sister-in-law found me this beaded scarf kit:





The yarn is a lovely light blue boucle. I started the scarf with the pattern as intended, but ended up abandoning the drop-stitch pattern and am just doing a ribbed pattern, and adding the beads. It's fun! This is the first beaded knitting pattern I've done, and I am enjoying it.





So that's my Christmas yarn haul! Pretty sweet, huh? Now on to the stuff I got recently that I mentioned in my last post. I got this yarn at Gypsyknits.

This is the two-color set I got called Creamy Neopolitan:



It really does make you think of ice cream, doesn't it?

And here is the one called Christmas Twinkle Lights, which I've started knitting with.





Here's my sock, and my first picot edge! I'm calling these my Twinkle Toes Socks, in honor of the yarn name.



I love the picot edge...although it's going to take a little more practice till I get completely used to it. I did forget to switch to one-size-smaller needles for doing the first half of the cuff, but I don't think I did it any major harm. We'll see. Next time I will try to remember to do that. I think I'm going to make the socks a little shorter than others I've made, so hopefully they'll just sort of stand up on their own, since the picot cuff isn't at all stretchy, as far as holding up a sock goes. Here's the sock where it stands now:



So far I like this sock...the yarn is nice and soft, and the colors are knitting up fun...I think this yarn has every color possible in it! :)

One more WIP to share with you, the white and pink hat I mentioned. I love how this is coming out too...



The thick-and-thin qualities of the yarn are adding a lot of depth to the fabric of the knitting.



Lastly, referring back to my last post below, this is the swift I don't want anymore. Anyone interested? Anyone know someone who might be?





Oh wait, one more "lastly"...this morning we were in the family room and heard a ruckus in the kitchen...DH went to investigate and found this:



SOMEkitty had opened the cupboard door, gotten himself some paper towels out, and was playing in them. The pink thing peeking out from under him in the next photo is a drinking straw...perhaps his most favorite toy. If you have a drink with a straw in it, fuhgettaboutit! In about .5 seconds that straw will no longer be yours, and you have to keep moving your drink in order to hang on to the straw for that mere .5 seconds. Crazy critter.