What Knitting?

Oy.

I have made masterful progress on my Swallowtail Shawl. I wish I was done with it, but frankly I'm knitting it very slowly. I had a slow start, having to tink an awful lot, and now that I'm finally getting the hang of it, I'm enjoying it too much to fly through it. I should have it finished this weekend or shortly thereafter....provided I don't run out of yarn. I'd show a progress photo, but it really just looks like a wrinkly lump right now. I want her to have the proper attention.

I reluctantly used a dust mop to pick up massive clumps of filth from the hardwood floors cleaned a bit today. My version of cleaning is usually quite perfunctory. We have dust kitties (or rather, dust roosters) everywhere, thanks to my favourite long-haired guy. (Travis swears we'll never have another ragdoll, I swear we'll have 20 ... this could get ugly.) None of the animals pay much attention to the cleaning process....except Rooster. My least passionately despised favorite part of cleaning is sweeping up the dust roosters. Roo follows my every step, glaring at me with ardent distaste. If he could talk, I know he'd be saying, "You know, I worked REALLY hard on those." He especially hates it when I clean the stairs...you can practically HEAR him forcing himself to shed all the way up. Then he inevitably stands directly in front of my knitting room and glares at me. "Go ahead," I know he's thinking, "open this up. We'll see how you like it when I mess up something you put effort into!!"

In case you think I'm making up this disdainful face:

"You disgust me."

(The flash created the evil red-eye. But even without it, he's still lookin' pretty peeved.)

(Oh, and that's not filth on my floors, by the way. Well, not anymore. The specks are paint. Apparently the previous owners had a different idea of what "lovingly restored" means. I might have thought it would mean "threw some dropcloths down on the 85 year-old floors before flinging paint at the walls," but ... nah.)

Okay....I'll come back when I have something fiber-related to show you.

(PS: The previous post, the one with all the pattern links - it's now in the sidebar in the "I Am" section. And to the contest winners: Yarns are on their way!)

Squee!!!

You guys are wicked awesome! Thank you so much for giving me so many brilliant ideas and links! (Props to Aija for sending you here. Sock Goddesses are such wonderful people, no?)

I got so many spectacular suggestions - some were brand-new to me, some were things I had seen and was crazy about before, some were even things I've knitted in the past, and some just made me laugh. (Yes, of COURSE the blogger who suggested a thong and matching willy warmer wins.) Obviously, this wasn't a "How well do you know Alyson?" contest, so if you suggested something I've knit before, then that just means you suggested something I would definitely like! Also, as a self-taught and "independent" knitter (read: no local knitty pals), I don't get around as much as some of you - so you pointed me at a lot of sites I didn't know about, or had stumbled onto once and promptly forgotten.

There were some common themes - Knitty and Magknits, Knitting Pattern Central, the book Sensational Knitted Socks, love for Nancy Bush, Sockbug (agreed!), admiration for the insane socks in the latest Vogue Knitting (I know, right?!)...and several suggestions for Cookie's designs. Good call - I have a wee girl-crush (of the knitty nature, of course) on Cookie....is she just brilliantine or what? Her and her damned perfect socks - and she pumps out the designs quicker than I can knit them!

Since I did get so many wonderful suggestions, I'll share many of my favorites at the bottom of this post - what's the point of having all this help if I'm not gonna spread it around? (I wanted to include thumbnails of the projects, but ethically, that would require permission from the original publisher - too much work! Also, there will be a perma-link to this post in my sidebar.)

But first - let me tell you who won! (I said I'd have eight winners - but I actually could only narrow it to nine. And honestly, I wish I had more to give away - there were A LOT of really fantastic suggestions.)

Rosi G. - This woman (who appears to be my knitting soulmate) listed a cornucopia of patterns, every single last one of which I ADORED. Now I feel overwhelmed with stuff I MUST knit.

K. Anne< - Several great pattern suggestions, including one that made me actually jump a bit out of my chair and declare, "I must have those!" (socklets) and two that made me laugh my arse off (the thong and willy warmer - ha!).

Aviva - Made some fantastic suggestions, reminded me about Anticraft, and inferred that my ass would not look enormous in Intolerable Cruelty. (Hey, around here, flattery will get you everywhere.)

Christine - Made some fantastic suggestions, including Rhodie, Nasturtium, Lacy Mock Cable, Broadripple, Snakes on a Sock (the "snakes on a ___" riff truly never gets old with me), and Mata Hari.

Adrienne - Suggested a couple of great sock patterns (Gecko Eyes and Hanauma Bay) - that she had written! Bonus points for leading me to ptyarn, where I found oodles of good patterns. (Pssst, Adrienne: I didn't have a way to contact you - comment or shoot me an email! You won!)

Lexa - Showed plenty of love to Cookie, and suggested a couple of lace pieces I really liked. (Lily of the Valley - my birth flower; and Stormwater, which I lust for.)

Robin - Suggested several sock patterns that were great, including one Travis liked (major bonus points - he's impossible). (Although perhaps she doesn't deserve free yarn because she gets to live in Victoria, BC - one of my most favorite places EVER. But I'll let it slide, for Travis' sake.)

Valerie - Came up with several good stashbusters, including the Stuffie pattern, which I just adored.

Aija - She suggested, among many fabulous designs, those faboo Boyfriend socks (which I'd been coveting on her blog but hadn't decided to knit because I didn't realize it was a free pattern...duh.) And I have to show her love because I wouldn't have seen nearly so many fabulous ideas if she hadn't given me a plug!

[Non-Contest News: I did get a spiffy new digital camera, so I can start publishing knitty photos of interest. But that'll come along later - I'm exhausted from the two consecutive shows I have running right now, and just a moment ago, when Travis asked me whether I had already washed some lettuce in the veggie bin, I called out, "Only the half-skein." (That's the half a head of lettuce remaining from tonight's salad. Apparently, when I'm good and exhausted, lettuce comes in skeins.)]

Finally: Sarah's Yarns, Sarah's Yarns! Give 'em your business! They're running an INSANE-O sale on Tilli Tomas (hear that, Simple Knitted Bodice knitters?) and their customer service is faboo. (Plus, I love sellers that allow you oodles of shipping options.)

The links (all patterns are free unless noted otherwise):

SOCKS!!

Dublin Bay Socks

Lombard Socks

Anastasia Socks

Milanese Lace Socks

Zokni Socks

Elfine Socks

Falling Leaves Socks

Gentleman Socks

Happy Socks

RPM Socks

Boyfriend Socks

Eunny's Socks (Bayerische - free; Chuck's Cabled - buy)

Yukon Leaves Socks

Wyvern Sock

Rhodie Socks & Nasturtium Socks (see download links on right sidebar)

Lacy Mock Cable Sock

Broadripple Sock

Snakes on a Sock

Aran Socks

Crusoe Socks

Yoga Socks

Blueberry Socks (a great "guy sock")

Grapevine Sock (Fair Isle sock)

Mock Croc Socks

Springgrass Socks & Orchid Socks

Hanauma Bay Socks (great for patterning/striping yarn)

Gecko Eyes Socks (beaded)

UsedToBeInGerman Sock Pattern (Suggested cast-on: 64 stitches)

Tropicana Socks

Here There Be Dragons (for purchase)

Isocoles Socks (for purchase)

Top-Down Knee Socks

Basic Cabled Socks

LACE!!

Rambling Leaves Shawl

Pacific Northwest Shawl (for purchase)

Sarcelle Shawl (for purchase)

Wendy's Fir Cone Shawl/Scarf/Stole

Lily of the Valley Stole (for purchase)

Stormwater Shawl (kit, for purchase)

Branching Out Lace Scarf

Wing o' the Moth (for purchase)

Diamond Fantasy Shawl/Scarf (for purchase)

Sea & Shells Stole

FOR DA SHORTIES!!
(These are the small-quantity-of-yarn projects - some of them are lace too, but I classified them here.)

Clapotis Cap (you know you need a hat to go with your Clapotis!)

My So-Called Scarf (Here's MY So-Called Scarf)

Dream Swatch Head Wrap (or twee scarf)

Fetching (fingerless gloves)

Hip and Silkie (cute scarf or belt patterns)

Knecklace (great for using up bits of pricey stuff)

Lace handwarmers

Perdita (bracelets)

Lavender Eye Pillow

Snowball's Chance (fingerless gauntlets that I LOVE)

Mermaid Gloves (Pomatomus for your arms!)

Mobius Cowl & Bag

Liesel Scarf

Lace Headband

Stuffies! (TOO freakin' cute!)

You Still Have One Day!!

In case I was misleading - the contest ends tonight at midnight. I said Wednesday at midnight, but if you're obsessively analytical like I am, you might be saying, "So was that midnight that just passed or midnight that's coming up?" Because technically, Wednesday the 27th at midnight eastern time was indeed last night.

You have until TONIGHT at midnight eastern time to submit your suggestions by comment on the linked post. I've seen some super-spectacular suggestions so far, and I'm having so much trouble narrowing it down! I've decided to have eight winners - so your chances are pretty darned good!

(Oh, and I decided on the yarns I'm willing to part with. Go ahead and peruse them if you'd like - there's some Koigu, some Opal, some Vesper, some Mountain Colors Bearfoot, some Greenwood, some Sweet Georgia...I've posted twelve thirteen choices - we'll have eight winners, and that'll leave me with a bit of stash for a future contest, or maybe just a random giveaway...this has been fun!)

Help Me! (Free Stuff Involved)

Yeah.

I can't buy any more sock yarn. Not because sock yarn counts on a yarn diet (it doesn't, dammit) - but because considering my average output, I'll be long dead before all of this yarn is gone. And I want more.

I need to get rid of some yarn. Might as well give it away. But I don't know many knitters, other than my mom - and she doesn't knit socks.

Point? Take my yarn. Most (not quite all) of this yarn I'm not particularly attached to. And it's good stuff.

But I can't give it away for nothing. Give me something to fix what ails me:

1. I have too much sock yarn.

2. I have too much laceweight.

3. I have too many good single skeins - the kind of stuff of which I could only afford one skein.

I need pattern suggestions. Good patterns for lace, socks, and single-skein projects. Freebies are always good, but patterns to buy and book referrals are good too. I'll pick one, or a few, or several, patterns I really like and whoever suggested them will get yarn. Simple.

And you don't have to suggest something I've never seen before. If you want to suggest Jaywalkers, suggest Jaywalkers. (Okay, but don't suggest Jaywalkers because now that would be cheating.) If you suggest something I like, even if I've seen it (or knitted it already!) you'll win. I'd love to see some new stuff too, though...be creative, be clever, and of COURSE you can refer me to your own patterns. (You may get bonus points, as I'm not brilliant enough to write my own good patterns yet.)

Leave me suggestions by comment (leave a link, if it's a web project, so I can continue to be lazy....that's part of my problem) and make sure there's an email address or some way I can let you know if you win - and I'll take your personal tastes into consideration when selecting your yarn, of course!

Oh, and make as many suggestions as you want - the more gold you give me, the better your chances!

Let's give it a deadline - Wednesday? Yeah, Wednesday the 27th - say midnight, Eastern time.

Finally - I have few readers....so tell your friends, tell your circles, tell your readers. Seriously, I need to get rid of this stuff. I have a fiber festival coming up.

Eye Candy Monday

There won't be any knitting photos for a few days (or possibly longer), as my camera went for a little dip in a waterfall lagoon this weekend. Hopefully we can get it working again, so I can show you my bit o' Swallowtail progress I made on the plane.

Meanwhile:

Here's the view from our hotel room.

We flew to Puerto Rico this weekend! Travis had no idea, it was a total surprise...he thought we were going on a roadtrip. We flew into San Juan (for a STEAL, thanks to the wonderful el-cheapo fares on JetBlue, my favorite airline) and immediately fled (old San Juan is beautiful, but overall....well, there are prettier areas of Puerto Rico). We stayed on the east coast, in the Fajardo area, at the Westin Rio Mar Oceanfront Golf Resort and Spa and General Tropical Paradise. We rented a wave runner in the Caribbean, visited the rainforest, had massages, slept with the sound of the ocean, ordered lots of room service, and crammed a five-day vacation into a two-day weekend. I'll be getting ready for work any minute now.

But for the time being, I do have photos from the first day - the camera went diving on Sunday and I have to wait a bit to upload those photos, which are from the rainforest and iguana-spotting day. (There was this ENORMOUS iguana just hanging out on the lawn at our hotel, chilling, giving everyone an opportunity to admire him. I love iguanas now - they're all, "Go ahead, check me out...is that a good angle? Want me to turn a bit?" I swear I saw him hamming for the camera.)

So, if it interests you:


Click to view the entire gallery (so far)

Episode 23, In Which Alyson Needs A Vacation.

"Oh boy....

....ohhhhh boy....

...I think maybe....I must have done something bad....but I don't know what...."

Yep, Brodie's in prison. (And yes, that crate is too small for him. We bought it figuring he'd be a Miniature Pinscher, but he turned out to be, ah, not really very miniature. He has a bigger one, but it's drying from the weekly hose-down.)

Why would I post about my little boy being in prison, here, on my knitting blog?

One guess.

Here's my Razor progress:


Not bad, eh? But what's that little bit of schmutz on it? And is the picture fuzzy?

No. Razor is.


"Alyson, really!! You should wind your yarn before you knit with it!"

Uh, yeah. I did. And I just joined that ball on THIS ROUND. And while I was sorting things out upstairs for the weekend...


...Brodie was wreaking. See, Brodie hasn't yet figured out that knitting isn't his toy. No matter how many times I yell, no matter how many hours he spends in time-out, he can't get it. And I always think my knitting is secured and safe (this time it was INSIDE my knitting bag.)


Okay, yes, I AM grateful that Operation Hate-On-Mommy didn't end with my Razor off the needles. (I'm also a little stunned, since I found the first bit of yarn at the top of the stairs, and descended down the stairs, through the living room, through the kitchen, and into the dining room before I came to the end of the yarn and, thankfully, my intact Razor, covered in fuzz and dust and a bit of cat hair and yes I'm a terrible housekeeper.)


Salvaged! Lots of snips and tugs and bad words, and I think I may have enough here to finish the project. (Although, hallelujahpraiseJesus, I do have another skein tucked away - no sweat.)

The carnage:


Understand that I HATE wasting yarn. (Obviously not quite as much as I hate being patient, but this was still after about 30 minutes worth of detangling.) I keep the most inane snippets in stash just in case. (In case of what? I dunno.) So this was painful.

Probably not as painful, though, as standing at the bottom of the stairs, ears up, head cocked, wondering why Mommy's so mad and then having this come charging down the stairs toward you:


Pause for a moment: I love any picture where I look like a nut. I may have to make this my new profile photo. And to prove just how much I crack myself up, here's me four seconds after that photo was taken:


In closing, I am ready for my weekend. No animals, no house, no knitting....well, okay, there will be knitting.....just me and Travis in................

To Be Continued....

A Link-tastic Post!

Work on the Razor cami trudges along. (There's an issue with the hosting site, so no link to the pattern.) I keep making mistakes, but I don't notice them until several rounds later - stupid little stuff that's hardly noticeable, or so I tell myself - and I just kind of keep on knitting and ignore the errors. No one will ever notice, and if they do, I'll hand them needles and yarn and declare, "Here. Knit me a better one."

I'm snarky.

I'm also working (slowly, slowly,) on the Swallowtail Shawl. I was thrilled to see it knit flawlessly in Hand Maiden Sea Silk, which is the LUSCIOUS yarn I'm using too...it's going to be beautiful. I think the colorway I have is Capri - I got it off of Destash, and I like it, but my mom would LOVE it. And since she has a birthday coming up in November and the shawl contains a lily-of-the-valley pattern (that's my birthflower), I think it's kismet. And who says every single thing I knit has to be for me? (Oh, that's right.....I said that. Well, I try to never listen to me anyway.)

(Oh, and while I'm at it...check out what that knitter did with the leftovers.)

The closing photo you saw last post, by the way, was the humble beginnings of said shawl. I'm only a little bit further along than that, although not as far along as I was by the end of that day....I discovered a goof somewhere, ripped back a few rows, botched the whole thing heinously, and ended up starting over. I'll be installing lifelines every twelve rows or so now. And when I get a bit further along, perhaps every other row. I can't imagine the agony of ripping twelve 500-stitch rows. And since this is my first major lace project, I can probably expect some ripping.)

Hey, a new Knitty! Didn't see that coming...did that seem awfully quick, or was it just because I didn't manage to knit any of the twelve projects I adored from the Summer? (Scratch that....I did one.)

I signed up for my SAFF classes. Stupidly, I didn't do it when I meant to (my registration form has been in my desk drawer for three months) and many of the classes I'd intended to take filled up. But Beginning Spinning is the important one. And I got that. (And I continue to refrain from major yarn or other purchases until then so I can splurge on fibers and yarns and ..... wheels?)

Oh, wait.....I may have one little splurge coming up this weekend.....

To be continued...

Hat Of The Week

My friend Billy came to me on Thursday and, in great earnest, asked me what sorts of knitting projects I had going at the time. Since he was running our rehearsal (he's assistant directing the show I'm in), I thought I had perhaps missed an entrance while working on Razor. Instead, he requested to purchase a beanie. I always think it's cute when good friends offer to buy my wares.

So of course I tossed together a beanie for him. (And no, of course I'm not going to let him pay me for it.) I have no idea whether he'll actually like it, but it was a good knit either way, and I can always whip up another hat for him if it's not to his taste.

Behold, my first Fair Isle.



Travis was kind enough to be my model. (I have a feeling he'd also be willing to shoulder the burden of wearing the hat if Billy decides it wasn't what he had in mind. I got this feeling because he wouldn't give it back.)

Project Details:
Yarn: Noro Cash Iroha in two colours (I don't know where I threw the labels...)
Pattern: Swell from Knitty
Needles: Size 8 Colonial Rosewoods, Size 8 Addi dpns
Start: September 8
Finish: September 9
Changes: Left the earflaps out - easy enough, just started with the two purl rows. Should've started the colorwork a little sooner, though - I feel like the waves are situated a bit high.

I don't have the reverse side photo for you - it's not a complete mess, but it's nothing to write home about. Here's some thumbnails, if you're so inclined.

........... ...........

Okay...back to work I go.

Paris Hilton Got A DUI

That doesn't have anything to do with knitting or my post, nor should the misfortunes of others give me joy. But....it's Paris Hilton.

Okay, so, on to positive things! My One Skein time has wrapped up - my pal sent me a knitted gift and a little extra giftie. I left the reveal card with her web address at home (despite spending my entire morning chanting to myself, "Remember to grab the card, remember to grab the card,") so I'll have to formally introduce her a bit later.



(Hey Pal, a question - what yarn did you use? It felted BEAUTIFULLY!) I love it. I also love the "flower" at the bottom of the bowl (which makes me not want to put anything in it, so as not to obscure the effect.) Our living room is a rather bland place right now (wood and khaki everywhere), so when we have a coffee table/ottoman, this will be a centerpiece. We must have color!!

(The chocolate? Only LOOKS unopened. It's Vosges Haut Chocolat Red Fire Bar, which she reports as one of her favorites. You won't believe it - but my most favorite chocolate in the world is anything dark and hot. My best friend makes her own chocolates every Christmas and they are seriously five alarm, and I love it! But I always eat it all within three days and then have to wait another 362 for another batch. I found this rather sad Choxie "Hot Chocolate" at Target, but I taste no peppers, only cinnamon...yawn. But this stuff? Ohhhhh my goodness. And I might have forgotten to mention the chocolate to Travis. Shhhhh!)

And so ends the Secret Pal Summer Season. I'm grateful and spoiled, but sad....I had such fun! Thanks to my pal for making this exchange such a great experience!

How about a little Razor progress?



I'm knitting it in STWC Bamboo, and I DIG the shade (yarn originally purchased for the Picovoli, but I changed my mind.) I do not dig the yarn itself, or rather I do not dig the combination of the yarn and Addi Turbos. Slippery little sucker, pretty inconsistent stitches. Argh. And maybe it's just me, but this is not a particularly quick knit. I know it's the yarn weight, but damn. I started Friday, and even with other projects ongoing at the same time (and a three-day spinning binge thrown in there,) I feel I should be much closer to completion by now.

Still, despite all that, I think it'll come out very pretty.

Finally - I think it's unfair to focus so much on my dear Roo kitty and not give any of my other children some love. So here's my eldest, my adorable MinPin, Little Bit.

Wait, Ma'am, Let Me Explain

In a roundabout way, Ms. Melanoma Uberalis (who has adorable twins and has opened my eyes to the joys/nightmares of twinfants...a cousin is having twins soon and I like knowing what she's in for) brought my attention to a potential issue. Hey, my profile photo is someone's kid. What would happen if the mom should stumble on here? I'd be all, "Wow, that's wild - what are the odds? Umm....your kid is super-cute and has the best most expressive face and I love that he demonstrates the dangers and joys of knitting for babies who have no choice as to what sorts of strange headgear or knitwear they might be forced into. And did you knit that? Bravo - thank you for making me laugh till I cried."

God I hope that never happens.

I have photos of a wonderful goodie package I received yesterday - I must upload. We're approaching the nightmare portion of our rehearsal schedule, so home and computer time is more limited now than before. My One Skein pal rocks my socks....you'll see!!

I Have A New Mascot

Over at Cute Overload (a place I visit daily in order to counteract the snark I attain by visiting Go Fug Yourself), they are having a salute to Australian animals. This is, of course, done in memory of the gone-too-soon environmental savior and childhood - and adulthood - hero of many, Steve Irwin. (I won't lie - I cried. I'm still choked up. What a good - nay, a great - man.)



Okay, Mr. Lambykins McTidy-Hooves here is wearing a SWEATER. (A wool sweater? I can't take the irony!) Doesn't he look like he's about to trot out to the porch with a pipe and a cup of coffee?

Is he adorable? Yes. Do I want to take him home? Yes. Am I willing to fly to Australia to pick him up? Very nearly.

That's it...I don't have any more projects or anything. I just wanted everyone to delight in the adorable.

Quick, Quick!

Quickie post, quickie project.

Got an hour to kill? Forgot a friend's birthday? Need a hat to go with your outfit? I threw this little number together this morning while waiting for pancakes. (Yep - still me, still spoiled.)



The Stats:
Yarn: Ozark Handspun, one skein in Midnight Rose (I would have a thousand skeins of this yarn if I could)
Needles: Skacel Profi, US 17, 24" circ (woulda gone faster with a 16"); some random dpns, size 15 (didn't have 17s)
Pattern: Um, yeah...I cast on 26 stitches, knitted for a while in the round, did some very random unplanned k2togs until I had 13 stitches left, cinched it up, called it a day.
Start/Finish: This morning

For real, how cute is it?



Wore it a bit today, fits like a glove. Actually, it fits like a hat...a well-fitting hat.

(Non-knitting tip: See Little Miss Sunshine the first chance you get, if you haven't already. I have nothing, absolutely nothing, to criticize. And from me, that's really saying something.)

Uh, They Sell That Stuff In Stores, You Know...

Quote of the day: after stopping to massage my swollen drafting hand and stating, "I'm starting to get tired of this," Travis states almost grimly:

"We're getting a wheel, aren't we?"

I don't know when, and I don't know how, but .... yes.

Here's where we stand, much of this having been accomplished over the past few days. Once again, we have SP Vicki to thank for the sudden spike in productivity around here. (And I'm sure Travis, who spent the day doing his chores....and mine too.....was thrilled.)

(I had to futz with the color/saturation/hue on pretty much all of these pictures to even get close, so that's why my furniture may seem to be strange colors...)



Top: Spritely Goods Batt in Pink Guava
Left to right: Eggplant sliver from SP Vicki; Lavender roving from SP Vicki; Blue/silver Merino/Tussah from ... someplace in the Carolinas

I think so far, my favorite to spin has been the Spritely Goods. The stuff spins like iron - thin or thick as you want, easy to draft, soft as spun sugar but tough as steel. Wild. And while I'm not normally crazy about sparkles or shimmers, I DIG the firestar in this batt. (I got my batts from Pure Knits, but Spritely Good Goddess Stephanie has set up her own shop recently and has tons of fiber and other stuff...and I emphatically give the highest possible recommendation to what products of hers I've used so far.) SP's lavender comes in a close second - it was easy to get an even spin. I had fits the first time I tried to spin the eggplant sliver, but I must have been having an off night because I picked it up today and it was a cakewalk.

Close-ups:



(The only photo I didn't mess with, and I should have - it's much more true lavender than it appears here.)



(This will be plied with the lavender once it's dry....and once I get up the courage to ply.)



I need to come up with a slew of short-skein projects.



Sick of this one yet? One more:



Plenty for a beanie. Whew.

Currently...a super-thin single of my other Spritely Goods batt, in Bursage, to become a 2-ply fingering weight for a gorgeous lacy fall scarf (And I do mean SUPER-thin...I've been spinning for eons and it still looks like I've accomplished nothing.)

I call this photo "Portrait Of A Couple's Spare Time":



(That's Travis over there on the couch, getting his ass handed to him by his 14 year-old sister in a brutal game of Mortal Kombat...he'd look more annoyed, but we just finished eating ice cream and chocolate cake. I always forget how much fun it is to have little-sister sleepovers!)

FO Parade!

Okay, time to reveal! I finally have posts that make me look like I do stuff from time to time. That gives me joy.

First up:



Angora baby booties from Last Minute Knitted Gifts. I loved these little things. They were done in the span of one movie (V for Vendetta, if I remember correctly,) and cleverly constructed. This was one-half of a baby gift for friends Gina & Geoff, who will welcome Katharine Marie on or around October 13. (How would you like to have a Friday the 13th due date? Heh.) Rooster was nice enough to let them go:



The Stats:
Yarn - Lorna's Laces Angel in Aslan, less than one skein
Pattern - from Last Minute Knitted Gifts
Needles - Size 5 Clover bamboo dpns
Start - Some night a little while ago.
Finish - Same night, just a little bit later.

A total hit - nobody doesn't like tiny feet and the things that cover them.

The other part of the present, and my first ever garment (albeit tiny).



The Stats:
Yarn - Ecoknits Organic Cotton in Cream (a shade over two 50 g skeins, and I LOVE this yarn - less shed than Blue Sky's organic cotton)
Pattern - from Debbie Bliss Special Knits
Needles - Size 8 Addi Turbos (I think?) and size 7 Susanne's ebony circ (for the ribbing)
Start/Finish - My notebook's upstairs...but I know I went start to finish in five days.



What a great pattern! And I was a superstar for a while at the baby shower today - I was glad it went over well. I had fun knitting it. The only change I made, and it's not really a change, was to pick up the stitches "wrong" to do the ribbing - I actually like the raised ridge between the stockinette and the ribbing - adds a bit more texture.

And - AND! - on the way to the shower (in Jacksonville, about a two hour drive,) I finished up Travis' socks! FINALLY!!!



I even managed to get the colours to match up! I'm so stinkin' proud of myself. Travis is too - he couldn't even wait....when we pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant for lunch, he changed his socks right then. Too cute.



The Stats:
Yarn - Trekking XXL 131 (two skeins)
Pattern - Gentleman's Fancy Sock from Knitting Vintage Socks
Needles - Size 0 Addi dpns...that is, until Brodie got a hold of the sock-in-progress, pulled ALL FOUR needles out of the sock, chewed one to pieces, and hid two others...then I had to switch to some size 0 Clovers (ugh...but then I wasn't nuts about the Addis, either...)
Start - July 4
Finish - September 2 (I did determine I NEEDED to finish these in less than two months...how sad.)
Changes - The only thing I did was remove the six rounds even before the toe decreases. The sock would have been too long otherwise.

Okay, time to devote my full attention to the Arrested Development Season Three DVDs we just picked up.

(Well, my full attention, that is, other than what I'm devoting to the Razor Cami.)