Cheshire Cat

Here's another recent FO! My Illusion knit socks that I've been working on for what seems like forever!


Pattern: Wonderland Socks (or Alice's Illusion Socks) by Alice Bell
Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss Sock in Cocoa and Bare
Needles: US 1 (2.25mm)
Started: August 10, 2009
Finished: January 11, 2010


Modifications:
I made several modifications to this pattern:

1. The pattern has you begin the illusion knitting right after the toe increases. But if you do that then the kitty cat will be hidden in your shoes!! Instead, I worked the foot in plain 2x2 stockinette stripes and didn't start the illusion knitting until after the heel. Because of this, I shortened the kitty cat chart by a few rows (I eliminated rows 16-19 and 22-25 of chart) to keep the socks to a reasonable height on my leg. If I had kept the chart as-is, then I would have probably ended up with knee-highs - which honestly would have been OK. They ended up hitting me about mid-calf.

2. I worked a toe-up Riverbed architecture heel flap.


3. I worked calf increases, since I knew the sock was going to hit quite high on my calf. I worked two stitches each increase row (one on each side of chart) on rows 15, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41 of chart.

4. I worked a 1x1 rib cuff for 14 rows and bound off in tubular bind-off.

5. I reversed the chart for the second sock. (I think the pattern tells you to do this, anyway.)

I am very happy with them!! I have yet to wear them, though (aside from pictures, anyway) because I am giving a presentation on Illusion Knitting at the Charlotte Knitting Guild meeting tomorrow night, and I want to pass them around as a sample. They probably wouldn't appreciate stinky-feet smelling socks getting passed around!! :-)

Making progress...

So, it's been a little while since I blogged last! I haven't gotten my Master Knitter package back in the mail yet, but I am waiting very patiently to find out my results. :-)

I haven't finished much lately - a pair of socks, a charity washcloth, and something else that I'll blog about later. (shhh, it's a surprise!) ;-) But I'm chugging away on lots of things.

Here's one of my FOs: a pair of socks that I started last year, and had hoped to have done by Inauguration Day - oh well, better late than never! My Audacity Socks:


Pattern: BFF socks by Cookie A.
Yarn: Black Bunny Fibers Merino in the color 'Audacity' (check out this blog post about the yarn)
Needles: US 2
Modifications: Just one - I made them a shorter length.
Since the yarn had a special significance, and I wanted to use a pattern that incorporated cables to signify our interconnections. I thought the pattern name was fitting as well.


And the charity washrag:


Pattern: Garterlac Dishcloth
Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Creme in 'Naturals'
Needles: US 7
No modifications. I initially tried to do the variation with no cast on edge, but got frustrated and gave up. (I got the hang of the technique, but it was late at night and I kept making mistakes! I'll give the technique a try sometime again later.)

The Charlotte Knitting Guild is collecting washrags to donate to Florence Crittenton Services in Charlotte.

Oh, and I did end up re-doing the zipper on my CPH:

(Ignore the cat hair!)

I'm much happier with it now. I just couldn't live with it all wavy and such - I had to do it over. Now if only the cool weather would get here so I can wear it!!


So, the LSG group on Ravelry had prizes for WiPs Wrestlemania a couple months ago, and I won a prize! A custom made project bag by Maddox! And here it is:


I absolutely love it! It's beautifully sewn - I immediately put some socks in progress in it! (And isn't the skunk card cute?? It says "I stink you're sweet!") It made my day when it arrived yesterday in the mail.

I'm still working on a few WiPs, but the number is dwindling, and I'm resisting casting on too many new projects! I did recently cast on a new pair of illusion knit socks that are way cool, but I'll blog about those when they're done!

Happy Knitting everyone!

I can't believe I won!

This year, again, Zarzuela is hosting the Summer of Socks! For those that aren't familiar with it, you cast on and knit socks throughout the summer, and get entered in random drawings when you finish socks. The big prize is the Vacation Photo prize at the end - you take a vacation photo with a sock in progress, and the participants vote on the winning photo. This year it is all taking place within Ravelry - visit the link to the Ravelry group over on the side-bar to sign up. I can't wait till tomorrow to cast on my socks!! I have several patterns and yarn already lined up. :-)

So, anyway, she had a blog button/banner contest, and I said "what the hey" and designed a little button and banner - never thinking I had a chance at winning!! And guess what? I won!! Woo-hoo! So here are my winning button and banner:

And I won a lovely package with sock yarn (of course!) and a bunch of other goodies! I'll post a picture when I get it in the mail. I can't wait!!

If you're in the Summer of Socks group - feel free to copy the banner and button and use them on your blog!

Happy Knitting everyone! Get your needles ready for tomorrow!!

WWKiP Day!

Saturday June 13th was World Wide Knit in Public Day! And what a fun day it was!

The Charlotte Knitting Guild hosted an event from 11-3 at a Charlotte area Books-a-Million, with prizes drawn every half-hour. The Joe Muggs cafe stepped up and had samples of iced coffee and treats for us too!

(Charlotte Purls! Stacey, me, Wendy, Rose, Donna and Angela (seated).)

(Stacey with my SKA WWKiP sock, and her own socks. Aren't they great?!)

After the WWKiP event, I headed home and got a few photos for the Ravelry SKA WWKiP Scavenger Hunt. (Quick explanation: you take photos of a sock in progress with different things, and get points. The people with the highest points win a prize, as well as winners in different categories. All in good fun!)

(Sock with children under 12, in front of (just part of!) my stash. One is knitting! 4pts)

(Sock with a person in uniform. 3pts. heehee!)

Then we headed to the mall, to get a bite to eat before seeing UP with the boys.

(Sock in front of a Landmark. Lowe's Motor Speedway. 5pts.)

(Sock dining out. 1pt.)

Then I did a little KiP before we headed over to the movie theatre.

(Sock being KiP in front of 3+ non-knitters. 6pts.)

I ended up tallying 35 points with my 9 photos (Not all of them are pictured here. You can check the rest out on my Flickr WWKiP set.) We'll see if I win anything. It doesn't really matter if I do - the point was to have fun, and I sure did!

The boys really enjoyed UP!, and we had fun watching for fireflies on the car ride home. Overall, it was a very good day!

Don't be afraid to KiP all year long! Happy Knitting everyone!

New Shoes!

I snagged a great deal on some shoes the other day:

These are Re-Mixed shoes in the Deco style. Olive and Brown colors. It's a 1920's inspired vintage recreation. These are normally $200 and I got them for $65 at Amazon. Great deal, huh? I normally wouldn't spend even that much on shoes (I'm a bargain buyer), but I fell in love with these and had to have them, and the price break was too good to pass up! They are very comfortable, and the heels make a very satisfying click when I walk in them. :-)

With all the vintage style clothing in fashion this winter, I think they will fit in quite nicely. And I think vintage is really a timeless style, so I should get lots of wear out of them, at least that's my story!

I've found a couple other pairs of shoes that I'm dying to get, but they are all a little bit pricier, (and not on sale!) and I can't bring myself to buy them (yet!). I never really was a shoe hog, but I can totally see how people can become one!

On the spinning front, I finished a batch of laceweight the other day:

This is Gale's Art BFL Roving in the Stormy Sea colorway. I ended up with a little over 600 yards. I'm planning on using it to make a Swallowtail shawl.

As soon as I finish up some Christmas gifts, I'll cast on for it. I'm chomping at the bit to do a Swallowtail!

And, on the knitting front, I've gotten a bit done since last post:

Socks:


And some longies and a smoke ring/wimple:


The smoke ring was knit in some Blue Sky Alpaca Silk - and it only took a few days to knit - it was quite surprisingly a fast knit! I love wearing it instead of a scarf - it's very soft and warm, yet lightweight.

I'm in the middle of knitting more socks, and several Christmas gifts. If only I had more time!!!

Oh well, both boys are sick with colds, so I'd best go tend to them. :-)

Beautiful Smoky Mountains

We went camping in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park this last weekend. The trees were all starting to turn colors already - just beautiful! We had never stayed directly in the park before, so we were a little nervous about bears. All food had to be kept locked in the car. And, there are no hook-ups or showers available, so we had to make sure we had a fully charged battery (plus a back-up!) to run our water pump, furnace, and lights.


We ended up not seeing any bears (but when we checked in they said that one was spotted in the campground two days before!), or elk either. Bummer. I would have liked to have seen a bear (from a safe distance that is!!). We camped with some of DH's family. The boys liked spending time with their Aunt and Uncle and Grandma.


The boys did the Junior Ranger program and earned their badges while we were there - they thought that was really cool! We celebrated DS#1's 5th birthday too. I can't believe he's 5!!!! He's been asking for a Darth Vader cake for almost a year now! And he loved it :-).

I got some goodies while I was there! :-) I had to stop at the Smoky Mtn Spinnery, since she was who sold me my drop spindle last year, which introduced me to another fiber obsession- spinning! I picked up some soft merino roving and some Melody yarn (I've been coveting some of the pretty Melody yarn for a while now!) And I had to get some yummy Blackberry wine too. ;-)

On the knitting front, I have about 6 WIPs on the needles right now! I may have an anxiety attack with so many things going at once! Three pairs of socks that I want to get done by the end of October for the SKA Sockdown, and one more pair that needs to be done by the end of November. Plus a pair of longies for the shop that a customer wants, so those have to get done asap. Plus, the Purls knit-a-long Baby Surprise Sweater that I just started for DS#1. The photo shoot for the KAL will be mid-November, so it has to be done by then. :-O I almost don't know what to pick up and work on at any one time!! When these are all done, please - remind me not to start so many projects at once!!!!

That's it for now!

10 years (and counting!)

My 10 yr. wedding anniversary is coming up in the next couple of weeks. To celebrate we're taking a (much needed!) vacation without the DS's. DS#1 and #2 are getting left with my parents while we stay at an upscale hotel in downtown Atlanta, catch a show at the Fabulous Fox (Les Miserables - my favorite show at my favorite theatre!!!!) have a nice dinner, and get to ride some rides at Six Flags without the kids in tow. We are soooooo looking forward to this!!! You have no idea. (I wonder if we'll have time to squeeze in a trip to a LYS? Hmmmm, maybe I can convince hubby that it will add to the romance of the getaway?) Maybe we'll have time to stop by my Alma Mater's gift shop so I can get a few new Ga Tech t-shirts, too. We may stop by the new W.orld of C.oke (haven't been to the new one yet) and get all gassy from the cola samples. :-) Oh, and sleep in - I haven't been acquainted with sleep since 2003, so it'll be nice to rediscover what that is. :-)



On the knitting front - I'm done with German Stocking #1:

And, I've cast on one more pair of socks for the SKA Sockdown challenge. A pair of C.ookie A.'s Pomatomus's in Dream in Color Smooshy (good luck jade colorway, very mermaid-y green). They are going well, although I don't have a pic yet. And the orange pair for DS#2 are coming along nicely too. He's anxious to have a pair of socks that fit him- the pair that I originally made for DS#1 that he's wearing now do not fit him! My boys are growing so fast! :-(

Well, that's it for me now - I'm off to give myself a pedicure for the sexy heels I'm wearing to the play and to finish packing! Catch you on the flip side!

Fair Ribbons, Knee Highs and Weight Loss

I entered my Pavo Socks and my Hemlock Ring Blanket in the Cabarrus County Fair.

Lookie what they won - a second place ribbon and a third place ribbon!
There were so many beautiful knitted and crocheted items there. And there are always lots of wonderful photos entered in the photo judging.



I've started a couple pairs of socks for the September SKA Sockdown - this month it's orange socks or a Cookie A. pattern. I'm doing a pair of generic orange socks for DS#2, and a pair of Cookie A.'s German Stockings:

These are my first knee-highs! I'm doing these with Knit Picks Palette yarn in a cream color - and size 1 harmony circs.

My cast on number was very difficult to nail down. I initially cast on the 122 sts for a 15 inch calf size (which is what my calves measure), but that was way too large (and I'm getting an even tighter gauge than called for as well.) Then I tried 114, the next size down, and that was still too big. Let me tell you, frogging 100+ stitches, twice, is not fun! I then tried the 106, and that one fits like a charm - that's the 13 inch calf size. So if you go to make these, keep that in mind!

I also made a modification and worked two sets of increase rows at 2.5 inches and at 3 inches - to widen the sock after the ribbing to make room for the wide part of my calves, and to account for the pulling in at the cable section.

The motif cable chart section was a bear to get through, but once that's done, it's a breeze! I'm already almost to the start of the heel on the first sock. I'm hopeful that I can finish these by the end of October to qualify for the Sockdown prizes.

DH and I have been changing our eating habits (not a diet, but a lifestyle change), and we have both lost about 10 pounds each over the course of the last month or two. We've both stalled a little and leveled off, but we also haven't added in exercise yet, so I'm hoping that adding in some exercise will speed the weight loss up again. My goal is to lose another 10-15 pounds or so - and get back into a size 8 jeans (that was my pre-DS#2 jean size). Keep your fingers crossed for us!

My FIL is in New York this week, having a biopsy done (on his liver spot) and another CT Scan. Everything looks good - the CT Scan showed that his tumors are getting smaller, so the chemo seems to be working, which is fantastic news. We don't know the biopsy results yet, but hope to in the next few days. Thank you for all your good thoughts and prayers, they are much appreciated. :-)

Well, that's it for now! Talk at ya later!

New member of the family

Well, we got the boys a hamster the other day. (I'll be doing the pet-parenting, though, since they're 4 and 2!)

She's a sweet little hammy - very sociable. She's only nipped me once, and to be fair I think my fingers smelled like food. She handles being picked up and petted very well. I'm not sure what exact type she is - she has slightly longer fur than a shorthair, but her fur isn't really as long as a longhair though either. She's very fuzzy and has a cute white-ish chin and belly. The boys named her Raven from Teen Titans (Azarath Metrion Zinthos!). I don't think she has supernatural powers though. :-)

So our family has grown by one, albeit a very little one!

On the knitting front - I'm almost done with the second sock of my own design that I was working on. I'm hoping to work on it non-stop tonight so I can enter it in the SKA June Sockdown, we'll see if I can get it done by midnight! Here's the way I ended up doing the gusset:

I like the way it ended up much better. The cable actually hugs the instep a little as it moves up to resume the twisted cable on the foot. I'm definitely going to at least knit part of a sock in a solid color to show off the leaf pattern, since you can't see it so well in the multi-color yarn.

And I've joined the craziness that is Ravelympics! Basically you knit as much as you can from the time the Olympic torch is lit until the closing ceremonies. Some people are trying to do a sweater, or a lace shawl, or more than one. I am going to try to do the Gift Knits Pentathlon (knitting 5 gifts!) and the WIP Wrestling (try to finish wips - in my case 4 of them!). I highly doubt I'll finish all 9 things, but that's OK- it's all about the effort. :-) I'll keep you posted.

Update on FIL - He's doing well with the chemo. He finished his first 6 week round, and the cat scan shows no real improvement, but it hasn't gotten any worse either, so it's not bad news in my book. He's starting his second 6 week treatment this week, so hopefully after this next round we'll start to see some good things. Fingers crossed.

That's it for now.

Pavo Socks

Here it is! My first major Pattern. squee!

Introducing Pavo Socks:

$3.50 download

Socks knit with fingering weight yarn (approx. 400 yards) on 2 circular needles (size 1.5).

Toe-Up construction with a traditional heel flap.

Peacock Plumes lace pattern on leg and instep.
(Pavo is the scientific genus of Peacocks, so I thought the name fit!)

Techniques used: toe up cast on, left and right leaning increases, and a stretchy 1x1 rib bind off, like Kitchener Rib Bind Off.

The lace is slightly off center, so the pattern includes charts to mirror image your second sock, if desired.

Charts and fully written out lace pattern included.

New Zune, Socks, and Jello!

So I'm a bit of a gadget nerd. I love neat electronic gadgets. I wish I had more money to spend on little electronic gadgets. I had an mp3 player that was a few years old (I wouldn't be caught dead with an iPod, but that's just me) - and it died on me the other day. (It was an iRiver - a model they haven't made anymore for some time now - it lasted me a good two/three years - it lived a good life.) So I looked at a new mp3 player. I fell in love with the Zune. I got myself a nice 80GB Zune with a pretty color screen. OMG the stuff this mp3 player does! I never knew what I was missing while I had the piddly 20GB iRiver that only played music and showed still pictures. This thing plays videos, video and audio podcasts, and stores the album pictures with the audio files so you see the album cover while the song is playing. It's a thing of wonder! The Squircle pad is touch responsive - it's a breeze to scroll through my 20+ gig worth of mp3 files. And the picture quality! We got the home a/v kit so we could watch videos on our tv from it - and promptly downloaded the whole season 4 of Battlestar Gallactica to watch (since we're cable deprived). Zune to tv video is not too bad a quality either - a little fuzzy in spots, but not bad at all. Anyway - I'm really happy with my new Zune! I'm in gadget heaven. :-)


I'm in the process of writing up 3 new sock patterns.

My Pavo socks are coming along nicely - I'm done with Sock#1 and working on sock#2 - hopefully I'll have the pattern tweaked and ready to publish in a week or two. I started these the beginning of June for the SKA Sockdown (June's challenge was to design your own socks). I'm really happy with how these are turning out.

I'm writing up the pattern for William's Socks that I did a while back, too. I'm hoping to have that pattern done in a week or two as well.

And, I'm knitting another pair for SKA June Sockdown, too. I haven't come up with a name for these yet. They have a leaf lace motif in the center instep and mini-cables on each side. The yarn is obscuring the pattern a little - I may knit a second pair in a solid color yarn before I finish the pattern up, I'm not sure.

I felt patriotic and made Red, White and Blue Jigglers for the boys for the 4th. They turned out well:

Here's how you make them:

Prepare a red flavor of Jello as per the Jiggler instructions. Pour into pan and let set for about an hour. Then prepare lemon flavored (or unflavored) jello as per jiggler instructions - and then mix in a half a tub of cool-whip to that jello. Pour on top of the red jello, and let it set for another hour. Mix a blue flavor of Jello as per jiggler instructions, and pour on top of the white layer, then let set in the fridge until firm. Then cut into cubes and enjoy!

Anyways, I'll drop in again soon! (Hopefully with a couple of patterns done!!)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Tuesday was my birthday - I won't say how old I am - other than to say that I'm now one year closer to the big 4-0. :-( I certainly don't feel like I'm in my (late!) 30's! But, man, I'm really happy with my birthday present - finally a Democratic Nominee!!!!!! Yipee!!! I'm so fired up and ready to go, ya'll!

Hubby got me a lovely tea brewer and some loose leaf tea. I had never heard of Teavana - they originated in Atlanta, so you'd think I would have heard of them. The brewer is the coolest thing - you put your loose leaf tea in and pour you hot/boiling water in and let it steep. Then for the cool part - you place it on top of your mug, and the tea filters out down into your mug - hard to explain, but the coolest thing I've seen in a while. Did I mention that I think it's really cool? Here's a linky to the brewer so you can see for yourself. :-)

So, let's see, it's been I while since I blogged - I've started and finished a Hemlock Ring Blanket - here it is blocking:

I used Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in the Lake Ice Heather color. I ended up using 7 skeins plus a little bit from an 8th skein. The finishing row took about 4 hours to do - and I ended up with over 500 stitches on the needles! Once it was blocked it was about 48 inches wide.

I am ever amazed with lace blocking. You start with an ugly clump of knitted material that looks like this:

And then you end up with a beautiful lace blanket:

And I started a pair of Pirate Socks (pattern is Jack Sparrow's Favorite Socks):

I'm using Chameleon Colorworks Bambino in the Midnight colorway, and Knit Picks Gloss for the heels, toes and fair isle bit. I am loving the Bambino (wool/bamboo blend) - it has a lovely sheen to it and feels so silky - goes well with the gloss yarn, since that's a wool/silk blend.

And here's some spinning I've done - a fingering weight yarn with a long color change (I was actually going for laceweight to do a Swallowtail Shawl with it, but it ended up a little too thick, at 330 yards):

It's Gale's Art BBFL Roving in Ocean Blues colorway.

I'm in the process of spinning up another batch much more thinly - Gale's Art BBFL Roving in "Stormy Seas" colorway:

This batch is going well - I think it'll end up a nice lace weight once I ply it.

Well, I'll stop there for now! Ta-Ta!

(Edited to add: Update on my FIL - they've determined the stage of cancer - it's Stage 3a. He's starting Chemo within the week. His doctor is very optimistic, and says that it's curable. Please continue to keep him in you thoughts!)

Swing Set! and New Shoes!

We got the DS's a new swing set a couple of weekends ago. Took us a good two weeks to get it put together (OMG - totally pay the money to have someone else put one of these together for you - I don't care how much they charge - trust me on this one!)


They absolutely love it! Here's some progress pics and the finished product (minus some yard tweaking, that is):







I finished my socks last week:

And snagged a new pair of shoes earlier in the week to show off my hand-knitted socks:

These are the Journey's exclusive clear Converse sneakers. I've been wanting a pair for almost 6 months now - but they are impossible to get your hands on! I just happened to hit the mall on the very day they got a new shipment, can you believe it?! (It actually looks like they have some in stock online now, too, so snag them while you can!) I'm hoping they don't rub too badly on the heel area, they feel a little snug there - I'm thinking I'll wear cheap-o socks to break the sneakers in before I risk my precious hand-knits.

My Mother's Day gift (a little early):

A Kodak EasyShare Z1285. I love it! It's small enough to carry around in my purse, and takes great photos! Plus HD video and photos too. I was wanting a carry-around-everywhere camera that took good photos and videos to replace my current way-outdated-slow-as-heck-crappy-camera that I did have (an old model Olympus D-560). This new one is fast as lightning and has 12mp. I'm happy. :-)

Some of you are already aware of this - my FIL was diagnosed with stomach cancer a few weeks ago. Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. According to the CT scan and other tests that were done, it looks like it was caught early and hasn't spread to his other organs. He had an appointment with an oncologist earlier in the week, and they are doing more diagnostic tests this week and early next week. By Friday of next week we should have a better idea of what exactly we're up against, and know what the game plan is for beating it into remission. Please continue to keep him and our family in your thoughts and prayers.