I guess I had Irish luck on my side this Thanksgiving. Jen at Woolgirl (my favorite shop in the whole world) held a contest on her blog for Thanksgiving. The contest was to leave a comment with a favorite turkey day side dish and even the recipe if possible. I entered, and my name was drawn! You have to experience a package from Jen to truly understand how exciting this win is. Apparently, I have some really cute Irish stitch markers from Zephyr and a Thomas Joseph 2008 calendar coming my way, along with some (sharp intake of breath...) YARN! Woo hoo!! I am quite excited.
I have gone sock and chevron mad over the past few days. I am almost finished with sock number one for my hubby. I've also made great progress on the pair for my mom. Mom will be getting a chevron to match. One of the yarns in the chevron is the same I'm using for her socks. (Zen String parfait). Then I decided to do another (my third for those keeping track!) chevron scarf, this one for my mother in law. I'm using sport weight yarn for hers, as she lives in Michigan where it is COLD. Here in Houston, a heavy wool scarf doesn't get much use, so fingering weight works great. I am pleased with how hers is coming along too. I can't post pictures right now because these items are supposed to be a Christmas surprise. But I will take photos of each and post after they have been opened. Hopefully, I will manage to get all of the gifts done. I would love to do a pair of socks for a couple of other people, but I don't want to push my luck! I do have yarn tucked aside in case I manage to get to them though. :-)
Well, I'm wasting good knitting time sitting here typing. The yarn is calling me.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Secret Pal 11 Revealed
My SP 11 pal revealed herself to me. She is a Texan living in Georgia. Barely a week went by that I didn't get a funny card in the mail. Sometimes they included a comic or bookmark or something little for the kids, others they were simply hysterical greetings. Either way, I knew that my pal was thinking of me and that she put a lot of effort into this exchange. A glance at her blog tells me that we have a lot in common. I am taking a brief break from Thanksgiving cooking right now, but can't wait to read more of her blog later.
Thank you so much Christy for the gifts and thoughts. You truly spoiled me rotten.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who read this. (anyone who doesn't read my blog doesn't deserve such wishes! ha ha ha)
Thank you so much Christy for the gifts and thoughts. You truly spoiled me rotten.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who read this. (anyone who doesn't read my blog doesn't deserve such wishes! ha ha ha)
Monday, November 19, 2007
Sock it to me Twice Questionnaire
1. How long have you been knitting? Do you consider yourself beginner, intermediate, advanced?
I have been knitting for about 15 months. I consider myself on the intermediate side of things.
2. How long have you been knitting socks?
3. What are your favorite fibers to work with?
Natural fibers. I love squishy, sport weight sock yarns, nice merino wools, cotton, silk, bamboo....
4. What is your favorite color?
It's a toss up between orange and navy. I really love color in general. The only color I really don't care for is purple.
5. What are your current WIPs (works in progress)?
2 chevron scarves, socks, a sweater and a blanket for my son
6. Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.).
I love Zen String, Miss Babs and Sereknitty sport weight sock yarns. They all have such amazing colors and are so soft and sproingy! And what in the world is softer than Malabrigo worsted? I also love the Araucania yarns and Queensland yarns-- epecially the Queensland Kathmandhu. Again, it's the colors! I am a freak for all things Woolgirl. She has the most amazing yarns.
7. What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from.
Anything acrylic. It gives me the heebie jeebies.
8. What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?)
Yes to all. Married for 15 years in early November. Two kids (9 and 4) and 3 pets (1 old cat, 1 shih tzu dog and a nutso kitten)
9. Name some of your hobbies.
The obvious one- knitting, reading, bubble baths, sailing, drinking wine with friends, watching movies, cooking
10. Name some of your favorite movies?
Monty Python's Holy Grail, The Great White Hype, Ocean's 11, A Room with A View, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
11. Do you like to read?
Definitely!
12. Do you collect anything?
Teapots, Homer Laughlin Wells Art glaze dishes in green, Baccarat crystal figurines, YARN!
13. Do you own an iPod or mp3 player?
Yup!
14. What are your favorite type of knitting needles?
My favorites are Lantern Moon wooden needles, but I tend to use Addi circs the most, which doesn't make any sense to me as I put it in writing!
15. What knitting notion could you not live without?
The freebie tape measure that my LYS gives to first time customers!
16. Who are some of your favorite designers?
Diane Soucy and her Knitting Pure and Simple patterns
17. Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.)
I am a magazine junky. The only knitting mag I get is IK. Otherwise, lots of cooking and fashion mags-- Bon Appetite, Cooks Illustrated, Cooking Light, In Style, Allure, Lucky and then the one incredibly guilty pleasure (I am embarrased to admit it)-- Us Weekly!
18. When is your birthday?
July 22
19. Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)?
Yes.
20. Do you have a Ravelry ID?
Cinben
21. If you had a sheep, what would you name it?
Fred
I have been knitting for about 15 months. I consider myself on the intermediate side of things.
2. How long have you been knitting socks?
I started this summer, in June. So about 6 months.
3. What are your favorite fibers to work with?
Natural fibers. I love squishy, sport weight sock yarns, nice merino wools, cotton, silk, bamboo....
4. What is your favorite color?
It's a toss up between orange and navy. I really love color in general. The only color I really don't care for is purple.
5. What are your current WIPs (works in progress)?
2 chevron scarves, socks, a sweater and a blanket for my son
6. Name your favorite yarns, (brand, fibers, colors, etc.).
I love Zen String, Miss Babs and Sereknitty sport weight sock yarns. They all have such amazing colors and are so soft and sproingy! And what in the world is softer than Malabrigo worsted? I also love the Araucania yarns and Queensland yarns-- epecially the Queensland Kathmandhu. Again, it's the colors! I am a freak for all things Woolgirl. She has the most amazing yarns.
7. What are some yarns/fibers that you stay away from.
Anything acrylic. It gives me the heebie jeebies.
8. What is your family situation? (Married, kids, pets?)
Yes to all. Married for 15 years in early November. Two kids (9 and 4) and 3 pets (1 old cat, 1 shih tzu dog and a nutso kitten)
9. Name some of your hobbies.
The obvious one- knitting, reading, bubble baths, sailing, drinking wine with friends, watching movies, cooking
10. Name some of your favorite movies?
Monty Python's Holy Grail, The Great White Hype, Ocean's 11, A Room with A View, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
11. Do you like to read?
Definitely!
12. Do you collect anything?
Teapots, Homer Laughlin Wells Art glaze dishes in green, Baccarat crystal figurines, YARN!
13. Do you own an iPod or mp3 player?
Yup!
14. What are your favorite type of knitting needles?
My favorites are Lantern Moon wooden needles, but I tend to use Addi circs the most, which doesn't make any sense to me as I put it in writing!
15. What knitting notion could you not live without?
The freebie tape measure that my LYS gives to first time customers!
16. Who are some of your favorite designers?
Diane Soucy and her Knitting Pure and Simple patterns
17. Do you subscribe to any magazines? (Knitting or otherwise.)
I am a magazine junky. The only knitting mag I get is IK. Otherwise, lots of cooking and fashion mags-- Bon Appetite, Cooks Illustrated, Cooking Light, In Style, Allure, Lucky and then the one incredibly guilty pleasure (I am embarrased to admit it)-- Us Weekly!
18. When is your birthday?
July 22
19. Do you have a "wishlist", (on Ravelry, Froogle, or Amazon)?
Yes.
20. Do you have a Ravelry ID?
Cinben
21. If you had a sheep, what would you name it?
Fred
Sunday, November 11, 2007
My Clappy is a Goner
In my never-ending world of frogging, I have a new victim-- my Clappy. I am on the 8th repeat in the third section (where you begin the drops) and have completely screwed things up somehow. And truth be told, I wasn't feeling the love for the thing anyway. I have been using Malabrigo worsted in Amorosa. It's gorgeous stuff, and beautiful to work with. However, I have been finding the semi-solid color a bit monotonous. And it is HEAVY. Then there is the issue of the yarn sticking, making the drops practically impossible. Each time I had to drop a stitch, I would literally have to rip the stitch all the way down by hand. I have decided that the current screwup debacle is a sign that I should just frog the thing and use the yarn for something more suited for it. I will probably do a sweater, as the yarn is just gorgeous. So now I'm on the hunt for more Clappy yarn. I'll probably just go the traditional route and use Loran's Lion and Lamb... we'll see.
In Chevron news, I am close to 1/2 way on my own Chevron. While we were traveling, my mother oogled my scarf and asked me to make her one. That was all I needed to hear to prompt me to make a purchase from Woolgirl while on vacation in Maui!!! Is there a 12-step program for Woolgirl addiction? If so, I need to join. I ended up buying Zen String Parfait and a Miss Babs that looks something like this (although not exactly this one). I began working on it and LOVE it. My mom is going to go bezerk when she sees it. I actually like it better than mine!
I'm still looking for the perfect sock pattern for my mom's socks. It's difficult for me because I only do socks on circs, and it seems that patterns are somewhat limited for circs. And for the life of me, I can't figure out how to translate a dpn pattern to circs.
In other news, my dear, dear, dear friend Purl passed the Texas Bar!!!! WOO HOO!! Way to go Purl! I'm so happy for you. I know first hand how relieved you are, and I really couldn't be more excited about the news. Purl called me in Maui to tell me the news, and I started screaming to everyone at the hotel pool that my friend had passed the Bar! I'm not sure that the elderly couple from Florida really cared (sorry, Purl!), but I was truly being a spazz. My mom, dad, hubby and I all had a celebratory drink in Purl's honor. I think the elderly Florida couple had a drink in order to drown me out. :-)
Purl has also been kind enough to babysit our kitten Rainy during our vacation. Rainy has spent countless hours with Purl and her hubby, generally terrorizing them! He has found his favorite spot on earth in their dishwasher, has developed a fondness for Socks that Rock, gone AWOL (inducing panic in the babysitters!) while hiding on a bookshelf, committed to leaping out from behind doors in an attempt to scare said babysitters...
This morning we had a real treat. We met my college friends Becky and Dean and finally met their new daughter Paisley. Becky was a pledge sister of mine and was my closest friend in college. Dean was her boyfriend throughout college, and put up with more than his fair share of antics, trouble and turmoil with me and Becky! Becky is responsible for my knitting today. About 14 months ago, I mentioned to her while we were visiting them in Dallas that I really wanted to learn to knit. She hooked me up with the person who taught me to knit and purl. This morning, Becky, Dean and Paisley met us for breakfast while driving through Houston. It was amazing to see Paisley. She is the most precious little girl. Like our Sarah, Paisley is from Hunan, China. While the girls are 3 years apart in age, they share the same birthday of October 28. Paisley is obviously a happy girl. And so observant-- she never stopped soaking it all in. What a cute family the three of them make! It was a great morning!!!
I guess that wraps things up for now. More to come later, with pictures of Chevron progress!
In Chevron news, I am close to 1/2 way on my own Chevron. While we were traveling, my mother oogled my scarf and asked me to make her one. That was all I needed to hear to prompt me to make a purchase from Woolgirl while on vacation in Maui!!! Is there a 12-step program for Woolgirl addiction? If so, I need to join. I ended up buying Zen String Parfait and a Miss Babs that looks something like this (although not exactly this one). I began working on it and LOVE it. My mom is going to go bezerk when she sees it. I actually like it better than mine!
I'm still looking for the perfect sock pattern for my mom's socks. It's difficult for me because I only do socks on circs, and it seems that patterns are somewhat limited for circs. And for the life of me, I can't figure out how to translate a dpn pattern to circs.
In other news, my dear, dear, dear friend Purl passed the Texas Bar!!!! WOO HOO!! Way to go Purl! I'm so happy for you. I know first hand how relieved you are, and I really couldn't be more excited about the news. Purl called me in Maui to tell me the news, and I started screaming to everyone at the hotel pool that my friend had passed the Bar! I'm not sure that the elderly couple from Florida really cared (sorry, Purl!), but I was truly being a spazz. My mom, dad, hubby and I all had a celebratory drink in Purl's honor. I think the elderly Florida couple had a drink in order to drown me out. :-)
Purl has also been kind enough to babysit our kitten Rainy during our vacation. Rainy has spent countless hours with Purl and her hubby, generally terrorizing them! He has found his favorite spot on earth in their dishwasher, has developed a fondness for Socks that Rock, gone AWOL (inducing panic in the babysitters!) while hiding on a bookshelf, committed to leaping out from behind doors in an attempt to scare said babysitters...
This morning we had a real treat. We met my college friends Becky and Dean and finally met their new daughter Paisley. Becky was a pledge sister of mine and was my closest friend in college. Dean was her boyfriend throughout college, and put up with more than his fair share of antics, trouble and turmoil with me and Becky! Becky is responsible for my knitting today. About 14 months ago, I mentioned to her while we were visiting them in Dallas that I really wanted to learn to knit. She hooked me up with the person who taught me to knit and purl. This morning, Becky, Dean and Paisley met us for breakfast while driving through Houston. It was amazing to see Paisley. She is the most precious little girl. Like our Sarah, Paisley is from Hunan, China. While the girls are 3 years apart in age, they share the same birthday of October 28. Paisley is obviously a happy girl. And so observant-- she never stopped soaking it all in. What a cute family the three of them make! It was a great morning!!!
I guess that wraps things up for now. More to come later, with pictures of Chevron progress!
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Knitting and travel
For my few readers, sorry it's been so long since my last post. As most of you know, my family (hubby, kids and parents) are on vacation. We are having a great time in Maui, Hawaii. This is very special for me, as I vacationed here with my parents and brother many times when I was in junior high school through college. It has been a long time since I have been back, and I can't believe that I am getting to do it with my hubby and kids (none of them have been here before) and with my parents, who are a lot of fun to travel with.
I had lofty ambitions of knitting a ton of socks while sittting on the beach. And on the long airplane ride. I also planned to finish my chevron scarf. Let's just say that a little bit of progress has been made on the scarf, and not much on ANY socks! Oops. I did cast on with some gorgeous Zen Strings yarn that I got from Woolgirl just before our departure. I bought it for my mom in a colorway of her choosing. I got a few repeats into the pattern, and it just wasn't working for me, so I frogged it. I think I have found a pattern from More Sensational Socks that will work much better. We'll see!
Anywho, I just wanted to make a quick post and say aloha to my devoted reader(s)! See you soon.
I had lofty ambitions of knitting a ton of socks while sittting on the beach. And on the long airplane ride. I also planned to finish my chevron scarf. Let's just say that a little bit of progress has been made on the scarf, and not much on ANY socks! Oops. I did cast on with some gorgeous Zen Strings yarn that I got from Woolgirl just before our departure. I bought it for my mom in a colorway of her choosing. I got a few repeats into the pattern, and it just wasn't working for me, so I frogged it. I think I have found a pattern from More Sensational Socks that will work much better. We'll see!
Anywho, I just wanted to make a quick post and say aloha to my devoted reader(s)! See you soon.
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