Holiday knit-o-rama

Pictures of a few Christmas gifts I made this year. Nothing spectacular, just more utilitarian. But utilitarian is good :)

This was the Fuschia scarf o' doom I made for my Aunt. These first few pictures don't do the color justice, but you can see the stitch pattern better. It's the One Row scarf :) I do love this pattern and I expect I'll make another one for myself in a not eye-bleeding pink color one of these days.





Here's a better representation of the BRIGHT color.





I also used this yarn and some multi-pink Opal sock yarn together to make a groovy ear warmer/headband thing for my Aunt. Sadly, no pictures. She seemed to love them both, but after opening them, she decided to wrap the scarf around her head instead :)



Remember this shawl for my mother that I started back in April? Well, I finally blocked the damned thing so I could give it to her for Christmas. I didn't know until I was done soaking it and pinning it out on my son's floor that you aren't supposed to wet-block cotton. Ooops. Oh well, it came out nice anyway and my mom loved it!







The look on my mom's face when she opened the package was priceless :)



Each side is probably 5 feet long, so she had to wrap it a few times around her shoulders, but it looks good on her anyway. The coloring goes well with her skin-tone, just as I had hoped!



One day in passing, I found a pattern for something called the "Magic Scarf." It's just a plain ol' stockinette rectangle, but you cast off in such a way that, once you're done, you can pull the two ends of the scarf and it becomes three times as long and lacy. I wanted to try it out...and well, I had this Wool Ease Thick & Quick sitting around, so I put the two together into a scarf for my sister who just moved to Ohio a few months ago. I think it's really pretty!

I had another ball in the same color, so I also made her an ear warmer/headband thingie for walking my furry niece and nephew in the snow.







Currently, I'm working on a plain ol' simple as can be garter stitch scarf for myself. Why? Well, I have plans in a few weeks for a SUPER DUPER AWESOME vacation in the snow and I need a warm scarf. I'm using a skein of Chasing Rainbows Dyeworks tussah/merino dreamy yarn, so it's just scrumptious. So soft, an amazing drape to the fabric and I am in deep lust with the colors. No pictures now, but I promise once I'm done :)

Bad blogger

It's cold.

No, It's really cold. For California...it's COLD. I have a heater going under my desk and my big heavy wool coat on and cords and hig heavy socks and...I'm COLD.

*shiver*

I am taking life in stride...which is surprising me. The ex wife and I observed a special ed class for the boy to go to yesterday morning. In a lot of ways, it was just a regular classroom...but it was also a SPECIAL ED class...only a few students, several teachers....and it scared the heck out of me that my boy will be in that classroom.

He starts on Monday.

Actually, it's a really great, mild classroom and they follow the school district curriculum, so he will still get his education and learn what he needs to learn. Yeah, it's a special ed class, but they were adding and subtracting when we observed...and the boy can barely count to 30 : He'll have some catching up to do educationally, but I think he'll like it. He said he thought the school looked a lot better than his current school and he was excited to start there next week.

I hope it goes well.

*fret*

Not a lot of knitting has been happening...which isn't a good thing, because I have to finish the hot pink scarf of doom for my aunt! That's the last present I have to make...unless I somehow whip it out and am able to make her the matching hat I wanted to make her :)

I'm stalled on my Mr. Greenjeans sweater because my needle broke and then I got into holiday knitting and haven't gotten a new needle yet. But, after christmas...yes! I'm up to where I start the cables on the body, so hopefully it will wiz by and I'll have a groovy new sweater to wear in 2008 :)

I also REALLY REALLY want to make myself this hat :D

Click on the picture for the pattern :) I will, of course, make it in orange alpaca with brown trim.

*shiver*

Did I mention I'm cold? :D

Decisions, decisions

Well, I got to the point in my Mr. Greenjeans last night where I put it on some waste yarn and try the bugger on to see if it's ready for the cables. I did all of the above and, well, um, it's HUGE. I decided, okay, that's okay, I can just have a too-big, cozy wrap-up sweater instead of a form-fitting, cabled, delicious sweater.

It appears I was adding in ease for clothes that was probably already assumed in there and now I have a sweater that's huge.

Oh well. I will just knit it up in whatever way I want to and then have an entirely unique sweater just for me, lol.

*hits myself in the head*

Happy Halloween!!

I just love this day :) It's fall, people get to dress up as weird as they want to, there's bats and skeletons and pumpkins in everyone's yard. And. I get to have my one big tradition with the boy.

The annual pumpkin patch photo shoot :)

Despite being sick, the boy was quite thrilled to go this year and we had a lot of fun! As evidinced by the pictures below :)


This is the "official" halloween shot this year...in other words, the only good one with pumpkins involved, lol.

After we ran around for awhile, he got to pick two rides to go on. The first one was one of those GIANT slides. He wanted to go on it...all alone. I was so proud that he traipsed up there carrying the blanket AND bear and got himself situated and down he came! This is near the bottom of the slide.


Can't see that ear-splitting grin close enough? How about this?


Then, he chose a ride that goes around and around and up in the air. This is the guy running the ride explaining to him that Bear has to be in the seatbelt too so he will be safe :)


He made his own costume yesterday. He wanted to be a ghost, but he refused to BUY a costume. He was adamant that it be a white sheet with holes cut into it. So, he decided where the holes should be and cut them out and this is the result. He's quite pleased with himself :)


I hope you all have a goulishly delightful day and may you not be attacked by zombies :)

Secret Pal 11 package! yay!

So, yesterday, I got my Secret Pal 11 package! Wahoo! It was just great :)

Wanna know what was inside? Of course you do!



I got three skeins of some gorgeous rusty red Knit Picks wool and alpaca Cadena yarn! It's so soft and squishy and I can't WAIT to knit it into something warm and delicious :)

I got a GREAt looking science fiction anthology book, which I can't wait to sit down and read through. It's edited by Orson Scott Card, whom I love, so I expect the stories to all be fantabulous and right up my alley :)

And finally, I got a stuffed animal horse, which is a "Webkinz." Having never heard of this before, it is apparently something where you go online and create a little life for your stuffed animal. I think my son and I should have a blast playing with this cute little thing :)

Thank you again, my fantabulous Secret pal :) I don't know if I mentioned it, but I got my first issue of Interweave Knits last Friday and I was so excited! thanks again for that subscription!

*happy dance*

Awesome news!

Isn't this totally awesome news? I can't wait to listen :)

Rock on, Vickie Howell :D

SP11 contest :)

My SP11 hostess is having a contest and I'm feeling joiner-ish, so I'll play along! Yay :)

My Favorite:

Actor - Jeff Goldblum or Kevin Spacey
Actress - Michelle Rodriguez
Animal - Bengal tiger...or really, cats in general :)
Band - Ani Difranco's older stuff
Book - The Family Tree by Sherri S. Tepper
Bubble Bath - lavender
Candy - swedish fish
Color - orange with green being a VERY close second
Flower - Calla Lily
Food - popcorn specifically, mexican for favorite cuisine
Lip Balm - Jamba Juice orange cream lip balm
Lotion - St. Ives intensive therapy
Movie - The Lost Boys
Song - "Back When I Could Fly" by Trout Fishing in America
TV Show - Currently, so many! Maybe Bones or Kyle XY or Clean Sweep or Good Eats :)
Vacation Spot - Seattle or my bed :D

In which I visit the Frog Pond

I've been knitting away on my FIRST. EVER. SWEATER. and I am so in love with it!

Look at this wonderful shoulder that took shape!


Look at the expanse of back stitches I've accomplished!


Look at this hideous, insidious, evil extra stitch turned ladder down the middle of the back that I ran into last night which made me weep :(


Rip-It! Rip-It! Rip-It!

Look at the sad little ball of yarn after I ripped out the ENTIRE sweater thus far to start over again :(


*sigh*

Off to cast-on again.

PS - All the above pictures? Taken in my lunchroom by my lousy cameraphone! Guess I found THE place to take good pictures with that thing, lol.

Mr. Greenjeans visits Pleasantville

I had a scrumptious weekend...yay!

Saturday, I went to the Knit and Crochet Show with my awesome friend, Roklobster(She's so cool! Yay for getting to hang out with her :) ), and bought a bunch of scrumptious yarn :) Malabrigio was mine! My first skein of yarn with cashmere in it(merino/cashmere blend)...Mine! Loverly wool/silk blend with no tags...a total steal for 4 large balls in a bag...all mine! I also got a HUGE Lion Brand shopping bag with free yarn from Lion Brand and Coats & Clark. Three cheers for free yarn! Even if some of it was NEON FUSCIA! I kid you not.

Besides the amazing yarny goodness at the show, I cast on and started knitting on my VERY FIRST SWEATER ever :D *gleam* I'm using Dark Horse Fantasy yarn in a multi-green colorway. It is just so very cool to be making a sweater :D All weekend, I would put the little 2-inch strip around my shoulders where it will end up and announce to Scot, "Look! I'm wearing my sweater!" :D

This is the whole project as of last night. I did about 6 more rows today at lunch! It's a great, easy pattern and I'm really enjoying knitting it :) The yarn doesn't look nearly as "Camoflage" in real life, lol.


Look! It has shoulders :D (This tickles me to no end). As I had to tell Scot, It's a top-down raglan, so those holes are on purpose, lol.


But, sadly, this one is not. It's NOT a dropped stitch...I think it's just a really big, loose stitch, so I have to figure out how to fix it...maybe move the slack on that stitch along with a crochet hook and share it out with the whole row. I think that's what you're supposed to do :P


Other than knitterly yarny things, Scot and I watched a LOT of Bones episodes, since the 2nd season was finally released and Netflix sent them to us :) I sure love that show...all science geeky and smart and ridiculously funny and just smart. We had lots of groovy home cookin' and took a long bike ride around Alameda.

A few days before, Scot found this street....she calls it Pleasantville :) It was a showroom model block for the Sterling Lumber Company after the war. Returning soldiers would go to that block, look at the model homes and buy the one they wanted. The row of model homes are still there, now occupied like regular houses. But, for this one block of houses (all beautiful, well-maintained craftsmen homes), it's like you've stepped back in time. Walking down the street, everyone says hi to you. Everyone knows everyone else. Scot met a woman who was planting in her garden the day before and talked to her and found out that people don't even lock their house or car doors on that street. Everwhere was big porches, craftsman lines and immaculate tiny little yards.

There was a house for sale on the street (which,the gardening lady told Scot, already had a contingency offer on it) and everyone was already moved out of the house, so we skulked around the sides and the porch and the back yarn and looked inside at all the awesome built-ins and planned what we would do with the house if we were to win the lottery and buy it :) It was tons of fun.

*skulk skulk skulk*

It was really just a delightful weekend :)I hope you all had just as much fun and delight as we did :D

Electricity

The electricity in my entire neighborhood was out this weekend, so I got a fair bit of knitting, spinning and reading done :)

First of all, I finished my mom's shawl...just in time to give it to her for her birthday on Sunday :) She LOVED the colors and put it on right away and was just thrilled :) See what a few skeins of cheap Lion Brand Homespun and some big needles can do, lol....



I also finished my partner's second slipper on Thursday night, so her toes are being kept warm and cushy as the Bay Area slips into fall and cool, rainy days :) I just LOVE this pattern and can't wait to make my own slippers!



Here's one mid-knit, so you can see why my partner dubbed them "Foot Canoes" LOL





Finally, I spun up the remainder of this sample roving for A Little Quacky and plied it...my first time Navajo plying and I LOVED it! I need a lot more practice to end up with an even, not overspun yarn, but yay! What a fun technique :P



Above is while spinning and below is the plied yarn :)



Then, I decided to start a small project this weekend because the yarn for my FIRST SWEATER hasn't arrived yet (hopefully, it will today!) and I needed something to knit while the power was out, lol.

Enter wristwarmers in Plymouth Baby Grande Alapaca :) I'm just sort of making them up as I go along and I LOVE them. They're soft and delicious and sproingy and soft and warm and did I mention soft? hehe.



I don't like the increases I did for my giant palms, so I'm gonna tink back a bit and try a different increase, then try to recreate another matching one, lol.

This Saturday is The Knit and Crochet show and I'm SUPER excited to go and buy delicious yarn and fondle everything :P I'm also going with my new fibery friend, so it's a double good day!

Knit Picks Needle Nirvana

*sob*

I just wrote a HUGE GLOWING review of the new Knit Picks wooden needle tips and accidentally lost it!!!! *sob sob sob**

Quick re-cap because I need to get back to work.

Ordered them they day they were on the website. Got them yesterday :)

They're amazing. They're beautiful. They're the perfect needle. I am never using another needle again. So smooth they are almost laquered feeling, but not sticky like laquer. The yarn moves effortlessly along the needles, but also stays put enough to not have them all slide off when you aren't looking. Colors aren't as garish as they look on the website...more a muted, wooden colors. They're stunning to look at, warm in the hands, super soft and just a dream to hold. I didn't want to put them down.

Knitting with them is amazing. Stitches glides effortlessly with no resistance. The points are really pointy so they get under the most stubborn stitches with ease, almost as if they're reading your mind. Yet, they're not so pointy that they hurt when you press on the ends...much less so than some other needles I've used in the past.

Perfect smoothness yet clinginess.
Perfect pointiness without causing injury.
Perfectly smooth join that lets the yarn glide effortlessly around the cable.
Perfect weight and warmth.
Perfect colors and beauty.

PERFECT needles.

I brought my camera to take pictures for y'all but I forgot the card reader *duh* so you'll have to make due with an inferior camera phone picture :) This is some dusty green Wool of the Andes wool on the needles :)



Everyone should run out and buy these now!

Disclaimer: I'm in no way affiliated with Knit Picks...just a fellow fiber whore who know y'all would want to hear about the tips as soon as I used them :)

We now interrupt this program....

for something slightly different :)

Decided to whip up a quick K1, yo, K to end of row shawl for my mother using some pretty and soft Lion Brand Homespun yarn I bought for just this purpose.

I'm using 11 needles and the resulting fabric is coming out so light and with a fantastic drape to it, but not holey at all. It's really warm and I see my mom using it around her shoulders a lot this winter :)





I am so perplexed by Homespun. Some of the skeins are soft and delightful, while others are stiff and plasticy and I feel like I can hear them squeak when I touch them. Even within the same color...it's a mystery. SO, I mostly buy it by feel at this point and hope that I like the color of the softer skeins too :) This was is really great colors for my mom...she'll love it!

Foot Canoes

I am making a new pair of cool, kick-ass slippers for my partner, Scot. I got the pattern from Cocoknits....her website will be up soon at cocoknits.com! They're supposed to be knit in Malabrigio, but I decided to knit my first pair in something a little less spendy to see how they work out and so I don't use the Malabrigio on mistakes. I ended up using the Vanna's Choice acrylic I had in my stash. So soft and knit up surprisingly springy and warm...I am falling in love with this yarn!

I knit both of the soles first, then picked up the stitches on one sole and knit that upper. As I was knitting the sides, Scot claimed that they looked like "foot canoes," so that is what they're now called around my house...although someone a little less silly might call them Loafer slippers :P

On to the pictures!

First, you knit a sole like this. I did both the soles before I tried making the uppers :) They're quick and easy to knit.

One foot canoe in all its glory :P I didn't plan on the two yarns to pool that way and would have rather they didn't, but it doesn't look bad so *shrug*

Where the foot canoe actually looks the cool, kick-ass loafer slipper that it is supposed to be :P You can see all the crazy ends inside I still have to weave in. *sigh* I hate weaving in ends, lol...but don't we all? You can also see the holes and crazy twisties next to the ridge on the right. I obviously screwed up somehow, but I was so careful in following the pattern! Ah well, I still love them, even if they're flawed :P

Foot canoe in action...being worn by my size 11 feet. Scot's feet are size 6...but they fit her as well. Amazing, that stretchy yarn!

The money shot! I love how the cast-off looks and the little loafer curved bit on the top, even if mine is (for some unknown reason) lopsided.... Yay!

Now on to knitting foot canoe #2 :)

*squeals of glee*

My Secret Pal 11 pal sent me an E-card today. It was very sweet and cute and I was totally excited to get it. Then, I about wet my pants because she told me that she bought me a subscription to Interweave Knits!!!!!!

I shreiked and started dancin' about my office in a happy gleeful spazzy excited flailing dance :D

Thank you SOOOO MUCH, loverly pal o' mine! :)

(Did I mention the glee?)

Punk Rock Gift Exchange Questions

1. Why are you punk?

Because I married my ex-wife in a white dress and ten-hole doc martins. Because I got my 5 year old son a mohawk when he said he wanted a "cool" haircut. Because I am me and sometimes that means a leather corset and mini skirt with chains and zippers and sometimes that means a pink t-shirt and ruffly skorts.

2. What are your five favorite things? (these don't have to be knit related)

cheese
fiber
books
my son
my partner

3. What are your three favorite things that you have made with knitting/crochet?

A cabled purse (for a swap), a string market bag, a skull dishcloth for a friend.

4. What five things would you love to see in a swap box someday?

bamboo yarn
a swift
Andy Goldsworthy book
crystal palace circular needles
Grains of Paradise (spice)

5. What are your three favorite yarns? What are your three least favorite yarns?

Favorites: Joseph Galler Peruvian Alpaca tweed, Dark Horse Fantasy, Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande

Least Favorites: Red Heart (nothing against acrylics, but all theirs are icky!), Berroco Memoirs (allergic to mohair), anything that could even remotely be called "fun Fur" or "novelty" yarn :)

6. What are your five favorite delicacies?

Pizzelles, Beemster Classic and Xo cheese, a good, crusty sourdough bread, baklava, chicken tikka masala

7. What are your three favorite guilty pleasures?

Barry Manilow, Kraft Deli Select singles, Hillshire Farms Cheddarwurst sausages

8. What are the five things you look forward to every week?

Wednesday nights (the one night each week when I don't have my son and I have no obligations or plans with my partner...just ME time :P) . Wearing my Oscar the Grouch t-shirt to work on Fridays (I'm an office manager), and making time to knit and spin.

9. What do you collect?

yarn, fiber to spin, science fiction books, fabric, lizards/frogs/turtle stuff, cheese (lol), octopi stuff, dust bunnies kitchen gadgets and silverwear.

10. When is your birthday?

Feb 16, 1973. *starts humming "This is the dawning of the age of Aquarius" *

11. Do you have any wishlists?

Heck yeah :) I have a Wist! You can find it here http://www.wists.com/fragglefemme or use the link on the right.

12. What would you like your pal to know that is not covered here?

I don't drink coffee or tea. I don't eat chocolate. I'm allergic to mohair. I hate yellow anything. My Ravelry ID is Fragglefemme. My website is http://www.noodlegirl.com. I LOVE swaps and will adore anything you send :D

Picture pages!

Took a few pictures of some FOs and some recent yarny goodness that I hadn't posted on here, so...here you go!


I'm adding the strap to the string bag...almost done and then I shall have an awesome orange net bag for grocery shoppin' and the such! Yay :)



Finished one slipper at my garage sale this weekend. It's a TAD too long, but ah well...it's scrumptiously comfy. I don't even care about the mistakes...they're SLIPPERS for gosh sakes, lol. On to the next one now....no second slipper syndrome :P



A few more picot swirl dishcloths I've made...gosh, I love knitting this pattern :)



This is some great soybean yarn I got from a friend who was destashing! It's super soft, a woven hollow tube yarn and I just love the colors :)


Three skeins of scrumptious alpaca yarn from Blue Sky Alpaca. My swap pal sent this to me. I LOVE the colors and they're just all so soft :D


Manos!!!! TWO skeins my secret pal sent me...Delish, delightful, delovely :D




Okay, I saw this yarn at Michaels and I wanted to laugh. I wanted to make all kinds of jokes about vanna white yarn. But then, I touched it and it was so soft. Then, I saw all the wonderful colors it comes in. Then, I noticed it was 100% acrylic and was shocked because of the super soft texture. Then, somehow...these two skeins ended up in my shopping cart! :

I blame yarn elves :P


Yay for fiber :)