Week three SP question & WIP

What would you consider the perfect amount of stash?

Well, MY stash is just the perfect amount of stash, of course :P I have alpaca, wool, wool blends, silk, acrylic, cotton, bamboo, soysilk, and some misc. stuff. Three shelves in my fiber center and three space bags in the closet. Because, of course, I buy new yarn for any project, lol. Stash is just to inspire and pet :)

In other news, I decided to frog my Mr. Greenjeans sweater. I had finished the body and was about to start the arms and I realized, ya know...I hate this thing. It's too big, it's mis-shapen, it's just ICKY and I hated knitting on it. So, I sat down and ripped it all out and made a bunch of adorable yarn balls. I already had another sweater in mind, don'tcha know :)

I'm making the Circle Swing Coat found here (if you're on Ravelry) http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/circle-swing-coat. I cast on a few days ago and it's so totally fun to knit and I'm just really enjoying it. I need to knit about three more inches in diameter on the back, then I get to set up the arms and do the front.

As you can see here, I am doing it mostly in one color, Dark Horse Fantasy green multi, but I have two skeins of the same yarn in black/grey multi that I think I'm gonna do the last few rows in for an interesting edge :) I am doing an occasional stockinette ring in between the garter stitch rings to further enhance the circular nature of it :)

I just LOVE it :)





The above pictures were taken with my camera phone on the hood of my car whilst waiting to give blood. They were running an hour behind, so I got a LOT of knitting done. Unfortunately, my blood wasn't good enough, so they sent me away. I'm anemic :( I see Iron pills in my future today :)

SP 12 week two question

As a kid, what did you look forward to most about summer vacation/break/holiday?

I can't think of a specific thing as a young child...perhaps being able to ride my bike around the neighborhood all day with my friends? Perhaps summer camps? But I know once I hit my teen years, the BEST thing about summer break was getting to sleep in as late as I wanted :) I would sleep until noon or 1:00 PM, then take a long bath and read a book and then stay up until 2 or 3 reading and talking with friends on the phone :)

I'm a night owl by nature :)

SP 12 Question of the week

What is your favorite summertime drink?

Well, I pretty much only drink water. All the time. Water water water :) But when it gets summery, I like to have an occasional lemonade. My favorite is the lemonade from Hot Dog on a Stick :) I also like frozen lemonade that you get at the fair or other places of suspect cuisine. I just bought some frozen raspberry lemonade concentrate from Schwanns, but I haven't made it yet. I LOVE raspberries, so I expect I'll love this lemonade :)

Cold, icy, refreshing and slightly tart...mmmmmmm, lemonade :)

Picture Tuesday

Here are a number of not necessarily related pictures I've been meaning to post here. Enjoy!

Two weekends ago, my sweetie reupholstered my kitchen chairs. I love how they came out :) He even reupholstered one with plastic sheeting on it for the boy's chair, so it's wipe-off-able :) Now, we want to make a linoleum rug to put under the table and hide some of the nasty renters kitchen floor I have going on, lol. Maybe an olive green with a brown trim?


Close-up of the groovy fabric I picked out :)


When I went to the Maker Faire, I got some great photographs of these sculptures that were placed around the grounds. They were two or three stories high and were just stunning in workmanship and beauty.




Close-up of the bird the metal guy was picking up :) It amused me, hehe.


You know I love animals, but these goats cracked me up, straining SO HARD to eat the grass on the other side of hte fence...even though it was the EXACT same grass as on their side of the fence :)


There was a posse of folks driving around in cupcake cars! This one was cool :P


This was stunning...the woman in the background was kneeling in prayer or subjugation of this massive spidery alien thing with one giant red eye. The woman had a fire in her chest, where her heart would be and the flame came up and down to a heartbeat. The head spun around and when the red eye lined up with the woman, her whole body went up in flames. It was AWESOME!


The eye


Regular heartbeat flame


When the red eye landed on her


There was also a robot giraffe that we saw last year :) He's just too cute for words!






Then, I have some pictures of the quilt my Great Aunt Lois (who died a few weeks ago) sent to me.

I thought it was just one of the many quilts she had around the house and was thrilled to get it. However, the story is even more poignant because, when I picked it up from my Aunt, she told me that about a year ago, she had visited Aunt Lois and helped Lois pick out the fabric for the quilt with me in mind. Aunt Lois was making is especially for me !!! and was going to bring it to me the next time she came to visit, but she passed away before she came to California again.

Although it isn't a color scheme I would normally go for, I love it so much and I will really treasure it for the rest of my life :) And even though I don't like teal at all and don't care for blue that much, every time I look at these pictures, it grows on me more and more. I expect I'll soon have it out on my bed, loving it and it's colors :) How can I not, when it's made with such love by a master quilter!












Voila! My camera is now empty....for a few days, at least ;)

SP 12 pal!

Yay! I received my Secret Pal 12 downstream swap pal in my email this morning :)

*happy fraggle dances all around the office*

We seem to have a lot in common and my brain's already churning with ideas and plans for her packages! I hope she loves them and I can just tell we're gonna hit it off :)

Happy Monday, y'all :P

Secret Pal 12 questionnaire

1. What is/are your favorite yarn/s to knit with? What fibers do you absolutely *not* like?
I love almost all yarn *swoon* I especially love alpaca and can never have enough, lol. I am fond of knitting with wool, although I never seem to do it enough. It's just so sproingy when I get to it :) I also really like knitting with things like bamboo and soy :) I have nothing at all against acrylic or polyester...some of my best friends are acrylic or polyester, lol :) The only things I don't like are fun fur/novelty yarns or anything with mohair or anything that isn't soft. I'm a big tactile person, so it must be soft.

2. What do you use to store your needles/hooks in?
I store my knitting needles in an over the door shoe holder on the inside of my coat closet in the living room :) It works wonderfully, one pocket for each size, plus extra pockets for Knit Picks cables, cable needles, etc. There's extra pockets and maybe someday I'll come up with a use for them as well :)

3. How long have you been knitting & how did you learn? Would you consider your skill level to be beginner, intermediate or advanced?
I have been knitting about 2 1/2 years at this point. I think I'm intermediate. I've done just about everything except for colorwork and entralac...mostly because I don't care for most colorwork things nor how entralac looks :) I love lace, cables, etc. Interestingly enough, I love knitting garter stitch the best of all :)

4. Do you have an Amazon or other online wish list?
Amazon, no. But I have a Wist. It's located at http://www.wists.com/fragglefemme/ and I update it fairly regularly. If I buy or get as a gift something on there, I am sure to take it down right away.

5. What's your favorite scent?
Hmm. I love vanilla, lavender, powdery scents. I love anything citrusy - my everyday perfume is lemongrass tea from The Body Shop. I don't tend to go for spicy scents.

6. Do you have a sweet tooth? Favorite candy?
Sure I do :) I like swedish fish and sweet tarts the best. I don't eat chocolate very much, as I'm allergic. I'm much more likely to enjoy a cinnamon roll than a brownie or a snickerdoodle over a chocolate cookie. I have been known to eat Dove milk chocolate on occasion, though :) I actually have more of a savory tooth than a sweet tooth. I love chips, rosemary potato bread, pretzles, beef jerky, etc.

7. What other crafts or Do-It-Yourself things do you like to do? Do you spin?
Yes, I spin. I have several spindles and an Ashford Traditional wheel. I love spinning and never have enough time to do it *grump* I also sew, make jewelry and other misc. crafty stuff. I wouldn't be out of place reupholstering a chair or building some make-shift shelves. I am in love with my digital camera and take too many pictures :)

8. What kind of music do you like? Can your computer/stereo play MP3s? (if your buddy wants to make you a CD)
I call my favorite genre "Chicks with guitars." Ani Difranco, Gina Young, Joan Osbourne, Jonatha Brooke, etc. I also love most 80's new wave, some punk, folk and broadway show tunes :) Yes, my computer is fully-functioning :) In fact, I don't have any CDs, having long ago burned them all onto my computer.

9. What's your favorite color(s)? Any colors you just can't stand?
I live in a cloud of green and orange...dark green, leaf green, pale khaki green, emerald, sea, grass, rust orange, traffic cone orange, brown-orange, any orange. I also am a fan of brown, grey, black, some darker purples. Basically, anything earth tones or foresty. I can stand some blue, but it's not a favorite. I really don't like yellow in any fashion or pastels at all.

10. What is your family situation? Do you have any pets?
I have a 6 year old son with high functioning autism whom I co-parent with my ex-wife. Yes, I'm a dyke :) I have a partner of 3 years, but we don't live together right now, although we spend an awful lot of time at each other's house :) I wish I could have a kitty, but no pets are allowed in my duplex, so *sigh* I have to make due with kitty time with my partner's two cats :)

11. Do you wear scarves, hats, mittens or ponchos?
I love scarves and mittens, especially fingerless mittens and gloves. I enjoy hats a lot, but it is difficult to find one that doesn't look dorky on me. Ponchos on a 5' 11" tall busty, broad shouldered woman is just so wrong I would be arrested, lol.

12. What is/are your favorite item/s to knit?
I actually like knitting small things. Hats, slippers, purses, washcloths, scarves, etc. I don't have much patience for sweaters or blankets, although I keep saving patterns for these things that I want to knit, lol.

13. What are you knitting right now?
Right now, I have several things going on. I am about 3/5 of the way done with a Mr. Greensleeves cardigan. I have one slipper done and one fingerless glove. I am to the heel on a pair of socks. I am almost done with a hat. I just finished a washing mitt for my son and need to seam up the one edge.

14. Do you like to receive handmade gifts?
But of course :)

15. Do you prefer straight or circular needles? Bamboo, aluminum, plastic?
I only knit with circulars. I prefer wood or bamboo, but some metal are okay. I'm not a huge fan of plastic needles and only use the ones I have in necessity. My favorite needles are Knit Picks interchangeable wooden and metal needles and Crystal Palace bamboo...that swivel join is just to die for! :)

16. Do you own a yarn winder and/or swift?
I have a yarn ball winder. I have been wanting a swift for awhile, and indeed have several plans for making my own out of my son's tinker toys or some PVC pipe or even wooden ones. However, I always seem to make due with my kitchen chairs or my partner's arms :)

17. How old is your oldest UFO?
Hmmmm. Probably the fingerless gloves. A few years old.

18. What is your favorite holiday?
I love fall, so I would have to pick Halloween :)

19. Is there anything that you collect?
You mean, besides yarn??? Yup :) I collect aprons, lizard and turtle things, Wizard of Oz stuff and books :) Oh, and spoons, like old silverware, not the commemorative little ones, lol. Oh, and I seem to have amassed a fair amount of octopi, lol.

20. Any books, yarns, needles or patterns out there you are dying to get your hands on? What knitting magazine subscriptions do you have?
But of course!!!!!! (remember, you asked for it!)

Books:

• No Sheep for You
• Walker's second treasury of knitting patterns
• Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac
• Zimmermann's Knitting Without Tears
• Beautiful Knitting Patterns by Klopper
• More Big Girl Knits

Patterns: (to name a few...I'm a total pattern whore and have about 3 GB of pdf patterns on my computer, lol.)

• Mentionable, Sizzle and Somewhat Cowl from Knit and Tonic
• Flicca from My Fashionable Life
• Justina skirt from norah gaughan, vol. 1 @ Berroco
• Prairie Boots, Petra and Brigitta from Coco Knits
• Wintergreen mittens from Kate Gilbert
• Sandy Breeze cardigan from turitknits

Yarn:

• Crystal Palace Merino 5 Print in 9809 Fall Herbs
• Crystal Palace Maizy Print in Birch Bark or Iguana
• Prism Lotus in tumbleweed
• Indiecita worsted weight most any color
• Misti Alpaca Chunky in Ember melange or tapistry melange
• Sea silk in forest colorway
• Knit Picks Andean Silk in any orange, brown, grey or greenish colors
• Knit Picks Comfy in Pomegranite, Fedora or Honeydew
• Knit Picks Shine worsted in Laurel or Fedora
• Knit Picks CotLin in kohlrabi or coffee
• Knit Picks Risata sock yarn in Umber
• Classic Elite Cotton Bam Boo in toasted almond, tiger lily, raspberry sorbet, or willow
• Patons Rumor in Fern Heather
• Bernat Bamboo in dill or wicker
• Bernat Cottontots in blue berry, grape berry, strawberry, lime berry
• Lion Brand Nature's Choice cotton in pecan walnut or pistachio
• Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in black, linen, taupe, chocolate, brick, rust, honey, dusty green, olive, dusty blue, dusty purple, mountain print, woods print, charcoal print, or autumn print
• Caron Simply Soft Quick in mango, bone, dark sage, autumn red
• Vickie Howell Love in Sarah & Maurice, Harold & Maude, Andrew & Sam, or Miles & maya
• Vickie Howell Rock in siouxie, billy, thom or trent
• Vickie Howell Craft in Libby, Cathy & Steve, Candi, Sandi, Kelly, or Suss

Other Stuff:

• subscription to Interweave Knits (mine just expired)
• subscription to Creative Knitting (I never seem to get around to subscribing)
• Knitter's block set from Coco knits
• non-dangly stitch markers

21. Are there any new techniques you'd like to learn?
Some colorwork, I guess, if I could find a pattern I liked. Oh, also double knitting...I understand the concept, I've just never actually done it :)

22. Are you a sock knitter? What are your foot measurements?
I want to be a sock knitter. I've knit one sock. Okay, part of one sock. I want handknit socks, damn it! But alas, I can never seem to finish one. My feet are a size 11. They're 10 1/2 inches long, 9 3/4 inches around at the widest part (the ball of my foot). Also, I'll let you know that I have a huge head :) It's 23 1/2 inches around! I'm just a big, tall gal, what can I say? :)

23. When is your birthday?
February 16, 1973, so I'm currently 35 and an aquarius.

24. Are you on Ravelry? If so, what's your ID?
Yeppers :) I'm fragglefemme :)

25. OTHER things I want my pal to know:
I'm allergic to mohair. I don't have acrylic snobbery, as long as it's soft soft soft I love to knit with it :) I don't drink coffee or tea or most anything besides water. I am not a big fan of chocolate. I am a sci-fi computer geek :)

Most improtantly, I will LOVE whatever you send me!!!