Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Oh, Barnes and Noble... I thought you loved me!

So yesterday afternoon I went to barnes and noble and searched high and low for the new yarn harlot book. It was not on the shelves. An over eager sales person asked if they could help me so I inquired about the book. According to their computers the book isn't out for another month!!! Who is telling the truth!!! It has to be out! Well, after pouting that my book wasn't there I looked around and looked at all the other knitting books in search of something else. I did walk away with a purchase, but it was a tough choice. They had knitting without tears and the new reprint of knitting in plain english. I wanted both, so I went with knitting in plain english because it was bigger. I'm only a few chapters in, but I think i should have gone with knitting without tears, but I'll have to give the book a full review once I've finished. I'm still glad I bought it, though.

On the knitting front, sofia is being difficult! The button band directions say to pick up and knit 70 sts., which is proving to be impossible! I'm sure it's not that bad and if i were to just sit down and do it I could be done by now, but so many new yarns are and projects are being tempting. I think I'm going to cast on for monkey number 2 very soon and hopefully have them done very soon! I think it's too late to start anything tonight, but very soon! I also really, really want to work on designing and self publishing some of my own stuff, but I have so many other projects that need to be done! Summer vacation can't come soon enough!!! I think a bunch of small projects in the next few weeks will be a lot of fun because i did do 2 (small) sweaters in about 5 weeks, starting one right after the other. it'll be fun to cast something on, wave my hands around, and have something fun and new in a few hours.

Monday, March 24, 2008

How could I ever forget NatCroMo?

Well, I guess march is Nation Crochet Month, and so yesterday I crocheted a hat! It was a basic crocheted hat, top down, crown increases until the crown measures 6 inches across, work until it hits the eyebrows. I did that but added a little picot edge and I sewed on a flower. I have one just like it in pink!!! I think I'm going to do some more and come up with a knitted pattern for it.

In other news, Sofia is DONE! Well, she needs bands, but the last sleeve was completed yesterday afternoon! Right now she is a vest awaiting bands and sleeves, but YAY! I knit a sweater in 2 weeks, granted it was a cropped sweater. I'm so glad to be done with it because although i really enjoyed knitting it, sofia was something I signed a paper (literaly) saying I'd have it done, or else. Now i'm going to move onto something without a dead line. I think that once the bands are on and the sleeves are sewn on i'm going to pick up the monkeys again. According to the rav I started them all the way back in october. Then christmas knitting started and i picked up other projects and they sort of were forgotten. so I've decided that once sofia is done I'm going to work on all my single socks again, from oldest to newest. First monkeys, then the work socks, and then I'll finish up my aunt's socks. I have one of each already knit up so the pairs will be here in no time!

I've been kind of in a sock knitting mood lately. I've been buying fingering weight yarn like it's going out of style. I only have one complete pair of hand knit socks and they don't fit me well. I did another pair for my grandma and she really likes them. I have all these ideas for designs and inspiration for socks.

Well, I'm going to go think about socks and seam a sweater. I'll be back for more later!

(p.s. yarn harlot's book is out and there's a rumor it's in american bookstores TODAY. any idea where my speedy ford contour is heading soon?)

Monday, March 17, 2008

After a Long Hiatus

Well, I guess I've been gone awhile. I'll try to be a better blogger, but I guess it's just more exciting for me to read all the great blogs out there instead of thinking of things to write myself. I'll try to be a better blogger, but seeing as this is a hobby, if I don't want to do it, I'm not going to. I'll also try to post a couple patterns every once in awhile and maybe a few pictures every now and again, but welcome to sporadic blog central. Also, we recently upgraded our internet BUT we only have high speed on one compter, which just so happens to be my dad's lap top, so alas, no pictures (i'm not much of a picture taker, which probably isn't a good quality in a knitter)

For a complete update of all my projects check out my ravelry page (psst, I'm becky09. friend me!)! I've been up to a lot, I designed something which isn't up there (i might publish it, I'm not sure yet) and My mom got a pair of mittens that will be publishable after some tweaking. Ravelry is kind of why I'm getting back into blogging. I wrote so much about my hexacomb sweater I thought 'why not start a new blog' and well, here I am. I guess I just want to talk about what I'm knitting, how I'm knitting it, and what I know about knitting. That's another recent project, the Hexacomb Cardigan. I saw it in spring interweave knits and I knew that I had to have it! it knit up really quickly but the finishing took forever! I guess this sweater taught me not to be such a wimp when it comes to changing a pattern. I knit a few more sweaters since my failed wheat ear and successful mini. For christmas, my grandparents got sweaters. My grandma got emerald from knitty and my grandpa got the manly sweater from stitch 'n bitch. My grandma's sweater was finished right before thanksgiving and I was able to knit my self a shrug as a treat for finishing (stefanie japel's boob holder) but due to some issues going on in my personal life (which I'm not going to go into detail about at all) my grandpa's sweater was finished in January. I also crocheted an afghan (10X10 pink and grey grannie squares) from almost all yarn I had lying around. It was a major stash busting project and I only had to buy 3 skeins specifically for the project. great fun. Also there were many socks. Many socks, but no pairs. I did finish one pair of toe up worsted weight socks for my aunt for christmas, but so far it's the only pair! I have a plain pair of just top down short row heel and toe socks halfway done, one monkey sock, and one sock for another aunt of mine. I guess I'm a pretend sock knitter! I love buying sock yarn and I have a ton of socks queued up on my ravelry page but I usually only finish one and then I'm off to the next one!!! Also so many mittens, hats and scarves to keep me and everyone else warm in the cold minnesota winter (happy march 17th! i'm looking at snow when yesterday there was grass)

Well, I guess what I have to say is welcome to the great american blog: sporadic, stream of concious writing.

What I'm currently knitting is a lot of fun! I'm knitting Sofia from the debbie bliss pure cotton/stella book. It's knit out of pure cotton in lime 12 (although it is FAR from lime) and so far it has basically fallen off of my needles it's so fast! I started it a week ago and I'm almost done with the second front and all that is left is 2 sleeves! I'm doing it as a store sample that I get to keep in six months, I just half to pay for half the yarn cost. A lot of stores give the samples back to the employees but the store usually gets to keep the sample for a year or more. I'm fine with this arrangement because I'm paying about half of what it would have cost me full price. I also get to show off something that I knit and the store gets a better product because I'm making it for myself, essentially. They gave me 6 weeks to finish it but i think I can do it in 2. (watch me eat my words). Well, as motivation, here's the deal I'm going to make with myself.

If I do indeed finish the sweater by next monday, march 24th, I may start a secret project and not feel guilty about all the christmas presents I still have left to knit.

"finishing" is defined at having all parts KNIT, so un-woven in ends are okay, not having buttons, okay, being in pieces, not okay. So it essentially has to be a sweater a person can put on. there. Can i do it? place your bets!

ETA: I did it! the sweater is done and hanging up in the store right now!!!