Thursday, January 29, 2009

It's the mail, it never fails!

It makes me wanna wag my tail, when it comes i wanna wail, "MAIL!"

So, got a lovely package from my best friend from high school CraftyCoug.

She sent me nifty!








Okay, so the best part is, this was all birthday stuff. I love the pattern book, because there are two patterns in it that I.MUST.KNIT. The yarn is gorgeous, and stems from a conversation we had previously about Fly Designs. I am so glad to be able to try this yarn out (when I get around to knitting socks for myself). the card was totally spot on, because she has known me through at least 4 hair color incarnations, and on the inside it says "good friends never change (hair color doesn't count)" I was laughing. The change purse is awesome, because in my current job I cannot show any attitude, so I will do it with my money. :P And *then* the post it notes. "She kind of enjoyed working for an idiot". OMFG, after this week, I do feel I am working for morons. Totally spot on, thanks CraftCoug!

This has prepared me for my day at work. :D

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

As diplomatic as I try to be...

I cannot stay in my current position. A situation arose yesterday that made me rethink my entire job. I am going to be seeking answers as to what was meant to come of the situation, but as it stands currently, I will be giving notice.

The meeting today may completely change my understanding of what happened. I can only hope.

In the meantime, anyone who has any spare money, I invite you to contact me via my etsy shop. I am happy to do alchemy work. And I already have one happy customer: Craftycoug on Ravelry.

Please, if you can help in any way, with either advice or commissions, I am happy to hear from you. Otherwise, well wishes would be nice.

It's a big day in the world. And I am a problem solver. Wish me luck

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

ummm....guys??

It's snowing in Seattle again. i love snow, don't mind me, but this is going to cause a ruckus at work. I wonder how many people will show up. >:)

Yes, I had a good birthday. I worked. And had a nice looking young man (and I do mean YOUNG...we're talking like 21ish) wish me a happy birthday...because I had mentioned it 6 weeks ago in conversation at the register. Forgive me while I laugh. It was sweet, but wow....

Oh, and no progress on the CPH. I stalled out midway through the right front. Only that, the sleeves, and a hood to knit, then the sewing up. weeeeee

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The Good News Is:

I have lost 3 lbs since January. I am under the 200 lb mark. (not that it's a huge step, but it is a step nonetheless). This was done without paying attention really. So just think what can happen if I actually pay attention!

I joined Fitness Magazine's You Can Do It program thingie. I took a look at what exercises I need to do, I am gonna log my calories, and I will try to lose a total of 44 lbs. By the way, it's free.

I also made enough money that I can afford to buy a new bag. Am I going to? Nope. It's going to pay on my credit card instead. I don't like being in debt and the only way that's gonna happen is by actually putting all spare money towards paying it off. Easy enough. I already put a portion of each paycheck towards this goal. It's just a matter of time.

I feel good about today. And also, last night I was grumpy, and my lead made me a cherry hot chocolate (how did she know that's my drink?) It was sweet and thoughtful. yay!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Fridays are for This Is Awesome




Article available here

Yes, that IS a knit brain. (enter zombie voice:"BBBBBRRRAAAAAAAAAIIIIINNNNNSSSS!!!"

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Weekend Plans

Update Ravelry stash page to reflect the goodness that has been coming in the mail, complete with pictures.

Put up sale books and mags on Ravelry trade/sell page

Finish the front of the Central Park Hoodie (rav link)

Do laundry so as not to go to work naked next week

Make a hat, as my head is cold

Figure out more storage solutions for the aforementioned stash

Figure out how to pay off my debt, get into the MBA program, and still be able to live

Easy, n'est pas?

I Can Has Stronger Drugs?

I wish for the migraines to go away. Permanently. I am up to 8 in the past week and a half. I left work early today for that very reason. I am in so much pain.

Drugs don't help anymore, and I have to wait to see an expert on these matters.

OI.

On the other hand, I can be curled up in bed. and warm.

Monday, January 12, 2009

How To: Substitute Yarn in a Different Weight

Many times you love a pattern, but hate the yarn they chose. Now, we can't blame the designers for choosing an ugly yarn (often it is not their choice) or a weight that only looks good on a bulldog with a bag over its head (bulky weight yarn on anyone bigger than a twig??) So we just need to make some adjustments to the pattern to make it useable with our yarn of choice. Now go knit that swatch!



There are many tutorials for changing yarns of the same weight, which only involves looking for yarns with the same stitches per inch. The issue, however, is when you decide that a pattern would look better in a fingering weight yarn, versus the worsted weight called for in the pattern, or better in a bulky weight instead of a cobweb laceweight yarn.



My example is completely made up, with a pattern that requires worsted weight yarn, and I want to use a fingering weight. Look at your pattern. Let's say that you need a yarn in worsted weight, that gets 18 sts per 4 inches, or 4.5 stiches per inch. The yarn I have chosen is a fingering weight, so I need to knit a swatch with it to determine the how to adjust the pattern.


Let's say that I get 6 stitches per inch with my fingering weight replacement yarn. All you need to do is divide the stitches for replacement yarn by the stitch gauge in the pattern, and this gives you the factor to multiply the stitch counts by in order to create the pattern with your new yarn. In this case, my factor is 1.33, so everytime in the pattern there is a stitch count, simply multply that count by 1.333 and you will get the correct number of stitches to cast on.


In order to get the correct row gauge, you would divide the replacement yarn row gauge by the patter row gauge. If I got 8 rows per inch with my swatch, then I would know to divide 8 by the required number of rows in the pattern, which, in this case, also ends up being 1.333. Chances are, you will get a number with a decimal.


Now that I have this information, I can go through and write the correct numbers down on the photocopy of the pattern and then start knitting merrily away.



And always write these factors and the yarn used into a notebook for future reference, as well as save that swatch.

How To: Determine Yardage Requirements

Have you ever gotten 2 sleeves away from finishing that sweater, only to discover that you don't have enough yarn? Have you made late night phone calls to your LYS looking for a dye lot that they sold out of yonks ago?


While the current projects cannot be helped, there is still a way to prevent future heartbreak. It does require that you knit a swatch, though, so be warned.


You will need:

-a scale that can measure to within tenths of a gram (or pound)

-a ball of your chosen yarn

-a line counter/ yardage counter


To begin, wind your ball into a center pull ball while using your yardage counter. After you have wound your ball into a center pull ball, make note of the yardage measured and then weight it. I have found that MOST of the time, the weight on the ball band is not, in fact, the weight of the actual ball. This gives you the ratio you need to determine your yardage needed.


Let's say that Yarn Q weighed in at 1.2 grams and that the yardage measured for the ball was 65 yds. Divide the yardage by the number of grams and you get the ratio that is necessary. Yarn Q's yardage per gram is 54.166 yards per gram, or 65/1.2. Also check the ball band to see what they say is the approximate yardage. In Yarn Q's case. it says that there is approximately 60 yards per ball.


When you do your swatch in the pattern, measure the weight of the ball again after you have detached your swatch. Let's say that the ball now weighs .99 grams. This means that you used .3 grams of the ball knitting that swatch. To determine how many yards you used to knit your swatch, you simply use the yardage per gram that you determined before, and plug it into this formula:



Yards X

------------ * ----------------------------

Gram grams used in swatch



Where X equals the number of yards used in swatch





54.166 X

----------- * ------------

1 .3



X= 16.2498



For those of you who remember algebra, you need to multiply the known yards by the grams used, then divide by 1 (the number of grams in the ratio)


In our example, this would be 54.166/1 times X/.3 which, we multiply known yards 54.166 by the grams used .3 (which equals 16.2498) and then divide that number by 1, and you get that you used 16.2498 yards of your ball to knit that swatch.


Go back and look at the pattern. How many square inches are required for each side of your sweater? And how many square inches were in your swatch? Let's say that the swatch was 5 inches by 5 inches, or 25 square inches total. If the sweater pattern has the schematics that tell you the length and width of the pattern, and the front and back are both equal, you can simply multiply the length and width to get the total square inches, and then multiply by 2 to get the square inches needed for both front and back. Then do the same thing for the sleeves. Let's say that the height of the sweater is 27 inches, and that the width at the widest point is 17 inches. That means one side of our sweater requires 459 square inches, so the front and back together would require 918 square inches of fabric. And that the sleeves were 15 inches long, and 7 inches wide. For two sleeves, it requires [15 * 7 * 2] or 210 square inches total.


So far, we figured out that our swatch was 25 square inches and took 16.2498 yards to knit, and the sweater itself requires 1128 square inches {918+210) of fabric. All we need to do is some more algebra to determine the total y ardage. Multiply the sweater square inches by the swatch yardage used, and then divide by the swatch inches. This tells you that you need 733.19 yards in order to knit the 1128 square inches for your sweater.


Now go back at look at the yardage per gram ratio. This is the last bit of math you'll need to do. Divide the total number of yards required for your sweater by the number of yards per gram. This tells you that you will need at least 13.536 grams of your yarn in order to knit up that sweater.





Swatch inches Sweater inches

---------------- * -------------------

Swatch yards Y



Where Y equals the yardage required for the sweater





25 1128

---------- * --------------

16.2498 Y



Y=733.19




Simply go back and look at your ball bands, and then you can figure out the number of balls needed. The chosen yarn said that there was approximately 60 yards per ball, and we needed 733.19 yards total, so that means we need about 12 balls of yarn. Congratulations, you have just determined the number of yards needed and also the number of balls needed for your pattern.


Now as you knit, you know all the weights needed to finish each part of the sweater, so when you get to the sleeves, you can simply weight the yarn you have left to determine if there is enough, and then knit merrily away, knowing you are safe.


Of course, due to the possibility that the gauge goddesses will try to mess with you, always buy one extra ball of your yarn, in the same dye lot, just to be safe...

How To: Use Handknits to Help Fluffy

Are you trying to clean out those old swatches that have been sitting in a box?



I just started looking into giving my knits to Humane Societies around my location, and it appears that the only requirement is that it be washable. So all that superwash wool that I have been sitting on has now been given a purpose.



Most donations are accepted happily, and most of these animals, especially the dogs, really need to have something soft to snuggle in the kennels.



All you need to do is grab those swatches, decide how many will give you a decent sized blanket, and sew them up. This gives a nice patchwork look, and the animals of course, don't care what it looks like.



You will have to check with your local Humane Society to see if there are any size requirements, or if specific things are needed, With Autumn and Winter coming, wouldn't you feel better knowing that you made a difference with an animal that is still up for adoption?



Please donate.

How To: Finish Those Looming Projects

It is often at the point when you have the back and a sleeve of a sweater done that you do not wish to work anymore upon it. You get the itch to cast on something else. You know that you shouldn't, so instead, all of your projects languish on your needles for weeks, even months with nary a thought in their direction.



The solution? Get creative with your work. Let's say that you are working on the garter stitch scarf from hell, and would really like to work on some socks instead.



First, knitting is a pleasure hobby. Go ahead and cast on those socks, but also lay down the terms of agreement in order to get your scarf of doom done.



Rule #1: Work twice as much on the scarf as you do on the socks. Set an egg timer, so if you have 15 minutes to knit, work 10 minutes on that scarf, "I will work until the egg timer goes off, then I will switch to my other project" and then work 5 on the socks.



Rule #2: Carve out time every night for working on the scarf. You can easily set aside 10 to 20 minutes every night before bed to work on the scarf that needs to be done for little Tommy's birthday.



Rule #3: If you can, grab some audio books from your local library, put them on your mp3 player of choice, and knit for a few chapters. At this time, that garter stitch scarf is an easy project that doesn't really require concentration, and you can be entertained while you work.



Rule #4: Set up a reward program. Let's say that there is some uber soft squooshy Jade Sapphire cashmere that you want to make mitts out of, but wouldn't normally buy it for yourself. Turn your garter stitch scarf into a pay as you go project. Let's say you pay yourself $2 into a jar for every 4 inches you get done on that scarf. By the time you reach the 4 feet that you need for a passable scarf, you will have $12 towards that cashmere loveliness.



Rule #5: Promise yourself that you will recognize that any progress on that scarf is good progress, and that you will work every day on it, even if it is only for a few minutes.



All you need to do is recognize that your time is valuable and that you need a reward system to get those looming projects done. Since garter stitch is relatively mindless, you can do it anywhere. If you happen to be working on a sweater with charts that are the size of Texas, you can always use the time before bed to work on it.



And reward yourself for your work. New yarn is always a motivation to get other stuff in the stash done. :)

How To: Make Your Own Sock Blockers

Have you ever gotten a sock done, only to find that you don't have the correct size sock blockers for it? Or have you simply discovered that $40 for a nice pair of wooden ones is just not in the cards at this time?



You can make your own sock blockers with a few minor ingredients, and things that you most likely already have, being a knitter.



You will need:

-A plastic placemat (a cheapo one from Target will do, one without an edge)

-T-pins (you do block your items, don't you?)

-craft scissors (the ones NOT for fabric cutting or yarn cutting)

-a machine made sock in the correct size that you don't care much about (surely there is still one in your drawers somewhere...)

-a permanent marker

-an emery board



To begin:



Lay your placemat out on the work surface, and pin your machine made sock to it, paying attention to keep the sock perfectly flat. You will most likely need to kid-proof the area, as some of the cutting process can be a little...sharp.





Grab your T-pins and your machine sock that you don't care about, and lay it on the placemat. You will be pinning the sock to the placemat with the T-pins, in order to form an outline of what your sock blockers need to look like.











Once it is pinned SECURELY, you will trace around the sock with a permanent marker. This is your stencil. If you get permanent marker on it...well, that's why we want you to use a sock you don't care about.






Now that you have your template for the first blocker traced out, grab those craft scissors and carefully cut out your blocker. You will want to cut inside the lines of the blocker, so that they don't end up bigger than the intended socks.




Now that you have one sock blocker cut out, you can use it to trace the next one. Make sure you have that first blocker at the exact dimensions you need, and then trace it onto the remaining placemat piece.



Cut out the second one, and now you have a pair! You aren't done yet, however. You will need to clean up those edges with the emery board, because I know you do not want to snag a nice handknit sock on a sharp edge! All you need to do is file the edges so that they are slightly rounded and won't snag on any yarn-y goodness.



After the filing, you will want to test your blocker on that sock-you-don't-care-about so that you can make sure there are no missed rough edges.

Once you are done, give your blockers a rinse to get the file shavings off of them, and put them in a box for safe-keeping.



Total cost for this project: $3 and 20 minutes of time, on the assumption you have t-pins and scissors already.



Happy blocking!

Tool Review: Knitpicks Options Harmony Interchangeables

Despite there being lots of reviews that say the Knitpicks Options interchangeable needles are lacking in quality control, due to some join issues, I love these needles. I bought the set of Harmony's last year, and have been using them non stop since.


I have never had any issues with the joins coming undone, and yes, it DOES help to remember to use the key to tighten them completely. None of the male parts have been stripped so that they are not functional.


I love the smooth join on these needles, and feel that the points are better made than even Addi Lace. Those of us who do lacework or knit through the back loops understand just how important pointy needles can be.


My only complaint so far is that the cord lengths are limited, but nothing that a little creativity can't fix. I liked the idea of the Denise interchangeables having the links that you could connect two cords together to get a correct length, but hated those needles with a passion. The Knitpicks needles are of a better quality, and also seem to last longer, so lack of cord options would not prevent me from recommending them to EVERYONE in the knitting community.


Now if only I had the money to buy the set of original Options....

Eucalan No Rinse Wool Wash

Eucalan No Rinse Wool Wash

I have always had recommendations from my local yarn shops (yes, there is more than one) saying that Eucalan is the way to go with washing your handknits.


Being willing to experiment, I bought one of the sample bottles, and used it on a swatch for a yarn review. I must say, I certainly didn't smell anything that resembled grapefruit when the swatch was soaking.


The swatch was fairly clean to begin with. And, to be fair, the Eucalan does appear to do its job of cleaning and removing grime without that pesky rinsing.


My only issue is the smell. The wool wash itself smells VERY (and I do mean very) faintly of grapefruit straight out of the bottle, but when it is added to water, the scent promptly vanishes.


I think this is probably a good wash for when you don't want anything overly perfume-y on your woolens, because there was no scent left on the swatch at all.


Overall, it cleans well, didn't appear to damage the fibers (the most important thing), and for ease of use, it gets an A+ because of the rinsing not being necessary. Scent-wise, there are three scents, and being that I have only tried the grapefruit scent, I cannot say if the others are any better or worse.


Personally, I prefer something with a little more of a scent that says "Hey, I'm clean and fresh", so Eucalan may not be my first choice. But as far as cleaning and freshening goes, it does well.

Tool Review: The Fibersphere


The Fibersphere, (photos from http://www.thefibersphere.com)

There are always new and clever ways to carry around your balls of yarn. Yarn-tainers, plastic bags, and other plastic toys that seem to be okay for a while, but only until you have to move the knitting and ball of yarn, and discover that you have to CUT the yarn to remove it from the carrying case.



Enter the Fibersphere. Not only is it cleverly designed into a clamshell design, with the hole on the center of the opening, so that you don't have to cut the yarn to remove the project, but it also has uber smooth edges so even loosely spun angora does not snag!



This was a buy on a whim a few months ago for me. I figured, why not? And let me tell you, I was not disappointed. This is a great for carrying/protecting even the LARGEST of balls (2200 yards of merino, anyone?) and comes in two sizes, the 5" and 7" clamshell.



There is even a choice between a pink and a clear balls, and a drawstring plastic/pvs bag, so that you can tie it to your knitting bag and knit while walking.



The pricing varies between $24 and $27 depending on size. I bought one of each size, and really enjoy that they allow either center pull balls or hand wound balls with ease. You can even squash one of the long skeins into a Fibersphere with no trouble.



Silk or angora slide easily through the hole and knit with ease without the slightest snag, and are protected from purse fuzz and knitting bag mishaps.

Final verdict? If you can afford it, buy a Fibersphere instead of any other yarn containing device. The extra few dollars are worth it.

Yarn Review: Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush Solids




Plymouth Baby Alpaca Brush

Color: Plum #1805

Dye Lot: 254

Gauge: 3.5 sts/inch on US 9/5.5mm

Content: 80% Baby Alpaca

20% Acrylic



In the ball, Baby Alpaca Brush resembles a small Tribble. It is incredibly soft, and has good loft, but a lot of fuzz can be seen. It has an incredible plum color, and has slight variations in thickness, due to the loosely spun alpaca fiber.

I decided to start right in on a scarf for my sister in law, and chose a simple lace pattern. The Thistle Lace pattern was published in the Interweave Knits Summer 2006 issue, in their Thorn and Thistle Twinset by Joan Forgione. I apologize for the lack of links, but since the only archived photos are on Ravelry, I felt it wasn't fair for those not beta-testing the site. If you are on Ravelry, you can go here to access the pattern photos. Otherwise, go to Interweave Knits and about 3/4 down the page is a small blurb about the twinset.



This yarn is very fluffy and fuzzy, but seems to hold up very well to being frogged. I've already made several errors in the lace pattern that required me to rip back twice, and the yarn did not stick (unlike mohair) and even after reknitting, did not appear to be worse for wear.



Due to the loft of the fibers, this is a great yarn for cold weather items, although I wouldn't recommend it for high wear items, due to the nature of loosely spun yarn for pilling. A scarf or a pair of arm warmers seem to fit the bill, since this yarn is uber soft, and perfect for next-to-skin wear.



When washed in approximately 100 degree water, the swatch released a small amount of dye, but nothing that was surprising. I used Eucalan No Rinse wash and simply submerged the swatch (no felting here!) Now the swatch is sitting on white paper towels. After a quick press under some more paper towels, a little bit of dye was visible on the towels. I can only say that you should probably wash the articles before giving them to anyone, as the amount bled out would be an issue if one was to wear white.



Here you can see the amount of dye that was released.





There is a bit of dye that was released on the paper towels, so please be aware that bleeding may occur.



Once dry, there was no noticeable dye loss on the actual swatch. And rest assured that the swatch did fluff back up a bit after it dried. The lace pattern is a little more noticeable even though I did not pin it down. Also, the swatch did not grow noticeably after its bath. So rest assured that your measurements will be pretty accurate

Wendy Bernard Book Signing

Wendy Bernard Book Signing



Last night (10/11/08) was the Wendy Bernard book signing at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, Washington.



It was a smaller and cozier group of people, and was essentially a Q&A then signing. Wendy is a very down to earth, kind of funky personality, who is outgoing, despite admitting she was nervous at this being the first book signing she had done. She simply answered questions and gave us a little peek into what it's like to be an author, and also a knitwear designer.



She said, that while the book, Custom Knits, was fun to write, she wasn't making a ton money off of it, and was able to afford her daughter's tuition only through the pattern sales on her website. I, for one, figured that the royalties from a book weren't substantial, but I thought there would at least be some profit. As it turns out, the publisher gives you a payment of royalties, and most of that money before the book is published, was put towards supplies for making the book (yarn, etc) Hopefully, once the book sells enough copies to offset the original cost of the book, Wendy will see a profit. Also, she had hired NO test knitters for the book's designs. Yep. Wendy knit them all, in the span of about five months, and ended up with a hip injury to boot. Talk about doing something for the joy of it and love of the craft, huh?



Wendy Bernard explained that she tried to make this, her first book, more of a formula, versus a pattern, book. She wanted to empower the knitter to make her/his own choices as to how to make a sweater or a top, and to figure out on their own how to get the desired result. This is powerful, and most books, while they give a little leeway as to changes that can be made, do not approach the knitter and knitwear in that way.



This is a wonderful book, and is made all the more special, after meeting Wendy (and letting her borrow a sharpie) because it truly is her voice that shines through in the book, despite the editing and processing that goes into publishing a book. It was quite a refreshing treat to meet someone who went from zero to sixty as far as knitwear design goes. She started knitting 5 years ago, and also started designing at the same time. Who else of us can say that?



All in all, it was a great time, and was made even more special by the personalized notes she put in all the books. Thanks for coming to Seattle, Wendy!

Riddle Me This

So my front page section on pnn.com was flagged as being "Inappropriate" huh, what?! I have no idea why, considering, it just has stuff like "what's on the needles, and podcasts I listen to" So glad I don't post there anymore.

In order to preserve my previous posts, the stuff that follows is what I am taking off of the pnn website. This is all my original work, so don't get all uppity. And it lets you see what was new last year. :D

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

IRL-an update

Plague has hit the Pandora household. Between me fighting migraines, and LB's little stint with a cold from hell, we are the plague bunnies.

This means that A) I did not go to work today and earn my keep
B) I was utterly non productive on everything
C) I spent most of the day in bed, sleeping

Tonight I shall knit more on the Central Park Hoodie, I would like to finish the back tomorrow, as I am almost to the top of the armhole shaping. And then I will have to start on the fronts. And also valiantly fight the plague some more.

Cheers

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

I admit it


Okay, Okay....I may have just bought a sweaters' worth of yarn...
But, it's for a good cause! I am going to use this in ivy to make this (rav links)

The yarn is from DizzySheep's daily deal which today got me the sweaters' worth for $56 after Ravelry discount. :D

And the good cause is because I am still trying to do NaKniSweMo. Yes, I am 6 days into the year, and I STILL plan on doing a sweater per month. Of course, Central Park Hoodie's back is almost done, so hopefully that'll be done by the end of the month. I have a pair of socks to knit for February, and also a sweater. Can I do it? We shall see!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

FOR SALE

I am cleaning out some things of mine, and am willing to share the wealth. All items are in new or paged-through condition.

-Luxury One Skein Wonders by Judith Durant $18.95 plus shipping
-Interweave Knits Summer 2008 $7 plus shipping
-Interweave Knits Fall 2008 $7 plus shipping
-Interweave Knits Winter 2008 $7 plus shipping
-Cast On May-July 2008 $6 plus shipping (I have 2 of these)
-Knitter's Magazine Fall 2008 $6 plus shipping
-Knitting Workshop hardcover by Elizabeth Zimmerman $18 plus shipping (this has a "fiber gallery" sticker on the back that I didn't want to attempt to remove and risk injuring the cover)

If you wish to buy more than one item, I will cover the shipping for them. Paypal is happily accepted.

Email me at alisiadragoon at gmail dot com to inquire about these items


If you know anyone looking for these, please direct them to this site.
Thanks!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Magazines not in Ravelry

Note to self:

Harass the Ravelry programmers about not having listing for the latest magazines. hehe.

I need to remember to catalog:

Drops pattern mag 109
Drops pattern mag 110
KnitToday Issue 28, December 2008

Oh, and I am STILL looking for Simply Knitting Magazine, issue 49, with the Sackboy pattern. anyone know where I can find it?

Friday, January 2, 2009

This inspires me in so many ways:



This is a crocheted yarn ball/notion holder. And I want one. I wants it bad...
Anticraft Linky Linky

Central Park Hoodie Back

I have officially started the armholes! (on the back)...Can I do 8.5 inches in two days? (you may recall that my goal was to have the back completed this weekend. (more specifically tomorrow...but...)

I've gotta tell you I LOVE this colorway. Go to BunkyBobos and buy ALL of her stuff... Support the SAHM who made this hoodie possible!

And now the cat has decided to lay upon my yarns. Here is a photo from earlier when I was cataloging my yarn.


Poor thing was exhausted watching me work...

Just so we know the score

January 2, 2009

total stash yardage: 41,799
total number of skeins: 163

Goal for this year:

Reduce stash by 40% (make it go down by 16,719.6 yards)
I realize that I am signed up for 8 clubs this year, so I am going for net stash reduction, not total stash reduction. Wish me luck!

Edit: I forgot to catalog 8 skeins of Cascade 220. the totals are thus:

total stash yardage: 43,559
total number of skeins: 171

*facepalm*

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Happy New Year..or...What I Will Do in 2009

Hello everyone, and a very happy 2009 to you! It seems that everyone is ready to make grand sweeping statements of how they will win the battle of the bulge, or stop running over kittens in the new year. I, also, have some goals. But instead of simply listing goals for 2009, I have PLANS:

1) I will knit every day, and in doing so, I will reduce my stress levels and *hopefully* prevent myself from freaking out at anyone or anything

2) I will knit sweaters this year. To be exact, I wish to knit 12 sweaters. I may not necessarily knit a sweater per month (NaKniSweMo) but I shall accomplish 12 sweaters in 12 months.

3) Mother shall received handknitted socks for any holiday that occurs (birthday, mother's day, christmas, etc) which will involve me having started said socks at least 2 weeks in advance of any holiday. (so as to facilitate completion of this knitting)

3) I will lose weight. But I shall do it by using my exercise bike a minimum of 5 days per week, and 4)bringing my food to work, instead of buying it. 5)I shall not cut out sweets, but I will attempt to make better food choices.

7)I will knit through at least 4 types of stashed yarn before April. (sweater quantities notwithstanding)

8) I will show LB that I love him in at least one way per day. People don't share their feelings enough, and 2009 will be the year that LB feels this love.

9) I will learn how to do colorwork with both hands (and not have the gauge go poop) and also start knitting backwards. (it's not that I hate purling. But I have 12 friggin sweaters to knit, and purling slows me down by making me change the way I am holding the yarn)

Do you have any plans for 2009? I mean, how are you going to accomplish those lofty goals that you have?