Lighted Knitting Needles

Check this out! http://stores.ebay.com/Lighted-Knitting-Accessories

Free to Stitch, Free to Bitch

http://freetostitchfreetobitch.org/index.htm

Moving

Still attempting to move!

Knitting Olympics

Besides the craziness at work, and the blasted sweater/class/teacher/monster I am going to attempt the Picovoli for the Knitting Olympics (see sidebar). The meeting with the LF went just as predicted yesterday… On the home front we’ll get to meet the newest grandson tomorrow. Feb - CATS & Beach Blanket Babylon

It's Official

I am a dork and KALer. I am determined to get this WP thing going. I downloaded it and have been playing but it still doesn’t look exactly like I want it to be. I did download another template. I would prefer a 3 column layout, but couldn’t get that to work with the template I downloaded. Looks like I will need to upload all the pictures again, if I don’t want it to continue to reference blogger. I cast on for the Pivocoli (pattern by Grumperina). I joined the SKC KAL. I cast on to swatch Reynold’s Saucy that I picked up at The Fabric Place last summer. Color 396. 5 1/2 sts = 1″ on US 9. (100% worsted weight mercerized cotton 100 GR / 185 yards Machine washable and dryable). And looking ahead, actually got some good info: “Here’s how it works.You know the knitted cast-on, just in general? You have a stitch on the left needle, insert right needle into stitch as if to knit, pull a loop through, then put it on the needle. Rinse and repeat.Here it’s the same idea.When it’s time to cast-on for the underarms, you will need to take your work and turn it around. Okay, now you have some stitches on the left needle. Proceed with knitted cast-on BUT instead of doing pseudo-knit stitches, do pseudo-purl stitches. Insert needle as if to purl, wrap yarn, pull through, place on needle. Repeat until it’s time to join the other stitches (at which point, turn your work around again)!It makes such a nice, clean edge on the right side. SO nice. HTH Grumperina”

Mermaid

Mermaid Seriously thinking about ordering this. The cost at LYS is $250, but look here! And a KAL.

Picovoli

MagKnits KAL Designer Notes Tivoli KAL (I think this is the older pattern)

Sweater and Sock Progress

Sweater back is finished, and front done up to v-neck armholes. " Happy Feet" Socks # 2:

Bag Patterns List

http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga_bag.html http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter02/PATTsuki.html http://knitty.com/ISSUEwinter03/PATTfrenchmarket.html http://www.magknits.com/warm04/patterns/sophie.htm http://www.oakenking.com/bobblebag24.jpg http://home.earthlink.net/~bruxknits/pats/BelleBag.pdf http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/bagcellphone.htm http://freefriends.org/~mare/pattern1.html http://www.viv.dk/EDownloads/DominoBag.pdf http://home.pacbell.net/kapleo/blog/domesticspherepatterns.html http://www.livejournal.com/users/purlewe/2004/03/15/ http://www.jenanne.com/PATTERNfeltedbag.htm http://www.knitkit.com/SpecialCompanion.htm (from the Felted_Bag_KAL)

2006 Knit-Alongs

2006 Knit-Alongs

Rambling

OK, I am officially miserable. This cold is still kicking my butt! I also remembered that Miss Know-It-All teacher also told me that I might want "to wash my swatch to see if that is really the effect" that I wanted for the sweater. Good Gawd. Sure, now I am going to rip the whole thing, and what pick out another $100 or so of yarn??? Maybe use the yarn as perlite for my house plants? Back at work, my supervisor stopped by to see if I had any documents for her collection. When I told her they would be coming during the next rotation she asked me "Is that in your yearly map"? Aggghhhhh, I could scream! As AR as she is, she has got to know (remember) that I have got to be one of the most organized, on-top-of-things person she has in the department. We received, once again, a duplicate email from one of her superiors, just to make sure that we knew it was a good idea! When I reminder her that we already receive it, she told me that her group addresses included all of us. So I told her I just love the delete key. Her response "just take that sword and turn it harder". She really needs to get a life! Hubby teased me that I only got another 3/4 of an inch done on my sweater. I am determined to teach him to knit! I need to pull out that camera. Maybe tomorrow...

Bad Knitter!

OK, I just feel like whining. Here’s the story. I really like my LYS and the people who work there. The owner thinks I’m a bit of a flake because I don’t sit still very long, even during classes. I have a bad back for God’s sake! Result of a couple of slipped discs years ago. I just can’t sit on a hard chair without excruciating pain. One of the worker bees is nice enough to me, but my husband found her “aloof” when he went in to buy a Christmas gift for me. He found her not very helpful and felt put-off. You would think that a guy in a yarn shop would be coddled a bit; the proverbial cow in a china shop. I take classes there for a number of reasons: 1. to learn new techniques 2. because I want to support this new shop 3. to meet up with others who enjoy this as much as I do So what’s the problem? Just because you can do, doesn’t mean you can teach! I took a sock class last summer, and it was great! So was the felted vase class even though I was the only one in it. Then the Bobby Bear class and that was great too. So during the bear class we got to discussing how the upcoming bear sweater class and how the model sweater wasn’t going to fit Bobby. So the teacher said she was going to talk to the person who was going to teach the sweater class and have her modify the pattern to fit. It didn’t happen, so now I have a sweater knitted, but not put together since I have no bear to fit it! And I had found an error in the pattern, had emailed the owner, and proceeded with the sweater. The same person sold me a felted mitten pattern that had been used in a class that I didn’t get into. I should have been forewarned when she started rewriting the directions on a scrap of paper. Since both were store produced patterns why didn’t they get corrected and give us the new patterns? I’m not getting it! I really like this girl and the LYS but frustration set in even more when I went to sweater class yesterday. I picked up the pattern, this time a commercially produced pattern, and the yarn a couple of weeks ago. I decided to swatch. Then have much time on my hands being sick with this cold I started on the back and got carried away and finished it. Well! The teacher of this class didn’t seem to like that at all. Her first comment was “Maybe we’ll have to rip it back”. Then she pulls out her trusty ruler and tells me my gauge was off, that is should be 3 sts to the inch. I pointed to the pattern which says 4 sts to the inch. Somehow she couldn’t get that to work and was telling me I had 4 ¼. I pulled out my gauge marker and dang it – it was exactly 4! So she proceeds to tell me that maybe if she stretched it out a bit, or maybe because of the hand spun yarn… Next she is going to check the row gauge! Well that was right on too. So she gets the other 2 in the class started. A bit later she asks me how I added the new ball of yarn – did I add it at the beginning of a row? Well, yes I did. So a bit later, as I am working on the front she tells me that “we are going to have to rip back on the back of the sweater”. She doesn’t like the way the pattern tells you to join the shoulders; that she likes them knitted together. Well, I’m all for learning new techniques, but I had about had it by then. AND, get this, she is teaching the jacket class I am schedule to take in March. At the end of class yesterday, she told me “and don’t start that one before class”! Guess I was a bad girl…

Mini Clappy

Mini Clappy

Sweater Pattern Generator

Sweater Pattern Generator

Argyle Knit socks.

Argyle Knit socks.

The Knitted Wedding?

Cast Off Knitting Club For Boys And Girls

Market Square Bags Gallery

Market Square Bags Gallery and Paintbox

Knitting Bags - Jordana Paige the knitter's purse and messenger bag for a new generation

Knitting Bags - Jordana Paige the knitter's purse and messenger bag for a new generation

End of Vacation

Besided being sick with a nasty cold, it's time to get ready to go back to work tomorrow. Finally had the crab legs and stuffed portobellos last night. New Years eve I was way to sick to even think about food... I decided not to wait until the 7th and started the Caviar sweater. Got a about 7 1/2 inches done on the back. While crusing around got to thinking that Picovoli might be a good use for the pink cotton yarn I picked up last summer. Guess I'll need to use my new yarn meter and dig out that yarn ;) Check this out! $930 Fendi bag. Discussion here.